Inuyasha 1. A Wicked Setup

**Forgotten**

**Before the search for Naraku…  
****Before the Jewel of Four Souls was shattered…  
****Before a modern girl appeared in Feudal ****Japan****…  
****Before a priestess dared to love a half-demon…  
****A story centuries**** in the making…  
****A supernatural clan torn apart by the powers of yin and yang…  
****A tale of two brothers and the war that destroyed their lives.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anyone from the hit manga/anime series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.

**Prologue: A Wicked Setup**

The young warlord sat on the edge of the engawa lost, confused, and heartbroken. He had been this way for the past eight months. His beloved, the one woman who he cared for in all the world, the one whose beauty surpassed even a goddess, had chosen a demon for a husband. She had forsaken her father's wish, forsaken her betrothed to go with the demon.

Takemaru was still stunned by her choice.

A young boy approached the distraught warlord, an act of bravery or suicide depending on whom was asked. Takemaru's temper had flared on several occasions and a number of vassals had been wounded. Whenever someone tried to converse with him the subject would inevitably return to the departed princess and he didn't want to discuss her.

The child stopped short of him and with the greatest care set the glaive he was carrying down. He strode forward until he was standing next to Takemaru and stared in the direction the young warlord was looking. The child stayed that way for a few minutes before daring to bring up the one thing everyone was avoiding.

"Staring at the horizon isn't going to bring her back."

The young warlord jerked in the surprise, having failed to notice the child standing next to him. He was also stunned by the boy's bluntness; no one else had ever been so bold. Furious he turned toward the child.

"Why should I care about Princess Izayoi? She gave herself to a demon! She broke her promise, betrayed her father, and ran off with a demon. She is as good as dead to me!" he shouted. He glared at the boy who gazed at him with wide black eyes. Still burning with anger at his impudence, Takemaru felt a chill race along his spine as he stared at the boy. While the boy appeared as wide eyed and innocent as the next child something in his gaze turned the warlord's blood to ice.

Takemaru shook the feeling from him as the boy spoke, "My grandfather, the Lord Jounochi, gave you Izayoi for your bride. I know she betrayed him by choosing a demon but why aren't you doing anything about it? The wedding ceremony may not have been performed yet, but since she was your betrothed and she had been sent to your castle, then wouldn't that mean she was already yours?"

The warlord turned away from the boy to think. He couldn't fault the child's logic and that in itself caused alarm bells to start ringing. The same chill as before flooded his body. He gazed suspiciously at the child.

"What are trying to say?"

"I'm not trying to say anything," replied the boy as he crouched down beside the warlord. He looked down at the ground and said, "I just don't understand why you can't reclaim what is yours. After all, do you want all women to believe they can do as they please when they have a duty to their families? If Izayoi is allowed to remain with the demon when her father told her to marry you, what will the next bride do?"

His words banished the warlord's ill feelings about the boy and turned them toward more serious matters. 'He's right, if Izayoi isn't punished for her foolishness, other women will think they can disobey their fathers and marry whomever they please, they may even begin disobeying their husbands!' he thought with horror.

He needed to tell Lord Jounochi about his daughter since he was the one that she had disobeyed. The young warlord hadn't told the man that his daughter had run off and he didn't want to now. The tenko lord might actually let it pass! But more importantly was the fact that Takemaru's pride was as wounded as his heart.

'Besides the child is right, she is mine! She was sent to the castle as my bride, so I must be the one to punish her foolishness!' he thought as he stood, fists clenched in anger.

"I will reclaim Izayoi and kill the demon who dared to lure her away!" proclaimed Takemaru.

The boy watched as the warlord stormed away shouting for his warriors. When Takemaru had vanished around the building, the boy turned to retrieve his glaive. He smiled as he stared at the eighteen inches of metal. It was not sweet or innocent; it was very dark and sinister.

"Earth Tenko, stoic, stubborn, and _stupid_!" he whispered as he fingered the blade. "Eight months is a long time. I wonder how he'll react when he learns Izayoi is pregnant with a demon child. Well, that matters little to me." The glaive's blade glowed and runes appeared. "Farewell, Kenhoshi!"

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Engawa: the veranda that wraps around the buildings, outdoor hallway.

I don't know the real name of Inu no Taisho so I dubbed him Kenhoshi. For a brief, very brief, time I thought of calling him Inuhoshi but I thought the guy deserved more respect than that. This sets up the prologue in Inuyasha: Movie 3. For those who haven't seen it, don't worry it is coming out in english first week in September, then this prologue will make sense.

If you read this story and start to believe I'm getting way out of line for a prequel to the series just stay with me because it will fit into the story without a hitch by the end. Also brace yourself, this is going to be extremely dark. I'm also going to have a hell of a lot of fun with it

Now for the rest of you who are all eagerly awaiting updates to my other works, I am so sorry. I got nothing done in the last month and a half. Okay, I practically tore apart my house in a belated spring cleaning as a precursor to remodeling, helped my sister get through her surgery, and visit the cousins. My access to a computer was limited. I'll try to catch up but this is my senior year in college and I need to prepare for May graduation.

Enjoy!

By the way, I withheld the boy's name on purpose.


	2. Humble Beginnings

**Chapter One: Humble Beginnings**

_It's odd what passes through a man's mind when he is dying. I'm sure it is different for everyone yet… eerily the same. A reflection of one's life; deeds are evaluated. I find mine wanting. It was only in the last century and a half that I truly began to live again. Pathetic when it is realized that I have been around for six centuries. Yet it took so much death to remind me what life was really about. Perhaps it was fitting I would live just long enough to discover that no one survived, not my daughter, not my brother… not even her. I find our relationship strange, especially in light of how we were introduced._

-Sesshomaru

Kenhoshi soared through the air, his mysticism keeping him aloft when he had no wings. The wind in his face was a welcome relief from the confines of his castle. Temporarily freed from his duties and the backstabbing of his court, he let the breeze dance in his hair and tickle his skin. The scent of brine warned him of the approaching shoreline and the demon lord drifted down to earth.

He sometimes wondered if there had been any real point to the war he had been apart of so many centuries earlier. Between the oath-breakers and the new generations of demons causing murder and mayhem where they pleased it seemed he and Shugotenshi had fought in vain. The enzeru were gone, but the cruelty they had inflicted upon this world remained in the form of the powerful and uncaring among both humans and demons. It was a thought that quickly killed his good mood. He landed on a cliff face and gazed at the ocean beyond.

"Was it all worth it?" he said aloud, gazing out to sea. In his mind the faint sounds of long ago battles intruded and he imagined he smelled the dead and the dying. "Was all the death worth what we have now? Was it all in vain?" The waves crashing on the shore lulled his soul and the past vanished within the temporal abyss. His quiet reverie was interrupted by a commotion on the beach below. Curious, the powerful dog demon leapt towards the sounds of fighting.

"Vile half-breed!" a man shouted. The sound of a collision followed by a hiss of pain and anger followed.

"Disgusting beast! Leave here at once, wretch!" another shouted.

Kenhoshi crested the peak and stopped. Several humans raised farming equipment as weapons against a small girl. A number of bruises and cuts already adorned her body, some looked partially healed. The dog demon growled in barely contained rage then leapt down.

Like the cowards they were, they jumped in fright at the sight of the demon lord. The girl's attention remained fixed on her attackers, seemingly oblivious to his appearance behind her. This close, Kenhoshi could smell the demon blood within her.

'A sea dragon, these humans really are fools. You don't mess with their kind,' he thought, ice spiking his veins. He reached forward, grabbed the back of her kimono, and lifted her off the ground. She shrieked in surprise, a harsh inhuman sound that pierced his brain like a knife.

"Easy, child," he said with as much calm and comfort as possible while nursing a sudden pounding headache. "Since these fools can't appreciate you and your gifts, you shall come with me." He glared at the humans who stood trembling before them. Baring his fangs, he growled and the villagers finally remembered they possessed legs and fled.

The girl turned her head and studied him with a critical eye, wondering if he was really trustworthy. Golden eyes met violet as both regarded one another.

'What did I just get myself into?' he wondered.

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Sesshomaru and his court did battle with whatever was unfortunate enough to cross their path. Birds, butterflies, frogs, squirrels all fled in the face of the terror of the puppy pack. The only things that were left to their own devices were the bees. It just wasn't fun when the prey fought back.

Lady Ginhana watched her son and his playmates as they ran about the meadow with wild abandon. It had been hours since they had come out to this area but demon children were nothing if not long on energy. She sighed, wondering when the group would finally call it a day when a familiar scent caught her nose.

Kenhoshi stepped into view and she already knew her husband wasn't alone. In the crook of his arm was a young girl trying everything within her power to break the great dog demon's hold. She kicked, punched, even made attempts to bite, but his armor was too thick and his grip too sure. Ginhana stared at the girl while her nose picked up the sharp odor of human as well as the brine and brimstone scent of a sea dragon. Long black hair flew about her in her struggles and what passed for her kimono barely covered everything.

"Dearest? Where did you find her and why is she here?" asked Ginhana, eyeing the squirming child.

"The people of her village were throwing rocks at her," he replied as he strode forward. The Lady of the Western Lands growled, her maternal instincts taking hold.

"Fools! Had they no idea what could happen when they behave in such a way toward a hanyou?" she snapped, green eyes flashing as she brushed an imaginary stray lock of hair from her face. Kenhoshi didn't blink in the face of his wife's wrath, it wasn't directed at him and neither was her question.

The girl stopped fighting and eyed Ginhana with distrust. The woman's eyes were a supernatural shade of green and her long hair was pure silver, a darker shade than the demon that held her. Two pairs of pink stripes graced each cheek and wrist and a purple waning crescent moon with a star near its center adorned her forehead. The demon that held her had only a single fat purple stripe on each cheek and his eyes were golden.

Noticing the look, Ginhana thought, 'Poor thing must never have had a reason to trust anyone. Humph! We'll change that!' The lady demon reached toward the girl.

"Here, child, let's straighten out your hair at least," Ginhana said as she pulled the girl from her husband. The girl went rigid as she was transferred. Ginhana felt another growl forming in her chest. The girl couldn't have been any older than ten.

'A child her age shouldn't fear people this much!' The lady demon pulled a comb from her obi and started the long tedious process of disentangling the young half-dragon's black hair. The girl continued to eye her with misgivings as she sat on Ginhana's lap, but otherwise didn't move. Some part of her still wanted to trust.

Ginhana sensed her husband moving to sit next to her as she began speaking to the girl. "We'll have to give you a bath when we return to the castle and some new clothes too. Blues, purples, greens; those colors will most definitely flatter you. By the way, what's your name?"

"Mmm."

"Well we have to call you something other than, 'Hey! You, girl!" Ginhana sensed Kenhoshi's aborted laugh and saw the faintest of smiles flicker at the corners of the girl's lips.

"Kaiyoshinju," the young half-dragon said.

"Kaiyoshinju? That's a pretty name and so well-suited for just such a pretty little girl," said Ginhana as she gently loosened a stubborn knot. This time the girl did smile and blushed as well. The loud but immature growl of one of the boys drew their attention.

"So how is the little band of warriors doing?" asked Kenhoshi with a chuckle, mischief glittering in his golden eyes.

Ginhana waved the comb in a grand mocking gesture and replied, "They shall be singing of the great prowess of Sesshomaru revealed in that terrible War of the Butterflies." The dog general laughed at this.

Kaiyoshinju had other ideas. "But I like butterflies, why would he wage war on them? It's wrong!" she cried.

Ginhana opened her mouth to explain she had only been joking when Kenhoshi said, "Well, why don't you go defend the butterflies before anymore fall victim to Sesshomaru's ruthless claws."

"Dear!" cried Ginhana, appalled that he would carry it so far. He waved her quiet; the twinkle in his eye giving her cause for concern at what he was planning, but also curiosity.

"But you have to remember, you can't kill anyone, the butterflies don't so neither should you," he said while fighting the smile that threatened to ruin the whole thing.

'Men!' thought Ginhana with a huff. 'They just love to pick fights.' She sighed but remained silent. Kaiyoshinju hopped off Ginhana's lap determination etched into every curve of her little body. She ran toward the boys in the meadow below.

"Dear, do you know what you are doing?" Ginhana asked. Kenhoshi's face was suddenly serious and she was almost afraid.

"She could have killed them, the villagers, I'm certain of it, but she didn't," he replied not taking his eyes off his new ward. "The girl has strength and it's only going to grow with time. If her people don't come for her, then we will have to train her to handle the formidable power of the sea ourselves. Sesshomaru will have to meet her and that will result in a fight somewhere in the future. Why not settle both now?"

"I'll be the first to admit our son already possesses an ego beyond that of what a normal ten-year-old should have, but isn't this a little much?" asked his wife.

Kenhoshi smiled and said, "I think Sesshomaru is in for a humbling experience."

Ginhana turned her green eyes to the meadow where the young half-dragon was confronting the boys. "I hope you're right."

Kaiyoshinju stared down the pack of boys. They in turn stared at her. Then one of them, the leader she assumed, stepped forward. He was taller than her by a few inches. Long silvery-white hair hung to his waist. He looked like the demon woman who had been combing her hair except his eyes were golden and the waning crescent on his forehead lacked the star in its center. He was also ridiculously pretty for a boy.

He stuffed his arms into his sleeves and demanded in a haughty tone, "Why do you interfere with this Sesshomaru's business?" He glared at her and puffed up his chest in indignation.

Kaiyoshinju tried very hard not to laugh. She just couldn't take him seriously. While trying to look intimidating, he only managed to look put out. His thrown back head, done to make him look superior, emphasized instead his baby round cheeks. His puffed up chest made him look like he was going to fall over backwards and his death glare was about as intense as a pout. Not to mention his voice was higher pitched than hers and squeaked more than her mother's hut.

Losing the battle of self-control, she finally giggled and said, "'This Sesshomaru'? Aren't _important men_ supposed to be the only ones to use that?" The boys all gasped in horror and Sesshomaru's face puffed up more and turned red with anger.

"This Sesshomaru is an important man! This Sesshomaru's father is the Lord of the Western Lands, the great Dog General!" declared the outraged boy. The squeaking was worse than before.

Kaiyoshinju laughed outright. "With those cheeks and that voice?" she said while pinching his cheek and bopping his throat. "Your father may be the most important man in these lands, but you're just a little boy, a little little boy!"

Infuriated, Sesshomaru yelled, "And who are you?"

"No one special," she replied with an evil grin as she began to hop back and forth, enjoying her new game, butterflies forgotten.

"Why you!" Sesshomaru raised his hands as he prepared to charge her. Kaiyoshinju stopped and grinned, also raising her fists. Her blood began burning within her and she felt her strength surge. She didn't know why and she didn't care, but the thought of fighting him thrilled her. Sesshomaru took a step forward then paused and sniffed the air a couple of times.

He backed up and said with disgust, "Feh! You're only a half-breed. You're not even worthy of this Sesshomaru's anger." He turned away from the stunned half-dragon. The other boys were stunned too and began sniffing the air as well.

Kaiyoshinju's blood began to boil as she recovered from her shock. "You're not going to fight me because my mother was human?" she demanded, seething.

"Hanyou like you are beneath me," he replied without turning around. "This Sesshomaru honors you enough by just conversing with you."

"COWARD!" she roared. "You act all tough but you don't have any strength of your own. If I hadn't been a hanyou, you would have suddenly remembered that your father had told you men don't fight girls. You can't fight! You hide behind your father, using his power and position as a shield. I bet you were never in a real fight before. You're afraid you don't have what it takes to beat me. You're afraid I'll pound your baby face right into the ground."

Sesshomaru glared over his shoulder at the girl, his expression livid. "Half demon, half power, if we fought you would end up six feet under. This Sesshomaru is doing you a favor by not fighting you."

"Spare me!" she snapped. "Prove to me you actually got balls underneath all that cloth and fight! Or maybe you really are a girl and you're afraid taking on another girl would reveal that to your buddies." His companions looked at her as if she were insane.

Sesshomaru turned growling and snapped, "This Sesshomaru shall personally throw you back into your station, half-breed!"

Furious, she yelled, "If someone is returning to their place after this it's going to be you! Boys shouldn't let go of their mother's kimonos until after their voices change."

"You shall be punished severely for your insolence, wench, and this Sesshomaru shall be the one to do it!" he hollered as he moved into a fighting stance he had seen his father use when training.

"Right here, big boy!" she called, turning around and giving her butt a loud whack. "That is if you really are man enough to do it!"

Enraged, Sesshomaru charged with a roar, his companions fled to a safe distance. A mad grin graced Kaiyoshinju's face as she flipped over him. His fist's collision with the dirt created a small crater, but the young half-dragon remained unfazed. She could create bigger craters.

She landed then sprang straight back, her elbow preceding her. She slammed into Sesshomaru's back and she heard a choked cry escape him. A life with bullies had taught her the finer points of brawls, never let up when you have an advantage and always keep moving to prevent the other from getting one.

The young dog demon slashed at her, but she caught his arm and swung him over her shoulder and into the ground. His face became one with the dirt and once again he was slow to respond. She jumped on top of him, heartlessly slamming another elbow into his kidney. He smashed against the ground again, muffling his cry of pain. The world began to spin before his eyes. Kaiyoshinju grabbed his long snowy locks and slammed his face into the ground.

She did it twice more, but it wasn't satisfying. Infuriated at the ease she was beating him, she backed off. She wanted a real fight. She stood over him, hoping he would regain his feet and continue the battle. She was disgusted at how long it took him to start moving.

'I was right, he hasn't been in many fights, maybe not even one,' she thought. The idea enraged her more. Sesshomaru had been spared all the hostilities she had grown up with. He had had an easy life and was soft as a result.

"Get up and fight, you sorry excuse for a demon!" she roared. She surged forward and drove a fist into his stomach just as he regained his feet. He doubled over with a gasp.

"You're so weak and so soft," she whispered, cold fury settling over her. "All those pretty words and you can't last longer than two blows before you're at my mercy. I have more of a challenge fighting humans than you."

That last part got him. Sesshomaru struggled to straighten up, a growl escaping his lips, but Kaiyoshinju was merciless. Blow after blow landed on the young dog demon as he struggled to retaliate. The closest he came was when he managed to grab her long ebony hair. She slammed a kick into his groin before he could do anything else and he crumpled to the ground.

A kick to his chin spiked his vision with stars and brought him off the ground. A punch to his nose sent him flying into a tree. He slid down the trunk into a curled ball of defeat. He was in too much pain to even try to get up. She hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Enough," he heard his father shout and was horrified he was here to witness his humiliating loss. "You've made your point, Kaiyoshinju. Anything more would be excessive." The young dragon reluctantly agreed with him, but she still fumed inside.

'Father knows this girl? Did he tell her to fight me?' thought the young dog demon, but it hurt to think and he didn't dwell on the matter as he closed his good eye. The other was swollen shut from an earlier blow.

"And here I was worrying about her, guess I should've been more worried about Sesshomaru," said his mother. He felt her hands on his forehead. Then he was lifted off the ground and his mother's scent smothered him.

His head rested against her chest as she turned to his companions who were inching closer to her while watching the young half-dragon. Kenhoshi had a hand on Kaiyoshinju as he watched them as they approached. "Shall we return to the castle now?" she inquired of them.

"Yes, my lady," they chimed, eyeing the young half-dragon with fear. She turned and the little group followed her as she began walking.

Kaiyoshinju hesitated then felt a gentle push from Kenhoshi. "Come along, my dear. If I hadn't wanted this, I wouldn't have encouraged you to confront him," he said. Relieved for several reasons, she started forward.

'Dragons,' he thought with amusement as he glanced at the girl walking beside him. 'This should make things interesting around here.'

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Well what did you expect with a chapter title like that?

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Yes, it's here! I finally posted the next chapter of Forgotten. Now don't panick! I'm planning to switch between the two brothers at least in the beginning when I'm describing both Inuyasha's and Sesshomaru's past before the two come together for the mutual story. Whole years, even centuries will pass from chapter to chapter between Sesshomaru's entries while days and weeks will be all the time taken over these earlier accounts of Inuyasha during these times his brother Sesshomaru is unknown to him. Next chapter will be shooting forward to a young Inuyasha on the most tragic day in his young life. Now people don't be alarmed at the memoir in the beginning. Consider it foreshadowing. Sesshomaru is reaching back from the end of this story to highlight these points in time as will Inuyasha being doing for his chapters. I said this story not Rumiko's or any time after the end of Naraku. It'll make sense when I get there but I must remind you this story ends ten years before Inuyasha meets Kikyo. So Sesshomaru is telling his story sixty years before he meets Kagome. If you want to know why he is on his death bed sixty years before Kagome then you'll just have to stay tuned, because I'm not giving away the ending!

Kaiyoshinju was originally going to be called Shishina but when I checked translations I found that would be a bad thing. Kaiyoshinju means ocean pearl.

Shugotenshi was translated as guardian angel.

Ginhana means silver flower.

Kenhoshi means sword star.


	3. Menace in the Shadows

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**Chapter Two: Menace in the Shadows**

_When one stands at the end of all things I guess it's natural to reflect upon one's life. Even though my clan and particularly my family were powerful, we resided at the edge of our territory in the imperial capital. My earliest memories consisted of the confusing situation of being loved by my powerful family and scorned by the rest of the human court nobles. I was too young to understand their hate and I honestly hadn't realized I wasn't entirely human. This confusion was the first step toward a lifetime of despair as their hatred was turned against my mother. If only I had known then what I know now then maybe I wouldn't have blamed my existence for what happened.  
_-Inuyasha-

A circle of young men kicked a ball between them as several young women watched to the men's everlasting joy. Akira smiled as he caught the ball on his right incept and sent it back to one of his friends. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Megumi smile at him. He quickly returned his focus to the game before his distraction caused him embarrassment.

'No, it would not do to have Megumi see me fumble the ball. That would be most embarrassing!' he thought as he caught and sent the ball on again. The sun was bright, the day was warm and it seemed impossible for anything to ruin his good mood.

Such thoughts were karma's cue. As the ball bounced over to Wataru, a small boy in red with a wild silvery-white mane ran past Akira. Play instantly stopped as the ball bounced over to Kaoru. The older man caught the ball in his hands and the unwanted little boy ran over to him waving his arms at Kaoru and chimed, "I want to play."

Akira sneered in disgust. 'That wretched hanyou again, he always ruins everything!'

"Disgusting hanyou should have been drowned at birth," said Kaoru and he threw the ball over his shoulder. The young boy, oblivious to the dark meaning of the words, chased after it. The mood of the beautiful day shattered, everyone turned and walked away.

'So true,' thought Akira as he glanced over his shoulder at the bewildered expression on the young boy's face. 'Why does the Kanzaki family allow such a thing to continue existing?'

The young man felt an eerie chill curl up his spine a moment before a smooth voice spoke. "So troublesome that Inuyasha, isn't he?"

Akira, Kaoru and Wataru stopped and looked to the left. In the shadows of the eaves stood another young man, his unusual style of robes marking him as a member of the Kanzaki family. While he did have the same footwear and wore a kimono and gathered hakama similar to those of the Kanzaki family, he wore a sleeveless over robe that hung to his knees and was tied with a broad white sash trimmed in dark blue. The kimono and hakama were white with dark blue swirls artistically displayed. The over robe was sky blue and was trimmed in yellow. A sky blue headband pushed his unruly black hair out of his face.

"What do you want, Sagara?" demanded Kaoru, glaring at the young Kanzaki with misgivings.

"I was just noticing how Inuyasha interrupted your game," Sagara replied with the same oily voice. It made Akira's skin crawl. When it came to choice of company, Akira preferred the hanyou's to this man's.

"If you're so sympathetic, then how about you keep your _cousin_ away from our game next time!" snapped Kaoru. Sagara's eyes seemed to glow in response to the condescending tone. Akira and Wataru both stared at Kaoru. There were some people you just didn't cross.

"Don't speak to me in that tone," said Sagara, an edge entering his voice causing both Akira and Wataru to take an unconscious step back. "I'm not the one who allowed the demon child to remain. I'm not the one who willingly created that child." He waved a hand in the direction beyond them and they turned to see what he was indicating.

Izayoi stood bent as she held her half-demon son on the other side of the river. Akira glared at the abominable woman, the woman who had chosen a demon over her own betrothed and willingly allowed herself to bear a hanyou child. She was revolting.

"You know Jounochi spoils her," said Sagara, the smoothness back along with a shadowy smile. "He loves his daughter so much because she resembles his late wife and can't dream of doing anything to upset her. Since she wished to keep the child he refused to have it killed, just so she can be happy."

Akira didn't miss the key phrase. Neither did Kaoru, "You're saying Lord Jounochi doesn't approve of the hanyou either?"

"Who's to know?" Sagara shrugged then ran his fingers through his long, unruly black hair, smile vanishing. "I just know that he loves Izayoi and doesn't want to do anything that would make her unhappy, even if that meant keeping a despised half-breed." He turned and walked away leaving the three with his words ringing in their minds.

"And that is supposed to make us feel better, how?" muttered Wataru as he rubbed his forehead.

"It's doesn't, he just says we aren't alone in our feelings toward the hanyou," said Akira, tucking his hands into his broad blue sleeves and started walking again.

Wataru skipped a couple steps to catch up, neither noticed Kaoru wasn't following. "But didn't he just say Jounochi doesn't approve of Izayoi's demon child? Can't we use that to get rid of the beast?"

"No, idiot!" snapped Akira, glaring at his friend. "Sagara all but said that anything concerning Izayoi is strictly off limits. It doesn't matter what Jounochi personally feels about the hanyou. The fact is he'll do anything in his power to make his daughter happy, and it's not like she abuses the privilege by making constant demands. We don't have anything we could use to remove the half-breed. As long as Izayoi wants the boy, Izayoi keeps the boy and heaven help anyone stupid enough to try to change that."

"I guess your right," said Wataru looking away. "Hey! Where's Kaoru?"

Akira turned and looked around. The streets were empty of any sign of their companion. His eyebrows knitted together with concern. 'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'

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_Five days later…_

Evening had come, Izayoi, her three handmaidens, and Inuyasha sat by the river and watched the fireflies dance across the grass and over the water. At least the women sat and watched, the young hanyou ran around trying to catch the floating points of light.

"It seems our little Inuyasha is enjoying himself," said Yuki as she gazed past her open fan.

"Much to the fireflies' dismay," added Eri with a chuckle.

"I always love this time of year myself," said Izayoi, smiling when Inuyasha misjudged a pounce and slipped halfway down the bank. The boy scrambled back up and picked up his chase right where it left off without missing a beat.

"So what kind of tenko do you think he is going to be?" asked Ayume. She fluttered her fan and said, "I think he is going to be a water tenko because he is full of strong emotions."

"Nah, he's going to be an earth tenko because he is incredibly stubborn," declared Eri with a wave of her fan. "You remember what he's like when it comes time to bathe him? Definite earth!"

Izayoi opened her fan and laughed into it. Her son was a handful especially when it came time to wash him. He would throw the biggest tantrum, screaming and yelling, demanding to know why he had to get clean when he was only going to get dirty again, and it wouldn't stop until after they had dried him off.

"So, Yuki, do you have an opinion?" asked Ayume, glancing at her friend.

"An elemental at least, I'm not going to even guess which, it's way too early to tell. He definitely can't be a metal, too feisty for that, and I have a hard time seeing him as a wood," replied Yuki with a smile.

"No, you can't do that," chided Izayoi, shaking a finger at her servant while trembling with suppressed laughter. "The other two placed their bets; you can't have something that general."

"Must I, my lady?" asked Yuki and Izayoi nodded in mock seriousness. Sighing she said, "Alright, fire because of his short temper, explosive tantrums, and aversion to water." Eri snickered at the last part.

"Fire tenko are really rare, though," said Ayume as she returned her attention to the fireflies.

"That doesn't mean it's not impossible," said Izayoi, stretching her arms before her.

Yuki turned away and stared at Inuyasha. 'No, I'm certain that he is a fire tenko. Fire tenko powers appear sooner than other tenko. Lately, whenever I hold him, the water in my wind becomes electric. Not only am I certain he's a fire tenko, I think his power is going to appear soon. Maybe even sooner than other fire tenko. Maybe anytime now!' The wind shifted and Yuki heard the faint sounds of several sets of feet heading toward them quickly. Suspicious, she stood and raised her fan.

"What is it, Yuki?" asked Izayoi as she and the other two handmaidens stood as well.

"A number of people are approaching," she replied, scanning the horizon for the approaching group.

"Inuyasha! Return to me." called Izayoi.

The boy stopped and looked at her, bewildered. "Why?"

"Do as I say."

"But…"

"Do as I say!" Izayoi rarely threatened Inuyasha, but she was not a woman to be pushed around by her own son. Her sharp tone and severe expression silenced the boy and he started running towards her.

Yuki's eyes swung toward Inuyasha and looked past the child when she spotted the source of the sound of hurrying feet. The four women paled when they saw them. Five masked men dressed in black were running toward them and each was armed and ready for combat. Yuki didn't wait to see what their intentions were; men with weapons in their hands meant they were planning to use them and soon.

She waved her fan in a broad sweep creating a gust that blew the charging men back several feet. Unfazed, they came at them again. The three handmaidens pulled out fans edged in steel and, with Ayume and Yuki holding onto Eri, they flew toward them. Five on three was less than equal and one of the men managed to slip past the combatants and sprang toward the fleeing child.

Inuyasha tripped as a knife went flying past his head and struck the ground in front of his outstretched hands. The boy looked over his shoulder as his attacker closed the gap with his spear raised.

"Inuyasha!" screamed his mother as the deadly shaft descended. Blood splattered the fallen child, his golden eyes staring in uncomprehending horror at the sight before him. The spear tip protruded from Izayoi's back stopping half a foot before his face.

"Princess Izayoi!" screamed Eri then gasped when a sword was shoved into her belly. She snapped her fan shut and drove it into the man's heart then they both crumpled to the ground, life fleeing them within a crimson stream.

Izayoi held tight to the spear to prevent the attacker from pulling it out of her, a look of sheer defiance twisting her beautiful features into a fierce snarl. Blood began to trickle from her mouth but somehow she clung to life as tightly as she did the spear and stared into her killer's eyes.

"Release the spear, whore! I shall send your abominable child to join you soon enough," said the man as he struggled to free the spear.

Izayoi removed a hand from the shaft and grabbed his neck. "You shall be the one to accompany me to the lands of the dead," she gasped then she began to chant in an archaic tongue.

"What?" he cried as a brilliant light flowed from her and enveloped him.

Yuki sliced through the neck of her second opponent, the first lay at her feet in a pool of his own blood, still clinging to life but loosing fast. His sword arm had been cut off and lay three feet from him. Ayume continued to struggle with her opponent but, unable to break the man's pressure on her fans, she was slowly being overwhelmed. Yuki moved to help her when she saw the light. Turning toward her mistress, she screamed, "Princess Izayoi! No!"

The light shot outward and filled the two remaining women with energy and strength. Yuki watched her wounds close up and vanish as if they had never been. Tears filled her eyes and she screamed in rage and grief. The light receded, man and princess fell to earth, their souls now on their way to the netherworld.

"Ha!" yelled Ayume, blasting her opponent with a sudden but brief gust of wind then slicing both his hands off.

"Mother!" cried Inuyasha, pushing on her corpse, his young mind unable to accept her death. "Mother!"

Yuki heard others approaching. Not knowing whether they were friend of foe, she ran toward Inuyasha and called back, "Ayume, hurry, more people are coming."

"Hai!" Ayume glanced once at the lifeless Eri. Eri, unlike Ayume and Yuki, had been an ordinary human not a tenko. While a strong fighter, she lacked their supernatural abilities. Turning away from the corpse, Ayume ran to catch up to Yuki.

Yuki reached Inuyasha and grabbed him. "No! We can't leave Mother!" he cried holding tight to Izayoi's robes.

"Inuyasha, let go! We can't help her now," she said, tears pouring from her eyes.

"No!" Yuki, aware of the vanishing time, slapped the five-year-old. Surprised by the sudden pain, the boy to released the dead woman's clothes and Yuki was up and running before he could grab it again. "No! Mother! Mother!"

Yuki struggled to hang on as Inuyasha began throwing another tantrum. "This is not the time for this," she hissed when she nearly dropped him.

Ayume ran up beside her. "We should take to the skies. It will be safer there and we can get to Lord Jounochi faster. Besides without Eri or Izayoi there really isn't any reason to stay on the ground," she whispered, her own tears staining her cheeks. It was still hard to believe they were dead.

Yuki nodded and she and Ayume sprang into the air, winds swirling around them lifting them several dozen feet up. Despite this, Inuyasha continued to scream and fight.

"Inuyasha stop this at once! This is neither the time nor the place for your petty outburst!" yelled Yuki. The boy responded by screaming even louder and punching and kicking even harder. Yuki could understand his feelings. She could understand his confusion. She could understand why he was doing this but that did not change the fact that he was putting all three in danger.

'Our fault, we shouldn't have let him throw these tantrums. We should have taught him there was a time and a place for this instead of letting him have his way.' She saw Ayume drift below in case she did drop Inuyasha. Gritting her teeth, she thought, 'I have no choice. This has got to stop or else we won't get anywhere!'

Curling up, she maneuvered the boy across her lap. Yuki took a deep breath, hating herself for she was about to do, then brought her hand down on Inuyasha's rump.

The boy yelped then redoubled his efforts. Yuki spanked him again and shouted, "I stop when you stop, Inuyasha!" She emphasized her point with a slap for every word. Finally, the boy quieted, but he continued to sob into his hands. Feeling worse than ever, she placed the child on her hip, gave the top of his head a reassuring kiss then she and Ayume flew toward the Kanzaki mansion.

'What the hell am I supposed to tell Lord Jounochi?' she wondered. 'How am I supposed to explain this failure?'

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_Two days later…_

Lord Jounochi glared at his vassals and kin who squirmed uncomfortably beneath his gaze. "So there is no way to find who sent those men," said Jounochi.

His nephew, Yahiko, looked at him and replied, "Since the men were all mercenaries, they had no connections. Without them being alive, we can't interrogate them to find out who bought their services. We have already searched them for any indication of their buyer but have found nothing. Unless someone knows something and tells us there isn't anything we can do. Izayoi's murderer remains at large."

"The only thing we can determine from this," said Kuromaru in a soft voice, "is that the target was Inuyasha not Izayoi. I believe it's because he's a hanyou that the attack occurred at all. There are no other reasons I can think of but that this was an act of hatred. Izayoi was harmless, a wood tenko, even one of great power, can't attack only heal."

"Someone may have decided to kill her just because she bore a hanyou. Maybe it was their plan to eliminate both mother and son," said Katsuya, an ancient man, even by his clan's terms, at age 156. Barely able to move and resembling a mummy more than a living being, Katsuya was a sage of great power. His initial water magic had transcended and become an energy from beyond the living world, the rarely mastered sacred magic.

"That is a possibility, respected Elder, but that doesn't help us identify who was behind the attack," said Tomoya, one of Jounochi's most trusted human vassals. "Can your great power reveal who was behind this? I mean no disrespect, Elder, it's just that why should we continue to fumble in the dark?"

"An honest question and one I have already attempted to address," replied the Elder Katsuya. He reached a withered hand out to the candle before him and held it above the flame. The little fire danced then turned pitch black before going out.

"What does it mean, Elder?" asked a soft voice from further down the line. Jounochi eyed his grandson with suspicion but Sagara looked like he was honest with his concerns. Jounochi wasn't oblivious to the effect the young man had on people but he didn't have any reason to refuse his entry into the meetings when he came of age. He glanced back at the elder.

"It seems the time has come for the clan to dance once more to the bitter song of Yin and Yang," Katsuya said. Exclamations and questions flew across the room and Jounochi was forced to pound his fist against the floor to restore order. Katsuya continued as if nothing had happened. "I fear I cannot see anything; the darkness having already blinded me. It has been this way since the Dog General died, I'm afraid. I cannot help you as long as my vision remains clouded."

"We can't fret about enshrouded fates. We'll handle them as they come like all the times before," said Jounochi as he stared hard at every man and woman in the room. He did not wish for his people to panic. "Now I guess we'll just have to solve this the old fashion way. May we continue?"

"You're just going to brush off something this serious?" asked Toromaru, incredulous. He was Jounochi's oldest grandson and eventual successor after his father, Kuromaru.

"Like a forest gone quiet from a predator's proximity, you know something is going to happen, you just don't have the answers to when, where, and what," replied Jounochi. "The only thing you can do it stay alert and be ready for whatever springs from the bushes."

"Well, if that's settled, don't you find it strange that Ayume swears she only maimed her opponent and yet he was dead when we arrived," said Hitomi, Jounochi's niece.

"Yes, I do not disbelieve Ayume, she and Yuki fled because someone else was approaching the area. It is possible they killed him. Possibly they were men belonging to whoever arranged this and were sent to clean up," said Jounochi. He closed his eyes to think and felt his water magic stir within him. He opened them and noticed Hitomi and Kuromaru were both looking around. Whatever was causing his power to react was also exciting theirs.

He then heard the sounds of crying coming from beyond the shoji and looked toward it. Kuromaru pointed at the sliding door then jerked his hand to the side. The shoji slid open revealing a weeping Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha," Jounochi said in a harsh tone, "you know better than to eavesdrop on these meetings." Inuyasha suddenly ran forward and clung to his grandfather's kimono.

"Inuyasha," he started again. His clan had rules and they were expected to be obeyed; the circumstances, no matter how tragic, could not detract from that or else all would fall into chaos during a disaster. And children were not allowed anywhere near such important meetings.

Jounochi gripped his grandson's shoulder and felt his power surge again. 'What is this?' he wondered. He dismissed it for the moment and said, "Leave now and I'll forgive your being here."

"You hate me," said Inuyasha, looking up into his grandfather's eyes, betrayal etched into his features. "You hate me because I'm a hanyou."

Jounochi heard the others gasp and was stunned at the child's declaration as well as his expression then he became angry. "That is sheer nonsense, boy! Where ever did you get such a foolish notion?"

"Mother was killed because of me, you said it! It's because I'm here that Mother died. It's because I'm a hanyou that they killed her. Kaoru said hanyou should be drowned at birth. But I'm here and now Mother isn't! It's my fault!" Inuyasha sobbed harder, his little body shuddering.

Knowing he had to correct the boy's beliefs, Jounochi pulled Inuyasha onto his lap and held him. He felt himself growing cold with suppressed rage. Stroking the young hanyou's silvery-white hair he said in a dead voice, "So Kaoru said that, did he?" He made eye contact with his son and Kuromaru nodded. They had their lead.

"Now Inuyasha, enough of this!" he ordered. Inuyasha flinched then looked up at him, his eyes wide in fear. "It does not matter if you are a hanyou, a demon, a human, or a tenko. The ones responsible are the ones who sent those men. They may make petty excuses but ultimately they are the ones who chose to send men to kill a princess and her son. Murder shall not be tolerated no matter who it is done against!"

Jounochi held his grandson's chin up so Inuyasha could not look away from him. "Now, you listen to me boy! You are a tenko! You are a member of the lording family of the tenko clan! You are also the younger son of the Dog General, Kenhoshi, who was much respected in his life and held great power. You are high nobility and have nothing to be ashamed of. Never let the fools of this world ever tell you that you are less than what you are. Understand?"

"Yes sir," whispered Inuyasha.

"Good, now return to your room. You will not leave there until I say so. I will discuss your transgressions later," Jounochi said, gently pushing the child off his lap. He saw the boy open his mouth to speak and glared at him. Inuyasha fled the room. Kuromaru waved his hand again and the shoji slid shut.

"Kaoru, huh?" said Hitomi, her finger tapping her chin as she thought. "It could just be a coincidence: how many other lords are displeased with Inuyasha's presence?"

"Or he could have despised demons enough to risk the wrath of the tenko just to get rid of one child," said Yahiko, sliding his hands into his sleeves and closing his eyes.

"Let's be quiet about this, but we should observe him for any indication of further action. We should also keep Inuyasha under tighter guard," said Jounochi. He stood up and the others did too; the meeting was over. "Be discrete, I don't want to reveal anything to anyone who might be part of this conspiracy."

"Yes, Lord Jounochi," chimed the gathering and the members began departing. Jounochi motioned Hitomi, Kuromaru, and Katsuya over to him. He waited until everyone else had left before speaking.

"You felt that, didn't you?" he asked in a soft voice. The three nodded.

"Inuyasha's powers seem to be right on the edge of appearing," said Hitomi in an equally hushed voice.

"He's too young! Even fire tenko don't show until they are at least seven," said Kuromaru, his voice as quiet as the others.

"It may be because his father was a celestial demon," said Katsuya from the back of the servant who carried him when he needed to move around. "He may one day possess more power than any one of us."

"Water and metal were affected by him," said Jounochi, his expression thoughtful.

"Fire magic causes such reactions," said Katsuya.

"In that case we need to get him to the temple before it fully appears," said Kuromaru, his expression one of alarm. "You can never be too early with a fire tenko."

"I agree," said Jounochi.

"On the road he will be most vulnerable. With the killer still free and alive, it might not be safe for him to travel at this time," said Katsuya.

"That and we need to find a tutor who can train him one-on-one without being harsh," said Hitomi. "Otherwise that pretty speech you gave him will mean nothing if he feels you've abandoned him, uncle." Jounochi turned toward her but Katsuya broke in before he could say anything.

"She is right; I fear his training will be key to determining how he will turn out. He needs to have a compassionate trainer or else we could lose him forever."

"Then we'll find a fire tenko willing and able to train him in the way we desire and bring him or her here. That way the transition won't be as dramatic," said Jounochi, conceding the wisdom of Katsuya's words.

"Then I shall be the one to seek this tenko, with your permission, Uncle Jounochi," said Hitomi with a bow to her powerful relative. He nodded and all four went their separate ways.

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Okay, I know I'm taking a long time getting this story updated. I thank you all for your patience. I find this humorous, after writing a short entry for New Dawn I suddenly write this monster for Forgotten. Such is life.

In the story's earlier incarnation I had Izayoi dying from years of being poisoned. Then I changed it where she was being killed outright, however, what I planned and what I decided on were two different ideas. The original one had her being struck down from behind without anyone knowing who did it. But I settled and am happier with this version

The next chapter we are jumping back to Sesshomaru again. I think I stated in an earlier entry that my style would include springing back and forth between the brothers until they met each other.

I'm going to say it again in case anyone is starting to wonder if this is an AU. It is not! This is a prequel to the anime series we all love so much. No matter what happens in this story it will fit into the series by the time it is done. In fact I have a few twists planned for when this all ends.

To those who are wondering what the wait is about you should know that I am writing four stories at the same time as well as taking seventeen credit hours in college. Two of the four are originals and therefore you will never see them on this site. However, only one of them is considered higher priority than the two fanfictions I'm working on.

Now I'm going to start thanking those who are sweet enough to write reviews to my stories.

I thank Dark Angel of Fire Ice and Little Karma for reviewing and hope you have found this again to read the new updates since the prologue.

I thank The Kaizeress for leaving reviews to both chapters and I hope you get to read this one, too. I'm trying to update faster but life is getting in the way.

And I thank the anonymous reviewer who signed godisawsome, (though you misspelled awesome), for taking the time to read and being nice enough to tell me you enjoyed it.

I hope to hear from all of you soon as well as hear from new readers because I really do love it when people tell me they are enjoying what I'm writing.


	4. Blossoming Woman

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**Chapter Three: Blossoming Woman**

_I don't know if either of us knew what we were really feeling at that time for each other. I only know that seeing Kaiyoshinju's transformation was a terror matched only by the fear I felt when I saw Inuyasha fighting Sagara amid the flowing lava. The helpless terror of being able to do nothing._

-Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru traded blows with Yoshiro. It was a rather one sided match and Sesshomaru was getting frustrated. Yoshiro could barely keep up with the young dog prince and retreated across the mat. With a sharp kick to the chest, Sesshomaru sent his partner flying.

"Come on, Yoshiro! You have to be better than that! You spend more time in here than this Sesshomaru does," he shouted, crossing his arms as he glared at the boy.

Yoshiro painfully climbed to his knees and said, "I may spend more time here, but you are the Dog General's son and you have the better sparring partner." He gave a weak grin and looked past him to where the said partner was entering the dojo.

Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder and his insides went cold. Kaiyoshinju walked through the door, finishing the last part of her braid. She seemed distracted and irritated.

He wondered about it for a moment before she spun around and shouted, "Come on, Sesshomaru, it's time for another ass whooping!"

'This was not the day to show up at the dojo,' thought Sesshomaru. The young half-dragon's usual mirth was nowhere to be found and the dog prince knew he was heading back to the infirmary. The look in her eye made him wonder if he was going to go back in one piece or in a box.

"Maybe you should pound the straw dummies until you are feeling better," said Sesshomaru. He didn't move or change his expression, but he was fighting the strong impulse to run.

"Are you afraid, girly-boy?" she sneered, her violet eyes sparkling with lethal energy.

"Yes," he said, he was tired of denying the truth to this girl. Tired of forever trying to come up with feeble excuses to why he didn't want to fight her. From the deafening silence he realized just how surprising his admission was. Kaiyoshinju lost her angry glare in her shock.

"There is no denying that you are the better fighter. Every time we battle, I end up out of action for a few days and as soon as I reappear here we battle again. My combat training has been interrupted and thus is less complete. You, on the other hand, have had a continuous flow. There is no arguing with the obvious conclusion. I can't ever win if I can't improve. I can't improve if I can't train in the same uninterrupted manner as you. Isn't it natural to fear a battle you have no hope of winning?"

Kaiyoshiju had the grace to blush and seemed about to change her mind when another voice intruded. "Lord Seshomaru, there you are!"

He looked in the direction of the voice just in time to see a fair haired bitch come skipping over to him. She wrapped herself around the dog prince and rubbed her cheek against his bare chest. Sesshomaru felt the blood rush to his face. He glanced back and was horrified to discover the lethal glitter was back.

'So it was Noriko who got her in a bad mood,' he thought, wondering how he was going to defuse the situation before things got out of control.

Unwrapping Noriko's arms from around him, he said, "Noriko this is hardly the place for this. Why are you here, anyway?" He felt Kaiyoshinju's hate-filled glare burning a hole through him. Whatever he had said had only made her angrier.

"I just couldn't bear the thought of you being hurt by that female!" she wailed, blue eyes wide in an overdramatic display of concern. Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"What were you going to do about it?" he asked, his tone neutral.

"What I am doing now," she replied; she smiled and the dog prince shuddered. There was something very dark in that smile. "I am going to fight her and punish her for daring to think herself the equal of full-demons."

Sesshomaru looked at the girl in her sky blue kimono and dark blue obi. He glanced at the seething Kaiyoshinju in her white kimono and hakama. Noriko hardly looked a match for Kaiyoshinju. Anger built within him at her presumption she could do what he could not.

"You think yourself greater than this Sesshomaru?" he growled, golden eyes flashing.

Noriko gasped and said, "No, my lord!"

"Yet you declare that you can defeat Kaiyoshinju when this Sesshomaru cannot, why is that?" He gripped her shoulders and Noriko flinched in pain.

"I thought you were unconsciously holding back because she's female and a half-breed. I thought you had a sense of honor that shackled your ability to fight someone like her," she whispered, her eyes now wide in honest terror.

He shoved her away and the girl sprawled on the mat as he shouted in outrage, "As if this Sesshomaru would do something as foolish as holding back on an opponent to the point of defeat!"

"Forgive me!" she cried, raising her arms.

Sesshomaru blinked and thought in confusion, 'Why am I feeling like this? I was annoyed before, but I'm ready to kill her for thinking this way, why?' He closed his eyes and felt the anger coming from outside himself. An energy filled with darkness was pulsing through the air. His noise picked up the scent of five dogs and a dragon – a full dragon, the human blood was gone.

Eyes snapping open, he looked at Kaiyoshinju. She stood at the edge of the mat, fists clenched so tight her claws drew blood, but her eyes were what terrified him. They were a solid blood red. Her youki throbbed, growing stronger with ever passing second.

Not knowing what was happening only that it had to stop, Sesshomaru ran to her. "Kaiyoshinju, calm down! Please, don't do this!" he called, but she remained deaf to his cries. He grabbed her shoulders and cried again, "Kaiyoshinju, return to your senses!"

Every instinct clamored for him to run, but he ignored them all. He had to get her to listen! "Kaiyo-kcargh!" He gasped, pain exploding throughout his chest.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" shouted Yoshiro, his horror ringing clear to the dog prince. Noriko screamed.

Sesshomaru didn't take his eyes off Kaiyoshinju's face. Her mouth split into a feral grin. Her fangs were twice as long as they had been before and now turquoise irises peered back from her red eyes. Her demon power continued to intensify and the ground began to shake.

"Kai-kaiyo…" he gasped. She pulled her hand from his chest. Only then did he realize the source of the crippling pain as air and blood exploded from the fist size tunnel in his upper torso. Without the support of her arm, he collapsed to the ground. He gazed up at her even as his vision blurred.

"Kai-kaiyo."

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Kenhoshi and Ginhana jerked in surprise, glancing in the direction of the dojo. "That youki is powerful, what is causing it?" asked Ginhana, her face knotted in worry.

"Something tells me we better investigate," said the Dog General as he rose, his mate following and they both headed toward the dojo at a trot. Then they caught the scent of blood, a lot of blood.

"Sesshomaru!" gasped Ginhana recognizing his scent; she bolted down the hallway even as Kenhoshi called to her to stop. A blood-curdling scream pierced the air and the ground shook violently beneath them. Kenhoshi was brought to his knees, but Ginhana maintained her balance and pushed forward. Soon after, a girl and four boys came barreling down the hall.

"What the fuck's going on?" shouted one.

"She's gone mad," cried another as they rushed past Ginhana, seemingly oblivious to her presence. Another tremor shook the palace and she could hear a distant, continuous roar, but she had no time to ponder its source. Her maternal instincts were screaming at her to find her son.

She froze at what appeared in the hall before her. Kaiyoshinju, eyes red with turquoise irises, stood before her. Blood soaked her white kimono front and her right forearm and hand. All of it belonged to Sesshomaru.

"Kaiyoshinju?" she gasped, retreating a step. The girl strode forward, a malevolent grin splitting her face. Another tremor, stronger than before, took hold but Kaiyoshinju didn't shift once as Ginhana clung to the wall. She stared in horror at the girl she had cared for the past few years; she could see that Kaiyoshinju was going to kill her. Her human blood was gone and her youki radiated from her like heat from a fire.

Kenhoshi surged past his petrified mate and drove Kaiyoshinju to the ground. Struggling to hold her, he shouted to his mate, "Get Sesshomaru and get to the higher levels; there's a tsunami!"

She rushed past the two combatants and into the dojo without a second thought. She could only trust her mate's strength would hold the girl. A reptilian roar shook the walls followed by a howl of battle. She scanned the room and saw her beloved son lying lifeless on the mat in a pool of his own blood. She was by his side within moments and, with the strength that only a mother could know, lifted him off the floor. With him in her arms she whirled and ran back out.

She slid to a stop when she saw the hallway had been destroyed. A gaping hole was all that remained of that part of the castle; roars and howls coming from above. She gazed into the sky and saw Kenhoshi in his true form, the great dog of incomprehensible stature, in battle with a violet sea dragon.

While Kenhoshi's fangs remained occupied with Kaiyoshinju's fangs and front claws, her body wrapped snake-like around his. Her rear claws dug into his hind legs as her tail whipped through the air, crashing into his head. She glanced down and saw through the gaps in the forest humans and demons fleeing the beaches. She turned her gaze to the sea and went white.

A wall of water filled her view; the ocean had come to claim the land.

Turning her attention to the palace ruins, she adjusted her hold on her nearly grown son then snapped an energy whip at the boards above her. The wood tumbled and she leapt through the hole to the floor above. That was all she could do before the roar of the sea alerted her to her imminent peril. She ducked against the wall, holding Sesshomaru between her and the structure.

The palace shuddered; much of its structure collapsed and was swept away by the torrent of water. Ginhana and Sesshomaru were engulfed by the sea and vanished into the waves.

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'I never anticipated this,' thought Kenhoshi, gasping for breath despite his protesting ribs while he looked at the sleeping half-dragon. 'Ironic, she exhausted herself by calling the ocean to her. If she hadn't done that she would have killed me and then no one could have stood against her.'

A clever vassal had found some sleeping incense and was burning it near her to keep Kaiyoshinju from waking. How he had found it, Kenhoshi didn't know nor was he going to question it. Everyone had fled when they saw the size of tsunami approaching; now they returned in small groups in the hours after the disaster.

Still no one had seen or heard from Ginhana and Sesshomaru and the passing time had become torture for him. 'How could I have known she would lose control of her demonic power?'

"My lord, several tenko have come, they have a healer with them," said a guard from the other side of the shoji. His own healers had done everything they could to tend his wounds, but even Kenhoshi understood how serious they were. He knew the odds were against his surviving the night. A tenko healer might improve them.

"Let them enter," he whispered. He was stunned by who appeared. A fire, two waters, an earth, three winds, five metals and a wood, all were from the lording Kanzaki family. The wood tenko, the healer, came forward without a word and began to use her power to amplify his regenerative powers and the healing ability of the applied herbs. The two waters, both men, approached the dragon from upwind of the incense.

"Her demon power has overwhelmed her human half, how unfortunate," said one.

"I have never heard of a hanyou losing control before," said the other.

"It must be the strength of her demon parent; the human half simply wasn't strong enough to counterbalance the mature demon power."

"Is there anything you can do to save her?" asked Kenhoshi, his voice the barest of whispers. He hadn't allowed himself to think about the alternative. Now he had to know if killing her was the only way to protect her and everyone else from her demon half.

"We can," assured the female fire tenko with a smile. "We can shackle her demon power artificially, but it must be tied to an item that can contain that power."

"We already have such an item in mind and we will begin construction on the spell immediately. We only wanted to be reassured that you desired her salvation," said one of the metals, a young man fresh from the training grounds.

"She will need to train her human half to become stronger as well, though; her power is too great for any spell to suppress for longer than a century without support," said a wind tenko, a woman who was beginning to show signs of the many decades she had lived.

A young wind female added, "The Temple of Tenshi will accept and train her in their ways."

He nodded. 'That's one worry removed my soul, but my family...' All the tenko but the wood left to begin work on the suppression spell. He closed his eyes as the healer moved from wound to wound.

Then he heard his guard gasp and the shoji open without announcement. He opened his eyes and stood in surprise at what he saw. Or tried to, the weakness of blood loss and the firm hands of the wood tenko kept him from moving. Ginhana stood in the doorway, pale and only in her kimono, her robes gone. She was supported by another water tenko, a woman. The two entered and Ginhana was lowered to the floor next to him. Then he saw Sesshomaru being carried by four human men, his bare chest wrapped in bandages. Another healer, a rare male wood, walked in behind them and examined the wrappings when they placed the young dog prince on the floor. Neither tenko were from the Kanzaki family, the water's clothing named her a member of the Ishida family, the second strongest in the clan.

The water tenko bowed to Kenhoshi and said, "I thought you might have been worried about them. We healed them and brought them back as fast as _they_ were able."

"You have my gratitude," said Kenhoshi, relief flooding his being and he started to relax. She bowed once more then she, the wood, and the men departed.

"Kenhoshi," whispered Ginhana as she touched the blood stained bandages.

"He'll live, now," said the female wood tenko as she stood. "He – all of you – just need some rest then everything will be alright."

She departed as several of Kenhoshi's maids entered to attend to the royal family. The Dog General smiled, tenko had a tendency to take over any place they entered. He wasn't arguing in this case; right then he needed the help and he trusted them.

"Everything will be alright again," he whispered to Ginhana as he laid down next to her. Ginhana snuggled into his shoulder and closed her eyes. He fell asleep with that thought in mind. 'Soon everything will be alright.'

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Youki: Demon aura

Hanyou: Half-demon

Shoji: Paper sliding door.

We will be shooting forward to Inuyasha in the next chapter and it is only going to get messier.

Reviewer thank you time!

The Kaizeress: I thank you, but you should tell me what confused you so I can help you understand better! I don't like it when my readers are confused!

Deviliscious : Thank you for discovering my other fanfiction. I hope you are as entertained by this chapter as you are by the others.

The next chapter to New Dawn will be up by the end of this week.


	5. The Devil's Incarnation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/maga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

_195 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Four: The Devil's Incarnation**

_What many fail to realize is just because Sagara has no battle instinct doesn't mean he can't fight. He actually is one of the best. He can read his opponents as well as a master and exploit their weaknesses. He just can't do it in the midst of battle making a stranger the most dangerous opponent he could face. The only reason why he used others to do his dirty work for him was because his goals demanded discretion.  
_-Inuyasha

Yahiko watched as Kaoru stepped away from his peers. So far, the three days of observation had turned up nothing. The murder had shaken the capital and, despite the clan's best efforts to the contrary, word had leaked out that the tenko were furious and out for blood. Naturally, everyone was now on their best behavior, including the Shogun.

'We're never going to find anything this way,' thought Yahiko in disgust. 'The ones responsible are aware that we're looking for them and so are trying to behave like honest, upstanding citizens. Everyone else is guilty of only thinking poorly about our princess but that guilt is causing them to behave properly too so everyone is acting the same. I can't tell who's guilty and who only feels guilty!'

He slammed the side of his fist against the wall he leaned against and growled frustration. 'At this rate, the only way we'll be able to figure out who sent those men is when they attack Inuyasha!'

Yahiko looked up again just in time to see Sagara go down the same street as Kaoru. 'We were told to be discreet, what is he doing following Kaoru so openly?' Suspicious at his cousin's actions, Yahiko trailed after, though, cautiously so as to alert neither Sagara nor Kaoru.

Sagara caught up to Kaoru and said softly, "You botched that pretty badly, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" hissed Kaoru.

Sagara smiled and said, "You should be grateful I silenced that survivor or else Jounochi would know it was you who hired those men."

Kaoru jerked but didn't stop walking. Sweat began to form on his brow and he glanced around. "This is not the place for such talk. Your clan is all over the place sniffing for leads!"

"Heh! Indeed, they are," said Sagara, but remained unconcerned. "They have been paying special attention to you ever since Inuyasha told Jounochi about your hanyou comment."

The nobleman paled. "I thought you said they don't care about Inuyasha, only about what Izayoi wants!" he said in a harsh whisper.

"It is because they know that Inuyasha was the attackers' true objective," stated Sagara, his smile never fading. "It was your hirelings who failed to perform. If they had done their jobs correctly then none of this would be happening."

Yahiko cursed silently as he continued to follow them to the outskirts of the city. 'I can't hear a single word they're saying. Sagara looks like this is just an everyday conversation, but Kaoru… He looks like he's staring at the executioner already. What is Sagara doing? Is he trying to find the employer by talking to people?' He saw them turn down an alley and quickened his pace while still refraining from making noise.

Sagara exited the alley and turned down another street. He was aware that his grandfather had sent people out to watch Kaoru. Even though his wind magic told him no one was following, he decided it never hurt to use caution. They had just turned down another alley when Kaoru stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Sagara asked as he turned around.

Yahiko stopped at the entryway to the alley the pair had disappeared into. He'd almost lost him when they started dodging in and out of alleys, but his earth magic not only allowed him to walk without sound, it allowed him to sense where people were. Closing his eyes, he determined Sagara and Kaoru had stopped moving. They were also close, only a few feet into the alley. He could now hear what they were saying.

"Why did you kill the survivor? Why are telling me Jounochi has focused his search on me? What will you gain from aiding me?" demanded Kaoru as he backed away from Sagara. Yahiko jerked in surprise and horror. He couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Your silence," replied Sagara, his smile remained, but its aura became dark.

"Silence?" Kaoru's question echoed Yahiko's thoughts.

"Yes, you see, the truth is we of the tenko clan are very fond of our hanyou population," replied Sagara, reaching into his kimono.

"But you just said…!" started Kaoru then he looked at the empty alley and heard the quietness of the surrounding area. "No!"

Yahiko felt his blood freeze; he knew what was going to happen next. Not feeling anyway generous toward the murderer and knowing he was in danger too, he began to slip away from the alley entrance. 'I have to get back to Uncle Jounochi and tell him about Sagara!'

"_It seems the time has come for the clan to dance once more to the bitter song of Yin and Yang."_

'I have to tell him that Sagara is the Yin Elder Katsuya warned us about!' he thought. He couldn't run or else Sagara would hear him, so he moved at a fast walk hoping to get around the corner before Sagara entered the street.

"I really do wish you had killed Inuyasha, but I can get him later," said Sagara, still smiling as he pulled out a dagger. "You're just a liability now. Die!"

Kaoru drew his sword, but Sagara ducked beneath the blade and plunged the dagger into Kaoru's heart. The man gasped and crumpled, the sword falling to the ground. Sagara bent over and wiped his blade clean on Kaoru's blue kimono.

"Such fools, you all are so easy to manipulate. I just say what you want to hear and you'll happily dance to my dark tune," he said as he walked out into the street. He glanced up and saw a shadow vanish around a corner. Shocked, he listened carefully but still heard nothing.

'Am I hallucinating or…?' He ran toward the alley; he had to make sure no one was there.

Yahiko sensed Sagara's rapid approach. 'Damn, I thought I made it!' He looked forward; he would only make it to the next corner if he ran. 'But if I run, he'll hear me.' He felt Sagara's closing presence and bolted. 'It doesn't matter; he already knows I'm here!'

Panic shot Sagara's blood with ice when he heard the running footstep from within the alley. 'Someone is there! It has to be an earth tenko! They're the only ones I can't hear when they're walking!' He summoned his wind magic to send him flying across the ground. 'He saw! That's why he's running away from me. I must kill him!'

'Damn it! He's off the ground!' Yahiko cursed mentally. He whirled around the corner and fled down the street.

Sagara zipped through the alley and whipped around the corner. 'Damn! It's Yahiko! But I have no choice. If I don't kill him, the entire clan will descend on me!' He took out his fan and hurled wind blades at the retreating earth tenko's back.

Yahiko felt the change in the wind. He dropped to his knee and punched the ground. The earth behind him shot up as a column, the wind blades smashed into it and vanished, the column shattered. 'No choice but to fight,' thought Yahiko as he stood and turned to face his opponent.

Sagara opened his fan into a full circle and threw it at the earth tenko. Yahiko stomped the ground and another column of earth rose to shield him from the attack. A second stomp sent Sagara leaping into the air to avoid being impaled by the earth spikes at his feet. The wind tenko's fan sliced through the column and scent Yahiko ducking for cover. It came back around and slashed Yahiko's right shoulder.

Bleeding profusely but still determined, Yahiko ducked down and swung his hands along the ground then turned them up. More earth spikes shot into the air after the flying tenko. They gripped Sagara's ankle then sank back into the earth. Sagara slammed into the ground. He barely got off the ground before another spike could spear his unprotected torso.

Furious, Sagara sent a spear of whirling wind at Yahiko then threw his dagger. Yahiko raised a wall of rock against the assault. The wind spear smashed into the wall, but Sagara twitched his fingers and the dagger flew around the barrier. Yahiko saw it pass and thought it a miss. He raised his hands and more earth spikes flew up to drag Sagara down. This time they held on after he hit the ground. Yahiko moved to deliver the final blow and caught Sagara smiling.

White-hot pain exploded in his back and his chest erupted in blood, flesh, and bone. He caught one last glimpse of the dagger flying in a sideways arc to Sagara's hand before death claimed him.

Sagara stood up as the earth spikes crumbled from his legs, no longer animated by Yahiko's power they returned to their true state. 'He almost had me,' he thought, panting. 'Another second and it would have been all over. Too bad he had to sacrifice force in order to restrain me. The blow only slowed the dagger; it didn't disrupt my control over it.' Then he saw through the settling dust cloud someone, a woman, staring at him in horror.

Yuki.

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Next chapter: To Wed Power…

Kaiyoshinju returns after being away for many years. She discovers Noriko who wants to marry Sesshomaru for own ambitions, and that is one thing the dragon hanyou cannot tolerate!

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Finally, I've added another chapter to this story. I was very pleased with the battle scene in this one, even though it is showing influence from "Avatar: The Last Airbender" in the way Yahiko fought.

Prepare to scream because I have some bad news for you.

1) In the next chapter we are flying back some four centuries to Sesshomaru so the cliffhanger doesn't get relieved for another chapter. Get used to it, until after the brothers meet there is going to be this type of switching and all of Inuyasha's chapters are going to be high action and cliffhangers.

2) Those of you who are reading New Dawn, my apologies, but that one has hit another road block. I don't know how to write the next chapter. I have to show Sesshomaru slowly working his way from lone ranger to army soldier and, as you can imagine, that is going to be extremely difficult. Not to mention I have to keep up his new found insanity. So it may be a while before there is an update to that story. Very sorry!

3) A Princess Among Wolves has found new life and is getting some long overdo attention. Good news for me, bad news for those reading my other works.

4) I've entered my final semester of my college career. This means Senior Project and being a science major that means quite a bit of field work and research. Also, my Ecology class has its own separate project that demands lots of time and work. I am also applying for internships and trying to schedule my GRE test. So there isn't going to much time to spare for writing especially as we approach May.

The good news is that I have the early years of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha roughly mapped out now so it shouldn't take too much longer to get another chapter up. says this while crossing fingers Please remember that time is an issue and this is just a hobby to be done in my free time.

Other news includes a sudden idea that may interest you so I am looking for your opinion.

1) I don't know why but I wondered if I could write a story starring the priestess who started it all. No, not Kikyo! Midoriko. Those who have read the manga know how she died was strangely similar to what happened to Kikyo suggesting the jewel was telling its story over again. I wondered how far the jewel's story was being retold using new characters and thought I might write the whole story of Midoriko. Interested?

2) Is an idea that I have expressed in my bio. It would be an alternate universe of Inuyasha. I know AU's are not always popular and it takes a rare talent to really pull it off. This one would still be medieval Japan except the yokai are lords, humans are servants and there is no such thing as hanyou (I'm trying a tactic where I agree with rules of speciation). I think it would be fun. However, such a story would give more attention to Sango. Everyone would be in the story, eventually, and would appear, at first, as you are used to them. Really, the only ones who change appearance are Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha, in the anime, he's a hanyou, but in this story he's a young full yokai and so will Kagome. Naraku and his ilk would also be inuyokai and not their various demons selves but his nature and appearance would remain as you expected. The rough idea of the story is Naraku is trying to take the rich lands of the young lord Sesshomaru for himself and he is willing to use any tactics available, including causing Inuyasha to vanish without a trace. Part of the story will be Inuyasha and Sango's journey to get back and along the way they meet various characters. Still trying to iron out the details.

Now on to everyone's favorite part of author comments. The recognition and gratitude section!

The Kaizeress: Glad you aren't confused anymore and I also love your continued support of this book. I hope I don't disappoint anyone as this continues.

Deviliscious: The next chapter may reveal more on the dragon hanyou's role in this book. I hope this chapter was just as wonderful as the last. Sorry about New Dawn, its not going to be updated for a while.


	6. To Wed Power

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

_618 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Five: To Wed Power…**

_I don't know when Kaiyoshinju decided it was her duty to look out for me and my future. Noriko, though, was obsessed with marrying power, of becoming the next Lady of the Western Lands, and I was her perfect "match". With these two opposing views and the great power behind them I guess it was inevitable they would battle. I think my interference that first time caused the situation to develop into a feud that would reach through the centuries and claim more than Kaiyoshinju, Noriko and myself.  
_-Sesshomaru-

Kaiyoshinju stood on a cliff overlooking the sea. Waves crashed against the base and the gentle breeze smelled of brine. Her long, dark hair, restrained as it was by the white ribbon, still managed to flutter. Her blue kimono and hakama waved in the wind as well. The dragon hanyou's thumb rubbed against the staff the tenko had created for her years earlier. It appeared no different from other holy staffs, but this one had been crafted to keep her formidable demon power in check.

'It's been so long,' she thought, gazing at the sea. 'Almost thirty years, but what is three decades to a demon anyway. Certainly not long enough to have forgotten what happened.'

She turned away from the ocean and looked inland. The castle in the distance showed no sign of the destructive wave coming ashore. Aside from the youth of the trees, one really couldn't tell anything horrific had occurred here.

'But people remember even if the earth forgets,' she thought, staring at the castle. 'Will I be welcomed or ostracized when I return?' Sighing, she began to walk toward it.

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"Why must you always go out alone and leave me behind?" asked Noriko in a whiny voice, grabbing Sesshomaru's arm when he tried to pull away.

"Even my father desires solitude at times," he replied, once again trying to move away from the young bitch demon. Sesshomaru despised her. She clung to him, whined constantly, and was always chasing after, never leaving him alone.

Noriko sensed she was losing him. She clung to him because otherwise he would never even notice her. She despised her behavior, but nothing else caught his attention. Now she realized the very actions that had made her stand out from the other girls was driving him away. Determined not to lose him, she tried a different tactic, one that she was much happier to use.

The young bitch demon reached over, slid her hand around the back of his neck then pulled his face down toward hers. An explosion of emotions and sensations ripped through him when her lips met his, blanking his mind and freezing his body. His base instincts wanted to follow up, wanted to explore Noriko's body to the fullest. Higher thought barely reigned in the lust and he tried to pull away.

Noriko was having none of it. Sensing victory, she took her right hand off his arm and slid it into his kimono. Her claws lightly traced the muscles of his chest as the left pushed his head down, deepening the kiss. His hands came up and gripped her shoulders. Before he could push her away, she wrapped her right arm around his waist, and then turned so he lost his balance and fell on the grass with her on top of him. Now he couldn't go anywhere.

Her lips parted with his and Sesshomaru stared into Noriko's eyes. Her ice-blue gaze met his and a small grin split her lips. Her left hand joined her right in counting his ribs inside his kimono which had opened partly in the fall. Panting, he tried to push her off, but his body's desires now ran in direct opposition to him and he couldn't move. Noriko nipped his jaw, licked his chin, and sucked on his throat. Her hands made their way down his waist.

A startled gasp caused Noriko to freeze. The young bitch demon slowly looked up then growled in rage. Kaiyoshinju at least had the grace to blush. Lost in her own thoughts, the dragon hanyou had been oblivious to everything until her eyes finally registered what was in front of her. Now it felt as if her heart was being ripped in two.

Reason reclaiming control of his body once more, Sesshomaru sat up, knocking Noriko back. His kimono slipped off his right shoulder as he turned his head to look at her. Violet eyes on the verge of crying met his golden gaze then she looked away.

"Excuse me," she muttered then hurried past them, vanishing into the trees. Noriko glared at the trees for a moment then returned her attention to Sesshomaru only to see him stand and, while straightening his kimono, running after the departing hanyou.

Her shock quickly became anger and she thought, 'Damn that wretch!'

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Kaiyoshinju started running the moment she was out of sight of the pair. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I am so stupid!' Tears began to fall, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. 'I know I never had a chance with him. I know he would eventually find someone, but why did it have to be Noriko?'

Blinded by tears and bitterness, Kaiyoshinju didn't realize she had come upon the beach until her feet splashed through sea water. She stopped and stared at the ocean as the waves crashed on and around her. The sea breeze once again tried to entice her hair to dance. Water crawled up her hakama causing the fabric to cling to her legs.

'I only imagined that look of gratitude, didn't I?' she wondered when the image of Sesshomaru staring at her after he sat up floated across her mind.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," said a feminine voice filled with disgust. Kaiyoshinju glanced over and saw Noriko standing on the sand. She blinked in confusion when she noticed that the only footprints on the beach belonged to her. Unnerved, she turned to face the young bitch demon.

"As a sea dragon the ocean is where you will always flee to when troubled," said Noriko.

"What do you want, Noriko?" demanded Kaiyoshinju.

"What I want is for you to stay away from Sesshomaru; he's mine!" replied Noriko as she flexed her claws.

"Yours?" the dragon hanyou hissed. She raised her staff and said, "If he was really yours you wouldn't be here telling me to stay away from him. If he was really yours you would have nothing to fear, especially from me! I know I'll never be anything but a loyal vassal to him. I've known that for a long time."

Sesshomaru stopped at the tree line when he heard voices beyond. Peering past the trees, he blinked in surprise to see Noriko speaking to Kaiyoshinju. 'What's going on here? How did Noriko get past me?'

"Hmphf! So you understood your place all along," Noriko said with a smirk then turned to leave.

"Why do you desire him? Why do you desire him so much that you would chase off potential revivals like this?" asked Kaiyoshinju. Noriko turned and they stared into each other's eyes for several moments.

Then the bitch demon smiled and replied, "Power."

"Power?"

"Yes, power. The power of the Lord of the Western Lands is great but not just because of his position. Lord Kenhoshi holds a great deal of supernatural power that lies beyond that of a demon and, as his son, Sesshomaru has this great power as well. My family is the second most powerful in the dog tribe next to Lord Kenhoshi. A merging of the families will give our clan the strength to not only rule the west but all of Japan. Not only would the lesser demons be under our control but the humans as well."

Sesshomaru felt his insides grow cold. It was clear Noriko only planned to use him for her and her family's objectives. He was nothing more than a means to an end. As much as he despised her before, he now loathed her completely

"You're forgetting the tenko," said Kaiyoshinju, her expression, her tone, blank.

"They have great power, yes, but they never were able to expand their influence further east than Kyoto. Such a concentration of strength shows weakness in itself. What can they do? The only ones that could possibly stand up to the Dog General is the lording family that resides in Kyoto by that human emperor's order. It is not a family that is known for its size. Our combined might will be greater than theirs. So they will either accept the change in power or die."

"Power, you said," said Kaiyoshinju. "The Lady of the Western Lands should be one who can play the same role as Lady Ginhana, that of a bridle to restrain and control the power the lord possesses. If you became the lady you would be the whip to drive him forward until he died of exhaustion." She moved into a fighter's stance. "That is something I cannot allow!"

The dragon hanyou launched forward, striking with her staff. Noriko leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the blow. "You think you possess the power to defeat me?" asked the young bitch demon then she laughed. "I told you I come from the second most powerful family in the dog tribe. And I'm not talking about demon power either."

Kaiyoshinju swung her staff sideways. Noriko ducked and came up claws first. The dragon hanyou jumped back then smashed her elbow into the side of the bitch demon's head. Noriko used the blow to spin around, bringing her claws up. The tips of her fingers crackled with blue energy. Kaiyoshinju's eyes widened in horror and she summoned a spiritual barrier.

It shattered when Noriko's claws hit it. The sapphire energy struck the staff and knocked the dragon hanyou back. Little bits of lightning traveled up and down the staff, but it stayed in one piece. However, Kaiyoshinju, stunned, couldn't defend against the next blow. Noriko bore down, eager to finish her opponent when a hand gripped her wrist. Looking up, she gaped in shock at Sesshomaru's cold expressionless eyes. Then, he backhanded her and she went flying.

"So this is what you are," he said in voice devoid of emotion. "And this is how you see this Sesshomaru." Noriko forced herself off the sand where she sprawled. Sesshomaru turned his back on her and reached down to help Kaiyoshinju to her feet.

"Lord Sesshomaru–" she started but was cut off by his curt statement.

"Leave now or perish by this Sesshomaru's claws." He glanced back, his expression still ice. "This Sesshomaru does possess the power to slay you." Noriko fled, she didn't want to find out how serious he was.

"Why did you interfere?" asked Kaiyoshinju, looking down at her feet.

"Why do you care who I marry?" Sesshomaru asked in return as he tilted her face up to meet his golden gaze. The dragon hanyou said nothing, stunned by his use of "I" instead of "this Sesshomaru" when he spoke to her. The pair stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, Sesshomaru patiently waiting for her to answer his question. The answer, when it came, was the last thing he expected to hear.

"Because I love you," she said. "But I know that you will have to choose a more appropriate bride when the time comes. I know I can never be your wife. However, I feel the only way I can love you is to protect you from girls like Noriko who only see you for your power and not for you. In that way… In that way…" Tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes and she ducked her head to hide them.

She turned away from him and said in a broken voice, "Forget it, just forget everything I said. It really isn't any of my business who you marry."

"Perhaps you're right. One day I will have to marry someone the court believes is suitable," he said, and then she felt his arms slide around her and his cheek press against her ear. "But that day is a long way off and until then I can be with whomever I want."

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Chapter Six: The Howling Wind of Betrayal

Yuki witnesses Sagara killing Yahiko. Now she, Ayume and Inuyasha are in mortal danger.

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Sounds of screeching tires and thunderous crashes follows the end of the chapter. Wait! Wait! Sesshomaru is falling for a hanyou! Don't get excited people, the story is just beginning. We still have a ways to go before the ending.

-Sob! Wail! Sob, sob, sob! Wail!-

I've lost all my readers! No body commented on the last chapter! I didn't think it was that horrible! I know most of you want me to continue with New Dawn, but I'm having a little trouble in figuring out how to proceed!

-Wail! Sob! Wail!-

I promise to try to get the next chapter up! Please don't abandon me!

-Sniff.-


	7. The Howling Wind of Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

_195 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Six: The Howling Wind of Betrayal**

_Sagara_ _doesn't surprise well. When things no longer acted according to his predictions, he either moves to remove the chaotic element or he retreats to study it until it becomes predictable. The choice depends on his plans and the odds of his success. However, chaos is a tricky thing to fight, especially for one with no battle instinct.  
_-Inuyasha-

"Yuki, is it really alright for us to be out here?" asked Ayume as she, Yuki and Inuyasha strolled down the street. Everyone they passed on the street made a point of looking away from the trio and the behavior made the young wind tenko nervous.

"We all need the fresh air, Ayume," replied Yuki, fanning herself. "I can only stand being stuck indoors for so long.

Ayume reluctantly agreed. For wind tenko, staying indoors all day was akin to being smothered and both women had had enough. Still Ayume couldn't shake her unease; after all, Izayoi's murderer was still at large. Inuyasha, still rattled by the past several days, clung to Ayume with one small fist while sucking on his thumb.

The two women heard a sniff and looked down as Inuyasha began to cry. Ayume knelt down and cuddled the hanyou child. The boy buried his face into her chest as she ran her finger through his snowy locks. Silent sobs shook his small form. Inuyasha had been crying off and on since his mother's death. He seemed fine one minute and the next he would be sobbing.

Yuki leaned over to rub his ears when a sudden rumble stopped her. "What was that?" she whispered. Ayume just shook her head and continued to stare down the street.

"Ayume, take Inuyasha home. I'm going to see what that was," said Yuki and started walking toward the sound.

"Yuki!" hissed Ayume, fear etched into her beautiful face.

"Just go, I'll be fine," said Yuki, waving her fan at them without pausing.

"Yuki," whispered Inuyasha as Ayume turned away. Yuki glanced back and smiled at the little face peering over Ayume's shoulder at her. She looked away, smile vanishing, and continued walking.

Inuyasha looked at Ayume and asked, "Will it be okay?"

Ayume smiled in reassurance and said, "I'm sure she will be fine. After all she can fly away from trouble."

Another rumble shook the ground. Regaining her footing, Yuki looked up in time to see a spiral of tentacles drag something to the ground. 'Earth spikes!' she thought when she failed to sense any demon power. 'But who could be battling and why here of all places?' she thought and began running.

Dodging down a side street toward the position of the spikes she saw another set fly up after something; they were much closer. She turned another corner and saw Yahiko raise an earth column before him. It shattered just as a dagger flew past it. To her horror, the dagger circled around and, before she could cry a warning, it crashed into the back of the young man and flew out his chest. He fell to the ground, dead.

Yuki remained frozen, her mind unable to accept what she had just seen. 'There's no way! There's no way that dagger could have turned around!' she thought. The dust began to settle and her eyes widened at the sight.

Sagara stood, bloody dagger in hand, staring at Yahiko's corpse. Then he looked up and saw her. Time froze as they stared at each other, each one horrified by the other. Yuki's mind whirled.

'How? How could he control that dagger? He's a wind tenko not a metal!' she thought. 'I can't win. I can't win with wind, he's a Kanzaki. He's stronger than me! My water magic is barely anything, it won't work! And he can control that dagger! Even if I could hold my own against him with wind and water combination, I could never defend against that dagger!'

There was only one choice.

Time thawed; Sagara growled and raised the dagger to hurl at her. Yuki launched herself back down the side street to get out of his line of sight. Reasoning abandoned, Yuki flew down the street and then whipped around the corner. Instincts screamed at her to keep among the buildings and to dodge down streets. She could hear Sagara soaring in pursuit. He too was keeping low to the ground; he didn't want anyone else to see him. His dagger flew a few feet ahead of him, but Yuki kept vanishing around corners making it impossible to strike.

Yuki had lost track of where she was going; only that it was away from Sagara. Then she made another sharp turn and saw a sight that made her heart skip a beat. While the chase had seemed to be long and endless, in truth, not much time had past. Before her walked Ayume carrying Inuyasha, they had only just reached the main road running along side the river and were about to turn onto it. Inuyasha opened his eyes and stared at her.

"Run!" Yuki screamed, and then her life ended in a shower of blood, flesh and bone. Ayume only had time to look back before the dagger, flew from Yuki's body, dove into her own waist and sliced her in two.

Inuyasha hit the ground then stared in shock at Ayume. Ayume, eyes wide, stared back at Inuyasha and gasped, "Run, Inuyasha! Run home! Hurry!" The hanyou looked back and saw Sagara reach up and catch the bloody dagger.

Inuyasha fled down the road, terror causing his heart to pound against his rib cage. Fear froze his mind; all he could do was run away. Sagara drew back his hand and sent the dagger soaring after his cousin. He felt no twinge of guilt as the deadly blade flew through the air and buried itself into child's back. The boy was just another witness, another threat to his plans, that needed to be eliminated.

At the moment of impact, fire spewed from the wound and roared into a great whirlwind around the fallen boy. The flames continued to expand as they swirled, consuming everything that came in contact with it, reducing it to ash. The dagger flew out of the flames and fell.

Shocked by the appearance of fire, Sagara didn't see the white hot blade until it buried itself into his shoulder. He screamed in agony and tried to pull the dagger from him, but the hilt burned his hand. He glanced up when he felt his face grow hot. The whirlwind was still growing; with a second to spare, he threw himself backwards and sped away from the swirling inferno.

As he flew away, he looked back in fear. 'Impossible! How could that magic appear now and why is it so powerful?' He turned away, grimacing. The dagger was still burning his shoulder and he was certain his plans, along with everything else down there, were going up in smoke.

'All those years of careful planning wasted!' he thought in disgust. The image of the dagger sinking into Inuyasha's back caused him to land. 'That injury is serious; he may not be able to talk for awhile. I might still have a chance to salvage this, if I'm careful.' He walked over to the river and submerged his shoulder. The blade hissed as did he.

With the dagger cool enough to touch, he pulled it from his shoulder. No blood oozed from the wound, the hot blade had cauterized it. He stared at the warped blade for a moment then threw it into the water. 'However,' he continued thinking, 'if my plans have become ash then I will need centuries to gain the power I desire. I best make preparation then. I mustn't count on Grandfather not realizing the truth or Inuyasha being incapacitated. I must be ready for any possibility!'

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Chapter Seven: My Ice

Right when everything seemed to be wonderful tragedy strikes the castle.

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I swear to you no matter what I do, it **WILL** tie into the series by the time this book is done. So don't panic over the fact that Inuyasha has fire magic now and not in the series.

The next two chapters are going to be coming up real quick. Something those of you have been reading the update section on my bio are aware of.

There is a slight chapter imbalance as I try to line up the chapters so they are timed right. I want Sesshomaru's story ending about the time he and Inuyasha meet.

I am seriously considering doing another type of prequel where I tell Midoriko's story. Is anyone interested or are you going to hold your opinion until I begin writing it?

Recognition time! And I got three people to honor this time around. Yeah!

Kaizeress: Thank you for acknowledging you are reading my story still.

Nightmare Alchemist: Of course, the confession was forced. Sesshomaru was making her confess. Yes, Noriko is not the brightest crayon in the box, just powerful and ambitious. As a prequel, it is impossible for any character to be OOC because they have yet to become IC. I heard at some fan site, can't recall where, that Sesshomaru was 663 in the Inuyasha series. In the previous chapter he was only 45 years old. We still have four centuries before Inuyasha is born to thoroughly mess up his life and get him to become the icy bastard we all know and love. Next chapter may bring him closer to the type of Sesshomaru we are all use to.

Kym: Thank you for reviewing, but that was just creepy. Can we please refrain from the "luv ya… not" stuff? It made your whole review seem malevolent.


	8. My Ice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or anyone from the anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**More graphic violence.** **Lots of deaths including murder of children.**

_550 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Seven: My Ice**

_If ever there was day that haunts me, this is it. Not only did I lose my mother and little sister, I lost Kaiyoshinju and myself. I now regret what I became and the gulf that formed between her and me. I have always been left wondering "what if" ever since that fateful, horrific day. I don't think we were ever able to bridge that gap completely._

-Sesshomaru

"Good grief. If you fuss anymore, people are going to start thinking you're the father," said Kaiyoshinju while dragging the baffled Sesshomaru down the hall. She didn't even pause when she called over her shoulder, "Lady Ginhana, I'm taking big-brother-to-be out for some fresh air, is that alright?"

Ginhana chuckled into her wrist and waved her hand at the pair. "Please do. I can't stand fussy men, why do you think Kenhoshi found urgent business elsewhere. Just keep it cool and I'll see you later." Some of the handmaidens began to chuckle and Sesshomaru went rigid in shock. Kaiyoshinju's overzealous pulling almost dragged the dog demon off his feet.

"Will do!" chimed Kaiyoshinju with a sly smile and a wave. Then she pulled Sesshomaru closer to her and whispered, "Of course she knows about us, she's your mother after all."

"I thought we were careful," muttered Sesshomaru, still embarrassed by Ginhana's veiled order. The maids could have just been laughing at her comment about his father, but his mother's statement was clear.

"We were, that's the only reason why the court's tongues haven't starting wagging with their tails," said Kaiyoshinju. The two stepped onto the ramparts, many of the more experienced warriors were with his father battling the panther tribe. The guards of the castle were the younger, inexperienced warriors, many of them Sesshomaru's friends. Everyone knew the castle, deep within the sheltered lands of the tenko, would never come under serious attack. Not if those powerful enough to cause harm were dealt with long before they reached it.

The guards glanced over when the pair came out, but one look from Kaiyoshinju made them completely forget they were there. The dragon hanyou turned toward the forest beyond the no-man zone around the outside of the castle. "Come on, let's go!" she said as she stepped toward the edge.

"Go? Go where?" asked Sesshomaru, eyeing her. Groaning in disgust, she shoved the dog demon over the edge then jumped after him, the sounds of strangled laughter following them.

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Ginhana stared after Sesshomaru and Kaiyoshinju until they vanished around a corner, then her smile turned to a grimace. Her hand ran across her swollen form when another painful contraction occurred. She hissed then moaned as the pain subsided.

"My lady, are you alright?" asked one of her handmaidens. All five gazed at her in concern.

"It would seem we no longer need to wait," she said then gasped as another contraction took hold. The women leapt into action and escorted the laboring Lady of the West to the birthing room.

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Outside the castle several men stood, weapons ready. "The guard seems light," said Hiroshi as he gazed upon the huge castle.

"Good, that will make it easier to exterminate this nest of demons," said Einishi. He grinned then looked back at his comrades. He saw fear but also determination in their eyes and felt pride welling up in him. They were all true demon slayers, ready to fight demons and even ready die should that be their fate. "We will attack at full force and break through their defenses. Let none escape the death they've earned!" His men cheered and he grinned again then turned back to the castle.

Hiroshi could only stare straight ahead. 'Earned? How so? Why do I have this feeling that what we are doing is wrong?'

He didn't have much more time to ponder before Einishi gave the order to charge then everything was chaos. The guards on the ramparts never knew what hit them when a pair of haraikotsu smashed through them sending their bodies crashing the courtyard within. A man with a great mace destroyed the gate and the group of slayers rushed the building, finishing off any guard who were not already dead.

Hiroshi, less enthusiastic, trailed behind as Einishi led the charge. Inside was even more chaotic. Some of the men rushed upstairs to cut off escape over the ramparts while others pushed forward. More surprised guards fell beneath the speed of the slayers and their weapons.

Further in they came across women, some tried to fight but a blast of the slayers' poisonous powder forced them back. Hiroshi, who was guarding the hallway leading to the courtyard entrance, could still hear the screams of women and children. Screams that were steadily becoming fewer.

He felt sick and could barely hold his chain scythe. "This is all wrong!" he whispered then he saw movement before him. A small girl wearing a pale blue kimono with cherry blossoms patterned all over it was running toward him. The stripes on her face and her long pale hair marked her as a demon resident. Hiroshi raised his scythe just as she spotted him and froze. Her blood red eyes were wide and her body trembled. The young demon slayer froze, the girl reminded him of his little sister back home.

Unable to bear it anymore, he dropped his scythe and said, "Go!" The girl stared at him in disbelief. Growling, he motioned her by and said, "Go!" The girl fled past him.

Decision made, for better or for worse, Hiroshi kicked the chain scythe further down the hall, sat down against the wall, crossed his arms and pretended to be asleep. He heard more footsteps approach him, heard their hesitation, then their rapid passing as the person ran by. People, however, were still screaming and dying somewhere within the castle and Hiroshi shed tears for those who could not be saved.

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A handmaiden burst into the room and cried, "We are being attacked, Lady Ginhana, slaughtered!"

Ginhana sat up panting, the birth having taken its toll. Two young girls looked up from where they were drying the newborn, fear painted across their faces. "What of the guards?" one of them asked.

"Dead! All of them!" replied the handmaiden.

Ginhana struggled to her feet and said in a soft voice, "Take the infant and escape while you can."

"My lady!"

"I'll hold them here."

The women looked horrified and gasped, "You can't fight as you are. You're too weak from the birth!"

"Take as many as you can. There is an exit further up, behind the wall painting." She looked up and saw none were moving and snapped, "The more time you waste, the less people there are to save!"

One of the girls and two of the handmaidens raced out of the hall while the other wrapped the baby in a blanket. They heard people running by the entryway. The girl got up with the baby and the handmaiden who had entered took up her glaive and hurried to the shoji to escort the girl and newborn out.

Just as she touched the screen, a spear tore through it and impaled her. She fell to the floor lifeless, blood pooling around her. The girl retreated behind the two remaining handmaidens and Lady Ginhana, the baby beginning to cry.

Einishi stood in the entryway and looked upon the small group and grinned. He was soaked in the blood of his victims and his eyes were filled with madness. He stepped in and the two handmaidens attacked, slashing at him with their claws. He sidestepped one struck the other, gutting her with his knife. He ducked the second's next attack and sliced upward, cutting her from right hip to left shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound and the woman staggered back.

Einishi was about to finish her off, when Ginhana jumped him driving her poisonous claws into his back. He whipped around and smashed his elbow into her face. She fell back stunned then the surviving handmaiden attacked, but her claws slid off his armor. He turned and jabbed the knife between her ribs. Spinning to face the weakened Ginhana, he drew his sword. As she struggled to regain her feet his sword came around and sliced through her neck. Her head fell to the ground followed by her body.

The girl stared in horror. If the battle had not been taking place in front of the entrance she would have fled then. Einishi turned his attention to the girl and the crying infant. She backed up to the wall and looked directly into his mad eyes.

"Don't do this, please!" she begged as he approached her. "Don't kill us!" He raised his sword as she held the infant tighter to her. "Have mercy!" she screamed then the sword descended and silence reigned.

Staggering back, Einishi grabbed his urn from his belt and drank the antidote to the poison Ginhana had injected him with. One of his comrades ran into the room, looked around at the carnage then said, "There is no one left in the castle. You're injured!" The man stared at the bleeding hole in Einishi's back.

"That bitch was a tough one," said Einishi gesturing toward the headless corpse. "I'll be taking her head as a trophy. Now gather the men, it is time we cleaned ourselves up and celebrate our victory at a town."

"Yes, Lord Einishi, but there is a problem," the man said and hesitated. Einishi nodded for him to continue. Gulping, the man finished, "Hiroshi has disappeared. Nobody has seen him since the beginning of the battle. We can't even find a body."

"Coward. His loss," said Einishi. "Gather the head and let's go." The man nodded as Einishi limped out of the room.

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Hiroshi had abandoned his chain scythe at the castle and now that he had reclaimed his ordinary clothes, he was burning his demon slayer outfit. He stared at the fire as the fabric and scales turned black and shriveled in the fire's heat.

'I will never return to the village. I can't ever be a demon slayer again,' he thought and cried. He cried not for himself and his lost way of life. He cried for what his cowardice had allowed to happen.

After hearing all the screams and the footfall of the people running by him he had decided to abandon his comrades. He would never be able to face them without seeing that girl's terrified eyes and knowing there were several more that had not escaped their swords. He knew in his heart that he could never be with them again. His soul couldn't stomach it.

When the fire burned down to smoldering ashes, he got up and, without looking back, walked deeper into the forest to forge his new life, alone.

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Kaiyoshinju and Sesshomaru were sitting quietly by a forest stream enjoying the dappled shading of the trees when the wind carried to them a terrifying scent. "Blood, dog blood," whispered Kaiyoshinju. "A lot of blood."

"The castle!" cried Sesshomaru and both of them raced back toward the castle. The scent grew stronger with each passing moment, until the air itself seemed to bleed.

The pair broke through the trees and saw the ruined gates and the bodies within. Sesshomaru ran up to his friend, Yoshiro, and turned him over. Wide, sightless eyes and blue lips proved his death. Kaiyoshinju found the same to be true with the others; they were all dead.

Horrified, they ran inside and found the carnage to be worse. The smell of death nearly overwhelmed the two demons. Blood covered every hall. It stained the walls, pooled on the floor; they were even splatters on the ceiling. Worse still were the bodies; some looked like they had been running away. Peering into rooms produced a greater horror. Children, some partly concealed behind decoration, lay motionless in crimson pools.

"Mother," gasped Sesshomaru and ran upstairs.

"Wait, Sesshomaru!" called Kaiyoshinju, running after him, fearing what he would find if he investigated any further.

Clearing another flight he smelled his mother's blood and ran down the hall shouting for her; Kaiyoshinju a step behind. He saw the smashed shoji and stopped at the entrance. All he could do was stare at the scene beyond. The dragon hanyou couldn't see over him, but she could tell it was bad.

"Sesshomaru," she whispered and touched his shoulder. The touch compelled him to move and he stepped forward then knelt beside his mother's headless body. He held her to his chest, oblivious to the blood soaking his kimono and hakama.

"Why?" he whispered. Kaiyoshinju now looked upon the carnage and spotted another nightmare made real. She walked toward the body of the girl and the bundled form that lay next to her. The girl's eyes were wide open and it didn't take the dragon hanyou even a moment to realize she had been staring into her killer's eyes. As she knelt next to the girl, she saw a tiny fist peeking out of the bundle. Heart pounding but needing to know, Kaiyoshinju turned the tiny form over. A small face peered back and on its forehead was a purple, waning crescent moon. Pulling open the fabric revealed the fatal wound.

'They were killed at the same time… the girl and the infant,' she thought, her mind numb. She pulled the cloth back further and saw the child was a girl.

"Is nothing sacred to these fiends?" she whispered, her voice dead.

"I have the scent of the one who killed her," said Sesshomaru in a soft voice that even she had a hard time hearing. Kaiyoshinju turned toward him. He was standing and had his back to her and his mother's body. "Mother injured him before she died; his blood is on her claws." Kaiyoshinju put down the infant and stood up staring at him, waiting on his next move.

Sesshomaru still didn't turn around and he continued to speak in that nearly impossible to hear voice. "That bastard took her head as a trophy, no doubt. I'm going to kill him… him and every one of those bastards who did this."

He finally turned toward her and she saw his eyes glowed red. The shock of the tragedy had left her numb and she had yet to feel anything including alarm at Sesshomaru's demonic display. The rational part of her mind, however, knew they needed to take revenge for the dead. They had to find and kill those who had massacred the castle residents.

Sesshomaru began walking and Kaiyoshinju followed. Part way down the stairs they began to jog and when they hit the gates they were running. They raced through the forest, pausing only at a clearing where the murderers had stopped to clean up before continuing. They soon found themselves on the edge of a prosperous town. They stopped at the forest edge and stared at it.

"So they thought to hide themselves among other humans," said Sesshomaru, once more speaking in the quiet tone. "With the man's injury and my mother's head, though, there is no place to hide."

They both ran forward and jumped across roof tops as they searched for the elusive scent. They found them at a large brothel. Kaiyoshinju and Sesshomaru could smell the sake even from outside. Sesshomaru could also smell both Ginhana and her killer.

Blood burning, he gave a feral howl then charged into the complex; Kaiyoshinju a step behind him. The slayers who had won by surprise were now the ones surprised. Sesshomaru slashed through several on his entrance. Prostitutes screamed and fled the room.

"Where are you?" growled Sesshomaru as he scanned the room with blood eyes and turquoise irises. Einishi stared in disbelief at the enraged dog demon. Then Sesshomaru caught his scent and whirled. "You! You did it!" He charged forward as Einishi struggled to get to his spear. The demon slayer kicked a table up and Sesshomaru smashed it to pieces. In the small delay it provided, Einishi ran to the front where their weapons were held.

Other demon slayers rushed to aid their leader but the expressionless Kaiyoshinju struck them down with her staff. Einishi grabbed his weapons then jumped outside to avoid Sesshomaru's next assault. The dog demon's fury tore the entrance apart. Samurai of the town raced forward then stopped short when they saw what they were facing.

"What are you waiting for?" shouted Einishi when he saw the samurai's hesitation. "Kill him!" He then jumped to the side to avoid Sesshomaru's energy whip then backward to escape his poisonous claws.

"Why is one of the dog tribe attacking?" one samurai asked as he stared at the battle.

"Has he gone mad? Should we help the slayer or not?" questioned another.

"Aid at your own peril," said Kaiyoshinju from the entrance, in her arms she held a round bundle. "This is vengeance." The samurai backed away rather than interfere.

Einishi stared at what appeared to him to be a priestess and he saw she was holding the head of the demon bitch he had slain. "What are you woman that you would let a demon kill a human?" Einishi demanded.

"You were the one who massacred an entire castle," she said, her expression still neutral, her heart still numb. "You chose your fate."

"Damn you!" Einishi shouted, but his distraction cost him. Sesshomaru sliced off his head as he screamed at Kaiyoshinju. With the other slayers dead or incapacitated and Einishi slain, the dragon hanyou thought it was over.

She was wrong. Sesshomaru was mad with grief and Einishi's death did nothing to quell the fire burning within him. He turned his attention on the surrounding samurai. The samurai backed away in fear when his demonic gaze fell on them. Growling, he charged.

Men scattered before him and Kaiyoshinju gasped in surprise. Placing the head on the ground she ran forward. As Sesshomaru bore down on one hapless man who had tripped, Kaiyoshinju jumped between him and the samurai. His claws collided with her staff and they stared at each other.

"Stay your hand, these men are not responsible," she said in a calm voice.

"Be silent you half human wretch," he yelled, his eyes filled with hatred. She blinked but that was the only reaction she could muster at that moment. "You are as guilty as they are for this," he roared and slashed at her with his other hand. Poisonous claws sliced her shoulder open.

Grimacing, she realized Sesshomaru was beyond words. "So be it," she said and jumped at him. She danced underneath his claws and pinned him to her body with her staff, his back pressing against her front. She then struck him with all the purification power she possessed.

Her demon power retreated in the face of her spiritual power, her violet eyes turned black and her ears rounded, otherwise she remained unaffected. Sesshomaru, however, screamed as the purifying energy flooded his body. She held on and continued until she felt him slipping away then released him.

Sesshomaru staggered forward and fell to his knees, gasping for air. His eyes were their normal color again but when he looked back they were still filled with hatred. He stood up and stumbled forward, leaving the town and Kaiyoshinju behind.

"My lady, you are injured," said one of the samurai.

"It's nothing I can't survive. Please go inside and tie up those men who were not killed. They have much to answer for. Also send a message bird to the tenko and tell them of this incident and that they are needed here," said Kaiyoshinju without looking away from the place where Sesshomaru had disappeared into the forest.

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In the morning, the first of the tenko arrived. He was an older dog hanyou and, judging by the color of his kimono, one of the fire discipline. Wrinkles lined the sides of his emerald eyes and he kept his long brown hair tied back in a samurai ponytail. He looked at the damaged brothel and took in the sight of the tied up demon slayers lining the wall before approaching her.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"These men attacked and massacred Lord Kenhoshi's castle. They even killed Lady Ginhana and her newborn daughter," she replied, her voice still devoid of emotion. She then felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. His eyes were filled with worry and concern for her. "They took her head, I have it right here," she said and picked up the bundle.

"We'll make sure she returns to the castle and Lord Kenhoshi. Lord Rei will be arriving shortly. He can handle everything from here; you need to rest and to sort out your own feelings." The sound of many horses approaching filled the still air and the two hanyou looked back. "Speak of the devil."

The old hanyou turned away from Kaiyoshinju and headed toward the riders. The lord had gray streaking through his black hair and was dressed in a blue outfit, a water tenko. He stepped forward and greeted the old hanyou, Kakiboufuu. The fire tenko quickly explained the situation to his lord. Rei's face twisted with rage and lightning crawled up his arms and legs. He stormed over to the restrained men, glared at them then looked down at their confiscated weapons.

"Demon slayers!" he barked, appalled. "We let you wander our lands and this is what you do? You massacre an entire castle? You murder children? Newborns?" The men shifted uncomfortably under his burning gaze. They had enough brains to realize that telling him the castle occupants were demons wouldn't change his opinion on the matter; it would only make the situation worse.

"No more will you be given such freedom," the tenko lord said then turned to his vassals. "Spread the word, the demon slayers have just forfeited their rights to roam within our borders. Find every slayer within our realm and drive them out, exile them! Any who dare to enter these realms after this day, shall be killed!" He turned back to the slayers and said with sneer, "You will have your fates determined by Kenhoshi when he returns." He looked up at his vassals and the townsmen. "Make sure they stay alive until he passes judgment on them. Now go!"

As Kaiyoshinju watched the tenko and samurai race to do Lord Rei's bidding she saw again the headless body of Ginhana, the lifeless form of the unnamed infant, and the hate-filled eyes of Sesshomaru. Then she felt something slide down her cheek and a great weight began to crush her heart. Grief filled her with despair and she collapsed into a sobbing heap on the ground.

'Nothing will ever be right again!'

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Chapter Eight: Death of a Legend

Inuyasha, confused and frightened, flees his grandfather. Meanwhile Jounochi realizes Sagara's intentions, but is he enough to destroy him?

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I felt Hiroshi needed closure as well as this whole terrible mess. I don't know where Hiroshi came from. He just sort of appeared as began to write the slayer's assault on the castle. If you find Hiroshi and Kohaku both possessing chain scythe too much of a coincidence. Well… bats eyes innocently

I warned you of chapter imbalance. Next one won't be quite as long but it will be longer than the previous chapter as we rush forward to Inuyasha's time again.


	9. Death of a Legend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**Warning: This contains strong violence.**

_195 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Eight: Death of a Legend**

_The lack of instincts was the most sharply displayed when Sagara faced my grandfather. If he had had them then he would have known Jounochi was on to him the moment he walked into the room. The only thing that spared him then, and all other times, is his quick reactions and ability to not question doing something that might look stupid if he guessed wrong on someone's intent. Needless to say, he never looked stupid doing something, because he was never wrong in guessing when people wanted to kill him._

-Inuyasha

Jounochi stood on the engawa and stared at the city beyond his manor. The ground had shaken only a little while ago, but it didn't seem like a normal quake. It had seemed far too shallow. He motioned to one of his vassals and whispered, "Go investigate, that tremor felt wrong." The man bowed to his lord and departed.

'What is going on,' he wondered, stepping off the engawa and into his sandals. 'Something feels odd today.' He looked up at his clan's blue banner with the simple image of white, folded wings. To the uninitiated, it closely resembled a cat's eye.

He was about to turn away when the white reflected an orange glow. Then he heard screams of terror and cries of "fire". Looking in the direction of the shouts, he saw a column of fire rising into the sky. Calling for his men, he ran toward the blaze.

People fled in all directions from the swirling, ever growing inferno; several buildings were already alight and swiftly becoming ash. 'If this continues the whole city will burn,' he thought and ran past the fire to the river beyond.

Summoning his power, he reached toward the water and spoke a spell verse. A part of the river reared up and took form as a dragon; its serpentine body remaining in the raging water. Lifting his hands, Jounochi directed the water spirit's attention toward the fire. Then he shoved his left palm forward. The dragon sprayed a steady stream of water at the out-of-control flames.

Rotating his body at the waist, he directed the stream. The fire vanished from the buildings and only the whirlwind remained. Jounochi ran forward and the water spirit followed him up the river. Again he shoved his left palm forward and the dragon sprayed water at the swirling flames. The whirlwind shuddered and shrank a bit before the water began to twirl around it. As the captured stream sailed upward it turned to steam. The fire remained.

"Wind," he whispered in fear. "Only wind could capture water. Fire and wind, what a deadly combination. The fire to destroy and the wind to drive and shield it." Changing his tactics, he directed the water spirit's attack at the base of the whirlwind.

Dirt and water sprayed upward into the swirling inferno's heart. The flying mud disrupted the wind and buried the fire. The whirlwind bent and twisted as the fountain of mud took its toll. It shrank further and Jounochi advanced until the fire and wind were gone.

With the fire out and feeling the strain of using so much magic, he dismissed the dragon. Gasping for air, he then heard someone coughing. Walking forward, he saw a small child covered in mud. The child was on all fours where the whirlwind of fire had been centered. When Jounochi got closer, he saw the child had dog ears. Shocked, he ran to Inuyasha and, placing his hand on the boy's back to steady the child, he used his sleeve to wipe the mud from his face.

"Easy boy, you'll be alright. Just a little mud, that's all," he said in a calming voice when Inuyasha started coughing again. The hanyou looked up at him with terrified golden eyes. "It's alright, Inuyasha. Everything is alright now."

Inuyasha coughed again then shoved his grandfather away. Staggering to his feet, he began to run. "Inuyasha, where are you going? Come back here!" shouted his grandfather, climbing to his feet and running after his grandson.

Inuyasha, suddenly realizing he was heading in the direction he had last seen Sagara, turned toward the river and tried to leap across. Jounochi cried out in fear, the river was swollen from recent rains upstream. Fire flashed out of the boy's back forming what appeared to be small wings. They flapped twice and Inuyasha remained airborne, but his magic, already exhausted from forming the whirlwind, couldn't hold him up long. The wings vanished when he was halfway across. The boy fell into the river with a cry and disappeared beneath the muddy waters. Jounochi yelled and reached for the river with his magic, but the swiftness of the current and his own exhaustion prevented him from pulling Inuyasha from the water.

"No! This can't be! This can't…" Jounochi whispered as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. Then he shouted, "Inuyasha!" Turning away from the river that had just taken his grandson from him, he saw a terrible sight. The corpses hadn't been burned and he could easily see who they were.

Yuki and Ayume. They had both been killed, but he wasn't sure by what means. Ayume was clearly sliced in two by a blade, but Yuki's wounds were strange. 'Almost as if a metal tenko had attacked them,' he thought then remembered Katsuya's words about the yin. 'Could the killer be a tenko? Then Inuyasha's fire awakened in self-defense.' He looked around, but there was no other corpse, burned or otherwise, than the two women.

Before he could ponder it further, Kuromaru and the man he sent to investigate the tremor ran up to him along with a number of other vassals. "Yahiko has been killed," said Kuromaru when he stopped in front of his father. "Something hit him from behind. It completely tore through him."

"Was he like these two?" Jounochi asked, gesturing to dead women.

Before Kuromaru could comment, the man gasped, pointing to Jounochi's left hand and asked, "Are you injured, my lord?"

"What? No," he replied then looked at his hand. The mud on his palm and fingers was crimson as was a part of his sleeve. He looked at the other sleeve, the one he used to wipe Inuyasha's face. It too had blood splatters as well as mud. "Inuyasha!" he gasped in shock.

"Inuyasha! Where is he?" demanded Kuromaru.

"The river," replied Jounochi, his face falling. "He ran from me and fell in."

"I'll go look for him," said Kuromaru, staring at the river. "We can't be certain of anything; he's half demon and Kenhoshi's son!" He motioned to the men behind him and the group ran down stream.

"Please, let him still be alive," whispered Jounochi as he watched his son depart.

"My lord, there is something you should know," said the man. Jounochi turned toward him and waited. "Where Yahiko died… he appeared to have been in the midst of battle. The way the earth settled suggests he fought wind and he does appear to have died in the same fashion as her." He gestured to Yuki.

'Wind and metal?' he wondered then shook his head. "Thank you for your report. I'm returning to the manor now to wash up." The man bowed and Jounochi headed back.

'Wind and metal… what could they mean?' he thought as he walked. 'Are two people behind this? Or have we all missed something important? When the forces of yin enter our tribe they usually appear in the form of one person, the devil tenko. How can there be two? Or maybe we have been too limited in our thinking.' The image of his other grandson, Sagara, appeared before his vision.

"Wind!" he whispered, his heart growing cold. 'He never acted like a wind tenko and he mastered his powers practically overnight. Then there is the fact he gives everyone the chills when he looks at them. He's cold, calculating, precise… like metal.'

Jounochi's expression darkened and he clenched his fists as his blood began to burn. Bits of lightning began to dance up his legs and along his back, making his samurai ponytail hover and twitch above his spine. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his power back in. He couldn't waste anymore energy; he had to save it for when he found Sagara.

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Sagara entered the medicine storage room. The wound in his shoulder was bad, but some of the ingredients he needed for his spell were also there. A healer walked in and froze when she saw him.

"What are you doing raiding the supplies?" she demanded. Sagara almost breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently word of his betrayal hadn't spread yet.

"I'm getting a few things for my shoulder, I was caught in that fireball back there," he said in a smooth, coaxing voice. "I didn't want to bother you with such a minor thing."

The woman clucked and said, "I will determine what injuries are beneath my attention, now come here." Sagara gave a long suffering sigh while he slipped the last ingredient into his pouch. Then he turned around to face her. Her finger probed the wound and she made irritated noises. "'Minor' you say. Hah! This cut is bone deep and it's burned as well!"

As she tended it, the shoji to the outside slid open and Jounochi stood in the entryway. His dark expression made Sagara wary, but when his grandfather just went over to a bucket of water and began to wash the mud off his hands, Sagara shrugged it off as frustration.

'He doesn't seem to have realized it was me yet, I still have time,' thought Sagara, turning away from the older man.

"It seems you got that fire out," commented the healer.

"Yes, but Inuyasha fell into the river. Kuromaru went after him, but he may well be bringing home a corpse," said Jounochi, his voice low and deeper pitched.

Sagara barely refrained from smiling. 'Maybe everything isn't a total loss.'

Jounochi watched his grandson from the corner of his eye. He was certain Sagara had tensed when he entered the room then relaxed when Jounochi stated what happened to Inuyasha. 'There can be no further doubt; Sagara is the one,' he thought. He stood up, dried his hands on a spare cloth, turned to face Sagara's back and silently drew his sword.

The healer caught the motion in her peripheral vision and glanced at him. "My lord?" she said with a touch of alarm, her eyes widening. Sagara noted her tone and expression and dove forward just as Jounochi swung the blade. The sword still bit, but it failed to make the fatal connection Jounochi wanted. He dove into the hall after Sagara. The healer stumbled away from the young man as he turned to face his grandfather. A maid and Toromaru had been walking up the hall and now stared in shock at the sight before them.

"Grandfather! What are you doing?" cried Toromaru in terror. Jounochi ignored him and called upon his power now that the healer wasn't touching Sagara. Lightning crawled down his arms and clung to his sword.

Sagara hissed, knowing he had no way of block a lightning attack. He jumped toward the maid and grabbed the bucket of water she was holding then threw its contents on himself and Toromaru while the maid screamed and fell back. He grabbed Toromaru and pulled his brother against him.

Jounochi growled and held back his assault. Sagara quickly reached out his metal senses for the glaive he had bewitched all those years ago. Feeling its response, he summoned it to him. Toromaru, briefly surprised, grabbed at Sagara and threw him over his shoulder then jumped back.

Jounochi moved to attack when the wall behind him erupted and Sagara's glaive flew through it and the old tenko lord. Jounochi fell to the ground as Sagara caught the glaive. He whipped around and the healer fell screaming as blood and intestines poured out of the wound in her abdomen.

Toromaru slid his hands along the ground then yanked them up. Sagara howled as an earth spike tore through the floor and sliced the inner side of his leg knocking him back and away from Jounochi's body. Toromaru leapt forward, grabbed the diamond tied around his grandfather's throat then fled down the hall.

Toromaru exited the building just as Sagara erupted from the roof, debris flying around him, his expression livid. He looked over his shoulder in time to see a wood beam flying at him. Ducking, he punched the ground and the beam smashed into an earth column.

He got up and seeing people running toward him, he shouted, "Tenko attack! Metal stay back and hold down every spear and blade in the area. Elementals attack with all the power you have! Kill him! Kill him!" He jumped clear of another flying beam and glanced up. Thunder boomed as lightning flew and struck a soaring shoji.

Swinging his glaive, Sagara sent beams and screens reigning down on the people below. He then snatched up every piece of metal in the manor beneath him. The weapons, sword, arrows, spears, glaives, knives, all rose and danced around him. With a twist of his glaive he sent the dancing blades flying toward Toromaru and the defenders.

Tenko and humans screamed as they dove for cover or tried to defend themselves from the rain of weapons. Sagara smiled in sadistic glee as people fell before his swirling blades. Toromaru summoned wall after wall of earth to block the weapons flying at him and others, but they pulled free of the earth the moment they hit it and came back for another go.

Sagara laughed as he watched their losing efforts to stay alive. He had never before experienced such joy in killing and he relished the sensation. Then something sliced through his side just below the rib cage. He saw the many pale crescents of a wind blade attack fly by him. Only one had hit; his swirling wind had thrown the others off course. He looked behind him and saw a wind tenko floating above. He turned and slashed his glaive at her; giving her his wind blades. She dropped; entering freefall to avoid being hit then caught herself before she collided with the ground. Thunder boomed again and he saw a beam light up as lightning struck it. He glanced down; the blow to his side had broken his concentration and now the survivors were attacking again.

Growling, he checked his wound. It was serious and he was being attacked from two sides. With the odds now severely against him, he turned and flew away from Toromaru and Kyoto.

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Chapter Nine: Daughter of Mine

After a century apart, Kaiyoshinju is summoned back to the castle for a special honor and duty. There are many new faces but none are as shocking as the one she brings with her.

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Engawa: The veranda, outer hallway

Hanyou: half-demon

Shoji: paper-screen, sliding door.

I guess the weekends are a lousy time to post because nobody is saying anything about the latest chapters.

We're jumping back to Sesshomaru in the next chapter.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. No matter what I do in this story it **WILL** tie into the series by the end. So no panicking.

The reasoning behind the chapter title is because Jounochi has a story all his own but since this book is about Inuyasha and Sesshomaru it has taken a back seat. However, he was an incredible person in life and the gem Toromaru grabbed is very important and part of Jounochi's legend.


	10. Daughter of Mine

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

_446 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Nine: Daughter of Mine**

_The horror of that day wouldn't leave my mind. No matter what my father said, I still believed if I had been there I could have saved her. Unable to cope with the feelings of grief and guilt, I froze my heart and nursed an unreasonable hatred. Perhaps it was the only way for me to remain sane, but the cost was incredibly steep. Kaiyoshinju had waited a century for me to come for her and I had grown to hate her for taking me away from the castle that day. Was it really any wonder that our reunion was anything but happy? To this day I remain baffled by why she hadn't killed me then.  
_-Sesshomaru-

Soranoko flew high over the trees on her giant feather while scanning the forest below. Irked that her lord had assigned her the task of finding someone she had never met before, the wind sorceress spent more time ranting than looking.

In the midst of yet another tirade about the impossibility of her task an oily voice spoke up from behind her. "Do you require assistance?"

Soranoko nearly fell off her feather in surprise. Looking toward the source of the voice, she almost tumbled again at the sight of the black and gold feline-like creature sitting behind her. Gold ran along his spine from forehead to the base of the tail and outlined the shoulders and haunches. The split tip of the long tail was also gold. The body was feline but the head reminded the wind sorceress more of a bunny than a cat except bunnies didn't look evil.

She stared at him while he licked his paw then rubbed it against his whiskers. He put his paw down and glanced up at her with red laced gold eyes. "Now why the look of horror? I merely asked you if you required assistance," he said, his tail waved at her and she got the impression he was smiling.

Recovering from her shock, she glared at him and said, "I am not willing to part with my soul just to locate one woman, Maou."

Narrowing his eyes, he gazed at her and said in a slightly hurt tone, "As if such petty information will ever be worth a soul." With a sniff he vanished in a sparkle of purple-blue light.

Shuddering, she returned her attention to the trees below and made a mental note to keep her complaints to herself. She had looked down no more than a second when she spotted a woman bathing beneath a small waterfall. The woman appeared no different from many hundreds of human females, but Soranoko sensed a powerful demon aura surrounding her. Deciding it didn't hurt to ask, the wind sorceress descended.

The sudden wind brought about by her landing startled a young woman who rushed to throw a kimono over her nude form. Soranoko stared at the snow haired demon while the one in the falls merely glanced her way then continued washing. The young woman, seeing the intruder was female, didn't bother to tie up her lavender kimono. Purple demon stripes graced her cheeks and wrists while a purple, waning crescent moon adorned her forehead. Violet eyes studied the wind sorceress as Soranoko studied her.

"What business do you have with me? I have never seen you before," asked the raven haired woman as she stepped up onto the bank. Soranoko jumped at her voice and turned toward her. She stood there hands on hips and water dripping from her pale naked body. Black hair hung like a cape to her knees and violet eyes bored into the wind sorceress's red ones.

It seemed ridiculous to speak formally to someone who insisted on having a conversation while dressed in naught but her skin. The wind sorceress wondered if that was what she was after, a lack of formality. Thinking back on what she had been told about the sea dragon, Soranoko started to believe she'd found her.

Sighing, she said, "Lord Kenhoshi sent me to find the sea dragon, Kaiyoshinju. I am strongly suspect that you are she."

There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other. "Lord Kenhoshi sent you?" She sounded disappointed and Soranoko wondered about it. "Why?" demanded Kaiyoshinju, crossing her arms and disrupting the wind sorceress's thoughts.

"He needs you to perform a certain task. A task that is as much an honor as a duty for he only gives it to those he trusts the most," replied Soranoko.

Kaiyoshinju stared at the wind sorceress. She hadn't seen Kenhoshi since he left to deal with the panther demon tribe before that horrible day when the castle was massacred. She felt a wave of sorrow wash over her followed by bitterness. Not toward Kenhoshi but Sesshomaru for not coming after her. She had spent all these years waiting for him to come and now she had to accept he never would.

A numbing cold wrapped around her aching heart and spread throughout her body. "Yes, I understand," she said in a voice devoid of emotion and walked toward her things. "We should not keep Lord Kenhoshi waiting. Come Naomi."

"Yes, Mother," replied the young woman and reached for her violet obi.

Soranoko, disturbed by Kaiyoshinju's sudden change in demeanor, jumped again. 'Mother?' she thought in surprise looking at the young woman then glancing back at Kaiyoshinju. 'This woman is her daughter? No one mentioned this!' The wind sorceress stared at the Naomi; the woman's uncanny resemblance to Sesshomaru caused Soranoko to raise an eyebrow. 'Oh dear,' she thought. 'This is going to cause quite a stir at the castle.'

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The courtyard buzzed with conversation as vassals chatted among themselves. Normally, they remained away from the castle since most of them had homes elsewhere, but today they had been gathered due to a demon threat. Something, (it couldn't be anything but a demon), was causing wide spread destruction in the eastern providences, though the lands were not under the Dog General's control, Kenhoshi had decided to deal with the threat sooner rather than later.

While most present were warriors and there for the upcoming battle some, like Totosai, lived in the east and had fled in the face of the inexplicable destruction. Kenji looked around as he talked with Yukihana, an albino kitsune. Both veterans of many battles, the two spent as much time taking in all the new faces around them as converse with each other. The wolf demon knew that, like he, many demons had been recruited by the Dog General in the last century, but this was the first time everyone had been called together. Why such recruitment had started up was unknown, but he could clearly see there was a serious lack of dog demons at the castle and guessed something had occurred to significantly reduce their numbers.

Xeno was being his usual aloof self as he studied the people around him; the foreign fire demon was not known for his social skills. Totosai sat against the wall, the long pole of his forging hammer resting on his shoulder, as he talked with the flea demon, Myoga; a coward whose only purpose was to gather information. A job he excelled at since that meant he could run whenever danger threatened.

The conversation buzz didn't waver when the gates opened for there had been much comings and goings all day. However, when Soranoko entered with two unknown women behind her all the dog demons fell silent causing the rest of the assembly to take notice. The raven haired woman was dressed in blue priestess robes and even held a sacred staff. Her aura, violet eyes and pointed ears signaled, though, that she was a demon. The woman behind her was younger and the only feature she shared with the other was her violet eyes. Long white hair cascaded over her shoulders while her lavender kimono and dark violet obi accented her delicate frame and demon markings.

Kenji knew that most of the men were giving her their full attention. The woman in blue noticed this too for she turned toward the crowd and demanded, "And what, pray tell, is so interesting? Do I have a leaf in my hair or blood on the back of my kimono?" All the dog demons found something else to look at. The buzz started back up, though weaker than before. The women continued forward.

"Soranoko was sent out to find Kaiyoshinju," whispered Yukihana into Kenji's ear. "I heard she is one of Lord Kenhoshi's most powerful vassals. Some say she is even stronger than him."

He glanced at the white kitsune and said, "Judging from the way all the dogs reacted she must be, but who is the woman with her? She looks like the Ice Prince."

"I have no idea," she replied. Yukihana glanced up at the dog demons on the wall. "They seem surprised as well."

Satisfied with their response, Kaiyoshinju resumed walking toward the manor. At the gate a nervous young dog demon shifted from foot to foot. When they stopped in front of him, he said, "I'm sorry, but the lord has ordered that you appear before him alone." He looked behind her to Naomi then hurriedly reverted his gaze to the dragon hanyou.

"Alright," said Kaiyoshinju and turned to her daughter. "Remain here while I deal with the Lord Kenhoshi." Naomi nodded her head and turned away. Kaiyoshinju entered and the young man scrambled to catch up. Soranoko watched for a moment then went to join Naomi.

Naomi had walked over to Kenji and Yukihana and they stared at each other for a moment. The kitsune looked over her shoulder at Soranoko and said, "So I see you found her despite your beliefs to the contrary."

"I got lucky," said the wind sorceress. She turned to the young woman and said, "This is Naomi. She is Kaiyoshinju's daughter."

"I have never heard about her," said Yukihana, eyeing the young woman.

"I'm not surprised," said Naomi in a soft voice. "This is the first time I've been to this castle."

"You weren't born here?" asked Kenji, leaning forward. "You look more like a member of the dog tribe than Kaiyoshinju's daughter."

She nodded and said, "I suspect my father is a member, but I do not know who he is. I think Mother was waiting for him, but he never came." The three stared at her in surprise then Yukihana changed the subject and they began to talk of other things.

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Kaiyoshinju didn't need a guide. Her nose as well as her memory told her where she needed to go. That didn't stop the guide from running after her and calling, "I need to tell the lord you're coming. He didn't know when you would be arriving." She ignored him. Desperate to do things properly, the young man raced ahead to warn Kenhoshi of her approach. Despite his best efforts, she still managed to surprise the generals when she barged in on their meeting.

"Insolence! Have you no respect for a war counsel?" yelled one of the men. She only recognized a couple, one of them being the father of the despised Noriko, the rest were as new to her as she was to them.

"You summoned me, Lord Kenhoshi," she said, ignoring the death glares the generals threw her.

Kenhoshi gave off a long suffering sigh and said, "As forward as always I see. I'm surprised Soranoko was able to find you so quickly."

"I wasn't trying to hide," she said in an even tone. Kenhoshi's golden eyes met her violet ones and she saw something akin to despair rise from their depths.

He stood and said in a low voice, "Kaiyoshinju, there was no guarantee that being there would have changed anything. You served me well in capturing those responsible and saving my son from doing something… regrettable." The generals all looked down at the floor. The disaster still weighed heavily on their minds. Even the new ones felt that terrible sorrow; though, they had not been part of Kenhoshi's court when it happened.

"But I could not save him," she said.

"That is something only he can do," said Kenhoshi, walking around the generals toward her. "The choices you and one other made in the face of that horror saved lives and I will be forever grateful for that."

"One other?"

One of the generals, an older one she knew well, answered for Kenhoshi. "There were survivors and some of them spoke of a demon slayer who let them pass as they were fleeing the castle. They would never have lived if he hadn't let them by."

"He wasn't at the town," said Kenhoshi. "We never found him and we never will." Kaiyoshinju nodded but her gaze remained fixed on her lord. Knowing what she was waiting for, he directed her down the hall. What he had to say next was not meant for the ears of anyone but her.

"I have something for you. Something very precious that, due to the attack, I feel cannot be left here anymore," said Kenhoshi when they were alone and reached into his kimono. He pulled out a silver circlet with a thumb-sized sapphire embedded into it. She looked at it uncomprehending. "You are to guard this from all those who would use its power. This is one of five that were gifted to me in my youth and they contain a frightening amount of power. I'm entrusting you with its protection, Kaiyoshinju."

"What is it?" she asked, taking hold of the circlet.

"The Jewel of the Sea, it is one of the five Jewels of Life that can cause great miracles or great calamity to befall a land," he replied. Kaiyoshinju stared in horror at the little gem. "As long as they remain separate the area they influence is greatly reduced as well as what they influence. For example, the Sea Jewel only affects water. As a sea dragon you should be able to hide it in plain sight as well as keep its power under control."

"You honor me, my lord," she said, deeply humbled by the trust he had in her.

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Kenji, Soranoko, Yukihana and Naomi continue to talk when the wolf demon heard the conversation buzz falter again then die. He looked around, dreading what it was he would see. Sure enough, Sesshomaru walked through the gates; his golden gaze as icy and unreadable as ever. Inwardly groaning, he muttered to the other three, "Look out! The Ice Prince just strolled in."

A mistake. Sesshomaru's range of hearing was unusually wide even for a dog demon. His eyes focused on Kenji and in less than a second he was standing before him. The wolf demon cringed and the courtyard held its breath in fear. Even if Kenji was one of Kenhoshi's most trusted that didn't mean he was safe from Sesshomaru.

The dog demon raised his poisonous claws to strike when Naomi shoved him away. Despite her appearance she was very strong and Sesshomaru nearly took an embarrassing fall. Regaining his balance, he glared at the young woman. Soranoko and Kenji tried to pull Naomi away, but Sesshomaru leapt forward and knocked them both back.

"Who are you?" he asked in a soft, low tone, staring into her violet eyes. When she remained silent he added, "Answer me and I'll let you live."

Glaring at him in open defiance, she spat at him, "Feh! I'm not afraid of you!" The courtyard gasped and Sesshomaru growled. Then he felt hands grip his armor and hair and slam him against the ground. On instinct, he rolled to the side and narrowly missed having a heel smash into his throat. He rose to his knees and the metal part of the sacred staff struck the side of his head. Stars exploded in his vision. He raised a hand and the hard wood of the staff collided with forearm. Something crunched and Sesshomaru bit back a cry as white-hot pain engulfed his arm. A knee collided with his jaw, throwing him back.

He opened his eyes in time to see a livid Kaiyoshinju falling toward him with the butt of the staff leading; it was glowing pink. The staff sank several inches into the ground after sliding past the side of his head, taking skin and hair with it. The purified staff burned and Sesshomaru moved his head away from it, though, that pulled out a few more locks of hair. Kaiyoshinju grabbed his snow-white hair and pushed his head back against the staff. Her knees had his arms trapped as she sat on his torso staring into his golden eyes. His broken arm screamed murder and the side of his head throbbed as the other burned. Gasping and struggling to break free, Sesshomaru could only stare back. It was useless; she had him pinned.

Even as her eyes burned with rage and disappointment at what Sesshomaru had become, her lips parted in a sinister smile. "One last kiss, Lover?" she whispered into his ear; her voice dripped malevolence. She raised her face until hers was just an inch above his. "The kiss of death?" she clarified and moved closer until his lips were a breath from hers. Her violet eyes stared into his almost seductively and the first tendrils of fear struggled free of his frozen heart and found their way into his gaze.

She saw this and peered deeper into his golden eyes. "You're not completely lost," she whispered and pulled back while the staff lost its glow, "and I don't want Ginhana to weep from the heavens." She stood up and stepped away from him. Sesshomaru leapt to his feet his expressionless mask once more in place as he stared at her. He ignored the pain of his wounds though one side bled and the other had a black stripe running just above his ear. His arm hung twisted at his side.

"However," she said and the tip of her staff was suddenly pressed against his throat, "you will remain as nothing to my daughter until you learn to live again." He didn't move, but his eyes widened a fraction and his gaze shifted to the young woman who calmly stood off to the side. "You're so cold… like ice," she said as she slid her hand up the staff and moved forward to stare into his eyes once more. "Is this really what you want to be?"

She snapped her staff back and strolled toward the gate as if nothing had happened. "Come Naomi," she called over her shoulder. "My business here has concluded."

Naomi took a few hurried steps then paused as she drew even with Sesshomaru. Father and daughter gazed at each other for a few seconds then Naomi looked away and ran on. Amidst the silence of the stunned courtyard, Sesshomaru stared after the two women well beyond the point when they vanished from sight.

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**Chapter Ten: Transformation**

Severely, possibly fatally, injured, Sagara escapes into the forest. There he find the badly injured Inuyasha and decides to use the boy for his dark potion. The elixir will transform him completely.

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Bunch of new faces and names. Some familiar others not.

Maou: Japanese for "Devil". He's my wild card character. Just like Kenshin's master was a wild card character so don't expect too much out of him but he will play important parts when the need arises.

Xeno: Made up name.

Kenji: A common enough name in Japan, not sure about the translation, though.

Soranoko: Japanese for "Child of the Sky".

Yukihana: Japanese for "Snow Flower".

Naomi: Japanese for "Beautiful".

Kitsune: fox demon

We're jumping forward to Inuyasha again. For anyone who is curious about this disturbance I sort of thought about this being the time Sounga is picked up. So the reason for all the fuss in the east is due to Sounga acting up and anyone who has seen movie three will know the end result of Sounga.

My muse is affected my reviews. If I hear nothing I write nothing.

Conveniently forgets she has other sites this is posted on and thus gets reviews from.

But thanks to ShortPoet, and you may all bow down to ShortPoet, I have not only gotten the review I desired before posting this chapter I have been inspired to write the next one. Which I'll soon be workshopping

I'm still lost on what to write next for New Dawn. You're not the only ones who are frustrated by this.


	11. Transformation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

_195 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Ten: Transformation**

_Dazed and confused, I fell into Sagara hands allowing him to gain the means to survive centuries when he would have died of the wounds he suffered in the battle in Kyoto. However, I can never know if remaining with my grandfather would have guaranteed his death. The battle occurred only because Grandfather confronted him after I left. Still, I regret running away.  
_-Inuyasha-

Sagara flew through the air for some ways before his injuries forced him to the ground. Landing among the trees, he leaned against one and placed a hand against his wounded side.

"That damn bitch," he muttered between pain-filled gasps. He slid down the trunk, grimacing all the while. "At least I still have this," he said lifting the small box containing the herbs he had stolen from the storeroom. "With this I still have a chance, but I need one more thing to make this potion work. I need the blood of a demon or it will remain no different from an exquisite tea." He glanced around and his injury throbbed. Growling, he muttered, "How am I going to find a demon before this wound kills me? Dammit!"

Bushes rustled to his left and Sagara fell silent as he glanced over. Inuyasha staggered into the clearing then fell on his face. He was soaked through and covered in mud. Bits of leaves and twigs stuck to him in various places. As the child pushed himself up Sagara could see that Inuyasha eyes were unfocused and clouded. He wasn't aware of his surroundings.

'If I were religious, I would be thanking the gods for their well timed gift,' he thought, then an evil smile split his face. 'Either I have better luck than I originally thought or some higher being is being extremely malevolent today.' Sagara twitched his fingers and his glaive flew across the small clearing parallel to the ground. When it reached the dazed boy, it spun and the staff struck Inuyasha across the middle then rose.

Inuyasha yelped and instinctively grabbed hold of the staff when his feet left the ground. The glaive floated back to Sagara and lowered until Inuyasha's frightened, gold eyes stared straight into Sagara malevolent, dark ones. The boy screamed and fell off the staff then scrambled to get away from his murderous cousin.

"Oh no, you don't," shouted Sagara as he lunged forward and pounced on Inuyasha. The young dog hanyou yelled and struggled to free himself from Sagara's hold. The man chuckled and grinned despite the searing agony in his side. "Where do you think you're going? I have need of you and your demon blood, Cousin. What's left of it, that is," he added as he looked down where he felt the sluggish movement of Inuyasha's blood pulsing against his hand. "I should bind that up. I don't want you to bleed dry before I'm ready for you."

Inuyasha cried out and tried once more to pull free of Sagara. Sagara just laughed and placed a knee on Inuyasha back to hold him still while he tore the sleeves off his kimono. The young hanyou was soon bandaged, bound and gagged.

"Don't worry, it will all be over soon," said Sagara with a smile. Tears began to form in the boy's eyes as muffled whimpers escaped the gag. With a twitch of his fingers, his glaive went flying again and hacked off tree limbs. A touch of wind power and the branches landed next to Sagara. Arranging them into a pile, he then pulled out some flint and lit them on fire.

Sagara glanced over at his cousin. The fire didn't even flicker in response to the boy's feeble attempts to free himself from his bonds. 'I thought so. His powers are still new and were exhausted in the outburst earlier. He can't even affect an existing fire right now, never mind starting one himself.' He turned back to the fire and drew a small pot from his kimono. 'A good thing I grabbed this when I was throwing knives at Toromaru.' He filled it with the water from his gourd and added the herbs. Then he floated it over the fire. 'In one hour I'll have the Potion of Immortality and then nothing will stop me.' He started laughing. Inuyasha stopped struggling with his bounds and trembled in fear as he gazed at his cousin.

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'What is this blood in the wind? It smells of a slaughter… a slaughter of humans,' thought Sesshomaru. The fair-haired dog demon turned in the direction of the scent. 'No, not humans exactly. Is it the tenko, I smell? Are they beginning to experience another period of instability?' he wondered while staring toward the east.

"Feh! Why am I bothered by it? There little uprisings do not concern this Sesshomaru," he said turning away and began walking. Then he paused and glanced back.

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Hitomi stopped walking when she noticed her companion was no longer beside her. "Kakiboufuu, what is it?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder. The old dog hanyou had his nose to the wind.

"Blood and a lot of it," he replied then he turned his green eyes toward the other side of the rain-swollen river.

"A slaughter? Where?" asked Hitomi, turning all the way around.

"Far up ahead, but I also smell something closer," he said then leapt across the stream. Hitomi hesitated a moment then shrugged and jumped across as well. As one who controlled water, she had no fear of the river.

"Here," he said pointing to some flattened grass when she landed beside him. Some of the leaf blades were stained red. "It's a hanyou and the prints are small." He looked upstream and said, "This river flows through the capital and it's clear the child pulled himself out of it."

"Are you thinking that maybe it's Inuyasha?" asked Hitomi.

"I don't know, are there any other demon puppies around Kyoto?" Kakiboufuu asked in return.

"Let's hurry then," said Hitomi. Kakiboufuu stood up and the two ran into the forest following the hanyou child's scent.

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"It's ready," said Sagara. He turned toward Inuyasha as he took hold of his glaive. The boy sobbed and screamed when his cousin grabbed his kimono and lifted him into the air. "How about a little heart-blood to give the potion strength, Inuyasha?" asked Sagara with a smirk as he brought the blade up to the child's chest while he moved the boy over the boiling pot.

Inuyasha howled through his gag and thrashed in his bonds as the blade came closer. Then the fire exploded upwards engulfing the hanyou and Sagara's hands. With a cry, he dropped both glaive and child as he jumped back. Sagara's concentration broke and the pot fell, dousing the flames. The glaive buried its tip into the ground with the edge up as the potion splashed all over it. Inuyasha's right hand hit the glaive as he came down and sliced it to the wrist bone. Blood streaked the metal and mixed with the rivulets of potion. Inuyasha cried out in agony and pulled his bisected hand from the blade.

"You worthless half-breed!" shouted Sagara in fury. One hand holding his wounded side, he grabbed the glaive with the other and pulled it from the ground. "I'll slaughter you!" Inuyasha's eyes widened even as his vision became fuzzy. His right hand felt like it was being burned slowly.

Sagara raised the weapon then stopped when he saw a scarlet light hovering around the blade. Staring at it, his calm returning, he thought, 'Inuyasha bled all over the blade when he landed on it and the potion soaked it when the pot fell. Could it be…?' Inuyasha scooted away from Sagara with his injured right hand tucked into his kimono front.

"Maybe it's not a total loss after all," whispered Sagara then he licked the blade. He felt the changes begin immediately and dropped the glaive. Inuyasha froze in shock at what he saw. Sagara became surrounded by a scarlet demon aura. The man howled and his back arched. His black hair turned a silver-white and his nails became opaque and long. His eyes turned from black on white to turquoise on red and his fangs grew longer. The wound on his side closed up.

The aura drew back into his body and Sagara laughed. 'Not truly a potion of immortality, but still I have taken possession of centuries not to mention a demon's regenerative ability,' he thought as he gazed down at his new claws. 'So I have no complaints. Now to tie up a few loose ends…' He turned his red and turquoise demon eyes on Inuyasha's frozen form and lunged.

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Kakiboufuu and Hitomi were jogging through the trees when they heard a scream. Hitomi gasped as Kakiboufuu said, "It's just up ahead." The pair sprinted forward and stopped when they broke into a small clearing. An adult hanyou with white hair rose from a crouch and turned toward them.

"Hitomi, is that you?" asked the hanyou as his glowing-red eyes met theirs.

"That voice… Sagara?" she cried in horror.

"Glad to know you aren't stupid, Hitomi," said Sagara with a chuckle.

"Put the boy down and I'll show you mercy," demanded Kakiboufuu. Hitomi glanced at the old hanyou then back at Sagara and gasped. Sagara's right fist was clenched around Inuyasha's neck. The bedraggled and bloody boy had little energy to fight with and could only gasp while gripping Sagara's fingers with his left hand.

"That just means you'll kill me quick instead of slow and I don't plan on dying ever," said the transformed man. He raised his free hand and a powerful gale slammed into Hitomi and Kakiboufuu throwing them back. "So try and stop me oldster… for the sake of this child!" Sagara threw Inuyasha straight up into the air then slashed with his claws, sending five wind-blades in pursuit.

"Inuyasha!" screamed Hitomi. Kakiboufuu moved his hand in a throwing motion and a wheel of fire and wind flew forward to intersect the wind-blades. He growled when he realize it would never reach the blades before they sliced through the helpless child.

A streak of light crossed the tops of the trees and engulfed Inuyasha before the wind-blades could strike saving the child. The light landed on the edge of the clearing between the pair and Sagara then faded revealing Sesshomaru. Inuyasha lying limp in his right arm.

'Lord Sesshomaru?' wondered Kakiboufuu in surprise. 'What is he doing here?'

Sesshomaru glanced down at his brother then back at Sagara. "Name yourself," he demanded. Sagara stared expressionless at the snow-haired demon. His turquoise on red eyes had been replaced by a more normal coloring of gold on white.

"Why do I get this feeling you are going to be the bane of my existence, Sesshomaru?" said Sagara in a quiet, even tone. Sesshomaru's cold, expressionless gaze remained fixed on the hanyou.

"You think of this Sesshomaru as being nothing more than a mere 'bane'?" asked Sesshomaru a touch of anger entering his tone.

"Last time I hadn't been planning to kill Inuyasha so I didn't care, but now I'm annoyed," said Sagara, ignoring Sesshomaru's question. While Sagara's now golden eyes remained focused on Sesshomaru, his mind was focused on his glaive. He had moved the weapon from the clearing and into the trees during all the excitement with Hitomi and Kakiboufuu. Now it hovered mere millimeters above the ground as it moved around the clearing to take Sesshomaru's back.

"I despise having any annoyances around. They may be comparable to mosquitoes but even a mosquito can be dangerous if it carries a deadly disease within its mouth," said Sagara as he sensed his glaive moving into position.

Sesshomaru smiled and said, "You would compare this Sesshomaru to a tiny insect. You must desire death a great deal." The demon lord raised his left hand and the claws glowed yellow as he summoned his energy whip.

"Which is why one must squash the mosquitoes before they have a chance to bite," finished Sagara then smirked. Sesshomaru blinked and his smile faded.

"Huh?" said Hitomi then glanced at Sesshomaru and saw something zipping toward the demon's unprotected back. "Behind you!" she yelled. Sesshomaru shifted to the right as the glaive sliced through his hair, cut his armor and nicked the skin beneath.

Sagara caught the glaive and sighed heavily. "I forgot about the spotters," he mumbled. "Such nuisances."

"It doesn't matter," said Sesshomaru. "Such tactics would never work on this Sesshomaru."

"Think so," said Sagara and smiled as he rested the staff against his shoulder. "They worked on your late father well enough." Hitomi and Kakiboufuu both gasped in shock and Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the hanyou. No one moved.

"What are you saying? Didn't Lord Kenhoshi die fighting that wretched fool, Takemaru?" demanded Kakiboufuu.

Sagara chuckled and replied, "Yes, he died _while_ fighting that fool. However, I made certain that he would die with _this_." He brought the glaive forward with his words. "That's not all. You see, I rattled the demon court so it wasn't safe for Kenhoshi to bring Izayoi to the castle, and then talked Takemaru into attacking the mansion where she resided."

"You… you set him up," gasped Hitomi.

"This Sesshomaru has heard enough," said the snow-haired demon.

"And to think all that careful planning and preparation would have been for naught had a certain someone been a more devoted son," said Sagara with a grin then laughed.

"Silence!" shouted Sesshomaru as he charged forward with his energy whip flying before him. Sagara dodged the whip and spun. His hand slid down the glaive's staff until it reached the lead weight and the blade whirled through the air with deadly speed.

"Gotchya!" he said, a wild expression lighting his face. Then a wall of intense fire erupted between the two and Sagara jumped back. Lightning flew through the blaze and the evil hanyou jumped into the trees. "I've seemed to have riled them all up. Three against one is never good odds to fight with; I'll retreat for today," he said then leapt into the air calling forth his wind powers to hoist him into the sky. As the wind gathered around him, it turned black and took the form of bat wings. 'Hmm… Now that's interesting,' he thought as he flew away from the clearing. 'It must be Inuyasha's blood that made them visible.'

Sesshomaru stared up at the sky where he saw Sagara winging away. He looked back at the other two and said, "Your assistance was unnecessary."

"Would you prefer to end up like your mother with your head flying from shoulders, Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Kakiboufuu darkly. Sesshomaru growled then threw Inuyasha at him before jumping to the tops of the trees. The furry part of his kimono disappeared as great white wings emerged from his back. In the next moment, he was flying through the air in pursuit of Sagara.

"Wait, Lord Sesshomaru!" cried Hitomi starting to run after him.

"Let him go! We have a greater problem," shouted Kakiboufuu. Hitomi turned back to the old hanyou with a questioning look in her eyes. He was staring down at the small hanyou in his arms in alarm. The boy's right hand was changing colors and scarlet lines were etching their way up the forearm from the wound in his hand.

"Inuyasha is dying!" said Kakiboufuu.

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Chapter Eleven: Thaw

The fatally wounded Kenhoshi enters battle in order to protect Izayoi and perishes. Izayoi and baby Inuyasha may die as well when a sudden snow storm appears while she struggles to return home.

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Just for you ShortPoet! I managed to slip this one in before I go away on spring break. I may be able to do something while I'm on vacation but as always no promises.

The chapter is the last flashback then we're trucking forward forever after that. Some of things mentioned in this chapter will make more sense after the next one.

I have an idea for the next chapter of New Dawn now it's a matter of putting "pen to paper" so to speak. I think I'm going to make it somewhat humorous with the development of a side plot that will help develop Sesshomaru and some of the other characters.

Midoriko isn't leaving me alone so I started to do some work on it. Man was it tough zeroing in on a possible setting for our awesome and powerful priestess. Sango's description was way to vague as was my reference; though, I learned a few things I hadn't known before. I'm settling on the late sixth century. The court nobles are jockeying for position with the newly arrived Buddhism at the center of the struggle. This also helps to develop a plot for the story by using a little dash of history for the conflict involved.

See ya next chapter!


	12. Thaw

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**Chapter Eleven: Thaw**

_**200 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards**_

_I truly wanted to kill them both. The woman who dared to replace my mother and the disgraceful hanyou she bore. How ironic that an icy storm would be the catalyst for melting my heart. It wasn't until that moment that I accepted that my hatred of humans was not only because they killed my mother, but also because they denied me my role as big brother. Another point of amusement was that I had desired a little brother and Izayoi had been the one to grant me my long forgotten request. Not that I will ever have the chance to tell Inuyasha that now.  
_-Sesshomaru-

'It's over,' thought Sesshomaru as he stared at the burning mansion. The scent of his father's burning flesh assaulted his nostrils with the smell of slain humans. With detached interest, the dog demon blinked golden eyes at the flames that had become his father's funeral pyre. He felt nothing for the loss except disgust. His father had died for a human woman and her half-breed child. Sesshomaru couldn't understand why his proud, powerful father had chosen a mere human for his second wife.

Turning to leave, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. A woman with a red kimono draped over her head and shoulders stood in the middle of a snow covered path watching the fire as he had. Despite the darkness, he easily discerned the long black hair that hung below her knees and the snow-white face that framed her dark eyes. His nose detected the scent of birth cloaking the woman and the tiny bundle she held to her chest. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of baby cries. His father may have died a miserable death but he had succeeded in rescuing this woman and child from Takemaru.

Sesshomaru turned toward the helpless pair, disgusted by their presence and the death they had caused by existing. The idea of a having a hanyou sibling sickened him and he moved to remove the mark of shame from his family before more demons learned of his father's weakness; before they could brand _him_ as the same!

'Father was already mortally wounded by Ryukostusei. Let the others think that was why he died, not because of some human woman and a hanyou baby,' the dog demon thought as he strode closer to the unsuspecting pair.

Sesshomaru stalked ever closer when a shadow from the woods caught his attention. He glanced toward it and noticed it stalking the woman too. Growling, the dog demon turned and jogged after the shadow. This was a family matter to be dealt with by family members only. Sesshomaru would not allow anyone, human or demon, to kill the woman and child before he did.

The shadow was small and dressed in dark colors. With the moon eclipsed and the fires dying, the person was hard to see. Oddly enough, the shadow was hard to smell, as well. The figure stopped and crouched down, the woman and baby only yards in front of the two. Sesshomaru stepped behind the small creature, claws ready to slice through its back when his light-footedness failed; his boot sank ankle-deep with a wet crunch.

The shadow jerked around in surprise and Sesshomaru froze. It was a human boy! The child recovered faster than the dog demon, a whirlwind swirling around him, throwing snow, twigs and pebbles at the demon. Sesshomaru lifted his arms to shield his face from the barrage. When he looked up the boy was gone and the woman was now running.

Sesshomaru snarled in frustration and bewilderment. While the lack of scent now made sense, children of any species had little to no scent to protect them from predators, the wind power indicated the boy was a tenko. 'What is a tenko child doing on the edge of his people's territory, at night, in winter and alone?' wondered the dog demon. He didn't like it. The child had been suspiciously close to where his father met his end and had been stalking the woman. Every part of his skin crawled as he stared at the part of the earth the whirlwind had exposed. He recalled something his father had told him about tenko.

"_Every generation or so the tenko give birth to a devil, one who is born evil and wishes to turn the clan down the path of darkness. This causes a civil war to erupt among them as those seduced by power fight against those who hold to the thoughts and beliefs of their ancestor, Shugotenshi. The wars, though, have never involved anyone outside the clan. So don't get alarmed if you see fighting deep inside tenko territory, just stay out of their way."_

'Was that boy the devil and if so is that woman really a tenko?' thought Sesshomaru, staring at the path the woman had disappeared down. 'The devil doesn't concern me, but why didn't father say she was a tenko if she is one?'

The wind sharpened, blasting him with icy air as it changed direction. Sesshomaru smelled the approach of a blizzard and turned to head back to his father's castle. Even the mightiest demons had to bow before the raw power of nature. He paused, glancing in the direction of the vanished woman and child.

'She's half-a-day from any temple or village and the storm is less than an hour away. She can't avoid being caught out in the open unless she stumbles across some cave or abandoned building,' he thought then shook his head and turned away. 'What does it matter to me if the storm claims her and the child? It will certainly solve my problem.'

"_Is nothing sacred to these fiends?"_

Sesshomaru stopped as the long ago words echoed up from deep within his frozen heart. Kaiyoshinju was kneeling, her back to him, then she turned toward him with dead eyes, a tiny bloody infant in her hands, a waning crescent on its forehead. She vanished and his mother stood before him with the biggest smile he had ever seen.

"_How do you feel about becoming a big brother, Sesshomaru?"_

Sesshomaru heard himself answering as he had that long ago day. "I would like nothing more, Mother, than a younger brother to kick around." His mother laughed into her wrist then she took his hand and placed it against her still flat stomach.

"_Ah! But what if the child I'm carrying is a girl? Will you be disappointed?"_

Surprised, Sesshomaru drew back as his mother's meaning sank in. He smiled and replied, "I'll just have to be more careful with her. After all, I wouldn't want her to turn out like Kaiyoshinju, but I still prefer a younger brother." His mother laughed again then vanished.

As the wind picked up in ferocity and speed, Sesshomaru stared at the hand his mother had pressed against her womb centuries ago. His stomach clenched as long buried feelings bubbled to the surface. Closing his fist, he spun around and raced up the path after the woman.

Blinded by snow, he struggled to keep from plowing into trees in the white out. Finally hearing the baby's cries, he slowed to a walk. He looked around to no avail, there was too little light for even his eyes to use for sight and the icy wind had killed his sense of smell. The howling wind threatened to steal his sense of hearing, destroying his only means of finding the two.

His foot tangled in something and only his extraordinary reflexes as a demon spared him the embarrassment of falling face first into the snow. Recovering, he reached into the drift to see what he tripped on and felt a knee. Reaching another hand he felt along her curled form until he found her torso then pulled. Her head flew up, smacking his chin hard enough to bring stars flashing before his eyes. Free from the suffocating snow, the infant continued to wail as Sesshomaru adjusted his hold on its mother.

Instinctively knowing the worst of the storm had yet to strike, he ran forward and leapt up when he heard the groan of branches in the wind. Stepping onto a limb he launched himself into the air. The fur part of his kimono vanished as wings sprouted from his back. Catching the wind, he rose swiftly into the blackened sky. Powerful wing-beats pushed him through the clouds and into the clear sky above. The eclipse had passed and the full moon was once again shining in the night sky.

He glanced down at the woman and saw, while she had enough will to snuggle against his chest and the baby, she was unconscious, her pale skin turning blue. If he wanted the mother and child to live he had to find her a warm, safe place soon.

He left the storm clouds behind; the snowy countryside sprawled out below him. Gazing down, he saw many villages but felt he couldn't entrust the woman with those people. Out on the edge of tenko territory not everyone would be accepting of a mother and her half-breed child. Then something else came into view.

The huge, beautiful city of Kyoto, the capital of Japan and home of the Emperor, lay before him. It was also the home of the lord of the tenko clan. Long ago the Emperor had ordered the Kanzaki family to reside in Kyoto even though it was, at the time, well beyond their eastern borders. The territories had since expanded putting the imperial capital on the outer edge of the clan's holdings.

Sesshomaru decided the Kanzaki family was the best people for the woman and baby. The tenko didn't mind hanyou, they had a subpopulation within the clan, mostly dog hanyou, so even if she was not a tenko she would be well cared for. He dropped down, flying low enough to startle a pair of bored guards. As they raced around the corner after him, he laid the woman on the engawa then quickly retreated to the roof. The guards appeared a second later and saw the woman.

"Who's this?" asked one of the men as he walked up to her. The baby, who had fallen silent during the flight, causing Sesshomaru to worry, chose then to start crying again.

"A baby?" the other gasped and lifted the red kimono. He jumped back and shouted to his companion, "Get Lord Jounochi! It's Princess Izayoi!"

Sesshomaru watched the courtyard fill with vassals and maids awakened by the shout. Some hurried to get warm blankets and hot water while others rushed up to the woman. Then an elderly man appeared and walked across the yard. Dressed in find blue robes and a bronze circlet on his head, Sesshomaru recognized him as the tenko lord.

Jounochi walked up to his daughter, now wrapped in several blanket, the baby she had been holding in the arms of one of the maids. "How is she?" he asked, gazing at her.

A wood tenko turned to him and replied, "Very cold and her bare feet are frostbitten. It will take us awhile to safely warm her up, but we can heal the frostbite with ease."

He nodded and asked, "What about this infant?"

"Very very new, he's still birth wet and the cord is continuing to ooze blood. I'm surprised he hasn't frozen yet," said the wood tenko, gesturing to the babe.

Sesshomaru blinked in surprise. 'Him? A boy? A little brother?'

"He's a hanyou?" said Jounochi in startlement, staring at the white hair and little ears. He glanced at his unconscious daughter then returned his gaze to the maids. "Clean him up and make sure he's warm and secure. I'll leave Izayoi's care to you, Aiko."

"As my lord wills," said the wood tenko with a bow and the vassals helped to carry the princess into a room while the baby was taken away. Jounochi started back toward his room then paused and looked up when he felt eyes on him. For a moment, he saw Sesshomaru standing on the roof then the demon quickly slipped from sight. The tenko lord felt a chill crawl up his spine when recognized the dog general's son.

'Why is he here? Did he bring her back? Why? Why did she need to return and why in such poor condition?' he thought as he continued to gaze into the night sky.

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Engawa: open corridor, veranda, porch

Hanyou: Half-demon

I'm so sorry for the long delay!

First it was the end of the school year and impending graduation with all the reports to write. Then it was finding a job and having to work 40 hours a week and having by inspiration occur while I was working and not when I was at home in front of the computer.

I will try to get the next chapter up before December.

So please don't abandon me!


	13. The Sacrifice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series "Inuyasha". Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

_195 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Twelve: The Sacrifice**

_Sesshomaru's_ _pursuit of Sagara was probably the only choice anyone could make. However, I think Sagara's barbs were the real motivation behind the chase. After all, it wasn't Sesshomaru's place to be chasing after the clan's devils... At least at that time it wasn't._

-Inuyasha

Kakiboufuu and Hitomi raced back to Kyoto, Inuyasha panting heavily in the old hanyou's arms. Fever burned the child's body as the poison worked its way through his system. Kakiboufuu glanced down at the boy and grimaced at the sight of the blackening right arm and split hand oozing green pus instead of blood. Time was running out.

They cleared the trees and gasped at the sight of the imperial city. Parts of it were in ruins. The appeared cause of the damage varied from place to place. Some buildings were burned while others looked like a cyclone had struck. One spot seemed to have been hit by a small avalanche.

The two sprinted toward their clan's mansion, though it was the worst hit. As they entered the courtyard they paused. Bodies and debris littered the area; the injured were being carried inside, some moaning others deathly quiet. Then Hitomi spotted Toromaru speaking with a pair of samurai.

'The Emperor and the Shogun must want to know what's going on as much as I do,' thought Hitomi tugging on Kakiboufuu's sleeve. They stopped next to the young man just as he finished speaking. He turned toward them; blood flowed down his face from a wound on his forehead.

"Hitomi," started Toromaru but was cut off by Kakiboufuu.

"We'll talk later, but this little one is in serious trouble," said Kakiboufuu and nodded at the child in his arms. Toromaru paled at the sight of his little cousin then turned and called for a healer. A young woman approached and Kakiboufuu held the boy to her. She swallowed and glanced back at the old hanyou. "That wound is not infected by ordinary means. That's dark magic corrupting the hand and arm," he said. The healer nodded and bolted inside with the child.

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Sagara glanced over his shoulder and saw Sesshomaru gaining ground. The evil hanyou smirked, tightening his grip on his glaive.

"Let's see how well you can sky dance, Sesshomaru," whispered Sagara then he shot upward with Sesshomaru close behind. The hanyou's dark wings beat once as he changed direction, angling his ascent toward the sun and looked back, waiting for the signs that the dog demon was blind to his next action.

Sesshomaru flinched against the glare of the afternoon sun and slowed his ascent. He knew better than to charge forward when he couldn't see what the enemy was doing. His ears barely detected the faint whirring of wind blades as they shot toward him. Snowy wings flapped once, pulling him up and avoiding the deadly assault by millimeters. He glanced up again just in time to see Sagara's silhouette against the sun diving toward him. Folding his wings, Sesshomaru barrel-rolled to the right, the wind from the failed attack tickling his face.

Sagara whirled and darted toward Sesshomaru. Spotting the hanyou, the dog demon summoned his celestial magic. Blue light haloed his left hand, forming a disc of energy between his fingers and thumb. Sweeping his hand sideways, he sent it flying toward Sagara. Lightning swirled around the spinning disc as it soared through the air. Sagara dodged upward to avoid the attack only to jerk in surprise when the disc followed. He swung his glaive down, the blade slicing it in two. The disc exploded in a colossal display of sapphire lightning and deafening thunder sending the hanyou tumbling through the sky.

Sesshomaru used wind caused by the explosion to climb; he had gotten far too low. Sagara pulled out of the wild spin and looked around for Sesshomaru. Wild golden eyes darted across the sky as the devil tenko searched for his opponent, growing more desperate the longer the demon went unseen. Panicking at his failure to find Sesshomaru, Sagara barely registered the growing shadow above him. Now it was his turn to barrel-roll to safety as Sesshomaru sliced through the space where the hanyou had been. Angling his wings, Sesshomaru slid out of his dive, turning in a broad arc. Sagara hovered above the trees as the dog demon flew higher again.

Sagara growled and muttered, "He can handle an areole battle. A change of scenery is called for." He climbed as Sesshomaru came back around in pursuit.

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"The spell is too foul! I don't have the power to reverse this," said the healer as she looked at the gathered group. The aged Katsuya looked down at the young boy struggling to breathe as the others looked away.

"I understand then that removing the diseased arm will not help him," said the sage as he turned toward the healer again.

The healer shook her head and said, "The shock caused by a lost limb at this time would only worsen his chances. Besides, the poison is already past the shoulder, it would do little good."

"So what are we supposed to do, just sit here and watch him die?" demanded Toromaru.

"I can't do anything else! If Princess Izay-," she paused and clenched her fist is frustration. "I'm just not powerful enough.

"Then we have no choice," said Katsuya. Everyone glanced up at him and waited. "Something has told me many times that Inuyasha is important. So he must live and there is only one method left to us."

"What are you saying?" whispered Hitomi not daring to believe he meant what she feared he meant.

"You already know what he means," said a velvety voice. The group turned to look at the black and gold feline-like creature sitting behind them. Maou wore his usual smug look as his tail whipped back and forth. His over-long ears were facing the old man, his amber gaze piercing. "So what will you offer me to save this boy's life, Sage Katsuya? What is to be our deal?"

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Sagara swooped between two towering cliffs. The space was narrow and the rock-filled river far below. The hanyou grinned.

'This is much better,' he thought and glanced back. Sesshomaru hadn't disappointed him. The dog demon was still in pursuit. "Good," he whispered. "Now learn the difference between one who soars at the beck and call of the wind and the one who is master of it."

Sesshomaru entered the steep, narrow canyon, determined to end the devil's life today. Sagara howled in glee then summoned the wind to him. A violet gust exploded through the canyon, wrenching smaller unattached rocks and pebbles from the walls and ripping branches off of dwarf shrubs before catching Sesshomaru from behind. The dog demon tumbled through the air as the wind tore at his wings and ricocheted off the walls. The hanyou laughed as he drifted backward out of the gorge.

Sesshomaru grabbed a rocky outcrop just as he cleared the end of the canyon and pulled himself out of the wind's merciless clutches. He remained perched on the tiny ledge for a moment gasping then raised his wings to take flight again. White, blinding agony seared through his body bringing the dog demon to his knees. A few seconds later the pain subsided to a throb. Panting, he glanced over his shoulder dreading what he would see. His left wing was broken and twisted. Blood leaked from several wounds including the place where the bone protruded. Growling in disgust, he slowly rose to his feet then froze at the sound of maniacal laughter.

Sagara grinned down at the grounded dog demon then raised his glaive for the final blow. Unable to escape, Sesshomaru growled and held his hands close together. He could smell the wind winding around Sagara and his weapon. It was no different than the Tetsusaiga's wind scar and he feared the results would be just as damning.

'I have one chance,' thought Sesshomaru as his celestial power gathered in his hands.

'Now!' Sagara thought as he felt the wind magic around his glaive peak, oblivious to Sesshomaru's actions. He sent a small but devastating cyclone down toward the dog demon.

'Now,' Sesshomaru echoed in his mind as he watched the descending whirlwind and hurled his sphere of white-blue energy down the center of the cyclone toward Sagara.

"What!" screamed Sagara as his spell was sucked into Sesshomaru's and the two came flying back at him. He flew backwards and put his glaive between him and the orb. The spells exploded into a maelstrom of lightning and wind. Sesshomaru crouched down and leaned against the cliff as debris zipped by, fighting to stay conscious as the gales pushed and pulled against his broken wing and flinching against the thunderclaps. When it quieted, the dog demon stood up and searched the sky and trees for Sagara, but could find no sign of him.

'He was vaporized by the attack,' he thought then he grimaced as a wave of nausea swept over him. 'Is it the liberal use of power or the broken wing that makes me ill?' wondered Sesshomaru as he leaned against the cliff, panting. He gazed at the skies above. 'Or is it dread?'

Shaking his head, he glanced back at his injured wing and sighed. It wouldn't heal unless he kept them out and he risked falling unconscious from the pain when he moved. "What a bother," he muttered then he withdrew his celestial power, the wings shrank into his back and the fur returned. Pain lanced through his left shoulder blade when the twisted appendage vanished then faded into a dull, persistent throb.

His right hand gripped his left shoulder as he grimaced then stared down the canyon in the direction of Kyoto. He remained where he was for several minutes before finally turning away and returning to his father's castle to recover.

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"So this is how it all ends," said Kuromaru in resignation as he stared at the lifeless bodies of his father and the sage. The sage had offered his life to Maou in order to save Inuyasha's. However, the crafty dealer had followed the contract to the letter without subtractions or additions. The poison threatening the child's life had been neutralized, but the wound in his right hand remained untouched and impossible to heal.

The hanyou child slept but whimpered and cried in his sleep; his right hand wrapped tightly to hold his split palm together in the hopes that time would do what their powers could not. Some didn't believe they were doing the child any favors by trying to save it, Kuromaru didn't either.

"You think this is over?" asked Kakiboufuu as he turned his emerald eyes on the man. Kuromaru rubbed the black jewel in the bronze circlet he wore on his head. It still felt strange for him to be wearing the lord's crown.

It wasn't an impressive thing by itself. The crown was only a band as wide around as a lady's pinky with a single, thumbnail-sized jewel embedded into it. What made it special was that it had been crafted by their ancient and more powerful ancestors to judge and protect the lords of the tenko clan. The item could only be worn by one who the magic judged to be the right man, or woman, for the job. It then protected the lord from mind controlling specials.

The drawback was the circlet made it impossible for the lord to deceive anyone. He couldn't lie nor could he hide his identity. Even white lies were not allowed. So there was the unspoken rule among the wives of the lords to never ask for his opinion on their appearance. For, even if the unfortunate man knew how to answer that dangerous question correctly the circlet wouldn't allow him to speak it. Of course, if the wife forgot and asked anyway the rule among the lords was to pretend she didn't say anything and pray the silence reminded her she wasn't supposed to ask that of them.

The circlet also couldn't be removed from the lord's head until death or abdication of the throne and once abdicated it couldn't be taken back. The crown would not rest on the former lord's head ever again. During the time it isn't worn the circlet is dull and even less remarkable. The metal band appeared no different from old steel and the jewel was as clear as tears. On Jounochi's head the circlet had been a sapphire in a gold band. On Kuromaru's it was an ebony diamond in a bronze band.

Kuromaru turned to the old hanyou and met his gaze. "You said Sesshomaru went after him. I would think a celestial demon would be more than enough to stop a devil." The new lord flinched at his own words. It was still hard for him to accept that one of his own children was the new threat to the clan and, ultimately, Japan.

"Ordinarily, I would agree with you," replied Kakiboufuu then sighed. "But this one is different from the previous devils. I can't help but worry about his resourceful nature."

"I don't see how that makes a bit of difference," said Kuromaru, his temper spiking. "There have been 'resourceful' devils in the past."

"And they only lost to time! They died of old age," snapped Kakiboufuu.

"Lord Kuromaru! Kakiboufuu! Please, you'll wake Inuyasha!" hissed Hitomi then she turned and began cooing to the squirming, sobbing child. The boy hadn't woken up, but the argument added to the terror of his nightmare.

"With all due respect, my lord, Sagara has turned himself into a hanyou. Time is now on his side and I fear that Lord Sesshomaru may not be able to handle him as well as we would wish," said the old hanyou in a more subdued voice.

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Tsubaki was strolling along the road, enjoying the scenery, when she heard crashing in the brush ahead. Fearing bandits, she stopped and brought her staff before her, ready for whatever might jump from the bushes. She gasped when a lone man stumbled onto the road. The flesh on his right arm was peeled back on one side exposing bone, his legs and left arm had severe lacerations, and the left side of his face had no skin at all.

Running forward, she noticed the pointy ears on top of his head and realized he was a hanyou. "Don't move! Let me help you first," she said as she knelt down beside him and took her pack off. She pushed back the lid and began pulling out her medicines and bandages.

Next to her Sagara stared at the young wood tenko in suspicion, but when he saw her intentions were pure he smiled a cold and dark smile. "Thank you for saving me," whispered the evil hanyou in a hoarse voice as she turned her attention to his wounds and began casting a healing spell.

"That's why I am," she replied distractedly, her full concentration on her spell. Sagara watched her clean and close the terrible wounds. Her skills were excellent, and though her powers weren't the strongest he had ever seen, her ability to combine medicine with magic put her on par with the greatest the clan had to offer. If he had had a shred of compassion in him he would have felt guilty from what he did next.

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**Chapter Thirteen: The Gathering Storm**

Sagara gathers allies and whisper dissent into the ears of malcontents. The stage is being set for all out war.

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Thank you ShortPoet for keeping watch! It meant a lot to get a review so quickly after such a long wait.

I'm a little disappointed with this chapter but I can't seem to make it better. I wanted the aerial battle between Sesshomaru and Sagara to more impressive, but I somehow failed to convey that. sigh

I'm in the process of writing the next chapter right now and I hope to have it up before year's end. Can't make any promises, though, because time always seems to slip away before I realize it.


	14. The Calm before the Storm

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or Inuyasha or anyone from the hit Anime/Manga series Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**Chapter Thirteen: The Calm before the Storm **

_179 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

_My failure to kill Sagara allowed for so much to go wrong. Never before had a devil thought to use the evils of the world to benefit his cause. Never had anyone considered his willingness to involve what he saw as inferior people in his conflict. But Sagara turned out to be the very worse the yin could throw at us. I guess this sorry end was the inevitable conclusion of a war at its peak._

-Sesshomaru

"You think he's ready?" the elderly priestess asked the old hanyou. The old woman was round and bent with age; her gray hair tied back at the base of her skull. She glanced at the subject of their conversation who listened to a ten-year-old trainee chatter about her first day at the temple. The young man was a dog hanyou. Hip-length snowy hair was bound in a high ponytail. Red and gold bands around his wrists, neck and ankles marked him as a tenko in training. The short, sleeveless, red kimono and hakama hid nothing of his lean but muscular body. A very handsome specimen by anyone's standards. The child, however, was too young to appreciate it. The priestess thought about telling the girl not to bother the young man but the old hanyou just shook his head at her.

"Don't worry about him. He can silence her without offending the girl with just a few words if he wants to. I think the girl is benefiting from his attention," he said and smiled. Kakiboufuu, thanks to his demon blood, had weathered the passage of time better. He remained lean, upright and still able to do a credible amount of damage to any foolish enough to challenge him despite nearly being a thousand-years-old.

"You didn't answer my question," she said. "Do you think your student is ready to have the training braces removed?"

He sighed and folded his arms across his chest; his hands vanishing into the voluminous, red sleeves. "If I didn't think he was ready I wouldn't say he is," he said in a low voice. He stepped away from the priestess while saying, "I never thought a hikaze tenko could be so patient. Sixteen years is a long time to be a trainee."

'I don't blame her for her thoughts,' he thought as he approached his young student. 'He is much stronger than any I have ever seen before. It took Inuyasha three years to master the basic spells that other trainees learn within one.' As he approached the young priestess-in-trainee was getting to the more interesting part of her first day.

"…and then they told me I had to meditate under the waterfall. The water was so cold! They told me to take my yukata off so I would have something dry to wear when I was done. They wanted me to sit there naked! Then we got there and there were boys there! Boys! And they wanted me to sit in the water naked! Next to them! They were naked too!"

Inuyasha grinned and interjected, "That's why you meditate with your eyes shut. So you don't see anything you're not supposed to."

"Oh I kept them shut all right! I kept them shut the entire time. They had to put me on my rock because I shut them the moment I saw the boys weren't wearing anything either," the girl agreed, nodding so hard she rocked on her feet.

"I hate to interrupt," said Kakiboufuu, stopping next to the two when they turned to look at him, "however, Inuyasha and I have a long journey ahead of us."

"Do you have to go?" whined the girl as she gripped the young hanyou's hand. "I wanted to talk to you some more!"

"I'm afraid I have to," said Inuyasha before Kakiboufuu could open his mouth. "I've finally been recognized as a master and I'm going to get my braces removed and receive my own katana. Don't worry, though, Keiko. When you are about to receive your bow, you write me and I'll be there to witness your passage into adulthood."

"You promise?" she asked, staring up into his gold eyes with deep ebony ones.

"Uh-huh, promise," he said.

"Alright then," she said with a sniff and released his hand. As the two walked down the temple steps she ran up to the demon gate at the head of the stairs, waving and calling, "Good bye, Inuyasha." He waved back until she turned away and ran out of sight.

"Don't you think she's a little young, Inuyasha?" asked Kakiboufuu with a smirk.

Inuyasha snorted and said, "Then it's a good thing little girls grow into beautiful women." The old hanyou chuckled as the temple disappeared among the trees behind them.

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"No! No! No more! I give up! I surrender! You're too much for me! No!" The little boy laughed at his big brother's mock cries of defeat then growled and bounced a couple more times on the young man's chest. His brother laughed as well as he continued his wails of despair. A young woman smothered giggled into her palms at the two wrestlers on the ground.

The young man wore brown fur and armor and his black hair was cut short; his eyes a vivid green. The little brother was almost identical except his hair was long and tied in a high ponytail and his eyes were a striking blue. The young woman was dressed in silver fur and had brown eyes and waist length hair that flew free in the breeze. All three had the pointed ears of the demon race and fourteen wolves, most brown, lazed around them. In the distance other wolf demons played lazed about in the sun.

"Oh Koga, leave your poor elder brother alone. He's just no match for your might," she teased, getting up and pulling the child off the man. Koga howled and clawed at the air as she lifted him into her arms.

"Mercy from the gods!" cried the young man before bursting into a fit of laughter when she stuck her tongue out at him.

Koga growled in frustration when his brother righted himself. "Let me down! I still need to teach him who's boss!" he cried.

"Oh really?" she drawled before turning the other wolf demon. "You hear that Hiroshi, _he_ needs to teach _you_ who's boss."

"Oh really?" he drawled in return. "Then I guess you better set him down so we can settle this now." She nodded and put Koga on the ground. In an instant Hiroshi was on top of his little brother tickling him mercilessly making the boy squeal and cry. "Who's the boss wolf, here? Huh? Who's the boss wolf?" demanded the young wolf demon with a sadistic grin, but Koga could barely breathe between squeals much less answer him.

**BONK**! A fist clunked the back of Hiroshi's skull stopping his fiendish tickling. "I believe I am," drawled a male voice. Another woman snickered and Koga shrieked as he ran to the newcomers. Hiroshi turned around and gave a nervous laugh. His father glared at him with the same vivid green eyes, holding his fierce expression for only a moment before breaking into a grin. Koga sent a series of funny and mocking faces at his brother from the safety of his mother's arms. His mother just smiled at him, amused by their antics. Both parents had long black hair. His mother tied hers back in a braid while his father had his like Koga's. Koga's blues eyes were a gift from their mother.

"Hello Father, Mother, how was your trip?" asked Hiroshi. Kenji's snort spoke volumes. He and his wife had left nearly a month ago to mend ties between the western packs of Tenji and the rest of the demon wolf tribe.

"The elders are stubborn, they won't compromise even a little," replied his mother, Tsubame, in a quiet voice. He and the young woman both sighed. The elders were the source of the tension between them and the packs. Without their acceptance travel outside of Tenji would be impossible. The other wolves would see them as traitors and attack. Bad news all around, many had been hoping to see family members who had chosen to stay behind.

Koga looked at all the depressed faces in confusion. Hiroshi smiled at him. 'Poor thing is too young to understand why we're sad,' he thought and sighed. 'Lucky him.' Three wolf demons, two male, one female, approached Kenji at a jog. The four looked up wondering what they wanted.

"Kenji, we're glad your back," said one of the males, a thick burly type dressed in black fur. "There has been some suspicious activity in the south-southwest region of Tenji."

"A gathering of some kind, well within the inner border," elaborated the female, a small thing with red hair in a low ponytail and light brown fur.

"Has my lord said anything about it?" asked Kenji, though, he thought he knew the answer and sighed when he saw he was right by the shaking heads.

"The court's still shaking badly. I doubt he's noticed anything. It was one of our wolves that spotted it," said the second male, a young lean demon with fawn hair and dressed in white fur.

"It might just be the beginning of yet another tenko civil war. Tenji's vice is the centennial wars. With how it has been lately we'll probably be in charge of Tenji's security for a long while," said Tsubame, shifting Koga from her right hip.

The three looked at each other and the female said, "We thought so too but it's a mixed group and very few are wearing the prescribed style of armor and clothes."

Kenji narrowed his emerald eyes as he thought about it. "You sure of what was seen?" he asked finally. The three nodded and he sighed. "I believe you, but I'll need to see it with my own eyes. Let's go."

"I'm coming as well," said Tsubame, setting her son down.

"Mom?" said Koga, frightened by the adults' nervousness and sudden change in mood.

"Don't worry, Baby," she cooed, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. "We'll be right back. We just need to see who's causing trouble and stop them. Alright?" He nodded and she rose and joined her husband and the other three.

"Hiroshi, you take care of your brother until we get back," called Kenji over his shoulder as they started running.

"I promise!" yelled Hiroshi to their vanishing backs.

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A young woman with snow-white, waist-length hair and violet eyes knelt beneath the branches of a great oak. She was dressed in a lavender kimono with white cherry blossoms images scattered across the fabric. The sleeves were long and full and her obi was deep violet. A young man lay with his head on her lap, blues eyes closed. His hair equally snowy and long, though, flashes of blue winked from the strands. Leaves rustled overhead and the shadows of clouds crossed their faces. Birds sang and squirrels argued. The young woman glanced up at the sky then sighed.

The man's eyebrows twitched and he said, "The day is too lovely and your lap too soft to be thinking of weighted things."

She shifted her gaze to him and tapped him on the forehead. "And who is the one benefiting from my soft lap?"

"If that's your problem…" he said then hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her down. Naomi squeaked as she tumbled onto Kenmaru's lap. He curled up in the same moment and placed his fangs against her throat, growling.

"Stop that!" she shrieked, beating his back with her small fist. "If you want to play games with me then you need to be serious!" Kenmaru fell silent, sat up, and glared at the young woman in his arms. "And I don't care if you think it will never happen. I refuse to end up in the same situation as my parents!"

He sighed and lay back. She had a point. Sesshomaru and Kaiyoshinju was the regions most tragic love story that no one felt the least pity for. 'Maybe that wouldn't be so if those two didn't have such violent tempers and sensitive prides,' he thought.

Naomi sat up and stared at him as he pouted. "I can see you want to be serious, so why don't you just hang the consequences and marry me like a real man. Your sister can't be worth this," she said in an even tone.

"You don't know my sister. If Lord Sesshomaru doesn't give her what she wants soon she may decide to 'hang the consequences' herself and take it. The rumors in the court suggest others agree with her. Lord Sesshomaru's enemies are increasing by the day and he does nothing about it," Kenmaru said then propped himself up on his elbow to see Naomi better. "Why can't he just choose a bride and be done with it? The grumbling is all because he wont' marry. The animosity would return to normal if he did that one simple thing. There are more than enough eligible ladies at court."

Naomi looked away, her hair sliding into her face, concealing her eyes. "Perhaps he doesn't choose because he is trying to hold onto what he cannot have."

"He's going to get his throat slit," whispered Kenmaru.

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Sesshomaru knelt next to a window staring out at the scenery beyond. Ocean waves washed ashore, visible from the distance due only to their white caps, and a breeze teased the forest leaves in between creating its own waves with sunlight. The calm sight brought peace to his soul; one of the very few things that did.

A knock at the door brought him back. With an irritated sigh he called, "What do you want?" The shoji slid open, unbidden, and a woman of snow hair and blue eyes stood in the opening. She didn't wear her usual blue and white kimono. Instead she wore a white kimono and hakama gathered at the ankles with a slash pattern in midnight blue. She also wore armor of a similar style to his, her hair gathered in to a high ponytail. Her eyes were intense and cold. Sesshomaru rose slowly without taking his golden eyes off her. Somehow he didn't believe this was a social call.

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A male hanyou with snow-white hair tied up in a samurai's high ponytail, piercing golden eyes and dressed in black both clothing and armor stood atop a rise and stared across the terrain. At his side stood a female hanyou with raven hair flying free in the breeze, burning scarlet eyes and dressed in a red and gold clothing and armor. Behind them stood an army of humans, demons, and tenko all of whom awaited his signal. Most were grim, others grinned in eager anticipation. Their bloodlust saturated the air. Before them stretched the lands of Tenji and within sight were several villages with people moving, living, throughout them.

Raising his glaive high overhead, Kuromakaze said in a quiet but far-reaching voice, "Now let it all begin."

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Obi: the sash that women wind around their midriffs to keep their kimono closed.

Shoji: The sliding door covered in rice paper.

Sooooooooooooo Sorry! I have taken way too long to put these up. My life after college was less than inspiring and all my writing projects suffered because of it. Hopefully, this change in lifestyle will bring more chapters in better time.

Those who are reading this story as well as New Dawn, I'll try to get the next chapter for New Dawn up soon. I have a draft I just have to work out the kinks and make sure its worthy of the past ones. It's been, sadly, nearly a year since I wrote for that story and I'm out of sync with the mood of the story.

**Chapter 14: Gates of Hell**

Mass assault catches everyone off guard.


	15. The Gate of Hell

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or Inuyasha or anyone from the hit Anime/Manga series Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**Chapter Fourteen: The Gates of Hell**

_179 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

_It's not gradual… There's no warning… We weren't ready._

_People died. A lot of people died. A lot of good people died and most were guilty of nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time._

_That's war._

_Brutal…__ Bloody… Cruel… Ugly._

_Everything else is just a bard's fantasy._

_That was the truth I was forced to embrace that day. No matter how much I screamed._

-Inuyasha

Kenji topped a rise and slid to a halt, gapping. Tsubame and the other two stopped next to him, shocked by the sight of the writhing land below him. Like a tsunami rushing the shore, a massive army surged across fields, destroying everything in its path. Villagers screamed as they vanished beneath the tide of flesh and steel. The attackers were humans, samurai, ronin or bound didn't matter at that point; there were far too many of them for the four wolf-demons to handle.

"We need the tenko; the inner guard will be overwhelmed," said Tsubame.

"Right," said Kenji without looking away. "You two run ahead and convince the villagers to flee. Tsubame, you and I go to the border." The four split at a run.

"I don't understand," panted Tsubame, "how did such a force get past the border guard in the first place?"

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Keiko drew the arrow's feathers to her ear, sighted along the shaft, then released. It flew straight toward the target, and for one exhilarating moment, she thought it might strike. Then the head dipped down and buried itself in the dirt just shy of the tree. The young girl growled in frustration and notched another one. She much preferred swords. Sure it meant being in the midst of the action, but when a blade sought a throat or heart, it would never drop just shy of its target!

She drew the arrow back and sighted along the shaft. Her stomach tightened into a heavy lump, her anger drained, and a chill iced her blood. Freezing, she lowered her bow and glanced over her shoulder. From the hill behind the temple came several flashes, sparkles like rain in the sun. The bits of light blinked, soaring closer. They arched up then turned downward to rain on the temple grounds.

Only then did she see the shadows of shafts and feathers and realize they were arrowheads.

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Hiroshi and several other young wolves lazed on the green slope and grumbled about the pigheadedness of the tribe elders. Koga ignored their grumbles, the whole subject flying high over his head. He was much more interested in beating his friend and rival in wrestling. Laughing, the boys rolled in the grass and several other children squealed in glee at the sight.

"Huh? What's that?" asked one of the older wolves with Koga's brother. A few of the children looked up, but Koga and his friend were too busy to care.

"I don't know but there's a lot of them," said another, a female. Koga yanked on his opponent's leg, causing the other to yelp.

"They're turning this way!" The boy twisted Koga's pointy ear, and the young wolf lost his grip on the other's leg.

"Run!" screamed Hiroshi. The older wolves turned and bolted, some pausing only long enough to snatch up startled children. Koga squeaked as he was hoisted on to his brother's shoulders. Koga was faced backward and could see everything behind them.

Things that appeared to be black wolves ganged on the pack at an alarming rate. They made strange grinding shrieks and clanks as they moved; sunlight reflected off their smooth black hides. A female wolf-demon screamed when one bit her leg and fell. The bitter tang of copper filled the air and her anguish cries were extinguished disturbingly but mercifully quick. Another, one carrying a child, went down in the same manner. He tried to throw the child to one further ahead, but the child only went a foot more and was overtaken in a heartbeat, their cries vanishing almost as soon as the girl's.

The other wolf-demons panted and tried to run faster, panic wild in their eyes. The terrible shrieking of the creatures ever present in their ears, Koga soon realized what the sound was. The creatures weren't howling or roaring. They had no voice at all. The sound came from the creatures' joints as they moved, the sound of metal rubbing metal!

Two more howled and disappeared beneath the knives and daggers that passed for claws and fangs in these beasts. Hiroshi could run the fastest and the farthest of the whole western pack, but was it possible to outrun something as unnatural as these _armored wolves_?

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Kakiboufuu and Inuyasha trotted at the back of a fleeing group of villagers, shooting fire-bolts over their shoulders to hold the soldiers back. Parts of the forests were aflame thanks in part to their efforts. Inuyasha risked much to occasionally run backwards even stopping for a dangerous moment to aim his lightning.

The rogue samurai attacked right at the time when many villagers were just beginning to stir for the day. No one would be alive now had the wild battle cries of the charging men not awakened Inuyasha from a sound sleep. The surviving samurai fled shocked and terrified by the fields' abrupt and unexplainable eruption, spewing burning rice plants, steam and half melted rocks into the air as well as charred human parts of unlucky warriors.

Kakiboufuu's morbid humor caused him to congratulate his student on successfully avoiding blowing up the village as well. Inuyasha, not finding the situation funny at all, told the villagers to evacuate. No one understood why since the attackers were either dead or fleeing.

"I don't think they were the only ones!" said Inuyasha. He sniffed the air and growled. A kitsune nearby sniffed as well then paled.

"A slaughter and they aren't our new friends either," snarled Kakiboufuu. Smoke rising over the tree tops in several places silenced the last of the protests.

Looking ahead they could see several villagers pausing to breathe, exhaustion setting in. Elderly and children rode on the village's few horses. Inuyasha glanced at his mentor, surely he had noticed their attacks weren't hitting their targets as often or how the flames twisted and jumped to the side as if being batted away.

Someone powerful was back there.

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Sesshomaru stared at the female dog demon, wary. Her appearance more than enough to generate suspicion, the armor she wore only made him more uneasy. She smirked as she said, "Heh, silent and cold as usual. Too proud to even ask what I'm doing all 'dressed up'." Sesshomaru merely narrowed his golden eyes.

She sneered and said, "As little as you care about your people do try to keep them in mind as I voice my proposal."

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Looky here! I gave you two at once to make up for my negligence.


	16. Destruction of Inuyokai no Shiro

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, or anyone from the hit anime/manga series Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Destruction of Inuyokai no Shiro**

**_179 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_**

_My people said I was cold…  
__My people said I wouldn't care if anything happened to them or Tenji…  
__My people were wrong…  
__ …and Kuromakaze knew it._

-Sesshomaru

Noriko sneered and said, "As little as you care about your people do try to keep them in mind as I voice my proposal." Sesshomaru's eyes remained cold and expressionless despite the twisting in his stomach.

"For too long you have gone unwed. For too long you have gone without heir," she continued, her voice soft at first but growing with every statement. "Your father died without seeing fit to even betroth you. And before you bring up that disgusting half-breed and her get maybe you should consider the fact that neither of them are dogs. The girl is simply unfit to rule should anything happen to you."

Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed at the mention of his draconic daughter. He had only seen her a handful of times since Kaiyoshinju was entrusted with the Jewel of the Sea. Those few times were enough to realize that, though, Naomi was only one-forth dragon it still dominated her features and powers. The clan may have grudgingly accepted a three-quarters demon as heir but never a dragon! They had made that very clear after Naomi was formally presented a century ago.

A smile touched her lips and her blue eyes softened. "It would ease the clan's minds if you married and sired suitable heirs," she said, her voice barely audible. Flames burned his blood hot, but he refused to voice what he knew she was about to propose.

She didn't disappoint him.

"Marry me, Sesshomaru. The clan will more than accept it. It will rekindle your family's lost loyalty in the hearts of your subjects." She all but purred these words to the dog lord.

Silence filled the room for one long drawn out moment, then, in a low voice dripping with malice, Sesshomaru whispered, "You disgusted me long before Kaiyoshinju was anything other than a nuisance." He raised his right hand, claws extended and glowing gold.

Sapphire eyes flashed red and Noriko growled, "If you don't consent now, I'll kill whoever is fool enough to still believe in you! One by one, they'll die before your eyes until you see sense and take me as your wife!"

Sesshomaru launched himself at the female; his golden energy whip stretching from his claws and flying toward her with a flick of his wrist. Noriko's eyes widened in alarm, she hadn't underestimated the speed of the assault, and then leapt back. The demon lord pressed forward, the narrowed eyes the only betrayal of his rage. The whip sliced the air and cracked against her chest, sending her crashing through the shoji.

The dog demon strode forward, claws raised, prepared to take the female's life. Noriko dragged herself across the hallway, teeth bared in defiance. When Sesshomaru stepped from his room in pursuit, her eyes glittered in triumph. The dog demon blinked, confused, then silver flashed in the corner of his eye. A balled fist smashed into his stomach and the demon lord doubled over. Another blow landed on the back of his head and he dropped to the floor.

Dazed, rough hands dragged Sesshomaru to his feet. A man, in armor with silver-white hair and sapphire eyes, raised a fist and smashed it into his jaw. Stars flashed before Sesshomaru's eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized Noriko must have had two of her brothers waiting in the hall in case there was trouble. One of them now crushed Sesshomaru's elbows as he held the demon lord up while the other drove another fist into his right eye.

"Stop!" commanded Noriko, a smirk splitting her face. She snatched his pale locks and pulled his face toward her, his right eye already beginning to swell shut. "Care to reconsider?" she asked. She brought her face closer until he felt the hot moist air of her breath on his ear. "I promise to be gentle," she purred. The light touch of her claws on his throat sending involuntary shivers through his body and he inhaled sharply. He sensed more than saw her smile of victory.

He snapped at her and felt his teeth connect with skin, heard her hiss and tasted her blood on his fangs. She stepped away then backhanded him. He caught a glimpse of her enraged expression and rivulets of blood flowing down the side of her face. Her brothers growled, low and menacing, and Sesshomaru braced for the next round of blows.

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Taiyoukousen cast his amber gaze across the court just as puzzled by the summons as everyone else. No one even seemed to know who'd given the order in the first place. His golden hair, tied back in a thick braid, swung from one side to the other as he turned his head. None appearing to be the one who sent the summons was there and the hair began to stand on the back of the general's neck. On edge, he placed his hand on his sword hilt.

Noriko appeared and Taiyoukousen tensed, unnerved by the sight. Disturbed more by the self-satisfied smirk than the blood dripping down the side of her face or the armor she wore instead of her usual kimonos. A murmur began to ripple through the crowd as they took in her appearance. She turned toward them and all quieted at once. Taiyoukousen narrowed his amber eyes and gripped the hilt of his sword, every instinct screaming trouble.

"Lords and Ladies," Noriko began, "I have summoned you here for one purpose and one purpose only, to determine which among you would be willing to accept me as your ruler." An angry rumble filled the air. "I thought so. You may or may not have noticed but some of your number are not among you. These people have already given up on _Lord_ Sesshomaru and sworn loyalty to me. I have asked them to leave the castle for their own safety." The rumble became frightened murmurings of inquiry.

Taiyoukousen growled, recognizing the implications of her statement, and stepped forward. "Where is our lord, vixen? What have you done with him?" he demanded, others shouted in support of his questions.

"Right here," she replied, grinning and gestured to someone out of sight. Five men, her brothers, dragged in a motionless form in white. Gasps of horror filled the room and the golden-haired demon's eyes widened in alarm. Two of the brothers lifted Sesshomaru until he rested on his knees. Only then did Taiyoukousen see that his lord was still breathing.

"I went to him earlier and made a simple proposal. I didn't think it was so bad, but… well, you can see what he thought," she said then giggled, before turning back to the people before her. "Maybe he'll change his mind if all of you persuade him." The room fell silent, most didn't dare to breathe. "I simply asked him to make me his wife." Several hisses and growls rose from the crowd.

"I very much doubt it was as simple a request as you claim," snarled Taiyoukousen as he drew his sword. Angry calls of agreement filled the air and the remaining brothers drew their own swords. However, Noriko continued to smile.

"Indeed," she said raising her hand to point at him. Ice shot through the general's veins; his eyes widening. He knew the power she wielded.

"Taiyoukousen!" shouted Sesshomaru, awareness flooding him along with the aura of Noriko's building power. It was the last thing his general heard before a silver-blue beam shot from the female demon's extended finger and struck the golden demon. Taiyoukousen screamed as he vanished into light, not even ashes remained. Several women screamed but none as loudly as Taiyoukousen's daughter. Her husband and another man held her still as she wailed, her small daughter crying in her arms.

"And so shall it be, one by one, until he agrees," she said in a sing-song tone. She began to move her finger from side to side as the crowd stepped back from her. Some began pulling on the doors and punching the walls. Neither budged. "By the way, I bewitched the doors and walls, so you can't leave this room. Feel like persuading him now?" She turned away from the horrified eyes and faced Sesshomaru. "How about you, Sesshomaru? Persuaded yet? No? Then let's see; who's next?" She turned back to the crowd. Wails of despair and horror filled the air. Several men pulled their wives and children behind them in a vain hope of protecting them from Noriko's destructive rays.

Sesshomaru had never felt so cold in his life. Taiyoukousen had been one of his father's finest and most loyal generals. The demon himself had trained Sesshomaru in the ways of combat and had been more like a father to the demon lord than his own father was. Taiyoukousen had always kept Sesshomaru's confidence, lending an ear whenever the dog demon felt the need to talk, infrequent as it was. Now he was gone forever, just like his mother and father, and more were about to die. Clarity swamped his senses and drained him of all emotions except fear and determination.

"Whore," he hissed. Noriko froze then turned her head around slowly. The brothers on either side of him hissed and tightened their grip on his arms, threatening to break them.

"Excuse me," she said quietly, her blue eyes flashing.

Celestial power surged through Sesshomaru's body and he yelled to those beyond, "Get out!" His body lit up and the five brothers and Noriko glowed as they summoned their own celestial powers in defense. The crowd hit the ground just as the air itself exploded, blowing out the walls, the door and the entire side of the castle. The brothers and Noriko were blown away. One of the two holding him lost his grip but the other held firm, dragging Sesshomaru into the sky.

Once in the open air, Sesshomaru yanked on the restrained arm and brought his knee up, slamming it into the brother's face. The demon let go and tumbled for several feet before recovering his senses enough to spread his wings. Sesshomaru summoned his own wings and beat them to gain altitude. He didn't know how he was going to fight Noriko and her brothers; equally classed, outnumbered six to one and he already battered and blind on one side. All he knew was that he had to fight them or give in to Noriko's demands before she killed his loyal subjects.

'If I can just hold on long enough they can escape the castle,' he thought. He didn't know if that would do any good, but his only hope lay in the tenko clan. If word got to them of Noriko's treason they would not sit idly by and let her take over the demon throne. 'For once, their intrusive nature pays off,' he thought grimly and glanced around for Noriko and her kin.

The hiss of air over feathers was his only warning a second before the woman landed on him. She dug her claws into the wings' base and screamed, "You think you're so clever?" Sesshomaru howled; the wings of celestial demons were extremely sensitive. He glanced down and saw the dog demon he'd kicked flapping his wings as he rose to meet them. Sesshomaru twisted bearing the agony it brought, but with her on top neither one could beat their wings to maintain altitude. They were gliding in a downward spiral back to the castle.

"You forget it's you I really want," she continued. "I have more than enough dogs on my side thanks to your indifference! I don't need those questionable hounds down there!" With that she let go and kicked him away from her.

"Noriko!" he shouted, spinning around with three mighty flaps despite the pain lancing through his back from the wounds. Noriko extended her arms straight down toward the castle, a silver-blue orb forming beyond her palms. "No! Don't do it!" he screamed, people were still fleeing the castle below! He flexed his hands to cast a hasty spell, but one of the brothers slammed him and the bit of magic he had called flew off in the wrong direction. "Noriko!"

The orb flew down and Sesshomaru watched in horror as the castle and people vanished within a brilliant white hemisphere.

**"NO!"**

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Inuyokai: Dog demon

Shiro: Castle

Inuyokai no Shiro: Dog Demon Castle

Shoji: Japanese sliding door of paper and wood frame

Taiyoukousen: Sunlight, rays of the sun

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Okay! Show of hands! Who honestly believed Sesshomaru's mother was dead?! I can't believe it! Rumiko went and made a liar out of me! AHAH!

In case you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about chapter 466 of the Inuyasha you meet Mrs. Inu no Taisho. If you are wondering where I got to see this chapter then go to:

http://freelance. picks up where left off in scanning and translating the latest Inuyasha chapters out of Japan. I only recently found it and I fell out of my chair when the female Sesshomaru was chased out of the sky introduced herself as his mother.

So except for that detail… growl growl… this will tie into the series unless Rumiko does something else unexpected like start writing about dog brothers' past.

I will say this much about the scanlations, a lot happens after the anime series ended. They hinted that they would continue with a new series of Inuyasha, but so far that hasn't happened. It may be that they want to risk catching up to Rumiko again and being forced to end the next series early as well so they may be waiting until she ends it. I can't see it being too much longer since she knocked out several main characters. However, at chapter 512 it's still going strong with even more surprises and more mysteries rising to the surface than before.

Free-lance has all the chapters. The ones ear-tweak did need to be downloaded. Chapters 456 and onward are present even if you can't get to them from the main page. Just click on a chapter look up toward the top where you'll see a pathway described. Click on the word LLStarks. That will take you the area where all the chapters are listed. Just click on the chapter you want to read.

I won't speak anymore and spoil the manga for those who haven't gotten to read the latest yet.


	17. Sayonara Kakiboufuu

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story and there are quite a few of them.**

**Chapter Sixteen: Sayonara Kakiboufuu**

_**179 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards**_

_I'd lost so much already. He may not have been the man who sired me, but in all matters but blood he was my father. And perhaps, if he hadn't been my teacher, I would have called him that. I wish I had… just once.  
_-Inuyasha

Blazing white light filled the path, the forest and the sky. Everywhere villagers stopped, crying in distress and covering their eyes in a vain attempt to protect them; the light passed through eyelids and fingers to slash at sensitive retinas. Blinking star spots from his vision, Inuyasha froze as a curious sensation passed over him. His ears twitched to a sound just beneath comprehension; a chill racing down his spine.

'What was that?' the hanyou wondered.

"Inuyasha!" He turned toward the voice of his mentor. Kakiboufuu gazed at his student, his emerald eyes grim and sorrowful. "Lead the people to Sanshaku no Hinansho."

"The Sanctuary? That place hasn't been used in more than a thousand years," said the young hanyou, puzzled.

"The enchantments should still exist. It was created by our ancestors to be a haven in times of trouble," said Kakiboufuu, turning to look down the path, longing filling his eyes. "Their power will not have failed. It will still protect those within." He turned back to the young hanyou. "You will lead them there while I hold the enemy back here."

"That's crazy!" cried Inuyasha. "You can't win! You've seen it! There's something back there that-"

"I know!" snapped Kakiboufuu. "This isn't about winning. It's about saving as many as possible. I will die, but if that's what it means to save you and all these people then so be it. That is what it means to be tenko!"

"There has to be another solution," started the young hanyou. Kakiboufuu leapt forward and backhanded him hard enough to cause Inuyasha to stagger. Inuyasha stared at his mentor in shock. Kakiboufuu never resorted to physical violence like this.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" demanded the old hanyou, green eyes flashing. He gripped his student's arms and stared into Inuyasha's terrified golden eyes. "We're at war! And in war no matter what decision you make people are going to die. A decision may cost many their lives now, but if it saves more people in the future it may be the right decision. Right now, we can only save as many as we can. You who have your whole life ahead of you, you can offer far more than me. I have lived many centuries. My life is over. I'm the one who should stay behind."

Inuyasha shook his head in denial, but the words would not come. He couldn't argue emotions against logic. Kakiboufuu smiled, his eyes glittering with unspoken understanding. The young hanyou pulled away and ran toward the staring villagers. He didn't dare look back as he herded the people further up the path.

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"What on earth did that bitch do?" hissed the female hanyou as she rubbed her eyes. The samurai and tenko around her were similarly trying to clear their vision. Once most of the group could see again they started forward. 'That fool, Noriko! What is she doing over there?'

The men at the point yelled then vanished in a ball of flames. Several more fireballs exploded engulfing the lead samurai. Warriors scrambled back, falling behind the hanyou. Tenko ran forward, but she raised her hand to stop them.

"Don't race forward to your deaths," she said staring into the smoke before them. "He's waiting for us." She blew and the smoke parted revealing the path and the old hanyou beyond. He stood clad in red, his gray hair pulled high into a ponytail, but strands had escaped the twine's grip and hung down by his cheeks. Ash and dirt stained his kimono and face, accenting the wrinkles across his brow and beneath his emerald eyes; only they remained bright. He panted heavily and sweat dripped off his chin. Glancing beyond the old hanyou, she noticed the road was empty.

"Buying time to save the villagers," she said, a smile of contempt marring her beautiful features. She tossed her waist-length raven hair and met his emerald gaze with her scarlet one. "You're too old for such games, now, Kakiboufuu. You're at your limit. Your heroism will only cost you your life and it won't save them."

"I'm not surprised to find you out of your hole, Yamibi," said Kakiboufuu, raising his hands to launch another spell. "You're the true devil, rearing your head every time some upstart causes trouble and turning it into a generation long war for your own amusement."

"It's hardly just for entertainment. This time I might actually achieve my true aim. Then what comes will come, and I won't look back," she said, her body dropping into a fighting crouch.

"I've chased you for the better part of my life. To end it today would make it all worth while," whispered the old hanyou.

"I'll be happy to end this, though, you will go unrewarded to the other side," Yamibi said with a laugh.

"Hmphf." He smiled. 'You think so, Yamibi. I've already passed on my duties to another. I place all my hopes in him. Spirits of this ancient world look after him and guide his course to victory against these devils!' He slashed the air sending wheels of blue fire spinning toward the dark, smiling woman before him.

'Old warrior, you would never have been worth my time if you had been the type to surrender when defeat was inevitable,' she thought, batting away the rings of azure flame. 'I will ensure that you feel no pain when you pass from this life.'

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On the ridge above and well away from Kakiboufuu's last stand, Inuyasha paused as the wind shifted bringing with it the scent of death and his mentor. He glanced back at the burning woods.

"Lord Inuyasha, what's wrong?" one of the villagers asked, the group hesitating.

"Nothing," he replied in a whisper. "We must keep moving, the enemy is not far away." As the villagers started walking again, he placed his fingertips on his forehead, drew them down his face then curved the hand out until it was palm up, parallel to his heart. "Sayonara… Kakiboufuu." He turned away and followed the retreating villagers to Sanshaku no Hinansho.

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On a steep, narrow switch-back leading to the abandoned sanctuary a group of children staggered upward.

"Are they following us?" asked a boy, bleeding from a cut on his cheek and an arrow in his shoulder.

"I think they are," replied a girl as she peered over the edge of the switch-back. "They want these treasures badly."

"Why did we take them with us then?" asked another boy between sobs.

"Baka! That's why we had to take them," snapped an older girl. Blood dripped from a gash on her leg; she was forced to lean against the cliff to walk or even stand. "We have to guard these treasures. Who knows what they will do with them once they have them."

"The scared treasures can bring great harm in the wrong hands, that's why the temple exists. Even if it means our lives we can't let them be used for evil," said the oldest of the group, a young man. His white kimono stained scarlet from three broken arrows in his back. Using his bow as a cane, he hobbled along; a young girl held his quiver. Only two arrows remained.

"Worse is the fact that some of them were created by evil to do evil," added a young woman. She leaned on a bow; her left arm and leg were useless, arrows having pierced her shoulder, elbow, knee, and heel.

"Sanshaku no Hinansho isn't too much further," said another girl. She carried a blood-stained wakizashi. "We can make it!"

"Will we really be safe there, Keiko?" asked a girl, blood dripping down her arm. Blazing white light filled the area and the children screamed in pain.

"What happened? I can't see!"

"Don't move until you can!" cried the young man. The children huddled against the cliff until the light diminished.

"What happened? Was it them?" asked a child.

"I don't think so," said the young woman. "It seemed to come from far away."

"Something bad is happening elsewhere?!" squeaked another child.

Keiko glanced out toward the land beyond. 'It felt like… death? I felt people die? No, I felt someone cry… a heart shattering? What was it I felt?'

"Keiko, hurry and start moving, the enemy would have been equally hindered," said the young woman. Keiko nodded. "Everyone keep one hand on the cliff beside you and watch the back of the person before you," the woman said to the others.

"Hai!" they replied.

'Hate? Sorrow? What rode the light just now?' she wondered as she climbed faster up the trail.

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_**Preview  
**_**Chapter Seventeen: On Wings of Starlight**

Alone, Sesshomaru stands little chance against the equally classed Noriko and her five brothers until Naomi and Kenmaru arrive to the fight to outer space.

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Inuyokai no Shiro: Dog Demon Castle  
Hanyou: Half-demon  
Sanshaku no Hiransho: Mountain Stone Sanctuary  
Sayonara: Farewell  
Baka: Stupid, fool, idiot  
Hai: Yes, right

I chose to use "baka" and "hai" because they sound more natural in those moments than the english translation. Though, I will not use them constantly.

I've also decided to refrain from naming characters unless 1) I have no choice or 2) they have some importance to the story whether that be in living or dying. I'm having to come up with too many authentic names as it is.

Daiymo no Taisho here is your update!

ShortPoet, where are you?!

For that matter, where are the rest of you?!


	18. Wings of Starlight

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot from this story.

_179 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Seventeen: On Wings of Starlight**

_The legend said the enzeru came to our world by soaring through the space between the stars on their wings alone. No magic vessels carried them or sheltered them in that empty void. I had always wondered how true that really was for each time I attempted to fly to the stars the air became too thin for me to continue the climb or even breathe._

-Sesshomaru

Naomi and Kenmaru rose to their feet, blinking spots from their eyes. "What was that?" whispered Kenmaru.

Naomi rubbed her violet eyes and gazed in the direction the light came from. Every one of her senses tingled and her skin crawled. The breeze twisted her waist-long hair and a sensation crept into her ears, a sound that carried terror and horrifying silence. Death rode the wind and the trees trembled, blood was in the air. Beneath her bare feet the earth shivered.

"A celestial attack," she whispered.

"A what?" gasped the young dog demon, staring at Naomi.

Naomi didn't listen; she ran forward and leapt into the air, her wings spreading outward. 'That came from the castle, I just know it!'

"Wait! Naomi!" yelled Kenmaru, following the dragoness into the sky.

**********

On the castle grounds, demons, instincts screaming impending death, leapt forward to avoid it, many in vain. At the moment of impact, Taiyoukousen's daughter, knowing escape to be impossible, threw her child, Himawari, at the trees beyond the grounds before she disintegrated into dust. Himawari's sun-gold eyes widened and she screamed for her mother before landing among the trees. The branches shivered and the first layer of the trees' leaves crinkled in the light. Then the moment of destruction was over. The young girl crawled back toward the edge of the trees and gaped.

Only empty, bare ground lay where once a mighty castle stood. Not even a crater existed to stand as testimony to its end. There was simply nothing there.

*******

Sesshomaru circled in stunned silence. The castle and everyone in it had been erased. Never before had the dog lord seen celestial power used on such a scale. He had had no idea that it could destroy so completely, leaving no markings upon the earth.

He pulled his gaze away from the barren field and focused on Noriko. Her brothers were swooping toward him. 'Damn you!' he thought, 'Curse you 'til the end of time, Noriko. I'll drag you to Hell myself!' With powerful strokes of his wings, the demon lord charged the woman. He raised his hands; claws curved and ready to shred; golden eyes locked onto his target.

He'd forgotten about her brothers. One grabbed at his legs, dragging him down. Sesshomaru snarled, folded his wings and bent over to slash at his assailant's face. The one brother let go, avoiding being blinded by the furious dog lord. Sesshomaru spread his wing to rise only to have another land squarely on his back. They were driving him toward the ground where it would be easier to pin him.

Folding his wings again, Sesshomaru swung his legs forward while he reached up to grip the lower legs of the new attacker. He pulled the other dog demon down until he could grip a wing then dug his claws in. His hold firm, Sesshomaru flared his wings, gritting his teeth, pain zipping through his shoulders at the strain, arresting his fall. It was only momentary, his opponent's wing tore free from socket and flesh and the dog demon screamed the rest of the way to earth, twirling crazily with only one wing to slow his descent.

A howl of rage tore through the wind as another dove at him. Sesshomaru threw his captured wing at the diving demon's face then barreled rolled away. The remaining three were on him in seconds. One grabbed the base of both his wings and hissed, "Really do you need these anymore?" Unable to maneuver, Sesshomaru growled and waited for the inevitable as a foot was jammed between his shoulder blades.

A shrieking roar froze the blood of all who heard it. Then a second weight landed on him, a scream died into a gurgle, and the iron stench of blood filled the air before both weights vanished and Sesshomaru was free.

"Kenmaru! What in blazes are you doing?" screeched Noriko. Sesshomaru turned in time to see Noriko's youngest brother send one of the older ones flying toward the ground with a powerful kick. A flash of lavender drew his attention. Sesshomaru's jaw dropped in shock at the sight of his beautiful and delicate daughter slashing, spitting and snarling at a third opponent who clearly only desired to be away from her. Blood dripped from her mouth, eyes glowed demonic red and turquoise, and the front of her silk kimono was stained crimson. At that moment, she was the most terrifying sight he had ever beheld.

With her own battle cry flying free, Noriko dove toward the nightmarish vision, her face a mask of rage. Naomi dropped away, locks of hair sliced free by the bitch's passing claws. She paused before continue her assault to look around and flinched. Noriko was winging her way back up and her two surviving brothers were collecting themselves not far off, but that wasn't the problem. A new arrival was approaching; someone Naomi didn't know. The only thing she did recognize was the stranger's status as a celestial demon.

"What now?" asked Kenmaru between gasps; he'd spotted the demon as well.

Naomi looked to her father as he glided closer and was amazed he was still airborne. His eyes were nearly sealed shut from swelling and blood continued to ooze from various wounds across his body including a shallow cut above his right eye, a sure sign of spiritual fatigue. Spiritual fatigue, a state when a demon's power had become so weak it couldn't even close the most superficial of wounds, and for demons spiritual strength was tied directly to physical strength. Though, she and Kenmaru were still fresh and Noriko was down to two brothers both wounded and all having expending a great deal of energy; the arrival of the unknown celestial and Sesshomaru's fatigued state kept the situation from being in their favor.

It was time to withdraw.

"We're leaving," she stated and took hold of her father. She took no comfort when her father simply folded his wings without protest.

The new celestial arced toward them at the same time as Noriko and her brothers.

_No choice, I'll have to use that technique if we're to have any shot of getting away now,_ thought Naomi. "Kenmaru! Take hold of my father now!"

The man stared at her in alarm for only a moment then did as he was told. She bent her wing joints at 60 degree angles as did Kenmaru, both keeping themselves and the exhausted Sesshomaru aloft with their auras only. White light enfolded them and, just as Noriko and the others reached them, the three shot forward, a mere streak of light to mark their passing.

*****

"What was that?!" squawked Noriko's brother. The demoness herself stared in frustrated surprise.

"Well, that was unexpected," a silky voice sang from behind them. The trio turned. A female dog hanyou with ebony hair and scarlet eyes and outfit glided up to them, her expression bemused.

"You're telling me," muttered the other brother.

"I was referring to your inability to handle Sesshomaru, actually," the hanyou said, swooping past them. "Not their method of escape. Then again I could also be referring to your inability to follow them. Don't you know how to become light?" She arced back toward them, her scarlet eyes penetrating Noriko's sapphire ones. "I do remember expressing a desire to handle Sesshomaru myself, but you convinced Kuromakaze that you could take him. That you could keep Sesshomaru out of the conflict. That you could _control_ him."

Noriko glared at the hanyou woman. "Stay out of this, Yamibi. I can still catch him." She flew past the half-breed, her brothers following. "Focus all your celestial energy onto the surface of your skin, then just glide forward," she instructed. Light gathered around her and her brothers, Noriko focused on the faint traces of celestial energy left behind by the trio, then they were gone, the glowing after image the only lingering sign of their existence.

Yamibi stared at them, frowning. _That incompetent fool! I knew she had messed up the moment that light blinded the heavens. Sesshomaru may be a minor player, but Kuromakaze wanted him removed from the game immediately. If she had just killed him… _She turned away. Maybe Noriko was less useful then she had initially thought.

*****

Naomi sensed the pursuit. Whenever she became light she always felt strange, as if she stood apart from everything around her. As if she were no longer part of the world; as if she stood outside time itself. When Kenmaru did it with her, it felt like threads were being tangled, the celestial auras pushing them aside and the close proximity of the two separate auras causing the strands to clash and twine together. For this reason she had stopped using the technique. The sensation of entangled fates made her uneasy. She and Kenmaru were sharing auras in order to bear Sesshomaru. The feeling of tangling time was coming from behind her, another celestial aura.

_So she knew how to do it, too. She was merely surprised by our knowledge. We need to find a way to scatter our trail or else they'll simply follow us until we stop._

Through the veil of light surrounding them, Naomi could see flashes of water and land. Disorienting, the first time she had done it she had gotten lost. It took several attempts before she realized she could be anywhere in the world within seconds and only a sense of place and time would allow her to control her destination. With pursuit confirmed stopping anywhere would be disastrous.

_As long as I go forward they will always be behind me. Maybe I should go up then down. Go up high enough and down will become tricky, possibly fatal…_

Without a word, she shifted her aura and Kenmaru followed her lead. They pierced the blue sky and night descended. In that moment, she felt a wave of exhaustion. They were in the void beyond the sky, the place where sun, moon and stars hung effortlessly. The exponential increase in the drain came from the burden of keeping the three alive in a place where life was not welcomed. Now, a new sensation past through her. The warped threads caused by the clashing of auras had vanished. Not because she had lost her pursuers but because there were no threads to warp.

In her shock she stopped. The light continued to cling to them but they were no longer moving. Seconds later Noriko was upon them.

______________________________________________________________________________

My deepest apologies! I can't believe how long it had been since I updated. I finally got one of those netbooks and I'm now able to write during my down time at work.

Okay, the use of names from now on is to designate important characters. If the character is just some thug, like Noriko's brothers then I'm not wasting time and effort to create names for them. If the character has some meaning in life or death then I'll give them a name. So you'll be seeing Hiwatari again.

Also I had planned to have a huge chase scene where the group flies all over the solar system but that is hard to express properly in writing. So you'll just have to create the scene in your own minds.

**Chapter 18: Sanshaku no Hinansho**

The solitary mountain fortress. Built to withstand any attacks including celestial, the sanctuary has had little purpose in the recent millennia due to expanding territory that created a secure core safe from the wars of the outside world. With the valleys burning it becomes the one refuge for the day's survivors and the one messenger for all those who have not learned of the unleashed horror.


	19. Sanshaku no Hinansho

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot from this story.

_179 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

**Chapter Eighteen: Sanshaku no Hinansho**

_Built long ago during the Tenshi Generations, the sanctuary was literally carved out from a mountain. They say the tenshi that created it sang spells as they worked. These active spells absorb power from everything, the sun, the storms, the wind, even attacks. The more an enemy attacks the sanctuary the stronger its defenses become._

-Inuyasha

Inuyasha ran through the corridor. Crystals embedded into the walls and ceiling glowed a faint blue and green casting an eerie light to navigate by. Along the halls and in the galleries numerous people huddled, some sobbed while others tried to tend to wounded. He blocked out the sounds and focused his mind on his task. He needed to get to the top of the tower where the call crystal resided.

Every village, way station, castle town, shrine, and roadside tea house in Tenji was supposed to have one for emergencies. The crystals allowed for the sending and receiving of messages. However, the crystals in general had short range, needing clear air between themselves and others. This meant the messages had to be relayed. In Tenji's infancy someone was always stationed at the message tower as it doubled as a watch tower. Now there was little point in keeping watch for invaders that never appeared. Simple merchants and horse-borne messengers were good enough for everyday news. Demon horses could carry an urgent message more direct and thus faster than the crystals. Thus the crystals sat neglected at the top of their abandoned watch towers. Many newer villages hadn't even bothered with them.

The crystal in Sanshaku no Hinansho, ten times bigger than the head-sized village crystals and sitting atop an ancient mountain surrounded by nothing but open plains,however had tremendous range. Nearly every crystal in Tenji would echo with his warning. Most of Tenji, more than likely, didn't know about the continuing massacre sweeping across the land. Lives may be save if he could just activate the crystal.

*****

Kenji knew he was the swiftest of his tribe. He could even outrun a number of the tenko's demon horses. Right then, however, he felt he couldn't run fast enough. With every moment that past more helpless people were being slaughtered by the horde he'd seen.

Over the years the border of Tenji had expanded. It could take days of walking to reach the border from the interior. Kenji could cover that distance in one if he pushed himself, however, he would be completely spent afterwards. The tenko would have to be convinced and hurriedly assembled. Even with demon horses to carry them into the interior, it would be a hard day's ride. The horses would be useless when they arrived and the tenko would be fatigued.

Two days. Two days of unchecked murder and mayhem.

Kenji gritted his teeth and pushed himself to run faster, knowing it all in vain.

****

Hitomi stared up at the sky. Smoke darkened the horizon. Uneasy, she called to her daughter. A little girl, no more than six, skipped up to her side.

"Go fetch me the other women," she said in a light tone, trying not to alarm the child. The little one nodded and dashed off. Hitomi turned back to the hazing sky; her thoughts troubled.

_There is no possible way he survived. Not against Sesshomaru. Not unless…_

****

Toromaru found himself again approaching his father on a subject that had been parried by the tenko lord for more than a year. For several years now, the border patrols had reported seemingly isolated pockets of samurai and demons trying to cross into Tenji. A regular occurrence and nothing anyone in Kyoto should have been interested in, least of all the lord's son. However, Toromaru, still uncertain of his treacherous brother's fate despite the report of Sesshomaru having pursued him, had made a point to pay attention to any reports of hostile activity in and around Tenji. The reports of attempted border crossings at first hadn't gotten his attention until he noticed the frequency in which they were occurring.

The attempted border crossing, though happening in different areas, had increased to six times the average for a year. It also had continued at the high rate for several years. Toromaru had then looked up reports of interior activity, knowing that border patrols while effective in keeping out most of the trouble couldn't repel all. The expanding border meant more territory that patrols had to guard, more openings for trespassers to slip through especially if they were few in number. Small numbers like those being found by the patrols in the last several years, another concerning fact for Toromaru. If hostile people, even few in number, were managing to slip through the gaps there should have been a report of these people causing trouble somewhere in the interior before being ousted. However, not only was there no increase in trouble, it had actually decreased. Even Tenji's malcontents, who were known to cause a ruckus from time to time, were quiet.

Toromaru found it disturbing.

His father found it wonderful.

"It just means we're finally catching everyone who is trying to crossover and the troublemakers have come to their senses. Why should this be a cause for concern? You're just imagining problems. Focus on the task at hand and stop wasting time inventing phantom enemies," Kuromaru told him months ago.

Toromaru had mulled over his father's words, but couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Then, on a hunch, he had gone over the reports of missing people. It was usually full of names of rambunctious youths who had had arguments with parents and then run off. They were solved within days. One report, though, had stuck out. A young tenko healer of minor talent had never turned up for a prearranged celebration. The family had thought it strange but didn't report it until later. They had thought she might have been busy with an emergency patient and had merely been delayed. After two weeks and still no sign of her, they became concerned.

That was sixteen years ago and the case remain unsolved.

Toromaru read through the report. She had last been seen by a patient near the western border; a day's ride southeast of Kyoto. The villagers had remembered she had planned to travel further west to areas that saw more raids and few healers of high quality. She had left the village before dawn, only hours before his brother's insurrection. The celebration had been three days afterwards and two weeks more had past before anyone started looking for her.

Toromaru wrung his hands within his voluminous chocolate-brown sleeves. _More than enough time to dispose of a body. More than enough time for a hanyou to recover from near fatal wounds with the aid of a wood tenko, even a minor one. We know Sesshomaru pursued him. We know Sagara incited the demon lord. So we concluded that Sesshomaru, who had returned from the chase alive, though injured, had killed him._

But there hadn't been a body…

Not an important clue when one remembered celestial power, pure celestial power, could reduce a target to its most basic components, vaporizing it. Still Toromaru couldn't shake the threads tying one event to another, pointing to one horrifying conclusion.

Now if he could just convince his father.

Sighing, he entered the meeting hall where his father was talking with the generals. This was going to make things even stickier than normal. The men and women glanced at him as he entered then returned their attention to his father.

"Toromaru… What is it?"asked his father. Toromaru heard the edge to the question. Kuromaru, aware of his son's worries, wondered at his sudden appearance to a military meeting. It wasn't wrong for him to be here, just unusual.

"I've come to discuss that topic again," he replied, hoping to spare his father embarrassment by being cryptic. Kuromaru's narrowing eyes and flushing face destroyed any hope of a private conversation. He clearly didn't want to hear it.

"We've been through this before. You're wasting your efforts on a phantom-" started Kuromaru.

"And I say the evidence supports the opposite!" yelled Toromaru, his patients gone. He had attempted reason for far too long. His father just didn't want to be convinced, and time could be running out for everyone.

"It is insignificant and means nothing close to what you are implying!" Kuromaru hollered back, the generals forgotten in his anger.

Toromaru had not forgotten, though, and pressed harder if only to be heard by more reasonable people. "Only when looked at individually. Link them and they create a frightening picture!"

"One drawn from your paranoia!"

"Are you willing to risk the safety of your people on a wish? You're being short-sighted!"

Just as Toromaru hoped, one of the generals spoke up. "Lord Kuromaru, what is your son talking about?"

The lord started then hurriedly said, "Nothing that concerns anyone else here."

"Not true!" snapped Toromaru. "I believe I have evidence that supports not only Sagara surviving but that he might be massing forces within our borders." The generals gasped and turned questioning gazes to their lord who was livid.

"Toromaru!"

"I have reports of increased activity at the border involving small groups of samurai and demons, all perceived as hostile from several years. I also have the report of a missing wood tenko who vanished right about the time of Sagara's insurrection. I also have reports to display a disturbing calm among our own malcontents. You know those borders; you know you can't stop everything especially if they move in small groups. The wood tenko was close but not in Kyoto at the time so she couldn't have been killed in the melee. Especially since we checked the identities of every corpse there. She was never found! And we all know that the malcontents wouldn't suddenly turn saint for no reason. They're keeping quiet because they are doing something. They don't have time to cause trouble nor the desire to attract attention to whatever they are doing. Something big and terrible is about to occur and Father is refusing to do anything about it!"

It was said and there was no taking it back. The generals could either agree with his assessment or back his father. Toromaru really wished it hadn't come to this. He had not wanted his father to look like an irresponsible fool, but he could no longer let things stand. Something had had to be done. The generals looked at each other as they weighed his words, but they never got a chance to voice their opinion.

Footsteps pounded outside and the shoji was flung open almost flying from its tracks. A young woman stood there panting. An icy chill crept up Toromaru's spine.

"Lord Kuromaru, Lord Generals, Lord Toromaru! The call crystal has sung. The western half of Tenji is in flames!"

_I'm too late!_

______________________________________________________________________________

I know this one seems rather short. But I felt it couldn't go beyond this point. It probably also felt like a professor's lecture as I gave more details about Tenji. Toromaru's section did feel a bit more like CSI than feudal Japan, but I needed to start showing Toromaru's strength and Kuromaru's weakness. It will become important later on in the story.

The tenko are actually very advance, not in technology but in other aspects of science and society. This is what makes them different and hard for outsiders to understand and tolerate. Tenko know about atoms, they know about genes, they know about molecules and cells. The phrase "reduce to its most basic components" means to atomize or cause something to break down into free atoms, even molecule are torn apart. However, the era's vocabulary hasn't caught up so they often refer to these things in descriptive terms. Genes would be "the inbred design", cells would be "life's masonry", molecules are "basic structure", while atoms obviously are "most basic components." They also know about chemistry so their medicines are pretty advance since many of their healers can "purify the medicine".

I know the above details might bore you but there will be no place in the story for this to be sorted out since Tenji as a whole thinks like this. With no character that is new to this place there isn't any way to express the gap between Tenji and the rest of the world. So from time to time I'll be putting in these types of details. Why the tenko happen to be so advance has to do with their history which you've had hinted at a bit. I hope I get to talk about the origins of the tenko, the strange angels known as enzeru, and the whole Shugotenshi and his war that Kenhoshi brought up as well as the five Guardians of Tenji and what they are really guarding and why.

**Chapter 19: Aftermath: The Endless Road Ahead**

As Kuromaru's army retreats for the day, only destruction and death remains. Who survived and who didn't that horrendous _Devil's Awakening_?


	20. Aftermath: The Endless Road Ahead

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone else from the hit manga/anime series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot elements in this story.**_

**Chapter Nineteen: Aftermath: The Endless Road Ahead**

_179 years Before the Search for the Jewel Shards_

_Survival, that was everyone's focus at the time, but as things quieted the realization of what was lost and what needed to be done began to weigh heavily on everyone. I had not known then that Noriko was part of a larger force. I thought her insurrection was my problem alone. Kuromakaze's grand attack had driven my people far away from the tenko. Three quarters of a century would pass before anyone realized the two fights were the same._

-Sesshomaru

Naomi and Kenmaru staggered and fell to their knees as they landed, Sesshomaru's dead weight dragging them to the ground. The demon lord was no longer responsive; he was barely even breathing. The pair gasped and panted, exhausted from their flight, however, the venture had been successful. They'd lost their pursuers at some point on the return. How many, if any, had died during reentry neither knew, but for now they were alone and that was enough.

The wind gusted and Naomi stiffened. They were too weak to put up a fight now; if the enemy appeared they were finished. A cyclone descended to the ground before them. When it faded a woman in a flower patterned yukata stood before them. The dragoness released her held breath. Soranoko, the wind sorceress, gazed at the trio in concern. This grew to alarm as she took in Sesshomaru critical condition.

"What happened? I saw the flash of light at the castle, but when I arrived all I found were scattered people," she asked, stepping closer.

"Noriko staged an insurrection, she completely destroyed the castle," Naomi replied, trying to rise. Kenmaru, born with far less reserves than she, remained kneeling, appearing instead to be on the verge of toppling over. "Please, Soranoko. We lost our pursuers but we're spent and Father…" She looked down at Sesshomaru's face. His lips held a tinge of blue while the rest was ashy gray; his silver hair possessed more color than his skin.

Frightened by the sight, she shifted the demon lord until he lay on the ground. Kenmaru toppled forward and remained there panting. Soranoko knelt next to Naomi. The dragoness placed her ear on her father's chest. She let out a breath when she heard the faint beat of his heart, but she was far from relieved. It was slow and nearly silent even to her acute ears, a human would never have detected it. She also suspected his breathing was either equally slow or non-existent.

Naomi gritted her teeth. _If only I hadn't stopped!_

When she lost track of the tell-tale signs of pursuit she had stopped in shock. Noriko had hit them within seconds of her error.

_Noriko grabbed Sesshomaru's kimono and pulled the semi-conscious demon toward her. Kenmaru yelped as his brother collided with him, separating him from Sesshomaru. In an instant, he was gone from her sight, his aura parting from hers. Naomi felt the effort to maintain her sphere triple. Noriko's remaining brother slammed into her and she lost her grip on her father._

"_No!" she screamed as her sphere separated from him. All she saw then were two spheres, one close, one far, through her sphere's opaque membrane. She kicked at the demon that held her and clawed at his face. Yelling, he let go and she slammed him down with a double-fist hit. As the demon fell away from her, a flash of light blinded her for a moment. Blinking spots from her eyes, she glanced over and saw the nearer sphere stretch then split into two. One appeared bright as the sun the other was so faint she could see the stars through it as well as who occupied it._

_She rushed forward, the light from the first sphere revealing Sesshomaru within the second. Spiritually exhausted, it was miracle enough that he could still fight Noriko, but to maintain his own sphere in the void…_

_Naomi reached Sesshomaru the same time as Kenmaru. Not realizing it was him at first; she raised her arm to strike, but checked her blow in time to prevent hitting her friend. Kenmaru was a mess. Blood covered his entire front and claw marks stretched from temple to chin. Glad to see Kenmaru had come out on top, Naomi smiled at him then turned and took hold of Sesshomaru._

_Her father was colder than ice. Terrified for him, Naomi turned back for their world. They dove, the sphere turning brilliant orange when they hit air._

Sesshomaru was clinging to life. Kenmaru was battered and exhausted. She leaned forward and lifted her father into her arms. Despite their homicidal start, the two had patched things up, despite her mother's best efforts to keep them apart. Soranoko created her giant feather and helped to place both Sesshomaru and Kenmaru on it. Then the two women climbed aboard as well.

"Our people are gathering to the south. Xeno and Yukihana helped round up the survivors. Kaiyoshinju is making certain no one follows," said the wind sorceress.

"What about Kenji?" asked Naomi.

"I don't know," she replied, her expression grim. "I haven't seen him."

****

Ginta and Hakaku belly flopped into the river in pursuit of the same fish, but despite the spectacular splash, the fish swam off unharmed. The two wolf demons rose to the surface, flustered.

"We almost had him," whined Ginta, a wolf demon with spiky blonde mohawk, though at the moment it lay limp from the water.

"I wish a boar would trot over then we would stand a better chance of catching some food," said Hakaku, his hair two tone but slicked back.

"You idiot! The reason why we're fishing is because we couldn't handle the boar we found," snapped Ginta.

"We would have had it just fine if you hadn't gotten all scared when it was running toward you," snarled Hakaku.

"Oh yeah! Well what about-" started Ginta when a snapping twig startled them both. "Did you hear that?"

"Sure did and I'm also smelling blood," replied Hakaku, his nose twitching. The two swam toward the bank. "I think I smell a wolf." They climbed out of the river and tiptoed into the trees. The pair peered around a trunk. A dark haired wolf demon in black fur staggered forward. Gruesome gashes covered his legs and back, a trail of blood following him. He was bent forward, holding his middle or something to his middle, the shadows of the forest preventing the two from seeing clearly. They glanced around, sniffing for the thing that caused such horrible wounds before stepping out into the open.

"Hey, what happened?" asked Ginta, reaching toward the stranger. The wolf demon continued forward, unresponsive.

"Here, lean on us. We'll carry you back to the den where you can rest up," said Hakaku, placing a shoulder under the demon's.

"Yeah, just take it easy. You look terrible," added Ginta, placing an arm around the demon's lower back.

"My little brother," whispered the wolf demon.

"Huh?" The duo squawked.

"Protect… Help… My little brother," whispered the demon, his voice growing fainter. The pair looked down and finally saw what the injured wolf was carrying. A small child turned his head toward them, his blue eyes wide with fear.

"I'll take him," said Hakaku and he shifted the small boy into his arm. The child didn't resist, he just snuggled into Hakaku's chest. "Now you come along, you still need to rest. Those wounds look terrible."

"Koga." The name, so faint the two weren't sure it had really been spoken. The boy glanced over toward his brother. "Be strong…" Ginta and Hakaku yelped as they were dragged down by the wolf's sudden dead weight. All four fell sprawling into the grass.

"Hey, what happened?" yelled Ginta.

"Are you alright?" asked Hakaku.

"Big brother!" cried Koga, crawling toward the wolf's body. No response. "Big brother, wake up! Please, big brother, say something." The wolf child started shaking the elder one, but his brother didn't stir. Hakaku and Ginta stared helpless at the two. The wounds no longer oozed, the breathing no longer labored, the heart no longer beating. "Big brother!" Koga screamed in denial to the dawning realization.

Hiroshi, son of Kenji and Tsubame, was dead.

****

Keiko rocked back and forth, suppressed tears gleaming in her eyes. In her arms she held a tiny kitten, but the comfort this small life brought did little to ease her pain. Her parents, her sister and her brothers were dead.

After entering Sanshaku no Hinansho, she had soon found people from her home town. She'd then separated herself from the other survivors of the Temple of Heaven and went over to see them. The elder had been the one to tell her. Her parents and older siblings had been among the ones to remain in the castle of the town when they had spotted the charging army. They had known from the start they weren't going to survive. A hand full of warriors versus an army of demons, samurai and possibly tenko… the odds were stacked against them. Her parents were considered excellent fighters, especially her mother, but it was hopeless. Their purpose had been simply to buy their neighbors time to escape with the children and the old along with the town's most precious treasure, the saber twin tales.

Keiko sat there in silent grief holding one of the treasured twin tales. The adults were growling, pacing and excessively grooming themselves, all signs of their agitation and grief. The twin tales were all fighters at heart with canine-like loyalties, but the saber line was prouder than most and understood teamwork. She knew that leaving comrades behind to die while fleeing with their lives hurt. The only reason they had accepted such a decision was because they were needed to get the children and elderly away, both human and demon. Still they growled and paced and groomed, unable to settle their minds and their guilt.

She heard faint footsteps approaching her but she didn't look up. She didn't want to speak with anyone right then.

"Keiko?" whispered a voice. She blinked, the voice familiar. "Keiko? It's me, Inuyasha. Do you want me to sit next to you?" She raised her head and saw the hanyou she had been chatting with yesterday. Had really been only yesterday? He sat down without her saying a word and she leaned against him. His hand came down and stroked her ebony hair.

"I heard what happened," he said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"They only ordered the town evacuated instead of retreating to the castle," whispered Keiko, a tear sliding down her cheek, "because tenko had been spotted among the attacking hordes. Otherwise they would've held their ground. They would've destroyed the invaders while everyone else hid inside the castle."

"I know they would've. It's a pity my clan lost the knowledge of how to make things impervious to celestial influence. Without such defenses the castle would have been a death trap," said Inuyasha.

"Father was the one who suggested everyone use the bolt hole to escape. That way, it looked like everyone was holed up in the castle," said Keiko, the tears falling freely now.

"Bolt hole?"

"Uh-huh. There's a secret escape route beneath the cellar. The exit is in a hill within the forest, well away from the castle and the town. No matter how many people go through it, no one near the town would see. Everyone had laughed when my father insisted on building it, but Father didn't care; they were already laughing because he was building a castle."

"Your father built that castle? I thought it was a left over from when the land wasn't within my clan's protection. Why would he feel the need to build one so far inside the border?" asked Inuyasha, trying to remember if anyone had ever told him about a new castle. He was certain such an odd thing would have stood out in his and other people's minds.

"Mother told me it's because of Father's vanity. He'd traveled a lot when he was younger and liked the look and feel of castles. During those travels he'd earned lots of money as a hired guard for various warlords, so he paid to have one built within his village. But he designed everything himself. People had laughed as the thing was being built. They admired it afterwards for they thought it was a work of art, but still laughed because they believed it was absurd. 'Deep within such well protected lands, why do we need such a well built castle? It serves no purpose. It only stands there looking impressive,' they said." Keiko ducked her head and buried her face into Inuyasha's side.

"They're not laughing now, that's for sure," said Inuyasha. "It must have been truly impressive if it was able to hold long enough for everyone to escape. Your father's vanity saved many lives. Heh, I wonder if it weren't really divine inspiration."

"But the castle's gone now, my father's gone now, my family's gone now," she said her voice cracking as her tears turned to sobs. "Why couldn't the tenko be divinely inspired to remember how to build places like Sanshaku no Hinansho? Why can't they be divinely inspired to recognize and deal with bad people from the start so the castle wouldn't be needed in the first place?"

"I'm sorry," whispered the hanyou, feeling helpless. Keiko just sobbed into his kimono. The kitten she held suddenly cried out in protest as her actions threatened to smother it. She pulled back and gazed at the offended kitten.

"Sorry, Kirara. You were so quiet I forgot you were there," she whispered. The kitten climbed up to her shoulder and licked the tears from Keiko's cheek. They were quiet for awhile, only the sounds of distant conversation and grief echoed around them.

"I got to the call crystal at the top of the tower. I'm very certain people heard my warning. This should prevent further deaths, 'cause now they'll be ready," Inuyasha said, feeling uneasy about the silence. "You and the others protected the treasures from the enemy. Despite their brutal attack, they didn't get a single one. You handled yourself well, though that's no surprise. You seem to have a gift for remaining calm in terrifying situations. Just like that incident earlier this year involving that rogue demon." Keiko didn't say anything. Inuyasha lifted the young girl and settled her into his lap. Kitten Kirara mewed in protest to the movement but held her place. Keiko placed her ear against his chest, his strong heartbeat comforting her, and her eyes began to close, exhaustion taking hold.

"I wonder if anyone will bother to rebuild it," she whispered, falling into dreamless sleep; not even certain of the last thing she heard.

"I will."

****

Several tenko held Kenji back, uncertain of what the exhausted wolf demon might do next. As the Guardian of the Land, Kenji could cause massive damage if he was to suddenly lash out in grief and rage, but they understood the emotions racing through him. The wolf demon den looked more like a slaughter house. Blood and gore soaked the ground around the caves and half demolished huts as well as the ground leading away. None of the remains were recognizable but the scent was clear; a one-sided blood bath. Two women knelt next to Tsubame where she curled up on the ground wailing. Other wolves, which had been away from the den that day, were in various states of shock and disbelief. No one could tell who was dead until all the pack gathered, but it didn't change the terrible realization that all their children were gone. An entire generation erased.

To Kenji's surprise, the tenko had met him halfway. The patrols had seen the smoke and had sent several individuals to ascertain the situation. However, the borders had been abandoned when the call crystals had lit up, broadcasting a terrible announcement. The battles they all felt would come never occurred except in small isolated pockets. The rampaging army had retreated before reinforcements could arrive.

Now Kenji stared at his home. The battles that had seemed so far away when he had left earlier had somehow reached here with little warning and swept away his precious pack. As members continued to stagger in, he hoped in vain his sons would be among them. That some of the wolves here had managed to escape, that not everyone was dead. How could they be? They weren't weak demons! How could it have been so one-sided?

Every muscle in his body tensed and so did the tenko. However, all he did was throw back his head and scream.

*****

Hitomi stared at the place where the enemy army had vanished from sight. She still couldn't believe they had retreated. The army had marched forward, swords out and blood lust in their eyes, when a lone rider had ridden up behind them and shouted something to the masses. At first the men had been angered but soon gave in, disappearing after the rider. She and the other women had held their place in their defensive positions, certain it was a trick, for hours.

The reason appeared behind them now. Tenko warriors rode up, frantic, and called out to them. Only then did Hitomi realize why the enemy had retreated. They had not wanted to face their army.

Lord Kuromaru strolled up to her. "Do you know what is going on?" he asked. Toromaru walked up as he spoke.

"I'm afraid not, milord," she said. "I saw the smoke and rushed our warriors into defensive positions; however, the army retreated on orders before entering the fields."

"On orders?"

"Yes, I saw a rider come up behind them and shout something to them as they were advancing. They left after that." Hitomi wondered why the tenko lord was inquiring of her when he should have been leading his forces onward to areas the army had reached. "Also, Lord Kuromaru," she continued suddenly remembering, "I saw a light coming from Sanshaku no Hinansho. It seemed to correspond with the glow coming from our crystal, though, no one was manning the tower at the time." She pointed to the distant peak of the mountain fortress.

"I wonder if some our people took refuge there," said Toromaru. Lord Kuromaru glared at his son for a minute, unnerving Hitomi. She had been thinking the same thing as well and didn't understand why he would be angry with Toromaru for voicing such a thought.

"I think that it is more than likely. There is no telling how far the damage extends," said Hitomi. "There certainly wasn't anyone running before the army that appeared here. I prefer to think they fled to the sanctuary than the alternative." Lord Kuromaru nodded and walked away. Toromaru hesitated for a minute looking troubled then left. Hitomi turned back to the direction the army had come from.

_Still, why did they retreat _hours _before help arrived? They could have caused much more damage if they had continued. Then again why were they rampaging in the first place?_

*****

Kuromakaze rested on a large boulder, his right arm dangling over his right knee, the left leg stretched out and the glaive resting against his left shoulder. His golden eyes took in his commanders. His white ears twitched in time to the scattered, muted conversations around him, the notes of dissatisfaction ringing through the air. Yamibi strolled toward him, a small smile on her lips and slight swagger in her step.

"Your allies are assembled," she said as she sat down on the boulder next to him. The talking died instantly.

"You're probably wondering why I ordered the retreat before any real fighting had begun," said Kuromakaze, his voice as smooth as oil. Faint grunts of affirmation sounded in the pause and he continued. "First, our primary objective had been reached. Second, the tide was beginning to turn. As such there was no reason to continue pushing and sacrifice more of our strength. Not when it could be used later on."

A samurai general stepped forward and the hanyou nodded his head, giving him permission to speak. "Forgive me, milord, but I am having trouble understanding the two reasons you gave for the retreat. The first, what was the primary objective and how was it reached? The second, when we had seen no retaliatory activity by the enemy how did you deduce the 'tide was turning'?" Mutterings of agreement echoed across the clearing.

Kuromakaze took note of the general. A smart general who wasn't afraid to speak his mind but stayed polite about it was one he could use. So long as the general didn't become _too_ smart. "The primary objective was to claim territory and clear it of those who would betray us at the first chance they had. Now we have a large amount of territory that can be farmed by our laborers and help support our troops. Also we need some time to prepare our defenses. The tenko army has, without a doubt, abandoned the border in response to this attack. However, the enemy they were expecting to meet has disappeared. They know we're still here, but they don't know who is leading it much less the purpose behind it. Without that understanding Kuromaru, their lord, will be paralyzed with indecision. The army will end up only tending to the survivors and assessing the overall damage. He will not attack without an enemy directly in front of him. That is why I called the retreat hours before the army arrived."

"Pardon, milord," called another warlord, stepping forward before being acknowledged. Kuromakaze made careful note of him as well. "In my many engagements with the man, Kuromaru always came across as brilliant and clever in his military maneuvers. How can you say he will act indecisively now with us here and having caused so much death?"

"A good question. Kuromaru may have been a fantastic commander in the military, but his flaws are about to be exposed. He should never have taken the mantle of Tenko Lord. He isn't the type who can handle being at the top. He has no insight into grand schemes and often misses the subtle indicators. He also refuses to act when he is even the slightest bit uncertain. His uncertainty can only be alleviated by fully comprehending the situation or by being given orders to act by someone higher. The former has only occurred once. He is not as confident as he portrays himself to be, however much he tries. As a result of his attempts to look the confident leader, he refuses to take advice from anyone beneath him and will not take back decisions once given even when it becomes obvious they are terrible. Now he is the tenko lord, no one is above him. Even with his people in danger and an enemy within his own borders, he will not move until all the questions are answered. As long as we remain out of sight, he will remain still. Thus we will have all the time we need to make this portion of Tenji our own."

The samurai general nodded and stepped back. The warlord looked troubled but nodded his acceptance and stepped back as well. Others looked satisfied with his answers, but still, there were some who appeared unhappy. "I know some of you weren't expecting this to be long campaign once we started, and honestly I hadn't expected it to be either, but our failure at the Temple of Heaven has taken away our only chance of making this quick. Even if they have an incompetent lord, the tenko will not fall easily." Angry eyes then fixed on the ones responsible for that mission while those men looked at the ground in shame. Without the sacred treasures, ordinary people could not compete with tenko in a head-on assault. "Enough about the past; we need to prepare for the battles of tomorrow. Everyone needs to go and rest for things will only get harder from here." The crowd dispersed and soon Kuromakaze was alone with Yamibi.

"I'm afraid Noriko failed in dominating Sesshomaru," she said.

"Does he still breathe?" he asked. Noriko had only joined them on the condition of becoming Lady of the West, so despite his desire to be rid of the meddlesome Sesshomaru he had let her handle things her way. He wondered if Noriko was really worth Sesshomaru remaining alive.

"Hard to tell," she replied. "His daughter was the one that rescued him. However, the inuyokai have lost their home and have fled south, not east. They've been separated from the tenko."

"Then we'll let Noriko and her people deal with them."

"I don't think-" started Yamibi.

"We don't have enough people to focus on two different groups. Noriko won't cooperate with us as long as Sesshomaru is free. So why not let her group entertain Sesshomaru's while our troops focus on the real problem. If the situation changes, then we'll get involved. I always thought of Sesshomaru more as a thorn then a real threat, though thorns can be fatal if they stick into the right spot."

Yamibi snorted. "So you'll let him live to cause trouble later?"

"As long as he believes Noriko is acting on her own he'll remain separate from the tenko. He won't want to bother them with a personal matter, especially not when they are busy with their own." The female hanyou got up and walked away leaving Kuromakaze to his thoughts.

_Sesshomaru may not be a major problem, but his activity in the past indicates he will meddle in key moments. However, I can't change my focus at this time. The real chaotic elements are Toromaru and Inuyasha. Unlike our fool father, Toromaru can see the grand scheme and catch the subtle hints. My spy in Kyoto informed me that he was trying to warn Kuromaru of the danger for entire year! Even though he's young, Toromaru would have made a much better lord, but no one else noticed Kuromaru's flaws before the circlet was placed on his head. Even now it would only have just become apparent. A few more years and they'll know for sure. Kuromaru doesn't acknowledge his weaknesses but buries them instead. He won't abdicate even when everyone demands it._

_However, Inuyasha… I know nothing about his abilities. I don't if he will be a fool or a fearsome warlord. I removed his father as a factor because he would definitely interfere and he couldn't be overthrown. I removed his mother because she knows herself and would have made a fine tenko lord. She would not make the mistake of ignoring important advice no matter how it made her appear. I don't know what Inuyasha inherited as innate skills. If only I had been able to kill him back then._

_Of all the people fighting against me, Inuyasha is the most unpredictable of all and that makes him the one that needs to die the soonest!_

*****

Kaiyoshinju stood at the entrance of the caves the clan was sheltering in. Pursuit had been more joke than serious and her appearance along had scared off even that much. She looked up and saw Soranoko's feather soaring above them. She hissed, her high pitched whistling hiss of her kind, and waved at the feather. The feather stopped then dropped down until it was floating a few feet above the ground.

Naomi held Sesshomaru against her, trying to warm his frigid body. Kenmaru had gotten his second wind and was sitting up; his bleeding had stopped. Naomi flinched when she saw her mother. Kaiyoshinju didn't know Naomi had been visiting her father. The dragon hanyou narrowed her violet eyes and Naomi pulled Sesshomaru closer and glared back.

Naomi stepped off the feather and pulled her father's arm around her neck. Soranoko took up the other arm, which made Naomi grateful. Poor Kenmaru was barely managing to remain on his feet and Naomi regretted not being able to help her friend. The four moved into the cave where several dog demons rushed forward.

"Is Lord Sesshomaru alright?" asked a younger female.

"Of course not!" snapped another. "Do you think our lord would allow himself the indignity of being carried if he were fine?"

Some of the male removed their outer haori and laid them on the ground then helped to place Sesshomaru on it. A few others sat Kenmaru down and took a wet cloth in order to tend to his wounds. Naomi was relieved. She feared they would not accept Kenmaru because of his relationship to Noriko. Xeno stepped forward from the shadows and held his hand over Sesshomaru torso. An orange glow emitted from his palm as he passed the hand back forth over him.

"I can warm him but I cannot heal him," he said, his voice low and guttural. I can only heal those who have the energy to spare for it. His state of exhaustion is so complete his heart may soon fail from it."

"Can you not transfer some of your energy to him, Master Xeno?" asked Naomi. Xeno shook his head.

"Can't you do it yourself, Lady Naomi?" asked one of the dog demons. Naomi was shaking her head before he even finished.

"I've already been doing that. I don't have much left as it is." She closed her eyes then glanced down at her hands. "I fear the only reason why Father hasn't perished already is because I've been helping, but look at him. Despite the energy I've given I've only managed to hold him steady. I've spent too much just trying to get away."

"I could give my energy," said Kenmaru. Everyone turned toward the battered demon. "I know it wouldn't be much, but if it can save Lord Sesshomaru then maybe-"

"NO!" screamed Naomi as she flung herself around Kenmaru. "You're worse off than I am. If you give anything then you'll be the one to perish. I'd still lose someone I love. How could you even think of making me choose between the two of you?" Some of the dog demons smiled at Kenmaru's surprised look. A disgusted "huff" from the entrance attracted everyone's attention. Kaiyoshinju stormed forward, snapping her staff against the rock floor. She towered over Sesshomaru's unconscious form and glared down at him.

"M-Mother?" squeaked Naomi, wondering what the temperamental dragon was going to do. Kaiyoshinju raised her hand over Sesshomaru and began chanting, more like spitting it seemed to everyone. A blue orb appeared before her palm and tiny beads of light spiraled down toward the dog lord's chest. His breathing deepened and color returned to his face. The chanting cut off; Kaiyoshinju snapped her hand back, whirled around and stalked off just as Sesshomaru's eyes fluttered opened.

"Father! You're all right!" cried Naomi flinging herself on him. Sesshomaru grunted when she landed on him and opened his mouth to say something, but only sighed and stroked her head when he looked down and saw her tears.

"Where are we?" Sesshomaru whispered after some time had passed.

"A group of sea caves south of Tenji," replied Naomi, sitting up.

Sesshomaru tried to rise but was still too weak and fell back down. "Where's Noriko?" he asked after catching his breath.

"Not here, for the time being," replied Xeno. "Is she the one that caused all this?" Sesshomaru nodded. "I take it then that those who are also not here are either dead or traitors as well." He nodded again, his lips tightening into a grimace.

"Well, we can hardly let this stand," said Yukihana, her pure-white tail twitching as she tossed her spear between her hands. Muttered agreement filled the cavern.

"That is a fine thing to say, but unfortunately we're not in a position to counter-attack," said Sesshomaru, successfully sitting up this time with the help of his daughter. "The castle has been erased along with more than half of my loyal supporters and we have been forced south into hostile territory. Or is everyone forgetting that the panther demon tribe never made peace with my father. They just retreated. Most of those here are children. First and foremost we need to protect them."

Everyone stared at Sesshomaru in disbelief. Sesshomaru blinked then glared. "And what is there to be staring at?" Everyone shifted nervously.

One of his generals looked around then muttered, "This is where Kenji is sorely needed. He would know what to say."

Before Sesshomaru could respond, Naomi piped in. "Oh you mean like 'It's about time spring arrived.' Or 'The fluff has finally rubbed off on him.' Or maybe 'He's finally managed to fill out his hakama.' What? What's wrong with everyone?" The entire cave was now echoing with the sound of coughing as every adult seemed to have inhaled something unpleasant. Kaiyoshinju was unapologetic, grinning like a fiend as she snickered.

"Naomi, was it really necessary to continue after the 'It's about time spring arrived' crack," Sesshomaru said between clenched teeth; his face flushed with embarrassment and anger.

Naomi smiled, bright and cheerful, leaned over kissed her father on the cheek. "I love you, Daddy." The sounds of coughing were then replaced by sounds of choking and a few doubled over unable to contain themselves anymore.

"How can they be so gay after everything that has happened to them?" asked Yukihana, looking around in disgust.

A hand gripped her shoulder. "Don't begrudge them," said Xeno. "In my long experience, laughter can do more for people in times of war than brooding. Being serious right now would only depress everyone. We need people to be hopeful." He glanced over toward Sesshomaru and Naomi. "This fight is neither going to be easy nor short."

_Besides, _Xeno thought, focusing on Naomi,_ this is the first time I've seen Lord Sesshomaru not lose his temper over being teased. As well as admit to wanting to protect his people. I think this is the first time his clan has seen actually care about them. What could have changed in the last few decades to make him more approachable? I know Naomi has been seeing her father but I don't think she is responsible for his improved demeanor. Something else has happened but what could have thawed that glacier?_

Sesshomaru huffed with indignation then glanced at his people. They were tired and ragged and the laughter they were trying to hide held tears of despair. He thought, _I've really let them down this time. I don't deserve their loyalty. I'll find Noriko myself and I'll make her pay with my own two hands!_

______________________________________________________________________________

Phew! This was a long chapter, but get use to it. The next few at the very least will be long monsters as the brothers separate again. The "novel" that follows this line is to fill in details that you wouldn't get in within the story. So read if you want or don't; I don't really care. Just don't ask me questions about things that were covered in my details because I'm not going to repeat myself.

There is a lot of history to this little expansion of the Inuyasha world. I don't write things well unless the world is fleshed out some so there is a back-story to everything and everyone. For those of you who have forgotten, Kaiyoshinju is a dragon hanyou and she is Sesshomaru ex-lover. Wanna talk about "Hell has no fury…" she is the source of that. Naomi happens to be a free-spirited, fun-loving, independent young woman and, as you may have noticed, she disobeyed her mother and went to get to know her father despite the poor introduction. Kenji has a reputation for pulling Sesshomaru tail just to get the raging fire ball that usually occurs. Hence why Naomi said those things because Kenji would have said that and probably more in seeing Sesshomaru act like the concerned leader nobody thought he was. Sesshomaru wasn't dubbed the "Ice Prince" for nothing.

I also had that scene between Keiko and Inuyasha for several reasons. 1) Because this is my last chance to show the two being more than just acquaintances. 2) It allowed me to expand on Tenji a little more. 3) That castle, or more accurately its reincarnation, will appear again later in the story.

Also would like to point out, since I'll never have a chance in the story, Tenji's philosophy is "equal and casteless justice". In order words, justice that ignores status and species. The tenko enforce their rules equally within their territory. A high ranking lord who tried to force himself on a peasant girl would be punished the same as a peasant man trying to force himself on a noble woman. Demons were equally bound and protected by the law. That's why the demon slayers were taken into custody and later executed for the massacre of the inuyokai that included Sesshomaru's mother and newborn sister.

Furthermore, because of this philosophy demon variety and concentration within Tenji is very different from the rest of Japan. Wind demons like Soranoko are more common, the saber line of twin tales like Kirara is exclusive, and earth demons that are similar to Jenenji's father and Kenji mother. (Yes, that is the problem with Kenji. He is half wolf demon, half earth demon and the rest of the demon wolf tribe couldn't stand the impurity and kicked him out. That's why he is in Tenji and worked for Kenhoshi because Kenhoshi was the one who gave him a purpose when he was all alone.) Demons like those giant lizards and insects that seem to serve no other purpose but to rampage across the land and devour humans are never seen within Tenji. The border guard destroys them before they can enter. The kitsune, tanuki and other minor demons that rely on pranks and tricks to survive in the outside world, live peacefully in villages alongside the humans within Tenji. They can't pull too many pranks because that would get them in trouble with the law, but they still manage to keep things lively. Twin tales not of the saber line, like Kuroro, do have a higher concentration within Tenji due to the acceptance of the people there.

Kenji's tribe is a band of outcasts who didn't like how things were done in the rest of Japan and left. They were accepted into Tenji on the condition that they follow the rules, no attacking humans. Which was fine for a number of them were breaking clan law and associating with humans anyway. Some, when they arrived, already had human mates and hanyou children. Other simply had human friends they didn't want to see hurt so both humans and demons had moved. However, because of their choice they were branded traitors by the elders and can't move freely outside of Tenji. That was the negotiations Kenji was returning from when the attack began. He was trying to remove the traitor status from his pack.

The pack in Tenji is also different from the other wolf tribes in that they have craftsmen. Unlike the caveman way of living the rest of the tribes cling to, the western pack actually learned trade, gardening and herding skills. The description of the huts outside the cave was to reflect the difference in their choice of living compared to what was seen with Koga during the Inuyasha series. Kenji's tribe also acts as heavy enforcers when the need arises. They help to protect Tenji from eternal criminals and troublemakers since every society will have their bad eggs. They are welcomed in every town. They also protect the border when the tenko enter into civil war. So they have become a key part of Tenji society which is why they were targeted by Kuromakaze.

Soranoko and Kagura may both be wind sorceresses but Soranoko is 100 times stronger than Kagura who was created by Naraku who is nothing more than a conglomeration of low class demons one and very evil man.

Soranoko is also the Guardian of the Wind, one of five Guardians within Tenji. Kaiyoshinju is the Guardian of the Sea, Xeno is the Guardian of Inferno and Kenji is the Guardian of the Land. The original Guardian of Heaven was killed by Yamibi's sister when the pair attempted to take possession of the five Jewels of Life. Her sister was then killed by Kanzaki Jounochi, Inuyasha's grandfather when he joined Kenji and Soranoko to reclaim the Jewel of Heaven. The jewel has been in his possession ever since while Kenhoshi tried to find a new Guardian of Heaven. That was the item Toromaru snatched from Jounochi after his grandfather was killed by Sagara. Toromaru was making sure Sagara didn't get the all powerful and dangerous Jewel of Heaven.

The Guardians aren't really guarding Tenji as much as they are hiding one of the five Jewels of Life. They are actually five pieces of the Jewel of Life that was created by the tenko ancestor, Shugotenshi, thousands of years ago to defeat the evil enzeru. But the jewel proved too powerful and Kenhoshi was forced to break it before the power literally blew the world to pieces. Kenhoshi had been looking after ever sense but after his home was attacked he realized it wasn't safe to keep them together so entrusted one to five individuals. The five Jewels of Life are the most powerful of all the sacred treasures and the Jewel of the Heaven is the most powerful of all.

The sacred treasures are items that were created over the years by the tenko clan or their ancestors. Some were made to help people others are just plain evil, but all in the wrong hands can have devastating affects since even the weakest of the treasures is stronger than the Shikon no Tama.

**Chapter 20: Broken Dreams**

Inuyasha and Keiko have survived many years and many battles now they want to share their future as husband and wife. However, Kuromaru wants Keiko to remain on the battlefield and forbids the couple from marrying. Kuromakaze makes his own plans to be rid of his cousin.


	21. Broken Dreams: Entrapment

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's in this story.**

_"Broken Dreams" was written as one chapter. 22,500 words and seventy-five pages later… I think you will all be pleased to know that I broke the chapter into four parts. Enjoy!_

**Chapter Twenty: Broken Dreams**

_164 years before the search for the jewel shards_

_My relationship with my uncle had been strained for years. As a recognized adult I had been allowed into the clan meetings. There I saw my uncle fail in so many ways. It is the philosophy of Tenji that a person is only strong enough to handle all that life gives them, both good and bad, if they are honest with themselves. My uncle may have deceived no one but himself, but in deceiving himself he caused the most harm of all, to his clan and to me._

-Inuyasha

Part One: Entrapment

Inuyasha stared at his uncle in disbelief. "What did you say?" he whispered.

"Must I repeat myself? I said 'no'," replied Lord Kuromaru as he began to walk away from the stunned hanyou.

Inuyasha leapt forward, landing in front of him. "Why!" yelled the hanyou, his voice strangled.

"Don't yell at me!" snapped Lord Kuromaru, glaring at his nephew.

Inuyasha began trembling, not even sure what he felt in the chaotic swirl of emotions that flooded his soul. "Why are you refusing to let me marry Keiko?" he asked, straining to sound controlled.

"Keiko is a powerful warrior and we need her on the battlefield fighting, not wasting her time washing clothes and nursing babies like ordinary women." Lord Kuromaru then stepped around the hanyou. Inuyasha, dumbstruck by his uncle's words, didn't immediately respond.

A moment later, he recovered enough to spin around and shout, "You _honestly_ believe that? You, the lord of the tenko clan, the enforcer and protector of all our laws and traditions, the son of Kanzaki Jounochi, actually _believe_ warrior women do nothing but 'waste their time' after they marry? You, of all people, should know that is _not_ true!"

Lord Kuromaru turned back, his expression dark. "You know we cannot spare any warriors in this fight. We're pushed hard as it is."

"And you should know that our warriors are aging. I may have centuries to devote to battle but a woman like Keiko only has a handful of years. She is already 26! If she doesn't retire from the front and start a family in the next few years we can bid farewell to her power, her skill, her courage and her strength being passed on to future generations. Think about it! If you really value her abilities then don't you want it to be taught, to be given, to the next generation? Her time in this world is more limited that either of us. She won't be here forever! So stop treating her like she will be!" Silence fell and the two stared at each other, hatred pulsing between them.

Lord Kuromaru turned away and said, "My decision is final. Keiko will remain unwed and on the battlefield where her talents will have the most effect." When Inuyasha opened his mouth his uncle continued, frost lining his words. "If you do anything to force her off the battlefield, you will both be tried for treason." He walked away leaving his nephew standing in the corridor, completely defeated.

******

_Two days later…_

"What?" squawked Keiko, staring at her commander in disbelief. The warrior priestess had been sitting with several of her friends discussing plans for her wedding when the commander walked in and announced she was to be transferred to the silver army. "What nonsense are you babbling about?" she snapped, anger replacing shock. She jumped up and grabbed the officer by his kimono. "This better be someone's idea of a bad joke!"

"I'm sorry Arai Keiko," he replied, struggling to pull her hand free of the fabric. "However these orders come from higher up and have been labeled as 'nonnegotiable'."

"Nonnegotiable, my ass! I'm going to be married," she yelled, her face red with rage. The other women stood up and tried to calm her but she couldn't hear them through the buzzing in her ears. "Why would they transfer me when I'm leaving active duty?"

"Apparently, your plans are to be delayed for an undetermined amount of time," he said, his voice unstrained despite the priestess's death grip on his collar. Keiko's impulsive temper was as notorious as her swordsmanship was famous. The commander had been expecting the explosion.

"What about Inuyasha? Is he to be transferred as well?" Keiko asked, voice tense, eyes boring into his.

"He is not, unfortunately. He will be remaining here with the gold army." The commander pitied the officers in the silver army. Often Inuyasha was the only one who could restrain Keiko when she went into one of her fits. Something the commander wished he was here to do now.

"Gather your things at once," he continued, hating every word that fell from his mouth. "You are expected to catch up to the caravan that departed two days ago and travel with them to your new post." Keiko's jaw dropped and her grip loosened. The commander quickly pulled himself free. "I'm truly sorry, Arai. If it is any consolation, not even the general knows why this is happening." He turned before she could grab him again and walked away leaving Keiko and her companions staring after him.

Keiko remained where she was; her mind whirling. If she were to catch up to a caravan that left two days ago, she would have to pack her belongings right away and hop on Kirara, but she needed to talk to Inuyasha. However, he'd gone to the capital a week ago to inform his uncle, the tenko lord, of their engagement. It should have been a simple errand, a courtesy call to Lord Kuromaru since he was family.

Now she was not only being transferred but ordered to leave immediately. It was as if someone wanted them separated. Her commander and the gold general both had expressed sincere congratulations when they had announced their engagement. So who ordered the transfer and why?

*****

_Four days later…_

Inuyasha walked into the gold army camp. He was still trying to figure out how to tell Keiko the disappointing news. Tenko lord or not, his uncle's decision was outrageous but Inuyasha didn't know who to appeal to. He wasn't even sure if there was a way. He tried to remember his history but couldn't recall a time when a lord had made such a decision. The point of the ancestors' circlet that graced the tenko lord's head was to keep them honest as well as to judge the candidate. Legend had it that the circlet could terminate the lord's reign if he failed his early judgment of character. How that happened depended on who you talked to. Some said the circlet would simply fall off and refuse to be placed back on. Others said the circlet would kill the lord by making the person's head burn to ash. For this reason the tenko lord's authority often went unquestioned.

Inuyasha felt his uncle had slipped through the cracks of the position's barriers. In times of peace the lord was rarely called upon. His uncle would have been fine if things had remained unchanged from the time of his ascension. However, the war had brought out all of Lord Kuromaru's faults. The circlet was designed to be flexible in order to allow for different situations. Kuromaru was acceptable but the times demanded more than mere _acceptable._

"Welcome back, Kanzaki," called one of the women warriors in the camp, jarring him from his thoughts.

"Thank you," he said then looked around. He was in the middle of the camp, but Keiko had yet to greet him. Keiko always greeted him when he returned no matter what the reason for his departure. Many of those greetings had been the cause of great amusement for his comrades and merciless teasing for him afterwards. The fact he had made it this far without so much as a single pebble pelting him was disturbing. More disturbing were the sympathetic looks being sent his way. "Where's Keiko?" he asked the woman, a chill creeping us his spine.

"You don't know?" said the woman, startled.

"Know what?" he asked, the chill snapping to ice.

"I thought you knew. I mean you came in so depressed, I just assumed-"

"Know what?" he demanded with more force. The meeting with his uncle had drained him of patience. The air around him crackled as the last threads of his control began to snap.

The woman, feeling the change in air temperature, wished she was anywhere but there. "Lady Keiko has been transferred to silver army. She left four days ago as ordered." That was enough for Inuyasha. He bolted passed her heading toward the general's tent. The air surrounding him ignited causing him to resemble a tumbling fire ball rather than a running hanyou. People yelled and leapt clear as he ran passed. He didn't care.

"WHAT'S THIS ABOUT KEIKO BEING TRANSFERRED?" he roared when burst inside not even waiting to gain permission. The general of the gold army, Inui Rei, was half out of his seat, his hand on his hilt, before he recognized Inuyasha. His commanders were either similarly on guard or had fallen over in their haste to escape the swirling flames. The general grimaced. He hadn't expected Inuyasha to be happy upon hearing the news, but he wasn't prepared for the sight of the usually well mannered half-demon barging in on his meeting wreathed in flames.

"First off, you need to show a bit more restraint, Kanzaki," he said. Inuyasha flinched and took several breaths. The robe of fire slowly extinguished as if being drawn into him. The General Rei let out a quiet sigh of relief when Inuyasha once again resembled the controlled hanyou he knew and could predict then he continued. "I didn't order that transfer. I don't understand it either. Why was Arai sent away and so suddenly as well? Why am I being ordered to keep you within the camp unless being sent on a mission?" Inuyasha sat down hard on the ground, his remaining strength lost. "And why was it our lord, your uncle, who sent me those orders and as 'urgent'?" The general fell silent and stared at Inuyasha, certain the hanyou had those answers. This time the explosion was not unexpected.

"That short-sighted, incompetent, trash-commander, worthless…" Inuyasha's rant grew fouler as he continued. General Rei knew better than to stop him, it was always best, and safest, to let the hitenko vent when furious. Words were only hot air after all. "It's not his decision to make! It was never his decision to make! I only informed him because he's family. What gave him the right to forbid Keiko from getting married ever? What gives him the right to force people to remain on the battlefield against their will? What gives him the right to charge people with treason if the woman suddenly ends up pregnant? Is this what it means to be a lord? To have the power to do whatever the hell you want to whomever you want? Where is the justice in that? Where are the laws that prevent this abuse? It's not fair!" Inuyasha fell forward cursing and punching the dirt.

The gold general stared at the hanyou in disbelief. He had gotten his answer and it was worse than he had expected. Lord Kuromaru had just broken the trust of his people and the majority of them weren't even aware of it. His outlook on the war had just gotten grimmer.

****

_Six weeks later…_

Kuromakaze growled. The commander kowtowing before him trembled. The man had just reported that another ambush attempt on Inuyasha had failed. "Forgive us, milord. I don't know how, but that hanyou seems to know when and where we're lying in wait. We've worked at making ourselves as inconspicuous as possible. We've even set up hours in advance so the forest life is making the usual noise by time he arrives. I swear he must be clairvoyant if he can detect us so far in advance that he can avoid the danger without ever being in sight of our lookouts." The man sweated in the silence that followed and didn't dare look up. However, Kuromakaze's expression had softened, becoming thoughtful.

"Don't worry about, you're dismissed," he said without looking at the man and waving his hand. The commander could scarcely believe his good luck but didn't press it further and hurried out of his lord's presence.

After the man disappeared Yamibi appeared. "How unlike you to be so forgiving," she said.

"The man's babbling has brought up an interesting idea," said Kuromakaze. The hanyou woman raised an elegant black eyebrow. "It may be or may not be clairvoyance; however Inuyasha does seem to have an uncanny sense. So instead of wasting further time trying to lay undetectable traps perhaps I should set one that while obvious is also unavoidable."

"And how are you going to craft such a trap?" Yamibi ran her fingers through her black hair and pulled at a determined knot that had escaped her comb.

"With very good _bait_," he answered showing her a scroll with a copied message sent by their spy. The date on the scroll showed the message had been sent some time ago. Usually, Kuromakaze disposed of messages after a few days if they didn't involve something long term. Curious, Yamibi opened and read the scroll.

**URGENT**

Arai Keiko, warrior priestess of the Temple of Heaven, is to report for duty to the silver army general before the beginning of the lunar month. Any delay is unacceptable and the order is nonnegotiable.

Kanzaki Inuyasha is to remain within the camp at all times save when assigned on missions for military purposes. No transfers will be authorized at this time. This is also nonnegotiable.

Kanzaki Kuromaru, Lord of the Tenko

Yamibi gazed back at Kuromakaze in mild confusion. The evil hanyou just smirked in return.

****

_One week later…_

_There can be no doubt now_, thought Keiko while rubbing her stomach. Stressed and confused over the sudden transfer and trying to adjust to new surroundings and people had blinded her to her body's condition. She hadn't noticed her missing monthlies but she did notice the difficulty of putting her armor on in recent days. When she thought back, she realized she hadn't bled once since arriving at the silver army. In fact, the last time had been over a month before she was even transferred. _Eleven, twelve weeks since conception_, she calculated, thinking back to that night. The expansion was still slight, no one would have noticed yet.

She flinched; this was why they had wanted to be married. After she had returned from one particularly harrowing mission she and Inuyasha had given in to their pent up passions. Knowing full well the cruelty of war, he had purposed the next day. It was supposed to be a short engagement, but the strange transfer orders had ruined that and now she was on the battlefield three months pregnant.

Worse still, the silver army was the one that was furthest afield. Any activity had quadruple the risk of the other armies and fighting occurred as frequently as twice a day. She had experienced only three days of peace since arriving and half the fights took place at night. Constant exhaustion and inconsistent meal times had easily covered the unpleasant side-effects of early pregnancy. Keiko considered it nothing short of a miracle that she hadn't miscarried yet.

The first letter she had gotten from Inuyasha had been short and to the point. Not surprising since it was difficult for a person to write with their left hand even if that was the only hand available for them to write with since childhood. It had simply said, "Uncle does not approve the marriage." The kanji had been blocky and the lines thick, revealing his hidden frustrations and anger.

This answered a few of her questions about the transfer but it never addressed why the tenko lord would disapprove of it. Why send Keiko into the middle of intense, constant battle just because she had planned on getting married? She even dared to guess that she was being punished for trying to leave. That what Lord Kuromaru really didn't approve of was her departure from the battlefield.

_Well approved or not, I now have to leave the battlefield. I've been lucky so far but I better not press it any further. It's no longer just my life I'm gambling with. I just wonder how the general is going to take it._ She pulled her kimono around her then put on her hakama and tied it in place. It was going to be a long day.

****

"Why are you even still in the army?" barked the gruff, shabby wolf hanyou that was the general of silver army, Iken Makoto. "Couldn't you've noticed before you came out here?"

"My deepest apologies sir," said Keiko with her head bowed. This was one of the few times she felt the need to be submissive, though, it went against her nature. With the life of an unborn within her she didn't feel like making more enemies beyond the tenko lord. He alone was damning enough. "I'm afraid I was distressed by my sudden transfer orders and failed to notice the tell-tale signs. I wasn't expecting to be sent further afield while I was in the midst of planning for my wedding."

The man blinked twice and huffed. "Why then were you transferred? Didn't you inform the gold general about your plans?"

"I did and he congratulated me with full sincerity," she replied with her head still titled downward, her voice beginning to crack. She was afraid if she looked up she might punch the hanyou. _As if I would do something as stupid as not inform my commanding officer of something that important,_ she thought, her fingernails digging through the fabric of her hakama and biting into her knees. "I heard that it was Lord Kuromaru himself who ordered the transfer," she said once her voice had steadied. The silver general was one of those types who had lots of opinions about people and the spite to say them to anyone who would listen. She didn't want to add to his list of irate comments about the gold general. She'd heard plenty when she reported for duty.

"What?" barked General Makoto, sitting up straighter and slamming his fist into the ground. "That two-bit, half-ass, can't-think-for-himself, Kuromaru? Whose bright idea was it to make him a lord?" Then there was the fact he was also one of those people who seemed to always be the last to know anything of importance unless that important thing made the extra effort to smack him across the face. Obviously, the transfer of lordship was a lazy piece of information.

"And where were you thirty-one years ago, General, when the transfer of power happened. Your opinion might have saved us a lot of heartache right now," muttered Keiko; the words slipping out before she realized it. She braced for a reprimand. Generals might say whatever they felt like but subordinates were expected to mind their manners.

"What? He became lord of the clan thirty-one years ago? No wonder everything has gone straight to hell," hollered the general, waving his fist then slamming it into the ground again. Keiko let out an inaudible sigh of relief. General Makoto hadn't noticed or didn't care about her insolent comments. "That rapscallion thinks pretty of himself and sits pretty but he's got his head so far up his ass he's forgotten what daylight looks like."

_Crudely put. Now I know why silver army is so far afield. General Makoto is the only one who doesn't think highly of Lord Kuromaru and Lord Kuromaru probably didn't want him around with that big mouth ridiculing him with every breath,_ thought Keiko.

She was jolted from her thoughts when the gruff wolf hanyou leaned forward and whispered, "Alright, Miss Arai, you're staying in camp until the next caravan arrives. You'll accompany them like you're one of their guards so no one gets suspicious. Don't want the enemy to know we gotta mother out here. Might try to make use of that. I'll also write you a letter to carry. Don't read it! Just give it to Lord Blunderhead when you see him next. I gotta few things I wanna say to him about his decision making abilities."

_If what he's just said is any clue then it isn't a wonder he's telling me not to read it. I'll have deniability that way when Lord Kuromaru comes looking for heads to cleave_, Keiko thought, nervous butterflies taking wing in her stomach._ I hope everything will be all right. _

****

_Five days later…_

Keiko walked alongside the nearly empty wagon in full armor; Kirara walked on the other side. Several guards were also around but Keiko and Kirara were the closest to the wagon. She had managed to adjust her armor so it was comfortable but still functional. She hadn't grown enough to displace it much and so she didn't appear to be with child.

_Three days until we're out of this hostile territory. Two days until we're clear of any enemy insurgency. Three months have already passed can my luck hold five more days?_ She struggled to not place her hand on her stomach for fear it may alert enemy scouts to her condition. A warrior being captured was one thing but a mother-to-be was another. A warrior was expected to give up his or her life in the face of imprisonment and interrogation. But if she were captured, many lives would be lost trying to rescue her just because she was carrying a child. Never before had she been this anxious.

The only reason she hadn't been planted on a demon horse was because demon horses were being targeted by the enemy. This far out the call crystals were more reliable in transferring orders, though coded, to the silver army. Keiko thought it ironic that items that had all but been forgotten only fifteen years ago were now seeing full use once more.

A cry spiked her veins with ice. She whirled and drew her sword as the forest suddenly exploded with activity. Enemy soldiers, three times the number of the caravan guard, swarmed the area. Guards were driven to the ground and the drivers and laborers took up bows and arrows but couldn't get clear shots. The ambush had been perfect. No one had realized anyone was there until they were already surrounded. Horses screamed and reared causing the wagons to bounce, knocking their drivers to the ground and running over anyone not quick enough to move.

Kirara launched herself at several enemies, tearing them apart with well placed swipes of her claws. Keiko saw the flash of steel and raised her weapon to catch it, but what she had thought was a sword turned out to be a chain. It wrapped itself around her blade then pulled tight. The strength behind it threatened to pull her off her feet. Rather than be dragged forward she released the sword and drew her wakizashi. The short sword was a poor defense in this melee but better than nothing.

The chains flew at her again. Not wanting to lose her last physical weapon, she dived to the side and rolled until she was up on her knees, the blade parallel to the ground. The sword began to glow and the blade seemed to lengthen as she called upon her priestess powers. Though, spiritual powers were most effective against demons, in a powerful person they could be used against a human of dark nature as well.

She lunged forward. The man looked startled to see his prey rushing him. He tried to draw in his chain to launch again but his head flew from his shoulders before he could pull in two lengths. Keiko glanced around for her sword, but it was nowhere to be seen. Her attacker had flung it away after he'd taken it from her.

She had no more time to contemplate this as another enemy came at her with a scythe. She dodged back as he swung, though she believed she had had no time to properly clear, the curved blade missed her completely. She thrust her wakizashi in and the man caught it on the wood handle of his weapon. His other hand snapped forward and grabbed her wrist then bent it back. She thought she heard something snap. She cried out at the spike of pain and, against her will, dropped her short sword. She rammed the heel of her left hand into his face then drove her right elbow into his throat. The man gagged and she slammed her knee into his crotch. He went down like he'd taken an arrow to the brain.

Before she could claim her wakizashi another attacker came at her with a spear. Fighting through the pain of her broken wrist she spun allowing the point to pass her hip then grabbed the shaft. The man grinned revealing only a handful of teeth still remaining in his mouth then started to spin. Keiko felt herself rise from the ground and it was all she could do to hang on to the shaft as she flew around and around. Knowing it was only a matter of time before she lost her grip, she channeled all of her spiritual power into the spear. The man choked then fell over vomiting, the spear smashing into the ground. Keiko rolled then sprung back to her feet.

Now she was in real trouble. She had no weapons expect for her spiritual power and the attackers were all humans. The amount of energy she had poured into the spear alone could have taken out a hundred demons in as many feet and it had only sickened the one man who had been holding the spear. Silently begging forgiveness from her travel companions and feeling like a coward she ducked behind one of the wagons. Kirara was nowhere in sight; the cat was still young and became hot-blooded at times. The twin-tail had pursued enemies into the forest instead of remaining to defend the caravan and Keiko. Nothing she could do about it now. If she called Kirara it would just attract the wrong attention. She grabbed one of the horses and unhitched it from the wagon. Then she climbed onto its back and kicked it into a gallop.

Almost immediately she heard the sound of pursuit. She glanced back. The surviving enemy soldiers had abandoned the caravan and were coming after her. Some had mounted their own horses. Her heart skipped a beat. Everything suddenly made sense. The chains, the non-lethal attack by the scythe. They were targeting her for capture. She urged her horse to greater speed and focused on the road ahead.

A rope snapped up across the path and there was no time for her to adjust. Her horse went down and she went flying. Before Keiko could hit the ground, a net appeared and caught her sparing her a nasty landing but trapping her at the same time. It was held by two horsemen who'd appeared out of the woods ahead.

"You have to hand it to Lord Kuromakaze," said one of the men. "He knows how to cover every opening." Keiko pulled and kicked at the net but only became more entangled. "You might as well stop, Warrior Priestess, you can't get away. Lord Kuromakaze has requested your presence. He has need of your services." Then all the men laughed and Keiko knew terror unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life, not even when the Temple of Heaven was attacked.

_**To be continued…**_


	22. Broken Dreams: Insubordination

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot from this story.**

**Part Two: Insubordination**

_The next day…_

The gold general grimaced when he recognized the man riding the demon heading toward his camp. General Makoto of the silver army rarely came to a war meeting partly because of his post's placement but mostly because he couldn't stand meetings. For him to be showing up couldn't be good news. The horse landed and General Makoto jumped off. He strode over without straightening his attire. General Rei almost cringed.

"Where is that fop lord? I gotta a few bones to bounce off his hollow skull," General Makoto bellowed. All noise in the camp instantly died as everyone stopped to stare. The gold general flinched when he saw Inuyasha appear from behind a supply cart. General Makoto may have been disheveled but the silver insignia on his haori was still clear. The hanyou would immediately recognize his fiancée's superior.

_Please don't let it involve Arai Keiko,_ General Rei thought. Inuyasha had been unusually hostile ever since his return from the capital. Trapped inside the camp unless being sent on official business, the hanyou was like a caged tiger, snapping and growling at anyone that dared to approach. The general had taken to sending him on any scouting mission just to get him away from camp and give his men a chance to relax. The hanyou had only just returned from one of his assignments. General Rei found himself wishing Inuyasha wasn't so efficient. He had wanted him to be away for the duration of the war meeting. The silver general's appearance only invited more misfortune.

Lord Kuromaru stepped from the officer's tent and glared at General Makoto. "What on earth has brought you of all people here?" he snapped.

"What? Are you going to order _me_, the general of silver army, to stay away from a _military_ meeting? How many times must you backstab your own people before the ancestors abandon you?" hollered General Makoto. Lord Kuromaru squared his shoulders but the gruff wolf continued. "Blow out that breath, toad! You aren't fooling anyone here. If you weren't such a rooster we wouldn't be in this much trouble." Lord Kuromaru went red with rage. He couldn't even speak his fury was so intense.

General Rei decided to step in before things devolved further. "General Makoto, can you explain what you mean? I somehow don't think you are talking about the war in general," he said. He could feel Lord Kuromaru's eyes burning a hole in his back.

"Shut up, dandelion. You're as much to blame for this as he is," General Makoto yelled, spinning to face his gold army counterpart. "Why the hell did you just rollover on that stupid order? You should have told the idiot that you couldn't heed it due to the fact that Arai Keiko is retiring."

The gold general groaned and put his hand to his face; it did involve Arai Keiko. He might have tried praying that the silver general had just realized the injustice of the transfer and was coming to correct it, but the warrior priestess wasn't with him. General Rei was certain that if this was just about the interrupted wedding plans then General Makoto would have brought her with him. Her not being here was not a good sign.

The wolf hanyou continued his rant without pause. "Nobody in this whole country has got the right to deny a person their wedding unless it's for a damn good reason. And Miss Arai wasn't being sent to my army for some special mission that only she could perform. She was sent just to stop the wedding. YOU CAN'T DO THAT! That's what makes Tenji Tenji. If we start letting people who have no say in the matter determine what people can and can't do with their personal lives for selfish reasons then why do we even exist? We'll be no different than those savage warlords that are laying waste to the countryside beyond our borders right now. I don't care if that person is the tenko lord, he still isn't all powerful, he still has to follow the rules. He can't just do whatever the hell he feels like." The silence that fell was suffocating. Lord Kuromaru continued to stab the silver general with his gaze while all the commanders, captains and generals looked at the ground in shame.

"What happened to Keiko?" said a voice from behind the wolf hanyou, every word cracking with suppressed emotions. General Makoto turned and spotted the silver-haired hanyou now standing out in the open. General Rei flinched; Inuyasha was always quick to pick up on the unsaid. The dog hanyou's haggard appearance and trembling hands did not reassure him; the young man would explode if the news was bad.

"Are you the one she was supposed to marry?" General Makoto asked, either ignoring or oblivious to the hanyou's emotional state. Inuyasha nodded. "Then I guess it was you they meant. I had a feeling they didn't me or they would have said me. Though, I wouldn't hesitate one second to sacrifice myself for the sake of a mother-to-be." There was two seconds of silence following the silver general's statement. Two seconds where Inuyasha's golden eyes grew wide and his face drained of blood. Two seconds where the General Rei wished his silver counterpart understood the nature of tact when breaking bad news. Then…

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, WOLF?" screamed Inuyasha, suddenly in the general's face and grabbing him by the collar. "WHO 'THEY', WHAT 'SACRIFICE', WHAT 'MOTHER-TO-BE'?" General Rei gaped in horror then rushed forward to try to pull the insane dog hanyou off the wolf. The outburst weeks before couldn't compare to this. At least then he had some semblance of self-control. Now he appeared to have none.

However, in the next two seconds Inuyasha went from holding General Makoto's haori to his horsetail being yanked down by one hand, his good arm being twisted behind his back and the silver general standing behind him, grinning. "Feisty one, aren't you?" General Rei halted and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd forgotten the silver general's specialty was hand-to-hand combat.

General Makoto's grin shrank to a grim smile and he said, "Let me get one thing clear, their true target is most definitely you. If Arai Keiko was the one they really wanted, they wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of leaving survivors and giving them a message. I don't think they know about the baby. Hell, I didn't know until a few days ago when she came in to tell me she was three months along."

"Three months?" Inuyasha said between gasps of pain. General Makoto's grip was powerful and accurate. Not only was he twisting Inuyasha's left hand up, he was simultaneously pressing the pressure point on his wrist. Inuyasha's right hand gripped the wrist that held his horsetail, but the crippled appendage could never apply the force needed to break the wolf's hold.

"Yeah, surprised me too," said the wolf hanyou. "Poor thing was so upset over her denied wedding and being transferred for no good reason that she completely missed she was skipping. She isn't showing so I'm certain they took her because she's your woman. Their leader must think highly of you to go to these lengths just to be rid of you."

He glanced up and glared contempt and death at General Rei, who retreated a step, and Lord Kuromaru, who stood his ground and met the gaze with his own acid laced one. "Guess their marriage was already consummated. They were just asking for the ceremony to make it official. I would've thought, as the son of the great Lord Jounochi, you would've at least known what you can't do as a lord. It's none of your business who people marry. I don't know why you even stuck your nose into her affair in the first place." General Makoto then moved the hand gripping Inuyasha's horsetail to his right elbow, pulling the damaged appendage down to his side, releasing the strain on the hanyou's neck and making it easier for him to speak. He didn't once let up on the pressure to the left arm.

Inuyasha rolled his head forward, then bowed it as best he could with his shoulder still throbbing from the unnatural position and said, "I'm the one who told him about the wedding but only because he's family. Not once did it ever cross my mind that not only would he refuse to allow it but that he would threaten to charge me and Keiko with treason if we forced the issue. I didn't tell Keiko about that last part in my letter to her. I just said 'my uncle didn't approve'."

"Oh aren't you cruel," General Makoto said with a snarl. "Your kinsman here is nice enough to invite the brainless pig to join in the best moment of his life because you're kin and you just crap all over him. I can't recall the number of times I had to order you to perform a task that wasn't immediately beneficial. You gotta whole barren field you want to make beautiful and full of life. Yet you waste time and effort growing only flowers instead of trees because the flowers make the hill pretty right away. Never mind a forest holds far more life and beauty. You short-sighted idiot! If you had just learned to see beyond the next five days then maybe we could've ended this war already."

Lord Kuromaru hissed. He wanted to say something, anything to refute the general's words, but couldn't come up with any comebacks that wouldn't prove the gruff wolf hanyou right. Particularly since a quick glance around revealed angry even contemptible stares being aimed his way. Nearly everyone in the camp, from cooks to stable hands, from archers to swordsmen, was now gathered. He ground his teeth.

He had never liked General Makoto. His time in the military had been hell while serving under the crude hanyou. General Makoto had never once acknowledged his accomplishments and only ragged on his errors, blowing them out proportion, and damning everything he did. Lord Kuromaru had never understood why his general had behaved as he did when he, Kuromaru, had done so well as a commander. Every general had acknowledged and praised his accomplishments in the past so why couldn't General Makoto? His own father, the late Lord Jounochi had trusted him with important tasks yet this one general seemed unable to forget a rookie's mistakes and move on. Even now the general was refusing to acknowledge his hard work in the face of this disaster and the extreme pressure it placed on him. Lord Kuromaru thought he was doing very well all things considered.

He turned his attention to his nephew standing panting in General Makoto's iron grip. It was all Inuyasha's fault. The hanyou had failed the early promise the sage had spoken of when he had given up his life to save the boy. Lord Kuromaru knew it wasn't entirely Inuyasha's fault that he hadn't lived up to expectations. With a crippled arm, Inuyasha's combat abilities were limited since most martial arts required two hands to have any great skill in them. However, Inuyasha had barely mastered his hikaze power, gaining just enough control to refrain from incinerating people every time he sneezed. It was a great disappointment. His celestial power was the only thing that wouldn't have been limited by his useless right hand. Why his master had removed the restraints at all was a mystery to Lord Kuromaru.

_But now look at the mess we're in,_ he thought, his eyes burning, _and all because he couldn't restrain his base nature. If his restraints had remained he would have known his place and this wouldn't have happened. He isn't much use as he is anyway. We wouldn't have missed his presence on the battlefield._

"All this blaming won't bring Keiko back," said Inuyasha. He began squirming despite the spasms racing up his arm, spiking his skull with needles of agony. "Release me! If it's me they want then they can have me. I don't know what I've done that singled me out like this but I can't let Keiko die because of it."

"No can do," said General Makoto, applying more pressure to the captured wrist.

Inuyasha gasped and stopped moving. "Why ever not? You said you wouldn't hesitate to turn yourself over for her sake," he said through gritted teeth, turning his head to glare at the wolf hanyou. Lord Kuromaru and General Rei both glanced at him as well. While their feelings on the issue may have been the exact opposite both waited to hear General Makoto's reasoning.

"First off, I'd sacrifice myself because it is mostly my fault she got caught. I put her as part of the returning caravan because they never get attacked, though we still take precautions. Returning caravans have little that would attract starving brigands much less a military force. Anyone riding a demon horse, however, is always getting harassed and sometimes critically injured. Not a good thing for a mother-to-be. Obviously, they wanted me to get through so that I could tell their intended victim the bad news."

_And yet, despite knowing this much, he still tells the "intended victim",_ thought General Rei, shaking his head. _He may be a military genius but at times like this he proves he doesn't have an ounce of common sense._

"If I had known she was going to be targeted outright," General Makoto was saying. "I would've put her on that stallion there and sent her flying across the fields. Would've stood a better chance of getting to safety. But it's really about what you said earlier. You don't know what it was that made you so special. I don't think it's your relationship to our 'outstanding' lord." Lord Kuromaru snarled at the sarcastic comment. "If it wasn't something you did then it has to be something you're expected to do, or maybe become. It could be the enemy has seen some potential that we're all missing and that potential is scaring them. They want to nip this threat in the bud so you've become a target. This is also why we can't let you die recklessly. If there is something about you that is scaring the enemy then that is something we wanna keep."

General Makoto then glanced around and noticed the stares particularly the perplexed one coming from General Rei. "What?"

_Military genius indeed, _thought General Rei while waving his hand in dismissal then said, "When finally put into words, what you say does make sense. And I, for one, would like to find out what it is that enemy finds so intimidating about Inuyasha."

"Aren't you all jumping to conclusions?" snapped Lord Kuromaru. Everyone turned to look at the lord; General Makoto scowled. "Why are you so certain it's Inuyasha they want? It could really be you."

"Well I can see why you'd be upset," said General Makoto, a smirk appearing on his face. "The enemy leader is more interesting in killing off your crippled, mediocre nephew than in assassinating you. That tells me they read you the same way I did." Lord Kuromaru began trembling and so did half the weapons in the area.

"Will you shut up!" yelled Inuyasha. The weapons ceased rattling in their sheaths and everyone returned their attention to the dog hanyou. "Release me! If you can't be serious then release me so I can rescue Keiko. That way you two can devote all the time in the world to insulting each other. RELEASE ME!" With the final scream, he vanished within a cyclone of fire. General Makoto, though being washed by the flames, didn't flinch. He wasn't even being scorched; to the shock of everyone around him.

"You know, I beginning to like you more and more, however," said General Makoto, his voice containing a teasing lilt. He then pulled hard on the left arm he still held, releasing the right with shove. Inuyasha, caught unprepared, spun around and the wolf launched his fist into the dog's diaphragm. The flames went out and Inuyasha stood bent in two for a second before falling forward, unconscious. General Makoto caught him and said, "A hot-head like you would only die in such a trap and Miss Arai would fall right on top of your corpse and get buried in the same grave. We'll get your lady back, but we need to do this the right way."

General Makoto looked up and pointed to one of the younger tenko in the gathered crowd. "You there, take him to the barracks and restrain him there. I don't want him running off first chance he gets."

"H-hai!" said the tenko and he ran forward to take Inuyasha from General Makoto. A few others stepped forward to help carry the hanyou and the group disappeared from sight.

"Now, to the business of rescuing Miss Arai and _Mister _Kuromaru, your opinions are not needed nor will be heeded so you might as well go take a dump somewhere else," said General Makoto with a dismissive wave.

Lord Kuromaru's fists clenched and unclenched. "What gives you the right to tell _me_ what to do?" he spat.

"Because I do mean to get Miss Arai back and you have absolutely no talent for strategy. You have no talent for _planning_ even. You have skill of arms, you have charisma, but beyond that you have nothing. You don't live as long as I have and through as many wars as I have by being taken in by a little glow in the armor and a few sweet words," replied General Makoto, his tone even, his face a stone mask, his stance unbending.

****

Inuyasha regained consciousness but instinctively remained still until he was fully aware. Someone, more than one, was setting him down on the ground with great care and they were conversing.

"Can you believe General Makoto? How can he talk to the tenko lord like that?"

"Doesn't change the fact that everything he said is true. I was suspicious of those transfer orders right from the start."

"Never mind that! Where are the restraints? General Makoto doesn't want Kanzaki going after Arai."

"I think I know where they are. I'll go get them."

Footsteps retreated. Four different voices, four people or were there more? Inuyasha remained still and listened for any tell-tale signs of a fifth person. He wasn't going to accept imprisonment without a fight. Not with the lives of Keiko and their unborn child at stake. Not to that wolf who seemed more interested in insulting his uncle than in setting up a rescue.

"I am curious as to what the enemy saw in Kanzaki. I mean don't get me wrong, he does have a lot of power, but it's not like he can use it effectively. Why not ambush the generals instead of wasting time setting traps for scouts?"

_Why indeed? No one trusts me to use my powers safely. I don't even trust myself_, thought Inuyasha. _Of everyone here, why am I the one they chose to target?_

"Maybe they had a prophetess tell them Kanzaki will be their doom."

"I know! I know! An oracle appeared before their fearsome warlord and said, 'A child of two worlds, blood of the dog general, blood of the human angel, combine to create the great lord of Tenji. He will be greater than all before and bring about the end darkness.'"

_Even they aren't taking this seriously,_ thought Inuyasha, his lips twitched as he fought to suppress a growl. His ears rotated slightly back but the remaining young people were too involved in their conversation to notice the slips.

"That would be in full defiance of our customs. How can a hanyou, much less a hitenko, become a lord of the tenko clan never mind the lord of Tenji? You know that title is split between the dog clan and our clan. A demon lord and tenko lord; that is how it has always been."

"Not always, which means things can change again."

_Not likely. I'm no lord._

"Not like Lord Kuromaru hasn't defied a few customs himself."

"Don't say that! You know how much trouble you could get into? You're not a reputed general."

Only three distinct voices. One had gone to get restraints but three remained, he was certain. He opened his lids just enough to peer through his eyelashes. The three were sitting around him but not watching him. _You really should have paid closer attention to your charge. The silver general was correct in that regard at least,_ he thought. _He was correct not to trust me to stay put!_ He inhaled quietly then lunged, his body flying off the floor, dust blowing everywhere from the hot wind he created. The three never knew what hit them.

****

A wonder of a castle rose before her. The ground had been lifted into three distinct levels, flat stones were pressed into the slopes and a broad path switched back across it. Walls of fired clay and melted stone rose from the edges of each plateau and clay tile adorned the wall and the pagoda roofs. She passed through an entrance with massive logs bound together for the gate. Heavy chains and great wheels raised and lowered it.

_Castle Arai? _She thought in wonder and horror. The castle hadn't been razed like everyone had assumed. The enemy had occupied it and made it their own. Even as she was being carried in, she couldn't decide if the destruction would have been preferable. At least then her father's vanity would have remained as a memory of a people's salvation rather than become an enemy's main base.

Once inside she saw a massive numbers of barracks, storage sheds and training areas. It wasn't quite the same as what her father had originally built. The new owners had made some adjustments after moving in. She didn't remember it being wide enough to allow for so many buildings within its walls.

After the third gate she came before the pagoda she had seen from outside. It was there in the courtyard that she was finally set down. She tore out of the net and rose to her feet. Spears leveled on her from all directions and if not for the unborn child she would have thrown herself on them. The spearheads waved and the ones behind her pushed forward while the ones before moved back. She turned toward the ones pushing forward and took up her fighting stance even as she edged back from their deadly points.

"Now now. We mustn't do anything to upset the baby. After all, unborn children are such fragile things," said a voice as smooth as oil. Keiko spun again and nearly fainted with shock.

"Inuyasha!" she cried before she could think. _Impossible! It can't be! He wouldn't do this!_ A second look revealed key differences in his features. His hair was short, only to the shoulders, and he wore a white kimono with pale blue swirls under a sleeveless black haori and black hakama, the ends of it tucked into black foot wrappings. A glaive with an ebony staff and blue-black blade rested on his shoulder. Despite her dire situation, she almost collapsed in relief.

The man laughed and said, "No, I'm not your lover. Do settle down Miss Arai. It would be just a terrible tragedy to lose a child when it is so unnecessary." Keiko went rigid, her face paling.

_Who is he? How does he know about the baby? I didn't tell anyone but the general and he promised not to say anything for my protection,_ Keiko thought. Her mind whirled and a deep cold bit into her bones.

"If you didn't want me to know then you shouldn't wear such information on your face," the man said, smirking. "I can read you like a scroll."

"You didn't know?" she said without thinking.

The hanyou shrugged without losing his smile and said, "I guessed. Your behavior changed a few days ago. Why send a talented warrior, such as yourself, to guard empty wagons and why have her so close to the wagons instead of further abroad?" Keiko gritted her teeth and looked down. The man in black started walking toward her as he continued speaking, the spearmen parting for him. "But don't feel too depressed. It was only a matter of time before you ended up as my guest. You see, I had already planned on inviting you. It's the father of your child. I've been trying to invite him over for years now but he has been strangely avoiding me. So I am afraid, this is the only way I can get his undivided attention."

_All of this is a trap set for Inuyasha? Why?_ she thought; sweat breaking out on her forehead.

Now he stood before her. He took hold of her chin, lifted it and gazed into her dark eyes. Like a bird caught in the snake's gaze, she couldn't move. Her whole body was frozen and unresponsive. Her breathing came in shallow and quick. His, face so much like the man she loved, loomed in her vision. She trembled; even his scent was the same. The only difference; his golden eyes lacked any warmth or kindness. He rubbed his finger along her chin then leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Her emotions swirled; she knew this man was not Inuyasha. Her mind screamed it with every heartbeat, but this kiss… Somehow she managed to break free and slap him. The sound echoed in the quiet of the courtyard. She gasped for air, a mixture of rage and revulsion painted on her face. The man just stood there, his face turned in the direction of the blow, his cheek glowing red, but then he did something unexpected. Instead of hitting her, grabbing and shaking her, or even glaring at her; he just gripped her outstretched hand, pulled her closer and smiled.

"You being pregnant just means you won't try anything foolish while you're here," he said in that oily calm voice as if nothing had happened. He reached forward with his other hand and patted her abdomen. Keiko shuddered and tried to pull away but the hand then reached around her waist and she was trapped pressed against him. He whispered into her ear, "After all, you have so much more to lose now than just _your _life."

****

"Yade yade. I think we've been seriously underestimating this kid's abilities," said General Makoto as he stared down at the three tenko groaning on the floor. Despite his light tone his eyes glinted with shades of scarlet.

"I'm sorry, sir," said a young woman, her head bowed. "I left to get the restraints you requested and came back to find them like this."

"Don't apologize," he said his expression grim. "I shoulda done it myself."

"So now what are we to do?" asked General Rei, exasperated. "Their target is heading straight for them."

General Makoto turned away from the three on the ground. Two kitenko stepped forward as he walked away and began tending to them. "The only thing we can do. We send out men on horseback to run him down and catch him before he gets too far. Can't possibly have that much of lead, it hasn't been long since he left."

His counterpart was shaking his head before he even finished. "Kanzaki Inuyasha happens to be one of my best scouts."

"Your best _scout_?" General Makoto, having tasted Inuyasha's abilities, could hardly believe the boy was wasted on scouting.

"Yes, because of that crippled right hand, his sword skills are less than average," explained General Rei as they walked. "And because his master died on the day his restraints were removed his fire magic is still barely that of a first year journeyman. He has a lot of power; he just doesn't have the knowledge and finesse to make it do what he wants, particularly in the chaos of battle. All he can do is control it but that's it. His hand-to-hand combat ability, though, is exceptional, if he stays focused."

"Unable to do what he wants?" interrupted General Makoto, shooting him a look of disbelief. "Rei, what do you think he was doing earlier? That cyclone was absolutely beautiful. Tightly focused around him and no heat to it! Now that takes control. I would have been fried if he hadn't been able to keep the destructive power in check."

"I said he can keep it under control," said General Rei with a grimace. "I know he can keep his destructive power from hurting others. It's _using_ the destructive power that he has a hard time with. It's all or nothing with him. That's why I couldn't put him in a formal unit and send him into battle with others. So I had him do work as a scout. Strangely enough, he excelled at it. He can gather a great amount of accurate information in a very short space of time. I'm not sure what it is he is actually doing, but if he doesn't want to be found he won't be. And, from what I can gather about his mission time, he can move at a great rate of speed when determined." General Rei finished then noticed he was walking alone. Startled, he turned to look for his companion and saw him standing a short distance behind him.

General Makoto stared wide-eyed at the gold general, one tattered ear lying limp on his skull the other turned forward. "Couldn't you have mentioned this while I still had possession of the boy? I might not have made this mistake if I'd known in advance that he's an expert in disappearing and avoidance."

"General Makoto, the Kanzaki Inuyasha I've known for the last several years has always been a remarkably even tempered and considerate man. He was always dependable and obedient. He was the one who cooled the tempers of the hotheads in the army and helped keep the infighting to a minimum. I honestly didn't think he would go this far," said General Rei. "Warrior Arai on the other hand… She's the one I would have figured for this type of behavior. Half of the infighting he stopped was ones she started."

General Makoto blinked then shook his head. "So Kanzaki, despite being a hitenko, was never the impulsive one. That actually frightens me more." He started walking again. General Rei just stared at him, wondering what the silver general meant by that last statement.

General Makoto's mind was now racing. _My brief encounter with him was all I needed to confirm he was the type to throw his life away for the sake of another. However, because he was disallowed from participating in battle that little characteristic never had a chance to display itself. Tsk! If he is talented in information gathering then I may have finally found the reason for the enemy's concern. If he is able to avoid their lookouts he must be able to breach their security. Feh! Gather information from messengers and report enemy movements? I bet his abilities would allow him to assassinate their leader, if anyone had taken the time to stop and think about it before now. No wonder the enemy wants him dead. They may've been trying to kill him for a while now but his abilities kept him out of danger. I wonder what other surprised he has in store for us in the future._

General Makoto scratched his head and muttered, "If he makes it back in one piece, I'll flog him for insubordination myself."

_**To be continued…**_


	23. Broken Dreams: Murder of the Soul

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. To do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

**Part Three: Murder of the Soul**

_Two days later…_

Kuromakaze sat cross-legged in the large garden behind the central pagoda, meditating. The garden was atop a fourth plateau created exclusively for it. The central pagoda and its surrounding structures were pressed into the slopes. The garden entrance was at the fourth level of the five level pagoda and just even with the roof tops of the other buildings. This left its view free of obstructions and allowed the wind to pass through uninterrupted. While meditating here he could feel the stirrings of the air anywhere within the land he had taken from his father. Sometimes it was the only way to determine when something unwanted had entered his territory.

The wind shifted and a strand of air, strangely devoid of moisture on this cool spring night, drained the inner lining of his nose of all water causing it to crack and bleed. It was gone the next second and only the blood trickling down his face remained as proof of its passing. Kuromakaze opened his eyes and lifted a hand to his face, wiping the blood off.

"He's coming," he whispered.

"He is? But no one has reported seeing him," said Yamibi. Kuromakaze glanced over at his second in command. The raven haired dog hanyou was flicking water in the pool with her toes. She didn't meditate, thinking it boring and a waste of time. Only his cold temper responses to her interruptions had brought an end to her complaints. He didn't care if she did it or not as long as she respectfully let him be during his.

"And they probably won't until his clambering over the castle walls. He senses when ambushes are awaiting him. I can see him avoiding lookouts by the same means." Kuromakaze stood and began striding toward the pagoda. "We must make sure everything is ready for when he arrives. I don't want anything to go wrong, now."

"You're being stupid. Just kill him when he comes. You shouldn't play these kinds of games," said Yamibi, remaining where she stood in both argument and place.

"I'm hardly playing," he said over his shoulder, pausing at the shoji. Then, as he stepped into the tower, to himself, he whispered, "I just can't stand fools."

****

Keiko stepped over the body of her guard. The man lay on the floor foam spilling out of his mouth, body convulsing; a victim of the warrior priestess's soul purification. She drew his sword then moved away from the door.

_If I can just find the exit tunnel my father built as part of this complex I know I can escape_, she thought as she tiptoed down the hall. _Even if they have remodeled, I doubt it was damaged._

The escape tunnel's entrance was below the cellar. The cellar itself was a series of rooms within the raised terraces. The entrance was a small door that opened to a tight, steep stairwell carved in stone. It led down, dropping the height of four grown men below the cellar's floor before leveling out and leading away to the secret exit far afield.

_If I can make it there, I'll be as good as free!_

The door leading to the cellars was hidden behind decorated panels in the main pagoda. That doorway had its own set of stairs leading down to the cellars. Her father had designed the castle while pretending he was trying to fend off an imaginary enemy. He hadn't wanted the enemy to know how well supplied they were nor where the escape tunnel was hidden. In case of a breach the hidden cellars acted as a screen to protect the last refugees as they fled the doomed castle. She was certain the enemy had never found the cellars never mind the escape tunnel.

Keiko inspected the main entranceway where the panels were located. No one was around. All the guards were on the walls looking for external threats. No one was inside watching for her. She stepped out into the open space. Moonlight filtered through the paper walls of the outer section. It wasn't full tonight but she possessed excellent night vision. She approached the panels and tried hard to remember which one was the door.

_They were all made with a repeating pattern so it wouldn't be obvious. The rising sun, the bowed tree, the rock in the river, the bamboo grove, the pair of clouds and two dozen birds flying in two formations. It takes three panels to complete the pattern. The one that is different is the entry._

She studied the panels put nothing seemed abnormal in any of them. It may have been a pattern but each one held a slight variation from the others, so they weren't exactly the same. _What's the difference? I should know it! What is the one difference that I'm looking for?_ she thought, beginning to panic. The variation had the tree bowing more deeply in one than in another. The two clouds tickled the sun in one while they didn't touch it in another or obscured partly in a third. The river currents weren't drawn the same as they moved around the rock. The pattern of the bamboo grove varied in the angle the stalks leaned. The two bird formations were not evenly split, creating staggered lines.

_The birds!_ she thought and began counting the number in each panel. _Each panel may have a varied design but they all possess the same number of elements. The number of birds is twenty-four and the formations are not uniformed. At a glance you wouldn't notice…_ She stopped at the second panel from the left end and smiled, it contained twenty-five birds. _If there was an extra bird in the flock._

She pushed on the right side and heard a click then, placing her sword against the neighboring panel, braced her hands against both sides and pushed up. The panel lifted a finger width then rotated, bringing the top-half down toward her head. Keiko smiled when she saw the stairs leading to the cellar.

"So there was a hidden exit, I had thought as much," said an oily voice from behind her. Recognizing it, she whirled, focusing her power in the palm of her hand to strike with another soul purifying burst. Hanyou or not, this attack's effect would be complete. Her palm slammed into his chest over his heart and a blue light arced through his body.

"Yatta!" she gasped and smiled. A hand grabbed her forearm and twisted it around causing her to drop to her knees.

"Afraid not," Kuromakaze said. She looked up and blinked. Black eyes stared into her own and ebony hair, darker than night, framed a pale face. She stared in disbelief then focused all of her power into the hand that held her. Kuromakaze didn't even blink as wave after wave of spiritual energy pulsed through him.

"That won't work, Priestess," he said. "Your power only affects those possessing yoki or twisted souls. At this moment, I have neither."

"How can you, of all people, possess a pure soul? You're more twisted then anyone alive," said Keiko, sneering even as her gaze lost the final lights of hope.

"Your soul twists when it diverges from the path you were given at birth, but when one is born 'twisted' living as anything else would be the true impurity. In other words my dear," he said then leaned forward until his nose brushed hers. "I'm _pure_ evil. That's why. You can't affect me. You can't hurt me. You're far too predictable and your power is useless." He ran his other hand through her hair. "Just sit quietly; your fiancé is already on his way. You wouldn't want to disappoint him by not being here when he arrives, do you?"

****

_Three days later…_

Inuyasha hid in the woods outside the killing ground of the enemy castle, impressed despite himself. _A few well placed master tenko on the walls and this place would be an equal to Sanshaku no Hinansho in defense plus it has the added benefit of offense._

He remained where he stood trying to figure out how to breach the castle and rescue Keiko. His impromptu escape had left him without provisions. He had been so focused on rescuing Keiko he had gone the first day and half without food or water. Dehydration had blurred his senses and he had almost run straight into an enemy encampment. The only thing that had saved him then was the sleeping lookout he had bowled over. Inuyasha was lucky the man's sleep had been alcohol induced or he doubted he would have gotten away without the alarm being sounded. He was pretty certain the samurai was still trying to figure out where he had gotten those light burns on his ribs and shoulder that he undoubtedly discovered upon being relieved and, most likely, chastised for his poor physical state.

After that, he found a stream and, after checking to see if anyone else was around, drank and ate his fill of water and river fish. He had then climbed into the high branches of an old oak for a short nap. He had proceeded more carefully after that, taking time to rest, feed and drink.

_I can't rescue anyone if I'm too weak to stand when I finally do get there,_ he thought to himself over and over again. Still, his sleep was light and filled with images of Keiko being tortured. _Just hang-on, Keiko, I'm coming!_

"Now just how am I going to get into this place? They're better organized than anyone thought," he muttered to himself. He doubted he would run into any drunken guards here. Without warning, the gates lifted into the air but nothing came out. Nothing was approaching the castle either and Inuyasha felt a familiar chill creep through him. Every part of his being was urging him to turn away. He remained frozen for some time caught between his need to go forward and his instinct to turn back.

"Do come in," whispered an oily voice in his ear. Inuyasha jumped and whirled. No one was behind him. No one was anywhere near him. "Do you really want to keep your bride-to-be waiting, Inuyasha?" the voice whispered again. There was something familiar about it, but the hanyou couldn't place it. One thing was certain. The voice was being woven into the wind. In order to do that the weaver had to already know where he was.

_There's no way to avoid it now without abandoning Keiko,_ he thought, grimacing._ I can't hope to enter the castle now undetected no matter when, where or how I do it._

Breaking cover, he stepped onto the killing ground. Nothing happened. He glanced at the tops of the walls but no one was in sight. The gateway was also devoid of soldiers. He kept walking, following the path laid down by multitudes of horse hooves, cart wheels and sandaled feet. He passed through a second gateway and continued forward. It was only after entering the third that he saw someone at the end of the courtyard. A woman, painted white with heavy eye and lip makeup, her hair intertwined with that of a huge headdress, multiple robes wrapped her body, stood at the end of a short set of stairs. She was formally dressed for a wedding but, despite the heavy garb and paint, Inuyasha still recognized her.

Keiko looked over at him and bit her lip; her fixed gaze intense. Inuyasha choked back a cry. What the hell was the enemy doing dressing her like that? What were they planning?

The voice spoke again, this time originating from the top of the steps leading to the engawa. "Welcome cousin. You're just in time for your own wedding ceremony."

"Wedding ceremony? What they hell are you planning? Who are-" He stopped short; the word "cousin" sinking in, allowing for the unknown voice to find a face. "No!" he whispered.

A figure stepped out of the shadows of the pagoda. He was dressed in a rich black kimono with two layers beneath, one of blue and the other of white. Silver cranes flew across the folds and his short white hair was tied back in a pig tail at the base of his neck. Gold eyes met gold eyes. It had been fifteen years since Inuyasha had met that gaze but he still knew that cold, cruel, calculating stare.

"Sagara," Inuyasha breathed, his mouth barely moving to form the hated name.

"Yes, though I now go by the name Kuromakaze. I heard that my father had refused your wedding and has put your poor fiancée in a terrible predicament. I thought I might lend you a hand."

"I somehow doubt you did all this from the goodness of your heart, Sagara," said Inuyasha, stepping further into the courtyard. His eyes focused on the evil hanyou but his ears began rotating to catch any hints of flying weapons. Inuyasha remembered all too well his cousin's attack of choice.

"Oh come now, cousin, no need to be so rude. One might think you were raised by the wilderness if you keep talking like that. I merely sympathized with your pain and decided to hold a wedding ceremony for you. The least you could do is express your gratitude." With Kuromakaze's final words the air began to sing and Inuyasha found the sky full of spinning double-sided scythes.

Inuyasha gazed at the blades with wide eyes. _When did those get there? I didn't hear them approach!_

The gate behind him slammed shut. People began appearing, soldiers mainly, but a few maids also stepped forward, throwing flower petals into the air. One stepped toward Kuromakaze and handed him a cup and poured sake into it. Inuyasha glanced around. There was nowhere to run now; all escape routes were now closed.

"Do step forward, cousin," Kuromakaze said, raising his cup in toast, his smile poisonous. "Everyone has gathered just for this special occasion. And more importantly, a bride should never be alone at her own wedding. You both can be together in life - in _death_ - forever!"

****

Kirara had been flying for days. Exhausted though she was, she refused to rest. Her best friend had been captured while she had been chasing thugs. Kirara growled at her own stupidity. She had allowed her blood-rage to control her again and now the enemy had Keiko.

Though, Kirara couldn't speak, she could still think and feel. She had started searching as soon as she returned to the caravan and realized Keiko had been captured. Furious with herself, she had ignored the calls of the others and had taken off to try to catch up to the assailants. She had found nothing. Even now she couldn't determine where Keiko was.

Thirst getting the better of her, she finally came down by a stream and drank her fill. She clawed at the ground, frustrated by her ineptitude. A scent wafted up from the soil, startling her. It wasn't Keiko's but it was someone the twin-tale knew. With no other leads, she decided to follow it.

****

Inuyasha eyes never left Kuromakaze as he went through with his wedding ceremony, but his mind was taking in every bit of stimuli the environment had to offer. The sound in the wind, the scent in the air, the vibration of the earth; Inuyasha's mind raced as he painted the area's picture in his head. _Five hundred soldiers armed with spears, all armored. Not a single one off guard despite the ceremony and the sure kill this trap is. One thousand spinning blades in the air starting five feet above the heads of the soldiers and creating a hemisphere above me, a very shallow one, not more than two feet between the blades and they're two layers thick. The gate is ten feet of solid hard wood. The pagoda's back is buried in earth, but the walls are light wood and paper. However, Sagara is standing at the entrance. Could I make it…?_

Again the chill crept through him and he knew it was impossible. The trap was well thought out. Then the most absurd image floated into his mind, that of a mouse borrowing. Predators scrapped at an entrance long after the mouse had broken through to the other side and run off. He pushed the image aside but then an image of a lava tube came to mind. He'd remembered exploring one a long time ago. Though it was created by flowing lava, when he and his master examined it the walls of the flow were still intact while the inside was hollow. His master had explained that as long as the tube remained intact, during the next eruption, most of the lava would stay inside it to appear somewhere further along.

Inuyasha bit his lip, he understood. The only unguarded route was the one through the earth, but he wasn't a tsuchitenko. He couldn't part the earth beneath him and create a path. The image of the lava tube continued flashing before his eyes. _Earth can flow away if gets hot enough_, he thought,_ but do I have the time? Can we even survive running through what will be a fresh lava tube? If I melted the earth then cooled it with my wind maybe then it would be fine. _His cousin was coming to the end of his ceremonial speech; the wedding would end after that. _I'll just have to do it! I'm running out of time!_

Trying hard to keep the attempt from showing on his face, Inuyasha focused all his power at the balls of his feet. He then threaded it down at a steep slant, driving it deeper while keeping a sense of where it was in position to the rest of the castle. He needed the opening to appear at the base. Anywhere else would mean resurfacing still inside the walls if too soon or risk being caught in the trap and killed if he didn't create the opening soon enough due to extending it too far. He had never before used his power so finely or without gestures. Even with General Makoto he had managed to summon the cyclone by rotating his ears in two different directions. His heart hammered against his chest, his breathing began to labor and sweat broke out all over his body. He clamped his teeth together and stiffened his body to hide the effort and prayed Kuromakaze would fail to notice his perspiration.

Keiko glanced at Inuyasha having felt the shift in his body and fearing it was a sign of his intention to attack. She could see they were trapped and that escape was impossible. She had hoped he wouldn't come, prayed he would turn back, even as she remained alive only because she didn't want to die if rescue was still possible. She wanted to cry at her own childish weakness that had led her fiancé to his death. If she had killed herself he wouldn't be here dying with her.

"I now recognize you as one being, husband and wife. May your family of three enjoy great happiness in the next life!" said Kuromakaze and he swept his hand forward. The spears leveled on them as the scythes closed in.

"Now or never," muttered Inuyasha while wiggling his ears. A whirlwind of fire, compact and uniform along its whole length appeared around them. The scythes plunged into the flames as the spearmen drew back. Some of the blades reappeared at the opposite sides and splashed against the ground, losing its shape in a molten puddle. The rest failed to reappear and the answer became clear a few seconds later when the cyclone went out and their glowing molten forms were seen clinging to the sides of a hole lined with black igneous rock.

Kuromakaze stared in disbelief then said with full admiration, "Well done, cousin." He then turned toward his dumbstruck men and yelled, "Open the gates and go after them! They couldn't have gotten past the kill ground yet." He spread his black wings and summoned his glaive. He rose into the air; this surprise was just further proof of why he needed Inuyasha dead. What hitenko would have even considered melting an exit in the ground beneath their feet? What hitenko would even have the power to not only burn it open but cool it just as fast without giving away their efforts? It was an astounding feat, a shocking surprise and Kuromakaze disliked surprises even more than fools.

****

Yamibi gaped at the hole in the courtyard from the roof of the pagoda. Even though she could rub this in Kuromakaze's face since she had advocated he kill his cousin immediately, she still thought the trap inescapable. She couldn't believe what Inuyasha had just done._ I guess we were both right in the end. I was right to want to just kill him immediately and he was right for wanting to kill him at all. I really shouldn't underestimate the blood of the Lightwing clan,_ she thought.

She noticed movement at the base of the castle when everyone was still scrambling to open the first of the gates and spotted two figures running away. _Oh no, my dears. Tisn't going to be that easy to get away from this death trap_, she thought smirking. She raised her bow and drew back an arrow. She'd taken up her position in order to kill Inuyasha as soon the gate swung shut. However, she had relaxed after seeing the trap's layout. _I'll have to remember to thank Inuyasha at his grave. Now the kill is mine to make!_

She let fly.

****

Keiko's headdress and, subsequently, her hair were burned off by Inuyasha's sudden flames. She had tilted her head in surprise and the headdress had touched the funnel's side before the ground dropped out beneath them. The rush of air that had driven them down the dizzying slide had kept her head from burning but now her hair was only two finger widths in length. Though her long hair was her one vanity, she decided she could live with it being short for awhile.

The pair tumbled a short distance after they flew out the end of the tunnel. Keiko shrugged off the heavy robes leaving her in a kimono and hakama outfit that lay beneath them. Inuyasha pulled her to her feet and they started to run. They were within ten feet of the trees when the arrowhead sprouted from Keiko's right breast. She fell, blood flying from her wound and mouth.

"Keiko!" screamed Inuyasha, turning. A glint was his only warning and his right hand swiped without conscious command. The steel head sliced the back of his hand, cutting to the bone, before being deflected into the dirt. Ignoring the searing pain, he lifted Keiko into his arms and leapt, another arrow piercing the soil inches behind his heel. A fourth and final arrow sent shard of wood flying in his face as he breached the tree line.

He heard the sounds of the distant gate struggling to open. However, another threat had appeared. The trees exploded around him from a barrage of wind blades. He glanced up as he zigzagged to avoid the worst of the attacks and gasped before dodging to the side as another attack exploded to his right. A dozen kazetenko were in the air above him. Focusing his mind again, he sent his own hot wind racing around him and before him. His wind revealed the clearest path as it raced around trunks and through foliage, it also deflected the wind blades.

It wasn't enough. Branches exploded. Trunks splintered. A kunai grazed his leg as he ran. A rain of blades couldn't be deflected by wind alone. Desperate, he scattered his wind all around him, spreading its influence through the trees and into the air above, then ignited it. Trees erupted, animals, not already gone, screamed, the wind howled and burning foliage began to spin into cyclones, rising into the air to rain down on parts not yet ablaze. The firestorm was unleashed in all its hellish glory. Inuyasha ran through the flames, the only one unaffected by the suffocating inferno.

****

Kuromakaze stared in awe. If he hadn't seen Inuyasha's firestorm years ago, small as it may have been, he might have been caught by it now. The kazetenko that had pursued him in the air were nowhere to be found; their bodies vanishing in the maw of flames. Still, he hadn't expected Inuyasha to be able to affect such a large area. Only the wind barrier Kuromakaze had created during the ceremony and then expanded and placed around the castle protected it from the fire. His men crumpled to the ground and watched the flames roll passed the barrier like waves washing over rocks. Fire tornados marched forward, spreading the blaze further and faster than the initial ignition.

"Why didn't he do that sooner?" asked Yamibi as she glided toward Kuromakaze.

He didn't even look at her. "If you were going to play sniper you should at least hit the right target."

"'Play sniper'? You're the one that decided to play games," started Yamibi. She shrieked when a half-dozen wind blades flew at her and dropped to avoid them. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she screamed flapping her wings to halt her fall.

"I do believe I mentioned, once upon a great while ago, that I can't stand fools," he said, his gaze as cold as ice, his words frost laden. "I needed that ceremony in order to weave a wind barrier around him just to prevent this result, this wind barrier," he said gesturing toward the flames. "The wind barrier is complicated and takes time to create especially when it is containing or repelling wind controlled fire."

Yamibi looked around at the barrier that held the firestorm at bay. "You knew about this? Why order the pursuit then?"

"Keiko is not immune to the flames like he is," he said, drifting down to the wall. "That may have been why he chose a different escape route from the one I had predicted."

For a second, Yamibi didn't understand then she flinched as comprehension dawned. Keiko was now either dead or dying while before she had been healthy. The fire itself could not harm a dead woman. If she were dying the wound she received would pose a greater threat to her life. In either case, for the unborn child, time was of the essence if the Akabarai was to be performed before it was too late.

The Akabarai, a spell created for the sole purpose of rescuing unborn children from compromised mothers. It could only be performed by hi, mizu or kitenko. Dead or breathing, Keiko was now compromised.

Yamibi understood. Inuyasha had restrained his power because he had feared harming Keiko. The wound she had inflicted on the priestess had removed his inhibition. Whether it was to save Keiko or just the child, he needed to escape by any means necessary.

"Now that you understand, please refrain from interfering further," he said from the top of the castle wall. Yamibi growled but she had lost all footing for her arguments. The fires beyond the barrier still raged but had lost their initial intensity. "It seems he had already cleared the flames. However, he can't continue running forever, especially if he wants to save his child." Kuromakaze raised his glaive until the blade was even with his gaze.

"_Aka rai sate maa. Shide maa kaji tachi raa. Uto maa tagu ii_." The glaive shivered and glowing red symbols appeared on the black blade. "_Asha rei kyoto maa. Ite jii uno mou. Kata Inuyasha_." The glaive rose of its own accord and pulled away from Kuromakaze. "_Shata ie bite un. Aka Aka Aka Inuyasha. Aka_!" The weapon flew from his hand, plunging through the wind barrier and vanishing into the flames in pursuit of its prey.

****

Inuyasha ran through the trees. The castle and the fires were long behind him but he didn't feel safe. He glanced back, through the trees to the side and even at the sky. Nothing. _Why do I feel pursued? There's nothing there,_ he thought.

"Inu-yasha," whispered Keiko. He looked down, her skin was pasty white and her lips were pale blue. Blood soaked her kimono and his. He felt it continuing to flow down his arm.

"Don't talk," he said between pants. "Save your strength."

"Inu-yasha… the spell… please," she whispered and coughed more blood all over him. Inuyasha bit his lip. He still didn't feel safe, but he was out of time. At this pace, he would reach help in a day if he was lucky. Keiko didn't have that long. He stopped and lowered Keiko's legs to the ground. He pulled his left arm free of her knees and held the hand before him in prayer. He had studied Akabarai like all hitenko but, as with all his spells, it was one he had never been allowed to actually perform due to his control issues. Inuyasha hesitated for only a second before beginning. He simply had no other choice but to try.

"_Chito muto ake ji. Poro toro kai ou. Shitsu maa pito tai. Inu pufu kito rai_." A blue light flared around his upheld hand. "_Yato jiki mou tou. Gate toro jibi bomu. Tobi maro kyoyo tabe. Shito mito rei maa._" He lowered his hand until the tip of his claw touched her abdomen. "_Yuki mada tobi shata. Tsuku miru neon gate. Shibu fuma kura tapu. Paha shitsu maa kai_." The light transferred to Keiko, her whole body began to glow. "_Jiji miki sashi mati. Kei mako rei sai. Soka mari shoto kai. Ito moto sahi hoto_." The glow flowed through her then began concentrating on her womb.

Keiko, weakened and struggling to stay awake, saw something wink between the trees. With the cold clarity of near death, Keiko knew what she needed to do. Summoning the final shreds of her strength, she pulled herself up then slammed her elbow into the back of Inuyasha's neck.

"_Haru yumi fata chichi. Heho kara rai mai. Neto nome deto dome. Fate kai rimo hi_-_**TE**!"_ The last syllable ended in a gagged sound as Inuyasha tumbled forward under Keiko's blow. The blue light flashed once then went out. The hanyou had no time to realize what had happened before Kuromakaze's glaive slammed into his right shoulder, punched through, dived into Keiko's neck and chest and flew out her back. Inuyasha's left arm caught Keiko's falling body on reflex as he crumpled; his right arm dead to his commands. Blood poured from his shoulder, covering them both. He tried to rise but his vision swam and he fell back down to his knees.

It was over. He could hear the glaive's clumsy u-turn as it came back around to strike the finishing blow. The first blow alone was critical; he was only still breathing because he was a hanyou. The Akabarai spell had been interrupted, undoing it. He would have to start over in order to save Keiko's unborn child and there was no time for it. The only way he could survive this would be to abandon Keiko's body and the baby and run for it. Critical or not he still had the strength to force his body to move but only without any burdens.

Inuyasha stared down at his wife's face. Trap or not, the wedding was still authentic. He and Keiko, for a brief moment in time, were husband and wife. He wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. _Why did I come? What did I accomplish in this? _He leaned forward and held Keiko as close as he could with just his left arm and waited for death to take him to where his wife and child were waiting.

Suddenly he was flying from the ground, the glaive whistling passed below his body, missing him and Keiko completely. Through the haze of pain, he realized someone had taken hold of his belt and were flying higher. Consciousness slipped away and the last thing he saw was Keiko's body falling back down to the forest below.

****

"For all your schemes he still managed to escape your grasp," said Yamibi, still sulking over Kuromakaze's dressing down earlier.

Kuromakaze held his glaive up, examining the blood on it, ignoring her jibe. The only limit on his spells was time and time was very limited for the spell that levitated the glaive. It was difficult to tie wind currents around something as narrow as a staff, strangely enough. It turned out that the more aerodynamic objects were the harder it was for air to grip them. Boulders were easier to levitate than spears.

_Judging by the damage on the trees, the glaive circled twice in this area before pursuing a few paces further,_ he thought taking in the broken shrubs and wounded trunks. He turned back toward the spot where he'd found his weapon on end._ And when the spell failed it was high enough in the air for the blade to have rotated down and land with enough force to bury it completely. Meaning, Inuyasha was in the air after the initial strike. _He gazed at the sky. _But if he could fly he would have done so from the start. _The wind shifted direction carrying a new scent to mingle with the blood odor. _An outsider intervened. Still he went a lot further than I anticipated. Did he sense the pursuit of my blade or was he trying on some vain hope to still save Keiko?_

_Without knowing anything about my strategy, without having seen my castle before, he was able to find the one exit that even I missed. He also almost succeeded in outrunning my glaive without knowing it was pursuing him. Then there were the other traps he avoided and the fact that he got this far without being detected by my lookouts. Sixth sense or a third eye, in either case he possesses an ability that cannot be predicted without further testing. I'll need to engage him more from now on. I can't set a proper death trap for him until I understand the limits of his power._

Yamibi detested being ignored. Her barb hadn't even earned an ear-flick from her so-called leader. She growled at Kuromakaze but even that failed to gain a response. _I'm the one who has the most experience here. I've participated in the last few civil wars within Tenji. I'm the one who got those wars to last as long as they did instead of having it all end in a hand full of years. I'm the real driving force behind this whole thing! How dare he brush me off like that! I'm not one of his recruits; I started this alliance and got him in contact with more than half of his army!_ She seethed and then stalked away.

She tumbled forward when her foot snagged on something unseen in her rage. She turned to kick the offending object then paused at the sight. Arai Keiko's empty eyes stared at her. Yamibi blinked and put her foot down. "Our only consolation in all this is that Kuromaru's best warrior is now dead," she muttered while brushing herself off. She returned her gaze to dead woman and said, "However, you were already leaving the battlefield weren't you, Arai? The only difference now is that your skills will never be passed onto future generations. What a pathetic way to go, I actually feel sorry for you. You were a worthy adversary. You deserved a more glorious death than this."

Yamibi raised her hand and a jolt of energy passed from her fingertips to Keiko's body and it disintegrated in the dark light. The hanyou woman turned to leave when a flash of blue caught her attention. A sapphire sphere glimmered in the leaves where the priestess's body had been. "What this, a chrysalis?" she whispered, stepping closer then kneeling beside it. _So he did manage to complete that part of the spell before he was hit,_ she thought then a smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she picked up the sphere. _Such a pity, he was too weak to hold onto her body and this child is mine to do with as I please. I'll not tell Kuromakaze. He'll just insist on using it in another one of his grand schemes. I have my own plans for this war and I'm certain this will help see them to completion._

****

General Makoto was calling to his soldiers in the predawn light. He had arrived back at his own camp only hours before when his men reported a strange fire to the southwest. Ill at ease, he called his men to arms. He planned to find the enemy base where Keiko was and rescue her if she were still alive. He only hoped her hot-headed fiancé had cooled off during his run and was stalled in scouting.

_I really hope that fool didn't try to rescue her all by himself,_ he thought for the thousandth time._ I can use his skills in finding her but this needs to be done with careful planning. This isn't something someone can just rush into and expect to survive._

"General Makoto! Someone's coming!" called a lookout. General Makoto ran toward his lookout as well as several other samurai. One sniff told him it was bad even before the twin-tale descended into view.

"Where are those healers? Get over to her!" shouted the wolf hanyou. As the kitenko and their assistants ran forward, he turned back toward the closing feline and swallowed. The first light of dawn revealed her burden. Inuyasha hung from her jaws completely unresponsive to the activity before him. "Damn!"

Kirara overshot the crowd and landed in front of the healers, carefully lowering the injured hanyou. The kitenko took him and laid him down for an immediate evaluation. General Makoto jogged toward them.

"He's still breathing, but barely,' reported an older healer. "Blood loss is severe; I'm going to have to transfer. The wound on his shoulder is critical but he's too weak for a full healing. We'll have to stop the bleeding now and hope the limb survives until we can do a better job of it." He turned to his younger comrades. "Take him to the medic tent."

"Not all that blood is his," muttered another dog hanyou to his friend.

General Makoto bit his lip but turned toward Kirara. She was unharmed. "Kirara, where's Keiko?" he asked. He thought he already knew the answer but he had to be sure. His worst fear was confirmed when Kirara looked down and let out the must pathetic half-growl, half-meow he had ever heard. "I see," he whispered feeling the familiar weight of sorrow descending onto his shoulders. Kirara growled again and pawed at her face.

_This isn't going to go over well with the head idiot. I better not hope for anything in this case,_ he thought, glancing back at Inuyasha as he was carried away.

_**To be continued…**_


	24. Broken Dreams: Embracing Destiny

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. To do own all OC's and plot from this story.**

**Part Four: Embracing Destiny**

_Two weeks later…_

"Disobeying orders, attacking your own comrades, never mind the loss of Arai Keiko," yelled Lord Kuromaru at his nephew who sat formally on the lower floor. A pair of guards was posted on either side and his wrists, ankles and neck wore the scarlet bands of fire restraints. The four generals and the heads of the Ishita and Keio families sat evenly split on either side. Toromaru sat at his father's side, his lips pressed tight together.

"You were ordered to remain at the camp while General Makoto headed up the rescue efforts, but instead of obeying him you went off on your own. The end result: Arai Keiko, are most prominent warrior and priestess, is dead along with her unborn child. You know how appalling it is that this happened. All because of your illicit love affair a child was put in danger and perished as a result of it."

The bronze general, an older man missing an eye, raised his hand stopping his lord's tirade. "With all do respects, milord, I think we are all, especially him, aware of the consequences of his actions. I've heard he hasn't spoken a word since regaining consciousness and I, for one, am interested in hearing what happened. Failed rescue though it was, he did reach Arai so he must have seen things are other scouts and spies have yet to find. I wish to hear him out in full before any judgments are decided." Muttered agreement echoed from the other men. Lord Kuromaru glared at him but the general's gaze didn't waver and he felt the eyes of the silver general boring into him. Not wanting to be embarrassed any further he held his peace.

"Kanzaki Inuyasha, you will now tell us what happened when you went to rescue Arai Keiko," said the gold general. When he remained silent the gold general added, "This is an order not a request, Kanzaki Inuyasha."

"Stupid mutt, do you think she'd be happy with you if she were here to see you now?" muttered the silver general, his gray wolf ears flicking in irritation.

"… gara," Inuyasha whispered without looking up.

"What?" said Lord Kuromaru.

Inuyasha trembled and bent forward further. "It was that man… Sagara. He was there waiting for me. He was inside this huge castle. Keiko was there dressed like a bride. We were surrounded by all his men and all these scythes were floating in the air, spinning. The gates slammed shut behind me. He started to perform this wedding ceremony. I burned a hole through the ground and we slid to the base of the castle just as he attacked. We ran. We were almost to the trees, almost safe when…" Inuyasha fell silent, doubling over completely and burying his face into his hands; the image of the arrow impaling Keiko flashing in his mind. "I picked her up and ran," he said, his voice cracking. "They were everywhere. I blew it up everything and I ran. I don't know how long. I couldn't see anyone. I couldn't smell anyone. I couldn't hear anyone. Yet, I felt as if something was chasing me, but I never saw anything anywhere as I ran. Then Keiko begged me to do that spell, to save the baby. She'd lost so much blood. She was so cold. So I stopped and began chanting. I never finished. Keiko suddenly hit me and when I fell forward something struck me from behind, went through and impaled her. I heard it coming back around. I couldn't save anything. I gave up. Then I was flying and Keiko was falling." He fell silent again then whined. Not once did he raise his eyes from the floor.

The generals and heads glanced at each other. Inuyasha's story hadn't made sense; more ramble than report. However, one name had stuck out.

"Sagara?" whispered the iron general, a large man who seemed more bear than human, though he was pure human. "I'd heard he had been killed by Lord Sesshomaru. Are you certain it was him?"

"I don't see how it could be," said Lord Kuromaru with a dismissive wave.

"I can," said the bronze general. He turned toward Toromaru and asked, "Do you still have that evidence from fifteen years ago, Lord Toromaru."

"What are you implying?" demanded Lord Kuromaru.

"Yes, I do," replied Toromaru at the same moment.

"I was there when Toromaru made his bold attempt to warn of the danger, late as it ended up being. I know we all got caught up in the sudden attack and thus forgot about Toromaru's investigation. But I think I remember him saying something that suggested that Sagara was alive back then. If that is the case, then we now have an actual witness proving his theory. Considering this is the leader of the enemy I think it important we learn his identity as soon as possible."

"Inuyasha stated Sagara was waiting for him. That doesn't make this supposed 'Sagara' the leader," said Lord Kuromaru.

"He is," started Inuyasha.

"You were not given permission to speak!" yelled his uncle.

"He introduced himself as Kuromakaze but he confirmed he had once been known as Sagara," continued Inuyasha despite his uncle's reprimand.

"Gag him!" ordered the tenko lord. The two guards reached in with a strip of cloth to silence the hanyou.

Inuyasha resisted and continued speaking. "It was those eyes, not the claims, that told me it was him. They had been cold back then, always cold, always calculating. He has my face! He used my blood to turn himself into a hanyou; he now has the same face as me. It is Sagara! He is in charge! Uncle, you can't be so stupid to let your wishes blind you. Sagara survived! This isn't an invasion; it's a civil war!"

The guards finally got around his hands and pulled the gag tight. One tied the cloth while another pulled Inuyasha's hands down then they both tied them behind his back to prevent any further resistance. They then gripped his upper arms to prevent him from rising. Inuyasha sat tense, his breathing harsh, upset that he was no longer allowed to speak for any reason. The cloth they used was made of a material that wouldn't shred or cut; Inuyasha's fangs were useless on it.

"Lord Kuromaru, I must protest!" declared the iron general turning toward his lord. "Out of line though he may have been, he was still trying to tell us valuable information. If this is indeed Sagara then we have to change are entire line of thinking."

"I believe the evidence is more than sufficient," stated the bronze general. "We have had some survivors reporting tenko among the enemy. We assumed these were traitors looking for individual glory, but if they are indeed rallying around the devil tenko then there could be more than have been reported. I believe we are being lured into a false security. This whole time we thought we understood the situation but we didn't have a clue. We are dealing with someone who has had thirty-one years to prepare and move his pieces into place without us even knowing."

"The description of the trap and the final attack he suffered sound familiar," said Ishita, a mizutenko. "Lord Toromaru, you've borne witness to your little brother's fighting style. What's your opinion?" All eyes turned toward Toromaru. Lord Kuromaru face had gone blank but his eyes shined. Toromaru knew his father was livid. However, he had been asked by the head of the second family, he couldn't refuse.

"Exactly the same," he said. "My grandfather, Lord Jounochi was killed when Sagara's weapon, a glaive, rose from the ground then skewered him from behind. During the final fight that drove Sagara away, every weapon made of metal rose and became part of the whirlwind Sagara had created. Thirty-one years, sixteen of which when he could prepare for the war undisturbed, plenty of time to perfect his techniques.

"I also feel the need to point out that this isn't the first time Inuyasha has been targeted by him. He admitted to trapping the inu no taisho and he did kill Izayoi. Both times Inuyasha himself was in danger. Both times someone else intervened on his behalf. I can't help but think Sagara has wanted him dead each time. Inuyasha is the son of Lord Kenhoshi."

"By that reasoning he would be after Lord Sesshomaru as well," stated Lord Kuromaru. A heavy silence followed the remark.

"Now that I think about it, despite the intense fighting and the fact that Kenji and his pack are with us, we haven't heard from Lord Sesshomaru or the other three guardians," said Keio, a tsuchitenko.

"There was that unaccounted for flash of light during the initial attack," remarked the General Rei.

"Then maybe he's already taken care of that part," said General Makoto. Silence reigned for a few moments then the silver general said, "So he's calling himself Kuromakaze. Appropriate enough. It seems are enemy is a patient strategist. There's nothing worse than an enemy who carefully plans his every move."

"I think you're all jumping to conclusions," said Lord Kuromaru with a huff.

"And I think you're being a dumb ass again," remarked General Makoto with a huff of his own.

"We aren't here to discuss the enemy at this time. We're here to decide what punishment is suitable for Inuyasha's transgressions," said the tenko lord, ignoring the silver general's rude comment. "Are the four generals saying we should allow every upstart to do whatever he wants just because someone he cares for is in danger? Are we saying we should forgive attacks on comrades if it is because they were trying to rescue loved ones and their comrades got in the way? Disobeying orders is alright? I, for one, do not wish to see our military force break down into a mindless mob." Three of the generals looked away and the heads of family closed their eyes. Lord Kuromaru had a point, when it came to the military, Inuyasha's behavior was inexcusable.

General Makoto continued to stare directly at Lord Kuromaru. "And what punishment do you feel suitable for his transgressions? Insubordination, assaulting a comrade and unapproved excursion during a wartime situation are considered treason. Treason is answered with but one punishment: execution."

"I won't approve it!" cried General Rei. "The reason those crimes, in combination, are considered treasonous is because during a war it usually signals that the person is a traitor. However, we know without a doubt that Kanzaki Inuyasha is not a traitor. These were the actions of a desperate man. It isn't like we haven't made allowances for emotional distress in the past."

"The order must be upheld," said the bronze general, his expression grim. "The last time it concerned a citizen who bore witness to one of the greatest massacres this country has ever seen. In the end, however, he did experience a punishment of sorts for his choices. He was forever guarded after that and disallowed from leaving Tenji. This concerns a soldier who was reacting to the news his fiancée was kidnapped. There is a difference. He should have maintained calm and control, two qualities especially needed in a hitenko." Unable to say anything, Inuyasha lowered his head at the reprimand.

"We shouldn't execute him," said Toromaru. Everyone turned toward him, stunned. "For now we'll refer to the leader by the name he has chosen since we can't agree if he's Sagara or not." General Makoto snorted and Lord Kuromaru's eyes narrowed but no one argued. Toromaru continued, "If we execute Inuyasha, we'll be playing right into Kuromakaze's hands. The whole point of his kidnapping of Arai Keiko was to draw out my cousin so that he could be killed. What if Kuromakaze plans included the remote possibility of Inuyasha escaping?"

Everyone blinked and Keio asked, "How do you come by that conclusion?"

"Think about it," replied Toromaru. "If he knew about Arai and Inuyasha relationship then isn't it possible he knew from the start that Inuyasha was a scout? He would have known that no one would have sent Inuyasha as rescuer; that we would have used shinobi for any rescue attempts. He deliberately left survivors and left them a message that he wanted Inuyasha to come alone. He had to have known that we would never expect him to release someone as powerful as Arai just because we gave him a scout. It was spoken as a public announcement but in truth it was a private message that really said, 'Inuyasha, if you want to see your fiancée alive again seek me out, alone.' General Makoto accurately deduced that Inuyasha would act desperately so he tried to lock my cousin up for his own safety, only he didn't know what Inuyasha was capable of. What if General Makoto's activities were predicted as well?

"Inuyasha disobeys orders and knocks out the three comrades who were guarding him then leaves. Even if Inuyasha escaped the trap at the enemy castle he would still face a tribunal with the high chance of execution for his behavior. What if Kuromakaze was counting on it?" The men glanced at each other with the exception of Lord Kuromaru who just sat and stewed.

"Worse still are the rumors spreading like wildfire through the ranks. People are talking about how Arai was supposed to be married two months ago. How she was supposed to have been retired in anticipation of that wedding. How that wedding was disallowed by Lord Kuromaru because he felt her talents would have been wasted in motherhood. The people are saying that if Lord Kuromaru hadn't over stepped his bounds she wouldn't have been in danger. She and her child would still be alive.

"You want to execute Inuyasha, her fiancé, the father of her unborn, the one who actually made it to the castle, who actually carried her away from the enemy, who at the last minute watched helplessly as she was killed by a vicious sneak attack while they were escaping? To the people Inuyasha is a victim. Execute him and they'll cry murder. You say punishing him will maintain order? Punishing him will destroy it! I've heard the talk in the halls, the whispers at the campfires. They're one bad decision away from regicide. Execute him and every man in this room will follow soon after."

"You're serious?" whispered Ishita, eyes wide, face pale. The other men were equally queasy save Lord Kuromaru who just scowled.

"My contacts have been communicating with me," replied Toromaru, ignoring his father's glare. "The bad talk began shortly after Keiko was transferred. The gold camp had been fully aware of Keiko and Inuyasha's impending wedding. So they were also aware of its sudden cancellation and it didn't take long for them to learn why. Also, Father, your inappropriate comments to Inuyasha when he informed you of the wedding was overheard by several servants. Every konoichi, miko and female samurai from grandmothers to trainees is up in arms over it along with most of their male counterparts. Numerous couples now fear you'll be expanding your prohibition to all female warriors."

Keio put a hand to his head and muttered, "How has it come to this? Never before would any loyal citizen consider such rebellion least of all during a period of war when such things would mean the doom of all."

"All the more reason to be rid of the fool," snapped Lord Kuromaru. "He's the source of their rebellion, worthless as he is." Inuyasha flinched and looked away at the statement.

The gold general rose to his knees and yelled, "Worthless? Half the information we have obtained on the enemy came from his efforts. He's my best scout! He's our best scout!"

"Scouts don't win wars, samurai do!" hollered Lord Kuromaru.

"Wrong! The information provided by a scout can mean the difference between victory and defeat for an army," shouted General Makoto, now on his feet, his eyes flashing red. "An army is more than just the soldiers! Every person is important. Every position counts. If one fails then the whole fails! Can't you learn anything beyond primping your feathers?" Lord Kuromaru was on his feet in an instant; hand on his sword, though General Makoto hadn't moved for his.

"Stop this at once!" cried Ishita, leaping to the dais. Toromaru grabbed hold of his father's arm. The iron general physically placed himself between the enraged wolf hanyou and tenko lord.

Keio turned toward the two guards and noticed Inuyasha was leaning back, his eyes wide with terror. "You two! Take him to his cell and remain there until further orders. You will not breathe a word is that understood?" he ordered. The two men nodded, lifted Inuyasha to his feet and guided him out of the room. The head of the Keio family knew that despite the order of silence the camp would soon be singing with the news of what happened today. Things were about to get even worse.

****

_Two days later…_

Inuyasha lay on his futon with the blanket pulled tight around him, feigning sleep. Not that he could sleep. He hadn't slept since he awakened in the silver army encampment. Keiko's final moments appeared in his vision whenever he closed his eyes. He had only one distraction from his memories. The guards at the cell door were talking in low voices but he still heard them as clear as if they were talking to him.

"I'd heard that Lord Kuromaru served under General Makoto during his military service. That's why General Makoto is so prickly around him. He knows things about Lord Kuromaru that others don't."

"You mean 'didn't'. Everyone knows now. He's an incompetent fool."

"You shouldn't say that! Lord Kuromaru is like a lit bomb. He may blow up at any time. Say things like that and he'll blow up on you!"

"You've heard the talk, haven't you? The various heads are going to push for Lord Kuromaru abdication. They want Lord Toromaru to take his place."

"I have and so has Lord Kuromaru. That's why he's so touchy. He's doesn't want to admit he's failed."

"He knows yet he still hasn't abdicated?"

"No. He's accusing Lord Toromaru of trying to usurp him. Lord Toromaru has had to leave the mansion where his father lives. Lord Kuromaru kicked him out!"

"From bad to worse. That fool doesn't realize everything he doing now is just driving his people away."

"I'm getting scared. There might be an insurrection if this continues and we're in the middle of a war!"

Images floated up in Inuyasha's mind again despite being awake. This time it wasn't the image of Keiko's death. It was something worse. Enraged people turned on the tenko lord and killed him. The circlet lay abandoned in the mud, the people's faith in its abilities lost. The fighting increased as every person who thought they were worthy of the power of lord tried without restraint to take the title. Each fell to the next until the country fell to ruins and Sagara walked among the survivors promising an end to needless bloodshed. His power, his calm, swaying them in their desperation when it would never have turned them before.

Inuyasha's eyes flew open. _This trap has multiple layers! Yes, I was the target. Yes, Toromaru was correct to assume he had it set up so that even if I escaped I die. But this rebellion… If he is anything like Toromaru, he has his own contacts within our camps! He knows the political situation. He knows… _Inuyasha sat up suddenly startling the guards, his skin covered in a cold sweat. _He's sitting back waiting for us to self-destruct!_

"Hey, what's wrong, Kanzaki?"

Inuyasha turned his gaze on the two and, without thinking, said, "Go to sleep!" The iris of his eyes turned pale green and narrowed into a thin line that split the whites in two. The guards' irises turned silver then the men collapsed. Inuyasha stood up, heard the sound of hissing then something hitting the floor. He looked down; his restraints were evaporating, vanishing before his eyes. His eyes returned to their normal shape and color and he shivered. No one realized it but he had never had his training restraints removed, they had fallen off when he used the call crystal in Sanshaku no Hinansho. Uncertain of what had happened, he hadn't told anyone, afraid of what they might do to him if they ever found out.

_I don't need them anymore anyway,_ he thought back then. _I can keep my power under control. I won't hurt anyone accidentally. My master had already decided to remove them anyway._

He looked down at the unconscious guards. _Why is it that I can do these things? Why do these things happen without me being fully aware of it? I'm not even trying! How do I suddenly know things? Why do I know where the lookouts are? Why do these images appear with all those answers?_ Inuyasha held his head for a moment then reached for the door. He took hold of the lock and heard several small explosions around the cell. The sutras, placed on the wooden cell to prevent him from using his demon strength to break free, were burning. The lock melted in his hand and dripped to the floor, but the wood didn't ignite. Inuyasha whimpered and shuddered but pushed the door opened.

He knew what needed to be done. He knew what he had to do. He feared his enlightenment. Feared everything it represented and the truth it revealed to him, but there was nothing he could do. He had to accept it, embrace it, use it, for everyone's sake. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and imagined all his fears floating away on the wind. This bizarre power had saved him countless times. Only children would fear it. The fear left him save for a small sliver that remained buried in his heart, but his mind, hid body calmed. He passed through the open cell door, walked down the corridor and stepped out into the night. There was someone he had to see before he left.

****

Toromaru stood outside the barracks despite the late hour. He couldn't sleep. His father refused to accept any responsibility for the state of the country and blamed it all on everyone who spoke against him, which was everyone. _How can he call himself a lord, to lead men, if he refuses to take responsibility for the way things are? A leader is always the responsible party no matter what happens._ Toromaru sighed and shook his head.

"Toromaru," someone called.

Toromaru turned but saw no one. "Who's there?" he called back, instantly on guard. Inuyasha, dressed only in the uncolored kimono of a prisoner, appeared from behind the building. "How did you…" Toromaru started then gasped. In the moonlight he could see the restraints were gone.

"Don't ask, just know that it is possible; at least for me," said Inuyasha. He took a deep breath then let it out; his whole body shuddered. "I only came to warn you. My death wasn't the only thing Sagara wants."

"What do you mean?" asked Toromaru in a whisper. He didn't want to alert anyone to his cousin's presence. Inuyasha's life was hanging by a thread in the eyes of the law. He didn't want to do anything that would sever it.

"I think I am beginning to understand how dangerous he really is," said Inuyasha, glancing away for a moment. "The more time you give him the more time he has to arrange things to his favor. Slowly, meticulously he weaves his webs. The first strand of this web was spun the moment the circlet fell upon Uncle Kuromaru's head. He wanted all those he considered to be threats to his plans removed. Grandfather, Mother, Father, he successfully killed them. However, you and me, he's still working on. His ultimate goal is the conquest of Tenji. But it would be a lot easier if people accepted him."

"That's not going to happen. The ancestral circlet would never choose someone as evil as him to be lord," snapped Toromaru. Inuyasha's gaze never wavered at his cousin's outburst. Toromaru was intimidated by the unearthly calm he was exuding, like he was above all other emotions. He had never seen Inuyasha like this before.

"But what if people lost faith in the circlet's abilities?" asked Inuyasha. Toromaru took a step back in shock; the idea was unthinkable. "I've had time to think about this. I don't think the purpose of the circlet is to pick a worthy lord." He held up his hand when Toromaru opened his mouth to speak. "Yes, it will not allow one of greed or malice to ascend to power but it has too great a flexibility. Uncle is living proof of where it can fail. Uncle Kuromaru isn't malicious or greedy; he's just a fool who thinks he doing the right thing but is blind to his own faults. No, the primary purpose of the circlet is to protect the authority of the lord."

Toromaru blinked in confusion. "'Protect the authority of the lord'?"

Inuyasha nodded and said, "Think about what would happen if the circlet just ceased to exist. How many upstarts who thought they could do a better job would try to seize the title? You know how things are in the Mikado's palace. The intrigue, the assassinations, the corruption and the Mikado holds his post because he's supposed to be a child of god. Without the circlet the only thing that holds the Kanzaki family on top is its power; something that can be challenged at any time. The civil wars we've experience before come from someone challenging that authority. Without the circlet, it would be never ending, with every would-be lord trying to do in the current lord in order to gain the title. The circlet protects us from that kind of anarchy by creating the image of a higher power behind the lord's authority. Without the authorization of the ancestors your rule will never be recognized."

Toromaru shook his head not fully accepting his cousin's view. "But there is a higher power behind it. We all know how it works. Something has to be guiding it or else how can it judge the candidate? You actually think there is a spell that will judge character?"

"The belief in that authority is stronger than the actual authority itself," replied Inuyasha, he looked down and Toromaru wondered if such thoughts were disturbing to him as well. "I think Sagara is aware of this and his true aim is to have his father's stupidity delegitimize the authority of the ancestors. After the people abandon the circlet all he and his men will have to do is sit back and wait. In time, people will go looking for a strong power to stop the bloodshed. They'll accept him."

Toromaru leaned against the building, his hand against his forehead, trying to absorb the terrible revelation. "How can we stop this? It's already begun."

"Right now, people are only grumbling," said Inuyasha, he turned away and gazed over the sleeping camp. "It begins when the assassinations start. Sagara won't kill Uncle; that would defeat the purpose of his plan. It has to be an inside job. That's why he's restrained most of his tenko. He sends out just enough to keep the battles from being a slaughter but no more. He's been deliberately dragging this out."

"That's why there was five years of peace following the initial attack," said Toromaru. Things were beginning to fit.

Inuyasha nodded as he turned back to face his cousin. "One part was to consolidate his power. To entrench himself firmly in the lands he had cleared. The other was to allow everyone time to think; to realize that the evidence warning of this invasion had been there but was willfully ignored by their own lord. He kept himself hidden until now. General Makoto may have meant well but his lack of tact had spread the word that Uncle Kuromaru was a bad leader from before his ascension. Cracking under the pressure is one thing; being allowed to lead when you were already terrible at it is another."

"How can this not be coincidental? I can see him taking advantage of the situation and pushing it over, but how can you be certain this was planned out from thirty-one years ago?" asked Toromaru. "So many factors, so many choices, so many paths that could have been taken. How can Sagara possibly plan something this elaborate, get this kind of result with just a few murders?"

Inuyasha was silent for a moment then whispered, "Two possibilities, one: he's the grand master of prediction, or two: he plans for every possible route and then nudges things with key deaths and events to move down the desired paths. Either case is terrifying."

"How is it that you can now read him so well?" asked Toromaru.

Inuyasha shifted his weight and looked down and replied, "I don't know. It's just that the more I hear, the more I see, the more I know how things will turn out. It's like painting, all those blobs of color and that blank rice paper; no one can see the picture it will become when they remain separate. But as the artist paints, it slowly reveals its vision. This vision didn't make sense until I was back in my cell after that disastrous tribunal. The guards tonight were especially chatty. The image just flashed like a nightmare in my waking mind. A similar thing happened when I escaped from Sagara. Two images flashed in my mind and I suddenly knew which way to go. I've also sensed ambushes and danger this way; it's how I avoided trouble in the past."

"Premonition?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know. It seems more like I always knew the answer I just didn't realize it. Like a part of me is saying, 'here's what you need to do, stupid.' Premonition leaves a person confused because you don't know how or why those events occur until you get closer to the event."

"You say we still have time, then what should we do? How do we stop Sagara?" Toromaru was desperate for answers. He wracked his brain for a solution and spoke, "How do we convince my father to abdicate? He refuses to accept his failings."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak then gasped, his eyes losing focus and widening. He raised a hand to his face, sweat beading on his forehead. "We don't," he stated flatly, trying to cover the momentary pause.

Toromaru, too busy with his own thoughts on the problem, didn't notice. "What?" he said, his attention snapping back to his cousin.

"We don't," Inuyasha repeated; his features back to normal. "Abdication proves nothing. Putting you in power might settle the people but the doubts will linger. After all, the circlet wouldn't have rejected Uncle Kuromaru; Uncle Kuromaru would have rejected the circlet. Unless the circlet abandons him the only way to protect the authority of the ancestors is for him to remain in power and for his reign to improve." _I can't tell him_, Inuyasha thought biting his lip.

"And how will we do that?" Toromaru face tightened with frustration.

"Isolation and refocusing," he said. _I can't tell him, ever!_ The hanyou couldn't see his cousin through the haze of red that now flooded his vision.

"Isolation and refocusing?" Toromaru blinked in confusion, unaware of his cousin's sudden distress.

Inuyasha raised a hand to the bridge of his nose then rubbed his thumb against his eyebrows; his head was beginning to throb. He needed to leave soon if he was going to leave at all. "Uncle Kuromaru is going to become a tenko lord in name only, a figurehead. The four generals and the Ishita and Keio heads have to agree with this idea. Uncle Kuromaru will cease getting accurate information. Any reports made to him will have to be false. Meanwhile those six and you will be the real leaders. Everyone who speaks with him will have to be briefed about what is appropriate to say within earshot of him. This also means, Toromaru, that you will have to remain well behind the battle lines. The only people you should surround you and your father with are people who have been tested by the True Heart stone. One informant among them and this will all be for nothing."

"I see, isolate Father and refocus the authority onto someone else, in this case me," said Toromaru, the idea was overwhelming. "You want me to reign just not officially." Inuyasha nodded. "What will we do about you?"

"The generals are correct. They can't just let me go. I broke several rules when I went to rescue Keiko, I need to be punished for it or there'll be others. However, I can't allow myself to be executed for obvious reasons." Inuyasha became quiet for a moment. _Once Uncle is reduced to a mere figurehead it won't take Sagara long to realize his brother is really the one running things._ The image of Toromaru's blood splattered corpse floated across his sight again. _I can't tell him that the real reason for this is because when he ascends he'll die._

Inuyasha inhaled and said, "I'm just going to have to leave. If I leave, though you might send people to pursue me, you can't execute me. I'll do what I can to help you from the outside. I'm certain I can distract Sagara for you." _If I leave I can keep Sagara's attention focused on me. He does want me dead and I think I've just realized why. If he's busy chasing me, he won't notice the changes going on here. He won't notice Toromaru is now the real tenko lord in all but name._

"This isn't a permanent arrangement, Inuyasha," said Toromaru; his eyes shined with suppressed emotions. "First chance I get, I'll pardon you. You don't deserve this."

Inuyasha shook his head and smiled. "Sayonara." The half-demon began to turn.

"Wait," said Toromaru while reaching inside his kimono. Inuyasha looked back. "Take this with you. I don't think it should remain here with Father being the way he is." Toromaru held out a white diamond, glowing faintly in the dark.

"This is…" gasped Inuyasha.

"Yes, the Jewel of the Heavens," said Toromaru his expression grim. "Remember, Grandfather took it back from a thief who had killed the original guardian. He was protecting it until the inu no taisho could find a new guardian. I took it from the mansion before leaving. I didn't trust Father with it anymore. I think it would be safer in your hands."

Inuyasha took the gem a glimmer of fear entering his gaze for a moment then it vanished with a blink. "All right, I'll guard it," he said then took a step forward. He stopped when he saw Kirara, in her kitten form, sitting before him. She blinked at him and twitched her tails. "I guess you want to come with me then." Kirara mewed. "Fine then." She jumped up onto his shoulder and Inuyasha started running, swiftly vanishing from Toromaru's sight. Toromaru shivered and returned to the barracks. There was a lot of work to be done.

______________________________________________________________________________

Engawa: Veranda

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

**Important Notice! Reader Opinion Required!**

This is one section where I do need to hear from you. I need to know if you want me to continue a little further with what is going on with Toromaru, follow Inuyasha a ways allowing for some remeniscing about Keiko, or to just go to the next chapter where we visit Sesshomaru and friends. We will go to Sesshomaru but will it be the next segment or further along is up to you. You have one week to decide.


	25. A Need to Cry

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot from this story.**_

_164 years before the search for the jewel shards._

Chapter 21: A Need to Cry

_Did no one realize they had done me no favors? That not challenging me when Father was still alive nor making me suffer losses in battle would harm me? Did they not know how weak this would make me? Did they even care?_

-Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru sat away from the others. Noriko and her followers had attacked again. Everyone was hurt. They had managed to keep from losing anyone this time but only because Sesshomaru and Naomi had kept Noriko and her surviving brothers from engaging the main group. Naomi had held the two brothers off and even killed one with her dazzling interplay of physical, spiritual and celestial attacks. Naomi's weapon of choice was the glaive, a five foot pole of flexible wood with a lead weight at one end and eighteen inch blade at the other.

Sesshomaru's sword had managed to keep Noriko occupied but today more than any other had demonstrated his lack of skill. He had learned how to fight but he lacked true battle experience. The sword lacked individuality, trapped within the forms of the style he had been taught; rigid and predictable.

As the son of the Inu no Taisho, Sesshomaru had been trained but never had he sparred, let alone fought, an opponent that could push him. His poor attitude following his mother's death had put everyone around him on edge. No one would risk angering someone who was both a celestial and marginally sane. Everyone who sparred with him had lost on purpose. The only one who fought him with no intention of being defeated was Kaiyoshinju and he had avoided fights with her whenever possible. He was paying for it now.

The demon lord held his hand to his side where Noriko's sword and penetrated his defense. When he realized the problem he had tried to change the order of the attacks but it slowed him up as his body was not prepared for it. Noriko had not only _not_ been fooled, she had laughed at his attempt to improvise and drove her sword passed his, slicing open his side. It had been for no other reason than to emphasize his lack of ability.

"_A weakling spirit like yours shouldn't have alienated your people. If you had kept them at your side you wouldn't need to fight all these battles you're not suited for."_

"Not suited for, huh?" whispered Sesshomaru. He was the son of the great dog demon, how could he _not_ be suited for battle? However, his inability to improvise in the midst of battle couldn't be denied anymore. Naomi was more warrior than he was. His brief glimpse of her during the fighting had given him the impression of a dancer rather than a fighter. She didn't lack in anything.

"Father?" Sesshomaru looked up. Naomi stood a few feet from him, her violet gaze troubled. She had taken no injuries and had been using her power to help the most critically injured.

"How are the others doing?" asked Sesshomaru without moving his hand from his side.

"Everyone just needs a good night's rest and they'll be ready to travel," Naomi replied. Sesshomaru nodded his head but said nothing further. Naomi stepped closer and sat down next to him. "You shouldn't let what Noriko said bother you so much," she said in a soft voice. He flinched but didn't respond. "Of course she's strong. She became the head of the family through trial-by-combat. That means she had to defeat all six of her brothers in fierce fights and some of them were older than her."

"Seven," said Sesshomaru. Naomi blinked. "There was a seventh brother, remember? He was the oldest and was expected to inherit the position as head of family as their father wished. She called for a trial-by-combat and killed him during the fight."

"Oh yeah, she did, didn't she," said Naomi. Family heads usually went to the male heir the previous head chose but the position wasn't confirmed until the family seal was given over in a ceremony. Part of the ceremony was a short window where a call for challengers was issued. Usually there were no challenges and the ceremony concluded with the giving of the family seal to the new head. Noriko had busted every tradition when she made the challenge herself. Unless the family was a matriarchy women were not permitted to challenge for the head position. Her brother had answered only because he wished to punish her impudence. His death had shocked everyone. The other six brothers had challenged her on the spot but she defeated all of them. Seven battles all in a row and she still came out victorious. With that she earned the acceptance of her new peers when they would have scorned her before.

For the Inuyokai clan this was the first transfer of power. Sesshomaru had not even been acknowledged by any ceremony of ascension. Truth was, no one knew what would be appropriate. Head-of-family was joke; Sesshomaru was the only member of his family. Clan leader? If they performed the same ceremony it might mean chaos for the whole clan. How many demons would challenge for the position? How would the tenko react? The Inuyokai were accepted because of the Inu no Taisho's relationship with them. If someone lacking that relationship or history were to rise to power would they find themselves banished? Or would they just lose the position of equality they had enjoyed all these years and have to bow to the tenko lord's authority; an authority that changed on average every fifty years?

Not wanting trouble the clan had accepted Sesshomaru as clan leader. Still, Sesshomaru's attitude had never improved and people had begun to doubt his right to lead them. Some favored Noriko for clan leader. She had proven herself in combat and was stable in thought and predictable. The clan was now divided in two. Those who accepted Sesshomaru for the sake of the father and everything he represented and those who desired Noriko for her abilities and strength of spirit.

Naomi's attempts to soothe him had had the opposite effect. It had reminded of his political blunder. He should have taken some woman as his wife; one that came from one of the other powerful houses. Then Noriko's ambitions would have been kept in check. Many of her current supporters simply had no confidence in Sesshomaru. It never had to be with Noriko's Ginhane family. Any power alliance would have settled things. Now there was only two ways he could bring the two halves of the clan back together either it was to marry Noriko as she demanded or kill her and the heads that supported her. He couldn't give into Noriko, not after all the lives lost. The only acceptable way this was going to end was if he defeated her in combat, a goal that seemed to get further away with every clash between the factions. At that moment, it was just a distant speck on the horizon.

"Let me see that wound," said Naomi, drawing Sesshomaru from his thoughts. He twisted away from her and the wound oozed. "Let me see it! You know you and I have to remain it top fighting condition at all times. We're the only ones who can keep Noriko and her kin from killing anymore of our people."

"You and I? Heh he he…" Sesshomaru dissolved into a quivering mass of quiet laughter but it wasn't merry. It was despair.

"Father!" hissed Naomi. She had said the exact wrong thing again. She couldn't believe how hard he was taking it. She was the one who should have been withdrawn and laughing in despair, not him. She felt anger rising within her and swallowed hard to keep it from swamping her. For the first time she could understand the rage that had seized and held her father for so long. "Stop it! You can't stay like this!"

"Baka," he whispered. Naomi stiffened but he continued, raising his other hand to his head, "Baka, baka, baka, baka…" He wasn't calling her stupid, he calling himself that, but he might as well have.

"_You and I_…" Not _"Kenmaru, you and I…"_

She should have just said "we". Sesshomaru wanted to return to Tenji. The skirmishes were forcing them further and further south. They were now dangerously close to the panther demon tribe's territory. The panther demons still held a grudge against the Inuyokai clan; they wouldn't hesitate to tear them apart if they crossed into their territory. With so many children in his group, Sesshomaru wanted to avoid another clash.

Several days before, they had been moving north when they had run afoul of Noriko and her band. The battle had been ferocious. They entire group had been caught out in the open. The three guardians had positioned themselves around the women and children holding back the enemy while the men fought. Naomi had taken on Noriko that time and Kenmaru was facing off against one of his brothers. Sesshomaru and been facing down the second. But as a whole they had been outnumbered from the beginning.

Sesshomaru had been desperate. He wanted to get back to familiar territory. While in the beginning he had been prepared to handle the traitor Noriko and her cohorts himself, he now wanted help. With the number of fighters dwindling he felt he could no longer allow pride to rule his decisions. At the very least, he wanted to get the women and children into tenko hands. Then he could deal with Noriko without worries.

He had pushed harder rather than retreat, hoping to break through, to knock Noriko's group back on her heels and give them space to get passed. Blind to his surroundings he ended up being separated from the rest. When Sesshomaru realized he was alone, he stopped. His fight with the Ginhane male had taken him far from the battle without him realizing it. He couldn't even hear the others fight. The other dog demon took advantage of Sesshomaru's sudden distraction and hurled a spell spear at him. It struck Sesshomaru's abdomen and exploded with a burst of light. Sesshomaru screamed, wrapped his arms around his middle and fell over.

The dog lord gazed down at his belly and swallowed a howl. Armor, clothes, skin and muscle had been vaporized by the attack spell. Damaged intestines threatened to spill from the opening. His stomach oozed more than just blood. The lowest parts of his ribs were exposed. The liver peered out from one side. The exposed organs burned and he couldn't move. He could barely even breathe.

"I don't know what my sister is thinking wasting time with you. Celestial you may be but I don't think your seed is worth this fuss," said the male as he approached. He raised a hand and blue light glowed at its tips. "If you just disappear then she'll never know." Sesshomaru glared at him but was helpless to escape. The Tenseiga began to pulse when someone barreled into the enemy demon.

Kenmaru launched a series of strikes and slashes that pushed his brother back. The arm the male had been using to strike Sesshomaru lay on the ground useless. Kenmaru never gave his brother a chance to strike back. The two vanished into the trees leaving Sesshomaru alone. After what seemed like an eternity, Kenmaru reappeared, panting.

The young demon walked toward the fallen lord, sheathed his sword and reached toward Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru, let me-" he began then gasped. His blue eyes widened as did Sesshomaru's. Kenmaru's tan skin was becoming lighter. "Oh," remarked Kenmaru then he was gone, vanished. Noriko stood several yards away, annoyance painted all over her face.

Sesshomaru stared at the place where the young demon had been. "Kenmaru," he whispered. A wild scream split the air and Noriko was suddenly running as Naomi appeared her glaive stabbing. Her eyes glowed red. Noriko howled the retreat and fled. Naomi moved to give chase but Sesshomaru called to her. Noriko was like a viper, one who fled only to turn and strike when the opportunity presented itself, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing Naomi as well.

Naomi whirled at the second call and glared back then froze. Sesshomaru's blood pooled around the fallen lord like a shallow pond. Careful to keep her eyes on the trees, she trotted back to him. Despite having driven Noriko away, the group made no progress northward. There were too many casualties. Sesshomaru had required extensive care as much of his flesh had to be recreated and infection cleared out. They had found a shallow cave that kept the rain off but offered little else in room and comfort. Sesshomaru had not forgiven himself for his lapse in judgment.

Noriko's attack today was a bitter reminder that she had not suffered as much as they had. It also meant it was no longer safe where they were. The traitor demoness knew their location and would attack again once she got over the loss of yet another family member.

_Well at least I evened the odds,_ Naomi thought. The brothers had thought they had had the advantage when they fought her two-on-one. However, they weren't practiced fighting as partners. They ended up getting in each other's way more often than not, giving her an opening. Noriko had called the retreat when she realized her brother was down.

"Please, Father, let me heal you," she said while reaching out her hand. Sesshomaru glanced at her then surrendered to her ministrations. "I'm surprised. You never came across as being fond of him, yet you're more upset than I am. Maybe I'm just colder than I thought."

Sesshomaru pressed his hand against her cheek and brought her head closer until his face was buried in her hair. "You're not cold. You're strong. Kenmaru was going to be my son. How can I not be upset? He was a good boy." Naomi's control shattered at unexpected words but her anger faded away.

"Oh Father," she cried and leaned into his chest. Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Naomi rubbed her head against him and sobbed. Until that moment, she hadn't realized how badly she needed to cry. She had held it in; reacting in anger when the act had occurred then drowning her sorrows in purpose after that. She hadn't mourned Kenmaru yet. Her mother didn't cry. She didn't understand the need. She either became numb or outraged when sad. So she hadn't taken her daughter aside and talked to her about the loss. For all his ice, her father still understood the heart better than anyone else.

Naomi's tears slowed as a strange revelation came to her. Her father had suffered a loss greater than her and yet had never mourned. Never let his emotions go and purify his soul of the poison they carried. Her grandfather didn't understand the need to cry. The only parent that could have helped Sesshomaru deal with the death of his mother was his mother. With no one to turn to, he had had to swallow all his tears. His bitterness was the result.

Naomi had been aware of the political situation at the castle. She knew her father settling down would appease most of the court. She looked among many potential girls for someone who could handle being his wife. Noriko was never on that list. She would have the same issues Kaiyoshinju had with Sesshomaru. She was just too dominating.

_Mother was never suited for him even if it could have lasted longer. She should have gone back to him that day. He needed her, not the other way around. I'm sure he felt a tremendous amount of guilt for hurting her once he calmed down. However, Mother had secluded herself believing herself wronged by Sesshomaru. She was waiting for him to come and apologize but the truth was he was waiting for her. Father must have felt abandoned. The woman he trusted and loved had left him alone to his pain and misery. Mother's too full of pride. She didn't understand at all. She still doesn't understand. No, their relationship would have ended badly no matter how they parted. _

_The woman that becomes Father's new wife must be gentle but firm. She must have strength to give him when he weakens, the strength to accept him being weak. She must always stand by him. Confident enough to reprimand him when he is being stupid and tender enough to heal him when he's been hurt. I guess it's time to play matchmaker again. At least it will give me something to do until I can accept Kenmaru's death._

_____________________________________________________________________________

First I want to say…

Thank you, weeck for leaving the review. I know it was only a couple of words but it's more than I've gotten since restarting this story and it really made my day. I was almost convinced that all those hits I was receiving were just teases, people popping in then popping out without reading my story. I love to hear from my readers. It's reassuring.

No one responded to by query about how I should proceed so you're getting whatever happens to fly into my mind. Someone of you probably wanted that anyway. So for better or for worse the "Exile" chapters will cover plot turns as well as random events that don't do anything for the story's advancement but allow me to play with my characters. Chapters with character introductions will pertain to the plot.

I'm still waiting to hear from Short Poet who has been with me from the beginning. I beginning to despair thinking my two year interlude has cost me my favorite reader and reviewer.

What I can't believe is that "Broken Dreams" didn't inspire any comments other than weeck's. How did you feel after reading it? What were your emotional responses? What about the reactions and choices of the characters? I love these types of discussions. Without them I feel like I'm writing to a mirror.


	26. School of HardKnocks: Lesson 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Chapter 22: School of Hard-Knocks

164 - 159 years before the search for the jewel shards.

_And thus Inuyasha sets out to draw the enemy's attention and protect his comrades. How noble! How brave! How stupid! As if I had the experience back then to actually pull this off. A scout tries to avoid trouble and here I was going forth to deliberately cause it. I was never trained for war! All my combat skills were aimed at giving me the discipline I needed to control myself. Looking back, I really was lucky to survive. Thank you Grandfather, for your advice!_

-Inuyasha

Lesson 1: Strengthen Thy Weakness

Inuyasha grimaced as he peered around the hut. He hadn't thought anyone would still be up at this hour, least of all in a farming village well behind the frontline. He had spotted the place a little after dawn. All the villagers had already been in the fields working by that time. They only stopped at midday for a meal then continued until sundown. The long day in the field should have had everyone too exhausted to think about staying up. The two lovers that had raised the alarm apparently had a great deal of stamina.

Inuyasha cursed himself for not paying closer attention to his surroundings. If he had just kept alert instead of assuming he would have heard the otherwise occupied couple before they saw him. And they had only seen him because he practically stepped on them.

The countryside had been stripped of anything edible by the enemy army that had passed through ten days before. It had been even longer since he had anything to eat and he was beginning to get desperate. With the growing season in full swing he felt the village wouldn't miss a single sack of rice. By the speed in which the villagers responded to the hue-and-cry, the way the torches were being lit and the pitchforks held, his reading of their situation had been completely wrong.

Worse still, it was the night of the new moon. His usual sensitive senses were dull tonight and all his speed and strength were gone. He should have waited one more night before pulling such a stunt. At least then he could have escaped with minimum effort the moment the alarm was sounded.

"There he is!" cried a voice behind him. Inuyasha pulled back in surprise. A middle-aged man with a square jaw, busted nose and broad chest stood two huts away pointing at him. The other villagers shouted and came running. Inuyasha swore and bolted. His ability to perceive an enemy's presence was useless when he was already surrounded.

"Come back here, bastard! You think you can steal from us? You're going to pay for that rice with your blood!" they shouted.

"This will be a very stupid way to die if they catch me," Inuyasha muttered. People appeared before him blocking his way. With no other choice, he turned and jumped into rice field. Slogging water he struggled to keep running without tripping. Some of the villagers followed him but others ran back toward the path, the run on dry ground sure to be faster than his watery route.

"It will just be a question of whether Keiko laughs her ass off at this or kills me a second time," he whispered between clenched teeth as he saw the villagers on the dry path pulling even with him. He leapt onto the path that bisected the field in front of him then turned. The villagers reached the intersection before he did and ran toward him.

"Nowhere to run to now, thief," cried Busted Nose and hurdling toward him. Inuyasha really didn't want to hurt anyone since he understood he was in the wrong, but he didn't want to die either.

_Not like anything I do is going to ruin his looks anyway,_ he thought then slammed into Busted Nose. He forgot his lack in strength.

"Got you!" the man cried, leering at the transformed hanyou he was crushing against his chest.

"Shit!" Inuyasha kicked then leaned over and sank his flat teeth into Busted Nose's throat. The man yelled when he felt his windpipe being crushed and released the hanyou. Inuyasha had barely taken a step back before a fist collided with his jaw. Stars exploded before his eyes and his knees almost buckled. He managed to maintain his senses then tucked his head and dove at the man's waist.

Busted Nose must have wrestled a lot in the past. His hand slapped the back of Inuyasha's head driving him into the dirt. "You wanna wrestle now? Then let's wrestle! Then when I done feeding you dirt I'll beat your ass so bad you're gonna wish your mother had raised you better," he said and stomped down on the hanyou's exposed back.

Inuyasha rolled to avoid the foot then, spitting out pebbles, cried, "You leave my mother out of this!" Busted Nose laughed then lunged. Inuyasha tried to dodge but he wasn't quick enough. His hikaze power was inexplicably tied to his demon power and when one failed so did the other. Something else his growling stomach had wiped from his mind when he was making his decision earlier.

The man grabbed his arm but Inuyasha had lined up a side-kick and drove his heal into Busted Nose's stomach. The man bounced back. Inuyasha spun smashed his fist into the man's face then swung his right. The man caught the arm then rubbed his cheek where the first had connected.

"That almost tickled," said Busted Nose. He then patted his stomach. "And I did have this cramp in my gut for awhile now. But not anymore, thanks!" He grinned and pulled Inuyasha closer until his breath was ruffling the hanyou bangs. Inuyasha grimaced then gagged, the smell of decay emanating from the man's mouth. "Are you some kind of fallen noble?"

Inuyasha stiffened. _That's not too far from the truth_, he thought. He then slugged the man in the ribs with his left fist. The man giggled like little girl.

"Oh please, stop! I'm ticklish there," Busted Nose said between sniggers. The villagers were sniggering too.

Inuyasha gapped at him. _He's not _that _big a man. Why are my punches not being felt?_ Inuyasha pulled on the restricted arm and directed a roundhouse kick at the same place. The man just guffawed. Inuyasha froze as realization hit. _This is only the third time I've used my martial arts in actual combat… and the first time I've used it in human form. I've never trained _this _body for battle!_

"The little lordling has grown up taking everything he wants without having to work for it and has now failed to realize he has lost that privilege. Time to receive an education, _Young Master_," Busted Nose declared in a booming voice. The other villagers jeered and laughed at his statements.

"Ah hell," said Inuyasha as the brute grabbed his kimono and lifted from the ground. The man was stronger than he looked and Inuyasha was in serious trouble. The tone of the man's voice and the reaction from the gathered people told him they had suffered at the hands of greedy nobility. Now they had victim to take all those pent up frustration out on.

_Kirara! Where the hell are you?_ Inuyasha had asked the twin-tale to watch his back just in case something went wrong. More than enough time had passed for Kirara to react to the situation. Her lack of appearance meant she had not done as she was told._ What is it with young cats that can't pay attention for more than five seconds?_

Busted Nose stepped to the edge of the path then dropped down, plunging Inuyasha's head under water. The hanyou's feet slapped the pack dirt, his free hand grabbing at the man's face, seeking vulnerable places. The tips of his fingers brushed the man's cheek but nothing more. His lungs burned and air escaped in an explosion of air bubbles. Just as his lungs threatened to inhale and drown him Busted Nose pulled him out. The villagers jeered and Inuyasha sputtered and gasped. Then he was back under again. The cycle repeated five more times. Inuyasha was on the verge of losing consciousness when Busted Nose pulled him back onto the path and dropped him.

Weak from lack of air, Inuyasha could only lay there and gasp. A foot connected with his diaphragm. What air he had managed to suck in blew out of him. Another kick and he doubled up. Busted Nose grabbed and lifted him up then shoved him toward two young men. "Hold him," he ordered. The men complied with grins, each taking told of an arm. Busted Nose slammed his fist into Inuyasha's face, once, twice, three times. Blood ran from his broken nose and split lip and Inuyasha felt a tooth wiggling every time his tongue moved.

"Hit him with this for Kairin," said an old woman while she held out a wooden pole. It was a popular idea as people roared their approval. The young men tossed Inuyasha onto the ground and took poles given to them by other women who were now joining their men. Inuyasha yelled as the first one struck his back. The blood crazed villagers did as well but in delight not pain. He tried to move before the next one hit but Busted Nose crushed his right hand with his foot then handed his pole to another young man.

"I already got some good slugs in already," he said with a smile. "I'll hold him down while you three strike." The crowd howled with glee. With no way to escape Inuyasha ducked his head and waited for it to be over. He could no longer feel the individual blows and was half delirious by the time they stopped.

"Enough. He isn't even whimpering now. Let's take him back to the village. I'm sure we can still get something out of him if he stays alive," said Busted Nose. The crowd yelled their agreement.

Busted Nose dragged the hanyou back into the village. "Get some rope!" he called as he brought Inuyasha up to the village's giant oak. A length of rope was brought over and the men pulled Inuyasha's hands back then linked them with the rope so his arms were reversing hugging the tree. Another length went around the trunk and across his chest four times securing him further.

"Let's see the lordling get out of that. I'm sure the army would be interested in a fresh recruit," said Busted Nose to his companions. The men hooted their agreement. He turned back to the semiconscious hanyou and said, "They'll make a real man out of you for sure." He and the villagers returned to their huts laughing.

The predawn light was graying the eastern sky before Inuyasha regained his senses. He pulled at the rope holding his wrists and felt flames blossom in his shoulder. He didn't know if the villagers would sleep in, considering their late night, but he couldn't be there when the sun rose. He couldn't risk them seeing him as a half-demon come morning. He didn't want anyone to know when he turned human. It was one thing to attract Kuromakaze's attention it was another for him to learn when Inuyasha was vulnerable to attack.

Birds began to sing as the sky continued to lighten. Inuyasha braced himself then began twisting his right hand. The crippled limb was not as sensitive to pain and was stunted from the poison that had settled into the bones' marrow. It was also less valuable. The injuries across his back screamed with every twist and his stomach threatened to cramp. Something cracked, his wrist slipped from its restraint then a searing pain shot through his arm.

Inuyasha bit down on a cry and whined instead. His right wrist was broken but his left was now free. He slid his arms down until they were at his side; the fibers of the rope scraping his skin raw as they moved. But the motion had the desired effect. It caused the chest ropes binding him to the tree to slacken. It was only a slight difference but it gave him room enough to begin wiggling out of the bonds.

Inuyasha bit his lip as the motion of his shoulders and arms jarred his broken wrist and put pressure on his bruised back. His chin reached the rope and he turned his head sideways and slid the rest of the way down, the rough bark snagging his hair, scraping skin off his cheek and inflaming his battered jaw. Finally, he sat on the ground free of the ropes panting. The few clouds in the sky turned a soft pink as the sky behind became a bright blue. The sun was rising and he needed to be gone.

Mustering the last bit of his strength, he rose to his feet and staggered away. The first rays of light breached the horizon while he was still midway through the fields. He heard shouts from the village behind him as people awoke and found him missing. He ducked his head as he felt his ears crawl up the sides of his skull and pushed his wounded body harder. He reached the trees before any of the villagers turned toward the fields.

Clear of the immediate danger of being revealed, Inuyasha raised his head but didn't stop running. He needed to put as much distance between him and the outraged villagers as possible. They would undoubtedly send people out to look for him. He wasn't certain they would not link the beat-up hanyou with the young man they had beaten last night if he were found.

It was mid-afternoon before his body gave out and he crashed to the ground. He yelped when the landing jarred his broken wrist. He lay there panting for several minutes, hunger, exhaustion and pain finally taking their toll. Leaves rustled nearby and the forest litter crunched. Inuyasha stiffened then managed to push himself up. He looked around for the source of the noise. He thought he smelled blood but wasn't sure if it belonged to whatever was out there or him.

He heard a growl next to him and he whirled but the action caused his vision to spin. He held still for a moment waiting for the world to settle. Something dropped next to him and the scent of blood became stronger. He slowly raised his golden gaze and blinked. Kirara's big red eyes stared back. Her muzzle was spattered with drops of blood. He blinked again then peered down at what she had dropped. A large boar lay on the ground between them. He glanced back and just looked at her. Kirara's ears folded down and back. Then, with a groan, he toppled over. Kirara lunged forward and he landed on the soft, fluffy, warmth of her flank.

"Kirara," he muttered into her fur, "I'm one pathetic human." Kirara twisted around and licked his forehead. She wisely kept any comments to herself.


	27. School of HardKnocks: Lesson 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Lesson 2: Know Thy Strength

Kirara yowled as another fireball exploded just to the right of her. Fire itself couldn't harm the feline but the flying rocks did. Inuyasha clung to her back as she zigzagged along the cliff face. A hitenko kept pace with them from the back of a demon horse. The duo was lucky the stallion was of inferior breeding or the determined tenko would have caught them by now.

The hanyou swallowed as Kirara dropped, avoiding another flying ball of flames. "Well, I wanted their attention," muttered Inuyasha. Kirara shot straight up and Inuyasha's chin slammed into her spine. He death-gripped her fur until the stars in his vision went out. Kirara snarled what Inuyasha interpreted to be a foul comment on his riding abilities.

"Well, _excuse_ me, I'm not Keiko!" he shouted then yelped as he was nearly flung from the twin-tale's back. One hand managed to retain its grip on her fur the rest of him hung off the side. "Shit!"

This fiasco began after a bit of scouting had revealed several forts with massive storehouses of weapons and food in five different locations. All well behind the battle lines and all within a day's ride of each other, at least on a regular horse. Inuyasha had thought it a great chance to not only announce his presence to Kuromakaze, whose attention he needed to attract for his cousin sake, but also hurt the evil hanyou's war effort, causing him to back off from any attacks and further concealing the shift in power.

"I'll be counting on your speed, Kirara," he said to the twin-tale on his shoulder. "If we can hit all five real fast and close together not only will they not be able to form a proper defense but they won't be able to warn the other forts. We can destroy them all in a couple of days. A poorly supplied army does not fight well. Kuromakaze will have to back off on any attacks until he can replace the lost supplies." Kirara had titled her head and blinked at him.

_Wonderful strategy, Inuyasha,_ he thought to himself. _Just buzz in blow the place to hell and buzz out. No one would have ever thought about that possibility. Why is that I can read my opponent's strategy so well yet I can't come up with something better than a little kid? Am I sabotaging a war or playing pranks?_

He had gotten all five forts within two days but the pursuit had been intense and he hadn't been able to shake this final one. He didn't know how much longer Kirara could last. She had been flying at top speed for almost a whole day.

Kirara rolled and Inuyasha was slammed back into place; emphasis on _slammed_. "owww…" he squeaked, one hand holding Kirara's fur the other clutching his groin. "You did that on purpose," he hissed between gasps. Kirara snorted then shot left over the waves.

"What are you doing?" demanded the hanyou. Kirara yowled twice and glanced back. Inuyasha peered over his shoulder. Five more riders with demon horses had appeared and ran off the end of the cliff after them. "I guess I did too good a job," he muttered. The twin-tail gave a muttered yowl in reply. The horses closed in at alarming speed; their pedigree being of higher quality.

Inuyasha blinked as he gazed at the pursuers then yelled, "Kirara, rise!" Kirara flew up just as a stream of water shot toward them from the ocean below. The hanyou grimaced. The hitenko had been annoying but relatively harmless since both Inuyasha and Kirara were of the same element. However, all five of the new pursuers were wearing the blue of mizutenko and they were over the ocean… on a cloudy day.

"Water below… water _above_… Kirara!" Inuyasha yanked hard on the cat's fur and she whirled to the left just as ice spears fell from the sky above. Kirara yowled and began a series of complicated weaves, drops, rises and spins to avoid the falling death hail. Inuyasha held on for dear life. His heart beat grew louder and a vision flooded his sight. The clouds opened up and dropped ice spears all at once until there were no more clouds.

"Kirara, charge them!" shouted Inuyasha. Kirara yowled a protest. "Just do it!" With a snarl, she turned and flew straight at the group of mizutenko. Water lances shot up from the waves and ice spears dropped before them and around them but Kirara proved her superior agility and avoided every attack even while continuing to close the distance. Inuyasha lay across Kirara's back squeezing his legs into her side and digging his fingers into her fur to keep from being tossed. Focusing his mind, he wiggled his ears.

Nothing happened. The air didn't even get hot. There was so much water in the air his wind was being doused before it could even ignite! He could feel his power spilling out of him, flooding the air but nothing burned. It was getting harder for Kirara to dodge as they got closer to the target. If he couldn't set off a firestorm they wouldn't live through this.

"Burn," he whispered, pouring more power into the air.

"Burn." Lances shot up all around them and Kirara yowled as one nicked her hind leg.

"Burn!" he screamed. His vision swam and the water lances and ice spears vanished. Kirara and Inuyasha were knocked in several directions at once by explosions they couldn't see. The mizutenko and demon horses screamed, suddenly aflame. Sunlight streamed in through a perfect clear circle in the clouds. The ocean below hissed and boiled.

Kirara straightened herself out and looked around. Clouds slowly formed inside the cleared space and within minutes the sun was blocked once more. The enemy was gone. Inuyasha panted with sudden exhaustion. His vision doubled and spun and his head felt like it was splitting in two. He didn't know what happened but they were saved.

"Let's go, Kirara, before anyone else shows up," he whispered. Kirara growled and flew back to shore.

______________________________________________________________________________

Since the next section is a bit long, I'll take the time to comment here. These three aren't the only things happening to him during the five-year interval I indicated. They're just highlighted moments. There will be a chapter soon that pushes him into another direction and further links to Ms. Takahashi's story. Then we'll probably have another segment of "School of Hard-Knocks".

All I have to say about Lesson 3 is that I was extremely happy I got to write it. I've been wanting to write that little story about Inuyasha's grandfather ever since I began writing this book. Jounochi had been designed as being obnoxious, but as a grandfatherly leader he never got to express that. This is my tribute to him.


	28. School of HardKnocks: Lesson 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Lesson 3: Listen to Thy Elders

Inuyasha sat beneath the small waterfall letting the water flow over him. His knuckles pressed together as he meditated. He hadn't done this since leaving the Temple of Heaven and now realized that was a mistake. His powers peculiarities, fading out when his demon powers did, working too well, acting without consciously summoning them, not to mention the visions, were problematic. If he couldn't control them his power would be of no use to anyone. He pushed his awareness deeper within himself. There was no one to turn to for answers.

"Are you sure about that, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha blinked. He stood within a garden. Flowers he had never seen before grew everywhere. Numerous bonsai sat in their shallow pots on pedestals and walls all over the garden. A bamboo fountain knocked as it filled then emptied. A pale wall with deep blue tiles atop it surrounded the place. A mansion, the only building, sat at one end. There was no gate visible.

"Where-?" He stopped his question and grimaced. He had done it again. When he was at the temple he had found if he went too deep within himself he ended up in a place where the souls of the dead gathered; the border between life and death. The priestesses and scolded him fiercely whenever he did that. The reason was obvious. For his soul to be here his heart had to stop. However, he had never had a problem in returning.

A pebble struck him in the head and Inuyasha yelped. "Over here, foolish pup." He turned toward the sound of the voice and jumped. A man with long black hair tied into a horsetail and dressed in kimono and hakama of the deepest shade of blue the hanyou had ever seen sat on the edge of the engawa. A light blue wave pattern rolled across the fabric. He wore a necklace with a silver circle on it. Small white diamonds studded it accenting the crescent relief. Small sapphires studded the lower half where the diamond did not cover giving the illusion of ripples.

Inuyasha had heard of the Suigetsu talisman but he had never seen it before since it had been sold during a financial crisis before he was born. Though the shading was different, the blue robes were in the design of a mizutenko. The hanyou blinked again. There was only one tenko who had ever worn the Suigetsu talisman; his grandfather, Lord Jounochi. He swallowed. This was the first time he had encountered a dead soul here.

"Grandfather, why are you here?" Inuyasha asked.

"What? Were you expecting someone else?" Lord Jounochi asked.

Inuyasha shook his head and said, "I just didn't expect you to be at the border. You've been dead for so long."

"I was worried," his grandfather replied. "It seems I left a huge mess behind. Truth is I've been here the whole time. I just haven't called attention to myself before. There are always spirits at the border. Whether you see them or not depends on what they want. Until now I didn't feel the need to show myself."

"Why?" asked Inuyasha.

Lord Jounochi wagged a finger at him. "You didn't come here to learn the ways of spirits, Inuyasha. Your time here is brief. If you stay too long you won't be able to return. Don't waste it on pointless questions that don't benefit you."

"Yes, sir," said Inuyasha. He took a deep breath and said, "I want to know why my power acts the way it does. I lose all of it not just my demon powers on the night of the new moon. I can do things without fully being aware of what I've done. Then some things occur without me actually doing anything. Then what about these stupid visions and understanding things? I'm not someone to just shrug them off because they've helped me and others. There are times when I can control my powers and times when they go out of control. Why is it like that? My escape from Kuromakaze had me using so many tightly controlled spells perfectly. Why can't I do that every time? Why are they so fickle?"

"You're correct to question them. However, you're shocked to find them behaving differently from other tenko of the same element? I'm shocked they resemble them at all," said his grandfather. Inuyasha gazed at him in confusion. "Think about your father. He's confirmed to be a first generation true yokai. Hanyou or not that makes you a second generation true yokai. No one but your older brother carries anything of the ancient bloodline. All the other yokai have been thinned due to inbreeding. This close to the original creation makes it potent, even more so for you than your elder brother. Your demon blood remains pure and untainted by any other. Then there is the fact your father was made a celestial through his use of the Jewel of Life. The Lightwing blood is more powerful than you can imagine. It should have overwhelmed our watered down celestial blood and given you powers more attuned to a celestial demon. Why it expresses itself as fire and wind is beyond me."

Inuyasha sat down hard on the ground. "So my power is flawed?"

"I didn't say that," said Lord Jounochi, shaking his head. "As for why it wanes on the night of the new moon, well, heheh. I'm called Suigetsu because my power waxed and waned with the moon."

"It did?" asked Inuyasha, staring at his grandfather.

Lord Jounochi nodded and said, "I had incredible power when it was full but was very weak when it was new. Not helpless like you describe but opponents I could defeat half-a-month before could, at that time, defeat me. I always figured that was why your demon power failed on the new moon. My little contribution."

Lord Jounochi stood up and walked over toward his grandson and said, "Your ability to come here I suspect is your mother's contribution. Not just anyone can walk in and out of the border region like this." Inuyasha stood up and his grandfather paused when he was still an arm's length away. "I sense the Jewel of the Heavens. You possess it now?" Inuyasha nodded. He didn't want to discuss the reason why _he_ was guarding it. Bad enough Jounochi was aware of Sagara's fate worse it would be if he learned about his only son's. "You best guard that well. Of all the shards of the Jewel of Life that is the most dangerous one."

"You don't have to tell me that," said Inuyasha. "Even babies know that much."

"Words begin to describe how dangerous it is," said his grandfather, his eyes narrowing. "The fact that you are here means some part of you still doesn't understand that threat fully. You need to return to the land of the living now."

"Must I leave so soon?" asked Inuyasha. "I still don't have any answers."

"I've heard what you said and I'll be working on it. Nothing else to do around here anyway and I do feel terrible for not being there for you. If only I had been a little more tactful when approaching Sagara…" he said. Inuyasha looked down. His grandfather probably hadn't encountered any newly dead from Tenji who could have told him how bad it had become.

"I'll give you a story to dream about," he said reaching out to Inuyasha and tapping his forehead. The hanyou glanced back up. "I don't know if it will help but at least it can give you an idea of what you might face as the Guardian of the Heavens. Don't come here again until you're certain of your own safety. The way you are now, someone could kill you and you wouldn't realize it until you were unable to find your way back to the land of the living."

"Yes, sir," answered Inuyasha. He understood but he didn't think he would ever be truly safe. Not when he was trying to draw Kuromakaze to him.

"I'll try to have your answers the next time you appear. Meanwhile, you work on what you can," said Lord Jounochi. Inuyasha nodded and closed his eyes.

His body was bitterly cold. He tried to move but everything was stiff. He needed to get out of the water and warmed up. "Kirara!" he called between chattering teeth. He hoped she hadn't disappeared again. Fortunately, the twin-tale seemed to have learned her lesson. She flew toward him, bit into his kimono's sash and carried the soggy hanyou to dry land. Fingers numb with cold, he fumbled to get out of the soaked clothing. He wouldn't be able to handle building a fire and it probably wasn't safe to anyway. He curled his naked body on Kirara's flank and the cat wrapped her tails around him, tucking her nose beneath them.

He blew into his hands and fought to stay awake. As cold as he was, falling asleep now could be fatal. Kirara huffed a few times and fire appeared on her paws like it did when she was flying. Her body temperature also rose and soon Inuyasha's shaking ceased.

"Thanks, Kirara. I'm glad you're here," he whispered, allowing himself to drift into slumber now that he was warm again. As promised, he began to dream.

_He's following me again_, thought Jounochi as he glared over his shoulder. Raita, the demon slayer, would not let things go. _It was a misunderstanding and really it was mostly his fault! Some professional he is!_ Raita stalked ten paces behind the mizutenko, his single eye fixed on the man's back.

Jounochi had encountered the demon slayer while responding to a cry for help from a simple forest sprite. The female demon had been wrongfully blamed for a number of thefts in nearby villages. Unable to clear her name and fearing for her life, she had managed to send a letter to Tenji requesting help. The thefts had gotten more brutal with people being seriously hurt. The culprit was still at large and the forest sprite felt threatened by both the angry villagers as well the one posing as her. It was only a matter a time before someone died.

Jounochi, who had been traveling abroad, had been intercepted by the sprite's messenger bird. Unable to ignore it, he had immediately headed for her as swiftly as possible. In the outside world, nobody cared if a demon was falsely accused. Humans took any excuse they could to kill them. He got there just in time to rescue her from Raita who had been hired to exterminate her. The man had been stubborn and refused to listen to Jounochi's words. The two ended up fighting and Jounochi had taken Raita's eye.

After chasing Raita off, Jounochi had set his sights on discovering the real thief. It turned out to be a group of young men, boys really, who had dressed one of the group up as the forest sprite then worked together to create the illusion of demon powers to terrify the villagers while they stole whatever they pleased. The boys hadn't cared their antics had nearly cost the real forest sprite her life. Jounochi had then spent the whole day explaining to the villagers why forest sprites were not only benevolent but also beneficial to them. He had then left the boys to their fate and hoped the villagers wouldn't do something as stupid as try to kill the forest sprite again.

Raita had reappeared soon after and had stalked the mizutenko ever since, undoubtedly looking for some payback. Jounochi was getting sick of it. He didn't want to fight the demon slayer again. He didn't even want to fight him the first time. He had shaken Raita a few times by heading into crowded castle-towns but the persistent man had always found him a few days later.

Jounochi dropped his pack and turned to face the demon slayer. "Will you please give it up already and go home?" he snapped.

Raita stopped and raised his haraikotsu. "Not until I've handed you the same humiliation you gave me," he replied.

"You wouldn't have suffered anything if you had just listened to me. Really, you humiliated yourself with that pointless battle," said Jounochi while scratching his head. "Keh! Why should I have to fight you again when it's all your fault to begin with?"

"You interfered with my job!" shouted Raita, raising his weapon to strike.

Jounochi's eyes narrowed. "Demon slayers! You really are a bunch of murderers for hire."

"What was that?" yelled Raita.

"I told you already, that forest sprite was innocent. The real thieves were a bunch of delinquents from the villages dressing up as the forest sprite," said Jounochi. Disgusted he turned away, pulling his pack onto his back again. "The only thing that would have changed with the forest sprite death would have been the number of demons in the area. A forest sprite is a sacred spirit. As long as it remains in one place the surrounding area will be free of murderous demons. They can't defend themselves so they sanctify the land they live in to keep out dangerous beings that would hunt them. A pity it doesn't work a malevolent humans."

Jounochi paused for a moment then glanced over his shoulder at Raita. "Then again your business in the area would have picked up. Those villages would have undoubtedly contacted your kin seeking aid in driving away the demons that came following the forest sprite's death. So maybe I did do you a disservice. You're not going to get any business from that area as long as that forest sprite breathes."

Raita gnashed his teeth and growled, "Insufferable tenko!" He launched the haraikotsu. The giant boomerang sliced through the air, hacking off branches of the trees it passed. Jounochi sighed then spun his hands as he dropped into a horse stance. The two trees on either side of him burst as their water was yanked from their xylem. The water gathered in a ring around the tenko then with a forward strike of his flat palm. It shot forward striking the haraikotsu. The boomerang flew off course and buried its tip in the ground several yards from its target. Raita snarled but the mizujutsu had a sobering effect on him.

"Go home," said Jounochi and walked away. Or at least tried to but a young woman had mysteriously appeared in the place where he wanted to step. Off balance, he flailed his arms for a few seconds before toppling over but avoided falling on the newcomer.

"Hah! Evil spirit begone!" she cried and slapped a paper talisman on his forehead. Jounochi glared cross-eyed at the thing then shifted his gaze to the woman. A white kimono and red hakama distinguished her as a shrine maiden. A lovely little thing and even prettier with her determined expression.

"My dear lovely miko, that only works on demons," he said pulling the talisman off and handed it back to her.

"But aren't you a demon?" she asked, blinking her wide eyes at him. A smothered snicker came from behind Jounochi.

The mizutenko sighed. "Go back to your shrine and train some more, miko, you're obviously lacking. Continue like this and you'll end up dead," said Jounochi as he climbed to his feet then brushed himself off. Not the best first impressions for an encounter with a beautiful woman.

"You must be a demon! You used your demon power to draw water from those trees and you're fighting a demon slayer," said the miko, planting her fists on her hips and squaring her shoulders. Jounochi sighed again. Maybe he shouldn't waste time charming this woman, though it seemed like such a waste to just let her walk away without at least earning her animosity.

"Sure he's a demon! But you are still lacking in training, because you can't effect him properly," said Raita, grinning from ear to ear. Jounochi eyebrows twitched in annoyance. If girls were going to hate him he wanted it to be for true reasons not false ones.

"I knew it," she declared and pointed a finger at the mizutenko. "I won't be fooled by your sweet talk anymore, demon! Prepared to be exorcised." She then clapped her hands together and began chanting.

Jounochi turned back to Raita while she continued chanting. "Holding a grudge with me is one thing but dragging others into it is quite an-OFFT!" Jounochi squawked as the miko finished her spell and struck him with it. A jolt sang up his body then a sound like a bell rang out. Suddenly, when it had been sunny with only a few clouds in the sky, it began to rain. Not a light rain but a full blown downpour that turned everything more than a few feet away into an indistinguishable gray mass.

"Sensory training you may be lacking, but power you are not," said Jounochi with sigh.

"Areh?" The miko blinked in shock, her body still holding the position she had taken when she had 'exorcised' him.

"What happened?" asked Raita.

"I'm a Kanzaki and that power surge I got from the miko just severed a few of my control threads," said Jounochi, his voice flat. _Plus the full moon is just around the corner._ "Let's find some shelter before we all drown; this could take awhile."

"Wait a minute! How am I going to find my haraihotsu in this downpour?" demanded Raita.

"That's your problem. You chose to throw it _and_ you egged on the miko," stated Jounochi as he trudged up the road. He grabbed the wrist of the stunned woman and dragged her after him. No point in allowing the poor girl to catch cold over this; it wasn't really her fault after all. Besides, Jounochi couldn't help but be impressed with her power. It wasn't everyday one found a miko who could agitate a tenko.

"Hey! Where are you taking me?" yelled the miko but she didn't pull free of his hand nor resist.

"There should be an outcrop with an overhang not much further ahead. We'll wait there until this blows over," replied Jounochi. He called over his shoulder, "See you there Raita. That is, if it doesn't stop raining before you find your haraikotsu."

"Damn you, Jounochi, to the deepest pits of hell!" shouted the demon slayer in return.

"Are you friends?" asked the miko. The mizutenko paused for a second then howled with laughter.

"Friends? I hope not!" He kept laughing as they walked. The young woman just stared at him in confusion.

Raita found them a little while later with his haraikotsu on his back. It was still raining. "Damn! How long until this let's up? Achoo!" asked the demon slayer. The miko glanced at him then bowed her head, embarrassed. Jounochi was crouched down with a distant look in his eye. A wave of exhaustion had overcome him almost as soon as the pair had reached the overhang. Squelching any romantic notions he had had.

"I'm feeling fatigued now," said Jounochi with looking at Raita. "All of my power must have expressed itself when she hit me. If that's the case, this may not let up before tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry," murmured the miko. "I didn't realize this would happen."

"I didn't either. Since you mistook me for a demon, I didn't believe you had that kind of power," said Jounochi. The miko just cringed. "Well since we're stuck here…" He turned toward her and smiled. "I'm Kanzaki Jounochi, third son of Kanzaki Hetoi, lord of the tenko clan in Tenji." He then waved at the other man next to her. "Bonehead over there is Raita of the demon slayers."

"Hey!"

The miko blinked a few times then gasped. "You're a nobleman? Oh my! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…" She fell silent as Jounochi waved at her. "Ano. I'm Kohana, Inoui Kohana. I'm the twelfth daughter of Inoui Merono a minor official in the imperial court."

"They must have handed you to a temple the moment you were born for you not to recognize a tenko if you're from a family that's involved in that level of politics," said Jounochi, regarding the young woman.

Kohana nodded. "Many of my siblings were sent away at an early age like me. My sisters and I were given to a temple once we were weaned. If Father can gain any advantage with marrying us off all he has to do is summon us. If we remained we would just be a burden on him." Jounochi snorted but otherwise made no comment.

Raita wasn't as sociably adept. "You're better off like this. He just got rid of what he considered to be useless daughters while preserving his image. You would have been really miserable if he had kept you close. Being from the imperial court, I'm surprised he didn't send you to that tenko temple; that really would have boosted his image."

"Is the tenko temple really that much better?" asked Kohana.

"First off, it isn't our temple. It just resides within Tenji. Second, I know why he didn't," said Jounochi. Raita and Kohana turned to him. He continued, ticking the points off on his fingers. "One, the Temple of Heaven does not take children under the age of ten. They train shamans; they do not raise babies. Two, every person who desires spiritual training is tested. They won't train those who don't have some potential. Three, any person who is accepted sheds the authority of their parents. The parents gave their children to the temple to receive training that would defend the land from supernatural attack; their rights to govern their children's lives are forfeited. Four, all the women who receive training are taught independence of mind and spirit. These women are very dominating in their behavior; they have to be if they are going to do battle with demons and ghosts.

"He sent you and your sisters away as soon as you were weaned. Point one alone would have him looking elsewhere. Now can your sisters use the same amount of power as you, Kohana?" asked Jounochi.

"The power varies. The priests say I'm the strongest. Two of my sisters can't even get the talismans to work for them but then they aren't very diligent in their training," she replied.

"You might have been accepted but not those two. Thus point two encourages him to look elsewhere as well. Also the Temple of Heaven is not tolerant of slackers. If they had been accepted and behaved poorly they would have been placed back under the authority and care of their parents. To those of Tenji there is no greater humiliation then to be expelled from any training ground. Worse still, other places won't take on someone who has been expelled from anywhere else. Points three and four can be lumped together. He wants to still have you available to marry off if the chance ever comes. He wants submissive, obedient daughters who will shuffle home to meet their new husband whenever he calls. On all four grounds the Temple of Heaven is not an option. Also, once you joined the Temple of Heaven you'd become a citizen of Tenji. If he tried to force a marriage on you all you had to do is call the tenko. They will not allow one of their miko to be forced into anything. They value their warrior women far too much."

"And my father is aware of this?" she asked.

"If he has had any contact with the tenko then yes," replied Jounochi.

"You tenko make Tenji sound like paradise," said Raita, his voice dripping scorn.

"Far from it, but compared to the rest of the world…" said Jounochi, his gaze inverting and then he shuddered. "I've said nothing that isn't true but we do have our own issues. Why else would we need human warriors at all?"

"Fair enough," said Raita. "So why do you need people like miko anyway? Your clan's more powerful than anyone alive demon or human so why the human warriors?"

"Because we breed our own demons," said Jounochi. Raita started. Kohana gasped. "Someone needs to be there to protect Tenji when we're dealing with our devils." The mizutenko sprang to his feet and grabbed his sword. The demon slayer spun and saw two shadows approaching. He grabbed his haraikotsu. It could be other travelers seeking shelter but it could also be trouble.

The shadows took form and a pair of demons appeared. Raita and Kohana braced for a fight but Jounochi oddly relaxed. Both demons stopped and looked at them. One was a woman in a pale kimono with her dark hair tied in a bun at the base of her neck. The other was a man in black fur and armor with piercing green eyes. Raita wasn't sure about the woman but he was positive the man was a wolf demon.

"What are you two doing way out here?" asked Jounochi. The demon slayer and miko jerked in surprise and regarded their companion.

"Huh? Jounochi is that you?" said the wolf demon then he stepped forward and gripped the mizutenko's arm in greeting. "How you been? Still breaking the young girls' hearts?"

The woman followed him into the shelter and glanced at the other two. "You should be more careful, Kenji, he seems to be in the process of breaking another."

"Areh?" Kohana blinked several times not sure what the female demon meant. Raita grimaced.

"I would be but the weather isn't cooperating," said Jounochi then he looked hard into Kenji's eyes. "Seriously why are you abroad and with Soranoko no less?"

Kenji's expression became grim and he replied, "Someone is trying to steal the Jewels of Life. Soranoko and I have both been attacked but we prevailed. I'm not too worried about Kaiyoshinju and Xeno. Anyone who messes with them is committing suicide, however…"

"However, Sora was never able to link with his jewel and can neither fully hide it nor use it. We came out here together in an attempt to warn him but were too late," said Soranoko. The wind sorceress looked down. "The Jewel of the Heavens has been stolen."

"It was a fresh kill and the trail was still warm. We were tacking the killer when the rainstorm came out of nowhere and washed the trail cold," finished the wolf demon. Jounochi threw a lethal glance at Raita who was clueless to the consequences. Kohana had turned as red as her hakama.

Raita scratched his head and said, "You tenko keep such strange company. Anyway, this Jewel whatever sounds serious though. What is it?"

"The Jewel of the Heavens is one of the five Jewels of Life that were once one gem. The Jewel of Life is an artifact left over from the Celestial War thousands of years ago," replied Jounochi when the other two hesitated. "When its power went out of control and threatened the existence of the world, it was smashed against a stone and broke into five shards. Those are the Jewels of Life. The Jewel of the Heavens is the core piece and contains the gem's original power and ability, though, on a much smaller scale. It is also the piece needed to reunite the other four and recreate the Jewel of Life."

"So this Jewel of the Heavens is really powerful, then," said Raita, still clueless. Jounochi sighed again and shook his head.

Kenji grunted, stepped toward the demon slayer, and asked, "Do you know about the Shikon no Tama?"

"Of course I do! Why? Is the Jewel of the Heavens like it?" said Raita, affronted at first then became concerned.

"The Shikon no Tama is nothing but a cheap bauble next to the Jewel of the Heavens," replied Kenji with a dismissive wave.

"WHAT?" yelled both Kohana and Raita.

"How did such a thing come into existence anyway?" demanded Raita.

"That's something I've been wondering about, too," said Kenji looking over at Jounochi. Soranoko nodded in agreement. "We were just told how powerful they were and to guard them; no one ever gave us the history before.

"The Jewel of Life was created as weapon to use against an even greater foe. It defeated the foe but proved to be too powerful," replied Jounochi with a shrug.

"How can you be so calm about something so dangerous?" yelled Raita.

"Lord Jounochi, if it had served its purpose why weren't they Jewels of Life unmade?" asked Kohana. "Why keep such dangerous things around?"

The mizutenko sighed, he seemed to be doing a lot of that today, and replied, "Because there is no way to unmake them." The two humans turned to stare at him. "The power used to make them only goes in one direction never the reverse.

Soranoko added, "There are many items of power in Tenji. All of them more powerful than the Shikon no Tama. All of them impossible to unmake. Half of them created by evil to do evil and therefore must be guarded at all times. The other half were created to be tools to help in healing or to fight off the evil ones. All of them, however, can bring great harm if they fall into the wrong hands." Raita and Kohana stared at the wind sorceress, unnerved by her revelation.

"And that is the reason why the Temple of Heaven is so picky," said Jounochi. "They are guarding nearly all the items of power, both good and evil."

Raita looked like he was about to throw a fit. "If you have so many items to take care of why are you not doing anything about the Shikon no Tama? Why let it continue to cause so much trouble out here." The two demons made a show of turning to Jounochi again.

Jounochi glared at them then said, "Right now the Shikon no Tama can still be unmade, but if it enters Tenji or is handled by a tenko or one carrying an item of power from Tenji it will change its nature. Then it will be impossible to unmake. The Temple of Heaven is working on trying to find someone whose power is greater than Modoriko. That person will then be sent to destroy the Shikon no Tama. Until then, it has to be left alone."

"Was Midoriko really so strong that they still haven't found her successor?" asked Kohana. "Amazing!"

Jounochi nodded then whispered, "However she became arrogant for it. She's an embarrassment to the Temple of Heaven. The creation of the Shikon no Tama was just the result of her last act of stupidity and pride."

Raita's mouth hung open then he growled and shouted, "What do you mean-?" He was cut off by a burst of light cutting through the rain. All five ran out into the downpour. The light faded and so did the rain.

"Has it been that long already?" asked Kohana holding her hands out to catch the final drops.

"No," replied Jounochi. He held out his hands as well. Kohana gasped. Mizutenko was glowing. "Someone has dispersed my rain. My power is flowing back into me."

"Another mizutenko?" asked Raita. The way he gripped his haraikotsu, Jounochi wasn't sure the demon slayer believed his own words.

"The amount of power required to disperse this has to be equal to my own. Right now there is no one in my clan who can," replied Jounochi with a shake of his head. He pulled a necklace from his kimono. It was a silver disk with a crescent moon relief on it. "This was given to me as my symbol, the Suigetsu, because my power acts like the ocean tides rising and falling with the phases of the moon. The full moon is only a few days away; my power is near its peak."

"Then…" Kohana whispered.

"Our theif has just made a critical error," said Kenji with a grim smile.

"Let's go!" cried Soranoko. The two demons took off. Jounochi followed with Raita behind him. Kohana hesitated then ran after them.

"Raita, you idiot! You think you can help? Didn't you listen to anything I said?" hollered Jounochi over his shoulder when he realized his tail.

"You think I'm going to sit by and ignore this after what you said? If I can get in a few key hits it will be enough," shouted Raita, grim determination etched onto his face.

Jounochi shot a withering look at the demon slayer then saw Kohana struggling to keep up. "Kohana, go back!"

"Why? I want to help, too!" she called.

"You're spiritual powers will be useless in this fight," shouted Jounochi. "The power that created the Jewel of Life, the power that the Jewel of the Heavens wields is the mother power; the power that created both yoki and senki. Only someone who wields the same type can stand up to it."

"But…"

"I'm sorry, Miko, the old lecher is right," called Kenji. "Soranoko and I will be drawing on the power of our jewels to fight. Otherwise we wouldn't stand a chance either."

"Kenji guards the Jewel of the Lands and I guard the Jewel of the Winds," added Soranoko. "Those are two shards of the Jewel of Life. It will put us on equal footing with this thief. Ordinarily I would be encouraging the demon slayer to retreat as well but that weapon of his might prove a valuable distraction."

"He's just too damn stubborn for his own good and we don't have time to fuss with him," interrupted Jounochi. Raita shouted obscenities at him in retaliation.

"You don't even have a bow," continued Soranoko. "You would need to get within arm's length to strike. There is no point in dragging you along."

"But…"

"Just do as they say," said Raita, his voice still carrying an edge. He glanced back and softened it to say, "I'm sorry I used you to get back at the tenko earlier." Kohana slowed her pace and came to a stop, tears flowing down her face. Everyone else continued forward without looking back.

"Sorry, Jounochi, it looks like we muscled in on your smoothing," said Kenji.

"Well, there is always another lady somewhere that has not been charmed yet," said Jounochi. "Once this is taken care of I'll just ease my longing with a trip to the Flaming Dragon!"

Raita nearly tripped in shock. Once he recovered his balance he shouted, "We're about to head into a battle with someone who has the most powerful item in all of creation and you're thinking about _that_?"

"Suigetsu rule one: Always think beyond the next battle, it helps promote survival! Hahahahahahahah!" replied Jounochi. Raita steamed away just behind him.

"Looks like the old lech is feeling better," said Kenji, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hentai," muttered the wind sorceress. They came to a group of trees surrounded my fields.

"I smell her, that hanyou who jumped us," said Kenji as they approached.

"Hanyou?" asked Jounochi. At that moment the trees lit up from within. "Look out!" Everyone separated. A flash momentarily blinded them and a dome of light appeared where they had been then vanished. Nothing was burnt but Jounochi wasn't fooled. "Don't be tricked! The light will vaporize anything that touches it."

"Damn!" Kenji landed then double fisted the ground before him. The earth shot up and rolled toward the trees. Lightning crawled along the ground and met the land wave. The movement of the earth halted. "Tsk!" Soranoko launched her enhanced Ryu no Mai. More lightning and her winds died.

_Something isn't right,_ thought Jounochi holding off on joining the fray._ Even if Sora couldn't control the Jewel of the Heaven perfectly, what he did use should have been enough to handle whatever came for him. Yet he was defeated. Soranoko and Kenji are both compatible with their jewels and know how to use their power to the fullest. Yet they are being easily held off. Then there is the fact that my rain was dispersed._

Jounochi trotted over to the demon slayer. "Raita, aim for the base of the trees but have it occur on the return trip," he whispered. "I'll go and charge straight in." Raita threw him a questioning look. "There's something about this I need to check."

"I don't know what you're planning but I'll go along. Since it doesn't look like anything else is working at the moment," said Raita. Jounochi nodded grimly. Kenji and Soranoko were still launching attacks from all angles yet the thief was holding her own.

Jounochi charged forward, drawing water from the air around him then hurled it as a group of ice spears. The celestial lightning vaporized every one of them. The haraikotsu made a wide circle, flying wide passed the trees before turning back around. It chopped through the trunks like a giant axe chopping lettuce. Jounochi grinned when he heard a shriek and saw someone leap clear of the falling trees.

A woman, a hanyou, in a pale green kimono and light brown hakama stood before them. Her black hair hung loose and her red eyes were piercing. One hand was clenched around something that glowed from between her fingers. Her other hand was free. She pointed it at him.

Jounochi leapt away as a bolt struck the place where he had been standing. Kenji and Soranoko started attacking again but this time their efforts were more direct. The hanyou struggled to keep pace with them but still she held her own. Jounochi was now more certain than ever. This hanyou was a celestial demon. Anyone else would have lost control and been devoured by it by now.

"Now what?" asked Raita after catching his haraikotsu.

"This is bad," said Jounochi. Raita jerked and looked at him in surprise. "If this was an ordinary hanyou it would have been over already. She must be from some unknown Hane clan. Even if we get the jewel away from her, she can still attack us with her own power."

"Hane clan? What are you mumbling about? We need to act now! I don't think those two demons can keep this up forever," said Raita. Jounochi, however, didn't know what they could do. He didn't know how to create an opportunity which would allow them to kill her. Then he saw something that made his heart drop into his stomach. Creeping among the fallen trees, heading toward the thief, was Kohana. When she had caught up to them, he didn't know, but no one else had seen her. If she were spotted by the hanyou she would die.

Not thinking about what he was doing, he rushed forward again. Kohana struck first. The hanyou woman screamed and the Jewel of the Heavens in her hand went wild. Thin threads of lightning appeared around the fist that held it then wrapped themselves around the two women. Both shrieked and blew apart.

"Infernal wench!" howled the hanyou. She raised a hand and pointed at the prone miko. "I'll obliterate you!"

"Half-bitch! Over here!" shouted Jounochi as he raised his sword to swing. To her credit the hanyou didn't freeze in surprise. She just whirled around and fired her spell at him. It was point-blank. The mizutenko's face lit up in the glow of the spell. In that instant he summoned his water and arched it through the spell's path and over him. The spell entered the channeled water and bent up and away from its target. Jounochi slashed. For a second the hanyou woman remained where she knelt, her eyes wide in disbelief, then she fell forward, her head rolling away on impact. Jounochi picked up the small white gem where it rested in her palm then he ran forward to check on Kohana. The other three came forward as well.

"Kohana," he called in a soft voice. The miko didn't respond. "Baka, that's why you weren't supposed to come." A tear slid down his cheek. "Baka." He picked her up and held her against his chest and rocked.

"I never would have guessed her for the hero type," muttered Kenji.

"She did seem too flighty for it but I guess she had where it counted," whispered Raita.

"Brilliant strategy," said Soranoko. "She was either a genius or a damn lucky fool."

"Lord Jounochi," came the faint whisper, "you're hurting me."

"Kohana!" cried Jounochi and pulled her back. She blinked and looked around.

"Is the Jewel of the Heavens safe now?" she asked.

"Yes, it's right here," said Jounochi and showed her the gem that now resembled a thumbnail-sized diamond. "I think we better get you to a healer. Spirits know I ain't one."

They arrived at the house of an old kitenko who lived on the border. She declared that while there was nothing physical wrong with Kohana, her spiritual powers, however, were gone.

"She may get them back. She may not," said the old woman. "All I know is that the part of a person that creates senki is burnt to a crisp. It isn't a part of the body that can be healed. It happens to the part that instructs the body's smallest parts. I cannot guide that recovery, no one can. She may recover on her own but I wouldn't hold my breath, though."

Kohana spirits fell at the news. "I can't go back to my temple now. They'd never believe me. They think it was a sign that I had done something obscene."

"Yeah, and that fact that you were keeping company with _him_ won't add much credibility to your story either," said Kenji with a sigh, jerking his thumb at the mizutenko.

"Too true," agreed Jounochi, completely unrepentant. Then he smiled and said, "I guess that means you'll have to stay with me. You can stay in Tenji. Someone who lost her powers while saving the Jewel of the Heavens gets instant first class hero status. You'll be worshipped like a goddess. Beautiful as you are, you should already be worshipped as one. OW!"

Soranoko had hit him with her fan. "Enough smooching, Jounochi. I thought you were going to appease you're 'longing' at the Flaming Dragon," she said tapping her fan on her shoulder.

Jounochi waved his hand as the wind sorceress. "I can do that at any time. My first duty should be settling our new resident goddess into her humble abode," he said while wrapping an arm around Kohana.

"Areh?" Kohana blinked in surprise.

"Hold on, Jounochi! You can't just make these decisions for her," said Raita while glaring at the mizutenko. He then turned to Kohana and said with a smile, "If you want, you can come back to my village. At least then you'll be safe from a certain lecher."

"Areh?" Kohana blinked again and looked between the two.

"Better the lecher than the murderer-for-hire. At least I appreciate all her assets," said Jounochi and big grin spread across his face as he leaned against her while pulling her closer.

"Areh?" Kohana seemed to shrink in on herself. This was the first time she had had any men act this way around her.

"Hello! Is Lord Jounochi here?" called someone from outside interrupting the argument. Mizutenko lost his smile and stepped outside looking annoyed. The other four followed him. A man on black stallion with blood red mane and tail waited.

Jounochi stepped toward the messenger and asked, "What business do you want with me?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I regret to inform you, Lord Jounochi, of your father's passing. You are requested by the elders to return to Kyoto for the ascension ceremony," said the messenger.

Jounochi blinked, folded his arms, and said, "Is that so? That's the old man for you." He began shaking his head. "He always did do everything within his power to rein me in. Now I have to go back to see which of us is going to be lord." He scratched his head and sighed. "What a bother. I bet they even got a bride all picked out for me whether or not I make lord. What a pain!"

"Can't you be more appropriately concerned?" asked Raita, his tone flat. "Your father just died."

"But, Lord Jounochi, I thought you said they couldn't force anyone to marry who didn't want to," said Kohana, unintentionally sparing Raita from getting to hear Jounochi's response to his comment.

"Family responsibility. The elders will 'encourage' me to settle down and accept the role of husband and father. They won't order me. In short they will nag me to death until I give in. 'Young Lord, what woman would make a good mother?' 'Young Lord, do you have an image of what your bride should be?' 'Young Lord, when will you settle down?' 'Young Lord, what kind of children will you sire?' Also the bride-to-be will be from a list of women who volunteered. Ones who think they can handle yours truly," replied Jounochi, shaking his head is despair. "What am I going to do? I could end up with some ugly hen-pecker for a wife." He began to sigh again then stopped; his eyes tracked sideways until they fell upon Kohana.

"Kohana, would you consider being the mother of my children?" asked Jounochi suddenly in her face, his hands holding hers.

"Areh?" Kohana dark eyes widened and a nervous smile appeared on her face.

"My lord?" squawked the messenger.

"Now wait just a second!" hollered Raita, his whole body trembling with rage.

"I know it's a bit sudden, my dear," Jounochi continued despite the protests, "but really do you need to think about it." He pulled her frozen body into his arms as he continued to talk. "Even if I don't make lord I'm still a member of the Kanzaki family. I can still provide you with everything you need. Our children will know no suffering or discrimination. Forget that fool father of yours. Once you are a Kanzaki you can cut all ties to him. I can even rescue your sisters and give them a home in Tenji where they will be appreciated. When you see your father in Kyoto you can stick your tongue at him in pride and say, 'See old man, I got my own man and he's better than anything you could have arranged for me.' Hah hah!"

"Areh?" Kohana's expression hadn't changed.

Jounochi jumped away a moment before the haraikotsu smashed into the ground where he had been standing. "What kind of proposal is that?" screamed Raita. "Bribing her more like it. Don't you have any shame at all?"

"What the matter with you? This solves two problems at once. We can't send her back to her temple. She said they wouldn't believe her, remember? I was already planning to take to her Tenji anyway," said Jounochi in annoyance. Then he stood tall with hands on hips and declared, "Besides, what woman could do better than me!"

"EVERY ONE OF THEM, HENTAI!" roared the demon slayer and he launched himself at the mizutenko.

"Areh?" Kohana stared as the two men exchanged blows.

Kenji walked up behind her and gave her shoulder a hard pat. "Well good luck! I need to go and open up negotiations with the tribe elders. Don't let him overwhelm you, Kohana. He's really hopeless when it comes to women. Bye!" The wolf demon disappeared leaving a trail of dust to mark his path.

"Areh?" Kohana stared after the vanished wolf demon.

"Hey, wait-a-minute, Wolf! Get back here!" shouted Soranoko, waving her closed fan at the dust clouds. "Don't leave me to report all this to the Inu no Taisho all by myself! Hey!" The dust settled. The wolf was long gone. The wind sorceress glared at the place where he disappeared then screamed, "Coward! Why are all you wolf demons so quick to run away?" She huffed a few times then composed herself and turned to the wide-eyed Kohana. "Well, congratulations on your wedding. Stop looking like the hare caught in the snake's gaze. You'll be fine." Soranoko pulled one of her feathers from her hair piece and flew off in a gust of wind.

"Areh?" Now Kohana was all alone with the two men battling behind her. The messenger didn't count; he was hopelessly trying to separate the two without getting between them.

A yell and the sound of something crashing drew her attention. Jounochi stood with one foot on the back of the defeated Raita. "Yatta! Tenko superiority! Wahahahahah!" he shouted. She swore she saw steam blow out his nose like that of a bull. He then spied her. With a leap, Jounochi was once again invading her space, one hand stroking her hair the other resting on the small of her back. "Now Kohana, should we return to Kyoto and hold the ceremony there are do you wish for a quieter ceremony at your own temple?" he asked looking deep into her eyes.

"Areh?" was all Kohana could say.

--

Inuyasha jerked awake and, standing there naked in the new day light, screamed so loud all the birds flew away in fright, "HENTAI!" The next thing he knew, it was pouring ice cold rain. Kirara yowled in shock and protest. "Oh this is just cruel!" said Inuyasha between chattering teeth.

"You need to learn respect for your elders, Inuyasha," said Jounochi, standing a few feet away.

Inuyasha glared at him and asked, "How did you get to this world?"

Jounochi shiffed his weight, visible despite the downpour, and replied, "I followed you." Inuyasha growled at the vague response. "I think you'll be happy to know I have your answers." Inuyasha stopped growling. "Sage Katsuya told me that it all has to do with how your father became a celestial demon. He was transformed into one not born one; apparently this makes a big difference. He also said to remember this: energy is energy no matter what form it takes and fire is just the physical manifestation of energy. Second, you have what he calls the third eye. It grants clarity. Your visions are just how you perceive this clarity. Third, you have tremendous power but not to worry; it's not acting of its own accord. He wouldn't tell me what but he says you'll soon understand what is bringing about these abilities on your own. Fourth, he said you have wings." Inuyasha blinked. "I saw the spirit wings when you were five but I think he was referring to true wings. However, he said that until you understand and don't fear your power you're never going to be able to take flight. I think you need to trust yourself a little more. At that time you were fleeing Kuromakaze there was no room for doubt that was why everything reacted properly. It's your own terror crippling you now, Inuyasha. Learn your power and control it." The rain lightened and his grandfather faded away.

Kirara approached Inuyasha and rubbed her head against him. He held his hand over his heart and said, "You ask me to trust myself? To not fear my power? How can I _not_ fear it?"


	29. Matchmaker, Matchmaker

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Why must I make threats just to get one review around here?! Honestly people!

Thank you, Saiba Wolf, for taking me seriously, here is your reward. This chapter was already written I was just withholding it pending results, but don't think you can slack off again. And as for the rest of you… Put your hands on the keyboard and type me some comments!

**Chapter 23: Matchmaker, matchmaker…**

_159 years before the search for the jewel shards._

_My daughter is quite the busybody. To overcome her own grief she decided she needed to match me up with someone. Dragons are very determined and I can't argue that I'm not happy with results._

-Sesshomaru

Naomi twitched, her patience failing. Her fifth candidate continued to chatter on why she would make Sesshomaru a wonderful wife or more accurately, why it would be a wonderful thing if she became Sesshomaru's wife.

"…I would finally get the respect I deserve. People think I'm useless and that all I care about is my image. I think I've done well considering the circumstances. I mean with all this dreadful fighting and running through the bush like a bunch of humans it really does a number on a girl. Just look at my nails! It's not easy keeping such perfect points. If I were Lord Sesshomaru wife I wouldn't have people nagging me to do these silly things like collect wood or wash clothes that would ruin all my hard work. I would be too busy tending to Lord Sesshomaru's wants…" Her babbling continued.

Naomi coughed and with a flick of her fingers, subtly marked the woman off the list of potentials. The woman was still chattering when the dragoness interrupted, "Excuse me, I've heard your opinion and will take it into consideration but to be fair I need to speak with all the women before making up my mind." The woman huffed, believing she was the obvious choice, and stalked from the hidden alcove.

Naomi sighed. She wasn't sure what her father would do if he found out about her activities, but she was certain he wouldn't be happy with her. To forestall any trouble, she had asked for discretion by all involved. The only good thing about Noriko's insurrection was that there was no political advantage to be gained through marriage now. She could pick whoever was best for Sesshomaru the man rather than Sesshomaru the leader. However, after suffering through only five interviews with potential brides she wanted to quit.

The first four had been complete suck ups, bobbing their heads and agreeing with whatever she said. They had even agreed they would cut off their own hands if it pleased Sesshomaru. Naomi had dismissed them almost as soon as they said yes. They had obviously been sent by eager parents desiring close ties to their lord.

"Next," she called in a world weary voice.

"And what exactly are you up to?" asked her father as he leaned into the alcove. Gold eyes bored into hers and his claws clacked on the stone wall. Naomi's heart flew into her throat. She was caught red handed and she wasn't prepared to deny it.

"Ano… Th-that is… You see…" Naomi stuttered and she wracked her brain for a believable excuse. The young women outside appeared as if they were ready to bolt. _Shit!_

"L-l-lord Sesshomaru! Ho-how dare you barge in here like this," stammered one of the young women. Naomi peered around her father as he turned to regard the speaker. The woman, a girl really, had honey gold hair and hazelnut gold eyes. A pair of dark blue stripes, shaped like an arrow, graced her forehead and she wore a green kimono with cherry blossom patterns all over it. She went two shades whiter when Sesshomaru focused his attention on her and threatened to crush the fan she was holding from the intensity of her grip.

She managed to continue and even waved her fan at him. "You-you should be ashamed of yourself, L-l-lord Sesshomaru. This is woman's business. A man has no right to be here and asking such questions."

Sesshomaru regarded her then flicked his gaze across the assembly. "Woman's business, huh?" The women all nodded vigorously false smiles plastered to their faces.

Naomi, finding her voice in the girl's inspiration, jumped up and said, "Yes, Father! So shoo. You almost made me say something inappropriate. Out! Out! Out!" She placed her hands on his back and pushed until he was out of the cave they were hiding in. Sesshomaru looked back and seemed surprised as well as put out. As he turned away, though, she thought she caught the faintest flicker of a smile tugging at the corners of lips. Naomi shook her head, certain she was imagining things.

****

Later that night, Naomi looked over the list of names and sighed. It hadn't been long to start with but now… She sighed again. Either the women wanted something for themselves or their families wanted something. None of them were what she hoped for. None of them would do her father any good. Sighing a third time, she tossed the parchment into the fire.

The girl in the green kimono had not been a potential bride. "Himawari? Of course she's not a bride to be. She isn't even of age or of a status worthy of Lord Sesshomaru's attention. That girl is here to tend to me, nothing more," said Kou Temari with a dismissive wave. That woman had been one of those self-centered types and Naomi hadn't dared say more. She didn't want to give Himawari trouble.

_Not of age or status, huh? _Naomi put her chin on her fist and thought, _She will grow older so she will be of age someday and status… This isn't a political marriage so what does status have to do with it? I need to ask someone else about her._

****

"Himawari?" repeated a female Inuyokai with turquoise hair.

"Yes, do you know who she is?" asked Naomi.

"Yes, I do. Poor thing," said the woman with a sad shake of her head. "Her mother was the daughter of General Taiyoukousen but no one knows who the father is. Apparently her mother was a real rebel. She refused to behave no matter how much her father scolded her. She disappeared for a time. After several decades she returned but as a completely different person. All the fight had gone out of her. I don't know what happened to her but she never rebelled again. However, after she returned it became apparent to her family that she was with child. General Taiyoukousen tried to cover it up but these things get around, you know. Anyway, he found a young man he could trust and married him to her so things would be proper when the child was born. Things would have been fine except Himawari lost her entire family that day Noriko attacked. The girl was given over to her stepfather's family but they knew the truth. That's why she is treated as a servant by them. It doesn't matter to them that she's General Taiyoukousen's granddaughter at all. And he was the first one to be killed because he stood by Lord Sesshomaru."

Naomi grimaced. She would have to tread more cautiously than before. The Kou family would not welcome the news of their unwanted ward being chosen over their legitimate child. _That woman talked down to me the entire time, probably because of my illegitimate birth. The Kou family is very traditional. My presence is only tolerated because of the power I wield as an individual. The only reason why they remained with Father is because they never accepted Noriko as a family head, _she thought.

"Thank you very much," she said and bowed to the woman. She then turned away and muttered, "Lord Kou won't accept Himawari over his daughter Temari. Perhaps if I approached the Kou elders they'd be more receptive."

****

Naomi was grateful their current camp was near an abandoned temple. The reason why it wasn't part of the camp was because it was obvious. The temple had been abandoned relatively recent and so the forest hadn't reclaimed it yet. It was still visible from a distance. One night of use shouldn't cause any problems. After all, humans used these places for shelter as well from time to time.

She had approached several of her friends and explained her problem. They eagerly agreed to help her clean out the old temple for the very important meeting. The dragoness had yet to request the Kou elders for an audience, but she thought they might be more inclined to favor her with their presence if she had a place already arranged for their comfort during the meeting.

Naomi was also grateful to whatever force was occupying Noriko. The longer the traitor kept quiet the better her chances would be with the negotiations. There was nothing worse for marriage proposal than an interrupted meeting.

It had taken the group two full days to finish preparing the temple. Once the dust settled, Naomi prepared her letter of request. Simple, direct and flavored with all the correct words to make it as formal and polite as possible. There was no way the Kou family would allow her to speak with the elders without their permission and she didn't want to have to explain her reason for wishing to to the family head. She didn't want anyone but the elders, the only ones who could overrule the family head, to know she was considering Himawari to be her father's bride.

Her friends proofread the letter, and pointed out where she had erred and how to correct it. Naomi had asked them to be as strict and as merciless as possible. She needed the letter to be perfect to appease the Kou elders' sensibility. There was no such thing as too formal when it came to the Kou and especially their elders.

Once the letter was finished, she gave it the friend who held significant status to deliver it. The others then readied the temple for the meeting and rehearsed what everyone was to do. Nothing must go wrong. Homeless and hunted fugitives they may be but they needed to make everything they had glimmer to the best it could. Kimonos were washed and food prepped. Naomi had to believe they would accept. If they accepted they would arrive at sunset. For the dragoness, sunset never seemed so far away.

As the last rays of daylight faded from the sky, Naomi stood at the temple entrance and wondered if they had refused. Then she saw the one she had sent with the letter return with three others following. She breathed a sigh of relief then composed herself. She would have to watch every word she said and every gesture she made from this point on. One unconscious act could spell disaster.

She bowed when the Kou elders reached the bottom of the stairs. "This one is most honored the elders of Kou accepted this one's humble request," she said. The lead elder nodded but none of them said anything. Naomi straightened and turned toward the door. "Please step this way, honorable elders of Kou. This one has prepared a room with food and tea to enjoy." Two other friends, who were sitting on either side of the door, pulled them open. The one leading the elders stepped aside to allow them passed.

The elders climbed the short staircase then entered the main room. The two by the door closed it behind then settled themselves. They were expected to keep anyone else away. In the main room the elders settled themselves on the raised dais where three sitting pillows had been set out. Naomi took her position across from them.

After everyone was seated, four young girls entered with trays carrying tea cups full of hot tea as well as plates with fish, boar meat and forest vegetable. The cups and plates had been made only two days ago. They weren't exquisite works of art but at least they weren't the everyday dinnerware everyone had been using. The food was the best they could find and cook. The girls set the trays before the elders first then Naomi. The four then bowed to the elders and walked out. Naomi held her breath as the elders tasted the food and sipped the tea.

"You have gone to a lot of trouble to please us, Dragoness," said the elder woman sitting in the middle. "We know for a fact that you do not always speak so humbly nor are you an artist of the brush. To even arrange for others to assist you in this, clearing out this temple, creating these dishes and preparing the meal we are now enjoying. We imagine if things had not gotten so critical you would have had an even better display for us. Let us not waste further time, Dragoness, tell us what you desire."

Naomi bowed then, choosing her words with care for permission to speak plainly had not been given, she said, "Honorable elder has surmised correctly. This one does desire something. Though, this one asked for discretion from the young ladies this one does not doubt the honorable elders are aware of what this one has been doing."

"Indeed," said the lady elder, "you are seeking a wife for your father. We applaud your forethought. We have been aware of your past efforts as well. Lord Sesshomaru is not an easy man to match. It is a great pity this could not have been done sooner. If only the late Inu no Taisho had been more firm with him."

"With great respect, honorable elder, the late Inu no Taisho was not a man to handle such domestic affairs. This one believes this is why the matter was never settled then. This one feels it is a great pity that Lady Ginhana passed on. Lady Ginhana would have handled these affairs more appropriately. This one struggles to fill her shoes where this one can."

"Humphf! You have a point. The late Inu no Taisho was always a man of military not politics. However, you are speaking to us because you have made a decision about this."

Naomi bowed again and said, "Though, this one knows not how this news will be taken. This one felt it necessary to approach the honorable elders about this because of certain things which this one heard."

"We are not discussing Temari, then," stated the lady elder.

Naomi nodded and said, "This one was most impressed by the Kou family's ward Himawari, though, this one did not speak with her directly."

"Himawari? How did she impress you?"

"This one never told Lord Sesshomaru that this one was seeking a wife for him. This one did not wish for Lord Sesshomaru to know. The day this one was speaking with the young ladies, Lord Sesshomaru unexpectedly arrived. This one is a terrible liar. If this one does not prepare a lie in advance this one cannot lie convincingly. This one was lost as to what to say to Lord Sesshomaru. This one does not fear Lord Sesshomaru because this one understands Lord Sesshomaru. However, the young ladies do not understand Lord Sesshomaru and thus are frightened. Himawari showed great courage and quick thinking. This one was able to take her brilliant thought and encourage Lord Sesshomaru to leave. Himawari was clearly afraid of Lord Sesshomaru but it did not stop Himawari from acting. That is what this one is impressed with."

"You were impressed she was not afraid to lie to Lord Sesshomaru? We would be appalled."

"But at the time the truth was a bad thing. Besides, Himawari said it was woman's business. That wasn't really a lie."

"Fine then, but what kind of woman were you looking for. We would understand why Temari failed and Himawari succeeded."

"This one desired a woman with a gentle strength. One who supports Lord Sesshomaru, reprimands Lord Sesshomaru but does not dominate Lord Sesshomaru. Lady Temari sought the position out of a desire for the power and prestige of the title. So this one decided Lady Temari would not be good for Lord Sesshomaru."

"Why do you seek such a woman?"

"Lord Sesshomaru is fully aware of his youthful folly and deeply regrets his many poor decisions. Thus Lord Sesshomaru is uncertain if he is truly capable of being our leader though there isn't a choice now. That is why this one believes that a strong supportive woman will help Lord Sesshomaru stand tall again and make the right decisions."

"Temari, indeed, is not that type of woman," said the lord elder to the right, speaking for the first time. "She is more obsessed with her status and her appearance than anything else. She has been nothing but a burden since the Inuyokai no Shiro was destroyed. Himawari has been forced to do Temari's share as well as her own."

"You think Himawari is that type of woman?" asked the lady elder.

"This one will not lie. Himawari was the only one to show any promise at all," replied Naomi with a bow.

"Himawari is but a child still," said the lord elder to the left in a slow, gravelly voice. "Would you have Lord Sesshomaru marry a baby?"

"This one never intended to present Lord Sesshomaru with his bride immediately. This one understands Lord Sesshomaru is shy when it comes to these relationships. This one wanted to introduce whoever was chosen slowly. To have that woman appear around him until Lord Sesshomaru accepted her. Being so young might give Himawari a better chance. Himawari will be able to grow accustomed to Lord Sesshomaru's cold manners and thus see through them. By the time Himawari comes of age, Lord Sesshomaru may choose to have Himawari be his bride on his own. This one desires that result above all. Lord Sesshomaru does not do well when forced to do things against his will."

The three elders gazed at Naomi, their expressions thoughtful. She took it as a good sign. They looked at each other and nodded then the lady elder spoke, "We believe this is acceptable. However, we wish to take Lady Himawari under our direct care. We believe she must be raised appropriately. Do not fret! We will do nothing to crush her spirit. As you have just heard Temari is a disappointment to us. Lady Himawari's gentle strength and courage will be preserved. We just don't feel she should be raised by the Lightwing wild child, though, you have demonstrated today that you can behave appropriately when the situation calls for it."

Naomi bowed again and said, "This one understands and has no argument. This one is most honored and most relieved to hear the honorable elders' agreement to this arrangement. This one is most happy to hear of the honorable elders' desire to teach Lady Himawari themselves. This one does not believe Lord Sesshomaru could handle two Naomis."

The lady elder smiled at Naomi's last comment and the lord elders chuckled. "We have an agreement. Lady Himawari is now betrothed to Lord Sesshomaru. Though, I know you desire to have Lord Sesshomaru come to terms with this himself, I believe it would be best to inform him of this so he does not get any ideas like before."

"This one will do as the honorable elder requests but this one believes Lord Sesshomaru will never make that mistake again." This time the lady elder did chuckle.

****

Naomi approached her father the next morning wondering how she was going to phrase her news. Sesshomaru was staring out at the ocean watching the sun rise. He did this every morning though she had yet to fathom why.

"Yes, Naomi," said her father without turning toward her.

Naomi sighed then said, "Father, there is something I need to tell you."

"So who have you decided upon?" he asked unexpectedly. She stared not sure of what to say or if he really was referring to that. He turned a little ways and said, "Woman's business, huh?"

Naomi blushed and said, "I'm sorry but I think you've been alone for far too long."

"Why does everyone think my problems can only be solved through marriage?" asked Sesshomaru his tone becoming harsh. His gold eyes glittered like fire light on the snow.

"My apologies, Father," said Naomi but her tone was the exact opposite of her words. This was why she hadn't wanted him to know in the first place. He had always been touchy on the subject ever since his relationship with Kaiyoshinju had gone bad. "However, I think this is someone even Lady Ginhana would have approved of."

Sesshomaru blinked and the fires cooled. "Who is it?"

"You remember that girl who came up with 'woman's business'?" she asked.

"She is just a child," said Sesshomaru, turning to regard her fully.

"Exactly! I'm going to be introducing her to you soon. Don't worry, though, you're not getting married right away," said Naomi. The change in his youki told her she should have continued to watch what she said.

"You were coming here to tell me I'm betrothed," stated Sesshomaru, his eyes taking on hints of scarlet. When she had told the elders he didn't like being forced to do things she had meant it with all her heart. Pity the elders didn't care.

Naomi crossed her arms and refused to be intimidated. "Well, the Kou elders have already given their blessing and I will not discuss with you all the bowing and scraping I had to do to get that," she declared then stalked off but not before she felt her father hostilities vaporize into astonishment. _Well_, she thought with satisfaction,_ I'd be disappointed if he weren't impressed. It is not every day that one gets the blessings of any elders especially the elders of Kou._

****

The head of the family of Kou stared at the three elders. They had just finished telling him of the marriage agreement. Lord Kou was both stunned and annoyed. "So that was what last night was about," he said. "What I don't understand is why you conceded to the dragon bastard's demands."

"We did not concede to her demands, we accepted her request," said the lady elder gazing at her great grandson with great severity. "We do not see a problem with it. Himawari will come under our direct tutelage from this day forward. If you really are disappointed that Temari was not chosen then perhaps you should have done a better job in raising her. Temari's behavior is deplorable. I, personally, can see why she was denied."

Two women then entered the meadow where the four were standing. "You requested my presence, Lord Kou?" asked Himawari bowing.

"Father, why are you asking for Himawari?" asked Temari pulling ahead of the golden girl. "What has the little trollop down now?" Himawari stiffened but said nothing.

"I believe this proves my point," said the lady elder. Temari eyed the elder with disdain.

Lord Kou grimaced. "I requested Himawari, Temari, not you. Why are you here as well?" he asked.

"Himawari is my servant, that is why I am here," said Temari running her hand through her pale blonde hair as if the answer were obvious.

"Himawari may have been responsible for your care but she is ultimately, like all servants of Kou, your father's. You were not summoned therefore you should not be here," said the lord elder on the right. Temari glared at him.

"I will do as I please and a trio of wrinkled old demons are not going to tell me what I can or can't do. Dig a hole and bury yourselves already," said the young woman with toss of her head.

"Himawari is no longer your servant. She is to be given to us in order to begin her nobility training," said the lord elder on the left ignoring her comment. They would not be led into a competition of insults by a foolish child.

Himawari gasped as did Temari then the older of the two said, "Why ever are you going to do that? She is a bastard whose family was destroyed. Why are you raising her to be a noble?"

"Because she has been betrothed to Lord Sesshomaru. The ceremony will be held upon the first new moon of the year she comes of age. In the mean time, we must prepare her for her new role," said the lady elder. Himawari covered her gaping mouth with her hands, her eyes so wide it appeared they would fall from her face.

Temari's face was hideous shade of red. Her violet eyes flashed like lightning. "Why the harlot's brat? Why wasn't it me? The bitch dragon favored her because they're both bastards, is that it? And you allow this? I, who is of your blood, am denied the right of being the Lady of the West?"

"SILENCE!" shouted the lady elder. "How dare you show us this disrespect! You have just demonstrated to all the reason why you were not chosen. You resemble Noriko far too much. You would bring misery to our people and Lord Sesshomaru if you were made his wife."

The two lord elders gestured for Himawari to step away from her former mistress. Terrified, Himawari complied. She had suffered terrible abuse at the hands of Temari for years. She did not wish to remain in her presence a moment longer. Temari had thrown such a fit before and the consequences for Himawari had been dire. Still, as she walked toward the elders, she felt Temari's hate-filled gaze on her back the whole time. This was far from over.

______________________________________________________________________________

I just opened up a Deviantart account and posted some pictures featuring people and scenes from this story. I'm not the best artist but at least it's something.

Link: black-wren. deviantart. com/

Spaces added due to the fact site wouldn't hold the address as a whole. No "www".

**Chapter 24: Tetsusaiga**

In trying to find a method to tame his power, Inuyasha comes across his father's tomb. Within he discovers the Tetsusaiga but when Kuromakaze shows up will the fabled demon sword be able to take him down? Or will Inuyasha be forced to say farewell to another friend?

Also learn the true motivation for the creation of Tetsusaiga as well as how Izayoi met the Inu no Taisho. Next chapter!


	30. Tetsusaiga: The Incomplete Sword

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Chapter 24: Tetsusaiga

_159 years before the search for the jewel shards._

_Desiring answers when I should have just let things stand. Why did I have to seek my father's spirit? Not everyone is able to contact the dead so why did I try? If not for Tetsusaiga I wouldn't be here now. Was I wrong to leave Tetsusaiga behind?_

-Inuyasha

Part 1: The Incomplete Sword

_45 years earlier…_

Kenhoshi gasped for air, his whole body rigid with agony. He clawed at the floor with one hand as another held his failing heart. _Not now! It can't end now! Izayoi, where are you?_ he thought desperately. He growled as another wave of convulsions wracked his body. Then the pain came to an abrupt end. His heart's erratic beating steadied and his breathing eased. He opened his eyes. A young woman with deep black eyes and hair held her hands to his torso and a soft light glowed between the two.

"My lord, please, you must stop participating in these kinds of battles," said Izayoi her expression grim. "If you truly desire to remain in this world until you can settle things then you have to refrain from these conflicts."

Several winters ago, Izayoi had come across the dying Kenhoshi and saved him but now she bore a terrible secret. The Inu no Taisho had not been dying from wounds received in battle, he had been dying from a failing body. Twelve thousand years of life were finally coming to an end; his organs were rotting from within and his regenerative power seemed unable to repair them. Her power restored them to perfect health but as soon as the healing was finished the rot started anew. She had had to literally treat him every day the first two years before his body finally began to compensate. The period of time between treatments had slowly extended over the years. Izayoi found that the rot was agitated by Kenhoshi's heightened youki which occurred when he was fighting powerful opponents. If he engaged in battles the rot accelerated and he almost always needed her immediately following the fight.

This latest battle had been even more rigorous than most. The enemy demon had had a weapon that opened the pathway to the afterlife. Anyone caught in the sphere it produced were never seen again having been sent straight to the other side of existence. Kenhoshi had had to fight him without taking a single hit. Not something the tremendously strong Inuyokai was used to.

She glanced at the sword lying next to him. Out of his grip, the Tetsusaiga was in its harmless form, that of a rusty, beat up blade. The sword was supposed to take the strain off Kenhoshi. Designed to use a small amount of the user's power to transform, it largely fed off the enemy demons' youki, using their strength to destroy them. Properly deployed the sword would give the Inu no Taisho the same results but with minimum power usage. He had told his sword smith, Totosai, that he desired a sword to protect her, an excuse she herself had come up with when they had discussed his health years before. No one could know the real reason why the Inu no Taisho needed such a powerful blade.

_I really shouldn't be keeping him alive like this. I have spells that allow for the peaceful passage of a soul,_ she thought for the umpteenth time. Her first healing had given her a full understanding of his condition. After he was restored that first time, she had informed him of his failing health and that the time had finally come to say good-bye to all things in this world. Kenhoshi had shaken his head then and said:

"_Make no mistake, kitenko, I fully understood what you said. However, it is of great irony that after all the many centuries that I lived, had felt death was nothing to fear, now that I am finally standing at the threshold of the spirit world, I find my need to live to be the greatest. I cannot leave my son as he is. The situation in the clan is unstable at this time due to Noriko's sudden seizure of power. I fear Sesshomaru will not be able to restrain her ambitions. Time has advanced but he has not grown one bit since the day his mother died. In many ways he is still a child and I fear I'm the one responsible for that. I need to remain until I can figure out how to heal his wounded soul or else he will follow me in death."_

Izayoi understood the political ramifications if the transition of power was not handled correctly. Still she was forcing a dying man to remain alive and in pain and was helping to conceal it from everyone including those who could have taken the burden off him. This went against the morals of the kitenko who lived to heal or ease the people's passing. She had even hidden her involvement with Kenhoshi from her father and brother in order to prevent rumors from circulating.

If it was just talk of an intimate relationship, she could have endured it. In fact, among the demons that was exactly what she had it appear to be. However, the tenko were aware of the Inu no Taisho's great age. With a kitenko as powerful as her tending to him, while some might believe it was intimate, others would have wondered otherwise. Kenhoshi couldn't afford any speculation. She always wore ordinary clothing when she saw him in order to appear as a regular human woman. Those who saw her thought their lord had taken on a mistress. Sesshomaru had been outraged with this and Izayoi wished she could have told him the truth at least. The best she had given him was a cryptic statement:

"_Do not spit upon your father, Lord Sesshomaru. He endures much for your sake."_

_I hope I get the chance to tell him what is really going on someday,_ she thought but she had another issue to deal with at the moment. Tetsusaiga's aura was pulsing erratically. The sword acquired the powers of those it defeated, getting stronger with every battle, but its latest acquisition didn't seem to be agreeing with it. Izayoi was troubled by the development. _The Tetsusaiga may not have been ready for such a power yet. If we lose the sword now Lord Kenhoshi will have nothing to fall back on when the next daiyokai threatens._

"Lord Kenhoshi, Tetsusaiga seems to be in some distress," she said.

"I noticed," said the Inu no Taisho, panting. "I'm going to take the sword to Totosai once I've recovered. If necessary I will have him remove the Meido Zangetsuha from the sword." Izayoi breathed a sigh of relief. He would still have Tetsusaiga.

****

_5 days later…_

Izayoi eyed the third sword that had joined Tetsusaiga at Kenhoshi's hip with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. The first of the Inu no Taisho's great swords was Sounga. Sounga, whose hilt poked from the top of the Inu no Taisho's fluff, was a sword that was no help to him due to fact that it required tremendous power to suppress its evil will. Using it would mean his death, but it remained with Kenhoshi because he was the only one who could keep the power crazed humans and the hell blade separated. Humans were the sword's favorite wielders as their greed exceeded all other living things including demons. Tetsusaiga, the second of the great swords, acted as a second seal to the vile blade further relieving the burden on Kenhoshi along with the sentient sheath that contained it. But this third blade…

"My lord, where did this sword come from?" asked Izayoi, pointing to it.

Kenhoshi drew it and replied, "This sword was created when the Meido Zangetsuha was cleaved from Tetsusaiga; its name is Tenseiga. The blade belongs to the other world and thus it is harmless to anything of this one. However, some of Tetsusaiga's abilities were taken with it. I need both swords to be present to keep the troublesome Sounga quiet."

Izayoi stared at the blade in awe; her own power seemed to be drawn toward it. "Lord Kenhoshi, may I?" she asked holding out her hands. Kenhoshi blinked then handed the sword over to her. She stared at the blade for several minutes then said in a soft voice, "This can be taken even further."

Her eyes glowed mother-of-pearl and the blade echoed it with its own pale blue light. She held Tenseiga aloft and runes began appearing along the sides of the blade. A single pure note rang out as the auras of woman and sword merged and became one. Wings of light seemed to appear on Izayoi. Then as suddenly as it began it ended. Darkness descended and the kitenko lowered the sword and gazed at it.

"I've unlocked its hidden potential. Totosai is truly skilled to make weapon that behaves the exact opposite from all others," said Izayoi, breathing hard as if she had just been running a long ways.

"What did you do?" asked Kenhoshi as he took the blade back and sheathed it.

"Because of the Meido Zangetsuha the sword has a connection to the otherworld. It saves lives by slaying the beings of that world who take away the souls of the dying, thus returning the dead back to life. I also sense that it inherited a great deal of the Tetsusaiga's will to protect its wielder. It will shield the user from anything that would kill him." Kenhoshi nodded politely but wondered why she was mentioning things he already knew. "I have enhanced it but what that will do for it, I'm not entirely certain. I only did it because the sword asked me to," said Izayoi with a shake of her head. Kenhoshi glanced down at the sword but the kitenko wasn't finished. "I think the Tetsusaiga is the same."

"How so?" asked Kenhoshi, glancing back up.

"Obviously a sword to defeat the powerful will never ask for the aid of a kitenko but I think it does wish to be refined by someone. This piece that was cut from Tetsusaiga called to me. I can't help but think the Tetsusaiga is the same," she replied. Kenhoshi drew the Tetsusaiga and gazed at its untransformed self.

"It's strange to think the sword is calling to someone," said Kenhoshi.

"You are a celestial demon, my lord," said Izayoi. "However, you had a demon sword smith create this sword from your fang. I imagine the hidden potential is the celestial power within your fang that remains unrealized because Totosai is incapable of tapping into it. Until the sword is refined by tenko hands its power will remain incomplete. It will be a great demon sword but that is all it will be."

"However, to go around to every tenko to see who responds to the unsheathed blade as you did would expose my failing strength," said Kenhoshi. He held the sword close to him and closed his eyes. After a moment he said, "As long as my opponents are only demons then Tetsusaiga, as it is now, will be enough." He looked up at Izayoi. "Please see to its completion once I am gone from this world."

"As you wish, my lord."

*****

_3 years later…_

"You have no regrets about this, Izayoi?" asked Kenhoshi as the couple stood atop the ridge staring down at the castle below.

"I will admit I am fond of Takemaru," replied Izayoi with a sad smile. "If things had been different I would have been very happy with him."

"You don't have to do this," said Kenhoshi. He said that but wanted her to not back out, to stay with him. Selfish. He was at the very end of his life and yet he continued to create more reasons to live and taxed Izayoi in order to do so. Sesshomaru, though, was still not ready to take up the mantle of Inu no Taisho and now it seemed to Kenhoshi he never would be. The centuries of damage appeared to be irreversible.

"But I want to," said Izayoi. Kenhoshi embraced her. She had become irreplaceable to him. He wasn't sure if she felt the same way about him. Kenhoshi knew what he was to the tenko. Izayoi's compliance may have been more out of sense of duty to the family friend and comrade than anything else but as she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist he let himself believe their feelings were the same.

A shudder went through his body and he gasped at the burst of pain. He pulled away from Izayoi as she looked at him in concern. "I feel terrible," whispered Kenhoshi a single tear sliding down his cheek. The kitenko raised a hand to use her power but he gripped it instead and said, "Not that way. I feel terrible because I won't be here for the little one. That I'll be forced to leave you and the child alone. I shouldn't be allowing myself to do this. It is bad enough that I'll be abandoning Sesshomaru but to leave a baby and its mother behind…"

Despite Izayoi's power, Kenhoshi's body had finally reached its limit. She could restore his body but she could not take away his pain. She was now certain that the Inu no Taisho would die before the cherry blossoms bloomed. Sometime during their ten-year relationship things had shifted from healer-patient to quiet lovers. The kitenko found the thought of losing him unbearable but she had to acknowledge her power's limitations. His inbred design was beginning to self-destruct. Memory alone allowed her to put things back in their proper place. However, she could not reconstruct the pieces that held his body's design. No one could. As a consequence of the rotting design plates within, his body's masonry could no longer replicate themselves. When his body reached the end he would literally turn to dust. Izayoi planned to kill him before he got that far but she wanted to give him hope before he died.

Believing he had failed his son, Kenhoshi was facing death in despair. Izayoi had been the one to propose he sire one final child. Something young and new that might even inspire Sesshomaru, dragging the young dog demon from his darkness and ice. Kenhoshi had believed that might work, saying then:

"_I remember long ago, right before my wife was killed, that she had told me Sesshomaru was excited about becoming an elder brother. Perhaps a younger sibling will lighten his spirits. I have seen him regain some life when Naomi came around, though, her influence was always temporary."_

Izayoi gazed up at him and said, "My father is not a villain, Kenhoshi. He will understand. Don't fret! I'm certain this child will become great and save Sesshomaru as well." She wiped the teardrop away. Kenhoshi had lived through eras of great suffering and bloodshed. To shed tears now… Izayoi leaned into him though it was painful for her to listen to his heart's erratic beat.

"I've told Totosai and Myoga that Sesshomaru is to receive the Tenseiga. Hopefully it will draw out the man he used to be," said Kenhoshi switching subjects. "I know I said I wanted you to complete the Tetsusaiga…"

"Don't worry, it can wait until the child is older," said Izayoi. "Sesshomaru will have to be patient until then."

"Sesshomaru will not be receiving the Tetsusaiga," stated Kenhoshi. "Boy or girl the sword will remain with you and child."

Izayoi pulled away and met his golden gaze, a look of surprise on her face. "Why aren't you giving him the Tetsusaiga as well? He'll need the sword if he is to keep Sounga under control."

"He's not getting Sounga either," replied the Inu no Taisho.

"What are you going to do about that thing? You can't leave such a destructive sword with me!"

Kenhoshi chuckled and replied, "The pair will take care of it once the younger one is older. I'm certain they can do what I cannot and find the answer to sealing Sounga away."

Izayoi blinked then smiled; Kenhoshi seemed to have regained some of his faith in his son. Just the idea of a second child had already boosted his moral. She then asked, "What am I to tell Sesshomaru when he comes for the sword?"

"I don't think I'm going to physically leave it in your possession. Sesshomaru is obsessed with power right now. Receiving a sword that heals will probably be perceived as a slight at first, especially in light of his newest sibling. He won't accept the Tetsusaiga going to the younger child. I'll make arrangements for the Tetsusaiga to be entombed with me until the time is right. When that time is will be up to you, Izayoi," said Kenhoshi. _I should probably make sure Sesshomaru can't use the blade ever, just in case nothing goes according to plan. I wish I didn't have to take such precautions. I gambling that this child will save his soul but Sesshomaru may not see it that way. I don't need to tell her that, though. _

Izayoi nodded and said, "The child should inherit such a thing when it is old enough to wield it properly."

Kenhoshi pulled her close again. _How many millennia passed where I wished for death to take me to join my friends and family? Now that death has finally come for me, I'm wishing to live for the very same reasons._

After the death of his closest friend, Shugotenshi over eleven thousand years before, he had wandered the world, watching it grow. At first he had been grateful to his long life that allowed him to see the future he and the others had fought to claim. But as the centuries passed and the world forgot the sacrifices of the generations before, he watched it return to the sad state it had been in prior to the Celestial War, minus the enzeru. The alliance of humans and demons fell apart as the two forgot their origins and shared pain and became enemies once more just as they had been designed to be by their enzeru masters and creators. A few pockets stayed true but fell to ruin when the outside world refused to accept their choice.

Horai Island was once such place. To protect themselves they had created an instrument of power that put up a barrier around their island to protect it from attacks. However, the barrier weakened every fifty years. The island had been invaded not too long ago by a group of demons calling themselves the Four War Gods. The demons had nearly massacred everyone before the priestess of the island managed to seal their powers and hurl herself with their power spheres into the Cauldron of Time. The demons still lived, however, and were sacrificing the surviving hanyou children every fifty years when the barrier weakened in order to keep their lives and regain some of their power. Upon hearing this forty-two years ago, he had planned to invade the isle when it appeared again and destroy the Four War Gods. He would then bring the surviving children back to Tenji, one of the last places on Earth where the alliance of old still endured. It was ironic that next summer was the time when Horai Island would appear. Another regret.

One thousand years ago, after ages of wandering the world, he had returned to his old territory. Shugotenshi's children had changed over the many generations becoming unrecognizable to the dog demon. At first he thought Tenji was another of those rare places that held true to the old alliance. It was upon meeting the clan leader than he realized they were Shugotenshi's descendents. Tenji had been smaller and there wasn't a Mikado back then. In fact the tenko were the only ones who really had what would be recognized by today's people as a government. The rest were tribes spread out across the land in farming communities. Little organization or unity could be found outside Tenji. The tenko, to protect their people, humans and demons alike, had kept the territory to what they could safely control with the numbers they had. Back then they still had issues with civil wars occurring every generation with the appearance of the devil tenko. It was during those periods of unrest that Tenji was invaded the most by outside tribes.

Sanshaku no Hinansho was created by the more powerful ancestors as way to protect the clan from such invasions. At the time of the construction, the people feared there would be other celestial tribes that would threaten them and had created the tower to absorb the energy of all attacks rather than try to repel them or deflect. What energy was not used by the tower was whisked away to unknown place where it was stored for future use. Since the tower ended up absorbing all energy not just attack energy, sunlight helped to fuel its daily needs.

The ancestors had constructed the fortress over Shugotenshi's tomb which resided deep beneath the mountain. Above they had crafted a large cavern that held a summary of their history carved in stone using enzeru writing or pictures. The chamber above that was where the details were kept in the form of scrolls. Like the storage rooms filled with food and medicines pending sieges, the library rooms were spelled against the passage of time. Nothing aged or rotted while within those rooms keeping everything as new and viable as the day it was placed within.

It was this fortress that protected the people of Tenji is those forgone days when invasions were inevitable. The people of Tenji would flee there if attacks occurred. The stored food also eased the burden of famines and stored medicines were used when plague struck. These days, when the humans and demons could help watch the border in times of civil unrest and with the rest of the country under the influence of the Mikado and his court nobles reducing the number of invasions, the fortress lay almost abandoned. Only the maintenance of the food and medicine stores were done for times of famine and plague and the library perused by scholars. Its use as a sanctuary had long passed.

Kenhoshi had chosen to remain back then, tired of a world that refused to remember and learn. Tenji was a place he wanted to help protect. He had located the various dog demon clans scattered across the islands and a few on the mainland and united them. This created a core unit that he used to fight off invasions by humans and demons alike when the tenko were otherwise occupied.

He flinched as he remembered another detail. He had written down the entire event as a confession, knowing the tenko would never have approved of his cut-throat tactics, then hid the scroll among the others within Sanshaku no Hinansho's library. Among the clans he had gathered had been two other celestial clans; the Ginhane and Kurohane. For a time things were fine but after awhile the Kurohane had begun to have ambitions. Seeing the power of many clans united, they wished to use that power to push for even greater glory. To take more territory beyond Tenji and make it their own instead of sharing it with the humans as equals.

Kenhoshi had tried to reign in the black-haired dog demons but failed. With the Kurohane insurrection about to launch he did the only thing he could think of to save his people and Tenji and possibly the world from their ambitions. He killed them. Sending his non-celestial people from the castle he and the Ginhane clan launched a preemptive attack on the Kurohane. They were slaughtered to the last infant. He knew from bitter experience that children who had witnessed the death of their parents rarely grew up understanding or believing the reasons were just ones. They often grew up filled with hatred and desiring revenge. To stop all future threats he had them put to death as well.

The tenko did not approve the murder of children. To them it was the most heinous crime one could perform. That was why Kenhoshi had buried the knowledge of that event as deep as he could. He had ordered the Ginhane to never speak of the event, not with their families nor even with each other. The Kurohane would disappear from conscious thought to resurface at a much later date. For the sake of those children, he did not allow it to be forgotten completely. No one had found the scroll containing the damning truth. He knew this because no one had confronted him about it. He was prepared to take his punishment then but now it appeared his punishment would be handed to him in the next life. He was prepared for it.

_I should tell someone before I die,_ he thought. _I should at least tell her._ However, he couldn't muster the effort, the courage, to do it. He feared her reaction, her resentment, her contempt. Shuddering again but for a different reason, he then leaned over and picked Izayoi up. "Let's be on our way," he said in quiet voice. Izayoi, before all others, deserved to know the truth about the man whose child she was about to carry but Kenhoshi couldn't stand the thought of her leaving him and taking the last lights hope she carried for him with her to be extinguished forever. Selfish.

_**To be continued…**_

Flash forward to the current year. Inuyasha and Kirara seek safety at the mountain fortress. There Inuyasha is guided to truth about his origins and his father's secret crime raising questions about his future.


	31. Tetsusaiga: Father's Secret

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Part 2: Father's Secret

_Current year…_

Inuyasha sat beneath his favorite waterfall, letting the water stream over him, meditating. This time he was looking inside himself without leaving himself. His consciousness swam through his inner sanctum. Or at least he tried to. He found it to be extremely difficult to refrain from plunging too deep. It was mid-afternoon and he had been trying to find his inner sanctum since dawn.

He was knocked from his meditations when he felt something impact with his body. Blinking, he dragged his awareness back to reality. He glanced down and watched tree tops speed passed his dangling feet. He was soaring above the trees with Kirara holding his sash as she flew. Inuyasha looked back at the clearing and swallowed. It was swarming with soldiers like ants on a corpse.

"Thanks, Kirara," he said staring. Kirara growled through her clenched teeth and kept going. If Inuyasha was going to keep insisting on continuing his meditations then they were going to be done at safest location the twin-tale could think of. They landed on the switchback leading to Sanshaku no Hinansho at midnight. She would have preferred to fly straight to the entrance but once within the aura of the mountain fortress any and all externalized energy would be absorbed and Kirara would fall from the sky.

Inuyasha huffed and said, "I know you want to bring me to a safe place but I'd be in just as much danger if I were found by my uncle's men as I would be if I were found by Kuromakaze's. The only difference would be my ability to fight back." Though, not used as a sanctuary right now there would still be activity in the form of scholars and supply runners. Being spotted by any of them would be dangerous for the fugitive hanyou. Kirara yowled and Inuyasha sighed again in defeat. "Alright, we'll at least spend the night here. No sense wasting more time to look for a more suitable location."

The pair climbed the rest of the way and entered the sanctuary. Inuyasha then led the way into the lower levels. If anyone came looking for supplies the ones available on the higher floors would be easier to reach. Once he dropped three levels, he walked down a stone corridor and settled into a sleeping alcove, which were cut into the walls like giant shelves. Not the most comfortable nor private living quarters but the fortress was built to protect lives not to be lived in regularly. Kirara shrank into her kitten form and curled up next to him. They were both asleep before they had even drawn their second breath.

Izayoi appeared dressed in the same pink robes she had been wearing the day she died. She walked over to her sleeping son and stroked his head. Inuyasha shifted then awoke and looked at her. "Mother?" he muttered. He knew he should have been startled or surprised or unsettled in some way but he regarded his mother in the same manner he would have if she had never been killed.

She opened her mouth but the words she spoke echoed as if spoken from a great distance. "Come with me, Inuyasha." She turned away and Inuyasha, without the slightest hesitation got up and followed. She led him to the stairwell at the end of the corridor where they climbed downward all without him asking a single question or wondering what he was doing.

They continued to descend until they reached the final landing. There Izayoi turned and passed through the chamber's only door. Inuyasha followed and found himself in the Sanshaku no Hinansho's library. His mother continued to walk among the shelves loaded with scrolls, weaving between them until she came to the farthest corner of the room. Once there she touched two scrolls, one many times bigger than the other, that looked brighter than the ones they lay on. Though, time did not affect anything within the room, the material written on revealed the era it belonged to. These two scrolls belonged to a more recent era than those lying underneath.

Inuyasha walked up beside her then picked up the small scroll and opened it. The words were a jumbled mess that made no sense to him. He couldn't even recognize the symbols used. He wasn't even sure there were symbols, everything seemed to blur together. _What?_ Inuyasha stared at the incomprehensible lines then glanced at his mother who gazed at him expectedly. _This is a dream,_ he thought.

Inuyasha blinked. He was lying in the alcove where he had fallen asleep and Kirara remained curled next to him. He sat up slowly and put his hand to his head. _A dream? _He looked at his hand then thought, _I need to read those scrolls._ Picking up Kirara, who mewed in complaint, he followed the path his dream had revealed to him until he was standing in the exact same place in the farthest corner of the library.

There were the two scrolls just as they had been in his dream. Just as he had done in his dream, he reached for the smaller of the two. The seal that he hadn't noticed then was that of the Kanzaki family with his mother's name written beneath. He opened it and began to read. The room had light crystals that were just bright enough to read by but not overwhelmingly so.

Within two lines he realized it was letter written to his brother. He didn't know much about Sesshomaru other than he saved him from death at least once and possibly twice when he was little. Inuyasha, though, had never been formally introduced to him. The only contact he had with his brother was the day Kuromakaze had transformed himself into a hanyou. Inuyasha wasn't sure how he felt about his older demon brother. He was grateful to him for saving his life but he was grateful to Sage Katsuya and even Maou for the same reason. A brotherly feeling was hard to harbor when the person was never around.

The letter was explaining something important. Something his mother had made clear in the beginning she would have preferred to say to Sesshomaru in person. Inuyasha hesitated to continue reading it but thought, _If mother didn't want me to read this she wouldn't have shown it to me. _He started reading again but as he read his hands began to tremble with the effort to keep from hurling the thing away. When he reached the end, he dropped the scroll and fell to his knees.

"It can't be," he whispered, Kirara rubbed herself against his cheek in an attempt to console him; though she didn't know what was upsetting him. Inuyasha felt tears fall from his eyes. In the letter his mother explained about the Inu no Taisho's failing health and why she had chosen to carry his child when he would not survive to see the child grow. For Inuyasha it was the shattering of everything he had believed and dreamed.

The hanyou had spent many hours as a child imagining what it would have been like if his father had lived. He believed he and his mother would have lived at Inuyokai no Shiro instead of Kyoto. That he would have had many children to play with and none would have called him half-breed like the human children did at the capital. After his mother died he had been too busy with training to think about it much but in sleep his dreams had always drifted toward that impossible past. He had hated fostered hatred for Takemaru and then Sagara once he learned how his father had died. Now he knew that even if those two hadn't existed he still wouldn't have had his father.

He only lived because his father had been dying. Because his father couldn't help Sesshomaru and needed someone who might be able to reach his frozen heart. Inuyasha existed to save Sesshomaru and the sad fact was his brother may already be dead as General Makoto had pointed out during the trial. Unlike Sesshomaru, he had been deliberately created for a specific purpose. It seemed so petty to be mourning something he never had but the tears still flowed. He wasn't a child born of love, he was born of necessity. Had his father even love him for him at all?

"Everyone is expecting great things from me. I'm supposed to save the country as Sage Katsuya predicted. I'm supposed to save my brother as my father desired. I'm supposed to save everyone, that's why I exist and continue to live. But look at me, I can't even save my own wife and child," he whispered between sobs. Inuyasha didn't know how long he remained their crying but once the tears began to dry he spied a line that he had barely seen the first time and read:

_He chose to leave the great demon sword, Tetsusaiga, with me and my child. He didn't believe you should have it or need it. The sword won't be in my possession. Your father has taken it with him to his grave pending your brother coming of age._

Inuyasha gazed at it again. "The Tetsusaiga was just a crutch for him; a cane that allowed him to hobble around in his old age. Now I'm supposed to inherit it. What a laugh," he said with great bitterness while rolling up the scroll. Personal letter or not, it still contained a portion of Tenji's history. He was certain it was the only written record of what really happened between Izayoi and Kenhoshi. To someone raised to respect literature and history, destroying it was unthinkable even if it was painful. He returned it to its place and was about to turn away when the large scroll's seal caught his attention. It held the crude design of a winged dog, his father's mark. Compelled beyond reason, he grabbed the large scroll, sat down on the ground and opened it. The first section contained a summary of what lay within it like most historical scrolls.

_Within this scroll contains the details of a horrific crime that I, Kenhoshi the Inu no Taisho, committed. I did not do this crime out of malice but out of necessity in order to prevent a greater horror from coming to pass. I truly wish there had been an alternative to my choice but I found none. If upon reading this you wish to call me out and judge me by the laws of Tenji then so be it. I will not fight and will accept my punishment. Know that no one else to be held accountable for this. _

_I ordered the execution of every man, woman and child of the Kurohane clan that had been part of my tribe. I did this because they had been seduced by the dark power of their celestial inheritance and conspired to control the whole country as singular rulers and thus resurrect the ancient order. I ended that terrible conflict before it could begin as well as all conflicts that would have followed if I had allowed any to survive. I write this for the sake of the innocent who would not have remained so if they were spared._

Inuyasha closed the scroll, refusing to read further. He was in no mood to learn of this hidden history. _Maybe later, I'll be able to sit down and read it all the way through._ He placed it with care back on the shelf and walked away. He was torn in two. The summary was well written. The key points of what his father did and why were there. Inuyasha couldn't help but think about it even if he hadn't read the whole thing.

His father had committed genocide, a terrible thing, but at the same time he had done it because the people had been threatening to use their great powers for selfish reason and possibly enslave all those within the territories they claimed. The bloodshed and deaths of innocent people would have followed such a rise to power. His father had made a decision to protect the world by shouldering such a terrible crime on his own shoulders. Then again, hadn't they praised him for doing such a thing in the past? Wasn't the Celestial War of old ended with the annihilation of the enzeru?

_I shouldn't be thinking like this. I haven't read the entire history so I don't know all the details. I shouldn't judge him like this,_ he thought then another thought entered his mind as he walked out of the library. "If I find my father's grave I might be able to communicate with his spirit. I can ask him about that event in person and at the same time…" he said aloud then finished in his head, _learn if he ever cared about me as a person at all_. Kirara blinked at him and mewed.

"Sorry, Kirara," he said and stroked her head. "We're going to take a little trip out of Tenji to visit my father's grave. I went there once with my master to pay my respects. I've long neglected a return visit." Kirara mewed again. "Well I just learned there's something important there, something my father intended to give to me, that's why we're going."

_**To be continued…**_

______________________________________________________________________________

I know very boring part. It is a transitory piece that sets up the next section. Which is why the rest of this chapter was posted all at once.


	32. Tetsusaiga: Battle within the Tomb

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Part 3: Battle in the Tomb

_Five days later…_

Inuyasha stood before the stone construct. Massive boulders surrounded a set that looked like a table, as if they were sentries and on top of the table was a small shrine. The hanyou took a deep breath and stepped forward. Almost immediately a pack of dogs appeared from the sentry stones. Kirara growled then leapt off his shoulder and transformed. The dogs, startled by the swirl of flames and the appearance of a much bigger cat with large fangs, retreated a few steps then came forward and growled again.

"Father's protectors, huh?" said Inuyasha. He didn't want to kill the dogs as they seemed to be protecting the tomb but he wasn't to be deterred either.

The dogs stopped when a voice spoke up, "Master Inuyasha is that you?"

Inuyasha blinked, dropped into a fighting stance, and demanded, "Whose there? Show yourself!" Kirara yowled in agreement. **Boing! Boing!** Something landed on Inuyasha's nose and pricked it. Staring cross-eyed at it, the hanyou saw a flea sucking away. **Whack!** He squashed the annoying parasite and let the flattened creature float to the ground.

The flea re-inflated once it touched the earth. "Master Inuyasha, it is so good to see how well you've grown," it said with great cheer as if it hadn't just been squashed. Both Kirara and Inuyasha blinked in confusion.

"Who are you and how do you know me?" the hanyou asked.

"I'm Myoga, Master Inuyasha. I served your father when he was alive and continue to serve as guardian of his tomb," replied the flea.

Inuyasha eyed the flea then picked him up and held him at eye level. "I'm supposed to believe that a puny little flea like you was left to defend my father's tomb?"

"How rude! I may be small but I can still pull my weight around here!" snapped Myoga in outrage.

"Which isn't saying much," muttered Inuyasha.

The flea coughed and, in attempt to change the subject, asked, "What brings you here today?"

"I encountered some writings left behind that indicated that my father's sword, the Tetsusaiga, was left here. Do you happen to know where it is?" replied Inuyasha. He wasn't about to tell the flea the real reason he had come. His father had gone to great lengths to keep the truth hidden and was it really necessary to inform the whole world of that grim event? To Inuyasha, it seemed too much like begging sympathy from people.

"I see, I guess you're old enough to wield your father's fang," said Myoga looking the hanyou over. "Tetsusaiga is with the remains." He turned as best he could in Inuyasha's grip and gestured to the shrine on top of the boulder. "The remains are there."

Inuyasha blinked then released the flea who screamed as he fell to the ground. The dogs offered no further resistance as he approached the shrine. He reached into the little wooden construct and pulled out a single black pearl. He felt power radiating from the small gem. Instinctively, he cracked it between his claws. The energy vanished in a burst and reappeared as swirling hole before him. He leapt in and Kirara followed with Myoga riding atop her.

Unknown to the trio a fourth followed them in soon after.

****

Inuyasha fell from the sky, before him lay many skeletons, white mist and steep spires of rock, but towering over all in size and splendor was an enormous dog skeleton in magnificent armor. Kirara pulled underneath him and landed astride her. They flew toward the giant skeleton.

"There he is in all his glory," said Myoga in a tone of reverence. "Tetsusaiga will be buried within his bones."

Inuyasha said nothing as Kirara flew inside the great skull's maw. _Here I might be able to make contact with Father. The remains should still have a spirit tie to him. I should be able to send my soul to where he is and speak with him there._

They landed at the base of the enormous cavern that was his father's chest. Skulls lined the floor and despite the lack of sunlight, he could still see perfectly. The light source was a golden pedestal, a sword stuck into its center.

"Myoga, is that it?" he asked.

"It is, my lord," replied the flea.

Inuyasha climbed off of Kirara and walked toward the sword. The blade appeared to be rusted and dull, nothing like any legendary sword he was expecting. Once he stepped onto the pedestal he glance up at the huge cavern lined with ribs then forward at the spine that rose from the other side of the pedestal. Walking passed the sword he put his hand on the bone.

"Master Inuyasha! What are you doing?" shouted the agitated flea. Kirara growled for silence then stared at her comrade. She recognized the drop in his heart rate and knew he would soon be in deep meditation. She didn't understand why he did it but he seemed to gain sudden insight the few times he had gone into it. She would not allow the ignorant flea bouncing on her head to interrupt.

Inuyasha felt the familiar warmth of stepping into the garden on the border of the spirit world. He opened his eyes but no one was there. Disturbed, he took a step forward and the ground opened up before him. He screamed as he plummeted. Flames roared up on either side of him and the rock walls flew passed as dizzying speeds. He reached out and dug his claws into the sides of the crevice. He cried out and his shoulders strained and his arms threatened to tear themselves free of their sockets. His fall stopped.

_What-what happened? How did I end up here?_ Inuyasha looked around. He was certain he was on the border of Hell and these flames were blowing from there. He looked up and saw the distant light from the spirit border. He glanced down and saw the black flames of Hell itself only a few feet away.

_Any further and I wouldn't have been able to come back at all,_ he thought in horror. The screams of the damned echoed up to him and as he continued to stare he could see them writhing and toiling in the inferno below. Many reached up toward him, attracted by the light that would never embrace them.

_I need to start climbing. I can't linger here any longer._ As he turned to begin the strenuous return to the surface something familiar caught the corner of his eye. He glanced back at it and froze. A pair of golden eyes stared back at him from a face that was withered and gaunt. Hair that still held hints of silver hung down from the head in tangled, greasy knots. The eyes held no light of hope in them.

Inuyasha trembled then reached toward the tormented soul and screamed, "FATHER!" Chains rose from the cavern floor and wrapped themselves around his extended arm. "Shit!" he cried and pulled as hard as he could. The chains pulled back and he felt his grip on the ledge failing. Fearing for his very existence, he reached deep within himself for whatever reserves that could free him from their vice-like grip.

He glowed and the chains shattered at the same moment the ledge he held gave out. He tumbled for only a few feet then there was a massive flap and he was hovering in the air above the damned. He looked to either side and gasped. Large white wings spread out from either side and beat the air to maintain his place in it. Not daring to question what had just happened, he dived toward his father rather than escape up the crevice.

Something swooped in front of him. Black, molted wings flapped. The creature had long black greasy hair, pointed ears that extended higher than any demons. Talon like claws extended from the ends of his long, gnarly fingers. His bare feet were thrice the length of any human's with the balls far wider than the ankles and talons coming from his three fat toes. A long, furless monkey tail swung back and forth behind him. Ragged furs were all that he wore for clothes. His eyes were green slits splitting blue orbs. A pure-blooded enzeru.

Inuyasha pulled back and fled. This wasn't just a damned enzeru from times long gone; this was Satan, the traitor. Satan, like several other enzeru children borne of this world, had chosen to side with Shugotenshi during the Celestial War. However, while the others had truly believed their parents were in the wrong, Satan had joined with them for the sole purpose to use the rebelling faction to remove the more powerful adults so he could rule supreme in their place.

The surviving enzeru had taken Satan and created another dimension where all people of wicked nature or terrible deed would be banished to upon their deaths and trapped him within it. He was now the undisputed master of his own domain; getting what he desired had been his ironic punishment. Satan couldn't escape Hell and, furious with his fate, he took it out on any who appeared within his realm. A fitting punishment for those who thought they could bring misery to those around them while alive.

All the pure-blood survivors had chosen to remove themselves from the world and had recreated themselves as various gods or spirits or even tied themselves to mortal beings as Shugotenshi had. The fates of all were unknown to the tenko. However, there wasn't any way for Inuyasha to take on a pure-blood, especially one as cold and cruel as Satan, and thus he fled.

"_Do not think you can escape, Son of Lucifer,_" said Satan in the enzeru language. "_I will delight in your suffering as your father screams in emotional agony!_"

_Dammit! I can't let him catch me but I can't let him keep Father here either,_ thought Inuyasha as he flew toward the cavern's only exit. _There has to be something I can do. Something that will save him!_ An image of a rope reaching down into a chasm pulling a person up and out again filled his mind.

"Worth a shot," muttered Inuyasha and he envisioned his power becoming light itself. A light that dispelled the dark and guided the lost to its source, the only rope that could be used in this place. The power flowed within him and a glow appeared in the palm of his left hand. When he reached the exit, he spun and snapped his hand like he was throwing something. The beam whipped out and plunged toward his father's soul. The end plunged into the center of his chest and his whole spirit glowed with the same intensity.

"Yatta!" cried Inuyasha. Something erupted from his stomach. Inuyasha looked down and saw Satan's talons sticking out of his abdomen.

"Yatta," agreed Satan mockingly. "_You give Lucifer hope which will make the pain even greater when I show you to him. Stupid boy! You should have just escaped._"

_I won't give up! I can't give up!_ Inuyasha gasped and focused all his will as he felt his strength fail.

"_Let go,_" said a voice. Inuyasha looked around. "_You can still make it if let me go._" The hanyou's gaze shot downward and met his father's eyes. Kenhoshi was the one speaking, telling his son to abandon him in order to escape Satan. Hopeless despair filled Inuyasha and he screamed. A golden aura surrounded him and he was suddenly flying up through the fissure with Satan howling obscenities as his prey escaped beyond his grasp.

Inuyasha didn't know what was happening only that something was dragging him back to the land of living. He tried to hold onto the line but watched in horror as the rope thinned until it was no more than a thread. His father's soul was being left behind. _I wasn't strong enough to pull him out with me._

Then he was back in own body, except he was lying flat on the pedestal with Kirara and Myoga staring down at him in concern. Suddenly ill, he rolled over and vomited onto the skulls beneath. What came up was black sludge that carried the faint scent of his own blood. Kirara stepped over to him and rubbed her chin along his spine. Inuyasha gasped then heaved again. His stomach continued to twist around, a physical reaction to the spirit wound he had suffered from Satan.

His right hand tingled. Fearing it was the spell poison stirring from within his marrow, he turned to look at his hand and saw it was holding Tetsusaiga in a death grip. "When did I…?" Inuyasha started to ask but another spasm forced him to turn his head down again.

"Master Inuyasha, what happened?" cried Myoga, bouncing in agitation. "After you touched your father's bones you were engulfed in light both black and white then your body arched and you fell backwards. You took hold of the Tetsusaiga as you were falling and the light suddenly disappeared."

Before he could answer Inuyasha's left arm began throbbing. He held it up to look at it and swallowed. The palm of his hand was black from severe burns. Kirara yowled when she saw it and Myoga bounced over.

"I didn't even see this before. How terrible! What happened to you, Master Inuyasha?" said Myoga as he examined the damaged appendage. Inuyasha just vomited again.

"Indeed, why are you in such a weakened state, cousin?" said an all too familiar voice. The hanyou's blood turned to ice. Kirara glanced up and growled while she shifted her body until she was standing over Inuyasha.

"Who's that?" squeaked Myoga bouncing over to Kirara.

"Kuromakaze," whispered Inuyasha. He climbed to his feet using Tetsusaiga as a cane. His vision spun and he swayed then fell across Kirara's back. "Fly!" he gasped. Kirara obliged him and shot straight up. Inuyasha swung an arm around her neck and struggled to find the strength to hang on.

"I thought you wanted to fight me, cousin, isn't that why you caused all that trouble? To attract my attention? To invite me to battle?" Kuromakaze asked in a mocking tone. The voice came from every direction at once leaving the three with no idea where he was. Scythe blades spiraled down toward the ascending twin-tale. Kirara yowled and twisted to avoid the deadly rain of steel. Too weak from his near fatal encounter with the evil enzeru, Inuyasha fell off her back.

"Master Inuyasha!" yelled Myoga. Kirara yowled and spun around, diving toward the falling hanyou. From somewhere in the shadows, Kuromakaze laughed. The spinning blades reversed direction. The twin-tale got underneath Inuyasha, catching him, and started upwards once more. She could see the rising blades but knew if she dodged them like last time she would throw her rider once more. She increased her speed in attempt to simply out fly them.

However, within Kuromakaze's sphere of influence, the scythe blades could move much faster. They caught her as she entered the mouth. She yowled as the blades dug in or sliced through her flesh and she crashed onto the shoulder armor.

"Kirara," cried Inuyasha and he tried to climb off her. "You can't die, leave me behind and go back to Tenji." The twin-tale growled, rose to her feet, and shook herself just enough to knock Inuyasha back into place on her back. Straining through the pain she rose into the air again.

"How very noble of you, but it's going to cost you your life," said Kuromakaze, still nowhere in sight. Not that Inuyasha could see straight anymore. Kirara shot sideways as the naginata flew toward her. The weapon passed close enough to part her fur with its wind, but even that motion nearly sent Inuyasha flying. The naginata flew on and smashed through the left great fang on the skull of Inuyasha's father. Inuyasha blinked at the fang fell, ricocheted off the armor and vanished into the mist below.

Kirara's injuries dramatically slowed her movements. She flew at half her usual speed and strained to increase it, her demon energy was being siphoned off to tend to her multiple serious wounds. Inuyasha saw the scythes flying toward them again and knew Kirara wouldn't survive a second hit. Even if he threw himself off now she wouldn't be able to dodge them. Feeling more pathetic than he ever had in his life before, he buried his face into her fur and waited for death to come.

"_It's alright,_" said a voice from within his soul. "_Trust yourself_." The voice sounded familiar but he didn't recognize its warmth and strength. The Tetsusaiga pulsed and Inuyasha felt something like a hand taking hold of his right and strength flowed into him. Tetsusaiga pulsed again. His eyes blurred but a different vision appeared. Swirling winds clashed and where they struck a light glowed. Every instinct screamed strike and he awkwardly slashed the Tetsusaiga at the light. Blades of energy shot forth from the light and flew toward the flying scythes, shattering them.

He saw something swoop out of the way of the raging energy. It was swirl of dark energy in his clouded vision, but Inuyasha was certain that that was Kuromakaze. The darkness soared toward him and he knew another attack would soon follow. He focused on the light when it appeared again and struck a second time. The blades of energy flew toward the dark swirl. The wind changed and the blades parted but not before they grazed the energy mass in between.

Suddenly the sword flew from his grip. Kuromakaze's kane power had seized hold of Tetsusaiga's blade. Inuyasha's last defense was now in the hands of his hated enemy. The light reappeared, there was a slight hesitation as Kuromakaze figured out what he was supposed to "see" with to land the attack then he struck. The blades of energy soared to him but Inuyasha felt a sudden calm overcome him.

_Blades of energy, it's still energy,_ he thought remembering his grandfather's words to him as well as the memory he was given; the image of deadly light being diverted by flowing water.

Inuyasha swung his right arm up as he concentrated on the path of the blades and his finger tips. When his fingers aligned with the blades the energy seemed to waver then it swooped up over him following the direction his hand went. Inuyasha brought his arm full circle and when the blades were before him but facing the other direction he released them. They soared toward Kuromakaze who dodged sideways only to find his cousin could still control them. With a yank of his arm, Inuyasha brought the energy blades back under his control and brought them around following Kuromakaze's movements. The evil hanyou dodged and weaved but the energy didn't dissipate. How could it when it hadn't hit anything? With a snarl Kuromakaze disappeared from sight fleeing to the portal where they had entered.

"Master Inuyasha! That fellow released the Tetsusaiga!" shouted Myoga. Kirara growled and turned toward the falling blade without prompt. Even with his failing sight, he was able to spot the sword, it glowed gold in his mind's eye. Inuyasha blinked, it glowed the same shade that had embraced him when Satan had been about to capture him.

_I fell back and caught the Tetsusaiga,_ he thought. _Was that why I was pulled back to my body? Was that the Tetsusaiga saving me?_ He caught the blade and said, "Kirara, please return to my father's grave."

"Why, Master Inyasha?" demanded Myoga.

"Tetsusaiga is a powerful demon sword but the enemy I fight uses celestial powers. A demon sword has no place in a celestial war," replied Inuyasha. _I'm sorry, Tetsusaiga, but I can't stand the idea of you being stained with innocent blood should you be stolen again by him. I'll return for you once the fight with Kuromakaze is over._

****

_At the border of the spirit world…_

"Ahh! Kenhoshi! What happened? You're a complete mess!" shrieked Izayoi.

"Isn't he, now," said Jounochi as he hauled over a pair of buckets of water. Ginhana was gently stroking Kenhoshi's wounds with a damp cloth. Kenhoshi flinched and just bowed his head. Kohana lifted the heavy bucket and then splashed icy water on the former Inu no Taisho. The dog demon yelped and gasped.

"What are you doing?" asked Izayoi running over to the group.

"Purification modification," replied Kohana with a smile. "That way when he is reincarnated he'll be reborn as a priest."

"Why would you do that and that doesn't answer why he's in such a sorry state to begin with?" said Izayoi. She stared at Kenhoshi but he refused to meet her gaze. He was embarrassed enough.

"Kohana thought the enma might be more willing to listen to us if we started to do this. Eternal is already discussing the situation with them," replied Jounochi. Kohana dumped the second bucket on the dog demon to more yelps.

"What situation?" asked Izayoi.

"Well twelve thousand years is a long time to play the saint, especially in a world where the moral standards change over the generations…" said Jounochi.

"Kenhoshi was trapped in Hell until a little while ago. Inuyasha committed a grave taboo in freeing him," said Ginhana.

Izayoi blinked and Sage Katsuya answered her unspoken question, "Kenhoshi has done questionable things in the past not without good reason but the enma weigh the deeds of a person when they are deciding their fates. They rarely if ever consider the reasoning behind it."

"So Eternal has gone to try to tilt the scales in favor of his remaining here," said Jounochi.

"If she is successful in doing this wouldn't that mean Inuyasha would be spared?" asked Izayoi. Taboos in the land of dead were absolute. If his name wasn't cleared of the crime it could not only affect his place in the afterlife but it could curse his life as well.

"No, it wouldn't," said Kenhoshi in a soft voice.

"Even if they rescind Kenhoshi's sentence it doesn't change what Inuyasha did. There are ways to beseech the enma to grant a reprieve for a damned soul. Inuyasha took things into his own hands when he freed his father. They do not look favorably on anyone who oversteps the enma's authority," said Sage Katsuya.

"But this could impact more than just him," said Izayoi. No one said anything. They already knew how far the curse would spread.

_**To be continued…**_

______________________________________________________________________________

So despite what Inuyasha thinks, he really did save his dad but now his soul is in trouble.

For those who don't know "enma" is the judge of the dead in Japanese culture. Think Koenma from Yu Yu Hakusho.

Yes, Inupapa's alternate name is Lucifer. Really, are you that surprised that he is also known as Lucifer when his surname is Reihane aka Light-wing?

Background on the name Lucifer. Lucifer was known as the Angel of Light back when he was second only to God, in fact that is what his name means. He attempted a revolt to take God's place and was cast down into Hell. Some people say Satan and Lucifer are the same person some say they are two different people. In this world they are two different people.

Inupapa spent a great deal of time abroad as noted in the first part. Is it really too hard to believe that while he was wandering he may have caused a bit of trouble in the western world which is why their culture sees the name Lucifer as synonymous with traitor and evil?

There are multiple languages running around so Inupapa could end up with multiple names. Kenhoshi means "sword star". Swords didn't exist back during the Celestial War that occurred at the end of the last ice age. So we can say that Lucifer was probably his original name since all the really long-lived characters refer to him by that name. He tarnished his name so bad during his wanderings he must have decided to change it to avoid the hazards of being well known.


	33. Tetsusaiga: Take Care, Kirara

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Part 4: Take Care, Kirara

_Living world…_

_One month later…_

Inuyasha stood on the edge of a mountain meadow. Two little girls were picking flowers and weaving necklaces with them there. He hated himself right then but he didn't have a choice. He and Kirara had recovered from the attack but Inuyasha had been unable to slip into the spirit border since his encounter with Satan. The burn on his hand had healed but a black line had appeared on his palm where he had held the thread binding his father to him. Every time he looked at it a cold dread passed through him, though he didn't know why.

Kirara had taken the longest to recover and Inuyasha had cursed himself for his impulsiveness. If he hadn't gone looking for reassurance like a scared little child he wouldn't have been weakened when Kuromakaze arrived. He could have fought harder and protected the twin-tale better. He couldn't stand the thought of Kirara dying. He wanted Kuromakaze to chase him but he feared if Kirara remained she would become Kuromakaze's next victim. He had to separate her from him, permanently.

Kirara remained unaware of his intensions. Though, she had to be wondering what he was doing out here, her trust and loyalty to him were absolute. Another reason why he hated himself, he was about to betray that trust. He stroked Kirara while quietly casting a spell of confusion. He focused it on everything that concerned him as well as Tenji's location. He knew she wouldn't accept the separation; the spell was to make it impossible for her to track him or find her way back to Tenji. He blurred her knowledge of Tenji because she would go there, after she realized he was gone, looking for answers. Someone would recognize the confusion spell he cast and remove it. Then she would be off to find him again. He didn't want that.

Earlier that morning, Inuyasha had suppressed his demon energy and now walked as a human. He knew he needed to train up his human body after that disaster in the village, so he was forcing himself to live as a human for the time being. All the girls saw approaching them was a simple samurai.

The two stopped picking flowers and stared at him, unnerved. He didn't blame them. Outside of Tenji, a strange man approaching girls who were by themselves many times resulted in terrible things happening to the girls.

"Go, Kirara," he said and gestured with his chin. The twin-tale mewed then jumped down and ran toward the girls. Kirara stopped before them and then did her best to look cute and harmless. The girls immediately dropped their flowers and picked up the twin-tale to pet and cuddle. Inuyasha stepped closer then knelt down to be at their level.

"Is she your kitty, sir?" asked the oldest.

Inuyasha smiled and replied, "Actually, she was my late wife's best friend and comrade-in-arms. Her name is Kirara."

"Your late wife? I'm sorry, sir!" said the oldest.

"Comrade-in-arms?" asked the youngest at the same time. The oldest glared at her sister.

"It's alright and yes, comrade-in-arms," replied Inuyasha to both of them with a smile. "You see Kirara may be all cute and small now but if danger threatened she would quickly transform into a ferocious beast that can fight and defend the people she cares about. My life has been saved by her several times; I'm truly grateful to her. However, the last battle we were in was quite terrible and I want to give her some time to just have fun. You girls seem to be the perfect choice for that."

"Really?" the two said. "Let's go play, Kirara!" The two girls ran off with the twin-tale to find a more suitable game to play with Kirara. Inuyasha looked after her in sadness. As soon as she lost awareness of him the spell would activate. He needed to be gone from this place before the girls came back at the end of their game.

"You'll be fine, Kirara," he whispered to the air as a tear slid down his cheek. "You've always been good at making friends and can take care of yourself." He rose and walked away without looking back again. "Take care."

He was long gone when the girls returned to where he had been. They called and called but there was no answer. Kirara called as well. She'd come here with someone, someone she cared about deeply, but she couldn't remember who or what he even smelled like. Kirara mewed in despair. The two girls petted Kirara and cuddled her when they realized the man's true intensions.

"Don't worry, Kirara," said the oldest. "You can come home with us. You're so sweet, I'm sure our father won't mind. We'll be best friends forever and never leave you behind." Kirara rubbed herself against them but she couldn't shake her sadness. There was someone she wanted to protect, someone who needed her protection, and now she was no longer being allowed to do so. She couldn't remember who she was supposed to protect. She mewed one final time as if calling out a name.

****

_At the border of the spirit world…_

Kenhoshi, Izayoi, Jounochi, Sage Katsuya, Kohana, and Ginhana all kowtowed to an entity they could not see but could sense. The enma had arrived to pass judgment. Eternal alone remained standing. It was the moment they had been awaiting and dreading.

"_We will admit to a grave error on our part_," said the watery voice of the enma. A voice that sounded like many as well as one. "_We were not aware that there were any mortals still alive that were older than we were. We have thus searched the memoirs of time that occurred prior to our birth and have realized our earlier judgment was in error. Lucifer will not return to Hell._"

Kenhoshi did not allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief. His son's fate was more important to him than his own. "With great respect, Enma, what is to become of my son?" he asked dreading the answer.

"_Though, we now realize you should not have been sent to Hell, the boy still committed the taboo. Our laws are absolute_," replied the enma.

"Is there no way for him to atone?" asked Kenhoshi. "I blame myself for this, for keeping secrets. If others had known there was a possibility I would be sent to Hell then they might have gone through the proper procedures of securing my release prior to his intervention. I believe he was seeking me at the time because of many unanswered questions and, because he did have the gift of speaking with the departed, he saw no reason to wonder when he could ask me directly. This happened because of the uncertainty I, myself, created in his heart."

"_He still made the decision to intervene on his own_," they replied. The enma were the ultimate polarized force. Emotions had nothing to do with it. If the act you commit was evil then you had better be prepared to face the consequences. However, good deeds could atone for the wicked ones. They did understand the concept of lesser evil deeds. If one did nothing when they could do something and allowed many to suffer when one act of evil could have spared them the deed of nothing would contain more evil than the act itself.

Kenhoshi gritted his teeth. Taboos were the ultimate sin that seemed unable to wash away no matter if you spent your whole life trying to atone for it. If the enma would not relent then everything his son did from now on would matter not at all. It seemed unfair that an impulsive act of love would condemn him for all eternity.

"_However, it does not sit well with us that you were made to suffer for as long as you did due to our error. To atone for this sin we will grant a chance of atonement for the boy but he will remain barred from entering the spirit border. He must atone for his sin without further instruction_," said the enma. "_A list of tasks must be completed by either he or his blood descendents for his soul to be saved._"

"Tasks?" asked Kenhoshi, barely breathing.

"_The regrets of the dead that continue to cause suffering to the living,_" they replied. "_Various tasks that you, Lucifer, longed to see finished he must now complete. It is only natural that son take on the responsibilities of the father who has passed on. Until these tasks are completed, his soul will remain in Limbo. However, we will remove the cursed aura from him. His misdeeds will not affect the living._" The enma disappeared leaving the gathering in stunned silence. It was better than they feared but not the pardon they had been hoping for. Kenhoshi continued to stare at the ground unmoving.

Limbo was different from Hell. It was a transitory place where souls were sent only when the enma could not decide immediately as to a person's fate. Often those trapped in Limbo were reincarnated relatively quick. If the enma couldn't decide then they simply returned them to the lands of the living to start over. Souls residing in other aspects of the lands of the dead were reincarnated but they weren't as random nor as unpredictable as those who were in Limbo. The reincarnations of others were preordained, their new host bodies and time of rebirth carefully selected whereas those in Limbo got whatever was available at the time they were booted out of the land of the dead.

Kenhoshi, however, was not worried about the unpredictable reincarnation. The enma had said that his son's soul was to remain bound to Limbo until the tasks were complete by his blood descendents. This was far more troubling to the dog demon. Limbo was not a place to linger in. As a transitory place it was more comparable to individual jail cells except the souls that resided there could not use any of their senses and were completely alone. Imprisonment in Limbo might be considered worse than Hell by some. Limbo was literally a void, nothingness. Souls that lingered too long in Limbo, when returned to the land of the living, came back as impaired children. The lucky ones were born missing only one sense; the unlucky ones had no sense at all. It was an effect that lingered for several lifetimes. The souls of Hell didn't have any side effects that appeared in the next life when reincarnated.

Kenhoshi bowed his head in despair. How was his son to know to do all the tasks or even what they were if he could not return to the spirit border?

______________________________________________________________________________

Oh dearest me!

I got the idea for Inuyasha's soul being trapped in Limbo unless he or his descendents can complete the assigned task from the movie "Van Helsing". Fortunately, I can tell you that by the end of the manga/anime series, movies included, that Inuyasha Jr. does manage to complete all assigned tasks without even realizing it.

Did I just give something away within that explanation?

I designed Limbo so that at first it doesn't seem to terrible compared to Hell until you're stranded there.

I know it seems sad that Inuyasha abandoned Kirara but as she is the last link to Keiko he really can't stand the idea of her dying. It would be like losing Keiko all over again. This is the same attitude that spurred Inuyasha Jr. to attempt to trap Kagome in her time after their dangerous run in with Naraku-backed-Sesshomaru. Some things just run in the family.

Speaking of Sesshomaru…

**Chapter 25: Beyond Reason**

Temari plots revenge for her perceived humiliation. Can Sesshomaru protect Himawari from the deranged female and what happens when Noriko learns of the engagement?


	34. Beyond Reason

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru, Inuyasha or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Chapter 25: Beyond Reason

_149 years before the search of the jewel shards._

_When did Himawari become precious to me? I don't know. I only know that at that moment I could not lose her._

-Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru glanced back at the girl that was to be his wife. He and Himawari were both sitting formally on the cave floor; one Sesshomaru even thought he recognized as a previous hideout but which one he wasn't sure. Himawari was combing his silver tresses without a word, just one of many little chores she was supposed to complete for him. It was something the demon lord had gotten used to over the decade even if he hadn't accepted it completely.

As if being landed with a betrothed wasn't infuriating enough, Naomi had then informed him that Himawari would be spending time with him each day by tending him. This resulted in a heated argument between the two which ended with Naomi saying:

"_These little chores are to acquaint her with your personality and get her accustomed to your demeanor so she doesn't run screaming on your wedding night. If you weren't such an icicle this wouldn't be necessary!_"

Sesshomaru had had nothing to say to that and now Himawari was part of his daily routine. The fact he even had one was wonder enough. Noriko was keeping quiet for the moment. She only moved on them now when they attempted to return to Tenji. It couldn't last and Sesshomaru was at a loss as to how to escape the situation they were in.

It wasn't strange that he was beginning to hear the mutterings of discontent from his surviving followers. It wasn't treasonous, not yet anyway, but they did not regret refusing Noriko. It was all nostalgic talk of when his father was still alive. The whispers were filled with how the Lord Kenhoshi would have handled things if he were still alive. There were also comments about how terrible it was that he had allowed himself to be distracted by a human woman. How it had led to premature demise and ultimately the circumstances they were now in.

Sesshomaru ignored them as best he could. He alone knew who that "human woman" was. He was also the only one who knew he had a younger brother. Myoga and Totosai had gone to ground almost as soon as his father ended up within it, taking the Tetsusaiga and Sounga with them. He glanced down at the Tenseiga lying next to him. He had used the sword only a hand full of times since acquiring it and all of them after Noriko's brazen attack. When battle didn't drive his group into full retreat he had managed to save some of the lives of his fallen comrades, but Tenseiga, as he discovered, could only save a person once. When a person died again Tenseiga was unable to retrieve their souls.

Sesshomaru sighed and thought, _If I had had the Tetsusaiga or the Sounga I wouldn't be struggling like this._ His own sword, Bakusaiga, was dazzlingly powerful, obliterating anything its energy touched except Noriko. Which made Noriko even more bothersome. Her sword was able to draw in and swallow Bakusaiga's attacks. When the blades clashed, Bakusaiga couldn't even throw any.

Noriko had created a counter for his sword; a sealing blade aimed specifically at Bakusaiga. The sword couldn't do anything else, at least as far as she had revealed in their battles. Noriko was a talented warrior and a celestial demon, a sword that silenced her enemy's blade was all she needed. Tetsusaiga and Sounga might have been able to overwhelm the counter sword for no other reason than because it wasn't designed to suppress them. But the two great swords were missing and Sesshomaru didn't have time to search for either of them.

Sesshomaru thought back to that period following his battle with the devil tenko. Frustrated by being denied Sounga and Tetsusaiga, he had commissioned one be made from his own fang. The court had still been unstable from his father's death. Unable to leave, he had asked Naomi for her assistance. He never did figure out why she had been so excited about the errand. He had only asked her because his pride would not suffer him humbling himself to anyone else. There was nothing humbling about asking Naomi; she could humble him on a whim. "Humiliate" being the more accurate term. She had returned three days later with Bakusaiga.

Once everything seemed to have settled down at court, he had left Tenji for the first time in his life with several of his subordinates. He hadn't asked anyone to come with him they just came, some to protect their new lord the rest to see what his sword could do. Noriko had been among the later. He had tested his blade on several low-life demons that wrecked havoc whenever they weren't sleeping. The kind of demons no one would miss. He had been immensely pleased with the results.

He gazed down at his hands then concentrated on the pale scar on his left palm while clenching the hand as if he were gripping something within. At first he felt nothing then a cool smooth sensation of wrapped leather kissed the inside of his hand. The sensation increased and the muscles in his forearm flexed as they adjusted for the new weight. Bakusaiga now lay in his lap, its pale blade gleaming.

It had been quite a trick to master making his sword appear and disappear on command. Sesshomaru had synchronized his aura with that of his sword allowing it to appear and disappear at his command. Like his garments and Tenseiga did when he transformed into his dog form. He didn't want anyone stealing his sword and he knew that if he didn't wear it constantly there was always a chance for a theft. He had been rather paranoid in his first years as demon lord. The only problem was if anything caused his aura to change he would neither be able to send nor summon his sword. A dangerous problem if his sword was merged with him at the time of disruption. The pale scar on his hand symbolized his ability to call his sword. The few times his aura had lost its synchronization with Bakusaiga the mark had disappeared until he had regained it.

"My lord? Is something wrong?" asked Himawari, pausing in her combing.

Sesshomaru sent the sword away. "It's nothing."

****

Temari glared at the pair as the young golden female ran her comb through Lord Sesshomaru's hair. _How could they allow the tramp's daughter to become his wife? The elders have gone senile. I should be his wife! I deserve to be his wife! The little harlot, acting so sweet and innocent. She has everyone wrapped around her little finger._

Temari retreated back into the main entrance of the cave. Various inuyokai parted before her as she stormed by and all conversations ceased. She didn't notice, too occupied with her own thoughts. She stepped out into the sunlight and paused.

_I can't lose to that trollop. I must stop her! _She chewed on her lip, recalling the humiliating night ten years ago when the elders had told her about the dragoness's decision. Then it had sounded as if the elders themselves had felt she would never gain the position of Sesshomaru wife. That she was somehow unacceptable.

A dark thought entered her mind and she began walking toward the trees. _If I can't have him then no one shall!_

****

Noriko glanced back at her vassal. "You captured a female from Sesshomaru's band. Why did you not simply kill her? I have no use for scouts."

"Your pardon, Milady, but she did not appear to be a scout," replied the man from where he knelt before her. Noriko raised an eyebrow in question and the man continued, "She is dressed well for a people running wild in the bush. She also wasn't afraid of us. She even demanded to speak with you, claiming she had something to tell you that you would find interesting."

"Hmmm, show her to me," said Noriko. The man left then returned with the woman.

Noriko blinked in surprised and said, "Temari, how good it is to see you after all these years."

Temari nodded and said, "It is good to see you as well Noriko."

Noriko smirked. She knew Kou Temari. They were rivals for the position of Sesshomaru's wife. Temari had naturally chosen to remain at Sesshomaru's side rather than be ordered around by Noriko. That decision also kept her in the running for the desired post. Noriko wondered what had brought the proud demon to her.

"My men said you have something interesting to tell me," said Noriko her blue eyes met Temari's. "Know that if it fails that early promise I will send you home to your father minus your tongue." To her credit, Temari didn't flinch at the threat.

"Do you still desire Sesshomaru as your mate?" asked Temari. Noriko's smile faded and she glared hard at her rival. Now it was Temari's turn to smirk.

****

Noriko attacked shortly before dawn. The two guards were cut down before they even realized what was happening; their death cries the only warning those within the cavern had. Naomi charged forward driving back the first invaders trying to breach the cave. As soon as they were out the ground shook as if struck like a drum and pebbles and dust fell from the ceiling. The ground shook again from a second blow and cracks appeared above them.

"They are trying to bring the cave down on us!" shouted a woman.

Sesshomaru glanced around then at the entrance. Noriko had changed tactics. Before she was still trying to take him alive and these types of attacks would risk killing him, but now it seemed she didn't care. Did her surviving brother overthrow her?

There was no time for such thoughts. Going out the entrance was impossible. No doubt, Noriko had it well guarded. It would be instant death for anyone trying to leave that way. Sesshomaru turned toward the back of the cavern and began chanting. This was one of the few times the dog demon wished the irksome wolf, Kenji, was here. He could have opened a new passage way with a simple punch. The earth pulled away as Sesshomaru's chant came to an end creating a tunnel as far as his power could reach. He would have to repeat the process at the other end until they surfaced somewhere safer.

"Everyone!" he called to the group. "Follow me, hurry!" Sesshomaru turned and headed down the tunnel. The others followed behind and Naomi collapsed the cavern to cover their retreat. He could only hope that wherever they surfaced it really would be safe.

****

Noriko glared at the hill as it fell in on itself. She was certain she hadn't hit it enough times to cause it to collapse so soon. She snarled then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was certain Sesshomaru's group had created an exit. If she searched for the tell-tale celestial energy signature in the ground she would know where they were. She smirked when she sensed it moving like a snake through the earth.

"Think you're so smart," she whispered. She turned to her men and called, "Follow me, they are trying to escape by moving underground but they'll have to surface at some point." She leapt forward and her men followed.

****

Sesshomaru broke the surface after an hour of traversing underground. He stepped out into the morning sunlight and looked around. The breeze contained no enemy scents, he then turned to gesture his people forward. They came out looking more demoralized than ever. They were forced to retreat again but this time they hadn't even been able to return any blows before running. Sesshomaru looked down and sighed. They couldn't have fought back but he still felt the sting of another defeat. He stood away from the others panting from exertion; it took all of his will power just to remain standing. He was close to spiritual exhaustion.

Everyone stood around as the generals tried to orient themselves. Himawari approached Sesshomaru and offered him a gourd with water. He reached for it then heard a sound that turned his blood to ice. The high pitched wail of a celestial. Without thinking, he spun and, by shear willpower alone, created a barrier with his failing strength. A spell blast impacted the shield and Sesshomaru howled as the barrier drained him to nothing. The spell faded and so did the barrier. Sesshomaru collapsed to his knees, gasping, his arms trembling.

The woman and children bunched together into a tight group while the men and warrior women surrounded them. Naomi began chanting, creating a new barrier to protect them from further long range celestial attacks. The guardians positioned themselves within the circle to defend the vulnerable children from the enemy warriors. Himawari pulled at Sesshomaru's arm urging him to regain his feet and move within the protective circle. It was only then the generals realized their lord's predicament, but there was no time to help him, Noriko and her followers were already upon them.

Sesshomaru knew he needed to get up but his body refused to obey. Himawari still tugged at his arm trying to get him to his feet instead of rushing to the safety of the circle. He looked at her and opened his mouth to tell her to leave him and go then his heart skipped a beat. Noriko was there standing behind the girl, her eyes demon red with rage, her sword raised to strike down Himawari.

The next minute was a blur to Sesshomaru. New found strength flooded him and he lunged forward knocking Himawari to the side. At the same time he summoned Bakusaiga and swung it to intercept Noriko's sword. Noriko snarled and twisted her blade, yanking Bakusaiga from Sesshomaru grasp and sending it flying. She then turned and swung her blade toward the prone girl, still dazed from Sesshomaru's hard blow. Sesshomaru dived between the two and drew Tenseiga. Noriko's blade glowed with a dark purple light as it came down in its fatal arch. Tenseiga rose to meet it. The two swords collided and stuck together for the briefest of moments then Tenseiga shattered into dozens of tiny pieces.

Sesshomaru stared in dumbfounded disbelief. Noriko snarled and shouted, "Out of the way!" She swung her sword, hilt leading, and drove it into the side of the Sesshomaru's head. He fell to the side, blood flying from the wound. She drew back her sword and lunged forward toward Himawari in a driving trust; the sword still glowing. Himawari stared wide-eyed, frozen in terror, as the blade plunged toward her heart. Then she was looking at the back of armor and long silver hair swung across her view.

For a moment time stopped. Sesshomaru, half kneeling before Noriko, held her wrists in a death grip, his eyes demon red as he stared in the bitch's own manic gaze. Blood dripped onto the ground between them; her sword of the purple aura buried halfway into his stomach.

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

****

The great panther demon stirred in his slumber and looked to the north and east where a stiff breeze was blowing from. He took a deep breath and snarled. All the panthers around him stopped what they were doing and gazed at their leader.

His four most powerful warriors, siblings all, approached him and the female with pale blue hair and lavender kimono asked, "What is it, Master?"

His eyes glittered as he replied, "Dogs."

* * *

Sorry that it got off to a slow start. I was having trouble writing this one. I knew what I wanted out of the action sequence; it was getting there that was the problem. The slow beginning allowed me to explain Bakusaiga's presence. For those who have read the manga, Bakusaiga appears suddenly, after Sesshomaru has passed on Meido Zangetsuha to Inuyasha, in the palm of Sesshomaru left arm that bursts from the stump. Totosai explains that he has had the sword Bakusaiga the whole time and that it was his fang. However, Sesshomaru had no idea Bakusaiga existed before that moment. Since Sesshomaru ends up with amnesia at the end of the story I had him commissioning the sword, unknown to him Naomi found Totosai and asked him to make it, and then gave my own reason why it appears from within his body during the manga.

To those who are screaming "But the Inu no Taisho killed the great panther demon!" This will make sense at the end of chapter 27 and I will say no more on the subject until then.

As for the next chapter…

School is back in session and there is a familiar new student on campus. ;-)

Chapter 26: The Second Semester.

Inuyasha has separated from Kirara. However, he needs to learn more about his power and decides to travel outside Tenji and visit the various shrines and temples for training. There he picks up the most unusual monk.


	35. The Second Semester: Lesson 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot from this story.**

Chapter 26: The Second Semester

_159 - 149 years before the search for the jewel shards._

_Honestly! Why must men be such pigs?_

-Inuyasha

Lesson 4: Nothing is Coincidental

Namaiki held the young girl's hand and stared meaningfully into her eyes as he asked, "Will you bear my child?" The young girl stared back not sure how to answer the monk's question.

"You impertinent whelp! Get away from my daughter!" yelled the girl's father as he came tearing across the fields with his hoe raised above his head.

Namaiki grinned sheepishly and said, "I guess this is good-bye then, beautiful maiden." Then he turned and ran for his life. This wasn't the first eviction he had suffered. With his habit of flirting with every pretty thing in a kimono he had lots of poor encounters with fathers. Being a monk didn't always protect him from their wrath as some actually believed him to be a fake. The nerve of them!

He stopped running as soon as the village was out of sight. He sighed and muttered, "I'll just have to hurry to the next village before the sun sets."

The sun was only a finger's width above the horizon when Namaiki strolled into the next village. He was preparing his act for when he approached the village head about shelter when he noticed a gathering surrounding one hut. Curious, Namaiki walked closer.

"Will they be alright?"

"The priest said he could save both mother and child. All we can do is pray."

"But to have a man with a laboring mother… it isn't normal."

"My daughter has been in labor since dawn! That's what's not normal! I'll take any help if it can save her life!"

Off to the side of the gathered women was a gathering of men. In the middle of them one man sat crouched low to the ground his head bowed, the obviously distraught husband. The others stood around him but seemed at a lost to how to console him. Namaiki looked between them and wondered if it would be better to just discreetly leave and camp out in the forest.

_I'm no good when it comes to these things and if there is already a priest here then I won't be able to work any exorcisms,_ he thought. Just then a scream echoed from the hut and the women leaned closer while the men inched away. The man on the ground leapt to his feet and tried to run toward the hut but the others held him back. They tried to calm him as he cried out the name of his wife. More screams came from the hut then silence fell. After a moment a baby started crying. The women all gasped and smiled as the men clapped the beleaguered father on the back. The reed screen was pushed to the side and a man wearing the white and blue of the priesthood stepped into the dying sunlight covered in blood. His face was ashy gray and he was sweating profusely.

"Master Priest, are you alright?" asked the woman to his right.

"How is the mother?" asked the woman to his left at the same moment.

"She'll live but she is very weak. She'll need everyone's help for a time," he replied, his voice soft and shaky. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the baby boy." He took a step forward then toppled over, unconscious. The women cried out and the men came forward.

Namaiki blinked when he sensed something emitting from the fallen priest. _Youki?_ He turned to an elder who was beginning to give orders to the men. "Excuse me, Elder," he said as he stepped forward. The villagers turned to him, noticing the monk for the first time.

"Yes, young monk?" inquired the elder.

Thinking fast, Namaiki continued, "I believe the priest and I were drawn here for the same reason. I sensed an evil spirit from a distance away and came to this place to exorcise it."

"An evil spirit?" said the elder. "The master priest said nothing of this when he entered the village."

"No doubt, he did not wish to alarm you when your village was already distressed by the mother's troubles," Namaiki said smoothly. The women gasped and looked at each other with knowing expressions.

"Hmmm, I thought it strange that the priest was so adamant about aiding my daughter. Not that I'm ungrateful, mind you. Now I see, he was trying to spare us further worry," said the elder while nodding.

_As if you really were wondering. He probably didn't need to do much convincing,_ thought the monk but he continued with a concern look on his face; the youki was increasing. "I fear my colleague in spirit may have done something extreme to save the mother and child."

"Oh?" said the elder, looking worried.

Namaiki nodded and said, "I believe he may have ingested the evil spirit into his own body to allow the poor woman relief so she could safely bear her child. He would then exorcise it from within but the effort to drag the spirit away from the pair has apparently exhausted him." He kept his satisfaction to himself when the crowd inhaled in awe and horror.

"Fortunately, my powers are fresh. I can perform an exorcism for the priest and save him, but I'll require one full night at least and a solitary place. There is no telling what will happen when the spirit is being exorcised and I don't want to endanger the other villagers should it try to flee."

The elder's reply was instant and exactly what Namaiki was hoping for. "Of course, I shall allow you to stay within my residence. It is separate from the rest of the village. We will provide meals and then leave you to save the master priest. Such a brave man, to endanger his own soul by taking in such a dangerous spirit for the sake of my daughter and her newborn son. I would be the most ungrateful fool if I did not aid him to the best of my ability."

The elder turned to the young men and they picked up and carried the priest to the elder's house with Namaiki following behind. The monk went through the pretense of putting up shields to trap the evil spirit within the house then entered. When food was ready it would be brought up and left at the door to keep from disrupting the "dangerous exorcism".

_Not my preferred sleeping arrangements,_ thought Namaiki and settled down on the other side of the shoji,_ but at least I'm not sleeping in the woods and I have a fine meal to look forward to._

"I wonder about a monk who can lie so easily." Namaiki looked around then down at the priest lying on the futon before him. The priest's eyes opened and he met the monk's gaze.

"You should be grateful. An honest monk wouldn't have covered for you," said Namaiki with a smile, hiding his surprise to see the priest awake. "To tell the truth I am curious about two things. Why are you so exhausted after helping a woman give birth and why do you have youki pouring out of you right now?"

The priest gazed at him for a moment then closed his eyes. Several minutes passed and Namaiki was beginning to think the man had fallen asleep when the youki increased. The man's long black hair turned silver white and his ears became pointed and moved up the sides of his head until two perked dog ears sat on top. The priest sat up and when he opened his eyes they were hazel gold.

"Well that answers the youki question," said Namaiki, "but not the exhaustion one."

The priest sighed and replied, "I don't like discussing my abilities with strangers."

"Yet you reveal yourself to one," said the monk.

"I was hoping you would back off when you saw," said the priest now perturbed.

"Nice try, but that only works on novices or fanatics neither of whom would have covered for you," said Namaiki, smiling again.

"You didn't cover for me out of the goodness of your heart," said the priest.

"You know, you're way too serious for your own good," said Namaiki, changing subjects. He got up and walking closer to the demon priest. "You also seem way too gloomy." He sat down next to him. "What you need is a woman."

"Pardon," said the priest, his face stone.

Namaiki patted the man on the back and said, "One night with a good woman will do wonders for all your stress."

"Excuse me!" The priest started leaning away from the monk.

"I know, a hanyou like you is frustrated because he can't get any girls due to his low status. But since you've obviously learned how to transform into a full human that is no longer a problem."

The priest eyed the monk for a moment then asked, "You're great grandmother didn't have an encounter with a man calling himself Suigetsu did she?"

"Who?"

"Nevermind."

"Anyway what say after you get your second wind I show you where you can find some real beauties more than willing to help loosen your… tension," Namaiki said with a wink. The hanyou priest stared back at him his cheeks flushed red. "Dumpling?" he asked offering one from the meal the villager had brought them.

"Hentai."

* * *

Namaiki: obnoxious, conceit, brazen, audacious, impertinent

Sound like a good name for Miroku's ancestor?

I couldn't picture Namaiki without seeing Miroku so that's why he doesn't get a description beyond monk.


	36. The Second Semester: Lesson 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Lesson 5: Patience is a Virtue

Inuyasha stood to the side of a large gathering wondering again what possessed him to travel in the company of the lecherous monk. Namaiki was in the center of the crowd selling his charms and trying to convince the people they were worth the price he was asking for. Inuyasha was in his human form again so no one gave him a second look. When Namaiki unashamedly flirted with the girls in the group, Inuyasha, in disgust, turned and walked away.

_Where does he get the audacity to do that? What are those women to him, toys?_ Inuyasha kept walking until he heard a cry of distress coming from behind the buildings. Stopping, he looked around. This part of the town seemed more rundown than the rest. Inuyasha sighed; in his anger he had walked right into the town's nest of outcasts and criminals. The cry of distress came again.

Unable to ignore a cry for help, Inuyasha found a space between the buildings and slid through. On the other side he found a narrow alley and now he could hear cruel laughter as well as the frightened gasps of a woman. He stepped up to the wall where the noise was coming from and placed his ear against it. He then jumped back, his body throwing itself away from the boards before he was even aware of the reason. The wall exploded as a giant fist punched through.

"Thought I smelled a rat," said a thick voice. The stench of decay and blood poured from the breach and Inuyasha, though still human, gagged.

"Help us!" a high pitched voice screamed from within. Another voice just screamed.

"Oi! Keep your yaps shut," said a different voice but just as thick sounded at the first. The sound of flesh colliding with flesh echoed from the hut and something hit the ground within.

Inuyasha growled and shouted, "You're so brave picking on little girls. Come out here and face me if you have courage left to!"

"I think we were just insulted, little brother."

"I think we were too."

"We should go out and teach the whelp not to be so rude."

"Yes, that we should." The boards splintered and Inuyasha jumped back as two hulks came out appearing more ogre than human. The alleyway was not big enough to contain them.

The ogre men grunted and one said, "This place is too small I can't swing good here."

"Then let's take the rat to a bigger place."

"Good idea, big brother." The two behemoths reached toward Inuyasha with their large meaty hands. Inuyasha jumped back and his back hit another wall. He may not be as constrained as the ogre brothers but he didn't have much room to dodge them either.

_I have to rescue the girls at least. If I run away I'm sure to escape but what will happen to the girls in the mean time?_ Seeing an opening, he dived between the men's legs and rolled a few times. When he stood again he was standing next to the opening the ogre brothers had made. He leapt through the opening as the pair struggled to turn around.

Inside was a nightmare. Skeletons and bodies in various states of decay littered the floor. The walls of neighboring buildings had holes punched through revealing more rooms with corpses. In the corner of the room he was in sat a young girl holding another in her arms. He ran toward them as he heard the shouts of the brothers behind him. They had finally figured out how to turn around in the narrow alley and began stomping toward the entrance. He grabbed the conscious girl's arm and pulled her to her feet while he lifted the other onto his shoulder. He turned toward the hut's true door and ran for it dragging the terrified girl with him just as the brothers' shadows appeared at the hole. Their howls of outrage followed him to the street.

Namaiki was still at his spot selling his charms and charming the ladies when a scream erupted from somewhere behind the crowd. The monk stopped and the crowd turned to see what the commotion was then ran screaming themselves. Namaiki, alarmed, stood up and gasped. Inuyasha was running toward him with two ogres chasing after him and a girl on one shoulder and another hanging off his arm.

Inuyasha spotted him and shouted, "Namaiki! Do something!"

Namaiki looked at the ogres then turned and ran himself.

Inuyasha thought he would blow a blood vessel he was so furious. "You useless fraud! Get back here and fight those demons!"

"You fight them! You're a priest!" shouted Namaiki over his shoulder.

"If you couldn't tell, my hands are full right now or otherwise I would!" Inuyasha shouted back.

Namaiki looked back and finally took in the whole scene. He hadn't gained any ground since he started running from the ogres and Inuyasha, who was carrying a woman, was maintaining the same pace. The girl running alongside of him appeared to be tripping every third step; he was more carrying her then she was herself.

_He supposed to be restricted to his human form and yet he's still this strong?_ Namaiki grimaced. The ogres weren't that far behind Inuyasha. If the priest stopped the ogres would be upon him in seconds. He didn't have enough time to put down the girl he was carrying, never mind move to attack. _I guess I do need to help him._

Sighing, the monk stopped and spun around while he drew his sutras. "Sebai!" he shouted and the sutras lit up with blue flames and flew toward the ogres. The ogres howled and started dancing as they were burned by the paper spells. "Yatta!"

Inuyasha blazed passed him and shouted, "Good! Now hurry and run before they get over it."

Namaiki blinked at him then ran after him. "Weren't you going to fight them?" asked the monk as he ran alongside the priest. He took the girl's arm and helped support her. The ogres roared behind them and began chasing them again.

"You think I'm crazy enough to fight them within a crowded town? I would like to keep the collateral damage to a minimum," replied Inuyasha. "I'm heading for the fields outside of town.

"Then what was the point of me attacking them?"

"I was sort of hoping you could have destroyed them. Your attacks aren't nearly as flamboyant as mine. Also I needed to check something and your sutras were the only things available," replied Inuyasha.

"If you didn't have two beautiful young ladies with you I wouldn't even have considered assisting you," stated Namaiki with a sniff.

"The ogres are actually chasing me because if these two girls. If I put them down they'll stop chasing me and grab the girls instead and there is no way I can do that even if I hadn't seen what was in those huts they lived in," said Inuyasha. The monk glanced at him but just then they cleared the huts and were now in the fields. They ran a few lengths more then Inuyasha stopped and placed the woman on his shoulder down on the ground and released the girl.

"Namaiki, can you put up a barrier?" asked Inuyasha as he turned toward the approaching ogres.

"Hai," replied Namaiki, wondering what his companion was about to do that would require it.

"Then stand back and create one over yourself and the girls. At this point I need to fight alone," said Inuyasha as he stepped away from the monk.

"But I can only maintain it for a short time," cautioned Namaiki.

"That's fine," said the priest. "This won't take more than fifteen seconds."

"You won't get away now, little rat," said one ogre brother as the pair ran up to him.

"You'll pay for stealing our women," said the other.

"If there are to be any thefts punished today it will be your multiple thefts of life," said Inuyasha. He raised his left hand and held out the first finger. A light appeared at the tips and then he lunged forward. He ducked between their outreaching hands and touched each ogre at a spot over their hearts then he was passed them. Namaiki had erected his barrier but he wondered what Inuyasha had just done.

"Did you feel something little brother?"

"Nope."

"How stupid, we got you now little rat!" The ogre brother turned and reached for him but Inuyasha didn't move this time. When their hands were inches from his neck the pair suddenly erupted in bluish flames. The ogre brothers screamed and waved their arms before falling to the ground and burning to ash.

Namaiki stared in awe and horror. Inuyasha glanced back at the ash piles and blew out a breath in relief. "So that's what happens when you do that inside a person," he muttered.

The monk blinked then yelled, "You mean you've never done that before!"

"Now, who is it that told me to loosen up," said Inuyasha while staring at the monk. He walked toward him and said, "I have a whole arsenal of jutsu that would have done the job but I wanted to see what this one could do. It was a jutsu I was still developing based on something I saw occur several years ago. I had figured it out already, this was just the first time I had used it on a living being."

The monk stared at him not understanding a thing he just said, his face expressionless for a moment. "Flamboyant is an understatement," said Namaiki then he dropped his barrier.

Inuyasha knelt down beside the unconscious woman then held his hands over her. The palms glowed and the swelling on her face began to shrink then she stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked and looked at the two men.

"Sister, you're alive! I'm so glad!" cried the girl and she threw herself on the woman crying.

The pleasant scene was short-lived. Armed men came up from the town behind them and marched over toward the little group. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and said, "I have a feeling they aren't here to praise our work."

Namaiki blinked at him and asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Just a hunch." The two girls coward behind him.

The men stopped short and the leader stepped up and demanded, "Was it you who killed the brothers?"

Inuyasha stood up and turned to face the samurai. "And if I was?"

The samurai drew their swords and the leader said, "Then you are under arrest for their murder."

"What?" squawked Namaiki as the girls whimpered.

Inuyasha smiled and said, "Now it makes sense how a pair of monsters like them could live in the middle of town without slayers being hired or monks being summoned. I take it your lord in the castle up yonder gave this order."

"Those brothers were our greatest weapons against enemy forces. You'll pay dearly for destroying them," stated the leader. Namaiki stared in disbelief.

"If they were such great and important weapons then you should have stored them in a more appropriate location so this wouldn't have happened. Or does the reason why they were being kept in town have something to do with their taste for humans? Your lord couldn't have them eating his princesses now, could he," said Inuyasha. He was still smiling but a chill emanated from his body.

The leader flinched at the priest's words. "Men, seize him!" he shouted. The samurai charged.

"And here I promised myself that I wouldn't get involved in the local politics," said Inuyasha while dropping into a fighting stance, "but I'll make an exception this time." His dark eyes started to glow. He snapped his palm forward and flames shot from it toward the samurai. The men screamed and dived to the side.

Fire moved through the air like a mass of ropes being pulled by horses. They spread throughout the area like a giant net and rose and fell like waves at sea. Inuyasha felt the fabric on his back part and great white wings with flames sliding down the feathers spread themselves.

"What-what are you?" squeaked the leader from where he coward on the ground.

"Me? I'm the Avenging Fire Angel of the West!" replied Inuyasha, his expression insane and made more insane by all the fire swirling around him.

"Forgive us!" shouted the leader as the samurai all ran for their lives.

"You, I'll forgive, however, your lord's head is forfeit!" declared Inuyasha and launched himself in to the sky.

Namaiki stood with the girls sitting before him staring after the departing priest, one hand raised to shield his eyes from the sun. "Oh my, he seems a tad upset," said the monk. The girls looked at him like he was insane himself.

"He's going to kill the lord?" asked the leader staring wide-eyed in the direction of the castle.

"Looks like it," said Namaiki with a glimmering smile.

"This is a disaster! I must defend my lord!" shouted the samurai leader and staggered to his feet.

"I think the lord is already dead," said Namaiki still gazing at the castle.

"What do you mean?" shouted the leader. Namaiki simply pointed back at the castle and the samurai turned around. Inuyasha was already winging his way back toward them no longer surrounded by ropes of flames. He landed and began walking toward the monk and the girls passed the stunned samurai.

"How did you do it?" asked Namaiki.

"He died by the same method as those brothers," said Inuyasha in a cold voice. Sweat broke out on the monk's forehead and he didn't say anything else. Inuyasha stopped in front of the girls and looked down at them. "I think it would be better if you two came with us. We'll find you a better village than this place to live. You'll be happier there."

"Hai!" they both cried and rose to their feet. The samurai leader knelt sobbing on the ground.

"Let's go," grunted Inuyasha and walked passed them.

Namaiki kept smiling as he turned to follow and said, "I see I need to work on your charm. They would both be in love with you right now if you hadn't scared them half to death with all that fire and ice."

"Shut up."

* * *

One has to wonder whose patience is actually being tried. Inuyasha or Namaiki.

Somehow Inuyasha's nickname is going to stick and that's how everyone outside of Tenji is going to know him as. The Avenging Fire Angel of the West.


	37. The Second Semester: Lesson 6,7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Lesson 6: Know Thy Limit

Inuyasha trudged up the road in a foul mood and with a piercing headache. Namaiki, however, was practically prancing along side of him. Inuyasha rubbed his head and grumbled, "I am never ever drinking sake again."

"But you're so much fun once you lose your inhibitions," said Namaiki with a big smile. Inuyasha glared at the monk while he simultaneously blushed. They had been in Kyoto the night before.

Inuyasha knew it was dangerous to go there. If anyone there recognized him he would have his uncle's men after him within hours, but he had to know how things were going in Tenji. Kyoto was the only place to get that information and still have a chance of not being recognized. Namaiki had wanted to go to Kyoto for entirely different reason. The monk wanted to visit the Flaming Dragon, a place that was famous for having the most beautiful and talented women in all of Japan. He had blackmailed Inuyasha once he learned the priest didn't want his name uttered within the city limits.

"_I'll refrain from calling you by name if you and I get to spend the night at the Flaming Dragon._"

Explaining his plight to the monk was pointless, Namaiki was set to go to the Flaming Dragon and any explanation would only grant him more material to use against Inuyasha. He grudgingly agreed to Namaiki's demand. The monk had then gone about his business with great cheer, gaining funds for his night of vice. Inuyasha had dragged his feet to the tenko estates near the palace to learn from vassals the state of affairs in Tenji. The news had not been as good as he hoped for.

_It's not as bad as it could be so I believe Toromaru is succeeding but things aren't improving either. I'm going to have to return soon._ Inuyasha chewed on his lip as he thought.

That night was a time he wanted to banish from his mind. After he had learned of events in Tenji he had met up with Namaiki outside the Flaming Dragon. Things became fuzzy after the women had served him a couple cups of sake. He had never had sake before then and he only drank because he thought the liquor would keep him occupied while Namaiki was as well.

--

Inuyasha stared down at the cup then drained it. The liquid burned as it traveled down his throat and the priest shivered. The woman attending him filled his cup and smiled at him. He wondered at her ability to make such a believable smile and drained the second cup. His face grew warm and he felt some of his reservation slip away, the tension melting.

Namaiki was over to the side in a crowd of beauties, laughing, already into his fourth bottle of sake. He stopped when an ominous hiccup sounded from his right. The monk paused mid sip and peered over at his companion. The two women who sat next to the priest stared at his face with a touch of concern showing on theirs.

_Is he drunk already?_ wondered Namaiki as he noted the single sake bottle sitting next to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha then started laughing and threw his arms around the very surprised women and yelled, "How great is this? Peerless beauties to attend us for the whole night and no flames to be scorched by. This is the best!" The priest fell backwards laughing with the women still in his arms.

Namaiki smiled, raised his sake bottle and said, "I knew you would loosen up once you were in the company of good women. They are always the best medicine for stress!" The women all squealed and giggled with glee. The two with Inuyasha began pulling his kimono off and ran their fingertips along his muscular chest cooing their appreciation.

"Oi! Oi! Where did you get such a good body?" demanded Namaiki in mock in envy.

"Good training and the best pedigree," answered Inuyasha and laughed as the women squealed again and a few more joined him. Namaiki laughed as well and everything devolved from there.

--

Inuyasha hid his burning face in his hand. _Maybe my grandfather contributed more than just the new moon,_ he thought.

"You really are something else," said Namaiki his smile as big as ever. "I can see five women pleasuring you at once but to be able to return the favor to all five at once as well? I don't think those ladies will forget you for as long as they live." The monk started laughing as Inuyasha turned redder than ever.

"Shut up, Hentai!"

****

Lesson 7: Depart with Grace

Inuyasha tied the last strap on his sandal then stood and tested the hold by tapping it against the ground. He heft his pack onto his back and took a step forward.

"You're leaving?" asked Namaiki, standing behind the priest.

Inuyasha sighed. He had been hoping to leave without disturbing the monk but a part of him was glad Namaiki had noticed. "I'm sorry, Namaiki, but I need to go," said Inuyasha. "I've lingered out here long enough and I think I've accomplished what I set out to do when I started this."

Namaiki closed his eyes. Inuyasha had never fully explained himself to the monk and, being a person of questionable reputation, Namaiki hadn't pried. Everyone had their secrets. He simply asked, "Where will you go?"

Inuyasha stared out the door and said, "First I need to meet with my father's sword smith and see if he can forge me a new weapon. One that is better suited to my abilities. Then I'll probably return to Tenji and perhaps find out what happened to my brother. Though, with the amount of time that has passed it might just be impossible."

"So you do have family out there. Well, we all do what we must," said Namaiki, then he smiled and added, "Care for a bottle of sake before you go." Inuyasha glared at him over his shoulder and huffed. "Really, you do need to learn how to relax from time to time. Being all tense for so long will do you more harm than good. Plus you will never find a good woman without having to pay for the services."

Inuyasha stopped glaring and a small, sad smile appeared on his face. "Namaiki, where I come from, being a hanyou was never a put off. I've had plenty of girls express interest in me in the past." The monk blinked in surprise. Inuyasha turned away and said, "If I show any honest interest in a girl now it will be because she is the equal to my late wife. I won't settle for anything less." He stepped out into the early morning light. "Sayonara, Namaiki."

"Sayonara, Inuyasha," said the monk. Namaiki understood this would be the last time he saw the priest. He felt sorrow filling him as Inuyasha disappeared from view. "Take care."

* * *

These two parts were too small to stand alone so they share the same entry. I'm sorry I couldn't do more with the scene at the Flaming Dragon. The first reason it ends just as things are getting juicy is because this site won't allow for anymore details of that nature. Second reason is I lack the experience in that department to even do the scene the justice it deserves. So you Hentai will just have to pick up where I left off in your minds.

A little alcohol and Inuyasha turns into his grandfather. I think I'll have to do that again.

The second part I would have liked to make part of another chapter but none of them really have a good spot for the farewell so it gets tagged here. The next chapter we'll see the conclusion to the cliffhanger from chapter 25.

Chapter 27: Crisis! The Panthers Attack

The panther demon tribe finally realizes the Inuyokai's vulnerability and attack. Noriko retreats leaving Sesshomaru and his battered people to fight them off. The timely arrival of Kakiboufuu saves them from death but what will this mean for Sesshomaru?


	38. Crisis! The Panther Demons Attack!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Chapter 27: Crisis! The Panthers Attack

_149 years before the search for the jewel shards._

_I was prepared to die for them. I couldn't protect them by being their lord at least I would save them with my life. Inuyasha's sudden arrival prevented my sacrifice. I'm still deciding if that was really a good thing._

-Sesshomaru

"You want me to make you a new sword?" asked the old sword smith, Totosai. He paused in his work long enough to turn and regard the hanyou that knelt next to him. "What's wrong with the Tetsusaiga?"

Inuyasha unwound the bandages from his right hand and showed Totosai and Myoga the twisted scar that bisected it as well as the darkened, eroded flesh that started at his wrist and spread up his arm. "Tetsusaiga is a massively powerful blade, but it was created to defeat large numbers of enemies or daiyokai. With only one good hand, I couldn't control the blade in a close quarters fight. I can use hand-to-hand combat with no trouble despite this cripple hand, though. I need a weapon that can go against swords and bladed weapons but will flow with my style not force me to learn something new when don't have the time to do so."

Totosai sat back and scratched his chin as he thought. "The Tetsusaiga isn't your style, eh? I can see why you would want a new weapon but what kind of sword were you thinking of? If you can't handle an ordinary sword what can I make that would benefit you?"

"There aren't many weapons that are available to be to use. My right hand has limited motion," said Inuyasha, demonstrating with both hands. "A normal hand can move each finger individually and touch tips with the thumb. The wrist can rotate freely while the forearm shifts to allow for a spin motion. My right hand is unable to move the fingers individually or touch tips with the thumb. It opens and it closes but everything happens at the same time. The wrist is frozen, unable to rotate at all. The forearm can still spin. The elbow and shoulder aren't hindered at all. When I used the Tetsusaiga during my fight with Kuromakaze I had had no choice but to wield the weapon with my right hand. In order to slash I had to swing with my entire body to get the same results a regular person could do with just their arm, because I couldn't rotate my wrist to allow the blade to swing properly."

Inuyasha turned and picked up one of Totosai's works-in-progress with his right hand showing him how the blade was forced to be held straight up instead of pointing forward when his arm was held out. The only time the sword would point at an opponent was when the sword was held out to the side or down.

"Hmmm, ordinary swords are held at right angles to the palm of the hand, that's how you grip them. The wrist and the fingers adjust to allow the sword to shift into the proper positions for striking. I can see why most weapons are ill-suited for you," said Totosai. "I don't have an answer for you, though. I don't know of any blade that would work with such a deformity."

"If I just had a blade that was aligned with my forearm when held I could use it," said Inuyasha looking down at crippled limb. "I may not be able to do all the complicated strikes of martial arts but this hand can still punch and still block. A blade that could be wielded one handed and take advantage of that ability…"

Totosai stared at the ceiling for a moment then leaned forward and said, "You know, I've seen a strange weapon that mounts three short blades on a glove; the base of the blades rest between the knuckles. However, if these blades collided with a real sword they would break. They don't have the support offered by a hilt."

The hanyou thought for a moment then asked, "What if you created a hilt for each blade on the back side of the glove?" Totosai blinked. The hanyou pointed to a place above the back of his hand. "Raise the blades so the base was buried into glove rather than stopping at the knuckles. Also plate the area around the base and all the way down to the elbow. This would create a shield as well as a more supportive base for the blades and it doubles as support for the wrist and arm. I block kicks and strikes with my arms. It would be natural for me to block a sword in the same manner since this weapon is going to be an extension of my combat style."

"I imagine you would want to have one for each arm, but that would restrict the movement of your left."

"I won't need my dexterity if these weapons work out."

"Well, it sounds interesting enough," said Totosai with a sigh. "I'll need some material to get started."

"What material?" asked Inuyasha.

"Will you open your mouth, please?" asked Totosai as he held up a pair of tongs. Inuyasha blinked, glared then reached into his own mouth and tapped the two upper fangs. After a second of hissing they both fell out of his mouth. He handed them over to Totosai. "Thank you, Inuyasha, but I was only going to ask for one."

"I trust you won't waste it," said Inuyasha. There was a slight hiss in his voice as he spoke. Removing the fangs had hurt.

Totosai hummed to himself then turned to the hanyou and said, "Usually I would say it would take three days to complete but it may take longer just so I can work out the details."

"I understand," replied Inuyasha as he rose. "Take as long as you need. If the work is anything less than perfect then I will die."

****

_Four days later…_

Inuyasha walked around the grassy clearing in confusion. He was certain this was where the Inuyokai no Shiro was supposed to be. The landmarks surrounding the area all matched his memory from when he and his master had passed the castle long ago. They hadn't approached close to it but it had still been visible over the trees. Frustrated, he returned to the old road he had been walking back then and tried to place where he had seen the castle's central pagoda. Nothing was visible over the trees while everything else was as he remembered it. He walked back in the direction where he remembered the castle being long ago but once again found himself in a clearing. He sat down trying to sort out his thoughts.

_How could a castle just disappear? Shouldn't there be ruins or some sign that it had been here?_ Inuyasha scratched his head. He knew from the start he would most likely find no one at the castle, expecting it to be destroyed, but for it to be erased? He froze at the thought.

He reached out his hands and closed his eyes; stretching his awareness into the land, seeking out the energies of any spells that may have been used in the area. After all this time, all he heard were faint whispers answering his call, but they were clear. Cries of panic and death echoed up from the ground, the last residue of the spell that had destroyed the castle. He opened his eyes and gritted his teeth in frustration.

He had come out here looking for clues to his brother's fate while Totosai worked on his new weapon. While the finding was ominous it didn't prove anything. He rose to his feet and walked toward the forest's edge. The trees looked older than the events of long ago. Trees could store energy within themselves. The heartwood may hold more residue from the long ago spell than the earth had. Shrugging he put his hand on the bark and closed his eyes.

At first he saw only darkness, then the sluggish life-force of the tree responded. The image of the land around him appeared but it was the present view. It was from the outer edge, his pushed his awareness further in to the trees core. The view changed as the tree showed previous years, all the same. Then found the ring that contained the castle. Holding his thoughts still, he watched. Something exploded from the center of the castle then people fled. A bright light filled everything and the tree expressed fire. The castle was gone as were many of the people. Those who had escaped ran south, fleeing from something else.

Inuyasha withdrew his awareness from the tree and staggered. It took his mind to reorient his senses. Trees didn't have nerves like animals and people. To push his mind so far into the heartwood where the residues were meant creating his own path through what had once been living material. He had to visualize his mind like that of a larva chewing its way forward. Sensory input was reduced to create the effect. The return to his own body caused him to become over stimulated and he had to sit on the ground for a moment to steady himself.

_The survivors headed south,_ he thought. He looked in that direction. _Why did they head that way?_ He rose then jogged south determined to find some answers.

****

_One day later… (chapter 25 continued…)_

Sesshomaru stared down at Noriko's sword. He had been wrong. Noriko's sword did have a power; he could feel his insides liquefying. Noriko yanked her sword out; Sesshomaru coughed blood then collapsed to his knees.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" cried Himawari and she leapt forward catching the demon lord when he fell back.

Noriko had no time to react to Himawari for at that moment a roar like none she had heard before filled the air. Trees and earth shivered and all other sounds were blotted out by it. Both women looked toward the source and Noriko took a step back. All her men scattered in terror.

Sesshomaru's group had disappeared within the serpentine coils of a silver-white dragon. The trees near the party were now kindling and few of Noriko's men who had not retreated fast enough were blood smears on the grass. The dragon's head appeared; its jaws greater in size than Noriko. Its eyes glowed crimson and when it opened its mouth rows of sword like fangs appeared. The throat seemed nothing more than a grand void.

Noriko's jaw dropped, her eyes widened and her skin blanched. _Naomi? But how? She can't transform! She's never transformed! That human blood within her prevents her from doing so._ She had no time to further contemplate the impossibility staring at her now for Naomi let out another roar then lunged at Noriko. The demoness dodged to the side and scrambled to escape. Wood splintered as the massive body flew passed her. Noriko looked back then lunged again as Naomi's claws appeared and slashed at the ground where she had been. Soil, roots and rocks flew up from the gouged earth. Noriko surrounded herself in youki and flew away as a sphere of light, the rest of her people following.

Naomi roared and started to give chase then doubled back. She suddenly crashed to the ground and the earth shook from the impact. Her head rested feet from her father, her breath blowing back and pulling forward his and Himawari's hair as she inhaled and exhaled. Her body glowed then shrank until she was once again in her humanoid form. She lay on the ground gasping for air.

Kaiyoshinju ran over to her and lifted her shoulders until she was sitting up. "Are you alright, Naomi?" Everyone there, stunned and intimidated as they were, could sense Naomi's youki, or to more accurate, could sense its absence. More alarming was the sudden lack of demon markings on her face. When Naomi cracked her eyes to look at her mother, black irises peered out instead of violet ones. She then fell unconscious without saying a word.

Xeno stepped forward and said in quiet voice with a guttural accent, "It would best if we found shelter quickly. Lucifer no waka is greatly injured and Lucifer no hime is spiritually exhausted. The wind is against us and others may soon appear."

It took a moment for everyone to understand what Xeno was saying. First, everyone had to overcome their shock for Xeno never spoke; many had believed he was unable to. Then his accent was thick making the words were difficult to understand as were his references. The context alone gave away who he was speaking about. One of the generals then realized what he was implying. General Raiken, one of the few still remaining from Lord Kenhoshi's time, looked south and his eyes widened. The wind blew from the north and there was blood in the air, dog blood.

"Everyone start moving. You three help to carry Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Naomi," said the general.

"I can carry Naomi on my own," stated Kaiyoshinju, rising from the ground with her daughter in her arms. No one dared to argue.

The three men ran over to Himawari and Sesshomaru. The young female was still holding the demon lord but with a free hand was picking up the shards of Tenseiga and placing it inside her obi. Sesshomaru didn't stir in her arms. When the three arrived they realized his wound was worse than they thought. The smell of rot and infection was emanating from the opening. They pulled him from Himawari's arms and carried him away. Himawari remained on the ground picking up shards.

General Raiken ran over to her. "Lady Himawari, we must leave now," he said.

Himawari didn't budge as she continued gathering the tiny fragments. "No, we need to gather these shards. I'm certain that if we can get every last piece the sword can be saved," she said while her hands moved through the grass searching for even more elusive pieces.

"I will mourn the loss as well but there is nothing to be done for a sword that has shattered so completely. We cannot remain, we are too near the panther demon tribe's territory and the wind is blowing our scent straight to them," he stated, orange eyes flashing with irritation. When Himawari refused again to move, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Forgive me, but we're leaving now."

Any further protests were silenced by the sound of distant yowling rapidly approaching. General Raiken picked up Himawari and ran carrying her in his arms. He hoped the smell of dragon would throw them off the trail, at least long enough for his clan to gain some distance.

****

Noriko and her men stopped running once they realized they weren't being pursued. Noriko's heart still hammered every time she looked over her shoulder, convinced the dragon would be there in her shadow. She had never expected the quarter-human dragon would be able to transform. Noriko was certain that Naomi would have done so in the past if she could. This development changed everything.

"Lady Noriko! I think the panther demon tribe is on the move!" shouted one of her men. Noriko glanced in the direction he was pointing. A terrifying jaki was filling the southern horizon. "What should we do?"

"Return to our people and move them to a safer location," she said. "We'll wait out this storm."

"What about Sesshomaru?"

"Forget him!" she snapped. She thought of her poison blade plunging into his flesh. She knew what her sword was capable of. "He won't survive to sunset anyway." The group turned away from the approaching panthers and sped away.

****

General Raiken soon caught up to the fleeing party but only because they had stopped under an outcropping. "What the matter? We can't stop here," he said he let Himawari down and she ran forward.

"General… Lord Sesshomaru…" said one and gestured to their lord. Sesshomaru lay on the ground, awake, but in obvious pain. His arms were crossed over his punctured abdomen; his face had lost all color, even his demon markings had faded to a washed-out blue. Blood dribbled from his mouth and his eyes were clouded.

"Leave me," Sesshomaru wheezed. "I'm… I won't… Please… Go!" The general fell to his knees as his nose told him what his lord was struggling to admit to. Sesshomaru was dying. Someone had collected Bakusaiga prior to their departure; Sesshomaru lifted the blade in one hand. He was planning to use what was left of his life to cover their escape from the panthers.

"Lord Sesshomaru," whispered Himawari as she knelt next to him, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.

"I've… failed," Sesshomaru whispered between gasps. For General Raiken it was as if he had been stabbed in the heart.

"No, Lord Sesshomaru," he said, shaking his head. "I understand you aren't your father and I deeply regret ever putting that kind of pressure on you, so please…" He stopped when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up into the eyes of Xeno. They were the only things peering out from his hood and veil.

"We have no time," said Xeno, though, General Raiken thought he heard a touch of sorrow in his voice. "Please allow Lucifer no waka his choice of death." The panthers' jaki was closing fast and they could now hear their cries. Sesshomaru dragged himself to his feet and stared hard at General Raiken

"I'm the one who's failed," said the general as he reached for Himawari, fearing the girl would not abandon her betrothed.

Then the yowling behind them turned to shrieks of pain as fire erupted throughout the forest where the cats were.

****

Inuyasha smelled the dog scent coming from two locations; one rapidly disappearing to the east, the other moving slowly to the north. Then he sensed jaki coming further south and within that a great mass of youki, a daiyokai filled with bloodlust. The eastbound party was already well out of danger but the slower group was right in their path and possibly the target. A chill ran through him and he charged forward, sprinting to intercept the attacking demons.

He heard the yowls of cats and he realized it was an entire army coming north. There was no guarantee they would stop with the massacre of the slower group. They once had tried to conquer the western lands which included Tenji. His father had beaten them back and severely wounded the panther daiyokai. He knew the cats were holding a grudge and was more surprised they had waited this long to act. Maybe they hadn't believed the Inu no Taisho was dead.

He rotated his ears and lit the forest before him on fire. The cats screamed in pain and he ran into the flames. Using their cries as a guide in the smoke filled area, he struck at ever panther he came across. The panthers were too terrified by the fire to even realize they had an enemy among them. Then the air grew cold and the flames vanished, devoured by the appearance of ice. Ice spears flew through the air and Inuyasha dived to the side to avoid being struck.

With the fire out the panthers quickly reorganized and Inuyasha was right in their midst. The cats growled then attacked, using ninja-like tactics and their claws. Without a weapon beyond his fire and claws he was sore pressed to keep up. This was the first time he regretted not keeping Tetsusaiga with him. It could have handled these demons easily. There was little he could do beyond the firestorm jutsu without having to motion with hands and they were busy slapping down all the felines flying at him.

He leapt clear of four cats but the realized he had made a critical error. He landed right in front of a huge cat that was almost as wide as he was tall. Inuyasha moved to leap away but was struck by the panther's lightning attack. The hanyou went flying through the trees. He smashed through two trunks before stopping with the third collision. Ice spears filled his vision and several plunged into his torso.

For a moment darkness swamped him then his whole body began to burn. The fire started in his heart and licked outward filling him with an overwhelming will to live. Some part of his awareness realized he was crossing a line he shouldn't cross and fought to put out the flames. His heart thumped loudly in his ears and a new warmth, starting at his throat, spread throughout him. It was gentle and softened the burn of the original fire at the same time it seemed to make it stronger.

He opened his eyes, several cats appeared before him ready to attack, however they backed away when he looked at them. Orange flames ignited on the ground around him and began circling, spinning until he stood within a cyclone of fire. His body seemed to melt and the ground was suddenly far away beneath him. He wasn't even aware of the change.

He was now a huge white dog, towering high above the forest and his body was wreathed in flames. The fire that clung to his paws reached out to the forest surrounding him and the trees grew new buds. The panthers that had been charging him all fled, unable to deal with his knew form.

"Inu no Taisho, so you do still breathe," said a voice that seemed to be perpetually growling. Inuyasha looked toward the voice. The panther daiyokai stood before him, he stood on his hind legs and raised his front paws up. "I will kill you where you stand, Inu no Taisho, and claim your land for my own."

Inuyasha growled and opened his mouth on instinct. Energy built up between his fangs then shot toward the panther daiyokai. The great panther countered with lightning shot from his claws but could only partially block it. He tumbled backwards and Inuyasha charged. The panther slashed at his face and the dog ducked underneath it then caught the wrist with his fangs and bit down. The panther yowled and tore into Inuyasha's right shoulder. Inuyasha released his hold on the panther and howled. The two then separated and began circling. Inuyasha kept his bad side out and away from the panther and the panther did the same with his injured limb. They remained that way for several minutes.

The panther daiyokai suddenly lunged toward Inuyasha's flank. The dog demon turned to meet and the panther reversed direction just long enough to weave around Inuyasha's head and lunged for the dog's shoulder. A perfect attack except Inuyasha had foreseen it and been waiting for it. The panther daiyokai instead drove himself onto the end of Inuyasha's extended paw. Inuyasha's paw plunged into the panther's heart and punched through his spine.

"Curse you, Inu no Taisho," he said with a final gasp then went limp. With a growl of pain, Inuyasha yanked his paw out of the giant corpse then turned to see what the other panthers were doing. The sight of their leader falling to the dog demon had taken the fight out of them. They were retreating to the south. Inuyasha raised his head and howled his victory to the heavens.

****

General Raiken and everyone else stared in disbelief at what they saw. "It can't be," he muttered. The great dog demon appeared very much like their late lord save for the flames surrounding him. The dog finished howling then turned toward them. Within two steps the dog crumpled and shrank. General Raiken ran down toward where he believed the dog demon to be while shouting over his shoulder for everyone else to remain with Lord Sesshomaru, whom upon seeing the threat nullified had given into his weakness and collapsed.

General Raiken followed his nose to the source of dog blood and came across a man leaning against a tree. He stopped, surprised. It was a human man with long black hair and dressed like a priest. He was holding his right shoulder, the fabric stained red with blood.

The man glanced over at the general and, in a strained voice, said, "If you're looking for that dog I really am him. I just seemed to have exhausted my youki when I transformed, which was the weirdest thing I have ever had happen to me."

"That was you?" asked the general, mentally chastising himself for believing it might have been Lord Kenhoshi.

"Sorry to disappoint you. Now are you going to help me or kill me?" asked the man as he glared at the dog demon.

General Raiken sighed then stepped forward to help the exhausted man to his feet. "Who are you anyway? I don't believe we've met."

"It's Inuyasha," he replied, standing up then leaning on the general. A sheepish smile appeared on his face and he said, "That was so impulsive of me. I didn't think they would have anyone who could put out my fire. I really need to work on my strategies."

"No, you did nothing wrong. Your timing couldn't have been more perfect," said General Raiken. He carried Inuyasha back toward the group. The other demons were just as surprise as the general had been when the two came upon them.

"General Raiken, who is this?"

General Raiken settled Inuyasha onto the ground by the outcropping before answering. "He is the dog demon saw either." When he saw their stunned expressions he added, "There is no one else down there and he claims he's the one who did all that. Considering Lady Naomi's state I can't dismiss it."

Without warning, Inuyasha sat up then looked to his left. General Raiken noticed and glanced in the same direction. Sesshomaru leaned against the same outcropping, gasping and sweating, no longer aware of what was going on around him. Himawari knelt beside him weeping softly. He gritted his teeth and bowed his head; the panthers were gone but Sesshomaru was still lost. He looked up when he heard shuffling. Inuyasha was crawling over to the demon lord.

_What's he doing?_ wondered General Raiken with a touch of trepidation.

Inuyasha looked Sesshomaru up and down. "I have never seen shouki as concentrated as this before. What was he doing, fighting spiders?" he muttered. Inuyasha sat down and slapped his knee with his good hand. "Feh! And here I was hoping to conserve what was left of my power. Guess there's no helping it."

General Raiken blinked and everyone fell silent as they stared at the human. Inuyasha glanced at Himawari and said, "I'd step back if I were you." The girl looked at him, confused. "Aniue is tsukiinu so this won't hurt him that much. You, however, are another story." He raised his hands and a pink orb appeared above his open palms. Himawari backed up a step too confused to do anything but obey.

_Aniue?_ thought General Raiken then the image of the orb penetrated his mind. _Senki?_ "Wait!" he shouted but it was too late. Inuyasha slammed the orb into Sesshomaru wound. The dog demon's eyes open wide and he screamed. General Raiken leapt forward, grabbed Inuyasha's horsetail and pulled him away. Inuyasha fell sprawling on his back.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" cried Himawari. Sesshomaru gasped but, to the general's eyes, but his breathing didn't seem as strained as it was a moment ago.

"What is wrong with you people?" whined Inuyasha, glaring up at General Raiken from the ground. "Did you want Aniue to die?" Before the general could respond Inuyasha blinked several times then his eyes closed and he was fast asleep.

"Unexpected," said Xeno, startling General Raiken. "I believe the worst has been avoided. I suggest we move to a more sheltered location until the situation is fully understood." General Raiken glanced at the fire demon then down at Inuyasha and finally back at Sesshomaru. He nodded his ascent. Until everyone had recovered they wouldn't understand anything at all.

* * *

Sorry for the long and very boring beginning with Inuyasha and Totosai discussing details. It just didn't make sense to me to have Totosai just decide to make the weapon for no reason. He always struck me as the kind of guy you had to talk into to doing stuff or having to be interested in the request.

I hope I got my terminology correct I'm doing this from memory.

Jaki is the evil aura while youki is the actual power, right?

Next chapter Inuyasha receives his weapon the Rokukafuga and he changes his name to Kakiboufuu. So from next chapter onward, save the intros, Inuyasha will be known as Kakiboufuu. I place reminders in the following chapters.

Also we will be having mega smack-down between the brothers next chapter. Poor Sesshomaru. All you Sesshomaru lovers are going to hate me after this.

**Chapter 28: The Ascension Ceremony**

Inuyasha's appearance may have saved the clan but Sesshomaru's position as the new Inu no Taisho is now in question. Will Inuyasha steal his brother's title or can Sesshomaru retain the lordship he has shed so much blood for?


	39. The Ascension Ceremony

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Chapter 28: The Ascension Ceremony

_149 years before the search for the jewel shards._

_I have stepped into a waking nightmare from which there is no deliverance. My destiny is cursed. The more I walk this path the more people are hurt simple because they were standing in my way, whether they meant to or not. There is nothing that can compare to the horror of having all your greatest fears confirmed. Why was I born a child of fate?_

-Inuyasha

"Oh wonderful. Are these permanent now? My life just keeps getting better and better."

Sesshomaru blinked wondering who was complaining. He didn't recognize the voice. Whoever it was, he was clearly disgusted with whatever was occupying his attention. The demon lord sat up, rubbed his eyes then glanced in the direction of the speaker. Someone was hunched over a pool of water. Sesshomaru blinked again, the person was wearing a white kimono and blue hakama, the uniform of a priest. There wasn't one person who dressed like that among his people.

He looked around and found everyone curled or lying around the cave they were in, sleeping. Weak sunlight peeked around the edges of a boulder that covered the cave's entrance. Even for his demon eyes the cavern was better lit than it ought to be with so little light getting in. He glanced back at the stranger and grunted, startled. The light in the cavern was coming from in front of the stranger.

The stranger's shoulders twitched and he turned around to look. Sesshomaru's eyes widened, the light was from a white flame that danced above the stranger's open palm. Then he took in the stranger's appearance. White dog ears perched atop his head. Long silver-white hair was pulled back in a horsetail. Fat, jagged, purple stripes split each cheek. Hazel-gold eyes peered at the demon lord.

"You're awake, Aniue?" said the stranger who wasn't really a stranger. Sesshomaru stared unable to speak. "Are you all right? You were hurt pretty badly yesterday and then I gave you that nasty jolt."

"What are you doing here?" Sesshomaru finally managed to spit out as his gaze remained locked with his little brother's.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and replied, "Looking for you. You do realize there are rumors stating you, and your entire clan, are dead?"

Sesshomaru blinked then a growl rose from within him in bitterness and said, "Well that explains why we seem to have been forsaken. I thought with all the fuss someone would have come sooner."

Inuyasha gazed at his brother then rose to his feet and walked over to him. "There was too much fuss for us to notice," Inuyasha said in a tired voice. "Tenji has been split in two, Aniue." He settled next to Sesshomaru and extinguished his light. "Truth is, you're on the wrong side to be receiving any aid. Kuromakaze's attack pushed everyone north and east. His territory is between you and those who would aid you."

Sesshomaru stared at his brother in disbelief. "When did this happen?"

"I'd say the same day you and your clan were driven south," replied Inuyasha in a light and even voice, meeting his gaze unflinching. "Everyone remembers a bright light coming from the direction of your castle on the same day Tenji came under attack. I don't think it was coincidental."

"Who is this Kuromakaze?" asked Sesshomaru and anger rising within him. If this was true then it didn't seem coincidental to him either.

Inuyasha held up his right hand and unwrapped the bandages, revealing the hideous scar beneath them. "You've met him before, remember?" he said holding the crippled hand before Sesshomaru's gaze while his own expression remained impassive. "He made a comment about your family devotion."

Sesshomaru hissed and then growled as he remembered the hanyou he had fought, and nearly been killed by, back then. "I killed him!" he insisted.

"As everyone believed," said Inuyasha, "but the reality is what it is. He survived and took advantage of everyone's assumptions to take him time and gather his army. He completely blindsided us." The hanyou rose and took a step toward the entrance.

"You're certain it's the same person. Couldn't the reports have been wrong?" asked Sesshomaru, not wanting to believe he had failed again.

Inuyasha paused and looked back. "Since I'm the one who did the reporting; yes I'm certain and no, they couldn't have been. You might say that is the reason why I'm out here instead of with my comrades." The last words were spoken with a touch of bitterness and the hanyou's expression hardened. Sesshomaru wondered what had happened but decided to press later.

The occupants of the cave were beginning to stir. Sesshomaru slowly stood up, flinching as his abdomen flared briefly in pain. He had just gained his feet when he bowled over by an overenthusiastic Naomi. Sesshomaru yelled as he slammed into the ground with all the grace of albatross.

"Chichiue, you're alright! I'm so happy. I was so afraid," cried the young woman and sobbed her relief into his chest. Inuyasha had managed to sidestep the tackle and avoided getting tangled in the touching father-daughter moment. Sesshomaru let loose a world weary sigh and patted his daughter's head; how could he be angry with her when she was this upset? Though he wished she would stop jumping him like this. He remained standing only half the times she jumped him.

"I think I'll be going now," said Inuyasha as he turned to head toward the blocked entrance. Naomi moved allowing her father to sit up.

"Going?" echoed Sesshomaru, staring at his brother, incredulous. "Go where?"

"I need to pick up something," said Inuyasha, he waved his hand at his brother. "Don't worry; I'll be back in a few days. It's not like I have anywhere else to go." The hanyou walked up to the covered entrance then pushed the boulder until it moved enough to allow him through then he was gone.

Sesshomaru looked around and flinched. Everyone was fixing him with questioning stares including Naomi, who now sat politely next to him. The demon lord sighed again; it was going to be a long few days.

****

Totosai was asleep at his forge when Inuyasha flew in, but he woke when the hanyou flared his wings to land. The old smith rubbed his eyes as he said, "Inuyasha, good to see you. You have excellent timing, I just finished –AH!"

Inuyasha spun around thinking Totosai had just spotted an attacking enemy but no one was around. The hanyou growled and said, "Don't yell like that, you nearly gave me a heart-attack."

"Give you a heart-attack? I thought the dead had risen from his grave!" snapped Totosai, pointing an accusing finger at Inuyasha. Inuyasha's eyebrows twitched as he glared at the old sword smith.

Myoga bounced over and announced in a cheerful voice, "Inuyasha-sama, you look more like your father every day."

"Oh?" Inuyasha was not impressed. His feelings remains confused on the matter of his parents, though he had forgiven his mother, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be compared to his father in any way.

Sensing a need for a change in subject, Totosai climbed to his feet and walked over toward his collection of swords. He reached down and picked up a pair of gloves with three knobs above the knuckles. He tossed them over to Inuyasha whose expression had softened to mildly curious. The hanyou caught them and looked them over; save for the missing blades it was exactly as he and Totosai had worked out.

"Well, put them on and see how they fit," said Totosai as he walked back over to him. Inuyasha pulled the gloves on, having a bit of trouble with the placing of his left glove and resorting to using his teeth to adjust it. A metal bar ran along the fingers' base giving him something to grip when he wore them. He looked again at the knobs and noticed they looked like short rusted blades only an inch long. Remembering the Tetsusaiga, he concentrated on the knobs, focusing his power into them. The rusted blades glowed and extended by a whole foot. When the glow faded three narrow but sharp blades reached out from his fists.

"Well?" inquired Totosai.

"Do you know a place where we can safely try these out? I don't wish to make a mess of your home, Totosai-jiisan," asked Inuyasha. Totosai nodded.

****

"I can't believe you kept this a secret!" said Naomi, hands on hips, shoulder thrown back, violet eyes snapping. Sesshomaru was sitting with his back against the cave wall, Himawari gently pressing a cold, wet cloth against his bruised and bloody face. He met his daughter's gaze as best he could with one eye swelled shut and his vision spinning. Naomi hadn't been fast enough to stop her mother from laying him flat with a spectacular sidekick after he had told his followers about his little brother, Inuyasha. Soranoko, Xeno, Yukihana as well as Naomi had wrestled the irate dragoness out of the cave while his betrothed had rushed forward to treat the prone demon lord.

Kaiyoshinju was the only one where Sesshomaru would literally just lie there and take it. Fighting back only prolonged his misery. Still it had been several minutes before he regained his senses enough to speak. By then Naomi had returned and handed her father the ultimate humiliation; she scolded him like a bad child. Everyone else just stood back and let her speak for them all. The proud dog demon would have taken a beating from Kaiyoshinju over Naomi's lecture any day.

"First, Ojii-sama doesn't bother telling anyone his lover is pregnant then you, Chichiue, who apparently knew about this, say nothing to anyone about the child. Why exactly did you keep this a secret?" demanded Naomi leaning in closer.

"And what exactly would everyone have done if I had told them?" countered Sesshomaru. "Chichiue didn't say anything to anyone; shouldn't that have said something of its self? Besides, he's a tenko. It's not like he wasn't cared for properly by his mother's people." Silence followed. No one had an answer. They all knew the court had been unstable in the Inu no Taisho's final years. His refusal to speak of the matter had undoubtedly been to protect the mother and child.

Naomi sighed and muttered, "That still isn't something you should be keeping to yourself."

"I wasn't sure when to bring it up," said Sesshomaru. "The last time I saw him, he was a small child. Then all this occurred. When, do you believe, in all this was the appropriate time to mention I had a younger half brother?"

Naomi growled in frustration then sat down next to him. He had won his argument. The other dog demons dispersed to various tasks and soon it was just the three of them. "Are you afraid, Chichiue?" she asked suddenly.

"Afraid?"

"Now that you do have a sibling, they're going to demand it, the ascension ceremony," she replied. Naomi turned violet eyes toward her father. "Are you afraid of fighting your brother?"

Sesshomaru remained quiet. Himawari bit her lip and paused in her care but the demon lord didn't answer. He had never considered the possibility that he might be usurped. He had wondered why his father had had another child, though, it had been speculation about why he had chosen to lie with a human woman or, more accurately, a tenko woman. Now he wondered about his father's reasoning once again from entirely new angle. Had the Inu no Taisho been trying to create a superior heir to replace the notoriously unsuitable Sesshomaru? His blood turned to ice at the thought.

****

Inuyasha flew back toward his brother's clan, skirting the southern border of Kuromakaze's territory. He didn't want to drag the wearied group into his personal battle. _If the ones fighting with Sesshomaru really are employed by Kuromakaze then it's best to remove them as a factor prior to any engagements with the main force. I don't want to be caught in a pincer move especially since we're the ones without fortress or supplies. I'm amazed they lasted this long._

His test of his new weapons had gone without disappointment. Totosai had even included Tetsusaiga's main attacks in the design; a detail that had given the hanyou immense pleasure.

"_Well, that's that," said Totosai after Inuyasha and obliterated the demons foolish enough to approach the hanyou in challenge. "I'm amazed that you mastered it so quickly."_

"_I can use its power but that doesn't mean I've mastered it. I'm certain I can take these even further than what they did today," said Inuyasha with a shake of his head as he held up the gloves. The blades gleamed in the light. "Thank you, for these. It's a pity really."_

"_What is?" asked Totosai as he hopped atop Momo, his three-eyed bull._

_Inuyasha glanced at him and said with a straight face, "If it weren't for your persnickety attitude, you'd be a famous sword smith by now."_

"_You impertinent whelp!" shouted Totosai. Inuyasha coughed into his hand._

"_Anyway, what did you do with the other fang?" asked Inuyasha once his amusement had been reigned in. Totosai blinked in confusion. "Don't give me that, I know you have the other one somewhere in that cave of yours."_

"_It's just sitting there now. I wasn't even halfway through before I realized it wasn't going to do what I needed it to do to make your weapons," said Totosai. "It doesn't resemble anything at this point."_

_Inuyasha didn't know why he inquired about it. He didn't know what to do with an unfinished blade but something nagged him about it. "Just hang on to it for the time being," he said rubbing his forehead._

"_Whatever for?" asked Totosai._

"_I don't know but something tells me that answer will become clearer at some point in the future," replied Inuyasha. Totosai nodded like he understood then rode away._

Inuyasha's thoughts were snapped back into the present when he found himself dodging a lightning bolt. He turned to face the attacker and saw a woman dressed in red and gold, with long black hair, red eyes and a brilliant set of white wings. The scent was familiar, though, he couldn't place it at the moment. However, he could fathom a guess as to who the lady hanyou was.

"Kurohane, if I'm not mistaken," said Inuyasha as he hovered by the grace of his kaze jutsu. The female hanyou had to beat her wings to maintain her place and even then she was drifting.

She was taken aback by his recognition then said, "I didn't think anyone knew that name in this day and age."

"There are a lot of things people don't know that I do," said Inuyasha. "Like the fact that you have a grudge against my father for ordering the execution of your entire clan, for instance."

"He was afraid we would grow more powerful than him and overthrow him," snarled the woman, raising her hand as celestial power gathered around it.

"Well, weren't you?" he asked, throwing her again. "Don't get so self-righteous. You had your vision and he had his. This is the result when dreams clash." She growled but he continued, "Instead of being overjoyed that you had survived that event or even going to the authorities with your sad tale, you instead chose to sacrifice your kin to try to and obtain the power needed to destroy him."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded but her tone implied she did understand. She just didn't want to believe he knew.

Inuyasha smiled and said, "I know about your failed attempt to take the Jewel of the Heavens nearly one hundred years ago."

"You actually think there was any other way? I know your clan is in alliance with him directly. As if your clan would have done anything about my clan's demise," she shouted.

"Truth is, he admitted to be afraid of how Tenji would react to his decision. That's why no one in Tenji knows about it. He suppressed all word of it to make certain he wouldn't have to face those consequences," replied Inuyasha. He had completely rattled her and caused her to forget she was supposed to be fighting him.

"You lie!"

"And you think Kuromakaze will support your vengeance, Kurohane?" asked Inuyasha. _Let's cause him some trouble from the inside._ The dark hanyou stared at him with hate but didn't say a word. "He's not like that. He'll do what he wants and use you and your powers as he sees fit. That's why he's been ignoring the Inuyokai clan and leaving it to the incompetent to handle. If he had given them his full attention from the start… they'd be dead by now."

He could see he had struck a nerve. He had spoken her doubts aloud and now she couldn't ignore them. With a yell she hurled her celestial spell at him. He launched his counter. While they had been trading words he had been etching the complicated series of spells onto his right palm. Not only was her spell defeated, she was blown away by the immediate follow up. He didn't believe he had killed her but she was definitely down. When the air cleared he couldn't see where she had landed.

_Tsk! I don't have time to worry about it,_ he thought as he resumed flying to the southwest._ This area will soon have enemy warriors swarming all over it because of that spell. I have to leave before I'm entangled in another battle. At least, this will distract Kuromakaze. Every little bit helps._

****

"Must you insist on this?" Sesshomaru asked the Kou elders, glaring. Naomi had been right in her prediction and the demon lord was now filled with dread.

The lady elder of Kou looked at him and replied, "We're afraid so. We don't regret how things have been. This boy, Inuyasha, was obviously too young before when the transition occurred. Then there is the fact that if he had been with the clan at the time of Noriko's insurrection he might have died. So We're not going to ridicule anything that came before."

"He's still a child, not yet of age to even be thinking about this," argued Sesshomaru, a weak argument even to his ears. Children came of age at eighty; Inuyasha was only fifty-one. However…

The lady elder raised an eyebrow. "A child? It was a child that single-handedly killed the panther demon lord and drove away his tribe. Also there is the fact that the tenko typically acknowledge their young as adults when they master their abilities. Whether we agree or not that their way is correct one part of his heritage accepts him as an adult. Are we to begin treating him as a child when for decades he was held to the responsibilities of an adult? We do not think so."

They had a point and Sesshomaru knew it. If they were going to treat him like a child, then he should never have been allowed to leave by himself on an errand. Still he wasn't happy. He didn't want to face his brother in combat. Inuyasha had been raised by the tenko who had a very different view on power transfers. He might not take to their traditions well.

The argument ended when Inuyasha walked into the cave. He stopped when he noticed everyone was staring at him. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"You have perfect timing, young one," said the lady elder, turning to face him.

Inuyasha eyed the aging female demon with suspicion. Little good followed such an announcement and the tension in the cave could have been cut with a knife. "How so, Lady Elder?"

"Due to your father's untimely demise when you were still very young, your elder brother has assumed the role as lord unquestioned," said the lady elder. Inuyasha continued to regard her, wondering what this was all about. He had no understanding of demon clan politics. "However, your appearance a few days ago and near miraculous victory over the panthers has shown that you have matured enough for us to hold an ascension ceremony."

Inuyasha blinked in confusion, one ear perked the other lying flat. "Ascension ceremony?"

"These are ceremonies that occur when the head of a family retires or dies," explained the lady elder. She didn't blame him for not understanding, he had been raised by tenko. "They usually consist of the heir being acknowledged by the clan as the new head. However, there is a part in the ceremony where other family members can challenge the heir for leadership using one of three categories: combat, academics, and sorcery. The challenge can only be turned down if the challenger is illegitimate otherwise it must be answered. If the heir is victorious then that particular challenger cannot challenge again. If the challenger is victorious then he becomes the heir and may in turn be challenged. The defeated heir may then challenge again but not under the category he has lost at. If the original heir is victorious then he regains the position and the one that lost cannot challenge again. When all challenges are met the heir is then named the new head of the family until he retires or dies."

"I have no desire to challenge Aniue," said Inuyasha, his expression cold. He knew that wasn't the end of it and the lady elder of Kou didn't disappoint.

"Your father left no indication to anyone if Sesshomaru was to follow him or not," she said. Sesshomaru turned away but his fists were shaking. Inuyasha broke out into a cold sweat.

_He never believed Sesshomaru could follow him. It may not have been said in Hahaue's letter but it was clear nonetheless! Damn that bastard! He knew he was dying, why couldn't he have arranged things better?_ Inuyasha growled.

Crushing his frustration, he said in a voice filled with ice, "Is that so? Seems Oyaji neglected to do a great number of things before the end."

The lady elder blinked and eyed the hanyou. "Your father is a great man yet you seem strangely bitter toward him. I highly doubt he planned on dying saving you and your mother," she said. She hadn't wanted to say anything about the Inu no Taisho's death but the boy's words infuriated her. His disrespect for a parent who had sacrificed his life for his was inappropriate at best. What he said next shocked the entire assembly and caused Sesshomaru to turn around to face him.

"Yes, he did."

Sesshomaru growled and was suddenly in his brother's face. "What do you mean by that?"

Inuyasha met his gaze without flinching; they were standing eye-to-eye. "It's the whole reason why I exist," he said in a voice devoid of emotion. "Oyaji wasn't going to survive the winter. Hahaue told him so."

"Was your mother some kind of prophetess?" demanded Sesshomaru not budging and ignoring the gasps coming from the gathering behind them.

"No… She was a healer," Inuyasha replied, looking away.

"Why does that-?" Sesshomaru stopped and gasped as a thought flickered through his mind.

The hanyou's laugh was bitter. "And suddenly everything just falls into place," he said.

Silence reigned for a moment then the lady elder bowed her aged head as she too came to the same conclusion as Sesshomaru. "I see. You were born to fill a role not the unfortunate child of an abandoned lover. That doesn't explain your bitterness, though."

Inuyasha glared at the aging demon, hints of red showing in his eyes, and said in a low tone, "If you can't understand it then its best it remains unsaid." He whirled and stormed out of the cave without a backward glance.

****

The next morning storm clouds gathered overhead turning day into twilight. Thunder rolled across the fields and the wind gusted with the heavy scent of rain. It hadn't started yet but it was going to, soon. Inuyasha had returned in the wee hours of the morning but was still in a foul mood. Many wondered if the poor turn in the weather wasn't a side-effect of his power.

The lady elder of Kou was adamant. "Regardless of what you two believe, when an heir is not specified, one must win in two competitions with all eligible members. We cannot let this continue any longer."

Sesshomaru refused to look at the elder while Inuyasha stared at her with open hostility. They both knew the sooner this was done the sooner they could put it behind them, but both also dreaded it. Sesshomaru didn't want to experience the humiliation of losing his title. Inuyasha had neither wanted nor coveted any place of leadership. He understood the responsibilities and had seen what occurred when someone failed them. He would support a leader to prevent such failures but he was afraid what power might do to him if he were placed in such a position. He might just become his uncle. He shuddered at the thought.

Inuyasha sighed as the lady elder continued to nag and the rest of the clan looked on expectantly. They were waiting and Inuyasha knew it couldn't be forever for the enemy wouldn't. With the proper leader suddenly uncertain, they would be easy pickings for the rebelling clan members. "Then pick the damn competitions and explain the rules. For the record, I was content being a mere support beam," said the hanyou, rising to his feet. Sesshomaru turned to regard his younger brother but didn't say anything. There wasn't anything to say.

"You are supposed to agree upon the challenges," said the lady elder.

"I – don't – care. Aniue can choose," said Inuyasha crossing his arms, uncompromising.

Sesshomaru grimaced. Ordinarily this would be a good thing; he could choose which ever he was best at. However, Sesshomaru understood this was a best two-of-three match. _My martial skills are better than they were but I'm not a master. I never bothered to push my sorcery use because celestial power is superior to everything but another celestial. My academic knowledge…_ Sesshomaru flinched. He hadn't studied or read anything since his mother was still alive. The demon lord stared hard at his brother, trying to assess where his weaknesses were.

_Tenko emphasize discipline above all things. Even if he hadn't studied anything since his was young it's only been a few decades while it's been centuries for me. He has a better chance of remembering. All tenko study the martial arts and jutsu relating to their power. He's not wearing his clan colorings but, if the other day was any indication, fire is his power. Priest robes, huh? He must be a shaman tenko. I'm certain now; in a battle of sorcery I won't stand a chance. He's not wearing any weapons; just those strange gauntlets. He must me the close combat type. Maybe…_

Sesshomaru closed his eyes then opened them and said, "I don't think two competitions will be necessary. Despite the lack of formality, I have been holding the rank of demon lord this whole time."

"Sesshomaru-sama!" started the lady elder in a scolding tone but Sesshomaru pressed on.

"Then again there is the fact that father seems to have sired a child, as you say Lady Elder of Kou, to fill a role." The lady elder closed her mouth, her hackles lowering. "If Inuyasha was born to fill a role then it was to fill the role that I am holding, making him the heir. In such a situation I must stand down for the heir that has finally grown and arrived. However, I do not wish to stand down, so I will challenge to maintain my place. This means only one competition is required."

"Chichiue!" cried Naomi and many gasped in alarm.

The lady elder regarded the demon lord and said, "You gamble much, Sesshomaru-sama. Are you certain of this decision of yours?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he regarded his brother. He hadn't missed Sesshomaru searching gaze or the troubled looks he had given the hanyou.

Sesshomaru returned his brother's stare and felt chilled. Inuyasha seemed to be looking through him. "I am certain, Lady Elder," replied Sesshomaru. _I won't be able to stand the humiliation of losing twice._ "One competition, combat!"

The lady elder of Kou turned toward Inuyasha who nodded his consent. His gaze never left Sesshomaru's. "Then let us to step outside. This cave is no place for a duel." Inuyasha turned and walked out while lightning flashed and thunder cracked. Others moved to head out, to bear witness to the important event. Sesshomaru started for the cave entrance when a hand gripped his. He glanced back and saw Himawari; she looked on the verge of tears.

"Sesshomaru-sama…" she began then looked down. "Forgive me." He could understand her fear. She had never seen an ascension ceremony before but she had undoubtedly heard stories. Ginhane had been the last ones to have a proper ascension ceremony where a challenge had been issued and the heir had been killed then. Not a prohibited outcome, just an undesired one. There wasn't anything he could say to her; these duels were intense, the outcome never certain. He pulled his hand from hers and walked outside.

Outside the cave the clouds stubbornly withheld their bounty of water but rumbled with suppressed rage. Inuyasha was limbering up, going through various forms and stretches. He had removed his kimono and sandals and wore only his blue hakama. The strange gauntlets had also been removed. Sesshomaru couldn't help but notice the scarred right hand as his brother moved, along with the rippling muscles of his back and chest.

Inuyasha stopped and straightened at the lady elder of Kou's cough. "I will explain the rules of this combat competition. First, this is a test of martial skill. There will be no magic of any king used during this fight. Second, you are allowed the use of any weapon you choose but if the weapon possesses magical techniques you must refrain from triggering them. Third, this duel doesn't end until the victor is clear, death is an option. Am I clear?"

Sesshomaru nodded as did Inuyasha. Then the hanyou turned to his brother and said, "Aniue, I'm not going to hold back. These people clearly will not be happy without an honest victory from you. If you desire victory, come at me as if you mean to kill me. I won't begrudge you if you succeed."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and said, "Nothing good will come from your death."

Inuyasha smiled and said, "Save those concern for yourself, Aniue. I already told you I wasn't going to hold back."

Sesshomaru searched his face but his brother showed no hint of deception. He meant every word. He pulled off his armor and stripped down his hakama as well. The wound along his stomach was mainly healed but a thick purple knot remained where Noriko's blade had stabbed him. Sesshomaru went through his warm up and Inuyasha resumed his. No one said a word.

When Sesshomaru felt he was ready he held out his hand and said, "I choose to wield the sword, Bakusaiga." The blade materialized in his hand and he turned it till is pointed to his brother.

Inuyasha bent over and picked up his gauntlets. He tied them to his hands then raised them so Sesshomaru could see the metallic backing on them, a shield to his sword. "My weapon is Rokukafuga," said Inuyasha.

"Ga – _fang_?" echoed Sesshomaru. Inuyasha turned until he was crouched in his fighting stance. The knobs at the end of his gauntlets glowed and extended until there were three – foot long blades on each glove.

There was no more time to ponder. Sesshomaru gripped his sword and lowered into his stance. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha held each other's gaze, waiting for some hidden signal. No one breathed.

Lightning flashed and struck a tree a short distance away. Both launched as one. Sesshomaru drove his sword under Inuyasha's left fist aiming for his heart. Inuyasha spun on the balls of his feet. The right guard of his gauntlet came up driving the deadly Bakusaiga above him as he went low in his spin. His left fist came around in the spin, slashing for Sesshomaru's vulnerable ribs. Sesshomaru flashed stepped to the side and the blades missed drawing blood by centimeters.

Sesshomaru tapped the ground and was at Inuyasha's back in an instant, his sword diving in for the kill. Inuyasha's heel collided with his brother's ribs and Sesshomaru was knocked back several feet. Inuyasha finished the spin and launched himself after the winded demon. Sesshomaru saw him and slashed Bakusaiga at the incoming Rokukafuga. He knocked the left blades inside Inuyasha's defenses.

The hanyou spun again with his right set coming around and his left following. Sesshomaru jabbed his hilt into the right guard, disrupting the spin then went for his brother's back with his bare claws. Inuyasha suddenly wasn't there. Sesshomaru immediately tumbled forward on instinct and felt something tangle and cut through strands of his long silver hair. He rolled to his feet and into his stance, his sword up and on guard. Inuyasha was charging again.

Sesshomaru slashed at Inuyasha again and his blade was met and stopped by the guard again. This time he was ready for his brother's spin. He turned the sword with the motion of the guard and knocked the incoming blades up. As Inuyasha continued the spin coming full circle to face his elder brother, Sesshomaru caught the hanyou's right wrist with his bare hand, stopping his attack while simultaneously restraining his movements. This time the Bakusaiga found flesh when stuck.

Inuyasha pulled with his right while simultaneously stepping forward using it as leverage making his strike faster and stronger. Sesshomaru couldn't dodge in time, he was barely aware of his brother's second attack, until the three blades of Rokukafuga plunged through his side. Sesshomaru released Inuyasha and flashed stepped away.

Both paused in their fight, assessing their wounds. Bakusaiga had not bitten as deeply into Inuyasha shoulder as Sesshomaru first thought. Inuyasha's lunge had dropped him below the cutting blade. It bled heavily but his arm was still functional. Sesshomaru hadn't been nearly as lucky. The Rokukafuga penetrated deep into his lower chest. Worse, when he jumped back, the blades had torn his side open. Ribs and organs peeked between the shredded flesh. A lung had collapsed and Sesshomaru gasped for air and in pain. For a human this would have been the end of them. For Sesshomaru "the end" had a completely different meaning.

He raised his sword, refusing to give in, and charged. Inuyasha stepped to the side and lunged, blades leading. He was aiming for Sesshomaru's wounded side, exactly what Sesshomaru expected. Sesshomaru flipped his sword so the blade ran parallel to his arm, in the same fashion Inuyasha's shield ran along his. Sesshomaru swung his arm forward but Inuyasha didn't guard, he struck. The three blades of his left hand bypassed the sword and plunged into Sesshomaru's arm. The edge struck the joint between the blades and their arms were momentarily locked.

Before the right set could strike, Sesshomaru caught the wrist yet again then whirled, lifting his younger brother into the air and slammed him into the ground. He jammed his heel into Inuyasha's wound with all his strength. Sesshomaru pulled his arm free of Rokukafuga then stabbed down with sword, ignoring the fountain of blood. The tip struck the right guard. Inuyasha kicked up, breaking Sesshomaru's nose and momentarily robbing his elder brother of his senses.

The hanyou rolled into a crouch and Sesshomaru felt a tingle of fear pass through him. Inuyasha's eyes glowed red and the irises had changed from gold to turquoise. With a feral growl, Inuyasha was on him. Sesshomaru stabbed forward and Inuyasha backhanded the blade, feinted to Sesshomaru's wounded right then dove at his left. His right blades came around and Sesshomaru smacked the arm away, receiving several cuts on his forearm. Inuyasha jabbed with his left at his brother's face and Sesshomaru ducked and dodged to the side, the tips of the blades scoring shallow scratches on his cheek. He scored his own by slashing at the hanyou's unprotected flank as he moved but the blade slid along ribs and didn't penetrate lungs.

Inuyasha continued his spin as Sesshomaru planted his feet, sword hilt held in both hands at his hips. The battle couldn't last much longer; Sesshomaru could feel his strength waning with every labored breath. Inuyasha came at him again and Sesshomaru's blood nearly froze. Inuyasha's feral eyes held not crazed battle lust but cold calculation. If he had been out-of-control Sesshomaru might have been able to salvage a victory, but he wasn't.

Inuyasha jabbed at his throat and Sesshomaru back stepped to avoid the fatal blow while at the same time he swung his sword backhanded in his left at Inuyasha's eyes. The hanyou balked and leapt back. When he touched down he reversed directions and flew at Sesshomaru, blades leading. Sesshomaru, on his heels, off balance, couldn't hope to dodge. He raised his blade and put the tip between him and Inuyasha as the hanyou came down on him. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked.

Then it began to rain.

* * *

Whee! I had to act out a few sections just to make sure I visualizing the moves right.

Anyway, I've begun using the Japanese honorifics. I may or may not go back and change the rest of the chapters. Probably not but the rest of this story will have them. If you see any places where I'm using them wrong please tell me and I'll correct them.

Rokukafuga means _six fire wind fang_. Sesshomaru's question of "Ga?" is because Inuyasha's weapons are shaped like claws but he's calling them fangs. Reason they are fangs is because they were made from Inuyasha's fang. The second fang, like a number of details being revealed, will have significance in the sequel rather than this main story. Yes, I have decided to write a sequel but that is a long way in the future.

Please tell me what you think of this chapter!

**Chapter 29: In the Rain**

Defeat is bitter. Everything that was thought certain now stands upon unstable ground. While Kakiboufuu moves to assert his control, Sesshomaru must come to terms with his new position in the clan. What more will the former demon lord lose in the wake of his brother's takeover?


	40. In the Rain

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Chapter 29: In the Rain

_149 years before the search for the jewel shards._

_At that moment, I hated him. I hated father. I hated everyone for putting in that position of humiliation and defeat. I now had to bow to someone who I still saw as a puppy. Worse, he was showing everyone that he was already superior to me as he took a stronger stance than I had ever conceived of taking. Did he have no doubts? Did he have no fear? How could I accept this as Chichiue's final will?_

-Sesshomaru

The rain came down and the thunder grew more distant. The entire assembly was frozen with horror. Bakusaiga held its position then fell from Sesshomaru's slack fingers. The dog demon collapsed against the ground. The sword had failed to strike its target; its blade sliding harmlessly off Inuyasha's right guard. The hanyou stared down into his brother's face; Sesshomaru's failing sight held his gaze a moment. Then he coughed and closed his eyes. Inuyasha's expression remained impassive as he watched his brother lose consciousness. Then he straightened, pulling his left blades from Sesshomaru's chest.

"I told you to worry only about yourself and to come at me like you meant to kill me, Aniue," said Inuyasha in an empty voice. His eyes were once again their normal white with golden irises. "Yet your sword held not the slightest trace of murderous intent – baka!" He turned and began to walk away.

"Chichiue!" Naomi cried as she broke free of her shock and ran toward her father. She placed her hand on the final wound. "Chichiue, answer me please!" No response. "Chichiue, don't leave me!"

"Enough, Naomi-san." Naomi whipped around to glare at the lady elder of Kou. Most people would have taken at least one step back if not more at being fixed with a gaze as hate-filled as hers, but not the lady elder. She returned the enraged gaze with a cold one of her own. "There is nothing to be done about it," the lady elder said.

"You're the one that insisted on the fight!" snapped Naomi. The elder made no response only continued staring at her.

Himawari walked on silent feet as she approached her fallen betrothed. She knelt at his head and whispered, more to herself than anyone else, "We must attend to Sesshomaru-sama's wounds. We must take him inside where he can dry off and get warm. We must get him some good food so he can recover his strength."

"Himawari-sama…" inquired Naomi, turning toward the young woman. She froze at the sight. Himawari's golden eyes were wide with a look of madness clouding them. "Himawari-sama," she said again then nodded and smiled. "You're right, we need to take Chichiue inside the cave and provide for him." She flexed her youki in warning, she didn't believe Himawari was stable enough in mind to accept their arguments and Naomi didn't want to hear it either. Even the lady elder remained silent. To her surprise, Raiken came over and helped carry the fallen lord inside the cave.

****

Inuyasha stared up into the clouds. _I really shouldn't be surprised by the rain. Rising heat does create clouds and storms._ The lightning flashed in the distance as the rain continued to pour over the hanyou. _Sesshomaru's aura was filled with malice. I thought he had taken me seriously. Yet his sword…_

Inuyasha thought back to the moment when Bakusaiga had bitten into his shoulder. _His expression, his eyes, were focused with a killer's glint, however…_ _The sword, the moment it penetrated flesh, had slid up instead of forward. And again when he slashed my side… That blade should have had no problem in cutting bone yet it failed. _He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath then exhaled and opened his eyes. _They say in kendo that a sword is a reflection of the wielder's heart. Masters of the sword can read a person just by crossing blades. If that is true then Aniue's heart and mind are facing in opposite directions. _

"Baka ga!" said Inuyasha with a growl. His fists clenched in suppressed rage. "You can't win anything if your heart and mind are not one." He slashed with his right fist and the wind scar flew from the tips slicing through the trees. "Did he half-ass his way through this entire battle with those fool rebels?" He slashed with his left and tore up more forest. Pain shot from his shoulder and side sobering him.

He stood there for a moment waiting for the burning agony to fade. _That wasn't very nice of me. He probably was fighting his hardest the whole time. He may not even be aware of his unconscious pacifism._ He suddenly began laughing at the idea. "A passive Sesshomaru! Who knew there was a Buddha hiding within such a fellow!" he said while still laughing, ignoring the pain rolling from his side.

Once he got his dark hilarity under control, he looked around for a place to sit. The hanyou found a boulder and settled on it. He settled into a meditative seat then closed his eyes and began to calm his mind. He needed to be settle his troubled feelings if he were to determine the next step.

****

Himawari washed Sesshomaru's wounds and dressed them. Despite the obvious opinion of the others she was convinced he wasn't dead. He couldn't be! She knew many had envied her position as Sesshomaru's fiancée and had been scorned by the jealous. At first she had been horrified by the thought of being his wife. The demon lord was always so aloof and cold when addressing anyone. She, like so many others, had seen Naomi's quirky comments and fearless behavior around him but had dismissed it. She had the notorious Kaiyoshinju as her mother and was a powerful dragon herself, plenty of reason for Sesshomaru to turn the other cheek.

However, after Naomi had bullied her father into accepting her, Himawari had found Sesshomaru was very different from her expectations. Once she had acclimated to his chill, Naomi had gotten that part correct in her plan, she began to see the subtle differences. Signs of uncertainty and fear buried beneath the façade of strength and indifference and she found herself desire nothing more than to be his support and assurance. It wasn't until he nearly died protecting her from Noriko's rage that she realized she had grown to love him. Now that was all threatened.

The lady elder of Kou approached her as she packed the last wound. She wished Naomi were with her. The dragoness would have been welcomed support when dealing with the lady elder. However, Naomi was out looking for Inuyasha. He hadn't returned since defeating Sesshomaru and he had his own injuries that needed to be treated.

"You do understand this changes everything, Himawari-san," said the lady elder.

Himawari turned to address the elder more properly. "With all due respect, Lady Elder," she said in a quiet voice, her bottom lip trembling. "I don't believe it does."

"Sesshomaru-sama is no longer the lord of this clan," said the lady elder.

Himawari shivered. "I believe I was promised to Sesshomaru-sama not the clan lord," she said.

The lady elder narrowed her eyes at her ward and said, "That will be for the new lord to decide." The lady elder turned and walked away. Himawari shuddered.

****

For Sesshomaru, the journey back to consciousness was riddled with pain. His entire body burned and every breath stabbed him with fresh agony. He tried to breathe as little as possible to reduce his suffering. The dark void of unconsciousness was a more tempting place than the waking world. He might have stayed there if he hadn't heard a voice calling to him. There was level of desperation in the voice, though it was soft. Sesshomaru wanted to know who it was but that meant returning to consciousness and the pain to do that. He thought of ignoring it but it continued to speak and finally settled on awaking enough to tell them to be quiet. As he rode the waves of agony, he was finally able to understand the words. The voice was no longer speaking to him but to others. It sounded like an argument.

"You must let him go, Himawari-san," the dried voice sounded like the lady elder of Kou.

"No! My place is with Sesshomaru-sama. I need to stay here and care for him until he is well again!" It was the voice that had been calling; Himawari.

"It's been more than a full day. He isn't even breathing," said another of the elders. Sesshomaru wanted to huff in indignation but that would just have caused more pain. Of course, he was breathing! He felt like he was being jabbed with a hot poker every time he inhaled. Which was why he was trying hard not to inhale deeper than absolutely necessary.

Aggravated, Sesshomaru forced himself to take the final steps into awareness and opened his eyes. As soon as he did his lungs decided to expel all the blood that had been filling them. Instead of getting to tell the elder off he started coughing. Fire lanced through his torso with every painful hack. He rolled over, which brought another wave of torment, as he continued his coughing fit.

He felt himself plunging back into the void when a cool hand touched his back. The pain dropped into the bearable, keeping him conscious. His coughing persisted for several more minutes before stopping. His chest heaved, drawing in breath after painful breath. Exhausted, he lay on the floor helpless, wanting to be left alone. A pair of hands lifted his head and laid it on a warm, soft lap. With his nose broken, he didn't smell much at the moment, but he was certain it was Himawari. A cool, moist cloth was laid across his forehead and eyes.

Naomi let herself feel relief when she saw her father coughing then had used her power to ease his strain. Through her celestial magic she could feel the intensity of his agony. _Even after a full day, he's hardly recovered,_ she thought. She glanced up and glared at Inuyasha. He had returned only a few hours ago. It was still pouring rain outside and he was soaked through. The elders of Kou had stopped him after he entered and spoken with him in private. She didn't know what he had been discussing with them but after the parted he hadn't said anything more only watched Himawari tend to Sesshomaru; his face expressionless.

"It seems you didn't kill him as we thought you had, Inuyasha-sama," said the lady elder of Kou. It sounded almost as if she were ridiculing him. Naomi's lips pulled back as she fought a snarl. Sesshomaru wasn't nearly so restrained, though it sounded pathetic coming from him. He didn't have the strength of lung to force a more intimidating growl.

"Why would you have thought that?" said Inuyasha gazing coolly at the elder.

"Then you knew he wasn't dead?" asked the lady elder. Naomi shifted her gaze between the two.

"Your tone is bordering on insulting, Lady Elder," said Inuyasha, his gaze turning frigid. "Of course I knew he wasn't dead. I deliberately missed his heart in the final attack. If I had intended to kill him he would be dead."

"Your tone is insolent for addressing an elder, young one!" stated the lady elder.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and spoke with the voice of calm authority, "You now officially possess a new Inu no Taisho. By your rules, by your customs, I have been chosen to rule this clan. I may be younger than you, but you will now show me the same respect you held for the former Inu no Taisho. Anything less will be insulting." Everyone in the cave stared at him. Fire appeared on the floor around his feet and flowed up his legs to his torso. It wove and danced, entwining before and behind him. His wings spread and the fire began to fill the entire cavern, his eyes glittered in the dark.

"I will not be pushed around by any of you. You may advice me but at the end of the day I will be the one making the decisions," stated Inuyasha. "And when I'm done, Noriko and her traitor followers will either be begging for my mercy or left to feed the crows." The hanyou turned to regard his brother when he heard Sesshomaru's choked laughter.

Sesshomaru's laughter was filled with bitterness and half mad. He held his left hand to his face and hissed through gritted teeth, "You must think me a pathetic fool, a weakling, to say such. Why not just finish me off? What good am I to you, Inuyasha-_sama_?"

"Chichiue!" exclaimed Naomi. She heard the insulting tone woven into the honorific.

Inuyasha gazed at him for a moment, but no anger was evident in his eyes. Instead, sadness echoed from their depths. "Otoutou is just fine or Inuyasha. No. I abandon that name. I now realize that that man perished yesterday, a peaceful end to death that took far too long." The hanyou turned back to the clan and said, "I am now to be called Kakiboufuu. I will not accept you calling me Inuyasha from now on. Understand?" He turned back to his brother. "Aniue, you've done the best you could possibly do. I'll leave it to you to figure out the flaw that cost you your victory. The only thing I have to say on the matter is: Oyaji was an incompetent fool when it came to fatherhood."

Kakiboufuu began to walk away when Sesshomaru called to him. The hanyou turned around and raised a questioning eyebrow. Sesshomaru was sitting up despite the pain and protest of his daughter and betrothed. "You never answered why you spared me."

Kakiboufuu sighed and turned away but replied, "Why? Because I was conceived for no other purpose than to protect you. At first, I thought that meant supporting you, but after our fight yesterday, I realized the truth. The only way I can protect you is by taking away your title. However, that is the only thing I'm taking. Everything else is yours to keep." He threw a withering glance at the elders before continuing forward.

Sesshomaru stared at him as Naomi tried to puzzle out what her uncle meant. Then she caught Himawari in the corner of her eye with an expression of relief on her face and stifled a gasp. She glared at the lady elder who followed Kakiboufuu as he walked toward the generals. _She must have approached him about taking Himawari-sama as his wife. She was going to give the girl to him because she believed Chichiue was finished. Dead or alive he was no longer the lord._ Naomi suppressed her growl outrage.

Her uncle hadn't accepted. Naomi decided she could like her uncle. He had stolen her father's title but had spared his life. He was also not going to take away anything else from him nor humiliate him further. He wasn't intimidated by the elders as well. _Maybe everything will be alright._

"The first thing we need to do is find a more appropriate place to settle. If anyone has any ideas, I'm open to suggestions," said Kakiboufuu.

Sesshomaru glared at his brother as he smoothly began issuing commands after several ideas for a base were brought up. Kakiboufuu's words had floored him._ His purpose was to protect me? Ridiculous! If anyone is doing the protecting it's me!_ He stood up despite the agony in his chest and staggered to the cave entrance.

"Sesshomaru-sama, you mustn't move!" cried Himawari.

"I need air," he snapped more harshly than he intended.

"But it's raining," said Naomi, standing up. She reached toward her father but he pulled away from her grasp with a flinch.

"It's just water," he snarled and kept going. He caught his brother's gaze from the corner of his eye but the look was unreadable.

The rain was ice cold, biting him to the bone. Two steps outside the cave and he was soaked through. The only good thing about it was that the burning fire of pain dropped significantly. He continued walking in the gloom, he didn't know for how long, unable to see very far and not caring. The rain seemed strangely familiar but he couldn't place where he had been in such a rain before. After awhile he leaned up against a tree that appeared out of the gray, threw back his head and screamed. All his frustrations, all his despair poured out of him.

"WHY?" he shouted at the heavens, at his father's dead soul. "I've tried so hard to be the son you wanted! Why did you choose now of all times to have a child to replace me? When did you give up on me? Why did you allow for this humiliation? Did you even care about how I felt? WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME?" Sesshomaru collapsed to the ground and struck it again and again with his fist ignoring the lightning bolts of pain shooting up his arm. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I – Hate – You!"

"Sesshomaru," said a soft voice; a familiar voice that had once been a great comfort to him. He looked up and gasped. Standing before him, awash in an otherworldly light, stood Ginhana, his mother.

****

Back at the cave, Naomi and Himawari were pestering Kakiboufuu. After Sesshomaru had left he positioned himself by the entrance and spread a fiery wing across it, preventing anyone from leaving. Naomi and Himawari had wanted to go out and bring Sesshomaru back, but Kakiboufuu refused to let them. He wasn't even listening to them, having turned all his senses inward and channeling them into the gray world beyond.

"She's arrived," he muttered.

"Who's arrived?" demanded Naomi, fearing the worst.

"It's alright," he muttered barely aware of what he was saying or being asked. "She's the only one he'll listen to." The women looked at him in confusion but Kakiboufuu said no more.

****

Sesshomaru stared at her unmoving, his gaze unwavering, too shocked to even speak. Her long pure silver hair, one shade darker than his own, hung down her back and locks framed her delicate face. A purple crescent moon with a star in its center rested in the middle of her forehead. Two pink stripes graced each cheek. Eyes of a supernatural shade of green peered into his golden ones. Her kimonos were of shades of pale green with silver leaves patterned across it. The robe was sheer gossamer.

"Hahaue! Impossible!" he gasped, but it couldn't be a fake. The woman was unaffected by the rain that continued to fall around them. She stepped closer and leaned down to embrace him. Her rich scent of wildflowers and grass fields engulfed him and he felt centuries of barriers breaking apart. "Hahaue!"

He was achild again needing comfort and assurance after a terrible day. No matter how tough he acted back then some of things people said or did to him or around him had hurt him deep inside, seeding doubts and clouding his spirit with worry. His mother had always been able to sooth his aching heart and reassure him of his worth. The only one who understood his troubled heart. He leaned into her body drinking in everything of his beloved mother. Her arms were as warm as he remembered and the rain seemed to fade from awareness.

"Sesshomaru, my precious boy, you've had a hard time of it," she said while stroking his hair.

He buried his face into her kimono and shuddered. "I've missed you, Hahaue. I've missed you so much."

"I know, my precious one, I've missed you, too," she said. "I'm sorry my death caused you so much pain. I'm sorry it destroyed your love."

Sesshomaru was still for a moment as he thought about what she meant then shook his head slightly without pulling away and said, "It didn't do any such thing, Hahaue. It was a doomed relationship from the start. We should never have gotten involved with each other."

He could feel her sad smile as she said, "Are you sure it was a complete mistake?"

Sesshomaru thought about it then realized what she was referring to. He thought of his draconic daughter, her sunbeam smile, her tinkling laughter, her melodious voice, even her obnoxious habit of bowling him over with every greeting and when she was overly excited. In those centuries of darkness she was his only salvation; the only source of light for his despairing soul. "No," he whispered. Then the pain began to surface, the newest and most devastating wound to his soul. The confirmation of all his fears that his mother could no longer deny.

"Why?" said Sesshomaru his voice cracking with hurt and frustration. "Why did father do this? I've tried so hard to be –."

"Shh… My child, you've done enough," she said and she kissed the top of his head. "You've done enough."

"Why, why was I replaced?" he demanded, raising his head to look at his mother his eyes glittering with barely suppressed emotion. "Why am I not strong enough to protect my people? Why should Otoutou have all the traits that I require to do that?"

His mother tightened her hold on him and shivered. Horror flickered through her eyes a moment before she closed them. "Please, don't envy your brother. His is a cruel fate," she said.

Sesshomaru pulled back and glared at Ginhana. "Cruel fate? How is his a 'cruel fate' when he was born possessing everything I lack? What do you mean by that?" he demanded. His anger stilled at the look of sorrow that filled her face.

"We are forbidden to speak of it, but I can say this much," she replied. "He is being forced to walk a lonely road, one that is filled with jagged rocks, bare-foot. His suffering has just begun and I shudder at what's yet to come." Ginhana pulled him into her embrace again and he allowed her, confused by her words and a bit troubled by them as well. "You've suffered more than enough, Sesshomaru. Just relax and let him take it from you. There's nothing you can do to save him, now."

"What was Chichiue's real reason for siring another child at the end of his life?" Sesshomaru asked, unable to let it go. He needed answers or he would be forever tormented by the possibilities. "Did he truly find me unworthy?"

"Sesshomaru, your father loves you with all his heart. He wanted to save you. Everything he did at the end was to save you," she replied.

Sesshomaru remained quiet for several minutes in his mother's warm embrace. His mind turned over what she had revealed to him and his insides went cold. "If that is true then what is Inuyasha to him? Was Inuyasha nothing more than a sacrificial offering?" he murmured. Ginhana tensed.

He leaned back and looked his mother in the eye. She met his golden gaze with her emerald one; her troubled expression was not reassuring. He closed his eyes, coming to a decision. "I can't do that," he said. She blinked at him. "I can't allow Inuyasha to walk that path alone. Even if I can't protect to him, I can at least help him. I'll walk that path with him even if it must always be a step behind. I'll tend his wounds when they become too great and I'll carry him when he can't go on." He looked down at his hands. "I need to share it or I'll end up being nothing more than a coward, running from the pain like a little child."

"Sesshomaru."

"I'm the oldest!" he shouted not looking up. "This should be my burden but because I'm lacking in ability and spirit he's being forced to carry it. If I can't do this much then I'm better off dead!"

"Sesshomaru," she said again. This time he glanced up. His mother was smiling that warm smile he remembered from so long ago. The one that seemed as if the sun had come down to earth. "I'm proud of you. You are a good boy. I know this decision means you will suffer too, but I am glad you are making it." She took his hands into hers. "In the battles to come, that child will need your quiet strength more than even he knows."

"You're always so kind, even to those who are not your children," said Sesshomaru with a small smile.

Ginhana leaned forward and kissed his forehead and whispered, "He would have been my child if I had lived, Sesshomaru. I will be eternally grateful to Izayoi for bravely bearing him in my stead. I know how much you wanted a little brother."

Sesshomaru blinked, blushed then huffed. "Ridiculous!"

Ginhana smiled even brighter and said, "Now that's my boy." The light from her body grew dimmer and she faded away. Then all was left was the gloom and the rain and the memory of her scent. Sesshomaru bent in two, feeling her loss as keenly as the day she had died, but this time there was no one to hate.

****

At the cave Kakiboufuu dropped his wings allowing Naomi to pass. She ran out into the rain without a second glance. Himawari stared at him wondering why he had let the dragoness through. The barriers between the living and the dead had been reestablished and he could no longer sense any spirits nearby. Unbeknownst to all, after calming himself, he had spent the entire night before opening the passage way between the two worlds. He couldn't cross nor could he speak with the spirits, his punishment for freeing a damned soul, but he could still summon them. He had hoped Lady Ginhana would respond; Sesshomaru looked as if he needed her guidance, the only one who could. It was one small thing he could do for his brother after what he had done.

He had no idea of what had passed between the two or how Sesshomaru's decision would impact their lives from then on.

* * *

Not a lot going on but I felt a slow chapter after the battle was necessary. I wanted Sesshomaru coming to a decision about his brother and I thought him getting to speak with his mother again was a nice touch. It allowed him to express a lot of hidden emotions.

Since Ginhana was there when the problems surrounding Inuyasha were discussed so she knows what's in store for him.

I liked being able to get into Himawari's head and I hope to get more chances. The next chapter might get a bit disturbing. Kakiboufuu is going to be making some really cutthroat decisions.

Chapter 30: The Line of Tyranny

Taking leadership is one thing. Maintaining it is another. Kakiboufuu assumes the title Inu no Taisho but it is a position that demands absolute ruthlessness. Does he have what it takes to walk the line of tyranny without harming his own people?


	41. The Line of Tyranny: Ultimatum

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Kakiboufuu = Inuyasha Sr.

Chapter 30: The Line of Tyranny

_149 years before the search for the jewel shards._

_They say geniuses walk the line of insanity. Well leaders walk the line of tyranny. That thin line between not enough power and too much. Failure to walk that narrow thread could doom the people. You have to be willing to do things that are unthinkable to the common man yet stay your hand at the appropriate time. Have I walked the line well? Where have I missed my step? When will I be held accountable for my misdeeds? _

-Inuyasha

Part 1: Ultimatum

The morning dawned bright and clear. The fresh scent of grass and leaves filled the air. Droplets of water glittered in the light of the early sun. Birds sang and flickered from tree to tree. Squirrels scampered from one place to the other seeking nuts and seeds, gray bushing tales bobbing and twitching behind them. There were only a few small clouds catching the sunrise's pink to contrast against the blue.

Kakiboufuu stood in the middle of the field going through his morning exercises. He enjoyed the peace of dawn the most. It was easy to forget a war was raging. Sesshomaru had returned last night, practically dragged back by the girls. The hanyou's smile of amusement was bittersweet. _Honestly, what right does he have to complain? Win or lose he still has people who love him,_ he thought.

His thoughts strayed to his uncle who had so coolly dismissed him as worthless when he had failed to achieve early glory. In the middle of a complicated set, he stumbled, his turmoil costing him his focus. Kakiboufuu suppressed the urge to growl and stood still, concentrating on his breathing. The rhythmic count helped to steady his heart and mind. He needed to work on his control. He shouldn't have allowed such a trivial thing to ruin his focus.

"What's wrong, Otouto?" asked Sesshomaru, stepping into the morning light.

Kakiboufuu glanced over his shoulder at his brother. Sesshomaru was fully dressed again. His white kimono with red flowers and armor making him look the lord he had been only yesterday. Kakiboufuu was naked to the waist, wearing only his blue hakama. His wounds were already closed with bright pink flesh; the only betraying mark of yesterday's fight. However, Sesshomaru looked as if he could use a change of clothing. The rough life style and constant battles had taken their toll even on the demon silk. Frayed areas had appeared and some old stains were refusing to disappear, causing the white kimono to appear dingy and common. It hardly befitted an aristocrat.

Kakiboufuu narrowed his golden eyes, wondering what Sesshomaru's game was. He could tell his older brother was still sore over the defeat. Despite the dog demon's stony expression his aura was flaring with suppressed hostility. Kakiboufuu didn't know Sesshomaru and was wary of his intentions. Being brothers didn't mean they understood one another.

"It's nothing. I lost focus for a moment," the hanyou replied before turning away. It was true, in a way.

Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed. He hadn't missed the suspicious look Kakiboufuu had given him. He was still angry about his lost status, but he had promised his mother he would try to help his younger brother. However, it seemed that was going to be harder than he thought. Kakiboufuu's guard was up and he didn't appear to be willing to make friends.

A different attitude from a several days ago when the panthers had been driven off. He had been much more open and friendly then. The hostility hadn't begun until the lady elder of Kou had brought up the ascension ceremony. Now he was unapproachable. Sesshomaru sighed.

Others started to emerge into the morning light. Reminded of the need to bring his people to a safer more stable place; Sesshomaru asked, "Do you know a safe route to friendly forces that we could take?"

Kakiboufuu tensed and said in a deep tone, "I believed I mentioned having issues with going back there."

Sesshomaru thought back to the only conversation that even hinted at the problem.

"_Since I'm the one who did the reporting; yes I'm certain and no, they couldn't have been. You might say that is the reason why I'm out here instead of with my comrades." _

Sesshomaru folded his arms and said, "All you mentioned was being stuck out here due to a report on Kuromakaze. You did _not_ say what about that report caused you to be out here or anything else."

Kakiboufuu sighed and said, "I can guide you back to safer lands but when we arrive is when we part. I cannot enter that territory at this time." He turned around just at the elders came forward. "I was planning to lead you there once everyone had recovered but then you insisted on that ceremony. If I lead you to safety I have to give up being the Inu no Taisho. There is no point in having a leader if he isn't around to lead." He stared hard at the people before them.

"You really have only two choices. Return to Tenji with Sesshomaru as the Inu no Taisho or stay out here in the wilds with me as your Inu no Taisho." He paused to let his words sink in. "I would choose Sesshomaru if I were you," said Kakiboufuu then crossed his arms and waited.

Sesshomaru eyed his brother. "Whatever did you do to end up exiled?" he asked.

Kakiboufuu met his gaze then looked away. "That's war," he muttered. "You anger the lord during wartimes and he tosses you away with the trash." He turned away. "Like you, he didn't want to hear that Kanzaki Sagara was still alive, but _he_ had the power to discredit and silence me."

Sesshomaru stared, wondering how much his brother was still hiding; how much he was not saying. Kakiboufuu's ears were lying flat against his head and his fingers pinched his arms; his claws threatening to puncture his skin. There was emotional trauma behind the exile, trauma the hanyou did not wish to voice at that time. At least not in front of the entire clan.

"That is not a choice we can make," said the lady elder, stepping forward. "You are the Inu no Taisho now. We cannot change that fact no matter what inconveniences it might mean for us.

Kakiboufuu eyed her for a moment then closed his eyes and shouted, "What about the rest of you? The elders are speaking for you but I want to hear the opinions of the rest of the clan. The elders don't have to battle, so they don't have to fight with chipped blades and broken armor. The elders, due to their status, get the choice bits from every hunt, so they don't suffer hunger as frequently. They also get the best places to sleep or rest, so they don't suffer from the cold or the wet when shelter is limited. With this in mind do you really want them speaking for you? I can lead you to safety, shelter, fresh clothes and meals. The only thing you will have to do is accept Sesshomaru as the Inu no Taisho from now on without question or further protest no matter how the situation may change."

Sesshomaru wondered at his brother's audacity. He had publicly dismissed the elders' voice. The lady elder's face was a mask of disapproval. He knew she would not forgive this insult. The entire clan was now out in the open and they were murmuring to themselves. Sesshomaru could understand why. They were all tired of the constant threat of battle, of being out in the elements, of living little better than the packs of wild dogs that roamed the countryside. Even the ones of lowest station had enjoyed a life far better than this before the insurrection. They could have it back and all they had to do was accept Kakiboufuu's surrender of power.

Sesshomaru waited and tried to ignore the whispered words, but he felt his spirits falling. Minutes later the conversations died and everyone looked at Kakiboufuu, their expressions equally grim and determined. Not one looked at Sesshomaru. The former lord felt their lack of attention like a cold breeze. The silent vote had been cast; they would follow Kakiboufuu even if it meant remaining out here.

Kakiboufuu lowered his gaze and sighed, muttering, "Mina wa OOkii aho desu." He rubbed his left hand against his face then asked, "Last night I asked for a place where we could settle. I don't think we want to work from caves. They grant a false sense of security. Anyone know of any abandoned castles or temples we could occupy?"

"One," said Sesshomaru, overcoming his bitter disappointment in the clan's choice. "An abandoned temple, fairly large. We were there before so I don't know if it is still standing or not."

"Were you driven out or did you get skittish?" asked Kakiboufuu.

Sesshomaru growled at the implication but replied, "We had a battle nearby but, no, we didn't have a fight at the temple itself."

"Then the chances are good that it's still standing," said Kakiboufuu. "We'll head there. After that, I'll need to think of an _appropriate _way to introduce myself to our delinquent members." The smile that spread across the hanyou's face at those words put ice into Sesshomaru's veins.

****

_5 days later…_

Temari paced back and forth within Noriko's camp. A fortnight had passed since the treacherous female had come to Noriko to inform her of Sesshomaru engagement to Himawari. Several rumors had stated that not only had Noriko failed to kill the girl but that Sesshomaru was the one who had died on the end of Noriko's poisoned blade, Shoukijin. Worse, the panthers had come north soon after. Noriko's people had escaped but it was unlikely Sesshomaru's had. Now Temari was trapped within the camp of her hated rival with no way to leave.

The only good thing about her predicament was that for the first time in decades she no longer lived like some wild animal. The camp was well organized with tents and even pavilions. Work areas for armor and weapon repair were near the outskirts so the smoke and the smell didn't bother the sleeping tents and their inhabitants. The largest pavilions held eating areas and war meetings. The smaller ones were the private quarters for Noriko and the generals. Thin walls were erected around the entire parameter to prevent casual entry and exit, but they wouldn't stop an attack. Not that they ever were. This was the difference between the hunted and the hunter.

"There is not much purpose remaining where we are," she heard a general say. "The panthers will soon come further afield and I don't think we should risk the younger ones on fighting them. We have been fighting for a long time while they are fresh. We need to withdraw for the time being."

"Withdraw to where?" inquired another. "To Tenji? What do we tell them when we fail to have Sesshomaru amidst us? Especially with the castle destroyed? Going to Tenji would prove fatal!"

Temari flinched. That was the main reason why so few complained about taking Sesshomaru alive. Sesshomaru had been their link to the tenko and Tenji. A hostile takeover wouldn't be approved of and would cost them their privilege of equality they had enjoyed while under the Inu no Taisho. That was the best outcome, the worst was exile. To establish themselves elsewhere meant constant battles for centuries from a less than secure position. Not impossible, but not something anyone in the clan preferred; especially with the number of clan enemies lying outside Tenji's borders.

"Well, there is no help for it. If we have to start over then the sooner we get to it the better," said another general. Temari ran her fingers through her pale blonde hair wondering what this was all going to mean for her when a shadow passed overhead. The sound of great wings flapping in slow, lazy strokes filtered down to her, as well as a scent she had not thought to smell again. She looked up and gasped; the demon of concern was flying high over the camp.

****

Sesshomaru circled over the camp several more times then flew to the edge of the trees. His men lined the wooded area but didn't move. They had their orders. Sesshomaru's fly over was nothing more than a means to gain their attention. He landed and turned to face Noriko's campground. It annoyed him to find Noriko had done well for herself despite being abroad this whole time. Then again Noriko had had plenty of time to prepare since she had picked the date of the initial attack.

Noriko's men rushed forward and stopped just outside their makeshift walls. Noriko stepped forward and eyed Sesshomaru and the others. "I'm pleased to see your still alive, Sesshomaru, even if I don't understand how," she said, her gaze flickered over the gathering. "However, why are you and your men here? Are you finally surrendering?" She smiled at her own question.

Sesshomaru wanted to comment but maintained his stony expression and said nothing. Their orders were very specific. They were to be silent witnesses; emphasis on _silent_. The entire group watched Noriko and the others with similar empty expressions as they waited for Kakiboufuu to make his move.

Noriko's blue eyes narrowed and she took a step closer. "If you are not here to surrender then why don't you attack already?" she demanded. Sesshomaru just stared at her. The female leader growled in anger and opened her mouth to say something or perhaps to give an order to her men when Kakiboufuu walked out from behind Sesshomaru.

He stepped forward and positioned himself so he was directly between his brother and the ambitious woman. He wasn't that impressive a sight. With no spare clothing available in their party, he was still dressed only in his priest robes of white kimono and blue hakama. White socks and straw sandals covered his feet. There were still some blood stains on his hakama from the ceremonial duel. His hair was tied back in his usual horsetail. He was wearing Rokukafuga, but the blades had yet to be extended.

Noriko was in full armor. A light blue kimono and hakama with a heron pattern decorating it was underneath and her long, silver hair was braided high. Her sword hung at her left hip and black wraps, identical to Sesshomaru's, covered her feet. Gloves, with light armor plates, protected her hands and wrists.

She lifted her head, looking down her nose at Kakiboufuu. "What is this?" she asked, her voice dripping scorn at the sight of the hanyou.

Kakiboufuu smiled that cold smile again and said, "My apologies, Noriko, but I ordered them to remain silent. I will be the only one speaking today. I'm here to introduce myself." Sesshomaru watched as Noriko's men glance at each other and even Noriko blinked in surprise.

"Ordered? You?" she said, voicing the group's confusion.

"Yes," replied Kakiboufuu. He raised his left hand, pointing it at the gathering before him. "By the right of victory of the combat trial held during the ascension ceremony, I am now the new Inu no Taisho. Sesshomaru-aniue, these men and even all of you are now under my authority."

Noriko entire group gasped in shock at the announcement and Noriko growled. "You lie! Sesshomaru has no siblings!" she shouted.

"Aniue has been aware of my existence from before I was born," replied Kakiboufuu in an even tone. "He kept his silence for the same reason Oyaji did. He lived as the acting Inu no Taisho until I could grow old enough for the rigors of the ceremony."

Teeth bared, Noriko crouched in preparation to attack, some followed her example but others suddenly looked undecided. Kakiboufuu's cold smile faded and his expression grew stern.

"Under ordinary circumstances this may have been the time to allow for past sins to be forgiven," he said, fire ignited on his outstretched hand and his gold eyes flashed. "However, I cannot allow your crimes to go unpunished. Your betrayal of the Reihane family cannot be overlooked." Fire wreathed him as he spread his wings.

Several inuyokai backed away in terror. In the camp women, children and elderly peered out from tent entrances. Kakiboufuu wiggled his ears and the entire camp was engulfed in flames. Chaos reigned. Most of the men ran back to rescue their screaming wives and children. A few charged forward.

Sesshomaru growled but he and the others held their position. Kakiboufuu dove forward; Rokukafuga's fangs fully extended. His opponents went down one after the other; most with just a single slash. Noriko launched herself at Kakiboufuu but her Shoukijin struck the guard. She then leapt back to avoid being stabbed by the other hand. She hurled a bolt of celestial lightning at him. It disintegrated before even reaching him. Noriko stood dumbfounded, _He didn't even gesture!_ Kakiboufuu pressed the attack and Noriko backpedaled; it was all she could do to block the stabbing blades with her own solitary one. One of her loyal men dived in at Kakiboufuu's side. The hanyou sidestepped the attack with little trouble, but Noriko was able to escape his onslaught.

"Retreat!" she shouted, keeping her eyes fixed on Kakiboufuu. The hanyou was alone in his assault but he had sent her warriors scrambling in all directions with his fire. She needed time to figure out how to address this new development. Those who could move helped those who couldn't as they hurried away from the area.

Kakiboufuu stood where he was and watched them withdraw, his face unreadable. When the camp was clear he raised his hand and slashed, sending the Kaze no Kizu in among the burning tents. The fire went out and Sesshomaru and the other men stared. Aside from the carved earth from the Kaze no Kizu, the camp bore only slight scorch marks. The fire had been mere show.

Sesshomaru broke into a cold sweat. _So little damage, yet those weren't illusionary flames,_ he thought and glanced at his brother. _He controlled the fire's movement with his will even while he was fighting? One moment of lost focus and everyone within the camp would have burned to death._

The few hitenko who could control fire to such extent had their names forever carved into the annals of history. It was generally understood that if a large scale fire jutsu in battle was used then people were going to burn to death; friend and foe alike. So hitenko generally used small, one-to-one fire jutsu. Sesshomaru was gladder than ever that he hadn't challenged his brother to a battle of sorcery.

"Go to the camp and take whatever you find useful down there and bring it back to the temple," ordered Kakiboufuu, the blades of the Rokukafuga shrinking back into its original form.

"We're looting them, now?" asked Raiken, still perplexed why Kakiboufuu had restrained himself earlier.

"Raiken!" shouted Kakiboufuu, glaring at the general. "Am I not the Inu no Taisho now?" Raiken retreated a step and cringed beneath the hanyou's intense gaze. "Then do as I say and don't whine. I explain myself when it is necessary, not for every little order I give." He turned and leapt toward the destroyed camp.

The men grumbled but followed his orders without further protest. Sesshomaru stared after his brother. _Impressive as it was to restrain himself, why did he bother? Why didn't he finish them off when he declared he wouldn't forgive them?_ With no answer he moved to join them before his brother decided to pull rank on him!

****

Kakiboufuu sat leaning against the outside support beam of the temple watching the forest beyond the gate. A number of guards were on duty along the broken walls of the temple grounds as the night dragged on. Everyone else was asleep in their various assigned quarters. The supplies they had plundered had been a welcome relief, with fresh clothes, armor and weapons as well as food and tools. The men had stopped grumbling about "bandit behavior" after Kakiboufuu suggested they kidnap the pretty young women next time.

Sesshomaru stepped out into the night and sat down next to his brother. "Why do you feel the need to stay awake, Otouto? We have plenty of guards."

"I'm waiting," replied his brother without taking his eyes of the trees.

"Waiting?" repeated Sesshomaru but Kakiboufuu didn't respond. Then a call came from the wall by one of the watch. Sesshomaru turned his attention to the gate and saw several shadows moving among the trees. "An attack!" he said and rose with a growl.

"Matte," said Kakiboufuu, his hand raised in front of Sesshomaru, forestalling any further action. It was then that Sesshomaru realized his brother had removed the Rokukafuga sometime earlier. The hanyou rose to his feet and hopped to the base of the stairs. "Let them pass," he called to the watch. They turned to regard him. In the light of the crescent moon they could see his raised eyebrow and remembered his earlier statement about explaining orders. They didn't argue.

The shadows froze. Kakiboufuu glared at them and shouted, "Step forward and be recognized or return to where you came from. I have no patience for indecisive fools."

Sesshomaru came up behind Kakiboufuu and gasped. Inuyokai stepped from the forest and through the gate; Noriko's inuyokai if the singed clothing was any indication. He also recognized several from the battles as well as from earlier. They didn't look proud or hostile, their heads were bowed and many shuffled instead of walked. They reeked with the sour odor of fear. There were more, many more than the grounds between the temple and the gate could hold, out in the forest.

The heads of the families as well as their sons and, among the matriarchies, their daughters stepped into the opening once they saw how small it was. The rest remained outside. The watch looked nervous as they eyed the assembly. Sesshomaru shared their sentiment but Kakiboufuu was calm. He heard the shoji slide open as those within woke from the commotion. Footsteps padded up behind him but Sesshomaru didn't turn to look.

"Chichiue, what is going on?" It was Naomi. Pale cloth flickered in the corner of his eye from the right. Sesshomaru glanced in that direction and saw the silent and deadly Xeno standing on the engawa. More footsteps from the engawa signaled the movement of others as the positioned themselves for a possible fight. The air was thick with tension.

Then the men and women prostrated themselves. With their faces to the ground the one closest to Kakiboufuu spoke, "Kakiboufuu-sama, we have come to offer our surrender. We wish to serve you and pledge our loyalty to the Inu no Taisho."

Sesshomaru gasped then glanced at his brother. _Are they all defecting from Noriko? Did he know this would happen? Is that why he didn't kill them earlier?_ Sesshomaru sensed his daughter's building anger. He could understand her rage. They had the audacity to come before them and surrender after one defeat? His people had suffered more for longer and had stood by their decision. How could they trust a people so fickle?

However, he understood what this meant as well. Noriko had just lost a substantial amount of support. Within the space of a single day the feud had turned in their favor. Sesshomaru took hold of Naomi's trembling hand. When she glanced at him, he shook his head to signal the need for calm. He then focused on his brother. He would have to put his trust in Kakiboufuu. Naomi squeezed his hand and placed the other one over it; complying with his silent request.

Kaiyoshinju was not nearly so perceptive. "You think a little bowing and begging is going to wipe your hands clean of all the blood that stains them?" she shouted marching forward. She raised her staff. "I kill you worthless scum myself!"

"Kaiyo!" shouted Sesshomaru, spinning around. The half-dragon was headstrong and used to doing things her way. A fine attitude to have when you were alone and standing guard over something as dangerous as the Jewel of the Sea, but she was now part of a group. She had bullied Sesshomaru after joining up allowing her to do as she pleased.

"Hahaue!" Naomi cried at the same time. Kaiyoshinju had never had to submit to anyone before. She complied with Kenhoshi because she admired him and he had never demanded much from her. She had never before been forced to restrain herself. Then again she had never before been in a war situation either. Neither Sesshomaru nor Naomi were certain they could stop her as they turned to face the raging half-dragon.

Kaiyoshinju stiffened then collapsed without warning. Kakiboufuu stood behind her, his expression cold, his right hand held as if it still lay against her back. "Your opinion in noted, dragoness, however, I'm the one who decides their fates, not you," he said in an even tone. He stepped over her and walked back to his place before the newcomers. The ones that had risen to their knees at Kaiyoshinju declaration quickly prostrated themselves again.

"Kisama! What did you do to me?" demanded Kaiyoshinju as she struggled to raise her head.

"You're still awake?" he asked, though he didn't turn to regard her and his manner was unconcerned. "I devoured your vigor. All that remains of it is just enough to keep your body functioning. So I suggest you give in to your exhaustion and get some sleep. If you continue to waste energy like this, you're going to die."

Kaiyoshinju growled then her head hit the wood planking and her violet eyes closed. Fearing the worse, Sesshomaru listened then relaxed. He could hear her strong heartbeat settle into a slow rhythm and knew she was in no danger of death. She had fallen asleep. He turned back to his brother and stared.

_When did he get behind her? _A vague memory of a warm gust as he had spun around to face Kaiyoshinju came to mind and he bit his lip. _Was that when it happened? Was that his tell?_

"Just as you pledged your loyalty to Noriko?" asked Kakiboufuu as if the whole incident with Kaiyoshinju had never happened.

"My lord?" asked the leader glancing up.

A sandaled foot landed on his head and pushed his face back down to the earth. "When did I say you could look up?" demanded Kakiboufuu with a snarl. "You are here to beg for your lives; you don't have the status necessary to lift your faces from the ground when addressing me."

"My lord? I don't believe I understand," said the leader, this time keeping his face down.

"You don't? How very dense of you," said Kakiboufuu. "You saw earlier how easy it would be for me to erase your existence. You're surrender is an attempt to save yourselves and your families from my wrath. Let me ask you one question: Why did you turn on Sesshomaru-aniue?"

Sesshomaru smelled salty scent of their sweat increase as they thought of how to answer the question. _Why does he care about the reason? It is irrelevant at this point_, he thought as he glanced at his brother.

"No answer?" said Kakiboufuu. His gold eyes flashed red for a moment and he growled. "Cowards!" he spat at them. "That's why you betrayed the Reihane family. You saw Aniue as being weak, in spirit or in arms, and latched onto the powerful Noriko. You caught wind of her coup and wanted to be on the winning side. However, I've appeared and the title of strongest has come to me. You're changing sides to the perceived winner, again!"

"No!" shouted a voice. Kakiboufuu and Sesshomaru turned to regard a young man as he rose to his feet.

"Saben! Get down, you fool!" shouted one of the older men. Saben's hair was blood red and his eyes brilliant orange. One gold stripe slid down each cheek from the lower eyelid ending at the curve of the jaw. Unlike the others who gathered in their family groups, he was alone. Kakiboufuu regarded him for a moment then started walking toward him.

"You speak boldly in the presence of the one that could order you and your family killed," said Kakiboufuu.

"Chichiue believed Noriko-san's words that she could lead the clan better than Sesshomaru-san," said Saben, not backing down despite the ominous presence striding toward him. "He was among those pushing for a marriage alliance. He thought Sesshomaru-san was being foolishly stubborn."

Kakiboufuu stopped when he was within arm's reach of the scarlet youth. "Did he approve of the coup?" he asked. "Did he approve the murder of so many clansmen?"

"Noriko-san said she could convince Sesshomaru-san, but it would be better if we were gone from the castle when she did. She never said she would kill anyone," admitted Saben, looking away for a moment. Then his attention snapped back to Kakiboufuu and, meeting his golden gaze, he said, "After the castle fell I argued with Chichiue that Noriko-san had deceived us. Chichiue believed me at first and confronted Noriko-san. However, Noriko-san told him it was the result of Sesshomaru-san's stubbornness. That she hadn't meant for things to carry that far. Chichiue believed her but I continued to have doubts. However, Chichiue would not listen to me and scolded me for continuing to voice doubts about Noriko-san. Chichiue still believed that Noriko-san was the best choice for the clan and turned a blind eye to everything that accord because of her actions. But I couldn't, I only stayed because I did not wish to abandon my family. I swore that as soon as I could I would lead my family away from Noriko-san.

"You killed Chichiue during your attack today. Due to the chaos caused by the rout I was able to talk my family into leaving. These others saw us leaving and decided to follow. Those who didn't come either have heads of family that are still alive and loyal to Noriko-san herself or are refusing to do anything because they have lost their head of family. But I want to make one thing clear; I made the decision to return to Sesshomaru-san with my family before you ever appeared. So don't compare me to these others."

Saben finished and stared hard at Kakiboufuu. The hanyou continued to peer into his orange eyes for a minute more. Then his hand struck, grabbing the young man's throat and lifted him above the ground. Saben gripped the wrist and gasped but otherwise didn't struggle. Kakiboufuu's gaze didn't leave him as he held him above his head. Then he tossed Saben away from the group and turned toward the prostrated men and women. Saben remained where he landed and didn't move.

"Does anyone else wish to voice an opinion?" demanded Kakiboufuu, eyeing them with disdain. The group remained silent. "I take it that my earlier assessment stands then?" Still no protests sounded. The hanyou growled in disgust. "Then I have this to say on the matter. You're families may rejoin with this group, however, only if you comply with these conditions. If you refuse to accept them you can try returning to Noriko and see if she is willing to allow it after your desertion."

Everyone, newcomers and loyalist alike, held their breaths. "First, you're families lose all former status and rank. Every loyalist will be of higher rank than you, including the vassals," he said. Several gasped echoed from the gathering and included people from his own group. "Second, your heads of family will now perform seppuku."

Several family members cried out in shock and fear. "My lord!" shouted several of the men, forgetting his earlier warning and raising their heads to look at him.

"There will be no quiet ascensions in power by your chosen heirs. They will have to prove they will not make the same cowardly decision you have made," continued Kakiboufuu, ignoring the protests.

"My lord, why must we kill ourselves before you will allow our families to return?" demanded one of the men.

"You are unfit for the post," replied Kakiboufuu, his eyes colder than ice. "You have dishonored yourselves, your families and your office with the decisions you made. You have no loyalties to either Sesshomaru-aniue or Noriko. So why should I believe you will have any loyalties to me? Look around you at the number of families that all of you represent. Without your support, Noriko could not have challenged Aniue. Before Noriko's insurrection, Aniue still held the support of 46% of the families in the castle. Not a clear majority, no, but looking at your numbers I can see that Noriko had only the loyalty of around 12%. Not one major family was involved with her.

"You were the deciding factor at that time and now you desire forgiveness? The massacre at the castle and the continued losses are as much your responsibility as Noriko's. As the ones who led your family down such a road you are responsible for bearing the burden of the consequences. Your deaths will serve as a message to the next generation. Loyalty is not something so trivial as to be cast aside when it is no longer convenient."

"You're punishing us for not remaining with Noriko?" demanded a female family head.

"No, you idiots," said Saben, rising to his elbows. "You never had any convictions or loyalties. He's punishing you for your fickle nature. Ah!" Saben yelped when Kakiboufuu stepped on his back pinning him to the ground.

"I'm waiting," said the hanyou without removing his foot from Saben's shoulders. He looked over his shoulders at the group. "Those are my conditions for you rejoining us. If you don't like them then return to Noriko. Just know that this is the only opportunity you'll have. After this point, when I destroy Noriko, the families that follow her will be dissolved, the adults executed and the children made servants to the loyalists. There will be no exceptions." His eyes didn't waver and his expression was uncompromising. The ultimatum had been made.

_**To be continued…**_


	42. The Line of Tyranny: Unyielding

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Sesshomaru or anyone else from the hit anime series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.**

Part 2: Unyielding

Mist hung in the air turning the early morning into a world of shadows and gray. Saben sat on the engawa with his back against the wall of the temple staring into the fog. Despite the exertions, stress and late night, Saben couldn't sleep. He still couldn't believe what had transpired or that he was still alive. The events continued to play themselves out in his mind.

He thought for certain he was going to die after his impassioned words. His angry speech had declared him and his entire family as traitors who conspired against Sesshomaru. He was sure he had damned himself and every one of them to an execution, but what had happened after the other heads of family had spilled their entrails onto the ground in suicide had astonished him.

_The metallic tang of blood and the sour odor of intestines filled the air along with the stifled sobs of loved ones. Saben gazed at the carnage with mixed emotions. Sorrow and pity weren't among them; he had come knowing that things may turn out like this. He, himself, remained trapped again the ground; Kakiboufuu's foot, planted firmly between his shoulder blades, disallowed for any movement._

_The foot lifted suddenly and the hanyou spoke, "Get up, Saben. Your sincerity, courage and decisiveness has spared you and your family." Saben rose to his knees and peered up at Kakiboufuu. The hanyou no longer appeared cold or unreadable, just weary and pale. "I grant a full pardon on you and your family. All of you will not be held to the before mentioned conditions."_

_He turned back to the people beyond the gate and shouted, "You may tend to your dead, then come in and rest. Tomorrow will bring changes to one and all." He then walked away, leaving a stunned gathering behind him._

Saben rubbed his face. "I tell him that my father plotted his brother's downfall and he forgives me," he muttered. "Why? It doesn't make sense!" The misty world offered no answers.

****

Sesshomaru wandered through the gray world. He wanted to talk to his brother about his decision, confused as everyone else was, but the hanyou had disappeared after he announced the pardon. To make matters worse, the mist had rolled in soon after that, killing all scents and making tracking him nearly impossible. He had been walking for hours and he was certain he was going in circles.

A faint sound carried through the fog and he headed toward it on instinct. As he approached the sound grew until he knew it was that of a waterfall, a minor one. Closer he walked letting the faint roar guide him. His foot splashed into the pool's shore before he realized it was there. He pulled his foot out and looked down at the gravel laden shore. A white kimono and blue hakama along with sandals and socks lay around him; Kakiboufuu's clothes.

"What are you doing, Otouto?" called Sesshomaru, figuring his brother was nearby.

"Can't I have any peace? Or must everyone pester me about my decisions?" came the irate demand. The mist thinned revealing a perturbed naked hanyou standing beneath a short but broad waterfall. The water splashed on his head and shoulders as he glared at Sesshomaru and flowed down his body to the rock ledge he stood upon before entering the pool.

Sesshomaru stared at him for a moment then asked, "Why are you so angry?" Kakiboufuu leaned his head back and let the water fall on his face instead of answering. Sesshomaru growled and said, "You make so many demands yet you can't answer a simple question." The hanyou's only response was to turn his back on his brother.

Sesshomaru snarled then leapt over to the ledge, ignoring the falling water that soaked him within seconds of landing. He grabbed Kakiboufuu's shoulder and spun him around to face him. Or that was what he intended. Instead, the moment he touched his brother's shoulder his hand was slapped away, but Kakiboufuu did turn around. The two glared at each other for several minutes.

Then, unexpectedly, it was Kakiboufuu who broke the stare down. His anger dissolved and he leaned forward until his forehead rested on Sesshomaru's shoulder. The proud full-blood blinked and looked down at the hanyou leaning on him. He didn't move, he didn't know what to do or say.

"I'm sorry," whispered Kakiboufuu, his voice sounding more akin to a child than the adult who had ordered several men and women to take their own lives. "I knew it would come to this the moment I saw their reaction to my announcement about becoming the new Inu no Taisho. After we returned and I spent the entire time preparing myself for that confrontation. I knew what I would have to do. I knew I needed to harden myself to the consequences. Still it wasn't enough. I was so ill after all of it. It took every ounce of self-control I had to stand there long enough to tell Saben that he was safe."

Sesshomaru gasped at the confession. He had already guessed Kakiboufuu had been expecting the defectors. He hadn't realized that his brother had been traumatized by his own order. Sesshomaru didn't know how to comfort him; something his little brother was obviously seeking.

While he had been pursuing Kakiboufuu through the mist he had worked the scenario over in his head and found he wouldn't have changed anything. He believed he understood the reasoning behind it. However, he decided to question Kakiboufuu anyway. If his brother was forced to hear his own reasoning aloud he might be able to accept the bloody aftermath he had created.

"Why did you order the seppuku?" asked Sesshomaru.

Kakiboufuu didn't lift his head. "Because those people truly disgust me. They were cowards yet even the decision of cowards can affect the outcome of a war. Cowardly leaders can only do harm. I don't think any of them even realized how many of them there were until they defected back to us. I can forgive someone for their betrayal if they believe the course they chose is the best solution to a problem in the leadership. And let's be honest, Aniue, there were issues." Sesshomaru glanced away for a moment and grunted. "They weren't trying to solve a problem," he continued. "They were just trying to save themselves. If they hadn't been so fickle then maybe none of this would have occurred. Noriko could have been stopped before so many lives were lost." He chuckled. "Or maybe we wouldn't have nearly so many defectors."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes; he wondered if Noriko would have been stopped just because she didn't have the support. "Then that is the reason you spared Saben?"

"Hai, I could tell he was speaking the truth; every word was spoken with passion and sincerity. I imagine his father must have broken inside after the fall of the castle. He couldn't accept he may have aided in the deaths of so many friends and comrades so the only thing he could do was stand by his decision. He may have been in denial when he attacked me but he died standing by his convictions. Saben is young, back then he was even younger. He trusted his father like all sons do. To lose his home and so many of his friends, he must have been grieving. He stood loyal to his family for he wished to protect them. In returning he is seeks redemption; he wants to be punished. Instead I spared him. His must be both confused and angry with me."

Sesshomaru was stunned. _He came to these conclusions in so little time?_ "Why didn't you just drive them away? Saben's people aside, why did you allow the cowards' families to return?" he asked.

Kakiboufuu sighed and replied, "Because we need them. Even if they left and didn't return to Noriko, she would still have the advantage over us." Finally, he pulled back and met Sesshomaru's gold gaze. His eyes were focused. The emotional crisis had passed, just as Sesshomaru had hoped, however, another had risen. One that Kakiboufuu was now confided in him.

"I know you have never been outside of Tenji before. So you probably haven't seen tools and weapons that were not of Tenji make," said Kakiboufuu. Sesshomaru regarded him but didn't say anything. That fact was still a point of embarrassment and anger for the full-blood. The hanyou continued, "The metal ore of this land is of poor quality. That's why sword smithing is such a sacred art. However, because of Tenji's kanetenko we're able to refine the metal so that it becomes much higher quality. The metal and armor of Tenji is therefore very unique to this country. Do you remember how supplied they were? They even had an armory in that camp. You don't get supplies like that from raiding villages or even castles. You get them from a well connected ally."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened. "Those armor and weapons…"

Kakiboufuu nodded. "Exactly, they were of Tenji's craft. Her supplier is mostly likely Kuromakaze."

"He's keeping my people tied up down here while he wrecks havoc in Tenji," said Sesshomaru.

Kakiboufuu turned and stepped to the edge of the rock outcropping. "That's what bothers me," he muttered. Before Sesshomaru could demand clarification, the hanyou leapt back to shore. Sesshomaru huffed then followed. Kakiboufuu was redressing but his gaze was turned inward. "Why is he wasting resources to keep you tied up here?"

"Explain," demanded Sesshomaru with a growl, wrapping the back of Kakiboufuu's head with his knuckles.

Kakiboufuu eyed Sesshomaru as he tied his hakama. "No offense, Aniue, but if Kuromakaze saw you as a threat, he would have made your death a priority. Other than supply Noriko, he has all but ignored you. I just can't figure out why, though."

"We might have asked the defectors, but you just killed off all the ones who might have had the answer," said Sesshomaru, still annoyed by his brother's statements.

"I doubt those cowards knew anything. Noriko would have known better than to let fair weather leaders into her inner circle. However, Saben might know something, depending on how chatty his father was," said Kakiboufuu.

****

Saben was a bit surprised when he was called out later that day by the brothers. First he was spared punishment for treason and now he was being asked to a provate meeting. The young man's mind spun as he tried to sort out all these strange twists of fate. The scarlet inuyokai eyed the two as they moved away from the temple. "Did my pardon bother you that much?" asked Kakiboufuu, regarding young man over his shoulder.

"It was just unexpected," replied Saben, not certain how to voice his turmoil.

"This won't take long then I want you return to the temple and get some rest," said Kakiboufuu. "You won't do anyone any good if you're exhausted."

"So what are we doing?" he asked.

The two brothers stopped and turned to face him. "Do you know who was supplying Noriko?" asked Sesshomaru.

Saben blinked then looked down. "No, I don't. I was suspicious of that too. Chichiue didn't know either. Noriko and her brothers were the only ones who knew. The supplies would just appear overnight. She or her brothers were always on watch during that time so no one else saw. Many of us were nervous because of that. Why was the supplier so secretive?"

"So much for that idea," said Sesshomaru and sighed. Saben stared at him.

"My apologies, my lords," said Saben, looking down at his feet.

"Don't apologize, Saben. Noriko may not know the answer either," said Kakiboufuu, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. He turned to face his brother "She may have just been happy to get support for her cause and didn't bother to question it. Or maybe…" The hanyou's eyes widened and he punched a tree with a snarl. "Of course! He wants Noriko to be in debt to him."

"Why would he want that?" asked Sesshomaru. The pair had seemed to have forgotten Saben within a few sentences. He stood before them glancing in confusion between the two.

"Tenji was unable to expand until Oyaji returned and formed up the Inuyokai clan," said Kakiboufuu. "That's because whenever civil war broke out among the tenko their lands were raided. They couldn't protect them. Oyaji created the clan in order to give Tenji protection during these vulnerable periods. The tenko stopped losing territory and were able to expand on it; creating the inner territories and much of the order we took for granted. Kuromakaze is trying to take Tenji intact. He wants the stability that came with a powerful yokai tribe on his side. The Inuyokai clan is an established power of Tenji. It would be much easier to keep it than to try to create a new one. In this day and age that would be next to impossible. They only reason why he disrupted it is because that same power, as a whole, wouldn't accept him."

"So supporting Noriko is critical for his plans to take control of Tenji?" asked Sesshomaru.

"I just hope Toromaru-kun was able to cool the fires back home. Kuromakaze's plan hinges on Kuromaru-dono's self-destruction," muttered Kakiboufuu as he bit his thumb. Sesshomaru's gaze clouded; his brother's comments lost on him.

"Ano… Sumimasen… My lord, who is Kuromakaze?" asked Saben, finally finding his voice.

****

_The next day…_

The various heads of family and elders along with the three guardians and special individuals, like Naomi, were gathered in the main room. Everyone sat along the walls leaving the middle empty. Sesshomaru sat to his brother's left while Naomi sat to Kakiboufuu's right. Kaiyoshinju sat in the right corner; she hadn't stopped glaring at the hanyou since she had entered the room. Saben sat closer to the entrance with the other new heads of family from the defectors. The young man was still reeling with the revelations from the day before and was glad he had been ordered to remain silent about it. It gave him the perfect excuse to dodge everyone else's questions on his bizarre meeting with the demon lord.

"Stop glaring, Kaiyoshinju," said Kakiboufuu. "If you don't like being restrained in such a manner then I suggest you learn a little self-control." The dragoness growled and slammed her hand on the floor, but before she could speak her mind, Kakiboufuu continued. "Do keep in mind, I am not Oyaji and I am not going to turn a blind eye to your antics. I am not going to be intimidated by you. Also," Kakiboufuu paused and turned his golden gaze on her, "I'm only going to say this once. Let go of your petty grudge." Everyone cringed, especially Sesshomaru. Kaiyoshinju's violet eyes flashed red. "I'm serious. The offense occurred centuries ago, it is long past time to forgive or at least forget about it and move on. You are more of a hindrance than a help at this time. If you can't put it behind you then hand over the Jewel of the Sea and get out of my sight!"

Everyone held their breath. Naomi glanced between the two, caught between loyalty to her mother and the fact that she had thought the same thing on numerous occasions. Sesshomaru stared at his brother in disbelief. Kakiboufuu's expression was stone. Kaiyoshinju was floored. No one had ever addressed her in such a manner before.

"I am a hindrance? _Me_?" she demanded, her voice squeaking with suppressed rage.

Kakiboufuu held out his hand. "Hand the jewel over, Kaiyoshinju. It was a mistake to give it to you in the first place," he said.

She gaped then said in a low voice, her eyes flashing the whole while, "You don't trust me to guard it?"

Without flinching he replied, "I don't trust _you._" The dragoness stared at him but Kakiboufuu waited without moving or saying another word. His face was unreadable. Trembling, Kaiyoshinju reached up, slipped the circlet off her head and hurled it at the demon lord. He caught it and put it inside his kimono without taking his eyes off her. She rose to her feet and walked with great dignity out of the room, closing the shoji behind her.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Sesshomaru after her footsteps faded from hearing. Naomi's whole body shook, her head lowered as she tried to sort out her feelings. The other inuyokai stared at their lord, awaiting his answer.

"Unreliable power is worse than none," replied Kakiboufuu. "I was able to stop her the other night but what about next time?"

"She wasn't always like this," said Raiken, thinking of the past.

"Once she had found herself I'll welcome her back, not before," said Kakiboufuu. "I can work with no power but I can't do anything with unreliability." Sesshomaru noticed movement coming from one of the corners and glanced over. Xeno was nodding his head in approval. "Now onto the main issue before the rest of you get anxious. I didn't bring you here to witness Kaiyoshinju's disgrace. That was necessary due to this issue: Noriko's supplier."

Sesshomaru took the cue and continued. "Despite the raid on her camp, we believe she'll soon have another camp equally well stocked if she remains out here instead of falling back to her supporter." Everyone gasped and began murmuring to each other.

Kakiboufuu picked up where his brother left off when the voices died. "We spoke with Saben yesterday in an attempt to verify the identity of the supplier. We had hoped that as the son of one of her trusted he may have been privy to such information. But apparently, she kept that information within the family. I do, though, have a good idea of who it is, which makes me nervous."

Sesshomaru glanced at him in puzzlement. _Nervous? It makes him nervous?_

"I believe it is the one calling himself Kuromakaze, formerly known as Kanzaki Sagara… my cousin," said Kakiboufuu. "He is a tenko who transformed himself into a hanyou using my blood. He controls a very unusual combination of jutsu; wind and metal. He is extremely dangerous. He has a brilliant mind, allowing him to predict and plan around an enemy's responses. As a child he planned out and executed the trap that involved Takemaru and brought about the death of Oyaji. He also manipulated the death of Hahaue and Ojii-dono. Because of his ability to predict, his plans have a far reaching impact, able to incorporate years and weave together random events to bring about a desired result."

"A dangerous opponent indeed, Kakiboufuu-sama," said Raiken. "Are you certain he is the one who brought about the former Inu no Taisho's death?"

Sesshomaru replied, "He bragged about back then, when I last saw him."

"You hale him as a great strategist," said one of the generals. "I can see why such a person would make you nervous but he has not taken personal note of us. Noriko may get new supplies but I don't see the situation changing too much."

Kakiboufuu looked away and Sesshomaru described the scenario his brother had come up with. The one that had Kuromakaze indulging Noriko because he wanted her on his side when he taken over Tenji.

"I see," said Raiken. "However, I don't think that will change are situation."

"I'm afraid it has changed," said Kakiboufuu. His fists shook as he clenched them. "When I came here I thought he had just taken advantage of the inner turmoil of the clan to remove a possible troublesome group from the area. That his involving Noriko ended when she drove everyone south and away from Tenji. However, when we raided that camp I saw the evidence that said she was still receiving support from Tenji." The hanyou pressed his palm against his forehead and growled. "If I had known that in advance I would have tread more cautiously."

"Why would that have altered how you approached Noriko?" asked another general.

Kakiboufuu lowered his hand and glanced around at the entire assembly. "Because I didn't want him to know where I was. He ignored you but he has gone out of his way to try to kill me, personally! I've faced him twice and barely escaped with my life twice. The second time he followed me into Oyaji's grave, alone! He didn't have anyone with him and he had to travel outside Tenji's borders to confront me that second time. The moment he catches wind that I'm here he'll come personally and who knows with what kind of support."

"You're certain he will come here himself?" asked Raiken.

Kakiboufuu lowered his gaze. "He marked me for death before because he _believed_ I was a potential threat. Once Noriko explains what happened, he'll _know_. Dammit!"

****

"Noriko-san? What has brought the would-be lady of the west here and in such a state?" asked Kuromakaze. He sat on a boulder with his naginata leaning against his shoulder. He wore only light armor over his black sleeveless haori and hakama. Beneath that was a light blue kimono with a white swirl pattern. A light blue bandana wrapped his forehead holding back his unruly short silver hair. His golden eyes regarded the lady inuyokai as she stood before him. Her garments were singed and she smelled of smoke and blood. The proud demoness growled but her blue eyes were haunted.

Yamibi spoke up from her place next Kuromakaze. "I guess you couldn't handle Sesshomaru after all. How pathetic! You wasted our resources and our trust in an empty promise." Kuromakaze's gaze flickered for a moment over to her then back at Noriko. Yamibi hadn't been herself since she was nearly killed several days ago. She hadn't said anything about it, though. He disliked her keeping secrets.

Noriko growled again but this time anger flickered through her gaze. "I was handling the dog just fine," she snapped. "Did you know he had a brother? He showed up and is apparently the new Inu no Taisho. He burned and raided my camp and killed several of my generals as a form of _introduction_. As a result, most of my men have deserted with their families. I don't have the means to fight someone like him!"

Kuromakaze's face went blank then his gaze took on a razor's edge. "His brother?"

"Yes!" said Noriko.

"You fought him?"

"Yes! He completely overpowered me! I designed the Shoukijin to counter Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga but that hanyou had a set of weapons that were like giant claws. One set on each hand. He blocked my sword with one and would strike with the other, like he was punching. Worse, they are able to invoke Kaze no Kizu!"

Kuromakaze growled his gold eyes flashing crimson. _Not good. Not good at all! He disappeared after my failure at his father's tomb. I sent scouts out to try to locate him but all failed. How did he avoid detection for this long? Worse, he seems to have finally mastered his powers. What can he do? What can he not do? Wait!_ He glanced at Yamibi for a moment. _Was that what happened? Did she encounter him while he was journeying to join up with his brother?_

Yamibi was not an easy opponent to put down. Kuromakaze knew he had to tread carefully when dealing with the celestial hanyou. However, she was easy to predict. That was the only reason why he hadn't killed her already. A predictable underling was easy to manipulate. Still, if Inuyasha was the one who had fought with her before then Kuromakaze couldn't make any rash movements.

His efforts to undermine his father's authority and ultimately the authority of the tenko lord had stagnated after Inuyasha had deserted. Yet Inuyasha had then assaulted five major storehouses of food and weapons setting him back years in a dazzling quick attack. He had countered the pursuing mizutenko with a fire display that had terrified the other tenko in his forces and left the evil hanyou unnerved. Witnesses had sworn the ocean and the sky had burned that day. Considering it had been overcast and wet all around made Inuyasha's attack all the more impressive and frightening. Then there had been the Kaze no Kizu Inuyasha had turned around and used to chase Kuromakaze out of the Inu no Taisho's tomb. Now he had a custom made weapon that seemed to possess the same abilities of the Tetsusaiga and it was dual set.

"Describe the encounter with as much accurate detail as you can manage," ordered Kuromakaze. "I want to know everything that was done and said."

Noriko looked taken aback. She wasn't used to taking orders, but thought better of arguing when the silver hanyou fixed her with a murderous glare. She told him of the encounter from when Sesshomaru glided over the camp to her cry of retreat and the Kaze no Kizu that came at their heels as they fled. She even brought up her shock when that evening as everyone gathered they realized that most of families had disappeared. She was certain they had been with them after the retreat but by nightfall they were gone. She described the camp the next day when they returned to find it had been ransacked. When she finished she glanced at Kuromakaze.

The silver hanyou was pale. He had noticed what she had not. He knew what his firestorm justu was capable of. He had witnessed it in all its deadly glory. What she described was the exact opposite but much more frightening. _He controlled it! He gave the appearance of a full scale firestorm but refrained from killing anyone with it._ Another thought came to him and he smiled in grudging admiration.

"Your deserters have joined his ranks," he said.

Noriko blinked. "What?"

"It was a well thought out plan. He got his men fresh supplies. He probably knows by now who is supplying you if he hadn't before. He also increased his ranks while decreasing yours." Kuromakaze laughed, though his eyes held no mirth only cold anger. "Damn that Sesshomaru! His unexpected interference back then has cost me dearly. Such a persistent thorn, he is."

"If you had just let me-," started Yamibi.

"This has nothing to do with that! The problem I speak of was before I ever encountered you," snapped Kuromakaze, jumping to his feet.

"Kuromakaze-san…" said Noriko, uncertain of what he was deciding to do.

"Don't worry, Noriko-san, I won't kill Sesshomaru," he said. He turned to her and smiled. "I'm just going to torture him a little. By your own words, Inuyasha clearly cares about his "aniue". At this time, taking the stubborn dog will do nothing for your bid for power. Inuyasha is the head of the clan now. You need to have Sesshomaru in your possession and cooperative before we kill his little brother. Then we can avoid anymore unnecessary bloodshed among the inuyokai."

Noriko visibly relaxed and Kuromakaze walked passed her. "This will require careful planning, though," he muttered. _Sesshomaru's not an easy catch and Inuyasha will not allow his brother to be kidnapped. Not to mention he had the guardians at his disposal now. Then there is the fact that Inuyasha may be working in tandem with the capital. If I turn my back on them I could find it being stabbed. I can't rush this! If I rush it I could find myself playing right into my cousin's hands._

****

The lady elder of Kou walked along the engawa as she thought about the latest events. Kakiboufuu was proving to be a formidable leader, perhaps even more so than his father. However, it irked her that he brushed off her and her ilk. He was still a puppy to her eyes and most others. True circumstances had put him in the shoes of an adult before his time but that didn't excuse his rudeness to the elders.

She was distracted from her thoughts by a familiar scent. One she hadn't smelled in weeks. She turned her wrinkled face toward the source. A woman with long blonde hair, tangled and singed in places was stepping lightly along the other wall. Temari had been missing since before the attack that resulted in Sesshomaru nearly being killed and the panthers appearing. The lady elder was suspicious of that disappearance, especially when she recalled how Noriko had been targeting Himawari.

The lady elder turned away and headed back without making a sound. She very much wanted to see how Kakiboufuu would handle this turn of events.

****

Temari had returned with the defectors. She had stayed in the back of the group, hoping to sneak in without being noticed. She had prepared a story for her father that she was certain he would accept. It wasn't hard to lie to him. He always rushed to her defense and took her word over others. That was how she was able to explain away all of Himawari's cuts and bruises that the girl had been unable to hide.

She hadn't witnessed the mass seppuku but she had seen the aftermath. Afraid for the first time in her life, Temari had resisted going back to her father until things had settled down and once she had been able to exchange her clothes for less marred articles. Her hair was a different story. It had sustained burns as well and though she had washed it three times already, the burnt pieces still stood out. Temari knew she couldn't delay her arrival in further. She would have to sneak to her father and hoped he covered for her after she had told her story. She didn't want to face the new Inu no Taisho without his support.

****

Kakiboufuu wasn't happy when he saw the lady elder approaching him. He was in the midst of talking strategy with his generals and looking over hastily drawn maps of the area. He wanted to attack some of Kuromakaze's supply lines without giving away their position. The only way they would be able to keep his cousin from reaching them would be to cripple his support. A challenge that wore down his mental reserves. He didn't want to end up in another verbal sparring match with the old woman; he didn't have the endurance for it at the moment.

Kakiboufuu didn't like rebuffing the elders; he had been raised to respect the elderly. However, he was acutely aware of his youth and knew the elders would try to push him around if he didn't stand his ground. This early rebellion was necessary. He was certain he could mend things once his position was more settled. The elders did respect power. Still, it wasn't easy holding firm before such a formidable force. The elders had cunning and experience on their side. It took intense focus not to get caught in their mental traps and cave-in to their demands. He braced himself for the storm.

"Lady elder," said Kakiboufuu with a polite nod.

"Kakiboufuu-sama," she said with a return nod. "I have seen something interesting just now." The hanyou raised an eyebrow and she continued. "I have seen Temari sneaking through the temple."

"What? My daughter is here? Where?" demanded Lord Kou, rising to his feet.

"I take it then, she was not here before?" asked Kakiboufuu when the lady elder ignored her kin's question.

"She had been missing since before Noriko's attack against Himawari. Before you joined us, Kakiboufuu-sama," replied the lady elder. Her violet eyes narrowed as she added, "I noticed her hair was burned in places." Kakiboufuu's eyes narrowed. He understood what she was implying.

"I must see her, if she's been injured…" started Lord Kou, he turned toward the doorway only to be stopped by Kakiboufuu's call.

"I don't believe she is injured, Lord Kou. Injured people don't sneak around," said the hanyou. "Now sit down." Lord Kou looked back to regard his lord. Kakiboufuu glance at him and said, "I will have two others escort her here. I need to know where she disappeared to and why. Particularly about the part where her hair was burned." He nodded toward a pair of vassals attending the lords and ladies at the meeting and the pair disappeared.

It wasn't long before Temari was brought into the main room. She wasn't resisting her escorts but she did seem reluctant to be there. The young woman pulled her arms from their grasps and straightened her kimono. Kakiboufuu noticed the singed blonde tresses as she straightened up.

"Temari, was it?" asked the hanyou from his place on the dais. The young woman nodded but didn't say anything. "I'm glad to see you're well, considering the fact that you have been gone so long. Your family was worried." She visibly paled at his words. "Do tell us what happened."

Temari swallowed then said, "I was with the group when Noriko attacked the cave." This was all guess work for her, she had no idea what happened when Noriko had attacked. If she had been able to talk to her father first she could have wheedled the details from him while in the guise of struggling to tell a traumatic story. In an attempt to encourage such sympathy and helpful suggestions to move her story along, she began trembling and sobbed into her hands.

"It was so terrible! The falling rocks, the screams, I thought we were going to die," she said, weeping.

Right on cue, her father chimed in, "Yes, we thought we were caught in a death trap when the cave tried to fall in. We were so lucky-"

"Lord Kou, don't prod her along," interrupted Kakiboufuu. "This is obviously very difficult for her. I prefer to let her take all the time she needs to tell her story. She doesn't need to be shoved through these traumatic events by an impatient parent." His tone of voice suggested something else.

Temari felt her insides freeze. The hanyou was not only _not_ going to provide details for her, but he had all but ordered her father to remain silent under the guise of sympathy. One wrong word now and her lie would be revealed. She continued to weep as her mid raced on how she might escape this trap.

"During the fighting, I was separated from everyone. I tried to get back but then the panthers came and I had to flee. There was so much fire!" she wailed. "I thought I was all alone with no one to return to."

Kakiboufuu was not fooled by her deception. Like with Saben, he was able to read her aura for sincerity. It spiraled and twisted with deception. He had stopped Lord Kou from feeding her details about an attack she obviously hadn't known, but she managed to create a believable story with her acting. The hanyou could tell several of the inuyokai present were sympathetic toward her. She had even explained the singed hair. Definitely a woman to be concerned about.

"My deepest apologies, Temari-san, for dragging you here like this," he said, folding his hands before him. He felt Sesshomaru's burning gaze on him and knew his brother didn't believe a word she had said, either. With his eyes focused on her like a hawk on a fat mouse, Kakiboufuu said, "I'm afraid I've become a bit paranoid. Noriko's attacks targeted Aniyome that final time. So I had thought that perhaps because of your disappointment of being passed-over for your maid you might have slipped away to tell Noriko about the arrangement. After all, it is a well known fact that the two of you desire Aniue as a husband."

His tone was light and he even gave an embarrassed smile, but his eyes never left her. He studied her reaction to his words. He could see that despite her weeping, her violet eyes were dry and normal. No swelling or redness marred their beauty. He also noticed that while he spoke she watched him with equal intensity.

****

Sesshomaru stood out in the faint moonlight of the waning crescent in the wee hours of the early morning. He and his brother were standing by the pool. It was quiet except for the muted roar of the waterfall. Away from the temple the two were free to speak of things they couldn't around the others.

Sesshomaru growled and asked, "Why did you believe her?"

Kakiboufuu sighed and said, "The question you mean to ask is 'why did you accept her story?' As to why: Do you honestly think that fool Lord Kou would have been happy if I condemned his daughter to death? He clearly believed her story, idiot that he is."

"Why does that matter?" demanded Sesshomaru. "I'm not the only one there who saw through her lies."

"I'd be disturbed if you were," muttered Kakiboufuu.

"How could you grant her a reprieve when you condemned the others? She wasn't thinking about her family when she made her decisions," said Sesshomaru.

"Aniue, it was only a matter of time before Noriko found out about your engagement," said Kakiboufuu, his tone sharpening with annoyance. "Noriko has been attacking you this whole time. The only thing that changed was she was targeting someone other than you."

"So you are just going to let her go, despite her betrayal?" said Sesshomaru with a snarl.

"Now whoever said that?" replied Kakiboufuu as he regarded his brother. Sesshomaru blinked and his eyes narrowed. "Did you forget? After the meeting I called to Lord Kou and had a private talk with him."

Sesshomaru did remember. "What about it?" asked the dog demon then his eyes widened. "What did you say to him?"

Kakiboufuu's face became stony and he replied, "I told him that if he truly believed his daughter's transparent lie then he was an idiot. That his overindulgence and naïveté had created a dishonorable traitor. That if he continued to refuse to reprimand her for her outrageous behavior I would not spare his family's honor again. That I expect him to step up as her father and do what should have been done decades ago.

"I then talked to the elders of Kou and told them I expected them to handle the disciplining of their kinswoman. I told them if I have to handle it then I would not hesitate to drag their family name through the mud since they are the ones ultimately responsible for the behavior of any of their family members. I then went to the servants of Kou and instructed them to inform me of any rule breaking that went on within the family. That I would not tolerate abuse of the servants. Any continuance of such actions are to be reported to me."

Sesshomaru's mouth hung open in shock and after several moments of silence he said, "So she hasn't really been spared, but why did you involve the servants?"

"After speaking with the elders, I chatted with Himawari-chan," replied the hanyou. "It took a bit of coaxing but I did manage to get her to tell me about Temari. What she told me prompted me to go and talk to the servants. I'm only one person. If I leave the families to their heads to control then all I have to do in control the heads. The head of a family is responsible for everyone within their family. The servants will let me know if the head of a family is following the rules or not."

Sesshomaru regarded his brother. Kakiboufuu had put the Kou family in a difficult position. Lord Kou would have no choice but to reprimand his daughter; he had all but been ordered to do so. Failure would result in the disgrace of his family and possible loss of their high status. This was something the ancient family could not abide; one girl, particularly a spoiled one, was nothing compared to that shame. Temari was probably being punished severely as they spoke; the first punishment of her life and it wouldn't be the last either. She would no longer be allowed to get away with anything; something the proud Temari was going to have trouble adjusting to.

"You're cruel," said Sesshomaru and his brother smiled.

* * *

Thank you, Rays! Especially for telling me to mention in the summary this wasn't a yaoi fic. It just didn't occur to me that people would see Inuyasha and Sesshomaru story as that.

As for what Rokukafuga looks like I have a few drawings with the weapon shown that might help. Of course my drawing suck so it may not. I think you'll remember the problem with the website and links. My gallery has other pictures, not many but some.

Ascension Ceremony: http:(double slash)black(dash)wren(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)art(slash)The-Ascension-Ceremony-147719950

Oh $h1t!: http:(double slash)black(dash)wren(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)art(slash)Oh-h1t-141710929

Sagara and Inuyasha Sr.: http:(double slash)black(dash)wren(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)art(slash)Sagara-and-Inuyasha-Sr-141700889

Is anyone else noticing any of my chapters doubling up? It was mentioned that was occurring but I don't know which ones. I would like to fix it if possible.

I originally did want him to kill Temari off but I didn't like how I presented it. However, I thought there could be no punishment worse for a spoiled princess than to lose her "spoiled" status. I might have Temari reappearing in later chapters, it depends.

Kaiyoshinju will appear again, she just on a soul searching mission. She has turned into someone unreliable due to grudge with Sesshomaru, which is long overdue to get over with. We will see her again and she will be a much better person when she reappears.

This really closes off the Exile chapters. Kuromakaze doesn't immediately pursue his cousin due to fact he can no longer predict him. Kakiboufuu just performs raids on storehouses and supply lines. Boring stuff, so the next chapter is a transition chapter. We are returning to Toromaru and seeing how things went at his end. I believe a lot of it will be reminiscent, however, I think it will be necessary to lead into the next arc, Hi no Taisho (Fire General).

As for the proposed kidnapping and breaking of Sesshomaru, that will happen in a later arc once Kuromakaze gets all his pieces into the right place for such an event.

**Chapter 31: The Return**

Kuromaru finally dies and Toromaru's leadership is given full recognition. Now he fulfills his vows of the past and sends the wolf demons to locate his missing cousin. But even if they find him what kind of homecoming will he receive?

Big ass Japanese glossary. Some appeared earlier, some will appear later.

Jaki: Evil aura

Yoki: demon aura

Shouki: Miasma

Shoukijin: miasma blade, poisoned blade

Kaze no Kizu: wind scar

Yokai: demon

Inu no Taisho: dog general

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(__): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(__): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(__): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(__): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(__): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(__): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(__): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(__): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	43. The Lady of Fire and Wind

Tenseiga's loss was felt deepest by Sesshomaru, who, despite his snarls, treasured his father's gift the most. The first step to restoring it, though, will require a potentially dangerous summons.

_148 years before the search for the jewel shards_

Chapter 31: The Lady of Fire and Wind

_Tenseiga, a useless sword. It cuts nothing on this world. How can one possibly battle with it? These were my thoughts when I first obtained the sword. I yet here I am wishing it were whole once more to undo the horror that surrounds my failing body now._

-Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru sat cross-legged on the veranda of the temple, watching the comings and goings of the clan. It had only been a year since his brother and seized control and things were already much improved. The abandoned temple had become their permanent new home and additions were being added to the grounds to make it more comfortable.

The defections had made Noriko's group the minority and now they were on the defensive. This meant Sesshomaru's group was no longer running from shelter to shelter as they tried to stay ahead of her murderous followers. They had the numbers to protect themselves. The difference this made in the moral of the clan was enormous. People talked and laughed again while carrying out the necessary chores that maintained their new home. It had been a long time since anyone had truly smiled. Any happiness before had been short-lived as reality had often interceded to remind them of their dire straits.

Sesshomaru was happy things had improved but sighed in self-disgust that he couldn't be the one to bring it about. He was truly hopeless.

"It's a wonderful spring day, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, everyone is merry despite the ongoing war and you sigh in disappointment instead of contentment," said his brother, strolling toward him from the entrance to the temple.

Sesshomaru turned to glare then grimaced at the sight. His brother was wearing a white kimono and blue hakama of the Shinto priesthood. The same outfit he had worn when he joined them a year ago. His silver hair was tied back in the high pony-tail like always but today he had a plain cloth tied around his head to keep shorter strands out of his eyes. His huge sleeves were tied back and the bottom of the hakama tied up. He held bamboo rod in his hand with bits of cloth tied at the end.

Kakiboufuu, the reigning taisho of the inuyokai clan, had just come from dusting the interior.

Sesshomaru twitched, his lips pressing into a thin line of disapproval. "It's none of your concern," he hissed and turned away. Really? Why should he be upset that things were going so well just because it wasn't happening under his leadership?

He saw Kakiboufuu's mouth split into a wide grin of mischief as the hanyou leaned forward. "Maybe if you got off your ass and did some house work you'd stop sulking and starting smiling like everyone else. You shouldn't stew like this on such a wonderfully pleasant day."

"I am sulking," snarled Sesshomaru.

FWOOP, FWOOP, FWOOP, FWOOP.

Kakiboufuu whacked his brother's face with the cloth of the duster. "Sure you're not," he agreed cheerily.

He was fresh from dusting alright, clouds of the fine particles exploded in the dog demon's face with every strike and he sneezed and coughed while striking out at the offending cleaning aid. The hanyou was too quick to let his brother get a hold of the duster and made a game of it for a full minute while his older brother struggled to clear his nose and lungs. It ended when Sesshomaru fell off the veranda.

Kakiboufuu peered over the edge to make sure his brother hadn't wounded anything other than his pride in the fall. In that regards, it had been spectacular. Sesshomaru had landed right in the spot where everyone had been dumping the wash water from the interior cleaning. Globs of mud and soap bubbles clung to his white sleeves and hakama, silver hair and delicate hands.

"Do want me to help get that off, Aniue?" asked the hanyou with full sincerity. Teasing Sesshomaru was one thing but Kakiboufuu had a limit to how much torment to inflict on his older brother. He wanted an ally not an enemy and Sesshomaru was still sore from losing status and power.

"No, I'm perfectly fine," replied Sesshomaru in a quiet voice. Dignity and pride dripped as he rose to his feet and marched to the river to clean up. His swirling youki the only evidence of his fury.

It wasn't far to the waterfall where Kakiboufuu often meditated. Even though it held a deep pool, its shore was steep and rocky. Further downstream the land leveled out again and it was there the women were washing laundry and bathing children. The waterfall was empty of anyone and its seclusion was what Sesshomaru sought.

"Immature pup," he snarled as stepped beneath the tumbling water and let the cold strip away his anger. His head clearing and the mud washing away, Sesshomaru reflected on his feelings. He really was feeling petty. Nothing had gone right since his father died and he had taken over. After the loss of the castle his people had lived as vagabonds struggling to stay alive with Noriko hounding them on one side and local demon clans attacking when they strayed too close to their territories on the other. This stability was what he had wanted, wished for, long for during those uncertain years. So why couldn't he be happy that had finally happened?

Because he hadn't been responsible for it.

Kakiboufuu wasn't even an adult but his clan's judgment. Only at eighty was one recognized as an adult and it was the equivalent of a human's fifteen. His brother barely had five decades behind him. Still he had been raised in the human tenko clan where the earlier maturation was expected. Kakiboufuu could act as a mature adult when needed, as his mother's clan demanded.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes as he remembered his brother the night he ordered the traitor family heads to commit seppuku. The coldness of his eyes that had watched as they slit their own stomachs, their entrails spilling on to the ground followed soon by their heads. Then afterwards, when all formalities were finished, Kakiboufuu had come here and Sesshomaru had followed. Here he had seen his brother show his strained emotional development. Here he had revealed his vulnerable heart.

Kakiboufuu may have been born into the tenko clan but Sesshomaru had seen clearly that his brother was following the development of the demon side. Whether the hanyou wanted to or not. In fact he was far advanced for someone his age, leading the clan to believe he was older than he actually was.

Sesshomaru heaved a sigh as he stepped out of the falls. There was little point in correcting them. If the elders realize the truth they would insist he step down until he had _matured_. They never would have permitted the ascension ceremony if they had realized then his youth. They would have let Sesshomaru remain unchallenged for three more decades before forcing the issue. His clan needed Kakiboufuu now not three decades from now. This last year along had proven it.

_The way things were going_, he thought, _we wouldn't have survived another three decades._

Sesshomaru drove his fist through a bolder, his temper rising again. _How could I have been so foolish? I should have given Chichiue my attention. I should have learned how to lead successfully. I should have… _

He stood on the shore dripping water, staring into the deep pool, his bedraggled reflection staring back. Bitter regret was dangerous to a demon; it could poison them for centuries, warping their views and ultimately their personality. At first he had denied his own feelings blaming Izayoi and his brother for the loss of his father. Now, unable to hate Kakiboufuu, he had to face those regrets and acknowledge it was his fault. He had chosen to ignore his father after his mother's death. He had chosen not to listen or learn from him.

"All my fault," Sesshomaru hissed. He picked up a piece of the boulder he had destroyed and hurled into the pool, shattering his reflection. "Is it any wonder he chose to have another child? He needed someone of his bloodline to take over for him and it certainly wasn't going to be me."

"I didn't think of that but you're right, that was probably on the list of reasons for having a child in his twilight even if he never voiced it," said Kakiboufuu from a tree branch several feet above.

Sesshomaru revealed none of his surprise as he turned to regard his younger brother. He was still in his Shinto priest outfit but it was no longer tied back and the handkerchief had been removed from his head. The hanyou crouched on the branch and looked down on the older full demon.

"What do you want?" Sesshomaru snarled, embarrassed his voiced feelings had been overheard.

Kakiboufuu hopped down, landing next to his brother. Sesshomaru leveled a glare but the hanyou was unperturbed. "I can tell you're upset that you couldn't give your people this peace. You're frustrated that you weren't able to prevent the whole rebellion in the first place. That you weren't able to stop the destruction of the Oyaji's castle. That so many of your loyal follower, his loyal followers, died."

"Did you come here just to rub my failing in my face?" snapped Sesshomaru.

"That was not my intention," replied Kakiboufuu with a sniff. "You have a history of not being able to face your problems. Blaming others for when things go wrong. Stewing in your own poison when you can't." The hanyou's indignant expression softened and his eyes turned inward. He stepped forward and knelt at the pool's edge. "You're failures eat at you, leaving you hollow inside and cold. You either hate anything that reminds you of it, hate what you blame for it, or hate yourself for being so weak in body and soul. If you can't figure out how to move forward you end up destroying yourself."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes as his brother spoke. The rasp of regret tinged Kakiboufuu's words and his golden eyes were haunted. "And what are you running from?" he whispered.

Kakiboufuu's ear twitched at the words. He rose slowly and said in the softest of voices, "Running is the same as standing still; you aren't moving forward. You cannot change what has happened, no matter how much you wish otherwise. You cannot raise the dead, no matter how much you cry over their graves. You cannot get back the time you've lost while longing for things that cannot be reclaimed. All you can do is move forward, to learn, to change in a way that should fate present such sorrows again you can do something to change the outcome."

Sesshomaru remained silent, waiting. His brother hadn't answered his question and Sesshomaru refused to be distracted from it. _He's speaking to himself as much as to me. What regrets make moving forward so painful, Otouto?_

Kakiboufuu stood in silence for several minutes as a breeze stirred the air, teasing the brothers' long silver hair. Sesshomaru then glimpsed a strange sight that raised the hair on the back of his neck. Behind Kakiboufuu's right shoulder a mostly transparent, disembodied hand appeared. The wrist was covered in a white sleeve but the rest of the arm faded into nothingness. The fingers were delicate and pale, the palm small, the hand of a woman. It reached toward the silent hanyou but disappeared before it could touch him.

Before Sesshomaru could say anything Kakiboufuu sighed and said, "I had a wife. Yet I wasn't able to protect her or our unborn child."

"Inuyasha?" said Sesshomaru, slipping to his brother's childhood name. The hanyou turned but no anger was visible in his eyes for the slip. They were glassy with unshed tears.

"I couldn't control my power," Kakiboufuu whispered. "She was right there and I couldn't save her."

Sesshomaru recalled the meeting from a year ago where his brother had said he had been nearly killed by Kuromakaze twice. Was he not thinking of that incident when that man turned himself into a hanyou? Targeted? He said he had been targeted but only described the second time. If he had been targeted that time why would Kuromakaze not make certain to finish him instead of playing that game of catch? Masaka… Could he have…?

"Otouto," started Sesshomaru as he placed his hand on Kakiboufuu's shoulder.

The hanyou took a deep breath and let it out as he straightened his back. "Sorry, I shouldn't burden you with my problems."

"You shouldn't take everything on your own shoulders," Sesshomaru countered.

Kakiboufuu chuckled. "Sage advice and I should get to the point of why I'm here now instead of drowning in past sorrows."

"Ah, a wise thought as well, but you shouldn't ignore your own problems by tending to others' first," said Sesshomaru ignoring the hypocritical nature of his remark.

His brother did not. Glaring as Sesshomaru, Kakiboufuu said in a flat voice, "Says the one who went centuries mourning what could not be changed while sacrificing what could. Now mourns the sacrifice instead of moving to save what's left."

BONK! Sesshomaru answered his little brother's moment of immaturity with a moment of his own. Kakiboufuu cringed, gritting his teeth, as he held the top of his head where his brother had hit him.

The hanyou thing growled and got nose to nose with the older demon. "Aniue, you just struck the clan head!"

Expressionless, Sesshomaru replied, "You're right. I'm sorry. I should have had better aim and struck the source of the remark." With a quick step and spin he slammed a round house into Kakiboufuu's back side sending his brother face first into the dirt. "The smart ass," he finished with a smirk.

"If that's how you want to play…" said Kakiboufuu as he pulled his face form the dirt. He then struck Sesshomaru with a flying tackle and they both tumbled into the water. Once there a full water fight erupted with lots of splashing and dunking.

It all came to an end when a third party joined them and succeeded in nearly drowning the pair. Kakiboufuu clung to a rock near the edge of the pool where the water flowed onward gasping for air and looking very much like a drowned rat. Sesshomaru stayed in the center glaring at the newcomer with his head exposed only from the nose up. Air was a much higher priority for a hanyou then it was for a taiyokai.

Naomi grinned back at her father. She had not only offended their pride with her intrusion on their childish fun; she offended their sense of morality with the fact she was naked to the waist in the presence of men, even they were related. She had taken the time to strip down to her under skirt before jumping in.

"What's with the glare? I'm not allowed to enjoy your puppy games?" she asked, batting her violet eyes at Sesshomaru. Red crept into Sesshomaru cheeks and sank lower into the water. "Though it was a vast improvement to the pity party you were throwing each other a few minutes earlier," she added.

"Do you not have any concept of private discussions?" demanded Kakiboufuu, still looking crazed from his near drowning.

"Nope," she replied, her lips spreading into a huge grin. Kakiboufuu didn't know how to respond to her honesty.

Sesshomaru climbed out of the water, crouched on the shore and shook himself dry like the dog he was. With only his family around the quick if undignified manner was preferred. As he righted himself he addressed his daughter, "Why are you here, Naomi?"

Kakiboufuu climbed out of the pool and wrung out his ling hair. The rest of him was already drying fast, much to his brother's annoyance. _Fire users_, Sesshomaru thought with a growl. Naomi seemed reluctantly to get out of the water and continued to splash around in the pool.

"Naomi," prompted Sesshomaru when his daughter failed to answer his question.

"Ask him," she said pointing to her uncle before diving beneath the surface.

Sesshomaru turned his attention to his brother who sighed. "The real reason I came to see you was that I heard from Naomi about Tenseiga."

"What about it?"

"I think I know way to repair it, but I need to see it first."

Sesshomaru stared at his brother a moment then looked away. "It shattered into a hundred small fragments. Not even Totosai would be able to repair it."

"It is a blade of the other world which is why it cannot harm anything of this world," said Kakiboufuu. "I don't believe that a sword like that can be irreversibly damaged by anything of this world."

"Well I don't have it anymore," Sesshomaru said with heat. "So it doesn't matter." A deluge of water crashed into him and he was once again soaked to the bone. Sesshomaru turned murderous eyes against his daughter, the culprit. She stood in the shallows, unperturbed, and pointed to the place where she left her clothes.

"That's why I'm here. After the ascension ceremony, I went back to where we had fought Noriko and collected all the pieces of the sword. A dragon's nose is superior to a dog's in finding things." Sesshomaru's eye twitched at her comment but she ignored and kept talking. "The purse holding the fragments is among my clothes." She then turned around, jumped up into the air, tucked her knees to her chin and disappeared beneath the surface again. Water flew in all directions from her splash down and waves climbed the pebbled shore.

Sesshomaru gave a world weary sigh.

"Now which side of the bloodline does she get that bubbly personality from?" asked Kakiboufuu as he walked over to her discarded garments and sought the purse holding the fragments.

"I have no idea," said Sesshomaru. He shook himself dry again then strode over to his brother, who was clearing a spot on the ground to align the fragments. The older demon stared without saying a word for several minutes as the hanyou pieced the sword back together. Sesshomaru, while saddened by the sight of the shattered blade, was impressed that his daughter was able to find all the bits of metal. Some were tiny slivers the size of a sowing needle. He was equally impressed by his brother's ability to reconstruct the sword from those same tiny pieces. It still didn't change the fact that sword was beyond repair. The only part of the sword still intact was by the hilt, none of the remaining bits were larger than his pinky.

"Is there a point to this?" asked Sesshomaru as Kakiboufuu placed the final sliver of metal. Tenseiga answered instead with a flash and steady glow, but the splintered pieces remained disconnected.

The hanyou pursed his lips as Sesshomaru knelt down. "That sword of Noriko's is something else," Kakiboufuu muttered, fingers drumming on his arms. "It seems Tenseiga can't repair itself without assistance, but it's hardly dead."

Sesshomaru grunted then muttered, "Still, Totosai wouldn't be able to repair it."

"Right, since the sword is of the other world, it must require someone from there to work it," agreed Kakiboufuu.

"Why did you even think it could repair itself?" asked Sesshomaru.

Kakiboufuu shrugged and gave an evasive reply, "Just thought the rules for a spirit blade would be different than a physical blade." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes but his brother rose to his feet and started gathering branches from the trees and the ground.

"What are you doing?" asked Sesshomaru after a minute of watching his brother's inexplicable behavior.

"I'm collecting wood for a fire," replied Kakiboufuu. "We'll need a big one if we are going to summon the lady of fire and wind."

"Nani?!" gasped Sesshomaru in shock and horror. "Eternal! You want to summon _her_?!"

Eternal, the most powerful spirit of fire and wind that often took the form of a great blue phoenix. Her other form was that of a winged woman, that wore the bird head of what she change into like a headdress with the beak shielding her eyes. From what Sesshomaru had been told as a child, she was once an enzeru, a member of the ancient race that legend held had created both humans and demons and ruled over them with cruelty and disdain. Eternal was said to be one of ten that had turned against her people in favor of the humans and demons in the long ago war that destroyed the enzeru. She, like the others, recreated their identity in the new world that emerged.

Ally or not, Sesshomaru, like all those who had been reared on the stories of the ancient times, was leery of calling on such a being. His brother, however, shared none of his concerns as he continued to gather wood for the bon fire he was creating.

"Is this really necessary?" asked Sesshomaru, trying to find an excuse to halt his brother's plans.

"The phoenix she represents exist in both world simultaneously. That's how they are able to be born again from their own ashes when they die. They also can carry souls between worlds. They can carry the dead to the afterlife and the reincarnating soul to its new life."

"Since when are the fire birds involved with dead souls?" demanded Sesshomaru. He had never heard of this later part and wondered if his brother was stringing him along.

"They can, they will take the reborn to their new forms," replied Kakiboufuu without breaking stride. "Though, admittedly they don't handle the dead's journey all that much. It seems they prefer the rebirth part of the cycle."

"So you believe Eternal can fix the sword since a phoenix prefers to give life than take it away?" Sesshomaru wasn't certain if Kakiboufuu was following his own logic. If the fire birds were part of the cycle of life and death wouldn't they be offended by a sword that interfered with that cycle?

However, time had run out to halt Kakiboufuu's plans. During the conversation, the hanyou had finished gathering the wood he needed. He turned toward the waterfall and called, "Naomi, you have to come out now. Eternal's element is fire. She might take exception to you being in the water so close to where she is appearing."

"Hai!" Naomi called back and she climbed out of the water and gathered her clothes.

Sesshomaru growled and confronted his daughter. "You knew he was planning to summon Eternal?"

"Yes," she replied with a smile. She kissed his cheek when he sputtered in shock. "Don't worry, Chichiue," she said as she pulled on her lavender kimono. "We're all ten yokai. And furthermore, you and uncle are Ojii-sama's sons. Weren't he and Eternal comrades during the war?"

"That was then," snarled Sesshomaru. "Things change and a great deal of time has passed since they fought alongside one another. She may not take kindly to our summoning her here just to fix my sword."

"You are surprisingly anxious, Sesshomaru-chan," said a sooth contralto behind him.

The taiyokai stiffened then turned around slowly. Kakiboufuu knelt before the nine-foot tall female tengu. An enzeru she may have once been, but in becoming the phoenix her appearance had altered and now she resembled one of the tengu instead. Enzeru had large sea green eyes with dark blue slits that filled their faces. Their ears, while on the sides of their head like a human or humanoid demon, were long like rabbits. They stood on the toes of their dragon feet and had long tails. White wings, longer than they were tall, spread from their backs. Or so the legend went. Her appearance was that of a human woman with blue iris and slit pupils. Her ears were small with points like his. Her wings were bright blue along with her bird headdress. On the whole far less intimidating.

She gazed at him amused rather than vexed. Sesshomaru then noticed Naomi, fully dressed, was also kneeling on the ground with her gaze lowered. He then suddenly remembered his manners and lowered himself to the ground, flushed with embarrassment. He wasn't used to submitting to anyone, but after the fuss he put up, he should have been the first one to show the powerful fire spirit respect.

"Please come over here, Sesshomaru-chan," she said, waving her long fingers in a beckoning gesture. "Kneel by your brother so I can address you two properly." She said nothing to Naomi but he suspected it was due to her being a sea dragon. Just as Suzaku and Seiryu of the mainland didn't get along neither did sea dragons or firebirds. Her lack of courtesy to Naomi wasn't anything personal it was just how things were.

Naomi didn't move from her place or comment, remaining as still as if she had become stone. Sesshomaru recovered some pride in her good manners. He was certain the girl's mother wouldn't have displayed a fraction of the calm and restraint Naomi was.

After the dog demon had positioned himself the way the fire tengu wanted him, she spoke again. "What reason has brought you to call me here, Lucifer no waka?"

_Rushifaa_? Sesshomaru wondered. Only Xeno had ever addressed his father by that title before. Now Eternal referred to him in the same manner. _I thought "Rushifaa" was a title, a word, from the far west where Xeno came from. For her, Chichiue's equal, to refer to him by it… It must not be a word from Xeno's homeland._

He banished the distracting thoughts from his mind and focused it on the present. There would be time enough later to wonder about his father.

The name Lucifer pops up as a tease throughout the story. Not only does Xeno use it to indentify Kenhoshi, the Inu no Taisho, many older beings like Eternal do as well. However, one has to remember that no one is speaking English or any European language in this story. As such both Xeno and Eternal, who speak Japanese as a second language, are saying the name Lucifer correctly. This is why it is spelled correctly when they say it. What I emphasized with Sesshomaru's thoughts is how a Japanese person would hear and pronounce it. If any native Japanese, unfamiliar with the real name were to say it, I would indicate it with the Japanese pronunciation Rushifaa.

In the story, Sesshomaru has heard the name repeated many times by Xeno, but thought it was a title from the Middle East where Xeno came from. Like "master" or "lord" in Xeno's native language. With Eternal, who predates any present day languages by many millennia and hasn't associated with his father for almost as long, using it, he suddenly realizes that the name isn't an Arabic title but possibly his father's ancient name.

This is a detail that will have little consequence in the current story, but if I do write the sequel, and that is a very big "if" at this point, it will be of great importance then.

**Chapter 32: The Sword's Shattered Spirit**

With the Tenseiga in need of repair, they call upon Eternal, a former enzeru and now most powerful fire spirit in the world. She can arrange the recovery of the sword but the risks are high.

**Glossary**

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	44. The Sword's Shattered Soul

With the Tenseiga in need of repair, they call upon Eternal, a former enzeru and now most powerful fire spirit in the world. She can arrange the recovery of the sword but the risks are high.

_148 years before the search for the jewel shards_

Chapter 32: The Sword's Shattered Spirit

_I never believed a sword shattered beyond physical recovery could be fixed quickly. I just never realized how long it would take for the scattered pieces to rebind nor the danger it would put Aniue in._

-Inuyasha

"What reason has brought you to call me here, Lucifer no waka?" asked Eternal, the lady of fire and wind.

Kakiboufuu waited for his brother to begin, it was his sword, but the older demon seemed lost in thought and the hanyou knew it would anger the volatile woman if her question was answered promptly. Sesshomaru was the most worried about this encounter and he's not even paying attention, though Kakiboufuu as he took a deep breath before he began.

"Forgive are rudeness in bringing you here but Aniue and I are in need of you assistance," said Kakiboufuu. He placed his hands on either end of the shattered sword. "The spirit blade, Tenseiga, was irreversibly damaged by another sword in battle. We have gathered all the pieces, and though the sword still shows life, it can't seem to mend itself without outside help. This is beyond the skill anyone of this world can provide. We were hoping you would know how the blade could be restored."

Blue fire danced around her as she regarded the sword at her feet. Then she knelt, spreading her azure wings as she did, and touched the broken blade's tip. Tenseiga flashed again. Eternal's eyes blazed in response, though no anger could be felt emanating from her.

"This sword should be repaired," she said after a long silence. "It is not a dead thing to be discarded."

"Eh?" Sesshomaru looked between the shattered sword and tengu. "What do you mean?"

"I take it you have not meditated on your sword," said Eternal in a dry voice. She looked at Sesshomaru in disapproval. The inuyokai flinched back from her piercing gaze but said nothing. She returned her gaze to the sword. "A sword that saves lives ultimately has life of its own and a will. This sword can choose to ignore you or it can choose to serve you. It can even choose to save you even when you don't wish it. It is careless and even dangerous to have such a sword and not connect spirit to spirit, will to will. It may end up following its own directive and do something you did not intend."

Kakiboufuu bit off a gasp then bowed his head as he rubbed his eyes, suddenly in pain.

"Are you all right, Otouto?" asked Sesshomaru, his brother's face was pale in the firelight.

"I'm all right," Kakiboufuu replied as his hand moved to his forehead. Spots continued to dance before his eyes, but the vision, if it was one was gone before he could identify it. "I just sometimes get these random headaches. It's not a problem, it's already going away."

Sesshomaru didn't look convinced but didn't press the issue. Eternal's blue eyes narrowed but seemed more concerned than irritated. She continued without saying anything on the matter despite her intense interest.

"Whatever sword did the damaged seems to have poisoned the metal of the blade," she said, returning their focus to the subject at matter. "The scattered pieces want to reconnect but can't recognize the others as being part of the same blade. The sword must be purged of the poison first then the pieces will become one again."

"How does one remove the poison from the metal?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Not by any method any person of this world can perform without losing the sword forever," replied Eternal. She rose to her full height as she spoke. "You did well to gather all the fragments together, however, if you were to use conventional methods of purging bits of the metal would be destroyed and the sword would never reform."

"What about a priestess? Wouldn't they be able to purge the poison without damaging the blade?" asked Kakiboufuu.

"You would think so, but purification does cause some heavily affected parts to be destroyed instead of cleaned. It is like removing diseased flesh from a wound, some sacrifices are needed to save the whole," she replied. "However, in this case nothing would be saved. There is one method that can restore Tenseiga but it carries great risk."

Sesshomaru stared at her for a moment and said, "Whatever the risk, I need to have Chichiue's sword restored. It must be."

"You shouldn't be so hasty, Sesshomaru-chan," said Eternal. "You need to first here what the requirement is. You may change your mind and understandable so. What is required to form a second blade around Tenseiga. It will protect and hold the broken sword together while it mends. It will also draw out the poison that sickens it. It will be a slow process, taking years or even decades before the blade is whole again and can function as it was designed to."

"How will this second blade be made?" asked Kakiboufuu in a whisper, his golden eyes lidded. Sesshomaru glanced at his brother. The hanyou didn't seem any better from a moment earlier. He seemed almost afraid.

Eternal closed her eyes and said in an even tone, "The second blade will be a spirit blade made from the concentrated celestial energy of Sesshomaru's tenyokai powers." Sesshomaru's gaze shot back to Eternal who looked almost sad as she met his eyes.

"My celestial powers? How can you form a blade from that?"

It was Kakiboufuu who answered. "If you concentrate the power and sheathe it in spiritual energy you can make physical item. But it means taking every piece of you that marks you as a celestial, concentrating it and transferring it to a external item."

"In this case it will be focused around the Tenseiga," said Eternal. "It is your sword and the Tenseiga is a celestial weapon. It is compatible with your power. Your healing energy, inherited from your mother will help to draw out the poison while your celestial energy will protect the metal of the fang from corrosion or purification."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and glanced at his little brother. "What's the problem then?"

"Your celestial and healing power will no longer reside within your flesh," replied Kakiboufuu. Sesshomaru gasped.

"As long as the sword is with you, you can use your powers as if your still had them inside you. You can even transform," added Eternal. "However, if you were to become separated from your weapon. You will become like that of an ordinary demon. You will not have your celestial power or your mother's healing power of the tsuki inu clan. Though your demon self is hardly ordinary, come to think of it. A second generation shin yokai in this day and age is as far from ordinary as a full blood can get."

Sesshomaru looked down more concerned about the risks of healing Tenseiga then on her strange reference to the type of demon he was. _It will restore Tenseiga, but not quickly. This second blade will become my weak point. If an enemy were to discover this they would aim for the sword, knowing I would lose power the moment it left my grip, _he thought.

"There is no other way?" he asked.

"None."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and asked his final question, "If I choose to go through this and externalize my power, will it never return to being within me?"

"Once Tenseiga is restored it flow back into," she replied, "however, once power like this has taken physical form it rarely forgets. It will flow back but it can just as easily reform around Tenseiga if you have need of it."

Sesshomaru sighed, relieved that it wouldn't be permanent and reevaluating his choice.

"But," Kakiboufuu said, pulling Sesshomaru from his thoughts and drawing Eternal's attention. The older demon looked at his brother but his eyes were hidden beneath his bangs. "You need to heed Eternal's warning about Tenseiga. Tenseiga's directive is to save lives, not end them. When it is restored, do not lightly wield the second blade without understanding the full consequences of such actions."

"What do you mean by that?" Sesshomaru demanded, glaring at his brother. Kakiboufuu was silent for a moment then bowed his head and rubbed it again. "What does you mean?" repeated Sesshomaru in a more forceful tone.

"It means… what it means," replied the hanyou in slurred voice. "I don't know either."

He had done it again. He had said something that made absolutely no sense. Kakiboufuu squeezed the bridge of his nose and spikes of pain throbbed throughout his temple. The earlier feeling of foreboding had increased and now he had given a warning without realizing it. It wasn't like the moment with Totosai. The remark had seemed odd but it had a sense of practicality to it. Why throw away an item that could be used later? Even if he didn't know for what it seemed wise for the smith to hang on to the second fang until he figured what he could use it for. This warning came with a sense of fear and image that refused to come into focus. It was important but he couldn't figure out why.

Eternal said nothing but Sesshomaru wasn't happy about the dismissive nature of Kakiboufuu excuse. Still there wasn't anything the hanyou could do about it. His attempt to figure out the warning riddle was increasing the pain in his forehead. But I need to figure this out, he thought as he gritted his teeth. This seems too important to ignore. Spots flashed before his eyes and he felt something trickle down his face before everything went black.

Sesshomaru growled in irritation then froze. While it was obvious that his brother was in pain, the sight of blood emerging from the skin on his forehead without a cut to justify it startled him. "Inuyasha!" he cried as the hanyou tipped forward his eyes rolling. He caught his brother before he fell face first into the bonfire. Sesshomaru pulled the hanyou back and shook his shoulders as he tried to wake him. Blood continued to drip down his face but Kakiboufuu remained unconscious.

Naomi appeared next to him and took her uncle from her father. She cradled the hanyou in her arms while stroking his face. "This wound isn't natural," she said, placing her cupped hand over Kakiboufuu's forehead. "I can feel a strange power throbbing just behind the skin. I don't dare try to heal it."

"What's going on?" muttered Sesshomaru.

"The Prophet's Eye," whispered Eternal, stunned. "I never imagined it would appear among the impure… least of all Lucifer's bloodline."

"The Prophet's Eye?" repeated Sesshomaru as he turned back to face Eternal.

The tengu was troubled but she ignored his question. Instead she addressed him with one of her own. "Sesshomaru-chan, do you still desire the Tenseiga's restoration despite the risks involved." She no longer sounded confident about restoring it. She gazed into Sesshomaru's golden eyes, searching for something within.

Sesshomaru looked away and took in the sight of his unconscious brother. "Understand, Sesshomaru-chan," she added, "I now believe the risks to be greater than I originally thought when I proposed it. There may be more danger in restoring Tenseiga then in letting remain in pieces."

_The Prophet's Eye? Prophet…_ Sesshomaru gasped as realization struck. _Does Inuyasha have the ability to see the future?_

"_I don't know either."_

_Was he trying to make sense of something? Was that why he collapsed? Can he not see clearly? Are words, are actions, his vision?_ Sesshomaru reached forward and brushed the bangs from his brother's face. Pulled his hand back and clenched it into a fist before turning back to face Eternal. His decision made.

"He said not to use the second blade lightly when Tenseiga was restored," said Sesshomaru. "He did not say 'Don't restore Tenseiga.'"

"You are prepared?" asked Eternal. Sesshomaru nodded, his gaze never wavering. "Then let us begin." She raised her hands then spread them wide before her. Blue flame fell upon the broken blade, bathing each splintered piece. With every part now afire, the sword rose into the air between them. Eternal moved her right hand toward Sesshomaru and said, "This will be uncomfortable for you but try not to resist."

Sesshomaru had no time to take in her words before his mind went blank as agony beyond description filled him. He didn't know if he were screaming, he didn't know if he were resisting. He didn't know if he was even alive.

Naomi watched in wide-eyed horror as Eternal drew the celestial aspect of her father from him. Sesshomaru's back was arched, his shoulders thrown back, his fingers extended to their fullest, his pupils contracted so far they were no longer visible. The whites of his eyes flickered between their normal color, red and green; the irises flickered between gold and turquoise. His face pointed to the sky with his mouth wide open in a silent scream.

Naomi heard a crack that seemed too loud in strange silence of the terrifying scene. She looked down and realized in her fear and shock she'd gripped her uncle too tight; breaking his right upper arm. His left shoulder, pressed against her chest, hung at an odd angle. Biting her lip, she checked it and found it had popped out of its socket. Forcing herself to ignore her father's tortured form, she pushed the shoulder back into place and focused on straightening her uncle's arm and healing it.

Movement on the edge of her vision grabbed her attention and she hissed. Her father's position hadn't change but something was splitting off from him. Made of white light it held a humanoid shape with long ears and as it pulled further away from Sesshomaru, she could see the tell tale sign of wings. Her father's celestial body was pulling away from him. It resisted the draw of Eternal's sword and waved like a flag in a gale, however, it was losing ground. It seemed an eternity before a part of the figure of light touched Tenseiga, then it was over it less than a second. It was drawn in like thread to a spool. The light spun around Tenseiga and the sword vanished at it took shape.

Sesshomaru, released from Eternal's spell, fell forward onto his hands, gasping. His thoughts slowly began to form again as he mind accessed the changes to his body. He glanced around but saw the sun was still high in the sky, though his vision seemed darker. His body also seemed heavier. His arms trembled with the accustomed effort to hold up his torso.

"If you are feeling disoriented that is understandable," said Eternal. "There is some physical aspects your celestial powers affect. It will take time to adjust so don't rush it."

"I noticed you didn't tell me about these consequences before you took my power," muttered Sesshomaru, forgetting himself in his confusion.

Eternal chuckled. "I assumed you would consider such physical unpleasantness a trivial matter." Sesshomaru didn't say anymore as he pushed himself back. He sat panting for a minute before opening his eyes again. There in front of him was a pure white blade. It held the same length and shape as Tenseiga, though it may have been a bit wider and longer, however at the base of the hilt where the guard was supposed to be was a clear orb that flickered with energy.

"This is the Tenken, formed from your celestial and spiritual energy," said Eternal. "It will assist you in battle as it restores Tenseiga. Just don't forget what you have been told about this second blade."

Sesshomaru reached out and took hold of the hilt of the sword. Instantly his vision improved and he felt lighter. "I'll remember," he said.

Eternal nodded then glanced at the still unconscious hanyou. Her expression became troubled but the sapphire flames closed around her without her saying anything and she vanished. Nothing but ash remained where the fire had been raging a moment before.

"Tenken," he whispered then looked back at his brother.

"_When it is restored, do not lightly wield the second blade without understanding the full consequences of such actions."_

"_Tenseiga's directive is to save lives, not end them." _

Sesshomaru glanced down at the white sword. _What was the future you sensed when you said those words, Inuyasha?_

Coming soon…

**Chapter 33: Black Threads**

Following a string of successful raids, Sesshomaru leads an attack against a supply caravan only to fall into a trap.

**Glossary**

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	45. Black Threads

Update: I went through it and realized I had a lot of mistakes, missed words, wrong words, merged thoughts, so I fixed them. If you already read it and didn't mind the mistakes just skip ahead to the next chapter.

Following a string of successful raids, Sesshomaru leads an attack against a supply caravan only to fall into a trap.

_145 years before the search for the jewel shards._

Chapter 33: Black Threads

_It was inevitable that I would have to suffer the consequences of my choice to create Tenken. I just didn't realize I would experience it so soon or how close it would come to dooming us all._

- Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru peered down the slope at the line of packhorses and men. They were coming from the south into Tenji. Their scouts were certain the train were supplying Kuromakaze with metal ore, extra soldiers and other basics that could not be obtained in the lands he currently held. Sesshomaru growled quietly at the thought of the murderous hanyou who had plotted his father's death, encouraged Noriko's insurrection and plunged the entire country of Tenji in chaos for his own enrichment.

With Noriko in full retreat it was Kuromakaze they were dealing with directly or, more accurately, his supply chains. Kakiboufuu was still nervous about doing anything too grand that would cause the hanyou to reprioritize his attacks. Despite his brother's earlier misgivings, Kuromakaze had not made a direct move against the inuyokai clan. This, for some reason, made Kakiboufuu even more anxious. The hanyou was certain his cousin was planning something. Sesshomaru thought his brother was being paranoid.

The older demon had observed his brother carefully since discovering Kakiboufuu had prophetic powers but nothing he said or did indicated he was speaking while his power was awake. It all seemed mere conjectured based on past experience. So Sesshomaru felt confident none of his brother's misgivings was based on visions of the future. _He's just over thinking this_, he thought as he and his team readied their ambush.

Sesshomaru raised his hand and the other dog demons crouched ready to spring. He dropped it and all six of them launched off the slope with a roar. Horses screamed and men scattered. Samurai drew swords as archers hurried to notch arrows, but demons were far swifter than men and the several died before they realized their opponents were before them.

Sesshomaru summoned Bakusaiga as he drew Tenken, parrying one human's blade with the latter and cutting him down with the former. If they were intent only on destruction, using long range attacks while staying on the slope would have sufficed, but Kakiboufuu wanted the supplies for their own needs. Big attacks of high destruction were not permitted. The men in charge of the horses were mere peasants and fled into the forest at the sight of the demons. Horses reared in terror, dropping their loads and injured whoever was fool enough to stay close to the frightened animals, before bolting in all directions. Some of the panicked animals slammed into samurai as they ran, some grievously injuring the men, some being injured and collapsing in turn.

Against human opponents not even of Tenji and without trained spiritualists, a team of six was overkill. Sesshomaru could have handled the entire operation himself. However, it was the combination of supplies to carry back and his brother's paranoia that had them in a relatively large group. Kakiboufuu believed teams were necessary for all operations, even if it was a simple seek and destroy mission, for safety.

With the last of the warriors dead and the servants fled, the caravan's supplies were secured. Sesshomaru stood up, shook his head and muttered, "Too easy."

"Indeed, too easy," said a dark voice from behind the taiyokai. Tenken and Bakusaiga ripped from his hands, as did the weapons of the other five inuyokai. Sesshomaru whirled around even as his vision darkened; a side effect of losing his connection to Tenken.

A silver haired hanyou emerged from the shadows of the trees, his appearance very similar to Kakiboufuu but far more sinister as he smiled at the ambush party. Several individuals in black and gray armor stood behind him. The weapons of the other demons flew into their hands. Sesshomaru's swords flew to the all too familiar hanyou, dressed in black armor and a powder blue kimono. A black naginata rested lightly on his shoulders.

"Kuromakaze, I presume," said Sesshomaru as he dropped into a fighting stance, the unfamiliar weight of his body already beginning to hinder him as it slowed his movements.

"You would be correct, Reihane," said the hanyou. He let his naginata slide to the ground where its weighted end hit. He then reached for the swords floating in front of him. Bakusaiga pulsed in outrage but little else. Tenken, however, barked lightning that surrounded both swords and forced Kuromakaze to withdraw his hand from the blades. The sudden movement caused him to drop his jutsu's hold on them and they fell to the ground.

Sesshomaru launched himself forward, shifting forward with blinding speed. However, without his celestial power he moved slower than he was used to and Kuromakaze had time to respond before the full demon could reach the swords. The swords rose and flew behind him even as he raised his naginata and drove the blunt weighted end into Sesshomaru's stomach.

Sesshomaru's men cried out and began to charge but Sesshomaru shouted, "Stay back! Tenko must not be taken lightly. Don't lose your focus!"

"Wise words, but a little late to apply them," said Kuromakaze raising his hand.

Sesshomaru heard things creaking and groaning from among the scattered supplies. _The ore!_ He rose from the ground and shouted, "Run! Retreat now!"

"Far too late," said Kuromakaze with a smirk then he laughed. The sacks of iron ripped and the granules of ore rose into the sky. There they disintegrated into dust then bound together to form cords of metal that moved like snakes to the kanetenko's dance.

Sesshomaru ran to join his retreating men, despite his worries about leaving his swords behind. _I can't retake them now,_ he thought with a growl. _We'll just have to think of a way to retake them later._

A cord of iron weaved toward him and caught his foot, tripping him. One of his men turned back when he saw his lord had fallen. It was the last thing that inuyokai would do in this life. A second cord flattened into a blade and sliced him into several pieces.

_No!_ "Don't look back!" Sesshomaru shouted. "Don't look back!" Another demon fell to pieces as the cords caught him in a deadly embrace. "RUN!" _No more_, he thought and turned around to face the kanetenko behind him. The cord still entangled his foot; escape was not possible but attack was not.

"You better start worrying about me instead," shouted Sesshomaru and raised his hand toward the Tenko. Poison rose in his claws and sprayed toward the line. He hadn't gotten far before he was caught; his strike was pointblank. Still three of the Tenko were able to jump clear but lost their holds on the iron cords. The other two weren't as fortunate and screamed as they're flesh melted.

Kuromakaze was unaffected, however, a wind barrier having risen at the moment of the attack, scattering the poison away from him. He still had his smile even as the three surviving demons vanished from sight. A weight settled into his stomach at the sight of the smile. The cord around Sesshomaru ankle hadn't loosened the least bit; it was being controlled by the smirking hanyou.

Kuromakaze glanced at his dying men then said, "Now that wasn't nice, Reihane." The smirking didn't fade the smallest bit.

Cold dread filled Sesshomaru and he cursed. He whipped his hand to launch his demon whip but another cord wrapped around it, arrested its motion. Kuromakaze twitched his fingers and a third cord took hold of his left arm. With a spin of his wrist, the cords stretched Sesshomaru's arms out then lifted him above the ground. The cord around his leg unwound itself then began winding around both his legs. Sesshomaru struggled but he couldn't move.

"Taro," Kuromakaze called and one of the men who had escaped Sesshomaru's poison stepped forward with a bow. "What do you suggest would be fair penance to inflict upon our demon lord here for the slaying of two of our nakama? Keep in mind that we need to keep him alive, so nothing too extreme."

Sesshomaru growled. Taro glanced at Sesshomaru with hate in his eyes then raised his hands. One of the abandoned cords rose into the air and encircled Sesshomaru's abdomen. The man clenched his fist and the dog demon inhaled sharply as the metal extended a barb into his stomach then withdrew it. The man moved his fingers like a puppet master and the circling cord continued to move, inserting and withdrawing barbs at random as it did.

Sesshomaru gasped and growled as the device made its slow journey around his middle then he called up all his demon energy. His eyes turned scarlet and his aura darkened until it was visible. The small wounds in his abdomen closed at once. He pulled hard on his restraints.

"Oh," said Kuromakaze looking more amused than concerned unlike Taro who had retreated a step and stopped his barb crawl torture. "I wouldn't transform, Reihane. It would not go well for you." A ring of metal clamped around Sesshomaru's neck and blunted points pressed against the exposed flesh.

Sesshomaru froze, recognizing the threat. _If I transform, my head will be sliced off,_ he thought, howling in helpless fury. He had been confident he could slip the restraints on his legs, arms and torso during the brief moment when he lost physical form before he grew big. His head he wasn't so sure about. It was always the first thing to change before he became insubstantial.

He looked at the smirking hanyou. _I can't let myself me taken prisoner!_

"You hesitated," said Kuromakaze.

"Eh?" Sesshomaru had little time to contemplate the hanyou's words before his back exploded in white agony and he was suddenly unable to move. Not even a finger! With his body no longer responding, transforming was impossible.

"For a demon of your lineage, a broken back doesn't have the same far reaching consequences as it would for a human or even a lesser demon," said Kuromakaze with a chuckle. "You're paralyzed now, but in a week or so you should be able to move around again. But only if I remember to straighten and support your spine until it's healed."

The metal rod that had cracked several of his vertebrae, bruising the spinal cord, aligned itself with the spine, curving where it needed to. Small tendrils, at the evil hanyou's command, punctured the flesh and wrapped themselves around bone to hold them steady. Sesshomaru only felt a third of the piercings but those were enough to draw a small cry from his lips. The collar merged with the rod and extended tendrils into his neck. He felt the metal move like water up to his skull and cradle it, now his head couldn't move.

He was lowered back to the ground. The metal cords around his waist and legs merged, looping his legs from ankle to hip and up further to his middle. It forced his unresponsive body to kneel even as the metal along his spine kept him upright. The bindings on his wrists pulled his arms behind them and connected with each other. Sesshomaru panted; his shoulders burned from the strain of being held up by his arms and the position they were forced into when bound behind him.

"This momentary discomfort will be eased once we return to my fort," said Kuromakaze as he strode forward to stand before his captive. "There I can bind you more appropriately and it won't be such a hassle."

"Spare me your mock concern," snarled Sesshomaru. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

"I have several reasons," replied Kuromakaze. He raised his hand and Sesshomaru came off the ground. "Among them is Noriko's loyalty." The surviving kanetenko trotted over to join their lord. "The other is bait is more enticing alive than dead."

Sesshomaru growled at Kuromakaze's words in helpless anger. He had been careless in his attack; over confident in his and his subordinates' strength. He had dismissed his brother's concerns when he had warned of this potential threat.

"I'll be sure to make your stay most comfortable while we await the arrival of your brother, Reihane," said Kuromakaze with a laugh as he patted Sesshomaru cheek. If he could have moved his head, the taiyokai would have bitten his hand. Instead, all he could do was level his infuriated gaze on the hanyou.

"Come," called Kuromakaze to his Tenko. The men stepped forward and took hold of the metal binding Sesshomaru's body. "This time will go differently from the last. Since I know he can control his power I won't act carelessly like I did last time."

"Last… time…?" gasped Sesshomaru as they moved away from the ambushed caravan's remains.

"Didn't he tell you?" asked Kuromakaze, his amusement irking Sesshomaru. "I used a similar ploy decades earlier involving his wife. At the time, he had trouble controlling his powers so I thought to play with him. He surprised me then with what the pressure enabled him to do. He will not surprise me again."

"He won't come," hissed Sesshomaru. "Do you think him so foolish to fall for the same trap twice?"

"I've anticipated he'll come knowing it's a trap," replied Kuromakaze, his smile spreading into a broad grin of malice and insane joy. He then threw back his head and laughed.

Sesshomaru shivered and thought, _Don't come! No matter what! Don't come, Inuyasha!_

The commotion in the courtyard drew many of the clan, including Himawari and Temari. Three dog demons stood in the center of the gathering, breathing hard from their flight. The others were throwing questions at them and, in the confusion, nothing was being understood nor answered. Himawari and Temari both pushed their way to the front just as the crowd parted for Kakiboufuu.

Silence fell as the Taisho strode forward, his eyes intense. Himawari glanced at the group, she remembered that all parties held six members or more depending on the type of mission and the risks involved. She glanced at the three and tried to recall who they had been with. Kakiboufuu had no such trouble with his memory.

"What happened?" he demanded as the three hurriedly bowed to their lord. "Where is Aniue?" Several in the surrounding crowd gasped and Himawari felt her heart flutter in fear.

"Forgive us, Taisho," said the middle demon, a young, blonde man with violet eyes. "The attack on the supply chain was an overwhelming success, but just as we finished off the samurai guarding it, six kanetenko emerged from the woods. They stole are weapons. Your brother, Sesshomaru-sama, tried to reclaim his when the leader dropped them. He was overpowered immediately. Sesshomaru-sama ordered us to retreat, however, he was unable to get away. They cut down two of us as we fled."

"You fled, abandoning your lord?" demanded Lady Kou from her place at the edge of the crowd. Her blistering gaze caused the already terrified men to cringe further.

"Kou-obaa-sama," snapped Kakiboufuu, staring her into submission. He returned his attention to the men. "Who was the leader?"

"It was hanyou," replied the blonde man. "Not unlike you in appearance. He held a black naginata. I think… I think I recall Sesshomaru-sama called him Kuromakaze."

Kakiboufuu's golden eyes blazed as the crowd began to murmur. The name was not unknown to the many. Kakiboufuu had brought up the name and the man in his first meeting with all the heads four years earlier. It had sense spread to other members in the clan. Still he had not been brought up since and they had seen no sign of him in all their raids against Noriko's remaining followers and the supply chains of the Kuro Tenko.

"Do you know what became of Aniue?" asked Kakiboufuu in a hushed voice. Others fell silent save for the Lady Kou.

"Obviously he is dead like the other two," she stated with a huff.

Himawari hugged herself, her heartbeat painful in her tight chest. _He can't be dead! Not Sesshomaru-sama!_

"Well?" pressed Kakiboufuu, ignoring Lady Kou's comment.

The man hesitated then looked down and replied, "We don't know. He told us to run and not look back after he was caught. We don't know what happened after we escaped."

"He is dead, Taisho," said Lady Kou. "There would be no reason for Kuromakaze to keep him alive."

"There are many reasons for him to be kept alive!" shouted Kakiboufuu, his eyes taking on a red sheen as he glared at the elder. "If he was going to be kill why didn't that happen the moment when he tried unsuccessfully to recover his swords?"

"If he's alive, then we need to rescue him," said Himawari. "Who knows what they'll do to him while he's their prisoner?"

"We live by a code of honor not unlike the human Samurai's," said Lady Kou. "His capture is a disgrace. He should at least accept his terrible death with his remaining honor and not burden us with trying to rescue him."

"Kou-obaa-sama!" cried Himawari in horror.

"Don't wail, Himawari," snapped the elder. "You were raised with better self-control than this." Kakiboufuu's eyes were hidden in the shadow of his own bangs. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Himawari regarded him and cried, "You would abandon your own brother?"

Kakiboufuu murmured to himself, though the sharp-eared demons all heard his cryptic remark. "Will I step into this trap again?" He looked up at the sky, his expression twisted in torment.

"Yes, go and save your brother," sneered Temari, her eyes flashing her contempt. "Any of us would have been dismissed without so much as a second thought. You go ahead and save your precious brother. Put all our lives at risk for one man who shares your blood. Abandon the ones that don't."

She hated Kakiboufuu for what she had forced her to endure. He had played the fool that long ago night only to turn around and force her father to take action against her. The elders and her father had punished her. Her! They had never raised their voice against her before and that night she had been forced to bare her back to the reeds' cruel kiss like a common servant. Worse, she had learned any adverse action taken against the servants would be met with the same punishment. She had gone under the reed many times since then. Seeing him in turmoil gave her much pleasure.

Lady Kou eyed her kinswoman with misgiving. She knew Temari's true feelings and feared her barb might bring the Taisho's wrath down upon them. _She needs to learn to hold her tongue, though Himawari is hardly any better, _she thought in frustration. _Once Sesshomaru is declared dead, we'll have to retrain Himawari. She has allowed her emotions to overcome her._

"Temari!" cried Himawari, taking a step away from her in shock. She hadn't realized how deep her cousin's hate for the Taisho ran. Temari tossed her hair and refused to look at the younger woman.

"Himawari," said Kakiboufuu in a quiet voice. "Enough, she's right."

Himawari gaped before she remembered herself and hid her face in her sleeve. Temari was equally shocked. The crowd was stunned, even Lady Kou hadn't expected his agreement. He was still young and his brother was his only trusted support.

"I can't risk everyone just so I can have my brother," he continued, though his voice cracked as he spoke. "You don't win wars by being sentimental. You win them by battling wisely, not wastefully. If we launch a rescue now we'll sustain heavy losses at the minimum. All the advantage we have will be lost."

Himawari felt tears slide down her cheeks at his words. His hands were clenched in fists so tight they trembled and bled. _How could I say such things without considering his own feelings? He's hurting as much as I am._

Naomi pushed her way through the crowd. No one knew when she had returned from her own mission but she had clearly heard enough to realize the situation. Her expression thunderous, she stepped before her uncle.

"So you are not even going to try?" she demanded. "We don't even know where he has been taken and you are just giv-"

"He's been taken to Castle Arai," snapped the hanyou, his eyes flashing with suppressed fury. The crowd took a step back; the snapped remark had been accompanied by a blast of authoritative chi. Naomi didn't even flinch.

"If you know where he is then-" she started but Kakiboufuu interrupted her again.

"He's _expecting_ that! He's expecting me to run in to rescue Aniue. He's expecting me to lead the clan to Castle Arai to save Aniue. He's expecting that," snarled Kakiboufuu. "I said earlier there were many reasons to keep Aniue alive. One is to keep Noriko on his side. The other is to use as bait. He's set a trap with the expectation of the entire inuyokai clan coming after him. He's prepared for that scenario. If I go alone, I take just a few or if I take several but not all it won't matter. It will just make things easier for him.

"Castle Arai is his stronghold. There will be many others there, not just him. There will be demons of various skills, there will be spiritualist of various orders, and there will be Tenko or various styles. If we go, no matter the outcome, it will make a mockery of all of Aniue's struggles to protect his clan prior to my arrival. I thought I made it clear before that Kuromakaze is not an enemy you can take lightly. We march on his stronghold we die!"

"You've been to Castle Arai before?" asked Lady Kou.

Kakiboufuu turned his searing gaze on the elder but she remained unmoved. He then reached up and pulled down his kimono on his right shoulder, exposing a scar of twisted flesh. "I only breathe today because of several unpredicted elements. Even then I failed in my purpose of breaching the castle and, worse, my actions nearly facilitated an insurrection among the Shiro Tenko." He pulled his kimono back into place.

"If you know how he is going to respond-." Once again, Naomi couldn't finished her thought before her uncle was cutting her off.

"I _don't_ know how he's going to respond! I only know that he wouldn't do this if he didn't have something in mind. He doesn't do anything without purpose. He didn't take Sesshomaru just to appease Noriko. If that were the case, he would have done it decades ago. It is because I'm here. He's trying to lure me back into his nest where he had the greatest control in order to finish me off."

"Oji-!"

"Drop it, Naomi!" ordered Kakiboufuu. "This is not easy for me, either. I have lost much to him already. To lose more…" He closed his eyes as he breathed heavily, struggling to bring his roiling emotions under control. "This is not easy for me," he repeated in the softest of whispers. He then stepped around Naomi and walked passed her.

"No further missions are to be conducted until we have had time to adjust our strategies," he said in a clear voice that carried throughout the clearing. "Inform all returning parties of this and recent developments. Tomorrow night we'll meet to discuss our future movements. Until then everyone is to remain on guard around the temple." He walked as he spoke, weaving slightly, and the crowd parted. He came to the tree line as he finished speaking. He reached his hand toward the trunk of an oak in appearance of steadying himself. A light pulsed once through the tree then it vanished with only small puffs of fine ash falling to the ground where it had been. A hole in the ground was the only sign of where it had stood a second before. He staggered forward and disappeared in to the shadows.

Temari blanched at the passive display of power. Himawari trembled and wept silently into her sleeve. Naomi growled in frustration.

_Do you what you feel is right, Oji-san_, she thought with venom. _I'm not going to abandon Chichiue._

Author Chat:

I do want to respond to comments made on my story. However, if you are commenting as a guest I can't reply directly to you. I can only answer what I can in the most recent update chapter.

Aeglos: Thank you for all the comments, I love it when people talk to me about my work. It helps a great deal in motivation as well as recognizing problems in the story's presentation. I put this chapter out sooner than planned just so I could address some of your questions.

Ch 44: Hmmm, I liked the chapter a great deal, especially the interaction between Kakiboufuu and Sesshomaru, but I am also a bit disappointed that you did not write the content that you advertised in the last chapter, the one revolving around Toromaru.

I'm sorry you were looking forward to "Homecoming" after "Line of Tyranny". I wrote "Line of Tyranny" _**three years**_ ago and then inspiration died. Admittedly, "Homecoming" and the next chapter, "Sympathy for the Devil", were written six months ago. However, when I went to write the following chapter I was stuck. That chapter would have dealt with the creation of Tenken. I also was trying to figure out how to bring up the subject of the phoenix, Hotaru. Nothing seemed to be worthy of a chapter's attention and I was stuck. Since I'm participating in the NaNoWriMo that is currently in progress this month, I decided to sit down and figure out how to get the plot moving again. I reread "Line of Tyranny" and that's when I came to the conclusion that the time slip between "Line of Tyranny" and "Homecoming" didn't make sense. I had created a set up in the final pages that needed to be addressed. As a result "Homecoming" has been pushed back. It will have its debut but not when it was originally slated. I'm actually happy that figured out the main issue and these new chapters helped to finally place a lot of tricky pieces that will be important later.

Ch 41: Is there any significant reason for you to rename Inuyasha as Kakiboufuu? The battle did not seem so incisive to me that Inuyasha would feel his old self to have died in the course of it...

It actually is traditional for hanyou Tenko to change their names when they reach a certain point in their development. It usually occurs when their human family members, the non-hanyou Tenko, have all passed on, though it can happen sooner. I didn't express that very well but it wasn't a spontaneous decision on Kakiboufuu's part. It was just the first opportunity to announce the change in name. He had had such trouble with his powers before that he was originally a mere scout, not allowed in major combat. After all the lonely decades of training, he was finally a worthwhile warrior. He never expected to become Taisho, though he knew he could play a serious role in the clan's defense and offense now, which he couldn't before. The name change acknowledge the great change in his abilities that he was striving for even if becoming Taisho wasn't on his list to achieve. The name "Kakiboufuu" usually goes to hanyou hikazetenko of the top three houses of the Tenko. This custom applies only to first generation hanyou Tenko. While some later generation hanyou may change their name, it isn't as common and usually has special meaning.

Ch 35: I am throwing myself away laughing - you just gave a totally whacked-up but brilliant explanation as to why exactly Sesshomaru's body harboured a bloody sword...  
I love your way to explain random little titbits of the canon within your storyline. Do you plan that in advance or do you just make them up as you go?

Yeah, when I first read that in the manga I thought, "What the hell? How did that get in there and how did Totosai know about it?" When I started writing the story in 2005 it was before the release of the chapters that revealed his mother was alive let alone about Bakusaiga. The first seventeen chapters were written in that period which was why Bakusaiga wasn't mentioned in any of them. However, after Bakusaiga debuted in the manga I quickly came up with that idea and waited for the opportunity to reveal it. The remaining quirk is Sesshomaru's mother. That detail and that detail alone isn't fitting. So in this version of tales the one that appears in the manga and the anime will be his aunt. The entire story would be upended if I tried to go back and change it. That is the only detail that won't fit with Rumiko-san's vision, but I'm too invested in this story to dump it… again. (Yes, there was a previous version that got trashed. I still have those old files on my thumbdrive.)

Anything else discussing the ending or other spoil points will not be bought up. At least not here. If you really want to be spoiled you can go to my deviantart account. I have some artwork that represents not only written scenes but future scenes as well. Some are hastily done and very sloppy others are pretty good for what I can do. The cover for the story I commissioned another artist to draw. My penname for deviantart is Black_Wren.

Glossary:

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.

Chapter 34: The Firebird

Sesshomaru has been captured by Kuromakaze. Blindly rushing to his rescue will lead to the slaughter of the inuyokai clan. As Kakiboufuu tries to figure out a how to outwit his archenemy; Naomi risks all to save her father.


	46. The Firebird

Sesshomaru has been captured by Kuromakaze. Blindly rushing to his rescue will lead to the slaughter of the inuyokai clan. As Kakiboufuu tries to figure out a how to outwit his archenemy; Naomi risks all to save her father.

_145 years before the search for the jewel shards._

Chapter 34: The Firebird

_I had no intension of abandoning my brother, however, I knew reckless action would only play into Kuromakaze's hands. I dared not voice my truth to the other for various reasons. I needed to time to plan my counteraction and I only had a slim hope of coming up with one that would work. I did not wish to raise their hopes only to come back and say it can't be done. I also didn't wish to hear the words of doubt others would have thrown at me for daring to feel as I do. It would not have been productive. However, I fear my silence may have had a more sinister purpose._

-Inuyasha

Naomi crouched among the bushes, watching the line of men head for the castle. It was one of the largest she had ever seen, comparable even to her grandfather's castle. A town had grown around it, as castles required constant support to maintain. It was all relatively new construction, only a few decades old if that. Smiths, carpenters were in large numbers in the town but seamstresses and eateries were plentiful as well. With residential buildings and markets scattered throughout. It all looked so normal that she wondered if this was really the stronghold for the Kuro Tenko.

The young dragon was dressed in a dark green kimono with dark brown hakama. Her long silver tresses were stained black and soot had been rubbed into her cheeks and neck. It wasn't to try to pass for human; the outfit was to keep from being spotted among the foliage.

With the sabotage missions halted for the time being, Kuromakaze's supply caravans were able to make it to their destination. Naomi merely chose one and followed them. As she stared at the large castle, she began to understand her uncle's misgivings. Since arriving yesterday she had watched numerous soldiers move in and out of the castle. Weapons and armor were brought in as the smiths finished their orders. Food and other castle necessities entered frequently as well. Castle Arai was a buzzing hive that only settled down after full darkness fell.

As she studied the castle, she saw the ramparts were active with samurai. Even after dark the numbers of guards only increased. She felt the need to take action with her father so close but the security of the castle begged her to move slowly. She had defied her uncle's orders by coming; she had to make this rescue succeed.

Naomi thought back to her departure. Himawari had chosen to isolate herself, already mourning Sesshomaru's loss. Naomi couldn't stand to leave her like that and approached her.

"Don't cry, Himawari-chan," said Naomi to the weeping girl. Puffy eyed, Himawari turned to face the silver-haired woman. "I don't care what, Oji-san says, I'm going to rescue Chichiue."

"How?" Himawari whispered. "You heard what he said about the castle. Even if we brought the whole clan, victory still wouldn't be certain."

"This Kuromakaze is expecting Kakiboufuu and the clan. He won't expect me, alone. I can sneak into the castle, grab Chichiue and be out before anyone is the wiser," said Naomi, full of confidence. Himawari still looked doubtful so the young sea dragon added, "Remember, I have a lot of power on hand and I can tap into the weather. If anything happens, I'll unleash hell on them. There'll be so much confusion they won't notice us leaving."

"So you are arrogantly claiming you have more power than our Taisho," said Temari as she entered the small clearing where the two women were kneeling. Both turned to regard her.

"I am a sea dragon," said Naomi as she rose to face the treacherous woman.

Temari snapped out her fan and peered over the edge. "Maybe if you could transform into the dragon without collapsing afterwards you'd be able to boast. However, as it is I doubt you would be able to do much more than get captured. No matter how much I despise the Taisho, it doesn't change my acknowledgment of his power." She paused for a moment, snapping the fan shut. "Nor does it cloud my ability to read him. He wants to rescue his brother. He wants to so bad that to do otherwise is physically making him ill. If he says a rescue will result in our ruin I'm willing to accept his judgment."

"You only cared about Sesshomaru when he was the Taisho and you wanted the prestige of being his wife," snarled Naomi. "Now that he's no longer Taisho, you don't care about him at all. He could burn for all you care, so long as you are safe."

Temari tapped her fan on her shoulder as she glared. "Sesshomaru's still a catch even if he no longer holds the position of head. He is still the previous Taisho's son and he is still a Reihane. The near extinct tsuki inu blood is still a prize in of itself. Even if the marriage has no political gain, the bloodline itself is worth it."

Temari turned to leave but threw in one last barb. "Of course a mongrel, such as yourself, wouldn't understand that." Naomi growled and set herself to lunge at the impertinent bitch. "Moi. I won't tell anyone what you're planning unless asked. It's no skin off my nose if you get yourself killed disobeying the Taisho." She began to walk away adding over her shoulder, "If you are successful then I get more chances to try and dislodge Himawari from his side."

Naomi snarled as she thought about Temari's comments. Now as she stared at the castle she wondered if she was about to get herself killed. _If I go back now I'll have to face down Oji-san for my disobedience._ She thought about that and realized there may have been a second motive behind Temari's vow of secrecy. _I bet she's thrilled with the idea of me being punished by Oji-san. I may not belong to the inuyokai clan but Oji-san certainly considers me part of his family. As head, he won't tolerate any disobedience. He may well make an example of me._

She thought of Himawari's tears when she thought her husband-to-be was lost. Her hopeful expression when Naomi told the girl she would rescue him without fail. More than anything, she did not want to fail for Himawari's sake. _After all my boasting and confidence, to turn back now would shatter her, _Naomi thought.

She sighed and looked again at the castle. _It's only been one whole day since I arrived,_ she thought. _I need to study the keep closely to determine any weaknesses. Once I have them, I'll strike._

Kakiboufuu sat beneath his waterfall, hands resting on his knees, in meditation as the water flowed over him. His spiritual energy pulsed and radiated away from him as he sent his soul to the other side of reality, the spiritual domain of the elementals and other pure spirits. He needed to speak with Eternal, to beg her help in retrieving his brother from Kuromakaze. However, to summon her by fire as he had for Tenseiga would be the highest insult. The sword's repair required her to be in the physical world to assess and ultimately to cast the spell. What he required was mere communication, so he must go to her.

There was danger in such a move. To travel to the other side he needed to release nearly all of his spiritual energy to create the path across and to be his guide back. He had found in the past whenever he released his spiritual energy his fire energy was released as well. It was only passive but everything within a hundred feet of him would become dry as tinder. So weak and brittle even the mightiest of trees had become that they would crack and topple over in wind or if someone leaned or pushed on them. The water arrested the negative effects of releasing his spiritual energy, capturing the fire's energy and preventing it from spreading to the surrounding vegetation.

His spirit soared through the ether on pearl white wings as he sought the Azure Phoenix's realm, Eternal's home. In the spirit world his appearance was very different from his physical form. His ears were long like a rabbits, his feet were like that of a dragon's and he had a long thin tail with a mane of white hair moving down along the top of the spine and flew like a flag from the tip. He could feel his fangs were more prominent and eyes that saw more than they did in the physical world.

Several firebirds appeared around him and called. He glanced at them. "So she sent you to guide me," said Kakiboufuu to the birds. "I am honored." With those words the birds flew ahead.

They led him to a mountain chain where several of the peaks erupted in fire and ash. Lightning danced around the active craters as massive clouds rose above. Winds summoned by the eruptions whipped around the sides and swirled to the top. The firebirds and Kakiboufuu banked to avoid the worst of the maelstrom, swerving from one side to the other and riding the updrafts to clear cliff faces. The mountains opened to a small plateau and palace that rested upon it.

Flocks of firebirds of various colors and sizes and species flew and nested on the around the palace. Kakiboufuu's guides led him to the lower steps and he came to a landing there. Though he could have flown to the top, he was given clear instructions on how to approach Eternal's residence. He would have to climb the stairs first not fly in as if he belonged there.

Folding his wings, he ascended the stairs. Climbing was not a problem and he had to tread carefully with Eternal. She had not minded helping them with Tenseiga because the risk was largely borne by them. This time would be different. He quieted his emotions knowing they would only hinder him now.

As he cleared the last step, a voice called to him. "So you come into my realm now," said Eternal. She sat on the entrance steps of her palace across the courtyard from him. The firebirds that had guided him perched around her and one orange bird rested on the back of her hand.

Kakiboufuu strode forward until he was halfway to her then kneeled. "My lady honors me by allowing me entrance in her grand estate."

"Your manners are impeccable. Akira did well by you," she said. Kakiboufuu closed his eyes at the mention of his dead master. "I assume this is about your brother."

"It is," replied Kakiboufuu without lifting his head. "He was captured by Kuromakaze. I am certain Aniue is being used as bait to lure me into his trap. I know the most logical choice is to accept my loss and refuse to take it, but he is my brother and I am as responsible for him as I am for all my people. I do not wish to so easily abandon him but I cannot risk the lives of my people just for him."

"You understand your position well," said Eternal. She shifted to face him. "So why have you come here?"

"I humbly ask for your assistance in rescuing Sesshomaru," he replied and waited. Whatever her decision he would accept, for better or for worse.

"So you would risk mine instead of yours?" Her voice was unreadable but Kakiboufuu knew he needed to answer quickly. Anger was implied.

"Kuromakaze seems unable to handle unexpected situation well. My people would still be involved but I thought some assistance by you or yours would give us an edge, add an element of chaos into his well thought out plans."

Eternal's bell chime laugh filled the courtyard, startling Kakiboufuu into forgetting himself and looking up. Wild amusement lit her face. "Add an element of chaos into his plans? Inuyasha, you are adorable. A true spirit of fire."

"Eh?"

"Fire is the element of chaos, wildest element, the most unbound. It follows nothing, it obeys nothing. It feeds, it grows, it retreats, it hides only to explode once more. Most forget that, focusing only on the power it represents." She laughed again before continuing. "Metal is your opposite. It is rigid, absolute order. In the heat of the fire it binds together to form an unyielding power. It is discipline in chaos. It is predictability."

She rose to her feet and raised her hands to the sky. "I shall assist you, Inuyasha. I did not grant you Tenken only to have it stolen long before it could fulfill its purpose. Come my beauties, who will journey to the other side with the Hino Taisho?" Several firebirds cried their compliance, but the orange phoenix that had been perched on Eternal flew over to Kakiboufuu and landed on his shoulder.

"Oh?" Eternal gazed with interest at the phoenix. "What is it you desire, Hotaru?"

The orange phoenix had a four foot tail that she spread like a fan. It flashed blue, white and gold in the light. The rest of her body and head resembled that of a falcon save for the crest atop her head that she raised. Blue feathers flashed and her gold eyes met Eternal's blue. "I wish to journey with this one to the very end," replied the phoenix in a small shrill voice.

The two locked gazes for several minutes as the courtyard held its breath. Finally, Eternal relented. "If that is your wish, Hotaru." She smiled at the phoenix then turned her attention to the other firebirds. "If you are ready prepare yourself for the journey. Hotaru will call you when it is time to strike."

As the birds chattered their excitement, Kakiboufuu spoke to Eternal, "If you had refused I would have accepted it and mourned Aniue. Thank you so much for this."

"Do not thank me yet, Inuyasha," she said with gravity. "You still have a battle to fight and you need to do it soon. Your foolish niece has put herself in mortal peril."

"What?! That stupid girl! I ordered her not to do anything," snapped Kakiboufuu as he rose to his feet.

"Indeed. Sagara may see a benefit in keeping Sesshomaru alive; however, I don't believe the same can be said of Naomi," said Eternal. She turned away, signaling that the meeting was over and Kakiboufuu needed to be on his way. The hanyou bowed and turned to leave. "That sea dragon is near the waterfall at the moment. I wonder how long she'll remain there."

Kakiboufuu didn't stop or look back. Her final comment didn't require a response, just the opposite. She hadn't said it to him but to her charges. He just happened to overhear her. To acknowledge it would be to acknowledge his eavesdropping, a very rude activity to be indulging in.

_She doesn't mean Naomi, since she's off getting herself killed by Kuromakaze,_ he thought grimly as he strode down the stairs. _She must mean Kaiyoshinju._ He sighed as he thought about facing the sea dragon hanyou but, with time running out for Naomi, avoiding her would be impossible.

Naomi moved silently through the halls of Castle Arai. It was well after dark and the town had gone to sleep. The interior of the castle wasn't inactive but it was a far cry from the daytime. Using her water magic's reflective attribute, she avoided the eyes of the guards on duty. She had every intention that afternoon of waiting and watching until she saw the opening she needed but, as evening fell, she had heard a cry on the wind followed by the scent of her father's blood. Knowing her father was being tortured somewhere within, Naomi could wait no longer.

She paused to take in the scents of the castle and followed the whiff of blood and fear floating in the air. She followed it down stairwells and through doorways into the deeper part of the main keep. She strained her ears for guard activity before she opened the doors to enter. No further noise of torture came from within so she guessed they were through for the night. It would be easier to rescue her father if no one was attending him when she arrived.

Finally the stairs came to an end at the head of a long corridor of stone. Torches lined the passageway. There were steel doors along the wall, cells for prisoners. She sniffed at each one and listened but none she passed held life. There was no fresh air in the deep dungeon, no windows led to the outside. When she left with her father, they would have to go the way she had come. She grimaced as she realized the stairwell was the only exit and the entire castle and its guards were between her and freedom.

_No turning back now_, she thought, pressing forward. _Chichiue is just ahead. Hold on, Chichiue!_

She traversed the long hallway until she came to a single door at the very end. She listened for movement on the other side and only heard one person laboring to breathe. Her nose told her who it was. With a mix of excitement and trepidation, she pushed the door open.

She froze at the sight that met her. Against the far wall was her father. Shackles captured his wrists and the chains pulled them up and back, holding him up. A second set was clamped around his neck. He stood on his feet, but his knees and waist were bent. Cuff held his ankles and chains tied them to the floor. Blood trickled down his face and arms and stained his once white hakama. He looked as if he wanted to kneel but the shackles around his wrists held him too high up.

Naomi recovered herself and rushed forward. "Chichiue! Chichiue!" she whispered and placed her hands on his face. "Chichiue, I'm here! I'm going to get you out."

Sesshomaru at first didn't respond but when her hands touched his face, he flinched. She leaned forward and began licking the blood off his face. Sesshomaru growled a warning but didn't move.

Naomi paused and took in his battered form again. "Chichiue! It's me, Naomi!" she whispered. "I'm going to get you out." Sesshomaru didn't stop growling or acknowledge her words. She stared then noticed the blood trickling out of both ears. She reexamined his face. Blood was coming from beneath both closed lids and his nose was broken.

Blind, deaf and unable to smell, her father had no way of knowing who was standing in front of him. With blood coming from his mouth as well, she feared his tongue had been taken. She felt her rage rise but she contained it. Her father didn't need her going on a rampage. He needed her to save him.

She kissed his forehead and whispered, "Don't worry, Chichiue. You'll be home soon enough." She reached for a shackle to unlatch it.

"If you free his arms you will only hurt him more," said an oily voice behind her. She spun around.

A hanyou that looked a great deal like her uncle save for his short cut hair and dark clothes. His hair was only shoulder length and was held back by a sky blue headband. He wore a matching kimono underneath a black sleeveless haori and armor. His gold eyes glittered in amusement as he regarded her.

_Kuromakaze_, she thought in horror. Even now, with him standing before her, she couldn't smell him. Another hanyou, a female with long black hair and red eyes dressed as a hitenko stood to his side. She too was masked from Naomi's nose. Naomi growled as she dropped into her fighting crouch.

Kuromakaze tsked her and said, "You should really pay closer attention to your environment, Naomi. Or at the least, take time to really look at your father and see how he's been restrained."

Naomi eyed him but didn't move. He smirked and said, "Don't worry, we won't attack. You are standing next to our precious bait after all. I don't want him to be killed."

Naomi growled but she took a step back and while keeping the duo in her periphery, she glanced at her father. What she hadn't seen from the front she saw clearly from the side. Metal bars were stuck into his back along his spine. It explained why he was leaning forward when the chains on his wrist and neck pulled him back.

"Kisama!" she shrieked.

"Now what kind of language is that for a lady?" he asked in a chiding tone.

Naomi stepped forward and unleashed a lightning spell on the sinister hanyou. He grinned and the female hanyou lunged forward and caught the spell then tossed it aside. Kuromakaze just kept smiling.

_

Chapter 35: The Gathering Storm

Kakiboufuu has the backup he needs to make rescue possible but time is not on his side. Naomi rush to save her father has caused her to fall for Kuromakaze's trap. If Kakiboufuu wishes to save both his niece and brother, he'll have to team up with the very person he exiled.

Author Notes:

Bwahahahahah! I have come with an excellent solution to reconcile Ginhana and Sesshomaru's mother from the manga/anime. I am so happy! That chapter will appear after "Sympathy for the Devil" where I explain the pair and their relationship. It felt so good to finally figure it out and all while I was watching Sesshy's mom on final act.

Sorry for the delay. I really wanted to wait until I finished up the "Hi no Taisho" sequence of the story before posting further chapters. I write quite a bit and needed to do some editing. Fortunately, I finally sat down and started to do that. I was burning out again but the sequence is all but done and I can now beginning focusing on the Poisoned Sakura sequence that follows. The End of Days sequence is after it and it is the last sequence in this story. Finally! Here's to finishing the story in the new year!

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	47. The Gathering Storm

Kakiboufuu has the backup he needs to make rescue possible but time is not on his side. Naomi rush to save her father has caused her to fall for Kuromakaze's trap. If Kakiboufuu wishes to save both his niece and brother, he'll have to team up with the very person he exiled.

_145 years before the search for the jewel shards_

Chapter 35: The Gathering Storm

_I was too far gone to realize what was happening at the time. Only later was it explained to me what transpired that day. Knowing Kaiyoshinju's temperament, I found myself filled with new admiration for my brother. I would not have been able to do the same if I our positions had been reversed._

-Sesshomaru

"So you didn't think to stop her, despite my reasons for not going after Sesshomaru?" demanded Kakiboufuu. Himawari prostrated before him, quivering in fear. Lady Kou grunted her disapproval. Temari was kneeling but she remained aloof refusing to be cowed by his anger.

Servants were dressing the hanyou in his armor. He had changed clothes after returning to the temple. He now wore a red haori over a white kimono with a red hakama. The armor was brown with gold highlights. Three fangs lined each shoulder guard. Every inuyokai there thought their Taisho resembled his father the greatest when he chose to wear his armor. Little did they know this was his reason for not donning his armor more than necessary. He was still sour toward his dead father and didn't like being compared to him, especially favorably.

He glared at Temari who glared back at him, unrepentant. She seemed to have gotten bolder since their initial meeting. Temari's refusal to inform him of Naomi disobedience until it was too late was no surprise. She despised the dragoness for not choosing her during the marriage agreements. Himawari was another story.

"She is not clan," said Temari. "Why should we be concerned about her choices?"

"I agree with Temari," said Lady Kou, surprising everyone. "She may have disobeyed you, but unlike your brother, she is not of the inu clan. Clan should not have to worry about one that cannot follow her own lord."

When Kakiboufuu had returned, he called a meeting with the entire clan. Once all were gathered, he discussed his plans to rescue Sesshomaru, much to the surprise of the inuyokai.

"I had no desire to have it even brought up before I had secured the help we'll need if we are to pull this off," Kakiboufuu replied when questioned why he hadn't mentioned it before. "I was uncertain whether or not I could obtain this aid and I didn't want the clan moral negatively affected if I could not. The fall is far longer when one's hopes are high. However, I was made aware of an unfavorable development that will force me to move faster than I would like. Naomi has apparently taken upon herself to rescue her father on her own, against my orders!"

The clan had reacted with surprise save for two members. Himawari, Sesshomaru's fiancée, went ashy pale and trembled. Temari simply looked bored.

"Himawari, Temari, do you have anything you wish to share with the rest of the clan?" he asked, his voice neutral. He had not thought it possible but Himawari went even paler.

Temari drawled, "I heard Naomi tell Himawari what she was planning. She sounded confident she could handle the rescue on her own."

Kakiboufuu narrowed his eyes and said with a growl, "Only because she has no idea of what is awaiting her. He will allow her to come close, even enter the castle ground before springing his trap. The deeper inside his nest you go the harder it is to escape."

"So how would you propose we pry Sesshomaru from such iron strong clutches?" asked Lady Kou.

"We go in hard, full frontal attack," replied Kakiboufuu. "Our strongest and most talented will lead. When we close on the castle and he thinks he has us. Hotaru here will summon her comrades from the other side. The presence of the firebirds will create chaos; that unpredictable element will be our edge in this battle."

He ended the meeting there and ordered all to prepare. A few had remained behind to speak with the Taisho privately; Temari and Himawari were ordered to stay. He still had to decide how to reprimand them for not telling the others of Naomi's departure.

Now as the clan made ready for the battle, Lady Kou continued to push to stop it. Her remark about Naomi annoyed Kakiboufuu only because it made sense logically, but it was Xeno who spoke next.

"You forget she is still the Taisho's kinswoman," said the soft-spoken fire demon in his harsh and heavy accent. "Even if the clan feels no obligation because her blood favored the dragon and not the dog, it does not change the fact that she is still Reihane. She is no mere vassal to be thrown away when a burden. Since you are sworn to the Taisho, his family is of concern to you whether they are inu or not." Lady Kou snarled at him but he closed his violet eyes and ignored her heat.

"I have a question, Taisho," Xeno said after a moment. "Are we really going to be enough? Even we have Eternal's firebirds on our side in the battle, will we really be able to hold out until your brother is extracted?"

"I don't know," replied Kakiboufuu as he straightened his armor. "I don't yet have the full measure of Kuromakaze's ability to plan. I cannot know how fast he can change them or what he has in reserve. I have information on Kaiyoshinju's whereabouts. I will be approaching her for assistance as well."

"It would help us immeasurably if you could secure her aid as well," agreed Xeno.

"You shouldn't be so furious with us then," said Temari. "With Naomi's life on the line, her help should be guaranteed."

"If you wish to do the negotiating with Kaiyoshinju on those terms," said Kakiboufuu in a light voice, "I will guide you to her location and leave her to you." Temari blanched and recoiled from the Taisho as Xeno chuckled. "Didn't think you would be so foolish. So don't think I would be either. I hope I can last long enough to explain that her daughter is entirely to blame for the situation and I did not encourage her in any way."

"How will you approach her? And how will you broach the subject of Naomi without it sounding like you are holding her hostage?" asked Xeno. The foreign fire demon understood Kaiyoshinju well. To try to speak with her without bringing up Naomi until the end would be impossible. Kakiboufuu would have to bring it up at the start just to hold her attention. Even then she might not listen as she would assume it was Kakiboufuu's fault that Naomi was in danger.

"I think I shall have to open with 'Your daughter has no self-discipline. Did you not raise her to understand the need to obey her Taisho?'" Kakiboufuu replied as he made the final adjustments to Rokukafuga. He clenched his fists and the blades expanded in a burst of flame.

Beneath his veil, Xeno smirked.

Hotaru located the sea dragon hanyou with ease. Kakiboufuu wondered if fire spirits were always aware of the presence of their enemy element for self-preservation reasons. He put that idea from his mind as he faced down the infuriated she dragon.

He had pitched to her like he said he would and now he held her complete and undivided attention. The good news; the phrasing had made her pause before attacking him. The bad news; she still hated him for the humiliation he handed her that night years earlier.

"Is that the only reason why you sought me out?" snarled Kaiyoshinju, here violet eyes blazing. Her fingers tensed and her claws extended as she prepared to strike. "I'm glad she's giving you trouble, you deserve nothing less!"

Without altering his mask of irritation he continued, "I would save the praise until after you know what orders she chose to disobey." Kaiyoshinju remained in her stance but didn't strike, her eyes focused on the inu hanyou.

_So far so good_, he thought, releasing just enough of his power to evaporate the sweat before it could reveal his distress. "I had told her to remain at the temple pending further orders. I had told her not to take action; to do nothing until I said otherwise. She disobeyed and now she has fallen into the hands of the coldest and most merciless Tenko our country has."

"What?!" cried the dragon hanyou coming out of her stance, anger vanishing as fear took over. "What is she trying to do?"

"She is trying to rescue her father," replied Kakiboufuu. "He was captured a few days ago."

"And you're not doing anything to save him yourself? And you call yourself his brother!" she snapped.

Kakiboufuu's expression changed to mild surprise. "Oh? So you still care about your former lover? I thought we would not care that he was in enemy hands."

"What goes on between Sesshomaru and myself is personal. It doesn't involve anyone else!" she said with a snarl after being taken aback by his words.

Feeling more secure in his position, he hopped over to her. "I had no intention of leaving things as is but Kuromakaze is no enemy to take lightly. He took Sesshomaru with the intention of using him as bait. I know where he has gone and I roughly know what to expect. I could not risk attacking without first finding away to shift the odds in my favor and with him that would be most difficult. I was not sure I could so I kept my true intentions from everyone until I had that shift. Naomi's actions have forced me to step up the timing of the attack. I needed that time to plan an effective counter strategy with my generals. The plan I have now will get more people killed than I intended and we may still fail."

Kaiyoshinju eyed him suspiciously. "You didn't encourage her to go?"

"No, she would have been more effective at this stage than where she is now," replied Kakiboufuu, meeting her gaze unflinching. Kaiyoshinju looked away. "That is where you come in, Kaiyoshinju." He reached into his haori and pulled out a golden circlet with a sapphire jewel embedded into it.

She turned back to him, shocked. "I thought you didn't trust me with this."

"I don't," he said. She flinched from the snap then glared at him. "However, circumstances demand I return it. You are the only one who can control it, wield it, without revealing it." Her face revealed her confusion though she said nothing.

He leaned forward and said in a soft voice, "I doubt Kuromakaze was aware of your exile. He probably planned on you showing up with the rest of us. However, even when one is expecting a typhoon there is little one can do to prevent the damage it wreaks." Kakiboufuu smirked as he took her chin into his hand. "You have always been a force of nature. Between you and the firebirds, I'm confident we can overwhelm my cousin's calculations."

"Well, as long as you understand that," she said placing her hand on his cheek, stroking the jagged purple stripe. She dropped her voice to a bare whisper, "But don't think this means I'm getting soft on you."

Kakiboufuu grinned then kissed her forehead. He slipped the circlet over her head and danced out of her reach before her hand could meet his face. "Bastard!" she hollered, more indignant than furious.

"Indeed," he said before disappearing into the trees on his way back to the temple. Kaiyoshinju grumbled, straightened the circlet then ran after him.

Toromaru grimaced, as did several generals, when his father appeared on the steps leading to the courtyard. Kuromaru had grayed and wrinkles now decorated his face but he remained strong and straight. Tenko aged slowly and, though, they grayed in the later part of their life, they did not become bent or decrepit until after they completed a hundred years. Most did not live long after that. His father was close but he hadn't achieved the centurion mark yet. Toromaru wasn't certain how much more the clan could survive of his leadership.

Following Inuyasha's suggestions had averted the worst but they still suffered. Especially when his father chose to make public edicts that could not be altered or ignored. It looked like he was about to make another and Toromaru just bowed his head and awaited his father's commands.

"I have thought long and hard about are previous battles and taken a look at the information scouts have provided us. I now know how to end this war," he announced to the assembled samurai, demons, Tenko and spiritualists.

_Not another end-the-war campaign_, thought Toromaru with dread. These campaigns his father ran were attempts to put a stop to all the fighting with one decisive push against the Kuro Tenko. However, the three previous campaigns had all ended in defeat with staggering loses both in men and land. Worse he led the pushes himself so there would be no way for Toromaru and his allies to prevent the disastrous move.

_At this rate we won't last to see his hundredth birthday_, he thought gritting his teeth. He still wondered how his father kept coming back alive when so many of those with him perished. _Maybe my brother is still sentimental about Chichiue. Or maybe he is enjoying how Chichiue is making things so easy for him._ That seemed the more likely possibility. _Keep the fool in power; makes the war that much easier._

"We will be attacking Castle Arai, the enemy's main fortress and where their leader is staying," continued Kuromaru, oblivious to his men's grumblings. "Prepare yourselves for battle; we will eliminate the source of the scourge once and for all." He turned away and the gathering rose to their feet.

"Maybe this time a lucky arrow will end this," muttered Kenji. The wolf demon had been party to the last two campaigns. In the first one, Kuromaru had wanted things to be ended by "Tenko hands". He changed his mind after the defeat left him with few Tenko with both the training and experience to defend their holdings.

He didn't say who the arrow would hit but those who heard understood it wasn't Kuromakaze he was thinking of. Toromaru sighed. No one would report his less than patriotic comment. Even Toromaru found himself hoping the same.

"Let's get ready," Toromaru said to the others. "Maybe this time we can keep the causalities to a minimum."

Kakiboufuu regarded his clan. He had been careful to make certain those remaining behind were protected. Men of various experience and age remained behind including General Raiken.

He had taken the general aside as those going gathered in the courtyard. "If things go badly, take them and abandon Tenji."

"Where should we go?" asked Raiken.

"Anywhere, just don't stay here," replied the Taisho. "I can't bear the thought of any of you having to submit to Noriko."

"I understand, Taisho."

Now he stood before the assembled attack party, knowing he could be leading them to their deaths. _Am I really being selfish in trying to save Aniue?_ Hotaru, perched on his left shoulder, rubbed her head against his in reassurance. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

He turned to face the northeast, the direction of Castle Arai, and said, "Let us fly, and tonight, beneath the full moon, we shall show the Kuro Tenko what made us the demon lords of Tenji!" His people cheered. "Let's fly!" The inuyokai surrounded themselves in demon light and rose from the ground. Kakiboufuu spread his wings. Xeno's phoenix, Scheherazade, grew in size, took hold of her master then carried him into the sky. Soranoko pulled a feather from her hairpiece and she and Yukibi rode the giant feather it became.

Raiken watched them leave and prayed they would return safe. _If you do not return, I fear we will follow you and end ourselves. No matter where we go we will have to fight to create a new home and we do not have the means to maintain such a fight. I will not burden you with such knowledge, though. You have enough concerns. If things go poorly, I can at least grant you the peace of believing we will be all right._

"Forward!" shouted Kuromaru from atop his horse and kicked the beast into motion. The legions behind him, both mounted and on foot, began the hard march into enemy territory. Kenji and his wolves as well several other types of demons ran ahead to scout for Kuromakaze's troops and deal with them if able.

Toromaru watched them leave with trepidation. As the lord's heir, he had been ordered to remain behind with the skeleton guard. _It won't make much of a difference if I'm here or there if they lose this time. There isn't enough to ward off any of the Kuro Tenko's attacks if they defeat the main force. This is the end. Chichiue has killed us all!_

The army disappeared into the forest and Toromaru sat down on the edge of the engawa; waiting for death to arrive.

Chapter 36: Fire and Water: Chaos Absolute

Kakiboufuu moves against Kuromakaze to save the lives of his brother and niece. At the same time, the Shiro Tenko move in what many believe to be a suicide attack against the Kuro Tenko. The elements of Kakiboufuu's counter-strategy begin to fall into place.

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	48. Fire and Water: Chaos Absolute

Kakiboufuu moves against Kuromakaze to save the lives of his brother and niece. At the same time, the Shiro Tenko move in what many believe to be a suicide attack against the Kuro Tenko. The elements of Kakiboufuu's counter-strategy begin to fall into place.

_145 years before the search for the jewel shards_

Chapter 36: Fire and Water: Chaos Absolute

_High-strung and largely undisciplined, Kaiyoshinju would not have been my first choice in taking into such a battle, but against the ultimate strategist… If I found her lack of self-control dangerous; Kuromakaze would find it a terror. If I could keep her wrath steered in the right direction that is._

-Inuyasha

Naomi shrieked as lightning shot throughout her body causing it to twist and contort in many unnatural ways. Kuromakaze watched his smile gone as he became bored of the whole spectacle. He had given Yamibi the pleasure of dealing with the she dragon since he refused to let her have Sesshomaru. However, this type of physical torture had no value to him. There was little entertainment in it. He much preferred the form of torture that worked on the mind. If one did it right, the victim would do most of the work themselves and it was harder to recover from. Even if they escaped, their damaged minds kept them prisoner. It made them easier to predict and control.

Sesshomaru's pathetic state was out of a need to keep him helpless. If Kuromakaze had realized his daughter would arrive ahead of the clan, he would have at least let the inuyokai keep an ear. And maybe his tongue so the hanyou could hear Sesshomaru plead mercy for Naomi as Yamibi tortured her death. Now that would have been entertaining. However, while Sesshomaru could sense the power being released in his vicinity, he had no idea what was happening.

Kuromakaze let out an impatient sigh when Yamibi stopped her attack again to allow Naomi to recover. The raven-haired hanyou wanted to make the woman suffer as much as possible. Naomi collapsed to the floor and this time didn't rise. She cringed instead waiting for it to start all over.

_She's finished,_ thought Kuromakaze. _Though, I doubt she is._ He glanced at Yamibi who smiled and licked her lips. _That woman is too easily amused._ The wind whispered to him and his attention turned away from the women. His eyebrows furrowed as he read the scene the wind showed him.

He turned back to the pair. With Naomi no longer able to rise, Yamibi had resorted to more direct attacks, kicking and punching the downed woman. "Finish her, Yamibi," he ordered.

"What? But you said I can take my time with her," said the female hanyou, pouting.

"More guests are arriving," he said as he pushed open the door and entered the hall beyond. "The inuyokai are coming but so are the Shiro Tenko."

_And they are coming from opposite directions_, he thought grinding his teeth in fury. _This is most unexpected. If they were coming together, they would be easier to handle. I was anticipating focusing on one location. Now I will have to divide my forces to face them both. Kakiboufuu, you have certainly out done yourself this time. I will just have to make sure to end you before you manage to find a way to top it._

Yamibi growled. "Fine." She looked down at the moaning Naomi. "Your kin are coming but their arrival will only spare you further pain. It is far too late to save you." Yamibi drew her sword and brought it down on Naomi's neck severing her head and silencing her voice. She pointed the sword at Naomi's chest and light flashed from the tip of the blade. A whole burned through the rib cage, devouring the organs beneath, leaving an empty hollow in its place.

"Not even Tenseiga will be able to heal that. Sayonara, Reihane Naomi," said Yamibi with a smile. She then ran to catch up with Kuromakaze, pausing only long enough to close the door to the cell.

Silence descended and the only movement was the dance of the flames of the torches. Then Naomi's body shimmered, losing color and form. It became a lump of wet clay roughly in the shape of a body and head. The air by Sesshomaru twisted and Naomi appeared, sitting next to her father. She held her ribs and blood trickled from her mouth. She stared at the mass of earth that has masqueraded as her only moments earlier.

_If she hadn't looked away_… thought Naomi and shivered. In the moment that Yamibi had turned to glare at the departing Kuromakaze, Naomi had pulled her clay doppelganger from her hip pouch, the item expanding to take her form, and rolled away from the sadistic hanyou, casting a mirage around her to hide her movements. Breathing raggedly, she began to cast a healing spell on herself. There was no telling when someone would return and she needed to be able to stand and fight again if she were to get her father out.

_I will take whatever sentence Oji-sama hands me,_ she thought, _and I will be properly grateful to be alive to take it. _She turned her attention to the iron spikes coming from her father's back. _I wonder if that bastard will notice if I cut these?_

"There it is, Castle Arai," declared Kakiboufuu. The castled towered over the land, black against the moonlit night.

"Shouldn't we have met some resistance by now?" called Saben.

"Don't worry, we will soon," replied Kakiboufuu. "He wants us closer. He won't impede our travel until we are right where he wants us to be. That said, rear guard stay alert. If he does what I think he'll do, he'll want to cut off our retreat. He'll start the attack from behind."

The others called their acknowledgement. _It seems, he's made further improvements to the castle since the last time,_ thought the Taisho, squinting at the distant keep. _Even with the help from Eternal, this may not go well. I may have to prepare myself. If I cannot recover Aniue, the only thing I can do is to end him. At the very least, I can make certain he won't suffer anymore._

Kenji and his pack ran through the forests with their ears and eyes open and noses flared as they sought the enemy guard they were certain was there. Only small groups, quickly dispatched, had appeared since the start of the campaign. It made the wolf demon uneasy.

_There should be more guard posts than this_, he thought. _We've penetrated far into their territory yet met little resistance. Something isn't right._

He stopped and the rest followed his lead. Without taking his eyes away from the scenery before him he asked his mate, "Do you hear anything, Tsubame?"

Tsubame closed her eyes as she concentrated. She had the best hearing of all the wolves in the pack, her ability to detect and discern was second to none, but she needed to focus to use it. With her ears, she could hear the heartbeats of hidden sentries from a hundred yards away. After a minute, she shook her head.

"No one's there," she said, flashing worried blue eyes at Kenji.

Kenji growled and chewed his thumb claw. "This isn't right. I feel like we're being drawn in."

"Should we go back and inform the lord?" asked Tsubame. The others were quiet as they waited for their leader's decision.

Kenji cast his gaze to the fragments of sky he could see between the leaves. The sky had lost its last light from the vanished sun. "The army has already stopped for the day. They may even be bedding down to prepare for the dawn rising," he muttered. "Kuromaru won't march them in the dark." He sighed.

He turned back to face his pack and the other demon scouts gathered. "I very much doubt Kuromaru will listen to mere suspicions. It won't accomplish anything going back to him now. Instead of stopping, we'll press ahead and see if we can find where the Kuro Tenko troops are being positioned. Once we have something confirming the suspected trap. We'll head back to warn the army."

"Will he even listen then?" asked one of the wolves with understandable doubt.

The wolf shook his head. "I don't know but we stand a better chance of convincing him with actual evidence instead of speculations and suspicions."

He turned around and trotted forward through the trees. The rest followed without a word. _I just hope we aren't the ones that end up springing the trap,_ he thought. _I'd hate to die for that worthless lord._

"So where are they now?" asked Yamibi as she came up behind Kuromakaze. He stood on the highest tower of his castle with his eyes closed listening to the wind that circled him.

"They are not as in sync as I originally feared," he said without turning to face his second-in-command.

"So how close are they?"

"At the rate they're marching, the Shiro Tenko won't arrive here for another two days. They have a small vanguard to clear the path of obstacles. They'll arrive sooner, possibly near dawn, if they stop to rest."

"Aren't you concerned about them? About what they could report to your father?"

"If he were a man who was concerned about what the vanguard will see he would not have embarked on this campaign of his to begin with. There is nothing they will see that will change his mind. If we let them return to him that is."

"Should we send someone to meet them?" asked Yamibi as she combed her long raven locks with her fingers.

"No, let them come. It will make escape that much harder." Kuromakaze opened his eyes and turned to the southwest. "They should arrive after Inuyasha does." Yamibi followed his gaze and saw the demon lights of the approaching inuyokai clan. "Are the troops in position?"

"Just awaiting your command," replied Yamibi.

"Excellent, now it is just a matter of timing."

The inuyokai clan was almost to the castle when Kakiboufuu inexplicably whirled around and set off a barrage of fireballs, causing the other demons to scatter. Everyone hollered their startled protests as they dodged the flaming bombs, their lines falling apart. The fireballs exploded against the ground, lighting up the forest and igniting the trees that survived the initial impacts.

A half-a-minute later a second series of explosions occurred. The clan, with their formation already broken and scattered into small two-three man parties and individuals, easily avoided the whistling missiles that shot into the air and exploded, scattering sharpened metal and semi-molten slag in all directions. The clan managed to avoid the worst of the falling debris.

Saben, face pale, turned to his lord and asked, "How did you know?"

Kakiboufuu, equally pale, shook his head and replied, "Just a feeling." He yelled to the others, "Don't bunch up! Maintain your distance from now on. There may be more such surprises before we are permitted to engage the main force." Everyone began to move forward again but more spread out than before.

"What was that?" asked Xeno flying closer.

"I think that was a Chinese rocket, though, modified," replied Kakiboufuu, grimacing. "Though, I've never seen one before. I've only heard about them from overseas traders and I've never heard of them being stuffed with metal."

"He hasn't used such weapons before," said Xeno. "He must have recently gained a tie to the mainland. The longer this war is prolonged the more it seems to favor him." The Arabian fire demon glanced at the hanyou. "I have noticed his holdings in Tenji have increased."

"It would be nice if we could end this tonight, but I am not so foolish as to believe it," said Kakiboufuu. Another series of whistles behind them made the clan increase their speed and turn their attention to the flying bombs. The fires in the forest was causing them to launch randomly, some didn't even get off the ground before exploding.

_Hitenko were supposed to launch those once we had passed by overhead. They were supposed to be shot into our backs,_ thought Kakiboufuu. He tried not to think about the strange impulse that had made him fire through his own clan into the dark forest where the rockets had been hidden.

Naomi bit her thumb and her blood across her father's eyes, down both sides of his nose and dripped it into his mouth and ears. She needed him aware before she could free him. Before she had been too desperate to free him and too confident she could sneak out the way she had snuck in. She had also been afraid of revealing her presence if she used her powers while within.

_With the clan coming, maybe Kuromakaze will be too focused on what's going on outside the castle to notice what's happening within it_, she thought and prayed. _Either way, I can't wait to heal him. Chichiue needs to be able to stand on his own feet when we leave._

She pressed both hands against his cheeks and concentrated, expanding her youki and pushing it into him. Her energy gathered around her blood and called to his waning powers. Several minutes ticked by, then his eyes opened and he stared into her face.

"Naomi," he whispered. Naomi opened her eyes and smiled even as he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," she replied. "Isn't that obvious?"

"You shouldn't be here," he went on. "It's a trap."

"We'll discuss that later," she said, deciding now was not the time to bring up her close call. _When Chichiue's feeling better_, she thought, _he may well take me to task for coming here against orders._

She stepped behind him and asked, "Can you tell me if I need to remove the spikes in your back first or the shackles? They look like they are inside your back but I don't know beyond that. I was going to cut the metal but if I can remove them it would-"

"You're going to have to cut them if you can," said Sesshomaru with a hiss. "When they captured me, they broke my back then use the iron to support it. That metal is wrapped around the bone."

Naomi cursed and placed her hand over a spot several inches above the skin. She summoned with her celestial magic a small plasma ball and pushed it against the upper spike. The metal glowed them parted and deformed in the intense heat. Unfortunately, some of the molten metal dripped off the spike and onto Sesshomaru armor, burning through to the skin. Sesshomaru grunted and growled.

"I'm sorry!" cried Naomi.

"Never mind," Sesshomaru said hastily. "Ignore it and go. I'll survive a few burns."

Dust fell from the ceiling and the both felt the tremble of the earth as a groan sounded from outside. "That must be the clan," said Naomi. They're already here!

"Then go faster," he snapped. "Kuromakaze was expecting them this whole time. He'll slaughter them if they linger too long."

Naomi bit her lip as she struggled to melt the iron spikes. _That's easy for you to say, Chichiue. It's not easy for me to maintain his plasma ball without burning my own hand off._

Kuromakaze growled as the rockets fired uselessly into the air well ahead of their timed send off. The fire from Inuyasha's attack continued to spread finding the other hidden catches, pursuing the attendants that were assigned to light them. He had planned on the demons being in the air. Non-aerial fighters had been kept on the ramparts and near the base of the castle where he expected the inuyokai to make landfall. The aerial units would attack only after the rockets struck, cutting off the path of retreat and creating casualties and confusion among the attacking clan. Inuyasha had ruined that set up and Kuromakaze quickly went through his list of strategies, seeking the one that had been built on this very possibility.

"How could he possibly know those were there?" snarled Yamibi, echoing Kuromakaze's thoughts. "We only just received them a month ago and kept them in reserve just for this moment."

"Instinct," whispered Kuromakaze as his mind raced to pull together a different set of strategies as the clan approached, spread out more to better defend against the missiles from the ground.

"What?" Yamibi blinked at her commander in confusion, not understand his single-word remark.

"Never mind, the traps," he said, the vision of his plans playing before his eyes, the lines changing in accordance with the new battle data. "Signal the troops to strike now. Push them further apart and overwhelm their small groups."

Kakiboufuu saw the Kuro Tenko's signal flares and shouted, "Rise and exchange partners, he's going for the straight attack now that his ambush has failed. Do not land or you will be overcome by his ground troops."

In the planning stage, he had determined whose powers and abilities were most compatible. These predetermined teams were to meet up once the fighting began. The impromptu scattering had separated most of the teams but nothing that could not be overcome. Everyone rose and repositioned themselves to be with their teammates. They could see shadows rising from the ramparts as Kuromakaze's aerial troops took flight.

"Guardians to the front," called the Taisho. Kaiyoshinju, Xeno and Soranoko pulled even with him. "He tried to lower our numbers with a surprise attack. Let's return the favor even if our attack isn't a surprise. Just don't hit the castle. We still need to be able to enter and exit in a hurry. A mess inside would only hinder our efforts."

"Hai!" the three chimed. Xeno drew his strange curved swords he called scimitars. Soranoko drew her two fans from her obi and snapped them open. Kaiyoshinju raised her staff in right hand and brought her left hand forward.

"You may begin," said Kakiboufuu. He extended the first two fingers of his left hand and spun his arm in a full circle, his right followed though he could not control the movements of individual fingers, so they all remain extended. Lightning danced around him and he thrust both hands forward, all fingers fully extended. The lightning flashed from his claws and snaked toward the approaching enemy forces. A dozen were struck directly while others nearby were caught by the lightning's energy surge. Most dropped to the ground. A few righted themselves before impact and rejoined their comrades.

Xeno snapped his swords, edge end forward, toward the Kuro Tenko. Fire sizzled from the blades and flew like handle-less scythes. Scheherazade added her own strike by opening her beak and breathing a column of fire. The aerial troops dodged the flaming projectiles. Some, kazetenko, attempted to blow them back, but Xeno was an old warrior who knew his craft well. As soon as the wind of the Tenko encountered the flames, they erupted in a backfire, engulfing all those near. The phoenix's attack punched through the inferno to take a few more by surprise.

"I came east because I was weary of war," said Xeno. "Yet I find myself on the battlefield once more. I guess Allah was not ready for me to lay down my swords."

"My apologies for dragging you into our problems, Xeno-san," said Kakiboufuu as he launched another lightning strike.

"Don't, Taisho. At least these battles are not empty of purpose," replied Xeno. He added in a whisper of deep regret, "At least it is not a battle of revenge."

Kakiboufuu glanced at the fire demon and muttered to no one, "Pointless indeed. Such wars would never end. They just go on until no one remains; an endless landscape of bodies and restless ghosts."

Kaiyoshinju raised her staff and massive clouds materialized from several points in the sky, blocking out the moon and sending the entire area into darkness save where torches and fires raged. Thunder rolled through the heavens and the wind rose. The rain that would have fallen gathered above her in an aerial whirlpool that grew larger as the seconds ticked by. When she was satisfied with the amount, she weaved her hand through the air and the water channeled into a tube shape, launching like a great water serpent. The enemy troops couldn't dodge it as it wove through the air and swallowed all in its path.

Soranoko stood atop her feather and extended both arms out to the side. She then spun, weaving the fans in an upward motion. Great cyclones dropped from the heavens. She spun once more and ended with both fans snapping shut just as they pointed toward the aerial troops. The cyclones' tips changed directions and dove among the advancing troops. Kazetenko, unable to take control of the winds directly, launched their own counter cyclones only to have them devoured by the hungry maw of Soranoko's.

The cyclones died a premature death and so did the water snake. The funnels split apart and lost shape. In the flash of lightning from the storm, Kakiboufuu saw the culprit. Kuromakaze hung in the air, his black leather wings spreading from his back, his lips pressed into a frown as he stared at the inuyokai. The water snake exploded into a mass of steam and superheated water. A woman hovered where it had been, dressed in red with raven hair and ruby eyes. Great white wings beat the air.

"A Kurohane," stated Xeno. "I wonder where he found her. They were supposed to be wiped out."

"She may have found him," said Kakiboufuu. "Now where are Noriko and her followers?"

"Well met, Inuyasha," said Kuromakaze, holding his naginata at his side; red runes glowed along the blade.

"I take it no one had bothered to inform you of my name change," said Kakiboufuu, spreading his awareness around him. Looking for the strike that Kuromakaze's presence was attempting to distract him from. _Noriko and her clan are still nowhere to be found,_ thought the Taisho as his flicked his gaze around in time with the lightning flashes. Kaiyoshinju's storm has inadvertently given them cover.

"I assume then that it has changed to 'Kakiboufuu'. How predictable," said Kuromakaze.

Kakiboufuu shrugged and gave Kuromakaze a lazy smile even as he placed his hand behind his back and gave a series of complicated fire signals. "I thought you liked predictability," he said, playing Kuromakaze's game even as his clan slowly shifted position to his silent commands. "There was always 'Avenging Fire Angel' if you like."

"Avenge is a good label for you," said Kuromakaze as a smile began to bloom in all its sickening glory across his face. "Since that is all you will be able to accomplish tonight in regards to your niece."

"What do you mean by that?" demanded Kaiyoshinju, losing herself to his verbal trap. Kakiboufuu knew exactly what it meant and it wiped the fake smile from his face. They had been too late, despite their rush.

"It means what it means," said the Kurohane. "That accursed Reihane is dead and I was the one that dispatched her not even an hour before you arrived."

"Kaiyoshinju, don't be baited!" hissed Xeno.

"It was so wonderful hearing her scream, helpless before my power," she continued with a smile, her voice taking on the edge of insanity. Then the smile faded and heat infected her words. "Like so many of my family were before the Taisho."

_Masaka! Don't tell me… She's an actual survivor and not a descendant of one,_ Kakiboufuu thought with alarm. _That would make her older than Aniue, much older. And she's been holding this grudge for all this time._ He heard the confused murmurs behind him. _Does the clan not know of that event? Is there no one alive now who lived through those days? Wait…_ He turned his attention to the fire demon. Xeno's violet eyes were narrowed as he stared hard at the Kurohane.

"Damn you!" screamed Kaiyoshinju and she charged.

"All the Reihane deserve to die for what they did to my clan," the woman shouted and sent bolts of energy flying toward Kaiyoshinju.

_Damn!_ Kakiboufuu dove to intercede before the attack could land. He flared his wings before realizing why, killing his dive a second before wind blades spun through the air where he would have been if he had kept going. He looked toward the source and saw Kuromakaze charging him.

"Let's just let them continue," Kuromakaze said with a laugh and swung his black naginata as Kakiboufuu's head. Kakiboufuu rolled and activated Rokukafuga and slashed it at his cousin.

Kaze no Kizu's hungry lances reached for the other hanyou. Looking bored, Kuromakaze tried to turn them as he done at the Inu no Taisho's grave. Kakiboufuu smirked and Kuromakaze realized too late he couldn't control this Kaze no Kizu. He struck his naginata into the current to divert it but still took a punishing blow and was sent flying.

Kakiboufuu turned his attention back to Kaiyoshinju, fearing the worst. Xeno hovered between the two women his scimitars to either side having deflected the strike. Kakiboufuu had little time to be relieved before Kuromakaze was targeting him again. The Taisho turned to face his cousin.

"Go back, Kaiyoshinju," ordered Xeno. "I'll finish her myself."

"I'll take my own revenge," roared Kaiyoshinju.

"This isn't for revenge," he said. "This is clean up. She was supposed to have died centuries ago."

"What?"

"Go back!" he barked again. "You are able to handle Noriko, I presume."

"I can," she replied, a mixture of anger and bewilderment.

"She'll be attacking soon and the rest of the clan can't stand against her," said Xeno. "Take her head and let the rest end her meager band of traitors." Kaiyoshinju turned away reluctantly and flew back to the main group. Xeno focused all his attention on the enraged hanyou before him.

"You participated in the massacre of my clan?" she breathed, her face a mix of shock, disbelief and outrage.

"I suggested it," replied Xeno. "Your whole clan was involved in a plot to overthrow the Taisho, Tenko Lord and the Mikado. Your whole clan desired absolute power over all this country and were willing to use their celestial powers to reestablish the ancient order of the Enzeru, with themselves as the divine rulers. Your clan betrayed the Taisho with that conspiracy alone. He could not wait for your clan to act, the lives of many innocent, the peace of the land, depended on his preemptive strike. Your whole clan was involved. Though , he did not wished to slay the children. He knew, as I did, that no matter how he would try to change their feelings, those children would only grow to be his enemy. There was no hope in changing that reality so the only solution was to end all of your clan at once, children included. But apparently we missed you."

The female hanyou screamed and launched a string of attacks against the fire demon, refusing to give him a single moment to strike back. It was all he could do just to divert the furious blows. Xeno, however, was patient. Waiting for the moment she would tire. With the amount of power she was hurling, he knew it wouldn't be long.

Noriko and her small band of loyal followers dropped from the cloud cover Kaiyoshinju had so generously created. The female inuyokai grinned at the irony. _Let this be the day Kaiyoshinju dies_, she thought, her blue eyes glittering in the dark. _I would have had Sesshomaru much sooner if not for her and it would have been with his father's blessings. This war wouldn't even have been necessary._

She prepared to strike the unsuspecting inuyokai of the Taisho below. Despite the repeated warnings from Kakiboufuu, they were too busy tangling with the kazetenko and lesser flying demons to watch their heads. Noriko licked her lips in anticipation in destroying those that opposed her. Then in the flash of lightning, she noticed something that gave her pause.

"Saben!" she growled. Saben, the son of one her most loyal generals, the traitor that had abandoned her the moment his father was killed, the moment when the new Taisho had appeared. He had chosen a mere hanyou as lord over her pureblooded family. The scarlet-haired man, perhaps sensing her burning gaze piercing his soul, looked up and blanched.

"SABEN!" Noriko roared; abandoning the planned ambush, she shot toward the man. Saben tried to retreat but Noriko braked hard to follow. Like the other inuyokai, he could not move as quickly in the air and Noriko, being a celestial demon, was at home in the sky. She came at him, her claws extended and celestial energy coiling around her fingers. Once she struck, he would die as so many others before, his body vaporizing.

A stream of fire sliced the air between Noriko and Saben, forcing her to brake and retreat. Saben glanced to the side and saw the firebird Hotaru swooping toward them. The scarlet inuyokai retreated further from Noriko's reach as Hotaru continued to fire at the female. He took in the changed battlefield.

Noriko's yell of fury had alerted the rest of the army to her minions' imminent attack. His comrades were holding their own but barely. He turned to regard Hotaru again and remembered the phoenix was supposed to summon others to bring confusion to the Kuro Tenko. Why she had not done so yet, he didn't know. However, he believed they needed to be here now. He rushed to the phoenix.

"Hotaru-san!" he cried. "Now, please! Do it now!"

"Do what now?" said Noriko as she dodged a flurry of fireballs while being driven closer to the ground. "Well, I'm not letting you!" she cried and threw a celestial attack spell at the phoenix.

Saben gasped in horror as the spell struck the firebird only to stare in dumbfounded surprise when Hotaru shrugged off the effects of the spell without losing speed. Noriko was wide-eyed in shock. Hotaru opened her beak to line up another attack then closed it without doing anything. Saben saw the reason before Noriko.

Kaiyoshinju followed through with the silent drop ambush that Noriko, in her anger, had abandoned to the detriment of her minions. Some instinct, perhaps the movement of Saben's gaze, made her look up a second before Kaiyoshinju brought her staff down with all her immense strength.

Noriko's fast summons of a shield and allowing gravity to take hold of her body saved her from the fatal strike. She still struck the ground with all the gentleness of a meteor. Despite the earlier order to stay in the air, Kaiyoshinju followed her prey to the ground.

"Kaiyoshinju-san!" cried Saben. Hotaru echoed his cry with a raptor shriek. The inuyokai moved to follow, more from habit than actual wisdom but the firebird blocked his path. The ground erupted as several grounded Tenko of water, fire and earth launched attacks against the sea dragon hanyou.

They were countered by her overwhelming water magic that swept the forest in a sudden flood and ripped trees from the suddenly sodden ground. The fires in the forest went out plunging the battlefield into further darkness. The increased release of power intensified the storm around them. Winds grew into gales that threatened to blow even the kazetenko away. Lightning strikes in the clouds and to the ground became so frequent the darkness could not claim the area for more than a few seconds. Thunder drowned out the noise of battle, deafening all. Then it began to rain; ice cold drops that lanced the skin and stripped the fighters of their inner fire. The Tenko were powerful but were still human. The cold began to take its toll on them first as they began to succumb to hypothermia.

Saben needed to get back to the battle but he wasn't certain where to strike first.

He took in the scene trying to gauge where he was needed the most before glancing at the firebird. "I supposed now would not be a good time for your comrades to appear," he said.

The firebird warbled a note that sounded like a laugh then he felt something rise from within. A strange voiceless voice echoed within his head, "Actually, now is perfect. Water is our greatest opponent and partner."

Saben gaped and the phoenix raised her crest, flashing white feathers, and sang. Within moments, the sky erupted in light and hundreds of firebirds flew to join the battle. A scene already beginning to disfavor the Kuro Tenko was rapidly turning toward the inuyokai's victory.

Kuromakaze stared, dumbfounded at the change in the battlefield. _He summoned water and fire to create a battlefield of absolute chaos, _he thought in horror and fury. _Inuyasha, you are indeed a power to be feared._

Chapter 37: The Power to Break the World

Kakiboufuu's clan and the Shuro Tenko's vanguard. The unexpected collision of these independent forces may change the course of battle in their favor… or it may cause the greatest catastrophe of all time!

Author Notes:

I was able to show a little bit of Toromaru and give you all a peek at what is happening with the Shuro Tenko right now. As you can see Kuromaru has not improved in leadership ability.

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	49. The Power to Break the World

Kakiboufuu's clan and the Shuro Tenko's vanguard. The unexpected collision of these independent forces may change the course of battle in their favor… or it may cause the greatest catastrophe of all time!

_145 years before the search for the jewel shards_

Chapter 37: The Power to Break the World

_While Naomi struggled to free me from my bindings, my brother fought to save us both. No one could have predicted the arrival of Kenji and his pack to the battle. Nor could we have predicted the consequence of having all five Jewels of Life used simultaneously in the same area. It was not a lesson we would dare forget._

-Sesshomaru

Kuromakaze separated from Kakiboufuu, retreating several yards as he tried to analyze the shifting battlefield, a rare moment of dumbfounded shock. The pair of hanyou were breathing hard, both unable to gain advantage over the other. Both learning more about each other's strengths and weakness during that exchange than they had in the many years prior.

_He summoned water and fire to create a battlefield of absolute chaos, _he thought in horror and fury. _He came here with this already planned. When did he realize my one weakness? When could have learned of such a thing?_ He thought hard about their two encounters in the past; the first trap involving Kakiboufuu's wife and the later fight in the Inu no Taisho's tomb. _Did he really figure it out just from those exchanges? Did he really analyze those battles and realize the reasons for my failures? _He glared at his cousin even as respect rose within him. _Inuyasha, you are indeed a power to be feared._

He growled as he twirled his naginata. Kakiboufuu was a natural as a warrior; able to adapt in the middle of the fight, reading his opponent with no conscious awareness. This was something Kuromakaze could not claim. Constant repetitions of combinations and training with other warriors had allowed him to learn reaction based defenses and quick counter-attacks but the ability to adapt was not his. It was his most vulnerable point in actual combat. That was why his weapon was the long naginata. It forced others back so he could think of his next move. Kakiboufuu's only weakness was the short range of his physical weapons. Kuromakaze's naginata forced the other to remain out of his zone while still keeping him within lethal range. However, longer weapons were slower to recover from a strike and Kakiboufuu knew it.

They both were aware and employed the virtue of patience in battle. Kuromakaze because he needed the slower paced fight to think his way through it. However, Kakiboufuu exhibited the true lethal potential of this virtue by maintaining his defense and baiting Kuromakaze into striking while waiting for the opportunity to duck under the other's guard. Kuromakaze understood the strategy and tried to compensate for it by launching long-range weapons attacks. He summoned his wind scythes to force Kakiboufuu to retreat and give Kuromakaze time to recoup.

Kakiboufuu hadn't forgotten about Kuromakaze's flying blades and revealed his new defense. Ropes of blue plasma sprang from his body and struck all the blades, reducing them to white molten slag. Once superheated, Kuromakaze lost control over the metal and they dropped to the earth below. The ropes, however, collapsed quickly and Kakiboufuu struggled to control his breathing but failed to hide it completely; informing Kuromakaze that his cousin couldn't maintain them for long. Which also explained why Kakiboufuu wasn't attacking with it. Short-term power attacks, when they failed, could leave the caster more vulnerable than before. Kakiboufuu wouldn't gamble that the ropes could reach the agile Kuromakaze.

The two hanyou were both wind users and able to hold themselves aloft without flapping their wings. Kakiboufuu's were real despite the wreath of flame but they weren't required like Sesshomaru's to maintain an aerial battle without utilizing large amounts of youki. Kuromakaze's were strictly ceremonial. In a prolonged battle, if both exhausted their wind jutsu, Kakiboufuu could still maintain altitude; Kuromakaze would drop like a rock.

Kuromakaze had come to the conclusion the battle would go better on the ground for him. It would eliminate the limiting affect of the wind jutsu on their battle while giving him cover he could use to sneak in fatal strikes. However, the troops on the ground had made the Taisho already leery of dropping to down to the earth. Kuromakaze's earlier attempts had been blocked.

Now as the sky filled with firebirds and the icy rain fell, Kuromakaze realized how badly he had underestimated his enemy. Kakiboufuu moved in again to test his defense. Kuromakaze growled.

Naomi pulled her father's arm over her shoulders and wrapped her arm around his waist. She then half carried him toward the door, Sesshomaru struggling to shuffle his feet forward so he didn't become dead weight for his daughter. The cell continued to rattle with dust falling from cracks in the ceiling. She placed her hand on the cell's door and paused.

Water flowed from underneath the door and passed their feet. The room trembled again but this time no dust fell. Instead, water drops fell and splashed onto the floor and her head. She glanced around and saw streams of water beginning to push through the cracks. A stone in the ceiling fell and hit the floor with a splash and a crack. Water fell like a small waterfall from the vacated spot and more tiny streams forced their way passed ceiling stones.

She pushed on the door and it didn't budge. Grimacing, she could not put more force in the shove without dropping her father, she placed her hand on the door and sent a small pulse of power through it. The metal door crumpled and fell inward. Naomi and Sesshomaru toppled backward as they avoided the falling slab of iron and the older demon cry out when the metal barbs in his spine struck the floor. At the same time, knee-high water washed into the room, drenching them.

Naomi climbed to her feet and pulled her father up on to her back; the blow to his spine had cost him what little mobility he had. The water was now mid-thigh and she could see to the other end of the hall where the water was cascading down the stairs.

_I can create a space around us to keep the water away as we move, but the amount of energy used creates a powerful aura. If an enemy detects it within the castle…,_ she thought, her violet eyes narrowing. The water climbed to her waist and she growled. _No choice. I can breathe underwater but Chichiue can't._

She concentrated and summoned a sphere around herself and Sesshomaru, pushing the water away from them. She then hurried forward, feeling the pressure of the current as she climbed the stairs. She hoped the flooding would at least drive the guards on the upper levels away. It flowed around and over them, blinding her view of the stairs above.

Kenji gazed up at the storming sky. The trees around him bent and waved in the gale winds as lightning crawled across the bottom of the low clouds. Tsubame came up behind him and asked, "Should we stop until it lets up? I can't detect anyone in this weather."

"This storm came out of nowhere," complained one of the others. "It was clear a few hours ago and now we have a full typhoon on our hands."

"Typhoon?" repeated Kenji still staring at the storm and wondering why it seemed _familiar_. Cold water struck his ankles and he glanced down as the others yelled in surprise. "What the…?" He looked forward and, in the sudden flash of lightning saw the chest high wall of water heading toward them.

"Whoa! Everyone into the trees!" he shouted and jumped into the branches of the large oaks. The rest followed him before they understood why and narrowly avoided being washed away by the sudden torrent.

"There's no river nearby," said Tsubame. "Where did this flash flood come from?"

"Kenji! Your earring!" cried a wolf.

"Eh?" Kenji pulled his earring off and looked at it. The emerald held a faint glow, but in the darkness between strikes, it was brilliant. "An on-land typhoon and river-less flash flood, I think Kaiyoshinju is up ahead and she's not holding back."

"Maybe we should head back," suggested another demon scout. "We shouldn't get in the middle of a fight involving that sea dragon."

"Castle Arai is not far ahead," said Kenji as he replaced his earring. "If she's fighting she's there. I think we need to learn why before we head back to Kuromaru. No one's seen her since before the start of the war. So why would she attack Castle Arai?" _And why is the Jewel of the Land glowing?_ he wondered.

Kuromakaze noticed the flood Kaiyoshinju had released and was continuing to fuel with a reverse water cyclone that drew water from the storm above. The rain had once again stopped as the water was funneled to the ground, but not before taking down the human fighters with its chill. His demon warriors, save for Noriko's inuyokai, weren't capable of handling the stronger and more skilled demons of Kakiboufuu's clan.

"Are you sure you want to allow that female to keep flooding the area?" Kuromakaze said, trying to distract his opponent. "The dungeon is beneath the castle and all this water had probably begun to fill his cell. He will drown if you do not force her to withdraw it. It would render your entire operation meaningless."

Kakiboufuu drove hard and Kuromakaze barely raised his naginata between them. Kakiboufuu caught the haft on the backs of his arms but his face came within inches of his cousin's. Kuromakaze was shocked by the ice he saw in Kakiboufuu's eyes. His gaze was so frigid the gold had faded to a pale yellow, almost as white as the rest of the eye.

"The point of this operation is to free Aniue," said Kakiboufuu in a whisper. The tone sent shivers up Kuromakaze's spine. His voice somehow dropped even lower. "There are many ways to free a person."

Kuromakaze was stunned. He had not anticipated that response; had not anticipated the cold now exuding from the other. So shocked by his cousin's words he almost didn't react to Kakiboufuu's point-blank Kaze no Kizu. His panic created a funnel that blew Kakiboufuu and nearly all the aerial combatants to the ground but it drained him of all his wind jutsu forcing him to drop to the ramparts below.

"Commander!" shouted the nearby archers.

"Continue the fight!" he barked in irritation.

The men flinched back then cried, "Hai!" They returned to their posts on the wall with arrows notched. The men on the ramparts had endured better, able to take shelter once the rain had started to fall.

Kuromakaze rose to his feet and turned to look over the ramparts to where the entire battlefield had been plunged. His chest heaving, he thought, _How terrifying to be facing an opponent who actually understands the limits of sentimentally_.

Yamibi surfaced gasping and grabbed hold of a tree before she could be swept away by the current. Pulling herself free of the flood, she sought out her enemy. The cold water, however, had cooled her head. Once she confirmed he hadn't landed nearby she then turned her attention on the rest.

Revenge for her clan would always be her main objective but the fire demon was just a small fish. He may have said he had suggested the massacre but, even if it was true, it was still just a suggestion. The Inu no Taisho was the leader. He had made the decision to end her bloodline. She needed to return the favor. She cast her gaze about for the other Reihane, the hanyou Taisho.

Demons pulled themselves from the water, both sides calling a temporary halt to the fighting as they struggled to catch their breath and assess injuries. The wind blast had scattered everyone, the inuyokai teams had been separated and things were about to get worse for the Taisho's troops.

The hitenko, kanetenko and tsuchitenko that weren't washed away during the initial wave of water were also in the trees. Some tsuchitenko had attempted to raise plateaus to stand upon when the water struck but the flood had greedily devoured their little islands. With no sign of a let up, the giant trees were the only sure footing in the entire area. The hitenko were able to ward off hypothermia for themselves and their neighboring kanetenko and tsuchitenko with their fire jutsu.

With their footing depending on the trees and the depth and strength of their roots grip on the earth below, both the tsuchitenko and hitenko would be limited in their attacks. Tenko, though, never relied solely on their powers. The tsuchitenko carried chains ending in spiked clamps that held rocks. The hitenko would rely heavily on their handheld weapons. The kanetenko, with their metal jutsu, were not so limited.

The mizutenko were completely in their element. Able to repel and shed the cold water, hypothermia had failed to catch them, and their numbers had not been depleted by the flood. Able to skate across the water footholds were not necessary and thus they had free reign with their water jutsu. As long as they minded where their comrades were.

Saben snarled an oath as he saw several of the mizutenko shooting among the trees toward him. He raised his sword and shifted his feet on the branch on to have the weapon yanked from his hands. He looked back and saw a black Tenko on another tree several yards away. _Damn it!_ The sword flew back at him and he dove into the water to avoid being beheaded by his own blade.

When he tried to surface a wave summoned by the mizutenko forced him back under. Saben swam with the current and once again scrambled to rise only to be force under again before he could take in more than a small gasp of air. He grabbed hold of a tree and a sharp current cut across to drive him off it. _I'm going to drown!_ he thought in panic as white spots began to dance before his eyes.

A hand gripped his scruff and drew him out of the water and onto a sycamore. He coughed and choked while clinging to the branch, shivering uncontrollably. He saw another wave heading toward him from the corner of his eye and braced himself. It never landed. The wall of water exploded into steam and superheated liquid and blew back toward the Tenko, scalding them. They screamed and retreated.

Saben looked up and realized who his savior was. "Taisho!" he cried.

"Get yourself out of the water completely, Saben-kun," said Kakiboufuu. Dripping wet, his silver hair clung to his face and neck as did his red kimono and hakama.

The scarlet-haired inuyokai dragged himself higher into the tree until he was able to sit on a branch with his feet out of the water. "What happened to your battle with Kuromakaze?" he asked, panting.

"Remember I suspected he it wasn't easy for him to adapt to the appearance of unknown elements," said the Taisho. "He apparently can't handle surprises well, either." The hanyou sounded sheepish as he spoke though, his face remained passive in the flickering light of the storm.

"He panicked? Isn't that good?" said Saben.

"I'll leave that for you to figure out. Meanwhile I have to make arrangements to drop the sky," said Kakiboufuu with a grunt. As Saben stared in confusion, the Taisho waved his hand and Hotaru flew down and landed on his outstretched arm. "How many firebirds do we have left?" he asked her.

Hotaru warbled, "Less than twenty percent. The rest drowned when the wind struck."

"Will that be enough to protect the clan?" he asked. Hotaru cocked her head to the side, as if trying to figure out the hanyou, then bobbed her head in assent. "Good. Relay the order; they have twenty minutes to figure out where everyone is and to get to them." Hotaru flew off and Kakiboufuu closed his eyes.

Saben watched his lord in bewilderment, unsure of what he was trying to do. Then he saw a glow appear at the hanyou's throat. The lightning in the skies above began to increase its frenzy, though it remained in the clouds and didn't touch the earth.

Intense fighting kept the clan pinned to the trees. Any attempt to break to the sky was met with deadly force. Soranoko struggled to hold off the attacks of the grounded Tenko from where she floated just above the waves. Yukibi knocked away shuriken after shuriken as the kanetenko persisted in their attacks. In the oaks near them were several of their comrades, many injured already from trying to regain the sky. The ones that could still fight were struggling to hold off the kanetenko as well.

The wind demon had been pulling many of the clan from the water after everyone was driven to the ground. Getting everyone together increased their chances of survival, but with the enemy controlling the water and others waiting in the trees escape was impossible.

"We are in quite a fix aren't we, Wind Guardian," said Yukibi, breathless. "We need the flood to end to reduce the effectiveness of the mizutenko. However, once it does the tsuchitenko and hitenko will be able to attack us without reserve. We will be done in within seconds."

"I didn't need to hear that, you know," said Soranoko as she waved her fan and blew away another water attack. She knew things were bad. She just couldn't believe how fast the tables had turned. _The Taisho's strategy had been working, we were winning and now we can't even retreat_, she thought.

She felt a weight land on her shoulder and she turned her head, preparing to strike. The wind sorceress was surprised to see a blue firebird. It raised its wings to balance at her sudden movements but didn't fly away. Yukibi had a red one on her and, as Soranoko looked to the trees where the inuyokai were sheltering, saw each had gained a phoenix themselves.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" said Soranoko with a weak smile. Yukibi didn't look anymore assured when they noticed the display in the sky.

"Let's get to the trees," said Yukibi as she stared at the crazed lightning. "I don't want to be dumped back into the water if you lose your concentration on this feather." A vein pulsed in Soranoko's forehead but she said nothing as she complied with Yukibi's request.

"Oi, oi, oi, that's scary," said Kenji from the treetop. The others warily watched the dancing bolts as well.

"Are we really going to continue forward?" asked Tsubame, her tone one of disbelief.

The wolf demon stared at the heavens and felt a strange tugging sensation from the emerald on his ear. It had been getting brighter the closer they got to the castle. He had two conflicting feelings smoldering within him, both growing stronger just as the jewel's light was. The urge to get to the castle and the urge to turn around and leave. He was certain his instincts were trying to warn him of something, but with the two opposing sensations he wasn't sure what.

"I think we'll sit tight here and see how this plays out," he said.

Toromaru stood on top of his make shift levee staring down at the river below. He looked back at the gathering of people behind him. The villages and farms below had vanished beneath the muddy waters of the torrent. There had been little warning before the wall of water had come crashing into the valley. The thin skeleton crew of samurai, spiritualists, demons and Tenko left behind to guard the civilians had been struggling for hours to pull the farmers and animals from the flood.

He had ordered the signals towers to be lit to try to warn communities further downstream while he and other tsuchitenko raised the earth to hold back the river as it continued to rise. Even as he stood atop, he could see the hungry river eating away at the sides. Their castle had been on higher ground but the river was threatening its lowest levels now. If the tsuchitenko could not maintain the levee that now surrounded the castle, the entire building would drown along with the people they had just rescued.

"Toromaru-dono," cried one of the men. "Look!"

Toromaru turned toward the southwest and gasped. The entire horizon was lit with the rapid flashes of what could only be distant lightning. It revealed massive, towering thunderheads that blocked out that quarter of the sky. Toromaru glanced back at the river.

"That must be the source of the flood but where did that storm come from?" said Toromaru as he stared. He turned to the others. "Did anyone see clouds this afternoon?" Everyone shook their heads.

A tenkitenko, one that controlled both water and wind thus was given the description "weather", stepped forward and said, "As you know, I check for weather that may threaten campaigns and villages alike. I detected nothing the day before the campaign was to begin, I detected nothing earlier today to suggest such a massive storm either. That is no natural storm. It formed after dark and is too big to have formed in mere hours."

"Maybe it is the lord and Kuromakaze clashing," suggested one of the men.

"It's too soon," said Toromaru as he stared at the horizon. "They shouldn't be anywhere near Castle Arai at this time." The levee shuddered beneath him and he and the other tsuchitenko went back to work shoring up its sides. Their castle had to remain above water. There was nowhere left for anyone to run.

Xeno pulled himself higher into the trees. When he had been blown back, he had realized that Scheherazade couldn't stop their fall, the wind had been too strong. He had then taken hold of her and threw her above him, filling her wings with his flames so that she would rise higher still. He had seen her escape the blast wind before he had plunged into the water.

He lost his scimitars in the fall and his cloak and headdress in the water. He stood on the branch of a fir and gasped. His hair was pure white with age and his wrinkles etched deep lines through his tan face. "Oh Allah, I'm getting too old for this," he muttered in his native tongue. He looked around but he couldn't find his opponent. He grimaced.

_It's too much to hope for that she was carried away by the current_, he thought. He watched the water churn as it continued on its way. He had been carried far by the flood; while he could swim, he wasn't the best. It had taken him considerable amount of time to get close enough to a tree with a strong low branch to catch hold of. He ached and he knew he would ache worse tomorrow. He was sorely tempted to just sit there on his tree and wait for the battle to be over.

_If she wasn't swept away by the current then she is still in the battle,_ he thought_. If she doesn't come after me then she may return her attention to Lucifer's heir. I can't let that troublesome woman surprise him._ He rose to his feet and his knees cracked.

"Grow old or die young, what a choice," he muttered.

A familiar screech had him turning his head to greet his beloved phoenix. Scheherazade rubbed her head against his then took hold of her master and carried him into the air. They needed no words; she knew where they needed to go.

Yamibi spotted the young Taisho, his eyes closed as he concentrated on some spell. The raven-haired female didn't care what he was doing but his focus meant he was vulnerable. She grinned and leapt toward him, power gathering around her fist as she prepared to smash his head in. She was thrown off when an energy whip wrapped her hand and swung her away.

She caught hold of a pine and looked for the intervener. She caught sight of the scarlet-haired inuyokai standing on a branch above his lord's head. His orange eyes glowed with fury. She glared back.

"So he wasn't so foolish as not to have a guard about," she snarled, "but what a pathetic guard you are. You only managed that because I wasn't expecting you. You won't stop again."

"I won't let you near the Taisho, traitor kin," said the man. She gaped in shock and he added, "I heard what Xeno-san said. Of course, they were erased. Your whole clan chose to betray the world for personal gain."

Yamibi growled and pointed her finger at the man. A bolt shot toward him. He raised his arm in instinctive, if useless, defense. It never reached its target. Hotaru dove between the two, catching and redirecting the lethal bolt to the water where it sizzled for a second.

Yamibi snarled in frustration. She wanted the pleasure of burying her hand into the Taisho's flesh. His strong resemblance to his father, the demon blood that carried no other, played into her fantasy of killing the Inu no Taisho and avenging her clan. She wanted to crush his skull, to devour his heart, to drink his hated blood and know the Reihane were finished.

Once the young Taisho was dead, she wouldn't need Kuromakaze or his allies. She'd go and kill the helpless Sesshomaru and then it would all be over. Now her fantasy was being ruined. With the Taisho right before her, she couldn't get close enough to finish him in the way she wanted. She would have to satisfy her fantasy with Sesshomaru then. She cast a greater spell with the intention of killing all three as once and hurled it will all her hate.

Xeno saw what she was attempting as he and Scheherazade approached. The phoenix beat her wings harder and the fire demon called upon the power of the Jewel of the Inferno he guarded. He would need it if he were to stop her attack from hitting. Lightning surged from his fingertips intercepting her attack. In that moment the lightning in the sky came to earth striking the unprotected Kuro Tenko and demons.

Then everything went wrong.

Soranoko hit the surrounding trees with a powerful blast of wind as she expanded beyond her personal ability to drive the enemy back. She didn't know why the firebirds were clinging to their shoulders but she needed to keep the enemy away from the injured and it was getting harder to achieve this with small attacks.

At that moment, lightning fell and the field vanished in light. The firebirds, wings rising, created a barrier that warded off the lightning from them and the person whom they perched upon.

Then a nightmare unfolded before their eyes.

Kaiyoshinju and Noriko were locked in mortal combat, neither yielding ground and oblivious to the battles around them. With the power of the Jewel of the Sea amplifying her own abilities, the sea dragon maintained the storm above and the water cyclone. The sea of water gave Kaiyoshinju limitless resources to attack with while reducing Noriko's footholds. Mizutenko that foolishly tried to assault her from behind were dragged down and drowned by the water the thought they controlled. This was her ocean not theirs.

Lightning rained down obliterating the field. Kaiyoshinju roared at the interference, unaffected by the lightning only because she was a dragon.

Then her rage turned to horror.

Kenji and his group sat in their tree waiting to see how it all would end. Thanks to the constant lightning, they realized they were closer to the castle than they originally thought and they could see how crazy the battlefield had become.

"Kaiyoshinju never does anything half-ass, does she?" said Kenji.

"More like double-ass," muttered one of the other wolves.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose. Unaware of the danger that caused his instincts to scream, he summoned the earth below to cover them in a shielding dome. Unable to make contact with the earth, he used the powers of the Jewel of the Land to summon it from thirty feet below. Everyone yelled in surprise as the earth blocked out the dancing sky. They were silenced by the scream of thunder that shook their earthen barrier, the tree they were on and their bodies.

"Where would we be without your instincts?" said Tsubame when the thunder passed.

"Triple-ass," said another in reference to the earlier conversation.

"That wasn't Kaiyoshinju, she doesn't control… yah!" Kenji cried out as his body began sliding forward. Earth magic flowed through him and his body glowed green.

"Kenji!" cried Tsubame as her mate fell from the tree. She lunged to catch him but he slipped through her outstretched fingers. The earth rose above the water and knocked out the side of the dome creating a path leading to the castle. The wolf demon landed on it, the air blasted from his lungs upon impact. It rolled underneath him before he could recover and he was sliding forward.

Kenji grabbed his earring without thinking and tried to dig his heels in but it had ceased heeding his commands and he continued sliding forward. The lightning outside had ceased but the scenery was being lit by another more sinister light. A white pillar reached to the heavens and he was being dragged toward it.

"What the hell is going on?" he yelled in terror. His pack ran to catch their leader.

Kakiboufuu felt the lightning strike then pain unlike any he had felt before pierced him. He feared for a moment he had been struck by his own lightning, only to realize it was coming from the Jewel of the Heavens around his neck. He screamed an unearthly scream as the jewel's power filled him beyond what he could handle.

Saben stared as the Taisho howled then vanished within a brilliant white light so intense it blinded him. He felt Hotaru take hold of his kimono and pull him back. He fell from the tree into the water and blindly sought another branch. Hotaru screeched and he followed her voice, finding a trunk and clawing his way up it. He looked over again and gasped at the sight of a white pillar ascending to heaven.

He heard another screech and looked up. Scheherazade struggled to keep what had to be Xeno from being pulled into the light. Her great wings flapped in desperation as Xeno clenched his chest, his whole body wreathed in flames. His violet eyes wide in terror.

He looked away and noticed the water level was dropping rapidly. He glanced at the place where the cyclone had been and found it missing. "Why is only Xeno being affected by that pillar?" he wondered aloud.

"It isn't just Xeno!" screeched Hotaru. Saben glanced at her. Her crest was raised with green feathers exposed this time, alarm. "The Jewel of Life is trying to reunite."

"Impossible! It can't! It will destroy the world," cried Saben, recalling the legend of the all powerful jewel.

Yukibi dug her claws into Soranoko's wrist. Soranoko was in the air, being carried away by a wind she hadn't generated. The white kitsune had grabbed her arm on instinct when she began to rise into the air unexpectedly and the other inuyokai had taken hold of fox. One held each of her legs and her tail as she struggled to maintain her grip on the screaming wind sorceress.

Soranoko's free hand was wrapped around the Jewel of the Wind.

Inuyokai held their comrades and clung to the tree as they struggled to keep Soranoko away from the pillar of light. The sound of splintering wood sent them all howling in fear. If the tree gave, it would be all over.

Kaiyoshinju trapped within a sphere of water that had formed around her when the pillar of light appeared and now she was being carried to it. Fearing what it meant, she released all her demon energy and drove her staff into the ground. Her momentum came to a halt but the pull was unbearably strong.

Noriko stared in horror at the sight. Being a celestial, she had blocked the lightning easily, now she found herself facing something out of nightmare. Her mind tried to find a reason for it but nothing it came up with was anything she wanted to happen. Putting aside her personal feelings, she wrapped herself around a tree then sent her energy whip into the water sphere and entwined Kaiyoshinju. The dragon felt the tug but was too focused on not moving to give it any attention.

Yamibi gaped in shock at the sight as she too realized what must have been happening. The ground began to shake and the trees, which had held so strongly against the flood, now uprooted themselves. The earth was breaking before the might of the Jewel of Life. The pieces were still separate but the tentative connection was starting to give it back its original, terrifying power.

_If they reunite the whole world will shatter_, thought Yamibi. She looked up and saw the fire demon. At first, she was startled by his ancient appearance then she recognized the danger he was in.

_No! This cannot happen! This must not be! No revenge is worth the world. It would be the absolute end._

She launched herself into the air as the big maple gave out and tumbled forward, charging Xeno. She collided with his chest and pushed as hard as her wings could give.

_They must not reunite!_

Kuromakaze had seen the frenzied lightning and ordered those in the castle indoors. He had launched a retreat signal for those in the field but few responded before he had to go inside, seconds before the lightning had crashed down. He emerged to see the pillar of light in the field.

"What is that?" he wondered then he heard screaming and ran to the edge of the ramparts. In the bright light who could see the field as clearly as if it were day. He saw several inuyokai struggling to hold onto their oak tree while hanging onto their wind sorceress, who looked as if she were being pulled away by an invisible force. He looked the other way and saw Noriko holding fast to a tree while clenching her demon rope, which was wrapped around the waist of Kaiyoshinju. The dragoness was within a bubble of water and was leaning hard against her own staff. Both were trying to keep from moving forward. He turned to look at the light and saw Yamibi struggling to push the old fire demon away from the pillar.

Trees fell around the pillar and he could see layers of earth rising and folding back like a flower in bloom. Sweat beaded on his forehead as a terrible answer emerged. Then he heard howling from the northeast side of the castle and ran over to see the commotion. The ground rose in a straight path leading passed the castle and to the light. On it was a wolf demon, glowing green with power, sliding along on his back despite his vain efforts to stop himself. Several other wolves raced after him screaming in terror, unable to catch him. Now he was certain.

"No!" he shouted as realization dawned and from somewhere within he tapped reserves he never knew he had. His wind came to his exhausted call. He whirled his naginata above his head, summoning a giant cyclone. "This world cannot be allowed to end!" he roared and hurled the cyclone at the wolf demon.

Author Chat:

A lot of back and forth with this one with the direction of the battle. Yes, Kaiyoshinju is not a team player. She never was and never will be. That's why she was brought along. She's so overwhelming that there isn't much anyone can do but ride it out.

If you lot think Kakiboufuu was cold for voicing that he would let his brother die or even kill him himself, yes he is cold. He can be very cold. Remember, ordered a bunch of people to commit suicide within the first week of his becoming Taisho. If he couldn't save his brother he would kill him to save him from suffering, though he would regret the need forever after.

The Prophet's Eye continues to play a role throughout the story but more of its sinister nature is revealed in later chapters. Kakiboufuu does have a reason to be fearful.

Chapter 38: Flying the Blue Third

Disaster is narrowly avoided by the quick thinking of none other than Kuromakaze. A truce is called in the aftermath for no one wants to wait around for the arrival of the Shiro Tenko and their lord, Kuromaru.

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	50. Flying the Blue Third

Disaster is narrowly avoided by the quick thinking of none other than Kuromakaze. A truce is called in the aftermath for no one wants to wait around for the arrival of the Shiro Tenko and their lord, Kuromaru.

_145 years before the search for the jewel shards_

Chapter 38: Flying the Blue Third

_I find it amusing that neither Kuromakaze nor myself had any interest in seeing Kuromaru that day. While his group was too battered to fight any time that week, I simply didn't want to discover what my idiot uncle would do if we met again. Even if I was the Taisho, he was foolish enough that I feared he might still try something. It didn't help that Kenji didn't disagree._

-Inuyasha

"This world cannot be allowed to end!" Kuromakaze roared and hurled the cyclone at the wolf demon.

Tsubame ran with the other wolves in their futile attempt to catch Kenji. She didn't know what was happening or why but every instinct screamed of impending disaster. However, it all seemed hopeless. They weren't gaining any ground; they were barely keeping up.

She caught movement from the corner of her eye and she glanced over. The biggest cyclone she had ever seen was descending toward them all. She looked back at Kenji and cried out to him seconds before the monster wind fell on them, lifting the group off the ground. The wolves howled and screamed as they were spun within the wind.

"Tsubame!" She looked up at the sound of her name and saw Kenji reaching for her. She reached her own hand to him and grasped it. He pulled her to him.

"What's going on?" she shouted over the roar of the wind. She looked around for their comrades. They were further away in the whirlwind but some had taken hold of each other like she and Kenji had.

"Hell if I know," said Kenji.

The cyclone then fell apart and the entire group found themselves in free fall a hundred feet above the ground. Being demons, the landing wasn't fatal but the sticky mud didn't make it pleasant either. The wolves coughed and spat the mess from their mouths.

After several minutes of everyone collecting themselves, Kenji spoke. "Was the world just saved by Kuromakaze?" he asked in flat tone, as he lay on the ground, stunned now that the threat had passed.

"What do you mean?" asked Tsubame, wiping mud from her face and pulling leaves from her hair.

"The Jewel of Life was trying to reform and that wind came from the castle; it had to have been Kuromakaze," replied Kenji without moving.

"Why does that mean he saved the world?" gasped another wolf.

"Kuromakaze saved the world," said Kenji still too shocked to hear his comrades. "This is going to kill Kuromaru."

Tsubame and the wolves looked at each other then she said, "Then let's hurry and tell him so we can be done with him." Kenji didn't respond.

The moment Kenji was blown away the ground stopped cracking and the trees ceased toppling. The link between the remaining three jewels and the core piece weakened. The pull lessened and Kaiyoshinju broke free of her water prison with a roar. The prolonged use of her power sent her demon half into raged and she soared into the heavens as a red eyed, violet dragon. She vanished into the clouds forgetting her purpose in being their only knowing her desire to escape it.

With her departure, the final nail in the proverbial coffin had been set. Soranoko felt her control over the wind return and quickly lowered everyone to the ground just as the mighty oak finally gave. Xeno, Scheherazade and Yamibi tumbled over each other midair at the sudden release. The three managed to regain enough control to land with grace on a tree several yards away rather than tumble into the mud and rocks below.

Last, the pillar of light thinned and faded into nothing, plunging the entire area into darkness. Saben stared where the Taisho had been standing when he was swallowed by the light. What appeared gave Saben pause.

White, flameless wings rose from the Taisho's back. A tail with mane of white hair along the top of the spine protruded from under his armor. His shoes were broken because his feet had lengthened and expanded into something akin to dragon's feet. His dog-ears had vanished and been replaced by a set on the sides of his head that were long like rabbit's and swept back. The glow of green appeared along his eyelashes as they fluttered before the Taisho fell forward.

"Taisho!" cried Saben and leapt, catching Kakiboufuu and pulling him back. "Taisho! Taisho! Wake up! Taisho!" The clouds above them parted revealing a sky that was growing lighter. Golden light broke the horizon beyond the castle and lighting it and the trees, revealing the devastation the battle had released. The town that had sheltered in the keep's lee was gone, swept away by the flood. More than half the forest was either burnt, washed away or knocked down. Part of the castle, the lower levels, had collapsed in a landslide.

Saben felt his heart leap into his throat. _We believed Sesshomaru-sama was in the dungeons beneath the castle,_ he thought. _Did water from the flood penetrate the lower reaches? Is that why parts have fallen in? Damn it!_

Naomi kicked the fallen boards out of her way as she carried her father the final few feet out of the lower reaches and into the morning light. "Did that really take all night?" she gasped, exhausted from fending off floods and collapsing buildings. She looked around but there wasn't another soul to be found. The area was scattered with debris and mud. She spotted the main gate or what was left of it. The walls on either side as well as the gate had slid out and down when the hillside beneath had given way. The clay titles of the walls' roof were now at knee level.

"Naomi, I can move now," said Sesshomaru.

"That's great, Chichiue," she said gruffly. "Can you slog your way through this?"

"Better than you can with my full weight on your back," he replied and pushed himself off her. As she feared, he wasn't able to support his full weight, but with her help he could walk. They trekked across the open courtyard, sinking to their knees in the filth.

Weakened from days of torture, starvation and dehydration, Sesshomaru's strength was a fraction of what it should have been even without his celestial power. While Naomi's healing may have been necessary to help him recognize his surroundings, it also had drained her father of what little reserves that remained. His endurance was at its limits and moving through the muck quickly exhausted him.

Naomi herself was tiring. The simulacrum she created, the healing and the barrier she had been forced to maintain while carrying her father up several flights of stairs was starting to take its toll. It was with great relief when they reached the collapsed wall, however, that feeling was short lived. The path down had been washed away. The entire side of the castle was nothing but slippery mud, boulders, chunks of wall and splinters of gate. While Naomi could have navigated the mess, her father, with an immobile spine, could not.

The wind teased their hair giving Naomi an idea. "Chichiue can you spread your wings? We can glide down, its only ten yards and the wind is strong."

Unable to move his head, Sesshomaru glanced at her and replied, "No." He didn't elaborate and Naomi wondered if the iron was interfering with his wings or even threatening to do them harm. She had not realized his losing his celestial power meant he could not summon his wings that were part of his celestial form.

Naomi chewed her lip then helped her father to sit on the remains of the wall. He was deathly pale and sweating. _Now what?_

Soranoko took in the sight of the bedraggled inuyokai around her then spotted the firebirds now sitting in nearby trees. She walked up to one of them and asked, "I hate to be such a bother, but can you help us locate our remaining comrades?"

The yellow firebird she spoke to hopped from one foot to the other then bobbed its head. The whole flock took off and scattered. Soon the yellow phoenix returned and circled overhead.

"I think we are supposed to follow," said Soranoko to the others. "Is everyone able to walk at least aided?" Calls of assent returned and the group of battered and weary demons trudged forward after their guide.

"Why are we heading back?" asked a young wolf demon as the pack jogged up the path that Kenji had made. "I thought we were going to tell Kuromaru how his youngest saved the world."

"As tempting as that is, it can wait," replied Kenji as he stomped the ground again forcing another ten yards of hard-packed dirt to rise above the muck. "It wasn't just Kaiyoshinju there, the dogs were there too. If they're still fighting, a few fresh warriors might make things easier for them."

After a moment of silence, he added, "Besides I can't stomach the idea of Kuromaru taking the credit for ending this war. If he rides in there after Kuromakaze's forces has been weakened by the dogs, it will go down as his victory. If today's the day the Kuro Tenko are defeated then I want the credit to go where it's due. And I want Kuromaru to remain in history as a fool who got lucky someone else was able to bail him out." He looked over his shoulder and barked, "Understand?"

"Hai!" everyone shouted and no further arguments were offered.

It wasn't long before they came upon the twenty foot high path the Jewel of the Land had created. Kenji hit the side of it and the path edge crumpled into a stairway. From there they followed it straight back to Castle Arai.

Naomi searched the paths to the higher levels, expecting samurai to appear at any time. She, therefore, was taken by surprise by the call that came from behind her.

"Oi! Fair maiden, how goes the battle? Is it over already?"

She looked down to the end of the landslide and saw Kenji, several members of his pack and a few demons she didn't recognize, standing on a raised pathway.

"Oi yourself, wolf!" she called back. "Get us down from here before the samurai show up."

Kenji shaded his eyes from the glare of the rising sun and asked, "Is that Fluffy with you?"

Sesshomaru growled but said nothing. Naomi called back, "No tail pulling today, Kenji. Chichiue's is in really bad shape."

"Must be, he didn't try to kill me yet," said Kenji.

"Oi! The prisoner is out of his cell!" Naomi whirled around and squeaked. There were the samurai she had been afraid of.

"Hurry, Kenji! I've got nothing left," she shouted over her shoulder.

Kenji raised a path toward the castle and ran up while raising more of the earth and pushing his way through the wreckage. The samurai began to move toward the stranded pair, swords drawn. Naomi unsheathed her claws but in the muddy terrain, their swords would have the advantage.

"Withdraw, men." The samurai froze and looked back confused. Kenji appeared a moment later beside her and paused. Naomi glanced up to the source of the order. Kuromakaze sat on the edge of the ramparts leaning heavily onto his black naginata. The dark, curved foot and half blade at the top of the five-foot staff gleamed with murderous intent in the morning sun but he made no moves against them.

Naomi was startled by his changed appearance. It was clear he had been in the midst of the battle; his armor was dented and his clothes were scorched. However, the strangeness of his appearance lay in his ashy skin and sunken eyes. He looked as if he had been starved for a month.

"What? You're surprised that I have limits?" said Kuromakaze in a mocking tone. "I was already out of power before the fiasco with the Jewel of Life. I overdrew when I blew that wolf away. I cannot continue this battle, nor will I try. I suspect your uncle is in the same pathetic state."

"I'm here now and fresh. I could end you myself," stated Kenji, dropping into a horse stance as he readied his attack. The samurai raised their swords.

"You could, but the troops inside the castle are fresh as well and the castle is dangerously unstable," said Kuromakaze without a trace of worry or fear for Kenji's threat. "If you try to take on my fresh warriors you'll need to use your earth magic. If you do, the castle will give way and who knows which way it will slide. It may fall on the side where all your allies are currently regrouping or it may not. Then there is the fact that Reihane is too weak to move on his own. If the castle were to give, he would be buried alive no matter which way it fell. Are you really willing to risk that?"

"Tsk!" Kenji rose and dropped his hands.

"The Taisho's objective has been achieved; he has recovered both his niece and brother," said Kuromakaze with a dismissive wave. "So just go already. I won't try to stop your withdrawal. I am abandoning the area myself."

"Why?" snarled Naomi.

He smiled that eerie smile again and replied, "The Shiro Tenko will be arriving tomorrow. While I would have enjoyed the pleasure of finishing them off for good, this battle has left me with too little resources at present to do so. The castle cannot defend against their attack now nor can it be repaired before they arrive. While I am not so foolish to have my entire army in one place at any given time, my reserves would not arrive before the Shiro Tenko even if I sent the summons now. So taking the survivors and abandoning this location is the only logical choice I have."

"Did you calculate the option of us waiting here for the Shiro Tenko?" snapped Naomi, growing more irritated by the second and wishing she had enough power to blast that smile off the hanyou's face.

"Even I know of the bad blood between your uncle and Otou-san," said Kuromakaze with a laugh. "You won't wait for them. Inuyasha's primary objective, once he hears the Tenko lord is coming, will be to clear out as fast as he can."

"Inuyasha?" whispered Kenji in surprise and rising fear.

Naomi opened her mouth to offer a retort to Kuromakaze's statement but Kenji tugged on her shoulder, silencing her.

"Let's go, Naomi. I'll help carry Sesshomaru-sama down but let's go," said Kenji. "I hate to agree with the bastard, but he's right. There is bad blood between Inuyasha and Kuromaru. You'll want to be gone before he gets here."

"How bad?" asked Naomi in disbelief.

"Real bad, but that is for Inuyasha to tell you, not me," replied Kenji. "Just understand you want to be gone before he gets here."

Naomi glared back at Kuromakaze sitting there powerless with only a bunch of human samurai to protect him. She clenched and unclenched her fist in frustration before turning her back on him. She half expected arrows to fly now that she looked away; she didn't believe he knew the concept of honor. However, nothing happened and she and Kenji were able to help the ailing Sesshomaru down the path to the rest of the pack.

She looked back to the castle and saw their banner had been replaced with blue, white, red and black streamers. Black held the top followed by red, blue then finally white. Black, being first, signaled the end of the castle, all surviving troops were to abandon it and fall back to a secondary defense position elsewhere. Red, as the second color, indicated that a second attack was imminent and evacuation was to occur without delay, there would be no lingering to recover possessions. Blue, as the third, meant the current battle was over and no further fighting was permitted; it was effectively a truce flag. The final white was a simple statement and explanation; the castle had suffered massive casualties and could no longer maintain the position.

Naomi sighed. _At least they seem to have made it official,_ she thought, irritated.

With the flags on the pole, the survivors of both sides would know the field was being conceded to the attackers. If the blue and the red were reversed, it would have meant there was no secondary attack to worry about and that those warriors that remained in the castle were expected to join the fray. There were some survivors for the Kuro Tenko and they staggered out of the woods, dazed and bedraggled. A tsuchitenko knocked the side of Kenji's path and created a stairway up to the top. There they used the route to regroup and walk back toward the castle. A few spared the group a nasty glare but most were too exhausted and just grateful to be alive to care.

The wolf demons and company began to walk up the path as Kenji expanded it toward where he remembered the pillar of light being.

Soranoko, Yukibi and their growing number of inuyokai survivors slogged through the muck as they followed the firebirds forward. Soranoko jumped back when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. She raised her fans in attack and Yukibi summoned her fox fire; she had lost her spear. It was a Kuro Tenko, a fire user.

The man raised his hands in surprise and shouted, "Truce! Truce!" He pointed toward the castle. "Look!"

Soranoko and Yukibi held their ground but one of the inuyokai cried, "He's right. The truce flag is flying." Soranoko glance over toward the castle and saw the four colored banners flying in the morning wind. Soranoko lowered her fans as Yukibi put out her fire. The hitenko shook his head and trudged on.

Yukibi shook her head as well and said, "Well at least we won't have to attack everything in sight now."

"Are they really going to honor that?" asked one of the inuyokai. Soranoko was wondering the same thing; though, the first impression was that they were.

Yukibi turned to face the questioner. "Haven't been outside Tenji have you? Those banners were created by the Tenko, they don't exist outside their territories. It was created for the Tenko civil wars. Kuro Tenko were just as much responsible for their creation as the Shiro Tenko. They won't abuse them."

"Why not?" muttered Soranoko but sharp eared Yukibi heard her anyway.

The white kitsune turned back to address the wind sorceress. "Dishonoring the banners may grant one or even two victories but ever after you won't be able to use them even if you need them. Devil Tenko were not born idiots. They know better than to sacrifice a long term benefit for a short term success."

Soranoko said nothing more. She couldn't see the validity of the argument but she didn't want to debate it any further. Right now, the truce seemed to be standing but she wouldn't drop her guard. The group moved forward again passing other weary survivors from the Kuro Tenko but none offered any challenge.

Yamibi glared at the castle in fury when she saw the banners flying above. With the disaster averted, she wanted to continue what she began, but the blue third said that would have to wait. She growled in frustration even as the more rational part understood why they were flying. She considered violating it and attacking anyway, despite that violating a truce flag would mean death or exile. Consequences meant nothing to her; she just wanted her revenge.

Xeno saw the hungry look in her crimson eyes and readied himself. He watched Yamibi trying to anticipate when she would attack. Truce flag or not, he could not allow her the first strike. If she attacked now the Taisho was finished. Kakiboufuu lay in Saben's arms unresponsive to his subordinate's calls, still in his celestial form. That form was tougher but not invulnerable and, in his unconscious state, it would easy for her to slay him with a single strike.

Help came in an unexpected form.

"Yamibi! Stand down already," shouted Noriko as she appeared among the trees.

"Why should I?" the female hanyou snarled. She raised her hands as if to strike and Xeno prepared his own, however, her attack never appeared. Noriko, without saying a word, struck the hanyou with her own celestial power. Yamibi shrieked and fell to the ground. Noriko stalked forward and grabbed the woman's raven hair.

Pulling up on the thick locks, Noriko said, "The blue third is not a suggestion, it is an order. Do you remember what happened the last time you ignored one."

Yamibi's eyes widened in fear and she hissed, "There is no way you could know about that."

"It was in my interest to know," Noriko said with a smirk. Then her expression grew serious again. "Now move." She dragged Yamibi to her feet. "Besides," she added once Yamibi began staggering toward the castle, "you wouldn't have gotten your revenge today anyway. Naomi and Sesshomaru are heading this way as we speak. Your death would have accomplished nothing."

Yamibi froze and whirled. "You lie!" she shrieked. "I killed Naomi!"

"You really are pitiful, Yamibi," said Noriko with open contempt. Yamibi howled then leapt into the trees and ran off.

Xeno watched the exchange in wary puzzlement. Once Yamibi had disappeared he asked, "Not that we are ungrateful, but why did you stop her? Wouldn't it have been in your best interest to let her continue? None of the blood would have been on your hands and you would have been rid of the one responsible for undermining your authority."

Noriko leveled her blue eyes on him then glanced at the celestial demon, her gaze brightening with lust and hunger. "Warlords are not undesirable," she replied then walked away, vanishing into the forest.

Xeno frowned in disapproval. "Power hungry woman," he muttered but was glad it meant there would be no unexpected attacks for the day.

"Hear that, my lord, your power and ruthlessness has made you popular with the ladies," said Saben with a weak laugh, not expecting a response. To his and Xeno's surprise, one came.

"That'd just what I need, an aggressive lover," groaned Kakiboufuu. He raised his hand to his head and moaned.

"Thank the gods, you're awake," cried Saben. He then hurried to inform the Taisho of the change in events. "The blue third has been raised. There won't be any more fighting today."

"What colors fly?" asked Kakiboufuu with his face still buried in his hand. When Saben replied Kakiboufuu pulled his hand from his face and looked to the castle in disbelief. "Red second? But who is coming?"

"I suspect it would be the Shiro Tenko," said Xeno, trying not to sound mocking. The Taisho was disoriented and obvious answers would not come to him while his mind still gathered itself. "They're the only other hostile group to the Kuro Tenko around." Kakiboufuu blanched then grunted as he tried to move. As he did, his wings folded and vanished and the rest changed back into his hanyou self.

Xeno watched him for a moment then added, "It seems Sesshomaru and Naomi made it safely out of the castle and are on their way to this location."

"They're both alive?" asked Kakiboufuu in disbelief, staring at Xeno.

"Apparently," Xeno replied. The relief on the young Taisho's face reminded the fire demon how much the touch and ruthless words and actions were just a façade.

Soranoko and her group appeared, as did smaller groups from other directions. She glanced at them and sighed. "Finally, I'm so sick of all this mud. At least we can rest until it dries. And by then maybe the Shiro Tenko will be hereand give us a hand."

"Uh," said Kakiboufuu, his face pale and looking apologetic as he stared at his weary troops.

"Is there a problem, Taisho?" asked Xeno, remembering his earlier reaction to the news of the Shiro Tenko's potential arrival. The ground beneath them rose ten feet into the air in a large plateau and the mud reformed into hard packed earth.

"I hate to spoil the mood but you can't wait for the Shiro Tenko," said Kenji as he and his pack appeared.

"And why is that?" demanded Soranoko. "Everyone is hurt and we just spent the last half-hour sloshing through knee deep mud. Why can't we wait for allies?"

Kenji sighed the glanced over at Kakiboufuu. "You really didn't tell them anything?" Kakiboufuu just shrugged in response.

Naomi sighed as well as Soranoko looked between the two in confusion. "There is supposedly bad blood between the Tenko lord and the Taisho. Are you certain this can't be reasoned out?" She directed her question toward her uncle.

The wolves all waved their hands in front of their faces as Kakiboufuu replied, "If my uncle were reasonable my wife would still be alive."

"Eh?"

"Never mind, Naomi," said Kakiboufuu and hopped down from his tree, his senses returning to normal. "Reconciliation is not possible and I rather not find out if he will abandon the matter just because I have become the Taisho."

"If he doesn't," added Kenji, "it will mean further divisions within the ranks and it all goes Kuromakaze's way."

"So we really can't stay," muttered Soranoko exasperated.

"It would be best if we didn't leave tracks," said Kakiboufuu.

"We're too exhausted to fly, Kakiboufuu-sama," snapped Soranoko, barely remembering to add the honorific to his name.

"Easy, Fufu," said Kenji with a smile. Soranoko flinched then glared at the wolf demon and Kakiboufuu coughed. "I can make a path and escort you all until nightfall. Then we'll part company. I'll head back here, collapsing the path as I go and hopefully will arrive before Kuromaru does. At that point, my wolves, fellow scouts and I can kick back and look bored for the Tenko lord. We'll avoid bringing up the identity of the Taisho. Sound like a plan?"

"A very agreeable one," replied Kakiboufuu.

"Wait," said Sesshomaru and everyone turned to face him. "My swords, Bakusaiga and Tenken. I need to find them."

Kakiboufuu took in his brother's broken state then stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Kenji's neck before speaking softly into his ear. "How stable is the castle, right now?"

"Not very," replied Kenji in an equally quiet voice. "The only reason I didn't nail Kuromakaze before the banners went up was because any fighting would result in the castle collapsing. For a simple search, it's stable enough but who knows how long that will last."

Kakiboufuu hummed as he considered his options then said, "Aniue isn't going to like this, but we'll have leave without them. Leave us at sunset and, if possible, check the castle after you get back. The swords will smell and feel like Aniue. If you find them, handle them with care and return them to us at your earliest convenience. It might do Aniue some good to be without them for a while so don't sweat it if you can't return them until after Kuromaru bites it."

"Understood," said Kenji.

Kakiboufuu separated from the wolf and approached his brother. "Sorry, Aniue," he said then placed his left hand on Sesshomaru's forehead. Sesshomaru's golden eyes fluttered then closed. Kakiboufuu caught him as he tipped forward.

"Oji-san!" cried Naomi in alarm.

"He shouldn't be moving with these injuries," said Kakiboufuu as explanation. "His youki is almost non-existent. If he doesn't rest now his heart will fail. So unless you want to see your father shrivel into an old man and die, don't complain about my methods."

Several of the clan gasped in horror. Naomi shrank in shame. Saben jumped out of the tree and reached toward the unconscious demon. "I am ashamed to admit that I have the fewest injuries and am the least exhausted. At least allow me to carry Sesshomaru-sama," he said.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Saben," said Kakiboufuu. "You helped keep away those who would have attacked me as I readied my spell. You even stood against Yamibi though you were outclassed." Saben flushed with embarrassment and looked away. "I need to carry Aniue to maintain the spell I put on him, but how about you help the worst injured make the trek?" The young man bowed and walked away as Kakiboufuu slid Sesshomaru onto his back.

The Taisho took in the sight of his battered and exhausted clansmen, regretting his need for a hasty departure. He then turned his attention to the remaining firebirds and said, "Thank you for your assistance." The firebirds called an acknowledgement then turned and vanished. Kakiboufuu was tired and he hurt all over. The after effects of the Jewel of Life's attempted revival were setting in. Sesshomaru was never a lightweight to begin with and the iron in his body only made things worse. Trying to ignore the trembling in his knees, he started forward.

It was going to be a long walk home.

When Kuromaru and his stunned troops arrived midmorning the next day, Kenji and his party were sitting on their own plateau shooting dice. Sitting beside the pack leader was a long, thin box. Kuromaru hardly paid it any heed to the item as he fumed at the sight of the wolves fooling around in enemy territory.

"What happened? Report!" the Tenko leader barked.

"Your son received an unexpected ass whooping," said Kenji, while his eyes fixed on the cup Tsubame was using to shake the five dice. The typical dice shoot was with two dice but the wolves weren't anything if not unconventional. It was still a han/cho (odd/even) call but with five dice, the money went to the one who not only won the call but called the actual amount of pips first when the dice were exposed. Tsubame was the count checker and held the place of "house". If no one called it right, she got the pot. So far, she was killing them.

Kuromaru glared. He hated being reminded that Kuromakaze was his child. "I can see that!" he roared, his horse neighed and danced but the demons didn't look up from their game. They made their calls and waited with bated breath for the dice to roll. Kuromaru drew water from his bottle and shot it at the offending dice. They flew away into the mud below.

"Oi!" shouted Kenji and snarled at the Tenko lord.

"Now that I have your undivided attention," Kuromaru said, through clenched teeth. "Tell me exactly what happened here."

"What else is there to tell?" replied Kenji, rising from the ground and brushing the dust from his black fur. "He pissed off the inuyokai. They came in and messed the place up when he was preparing to annihilate your troops. He flew the blue third. They left and he and his remaining troops high-tailed it out of here before you showed up."

"Why didn't you follow him?"

"Didn't wanna die."

"You just let a prime chance to kill Kuromakaze slip away?" Kuromaru had turned beet red and Kenji was struggling not to laugh. The rest of the scouting party were biting their lips as well.

Kenji, with great dignity, raised his right hand in the direction of the castle and said, "He had raised the blue third. To attack him then would have violated the truce of the blue third."

"Well this campaign's awash," said General Iken Makoto. "Let's get back 'fore that over-thinking pup gets his reserves and launches an attack 'gainst our unprotected asses.

"We are not going back! We are finishing this!" roared Kuromaru.

"That's what you said the last three times we did this," said General Makoto. "Are you that determined to keep making the same mistakes? We don't know where he went but we do know that wherever it is there will be fresh men waiting for our attack. He was waiting for us this time and we got lucky. Do you want to tempt the gods again and hand the entire country over to Kuromakaze? I say we go back and think about rebuilding our army while he's nursing his wounds. Even I realize that the pup is slow. If he's wounded, he'll sit tight until he's better unless provoked. We can't afford to provoke him. We can't even afford this campaign."

"Are you questioning me?" demanded Kuromaru as he whirled to face the scruffy wolf hanyou.

General Makoto met his eyes unafraid and replied, "I'm not the only one." Kuromaru searched the gazes of his officers and blanched. All of them were fixing him with the same hard stare as Iken Makoto. Faced with the lack of support and no enemy in sight to challenge, he turned his horse around and led the way back to their castle.

The pack rose to their feet and Kenji picked up the box he was guarding, glad Kuromaru hadn't noticed it. It would have brought up questions whose answers would have led to the more dangerous questions. Sesshomaru's missing swords had been found within an hour of Kenji returning to Castle Arai. They were packed away in that box within the well stocked armory. The swords' auras had protested his touching them so he had simply closed the box and brought it outside with him. He didn't think he would be able to slip away long enough to return them while Kuromaru remained as lord.

As they followed after the retreating army, Iken Makoto leaned from his horse and whispered in his ear, "Is that what really happened, Kenji?"

"I may have left out the part about Fluff-puff-sama's capture being the reason for they're being there," replied Kenji in a hushed voice. "And I lied about the part where they arrived while Kuromakaze was waiting for us. But it's fairly accurate otherwise." General Makoto snorted but said nothing more as he rode ahead.

Author Chat:

My villains tend to be fairly practical. Kuromakaze will make short term sacrifices if it grants him long term success and never the reverse. While most modern humans will scratch their heads in confusion over this concept, he is one who understands true solutions are found only in the long term plans.

I also couldn't resist the idea of world destruction being averted by the very practical if evil villain. He wants to rule the world not a graveyard. So he will do all in his power to protect the world from devastation. Funny, huh? He and Kakiboufuu are completely united in their desire to protect the world. Too bad they can't agree on who should rule it.

Chapter 39: A Brother's Duty

The inuyokai return victorious but also weary and injured. Aid for Sesshomaru is slow as he needs time to recover his energy. However, what angers him the most is his brother's willingness to harm himself.

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	51. A Brother's Duty

The inuyokai return victorious but also weary and injured. Aid for Sesshomaru is slow as he needs time to recover his energy. However, what angers him the most is his brother's willingness to harm himself.

_145 years before the search for the jewel shards._

Chapter 39: A Brother's Duty

_Yes, I was in pain. Yes, I was tired of not being able to move properly. However, Inuyasha should have been more careful and not hurt himself just because I was uncomfortable. At least he exposed his poor judgment then while I could still correct him and not later when it would have cost him his life. Not that it made any difference today…_

-Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru growled as he lay prone on the floor of the temple. Several pillows were positioned around his head and under his chin to allow him to lay comfortably while face down. Naomi and Kaiyoshinju each placed a firm hand on his shoulder to prevent him from moving. Saben and another young demon pinned Sesshomaru's legs. Kakiboufuu was in his priest outfit with the sleeves tied back to expose his arms. He had slit Sesshomaru's back from skull to tailbone, exposing the vertebrae and the iron that bound it.

It was more than a week after the battle at Castle Arai. Kaiyoshinju had returned two days after they did, her sanity restored. No one asked what she had done during that time and she didn't speak of it. Waiting for Sesshomaru to recover enough of his strength to endure the operation was agony for all especially Sesshomaru who had to spend the entire time either on his side or in his current position. Being helped up only when he had to eat or drink.

Sesshomaru sweated and panted as his brother ran his razor sharp claw down his back and pulled the flesh away from the bone. The two dragons held the flesh back as Kakiboufuu danced his left claws along the metal trying to tickle it loose with just enough heat to make it expand but not enough to burn the bone. It was an extremely slow process and not for the first time, Kakiboufuu wondered if he could have compromised just long enough at Castle Arai so that Sesshomaru could have gotten the medical attention he needed. A kanetenko could have removed the iron in just five minutes without waiting for Sesshomaru's recovery.

Night fell outside and he wasn't even halfway done. Xeno and Yukibi arrived with several lanterns and placed them around the room to help keep the area lit as the sun went down. Others brought in fresh water and Himawari wiped sweat from Kakiboufuu's forehead so it wouldn't run into his eyes and blur his vision.

Kaiyoshinju ran water around the vertebrae he finished with and Naomi closed the skin over it, adding a touch of healing magic to seal it. Sesshomaru did little more than growl and pant through it all, despite the surges of youki that suggested the pain was calling to his demon instincts. The passing time began to show on Kakiboufuu as his breathing became short and his face paled in the firelight.

Deep into the night, the first slip due to fatigue came as he reached the small of Sesshomaru's back. The iron beneath his claw tip suddenly glowed white hot and deformed. Sesshomaru yelled and Kakiboufuu withdrew his hand babbling apologies even as he stuck the fingers into his mouth. He brought his right hand over the bright spot and soon it disappeared, returning to the normal blue-black color.

Kaiyoshinju twisted around, removing her hand from Sesshomaru's shoulder. "Let me see your hand, Puppy," she said. He glared but refused to remove his fingers from his mouth. Kaiyoshinju growled and took hold of his wrist. It was slick with sweat and she almost lost her grip. However, when she pulled he didn't resist further.

Ignoring the saliva, that she noted was drying at an alarming rate, she examined the tips of his fingers. The claws were deformed as if they had partially melted. The flesh surrounding the nails was black and the skin further away was blistering. Kaiyoshinju frowned not comprehending why he would be burned so badly from the short slip.

Naomi hissed at the sight and leaned over Sesshomaru, first removing her hand from his back to keep from putting unnecessary weight on him. She took her uncle's hand and studied it closer. "How did you burn yourself?" she asked and began applying her healing magic to then wounds. However, they were slow to respond.

A series of popping sounds came from beneath them as Sesshomaru rose to his elbows then turned his head to look over his shoulders. The first such movement since his capture several days earlier. "If you're too tired to keep from burning yourself, then stop," he said. "A few hours more won't matter and they won't be as unbearable as the last two weeks have been."

"We're almost done," said Kakiboufuu. "Just a little more."

"Otouto," growled Sesshomaru in warning. He thought he heard the notes of madness creeping into his brother's voice. As he looked at the hanyou, he noticed Kakiboufuu's golden eyes were unfocused, the pupils dilated to the fullest, swallowing the golden irises until they were a mere outline between the black and white.

"Oi, Puppy!" said Kaiyoshinju, becoming equally concerned. She rubbed his back and said, "Break time. Lie down for a couple hours, drink some tea, walk around in the fresh air."

"I didn't send her," he muttered no longer hearing them. "I didn't send her so why was it necessary for her to be there? I didn't send her so why did I say we weren't going?" Kaiyoshinju stared in uncomprehending confusion.

Sesshomaru grimaced and laid back down. He reached back and tapped Naomi on the leg, breaking her concentration on her spell. "Stop, Naomi," he said.

"Why?"

"Kaiyo," continued Sesshomaru, ignoring his daughter's question and startling Kaiyoshinju by using the more familiar name. He raised his hand and mimicked a neck blow as he said, "Hit him."

"Alright," she said. She put one hand in from of the hanyou then struck the back of his neck with the other with just enough force to knock him unconscious but not to snap his neck. His eyes closed and he toppled into her arm. She pulled him back and laid Kakiboufuu down on the floor beside her. Saben and the other demon removed themselves from Sesshomaru's legs.

"I guess I better close you up," said Naomi.

"I wait a moment, everyone," said Xeno from behind his mask. After returning from battle, he had quickly replaced his lost mask and cape. His scimitars were another story. If the planned return to Castle Arai didn't turn up the lost swords, he would have to learn to wield another pair. Something the old demon was not looking forward to. He entered the room with his phoenix on his shoulder. Once he and his wife had left the lanterns, they had departed, now he reentered alone.

"What is it, Xeno?" asked Sesshomaru.

"Scheherazade says she can trim the remaining iron so that it won't interfere further with your movements. That way you won't have to be reopened again later," replied Xeno. "However, it won't be pleasant. Even a phoenix doesn't have your brother's control."

"That's acceptable," said Sesshomaru. "I don't want him to lose his remaining hand."

"He won't lose his hand," said Naomi. "I can heal the injuries."

"Not this time," said Sesshomaru. "When a hitenko burns themselves with their own power their body fails to realize it's burned. That's why he wasn't responding to your spell. We will need to remove his claws and the dead flesh if he is to recover. If he is allowed to continue removing the iron without fully recovering the bone will be burned and then it will be impossible to save his fingers."

Naomi gasped. "Why would he risk himself like that? He only has one good hand to start with. And why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I didn't know what he was doing until just now," replied Sesshomaru as the men pinned his legs down again. Kaiyoshinju gripped one shoulder and Naomi hastily followed. "As to why, is between me and him."

Xeno knelt beside Sesshomaru and held Scheherazade out to him. The firebird lowered her beak to the exposed bone and began nipping at the iron. Sesshomaru gasped, he hadn't been prepared for the shock. Every muscle tensed and he buried his face into the pillows to keep from screaming. It was worse than he thought and it took every ounce of willpower to keep from ordering Xeno to stop. The phoenix worked quickly to remove the unwanted bits of iron, tossing them aside as it came loose.

An hour passed then it was over and Naomi was able to close the opening and heal the incision. Sesshomaru cursed then turned over to a symphony of cracks and pops as his spine resettled. Himawari slid over and kissed Sesshomaru on his forehead. Sesshomaru raised his hand and ran it through her golden locks. She had smothered him with her attention and tenderness since his return.

At first, miserable, weak and in pain, he had wanted to push her away. One look from Kaiyoshinju, who had appointed herself as in room protector to him, and his tongue had stilled. So he had accepted all the care, caresses, chaste kisses and even kitten licks she had given him without a word, though he felt uncomfortable in receiving them.

His wife-to-be spread a blanket over his naked torso when he withdrew his hand. His sideways glance revealed his brother had been similarly tended. She had brought in a futon for him and then moved him onto it. The sight of bandages, a bowl of water and bloody rags and knife told him that Himawari had already seen to the task he had stated his brother needed for his hand to heal. She really was a good woman, his daughter had chosen well for him. Even if the idea of marriage still made him balk.

Feeling a tad foolish but believing she needed and deserved it, he pulled his hand from the blanket, place it behind her head, pulled her down to him as he leaned up and kiss her forehead. Himawari blushed and looked away, suddenly overtaken by girlish shyness. He glanced around and noticed Naomi smiling with the radiance of the sun. Kaiyoshinju smirked and the men had all found something else of interest in the room.

The next day, Sesshomaru woke to his brother's scowling face. "If you are going to scowl go do it in the mirror," said Sesshomaru, irritated. "I personally have a hundred things that come to mind of what I want to open my eyes to in the morning and none of them involve seeing you."

Kakiboufuu held up his left hand and glared. Sesshomaru stared at the bandaged fingers then glanced passed them to the hanyou. "Is there a problem with Himawari's work?" he asked.

The hanyou snorted then pulled back allowing the older demon to sit up. "Having to be knocked out because I was beginning to hallucinate with exhaustion is one thing," said Kakiboufuu. "But you went and made it impossible for me to finish removing the rest of the iron for another couple of weeks."

"Don't worry about it," said Sesshomaru. "Xeno's phoenix pulled the rest of it out."

"I was wondering how you were sleeping on your back," muttered the hanyou, still vexed. "Still, I doubt it was pleasant."

"It wasn't but it's now over and you don't have to risk losing your finger."

"Feh!" said Kakiboufuu, dismissively. He didn't see his brother's hand until after it had slammed into the side of his head. "Oi! What was that for?" he shouted, bringing his face nose to nose with Sesshomaru. The older demon's face remained passive and emotionless even as he reached up and twisted the hanyou's ear.

Kakiboufuu yelped and didn't resist Sesshomaru's pull as he brought him forward and down. Sesshomaru moved into a crouch and driving his younger brother to the ground until his face was against the floor. Kakiboufuu glared through tear-filled eyes and he gritted his teeth against the searing pain. Sesshomaru's face remained emotionless as he kept the pressure on his brother's ear.

He reached over with his free hand, gripped Kakiboufuu's injured one and pulled it before the hanyou's gaze. "You may be head of the family, you may be the Taisho but I am still your older brother," said Sesshomaru is a low voice. "There is no question that I failed you as your older brother for decades. I should have been able to hold the position of Taisho. I should have been able to hold the position as head of family. That doesn't mean I am excused from my duties as your older brother.

"You are doing a masterful job as Taisho, there is no denying that, but it seems we both are forgetting how young you really are. Sometimes that youth and inexperience impairs your judgment, you make mistakes that someone older would know not to make. You only have one good hand, you should not be sacrificing it unnecessarily!"

"I made the decision," hissed Kakiboufuu. "I made the decision not to wait for the Shiro Tenko for personal reasons. A kanetenko-" Sesshomaru released his brother's wrist and slammed the fist into the hanyou's back. Kakiboufuu gasped and cried out. "Why did you…?"

"You don't think I don't understand and accept your decision?" asked Sesshomaru, his voice still low and even. He brought his fist down again and Kakiboufuu loosed a whine before it turned into a growl. "You warned us. You warned us the day you became Taisho that if we forced you take that post we wouldn't be able to rejoin the Shiro Tenko. We understood and accepted that consequence. Even if the others forgot when they ached and were tired, I didn't.

"A Taisho has responsibilities to more than just his family. He has them to his whole clan. You did well to remember that this past crisis. You hesitated to act until you had secured back-up for the siege, but it seems you only remember it when the risks are toward the clan. You fail to understand that it includes you as well. You have a duty to the clan to protect yourself as well. If anything happens to you, the clan will lose its head and become easy prey for enemies.

"There is no clear line of succession outside the Reihane family. The Ginhane's were the only other family with the status and power that separated them from the others. With them gone all the remaining families are too close in abilities to determine a clear succession should the Reihane line disappear. Even if you named a successor, they would not be able to control the other families. In the demon world, power is everything. Without that obvious, undeniable strength that guarantees victory no matter the challenger, no one will follow for long before coveting the throne for themselves.

"You must never think you are expendable. You are what holds this clan together. You are their leader and their protector, their law and order. Last night it was a hand you risked and with the way you fight possibly a minor loss. However, I cannot allow even that to go unchallenged. Next time you might risk your life unnecessarily and I might not be there to stop you. Minor or major, you will not sacrifice yourself like that again. Understand?"

Kakiboufuu said nothing but his gaze remained defiant. Sesshomaru gripped the collar of his brother's kimono and yanked downward, exposing the hanyou's back. He placed his claws against the skin and said, "If I have to I will carve my words into your flesh so their burn may remind you of what I said. I don't want you forgetting your responsibilities again."

"I understand," hissed Kakiboufuu without taking his eyes off Sesshomaru.

"I'm not convinced," said Sesshomaru, and pressed his claw into the skin, drawing a bead of blood.

"I understand!" gasped the hanyou, sounding more frantic. Alarm in his eyes.

"Understand what?" asked Sesshomaru watching his brother's eyes.

"I understand that my responsibilities include not just bringing unnecessary risk to the clan but to myself as well. Bringing risk to myself brings risk to the clan because they need me to maintain order and cohesion. That if I were lost the clan would disperse or destroy itself," said Kakiboufuu quickly as squirmed beneath his brother's iron grip on his ear.

"Good," said Sesshomaru and he withdrew both hands. Kakiboufuu didn't rise right away, instead choosing to rub his offended ear. The older demon leaned forward and hissed, "Pull this crap again and the hide is coming off your back in strips." Kakiboufuu cringed, hearing the sincerity in his brother's voice.

Outside the room, rudely eavesdropping, stood Lady Kou. The elder nodded her head in silent approval, though no one was there to see her. She had been preparing to give the young Taisho an earful herself on the subject. She was glad to see Sesshomaru stepping up as his older brother.

Sesshomaru's actions were neither treasonous nor inappropriate. This was what many would call an in-house squabble. Elders in a family were not heads but did have position and rights within their families that allowed them to chide and even discipline a head depending on the offense. It was strange to see the older Sesshomaru scolding the Taisho but this was the second Taisho for the clan and he was still very young. As long as Sesshomaru didn't try to control the clan through the Taisho she didn't see a problem with this. Young leaders needed guidance, a young Taisho was no different.

She walked away without either one becoming aware of her presence. She thought she heard the conversation start up again but didn't care to listen further. She had heard what she needed and she would not intrude upon their privacy further.

Within the room, Kakiboufuu sat and straightened his white kimono. "Of all the lousy…" he muttered. He put a hand to the swollen ear and yelled, "You know I actually use these with my jutsu, Aniue!"

Sesshomaru was standing a few feet away as he dressed. He had gotten the inner white kimono on and was pulling on the outer patterned one. He hadn't put on his hakama and stood there barefoot in his robes. A sudden move and he was sitting next to Kakiboufuu with his the claw of his left pointing finger touching the tip of his brother's unharmed ear. He sat with both legs bent, however, one lay flat on the ground while the other was raised. The kimono fell away from the raised knee, exposing naked pale flesh.

"I could equalize them if you want," said Sesshomaru.

Kakiboufuu had a very surprising reaction. Jerking back, he cried, "Get away! Don't do that when you aren't fully clothed!"

Sesshomaru lost his passive face as he blinked in confusion. "Whatever is wrong?"

Kakiboufuu scooted out of reach, panting. "There are many weird people with strange ideas that I do not wish to encourage in any way," he replied.

Sesshomaru stared for a moment then snorted and stood up. _The Prophet's Eye strikes again,_ he thought. _Though, it sounds a bit random and doesn't seem to have any bearing on the future. What did he see in that instant?_ Sesshomaru pondered the words a few moments but pulled back before he came up with anything conclusive. _Perhaps ignorance is bliss, after all._

"I'm sorry," said Kakiboufuu, after regaining his composure.

"About what?" asked Sesshomaru as he tied his hakama. _I'm never going to get used to his random comments._

"Naomi," he replied. Sesshomaru paused and regarded his brother. Kakiboufuu was curled up on the floor with his chin and arms resting on his knees. He wasn't looking at Sesshomaru. "I know what I said to her. I know I told her not to go. Yet it ended up being so necessary. Why did I think she obey that? Why did I not at least pull her aside and tell her what I was doing? I feel like even though I told her not to go I actually pushed her into going by herself, just so she would already be inside when we attacked. That the whole battle was just a decoy operation so that she could free you.

"This Prophet's Eye, I hate it. It influences my words and my actions without me understanding why. It doesn't allow me to make the decisions by showing me the possible outcomes. It just controls me and when it governs my actions I find I have the least awareness. It isn't until afterwards when I stop and think about it that I realize what happened. I actually put Naomi in danger and I didn't even realize it."

Sesshomaru sighed; his brother was weakening again. He walked over and placed his hand on the hanyou's head. "Maybe you should trust it like your instincts. Everything turned out well in the end," he said.

"You heard about what happened with the Jewels of Life?" he asked. Sesshomaru nodded though his brother couldn't see him. "Where was the warning there?"

"Maybe because it foresaw the outcome and so no action of avoidance was necessary," suggested Sesshomaru.

"But who is deciding this? It isn't me! Someone else is using me to write history. I'm not even being trusted with the decision. I don't know what will happen I just say or do things at random and it happens to work out, but what if the end of the journey isn't what any of us actually wanted?"

Sesshomaru thought of his mother's words from that rainy night after the Ascension Ceremony.

"_He is being forced to walk a lonely road, one that is filled with jagged rocks, barefoot. His suffering has just begun and I shudder at what's yet to come."_

_I'm beginning to see it now, what she was talking about. What else lies ahead for us if this is only the start?_ Sesshomaru wondered.

Author Chat:

Yes, I did! I couldn't resist letting that damned Prophet's Eye give Kakiboufuu a peek into the mad world of fandom. And it serves as a reminder that there is no incest in this story. They are brothers and they will behave as such. They will be nice one day and they will beat each other up the next. They will not make out with each other, ever.

Beyond that, I was glad to give Sesshomaru some dominate male time. He kept getting pushed around and put down so much in this story, it was long past time for him to remind everyone that he is a powerful yokai that make thousands tremble in fear. Oh I forgot, that happens outside Tenji and never within. Well, he still needed some dominance time.

Chapter 40: Do Not Interfere Further

A temporary halt to the fighting gives all sides a chance to rest and recover. During this time, Kakiboufuu makes plans to visit the mainland in order to discover the reason behind the unexpected appearance of foreign weapons on the battlefield.

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	52. Don't Interfere Further: Shades of Doubt

A temporary halt to the fighting gives all sides a chance to rest and recover. During this time, Kakiboufuu makes plans to visit the mainland in order to discover the reason behind the unexpected appearance of foreign weapons on the battlefield.

_145-135 years before the search for the jewel shards_

Chapter 40: Do Not Interfere Further

_I know much of our land's technology and even writing has migrated from the mainland. However, there is a limit to how much change I'm willing to allow especially when it comes to the nature of war and the enemy is getting the advantage. Isn't it enough to have individuals with the power to destroy whole cities without spreading that ability to the undisciplined masses?_

-Inuyasha

Part 1: Shades of Doubt

Kakiboufuu sat upon the dais with his brother and his family sitting to his right. Before him on the floor below, lined along each wall, were the elders, heads, generals and guardians. The guardians were closest to him, followed by the generals then the heads and their family elders. Three scouts knelt in the middle of the room; they had just finished reporting on the enemy's activities.

"Are you certain of this?" asked Kakiboufuu.

"Hai, Taisho," said the lead scout, a dog demon of fawn hair. His green eyes were not lowered but they didn't meet Kakiboufuu's. That was out of respect rather than from deceit. If the man had held his lord's gaze, it could have been taken as a challenge. Instead, he focused his gaze on the hanyou's mouth.

Kakiboufuu struggled not to twitch with annoyance. He did not like how the scout refused to meet his eyes. He understood why but he still didn't like it. It was easier for him to judge people's sincerity if he held their gaze. One of the many down sides of coming into a dog pack after growing up human was the difference in the people's subtle behavior. A human would not feel challenged just because someone met their gaze.

Kakiboufuu pushed away his petty gripes and focused on the information given to him. All military operations within Tenji seemed to have halted for the time being. No movement by his uncle had been noted in the months following his attempt to take Castle Arai. A failed attempt at glory, or ruin, only because it had already been destroyed by the inuyokai clan. It seemed without knowledge of where Kuromakaze had fallen back to, he wouldn't muster his troops for any further assaults against the Kuro Tenko. It was probably the first smart campaign move he had made in his whole career and it was probably the result of smooth word play by Toromaru, advisors and generals rather than being solely his idea.

Kuromakaze's lack of activity meant several different things and not all of them were in Kakiboufuu's favor. The first, and most obvious, was that the assault on Castle Arai had resulted in unforeseen consequences for the devil Tenko. He had lost more troops than he had anticipated and he had lost his strongest fortress along with all the weapons and supplies it had held.

Kakiboufuu had returned to the castle weeks later to see it had already been stripped. The hill the castle sat upon had been stabilized and the tracks of laden men marked the pathway away from the fallen keep. He was certain the Shiro Tenko were responsible for that. It was a massive loss for the Kuro Tenko. No other castle within their territory held half as much as Castle Arai. There was also the loss of all the workshops and armories that had surrounded the castle. Rebuilding those would take time along with reacquiring lost tools for the smiths and carpenters. Kakiboufuu only regretted that his clan hadn't been the ones to strip the place but they hadn't been in any better position to secure the items within than the Kuro Tenko had been.

The second and most troublesome reason for Kuromakaze's silence was that he was preparing for something. After the Day of Devil's Awakening, Kuromakaze had gone dormant for years before striking again. Kuromakaze had suffered a severe setback but not enough to justify this quiet. He had held the advantage over the Shiro Tenko this entire war and could have pressed forward in victory even with the loss of Castle Arai. His refusal to do so worried Kakiboufuu.

"Perhaps he's worried that if he attacks the Shiro Tenko we'll take him from behind," suggested Sesshomaru, when he had voiced his concerns earlier. "You fought him to a draw in the last battle. Ignoring the unexpected incident with the jewels, you more than proved above and beyond his expectations. If not for the immediate arrival of the Shiro Tenko, he might have pressed on with the battle, taking advantage of his fresh troops that had remained in the castle and our near exhaustive state."

"You're forgetting, Sesshomaru-sama, that Kuromakaze may have been worried about the jewels going berserk again," said Lord Raita, an older general with gray streaked blue-black hair and ice-blue eyes. He had attended the battle and remembered the terrifying moment when the Jewel of Life had tried to reunite.

"Kaiyoshinju had left the battlefield by that point," said Kakiboufuu before his brother could respond. Raita may have been one of the generals who had stayed with Sesshomaru during Noriko's rebellion but that was hardly because he liked Sesshomaru. He had been one of the generals assigned to guard the young demon after the demon slayers' raid on the castle that had left many, including Sesshomaru's mother and newborn sister, dead. Raita continued to see Sesshomaru as the irrational puppy he had to babysit and Sesshomaru bristled whenever the general spoke to him since Raita always addressed him in a condescending tone.

His view of Kakiboufuu was just as poor but the hanyou was able to brush it off more easily. Kakiboufuu was younger than all the demons of influence within the clan so he didn't take it personally. He just focused on doing the best he could and hoped he didn't mess up so spectacularly again that his brother took him to task once more.

Kakiboufuu burned every time he thought about the lecture he had received and his ear throbbed in memory. What humiliated him more was that his brother was right; he couldn't even get back at Sesshomaru for it and his brother knew it. The older demon had practically been skipping wherever he went since he put his younger brother down. Kakiboufuu felt a burning need to pummel Sesshomaru back into place but couldn't find the justification to do so. Instead, he held his piece and steamed whenever his brother smirked at him.

It was tempting to see Sesshomaru lose his composure over Raita but this was a clan meeting and not the place for the petty bickering. They could have that fun outside once the official business was over. The idea of Raita pounding Sesshomaru tickled Kakiboufuu interest and he found himself shuffling the idea into a corner of his mind before it brought a smirk to his face. This wasn't the place for private musing either.

"The risk of a second outburst had been mitigated," Kakiboufuu continued with the barest of pauses. "No, the Shiro Tenko's threat was what drove him away that time. So perhaps he is worried that if he goes after the Shiro Tenko he will be exposing his back to us."

"If the Shiro Tenko hadn't been coming then Kenji wouldn't have been there and the jewels wouldn't have reacted at all," said another general.

"And we would have pummeled each other to a bloody, exhausted pulp and still resulting in a draw," said Kakiboufuu, dropping formality in favor of down to earth battle descriptions. Dog demons appreciated the simplicity of such descriptions no matter how civilized they pretended to be. "The only difference is he would have been able to gather all his supplies and weapons from the castle and possibly even repairing it before the Shiro Tenko became aware of the vulnerability."

"Speaking of weapons," said Sesshomaru. Kakiboufuu kept his face neutral with a touch of innocence as his brother stepped into the carefully laid trap. Who said his cousin was the only one could set people up? "When are we going to retrieve my swords?" Kakiboufuu swallowed his grin of triumph.

"Why are you so fixated on them? I know they are powerful but this constant whining-" snarled Raita. This was turning out better than he had hoped.

"That's because the Tenken is actually his celestial power given physical form," replied Kakiboufuu before his brother could respond, again. "If Aniue loses his sword then he loses his celestial powers. So right now he's just an ordinary demon."

The entire room gasped and stared at Sesshomaru. The older Reihane's face lost all expression as his eyes went cold. He refused to look at anyone. "Shouldn't we hurry and locate them then?" asked Naomi, concerned.

"They're safe with Kenji and we'll get them back when he's able to return them to us," replied Kakiboufuu, the corner of his lips twitching upward.

"Hmmm… What with that smirk, Otouto?" asked Sesshomaru as he eyed his brother.

Kakiboufuu kicked himself for not being able to contain his glee and replied, "I was just thinking this was a prime opportunity for you, Aniue."

"Why?" Sesshomaru drew the word out slowly, suspicious of the reply.

"Well, pathetic as you are in the art of physical and demon combat when it comes to other trained fighters," the hanyou replied earning a growl from his brother, which caused the smirk to spread to a grin. "I thought you could train with… Oh say… General Raita here in the art of demon combat and get those wimpy demon muscles of yours in shape prior to you having your celestial powers restored."

Sesshomaru face was white, with rage or fear, Kakiboufuu wasn't sure, but he couldn't stop smiling either way. Several people choked. Naomi had buried her face in her kimono sleeve, though she looked like she had gone as purple as her favorite kimono. Kaiyoshinju, unrefined woman that she was, was roaring with laughter. Raita merely raised an incredulous eyebrow, though he hardly looked displeased.

"Why you…!" blustered Sesshomaru.

Kakiboufuu looked away and said, "It worked for me, though I trained as a human, not as a hanyou. Made a big difference in my ability to fight." Sesshomaru growled and Kakiboufuu couldn't resist the final dig. The words leapt from his lips before his self-discipline could wrangle them back to their pen. "Then maybe the next time we have a throw down it will actually be a challenge."

Sesshomaru rose to his knees, his youki growing with his rage. The arrogant smirk he had worn for weeks was now officially gone from his face. Kakiboufuu swung his head back and came nose to nose with his brother and breathed, "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" Sesshomaru looked like he wanted to club him right there. The air in the room crackled with eager anticipation even as the various inuyokai frowned their disapproval.

Somewhere in the back of his mind a little voice was demanding to know why he felt it necessary to egg on his brother. Especially when he was in a meeting with the various heads and generals of the clan he was supposed to be controlling. And for it to be over a matter that he fully earned and deserved. It was childish, inappropriate and disrespectful. The nagging voice was a bucket of cold water and Kakiboufuu felt all his mirth flow out of him. However, with Sesshomaru snarling in his face he was hardly in a position to back down, not without looking weak in front of the whole clan.

Raita, however, recognized the subtle shift in the Taisho's manner and gave his lord a way out without him losing face. "Alright puppies, if you have the urge for a fight we can do that in a few minutes, but can we at least conclude this meeting before you tear into each other?" At least without his lord losing too much face. Raita, though, had read Kakiboufuu well and the hanyou wasn't bothered by the comment in the slightest.

Sesshomaru flinched and returned to his seat his face frozen in indignation. Raita rolled his eyes at the demon's belated attempt at dignity. Kakiboufuu didn't withdraw until Sesshomaru was back in his seat. He also didn't remove the self-satisfied smirk off his face either as he settled himself back into place.

"A wise suggestion, General Raita," said the Taisho. "I guess there is a limit to how long I can stay serious. I'll have to remember that." Several in the meeting chuckled as the tension in the air retreated. Naomi was finally able to breathe again and Kaiyoshinju had regained her composure, though, the Taisho's response seemed poised to send her rolling back in another fit of laughter.

The whole discussion had been put on hold when the scouts arrived, breathless and unexpected, to give their report to the gathering. Now any remaining humor was gone as he heard what he feared the most. Kuromakaze was building up his strength once more and if he couldn't find a way to stop it, his worst fears would be realized.

The scouts had found the place where Kuromakaze was bringing in his foreign goods and there were signs that among the goods were more Chinese rockets. He would probably modify them as he had done before. While Kakiboufuu was aware of them, he was certain the Shiro Tenko weren't. In their haste to leave Arai Castle, Kakiboufuu had forgotten to mention the rockets to Kenji and all the evidence that might have tipped off the Shiro Tenko had been washed away. They wouldn't be prepared for them. If Kuromakaze was able to hit hard and fast against the Shiro Tenko, the inuyokai would not be able to react before their allies were destroyed and then it would just be them versus the Kuro Tenko.

The inuyokai were strong but they didn't have the numbers they once had. If they became Kuromakaze's primary focus, they wouldn't last. They had fought to a draw but only against part of his forces. If they went all-in it would be Kuromakaze's victory. His forces were more diverse and had supplies.

"We need to stop the importation of those rockets," said General Raita. He, like the other generals, could also see where this was leading. A map was placed on the floor and the scout marked the route, including the location where the ships were making landfall.

"They're using the inland sea between Shikoku and Honshu and coming ashore at Kurashiki village. We don't know where exactly they entering the inner sea. They have too much control of the water for us to follow the boats," explained the scout.

"I imagine he has a substantial force at Kurashiki village," said Sesshomaru, his composure returned. "He knows our tactics are to sabotage his supply lines. He won't want us to interfere with this."

"Agreed," said Kakiboufuu with a grimace. "It would be suicide to attack Kurashiki village. Now what is the water route?" He looked over the map trying to assess risks as Kuromakaze would see them. "Bypassing Osaka would call the attention of the local Daimyo and I know the man is not in favor of Tenko expansion. He loves his power too much and his family resisted assimilation for the last three generations. Any foreign ships heading to Tenji would catch his attention and he would interfere on principal. He would also alert both the Shogun and Kyoto of the movements just so he can complain about our growing power. Then the court would send a message to my uncle demanding explanations."

"And what would the Tenko lord do?" asked Soranoko.

"Something suicidal which is how I know Kuromakaze isn't going that way," Kakiboufuu replied. "If the Shiro Tenko move we'll move which is what Kuromakaze is fearing. It must be here, south of Kyushu and between it and Shikoku."

"Why there and not here?" asked Sesshomaru, indicating the small waterway between the southern tip of Honshu and the northern side of Kyushu.

"Because the channel there is narrow and we have some control on this side. It would be harder to hide the passage of ships. This area is much more open and careful sailing could protect the ships from view," replied Raita, addressing Sesshomaru with his usual tone. Sesshomaru growled and Kakiboufuu flicked his brother as a reminder he needed to stay focused. They already had their one undignified moment for the week.

"All those small islands those ships have to pass by and they aren't being harassed by pirates?" Raiken wondered aloud.

"He's either terrorized them, bought them, or killed them," said Kakiboufuu. "He always prepares well in advance and a bunch of pirates are far too predictable to be a threat to him." He scrutinized the map and something tickled the back of his mind. He remained quiet even as the others continued to speak, letting the sensation spread and take him.

The inland sea filled his vision and the paper melted into water. He saw the junks sailing low in the water, laden with their cargo. It was dark and a thin mist surrounded them as they moved despite the steady breeze that pushed them along, blurring their outline. From above attacked a band of panther demons. The pathway the ships were suspected of traveling ran parallel to the panther demon tribe's territory. They had lost their leader but it appeared they were not all dead. A sound of something flying through the air filled his ears and he thought he saw one of the demon split in two before his vision went white. Pain pierced his forehead and he sat back gripping his head as the hot agony continued to throb through his brain.

As the others had continued to talk, Sesshomaru was the first to notice his brother was no longer responding or adding to the discussion. The intense unfocused stare warned Sesshomaru of what was happening and he wisely refrained from disturbing the hanyou's concentration. Unfortunately, Soranoko wasn't as well informed.

The conversations fell silent when others realized the Taisho wasn't answering questions. The wind sorceress sat below the dais just to the left of Kakiboufuu. She looked up and saw his own focused gaze and out of concern tapped the dais to try to draw his attention, lightly calling him at the same time. When he didn't respond she reached up to touch him. Sesshomaru noticed too late.

"Soranoko, wait!" he cried but he was on the opposite side of Kakiboufuu and couldn't physically stop her. The moment her hand touched him fire ignited over his whole body. Her hand snapped back and avoided being burned but the damage was done.

Kakiboufuu cried out, his hands coming to his forehead just as blood squirted from an unseen wound. He fell backwards grimacing. Sesshomaru caught him as several of the clan jumped to their feet suspecting an assassin. Unable to detect the perceived attacker, many were beginning to panic and paranoia was setting in. Accusations of a traitor quickly flew across the room.

Sesshomaru realized he needed to get the situation under control or the different heads would try to kill one another. Naomi, having seen this before, quickly took her father's place beside the writhing hanyou as Sesshomaru stood to address the assembly.

"SILENCE!" he roared, filling that single word with every shred of power and authority he could muster. The room fell quiet as the gathering turned to face him. "There is no assassin nor is there a traitor," he said with icy calm. "Otouto did not want to tell you, but now I have no choice. Otouto possesses a power that grants premonitions but it is not a power he can control. It possesses him from time to time, pushing him into taking a course of action no one will understand until the event inspiring it comes to pass. On a rare occasion, a possession will result in injury to his person. Once the fit has passed, I will ask him what he saw. Until then, no one will act unless in defense of our clan."

The silence continued as each person tried to absorb the shocking revelation. It was Xeno that spoke first. "You speak of the Prophet's Eye. Never has there been a more terrifying power than it."

"Why is that?" asked Kaiyoshinju.

"As Sesshomaru said, it is not a power that which can be controlled by the one that bears it," he replied. "Lucifer was once believed to have had it and Canaan as well. I believe Lucifer learned how to suppress it, or it left him, because when I arrived here he was no longer being affected by it."

"Chichiue had the eye?" asked Sesshomaru, incredulous.

Xeno nodded and added, "Possession is an apt description for what it does. Just whose eye is it really and what their purpose is in forcing the path that history takes?"

"Lucifer and Canaan, two of the thirteen angels and neither a pure blood," muttered Sesshomaru. "Inuyasha is the most terrified of all. He doesn't like he can't choose the path he's taking."

"A wise fear," said Xeno. "The path that Lucifer and Canaan were made to walk resulted in Lucifer taking the life of Canaan, his one time ally and friend and being branded forever by the Canaanites as a traitor and devil."

"What?" gasped Sesshomaru. Several others vocalized their shock as well.

"I don't know the real reason why the two fought only that they did and that the story the Canaanites continue to tell is being spread throughout the far west."

"Who or what are the Canaanites?" asked Sesshomaru.

"They are Canaan's descendents. They are like the Tenko, only not as honorable."

Sesshomaru sat against the wall as Naomi and Himawari tended to his ailing brother. They had brought him into a more private room after Xeno's revelation had ended the meeting. The taiyokai found himself examining and reexamining Xeno's words. They ran close to what Kakiboufuu had expressed after the battle. The feeling of someone using him to write history in their fashion.

No one had known anything about his father's history after the celestial war of long ago. No one really knew how long ago it was only that it was described as a time with great ice sheets and giant animals; none of which existed today save for their demon counterparts and small cousins. Between the time of the Fallen One's rebellion and when his father reappeared in Japan a thousand years ago, no one knew anything. Xeno was the first clue to that hidden history but, before today, had never spoken a word about it.

_No one knew how to pronounce Chichiue's name from the ancient texts, they just knew what it meant, Angel of Light and it became the origins of my clan name, Light Wing, Reihane,_ he thought. _How could something so terrible happen? How could Chichiue be forced to kill his own friend and ally? What happened? Were they both really being controlled by the Prophet's Eye? Was it the Eye that made them enemies? For what purpose? _He looked over at his brother.

"_But who is deciding this? It isn't me! Someone else is using me to write history. I'm not even being trusted with the decision. I don't know what will happen I just say or do things at random and it happens to work out, but what if the end of the journey isn't what any of us actually wanted?"_

"_He is being forced to walk a lonely road, one that is filled with jagged rocks, barefoot. His suffering has just begun and I shudder at what's yet to come."_

_What nightmares are awaiting us?_ Sesshomaru thought with his own shudder. _Gods of mercy, I beg of you, spare my brother from these horrors!_

A week went by without improvement from Kakiboufuu. Sesshomaru feared Soranoko's polite interruption had unintentional hurt his brother beyond what the possession would have done. Though, he never said such to her, she walked around with an air of guilt and wouldn't meet his eyes.

Several of the young bloods were anxious to attack after the contents of the meeting were shared by the heads with their families. Sesshomaru refused to sanction any such attacks, certain the vision Kakiboufuu had involved the junks. They needed to wait until the Taisho had recovered so he can explain what he saw. The generals initially agreed but each passing day was one day closer to Kuromakaze's final attack against the ailing Shiro Tenko. They were growing more impatient for the raid as well.

Xeno, however, had distanced himself from the others and withdrawn into meditation and prayer. Like Sesshomaru, the potential threat in the Prophet's Eye worried him as well. He was the only one not pressing Sesshomaru for action; though, he offered no support in placating the others.

"I understand the need for caution against such an enemy as Kuromakaze," said Raita, once more trying to convince the taiyokai of the need for action. "But we may be losing our window of opportunity. If we don't act soon we could lose everything."

"If we act too soon we could lose everything," countered Sesshomaru.

"With all due respect, Sesshomaru-sama," said Raita with his condescending tone in full force, "you are not a great military leader. I say we need to strike now and sink those ships before Kuromakaze can gain another rocket."

"You can't make that decision!" snapped Sesshomaru. He suddenly found spears in his face forcing him to take a step back from General Raita.

"I will take full responsibility for this. I will explain my reasoning to the Taisho when I return as well as present him the heads of the Chinese captains," said Raita. Sesshomaru growled and reached for the spears to push them away. Instead, a third dog demon took hold of his arms and tied his hands behind his back.

"Raita!" howled Sesshomaru. He pulled at the bindings but they refused to give. Demons knew how to restrain other demons.

"You're just an ordinary demon now and the Taisho was correct about you needing to improve this side of your fighting ability," said Raita.

"However, I am not an ordinary demon," snarled Naomi as she left the Temple followed by her vexed mother and the frightened Himawari.

"Peace, Naomi-sama. I have no intention of harming your father," said Raita raising his hands to placate the young dragoness. "I just don't want him getting in my way. I already have several volunteers, more than enough for this raid. These three will remain here to make sure Sesshomaru-sama does not follow. I wish for you to remain as well, Naomi-sama. The clan will need protection while we're away and I feel you are presently are best warrior. However, Kaiyoshinju-sama, I would be honored if you joined us as this raid will be conducted over the ocean."

Kaiyoshinju stared at the general, her violet eyes gazing deep into his icy blue ones and held them in challenge. However, she was the first to look away and sighed. "I'll go."

"Mother!" cried Naomi.

"Kaiyo," said Sesshomaru.

She fixed him with a steely cold stare but it softened into sad regret as she gazed into his sad eyes. She walked over to him and kissed him as she once did long ago when they had been young and in love. His response told her that he still remembered those days and treasured them. He was reluctant to let their lips part as she pulled back and held his face in her hands.

"You are not even sure of your choices, even now," said Kaiyoshinju as she held his golden eyes. "If you were, you wouldn't have allowed this humiliation." She brought her face forward, pressing her cheek against his and whispered, "You may not be the strongest among us, Sesshomaru, but you aren't weak either. You've been doubting yourself for decades." She separated their faces and met his golden gaze, unreadable in their pain.

Naomi blushed; surprised her mother could still do that with Sesshomaru after all the centuries of hate. Himawari stared in awe and sadness at the tenderness her husband-to-be expressed for his lost love. She would have to accept those feelings would never leave but she became more determined to find away to turn those affections toward her. Otherwise, he would never truly be happy with her.

"As you say, I am Kaiyo, _The Ocean_. Their best chance of returning is if I go with them," she said and pulled away. He watched her leave with General Raita before he was gentle guided indoors to the sealed room where he would await whatever fate lay before the general and his men.

"I'm sorry, Chichiue," said Naomi, kneeling outside the cell where her father was being kept. He sat leaning against one of the walls looking only slightly irritated by the whole scandal. The three guards left to watch over him had untied his hands before he entered the cell so he wouldn't be uncomfortable. They took turns resting, making sure there were at least two stationed by his cell at all times.

The room was covered in spiritualist seals that had been found in the temple's storehouse. The cells were created for demon prisoners or for demons who just needed a place to cool off. Sesshomaru hadn't resisted being put in the cell, he didn't see the point. Raita was already on his way and though he only had a small number accompanying him on his mission, most in the clan agreed with the older demon. Forcing the issue would only divide the clan further. Sesshomaru just hoped that nothing would happen.

"About what?" he asked in response to his daughter's words.

"I shouldn't have let Raita do this to you," replied Naomi. "With Oji-san down, you are in charge. If you said to wait, they should have waited."

Sesshomaru sighed. "Forget it, Naomi. General Raita is only doing what he believes necessary for the sake of clan and country. He's a warrior with many centuries of experience behind him and he held Chichiue's trust. What right did I have to nay say him?"

"But you weren't making your decisions on a whim," retorted Naomi. "You honestly believed your decision was the best for both clan and country as well."

"And we had a difference of opinion and so I am here and he is not," said Sesshomaru. Naomi opened her mouth again, hurting to see him putting himself down. Sesshomaru cut her off. "Leave it be, Naomi. It is done. I just hope I really am the one who is wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

The guards immediately prostrated themselves as Naomi spun around. Kakiboufuu stood in the hall entrance with Himawari a step behind. He was dressed only in his sleeping kimono of pale blue. His hair was undone and fell to mid-thigh in a tangled mess. Dark circles lined the underside of his eyes as if he hadn't slept for a week instead of the opposite. He rubbed his eyes to rid them of grime; he had just risen from his futon.

"Aniue," said Kakiboufuu in a tired voice. "What did you do to earn a time-out in the cooling box?"

Sesshomaru rose to his feet and stepped toward the cell door. "I disagreed with Raita. I said we needed to stay put until you awoke and he said we needed to attack the foreign ships before Kuromakaze gets everything he needs to attack the Shiro Tenko."

Kakiboufuu was suddenly fully awake and alert, lowering his hand to stare at Sesshomaru. "He wants to do what?"

Sesshomaru grimaced at his brother's concern. "He's taken several of the young fighters and is going to raid the Chinese junks. Probably before they can enter the inland sea. Kaiyoshinju went with them."

"Open the cell," the Taisho ordered. The guards hurried to free Sesshomaru but Kakiboufuu didn't wait. He rushed back to his room to dress. When his brother arrived, he was already tying off his hakama.

"When did they leave?" asked Kakiboufuu as Himawari helped to place his armor.

"Just this morning," replied Naomi.

"Kaiyoshinju only went with them because she believed she was their best hope for survival," added Sesshomaru as he kicked himself for not being more forceful, for bowing to Raita's demands instead of exercising his authority over him. Kaiyoshinju's whispered words echoed in his mind.

"_You may not be the strongest among us, Sesshomaru, but you aren't weak either. You've been doubting yourself for decades." _

_It's hard not to doubt my decisions of authority when every one of them has led to disaster and everyone reminds me of that whenever possible, _he thought as he rubbed his face.

"That's the only reason why I'm racing after them," said Kakiboufuu, sliding on Rokukafuga. "There would be no way to reach them before they're killed otherwise."

"Killed?" Naomi went pale.

"Demon slayers are protecting the waterway," replied the Taisho in a soft voice.

"Demon slayers?" Sesshomaru's mind flashed upon that terrible day when the castle had been attacked and he had found his mother's headless body. Everything spun as his heart raced with rage and grief and the image of his mother was replaced with that of Kaiyoshinju.

He didn't realize he had moved until he felt his back slam into the wall and an arm pinning him there. He stared into golden eyes and thought it was his father. "Release me, Chichiue! I have to kill them! Release me!" shouted Sesshomaru, lost to the past.

A slap landed on his right cheek and a voice that wasn't his father's spoke. "Wake up, Aniue!"

Sesshomaru's mind returned to the present and all his rage vanished. Shame filled the void as he realized how fast he has fallen. He slid down the wall and the arm pulled away. He gazed up at his brother but it wasn't rage or disgust in his eyes only sorrow. Sesshomaru lowered his eyes and punched the floor.

"This is why no one trusts my judgment," said Sesshomaru with emotion. "I let them leave without putting up a fight. I should have taken a stronger stance but no one believes I know what I'm doing."

"It isn't your fault, Aniue," said Kakiboufuu, kneeling down to be at eye level with his brother. "They made their choice."

"We are losing our clansmen because I couldn't step up as your relief when you needed me to."

"They made their choice," repeated Kakiboufuu, shaking his brother's shoulder. "Besides, if I had been more open about the Prophet's Eye instead of hiding it…"

Sesshomaru shook his head and looked away as he spoke. "When you collapsed, I told them about the Prophet's Eye. Xeno knew about that power… You were right… It isn't a power we can trust. It at one time possessed Chichiue and drove him to kill his own friend and be forever branded as a traitor by the people of the west."

Kakiboufuu didn't move for several seconds then he reached forward and embraced his older brother. "Stay," he commanded in a low voice. He rose to his feet and headed toward the main entrance, saying in passing. "Himawari, Naomi, remain here and take care of Sesshomaru. I'm going alone."

Sesshomaru's eyes widen in alarm. "You are forgetting your responsibilities again," he said. He tried to rise only to find his movements were slow as if he moved through mud, his limbs felt many times heavier than they should. "What did you do to me?"

Kakiboufuu didn't respond, disappearing out the front door into the courtyard. Naomi tried to follow but once she was five feet from her father she fell to ground, her own limbs suddenly heavy. When she scooted back toward her father, their condition returned to normal.

"Damn you! Oji-san!" she shouted in fury.

"What happened?" asked Himawari. She hadn't tried to follow the Taisho so hadn't felt the strange affects.

"It's hypnosis, hitenko can use it because of the fire's natural hypnotic allure. The commands he issued can't be disobeyed, a part of our minds sees them as absolute. Until he takes it off, we can't do anything but obey. Our bodies will resist any disobedience," replied Naomi, hissing the whole while.

"I'm going to kill him," muttered Sesshomaru, rage filling every aspect of his being but still his body struggled to move.

Night had fallen and General Raita, Kaiyoshinju and their party waited at a nearby inlet for the junks to arrive. The scouts' information had stated they appeared every two weeks, once on the full moon and once on the new moon when the tides were their highest. Tonight was a new moon and the tide was rising as the night approached its zenith.

A mist appeared on the water despite the light breeze that should have swept it away. The wane light of the stars became almost useless as the dark sea was swallowed by the spreading fog. However, neither dogs nor dragons required sight to find their prey. The creak of wood, the splash of water and the whisper of foreign words before they saw the glowing lanterns told them the ships were here.

General Raita gave a low growl and everyone lunged toward the dark ships. The men shouted as they spotted the demons and panicked. Their own spiritualists tried to cast their wards but foreign spells had minimum effect on native demons. For aristocratic demons, they were less than useless. It would have easiest to just let Kaiyoshinju sink the ships but they needed answers. They needed to know who the supplier was or else this would never end. If they could find and destroy the supplier then the all shipments would stop.

The only remaining problem was the language barrier. General Raita was sure someone on board had to speak Japanese or else there would be no way for them to barter with the Kuro Tenko. Raita wasn't aware of the imperial court's practice of learning Chinese and didn't realize that many of the Tenko could speak to the crew directly. There were no Japanese speakers onboard.

As Raita pressured the crew seeking a translator that wasn't there, Kaiyoshinju stayed on the ocean's surface, creating small whirlpools that prevented the ships from riding the tide further in. She could here General Raita's growing frustration.

"Raita!" she called, growing more anxious to be away. "If you can't find the translator then capture the most important looking ones and let's sink the ships. We can figure out how to extract the information we need once we return to the temple."

Kaiyoshinju heard a strange whistling sound a second before she was struck from behind. She cried out and lost control of the whirlpools before collapsing and sinking below the surface, unconscious. The swirling currents increased momentarily in size and merged, throwing the junks together and capsizing two of them. Chinese men and the inuyokai were thrown into the water. Three of the remaining ships suffered damage at the waterline and began sinking. Another two lost their sails as they became entangled in the rigging of other vessels and were torn. Another lost its rudder. Only one escaped with minor damage.

General Raita had not been thrown into the water but the ship he stood upon was sinking fast. The Chinese were now more concerned in escaping their doomed vessel than in the demon that had been terrorizing them a moment before. The general ignored the men in turn and ran to the side.

"Kaiyoshinju-sama!" he shouted to the black water. There was no response. "Who's there?" he shouted to the dark sky. Stars flickered as something passed before them, too fast for him to catch with his sight in the night. He caught a whiff of cat before one of his men shouted a warning from the sea.

He spun around in time to see a transformed twin-tail cat charging him. On its back was a woman dressed in black and red and above her head was a weapon as big as she was and shaped like a boomerang, a haraikotsu. _A demon slayer?_ he thought in shock and then he thought no more.

Kakiboufuu flew as fast as he could, trying to catch his clansmen but knowing he wouldn't make it in time. As night fell, he was met with a more horrifying surprise. He had left without realizing how long he had been asleep. With the setting sun his demon and attach celestial power vanished. His wings disappeared with his claws and fangs, his sight and hearing weakened and his nose went dead. He dropped ten feet before Hotaru enlarged herself and took hold of his armor, becoming his new wings. She carried him forward as he stared at his clawless hands.

_Damn it!_ he thought. _A new moon, tonight! This isn't good. If anything comes up, I won't be able to handle it. I only have my spiritual power tonight._ Despite all his training, he had never been able to separate his celestial power from his demon power and now he suspected it had everything to do with his grandfather's blood. Kanzaki Jounochi's powers had waxed and waned with the moon and Kakiboufuu feared his were forever doomed to do the same.

"Hotaru," he said as he looked over his shoulder. "Can you carry me all the way to the sea entrance?" The phoenix squawked her affirmative. "Please hurry then. I need to order them away from those ships. I just hope they'll listen even though I'm like this right now."

"Yade yade," said Lady Kou as Xeno worked to break the spell on Sesshomaru. "You could have shouted at the Taisho, 'It's a new moon tonight!' or something. He was unconscious for a whole week, so why would he realize that tonight was a new moon. The scouts only told the details of the timing after he collapsed so he wouldn't realize the significance of General Raita going now."

"Maybe he'll return once he transforms," suggested Himawari.

"I doubt he'll be that rational," said Naomi.

"Taisho or no Taisho, I am beating him 'til he begs," snarled Sesshomaru. "He's still too young to be thinking he can go around doing what he wants unchallenged when there's so much at stake."

"I agree," said Lady Kou, "but do you believe he'll just sit there and let you get a hold of him after last time."

Sesshomaru blinked in confusion until he realized what she was talking about. "You were eavesdropping?!"

The elder unfurled her fan and let her eyes peek over the edge. "I was on my way to scold him soundly for the very same thing. You were just faster that I was."

"I volunteer to hold him down," said Naomi. "I have lots of practice is knocking daiyokai to the ground." Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched but he made no comment on the matter. He knew well her ability to bring down daiyokai; he was her favorite practice dummy.

Xeno sat back and said, "The spell on Sesshomaru-sama has been removed. Naomi-sama see if you can move around freely now. He may have tied the spells together." Naomi rose and began to walk away only to fall to her knees five feet from her father. Xeno sighed.

"I fear part of the spell on the ladies is to remain here or I would suggest you go after him in mass," said the fire demon as he turned his attention on Naomi. "His spell is subtle and hard to locate. I cannot remove these with any great speed."

Sesshomaru rose to his feet. "And I cannot wait any longer."

"You are hardly in a better position yourself," said Lady Kou. "You don't have your celestial power."

"I am hardly weaker than you or anyone else here," said Sesshomaru. "On the other hand, Otouto's Tenko powers disappear on this night as well as his demon power. He's no better than a mere mortal and he's out there by himself."

"You are not used to being without your celestial powers while myself and the others know no other way," stated Lady Kou, lowering her fan. "You were never the greatest of warriors simply because you take your inherited strength for granted. Admittedly there are few outside of Tenji who can match that strength but you shouldn't count on not crossing paths with them this night."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes then began to walk away without responding. Lady Kou was right but her arguments only confirmed the need for him to hurry. As dangerous as it was for him, his brother was in even greater danger and arguing was only wasting time. Lady Kou pressed her lips together but said no more, she had voiced her piece and the young demon was going anyway.

He took a few steps then heard Himawari gasp. He turned back to find her bent forward. "Please go, my lord," she said, waving him away. "I'm not in pain, it's just startling."

"Gomenasai," he said and hurried out of the temple.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" called Soranoko. She had been patrolling earlier in the day and had returned after Raita had left. "Let me go with you, you'll conserve strength if you ride my feather." Sesshomaru consented and they were soon flying through the air.


	53. Don't Interfere Further: Sad Reunion

Part 2: Sorrowful Reunion

Kakiboufuu came upon the shipwrecks some time after midnight. Despite the darkness and his poor night vision, he was able to see among the ruined ships were many bodies. The Taisho gritted his teeth as sorrow filled him.

_I wasn't in time_, he thought in despair. "Hotaru, take me down. I need to see them." She set him down on one of the overturned vessels then shrank and settled on his shoulder. With a few puffs, she sent out numerous blue ghost lights to light the area, allowing them to see the remains more clearly.

A pale hand twitched as the light settled on it. It hung over the railing of a half-submerged deck of a nearby wreck. Hotaru picked up Kakiboufuu and carried him to the vessel. In the light, he recognized the facedown Raita. Half his body was below the dark water that claimed much of the deck and none of the light penetrated. Kakiboufuu took hold of the railing to stabilize himself as his feet came to rest on the slanting deck. Hotaru remained perched on his back as the junk's remains groaned and sank lower.

"General Raita," he called he as reached down and shook the older demon's shoulder. Had he only imagined the hand had moved?

"Taisho?" The man's head rose and clouded blue eyes peered up at Kakiboufuu.

"Raita!" Kakiboufuu took hold of his arm and pulled him higher onto the deck as water threatened to cover the general's head. The general easily slid forward. Too easily for demon that was as big as Kakiboufuu and wearing armor, especially with Kakiboufuu only possessing a human's strength. The Taisho glanced down and struggled to swallow the bile rising in his throat. General Raita's ribs were exposed to the night and nothing remained below. Only, the daiyokai's powerful life force kept him awake when he should have been long gone.

"Forgive… my rebellion…" Raita gasped. Kakiboufuu knelt and bent over the fallen general, pressing his head against Raita's.

"There is nothing to forgive," said the Taisho. "Go to the other side with the pride and honor of being one of the Taisho's greatest generals." Hotaru sang a song of death and the light left the general's eyes forever. Cursing his own ineptitude, tears stinging his eyes, Kakiboufuu drew his wakizashi and cut Raita's black and gray hair before pushing the remains in the sea. He tied the tresses and tucked them within his kimono to take back to the temple. A growl made him turn.

"I thought another demon had appeared but I was wrong," said a light alto. From behind a capsized hull, a large twin-tail fire cat floated forward. On the feline's back was a young woman in a black, form-fitting outfit and red armor. Her dark hair was tied high in a ponytail and she held over her shoulder her weapon, a haraikotsu. She eyed him with concern but seemed to have dismissed him as a threat.

"What are you doing here?" he growled, disbelief and anger mixing with his sorrow.

She missed the malice in his voice as her eyes scoured the wrecks seeking out possible opponents. "I was hired to patrol this area every full and new moon when these foreign ships passed through. I'm supposed to protect them from demon attacks but tonight I was late. I came straight from another assignment that took me longer than I expected. I hit the water demon first to try to free the ships from her control but that just caused them all to slam into each other. Even then, the other demons were determined to sink the ships. They ignored me completely as they focused breaking the hulls of the remaining vessels. It made killing them easier but, in the end, I failed to save the ships. My commission's blown!"

Kakiboufuu had heard enough, rage and hate filled him and all he felt was the urge to slaughter the woman before him. He could too easily see the scenario she had described. Kaiyoshinju had been hit first in a surprise attack. Without her, Raita and his men lost their one chance of surviving. The fact they had succeeded in sinking every vessel was small consolation to the grieving Taisho.

Sensing his intention, Hotaru beat her wings as he leapt into the air. The twin-tail lunged sideways to avoid the attack, nearly dismounting her startled rider.

"Kirara!" cried the woman before she felt the rush of air and realized she was under attack.

The firebird turned and Kakiboufuu took hold of the demon slayers ponytail, dragging her off the feline. She cried out to her companion again as she was slammed against the hull of a capsized boat. She drew her sword and slice through her hair before the man could bring his sword down, sliding down the hull then leaping to another large piece of wreckage.

"What's wrong with you?" she shouted toward the deranged man. Kirara came up beside her companion but felt shaken inside. While she knew she had to defend her friend, Kasumi, something about the attacker was familiar. It tickled at her memories, plucking at the fog within her mind. A fog that had appeared the day she had been left with Kasumi and her older sister.

Kasumi placed her hand on Kirara's mane, ready to leap atop her if the man charge again. She didn't understand the true reason for Kirara's hesitation to attack him. It didn't matter, Kasumi, as a demon slayer, was reluctant to attack humans. Kirara's reluctance seemed natural when facing a human opponent and was desired by the village and her father. She was a demon and they had been leery of letting her join them in the village, fearing she would attack them as they slept. It had taken a great deal of time and explanation for Kasumi and her older sister to win their father over.

She looked to the man standing atop the hull. In the ghost light, she could see his wild eyes filled with rage… and grief. Her cutoff hair remained in his right hand and the wakizashi in his left. She noticed the sheath on his right hip and realized he carried no other weapons, a samurai with no katana. Her mind flashed upon that long ago day in the field. That day when Kirara had come to her. That samurai also had no katana and a wakizashi that rested on his right hip.

"It's you," Kasumi gasped before Kirara knocked her onto her back as the man lunged swinging wildly with his short sword. "Matte!" she screamed. _This has to be a misunderstanding,_ she thought. "Kirara, is that him?"

"Mrrrreeee." Kirara ears folded back and Kasumi felt the twin-tail's sadness. Though, Kirara was still uncertain, it was enough for the demon slayer.

"Matte!" Kasumi cried again as Kirara was forced to dodge the man's strike again. However, Kasumi noticed the strikes were aimed at her and not Kirara. It would be faster for him to attack the flying cat but instead he aimed only for the human on her back.

_I have to get close and stop his movements,_ she thought. "Kirara!" she cried, trusting the feline understood her intentions. Kirara charged and Kasumi pulled her haraikotsu over her shoulder, preparing to block the man's sword.

Among the ruined junks, another pair of eyes watched the battle, debating whether or not to interfere. Keima, a young inuyokai with rich brown hair, amber eyes and two red stripes that came from the corners of his temple and ended at the inner tips of his eyebrows, gripped the broken deck of a ship that floated along the outside of the group with one hand. The other held the body of his unconscious comrade.

His comrade was Raita son, Raiyo. Raiyo had charged the female demon slayer after she had cut down his father. Realizing the nature of the threat and with their two greatest warriors down, Keima and the others had focused on sinking the remaining vessels and condemning their hated cargo to the bottom of the sea. Keima had been clipped by her weapon, breaking three of his ribs and collapsing a lung. The impact had thrown him off the deck but his foot had tangled in the rigging and it twisted, snapping as he plunged into the water.

Once in the water, Keima had sunk two more vessels before diving below the surface to dodge the demon slayer's haraikotsu. As he had swum to find a concealed area to surface, he bumped into Raiyo. The other demon was unconscious and missing his right arm; his left leg was badly mauled. He had grabbed hold of Raiyo and returned to the surface. Keima had then realized they were the only ones to surface, all the others had been killed. However, the remaining vessels were either sinking or burning. With the primary mission fulfilled, Keima had remained hidden among the debris with Raiyo hoping the demon slayer would leave.

The demon slayer had prowled for some time while the waters remained lit with the burning vessels. Once the fires had gone out she had disappeared but Keima wasn't convinced she was gone, he feared she was waiting for survivors to come out. While waiting for the light of day to come and banish her cover, he failed to see the arrival of the Taisho. It wasn't until the demon slayer had returned and spoken that he realized someone else was here.

Keima knew the Taisho turned human on the night of the new moon but he had never seen him as a human. Hotaru's presence was the only clue that told him the identity of the man fighting with the demon slayer. Now he wished to help his lord but feared to leave the unconscious Raiyo alone. He also feared he would do worse than help, that he would actually hinder the Taisho's fight. Still debating, he gasped in horror when the feline finally charged. Cursing his indecision, Keima pulled Raiyo around to the front of the deck and finally onto it. With Raiyo out of the water, he launched himself at the demon slayer just as she pinned the Taisho to the hull of another junk.

Kirara bit the right arm of the man as Kasumi slammed her haraikotsu into the sword-wielding left. The man cried out but kept his grip on the wakizashi. The firebird screeched and released her hold on him as the twin-tail drove them into the hull of a capsized vessel. Kasumi dismounted midflight and brought the haraikotsu between her and her opponent. Pinned beneath it, the man couldn't move.

She drew her own sword and pressed the blade against his exposed throat but didn't cut. "It is you," she said. "You were Kirara's original owner."

"I never realized you were a demon slayer," he hissed. The phoenix hovered above them screeching in distress. If she attacked, she would only burn her own master.

Kasumi ground her teeth and opened her mouth to ask the question she should have asked from the start.

"Taisho!"

She turned her head and saw the young inuyokai flying toward her. _I knew there was still a demon here, _she thought. Keeping a knee pressed to the haraikotsu, she pulled her hand out of the strap, reached into her pouch and threw two pellets at the demon.

"Kirara, stay!" she commanded. She didn't want the twin-tail being caught by the poison powder.

"Keima! No!" screamed the man underneath her at the same time. The pellets exploded and the inuyokai tried in vain to pull back from the cloud. He raised his arms to his face, trying to cover his nose with the fabric of his kimono. "Keima!"

A sphere of light flashed across the sky and Keima vanished within it. A broad piece of hull bounced where the light settled then disappeared. In its place stood a silver-haired demon with golden eyes. Sesshomaru had his arm wrapped around the younger demon's waist. Keima leaned forward and coughed up blood, the catch having pushed his broken ribs further into his ruined lung. Soranoko appeared a moment later and noticed Raiyo laid out on the deck. She flew low and pulled him onto her feather, before returning her attention to the demon slayer.

Kasumi cursed her bad fortune. These two new demons were fresh and one was a wind user. Her haraikotsu would be useless against the wind sorceress unless she was able to catch the demon off guard. The new dog demon raised his left hand and she saw his nails glow. She cursed again as she tried to figure out a way to escape. She didn't need to stay any longer, with the ships gone there was nothing to protect anymore. _I should have just headed home once I confirmed the ships were lost,_ she thought.

"Remove yourself from atop my little brother and I will let you leave this place unharmed," stated the silver inuyokai.

"Your little brother?" she repeated, incredulous. She turned to face the man, outraged. "You're a demon?"

"Half," the man snapped.

"What is your game? Why did you give Kirara to me back then? Was it all just lies?" she demanded. Kirara had been nothing but loyal and true from the first day. She couldn't be part of some elaborate demon plot. Surely if that was the case, the trap would have already been sprung.

The man's face softened, losing its anger as sorrow took hold. "Nothing I said that day was a lie. I didn't know you and your sister were demon slayers."

"Inuyasha, what are you talking about?" hissed Sesshomaru.

"Why are you raiding these ships?" Kasumi snarled.

"That's none of your business, slayer," snapped Soranoko as she brought her fan up to strike.

"These ships are bringing foreign weapons to our enemies," replied Kakiboufuu, talking over Soranoko. "If the enemy is successful in gathering enough it will be the end for my people and our allies."

Kasumi's eyes widened as she absorbed his statement. His eyes didn't waver as he stared at her. Kirara rubbed her head against the woman's shoulder in sympathy. "Your enemies? These are the same people who killed your wife and nearly killed Kiarara years ago?" she asked, though she knew the answer.

"Maybe you should learn more about your would-be employer before accepting a commission from someone," he said quietly.

Kasumi raised her fist and slammed it into the hull. "I've been tricked into taking a side in a war. We aren't supposed to get involved in wars. We're just supposed to slay problem demons. Damn it!"

"Hurry and go," said Kakiboufuu as he looked away. "Be gone before the sun rises. Now that you know the truth, don't interfere any further."

Kasumi rose and pulled herself onto Kirara, freeing the man. She settled her haraikotsu across her back and looked down on the man called Inuyasha. "Gomenasai," she said. "I think understand now what you were trying to do. You didn't wish for Kirara to fight anymore."

"Just hurry and go," he said as he sat up. He didn't look at her further but she sensed his grief. "Dawn is coming."

"Right," she said and Kirara rose into the air. The twin-tail stared at the man and meowed in sadness. She still couldn't remember him clearly but her heart ached nonetheless.

"Taisho?" gasped Keima in confusion.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" demanded Sesshomaru as the demon slayer rose higher into the air.

Kakiboufuu refused to look at his brother as he sat up. Then the water around the vessels began to boil. Jets of superheated steam broke the surface, launching the scorching vapor and water tens of feet into the air. The heated water soaked into the hard wood faster and the wreckage rapidly lost its buoyancy.

Soranoko shot up into the air to escape the geysers. With the wood they stood upon steaming with the rising temperature, Sesshomaru expanded his demon aura around him and Keima and joined the wind sorceress.

"Taisho!" shouted Keima.

Sesshomaru looked back. The blasts of water had forced Hotaru back and now all her attempts to return to Kakiboufuu were thwarted by the unpredictable eruptions. The Taisho clambered higher onto the capsized boat, but the shifting weight and unstable sea was causing it to rotate back up. Kakiboufuu struggled to remain on top as boiling water fell all around him.

_If he falls into the water now, he'll not only sink because of his armor but he'll boil alive,_ thought Sesshomaru in terror. "Soranoko!" he shouted and then shoved the injured brunette demon toward her.

She caught and settled Keima on her feather then turned back in time to see Sesshomaru diving toward the boiling sea. "Sesshomaru-sama!" She attempted to clear a path for him but the air currents surrounding the leaping pillars of hot water clashed with her wind, killing it before it could part the steam.

Sesshomaru bit back cries of pain as a geyser erupted before him. It wasn't a direct hit, he had pulled up short, but the steam and air temperature crisped his skin to the muscle in an instant. _This is like lava,_ he thought in horror, _and Inuyasha is only human right now. Never mind falling in, he's being burned alive at this moment!_ Despite the urgency, he couldn't dive through the geyser to get to his brother. It would be his death.

Soranoko saw the ship roll over in a sudden violent move, a new geyser blasting from beneath it. "Taisho!" she screamed as the young man was thrown. As if in slow motion, she saw Kakiboufuu fly back and directly underneath him the water began to boil as another jet prepared to erupt. Sesshomaru was too far away to reach him and the very human Taisho was about to take a direct hit.

Haraikotsu whistled its distinct sound as it spun through the air and came up beneath Kakiboufuu just as the geyser broke the surface. It hit the giant boomerang along its flat side and drove it up and against the Taisho. They both were launched high into the air. Kirara appeared and Kakiboufuu fell across her back as Kasumi caught her weapon. She then threw her weighted chain at Sesshomaru, wrapping his wrist and then holding tight as Kirara rose into the sky pulling the demon out of the death trap of boiling jets.

Sesshomaru hadn't seen his brother get thrown or rescued and was taken by surprise when the demon slayer's chain wound around his wrist, pulling him up. He flew up several feet before he realized what had happened, by then Hotaru had circled around and gripped his armor. The firebird had seen Kakiboufuu's rescue and knew it was Sesshomaru that needed to be saved now. When he felt Hotaru catch hold of him and carrying him higher, he refrained from pulling on the chain. He glanced back and saw the last of the junks sinking below the waves.

"Inuyasha," he hissed in grief.

"It's all right." Sesshomaru looked up at the demon slayer's call. "I already have him," she said. In the predawn light, he saw his brother leaning against her. She was holding the chain that bound his wrist. He shook the chain off and she retracted it with an expert snap of her wrist. Soranoko flew over to join them.

"Why?" demanded Sesshomaru.

Kasumi looked at the man in disbelief as he glared at her. _I guess I should be surprised as well, we are enemies._ "I made a mistake and while I can't bring back the dead I can save the living," she replied.

The silver-haired demon looked as if he was going to say something else but the wind sorceress hit him on the head with her fan. "It was poorly expressed, but we are grateful," she said as the inuyokai glared at her. "He just doesn't like to admit sometimes just how much he loves his baby brother."

"I kindly ask that you refrain from antagonizing Sesshomaru-sama while Raiyo and I must ride with you, Soranoko-san," said the brunette in an even tone even as his alarm grew.

Kasumi just stared at the group then glanced down at the churning water below. "I hate to interrupt, but do you know what's going on with the sea? Is it the enemy?"

"Whose enemy?" snarled Sesshomaru, he couldn't believe he was even having a conversation with a demon slayer. However, she had saved Kakiboufuu so he decided he had to be civil while she was here.

"Kirara was the best thing that ever happened to me," snapped Kasumi. "She got me through some hard times and has been the best friend and partner I could ever ask for. If I had known that the guy hiring us was part of the group that killed her original partner and nearly killed her, I never would have taken the commission. I would never have made her fight former comrades like that. Since I know now, I'm not going to take anymore commissions from them and I will be informing the rest of the village of my decision. I'm sure Otou-san will understand my reasons."

Sesshomaru regarded the feline then reached out his hand to touch her head. _She's under a spell, _he thought as he moved his fingers through the fur. _It was probably placed to keep her from following him when he left._ The woman demon slayer stared at him with earnest eyes and he sighed. He looked down at the raging geysers.

"It's not the enemy. She must be regaining consciousness," he said with a grimace.

Kasumi blanched. "You mean that water demon is doing this?" It didn't help when she noted that both inuyokai and the wind sorceress had gone equally pale.

"Demon slayer, hand the Taisho over to Sesshomaru-sama and then leave here as fast as you can," said Soranoko. Kasumi glanced at the wind sorceress. "Kaiyoshinju isn't a water demon, she's a sea dragon, and she typically is not reasonable first thing in the morning."

"You mean there's a time where she's actually reasonable?" muttered Sesshomaru as he contemplated the entire group running for it.

It was his comment more than the wind sorceress's that spurred Kasumi to move. Kirara floated closer to the silver-haired inuyokai. The man looked as if he had swallowed something bitter as he let the demon slayer approach. He concentrated his youki around himself and the firebird released him. He reached out his hands and took his human brother from her. The young man groaned and hissed as his burnt and blistering body was shift and move.

Sesshomaru ignored the pain that shot up his own arms when Kakiboufuu made contact with the seared flesh. The Taisho looked far worse than he felt. Blisters were rising on his right cheek and neck, his eyelids were red and the surrounding area was swelling, and Sesshomaru could feel were the fabric was wet and hot.

"I know this won't make amends for my error but maybe it can make you both more comfortable until your wounds heal," said the demon slayer, holding out a small jar to him. "It's burn ointment." Sesshomaru looked at it then at her before taking the jar.

"Now hurry and go," he said. "With Otouto like this, he won't be able to stop Kaiyoshinju from pursuing you. So it's best if you were out of sight before she surfaces."

Kasumi nodded and she and Kirara flew fast away from the area as the sky lightened.

Sesshomaru watched her go until they had vanished from his sight. He was relieved by how fast she could move for within five seconds of her disappearing, Kaiyoshinju burst from the water with all the subtleness of an erupting volcano. Sesshomaru was concerned for the welfare of Keima and Raiyo as well as his brother's but leaving without waiting for the sea dragon at this point would invite further trouble.

The woman rose into the sky and the water swirled in a large whirlpool as the sea rushed to fill the void left by her departure. She roared and spun around, looking for her prey, oblivious to the presence of Sesshomaru and Soranoko. After a minute of her fruitless scanning, she slowed her movements and her glowing red eyes returned to their normal violet.

Only then did Sesshomaru feel it was safe to attract her attention. "Kaiyo, if you are done," he called, "we need to return to the clan."

She whipped around so fast, her knee length black hair flew around and smacked her in the face. "Weren't you imprisoned?" she snapped. She looked around again and asked, "Where's the enemy?"

"Gone," he replied ignoring her first question. "So are the ships and we need to return so we can treat the injured. We have a ways to go as it is and we'll be brushing passed enemy territory." He settled Kakiboufuu so he was resting on his Sesshomaru's bent knee, freeing the demon's left hand. He pushed his youki to move him forward through the air then turned his attention to his brother. It would be up to the others to follow or not.

Unscrewing the jar, his nose told him it was indeed simple burn ointment, though he found it surprising he had already accepted the demon slayer's final gift. As much as he hated her kind, with her standing before him, he couldn't deny her sincerity. And the injury to his brother's face concerned him the most. Once sunrise came, Kakiboufuu would return to being a hanyou and his injuries would heal cleanly. However, the damage to his eyes was troublesome.

Kakiboufuu had already shown a limit to recovery that wasn't normal for a hanyou. While most of the time he covered his scars with hypnotic flames, hiding them even from the clan, Sesshomaru had seen the extent of his past injuries. The flesh of his entire right arm up to his neck and down his side was warped and dark. The right arm was two inches shorter than his left. The fingers were stunted and the skin was rough like weathered wood. Though, he was able to use the arm in combat to strike and block, Sesshomaru knew the right punch had only half the impact power of the left. He knew it had everything to do with the injury he received when he was a child but he still wasn't certain how far it affected him.

The scar of the near fatal injury he suffered when his wife was killed was a tight knot of twisted flesh and Sesshomaru had felt the bone beneath was in a similar poorly healed state. Serious injuries, even away from the right side might not heal well and Kakiboufuu had suffered these burns while in his human state. With the injury to his eyes having the potential to be permanent if not treated right away, Sesshomaru was grateful for the burn ointment.

He rubbed his finger in the gel and applied it the seared lids. With careful precision, he slid a nail between the lids and felt the melted flesh part with minimum resistance. He gently slid the ointment underneath and onto the eye itself. Kakiboufuu's left hand clenched and crush Sesshomaru's fur cape. His right hand gripped the armor and he growled fiercely but didn't move his head where it lay against the fur.

"You're conscious," stated Sesshomaru as he began to treat the left eye.

Kakiboufuu's right eye blinked and tears appeared, rolling down his blistered cheek, a good sign. "I am," he said. "I just didn't know how to say I couldn't open my eyes." He growled again as Sesshomaru sliced the other one open and applied the ointment to it. Within seconds of Sesshomaru finishing, the hanyou blinked both eyes as tears slid down his face.

Sesshomaru said nothing as he spread the ointment to the blisters on his brother's cheeks. There had been note in Kakiboufuu's voice that suggested something other than embarrassment. However, Sesshomaru was still angry with his brother for leaving the clan without an escort even if he hadn't known he was going to be turning human. Once the hanyou recovered, Sesshomaru was still going to flog him within an inch of his life, though somewhere private, of course. Naomi would make certain no one eavesdropped this time.

"You're going to pound me, aren't you?" said Kakiboufuu, sounding very much like a sad child and not an indignant Taisho like Sesshomaru expected. The taiyokai said nothing but kept rubbing the ointment on his face. The hanyou kept blinking despite it having to be painful to move his eyelids so much.

"There's this old oak at the top of the waterfall that produces some springing branches, the kind that are good for making fools wise," said Kakiboufuu.

Sesshomaru paused a moment and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," the hanyou replied, "I should be punished. I shouldn't have gone out by myself like that. I should have taken you with me. I should have brought Naomi. It was wrong to put those spells on you."

"If you understand that then why should I-" Sesshomaru started to respond.

"Because you have to!" snapped Kakiboufuu. Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder but the others were far enough back that they wouldn't overhear. He turned back to regard his brother. Kakiboufuu was still blinking rapidly and Sesshomaru added more ointment to the lids to help prevent them fusing. Still his brother didn't stop blinking. Sesshomaru wondered about it a moment but he had more pressing issues.

"Why?" he hissed.

"No one should be above the law," explained Kakiboufuu. "You told me not to risk myself unnecessarily. You told me I would put the whole clan at risk if I did. By not taking an escort, I put myself at risk, new moon or not. But worse, I betrayed your trust by putting a spell on you that could have endangered you if the enemy decided to attack the temple then. You wouldn't have been able escape much less fight and Himawari and Naomi would have been similarly doomed just because they could leave your side. It was wrong and I should be penalized for that.

"I am not so old to be arrogantly believing I am right all the time. I am not so powerful that I require no escorts if I head into dangerous areas. I am still a child in many ways and I will need guidance for many decades to come. Therefore, I must have consequences for when I make such mistakes and the more potentially disastrous they are the steeper the penalty must be. As my older brother, in the absence of my father, that is your responsibility. You said it yourself, now you have to follow through with it. I can't promise there won't be times it won't bother me. I can't promise that I will always yield when you think I've erred but you have to trust yourself to know when I have and to save me from myself. I'll look out for the clan, so please, look out for me so I don't destroy it."

Sesshomaru stared at his brother, his face emotionless. _What brought this on?_ he wondered, though he agreed with everything Kakiboufuu said. Then his mind finally interpreted the strange, elusive note in his brother's voice as the hanyou finished. _He's afraid. Did this experience scare him that badly? No, he's faced death before, so what's the difference now?_

"Inuyasha, you're terrified," he stated.

Kakiboufuu stared then flinched as the sun broke the horizon at last. He shuddered and his appearance changed, black hair turned silver, his ears climbed back to the top of his head and, as his eyes blinked and watered, they returned to their usual gold. The jagged purple stripes spread across his cheeks and his fangs and claws extended. The hanyou turned his head to watch the sun rise even as his eyes streamed against the intense light.

"Inuyasha," said Sesshomaru, trying to prompt his brother to respond to his accusation.

"I am terrified," he said after another long moment of silence. He didn't take his eyes from the sun. "I'm terrified of the dark. The absolute eternal dark."

"Blindness?" gasped Sesshomaru. _Now it makes sense. He feared he had lost his sight and didn't want it to be true, that's why he wasn't saying anything earlier and why he's trying so hard to keep his eyes open right now. He's petrified of being blind._

Sesshomaru asked in an even tone to not betray his thoughts, "Aren't Tenko trained to fight even when deprived of their senses?"

"I was," replied Kakiboufuu in a quiet voice. "I can go one hour before I tear the blindfold off. When I was with my master, Kakiboufuu Akira, he tried to train me in blind fighting for days at a time. I panicked every time and tore the blindfold off or filled the cave with ghost lights because I couldn't stand not seeing. He would get so mad. He even used a hypnotic spell on me to make me forget how to open my eyes."

Sesshomaru was stunned. He had never thought of Kakiboufuu Akira as cruel, yet there was no other word to describe doing that to an apprentice who clearly suffered from a phobia. "Why would he cast such a spell on you?"

"He wanted me to overcome my fear," replied Kakiboufuu. "While I was in exile I trained with a blindfold but I could only do it for an hour before I couldn't take it anymore and pulled it off. I don't know why I fear the dark."

The pair flew on in silence as Sesshomaru considered his brother's confession. _His maturity swings wildly. One minute he can be the poised and calm leader we respect, the next he's selfishly doing what he wants heedless of the consequences that may occur. I can only believe he was mentally aged too soon by the demands of his human clan._

Humanoid demons like dog and wolf demons aged at the same rate as humans until they reached adolescents. Then the demon's growth rate would slow as did their emotional maturity. They weren't recognized as full adults by their communities until they were eighty years old. Humans, within Tenji, were recognized as full adults at eighteen, though, beyond its borders the age was much younger. Sesshomaru knew his brother was only fifty-five. That seemed old to Tenko but to the inuyokai he wasn't even sixteen.

Sesshomaru thought about the many events that his brother had been exposed to. The hard training under Kakiboufuu Akira would have begun when he was still a child. The war began when he was about twenty-one, not even thirteen in demon years. He had met and loved his dead wife somewhere in the next decade or so. Fourteen at the oldest. Exile swiftly followed, wandering alone with an enemy trying to locate and destroy him. Then he found his way to his father's clan and was forced to assume leadership of a divided clan and make harsh decisions to bring it under control. Not even sixteen to the inuyokai and he had dealt with so much.

It all fit. Kakiboufuu, despite being half human, had the developmental rate of a demon. The swings were understandable when put into proper context. It only made Sesshomaru kick himself for the umpteenth time for being too weak to hold the clan together himself. For not knowing what he needed to know to stop Noriko's revolt. His brother may have been young but he had the training and the talent to control the other inuyokai. That he was needed before he was ready still hurt Sesshomaru. The taiyokai should have at least been able to hold things together until Kakiboufuu had matured fully.

"Aniue, I'm all right now, I can fly on my own," said the hanyou, drawing Sesshomaru from his inner thoughts. Still full of self-hate for his stupidity and uselessness, the warning glance he speared his brother with was more potent then he was used to. Kakiboufuu blinked once, eyes widening, blanched and cringed. It was the first time Sesshomaru had ever gotten Kakiboufuu to cringe with just a single look. At any other time, he would have been pleased but, right then, he was too annoyed to care.

_**To be continued…**___


	54. Don't Interfere Further: 10 years later

Part 3: 10 years later…

Kuromakaze hissed at the news his spymaster brought. "So the old man has finally perished," he said, "and Toromaru is now the lord of the Shiro Tenko." He dismissed the man as he growled in frustration. His brother wasn't the fool their father was. Already he was repealing every edict his father had made.

"This is hardly terrible news," said Yamibi, running her finger along his ear causing it to flick. "Just because their leadership has improved doesn't mean everything is well. It will be awhile before they can recover. We still have time to act against them."

"If we couldn't act against them before, how are we going to act against them now?" whispered Kuromakaze in disgust.

"Indeed, not only did we lose our mainland supplier we lost the weapons we had already acquired prior," said Noriko, blue eyes flashing. Yamibi growled and the two women shifted as if readying for a fight. Kuromakaze was not in the mood.

"Enough!" he shouted and both women stepped back, though neither had even stepped forward. He stood and stormed out of the tent.

Yamibi was trying to be optimistic but Noriko had spoken the truth. His plans for a final push had been ruined by Kakiboufuu's meddling. He had assumed his cousin would find the Chinese junks and try to stop them. That was why he had hired the demon slayers to guard the route. Even if the inuyokai had killed the first guard, it would only spur the remaining slayers to attack demon clan out of vengeance. He had counted on the resulting feud to occupy Kakiboufuu for years while he launched his own attack against the Shiro Tenko, destroying them and claiming victory at last.

What he hadn't counted on was Kakiboufuu's ability to talk the demon slayers into withdrawing permanently. They now refused to do any business with him and it left his Chinese traders without protection. After the second failed shipment, he received a message from his mainland contact. The second fleet had returned with every crewmember, guard and merchant dead. Their bodies strung up along the yardarms and along the railings like decorations. A message written in Chinese script with the victims' blood had said simply, "Do not interfere further." The contact ended the message by stating he no longer wished to do business with the Kuro Tenko and that was the last they heard from him.

With no further shipments coming, Kuromakaze had tried to plan his assault with what he had. It would not have been impossible but it would not have been as swift and absolute as he originally planned. Then, while planning the details of the attack with his generals, the castles that contained the Chinese rockets and other black powder weapons had been destroyed within two days. Kuromakaze had dozens of smaller castles throughout his territory but none as well equipped and defensible as Castle Arai had been. Knowing that, he had scattered the precious mainland weapons to be stored at five separate locations that only he and a few top ranked officials knew about.

While he knew such tactics were countered by attacking all the castles, he also knew Kakiboufuu didn't have the man power to make such aimless assaults. Somehow, Kakiboufuu managed to hit all five castles almost simultaneously; a feat that required bypassing several other keeps. It had left the evil hanyou speechless and then infuriated. He had rampaged through his ranks seeking spies and informants, certain that someone had told the enemy where to find the rockets. He tortured many of his underlings and killed several officers that he suspected of treason. The unfortunate result of his rage was lower productivity; everyone cowered from him and tried to do nothing that would get them noticed, including the avoidance of making high quality goods. Soldiers, terrified of being suspected because of things they said in the past, deserted, shrinking his forces.

Noriko was the only one to stand up to him, pointing out the damage his out of character temper was causing. It had been a sobering moment for the master of strategy. He had thought himself above such petty emotional displays. It still took a whole year before anything returned to normal. To try to speed recovery, he offered pardons to deserters who would return to his command despite the protests of his generals. The set back had left him wondering if he should lure his father into another "end the war" campaign.

Kakiboufuu chose then to remind him he was not unaware of his plots. At every attempt to stage events that would stoke the pride and confidence of Kuromaru, Kakiboufuu countered with arrangements of his own that served to humiliate Shiro Tenko troops. The men were rarely hurt but the painful defeats that sent them running would only force the Shiro Tenko to remain on the defensive.

Kuromakaze had learned in the fight over Castle Arai that his cousin was capable of setting sentimentally aside in battle. The only signs of it now was that the man didn't kill his allies. He wondered how long until that changed. It seemed to the Kuro Tenko leader, the edge of ruthlessness in Kakiboufuu was becoming more defined with each clash. For Kuromakaze who took advantage of such sentimental feelings, it was a disturbing trend.

Now, Kuromaru was dead and his son, Toromaru, was the lord. Kuromakaze knew he only survived the conflict at Castle Arai because Kakiboufuu had not wanted to be found by Kuromaru. If such a conflict were to happen now, the outcome would be different. While his cousin would not have betrayed the blue third, he would have followed him with the fresh army and pressed the attacked. The blue third under a black first was only good until the next day. Those ill feelings between the hanyou and his uncle were Kakiboufuu's only weakness and now it was gone.

If Toromaru upheld his father's feelings concerning the hanyou, then things might be different, but he doubted that would be the case. The only way he could salvage the situation was to keep Kakiboufuu from learning of his uncle's death. If he could keep his cousin believing Kuromaru still ran the Shiro Tenko…

While it was a pain to have Kakiboufuu off one flank and the Shiro Tenko off the other, divided forces did have their weaknesses. The two sides were not in contact with one another and could not coordinate their moves. Toromaru would focus on recovery if left alone. If Kuromakaze took advantage of that, he could then focus on Kakiboufuu and, this time, annihilate him with his full force. His focus on the Shiro Tenko may have been a mistake but his father's tendency to launch all-out campaigns on impulse was the reason why he hadn't be ignored. It was the reason why he had failed at Castle Arai. Maybe it was good Toromaru was now the lord. He wouldn't attack without warning and he wasn't watching their movements as carefully as Kakiboufuu. He wouldn't question the silence until it was far too late for the inuyokai.

Kuromakaze smiled to himself as new plans began to take form as he mentally changed the direction of the war. Then he paused in his stride as he remembered one important detail. Kenji knew Kakiboufuu was with the inuyokai, he knew generally where they were and he was still with the Shiro Tenko. With Kuromaru dead, was he now telling Toromaru about the missing demon clan? Would Toromaru decide to invite them to unite with his forces? Kuromakaze remembered how he reclaimed his lost troops with pardons. Why would Toromaru not offer Kakiboufuu the same especially since he was the Taisho?

He turned and ran back to his tent. He needed to issue a search and destroy order against the wolf demon. If Kenji was able to reach Kakiboufuu the hanyou would no doubt choose to reunite with Toromaru. His clan didn't have a supply line and the Taisho knew just how vulnerable they were. Yes, Kuromakaze needed to hurry. Any hope in killing Kakiboufuu would diminish if he returned to the Tenko and he was too dangerous to be allowed to live.

Toromaru sat upon the dais before his generals and commanders and sighed. With his father now gone, a great deal of tension had vanished, but he knew it would return soon. He had summoned Kenji to come before him. The wolf demon was their best tracker and the only who would be able to handle the mission he had in mind.

"Let me begin by expressing my gratitude in your loyal service during such difficult times," Toromaru said to the gathering.

"We are just grateful that you did not inherit your father's lack of sense," said one of the generals. He was older than Toromaru by only a few years and had witnessed their army's entire slide to ruin.

"Here here!" cried General Makoto, pounding his fist on the floorboards. The old wolf hanyou was the only lively one in the group. Everyone else still looked as if the end were nigh. Toromaru understood their gloom. The Shiro Tenko would not recover quickly from his father's short-sighted policies even if he had withdrawn them. He wondered at the reception his latest decree would elicit. The others had been met with approval and relief but this final one probably wouldn't.

Toromaru sighed again. A promise was a promise and there was no telling when his end would come. He needed to do this now or else it might never be done.

"I have one last edict to make," said Toromaru and the gathering gave him his full attention. Some of the men showed obvious confusion while others were merely curious. He had already withdrawn all of his father's edicts, what else would he be declaring? Kenji looked on with eager anticipation from his position in front of Toromaru, the shadow of smile flickering on his face, as if he already knew what the new Tenko lord would say.

"I will now grant full pardon to my cousin, Kanzaki Inuyasha, for all past transgressions including insubordination, assault, escape and desertion and invite him to return from exile," Toromaru announced. There was silence for a full minute as the stunned gathering absorbed the news. Then everyone tried to talk at once.

"You pardon that coward?"

"About damn time, I say."

"He runs away and now you want him back? What will that say to the rest of the army who stayed?"

"He was facing a wrongful execution, of course he fled!"

"We've been doing all the fighting and he's just been kicking back somewhere, outrageous!"

"We don't need a petty scout who can't follow simple orders."

"SILENCE!" Kenji slammed his fist into the ground and everyone bounced off their pillows. No one said a word as they picked themselves up and settled back into place.

"Thank you, Kenji," said Toromaru as he straightened his dark brown haori. Ignoring the obvious questions that still remained in much of the gathering's eyes, he turned his attention to the wolf demon.

"You want me to find and bring back our lost hanyou," stated Kenji, a full grin on his face.

"Yes, if it is not too much trouble," said Toromaru.

"I object!" shouted someone from behind Kenji. Everyone turned to see the speaker, a brown haired hanyou with blue eyes. His blue outfit trimmed in gold marked him the rare himizutenko, one that wielded both water and fire.

"It is not your place to object Hideaki," said General Kenshin, a hanyou and the younger one's father.

"I will still object nonetheless," he stated.

"Object all you want, we all know the real reason this pardon doesn't make you happy, Heartbreaker," said Kenji, annoyed despite the lightness of his tone.

"What was that, Wolf?!" snapped Hideaki, rising slightly.

"Enough! It is my decision and it is final," barked Toromaru. Hideaki settled back down, glowering. "Now, Kenji, you don't seem bothered by this assignment, even though you might be gone for some time."

"Shouldn't take me more than a week," said Kenji his smile returning. "Unless old Kuromakaze finds a way to waylay me."

Toromaru gaped in surprise. "You know where he is?"

"Yep," replied Kenji. His smile faded as he explained, "I kept it to myself since finding out ten years ago. Didn't want Kuromaru overhearing and making any more stupid decrees. It would have just caused us further problems and given Kuromakaze another advantage. We probably could have finished Kuromakaze back then if we all hadn't been certain Kuromaru would be more interested in destroying his nephew then in finishing his treacherous younger son."

"So he joined up with his older brother and is now under the protection of the inuyokai clan," muttered General Makoto. "Yeah, I can see how that would cause problems if the idiot wanted to push matters."

"Will he rejoin us once he hears he had been pardoned?" asked Toromaru. Kenji rose to his feet.

"He better not or I'll be finishing him myself," snarled Hideaki.

"You will do no such thing," snapped his father.

"I forbid such a conflict," added Toromaru, worried. Hideaki was the wielder of his ancestor's sword, Anihimizuken, the most powerful blade in all the known world. _Inuyasha would be destroyed if he were attacked with that_, he thought.

"That might be interesting to watch," said Kenji, sharing none of the Tenko lord's concerns. "I'll let him know you wish to challenge him so he'll be ready when he arrives."

"Kenji!" shouted Toromaru, alarmed. The wolf demon waived his hand as he walked from the room.

While it was easy enough for a wolf alone to dodge the many enemy scouts and troops scouring the area, it was obvious they were looking for him. Kenji felt somewhat flattered for the attention, though, he knew it would make the trip back hell. He wondered if there would be a way to avoid most of them. He sat high in the tree watching the latest batch of Kuro Tenko troops walk by beneath him. He had arrived in the area he had left the inuyokai ten years ago and now needed to figure out where they went from there.

He knew the general direction and decided to head that way at a slower pace while he kept his nose open for their scent. He didn't know how much further away they were and it could be days before he finally found them. _And I was so boastful before Toromaru,_ he thought with a sheepish grin. He waited for the patrol beneath him to disappear before he jumped down and continued his search.

The next day at dawn, he stumbled across the remains of a Kuro Tenko patrol. The wounds on the scattered bodies revealed their opponents not only had traditional weapons but claws as well. Kenji's nose told him it had been the work of inuyokai. The kill was recent, made just that night and the scent was fresh, but the dogs were refusing to travel by ground and their trail disappeared within feet of the battle.

Kenji understood the clan's need for secrecy. With their limited resources, it was better if the enemy didn't know their exact location. While the tactics kept the Kuro Tenko from pinpointing their base it equally prevented Kenji from finding them as well. Kenji sighed and continued on his southwest heading and soon stumbled across another dead patrol, though, older. The bodies were decaying and the larger scavengers had already had their way with them. A third party was nearby but they appeared to have been dumped, none of the surrounding vegetation showed the signs of recent battle as the other two did.

_I must be getting closer, _thought Kenji as he studied the remains._ This group must have gotten very close to their base. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need to move the bodies._

He moved on, keeping an eye out for the Kuro Tenko patrols as well as the inuyokai. He would have to spot them first if he didn't want to be mistaken for an enemy. No further patrols appeared, though, and only sparse signs of conflict were seen from time to time as he moved. The scent of dog, however, was increasing; the air itself carried the smell.

_Good signs all around_, he thought, grinning. "Now if I can just find some dogs that would be great," he said to himself.

Someone dropped behind him and Kenji jump back into the unknown assailant on instinct, avoiding the blade that appeared in front of his throat. He raised his elbow and slammed his opponent's solar plexus. The attacker didn't drop the sword but he did retreat and Kenji dropped beneath the other's arm and rolled forward, coming up in a fighting crouch facing his opponent.

"As always, your instincts are good," said Xeno as he struggled to regain his breath, "but you need to remember to be aware of your surrounding at all times."

"You love doing that to me, don't you," said Kenji in annoyance, coming out of his crouch. "Aren't you getting too old to be playing such pranks? One of these days I'm going to wind up killing you, then what?"

"That will be the end of this old warrior and it will be no one's fault but my own," replied Xeno, walking toward the wolf.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better about killing you?" snarled Kenji.

Xeno didn't respond to Kenji's remark, speaking only to inquire, "Did you bring Sesshomaru-sama's swords? He had been rather anxious for them." He passed Kenji and walked further into the trees.

Kenji followed glowering at the old fire demon. "No I didn't. Didn't think it was important to bring them."

"Why not?" asked Xeno as he peered over his shoulder.

Kenji smirked and shook his finger. "Nah-uh, you find out after you take me to Inuyasha."

Xeno narrowed his violet eyes, wondering at the wolf demon's playful manner. "You should know that he isn't addressed as 'Inuyasha' anymore. It's 'Kakiboufuu' now."

"Couldn't that puppy come up with something more original?"

"It's traditional," replied Xeno, returning his attention to the front.

"Didn't know he was going to be one of those types. I always took him for a rebel," muttered Kenji.

"Humph, if you don't like it you could always refer to him as 'Taisho'," said Xeno.

Kenji tripped and fell on his face, stunned by the announcement. "Ta-Ta-Taisho?! Since when is he known as 'Taisho'?" he gasped.

"You really do need to pay attention to your surroundings," said Xeno dryly. "Did you not hear the others address him as such ten years ago?"

"Uh?" Kenji looked away and scratched his nose. He couldn't remember what people had said back then. "I know he was giving orders but he is the Fluffer's little brother. Since our ice prince was out cold it only seemed natural for his brother to be in charge. I didn't realize he was _in_ charge."

Xeno shook his head. Sometimes Kenji amazed him for all the wrong reasons.

Chapter 41: Homecoming

Kakiboufuu's homecoming is met with mixed emotions. Few understand the reason for his departure. More shocking to all, though, is his rise to power within the inuyokai ranks. How will the other inuyokai deal with the startling revelations awaiting them?

Author Chat:

Aeglos, I hope this three part chapter answered most of your questions concerning the Prophet's Eye and the mainland conflict. In truth, I had planned to have a moment where Kakiboufuu appears in Beijing to warn the Chinese from interfering further in Japan's internal conflict. It was supposed to be a ploy by the Emperor to expand his influence. However, the unexpected appearance of Kasumi and Kirara changed my mind and it the whole thing became a side note. However, I think I did better not going through the original plan.

Homecoming is finally up, however, I will have to do a bit of rewriting. The chapter was the original Chapter 31 and it shows. There will be a bit of redundancy in the opening dialogue but hopefully the rest is cleared up. I also have to expand it a bit. I foresee Chapter 43 introducing Sesshomaru's mother from the anime, though.

I'm glad you liked Kenji's tail-pulling antics. He and Naomi like to tease Sesshomaru a lot but unfortunately the story has presented few opportunities to express this humorous side. I imagine once everyone is back together at Shiro Tenko headquarters I might be able to show it more, but I can't make promises.

The idea for the citations at the beginning of the story came from another Inuyasha fanfic I read prior to writing this. I thought it was a cool idea and opted for the alternating voices. Unfortunately this left chapters lopsided as I struggled to maintain the swing between the two brothers. Once the story meets with the moment in time they are talking from the citations will end, but that won't happen until the story is within a couple of chapters of the end.

If you are interested in seeing some of my art for this story I suggest visiting my Deviant art account at .com. Be careful, though. I have a habit of drawing ahead so the gallery contains numerous spoilers.

As for this chapter… I'm aware I caused Sesshomaru to regress a bit when Raita rebelled against his authority. You have to remember Sesshomaru's tenure as Taisho was a huge disaster. I can't see him recovering from that any time soon. He is, however, surprisingly adept at being a parent/big brother. Sesshomaru was raised to understand the authority and responsibilities of the title Taisho. While he wasn't able to wear the title well he can still guide his brother who lacks that education. This is why he can be so strong to his brother yet back down to Raita. Also Raita had established himself as a leader among the clan before Sesshomaru was born. Sesshomaru grew up respecting Raita for his experience and ability to lead. Between his own self-doubt and his subconscious respect for the elder Raita, he backed down without fight. This lack of confidence in his own authority will be something he struggles with throughout the story.

The last thing I like is that I was finally able to describe my version of human versus demon aging. I did this to explain the reason why Kakiboufuu suffers maturity swings. He will grow more stable as he ages but right now he's basically a kid shouldering an adult's responsibilities and these are responsibilities that would break most adults.

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


	55. Homecoming

Kakiboufuu's homecoming is met with mixed emotions. Few understand the reason for his departure. More shocking to all, though, is his rise to power within the inuyokai ranks.

_135 years before the search for the jewel shards._

Chapter 41: Homecoming

_I don't think anyone fully appreciated the problems my brother faced with his mother's people. Then again, he hadn't told us what those problems were. He hadn't talked about what had sent him into exile at all. And none of us had thought it an important enough matter to press him about it._

-Sesshomaru

Toromaru stood on the wall of his castle staring at the forest edge, his fingers tapping out a rhythm of impatience. His wife, who stood next to him, raised her hand to his shoulder and said, "You sent Kenji out only a week ago. As fast as he is, it will still take time to find your cousin."

Toromaru grunted but did nothing more than bury his restless fingers beneath his arm. He knew she was right but it still didn't ease the anxiety in his heart. His cousin, Inuyasha, had chosen to leave to save the clan when the former lord, Toromaru's father, made the decision to have Inuyasha executed for insubordination. The ruling hadn't sat well with the majority of the clan and talk of rebellion had been in the air. Most, though, had hoped the lord would come to his senses and not go through with such an outrageous decision. Toromaru was certain, that if his father had tried to execute the hanyou, the people would have revolted. Inuyasha had left instead and the choice to rebel was avoided.

Still, things were never the same afterwards. The entire incident with Inuyasha had only been the first bad decision among a series of bad decisions. The whole clan suffered and the war hadn't gone well because of them. His father had died still believing his decisions were the best, despite all the evidence that said otherwise. The clan had never been happier to see a lord pass on and they all looked to him with a mixture of hope and suspicion, uncertain of his abilities.

_As difficult as it was to stave off destruction, the hardest part has been not knowing what was happening with Inuyasha. At least with the clan's problems I could do something about it, but there was nothing I could do but pray for Inuyasha,_ he thought. _Now after all these years, I'm finally able to call him home. _ Toromaru's feared the most for his cousin. The hanyou only had had marginal control over his powers and couldn't wield a sword effectively due to his crippled hand when he left. Worse still, was the certainty that Kuromakaze had been targeting Inuyasha from the start. Why else would he merely abduct Keiko and not kill her outright? Toromaru had feared his cousin would not survive the exile. It had been a relief when Kenji stated he knew where Inuyasha was and that he was well. Now he just had to make it home in one piece.

"It would be better if that worthless coward never returned," remarked a snide voice from behind him. Toromaru and his wife turned to regard the speaker.

A brown haired hanyou with blue eyes approached them. The fabric beneath his armor was blue with gold trim, announcing he was one who wielded both water and fire; a himizu tenko. They were the most powerful tenko of the clan followed by the hikaze tenko. This one, however, was more powerful than even the other himizu tenko. He was born to a hanyou family whose demon ancestor was a celestial. They had more celestial power than any other member of the tenko clan, including other tenko hanyou.

"Hideaki, your words are both insulting and untrue," said Toromaru as he strove to remain calm. There had been some who hadn't liked the idea of Inuyasha returning. They had never understood why Inuyasha had left and saw it as desertion. Hideaki had been the most vocal of the opposition. To the new lord's ears, Hideaki's protest rang with the notes of a personal grudge.

"He deserted the clan in the middle of the war," said Hideaki with a sniff. "How is that not true?"

"He was facing a wrongful execution, what would you have done in his place?" pressed Toromaru, rubbing his forehead. The argument was old having been voiced when he first summoned Kenji and never silenced. "Meekly gone to a death that would have served nothing but fuel the ire of the people who recognized it as wrong?"

"How was it wrong? He disobeyed Kuromaru-dono and undermined his authority. Execution is the only answer to that," replied Hideaki with a dismissive wave.

"So you would have abandoned Arai Keiko to the enemy?" asked Toromaru after a moment of silence.

Hideaki snarled and snapped, "That's not the point!"

"Oh but that is the point," said Toromaru calmly. "She would never have been abducted in the first place if my father hadn't forced her to remain on the battlefield when she expressed her desire to retire. That's why everyone recognized it as wrong. They may not have been officially married but they were most certainly husband and wife. Maybe the samurai code says he should have abandoned her in favor of his lord's command but we tenko are not nearly so heartless."

Hideaki growled and turned away from the lord and his lady. "Husband and wife," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Why the hell did she ever submit to that useless cur? She would have been equally protected had she accepted me in the first place instead of turning to him!"

Toromaru eyed the man with a touch of sympathy. Hideaki had favored Keiko for his bride but she had rejected him in favor of Inuyasha. The reason for the rejection remained a mystery despite the endless gossip and rumors that surrounded the love triangle. "Enough, Hideaki, you shame the Torihane with your selfishness. You both lost something precious that day. I imagine most of this is coming from the fact he actually tried to save her and you were unaware of the situation to make his choice." Hideaki bared his fangs and his eyes flashed red but Toromaru refused to drop his gaze. After a moment, the hanyou's lips lowered and he stalked off muttering under his breath.

After the hanyou disappeared from the battlements, Toromaru's wife said with concern, "I don't think you should have prodded him like that. True as your words were, rare is the person who can hear and calmly accept them. Clearly the Arai woman is a sore point for him."

"It may not have been the wisest move but it was a truth he needs to face," replied Toromaru as he returned his attention the forest beyond. "He cannot be expected to make sound decisions if he continues to live in denial."

Kenji strode among the trees. Behind walked the members of the inuyokai clan as he led them back toward the castle that acted as headquarters for the Shiro Tenko and their allies. His arrival at the temple was the first time he had been able to really seen the clan since before the war started. He had seen the inuyokai at Castle Arai, it was only the warriors and not the entire clan. Though, he had anticipated losses, he was still distressed to find their numbers were far smaller than before; the war had taken a heavier toll on them than he realized.

Images of his own shrunken clan floated before his eyes and he quickly spoke to distract himself from the sorrowful thoughts. "It shouldn't be much longer to the camp. I can already smell the cooking fires from here."

A grunt from behind him was the only response he received. It had been a long march from the southern territories and they had to make the trip while dodging Kuromakaze's scouts and armies. An impossible task when traveling with a large group made up of non-combatants like mothers, children and elderly. They had had twelve clashes with Kuro Tenko forces. Every battle had resulted in casualties, adding to their burden. Demons may recover quicker than human but they still needed time to recover. Injuries slowed their progress and had increased the number of battles they were forced to fight. Everyone was exhausted and still they had to march.

The wolf glanced back at the inuyokai behind him. The adults all wore their masks of stoicism while their children's faces revealed the strain they all felt. Older children had droopy eyes and stumbled next to their parents, holding hands that were their only guidance as they were too tired to see where they were stepping. Smaller children were carried piggyback or cradled in arms, sound to sleep.

_I hope nothing happens in these final miles. I don't think they would make it if they had to fight again right now_, he thought.

Sesshomaru and his brother, the now Kakiboufuu, were walking ahead of the main pack. Xeno and Yukibi were to the right and Naomi and Soranoko were to the left. Kaiyoshinju brought up the rear. Other warriors walked between them and their woman, children and elderly. A defensive formation, but it would mean little if the enemy attacking were long-range fighters such as Tenko, archers or ranged-demon types. Kenji returned his attention to the front and tried to keep his senses open. The last thing they needed was to walk into an ambush.

As the trees began parting, Kenji smiled and breathed a sigh of relief until he heard Kakiboufuu's threatening growl behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. The hanyou was staring passed Kenji, his fangs bared. The wolf turned to see what had upset the half-dog. A figure stood at the edge of the woods glaring into the shadow of the trees. His planted feet and crossed arms an open challenge to the individuals within. Kenji felt then the elevated, murderous youki and wondered why he hadn't sensed it before then.

The whole group paused and the warriors closed around their families as they braced for another fight. Then Kenji recognized the opponent. Annoyed, he stormed forward to confront Hideaki.

"What are you doing?" demanded Kenji as he came to a stop a few feet before the brunette hanyou.

"Keeping a damned deserter from returning to the army," Hideaki replied, his sapphire eyes never meeting Kenji's emerald ones. They instead remained staring over his shoulder.

Kenji growled. He remembered his joking words when he set out a week earlier. He also remembered Toromaru forbidding the challenge. It looked as if Hideaki was about to commit insubordination himself. The hypocrite. "That isn't your call to make, Hideaki."

"Inuyasha can't expect to be welcomed after running away," snarled the hanyou. "I can't accept the lord's mercy. That worthless cur is a coward and waste of space in our army. He should just stay away instead of getting in the path of real warriors!" He spat to the side and several snarls erupted from behind the wolf. Hideaki didn't flinch at the chorus of hostility.

Kenji was livid and opened his mouth to say more about what he thought of Hideaki when the growls fell silent and the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps reached him. He glanced back and saw Kakiboufuu walking toward him with his hand raised, holding back the other dogs. The white-haired hanyou then reached over and grasped Kenji's shoulder.

"It's all right, Kenji," he said with a smile that failed to warm his pale yellow eyes. "I'll handle this."

"Oh?" said Hideaki, blue eyes narrowing. The late afternoon sun failed to penetrate the thick canopy and the shadows swallowed the understory. He could barely see Kenji's pale blue armor and glowing green eyes. He had been staring at the dark outlines of people behind him trying to determine where his prey was, if Inuyasha hadn't growled first he wouldn't have been able to pinpoint him. The shadow that had spoken stepped forward and Hideaki saw the faint flicker of armor as the other hanyou moved. He licked his lips in anticipation.

Kenji stared at Kakiboufuu for another moment, taking in his tense shoulders and glittering eyes, before he threw up his hands and moved back several paces to where Sesshomaru stood. "Have it your way," he muttered.

"You doubt my brother's ability to handle this?" asked Sesshomaru without taking his eyes off the pair of hanyou.

"Ordinarily, no, but Hideaki's fresh and you all aren't," stated Kenji as he returned his gaze to the combatants. "Hideaki isn't a lightweight. I'm just worried about the fatigue issue. I knew he would pick a fight. I just didn't know he would challenge Kakiboufuu so soon, especially when he had been ordered not to."

Sesshomaru flicked his eyes to Kenji. The wolf was worried but he wasn't panicked. If he really feared Hideaki would be too much, he would not be so calm. Still Sesshomaru shifted his weight as he adjusted his stance. If fatigue did play a factor in this fight, his brother would need support. Sesshomaru wasn't about to let a grudge match rob the clan of its Taisho.

Kakiboufuu stopped in front of the other hanyou, entering the lit area of the tree line and stared at Hideaki, his face devoid of all emotion. Hideaki was taken aback by the hanyou's changed appearance. The purple demon stripes that made him look for like a full demon. The armor, battered but well maintained, with shoulder guards armed with spikes. The rich red haori and hakama and the crème kimono beneath. On his arms, a set of strange guards with thick metal along the top and small claw-like points resting between the knuckles. However, the clothes paled against the change in his eyes.

Hideaki had looked many times into those eyes in the past when he had put the snow-haired hanyou down. Eyes that were soft and gentle even as they glittered in anger at Hideaki's taunts. Eyes that were bright with compassion. These eyes were dark, hatred boiled within even as the gaze froze his blood. There was power and confidence within that gaze that had not been there before.

"I was going to let bygones be bygones, but it seems you can't forget old debts," said Kakiboufuu. He then raised his left hand and flexed his claws with an accompaniment of cracks and pops from joints. "So I guess it's time to return what I owe," he hissed in a low voice. His eyes flashed red and he slammed his fist into the unsuspecting Hideaki's diaphragm.

Hideaki flew back several feet into the clearing surrounding the castle and slid to a stop, coughing. He rose swiftly, with fangs bared. In the past, the white hanyou had never retaliated against Hideaki's actions. Had never lashed out, much less started a fight. He had always taken whatever was thrown at him with quiet, helpless acceptance. Hideaki had never thought Inuyasha would attack him. More had changed than just his appearance. Hideaki reached for his sword.

Kakiboufuu appeared at the clearing edge, his gold eyes fixed on Hideaki. He lunged forward and was in Hideaki's face before the other hanyou could draw his weapon. A roundhouse kick sent Hideaki flying again and this time the brunette hanyou tumbled, rolling several times before regaining his feet. He came up with his sword drawn only to have it ground into the dirt a second later when Kakiboufuu landed on the blade's base. A knee smashed into Hideaki's face.

Hideaki back-flipped only to have his stomach crushed by Kakiboufuu's elbow. The brown hanyou leapt to the side and began running with the white one keeping pace behind him. He reached behind him, grasping the hilt of his family's heirloom sword, the all powerful Anihimizuken. He hadn't thought he would need it to finish off the white hanyou and found a part of him irked he was being forced to draw it at all. The large blade slid from its sheath and he spun around swinging it at his pursuer. Only his pursuer wasn't there.

"What?!" he cried as he madly searched for his opponent. The blade bounced in his grip and he turned his attention to it. Kakiboufuu crouched on the flat of the sword, ignoring the tendrils of energy that crawled from Anihimizuken up his body, causing his hair to rise slightly. Hideaki gaped then swung the sword again. Kakiboufuu jumped up. Hideaki reversed its motion and flipped it over, slicing up at the white hanyou.

Kakiboufuu's hands grasped the hilt and Hideaki's before he brought his legs done, knocking the brunette to the side. Hideaki lost his grip on Anihimizuken and fell backwards onto the ground. He opened his eyes and felt the tip of his sword biting into his neck. He looked up. Kakiboufuu stood over him holding the hilt in his crippled right hand. Lightning danced around the hilt and over his arm but the white hanyou remained expressionless.

Hideaki was the opposite as his face twisted in disbelief, horror and shock at the sight. The sword was infamous for its ability to fatally reject those who weren't of the bloodline. How Inuyasha could stand there holding the infuriated blade without even feeling pain was incomprehensible to Hideaki.

Kakiboufuu snorted and said, "Hideaki, I ceased being 'Inuyasha' a long time ago. It's 'Kakiboufuu' now." He raised the sword away from Hideaki's throat then hurled it into the tree line several yards away with the help of a minor explosive fire spell. The sword speared the trunk of a cedar, plunging nearly to the hilt into the wood. The tree shuddered and smoked as the sword continued to lash out in fury for a few seconds longer.

Hideaki sat up as Kakiboufuu walked passed him. Their fight had drawn a crowd. Along the trees were the inuyokai, while everywhere else stood near the castle, the mixed races that made up the Shiro Tenko army, including Lord Toromaru. Kakiboufuu was heading toward him without even a backward glance at the brunette hanyou.

Sesshomaru stared at his brother as the hanyou began speaking to the Tenko lord. "He must really hate that hanyou," he muttered.

Kenji grunted and replied, "Kakiboufuu wasn't always able to control his power like he can now. Being he is from the Kanzaki family, his people saw his inability to become a warrior as a failure even though it wasn't his fault entirely. A lot of the younger warriors made fun of him for it. Hideaki did so every chance he could and even went out of his way at times. It also didn't help matters that they both had affections for the same woman."

Sesshomaru glanced at Kenji then regarded the brunette hanyou as he rose from the grass. Hideaki's blue eyes were daggers aimed straight for Kakiboufuu's unguarded back. _This isn't over_, Sesshomaru thought, his golden eyes narrowing. _I'll have to keep an eye on this Hideaki. _He turned his attention away from the defeated hanyou and moved to join his brother. Kenji followed without prompt as the various inuyokai moved further into the clearing.

"That was certainly a surprise," the tenko lord was saying to Kakiboufuu. The man's hair had grayed and a few lines graced his face but, like all his people, that was the extent his age would show. "Kenji told me you were with your brother's people. I'm glad you were able to take refuge with them. You've improved far beyond what even I expected. Being with your brother's people seems to have been just what you needed."

Toromaru's babbling told Kakiboufuu how much his cousin had worried for him and he debated correcting his perception. Sesshomaru decided to do it for him. "I'm afraid we can't claim credit for his improvement. He appeared before the clan with the abilities he has now. I have witnessed little improvement in his abilities, not that there is anything to complain about. However, his attitude…" Sesshomaru pulled back his fist and slammed it into his brother's head. "… still needs some work."

Toromaru gasped in shock as his cousin yelped then whirled around to face his brother. "Temee! What was that for?" demanded Kakiboufuu.

Sesshomaru refused to look at his brother as he folded his arms and replied, "You were being stupid again."

"So I was supposed to just ignore him?" Kakiboufuu asked sarcastically and was cuffed as a reward.

"That man clearly wanted to take your life and you weren't taking him seriously," stated Sesshomaru.

"Not seriously?" gasped Toromaru. The fight had looked plenty serious to him. Hideaki, who had finally regained his feet and begun to leave the area, froze at Sesshomaru's words.

"What makes you think I wasn't serious?" snarled Kakiboufuu.

Sesshomaru grabbed his brother's wrists, pulling them up so they were in front of his face. "Why, then, didn't you use Rokukafuga?" The hanyou glared but refused to answer. The silence stretched out between them. Toromaru wondered if he should back away from the pair. This was a battle of wills that could easily devolve into a battle of fists if anything disturbed the balance between the two.

A loud sigh caught the Tenko's lord attention. A woman with long raven hair, violet eyes, tan skin and dressed in blue miko robes rolled a staff with a metal circle at the top in her fingers. "Yade yade," Kaiyoshinju said. "We had to fight the whole way from the southern territories and yet they still have the energy to pull these shenanigans?"

Kenji shrugged at the group, just as baffled if also amused by the change in mood. Xeno shook his head and stalked toward the castle, his red-orange cape swirling behind him as he moved. His wife, Yukibi, followed with a flick of her pale-white tail. Several others followed after. Soranoko trotted up to the confused Toromaru.

"Is it all right if the others enter the castle? We are really tired despite their quarreling," she said. Toromaru took a step back and nodded his head, still overwhelmed by it all. He had never seen his cousin so aggressive and temperamental before.

Kaiyoshinju walked up to the brothers and swung her staff at the back of Sesshomaru's head. "Enough of that. Everyone too tired for these antics."

The taiyokai ducked and the staff sailed over his head only to slam the less attentive Kakiboufuu in the face. The hanyou staggered back and grabbed his nose, which had begun leaking blood. The dragon hanyou blinked in surprise then glared at Sesshomaru who stood back up with a barely suppressed smirk.

"Oi," said Kakiboufuu in a flat, low tone that was far more terrifying than if he had roared.

Kaiyoshinju glanced at him, shrugged and said, "Well, you should have ducked like your brother did." There was nothing the hanyou could say in response, though, it looked as if he would remember it later. He stalked passed them, too embarrassed to continue conversing with anyone.

"Is he all right?" asked Toromaru, nervously.

"He'll be fine," said Sesshomaru, his tone dismissive. "Especially after he rests awhile."

"You said he appeared before you as he is now," said Toromaru. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know how long he was exiled, but he has been with us only for a decade and half," replied Sesshomaru. "The skill he demonstrated today is only a small part of what he can do and all of it he could already do prior to his joining us."

Toromaru thought about that for a moment and Sesshomaru turned to follow his clansmen to the castle. "Sesshomaru-san," called the Tenko lord. The demon paused and looked back. "Once you and your people have rested, I would like for all the leaders to meet so we can discuss what our next steps should be." Sesshomaru nodded then continued on his way.

Toromaru never saw the taiyokai's amused expression.

The leaders of the Shiro Tenko gathered the next day. Hideaki sat at the very end instead of at his usual seat closer to the generals. A shameful change in position and he was only permitted to join them because Toromaru wanted to keep an eye on him. The other generals, lords and commanders had at least heard rumors of the encounter between Hideaki and Inuyasha. Most had a hard time believing them.

Toromaru had ordered a change to the arrangement of the council. He didn't just expect the Inu no Taisho to join them but all of the Taisho's own generals and lords. The Tenko lord had all his subordinates seated to his left. An extra cushion was arranged next to him for the Inu no Taisho was his equal. The empty row to Toromaru's right would be filled with the Taisho's subordinates. Toromaru wondered if his cousin would even be there.

Kenji stood off to the right, he was a guardian who was technically under the direct command of the Taisho. He was awaiting the arrival of the Inuyokai clan before he claimed his seat. The wolf demon seemed unusually tense, his foot tapping in uncharacteristic impatience. His typical light and warm manner turned serious and cold. Toromaru wondered what he was worried about.

Then all thoughts ended with the sound of approaching footsteps. Kakiboufuu paused at the entrance to take in the sight of the gathering. Without glancing at the disgraced Hideaki, he strode forward with Sesshomaru, the other three guardians and various heads and generals. Each one took their place as they came upon it, filling the line in reverse order.

Toromaru and the others stared as hanyou kept walking forward. This was the first sight of him for many and seeing him with demon marks and in full armor made them reassess their earlier judgment of the rumors. Still Toromaru felt a growing disbelief as his cousin continued to move forward. Then it was only the brothers, Naomi and unknown girl standing before the dais as all four guardians sat. The ladies took their place just behind the main row, then Sesshomaru sat on the last available cushion in the line just ahead of the guardians.

Kakiboufuu stepped onto the dais and numerous generals and lords of the Shiro Tenko rose in protest. Toromaru stared in shock, not believing what he was seeing as his cousin settled himself next to him. The hanyou said nothing despite the shouts and accusations filling the air. His clansmen remained silent as well. The protests eventually died and the men reclaimed their seats still trembling with barely suppressed emotions.

Toromaru found his voice in the new silence. "I have to say this was unexpected. Did the former Inu no Taisho leave behind a will stating you were his heir?"

"No," replied Kakiboufuu. "Oyaji left no such will. Without clear directions, the elders of the clan ordered Sesshomaru and myself to settle the matter with a duel. I was victorious."

"Sesshomaru's fighting ability must be really pathetic if you were able to defeat him," said Hideaki from the end of the line. A chorus of growls rose in response. Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched and his face tightened but otherwise he didn't react. Kakiboufuu narrowed his eyes.

"It is not your place to speak at this gathering, Hideaki," snapped Toromaru. Hideaki just sneered at his lord. General Kenshin shook his head at his son's shameful behavior. Toromaru caught movement to his right and saw his cousin leaning forward. The hanyou's mouth moved but Toromaru could hear nothing. Sesshomaru, however, could hear the Taisho just fine.

He regarded his younger brother for a moment and said, "If Hideaki doubts my abilities I can demonstrate to him the difference in our opinions." Kenji had returned the taiyokai's swords the night before. The decade without them and his celestial power really had improved his fighting ability. He was still in wonder at how light he felt now with his was power restored.

The Shiro Tenko gasped and Toromaru was appalled but several inuyokai smiled in anticipation. The Tenko lord grimaced when he caught Kakiboufuu's bored expression even as his eyes glittered. The Tenko lord felt his insides freeze as the meaning of the earlier silent words came to him.

_He was arranging for this_, he thought. "Enough!" Toromaru barked. "I won't tolerate any infighting. Allies should not be battling one another." Sesshomaru tsked but didn't say anything.

"Don't smirk, Hideaki," said Kakiboufuu. "You haven't escaped yet." The brunette hanyou stared in disbelief.

"Cousin!" shouted Toromaru.

"I am not yours to command, Toromaru-kun," said Kakiboufuu with a slight smile. "If I choose to allow my brother the right to defend his honor in a duel then that is my decision. The only one you have command over is Hideaki. You can forbid him from fighting but he'll have to concede the match and offer an apology as well as compensation for the damage the slander has caused." Hideaki blanched.

A laugh attracted their attention. General Iken, the wolf hanyou tenko, looked toward the dais. "This is certainly a surprise. The quiet, shy puppy, who was only good at scouting and infiltration, has grown into quite the man. I must confess I never expected this about-face."

"Infiltration?" muttered Sesshomaru glancing at General Iken.

"Yes, he was surprisingly adept at penetrating deep into enemy territory to gather information on their movements," replied Toromaru, grateful for the topic change. However, this revelation seemed only to irritate the taiyokai. He glared at his brother who had suddenly found his claws to be extremely interesting.

"Hmmm… He did say he knew what he was doing," whispered Kaiyoshinju with a small smile.

Kenji leaned forward to see passed the other three guardians. "Did I miss something interesting?" he asked, voicing a number of the Shiro Tenko's thoughts in far simpler terms than they would have used.

Soranoko snickered into the folds of her fan and replied, "It's still a debate as to what was more spectacular, Kuromakaze losing his head… or Sesshomaru."

"Oh, I must hear about this," said General Iken with a grin. "How did the pair lose their heads?"

"I don't think this is relevant to the meeting!" snapped Sesshomaru, not wanting the conversation to be carried further.

"I think not either," said General Kenshin. Others murmured their agreement. Toromaru had become curious despite himself but was prepared to wait until a more appropriate time to hear about it.

Various members of the inuyokai clan had other ideas. Naomi leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her father's neck, intruding on the meeting by saying, "It has a lot of relevance to this meeting. Chichiue doesn't want to talk about it because he's embarrassed and disapproved of the whole thing in the first place. He doesn't want to encourage Oji-san to do it again."

"Naomi," warned Sesshomaru but his daughter just giggled and strangled him with an overenthusiastic hug.

Kaiyoshinju smiled as Sesshomaru gasped and tried to dislodge their daughter. "A few years ago our Taisho went undercover to discover the location of the Kuro Tenko's special weapons. He did it without telling the rest of us what he was doing. He returned after getting the information he wanted. Sesshomaru was infuriated by his brother's recklessness. It was probably the one and only time he was victorious over the Taisho in a battle. Though, the Taisho recovered his pride soon enough after.

"We then took the information and launched a series of successful attacks that eliminated the special weapons. The unexpected and wholly entertaining collateral was that Kuromakaze thought he had a traitor in his midst and rampaged through his own ranks. He nearly succeeded in destroying his own army. Pity he reclaimed his senses before he could. I doubt he'll repeat the mistake."

"If you can infiltrate so well, why didn't you assassinate him?" asked Futakara, a Daimyo from the eastern border. He was one of the lords who disfavored Kakiboufuu. He was still young and human. He had not been in power when the hanyou left and only understood the matter from the rumors, speculations and accusations that had followed Kakiboufuu's departure.

Kakiboufuu regarded the man for a moment, his face stone, before replying, "I cannot approach him without him knowing I am there. He cannot be everywhere at once. So I was able to avoid him as I sought my targets. The weapons had a distinct odor making it easy to identify their location if I was close enough to smell the keeps they were hidden in."

"You shouldn't have gone at all," muttered Sesshomaru after he freed himself from Naomi's grip.

"So you have said countless times since," said Kakiboufuu. "I won't change my mind on the matter and apparently neither will you, Aniue. Since it is a moot point, I suggest you stop harping on it."

"I'll only stop once I'm convinced you won't repeat it," snarled Sesshomaru.

"I can't promise that and you know it," hissed the hanyou.

"Enough," said Xeno without a trace of anger or impatience. "Sesshomaru-sama, I know it is your job task to protect the Taisho from himself, however, he is right. Sometimes the risk must be taken to prevent a far greater disaster. Now I believe we have held up this meeting long enough. Toromaru-dono."

Toromaru inclined his head to shrouded fire demon and Kakiboufuu inhaled slowly before he breathed out in a silent meditative exhale. _Settling his nerves_, thought the Tenko lord in surprise. _So ka. He must have been anxious about this gathering. That explains the dominance display, he wanted to make certain everyone understood he was not the same hanyou he was before._ Toromaru glanced among the Inuyokai. _None of them are bothered by his behavior just now. Either this was planned or this is common._ Toromaru glanced back at his cousin. _A young Taisho among so many older and more experienced leaders… He can neither back down nor hesitate or they will eat alive._

Chapter 42: Sympathy for the Devil

Infuriated by Kakiboufuu's return to the Tenko, Kuromakaze aims to remove all chaos elements from Tenji. Maou becomes his prime target. When Maou is found near death, will anyone lift a finger to save the dark dealer of souls?

Author Chat:

Aeglos thanks for always commenting. I really do appreciate it tremendously. Admittedly this chapter was originally written to be Chapter 31 so there may be some repetition in the history summary at the beginning. However the last ten pages are entirely new material added when I realized it wasn't living up to its title. It only had that fight in the beginning and then it was done. I also edited the first nine pages to make sure it flowed better, adding descriptions and changing quotes. Hopefully it works now. The next chapter was also written at the same time as this one so I will have to make some adjustments to it as well. Hopefully their won't be as many and I won't have to expand it. Afterwards, it will be all uncharted territory, so to speak, so I may wait until I write a few more chapters before posting 42.

Translations:

Tsuchi: earth

Hi: fire

Mizu: water

Ki: wood

Kane: metal

Kaze: wind

Himizu: as discordant as fire and water

Hikaze: fire wind

Tenki: weather

Enzeru: angel

Hanyou: half-demon

Obi: the sash that is wrapped around a woman's waist to hold her kimono closed.

Matte: wait!

Shoji: sliding door.

Engawa: veranda, walkway running along the outside of the buildings.

Temee: you, derogatory term, very insulting.

Kisama: you, derogatory term, more vulgar than temee

Ano: uh

Hai: Yes

Aniyome: elder brother's wife; sister-in-law

Hime: Princess

Waka: Young lord, used for the son of a noble.

Otouto: Little brother.

Onii-(_): Big brother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young man.)

Aniue: Big brother, formal.

Imouto: Little sister.

Onee-(_): Big sister, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a young woman.)

Aneue: Big sister, formal.

Ojii-(_): Grandfather, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly man.)

Obaa-(_): Grandmother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing an elderly woman.)

Oji-(_): Uncle, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged man.)

Oba-(_): Aunt, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect of love. (Can also be used when addressing a middle-aged woman.)

Mina wa ookii aho desu: Everyone's a big idiot.

Sumimasen: Excuse me.

Oyaji: Father, informal masculine.

Otou-(_): Father, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Chichiue: Father, formal.

Ofukuro: Mother, informal masculine.

Okaa-(_): Mother, general. Honorific added on to end, determining level of respect or love.

Hahaue: Mother, formal

Otaa-sama: Mother, said by children of court nobles to their mothers.

XX-(blank): Intimate or rude address depending on usage.

XX-kun: Male honorific, friendly

XX-chan: Female or young boy honorific, friendly

XX-san: general honorific, polite, (Mr. or Ms.)

XX-sama: formal or very polite honorific, used for those of superior status or to show great respect. (Lord or Lady)

XX-dono: more formal honorific, more respectful than XX-sama. Derived from tono = lord.


End file.
