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Finding Power	By : SilenceoftheHeart Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 4376 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Warning: language,
inucest, and violence

Disclaimer: I do
not own Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, or anything related to either one.� They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi

Chapter Four
~*~

Unhurried, even steps brought the daiyoukai to the edge of a
small steam beside a rotting battlefield.�
Stupid mortals and their stupid
wars, she thought as she noticed how the decay from the spoiling bodies had
poisoned the land and waters.� It would
take time before the earth was able to absorb this damage and, in the meantime,
the lands and waters were unusable by either mortal or mystical beings.� Except, of course, creatures like the
Mu-Onna.� It just figured the lesser
youkai would transport the hanyou to a place such as this, a place of human
suffering.�

�Have you found it yet?� she heard from a bit further
upstream.� �Have you found the location
of their father�s tomb?�� The imp sounded
anxious, this did not bode well.� The
Mu-Onna had had plenty of time to obtain the location from the hanyou.� Either the illusion had failed and the
Mu-Onna was unable to get the information from him, or the young man truly
didn�t know where it was.� Either way,
Sesshoumaru�s chest was feeling tight as she slowly approached the location where
the others were.� Taloned hands clenched
until she felt the sharp points of claws beginning to dig into the soft flesh
of her palms.� She could not fail to find the tomb now.� It was so close she could nearly taste the
power.

It was the sound of the hanyou�s voice that kept the
daiyoukai from completing her arrival and slaughtering everyone on the scene in
a fit of frustration she would likely regret later.� It was a soft sound, seeming much younger
than the boisterous gruff shouts the hanyou had used earlier.� It seemed�sad, somehow.

�The right,� the hanyou whispered so softly the youkai
almost needed to strain to hear it.�
�Black pearl��

A black pearl,
Sesshoumaru mused, stopping out of eyesight but well within hearing range of
the small group.� Well, that would
certainly explain a few things.� The
tight, invisible bonds that had griped the inuyoukai�s chest vanished and a
shiver of both relief and excitement passed through her.� For the first time in two hundred years, she
was getting somewhere.� Anticipation
tingled along her skin and she felt her palms dampen and her chest flutter as
her brain registered that she�d finally gotten close to the tomb.� Remaining out of eyesight, the stoic
daiyoukai took several deep breaths of the cool night air, hoping to calm
herself enough so that she wouldn�t visibly tremble.�

So, now that she knew what
she was looking for, she only had to find where.� And her father had apparently entrusted this
information to the hanyou.� And she had
promised said hanyou as lunch to the soul-sucking creature ahead.� Damn.�
And even worse, while she�d been celebrating her new-found information,
the squawking youkai she called an assistant had fallen silent.� As much as she hated the sound of the small
beast�s voice--and the fact that he never shut up--it was always trouble when
he was quiet.� Obviously, she�d missed
something important.

A few additional footsteps brought everything into the white
youkai�s view.� The Mu-Onna had
apparently assumed she�d fulfilled her part of this bargain.� She had already abandoned her human fa�ade,
which was something of a relief to Sesshoumaru.�
It was disconcerting to look into the face of her father�s former lover,
someone the youkai tried not to blame for her father�s weakness and subsequent
death.� Some things were better left in
the past.�

But the hanyou wasn�t doing well at all.� In fact, all the daiyoukai could see of the
young man her brother had become was a tuft of a white mane and one red-clad,
claw-tipped hand.� The rest had been
absorbed by the Mu-Onna�s form.� The human
girl who had accompanied the hanyou here was yanking on that bit of exposed fur
as though she could drag him from the depths of the Mu-Onna�s influence.� After a moment, her keen, golden eyes spied
the form of Jaken, laying in pained unconsciousness in the stream�s foul water
with the Nintoujou several lengths away.�
Such incompetence.� Really, why
did she bother?

And this whole scene left her with a small dilemma.� The hanyou was clearly the key to finding her
father�s tomb, and the subsequent treasure and power it held.� Somewhere in the space beneath those
defective ears was the location of the tomb.�
Perhaps he�d whispered it while the youkai had been composing herself
and she could strip the secret from either Jaken or the Mu-Onna.� In fact, now that she knew she was looking
for a black pearl versus a burial ground, she could probably find it
herself.� But could she take the
chance?� Perhaps he hadn�t whispered it,
did she really want to spend another two centuries searching for a tiny
jewel?� That may be more difficult that
looking for a non-existent tomb.� But her
only other option was to rescue the hanyou from the Mu-Onna�s grasp, and she
really, really didn�t want to do
that.�

There was, of course, a matter of honor involved.� Sesshoumaru had promised the Mu-Onna the
boy�s soul in exchange for the illusionary youkai�s services.� It would be disgraceful to go back on one�s
word.� But that didn�t really bother
Sesshoumaru as much as she would have liked.�
She was not her father.� He was
all about honor; she was all about results.�
If the Mu-Onna stood in the daiyoukai�s way, then she would be
destroyed--promise or no promise.� But
was it really right to rescue a creature who deserved to be devoured?� After all, he�d gotten caught.� That was a hunter�s rule regarding prey.� If it didn�t deserve to be eaten, it wouldn�t
have gotten itself caught.� The foolish
half-man had believed the Mu-Onna�s illusion and was paying for it.� Was it right to condemn the world with such
stupidity by rescuing him?

But, ultimately, the burden was taken from her as the
daiyoukai watched the girl destroy the illusions which bound the hanyou to the
lesser youkai�s spells.� And with the Nintoujou, no less, the
inuyoukai thought with disgust as the girl used the two-headed staff to break
the surface of the water again and again.�
Someday, I�m going to have to
figure out what I keep that damn imp for.�
As the reflections on the water�s surface broke into a colliding swirl
of ripples, the Mu-Onna�s influence over the unconscious young man
vanished.� Quite dramatically, the hanyou
was released from the Mu-Onna�s body, ending up in a disheveled heap on the
battle-tainted ground.� Sesshoumaru gazed
for a moment at the pile of white fur and red fabric, which shifted itself as
limbs unfolded.� Finally righting
himself, the youkai could hear the hanyou growling softly as he glared at the
Mu-Onna with hate-filled eyes.

Sesshoumaru watched those eyes as the mortal girl rushed to
the hanyou and he murmured responses to her.�
Those eerie eyes that captured the light of the wide moon making them
glow in the night.� They were wide and so
full of expression it was almost as if another world could lay within�another
world�

A place you can see,
but cannot be seen.� A place The Guardian
can never see.

�Shit!!� the hanyou half-growled and half-shouted.� �It was all a fucking lie!�

�Inuyasha,� the youkai stated as she approached the
crouching two from behind, �I have discovered where to find Father�s
tomb.�� Before the young man had an
opportunity to turn and attack, Sesshoumaru appeared at his side.� Taloned fingers wrapped around the exposed
neck as the daiyoukai lifted the hanyou to his feet and up some more until he
dangled from her deadly grip.� A soft cry
came from the mortal girl beside the siblings but she was easily ignored.

The clawed tip of her thumb dug into the hanyou�s neck,
directly over the vein which could bleed the body dry in a matter of minutes if
ruptured.� It was no surprise that the
young man knew to keep perfectly still in order to prevent the claw from
puncturing flesh.� In fact, Sesshoumaru
barely detected breath passing through the firm, smooth body in her grip.� Finally close to the hanyou for the first
time, the white youkai smirked as he glared at her with those golden eyes.� This close she could see that they were
darker than hers, flecked with tiny streaks of chestnut that spread from his
slitted pupil and across the iris.� And they
were narrowed in a way that seemed almost unnatural on such a smooth and guileless
face.

�To think,� she commented, gazing deeply into those eyes and
smirking at the anger smoldering within, �that Father could find such an
obscure place to hide it that even this Sesshoumaru would be unable to find
it.�� Beneath her fingers, she felt a
growl form from the inuhanyou�s throat, transmitting a satisfying vibration up
her arm.� �He certainly picked an odd
place,� she commented mildly, �and an odd guardian.�

The low rumble in the younger man�s throat grew to a full
snarl as he spit out, �You fucking bastard, Sesshoumaru.�

�The right, black pearl,� she continued, ignoring the
hanyou�s outburst as she narrowed her gaze on one dark, golden eye--the right
one, to be specific.� �So he sealed his
tomb there.� Well, that certainly kept it safe.�

A tanned hand tipped with short but vicious claws grasped
the wrist she was using to hold the hanyou.�
Digging those claws into the pale flesh of her wrist, the young man
tried to wrench the pale hand from his neck.�
�Bastard,� he coughed again, �are you still babbling about that tomb
shit?� �Cause I told you I don�t know
anything.�� The voice was sneering,
filled with anger and betrayal.�
Strangely, the eyes Sesshoumaru was studying so closely mirrored the
emotions.� Why would the hanyou be
feeling betrayed?� He shouldn�t have any
reason to expect kindness from her.� She
had been apathetic to him at best.� And
she could certainly be much worse.

�I suppose that�s true,� she answered him.� �Perhaps you know nothing.� It appears it was entrusted to you without
your knowledge.�� Ignoring the grip the
young male had on her right wrist, Sesshoumaru raised her left hand.� �In that case, perhaps you would like to
accompany your elder brother,� she started as she poised those deadly digits
before his face, �and we shall visit Father�s tomb together.�� As the last words escaped her mouth, the
white youkai plunged the first two fingers of her hand into the small pupil of
the hanyou�s right eye.� Spreading her
fingers slightly and ignoring the pained cries from her brother, she stretched
the opening and pushed deeper until a smooth surface brushed along the
sensitive pad of one finger.� Twisting
and pushing until she had buried her fingers up to the second knuckle, she
maneuvered the tiny object between her claws and pulled.� A sickening pop sounded as her fingers pulled
free of the small opening, clutching the dark, gore-covered pearl between them.

The human girl screamed out protestations as Sesshoumaru
dropped the hanyou to the ground.� The
youkai trembled in barely contained excitement as she palmed the precious
jewel, wanting to never let it go.� �No
matter how hard I searched for a burial ground, I couldn�t find one,� she
explained, somewhat to the hanyou lying at her feet but mostly to herself.� �I only had one hint, a riddle.� A place you can see, but cannot
be seen.� A place The Guardian can never
see.�� The hanyou growled at her,
clutching his bleeding eye but Sesshoumaru barely noticed as she opened her
hand to behold the object she�d searched for since her father�s death.� �And all this time, it was hidden in your
right eye.�

�Bastard,� the hanyou snarled as he pushed himself to his
feet.� Sesshoumaru glanced over to him,
somewhat amazed that the creature was still willing to stand up to her even
after she�d removed a significant portion of his eye.� Unwittingly, she had to admire his
perseverance--if not his intelligence--as she gazed at his determined face, the
evidence of his last bout congealing around his injured eye socket.� �All for that fucking rock you made a fake of
my mother!?��

A reminder of the Mu-Onna caused Sesshoumaru to glance over
in the lesser youkai�s direction.� She
still knelt on the ground, using all four limbs to keep from collapsing
completely.� It appeared the trauma of
having her meal torn from her had sapped her strength.� Yet, even weakened, the illusion youkai
seemed affronted by the hanyou�s assertion that she was a fake.� The creature certainly had possession
issues.�

And while the white youkai seemed momentarily distracted,
the hanyou leapt forward with claws outstretched and ready to attack.� Only to learn that Sesshoumaru was never that distracted.�

�I�ll kill you for
that,� the young man growled as he landed, sweeping out with his claws and
expecting to tear through his elder sibling�s torso.� Only she was no longer there.� Using speed the pathetic hanyou could only
dream off, Sesshoumaru leapt into the air to hover over her enraged brother.� For a moment, she simply watched as anger
melted into confusion at her disappearance before she spoke and drew his
attention.

�I�m in a hurry,� she stated, letting a smile grace her
features, �so if you�re going to get in my way, I�ll have to kill you.�� Sesshoumaru raised her own claws, the sound of
her knuckles cracking and the deceptively sweet scent of her poison filling the
air.� Uncertainty and fear dilated the
uninjured pupil of his left eye as the hanyou fell back and waited for the
youkai�s strike.� Sesshoumaru could see
his hope of avoiding or deflecting the attack had faded and resignation seemed
to still the young man�s limbs.� It made
her almost regret what she was going to do next.� Pushing off the intangible air currents, she
passed the boy, swinging her claws to cleave him in two.� The heavy scent of blood and bodily fluids
filled the air as her talons caught on thick layers of fabric before sinking
into soft flesh and sinew.�

Landing softly a few lengths away, Sesshoumaru turned to
gaze at the evidence of her slaughter.�
Through the red mist however, the inuyoukai saw the shredded remains of
the Mu-Onna instead of her hanyou brother.�
The young man was still laying where the youkai had last seen him,
draped in ragged strands of delicate silk and a spray of blood.� His expressive eyes were wide in shock and
disbelief.� Beside him sat that human
girl who Sesshoumaru was beginning to find quite an annoying creature.� The girl�s face was skewed in a mask of confusion
and anger.� Tears of sorrow were forming
in large, grey eyes.� This simpering girl
represented everything the daiyoukai resented in the females of any
species.� Pathetic weakness.� To the side, was the decapitated skull of the
treacherous youkai who�d dare come between the inuyoukai and her prey.

�My�boy�� the dying creature wheezed as the last strands of
strength and youki slipped from the woman�s form.� So the
false woman felt the need to thwart this Sesshoumaru�s will, did she? the
daiyoukai mussed as she approached the deformed head.� She
thought to protect that which I had marked for death, rage grew with each
step toward the minor youkai�s remains, she
wished to steal back that which had escaped her.� Sesshoumaru didn�t halt when she reached the
Mu-Onna�s side.� All it took was one
final step and the daiyoukai felt the skull crush with a wet crack before her
booted foot sunk into the mush of the creature�s brain.�

�Worthless fool,� the white youkai gave in eulogy ignoring
the mortal girl�s screams of outrage before pulling her foot from the bloody
remains.� Not only had the Mu-Onna failed
in her duty to wrest the location of the tomb from the boy--after all, it was
Sesshoumaru who had discerned the location and retrieved the pearl still
nestled in palm of her hand--but the Mu-Onna had also lost control of her
fragile illusions and lost her prey.�
Each of those was an offense punishable by death.� And that was before the bitch had interfered
in Sesshoumaru�s attack.� Yes, destroying
the Mu-Onna had been a therapeutic exercise.�
Yet, the cool, smooth weight in her palm reminded her that this mission
had been a success, not a failure.� The
death of the hanyou was not a requirement.�
In fact, at this point it was a distraction.

As if on cue, the grass rustled to Sesshoumaru�s left and
the shrill tone of her lackey�s voice pierced her ears.� �Sesshoumaru-sama,� the imp screeched and the
youkai wished she could pin her ears to her head as she noticed her brother was
doing, �I have retrieved the Nintoujou.��
After losing the two-headed staff, the undeserved pride in the small
youkai�s voice ground on the little patience the white daiyoukai was
maintaining.

�The next time you lose it,� she stated calmly, a casual
tone that caused the imp to clutch the staff with whitened knuckles, �I will
kill you.�� Sesshoumaru reached down and
plucked the staff from the creature�s grubby hands, amused as she watched fear
paralyze that beaky, leathery face.� She
assumed the small beast was wondering if that counted as losing the staff and
she could smell the hormones his pores were releasing as panic flooded his
system.� It was always so amusing to
watch a creature resign itself to a bloody fate.� Although, in this case she had something
better to do than terrify her underling.�

�I�ve been waiting for this for so long,� she murmured,
bringing the black pearl up before her eyes.�
The moonlight glistened off its reflective exterior, initiating a swirl
of color just below the surface.� It was
beautiful in its dark simplicity, and yet no one could ever guess just how much
importance this tiny jewel contained within.�
With one last, almost-loving glance, Sesshoumaru tossed the black orb
into the air only to watch it float gently to the rocky ground at her
feet.�

Her sensitive ears picked up the tiny tink as the jewel struck the rocky earth.� Her pulse throbbed in her chest until it was
all she could hear as she raised the Nintoujou high over her head and brought
it down to strike the pearl.� For a
moment, nothing happened.� Then, the
creaky, old man bound to the staff opened his mouth.� The sound of his harsh cackling reverberated
through the suddenly silent valley.

�The old man is laughing,� Jaken gasped and, for once,
Sesshoumaru couldn�t have cared less that he was restating what was clearly in
front of her.� �The tomb is opening.�

The pearl suddenly pulsed, then exploded in a flash of black
light.� Ancient magic and a trace of her
father�s familiar youki swirled around her, creating a wind so intense her hair
lifted and tangled in waves around her, joining with the snapping flaps of her
large silken sleeves.� Her heart slowed
as she was enveloped in the growing trails of her father�s youki.� The familiar touch left her with a feeling of
peace, contentment, and safety that she hadn�t felt since the great daiyoukai�s
death.� She closed her eyes and let the
empowered energy run over her, through her, leaving her skin tingling until she
was no longer aware of the world around her.�
She could see no light from beneath her closed lids, could hear no sound
beyond the roar of swirling magic and wind.

There was a slight tugging as though her soul was being
wrenched and then everything was still.

�Se-Sesshoumaru-sama?��
Jaken�s voice was unsteady and the imp was clutching at the white silk
of her hakama.� The white inuyoukai
opened her eyes to see that they had been transported to another world.� More specifically, the world between
worlds.� The sparkling white bones of
countless youkai littered the ground around her.� So much so, in fact, that they were the ground around her.� Above her head was the swirling black vortex
that they had apparently been transported through.� The sky was dotted with the skeletons of
ancient birds, winging their way through this boney landscape.� It was no wonder that the small imp was
frightened.� He served a powerful
daiyoukai because he had neither the strength nor the skill to defend himself.

�Come, Jaken,� she stated as her eyes were drawn to the
massive corpse lording over this world of the dead.� She released a wisp of youki into the air,
forming it and giving it strength.� A
rush of icy wind blew her hair and Jaken realized her intentions just in time
to grab her pelt as she lifted into the air on a cushion of fashioned fog.

The imp buried himself in her copious fur as the inuyoukai
approached the immense figure, her eyes attached to the fanged skull.� She heard the tiny beak chattering as she
rose passed the gaping maw ringed with teeth larger than she.� Exactly what the small imp thought this lifeless
corpse was going to do to him, she wasn�t sure but it was rather amusing that
her father could still inspire such fear.�
She levitated to a height directly between the large sockets that had
once contained eyes more familiar to her than her own.� Bringing herself within touching distance,
she rested a pale hand on the smooth bone.

�Father,� she whispered, a small prayer of worship to the
man who�d raised her.� A youkai feared by
every being in the west and most of the rest of Nihon, yet who she loved more
than her very self.� She closed her eyes and
bowed her head, letting the silky lengths of her bangs brush across her
cheeks.� With her golden eyes tucked
safely behind her lids, she could pretend her trembling fingers were tucked
into soft fur which covered warm flesh and blood instead of stroking cool,
lifeless bone.�

A shifting against the silk of her hakama forced her to open
her eyes and end the ridiculous fantasy.�
She pulled her hand from the skull before her, a simple remnant of the
great youkai who had been her father.�
Jaken peeked his beaked nose from behind her leg, trying to steal a
glance at the one who his master had just declared as �Father�.

�Is this your great father?� the small youkai asked, hoping
to learn something of his master�s past.�
For a moment, Sesshoumaru remained silent.�

�No,� she answered, finally.�
�Father died centuries ago, this is the remains of his corpse.� There is nothing of him here.� Let�s go, a treasure waits.�

Before the small youkai could see the lie to her words, that
she did sense something of her father in these dusty remains, Sesshoumaru
directed them into the eye socket of the skull.�
It was a strange feeling, entering the inner depths of a youkai, even a
dead one.� Rather like being eaten, an
experience she was quite certain she�d never have.

But in a matter of moments, the feeling was gone.� Eclipsed by a sense of longing and
satisfaction and awe.� In the deepest
depths of her father�s remains, a cavernous space lit by an otherworldly light,
was a golden alter.� The very object
she�d been searching for since the great daiyoukai�s untimely death, the symbol
of everything that had been respected and feared about the great inuyoukai, the
key to inheriting her great father�s power, stood unassumingly in the center of
the pedestal.� The sword was shabby, the
hilt worn and tattered, the blade dull and chipped.� It seemed out of place, displayed on such an
elaborate alter.� As if someone had taken
whatever truly belonged there and left this as a joke.� But Sesshoumaru knew better.

�I have found it,� she whispered, as if saying so would make
it true instead of a dream.� �I have
managed to find you at last, Tessaiga.� I
have searched long and hard for you,� she continued, her mouth growing dry as
her palms dampened and her fingertips twitched.�
�And here you are, the great blade hidden away in Father�s
remains.�� Two careful steps brought her
to the podium�s side and the great sword was less than an arm length away.� �A sword possessing the power to destroy a
hundred youkai in a single swing.� The
great fang, Tessaiga.�

�It is carved from your great father�s fang, is it not,
Master?� the small imp piped, but Sesshoumaru barely heard him over her own
pounding pulse.� �Taking this is like
inheriting your great father�s unlimited power�� the imp echoed into words the
thoughts which had been carving paths in her mind for two hundred years.

Yes, she answered
in her mind the question he�d spoken aloud as she reached out her hand to
finally grasp her father�s treasured sword.�
Long, pale fingers wrapped around the soft hilt, tracing the fabric worn
by her father�s palm.� For a heartbeat,
it seemed as though she were, once again, holding her father�s hand and she
felt his power tease the flesh of her palm.�
But only for a heartbeat.� In the
next, she felt unimaginable pain as the sword lashed out at her.

White arcs of energy danced up her arm, licking her flesh
and leaving vicious marks that went much deeper than the skin.� Blue flames grew from the shredded wrappings
around the hilt to surround her hand.�
She heard the screeching of the small imp and briefly wondered what,
exactly, he expected to accomplish.�
Quickly, she released the blade, watching as tiny blue flames continued
to flicker between the webbing of her fingers.�
As they died down and the burns on her hand began to heal, she looked
back at the innocent-looking blade.� A
feeling of despair and, strangely, betrayal began to take root beneath her
breasts.

�Wh-what?!� Jaken stuttered unbelievably behind her.� �I-it failed to come out?!�� And Sesshoumaru was much too surprised to
glare at him for pointing out the disaster facing her.

�How cautious of him,� she stated, her voice sounding hollow
even to her own ears.� �He has placed a
barrier on it�a spiritual barrier.�� I can�t even touch it.� She watched as the flames engulfing her hand
flickered out and the burns instantly healed.�
Perhaps, she should try again.�
Maybe the barrier would only affect her once.� Maybe she only had to hold it longer.� Maybe Father was testing her, testing her
desire.� Maybe�maybe, Father was denying
her.

She nearly stretched her hand back to the sword again, ready
to risk additional burns--ready to risk purification--just to prove that her
great father would not deny her his power, her inheritance.� The one thing he had raised her for.� The one thing that she had groomed herself to
have, that she�d worked for and sacrificed for.�
As she moved her hand toward the sword she realized this wasn�t even about
the damn sword--after all he�d just had it made shortly before his death--it
was about his acceptance of her.� But
damnit, he was dead; she didn�t need his acceptance but she would have this
sword.

�Sesshoumaru!�

The white inuyoukai snapped her head around.� She�d been so caught up in her reflections of
the damn sword she hadn�t even noticed the hanyou�s arrival.� Hadn�t she left them on the other side of the
portal?

The young man was leaping, rather gracefully, down the ribs
of their father�s tomb.� That mortal girl
was riding his back, rather like he was a pack horse.� How ironic,
a mortal woman desecrating Father�s tomb, Sesshoumaru thought as she
watched the white-maned inuhanyou carefully situate the girl on a sturdy rib
with an outcropping of overgrowth for her to clutch.�

�I ain�t done with you yet!� the hanyou shouted once the
girl was safe.� Safe, indeed, Sesshoumaru scoffed softly at the concept.� No one except she was safe within this land
of the dead.� Perhaps it was the small
smile that spurred the hanyou to attack, or maybe that was his intention all
along.� �Sankon Tessou!!� the young man cried out, the young, clear voice
echoing and amplifying in the sparse, cavernous space.� He lunged at her, claws outstretched.�

Moving faster than the hanyou could see, Sesshoumaru dodged
the attack.� The young man landed right
where she had been standing, claws digging a huge furrow in the bone-scattered
floor.

�Why, hello, Inuyasha,� she greeted politely from her perch
atop the golden alter.� She peered down
at him as he crouched in the trench dug by his own attack.� �Did you come to dig yourself a grave?� she
asked, amusement evident in her voice.�
Perhaps he could be a decent distraction from the life-shattering
disappointment she�d just endured.� �Or,
perhaps,� she began again as he glared up at her with barely repressed murder
in his eyes, �you�ve come to draw Father�s fang.� The sword, Tessaiga.�

�Tessaiga?� the hanyou repeated glancing at the sword still
standing beneath her feet and Sesshoumaru knew she was feeling slightly better
when she had to repress the urge to roll her eyes.� Oh
gods, he�s not repeating me, is he?

Unexpectedly, another voice piped up.� �Draw it out, Inuyasha-sama,� it
squeaked.�

�Whaddya talkin� about, Myouga?� the hanyou sighed, giving a
name to the slightly familiar voice.�

�Sesshoumaru-sama,� the flea-youkai called out to her from
his perch within the collar of the inuhanyou�s haori, �you have tried already,
have you not?� And you were not able pull
it out.�

All amusement faded from the white inuyoukai�s face as the
implication of the flea�s words burrowed beneath her skin like tiny
parasites.� And if anyone should know, it
would be this flea.� This tiny,
insignificant creature had been her father�s closest, most loyal retainer.� As far as she knew, he was the guardian of
her father�s tomb.� He�d done a pretty
good job of avoiding her all these years because she had certainly tried to
hunt him down.

�Are you suggesting,� she began, her voice reaching a dark
tone that radiated through the empty space and was all the more awful for its
quiet volume, �that Inuyasha could pull it out?�� She narrowed her gaze to the tiny creature
alone, leveling him with a glare that had cowed beasts infinitely larger and
more powerful than this tiny insect.

The old flea stumbled his way to the junction of the
hanyou�s shoulder, hiding within the thick locks of ivory hair.� Borrowing courage--or idiocy--from his new
master, the flea spoke out against Sesshoumaru again.� �Absolutely,� the creature cried out, his
voice trembling in fear.� �The tomb was
entrusted to him, was it not?� That is
proof enough that the sword is supposed to be his.� Quickly, Inuyasha-sama,� the flea said,
turning his attention to the inuhanyou who�d been watching the exchange
silently, �draw it out!�

�Keh!� the young man responded--quite intelligently, in
Sesshoumaru�s opinion.� �Why the hell
would I want a busted up, worn out, old blade like that?�� The youth�s eyes were blazing with anger and
other assorted and confused emotions.�
And he hadn�t dropped from his aggressive stance.� �Like I said, we ain�t done yet,
Sesshoumaru.�

The young hanyou lunged at her again, his attack somewhat
slow and wide but quite passionate nonetheless.�
At the last moment, the inuyoukai uncurled herself from where she was
seated atop the pedestal and leapt to a new spot.� Dropping lightly on a massive rib on the
other side of the chest cavity, Sesshoumaru pushed aside the flea�s disturbing
beliefs.� Leaving the sword to the hanyou
would be like leaving him the Western Lands.�
Father wouldn�t do that to her.� He�d
spent her entire life training her and preparing her to control those
territories.� He wouldn�t have left them
in the untried hands of a babe.� The mere
suggestion was ridiculous.

�You damn bastard,� the hanyou snapped, �stop fucking
dodging me.�

�Oh,� she responded as he landed in a heap atop the dais,
turning those amusingly expressive eyes toward her.� �Were you aiming at me?�

Clearly, the impulsive young man took offense to her
words.� That face hid nothing, so
different from her own, as a string of obscenities escaped his lips.� Such a brash young man her little brother had
become.� The hanyou adjusted his footing,
giving Sesshoumaru the forewarning she needed, and leapt after her again.� And, again, she danced away.� Hair, silk, and fur swirled around her as
Inuyasha struck the rib where she had been standing, only to bounce off the
hard surface and crash into the unforgiving crypt floor.

Landing lightly on the ground several arm lengths from the
fallen form, Sesshoumaru gazed down at the hanyou.� He lay on his back, red-clad limbs sprawled
carelessly from his trunk and his chest rising and falling deeply as he tried
to regulate his breathing.� A perfect
picture of lack of control.� Every ounce
of energy was channeled into every attack.�
So much emotion and passion and the young man could be quite powerful,
perhaps even a proper opponent under the right circumstances, but with no
control he was hopeless.� Just a mound of
tanned flesh, white fur, and red-fabric panting on the ground.

�I see your fighting style hasn�t changed since our last
meeting,� she quipped, �although at that time, you were a mere babe.�� The inuhanyou rolled over into a crouch, a
movement of white and red, and golden eyes gazed up at her again.� Some of the anger seemed to have bled away
and something else had taken root.� Was
he surprised that she remembered?� He should know that this Sesshoumaru forgets
nothing, she thought as he studied her.�

For a moment, the two siblings gazed into each other.� Each trying to read the other, trying to
ferret out secrets.� But the moment was
broken when the small, wheezy voice of a flea broke the silence.

�You cannot beat Sesshoumaru with your claws,
Inuyasha-sama,� Myouga shouted into the hanyou�s white-furred ear.� �Get the sword!�

�Would you shuddup?!� the inuhanyou growled back and
Sesshoumaru thought she heard a trace of impatience and annoyance in the young
man�s voice.� And the anger now glowing
in those dark, golden eyes seemed directed at the flea for interrupting.�

�Inuyasha,� came a cry from overhead, �just pull out the
sword, will ya?�

It was the mortal girl; she was interfering.� Not a particularly bright idea.� Sesshoumaru narrowed her eyes on the girl who
mistakenly believed that she had some right to interject in this little
conversation between siblings.�

�Kagome!� the
hanyou shouted in warning from beneath the girl.�

�But Sesshoumaru couldn�t do it,� she continued, ignoring
the warning and turning enraged dove-grey eyes on the still daiyoukai.� �If you can pull it out after he couldn�t,
can you imagine how stupid he�d look?�
How stupid he�d feel?� It might
not be a physical hit, but it�d be a blow to his pride.�� The mortal girl glared hard at Sesshoumaru,
stormy eyes darkening in rage.�
�Sesshoumaru�ll be disgraced,� she finished, practically hissing the
words.

Well, that clinched it.�
She was going to kill this girl.�
Not that the inuyoukai hadn�t planned on killing both the mortal and the
hanyou as soon as they dared to show up, but now it was going to be messy, and
bloody, and painful.� The nerve of this
presumptuous, impetuous, insignificant, mortal wretch, to think that she had the right to judge what would and
would not be grievous to this Sesshoumaru.

But, as if he could see the murderous designs playing out in
his elder sibling�s mind, Inuyasha spoke again.�
�I get it now,� he growled, catching Sesshoumaru�s eye and holding
it.� Perhaps to keep her from filleting
his little girlfriend.� �That would
really piss you off, wouldn�t it, brother?!�
he sneered, his face holding a seriousness the inuyoukai wouldn�t have
suspected the face could hold.� Gone was
the gruffness, the posturing, the sarcastic amusement.

The white youkai�s face reflected the same gravity.� For the first time since the hanyou had
arrived in this grisly tomb, Sesshoumaru did not feel the need to play with the
young man.� �You couldn�t,� she asserted,
hoping that her voice did not betray her very real fear that he could.� Because it was an irrational fear.� Father wouldn�t do that to her.

But the smirk that crossed the hanyou�s face, a fang-bearing
expression that Sesshoumaru doubted had any resemblance to a smile, told her
that he�d noticed the fear.

�Keh,� he scoffed at her as he slowly approached the
alter.� �You show up outta nowhere, you
make a fake of my mom, you kill her,
you fuck with me, you threaten my friends,� the hanyou reached out, his hand
hovering over the hilt.� �Tell me, brother, if I pull this out, will it
make you cry?�

That tanned hand slowly wrapped itself around the frayed
hilt and Sesshoumaru watched, waited, for blue flames and arcs of energy.� She held her breath but kept her face
neutral, waiting, hoping, for some
sign that the sword was rejecting him.�
But nothing happened.�

Hiding in a corner, Jaken gasped out a denial and
Sesshoumaru was hard-pressed not to agree.�
The sword was accepting him, the sword that should have been her
inheritance, the symbol of her domination of the west, was accepting a lowly
hanyou after it had rejected her.� She
was angry.� She wanted to destroy the
hanyou, the sword, and that damn girl who�d suggested this whole thing.�

But the hanyou was having troubles of his own.� Sesshoumaru watched as the cords of the young
man�s throat flexed and trembled in exertion as he attempted to pull the sword
from the dais.� Perhaps, it hadn�t
accepted him after all.�

After several moments, during which the burning rage that
had flooded the daiyoukai�s veins subsided, the hanyou gave up.� He wiggled it a little, likely to see if it
had budged at all, but the sword refused to come out.� Relief soothed the fiery paths of rage within
the inuyoukai as the hanyou stood, with a dumbstruck look on his young face.� Releasing his grip on the coveted sword, he
stood very still while everyone waited.

�Hey,� he said softly as Myouga crawled up on his
shoulder.� Sesshoumaru was somewhat
amused to see the flea turn to run at the harmless word.� But before the tiny creature could leap away
he was caught in sharp claws.� �I couldn�t pull the damn thing out, could I?�
the hanyou hissed at the ancient youkai.

But as amusing as it was to see the hanyou so disappointed
and see the interfering little insect be squashed repeatedly, Sesshoumaru still
had a sword to claim.� Everyone seemed to
have forgotten that this was her mission, her father, her sword.

�This fun little game is over,� she stated, interrupting the
inuhanyou�s bug smashing session.� Before
the hanyou could even turn his attention to her, she appeared directly before
him with one hand tangled in the rough, red fabric of his haori.� Dried bones scattered around her as she
pushed off the ground, driving the startled young man back and into the rib
cage of their father�s tomb.� His feet
dangled a hand length or so from the ground as she held him up to her superior
height.� �It would appear that Tessaiga
was never meant for the likes of you, hanyou,� she commented, so close that her
breath ghosted over the skin of his cheek.�
His golden eyes, one still damaged from earlier, clouded over with some
unknown reaction as she brought up her free talons.� It must be fear.

�Let me introduce you to my poisoned claws,� she breathed as
a soft, green mist formed around her displayed talons.� She felt the hanyou tense but, before he had
a chance to struggle, she thrust her claws into the bone beside his mane.� The air filled with sweet fumes as caustic
acid leaked from the poison ducts beneath each claw.� The bone liquefied beneath her touch, as did
a portion of the fire-rat cloth where a bit of the viscous, green fluid had
dripped.�

She loosened her prey and he leapt away from the melting
rib.� �You can�t escape,� the white
youkai whispered in his ear as she appeared behind him, shocking him with her
otherworldly speed.� Once again, she
fisted his haori, this time forcing him down on his back.� She landed atop him, straddling his
hips.�

�I�m coming, Sesshoumaru-sama,� she heard from behind and
she seriously considered destroying the tiny youkai before she finished this
game with her little brother.� Why, in
the seven levels of hell, would she need assistance from a cowardly, powerless,
sniveling imp?� Especially when she�d
already taken down her prey.� The white
youkai almost breathed a sigh of relief when the mortal girl trampled the small
creature.

But something had changed while she�d been mildly
distracted.� Her sensitive nose picked up
a scent that she rarely found on those who she�d marked for death.� The daiyoukai narrowed her eyes into tiny
golden chips as she glared at the hanyou beneath her.� His eyes were clouded again, but this time
his aroma most certainly wasn�t of fear.�
She dropped her face to his, brushing her nose along the soft skin of
his cheek.� Through his pores, she could
smell a different combination of hormones.�
Drawing back slightly, she wasn�t amused to find his face flushed and
turned away, unable to meet her eyes.

Well, she hadn�t expected the young man to be aroused.

If it weren�t for the thick bone armor about her waist, she
was certain she�d feel hardened proof pressing against her.

�Die,� she hissed bringing up her poisoned claws.� A denial rang out from behind her, presumably
from the mortal girl, but what stopped her was the metallic scrapping that
followed.�

Sesshoumaru snapped her head back, thick silver curtains
whipping around her.� Her grip loosened
as she stared in disbelief, the hanyou beneath her turning with his newfound
freedom but not attempting to leave.� Two
sets of shocked golden eyes focused on the mortal girl.� The one holding a tattered, battered sword.

�Sorry,� she whimpered, the sound barely carrying even in
this cavern that echoed the slightest noise, �it just slipped out.�

It was Jaken who broke the heavy silence.� �Im-impossible,� the imp stuttered, voicing
the thought of every creature present.�
The girl continued to stand, bare legs trembling and her knuckles white
under the choking grip she held on the hilt.�
�If that mongrel couldn�t get it, and Sesshoumaru-sama couldn�t get
it--,� the imp continued to stutter as Sesshoumaru rolled up and off her
opponent, her golden gaze appraising the young mortal woman.� �--then how could that impetuous mortal pull the sword?��

Exactly what I would
like to know, Sesshoumaru decided.

�Keep your eyes off her,� the hanyou growled as he tried to
strike out at the daiyoukai.� Sesshoumaru
avoided the attack, leaving the hanyou crouching in the new gouge he�d dug as
she appeared before the sword-wielding girl.�

�You,� the white inuyoukai addressed the girl, stepping
forward and crowding her against the cavernous walls of her father�s
corpse.� �What kind of creature are you?�
she asked.� The girl looked, and even
smelled, mortal.� She was dressed oddly,
but human fashions were often changing.�
Thick waves of black hair hung softly over a slim frame.� Grey eyes that were nearly as expressive as
the inuhanyou�s gazed at her with barely restrained terror.� She was an average, if somewhat pretty,
mortal girl.� �Why were you able to pull
Tessaiga?� the daiyoukai asked, not hopeful she would receive an acceptable
answer.

She wasn�t wrong.�
�St-stay away from me, you,� the girl stammered, stepping back and
bringing up the dull blade.� �You come
any closer and I�ll�I�ll slice
you.��

Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow.� This girl was going to slice her with a
busted-up blade that she clearly wasn�t able to use.� Or even hold correctly.� Surely, the human race would have to die out
within a few more generations with examples like this.

�Leave her alone, Sesshoumaru,� came a stressed voice from
behind.� The youkai in question turned to
acknowledge the speaker as he continued, �she doesn�t have anything to do with
this.�

�Inuyasha!� the girl pleaded, although whether she was
begging for his assistance or his silence, the inuyoukai was unsure.�

�I believe you�re mistaken, little brother,� Sesshoumaru
informed him.� �Do not forget, you
brought her here.� Now, she is very much
involved.�� The daiyoukai brought up her
favorite weapon and relished in the deadly, sweet scent as her poison fumes
saturated the air.� Turning her attention
back to the shaking yet strangely defiant girl before her, the white inuyoukai
held out her hand.� �My Dokkasou will
take care of you.��

A slight tension in a few muscles and a tug on her youki and
the poison sacks constricted then released.�
Sesshoumaru watched dispassionately as a deadly fog engulfed the
impetuous mortal; the wall behind her and even the ground beneath her
dissolving and liquefying.� Soon, only a
green cloud could be seen over the area.�
Sesshoumaru dropped her hand and where a human had once stood was merely
a puddle of melted bone and an indestructible sword.

��Kagome,� the hanyou gasped, reaching into the puddle of acid and
goo only to pull back as the poison began to dissolve his arm as well.� I
wonder if he�s afraid he�ll forget her name, the daiyoukai wondered, it would be a logical explanation as to why
he keeps screaming it out.� Not that it
matters any longer��

�Darn,� the white youkai commented, boredness tainting her
voice, �it appears she was an ordinary mortal after all.�� A low growling nearby brought her gaze back
to the crouching hanyou.

�Sesshoumaru--� her brother ground out, rising to his feet
and readying an attack.�

The white inuyoukai raised her poisonous claws for what
should be the last time.� �Yes, hanyou, I
believe it�s finally your turn.�� But
before she was could launch her attack, her brother landed his fist in the
center of her armored chest.� The force
of the blow knocked the daiyoukai back several lengths.� She brought her arms up to press against the
assaulted spot.� It didn�t hurt, probably
wouldn�t have even without the armor protection, but it was rare that anyone
managed a hit on her.�

Somewhere nearby, Sesshoumaru could hear Jaken squawking his
disbelief.� As the bone plating came
apart in her hands, the white inuyoukai found herself slightly amazed as
well.� �Are you angry, Inuyasha,� she
asked, genuinely curious, �she was just a mortal.� There are many, many more.�

The hanyou crouched, his position aggressive.� He pierced her with eyes narrowed and sharp
in anger and hate.� �Fucking bastard,� he
growled.� The volume was soft, as was the
tone, but so deep that it nearly ran shivers up the seasoned youkai�s
spine.� �I�m gonna gut you next.�

His promised attack never came however.� The hanyou glanced back at the still oozy
puddle where his mortal bitch had perished.�
Sesshoumaru followed his gaze and both watched in amazement as the
puddle began to move.� If asked, even
Sesshoumaru would have admitted she was surprised to see the mortal girl
pulling herself out of the pool of acid that would have dissolved every
structure in the universe.� And she was
shaking it out of her hair as if it were mud.�

�Oh, man,� she gasped as she stumbled up on solid ground,
Tessaiga clutched to her chest, �I thought I was dead.�

Didn�t we all,
Sesshoumaru agreed, and Inuyasha nodded dumbly as well.�

�You,� she shouted, turning to Sesshoumaru and pointing the
treasured sword at her, �you tried to kill me, didn�t you.�

Sesshoumaru blinked.�
Was the girl seriously asking, because the daiyoukai thought her
intentions had been quite clear.�

�You jerk,� she snapped, those grey eyes darkening like
storm clouds, �I�m gonna make you regret that.��
Then, much to Sesshoumaru�s dismay, the girl turned to the hanyou by her
side.� The girl�s face instantly
brightened, every trace of indignation vanishing to reveal a sweet, energetic
smile.� It occurred to the inuyoukai that
the mortal might have some psychological disorder.� �Here,� the suddenly perky girl chirped,
placing the sword in the hanyou�s hands.

�Uh, okay,� he replied, clearly wondering about her state of
mind as well.�

�This sword looks pretty cool,� she continued, �go get him,
okay?��

�Uh,� the hanyou began again, still looking at the girl with
a perplexed expression marring his face, �why are you alive?�

�She was protected by the sword�s shield,� Sesshoumaru
answered the hanyou�s question.� Her eyes
riveted on the blade currently nestled in the hanyou�s hands.� He held it so casually; the blade that
rejected her very touch.�

�Hesitate no longer, Inuyasha-sama,� the tiny flea-youkai
bounced around on the inuhanyou�s shoulder.�
�Use Sesshoumaru-sama as a target to test out Tessaiga�s blade.�

The sight of her father�s precious sword in the untrained
hands of the hanyou finally pushed Sesshoumaru over the fluctuating limit of
her patience.� She chuckled softly,
deeply.� �Brave words, small flea.�� She released the massive reserves of youki
she stored within this delicate frame.�
Bone fragments lifted from the ground, swirling away from her to strike
the walls of the tomb.� The temperature
dropped until the youkai saw the mortal girl shiver in her tiny garments.� �This Sesshoumaru is curious to see,� the
white inuyoukai began as her hair lifted to join the growing storm and the
flapping silk of her kimono began to dissolve, �whether an abomination such as
you can master the awesome power of Tessaiga.��
With no more words to say, Sesshoumaru finally released herself to the
transformation.

It was�uncomfortable, bordering on painful, as her bones
bent and stretched, some even merging together as others split to form
additional bones as needed.� Joints
rearranged, bending and twisting her until she was forced down on all
fours.� Her delicate, striped wrists grew
a thick layer of soft fur before her eyes and, instead of seeing a hand, she
looked down on a massive paw.� But as
painful as it was to have her body rearrange itself, it was wonderfully
exhilarating as well.� In a humanoid
form, her senses outmatched that of any mortal dog or other youkai, but they
were still stunted by the physical limitations of the form.� The additional input was spectacular.�

As she rose above her opponents, the daiyoukai marveled at
herself.� This is who she was.� This massive, powerful creature.� Not some weak, simpering fool like mortal
women, not even a powerful but flighty fool like her mother.� Sesshoumaru was a monstrous creature, more
powerful than any other youkai in these lands.�
More terrifying than any tale used to frighten children.� More than strong enough to destroy a simple
hanyou brat and his odd mortal bitch.�
More than strong enough to bend the sword, Tessaiga, to her will.� She stretched her tail out behind her,
revering in the feel of a limb she didn�t often get to use, before letting it
flip and swish on its own.� It was all
the youkai could do not to howl her excitement into the echoing cavity of this
tomb.

Below the towering daiyoukai, the mortal girl was
stammering, clearly surprised by the youkai�s change.� �It ain�t nothing,� Inuyasha stated but an
underlying tension belied his words.�
�Sesshoumaru�s just showin� his true form�s all.�� Leaping into the air, the hanyou shouted, �I
think it�s time to test out my blade.��

Had she retained the ability in this new form, Sesshoumaru
would have laughed as the inuhanyou brought the dull, rusted sword down in the
center of her skull.� The blade bounced
off, throwing the hanyou to the side of the tomb.� Sesshoumaru gave the young man no chance to
wonder at this as she lunged for him, massive jaws opened to devour her
attacker.� Her opponent barely managed to
dodge her muzzle as she snapped it closed, grinding away at her father�s
rib.� Looking winded and flustered, he
barely avoided a poisoned claw as she swung out at him.� Soon, he wouldn�t be able to evade her and
she would take great joy in tearing him into shreds.� There was a price to be paid for trying to
take what belongs to Sesshoumaru.

A sharp sting on her ankle indicated that the hanyou had
finally managed a hit.� The daiyoukai
snorted her amusement through her muzzle, noticing a frustration from the
inuhanyou as he also discerned the hopeless plight he was in.� That annoying girl, however, seemed
oblivious.� Sesshoumaru raised the paw to
her mouth, licking at the slightly bruised flesh while she allowed the hanyou
to inform the mortal of exactly how doomed their situation was.� She waited patiently for the two to say their
goodbyes; after all, she had a heart�sometimes.�
In a sickeningly sweet gesture, she watched the hanyou pledge his
protection to the girl.� Pathetic mortal women, she scoffed as
the hanyou finally stood before her, determination and resignation warring
across his features.

Yet, as she watched the hanyou approach, the tattered
Tessaiga swung casually over his shoulder, Sesshoumaru noticed a
difference.� A difference in the hanyou
as his face became set in a stony expression of determination.� A difference in the sword as it seemed to
pulse within the hanyou�s grasp.� A
difference in the very air as a foreign youki began to leak into the edges of
her senses.� She watched, wary, as youki
began to swirl and concentrate around the sword, youki too similar to her
father�s.

This must be finished
now, she decided, the winds making her uneasy of dragging out this little
show of strength.� Settling back on her
haunches, she used every bit of energy to lunge at the young man.� He brought up the battered blade as a last
ditch effort to defend himself, but it would be of no use.� She would crush him beneath her massive
weight before dissolving his body with her acid.� He leapt up to meet her blow and when
Sesshoumaru saw the transformed sword, it was too late to abort her attack.

The sword pushed between the pads of her paw, between the
second and third claw.� She howled as it
decimated her ankle, cleaving through skin, muscle, cartilage, and bone as if
it were slicing fat.� The transformed
Tessaiga snapped through her radius, shattered her elbow, and was halfway
through her humerus before the hanyou broke off his attack.� Severing half her arm as he did so.

The proud daiyoukai fell to the ground as pain greater than
any she�d ever felt before seared through her system.� Nearby, the hanyou landed nimbly, the
transformed Tessaiga stretched out before him.�
The sword had accepted him as its master.� That realization hurt nearly as much as her
shattered limb.� Reluctantly she turned
her eyes to the mauled foreleg.� The cut
had been clean.� It had run straight up
the center of her leg, before cutting away to the left.� The worst part was, the right portion was
still there, still intact.�

And she couldn�t leave it.

If she tried to stand, it would snap.� It would be best to just finish the break,
hopefully making it clean.� The youkai
closed her eyes.� It would be better if
she didn�t see, didn�t think about what she was going to do.� Opening her jaws, she placed them around the
raw flesh.� Before she could hesitate,
she locked her jaw on the remaining limb, twisting her head when the worthless
flesh didn�t immediately separate.� The
sick taste of her own blood filled her mouth as the remainder of her left
foreleg came off in her teeth.�

Pushing the now lifeless flesh from her mouth with her
tongue, the daiyoukai struggled to her feet.�
Blood poured from her severed limb.�
The terrible tingling and itching amplifying the pain as her youki
immediate began trying to halt the bleeding.�
But right now, there was nothing she could do for it.� She turned toward the hanyou.� The stupid boy who had just taken everything
from her.

He didn�t even glance her way.� He was studying his new sword.� His new sword that should have been hers, the
sword that had just taken her arm and, perhaps, her ability to keep rule over
her lands.� And he wasn�t even looking at
her.

She growled, a low rumble that she knew was a bad idea.� She wasn�t honorable enough to give the
abomination fair warning.� But she
couldn�t stop herself.� She hurt and her
whole life had just unraveled.� So, she
growled.� The boy looked up just in time
to see her attack as she lunged for him.�

�This is it, Sesshoumaru,� he shouted as he brought the
blade up and then down across her chest.�
The blow held enough force to throw her across the chest cavity and
through the wall.� Warmth engulfed her,
the pain retreating slightly as the healing sword, Tensaiga, engulfed her.� Through her own howls, she heard the cries of
Jaken, her loyal retainer and sent a barely controlled wisp of youki to snag
him, dragging him into the protective sphere Tensaiga had established.�

She wanted to go back, to finish this fight, or die
trying.� But the sword wouldn�t let her
and she knew it.� And she would have
died.� As much as her pride couldn�t
stand it, the healing sword would only take her away on the verge of
death.� With one final howl of
frustration and pain, she succumbed to the sword�s will and let it take her
away.

~*~

Annoying A/N:� Okay, this
chapter came out infinitely longer than I expected.� I had a couple complaints/requests to move
the story along faster.� Since I spent a
bit of time and storyplotting deciding exactly how and when Sesshoumaru and
Inuyasha hook up, I�m sorry but I�m not gonna change it to make the story move
faster.� If that makes my story boring,
then I�m sorry but I�m gonna try it my way first.� The one concession I can make is to make my
chapters longer.� Of course, combined
with school being back in session, that means my updates will be much, much
more irregular.

Special Thanx to:

Shuori
Demitria Miriam
Miss War-Chan
Sparkangel
Malimillions
Manda
DrakenD4
Lady Yueh
Tenamanda1988
Nikkie23534

You guys really make all the writing and dreadful
proof-reading worth the effort.� Thanx,

~Silence~
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Finding Power