(Author's Note: Well, I decided to be nice and post a new chapter much faster than I usually do. I figured since I kinda left you with a cliffhanger last time, I figured that giving you this chapter would make up for it. Don't worry, there are quite a few cliffhangers soon to come. ^.^ Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to vote on the poll on my user page (it pertains to this story). Also, thanks so much to Tsukino Aisuru - A, Sunprincessmargie, and to Lacertae. Your reviews and PM's have encouraged me greatly. Now... I wonder if you knew who sent the attack from last chapter! :o)

The attack was a blazing color of blue and sent chills down Akane's spine, but the attack had only destroyed Shinkuoni's right arm. Whatever it was that sent the attack, it didn't want to kill the troll demon just yet. An attack like that was bound to destroy the troll eventually. However, it was still unclear to Akane where the blast of power had come from; it had appeared from somewhere on the perimeter of the clearing, but the person who sent the almost fatal blow was still unknown.

Fortunately, a few trees had been destroyed in the process of the attacker's powerful blast; the short jagged trunks were the only remainder of the once soaring trees. Some branches were fringed or burned entirely. The area where the attacker must have been was still clouded with puffs of dirt, concealing whoever it was that tried to injure the troll, which had only severed Shinkuoni's limb.

Akane was slightly annoyed by this unexpected attack. If anyone was going to get some answers out of the troll, it would be her. She also didn't favor the idea of some unknown person killing off her only clue to finding Naraku. This angered her even more than the fact that Shinkuoni wouldn't explain himself in the first place. Her level of frustration was really beginning to boil, so much that she decided to confront the attacker without any second thoughts.

"I know you're still there, whoever you are. Do me a favor and show yourself, or get lost," she shouted towards the ruined part of the clearings' trees. The dirt clouds were beginning to disappear, and the outline of a person was becoming clearer. Shinkuoni took notice of the man appearing before them and boomed in anger at the person who destroyed his arm.

"Naraku told me of a yokai with hair of silver and fur draped upon his shoulder. Naraku also told me to destroy that certain yokai if I should come face to face with him," the troll admitted. Now it was certain that Shinkuoni was sent by Naraku, and not just a coincidence.

Maybe Buddha has decided to aid me in this journey. That monk's tea must have really worked; his blessing really did come in handy, Akane thought to herself. If this was the working of Buddha, she felt grateful and favored his steady guidance.

Breaking her thought of concentration, Akane soon began to see the demon that Shinkuoni had referred to, and she took notice of the few attributes that the troll had pointed out. The yokai had silver hair that was incredibly long, and his eyes were the color of gold, like the sun that shone above them. His eyes showed no emotion, which was the first thing that caught Akane's attention, even from a few yards away. This yokai was quite tall, a white and red kimono hung on his towering frame, and a long puffy fur was draped over his right shoulder. He held one sword in his right hand, and another in its sheathe, hanging from a yellow and purple sash around his waist. A crescent moon and two red marks on each cheek showed that he was definitely a full-blooded yokai. Akane did not have such markings to show her pure blood, and she hope desperately that the yokai wouldn't discover her secret. This yokai was nothing like Shinkuoni, his power and senses were definitely much keener than the injured troll.

"You girl have no business here. Leave, this battle is clearly between the troll and me," the yokai stated. His eyes narrowed towards the seemingly full-blooded Akane, an expression of annoyance was all she could detect. His comment sent a fast rush of anger through her body. She wasn't one to take such insults lightly.

"You know very well that I was here first. So take your crappy attitude somewhere else and leave me be to destroy this weak demon," she retorted. She still held Ryu-tsume in her hand with a tightened grip to show that she wasn't backing down. The yokai did not seem to care whether she wanted his presence or not, because he quickly left from his spot in the clearing and raced towards Shinkuoni, ready to deal the final blow. He did not realize that Akane wasn't going to just simply walk away from the situation and let him have his way, and she was certainly not one to be pushed or ordered around.

The silver-haired yokai wasn't going to stop just for her, and he especially wasn't going to spare the troll's life. Akane's only option was to stop the yokai from killing the troll. She still wanted answers, but she was afraid that the yokai would finish him off before she had that chance.

Without hesitating, she followed suit and darted towards the yokai, trying to block his way before he could attack. She kept her eyes focused on the yokai's form, racing to the troll that looked at him stupidly with his severed arm. Both the Akane and the yokai ran at amazing speed, but she feared that his speed would outmatch hers. There was no doubt that the yokai was strong and agile, she had to admit that to herself. However, there was no way that she would allow him to get his way and leave her looking foolish right in front of someone with such immense power.

Just when the yokai was going to send a blast from his sword towards Shinkuoni, Akane reached the running man and violently shoved him aside by knocking into his shoulder making him halt. They had both been running so quickly that when she tried to push him out of the way, both of their forces didn't make the other budge. At that moment, their blades clashed.

"How foolish. Two yokai fighting over who is to challenge me in the end. You are simply eliminating another nuisance that I can now avoid," the troll said deafeningly, deep laughter emanating from his unpleasant mouth. Unfortunately, he was right. If Akane and the yokai did finish each other off, then that would leave Shinkuoni safe from battle and able to escape with his life, except for his severed limb. Akane was aware of this, and would not allow for this to happen. She figured that the yokai in front of her probably felt the same way.

"I told you once before. Do not get in my way any further, or I will kill you as well," the silver-haired yokai beckoned. He was still aggressively trying to force her out of the way with his blade. Both of their swords were touching, both clashing in front of each other's faces. The two of them tried their hardest to push the other to the ground, but to no avail.

They looked into each other's eyes; full of anger, but the yokai's golden eyes did not show anything other than that. Akane could tell that he was frustrated, but dared not show it, but instead kept an unfazed expression. Their blades were still collided, creating tiny sparks and surges of power emanating from both blades' power.

"My blade is forged from a dragon claw. Nice, isn't it? Good luck trying to get passed me," she said teasingly. This comment made the yokai's eyebrows furrow in disgust, irritated that she wasn't defeated yet.

All the while, Shinkuoni continued to look on as the two yokai fought over who would kill him. He saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and kill one, or both, of them off. Since the yokai with gold eyes had severed his arm, Shinkuoni figured that the rest of his strength would be best suited to destroying him first. He decided that he would deal with the girl afterwards.

As Akane and the yokai continued to clash, Shinkuoni rushed towards them, aimed mostly at the male with silver hair. With his good arm, he raised it into the air and began to produce a large cluster of demonic energy, growling with power the entire time. The male yokai noticed the troll's creation of power, but did not act as swiftly as Akane did.

She had noticed the troll long before the yokai did, and knew that Shinkuoni was preparing for an attack. Her senses were right. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the troll's menacing form coming closer to hers. She ducked under her blade to avoid being knocked over by the yokai's clashing blade and turned quickly towards the troll. With a swift slash of her sword, a tiny transparent dragon swirled around her blade. A surge of power followed behind it.

"Ryu-tsume," Akane shouted, calling upon the power of her mother's blade.

In almost a blink of an eye, the tiny ghost dragon grew to a much larger size and flew directly towards Shinkuoni. It sent a streak of power formed from its fanged mouth, and hit the troll almost instantly, causing Shinkuoni to let out a horrid petrified scream. A pale green light engulfed the troll and sent his body parts askew. She had killed it.

A few seconds after Akane unleashed Ryu-tsume's power, she slid the blade back into its sheathe. She stood their slightly tired, but not exhausted. The yokai's back was turned towards Akane now; his eyes were narrowed even more than before, analyzing Ryu-tsume's great power. However, he did not wish to stay around much longer, and neither did Akane for that matter.

"You killing the demon has done nothing. Now all that remains is a wasted opportunity to find Naraku," he said annoyingly. Akane noticed how agitated his voice sounded, but it was of no importance to her.

"I don't expect you to be grateful, but if I hadn't attacked, he would have killed us both," she replied.

"Your explanation is wasted. I do not care what your reasoning is. If we happen to cross paths again, I will not hesitate to kill you," he said sternly.

His back was still facing her, but his head was turned to the side so that he could see her over his shoulder. The yokai slid his blade into the sash around his waist and began walking away towards the edge of the large clearing, his silver hair blowing slightly from the wind. Akane did not go after him. Instead, when the yokai had finally left the area, she focused her attention towards a shining object on the ground.

(Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! Reviews are greatly appreciated and really encouraging, so don't be afraid to leave a comment. Thanks, bye for now! :3)