A/N: My apologies for the delay!! Funny story, actually - my laptop had no internet connection for a couple of days and I couldn't figure out for the life of me why! Then, I realized the wireless locator wasn't turned on. . . Ha! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and my posts may be a few days apart now, as life is getting more and more hectic, I'm finding less time to write and that's no good at all! As always, offer me a delightful review to keep my spirits up!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Inuyasha. I only own MY Ai.


Battle!

The purple eyed man has found us.

A chill runs down my spine as Entei lets out one of his trademark screams. A-unn answers his scream with one of his own, muffled from the muzzles but equally terrifying. He bristles with rage. Hakudoshi taps his heels to Entei's side and the horse drops a few feet, venturing as close as he dares take him.

"Sesshomaru!" Hakudoshi roars in fury. He twirls his staff over his head, a look of pure hate and loathing dominating his sharp features. Lord Sesshomaru's eyes narrow.

"Jaken. Take Ai down to the ground and make sure she is safe. Remove A-unn's muzzles and return to me. Do not tie him up this time, Jaken. Know the punishment that awaits you should you fail." Jaken gulps and shivers noticeably, snapping A-unn's reins against his neck and urging the dragon to the ground. The little toad youkai hurries to remove A-unn's muzzles and takes off his saddle after I slide down for good measure, probably ensuring A-unn has maximum movement of all his formidable limbs. Master Jaken holds his two-headed staff forward and hurries through the trees in Lord Sesshomaru's direction.

A-unn does not follow; he knows it's his job to keep me safe. Lord Sesshomaru's golden eyes seem to glow. I am too far away to hear what is being said between them, but the instant Hakudoshi flips off Entei, spear brandished, I know the battle has begun. Lord Sesshomaru seems as at ease in the air as he is on the ground. Despite the lack of solidity beneath his feet, he leaps forward and slashes at the air above Hakudoshi's ear with glowing green claws, a wicked silent snarl on his face. Hakudoshi barely has enough time to leap nimbly out of the way before Lord Sesshomaru is after him again, jabbing and twisting his body in an attempt to hit home.

As Lord Sesshomaru battles with Hakudoshi, Entei turns his attention to A-unn and I. The two-headed dragon takes the defensive, standing protectively in front of me, bristling with anger. Entei lowers himself to the ground slowly, fixing his terrifying luminous red eyes on the dragon and opening his mouth wide. I see a familiar ball of energy growing in the back of his throat.

Before he can attack, A-unn leaps forward, lashing his tail about and fires twin balls of blue energy from his mouths. To my astonishment, the horse dodges both attacks and sends his my way. A-unn jumps in front of his attack and bends his body, absorbing the energy ball on his back and returns it to him with furious vigor. His two heads fire intermittently, yet Entei evades almost every attack. He is simply too fast.

I am frozen in awe-inspired fear until I hear Master Jaken cry out in pain. Lord Sesshomaru's battle has fallen to the ground a short distance away, the sound of it nearly overshadowing our own. Hakudoshi has speared Jaken in the leg with his spear, grinning with menace and bloody triumph.

Fury suddenly takes over me and I snatch up my bow and quiver, strapping it to my back and docking an arrow. I take aim and fire without a second thought, and the arrow pierces him through the shoulder with a satisfying squelch. It is as if time stops. Hakudoshi looks to his right and stares at the swan feathers protruding from his shoulder, and finally fixing me with a sinister look and screams in rage. The instant he does, Lord Sesshomaru withdraws Tokijin and lunges.

Then the unthinkable happens. Hakudoshi vanishes from sight and Lord Sesshomaru roars in fury. Entei leaps into the air and Hakudoshi appears on his back, looking more and more furious with each second that passes.

"That was a big mistake, girl," Hakudoshi snarls. He kicks his heels to Entei's sides and the horse leaps forward, barreling towards me with unholy speed. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, A-unn's tail slams into my side, knocking me down to the ground and out of the way. His mouths open and an earth-shattering roar erupts from deep inside his chest, knocking Entei off course. The blast is so large, it is visible, flattening the trees and shaking the ground I've fallen on. Entei comes to a complete stop midair, shaking his head in confusion and lifting his hooves each in turn.

I take that sudden lapse of attention on Hakudoshi's part and dock another arrow, firing it this time at Entei. The arrow strikes the demon horse square in the chest. Entei screams in pain and fury, shaking off the rest of his confusion and rearing, kicking his flaming forelegs in a challenge. Lord Sesshomaru reaches my side in an instant.

"Ai, stay behind me," he orders. I immediately comply, retreating behind the daiyoukai's imposing figure. He has drawn Tokijin from its sheath and stands in a formidable crouch, fixing his eyes on Hakudoshi. From a distance I see Master Jaken stumble almost drunkenly to his feet, pitching forward and back, his eyes wide and skin pale. I know that without any sort of attention to his wounds, Jaken will die.

"Master Jaken!" I cry aloud, bursting from behind Lord Sesshomaru and to his side. I fall to my knees and pull Jaken onto my lap, holding him close to my body. "Oh, Master Jaken," I sob, bending over to shield his body with mine. Close up, I see Master Jaken had obtained more wounds than just his leg. A wide gash covers his forehead, blood dripping into his eyes. Seemingly minor cuts adorn his legs and arms and his hakama is torn and bloodied. A sudden laugh has me tensing.

"How precious! You are an easier target than expected!" Hakudoshi crows with success, spurring Entei forward. I know that Entei's speed will be too much for Lord Sesshomaru. I will not be saved in time. I squeeze my eyes closed.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" I scream, covering my head with my arms.

Lord Sesshomaru rockets from the bushes, a feral snarl ripping from his chest and slashing out at Hakudoshi with his poison claws.

"You will not touch her, you pitiful bastard," Lord Sesshomaru snarls; his voice low with the sheer weight of his threat. Hakudoshi simply laughs. I open my eyes, slowly, and see Lord Sesshomaru has assumed a protective stance in front of me, mouth curled in a wicked grimace. In the distance I see A-unn rising slowly into the air, his mouths open. Two twin orbs form leisurely between his jaws, currents of electricity rippling across the surfaces.

"You stupid fool! I see what has happened here!" Hakudoshi exclaims. "You've a soft spot for this mortal girl! Just like your Rin, who, I may add, is very happy with Kohaku, you've let your guard down around this one!" Pain flickers across Lord Sesshomaru's face at the mention of the first name, to be quickly replaced with anger. Familiarity chimes inside me.

"Never mention that name again, incarnate," he hisses in fury.

"You're going to end up just like your father, aren't you? Consorting with a human, of all things." Hakudoshi spits the word with disgust. "You are weak." That is too much for Lord Sesshomaru. With a snarl of rage, he leaps at Hakudoshi, Tokijin drawn. At that same instant A-unn releases the orbs inside his mouth, launching them at Hakudoshi's unprotected back.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" I cry in warning. At the last second, Lord Sesshomaru leaps out of danger and back to me, scooping Jaken and me into his arms and out of the blast zone. I suppose Hakudoshi hears the arriving attack for just as the blast reaches him, him and Entei both vanish from sight.

A-unn's attack is wasted. Silence roars over the battlefield. A-unn settles on the ground gently, his luminous eyes worried and shifty. I can sense the danger is gone as Lord Sesshomaru sets me on the grass and takes a few hard steps away from me, facing out over the destruction his dragon has caused. I know he is not worried over the flattened forest and the scorched land – he is waging an internal battle.

I set Jaken to the ground as carefully as I can and approach Lord Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama? Are you injured?" I reach out and brush my fingertips against his shoulder piece briefly. He pulls just out of my reach and does not look at me.

"Tend to Jaken. I will be back by nightfall." His orders are absolute. Lord Sesshomaru's mokomoko swells underneath his feet and carries him into the sky and off into the distance. Disappointed, I return to the shallowly breathing Jaken and lift him into my arms.

"Come on, A-unn; let's get to a safer place." I adjust the toad youkai gently and walk into the forest, heading towards where A-unn's gear was dropped. The sound of solid, muffled footsteps behind let me know he's following as we make our way back to his saddle and muzzles.

But I am too late. Master Jaken's injuries are too great, and I find he has taken his last breath in my arms. With tears in my eyes I lower him to the ground, slowly and gently, and rest him against the trunk of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. A-unn lowers his heads and touches each of his noses to Jaken's stomach, blowing blue tinged smoke over his pitiful body.

To my astonishment, Jaken's wounds begin to close. The blood dries on his body and the tears in his hakama vanish, as well as in his haori. A-unn's pink tongue darts out and touches Jaken's forehead, and the little toad opens his eyes. He coughs and sputters, his body jerking violently and twitching as new life flows through him.

I gather him in my arms with relief.