A full moon out. Our little friend Myoga was in the middle of a conversation with a very important new character riding on a three-eyed demon bull.

"Myoga my friend, you better not be deceiving me." Said the old man "Has this Inu-something or other truly mastered the Tessaiga?"

"His name is Inuyasha." Myoga stated firmly

The old man's eyes widened in realization "Oh, right. The youngest son of the great dog demon who gave me his fang so that I could forge a sword from it."

Myoga nodded "He's the younger brother, and learn some respect. I've seen him kill 100 demons with one stroke. Although he's only done it once and hasn't been able to do it since."

"Perhaps it's because he's not worthy to wield the Tessaiga that I forged. Perhaps I will have to test his worth."

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Jaken and Sesshomaru were searching for a swordsmith by the name of Totosai, who had been ordered to forge a sword for Sesshomaru that would rival the Tessaiga.

Unfortunately, when they arrived, they found a sign that said that he had moved.

Needless to say, Jaken was going to be in for a world of hurt later.

Another day in the life of Jaken.

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Kagome was upset that her jewel shards had been stolen by Kikyo.

"Stop worrying about it already, Kagome!" Inuyasha barked "It's not like she stole all the pieces or anything. We'll just have to go find some more. No big deal."

Gohan nodded suspiciously.

"Why is Inuyasha being so understanding?" Sango whispered "It's so unlike him."

"Probably because Kikyo is the one who stole them."

Inuyasha heard this, and was set off like a firecracker.

Just then, a mooing sound was heard.

Gohan looked up "Found it."

They leapt out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed an old man sitting on a three-eyed cow.

"Who the heck are you?" asked Inuyasha

"My name is Totosai." said the old man "Draw your sword, Inuyasha."

He then charged at Inuyasha, swinging his large mallet. Inuyasha drew the Tessaiga just in time to block it, but the blade was vibrating from the impact.

Totosai then took out a piece of leather, stopping the Tessaiga in its tracks "You've been too rough with her! This blade is all nicked up! Have you been cutting down trees?"

"What do you know about? Who are you?" Inuyasha barked

"I think that's enough Totosai." Myoga hopped onto Inuyasha's shoulder.

After a brief discussion…

"So you're the swordsmith who forged Tessaiga?" asked Inuyasha

Totosai nodded "Precisely. From a fang your father gave me. Only certain circles of the finest blade-swinging demons are acquainted with my work."

Inuyasha was pretty much lost.

Gohan and Kagome just shared a glance as he said this "That's just saying he's not famous."

"I don't give a rat's ass if you're famous or not old man!" Inuyasha barked

Totosai continued "Well now that I've seen Tessaiga in action, I have to say the sword is being badly misused and abused. It sings a sad song indeed, to see my work like this. It just breaks my heart."

Inuyasha wasn't getting the memo "If you've come to pick a fight with me, just say so."

Totosai merely sighed "There's no use stalling. I'll have to take back the Tessaiga and break it in half."

This ended with the sword begin pointed at him by Inuyasha "I don't care who made the sword. Try to break it, and I'll run you through with it!"

"I don't have to break it! It was only a thought!" Totosai got out quickly. The sword was put away."

"I probably should've warned you about his temper." Said Myoga

"Don't worry." Totosai whispered "I'll sneak it away when he's not looking and turn it into cutlery." Sword in the face "I'm only joking!"

"Master Inuyasha," Myoga began "you haven't been able to unravel the mystery of the Tessaiga on your own. You've tried, but you've been unable to tap into the power that killed the 100 demons. But Totosai knows the secret. I think that if you both took the time to get to know each other and cooperate, you could awaken and harness Tessaiga's full power."

Inuyasha snorted arrogantly "There's no mystery. I'll get the hang of it. I just need some practice."

This was when Totosai decided to input his opinion "I understand you've been collecting the sacred jewel shards for some time now. Who knows how many demons have multiple pieces of the jewel. You know how difficult it's been to battle demons with more than one shard. If it wasn't for Gohan and the Ryuuga, you most likely wouldn't have been able to defeat them. Don't you want to know how to awaken the Tessaiga's full potential in order to destroy demons with that enhanced strength?"

"He does have a point, Inuyasha." Gohan pointed out "At the very least, hear him out."

Inuyasha let out a frustrated sigh as he sheathed the Tessaiga "I guess it can't hurt. So what do I have to do?"

"First, I must tell you that someone seeks my life." Totosai began, much to everyone's surprise "A fool barged into my home and ordered me to forge a sword that would rival the power of Tessaiga. He told me that he'd kill me if I refused. I want you and Gohan to protect me from him."

"You never told me about this." Myoga cut in "What did he look like?"

"My guess is tall with white hair, white clothing and armor, and a crescent moon shaped birthmark on his forehead?" Gohan asked

Totosai nodded "Yes. How did you know?"

Gohan smirked "I can sense him heading this way."

Sure enough, at that moment, Sesshomaru and Jaken arrived, riding a two-headed dragon demon.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha snarled

"Who is that?" asked Sango

"Inuyasha's older brother." replied Gohan "He can't stand Inuyasha. Not that I blame him. But he and I get along pretty well."

"Hey!" Inuyasha barked "If you didn't have the Ryuuga, he wouldn't give two ****s about you!"

Gohan then won the argument "Sit."

CRASH!

Totosai then hid behind Gohan, who bowed slightly to Sesshomaru "It's been a long time, Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru nodded in response "I sense that you've awakened 5 of the 7 elements already, Son Gohan. Tell me, why do you conspire with Totosai to plot against me?"

"Because you are evil incarnate!" Totosai shouted from behind Gohan, then quickly hid again.

Gohan pinched the bridge of his nose and pushed up his glasses "I didn't exactly have a choice. It's the only way for Inuyasha to awaken the full power of the Tessaiga, and more importantly, to make him shut up!"

Sesshomaru nodded and turned to the old man hiding behind him "So, Totosai. Sounds like you're looking for an early retirement, into your grave."

Terrified, Totosai his behind Gohan "I never said I was talking about you Sesshomaru! Why don't we discuss your sword after you battle it out with Gohan and Inuyasha!"

Gohan whacked him over the head "Nice try, you old coward. I'm staying out of this." he leapt over to where Kagome and the others were.

Kagome was beginning to get very annoyed by Totosai's cowardly attitude.

Sesshomaru merely smirked "Totosai, your word is as good as a blood vow to me." he leapt to the ground "Did you hear that, Inuyasha? He will forge my new sword after I kill you."

Then the battle began.

"You can tell by their tempers they're related." Totosai muttered

"You're the one who started this whole thing!" Kagome snapped

Totosai stared at her "Did I really?"

Needless to say, Kagome was peeved by this 'No wonder he's pals with Myoga! They're both pros with the whole innocent bystander act!' her eyes widened "Where is Myoga?"

"Kagome! He's on Miroku's shoulder! It's dangerous over there!" Shippo cried

Kagome attempted to make her way over to the others, but Totosai pulled her back and ran first, much to her fury.

Inuyasha continued his battle with Sesshomaru. His poison claw clashed with the Tessaiga, causing Inuyasha to back away. Sesshomaru then took the opportunity to land a poison-enhanced punch to the face, sending Inuyasha crashing to the ground.

"Inuyasha's so slow, he's pathetic!" Totosai muttered "Myoga, why did you lie to me about his ability to use Tessaiga's full power?"

"He used it once. I promise!" Myoga insisted

Sesshomaru then turned to the old man "Well Totosai, don't you feel sorry for Tessaiga? The sword is no better than a wooden club, the way Inuyasha wields it."

Gohan shrugged "He's not wrong."

Totosai nodded "A wise observation, I agree."

"Whose side are you on?!" Kagome shouted

Slowly, Inuyasha rose "Don't give me that old man, or you'll end up on the wrong end of my sword. I'm just warming up. Don't be too shocked when you see what kind of power I've really got!" he charged at Sesshomaru, who dodged his blows with ease.

"Oh great." Myoga muttered "The blood rushed to his head. That's always bad news."

Sesshomaru caught Inuyasha by the wrist, and dug into his arm using his poisonous nails "Well Totosai, tell me. Do you still refuse to make me a sword?"

Totosai hesitated before shaking his head "No way!" And he breathed out a blast of fire.

Sesshomaru leapt out of the way, but Inuyasha was caught in it. Thanks to the robe of the Fire Rat, he wasn't hurt, just angrier than usual.

Sesshomaru touched the ground on the other side of the flames "So, you absolutely refuse?"

Now Totosai was getting angry "Be quiet you ungrateful mongrel! You know as well as I do that I have already forged you an excellent sword! The famous sword that you now wear. The Tenseiga, also forged from a fang given to me by your father. He clearly instructed that the eldest brother be left the Tenseiga, and the youngest brother would have the Tessaiga. That was your father's last wish. It is a great sword of swords, no better and no worse than Tessaiga."

"So he also made Sesshomaru's sword?" asked Kagome

"Come to think of it, I've never Sesshomaru use his sword any of the times we've encountered him before." replied Miroku

Gohan looked at Jaken questionably, but Jaken merely shrugged.

Sesshomaru glared at Totosai "Are you implying that this useless sword is worthy of me?" he then unleashed a large amount of KI.

Totosai was noticeably frightened at this "Oh, I've made you mad, have I? Time to take our leave!" he smashed his hammer into the ground, causing a pool of lava to emerge around Sesshomaru, allowing them to escape.

As they rode their flying creatures, Totosai merely sighed "Sesshomaru called his great sword useless, and Inuyasha is useless with his great sword. How I've overestimate both of them."

Inuyasha was not pleased by this.

"Hey Totosai, why does Sesshomaru call his sword useless?" asked Gohan.

"Well…."

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"It's a blade that doesn't cut?" asked Inuyasha "So how are you supposed to fight with it?"

Totosai shook his head as he watched over the roasting pig "The Tenseiga is not meant for fighting. It is a sword of healing. The Tessaiga is a sword meant to defeat the powerful, while the Tenseiga has the ability to save the lives of the weak. If the user truly has kindness of heart towards humans, then the Tenseiga has the ability to save 100 lives in one swing of the blade."

"So that was their father's game." said Gohan "He gave Inuyasha, the weaker brother, the sword meant for defeating enemies, and gave Sesshomaru the Tenseiga, meant to save lives. That way, they couldn't end up killing each other."

"I get it now." Inuyasha mused "No wonder Sesshomaru wants a new sword. He can't use the Tenseiga. He's incapable of feeling kindness for people, let alone saving lives."

Totosai merely sighed at this "Too bad. This was your father's last wish after all." he then proceeded to devour the roasted pig whole, much to everyone's fury.

Things got worse when he started acting like he forgot where he was and who they were, forcing Gohan to hold Kagome back.

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Sesshomaru was busy acquiring a tool that would enable him to take the Tessaiga.

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Next morning, Totosai hopped on his bull and prepared to head out "Farewell."

Gohan raised an eyebrow at this "You're heading out on your own?"

Totosai shrugged "Well, Inuyasha's not much protection for me." He then left on his bull after one last attempt to take Tessaiga, which earned him a large bruise on his head from Inuyasha 'That poor runt is gonna get himself killed. He hasn't even able to see the Wind Scar that awakens the Tessaiga's full power.'

A little while later, they were on their way when they noticed Totosai on his bull racing towards them, before a white light crashes behind him, sending him and his bull crashing to the ground.

The white light turned out to be Sesshomaru, now wielding a dragon's claw in place of his left arm. He glared at Totosai "Stay where you are, or I'll tear you both to shreds.

Totosai then proceeded to hide behind Inuyasha.

Then Inuyasha drew the Tessaiga "Alright, I've had it up to here with all of this crap about Tessaiga! So let's finish this, once and for all!"

In response, Sesshomaru charged, his dragon's claw clashing with the Tessaiga "Have no fear. It will all end today. You will never have the power to defeat me. Not without the Wind Scar."

He then used his free hand to slash at Inuyasha's face, sending him reeling, but not without his attitude "I see you've found another ugly arm for me to chop off, Sesshomaru."

"Go ahead and try it." Sesshomaru replied evenly "This replacement arm will act as a barrier against the Tessaiga."

Inuyasha scoffed "So what. I doubt it will do any better than the last arm. I've already taken a good chunk out of it with my sword."

Sesshomaru gave a tiny smirk "The Tessaiga is amazing. Despite not being wielded by its true owner, it's power is still formidable. However, it refuses to reveal the Wind Scar to the one it has received as its master. Tessaiga, cut through the emptiness, and reveal your power."

Totosai's eyes widened at this "Sesshomaru must be able to see the Wind Scar!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow at this "What's a Wind Scar?"

Totosai turned to him "In a nutshell, the Wind Scar is the secret to unlocking the full power of the Tessaiga. Slaying 100 demons in one sweep would be virtually impossible unless one can see the Wind Scar. Sesshomaru must be able to see it."

"Can't you just teach Inuyasha to see the Wind Scar?" asked Kagome

"It is impossible to teach. Inuyasha must discover it within himself. And if he doesn't discover it in time, he will surely die."

Sesshomaru's dragon claw continue attacking the Tessaiga, continuously pushing Inuyasha back. Sesshomaru then brought the claw down on Inuyasha's face, sending him crashing to the ground.

Sango attempted to intervene, but Gohan stopped her "Don't. This is his fight. He has to do this on his own."

Miroku nodded "We must remember that Inuyasha has tapped into the Tessaiga's full power once before. It may have been only once, but that shows that he's capable of doing it again. Sesshomaru then attempted to attack the sword once again, but Inuyasha blocked the punch. Sesshomaru then released poison from his claws, blinding Inuyasha.

Inuyasha senses Sesshomaru leap at him to attack again, but this time, he saw a vortex appear around him 'I can sense it! The vortex of his power! I can smell the wind scraping! It's against the fissure where the power flows through! I can slice through the fissure and release the power! There it is!' he slashed through the fissure, unleashing the full power of the Wind Scar. The blast hit Sesshomaru dead on, before he was surrounded by a black light emitting from Tenseiga.

When it was over, there were multiple huge scars on the ground, and Sesshomaru was nowhere in sight.

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The group was resting by a river, while Inuyasha was cleaning out his eyes "So that was the Wind Scar?"

Gohan smirked "Not bad. You've finally discovered the full power of the Tessaiga."

"So is Sesshomaru dead?" asked Shippo

"Most likely." replied Miroku "I don't know how he could've survived. He received a direct blow from the Wind Scar."

Gohan raised an eyebrow at this "What direct blow? The guy was just swinging his sword around because he was blinded by poison."

Totosai nodded in agreement "He's right. Listen Inuyasha, you've discovered the Wind Scar, I'll give you that. But all it means is that you now know what your brother knows. You're still not his equal, and now he's even more dangerous than before."

Gohan looked at him "So I was right. He is still alive."

Totosai nodded "Even though Sesshomaru despised the Tenseiga, it was what save his life. Inuyasha, tell me. When you used the Wind Scar on Sesshomaru, you didn't feel it strike him, did you?"

Inuyasha nodded "Hard to say. I was blinded, and it felt like his body disintegrated in the blast form the Tessaiga. He just sort of… disappeared. Evaporated."

Totosai nodded "Tenseiga protected Sesshomaru from the Wind Scar. It acted on its own accord."

Gohan smirked at this "So, the sword has a will of its own. And here he called the sword useless."

After repairing the Tessaiga, Totosai departed. Inuyasha then decided to train himself to master the Wind Scar.

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A few days later, the group was traveling, when Kagome suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong Kagome?" asked Gohan

"It's faint, but I sense a jewel shard nearby." replied Kagome

They arrived at where the jewel shard was located, and found a horrible sight.

An entire village, slaughtered by wolves.

The wolves then descended on them, preparing to feed.

But with guys like Gohan, Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango, most of them were beaten rather easily.

But then the survivors started howling loudly.

"They're calling for their comrades." Miroku observed

Gohan's eyes narrowed "I sense a demonic aura heading this way. And fast."

At that moment, their adversary arrived. Koga, the leader of the wolf demon tribe, appeared in a whirlwind, moving at incredible speeds.

Koga jumped out of the whirlwind and looked around. "How dare you. Why did you slaughter my pack of wolves?"

Kagome's eyes widened as she looked at him '3 shards! He has one on his right arm and one on each leg!'

"So you're the one controlling this bloodthirsty pack!" Inuyasha snarled "How many innocent people have you and your wolves killed already?!"

"They needed to eat." Koga replied coolly "Got a problem with that, mutt-face?"

"Did you just call me a mutt?!"

"No you're right. That would be an insult to canines. You smell much worse!"

"Don't like my smell? Then how about I solve your problem by slicing off your nose and stabbing some air into your belly!"

"Hold it Inuyasha!" Gohan stepped forward "I can sense it. This guy's tough. He lacks raw power, but he has the advantage of speed. Leave him to me."

Koga smirked when he saw Gohan unstrap the Ryuuga sword from his waist and hand it over to Kagome "Well, looks like we've got a brave one. Alright, fresh meat. I'll kill you and feed you to my wolves."

Gohan returned the smirk "Just come and try it." he blitzed forward and slammed his fist into the ground.

Koga leapt upwards, dodging the attack, and launched a fist towards the ground.

Gohan dodged it and the back kick following it and landed a fist to Koga's face at the same time as he received a kick to his jaw, sending both stumbling back.

Gohan wiped the blood from his mouth "You're good."

Koga did the same "You're not too bad yourself, for fresh meat that is."

"Gohan, be careful!" Kagome shouted "He has jewel shards in his legs and right arm!"

Koga's eyes widened and he looked in Kagome's direction 'She can sense them?'

From where he was, Inuyasha smirked "Why didn't you say so earlier? I thought he was acting tough, but it's only because you've got jewel shards. You've got no power on your own, do you?"

"You've got to know how to use the power, mutt!" Koga retorted

"If only you could fight as fast as you could talk. Then we'd get somewhere."

"Shut up albino runt!"

"You oughta be put down for rabies!"

"They're well matched in their tempers." Miroku noted

"He's a wolf demon." Sango pointed out

"I am Koga, the new leader of the wolf demon tribe, and your destroyer!" Koga roared as he charged at Gohan once again.

"I've heard of them from other demon slayers." explained Sango "They're demons who control wolves. Although they appear human, they're no different from the wolves they command."

Koga aimed a fist with his arm with the jewel shard.

Gohan dodged and leapt upwards.

Koga leapt up and attempted to kick him to the ground.

Gohan fell to the ground and rolled out of the way.

Koga's wolves advanced on them, but Kilala drove them back, sending them running.

Inuyasha watched the fight between Gohan and Koga 'This would be the perfect time to test my Tessaiga. I'll blast it on this mangy wolf.' he began to prepare the Wind Scar.

Koga sensed this and stopped his charge "Something's wrong." He then quickly called out to his wolves "Let's retreat! This is too dangerous!" And he and the wolves quickly fled.

After a few minutes…

"He ran away? HE ****ING RAN AWAY?!" Inuyasha screamed in a rage

"Inuyasha, were you about to use the Wind Scar on Koga?" asked Miroku

"Yeah. Why?"

"If Miroku's thinking what I'm thinking," Gohan cut in "then that means that Koga sensed the danger Tessaiga poses, and decided to flee. If that's the case, were not just dealing with brute strength here."

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After Inuyasha calmed down, they began burying the people of the village.

"Man, all we seem to be doing lately is burying people." Inuyasha muttered

"It seems like every time Kagome senses a jewel shard, we find another village that's been completely annihilated." Miroku mused

"And?"

"And, while I believe it's a worthwhile cause, I can't approve of you using the jewel to become a full-fledged demon."

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Not everyone shared Inuyasha's opinion of Koga.

Gohan was thinking about him "Too bad he's not on our side. Both him and Sesshomaru would make great allies against Naraku."

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Nightfall came.

Inuyasha was thinking about his conversation with Miroku from earlier while sparring with Gohan "Are you sure this will work?"

Gohan nodded "Positive. If you practice enough, your Wind Scar might become more powerful than my Dragon Cyclone. Now let's head back. I smell dinner." So they headed back to the village, unaware that they were being watched.

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Morning came.

In the mountains, Koga's wolves reported to him what they had seen from watching Gohan and Inuyasha.

"I knew it." Koga mused "Those swords use some kind of weird magic. Damn. My fur is still standing on end thinking about it. But at least I know what to do next. That girl has the power to see the sacred jewel shards. I could put her skills to very good use."

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Near the bottom of the mountains, Gohan, Inuyasha and the rest of the others were attempting to track down Koga and the wolf demons.

Inuyasha sniffed the ground "Alright. I've picked up the scent of the wolves. That'll lead us right to them, no problem." He thought about how Koga insulted him earlier "That cocky bastard. I can't believe he called me a mutt!" He continued sniffing the ground.

Further back, Shippo and Kagome were watching "I don't blame him for getting upset over being called a mongrel, but when he's sniffing the ground, he sure looks like one."

"I heard that Shippo! Come over here and say that to my face!" Inuyasha snarled back.

Frightened, Shippo hid behind Kagome "He can hear me from that distance? What a bloodhound! Talk about canine power!"

"Canines are carnivorous! Remember that you little runt!"

Shippo subtly hid further behind Kagome.

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Miroku and Sango were patrolling the skies on Kilala, when they felt another evil presence. There, they saw something unsettling before they landed near the others.

"Inuyasha, can you smell or hear anything unusual about this area?" asked Miroku

He was about to make a snarky comeback, when suddenly, dozens of wolves started charging down the cliff towards them, and immediately charged at Gohan and Inuyasha, sending both of them over the edge, down towards the river below.

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As Gohan and Inuyasha fell down the cliff, Koga ran up the cliff, a victorious smirk on his face "See you later mutt-face, fresh meat!" he quickly made his way to the top of the cliff, quickly grabbed Kagome and Shippo, and took off.

Miroku and Sango were too preoccupied with the other wolves to go after him.

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Koga, with Kagome slung over his shoulder, made his way across the river and to the top of the cliff on the other side, thanks to the power of the sacred jewel shards in his legs.

Gohan and Inuyasha finally shook the wolves before crash landing in the river. They then noticed the wolves suddenly retreating.

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After running a great distance, Koga stopped, looked back, and smirked "They can't keep up with me. No one can run as fast as me."

"Of course not." Kagome snorted "You've got jewel shards jammed in your legs. You don't get points for cheating."

Koga was about to retort, when several large shadows loomed overhead.

That was when several large bird demons appeared.

All Koga could say was "Oh ****." then he looked at Kagome "Hey, you can sense jewel shards, right? Do any of them have any with them?"

Kagome shook her head "No, at least not that I can sense."

"Then I've got no use for them." Koga muttered, and he took off.

Ginta and Hakkaku, two of Koga's fellow wolf demons, were guarding their territory when Koga returned with Kagome.

Much to Kagome's horror, she realized that she was in the den of the wolf demon tribe.

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Miroku and Sango were fishing Gohan and Inuyasha out of the river.

"It seems that Koga's plan was to kidnap Kagome all along." Miroku muttered out loud.

Gohan's eyes widened in anger at this "He took her?"

"That's why the wolves retreated." Inuyasha mused "Their master got what they wanted, so there was no reason to stay."

Sango and Kilala then returned after scouting around the mountain through the skies.

"Anything Sango?" asked Gohan frantically

Sango shook her head "I almost caught up with them, but I ran into some heavy interference."

She pointed to one of the bird demons Kagome and Koga had seen earlier.

"What're these?" asked Inuyasha

"Birds?" Miroku guessed

Sango shook her head "I don't know, but there weren't just 10 or 20 of them. They covered the entire sky!"

"So that explains that bad feeling from earlier." Gohan mused, then spotted a small mushroom sprouting out of the ground, with several more following in a certain direction "Those are Shippo's warning signs. I noticed the kid was missing. Koga must've taken him too." with no time to waste, they followed the mushrooms and headed towards the mountains.

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In the den of the Wolf demon tribe, Kagome was being led by Koga to the back of the cave 'This place is full of man-eating wolves and skeletons!'

Koga threw Kagome onto a pile of hay in the back of the cave, as the other wolf demons surrounded it, hoping to eat her, much to her horror. But his response surprised her, somewhat.

"This woman is off limits." Koga warned venomously "I'll kill anyone who tries to take a bite."

The others backed away fearfully at this, but Kagome understood 'Right. He needs me because I can see the sacred jewel shards. At least that means I'm safe for now.'

Koga noticed some of the wolves sniffing him and he remembered something "Oh yeah, him." he lifted up his tail to reveal a dazed Shippo "I forgot he grabbed onto my tail when I captured the girl. I assumed he fell off. Guess not. Here. Have an appetizer." he threw Shippo over to some of the wolves, much to the horror of the little kitsune.

Kagome angrily stormed up to Koga "Hey! Do you want my help with the jewel shards or not? If anyone lays a hand on Shippo, I refuse to help! I don't care what you do to me!"

Koga smirked at her bravery "Well, you've got more guts than I thought." he picked Shippo and threw him over to Kagome.

Like one would think, Kagome was surprised by his actions 'I can't believe he just saved Shippo. Don't tell me he's got a nice side.'

"Move! Move out of the way! We've got injured!" Hakkaku and Ginta brought in two severely injured wolf demons.

Koga's eyes widened as he saw one of them holding several large feathers "Was it them?"

Ginta nodded "They attacked hard during the midday changing of the watch. Only these two managed to escape. Others fell of the cliff to their deaths, or got carried away."`

"What happened to them?" asked Kagome

"You saw them earlier." explained Koga "They call themselves the Bird of Paradise, but they're our arch enemies and this is definitely their doing. They're brutal demons, and we've lost many to them. Without warning, they swoop down silently and capture our comrades with their sharp, powerful claws."

"Then what do they do?"

"They eat them. We've come across their nest before, and found them littered with hundreds of wolf bones."

"And even you're not match for them?" Kagome questioned

"That's just it. One of the Birds of Paradise possesses a sacred jewel shard, and now he's even faster than we are. A few weeks ago, he killed 50 of our wolves in one fell swoop. It's got to be the power of the Sacred Jewel. At this rate, I'm afraid our packs will be wiped out completely. So we need to restore the balance of power somehow."

"So your pack is in danger, and that's why you need me to find which Bird of Paradise has the shard."

"We need you to scout out the bird with the shard. Then we'll attack its nest and steal it from him. Otherwise the fighting between us will drag on and lives will continue to be sacrificed senselessly. So, will you help us?"

"Alright. I'll do it. I better cooperate, at least for now. The only way I'll be able to escape alive, and see Gohan again, is to help them.'

As this went on, Shippo was hoping that his mushrooms would lead Gohan and the others right to them… only to find that the wolves had picked all of his mushrooms, much to his dismay.

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Gohan, Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango arrived at a crossroad on the mountain path.

"That's the last of the mushrooms." Sango muttered

"Dammit!" Inuyasha groaned "Shippo's trail led us to the middle of nowhere."

Gohan nodded "I can sense the demonic energy of the wolf demons everywhere, and I can't get a good feel on Kagome's spiritual power. Plus, we got company."

"I know. I'm starting to smell bird, and it ain't no turkey dinner."

He was right. Several of the Birds of Paradise appeared before them, but Gohan and Inuyasha made quick work of them, although they still had strength in numbers.

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In the den of the Wolf Demon tribe, Shippo had come up with an escape plan:

He would pose as Koga, and lead Kagome away. It would've worked, had Shippo accounted for the tail, which the wolves detected at the last moment.

Without any other options, Kagome grabbed Shippo and ran for it, the wolf demons in hot pursuit.

This worked, until they reached the edge of a cliff. Without another choice, Kagome threw Shippo over the edge, and her transformed and flew off to find Gohan and the others.

(A:N You ever heard the expression 'when pigs fly'? Well then you're gonna love this)

Angered, one of the wolf demons prepared to devour her, before he was hit over the head by a flying boar.

"What did I say about eating her?" Koga barked, much to the fear of the other wolf demons, before he looked in Kagome's direction "She risked her life to save her friend. She's loyal, I'll give her that." He then jumped down in front of her, and said the last anybody there would've expected from him: "I'm gonna make you my woman."

Kagome just looked at him with a face that said something along the lines of 'The ****?!'

"Hey Koga. I thought you were gonna eat her when you're done, not marry her." said one of the wolf demons. She's a human."

Koga snorted "Idiots. This woman can sense the sacred jewel shards. The Birds of Paradise aren't the only ones with a shard you know. With her abilities, we'll be able to gather all the shards in the region."

"That would make us incredibly powerful! Our pack would be unstoppable!"

Koga smirked as he put an arm around her waist "That's the idea. She's way more valuable to us than some demon. Your name is Kagome, right? Wolves mate for life, so you're mine now."

Kagome blushed, then got angry "I don't belong to anyone! Get your hands off me!" she slapped Koga straight across the face.

The wolf demons were shock and frightened by this, and began whispering among themselves:

"That chick just slapped Koga!"

"Honeymoon's over."

"She's dead now."

Koga brought his hand to his bruised cheek.

"I'm not some slave at the auction! You can't just claim me as your property!" Kagome snapped as she looked down "Besides, I'm already kind of seeing a guy. Sort of."

Koga blinked before realization dawned on his face "Wait, you mean the fresh-meat kid I fought before, right? Not the mutt-face?"

Kagome then snapped at him again "His name isn't fresh-meat, so don't insult him! He's brave, courageous, good-hearted, strong, dependable, smart, and he's got a great name, so say it right! Gohan!"

Koga had a thoughtful look on his face before he smirked "Well, the kid's got good taste, and he's a pretty decent fighter, I'll give him that. But the next time I see him, he's as good as dead."

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Speaking of Gohan, him and the others were struggling against the great numbers of the Birds of Paradise.

"Sango, any chance they're allies of the wolf-demon tribe?" asked Gohan "And Miroku, get off your ass and help us, dammit!"

Miroku was sitting on a rock, thinking "Inuyasha, Gohan, I think you two should let the birds capture you two. If this area is the hunting ground of the bird demons, then there should be bones and skeletons of their prey scattered everywhere. I'm not seeing any signs of wolf bones."

"So you're thinking their allies of the wolves?" Sango summarized.

Miroku nodded "That's what I suspect, but I could be mistaken."

"So if we captured, we'll be taken to their nest, which is likely where the wolf den is, and then we can save Kagome." Gohan theorized as he let two birds swoop him and Inuyasha up in their claws.

Inuyasha stayed quiet for a moment before realization dawned on his face "Hey, wait a minute. Miroku! Why are we the ones getting captured! This was your idea!"

"You both have stronger constitutions than me, so it makes tactical sense to send both of you instead of me."

Miroku and Sango waited for a few minutes to gain a little distance from the pissed off Inuyasha.

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Shippo was racing down the mountain path when he noticed Gohan and Inuyasha being carried off by the Birds of Paradise.

This was when Miroku and Sango explained the plan.

"What bozo came up with that?" cried Shippo "The wolf demon tribe and the Birds of Paradise are bitter enemies, and Kagome is there in the wolf den!"

Miroku nodded as they passed over a valley filled with several wolf bones "I see. I guess I should've looked further over the summit for their feeding grounds. This mountain valley is filled with wolf bones."

"Inuyasha! Gohan! They're enemies!" Sango called out

"Would've been good to know 5 minutes ago!" Gohan called back before he and Inuyasha slaughtered the birds that were carrying them.

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Kagome, Koga and the wolf-demon tribe were preparing to launch an all-out assault on the Birds of Paradise.

Koga turned to his comrades "This is it! Are you ready men?!"

Everyone cheered as they prepared to strike.

"This mountain is the nesting place for the birds?" asked Kagome

"And one of them at the top possesses a sacred jewel shard. Your job here is to find out which one." Koga told her.

Kagome nodded 'There is a sacred jewel shard on this mountain. I can sense it. I have to cooperate in order to stay alive. Gohan, I need your help. Hurry!'

That was when they were spotted by the Birds of Paradise. Koga let his men take care of the underlings, while he and Kagome went for the leader, who was most likely the one who possessed Kikyo. On the way to the top of the mountain, Koga easily slaughtered several bird demons who got in his way.

"Kagome, can you see which one has the jewel shard?" asked Koga

Kagome shook her head "I can't concentrate on looking while you're fighting." then her eyes widened "Up there! It's right ahead of us, up on that cliff!"

Then the cliff burst out, to reveal a massive, two-headed bird demon.

"We've been waiting for you!" the first head snarled "You have sacred jewel shards. My brother and I have been seeking them everywhere!"

"How convenient that you've decided to bring the right to us!" said the second head "It saves us the trouble of hunting you down!"

Koga merely smirked "So, we were both thinking the same thing. Kagome, where's the jewel shard?"

"In the mouth." replied Kagome

The bird leader charged at them, attempting to devour them, but Koga's enhanced speed allowed him to evade it.

Koga quickly made his way down the mountain to where Ginta and Hakkaku were "Protect Kagome. I'll cut it's mouth wide open. I'm the only one strong enough to take on that talking two-headed turkey. Here goes nothing!" And he sped back up the mountain.

A bird demon then swooped towards them, picked up Ginta, and flew away to his nest.

Kagome noticed a nearby bow and quiver full of arrows. Using her spiritual powers, she used the arrow to annihilate the bird, saving Ginta.

More bird demons flew towards them, but before they could attack…

"Dragon Cyclone!" Gohan appeared and used the Ryuuga to cut the number of birds in half, with Inuyasha swiftly taking out 5 more in the process.

Miroku and the others landed soon after.

"So, want to give us the run-down?" Gohan asked rhetorically

Kagome nodded "We're in the middle of an all-out war between the wolf-demon tribe and the Birds of Paradise. We've got to stop those flying demons."

Inuyasha smirked "I've got this. Wind Scar!" the Wind Scar annihilated the remaining bird demons.

Gohan raised an eyebrow "Wow, Inuyasha. You've gotten pretty good at using the Wind Scar."

"That's my skill talking."

"Dude, I complimented you instead of saying the word. Don't push it."

Koga noticed this and growled at the sight of Gohan "Great. Those two. They're the last thing I need right now. Look, you two. I don't have time for this, so I'll let you go for today. Get lost!"

"Dream on, fleabag!" Gohan snarled "You're gonna pay for kidnapping Kagome!"

Koga just looked at him in thought "Hey, fresh-meat. Take this chance to run, but keep your hands off my woman! Got it?"

Miroku just stared "His woman?"

"She can see the sacred jewel, so she's perfect for me!" Koga declared, much to Gohan's fury.

"Is there any truth to what he's saying, Kagome?" asked Miroku

"Nothing's going on! He's delusional! He's making it up!"

"I knew it." Inuyasha snarled "He's living in a fantasy."

"It's not a fantasy. I've claimed her as mine." Koga declared boldly "I'm in love with you Kagome!"

Kagome just made a face that said 'I give up.'

Koga continued with his declaration "You're better off with me and you know it. It's time to make a clean break and give up that pathetic human! He's not good enough for you. Forget about him. I'm gonna kill him soon anyway. Once you've been with a real warrior like me, you'll never go back to scraps again!" he laughed triumphantly, as the other wolf-demons cheered for him.

"He's pretty direct." Shippo muttered

"I wish I had that kind of audacity." Miroku agreed, as they looked at a jaw-dropped Kagome.

In his mind, Gohan was screaming in rage 'That lying, arrogant, selfish bastard! He doesn't love her! 'She can see the sacred jewel, so she's perfect?!' What a bunch of bull shit! He's just gonna use her and throw her away when he's done with her like some kind of trash! Great Zalama, any advice?'

"Isn't it obvious? Kick his ass!"

'That I can do!' he raced up the cliff after Koga, who smirked.

"Stupid fresh-meat. I told you I'm too busy! Get lost!" he continued up the cliff.

At the bottom, Kagome's eyes widened "The jewel shard. Koga! It's another 50 feet above you!"

Gohan stopped and nearly fell of the cliff in surprise "Did- did she just help him?!"

'Don't ask me. I don't understand human women.'

'Oh shut up!'

Koga quickly reached the top of the mountain "50 further? There's nothing at the peak!"

But the lead bird demon charged at him from behind and caught him by the arm as he attempted to reach for the shard in its mouth. Koga escaped, but lost the shard in his arm in the process, and crashed to the ground, injured.

Gohan stepped in front of him, Ryuuga in hand.

"Why are you here?!" Koga snorted

Gohan just glared at him, anger clear in his eyes.

"Shut the hell up, you filthy lying piece of shit." He spat, venom dripping off every word "You make me sick, you know that? You claim to be in love with Kagome, but that's nothing but a bunch of bull shit. You just want her for her power, so you can throw her away like garbage when you're done with her!" He then picked Koga up by the front of his armor "You don't know what it's like to be in love with someone. I've been in love with Kagome my entire life! I've bleed for her, cried for her, and always been there for her! Now you just waltz in, just 2 ****ing days after meeting her, and claim to be in love with her?! You ****ing kidnapped her for ****'s sake! You don't deserve someone like Kagome." he punched Koga in the face for emphasis before throwing him into a mountain "I'm a good person so I won't kill you, now get out of here before I change my mind."

"He has 2 jewel shards left, brother!" said one head

"I know! Think of the power we'll have when we take them!" replied the other as they laughed evilly.

Without any hesitation, Gohan charged and lifted the Ryuuga "This ends now, you flying rats! Dragon Cyclone!" the demonic wind dragon completely vaporized the bird demon, leaving behind nothing but the 2 jewel shards.

Koga watched in astonishment at this display 'Wow. Just wow.'

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Nightfall came as Gohan made his way back down the mountain, an injured Koga slung over his shoulder "Okay, the pigeon from hell and those flying rats are out of the way." He then threw the injured Koga over to Hakkaku and Ginta "Get him out of here before I change my mind."

They nodded, took Koga and left.

"You're just letting them go?" asked Inuyasha, furious.

Gohan nodded "There's no honor in killing an opponent who can't defend himself. Besides, Koga could've killed Kagome at any time, but he didn't. Plus, Kagome told me about how he protected her from those bird demons. Even if the bastard is using her, he wouldn't let anything hurt her, so I guess he's not all bad.'

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After the whole Koga and Birds of Paradise fiasco, Kagome and Gohan decided to head back to the Modern Era for a few days.

During this, Kagome was in clear turmoil, and Sota and Grandpa Higurashi were not helping.

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After school, Kagome was telling Eri, Yuka and Ayumi about what how she overheard Gohan's confession of his love for her to Inuyasha. They were not helpful in the slightest:

"What about Hojo?"

"I smell a love triangle!"

"Love will conquer all, Kagome! All you need to do is keep believing!"

Needless to say, she needed better help.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThings on the other end were filled with lots and lots of venting.

Gohan was multi-tasking, venting while sparring with Trunks "And then the bastard claims he's in love with her, just because she can sense the jewel shards!"

Trunks blocked Gohan's sword with his and dropped out of Super Saiyan "So basically there's another guy who wants Kagome's heart and you punched the guy out?"

Gohan blushed "Well yeah, but I still doubt Kagome feels the same way."

Trunks tensed, he had heard from Kai and Piccolo about how Kagome had overheard Gohan confessing his love for her but he never mentioned it to him.

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Kagome was returning home from school, her mind racing 'I can't let Gohan see me like this, not until I finally understand.' then she suddenly noticed the shards glowing 'These shards…' she looked up at the Sacred Tree 'The Sacred Tree… Yes, of course… this is where Gohan was standing when I saw him for the first time…' she thought back to all the times Gohan had risked his life for her, and ended up almost being killed in the process 'Why'd I ever meet him? If I knew it was gonna cause him this much pain, I'd wish I'd never laid eyes on him, then he wouldn't be constantly risking his life for me…' she felt tears streaming down her face 'But I want to see him, I can't deny it. Even if it's unavoidable, I want to see Gohan, see him smile, see him laugh, and see him happy…' then, as she wiped away the tears, she suddenly fully understood 'It's clear now. I must be in love with him. Before I knew it, I'd grown to love him so much.'

"Kagome?"

Kagome turned to see her mother standing behind her "Oh mom." tears streaming down her face, she rushed into Mrs Higurashi's embrace "Mom!" she began sobbing.

After a few minutes, Mrs Higurashi sat Kagome down beneath the tree "Tell me something, Kagome. When you're close to the Sacred Tree, don't you feel a strange kind of power? As though you feel truer to yourself? That somehow, its presence makes your heart feel much more pure?"

Kagome slowly nodded.

"This tree is special to me, Kagome. This tree is where your father proposed to me. Of course, I loved him like no other. But the day before, when he asked me to marry him, we had some silly argument. It had seriously made me doubt if the two of us were meant to be together. But the moment I walked underneath this tree, my mind cleared, and I accepted his proposal, which meant I was able to have you and Sota. It might sound funny, but I feel grateful to this tree. I won't ask you to say what the problem is, but I have a lot of faith in you Kagome. I know you're a young woman who will ultimately choose the path you believe is right."

Kagome leaned her head on her shoulder and smiled "You're the best, thanks mom. I know what I have to do." and she walked off.

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Kagome made her way to Kai's apartment, knowing Gohan would be there, and was about to knock on the door, but the conversation she heard stopped her when she peeked through the window.

"So have you thought it over?" asked Kai "What I said before, I mean."

Gohan nodded "I have, and you guys are right. Even if Kagome did feel the same way by some miracle, I couldn't be with her no matter how much I wanted to, not yet at least. If Naraku knew about my feelings for Kagome, he'd try to kill her even more than he does now, which is a lot. If anything happened to Kagome, I'd never forgive myself. That's why I made a decision, it wasn't an easy one but I made it. As much as I hate it, I have to wait to confess my feelings. But by the time Naraku is destroyed, I will confess. I promise."

"You sure about this?"

"Absolutely. Sometimes when you love someone, you have to think of them before yourself."

As Kagome listened, tears swelled up in her eyes, but she understood.

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"I'm heading over to Kagome's." said Gohan "Things are getting serious, I probably won't be back for awhile."

Chichi smiled knowingly "Bye son, and good luck."

"With what?"

"Oh nothing."

Still suspicious, Gohan left.

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Gohan later arrived at the Higurashi shrine and ran into Sota "Hey Sota. You finish the homework I gave you?"

Gohan had been tutoring Sota in some subjects in school.

Sota nodded and smiled "I got 100% on my math test, and a 95% on my history test."

Gohan smiled and ruffled Sota's hair "Nice work, kid."

"You too."

"For what?"

"Sorry, can't tell you."

Gohan shrugged and turned to Kagome "You ready to go? Inuyasha's probably gonna throw a fit if we take too long."

Kagome nodded and stared at him.

Gohan looked concerned and confused "Something wrong?"

Kagome smiled and shook her head "Nothing at all."

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In the den of the Wolf Demon tribe, Hakkaku and Ginta were screwing around when they noticed several unfamiliar wolf demons heading towards them.

"Who're those guys?" asked Hakkaku.

"Our brothers from the northern caves." explained Ginta.

The leader of the northern group spoke to Koga about a very important matter.

"There's someone who possesses a huge sacred jewel shard." He explained "He's the lord of a castle. I know it's hard to believe, but we're not joking about this guy. Let's combine our forces and join the northern and eastern tribes together. Then we can storm the castle, take the shard and divide it up equally. You in?"

Koga shook his head "Sorry. Not interested."

"Why the hell not?" One of them snapped

"I have something I need to take care of before I do anything else." Koga explained vaguely

Both of them stood "I see. Well, no sense forcing the issue."

"He's injured. You see?" One said, referring to the injury on Koga's right arm from having his jewel shard ripped out.

"You sure you want to turn them down, Koga?" asked one of the eastern wolves "If we don't join them, then the northern tribe will get the whole jewel shard!"

"Let them go. It doesn't matter." Koga stated flatly

"Well it matters to me." One of them snapped "I'm going with them!"

"Me too!" said another

"Go ahead." Koga replied easily "I couldn't care less. If you want to leave, I'm not going to stop you."

Several others followed after them.

Koga thought back to how he lost the jewel shard in his arm 'I never thought the Bird of Paradise would be able to steal the sacred jewel shard out of my arm. But I'll get it back, sooner or later. But first, I need to take care of that mutt and the fresh-meat. I can't believe they took down the birds of paradise and their leader with one swing of their swords each. I won't be satisfied until I wring their necks with my bare hands. This wound isn't healing as quickly as I'd hoped.'

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When Gohan and Kagome returned, they found Inuyasha in rather a pissy mood.

"I can sense the jewel shards this way." Kagome pointed in a certain direction.

"So we're tracking some kind of demon bear that attacked a village?" asked Sango

Gohan nodded "According to one of the survivors. He said that it started out as just a mischievous cub ruining the fields. Then suddenly, it grew huge and attacked. Hey Inuyasha, what's got you in such a bad mood?"

"That's the understatement of the year." He retorted "Sure, we got to track down the jewel shards Kagome senses, but why should waste my time on a bear hunt when I could be hunting down a wolf?"

Gohan scoffed "You're just pissy that you didn't get to fight Koga."

"Shut up! We already know that Koga has 2 jewel shards jammed in his skinny little hairy legs. I'd feel more like fighting if I smelled the reek of wolf on this mountain, not the stench of bear."

Just then, they were confronted by bandits, followed by a large bear demon with a jewel shard. The bandits quickly ran, but Gohan and the others stood their ground.

At that moment, Naraku's Saimyosho appeared and killed the bear demon with their poison before stealing the jewel shard and flying away.

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Speaking of Naraku, he had recently acquired some new help. The power of the stolen sacred jewel shards and his new body allowed him a new ability: to create incarnations of himself from his flesh. His first incarnation was a young women by the name of Kagura, the wind sorceress.

Kagura had carried out a devious plan set up by Naraku, involving Inuyasha, Gohan , a fake jewel shard, and Koga.

Several wolf demons appeared outside the walls of the castle, and charged when they noticed Kagura, who easily slaughtered them all using her wind powers.

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Hakkaku was about mess with Ginta, when one of the wolf demons that had left earlier showed up.

Koga frantically rushed to the scene "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I was only able to get one." He held out a jewel shard.

Koga's eyes widened at this "You got a sacred jewel shard!"

"Hurry to the castle, Koga." He warned "If you don't, everyone will be slaughtered."

Not wasting any time, Koga immediately raced towards the castle as he implanted the new jewel shard in his right arm.

But literally right after Koga had left, the wolf demon literally fell apart, dead.

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Gohan, Inuyasha and the others followed the Saimyosho to the castle, Inuyasha wasting no time busting down the doors.

But inside, they found dozens of wolf demon corpses.

Gohan's eyes widened in disgust and horror "My god…"

Not a single one was left alive.

That was when Kagura used her Dance of the Dead ability to revive them as zombies to attack the group.

With no other options, they repeatedly knocked all of the undead wolf demons, but they kept getting back up.

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Koga was racing towards the castle as fast as his jewel shard enhanced legs would carry him.

Little did he know, he was about to fall right into a trap.

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Suddenly, the wolf corpses were lifted into the air, and flew towards Inuyasha, before falling apart and splattering their blood all over him.

At that moment, Koga arrived at the castle, only to find his wolf demon comrades dead, and Inuyasha covered in their blood.

Gohan looked at Koga and then at Inuyasha "Hey Inuyasha, remember how you were pissed about how you didn't get a chance to fight Koga?"

Inuyasha nodded slowly "Yeah. Why?"

"Well you're about to get your wish." Gohan pointed at Koga.

"INUYASHA!" Koga roared in fury "How dare you!"

Gohan held a hand up "Before you start jumping to conclusions, they were already dead when we got here."

"SHUT UP!" Koga screamed in rage "You can't lie to me! You're soaked in their blood!"

"Koga, you're wrong!" Kagome pleaded "We came here looking for a demon named Naraku and we found your comrades slaughtered! But then they came to life and started attacking us! But they were zombies!"

"Kagome, don't even try to protect that cur!" Koga spat "Already dead when you got here. How stupid do you think I am, you bloodthirsty mutt?!"

"You really want us to- mph!"

Miroku covered Shippo's mouth "It looks like we were set up. This is one of Naraku's tricks. It was his poison insects that led us here in the first place. The demon wolf tribe were somehow lured here too, and were quickly slaughtered."

Gohan nodded "Koga came to rescue his comrades. He rushed over here and arrived just in time to find Inuyasha covered in their blood. Koga can't and won't be reasoned with. The sight of the slaughter has put him into a fixed rage of vengeance. They'll fight to the death, and Koga won't accept anything less."

In a fit of rage, Koga attacked Inuyasha, forming a massive crater and shockwave as his fist made contact with the ground.

Inuyasha avoided the attack and landed by the wolf "You got your strength back, Koga? I see you managed to find another jewel shard for your arm!"

"You and Son Gohan stole my original jewel shard the last time we met, but I warn you, this one's even better!" Koga spat, venom dripping from every word.

Kagome noticed a dark glow emitting from the shard in his arm 'That's not a jewel shard. The glow is darker, and the energy is warped! Then what's is a fragment of?'

Using the enhanced strength granted by the counterfeit shard, Koga quickly forced Inuyasha on the evasive.

"Koga, stop! Please! Listen! this whole thing was a trap! Inuyasha didn't kill your comrades! He was set up!" Kagome pleaded, but her cries fell on deaf ears.

"Shut up!" He snarled "Words are cheap! I believe what I see with my own eyes!"

In a rage, Koga attacked Inuyasha while he was trying to sniff out Naraku.

"Guys, I can sense Naraku's demonic energy close by." said Gohan "Miroku, Sango, you guys go find him. Kagome, Shippo, stay here. I'll help with Inuyasha."

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Miroku and Sango were quickly confronted and preoccupied by a trap set by Kagura.

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Koga continued his attacks on Inuyasha in a blind rage.

The attacks of his right arm were coming very close to landing a blow on Inuyasha, who couldn't even find an opening to attack.

Inuyasha drew the Tessaiga to block Koga's attacks, but it was quickly sent flying out of his grip. Seeing this, Inuyasha tried to attack with his Iron Reaver, clashing with Koga's enhanced right arm, which didn't go very well 'This is bad. He shattered the bone in my arm with one hit!'

Koga continued his attacks on Inuyasha, ruthlessly beating him.

Seeing that Inuyasha wouldn't win by himself, Gohan decided to intervene before Koga could land a finishing blow "That's enough, Koga!"

Inuyasha then lost consciousness from his injuries and exhaustion.

That was when Kagura showed herself.

"Who are you?" Koga snarled

Kagura merely smirked "Well done, wolf boy. With the score settled, you're able to die without any regrets."

"Who are you? Want do you want?" Gohan growled

"My name is Kagura." She replied simply "I will see to it that you have one final dance." she opened her fan, and the moment she did, the corpses of the wolf demons rose once more.

Koga looked on his astonishment "What is this? My men were dead! How are they rising again?"

"To attend your final dance." Kagura replied easily "It would kill them to miss it."

Koga glared at her in rage as realization dawned on his face "Was it you then that slaughtered my comrades?"

Kagura smirked at him deviously "I wonder. It slipped my mind."

In a rage, Koga charged at her, but the shard in his arm made his wound glow red, causing him to suddenly fall to his knees 'I can't move! What's happening to my body?'

Kagura merely chuckled "The jewel shard in your arm has finally released its poison. Now it's time for you to die." she attacked him using the same technique that slaughtered the other wolf demons, severely injuring Koga, before he collapsed.

Kagura then made to retrieve the jewel shards in his legs, before Gohan slashed at her with the Ryuuga.

Koga glared up at him weakly "W-Why… are you… helping me?"

Gohan smiled at him "Simple. We're both in love with Kagome. We've got to stick together. Plus, I can't have you dying before I get to kick your ass." He then turned to Kagura "I should warn you, you're not gonna die quickly. Tainting Inuyasha with the blood of the wolf demons and setting Koga on him was unforgivable! But what's truly sickening is that fact that your demonic energy has the same feel to it as Naraku."

Koga's eyes widened "Naraku?"

Gohan nodded "The bastard who ordered her to kill your comrades, Koga. He's your enemy, not us."

Gohan and Kagura then engaged in a battle, but Gohan quickly pushed her back using his Dragon Inferno. Realizing that she couldn't win, Kagura fled on a giant feather she made with her demonic powers. As she fled, they noticed the spider mark on her back.

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Miroku and Sango finished off Kagura's trap, and the castle disappeared, along with the miasma, as they picked up the wounded Inuyasha, who was barely conscious.

"Koga! Are you alright?" Kagome shouted.

But Koga was anything but alright.

He had collapsed on the ground. The poison from the fake shard had turned his arm purple.

Kagome tried to remove the shard from his arm, but the barrier around his arm deflected her hand.

"Gohan, there is a way to save him. You must place one of my scales in his arm. That will counter the fake jewel shard.'

Gohan nodded as another Ryu scale formed in his hand "I've got this."

Koga smirked weakly at him "No… Let me be, Gohan… I tried to murder Inuyasha…"

Gohan shrugged "I'm letting it slide for 3 reasons. 1, you were tricked by Naraku. 2, us Naraku haters have to stick together. And 3… Well, you know what the third is. Now hold still. This is gonna hurt like hell." and with that, Gohan stuck the Ryu scale into Koga's arm, forming a white light, causing Koga to scream in pain.

Gohan turned to Kagome and the others "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up once he's on his feet."

Kagome looked at him unsurely, but nodded and left with the others.

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After a few hours, Koga slowly rose to his feet "What did you do?"

"I gave you one of my Ryu scales." Gohan explained "Ryu is sealed in my mind, and I gave you one his scales. Each one is twice the power of a jewel shard."

Koga smiled sincerely at him "Thank you, Gohan. You saved my life. For that, I'm forever grateful."

Gohan nodded "Look Koga, I'm sorry about what I said back at the mountains. I just get really protective of Kagome."

"No, you were right. I was just thinking about her powers. But you both saved my life, even after I tried to kill Inuyasha."

"You got tricked by Kagura. Plus, he's an ass, so I'm not surprised me and Kagome and the others are the only ones that like him."

They both laughed.

Gohan smiled "You know Koga, you're alright."

Koga smiled back "You two, fresh-meat… I mean Gohan."

Gohan nodded and smirked at him "But if you want to win over Kagome, there's one thing you have to do. You have to fight me for her after we send Naraku to Hell." and he held out his hand, which Koga gladly shook.

"I look forward to it."

"Well, I better go. Kagome must be getting worried. See you later, Koga." and with that, he took off in a burst of speed.

Koga watched him leave before leaving himself, his mind filled with thoughts of vengeance and rage 'Kagura murdered my men… I will take her life with my own hands… and that of Naraku…'

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Gohan had met up with Kagome and the others as they were caring for Inuyasha's injuries.

"Do you think Koga will be alright?" asked Kagome

Gohan nodded "He'll be fine. I let him keep one of Ryu's scales. But now, he probably wants Naraku dead more than any of us. So now we've got another new ally against Naraku. If Naraku's getting stronger, we'll need stronger allies."

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Naraku was confronted by a furious Kagura for deceiving her about the power of the Ryuuga. Naraku explained that he merely wanted to see how much power Gohan possessed. In a rage, Kagura attacked him, but Naraku responded by producing an orb out of him arm and squeezing it, causing Kagura to topple over in pain. Naraku then reminded her that he held her heart in his hands, as a form of insurance to make sure she stayed loyal to her…