The fresh smell of rotting flesh filled San's nostrils as she set foot onto the grass beneath her under the Makai sun. But the smell wasn't as strong over here as it usually was, seeing as this was the part of the demon world that most of the humans had chosen to make camp. It was the first time she had been near this well, and she had traveled all over this side of Makai for quite a few years. The humans had multiplied since then, and San was amazed that they were even still alive. She looked over at her pack, noting that Keiko's eyes were a little wild. This was a lot for someone to take in, and the wolf would have to keep a close eye on the half breed. With this threat upon them, she was still the weak link.

"This doesn't look much like the demon world," stated Yusuke, having a look around.

"There aren't many demons here, more humans," said San.

"You've been here before I take it," said Kurama.

"Once, a very long time ago."

"That doesn't matter right now. Let's go find this cave and that Kagome girl," said Genkai.

The team nodded, San heading in the direction she faintly remembered. Luckily, they got a very good description of the place from the miko's grandfather at his shrine. His old scrolls really paid off, something San was very thankful for. The wind blew, and it brought to her attention something she couldn't believe she missed when she first got here. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking at her mate with hatred. He matched her look, confirming her suspicions.

"You smell it then," she stated.

"Yes," Kurama nodded.

"What?" asked Kuwabara.

"Toguro," said San simply.

"What?!" yelled Yusuke.

"Toguro?!" Kuwabara followed.

"You killed him!" Yusuke pointed at Kurama.

Kurama looked at the detective, his eyes focused, "No. I merely imprisoned him. But he could not die while he possessed Gourmet's body."

"Then how is he free?" asked Kuwabara.

"We'll be sure to ask him that before we kill him for good," said San.

"If he was freed then that means there's someone else calling the shots. An enemy much more powerful than we have encountered before. We have to go about this smart, just like we did with Sensui," said Genkai.

Her words echoed as they continued their journey towards the village of demon slayers.

...

They reached the village by sunset, San using the last of her virtruly scent to cover up their tracks. The magical roses would make anyone forget what they were doing once they smelled it, which was what they needed when dealing with Toguro. The wolf could smell the same scent of the demon and the miko that were at Higurashi shrine, though it was faint. They had been here recently, but that's not what San was looking for. She waited for the others to catch up, seeing as she was scouting ahead like usual. The village itself of course, was a ghost town. She had known this before she had come, knowing that a demon named Naraku had killed all of the slayers here. It was a tragic story, one that Keiko in particular was very upset about. She followed the very, very faint scent of Toguro and the fresher scents of the party she would be looking for next. Toguro, however, wasn't alone. There were two scents with him, though faint, she knew one of them at least.

She let out a breath, the memories washing over her. It was impossible, there was no way this.. thing was out of containment. She had to be sure, maybe she was wrong. The scent wasn't all that strong, perhaps being in this part of Makai was messing with her mind. She would wait until the others got here before she would mention it to the them. Her tawny eyes hardened, remembering all the pain she enduring sealing that evil, how it nearly cost their lives. It was the hardest battle she had ever fought, but she was sure that it was over with. So many years ago, it just couldn't be.

San approached the cave, where the resonating power of the shikon jewel was. Cave, of course, was an understatement, seeing as there was no way in. With the entrance blocked off there would be no way to gain any clues. They would have to clear the rubble, and even then, what would they find? She sighed, beginning to charge her dark power. She exploded the rubble in front of her, just as the others were showing up.

"We are being followed," her mate told her.

San nodded, "Let them. When we want to find them we'll steal one of those bugs and trace it back to its owner."

"The demon bugs are just proof that Toguro is not acting alone," said Genkai.

"What happened here?" asked Botan.

"Cave in. My guess is whoever shattered the jewel was trying to send a message to the miko. They were here, shortly after the jewel shattered I'm sure," replied San.

"Are we going to get in there?" asked Kuwabara.

"That depends on if the whole thing is caved in or just the entrance. But I don't think it will be that easy."

Kurama walked up to the rubble. He held a hand up, a vine growing, exploring through the rocks. They were still for a few moments, watching him. Finally, he retracted his probing vine and turned to look at them, shaking his head.

"It's totally destroyed inside. I'm assuming that whoever did this set it as a trap for the miko to try and destroy her," said Kurama.

"Or like San said, leave her a nasty message," said Genkai.

San nodded, taking one last look at the rubble. She looked up with a hard tawny gaze at the demon insects that hovered above them. Everyone else followed suit. Toguro was not behind this, but he was merely a pawn. Whoever these demon insect belonged to San was sure a pawn. That same wind blew, and there was no denying it now. The evil she had fought so hard to seal centuries ago, was once again walking upon the Makai. Her mind drifted towards her companion at the time, wondering if he knew, if he was even still alive. Her past was coming back to haunt her, and try though she might, there was no way to stop it.

...

"I've got the scent of that Kagome girl, the one identified as the miko. She's with three demons and two humans. I imagine they are going to try and find the shikon jewel," said San, as they sat around the fire they built. The moon had risen high, and was beginning its new cycle. San would not sleep tonight, that much she knew. Neither would her mate, and perhaps even Genkai.

"How long do you think it will take to track them?" asked Kurama.

"That depends on if they come after our jewel shards or not. We can sense the resonating power of one in the Ningenkai, but not here," replied San, "To be honest, it'd be faster if I could go by myself."

"You're not going alone."

"Kurama is right, as long as those demon insects are watching we stick together until we know what the threat it. We also don't know where Toguro is, but can be sure he'll come after us for revenge. Every one of us has done him wrong, no one is safe with him out there," said Genkai.

"That is the only reason I'm still here," said San.

"How many times do we have to kill this guy?" asked Kuwabara.

"Once would suffice I'm sure," replied San dryly.

"HEY!"

"What's more interesting is that he hasn't come to Ningekai looking for any of you," said Botan.

"Wow Botan, you sound like a real detective," said Keiko smiling.

"You think? I did spend all that time as a spy!"

"And all that work you did with Yusuke."

Botan laughed, "I forgot about all of that. It's almost like old times right now."

"Yeah, we just need the multi eyed shrimp," said Kuwabara.

"Sounds almost like you miss him, Kuwabara," said Yusuke.

"No way he's a jerk!"

"A jerk who is late to the party," said San.

"Yes. I suspect he'll be along soon. Even he can't ignore the threat Toguro poses," Kurama agreed.

They were all silent, as the wind blew slightly. San caught the eye of her mate, and he nodded at her. She took off to scout the area, and she was sure her mate didn't smell the scent she had caught. She jumped to the highest point of a tree at random, as the wind blew once more. She felt light headed, confirming that what she was smelling. Was he sending her a message? He wasn't anywhere near her, and she wondered if he knew that she was back in this area of Makai. Or if he even cared. She would have to face him at some point though, and she had no idea what to expect after last time.

"Sesshomaru..." she whispered into the wind, vacating her post.

...

"The demon insects are still on our tail," said Genkai.

"That simply means we're going the direction they want. They're leading us somewhere, hopefully to their master so we can get to the bottom of this sooner," said San.

"Don't get cocky just yet, San."

"Me? Never."

They kept up their pace, San catching the fresh scent of one of the demons that were in the cave, where all this trouble started. So, he could mask his scent well, and revealing it only meant that they were indeed walking into his trap. Good, she wanted to know what idiot had freed Toguro and why. Where that demon was left wasn't exactly advertised, nor was there really any reason for anyone to break him free of his prison. The Tree of Depravity wasn't something you could just detach, not without amazing skill. The signs were pointing straight to that same evil she fought years ago, but until she either saw real evidence she would not believe it. She couldn't.

San could feel a change in the air, just as she was sure the others did. The demon insects were gone, which mean that they were in the exact place their enemy was leading them. San followed the scent, keeping her guard up. She wouldn't let anything surprise her. They came into a field, staying near the trees, assessing what was around them.

"What do you think?" asked Kurama, looking over at his mate.

"Whoever led us here knows exactly where we are. We might as well spring their trap," replied San.

"Agreed. Whatever Toguro had told this demon about us, we've all evolved since then," said Genkai.

"And let's not forget that two of us are now half breeds. That knowledge wouldn't yet be known to Toguro, and I think we should keep that hidden as long as possible," said Kurama. His green orbs were hard, focused, as he scanned around for any sort of movement, "This demon was hiding its scent until recently, which means that if we do not defeat it here and now, we may never get the chance to find it again."

"Then why are we still standing here?" asked Yusuke dryly, starting towards the field and out of the cover of the forest. The others followed him, knowing that speculating the situation would do nothing more.

A dark and ominous wind blew, and any fool could feel the evil within it. A sinister laugh echoed with it, causing the fox and the wolf to box the others in, Yusuke and Kuwabara completing the circle with Genkai, Botan and Keiko in the middle. The wind got heavier, and San could smell blood in the air. It was because webs were appearing around them, leaving tiny scratches on the outside circle that mostly healed up in an instant. The laughter got louder, and San noted they were surrounded by this razor sharp webbing. But she stayed focused, as did the rest of them, waiting for the demon to show himself.

Finally getting impatient, she summoned her demon vine, double bladed lance, just as Kurama unleashed his rose whip lash to destroy the barrier around them. The wind stopped then, leaving a shadowed figure in front of Kurama. they turned to look, knowing that this was their attacker. It wasn't Toguro, it was a different demon. But he wasn't a full demon, no, San caught the faint scent of a human on him.

"Who are you?" asked Kuwabara.

"Who am I?" the demon laughed his sinister laugh, taking off the hood of his dark cloak. His eyes were an evil red, pale skin with long black hair, "I, filthy human, am Naraku."

"Naraku huh? Word is, you're supposed to be dead," said Yusuke.

Naraku laughed again, "I'm very much alive, and intrigued that you would so willingly walk into my trap."

"Never mind that, Naraku. Tell us where Toguro is and who you're working for. I'll kill you quickly as reward," said San, her tawny eyes hardening.

"Ah, the demon wolf, I was wondering which one of you it was. Is it true you harness both dark and light powers? I could use that kind of power."

"I don't know how you'll be using any kind of power when you're dead," said Kurama darkly. No one threatened his mate.

Naraku laughed once more, "Youko Kurama the spirit fox reduced to that of a mere human. I think this conversation is getting a bit boring. I'll just kill you all now and get it over with," and with that he spread a cloud of purple miasma.

"It's poison!" yelled San,

Botan immediately put a barrier around them, but San stepped out.

"San what are you doing?" asked Kurama.

"I'm immune to poison," she assured him, running into the cloud.

"That's exactly what he wants!"

"What do we do now guys?" asked Kuwabara.

"Keiko, can you create a wind to send the poison away?" asked Kurama.

"That won't work. This kind of demon energy needs human reiki purification. I'm no priestess, but I do have reiki that can take care of it," said Genkai.

She put her hands together and began to chant in another language. Finally, she opened her eyes and unleashed her spirit power. The miasma disappeared, and Botan dropped her barrier. San was engaging Naraku in a fight, using her powers of darkness against him. They ran towards the fight, Yusuke unleashing his spirit gun, while Kuwabara summoned his sword. Kurama wielded his rose whip, but try though they might, they could not even lay a scratch on this demon. He was quick, cunning, cut throat and stalling.

San managed to knock Naraku into Kurama's waiting rose whip and Yusuke finally fired one of his spirit guns. It was a direct hit, a blast that once would have crippled the young detective, but it wasn't enough. Their enemy wasn't even in the blast radius, he had escaped by breaking the whip. San growled as the demon insects started attacking, distracting them while Naraku was about to make his escape.

"NARAKU!" screamed a new voice.

San expelled a dark blast, destroying the insects and looking at this new comer. She saw as a demon wearing a red kimono and silver hair with dog ears came at Naraku with a giant sword. She gasped, not quite sure how this demon wielded that sword. She was sure she knew exactly which one it was. But that wasn't important right now. The sword missed its target and Naraku stretched his and out toward San. She dodged easily, keeping her sense sharp.

"Inuyasha, that human girl he's attacking has the jewel shards!" yelled a new voice, a young human girl running towards them.

"I don't care about he jewel shards, I'm going to kill this asshole once and for all!" yelled the demon called Inuyasha.

"Get in line!" yelled Yusuke, "Spirit gun!"

Naraku laughed, but he wasn't expecting Kuwabara to bat him with his sword straight into Yusuke's shot.

"Wind scar!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Tier of Darkness!" San sent her attack as well.

The combination of all those attacks created a giant explosion, causing a giant smoke cloud to block their vision. San shielded her eyes, waiting for it to clear so she could look upon her enemy once more. She was extremely unhappy about the interference from these people, but she was somehow sure these were the people she was looking for. When the smoke finally cleared, Naraku was on the ground, not moving. San narrowed her tawny eyes, knowing that he wasn't dead. It wasn't that easy.

"San!" she heard her mate. She saw it just in time, another attempt to steal the jewel shards from her person. She dodged him, but he managed to cut her abdomen slightly.

"Meido Zangetsuha!" shouted Inuyasha.

It was to no avail, Naraku disappeared, and with him, his scent, straight into the sky. San looked after him with hard tawny eyes, hating that she let him escape. She looked over at the new arrivals, taking in what she was seeing.

"You let him escape!" yelled the dog demon, pointing a finger at them.

"Us?! We had everything under control until you showed up!" Yusuke screamed back.

"Yeah! Who do you think you are with that fancy sword!" Kuwabara threw in there.

"Never mind that! Hand over those jewel shards!" demanded Inuyasha.

"No," said San simply.

"I'm not going to ask again nicely. Hand 'em over or I'll just have to take them from you."

"No."

Inuyasha growled.

"I don't know you. I'm not handing these over to the wrong demons," said San.

Inuyasha's growls got deeper, "Fine! Wind Scar!" he unleashed his attack upon the wolf.

"San!" yelled Kurama.

"STAY BACK!" she commanded.

Everyone was froze in place anyway. She watched as the devastating attack approached her, and went straight over her head, a barrier erecting around her, protecting her. Inuyasha gasped, his golden eyes going wide in disbelief. He looked at his sword, which had reverted back to a rusty old blade.

"The sheath protected her," said a human man that was observing with the young girl who identified the demon.

"But why would it do that?" asked another human girl, one that looked like a demon slayer.

"Because, that sword, the Tetsusaiga, will not harm anyone that once commanded it," said San