A/N: Hello my dear readers. Another Sunday is upon us, which means another chapter from me. Yaeh! But first, a big thanks to all of you for taking your time to read my story. Also, a big thanks to Kagz419, Xanthe99, and 7of9 for favoriting my story; thank you and welcome to the fave-fam. And also, thanks to you guys for putting my story on your Alert-list, so that you can keep up to date with my story. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha: this series and all of its wonderful (and gruesome) characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I do, however, own Aiko and her background story, and plausible other OCs that may appear throughout this series (I've not completed writing this story as of yet).

But anyways, onwards with Aiko's Journey:

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Chapter 10 – The Tessaiga

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The days seemed to flow together and become the same. I had no count of how many days had passed by since my period had ended, and we had left the cave. But it seemed to be the same that happened day in and day out; we would travel across the country, scouring for yōkai that Sesshōmaru could slay. Then he would claim the left arm of the slain yōkai and test it out.

Yet every arm didn't last long. After only a few uses, the arm would rot away, like Sesshōmaru rejected the alien appendage. It made sense in some sort of weird way: Sesshōmaru was a really strong yōkai – maybe even the strongest to ever live – and his aura would just destroy the new appendage when he used it. He would need a miracle of some sort if he wanted a new arm.

In this time period there weren't surgeons or doctors to help him work out the difficulty of losing an arm. Heck, as far as I knew, there weren't even proper prosthetics. He would have to accept that he would never have a left arm again.

The sound of horse hooves echoed throughout the open plains we were traversing. Sesshōmaru wordlessly sent Jaken and me away into the woods to hide while he dealt with the newcomers. He had nearly just acquired a new arm; this time from a blue oni, and he clearly wanted to test it out. The aura from the newly acquired arm had already begun to diminish. It wouldn't last long. I was sure of it.

From our spot near the trees, I had a clear view of what happened on the field. Riders approached Sesshōmaru from the way we had just come from. I didn't sense any presence from them, so they had to be humans. And I knew that he was going to kill them!

Just as they were upon him, Sesshōmaru faced them and raised his left arm. Even from here, I could sense its depleting aura and knew that he could only use it once. Then he attacked the riders. It happened so fast: one second, he was standing still, then the next he had torn through them. All the riders' heads had been ripped off of their necks and blood gushed out from their throats. It was over before it had even begun. I got up from my hiding spot and walked over to Sesshōmaru. He was glancing at the left arm, which had begun to rot. The aura in the arm was gone, destroyed by Sesshōmaru's more powerful one.

"It doesn't work anymore," I said and stopped up when I was a few feet away from him.

His eyes shifted over to me, cold and calculating as always.

"What're you talking about, human?!" Jaken exclaimed as he appeared next to me, "It tore right through those filthy scums like nothing. It worked splendidly!"

"You think so, Jaken?" Sesshōmaru asked emotionlessly.

"Yes, tis a fine arm you've got, m'Lord! Of course, it would be, torn off an oni that you …" Jaken exclaimed excitedly, but was rudely interrupted when Sesshōmaru stomped on his toad-like face.

"YAUGH!" Jaken squeaked when his face was squashed down against the earthy ground.

I sighed. When would Jaken learn it?

"Have you knotholes for eyes?" Sesshōmaru asked him icily, "This arm is rotting."

Jaken looked questioningly at Sesshōmaru: "I failed again, Sesshōmaru-sama?"

Sesshōmaru turned away from Jaken, looking at the rotting appendage still attached to him: "Find me a yōkai with a better arm. Or feel my wrath."

"Sesshōmaru …" I began and he shifted his cold gaze over to me, "It wouldn't work! Even if you got a new arm, your aura is too powerful and will destroy the remnants of the arm's aura. You should know this."

I felt his aura rise, clearly angry at me for voicing the problem at hand. He tore the arm off and threw it away. The arm immediately turned to dust before it had landed on the ground. Then I felt another presence, which sent chills down my spine. I turned in the direction of the presence just as someone spoke.

"In a spot of trouble, are we?"

Right where Jaken and I had hid, a humanoid was knelt in the knee-high grass. It was clearly a male, if the voice was an indication of such. He wore the pelt of a white baboon which covered his features. I had a bad feeling about him, but I didn't voice it. What would Sesshōmaru do about him?

"You are that half-breed's elder brother. Lord Sesshōmaru, isn't it…?" the newcomer asked, his voice emotionless and conniving.

Sesshōmaru didn't respond. I glanced back at him and saw that he was looking at the pelted man with a cold gaze.

Then Sesshōmaru spoke: "And you are …?"

"Like you, one who despises InuYasha," the male answered ambiguously.

I didn't like the pelted man. His aura was that of a yōkai, but it was like he wasn't completely yōkai. He seemed off.

The man procured an arm from his pelt and presented it to Sesshōmaru.

"Here. Use this arm."

It was clearly a human arm. Why would he present a human arm to Sesshōmaru?

He should know that Sesshōmaru's aura would destroy it in a matter of seconds. Sesshōmaru looked at the arm emotionlessly, clearly thinking in the same path as I was.

Then Jaken squawked up in his shrilly voice: "What?! Do not mock my Lord! That is a human arm!"

This didn't seem to deter the pelted man: "More precisely, a human arm impregnated with a Shikon shard."

What! A Shikon shard! I thought shocked.

That's what Kagome and InuYasha were collecting … and me before I got kidnapped.

"And with a human arm, you should be able to grip the yōkai blade your brother possesses."

This stunned me more than anything; how did this man know of the Tessaiga? And that Sesshōmaru wasn't able to wield it?

"The 'Wolf's Fang' is enchanted to protect humans. Thus, its mystic powers defies the grasp of a pure-born yōkai … such as yourself. Am I correct?" the man berated.

I really didn't like him. He seemed to know too much and was manipulating Sesshōmaru to go after InuYasha on his behalf. I didn't like how this event was turning out to be. Admittedly, it was an opportune moment; I would be reunited with Kagome, but this scheme was not ideal in my mind.

"Coward," Sesshōmaru then said indifferently, "You speak of despising InuYasha, yet you are afraid to face him … wanting to use me instead."

"Precisely," the pelted man said monotonously.

Just then, Jaken squawked up once more: "Y-y-you dare … ?!"

"Intriguing," Sesshōmaru said and I glanced at him, seeing a satisfied smirk on his lips, "I will take the arm."

Was he going to let himself be played? Be used as a mere pawn?!

Was Sesshōmaru's hatred for InuYasha so strong that he would do another man's bidding?

I was completely shocked and slightly angered by this. My right hand clenched into a tight fist, with my blunt nails digging painfully into my palm.

"L-Lord Sesshōmaru!" Jaken squawked surprised; I was certain off that he hadn't expected it either.

Sesshōmaru received the arm and attached it to his shoulder. Then he flexed the fingers on the newly attached arm, testing the new appendage's motor skills.

"There is one more thing," the pelted man said patiently, and I shifted my gaze back to him, "This hive …" he then pulled out an amber-colored orb with black markings on, "I believe it will come in handy."

"Traveling with InuYasha will be a young hōshi. And the hōshi may prove most troublesome of them all," the pelted man then said while holding out the amber hive in front of him, "I offer this. This nest of the Saimyōshō … they'll take the sting out of the hōshi's hand…"

"Give me your name," Sesshōmaru ordered coldly.

"I am called … Naraku."

Naraku, I thought grimly, I must remember that name!

"Naraku," Sesshōmaru said as he received the amber hive, "I shall remember it."

Sesshōmaru then turned around and began to walk away. I took it as our cue to leave. Then Naraku spoke once more.

"An interesting woman you keep as a companion, Lord Sesshōmaru."

I immediately stopped up, surprised with his comment. Did he know something about me?

"Seems to be human, yet under that lies something only a yōkai possesses," Naraku continued his little tirade.

I turned abruptly around and faced him: "What are you talking about?"

Naraku chuckled coldly at my question, and I felt more than annoyed with the situation. The feeling that he was trying to get under my skin was clear in my mind's eye, yet something in me told me that he was already there.

"So, you don't know?" he asked me in mock surprise, "Then I assume you don't know the origin of your sword, either?"

I shifted my eyes back to my sword, which rested peacefully in my obi against my back.

Then I turned my eyes back to him, scowling at him with annoyance: "If you want to say something, say it! Don't dance around the topic!" I snarled at him.

"All in due time, Aiko!"

Then he disappeared. I stood stock-still, completely taken aback. He knew my name!

I didn't know how long I stood there and looked at the empty spot where Naraku had been, but at some point, I shook myself out of my stupor and turned around. Sesshōmaru was watching me with his cold and calculating golden eyes, waiting for me.

"Do you know what he was talking about?" I asked Sesshōmaru desperately.

He shifted his gaze away from me and looked to the sky, but after a while and he hadn't answered, I sighed heavily. Of course, I wouldn't get an answer from Sesshōmaru. He rarely gave me an answer when I asked him something. Then he turned around and began to walk in the direction we had been headed on before the riders and Naraku. While I felt slightly dejected, I followed after him and turned the conversation with Naraku in my head, yet there didn't seem to be an answer to what Naraku had insinuated.

~oOo~

We had found a giant red oni to hitch a ride on. It was totally a cliché that we would be riding towards InuYasha and Kagome on an oni. Because it was how Sesshōmaru had attacked InuYasha the first time I met Sesshōmaru. The only difference now was that I was on the oni with Sesshōmaru and Jaken when we would meet InuYasha and Kagome. It had been a very long time since I had last seen Kagome, and I anticipated the meeting with nearly impossible amounts of excitement. I really had to control myself, since Sesshōmaru wouldn't be happy with me if I squealed with glee and jumped in my seat on the oni's shoulder. And kami, was it hard to contain my excitement.

The sun had almost sunken below the horizon, giving of a warm orange glow to the sky. The oni proceeded towards our destination, doing as Sesshōmaru wanted it to. All three of us were sitting on the oni's right shoulder in lotus position; Jaken sat closest to the oni's neck, then there was Sesshōmaru, and then there was me furthest out on the oni's shoulder. I really wanted to take a nap, but I couldn't quite find a good enough position and Jaken booked the space nearest the oni's neck. I could've used the oni's neck as support and rested a bit.

But then again, I felt too thrilled with the prospect of seeing Kagome again. Thinking back, I concluded that it had been about three weeks since I had been abducted.

How had Kagome faired in that time? How had InuYasha treated her? How many fragments of the Shikon Jewel had they been able to find while I was gone?

I would soon get some answers.

Just as the sun disappeared from the sky, I saw further up ahead a small village resting against the side of a mountain. As the stars began to twinkle in the sky and we approached the village, I felt the presence of InuYasha. Even though it had been so long since I last had seen them, I easily recognized InuYasha's aura. I changed position; my left knee rested against the oni's shoulder, and my right foot was planted solidly on the oni's shoulder, the knee bent so that I could quickly get up on my feet if needed. I rested my right hand against my bent knee to keep my balance while the oni neared the village.

Almost there!

I could feel Sesshōmaru's eyes on me, watching me intently to see what I would do. I ignored his stare and kept my eyes on the village, determined to abide my time and make my escape when it was just the right time. It wasn't time yet to escape, but soon. I would soon be free of Sesshōmaru.
Come to think of it, Sesshōmaru hadn't been an awful captor: he could have easily tortured me, but he had been alright. Though we had butted heads from time to time, where he had showed off his dominance when he had had enough of me, there had been times when he had been considerate enough. Like when I had my period.

No … my time hadn't been too awful, but I didn't belong to him, though he probably thought that I was his possession. My place was with Kagome. Always had been and always will be.

And it would soon be goodbye to those embarrassments I had endured. Seriously, the kami just loved placing me in an awkward position which involved Sesshōmaru. I mentally sighed with the last incident I had with him. He had seen me naked! He had seen my breasts! It was so embarrassing, and I still hadn't figured out why he hadn't glanced away before I had hidden them from his view.

*KR-KRAK*

I must have been swallowed by my thoughts.

We had arrived at the village and the oni had just smashed a house by placing its hand on top of it. What a dramatic entrance. I began to search for InuYasha, knowing that Kagome would be right next to him – I could feel his presence was close by. And there …

They were standing on a stairway, but they weren't alone. A hōshi was standing behind to the right of InuYasha, and Kagome had a little kid on her left shoulder. The kid was definitely a yōkai, though his aura was weak – however, it wasn't a surprise considering that he was a kid. I felt suddenly sad, the feeling of being replaced felt overwhelming and awful. Had Kagome forgotten about me?

No. Kagome wouldn't abandon and forget about me so easily – we were like sisters.

"Sesshōmaru…" I heard InuYasha yell up in surprise.

Then Kagome's eyes met mine and I could easily see the relief in them – she had been immensely worried about me; I could easily tell.

"Aiko-chan!" Kagome yelled, happy to see me alive and well.

Without thinking I readied myself to run towards her.

"Kagome-chan!" I yelled just as happily back to her.

But as I was about to jump off of the oni's shoulder, I felt a hand clasp onto my left shoulder, restraining me. I glanced back and saw Sesshōmaru's right hand rested possessively on my shoulder. He gave me a stern sideways glance, a warning embedded in his golden hues.

Damnit, I had almost forgotten about him. He pushed me down so that I was sitting on the oni's shoulder once more. Then he jumped off and landed right in front of InuYasha.

Kagome – with the kid on her shoulder – and the hōshi ran for some place to hide, and InuYasha jumped back as well to avoid being too close to Sesshōmaru.

My eyes swept over to Jaken, who was watching the scene before us unfold with much glee. This was my chance to escape. Slowly I moved down the arm of the oni, while listening to the discussion between the two brothers.

"Feh… As ever, brother, your movements are simply too slow," Sesshōmaru said in his customary emotionless manner, his voice deep.

Goosebumps erupted on my fair skin at the sound of his voice. Why was his voice so enticing?

"Sesshōmaru! What do you want here?!" InuYasha yelled back at Sesshōmaru.

I didn't watch them; I was more focused on climbing down the oni's arm. At least the oni didn't react to me climbing on it.

"Don't ask such foolish questions," Sesshōmaru said coldly, a hint of a taunt in his voice, "I have come to see a man about a sword."

"Don't you know when you've lost?" InuYasha asked him with annoyance lacing his words.

I was now at the elbow of the oni and chanced a look at the scene below me. The brothers were facing each other, and there was approximately fifteen-twenty feet in between them. InuYasha was looking angrily at Sesshōmaru, but I couldn't see Sesshōmaru's facial expression due to him having his back towards me.

Good. His attention was on InuYasha, which just made my escape much easier. I continued my climb just as Sesshōmaru spoke up again.

"Draw it, InuYasha. I shall at least allow you a token of resistance."

This drew my attention away from my getaway and over to InuYasha who held his hand on a tsuka at his left hip. Then InuYasha drew the weapon, which seemed somewhat familiar, yet I couldn't quite figure out where I had seen it before. Wait a minute …

"This time, big brother, you're not getting away with just one less arm!" InuYasha yelled and jumped after Sesshōmaru.

That sword. Was that the Tessaiga that Sesshōmaru tried to rob from their father's tomb? But wasn't it just a rusty and battered blade?

The weapon in InuYasha's hand was definitely not a rusty old sword. It looked like a fang; it was like it had transformed when InuYasha had drawn it. The sword was easily as long as InuYasha himself and it looked powerful and sharp, and the blade was at least thrice as wide as the saya on InuYasha's hip. It must be how the sword worked, considering that it was made from a yōkai fang. It was quite fascinating to see such a development.

InuYasha swung the Tessaiga down at Sesshōmaru, who effortlessly dodged the attack.

"Just as I thought," Sesshōmaru said as he glanced sideways at InuYasha, "you haven't mastered the Tessaiga at all."

Not mastered it?!

It was transformed. But was that not its full potential? Did it have an ace up its sleeve?

Not like a sword had sleeves, but still … did it have a secret ability?

"What?!" InuYasha exclaimed angrily, "I what?! I'll show you mastery!"

InuYasha charged Sesshōmaru with his sword in his right hand. I couldn't help but study his movements. They were bad. Which was a mild way to describe them. His footwork was off, and I could easily tell what he would do next. Hadn't he been trained in how to fight with a sword? Maybe I should teach him, once this was over. I knew the basics, so it was a start.

InuYasha swung his blade at Sesshōmaru, but Sesshōmaru easily caught InuYasha's wrist and stopped the attack.

"The path of the blade is too obvious," Sesshōmaru said emotionlessly while he kept InuYasha's blade at bay, "You might as well be waving a flag."

Sesshōmaru was taunting InuYasha again. I had to agree with Sesshōmaru's words though; InuYasha's attacks were predictable.

A green glow formed around Sesshōmaru's hand. He was using his poisonous claws on InuYasha's hand in order to make InuYasha let go of his weapon.

Damnit. I needed to escape. Though I wanted to watch the battle between the two brothers, I had to get away from here and over to Kagome. I climbed the last bit and landed on the ground with a dull thud. When I glanced back to the fight, InuYasha had lost his weapon and Sesshōmaru was standing beside the rusty blade that was stuck in the ground.

Not good; he would be able to wield it because of the human arm Naraku had given him. Sesshōmaru grabbed a hold of the tsuka with his left arm, which was the human arm, and pulled it out of the ground. Then he slashed it at InuYasha, the blade turned white in mid swing. It was transforming into the fang; I could feel the aura shift in the sword. InuYasha barely dodged Sesshōmaru's attack.

"Allow me to show you, InuYasha," Sesshōmaru said as he held the fang in his left hand up and at the ready, "The true power of the Tessaiga…"

Then Sesshōmaru shifted his gaze up to the shoulder of the oni, where Jaken still was.

Shit! I needed to move before he saw where I was. I spotted the stairs on which InuYasha and the rest had stood upon and ran for it. But before I could hide, something caught me by the ankle and tripped me. I landed hard on my front upon the ground.

"OUFF!" I exclaimed as the air was knocked out of my lungs.

My eyes sought the culprit of my tripping and I saw that it was Sesshōmaru's fur that had wrapped itself around my ankle. I glanced annoyedly at Sesshōmaru who was glancing over his shoulder at me, his eyes shining with his irritation of me trying to escape.

"Stay put," he said to me coldly, then he glanced back up at Jaken, "Jaken."

"Yes, Sesshōmaru-sama?" Jaken asked, then caught onto what it was Sesshōmaru wanted from him, "Ah, yes, the yōkai of this mountain! We'll be flushing them out any moment now!"

While their attention turned to the mountain, which the oni – Jaken was riding on – faced, I tried to free myself of Sesshōmaru's fur. I gently pried it off of me and found myself free. But just as soon as the fur wasn't around my ankle anymore, the fur wrapped around my right wrist instead.

Damn that yōkai! I tried to pry it off of my wrist.

Then I heard a thunderous *BOO~M* and I glanced up to what had made the sound. The oni had hit the mountain and from it arose a hundred yōkai, whom all tried to get away. In my few seconds of absent attention to my predicament, I realized, as I turned my attention back to my bound wrist, the fur had now ensnared them both.

Damn you, Sesshōmaru!

"Learn from your elders," Sesshōmaru said and I looked up at him and saw him staring emotionlessly at the yōkai that had arose from the mountain: "With but one swing…"

Before he finished his sentence, Sesshōmaru swung the Tessaiga and exclaimed passionately: "The master of the blade can slay an army of yōkai!"

Light sprouted from the sword. No, it wasn't light; it was Sesshōmaru's aura that got channeled through the blade and was made into an attack. The aura empowered attack crossed the plains and hit the yōkai from the mountain. And it obliviated them all. Destroyed them utterly. And with the same attack, Sesshōmaru managed to scar the mountain. It was so powerful that I could only sit on my rump and stare at the destroyed mountain, almost forgetting that my wrists were still bound by Sesshōmaru's fur.

"Thank you for your patience, little brother. Now it's your turn," Sesshōmaru said and I glanced back up at him and saw him pointing the Tessaiga at his brother.

I needed to do something; Sesshōmaru without the Tessaiga was a force to be reckoned with, but a Sesshōmaru with the Tessaiga was nearly unstoppable. What could I do when my wrists were bound?

My eyes landed on the fur-bound wrists and I vigorously tried to free them anew.

"KAGOME!" I heard a child's voice yell up.

My eyes sought up again and saw Kagome run towards InuYasha.

No, she'll get herself killed if she stands in between them!

"Stop!" Kagome yelled protectively of InuYasha and stopped up in front of him, arms spread out to shield InuYasha from Sesshōmaru.

No, no, no, no! Kagome!

Of all the things she could have done, this was simply the stupidest move she had made in all the time I had known her.

"NO! Kagome get out of there! You'll get yourself killed!" I yelled desperately as I once again renewed my attempts of getting free from Sesshōmaru's hold.

She looked over at me and I saw the panic written all over her face. But she stood fast and determination sprouted on her facial features. The fur tightened around my wrists and made the bones in my wrists strain under the pressure. I winced slightly at the ache in my wrists; Sesshōmaru was wordlessly warning me.

Then, as if I hadn't yelled to Kagome in my desperation, Sesshōmaru spoke once more, Tessaiga still raised up in front of him.

"The little filly from before… you came to die with him?" he said tauntingly and added emotionlessly: "How sweet."

"You wish," Kagome sneered at him.

Then InuYasha rose from his spot on the ground and stepped in front of Kagome in a protective manner: "Stay out of this, Kagome. My brother wouldn't think twice about killing a girl!"

Yet here I am, I thought sarcastically, though I would whole-heartedly agree with InuYasha's statement.

Then out of nowhere, the hōshi stepped up in front of InuYasha: "I will stand silently by no longer!" the hōshi said pointedly, his voice young and vibrant.

He couldn't be that much older than me. Maybe eighteen or nineteen…? Was this the hōshi Naraku had spoken of?

But then InuYasha stepped up in front of the monk.

"Will you stay out of this too?!" InuYasha asked him annoyedly, showing his irritation of having been behind the hōshi.

The monk was determined though, stepping up in front of InuYasha once more: "You have no hope alone, InuYasha."

"Nobody stands in front of me, Miroku!" InuYasha yelled at the hōshi, right in his face.

This isn't the time to be the more macho man, InuYasha! I thought with exasperation.

"M'Lord, just leave them to me," Jaken then squawked, "There's no need to sully your noble hands on such as these."

Glancing back at him, I saw that he was still standing on the oni's shoulder, looking eager to fight on the behalf of Sesshōmaru. This imp was really a pest sometimes.

"True enough …" Sesshōmaru said in a bored manner, "and I will enjoy watching."

Just as Sesshōmaru had given Jaken permission to deal with the group, the imp made the oni attack. The oni's right hand shot forward, ready to crush all three of them.

"I'll smash them into jelly!" Jaken exclaimed excitedly with his shrilly voice.

No! I thought and rose up from the ground, trying to run towards them.

But before I got far, the monk unwrapped some beads from his right hand.

Wait, wasn't this the hōshi Naraku warned us about? I then thought again, and stopped up, … something about his hand … what did he have in his hand?

The monk had finally removed the beads from his hand, then he shot the hand right forward and yelled: "Kazaana!"

When he opened his palm, an intense howling came from his hand, and then it began to suck everything in front of it into the hōshi's palm. I felt the pull towards the hand as well, and would have been sucked into it too, if it weren't for the fur around my wrists. Speaking of fur, almost immediately after the monk's palm began to suck everything in, I felt a harsh tug on my wrists. And then I was pulled back and away from the vortex. I landed harshly up against a solid back and groaned with the force of the hit. When I opened my eyes, I saw the back of Sesshōmaru.

I felt a hand shut up to my elbow and tucked me tighter up against Sesshōmaru's back. When I glanced at the appendage, I saw that it was Sesshōmaru's right hand that was wrapped around my elbow. Sesshōmaru was protecting me from the hōshi's vortex with his own body.

I felt my cheeks heating up, and mentally scolded myself for being touched by Sesshōmaru's heroism. Now was definitely not the time.

"Stay!" I heard Sesshōmaru yell back at me over his shoulder, though it was hard to hear his words because of the howling of the wind.

This was probably one of the only times I intended to obey Sesshōmaru's order; I didn't want to get sucked into the monk's hand. I pressed myself further into Sesshōmaru's back, and he let go of my elbow.

It was scary! How had the hōshi acquired such a deadly ability?

He was only human!

I felt Sesshōmaru wrap his fur around my body in a protective manner, and I felt touched by Sesshōmaru's consideration of my well-being. Was Sesshōmaru worried about me?

Then I thought back on our dire situation. What were we gonna do? How did we stop the monk's vortex that came from his hand?

Naraku had warned us about the hōshi and had presented a hive of some sort to Sesshōmaru. Was Sesshōmaru gonna use it?

I thought I could hear loud buzzing-noises like that from a bee or a wasp, though it sounded like there were dozens of them. What was happening?

I couldn't see anything here from behind Sesshōmaru.

Suddenly, the howling of wind stopped, and the tucking sensation ebbed out almost immediately after. I blinked, then I stepped around from Sesshōmaru's back and glanced at the people in front of us, yet all I could see in front of me was a big swarm of giant wasps. I was completely paralyzed with fear: the wasps were so big and really terrorized my nerves due to my fear of bugs. Did they come from the hive Naraku had given Sesshōmaru?

The wasps then charged forward – away from us – and attacked the group in front of us.

"Yōkai begone!" I heard InuYasha shout out and saw him attack the wasps with his claws.

As InuYasha destroyed the wasps, I could see the monk on the ground, but he looked like he was in pain. I knew the wasps had everything to do with the monk's worsened state, and I felt bad for him, but he did try to suck us into his vortex. It had been a necessary evil. But then I registered that Kagome wasn't there. Where was she?

She wouldn't have been sucked into the hōshi's hand, because she had been behind him when he had unleashed the vortex. Did she ran off to somewhere? Maybe to find some help for the monk?

"Thank you for that entertaining diversion," Sesshōmaru then said once all the wasps had been killed by InuYasha.

Sesshōmaru then raised the Tessaiga, ready to attack InuYasha with that powerful attack he had used on the yōkai from the mountain. I had to do something, but what?

"You may die now," Sesshōmaru then said.

No, he may not! I thought and then I acted irrationally.

I charged at Sesshōmaru, putting all my weight into the push I intended to do. I collided with his right side, and apparently, I had taken him by surprise, because I managed to push him to the ground, though I had so much momentum on that I fell on top of him. Above us I heard something swish past us, but I didn't get to see what it was.

"What do you think you are doing, woman?" I heard Sesshōmaru's deep voice growl underneath me.

I glanced up at him and saw his golden eyes were narrowed at me with anger. Yes, I just managed to piss him off yet again, but I didn't care; I had to protect my friends.

"What does it look like?" I asked him coldly, "I'm protecting them from you!"

The sclera of his eyes began to turn red with his ire, but I chose not to react to it. I felt myself being lifted off of his body by the fur that was still wrapped around me. It forced me down to a kneeling position on the ground and Sesshōmaru got up from the ground and glared deadly at me. I scowled back at him, angry that I somehow still was his captive. I wanted to break free from his hold, but the fur was so tight around me that I couldn't do a thing, other than scowl angrily at my captor.

Sesshōmaru had apparently had enough of me for now, because he turned his back towards me and faced the dead oni – the hōshi had managed to suck off its face with his vortex – and I just then registered InuYasha's aura from behind the faceless dead beast.

"It's useless to hide!" Sesshōmaru exclaimed angrily and swung the Tessaiga at the oni.

The aura in the weapon rose and made the powerful attack, destroying the oni completely. I began to panic; he had killed them!

"Well … that was worth one oni," Sesshōmaru said emotionlessly.

But just then, I registered that InuYasha's presence was still there. So, they had survived. I mentally sighed out with relief. Thank the kami.

"I'm not that easy to kill!"

InuYasha sprang forth from the uprooted earth and jumped after Sesshōmaru.

"At least not until you come leaping out!" Sesshōmaru responded to InuYasha's statement, anger simmering in his deep voice.

Sesshōmaru then swung the Tessaiga down at InuYasha, and I could see that InuYasha wouldn't be able to dodge the swing. I closed my eyes and prayed for a miracle.

*WHAK*

That was definitely not the sound of sword cleaving through flesh. I opened my eyes and saw that InuYasha was holding his saya up in front of him, blocking the Tessaiga. A minute passed by, where InuYasha just held off Sesshōmaru's attack.

Then Sesshōmaru said in a taunting manner: "Do you honestly believe that the saya will defeat the blade?"

InuYasha snorted at Sesshōmaru's taunt: "This is no ordinary saya, you know!"

InuYasha then pushed Sesshōmaru backwards with all his might, while exclaiming passionately: "I can split your head with it, at least!"

"Then show me!" Sesshōmaru shouted at InuYasha and swung the Tessaiga at him.

Sesshōmaru's fur released me as he went after InuYasha; I was finally free. Quickly I jumped up and looked for somewhere to run off to, so that I wouldn't be captured by Sesshōmaru once more.

"Or must I imagine it…" Sesshōmaru said deadly, "…after you've died?"

The Tessaiga hit the saya in InuYasha's hands once more, blocking the attack Sesshōmaru made. Then I heard Kagome yell 'InuYasha', and I hastily turned around and saw her aim her bow and arrow. I was relieved to see that she hadn't been harmed and I hastily ran towards her. She let loose the arrow she had knocked onto the string of her bow, and it tore through the air at great speed.

*KRAK*

I stopped up and glanced back at Sesshōmaru and InuYasha and saw that the Tessaiga had transformed back to its rusty form. Did Kagome's arrow force it to transform back to that form?

*TNK*

An arrow – Kagome's arrow – pierced the earth a bit away from the brothers. How did she … Did it have something to do with her being the reincarnation of the late miko Kikyō?

I glanced back at Kagome, just as she knocked another arrow to her bow.

"Sesshōmaru!" Kagome yelled and took aim, "The next one hits you!"

Was she going to kill Sesshōmaru? What had happened to her?

I felt confused and conflicted. I didn't want Sesshōmaru to get harmed, but my loyalty was with Kagome. What should I do?

I stood stock-still halfway towards Kagome, and halfway away from Sesshōmaru.

"InuYasha! Get out of there!" Kagome then yelled.

I glanced back at Sesshōmaru and felt a pull towards him. I couldn't let Kagome kill him.

A/N: And that's that for this Sunday. I hope you don't die with anticipation for the next chapter (I know that I'm cruel for leaving it on such a cliff hanger, but I'm not sorry for doing so). Please leave some reviews for me to read; I really want to know what you guys think about it. And if you have questions, just ask, though I can't promise you to answer it to the fullest, because of spoilers and such, but I will try to answer them to my best attempts. Enjoy your week, and I'll be back next Sunday. Ciao!