As they ran through the dense forest, two familiar energies became very clear. One was pure yet had a very malicious undertone, the other one was just plain evil to the core, wicked on a level incomprehensible. Kagome unsheathed rebellion on her back while she ran and prepared for anything. Everyone else was thinking the same atop Kilala. As they ran forward they came to a clearing were the trees seemed to have melted and the grass was dead. In that clearing stood there worst enemy ever. Naraku stood (more like floated) in the clearing with Kikyo as company. He had his malevolent grin on and waited as the group came in the clearing and entered battle stance. Even then he didn't even move or talk. He just sat there barely regarding them. His eyes looked as if he were searching for something in the distance. His eyes narrowed when he found what he was looking for.

"Thank you Kikyo for getting their attention, sorry for interrupting your play time with Inuyasha." He said with no hint of guilt in his face. Kikyo just frowned in annoyance and walked back to the darkness behind them.

Dante had appeared beside her finally and was looking very disgusted for some reason.

"Why were you going so slow?" Kagome whispered to him.

"Why were you going so fast?" was his reply.

Before she could come up with a retort, Naraku butted in.

"You there, the one in the red. I have an offer for you…"

"Hey, the names Dante, not 'you there'" Dante interrupted.

"Very well Dante…"

"That's 'you there' to you mister" Dante pointed his sword to Naraku. Naraku looked very confused and taken back but shook it off.

"I have an offer you may find interesting." Dante didn't seem all that interested, he even sighed every once in awhile. "As you know already, I have been collecting the shards of the impossibly powerful gem known as the Shikon Jewel. If you help me find the rest of them, I'll gladly share with you that power."

"Why are you offering me this? You seem to have enough muscle as it is with the clay pot and dog boy." Dante said still not looking all that interested.

"Your skills and expertise will surely be useful" Naraku explained.

"Well, considering the fact you didn't even bother to show up in person must mean that I'm not all that important. So my answer is 'go to hell'." With that, Dante threw his broadsword like a boomerang ripping the Naraku puppet in half like a piece of paper.

"So it was just another dummy" Sango said lowering her Hirikotsu.

"Don't let you're guard down yet. Something tells me he isn't going to be so pleased with my answer" Dante warned

(At Naraku's undisclosed location)

"Quite true you fool. Kanna! Gather the demons and have them attack. Put pressure on the others but keep the Sanyosho focused on watching the foreign half-demon" The real Naraku said to the child like demon in the corner. Without a word the child disappear in her own vortex to go carry out the orders. Naraku just sat there patiently her return.

(Back in the forest clearing of death)

The sky above them started to swirl with dark, ominous clouds. Demons suddenly started pouring down like rain. Most of them flying serpent like with various types of heads and colors with Sanyosho mixed in though they hung back a little so not to be attacked. Immediately Sango threw her Hirikotsu at the attacking demons, hoping to lessen their numbers. It cut threw many of them but it barely made a dent in their advance. Dante just unsheathed his sword lazily and said in an indifferent tone

"So the guests showed up for the party, eh? It'd be a disappointment to be a bad host." Several demons broke away from the group and flung themselves at Dante. He easily ripped them in half with one swing of the sword and swung back the other way to counter another wave.

Meanwhile, Kagome was putting her training to use. She was fighting similarly to Dante seeing as he had taught her swordplay. Kagome swung her sword vertically to cut two demons then swung horizontally to the right to take out a demon trying to sneak up on her. Another skull-headed serpent took advantage of her slow recovery time and attacked on her left. She was ready and rolled to the right and crouched as the confused demon flew over her and she skewered it and a demon going in for a nose dive on her. As she fought, she made sure to check on her friends to make sure they weren't in any mortal danger. Miroku had run out of charms and sutras and reverted to using his staff, his wind tunnel to dangerous due to Sanyosho presence. Sango and Kilala where fighting back to back, Sango using a combination of her Hirikotsu and her Katana while Kilala bit, scratched and charred as many demons and possible. Both Sango and Miroku were putting up one hell of a fight but it was obvious they were getting tired. Dante, on the other hand, was looking relatively bored with the whole thing. His twin handguns ripping threw all the demons while their corpses landed on the ground around him. Shippo was up on his shoulder shaking in fear but trying to "keep it together" as he says. Dante noticed her watching him and grinned

"I know I look good but now is not the time to stare" infuriated, Kagome would have yelled at him but before she could speak Dante shouted to all of them.

"I think I know a way outta this. Those bee things that are floating around are just watching us. If we can kill them then we can escape." The three of them nodded and started to turn their attention to the Sanyosho. Sango threw her Hirikotsu at as many as she could see and Miroku got onto Kilala and took to the air. Kagome was jumping as high as she could to slash at them and Dante stayed on the earth and continued to blast away at them. After several Minutes of extermination and dodging the remaining demons, the bugs became absent from the field. Miroku used his wind tunnel to suck the rest of the demons away, careful to make sure no stray Sanyosho slipped in. when he finished up they all made a break in the same direction they thought they were heading before the attack. After a mile or so of running, they stopped to catch their breath. The forest was silent for a few minutes save for the panting until Shippo exclaimed

"Yeah! We sure beat them! There's no way Naraku can beat all of us."

"That's the thing that bothers me. I don't If Naraku was really trying to kill us." Said Miroku as he sat down on an old fallen log.

"What do you mean Miroku? Sango said, raising up from her hunched over, panting position.

"Well don't get me wrong. If one of us did die in the fight that would have been to Naraku's liking I'm sure. However I don't think that was his full extent. When Naraku tries to kill us, it's always in some elaborate plan."

"Well what if he was trying something different since none of the other plans worked? He did say he would kill Dante for not accepting the offer." Shippo interrupted.

"Yes he did, but he never said when. That brings me to my next point. Even though we where all being attacked, Most of the demons where attacking Dante, even the Sanyosho where more interested in him." Miroku explained.

"So he was just watching Dante the whole time?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, I believe that Naraku is trying to learn everything he can about Dante to discover his weakness. He is new to the battle and Naraku probably doesn't feel all that comfortable with such a huge variable in what ever plan he is hatching."

"Well that does make since and sounds like something Naraku would do. What do you think Dante?" Kagome asked.

"I think the mental image that Naraku's words 'Your play time with Inuyasha' brings will be disturbing me for quite some time. I was not told I was going up against a necrophiliac." Dante looked quite unsettled at the thought and everyone else soon wore the same face as they caught on except Shippo who looked utterly confused. He just looked at all their disgusted faces then asked "What? What is a necropilnia?" Everyone's face turned from disgust to worry real fast and looked at him. And for some reason beyond even her own recognition, Kagome found the whole situation extremely funny and started laughing uncontrollably, also laughing for her first time since she came back through the well. For several minutes she rolled on the floor laughing until she gained a little self control. She stood up shakily, still giggling madly. Everyone was staring at her with baffled looks making her feel slightly embarrassed. Her embarrassment disappeared when Dante gave her a small, encouraging grin. She got up, readjusted the sword and her back and continued to try and control her laughing.

As they started walking in a random direction to get out of the forest, Shippo hopped up on Dante's shoulder and asked him "Hey Dante, can I play with those guns you have?"

"No"

"Why" Shippo whined like a child being denied candy.

"They're mine" Dante said in an equally childish voice.

"Come on, I just wanna see 'em"

"They're mine" Dante repeated.

"Kagome, make Dante share his guns!"

"Shippo, they're Dante's guns. He has to decide if he wants to share them"

"Hmpf"

Kagome was down right embarrassed now. 'I mean this is just stupid.' Kagome thought. Out of what could only be described as a gift straight from god. They had found a village with a small demon infestation problem. It was easy to get rid of them but the villagers where so happy and grateful they threw them a banquet. It also happens that this village's specialty is Saki and they had a surplus this year. Had being the key word there. Dante had taken full advantage of it and drank almost everything he could get a hold of. He was now going around making a complete idiot at of himself. Yet for some reason, the woman where still crawling all over him. And he loved all of it. 'Guess it could be worst' she thought 'He could be an angry drunk instead of a romantic.' But these thoughts where cold comfort. She had long ago turned away and tried to console Sango, whose fiancée was currently flirting with several girls' right in front of her. While her and Shippo said words of comfort to Sango, Dante ripped her away with a strong yet shaky hand. She turned around to come face to face with a 5 foot bonsai tree which Dante was grasping in what looked like a… loving hold.

"Kagome, I'd like ju ta meet Shari. Shari this I'd my good friend Kagome." Dante introduced her to the tree. All Kagome could think to do was play along with the drunken fantasy.

Uhh… Nice to meet you Shari?" Kagome questioned more than stated.

"I want ju to be the firsht to now the big newsh! Shari and I are getting married and…"

"What!" Kagome had never heard anything so ridiculous.

"I want ju ta be the besht man!" Dante continued as if there was no interruption.

Kagome was having a hard time grasping the last 5 minutes. First she was consoling Sango, then Dante purposed to a tree. Then he wanted her to be the first to know and now he was asking her to be his best…

Dante had to readjust his jaw from his heap on the floor across the room.