The middle of a misty day. Sesshomaru, Jaken and Rin arrived at the place known as the valley of Ryukotsusei. Or, the place FORMERLY known as the valley of Ryukotsusei. Sesshomaru was rather intrigued by how Inuyasha could've defeated Ryukotsusei, when it.

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Koga and his comrades picked up the strong stench of cats in the area, but decided not to get involved since it had nothing to do with them.

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In a far off cave, Royakan, guardian of the forest, woke from his slumber when he saw a sight that made his blood run cold.

Something was coming.

Something big.

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Inuyasha had gone to the Modern Era to get Gohan and Kagome, and was now discussing with Kai how to get them together.

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In Kaede's village, Miroku and Sango were waiting around for Inuyasha and the others to return.

"So Inuyasha went back to get them?" asked Miroku

Sango shrugged "It's for the best. We need them to come back. Kagome is the only one who can sense the jewel shards, and Gohan might be the only one who can defeat Naraku."

At that moment, Hachi showed up, begging them to help bring down a group of demons from the west. In short, cats. Lots of them.

"The cat demons are killing every demon they cross paths with!" He shouted frantically "They're searching high and low for the jewel shards! Let's just get out of here before it's too late!"

It was too late.

"I hear there's a priestess in this village." the cat demon made herself known

Hearing this, Kaede emerged from the hut "What business do you have with me?"

The cat demon looked at Kaede before furiously shaking her head "No, no! You can't be her! She's young and wears skimpy clothes!"

"Think she's talking about Kagome?" asked Miroku

Shippo and Hachi were freaking out "It's the scent of cats! They're the cat demons from the west!"

The cat grew furious "Cat demons? My friends and I are Panther demons. Don't lump us together with common cats, or you'll make us angry."

"What do you demons want here?" asked Kaede

"We're after the jewel shards." at that moment, several more cat demons appeared "Better hand them over."

Then the fight broke out.

Kaede, Miroku and Sango were able to fend them off, but barely.

Seeing as Kagome wouldn't show herself, they left.

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Nightfall came.

The four main Panther demons, Toran, Shunran, Karan, and Shuran, were discussing their next plan of action. Shunran, Karan and Shuran were going to go capture Kagome and her jewel shards, while Toran went to confront "him."

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Gohan, Kagome and Inuyasha returned the next morning, only to get a less than warm welcome from Miroku and the others, on account of the cats.

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Feeling something was off, Sesshomaru decided to investigate while Rin and Jaken were messing around in a river, and noticed the water freezing "If it isn't Toran."

Toran revealed herself and smirked "It's been a long time, Sesshomaru."

"I thought you were dead."

"That's a fine way to greet someone. This time, I'm going to settle things once and for all."

"We settled things a long time ago, but if you insist. You won't be as lucky as you were 50 years ago."

"You're still as boorish as ever I see." She noted "I agree that things will be different from how they turned out 50 years ago, though. Our master is waiting for you."

"Master?"

"The one who leads the Panther tribe. I realize that your dear father is dead, but our master is going to be resurrected at long last."

"Resurrected? For what purpose?"

"To attack the lands in the east once again. But more importantly, to get our revenge on all your kind."

"I will personally see to it that he never breathes again."

"I'm glad to hear that you've accepted my challenge. But we won't battle it out here. Come to our castle. Then you can bring all the reinforcements that you require." and with that, she vanished.

Sesshomaru returned to his vassals "Jaken. The panther demon tribe is back. Rin, you are to wait here with Ah-Un until we return."

Rin nodded.

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"Cat demons?" asked Gohan

"You know, I remember something similar to this happening 50 years ago." Hachi mused

"50 years ago?" Inuyasha repeated

Hachi nodded "A tribe of cats swarmed in and attacked from the west."

"Are you sure about that?"

Gohan looked at him "Inuyasha, if you didn't know about it, there's a pretty fair chance it happened when you were under Lady Kikyo's spell."

Inuyasha shrugged.

"So what exactly happened?" asked Kagome

"I escaped before the cat-demons arrived." explained Hachi

"Now it's believable." Gohan and Miroku said simultaneously

Ignoring them, Hachi continued "I returned after I'd heard they all left, and sure enough, there wasn't a single cat demon in sight."

"Where'd they go?" asked Gohan

"The stories are true." said a voice as Karan and the others appeared "You are a strangely dressed priestess."

"Who are you? What do you want with Kagome?" Gohan snarled

"It's not you that we're after, lowly human. We want the priestess with the sacred jewel shards."

"Over my dead body."

Shuran smirked "That can be arranged."

Karan fought with Gohan and Inuyasha while Shuran fought Miroku and Sango.

The panther demons proved to be no joke, and knocked the four of them down with some difficulty.

Shunran took the opportunity to use her illusion abilities to knock Kagome unconscious and whisk her away.

Gohan could only scream her name as they took her away "Kagome!"

"You'll have to come to our castle if you want her back. If you can that is. We'll be waiting for you both, Inuyasha, and the wielded of the Ryuuga." Karan's voice called out from afar.

Not wasting any time, Inuyasha and Gohan took after them, with Miroku, Sango and Hachi following suit.

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Royakan approached Sesshomaru "Lord Sesshomaru, I, Royakan, would be honored to serve under you once again."

"Not necessary." Sesshomaru stated as he passed.

"Please, my lord! I beg you to reconsider!" Royakan begged

Sesshomaru stopped, but didn't turn around "Royakan. Leave before I lop off your head."

"Perhaps you should consider accepting his assistance." Jaken suggested "We need help!"

Sesshomaru shook his head "Not necessary. I can sense Son Gohan heading there as we speak."

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Inuyasha and Gohan were on there way to the panther castle, when Koga appeared in front of them "Alright Gohan, mutt. What happened? Why is Kagome's scent mixed in with the cat stench I've been picking up lately?"

Gohan said nothing.

Koga's eyes narrowed "How could you let them take her?"

"Shut up!" Gohan screamed uncharacteristically, shocking everybody "I got careless. I have no intention of letting them hurt her. If they do, they won't live to regret it. Now, you can either get lost, or you can help us." and he sped past, with Koga following him soon after.

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In the middle of a deep valley in the crisp evening, the three panther demons appeared with Kagome to rendezvous with Toran "We got her, and we got the shards. But we ran into some interference. Inuyasha, and a human boy wielding the Ryuuga."

Toran's eyes widened. Then they narrowed "I see. We can just let our master finish the Ryuuga boy. You three can handle Inuyasha and any other interference. I'll handle Sesshomaru myself."

Kagome's eyes widened, fear clear in her eyes 'Who are these people? What are they planning to do?'

"Kagome!" a voice called out, and Kagome looked up to reveal Koga "Sorry I'm late. Your savior has arrived!"

"You're not invited to this little party wolf boy!" Karan shot a ball of fire at them, which they dodged with relative ease.

"I got involved the minute you kidnapped the girl!" Koga charged, taking out multiple cat demons along the way.

As he charged after them, Gohan appeared in front of him "Sorry I'm late. I got sidetracked by a bunch of cats."

Koga smirked "Took you long enough."

They continued after them, before they found themselves in a dead end.

"Kagome!" Gohan shouted, his voice echoing throughout the valley

"Where are you?" Koga called out "Say something! Can you hear me? Damn! It's like their scents just vanished! Just like with Naraku's barrier."

As he said it, the gears clicked in Gohan's mind, and he drew the Ryuuga "They've got a barrier." and he summoned the fire and earth properties, which then combined into one larger form "Dragon Magma!" the massive lava dragon sliced through the barrier, dissipating part of it.

Not wasting any time, Koga and Gohan sped forward "Not bad, Gohan. We haven't got any time to waste."

"The castle was being protected by a barrier. The Ryuuga can slice through it by using 2 elements simultaneously. You know, Koga, if you use your cyclone and the Goriashi's electrokinesis simultaneously, you might be able to break through a barrier."

"Not a bad idea. Now let's go, we don't have any time to waste."

They had to hurry and save Kagome.

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They found a village surrounding the castle, completely deserted.

But not for long.

They were surrounded by dozens of cat demons, along with Karan.

"Koga, go on ahead! I've got this!" Gohan told him

Koga nodded "I'll leave this to you." he sped off.

The cats had strength in numbers, but Gohan had the advantage once Inuyasha and the others arrived.

"You certainly are impatient." Karan taunted "You've got some nerve, bursting in our barrier like that."

"Where's Kagome?" Gohan snarled

Karan just chuckled "Don't worry, she's safe. When the full moon is directly overhead, that's when he plan to sacrifice her to our master. Naturally, you'll be joining her." she unleashed a smokescreen, weakening Inuyasha.

This was interrupted when Sesshomaru made a flashy entrance with the Tokijin "What is the meaning of this, Karan? Is it me you have business with, or these people?"

Karan merely smirked "The elder brother has arrived. Your timing couldn't have been better. Sons of the dog leader, wielded of the Ryuuga, we'll be waiting at the castle." they departed.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha snarled

"Just what I was thinking, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru replied evenly "Leave while you can. Son Gohan, I will require your assistance to combat this foe."

Gohan nodded "I was already planning on slaughtering them. Kagome's been captured by those demons."

"I will see you at the castle, Son Gohan." he departed

At that moment, Hachi showed up with Myoga "Master Inuyasha, I've come to lend my assistance. Something tells me this has to do with the Great War your father raged many eons ago."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow "Eons ago? I thought the badger said it happened 50 years ago?"

Myoga shook his head "It was long before that. It was when your father was still in the western province. The panther tribe of cat demons attacked the west, and tried to conquer all other demons. But your father stepped in in order to stop them. The panther tribe leader was an enormous cat demon. Your father protected his men, and battled the demons. Naturally, it was your father who emerged victorious. The other demons who escaped domination by the panther tribe were extremely grateful. However, a cat's anger runs deep, and they cursed your father and his family for all eternity, and swore that they would one day get their revenge. Like you, lord Sesshomaru did not participate in the Great War either. But I'm certain the cats are coming after him to get their revenge."

"And where were you during this?" asked Gohan

"Naturally I was watching over his home while he was away. Farewell!" he fled.

Almost immediately after, they were attacked by Karan once again, her demonic pyrokinesis proving to be quite the challenge for Gohan's Dragon Cyclone,.

That is, until he started using the wind and water elements simultaneously, creating the ice element.

Then it was easy.

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Koga and his men found themselves lost in a forest "Damn! No trace of Kagome or Gohan anywhere! Where could those rotten cats have taken her anyway?"

"You must be Koga of the demon wolf tribe." a voice called out as Royakan emerged from the trees.

Koga eyed him in surprise "You're Royakan. The guardian of the forest. What're you doing around here, anyway? What do you want?"

"That's what I'd like to ask you." Royakan replied evenly "You're not accompanying lord Sesshomaru are you?"

Koga shook his head "Never heard of the guy."

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Sesshomaru was confronted by Toran "You summoned me to come. Now let me see this so called master."

Toran shook her head "All in good time, once the preparations are complete. In the meantime, won't you stay here with me?"

Jaken then admirably tried to defeat her with the staff, but was unsuccessful.

Sesshomaru then drew Tokijin to mob at Toran and her ice powers.

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Inuyasha and Gohan were combatting Karan and her fire powers.

Miroku and the others were defeated by Shuran and his lightning powers, captured, and brought to the castle.

Now only Gohan, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Koga stood to defy the Panter Tribe.

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Sesshomaru recalled what had happened the last time the panther demons emerged. They had showed up 50 years before, looking for revenge. Royakan and several other demons had offered their assistance to him to combat the threat.

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Royakan was explaining to Koga and his men about what had happened from his perspective.

Koga, not caring about what had happened in the past, used the Goraishi and figured out that the forest was a trap made by Shunran, before she retreated.

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In the castle, Miroku and Sango were thrown in the same prison as Kagome and the townspeople, and they explained what had happened.

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Gohan and Inuyasha had gotten separated, and Gohan was saving Jaken from multiple cat demons "Hey. Have you seen my friends or Inuyasha around here?"

Jaken shook his head "No, but do you know where lord Sesshomaru might happen to be?"

"Haven't seen him. Why is he here anyway? What does this have to do with him?"

"His father waged war against the panther tribe a long time ago."

"I know. Myoga told me. But I thought Sesshomaru didn't even fight in that war."

"He didn't. At least not that war. The panther tribe showed up again 50 years ago, bent on revenge. His father had passed on, but they came to ravage the countryside and kill his people. But at that time, Inuyasha wasn't much help."

Gohan looked at him blankly before realization dawned on his face "So that happened while Inuyasha was under Kikyo's spell."

"Exactly. Of course, lord Sesshomaru had never expected Inuyasha to come to his assistance. But victory would've been so easy if we had the Tessaiga."

"Alright. Get on my back. We're going to the castle. Sesshomaru and the others should be headed there. We can rendezvous with them."

And they set off for the castle.

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Toran was preparing the ritual to revive their master.

Sesshomaru was confronted by Karan, and then Toran after Karan was defeated.

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Koga came across Inuyasha, and they were confronted by Shuran.

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Gohan and Jaken were confronted by Shunran.

Gohan proved to be struggling with Shunran and her illusions.

"Son Gohan!" Jaken called out "Leave this to me! Behold the power of the staff of two heads!"

He used the fire from the staff to dissipate the illusions, revealing the real Shunran "Not bad for a little imp."

Jaken smirked "Your tricks can't fool me!"

Seeing she was outmatched, Shunran retreated.

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The four reunited at the site of the ritual, as a barrier was put up.

The time was at hand.

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Sesshomaru arrived, and found a barrier blocking him from entering.

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The panther King, or the skeleton, devoured the jewel shards.

"KAGOME!" Koga roared as he summoned his cyclone and the Goraishi, barely breaking a small part of the barrier for him to get through, allowing him to free the people.

At that moment, Gohan showed "You picked the wrong day to mess with me and my friends! Dragon Magma!" he summoned the lava dragon, dissipating the barrier, much to the surprise of the panther demons.

Gohan then turned to Sesshomaru "Sorry to keep you waiting. Hey Jaken, here." and he tossed him a Ryu scale "After today, you've earned it."

Not willing to wait, the panther King devoured the souls of Karan, Shuran and Shunran, restoring him to his former glory.

"Sons of the dog general! Wielder of the Ryuuga!" He hissed "You're next!"

The Panther King proved to be no joke. He was taking on Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Gohan and Koga all at once, and barely breaking a sweat.

Gohan turned to the others "Inuyasha, Koga, Lord Sesshomaru, I've got an idea to take this thing down. On my signal, we've got to hit him with our strongest attacks all at once. Lord Sesshomaru, I know you're thinking what I'm thinking."

They nodded.

Gohan's eyes turned forest green, his hair suddenly flashing crimson, the scales on his Ryuuga glowing crimson as he pointed his blade at the Panther King "Now!"

"Dragon Flash!"

"Dragon Strike!"

"Backlash Wave!"

"Wolf Hurricane!"

The combined attacks hit him dead on, nearly completely obliterating him.

Sesshomaru then threw the Tenseiga through his gut, reviving the three panther demons, allowing the combined attacks to finish him off, leaving nothing but the jewel shards behind.

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The other panther demons regained consciousness "What happened? I was sure the master killed us all."

"You can thank lord Sesshomaru." explained Jaken "Your own master took you lives, but lord Sesshomaru used his sword the Tenseiga to bring you back to life." He then took off after Sesshomaru.

Gohan appeared behind them "So, you guys want to pick up where we left off?"

Toran smiled and shook her head "No. We shall return to the west. This is finished. There's no reason for us to seek revenge. You can tell Sesshomaru I said that."

"Alright. But before I go, there's just one thing." He then punched all of them repeatedly very hard "That's for kidnapping Kagome."

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Sesshomaru was about to depart, but thought of something "Son Gohan, at the panther tribe's fortress, you transformed during the battle. What was that transformation?"

Koga blinked "Yeah, and you seem way stronger now too."

Gohan sighed "I guess it's time. Koga, Sesshomaru, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Inuyasha, there's something I've been keeping from all of you. Something only Kagome knows of. What I'm about to say might change what all of you think of me, but you deserve to know." and he launched into the same explanation he gave Kagome, about the Dragon Balls, about the Saiyans and his blood, and how he and his friends and family had been the ones to kill Cell.

Everyone was jaw-dropped, but that was understandable.

Sesshomaru, however, seemed thoughtful "So that's what the prophecy meant by a being neither human nor demon."

Koga smirked "Well it makes sense, no wonder a human could hold a candle to me. But as long as I get a decent fight, I'm cool."

Inuyasha shrugged "I'm half-demon, so who am I to judge? Besides, you've saved us all loads of times, so why would we complain?"

Everyone agreed.

Gohan blinked back tears of relief "Thank you."

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A few days later, Naraku made his move.

He had Kagura kidnap Rin, and left Jaken to inform Sesshomaru.

As he did, one of Naraku's puppets appeared "Let me reassure you, Sesshomaru. If you heed my request, I shall return Rin in good health."

Sesshomaru glared at him "We meet again, Naraku. So, what do you have up your sleeve this time?"

"Nothing special." Naraku replied nonchalantly "I simply want you to kill Inuyasha and Son Gohan."

Sesshomaru glared at him before using Tokijin to decapitate him, but it was nothing more than one of his demon puppets.

Sesshomaru and Jaken then departed for their destination.

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In Kaede's village, Inuyasha and Gohan sensed something, and ran out of the hut to confirm it.

Gohan sensed it and turned to Inuyasha "You feel it too?"

Inuyasha nodded "Naraku's deliberately weakened the barrier around his castle."

With no need to say anything, they all took off, with Gohan and Inuyasha in the front of the pack.

However, nobody knew they were being watched as they advanced.

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Through Kanna's mirror, Naraku watched as Sesshomaru headed towards the castle, and saw that Gohan, Inuyasha and the others were heading for the castle as well, having sensed the barrier go down.

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"Are you guys sure it's Naraku you're sensing?" asked Kagome

Inuyasha nodded "I know that stench. This time, he's dead."

"He's gone out of his way to hide himself all this time. Why show himself now?' Gohan mused.

Whatever it was, he knew it wouldn't be good.

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Rin, having been whisked away by Kagura, regained consciousness in a hut surrounded by demons. Guarding her from the inside was Kohaku.

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Sesshomaru was making his way towards Naraku's castle, and stopped when he detected Naraku's barrier, which dissipated enough to allow him through.

Naraku was waiting outside the castle for Sesshomaru to arrive.

He didn't have to wait very long, until Sesshomaru arrived "You purposely leaked your scent to reveal your castle, so that I would follow you here."

Naraku revealed himself to Sesshomaru "Would you have come otherwise? I must inform you that the mortal girl you seek is not here in my castle. She would never be able to survive the airless atmosphere of this poisonous miasma. The girl is under my protection outside the castle walls. I assure you she is unharmed, for now."

"Naraku, do me the honor of at least recognizing that I am not here simply to save Rin."

"Of course. You of all people seem to despise taking orders from others. You will not kill Inuyasha or Son Gohan when told to do so, nor did you come to look for the girl. I realize that you are here to kill me."

Sesshomaru gave a tiny smirk "You sound as if you believe you've led me into your trap. Perhaps later I'll have you explain yourself. That is, if you survive the night."

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Another group was making their way towards the scene.

Gohan and Inuyasha went ahead to Naraku's castle, while Kagome and the others went after a jewel shard she sensed in another direction. They sped up their pace when Inuyasha began losing the scent.

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Naraku merely smirked "Lord Sesshomaru, I'm honored by your visit. So in return, I will gladly accept your challenge." he shed himself of his baboon pelt, revealing his new body: giant claws emerged from his back, along with several tentacles. The lower part of his body was made of body parts from various demons.

Sesshomaru merely scoffed "A collection of rejected demons. Is this your true form, Naraku?"

"True form? No, my body is far from being complete." he shot one of his tentacles out, which Sesshomaru dodged with ease, while Jaken ran off and hid.

Sesshomaru then drew the Tokijin from his waist, while Kagura watched from a distance, trying to figure out Naraku's plan 'I don't understand. How will Naraku benefit by Sesshomaru's death?' then her eyes widened 'Could that be what Naraku is planning?'

Needless to say, whatever Naraku was planning, it involved Sesshomaru, and it definitely would not be good.

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Kagome and the others were closing in on the location of the jewel shard, while Kagome realized the possibility of the shard belonging to Kohaku.

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In the castle, Sesshomaru easily destroyed several tentacles with the Tokijin "Naraku… You're such a lowly demon. You will never have the power or resources to harm me."

Naraku chuckled evilly as his tentacles regenerated and grabbed onto Sesshomaru's leg, before several more were destroyed "How long do you intend to keep up this ludicrous farce?"

Kagura looked on at the battle, eyes wide 'I knew it. Naraku is trying to absorb Sesshomaru into his own body!'

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Gohan and Inuyasha came across the barrier surrounding Naraku's castle.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha muttered "Sesshomaru's scent comes this far, but then it vanishes."

Gohan nodded "He must be inside the barrier." He then drew the Ryuuga "Stay back Inuyasha. Dragon Magma!" the lava dragon broke through the barrier.

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In the battlefield, Naraku sensed this and his eyes widened 'Who's there? Someone is breaking through my barrier! Kagura, after him!"

Kagura nodded and left.

"An unexpected guest, Naraku?" Sesshomaru questioned rhetorically "How very unfortunate for him. I assure you his journey here will have been in vain. By the time he arrives, you'll be dead! Dragon Strike!" he shot the attack towards Naraku, destroying another large part of his body, the remains gathering around him.

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Kagura came across Gohan and Inuyasha, only to easily be overpowered by their combined strength.

She fled as several lesser demons appeared, only for Inuyasha's Wind Scar to slaughter them all with ease.

The demons were as good as gone.

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Gohan and Inuyasha arrived at the castle, and found Sesshomaru completely engulfed in Naraku's flesh.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha snarled "No wonder you've been hiding your true form. You're dead! Wind Scar!"

In response, Naraku activated his demonic barrier, which was broken by the power of the Crimson Tessaiga, much to his shock as his body was ripped apart by the Wind Scar.

Gohan watched as he freed Sesshomaru from Naraku's flesh "Are you alright, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru nodded "You have my gratitude, Son Gohan. Naraku, ironic isn't it? To think your flesh that bound me to you would be my shield against Inuyasha's Wind Scar."

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Naraku unleashed his full power, his body growing twice as big.

"Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, let's go for Plan B."

They nodded, and executed the plan:

"Dragon Strike!"

"Wind Scar!"

"Dragon Inferno!"

The combined power of the three attacks shredded Naraku's body, before he engulfed himself in a cyclone of his own miasma "Lord Sesshomaru, I shall withdraw for now."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in anger as they turned a bloody Crimson "You fool! Don't think you can ever escape my grasp!"

Naraku merely chuckled "Sesshomaru, rather than transforming and hunting me down, shouldn't you be rushing to the side of that young mortal girl? Your companion Rin is with the boy named Kohaku. Inuyasha, Son Gohan, even you should realize the implications. I was so close to gaining control of Sesshomaru's full demonic power. And I would've succeeded, if only I hadn't miscalculated Inuyasha and Son Gohan's power." and with that, he disappeared.

Without a word, Sesshomaru took off in a burst of speed.

Jaken attempted to follow, before Inuyasha picked him up by the shirt "Alright, I want answers. What is going on between Naraku and Sesshomaru?"

"I'm under no obligation to speak to a half-demon like you!" Jaken snapped

CRASH! BANG! THUMP! WHACK! WHAM!

"I meant it's a terribly long story." Jaken corrected

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Gohan and Sesshomaru arrived in time to stop the brainwashed Kohaku from killing an unconscious Rin.

Kagome arrived soon after and checked on Rin "She's alright. She's just unconscious."

Gohan sighed "Let him go, Sesshomaru. Naraku's just controlling him with a jewel shard. He has no choice."

Sesshomaru nodded and set Kohaku down from the choke-hold he had him in.

Rin slowly regained consciousness "What happened?"

"Long story." Gohan stated flatly before turning back to Sesshomaru "Aren't you going after him?"

Sesshomaru shook his head "There's no need. Let's go, Rin."

Rin smiled and nodded as she turned to Gohan "Thank you. Bye." she departed with Sesshomaru

Gohan then turned to the others "Okay, anybody else as confused as I am?"

They nodded.

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They quickly met up with Miroku and Sango.

"So Kohaku ran off again?" asked Sango

Gohan nodded "Sorry, Sango. We couldn't stop him. If we killed Naraku, he might've been freed."

"Don't apologize. I'm just glad he's alive."

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A little while later, Gohan and Inuyasha were discussing the events of the battle "Where could Naraku have disappeared to? With an injury that serious, he couldn't be able to put up a strong barrier."

Inuyasha shook his head "His scent has completely vanished."

"And knowing Naraku, he won't reveal his scene like that again any time soon."

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In the castle, Kikyo was searching around, trying to find clues, wondering where he could've gone, and what he could be planning…