Chapter 11

Sesshomaru poised his arm and lashed out again at Inuyasha with his glowing whip. He was still brewing with anger, but it had become more controlled and fluent as the combat progressed. In the beginning, the monarch's pent frustration had tainted his fighting so badly that Inuyasha was easily able to avoid his rabid strikes. But now, with concentration returning, Sesshomaru was much better able to control his attacks and movements. Each assault continued to increase in accuracy, and Inuyasha's opportunity to counter became less and less. By the time fatigue started to work at his muscles, Sesshomaru had gained the upper hand and began to repel his sibling's sword-strokes with practical maneuvers instead of raw power and rage.

Inuyasha meanwhile continued his own attacks with a seemingly tireless vigor. He didn't care that his wind-scar strokes had tripled the size of the clearing, nor did he take even the slightest notice to Kirara's warning roars or Kagome's insistent attempts to gain his attention. His camine senses wouldn't hear anything past the din of battle or see beyond the white-haired demon that was his target.

Sesshomaru dashed to the side as another jolt of deadly wind energy surged from his brother's blade. The force of the blow missed him, but the recoil it left upon the land did not. Skidding hard for balance Sesshomaru seized hold of Tokijin's handle and pulled the elegant blade from his belt. As far as he was concerned, this battle should have ended long ago, and probably would have, had his anger not hampered him in the beginning. As he raised the sword in preparation it began to hum with building dark energy. The vibrations cascaded down the shimmering blade making Sesshomaru's hand and fingers tingle. Slowly he coiled the muscles in his arm, readying all his strength for the strike that would slay his little brother…

A jolt of invisible demonic energy froze Sesshomaru in his tracks and with it came a hauntingly familiar feminine presence. It pulsed through his head for only an instant, but it left a cold, numbness the monarch could never forget…even after two decades. Blinking his eyes hard Sesshomaru cast his gaze across the deep, shrouded forest. A soaring glint of black just above the tree line flickered momentarily past his sight before vanishing, but a glance was all he needed.

A surge of dread jolted adrenalin through the white monarch's blood enabling him to move. However before he got the chance to act, Sesshomaru felt the razor tip of Tetsusaiga come to rest across his throat. Moving only his eyes Sesshomaru stared down the sword into the face of his younger brother. Inuyasha wore a half baffled but none the less triumphant expression.

"Looks like you're losing your edge Sesshomaru…" Inuyasha stated in a "matter of fact" tone of voice. The monarch kept his expression neutral despite the urge to do otherwise, and shifted his gaze once again. Some distance away to the right of Inuyasha he could see the half demon's group of friends. All of them were watching with intent faces, save for the oddly dressed, brown haired girl; her expression almost perfectly mimicked that of the saber cat demon, who at the moment was growling in annoyance for being ignored. To the left of Inuyasha, at further a distance the monarch could see his daughter and Matyeo. The dragon, was seated in a poised crouch and watching the combat very closely. No doubt Matyeo was waiting should the need for his assistance arise. And next to him stood Shura… though it seemed will was the only thing that kept her there. Even from that distance Sesshomaru could see his child looked very ill, and she carried a half vacant gaze he didn't like.

"Do not try and disguise you're luck as my weakness little brother…" Sesshomaru at last replied to the still smirking half demon. Then in an eye blink he zipped out of Inuyasha's range an instant before the half demon was able to flex his arm muscles and drive the Tetsusaiga's blade into his throat. Sesshomaru ignored the resulting swears from Inuyasha and with a raised voice called past him "Matyeo! Come with me at once!" The dragon did not hesitate and was swiftly by his side.

"Father," now it was Shura who spoke, though her voice was distant "do you feel it too?" Sesshomaru turned in his child's direction and fixed her with a most serious stare.

"Shura you will remain here until I return is that understood!" the demon's voice harbored a hint of anxiety, but his gaze demanded obedience.

"Yes" Shura squeaked as she flattened her ears timidly. Confident his child would comply; Sesshomaru darted off into the forest, the emerald haired dragon running only a beat behind.

Inuyasha meanwhile was on the verge of having an angry fit. As second ago, he had Sesshomaru pinned…and the white haired bastard not only had the nerve to ignore him, but also leave the battle entirely!

"Hey wait a minute!" Inuyasha howled in the direction of his elder sibling "Where the hell do you think you're going! We're not done!"

"Inuyasha!" The half demon heard Kagome yell in a tone that was not only insistent but also downright annoyed.

"What!" bellowed Inuyasha as he pivoted around.

"I've been trying to tell you! I'm sensing jewel fragments" the girl informed him irately "They went in that direction a good five minutes ago!" Kagome raised her arm and pointed along the path Sesshomaru and Matyeo had taken. Inuyasha clenched his teeth tightly.

"ah of all the timing!" he growled in frustration. Had he not been so absorbed in battling his arrogant brother, he probably could have already gotten the shards. Sheathing his sword, Inuyasha sprinted in the direction Sesshomaru had taken. Kagome and the others quickly followed suit, leaving only Shura, and Rin to remain behind.


In a flurry of speed Sesshomaru ran through the forest, effortlessly dodging between trees and around logs. And with every step making the adrenalin within him course harder, his movements only grew faster….

Then suddenly, out of the corner of his eye the monarch saw a faint flicker of power activate at his feet. Swearing, the demon lurched his body hard in an effort to shy away, but not even his reflexes could match sorcery. Turning his body while he skidded to a halt, Sesshomaru looked swiftly back along the path he had just taken. He had hoped to warn Matyeo, so that the dragon could avoid the invisible trap and in turn help him escape from it. Unfortunately he misjudged the dragon's acquired speed; he had already passed the activating power, having sensed it an instant to late.

"Damit!" the dragon growled with a frustration surprisingly out of his character as he skidded to a halt "I should have guessed it was witch demons….no wonder I couldn't sense anything, they must have used cloaking spells." Sesshomaru didn't have time to comment on either Matyeo's inexperience or the craftiness inherent to witches, for in the next instant a red and silver blur darted past them.

"Inuyasha! Stop!" the dragon youth yelled while simultaneously extending a clawed hand and seizing the nape of said half demon's fire-rat kimono shirt. The force practically yanked Inuyasha off his feet and it left him gasping and furious.

"Wha'd you do that for!" snapped the half demon as he pulled himself free. The dragon just stared calmly and proceeded to demonstrate their predicament with the aid of a small rock. With a flick of the wrist he tossed the pebble forward several yards. A sharp flicker of iridescent blue and green unexpectedly erupted into the air, disintegrating the rock, and casting an eerie glow across a normally invisible dome shield wall. The jolt of light faded almost instantly, leaving the barrier completely unnoticeable.

"It's a magical barrier…a good one" Matyeo went on to explain, though by that point such a statement was rather obvious. Inuyasha merely turned up his nose.

"A barrier huh," he scoffed as he drew out his sword "no problem! I'll just use this!" Inuyasha flexed his wrists and a wave of energy shot through Tetsusaiga, empowering it for battle. Then in the next instant the sword hummed with another energy, and it cast a ruby-red sheen down the length of the blade. It was the sword's newest feature; an energy spell granted out of favor that had the capability to disrupt and destroy even the toughest of barriers, and the half demon was more then willing to bet it would work on this one as well.

As he raised his weapon and prepared to strike the half demon met with an unwelcome complication. The same green-blue energy bursts of magic that fed the barrier suddenly enveloped the Tetsusaiga negating its effect. Before Inuyasha could react further, that same magic cascaded over the swords handle and seared so painfully into his flesh, the half demon was forced to drop the weapon.

"Hey! What the…" was the only exclamation he could manage as he watched his treasured sword hit the ground. His shock was understandable; after all it wasn't every day that barriers fought back. However he didn't receive any compassion from Sesshomaru; he had expected as much from a witch trap.

"Fool, it's a magic trapping barrier," the monarch stated matter of factly "You're sword is useless inside it." His tone pissed off Inuyasha, who immediately shot a glare in the demon lord's direction.

"You could have told me that sooner!" the half demon pointed out, or rather yelled, sarcastically.

"Inuyasha!" the half demon turned abruptly when he heard Kagome's call and his heart sank when he saw all five of his friends, as well as a painting Jaken, had unknowingly followed him into the barrier. Great, now they were all stuck...and with Sesshomaru of all demons. Not to mention the jewel shards were probably fleeting away with each passing moment…

"Um…" Matyeo's unsteady voice gained everyone's sudden attention "everyone…I don't think we're alone…"