It was still very foreign to her, her brother's newfound straightforward nature. In all her memories of him, he had been timid and shy, with no confidence in his own abilities, happy to remain in the background and offer support as needed. And now, after all the missed meetings and painfully brief encounters, it was as if a totally different Kohaku had come back to her, yet still showing the same sweetness she remembered glimmering in his eyes when he spoke to her. It dredged up mixed emotions, the most disturbing being that she actually liked the agressivness she was now seeing in him, a change that had come about due to Naraku's perverse corruption. Seeing it was another knife twisted in her back from Naraku, this gratitude he begrudgingly obliged of her.
No, Sango reminded herself. That wasn't all. There were her friends. There was Miroku. She owed all of them to that day as well. But in the case of her brother, it only mattered if they could defeat the one who started it all. And yet truthfully, deep down, she wasn't sure she could justify the rest of it if after all of their struggle, Kohaku really was fated to be just another casualty.
But life always managed to keep her hope alive. As if he too was being supernaturally drawn to the final decisive battle just like the rest of them, Sesshomaru had not been hard to track down. Riding Kilala high overhead, it had only been a matter of minutes before she and Kohaku had spotted the unusual grouping wandering slowly towards the remains of the Demon Slayer's village, most likely ultimately destined to where the pieces of Shikon were being congregated.
"Honestly," Sango thought, "for a demon who clames to have no love for his younger brother and no desire towards the power of the jewel shards, Sesshomaru certainly does tend to make a grand appearance at what ultimately became critical times in the grand scheme of things."
Unfortunately, in this case, it hadn't given them much time to think up a plan of attack. Even if Sesshomaru did tend to get involved at times, it didn't necessarily make him agreeable about it, and he certainly never had been one to take suggestions from mere humans, much less humans connected to the likes of Inuyasha or Naraku. Kohaku had been right about one thing, in order to accomplish the goal, their best hope was to try to sway the one human who did seem to have an uncanny influence on him, the little girl who currently was peacefully sleeping on the back of the giant two headed lizard. Still, she wondered, why on earth did Kohaku seem so sure that she would even be receptive to him at all?
"There they are," Kohaku affirmed as he nudged Kilala, signaling the large cat towards the ground.
"Wait!" Sango reacted frantically. "We need to think of a plan. We don't have any idea how to even approach him."
"There's no time for that anymore," Kohaku replied with a streak of pain in his tone. "The jewel shard is already reacting. Naraku is trying to call me back."
This silenced her instantly. If this was true, time wasn't a luxury anymore for any of them, drawing to the surface more questions and panics. Had Inuyasha and Kikiyo already reached where Kagome was? Even more, did this mean that they had already been defeated? And what about Miroku and his search for Koga? Was everything they had done and planned already completely futile?
No, she had to focus on the task in front of her. Because no matter what, this was a chance to save Kohaku. So as Kilala landed in front of the demon's group, she resorted back to her old demon slayer ways, she waited and assessed, watching for any sign of something she could use to help accomplish what she needed to do. She also sat a little stunned, as her brother calmly dismounted and approached the group's leader, shoulders back and head high, portraying as much determination and confidence as he could in order to be taken seriously.
Jaken's squawking could be heard clearly throughout the nights previous silence. "What do you want?! Naraku should know better by now that Lord Sesshomaru has no desire to align with him, even if the Shikon Jewel is nearly complete and-"
"Jaken, be silent," Sesshomaru's sharp command rang with more than a hint of irritation.
"But Lord Sesshomaru…" Jaken's voice trailed off as he too suddenly noticed the others accompanying the boy.
Sesshomaru, as usual, was quick to get to the point, his focus jumping back and forth between the siblings. "This does seem to be an unusual pairing, Naraku's errand boy and one of my brother's little accomplices. On whose behalf do you come, and what business do you have with me?"
"I come of my own accord," Kohaku replied with more hesitation than he probably wanted to portray, "to ask for your assistance against Naraku."
His response was curt. "I have no need or interest in assisting you, now move aside."
But Kohaku was not to be dismissed so easily. "Please, you have to know that the Shikon is nearly completed. If we don't do something now, Naraku will very soon obtain the power of the completed jewel."
Sesshomaru apparently wasn't swayed by this information, placing a hand on the hilt of Toukijin to display his impatience. "It matters not to me what power Naraku plans to obtain by completing the Shikon Jewel. I will not be so easily defeated by the likes of a half demon."
"You saw the power Naraku wielded at your father's gravesite," Sango called out, her own anxiety and impatience getting the best of her better judgment. "He was a match for you then, even without the completed jewel, and once its power is whole again, even that will intensify to who knows what degree."
Kohaku nodded. "If we allow Naraku to complete the Shikon, it likely will become impossible for any of us to stand against him, even united. You've seen his power as it stands now without the entire jewel in his control. Allowing him to have possession of it completed would be disastrous. Striking now in a way that Naraku hasn't anticipated is our only hope."
"How dare you suggest that Lord Sesshomaru is not capable of dealing with Naraku!" Jaken whaled at the boy, aiming his staff towards Kohaku. "Lord Sesshomaru is the most powerful-"
"Jaken…" Sesshomaru's irritation seemed to be steadily rising as he narrowed his focus. "My assistance to you would be a waste of my time. Naraku will simply strike you down. Your attack would be pointless."
"True, but we wouldn't be the only ones to fight," Sango replied, coming forward to stand beside her brother, watching closely in preparation to defend them both as the demon's hand tightened on Tokajin. And then something else caught her eye.
"You insinuate that my useless half brother has a chance against Naraku? You reside in a delusional hope. Get out of my sight before you waste any more of my time."
With a small wave, the demon motioned for his party to begin moving again, starting to walk away, but Kohaku wasn't done yet. "Then you know that Kagome has become the Shikon's new priestess, and Naraku already has her."
Sesshomaru stopped short. "Has she called Inuyasha as her Guardian?" he muttered softly, but with a notable hint of malace.
"It's uncertain. Naraku's timing was impeccable."
Sango stared at the both of them blankly, obviously confused and feeling somewhat useless in this battle of wills. How did Sesshomaru know all of this information? And how did Kohaku know to use that as part of his persuasion? But despite her mind's barrage of questions, her eyes continued to be drawn towards the sheath at the demon's side, still not quite sure if she was seeing correctly in the darkness.
"If she has called him, then with the tools your father left him he might just have the power to win," Kohaku continued to hurl his verbal attack, but the demon wouldn't budge.
"He had the opportunity fifty years ago when he was the true guardian and he couldn't conduct his basic duties," Sesshomaru sneered. "Even if the girl has foolishly called him I won't allow him to disgrace our father's name any further."
"Naraku obviously thinks of him as a threat now. That's why he went to such great lengths to keep them separated when the priestess's identity was discovered. Like it or not, you can't ignore the fact that he's already involved. Guardian or not, it doesn't make a difference. He's going to try and rescue her, and if you really have no faith in his abilities, then it's in your best interest to help me remove this jewel shard from my back before Naraku uses it to force me back and completes the Shikon."
Sesshomaru stared at the boy who now stood with shoulders squared and a determined look, obviously ready to stand his ground with a fierceness that came from a position of having no other hope of survival. The boy he could understand, but the girl, she mirrored the same desperate eyes as the boy, as if her life too hinged on the fate of his. Was she actually willingly prepared to die for the life of one of Naraku's tools? The thought was absurd. Still, he had to give the young humans credit for his gall, not only attempting to stand up to Naraku, but attempting to use him in his plans, but therein was their mistake. The firstborn son of the demon lord would never submit to the lowly pleas of mere humans.
And yet, the slight quivering at his hip was steadily growing stronger, and irritatingly harder to ignore.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Kagura was used to the eerie and sinister old castles that Naraku often chose as his place of refuge, all rotting with the stench of death and malice reflecting the events that had occurred there in the distant past before they had been abandoned and labeled as cursed by the humans living in the area. Those places never had bothered her. Spirits and demons that usually resided in those places were mostly just bitter about something which had wronged them in the past, or they were just mischievous in a sinister fashion, out to cause misery for the simple pleasure of the results, whatever they might be. She had become accustomed to ignoring those types, or simply letting them know who the more powerful of them was. That, or simply just taking off to entertain her own fancy, as she felt was her own right as the wind.
This time was different. Naraku was keeping a tight grip on the comings and goings from the shrine, especially now that the enemy was beginning to arrive. And her current role definitely restricted her movements at this point in the game. Currently she was sitting holding her head, trying hard to block out the feeling of nausea that being here seemed to constantly bring over her. From the moment they had arrived here, something about the cave of the Shikon had affected her that way, a feeling that shot straight through to her core. It was as if the entire cave itself was alive, pulsating and oozing with an aura all its own, a lifeblood that only got stronger as the jewel became all the closer to becoming whole again, seeping its essence into everything around it.
And from what she could observe, it wasn't just her. It was making everyone crazy.
Kohaku had been missing for too long now, a fact that had obviously far beyond angered Naraku as was reflected through his still favorite weapon Hakudoushi who she had seen stomping towards the outside with his spear in hand and an irritated scowl on his face. Based on past observations, it had only furthered her own suspicions about the boy's loyalty, although she couldn't imagine how far he could get on his own, especially since as soon as the piece of shard was wrenched from his back, he was nothing more than a useless shell. If Kohaku had somehow found the power to rebel, it was far too late for him now.
And if that wasn't enough, moments later Naraku's other golden boy Kanota had stalked by, with a fierce and icy resolve exuding from his entire being, obviously consumed with one single purpose at that moment in time. But his expression wasn't the particular detail that had instantly struck her as strange, but rather the fact that before that point his entire existance had never seemed to have a willing purpose beyond Kagome. Come to think of it, since bringing her back from the future, she couldn't remember Kanota ever being further than across the room from their captive. With the enemy literally at their doorstep, what possibly could have driven him from her side now?
What on earth was going on?
Suddenly feeling strangely energized from her previous state, Kagura made her way down the darkened passageway, a smile creeping across her lips and a flurry of thoughts swimming through her head.
Maybe Naraku's perfect plans had a few unforeseen flaws after all.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
It had stopped him dead in his tracks, and the dead lump in his stomach sat heavy as he stared at the entrance to the Shikon's sacred birthplace. Briefly in the back of his mind he remembered being there before, and Sango telling them of the history of the jewel and her village's long history of protecting this site. In retrospect, it was almost sickening how ingenious Naraku's foresight had been that long ago to completely disable the demon hunters for this very purpose when all the jewel shards had been gathered, a point he couldn't help but acknowledge respectfully, albeit begrudgingly.
But that had been a fleeting memory. The only focus of his mind at this moment was the fact that Kagome's link with him had been reduced to barely a breath, just enough to know she was still alive, but nothing more. The rage building within him was borderline animalistic, taking huge amounts of energy to maintain control of his mind. With everything Naraku had done to put this plan into action, the last thing he had better do was to rush in into his enemy's territory in a blind rage. But he no longer had the time needed to strategize. There was no telling what he was doing to her, and he had no way of knowing whether Sango or Miroku had succeeded in stopping the other three shards from ending up in the enemy's hands. Any last grasp of hope lay in the fact that the Shikon wouldn't be complete until the last piece was wrenched from him, and the fact that his will to fight had never been stronger.
He glanced toward Kikiyo who looked as if all of her energy was focused on remaining upright. Her breaths were growing more ragged and shallow, her complexion graying, and her eyes losing their life. Despite all the revalations of the past hours, it was still hard for him to see, inadvertently resulting in a conflict of his emotions. One lesson definitely hard learned was that the past was difficult at best to leave behind completely.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked with a soft but genuine concern.
"I have a duty that must be done," she replied with the same cold determination she had always shown, but for the first time Inuyasha found himself doubting her ability to carry out her goals, a doubt which certainly wasn't helping him figure out what to do next. His attention flittered back and forth between her and the black cave entrance.
"Do you have any recollection of where he might be keeping her?"
"This isn't the same location where I was being held. Naraku would never allow his enemy that much of an advantage."
She was right. With as much precise planning as he had made, there was no doubt that Naraku had calculated each of their potential moves and had planned for whatever strategy they might have come up with. Undoubtedly he already knew they were here and was simply awaiting their next move. It pretty much left them with no choice, since simply standing there was accomplishing nothing for either side, and he couldn't risk Naraku forcing his hand by doing anything more to Kagome.
A trace of sound perked his ears, and he pulled Kikiyo down and away behind him hidden from sight. "Someone's coming," he mumbled, tweaking his senses to get a better clue as to who it might be while one hand remained gripped to Tetsusaiga ready for attack. His body tensed, ready for attack, with a brush of relief to have a purpose again, but just as quickly relaxed as the faint but familiar scent of ritual incense and the soft chime of Miroku's staff informed him that the approachers were not his enemy. He quickly signaled them to their presence, instantly noting one very important absence. Any other day but today, he would have been ecstatic.
"Has Sango come back yet?" Miroku was quick to inquire, well aware of the implications of their failed mission.
"We just got here too," Inuyasha replied, eyeing the two wolf demons. They kept a distance from the rest of them, looking nervous and lost without their leader. "So Naraku for sure has Koga?"
"Ginta and Hatkagu were there when Hakudoushi came and took him," Miroku confirmed. "With Kohaku already under his control, our shard is the only one he has left to get."
"And that means we're all targets until he figures out which one of us has it."
"But if that's where Kagome is, won't we be essentially walking the jewel shard right into his hands by going in to rescue her?" Miroku pointed out.
"It's my responsibility to get her back," Inuyasha stated flatly. "The rest of you have no obligation to put yourself in danger."
"Maybe not," Miroku smiled, "except for that it's Kagome who's trapped in there, and I don't think there's anything you can say to us that'll keep us from helping rescue her any way that we can."
He was right, the group of nodding faces only further confirming the fact. Even Shippou who had been uncharacteristically silent upon his group's return looked back at him with a fierce determination in his eyes. He wasn't the only one who was ready to place his life on the line for her, just as she would fervently do the same for any of them. The wolf demons nodded just as eagerly, ready to help in whatever way they could for their "sister".
Kikiyo, who had been silent up until this point, was now leaning hard against a tree trunk just to stay upright, her breathing more and more shallow. She took quick advantage of the lull in conversation, knowing full well it would be the only time she would be heard. Drawing as much strength to her voice as she could manage, she held up the further darkening shard. "It's in our best interest to try to get the last untainted jewel shard to Kagome. She can use what power it has left as a resource to strengthen her."
"Can she still repurify it even with all the other shards tainted?" Miroku asked.
"It's possible, but it will take a great deal of energy to fight the jewel's desire for symbiosis." She let out a small cough. "But as the jewel's priestess, good or evil, she has a connection to it that allows her to draw out its power to her as needed."
"But if the jewel is evil," Shippou whimpered, "does that mean that Kagome will become evil too if she has to use evil energy?"
"No Shippou," Inuyasha said softly, his mind finally making the connection as to why the jewel had chosen her over everyone else to take Kikiyo's place. "Kagome wouldn't allow it. She'd never allow herself to be possessed by evil. She'll fight with everything she has before she'd allow that."
"He's right," Miroku nodded. "Even Naraku couldn't posess Kagome's soul when he tried to use her to find the last jewel shards."
"But that still doesn't mean we have time to just stand out here. Who knows what Naraku is doing to her while we just sit here."
Despite everyone's concurrence to the fact, there was only a painful silence in response to Inuyasha's passionate declaration until finally the monk firmly planted his staff on the ground and eyed each one in the group. "Look, no matter how long we sit here, we're not going to come up with any plan that's going to outwit what Naraku has already set into motion, so we need to work with the only advantage that we do have, and that is that we have the one and only thing that will complete things for him." All attention was on him as Miroku's focus began to wander off to the distance while his mind started pulling things together. "Really, the only thing we can do is to keep him guessing as to where the jewel shard is. It might be the only way to buy enough time to get to Kagome and get her free, and if any unforeseen problems arise, we can retreat and regroup with a better knowledge of what we're up against."
Heads were nodding slowly with a small relief of the semblance of a plan, except for Inuyasha who clenched a fist tightly. "There won't be any unforeseen problems. I won't leave that cave before I get Kagome away from that bastard."
But the words had no sooner left his lips when a small moan was heard and out of the corner of his eye a flash of red, white, and black slumped towards the ground. Instinct drew him straight to her, supporting her head against his shoulder as he watched her struggling to take even a small breath through lips that were nearly as pale white as her face. He didn't even try to mask his concern. "Kikiyo, are you alright? Don't try to move. I've got you."
When she did speak, her voice was barely above a whisper. "The shard's draw to evil is becoming too much for me to handle. I must get it to Kagome soon, before it's too late."
"There's no way I'm letting you go in there like this," he responded firmly, but even in her fragile state, her expression of determination spoke otherwise. He sat holding her, looking for any break in her composure, but inwardly he knew that her mind was set to what she had to do, just as his was. Their ties to the Shikon were unbreakable, even when it came down to life and death, but while he was completely prepared to lay down his life for Kagome and even protecting the Shikon, it was still difficult to accept the fact that he was going to have to lose Kikiyo again to do it.
It was Shippou's sudden gasp that broke the spell. Instantly his head snapped around as his free hand found its way to his sword. The tension already present within his body intensified the instant he saw him, the one who had kidnapped Kagome that night, staring directly at him as he held up Kikiyo, a look of pure hatred in his piercing blue eyes.
"You," he said in a low and threatening tone. "You have no right to even think of calling yourself her guardian."
The fervent loathing in his glare was matched if not outdone by Inuyasha, who suddenly in that moment was oblivious to the presence of any other person but Kanota floating in the air above him. "I don't know who think you are, but you should be enjoying your last breaths while you can."
No one moved, save for Shippou's uncontrolled quivering from behind Miroku's robes, but it was obvious who this stranger had come for, and that their comrade not only seemed to know this stranger from somewhere, but was more than eager to comply with exactly what he seemed to want. Still, as he observed the situation closely, waiting for someone to make a move, Miroku couldn't help but be struck by the numerous physical similarities between the two, only adding to his curiosity and confusion. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to provide a distraction. "What do you want with us?"
Inuyasha was instead the one to respond, never taking his eyes off of Kanota as he stood up, supporting Kikiyo to her feet as he rose. "Miroku, take Kikiyo and go on. I'll follow you after I take care of this bastard personally."
There was no room for questioning in his tone. The two wolf demons responded quickly, helping Kikiyo away from imminent danger and towards the mouth of the cave where Shippou was already waiting. Miroku followed tentatively, watching for any sign that the assailant might suddenly make a move on the jewel shard that the priestess still clutched tightly in her hand, but like Inuyasha, his eyes never left his proclaimed enemy. It was Inuyasha, however, who made the first move, drawing Tetsusaiga out and standing at the ready. Miroku blinked, staring at the sword which already shimmered with the deadly diamond-like projections of its Kongōsōha attack. Every single one of them was as black as the Shikon shard. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice.
He knew better than to stay there any longer. Miroku immediately turned and ran full speed towards the others and disappeared into Midoriko's cave.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
No one who was watching from the outside seemed to know what to make of this situation. Even Jaken who usually was ready to squawk his opinion about everything sat utterly silent, watching the standoff between the boy and the demon as neither one seemed willing to back down. The tension even seemed to be disturbing En and Un who snorted and stamped, but stopped just short of crying out. Sango, who was used to moments like these where it was necessary to wait and watch for the opportune moment to strike was also at a loss. Clearly this battle had become Kohaku's alone to win or lose. But the longer they stood facing off, the greater the sense of urgency she could somehow perceive radiating from her brother. The jewel was reacting, and it was obviously taking all of his reserves to fight against it. Yet strangely, almost as a reflection of Kohaku's increasing endeavor, the Tensaigua was growing more and more forceful in its own push for attention. If even she could see it, how on earth could Sesshomaru act as if he wasn't even carrying it?
This was getting them nowhere fast. Kohaku had done well up to this point, but time was no longer a luxury for anyone. Sango quickly weighed the odds in her head. She was no match for Sesshomaru. Even her best and most calculated distance attack would easily be struck down by the demon lord. An attack on Jaken would probably be a waste of time based on past experience, since Sesshomaru never really seemed to care what happened to his irritating little devotee. Really, the only one who could probably get a reaction out of Sesshomaru was Rin, but attacking an innocent sleeping girl was completely out of the question, and any movement from either of them towards her would probably be registered as a threat by the rest of the party and responded to in kind, which was exactly what they didn't want. The chances of either of them getting through the others to her to wake her up were fairly slim, and yet at this point Rin was their best chance for success. And despite all their activity, the little girl seemed content to dream away on the back of the giant lizard.
As it turned out, plans were made for her. When something did finally happen, it was so quiet that Sango almost missed it. The miniature form of Kilala darted off in the tall grass, using the wind to conceal her movements from the enemy as she made her way towards them. Sango almost cried out after her but held silent, afraid that any disruption might draw attention to the tiny cat demon, since it was quickly obvious that she was the only one who had noticed the movement. As if she didn't have enough to spend this time fretting over, this added another element to send her thoughts on insanity. What on earth could have caused Kilala to take off like that? She had never known her to be impulsive like that, and the cat demon was not one to run from battle, much less one that hadn't even begun.
But Kilala thankfully wasted no time in executing her plans. Just as quickly as she had disappeared, she darted out from the brush, running full speed towards the two headed lizard in full size form. With precision and grace she skillfully weaved between the legs of the beast, taking him and everyone else by surprise. Wide eyed, the creature stamped, shaken by the sudden interruption, and bucked upwards, forgetting momentarily about the cargo on his back. For Sango, the whole scene almost seemed to play out in slow motion while she herself stood frozen, unable to make her body respond, or even make a sound other than the sharp intake of a breath. Kohaku too had donned a wide-eyed horrified look as he realized what was happening, but it disappeared almost as soon as it surfaced as Sesshomaru effortlessly placed himself directly beneath Rin's trajectory with arms outstretched to catch her before she even woke up to know what had just happened.
Although, however it had finally come about, she was finally awake, rubbing her eyes with a yawn as if things like this happened every day. And Kilala, Sango noticed, had already made herself scarce.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she cooed, still only half conscious. "Is it morning already? Tell Jaken to get us some food. I'm hungry."
Sesshomaru didn't respond, but Jaken certainly did. "What do you mean 'get you some food'?! I have to be ready to fight for Lord Sesshomaru! I can't be deserting my post just to get you some food!"
The siblings eyed each other curiously, but Rin had already long forgotten her request as she noticed that their usual group wasn't quite alone. "Master Kohaku! It's good to see you again," she smiled. "And you're Miss Kagome's friend, aren't you." She flashed them a sweet smile, then yawned and stretched enthusiastically, contorting her body as she pleased with complete unwavering faith in her position, but her sleepy face soon contorted to a curious look. "Lord Sesshomaru, your sword is shaking."
His expression didn't even as much as waver as Sesshomaru continued to fix his gaze on Kohaku. "Rin, do you know this boy?"
The now fully awake Rin was obviously developing into a playful mood as she broke out into a wide grin. "When that mean feather lady took me, Kohaku was nice to me and protected me when I was scared."
This was also news to Sango. As the events of that incident began to slip back into her mind, the only that she seemed to be able to remember was how at that time she had once again run into her brother only to watch him soullessly slip away from her yet again at Naraku's beacon after almost killing Kagome. How she had almost killed him and herself in order to end their torment if it hadn't been for Inuyasha's intervention. Had he really been fighting for control of himself from all the way back then? He had almost remembered her even when she had completely given up all hope?
Suddenly a wrenching groan tore from Kohaku as he fell to his knees clutching his chest. Immediately refocused, Sango reacted instantly, running towards her brother's side, her stomach clenched in a nauseated knot as she couldn't seem to move any faster than slow motion. It didn't matter. Before she had even bridged half the gap between them a force threw her back, knocking her breathless and dizzy. Only with the most extreme effort did she manage to lift her head and shoulders off the ground, first locating Kohaku who was now completely curled on the ground with his hands gripping the back of his neck. From what she could tell, he was simply trying to endure.
And then she saw him.
"Well, that didn't take long," she heard him say, his tone snide with superiority. "I figured I would have to actually put some effort into looking for you, and instead I find you practically right outside. Really, you should just come when you're called and save me the hassle of having to come out and fetch you."
He didn't need to be riding the demon horse to be menacing. Hakudoushi stood leaning against a nearby tree, eyes closed, but knowingly aware of the fact that everyone with the exception of his quota was completely focused on him. It seemed to please him immensely.
Sesshomaru was curt and to the point. "What business do you think you have here?"
The demon spawn turned his head, eyeing Sesshomaru curiously. "So the older brother has come out to play too, has he? I don't really think you have any business being here, so out of the kindness of my heart, I'll let you move along." In an obviously mocking tone, he bent over in a bow, sweeping his hand out in front of him to point the way on.
The only movement Sesshomaru made was to put Rin down on the ground, where she instantly ran to Ein and Un's back for protection. "I believe the boy and I were talking."
Naraku's spawn frowned, obviously unamused. "And just what difference does that make?"
"It means you should allow us to finish our business in peace, or be prepared to suffer the consequences."
At first she thought she might not be comprehending what was going on correctly, but as the two demons suddenly squared off against each other, the tension growing more palpable by the moment, reality set in. Whatever holdups Sesshomaru had against helping Inuyasha were either long forgotten or no longer applied as he set his focus completely on Hakudoushi with an intensity that only came with battle. It was fast becoming clear what was about to happen here, especially as Sango suddenly noticed that the Tenseigua was no longer the sword that was humming with life at Sesshomaru's side.
Oh my god, there's fighting coming! Bloody senseless violence...and death to someone I hate. Yeah, you know who you are.