Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.


The stories continues, and it seems you all liked that last chapter! And so, allow me to reply to all of you!

PrincessAnime08: Thanks, that was my plan.

Elfen Children: Man, that fall must have hurt. But here is the next chapter so you don't have to jump again. (Maybe.) And as for Tenbatsu, it's a mystery.

The Queen of Water: Sesshomaru is not fully in live with her yet, but it cannot be denied that she is on his mind more often than other subjects.

NightmareOnElmStreetFan: Here you go.

Marsmiko: Thanks for the compliment; I shall.

Now, let the story go on!


Ch.28 Loss of Power

I watched from below as Inuyasha glared hatefully at Sesshomaru, who was wielding the Tetsuaiga. "Inuyasha!" Kagome called, and she began to run to him. I dropped down and stopped her, as did Miroku. "Hold it, Kagome! I'll go," he said. "Me too," I added. Kagome looked unsure, but nodded. We turned back around, and began running. "Killed by your own sword… A fitting end for you," Sesshomaru. "As if I'd let him take the Tetsuaiga!" Inuyasha thought. We moved in front of him, and Miroku said "I can't stand by any longer!" "Hey!" Inuyasha yelled, but I held an arm in front of him. "Let us handle this," I said. "That monk…" Sesshomaru thought, before looking at me.

"Yume, I shall say it again. Leave now. If you don't I shall have no choice but to harm you," he said. I froze, wondering he would really do that. Sesshomaru had pulled back his attacks before they could hit me, but I knew that if I pushed him too far not even that might stop him. Inuyasha growled, and pushed us aside. "Stay out of this, you two!" I shook my head, and we moved back in front of him. "You can't beat him alone," I said. "Hey, I want to be in front!" Inuyasha said. Jaken looked down at us from the giant demon. "Is this the monk that Naraku and Tenbatsu mentioned?" he muttered. He remembered how he said that traveling with Inuyasha was a young monk, and that he might even be more troublesome than the half-demon.

Jaken scoffed. "Ha! He's just a mere mortal! Lord Sesshomaru, allow me to deal with the monk. There'd no need for you to waste your energy," he said. Sesshomaru grunted. "Very well. I shall watch. But know that if Yume is harmed, you shall die," he said, before jumping back. Jaken stiffened, before nodding. Honestly, why was his lord and master being so protective of the girl? The only reason he could think of was that Tenbatsu had wanted her alive. He shook his head, before tapping the giant demon with his staff. "Attack!" he called. The beast roared, before reaching towards Miroku. "Everyone, get back!" the monk called. I realized what he was about to do, and hurriedly moved back.

Miroku pulled the beads from his hand, before reaching forward and calling "Wind Tunnel!" The cloth on his hand parted to reveal the abyssal hole, which immediately began sucking everything before it in. Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise and he stabbed Tetsuaiga against the ground bracing himself. The demon's hand was drawn in, and it struggled to avoid being completely consumed. Jaken ran away up its arm, saying "What's going on? Stop this!" Kagome smiled and cheered "Miroku, way to go! Oh, and you did great too, Inuyasha." "Gee, thanks. I can tell it was from the heart," Inuyasha said, his expression deadpan.

Sesshomaru pulled out the round hive Naraku had given him, remembering. "This is a hive of the Saimyosho, the Insects of Hell. You'll find them very useful in plugging the hole in the monk's right hand," he had said. "Time to see if he was right," Sesshomaru said, and tossed the hive into the air. It burst apart to reveal countless large bee-like insects with large red eyes. The head of the giant demon was almost sucked in when they began flying into the path of the hole. Miroku looked at them in shock as they rushed in, saying "W-What?" I looked, confused. Rather than get away, the insects were choosing to be drawn into the Wind Tunnel.

Suddenly Miroku froze and his eyes shot open in pain, before h cried out and fell back, sealing the Wind Tunnel. "Inuyasha, Yume… You must take over from here!" he said through gritted teeth. "What's wrong?" I asked, before the bugs rushed at us. Inuyasha growled. "Dammit! Iron Reveal Soul-Stealer!" he called, slashing the insects apart. A fireball appeared in each of my hands, and I threw each of them into the thick of the insects. They exploded and over a dozen of them fell to the ground, writhing as they burnt to a crisp. Sesshomaru frowned. At this rate, Yume would burn away all of the insects, giving the monk the chance to use the hole in his hand again.

It was then that he pulled out the gem that Tenbatsu had given him. "Hopefully this won't cause her physical harm," he said, before holding up the gem. It glowed faintly before bursting with red light. I gasped and stopped moving, suddenly feeling something very wrong. My body began enveloped in a red mist, before it was pulled away, being absorbed by the gem. As it did I could feel my strength being weakened as well. "What? No!" I said, trying to grab a hold of the tendrils of mist. But being mist, it slipped between my fingers. When the last of it was absorbed by the gem, Sesshomaru pulled back and looked at it. The gem was now fully red, filled with the power of my aura. "Interesting," he said, before pocketing it.

I tried to conjure a fireball but failed, and I realized that without that gem I was powerless. But how was I going to be able to get it back. Behind me Kagome was helping Miroku up, and I had no choice but to reluctantly do the same. I would be doing no good here. Sesshomaru watched me and felt the briefest twinge of guilt. His power was one of the most important things to him, and he had literally just stolen Yume of hers. "I shall give it back once I've defeated Inuyasha," he decided. "Are you alright, Miroku?" Kagome asked. "It seems I was poisoned… by the insects," he said. "Poison?" Kagome repeated. More insects flew at us, and out of reflex I drew back my arm before stopping. "I've got it! Foxfire!" Shippo called, throwing a wave of green flames at them.

They fell to the ground in charred heaps, and I said "Nice job, son!" He looked back at me and smiled. "I can handle small enemies like these. Just leave it to me, Mom!" he said confidently. Then another batch appeared from behind, and he yelled before running. I sighed and shook my head. Kagome stood and began to run back to the mansion we had come from. "Yume, you stay with Miroku! I'm going to go look for an antidote!" she called. I nodded and she left, while Inuyasha kept slashing through the insects. "Dammit! Miroku, you help out!" he yelled. Miroku smiled. "Sorry, Inuyasha. I managed to let those insects shut down my Wind Tunnel…" he said weakly.

Inuyasha stuck his claws into his arm before pulling them back out. "Blades of Blood!" he called, sending red blades at Sesshomaru. He easily blocked them with the Tetsuaiga. Inuyasha grabbed Miroku and turned to run, and Shippo and I followed. "Get your ass over here, Miroku!" he yelled, and he pulled him behind the corpse of the giant demon, the loss of part of its head having killed it. I was worried though, Miroku had said those insects poisoned him. Was he trouble? Granted I certainly didn't like the pervert, but he was a good ally in combat. Shippo looked back from above the demon, before shouting and jumping back down. "He's coming!" he said.

"You have no escape," he said. I wondered what to do. Now that my power's had been drained I could help in no way, and I it took was one swing of the Tetsuaiga to put an end to us. Little did I know that as Sesshomaru raised the sword, he was frowning. Now that she had lost her powers he wasn't sure if Yume could survive the blast. "This is the end for you. Die," he said, and he swung Tetsuaiga… turning just the slightest bit. Bands of pure destruction flew forth and ripped apart the demon, exploding. I cried out and fell back, but the blast didn't hit me. As pieces of the fallen demon rained down I looked at Sesshomaru, seeing that he had just slightly turned away from me. Was he trying not to hurt me?

Inuyasha crawled out of a hole he had hurriedly dug and glared at Sesshomaru, who chuckled. "Fool. You can run and hide all you want. You shall die all the same," he said. "Shut up! Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you something. If you're going to kill someone, make sure to do it right the first time. 'Cause if not, they have a nasty of coming back to make you regret it!" he said, jumping and clawing at his brother. He blocked with the Tetsuaiga, and leaped into the air when Inuyasha tried again. "I've had enough!" he said, and swung down. Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsuaiga's sheath and blocked, spark emitting. I watched, surprised. He was actually blocking the Tetsuaiga with the sword's own sheath.

Behind us I heard grunting, and I turned to Jaken finally make his way out of the ground. "Lord Sesshomaru almost killed me! His blatant disregard for friend or foe when he sets his mind to killing someone is even more fearful than his awesome power! I fear for my future," he said to himself. I stood and walked over, grabbing him by the head and walking back. He cried out in surprise and kicked his feet. "Hey! Release me at once, you stupid girl! I don't care if Lord Sesshomaru seems to be constantly thinking about you; I will fry you to a crisp!" he yelled. I stopped, shock registering. Jaken took that chance to struggle free, but the moment he did Miroku caught him.

"There's something I don't quite get. We've never yet before, and yet I have the feeling you brought those insects along specifically to obstruct my Wind Tunnel," he said. "Uh… we did?" Jaken asked. Sesshomaru smirked at Inuyasha. "You plan to block the Tetsuaiga with a mere sheath?" he asked. "This is no ordinary sheathe. You'll see that… when I use it to crack open that head of yours!" Inuyasha replied. Jaken suddenly struggled and managed to break free, and Shippo threw an assortment of toys at him. "Ha!" Jaken said, and knocked them away. "Smashing Top!" Shippo called, and he sent just that through the air. But Jaken knocked it away as well, and Shippo began to falter. "I'm not strong enough…" he muttered.

"Shippo, Yume, never mind me," Miroku said. I shook my head, instead dropping to one knee and placing my hands on Shippo's shoulders. For some reason I wasn't unsure, and said "Here, let me give you some help." I tightened my grip and channeled my power, and while I lacked my usual strength I felt something rise within me. It was that same power that I had felt just a few times before. A power greater than anything I had ever felt. I took a hold of that power and channeled it through my arms, and into Shippo. His eyes widened he said "Whoa!" before his body began to be surrounded with a red and gold aura. "Nice try, but it won't help!" Jaken called, and he sent a wave of flame at us with his staff.

"Now, Shippo!" I said. He nodded and jumped into the air, calling "Foxfire!" He waved his hand and sent his own wave of flame, only this one was huge, intense with heat and colored both green and gold. The two fires hit and pushed against each other, and Jaken grunted and leaned forward, trying to gain an advantage. But once Shippo landed back on the ground I put my hands back on his shoulder, pouring this strength I had into him before it could fade away. On the other side of the battlefield Sesshomaru raised Tetsuaiga and Inuyasha fell back. The older brother slashed and the other kept moving back. Sesshomaru kept on Inuyasha until he knocked the sheath from his hands. "One stroke. Just one more stroke," the demon lord said, before swinging down.

Suddenly an arrow shot from the side of the field and hit the Tetsuaiga. It glowed before turning back to its rusty state, and we all stopped fighting in shock. "Sesshomaru!" we heard Kagome's voice call, and we looked to her standing there with her bow in hand and an arrow nocked. "The next one's going through your heart," she said, aiming right there. "Kagome!" Inuyasha called. Sesshomaru looked at the Tetsuaiga. "That girl reversed the sword's transformation," he thought. Who was she? I was shocked as shocked, and we all stared at her as she held her shot steady.


For at least a minute we all stood there, seeing Kagome stare at Sesshomaru and he at her. "Don't move, Sesshomaru! I'll shoot your left arm off!" she warned. I frowned in confusion. Why his arm? Kagome stared at it, seeing a pink glow. "I can see it. Say goodbye to your Jewel Shard!" she said, and fired. My breath caught and Sesshomaru swiftly dodged, before moving towards Kagome. She gasped, and Inuyasha chased after. "Stop! I'm the one you want to fight!" he said, clawing at his face. He hit it glancingly, and Sesshomaru backed away until he landed a short distance away. Inuyasha landed in front of Kagome, and he smiled.

"You move swiftly when it comes to that girl," Sesshomaru commented. "Inuyasha! There's a Sacred Jewel Shard in his left arm. If I aim for that…" she said. "Stop, Kagome!" Inuyasha said bitingly. She did, and he continued "Sesshomaru's never been one to stand around a take a hit. You take care of Miroku. The remedies from your era seem powerful. Maybe you can save him." Upon hearing that Kagome nodded. "Got it," she said, and started to run towards us. "Kagome…" he added, and she stopped. "Yeah?" she asked. For once, Inuyasha smiled. "Thanks. Your arrow reversed the Tetsuaiga's transformation. Now I can beat him," he said.

Kagome blinked. Did Inuyasha really just thank her? She began to run back to us, and dropped her backpack behind the rocks. Was it a sign of weakness? Sesshomaru looked at the Tetsuaiga. "The transformation reversed by an arrow from a mere mortal," he commented. Then he closed his eyes and smiled slightly. "I guess the Tetsuaiga didn't take to me," he said. Jaken looked from where he had been. "Lord Sesshomaru appears to be wounded!" he said, before receiving twin punches to the back of the head. He turned to see Miroku and I standing there with our fists clenched. "Me thinks your earlier expression were more pleasing to the eyes and less menacing to the head!" Jaken said, rubbing the spot where we had punched him.

He started to scamper away, but I caught him and tossed him to Miroku. He caught the little imp, and said "Where do you think you're going?" "To… an early grave?" Jaken asked hesitantly. Shippo caught his staff and tossed it aside. "Uh-oh. With Mom mad like this, things are going to real ugly," he said. Miroku shoved Jaken against the ground, shaking him violently. "Now confess, you little beast! Where did you get those poisonous insects?" he asked. "Yeah! And what did you mean when you said Sesshomaru thinks about me?" I added. Jaken looked at me. "I've often caught him muttering ever since we came into contact with you all before, and sometimes I caught the name 'Yume. Every time I asked about it though, I received a blow to the head in response," he said, obviously unhappy with the recollection.

"And the insects?" Miroku pressed. "It was a pair of demons! I did see their faces, for one wore a cloak of red feather while the other had on the skin of a white baboon," he replied. "And his name? What was his name?" Miroku asked. "His name?" Jaken asked, thinking back. "He said they were Tenbatsu and… Naraku," he said. At that both Miroku and I gasped, and our fears were confirmed when Shippo said "Naraku? I must be the same demon you're pursuing, Miroku." I nodded, but something else was off. I was sure I had heard the name Tenbatsu before, but where? Back in my world, maybe? "Tell me where I can find him!" Miroku yelled, shaking Jaken further. "I know not where he is! And even if I did it would do you no good!" the small demon said.

"Huh?" I said, and Jaken smiled at Miroku. "The poison has spread through your veins and will soon take your life!" he said. Miroku winced, groaning. "Are you in pain, Miroku?" Shippo asked. "Pain's nothing! It is death that concerns me, and my wretched fate as a mere mortal," he said. "Don't look to me for sympathy!" he said. I looked at Jaken and glared angrily, while Miroku did the same. Shippo watched as we both preceded to beat him to a pump, leaving him with lumps covering his head. "I really need to keep my mouth shut," he said to himself. Miroku lied back on a rock. "The imp's right though. It's getting harder to breathe," he thought.

I didn't know how I could help. With my powers gone I had no way to heal Miroku, the source of strength I had used to help Shippo faded, and Sesshomaru still had the Tetsuaiga. What was I going to do?


The battle against Sesshomaru continues, and now Kagome had realized what Sesshomaru is doing. Can she and Inuyasha stop him?

Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding… or am I?)