A/N: To avoid any confusion, Inutaishomaru is also Seihomaru. A name I gave Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father because Tōga or Touga'ou is not an official name. As stated by Rumiko Takahashi in several interviews, he was never given a name. The name Tōga which was supposed to be added to the English version of the movies was not approved by Rumiko Takahashi and thus removed from being added into the movie Swords of an Honorable Ruler. However, it has been added throughout all fiction and several fan-made wiki as his official name. It is not his name and I will not add it as one. Until Rumiko Takahashi officially gives the Inu no Taisho a name, all fan-made stories/fictions and authors are free to use whatever name they feel works and fit his personality. Please respect my decision to have Inutaishomaru and Seihomaru as his name for my fanfiction. 聖朋丸: Seihomaru means a sacred circle of friendship. 聖 sacred 朋 friend 丸 circle or round. Inutaishomaru is a name I had made years ago when I first wrote the draft Young at Heart, and rather than change it, I decided to continue to use this name.

For any further confusion on what is happening in the later chapters of this story, please reread the summary of the story. This is a side story that I have tied into Lords of the Night. Thank you all for reading Young at Heart and waiting patiently as I develop this story and my others that are still works in progress. Everything that happens from chapter 20 and on has not yet been written in Lords of the Night, so if you do not want spoilers (if you are reading that story) please wait until Lords of the Night has been completed before moving onto this one. Thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement. Now onto the chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Battle with the Neko-Youkai

Inutaishomaru approached the area the bat youkai and fox youkai had camped while they waited for him. He entered the clearing and peered at the almost empty camp silently before he stepped through the bushes. Sniffing the air, he could smell his son and the human girl close, but he couldn't see them. Tsukuyomaru's head turned and his eyes found his a small smile playing across his lips. Then his gaze moved to the two-headed dragon and the companion the Inu no Taisho had mentioned the day prior. Pushing to his feet he walked over. "Marioshi went hunting for some food before we depart."

Inutaishomaru nodded his head, his eyes once again drifting to the clearing. Turning his gold eyes to the bat youkai, he lifted a brow silently in question.

"They are playing at the small stream," Tsukuyomaru explained. "Over there." Just as he pointed, Sesshomaru and Nurie came out into the open. "Never mind, there they are."

Sesshomaru's face broke out into a wide grin and he ran over to his father, but he skidded to a halt when his eyes fell onto the new person sitting on his favorite dragon's back. The small mouth fell open in surprise. "He never lets anyone ride him."

Inutaishomaru smiled. "He is familiar with Nii."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and peered intently at the new youkai. "You're an inuyoukai."

Nii smiled. "I am." He confirmed. "Who might you be?"

Sesshomaru placed his hands on his hips looking quite taken aback with the question. "I am Sesshomaru-sama. Son to the great and terrible Inu no Taisho, lord of the western lands."

Inutaishomaru released a soft warning growl which caused Sesshomaru to lower his hands and head in apology. Nii chuckled. "You are full of fire, Lord Sesshomaru."

Inutaishomaru rolled his eyes. "Please don't encourage him."

'Inu no Taisho? Seriously?' Nii snorted.

Inutaishomaru shook his head and led the dragon to the middle of the clearing. Helping Nii slide off the back, he settled the shadow youkai close to the fire. "Once everyone has eaten, we must make haste to the western territory."

Nii inched a bit closer to the fire, the heat feeling great on his body. "I know I won't be of much help, but tell me about these cats."

Nurie kept hidden behind Tsukuyomaru's legs and buried her face in his knees. Sesshomaru kept his distance from Nii and watched him closely, as though not trusting him. Turning his gaze to his father he asked. "Who is he, father?"

Nii turned his head and smirked.

Inutaishomaru sighed. "He is a friend. Now, will you go get the pack?"

"Why is he riding the dragon?" Sesshomaru whispered.

"Because. The pack, Sesshomaru." Inutaishomaru grunted.

Sesshomaru took a wide circle around the clearing, keeping as much distance between him and Nii and the fire as possible. His eyes watched Nii's every move, which wasn't much, but he was almost certain that the new inuyoukai would pounce on him. "He is young, like Shōtaro." Oh, Sesshomaru knew how the older youkai were with their roughhousing and sparring. It always caused him to avoid them due to their constant teasing on how small and weak he was compared to his father.

Inutaishomaru turned his gaze to his friend who held his hands over the fire. "Young?" Peering intently at Nii, he realized that his friend had not aged at all while being in slumber for five-hundred years. His facial markings were the same as the day he had vanished, and his silver hair was still short, but slightly longer than it had been. The only difference to the day Nii had vanished to now were the vast amounts of black marks covering many areas of his face, back, chest and arms. "Hmph. He is older than I am, but hasn't aged a day." He mused out loud.

Nii turned his head and lifted a brow. "You have."

Inutaishomaru snorted and nodded.

'I can tell by the pups marking on his forehead that he is yours and Sukiaya's.' Nii stated silently.

'Indeed.' Inutaishomaru turned around and watched the forest and a few moments later Marioshi exited the forest carrying a large boar over his shoulder.

"Ah, Inutaishomaru." Marioshi grinned and dropped the boar onto the ground.

Nii snickered softly.

'Shush, you.' Inutaishomaru's voice echoed in his head.

Nii shifted around, using his hands to turn to stare. "Inutaishomaru?"

Seihomaru narrowed his eyes and he growled.

Nii placed his finger to his chin and he tilted his head slightly. "Wasn't that the name the crow youkai gave you?"

"Nii," Inutaishomaru warned.

"What?" Nii said innocently. "It's true, so why beat around the bush about it?"

Inutaishomaru knelt and began helping Marioshi gut the boar. All eyes turned to Tsukuyomaru's legs, however when a loud groan echoed from behind them.

Nii blinked. "Either your legs were just groaning, or I am hallucinating from being asleep for so long."

Tsukuyomaru chuckled and stepped away allowing his eyes to land on the human girl. The little girl shyly waved.

"Oh." Nii grinned. "Who do you belong to?"

She quickly darted back behind the bats' legs and Nii grinned widely.

Inutaishomaru walked over to the fire and skewered a hunk of the boar and shoved it into the fire and Nii stared horrified. "Ahh! What are you doing?"

"Humans don't eat their meat raw, you know that."

Nii snickered. "Forgot, sorry."

Once everyone was seated around the fire, Inutaishomaru watched as Nurie ate her roasted boar silently, glaring at all of them and Nii swallowed a bite. Lifting a brow, he watched her reaction and tried to hide his smile.

"Yuck." She furiously tore into her meat.

Sesshomaru glanced at her curiously. "Is your meat not good?" He asked. For a moment he paused and then passed her his, switching it for hers. He sniffed at it for a moment and then turned his eyes to the little girl.

Nii bit back his smile as Nurie looked horrified at the raw meat in her hands as it dripped blood through her fingers. Her eyes moved back to Sesshomaru who held hers in quiet contemplation.

"Eahhhhh!" She cried out throwing the bloody meat into the air, while both Nii and Inutaishomaru winced. Sesshomaru's eyes followed the meat flying through the air and drop to the ground with a plop.

"What did you do that for?" Sesshomaru moaned and whimpered at the now dirt-covered meat on the ground by his father.

"Disgusting." Nurie cried rubbing her hands in the dirt to clean it off. Grabbing her meat back from Sesshomaru she got up and stormed away.

Inutaishomaru grinned shaking his head. "I think the idea of raw meat is not as enticing to her as it is to us."

Sesshomaru glanced at his father and shrugged. "Is it better cooked?" He asked.

"I wouldn't know, Sesshomaru. I have not had the urge nor the pleasure to burn my meat before consuming it."

Nii snickered.

Sesshomaru blinked and crawled forward to snatch his ruined meat from the dirt. He stared at it longingly and whimpered again.

Sighing, Inutaishomaru reached over and swapped the dirt-covered slab of meat from his son's hands and gave him the raw hunk. Throwing the meat into the fire he watched as the dirt fell off and the meat roasted for a few moments before he flipped it out nonchalantly. Frowning, he sniffed at it curiously for a minute before lifting it to his mouth for a first try at the cooked meat the human's desired so much.

Nii's hand froze halfway to his mouth as he watched with wide eyes and the others did the same.

Inutaishomaru slowly bit into the scorched meat and chewed slowly, wincing at the charred taste. It took all of his control to allow his fangs to sink into it and taste it. Wrinkling his nose, he shook his head and tossed the slab back into the fire and quickly grabbed a water flask that sat beside him. Ripping the cork out with his fangs, he took a long drink and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Sesshomaru had watched fascinated. "Is it that awful father?"

Inutaishomaru swallowed and grunted as that taste now lingered in his mouth and throat. "It tastes disgusting. I am certain raw meat tastes the same for Nurie."

Sesshomaru handed the hunk of meat back to his father but Inutaishomaru shook his head. "Are you no longer hungry?"

Inutaishomaru sighed his tongue rubbing against his teeth trying to get rid of the burnt taste in his mouth. "I found that experience to be extremely unpleasant. I have no appetite now."

Nii snickered and bit into his meat.

"You find this amusing?" Inutaishomaru glanced at Nii growling softly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Nii chuckled. As he chewed, his jaw was starting to get sore and he sighed heavily.

Inutaishomaru lifted a brow and watched his friend carefully and slowly chew his meat. "Still sore?"

Nii grunted and swallowed.

"Risa said to use that remedy twice a day." Inutaishomaru stood up and pulled the chest out of the leather bags strapped on the dragon. "Do you want more now?"

Nii shook his head. "I know you are in a hurry to depart. When we stop next, we can use that stuff then." He attempted to push to his feet but his legs wobbled and he slipped back to the ground. "Well, shit."

Marioshi quickly helped Nii back into an upright position.

Inutaishomaru snorted. "Seriously, Nii? You know you have no strength yet, and here you are attempting to stand while beside a fire."

Nii grinned at him bashfully. "It's a habit." Shifting and nodding his thanks to the kitsune, he sighed. "So who managed to avoid this whole sleep curse thing? I assume that you defeated the twins because you are still standing here."

Inutaishomaru clenched his jaw. "Not here and certainly not now." He snapped spinning on his heels.

Nii frowned as he watched Seihomaru's stiff back and jerky movements as he repacked the leather pouch with the box and then he shook his head.

Inutaishomaru came back to the fire and kicked dirt into it and then roughly helped Nii up and placed him back onto the dragons back. "Sesshomaru, we leave." His father growled.

Sesshomaru ran over and danced excitedly on his feet. Nurie fell into step behind the dragon and beside her was Tsukuyomaru and Marioshi.

Nii shifted uncomfortably as he watched Seihomaru intently. It took hours for that rigid posture to finally relax and he bit his lip as he thought. If Seihomaru was still this riled up over mention of the twins that left him with the conclusion that he had not yet grieved over his daughter's death. He also had not had the opportunity to grieve and without knowing exactly who was still walking around, he decided to remain quiet.

Inutaishomaru slowed his walk and he looked over at Nii who was in deep thought. "Do not make mention of it again." He whispered.

Nii lifted a brow and looked at Seihomaru. "Oh?"

"There is only a handful left who know anything about what happened, and they have all been sworn to secrecy," Seihomaru said with an edge to his voice. "Do not make mention of my daughter. Sesshomaru does not know any of it."

Nii frowned again but nodded his head. His eyes moved to where the small pup was skipping along the dirt path. 'He has changed.' Nii said to Shuzo who walked beside the dragon.

Shuzo nodded as he watched Seihomaru move back into the lead. 'He is more like Kazuki now.'

Nii sighed and watched the trees lessened. They were older and thinner more sparse in this section and he glanced around him curiously. It was a section of the forest he was not familiar with, but if he were honest with himself, nothing looked familiar. By the time the day arrived, they stopped only long enough for Nii to get pierced with needles again and the little human girl to nap before they were once again on the path. For three days the same routine happened until Nii frowned at the darkened sky by the mountains. In the thick black clouds, it gave him a sudden chill, lightning flashed and thunder roared. 'Hells, this is just like the island.'

Shuzo warily watched the shadows and inclined his head, indicating he had heard his host. His eyes fell onto Taizo who walked beside his host, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Shouts and cries of battle erupted over the edge of the cliff they were on and Seihomaru snarled sharply his back stiffening. Nii lifted his gaze to his friend who was suddenly surrounded by a massive amount of youki and he gasped at the intensity of it. Lifting his arms to shield his eyes, Nii blinked when Seihomaru vanished in a thick pink cloud and when it dropped there stood an enormous dog, with blood-red eyes and snarling fiercely. Before he could say anything, Seihomaru was over the edge of the cliff.

The dragon moved to the edge and Nii got his first glimpse of the sankin kotai after five hundred years. His mouth fell open and he flinched at a large number of youkai fighting below. Sesshomaru moved excitedly to the edge and Nii narrowed his eyes, snarling.

Sesshomaru turned startled eyes to his and Nii pointed to the mountain wall. "Get your back to it."

Tsukuyomaru knelt before Nurie. "Stay here with Sesshomaru and Nii."

Nii's eyes lingered on the scorched battlefield and he sighed, wishing he had the strength to help. His eyes followed Tsukuyomaru and Marioshi who sprinted off towards the battle, leaving him with two pups to watch over in his uselessness. Growling at his ineffective position, he pulled one of his legs over with his hands, so he could slide off the dragons back. Using the saddle to assist him in standing, he bent and unbent his leg to get it working the way he wanted.

Shuzo shook his head. 'You do not yet have the strength to walk.'

'Then help me!' Nii snarled.

His youki stared at him for several minutes before he vanished.

Feeling a little more energy fill him, Nii managed to wobble unsteadily over to the wall of the mountain where Nurie and Sesshomaru sat crouched. Finally, his strength ebbed and he stumbled against the wall, catching himself against the rocky face. "Blast it." He cursed, sliding to a sitting position. 'Do I still have my daggers floating around in those pockets?'

'I do not know.' Shuzo's voice said.

'Can you look. They might come in handy.'

'Very well. Although I am uncertain what you can do with no strength left to hold yourself upright.'

'Just shut up and do it.' Nii growled annoyed. His attention was suddenly stolen by a sudden surge of youki and he gasped as it washed over him in waves of rage and anger. 'Seven hells!'

'That is not Seihomaru!' Shuzo appeared beside him and snarled.

Nii turned his eyes to his youki and he gulped. Without strength or knowledge of what was happening over the other side of the path in the deep gorge the sankin kotai was housed in, Nii felt helpless and worthless.

Loud cheers filled the air as he sprinted down the side of the mountain, headed right for a group of cat youkai who had cornered a few of his mate's guards. Descending upon them, he snatched one up between his teeth and snapped, breaking the cat demon in half. Flinging around and catching another, he bit deeply into her, feeling satisfied when she screamed in agony. Inutaishomaru dropped the half-dead cat youkai to the ground when he felt the surge of youki that signaled the arrival of their clan leader.

With a slow sauntering pace, Inutaishomaru turned to face the massive youkai who entered the gorge with so much confidence and arrogance, he bared his teeth in response. This wasn't the first time he had faced off against a powerful demon, and he almost grinned in excitement.

'You idiot.' Taizo snarled as he found himself face to face with a colossal being that left him breathless. It had been countless centuries since he had last encountered such violent energy. The last time was against the twins, but before that, it had been with his current host's father, Kazuki.

Inutaishomaru took a step and crushed the injured cat youkai he had just dropped, with his paw and he released a loud fierce snarl.

The cat leaders' eyes drifted down to his paw and it hissed and yowled in response to the agonized cry from the smaller being. The cat immediately sprang forward and Inutaishomaru quickly dodged the swipe to the side of his neck and he countered by spinning around and digging his teeth into the fur on the front foreleg.

The cat yowled and slashed with both his front paws, slicing through the thick silver fur and embedding its sharp claws deep into the skin.

Snarling, Inutaishomaru whipped his head around and slammed it against the cat, knocking him off balance. His eyes landed on a dark-haired youkai and he grinned even wider as it took the attention of the other cats who were coming to their clan leaders rescue.

Nurie held onto Sesshomaru's arm tightly, and she whimpered in fear. "It is so loud." She whispered.

Sesshoumaru frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Have you never seen a battle before?" He whispered back.

Nii snorted and crawled forward on his hands and knees so he could see what was happening over the edge of the path in the gorge below. He paused, however, when his eyes met deep purple colored pants and a set of skinny legs step in front of him. Snarling, Nii pushed back and squatted, glaring at the arrival of a female cat youkai. Sizing her up, she was young, maybe eighteen at the most.

Sesshomaru released a startled yelp and scrambled back causing Nii to twist his head to stare at another female, and Nurie, the small human girl gasped and quickly gripped Sesshomaru's shoulders.

Sesshoumaru swallowed and looked up at the amused look the cat youkai was giving him, and she tilted her head. "Oh, what do we have here?" She sighed. "A couple of stray puppies and a human girl. How interesting."

Nii snarled sharply and inched backward to put himself between the young and the cat youkai. The cat who stood near Sesshomaru turned her amused gaze to his.

Sesshoumaru released a soft growl from his sitting position on the ground, and he felt Nurie shift behind him, clutching his shirt tightly. Bending his knees, he jumped up into a crouch and moved backward, making Nurie move back with him.

The cat youkai looked at the small pup and laughed then, and walked forward. "What is wrong puppy? Are you afraid of me using you as a scratching post?"

Nii lowered himself ready to pounce on her, but he felt the orange-haired cat bend close to him whispering near his ear. "Now, now, don't spoil all our fun, little puppy. After we snack on the baby and the delicious human, we can have you for dinner."

Nii snarled sharply in her face. "Oh, you are sorely mistaken, thinking me a pup, you twit."

Sesshoumaru snarled louder, feeling more confident that his father's friend was with them, but still moving back until the wall of the mountain stopped his movements. Widening his eyes, he realized they were cornered. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

Both females laughed then and turned to face the silver-haired pup who moved to protect the human girl. "This is an interesting turn of events. An inuyoukai protecting humans. The Inu no Taisho's son no less." The orange-haired female grinned widely.

The green-haired cat gave her companion a startled look. "You're kidding!" She exclaimed. "Why would the Inu no Taisho's son be outside the castle?"

The orange-haired cat walked over to Sesshomaru who released another impressive snarl. Her clawed finger traced his jaw and then moved to the moon-shaped mark on his forehead. "This little one is the son of the princess and the great and terrible Inu no Taisho. Can you imagine the reward we would get bringing him to our clan leader?"

The green-haired youkai clapped her hands together in excitement. But her head whipped around when Nii released a warning growl and then she jerked back out of the way when a dagger whizzed past her head and embedded deeply into the stone of the mountain. Eyes wide in amazement, she turned her gaze to the crouched inuyoukai who glared at them. She swore she had not seen any weapons on the small silver-haired youkai. Looking at him, he had no weapons to speak of and she frowned.

"You forgot one tiny detail. Me." Nii snapped and allowed his youki to fill his veins with energy, giving him the strength to stand up without stumbling.

The green-haired female pouted. "Such a shame, you are an exquisite specimen."

The orange-haired cat reached out for the dagger but her hand met air and her eyes turned in surprise and shock.

Nii allowed a small smile to cross his face as he gripped the dagger in his hand.

"How?" Both females blinked at him and then shuddered at the deadly gaze the short inuyoukai gave them.

Faster than the cats could react, Nii flipped the dagger in his palm and flung it at them. The orange-haired youkai was able to get out of the way, but her companion caught it in her shoulder, being jarred back from the force of the throw.

"Hina!" The orange-haired youkai cried, springing to her companion's side.

Hina reached up to pull the dagger out of her shoulder but was once again left speechless when her hand met air. Her eyes met Nii's and widened when he raised his hand again and flipped the dagger that still dripped in her blood and sent it flying. "Yua! Abunai!"

Yua spun around but gasped when the dagger thudded into her chest and out her back landing into the stone of the mountain with a loud twang.

Hina hissed loudly as Yua fell over eyes glazed over and unseeing. Crouching, Hina sprang towards Nii but stopped quickly grabbing Sesshomaru instead. She held him by the throat squeezing tightly with a menacing grin. "Now what are you going to do? If you throw another dagger, you will hit this lovely little puppy."

Nurie released a scream into the air when Sesshomaru was ripped off the ground and she was shoved back roughly against the rocks of the mountain.

Nii snarled sharply in response. "Release him, and you shall have a quick death, cat. The last person you wish to anger would be Lord Seihomaru."

Hina blinked stupidly at him. "Who?"

Nii frowned. "Lord of the western lands, idiot."

"Lord Inutaishomaru." She grinned again, that other name she had never heard before. "Is that his real name or another that was given to him? The blasted dog has far too many."

Sesshomaru struggled against the vice grip hold on his throat but quickly lifted his hands to her arms, calling on that rush of energy to call upon the green stuff he had.

Hina hissed sharply when the pup's hands touched her arms and she dropped him to the ground, yowling in pain. Her arms were a brilliant red from where the pup had placed his tiny hands, and she backhanded him, quickly snatching him again as he stumbled to the side, holding his neck with one hand and his arms at the wrists with her other. "Not going down without a fight, are you, you little shit!" She hissed.

Sesshomaru bared his teeth the way he had seen his father do a few times and Nii. Hoping that it was just as threatening, his attention was stolen by a dark shadow that loomed above him.

Hina glanced up and grinned widely as two other cats dropped down from the ledge above the path.

Nii snarled and quickly flung his dagger, catching one before it could hit the ground, but the other one sprang at him and knocked him over.

Sesshoumaru turned his eyes to the cat who rushed towards him and he gasped when he felt something sharp and hot slice through his gut and he dropped to his knees yelping in pain, as Hina dropped him in surprise.

"You idiot!" She hissed at the female who had slashed at the pup. "This is the Inu no Taisho's pup."

"That is why we should kill him." The new cat grinned widely, her eyes on the struggling youkai who her other companion was on top of.

Nii snarled loudly, squirming to avoid the claws that slashed at his face, trying desperately to hold off the strong force of the cat on top of him.

Nurie watched terrified as the cat sliced through Sesshoumaru, and she screamed again, this time much louder causing the cats to cover their ears in pain. "Shut the brat up. She's going to alert the other dogs to our presence." Hina snapped at yet another youkai who jumped down.

Nurie clenched her eyes shut but the blow from the cats never came and she opened them confused. Tsukuyomaru had lifted them into the air dropping them onto the battlefield where he had been and the bat glanced at the children.

Nii pushed himself up, gasping against the strain he had used to hold off the stronger cat, but nodded in thanks to the bat. His eyes landed on Sesshomaru, and he scrambled towards the pup on all fours. 'Oh, shit!'

Sesshoumaru sat up clutching his belly and winced at the hot searing pain shooting through his body. Tsukuyomaru knelt beside him just as Nii got to his side and both youkai inspected the wound, quickly handing Nurie a strip of cloth, Tsukuyomaru commanded her to bind the wound and he vanished over the edge of the cliff to the battle below.

Nurie didn't hesitate and she tore Sesshoumaru's haori off and tied the cloth around his stomach clumsily. Wincing, he shoved her hands away and adjusted the cloth so it covered his wound. Leaning back against the stone he released a shuddering breath. He needed to be strong. Once his father was finished with his fight, he would come and take care of his wound.

Nii applied pressure to the injury and Sesshomaru hissed between his teeth. With his father's friend who seemed skilled with weapons, he couldn't show any weakness. How would they look at him if he showed them just how painful the injury was?

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru felt himself drift into the blackness that filled his every thought. Consciousness left him and Nurie cried out in panic as he slumped forward out cold.

"Sessy!" She cried. "Sessy, wake up. Please." Nurie begged.

Nii cursed under his breath and glanced around him for signs that more cats would come. Never having had to face against the Neko youkai before, he was quite surprised at how quick they were when it came to thought process.

Quickly pulling his fur around, he wrapped Sesshomaru tightly in it and pulled the small pup into his lap. With no supplies to bind the wound or any way to get the pup to safety, they were stuck there until the battle was over.

A bright flash of light almost blinded him and he narrowed his eyes to shield the brightness. He allowed a smirk to cross his lips, however, when the two-headed dragon came around the bend after burning another cat who tried to sneak up on them. "Can you take us to the sankin kotai?" Nii asked the dragon who bent his front legs to peer at the small youkai in Nii's arms.

One head swerved to his and inclined.

Nii grunted as he struggled to his feet with Sesshomaru cradled protectively in his arms. A soft groan came from the tiny lips and Nii sighed. "I'll need you to lower a bit."

The dragon quickly went down and watched as Nii awkwardly got onto the dragon's back. Nurie worriedly worked her hands together as she watched. Once Nii was on the dragon's back, Nurie wondered suddenly if she was going to be left behind.

Nii glanced at her. "Come child." He gave her a small smile. Holding his hand out for her to take, Nurie gripped it and eeped when she was pulled up behind him. "Hold on tight." Satisfied that Nurie gripped him tightly around the waist, Nii nodded to the dragon's head that watched him. "We are set."

The dragon released a roar and flung into the air, and Nii gasped, tightening his grip on Sesshomaru. Nurie's arms tightened even more around him.

Inutaishomaru's attention was drawn from his battle with the cat clan leader only for a moment when the roar of his dragon filled the darkness surrounding them. It was enough of a distraction for the cat to get a sneak attack at his side. Immediately he felt the saliva seep into his skin and he snarled fiercely, latching his jaws around the cat's neck. Pulling his head down, he dislodged the cat from its advantage of being taller and sent it sprawling to the ground. The cat was quickly on his feet with his agility and it spun on him again.

The cat twisted in such a manner that Inutaishomaru would never be able to mimic and once again slashed its razor-sharp claws in his side. Growling, Inutaishomaru swung his head again and sent the cat stumbling backward from the force. Faster than he could react, the cat sprang at him, catching him off guard, even despite Taizo's warning, and he caught those sharp needle-like claws in his upper leg which caused him to stumble. The other paw slashed at his side again and caught his side, slicing through flesh easily.

'Seiho-' Taizo warned.

Snarling in rage, Inutaishomaru twisted his own body to distance himself from those sharp claws, and then released a loud howl into the air. Calling on his reserved energy, he sprang forward and used both his front legs to tackle the larger cat demon. They rolled on the ground, crushing several cats who got in the way. Claws, teeth, and snarls got lost in the tumble, and Inutaishomaru quickly dug his jaws into the cat's neck.

The cat yowled and kicked with his back legs, trying to dislodge the vice grip the dog youkai had on his throat. Those jaws didn't loosen but only got tighter as they bit down hard. Frantically, the cat pulled back and ripped his neck out of those iron grip jaws. He felt his fur tear and muscle and tendon pull as he ripped away, quickly scrambling to a safer distance.

Inutaishomaru clenched his eyes shut as the cat forcefully jerked away pulling one of his fangs out with it. A sudden wave of dizziness came over him and he lurched to the side, his legs failing him as his strength faltered. Falling heavily to the ground on his side, he turned his gaze to the cat who frantically clawed at his neck as it bled profusely. It lifted his muzzle to the sky and yowled, causing the other cats to stop and turn to stare.

A large dark form descended in front of Inutaishomaru's gaze and he struggled to get himself upright. The cats raced towards their clan leader, and the dark form quickly aided Inutaishomaru into a standing position. Feeling extremely weakened and unstable, he leaned heavily against the dark-furred youkai beside him and released a slow growl.

The smaller cats quickly assisted in moving their clan leader out of harm's way as many more youkai came towards them. Inutaishomaru snarled loudly. Tsukuyomaru and Marioshi sauntered over with many of Inutaishomaru's clan following and one stepped forward. "Leave, do not return or it's your lives."

Inutaishomaru glared at the youkai who spoke and he grunted when another wave of dizziness washed over him. Shaking his head, he panted softly.

The youkai turned to the dark-haired youkai and Inutaishomaru, shouting out orders easily. Far too easily for Inutaishomaru's liking. Allowing his youki to fade, he fell to his knees once he was back in his humanoid form. "What the hell are you doing out here!" Inutaishomaru snapped between gasps of breaths.

"My lord." Rendromaru rushed forward but was stopped firmly by a tall dark-haired youkai.

"Get back to the castle. Now!" Traylaymaru snarled at the rat youkai who skidded to a halt.

Rendromaru glared at Traylaymaru and quickly spun around on his heel stalking away angrily. Inutaishomaru took Traylaymaru's hand and stumbled slightly. "Hells!" He growled, shaking his head to clear it of the fog.

Traylaymaru glanced around and waved the guards away. "Come, let's get you back to the house."

Inutaishomaru turned his eyes to the path he had left his son. With questioning eyes aimed at Tsukuyomaru, he lifted a brow.

"That two-headed dragon took them to the main house." The bat youkai pushed his nose in the direction he had seen the dragon fly.

Inutaishomaru nodded his head but gasped when his legs failed him and he stumbled forward right into Traylaymaru's arms. He could feel that darkness of unconsciousness start to seep into his eyes and he firmly shook his head. "Set up-" He took a deep breath. "A perimeter and make sure those cats retreat." His eyes met Traylaymaru's.

"They are already on it." Traylaymaru hissed in his ear. "You need to see the healer, you're bleeding all over me."

Inutaishomaru snorted but accepted the assistance as they walked towards the gates leading to his sankin kotai. He could hear Taizo cursing in his head and allowed a small smile to cross his face.

Traylaymaru groaned. "When you grin like that, it is never good."

Inutaishomaru chuckled, his stomach rolling in all kinds of directions. "Hells." His mouth hurt, his head hurt, and every inch of his body throbbed with that annoying dull ache that came from not fighting for such a long period. Shaking his head, he almost stumbled to the ground had it not been for the firm grip his long-time friend had on him.

Nii passed the small pup to the large youkai guard and slid off the dragon's back. He froze, however, when he felt several spears move towards him. Turning with a frown, he glanced at the many unfamiliar faces that were before him. His eyes moved to the arrival of a skinny youkai with large black beady eyes storm up the steps as though he were the clan leader and not Seihomaru. "Take him." The rat youkai commanded.

Nii growled. "I am no enemy." He snapped but gasped when he felt a sharp sting in his cheek as that rat's hand backhanded him.

Lifting his hand to his face, Nii glared at the rat youkai and bared his teeth. Rendromaru waved the guards forward and they rushed and roughly grabbed Nii by the arms. Snarling, but not having his full strength to struggle, Nii was taken off the steps. 'Seiho!'

Silence met his ears and he flinched when he was practically dragged into the darkness of the halls of the sankin kotai that was so unfamiliar to him, he sighed heavily. "I am not your enemy." He growled to the guards who roughly dragged him deeper into the mountain home. "Go to Lord Seihomaru, he will tell you."

He felt one youkai lessen his grip but the other had his arm in a vice grip that threatened to crush his bones. Nii shook his head but stumbled to the ground when he was thrown into a very small space and he glanced over his shoulder as a large iron door clanged shut behind him. Placing his head onto his arms, Nii groaned in anger. 'Well, this sucks.'

Shuzo appeared beside him and lifted a brow. 'You know you can get out of here.'

Nii lifted his gaze and felt his eyes widen in a spine-tingling fear. 'Shit, no! I refuse to go back to that place.'

'Nii-' Shuzo started.

'No!' Nii growled sharply.

Shuzo sat down cross-legged beside his host. 'Look you were ripped from the physical plane which caused you to get lost. That was no doing of mine. As soon as I realized what had happened I came after you.'

Nii clenched his eyes shut. 'And it took you five hundred years to find me.'

Shuzo sighed. 'But I never gave up on my search. Most youki would have given in to defeat.'

Nii forcefully shook his head. 'If we still have that link with Taizo and Seihomaru, we will contact them that way.'

'If Taizo hasn't closed it.' Shuzo rolled his eyes and shook his head at the stubbornness of his host.

Nii rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling of the cell he was in. It was dark and he could hear water drip onto the ground. Draping his arm over his eyes, Nii sighed into the stillness. It was going to be a long night unless Taizo reopened that communication portal. Sitting up, Nii gave Shuzo a horrified look. 'If Taizo doesn't reopen that portal, we could be stuck here for weeks. Seiho has no idea where we are.'

Shuzo nodded his head. 'Or you can just walk out of here with me.'

Nii glared daggers at his youki. 'No!'

Shuzo rolled his eyes for the hundredth time. It was going to be more difficult than he first expected to break his host of this fear of the shadow realm. Shaking his head, Shuzo sighed. Hours stretched by in silence, but he could feel his host tremble in fear as the darkness grew so that everything was cast in shadow. Nii had crawled to a corner and squatted against the wall, his eyes darting to every inch of the small cell. Allowing his spiritual form to cast a soft glow, he drew closer to Nii who only breathed a faint sigh as a way of thanks.