Warnings for this chapter: death, references to massacre and slaughter, depictions of injuries and scars, discussions of murder

One of the bear demons charged at Inuyasha, enraged by the hanyou's jabbing sword. The other turned to Miroku, yellow eyes narrowing. They were twice his size, standing a few heads taller than him on their hind legs. The second demon raised its paw, batting away Sango's sword before turning back to him. It struck before he had a chance to react. Even as he blocked the demon's mouth with his staff, its jaws were long enough that he couldn't keep its front teeth from closing over the front of his robes. The jagged teeth scraped over his skin, ripping the fabric and pulling him to the ground. A shout sounded from behind him and then Inuyasha was in front of him, slashing at the demon's face before punching it away. He dragged Miroku to his feet, eyes darting over him once before turning back to the demon. They both froze. Their Jewel shard had flown from the demon's mouth and was currently bouncing along the rocky ground.

All of them dove for it. Hiraikotsu flew past the face of one of the demons, stopping it from moving, while Miroku's sutras gave Inuyasha the time he needed to slash at the other with Tessaiga. Miroku scrambled forward, but one of the first demon's giant clawed hands slammed into his back, pinning him to the ground. He maneuvered his arm out from under the paw and stabbed his staff into the demon's flesh, causing it to pull back. Inuyasha ran for the Jewel next, but the other demon dodged out of Sango's way and caught him in its jaws. Kirara dove for him as Sango sliced down the demon's neck with her sword. Throwing a handful of sutras at his own demon, Miroku stumbled the last few steps towards the Jewel.

Shippo got there first.

He snatched the Jewel from the ground and shot Miroku an alarmed look before darting away. One of the demons' hands crashed into the ground where he'd been standing a heartbeat later. Shippo shrieked as both the demons turned their attention to him. Miroku summoned a weak barrier which slammed to life in front of the demons, but it only took a few strikes for them to break through it. Then Inuyasha was there, driving them back with Tessaiga. Miroku ran after Shippo, scooping him up in his arms just as one of the demons broke away to chase after them.

"Miroku!" Sango shouted as she and Kirara flew over to them.

"Catch!" Miroku shouted back, throwing Shippo with the Jewel shard up at the slayer. She caught him easily and Kirara banked to the side, avoiding the snapping jaws of the demon. Miroku threw himself at it, catching it across the face with his staff.

The other demon, who was now missing a leg thanks to Inuyasha, had taken the hanyou in its jaws and threw him to the side. It jumped up as Kirara passed overhead, forcing the twin-tail to roll through the air. Sango clung to her fur, managing to stay on, but Shippo almost fell.

"Here!" Inuyasha called, scrambling to his feet and waving his arms. Kirara turned to him and, under the cover of Hiraikotsu, Shippo slid off her back and into Inuyasha's waiting arms.

Miroku had just about had enough. Hiraikotsu had caught the demon's head, knocking the Jewel shard from its brow. Already disoriented from blood loss and pain, it struggled to stay upright with its missing leg from Inuyasha. Sango jumped from Kirara's back and the twin-tail snapped at the demon, angering it and drawing it off. Sango used the distraction to snatch the demon's shard from the ground. Once Kirara was clear, Miroku brought his staff down across the demon's neck, almost severing it. The demon spasmed and lashed out, but then Inuyasha's arm wound around his waist, tugging him out of harm's way. The hanyou shot him a worried look before turning back to the other demon.

The other demon wasn't faring much better. Bleeding from several deep wounds along its side, it charged blindly at Inuyasha. With one arm full of fox and the other full of monk, he could only kick it away until Sango sliced it in half with Hiraikotsu. She quickly dug the two shards from its head as well, and it dissolved into dust.

"What a way to start the day," Inuyasha grinned wryly, ruffling Shippo's hair. "Good job."

"Thanks! Those things were fast!" the fox chirped before Inuyasha tossed him over to Miroku.

"Thankfully you were faster," Miroku commented, taking the Jewel shards offered to him by both Shippo and Sango.

"Lucky the kit's so passable," Inuyasha added before looking around the group. "Everyone alright?"

"Still alive," Sango assured, brushing the dust from Kirara's fur.

"It's almost as though we're getting good at this," Miroku smiled.

"Almost," Inuyasha and Sango shot back simultaneously, and they shared a grin. They gathered their scattered possessions and continued on with their day. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and they were in no particular hurry.

That night, though, Inuyasha was frustrated. Once again he'd failed to find Tessaiga's power. He'd tried countless ways of swinging the sword or holding it a certain way, but even in battle against the bear demons, there was nothing! He growled and held out the sword again, yelling as he swung. Nothing!

"Damnit!" he swore, inspecting the blade for any hint of gold light.

"Don't worry about it," Shippo advised from a branch behind him. "Even if it was just luck, you saved us! Just get lucky again next time."

"You can't rely on luck in life," Inuyasha warned. "And especially not in battle." He hummed, angling the blade to catch the moonlight. "Besides, it's skill, not luck."

"Wouldn't you be able to do it again if it was skill?" Shippo asked, earning him a growl and a swatted in response.

He tried a few more half-hearted swings, but got no results. Grumbling to himself, Inuyasha sheathed the sword and marched back to camp where Miroku sat by the fire with Kirara on his lap.

"Any luck?" the monk asked, looking up at him.

"It's not luck!" Inuyasha instantly snapped, dropping to a seat beside him.

"So it went well, then," Miroku teased, a smile playing around his eyes.

"You think you're hilarious."

"Yes."

Inuyasha snorted despite himself. "Where's Sango?"

"Bathing just over there," Miroku nodded at a nearby spring.

"You humans sure are averse to dirt," Inuyasha muttered, picking up one of the fish left smoking over the fire for him and Shippo.

"We certainly are peculiar," Miroku agreed, but his face grew serious. He stretched and clenched his right hand a few times, a familiar movement over the past few days whenever the wind tunnel was bothering him. "Naraku took the offensive with the worm charmer. He's probably keeping a watch on us from somewhere. It'll be hard to make a move."

"Hmph. It'll save us time looking for that bastard. Just try to attack us, anytime, anywhere!" His eyes narrowed at Miroku's chuckle and fond expression. "And what're you laughing at?"

"Sorry." He looked down at his hand, and though the smile remained fixed on his face, Inuyasha could see apprehension in his eyes. "With my shoulder and wind tunnel injured, I'm feeling rather vulnerable. Hearing you talk with such confidence is encouraging."

"I gotcha covered, monk," Inuyasha assured, letting a fair amount of sincerity mix with his usual bravado. "If Naraku comes slinking around, he'll get more than he bargained for."

Despite his words, Inuyasha was still anxious. Tessaiga's new trick would give them the advantage they needed over Naraku, but he still had no idea how to summon it again. The last time had been purely instinctual, driven by the urgent need to protect Miroku and the rest of his pack. He hadn't been able to find that connection again, despite the sentiment strongly remaining. He shook his head, casting the thoughts from his mind. It didn't matter whether it was luck or not. He would master the sword and cut Naraku in two.

Sango wrung the last of the water from her hair and headed back to the others. Though the water felt amazing, she was hesitant to linger too long. It wasn't just the fear of being caught unprepared for danger, or the nervousness that had her staying close to Miroku while he healed – whenever she bathed, there was nothing between her and the scars that carried her past. It was some small mercy that they were on her back, so she wasn't confronted with them at every turn, but they were always present. She felt them when she bent or moved wrong, could feel them tugging at her skin when she carried Hiraikotsu and pressing into the rocks when she leaned against the sides of the hot spring pool.

They were twisted and raised, barely healed after less than a month. She knew that they would fade with time, and the thought sent a wave of conflicting emotions washing through her. She had never planned on things happening this way. As much as she cared for the others, travelling around the countryside looking for Jewel shards while Naraku was still a clear and present danger made her skin crawl. She knew there was nothing that could be done until they found his location, but each day he still drew breath was an insult to the memory of her dead family and people.

The others greeted her with a smile as she neared the campsite and Kirara instantly sprung from Miroku's lap to rub against her ankles. It helped to remind herself that she wasn't just fighting for the dead – all their lives were under threat from Naraku now, and it was worth slower results if they were still breathing at the end of it. Her eyes strayed involuntarily to Miroku once again. She honestly didn't know how he could act so cheerfully every day when such a threat loomed over his shoulder. She'd seen Inuyasha watching him after they left Mushin's temple, had caught the fear in his eyes. A silent communication had grown between the two of them over the past few days, now that she knew the urgency of Miroku's predicament. Just as all three of them had done with Shippo, Sango and Inuyasha ensured that Miroku was never too far out of sight and always being tracked. Theoretically it was just until his wind tunnel healed, and the residual fear from his disappearance had faded some. She suspected it might become habit for far longer.

That night, Inuyasha lay down on one side of Miroku with Sango on the other, all with their weapons at the ready. The first hints of autumn were in the air, and the nights were beginning to cool. Inuyasha stayed awake for a while, listening to the sounds of the night and Kirara's purring as she groomed Shippo's hair. He and Sango had discussed sleeping in shifts, but decided it wasn't worth it. They couldn't risk exhaustion slowing them down, and besides, between their various heightened senses, it was almost impossible for something to sneak up on them without their knowing. If their group continued to grow, or if there was a more present threat from Naraku, they would keep watch. As it was, Inuyasha found himself waking several times throughout the night, just to sniff the air and cast a glance over his pack before going back to sleep. And if he occasionally laid a hand on Miroku's arm or Shippo's head, just to be safe, then they were none the wiser.

The next morning, Miroku was reorganizing all the things he carried in his robes, including coins, bandages, and sutras. Sango knelt beside him and looked over the collection thoughtfully. One by one, she emptied several of the hidden pockets in her own clothes and armour, taking stock of what they had between them. She was gratified to see that he also carried a spool of silk and a needle, very similar to her own, as well as a striker and agate. The others were mildly horrified at the various knives, tools, and poisons in various forms she had hidden around her person. She gave him a small vial containing a substance that would turn to demon-repelling powder when it hit the air, and he gave her a small roll of cotton and some sutras.

"Is it safer if we split up the Jewel shards that we collect?" she asked, looking between him and Inuyasha. "Does the size of the shard make us more visible to demons, or would that just create two targets instead of one?"

"No idea," Inuyasha shrugged. "I find it a lot harder to detect the fragments than I did when it was whole, but I don't know if the amount we have would make a difference. Besides, it's easier to keep track of the shards when they're stuck together."

"Do they not do that on their own?" Sango asked, intrigued.

"They only started fusing like that after a spider head swallowed them." Inuyasha shrugged. "Don't ask. Point is, I'm not entirely keen to repeat the experience to get a second clump going."

"Fair enough."

"Hey, someone's coming!" Shippo called out from further down the road, sniffing the air cautiously.

Inuyasha caught the scent of blood and pushed himself off the tree he was leaning against to come stand protectively behind Miroku. A man was stumbling down the road, blood dripping steadily down his body. Even from far away, they could see him swaying and struggling to stay upright. They rushed forward as soon as he fell. Miroku knelt down and checked his breathing, but Inuyasha could already hear the lack of a heartbeat.

"He seems like just an ordinary villager," Miroku murmured, closing the man's eyes. "Do you think his home is under attack by samurai or bandits?"

Sango shook her head, gripping Hiraikotsu tighter as she looked over the slashes across the man's chest and back. "Those wounds weren't made by a sword."

"He's not the only one," Inuyasha said, looking in the direction the man had come. "The air is thick with blood, and it's fresh. Many have been killed."

As they ran further down the road, they could see thick plumes of smoke snaking into the sky. The foul scent wafted from the village long before they reached the outskirts. By the time they passed by the first of the houses, they could already see the bodies. They were scattered, many lying on their fronts with wounds at their backs. Whatever had killed them had done so while they were trying to escape.

"Is anyone left alive?" Shippo asked, clinging to Miroku's robes.

"Let's find out what happened," Miroku said. "Split up and search."

"Right," Inuyasha nodded, already moving.

"Hold it!" Sango shouted, causing them all to freeze.

She frowned, praying her instincts were wrong. She knelt down and picked up a small stone off the ground, eyeing the nearby houses. She threw the stone through the doorway of one, and the instant it touched the ground, the entire hut exploded. Debris flew in all directions and they covered their eyes.

"Don't move!" she instructed fiercely. "Traps are set everywhere. One wrong step and your legs may be blown off."

"They're buried?" Shippo asked, immediately scampering up Miroku's robes to perch safely on his shoulder.

"Around the bodies?" Miroku asked, looking disgusted.

"Probably," Sango sighed, surveying the carnage around them.

"Who would do something so cruel?" Miroku wondered aloud. "War is bad enough, but it's heartless to keep the survivors from helping the wounded or attending to the dead."

"This heartless bastard doesn't deserve to live," Inuyasha growled. "Let's find 'em before he makes another move."

He peered through the village, ears straining to pick up a heartbeat. Miroku and Sango watched him closely with their weapons at the ready, following his lead. As soon as his eyes narrowed at a storehouse he was off, leaping along the rooftops of the other huts before reaching his target. He struck through the roof with Tessaiga, splitting open the small room. A small figure instantly leapt from the splintering walls. He launched himself into the air, turning in the air to throw his kusarigama at Inuyasha. The hanyou blocked the sickle with Tessaiga but the figure just yanked it back by the chain, easily catching the weapon from the air.

Inuyasha glared at the kid, holding Tessaiga at the ready. Could this be the one? No, he was just a young human boy! He couldn't have killed all the villagers. Could he? A single taste of the air confirmed that he was covered in blood, disguised by the black leather of his clothing.

"The kid's gone insane!" Inuyasha warned the others.

Miroku eyed the boy, taking in the armour in a style he'd only ever seen on a slayer. Sure, the armour pieces were yellow instead of pink, and the obi straps were indigo, not red, but everything else was the same, down to the iron mask obscuring most of his face. When he glanced at Sango, Miroku's heart sank. Her eyes were wide and frozen, and her hands shook where they clutched to the strap of Hiraikotsu. A chirp brought both of their attention to Kirara, who took a few hesitant steps toward the boy.

Sango tore her gaze away, back to Kohaku. Could it really be him? Kirara recognized him, and he looked exactly like him… But no, this boy had the eyes of a stranger, cold and uncaring and nothing like her brother. This had to be some imposter. Some trick. Inuyasha was still shouting at him, asking him why he did this. Sango had questions of her own, questing she would ask as soon as her body started cooperating again. As it was, she could do nothing but stare.

Then the boy ran, and Inuyasha gave chase. He was so focused on catching the murderer that he didn't pay enough attention to his footing. But he felt the unnatural mound of dirt under his foot and his heart sank. He used his momentum to launch in the air just as the hidden explosive went off. His robes saved him from the worst of the explosion and debris, but his legs took the brunt of the impact. He flew back with enough force to shatter the bones of a human. Though he landed on his feet, the impact sent jolts of pain racing up his legs.

"Kirara!" Sango shouted, reaching out an arm to catch the twin-tail as she jumped. She used the momentum to fling the neko into the air and jumped after her, trusting her to transform as she did so. "Go!" she ordered, catching hold of the mane around her neck and hanging on with one hand. Kirara ran after the boy through the air, easily following his scent. Sango could feel the breath heaving in and out of Kirara's lungs as she breathed, feel the tension in her muscles. She knew that the twin-tail was as shocked as she was.

Inuyasha watched first the boy, then Sango and Kirara disappear into the treeline. He skidded to a stop, halted by the transparent blue barrier which reached far into the sky. He pounded at it, first with his fists, then with Tessaiga, but it was no use. Whatever was going on, whatever trap had been laid, Sango was on her own. He glanced over his shoulder to see Miroku riding Shippo in his orb form. The monk's eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the barrier and he exchanged a worried look with Inuyasha. This had to be another of Naraku's plots. They had to get to Sango!

"Any luck?" Miroku asked, sliding off Shippo's back and placing his palm against the barrier, feeling its energy.

"None!" Inuyasha growled, starting to pace. "But they could all get through – Sango, Kirara, that boy… Damnit!"

"The boy was a slayer," Miroku said worriedly, jabbing at the barrier with his staff, to no effect. "Sango seemed shaken by his appearance, as though she'd seen a ghost."

"She may well have," Inuyasha muttered, kicking the barrier for good measure. "He smelled a lot like her. I think he's her family."

Miroku's heart sank. He remembered Sango talking mournfully about a younger brother, how he had been possessed to try to kill her. How he had died, presumably at the castle that had claimed the lives of her team of slayers. And now, reanimated again. The powerful glow Miroku could sense from him explained a little, at least.

"He had a Jewel shard in his back," Miroku said. "We've experienced that one before."

Inuyasha nodded. "Naraku got her to fight us the same way. Except she wasn't dead, then. I bet he has even more control over a corpse."

"Sango's probably aware of what's going on," Miroku said. "But then why did the shield allow her to pass through? Surely Naraku must know how dangerous she is." He shook his head. "We need to get through."

He took a step back, reaching for his mala beads. Inuyasha immediately slapped his hand down. "Don't even think about it."

He lifted Tessaiga above his head and struck, sending the blade bouncing off the barrier. He growled and began stalking along its length, looking for a weak spot. They had to find a way in.

Sango clung to Kirara's back. The boy had stopped in the middle of a large, fog-covered clearing and was facing her. Kirara touched down a safe distance away and Sango immediately slid to the ground. Kirara growled softly and chuffed, and Sango placed a hand reassuringly on the twin-tail's head. Kirara closed her eyes and leaned into her. Sango looked at the boy, who stood utterly still and was watching them with blank eyes.

"Let me see your face," Sango said quietly, undemanding. She didn't want to scare this boy away. Not until she could confirm that this wasn't her brother.

But the boy removed the iron mask obediently, and there was no denying it. It was as though someone had sucked all the emotion, all the life from her brother and left only a walking shell. But it was undeniably him.

"Kohaku! You're alive!" she gasped. "Kohaku…"

"Are you happy to see your brother alive?" a silky, dangerous voice asked from somewhere in the fog.

Sango froze, her eyes darting around before landing on the dark shape materializing behind Kohaku. The dreaded white baboon pelt came to a stop. "It's been such a long time," he continued nonchalantly.

"Naraku!" she growled, one hand sliding to the strap of Hiraikotsu.

"Aren't you going to thank me?"

"For what?" she scoffed, and heard Kirara creeping forward beside her.

"I salvaged your brother from the castle," Naraku practically purred. "Kohaku's life should have ended, but I saved him. You know this salvation, the power of the Shikon Jewel. Now Kohaku possesses power beyond you."

"Silence," Sango growled, but it was no use.

"He stands before you through my good will. If the shard is taken from him, he will die. Do you understand?"

Slowly, she took her hand off Hiraikotsu. Naraku wasn't simply flaunting Kohaku's life, or trying to have them fight to the death in some sick reprisal of the castle massacre. No, Kohaku was a token to be bartered, and she was going to have to play Naraku's game to get him back.

"Bring me Tessaiga," Naraku said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Only then will Kohaku's life be his."

Fury flashed through her. "I won't be bribed!"

She lifted Hiraikotsu, preparing to strike. Instead, Kohaku's kama crashed into her weapon, forcing her to stumble back. Kohaku easily caught the sickle and stood protectively between her and Naraku.

"Kohaku!" she shouted. "Why are you protecting that demon?"

"Kohaku's memories are no longer his," Naraku smirked. "An assassin has no need for feelings. You should be proud of what your brother has accomplished. He has become a very fine slayer."

The emphasis made her skin crawl. It was obvious that Naraku had forced Kohaku to destroy the village, and who knows what else.

"Damn you!" Sango cursed, rushing forward.

Instantly, a thick cloud of purple black miasma burst from Naraku's body, surrounding him and Kohaku. Sango grabbed the iron mask from where it hung by her side and crammed it onto her face, not bothering to tie the straps.

"You will bring me the Tessaiga," Naraku's voice commanded from inside the swirling vortex of poison gas. "I will be waiting for you, Sango."

The wall of miasma exploded outward, pushing her back in a burst of light. When she looked up, Naraku and Kohaku were gone. Kirara rushed to her side, blinking the miasma from her eyes and wheezing slightly. Sango put a hand on Kirara's shoulders before throwing her arms around the twin-tail's neck, hugging her close. Kirara closed her eyes and rumbled reassuringly. After one last glance around the clearing, in which no trace of her brother could be found, Sango turned and began making her way back to the others. Kirara was still breathing heavily from the miasma she'd inhaled, so Sango had her transform down and carried her all the way back.

She saw the barrier that she had passed through, and Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo all huddled against it. They all startled when they saw her and rushed over.

"Sango!" Shippo exclaimed, climbing up her side. "Did you get a chance to talk with your brother?"

"That boy was not my brother!" Sango snapped, recoiling.

"I'm sorry," Shippo muttered, reaching out to her face with a tiny hand. She closed her eyes and looked away.

"Well, the main thing is that you returned unharmed," Miroku said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I take it this was another of Naraku's traps?"

"Mhmm."

Miroku's eyes softened. "You must be tired. Let's return to the village and get some rest, alright?"

"Wait, Miroku," Sango stopped him as we moved away. "Please, we need to honour the dead at the village. Will you perform a service for them?"

Miroku nodded without hesitation, and guided her forward with a hand on her back. They walked back to the village, and Sango didn't miss the searching look that Inuyasha gave her. She instructed them on how to find and safely remove the explosives from the houses and those buried underground. They began moving carefully through the village, with Kirara and Inuyasha sniffing out the distinctive smell of the explosive powder. It was afternoon by the time they had found the last of them.

As Miroku brought a basket of them over to Sango for her to safely destroy, a startled and angry yell came from the other side of the village. They both rushed over to find Inuyasha standing over Shippo, a woven mat covered with a few explosives by the kit's feet.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Inuyasha was shouting at him. "These are dangerous – they could take your arm off! What the hell do you think you were doing?"

"I'm sorry!" Shippo said, curled up by his feet with tears in his eyes. "I only wanted to help!"

"You can't put yourself in danger like that," Inuyasha growled, lowering his voice at the kit's frightened face but still visibly angry. He crouched down, holding his gaze. "Miroku and Sango and I, we need to know that you're keeping yourself out of trouble when we're busy with other things. We can't lose you."

"But you all put yourselves in danger all the time!" Shippo shouted back ferociously. "How is that okay, but I can't do the same? I just want to help you!"

"It's not okay," Inuyasha said softly, suddenly sounding incredibly weary. "It's not okay that we're in danger all the time, but that's just how our lives are right now. We're fighting so that one day, we can be safe. But Shippo, we're all grown up. You're just a kid. You need to be safe now so you can grow up big and strong, and make the world better in your own time."

"I'm sorry," Shippo sniffed, looking down again.

"C'mere," Inuyasha sighed, gathering the kit up into a hug.

Miroku gently maneuvered Sango away, letting the two have their moment. They shared a sorrowful look as they returned to the edge of the village. Sango suspected that Miroku's mind had followed a similar path to her own – it's true, Shippo and Kohaku were children, and didn't deserve to be dragged into this war, but she, Miroku, and Inuyasha weren't exactly aged, either. They were adult, to be sure, but they were still young. Sango had gone on her first mission when she was eleven, even if it was under the safety of a seasoned team. She doubted that Inuyasha or Miroku had had peaceful childhoods, either.

That was why they had to defeat Naraku – he had to stop stealing lives. He'd stolen those of every person he'd killed, but he was stealing theirs as well. She wouldn't let him take their futures, as well.

But he had stolen Kohaku's life. He had given her a chance to take it back. Sango shook her head, pushing the thought aside for now. They would clean up Naraku's mess, give the villagers the rest they deserved. Then she would confront what Naraku had asked of her.

"What do you think of it all, Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, leaning against his shovel.

"What's that?" Miroku asked, setting down the basket of earth he had just emptied into the waiting wagon and massaging his aching shoulder. It had taken them the rest of the day to dig a hole large enough to be all the villagers' grave.

"Naraku's plot. He must have said something to Sango."

"He probably told her that he was manipulating her brother," Miroku shrugged. "Maybe threatened her a bit. He may have even had them fight, though I suspect she would be in much worse condition if she had to fight him. She can't kill her own brother."

"Well we can't just let him off the hook," Inuyasha growled. "So what if he's just a puppet? He's responsible for slaughtering an entire village. If Sango can't kill him, then I'm gonna have to take him down."

"You want to kill a child," Miroku clarified, just to be sure. "The possessed younger brother of our dear friend who has no control over his actions."

"She said it herself – he's not her brother anymore!" Inuyasha threw down his shovel and leaned against the side of the grave, arms crossed and ears back. "Naraku sent him 'cause he thought we'd be too sentimental and weak to kill him off. We can't let him win like that! As soon as he finds an opponent we can't even fight, we've lost!"

Miroku mirrored his position, a deep frown slashed across his face. "I would argue that the moment we begin trading lives or killing innocents, we've already lost."

Inuyasha growled and leapt from the hole, stalking away. He was in a lousy position. The kid was a threat, and he had to be taken down – for their own safety as well as the lives of anyone who stood in Naraku's way. They couldn't defend against a human assassin the way they could against demons. He could sneak up without giving off any youki, so they wouldn't sense him, and take them out before they even knew he was there. He was too dangerous to be left alive.

But, Inuyasha had to admit, it put Sango in an awful position. She wasn't stupid. She knew that her brother was dangerous, but he was still her brother. She obviously cared for him. If it came down to it, he didn't know if she could sit back and let him kill the kid. And he didn't know whose side Miroku would fall on, either. He growled, kicking at the ground. Naraku had certainly found a way to test the already fraught alliance of their pack. Only time could tell if they would be strong enough to survive it.

It was impossible for Sango to sleep that night. Memories of Kohaku came unbidden – his first training sessions, his constant struggle to be good enough for their father's high expectations, his kind heart and brave face…the way he looked up to her…the way he thought she could protect him… Naraku had said he'd stolen Kohaku's memories, and as much as she didn't want to believe it, there had been none of her brother in those cold eyes. Kohaku hadn't reacted at all when he saw her. How could he forget everything about his life, about himself? It was impossible. She had believed that Naraku was her ally in the beginning. Kohaku was just confused, just being manipulated the same way she had been. She had to save him! Her eyes shifted to the Tessaiga. She had to.

I just love the idea of Miroku going around, living his life while the Miroku Defense Squad™ follows him around, wearing matching t-shirts, dark sunglasses, and earpieces, acting as his personal secret agent bodyguards. This, of course, would be supplemented by the Inuyasha-Is-A-Good-Person Army decked out in war paint and flamethrowers, Sango's She's-Gonna-Fuck-You-Up-Bro Backup Dancers, and Shippo's You're-Doing-Great-Sweetie Cheerleaders.

Note that Kirara don't need no ensemble – she's got this, man