"Yeeaaaaah!"

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, as Sota cheered from his place on his back. It had been a challenge, finding a place where he could take to the skies without any humans seeing him. But he had found an opening, and as soon as he got high enough about the clouds, he changed into his true form. Sota had been nothing less than ecstatic. Even as they flew, he was petting his soft fur as he rode on Sesshomarus back. Sota fist pumped the air again.

"Wheeeeew! This is awesome! Go faster!"

He rolled his eyes again with a loud huff. He was pleased the boy was enjoying himself. How he was having so much fun however, he would never know. In all honestly, Sesshomaru didn't really need to bring Sota with him. But a part of him wanted company on this quest. He knew the boy would be good emotional and moral support, should he not find something pleasant at his destination. Not that he needed such support.

Sota whooped again and he found himself wondering, would Rin also enjoy it this much if he gave her a ride on his back? Hnn, he would have to test that out. He decided to indulge the boy, and picked up his pace a little, and Sota cheered. Had he been in his humanoid form, he would be smiling.

They had been flying for quite some time now, the boy still whooping and cheering. Then Sesshomaru saw it, the towering barrier of clouds. He picked up his pace and made a beeline right for it. He crashed through the tower of clouds with ease, and his eyes fell upon his destination.

"Whhoooaaaaa! Is that a castle? In the clouds!?"

Indeed it was. He knew his mother well, she rarely left her stronghold in the sky. If any demon lived in this age, it would be her and her castles servants. He landed on the clearing above the stairs, and transformed back into his humanoid form. He set the giggling boy down and scanned his surrounds. Something was wrong. Not only was his mother not here to greet him, there were no servants or guards.

"She...is not here..."

"Whos not here? Where are all the demons?"

He looked down to the boy, with a saddened expression, and he understood.

"Oooh...so no ones here."

"My mother never fails to greet me when I visit. If she is here, this would be a first."

"Your mother...oh...I'm sorry Sesshomaru."

"Hnn. I did not come all this way to give up so lightly. We shall search the castle."

"All right! Castle adventure!"

Sota ran ahead of him and into the giant doors behind his mothers throne. Sesshomaru let his hand glide across the over sized chair, before following the boy inside. The first thing he noticed was the dust, and state of disrepair the castle was in. He took in the scents in the castle, they were old and stale. No. No one has been inside this place for over a hundred years. But still, he held onto hope. He and Sota ventured into every room, the library, the kitchens, the dining hall. No sign of life anywhere. They finally came upon one final room, his mothers. He knocked on the door, no answer, so he slowly opened it, and walked inside.

The room was empty, no sign she had been here in a long time. Sota wondered around the room as Sessomaru observed the walls. A large, dusty painting of his mother and himself hung on one of the walls. It was old, and ware peaked at its edges.

"Oooh, is that her?"

"Yes."

"She's pretty, you two look a lot alike."

"We do."

Sota began to explore again, opening the closet door, peeking into the dresser. One would say it was quite rude, but he didn't care, any hope they could find where she went...that humans didn't find this place and shower her with bullets. He felt something lump in his throat. It made him sick just thinking about it. He would never say out loud he missed his mother...but right now, he was afraid for her safety.

"Well she defiantly went somewhere."

"Oh? How do you know she left the castle?"

"Look, all her clothes are gone. There's nothing in her closet or dressers."

Sesshomaru peeked around the boy and looked for himself. He was right, if his mother collected anything, it was fine jewelry and kimonos. He knew for a fact she had many of them. So for there to be nothing in her closets. There was also the fact, that even though the scents were old, he never picked up the scent of a human, or gun powder. Only her scent, and the scent of servants.

"Hnn, it seems you are correct. She left the castle with her belongings. Nothing was left behind either, so it was not a rushed leave. It seemed it was planned."

"So...that means you mom is still out there somewhere. She's not dead! No need to be sad!"

He couldn't help but smile at the boy who was now holding his hand. He was grateful that someone cared for his wellbeing.

"Hnn. But why did she leave, that is the question. She never leaves her stronghold."

"Yeah...well...maybe..."

"Maybe...?"

"Maybe she left to hide with the other demons? I don't believe either that demons could just vanish, or that they ALL could have been killed. And I really don't think a human could kill you, even with a gun. So maybe she left the castle, to be with you, while you hid?"

Sesshomaru thought for a moment. His mother, leave her castle, to be with him? It was unlikely, but not at all an impossibility. If demons needed her, if he needed her, would she do that? Would she leave her safe haven?

"Hnn. That is a...possibility."

"Yeah! So that settles it then, demons are still alive...just, not here."

"Hnn."

The two left the castle through the back door. The vast courtyard, that used to be lush with flowers, and trees, was now a graveyard for plants. They continued to walk, and he let his memories of the castle fill in the dead space it was now.

"Hey, what's that?"

Sesshomaru looked to Sota, as he made a dash to the empty dragon stables. He remembered he used to house Ah-Uh here. He wondered if his dragon was still alive too. How would you hide a two headed dragon?

"AAAH!"

Sesshomaru was by his side in a second. Sota immediately hid behind Sesshomarus legs, and pointed to a large heap in the stables.

"There's something in there..."

He took careful steps forward, the heap didn't seem to move as he approached. The light hit it from the holes in the roof, and he saw bones. He tested the scents in the stable, no rot or decay, whatever it was, its been dead for a long time.

"Sota, it is dead. Most likely a dragon."

"Wow, like, a real dragon?"

"Yes."

The fear seemed to leave the boy as he rushed back into the stable. Sesshomaru felt bad for the dead steed. But apart of him was glad he found at least a small portion of demon kind. He watched as Sota slid past the creature and walked around it.

"Wow, it really is a dragon! And it had two heads too!"

His heart nearly stopped. He found himself slowly approaching the bones of the creature, he slid past it inside, and stared at its heads. Its two heads. His eyes fell to the old decrepit saddle hung up on the wall. A lump caught in his throat, and he felt his eyes start to sting.

"...Sesshomaru?"

"This...is Ah-Un...This was my dragon."