Unless specified, the POV will be third person omniscient.

"Japanese Speech"

'thoughts'

"English speech"

—∞—|—∞— Scene and/or time transition

—∞— shift between areas of action or POV within the same scene/location

{Stage directions/ setting}

[[Telepathic communication]]

Previously:

[[There are rooms here where time passes differently on the inside,]] Fearghal explained. [[For example, you can train for one week inside, but only one day will have passed on the outside.]]

[[You can control time?]] Katsumi asked, amazed. 'That training room sounds like something out of a manga...'

[[Time, space—all will be explained in due course,]] Tadhg said with a wise air.

[[Just follow us,]] Fearghal said, gesturing for her to come with them as they turned to leave. Katsumi looked back at Una.

[[Um, thank you for everything you've done for me!]] Katsumi said, bowing deeply to Una, before hurrying after them.

[[Young ones… always in such a hurry. At least one of them has manners,]] Una said with a sigh.

Chapter 12: The Border Between This World and The Next

[[Oh!]] Katsumi said when she put up a barrier. [[It's so much easier now...]] All she had to do was think it, and it happened. She didn't feel the same strain as before.

[[That's because you've learned your True Name,]] Fearghal said. [[It unlocked your powers so you can use them freely. Before, it's like trying to get blood from a stone.]]

[[You can say that again,]] Katsumi said wryly. [[Before, It felt like I used up half my energy just raising the shield, and maintaining it was just exhausting.]]

[[I'm impressed you were able to do it all, especially without training,]] Tadgh said. [[Usually the only thing babies can do is fly, glamour, and enthrall. Sometimes they can also heal, but it's rare.]]

[[Babies? Glamour? Enthrall?]] Katsumi asked.

[[You're considered a baby until you learn your True Name. Faerie children mature quickly, so they usually learn it by the time they're ten-years-old,]] Fearghal explained.

[[What about 'glamour'?]] Katsumi asked.

[[You saw your true faerie self in your vision quest, didn't you?]] Fearghal said. [[Pure-blooded faeries don't look human. From a young age they instinctively use magic that gives the illusion of a human appearance. That's glamour. I wouldn't bring it up with them if I were you. They're vain and don't like being called out on it. Some of them will even pluck out the eyes of humans who can see through it.]]

[[Yikes! And what's this 'enthrall' you mentioned?]] Katsumi asked.

[[Ah, that's something that happens automatically,]] Tadhg said. [[Faeries release pheromones that make other species feel protective of them or attracted to them, to prevent them from attacking. Sometimes even do their bidding. It gets stronger when a faerie is in danger or feels a strong attraction to someone. In the later case, it usually results in infatuation. It's especially effective against humans. Once they're in enthralled, they're usually hooked for life.]]

[[Eh? Then… if someone falls in love with us… it's because of our pheromones?]] Katsumi asked. [[I don't want that kind of artificial love.]] She wondered if it had affected Sesshoumaru in any way. Probably not, since he didn't return her feelings… but it still worried her.

[[Aww, she's so pure~]] Tadhg said. [[Hard to believe she's part of this family.]]

[[Don't worry,]] Fearghal told her. [[You're only one-fourth faerie, so the most it'll do is make you memorable. You can't actually enthrall anyone to that degree.]] He was giving her a knowing smile. Katsumi blushed. Her grandpa must have picked up on her feelings for Sesshoumaru when her mind wasn't shielded and told them.

'Thanks a lot, Grandpa,' she thought, feeling a little chagrinned. Did everyone know?

[[All right. Time to get serious,]] Fearghal said, rolling up his sleeves. Tadhg followed suit. Katsumi felt a stir of power in them and suddenly sensed all the power that they had been suppressing.

[[Now,]] Tadhg said, smirking deviously. [[Let's see what you're made of.]]

—∞—|—∞—

{Back in Japan...}

"Jaken-sama~! Jaken-sama~! Why, oh why are you green~?" Rin sang as she picked flowers in a meadow while Jaken watched over her.

"How should I know?" Jaken said. He sighed.

"I guess we have to stay back again today," Rin said. "Isn't it boring, Jaken-sama? I hope Katsumi-nee comes back soon."

"It really is boring," Jaken agreed. 'If I didn't have to baby-sit this kid, I could accompany Sesshoumaru-sama,' he thought. A flower petal flew by him. "Hm?" Suddenly the wind changed, and a strong gust swept across the meadow.

"Wah!" Rin cried, shielding her face with her arm, while Jaken was blown backwards. Rin opened her eyes and was shocked to see Kagura standing there in front of her. "Kya! Jaken-sama!" she yelled and quickly scrambled to hide behind the imp as he picked himself up. Jaken furrowed his brow and held his staff in front of him.

"Kagura! You…!" Jaken said, a bead of sweat sliding down his face. "You're not here to abduct Rin again, are you!?" Kagura stopped looking around for Sesshoumaru and looked at him.

"Huh? Did I ever do that?" she asked.

"D-Don't you dare deny it!" Jaken said.

"Isn't Sesshoumaru around?" Kagura asked.

"You fool!" Jaken snapped. "If Sesshoumaru-sama were here, your head would be rolling on the ground by now!" Kagura blinked. That's right. He was probably still upset about Rin's abduction. Which reminded her of something else.

"I guess..." Kagura said. "Where's that Katsumi? I want to thank her for giving Naraku such a hard time."

"She isn't here!" Jaken said. "She's somewhere you'll never find her!"

"I see… she turned tail and ran, huh?" Kagura said.

"Katsumi-nee didn't run!" Rin said. "She had to go away to get better!"

"The damage was that bad?" Kagura asked.

"Hmph! Don't pretend to be concerned. It's none of your business!" Jaken told her.

"I guess it isn't..." Kagura said. She took one of her feathers out of her hair and transformed it so she could fly away. She disappeared in a gust of wind.

"She's gone..." Rin said.

"What did she want anyway?" Jaken wondered out loud.

'Certainly… to avoid being killed when I brought no gift would be a monumental task… I guess,' Kagura thought as she flew through the air on her feather. 'What should I do? I couldn't kill that Hakudoshi brat with my wind-blade. Besides… to gain freedom… I gotta kill both Naraku and Hakudoshi. Just a minute… at that time… the other part of the baby that was split in two…' She remembered Kanna had said it was meant to happen. 'Does that part have some kind of role to play as well? Yes, more than likely. In addition, it's something much more important than Hakudoshi… which is precisely why it's been given to Kanna, who Naraku trusts deeply… There's definitely some kind of secret. What if it's significant enough to wipe out Naraku...'

—∞—|—∞—

{Some time after that…}

Lightning flashed among the clouds as a number of youkais flew through the sky. Sesshoumaru, Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Un watched from the edge of a cliff.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, they're… they're probably Naraku's youkai," Jaken said.

"..." Sesshoumaru said. He caught a scent on the wind. 'I can smell him,' he thought, furrowing his brow. 'It's faint, but… mixed among the bird's smell is Naraku's evil aura...' Sesshoumaru turned away and started walking. "I'm going." Rin and Ah-Un immediately followed.

"I, Jaken, will follow you any—Oh, wait!" Jaken said when he realized he was being left behind. "Please wait! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

—∞—|—∞—

{A few days later…}

[[Okay, so what are we doing today?]] Katsumi asked her cousins, raring to go.

[[Nothing. Today's a day of rest,]] Fearghal said. [[Everyone else is busy getting ready for the start of your feast tonight.]] They watched her deflate a little, clearly disappointed.

[[You still wanted to learn more?]] Tadhg asked.

[[Well, that can't be all there is, right?]] Katsumi said.

[[Right, but it's enough to be getting on with for a beginner like you,]] Fearghal said. [[Don't run before you can walk.]]

[[Exactly,]] Tadhg agreed.

[[You two strike me as some of the last people who should be saying that,]] Katsumi deadpanned. She knew enough of their personalities by now to say that much.

[[We'd take you on a trip to the human realm, but you don't want to go there right now,]] Tadhg said. [[I heard there's a famine on.]]

[[Really? Can't expect much in the way of hospitality then,]] Fearghal said. He sighed. [[And here I was hoping to visit that maid in Mayo...]]

[[Didn't they have an earthquake there not so long ago? How about we take her to have her fortune told?]] Tadhg suggested.

[[Good idea. We'll take her to Lady Sadhbh,]] Fearghal agreed.

[[Lady Sadhbh?]] Katsumi asked.

[[She's one of the best seers in the Court,]] Tadhg said with a wink.

—∞—

So they took her to see Lady Sadhbh at her place of business, which looked exactly how you would expect a mystical fortune teller's room to look, right down to the crystal ball.

[[Yes, yes. Come in, come in,]] said a lovely woman with coppery red hair, as if she had been expecting them. [[Don't mind me,]] she said, bustling about, taking inventory of the place. [[Just getting ready for tonight… some of the guests are going to be from the Unseelie Court, and you know what they're like. They'll take anything that isn't nailed down and then pretend it never happened. As if scrying magic couldn't show the truth…]]

[[Lady Sadhbh,]] Tadhg said, addressing her. [[We've come—]]

[[You know it's illegal for me to give you the results for a race ahead of time,]] Sadhbh reminded him.

[[No, I'm not here for that…]] Tadhg said, ignoring the suspicious glances his brother and cousin sent his way.

[[You're here for Katsumi, right?]] Sadhbh said, stopping to look at them. She took in Katsumi's full appearance. She was still wearing the clothes her cousins had given her for sparring. Her kimono had been damaged beyond repair. [[Be sure to smarten yourself up before the feast, dear. First impressions are important.]]

[[Don't worry, we already have a dress picked out for her,]] Fearghal said.

[[Good. You wouldn't want to embarrass your grandfather in front of so many important guests,]] Sadhbh said, nodding.

[[Is it that serious?]] Katsumi asked. Her cousins had made it sound like it would be a normal party. They had warned her it might get a little rowdy, though.

[[Ambassadors from England, Scotland, France, and Germany have already arrived, and more are on their way,]] Sadhbh replied. [[The feast is an opportunity for them to assess our strengths and weaknesses. It's more than just a simple celebration.]]

[[Oh, great…]] Katsumi said, feeling a sense of doom. She really hoped they weren't expecting her to act like a princess, because the fancy etiquette lessons her mother gave her were only good for restaurants, not political events.

[[You're scaring her,]] Tadhg said with a frown. [[I'm sure there's nothing to worry about.]]

[[Why don't you give her a reading for her immediate future?]] Fearghal suggested.

[[I don't know… if she tells me I tanked it, I'll be so nervous it might come true…]] Katsumi said, worried. She didn't want to embarrass her faerie family after everything they had done for her.

[[It's better to know, so we can prepare for the aftermath,]] Sadhbh said, leading them over to a silver cauldron. She waved her hand over its mouth and it was suddenly filled with water. Katsumi's eyes widened a little. [[You can't get something from nothing,]] Sadhbh said, seeing the look on her face.

[[I know. I mean, my cousins taught me that, and I learned something similar in science class. You pulled the water from the air, right?]] Katsumi said.

[[That's right. Now, give me your hand,]] Sadhbh said, holding out one of her own expectantly while she reached the other into her pocket to retrieve something. Katsumi gave her her hand. Sadhbh pricked her finger with a needle. Katsumi flinched in surprise, but Sadhbh held her hand over the cauldron until a drop of blood fell into the water. Sadhbh let go of her hand and motioned for them to kneel around the cauldron with her.

[[I thought you were going to use your crystal ball?]] Katsumi said.

[[Oh, no. That's better for communication. This is far more accurate, as far as the future is concerned,]] Sadhbh explained. [[I used water that was only charged under a full moon for one night, so we'll only see several hours ahead, enough for the first night of the feast.]]

[[The first night? You mean there's more?]] Katsumi asked. Just how long was this party going to last?

[[It lasts for three days at the least,]] Fearghal said. [[But you're only required to be there for the first night, if that's what you're worried about.]]

[[Yeah, thanks…]] Katsumi said. She perked up when something began to form in the cauldron. A scene of someone very familiar to her swirled into view. It was Sesshoumaru, and he was flying through a misty, white place.

[[Oh?]] Sadhbh said, smiling. [[So that's what your heart desires. Not the feast, but this man. Blood doesn't lie.]]

[[I thought we were going to see the feast?]] Fearghal said.

[[It's fine, isn't it?]] said Tadhg. [[This is what she really wants to see, after all.]]

[[Where is this?]] Katsumi asked, wondering where he was. Looking closer, she could see Jaken clinging to his mokomoko-sama.

[[You don't recognize it?]] Fearghal asked.

[[It's hard to say… there's so much fog and mist everywhere…]] Katsumi said, squinting at the image. Then she saw something that made her eyes widen in shock. A humongous skeleton wearing armor became visible through the mist. Katsumi recognized it from the description Kagome had given when telling her about Sesshoumaru's first attempt to take Tessaiga. She knew where he was now. She gasped and covered her mouth. She felt like she was going to be sick. 'No… No, it couldn't be… he can't have!!'

[[It seems you recognize the place,]] Fearghal observed. Katsumi swallowed the lump in her throat. She reminded herself that he had been there before and come back alive. Just because he was there, didn't necessarily mean he was dead.

'That's right… Sesshoumaru would never die so easily,' Katsumi thought, reassuring herself. [[It's the border between this life and the next,]] she said.

[[So that's what it looks like in Japan...]] Fearghal said.

[[Huh? What is he doing there?]] Tadhg said. [[He's still living, isn't he?]]

[[You can tell?]] Katsumi asked hopefully.

[[Of course I can,]] Tadhg said. [[I haven't lived this long for nothing!]]

[[You'd be able to tell too, with training,]] Fearghal said. Katsumi looked back at the cauldron and saw that Inuyasha, Kagome and the others were there too. And Naraku.]] Katsumi narrowed her eyes. The image faded away to nothing.

[[I get that the first man must be the one you fancy… But who were those other people?]] Fearghal asked.

[[The group with the guy in red are friends… The last guy you saw… was Naraku,]] Katsumi said, still staring at the water.

[[Naraku!?]] Fearghal said, alarmed.

[[Naraku…]] Tadhg said, narrowing his eyes too. [[He's the one who ripped your wings out?]]

[[Yeah… He is,]] Katsumi said, clenching her fist. [[I don't know what Sesshoumaru and the others are doing there… but if Naraku's involved, it must be some kind of trap.]] She looked at Sadhbh. [[When will this happen?]]

[[It could be tonight. It could be tomorrow,]] Sadhbh said. [[I can't be more exact that that.]]

[[I have to go,]] Katsumi said, standing up.

[[And what do you plan to do?]] Tadhg asked, also standing. [[Do you even know how to get to the border between life and death?]]

[[…!]] Katsumi clenched her fists tighter. [[I can't just do nothing! He's going to try to trap them there. I know it!]]

[[Well, if you're that determined…]] Fearghal said, also standing up. He exchanged a significant look with his brother. [[We told you faeries are inter-dimensional beings to begin with, didn't we?]]

[[Yes,]] Katsumi said. Her eyes widened slightly with realization. [[Are you saying…?]]

[[The underworld is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from our world,]] Tadhg said.

[[So we can go there?]] Katsumi asked, getting excited.

[[Well, we can go there,]] Tadhg said. [[You'll have to use our gate. You don't have enough power yet to open your own portals to other dimensions. It'll probably be another two centuries before you reach that level, being only one quarter faerie.]]

[[And there's still the feast to think of,]] Fearghal said. [[I don't think you understand how important it is that you attend.]]

[[What's the worst that could happen?]] Katsumi asked.

[[A hundred year war,]] Tadhg suggested. Katsumi stared at him.

[[… Please tell me that was a joke,]] she said.

[[It wasn't. It's happened before,]] Fearghal said. Katsumi bowed her head in defeat. She couldn't cause a hundred year war. [[Just stay for the first night. We can cover for you after that.]]

[[Really?]] Katsumi asked, lighting up. [[It won't cause any problems?]]

[[You're only required to be there for the first night, so no one can complain if you leave after that,]] Sadhbh said as she finally stood up too, reminding them that she was still there.

[[Well they'll most likely still complain, but they won't be able to start a conflict over it,]] Tadhg said. [[We'll show you to the gate at dawn.]]

[[Dawn, right,]] Katsumi said.

[[Your new armor will be ready by then, too,]] Fearghal said.

[[Armor?]] Katsumi asked.

[[It's Grandfather's present for you,]] Teahg said. [[It's supposed to be a surprise, so act like you never heard this when he gives it to you.]]

[[You'll probably have to borrow a weapon, though,]] Fearghal said. [[Your sword was too damaged to be repaired.]]

[[You never know, someone might give her one,]] Tadhg said. [[If not, we know where you can get one.]]

—∞—|—∞—

The feast was in full swing. Just as her cousins had predicted, once the official greetings were exchanged, and the ceremonial part and presents were out of the way, the party had gotten quite rowdy. For the hundredth time, Katsumi glanced at the window and was gratified to see the rosy glow of dawn peeking out of the bottom corner. It was finally time, and with everyone so focused on partying, no one would notice her absence right away. She found her cousins in the crowd and made eye contact with them. They nodded, and made their own excuses while she quietly slipped out of the room, grabbing the chest that contained the armor from her grandpa. She hurried to the room they had given her and got changed as quickly as she could. When she opened the door to leave, Fearghal was waiting for her to lead her down to the stables, where Tadhg was waiting with three flying horses and a long object wrapped in cloth.

[[What's this?]] Katsumi asked when he handed the object to her.

[[A weapon,]] Tadhg said. [[I'll explain how to use it on the way.]] They mounted their flying horses and sped off toward the gate to the border between life and death.

—∞—|—∞—

Sesshoumaru, Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Un were approaching the source of the scents of Naraku and the birds. Sesshoumaru smelled a massive quantity of blood, but when they arrived, there was no blood, only the giant, headless corpse of a bird youkai.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, that's… a-a bird…!?" Jaken said, as if he didn't have eyes.

'The smell from that much blood has vanished…?' Sesshoumaru thought. He smelled another scent on the wind. Kagura landed what she deemed to be a safe distance away from them.

"It looks like you didn't make it in time, eh, Sesshoumaru," she said. "This entrance has already closed."

"Uwah, uwah, uwah!" Rin cried, scooting as far away from her as she could on Ah-Un's saddle.

"Ka-Kagura!" Jaken exclaimed. "What's with you! Recently you've been randomly turning up around Sesshoumaru-sama."

"!" Kagura said when Sesshoumaru closed the gap between them in an instant.

"Er, Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jaken said, a little surprised.

"This entrance… what do you mean by that?" Sesshoumaru asked.

'Wow, for once he actually took the bait,' Kagura thought. 'Could it be because of Katsumi…?' "A path that continues to the boundary between this world and the next, you see. Naraku and Inuyasha have already gone."

"… The way you say it, it sounds like you know there's another way," Sesshoumaru said.

"Oh, I do know about the other path…" Kagura confirmed. "Although… I don't know if even you would be able to pass through it safely, Sesshoumaru."

—∞—|—∞—

Kagura led Sesshoumaru and Jaken to the other path.

"Here in the country of fire… there is a gateway that connects with that place," she told them as they followed her into a cave. Inside were two towering statues and what appeared to be a closed, circular doorway. "When I was here before, I suffered badly. It was a mistake to even try."

"Wha! What do you mean, Kagura! Is it dangerous!?" Jaken asked.

"Just shut up," Kagura said. "It was you lot who told me to show you. I did say there was no guarantee you'd survive." Sesshoumaru stopped in front of the statues and the door.

"The gateway that connects to the boundary between this world and the next… huh," Sesshoumaru said. A voice came from one of the statues.

"Do you want to pass?"

"!?" Jaken gasped. "T-The stone statue spoke!?"

"Do you want to pass? Or do you not want to pass?" it asked again.

"T-To pass, of course!" Jaken said, sweating nervously. "That's why we came here!"

"Then try to pass," the statue said as it and its companion came alive and stepped forward.

"Geh!?" Jaken exclaimed.

"..." Kagura watched from what she deemed to be a safe distance away, hiding just in case. 'The only way to pass this gateway is to kill the guards, Gozu and Mezu. And become one of the dead. Even if you can pass by Gozu and Mezu… and force the gateway open, you're bathed in a strange light, and turn into stone. So… What'll you do, Sesshoumaru?'

"Se-Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jaken said nervously, clinging to his mokomoko as Sesshoumaru drew Tokijin. The statues advanced towards them.

"Only the dead can pass through this gateway," said the first statue.

"Those who wish to pass, will become dead by our hands," said the second.

"Heh. Interesting..." Sesshoumaru said. They attacked him with a giant naginata and a giant staff with a moon-shaped blade, but Sesshoumaru dodged effortlessly and cut them both with one swing of Tokijin. The statues fell to the ground as Sesshoumaru landed gracefully behind them.

"!" Kagura said, watching.

"G-Got them," Jaken said, still clinging to Sesshoumaru's mokomoko. "Just what you'd expect from Sesshoumaru-sama..." But then the statues picked themselves up and stood tall again.

"!?" Jaken exclaimed. "N-No way..."

'Even Sesshoumaru can't pass… huh,' Kagura thought. Tenseiga rattled at Sesshoumaru's side.

'Tenseiga...' he thought, furrowing his brow slightly.

"We can't be cut by a sword from this world..." the second statue said.

"Hmph… So that's it..." Sesshoumaru said. He stabbed Tokijin into the ground and drew Tenseiga instead. 'Tenseiga can cut them...' The two guardian statues realized this immediately. The door began to open behind Sesshoumaru. A radiant light flooded out from the opening.

"!" Kagura gasped. "Watch out! If you're bathed in the gateway's light, you'll become stone..." But Sesshoumaru didn't become stone. He stood there calmly while the two statues kneeled before him. "!"

"You may pass," the first statue told him. "One who carries a sword from the next world."

"Eh. T-They're kneeling," Jaken said, amazed.

"That sword can cut those not of this world," the second statue said. "Naturally, we can be cut by it as well."

"You won't struggle futilely… huh," Sesshoumaru said, sheathing Tenseiga. "How wise." He retrieved Tokijin and turned to step forward into the light, passing through the gateway.

'I knew it...' Kagura thought. 'The only one who can kill Naraku is Sesshoumaru!'

—∞—|—∞—

In the border between this life and the next, Naraku removed the jewel shard he came there to get from Hōsenki.

"Kukuku… I finally have my hands on it," Naraku said. "The last of the shikon shards."

'The last... shard!?' Inuyasha thought, grimacing from the pain of having been stabbed with Hōsenki. Narkua threw Inuyasha and Hōsenki away, sending them crashing through a hole in the armor of Inuyasha's father. "Uwah!" Inuyasha exclaimed, wincing.

"I have no more business with you," Naraku said.

"I won't let you get away!" Miroku said, removing the beads sealing his wind tunnel.

"Houshi-sama…!" Sango said.

"Heh..." Naraku said, smirking. He held up a saimyōshō hive and the insects from hell swarmed out of it.

"The saimyōshō," Miroku said, hesitating.

"Houshi-sama, don't use the wind tunnel," Sango said urgently.

"Kukuku… Go ahead and choose," Naraku told him. "Right now, you could die quickly by sucking up the insects' poison… on the other hand, do you choose to live for now… even if it means you have to wander hopelessly around this graveyard..."

"!?" Kagome said.

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked.

"The river of blood that you and I passed through has already closed," Naraku said. "There is no possibility for you to return to the world of the living."

"!" Inuyasha said.

"I told you so," Myouga said. "That we might not be able to return."

"If that path is closed, Naraku! Then it should be the same for you as well!" Miroku pointed out.

"Heh..." Naraku said smugly. 'The one who can return… is I alone...'

'I don't like it. That jerk Naraku looking so relaxed...' Inuyaha thought, using his sword to steady himself as he stood up. "Naraku, you bastard… Don't think you can run away..."

"Don't you get it, Inuyasha. It's already over..." Naraku said, holding the tainted jewel shard in his hand. Something shined in the distance. "!" Naraku gasped as a ball of energy came flying toward him and slammed into his barrier, pushing him back a little.

"!?" Miroku said as he and the others stared at the scene in surprise.

"What?" Kagome said. Sesshoumaru flew into view.

"Sesshoumaru!" Miroku said.

'Sesshoumaru…!' Kagome thought. They were all surprised to see him.

"Wha..." Inuyasha said. He pulled Tessaiga loose and sheathed it.

"..." Naraku said as he watched Sesshoumaru fly closer. 'This guy… how did he get here...' he wondered, a bead of sweat sliding down his face. "Heh, Sesshoumaru… Did you come running to save your little brother…? Such a kind elder brother," he said mockingly. Sesshoumaru ignored him and looked up at his father's grave.

'Sesshoumaru… What the hell is he doing here?' Inuyasha wondered. How did he even get there in the first place? "!" he said when Sesshoumaru flew up to him. Without a word, Sesshoumaru punched Inuyasha right in the face, sending him crashing back into the skulls littering the floor.

"Ah…!?" Kagome gasped.

"Inuyasha!" Sango said.

"Ugh..." Inuyasha groaned, wincing and glaring at Sesshoumaru. His friends flew over to check on him.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, hopping off the skeletal bird thing she was flying on to join them, running right past Sesshoumaru.

"You bastard..." Inuyasha growled. "What the hell are you doing..."

"You hanyou failure, damaging father's grave," Sesshoumaru said, turning away from him to face Naraku. Jaken fell off into his father's mouth as he leaped from it to stand on a rock, aiming his sword at Naraku. "You scum..." he said, furrowing his brow.

"Heh..." Naraku said, almost amused.

"Dammit…" Inuyasha said, watching.

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jaken said, staring out with Inuyasha and his friends. While they were watching Sesshoumaru and Naraku, Hōsenki was watching them.

"Hey… Kid..." Hōsenki said, addressing Inuyasha.

"!" Inuyasha said.

"Do you… have any power left to fight…?" Hōsenki asked.

"!?" Inuyasha said as he and Kagome looked back at him.