An Inuyasha Retelling

by KaiahAurora

What if Kagome had never come back through the well, and instead Miroku was the one to find Inuyasha? An episodic retelling of the Inuyasha anime, which will eventually contain Inuyasha/Miroku (or InuMir, to grab that search result). While the overall plot of the series stays the same, how things happen are slightly different with many added scenes! New chapters every Friday!

73. Chapter 73: s3e18

This chapter is going to have a fairly different plot from its correlating episode. Justifications are in the end notes.

Warnings for this chapter: threats of violence and death, fear of death, slight poisoning, abduction, hostage situation.

*Note: This chapter is going to have the longest and most explicit sex scene so far. As always, check the notes at the bottom for more details

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Inuyasha stared down at Tessaiga. Throughout the blur of the past few days, he'd been trying to think of some way to get himself – and his pack – out of the mess they'd found themselves in. He absentmindedly brushed his fingers over the bare hint of a scar on his chest, all that remained from Musou's final strike. They'd been lucky that no one had been killed, but that just wasn't enough anymore. His pack had still gotten hurt. Though their wounds were healing well, they were still very present – much more so than his own. And Shippo had followed Kikyo straight to Naraku. And Kaede had had to protect her village from a potential attack. And Miroku…

And Naraku was stronger than ever before. They had missed their chance. And while Inuyasha could understand Miroku's urgency, why he would risk so much on an attack, something like that could never happen again. As they lay together that night after Naraku got away, with his pack sleeping safely around him and his partner in his arms and still reeking of poison, Inuyasha had stared at the small bamboo container that Miroku had taken to keeping the Jewel shards in recently. If Naraku was coming after them regardless… Why shouldn't he use them? They might give them a proper chance to fight back. They might let him harness power that would otherwise be beyond his reach.

He hadn't been so unobservant that he didn't notice the five crescent-shape puncture marks along Miroku's upper arm, perfectly mirroring the shape of his own hand. He'd lost control again. Only a little, but any wound he inflicted on any of his pack was unacceptable. They'd talked before about him using the Jewel to become a demon. He'd started to see Miroku's point a little, he supposed, enough that he wouldn't risk a permanent transformation. But if he used the shards to augment his current transformations, would that give him enough power to control himself?

Looking into the fire that night, he hadn't known. He still didn't know. And it wasn't something that he was ready to voice to the rest of his pack. He'd tucked the idea away safely for later. Instead, he'd focused on the only other option available to him. Naraku had a new barrier, impenetrable even by the Wind Scar. So he needed to make Tessaiga stronger. He needed to be able to break through the barrier so that the next time Naraku showed his stupid, cowardly face, he'd be able to destroy him.

He'd discovered the Wind Scar by accident. He'd had to fight Ryukotsusei to use the Backlash Wave. But both those things had a few things in common, and there was one in particular that he could use.

xXx

"Come on," Inuyasha said, striding into Kaede's hut with a purpose. Everyone else lowered their bowls, the conversation abruptly cutting off as they turned to look at him. "We're going to Totosai's."

"Are we?" Sango asked, glancing between him and Miroku.

"I need to find a way to make Tessaiga stronger and break through barriers," he said impatiently. "The old geezer'll probably send us after another powerful demon or something. I have no idea how long it'll take, so we gotta get going now! There's a chance that Naraku's still weak."

"Is there?" Sango said skeptically. "He's reabsorbed Musou. If having him missing is what was making Naraku weak, then it's over already. The only other time he'll be weak is in his next transformation, but we have no idea when that will be."

"But we need to be ready for it when it happens!" Inuyasha snapped. "It's no use finding his castle if we can't break through the barrier."

"I suppose it won't hurt to see if Totosai can help," Miroku shrugged.

"We can make the journey in two days if we have to," Sango added, before she glanced at Shippo. The others followed her gaze.

"What?" the fox asked suspiciously. They had already sat him down and explained that he couldn't put himself so close to Naraku again. They'd then spoken amongst themselves about what to do with him when they inevitably left again.

"We need you to stay here," Sango said. "We've now had proof that Naraku might send someone to attack the village. You need to stand on guard and make sure that they have as much warning as possible if that happens."

Shippo looked between the three of them with narrowed eyes. "But what about you? You still need my help! You can't pretend that I haven't been helpful in recent battles."

"Of course you have been," Miroku said gently. "But you're most needed here."

Shippo sighed and hung his head. "Fine. Just promise that you're not going to get yourselves killed."

Miroku quickly saw the glare that Inuyasha was sending at him and sent him a quelling look. "We're doing our best," he said to both the fox and the hanyou.

xXx

They set off early the next morning, after warning the villagers to be on the lookout for any Saimyosho or other signs of Naraku around. They were short on money again, so they made camp in the forest and cuddled together by the fire for the night. Inuyasha told them all to stay put while he hunted and set off before they could answer. Miroku and Sango shared a knowing look.

"He's on edge again," Sango hummed, playing with Kirara's ears.

"Can you blame him?" Miroku sighed. "Things haven't exactly been going well recently."

"At least Totosai might help," she shrugged. "It's better than if we had no plan at all."

"And now we know for certain that Naraku has a time of vulnerability," Miroku nodded. "And we know the signs to watch out for. If both Inuyasha and Kouga were able to pick up his scent, then the barrier had to have weakened significantly. We'll be able to track him down."

"Right," Sango said. "And until then, we should focus on the Jewel shards. We haven't found a new one in almost two months."

Miroku blew a breath out through his teeth. "That's easier said than done. Who knows how many there are left?"

"At least we know that Kouga won't give his up easily," Sango said. "And so long as we can hold on to ours, we can keep Naraku from completing the Jewel."

"We'll need to figure out how to steal his shard at some point," Miroku grinned wryly. "Which should be fun."

Sango shot him a glare. "Your definition of 'fun' makes me nervous."

Inuyasha reappeared shortly later, a deer slung over his shoulder. He set it down in front of the fire and pulled out his dagger to begin working on it. He caught the others' raised brows.

"I'm not saying we're gonna eat this all tonight," he said, rolling his eyes at their silent question. "I figured we can put Totosai in a more generous mood if we bribe him first."

"Huh," Miroku said, while Sango just looked impressed at his foresight.

They all helped skin the deer and build the spit, except for Kirara, who was taking a well-deserved nap after the long day's flight. She conveniently woke just as the meat was cooked, and Inuyasha obligingly carved off a leg for her. He insisted that Miroku and Sango split the liver, since they were both still recovering from their injuries. They both tried to hide their smiles at his rather aggressive care and indulgence. They ate well and set the rest of the meat to dry overnight. Inuyasha left once more to gather some extra firewood, once again insisting that the others rest up. They let him go, but when he tried to climb into a nearby tree upon his return, Miroku instead dragged him down between them.

He began running his hands through Inuyasha's hand and gently stroking his ears while humming a quiet tune. It was almost comical, how quickly the tension bled from Inuyasha's shoulders. When the others began to bed down for the night, he accepted the offered spot under the blankets and curled up beside them. Miroku and Sango nodded to each other over his head as he slowly drifted off – they both knew that he hadn't been sleeping well, and with Kirara also exhausted from their travel, they would need to be the ones to keep watch. Sango settled down and tried to hurry herself to sleep, while Miroku watched the wisps of smoke curl from the fire up into the night sky, mixing with the dark shapes of birds circling overhead.

xXx

"Odds are, that old geezer isn't gonna just come out and tell me what to do," Inuyasha said, hopping along the rocks interspersed across the floor of the volcano while Kirara flew slowly beside him. "I'm gonna have to pry it out of 'im."

"Hopefully the food will help some," Miroku shrugged. "And if we explain the importance of fighting Naraku, he should come around."

"It's not like we're asking him to put himself in any danger," Sango added. "So he shouldn't have a problem."

With one final leap, Inuyasha landed at the base of the giant skull which acted as Totosai's forge. He ducked inside, while Kirara let the others off her back and padded over to say hello to Mō-Mō, who was grazing outside.

"Totosai?" Inuyasha called out. "You home?"

The old demon stuck his head out from the backmost portion of the skull. "Huh? What are you all doing here?"

"We need your help with something," Inuyasha said, walking up to him.

Totosai heaved a heavy sigh and waved them all over. "So be it." He sat back down beside the lava-powered forge and continued hammering away at a piece of metal. "What have you done this time?"

"I haven't done anything!" Inuyasha snapped.

Totosai eyed him. "No, I suppose you haven't."

Inuyasha growled threateningly and his ears flattened to his skull. "I need a way to break through barriers with Tessaiga, no matter how strong they are."

Totosai's hammer slowly came to a stop. "A technique like that isn't easy to come by. Now, it's not like there isn't away – more like there is a way, but it isn't a way to go."

Inuyasha's lip curled. "Start making sense, old man."

"We need to be able to pursue Naraku," Miroku added from where he and Sango were precariously perched on some rocks above the ground, which glowed red-hot.

"Ah, Naraku, huh?" Totosai hummed. "That's no easy task. I've been hearing more and more about that one."

"Which is why we need your help," Inuyasha grated out. "Please."

"You've already learned Tessaiga's ultimate technique," Totosai said, returning his attention to the metal before him. "The sword can absorb any number of powers, if you're up for it, but I cannot guarantee that any of them would make it stronger than it already is."

"What good are new powers if they won't make the sword stronger?" Inuyasha huffed.

"Because the strength does not come from the sword, you fool!" Totosai exclaimed, staring at him incredulously. "You can't be stupid enough not to have figured it out!"

"Watch what you say to me!" Inuyasha snarled, but he forced himself to calm. "Just talk plain!"

"The sword was built as a conduit for your youki," Totosai said. "Tessaiga doesn't need to get stronger to break through barriers – you do! Only once you've strengthened your connection to the sword would you even have a chance of gaining the power you need to face one of Naraku's barriers."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Fine. What do I need to do?"

Totosai groaned loudly. "Oh, who knows? It took you ages just to find the Wind Scar. There's no telling how many years you might have to train to discover new techniques!"

"Years?!" Inuyasha spluttered. "You gotta be fucking kidding me!"

"He's already mastered the sword," Miroku pointed out. "He can use the Backlash Wave without an issue."

Totosai poked at his forge with his hammer. "Has it stopped you from transforming?"

Inuyasha went rigid and his stomach dropped. He glared down at his claws, where they curled against his knees. "Not entirely."

"Then you haven't truly mastered the sword," Totosai shrugged. "I suppose we'll have to start there – but I warn you! There is no telling how long this will take for someone of your skill."

"Whaddya mean, my ski-" Inuyasha shouted before Sango cut him off.

"We appreciate your help," she said firmly, not-so-subtly throwing her carrying cloth full of deer meat onto Inuyasha's lap.

The gift seemed to drastically improve Totosai's disposition. He swallowed all the meat in one go and pushed himself up off the ground. They followed him across the mouth of the volcano, over the lip and down the side to where a small hut rested.

"I've had apprentices stay here from time to time," Totosai explained. "It's a roof over your head, and it should be far enough away that the volcanic fumes won't kill the humans."

Inuyasha shot a wide-eyed look back at said humans, who were both already reaching for their masks. The inside of the hut was simple packed dirt and a bare fire pit, but they thanked Totosai regardless and began laying down their blankets.

"Inuyasha, your training begins now," Totosai said absently, most of his concentration focused on picking out the dirt which was caked under his fingernails. "Start by chopping down at least three trees for firewood. Make sure to use an ax, mind you! I don't want you chipping Tessaiga."

Inuyasha frowned suspiciously. "That'll help me build up my strength?"

Totosai blinked at him. "Can you think of a reason why it wouldn't?"

"Fine," Inuyasha huffed, snatching an old battered ax from where it rested along with several other tools on the side of the hut. "Anything else?"

Totosai scratched his head thoughtfully. "Some more meat wouldn't go amiss."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "So I'm just feeding you, am I? And you call this training?"

"The real training won't begin until tomorrow," Totosai told him. "This is just to keep you limber! We can't have you lazing about every day." He turned to the rest of the pack. "You're allowed to stay as well, provided you earn your keep – but don't you think about interfering in Inuyasha's training! That whelp needs to learn on his own."

"I'm right here," Inuyasha growled, crossing his arms.

"Are you?" Totosai asked. "Well, that's your first problem right there! You need to be much quicker than that if you want a chance to learn any techniques within a year. Leave the wood and meat outside my forge and I'll see you tomorrow at sunrise."

Inuyasha sneered and leapt away, down the side of the volcano and towards the forest beyond. Totosai watched him go before he turned back to the others.

"He's in quite a hurry, isn't he?"

Miroku and Sango bit down a groan.

"I'll let you know when I have use for you lot," Totosai continued obliviously. "Feel free to wander, just don't go poking around the lava caves. They're scattered all over the area, and there's no telling how easily you might get lost inside. I don't want an angry pup coming after me if you starve to death or suffocate while he's away."

"We'll keep that in mind," Miroku said, biting the inside of his cheek. They waved the old demon off and stepped back inside the hut.

"Just how fragile does he think humans are?" Sango asked, caught somewhere between amused and insulted.

"At least he's trying to keep us alive," Miroku grinned. "Remember when he wanted to eat us?"

"It'll be interesting to see what the old man considers 'training,'" Sango said as she knelt down to organize the blankets.

Miroku glanced at the mask still in his hand. "How concerned do we need to be about these 'fumes'?"

Sango shrugged. "Seeing as we're not dead yet, I think we should be alright. Just keep an eye out and see if you start to feel unwell."

xXx

Inuyasha carefully maneuvered Miroku's arm away from where it was curled around his waist and wriggled free from the blankets. He lifted Kirara off his chest and put her down in the space between Miroku and Sango, ruffling her ears as he did so. He took a moment to stick his head out the door of the hut and glare at the sky, which was barely beginning to lighten with the approaching sun. He yawned widely and dropped a few more logs on the fire – he'd only managed to snatch an armful from the pile he'd placed outside Totosai's forge, but the morning was cold and the hut offered little protection from the elements.

After a quick stretch, he grabbed a bucket from where it was leaning against the wall and ran to the closest river. He had no idea what kind of training was going to be in store throughout the day, but he doubted that Totosai would give him much time to rest. He knelt down by the water and splashed some over his face before taking a long drink. He then filled the bucket and quickly brought it back to the hut for the others to use throughout the day. He blinked back at Kirara before finally heading off to the forge.

Inuyasha was more than a little peeved to find Totosai asleep inside, his loud snoring easily heard on the outside of the giant skull. Mō-Mō was lying down in front of the entrance to the forge, lazily chewing cud and utterly unfazed by the red-hot ground he was lying on. Inuyasha huffed and leapt onto the ox's back, where he crouched and waited for the old demon to make his way outside. And it took much longer than it should have. The sun was climbing high in the sky by the time Totosai stumbled out of his forge, scratching his back and rubbing sleep from his eye. He paused when he saw Inuyasha.

"Oh, you're still here, are you?"

Inuyasha blanched. "Of course I'm still here! You said to be here at dawn so you could train me!"

"Ah, yes," Totosai said, frowning. "I suppose I'd better put you to work, then."

Inuyasha growled quietly. "Look, old man. You'd better be right about this! I can't just waste my time here if it won't help me get stronger."

"Oh, I'll make you stronger all right," Totosai waved him off. "You can start by chopping down some trees."

"I did that yesterday!"

"And a fine job you did," Totosai said absently. "But we'll need much more wood today!"

Inuyasha groaned. "Fine. How many trees are we talking about?"

xXx

Miroku and Sango left Kirara sleeping in the hut as they began to head towards Totosai's forge. However, they'd barely made it half-way up the volcano before they caught sight of Inuyasha down at the base. He was dragging a full-size tree behind him and heading towards a plateau on the other edge of the volcano. A large clay structure stood on the plateau, standing almost three times as tall as any of them. The majority of it was a basin, with carved steps climbing up the side, while a small hole at the base of the structure showed a large hollowed out section beneath. Inuyasha dumped the tree beside the structure and pulled an ax from where it was strapped to his back. He began chopping up the log with a vengeance, adding quickly to the large pile of wood already stacked beside the structure.

"Having fun?" Sango called out to him, and he barely paused to shoot them a glare.

"He said to cut up the trees, so I'm cutting up the trees," Inuyasha panted, wiping some sweat from his brow. "It's definitely working out my muscles."

"Hm," Miroku said, glancing between the pile of wood and the structure. "Did he say what this was for?"

"Hell if I know," Inuyasha puffed, lifting the ax above his head again. "Totosai's busy polishing Tessaiga. Go make sure he's not doing something weird to it, will ya?"

"Will do," Miroku said, and they turned back to the direction of the forge.

The old demon was napping on the lip of the volcano, his head resting on Mō-Mō's side. They stood in front of him and stared down at him until he opened his eyes.

"Inuyasha thinks you're currently busy at work with his sword," Sango said with over-exaggerated calm. "You'd better not let him see you like this."

"Oh, please," Totosai scoffed. "He's far too busy to come snooping around here. Anyway, I am working on his sword!"

He gestured over at a large pot which rested in the middle of the volcano mouth. It was filled with gently bubbling oil, and Tessaiga was stuck blade-first inside of it.

"Oh, hard at work, I see," Miroku said ruefully. "You'd better at least try to look busy by the time he's done."

"What kind of oil is that?" Sango asked, craning her neck to see while avoiding crossing the treacherous ground.

"Ah, that's my own blend of mineral oils," Totosai said, pushing himself upright. "It's the best there is for protecting blades, especially those made from demon bones."

"Would you mind parting with some?" Sango asked. "I haven't been able to tend to Hiraikotsu for a while."

"Ah," Totosai said slowly, eyeing the weapon strapped to her back. "I'll tell you what. If you let me take a look at that weapon of yours again, I'll give you some."

Sango looked wary but she handed over Hiraikotsu regardless. Totosai took it and hummed thoughtfully, running his hands along its length.

"Yes, yes, very nice," he muttered, apparently to himself. "Very fine craftsmanship. Humans make these sorts of weapons, do they? I'd never heard of anyone other than demons using our bones in tools."

"Slayers found long ago that bones worked better than steel to fight other demons," Sango shrugged. "We've developed the technique over generations."

"I like the look of it," Totosai said with a nod. "If you ever need this old gal patched up again, you can bring 'er to me, no charge. I might be considering branching out from more than just swords in the near future."

"I suppose so," Sango said, looking unsure.

"It might be worth having someone else know how to make a new one," Miroku said to her quietly. "In case yours breaks and can't be repaired." She thought for a moment but finally nodded her agreement. Miroku immediately pulled a smile to his face and turned back to Totosai. "In exchange for guaranteed maintenance of Hiraikotsu and any other slayer's weapons, and free use of that oil of yours, you can have access to the weapon's design and building process."

Totosai hummed and tapped his lips. "Deal."

"Really?" Sango aske Miroku. "You want to make a business arrangement?"

"Why not?" he shrugged. "It will save us time and money if we can come here for repairs, rather than hiring someone else or you doing all the work back at your village."

"Whatever you say," she said, watching Totosai run his hands lovingly along Hiraikotsu.

They all sat down along the lip of the volcano while Sango began describing the process of melting bones and shaping them into weapons. Apparently, Totosai and other demon swordsmiths generally relied on large bones that could be carved down to size, as he'd done with Tessaiga, so the prospect of reshaping the materials was intriguing. Totosai rushed back to his forge and brought out some oil and a whetstone, and chatted with Sango about maintaining all her weapons. He was soon examining her sword as well. Miroku, meanwhile, watched Inuyasha chop up the end of the tree and brace his hands on his knees for a moment before he turned and ran back to the forest. As he emerged a while later, hauling yet another large tree behind him, Miroku winced in sympathy.

"You're doing great!" he called down to his partner.

Inuyasha glared at him. "I'm doing everything! Ask that old geezer how much longer I need to do this bullshit!"

Miroku turned to Totosai and gently interrupted him and Sango. "Inuyasha is wondering when he'll be moving on to his next task."

"Oh, right," Totosai said, blinking wide eyes. "Tell him to come up here after he finishes with whatever he's doing now."

Miroku eyed him suspiciously but dutifully relayed the message to Inuyasha, and ignored the shouted response. Totosai pulled Tessaiga from the jar of oil and began rubbing the blade with leather, telling Sango to have at the oil for Hiraikotsu. As they both tended to the weapons, Kirara found them and, apparently not yet recovered from yesterday's flight, settled down on Miroku's lap. With nothing else to do, he began petting her slowly and let himself fall into a light meditation.

He opened his eyes some time later to see a hanyou staring at him. He blinked in mild surprise and smiled gently, watching the amber eyes go from gently amused to soft with fondness. Inuyasha stepped forward and pressed a kiss to the top of Miroku's head before walking past him to Totosai.

"That's five trees chopped," he huffed, plonking himself down. "Please tell me you have something more useful for me to do."

"Useful?" Totosai tutted. "Ha! Useful, he says! Take a hold of Tessaiga and tell me it wasn't useful."

Inuyasha grumbled but obligingly picked up the sword. It transformed in his hand and he waved it around experimentally. It felt exactly the same. He was about to swear at the old demon when he lifted the sword above his head and, as he had done with the ax all day, swung down firmly. Tessaiga bit a divot into the ground despite him trying to slow it down.

"Huh," he said, eyeing the blade.

"Now, on to your next task," Totosai said. "There are two buckets and a carrying pole beside the forge. You must fill the basin with water all the way to the top."

Inuyasha looked at him, then down at the giant clay structure. "All of it?" It didn't sound like training at all, but he was suddenly more willing to believe the old demon.

The others watched the slow, repetitive process as he carried bucket after bucket from the river to the cauldron-like tub and back again. Both Miroku and Sango offered to help at various points, but Totosai warned them not to interfere in the training process, and Inuyasha just swore quietly under his breath. It made them feel quite useless, sitting there as he worked the entire time, but Totosai gradually pulled Sango back into conversation about weapons and Miroku began meditating again.

It was mid-afternoon by the time Inuyasha had finally filled the strange clay cauldron all the way to the top. He let the buckets and carrying pole fall to the ground and slumped gracelessly against the structure. He watched hazily as Miroku and Sango picked their way down the side of the volcano towards him. He groaned loudly as they reached him and glared up at them.

"Well?" Miroku asked innocently. "Do you feel stronger now?"

"Go jump in a ditch."

"I think that's a 'yes,'" Sango grinned at the monk, who nodded sagely.

"Oh, you've finally finished, have you?" Totosai asked, poking his head over the lip of the volcano. "Excellent! Now light the fire underneath. I want that water good and hot!"

Inuyasha groaned again and pushed himself to his feet. He snatched the striker and agate which Miroku passed over to him and began shoving the smallest pieces of wood into the hole under the structure. Sango glanced between the fireplace and the large cauldron-like structure above it.

"Doesn't it look like…?" she whispered to Miroku.

"It really does," he shrugged. "But maybe this is going to be used for a potion or something."

Sango's expression twisted in disbelief. "Sure…"

As the fire was blazing and steam began to rise from the water, Totosai re-emerged over the side of the volcano, several vials of oils and soapberries in his arms. He clambered wordlessly up the side of the structure and placed his armful along the rim of the cauldron, then hopped back down and began shedding his robes. Miroku and Sango both pointedly turned their backs as he stripped completely naked and bounded into the water.

Inuyasha watched for a long moment, trying to persuade himself that it wasn't what it looked like. But as Totosai began splashing around and cleaning himself, the hanyou blanched. "Don't tell me I just worked my ass off all day to give you a bath!"

"Of course not," Totosai said easily. "You worked all day to build up your strength – but there's no point in wasting that energy!"

Inuyasha spun around and walked in a short circle, staring at the ground. Miroku and Sango watched on in sympathy. He finally leapt up to the side of the tub and glared at Totosai.

"Tell me exactly how this can help me," he said in a low, dangerous tone. "'Cause I get how chopping wood helped my downswing with Tessaiga. But hauling water around…" He stopped and blinked. "I guess that was kind of like when Tessaiga was heavy, and I had to rest in on my shoulder." His ears flicked back and he frowned. "Huh."

"Inuyasha," Totosai said, his attention diverted by lathering up the soapberries. "Would you mind blowing into the fire? The water's getting cold."

Inuyasha stared blankly down at the open section of the fire and silently dropped back down. He threw a few more pieces of wood into the fire and blew on it a few times experimentally.

"I get it!" he said suddenly. "This will help build up my lungs!"

Miroku and Sango both kept their expressions carefully devoid of either skepticism or sympathy as they nodded in agreement. Inuyasha began eagerly tending to the fire, apparently having gotten a second wind, and Totosai managed to have a nice long bath without threat of death or dismemberment. In between stoking the flames, Inuyasha jumped up to check on Totosai several times. It was early evening when the demon finally stood and stretched luxuriously.

"A wonderful time indeed!" he said, smiling in satisfaction. Inuyasha unsubtly threw the old demon's robes up to him. "Now you can work on Mō-Mō."

Inuyasha glanced at the ox demon, who had conspicuously appeared at the edge of the plateau. "Mō-Mō?"

"He needs a good scrubbin' too!" Totosai said as though it was obvious. "Don't let him tell you otherwise!"

Inuyasha shook his head but jerked his thumb up towards the now vacant tub. "Fine. In you get."

Mō-Mō obediently flew into the air and settled down inside the tub, the water lapping at his back. Inuyasha leapt up, perched on the lip of the tub and rolled up his sleeves once more. He snatched some of the soapberries and lathered them between his hands before he began scrubbing away at the ox demon's hide. After covering his entire body, he rinsed off the suds and picked up one of the several vials that Totosai had left behind. He sniffed it suspiciously, but it smelled like the fine bath oils that his mother had once used, so he figured it was safe for the ox. He massaged the strange liquid along Mō-Mō's skin and, because the ox had helped them out a few times, made sure to give him a thorough rub down. Mō-Mō bellowed appreciatively as Inuyasha rinsed his coat one final time.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "Just don't get used to it."

He had to admit that both of the old demons had desperately needed a bath – the water was brown and a layer of dirt coated the bottom of the tub by the time they'd finished. Inuyasha wasn't about to clean out the entirety of the tub, and thankfully Totosai had disappeared into his forge and didn't ask him to. Inuyasha jumped down and stumbled tiredly over to where his pack was waiting.

"Remind me never to come here again," he said, dropping down beside Miroku and leaning heavily against the monk.

"But the training's working?" Miroku asked encouragingly. "You said that it can help you wield Tessaiga better."

"I guess so," Inuyasha grumbled. "But I swear, if that old codger tries to have me fix him another bath tomorrow…"

"We want to stay on his good side," Sango reminded him gently. "Which is why Kirara and I are going hunting."

He eyed them thoughtfully. "Do you think there's any way that hunting will work as training?"

"Not when you're this tired," Sango told him with a small smile. "Rest. You've done enough."

"Can't argue with that," he said tiredly, leaning further against Miroku. The monk's hand pressed into his temple and maneuvered him down into his lap. Inuyasha tried not to fall asleep as the nimble fingers massaged his head and ears. He ended up dozing, surrounded by his partner's warmth and scent.

"I'll have to see if we can steal that bath for ourselves," Miroku murmured at one point.

Inuyasha snorted gently. "You'd be the one filling it up again."

"Well, in that case," Miroku hummed, a smile evident in his voice. "I'm sure there's some way we can make a pool warmed from the volcano's heat. It would save Totosai a fair amount of work in the future."

Inuyasha shrugged and pressed his nose against Miroku's abdomen. "Maybe when it's time to train my digging skills."

Miroku laughed softly and dropped down to press a kiss on the side of his head.

Sango and Kirara returned with a wild boar, and they set to work using the remaining firewood still piled beside the tub. Inuyasha gratefully lay down and watched as the humans built another spit. While Sango prepared the boar, Miroku went over to the forge to try and scrounge up some other cooking supplies.

"A cauldron?" Totosai asked in surprise. "What do you need a cauldron for?"

"In case you had anything else we could use to make a stew," Miroku answered easily. "Rice? Beans? Kombu? Anything?"

"I might have some rice in the back," Totosai said, scratching the back of his head. "And you can use one of my oiling pots."

The rice was a little old, but still useable. The cauldron was caked with oil, but Miroku brought it with him regardless, and managed to scavenge enough smaller clay containers from around the forge to act as bowls. He hauled everything back to the plateau and quickly washed out the cauldron before throwing together the rest of the food. He began cooking together a simple stew using blood and fat from the boar. It didn't take long for the smell to draw Totosai outside, and he hungrily eyed the roast and the rice. "If I'd known you humans could cook, I would have set you to work ages ago!"

Miroku pursed his lips. "Is that our training, then?"

Totosai blinked at him. "I have absolutely no idea what you're referring to."

As the rice finished cooking, Miroku stole a few pinches of salt from one of Sango's containers to season it.

"I don't suppose there are any mushrooms or flavourful herbs around?" he asked Totosai.

"Why would I know that?" the old demon asked, and Miroku sighed. "I do have some chillies back in the forge, though."

Sango was already groaning before Miroku shook his head. "No, thank you. We can make do with this just fine."

Sango immediately snapped around to stare at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"Why aren't you trying to kill everyone with heat again? And don't say that Totosai can't handle it, because he's been sitting in literal lava."

Miroku shrugged and started serving up the rice. "Maybe I didn't feel like having anything spicy today."

He handed her a bowl and she took it suspiciously but dropped the matter. Inuyasha heaved himself up and grabbed the next bowl from Miroku, squeezing his shoulder as he did so.

"Just as well you found a pot," he whispered. "The only other option is the bath, and I'm not about to eat Totosai-flavoured soup."

Miroku stifled a laugh and passed the next bowl to Totosai.

"Well?" Inuyasha asked, plopping down beside the old demon. "Was that good enough? Can I learn the new techniques yet?"

"What, now?" Totosai said, and burst out laughing. "It's been a day! You haven't done anything yet! You would have to work for months in order to see any improvement."

Inuyasha growled softly. "I don't have months, old man."

Totosai shook his head. "Such impatience. You young ones always want things done in a hurry – but I'll tell you something! I will need to watch your progress for at least a few days before you can even think about any techniques. And there's no guarantee that you'll be anywhere close to ready by then!"

"I can do a few days," Inuyasha muttered, thinking. "That's…" He trailed off and glanced up at the sky. The others followed his gaze and immediately saw what had drawn his attention – the moon was barely a crescent.

"Totosai," Miroku said casually. "Would we be able to stay in the hut the entire time?"

The old demon shrugged carelessly. "I don't see why not."

Miroku caught Inuyasha's eye and nodded reassuringly. Even if the hut wasn't secure enough, they could search out one of the caves littered around the volcano and hunker down for the night. But it still set Inuyasha on edge. They were still relying on Kagura's good graces to keep Naraku from knowing about his transformation – either transformation, really. An open volcano wasn't exactly the most secure place to ride out the night, but he supposed it would have to do.

xXx

"Wake up, old man," Inuyasha shouted, crossing his arms and standing on top of Mō-Mō once more. "You said I gotta train fast, so give me some fucking training to do already!"

Totosai stumbled out of the forge and blinked up at him blearily. "It's barely even dawn. What business could you possibly have so early?"

Inuyasha growled. "Training. What do I need to do today?" He held up a finger before Totosai could even respond. "And don't you dare even mention chopping wood."

"I suppose you could go after the imps that have been scavenging around," Totosai said thoughtfully. "They've been muddying up the river and eating all the fish for some time now."

Inuyasha glared at him suspiciously. "And tell me exactly how this can be considered training."

"How well can you connect to your opponent's youki in battle?" Totosai asked instead. "Have there been times where you haven't been able to use the Wind Scar?"

"Well, yeah," Inuyasha said slowly. "If the youki's too strong then it overpowers mine and I can't connect to it. And there's this one woman who can manipulate the flow of her youki out of the way."

"And what about weak opponents?" Totosai pushed. "Those with barely any youki there?"

Inuyasha frowned. "I don't really know."

"Well, there you have it," Totosai said. "Go and practice on them, and tell them to pick a different river."

Inuyasha grumbled all the way back to the hut. His pack was barely stirring as he stuck his head inside. "Apparently I'm gonna be chasing after imps all day. Don't wait up."

The others blinked in surprise, but eventually Miroku pushed to his feet. "Mind if I join you?"

Inuyasha sighed. "Totosai's not gonna be happy if you try to help me out."

"Then I won't lift a finger," the monk smiled. "But he can't say anything against me keeping you company."

"Works for me," Inuyasha shrugged. "Sango? What about you?"

"I don't want to start a fight with imps!" she said incredulously. "Best of luck, though."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and dragged Miroku out of the hut with him. Despite the prospect of a long day chasing around biting little demons, he couldn't begrudge the change. The day was warm with the first hints of spring, and as they made their way through the forest, bird calls began echoing through the trees. Though they didn't intentionally slow their pace, they didn't exactly hurry to the river, and instead wrapped their arms around one another and enjoyed the gentle morning breeze. However, it didn't take long for Inuyasha to pick up the sound of chattering coming from around the river. He placed a hand on Tessaiga's hilt and followed the sound further downstream that he had been the day before.

About a dozen imps were gathered in the shallow banks, chomping down on fish and beetles. Inuyasha watched them for a moment before sharing a wary look with Miroku. They didn't exactly seem to be posing much of a threat.

"Hey," Inuyasha called out to them, and they instantly froze and stared at him. "Totosai sent me here."

The imps' eyes immediately narrowed and they hissed. "What does he want now?" one of the imps asked in a shrill voice. "Has he sent you to chase us away?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha said, looking uncomfortable. "Maybe. But I'm not here to pick a fight…I think. This part of the river is fine. Just stay clear of the part nearest the volcano and you won't have any more trouble from him."

The imps sneered. "That old man can't tell us what to do! Between him and the birds, there's barely any territory left!"

Inuyasha sighed and pulled Tessaiga from its sheath. He lifted the sword above his head and focused in on the slight youki coming from the imps. Sure enough, it was much harder than usual to form the Wind Scar without a present target, so he practiced connecting to each of the imps in turn as they stared at him. Finally, he swung Tessaiga forward and sent a single line of power shooting from the sword. It passed between two imps, giving them both plenty of time to scramble back. They all scattered with a shriek and disappeared through the trees on either side of the river.

"Just stay downriver and you'll be fine!" Inuyasha shouted after them. He looked back at Miroku and shrugged.

"That was relatively uneventful," the monk said, coming to his side. "Did Totosai expect this to take all day?"

"Don't know, don't care," Inuyasha huffed, sheathing Tessaiga. "He's not gonna get me to do his dirty work for him."

They turned and began heading back towards the volcano. And then an imp slammed into Inuyasha from the side with such force that he was knocked to the ground. Miroku immediately stepped protectively over him, lifting his staff and batting away the next imp that came hurling towards them while Inuyasha grabbed the first imp and threw him away from them.

As it turned out, there were more imps than just the dozen that had been by the water's edge. Inuyasha's best guess was around thirty or so as they began to swarm them. He didn't want to kill any of them, didn't particularly want to fight them, either, and so stuck to catching them as they approached and throwing them further and further away. Miroku ended up taking the brunt of the burden, calling enough spiritual power to his staff that he wouldn't kill the imps, but enough to sting as he batted away one after another. The imps began attacking from different angles, some darting for their ankles while others dropped from the trees above. Their sharp teeth could break through Miroku's robes but didn't dig too deep. It didn't take long before the imps began latching onto their backs, knocking them to the ground over and over again. Miroku quickly put up a barrier around them. The imps began to claw at the surface, sending sparks flying.

xXx

"If you heat it too quickly, it becomes brittle," Sango explained as Totosai looked over Hiraikotsu once more. "But if you keep it heated for too long, it will begin to melt again. It's not exactly the same as metal."

"Indeed," Totosai murmured. "I will usually keep the bones or fangs heated for longer, but those tend to be a smaller size than this weapon. What kind of forge do you use?"

"A wood-burning kiln," she shrugged. "Not all of us have a volcano at our disposal."

"Hm," Totosai said thoughtfully. "And I see you've stripped the youki away. What a waste."

"The bones come from demons we've killed," Sango said flatly. "They're not exactly going to be friendly if we let their spirits linger."

"No, I suppose not," Totosai muttered. "Still, the greatest strength of my weapons comes from the power within them, and its ability to connect to the demon wielding it. It's such a pity to strip away that power."

"Not much we can do about that now," Sango shrugged. "Besides, I wouldn't be able to connect to any youki in the Hiraikotsu anyway. And it's not as though I can get my hands on unpurified demon parts that won't be angry with me."

Totosai glanced over at Kirara, who immediately paused in her grooming to stare suspiciously between them.

"What do you say?" Totosai asked the twin-tail. "Feel like lending a tooth?"

Kirara growled softly and swished her tail angrily.

"You don't have to," Sango said immediately.

Kirara growled even louder and walked over to Totosai, stretching her mouth wide open.

"It works better when you're bigger," the old demon said, grabbing a metal tool. He stuck it inside Kirara's mouth after she'd transformed and deftly broke off one of her fangs. She roared at him then transformed down. Sango immediately swept her up onto her lap and gave her a cuddle, whispering thanks into her fur.

They watched as Totosai melted the tooth down completely in a mixture of oil, relying on the extreme heat of the forge rather than the slayers' usual recipe. He heated up Hiraikotsu as well and spread the mixture over the weapon. As he gradually began the cooling process and then began sharpening it for her, Sango rummaged through her various pockets until she found a strip of willow bark for Kirara to suck on.

It was getting well into the afternoon and the others weren't back yet, so Sango began to gather the bones from the roast and set them to boil in a simple soup. It wasn't much, but she had a feeling that none of them would feel up to hunting for more meat that evening. She managed to scavenge some more rice and a few dried fish from the back of the forge and was busy fending off a hungry Totosai when Kirara perked up, indicating that the others had returned. Sango headed to the forge entrance and stopped dead, staring at the sight before her.

Inuyasha and Miroku were covered head to toe in mud and leaves, twigs sticking from Inuyasha's hair at odd angles and small patches of blood littered around Miroku's torn robes. Both of them were dripping wet and looked absolutely miserable.

"Ah," Totosai said, coming up behind Sango and wisely staying there. "They got you as well, did they?"

"I'm going to kill him," Inuyasha muttered. "Totosai, come here so I can kill you."

"What the hell happened to you?" Sango asked, looking them over.

"Imps," Miroku said tiredly. "Imps happened. Lots of them. All day."

"In the river," Inuyasha added. "Beside the river. In the trees. By that small cliff…"

"Come on, you two," Sango said, shaking her head and pushing them towards the pot of rice. "Wash yourselves off and there's a hot meal waiting."

Inuyasha sighed softly. "Sango, I love you."

"Really?" Miroku asked, gesturing vaguely at his filthy robes and general state of existence.

Inuyasha's ears flicked back. "I said what I said."

Sango dutifully handed out heaping bowls of food once the others had cleaned themselves up a bit. Totosai scarfed down his portion and continued work on Hiraikotsu. After Inuyasha and Miroku described their exasperating day with the imps, Sango told them about the reinforcements that Totosai was making to her weapon. Inuyasha and Miroku both sent Kirara a sympathetic look.

"Sounds like you had a great day, too," Inuyasha said, reaching out to scratch behind her ears.

They finished up quickly and then lay down on the raised rocks around the forge, soaking up the heat on their stiff muscles. Totosai had finished sharpening Hiraikotsu and had moved on to oiling the weapon.

"Totosai," Miroku called out. "Do you think we could have a few vials of that oil now?"

The old demon shrugged and gestured to a clay pot full of the stuff. "Have at it."

Miroku moved to fill a few of the empty vials that he and Sango had been carrying around, and Inuyasha shuffled over to watch the process.

"I figure we can use it to treat our daggers as well," Miroku explained. "As well as a few other things."

Inuyasha shrugs. "Sounds good to me."

Once Totosai had finished up, they decided to turn in for the evening, even though it was still fairly early. Inuyasha and Miroku were exhausted, and were more than ready for the day to be over. They stole a few more pieces of firewood from the forge to heat up the drafty old hut and settled down together for another night.

xXx

He was running through nothingness, the inky blackness swirling around him, so thick that he could almost feel it on his skin. The walls were enclosing him on either side, not near enough to touch, but enough to know that there was no escape. Something was chasing him, reaching for him from behind with grasping claws. He couldn't see what it was, couldn't hear it, but he could feel its hot breath on the back of his neck.

Miroku woke with a start, firm hands bracing his shoulders. He could hear a voice whispering something, the tone soothing. He blinked several times as the world rematerialized around him. The swath of white before him slowly formed into Inuyasha, large amber eyes showing more and more concern. It took even longer for the words to make sense in the jumble of his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his brow into Inuyasha's chest, letting the strong arms wrap around him as he tried to calm his pounding heart.

"You're okay," Inuyasha was whispering. "It was just a dream. It was only a dream…"

xXx

"Right," Totosai said as he emerged from his forge that morning. "It's about time you started on some proper training."

Inuyasha froze mid-yawn. "I'm sorry – proper training?"

"Well of course!" Totosai tutted. "You didn't think that chopping wood and chasing around imps would let you break through Naraku's barriers, did you?"

Inuyasha just stared at him and strongly considered murder before he hissed out a long breath between his teeth. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"

Totosai had them haul several cracked or broken clay pots down to the plateau and had them all stand at one end. One-by-one, he threw the pots into the air, ordering Inuyasha to cut through them with Tessaiga as they fell. He did so, faltering at first but quickly gaining speed and precision. He used Totosai's advice on how to use his youki to change directions in the air, even managing to veer in a completely different direction to hit one pot after another. It felt good – it felt like actual training and real progress – but he could already tell that his youki was less powerful than it had been the day before. He wouldn't be able to use it much before it went dormant for the new moon.

The next task was even harder to complete. Totosai threw pieces of wood onto the edge of the plateau and told Inuyasha to use the Wind Scar to break them apart, using only the youki of those around him to bring it to his mind. He's used the Wind Scar like that before, but it had been mostly unconsciously when his pack was in danger. He didn't know if he'd be able to do it again, especially if someone like Kagura was messing with the flow of power, but he tried regardless. He managed to get it the first few times, with Kirara sitting off to the side to spark the Wind Scar in his mind. But when she was out of sight, the unassuming pieces of wood just…didn't do it for him.

"You need to truly feel the sword," Totosai coached. "Feel its power, feel your energy flowing through it. Let yourself connect to its force, become one. Only once you both work in harmony will you be able to truly wield the sword."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to do what he was told. He could feel Tessaiga's presence humming along the edge of his mind, swirling with his own aura. The sword really was a part of him. It truly felt like an extension of himself. He tried to treat it as such, focusing on the connection as Totosai said. But as the day wore on, with several new tasks presented which all relied on his youki, Inuyasha found that he wasn't able to use the Wind Scar at all. He growled in frustration and kicked at the ground.

"I suppose that's it for the day," Totosai said as he stretched. "I don't suppose you'll be useful again until tomorrow."

Inuyasha growled softly. "You're one to talk."

"You know about the new moon?" Miroku asked, mildly surprised.

"Of course!" Totosai said. "I saw him as a mortal just a few cycles ago."

"I suppose so," Miroku said. "I just hadn't expected you to remember. Or…you know…notice."

Totosai harrumphed indignantly. "Watch it, young man! I may be old but I'm not senile!"

Miroku wisely kept his mouth shut and waved goodbye along with the others as they made their way back towards the hut. Sango and Kirara went out to fish for them, and Miroku actually managed to convince Inuyasha to have a nap before the sun set.

"You know that Totosai won't go easy on you tomorrow," he said, maneuvering Inuyasha down into his lap. "You should rest up while you can."

Inuyasha's senses had already dulled to the point where he didn't wake when Sango and Kirara returned. They cooked the fish quietly outside and woke him up when the food was ready. They ate as the sun sank below the horizon, and Inuyasha huffed as he watched his claws receding. They settled down on the wall of the hut opposite the door, with Kirara standing guard outside while Miroku and Sango sat down on either side of Inuyasha. They chatted quietly at first, about easy things like where they should forage for food the next day, and harder things like when they should pick up Shippo from Kaede's village, if at all. Gradually, though, they fell into silence and simply let the night slip by.

It was still quite some time before dawn when a loud crash broke the calm night air, followed by several unearthly shrieks. Sango was on her feet in an instant, poking her head outside to where Kirara stood, growling softly with the fur rising along her back.

"What is it?" Miroku asked, peering past her.

"It'd better not be those stupid imps again," Inuyasha muttered, gripping Tessaiga.

"I can't see anything," Sango said, picking up Hiraikotsu from where it was leaning against the wall. "We have to go see what that was. Kirara, you stay here with Inuyasha."

"If you hear any danger nearby, go to the forge and stay there," Miroku instructed. "Or hide in one of the caves."

Inuyasha growled quietly as he watched them rush off into the darkness, leaving him stranded with no heartbeats or scent to reassure him that they were okay. He then turned to Kirara. "If you hear anything, we're going after them."

She narrowed her eyes at him and her ears flicked back.

"Don't look at me like that!" he snapped. "I'm not going to just sit back and let them get hurt!"

Miroku and Sango moved swiftly in the direction of the sound, soon coming across the entrance to a small cave. They shared a wary glance and ducked inside. Sango took her spare carrying cloth and pulled out a small metal box from under the plate of her shoulder armour, quickly spreading the thick sap inside across the cloth before wrapping it around the head of Miroku's staff. She grabbed her vial of oil from Totosai and poured a little overtop before grabbing the striker and agate which Miroku passed to her. The makeshift torch illuminated a long narrow passage which wound deep into the volcano. Parts of the ground were covered with patches of shiny black rock which was slippery when they walked over it. They crept carefully along, unsure if they were even looking in the right direction until another shriek came from much deeper in the tunnel.

"Right," Sango said slowly. "So that's a trap."

"Almost definitely," Miroku sighed. "But we'd better go see how bad it is."

They continued through the tunnel, forced to walk single-file as the passage got narrower and narrower. Eventually, the passage opened up into a large cavern on the right, with the ground dropping off sharply on that side so that there was barely a ledge running along the wall. It seemed to widen again further along, and several other tunnels were barely visible at the other end. Miroku peered down over the edge of the path and swallowed – even with the light of the torch, he couldn't make out the bottom. There was something else there, as well. There was some kind of presence lingering around the cave. He and Sango peered into the darkness of the cavern below them.

It was why they missed the attack which came from above.

A flock of bird demons dove for them, knocking them off balance and sending them precariously close to the edge of the cliff. Miroku blocked some of them with his staff, but the movement caused the light from the torch to swing around disconcertingly. It was hard to make out the demons – some of them were the size of large hawks, others larger than a human, all with grasping talons and sharp beaks diving for them. Sango quickly pulled Hiraikotsu from her back and threw it at the birds, but she was painfully aware that if any of them knocked the weapon off course, it was more than likely to fall into the deep ravine below them.

The birds attacked from all sides, pinning them against the rocky wall behind them. They dove in and out again, too quickly to be hit with sword or staff. As Sango caught Hiraikotsu, Miroku threw a handful of sutras at the birds, driving them back just long enough for him to pull a spiritual barrier around them. The birds immediately began attacking it, striking with their beaks and sending crackling energy along the surface.

"What do we do?" Miroku asked. "I can't hold them off for long."

"We'll be able to fight them off at the tunnel," Sango said, gesturing back the way they had come. "We'll have to make a run for it."

Miroku nodded and began maneuvering another handful of sutras out from his robes, wincing at the constant barrage on his mental walls. Sango had pulled out one box of poison powder and spread it across Hiraikotsu and her sword, then grabbed a separate box full of an irritant, ready to throw it at the birds. She looked at Miroku and nodded. Then she saw him pale.

A giant hawk demon was flying towards them, eyes glowing red. The other birds quickly scattered, giving him easy access to the humans. He stared down at them for a moment before he lifted his head back, a ball of glowing energy forming inside his beak. He shot it at them, and the orb crashed into the barrier with a blaze of light. Miroku gasped and braced himself against the impact, the barrier somehow holding. But then the ground began to crumble beneath their feet. Sango shouted and shoved him forward, back towards the tunnel. She threw the box of irritant at the birds which dove for them, causing them to veer away. But then another orb shot into the path before them, crumbling the thin ledge between them and the tunnel.

Sango spun around and threw Hiraikotsu, cutting the wings off several of the birds around them. But as the weapon reached the hawk demon, he beat his giant wings and sent a gust of wind hurling back at them, sending Hiraikotsu flying off course. The weapon clattered off the cavern wall and spiralled down into the dark pit below. Miroku pulled the mala from his hand and aimed the swirling vortex at the birds, who screeched and scattered once more. He managed to suck in a good chunk of the demons before the walls of the cave began to shake threateningly. He grimaced and immediately closed the void, watching bits of dust fall down from the roof of the cavern. Sango lifted her sword and shoved Miroku back towards the tunnel – they were going to have to jump for it.

The hawk demon dove for them and snatched Sango up in his talons. She immediately plunged her sword into his leg, and he screeched but didn't let go. She reached for Miroku's hand as he tried to grab her but the hawk demon was rapidly pulling her away. She twisted in his grasp, hacking away at the demon's leg as much as she could. His other foot quickly closed around her upper body, pinning her arms to her side.

"No!" Miroku shouted, lifting his staff. A wave of spiritual power burst from the head of the weapon, tearing through the remnants of the cloth torch and searing through the birds. The demons were all thrown back with a shriek of anger and pain, while the few non-demon birds mixed in merely threw themselves at him. He batted them away and reached for his mala beads, trying to figure out how he could draw the hawk demon to him without risking Sango's life. Instead, the hawk demon stretched his mouth wide, and Miroku barely had time to see another orb forming in his beak before it was flying at him. It struck him hard, slamming him back against the wall as the ground continued to crumble under him. His vision flashed white before everything went black, and he vaguely had the sensation of falling.

"Miroku!" Sango shouted, thrashing in the demon's grasp. "No! Miroku!"

She could only watch in horror as the monk slid from the path and tumbled down the edge of the cliff, disappearing into the inky blackness below. The light faded from the cavern, with only a few scraps of burning cloth left scattered along the path. The hawk demon screeched and turned, him and his flock flying up towards the roof of the cavern. They entered into a large tunnel at the top which twisted even deeper into the volcano, leaving everything else behind them.

xXx

Inuyasha was pacing along the length of the hut, his fingers tapping agitatedly against Tessaiga's hilt when Kirara shot to her feet. Her ears pricked forwards as she strained in the direction that Miroku and Sango had gone. A moment later she was transforming and Inuyasha leapt on her back, holding on tight as she bounded along the edge of the volcano, following their scent to the mouth of a cave crammed deep in the cliff face. Inuyasha hunkered down on her back as she stepped inside, straining to see by just the light provided by the fire at her paws. She was forced to slow down as the tunnel continued to narrow, and eventually Inuyasha had to hop off and walk behind her as she transformed down. Without the fire he couldn't see anything at all, and progress was painfully slow as he moved in a crouch, one hand resting on her back to guide him. He considered telling her to go on ahead on her own, but the reality of his vulnerable position hadn't escaped him.

They reached the end of the tunnel and Kirara transformed back into her larger form. Inuyasha peered past her to the wide open cavern, the broken path before them and the burnt scraps of cloth scattered along it. His heart sank. Kirara was sniffing the air harshly and she growled, the sound rumbling through her chest. Inuyasha climbed onto her back and she leapt into the air but hovered there, looking around in increasing distress.

"Were they here?" he asked, clinging to her fur. "Were they attacked?"

She nodded, her ears swivelling around in confusion.

"Miroku?" Inuyasha called out, his voice echoing strangely off the cavern walls. "Sango?"

There was no answer. Kirara landed lightly on the narrow ledge against the side of the cavern and Inuyasha raised his voice, shouting increasingly desperately for the rest of his pack.

xXx

Everything hurt. That was the first thing that Miroku was aware of. He couldn't really remember what had happened, or why his eyes didn't seem to work. Everything was fuzzy and out of reach. His head was pounding but through the ringing in his ears, he could vaguely hear a familiar voice frantically calling his name. He tried to respond, but no sound came from his lips. Normally that wouldn't be much of a problem. Normally Inuyasha would be able to track him down by his scent or heartbeat, but for some reason he knew that wouldn't happen this time.

The new moon! Inuyasha was mortal. Somehow, that piece of the puzzle made everything else slide into place – the crash that drew them outside, the strange presence coming from the cave, Sango's shout… He tried to push himself up, but his body was numb and largely unresponsive. Even just the small movement sent his head spinning. He knew that was probably a bad sign. Pain also laced up his side, and when he brushed his fingers over the skin, they came away sticky. Again, not the best thing to find.

A faint rustling from above drew his attention. Shit. The birds would be coming for him. They must have thought he was dead, but they would want to finish him off. They would smell him, the blood probably having given him away – right! That was why bleeding was bad. The shuffling continued, and then a familiar voice shouted down "Miroku?"

Miroku frowned deeply. When had Inuyasha gotten there? What was going on? Just breathing made him nauseous, so Miroku reached out with his mind and tugged once on the nenju beads. There was a startled cry and then a rapid voice, and light shone down from above, sending spikes of pain through Miroku's head. He covered his eyes and squinted back up. A blur of yellow and red gradually formed into Kirara and Inuyasha. They landed beside him and Inuyasha was instantly reaching for him, fear plain to see in his wide brown eyes.

"Miroku?" Inuyasha asked, grasping at his robes. "Are you okay? What happened? Where's Sango?"

Sango. Sango had been with him. She wasn't now. Miroku frowned as he tried to grasp what had happened. There had been something there, something which took her…

"Hey!" There were hands framing his face, forcing him to meet Inuyasha's eyes. "Come on, stay with me. Are you hurt?"

Miroku blinked slowly up at him, trying to put his thoughts in order. There was a small warning growing in the back of his mind, a kind of urgency that he couldn't place just yet.

"The bird demons took her," he found himself saying. "I tried to stop them. I can't remember…"

"Come on," Inuyasha said, hauling an arm over his shoulder. "We need to get you out of here."

As he helped Miroku up, taking most of his weight, he stumbled a little and blinked rapidly. Miroku stared at him, trying to figure out what was wrong. His vision was swimming and he felt like no matter how hard he breathed, there just wasn't enough air. There was a strange smell in the air as well, which coated his tongue and burned his eyes.

"The fumes!" he gasped suddenly. "The shaking- We need to get up – stay as high as we can. Hurry!"

Inuyasha was staring at him in confusion but didn't resist as Miroku shoved him towards Kirara. They both climbed onto her back and Inuyasha held onto him tightly as she took off, keeping him from falling. She bounded back up to the narrow path and paused in clear indecision. Miroku sucked in gulps of fresh air, feeling his head clear with every breath. He glanced around, the events finally clear in his mind.

"A hawk demon and his flock were waiting for us," he told the others quickly. "I don't know what they want, but they took Sango. They knocked Hiraikotsu down – we'll have to grab it, and my staff – and they must have taken her somewhere. But none of the tunnels are wide enough for the leader to fly through…"

"Let's start with the weapons," Inuyasha said, shooting him a concerned look. "You said something about staying up high?"

"It's the volcanic fumes that Totosai was talking about," Miroku explained. "They must have been released when I used the wind tunnel. From what I've heard, they sink in the air. We can wear our masks, but even then, I think we'll need to be careful to stay above them. We can hold our breaths when we get our weapons."

Kirara leapt off the path and hovered in the air, nodded at them over her shoulder, and dove down. She skimmed along the cave floor, gradually coming upon Miroku's staff and Hiraikotsu. Inuyasha snatched them both as they passed, and she immediately shot back up, heading to the top of the cavern just to be safe. It was then that Miroku saw the large tunnel rising up from the ceiling.

"There," he said, pointing to draw the others' attention. "That has to be where they took her."

Kirara flew into the tunnel, following it as it twisted and flattened out, branching off in all different directions. They stuck to the widest path, trusting that the hawk demon would have been carrying her the whole way, but even that path slowly began to narrow. As it began to branch more and more, Kirara shook her head, glancing between two of the options – she couldn't tell which one Sango had gone through. They picked one at random and simply hoped that it was the right choice.

xXx

Sango glared at the demon as he set her down on the floor of a sizeable cave, pinning her there with his talons. Other bird demons rushed to her side, iron chains grasped in their feet which they draped over her. Once she was fully secured, the hawk demon released her and stepped back. White light emerged from his body and he transformed, shrinking down to a human size and shape. A cloak of feathers rested over him, and he blinked down at her with the same red eyes. Other than the usual demon pointed ears, a crown of feathers instead of hair were the only indicators that he was not human. Then he smiled at her, revealing two rows of pointed teeth.

"Welcome, slayer," he grinned. "I am Nanafushi, the leader of this flock. I hope that you will find your time here…enjoyable."

"Doubtful," she spat. "What do you want from me?"

"From you?" he hummed. "Not much. I'm afraid that you're worth only as much as that hanyou deems you to be."

She glared at him. "You're after Inuyasha?"

"In a manner of speaking," Nanafushi shrugged flippantly. "I've had my eye on him for some time now. He interests me. He has power, more than any hanyou should. He may have what I need."

"What you need?" Sango spat. "What are you talking about?"

"I have seen that sword of his," the demon drawled. "A pretty weapon, though I understand it's rather choosy in its master. I will need the hanyou's essence if I am to wield it."

Sango watched him carefully. "How do you know about his sword?"

"Oh please," Nanafushi smiled. "He doesn't exactly hide it. He was throwing it around the first time I saw him, fighting against the red blade."

"Red blade?" Sango echoed, a cold ball of dread forming in the pit of her stomach. "You've been watching us since Kaijinbo?"

Nanafushi shrugged. "I don't care to recall the names of those involved. All I know is that the sword is interesting to me, and now I have a chance to take it. We had all heard of Totosai's new pet, so we made a nest here to listen. We couldn't believe our luck when the hanyou himself came to see him here, but we knew that it was too soon. We needed to see his power, if he could truly stand against Naraku."

"Naraku?" Sango asked with a frown. "You're trying to go after Naraku? Why? Is he your enemy as well?"

"He is the enemy to all who do not serve him," Nanafushi said quietly, the feathers along his head rising and falling in agitation. "His power has spread across this land, choking the life from it. There is no telling when he will be stopped. Any of us who wish to survive must be able to fight against him."

Sango shifted, silently dropping a corrosive powder on the chains behind her. "And you think that Tessaiga will allow you to do so?"

"I have seen the hanyou's power, though he cannot truly master his demon form," Nanafushi smiled. "I would be able to absorb his power and enough of his human half to wield the sword. But that very power is what kept me from killing him thus far. I knew that he might defeat me if I were to face him as he usually is. Thankfully, he was flippant with his human weakness."

Sango's eyes widened. "Kaijinbo. You saw him-"

"As a mortal," Nanafushi finished with a grin. "For all to see in the middle of a field. I had my flock watch him every new moon thereafter, just to be sure. And so my plan was formed." He stretched out his arms, bracing them against his head casually. "It took some time, I'll have you know. I had to figure out how to keep him weak until I can access his power. I had to learn how to avoid that human's cursed void. My final inspiration was from that human sage. I knew that I had to absorb enough spiritual powers to enact my plot."

Sango had no idea what that meant, but she wasn't about to wait long enough to find out. Rage was already searing through her at his utter disregard for Miroku's life, how they had seen him as no more than an obstacle to be overcome. She threw herself to the side, using her weight to break the weakened chain, and rolled to her feet. She grabbed the first box of poison powder she got her hands on and threw it at the demons between her and the tunnel from which they'd come. She pulled out her sword and sprang the lever of her hidden blade, slashing wildly to keep any of them from getting close as she ran. Nanafushi crashed into her from behind. She twisted in the air and thrust her sword up at him but he caught the blade in one hand and slammed it to the ground. He pinned her wrists with his hands, his knees digging into her thighs as he leaned over her. Sango went rigid as genuine panic flashed through her. She couldn't get free, and she was completely and utterly on her own.

xXx

"Damn it all," Inuyasha snarled, glancing between two identical tunnels that he could have sworn they'd passed already. "We're lost! How can this happen? Why can't we find her?"

"You can't pick up her scent at all, Kirara?" Miroku asked, but the twin-tail shook her head with a low grumble. "How is that possible?"

"If they were carrying her through the air then they wouldn't have left a trail," Inuyasha huffed. "But we should still be able to smell where she is now!"

Miroku frowned. "What if they're using a barrier? Something that blocks her scent?"

"…Shit," Inuyasha said, glancing around anew. "How the hell are we supposed to find her if that's the case?"

"Hold on," Miroku murmured, squeezing his eyes shut. "I might be able to sense where the barrier is if it has strong enough youki." He cast his mind out, letting the energy within the cave flow over him. He pushed past Kirara's presence, found the lingering aura of a few smaller bird demons scattered around the tunnels and…there! A solid wall of energy painted a bright picture across his mind's eye. But… "That's not youki. That's spiritual power!"

"What?" Inuyasha asked, grasping onto his arms. "You mean there's a human working with the demons?"

Miroku shook his head, trying to push further but unable to break past the solid wall. "I don't know. I can't sense any presence beyond it. But…there's something wrong about the way it feels. It's like the power has been corrupted, somehow."

"Can you lead us to where it is?"

"I should be able to."

Kirara took off in the direction of the barrier, following the gentle curve of the inside of the volcano. It didn't take long for bird demons to emerge, squeezing out through cracks in the walls or tunnels too narrows for humans to access. Kirara batted them away with her paws and Miroku sliced through them with his staff. Inuyasha tried to fend them off with Tessaiga, but he'd forgotten how rusty the sword was when it wasn't transformed. As they neared the barrier, Miroku and Inuyasha slipped off Kirara's back and followed behind her, covering her back as she fought through more and more birds. Miroku's staff illuminated the long tunnel as it glowed with spiritual power, slicing through the demons and disintegrating them more often than not. He kept close to Inuyasha's side, keeping any of their opponents from getting too close.

They rounded one final corner and came headlong to the barrier, which cast a shifting blue light on the rocky walls around it. Kirara tore the head off the last bird in front of her and batted at the barrier experimentally, but it was a solid mass and refused to let her through. She immediately spun around and leapt over Inuyasha and Miroku's heads, crashing into the bird demons which were still coming after them. Miroku nodded in thanks and rushed to the barrier, carefully pressing a hand to it. His hand passed straight through with barely a twinge. He frowned and beckoned Inuyasha over, who found the same result.

Miroku took a step back and stared up at the barrier. Something felt wrong, here. Was this only there to keep them from Sango? Somehow, it felt like more than that. He turned and snatched a dying bird demon from the ground and pressed it against the barrier, which flared brightly and refused to let it pass. Miroku quickly killed the bird and nodded slowly to himself.

"What time was it when you found me?" he asked suddenly. "How close is it to dawn?"

"Pretty close," Inuyasha shrugged. "Not close enough. Why?"

"This barrier won't let anything with youki pass," Miroku said hurriedly. "You won't be able to make it through again after you transform back."

Inuyasha glanced between Miroku and the barrier, eyes wide. "So what do we do? We need to get to Sango!"

Miroku bit his lip, his mind a blur. There was something more going on, he was sure of it. It was just out of reach, just beyond his grasp. He stepped through the barrier, just to be sure, and was immediately hit with an incredibly strong youki. He held up his staff and called a wave of spiritual power to the head, lighting up the length of the tunnel. The light glinted off a pair of red eyes, and a humanoid demon stepped out of the darkness. He spread his arms wide, lifting up a cloak made of feathers along with them, and his body slowly began to transform. The cloak spread across his skin, morphing into wings as he took his true form. The hawk demon blinked at him and then charged.

Miroku slashed at the demon with his staff, driving him back. But the hawk demon lifted into the air, flapping his strong wings and sending buffeting gales towards Miroku, throwing him back. He could hear Inuyasha rushing up behind him but he pushed him back, out of the way of the orb forming in the demon's beak. The shot slammed into the ground in front of the barrier, leaving shattered rock in its wake. The demon wasted no time in lunging at Miroku next. He could barely block the talons with his staff, grunting at the impact. He pushed the demon back and struck hard with his staff.

The demon didn't react. He didn't so much as flinch at the spiritual power. Instead, a strangled laughing sound rose from his throat. Miroku froze. That was impossible, unless- He reached out with his mind and found a ball of spiritual energy crushed inside the demon's youki, broken and malformed but still powerfully present. It was the exact same power which formed the barrier. Miroku's heart sank. The demon was flying back, giving him a clear opening to attack, but he refused to take it. He knew that Sango was somewhere beyond this demon – he could barely feel her presence – but she wasn't the one these demons had been after. He wasn't, either. He glanced back at the barrier as the pieces fell into place.

Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's arm and dragged them both back through the barrier as the hawk demon lunged for him. They watched him crash into his own barrier, unable to pass. It confirmed Miroku's worst fears – this demon had laid a trap for them with the knowledge that he would be barricading himself inside. The only variable was whether Inuyasha was in there with him. And based on how the demon was shrieking with fury, it didn't look like Inuyasha was on the side he was supposed to be.

"You have to stay here," Miroku said, pulling his dagger from his robes. "I'll find Sango on my own."

Inuyasha grasped his shoulders and shook his head fiercely. "No way in hell I'm letting you face that monster alone!"

"We don't have a choice," Miroku said. "He wants to trap you on the other side once you transform." Inuyasha opened his mouth to argue but Miroku pushed forward. "We don't have time to argue. I'll get Sango and meet you back here. You should be safe from the lead demon, at least."

Inuyasha grabbed onto his arm, panic rising in his chest. He could feel his youki stirring within him, the sunrise just moments away. He knew that Miroku could feel it, too. The monk's face twisted with regret as he shoved Inuyasha away, pushed him to the ground. Inuyasha could only watch as the world shifted, suddenly brighter and louder. He scrambled to his feet as energy flooded his tired limbs, leapt at Miroku just as the monk backpedalled straight through the barrier, right into the waiting demon. Inuyasha threw himself at the barrier, tore at it with his claws, but it refused to let him pass.

Miroku ignored Inuyasha's desperate shouts as he slashed at the bird demon again and again, driving him back as best he could. He jabbed his staff into the demon's eye, drawing out a shriek of pain, and used the brief pause to open the wind tunnel. The demon scrambled back, vaulting into the air and flapping his wings furiously, fighting against the pull of the void. Screeches began to echo from the walls as bird demons wormed their way out of cracked, throwing themselves to the aid of their leader. Miroku managed to pull a few into the wind tunnel before an ominous cracking sound came from the walls. Miroku grimace and pulled the beads back over his hand, eyes darting around the rocks to see whether he'd just caused a cave-in. A few shards of stone fell from the ceiling but nothing more. So Miroku readjusted his grip on his staff and vaulted over the hawk demon, who had landed hard on the ground and was panting from fighting the wind tunnel's pull. He snapped at Miroku with his beak as he passed but missed, and the monk quickly disappeared down the tunnel.

Inuyasha was left staring after him, his youki flaring as panic clawed at his throat. He watched the hawk demon stagger upright, his eyes flashing menacingly at Inuyasha before shifting around, turning his gaze in the direction Miroku had gone.

"Come back here, human," he called out, his voice scratchy and warped in his true form. "You surprise me. I may have to take your powers, after all. You and the hanyou will serve me well."

Inuyasha's vision flash red and he snarled, curling his claws against the barrier. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't let some stupid demon keep him from his pack! They were in danger and they needed his help and he had to do something! Energy prickled along his skin, begging to be set free – for him to transform and tear this barrier to shreds, rip the demon apart with his bare hands. But he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't keep letting himself lose control. Miroku had had to use the wind tunnel against Naraku last time, just to keep him from transforming right in front of that monster. That couldn't happen again.

So Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut and poured all his frantic energy, all his flaring power into Tessaiga. The sword pulsed in his hands, in time with his heartbeat. He lifted the sword above his head and brought it down with a roar, sending a giant wave of power crashing from the blade, ripping through the barrier and catching the hawk demon as he disappeared down the tunnel. The demon cried out in surprise and pain, whipped around to stare at Inuyasha with wide eyes.

"How?" he croaked. "I saw you! You shouldn't be able to-"

"Shut up," Inuyasha growled, and hurled the Wind Scar at the demon, tearing him to pieces.

He took off, Kirara running behind him, as he tore down the tunnel where he could hear two frantic human heartbeats. He burst into a cave at the end of the long passage, to where Miroku and Sango were pressed back-to-back, fighting off the rest of the flock. Inuyasha sliced through the ones between him and his humans, while Kirara bounded over his head to tackle a few from the air. Sango shot him a relieved smile when she saw them, but Miroku was staring at him in disbelief. Inuyasha ignored him, focusing on cutting down every bird he came upon. They began to scatter, escaping through small fissures in the ceiling or back down the main tunnel. Soon, there were none left. Inuyasha panted and lowered Tessaiga, finally meeting Miroku's eyes.

"How?" the monk whispered. "The barrier…?"

Inuyasha shot him a skewed, slightly fragile grin. "I guess that training wasn't for nothing, after all."

Miroku's jaw dropped. "No way."

Sango looked between them in confusion. "What's-"

Miroku threw himself at Inuyasha, wrapping around him in a strong embrace. Inuyasha chuckled a little hysterically and crushed the monk to him for a bit before he ruefully dragged Sango in as well.

"You're welcome for coming to rescue you," he smiled, earning himself an elbow to the gut.

"Oh, sure," she growled. "You don't get to rush in at the last moment and claim that you saved the day. I had to escape twice!" She turned to Miroku. "I'm glad to see you're not dead, at least. And how is that, exactly?"

He shrugged. "I figured that after everything that's tried to kill me, I couldn't let a little fall off a cliff be the one to take me out."

Inuyasha shook his head and pulled them back into another long hug before they piled onto Kirara and slowly made their way out of the long, twisting caves. They emerged into the early morning light, stiff and exhausted but very much alive. Kirara didn't bother taking them back to the hut, instead flying up over the edge of the volcano and landing lightly in front of the forge, where Totosai and Mō-Mō were waiting for them.

"Finally!" the old demon snapped, eyeing them all harshly. "Inuyasha, just where have you been? I thought you were serious about training."

Inuyasha chuckled as he dropped off Kirara's back. "Yeah, I guess you could say I am." He grinned broadly, a little sheepishly but unable to hide his enthusiasm. "I did it!"

Totosai blinked. "You did what, exactly?"

"I broke through a demon's barrier with Tessaiga," Inuyasha explained hurriedly. "There was this nest of bird demons and the leader took Sango to-"

"Slow down, slow down," Totosai tutted, shaking his head. "I think you'd all better come inside."

They explained the whole story to him, filling each other in as well on what they had missed. Sango described Nanafushi's ability to absorb the powers of others, and his fear of Naraku. Miroku went through the events surrounding the barrier, and the demon's goal of trapping Inuyasha until he could take his power. Totosai listened to all of it, nodding slowly and not interrupting at all. When they had finished, however, he sighed.

"I applaud you all for your bravery," he said, unusually gently. "But you won't be able to break through Naraku's barrier."

"What?" Inuyasha spluttered. "But I just-"

"A tengu's stolen powers are nothing compared to what you'd be up against with Naraku," Totosai explained. "You were able to break through this one on nothing but stubbornness and brute strength."

"But that was the whole point of training!" Inuyasha insisted. "To build up my strength!"

"So that you would be able to learn some new techniques with Tessaiga," Totosai reminded him. "Not so you could go hacking away at any obstacle in your path." He frowned. "I hate to be the one to tell you all this, but I don't know what I'd do if you tried to go after Naraku as you are now. You would be in grave, grave danger."

Inuyasha slumped back, crossing his arms. "So what? All that really was for nothing?"

"I didn't say that," Totosai hummed. "You have certainly proven your strength today, young pup. I think you're ready for the technique. That is, it's not as though you're truly ready, but it's not as though you're not, either."

Inuyasha growled softly. "Make sense, old man."

Totosai huffed. "Myoga, what do you have to say about it?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Myoga?"

He watched in disbelief as the flea jumped onto Totosai's shoulder, seemingly from nowhere. "Indeed, Master Inuyasha."

"When the hell did you get here?" he spluttered.

"I came last night, of course," Myoga said casually. "To ensure that you were safe during the new moon. However, I was disturbed to find your hut empty."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Yeah, good job on that one. So what, you know about this technique?"

"I do indeed," the flea said softly. "You must go to the nest of the Demon Bats. It is there that you will find the ability to truly break through barriers."

"Indeed," Totosai nodded solemnly. "The Demon Bat Clan has resided on the southern shores for countless generations, and their barriers are all but legendary. If you can kill their guardian of the barrier, you will certainly be able to face Naraku."

"I shall accompany you, of course," Myoga finished. "I will direct you on how to allow Tessaiga to absorb these new powers."

Inuyasha heaved a heavy sigh. "Okay, sure. Whatever." He grimaced. "Thanks. I really do appreciate it, both of you. But it's been a long night, so I need to head to bed."

Miroku and Sango blearily nodded their agreement, and they stumbled their way back down the side of the volcano. Inuyasha had them both strip down to look at the injuries they'd managed to collect, but thankfully none were serious and few even required stitches. After they'd wrapped everything up, Inuyasha snatched the bucket of dirty water and promised to be back soon with fresh drinking water and some more firewood. As he left, Miroku turned his attention back to Sango, who was gently petting a sleeping Kirara and avoiding his gaze.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, careful to keep his voice low.

Her jaw clenched and she looked away. "Nothing."

"Of course," he said gently, scooting closer to her side. "Because you were only abducted by bird demons and threatened with death and dismemberment."

She snorted. "So nothing new, there." She let out a shaky breath and her shoulders slumped. "It's nothing. It should be nothing." She looked up at him, and he nodded encouragingly. "There was just this…moment, after Nanafushi took me, where I'd tried to escape and he pinned me down. And that's fine, I've been thrown down dozens of times in battle, but this time he just…held me there, and I couldn't break free. I couldn't move at all. I was completely trapped. I felt so powerless." She closed her eyes. "It really scared me."

Miroku immediately wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry. That sounds like it must have been awful." He leaned back and looked at her firmly. "And you know there's nothing wrong with being afraid, right? You're the best fighter I've ever met. You've already fought through so much, but that doesn't mean that you can't be frightened in battle."

She sighed. "I know that. It just…"

"I know," he said, hugging her again. "I'm sorry."

She tugged him closer. "I'm glad that you're here to have my back. I always feel so much safer with you and Inuyasha and Kirara around." A small smile tugged at her lips. "I'm so grateful to have my brother with me."

Miroku blinked at her, utterly uncomprehending until his face dropped in shock. "Really? I'm…"

She grinned ruefully. "Well, how else would you describe it?" She watched him sit back heavily on his heels and chuckled gently. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Sango, I am truly honoured to be your brother."

She squeezed his shoulders and shook her head. "You sap."

xXx

"Oh, what a lovely day!" Totosai said stretching luxuriously. "Don't you all think it's a lovely day?"

The others glared at him with varying intensities, still a little ruffled after the previous night. Their intermittent naps that morning had kept them functional throughout the day, but they weren't exactly enthusiastic. Particularly when they knew they'd be setting off on another long journey the next day.

"We should probably stock up on food," Miroku said. "Perhaps do some hunting."

Inuyasha groaned and flopped to the ground. "Not again. I spent all night hunting bird."

Sango rolled her eyes. "I can do it. I'm not lazy, unlike some."

Inuyasha growled at her and she simply placed her hand over his face in response.

"It's greatly appreciated," Miroku smiled. "And there's no need to rush. We have the rest of the day at our disposal, after all."

Sango frowned, suspicions raised. "I'm well aware of that."

"Of course you are," Miroku shrugged, nonchalant. "I'm simply saying that if you and Kirara felt like, I don't know, relaxing by the river for a little while as well, it wouldn't go amiss."

"Uh-huh," Sango said flatly. "Say what you want to say, Miroku."

He grinned at her. "How would you feel about being elsewhere until after dark?"

She raised her brows and grinned. "Well, there it is." She pushed to her feet and Kirara jumped into her arms. "Have fun, you two."

Inuyasha glanced between them in obvious confusion. "Wait, what?"

Sango winked at him as she began to walk away, and he was left staring after her until Miroku held out a hand to help him to his feet. He tangled their fingers together and gently tugged Inuyasha after him. It wasn't until they were almost at the hut that Inuyasha realized what all the fuss was about. He immediately dragged Miroku back to him, pressing their lips together and running a hand through his hair, pulling the small ribbon free. Miroku chuckled into his mouth and pulled them through the doorway before guiding them down onto the floor. They ran their hands over one another, holding each other close.

Miroku pressed their foreheads together as he squeezed the back of Inuyasha's neck. "I'm so proud of you."

Inuyasha huffed and looked away, his cheeks colouring. "Yeah, well, I didn't have much of a choice. I couldn't let you run off and get hurt again."

"I love you," Miroku whispered against his lips, nipping at the pink skin.

"Love you, too," Inuyasha said, grasping at his waist. "Want you."

Miroku climbed on top of Inuyasha, pressed against him with his mouth and wandering hands. The taste, their breaths panting heavily in the air, all rushed to his head, and he gasped. Fingers were on his hips, pulling him down insistently. Miroku hummed gently, slid their lips together one last time before he leaned back. Their eyes met, dark and swirling with desire. Miroku smiled, sucked along Inuyasha's jaw as his hand reached down to brush lightly against his hardness. Without Miroku's mouth to swallow the sound, Inuyasha's moans were sharp against the stillness of their surroundings.

"I'd like to try something," he whispered against his lover's lips. "If you're interested."

Inuyasha chuckled a little weakly. "Yeah, I think I might be."

Miroku grinned and leaned in again, devouring his mouth hungrily before forcing himself back. "I have some oil."

Inuyasha eased back a little, propped himself up on his elbows. He glanced at the vial that Miroku pulled from his robes, a thrill of excitement shooting down his spine and concentrating itself at his groin. He made a little needy sound, already longing for the phantom feel of slick bodies pressing together…

"You're gonna have to walk me through this, love," he said, voice deep and husky.

"Don't worry," Miroku whispered against his neck, nipping gently at the skin. "We'll take it slow."

A low keen escaped from Inuyasha's throat, and he chased Miroku's mouth even as the monk pulled away. But then his lover was shedding his robes, and he couldn't really complain as he drank in the newly-exposed skin. His fingers fumbled at the ties of his own clothes, heady with it all. Once they were both gloriously naked, they had to pause to move against each other once more. He canted his hips up suggestively, moaned in frustration when Miroku moved up as well, not letting them touch there.

"Easy, darling," his lover panted, grinning. "You keep on like that, and neither of us are going to be able to hold off long enough."

Inuyasha groaned and threw his head back in exasperation. "Get on with it, then!"

"Alright," Miroku smiled. He uncorked the bottle, and the delicate perfume of the oil filled the air. "Are you familiar with how this works?"

Inuyasha stilled, his eyes darting from the vial to Miroku's prominent hardness. "One of us goes…inside the other, right?"

"Exactly," he murmured. "It takes a little while to get ready, but once we're there, it will feel amazing."

Inuyasha nodded absently. "It…it doesn't hurt?"

"It won't," Miroku promised firmly. "Not when we do things properly. I promise, you won't hurt me."

"Wait," Inuyasha frowned. "Hurt you? Aren't you going in me?"

Miroku tilted his head to the side, thoughtfully. "I certainly can, if you'd prefer. I thought it might be a little overwhelming for our first time. Having someone inside you feels very different from taking care of yourself, or even being inside someone else."

Inuyasha swallowed. In truth, he hadn't thought about what it might feel like. It hadn't been something he'd ever really considered before meeting Miroku. Never something he'd understood. He wanted to learn – he just…

"Is that okay if I do you? I'm not sure that I- I mean, I trust you, I just…" he gestured vaguely.

Miroku smiled gently and pressed a kiss against his lips. "We have plenty of time to explore what feels good." His fingers brushed along the length of Inuyasha's hardness. "You still want?"

Inuyasha gasped with a bitten-off cry, just the gentle pressure sharply reminding him how much he ached. "Oh, fuck yes!"

"Alright," Miroku nodded decisively. He leaned back on his heels and surveyed his partner thoughtfully. "We're going to have to figure out the claws, though."

Inuyasha looked down at his hands and frowned. "The claws?"

"They're going inside, too," Miroku explained patiently. "And things are quite…sensitive down there."

"Ah," Inuyasha nodded. "Ah, yeah, okay. Ooh, that would be…yeah." He deftly began snapping off each of the nails on his left hand, one by one. Each broke with a definite crack. "Will I need both hands, or just one?"

"Just one should be fine," Miroku paused. "But is that alright? What if we're attacked again?"

"That's why I'm leaving the other one as-is, love!" he grinned. "Besides, they'll grow back in half a day. Shouldn't be a problem."

"Fair point."

Miroku wrapped his arms around Inuyasha's shoulders and tugged him back, so that the hanyou was leaning over him. They exchanged another deep kiss before Miroku held out the vial of oil. He poured some liberally over Inuyasha's outstretched fingers and lay back on his elbows.

"Now," he instructed, leaning back and spreading his bent legs. "Here's what we're going to do."

Following his lover's guidance, Inuyasha reached down and traced a finger against his entrance. Miroku hummed encouragingly, his head tipping back, exposing his throat. Inuyasha longed to lick stripes down the flushed skin – not to mention the monk's erection right in his face – but he concentrated on the task at hand. He circled lightly a few times before he gently, carefully pushed in. Miroku moaned, loud and unabashed, his cock twitching. Inuyasha blinked and grinned, simultaneously surprised and delighted. At Miroku's nod, he pressed in a little deeper. He could feel his lover clenching around him. He couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like later, that tight heat engulfing him somewhere else. He swallowed hard and bit his lip to distract himself.

"Out," Miroku panted, and his voice had dropped significantly. "More oil."

Inuyasha complied, slicking up his finger thoroughly before pushing back inside. He worked in and out slowly, feeling the slide become a little easier each time. The next time he went to add more oil, Miroku told him "two" and moved his fingers to demonstrate. When Inuyasha complied, he cried out, squeezed his eyes shut, and his hand darted to the base of his shaft, clutching hard. Inuyasha froze, terrified that he'd done something wrong before the spike of arousal in his lover's scent washed over him.

"Does it really feel that good?" he asked carefully, absently lifting one of Miroku's legs and hooking it over his shoulder to give him better access.

"Been a long time," Miroku grinned, still breathing hard. "And it's always good, but this is you, and I've been dreaming about this for months, and you need to hurry up or I'm going to die."

He stroked his free hand up and down Miroku's leg soothingly as he moved with both fingers, in and out, back and forth to stretch him out. Miroku was keening, still squeezing his shaft to keep from spilling too soon. Inuyasha wasn't much better. His immense concentration on doing everything right was the only thing that kept him from coming, even untouched. But the sounds Miroku was making, the smell of his arousal, sent lines of fire straight to his cock.

"Stop," Miroku gasped, ragged. "Fuck, I need a moment."

"You okay?" he asked, a little anxiously.

"Hnng," came the witty reply, as Miroku tangled his hand in Inuyasha's hair and dragged him forward into a kiss, effectively folding himself in half in the process. Miroku tried very, very hard not to think about how the movement shifted Inuyasha's fingers inside him, brushing tantalizingly close to that spot. He was already so close that he felt fit to burst at the slightest pressure. He panted against Inuyasha's lips for a while, forcing himself to calm down a little. And Inuyasha held utterly still, eyes following him attentively, a solid and reassuring presence despite his own nervousness. Miroku loved him so much.

"Alright," he said finally, pressing their brows together. "Almost there. Just one last thing." Inuyasha tilted his head expectantly. "Reach in a little more, and you'll find something that feels a little different than the rest."

Inuyasha gave him a quizzical look but complied. Miroku shouted a bitten-off cry when he found it, despite having braced himself. Inuyasha's eyes lit up in utter amazement.

"Good," Miroku said, a little faintly. "That's what you aim for when your inside. Now put some oil on yourself and get ready."

He closed his eyes and focused on breathing as Inuyasha slipped his fingers out and slicked himself with a generous amount of oil. They were both trembling slightly with need, so ready for what was to come. But Miroku knew that he had to keep his head. Usually, he was able to lose himself in the throes of passion, to simply melt into the feeling, but Inuyasha would need him to stay alert, to guide as needed. He pushed himself upright, crouched over Inuyasha's lap, took his hand in his. He guided the head of his lover's arousal against his entrance, took a breath.

"I need you to let me do this for this first time," he said firmly. "Don't move until I tell you."

Inuyasha nodded silently against him, his lips brushing against his collarbone. Slowly, Miroku began to lower himself down. Inuyasha gasped sharply, his free hand clenching desperately at Miroku's back. Miroku hummed, relishing the feeling of being so full again after so long. He continued down carefully, bracing himself against his lover's shoulders until he was fully sitting on his lap. And then he wound his arms around Inuyasha, buried his face in his neck as they shared this most intimate embrace. He knew that they were both incredibly close – Inuyasha's fingers were clenching sporadically at his back, clinging to control. Once he was ready, he guided them down so that he was on his back once more, Inuyasha on top of him, and he wrapped his legs around his lover's waist. He nodded, and with a new depth of tenderness that Miroku had never seen from the hanyou before, Inuyasha began rocking inside him.

Miroku knew men. He knew how they reacted. He knew when to challenge them, to fight for dominance and push back, and when to submit, to be pliant and accommodating. Inuyasha, as eager as he was, was hesitant. This was all new to him, and he was likely feeling overwhelmed. Miroku kept his voice soft but firm as he whispered reassurances, his body open and malleable to Inuyasha's movements. It helped that every fibre of being was on fire, pulsing with the frantic beating of his heart. He guided them into a pace that was slower and gentler than he'd usually aim for after such a long time, intent on keeping the bone-deep rightness that hovered between them.

Each breath felt as thick as water as Inuyasha gasped. He'd never felt anything so amazing, never been so close with anyone before – never would he have ever guessed that he'd trust anyone enough to share this level of intimacy, that anyone would trust him. But with each roll of his hips, each gasp that he drew from Miroku's lips, he found himself falling deeper in love than ever before. He was doing this. He was bringing that look of bliss to Miroku's face, pushing the spiralling arousal in his scent. And he couldn't look away from his lover, utterly transfixed. And when he hit that spot again, drew another wordless cry from the monk, he never wanted this moment to end.

But it felt so good, everything sending him spiralling higher and higher, and he didn't think he'd be able to hold back for long. His thrusts grew firmer, more confident even as they lost their rhythm. Miroku was shuddering against him, his gasps of "yes" and "more" lost to harsh pants as he clung to Inuyasha. And then he shook as he came, shuddering around Inuyasha, and he couldn't stop the wave of ecstasy that crashed into him. A few more frantic thrusts and he was spilling inside Miroku, gasping his name.

He slowly sagged against his partner, resting his sweat-soaked brow against Miroku's shoulder as they both gasped for breath. After a long moment, Miroku chuckled and dragged Inuyasha down further on top of him. He hummed slightly as the movement changed his partner's position inside of him once more.

"Well," he said, finding it impossible to hide his grin. "That was…rather amazing."

Inuyasha made a high-pitched whining sound and pressed a heated kiss to Miroku's skin. "Yeah, I'll say!"

He pressed his face to the side of Miroku's neck, somehow needing to be even closer despite the fact that they were still connected, still draped over one another. Miroku wrapped his arms around his back and held him for a long, long time.

"Should I pull out?" Inuyasha asked, his lips moving against Miroku's.

A hint of something shone in the monk's eyes as he shook his head. "Not just yet. I need to feel you a little longer."

Inuyasha immediately pressed even closer, melting into one another as they shared lazy kisses. When Miroku eventually nodded his head, Inuyasha made sure to keep them connected with heavy caresses and a lingering slide of their lips. They curled around each other for even longer after that, letting the sated happiness slowly turn to drowsiness.

"We should probably get cleaned up," Miroku murmured eventually. "Things will get a little…sticky otherwise."

Inuyasha snorted and pressed another kiss against his neck. "Charming."

And they would, eventually. They knew that they had to make the hut presentable again before Sango and Kirara returned. But for just a little longer, they drifted in a world of warmth and love with only each other, and the safety and promise that each of them could bring.

---

Okay, so I know that a lot of people (including myself) enjoyed this episode because we got to see Inuyasha being Soft™ for once, especially towards someone that he doesn't have romantic feelings for, which doesn't happen much throughout the series. However, because Bunza is a one-off character, the overall plot doesn't have any bearing on the series as a whole other than barriers, and because my version of Inuyasha has already had several Soft™ moments, I figured that it would be better to connect this more to broader series plot stuff. Don't worry, Inuyasha will still have several cute moments in upcoming chapters!

Something major that I just realized while writing this chapter: Totosai can hold Tessaiga. And I mean obviously, he made it, right? But how can he hold the sword that demons can't hold? Either he built in some kind of loophole as the creator of the sword, or Totosai is actually secretly a hanyou, and is hiding the fact so that he won't face discrimination from other demons. It would explain why Lord Tōga trusted him with a sword specifically for Inuyasha.

Also: Excluding the first movie, this is the longest chapter we've had thus far. Why? I don't know. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Also also: My search history for this chapter's research is wild.

Sex in this chapter: Miroku is an experienced bottom, explicitly directing Inuyasha onto how to prep him for penetration and walking him through all subsequent steps of anal sex