A Dragon's Fang, a Human's Heart

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

A human with the power of a demon. To many such an idea sounds ludicrous, does it not? Well he's here to prove them wrong. He will journey across time with the love of his life on his journey as he fights for friendship, for honor, for life, and above all, for love. Rewrite of the Rise of a Warrior: Inuyasha.

32. Showdown at the Castle

(Showdown at the Castle)

"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The night was calm, but it wasn't going to remain that way.

'Okay, remember the stance, go through the basics…' Tatsu stood outside the hut in the middle of doing katas, his mind drifting 'It's only been about a week since the battle with Kaguya, and now we're more or less back to the usual routine. Things have been pretty quiet, no new leads on any new jewel shards or Naraku. The only real difference is that Inuyasha has been pretty quiet since the whole scene at the castle. Well, that and Shippo's been pretty quiet lately too, and he seems kind of downcast. Kagome's been playing with him, telling him stories and giving him all sorts of little snacks and stuff, but it isn't doing much to cheer him up.'

"Tatsu, are you out here?"

Tatsh glanced back at the hut to see Shippo wandering out of the hut "Oh hey Shippo, what are you doing out here? I figured you would've been asleep with Kagome and the others. Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Shippo let out a yawn and rubbed his eye with his tiny hands "I couldn't sleep, but then I looked up and saw you were gone, and I got worried."

"Yeah sorry about that, I was having a hard time sleeping too, so I figured I'd get a little bit of a workout in and maybe that would help. Anyway come on, I'm taking you back inside."

"Can't I train with you?" he was met with a raised eyebrow and a pause.

"Let's get you back inside, if Kagome wakes up and doesn't find you cuddling with her like a living teddy bear, chances are she's gonna have a heart attack and/or go on the warpath trying to find you. It wouldn't be the first time either." he picked Shippo up and carried him back into the hut, then set him down on the floor and laid down himself, only to notice the angry look he was getting "What's with the look?"

"Why can't I train with you?"

"I think the better question is, why do you want to?"

"Why shouldn't I?" he bolted to his feet, but made sure to keep his voice low so he wouldn't wake the others "All of you train and fight, Kirara fights too and she's little like me!"

"She can transform into a giant fire cat and would wear you like a festive hat."

"Kagome hates fighting but she still tries so hard, so why can't I fight like all of you? I hate being left out and I hate being weak, I can't do anything!"

"I wouldn't say that, let's not forget that you're the one who helped me break out of my prison during the fight with Kaguya last week."

"But I tried to hit her with my Foxfire and… I just froze…" he looked down in shame, only to be met with the feeling of Tatsu ruffling his hair.

"You're just a kid Shippo, you shouldn't have to fight yet."

"But why not? I still wanna help."

"Take this from a voice of experience. Being a kid means you're not supposed to fight yet, you're supposed to take the time to enjoy being little while you can, because once it's gone, you can't get it back."

"Did… Did that happen to you?"

"...I made the choices I had to, to keep the people I care about safe." he glanced at Kagome's sleeping form lying near them "Anyway you should get some sleep, we're gonna be heading out again in the morning."

"But I'm not tired."

"Then let Kagome use you like a living teddy bear, you should know as well as anyone that she loves to cuddle."

"Okay." Shippo pouted slightly, but then he went over to curl up by Kagome's side.

'At least he seems like he's getting back to his old self now.' Tatsu laid back down on the floor of the hut, only for his head to suddenly snapped up, and he glanced over at Inuyasha "I'm gonna go ahead and guess you sense that too?"

"Not like it's that hard to pick up that filthy stench." Inuyasha bolted out of the hut and took a few strong sniffs of the air, his gaze hardening furiously "It's sure as hell Naraku, there's no doubt about it."

"Don't go running off on your own this time, if the whole thing with Kaguya was anything to go by, that doesn't work out that well for you. Let's wake up the others."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with a certain dog demon…

At the same time, Sesshomaru stood on a grassy slope that overlooked the landscape, his stoic expression gazing up at the skies above them 'The moon is red, and the scent in the wind has changed… What does this mean?'

"Lord Sesshomaru!" this was when Jaken rushed onto the scene, panting heavily "It's terrible my lord, young Rin has been abducted!"

"Who was it?"

"It was that wench that calls herself Kaguya the Wind Sorceress, she appeared out of nowhere as we searched for food for Rin, and she took off with her!"

"...So he has appeared before me once again." Sesshomaru looked past Jaken and directed his attention to another figure appearing on the scene "You have substantial courage to face me once again, or is it merely just arrogance that drives you Naraku?"

Sure enough, from within the shadows emerged none other than Naraku himself, clad in his typical white baboon pelt "I can assure you Lord Sesshomaru, if you heed my request then I give you my word that Rin shall be returned in good health."

"So you claim. Tell me, what do you have up your sleeve this time?"

"Nothing particularly special, I simply want you to kill Inuyasha for me."

"Is that so? Tell me, what purpose do you have for going through all this trouble for something as trivial as that?" without waiting for a response, Sesshomaru blitzed forward and with a single slice of his claws, he cut Naraku's head right off, causing it to evaporate and leaving behind nothing but a small wooden figure and a pile of rubble "So, he sent another demon puppet rather than have the courage to face me in person. Pathetic coward. Does Naraku honestly believe he can threaten me into taking action by endangering the life of a mere mortal?"

"What are you saying then milord?" asked Jaken "Does that mean you will turn your back on the girl, that you intend to forsake her?"

"I said nothing of the sort. Now come Jaken, let us be on our way." and so he turned and started walking away.

"Wait Lord Sesshomaru, where do you intend to go?"

"Surely you already know the answer to such a question." and so the two of them went on their way, with Naraku's group of Saimyosho remaining behind at the scene, watching their every move.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at a certain evil castle…

'The bait has been cast…' Naraku leaned against the wall in one of the rooms of the castle, and he watched through Kanna's mirror as Sesshomaru and Jaken went on their way 'And so it shall begin. From here on out, everything changes.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the main group…

"Come on you guys, it's this way!" by this point, Tatsu (with Kagome on his back) and Inuyasha were leading the group through the pitch black darkness of the forest at full speed.

"Are you really sure though?" asked Kagome "I mean are you sure it's Naraku that you guys are sensing?"

"Inuyasha caught the scent and I'm sensing his Ki plain as day, there's no doubt it's him, but it does raise a few questions."

"Like why now?" Sango was the next one to voice the obvious question "Naraku has gone out of his way to keep himself hidden from us all this time, so why would he make himself so open to us now, especially after everything that happened with Kaguya."

"Well the way I see it, there are two possibilities I can think of."

"And those would be?" asked Miroku.

"One, he's leading us into another trap that's gonna fail to kill us, which proves time and time again that Menomaru had a better track record than him despite him apparently being a hell of a lot easier to kill. Two, he's got some kind of plan in the works that he's got so much confidence in, he sees no problem with leaving himself out in the open for us to see, if for no other reason than to stand in front of us and throw it in our faces."

"Tatsu wait stop, I sense something!" Kagome's head suddenly snapped up as she pulled on the back of Tatsu's gi, causing him to stop in his tracks and stumble slightly "Sorry, I didn't mean to pull so hard."

"I've dealt with some of the winners my brother has brought home over the years, that pales in comparison." Tatsu told her dryly "So why did you stop me anyway?"

"Because I can sense another shard of the jewel, it's coming from what I'm assuming is towards the East." she pointed in the direction of a set of mountains in the distance "I don't really know if it's East, but it's definitely coming in the direction of those mountains. So what do we do?"

"We can't pass up the chance to grab a jewel shard."

"Fuck that!" Inuyasha barked at them as he screeched to a halt "There isn't a chance in hell I'm passing up the chance to drive my Tessaiga through Naraku's skull!"

"For once I think Inuyasha's right, and that's not the sort of thing you're gonna hear me say that often."

"So you're suggesting we should split up?" asked Miroku.

"That's my thought process on the matter. Inuyasha and I are the only ones who know how to break through demonic barriers, so we should go track down Naraku. Kagome, you take the rest of them and go after that jewel shard."

"Right, that makes sense. Just…" Kagome gently gripped him by the arm "Just make sure to be careful out there, okay?"

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm gonna be just fine. Just make sure you and the others take care out there, okay?" Tatsu gave a small reassuring smile, which prompted Kagome to do the same after a moment "Okay, if all goes well then we'll all regroup at Kaede's village around dawn." and so he took off into the forest, with Inuyasha following hot on his heels.

'Just take care out there Tatsu. I love you, even if I can't say it. Still though, it's only a matter of time before I do say it, if for no other reason than I can't hold it in any longer.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with a certain dog demon…

As they made their way towards their destination, Jaken decided to gather enough courage to speak up "If I may be so bold as to ask my lord, how do you plan to approach this?"

"Surely you already know the answer." Sesshomaru told him flatly, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Why did you stop, is something the matter my lord?"

"We have found Naraku's castle."

"Wait what? I don't see a castle my lord, what do you refer to?" Jaken received an answer in the form of an opening in the barrier barrier materializing in front of them "Oh, that is what you refer to."

"The castle lies within the barrier, and that is where the vermin hides himself. Let's be on our way then." and so Sesshomaru advanced into the barrier, with Jaken following right by his side, and the opening closing up behind them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with Sesshomaru's future wife- I mean Rin…

Around this time, Rin awakened and found herself isolated in a hut, and she recalled how she was off searching for food with Jaken, only for Kagura to swoop in and abduct her. She quickly took notice of Kohaku sitting off at the far edge of the hut, seeing how Naraku had placed him there to guard her, along with various demons outside, as she discovered when she tried to flee, only to be forced to remain inside, or else she would be ripped apart by them. So she decided to take the time to bond with Kohaku over a melon she was carrying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…

"Okay, it shouldn't be that much further from here." Tatsu and Inuyasha continued onwards in their search for Naraku, only for both of them to eventually notice something "I'm gonna go ahead and guess you notice that too?"

"Yeah, I'm starting to lose Naraku's scent." Inuyasha muttered "Does that mean the barrier is back up around his castle?"

"Hard to say. On one hand, both of us know how to break through barriers now. On the other hand, we can't break through it if we don't know where it is, so that's all the more reason for us to hurry before we lose him."

"I say we shut the fuck up and keep moving, he's not getting away from us this time."

"You're not gonna hear me object to that." and so the two of them continued on their way in search of the castle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at the castle…

By this point, Sesshomaru and Jaken had arrived at the castle, the former's gaze hard and cold as it ever was "You intentionally leave your scent to reveal your castle to me, in order to ensure that I would be led to you."

"You say that as if you would have come otherwise." two torches were simultaneously lit up in front of Sesshomaru, revealing the main castle building in front of him, and Naraku's form clad in the typical baboon pelt sitting in front of the building "I must inform you now that the mortal girl you have come here to reclaim is not here in my castle. After all, someone like her would never be able to survive the airless atmosphere of my poisonous miasma. It would kill her within a matter of seconds. The girl is under protection outside the walls of this castle, I can assure you that she is unharmed. For now at least."

"Spare me the arrogance Naraku, and do me the honor of at least recognizing that I have not come here simply for the purpose of saving Rin." Sesshomaru ignored the confused look he was getting from Jaken for this comment.

"Of course I am aware of such a thing. You of all people simply despise having to take orders from others. You will not kill Inuyasha when you are told to do so, nor did you come to me in search of your mortal companion. I am fully aware that you have come here with the intention of killing me."

"You sound as if you believe you've led me into another one of your traps. Perhaps later I'll have you explain yourself, that is if you live to see the next sunrise."

"Perhaps I will." Naraku smirked from underneath his baboon mask 'Such foolish arrogance that guides you Sesshomaru, you will assist me whether you like it or not. I must admit, I am honored by your visit Lord Sesshomaru. So in return, I will gladly accept your challenge." and so he then proceeded to shed his baboon pelt, numerous tendrils, tentacles and other appendages bursting out of his back and lower body, giving him the form of a hideous mass of flesh with his upper body sticking out of it, which left Jaken revolted, and Sesshomaru less than impressed.

"So this is your true form Naraku, a collection of rejected demons."

"My true form you say? Nothing of the sort, I can assure you that my body is far from being complete." Naraku then sent one of the raptorial legs sprouting from his back hurtling forward at high speed.

"Jaken get back." Sesshomaru motioned for Jaken to back away as he dodged the strike by leaping into the air, then gracefully returned to the ground "You intend to destroy me for refusing to do as you wish, as if I were some sort of pathetic pawn?"

'This doesn't make sense…' at the same time, Kagura (now sporting another new arm to replace the one that Tatsu had blown off) was watching the confrontation unfold from afar, her mind racing for a solution 'I don't understand, how would Naraku benefit from the death of Sesshomaru? Unless… could that be what Naraku's planing?'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the main heroine and others…

"Come on you guys, it's this way!" Kagome (carrying Shippo on her shoulder) continued forward on foot as she led the others along the path through the forest in the direction of the mountains "I can sense the jewel shard somewhere not far from here."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Miroku frowned in thought "The fact that we were able to get so close to Naraku's castle, only to sense a jewel shard now of all times…"

"Yeah I know what you mean, he's probably trying to lure us away."

"You think he counted on us splitting up?" asked Sango.

"Maybe, but does he know that Tatsu and Inuyasha can break through barriers?"

"Hard to say, I don't think he used a barrier the last time we fought him, back when he faked his death to lure out Kaguya."

"Yeah that's true, but then why try and split us up like this?"

"I can't say for certain. So how many shards do you sense anyway?"

"I think there's only one, and the presence of it is kind of familiar." Kagome paused and tensed slightly 'Come to think of it, Kohaku only has one shard in his back, and if it's Naraku trying to lure us away… I've got a bad feeling about this.'

(Tatsu breaks through Naraku's outer barrier using his version of Gajeel's Karma Demon: Iron God Sword)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at the castle…

"I will not be manipulated by one as pathetic as you." Sesshomaru's gaze hardened as he drew Tokijin from its sheath "Come then."

"If you insist." Naraku gave a smirk about that as he sent a series of tendrils hurtling forward at full speed.

Sesshomaru simply unleashed a burst of demonic energy from the blade of Tokijin that ripped the tendrils to shreds "You are such a lowly abomination Naraku, you will never have the power or the resources to harm me."

"I believe we'll see about that soon enough." Naraku's smirk widened as a severed piece of his flesh reattached itself and attempted to get at Sesshomaru from behind, while he sent several more tendrils hurtling forward.

Sesshomaru leapt into the air and unleashed a series of strokes from his blade with enough force to rip the tendrils to shreds, before he returned to the ground with a single piece of flesh resting on his shoulder "Tell me, how long do you intend to keep up this ludicrous farce?"

'Go ahead and mock me while you can Sesshomaru. Every time you hack away a piece of my body, you're slowly covering yourself in pieces of my flesh, and then…'

'I knew it…' Kagura continued to watch the scene unfold in front of her, and her eyes widened at the realization of what was unfolding 'Naraku is trying to absorb Sesshomaru into his own body and take his demonic power for himself!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…

"Dammit, I was afraid of this…" Tatsu and Inuyasha were still moving forward through the dark forest, only to stop once they reached the fields outside of it "Dammit, I can't pick up any more traces of Naraku's Ki. What about you?"

"I'm picking up something else aside from that." Inuyasha told him "Sesshomaru's scent comes as far as this, but then it just up and vanishes."

"You think that means we found it?"

"I think there's only one way to find out." he took a step forward and took a sniff of the air around him, his body tensing as he did so "A demonic aura and that fucking miasma, this is sure as hell it. Stand back, I've been waiting for the chance to do this for god knows how long." he drew Tessaiga from its sheath and prepared to bring it down, when…

"Hold up." that caused him to stop mid-stroke "Don't cut through it."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I wanna cut through it."

"And what, let you cut through this thing and rub it in Naraku's face? Not a fucking chance in hell, it's my turn! Besides, you got to kill him last time we saw him."

"He faked his death so it doesn't count, and besides you got to kill Kaguya."

"She turned into some black cloud and got sucked in by Miroku!"

"Yeah well- Okay, clearly we won't get anywhere like this. Here's what I'm thinking, I'll break through this outer barrier and then you get to break through the inner one Naraku uses in order to protect himself, and then rub it in his face. Does that sound fair?"

"...Shut the fuck up and do it already."

"Good enough for me, now stand back. Ryuken!" Tatsu motioned for Inuyasha to take a few steps back as a blue aura of demonic energy began to surround his body "I hope you're ready, this one is something that I've been wanting to try for god only knows how long! Dragon Slayer Secret Art…" gritting his teeth, he clapped his hands together over his head and summoned an enormous metal sword extending from his arms "Karma Demon: IRON GOD SWORD!" and with a mighty roar, he swiped the giant sword down with a single stroke, cutting clear through the barrier and revealing the castle in front of them "And that's how we do it. So what did you think? I've been working on that one for months."

"...My sword is still cooler."

"Matter of opinion."

"Whatever, let's just go." and so the two of them continued onwards.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, inside the castle…

'It's only a matter of time before-' Naraku cut his thought short as his gaze snapped up, his eyes widening as a sensation washed through the castle 'What is the meaning of this? Someone has broken through my barrier! Kagura go after them, find whoever it is and kill them before they reach the castle."

"What? Oh fine." Kagura snapped out of the stupor she was in, gave a scowl and took off on top of her giant feather.

'Whoever is responsible for breaking through my barrier, they will die slowly.'

"I take it you're receiving an unexpected guest Naraku? It's very unfortunate for them. I can assure you that his journey will have been in vain, because by the time they arrive, you will have long since died by my blade! Azure Dragon Wave!" Sesshomaru brought down the blade of Tokijin and unleashed a blue-colored wave of demonic energy, ripping through Naraku's body and scattering bits of his flesh everywhere, but doing nothing to deter his confidence.

'Just a little bit Sesshomaru, soon you will be absorbed into my body and you will become one with my flesh.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the Wind Sorceress…

'There they are!' flying through the skies away from the castle, Kagura glanced at the ground, only to see Tatsu and Inuyasha running past her 'Those two again, how the hell did they break through the barrier?'

"Aqua Javelin!" a water javelin from Tatsu ripped through Kagura's giant feather, forcing her to retreat to the ground in front of them "Call that one a warning shot. I would've just used it to rip off another arm, but I didn't wanna risk turning that into a running gag."

"I see, so it was the two of you that broke through Naraku's barrier."

"Well it was me to be more accurate it was me, but he could've just as easily. Take my advice and clear out before I do make ripping off your arm into a running gag."

"So say that as if I don't have any chance of defeating the two of you."

"I'm basing this on history. You couldn't beat either me or Inuyasha one on one, and now that's the two of us against you… I think you can see where I'm going with this. Just let us through, I don't want to kill you if I don't have to. I can't make any promises with Inuyasha."

'Dammit…' Kagura gritted her teeth as she glanced back at the horde of Saimyosho watching her from afar 'Those damned insects. I'm being watched myself, so I can't let the two of you get past me. Not that I would if I could."

"In all honesty, I didn't expect you to."

"So proud and cocksure, let's see how long that bravado of yours holds up. I'd better at least put on a show fighting the two of them. Dance of Blades!" Kagura waved her fan and unleashed a barrage of wind blades.

"Sea God's Shield!" Tatsu summoned a water shield to protect himself from and Inuyasha from the wind blades, causing them to evaporate when they made contact 'Okay that's not right, I know my shields are stronger now but it feels like she didn't put any power into that. I thought you said you weren't gonna let us pass, I figured you'd put more effort into it.

"How's this for effort! Dance of the Dragon!" Kagura waved her fan and unleashed a sizeable tornado that she sent hurtling towards them.

"You're gonna have to do better than that! Blazing STRIKE!" Tatsu drew one of his swords from his back, coated the blade in flames and used it to cut through the tornado with a single stroke, earning a large amount of angry buzzing from the Saimyosho.

'Dammit, those things know I'm not serious about fighting these two! Looks like I'm gonna have to take this up to the next level.' Kagura was about to do just that, only to see a large swarm of fodder demons approaching the scene 'Perfect, they can take care of these two.' and so she took off on top of another one of her giant feathers.

"Okay she took off, and now we've got a bunch of fodder to deal with. So do you want me to take care of them or-"

"WIND SCAR!" Inuyasha didn't waste a moment as he bolted forward and unleashed a Wind Scar at full power, annihilating every last demon and sending their blood and body parts flying everywhere.

"...Okay, ask a stupid question apparentlty."

'Dammit, so much for that.' Kagura scowled as she watched the demons get dispatched with such ease, and then she glanced back in the direction of the castle 'Perhaps I overestimated just how powerful Sesshomaru is, the way things are going Naraku may very well end up absorbing him after all. Sesshomaru might be doomed, but with the power they have, Tatsu and Inuyasha may actually be able to kill Naraku, and then I would be free!'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at the castle…

'Yes, any second now..' Naraku gave a smirk as he watched the scattered pieces of his flesh circle around Sesshomaru, only for his gaze to snap in another direction as a certain sensation passed through him 'I can sense them heading this way, that means Kagura must have failed. I'll have to punish her for that later on.'

"Naraku." this was when Sesshomaru directed his attention back to him "You seem to be rather preoccupied with what's taking place outside these walls."

"Allow me to apologize for this Lord Sesshomaru, but I'm afraid our little visit is going to have to be cut short. I will take every last bit of your demonic power, and I will make it my own and use it how I see fit. I will have all of it for myself." Naraku's smirk widened as he had the pieces of his flesh latch onto Sesshomaru, engulfing him in a pile of flesh until he was completely covered in it 'Yes that's it, soon your demonic power will be mine.' he then glanced to the side and noticed Jaken hiding near the castle building 'Yes, Sesshomaru's little imp vassal came with him as well. Should I bother with absorbing him into my flesh as well? Well I suppose it helps to be cautious.' and so he had one of the pieces of his flesh start chasing Jaken around the castle in a comical fashion.

"Staff of Two Heads!" Jaken tried to use his Staff of Two Heads to set the moving piece of flesh ablaze, only for that to fail and make him take off running, until he found some refuge behind a large rock, and he looked on in horror as Sessomaru was engulfed in Naraku's flesh 'I don't believe this, my lord has been engulfed in the flesh! Such a death is far too cruel!'

"At long last, the time has come for me to attain the full powers of a complete demon. Not only that, but it is the power of one of the most powerful demons in the land."

"Not on your fucking life!" this was when Inuyasha burst onto the scene, the Red Tessaiga in his hand and ready to attack "So this is what you really look like Naraku, no wonder you hide it from everyone. Just looking at it makes me wanna hurl."

"So you've arrived Inuyasha. I don't know how you were able to get into teh castle, but it won't make any difference. You'll never be able to kill me."

"We'll see about that you cocky mother fucker! WIND SCAR!" Inuyasha brought down the blade of the Red Tessaiga and unleashed a fully-powered Wind Scar.

"I think not." Naraku's cruel and arrogant smirk returned as he summoned a barrier around his body, the Wind Scar slamming into it full force, only for both of them to dissipate in an instant when they connected, much to his disbelief as his body was ripped apart 'He… He was able to break through my barrier…'

"You have no idea how much I enjoyed that."

"I think anyone who knows you would beg to differ." this was when Tatsu dropped down onto the scene "So what's the plan this time Naraku, become so hideous and groteseuq that I wouldn't wanna touch you? Because I'm gonna be honest, it's kind of working." he was met with only a stunned silence "Figures. So tell me Inuyasha, did that feel as good as I think it did?"

"You're damn right it did, and now I'm gonna finish him off once and for all."

"I look forward to seeing that happen."

"Don't make me laugh." Naraku let out a scoff "You speak as if you are truly capable of killing me with the meager powers you possess."

"Well if that last attack was anything to go by, you know the one where he broke your barrier and ripped your body apart with a Wind Scar, I'd say yeah, he's got what it takes. Both of us do for that matter." Tatsu then glanced over at a mass of flesh piled up nearby 'So much for brovado, I can sense Sesshomaru inside that thing. Is Naraku trying to absorb him? I guess since he couldn't absorb Kaguya last time, he needed to get something else to make himself more powerful, and he settled on Sesshomaru.'

'It would seems that I underestimate them.' Naraku gritted his teeth as he looked down at the stump where his right arm used to be 'A mistake on my part, I never expected Inuyasha to get as far as he did, let alone any of his other companions, or a human like Tatsu. I will admit that I am rather surprised at you Inuyasha. You're now more than powerful enough to break through my demonic barrier."

"He's not the only one either, but he's the only one really needed."

"It doesn't matter. The two of you may have grown more powerful than I expected, but neither of you are a match for me, and now both of you will perish!" Naraku's smirk widened as he shot a series of tendrils forward.

"Not this time asshole! Fire Dragon IRON FIST!" Tatsu coated one of his arms in flames and launched a fist forward, burning through the tendrils and blasting them apart, leaving their remains to fall to the ground as he advanced forward "Don't think something like that is gonna be enough."

"And don't think I'm through with either of you just yet!" Naraku's expression turned maniacal as he sent another series of tendrils hurtling forward.

"This isn't over until I drive my sword through your skull! WIND SCAR!" Inuyasha let out a roar and unleashed another Wind Scar to rip Naraku's body to shreds even further, but as he charged in to land another attack he was grabbed from behind by a series of tendrils and end up enveloped in them 'Fuck, what is he gonna try and absorb me too?'

"This is the price of your foolish arrogance in daring to challenge me, for now I intend to absorb you body and soul, just like I did with Sesshomaru!"

"The hell you wil bastardl!" Inuyasha didn't waste any time as he tried to free himself from the hold that Naraku's flesh, though he didn't have much luck in that regard.

"You and Tatsu have arrived far too late Inuyasha, I have already consumed Sesshomaru within my flesh and made his power into my own. I don't know what good the pitiful powers you both possess will even do for me, but I fully intend to absorb you into my flesh regardless."

"Don't think a single fucking second that I'm as weak as Sesshomaru! I've got no problems with clawing my way out of here and shoving my Tessaiga down your throat!" Inuaysha was about to burst out from the confines of Naraku's flesh, when…

"Fire Dragon TALON!" coating his legs in flames, Tatsu landed a solid roundhouse kick to the pile of flesh engulfing Inuyasha, freeing it from its hold "There we go."

"I could've gotten out myself you know."

"You're welcome. Fire Dragon ROAR!" he breathed out a roar and proceeded to torch the flesh engulfing Sesshomaru as well "About time."

"Your assistance was unnecessary." Sesshomaru used his claws to brush off any remaining clumps of flesh on his body as he brandished Tokijin "I am more than capable of freeing myself from any traps that vermin may set for me."

"I wouldn't have bothered to interfere if you had bothered to free yourself sooner. Do you object to that point?" he was met with no response "I didn't think so."

"Regardless of what you believe, the time has come for you to step aside. Naraku belongs to myself alone."

"Not on your fucking life asshole!" this was when Inuyasha chose to round on him "Get the hell out of my way, I'm the one who's gonna kill him."

"You lack what it takes, and I don't intend to repeat myself. Leave now and you may live to see the next sunrise."

"Not on your life, this time there's no way I'm gonna let you interfere."

"Ahem." this was when Tatsu got their attention as the ground beneath them began to rumble and shake violently.

As it turns out, Naraku still had plenty of fight left in him, as proven when his body grew to the size of a tower and began to loom over them "I shall use your pathetic arguments against you and absorb all of you now, so die!" he unleashed a barrage of tendrils to attack the three of them, forcing them to go on the evasive.

"Iron Dragon Scales Sea God's Shield!" Tatsu covered his body in a set of iron dragon scales and summoned a series of water shields to block the tendrils, causing them to shatter when they made contact 'Perfect, looks like more experience beats more Fangs sometimes. Now the shields I make with my elemental powers are way stronger than they used to be, I just needed to practice with them.'

"You're wasting your efforts, you won't be able to escape from or defend against my attacks forever. Sooner or later your strength will give out, and then I will absorb you."

"The only thing I want to give out right now is your ability to run your mouth. Seriously, I put up with enough of that from Inuyasha and the others. Sea Dragon's ROAR!" Tatsu waved his hand and summoned a large water dragon that he sent hurtling into Naraku's body, ripping off a large chunk of it.

"Azure Dragon Wave!" Sesshomaru followed up on Tatsu's attack with a powerful wave of demonic energy from the blade of Tokijin, ripping through another part of Naraku's body with ease, leaving him little more than a mangled torso lying atop the piles of flesh.

"Now Inuyasha, finish him off!"

"As if you had to ask! WIND SCAR!" with a mighty roar, Inuyasha unleashed one final Wind Scar, ripping through Naraku's body (or what was left of it anyway), forcing Naraku to engulf himself in a cloud of miasma that forced the three of them to retreat back a short distance "Fuck, you had to be a coward right when I was about to shove my sword through your skull!"

"Well when you put it that way, it's a real why he doesn't want you to do it." Tatsu's dry tone was met with equally dry looks from the others.

"An impressive effort, but futile as all the others." Naraku's cloud of miasma suddenly morphed into a whirlwind of miasma that was surrounded by a horde of Saimyosho as it took to the air above the castle "Forgive me Lord Sesshomaru, but I'm afraid I shall have to withdraw for the time being."

"Well isn't that typical."

"You wretched fool." Sesshomaru let out a snarl as his demonic features began to appear on his body, his eyes turning red and his body producing a thick coat of demonic energy in response to his rage "Don't think that you will ever be able to escape my grasp." he was met with only the sound of a condescending chuckle.

"Honestly Lord Sesshomaru, I thought you had more sense than that. Rather than wasting your time transforming and hunting me down, shouldn't you be rushing to the side of that young mortal girl that holds such faith in you?"

That one comment instantly made Sesshomaru snap out of his anger, and he simply resorted to letting out a low growl.

"Mortal girl? Wait is he talking about-" Tatsu glanced back at Sesshomaru and paused, and then the dots seemed to connect with him "Oh. OH. Oh shit."

"Remember this Sesshomaru, your companion Rin is currently in the company of a boy by the name of Kohaku. As for Tatsu and Inuyasha, surely that the two of you should come to realize the implications of this."

"And again I say, oh shit."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with Naraku's puppet and hostage…

At the same time, in response to the worsening situation for him, Kohaku received a new set of instructions from Naraku through the Shikon Jewel shard implanted in his back, which ordered him to, as obvious as it should be by now if history is any indication, kill the girl he was keeping as a hostage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at Naraku's castle…

"And to think I was so close of gaining control of Sesshomaru's full demonic power, and I would surely have succeeded if not for the fact that I had miscalculated the power the two of you, Tatsu and Inuyasha, would come to possess." and so with another sinister chuckle, Naraku and his whirlwind of miasma, along with the Saimyosho hovering around him, disappeared from the scene without a trace.

"Dammit, he had to get away didn't he?" Inuyasha let out a snarl as he placed Tessaiga back in its sheath "Now I can't pick up on his scent or any trace of him."

"I can't sense his Ki either." Tatsu breathed a sigh as he placed his swords back in their sheaths on his back "He was messed up pretty bad though, so I doubt he's gonna be able to get that far right now. We can worry about that later, right now we've got bigger problem we have to deal with."

"Yeah, he mentioned something about Kohaku and someone named Rin, something about her being a friend of Sesshomaru. You know something about that?"

"Let's just say that your brother is a hell of a lot more popular with the ladies than you give him credit for. Don't bother asking him about it, you know as well as I do that he's not gonna give you any answers."

"So then why the fuck didn't you say anything about this sooner?"

"Because you wouldn't have believed me if I did."

'So that was his intention…' Sesshomaru frowned in thought as realization came to him 'His intention was to absorb me and my demonic power, and he only took Rin in case he needed to create a diversion in case he needed to buy time to escape. Naraku likely believes himself to be cunning.' and so he promptly took off into the night sky, leaving Jaken behind.

"Looks like things are about to get a lot worse."

"How much worse exactly?" asked Inuyasha.

"A lot worse. If history is any indication, then either Kohaku is gonna be forced to kill Rin, or he's gonna end up getting killed by Sesshomaru. In either case, Naraku is gonna get some kind of satisfaction out of it, which means we don't have time to lose, so I'm gonna just go ahead and apologize in advance for this." and so he disappeared in a flash of energy.

'Great, the bastard had to take off and leave me to go on my own. Fine by me, at least alone I can hear myself think. But first, time to beat some answers out of a certain imp, and make him shut the fuck up for once.' with that in mind, Inuyasha proceeded to set his sights on Jaken with the intention of getting some answers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the rest of the main group…

"Everybody get back!" Kagome motioned for Shippo to hide behind her legs (which wasn't that hard since he was already clinging to her leg in terror) as she fired a single Sacred Arrow at the horde of demons hurtling towards them, purifying several dozen on them in an instant "That's not all of them, there's a lot more of them coming!"

"We noticed! Hiraikotsu!" Sango promptly threw Hiraikotsu forward, ripping through a sizable number of demons in its path, with Miroku taking out a number of them with his staff "I think I get it, they don't want us to get near that hut."

"Yeah I figured, so that's probably where-" Kagome cut herself short as something caught her attention, in the form of Kohaku and Rin leaving the scene on a demon's back 'It's Kohaku, and he has a little girl with him? I don't get it, why would he-'

"Get the hell out of my way, I have to get to Kohaku!" as it turns out, Sango had noticed the presence of Kohaku as well, and didn't waste any time in going on the war path with Kirara, the two of them ripping through every demon in their path.

"Sango hold on, I'd better-" Kagome was cut off when a demon suddenly swooped down in between her legs and snatch Shippo up in its jaws before she could react, earning a series of terrified cries from him "Shippo hold on!" she drew her sword and prepared to purify the demon that was holding him, when…

"Fire Dragon TALON!" this was when Tatsu flashed onto the scene and burnt the demon to a crisp with a single fire-enhanced kick, freeing Shippo from his clutches "Sorry I took so long to get here, taking on Naraku got a little bit complicated. You guys okay?"

"We are now, good thing you came when you did." Kagome took Shippo into her arms and let him sob into her shoulder out of fear 'That was too close, with him in that demon's hold there was no guarantee that I could've gotten it without purifying him too. That must have been so terrifying for him. Honestly, there are times when it's so easy to forget that even if he is a demon, he's still just a little kid.'

"No time for musing Kags, was Kohaku here?"

"Yeah we saw him leave, and I can still sense the jewel shard in his back not far from here, so we can probably catch up to him if we hurry."

"Just point me in the direction and I'll do the rest, if we waste even a second then the kid will end up on the receiving end of Sesshomaru's wrath, and speaking as a voice of experience, it sure as hell isn't fun." and so he took Kagome and Shippo onto his back and took off, using a series of fire blasts form his feet to propel himself forward.

"This is bad, Naraku is still controlling Kohaku with that jewel shard in his back. You think he's gonna try and make him do to that girl what he tried to do to me that one time?"

"Put a command in his head to take his hostage to this era's equivalent of a back alley and bring his blade down on her? That would be my guess, and Naraku had the kid abducted so he could buy enough time to escape from Sesshomaru."

"So you think that little girl is connected to Sesshomaru?"

"I know she is, I met her once before. Back during the Hyoga incident?" he crined internally when he noticed her flinch "Let's not start that up again. Anyway to make a long story short, she's been travelling with Sesshomaru ever since her village got slaughtered."

"Why the heck didn't you say anything about this sooner?" she was met with a dull look being thrown in her direction "What?"

"Kags, if I were to up to you at one point and tell you that Sesshomaru of all people is travelling around with Jaken and a little human kid, what would you have said?"

"...I probably would've burst out laughing and thought you were just messing with me or something."

"Exactly. In any case though, knowing Naraku he's probably counting on Sesshomaru wanting to slaughter Kohaku for this, and probably kill Rin too."

"Then we have to find Kohaku before Sesshomaru finds him, because if he finds Kohaku first then there's nothing that's gonna stop him from going on the war path.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, with the hostage…

"Kohaku what's going on?" Rin found herself confused and a bit unnerved as Kohaku led her through a dark part of the forest "Why did we leave the house, and didn't you say not to leave or else the demons would get me? I saw some people outside when we left, and I think I've seen one of them before. Can you tell me where we're going now?"

"We're almost there, just be patient." Kohaku continued leading Rin by the hand until the two of them came to a stop in a grassy clearing, and then a pulsing feeling flowed through his body, and only one thought was on his mind 'Kill her… kill the girl…' so he pulled Rin forward and raised his chain sickle, which left her more than a little bit concerned.

"What are you doing Kohaku, what's the matter?" she was answered with him swinging his chain sickle at her, causing her to scream and take off running "I don't understand Kohaku, why are you doing this to me?" then the sickle wrapped around her legs and sent her crashing to the ground with a loud thud, knocking her out cold.

Now that his prey was caught, Kohaku used his chain to lure her back to him and prepared to finish the job on her, but as he prepared to bring down the sickle, a pillar of earth suddenly shot up and bound both of his arms, causing the weapon to fall out of his grasp, and he turned his head (as much as he could) towards the one responsible.

As it turns out, Tatsu had arrived on the scene with Kagome and Shippo just in the nick of time, using his earth powers to bind Kohaku in place and leaving Kagome to check over Rin for any injuries "Go ahead and give me that empty glare as much as you want, just be grateful it's only me and not- wait spoke too soon, he's here."

Sure enough, at that moment Sesshomaru appeared on the scene, his gaze hard and unwavering as it ever was "This boy serves Naraku does he not?"

"Not by choice, he's being controlled through a jewel shard Naraku stuck in his back. Besides, he never hurt the girl, right Kags?"

"He's right." Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru from where she was cradling Rin with a palm on her forehead, letting healing energy flow into her "She's fine, she just fell and has a small bruise on her head, but my healing spell can is already taking care of that."

"Like she said, the girl isn't hurt."

"Perhaps, but t changes nothing." Sesshomaru looked over to where Kohaku had given up with trying to and free himself from his restraints "Given his actions, it seems as if he is compelled beyond any point of reason to die by my hand."

"Meaning that Naraku is forcing him to attack you and get himself killed. That way he'll get another jewel shard to add to the ones he already has, and he gets the satisfaction of knowing that the kid is dead because of him, and that he manipulated you like all his other pawns."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at that little comment "You would suggest that I am another pawn for him to do with as he sees fit?"

"Only if you go through with it. Besides, take a look at his eyes. Even as we speak, he doesn't feel anything. He shows know signs of fear, and he's not even registering any pain. The influence that Naraku has on him has swallowed any sense he has of who he really is, and if someone isn't there to stop him, not only would his life be forfeit, but who knows how many people would die by his hand. Does this sound familiar to you?"

"...Are you using a comparison between this boy and Inuyasha's transformation into a full demon in order to manipulate me into not killing the boy?"

"That depends, is it working?" he was met with a a dull unimpressed look "My main hope was that you would know that I'm playing you, but you would still realize that I was right and back off from the kid."

"...Absurdly enough, I do." Sesshomaru relaxed himself slightly and retracted his claws "But know that my reasons for choosing not to kill the boy are mine alone."

"As long as you don't kill the kid, any reason you have is good enough for me."

"And that goes double for me." Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, and then when she heard a soft moan she looked down to see Rin waking up in her arms "Oh good, you're awake. Are you okay now?"

"I think so, my head hurts a little bit but…" Rin slowly opened her eyes, and then she bolted awake all the way when she saw Sesshomaru standing before her "Lord Sesshomaru you're here, you'rereally here!" but then she grew worried when she saw Kohaku in his earth restraints "What happened to Kohaku, why is he stuck like that?"

"Just trying to get a point across." Tatsu relaxed slightly as he released Kohaku from his earth restraints, only for him to take off running into the darkness of the forest, and then for him to appear in the sky a moment later with Kagura on top of her giant fan 'Shit, Kagura had to swoop in and get him again, and I can't hit her like this or else I'd probably hurt Kohaku too.'

"They got away again." Shippo muttered quietly, his head hung in sadness.

'Well, time to do the whole optimism thing.' Tatsu knelt down next to Shippo and gave a small smile as he ruffled his hair "We might not have gotten Kohaku back but we hit them pretty hard and fast, this is one night Naraku and his lackeys aren't gonna forget anytime soon. Besides, we all lived to fight another day, and that's what's really important right now." with that in mind, he glanced over at Sesshomaru "Not that I'm not grateful, but I'm kind of surprised you let him go like that."

"You said everything that needed to be said." Sesshomaru's tone was flat "The boy would have died by my hands, due to the influence Naraku has placed on him. That was Naraku's doing, and I refuse to play by his rules or give him any form of satisfaction." and so he started walking away from the scene.

"Good enough for me."

"Lord Sesshomaru wait for me! Thank you so much for your help Tatsu and your friends, I hope to see you again really soon!" Rin waved at Tatsu and the others and took off after Sesshomaru, amidst a few odd stares.

"So… I guess that's the end of that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Morning came, and the sun was rising over the skies of Feudal Japan.

By this point, Tatsu and the others (along with a thoroughly pissed off Inuyasha) had regrouped at Kaede's village, and they were all catching up on the situation "So yeah, that's basically it in a nutshell."

"I see." Sango's face fell as she took in everything she heard "So Kohaku ran off again, and he was still under Naraku's control."

"Yeah, maybe if we had gotten to him sooner or if we stopped Naraku from getting away, but that doesn't matter now, and dwelling on it won't change anything. Besides, the fact that he's alive should be grounds for some hope, don't you think?"

"...Yes, yes I do." Sango gave a small smile as she glanced over at the rising sun.

'Yet again Kagome's mom proves me right, giving a little bit of cheerful hope and optimism to the people around you can go a long way. Still though, where the hell did Naraku end up? Given the amount of damage we inflicted on him, I doubt he'd be able to a very convincing job of hiding himself from his enemies, so where the hell did he go?'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at the castle (or what was left of it)...

'What is the meaning of this?' by this point, Kikyo had made her way to Naraku's castle, only to find it completely abandoned in the aftermath of the battle 'Did Naraku deliberately remove his barrier to leave the castle visible? If that is the case, then he must have abandoned it, and he has taken up a new location in order to hide himself. It is strange though. Until now, I've been able to sense the presence of his barrier, but this time it feels as if he's vanished into thin air, and left not a single trace of his presence behind. I do not like the looks of this.' and as that thought crossed her mind, she left the castle behind.

A/N:

This chapter, which is considerably shorter than the last few of them, covers the episodes where everything changes from the typical status quo that we've seen up to this point. The group finally finds Naraku's castle during his attempt to absorb Sesshomaru and make his power his own, only for this plan to backfire on him in a spectacular fashion, in which Tatsu and Inuyasha are able to shatter his barrier, and with some added help from Sesshomaru, they're able to absolutely decimate Naraku. However, even despite this victory, Naraku is able to escape by using Rin as a distraction while he makes his getaway. Oh and as a sidenote, the group learns about Rin travelling with Sesshomaru, well everyone except for Tatsu that is.

For those of you who don't remember, Tatsu met Rin for the first time during the events of the first movie, when Sesshomaru and his group had helped free him from the tree after Kagome shot him with an arrow. As for the reasons why he never told the others about it, you all should know damn well that it's true.