TOKIJIN.

Sesshomaru was a master at ignoring people, and he thought himself to be a patient man on top of this skill, but traveling with a chatty human child was proving to test him more then any of Jaken's none stop complaining ever had. Some days were fine, tolerable even, and then there were days like today.

He had been foolish enough to tell Akane this afternoon that he was following the scent of a freshly fallen yokai, one which was almost identical to Naraku's scent.

While telling her this wasn't the foolish part, saying it with Rin in earshot apparently had been, because the child kept asking him how close they were the remainder of the day.

"I SWEAR, if you ask if we're there yet one more time, I will whack you with my staff." Jaken said between clenched teeth from behind Sesshomaru. All three of his travel companions were a few feet behind as if to let him focus on tracking, but he could hear everything as if they were next to him.

"But Jaken-sama! I wanna see the yokai, and it could fade to dust before we get there!" Rin whined with a pout.

"And asking a hundred times will somehow get us there faster in that little mind of yours? Besides, everyone knows only the older yokai fade to dust." Jaken snapped.

"Well how do you know this one ISN'T an older yokai?" She retorted with a rather cute huff.

"Because Sesshy-sama said it smells like Naraku. And that one isn't old enough to be dust I guess." Akane answered before Jaken could snap again, sounding almost as exhausted as the imp from dealing with the child's energy.

Thankfully there was a blissful break of noise after that, Rin satisfied with the answer and humming in thought about something new. But even he was starting to feel impatient. The closer they got to it, the more strange and different from Naraku the smell became. Sesshomaru would have flown, but it was easier to track scents on the ground. That, and it was a rather fog filled evening, he could easily miss it from above.

"So… Are we there yet?" Rin asked for the sixth time.

"Aaaargh!" Jaken groaned, and when Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder, the imp was waving the staff of two heads in a very real threat while Akane tried snatching it from him, swirling the fog around them as they struggled.

"Enough Jaken." He snapped, making the imp completely freeze long enough for Akane to snatch the staff and Rin to make her way over to Sesshomaru's side with a grateful look in her warm and innocent stare. For a rare moment they locked eyes, and he noticed flecks of gold within the brown.

"The creature is just up ahead." He said after a moment of staring at the child, wondering if he had EVER been this lively when he was small, not recalling it to be so.

Now that he had finally given her an answer, Rin beamed that bright sunny smile with growing excitement, looking back at Jaken and sticking her tongue out.

"Bet I get to it before you!" She challenged. And with that she was off, dashing into the fog like a deer being hunted, the imp yelping and immediately going after her while gasping.

"These old legs can't keep up!" Jaken groaned as he too disappeared into the white abyss ahead of them.

"Be careful you two! It's too foggy out to be running!" Akane called out from beside him as the two smaller companions dashed off ahead. The girl almost followed, but paused to look at him, as if asking if it was alright.

Sesshomaru said nothing, and continued walking calmly, knowing it was perfectly safe ahead, everything that was once there was now long dead. Akane trusted him enough to calm down, releasing a breath of relief that there was no danger. For some reason, this small thing pleased him.

"HA! I beat you!" Rin's pleased voice cut through the fog just a few feet ahead of them.

"You little fool, we weren't in a race…" Jaken whined as Akane went ahead of Sesshomaru to join them. Seemed she was just as curious as the child after all.

"Holy cow, that thing is ugly! It's definitely not Naraku though…" She yelped, her reaction making him almost smile in amusement. Some of her phrases were so strange.

"Who on earth could have done this?" Jaken said in an awed tone, as if killing some mediocre yokai was impressive, the thought alone made Sesshomaru want to roll his eyes.

Now that they were in the location of the scent he had been following, many more became clear. And he hoped that Rin didn't venture too far ahead of them. With this strong scent of death, he was curtain there would be more bodies around.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru stated as he came out of the fog, answering Jaken's question, stopping to stare at the strange purple horned corpse. "Inuyasha did this, though I doubt that he escaped unscathed."

There was enough blood around to prove it, not that he needed to say that and risk upsetting Akane. Although he still didn't understand why she liked the brat.

"What? Yasha killed this thing? Shit! I mean, it would have been no biggie for YOU but him? Dang." Akane all out gaped and kicked some of the remaining flesh. Half the body had been rendered to pieces in the fight it seemed.

What lay before his feet was indeed not Naraku. Although he hadn't actually expected it to be. There was absolutely no way the brat would have killed the real thing. But it clearly had some kind of ties to the spider, the scent almost identical.

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to kick the corpse with Akane out of frustration, but glared at it anyway as he reached down and took hold of one of it's horns, lifting the head from the rest of it's flesh and tearing it away as Rin screamed.

"What the hell! Why are you touching it?" Akane yelped in disgust, jumping away from him in a comical way as he turned a puzzled gaze to her, not understanding the problem.

"This is why we came here." He stated simply, as if it were not an obvious thing, lowering the head closer for inspection, ignoring the gagging sounds the girl made.

There was no mistaking it, the creatures fangs held the scent of Tessaiga. That mixed with the bits of the blade barely visible on the ground proved it. This creature of Naraku had broken the sword in half. If it held that kind of power, he could make good use of it's bones. Coming to investigate had not been a waste of time after all.

"Come with me, and keep close." He said while turning to go, focusing once again on the different scents in the area to avoid the girls catching a glimpse of the dead. Not that he cared if they seen a corpse, his ears merely had enough loud voices for the day. Including the one still gong now.

"W-we're taking the HEAD with us?" Jaken said over Rin, who was still screaming for some gods awful reason, yet there was no actual fear in the sound of it.

"Stop it Rin, we're leaving." He ordered after mentally counting to ten to avoid snapping at her.

"Yes my lord!" She piped, instantly stopping and now perfectly fine. Indeed, she had been pretending to be afraid. Children were very odd things. And he knew for a fact he had never been like this. Causing him to briefly wonder if he was the odd one instead, or if Rin was simply a unique child.

As they walked off once more, set on a new course of action, Akane came up to his side, the side opposite of the head, and he watched her crinkle her nose at the thing as he calmly dragged it along. "Sesshy-sama, while you seem satisfied with this… Eh, head thing, you kinda seem confused or maybe bothered by something?"

He glanced at her as they walked, ever surprised at this human girls level of perception, but he said nothing. There was no point in voicing it until he knew for certain.

The scent on the wind told Sesshomaru what transpired here, but one thing baffled him even more then this Naraku like creature in his hand. The scent of Inuyasha's blood had changed. It was not the scent of a hanyou, it was the scent of Sesshomaru's own blood, and that of their fathers…

Once he was finished with the head, he would have to actively seek out his half brother, and see the cause of this change.

…..

"Be careful Lady Akane, or you'll sigh all your happiness away." Rin said in concern some time later, making Akane come back to reality and out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, sorry… That's an interesting thing to say by the way. I've never heard it before." Akane offered a smile to show that she was okay, noticing the way Rin's face changed for a moment, as if she was recalling something sad, before the girl looked away to hide it.

"My… My Mama used to say that to my Papa." The girl said in a softer voice then normal, before quickly shaking her head and looking back at Akane with increased concern. "If you're sad, instead of sighing you should sing! Then your happiness won't blow away in the wind!"

The way she said it, with such conviction, it made Akane smile, reaching out to ruffle Rin's already messy hair and give a quick hug before continuing to walk. "Thanks, I'll keep that it mind next time I feel a sigh coming."

"Okay! I've tried telling Jaken-sama that he's so grouchy cause all he does is sigh his happiness away, but I don't think he believes me. So you better promise!" Rin huffed, still giving that hard yet cute stare until Akane voiced her promise, offering to put the girl on Ah-Uhn so she could have a break from walking. It was kinda late in the evening now, and Rin looked like she was starting to get sleepy.

Truthfully, Akane hadn't even noticed she was sighing before. But given her thoughts during the walk, it made sense to sigh. She had hoped that by now Sesshomaru would trust her enough to just tell her what had been bothering him back there at the corpse. It had been obvious that something had made him uneasy, and it wasn't the dead yokai.

But when she had asked, he chose to ignore her and change his focus onto something else, announcing that he was to make a sword from the head and that they would be going to someone OTHER then Totosai for this. Some darker yokai blacksmith called Kaijinbo. After that, they once more set out, this time at a faster pace. And once more in silence.

Why couldn't he just talk to her…? He had to be the least social person she had ever met, but no matter how rude he was at times, she just couldn't shake this damn crush.

Akane had been so deep into her thoughts again, that she bumped into Sesshomaru from behind, the man coming to a stop up ahead but she hadn't noticed.

"Crap, sorry I-"

"Look there. We've arrived." He cut her off, not seeming to care that she invaded his personal space for once. Akane peeked around his fur boa, holding onto it and keeping much needed distance between herself and the severed head in his hand. Squinting up ahead of them.

They had at last come to the home of Kaijinbo. It was nothing fancy, just a tiny run down shack near the edge of what might be a poisonous swamp or bog. It certainly LOOKED poisonous.

"This is the house of some great sword maker? Totally not what I'd been expecting. Is Totosai's place just at least a bit more impressive, since he's the more popular blacksmith? Although, I can't picture the old guy in a mansion..." She said more to herself and Shen, jumping when Sesshomaru actually chuckled and answered her.

"The old man lives in a cave. As far from a mansion as one might get, but very fitting to his personality." He said with an almost amused tone while glancing down to her still peeking from behind him, looking forward again with a nod that made her follow his golden gaze.

There was a man coming down the path to the house, oblivious to them across the bog. Kaijinbo looked like a goblin to Akane, pointed teeth, mini mustache, scraggly and thin, with what looked to be the points of little horns on his head. So far, this guy was the creepiest yokai she had ever seen.

"Like serious heebie jeebie vibes here…" She said as they watched from a distance. The man wobbled his way down the path to his home, holding a jug and very clearly drunk as he nearly fell twice before even making it to his front door.

Akane notice he was wearing what looked to be a freaking legit SKULL necklace, looking backwards to see that Rin was asleep and feeling thankful for this. The kid seen enough horrible things already without having to spend time wondering whose skulls they once were.

~How friendly looking...~ Shen chuckled, his random joke making Akane snort a laugh and earn a raised eyebrow side look from Sesshomaru, which only made her laugh again.

"Sorry, sorry, inside joke." She blushed and pointed at the pendant around her neck. Sesshomaru stared a moment longer with that curious expression before it was wiped clean, back to business as he took a step forward.

Before any of them could begin to fallow, he swung his arm out, the severed head swinging and making Akane jump backwards with a squeak.

"All of you stay out here." He said in that calm orderly tone while continuing to walk off. Which of course naturally annoyed her, sick of being left out of the good stuff.

She waited about three or four minutes, long enough for him to nearly get to Kaijinbo's door before she started to follow after him as quietly as possible despite Jaken trying to make her stop twice. But since the imp didn't want to get in trouble, he stopped coming after her and let her continue to tiptoe.

~Are your sure this is wise? He didn't want you to come.~

"He never wants me to come." She whispered, holding the pendant close so as not to have to talk too loudly. But despite he not making a single twig snap or rock roll, once she got to the halfway point, she watched Sesshomaru still with his hand on the door frame, and she knew she was busted before he even turned around with that sexy scowl of his.

"Fuck my life…" Akane said without even bothering to retreat as he came over to her, almost stomping with a look of great dissaproval. "Can't I just get a better look at- ooof!"

Sesshomaru had dropped the yokai head and scooped Akane up without a single warning, flinging her over his shoulder cave man style, taking her back across the swamp.

"H-hey! What's the big idea? Lemme go!" She yelped, trying not to fling around despite the embarrassment of the situation.

Sesshomaru remained unresponsive, carrying her like it was nothing like he always did despite her curvy size, plopping her on the ground by Jaken like a sack of potatoes and glaring down at her like a parent would a fussy child.

"This Sesshomaru told you to wait HERE." He stated, voice filled with barely contained frustration, that and his look making her shrink with a pout as he turned his back on her.

How DARE he do the whole he man bull crap to her like this and expect her to just take it! Sure, her face was red at the moment but she was gonna have words with him!

However, as if he either sensed her anger or possibly heard her intake of breath, he cut her off before she could even start to form a proper protest, turning enough to give her that intense no room for debate stare.

"Wait for me. If Rin wakes, you can keep her from following."

Akane felt her anger deflate as she opened and closed her mouth twice, but dang it, how could she complain when he ALSO didn't want Rin to meet this creepy looking guy? He was being kind, in that odd Sesshy kind of way, and he knew he had her by that look in his eyes.

"Hmph… Fine." She sighed in defeat, shoulders slumping with a pouty glare. A glare that made his lips twitch in an almost kinda sorta smile before he left them. And fuck if that stupid half smile of his totally made it worth it.

So, obediently, she waited for him to return. Like always.

It had been three days since the sword had been commissioned, the man late in his delivery by half a day, something that Sesshomaru could tolerate, but only for so long. So naturally, he had sent the imp off to retrieve it, not wanting to deal with Kaijinbo and any possible excuses as to WHY he was late on the promised day.

But now there was another problem, Jaken had yet to return. And for the imp to be late was a rare thing. It was almost concerning actually to not already have the him running back with apologies and the new blade Tokijin in hand.

Thankfully Sesshomaru had been wise enough to set up camp nearby, far enough away from the swamp that there wasn't much to be on alert about, but close enough that it would only take an hour or so to go there on foot.

Sesshomaru was losing his patience, and despite the safe distance from the swamp, the girls were jumpy and kept telling stories of monsters crawling out of it's depths. Making him wonder WHY they did that if all it did was make them even more jumpy then they already were. Although, he admitted that their imaginations were at least entertaining.

But even with their stories, he could not bring himself to wait any longer for Jaken to return. The fumes from the swamp even at this distance clouded his senses and threatened an incredibly rare headache the more he breathed them.

So he left, leapt off the tree he had been resting in without a word, hearing a gasp from one of the girls before he flew off towards the shack. It didn't take long for the scent to hit him even over the fumes of the swamp, entering the doorway and staring down at Jaken's corpse that had been cut in two.

"This must be the work of Kaijinbo." He stated with an annoyed tone. Whether he was more annoyed that the man ran off with his new sword, or that he was being forced to use the Tenseiga again, that he couldn't say. But it did vex him greatly to have to pull the useless thing out and use it to revive Jaken.

With the Tenseiga in hand, he could see the messengers, or perhaps even some kind of soul collectors, of the netherworld. Each time this had happened, and each time it was the same creatures he had to slice. He didn't know if the cut killed the beings, or merely sent them back from which they came, but the result was always the same. As soon as they faded into smoke, the breath of life was returned.

"Ah-! I'm alive…" Jaken gasped out, blinking back to reality. "But how can that be? Wasn't I cut in half…?" The imp turned his head to see that he was still very much in two pieces, making him cringe. "Aww, I knew it."

"Let's go Jaken. Pull yourself together, quickly." He said in a bored yet hurried tone while sliding the blade back in it's sheath, pausing when he realized he'd made a pun on purpose without even thinking about it. How very unlike him.

The humans constant banter had to be rubbing off on him somehow. How very interesting… If not a bit worrisome.

"M-my lord! Is it possible… That you revived me with your Tenseiga?" Jaken gaped while crawling towards his lower half, thankfully having missed Sesshomaru's out of character pun.

"Hn... Who OTHER is capable of bringing someone back from the dead?" He pointed out, ignoring the way the imp was staring at him like he was some kind of god.

"No one my lord!" Jaken said half in tears.

Still ignoring his hero worship, Sesshomaru's mind was on but one thing. "Has Kaijinbo completed my sword?"

Jaken gripped onto his lower half tightly, the name making him gulp at the reminder of being killed. "Yes Sesshomaru-sama, he has forged a sword from the fangs of that slain yokai. B-but I must add, that his eyes have become most fearful, a-almost as if… as if he's been possessed by the sword itself…"

Possessed? Was the grudge of the dead thing so strong, or was the blacksmith so weak? Now he would have to track down Kaijinbo and see which it was.

"Hn… Interesting." He should have expected complications from something that held the scent of that shady spider.

….

She hated feeling like she was being watched, and for the past twenty minutes or so, the hairs on the back of her neck had been standing at attention. And while she didn't want to worry Rin too much, she did make sure one of her knives was close, especially when Shen mentioned a movement in the trees to their right. But whatever it was, hadn't done anything yet.

Akane and Rin waited by the fire after Sesshomaru had left, it had been night time already even then, and now the stars were coming out, dusting the sky with beautiful patterns that simply were not visible in Akane's time period. It was the stars she used to keep distracted from the hidden eyes.

She kept confusing constellations, having never been that good at them in the first place, and according to Shen, they had different names and meanings in dragon lore. Which made it all the more confusing then it had been to begin with as he tried teaching them to her.

"Lady Akane, what could be taking Lord Sesshomaru so long?" Rin asked, having gotten bored with making pictures with the stars a few minutes ago, and had been gazing into flames.

~Oh how about that, the child almost lasted over an hour before asking about him. She's getting better.~

Akane agreed, but then again, she completely understood Rin's issues considering what happened to her family. The girl was bound to be a bit clingy now and then.

About to answer her question, they both perked up when they heard the never ending complaints of Jaken approaching.

"There he is! Welcome back!" Rin cheered, getting to her feet and beginning to run over to greet him.

He watched her take a few steps before Akane seen his eyes dart to the trees behind, right were she had been feeling a presence, and those golden orbs narrowed.

"Stop Rin, don't move." Sesshomaru suddenly ordered, making the girls eyes widen as she did her best to freeze mid step.

~So, he noticed it too huh?~ Shen said just as Sesshomaru leapt into the air, flying over both the frozen Rin and surprised Akane, cracking his claws and cutting down three small trees with a simple flick, making Akane gasp in shock as a woman jumped out of the way last second.

"What the?" Akane got to her feet to get a good look at the stalker, completely shocked at how beautiful she was.

Red lips and crimson eyes, a face that could only be described as a woman, the kind of woman other women wished to look like. Sensual, a natural dark beauty. Her hair was a dark brown with two feathers in it, and she held a paper fan in one hand.

The woman standing before them now had that same feeling to her aura that Naraku did, barely any difference. Jaken was stating that very thing seconds after she thought it, bringing up the human arm incident a month ago. Akane looked to Sesshomaru to see if the reminder annoyed him, and caught the irritated twitch to his claws.

"I recall the scent," He stated while studying the woman with calm but visible suspicion. "It is the same as the beast that intended to trap me, the one known as Naraku."

"Mmm, so you're Inuyasha's brother... Sesshomaru? You're very clever~" The red eyed woman all but purred, making Akane bristle and march over to stand by Sesshy with a glare, the woman completely ignoring her on purpose.

"I am Kagura, the wind sorceress. An incarnation of Naraku." She said in that same flirty tone, not hiding how much she was checking Sesshomaru out. Everything about her was sultry, and it made Akane all kinds of envious.

"Incarnation?" Sesshy asked, either oblivious to her flirting or simply did not give a damn, both ways made Akane happy.

"Correct." Kagura bowed her head a bit, glancing to Akane at last with almost a smirk on her face, like she had appraised her and found Akane lacking something. And while Akane would admit she wasn't anything close to womanly, she didn't think she deserved THAT look. But before she could react she was dismissed as Kagura went back to Sesshy.

"Listen, Sesshomaru, those fangs you used to have Kaijinbo create your sword were from a creature called Goshinki. Like me, he was also created from Naraku-"

"We kinda guessed it was something like that. Pretty obvious with this guys sense of smell y'know. Did you think he wouldn't pick up on that? It's the whole reason we even found the thing for goodness sake." Akane huffed, crossing her arms and earning a sideways glance from Sesshomaru.

Did he seem amused by her praising him? Or was he just entertained by the dislike between the two females who obviously were attracted to him?

"All very interesting," He said while casting a bored gaze back to the Kagura woman. "But surely you didn't seek me out simply to tell me this."

"Heh, can you not detect it's scent? Tokijin reeks of Goshinki's aura, and it's closer then you think." She once again tried for coy and mysterious, opening her paper fan and in a rush of wind took to the sky on a giant feather, no doubt one of the two that had been in her hair.

"Again, DUH! That how he's been tracking it! You're telling us things he already knows lady." Akane snapped, flinging her hands up in the air.

~Ohoo, look at you getting at feisty and territorial!~

Kagura cast a brief death glare to her just as Shen said this, giving a little huff before turning back to give another flirty look to Sesshomaru. "You're the swords rightful owner, that is the only reason I came here."

And with that she was gone, flying off into the air with yet another gust of wind. A true wind sorceress after all.

"I call bullshit. You just wanted to introduce yourself to him, we ain't that stupid." Akane muttered, getting a soft chuckle out of Sesshy without even trying.

"I'm not sorry to see her leave so soon. I don't think I've ever seen such an arrogant woman." Jaken stated, looking to Akane with almost approval. "Even YOU show milord more respect then that! And know his prowess!"

~While that was a backhanded compliment, from this guy it's better then nothing. Good for you Akane.~

For some reason, this made her beam with pride. Finally someone Jaken disliked more then herself!

Sesshomaru had been watching her, and suddenly blinked as if just realizing something, clearing his throat and looking over his shoulder. "Rin, you're free to move now." He said, as if just now recalling the still frozen child behind them, most likely due to the lack of her commentary.

Akane hadn't even realized the kid was still frozen…

"Yes my lord!" Rin sighed happily, stretching out her limbs and doing a twirl, falling down from being so stiff.

Akane couldn't help it, the kid was just too cute. She ran over and dive bombed the girl with tickles, the two of them ended up giggling together side by side in the grass.

"Speaking of strange women…" Jaken muttered while watching them.

"HEY!"

….

Some time later that night, possibly closer to early morning at this rate, Sesshomaru and Akane were alone together up in the sky. After Kagura had left, Sesshomaru did a patrol of the area before leaving Rin with Jaken, deciding to go after the fading scent of Kaijinbo during the night. It would have taken far longer if he had to bring the sleepy child along, and he had intended to leave Akane as well. But the girl had been most insistent that he not go it alone, and for once, he indulged her.

Now though, he was beginning to regret it. Yes, she was worried for him. About him. Something he didn't think he would ever get used too or understand, but it was getting on his nerves that she had such lack of faith despite seeing what he was capable of on a daily basis.

"Are SURE you want a sword that can possess people? I mean, maybe it wasn't a good idea to make something from a part of Naraku? Is it really worth the risk?" Akane tried again, making Sesshomaru mentally sigh. Like Rin, even if he ignored her, she sometimes would continue to try for his attention.

He simply made a sound in response, trying to sound distracted while keeping eyes ahead and steering Ah-Uhn as the two of them shared the saddle, the girl in front of him.

This was a first, normally it was the two small ones on the dragon while he carried Akane, or the three of them shared the dragon and he flew alone. But he wanted to conserve as much energy as possible, considering he didn't know what awaited him. Sadly though, this meant that all she had to do was huff and look up at him with that pouty gaze when she couldn't take being ignored any longer, and for some strange reason he found this angle to be somewhat cute, thus making it hard not to look back.

"Come on, stop with the silent treatment. Tell me just why you think it's a good idea to use a sword when it seems like Naraku WANTS you to have it?"

He held in a breath, letting it out slowly in defeat as he finally gave in and answered her. That upside down blue gaze proving to be more effective then it should be.

"That Kagura woman has other motives. And I do not think the spider has any idea that this Sesshomaru made use of his former incarnation." He stated matter of fact, seeming to sate her needs as she looked forward again.

"Okay… I guess… But if he ever did find out, I wonder if he could, I dunno, control the thing and hurt you-"

"Do not doubt my power." He snapped, revealing a hint of his frustration at her lack of faith.

There was an awkward silence after that, and for the life of him he didn't understand why he felt BAD about it.

"It's not that I doubt you. I just worry." She whispered in English, sounding like a beat puppy and he cringed at the feeling it made in his stomach.

What was he supposed to say? He technically shouldn't say anything, since she didn't know he understood her. But he certainly didn't understand the difference between worry and lack of faith, despite her making it seem that there was one.

Before he could think on it further, they at last arrived to were the blade was located, the scent RIGHT bellow them. And who should be there as well? Seems Inuyasha would always be a thorn in his side, but then again, now would be a good time to kill two birds with one stone. The hanyou had been next on his list of things after all.

"Stay here. And try not to be noticed." Sesshomaru said as he gave the reins to Akane and pushed himself back a bit in the saddle in order to move, but she turned to take hold of his empty sleeve, stopping him.

"What- why? Isn't that Yasha and K-chan down there by your new sword? I'm sure once you say it's yours there won't be any problem with you taking it." She looked confused, as normally he allowed her to see her friends since he and the brat had come to a truce of some kind, glaring but otherwise ignoring one another at a distance while the girls swapped school work and chatted. But today was not for such things.

"Indeed, this one does not expect them to stop me, but this is not a social visit, there is something..." He paused, frowning as he realized she most likely wouldn't understand, or approve, of what he would do to test things, even if he did explain it. And he shouldn't have to explain himself to begin with actually, so why make this a habit?

"Trust me and just stay here." He ordered, locking eyes with her long enough for her to understand he meant it. He didn't expect her to trust him, not really. But she blinked at him, a concerned and curious look in those sapphire eyes. And, thank the gods, she nodded and didn't protest any further as she released his sleeve.

"Alright, Sesshy-sama. I trust you, although, when whatever your about to do is over, I hope you'll explain the reason." She said with a sad sigh, like she already guessed what he might be planning, and was doing her best to trust his reasons. Truly the girl could surprise him at times.

Sesshomaru stared at her a moment longer, then dropped from his place on Ah-Uhn, hearing Akane squeak as he gracefully fell down from their high spot towards the ground.

He was interrupting something, Inuyasha wasn't alone, not only with his group but Totosai as well. Yet there was no sign of Kaijinbo and no scent or sign of a corpse.

Sesshomaru landed feet from the Tokijin, who's blade was buried in the earth, sword sticking out from the ground and sparking with it's malicious aura like crackles of lightning.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Inuyasha said in a snappy accusatory tone, already grating on his nerves.

"Just what I would ask you, I've merely come for the sword." He said, although it was a half lie. "It seems the yokai you killed was so bitter, it desired it's revenge even after it's remains were made into the blade."

"What?!" Inuyasha gaped, surprised and rude all at once.

"How do you know about the Tokijin being made from Goshinki?" The slayer girl asked, wisely suspicious of him, as if unlike the others, she could sense there was more to why he was here. But then again, she could just be sensing the never ending hostility between Inuyasha and himself.

"I was the one who hired Kaijinbo to make this sword." He admitted matter of fact. Since it was not obvious enough.

The almost collective gasp from the group was comical, but it did make him question their collective intelligence.

In that moment, Totosai peeked from his pitiful hiding place behind Inuyasha. "Heed my words Sesshomaru, even one such as you might get possessed by the swords evil aura. Do not take hold of it I beg of you."

He stared, getting even more annoyed as more people questioned his abilities. The foolish old man. Clearly he, Sesshomaru, needn't worry of such a thing, the will of a simple sword could not overpower his own.

Ignoring the ridiculous warning, he calmly walked over to the blade, watching the aura grow as if in preparation to try and take him over the moment he touched it. How interesting.
He reached out, hand clasping tight around it's hilt and pulled it from the ground. The aura flying around his hand as if it were flames, the sparks increased as he felt it attempting to pry into his mind, only to hit a wall.

"Just who do you take me for…" He stated, both to Totosai and the Tokijin, giving no reaction as the blade's spirit quickly gave up and it's aura was subdued by his own with little effort.

He could barely make out the old man muttering something, and he looked up with a hint of triumph in his eyes. "It seems the sword has chosen me as it's master." He tried his best not to sound smug about it, but it was difficult.

But now was not the time for such things when there were more important matters at hand. While testing out the weight of the sword, Sesshomaru looked to the brat.

"Draw your sword, Inuyasha, there's something I wish to verify." He ordered, readying his new blade in hand.

"Something about ME?" Inuyasha scoffed, ignoring the Kagome girl who tried to tell him not to, and even Totosai advised against it. How kind of them to be concerned. But death wasn't the plan today, only a test.

"Come at me, LITTLE brother." He baited, earning yet another glare as now even Myoga was trying to tell Inuyasha to stay back. How boring. "I'll make it easy, I shall come for you."

Sesshomaru didn't wait for a response, sprinting towards the half breed before he could think to retreat.

"You're gonna regret this Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha warned, charging and drawing his sword, but it was obvious something was different, almost off, about the Tessaiga.

It appeared heavy in the boys hands, almost dropping tip first into the ground just in time to block a strike of green lightning like energy that came from Tokijin, something unexpected.

Sesshomaru was impressed. It appeared that there was a hint of dragon power mixed into his new sword, something rare, since dragons never willingly gave up their parts, and were a challenge to kill. Kaijinbo truly did deal in the darker trades after all. A shame he was dead.

After a few minutes longer testing his new sword along with testing the brat, it became clear that Inuyasha couldn't even properly lift his own sword anymore.

But that wasn't the only thing. His scent was still that of a half yokai, a hanyou, though it undoubtedly changed during his fight with Goshinki… What could it mean? He had to witness the transformation with his own eyes to understand.

"What, have you altered your combat strategy? Usually you charge at me blindly with great haste." He purposely sounded bored, trying to further bait the brat, and it worked.

"Keh, whatever you say." Inuyasha said with that cocky tone before lifting the blade, rather slowly, and at last charging. The two if them clashed their swords as sparks and dust flew, Sesshomaru easily holding the Tessaiga back with only half his strength on the Tokijin.

"Ahh… Tessaiga has become heavier I see…" His guess from before was indeed correct.

"It's a LOT heavier, you stupid jackass." The brat retorted, clearly straining to keep hold. This wouldn't do at all. He wouldn't be able to see what he wanted this way.

"Hn, the sword is too heavy for you? Then you're better off WITHOUT it." He stated, adding pressure enough to fling the blade right out of Inuyasha's hands, sending it swirling into the air and the boy skidding. The giant sword landed tip first into the ground and regressed to it's smaller, natural state.

Sesshomaru took this moment to look up, noticing that Akane was actually obeying him and staying out of sight despite him appearing to attack her friend for no apparent reason. Yet, she remained in the sky, peeking over Ah-Uhn but keeping silent.

Perhaps he could reward that trust… After all, even though he hated explaining himself to anyone, there was no reason he couldn't. This time.

Inuyasha's group were doing their own commentary, catching his attention as he looked back to watch Inuyasha start to get up with a curse. As expected, the brat ignored his comrades warnings of retrieving his sword, and instead decided like the idiot he was to charge Sesshomaru bare handed.

Tokijin twitched in his hand, and he followed his instincts, pointing the blade forward, feeling his energy and the blades become one in that moment as a blast of that same green energy shot out at Inuyasha, striking him head on and knocking him back once more.

This wasn't it… Wasn't… Enough? Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes in confusion as the boy got to his feet, shaky but still no signs of change. What then, did he have to fight to kill in order to trigger it? Had he possibly imagined the change in scent to begin with? Surely not. It had been there… In that case…

"Enough. I've seen all I needed to see." He shouted out as he began to charge, making the boys eyes widen. Good. Best he be afraid, best he believe to be in real danger. "Die!"

He watched Inuyasha wobble on the spot as he stood, only to lower his head and go down on one knee. A split second later it happened, Sesshomaru's instincts kicking in on high alert and his beast roaring at the feeling of another of it's kind.

That scent again! He thought with wide eyes, catching a glimpse of a crimson gaze. And MARKINGS. Markings just like father. Claws longer and digging into the earth. He hadn't imagined the different scent after all.

He continued to run, bracing himself for a different kind of fight and almost excited to see how much of a change it would be from the boys usual strength.

Suddenly, just as he was able to make out the elongated fangs bared in an animal threat, a wall of fire blocked Sesshomaru's vision and caused him to skid to a stop.

"Totosai…" That old man using his fire again to give them time to flee, Kagome had shouted something that was followed by a loud thud, more muffled voices hidden behind the roaring flames until he barely could make out the retreating figures.

He stood there, deep in thought, processing what he had witnessed and what could be the possible cause for it.

To think that Inuyasha made him, Sesshomaru, tremble in fear for even a moment… Inuyasha… In that instant… He truly did hold a bit of their father in him after all.

So many questions… Both about the brat and the Tessaiga.
The wall of flames faded and died as he stood, unmoving, slowly realizing there might be more then one reason their father had chosen the Tessaiga for his half brother.

Akane was soon by his side, peeking up at him, not angry like he had been expecting, but a million questions were in her eyes as he met her gaze after a moment of silence.

"So… why didn't you go after them? Flying over those flames would be a piece of cake for you." Akane pointed out with a quizzical stare, her phrasing catching him by surprise and bringing him out of his thoughts.

What about... cake?

"Hn?" He blinked, calming after the fight and unexpected discovery, putting aside what this might have to do with the sword he once so desperately wanted.

"What were you after? You ask me to trust you, but I still want to know WHY you attacked my friend again, especially after all the times you've let me visit with them and avoided Yasha."

Sesshomaru had already decided to explain to her, and he might as well tell her his suspicions as well, along with where they would be going next in order to get some much needed answers from the only being who would willingly tell him.

"After listening, and trusting me as you did, I will indeed tell you the reason for my behavior this night." He agreed, earning a shocked but pleased look from her. Her open expressions always making him want to see more, and he could not help but want to tease her a bit.

"But first… Akane, have you ever met a talking tree?" He added, asking in a completely serious tone.

"WHAT?" Akane's wide eyed, jaw slacked expression was just the thing he needed to improve this most strange day, lifting his mood greatly.

Even if he didn't show it.