Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the source material for this story. All are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This fic is labeled MA per standards for eventual violence, sex, and language so be warned.

...

Reconciliation

Chapter 8 - Before and After

"So that I am sure I understand, my Lord: you wish me to travel to the woods outside Niigata to locate your hanyou half-brother, Inuyasha, and ascertain the trouble with his youki?" Ren furrowed his brow but remained at ease in front of his Lord. Disrespect was not tolerated, no matter how confusing the request.

"Did I not clearly say as much, Ren? Now go. Time may be of the essence." Sesshoumaru waved a dismissive hand towards the captain as he continued on his way down the hall and to his study.

"Immediately, my Lord Sesshoumaru. I will pack and leave at once." Ren gave a swift bow and turned on his heel to make ready for the journey. Curiosity was immediately eating the captain alive and he was anxious to see what had so concerned Sesshoumaru-sama about the hanyou he had only ever heard tales of.

Sesshoumaru was aware, of course, the captain probably had many questions and was at this moment suppressing his intense curiosity but he was thankful Ren let it go and dismissed himself. The captain, at least, understood how to do his job properly.

Only two days had passed since he had left Inuyasha in the forest but his half-brother had seemed to think each moment was precious so Sesshoumaru was considerately hurrying Ren into action. One task today, at least, was easily done. Now to mollify the council and his mother…

…

Ren's Western Lord had never spoken openly about the hanyou but now he was sending a captain of the royal army to the middle of nowhere to help the pup. All in the midst of tension with the torayoukai and the upcoming mating season, during which his Lord would most definitely be pressured to take a mate once again. Ren was sure Kenshin would find this assignment just as bizarre as he did. He couldn't wait to tell him about it. He almost jogged down the hall from the council chambers and toward the soldier's barracks. Almost.

Ren was young for a captain in the Western army at only three hundred and forty-three years old, but he was cunning and accomplished. Like most inudaiyoukai, his coloring was fair and ethereal.

Razor straight, cropped white hair fell to just below his chin and covered his pointed ears. On his cheeks, two pale pink waves played over his cheekbones matching his warm lips and highlighting grass-green eyes. Centered on his brow was a gibbous moon in a dark magenta, matching that of his twin brother, Kenshin. Ren was fit but still thin and not yet fully matured, giving him the appearance of a rather gangly late teenager even at over three hundred years old.

Ren quickly changed into his gold traveling kimono and black hakama, and fitted himself with his black studded leather boots, gauntlets, and chest plate. He finished packing his single bag with a few tools and some spare clothes for training, just to be safe. Ren took his daishou* from the mounts on the wall and fitted them on his back for travel with his pack, then he headed out of his room and toward the infirmary to find Kenshin.

As he navigated the halls, he reflected on how Kenshin was truly the only other inu to tell his news to. It was odd to him that youkai so defined by pack and familial bonds were so few in number now. Their own parents had been killed in the wars against the ryuyoukai with Lord Touga.

There were so few inudaiyoukai left that most, if not all, now lived within the Western stronghold and worked closely with Lord Sesshoumaru to maintain a tenuous peace. And of course, to posture their female offspring for marriage to a bachelor Lord Sesshoumaru. Ren shook his head at the thought.

'To be pursued night and day for over five hundred years by females from all corners…' He shivered at the thought.

Though old enough for a mate himself, he was loath to relinquish his freedom yet. Plus, he had not come across a female that was more interesting than his life as a captain. His square jaw, large eyes, and broad shoulders made him attractive for his species. He had been pursued more than once already.

Surely, someone someday would pair he or his brother off to a noble daughter from somewhere but until that day, he would happily train soldiers and roam around Japan at Lord Sesshoumaru's bidding.

Ren rounded the corner to the infirmary and looked curiously around, neck craning and on the swivel for the brother his senses told him was here. Finding Kenshin working with a patient behind a screen, he leaned into the doorframe and waited impatiently for a chance to relay his news, scanning his claws for… occupation.

His twin brother, Kenshin, was built exactly the same but favored a shorter white mop of cropped hair tousled at odd angles all over his head. His markings were different from his brother's but just as beautiful. Kenshin's eyes were a dark magenta, uncommon to inudaiyoukai, and a single wave of pale green adorned each of his cheeks.

As a pup, Kenshin had been a favorite of the visiting daiyoukai daughters, all fawning over him for his adorable face and unique coloring. He was such a shy pup back then though, that he would run and hide whenever anyone came to visit. Ren chuckled at the idea that he probably still would and used the infirmary more as a hideaway than a place of work.

Kenshin was busy checking over a soldier that had run afoul of a rogue boar youkai on patrol.

"That should do it, Inaba. It's set now and should heal fairly quickly. I'll be back over to check on you in a few hours." Kenshin gathered his supplies from the bed and wheeled the cart of things away from the soldier's bedside. He smoothed his robes below the tasuki** as he put the cart back in the corner of the room. The long indigo robes framed in white indicated his status as a healer in the Western Fortress. The only other article Kenshin wore was an amulet that had been his mother's. On a thick silver chain, a teardrop-shaped silver pendant housed a faceted amber stone that had a strange incandescence, as if lit from within.

"Hello, brother. To what do I owe the pleasure today?" Kenshin asked, not looking up from his supplies.

"So formal, Kenshin. And after I've come all this way to tell you the fascinating news." Ren wiggled his eyebrows in delight.

Kenshin sighed. If his brother was in his true form, his tail would be wagging, he was certain.

"Am I to ask again, Ren, or will you tell me?"

"Our Lord Sesshoumaru is sending me North to train his hanyou half-brother to control his youki! Is that not the most unusual thing you have heard this century?"

Ren had Kenshin's attention then. "It is not the most unusual this century but it does rank highly on my list. Why on earth is he doing such a thing? Have they reconciled?"

"Not that I am aware but I am anxious to go. Wanted to come tell you goodbye first."

"We are not pups anymore, Ren. I will be fine in your absence." Kenshin turned sour at the implication he was still the defenseless runt he used to be.

Ren held his hands up in apology. "Sorry, little brother. I'll be on my way then. See you when I get back." Ren ruffled his twin's hair and turned to leave the infirmary. He was stopped when a clawed hand pinched his sleeve.

"Wait. Here take this with you, just in case." Kenshin let his worry show. He was holding a small pouch which Ren was sure had some herbs, bandages, and healing salves in it.

"Be safe, Ren." The brothers were all the pack they had left. It was natural for Kenshin to feel worry at his brother's departure. Ren waved a goodbye and made his way to the open courtyard to shift to his true form and start the journey to the Lord's half-brother.

'This is sure to be an interesting tale…' Ren thought as he galloped North along the coastline, gleefully tasting the open air with his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth.

…

Inuyasha was still sleeping when Ren touched down in the woods nearby. Out of consideration, the inudaiyoukai captain flared his youki to let Inuyasha know he was there and attempting to find him. When no response came, Ren sniffed the air and started walking through the willows to find the hanyou on foot.

He came to a clearing nearby and noticed the sleeping hanyou laid back against a tree. There were a few rabbit carcasses strewn near a fire and a pack left unattended near a fallen log but his true quarry was sleeping the afternoon away under a large willow, oblivious to the company he now kept. The inudaiyoukai shifted from a towering white dog to the humanoid form he wore most often. It was less comfortable but much more manageable.

Ren sighed. 'This pup is trying to die…'

Only he wasn't a pup at all really. Ren saw that Inuyasha seemed almost as mature as he himself was, which shouldn't have been possible. At most, Inuyasha could be close to two hundred and fifty years old, although his Lord was not specific in his details, but he should still be smaller and less mature than he was. Curious.

Ren found himself excited for the hanyou to wake so he could begin his study of Inuyasha's youki problem. He cast out his aura to feel the hanyou out and found a massive amount of youki was sleeping in his average form. Ren furrowed his brow at the thought that a half-demon could house more youki than most of the inuyoukai soldiers now living at the Fortress. Very curious.

What was more, Inuyasha's youki was wild and untamed. It clawed at everything nearby even while the pup was sleeping. Clearly, he had not trained his youki to obey him and it was causing him problems. His aura should have been dormant, sleeping as its owner was. More questions to be answered.

As another hour passed, Ren found his impatience getting the best of him. Crossing the clearing, he bent down and touched Inuyasha's shoulder lightly. When the hanyou didn't stir, he pinched the hanyou's ear roughly.

"Oi, pup. Time to wake up!"

"Hmm?" Inuyasha rubbed swollen and sleepy eyes and tried to refocus in the bright afternoon sunlight.

He was suddenly aware of the presence of another person in his camp and leapt to his feet, claws out. The posturing was cut short however as Inuyasha made a pained growl, grabbed his head with one head, and heavily sunk back to the ground on one knee.

"Don't fear, Inuyasha-sama. I am Ren, captain of the royal army of the West and sent by my Lord Sesshoumaru to assist you." Ren shifted in a flash to stand across the clearing and placed both fists on his hips. He waited to the hanyou to recover.

"I'm no one's lord, Ren, so don't start." Inuyasha was recovering slowly but managed to stand straight for the moment, brushing the dirt from his hakama.

It was then Ren finally got a good look at the half-brother of his mighty Lord. The family resemblance was undeniable but where Sesshoumaru was regal and thoughtful, this one was obviously casual and brash. His mannerisms were uncouth and his speech was clearly common. Both affectations of his wild upbringing, the captain remembered.

No, not upbringing, he corrected. Survival. Ren remembered the story of the night the hanyou was born and then later when he was left alone to fend for himself much too young. Ren could sympathize. He and his brother had been left as pups as well, though not by choice but also as a casualty of war.

The hanyou was only half dressed as well, but that was a question he would ask later.

Most importantly, Ren immediately noticed that Inuyasha's youki was violently out of his control. While not physically manifested, it was swirling around him wildly, snapping and provoking anything near to its owner.

Ren could sense that the hanyou was trying to control it simply by remaining calm and unaffected, but failing miserably. Physically, Inuyasha was exhausted from the effort but he was actually doing very little to help himself. In this way, at least, Ren might be able to help in the short term.

"Inuyasha-sama, my Lord has informed me that you believe your youki is killing you? I echo his sentiments that this is impossible but seeing you now, I admit I am confused. I have never encountered youki that seems to dwarf its owner before. Perhaps I can help however.

If I can teach you to control small amounts your energy first, and then you expand that lesson to the rest of your youki in the future, then perhaps the episodes will cease. At the very least, it gives me a place to start. Does that sound agreeable?"

"Whatever it takes, Ren. This shit can't go on." Inuyasha was just awake from a nap and already he was tired again, blinking slowly but trying to remain upright and engaged.

"Specifically, what can't go on, Inuyasha-sama?"

"The bastard didn't tell you?"

Ren's mouth dropped open in shock at the casual insult.

"Please refrain from insulting my most gracious Lord in my presence. And no, he did not have specifics to tell me about your condition."

"Fine, I won't call the bast- uh, Sesshoumaru names."

Inuyasha didn't want to tell anyone about this problem he was having but so far, he'd had to tell nearly everyone that mattered… and Sesshoumaru. What did it matter now to tell one more? If Ren was here to help, it wouldn't do him any good to hold back. He started the tale to catch Ren up. Even talking made him tired now.

"And I keep losing control and turning into… something else. It used to happen when I would get nearly murdered, as a survival thing, but now it's happenin' all the time and its way more painful than it used to be. I can feel it building over a few days and then my youki just explodes and there's nothing I can do until it's used up."

"How do you transform? Is it building even now?"

"Yeah, I can feel it getting close to happenin' again. Be careful, kid. If I start to go nuts, just run. And I'm still me, I think, just a stronger, sadistic, more painful version of me. The transformation is hell."

"Thank you for the warning, Inuyasha-sama. Very well. There is a simple exercise I would like to try first to see how you do. My Lord informed me that you have no training in controlling your energy so we will start with the basics."

Inuyasha lazily nodded. The captain wasn't wrong. Myoga had done his best once Tessaiga had been found but who would have trained an orphaned hanyou to control his demonic energy?

Ren laid his pack and swords down against the fallen log and centered himself in the clearing.

"Stand here with me. We are going to physically manifest a small amount of your youki for you to control for practice and as you gain familiarity with it, you should be able to control it in its entirety much more easily. This is a lesson we first teach young pups."

"Fine. Sounds great. Let's get started." Inuyasha's stomach chose that moment to make itself known. "Damn. After I hunt down a meal, then. Be back soon."

"As you say." Ren almost huffed in annoyance.

Inuyasha bounded off into the woods and left Ren there a little bewildered. He had never heard of such a strange problem before. A few daiyoukai pups might have had trouble with transformation into a smaller form but it was always a problem of perception, not a problem with their actual energy. Ren was dying to see what the transformation looked like but the hanyou seemed almost afraid.

…

"Kagome! Let me out! I'll clean it up, I promise!" Shippou yelled with his eyes closed as he floated in the air in a pale blue sphere of spiritual energy at the center of the house. Kagome noted that oddly, the floating barrier seemed to shift color to a sakura pink wherever Shippou was touching it. That would be a question later for Miroku. For now, she had a kit to reprimand.

Kagome stood below him, hands on her hips and eyebrows furrowed.

"You'd better, little man, or you'll find yourself without supper tonight. Now help me clean this up."

She reached up and dissolved the floating barrier, catching Shippou at the same time. The floating barrier would never have hurt the kit but she could put him in time-out well enough.

"I didn't think you were that good at those yet, heh." Shippou said with a grin, finding a cleaning towel and starting work on the paint that splattered the walls around the inside of the doorway as soon as she put him down.

The trick had been a simple one: a sentient fog of paint that was supposed to paint the faces of those that walked through it but when Kagome had gotten home early and interrupted him, he lost focus and it had exploded in her face as she walked through the door. Shippou would have felt bad but he was too busy laughing at the rainbow of paint splatters his mother was spitting out all over the floor while trying to look and sound angry between her own giggles. When Shippou asked her to admit that he'd 'gotten her good,' she stopped laughing and tossed him into the air.

"Yeah well, lucky for you, Miroku was working with me on barriers today and I thought it was an appropriate attention-getter. You're not the only one getting better at his tricks. No more paint in the house, okay?" She was scrubbing her own face and trying to swipe some paint off of her tongue when he answered.

"Yes… mama?" Shippou hunched his shoulders and looked back at her.

Her eyes were wistful and warm as he peered at her. "Sweet talk won't help you, kiddo. And yes, it's perfectly fine with me. How many times do I have to accept?"

"I guess I know that. It's just a big deal, you know? It means a lot for another mother to take a kit as her own. It's just not done that often. I'm still getting used to the idea too."

"Well, I'm not a kitsune but I'll love you forever, Shippou." She ruffled his soft hair. "Now, clean up this mess, mister. I'm going to get some more fresh water out back."

"Kay…" Shippou sighed but went back to scrubbing.

Kagome walked out the back door behind the house and found the well. As she pulled the bucket back up, she glanced across the field to forest beyond. Inuyasha's Forest.

Before she could stop the thought, she was thinking of Inuyasha again and how he wouldn't think this was as funny as she did. Suddenly, she was angry. Slapping one hand down on the lip of the well and squeezing her eyes shut, the feelings of frustration and betrayal constricted her heart again. Why the hell had he disappeared like that? And why the hell wasn't he back yet?

Miroku alone had been left with instructions to let her know he was fine but had to take care of this alone. Inuyasha had refused to tell Miroku where he was going, saying he didn't know himself but he was tracking Sesshoumaru so he didn't how long he'd be gone or how far he'd have to go.

Two weeks had already passed and he hadn't returned. She knew logically that a month-long trip here was normal given the rate of travel and the impediments along the road but Inuyasha wasn't a human traveling on the road and sleeping all night, and he should have been on his way back by now. Boy, was he getting an earful when he got home.

Unless…

No. There would be time to worry about that later. For now, she had a kit to take care of and a mess to clean. She gathered her water and went back into the house to work and sleep through another lonely night.

…

"So now that you have eaten and napped today, can we please get started?" Ren asked, maintaining a polite tone despite his frustration.

"Yeah sure, but don't get mad at me when it was Sesshoumaru that sent you out here without telling me anything in advance. I had no idea when or where you'd show up."

"Fair enough, Inuyasha-sama. To begin, come here." Ren held a hand out, palm up, in request for Inuyasha's hand.

"Ya gonna hold my hand, Ren? That gonna teach me anything?" Inuyasha's mouth turned up at the obvious frustration Ren was building.

Something about this guy made Inuyasha want to tease him. He was a kid still and he was smugly waltzing around like he owned the West himself. Talented or not, he was fun to pester.

'This kid reminds me too much of Sesshoumaru…'

"Do you make it a habit to anger all those who try to help you, hanyou?" Ren was rising to the challenge.

Inuyasha barked a laugh then. "As a matter of fact, I tried to kill them all first instead. Even my wife." He laughed again. It felt good after being so exhausted a little while ago.

"Wife? Do you mean you are mated?"

"Mated? Well, we're married so, yeah I guess. That's one of the perks."

"This explains much, Inuyasha-sama." Ren regained his composure. "Your knowledge of youkai customs must be limited. Marriage is a human convention. Mating is the youkai parallel to 'marriage,' but it requires a physical bonding of youki. Have you done as much with your wife?"

"Bonding with youki? No, and I don't think that would work with my wife. She's human… and a priestess."

"Miko?! Are you serious?" Ren's inu curiosity overwhelmed his manners then. This was too good a story not to hear. "Do tell, Inuyasha-sama."

Inuyasha's eyes softened a little at the request. It would feel good to tell a familiar tale in the midst of all this uncertainty. At least he knew how this story ended.

"Don't wanna hold my hand anymore then, kid?"

"I am not a 'kid' or a pup. I'll have you know I passed my three hundred and forty third spring already!"

"No fucking way. Gods, you assholes all look so young."

"Did you really just refer to all inudaiyoukai as 'assholes'? My Lord Sesshoumaru was not forthcoming about your manners, I'm afraid, but now I understand his reluctance to work with you." Ren crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the scoffing hanyou.

"Fine. I'll tell you the story but then we get to work. I want to get back home to her already. It all started one summer seven years ago…"

Inuyasha relayed the abbreviated version of the whole sordid tale of their journey to gather jewel shards, and the battles and hardships they faced. He talked about Shippou and Miroku and Sango fondly and enjoyed thinking of them all together in Edo now.

He surprised himself in talking about Kouga and his strange, continued attraction to Kagome. He told Ren about the other two hanyou he had encountered and allied himself with. He glazed over the encounters with Kikyou, thinking most of the encounters weren't critical to the story, but Ren's eyes widened as he went on to talk of their defeat of Naraku, and the separation of he and Kagome for three years before their reuniting at the well this year. He left out the most personal details but told him they were happily married now.

"And that's why I've gotta fix this. We just settled down, were just now allowed to be happy, and now it's all being ruined by me again."

The frustration at his problem was written on his face and he clenched his fists at his sides.

"I understand now, Inuyasha-sama. Thank you for sharing your captivating story with me. Alas, it is getting late now, I'm afraid. Shall we call it a day and make camp for the night? We can begin training early in the morning."

"Look, I know you can see even better in the dark than I can but I'll be fine so let's get started. The sooner I get this taken care of, the better… if that's fine with you, I mean."

Telling Ren the story of the best times of his life had softened his opinion of the kid.

"It is fine with me. Same request as before: stand next to me and hold out your hand like this. Good."

The two stood in the center of the clearing, one palm open up to the fading light of the late evening.

"Now take a claw and slice the palm of your hand. Do not look so offended… Do as I say. Not deep, just enough to draw blood, truly."

"What the hell's that supposed to do?"

"The scent of blood stirs our instincts, gives rise to our youki in a primal way. The scent of even your own blood should be making you feel anxious, energetic, and anticipatory. We use this technique with pups that show promise in youki manipulation."

Ren repeated the exercise on his own palm in the interest of fairness. He felt a strong pulse of youki across the clearing, but was focused on his own palm and the gathering energy there.

"Is it working, Inuyasha-sama?"

As Ren looked up from his palm to see the effect of his explanation, he was frozen by the furious stare of two glowing red eyes set into a hanyou who was now laboriously breathing across the clearing and sending a despairing look his way.

"Run! Argh…Quick! Get aw- Aaagh!" Inuyasha doubled over, clutching his heart.

"Inuyasha-sama, what is the matter?"

"It's happening… again, Ren. Fucking go!"

"I will not. This is why I am here. What is happening to you? Is this what you told my Lord you feared happening?"

"Yes. Shit! Don't let me hurt you, kid, please…"

Inuyasha forced his gaze around the clearing, realizing too late that Tessaiga was far away at the edge, leaning against the tree where he had been sleeping.

"Ren, quick, grab my- Gah!" He was cut off but a fierce and guttural growl as the change took over and he was powerless to stop it once again.

Ren watched as the hanyou lost control of himself and broke eye contact to stare blankly downward as he yelled in agony. Concentrated raw energy eerily seeped out from Inuyasha and crept outward along the forest floor, laying there almost benignly. The energy was lit like magma at the hanyou's feet, pulsing and shifting. When it began to lift from the dirt, crackling like sanguine electricity, it loudly and violently wrapped in fiery tendrils around Inuyasha's screaming form.

A cloud slowly began to physically manifest from the ribbons of visceral energy, creating a blazing sphere and hiding Inuyasha from Ren's view. Suddenly, it thundered like cannon fire and exploded, striking Ren where he stood only a few feet away.

The experienced captain was launched backward to edge of the clearing. He flipped in midair to land on his feet, boots skidding to a stop at the tree line and cropped white hair whipping wildly around his face. As the explosion was still pressing him backward, he raised his gauntlets to protect his face from the growing tornado of youki and debris but kept eyes locked on the hanyou.

Inuyasha was now visible and his body twisted and bulged unnaturally but was rooted to the center of the clearing. Ren could hear him yelling undecipherable words to himself in the midst of his struggle, and he understood that he was fighting his instincts and what they were telling him to do.

The hanyou had forgotten Ren was there with him so when the captain yelled for Inuyasha to rein in his energy, glowing red eyes locked on to the inudaiyoukai and Inuyasha… smiled.

It was twisted and dark, and the tornado of youki suddenly quieted leaving a vacuum of silence in the clearing. Leaves and dirt began to fall back to earth at the two inu stared each other down, neither moving.

"Shit." Ren suddenly felt fear.

He recognized the unstable pattern of youki as that of a transformed daiyoukai and if Inuyasha was warring with his instincts for control, he was sure the hanyou was losing. This meant that Ren had just unknowingly made himself the hunted, being the only other being in the forest with any measure of power.

This unstable, youki-crazed Inuyasha would be itching to test his strength against anything and everything until he was exhausted or killed. Ren hoped it wouldn't come to that but it could.

They stared at each other for a few seconds at most before Ren remembered his swords and pack were still somewhere nearby. He moved only his eyes to locate his things. They were several feet away, on the ground near the log they had used as a bench only a few minutes ago but that was now farther away after being caught up the blast of youki.

Ren relaxed his posture and slowly started to pace around the clearing, arching his path smoothly around to where his swords and pack were. If he was right, Inuyasha would take his slow pacing as stalking and use the opportunity to measure his opponent. Ren was using it to escape but knowledge of instinctual behavior in inu was useful.

He felt pity for the hanyou now. He would be ruled by his instincts until they found a way to bring him back. Ren could not risk killing even a rogue heir to the West without first speaking with his Lord. Perhaps Sesshoumaru would have a better plan.

Inuyasha took the bait and matched Ren's pacing in the opposite direction, circling him and sizing him up with his dangerous gaze. Ren let the farce continue until he was within only a few feet of his possessions.

The captain flared his youki, and shifting through the space as quickly as his demonic speed would allow, reached down to grab his swords and then sprint for home to report to Lord Sesshoumaru. He was stopped, however, as he reached down for his swords. The vice-like grip of a rabid inuhanyou was deepening his claws into the flesh of Ren's left forearm before he realized what had happened.

Panic gripped Ren and his eyes snapped open as he realized he was caught in a defenseless position, bent in half with an outstretched arm. The captain was so caught off-guard that he hesitated to remove Inuyasha from him in the split second he was given. He suddenly felt the warmth of his youki leave him. He was too panicked to notice the extent of the pull and wrote the sensation off as fear.

Inuyasha was staring down at the inudaiyoukai as if he was disappointed. A face that reminded Ren of his Lord at his most vicious. An angry snarl was the only warning he had before Inuyasha began to roughly twist the arm in his grasp, digging lengthened claws deeper into Ren's exposed limb. With a sickening squelch, the snapping of bone, and ripping flesh, Ren was divested of his left forearm in one swift motion. Inuyasha had cleanly torn off the young captain's left arm just below the elbow.

Viridian eyes widened in surprise and horror and Ren heaved in pain. Only panic and adrenaline kept the captain from screaming as blood began to wet the ground beneath him. Knowing shock and paralyzing pain would set in soon, Ren grabbed his pack and only the wakizashi from beneath him with his one hand, and launched himself into the sky.

If Inuyasha could follow him here, he would die.

He chanced a glance down at the inuhanyou as he rose upward. Inuyasha was still standing stock still in the clearing, following Ren's retreat with his eyes and holding the severed arm in his grasp. Suddenly, he dropped the arm, belted the abandoned katana, and disappeared in a red blur into the forest.

'So, he cannot manifest his youki at will… Good. Something positive to tell my Lord at least...'

Pain was beginning to creep in now only seconds after leaving the ground. As the full force of what happened finally settled on him, Ren wept silently at the loss of his arm and his livelihood as he sped back to the Western fortress through the night sky. Who would employ a captain of the army with only one arm?

...

*A matching set of katana and shorter sword; a wakizashi in this case.

**The tieback for kimono, that loop under the arms and around the back to keep sleeves from being a nuisance.