Shouldering what packs they had, they journeyed through the dense undergrowth. A half youkai on a quest, a kitsune journeying for the memory of his parents, a monk sojourning to take the life of an ancient evil, the reincarnation of a dead priestess, and an enchantress whose heart feels no love. Brought together by circumstance, their path has been set clear by intrigue and death. Grimly, they plunged through the undergrowth, led by the determined magician. Inu-Yasha followed a few steps behind her, clearing the way for others using his Tetsusaiga. Miroku increased his pace until he was side by side with Kagome. Shippou bounded along beside them, seemingly without a care in the world.

            Miroku regarded Kagome out of the corner of his eye, "So…what do you think she's planning?"

            Kagome gazed up into the canopy in deep thought, "I'm not sure Miroku. I can sympathize with her, but you'd think someone with such power would be a bit more willing to go about other means of keeping her son's memory alive."

            The monk wrinkled his brow, "What do you mean?"

            "Well, where I come from, when someone is murdered like her son, people get angry and people can swear to do horrible things, but in the end life must go on. Justice can be served in a lot of cases, but people still go on living, to keep their loved one's memory alive. That's what I can't understand."

            "Why she's so willing to make Sesshoumaru suffer?"

            Kagome nodded, "Yes, its kinda strange when you think about it. I've heard about the 'with great power comes great responsibility' issues, but this is too much. Plus, she has a shikon shard imbedded in her chest."

            Miroku raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Have you asked her about it?"

            Kagome shook her head, "I don't have to, I know what its for. I'd say at some point, she was thinking she'd have to take on Seshoumaru on her own, so she found that shard and uses it to increase her power. Perhaps she thought that increase would be enough to make the difference." Kagome grimaced, "Apparently though, it wasn't enough. Remember how she was when we found her?"

            Miroku nodded, "Yes, I remember well. I also remember the miracle you performed in saving her."

            Kagome looked bewildered, "I did nothing there, that was all her…do you think we're doing the right thing in trusting her? I know she's hiding things, but I don't know what."

            Miroku patted her affectionately on the shoulder, "I'd say we're doing the right thing in supporting her. I sense that she isn't doing this to Sesshoumaru out of true malice in the sense that she derives pleasure from what she does. She does this because she feels her life depends on it. She's lived this long to avenge her family. Vengeance is a powerful motivator, but it comes with a price." He gazed at the long inky black hair swaying in the breeze behind the Enchantress, "I'm just curious what her price will be."

            Shippou twirled his top playfully, "Aw, don't worry Kagome, I'm sure whatever happens will be fine. Besides, without Sesshoumaru breathing down our necks anymore, we'll be able to collect shards without a problem."

            Kagome thought on the young kitsune's words, but for some odd reason, she couldn't bring herself to accept his interpretation.

            They traveled until dawn, making fairly good time through the undergrowth, before Chiara stopped suddenly, and began looking around uncertainly. Without a word, Inu-Yasha drew his Tetsusaiga and advanced past her. Miroku stiffened beside Kagome and moved to join them.

            She watched them move so swiftly and inquired at Miroku, "What's going on Miroku?"

            Without looking back, the monk waved his staff in large defensive arcs, "Something's coming. It reeks of demonic corruption."

            As the three warriors fanned out, surveying the area, Kagome drew her bow from her pack, and began fitting arrows. Though a marksmen she was not, she could still do damage with her arrows. The forest seemed strangely still though. Wherever it was coming from, she certainly couldn't tell. Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted from the forest, and Inu-Yasha was blow backward by a screeching black blur. Tetsusaiga clattered to the forest floor a few feet away from him, as he struggled to hold back the demon's outstretched claws. Saliva dripped from enlarged fangs, as it made strong swiping and gouging motions at the half youkai's chest. It looked almost like a heavily muscled and furless cat, though corrupted by demonic powers. It had intense strength, as it pressed down harder on Inu-Yasha and came ever closer to his heaving chest.

            Miroku charged at it, only to be kicked hard and smashed into a tree. The dazed monk struggled to regain his footing to no avail, as he braced himself on his staff. He reached for the beads covering his air rip, but hesitated. With Inu-Yasha under the demon, it would be too risky to use it.

            Kagome readied her arrows, but like Miroku, was helpless to use her weapon without risking injury to Inu-Yasha. It was Chiara's move to help that surprised her more than anything.

            Racing at the demon with inhuman speed, the Enchantress uttered a phrase in a language that Kagome couldn't begin to decipher. A shimmering pole of light appeared in her outstretched hands, and spinning it like a master, she charged in. Sensing her approach, the demon broke off of Inu-Yasha and pounced at her, taking a huge swipe with an outstretched paw. The Enchantress seemed to bend double, avoiding the paw swipe at her head, and shuffled under its counter slash. Spinning so as to use her own momentum, the seething energy of her staff smashed into it's body again and again, each time producing a colored shower of light. She flowed through her relentless assault like dancer, never pausing to give the creature time to recover. Her staff's attacks grew in frequency, and the demon was clearly beginning to feel it. Everyone watched with wide eyes as she parried one of the demon's attacks, and slapped it across the face, not once, but twice. Shrieking in pain and rage at her insult to its fighting prowess, it carelessly took an overhand swipe at her. Leaping back, as agile as a fox, she swung back, landing her staff hard against the base of it's spine. There was the sickening crunch of bone, and an agonized shriek as the creature smashed into the ground, unmoving and unaware. The Enchantress eyed it with arrogance before turning her back and uttering a single word in the language. Her staff disappeared in a flash of light, and she proceeded to pick up the Tetsusaiga, handing it to Inu-Yasha with something like respect.

            Instead of giving thanks, the half demon regarded her with suspicion, "You call yourself some wizard? Why didn't you just blast it with some of that magic of yours."

            She eyed him impassively, "Well, firstly for the uneducated here, I'm an Enchantress. En-chant-ress; I have the ability to manipulate objects around me by enhancing their natural powers, but I lack any form of offensive magic except for one kind, and I can't use it with you too close to the target."

            He sneered at her, "It takes more than cheap parlor tricks to hurt me you know."

            She sneered back, "No if that magic of mine can rob you of your heritage, fool."

            Inu-Yasha considered this, and was about to voice a reply, but thought better of it, and proceeded back to the front of the procession and kept going. Kagome shouldered her bow and gazed up at the knowing eyes of Miroku.

            The monk regarded the Enchantress, "You know, if she's that good, I wonder what she needs us for."

            Kagome nodded, "I was wondering the same." Around them, the forest grew silent as the night descended upon them. Kagome would lay in her sleeping roll thinking about just that. Why would someone so powerful have need of she and her companions? Plus, what did she mean that her only magical attack could rob Inu-Yasha of his heritage?