Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters.

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Chapter 5: business

Sesshomaru stepped lightly behind the miko. Her cloaked form moved ahead of him like a shadow under the dark shades of the ancient oaks.

Silently, they traveled together, heading north. His hopes rose for an instant. They were heading towards his father's lands.

Then he faltered in his hope. The simple emotion died in a wave of shame.

He did not wish for his father or his half breed brother to see him like this.

Even if his father did manage to kill this angel of death, his fate had now been sealed.

The witch had mentioned future owners. If his owner dies, then another will only take it's place, in one way or another. She had cursed him. The only way he had a chance, lay in getting the curse lifted and finding a way to remove the restraint around his throat. Maybe the witch would slip up soon and give him a clue.

He halted in his steps when the woman in front of him stopped.

She raised a hand and tapped the side of her hood. Her fluid, icy voice chided him. "If you want a clue, my prince, I will give you one. I have designed your servitude to last as long as you breathe. Every lock has a key. But sometimes a unique key exacts a heavy price."

The miko continued on her way as if she had never spoken. He glared at the figure in front of him and inwardly cursed his carelessness.

Once again he erected a mental wall, closing off his private thoughts.

The day wore on as their footsteps crunched the dead grass and broke the occasional twig.

Looking up at the sun's position, he surmised that they had been moving for at least a couple of hours.

Soon, they came upon another clearing. One that could have been a mirror image of the one before. And, as he suspected, a black metal type cage lay on one side of the treeless ring.

They parted the foliage and stepped into the clearing.

Only the side of the trap was visable from their direction.

But this cage measured only half the size of the one he had been imprisioned in.

Upon nearing the snare, he picked up the faint sound of sniffles. Then his sense of smell informed him of just who it was that had become another one of Pandora'a unfortunate victims.

The miko halted then raised a hand to him. "Stay."

The inu youkai stopped, irritation sparking in him. His arrogance did not play well with orders.

He watched as the same scene repeated itself.

The woman neared a decaying tree stump and set her little box of death on the flat ringed surface. She lifted the jeweled lid and let loose the blackish purple miasma.

It creeped slowly in the direction of the metal cage.

From out of the structure came the faint, weak voice of a child. "Hello.......Is anyone out there?.....Please..I...I want to go home...please someone help me..." A small paw reached out through the bars waving up and down in a frantic motion. "Please, someone, anyone...help me."

The deadly vapor misted closer to the bars.

When the small paw retreated back into the cage, the strong scent of fear hit him, making his hackles rise.

He heard the child once again, his tone, overtaken with terror. "What?.......no..get away from me...help! please! no... stay away!..Moma!.... Father! ..help!"

The grating sound of small nails scraping and screeching against smooth metal assaulted his ears.

The child was panicing.

Even though he observed in slight interest as the miasma entered through the bars, for some unknown reason, he could not fathom why, this offense bothered him.

When the scratching and clawing stopped, a strangled gagging took it's place.

Then.....silence.

A light thud signaled the return of the putrid fog.

The miko closed the lid and shook her head.

After concealing the wooden box within her cloak, the witch raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

The black structure vanished and there lay the body of the kit fox.

The woman addressed him with obvious annoyance. "It's still alive. Kill it then take it to the river and dump the little vermin. Return when you have finished the task."

Sesshomaru walked over to the youkai fox child and picked the boy up by the scruff of his neck.

As he lifted the kit in the air, the child's eyes fluttered open.

The young fox began to stuggle, apparently sensing danger.

Sesshomaru then clasped his other hand around the tender flesh of the child's throat.

Little paws dug into the skin of his hand as the fox child fought in a desperate attempt to break free of his grasp.

The dog demon tightened his grip on the kit's neck to keep him quiet.

Slowly he began to squeeze, cutting off the young one's airway.

Eyes, large with fright, watered, spilling droplets over his knuckles.

Betrayal and hopelessness stared back at him. But the light of emotion wavered as the child's body went limp.

Sesshomaru looked away.

The last beat of a young heart and the quiet snap of tiny bones resounded in his ears.

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Ras here, short chapter but had to be for effect. I hope you all don't want to throw rotten vegetables at me for killing off poor shippo but remember, sometimes things aren't always what they seem. Thanks to all who read and were entertained.

Reveiw responses:

taskinLUDE: Awe man! you found out my secret. my mind will not work in the R direction. Weird huh. I am a full grown adult and I have trouble making things turn out that way. I am so pathetic. anywho. The north star thing to me sounded good. I am a hopeless poet at heart. *he he* When Sessy said it his mind set was very down. He had just been badly defeated by the bad lady. So it was the start of his transformation into a different person. Sessys father is still alive. Lord is a title given to most nobility wether they are the prince or king. But really she was goading him most of the time. And about the panther. I will let people run with their imagination until I explain the cat in later chapters. Great questions! glad to answer them. ^_^

inuficcrzy: My gosh child, you ask the questions that will give my story away. ^_^ I want to answer them but I can't. You will just have to wait for future chapters. And I definitly have a mind to fininsh these stories. I love my characters too much to abandon them.

Shinoku: Thanks *munch* so much *munch* for *munch* the *chomp munch* oreos.

Hino Rei: Wow another one! *takes this oreo and twists it apart, eats the cream, then dumps the rest in milk.*

And I also want to thank the others who read and reviewed!^_^

DogDemon

BlueDemon

Tenshi no Yami

Johanna Gen

jeslyn-nighthawk

and Henti Jane