Hello *Is talking from under massive pile of Pocky* Well, I'm sort of buried in Pocky right now, but I have a proposition. In this chapter, Sango remembers a quote. IF you can tell me what book it's from, and who the author is, then I'll give you the entire pile of pocky that remains uneaten. Hehe. Good luck.

**       

No wonder it was called the badlands! The ground was cracked and dry, and all the plants were charred, withered, and black.

            Sango regarded one, and poked it with her foot. It crumbled into dust.

            She turned back to regard Atma and the others. "Well?" She asked. The second they had crossed the border, the desert had disappeared… naturally.

            Sango was getting very fed up with all this magical scenery. "So, I suppose you just magic us to where Shippo is?" She asked.

            Atma smiled, and pointed of on the horizon. There was a little bump sticking out of the perfectly flat scenery. "I don't have to." She said.

            Sango looked at the dragon, her head turned slightly at an angle. "How do you do that?" She asked plaintively.

            "Very carefully." Atma said happily, and gazed up at the dark, cloudy sky. "We should be meeting him soon." She said, then turned to the rest of the group. "Listen." She said, her voice suddenly serious. "This guy is ruthless." She said. "But he's arrogant. He appears, we attack, instantly. He likes flashy magic and the sound of his own voice, so use that to our advantage. And don't give him time to concentrate." She briefed.

            All three nodded in unison.

            "Good!" Atma said, back to her cheery, happy self. "Well then, let's get ready!"

            All three nodded, Kitty unsheathing her claws, Miroku readying his staff, and Sango…

            Sango looked down at herself, then turned to Atma. "Umm…" She prompted.

            "You already have weapons." The dragon replied.

            Sango opened her mouth to object, then thought better of it. If Atma said she had weapons, then she had weapons. She shrugged, and drew the slim Katana that was suddenly at her side, and felt the comforting weight of a giant boomerang as it pressed against her back. Briefly, she looked over her shoulder, and saw with relief that it wasn't just any boomerang, but her good old Hiraikotsu.

            Grinning slightly for the first time all day, she turned around, and slowly waited as the little speak that was Shippo proceeded towards them.

~~
            Shippo was getting very tired of walking. In fact, he was getting very tired of doing anything… and hungry… and thirsty… and tired… and sleepy… my paws itch… my tail is sore… I want some ramen… what time is it… I just stepped on a cactus… again…

            Suddenly, his eyes caught something on the horizon. There were some little bumps sticking out of the flatness. His heart beat increased as his little youkai eyes attempted to make out what it was in the distance. Was that? It was! One of the figures had a giant boomerang! It was Sango!

            He pepped up instantly, troubled forgotten, and started a quick sprint sending him tearing across the landscape.

            Silently, a little shadow chased along the ground just behind him.

~~

            "Looks like he's spotted us." Miroku observed, as the little dot quickly got bigger and bigger.

            Atma nodded, "Yep, and Morkleb's just steps behind him. You might wanna get ready to get the little Kit out of here." She advised.

            "Miroku, Sango!" a little childlike voice rang out.

            The little Kitsune covered the last hundred yards like lightning, trekking over the ground in great leaps.

            Sango smiled at the little Kitsune's exuberance, but kept one eye out for the enemy.

            "Look." Miroku said, pointing beyond the little kitsune. There, racing along the ground, was a shadow. It wasn't just a dark figure, it was almost as if the person had left, but their shadow remained.

            Sango's eyes narrowed, and she nodded, putting her hand on the hiraikotsu's leather handle.

            Atma grinned, and held out a hand. "Hello, Morkleb." She said cheerfully, and suddenly the shadow seemed to run into some sort of invisible wall. It suddenly stopped, and seemed to squish out into a thin line, then pool together, becoming a simple puddle of darkness on the already dark ground.

            Shippo finished the last sprint, and threw himself into Sango's arms. "You're alright!" He announced happily, giving her a massive hug around the neck.

            "I'm glad to see you okay too, Shippo." She said, attempting to dislodge the happy kitsune, keep and eye on the dark puddle, and not suffocate at the same time.

            Then, Shippo noticed Atma. Their eyes met in shock for just two moments. Atma grinned and waved. Shippo screamed bloody murder, and dropped to his but, pointing.

            "What's she doing here?" He demanded, murder in his eyes.

            "I just saved you're butt, little kit." She said, her eyes returning to the dark puddle. "Now, I have work to do, stay out of my way, and you won't be hurt."

            The kitsune threw a mistrustful gaze at her, then looked back up at Sango, then noticed Kohaku and Kitty. "What about them?" HE asked.

            Sango nodded down at them. "They're friends." She said affirmatively.

            Shippo looked suspicious, but then nodded.

            "Now, If you would please get behind us before you die a horrible death, it would be appreciated." Atma said sarcastically.

            The kit paled, and dashed behind Sango, hiding behind her leg. He recognized the "Watch-out-there's-a-hulking-monster-behind-you" tone of voice, and didn't want to see what it was.

            "Well…" A deep oily voice echoed from the pits of the shadow. "Atma… it's been… a while." It said, and slowly, the shadow began to take form. Slowly, Morkleb rose out of the shadow, his head first. Long dark hair dripped off his scalp in long elegant locks. His face was finely chiseled and pale, and his eyes looked almost like Atma's, and aura of darkness radiated from them.

            Sango's eyes narrowed as lighting began to flash, and darkness spilled forth from the pool as he rose. He does like to show off!

            Sango, however, never really got to see the rest of him in the deep splendor, because at that point Atma decided to hurl an almost solid ball of force at his head.

            The ineffable thing stuck him head on, knocking the rest of the way out of the shadow, destroying the lighting bolts and the darkness. Morkleb fell backwards in a heap of undignified cape, black armor, and flesh.

            Instantly he rose to his feet, two pairs of sleek clack wings spurting from his back over a velvety black sable cape, clad in full body plate plate mail. His eyes curved down in anger. "How dare you?" He demanded.

            Sango sighed, and let fly. The unexpected hiraikotsu caught him squarely in the jaw, knocking back again.

            This time, he didn't even stand up. He flew up suddenly, and hovered in the air about five feet above the ground. "Enough!" He roared.

            Kohaku's sickle flew up, hooking expertly into the top of the breastplate, and ripping it off, revealing a fine knit tunic underneath.

            The dragon looked down at his missing breastplate in shock, then looked back up, annoyed.

            A sutra from Miroku struck him square in the face, and flawed into a burning white-hot flame.

            He yelled in surprise, and ripped the sutra off, only to be knocked to the ground as a massive bolt of lightning struck from Atma's fingers.

            He lay still, smocking slightly, not moving an inch.

            Sango relaxed slightly. "Was that it?" She asked, almost disappointed.

            Atma turned to her, and laughed sarcastically. "Nope." She said. "It's just sinking in that he's not gonna be able to show off for us. Now the real fight begins.

            "Well good!" Kitty announced. "I didn't even get a hit in, and after you got all me all worked up, too!" She pouted.

            Atma rolled her eyes, and pointed to the ground smoothly. Morkleb's body disappeared, and reappeared bursting from the earth towards the little neko girl. Atma's lightning bolt shot out, but Morkleb simply flashed his gaze at it, turning it upwards.

            The dragon continued his path of destruction, but Kitty was ready for him, countering his slashes with her own, both their claws bared as they began to slash ferociously at each other.

            Kitty dashed under one of his slashing claws, and came up right across his face with her own… or at least would have. Morkleb disappeared, then reappeared behind her, sweeping her off her feet with a sing kick, then disappeared, and reappeared at her side, brining on heel down on her back savagely, then disappeared again as Sango's Hiraikotsu flew over the cat girl's prone form. He reappeared just above the weapon, jumped off it, knocking it to the ground, and phased to right in front of the youkai hunter's face.

            Sango felt five pinpricks as five claws gazed her face, then Morkleb's hard palm came down into her nose with a sickening crack.

            Miroku swing his staff up, and swung it down on Morkleb's back. The dragon, however, disappeared again, casing the staff to continue in an arc into Sango's stomach. His eyes widened as he was suddenly unbalanced, and then again in panic as Morkleb grabbed him with both pair of wings, and screamed in pain as the razor claws pistoned in and out of his back at lightning speed, then, there was a sharp pain at the base of his neck, and his world went black.

            Morkleb let go of the monk, and let him slump to the ground, unconscious, then turned to Atma. His smile was arrogant, and deeply cunning. "Well, that was pathetic." He said, holding up his claws. He glanced slightly at Kohaku, and the young youkai slayer keeled over. "How about you? Have you gotten any better?"

            Atma smiled slightly. "Would you like to see?" She asked, smiling grimly.

            The blow caught him unguarded. HE flew back at least twenty feet, howling in pain the entire way. Atma's wings flared out, her eyes closed, and the rest of her body became relaxed, hovering maybe six inched above the ground. Her hair whipped upwards, and slowly the space around her began to distort. The ground and air curled around her, tearing free from normal reality, and wrapping her in an unearthly aura. Morkleb staggered to his feet, and growled slightly.

            "You're on my turf, Atma!" He growled. "You cannot win!" With that, he struck out, unseen blows raining down on Atma's aura, and simply bounding away like pebbles. The aura was spreading now, eating away at the fabric that defined real and fake.

            "Correction." She hissed. "You are now on my turf." She held up two claws, and the aura whipped out, like some and unearthly tentacle, and slashed at Morkleb. The ground that it touched oozed away, almost like a shell.

            Slowly, the scenery oozed away, putting them in absolute darkness, the only light was that which Atma gave off.

            Morkleb looked left, then right, then smiled. "Well, I now see why the call you the wyrm of darkness." He said. "You can go to the 'dark' at will."

            Atma nodded. "A wonderful little dimension all to my own." She said happily. "And now I've mastered going there." She smiled. "Tell me, can you fight me here, Morkleb?"

            Morkleb smiled, and shook his head. "No, but I can get out easy enough, as long as you're here."

            Atma perked her eyebrow and smiled. "Care to try?"

            Morkleb smiled, and shrugged. "There are many leaks to this place." He said. "That monk, for example. His 'wind tunnel' is a hole to this place, among others. There are many ways to get out." He said. "I'll just take the easiest one."

            With that, he threw his hands out, and pushed.

~~

            "Hey!" A little childlike voice pushed at Sango. "Wake up!"

            Sango awoke with a start, a piercing pain in her face. She looked over, and Shippo was looking up at her with concern in her face.

            "Where's everyone else?" She asked.

            Shippo gestured to the ground around them. The various fighters were all laying still and unconscious. Quickly she stood up, ignoring the pain in his head, and checked them each. Morkleb had not held back at all… Kitty had a broken spine, and wouldn't be coming out anytime soon, and Kohaku was barely breathing. She leaned over his face, feeling his cheek.

            No! This couldn't happen! Not after she had just got him back! He had to live. She would get Atma to help him!

            But… Where was Atma?

            There was a slight groan from he left, and Miroku slowly staggered to his feet. Almost instantly, he was awake, and looking about. "Where is Morkleb?" He asked, ever keeping his eyes on the target.

            Sango shrugged, hefting the hiraikotsu.

            Shippo looked up, and pointed. "You think their under that?" He asked.

            They followed his finger, and gaped.

            The ground maybe twenty yards away was swelling upwards… but not in a natural way. It looked like it did when Atma distorted reality.

            Then, the ground exploded upwards, Morkleb exploding out, and landing savagely on the ground.

            Atma blasted out just seconds later, flaring with an indefinable aura surrounding her. Morkleb dodged back and forth, the heavy tingling of magic making Sango's short hair stand on end.

            Miroku's eyes narrowed, and suddenly he keeled over, wincing.

            Sango looked over, and with a sudden chill saw that the monk had horrible gashes running all the way down his back, and his neck was at an odd angle.

            Miroku slowly rose to his feet, and grinned. "I've got a plan!" He said. "Give me you're Katana!"

            Sango looked at him for a moment, and nodded. The Katana exchanged hands, and he smiled at her, a bit of blood dribbling at his lips.

            Through the blows, Atma managed to look down at Miroku, and an imperceptible nod passed between them. Atma blasted down next to him, and her eyes flared open, the ground around her splintering as all her force went at Morkleb.

            Miroku glanced towards Sango, and smiled at him. "We must all try to be happy with the meager gifts we are given. Kohaku is yours, but you were mine." He said, a smile plastering across his face. "Thank you Sango."

            Sango's eyes widened in horror as the monk whirled around, reversed the blade, and slashed heavily across his right palm.