"Ashrem, you're going to die."

Bringing his head up from where he was intently studying the glowing jewel, Ashrem cast a withering look at Shinosuke. The snow demon had arrived to lay claim to his portion of the Shikon no Tama, something Ashrem had not expected to happen so quickly. His mind was already reworking his plan, shifting it, and found that this unexpected visit could turn out to be quite helpful.

"And why is that?" he finally asked in a bored tone, turning the jewel in his palm again. He had a good idea of what Shinosuke was referring to, however.

Shinosuke jerked his head toward Rin, who was seated silently on the floor, looking away from them. "You'd better hope the first blow is the one that kills, because he's going to rip your spleen out for this. He likes that girl."

"I know, Shinosuke. That is why she is here," Ashrem replied with utmost calm. "It's difficult to pin down a weakness for him. She's as close to one as there is, apparently."

Shinosuke cast a skeptically appraising look at Rin, who bore more an appearance of a life-like statue than a living, breathing creature. "And you can really make her do whatever you want?"

"Absolutely," Ashrem said distractedly, reaching for a long chisel-like tool. He carelessly waved a few fingers in Rin's direction and Shinosuke watched as she promptly stood and moved to seat herself at the table across from him. "Would you like to see her do tricks?" Ashrem asked Shinosuke sarcastically. He then noticed that those blank, empty brown eyes were boring a hole through him. He mentally ordered her to turn that look on Shinosuke, which she immediately did, fixating on the demon with an unblinking, soulless stare.

"I was merely curious," the snow youkai said archly. "It makes me wonder if I should be a bit more wary of you, Ashrem."

Ashrem laughed convincingly, making it sound as though Shinosuke had made a great joke. "Do not be ridiculous, my friend. My powers do not work on demons," he lied. He hammered down on the jewel with the chisel, succeeding only in creating a scar on the wooden table when the tool ricocheted off the glowing sphere.

Shinosuke watched Ashrem struggle for several minutes as he attempted to break the jewel, each try meeting with dismal failure. Sighing his exasperation, the demon pulled the chisel from Ashrem's grasp.

"Move your hand or lose some fingers," he advised, an order Ashrem was quick to comply with. Without further comment, the snow demon's arm arced downward, connecting with the jewel and igniting a protest in the form of a flash of light that forced them both to look away.

Blinking away the spots that hovered over his vision, Ashrem looked back at the table to find the jewel unevenly split into several jagged pieces. Instantly, Shinosuke reached in to seize his share, an act Ashrem made no attempt to stop.

"You know …," Ashrem said haltingly, as though the idea was just freshly forming within his head, "I will not need these shards once Sesshoumaru is dead." He let the suggestion of that statement linger in the air, something that was not missed by the youkai who stopped his forward motion toward the door and turned to glance speculatively at Ashrem.

"And what will you do with them?" he questioned with interest.

Ashrem shrugged. "I do not know. I suppose they should go somewhere for safe-keeping, that is, unless I knew of a friend who was interested in attaining them."

"Out with it, Ashrem," Shinosuke said, recognizing this tone of voice as the placating one the human man always used when he was about to plea for a favor.

Turning to smile widely at Shinosuke, Ashrem said quickly, "They are yours if you will help me again. All of them. As I said, I will have no use for them once he is gone. My only desire is to return to my home, repair it, and live out the rest of a life that was denied me. However, as long as Sesshoumaru lives and breathes, I will need these shards in order to continue my existence. He will not rest until one of us is dead and, clearly, I would prefer it to be him. It is a matter of self-preservation."

"What is it that you want?"

"Another youkai army. A stronger one. I know that you have the connections to make that happen."

Shinosuke shook his head, his long white-blue hair swinging with the astonished movement. "It was one thing to gather those brainless youkai to attack that human village, Ashrem. It will be far more difficult to assemble an army of demons who would actually be capable of standing up to him, never mind finding youkai who have enough guts to do it."

Ashrem nodded sagely, folding his arms into his sleeves as though in great thought. "That is why they will be compensated," he said. He reached one sun-browned hand across the table and collected several more of the jewel shards, then stood and walked to the demon. He deposited the shards into Shinosuke's hand. "If they die in battle, their shards will go their families."

Eyes narrowed in thought, Shinosuke finally nodded. "I'll see to it, though I've got to say you have an inordinate amount of faith in me to believe that I will not betray you. It would be a simple matter for me to take these shards for myself and leave you with nothing."

"If Sesshoumaru does not die, he will come for you and those shards. He is fully aware of what they are now. It will be in your best interest to aid me."

Shinosuke understood the truth in that statement. The Western Lord would be in no mood for apologies or explanations if he was to survive Ashrem's plot. This thought turned his attention back to Rin, who was still sitting in the chair with a look of frozen death on her features. "And you? What will you do while I am seeing to this army?"

Ashrem smiled enigmatically. "I will allow the girl to kill him for me or, at the very least, retrieve Tenseiga from him so that our army can finish the job."

"You place much faith in his feelings for that girl."

"He likes her, as you said."

"I doubt he likes her enough to throw away his life. If anything you'll probably piss him off even more." Shinosuke gave another dramatic sigh. "Ah, well. If nothing else, we'll have these shards to help exterminate him when he comes looking for them."

Once Shinosuke took his leave, Ashrem moved back across the dark, dank room of the small wooden house. He plucked another half dozen of the Shikon no Tama's pieces from the table and then approached Rin. He dropped to his knees next to her, the silence around him nearly deafening. As he stared up at her face, he admired the features that, even though expressionless from lack of thought and emotion, still gave her a beauty that maintained the remaining vestiges of childish cuteness.

"I can see why he liked you. You were probably a very sweet little girl, weren't you?" he said, more to himself than to her. Still, it was completely foreign to him, trying to understand how someone as inherently good as Rin had managed to charm the devil. There was no denying that she had, however, and he was counting on the dog's feelings to aid his cause.

"You waste love on a being like him," he told her, surprised when his presence finally elicited a response from her. She turned to look at him and in the back of his mind, he could tell that somewhere within her heart lurked a menagerie of feelings that he did not want to explore. It was much easier to keep her like this, an emotionless puppet for his disposal. Still, it was impossible to be linked to someone else's mind and existence and be completely immune to the feelings of fear and misery, emotions that were emanating from the girl now. If Ashrem did not know himself better, he might have thought that he was perhaps experiencing a twinge of guilt.

"I am doing you a favor. You will come to realize that with time," he stated, grasping lightly onto her right arm where his mark was still so blazingly present. "You have no concept of the problems his kind causes. They have only the semblance of souls, no real regard for life. They know only death and destruction. It is time those things were dealt to them in turn."

Studiously avoiding her piercing corpse-like stare, Ashrem turned her wrist to expose the underneath of her forearm. Quickly and methodically, he pierced the skin with the first shard, drawing blood immediately as he inserted it underneath the flesh, following it up with yet another. Rin remained wordless as he worked, and when the last shard was tucked securely underneath the skin, he cleansed her arm of the streaks of blood and wrapped the wounds. When all was finished, he finally sat back and regarded her once more.

"I wonder what he will do," he pondered aloud. "I don't think that even you would be able to predict him in such a situation."

********************************************************************************************************************

The hanyou was nothing short of slow. Agonizingly, shamefully, nearly unbelievably slow. Turtle-like, was what Sesshoumaru would have credited him with. Inuyasha had always made it clear in battle that swift movement was something that had been subtracted from him by the presence of his human blood. But as they continued trailing the Shikon no Tama's path, Sesshoumaru could only assume that this particularly slow progression had something to do with the lingering effects of that purifying blow. Not even a hanyou could be this naturally deficient of speed.

Perhaps saving Inuyasha's worthless hide had been a poor decision. It would have served the hanyou right to be frozen for eternity with a look of dumbstruck stupidity on his face. But, no, letting him die that way would not have been acceptable. For one thing, it would have meant Sesshoumaru would have been forced to stare at his brother's ugly face every time he glanced out a window. It would likely have made the woman Kagome completely useless. She would have dissolved into a pile of hysterics that would have hindered the search for Rin even more than allowing the mutt to trail along behind him.

But, most importantly of all, it would have been inconceivable to allow Ashrem to end the hanyou's life. That would have been a slap in the face to the deceased Inutaisho, something that Ashrem would have viewed as a victory. A demon never lets an enemy take something from him … even if it was an aggravating, brainless younger brother who immensely overestimated his own worth and abilities. If Sesshoumaru would not allow himself to choke the life out of Inuyasha, he certainly wasn't going to let someone else have that privilege.

He glanced behind him as Inuyasha sped along with the miko perched on his back, looking very much like some strange parasite. "Is that truly the best you can do?" he asked.

Inuyasha's gold eyes slitted. "Quit flapping your mouth and watch where you're going. You might trip," he added evilly, sounding as though he was praying to whatever god that would listen for just such a thing to occur.

Sesshoumaru had not really needed to ask the question. He could hear the hanyou panting pathetically for air behind him. This was as much speed as he was going to get out of Inuyasha for the moment. It was not due to lack of effort, but to inability, exhaustion, or injury. More likely a combination of all three. Useless brat.

Sesshoumaru's thoughts turned to that which he was seeking and he tuned into his senses once more, trying to scent out Ashrem or the path Rin had taken to him. He had several vague ideas of what Ashrem might have in store for her, a hostage, a second try as a weapon, there was no telling where she might fit into the man's plot. Ashrem had had two centuries to plan for this, so Sesshoumaru would choose not to underestimate him.

"Stop!"

Immediately the order from Kagome brought him to a halt. He stopped and whirled to face her in one fluid motion. "What is it?"

"It stopped here," Kagome murmured absently, as though trying to think of something as she looked around at their forested surroundings. She motioned for Inuyasha to let her down, which he bent to do. She slid off his back and wandered about for a couple of steps, turning her head in several directions before settling her gaze on a hill not far ahead of them.

"The jewel stopped here."

"I'm not getting her scent," Inuyasha said with a frown, turning to look around him, but all that came into view was a grassy field that sloped upward and a ring of thick, dark trees that stood stoically around them like stiff, leafed soldiers.

"You are certain?" Sesshoumaru asked Kagome suspiciously and was immediately annoyed when, instead of answering, she walked away from him. He watched her ascend the hill, apparently unhindered by the blanket of darkness that was surely hampering her sight. He moved to follow, Inuyasha at his heels. At the top, the scene changed very little…save for a dilapidated wooden structure that was half-hidden behind a wall of overgrowth in the near distance.

He left Kagome to her silent inspection and headed toward the house. Rin's scent was not lingering in the air, which would have been the case if she had been here within the last day or so. It had been less than a full day since she had disappeared. If she had been here, he would have known it. And yet, a lurking suspicion and an innate distrust of Ashrem and his abilities led him to open the creaking wooden door that barely clung to its frame.

Instantly, his nose was assaulted with the scent of her … she had been here. And it was not just her natural scent that he was picking up, but the smell of her blood. This house reeked of it, as well as the presence of that accursed creature. And another … one that seemed vaguely familiar, but he could not immediately place it.

"Maybe she was injured when the front of your house collapsed," Inuyasha suggested quietly as he entered the small hut. "That bastard can't have gone too far with her. As soon as Kagome picks up on the Shikon no---"

"Her scent, and his, do not exist outside this shelter."

Inuyasha frowned. "Well, they sure as hell couldn't have just evaporated. They had to have gone somewhere. That creepy witch doctor, or whatever he is, may know how to evade you, but I don't think he understands that Kagome can sense the presence of the jewel."

"Do not underestimate him. He is weak, but not stupid. Don't presume what he does and does not know."

Inuyasha frowned at Sesshoumaru as a question formed itself. "What exactly did you do to this guy to make him so vindictive?

"Nothing," Sesshoumaru replied.

"If you think that's believable, you're about as stable as he is."

Sesshoumaru's head swiveled back and forth as he inspected the small structure. "I have done nothing to harm him. That will soon change, however."

Both demons turned to look behind them as Kagome approached, her face wearing a deep, puzzled frown.

"Did you pick up on the trail, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

She shook her head uncertainly. "It disappeared. It's not here, but there's no feeling of which way it went. I don't sense anything at all."

Sesshoumaru listened to Kagome's explanation, thinking that it sounded very much like what he had experienced with his sense of smell. Their scents were here, but did not provide a clue as to the way they had gone, which led him to believe that Ashrem had allowed them enough of a trail to lead them to this place. "I will wait here," Sesshoumaru suddenly informed them.

"Wait here?" Inuyasha asked. "It's not like he's gonna accidentally wander back this way, you know."

"No, he won't, but he has his weapon and he will want his confrontation. I believe he led us here to stall until he is prepared for that meeting, whatever that may entail."

"And you're going to just go along with that?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "We'll play his game for now. His ultimate goal is my death and that cannot transpire unless I am present for him to attempt to kill me. I believe he wants a face-to-face confrontation. He has waited this long, he will want the chance to gloat."

"What about Rin?" Kagome asked quietly.

"I will get her back," Sesshoumaru replied, as though it was ridiculous for Kagome to have even inquired. "You are no longer necessary. You and the Inuyasha are free to go."

"Heh! There you go giving orders again. I've never listened to you before and I'm not about to set a precedent."

"Go home, hanyou," Sesshoumaru repeated, moving across the room to inspect a small, scarred wooden table.

"You're raving if you think for a minute I'm not getting a part in this battle. That bastard took a shot at me, he nearly killed Kagome, and he turned Rin into a zombie. You think I'm going to allow him to keep walking around? If that jerk manages to kill you, he's gonna be my problem."

"Is that loyalty I hear, mutt?" Sesshoumaru asked sarcastically, turning to look back at the defiant Inuyasha..

"Don't kid yourself. I fully sympathize with his desire to snuff you out."

 Sesshoumaru regarded Inuyasha silently for several moments before nodding slightly. "Then we'll wait here until he feels secure enough to challenge me."

***************************************************************************************************************

Though heartsick at the disappointment of not finding Rin whole and sound at the end of their journey, Kagome's weary body was grateful for the rest. If one could call it rest. Waiting for their enemy to fulfill his intentions created a quiet anxiety that left her gazing thoughtfully out into the pitch black forests. There was plenty to aid her sight on this night, as the moon was shining with a pale yellow glow and the roaring fire beside her was performing adequately in its own right. It had been a simple matter to acquire material for burning; Sesshoumaru had instantly set about demolishing the small wooden shack with a viciousness that Inuyasha had been eager to participate in. Now their tiny camp held a blazing bonfire, an endless pile of fuel for that fire, one tense, stoic demon, and a now utterly unconscious half-demon.

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha; his breathing was so loud it was almost to the point of snoring. He's exhausted, she thought tiredly. That attack Rin had used had really sucked the energy out of him. He had had such a hard time keeping up with Sesshoumaru, but he had not complained. She knew he had not wanted to appear weak to the brother that belittled him at every given opportunity. Kagome could understand how he felt. She stretched her sore, stiff muscles. She was bruised from head to toe and being hauled around on Inuyasha's back for most of the evening and well into the night had not been helpful.

She jumped in fright as a sizeable piece of lumber unexpectedly dropped down into the fire from behind her, igniting the flames into a frenzy as they worked to consume this new bit of fuel. Yeah, I'm on edge. "Don't do that," she hissed up at Sesshoumaru. "This place is creepy enough without you stalking up behind me like that."

He did not reply, instead choosing to walk around the fire to peer out into the darkness, as though attempting to discern the possibility of a threat. Inuyasha began snoring in earnest. Kagome sighed.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome said finally, glancing up at the marble-like figure that hovered nearby, "are you sure you know what to expect from Ashrem? He's obviously gotten stronger."

"As have I."

"Stronger than the Shikon no Tama?" she asked quietly, and was aware that that was a question to which they both knew the answer.

No reply. Predictable.

Finally he said, "You have nothing to worry about. Your part in this is finished."

Kagome frowned, not liking the idea, true though it was, that she, too, had been manipulated by the actions and suggestions of Ashrem. "I have plenty to worry about. You've said that he wants to destroy the demon population. Inuyasha will be a target if he is successful in this. He already has been a target, in fact."

Sesshoumaru turned his back to the forest and knelt beside the fire directly across from her. "Inuyasha was a target because he was present. I find it far more likely that Ashrem views him as more of a victim than a true enemy."

"A victim?" Kagome repeated.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered tonelessly as he watched the fire slowly blacken the wood and turn it to ash. He added another piece from the destroyed hut, recalling as he did, the harsh words Ashrem had spoken through Rin in defense of Inuyasha. "He probably views Inuyasha as a result of the relentless domination of demons over humans, a byproduct of my father's ego, selfishness, and carelessness."

"And you disagree with that?" Kagome asked.

"Not entirely."

"I had always assumed that Inutaisho-sama loved Inuyasha's mother," Kagome murmured. She was grateful that Inuyasha was still soundly asleep. This conversation would have set him off like a rocket.

"My father had unwise feelings for Izayoi, term them as love if you wish," Sesshoumaru said disdainfully. "It was careless of him to allow those to develop at all. My point is that Ashrem has no concept of such things. He was raised separately from other humans, with only the company of an old, obnoxious, curmudgeonly man. Ashrem has no feelings for others and, thus, cannot understand the motivations of individuals who act on such things. Those are the emotions he cannot control in others, which I believe was his undoing during Midoriko's final battle."

"It allowed her to fight back," Kagome said thoughtfully. How strange to be having such a discussion with Sesshoumaru. He was accusing Ashrem of having no concept of matters of love, friendship, or warm emotions. It was like the pot calling the kettle black.

"Precisely," Sesshoumaru responded curtly. "Though with less than ideal results. If he had had a better grip on Midoriko, it is quite likely that the Shikon no Tama would never have been created." He paused a moment before adding a warning. "I say again that you and my idiot brother would be better served by leaving this place."

"Say what you want about Inuyasha, but he's not a coward. He wants to help you, even if he's not exactly nice about it."

"I do not need his assistance. The both of you will only be a hindrance."

Kagome shrugged lightly. "It won't matter what I say, anyway. He's stubborn. He's not going to leave this to you."

Sesshoumaru looked up at her from across the flames. "The smartest thing Inuyasha could do would be to relinquish the Tetsusaiga and return to your time permanently. He will not need it there, as I have been told that there are no youkai in your era."

"Ah … well, that's mostly true," Kagome conceded. "In my time you'd probably be the Lord of the Western Business District or something like that …"

"'Business District'?" Sesshoumaru repeated distastefully, having no idea what this phrase meant and loathing the idea of having to ask her for an explanation. Fortunately, her natural talkativeness alleviated his curiosity.

Kagome nodded. "In my time, your lands are extremely … overtaken. Big shops and … places where people work … and mechanical … ah … horses?" she stated, not really certain how to relate modern Japan to a Feudal era demon lord.

"If my lands are being overrun by shopping humans, then I must surely be dead," Sesshoumaru said, sounding annoyed and getting the feeling that he had just been patronized.

"I don't know. You might have … adapted," Kagome suggested, though she sounded doubtful. The briefest image of a modern Sesshoumaru holding down a job, eating pizza and potato chips, and having to explain his ears as a birth defect suddenly came to mind.

"Unlikely," he replied.

"In any case, Inuyasha doesn't belong there," Kagome insisted. "Humans in my era aren't accustomed to seeing people with dog ears."

"He does not belong here, either."

"According to you," she retorted. "That is because you don't like him. He embarrasses you. What makes you think you're such an authority as to dictate who has the right to exist around you? And you wonder where Ashrem got the idea that exterminating all the demons might be a good thing?" Kagome asked irritatedly.

"I am an authority; that was granted to me at my birth," Sesshoumaru responded with cool arrogance. "I did not create the rules of our society, but I agree with them, and according to those same unwritten laws, Inuyasha should not have been born. I know precisely why Ashrem believes that the demon population should be destroyed. I have never said that his assumptions were wrong, just that I will not allow him to fulfill his wishes."

"Will you two shut the hell up?!" Inuyasha suddenly griped, startling Kagome, who glanced guiltily over at him. He turned his back to them, yawning loudly. "And, Sesshoumaru, if my name comes out of your mouth one more time, I'm going to break your face."

*****************************************************************************************************************************

Ashrem looked up from reading the note Shinosuke had sent to him, grateful that there was enough moonlight for him to make out the hurriedly scrawled characters. The snow demon had done as he had promised and, just as Ashrem had predicted, the prospect of obtaining shards of the Shikon no Tama had been more than enough to inspire a small, yet adequate uprising.

He would have something to fall back on, at least. But if the first stages of his plan went as he hoped, the assistance of the army would be quite unnecessary. He crumpled up the note and tossed it into the velvety, blue-hued grass, then turned to face Rin, who was standing beside him looking out at the view around them. In the distance, the vague, shadowy outline of a mountain could be seen, one that would be bathed in sunrise before too long. He would not wait for dawn to come.

"I have faith in you, Rin. Hopefully I have not been overly optimistic in judging the depth of his attachment to you." Ashrem reached out and affectionately patted the girl's head. "It is fully my intention to see that you come through this unharmed. I hope I can keep to that."

He adjusted some of the armor she was wearing and was suddenly eerily reminded of Midoriko. It had been a matter of necessity to accumulate clothes intended for battle, which was why Rin was now ensconced in heavier material and demon bone armor. He wanted Sesshoumaru to know he was serious. And it would be beneficial if the effect served to put him off-balance.

Unsheathing Midoriko's sword, he handed it to Rin, who reached out and clasped the hilt without comment. He had long since removed the bandages from her injured arm. The wounds inflicted by the shards' placement had healed up quickly and efficiently without so much as a scar. He absently reached his own hand into his shirt and felt for the remainder of the jewel.

Yes, this was going precisely to plan. "Shall we sound the alarm, my dear?" he asked of Rin with a gallant smile. Knowing that he could expect no response, Ashrem ignited the Shikon no Tama.

******************************************************************************************************************************

Kagome woke with a jerk. Through the stale, billowing smoke of the fire's dying embers, she met Sesshoumaru's eye. Inuyasha jumped lightly down from a tree.

"Kagome?"

"It's nearby. I can feel it," she said breathlessly, not even needing to use effort to pinpoint the direction. The Shikon no Tama was going off like a beacon.

Instantly, Inuyasha hauled her onto his back and they set off in the direction Kagome indicated, the hanyou's speed greatly improved after the hours of sleep. Kagome clung to his shoulders, the trees around them whirling by in a dizzying array of shadows. Sesshoumaru was just ahead of them, his long white hair billowing out behind him in a wind that was now carrying the very clear scent of the one he was searching for.

The landscape changed quickly from grassy plains to an incline that eventually plateaued into something rockier and visibly less pleasing. Grass gave way to hard earth, trees valiantly shot up through the ground, but were withered and scraggly-looking. It was as though something had cursed the living things in this place for, though it was not far from lush, natural beauty, this landscape was harsh and uninviting. And it was in this place that they finally located the ones they had come for.

Sesshoumaru slowed and drew to a stop when his sight located Rin. She was standing casually and at ease, attired in clothing that was very akin to what the demon slayer of Inuyasha's group was known to wear in battle. Her hair was pulled back, chest, abdomen, knees, and shoulders covered by armor. In her hand, she clutched the sheathed hilt of that wretched sword, and he was suddenly oddly caught in two different times, so strongly did she exude Midoriko's powers.

What unsettled him most, however, was that she looked entirely prepared for a fight.

"You cowardly bastard," Sesshoumaru said, eyeing Rin, who watched him with complete detachment. "Show yourself, Ashrem, or I will be glad to come up there and snap your neck!" he called out into the darkness, his eyes automatically sweeping up to a nearby rocky ledge.

His demand was met with cheerful laughter, the mirth of one who felt himself to be invincible. A dark figure came into view at the top of the ledge, a shadow to Kagome's sight, but as visible as though in broad daylight to that of the two demons.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Ashrem greeted , his voice echoing around them. "You have been quite indulgent of me. I do appreciate that, it has made things simpler."

"Come down here, Ashrem, and you will have your confrontation," Sesshoumaru said coldly.

"Oh, I think not. There is no need to risk myself. I have someone who is more than willing to fight for me."

The gloating note in Ashrem's voice set off Sesshoumaru's pent-up fury and he leapt up toward the cliff ledge, fingers glowing green as he summoned up his whip attack. Before he could slice into that smug face, however, movement out of the corner of his eye diverted his attention. He leapt back out of the way as a wave of energy from Midoriko's sword swept just past him and created an explosion of dirt and rock.

The ringing of laughter echoed once again as Sesshoumaru returned to the ground, watching intently as Rin attained a loose fighting stance, one he had never taught her to do. Sesshoumaru glanced over as Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga.

"Put that sword away before I gut you with it," Sesshoumaru snapped.

"I'm not going to attack her, baka, mind your own business," Inuyasha spat back.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome said quietly, coming up alongside him. He looked down at her as she whispered, "Rin is using Shikon shards."

"How many?"

"Six, I think," she said. "You're not going to fight her, are you?"

He did not respond as Ashrem called out then. "I suppose your shard detector has just informed you of the shards I've placed in Rin? Good, then she has verified what I was about to tell you."

"Human scum, you send a child to do your work again? Do you honestly believe she is a match for me? Shards … a magical blade … you think that is sufficient to secure my death? You have grievously miscalculated."

"The difference in power is neither here nor there. The matter is whether or not I have miscalculated you, Sesshoumaru-sama," Ashrem replied cryptically, sounding highly pleased. "The Shikon no Tama responds to me because I helped create it; inadvertently I'll grant, but Midoriko needed help during that last battle. She used me to aid her in a battle against demons that were too strong for her to defeat. I control her powers now, Sesshoumaru, and through me, Rin possesses them as well. Do you not understand the ramifications of that?"

A cold feeling gripped Sesshoumaru's insides as he understood what Ashrem was trying to tell him. The man had purposefully recreated Midoriko's final battle. The sword. The girl with the same magical abilities. And the demon that would prove to be too powerful to defeat.

He supposed that this was what helplessness was. As his brain worked furiously to think of something to disentangle the situation, the back of his mind wondered if this was also weakness. A decade ago he would have disemboweled anyone who would even have suggested that he would reach the point he had now come to. How had a human girl become of such significance as to force him to weigh his own death against hers? He was struck for a moment as he realized that this was the very decision his father had faced just before death had finally found him. Inutaisho had chosen to save Inuyasha … and Izayoi … at his own expense, an action that had brought about his end. It was a selflessness that Sesshoumaru had always been certain he had not inherited.

"If you provoke her enough, she will go off like a firecracker. Do you think Tenseiga will be able to save her where it failed Midoriko?"  Ashrem called.

Is this weakness? he wondered once more as he tuned out Ashrem's jeering voice and focused on Rin. He had felt so when it had been his father, the great taiyoukai of the West, who had made so preposterous a decision as to insert himself between death and two insignificant, finite beings. But his father had always felt that, because a demon's existence was long and secure, it was their responsibility to protect the humans that, in the misfortune of their births, had not inherited the gift of those long, uninterrupted years.

Even now Sesshoumaru scoffed at that idea. Ridiculous. To his mind that had sounded as though Inutaisho placed humans at their level of importance, which was laughable. Humans as a species could go to hell.

But not this one.   

"Under no circumstances are you to involve yourself in this battle, Inuyasha, do I make myself clear?" Sesshoumaru finally broke out of his reverie to order his brother.

"You're going to fight her?" Inuyasha asked incredulously, but Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome.

"Where are the shards located?"

"The underside of her right forearm," Kagome replied hesitantly.

With this answer, Sesshoumaru began walking steadily toward Rin, drawing Toukijin in a slow motion.

Whether under her own volition or the orders of Ashrem, she went out to meet him, using graceful movements that hinted at a battle prowess that she did not naturally possess. When he halted his forward motion, she did the same, holding the sword in a stance that very nearly mirrored his own. He studied her carefully, the lax expression, dead eyes.

"Can you not hear me?" he asked quietly.

Her response was to bring the sword up in a reflex that was of near-youkai speed. Sesshoumaru did the same, but only blocked the attack, watching her for signs of intended movements. The jewel had vastly increased her strength and speed, but it could not make up for inexperience in battle. The next blow from her was more of a surprise; it was accompanied by a nasty purifying shock that swept through him from fingertips to feet.

He stepped back from the assault, remembering Ashrem's words: "If you provoke her enough, she will go off like a firecracker."

Then it would be a matter of disarming her before she destroyed herself.

This time he went on the offensive, lashing out at her sword, attempting brute strength to knock it from her grasp. Even as he hacked at it, the sword remained firmly in her hand, as though welded to her palm. The shards … that is their doing, he thought as he gave one last, heavy swing. She retaliated with an energy attack that he barely evaded; and even so, it instigated great discomfort. Yes, the sword was gaining power. 

Cut off her hand. This thought was disturbing enough to make him draw back from her. Absently, his thoughts went to what remained of his own severed arm. Could he do that to her? he wondered momentarily, watching Rin's tense, wary form. His eyes strayed to her right wrist.

 To save her life? Yes, he could.

He gave her no warning this time, instead slicing Toukijin through the air to dissect the delicate bones and tissues that attached her hand to her wrist. Instantly, a very familiar purple barrier swept up around the arm and his sword rebounded with enough force to nearly cause him to lose his grip.

The hauntingly familiar scent and feeling of Midoriko's powers and that revolting purifying energy grew even more, and Sesshoumaru found himself succumbing to frustration. He paced several steps away from her, glaring at her, a vicious fury circulating through his veins.

This was going precisely as that bastard Ashrem had hoped. He was going to force Sesshoumaru's hand, as it was becoming increasingly obvious that this battle would have to end with the death of one of them. He could not disarm her and she was not his match. Suddenly, Sesshoumaru recalled that gut-wrenching sensation, the one that had come with being removed against his will from that other battle long ago when Midoriko had annihilated all of those demons. He had been pulled away by Tenseiga. He had survived and lived on for two more centuries, while she had been robbed of the years that had remained to her short life.

Sesshoumaru did not believe he had it in him to allow it to happen again. Especially not with this human girl.

I returned her life to her once. She is on borrowed time, something within him argued.

He quickly silenced this thought. He had gifted her with more time. He would not rescind upon that, nor would he allow for his enemy to take it from her. Kameko had said that he could not understand how precious time was to humans. She had been wrong. He was highly aware of that fact; it was that that had forced him to keep his distance from Rin, far more so than her humanity.

Time. Something that had become so meaningless to him that he barely registered the passage of decades, much less years. It held no impact, no expectation. It simply existed along with him, steering clear of him while it focused its efforts on forcing the life from the bodies of its human victims. It was a foe that could not be defeated and it would stalk Rin to the end of her life.

He moved to defend himself as she lunged at him again, sword clashing against sword, the energy impacting him and provoking enough pain to incite him to swing back.

"Wake up!" he bellowed at her over the sound of ringing metal. "Rin! Wake up!"

A powerful surge of energy swept up and around them before he could step away, and his heart gave an unfamiliar thump of fear as he wondered if he had just provoked her into annihilating herself. He was tossed backward as the attack struck at him, grounding him into the dirt with a crushing weight, that horrible burning returning to lick at his bones. Tenseiga gave a hard, protesting pulse against his leg as he blinked up at the starry sky above him.

He wouldn't let it pull him away again. If it wanted to retreat form this battle, then it could damn well do it without him. He moved to his knees and drew Tenseiga, hurtling it away with enough strength to send it into the darkness and out of view entirely.

From where they stood not far away, Kagome and Inuyasha watched Sesshoumaru get back to his feet, Kagome with palpable tension, Inuyasha with grim expectation. He, too, was coming to understand that there were only two possible outcomes for this battle, both of which would result in a death that would not be Ashrem's. Inuyasha had been certain of whose death it was going to be, until he had watched in open astonishment as his brother threw Tenseiga away.

"Why …?" Kagome began, but found she could not voice the rest of the question.

Inuyasha had the sudden idea that he had misjudged Sesshoumaru's feelings for Rin. Human or not, the girl had forced Sesshoumaru to make a decision that Inuyasha would never have credited him with had he not seen the act for himself.

"He's going to die," Inuyasha said, barely aware that he had voiced the thought aloud.

Sesshoumaru paced slowly around Rin, and the girl turned with him, moving limberly, as though a battle was a daily occurrence, routine. "You're not going to come back on your own, are you?" he questioned more to himself than to her. As predicted she did not respond and his eyes fell to the mark on her arm, the one that was branded into all of Ashrem's victims. He could feel the sword's powers growing, quickly, exponentially, and Sesshoumaru could sense what was coming.

"Has he tired of playing with you?" Sesshoumaru asked her in a subdued voice. "Then tell him I will wait for him in hell."

He brought up his sword in a half-hearted display of defense as she lunged at him, the purifying energy, building, escalating, until he nearly feared that they would both be destroyed by it. The eternally frozen image of a certain demon slayer came to mind as Rin leapt at him. Sesshoumaru dropped Toukijin.

The blade of Midoriko's sword, the sword his own father had had forged, slid through cloth, skin, and bone, just beneath his chest armor. Instant agony engulfed him as the sword did the job it was intended for and destroyed his demonic aura, but Sesshoumaru clung to his life with a surge of desperation. He clutched onto the girl and jerked her to him, fingers snaking around her arm to claw the shards out of her skin. He immediately released them, letting them fall to the hard, brown earth. With quickly slackening strength, he pulled roughly on her wrist, removing her grip from the sword. An all-encompassing weakness overtook him then and he collapsed to his knees, Rin falling with him.

His gaze fell to her face and he was gratified to see her expression returned to her, whether by the removal of the shards or the shock of her actions, he did not know, but he recognized the brown eyes as they blinked at him in sudden recognition, morphing in turn to confusion and then horror as she looked down at the hilt that protruded from his chest.

She inhaled a terrified gasp of air as her senses returned, vaguely aware of a stinging pain in her arm, devastatingly recognizing what had just occurred.

"Se-sesshoumaru …," she gasped, panic clouding her brain as to what action to take. All she could do for the longest, awful moment was watch as the infallible, indestructible Sesshoumaru appeared to wilt before her very eyes. The markings on his face faded to pale streaks, his hair became dull, limp, turning from shiny white to listless gray, and his eyes became a sickly yellow. Rin's hands clutched at his shoulders as she stared into his face, watching as life drained from him with a terrifying speed, struggling to use her weight to keep his limp body from pitching forward. It was like witnessing someone drowning, or like a fish that was plucked from water and left to expire in misery on the shore.

Tears nearly blinding her, she moved to reach for the sword in order to try to remove it, but a blurred red and white form materialized next to her and pushed her hand away. Wordlessly, Inuyasha grabbed Sesshoumaru's shoulder with one hand and mercifully extracted the blade with the other.

"What's happening to him?!" Rin exclaimed in a choked voice as Inuyasha tossed Midoriko's sword into the grass several feet away. Kagome hurried up to join them, dropping to her knees beside Rin.

"He's being purified," Inuyasha replied, kneeling to lower his brother's body to the ground. It was disconcerting, watching Sesshoumaru's death. A less powerful demon would have met a quick end; a taiyoukai was left to an excruciatingly slow demise, but one that would yield the same results. And, oddly, as much as Inuyasha had always professed how pleased he would be on the day Sesshoumaru expired, there was no joy in this moment. 

A cavernous echo was filling Sesshoumaru's ears, though he could hear Inuyasha's words, faint and far off. He found that his sight was diminished to the point of barely being able to make out the faces above him. It was his inborn obstinance that was making him force each pained breath into his lungs. The very thought of his death insulted him, despite the fact that it had been his decision.  

"You stubborn bastard," Inuyasha said quietly, though the insult held no sincerity. "Looks like I'm going to have to track down that damned sword of yours. I'll save your worthless ass and then we'll be even, eh?"

Tenseiga will not respond to you, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru thought with sudden certainty. It had taken the hanyou months to learn how to attack with the sword that had been meant for him. He did not have the ability to simply pick up Tenseiga and use it. That sword will probably like you less than I do, Sesshoumaru thought with grim amusement.

"Hanyou …" Sesshoumaru said, but the word came out as little more than a raspy whisper, and he found that he could not finish the sentence. He could physically feel his organs shutting down, breath became a struggle, and a growing blackness was beginning to block his vision.

"Go ahead and kick off, brother, there's no reason for you to hang around like this," Inuyasha said soberly, but he made an effort to keep his tone light. "Once Tenseiga hauls that evil soul of yours back here, we'll finish Ashrem."

Inuyasha's voiced faded along with his face. Sesshoumaru could hear the faint sounds of a girl sobbing, felt the slight pressure of fingers twining around his hand. Despite the earlier consideration of weakness, he remained certain he had made the right decision.

The growing darkness was replaced by a bright light, one that brought images and sounds long past whirling in front of his eyes; people and faces he had known, some for a short span of time, others for a life-time. He had a brief glimpse of his mother, beautiful and stern, and the long-forgotten sound of her voice whispered past his ears. His father, extended Kuzusu toward a childish version of him, allowing him to hold a sword for the first time. Then there was a jolt as a dark-haired girl turned around … Midoriko … laughing at him even as she accused him of being an obnoxious jerk for expressing some insult he could no longer recall. Jaken appeared then, bowing and calling his name as ingratiatingly as only the toad was capable. Then Inuyasha appeared as a small, ridiculously dog-eared child, hurtling out to greet him with a gleeful chirp of  "Aniki!". And, finally, a dark-haired little girl was walking beside him, attired in a familiar orange and yellow kimono, asking him an endless stream of questions that were punctuated by frequent "Sesshoumaru-sama"s, questions he had not bothered to answer, a response that had not daunted her in the least as she chattered on ….

The sound of an anguished adult Rin shattered these flashes of his life as she called out his name, a sound that reached his ears as though from at a great distance. This time he would have answered her, but not even the great Western Lord could defeat this foe. Exhaling his last breath, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and died.

************************************************************************************************************************8

Agggggghhhhhh! God, that was hard to write. I adore him … it's so hard to kill him. ;) Really, though, it's not like I'm going to leave him like that … jeez … that'd be a rather abrupt end to this story. Drama, drama. I hope the little flashback of his life wasn't too sappy … but, when people are about to die, I don't think their thoughts are going to go to the darker stuff. Even heartless demon lords. ;)

Oh, and for those of you who are completely confused, it had to be either him or Rin because Ashrem was granting her Midoriko's powers (which he controls completely now that he has the Shikon no Tama). Basically, Sesshoumaru was trying to keep her from becoming a statue, which would have happened if he had continued fighting her, just as it did with Midoriko. So Sesshy did the nice thing and "took the bullet" so to speak. 

Thanks, as always, to the fabulous Wethril for beta-ing!

Next chapter: Midoriko and Sesshoumaru have a chat. Ashrem gets the crap beat out of him. Yeah…that'll be fun to write.

To the reviewers:

Noir12: Thaaaank you! :D Well … he got Rin back. He had to do it the hard way, but I'll fix it in the next chapter. ;) I think he had pride issues in this chapter. Allowing himself to die over a human girl is a problem … but so is allowing his enemy to take her out. So, when it came down to it, Sesshoumaru discovered his priorities! By the way, anyone else reading this response … go check out Noir12's favorite stories section. Talk about good stories! Noir12, you have excellent taste in fanfiction. I had never heard of some of those stories and several of them are amazing…makes me want to go take a writing class or something. :P

Marnika: Then you're looking for the next chapter. :D Ashrem's due for the biggest ass-kicking I can type.

Melanie: Yeah, my beta reader is the best. Do you know that she typically gets back to me within just a few hours? So no one can ever blame her for how long it takes me to get some of these chapters out. LOL! It's all delay on my end. ;) And Midoriko will be appearing quite a bit in the next chapter! :D

SessRinFan: Awww, thank you!! I'm glad you're enjoying it. LOL! And me, too, about the girls … you know that has to be the biggest beating, living around those two guys while they're in such close quarters together. I liked Midoriko a lot, too. She shall return in Chapter 19. :D

Blaise: Like LOTR? Which section … that was inadvertent if it did sound like something from the movie. I haven't seen LOTR in a long time, so maybe it was subconscious. If you'll let me know which part, I'll change it. :D And thank you!

Ourania: Yeah, I moved quick on that last chapter, which is why it's a little bit shorter. I tried to squeeze as much into my vacation as I could, but, sadly, school has sucked me back in. ;) *watches as Ourania starts stalking up to Ashrem with a steak knife* Dammit, woman, I've waited 19 chapters to kill that bastard … you just wait your turn! LOL! Don't worry … his death isn't going to be pretty at all. Sesshoumaru's gonna be in a terrible mood. ;) I think getting killed does that. And I wondered why a tent suddenly sprung up in my front yard … looks like I'll just have to mow around you. ;)

Silvermuse89: Thank you, thank you! I tried to keep him in character in this chapter, too, which is why he's having that little internal debate about what the hell he thinks he's doing. LOL! Kill himself over a human? Whaaaaaaaaat? That's why I had a few lines where he was still sort of "pep-talking" himself, as in, "Yeah, my father may have had this same issue, but I still think humans are just fit for a maggot buffet." There just happens to be one exception. ;)

CurlsofSerenity: Thank you very much! :D

Sashlea: I am easily bothered by my writing. I'll often do a chapter, think it's fine, and then later on read it again and call it crap. ;) But then I fix things and I'm happy with them again. And that would be a cool idea, except that I've gotta let Sesshoumaru kill the guy. I just have to. ;)