Ranma extends his hand while eying the horrendous monster. Inuyasha studies the human hand, caught between all lines of sense and insanity.
Inu: Is he capable of destroying…all of us?
Ranma: Hurry up, it's coming!
Inuyasha recollects himself and hurls towards the creature.
Ranma: Thanks for sharing, punk!
Inu: It's a Sweeper!
He wields the swords, stabbing left and right, warding the creature off.
Ranma: What's a Sweeper?
Inu: They're you-kai with a bad appetite! You won't be able to handle this. Just take her to safety. I'll handle this. SHIT!
Three more Sweepers enter the fray, surrounding the party and cutting off any escape route.
Kagome: Oh no! Inuyasha!
Ranma: Hey, why won't you use that wind move you used last time?
Inu readies for the Wound of the Wind, but one of the Sweepers manages to knock off his concentration while acidic spit flies at all directions, managing to burn part of Inu's coat.
Ranma: Oh man, screw this! You better stick with him [addressing Kagome].
Ranma tosses Kagome to Inuyasha and begins to assault the four Sweepers with cat-like agility, bouncing off their heads and attacking with reckless abandon.
Inu: That boy is crazy! They're blobs you idiot! Your attacks just bounce off them!. Watch out for their tongues, too!
Inu claws his way though them as he holds Kagome next to his side.
Ranma dodges and dances around their acidic spit as Inu tries to handle them with his free hand, but finally gets caught by a tongue wrapping around them. Ranma leaps and finds all the free space to operate as the flying tongues come at all directions.
Inu: Kagome! Hold on!
He manages to pull out Tessaiga from the strangle hold, but it is knock away by another flying tongue.
Inu: SHIT!
The Sweeper that has captured Inu and Kagome begins to retract it tongue, ready for it's meal. Ranma catches the glittering of the falling Tessaiga from the corner of his eye and leaps towards it, grasping onto the handle and proceeds to chops away at the tongues.
Inu: HEY!
Ranma: How did you pull out that wind move again?
Inu: [struggling to break free] Like the hell you would ever know! Let go of that sword!
Before Inu can say anything else, Tessaiga glows in Ranma's hand and grows twice in size. The glowing chi spreads over Ranma's body as he begins to feel a sensation of confidence, to the point of being dreadfully arrogant. His eyes turn blood red as a slow frightening smirk forms, so chilling that even the Sweepers begin to show doubt. Ranma releases a devastating attack that destroy three of the Sweepers while the other runs away.
Once free from the gripping tongue, Inuyasha rushes towards Ranma and rips the sword away from him.
Inu: DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH MY SWORDS AGAIN!
The glow and the evil arrogance dissipates from Ranma's body and face as he takes a second to recollect himself.
Ranma: Well…
He eyes the sword as Inu follows his stare.
Inu: You touch my sword next time, I'll kill you.
Kagome: Inu, don't say such a thing! Ranma just saved us, but that look you had…
Ranma smiles at Kagome and pats her shoulder.
Ranma: I guess you're not the only one who can use that sword , huh? I might be able to rule the world with it, hehe.
The silence between both men thickens and fill in what's left of the night.
The next day, they continue they journey to a small lazy town as Ranma finally gets some new clothes instead of borrowing Inu's fire rat coat. Inu attempting to find some private time with Kagome, orders Ranma to do something else than "sweet talk all the damn time." Ranma happily agrees.
Ranma: Sure, sure, you'll just find a way to get her angry, anyway. I'll be walking around this dump.
Inu and Kagome leave towards the inn, as Ranma heads toward the pond.
Ranma: What was all that about?
He thinks about holding the sword, how it made him feel so powerful and confident. Well, he has always been confident, but the feeling made him want more, more power, more strength, more rage…
Ranma: Oh man, next thing you know, I'll be like Happosai.
Ranma reaches the little pond and looks down at his reflection. The gentle wind scatter and the images of Akane and the Tendo Residence come back into his memory. It gives him the very little peace in a world of complete of chaos.
"Beautiful is it?"
Ranma turns around and faces the man cloaked with a brown cape from head to toe, with his face buried in the shadow.
Ranma: You want something?
Stranger: I guess you're not the type to make conversation.
Ranma: I was taught not to talk to strangers, especially guys dressed like mummies.
Stranger: Hahahaha…you are also funny…Well then, if you don't like idle chit-chat, then I won't meddle with that either. Besides, I'm here to send a message to you, anyway.
Ranma: To me?
Ranma backs away from the stranger and readies a fighting position.
Stranger: My, my, quite a feisty one, too. I'm not here to fight you, just delivering a message.
Ranma: Who are you?
Stranger: Like I said, since you don't like idle chit-chat, so I won't stay and take up your time. Listen up because I'll only say this one. Your Akane is safe and fine.
Ranma: The hell…
Stranger: Don't say anything… I don't have much time before your so-called friends come looking for you. She's in the next town nearly 75 miles from here. As for your little trip to Jusenkyo, it would be better to go alone for the cure is real, but Jusenkyo's mythical lakes have dried up. There's only a capsule of water, left, enough to grant the wishes of only one person. I'm sure you want to rid of your curse, but you're not the only one looking for it. That man dog and his woman are looking for it, too.
Ranma: How do you know all of this!? And what's this up to you?
Stranger: Inuyasha is evil, Ranma. The woman next to him may be a sorceress reincarnation, but she too is charmed by his evils.
Ranma: He may be stinky and have fleas, but he's not that—
Stranger: He'll kill Akane.
Ranma glares at the man, hoping to see the man's face and his expression.
Ranma: Is he serious? No, he's some…
Stranger: My time is getting short, Ranma. Just know that he is a half you-kai and I'm sure you know of their savage ways already. Inuyasha wishes to be a full you-kai, thrust, getting rid of his human side and allowing him to be completely evil and reckless. The human woman is only used for him to sail between both worlds once he is purified. Trust me, without his human qualities, he is nothing more than the you-kai you've face so far. I must go now. They are looking for you. You may doubt me, but I understand. As humans, we are limited by our emotions. But know this and know this now, he will kill your lover with the very sword you used to fight those evil you-kai last night and if he does become a full you-kai, he will rule your world and destroy your loved ones, too.
Inu: Hey idiot! Where are you?
Ranma turns and sees Inuyasha scouring the area. He turns back to talk to the stranger but he has disappeared.
Ranma: Weird…
Inuyasha spots Ranma and storms at him.
Inu: I swear, faggot. I said give us some private time, not run away out here. Nothing's safe. Maybe I should kill you if you want to die that badly.
Ranma shoots a cold stare at Inu and then his sword. Both men relive their doubts, fears and passionate rage all in the matter of seconds. The air thickens, as the gentle wind begins to pick up speed.
Inu: Why do you keep eyeing at my sword?
Ranma: I wonder how much good or evil you've done with that sword.
Inu: There is no good or evil for me, punk. I just got to stay alive no matter what.
Ranma: Me, too.
They glare at each other, not sure why the hatred is there, but it is just there. Kagome spots the both of them and calls out their name.
Kagome: Hey! According to some of the villagers, there's a town about 75 miles from here. And possibly, they might know something about Jusenkyo.
Both of their eyes widen.
Kagome: Is something wrong?
Inu: Nuthin' I was trying to tell Ranma here that wandering around outside by himself wasn't safe…right, Ranma?
Ranma: Yeah…
The next day, the party leaves for the next town. Inu holds Tessaiga by his side and clutches it a little tighter than normal. Ranma, loosens his knuckles while Kagome stands between both men and starts chatting away about flowers and her childhood days, but she feels something between both men, something that even makes her gloomy.
Kagome: Why is the sky so red today?