Chapter 24

Back at the inn Miroku, Sango and Shippo were still trying to fend off the group of angry villagers. There efforts however only fueled the mobs anger. Soma's father was especially enraged and it was his angry demands that surpassed everyone else's.

"I'm not going to tell you again." the man snarled at the three figures standing defensively on the porch "Either surrender the demon witch to us, or we'll torch the whole place!" Sango raised her hand in anger, ready to protest, but she stopped short when a clawed hand clasped her shoulder.

"Let them be. They have a right to be angry."

"Shura!" both the monk and exterminator gasped simultaneously when the demoness's silvery voice reached their ears. As she stepped free from the doorway an uneasy hush fell over the mob of villagers.

"What are you doing out here!" Miroku inquired anxiously

"Quick go back inside!" Sango added, "We can handle them!" to their surprise Shura only shook her head sadly.

"No. I won't run away." Miroku and Sango both tired to protest as Shura started down the stairs but a command sounding from the doorway held them back.

"Let her go," Inuyasha instructed as he stepped out from the shadows and onto the porch, "its what she wants."

"But…" Sango stammered "but she could be killed!" An unnerving silence from the half demon was enough to convey the message he couldn't bring himself to utter. All four companions could do nothing but watch from there position on the front porch as Shura calmly approached the gang. Almost instantly the crowds parted, leaving a clear path for Soma's father who did not hesitate in showing his most deep and bitter anger.

"Take this! You murderous demon!" the man bellowed as he charged forward with fists aimed at Shura's face. The blow was perfectly executed and done with such force that the demon was thrown to the ground. Shura didn't protest, only got to her feet without muttering a word. Again she was struck down, and again she stood, this time with more difficulty. All the while the air had erupted with the mobs battle cries as they formed a tight circle around the two opponents. Shura endured strike after strike from Soma's father, and for each blow the crowd let out wild cheers.

As the fight dragged on it became more and more savage. After receiving a strike to the ribs, Shura could no longer bring herself to stand. But that did not stop the assault. Again and again Tye landed kicks and stomps, some so rough that Shura skidded along the ground several feet. Only after Shura was at the brink of consciousness did Soma's father decide to finish what he started. Drawing his sword, Tye strode to where Shura was laying crumpled in a heap. He made it a point to kick dirt in her face before he finally addressed her.

"How does it feel demon? Is it as painful as our leader Yama's death? Or that of my daughter? I hope it is, because it's the last thing you'll ever feel before you burn in hell!"

Shura watched as Tye readied his sword for the final strike. Though her vision was beginning to darken she could see the glint of the blade as it hung suspended above her throat.

"Stop it!" a new voice rang out before Tye could strike. Inuyasha and company, who until then had been witnessing the drama with clenched fists all looked up in surprise. At that moment Mia was shoving her way through the crowd of villagers followed closely by the young Ukuri bounding at her heels. Kagome and Kirara were not far behind. As the innkeeper tried to reach her daughter she met unexpected resistance from the crowd. One gentleman seized her roughly by the hair while another bound her wrists behind her. True to her form Mia did not take this treatment lightly and it took a third person to finally restrain her.

"Quit struggling!" one of her captors finally commanded, "you're lucky we haven't killed you too for harboring that beast in our town!" All three men winced as Mia let loose a verbal assault that topped one of Inuyasha's tantrums. It was all she could do to vent her understandable frustration. In vein she tried to call on Inuyasha and his companions, but like her, they could do nothing…except hope for a miracle.

No one saw the two demons approaching. All eyes were focused instead on Soma's father as he once again readied his sword for the killing blow….

"Human! Stand away from my daughter!" the order was stern, almost threatening, and suddenly a new presence was noticed. One by one the villagers eyes fell on an elegant demon gentleman dressed in flowing white garments and bearing a remarkable resemblance to Shura. As he approached, the crowds parted instantly to let him pass putting him directly in Tye's path. Soma's father however wasn't unnerved by the new arrival, he was angry.

"Wretched beast! Demon's like you stole the life of my child! Why should I spare yours?"

"Watch how you speak to me mortal" Sesshomaru growled "If not for the efforts of my daughter your child would have departed from this world."

There was an uneasy pause as Tye pondered over the demon lord's statement.

"What madness do you speak?" came the baffled fathers response. Sesshomaru shook his head in annoyance.

"Pathetic humans. You really do know nothing. My daughter is a sorceress and a royal blooded demon. Do you really think such a thing as reviving souls a challenge for her?" As he spoke the demon lord stepped aside to reveal his dragon mount carrying Soma comfortably on his back. Murmurs of awe rippled through the anxious crowd of observers, but they couldn't compare to Tye's cry of joy. Sliding off the dragon's back Soma ran over to her father, who had dropped his sword and started to weep. Hoisting Soma from the ground, Tye's gaze fell once again on Sesshomaru who was still staring coldly at him.

"I myself witnessed the battle. You're child's last act of life was defending Shura's, and now, using the last bit of her strength, Shura has returned the favor."

On the porch Inuyasha was close to having a fit.

"But Shura was right here the whole time! She never cast a soul revival spe…" The half demon tried to blurt out. He was stopped short however when Miroku clamped a firm hand over his mouth.

"I see…I see…your plan" the monk crooned "brilliant Sesshomaru!" his tactic was indeed just that. A brilliantly forged lie that would raise Shura's status among the villagers and insure something like this never happened again.

Soma's father opened his mouth to reply to the demon lord's observation, but that was as far as he got. He could not express in words the guilt he felt at having shown so much anger and disrespect to the very demon that "saved" his child. All he could do was shift his gaze and stare blankly at the crumpled body laying at his feet. The rest of the villagers had similar reactions, stepping nervously away, smothering their lit torches and muttering remarks of apology.

The three men holding Mia released her immediately and gave her the space she demanded. Though desperate to reach her child, she was not foolish enough to ignore the demon lord's dangerous presence. With Ukuri safely at her side, Mia watched with bated breath as Sesshomaru continued to approach his daughter and the man who stood in his way.

"Now then," Sesshomaru was saying, "I suggest you step aside, unless you want your reunion to end in blood." it was all the further warning Tye needed. Clutching Soma tightly in his arms, the man gingerly picked up his sword from the ground and headed in the opposite direction. He was joined quickly by the other village members as the crowd rapidly dispersed.

When no more unwelcome eyes were upon him, Sesshomaru approached Shura who was still lying motionless on the ground. She was dazed, barely able to cling to consciousness, and the demon lord was quick to sense, in incredible pain. As he knelt by her side Shura recognized his scent and stirred lightly. Through her heavy gasps of pain Sesshomaru was able to discern his daughters barely audible speech.

"Why…why am I still alive…? Why?" the demon lord shook his head sadly. Shura was obviously in so much agony she wished to find relief in death. It was a fate he had almost considered for her. But not now. Not anymore.

"Because," came the demon lords soft reply "you are meant for better things. And I refuse to loose you now." Being as gentle as possible, Sesshomaru gripped his child's arm and with a bit of his renewed demon strength pulled her onto his back. It was the last thing Shura saw, for she fainted the instant her head touched the welcoming fur of her fathers boa. Sesshomaru on the other hand had no time for rest. He was to busy carrying Shura to the safety of the inn while simultaneously trying to maintain some form of dignity in front of his younger brother. His efforts almost worked. On the last step onto the porch Sesshomaru felt his weakened body start to give way. In the fast attempt to rebalance himself Sesshomaru accidentally reopened the wounds he had received from Naraku's thorns. Now in great pain, the demon lord was on the verge of collapse himself when suddenly he felt a gentle support on his right shoulder…then another on his left. Sesshomaru shifted his gaze to either side. To the right he met the unusually soft expression of Inuyasha, and to the left the tender gray stare of the innkeeper Mia. For the first and only time in his life, even though he was sandwiched between his two most hated enemies, his half demon brother and a human, Sesshomaru felt relief.