Disclaimers: I own all the unknown characters in this fic. Which really isn't a lot.

Thank you to all who've left something behind in the reviews section and with many apologies for the painfully slow update. I'm glad that the Flashback series has now come to its conclusion and that the story can proceed in the normal timeline. [No doubt most of you feel this way too, eh? ] And yes, even more Sesshie butt-kicking action in this chapter. And as for when Kagome re-appears after a protracted absence? Heh, read on and find out…

Bern.

Chapter 17: Flashback - Within the Binds of Fate (Part 3)

Sesshoumaru's camp,

Earlier in the evening

"Jaken," came the measured voice of Sesshoumaru as he stood by his desk. "I want you to deliver an urgent message for me to the swordsmith Toutousai."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," came the reply and the retainer stepped up to receive the small scroll. Tucking it into the voluminous sleeve of his haori, Jaken bowed low and waited for further instructions.

"Make sure that Toutousai understands the message that he is to meet with me once the battle is over. If there are any delays, you are to make your way to the Western Fortress until my arrival. Is this clear?" Sesshoumaru said as he looked down at the toad youkai.

"This humble one will endeavour to accomplish his task, Sesshoumaru-sama," was the eloquent response and the little youkai made to leave.

However, before he made it out of the tent, Toki bustled up to follow him. Before Jaken could protest, Toki bowed towards her lord and shook her head at the retainer. Sesshoumaru gave them a curt nod dismissing them. After they had cleared the grounds, Jaken turned to glare at the female. Toki merely gave a snort and moved off faster. Squawking in annoyance, Jaken quickly picked up his pace.

"Why are you following, wench?" came the rude question before Jaken suddenly found himself eating dirt. Toki shook her hand to cool the sting from the slap she had given the retainer.

"Call me 'wench' one more time, Jaken, and I'll really make the next smack count!" came the fierce reply. "Sesshoumaru-sama is aware that I am an acquaintance of Master Toutousai and had served him for a short while during his more intensive sword-making days. If nothing else, I may be the one to ensure that Master Toutousai answers Sesshoumaru-sama's missive."

Jaken's eyes bugged slightly at Toki's revelation but held his tongue. If Sesshoumaru had deemed that the serving maid accompany him on his mission, then so be it. No one questioned the Western lord's orders unless they had a very good reason or felt tired of living. Either way, Toki was relatively pleasant company and she was skilled at cooking. Glancing at the youkai female once more, Jaken realised that this journey could perhaps be a little more pleasant.

After an hour's travelling, they were shocked to feel the earth tremble below their feet and a blinding light piercing the night sky. Having thrown themselves to the ground, the two youkai were shocked as they heard what sounded like a howling roar in the air above them. Looking up, they witnessed the incredible sight of a huge mass of swarming youkai heading straight towards the battlefield. As they passed overhead, Jaken recognised the female in the feather boat that appeared to be leading the charge. Luckily for them, the swarming youkai were intent on their destination and after what seemed like an eternity of crouching in the grass, the swarm passed by.

"Oh Jaken-san!" Toki whispered in fright. "You don't suppose something went wrong, do you?"

Pulling himself together, Jaken quickly silenced the trembling maid. "Do you believe that Sesshoumaru-sama could be so easily defeated? He possesses Tessaiga - the supreme blade of destruction. Those things will see death before they even manage to touch a hair on his lordship's head!"

Looking up at the proudly erect retainer, Toki could not help but to share the same belief that their lord would emerge triumphant. That strange light in the sky could have meant that the Magatsushi had been destroyed, and the youkai swarm were merely minions who had arrived too late to save their dark miko mistress. Toki smiled with hope and quickly followed Jaken as he continued northwards where Toutousai made his home.

Naraku's Palace

The dark-haired hanyou chortled with glee when he saw Kagura rescue his kugutsu from the tearing claws of Daikuma. He could barely see Sesshoumaru but the sheer panic on Kagura's face made the impending attack from the inu youkai lord all too obvious. Daikuma was forgotten as Naraku watched the final piece of his elaborate scheme fall into place. After all that plotting and scheming, the goal was within sight and he was now watching the fruits of his labour unfolding.

As Sesshoumaru made his way towards the Magatsushi and Kagura, a powerful blast managed to catch the inu youkai by surprise. Barely avoiding the brunt of it, Sesshoumaru was now effective out of the equation for the moment. But a moment was all Kagura needed to summon the last of her strength to speed her feather boat away from the new battle about to unfold beneath her.

Pausing a moment to quickly take in the sight of the other players in the delightful chess game he had created, Naraku noted the badly injured bear youkai attempting to stand. Baring his teeth in delight at the Northern lord's suffering, Naraku allowed himself a small chuckle of delight. Daikuma would live for a while longer. He, Naraku, had plans for the impetuous bear youkai and would relish the time when it came for him to implement it.

The mirror shifted focus once more to that of the Southern and Eastern lords in the remains of the clearing. Honouryuu was annihilating the invading youkai, but given his age and general lack of strength, was tiring. Akira, on the other hand, was dodging among the various stray youkai and those that had been corrupted by the Magatsushi by culling them with deadly accuracy. His troops had rallied around him and they were swiftly turning the tide in their favour.

Naraku watched them with detached interest for a short while. Like Daikuma, they too would receive their just desserts. Honouryuu's firepower was magnificent but like most dragons of his age and calibre, it could not be sustained for overly long periods of time. In the end, Honouryuu had to rely on his troops and his own skills to finish off the few remaining traitors and low-grade youkai. Naraku smirked slightly as he indulged in a brief fantasy of usurping the dragon's fire magic.

But all those players could wait their turn. There was only one piece on Naraku's chessboard that had to be dealt with, and by the looks of things he did not have long to wait. It was almost time for checkmate.

On the battlefield

The blood had deeply stained the white silk of his haori but it barely registered in his mind. At this moment, Sesshoumaru was standing on a small incline glaring murder at the latest enemy to get in his way. The branches overhead threw interesting shadows across the man's face but it did not deprive the taiyoukai from staring into the face of his nemesis. Held in the man's hand, a sword of unnatural power and evil glowed with a strange crackling energy that almost made the fine hairs on his neck and arms bristle. Sesshoumaru knew that this was one that he should not take lightly as evidenced by the fairly deep wound he suffered across his left shoulder. His thick tail had managed to absorb some of the blast but even then it had suffered some injury. And Sesshoumaru detested getting his tail bloodied for any reason whatsoever.

The man stepped out into the moonlight and the expression he had on was something between faint surprise and curiosity. He could be considered handsome in human terms with broad shoulders and long wavy hair that fell past his neck. He cocked his head to one side and regarded the taiyoukai with a small smile. Sesshoumaru could feel a growl at the back of his throat itching to come out but he held back. Not even a minute of meeting this man and he hated him on sight.

"It seems like a pleasant evening, does it not?" came the conversational tone. "Really, it's too nice a night to be wasted on such barbaric activity."

"I have nothing to say to you, human," came the cold response as Sesshoumaru took his battle position.

"My name is Musou," came the almost cheerful reply. "You must be Sesshoumaru, yes? I've been waiting to kill you."

If Sesshoumaru were to show any expression, he would have most likely face-faulted at the obvious statement. The human was either too cocky for his own good or he held something more that could warrant such a blatant remark. And judging from that strange sword he held, Sesshoumaru was not going to underestimate this new foe. No doubt, Naraku had deliberately planned to use this Musou as his trump card for the finale. As much as he hated to admit it, Sesshoumaru had to acknowledge Naraku's impeccable manipulation of the events that transpired, the bastard.

"I, Sesshoumaru, will not allow a lowly creature as yourself to defeat the Lord of the Western Lands," came the icy reply.

"Then we'll just have to see how it goes, right?" Musou answered before swinging his blade at the inu youkai.

A blast of raw energy streaked through the air, tearing up the ground beneath it and forcing Sesshoumaru to move out of the way. Using his superior speed, the taiyoukai approached from the side to level his Dokkasou when the man swung the blade upwards to intercept the poison-coated hand. Sesshoumaru felt the blade slice through his wrist but managed to pull back before it could be severed. Leaping back a few dozen metres, Sesshoumaru instinctively brought up his injured hand and lapped at the wound to soothe it.

Musou watched the youkai lord contemplate the situation and gave his enigmatic smile. Narrowing his eyes in anger, Sesshoumaru restrained his primal urge to transform and bite the foul human in two. The sword wound was causing his right hand to throb and that made him wonder if there had been poison in the blade. Willing his youki to speed up the healing to his hand, Sesshoumaru pondered the human before him. There was something about the man that was familiar but he could not pin it down. It was only when he lapped at his wound once more, that he realised the connection. This Musou was in some way related to that spider youkai he had fought a few months back!

"You are a spawn of Naraku," Sesshoumaru said as he eyed the man in a new light. The urge to rip the bastard was starting to tug harder at his instincts.

Musou frowned slightly and shook his head. "I know of no Naraku. All I know is I want to kill you. There's something about you that is seriously pissing me off," Musou paused a moment as though trying to recall a faint memory that eluded him. Returning his gaze back to the glowering taiyoukai, he shrugged his shoulders lightly as though it was unimportant. "Even though I don't remember why, I'll just go ahead. I really don't like you at all."

After saying this, the man moved forward and raised his sword to attack. Sesshoumaru swiftly drew out Tessaiga to block the blow causing crackles of energy to run up and down the locked blades. The untransformed blade managed to hold off the first blow but Sesshoumaru was unsure if it could withstand the next one. The reverberations along the blade strained his still weakened wrist and Sesshoumaru opted to change hands for the duration.

"Hmm, your sword looks rather worse for wear, Sesshoumaru," came Musou's voice. "I don't think it'll stand up to my Toukijin. You should really take care of your belongings."

Sesshoumaru felt his growl leak out. The man's eyes widened a little at the sound before flashing his irritating smile once more. Gripping Tessaiga in his left hand, Sesshoumaru struggled to impose the calm that was his trademark response to highly stressful situations. As he continued to hold Tessaiga, his thoughts began to wander towards the one who had asked him to believe in its power. A face that he had spent so many nights trying to forget now blazed across his mind and he felt the answering throb in the sword. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the legendary blade lengthen and the dulled edge regain its sharpness.

"Kagome…" came the soft whisper that held within it an unspoken thanks. Locking eyes with the now surprised man, Sesshoumaru suddenly charged for the killing blow.

Musou barely managed to parry the blow and the clash of the two blades echoed through the night. For timeless minutes, the two combatants exchanged blows that would have otherwise eliminated armies but neither side appeared to give. Sparks crackled as the blades periodically locked and the raw energy surrounding the two fighters swirled and whipped at their clothing and hair. It soon became a desperate fight as Musou began to swing Toukijin with greater strength, forcing Sesshoumaru back.

Managing to drive the taiyoukai back, Musou threw a powerful energy blast that the youkai lord could not escape. It tore into Sesshoumaru and only Tessaiga managed to block off enough that prevented the taiyoukai from being mortally wounded. Gasping in pain and shock, Sesshoumaru barely managed to raise Tessaiga as Musou's overhead strike slammed into the blade. In that split second, it seemed that time had slowed to a heartbeat. Then before his shocked eyes, Tessaiga's blade cracked and gave way. Musou's Toukijin still continued its downward plunge when Sesshoumaru felt Tenseiga's hard pulse at his side.

By now, time had speeded up once more and Sesshoumaru felt Toukijin's blade pierce through his remaining armour and into his flesh. But the pain was barely felt as Tenseiga's pulse now raced throughout his body and burst through him. Sesshoumaru had no idea what was happening although what he did know was that there was no more pain. A comforting warmth surrounded his battered body and the youkai lord felt an overwhelming need to allow his eyes to close in rest.

Musou watched in surprise and annoyance as Sesshoumaru was enveloped in a strange blue light. He tried to release another blast of energy from Toukijin but before he could, the blue light had shot off into the heartlands of the Western territories. Frowning, Musou watched as it disappeared into the distance before turning to walk off into the forest. If Sesshoumaru were heading westwards, then he too would follow. Only this time, he would make sure that the Western lord would not get the same lucky break he had just now.

Higurashi shrine, Tokyo

Present day

Sesshoumaru woke up in agony when he heard a noise. He was lying on a cold dirt floor and strange scents assaulted his sensitive nose. He could smell the thick odour of his blood and some of his deeper wounds were still bleeding. The warmth that had been surrounding him was now gone and Sesshoumaru wondered if he had really ended up in hell. It certainly felt and looked like it. Trying to sit up, he could not suppress a low groan from escaping. It was at that moment that he sensed it. Someone was above him!

His instincts kicked in and despite the agonising pain, Sesshoumaru leapt up to the top of the deep shaft. A familiar, barely forgotten scent flooded his senses and he saw her trying to scramble away. Without thinking, Sesshoumaru chased after Kagome as she made for the opening, and his hand grabbed her shoulder. A piercing shriek filled the narrow space causing his ears to ring from the noise. Clamping the other hand over her mouth, he pulled the resisting bundle of flesh against him.

For a brief moment, Sesshoumaru breathed in her scent and savoured the feeling of holding her in his arms. But as she continued to struggle, it aggravated his more serious injuries. Deciding to end it, he brought his lips close to her ear and murmured within.

"And hello to you too, Kagome…"

Author's Notes: Yes! It's finally completed! ::dances about as Sess reluctantly waves a 'Victory' flag in the background:: After so long plotting and pondering and brooding, it's finally done!!! sniffles More action and more evil plotting involved too. Now, I can take a short break and post the Side Story I've been going on about since Chapter 11 or so. I need time to work out more details regarding the main story plot so please bear with me on this.

I know Musou is not really in character but that is because I'm still trying to figure him out. If he seems a little strange here, just take it as him being new to the scene and all. If you know of the canon sequence, Musou has a fixation on Kikyo and later Kagome. I'll be working that in later once I solve a few continuity problems and other characters' involvements. If you've noticed, I've only mentioned Sango and Miroku in the beginning of the Flashback sequence. I hope to involve them a little more in upcoming chapters.

The second part of the story is almost over. The third part should be the final one and I need time to sort out the ideas I have jotted down. After all, I don't want to spoil all my hard work with a tacky, cliché ending so I'll be taking some time out on the story after the second part. Don't worry, I have no intention of quitting especially now that the story is approaching its climax. But that's not to say I don't need a little C&C to guide and motivate me along.

Until the next chapter, ja mata ne!