Sesshoumaru was actually incorrect in his previous assumption that Kanai was just blindly charging. In actuality she was in fact testing Sesshoumaru, Studying his every move as he dodged her attacks. But she really was trying to hit him as she did this. Finally the demon lord was becoming boored. He sent forth a barrage of offensives which cought the hanyou off guard. But she did a back flip, catching herself on one foot and thrusting forward with the other, thus parrying his attack. Her swing had missed, but that time she honestly didn't want it to. As Sesshoumaru dodged the attack, she watched ware his attention was most focused, her approaching fist. She now stood with her back to the demon lord, waiting for his next attack. Sesshoumaru came at her with speed and elegance, yet she still stood completely still. The demon lord was suspicious of this, but it was too late to break off his offensive. Finally within striking range, he sent forth a clean swipe in the direction of the hanyou's head. But at the last second, she ducked, rolled, and was behind him, letting forth a kick with her left foot. As Sesshoumaru dodged the kick, Kanai, with the opposite hand, swiped four slashes across his cheek.

"Enough!" He said, ending the sparing session. They had been going at it for about 20 minuets, but to them it seemed like hours had elapsed. Both were exhausted, though Sesshoumaru showed no sign of it.

"You were really gonna hit me that last time weren't you!" The hanyou shouted.

"If you hadn't dodged it, then yes" was all the demon lord said in reply.

Kanai backed against a tree as he approached. He placed his remaining palm beside her head and Leaned in very close. Quite surprised, she at first thought he was going to try and kiss her.

"I knew you would be able to dodge it" he said, then backed off.

She was actually a bit disappointed.

Although his voice was calm, Sesshoumaru's mind was racing. Were his hanyou brother had failed at nearly every attempt, this female had managed to land a clean swipe across his face, and he had four slashes across his left cheek to prove it.

"I'm impressed, I have fought my brother on several occasions, and even he has never managed to land a swing of that nature on ME." He said.

Then, out of the blue Kanai asked: "Sesshoumaru, what is the relationship between you and your brother Inuyasha?"

The demon lord was caught even more off guard by Kanai's question than he was by her slashing his face.

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he explained his blood ties.

My brother, InuYasha, is a hanyou like yourself. Born of my father, whom I hold in the highest respect, and a human noble woman. My father died protecting InuYasha and his mother, and for that I shun him, and have even tried to kill him.

"You tried to kill him simply because he is a hanyou and because you father died protecting him!?" She interrupted.

"If you would let me finish..." Even as he was explaining this, he couldn't reason to himself why he was doing so. It wasn't any of her business. But he continued none the less. The majority of our battles have been over the heirloom my father left to Inuyasha rather than myself. From his fangs my father commissioned the smith Totosai to forge two swords, the Tenseiga, and the Tetsuaiga. To my brother he left the Tetsuaiga, which can slay 100 demons in one stroke, and the Tenseiga, which is useless in battle, to myself. But our battles seem to come to an end of recent, because I had forged from the teeth of Goushinki, a demon that bit Tetsuaiga in half, the sword Toukijin, Which I currently wield.
Indeed, InuYasha nearly killed me on our most recent conflict, and as you already know, it was he who is responsible for my lack of an arm. I must admit that it was I who was the antagonist on both occasions.



Kanai was slightly amazed and very confused all at once. In the time she had known the demon lord, which granted was only a short time, she had never guessed him to be an individual to open up and reveal so much about himself or his family, though he never mentioned his own mother. And indeed he wasn't a person who would normally do so. The hanyou was tempted to ask, but she decided against it, not wanting to push her luck.

"Sesshoumaru, now I am even more confused," she stated "if you bare such distaste for your brother, than why does it seem that we are looking to help him?"

"I, like yourself am looking for Naraku, and my intuition tells me that my brother knows ware he his, and Kagura would have us believe that he has been captured by Naraku, which I now know to be untrue. In any case, finding my InuYasha likely means finding out what Naraku is plotting, it's as simple as that.

"Lord Sesshoumaru what has happened to your face?" Jaken shouted as Kanai and the demon lord approached.

"Wake Rin." Sesshoumaru told him, ignoring the imp's question.

"We are Departing."

coming to the realization that he wasn't going to get an answer, the peeved toadish went to wake Rin, only to see that she was already awake and sitting atop Ah and Un. This only added to Jaken's annoyance, but there was nothing he could do to muffle his frustrations except go off ahead on his own and brood.

"Sesshoumaru, where did you pick up that irritating Toadish?" Kanai asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself? I am sure he would love to tell you." Sesshoumaru replied.

The hanyou thought a moment, and decided that she was going to do just that. As obnoxious as he was, Kanai disliked seeing Jaken so riled, and for no apparent reason. She figured giving him the opportunity to speak was sure to cheer him up. He seemed to like doing that she thought.
The problem was that the toadish, who was normally never far from Sesshoumaru, was nowhere to be found. Kanai didn't put too much effort into searching for him. He seemed be disappearing like that a lot lately.

Jaken hadn't really gone far, the group had been following a river, and he was actually just ahead. The toadish decided to relieve some of his frustrations by roasting various small creatures that happened to be near.