The black night sky was covered by dark storm clouds. A snowstorm had begun. A very fitting mood indeed. Ginkotsu stayed back and watched over the subdued Fuyuka as Bankotsu, Kyoukotsu and Renkotsu, with the added help of Sekka, stared down Gyouka, the head general of KooriKisaki's army of ice demons. He was not impressed by what stood before him. Bankotsu with his giant halberd was nothing more than a showoff. Renkotsu with his flames may prove to be a bit of a problem, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Kyoukotsu the giant looked intimidating, but Gyouka felt nothing from him. He was nothing more then a giant ape. Sekka on the other hand...

"Sekka," Gyouka called out, "What is the meaning of this treachery?"

"Having your boyfriend murdered by assassins that were hired by your alleged friend can have that affect on a person," she answered with a mock smile.

"Indeed. So what does this mean then?"

"I think you know the answer to that." She looked back to Bankotsu, Renkotsu and Kyoukotsu. "Well boys," she said, "I've been officially kicked off the opposing team. Will yours accept me?"

Bankotsu smiled. "Lets take Frosty the Snowman out." He raised Banryuu into the air and twirled it around for a few seconds. Then he threw it down into the ground, where it gathered up a huge amount of energy. The energy propelled him and the sword up into the air where a huge ball of electricity formed. "Let's see how you can cope with this," he smirked. "My Ryuuraisen attack..." The glowing ball of electricity gathered energy from the storm clouds and increased twofold in size. "You see," he continued, "I would have needed to spare some energy to call my own thunderstorm... But because of the storm clouds that are already here, this attack will be at full power." He sneered as the ball of electricity exploded, shooting thousands of electrical beams in random places around the village.

"Bankotsu!" Renkotsu yelled, "There's innocent people down here! What the hell are you thinking?" But just as the bolts of electricity were about to hit the ground, they all turned and faced towards Gyouka and shot towards him. He was engulfed in an electrical explosion that left nothing but a smoking crater.

"You were saying, Renkotsu?" Bankotsu smirked as he landed back on the ground.

"Okay," Renkotsu muttered, "I guess I owe you an apology-"

He was interrupted by the sound of mocking laugher. "Idiot," Gyouka snickered as he floated up from the smoking crater. "Do you really think a bunch of lightning can defeat me?" He held his hand out in front of him and opened it, sending a full force of ice energy at Bankotsu. But Renkotsu managed to blow some fire in its path, canceling it out. "Do you think that you will be able to win? Fools!"

Sekka rolled her eyes. "Anyways," she muttered as she dashed towards him. She clasped her hands together and leapt at her ex-general. She tried to bring her hands down on him, but he blocked her with his arms and pushed her back. She landed on her knees, but leapt back up again to deliver a second attack.

"Shouldn't we help her?" Bankotsu suggested.

"Already ahead of you," Renkotsu smiled as he took a sip of his flammable liquid. He sprayed a stream of fire at Gyouka, which hit him dead on. But it did no damage to him. "Shit." He dashed back to Ginkotsu, as that's where his cannon was resting. He lifted it up and checked it out. "Damn," he muttered, "There're only two shots left. Better make 'em count." He ran back to rejoin the fight. Bankotsu, Kyoukotsu and Sekka were all in there duking it out with Gyouka. Bankotsu slashed at Gyouka with Banryuu, but he kept managing to avoid the hit. Sekka blasted him with her ice magic, but he would always cancel it out with his own. Kyoukotsu threw punch after punch, but again he kept dodging.

"Dammit," Bankotsu muttered. "How can we beat this guy?" Then it hit him... the very attack that did him in; his ultimate attack. "It's the only way..." He held Banryuu over his head and began to spin it around. In the very center of its spinning, a small red orb began to form.

Gyouka chuckled. "What's this then? A last ditch effort to thwart me?"

Renkotsu took a step back. "Bankotsu, are you sure about this?" he stuttered.

"Very," Bankotsu said as the orb grew bigger and bigger. "But it needs more energy."

"Right," Renkotsu nodded and blasted his two shots into the orb. It immediately increased in size by two or three times.

"More!"

"That's all I have, Bankotsu!" Renkotsu cried. Then he turned to Sekka. She nodded and blasted the orb with her own ice magic. The orb was now easily twenty feet in diameter, hovering over Bankotsu's head. He looked directly at Gyouka and smiled.

"Fool!" Gyouka yelled. "You will not beat me!" He dashed forwards and powered up an ice magic spell and aimed it at his enemy. Bankotsu threw his arm forwards and sent the giant orb of demonic energy at Gyouka, and it engulfed him. It broke through the ground and continued going forwards for a while, even after it hit its target. It finally stopped a few meters behind where Gyouka was standing and disintegrated, taking Ice Army General Gyouka with it. When the blast had completely dissipated, Bankotsu fell over.

"Bankotsu!" Renkotsu exclaimed as he dashed to his fallen brother. "Bankotsu, are you okay?"

Bankotsu chuckled. "I really don't know my own strength. Renkotsu, scoop me up." Renkotsu helped him to his feet. They both looked around and saw only Kyoukotsu standing in the battlefield. "Where's Sekka?"

She was over by Ginkotsu. Fuyuka, still tied up by his steel wires, sat in front. He growled as Sekka approached. "You've been a bad boy, Fuyuka," she said. "I know your other little secret, too." She stood in front of him and knelt down so that their eyes were level. Then she thrust the index and middle fingers of her right hand into his throat, and ripped out two fragments of the Shikon Jewel. He coughed and fell over. She closed her hand over the jewel fragments, and then began to feel a little weird.

(You have a pure heart.)

"What?" she gasped. "Who said that?" The others seemed to be able to hear it too.

(My name is Midoriko. I am the creator of the Shikon Jewel. I sense that you in fact have a pure heart, not a wicked one. You were merely led astray. You have definitely proved to be strong and courageous. Now, do one final task for me...)

Sekka nodded. "I can't do it alone, though." She turned to Bankotsu and Renkotsu. "I need one of you to help me take these shards to Midoriko."

Bankotsu and Renkotsu exchanged glances. "Okay," Bankotsu said, "Here's what we will do. Renkotsu, you, Ginkotsu and Kyoukotsu take Suikotsu's body back to InuYasha's village for a proper burial. Look after Fuyuka too." Renkotsu nodded. "But find all the survivors you can first and help them."

"Of course, Bankotsu."

"Sekka and I," Bankotsu continued, "will take the shards back to Midoriko." Renkotsu nodded again, and then joined Ginkotsu. Sekka then joined Bankotsu. "So, how are we gonna bring her these shards anyways?"

Sekka smiled. "I have a friend who can help us." She put her thumb and index finger into her mouth and blew a shrill whistle. After a few seconds, the storm clouds above parted, and a great white Chinese dragon floated down. "Ain't he cute," she smiled as it landed beside them. "His name is Gentoumaru." She climbed aboard the dragon and helped Bankotsu up. The both gave Renkotsu and company one last look, then took off into the air to return the shards to Midoriko.

"Come on, guys," Renkotsu said to Kyoukotsu and Ginkotsu. "Let's go and see if there's any survivors."

"Right"

"Gishi." Ginkotsu retracted the steel wire and pulled Fuyuka up in top of him for transportation.

"Fuck," he whispered to himself as he was pulled across the cold ground, "taken prisoner by a large vehicle... could this get anymore humiliating..."

"Probably," Ginkotsu muttered as they went into the village.

-The Chase...-

Meanwhile, back at the winter wasteland that was once the home of the evil angels, InuYasha, Juuroumaru and Kagura were chasing Naraku through the mountains. He had a good twenty meters lead, but they were catching up with him fast. They too were being followed, however. A single Hyoukoumori fluttered behind them, out of sight. It knew what Naraku was planning. It knew, because she knew...