Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Inuyasha or Sesshomaru, but Kohana/Eriko and Toshiro belong to me.

(Hey! I think I may have confused some people with the whole Inuyasha coming back thing… so, just in case it wasn't clear enough, Inuyasha is not back. That whole chapter was a dream. ; Sorry if I confused any of y'all. Like I've said before, my writing tends to change with my mood. And please remember, if I say Eriko, it means Kohana!)

New Beginnings

Chapter 8 – Evil Returns

one kind gesture can make all the difference…

Kohana nodded tersely and held out her hand. "My weapon please?" Sesshomaru shook his head regally.

"No, it stays with me. You will have to replace it." Kohana's scowl deepened as the arrogant demon lord strained her temper. She took a deep breath and nodded again. Then she gave a short bow of gratitude for her life being spared and spun on her heel to stalk out the door. The moment Kohana left Sesshomaru's range of hearing she let out a string of swear words.

"Arrogant bastard… he can go to hell… erk!" Kohana dropped into an instinctive defensive stance as someone slipped into her line of vision. Then she relaxed as she realized it was that girl… that miko. Eying the girl wearily, Kohana asked "Weren't you supposed to wait in your room?" Kagome grinned sheepishly and ran a hand through her hair nervously.

"Heh… well, I knew that Sesshomaru would send you away, and we were never properly introduced." She stuck out a hand. "I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you!" Kagome smiled as Kohana shook hands with a slightly dazed look on her face. Abruptly, the gentle smile on Kagome's face turned serious. "Listen. If you ever need help, you know where to come. I don't care what Sesshomaru said, you are welcome here if you need it." Kohana looked astounded for a moment, before slapping a cold look back on her face.

"I must go." And she brushed by Kagome and continued out the door. Kagome watched her go sadly. Then she walked back into her room and slid the door shut.


Far away, in the heart of the southern lands, Kohana knelt before her master, Toshiro. He raised a fine black eyebrow at her. "You have failed me, Eriko. You know the penalty for failure." The female demon flinched slightly.

"Yes, my lord." She stood as two guards came to flank her on either side. Then they led her out of the room.

Toshiro sighed and raised a dainty hand to rub his temple. "There goes my best. It is unlike her to fail me. Oh well, I must get used to using a different assassin now. Still…" he looked puzzled. "This should have been an easy assignment. Sesshomaru should have been greatly wounded from my attack, yet Eriko failed to kill him." Toshiro whistled and a small black eagle flew to him. The southern lord whispered to the bird, "Scout out the Western lands, tell me everything you see." The bird screeched and took off out a window at the far end of the hall. Toshiro chuckled darkly.

Deep in the castle, Kohana tried not to scream with pain. 'Who knew that the penalty for failure would be so painful… I was expecting a quick death.' However, a quick death was not what was happening. After leaving the main hall, Kohana was taken to the dungeons and the moment she crossed the threshold, a giant, hulking wolf demon pounced on her. Judging by its bloodthirstiness and the fact that its ribs were clearly showing, the demon hadn't been fed in a long time. This demon seemed to want to play with her though, instead of merely eating her and being done with it. "Miserable creature…" Kohana muttered. "I have got to get out of here…" Unbidden, the offer made by Kagome replayed itself in her mind.

Making her decision, Kohana struggled to her feet, clutching her left arm to her with a bloody hand, and glared up at the drooling wolf. "Prepare yourself for the shock of your life… literally." Kohana's blue eyes fogged over until they resembled the moon during its full cycle. High above, near the ceiling, a cluster of angry clouds formed. Forks of lightning dashed out and scorched the demon before shooting upward and blasting a hole in the ceiling. Then a small group of clouds joined together and Kohana limped over to it.

Kohana took a shaky breath and commanded the clouds to take her to Kagome in the Western Lands, before everything went dark and her pain floated away.


Kagome was sitting in her room, scowling at the balcony doors. She moved her leg in irritation, producing a clinking sound. Earlier, Sesshomaru had blown up at her. 'I don't know if he was more angry or more worried…'

SEVERAL HOURS AGO

Sesshomaru slid open Kagome's door with an eerily calm expression. Kagome grinned nervously and unintentionally took a step backwards. Sesshomaru's eyes glinted and he took a deep breath. "Just what in the HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING???" His calm evaporated as his eyes took on a disturbing red tint. He walked towards Kagome, radiating fury. "DID YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT SHE COULD HAVE DONE TO YOU??" At the panicky edge to Kagome's scent, some of Sesshomaru's rage had faded. "You are not to communicate with that assassin again." Inwardly, he was faint with relief that Kagome was unharmed, yet angry that she would take such a risk. But, like he'd ever let her know that. "And just to be sure," he continued when Kagome opened her mouth to argue. "I will be taking the necessary precautions."

Sesshomaru produced a long thin chain that looked like it could barely hold Shippo, let alone Kagome. Sensing Kagome's doubt, Sesshomaru gave a hard yank on the chain, which glowed a golden color and didn't even crack. He advanced upon Kagome, until she was pressed against the balcony doors. "Now wait just a min…" Kagome broke off when Sesshomaru had gotten so close that their noses were almost touching. She gulped and found her gaze captured by his.

Sesshomaru set a hand on Kagome's cheek. "Do not do anything so foolhardy again… I will be forced to do something you will find unpleasant." And then he pressed his mouth to hers and gave her a gentle kiss that was somehow deep and consuming. Kagome's knees weakened and she had to grab hold of Sesshomaru's kimono to keep standing. A moment later, Sesshomaru had pulled back, and Kagome was left breathless and… chained to the bedpost.

Kagome's eyes lit with an angry fire. "Why you overbearing bastard!! Get these chains off me!!" However, Sesshomaru paid no attention to her demands, and merely walked out of the room.

BACK TO THE NOW

Standing on the balcony, Kagome pressed a hand to her mouth and smiled. 'He is a good kisser though…' Suddenly, she gasped as she saw a dark shape on a cluster of clouds heading her way. As it got closer, Kagome saw that it was Kohana, and she appeared to be unconscious. The cloud flew closer and gently set the injured demon at Kagome's feet. Her eyes teared up as she saw the condition of the assassin. It looked like someone tried to take multiple bites out of her, and there wasn't a visible spot that wasn't bruised and bloody. Kneeling down, Kagome put a trembling finger on the side of Kohana's neck, and to her eternal relief, she was still alive. Kagome wasn't sure if she should risk asking Sesshomaru for help. "The jerk would probably leave her to die…"

"I'm a jerk, am I?" Sesshomaru's voice coming from behind her caused Kagome to jump in shock. She whipped around and stared, wide-eyed, at the demon.

"Sess-Sesshomaru!! What a surprise! I was just sitting here and Kohana arrived!" Kagome grinned nervously. She stood and stepped so she was standing between Kohana and Sesshomaru. Her grin disappeared. "Don't hurt her, Sesshomaru. She needs our help!" Kagome looked determinedly into Sesshomaru's emotionless eyes, her own gaze hopeful.

"Very well. You may attend to her." Kagome grinned and flung herself at him, giving him an impulsive hug.

"Thank you… you have no idea how much this means to me!" Sesshomaru hesitantly placed his arm around her shoulders briefly, before clearing his throat pointedly and backing away gently. Kagome flushed and avoided making eye contact.

"Consider this thanks for saving my life." Without another word, he walked out of the room. The moment he closed the door, the chains on Kagome's arm glowed brightly before disappearing. Kagome grinned before turning back to her newfound, injured friend. Kohana was in a bad way.

"Let's see… what would be the best way to fix you up…" Kagome was afraid that cleaning and bandaging Kohana's wounds would not be enough. She glanced nervously at the injured elemental. "I hope this works… I would never forgive myself if I hurt you." Kagome took a deep breath and settled into a meditating position with her hands held out over Kohana. Then she closed her eyes and a look of intense concentration came over her face. A faint blue glow surrounded Kagome's hands and began to flow into the injured Kohana. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen Kohana's ghastly wounds slowly closing and the skin mending itself without leaving so much as a scar.

A few moments later, Kagome's eyes snapped open and she slumped forward, bracing herself with her hands on the floor. She was breathing heavily, struggling to take in enough air. Kagome spared a glance to make sure Kohana was all right, and then fell backwards and lay motionless on the floor.

Kohana's eyes flickered open and she blinked rapidly. 'Where am I?? The last thing I remember is…' She suddenly caught the scent of Kagome, and something about it felt… wrong. She sat up, surprisingly without pain, and before she could marvel at her lack of wounds, Kohana noticed Kagome's still body on the ground. Gasping, the demon bent over the girl and checked her vitals. 'Thank the gods…' Kagome was still alive, but only just. She would probably be out for days; apparently she had used up all her energy healing Kohana. Suddenly the shoji door burst into splinters and a scarlet-eyed Sesshomaru flew in and grabbed Kohana by the neck. He slammed her against the wall and growled into her face.

"What did you do to her." Sesshomaru seemed on the verge of loosing control completely. Kohana choked and pried loose Sesshomaru's hand.

"I didn't do anything…" she took a deep breath. "I think that Kagome overextended her powers by healing my wounds with her miko magic." Kohana looked into Sesshomaru's calmer gaze. "I swear that I did not harm her, Sesshomaru-sama."

Sesshomaru let Kohana drop to the floor. "If she dies, you will wish you were never born." Then with a gentleness that contrasted his previous words, he picked up Kagome. The unconscious miko's head flopped limply onto Sesshomaru's chest. He took a moment to inhale her scent, making absolutely sure that she was in no danger of dying, before striding out of the room. As he passed through the ruined doors, a light golden screen appeared in the doorway, both on the bedroom door and the balcony doors. Kohana scowled.

'That bastard… now I'm trapped in here…' Kohana sighed deeply and plopped down on Kagome's bed. 'I hope she'll be okay…' were her last thoughts before she drifted off into oblivion.

In another part of the castle, one that Kagome had never been in, Sesshomaru opened the door to a room, which appeared to be his. He set her gently on his bed before stepping back and taking a good look at her unconscious features. 'What have you done to me… Kagome…'


Okay okay... so sorry about the long wait… I have been going edit crazy lately! Nothing seemed to work anymore, so I edited it. And if you didn't notice, go back and reread chapter 7. I changed it BIG time. Thanks for being so patient! Other updates will be coming out soon! School's out! So I will be able to devote more time to writing!

Toshiro: The Lord of the Southern Lands. He is a panther demon and is fiercely intelligent. His hair is dark black, silky and shiny. He keeps it cropped short and it is naturally messy (to his dismay… the neat freak). His eyes are turquoise blue and are quite startling to see. They seem to pierce through one's soul. Toshiro wears a black kimono and black hakama that has turquoise patterns that bring out his eyes even more (think Sesshomaru's customary out fit and change the colors to black and turquoise) and a matching sash around his waist. His claws are very sharp, more so than an inu youkai. His other abilities are unknown and he keeps a pair of swords attached to his waist (think Samurai style).

Next time: Keep your eyes on Toshiro, he's going to be doing some MAJOR plotting. And just wait until he finds out that Kohana is still alive and is staying with his arch nemesis. Sesshomaru pulls information out of Kohana, who spills the beans on the enemy. You might get a taste of battle between our favorite dog demon and our new foe.

Chapter 9 – Knowing the enemy

myinu