Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Inuyasha. All I own is the story in general and the elements of the story introduced from my imagination

Chapter 16

The Walk down the Mountain

When the Miasma cleared everyone saw that the castle and Naraku were gone. Kagome was the first to speak as she said, "Did we do it? Is Naraku gone?"

Miroku removed the cloth from his hand. He looked at his palm a second before he said, "Unfortunately the Wind Tunnel is still embedded in my right hand. That can only mean that Naraku is still alive."

Sango smiled as she said, "Don't worry Miroku. With out Kohaku, Kagura, or Kanna supporting him we will defeat him next time we see him." Miroku smiled as he walked over to Sango's side. Sango was confused about his intentions at first, but she quickly felt the unwelcome hand of the flirtatious monk touching her where he commonly liked to put it. In one swift motion she brought her right hand around and left a very deep crimson hand print on Miroku's cheek.

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo sighed at Miroku's persistence while Sesshomaru stood silent and Sakyuamon separated into Rika and Renamon. After searching the surrounding area for any signs of Naraku the group went back to where Jaken, Rin, Kirara and Kohaku were waiting. When the group came into view Rin and Jaken ran up to greet there lord while Kirara and Kohaku ran to Sango. The others watched with happy hearts as Sango and Kohaku were together again as brother and sister for the first time in a long while. With everyone back together the group began the journey back to Kaede's village. By night fall they had gotten half way down the mountain and decided to set up camp in a large clearing beside a stream.

Once the camp had been set up and everyone had eaten Sesshomaru got up and walked into the forest without a word. Renamon had jumped up into the limbs of a tree and was now sleeping peacefully. Shippo, Rin, and Jaken had fallen asleep against a nearby boulder and everybody else was sitting around the fire. They were telling Rika about what had happened on there way to rescue her when Inuyasha felt a tiny nip on the back of his neck and he slapped his hand against his neck. He brought his hand down for everyone to see, to no ones surprise, the flee demon Myoga was laying, flat as a pancake, on Inuyasha's palm. After a few minutes Myoga returned to normal and was introduced to Rika. After the introduction were out of the way Myoga said, "So tell me Inuyasha, how did you fare against Naraku?"

Inuyasha huffed and said, "We almost had him, but he got away again."

Myoga nodded and said, "and who were the ones to lay the final blow against Naraku."

Miroku said "It was Rika, Renamon, Kagome, and Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru transferred the power of Toukijin to the Tenseiga and Rika and Renamon donated there own energies to the blade. Then Sesshomaru released all the energy and it struck Naraku square in the chest. That didn't do any actual damage to him, but it seemed to make him extremely susceptible to Kagome's sacred arrow which hit him right after Sesshomaru's attack took its full effect."

Myoga sounded shocked as he said, "Master Inuyasha is this true?"

"Yep, every word. Why are you so surprised? Did you think Naraku was going to defeat us?" Inuyasha answered, getting a little angry at the end.

Myoga caught Inuyasha irritation and quickly said, "No, its nothing like that. You see I was visiting Totosai when he said he suddenly sensed something. He told me that when a swordsman unlocks a new ability with one of his swords he can sense it. When you first mastered the wind scar, and then the backlash wave Totosai knew you had done it right when it happened. The feeling he got while I was visiting earlier today was different though. He said it felt like a new ability had been awakened, not in the Tetsusaiga, but in the Tenseiga."

Myoga continued to say that when he asked Totosai about the ability he said, "Like the Tetsusaiga the Tenseiga has multiple levels of power. The Tetsusaiga can slay a hundred demons in one sweep, and by using the back lash wave you can kill more powerful enemies by combining the energy of their own attacks with the power of the wind scar and blasting them with it. The same is true of the Tenseiga. To save lives with the Tenseiga you must show compassion and kindness to humans, but to use the Tenseiga's ultimate power the one who wields it must be in love with someone. That love releases the true power of the Tenseiga, and that power is the Tenseiga can lower the defenses of even the mightiest of demons to the point where they could be slain by a mere human child. That is why the Tenseiga is the sword of the heavens. It can save 100 humans in one slash, and then make the demons attacking them so weak the humans can slay them and win the battle."

"Oh I get it. The Tetsusaiga can slay a hundred weak demons with the wind scar, and slay much more powerful demons with the backlash wave. It only makes sense that when Totosai forged the Tenseiga he would also put in that second level of power." Kagome said, now getting a grasp on the concept.

Myoga nodded and said, "That is a good summation."

"Then why did he have to pull power from the Toukijin to make it work?" Sango asked while throwing a small log into the fire.

Myoga answered, "That is because the blade can not contain the necessary energy to do the attack natural, just like the Tetsusaiga can not release enough energy at once to launch the backlash wave when ever Master Inuyasha wants it to. It is just a safety Totosai put into the swords to make it so the Tetsusaiga's ultimate power could only be released when battling a powerful demon and the Tenseiga's ultimate power could not be released on any demon at any time."

Everyone nodded there head, excepting the well planned out explanation the Myoga had given them, but Rika then piped up and asked, "So, the only way Sesshomaru could have released the Tenseiga's ultimate power is he is in love, but then who is he in love with?"

Everyone looked began to fall deep into thought. After a few moments Sango said, "You know I think it could be Renamon."

Miroku and Inuyasha nodded there heads in agreement, but Kagome said, "That is a good theory, but we need to ask Jaken a few questions to verify it." Kohaku, who had been listening to the conversation quietly while petting Kirara, was the one who got up and nudged the toad demon in the head.

Jaken's eyes opened slowly as he said, "What's going on?"

Before Jaken knew it Kohaku grabbed him by the back of his shirt and had carried him to the camp fire. He then gently dropped him in the center of the group and said, "We have a few questions for you Jaken."

Sango got a menacing look on her face as she said, "Yeah and you better tell us the truth."

Miroku then also got an evil look on his face as he placed his left hand on his prayer beads and said, "If you know what is good for you."

Jaken began to sweat a little before he said, "What is it you want to know?"

"We want to know if Sesshomaru has fallen in love with anyone while traveling with you, anyone before you three joined up with us."

Jaken sighed, now a bit more relaxed knowing they were going to ask him anything he should tell them. After a moment of think he said, "I can't say that he has, but then again you must remember that this is Sesshomaru were talking about. The only times I've seen him smile is when someone is fighting him and he isn't even trying. I have never seen him frown and before we joined up with you guys Sesshomaru barley talked. He only responded with a verbal answer or command when it was absolutely necessary."

"Wait, what do you mean 'before we joined up with you guys'," Inuyasha asked grabbing Jaken's head while he talked.

Jaken gulped a bit before he said, "Well since we joined up with you people I feel the Lord Sesshomaru has become a bit more talkative. I can't say if this is a permanent change or not, but it is a change Rin and I have both noticed."

Kagome nodded her head and said, "That helps, thank you Jaken."

Jaken nodded as he asked, "Can I go back to sleep now." Kagome and Inuyasha nodded together and Jaken walked off to return to his boulder and continue the dream that had been so rudely interrupted.

After the group could hear Jaken's light snoring again Sango asked, "So, we know it has to be someone he has met recently."

Kagome was quite for a second before she said in a very confident voice, "We know that the ultimate power of the Tenseiga couldn't have been unlocked unless Sesshomaru had fallen in love with someone. So, at the very least we can assume he has fallen in love with either Renamon, Sango, or myself."

Miroku nodded and said, "That does make sense. Falling in love with someone can change anyone, even someone like Sesshomaru. Now the question is; who has Sesshomaru fallen in love with?"

Inuyasha smiled as he said, "I am surprised you guys are even in doubt that it is Renamon. Think about it, Sesshomaru detests humans in general. He hates me because my mother was human and I'm half human. Now of Kagome, Sango, and Renamon how many are humans."

Miroku answered, "Two, Sango and Kagome."

Inuyasha nodded and continued, "So if we can rely on Sesshomaru's distaste for anything human we can eliminate those two from the running who is left."

Rika's eyes widened as she said, "The only one left is Renamon."

Inuyasha smiled in aw of his own brilliance while the others in the group thought about the situation and if there were any possibility to it. After a while Sango sighed and said, "You know what, I think Inuyasha is right for once. It all fits together."

Miroku said, "I too must agree. Your explanation is quite logical Inuyasha. That's so very unlike you."

Inuyasha tensed up as he said, "What is that supposed to mean you dirty monk?"

Miroku and Inuyasha quickly got into a shouting fight over what Miroku had been implying by his statement. The Kagome and Sango sighed at the boys bickering and went to go to sleep. Rika sat there a while. Trying to process the information she had just received, but after a while she decided that if Sesshomaru loved Renamon it was his business. It was also none of her business if Renamon loved him back. If Renamon choose to talk to her about it, she would be ready to listen. After giving herself this mental pep talk Rika yawned and rubbed her eyes as she too left the fire side to go to sleep, leaving Inuyasha and Miroku to fight into the night.

Unknown to the others Renamon had woken up when Myoga had arrived. After hearing what the others thought she began to see for herself that it wasn't that far fetched of idea. She tried to get to get back to sleep, but she couldn't. She was still awake well after Miroku and Inuyasha had stopped fighting and gone to sleep. Finally she couldn't stand it any more and leapt out of the tree down to the grassy clearing. She then leapt off into the forest, heading in the direction Sesshomaru had left in, going to find Sesshomaru and talk to him herself.