Disclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha characters. They are Rumiko Takahashi's.
ยจ"Inuyasha, that is Sesshomaru, is it not?" Myoga guessed, which Inuyasha confirmed with a nod.
"Do you have any idea how it happened, Myoga?" Inuyasha asked. "We found him yesterday running from some mangy spider demon bawling in fear. Kagome saved him from the river. He thinks he really is a child and thinks that father is still alive."
"Hmm," Myoga hummed as he thought. "Is this the place where it happened?"
Inuyasha nodded and answered, "As far as I can guess. He was standing over there among those trees, then jumped over to that glass."
"Hey, Inuyasha, look at this," Miroku called out to them. He stood in front of the mirror studying its clouded surface closely. Inuyasha leaned over the monk's shoulder and wrinkled his nose.
"What of it, Miroku?"
"Master Inuyasha, Miroku, be careful and do not touch that mirror what ever you do!" Myoga warned suddenly. He jumped up and began to tug on Inuyasha's hair to encourage him to back away.
"Why?" Miroku asked, though he, too, took the flea demon's advice. "I can see the image of Sesshomaru in its surface. You don't happen to be familiar with this mirror, do you? Did it somehow cause Sesshomaru to return to his childhood?"
"That I'm not sure of, but the mirror is indeed familiar to me," Myoga explained. Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango wandered over to where Kagome, Shippo and Kirara sat applying bandages to the wound on Sesshomaru's arm. "It is a cursed mirror from hell that was gifted long ago to a vain princess who rejected all her suitors. One such scorned suitor grew angry with her self-centeredness and gave her the glass as punishment. It does not reflect, but steals the very life of whoever attempts to touch its surface."
"How come he didn't die then?" Sango asked, though she kept her voice low hoping not to frighten Sesshomaru.
Her worries were vain, though, because the demon was already chasing Shippo in circles eagerly devouring another candy bar.
"Perhaps it was his Tenseiga that intervened," Kagome suggested. "I mean, it took a lot of him, but not his life. That sword could have been just trying to save his life."
"Kagome, those were my thoughts exactly," Myoga told her.
"Well, if that mirror thing is holding his life, we'll just have to bust it open and let it out," Inuyasha said. His hand brushed the Tetsusaiga's hilt impatiently.
"NO! Master Inuyasha, you can't do that," Myoga protested. "If the mirror is broken, he will remain as he is and have to grow up all over again."
"So what, he'd probably turn out a lot nicer this time around," Inuyasha grumbled.
Miroku crossed his arms and shook his head, "I don't think we can say that for sure, but you remember growing up without a father. It would be the same for him, since your father is indeed departed from this world. And all his memories, both good and bad, are all that remain of your father. If he is unable to regain his past, then nearly all memory of your father would be gone forever."
Inuyasha squirmed uncomfortably.
"Though you may not like him, he is still the lord of the Western Lands and does more than you know to protect his lands," Myoga reasoned. "It is his strength and power that keep many wars from breaching this country."
"And don't forget Rin. He protects her as well. And she seems to care a great deal for him," Kagome added.
They paused when they sensed a small figure waiting patiently to be acknowledged. As soon as he had Kagome's attention, Sesshomaru extended his fist, smeared in chocolate, and handed her a small portion of the candy. His face appeared to have taken on a slight greenish hue, and in a troubled voice he said, "I don't like it anymore."
He stood there staring at her for a minute, then suddenly threw up all down his front. Kagome jumped back just in time. The young amber eyes began to fill with tears once more, and he stammered, "I- I'm sorry, Kagome."
"Shhh, it's okay," she crooned, though she did not reach out and touch him that time. "Inuyasha will take you down to the stream to get cleaned up. Won't you, Inuyasha?"
"Feh! That's wench's work. Besides, I'm not the one who stuffed him too full of candy," Inuyasha argued stubbornly. He crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air.
"Oh, I should say 'it' right now!" she cried angrily at him. Her dark eyes flashed, and her hands moved to cover Sesshomaru's ears. "I thought you'd want to go," she added with a dark grin. "Unless you want me to be able to say I've seen Sesshomaru naked."
Inuyasha glanced at her quickly and his ears twitched from his agitation. He fumed for a moment as though trying to decide how to do what she suggested, but make it seem as though he were doing it for his own reasons. Finally, he gave up and marched angrily back in the direction of the river.
"C'mon, pup," he barked angrily. Sesshomaru bowed slightly then trotted after him.
"So, Myoga," Sango questioned once the brothers had gone. "How do you suppose we return him to normal?"
"The mirror draws it power from the tree it hangs upon, so I assume if we remove it from its source, it will be unable to contain Sesshomaru's essence," the old flea demon told them. "The question is how to get it off without touching it or breaking it?"
"I'm sure our half-demon friend would suggest we simply remove it, tree and all from the base of the mirror up," Miroku remarked dryly, though he did earn some half-hearted laughter.