Lord Sesshomaru, Older, and full demon-blooded brother to Inuyasha, stood over the fine craftsman as he worked the last details into the mannequin's arm.

"There, it's finished."

"Not quite," Sesshomaru took the blade from the artisan's hand and drove it into the arm, and ran a long gash all the way down the arm. Then, in a swift motion he brought it back up and struck at the mannequin, all that was left was the arm, a near perfect replica of the arm he had lost to Inuyasha. The wood used for the mannequin had three shards of the Shikon Jewel, all of which resided in the arm; it was why Sesshomaru had the craftsman work on this particular mannequin. Sesshomaru put the false arm to where his once was, and it instantly bonded. The wooden arm transformed as it became flesh, truly it was as if Sesshomaru had regenerated his missing arm, added to that, there were now three shards within Sesshomaru's body.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I've found where Ryukotsusei, whom your father failed to slay, was left, but it seems rumors indicate that Inuyasha defeated him in an attempt to better master the Tetsusaiga."

"And the fang which sealed him?"

"I searched far and hard, and finally on the fourth day I found it in the possession of a weaker demon, he put up a significant fight thru the use of Inutaisho's fang, but I obtained it."

The little Imp-priest looking demon reached into his robes and presented the Fang to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru turned to the artisan still in the room with them, "You, do you know of a skilled blacksmith, capable of making a blade to match the Tetsusaiga."

"There is only one man I know capable of doing what you require, he lives deep in the mountains outside our village, not only is he an accomplished blacksmith, but an accomplished swordsman and demon hunter, I don't think he would do as you ask."

"His name, how I employ him is my concern," Sesshomaru had his newly carved hand tightly gripped on the elderly artisan's collar.

"Valson Kamui, but more than that, Kamui takes in abandoned children with power, from those with unusual talents to half-demons."

Sesshomaru smirked, "too easy, I thank you for your assistance old man, I was going to kill you, but you've been such a help to me that you've earned your life."

"Sesshomaru-sama, are you certain?"

"Are you questioning me Jaken?"

"N-no- Never my lord."

"I thought not."

"But tell me master, what will you do after you have your Dark Tetsusaiga?"

"Simple, I will take the original from Inuyasha, and posses father's full powers, to surpass his greatest potential."

"But how will you wield the Tetsusaiga, master?"

"By slaying Inuyasha, using his blood and the new moon I can break the magic that charms the Tetsusaiga to serve man, Rin, Jaken, let's go!"

Kagura looked down at the majority of the Jewel of the Four Souls in her hand. Just holding it she could feel the power coursing through her. What did Nuraku want with this thing anyway.

"Nuraku!"

"Hmm?" Nuraku looked up, Kagura seemed determined about something today, so much so she seemed to be overlooking her current position, or perhaps this was a vie to change that. "What do you want Kagura?"

"Nuraku-sama, for some time I've had some questions, as to why you made Inuyasha and Kikyo believe they betrayed each other, when you could have finished off the priestess and left with the Jewel."

"I needed both Inuyasha and the priestess Kikyo out of my way for my plans, besides, as a human, I was jealous of Inuyasha and could never allow anyone to hold sway over Kikyo."

"But, certainly Inuyasha could never be a threat if you had possessed the entire jewel?"

"Perhaps not, but the most important thing to remind you is, I wasn't certain the wound I dealt to the priestess was fatal until moments before she struck Inuyasha, I actually hadn't intended it to be, so I had to let Inuyasha take the jewel or Kikyo might have released Inuyasha and my trickery would have been revealed. Inuyasha loved Kikyo, if either would have had the time to forgive each other, Inuyasha still might have gone through with becoming human with the jewel."

"But as a human he would no longer have any chance of defeating you."

"His powers would still be in his blood, he simply wouldn't be able to call them, forever as he is on his one day each lunar cycle. If Kikyo had not died, or Inuyasha had forgiven Kikyo before she died, he would have become human, and humans love, a child born to the purified human Inuyasha would have possessed the full extent of Inuyasha's demonic potential, and even be able to wield his Tetsusaiga."

"So- you never feared Inuyasha, but the possible child he would have borne with Kikyo? But then why assault him now?"

"Now it is because of the jewel, and the woman, Kikyo's incarnation."

"I see, now I understand completely, and I can go through with my decision."

"What decision?"

"This one."

Kagura walked over to Nuraku, he titled back and wondered what she had in mind, he couldn't read her expression. She placed a hand on his neck and pulled him closer, she brought her lips to his. If he had been looking for it, he might have felt her coming betrayal in her kiss, but he was blinded by the growing mockery of passion. He traced his lips down to her neck, and started to slide his hands into her kimono. The cloth fell to just above her waist, giving Nuraku a pleasant exposure to her breasts. One of which he reached over and grasped, he pulled her body even closer, and brought his lips to the hardening nipple. He traced it with his tongue, then kissed her stomach. He reached to push the kimono down the rest of the way but felt Kagura's hand stopped him. Kagura pulled a blade from within her kimono, with her speed and powers enhanced by the jewel, she plunged the blade into his heart through his back. A glass lie beside them that Nuraku had been drinking from, she picked it up and flung out the contents and put it by the wound, Nuraku's blood flowed into the cup. "Blood of life, blood of death, bind these powers within the blood of death and forever into this sacrifice."

The blood within the cup glowed for a moment as Nuraku's powers flowed out of his body and into the blood in the cup. Nuraku gave one last protest as his body spasmed and fell limp. Kagura raised the cup to her lips, and drank the contents, Nuraku's powers passed into her, blood overflowing and spilling down her cheeks and her neck, even falling over her back and breasts and down her belly, finally collecting at the point where her kimono rested. On her back, the scar that had been there vanished.

"And now I am free, I hold my own heart."

From the shadows Kikyo frowned, in her heart she already knew, but to hear it aloud for the first time. She should have trusted in Inuyasha, he really had loved her... She flickered for a moment before becoming more resolute, that same will with a new goal, with the souls of young maidens to bind her in place, she knew what she had to do. "I have to make peace with him, only then can I return to my proper place."

"Inuyasha! Wait up!"

"No Kagome, YOU hurry up!"

Inuyasha was rushing from roof to roof, a demon had ran into the village with a shard of the jewel, they had chased him out of a temple nearby and he was using the village in an attempt to capture a hostage, everyone had cleared his way, but he'd managed to grab a poor young woman as he ran by. He stopped and turned to face the group once he reached the center of town. Inuyasha stopped on the nearest rooftop, Kagome stopped her bike, and Kirara skidded to a stop with Miroku and Sango.

"Back off or I'll kill this young woman!"

Miroku backed off, tapped Sango's shoulder, then put a finger over her lips, he slowly moved behind one of the buildings while the Demon had his vision focused on Inuyasha on the rooftop. Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsusaiga and the Demon took another step back.

"I mean it, put the sword down and back off!" The demon put a hand to the woman's neck and claws extended, edging closely to the pulsing jugular."

"Drop the woman!" Inuyasha said sternly.

"Inuyasha, back off, he'll kill her!"

"He'll get away with the jewel shard!"

"Sit boy!"

Inuyasha let out an awkward yelp as he toppled off the rooftop and onto the ground. His face pressed into the ground and his sword arm reached out, the blade pointing away from the demon.

"D-d-d-DON'T MOVE AGAIN, or I swear I'll kill her!"

The demon's eyes bulged in surprise as he felt the charm sear his back; he screamed out and let go of the woman. Miroku took his staff and slammed it into the demon's head. The demon toppled over, Miroku reached down to pick up the shard, as he came back up the woman he saved practically leapt into his arms. A lecherous grin curved onto his face as his right hand almost uncontrollably slid down her back, and cupped around her ass. The woman yelped as her entire body straitened out. Yet she didn't push away or slap him, rather, she pulled tightly against him, she whispered into his ear, "I owe you my life, my body is the least of its benefits."

Before he could do much else the crew had gathered around, "Just what do you think you're you doing- Monk," the last word rolled contemptuously off Sango's tongue.

"Um, just allowing this young lady to express her gratitude to me."

"The hand..."

Kagome walked over and whispered into the woman's ear, "They do this all the time."

"Oh, are they in love?"

Both Sango and Miroku's entire bodies took on a hue of red. Sango spoke first though. "Certainly not! I could never fall for such a lecherous fiend!"

"Well then you should have no problem allowing me to continue this," she raised herself on her tiptoes and met with Miroku's lips. A very shocked Miroku took a moment to warm to the kiss and respond. Sango's entire expression just stopped, she gave no expression in her face or figure. Kagome put a hand to her mouth and gasped. Shippo just stared on wide-eyed.