Strength of a demonic heart Part 2

by Phoenixthedesigner

Sorry guys, but this one isn't done yet. This story is actually going to be longer than the first by the time I'm done with it, so all of you will just have to wait patiently. Also, any ideas or opinions you have, send them to me in an email or contact me

"Hello?"Serina asked as she picked it up.

"Hi Serina,it's mom."Serina's face brightened up and she nearly dropped the phone.

"Hi mom!Why didn't you write me another letter?"

"It wouldn't have gotten to you before I got back home."

"Oh.When are you coming home?"

"I'm already home.I'm at the airport.I was just calling to make sure someone was there when I came home.I'll be home soon,okay?"

"Okay.I'm so glad you're home mom!Dad's been missing you ever since you left,and his two little sisters came back,and then I started going out with Damien,and…."

"Please,slow down sweety.You can tell me all about it when I get home,alright?"

"Okay,I love you mom.I'll see you soon."

"Alright.I love you too.Bye."Serina hung up and quickly told Tsunami the news as she came in the door.She told Yugena and Marlene as they quickly grew excited. Neither of them had seen Kagome in the past fourteen years.

"She'll be here any minute!We have to get this place cleaned up!I want my mom to come back happily and find a clean house!"Serina said running throughout the house and throwing clothes into the laundry.

"Come on guys help!"she continued running back and forth.

"We'll think about it."Marlene and Tsunami said as Yugena got up to help her.

"Okay,I was hoping it wouldn't come to this…."Serina said as Yugena walked up beside her.

"Marlene,if you don't help I'll tell Helix that you already have seven other boyfriends,and Tsunami if you don't help I'll tell Inuyasha who really broke the glass ornament that mom gave him for Christmas."

"Alright,we'll help Serina."they both jumped up and helped her with everything they could find to clean.The entire house was spotless and they all sat back down on the couch.They looked at the clock and saw that only ten minutes had passed.

"Let's never tell Kagome we can get the whole house clean that fast, deal Serina?"Tsunami said tiredly moving to the other couch and laying down.

"It's a deal."Serina said leaning back against the couch and closing her eyes.

"I wonder how much Kagome has changed since we knew her?"Yugena asked Marlene anxiously.

"Well Inuyasha didn't change very much…."

"That's only because you haven't seen him fight lately.You only saw what happened to him after a fight.Fourteen years ago he stopped using his sword,but since he did every time he got in a fight,he had to be more serious and focused because he didn't have his sword to help him.Not realizing it,he made himself stronger by trying to make himself weaker. It's kind of ironic if you ask me."Tsunami smiled.

"Really?He stopped using his sword?"Marlene asked.

"Yes.Just after the final fight with Vega we were in,he swore never to use it again so his friends wouldn't get hurt.Then Serina got hurt while fighting a new guy and he killed him with it.Since then he hasn't stopped using it."

"Does mom even know he's using it again?"Serina asked.

"I'm not sure,but we'll find out soon."Tsunami answered as the doorbell rang.

"That must be her!"Serina said excitedly.She jumped up and quickly ran to the door.She opened it and saw Kagome standing in front of her.

"Mom!"she grabbed her in a tight hug as Kagome dropped her bags.

"Maybe I should take a vacation more often."she said with a smile as she returned the hug.They both let go and Serina carried her bags inside for her.Kagome gasped when she saw the house was spotless.

"Okay,where did you tie up Inuyasha?"she asked with a laugh.

"Nowhere.He's gone right now.We made sure to keep the place clean for you though."Serina said looking at Yugena and Marlene.

"Thank you Serina.I'm glad I have a daughter I can trust when I leave the house."

"You're welcome.Hey mom,do you know who these two girls are?"she turned Kagome around where she could see my sisters.

"No,I don't think so.Who are they Serina?"

"She may be the same in every other way,but her memory got a lot worse."Marlene said standing up.

"What?"Kagome asked.

"No,it's okay.Inuyasha didn't recognize us either."Yugena stood up too.

"Who are you two?"she asked,more curious than before.

"We're Inuyasha's youngest sisters,remember?Marlene and Yugena."

"Really?You guys sure changed a lot.You both look very pretty now. Nothing compared to when you were a mop-head Marlene."Kagome smiled.

"Will everyone just stop saying that!I was not a mop-head when I was little!"Marlene snapped angrily.

"Okay,sorry.You both turned out beautiful though."

"Thank you.I see that you're not old yet either.How do you still look like you're twenty-one?"Marlene asked.

"You don't remember it apparently,but when Inuyasha and I got married,we took a potion that makes us immortal.Everyone else that was over twenty-one did the same."

"So you can never be killed?"Yugena asked.

"No.I really should have said we have eternal youth.It only keeps us young forever.We can still be killed,but we can't die of old age.On your twenty-first birthdays,you two can take some of the potion too."

"So,what did you bring back Kagome?"Tsunami asked looking at an animal carrying case.

"Oh that.It's a surprise for you Serina.Go ahead,open it."Serina kneeled down next to it and opened the cage door.A second later she gasped and pulled out a kitten.It was all black except for it's white stomach and it had blue eyes.Serina held it in her arms and admired it as the kitten tried to paw at her hair.

"I thought you might like it.My cousin told me to give it to you because she had too many already."

"It's so cute mom.Thank you."she hugged Kagome again and sat down.

"There's food there for him too."Kagome pointed at another bag.

"Okay,he should be hungry soon."

"Where did you say your dad went again?"Kagome asked.

"I'm not sure.He said he had some places to go and just left."

"That sounds like something he would do.Oh well,he'll be back soon."Kagome smiled.

"Yep.So,what did you do in California Kagome?"Tsunami asked.

"Not much.Mainly I just went there as a small vacation,but I did manage to help my cousin with her boyfriend.Besides that nothing really interesting happened."

"Oh.Okay….I'm tired of waiting!Everyone in this room has been waiting to find out if you're still mad at Inuyasha.So,are you?"

"No,why do you guys think that?"she asked curiously.

"You just don't seem very happy or like you miss him right now either."Tsunami answered.

"Oh,sorry.I had a long flight home.I'm just tired."

"Oh,that's what it is?Well why don't you just get some rest?You can talk to us when you wake up,okay?"

"Alright,if you don't mind."

"We don't."Tsunami insisted.

"Okay,I'll be up in a couple hours."Kagome walked into her room and shut the door.

"Well she changed a lot over fourteen years."Yugena commented.

"Yeah,she acts like an old woman."Marlene smirked.

"She's just tired,that's the only reason she's acting this way.Any other time she's cheerful and carefree.You'll see her real personality when she wakes up."Tsunami smiled.They talked for a few hours and were still waiting for Kagome to wake up when they heard the door opening. A second later I walked in and was greeted by all three of them.Just as I walked in the door the new cat that Serina just got from Kagome's cousin jumped at me.It latched onto my face and when I tried to pull it off,it left several long cuts on my cheeks.Serina grabbed it and held it as I sat down.She explained where she got it from and I smiled to myself. Kagome had no idea that me being half dog demon would affect the cat. We had been married over twelve years,yet there were still things she didn't know about me.I sat in the chair and talked to them for a while until Kagome's bedroom door opened.She walked out with her hair still messed up and yawned loudly.

"Who are you guys talking to?"she asked rubbing her eyes.

"Open your eyes and see for yourself."Serina said.Kagome opened them and we stared at each other for a moment.I slowly stood up and she kept staring at me.We both took a few steps toward each other,and I could see she was starting to cry.Just as I took another step,she ran at me and grabbed me in tight hug.I returned it and rested my head on top of hers as we held each other.

"I'm sorry Kagome.I never wanted you to think I wasn't willing to protect you.I just didn't want to see anyone else get hurt,that's all."

"I understand Inuyasha.I'm sorry too.I really overreacted.It's fine with me if you don't want to use your sword…."

"It's okay.You don't have to be sorry.Besides,I am using it now."

"What do you mean?"she asked.

"Just after you left,Serina,Damien,Vega,and Cloud all got into a fight with this really strong guy called Saido.For a while they did good,but then…."I stopped talking as Serina stood up.We let go of each other and sat down as she told the rest of the story.

"We started getting our butts kicked by the guy and then dad saved us.He surprised Saido and destroyed him,then carried me home and treated my wounds."she smiled.

"Really?Inuyasha did you do that?"Kagome asked.

"Yeah.I wouldn't have been able to kill the guy,but he was too focused on Serina to notice me.I used the Dragon Twister and killed him.Then after I came back,I helped her like she said.After that we found out that Saido had a boss that was four times as strong as him.A lot of other stuff happened since then too."I told her everything else that had happened since she left.

"You broke your sword again?"she asked curiously.

"Yeah."

"How?Yugo said it was a hundred times stronger than the first time you broke it."

"You've gotta remember,I was using the full power of the combined jewel when I attacked.Just the force of releasing the attack from the sword was enough to break it in half.Imagine the strength it could give us if we could use it without it controlling us."

"That's why you want it so bad?"

"That's one reason.Another is so no one else can ever use the jewel's power against us."

"Oh.You guys really went through a lot since I left."

"Yeah,but it's okay.You're back now and that's all that matters."I smiled at Kagome.

"Well I'm glad you're back mom,but I had plans for today and they're kind of important."Serina interrupted as she walked over to Kagome and hugged her.

"I love you mom.I'll be back before midnight like dad asked.Bye."she said walking out the door.I explained to Kagome that Serina was going out with Damien now and that I agreed to let her go on a date with him as long as she was back by midnight.

"When did they start going out?"Kagome asked curiously.

"Just last night Damien asked her out."I said as Kagome smiled.

"Her first boyfriend.I was wondering how long it was going to take."Kagome said still smiling.

"Yeah,she's had a crush on Damien for a long time."

"Yes she has.Anyway,where were you when I came back Inuyasha?"

"I went to see if news had spread about the new jewel already."

"Well?Has it?"

"Yeah.Everyone in town was spreading rumors about the new jewel. They also know that it's a lot stronger than the original jewels too. Luckily no one has managed to find any shards of it yet though.The longer it takes people to discover how strong it really is,gives us that much more time to collect them without fighting."

"That's true.When do you think we should start looking for them?"Kagome asked.

"If we want a good start,we should begin looking for them as soon as possible.Right now though,you need to catch up on your rest and I need to get used to fighting again.It's been a long time since I used the Dragon Twister.The one I used to take Saido out really got me tired.As soon as Serina gets back from her date we'll all rest up and start training tomorrow.Is that okay?"

"Yeah,it's fine with me."

"Good.Also,I'm not gonna need you to train her with arrows.She actually has too much strength to be an archer.I'm going to find Yugo again and have him make her some new weapons."

"You really think she's too strong to be an archer?"

"She's really not too strong,but I think her skills would help us more if she could use a blade of some kind.That way,she's not limited to just shooting arrows.You know as well as I do that every time either one of you uses the Sacred Arrow,you lose a little more of your energy.If all she could do was fire arrows like that,then she would be tired in no more than five minutes.Serina is strong,but she's still young.She hasn't learned how to control her full power yet.Until she does that,she won't be ready to fight anybody even remotely strong."

"I understand.Why don't you go now that way you don't have to hunt Yugo down later?"

"Well I don't want to leave you here with only my sisters the first day after your return."

"It's okay.You should be back before Serina even gets home."

"Alright as long as it's okay with you.I'll be back as soon as I can."I opened the door and started running towards Yugo's house.I got there in a few minutes and explained the situation to him.He agreed to make a weapon for her,but told me I could'nt see it until he was done so I left.I ran back to the house quickly and realized I had only been gone an hour.I opened the door and walked in.

"Why are you back so soon?"Kagome asked.

"Yugo told me I couldn't see the weapon until he was done."I told Kagome as I sat down.

"Oh okay.Well we didn't think you were gonna be back so soon,so your sisters and I made plans to go out already…."

"I don't mind if you go.Just bring back something to eat that way you don't have to cook tonight.Alright?"

"Okay we on,let's go."Kagome and my sisters all left together leaving me by myself except for the cat Kagome had brought home.Hours passed until it was finally nine o'clock.Then the girls came back and dropped everything they had in their hands when they saw me.My face and arms were covered it scratches and my clothes were torn all over.

"What happened Inuyasha?"Kagome asked as they all heard the cat scream.They looked up and saw he was spinning around on the ceiling fan.Tsunami pulled it off and set it on the floor.The second it's feet hit the floor it vanished under Kagome's bed.

"We had a fight.He didn't want to lose."I said as they all smiled.They carried in all the food they had brought back and set it in the kitchen.

"We'll eat when Serina gets back."Kagome said as she washed all the cuts on my face.

Earlier that day,Serina walked toward the demon world to meet Damien for their date.While she was walking,she took off the jacket she was wearing to reveal a short,dark blue tank top.Along with that she was wearing a pear of black,baggy cargo pants.She went through the shrine to the demon world and found Damien waiting on the other side of the door.She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek again.They walked to the lake where they saw a lot of people Damien knew and decided to go somewhere they wouldn't be bothered.They finally stopped at a hot spring that was completely empty.Damien took off his shirt and saw Serina blush immediately.He jumped in the water and swam back to the edge waiting for her to join him.She took off her clothes to show the bathing suit she had been wearing.Damien smiled and swam backwards a little as she jumped in with him.They swam for hours until they were both tired.Damien swam over to the edge and sat on the rocks,leaning his back against the wall.Serina did the same and smiled at him the entire time.

"Damien,can I ask you something?"

"Sure,anything."

"How long have you actually liked me?"

"Alright,when I told you I hadn't known before if I liked you or not,I was lying.I've liked you ever since we were both little."

"Really?Then why didn't you ever ask me out before?"

"I was just afraid you would say no."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay,I was just curious."

"Why?"

"I've just been wondering that for a while."she said smiling at him.

"Alright.So,where else do you wanna go?"

"I don't know.I'm just fine right here."she said leaning up against him.He smiled and turned to face her.

"Serina,I'm really glad I finally asked you out."

"Me too."she sat up and faced him too.

"I wanted to do something the other night,but I was afraid your dad would have freaked out even more."Damien said as they both smiled even wider.

"I'm gonna guess okay?You tell me if I'm right."she blushed.

"Okay."he answered as she leaned closer to him.He leaned forward as their lips met in a passionate kiss.They held it for a long time,then finally separated and looked back at one another.

"Good guess Serina."

"I thought I was right."she smiled.

"So,do you want to keep swimming or can we go somewhere else?"

"We can go wherever you want Damien."

"Alright.It's not that I don't want to be here,I'm just tired of the water."

"That's okay.Why don't we just go to the park and watch the sunset,then go somewhere when it gets dark?"

"Alright.Let's go."they both jumped in the water and swam to the other side where their clothes were.Damien dried all the water he could out of his pants and pulled his shirt back on while Serina got dressed.When she was done they both walked toward the park in the human world and got there just as the sun was touching the horizon. They both sat on the soft grass and laid on their backs as they watched it sink.Serina stared in awe at the brilliant orange and pink colors the sun had turned the clouds.Damien smiled to himself as he watched her face shine with happiness.They watched until the sun was completely gone and then they stood back up.

"Damien,do you think we could get something to eat?"

"Yeah,sure.Anywhere you wanna go."

"Alright.Let's find a restaurant."she said walking toward the street. They walked for a while until she finally found a place that suited her. They went inside and ate,then by the time they were done it was nearly midnight.She told Damien she had to go home and he offered to go back with her.She happily agreed and they walked home hand-in-hand.They got there and went in the door.Kagome hugged Serina and greeted Damien as I jumped up from the chair I was sitting in.

"Okay!You said we would eat when they got home.Well they're home so let's eat!"I said quickly.

"I'm sorry.I didn't know you guys were waiting on us to eat.See,we went to a restaurant so we're not hungry……"Serina apologized.

"Okay,that's fine.Kagome,could WE still have dinner please?"I said as my stomach continued growling.

"Sure,I'll go make it.Tsunami,could you give me a hand?"Kagome asked as my sister got up from her chair.

"No problem."they both walked into the kitchen as I took Damien outside.

"So how'd it go?"I asked crossing my arms.

"Uhh….good.I mean,it was great,but why did you even have to ask? You know I like her so there's no way our date could've gone badly."

"I meant did anything big happen?"

"No.We kissed,that was it."

"What kind of kiss?Be more specific."

"Inuyasha,what the hell's up with you?Just calm down.Even I know better than to do anything on the FIRST date."he smirked.

"Oh so you're waiting for the next one?"

"Sure am.No,I'm just kidding.I won't do anything more with her until you're okay with it.I told you that before I left this morning."

"Yeah,okay.I'm trusting you Damien.Anyway,that's not really why I dragged you out here.I wanted to know if you were leaving on another date tomorrow."

"We hadn't really talked about it.Why?"

"Because we really need to start training as soon as possible.I'm having a friend of mine make Serina some new weapons so she can help more in a fight,but it won't make any difference if we don't train."

"Alright.We'll stay here and train tomorrow."

"Good.Well that's all I wanted to say.Let's go back in now,I'm starving."we both walked back in and Damien explained to Serina what we talked about.She understood and they talked while the rest of us ate dinner.We all finished and decided it was time to go to bed.I offered for Damien to spend the night and he agreed happily.Kagome brought him a blanket and pillow then walked into our room.I told Serina goodnight and followed Kagome.When we were all gone,Serina came back down the stairs to her room and kneeled next to the couch Damien was lying on.She tucked the blanket under him and smiled.

"What are you smiling about?"he asked.

"I'm just happy that I've got you as a boyfriend."

"Oh.Well I'm glad I've got you as a girlfriend too."

"Well anyway,I'll leave you alone now.I just came to say goodnight."

"Alright,sleep well Serina."

"I will.Oh yeah,just to help you sleep better…."she leaned forward and kissed him.

"There.Goodnight Damien."she stood up and walked back to her room.Damien closed his eyes and fell asleep with a wide smile.Serina woke him up the next morning at seven o'clock so we could start training early.He started to get up,but she told him not to and left the room.She came back a few minutes later with a plate full of pancakes and handed them to him on the couch.

"Thanks Serina.You really didn't have to do this…."

"I know,but I thought you'd like to have something to eat before we start a hard day of training."

"Thanks anyway."he said as he started eating.He finished and she cleaned his plate as he walked outside.I was already out there training with Cloud as Damien also noticed Batosai sitting on the porch watching us.He walked over to him and sat in a nearby chair.

"How long have you guys been out here?"Damien asked.

"About an hour.All the girls are either inside or sitting over there."Batosai pointed to the other porch where Kauru,Tifa, and all my sisters were sitting.

"Oh.So why aren't you training too?"

"I just finished right before you came out.We all train in stages that way we don't get tired very easy.All of us except Inuyasha.He's a half-demon so he has more endurance than us,which is why he's able train constantly.Also,he never has been good at knowing when to stop anything."Batosai smirked as I crashed into the ground after a strong attack from Cloud.

"Yeah I know.He's just like my to think of it,I've never really seen you fight.When you get rested,you want to train with me for a while?"

"If you think you can handle it Damien."he smirked again.

"Yeah I think I can manage."

"Batosai,you want something to drink?Oh,good morning Damien."Kauru said walking over.

"No,I'm fine.Thanks anyway."Batosai answered as she brought another chair over and sat next to him.

"Are you gonna train too Damien?"

"Yeah.I'm fighting Batosai as soon as he gets rested."

"Oh okay.Where's Serina at?"Kauru asked.

"I'm right here."Serina said as she came out the door.

"I was washing Damien's dishes and the others from making his breakfast.So,anything new happen since I left?"

"Not really.Batosai stopped training so now it's Cloud and Inuyasha."

"Yeah I noticed."Serina said as she watched Cloud fly into the air after an uppercut to his chin.He landed and we ran at each other.We both punched and slammed into each other's fists.The force threw us both to the ground and we decided it was break time.We walked over to where Damien was and sat down.

"Okay,we're done for now.Batosai,get off your butt and do something."Cloud said tiredly.

"I will.Remember,I had to fight both of you.You two have only been fighting one another.It's a lot more tiring when there are two of you."

"Big deal.I trained against both of you and I ain't that tired.We didn't even use our swords."I said as Cloud and Batosai looked at me.

"Shut up."they both said as Cloud collapsed on his back.

"Someone get me something to drink."he said in a tired voice.

"What do you want?"Serina asked.

"I don't care.Anything cold."

"Okay,I'll be right back."she went inside and returned seconds later with a huge glass of ice water.He took it quickly and drank it so fast half of it missed his mouth and spilled on the porch.

"Ahhh.That's better.Thanks Serina."Cloud said handing her the glass.

"No problem.I'll be back as soon as I can find the mop…."she walked into the house again.She came back with the mop and dried up all the water.She wrang it out and took the mop back inside,then came back and sat down again.

"Why are you being so helpful lately Serina?This isn't about a raise in your allowance is it?"I asked with a smile.

"No,but since you offered…."she smiled innocently.

"sighHow much?"I said reaching into my pocket.

"Uhh…how much ya' got?"she smiled wider.

"Don't push it Serina."

"Okay.How about fifteen dollars a week?"

"That's it?Okay sure."I handed her the money for that week.

"That's until I turn eighteen."she smiled as she stood up and walked toward the city.

"Hey!Make sure you're back before dark!I've got a surprise for you!"I yelled after her.She waved showing that she heard me and started running.When she was out of sight,Batosai and Damien stood up.They walked into the clearing Cloud and I had trained in and we all realized they were going to fight each other.I quickly told them to hold on and went inside.I came back out and sat down with a bowl of popcorn.Everyone laughed and told me to share.I set the bowl where they could all reach it and told Batosai and Damien they could start.

"So,any rules you'd like to set before we begin Damien?"

"Only one.No crying when you lose."he smirked.

"Okay,I'll try hardnot to Damien.My only rule is don't kill each other.There'll be plenty of time to do that when we split up to hunt for the jewel shards."Batosai smirked back.

"Will you guys stop talking and fight already!"I yelled from the porch.

"Alright fine."they both said grabbing their swords.

"Five bucks says Damien wins.Anybody wanna bet?"everyone there handed me five bucks saying that Batosai would win.I was accepting the last five dollar bill from Kauru when we heard their swords collide.The force knocked them both backwards and they attacked again.They increased their speed with every attack and soon all we could see were flashes appearing in random spots every few seconds.For six minutes this pattern continued,then Batosai was apparently getting beat.He stopped moving and we could all see he was covered in cuts.Damien stopped too and all he had was a small cut on his right cheek.

"Come on Batosai.Surely you can do better than that."

"Actually….(he focused a small amount of energy and healed all his cuts)….I can.I was just seeing how good you were."

"You haven't seen how good I am!"Damien said angry at the fact that Batosai had been toying with him.He quickly disappeared again as Batosai held his sword up in front of him.A huge spark was created when the blur of Damien's blade hit his sword.Batosai smirked and swung at Damien,slashing him on the shoulder.Damien jumped back and started spinning his sword for the Time Calibur attack.Batosai quickly ran at him and used his Elemental Slashes attack.Every stab of Batosai's attack was blocked by Damien's spinning blade.Batosai's attack stopped and left him at point-blank range for Damien's attack.

"TIME CALIBUR!"Damien released the energy from the attack, and Batosai tried as hard as he could to move out of the way of it.In the time it took the attack to move three inches,Batosai had managed to get almost completely out of it's range.Unfortunately he couldn't get completely out of the way and the side of the attack struck his shoulder. Damien had used so much strength in that attack that even the tiny part of it that hit Batosai broke his shoulder.He held his shoulder as Damien's blade stopped spinning.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU DAMIEN!"Batosai yelled.

"I'm sorry Batosai.I got carried away."

"Yeah you did!If that full attack would have hit me,I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"he yelled angrily.

"Yeah I know.I just don't like it when people I'm fighting toy with me.I didn't mean to make the attack that strong,I just got mad…."

"Well don't let it happen again."I said walking up beside Batosai.I checked Batosai's shoulder to see how bad it was and he walked back to the porch.Damien and I followed,sitting on the porch too.We talked for a while,then Damien and I were about to start training together when Helix showed up.

"Hey guys.How's it goin'?"he asked sitting down next to us.

"Fine.Me and Damien were just about to start training."I said.

"Really?Hey,would you mind if I took him on instead of you?"

"Uhhh I guess not.If you want to."

"Cool on Damien."Helix walked into the clearing we were using while Damien followed.

"Just like at the colloseum Damien.Don't hold back."Helix smirked grabbing his sword.

"Alright.Don't you hold back either."Damien smirked back.They both attacked each other at the same exact time without giving each other any kind of warning.For hours they attacked over and over,neither one landing a single blow.Both of them motioned for the other to stop and they looked at each other.

"Damien,let's stop this.Apparently we're both pretty even in fighting. Let's see who has the better speed."

"Okay,how do you plan to figure that out?"

"The same way humans do.With a race."

"Alright.So when I win,what do I get?"

"Nothing.We're not racing for a prize,just for the right to say one of us is faster."

"Okay.So,where to?"

"A perfectly straight,one mile sprint to the edge of the city and back."

"Okay.Hey Inuyasha,count down for us!"Damien said.I walked over and made sure they both started at the exact same point.

"Okay.Ready?(they both nodded)One….Two….Three…. GO!"in an instant they were both out of sight.I waited for a short time and saw them headed back toward me.They both blurred past me and skidded to a stop quickly.Just as they past me,I saw Damien had been at least half a foot ahead of Helix.

"So,who won?"they asked.

"Uhh sorry Helix.It was Damien.He won by about six or seven inches."

"How did he win?I'm just as fast as him."

"Sorry Helix.You were just as fast as me,but remember when we broke the new jewel after we fought Inuyasha at the colloseum?When that happened,a jewel shard hit me in the right leg,and one hit you in the arm.Remember now?"

"Oh yeah.Hey wait a second though.Wouldn't that mean that I'm stronger than you?"Helix asked.

"Yeah I guess it does."

"Cool.Well you may be faster,but at least I'm stronger."

"Yeah.I can also freeze time better than you."

"How do you know that?"Helix challenged.

"Oh,you don't believe me?Let's prove it right now.If I can freeze you,but you can't freeze me,then I win.Deal?"

"Okay deal."they both walked back and Helix ran at Damien.

Just before he got to him,Damien froze time and stopped Helix in his tracks.He unfroze it and ran at Helix.Helix did the same,but while he was froze,Damien remembered what I told him Heiten had said.He had to accelerate his body.To do that Damien had to focus his energy into every part of his body.Damien tried as hard as he could and was amazed when he broke free.He fell to the ground out of surprise and laughed at the look of shock on Helix's face.He then explained how he did that and tried to stop Helix again.This time it failed,but he told Helix to try again.When Helix was running at him,Damien tried the other thing Heiten had asked me to tell him.He used every ounce of energy he had to make his time freeze five times as strong.Heiten had told him that if he did that right,even accelerating your body wouldn't be able to free you.Damien was even more amazed when Helix stopped moving and couldn't free himself.For the rest of the day they both practiced accelerating their bodies and learning to freeze time completely.Just before dark Serina returned and by then,Damien and Helix could both freeze time completely just as easy as the way they did before.Serina asked what I had to give her and I quickly realized I forgot to get her gift.I ran into the demon world and returned a minute later with a box.I handed it to Serina and told her to open it.She gasped in surprise as she stared at her present.Inside the box was a strange weapon.It was a completely circular blade made with two handles in the middle.Serina took it out of the box and help it up,admiring it.

"That's not the best part Serina.Grab the two handles and pull them apart."she did what I said and admired even more when the circular blade split into two separate cresent-shaped blades.She looked over every inch of the separate blades and inspected every detail.Both blades were identical in every way,even down to the metallic green and black paint that coated them.The main part of both blades were black,but both the handle and outside edges were dark green.On each blade Yugo's symbol was engraved,as always,in the handle.As Serina inspected it,she noticed every keen detail of them that was customary to Yugo's work.Even the tiny indent in the side of each half that allowed blood to run down and not rust the blade was perfect.One thing was for certain,Yugo still hadn't lost his touch for making weapons.Serina also checked the sharpness of the blade by pulling a hair from her head and dropping it on the edge.It easily split the hair without her even moving it.She combined the weapon again and set it carefully back in the box.Then she stood and grabbed me in a tight hug.

"Thanks a lot dad!This means I can train with Damien and everyone else now!"she moved away from me and hugged Damien too.

"Yeah it does.By the way,Yugo told me to tell you that he calls the weapon the Cresent Moon.He made that special for you so remember to thank him the next time you see him okay?Oh yeah,he said that if you swing it,the weapon does something.Why don't you go find out what he meant?"I smiled.

"Okay!And I won't forget to tell him."she smiled back,picking up the weapon again and starting to swing it around.

"Slow down Serina.Step out into the clearing to practice before you hurt one of us.Here,Damien and I'll even come with on Damien."he stood up and we all followed her to the clearing.

"Alright.Now just let me and Damien take a few steps back and you can swing all you want."Damien and I quickly moved back after seeing how eager she was to use the weapon.

"Okay,now you can see what Yugo was talking about."Damien smiled from about a thirty yard distance.Serina quickly started swinging and as the weapon cut through the air,it left a feint trail of green following where it went.At first Damien and I both thought it was just an afterimage because she was swinging so fast,but then she stopped moving and the trails of where she had swung remained in the air.We watched for another few seconds until they finally vanished.

"Hey Serina,use both halves and see if it can do that."Damien said.

"Okay."she split the weapon again and swung them both.This time there were even more trails because of the two different blades.She stopped swinging and the trails vanished after a few seconds just like before.

"How does that keep happening dad?"Serina asked curiously.She swung her blades slowly,but no trail followed this time.

"It must have something to do with the speed you swing them at.Here,let Damien see them."she handed Damien the weapons.

"Okay Damien.I know they're new and you're not used to this kind of weapon,but I want you to try as hard as you can to hit me with them, alright?"

"Sure,but why?"Damien asked curiously.

"I want to see what happens if the person using them can swing faster than Serina can right now.The only thing is you can't freeze time to catch me."

"Okay,you might want to start running."he said as I sprinted off. Courtesy of his jewel shard,it didn't take him very long to catch up and he started swinging as hard as he could to hit me.The first time he swung I saw what I wanted.The trail that the blade left behind in Damien's hands was a lot wider and darker than Serina's.I ran even faster so Damien would have to try to catch me,but he didn't move.He stayed where he was and threw the blades at me.I barely looked in time to jump out of the way.As they flew under me,they were only inches apart and left a dark,emerald trail behind both of them.They acted like boomerangs and returned straight toward Damien.Luckily he was able to catch them,but he didn't throw them again.He saw me running back toward him and held them ready to swing,but I held up a hand to show I was done.I stopped right in front of him and took the weapons.I combined them back together and we took it back to Serina.

"Apparently the faster you throw them,the darker of a trail they leave.I think I understand Yugo's purpose for giving this weapon the ability to leave trails like that.As fast as you'll be throwing this,the trails will quickly become hard to follow.While the enemy realizes that the blades leave trails,after only a few throws,there will be too many for them to count and in many different locations.Your enemy will be confused while trying to follow the trails and that's when you take the easy opportuniy to finish them off.Understand Serina?"I asked.

"Yeah I get it.How did Yugo do that though?"

"I'm not sure.I'll have to go find out from him myself."

"Okay,well can I train with them a little now?"

"Yeah…."I started.

"Just don't throw them like I did.I'm not quite sure how to do that yet and look what happened to me."Damien interrupted holding up his hands.Both had a deep gash in the palms apparently where he had caught the wrong edge of the blades on the return from throwing them.

"Oww.Damien,you want a bandage or something?Man,that looks like it hurts."I said wincing.

"No,it's cool.It'll heal over quick."

"Alright,but if you do decide you want one,just tell Kagome.She'll show you where they are."

"Okay."

"So,besides no throwing is there anything I shouldn't do?"Serina asked.

"Just don't kill anyone.Besides that,no."I smiled.

"Haha.Real funny dad."Serina smiled as she began swinging them around trying to get faster.Soon she had gotten a little faster and was a lot more used to the feel of the weapons.She started jumping and swinging at the same time,with each jump scaring Kagome further. Finally,as I knew would happen,she disregardred Damien's warning and hurled the blades across the field.They spun around and came back apparently faster than she had expected.She held her hands as the blades flew directly into them.For all we could tell,nothing had gone wrong,but Serina quickly asked Kagome to get her a bandage.She ran inside and emerged seconds later with a large pack of them.As Kagome wrapped Serina's hands she saw where the blades had also created gashes in her palms similar to Damien's.She leered at me as she finished wrapping her hands.While she started to explain to Serina that she didn't need to be grabbing anything for a little while,Serina picked up her blades and started swinging them around again.As I predicted, about two minutes later she forgot about the pain in her hands and tried throwing them again.This time her aim was so precise the blades flew past each other only millimeters apart.She tried to be ready for them when they started to fly back at her,but once again they flew back too quickly.She grabbed them at the wrong spot again and sliced another cut into her hand,tearing through the bandages.She winced from the pain,but just picked the blades back up and tried again.It took her thirty more tries to get that down,but she finally did.By the time she did,it was nearly two a.m.Damien had been watching her from the porch the whole time so she wouldn't feel lonely.When she had finally caught them and had gotten the hang of doing it over and over,Serina connected the weapon and set it on the ground.Damien stood and walked over to her.

"Congratulations Serina.You finally mastered it."he said hugging her.

"I'm so happy Damien."she said as he held her.

"Why's that?"

"Because now I'm not just the one who stands there and watches the whole fight.I don't have to just act as an audience when you guys train now.I can be with you a lot more now because I'm gonna be able to fight too."

"Is that why you did this to yourself?To be around me more?"he grabbed her hands and showed them to her.Both of them were covered in cuts and bruises from catching the blades wrong.The bandages Kagome had wrapped on them earlier had been cut completely off and Damien knew Serina had to be in a lot of pain.Since she had finally stopped moving her hands,the blood had started it's normal flow again and now her cuts were all bleeding.

"Uhhh….yeah."she answered sheepishly.

"I don't ever want you to do anything like this over me again.You hear me?"Damien asked more seriously than he meant to.

"Okay,sorry.I just wanted to make you proud of me…."she looked at the ground and blushed.

"I know.Just don't go so overboard with wanting to make me proud of you again okay?"

"Alright."she continued staring at the ground.

"Besides,you make me proud just by being my girlfriend."he lifted her head up and she beamed at him.She leaned forward slowly as Damien did the same.They were just about to kiss when Helix interrupted.

"Hey you guys!Inuyasha says come inside!That's enough training for one day!Besides,you don't want to wear yourself out,you have to start again tomorrow!"he shouted from the front door.

Damien looked at Serina,who had a depressed look on her face,and looked toward Helix.He took Damien's expression as a hint and quickly closed the door back.When he was gone,Damien looked back at Serina,who was smiling at him again,and they leaned toward each other.This time they weren't interrupted and they held each other in a long kiss.They let go and walked toward the front door.When they were inside they got Serina's hands bandaged again and we all decided to get some sleep.Damien slept on the couch while Helix slept across one of the living room chairs.Serina brought Damien and Helix both blankets and pillows.She kissed Damien goodnight,leaving Helix with an angry look, and walked back to her room to sleep.The next morning,Serina was the first to wake and was already out practicing with her new weapons when I woke up.I also saw she had already made Damien breakfast, which was placed on a table beside the couch.I walked into the kitchen and saw that everyone else's had already been made too.I walked outside and yawned as I watched her.She heard me and stopped training.She walked over to where I was and put her weapon down.As she walked over I saw all the grass on the ground was torn and parts of the soil showed.It looked like a tornadoe had hit or something.

"Good morning dad.Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah.What time did you get up?"I said ignoring the yard for now.

"Uhh….I think it was about five."she grinned.

"You need to get more sleep than you have been lately.You're not going to be able to train if you don't get more rest.You'll be too tired."

"Yeah I know,but I wanted to start training so much I couldn't sleep.I want to get better with the new weapon you gave me."

"I know.Anyway,what have you been trying to do this morning?"

"I was working on an attack.You want to see it?"

"Uhh….sure."

"Okay,watch."she picked up her weapon and walked back into the clearing.

"You had time to learn an attack already?"I asked with a surprised look.

"Yeah,I've been trying pretty hard.I'll show you."she held the two blades in her hands and looked for a good spot to throw that wouldn't hit anything.

"MYSTIC CYCLONE!"Serina threw the blades in front of her at such a precise angle,they ruptured the flow of her demonic wind.The point they hit caused her wind to fly wildly out of control and create a cyclone.The blades were sucked into the vortex and flew around inside it.If there had been an enemy inside he would be in a great deal of pain now.The two blades would have slashed him all over and it hadn't even stopped.Serina slowed her power down,causing the cyclone to slow down.While it was slowing down,the two blades came flying back out of it and headed straight for her.She caught them in each hand easily and by then the cyclone had completely vanished.

"How's that?"she smiled with a hopeful look.

"It was great.If you can use that when you get into a fight,that'll really help the rest of us.Oh yeah,good job at catching the blades too.You really did practice hard last night didn't you?"

"Yeah.Thanks dad."she sat down on a part of the grass that was still there and collapsed on her back.

"What's wrong?"

"It's hard to learn an attack that fast.I'm just a little tired now."she said closing her eyes.

"I told you that you needed to sleep more."

"Yeah I'll sleep good tonight though.I'm all done for now."

"No you're not."I stated quickly.

"What do you mean?"

"If you're gonna be up at the same time as me,you're gonna train at the same time as me."

"You mean you're gonna fight me!"she jumped up and quickly backed away.

"Yeah.I'll take it easy on you.If you fight me though,then you'll get stronger a lot faster."

"Still….why can't I just fight Damien?"

"Why would you rather fight him?"

"Because he won't hurt me."

"I won't either."I smiled.

"Okay,but if you do I'm telling mom."she warned.

"Fine.We'll start as soon as you're rested."I sat down myself and waited for her.After a few minutes,she was rested and stood up.She grabbed her weapon and walked back to the clearing.I set my Tatsaiga on the porch and followed her.I stood in front of her and she saw I didn't have my sword.

"What do you plan on fighting me with?"she asked.

"My claws.I can move faster without using my sword."

"Oh okay.You have to promise that you won't get mad if I hit you though."she smiled.

"Alright I promise."

"Thanks."

"Attack whenever you're ready."I said preparing to dodge.She waited a few seconds,then hurled her full weapon at me.I jumped out of the way and saw as it flew in front of me,that the trail it left behind was just as dark as Damien's.I smiled to myself as I watched her catch it and run at me again.She pulled it apart while she was running and swung one of the blades at me.I dodged it easily and she kept swinging.While I was being distracted with dodged the swinging blade,she threw the one in her opposite hand at me.I jumped to dodge another swing and saw the other blade flying toward me.

"IRON REAVER!"I slammed my claws into the blade and sent it crashing to the ground.Serina stopped suddenly and dropped her other blade.

"What's wrong?"I asked curiously.

"How did you do that!"she asked amazed.

"Oh,you mean block your weapon?That was my Iron Reaver.It's just one of my easy attacks."

"Teach me how to do that dad!Please?"she begged.

"I guess I could teach it to you.Why do you wanna learn that though?"

"It was just so cool the way your claws turned all shiny and then blocked my blade.If I could do that,then if someone knocked my blades out of my hands at least I'd have a chance."

"You've got a really good point Serina.Here,I bet you haven't seen this before either…."I dug my claws into my arm,causing a long cut.I collected the blood in my hand as Serina watched in shock.I found the nearest tree and jumped.

"BLADES OF BLOOD!"I threw the blood from my hand and they changed to crimson blades in mid-air.They hit the tree and destroyed it completely.I landed and walked back to Serina.The cut I had made quickly healed over and she asked me to teach her that too.I agreed and spent the rest of the morning showing her how to use both attacks. When Damien finally woke up and ate,we finished training and sat down.Damien came outside and saw us both sprawled out on the grass. He asked what happened and I told him what I had showed her.He sat down beside us and looked at Serina.

"So you know how to use those two attacks now huh?"

"Yeah I do."she smiled proudly.

"Cool.So you wanna train with me after you get rested?"

"Ummm….I'll try."she said tiredly.

"Alright.Then I can see just how much you've improved."

"Yep."she said closing her eyes.Damien lifted her head and let it rest in his lap.She smiled with her eyes still closed and thanked him.I got up then and walked back into the clearing.

"What are you gonna do Inuyasha?"Damien asked as Serina continued relaxing.

"I just remembered that when we fought Saido's boss and I killed him with the Dragon Twister,my sword didn't even turn red.Before I stopped fighting,every time I used that attack my sword would turn red from the sheer power of it.Now it doesn't and I've got to train to be able to make it turn red again.So here I go."I drew my sword and jumped into the air.I transformed it and was about to use the Dragon Twister again when I flew toward the ground.I slammed head-first into a hard rock.I remained on the ground until I could see straight again,then tried to get up.I got to my feet and lifted my sword,but it quickly fell out of my hand.I grabbed it again and tried lifting it.I knew I couldn't have gotten so weak that I couldn't lift my sword anymore,but I didn't know what was wrong.I lifted it as hard as I could,but it still refused to budge at all.I transformed it back to normal and sheathed it.I sat down next to Damien and Serina again,trying to think of what was wrong.I wasn't able to think of it for a moment,then I realized that I had never actually unsheathed it since Yugo had repaired it after the fight at the colliseum. I snapped my fingers and stood up excitedly.They both looked at me in surprise,but I ignored them and walked into the clearing again.I stood there as they watched me curiously.I calmed my body for the change I had not gone through willingly in the past fourteen years.I relaxed my muscles as the currents of my demonic energy began to mix.The strong demon blood obtained from my father coarsed through every vein in my body.I summoned all the power I had in a short burst and changed into my full demon form.Damien gave a surprised look and Serina,who had just opened her eyes,screamed in shock.Damien told her it was me and she calmed down a little.I stood there getting the feel of my full demon powers once more.After I had gotten used to the strength again,I grabbed my sword and drew it in it's normal form.I held it directly above me and transformed it.I was sure I could handle it at first,then the blade began to sway back and forth,getting heavier with each tilt.I tried as hard as I could to hold it,but even in my full demon form,the sword held to much power to keep raised.It crashed into the ground and made a large crack just from the impact.I changed myself and the sword back to normal,then collapsed.Serina quickly jumped up to help me,while Damien ran inside and got a wet wrag.Serina lifted me to a sitting position and Damien pressed the cloth to my forehead.The shock of the cold water woke me up and they asked what happened.

"It's nothing serious.I just couldn't take using that much energy after not transforming for so long."

"So you're gonna be okay right dad?"Serina asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine.I just need to rest for a second."I layed back down on the grass and closed my eyes.I rested there for a while,then got back up and sat in a chair on the porch.

"Alright Inuyasha.I know you haven't gotten that weak over the last fourteen years.What's wrong with you?"Kagome asked walking out the front door.

"How long have you been there?"I asked.

"Long enough to see you can't even lift your sword.What's wrong?"

"It's too heavy to lift.I can't even keep it in the air as a full demon."

"You handled it fine when Helix and I fought you at the colliseum."Damien stated.

"Yeah,but that was before it broke remember?After that I had to get Yugo to fix it.Also,I accidentaly picked up a shard of the new jewel instead of a peice of my sword and that got molded into the blade as well.That's probably what's causing the increase in weight."

"Oh I see.Wait a second though.If what you just changed into was your full demon form,what did you change into when you fought Helix and me?"Damien asked curiously.

"What do you mean?"I asked with the same look of curiosity.

"Well when you attacked us,you looked different than you did just a moment ago.You had three cuts on both cheeks that were both black, and your power increased a lot more than it just did."

"Alright.Then that means…."I started thinking.

"It must mean there's another level of strength for you to reach now Inuyasha."Kagome answered.

"You're right.There's my normal demon form,then whatever that was is after that.Now I have to learn how to get strong enough to reach that limit."

"I'm here if you need someone to train with."Damien smirked.

"Even I can help a little now."Serina smiled.

"Yep.So,what do you say Kagome?"I smiled at her.

"What do you mean?I can't fight anymore…."she blushed.

"Well we won't have energy to train if we don't have food."I grinned as we all busted out laughing.

"Okay seriously.Kagome,you can get back in the habit of fighting again if you want to.I did."

"I guess you're right.I'll do my best."she smiled.

"Then it's settled.We'll all train and gather the shards of the new jewel."

"Alright.I'll explain everything to Helix when he wakes up too.Batosai and Cloud will want to help too won't they?"Damien asked.

"Probably.Anyway,what do you say you and I get an early start on training Damien?"

"Fine with me.You sure you can handle it?"he smirked.

"I'll try."we walked out into the clearing a short distance apart from each other.We didn't give any warning,we just attacked each other. Damien ran at me and swung his sword sideways while I reversed the action and slashed with my claws.We both slid back from the impact, then charged again.I swung at him again,which he blocked with his sword,then stabbed at him with the claws on my other hand.Catching him off guard,I slashed him on the side and he quickly jumped back.

"Come on Damien.You can do better than that."I taunted.

"As a matter of fact I CAN!"Damien charged at me again,but veered sideways just before he reached me.I expected the side movement and swung at him,only to slice through the blur of an after-image.Still in shock,I didn't see his attack until his fist connected squarely with the back of my head.I turned around and swung at him, only to destroy another ghostly image.This time I tried to be more prepared for his attack,but it came much sooner than the last one.This time the flat side of his blade hit the back of my knee and I fell to the ground.The instant I hit the ground I rolled backwards,barely avoiding another attack from the flat edge of his sword.I quickly stood as soon as I stopped rolling and was hit by the flat edge again in the back of my other leg.Damien was testing me now and I knew it.He was intentionally changing his fighting style over and over so I couldn't follow it,and he was also increasing the speed every time he hit me.I hit the ground after the impact of his weapon and gathered energy quickly.Before he could reach me I transformed into a full demon and blew him to the ground. He crashed and stood up angrily.

"You think you're great just because you can transform! Well…."Damien's power started rising very sharply and he continued gathering more power.He tightened every muscle in his body and released all the energy in one massive burst.In that moment,his hair changed from black to pure white.His body had so much energy in it now that his muscles couldn't even contain it completely.Tiny flares of energy rose from his arms even as he stood there relaxed.

"….I can too."Damien finished his sentence and tightened a muscle in his arm for a split second.Even as short as it was,the action caused his energy to shoot a spark into the air.He smirked at his power and grabbed his sword.

"Prepare yourself Inuyasha."Damien said gripping his sword tightly. When he spoke that time,I realized he didn't sound like himself.His voice was deeper and lacked the slight tone of happiness Damien always tried to hide from everyone.Before,he was just pretending that he wasn't perfectly happy with his life,but now he wasn't pretending at all.This was a tone that I would have expected more out of Heiten than Damien.It sounded as though he didn't care if anyone at all he knew lived or died.

"Damien are you alright?"I asked readying myself for any surprise attack.

"Never felt better."he smirked.

The instant he smirked,he also vanished from my sight.I didn't even have time to react in any way before I was sliced on the arm by his blade.I winced from the pain and swung my claws where I had felt the strike.Just as I swung he vanished again and I was cut once more,only this time in the leg.My leg gave way a little to the weight of my body,but I could still stand.I tried to follow Damien's movements and found it hopeless to try.He was moving so quickly it seemed as though there were fifty of him surrounding me at all times.I gave up and started slashing at images I thought were the real Damien.I swung over and over,apparently missing each time.Finally I felt my claws slash through flesh and saw blood fly.I didn't have time to register where I had hit him because the second I struck him,he slammed me in the back with a hard fist.I collapsed forward and realized he wasn't just training anymore.The transformation had caused him to lose control of his senses and now he didn't even know that he could kill me.To him at this moment I didn't seem any stronger than a small child.I raised myself to my knees and looked around for him.This time I didn't even see blurs of him and looked up just in time to see his foot.He flew down and connected squarely with my jaw,which threw me back to the ground so hard I bounced over ten yards away.I got up as quickly as I could,only to see Damien's fist fly straight into my stomach.This second hit blew me toward the porch where I slammed into the stairs.I rolled back down them and hit solid ground again.By this time I was having a harder time seeing,but I could still hear all my friends telling Damien to stop.I got to my feet and stood until I regained enough of my vision to see Damien attacking at least.My sight returned at the worst time possible.I saw Serina running to stop Damien who was charging at me.He heard her screaming and turned on her.By now his own power had overwhelmed even his feelings.He turned his attack on Serina and ran straight at her.I stood quickly and ran with every ounce of speed and strength left in my body.I got to her just in time to jump in front of her.Damien brought down his sword and it struck deep into my chest.At that moment,Serina looked at Damien in pure horror and back-handed him as hard as she could.This apparently struck whatever was left of the emotions inside of him.His power died down and his hair returned to normal,showing that he had changed back.He saw what he had done and kneeled down next to me.I was collapsed on the ground,trying as hard as I could to stay alive. Damien quickly removed his blade and gave me a lot of his energy.It helped for a moment,then the pain increased and made the energy useless.I would die shortly if something didn't happen.Everyone that was there was by my side at this time.Nearly ten minutes passed as the pain continued increasing higher and higher.I was nearly ready to give into it when something happened.I felt my energy give an enormous incline.The incline was so huge that the instant it happened,I was back at my original level of strength.It still hurt,but now I had all my energy that could heal me back to normal.I felt better as the seconds passed and my energy kept rising.I used every second to heal myself as much as possible.With all the energy I had now,I was completely healed in just under a minute. Even though I was fine,my energy continued growing.As it rose,I changed into a full demon without even trying.(This is just what it felt like when I was possesed by Heiten's jewel!If I use all this energy, maybe I can transform to the next level!)I thought excitedly to myself.I stood up and began to focus my power as it rose.I tensed every muscle in my body so it could get used to the energy,then tried using all the energy at once.It was like changing into a full demon,but I was trying to change into something higher than that.I felt the rise slowly decline and just before it stopped completely I gave my next transformation one final try with everything I had.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"there was a bright light as all the energy I had accumulated was shot throughout my body at once.I couldn't see it,but the two scars on my face were now black.I gave the energy a moment to settle down in my body and then I examined my claws.They seemed,just as Damien had described before,to be sharper than ever.I also realized my fangs were the same way.I saw that my body was holding in the energy from the transformation unlike Damien's.I tensed the muscles in my arm,but no spark shot off.

"Inuyasha are you alright?"Kagome asked worriedly.

"Yeah I'm fine."even after changing,my voice still sounded the same.

"I'm glad you're okay dad."Serina hugged me tightly.

"Yeah me too Inuyasha.I'm sorry about attacking you…."Damien apologized sadly.

"What went wrong when you transformed?"I asked.

"I just got in too much of a hurry to change.My dad told me not to do that very soon because I wouldn't be able to control it,but I didn't listen.I'm sorry."

"It's cool.I'm fine apparently."I smirked.

"So you're sure that won't happen again right Damien?"Serina asked in a worried,yet soft voice.

"Yes.I promise it won't."he assured her sith a smile.

"Okay good.You just scared me for a second.I thought you were actually going to attack me."she sighed in relief.

"I was,but thanks to your dad you're fine.Like I said though,it won't ever happen again.I promise."he said kissing her.I waited for a moment for them to pull apart,and when they didn't I just started talking anyway.

"Alright that's settled.Now we just have to figure out what made me change like this."I said examining my new claws.Damien and Serina pulled apart,smiling at each other.

"Hey,you look like you did when you fought Helix and me at the colliseum."Damien said finally noticing the scars on my face.

"I do?That means this must be the next level of power I had to reach. That sure didn't take long.I thought it would take forever to get strong enough to change,but apparently not.The only thing I don't understand is how such a large increase in my power could occur so quickly."

"I think it was because you nearly died when Damien hit you.When you were on the verge of death,all the energy trapped inside you after fourteen years of not fighting must have reawakened.The sudden rise in energy must have triggered this new transformation."Kagome examined the area on my chest where Damien's sword had hit.There was no mark at all,not even a scar.

"This form makes my healing powers a lot stronger.Not to mention everything else as well."I said with an arrogant smirk.

"Why don't you show us what you can do in this new form?Also, Damien will help you test your strength since he nearly killed you."Kagome leered at him.

"Alright,come on Damien."I stood up and walked into the clearing as he trudged along behind me.I decided to test my speed first so I took off running.Damien got the hint and chased after me,but he had more trouble catching me than he thought.He finally caught up with me after a couple minutes,then ran as fast as he could.He passed me by a few feet and smirked at the fact that he was still the fastest.He spun around and slid to a stop in the middle of the clearing.

"Of course I'm still the fastest like always,but you have gained a tremendous amount of speed yourself.In this form,you can easily match,or maybe even beat Helix in speed."

"Cool.Now I've just got to see one thing…."I gripped my sword handle tightly and drew the normal blade out.I took a deep breath and tensed my body for the weight.I transformed the blade and was so prepared for it to fall out of my hands that I dropped my sword.Out of sheer habit,I quickly reached down and lifted it back up with no problem at all.A few seconds passed before I even realized how light it was.It finally occured to me and I began swinging it.In this form,my sword was just as light as it had been to me normally before Yugo fixed it.I was finally satisfied that I could hold it easily and lowered it back to the ground.

"Okay,I can only hold my sword in this form.That means I'm gonna have train hard to be able to change to this form easily."

"Yeah it does.Since I'm being forced to help you anyway,(Damien shot a cold look at Kagome),why don't you try your attacks now?"

"You sure you want me to?"

"Yeah,I can handle it."he smirked.

"Alright.I'm gonna have to use them fast though.I don't think I'm gonna stay in this form much longer.I'm starting to feel more tired."

"Okay.What are you gonna start with?"

"My Iron Reaver will be a good warmup."

"Okay,ready."Damien held his sword up in front of him.

"Here I go."I backed away a short distance,then ran back at Damien as fast as I could.

"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"my claws shined with gold energy and I slashed at Damien's sword with all the strength I had.A wave of sparks flew as my claws combined with his blade.It pushed Damien back over ten yards,and that would have easily been enough to kill him if his sword hadn't been there.

"Well that's a lot stronger than before."Damien said still in shock of how much stronger my attack actually was.

"Well that's not all there is.From now on I'm not gonna tell you what I'm gonna do.This will test my strength as well as your reflexes."

"Okay,I'm ready."Damien held up his sword again.I jumped into the air and dug my claws into my left shoulder.

"BLADES OF BLOOD!"I threw all the blood that had came out of the cut in my shoulder at Damien.The blades formed in mid-air and flew towards Damien.At that moment I realized I could also throw a lot faster in my new form.Damien quickly realized the same thing and froze time.He looked and saw that the blades had stopped mere inches from his face.He split them all with his sword and unfroze time.To all of us it seemed like no time had passed and when Damien realized that,he started acting like he had stopped them normally.

"Come on Inuyasha.Can't you throw any faster than that?"he smirked.

"Shut up.Anyway,here comes the next attack."Damien quickly held his sword in front of him again.I focused my energy and charged up my strength.This time Damien realized how serious I was to test the limits of my strength.

"WIND SCAR!"I swung as hard as I could and created the attack. There was a blinding flash of light as our energies split and flew at Damien.He reacted as fast as he could.

"TIME CALIBUR!"he shot the counter-attack and it flew toward my Wind Scar.As hard as Damien had tried,his attack was still evaporated completely.My attack kept going and still struck him with enough force to send him flying across the yard.He crashed into the ground and quickly got back up.He ran back to where he had been and looked at me.

"Getting better.Now let's see what the limit of this form is.What do you say Inuyasha?"

"I say you better tell Serina to get the bandages."I busted out laughing as Damien gave an obviously sarcastic smile.I calmed down and focused.I held my sword in the currents of my demonic energy until it turned crimson.The sight of the red blade told me I had to learn to master this form.I wasn't even able to change it red for a second in my full demon form,but in this form I could keep it that way with no problem.I didn't absorb any of Damien's energy,but just used my own.I knew if I had absorbed his,he wouldn't have had enough left to block the attack.

"Block this Damien!DRAGON TWISTER!"I hurled my energy off the blade and it flew at him.He charged as much energy as he could and hurled it at the attack before jumping out of the way.He rolled and watched to see how much of it he had blocked.He gave a look of amazement when he saw his attack evaporate like it was nothing. Luckily I had aimed the attack toward the sky or that would have left a huge crater in my front yard.The energy flew into the morning sky and we all watched until we couldn't see it anymore.I sheathed my sword and collapsed quickly to my knees.My power dropped as I changed back to normal.Everyone ran over quickly and kneeled next to me. Kagome helped lean me backwards into a sitting position,and she asked what had happened.

"It's no big deal.I guess I just pushed myself too hard when I used that last attack.My body's not able to handle that much energy yet. Don't worry though,I'll be fine."

"I know,but you should rest for a while.It'll do you a lot of good."Kagome said as she placed me on my back softly.

"Okay Kagome.I'll go rest on the porch okay?"I started to stand.

"Wait,let me help."she put an arm around my shoulders and helped me back to the porch.I collapsed willingly on the porch floor and went to sleep.I sleep for what felt like days until I was shaken violently awake by Kagome.

"….wha….kagome what's wrong?"I asked tiredly.

"Inuyasha you have to get up now.We have to go to Vega's."my eyes had barely focused at all,but I could see a worried look on her face.I snapped awake almost instantly and sat up.

"What happened?"

"I just found out from Vega that….that…."tears welled up in Kagome's eyes.

"Calm down Kagome.What did you find out?"I said holding her shoulders.

"It's Chrono.H-h-he's….dying."tears began to stream down her cheeks and I wiped them off with my sleeve.

"It's alright.We're going to Vega's now and we'll all do everything we can to help.Don't cry yet okay?"

"Alright."she stood up and walked out of the room to wait by the door.I put on some clean clothes and followed her.Kagome,Serina,and I all huried as fast as we could to Vega's castle.We climbed to the top where Chrono's room was and found everyone else already in there.I walked over to Vega and talked in a low voice.

"Sorry it took so long Vega.I just found out what was happening a couple minutes ago.Is there anything at all we can do?"

"No Inuyasha.I'm afraid there's nothing that can save Chrono.I never did manage to find out what type of demon he was,but whatever it is,makes the immortal potion that we all took those years ago useless. He's just dying of old age now.There's nothing any of us can do."

"How old is he?"

"In human years he's about 200-years-old.In demon years,which are much faster,he's over 2,500 by now."

"It must be old age.I never actually realized how much time had passed since our last fight.All we can do is pray that he has a good life after this."

"Yes."he agreed as Chrono started to stir.Vega quickly moved to his bedside and asked him what it was.He pointed at Spawn who shook his head.

"What is he pointing at you for Spawn?"I asked.

"He wants me to tell you guys something,but….I can't."Spawn quickly looked at the ground.

"Tell us Spawn."

"I….I just can't…."he continued staring at the tile flooring.

"Tell us Spawn.We owe Chrono his one last request at the very least."Vega insisted in a solemn tone.

"Okay I will.Vega,he wants you to…."Spawn trailed off.

"What?He wants me to what?"

"He wants you to kill him and use his energy.He wants to be able to help us even after death.That is what he explained to me the last time we trained."

"WHAT!"we all asked shocked.We looked at Chrono and he nodded.

"No!I absolutely will not kill you Chrono!I refuse!"Vega said angry with confusion.

"Vega,it's what he wants.As much as I hate to say it,you should honor his final wish."I said barely managing to look Vega in the eye.

"Chrono,are you sure that you want me to do this?"Vega asked him hoping for a sudden change of heart.All he got was a nod.

"Alright,I'll do it.Is there anything else you want to ask of us before I'm forced to do this?"Chrono shook his head.With a shaking hand, Vega drew his sword.Ryoko clapsed her hands tightly together, horrified that Vega actually had to kill him.Kagome looked away and told Serina to do the same.Vega held his sword over Chrono's neck,but Chrono shook his head.Vega moved it to his heart, where Chrono made no refusal.Vega raised the blade behind his head as Damien,Helix, Ryoko,and I all watched.As much as we wanted to,none of us could manage to turn away.Vega took one last look at Chrono and brought the blade down hard in the exact area he had pointed at before.The blade peirced Chrono's chest and struck his heart directly,killing him on contact.At that moment,all the energy built up inside Chrono began to rise into the air.Vega quickly told Damien to hold out his sword and he did.The energy spiraled along the entire weapon,seeming to form a golden shell on top of it.As we watched the energy dissolved into the blade,the power of Chrono's energy could faintly be seen rising from it.It was just like how the faint hint of energy rose from my sword after the jewel shard had been molded into it.Damien stared at his weapon for a moment,then sheathed it and asked Vega why he had given him the energy.

"You can do more with it now than I can Damien.I reached my peak fighting power a long time ago,but yours has yet to be found.Put it to good use Damien,for Chrono."

"I will dad.I promise."we all stood in a moment of silence for a few minutes,then Spawn carried Chrono out of the room and to the foot of the castle.He continued walking and finally got to the cemetary where they already had a grave prepared for him.Spawn placed him in it and re-covered it,then gave a speech about his past life.

"Bear in mind that Chrono would not want us to miss him.He would want us to be happy and carry on with our lives as usual.We all know in our hearts that Chrono is in a better place now.So we shall not morn this passing of our beloved friend.May Chrono rest in peace now and forever more."Spawn concluded by placing a scarlet rose at the base of his tombstone.

We all stood for another few seconds in silence,then walked away and began talking.We all took to heart the fact that he would want us to be happy,so we did not talk about Chrono from that point on.A full week passed and by then all of us had intentionally forgotten the memory of Chrono's death.With the memory gone,all of us had stopped mourning and were completely happy again.With the recent event that had happened,all of us had nearly forgotten that the upcoming Saturday was Vega's birthday.Everyone,including my three sisters,quickly started planning a surprise party for Vega behind his back.By Friday of that week,Damien had already set up the entire party.Ryoko was supposed to take Vega somewhere to distract him while we all decorated the castle.That night all of us went to sleep early so we would have plenty of energy for Vega's party.The next morning when Ryoko woke up Vega,she took him to the park for a morning walk.She kept calling us from the cell phone that Kagome had given her to tell us where she was going to be so they wouldn't run into any of us.By the time evening came that day,all of us were completely finished setting up decorations and we stopped to rest for the last few minutes.We turned all the air conditioners in the castle on and sat around cooling off.Just as we got rested,there was another call from Ryoko.She was out of ideas for places to go and was bringing Vega home.We told her we were ready and she said we had about five minutes before they got there.Everyone except Damien ran behind a piece of furniture,but he moved over to the light switch and shut off the lights.During our preparations,Damien had managed to wire every single light in the entire castle to that one switch.When he flipped it off,we were all surrounded in pitch-black darkness.We couldn't see three inches from our faces.We waited for what seemed like an eternity,then we heard the doorknob turn.The door opened and Damien flipped the lights back on.

"SURPRISE!HAPPY BIRTHDAY VEGA!"we all jumped up from our hiding places and began to sing happy birthday.Our enthusiasm died when we saw it was a pizza delivery boy.

"Uhh….it's not my birthday.Anyway,here's the pizzas you ordered."the kid handed Helix an enormous stack of pizzas.Helix managed to set the pizzas down and tossed a quarter to the kid.

"Thanks."the kid got in the pizza delivery car and drove off.Everyone glared at Helix.He returned all our looks with a wide grin.

"What?So I thought we'd have a little more time."

"Why did you order so many in the first place?"I asked.

"Well I got twenty in total.I got that many because…."he paused for a moment.

"I thought you guys might want some."he grinned.

"Shut up Helix.Just put them down.Everyone get back to your hiding spots."I said as Vega walked in without anyone noticing.Ryoko walked in behind him and shut the door,catching my attention.

"Oh.Surprise Vega."I said flatly.Everyone else noticed him and said it in the same dull tone.

"What's wrong with you guys!You spent all day preparing and that's the biggest entrance you can give!"Ryoko asked irritatedly.

"Uhh….(Helix walked up to her,looking at the ground with the same stupid grin)….that's kinda my fault.See,I ordered pizza and the guy just came by a few seconds ago and we all thought he was Vega.We were really enthusiastic when he was here,but I guess the surprise lost most of it's luster after the first time."

"Helix….(Ryoko took a deep breath)….why did you order pizza at a time like this?"

"I thought we had more time….IT'S YOUR FAULT!YOU CAME BACK EARLY!"he quickly exclaimed frantically.

"Don't even blame this on me Helix."she said coldly.

"Wait,I can make things better.Just wait until the cake gets here.You'll see."he continued grinning.His stupid grin finally got to Ryoko and she couldn't stay mad at him any longer.We all walked up to Vega and began wishing him happy birthday and finally sang our song to the right person.He thanked us and we all sat down.

"So Vega,how does it feel to be….wait how old are you anyway?"I said realizing I didn't know.

"In demon years I'm over three thousand,but in your years I'm around two hundred and fifty."

"Wow.Maybe you should get the cake Helix.Vega might not make it much longer."I said as everyone started laughing.

"Real funny.I actually wouldn't mind the cake though.Why don't you go get it Helix?"Vega smirked.

"Okay!This'll give me a chance to make up the surprise to Ryoko! Come help me Damien."Helix quickly walked off as Damien followed.In the other room,they got the cake and completely covered it in candles. They barely managed to fit two-hundred and fifty,(they gave up on three thousand quickly),then tried lifting it.They realized it was too big to carry on the plate and lifted the table it was on instead.The cake was over five layers tall and easily three feet thick.The finally got it into the room and Helix grabbed a lighter.

"Everyone take a step back,these are supposed to be firework candles."he said with a grin.

"What!Helix you didn't tell me that!"Damien shouted.

"Well too late now."Helix flicked the lighter on and lit one candle.A tiny shower of sparks shot from it and caused a chain reaction.It lit five more candles,and those lit more and the pattern continued until every candle was lit in less than three seconds.A sudden burst a sparks exploded from the cake and flew onto the curtains nearby.They erupted into flames and the flames crawled up it onto the ceiling.The roof caught on fire and it began to spread quickly.This all happened so fast that none of us could even react until the roof was flaming.Then Damien and I quickly grabbed nearby towels and started beating the flames.Helix grabbed a bottle he thought was full of water and immediately sprayed it at the flames.As the liquid flew toward the fire,Damien's eyes grew wide with fear.He knew the bottle didn't contain water,but it was full of lighter fluid.The fluid hit the fire and the resulting explosion threw Damien and I to the ground.We got up as Helix stared in shock at the bottle.We started beating the flames harder and after ten minutes finally managed to get the last of them put out.We collapsed on the ground,dripping with sweat from the heat of the fire. Kagome and Serina handed us clean towels and we dried our faces.We stayed on the ground for another few minutes,then got up and turned to Helix.Damien grabbed his shirt and pulled him inches from his face.

"Next time I light the candles!"he said angrily.He tossed Helix away and went into the living room.I saw him sit down in a chair and decided to do the same.As soon as we sat down,Ryoko turned to Helix and walked toward him.With each step she took,he backed away farther. Finally he realized he was in a corner and began to beg.

"Ryoko please don't hurt me!"Helix said with a pathetic look.

"Why shouldn't I?You completely ruined Vega's birthday party."she said coldly.

"I promise I'll do something to make up for it!You name it!"

"Alright.You clean the entire house tomorrow without help from any of us."she crossed her arms.

"Fine!Just don't hit me!"

"Okay I won't."she smiled and walked into the living room with Damien and I.

"Thank you Ryoko."Helix stood up and followed her.We all sat down and after a few minutes Kagome and Serina had made another cake.We all ate pizza and cake,then sat around and watched TV.By this time it was nearly ten at night and we didn't have anything left to do.All the girls decided that they wanted to just sit around and talk for the remainder of the time they were awake,which made every guy in the room immediately stand up.

"Well you guys have fun talking.We're all going to go out and have some fun on our own."Helix said.

"Yeah,we'll probably have a couple drinks then see if there's anything to do around the town."Vega said.

"Vega!Damien's too young to drink!"Ryoko complained.

"I'd rather him be with us the first time he gets drunk then with a gang or something.Don't worry,we'll make sure nothing happens to Damien or Helix.Right Inuyasha?"

"Yeah.Don't worry Ryoko.Everything's gonna be fine."I smiled.

"What time do you guys think you'll be back?"Serina asked.

"Some time tomorrow morning."Damien said. to think of it,Serina do you wanna come with us?"he asked.

"Sure!"Serina eagerly jumped up as Kagome grabbed her arm.

"Not even in your dreams young lady.Even with your father there,I still don't want you drinking."

"Come on mom!"Serina argued.

"I said no.End of discussion."Kagome pulled Serina back to the couch and she didn't move.

"It's okay Serina.I'll be back later okay?"Damien asked.

"Alright,bye."she said as we all walked out the door.We walked back to the human world and went to the first bar we saw.We stayed there for nearly two hours and by the time we left none of us could have managed to walk in a straight line.We continued walking and got to a firework stand.We bought as many fireworks as we could with the money we had left and walked to the nearest clearing.We lit Roman Candles and shot them at each other,then we threw Black Cats in front of us and tried to see who would stay the longest before moving.For another hour we continued shooting fireworks and basically acting stupid.Finally around five we stopped and started walking home.We got back to the castle and walked inside.It was really dark and we were trying not to wake any of the girls up.Just as we had almost made it to the living room,Helix stepped on a fork that had fallen off the table.

"OOOOWWW!"he yelled loudly and we knew he had woken everyone up.To our amazement,no one came in.We all finally managed to get into the living room and laid down on the floor.We fell asleep almost instantly and didn't wake up until late that afternoon.When we woke up,we all saw Helix moving around and cleaning up the place like Ryoko had told him to.

"How are you so energetic this morning?You had almsot as much as I did."Damien said.

"I took a chaser pill before I started drinking.Those things really do work.Anyway,I was fixing to take a break,so do any of you want coffee?"every one of us raised our hand.

"Okay.I'll be back in a minute."he walked out of the room and returned five minutes later with four cups of coffee.He took one for himself and set the other three on the table.We all drank it quickly and asked him to make some more.He did and brought it back.After about twenty minutes,we were all awake and back to normal.He made us one last batch of coffee and set it on the table.This time we drank it slowly and actually began talking.We quickly got tired of that and turned on the TV.We changed to the news to see if there was any change in the weather coming up.Just as it came on Helix noticed he was out of coffee and went into the kitchen to make himself another cup.Before he came back,there was a bulletin on the news.At first it was just a scroll at the bottom of the screen,then it changed to a full-screen broadcasting.There was an announcer on the news speaking to us from what looked like an area close to Kagome's home.

"Attention local viewers!There is a mass murderer on the loose!It is a young woman around the age of twenty-five!She is carrying a sword and should be considered highly dangerous!She has already killed hundreds of innocent civilians!We do not have much other information, but one suspect that narrowly managed to live through an encounter with her has provided a description.As of this moment,this is the only photograph we have managed to obtain of her.If you see this woman, get away from the area as fast as possible."the reporter held up the picure just as Helix walked back in the room.

"So,how's the weather gonna be?"he asked looking at the TV.As he was looking he took the first drink of his hot coffee and saw the picture.He instantly sprayed the scalding hot coffee directly into Damien's face.

"OOOOOOOWWW!HELIX WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!"Damien screamed as I handed him a towel.I looked at the picture on the screen and saw the woman.She did look to be about twenty-five and all of us could see she was a demon.Her hair was pitch-black and her eyes were a dark purple that only a demon could have. The photo didn't show anything but her head,so we had no idea what she was wearing.

"What's wrong Helix?"I asked as Damien cleaned his face.

"That's my sister."he said coldly.

"I didn't know you had a sister.Why the attitude though?Never got along?"Damien asked with a smirk.

"I haven't spoken to her in thirteen years."he said.

"Wow,and you're only sixteen now.Man,she must have really messed up one of your birthday parties."Damien said as everyone but Helix laughed.

"Okay,sorry.What really happened?"he asked growing more serious.

"She killed my parents."he said as everyone gave a shocked look.

"Seriously?"I asked.

"Yes.Even from the slight memories I have of her,Maira has always been an evil person.If my mom and dad hadn't thought to send me out of the house when they did,I wouldn't be here either."

"Why did she do that?"I asked trying to think of a reason.

"She did it because she felt like it.Maira has no emotions or fear.She will do anything at all if she wants to.By now,she has probably grown several times stronger,but even as a child she held unusual strength.I remember that well."

"I'm sorry Helix."Damien said.

"Thanks,but it couldn't be helped.I couldn't have stopped Maira then even if I had been there.She was just too strong.Either way I don't care if she's gotten stronger or not.I finally located her again and now I'm going to settle the score for her victims."Helix said standing up.

"I'll come with you."Damien said standing too.

"You can come watch,but don't interfere.This is my fight,got it?"Helix said with a serious look.

"I'm coming with you two."I stood as well.

"Fine,then let's go now before she gets too far away."Helix said walking to the door.

"Dad,could you not tell the girls about this?"Damien asked.

"I won't.Don't worry I won't tell them where you're going either."

"Thanks dad."he said as we all took off.We entered the human world again and sprinted towards Kagome's home.We got there and could instantly feel Maira's strength.Helix was right,she was strong.

"MAIRA!QUIT HIDING AND FIGHT ME!"Helix yelled as loud as he could.Seconds later we saw the same woman in the picture walking toward us.She held a long katana dripping with blood at her side.She got up to us and held her sword in front of her face.

"I don't hide from anyone.I merely took a short break to get a drink."she said as she lifted her sword and licked the blood off it.A sinister grin appeared on her face and Helix grabbed his sword handle.

"You don't deserve to live any longer."he said coldly as she leered back at him.

"Ahh.Little brother.It's been a long time."

"It wouldn't have been if I'd have found you sooner."he snapped.

"Why the attitude?What have I ever done to offend you?"she asked with sarcasm.

"YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT YOU DID!NOW IT'S TIME TO REPAY THE FAVOR!"he ran at her and started to swing his sword,making her move out of the way.The second she moved he found out how fast she was and punched at her quickly.Amazingly she countered that and threw him to the ground.He rolled as soon as he hit and held his sword in front of him.He saw she had vanished and quickly froze time.He looked around then and saw that she had stopped inches away from slashing his face with her sword.(So that's how it's gonna be Maira?No apology first,then you try to kill me?Well two can play at unfair games.)he thought sheathing his sword again.He kept time frozen and began punching and kicking Maira as many times as he could.He knew the time freeze wouldn't last long so he was doing all the damage he could while it lasted.Finally time unfroze and Maira fell to the ground out of shock from the pain.She was hunched over as Helix jumped and began to swing his sword down on her.She rolled backwards out of the way and swung her sword at Helix.He jumped into the air and flipped backwards off her blade.Damien and I stared in awe at the rise in Helix's fighting ability.He landed on the ground and swung at her again.This time his blade connected and left a large cut on her right arm.She glared at him and jumped backwards.

"What's the matter Maira?Afraid to fight someone who's as strong as you?"Helix taunted as she landed.

"I'm not afraid of anyone.I'm just changing the odds of this fight a little."she said as she saw a kid walking down the opposite street.She quickly ran and grabbed him,holding her sword to his neck.Helix quickly grew more furious and started running at her.

"Drop your weapon little brother or this kid won't make it home."she threatened,pulling the edge closer to his neck.

"Fine,just let the kid go."he said with a tiny motion to us.Maira didn't know we were there watching and had no idea that he had just told us to save the kid.Damien got ready to freeze time while I prepared to run.Helix slowly lowered his blade to the ground and as he let go of it,Maira dropped the kid and ran at him.Damien quickly froze time and Helix kicked Maira to stop her attack,then he unfroze time.I grabbed the kid and quickly ran off into the distance with him.I returned him to his house safely,then ran back to the fight.I slid to a stop on the gravel road next to Damien.Maira got up after being blown to the ground by Helix's kick and smirked.

"I see you brought along some of your friends to help.Good idea."she smirked.

"SHUT UP MAIRA!AT LEAST I HAVE FRIENDS!"he yelled back angrily as he grabbed his sword.

"Friends are just allies for the weak."she sneered back.

"I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW WEAK I AM!"Helix said charging her again.He jumped in the air and swung down again as she dodged. His blade hit the ground and made a crack at least nine feet deep.Maira swung sideways quickly and slashed Helix in his left side. Blood flew from the wound,but Helix showed no signs of halting.He continued attacking her over and over hitting randomly,as more and more blood flew from his body.Maira had gotten several vicious counters with her blade and was showing no signs that Helix's attacks were even slowing her down.Two more hours passed as they continued their fight,then Maira got lucky.She managed to dodge another overhead swing from Helix,but as he was dodging her counter,he slid on some rocks and fell backwards.She took full advantage of that and stabbed at him.He tried rolling,but reacted too late and she stabbed him deep in his left side that had alread been wounded.Blood poured out of it every time he swung his sword now and Damien and I decided it was time we stepped in.We both drew our swords and waited for an open spot.After another minute,Maira knocked Helix off his feet and was about to stab him again.She pulled back her sword just as we took the opportunity.

"TIME CALIBUR!"

"WIND SCAR!"Maira never saw our attacks before they were about to strike her.The force of both the attacks hit her full-on and she flew over fifty yards before slamming into the ground.She got up slowly holding her own left side.She was now covered in cuts and was moving much slower than previously.Helix regretfully thanked us and moved in front of her.She walked toward him and gripped her sword tighter.

"You may have killed our parents,but I won't allow you to hurt my friends.You'll have to go through me first."he said holding his arms out sideways.Without a second thought,Maira lifted her sword and stabbed it straight through his shoulder.He winced from the pain,but ignored it.He grabbed her sword and pulled it out of him,handing it back to her.She had a look of disbelief on her face.

"You think that's funny!"she snapped.She pulled it back and stabbed him again,this time in the stomach.Helix smiled and pulled it out again,then handed it back to her.She was getting angry now and started to swing at his neck when Damien froze time.He ran at her and punched her as hard as he could.He unfroze time and watched her fly into the ground.

"WHO SAID YOU COULD INTERFERE DAMIEN!"Helix yelled angrily.

"I thought you could use some help!You were just standing there letting her stab you!"Damien argued.

"THAT'S MY DECISION TO MAKE!IF I WANT YOUR HELP I'LL ASK FOR IT!"he snapped.

"Fine!"Damien jumped back over to me and sat down to watch the rest of the fight.

"Maira,I don't care how much you hurt me.I'm not going to lose.You killed our parents and now it's my turn to get even for them."Helix said grabbing his sword tightly.He jumped into the air and charged up his energy.

"DARK RAIN!"Helix focused all the energy into his blade and swung it at the sky.As the wave of energy shot off,he flew back down to Maira and attacked her over and over.She blocked most of them,but wasn't ready for the energy he had shot.She was too focused on blocking his attacks to notice the rest of the attack.Helix had just enough time to move out of the way before the attack crashed into Maira.It blew her to the ground and she didn't move for a moment. Slowly she got to her feet and looked at Helix.She drew her sword as he gripped his tighter.The look on their faces meant that this was going to be the final attack.Maira had survived everything else,but if Helix struck with his attack,even she wouldn't survive it.Helix also knew that it was the same way for him.

"Maira,I hate having to kill my own sister,but I can't deny the fact that you deserve it."

"Wish I could say the same Helix."she said with a smirk.

"To give each other the same exact fair chance,we'll both attack on three okay?"

"Fine."

"Alright.One...two..."before Helix got to three Maira charged at him swiftly.Helix had been expecting her to cheat and instantly charged back.They both jumped into the air and were swinging at each other when they passed in front of the sun,blocking our view.They both landed looking perfectly normal,then Damien and I both saw Maira's right side.Helix had split it wide open and her shirt was already becoming soaked with blood.She fell to her knees and dropped her sword as Helix walked up to her.We followed and stopped behind him.

"I would wish you to a better place,but there is no possible way you would get there.All I can do now is apologize.Maira,I'm sorry that things turned out this way.I never in my worst nightmares hoped for anything like this to happen.I was hoping one day I could have found you and made you change the way you were."he said as she looked at him.A single tear rolled down her cheek and then her eyes closed.She relaxed and Helix instantly collapsed to his knees.Damien lifted him on his back and carried him to the shrine while I quickly buried Maira. When I was finished I followed them and we got back to the castle.We took Helix inside and placed him in his bed.Before the fight even began, the girls had found out about it,but Vega hadn't told them where it was.When we set Helix down,we went back into the living room and were bombarded with questions and angry looks by everyone except Yugena.Everyone else was really mad at us,but she was too preoccupied with Helix.She walked into his room and kneeled down next to the bed we had put him in.

"H-h-helix can I get you anything?"she asked blushing very deeply.

"No thank you.Why are you blushing Yugena?"he asked curiously.

"I am?Sorry."she apologized,looking at the ground.

"It's okay.Wait….you like me don't you?"he asked.

"Umm….no.What makes you think that?"

"It's just….your hands are shaking pretty bad.You seem nervous."

"Well I'm not."she replied without facing him.

"Yugena you don't have to lie to me…."Helix began to turn towards her without thinking and pain shot through his entire body.

"AAAHHH!"he quickly fell back to his original position and let the pain subside.

"Helix are you okay!"she gasped quickly.

"Yeah,I'll be fine.I've been hurt worse than this before."he smirked.

"You sure you don't want me to bandage those cuts or anything?"she asked blushing even more.

"Actually,if you wouldn't mind terribly,I would like that."

"Okay,I'll be right back."she quickly hurried off to the bathroom and returned with an armful of bandages and medicine.

"Alright,now just stay still for a little while okay?"she asked as he nodded.She lifted his shirt up,(which caused her another deep blush), and poured antiseptic in his wounds.Helix winced from the pain as Yugena began blowing on the cuts like a mother would to her child.He watched her as he realized she actually did like him.She stopped and began carefully wrapping bandages around his stomach.After a couple minutes she finished and sat on the bed next to him.He thanked her and closed his eyes.She stroked her fingers through his hair as she watched him.Helix finally realized he wasn't going to be able to sleep and opened his eyes to look at Yugena.

"I have a question Yugena."

"Yes?"

"Do you want to go out with me?"the question took her by surprise as she gave a shocked look.She instantly took it as a joke and looked away.

"Why do you ask?It's not like you want to go out with someone as ugly as me."

"What do you mean?You're not ugly,I think you're really pretty."he said as she blushed even deeper than before.

"Really?"

"Yes.It would really make me happy if you would be my girlfriend."

"You promise you're not joking?"

"I promise.So,will you?"he asked with a hopeful look.

"Yes!I will!"she said moving toward him quickly.Just in time she remembered he was hurt and kept herself from hugging him.Instead she kissed him on the cheek and smiled widely.

"I'm so happy!I thought you didn't even like me."

"How could I not like someone as cute as you?"he asked smiling.

"I'm not the cute one here Helix,you are."

"Whatever you say."

"Alright,I may be your girlfriend,but I'm never gonna get to go anywhere with you until you get better.That means you need to get some rest,okay?"

"Sure."Helix closed his eyes as she watched him go to sleep.

The longer she watched him sleep,the more tired it made her.Before she knew it,she had fallen next to him on the bed and was fast asleep.I finally managed to get away from the girls and walked in to check on Helix.I saw my sister lying on the bed with him and smiled.I had known it wouldn't be much longer before he asked her out.I had caught Yugena smiling at him when he wasn't looking on several occasions.She also treated him better than the rest of us and was constantly around him.As I watched her lying there with him,I knew Yugena had finally found someone who would always treat her well and be there for her.I walked out slowly and shut the door behind me.I walked quietly until I got in the living room and told everyone else the news.Marlene instantly jumped up ready to strangle Yugena for what she called stealing Helix. Tsunami ordered her to sit down and childhood memories of Tsunami as a mother told Marlene to listen.She sat down with a depressed look on her face and stared at the door to the room they were in.Everyone else was overjoyed for Yugena and quickly forgot why Helix was in bed in the first place.The next day consisted of Yugena taking care of Helix, leaving his room only a few times throughout the entire day,and everyone else talking about how cute they were together.Everyone except Damien and I that is.We listened to them commenting and making ridiculous gestures as long as we could,but finally we couldn't take it anymore and went outside.We decided to make use of the time and began training.For hours and hours we trained against each other,trying to learn new attacks.We kept creating hundreds,but all of them were either too weak,or took too long.With the sun directly over our heads the heat was severe,but we were both determined to learn at least one new attack.Damien tried all sorts of ways,but actually kept repeating the same thing over and over.He would charge up energy and attack continuously.I thought it was just a waste of energy,but it was actually the beginning of his new attack.He kept rising his power higher and higher,which scared me because I knew he would transform again if he went too high.Just before he got to that point,Damien's demon energy flared up in a red aura that surrounded him completely.He held up his sword and the aura engulfed it too.His eyes turned red and he quickly attacked me.He slashed at me over and over more times than I could count,then finally when I was on my knees and too hurt to fight back he threw his sword down and ran at me.He pulled back his fist and punched me as hard as he could in the chest.I flew back and bounced on the ground over and over until finally skidding to a stop three hundred yards away.He helped me up and we walked back where I rested in front of the castle.Damien decided to use that attack only when he got really mad and was going to call it Fatal Fury.After another hour I was healed again and was still determined to learn my attack.Damien agreed to let me use it full-strength since he had hit me when I couldn't fight back.We began training again only this time he just blocked my attacks.After another hour of failed attempts at new attacks I finally thought I had figured one out.

"Alright Damien get ready.I think I've got one now."I said as he gripped his sword.I charged as much energy as I could and ran at him.I dragged my sword across the ground and started to swing up at him.He brought his sword down with both hands in an attempt to stop my attack.My sword collided with his and sent it spiraling out of his hands.A surprised look flashed on his face as the rest of the attack slashed him across the chest.He staggered backwards a little,then faced at me with a disappointed look.It quickly turned to a confused look as he saw me looking the opposite direction.As he watched,I quickly flipped my sword around and sheathed it.The second the hilt touched the sheath,energy exploded right behind me and blew Damien even further than I had flown earlier.I helped him back and sat him down on the porch.He rested for an hour until he was healed again too and we decided to stop for the day.

"So,what did you think of my new attack?"I asked as he smirked.

"It's okay.I mean,you could do better,but…."he trailed off as we both started laughing.

"I'm gonna call that Rough Divide.Anyway,I'm tired of training today,let's go see if Helix has gotten much better."

"Alright."we both stood up and walked into his room.When we got there,Yugena was sitting beside his bed in a chair feeding Helix some of Vega's birthday cake.

"Hey Helix.You feeling any better today?"I asked sitting on the floor beside the bed.

"I'm still in a lot of pain,but I'll live."he said swallowing another forkful of cake.

"If that's pain you can stab me anytime."Damien said as I supressed a laugh.

"Well we just came to see if you two were….I mean if you were okay Helix."I corrected myself and stood up.

"Yeah,we'll leave you alone now smirked as we walked out of the room.

"Hey!What do you mean by that!"we heard Yugena ask.We both laughed and walked back into the living room.We sat down and watched TV for the rest of the evening,then Kagome decided we should go back to our own house.Vega invited us to stay again,but Kagome insisted.Serina found out and quickly hugged Damien with no intentions of letting go.

"Serina you have to go home."Damien said as she held onto him.

"I don't want to."she complained hugging him tighter.

"I've got an idea.If you go home,then I'll go with you.How does that sound?"Damien smiled at her.

"Could he dad?"she asked me hopefully.

"Uhhh….sure I don't care.As long as Vega doesn't mind."I said looking at him.

"I don't care.Have a good time."Vega said as Serina let go and grabbed Damien's hand.

"Thanks dad.I'll be back tomorrow."Damien said as they both walked out the door.Kagome and I followed as we waved goodbye to Vega and Ryoko.Our sisters had all decided to stay there,Yugena's excuse was that Helix still wasn't fully healed,so she wasn't going to leave.The other two said they were going to keep an eye on her.The rest of us got back to our house and saw Batosai,Kauru,Cloud,and Tifa all sitting on the front porch.We got to the porch and they all stood up.

"Where have you guys been all this time!"I asked surprised to see them.

"You've missed everything that's happened lately."Kagome added.

"Sorry,we didn't know.We all decided to take a vacation right after that last time we trained together.We meant to leave a number,but we were in such a hurry to get there we forgot."Kauru apologized.

"Oh,that's where you were.We were just wondering because you weren't around and you didn't answer your cell phone either Tifa."Kagome added.

"Yeah,sorry.I accidentally forgot it too."she blushed.

"So anyway,what all happened while we were gone?"Batosai asked.

"Let's go inside.I'll explain there."I said as we all moved inside and sat around in the living room except Serina and Damien who went up to her room.

"Serina leave your door open."Kagome said leering at Damien.He returned the look with a grin and walked with Serina up the stairs to her room.The rest of us sat down in various places of the room as Kagome brought everyone a soda.

"So where did you guys go for your vacation?"Kagome asked sitting down herself.

"First we took a cruise on this enormous ship that lasted nearly three days.It was really fun until Cloud got seasick."Tifa smiled.

"I told you I couldn't help it."Cloud frowned.

"I just wanted Kagome to know in case she wanted to take us on a vacation like that or something.Anyway,the boat was so big that it had a swimming pool,hot tub,buffet table,bar,tanning room,and a weight room all on the top floor."

"Wow.It must have been huge."

"It was.Okay,after we finally got off the boat,which was taking us to Hawaii by the way,we rented a hotel so we'd have a place to sleep. When that was taken care of,we all decided to hit the beach.We bought all sorts of drinks and food to take with us and walked to the edge of the water.We set our stuff down just far enough so we'd be as close as possible to the beach,but the tide wouldn't affect us.Batosai and Cloud fished and chased crabs all day long while Kauru and I tried to get a tan."Tifa smiled showing her newly tanned arms and legs.

"I thought you looked a little different."Kagome said.

"Yep.Anyway,like I said all we did during the day was tan,but when night came we decided to have fun with the guys.We all swam around for a long time and laid on the beach and did some other stuff."Tifa said as all four of them tried to hide smiles.We didn't even bother to ask what that was about,but let Tifa continue the story.

"Well,that's basically all we did the whole time.Then we came back.It was just nice to get away from everything and take a break for a while."she smiled.

"I bet.Next time don't forget about us."I smirked.

"Sorry,we should've thought about you guys,but we didn't."Kauru apologized.

"It's okay.By now I bet you want to know what happened when you were gone right?"I asked as they all nodded.I told them everything that had happened since the last time we all had all trained together.After I explained everything I answered all the questions they had and then laid down on the floor.Just as I did the cat that Kagome had brought Serina back,which she named Salem,ran out from under the kitchen table and dug it's claws into my face.It used my cheek as a catapult and flew over the stairs into the door to Serina's room.I jumped to my feet and tried to grab it,but it was already in her room.I decided to lay on the couch instead and rested my head on Kagome's lap.I closed my eyes and tried to see if I could hear Damien and Serina talking in her room.I could faintly hear them over everyone in the living room talking.I whispered for them to be more quiet and told them I was trying to hear what Damien and Serina were saying.Kauru complained at me for eavesdropping,but quickly disregarded it considering it was my own daughter I was listening to.Now that everyone else was quiet,I could hear them easily.

"Serina,there's something I've been wanting to do with you and I wasn't sure when to ask you about it.I really didn't want to ask you this any time your dad was around,so I think that now would be a good time okay?"I heard Damien ask.

"Sure,what is it?"

"Well,you see we haven't done much of anything lately,so I was wondering if…."

"Wondering what?"

"If umm….maybe you'd like to…."

"What Damien?Just ask."

"I just don't want to sound stupid or anything."

"Don't worry you won't.Just ask me."

"Alright.There's this one area in the demon world that I managed to find when I was looking for a good place to take you.It's a lake that seems to have been there for centuries.The water in that lake can never be contaminated with anything.Even if it does get pollution in it,a certain chemical in the water that is harmless to us destroys it.That's not even the best part of the lake.A long time ago,there was a volcano that erupted exactly where the lake stands today.After it did,the lake formed on top of the volcanic rock that was left over and washed all the ash and other stuff away.Now the entire bottom of the lake is covered by nine inches of diamond.(I heard Serina gasp.)Also,one of the best things about the place I'm going to take you is,at nightfall when the suns barely touches the horizon,it strikes the diamond coating at the bottom of the lake and for a small time the diamonds all shine red.So,what do you say?Would you like to go there with me tomorrow?"

"Yes.It's sounds amazing.I can't wait to see the lake!"she said getting excited.Damien put a finger over her lips and she got quiet.

"You can't tell anyone about the lake except your mom and dad.If anyone else finds out,then everyone will want to go.I don't want that to happen.I spent a long time trying to find the perfect spot for us to spend time together and I want to be able to go there and be alone with you any time.You promise you won't tell anyone?"he took his finger away and I could hear her whisper yes.

"Alright.You need to get your dad alone and tell him about it sometime tonight.Don't forget to remind him not to tell anyone either okay?"

"Okay."

"Good.Now I'm gonna go downstairs and chase everyone off the couch so I can get some rest.I'm tired."I heard the slight creak of the springs in Serina's bed as Damien stood up,then walked to the door.Just as he got to it Serina stopped him.

"Why don't you just sleep in my bed?I'm sure that'd be better than you interrupting their conversation."she said as he let go of the doorknob.

"Are you sure it's okay with you?"he asked.

"Yes.You said you were tired and my bed's a lot more comfortable than the couch.Just lay down and go to sleep.I'll be right here the whole time okay?"

"Alright,but if you want to sleep in your bed you can have it.I don't mind the couch."

"It's no big deal.Besides,if I want to I'll still sleep in my bed.I don't care if you're there."she said as he smiled.I didn't even want to hear anymore,so I quickly went in my room and fell asleep.

"Okay,I'll turn the other way so you can change or whatever."she said turning around and covering her eyes.He smiled to himself and took off his shoes,jacket and top shirt.He slid under the covers and told her she could turn around.She did and laughed at him.

"What's so funny?"

"What's wrong?Are you afraid to be in your girlfriend's bed?"

"No.What makes you think that?"

"Well you were a lot more willing to take your clothes off at the hot spring."she smiled.

"Yeah,well I don't think it would look very good if your dad walks in and I'm in nothing but my boxers laying in your bed."he smiled.She smiled back and laid down next to him.

"Goodnight Damien."she kissed him and put her arms around him. He did the same and she smiled again.As he held her,she could feel his muscles holding her against him.The warmth of his body acted as another blanket to her and she soon fell asleep without realizing it.The next morning she woke up and found that Damien was still there,and they were both still holding each other.She touched his shoulder and shook him softly.He opened his eyes and realized he was still holding her.He let go thinking that was what she wanted and stretched.She told him he didn't have to let go,but that she had only wanted him to be awake so she had someone to talk to.He nodded and held her again. This time he slowly moved his hands up and down her back,which caused her to jerk quickly.

"What's wrong?"he asked.

"That tickles."she smiled and closed her eyes again.Instead of that Damien stroked his fingers through her hair and smiled to himself.Just then,Damien noticed that the door to Serina's bedroom had been shut. He showed her and they both wondered who it had been that had seen them.They quickly decided it was too early to wonder and Serina closed her eyes.She moved her hands along Damien's back as he had done to her,only it didn't tickle him.He continued smiling and ran his other hand along her cheek.He poked her dimple,causing her to smile wider, and pulled her a little closer toward him.She looked at him and grabbed the back of his head,pulling him toward her.They both closed their eyes and began kissing.They caressed each other as they kissed and finally stopped after a long time.When they did Damien realized Serina was trembling.

"What's wrong?"he asked.

"It's nothing.I've just never been kissed like that before."she blushed and turned away.

"It's okay.I don't care if you haven't.I just wanted to make sure you weren't cold or anything."he said turning her face back toward him.

"I think you took care of that problem."she smiled.

"Same goes for you."he smiled back.Serina let go of Damien and turned over with her back toward him.She snuggled up really close to him and Damien rested his chin on her head.He held his arm over her and moved the other one under his pillow.They stayed that way for nearly another hour,then finally decided to get up.Damien got up and put his clothes back on while Serina put on a bathing suit under her clothes.They both finished and sat back down on the bed.

"You really need to ask your dad if you can go to that place with me.Let's go see if he's awake."Damien stood up.

"Okay."she did the same and stretched.They both walked out of her room and into the living room.They didn't find anyone in the there so they continued walking into the kitchen.There they found Kagome cooking breakfast.They sat down at the counter and she greeted them.

"So,did you guys have a good rest?"she asked with a smile on her face.They both realized she was the one that had shut the door.

"Yeah we did."Damien answered expecting an angry response.

"Good."she said still smiling.

"Mom?Why are you so happy?"Serina asked surprised.

"I have my reasons."

"Uhh….Serina can I talk to your mom in private for a minute?"Damien asked as she nodded and walked out.

"Why did you make her leave?"Kagome asked him.

"Okay,tell me one thing.Are you mad at me?"

"No.Of course not."she stated obviously.

"Why not?I got the impression that you didn't like me being with Serina.Even if you were over that,aren't you mad at me for….Damien cleared his throat….sleeping with her last night?"

"Last night I still didn't want you to go out with her because I didn't trust you,which is why I made her leave her door open."

"So why aren't you mad at me for doing that with her last night?"

"Because you did a very smart thing then Damien.You earned my trust.You had the opportunity to do more than you did with Serina last night,but for some reason you didn't.That's why I'm not mad at you.I do have a question though."

"What is it?"

"Why didn't you do anything more with her?"

"I didn't want to do anything like that until I had both her parents permission."

"Really?That's honestly the reason?"

"Yes."he answered truthfully.

"Thank you Damien.I appreciate you taking that into consideration."

"You're welcome.Umm….by the way,can I ask you something?"

"Sure,anything."Kagome smiled.

"Would it be alright if I took Serina somewhere this evening?"

"Sure.Where are you going?"

"Well,I've been looking for a special place to take her since the first day I started going out with her,and I think I finally found the best spot.I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone but Inuyasha where it is though."Kagome nodded in agreement and he told her what and where the place was.

"Wow Damien.It's sounds beautiful.I hope you guys have fun."

"So you'll tell Inuyasha for us?"

"Yes.You can go ahead and leave in a second.I'll explain it to him later,but right now I want to talk to Serina for a little while okay?"

"Alright.Thanks a lot for trusting me Kagome.I'm really glad you do."Damien smiled.

"You're welcome.Just don't ruin it."she said seriously.

"I won't."he walked out of the kitchen and told Serina about everything she had said.Then he told her that Kagome wanted to see her and Serina walked into the kitchen.She sat at the counter too and looked at her mom who was smiling.

"Thank you so much mom.I'm really glad you like Damien now."

"I just remembered how it was similar to when Inuyasha and I started going out.At first my parents didn't like him either,but they gave him a chance just like I gave Damien."

"Yep.So,what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted to ask how it went last night."Kagome grinned.

"MOM!"Serina complained.

"Sorry,I just want to know how it went."

"I'm not gonna say that to my mom.That's just wrong."

"What's wrong with that?It's just a question.I've made out a few times before too.You're not the only one.So just tell me how good Damien was."Kagome smiled at Serina's embarrassment.

"He was amazing okay!There,happy?Damien's a great kisser and he has a really soft touch,and…."

"Okay Serina.Calm down.No need to get embarrassed."Kagome interrupted as Damien held back laughter in the living room.He hadn't been listening,but Serina said that part so loud he could hear her easily.He smiled to himself as they continued talking.

"That was the best night I've had so far in my life,let me put it that way.There,satisfied?"Serina asked her mom as she began blushing.

"It's okay Serina.There's no reason to be afraid to tell your mom stuff like that.I understand the way you feel though.It was the same way for me when I told my mom Inuyasha and I had made out for the first time."

"Okay mom.Thanks again for understanding about what Damien did and everything.It's nothing personal,I just really don't wanna hear about my mom and dad making out okay?"Serina smiled.

"Yes I understand.So,are you leaving to that place Damien found now?"

"If you don't mind."

"I don't.I'll explain it to your father later.Have a good time."

"Okay,bye mom."

"Wait.Before you go,I want you to remember something.Like I told Damien,don't make me lose the trust I have in you Serina."

"I won't mom.I love you."

"I love you too.Bye Serina."Kagome smiled to herself as she heard them both leave and shut the door behind them.In a couple hours I got up and she explained the whole situation to me,along with what happened the previous night.At first I was mad at Damien,then I realized the same thing Kagome had.He could have done a lot more,but he chose not to.I stopped being mad quickly and ate the breakfast that Kagome had made.At the time I was eating,Damien and Serina were already in the demon world walking toward the place he had found.It took them nearly thirty minutes to get there because they kept making sure no one had followed them.Damien wanted it to be their own private spot that only himself,Serina,Kagome,and I knew about.They finally got there about an hour later.By that time it was a few minutes before one o'clock.Damien held Serina's hand as they climbed a large hill.He covered her eyes just before they reached the top and he walked her to the edge of a cliff.He told her to sit down and did the same himself.He removed his hands and told her she could look.She opened her eyes and gasped instantly.From where they sat,she could see the entire lake he had told her about.They were both at least thirty feet above it,but the lake as so clear she could still see straight to the bottom.She quickly grabbed Damien and kissed him on the lips.

"It's so beautiful!Thank you for bringing me here."she smiled.

"You're welcome.Like I said,I've been looking for the perfect spot for a long time.I thought I had finally found it,was I right?"

"Yes Damien.You were right.This is amazing."Serina said looking around the rest of the area.She saw animals running around and birds flying through the air singing.She saw other small areas of water surrounding the cliff.In them were all kinds of turtles,ducks,fish,and other water animals.

"For some reason,this place seems to have been untouched by any demons.These animals are so calm around us.I wonder why no one has ever been here before?"Damien asked curiously.

"Who cares?As long as they haven't."Serina said watching two turtles chasing each other in a nearby pond.

"Yeah you're right.Let's not worry about that."

"Right.Hey Damien,how cold is the water in the lake?"

"It's hardly cold at all."

"You wanna go for a swim?"

"Sure,let's go."he stood up and grabbed her hand.He pulled her up and continued holding her hand as they walked down to the edge of the lake.They got there and Damien took off his clothes until he was down to only his boxers.

"Why didn't you take your pants off last time?"Serina asked blushing at the sight of him again.

"I don't know.I didn't think about it.This time I don't want to get my pants wet."

"Okay,well just give me a second and I'll be ready too."she took off all her clothes too,leaving the bathing suit she had put on earlier that morning.Damien blushed as she set her clothes down and walked over to him.

"What?"she asked not realizing she was staring at his stomach.

"Nothing.Why are you staring at my stomach?"he asked as she snapped out of her trance.

"Sorry,I didn't mean to."

"It's okay,I was staring at you too."he blushed.

"And just what were you looking at?"she asked laughing.

"What were you just looking at?"he laughed back.

"I was looking at your six-pack Damien."she laughed seeing that he hadn't expected an answer.

"Well I was looking at your….never mind."Damien smiled as he jumped in the water.

"That's what I thought."she said jumping in with him.

"So anyway,I don't mean to hog all the ideas for things to do.Is there anywhere you'd like to take me or something?"Damien asked.

"It's okay.I like you taking me places,and no I can't think of anywhere I want to take you."

"Alright,well if you do just tell me."

"Okay.Right now I just want to swim with you until I'm too tired to move anymore."she smiled at him.

"That's fine with me.Whatever you want."

"Alright,let's race to the other side and back."she smiled as she moved to the same spot as Damien.

"One….two….three….GO!"Damien and Serina swam as fast as they could to the other side and Damien was winning.He thought as he was swimming and slowed down just enough so she wouldn't notice it.She passed him just as they got back to the starting line and caught her breath.She started cheering because she had won and he smiled to himself.He would practically kill Helix to win a contest and here he was letting this girl win just because of his feelings for her.She asked what he was smiling about and he started smirking.

"Just thinking about the look on your face after the rematch."

"Alright then.One….two….three….GO!"they took off again and Damien slowed down just enough to where she was right behind him when he won.

"I almost won again."she smiled happily.She fell backwards and started floating on her back.Damien watched as she closed her eyes and he smirked.He moved as slowly as he could toward her so she wouldn't notice he was moving.While her eyes were still closed Damien leaned over and blew on her stomach with his mouth.

"Damien!"she shrieked as she began laughing and fell under the water.She came back to the top and shoved his head underwater.He came back up and smiled at her.She smiled and pushed him onto his back.He started floating and she blew on his stomach.His muscles tightened as he laughed and she continued.She finally stopped and laughed as she saw how red Damien's face was.He quickly stood back up and caught his own breath.She continued laughing at him until she saw him running through the water at her.

"Damien no!"she squealed as he tackled her and they both fell underwater.They both swam back to the surface and gasped for breath.When they were finally able to breathe normally again,Serina swam over to Damien and hugged him for no reason at all.He smiled at her and held her back as he watched the happy look on her face.They let go and climbed back up on the rock ledge on the outskirts of the lake.Serina laid on her back and tried to tan as Damien sat beside her.There were no clouds in sight and Damien quickly realized she could get a sunburn trying to tan then.

"Serina,don't try to get a tan right now.I don't mind at all that you want to,but I don't want you to get burned.You don't have any sunblock on and there are no clouds at all in the sky.You've also been swimming so it's not a good idea to do that."

"Oh yeah,good point.Let's go find a place with more shade then."she said standing up.He agreed and walked her to a nearby oak tree.They sat under it and closed their eyes.They took a short nap and woke up just as the sun was setting.Damien walked Serina back to the edge of the lake and they sat down together.They waited for just a few minutes until the sun began to touch the horizon.At that exact moment,a wave of crimson swept over the diamond flooring of the lake they sat beside. Serina gasped and Damien smiled at her.She started to kiss him,then suddenly stopped.With a sly smile she slid into the water and waited for Damien to join her.He jumped in and she pulled him toward her again. They kissed again even more passionately than the night before.They held each other and stood in the cool,crimson water as they caressed each other.By the time they finished,the moon was already high in the night sky.As they rested,Damien remembered something he wanted to tell Serina.

"Hey Serina."Damien said pulling himself up onto the rocky edge of the lake.

"Yes?"she looked up at him as she floated in the water.

"There's something I wanna tell you."he said looking away.

"What is it Damien?What's wrong?"she asked leaning on the edge in front of him.

"Well,I planned this a while ago before I thought anything would happen between us.Helix and I have decided to get a place of our own. The only problem is that after we move out we're going to search for the jewel shards on our own.We had decided to travel together,but when we do then we'd constantly be on the move.If that happens,then I won't be able to see you as much."he said looking down at her.Her eyes glistened and reflected the moon above them.He grabbed the sides of her face and looked her straight in the eye.

"Don't even think that I don't want to be with you Serina.Nothing that could ever happen to me would be as good as going out with you.I will visit you as much as possible,I promise."

"Why can't you just stay here and look for them with my dad?"

"Because if we split up then we'll find the shards a lot faster."

"Alright.Well….thank you for telling me."she said on the verge of tears.

"Serina,why are you about to cry?"

"I just….don't want you to go anywhere."she said as she gave up and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Serina,stop that.Quit crying."Damien said as he pulled her out of the water and sat her next to him.He wiped the tears off her face and grabbed her in a loving hug.

"I promise this won't ruin our relationship.Everything will be the same as soon as we're finished.So no crying okay?"

"Alright,I'm sorry."she said holding him tightly.

"It's okay.I'm sorry that we have to do this,but we do.On the bright side though,I'm not leaving for another week.Until then we can do anything you wanna do."he smiled at her.

"Okay.Right now I just wanna stay here."she said still holding him.

"That's fine.Anything you want."he closed his eyes as he held her too and didn't even notice the tiny drop of water that slid down his cheek.

They held each other for a while,then agreed it was time to go home. By the time they got home,it was nearly two a.m.They both got to the door and Damien decided since he was going to move soon he would stay the night again.They quietly opened the door and walked in.They crept up to Serina's room and Damien thought it would be better if he slept on the couch that night.They knew they would get complained at in the morning,so they didn't want to make it any worse.Damien tucked her in and kissed her goodnight,then grabbed a blanket from Serina's closet.He walked down the stairs to the living room and laid on the couch.He threw the blanket over him and fell asleep quickly.He slept soundly for the rest of the night and woke up at about nine o'clock the next morning.He yawned and stretched,then stood up and walked into the bathroom.He looked in the mirror and rubbed his eyes to make sure he was actually looking at himself.He had tossed and turned on the couch that night and it had messed his hair up.Every single strand seemed to be pointed in a different direction.He turned the sink on and put the plug in the bottom.It filled up with cold water and he dunked his head in it.The shock of the water woke him up instantly and he lifted his head out.He shook his head strongly,throwing most of the water off his hair.Then he parted his hair in the middle with his fingers so it would dry that way.He walked back into the living room with his hair still damp and kept walking into the kitchen.No one was there and he explored the rest of the house.He couldn't find anyone except Serina who was in her room,so he guessed Kagome and I were still asleep.He thought about opening our bedroom door to check if we were there,but quickly decided against it.Instead,he went back into Serina's room and kneeled next to her bed.

"Serina,wake up."he whispered shaking her lightly.She groaned and turned over.He smiled at her and shook her again.She turned back toward him and opened her eyes.She rubbed her eyes and saw it was him.She sat up in bed and held the covers around her.

"Good morning sleepy-head."he smiled as she yawned.

"Good morning.When did you get up?"she asked tiredly.

"Just a few minutes ago."he said standing up.

"Where are you going?"she asked with another yawn.

"I'm just gonna step out of the room for a second so you can get dressed."

"Okay,I'll be ready in a sec."she said as he walked out.She changed into some clean clothes and told him he could come back in.Damien came in and sat on the bed as she brushed her hair.

"I hope your parents don't get too mad at me…."Damien said hopefully.

"They won't.My parents are very understanding."

"Yeah,to their daughter.Not her boyfriend."

"Don't worry,they'll understand."

"Oh yeah,speaking of understanding…."Damien trailed off.

"Yes?"Serina asked curiously.

"Well as you know today I have to go home and then I'm…."

"Oh yeah….that."Serina said looking away.

"I'm really sorry."he apologized.

"It's okay,I can live without seeing you very much."Serina said on the verge of crying again.

"Serina,listen to me.Just because I'm moving away doesn't mean that I won't see you."he said standing up.

"Yes it does.You're going to be too busy for me and…."she stopped her sentence so she wouldn't burst into tears.Damien walked over and held her in his arms.

"I could never be too busy for you.You're the most important thing in the world to me.That's why I have to move away.I have to get the jewel shards back so no one will get strong enough to hurt you.I can't stay here and allow myself to be distracted from my goal.I've got to find them all as soon as possible."

"I'm sorry Damien.I shouldn't be so sad over something that you're doing for me,but…."

"It's okay.You have a right to be upset."he said still holding her as she began to cry.

"Serina,don't cry.How about this?Any time you want me to visit for a little while,just call that cell phone Kagome gave my mom."

"Why would that do any good?"

"Because my mom said when I move out,she's gonna give it to me so we can stay in touch.So,how does that sound?"

"Good.At least I'll get to talk to you."she said as her tears slowed down.

"That's better.I don't like it when you cry."Damien let go of her and they both sat back down on the bed.

"Okay,I'll try not to be sad anymore.So,where are you and Helix going to move to?"she asked as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"We found this place about ten miles before that area I took you to yesterday.I would have shown you where our house was going to be, but I was in too much of a hurry to take you to the lake."

"That's okay.I'll see it soon."

"Yeah,when we get the house set up and stuff,I'll show it to you."

"Okay."she said smiling for the first time that morning.

"That's what I want to see on your face.That cute smile."he said causing her to smile more.At that moment,they both heard the phone ring downstairs and they quickly jumped up to answer it.Serina got through the door first and ran down the stairs to answer it.She got there just before it could ring again and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello Serina,it's Helix.Is Damien awake?"

"Oh hi Helix.Yeah hang on."she handed Damien the phone.

"Hey Helix.You feeling better now?"Damien said as he took the phone.

"Yeah,I've been fine for about a full day now.Anyway,Damien there's something I need your help with."he said with a tone of urgency.

"What's up?"he asked as his expression grew serious.

"I've been up since five this morning and I was really bored.So I wrote your mom a note and told her I was just going for a walk and that I'd be back at ten.Well,then I left and froze time so I could cover ground faster.I didn't lie,I was just going for a walk,but I didn't tell her where."

"So where'd you go?"Damien asked.

"Even as long as we've both been around,there's still areas of this world we haven't discovered.I decided to see what was out there so I went to the last place I remember exploring as a kid.Beyond that I had no idea what it was like.When I was a child I was too afraid to go there and when I got older I didn't think about it anymore.Today for some reason I thought about it and went there.The farthest I have ever been in the demon world was what all the people that know about it call, "The Edge of Life."They call it that because beyond that point is where the most vicious and powerful demons reside."

"You went there!Helix you could've gotten killed!"Damien said loudly,scaring Serina.

"What happened?Where did he go?"she asked concerned.

"Hold on I'll tell you in a second.Helix what were you thinking!"Damien snapped at him.

"Why do you say I could've gotten killed?"

"All the rumors I've heard of that place are terrifying.Even now I have yet to go there.My father told me never to go there.He said even he was afraid of that place."

"Your dad was afraid of that place?I thought he was the ruler of all the demons?"

"He was,in the demon world that we know.As far as to the Edge of Life he was the absolute ruler,but beyond that he had no effect on the demons at all.They simply revolted against him and threatened to murder him if they were bothered again.Since then,nobody except the demons that live there have ever entered that place."

"Well I changed that,but that isn't the point.The point is,I need you to go there with me."

"What!You're going back!And now you want to take me!Why!"

"I would never dream of going back there if it wasn't for one thing."

"What's that?"Damien asked.

"I only walked a short way farther than I did as a child,but I got far enough to find a cave."

"So?Why's that such a big deal?"

"It's just,I could have sworn I heard a girl crying inside it.I would've stayed longer,but as I was watching a demon must have smelt me.He came out of the cave with his nose in the air and looked directly at me.I was too afraid to fight him.I had never been in that area before and I didn't know how many more demons there could have been in that cave.So I froze time and took off.I just got back here and then I called you."

"Helix,there's no way a girl could've been in that area of the demon world…."

"Damien,I'm doing this wether you help or not.It would be a lot easier if you'd help though."Helix said sternly.

"Alright,I'll be there in five minutes."Damien said hanging up the phone.

"What was that all about?"Serina asked seeing the serious expression on his face.

"There's something I'm going to have to do."

"Well I'll help."

"No Serina,I won't allow that.You haven't been training long enough to handle this.You could get seriously hurt if you follow me."

"But isn't it bad enough that I'm not going to see you for a long time after today?Can't I just come with you?"

"Serina….I….(The thought that he was moving crossed his mind again)….alright you can come."

"Alright,so where…."

"But if things get out of hand,I want you out of there as fast as possible.Understand?"Damien interrupted.

"Okay."

"That's not good enough.I want you to promise me that you'll leave."

"Okay Damien,I promise I will leave if you tell me too."

"Alright.Here's what we were talking about."Damien explained quickly what Helix had said and they left to meet him.In a few minutes they had reached Vega's castle and saw Helix waiting outside.Damien quickly explained why Serina had followed and Helix nodded,then started running.Damien carried Serina and followed Helix quickly.In just over an hour they had reached the "Edge of Life."Helix stopped abruptly,causing Damien to nearly drop Serina as he stopped right behind him.

"This is where I stopped before I saw the cave.Apparently the demons can't hear or smell this far away,so as long as we stay here we're safe. The cave I heard the voices coming from is right over there."Helix pointed to a cave entrance in the side of a mountain nearly three-hundred yards away.

"I don't hear anything Helix."Damien commented setting Serina down.

"Listen closely."Helix said as they all closed their eyes and strained to hear any sound from the cave.After a moment of silence,their ears picked up on the faint sound of a young girl's crying.Damien quickly opened his eyes and walked toward the cave entrance.

"Damien wait!We need a plan!"Helix snapped.

"I've got a plan!Get the girl out of there!"he said running toward the cave.Before he was even ten yards closer,Helix saw a demon move out of the cave and walk directly toward Damien.In a split second Damien was upon the demon and they both stopped inches from each other.

"Why are you holding that little girl hostage!"Damien snapped.

"We need her for energy."the demon replied with a leer.

"Why do you need her for energy!You can use an adult at least!"

"We use her because she is a half-demon."

"Well find another one and let her go!"Damien said raising his voice.

"No,we will use her."

"NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT!"Damien yelled pulling back his fist.He put as much energy as he could into it and hurled his fist at the demon.His knuckles struck the demon's hard chest and he didn't even budge.Damien gave a shocked expression as the demon smirked.In an instant its hand blurred and reappeared as it slammed into Damien's face.Blood flew from his mouth as Damien flew to the ground.He quickly rolled backwards,barely managing to dodge the demon's fist as it crashed into the ground.He flipped to his feet and connected another strong right punch,this time to the demon's left cheek.Damien held his fist against the demon's face as he stared in shock.He hadn't even managed to turn it when he punched.The demon smirked and his hand blurred again.He struck Damien in the face with the back of his fist,throwing him to the ground.Damien lifted himself up just in time to see the demon's foot as it connected with his chin.He crashed back into the ground as he saw the demon jump into the air.It dove back down quickly and slammed its heel into Damien's stomach. He lurched forward in pain as the demon stepped back and watched with a smile.Helix watched as Serina pulled her weapon apart and started to throw it.

"Wait!If you attack that demon then he'll just come after you too.If Damien can't beat it then there's no way you could handle it."Helix snapped grabbing her arms.

"Let me go!If we don't do something Damien could get hurt really badly!"she snapped back.

"Then let me do it.That way you're still out of danger."Helix said letting her go.She nodded and thanked him as he drew his sword and ran toward the battle site.Just before he got there he saw another demon exit the cave and move toward him.He ran at that demon and swung his sword as hard as he could.The demon grabbed the blade as it cut through the air,then pulled it out of Helix's grip.It hurled the blade away,slamming it into the ground at Serina's feet.Helix gave a sudden look of shock and fear as the demon smiled.It pulled back its fist and swung forward so fast that Helix wasn't able to react at all.The punch connected directly with his ribs.Helix felt some of them shatter inside him,then the demon pulled back his fist again.It swung forward once more and Helix closed his eyes.He heard the attack hit something and opened his eyes to see Damien standing above him.He had used his left forearm to block the attack and Helix could easily tell it had been broken.Just as Helix got up to attack the demon back,the opposite one Damien had been fighting before slammed his foot into the side of his head.He flew a short distance away before crashing into the ground harshly.Just as he hit the ground,both demons attacked Damien at once.They both punched at his head from opposite directions,but he saw it in time to duck down.As he crouched down he didn't think they would have expected him to do that.He found out otherwise as both of their opposite fists struck his stomach and back.He fell to the ground and refused to move.Serina couldn't stand watching anymore.She saw Helix get up and quickly picked up his sword.She ran and gave it to him,seperating her blade again.She hurled both halves of it at the two demons.They turned from Damien and caught both halves in mid-air. They both noticed her and hurled the blades back at her even faster than she had thrown them.Serina turned her head and barely managed to avoid the two blades.As they spun through the air past her,they left a small cut on both of her cheeks.She didn't watch them any longer, expecting them to far harmlessly to the ground in the distance.She was more focused on the two demons that knew she were there.As she watched,neither of them did anything and she was wondering why.

"LOOK OUT!"she was snapped out of her curiosity by the sound of Damien and Helix's voices.She looked around her,but couldn't see anything.A sharp stab of fear hit her as she realized what they were talking about.Just before she could react,the blades that had narrowly missed her face cut through the air back toward her.She couldn't even move before they both struck her in the back.The blades sunk deep,but luckily it was not deep enough to hit her spine.Serina screamed in pain as she fell to the ground.In just a few seconds after her screaming, dozens more of the demons came out of the cave and started looking around.They saw Damien and the others,then quickly moved toward Serina.She was bleeding badly and the smell was pulling them toward her.Damien saw this and quickly jumped to his feet.

"HELIX GET SERINA OUT OF HERE!FREEZE TIME NOW AND RUN!"he yelled angrily.Helix quickly froze time and ran over to her.He pulled the blades out carefully and connected them back together.He put her weapon around his sword so he didn't have to hold it and picked her up gently.

"I'll be back soon Damien!'he said hurriedly.Even though time was frozen,sound could still travel.Helix ran toward Serina's house quickly and unfroze time when he was only a mile away.Back in the fight,all the demons that left the cave had surrounded Damien in a circle. They all snarled at him and bared their fangs visiously.Damien leered back at them and gathered all the energy he had left.He hunched over slightly as he tightened every muscle in his body and released his energy.

"HAAAAAAAA!"all the energy that was left in Damien's body triggered his transformation once again.

His hair turned white and small flares of energy floated off his body like they were nothing.He set his feet firmly against the ground,shooting off sparks from the mere effort of moving them.All the demons smiled at this sudden change in power.Damien glared at all of them and instantly vanished.He reappeared as his fist slammed into the first one he had fought.He struck the demon's face and this time it moved.The demon rocketed through the air until crashing into the wall of the cave.He hit the rock wall and slid down it,leaving a trail of blood as he fell.He hit the ground and didn't move anymore.Damien smirked as all the other demons ran toward him.At the same time Helix had just gotten Serina back home to Kagome and explained what happened to me.Helix laid Serina on the bed as Kagome got the medicine to help her wounds.While she was taking care of Serina,Helix told me what had happened to her and what Damien was doing.I knew that Kagome could handle Serina on her own,so Helix and I quickly left to go help Damien.As we were running there,Damien was dong his best to fight all the other demons at the same time.There must have been at least thirty that he had to fight at once.Finally one of them managed to barely kick his foot,but even that threw him off balance.In the split second it took him to regain his balance,the demons attacked him.Several punches and kicks hit him in the stomach and back,while a couple struck his head.He fell to the ground and back-flipped out of the way as they all hit the ground where he had been moments before.He flipped far enough so that he was out of their range and he took advantage of that.He knew he couldn't win without using a special attack so he gathered every ounce of energy he had in his transformed state and focused it throughout his body.Soon a red aura surrounded him and his eyes turned crimson.He held up his sword and it was quickly engulfed in red flames too.He quickly ran at all the demons around him and slashed them all thousands of times.Then he threw his sword down and jumped high into the air.He flew back down with unimaginable speed and slammed his fist into the ground as hard as he could.All the energy he had left was in his fist as it collided with the area all the demons were surrounding.The second the attack hit,the energy in his fist shot off and struck every demon around him.He thought they were all killed instantly and Damien fell to his knees.His hair changed back and he was normal again.Out of sheer exhaustion,Damien fell asleep on the spot.He collapsed so quickly that he didn't even notice his attack had missed one demon.It was the second one that had appeared out of the cave.The demon saw that Damien was asleep and quickly picked up his sword.It stood over Damien and lifted the sword above its head.The demon was just about to swing when its sharp hearing picked up on the sound of something flying through the air.The demon swung Damien's sword backwards and collided directly with my Tatsaiga.The collision caught me off guard and knocked me to the ground.The demon angrily threw Damien's sword at me,thinking that I wouldn't be fast enough to dodge in mid-air.I couldn't move my body in time,but luckily its aim had been off.All I had to do was turn my head and the blade missed me. Unfortunately I realized too late that Helix had been directly behind me.Damien's sword flew past me and stabbed completely through his right shoulder.He pulled the blade out and applied pressure to his shoulder in order to slow the bleeding.The demon quickly turned on me and attacked.I was not prepared for its strength as it slammed its fist into my chest.I felt my ribs crack and quickly dug my claws into it's forearm.It tried to pull its arm back,only causing my claws to tear deep gashes in its arm.The demon snarled and lunged at me with its fangs.I was caught completely off guard by the attack as it sank its fangs deep into my left shoulder.I screamed in pain then realized it had made a terrible mistake in biting my shoulder.I quickly charged up my energy and attacked the demon from point-blank range.

"IRON REAVER!"my claws tore easily through the demon's neck and I removed its head from my shoulder.I quickly made sure Helix wasn't in too bad of shape and did the same to Damien.I saw he was just extremely tired and told Helix to wake him up.As he did that I headed for the cave where I heard a girl crying.I cautiously entered, making sure there were no demons.When I discovered there weren't any I ran in and found the girl sitting alone in the dark cave as tears rolled down her face.She was an extremely young girl,I imagined only six-years-old at the most.I explained to her I was not going to harm her and that I was going to help her get out.Her face immediately brightened up and then I asked who she was.

"My first name is Shiori.I don't know my last name."she replied sadly.

"Did those demons take you from your home?"

"Yes,when I was smaller."

"Why did you decide only to cry today?I would have heard you sooner if you had done that before."

"I could sense that someone new was at the entrance to this place,so I cut myself with a sharp rock and pretended that was why I was crying.I was hoping someone would hear me and come save me.I guess before I wasn't smart enough to think of that."

"Well your wish has come true.I'm here to take you away from this place.Now come on,I'll carry you out of here."I said reaching for her.

"You can't.They put these on me so I couldn't get out."she pointed to chains that held her legs to the cave floor.

"Well here,I can pull those apart."I grabbed the chain and was immediately shocked by electricity so hard it threw me against the wall.

"See?You can't get me out of these."she said sadly.

"Don't be sad.Here,see this?"I pulled out my sword.Her eyes widened out of fear.

"Don't worry,I won't hurt you.I'm going to get you free with this."I lifted the Tatsaiga above my head as she moved back as far as the chains would allow.I brought the sword down hard and slammed into the chain.The instant it touched the chain the sword transformed back to normal and barely made a scratch.I gaped in shock and tried again. After getting the same effect I sheathed the sword and tried to think of a way to get her free.I saw the girl was on the verge of tears and I couldn't stand it.

"I will get you out,I promise."I said grabbing the chains.

They shocked me again,but this time I didn't fly.I allowed the electricity to flow through me and tried as hard as I could to pull the chains apart.I was forced to let go after a short time.It seemed the harder I tried,the more voltage was created.I saw her begin to cry again and was even more determined to get her free.I grabbed the chains again,with no intentions of ever letting go this time.I pulled as hard as I could until I realized I couldn't pull them apart.I summoned my energy and changed to full demon.This time I grabbed the chain and it reacted to my new energy fiercely,sending an enormous amount of voltage through my body.I pulled as hard as I could while the electricity flowed through me.I put every ounce of strength I had into one last attempt and pulled.For a second,a link on both chains began to slowly bend apart,then they split in half and the chains went flying out of my hand.All that was still attached to Shiori were the small parts that held her ankles and short fragments of chain.I cut them off with my claws and picked her up.As I held her,she grabbed me in the tightest hug I thought a six-year-old could give,and then went to sleep.I left the cave and saw Helix and Damien waiting for me.Damien was leaning on Helix's left shoulder while Helix still held his right strongly to keep it from bleeding.I walked up to them and nodded at Damien as he understood what I meant.He froze time and we all ran home quickly. Even as fast as we went,we still got there just as it was turning dark. When we got to the door we were confronted by our whole group. Batosai,Kauru,Cloud,Tifa,Tsunami,Kail,Marlene,and Yugena.We were shocked to see them all and could tell they were mad.Yugena was the first to step forward.She was about to hit Helix when she noticed his shoulder.Her angry look faded and she pulled him toward the house.

"Helix!You need to get that bandaged fast!Come on!"she dragged him inside and out of view.When they were inside Tifa,Tsunami, Marlene,and Kauru stomped toward us.

"What were you guys thinking!You could've gotten yourselves killed!"Kauru screamed angrily as the other three leered at us.

"We had to save the girl."I said pointing to Shiori who was asleep in my arms.They had been so caught up in being mad at us that the girls hadn't even noticed her yet.All of their faces softened and I gave her to them.They took her inside and set her on Serina's bed so she could sleep.Then they pulled chairs into the room and stayed by the bed in case she needed anything when she woke up.Back outside Damien and I were confronted by Kail,Cloud,and Batosai.They shut the door behind them as we sat down on the front porch.I shook Kail's hand as a welcome,since I hadn't seen him for nearly fourteen years.

"You look like you've been doing well Kail."I said as he nodded.

"Yes I have.It seems likewise for you up until now,correct?"

"Yeah,we've been doing great too."

"Alright,enough small talk.Why did you guys go to The Edge of Life?"Batosai asked as Damien explained.

"Well first,Helix went there just to see what it was like.He didn't go in far enough to do any damage or get attacked,but thought he heard a girl crying from inside a cave there.Just as he was about to check it out, a demon came out of the cave and scared him.He had no idea how strong it could be,so he came home and asked me to go back with him.I agreed and then Serina made me take her.She got hurt after a demon caught her blades and threw them back at her.I thought I killed all the demons after I transformed,but apparently not.I was so tired after using the attack I thought killed them all that I fell asleep right there. Then the demon picked up my sword and threw it.The attack was supposed to hit Inuyasha,but he dodged it and didn't see Helix was directly behind him.It struck him in the right shoulder,then the demon bit Inuyasha on his left shoulder.As it attacked,Inuyasha cut its neck and killed it.He made sure Helix was okay for the moment and told him to wake me up,then got the girl out of the cave.Helix told me the whole story when he woke me up."he said answering more than the question Batosai had asked.

"That's what happened.Now if you don't mind,I'm tired and Inuyasha's shoulder needs treated,so can I come in?"Damien asked wearily.

"Yeah,sure.You know where the couch is."Cloud said as Helix trudged past him and went inside.

"So,Inuyasha are you okay?"Batosai asked noticing my blood-soaked shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine.Nothing I can't handle."I said standing up.Pain instantly shot from my chest throughout my body as I remembered that the demon had punched me there.I fell to my knees,holding my chest.All three of them asked me what was wrong and I told them about how the demon had hit me there.They quickly helped me up and we walked back in the house.I sat down in a chair as they all found places to sit.I rested for a minute,then the suggested I go see Serina.I nodded and walked into my room,where Kagome had layed her on our bed and treated her wounds.I walked in and sat on the floor next to Kagome, who was watching her sleep.She smiled at me as I told her everything that had happened.

"Inuyasha you need to let me bandage your shoulder."she whispered.

"You can whenever you get the chance.It's not very important right now."

"Yes it is.Hold on,I'll be right back."she walked into our bathroom and got the medicines and bandages again.I moved my sleeve down where she could reach my shoulder,and soon she had it bandaged.Then she told me to take off my shirt so she coud reach my chest.I obeyed and leaned back against the wall as she bandaged it too.When she was done she grabbed me in a soft hug.

"I'm glad you're okay."she said thankfully.

"Me too.I'm even happier that our daughter will be okay."

"Yes,she'll recover soon."

"Good.Well you don't mind if I go to sleep do you?"

"No,of course not.There's no bed left though.Wait hold on."Kagome turned where she was sitting with her knees sideways.

"Here,you can lie on my lap."she smiled as I laid down.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.When I woke up I was still on her lap,but she was leaned backwards against the wall asleep.I carefully got up so I wouldn't wake her and explored the rest of the house to see where everyone was.I found the ones left in the house that didn't live there were my sisters,Helix,and Damien.Both Marlene and Tsunami were still in Serina's room waiting for Shiori to wake up.They had fallen asleep in their chairs,so I covered them with blankets.Yugena had taken Helix into the guest room and treated his shoulder.Late that night she had fallen asleep on the bed beside him and that's where I found her.I walked back into the living room and saw Damien asleep on the couch.The others that had been there the previous night had apparently gone back to their own houses.I looked at the clock and saw it was only seven a.m.I sat in the chair for a while letting my mind wander aimlessly,then after about another hour I started getting hungry.I looked throughout the kitchen and realized we didn't have anything to eat.I grabbed a note pad and scribbled Kagome a note saying that I was going to the store.I told her I would be back as soon as I could and left.I had been gone for nearly ten minutes when Damien stirred.He woke up and found my note,then walked into my room to check on Serina.He saw she wasn't up yet and noticed Kagome asleep against the wall on the other side of the bed.He walked over and crouched down next to her.He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her softly.She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Good morning Damien.What is it?"she asked tiredly.

"I woke you up so you could come lay down on the couch.I'll stay in here with Serina and make sure she's okay when she wakes up."

"Alright,thank you Damien."she smiled sleepily as he helped her up.He walked her into the living room and she laid down on the couch. He gave her a new blanket and pillow,then went back into my room as Kagome fell back asleep.He sat on the edge of the bed right beside Serina.Unintentionally when he sat down,it woke Serina up.She rubbed her eyes and looked at him.

"Hi Damien.What are you doing here?"

"I woke up a little while ago and came to check on you.I saw your mom asleep against the wall and woke her up so she could have the couch.I told her I would take care of you when you woke up,so here I am."he smiled as she yawned.He knew she was about to sit up and he held her down.

"Before you try to sit up,remember how hurt you are.Take it slow okay?"

"Alright."she agreed as he let go of her.Slowly she sat up and showed no signs of pain.

"I'm glad you're feeling better already.By the way,your dad went to the store,so when he gets back I'll make you something to eat okay?"

"Alright.Thank you Damien."

"No problem.You sure you're okay?"

"Yes Damien,I'm fine.Don't worry about me."she smiled.

"Sorry,it just scares me when something happens to you."

"I know,thanks for caring so much."

"You're welcome.Now lay back down and get some more rest.I want you to heal soon."

"Okay."Serina laid back down and tried to go back to sleep.Just as she finally got back to sleep,Damien heard the doorbell ring.He got up as quickly as he could without waking her up and answered it.He saw my mom at the door holding our mail.

"Damien,could you please give this to Inuyasha?"she handed him the group of letters and noticed one on top.

"Oh,sorry I added one of mine to that by mistake."she said grabbing the top letter.

As she took it,Damien was sure he saw it addressed to me.He discarded the thought figuring that my mother wouldn't have anything to hide and walked back in with the rest of the mail.Damien set it all on the kitchen table and walked back into my room.He sat down on the bed again,this time making sure not wake Serina.He leaned back against the head of the bed and relaxed.He stayed that way for nearly half an hour until he heard other people moving around in the living room.He carefully got up and shut the bedroom door as he left.He looked around the living room and saw that everyone except Kagome was awake now.They were all sitting in various chairs around the room, then he realized that even Shiori was awake.She was sitting in the middle of the floor looking up at everyone.When she saw Damien she smiled and jumped up.She quickly ran over and motioned to be lifted. He picked her up and she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck in a hug.He smiled and set her back down as Kagome began to move on the couch.Everyone quickly got silent until they realized they had woken her up.They all apologized and continued talking.Kagome asked Damien to get her some coffee and he told her there wasn't any.Then he explained that I had gone to the store to get more groceries.They all talked for a while and Damien introduced Shiori,then there was another knock at the door.Kagome answered and saw it was my parents again,accompanied by all the others that had been there the previous evening.Kagome noticed they were all very serious and told Yugena to take Shiori outside and play.Yugena nodded and walked out,holding Shiori's hand.When the door was shut behind them,everyone sat down and Damien asked what was wrong.My mother decided to tell him and everyone else remained silent.

"Damien,do you remember when I brought you Inuyasha's mail this morning?"my mother asked.

"Yes,I do."

"Also,that I took one letter back saying it got mixed up with his?"

"Yes,I remember."

"Well,actually it was for him.I just could not let him find it.It's from….someone that I don't want him to know about."she said.

"Who is it?Why is it such a big deal that he doesn't know them?"Kagome asked.

"Because it's…."my mother trailed off.

"I'll tell them.You don't have to."my father said putting his arm around her comfortingly.

"Everyone,what I am about to tell you is to remain a secret between all of us.Inuyasha can never hear what I am about to tell you."he said as Kagome,Damien,Helix,and Marlene nodded.

"Unknown to Inuyasha,Yugena,Marlene,or even Tsunami,their mother and I had another child years before any of them were born.He was the first son we had.He was born a full demon just like all three girls,but he was highly different.Where as all three of our daughters were for the most part nice,this child was the exact opposite of them.His name was Sesshomaru.He is more evil than any enemy Inuyasha or any of you have ever faced before.Even at an extremely young age he showed many signs of cruelty.My wife and I vowed that we would change him over the course of time,but we…."my dad paused for a moment.

"We were not able to keep that promise to him.When he was eight, Sesshomaru decided to run away and disappeared for many years. During that time we gave birth to all four of the other children we have.Then on the day of his twentieth birthday Sesshomaru returned, still unchanged in any way.By that time Tsunami was nearly sixteen, while Marlene was just over five-years-old,and Yugena had just been born a couple months before that.Inuyasha had been gone nearly four years before this happened.On that day,our son…. Sesshomaru…. actually killed both of us.When he came back he wounded us both terribly and left us to die.Tsunami and her sisters had been away for some reason at the time and came back after he left.Before we died we told Tsunami to spread the rumor that a group of demons had killed us.Even she never knew what truly happened until today.We knew if she told everyone the story we made up,then Inuyasha would never find out about his brother.However,today Inuyasha received a letter sent by Sesshomaru in the mail.That's why my wife took it from you Damien,to find out if it was from him.We discovered it was and have decided to let it remain a secret to Inuyasha.We cannot let him read this letter or he might try to fight Sesshomaru.There is no way possible for Inuyasha to defeat him.At the age of eight Sesshomaru's power already exceeded my own and shortly before he ran away he stole a valuable weapon from me.As you know,Inuyasha's sword was first crafted using a fang from my full demon form,and also that he got the sword from his old training master Soujiro.There is more to the story though.At the same time Inuyasha's sword was forged,a different one was made using another of my fangs.Those two fangs were the only ones strong enough to create a sword with,which is why I had two made.The second sword is known as the Tensaiga.Originally,Inuyasha was supposed to receive the Tatsaiga, then Tsunami was to weild the Tensaiga.There was an ironic twist of fate however.Sesshomaru stole the Tensaiga from me after he attacked us.However,he meant to steal a sword that would supply him with more power,but did not achieve his goal.To him that sword is utterly useless. It was made without the ability to cut.No matter how hard it is swung, no demon can ever cut with it.It was designed with a much greater power than to destroy.The sword Sesshomaru stole was made to restore life to the dead.So to a bloodthirsty demon like him,it is completely worthless.For a while he tried to discover the location of the Tatsaiga, but by then Inuyasha had obtained it from Soujiro and Sesshomaru could not locate the sword again.Since then neither of us have heard a word from Sesshomaru until now."he finished as everyone that hadn't heard it gaped in shock.

"What does the letter say?"Damien asked.

"Here read it for yourself."my dad handed Damien the letter and everyone else read it over his shoulder.

Inuyasha,

You don't know who I am and I don't expect you to,but follow my request just the same.I have seen you fight recently and am very intent on meeting you and testing your limits for myself.I request your presence at the entrance to The Edge of Life.Go there and I will have a guard escort you to my building.Then we will see just how strong you have become.

Till then little brother, Sesshomaru.

"Why does Sesshomaru all of a sudden want to meet him?And when exactly did he see Inuyasha fight?"Damien asked as he re-folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope.He handed it to my father who kept it in his hand.

"I can only suspect that he saw you fighting when you saved Shiori.I imagine the real reason Sesshomaru wants to meet him is so he can kill Inuyasha.At first all Sesshomaru planned to kill was Inuyasha's mother because she was a human,but then I saw what he was going to do and tried to stop him.He wounded me so he could get to her,then attacked her too.After that he left and Tsunami arrived with her other sisters shortly.Luckily they were all too young then to remember it now though.Sesshomaru despises anything other than full demons,which is why I think he is trying to lure Inuyasha to him.So he can rid the family generation of any human blood."

"He doesn't know that Serina is Inuyasha's daughter yet does he?"Damien asked with a slight tone of fear in his voice.

"I'm not sure Damien.I can't say he doesn't,but I don't think he does.He would have told Inuyasha to bring her if he knew she was his daughter."

"Good point."Damien said relaxing.

"So,what are we going to do about this?"Kagome asked.

"Yeah,we can't rightfully keep this big of a secret from Inuyasha."Marlene said as our mom quickly turned toward her.

"Yes we can!I will not allow the same thing to happen to Inuyasha that happened to me!"she said as tears welled up in her eyes.My dad calmed her down as Marlene apologized.

"So,like I asked,what are we going to do about this?"Kagome repeated taking my mom's mind off what Marlene said.

"The best thing we could do would be throw the letter away and pretend we never knew about it."my dad said as everyone nodded.At that time,Tsunami went out and told Yugena what they had just talked about.She was shocked at first,but Tsunami managed to calm her down quickly.In just a few minutes,Tsunami was back inside.She told Yugena to stay out there and keep Shiori busy so she wouldn't hear anything they were talking about.The only reason Tsunami went out there in the first palce was so that Yugena would know what was happening.Just as Tsunami got back inside they had all decided to go with my dad's plan. He told them he would burn the letter as soon as he got back home and stuffed it inside his pocket.

"Now remember,we cannot tell Inuyasha about any of this.If we do he will certainly try to fight Sesshomaru."my mother said as the door opened quickly.

"Can't tell me anything about what!And who exactly is this Sesshomaru!"I snapped,angry at the fact they had kept something from me.My father quickly tried to act innocent.I threw the groceries I had brought home down on the table.

"We can't tell you Inuyasha.If we did,it would ruin the surprise."

"Dad,quit trying to hide whatever it is.I've been listening outside the back door for ten minutes."I said as everyone glared at Yugena outside the window.She shrugged and continued playing with Shiori.

"Inuyasha,we can't tell you…."Tsunami started.

"SHUT UP!Dad,tell me what's going on!"I yelled as he sighed.He took the letter out of his pocket and handed it to me.I read it and gave it back with a curious look.

"So what?Who the hell is Sesshomaru anyway?"I asked as my mom left the room.All my sisters followed her along with everyone else except Kagome,Damien,and Serina.My dad calmly explained who Sesshomaru was and what he had done.By the end of his description,my fists were clenched tightly against my sides and shaking violently.I couldn't even bring myself to look at either of my parents.They had kept this secret from me for the last fourteen years.I stared at the ground growing angrier by the second.

"Dad,why didn't you tell me about Sesshomaru!"I snapped.

"I feared that you would attempt to defeat Sesshomaru."he answered calmly.

"That still didn't give you the right to hide this big of a secret from me!"I said raising my voice even more.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha.Your mother and I only hid this from you to keep you safe."

"I DON'T CARE!YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!"I yelled.

"Calm down!There's no reason to yell!"my dad snapped.

"THE HELL THERE ISN'T!I THOUGHT I COULD ACTUALLY TRUST YOU!YET YOU'RE HIDING SECRETS LIKE THIS! WHAT ELSE HAVEN'T YOU TOLD ME!"

"Nothing Inuyasha.There are no other secrets we have."my mother said cutting my father off as she walked back in.

"How can I believe that!"I snapped back angrily.

"Because I'm your mother,I would never lie to you about anything unless the truth could get you hurt.That's why we kept this a secret."

"BUT HE KILLED YOU!MY OWN BROTHER!THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT ANY LONGER!"

"That is precisely why we didn't want you to know about him.We knew you would try to avenge us."

"AND I STILL PLAN TO!"

"Inuyasha think for a minute.Sesshomaru was stronger than your father at the age of eight.There is no way even you could be a match for him at this point."

"So?I don't care."I said as the fact that I actually couldn't do anything about it sank in.I slowly fell to my knees and my arms fell limp.I stared at the ground as my entire body began to tremble.

"I can't do anything….the one chance I have to avenge the murder of my parents and I'm not strong enough to do anything…."I said as my voice began to shake.Kagome kneeled down and held her arms around me assoft tears began to fall from my cheeks.After a moment,she moved backwards and lifted my head up so I was facing her.

"Inuyasha it's not your fault you can't beat Sesshomaru.I know if you knew about him before,by now you would be strong enough,but that's not the case.The point is,you're not and now what you have to do is change that."she said looking at me.

"But there's no way I can…."

"Inuyasha,you can do anything if you try hard enough.Just try."Kagome interrupted.

"Fine,I'll try."

"No you won't!Inuyasha,I will not allow you to fight Sesshomaru!"my mother said angrily,scaring both of us.Kagome got over the sudden shock and stood up.She stomped over to my mother and stared at her.

"I'm sorry ma'am,but SHUT UP!"Kagome snapped.My mother's face showed a mixture of shock and anger.

"IF YOU HAD ANY IDEA HOW BAD INUYASHA HAS FELT ALL THESE YEARS FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO AVENGE BOTH YOUR DEATHS YOU WOULD HAVE SHUT UP A LONG TIME AGO!HE HAS BEEN WANTING TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED YOU EVER SINCE THE DAY HE FOUND OUT YOU WERE BOTH DEAD!SO DON'T TELL HIM WETHER HE CAN FIGHT SESSHOMARU OR NOT,BECAUSE IT'S NOT REALLY YOUR CHOICE!"Kagome yelled angrily.

"Don't tell me what to do little girl!I'm Inuyasha's mother and I will not allow him to be killed!I don't care what some stuck-up little brat like you thinks of my opinion!"she said as Kagome slapped her.

"You think it matters to me what your opinion is either!To tell you the truth,I COULD CARE LESS!Inuyasha is not your responsibility anymore,he's mine!I appreciate your thoughts and opinions on this matter,but both of us really don't care!Inuyasha is going to do what he chooses,and I'm going to support him the best I can.So if you've got a problem with it,then TOUGH!"Kagome yelled walking back over to me.I was still in the same spot,now staring in shock at Kagome's sudden outburst.Before she got to me,she turned to Serina.

"And if you EVER repeat what I just did,I promise you'll regret it young lady,trust me."Kagome threatened kneeling back down to me.

"I'm sorry,are you okay now?"she asked seeing I was normal again.

"Yeah,I'm fine.I just never saw you so….uhh….brave I guess is the word."I said as she smiled.

"Alright,then stand up and let's go start making you stronger."she smiled again as she helped me up.My mom held her cheek and watched Kagome in shock.Kagome noticed her and quickly walked over there.

"Miss,I'm very sorry for what I did,but I will NOT allow you,or anyone else for that matter,to tell Inuyasha that he can't do anything."

"It's alright Kagome.I understand."she said as they quickly hugged each other.

"Well now Inuyasha and the rest of us need to start training,but would you like anything to eat or drink before we do?"Kagome asked as both my parents shook their heads.

"I'm sorry,but we really need to leave.We have a bunch of errands to run and other stuff like that.We'll take you up on that offer some other time,okay?"my mom said without smiling but with an uplifted tone.

"Okay,see you then."Kagome said as she opened the door for both my parents.They walked out and everyone watched out the window until they were completely out of view.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"everyone in the room taunted as Kagome blushed.

"You guys be quiet!I didn't mean to do that…."Kagome said as her face glowed even more.

"But you did!HAHA!You slapped the hell out his mom!"Batosai said as Kagome shot a cold leer at him.

"You wanna know how she felt!"she snapped.He quickly stopped laughing and hid behind Kauru in fear.The rest of us broke into more laughter and we all sat down again.Everyone that we knew was packed into our living room except my parents.Even Sukari,who hadn't been there the night before,had showed up and heard the news.There were so many people in the room that a lot of them had to sit on the floor.When my parents had left,Yugena had come back in with Shiori and they both stood in the hallway beside the living room.Everyone got quiet,curious why they weren't in the room too.

"Everyone,this little girl didn't get a very good welcome last night,so now I'm going to formally introduce her.Everybody,this is Shiori."Yugena walked Shiori hand-in-hand back into the living room. All of us greeted Shiori happily and she returned our feelings with the happiest smile I had ever seen.After shaking hands with everyone and learning all our names,Shiori sat down in the middle of the floor.After seeing that she felt comfortable around us now,we all went back to the subject of Sesshomaru.

"Since you're so determined to get revenge Inuyasha,how do you plan to defeat him?"Batosai asked.

"I don't know,I haven't figured that part out yet.All I can think of is that we go there together and do our best to kill him…."

"So,in other words you're saying commit suicide?"Cloud commented cutting me off.

"You have a better idea?"I asked as Cloud shook his head.

"Then shut up.We can do it if we all work together and attack at the same time."

"Whatever Inuyasha decides to do I'm going to help."Damien said stopping the argument that Cloud was about to start.

"Me too."Helix said as he felt his wound from the day before.It had healed very rapidly and he was nearly in fighting condition once more.

"I'm going too."Serina said leaning against the frame of my bedroom door.Damien quickly jumped up and let her lean on him.He walked her back to the couch and gave her his spot,then sat on the floor in front of her.Everyone could easily see she wasn't healed enough to help us.

"First of all,Serina you're too hurt to help us with this.Second,we're not going today so don't worry."

"Dad I want to help!"she complained.

"No Serina.I won't let you get hurt any more than you are now."

"Mom,could you please help me heal faster then?"she asked with a pleading look.

"Serina,even if I did help,I can't assure you that…."

"I don't care if I'm fully healed or not!I just need to be better than I am right now!"she said almost hysterically.

"Okay Serina,calm down.I'll do everything I can to help you.Right now though we have to plan this out."Kagome said giving the attention back to me.

"Other than Damien,Helix,and Serina who is going to help me?"I asked as everyone remained silent.Finally after a long pause,Batosai held up his hand.

"I will."he said as Kauru pulled his hand back down.

"No you won't!"she said worriedly.

"Kauru,I will be fine."he said partially ignoring her refusal.

"But…."she started.

"I will too."Cloud said interrupting her.I nodded at him and asked if anyone else would help.No other hands were raised.

"Okay,there are no more volunteers,that's fine.I don't think any less of you others for not wanting to help.You all understand the danger of what we're about to do,and I do not take that as a sign of weakness from you.All I ask is that you wait here for our return.Will you give us that?"I asked as everyone else agreed.

"Thank you.Kagome,I don't expect or want you to come,but I do ask one extra favor of you."

"What's that Inuyasha?"

"We need you to get Serina as well as she can be by tomorrow."

"So,you'll let me help you!"Serina gasped happily.

"You can help,but only if you're in top shape by the time we leave.Can you do that Kagome?"

"I'll do my on Serina."Kagome said standing up and walking Serina back into the bedroom as I thanked her.She nodded as she closed the door and began to treat Serina's wounds again.

"Alright,everyone that is going to fight tomorrow needs to go home now and do whatever they need to be as rested as possible.Unless you can get rested here,that's fine too.We'll have to be in top fighting shape tomorrow when we leave.We'll head for the building just at dark tomorrow,that way all of us can surely be at our best."I said as everyone started moving around.Kail,Tsunami,Marlene,and Sukari all decided to go home.Before they walked out the door,my sisters hugged me and Kail shook my hand.When they were done,Sukari walked over and hugged me a little longer than the rest of them.

"Good luck Inuyasha.Please come back safely.I don't know how we'd live without you."she smiled and walked out the door.They all left and went back to their house.Everyone else decided to stay the night,so they went into the closets and got air beds along with blankets and pillows. As they were getting their beds fixed for that night,Damien turned and looked at me.

"Inuyasha,could I ask you a serious question?"

"Sure,what?"

"Would it be alright if,just one more time,I slept in Serina's room with her?I promise you that I still won't do anything you wouldn't approve of,I'm just worried about her."he said as he looked at my bedroom door.I thought for a minute or two and looked back at him.

"Alright Damien,but this is the last time.I know how it is when you're worried about someone,but if I see you so much as kiss her…."

"I won't,I promise.You know that if I make a promise,I keep it."he said with a look of complete honesty.

"Alright,I'm trusting you Damien."I said as he looked at the clock.

"It's only four p.m.What are we gonna do for the rest of the day?"he asked.

"I don't know.For starters though,you could go put up the groceries I brought home earlier."I smirked as he leered at me.

"Fine,but only because you're trusting me."he said standing up.He went into the kitchen and put away all the groceries,then sat back down.By that time,everyone had gotten their beds prepared on the living room floor and had sat back down.The only person spending the night that wasn't going tomorrow was Yugena.She was only staying so she could be with Helix.Yugena sat in his lap on one end of a couch, while Batosai and Kauru sat on the other end hand-in-hand.Cloud sat on his air mattress with his arms around Tifa,and Kagome had just come out of our room with Serina.Kagome had wrapped her with new bandages and she was also wearing clean clothes.Serina walked across the room,this time without help from anyone,and sat down on the other couch beside Damien.They both smiled at each other and then he saw her new bandages.

"Are you feeling any better?"he asked.

"A lot,thank you."

"Will you be able to help us tomorrow?I don't want you to go if you don't think you can."

"I can handle it Damien.I'll be fine."

"Okay."he said as she leaned back against the couch.He saw her and quickly lifted her back up.He placed a pillow behind her and set her down again.

"Better?"he smiled.

"Yes,thanks."she looked around the room and said hello to everyone. We all returned her greeting and I thanked Kagome for healing her.

"It's no problem.She should be back to perfect health by tomorrow morning."

"Great."I said relaxing back in my chair.

"Umm….Kagome,could you do a favor for me?"Helix smiled as she looked at him.

"What is it?"

"Could you help my shoulder too?"he grinned.

"Oh sure Helix,come on."she stood back up and he followed her into my room.They shut the door again and after about fifteen minutes Helix came back out with Kagome following.His shoulder wasn't bandaged and he wasn't even wearing a shirt,which made Yugena blush deeply.She got up from the couch and he sat down again,then she resumed her place on his lap.

"Kagome,why isn't Helix's shoulder bandaged or anything?"I asked.

"Because it needs to be in open air for the medicine to work fast.By the way Yugena,try not to touch his shoulder.That way you don't wipe off any of the medicine."Kagome answered as she nodded.

"Okay,I won't.Thank you for helping him Kagome."Yugena smiled.

"It's no trouble at all."

"Alright then,you two should be completely fine tomorrow afternoon.I guess the only thing left to do is for us to cook dinner.By the way,since Kagome's done so much today someone else gets to make it.Also,I've already decided that I'm not doing it,so don't even ask.Now you guys argue among yourselves and decide who gets to cook."I said as Cloud, Tifa,Batosai,and Kauru all ran into the kitchen.We immediately heard dishes being moved and food being pulled out of the refrigerator and cabinets.

"Looks like they can handle it."Kagome smiled at the rest of us.

"Yeah,for once we won't even have to do the dishes huh Kagome?"I smiled back.

"That's right….(she faked a gasp)….I don't know if I can handle it Inuyasha.I can't remember life before doing the dishes."she said as we all laughed.

"Haha real funny.Serina and I help a lot of the time too thank you very much."I said as Serina agreed with a laugh.

"So Inuyasha…."Damien trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"You think we have enough daytime left to learn any new attacks?"

"We do,but we don't want to train now.We want to rest and store up as much of our energy as we can,that way we'll be at our best tomorrow."he nodded and leaned back against the couch.

After about thirty more minutes,the group in the kitchen had prepared dinner.They had decided to make spaghetti because it was fast and set a plate of it in front of everyone.We quickly devoured it and refilled our plates.After everyone had finished eating,the same group did all the dishes and came back into the living room.We watched TV and played with Shiori until night finally came.When we finally stopped it was ten o'clock.Kagome put Shiori to bed and we all decided to turn in early.Everyone got in their beds and sleeping bags,then tried to go to sleep.Without realizing it,we were all so anxious to fight tomorrow that we fell asleep nearly instantly.For hours we all slept soundly,until I woke up at about four a.m.I was so ready to fight Sesshomaru that I couldn't sleep.I quietly got up from bed and grabbed my sword,walking out the front door.I ran for ten minutes until I was nearly upon the clearing I used to train in.I had not been in there for fourteen years.I went that far away from home so no one could hear me train.Just as I got to the entrance of the forest I went through to get there,I heard the roar of wind fill my ears.The closer to the clearing I got,the louder the wind got.I stepped out from the trees and saw Serina in the middle of the clearing.She had just used Mystic Cyclone and I watched as an enormous whirlwind tore across the area,ripping up huge rocks with ease.The cyclone held them inside and I saw it move back toward Serina.The rocks quickly flew out of it and were hurled at her.As I watched,she grabbed her weapon and cut her arm with it.She allowed the blood to drip onto the Cresent Moon and pulled it behind her head.

"CRIMSON CARNAGE!"she hurled the blade toward the rocks and her blood shot off the blade in all directions as it spun.I saw some of the blades in detail as they flew close by me and realized they were identical to my Blades of Blood.Each of the rocks that flew toward Serina was destroyed and she lowered her energy,stopping the tornado. As I watched she repeated this process nine more times.She started again,but this time she was too tired to destroy the rocks fast enough. All but one she destroyed,but the one she missed slammed into her full-force and sent her flying over a hundred yards.I quickly ran over and helped her up,asking what she was doing.

"I….I just wanted to learn a new attack so I could help you guys more…."she said wincing.

"Serina you would have been plenty of help to us just as you were. Now you may be even less if Kagome can't help you."

"I'm…sorry…"she said falling asleep.I could tell by how softly she slept that she hadn't even gone to sleep at ten.She had pretended she did until all of us were asleep,then she left to train.I carried her home and replaced my sword so no one would know I had tried the same thing.I woke Kagome up and told her everything,then she quickly treated Serina and they both went back to sleep.The morning sun finally came up just as I had managed to fall back asleep.Everyone else woke up and ignored the fact that I was still asleep.Most of the others left toward the city to do stuff that would pass the day faster,but Batosai said he would stay.He talked Kauru into going without him and she left after kissing him goodbye.As soon as she was gone,Batosai walked over and woke me up.He asked why I was so tired and I told him what Serina had done last night.He quickly went into her room and checked on her for me,then returned.

"She's fine.Damien's still in there asleep beside her."

"Good.I hope she didn't hurt herself badly this morning.She'd be crushed if she couldn't help us tonight."I said as he nodded.

"Yeah she would.Anyway,you up to training today?"he asked with a smirk.

"Batosai we need to save our strength for tonight…."I started.

"No we don't.I have this potion I got from a merchant that recovers our strength completely.I only have two though.I was gonna share one with Cloud,but he left so I can't train with him.So what do you say Inuyasha?"he smirked holding up the bottle.

"I say you're about to get your butt kicked."I said grabbing my sword and walking toward the door.He followed and we walked a short distance away from my house.We both drew our swords and looked at each other.

"Let's see what skills you've recovered since you started using your sword again."Batosai smirked as he ran at me.I watched him run and attacked before he could reach me.

"WIND SCAR!"he continued running at my attack as it flew toward him and I saw his sword ignite in a light blue flame.

"HEAVENLY BLADE!"Batosai yelled as he swung his sword at my Wind Scar.It evaporated my attack and he continued running.He swung at me and I countered.Our swords collided,shooting sparks and blue flames everywhere.I didn't get the chance to ask him when he learned that attack,because he quickly swung at me again.I blocked again,but this time he countered too fast.His sword struck me and the flames scorched the cut made by the blade.I yelled in pain and attacked him,but he dodged and countered swiftly.This time his weapon caught me across the chest,and I was thrown to the ground.This continued for five minutes until the flames surrounding his sword died.By that time I was on the ground again covered in slashes.

"GET UP INUYASHA!This is why you can't fight now,you've gotten weak over the last years!You can't even take a blow anymore!"

"Yes I can.I'm just waking up…."I started as I tried to stand and fell back down out of pain.

"STOP MAKING EXCUSES!YOU CAN'T FIGHT ANYMORE AND THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT!"Batosai yelled angrily.

"YES I CAN!"I screamed back.

"THEN PROVE IT!"he snapped as I stood to my feet.I unsheathed my sword and began charging up energy.

"APOCALYPSE BLADE!"Batosai yelled drawing my attention back to him.I looked and saw his sword ignite into flames again,only this time they were dark red.Before I could finish gathering energy,he jumped into the air and brought the sword down toward me.The blade tip peirced my left side and the flames burned worse than anything I had ever felt.I collapsed to the ground in pain,dropping my sword.As I clutched my right side in sheer agony,Batosai glared at me and lifted his sword again,swinging it down as fast as he could.I saw what he was doing and became furious that he wouldn't even give me a chance to recover.I grabbed my sword and swung it as hard as I could at his.The collision blew his weapon out of his hands and sent it flying hundreds of yards away.

"That's the strength you used to have!That's what I'm trying to get you to use!"he said running to get his sword.I stood to my feet and met him head-on when he came back.I saw that his sword was still flaming so I attacked.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"I hurled the attack at him,still filled with anger.For a split second Batosai transformed and dodged my attack when it was only inches from him.When he touched the ground again,he changed back and smirked.

"Wanna try again?"he mocked as my anger grew.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"I launched another attack at Batosai.Again for a fraction of a second,Batosai changed and revealed his god-like speed.The attack flew past his body,narrowly missing his spine.He changed back and stood even more arrogantly than before.

"Inuyasha listen.You're never going to be able to hit me if you just keep getting angrier.This is exactly why I fear you may lose to Sesshomaru.Not only are you much weaker than fourteen years ago, your temper has gotten even worse.You aren't able to control your own power even the little bit you could all those years ago."

"I can control my power fine!"I snapped.

"Then make your Tatsaiga turn red."he said as I tried.I quickly realized I still couldn't do it.

"See?You must learn to reharness your power as well,if not better, than you could when you last fought Vega."

"How do I do that?"I asked now convinced that he was right.

"The way I see it,there are two options.One,I can make you so angry that you release the energy inside you without trying.Or two,I could get you to the brink of death and allow you to transform into a full demon. That should give the same effect."

"Alright,since you can heal me,I want to get this out of the way as quickly as possible.Go with the second option."

"You sure?"

"Yeah,let's do it."I said handing him my sword.He took it and set it behind him as I braced for the upcoming attack.He quickly drew his sword and ran at me.

"APOCALYPSE BLADE!"his sword was engulfed in crimson flames again and he aimed it for my stomach.I closed my eyes as I felt the blade sink in.The instant the dark flames touched my stomach,the blade went straight through me.The fire burned the inside of my stomach and Batosai held it for a few seconds.Then he quickly withdrew it and watched me as I fell to the ground.My stomach didn't bleed at all because of the fire,but it was still a terrible injury.I writhed in pain from the severity of the wound,and I could slowly feel my strength rising deep inside.Batosai saw that it wasn't working fast enough and knew I would die anyway if the change took too long.He quickly lifted his sword above his head and brought it down toward me in an attempt to rush my transformation.Just as it reached me,my hand flew up from the ground and grabbed the blade.The second my hand touched the sword,my demonic wind exploded in savage power.My energy returned completely and I was fully recovered once again.I held his sword and slowly got to my feet using my other arm.He saw my blood red eyes and the scars on the side of my face,along with my newly-toned claws that held his sword.He smirked as I returned it and threw him backwards using only one arm.He crashed into the ground and got up,transforming himself in his manslayer form.He threw me the Tatsaiga and held his sword in front of him as a wave of black swept over the blade.Luckily,enough of my strength had returned that I could hold the Tatsaiga again in my full demon form.

"Do you know what this is Inuyasha?"he asked with a new voice I had never heard.

"This is the sword of Eternal Night.Despite how bright the light around it is,this sword stays darker than any shadow.This sword draws the very deepest thoughts of hatred from my heart and transforms them into pure power.Allow me to demonstrate."he smirked vanishing from my sight.With my heightened senses I found him just before he could reach me and held up my sword to block.My newly-recovered strength paired with his god-like speed resulted in an enormous collision of steel and an even greater shower of sparks as we pushed against each other.

"Not much show for as much talk as you gave that sword."I smirked in my new full demon voice.

"Do not fear.I have not even begun to descend under the surface of this sword's power.I was just testing the Tatsaiga to see if it had gotten weak like you."he smirked as I shoved him back.

"I'll show you how weak I am!"I snapped running at him full-force.I pulled the sword behind my head and brought it down as hard as I could.The sheer strength put behind the swing threw Batosai to the ground and for a moment,there was a look of amazement in his eyes.

"It seems to me that you have indeed gotten stronger since the last battle with Vega,yet until now your body kept it dorment inside you."

"Yeah well now it's out and I plan to test my full strength on you!"I said running at him again.

This time he returned the charge and we met halfway,both swinging at full strength.Our swords struck and we pushed them against each other,testing our strength.My sword began to yeild to his and then I realized what the problem was.I channeled a large amount of my energy into the blade and watched as it turned crimson red.The battle instantly returned to being a draw.We held against one another,neither yeilding,neither losing.This continued for nearly a minute and decided to end the draw.Batosai put all the energy of his manslayer form into his blade and pushed against my sword again.My sword went down quickly considering all the strength that was held in his transformed state.I powered up as much as I could and focused all my energy into the Tatsaiga.I countered with my sword and smirked as his blade began to slowly descend.It was almost unbearably slow,but I definitely had the advantage now.I gave all my energy into one last burst and pushed his sword into the ground.He gave a shocked look at first,then I saw his sword change back to normal as he did the same.When he was done changing,I saw a grin on his face.I allowed my power to die slowly and changed back to normal myself.The instant I turned back,energy shot throughout my body and I felt just as I had fourteen years ago.I saw Batosai was still smiling and I asked him why.

"Because my plans always work."he said as we both busted out laughing.

"Yeah whatever.So,where's that potion you were talking about?"I asked as he laughed even harder.

"Okay,promise you won't kill me Inuyasha."he smiled.

"Alright sure,what is it?"

"THERE WAS NO POTION!HAHAHA!I knew you would recover completely if you had your old strength back.And like I thought,your regenerative abilities have returned.Take a look for yourself."he said pointing at my stomach where he had stabbed me.There was no cut at all.

"BATOSAI!I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"I said running after him.I quickly stopped realizing if I hurt him he would be less help to us with Sesshomaru.

"You had no idea that your plan would work!You were just hoping it would weren't you!"I snapped.

"If I say yes are you going to chase me again?"he grinned.

"No….(I kept my anger inside)….but I do want to know when you learned those new attacks you used on me."I said as we both sat down on the front porch.

"Well after Damien defeated me in training I realized I had to get stronger,so we all left to go training.When we told you guys we went on a vacation we lied.Well,actually we did go on a vacation,but that's not the whole truth.For the first week Cloud and I trained together and got as strong as we could.I had a feeling that something bad was about to happen and once again I was right."he smirked.

"Shut up Batosai.(I shook my head at him)So,what else did you learn when you trained with him?"

"Aside from my two flame sword attacks,I learned one called Apocalyptic Terror.A quick summary of the attack is I send the enemy into a black hole and beat them up,then leave them there."

"Well,soon you'll have a chance to test it out."

"Yeah,but first let's see if all your old power actually has returned."he said drawing his sword.

"Alright,fine with me."I started to draw my sword,but he stopped me.

"Let's see wether or not you can take a blow first."he continued smirking as I released my sword.I stood completely unguarded and waited for his attack.He pulled his fist back and punched me in the chest as hard as he could.I lost my balance and staggered backwards, but he didn't leave a mark at all.He smirked again and drew his sword.

"APOCALYPSE BLADE!"he surrounded his sword in dark red fire again and ran at me.I stood in the same spot,allowing him to slash me over and over.He hit my arms,stomach,and chest several times,then jumped backwards.He landed and held his hands together facing me, and I could feel his energy rising.Soon I saw a tiny white flame appear in the middle of his palms.

"CELESTIAL FLAME!"the small flame in his hands exploded and flew toward me.The entire eruption of blazing white fire struck me directly and hurt terribly.I remained motionless ignoring the pain to see exactly how much my body could take now.For a split second it didn't hurt very bad,but then I felt an unbearable pain as black fire tore out of my body in all the places Batosai had slashed earlier.I fell to the ground enveloped by a massive pain that continued searing through my body for the next three minutes.After that,the pain slowly subsided and eventually vanished.When it was gone I stood back up and saw Batosai had sheathed his sword and was now smirking at me.

"What?"I asked.

"Your powers really have returned.No,I take that back.You're even stronger than you were fourteen years ago.If you weren't,that attack would have just killed you.I'm really glad I guessed right again."

"YOU WHAT!YOU MEAN I WENT THROUGH ALL THAT NOT EVEN KNOWING I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"I yelled as he took off running.He stopped nearly four-hundred yards away and looked back at me.

"YEAH THAT'S ABOUT IT!"he yelled from his safe distance.In a split second I was beside him slashing my claws at his head.

"And your speed has improved greatly as well!"he said surprised.He transformed and dodged my attack,then ran toward the house.He got to the porch and held up his hands.

"Stop!Stop!Stop!I promise I won't do anything like that again, deal?"he held out his hand.I shook it quite firmly and we both sat down.We quickly decided to go inside and sat on a couch and chair in the living room.He laid down on the couch trying to recover his strength as Kagome walked in.

"Uhh….do you guys want something to eat?"Kagome asked as she felt my power even from where I sat.She gave a surprised look as we shook our heads,the she turned to me.

"Inuyasha how did you get so much stronger?You two have only been training for about an hour."

"Batosai helped me unlock all the power I had before I stopped fighting."

"Really?Wow,so you're back to your old self?"

"Yep,and I'm actually a little bit stronger now because of all the training we did before today."I said smiling.

"That's great.Now you'll stand an even better chance at beating Sesshomaru."she said as I nodded.

"Yeah,but right now Batosai and I need to get our strength back.So we're gonna take a short nap okay Kagome?"

"Sure,that's fine with me."

"Okay good.Please try to keep the others from waking us up when they come back."

"Alright I will."she smiled as she kissed me.

"Sleep well."she said walking back to our room.Batosai and I quickly fell asleep and when we woke up the sun was setting outside.We could both hear the others talking from the kitchen and went in there.

"Hi Inuyasha."Kagome said as we walked in.

"Hi Batosai."Kauru greeted him with a kiss.

"Hi dad."Serina smiled with Damien beside her at the table.

"Hey lazy."Cloud said from the table as well.The others were too busy eating to greet us.We both sat down at the table and began to eat the dinner that Kagome had cooked.

"I thought you guys might like something to eat before you leave."Kagome smiled as she watched Batosai and I shovel forkful after forkful of the spaghetti she had made again into our mouths.Before we came, the pot in the middle of the table had been halfway full even after seperating portions to everyone else,but by the time we were both done it was completely empty.We both leaned back in our chairs digesting the food and allowing our stomachs to settle.By the time everyone in the kitchen was done,the sun had set and it was night.We all got ready to head out and said goodbye to our friends.

"Good luck Cloud."Tifa said as they shared a long kiss.

"Don't worry,I'll be fine."he said as she nodded.Then he walked out the door and waited for the rest of us to come out.

"Bye Kauru,I'm gonna miss you."Batosai said as Kauru looked at the ground.

"What?"he asked lifting her head up.

"I just wish you didn't have to do this."she said looking back down.

"Yeah I know,I'm sorry.Inuyasha needs my help though and I can't let him down.He's always stuck by my side and now it's time to repay the favor.Don't worry though,I will come back to you.I promise."he said as she looked up at him.

"I love you Batosai."she said on the verge of tears.

"I love you too.I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."he said as she kissed him quickly.

"You better hurry then.You don't want to make the others wait."

"Okay bye."he said waving goodbye as he walked out the door to where Cloud stood.

"Helix please come back for me."Yugena said as Helix looked at her.

"I will Yugena."he said as she began to cry.

"Why are you crying?"

"You're just….the first person that's ever….ever really loved me….I just can't stand the thought of losing you."she said fighting back tears.

"Yugena you're not going to lose me.I will do everything in my power to make sure that I come back to you."

"Okay,sorry.I don't mean to cry,I just can't help it."

"It's okay,but now I have to go."

"Alright,try not to get hurt."

"Okay I will.Bye Yugena."he said as she waved goodbye.

"Alright Serina,say goodbye to your mom."I said as Kagome looked at her.

"You be careful Serina,you're the only child I have.You mean everything to me and I couldn't live with myself knowing that you got killed after I allowed you to walk out of here like this."Kagome said as Serina hugged her,then moved back beside Damien.He saw Kagome's expression of fear and walked up to her.

"Don't worry,I will do all I can to protect your daughter.I love her more than anything in this world.If anything wants to hurt her,it's going to have to go through me first."Damien said as Kagome nodded.

"That means a lot Damien,thank you."

"It's not hard to tell the truth."he said walking out the door with Serina.When they were gone I walked up to Kagome and she embraced me strongly.

"Inuyasha please be careful!I can't live without you!"she said bursting into tears.Her face rested against my chest as I held my arms around her.

"You won't have to live without me Kagome,because I promise I'm coming back.I will not allow anyone to separate me from you."I said as she began crying into my shirt.

"Kagome don't cry,you have nothing to worry about.As long as I have you and our daughter,there is nothing I can't do.I will come back for you,believe me."I said as she let go and looked up at me.

"I love you Inuyasha."

"I love you too Kagome."I said as we kissed dramatically.

"Do the best you can."Kagome said as I walked toward the door.

"I will."I opened the door and walked over to the others,then we started walking toward the shrine to the demon world.

We all waved goodbye until we saw Kagome close the front door.It took us nearly another half hour to get to the Edge of Life,but we finally did.The second we got there,we saw a demon standing alone in the middle of a clearing.We cautiously walked up to him,and he never moved.We finally got up to him and he told us to follow him if we wanted to meet Sesshomaru.We did and he led us through the forest for an hour nearly.We finally got out of the forest and were directly in front of a large building.None of us had ever seen a building that size before.It was easily half a mile long and wide. We all gaped in awe as the demon led us inside.We came to a large door and he opened it for us.The rest of us walked inside ahead of him except for Batosai,who grabbed the door and motioned for him to go first.The demon refused and motioned the same way.Batosai quickly grabbed the handle of his sword as the demon kicked at him.Batosai's blade flashed as the demon's foot flew through the air.Unfortunately Batosai had reacted a fraction of a second too late and the demon's kick connected with his chest.The blow wasn't strong,but it was unexpected so Batosai fell backwards inside the door.The demon quickly shut and locked it as Damien,Helix,Cloud and I rammed our bodies into it as hard as we could.The door didn't move and we had no way of getting out of the room we were in now.Batosai cursed himself for being drawn into the trap and stood to his feet,re-sheathing his sword.We all looked around and saw only one other door across the bare room.We walked over to it and Cloud grabbed the handle.He walked in as we followed and saw that we were in another bare room with nothing but doors in it.Each door had a different color and a symbol on it.One was red and showed a tornado on it.The next was black with a red flame in the center.The one beside it was purple with a white flower on it.Next was a blue door with a water drop on it.The next was gold with a blue lightning bolt on it, followed by a white door with a silver heart on it.We all realized that the doors were made for each of us.We split up and went to our separate doors,entering at the same time.When each one of us got to the next room,we could hear a strange voice talking to us from a speaker overhead.

"Welcome all you you,especially you Inuyasha.In case you haven't already guessed,this is Sesshomaru.Now,before I can truly see for myself how strong your group is,I must test the limits of your natural abilities.Your doors lead each of you to a trial arena built to the specifications of your own abilities.Each of you must complete your trial,then you will be allowed to face me.However,if you fail there is no chance that you will stay alive.Now I will inform you all of the dangers your trials hold,starting with Cloud and ending with Inuyasha.Cloud, do you see the thin waterfall in front of you?First you must run through it,then as you progress down the hallway after it,lightning will be shot at you.The farther down you get,the stronger the lightning will become. If you couldn't tell,this is a test of your endurance.You may do anything in your power to get to the end alive.The only thing that matters is that you do.Batosai,you are the most cunning of all the fighters,so you will not be given any warning of your trial.You must rely on your own mind and reflexes.Serina,you will also have to travel down a hallway,however yours is highly different from Cloud's.Since you are the most accurate, you will have to run while avoiding thousands of spiked spheres filled with poison.Should you fail to stop or avoid one and it stabs into your body,you will have four hours left to live.Not only that,the pain will be very severe as well.Damien and Helix,you two are the fastest of the group so your trials are both similar.You will each have to run the full length of this building in three seconds while dodging obstacles.Not only that,the tiles on the walls and floor will also be closing in on you the entire time,so you know what will happen to either of you if you don't make it.By the way Damien,your hall will be shooting white-hot needles at you,so I would advise you try to dodge them.Helix,yours will not be shooting anything,but it is not easier by any means.As you are running, blades and spikes will constantly shoot out of the ground at you.Finally, the trial of my little brother.Even being the mere half-breed that you are,you still surpass your allies in strength,so you have been given a test of that very attribute.As you probably noticed by now,there is a solid wall nearly twenty yards in front of you.It is exactly ten yards of solid titanium,and the reason it has such a glossy look is because it is coated in one foot of pure diamond.Your objective is to break that wall down by any means necessary.The only condition is that you must do it in five minutes,otherwise acid will fill the room and well….you know the rest.Now prepare,each of you has ten minutes before the trials begin."Sesshomaru said as the speakers cut off.We all stretched and gathered our strength for the entire time.Finally,Sesshomaru's voice came back on overhead.

"I hope everyone is ready now.On three you will begin your trials.By the way,good luck.You're going to need it.One….Two….Three!"he said as everyone except me started running.

In Damien's trial he had already froze time and was running as fast as he could.He only had three seconds,and for some reason time wasn't stopped completely,just slowed down a lot.Now three seconds was just like one minute in real time,be he had to run at least half a mile.He sped through the inter-changing blocks,dodging the fiery needles that sped toward him as he went.The tiles kept getting closer,and he had to jump more and more often.He quickly realized he couldn't stay on flat ground and began running on the side of the wall,jumping back and forth off tiles as he went.He was running out of time fast and he could barely even see the exit.At the same time Helix was having just as much trouble.He was running the same way as Damien,only he had to dodge more because of the blades.He managed to avoid all the spikes,but already had several deep lacerations where some of the spinning blades had struck him.Despite the pain he continued running as fast as he could and barely managed to see the entrance.Just as it came into sight,five blades flew at him in a pentagon shape.He quickly jumped into the middle of them and spun sideways in the air.The blades flew around him and he landed,running again as soon as his feet touched the ground.In Serina's trial she was still fifty yards from the end.She had dodged a large number of the spheres,but had destroyed most of them with the two halves of her Cresent Moon.She continued running and jumping as she threw her blades,destroying dozens more.She was only twenty feet from the door when a sudden barrage of spheres flew at her from all directions.She quickly flipped backwards,throwing her blades in front of her as she went.When she stopped,she had destroyed and dodged nearly all of them.Her eyes widened in fear as she saw three still heading straight toward her.They were moving too fast for her to dodge.All she could do was watch as they sped toward her.When the spheres were only a couple feet from her head,the two halves of her weapon sliced through the air in front of her,disintegrating them.She caught them and nearly screamed out of happiness,but quickly realized there was no time for celebration.Another large group of spheres were flying toward her,but these were too small to destroy completely.She could stop a lot of them,but not all.She quickly stuck her blade against her arm and slashed it,pouring the blood onto her weapon.

"CRIMSON CARNAGE!"she yelled hurling the weapons at the wall of spheres.The blood flew off and changed into blades,destroying a vast number of them.Soon there were only ten or twenty left.She pulled back her hand and slashed at the remainder of them.

"IRON REAVER!"she destroyed almost all of them,but her attack still wasn't strong enough to completely finish the job.

The five spheres that were left flew by her and slashed all the way down her arms and sides,releasing their poison at the same time.The last one was heading straight for her face,and she turned in an attempt to dodge it.Most of it missed,but it still left a long cut on her cheek that had also been injected with poison.She ignored the poison that was seeping into her wounds and began running toward the exit again.In Batosai's area,he wasn't doing much better.When he had entered,he had realized that his room was full of steel bars that traveled throughout the room in all directions.He also noticed soon that the door on the opposite side of the room was closing.He calculated it quickly and realized he only had thirty seconds to get through the door before it shut and trapped him inside.He began sprinting through the room as quickly as he could.At first he thought that he could touch the bars without a side effect,but he was wrong.The instant he touched one,all of the bars in the room ignited with fire and it seemed like they were made out of lava.It quickly became hot in the room,making it harder to think and react.Batosai began to get tired very quickly and started to slow down.Then he saw that the door was three feet from being closed and he transformed quickly.His speed had nearly tripled,but now he had less control over his movement.He decided it was better to get burned and make it out alive than not to get out at all.He ran as fast as he could,slamming into bars and burning himself terribly,but still he continued.Over in Cloud's trial,he was having trouble as well.By this time he had been struck by over thirty lightning bolts.The waterfall at the entrance made him even more susceptible to the electricity,and now he could barely walk.He was only five feet from the door when a huge lightning bolt flew at him.He quickly grabbed his sword and held it in front of him.The blade absorbed at least half of the lightning,but the force that hit him still sent him to his knees.He crawled as fast as he could toward the door,each long and agonizing foot worse than the last.Just as he got to the door,he saw two lightning bolts charging up power on both sides of the hall.They swiftly pointed towards him and fired.Cloud stuck his sword in the ground in front of him and used all the energy he had push himself forward.He jumped through the doorway as the lightning bolts struck each other right behind him.He collapsed to the ground exhausted and stayed there to regain his strength.Back in Damien's trial,he was now only a short distance from the exit as another group of nails flew at him.This time it wasn't a small group though,this seemed to be an entire wall made of needles.Damien quickly grabbed his sword and began spinning it.

"TIME CALIBUR!"he yelled as the enormous blast shot off his blade and destroyed all the needles in its range,along with the tiles behing them.

The needles that the attack had missed kept flying at Damien and he ducked down to keep any from hitting his head.He never thought that there were some on the sides that could touch him.He discovered he was wrong as dozens of the fiery needles stabbed into him.Some of them tore completely through him,while others stuck in and burned like nothing he had ever felt.He yelled in pain as he tore them out of his body.Luckily now he had a straight path to run.Damien gathered what strength he had left and sprinted as fast as he could toward the exit.He dove and made it out just before the sharp edges of the destroyed tiles slammed together.Helix was not as lucky as Damien had been though. He still had to jump and sprint in between tiles,but he also had blades to avoid.By now,he was only a few yards from the end.Unfortunately, the closer he got,the faster the blades flew at him and the more often they appeared out of the floor and walls.Helix ran as fast as he could and was only seven feet from the exit when a huge pole shot out of the ground in front of him.It was surrounded in large,spinning blades that only left one foot of free space between them and the the blades on the wall.Helix reacted as fast as he could,but it was still too late.At least eight of the blades ripped through Helix's right and left sides.He ignored the pain as well as he could,realizing he only had ten seconds left before the tiles would crush him.He sprinted as hard as he could, and finally reached the end.Just as he was running through the exit,a large blade flew out of the ground and struck deep into his right leg.He fell to the ground on the other side of the exit and pulled out the blade. He inspected his entire body and his stomach turned at the sight of all the blood that covered him.He crawled forward a little and leaned up against the wall to rest.In Serina's trail,she had managed to get to the exit and was running through it when a huge spike shot out of the wall. It struck deep into her shoulder and released the poison held within it. Serina was immediately engulfed in a searing pain that quickly spread from her shoulder to the rest of her body.She fell to the ground on the other side of the exit,trying to recover her strength and give the pain a chance to subside.Back at Batosai's trial,he had made it to the exit of his first room only to find that he still had another challenge.He changed back to normal when he entered the new room and examined it.He saw it was a large room,but he couldn't see a door.All he saw were hundreds of holes in the roof and walls,each three inches in diameter.Batosai cautiously walked toward the center of the room with his sword already drawn.Just as he stepped in the center of the room,he saw a chain fly out of a hole in the wall.He slashed it in half with his sword and knew what was about to happen.He couldn't transform because it would use too much energy and he needed all of it to fight Sesshomaru.He jumped out of the way as ten more chains flew at him and slammed into the ground.He continued jumping as more and more flew at him quickly.He ran until he began to get tired,then he stopped in the center of the room again.Chains flew at him from all directions and he stabbed his sword at one of them.The blade stuck in between one of the links and he pulled the chain toward him as hard as he could.It came out of the wall and he swung it at the other chains,jumping and spinning sideways at the same time.He dodged a number of the chains,causing them to hit one another, and the chain that he swung collided with numerous others.A mass of chains fell to the ground,but more continued to fly at him.Batosai quickly removed the chain caught on his blade and held it in his hand. He flipped and swung both his sword and chain,destroying hundreds of the chains that flew at him.He landed and saw another chain flying toward his side.He jumped backwards,allowing it to fly in front of him.He took the chain in his hand and swung it forward,wrapping it around the one that flew past him.He tore that chain out of the wall as well and sheathed his sword,then grabbed the chain.He quickly began dodging again and started swinging his chains.After five more minutes, all that remained was one chain with sharpened links.The edges of every one were as sharp as Batosai's sword.It had already destroyed the other two chains that he had before,and it continually shot in and out of the wall in random areas.He kept jumping away from it,until he began to realize it was getting faster.The more he dodged,the faster the chain flew.Soon it was getting hard to dodge and the chain began to cut him. He finally noticed that there was one point on the chain that wasn't sharp.At the end of it,the front link had a rounded side without any sharpened part. He watched as the chain flew toward him and drew his sword.He jumped above the chain and swung it down in the middle of the round link.The sword edge struck the center and split that link,then the next,and the next,until the entire chain was split in half.Batosai collapsed on the mass of broken chain and fell asleep.While he was asleep,a doorway appeared on the other side of the room.Throughout all this,all the time that had actually passed was four minutes.During that entire time,I had gathered my energy.I drew my sword and transfered the energy to my blade,changing it crimson.I let it descend to the ground and dragged it on the floor as I ran toward the wall.I ran until I was only two feet from it and swung my sword up.I used all the energy I had saved up and channeled it into the swing.

"ROUGH DIVIDE!"I sliced my sword through the wall and turned around.

I flipped my sword and sheathed it as the energy from the attack exploded behind me.After a short pause,the wall split in two and began to fall apart.When it was finished all that remained was a pile of debree and diamond.I saw that one piece of diamond in particular had been blown off the wall and it was barely the size of my palm.I picked it up and put it in my pocket,then walked down the hallway that had been hidden behind the wall.Meanwhile all the others had regained their strength and were walking down the hallways ahead of them.Almost at the same exact time,we all got to the doors at the end of our halls and opened them.We all walked into the room slowly,then we noticed each other.All of us ran into the center and stood back to back,prepared for a surprise.We all laughed and greeted one another as we untensed.We had been relaxed for nearly five minutes when we heard footsteps approaching us.We all turned and faced the person.None of us could determine what type exactly,but it was obvious that the guy was a demon.He had long,dark blue hair that fell just past his chin and he wore a cloak that changed color as he moved in the light.He walked directly up to us and held out his hand to me.

"My name is Faytel Tradore.I am a psychic demon and have been sent by Sesshomaru to test your strength.I wish you luck in battle."he said as I shook his hand in utter shock.

"Same to you."I said as he jumped away from us.We all backed up as well and I decided to see what he could do first.I charged up my energy and attacked him.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"I hurled the attack off my sword as he held a hand in front of him.My attack hadn't even reached his hand before it was destroyed.I quickly looked at Damien and Helix.They both nodded and I charged up energy again.

"WIND SCAR!"I sliced through the demonic wind and sent the attack blazing toward him.

"TIME CALIBUR!"

"TIME CALIBUR!"Damien and Helix both shot their attacks at the same time as me.The energy combined and flew toward Faytel.We saw a barrier quickly form around him and the attack struck it.The energy split into flame trails that traveled harmlessly along the sides of the barrier.They struck the wall behind him and left huge cracks in it.We all gaped in shock as Faytel held up a hand and muttered something I couldn't understand.Suddenly a wave of energy appeared and blew us all against the wall.We fell back to the ground,then Damien tried attacking again when he got up.

"FATAL FURY!"Damien yelled as a red aura of energy surrounded him.

His eyes turned red as he ran at Faytel.He jumped high into the air and swung his sword down hard.Faytel held up two fingers and stopped the blade easily.He threw Damien backwards,only infuriating him more.He ran again and swung more,each time blocked by Faytel. Damien sheathed his sword and charged up his power.He ran at Faytel and pulled back his fist.Faytel showed no signs of fear,but merely stood waiting for Damien's attack.As soon as he punched,Damien's fist was grabbed by Faytel.The impact was absorbed completely and Faytel pushed Damien away once again.His power died down and Damien returned back to his normal form.Instantly everyone else ran at Faytel and attacked.Serina threw her blades at him as the rest of us swung our swords.As we swung,Faytel put up a barrier in front of the spot each of our swords would have hit him.The blades collided with his barriers and we were all thrown backwards.As we attacked again,Serina's blades flew past us toward Faytel.He held up two fingers on each hand and blocked Serina's blades.Faytel quickly shot a blast of energy at the weapons,hurling them back toward Serina.She jumped up as one of the blades slammed into the wall under her.She began to fall back down and saw the other blade as it flew toward her.It sliced through her left leg that still contained poison,causing her tremendous pain.She screamed and fell to the ground,clutching her leg.Damien grew infuriated and jumped high into the air above Faytel.He swung his sword down so hard even Faytel had to use both his hands to stop it.He grabbed Damien's motionless blade and hurled it toward Cloud.He didn't have time to react and it struck deep into his stomach.Cloud fell to the ground close to Serina and fainted.Faytel quickly used his powers and lifted Damien off the ground.He hurled him across the room where he slammed into the hard tile wall.He painfully got up and crawled over to Serina.He gave her one caring look and fainted from the pain.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"

"TIME CALIBUR!"

"SPIRIT CANNON!"the three attacks combined and flew at Faytel. He held both hands in front of him and the attack stopped.His body tensed as the attack was reversed back at us.We all gaped in shock as the blast struck us.The force of the attack blew us and our swords across the room into the wall by Serina.We all fell to the ground,unable to stand.Faytel smirked and lifted Damien off the ground again,then hurled him into Helix and I.We groaned,but remained on the ground still unable to move.Faytel smirked again and walked calmly over to us.

"I would have expected more from this group of fighters.Especially the brother of Sesshomaru…."

"DON'T COMPARE ME TO HIM!"I yelled straining to get up.I collapsed again from the pain and remained on the ground.

"Why shouldn't I?You both have underestimated the abilities of your opponents."

"What do you mean by that!"I snapped struggling once again.

"Just as you have underestimated me,Sesshomaru has underestimated all of you."

"Why do you say that?"I continued still trying in vain to get to my feet.

"Because I know that each of you has a level of power you are hiding from me.Being a psychic demon,I can see into your mind.I know everything you are hiding.Knowing this,I demand to see one of your true forms.I do not care whose."

"And what if we don't!"Cloud asked pulling out Damien's weapon and struggling to his feet.

"So you have chosen yourself to transform.You have no further choice in the matter.You will show me your other form now."Faytel said holding up a hand and speaking some other words we couldn't understand.

"No I won't…."Cloud was interrupted as his body tensed.The energy around him began to shift and he hunched over.He strained as hard as he could to stop,but Faytel was forcing him to transform.Cloud's power continued to rise higher and higher like it would never stop.He began to yell as two black wings split from his back and his teeth sharpened into fangs.By the time it was finished,he was on his hands and knees out of pain.In one last yell,Cloud's energy shot out from his body and he slowly stood to his feet.Blue lightning constantly shot around his body and a vicious smile appeared on his face.Faytel's eyes widened slightly out of shock and he smirked.

"Incredible.Your strength has increased so drastically in such a short amount of time.I have seen enough,revert back to your original form so you don't waste any more energy."Faytel said releasing his control on Cloud.His wings disappeared as his fangs shrank back down,and he was back to normal.Then he realized the strain on his body.First his trial,then fighting Faytel,and then transforming so rapidly,caused Cloud to faint again from exhaustion.

"This group might actually be able to beat Sesshomaru.For a long time I have been searching for someone who could rival Sesshomaru's power.How ironic that it turned out to be his own younger brother."

"What do you mean?I'm not strong enough to beat Sesshomaru."I said finally managing to stand to my feet.

"Maybe not yet,but with time you and everyone else will be.At that time you will be able to help me rebel against him.For longer now than I can remember,I have loathed being in Sesshomaru's company.He does not like me,but I have managed to fool him into thinking that he can trust me.As soon as you are all strong enough,I shall find you again and we will finish him off once and for all."

"You're saying you plan to betray Sesshomaru?"I asked as he nodded in return.

"Yes I am.Now however,I must become stronger myself."

"You're not going to help us now either?"I asked as he shook his head.

"No,nothing would come of it.As injured as you all are now,there is no way we would emerge victorious.The main objective Sesshomaru had today was to test your strength.Be warned though,he will try to kill you when you get him.Now,I bid you farewell."he said vanishing from sight. I picked up my sword and sheathed it,then walked over to Serina.

"Are you okay?"I asked as she shook her head.

"No I'm not.I got a lot of the poison in me during my trial and it spread through my body."

"We need to hurry and get you out of here.Can you walk?"I asked as she tried to stand.She managed to get to her feet and walked over to Damien.She shook him awake as I helped everyone else up.I also woke Cloud up and we all stood there for a while,regaining our strength.

"Everyone okay now?"I asked as they all nodded in return.

"Okay,let's go."we all walked toward the door on the opposite side of the room.We went through it and found ourselves in another empty place.This had one door on the other side of it as well.We had just started walking toward it when we saw the door open.We all tensed, prepared for a sudden attack.The person slowly opened the door and walked toward us.He had silver hair identical to mine and dark gold eyes.There was a purple cresent moon on his forehead along with purple scar designs on his face and wrists.He wore a baggy white kimono with a vest of black armor over it.A simple sword hung at his right side that I guessed was the Tensaiga my father had told about.Another blade hung on his left side,but this one was even stranger than the Tensaiga.This one had a normal red handle with a golden tassle trailing from the end.The blade was concealed in a black sheath,but we could all see the weapon's energy radiating through it. The strangest thing about him was a fur that flowed continually over his right shoulder. As he crossed the room,all of us could sense his demonic aura.It was unlike anything we had ever felt before.He stopped only a few feet from us and stared at me menacingly.

"So,we meet at last little brother.You must not be too weak seeing as you destroyed Faytel."he said as I realized why Faytel had left when he did.He planned to surprise Sesshomaru and take him off guard when he came back.

"Why don't you see for yourself how weak I am you murderous, bloodthirsty demon!"I snarled grabbing my sword handle.

"A mere half-blood weakling such as you should not attempt to challenge my power."he leered back coldly.

"It is not a challenge if you already know the outcome."I leered.

"Your mouth is your only weapon."he said as I tightened the grip on my sword handle.

"Even that's enough to deal with you."I said as he held up a clawed hand.As I watched,a wave of green poison swept over it and flowed off his fingertips.

"Let's see if you can back up any of those words."he stated calmly as he ran at me.I quickly drew my sword and held it in front of me as he swung his claws.They struck my blade and I swung back at him.He jumped backwards,just barely out of my sword's reach.He stabbed his claws at me again and I blocked once more.I lifted my sword up and brought it down hard in front of him.

"WIND SCAR!"

"Pathetic."Sesshomaru said slashing his claws at my Wind Scar.The attack evaporated and I gasped in shock.He smirked as Cloud ran at him in a desperate attempt.He jumped high into the air and swung his sword down hard.Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Sesshomaru drew the sword on his left side and pulled it behind his head.Cloud was still nearly ten yards from him when Sesshomaru swung his sword.As we watched,beams of blue energy flew off the sword and struck Cloud.He quickly screamed in pain and fell to the ground a few feet from the rest of the group.Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and smiled as I ran over to Cloud.

"CLOUD!SAY SOMETHING!"I yelled as he tried to speak.All that came out was a ragged cough.I lifted him up and shook him hard.

"TALK TO ME CLOUD!"I yelled again as his eyes began to turn foggy.

"HEY!STAY AWAKE!DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES!"I yelled as his body shuddered.He uttered one last breath and stopped moving.I sat him on the ground and stood to my feet angrily.

"Sesshomaru you're going to pay for that!"I snapped through gritted teeth.

"Do not underestimate me.I have only shown you a mere fraction of the Tokijin's full power.If you wish to experience the rest,continue to oppose me."

"We plan to!"I snapped as I carefully picked up Cloud's body.I carried him safely to the other side of the room and set him down.As I was walking back to the group,Sesshomaru grabbed the Tokijin.A vicious smile appeared on his face as he swung his sword.A large amount of energy shot off the blade and struck Cloud.His body was destroyed completely and Sesshomaru smirked.We all gaped in utter shock for a moment,then rage enveloped disregarding our injuries,we all grabbed our weapons.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"

"TIME CALIBUR!"

"TIME CALIBUR!"

"CRIMSON CARNAGE!"

"SPIRIT CANNON!"

All our attacks combined and flew at Sesshomaru as he drew the Tokijin.He grabbed it with both hands and swung at the attack.His blade struck the middle of our attack and destroyed it completely.He smirked as he swung it again,shooting energy at us.The attack struck all of us and sent us crashing into the ground.We all lifted ourselves to our hands and knees,then began gathering energy.An enormous wave of demonic energy swept over the area as Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise.All our muscles tightened as they attempted to withold the large amount of energy our bodies were releasing.As my strength continued rising,my eyes turned crimson and black scars appeared on both my cheeks along with a black cresent moon on my forehead.I looked around for a moment and to my amazement,saw that Serina was transforming as well.She looked exactly like me only the scars and cresent moon on her face were silver.As I continued watching,Serina's hair turned completely silver and I also saw her weapon turn solid red. When that happened,she was so similar to me that it was hard to believe.I looked just beyond her and saw Damien and Helix.They were both still gathering energy and I saw all the changes of their transformations.The irises of Damien's eyes had turned blood red and black flame designs had appeared on his arms and face.His entire sword turned black and his hair changed to pure white.Helix's eyes were the same way,but his hair was different.Instead of being the normal silver that it was,it had changed to a shining platinum,and the same flame designs as Damien's appeared in platinum on his arms and face.I also saw that his sword had turned completely black too.I turned the other way and saw that Batosai had changed dramatically as well. His hair was now pitch black and his eyes were a dark midnight blue. His normal fighting clothes had changed as well.The long kimono he normally wore to a fight had changed into a black sleeveless shirt with a black pair of loose,straight-legged pants held up by a red martial arts belt.I stopped looking around as a large pain shot throughout my body and it tried to withstand the energy once more.I screamed in pain as the energy caused my muscles to bulge.At nearly the same time,the others began to feel the pain as well.They all began to scream as the energy tried to fight its way out of their bodies.For nearly a full minute this pain continued as we tried to release the energy.Finally,with one final yell the built up energy erupted from all of our bodies at once,creating a massive explosion.The release of energy completely destroyed the red half of my shirt,and also tore the white part into shreds.There was a bright flash of light,causing Sesshomaru to cover his eyes.When he removed his hands,he saw all of us in our fully transformed states. Damien stood now holding his black sword as dark crimson flames of energy rose off his body,while Helix stood in the same pose with white flares rising off him.Batosai stood with a hand on both the handle and sheath of his sword as black lightning bolts constantly shot off him, while Serina already had her red Cresent Moon out and split into both parts,holding them with her arms crossed.Her demonic aura was now so strong it spread out over the entire area.I slowly drew my sword and watched as a red flame enveloped it,changing the blade crimson.When the blade changed,my demonic aura also appeared as well.Mine flowed quickly throughout the room,even overpowering Sesshomaru's.I grasped my sword in both hands and held it forward.

"Prepare to die Sesshomaru."I said in my new voice caused by the transformation.

"You'll pay for what you've done to Cloud."Batosai glared as he slowly drew out his sword,revealing the shadow blade once more.

"Then come at me."Sesshomaru smirked as he drew the Tokijin.We all disappeared quickly and ran at him.Damien and Helix both froze time,but Sesshomaru accelerated his body and broke out of it.He was so strong that even their newly-powered up freeze couldn't hold him.They both realized that wouldn't work and unfroze time.The rest of us kept running and got right in front of Sesshomaru.He swung the Tokijin strongly and shot a massive blast of energy at us.Damien and Helix both jumped sideways and flipped,avoiding the beams.Serina and I both jumped straight up and spun sideways,also avoiding the beams.Batosai kept running and flipped over Sesshomaru.He landed on the other side of him and swung his sword backwards quickly.Damien and Helix also landed,both swinging sideways at him.At the same time,Serina landed and hurled her weapons at him.As I was falling back to the ground,I pulled the Tatsaiga behind my head and attacked.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"Sesshomaru quickly drew the Tensaiga from his waist with his other hand and jumped into the air.He avoided Serina's blades and my attack as they both flew past him.Sesshomaru swung both of the the swords as he spun upside-down.The Tokijin blocked Damien and Helix's attacks,while the Tensaiga blocked Batosai's.Serina's blades returned to her as Sesshomaru landed.He sheathed the Tensaiga and swung the Tokijin in a circular motion. Energy shot in every direction and struck all of us.We all fell to the ground and jumped back up,attacking at the same time again.Serina dug her blades into her poisoned arm as Damien and Helix both gathered energy.Batosai charged up a lot of his energy as I did the same.Damien's entire body glowed even brighter red as Helix created a mirror image of himself.Batosai's blade was surrounded in dark red flames as my sword began to glow brighter red.Serina finished collecting the blood on her weapons and hurled them at Sesshomaru.

"CRIMSON CARNAGE!"

"FATAL FURY!"

"PLATINUM SHADOW!"

"APOCALYPSE BLADE!"blood shards flew at Sesshomaru as Damien and Helix,along with his mirror image,swung at him.Batosai ran and began swinging as well as I continued gathering energy. Sesshomaru blocked Serina's attack with the Tokijin,then sheathed it and jumped backwards.He held up both of his hands as they glowed yellow.As the others attacked,a strand of yellow energy flowed off Sesshomaru's finger tips.

"WHIPS OF LIGHT!"Sesshomaru yelled as he swung his hands at the others.The energy instantly grew in size and looked like whips.The only difference was his energy was strong enough to block their blades. He continually moved his hands back and forth,blocking their attacks. He started to swing at them just as I attacked.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"I hurled the shining energy off my blade and it flew directly at the rest of the group in front of Sesshomaru.They quickly jumped out of the way and it was now headed straight for him. He saw the attack too soon and jumped backwards,then swung his whips in an "x" pattern.My attack struck the center of the whips and was reflected back at me.For a moment I was too stunned to react,then everyone's voice broke my trance.

"REFLECT IT BACK!"I quickly gathered more of my energy and swung my sword again.

"BACKLASH WAVE!"I reversed the attack back at Sesshomaru, who didn't react surprised at all.He quickly drew the Tokijin once more and lifted it above his head.

"You think such juvenile tricks will fool me?DEMONIC REVERSAL!"Sesshomaru's sword was quickly surrounded in his black demon aura and he swung it down just as the attack reached him. All the energy in it was instantly reversed and seperated.Sections of the attack flew throughout the room and struck the entire group.The attack sent us all crashing into the ground and we didn't move.Sesshomaru began laughing,which filled us with even more rage as we all tried to get up.I finally managed to get to my hands and knees,then grabbed my sword again.

"I don't care how powerful you are or how long it takes to beat you Sesshomaru,but I will avenge the murder of my parents!"I snapped straining to my feet.

"And I'm going to help!"Damien said also managing to stand.

"You're not the only one!"Helix said leaning on his sword.

"Don't think I'm gonna give up!"Batosai said holding his sword forward.

"You can forget about me surrendering too!"Serina said struggling to her feet as well.

"You have all witnessed my power,yet you're still going to keep fighting?"Sesshomaru asked out of pure amazement.

"If that's all the power you have,I'm surprised you've even lasted this long."I smirked.Sesshomaru glared at me and dug his claws into his shoulder.

"TOXIC SHARDS!"

"BLADES OF BLOOD!"our blades flew at each other and disentigrated in mid-air.He quickly drew the Tokijin as everyone charged up all of their energy.We summoned every last ounce we had in an attempt to kill Sesshomaru with one final blow.He allowed us to gather our energy,trying to prove how much stronger he was than us.Damien and Helix summoned all of theirs,ready to fire it all in two massive Time Calibur attacks,while Serina prepared to use hers in the strongest Mystic Cyclone she had ever launched.Batosai gathered all of his demon and mortal energy, preparing to launch it in one huge Celestial Flame.Finally,I gathered all mine and prepared one last attack for when Sesshomaru reversed our attack,as I knew he was planning to.Finally,we all hit our limit and attacked.

"TIME CALIBUR!"

"TIME CALIBUR!"

"CELESTIAL FLAME!"

"MYSTIC CYCLONE!"Serina attacked first and sent a gigantic tornado flying horizontally at Sesshomaru.The three others' attacks combined and were engulfed inside her tornado.This attack flew at Sesshomaru and even he was surprised by its energy.His demonic energy engulfed the Tokijin once more and he swung.

"DEMONIC REVERSAL!"he yelled sending the attack back at us.The rest of the group quickly jumped behind me as I attacked.

"BACKLASH WAVE!"all of my own energy was also added to the attack as it was reversed back toward Sesshomaru.He smirked at the sight of that and lifted the Tokijin above his head.He swung it down with all his strength and it struck the attack I had redirected at him.His sword began to bend,but barely managed to reflect the attack again.

"EVERYONE BRACE YOURSELVES!"I yelled running at the reversed attack.

Sesshomaru saw that I planned to blow it up before it could get any further away from him.He quickly ran at me too and we both jumped into the swirling mass of energy.The last thing my allies could see was him swinging the Tokijin down at me as I swung the Tatsaiga upwards at him.After that we both disappeared in the energy for a split second, then it all erupted in one massive explosion.Damien quickly ran and held Serina tightly with his back facing the explosion.The energy blew them all into the opposite wall of the room as a huge cloud of smoke and dust filled the room.They hit so hard it caused all of them to transform back to normal.Damien managed to get to his knees and looked around. He saw that everyone was covered in cuts and their clothes were torn all over,but none of them looked seriously hurt.Then he realized where he was and quickly got off Serina who had landed under him.He asked if she was okay and she nodded wearily,then he helped her try to sit up.She quickly collapsed back to the ground and he didn't try to move her again.He himself finally gave into exhaustion and fell back onto his stomach.No one else was able to move,but they were still awake.They all watched as the dust cleared and showed Sesshomaru and I both still transformed,standing in the center of the room.Everyone saw that we had both stabbed our swords into the ground to avoid being thrown across the room.What had been left of my white kimono had now been completely destroyed and my entire body was covered in deep gashes caused by Sesshomaru's Tokijin.Blood dripped down my entire body until it finally reached the waist of my pants,where it soaked into them and made my kimono almost black.A few gashes on my face had caused blood to trail down the sides of it and drip off my chin onto the tile floor,forming a relatively large puddle by now.I also had cuts on my hands that had soaked the handle of my Tatsaiga and were now flowing down the blade.Everyone grimaced as they saw the sight of how injured I was.Then they looked at Sesshomaru and saw that he had suffered from the collision as well.Unknown to them,I was the one who had actually struck the attack with my sword and caused the explosion,but Sesshomaru had struck me with the Tokijin just as I had done it.Also at that same time,we had both attacked with our claws,but Sesshomaru had barely missed me.For the most part,Sesshomaru didn't seem hurt, but they all saw his side and knew he was in as bad of shape as I was. The full force of my Iron Reaver from point-blank range had struck his left side and torn through it completely.All the flesh around his ribs had been completely ripped off and blood endlessly soaked his kimono. Nearly half of it was already scarlet and the blood continued flowing. When we attacked,I had also slashed all the way down his left arm,leaving terrible gashes. The only way either of us was still managing to stand was out of sheer hatred for one another.Sesshomaru hated me because I was a half-demon and I hated him because he had murdered my parents before.We both leaned on our swords and glared viciously at one another.

"You still think you can defeat me?"Sesshomaru asked painfully.

"You be the judge."I answered as I strained to pull myself up.My muscles responded by sending a massive pain throughout my body,but I still tried to stand.I managed to get to my feet and stood,then lifted my sword up.I let it fall to the ground beside me and tightened my grip.

"Fight me Sesshomaru.That is,if you can stand."I smirked as he snarled in return.His muscles tightened,causing more blood to seep out of his wounds as he began to pull himself up.He slowly managed to get to his feet and lifted the Tokijin using only his right arm.I guessed I had made his other one useless when I slashed it.He held the sword toward my chest as blood from his arm dripped off the tip of the blade.

"This time you won't be able to stand."he leered.

"That's more than I can say for you."I glared back as I saw the muscles in his legs tighten.I crouched down slightly,preparing to run as well.A second later,he ran at me and I did the same.As injured as we were,we could only run as fast as a normal human now,but all we had to do was reach each other.When we were only two feet apart,both of us swung our swords.I had the ability to use both hands,but I was so weak now I couldn't swing at full strength.Sesshomaru on the other hand had lost the ability to use his left arm,so our strength had managed to even out completely.We both swung as hard as we could and a shower of blood droplets sprayed both of us as our swords collided.We pushed against each other's swords,sending massive pain through both our bodies.I slid the edge of my blade off his and jumped backwards.He saw me move and hurled his blade at me.I started to dodge,but I saw Serina was directly behind me.I tried blocking his sword with mine,but I was too late.An enormous pain filled my entire body as the blade stabbed through my stomach.Everyone watching gasped in fear as I changed back to normal and fell to the ground motionless.Sesshomaru walked over painfully and pulled his sword out of me.He held the blood-covered point toward the others and began smirking.

"Which one of you will be next?"he asked menacingly.Immediately everyone else in the room began struggling to their feet as Sesshomaru's eyes widened in surprise.Serina's eyes watered as she picked up her weapon and split it in two.All the others grabbed their swords and prepared to attack Sesshomaru.Tears ran down Serina's cheeks as she began gathering energy.Moments later,the others ran at Sesshomaru and she hurled her blades at him.Her blades slashed deep into his arm as he swung to block the other attacks.His sword managed to stop Helix's,but Damien and Batosai's weapons struck him in the back and chest.As Sesshomaru tore their blades out of his body,Serina ran at him.He threw both blades a distance away and started to punch both Damien and Batosai when Serina went flying by.She jumped at him and her foot connected directly with his face,knocking him to the ground easily.He quickly jumped back up to his feet as Helix's blade flew at his face.Sesshomaru turned and narrowly avoided it,just as all four of them charged at him.A small hint of fear shone in his eyes as he formed his Whips of Light.He swung them at the group,causing them all to stop.He took the opportunity and quickly vanished.They all looked around and couldn't find him,but then they saw the door he had came in shut. Serina immediately ran and kneeled down next to me.Tears ran down her face as she tried shaking me.I remained motionless and she began shaking me harder.By then everyone else was kneeled down beside her as well.Damien finally pulled her away from me when more blood began pouring out of my wounds.

"Serina,he's not dead!Calm down okay?We need to get him somewhere to help his wounds.It's too far to take him home,he won't make it that long.There has to be some place that we can take him…."Damien said as his mind raced to think of somewhere.

"What about the lake Damien?"Serina asked as he jumped in surprise.

"Yeah!That would be perfect!We've got to get him there soon though."he said as the others all stood up.

"Alright,then pick him up and let's get going."Batosai said walking toward the door.Damien lifted me up carefully as Helix carried Serina softly.Batosai followed and they all got to the lake after about two minutes.Everyone skidded to a stop at the edge of the lake and Helix sat Serina down.Damien quickly lowered my body into the lake and held me up so I could float easier.Blood from my wounds began trailing into the water.Soon all that surrounded me was a red lake.In moments the purifying powers of the lake evaporated my blood and it was crystal clear once again.My body had been washed off thoroughly and now they could all see how many gashes covered my body.My silver hair floated softly in the water behind me,revealing the cuts on my face and forehead.The cool water surrounded my injured body and untensed my muscles.I floated for a short time and Serina continued growing more worried by the second.Another five minutes passed and now she was becoming frantic.

"DAD PLEASE WAKE UP!PLEASE!"she screamed as newly-formed tears fell from her cheeks.At that second,her voice broke through my subconcious thoughts and jarred me from my sleep.My eyelids moved slightly,then they opened.I tried to jump up and fell underwater.I felt hands pull me up onto the rocky outskirts of the lake and saw all my friends surrounding me.Serina quickly grabbed me in a hug that sent pain flowing once more through my body.I cringed from the feeling,but hugged her back.

"I'm so glad you're okay!"she said as tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks continuously.

"That makes two of us."I said causing more pain to shoot through me.

"What's wrong dad!"she asked worriedly as Batosai walked over.He pulled her away from me and told me to lay down.I slowly laid on my back and he began checking all of the slashes on my body.Then he sat me up and inspected my back.When he was finally done,he told me what he thought.

"For the most part,none of the cuts are really serious,but there are three that worry me.One is on your back just below your right shoulder-blade.It barely managed to miss a vein.The cut is about two inches deep and torn very wide.The second is on your right side. Somehow Sesshomaru managed to slash between two of your ribs.I cannot tell how deep the wound is,but his weapon cut so far in that when you were floating in the lake,the water's temperature cut off the circulation to the nerves in your side.And last of all,the third wound is when he stabbed you in the stomach.His blade peirced all the way through because you collapsed to the ground.The water also cut off those nerves as well,which is why you aren't bleeding.However,you will be soon so we have to get you back home fast."

"Alright,then let's go."I said trying to stand.Damien and Batosai both helped me up and we began walking.We hadn't gone far when Serina collapsed to the ground.Damien quickly ran back and kneeled next to her.He touched her forehead and found that she was burning up.Her face was flushed and sweat was forming on her forehead.He quickly picked her up and started running.

"Helix we have to get back now!Grab Inuyasha and run!"he said sprinting toward the house as Helix picked me up.He followed as Batosai ran to keep up with them.We all got home in about five minutes and Damien barely managed to stop before running into the door.All the others got there just as he began pounding his fist on the door. Kagome answered and saw him holding Serina.Her expression quickly grew worried and Damien carried her in.He sat her on our bed and Kagome began trying to find out what was wrong.Helix also set me down and helped me to the couch as Batosai shut the door behind us.I laid on the couch as Damien got wrags and ice water for Serina's fever.He quickly soaked one and placed it on her forehead.Kagome quickly discovered the poison that had entered her body during the trials.A frightened look appeared on her face as she turned to Damien. She quickly explained about the poison and ordered him to go get medicine from the demon world.She explained to him where to get it and he ran out the front door again.He froze time and ran as fast as he could while Helix asked Kagome what was wrong.

"She's been injected with a very lethal poison.The longest on record to survive with the poison in them was four hours.Do you have any idea how this happened?"

"I think I do.See we had to got through this sort of trial thing to get

Sesshomaru to fight us and……"Helix explained what everyone had been forced to do and Kagome nodded.

"Some of the spheres must have hit Serina.How long ago did you start your trials?"she asked.

"We started our trials no sooner than seven o'clock."he said as Kagome became even more worried.

"Then that means Serina only has minutes left to live!It's already eleven!This poison only travels through your body for a period of four hours,then it reaches the heart and begins to decay it from the outside. When that happens,Serina will no longer be able to breathe and she'll die."Kagome said as Helix placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know Damien.He won't let that happen."Helix said as Damien continued sprinting through the demon world in search of the antidote.

He finally found the merchant that sold it that Kagome had told him about.He ran into the shop and walked up to the counter.He told the merchant exactly what he needed and he gave it to him.Damien paid him and began running again before he was even out of the shop.Dust and rocks flew all over the inside of the store as he took off.He had just reached the shrine back to the human world when a gang of demons appeared in front of him.He stabbed his sword into the ground and sliced through the ground until he finally stopped in front of them.They all charged him quickly and Damien pulled his sword out.He swung it at the group and sent them all crashing down.They got up and he watched as their leader stepped forward.He pulled out an enormous axe and ran at Damien.He swung it overhead with all the force he had. Damien knew he had no time to fight them and quickly sheathed his sword.He dodged the axe and ran behind the leader.He kicked the back of his head and froze time.He did the same to all the rest and ran through the shrine door.He ran as fast as he could and quickly got back to the house.He opened the door and ran inside,then straight into my room.He handed Kagome the medicine and she gave it to Serina,who was awake now because of the pain.She drank it quickly and laid still, waiting for it to take effect.Quickly,a cool sensation flowed through Serina's body and her face went back to normal.Helix gasped as he saw all this and then shook his head.

"Kagome,you're amazing.You know everything about medicine.No matter what it is,with the right ingredients you can cure it can't you?"he asked still stupified.

"Well I wouldn't say that,but I'm glad I know as much as I do."she smiled as Serina made a face from the bad taste of the medicine.

"Yuck!This stuff tastes horrible!"she complained as I walked in.

"Is she gonna be alright Kagome?"I asked as she nodded.I smiled and walked back into the living room.I nodded to the others and they went in to see her.When they were all in my room checking on her,I quickly grabbed my right side and collapsed into a nearby chair.I tried to force the pain to subside,but it wouldn't.I continued grimacing in pain and didn't have time to hide my expression as Kagome walked into the living room.

"Inuyasha what happened!"she gasped as she saw blood staining my kimono pants again.

Apparently the blood in my body had begun to flow normally again.She quickly helped me up and walked me into our room.She put me on the bed beside Serina and began grabbing bandages and more medicine from the case she had gotten out of our bathroom.She began examining all my wounds and shuddered slightly.She poured some strange liquid into all the cuts on my body and began to bandage them all up.About ten minutes later Kagome was finished and told me she had been forced to make the bandages extremely tight so that my wounds wouldn't bleed as bad.I nodded to show that I understood and tried to sit up.I quickly failed and remained lying on the bed.My body still had enough energy to sit up,but Kagome had made the bandages so tight that I couldn't move my stomach.I gave a weary smile as thanks and relaxed.She told me to get some rest and I happily obliged.As I slept,Kagome examined and treated everyone else's wounds as well. Damien had several puncture wounds in random areas throughout his body,while Helix had nearly lost too much blood from the deep lacerations that covered him.Batosai had also received multiple severe burns from the white-hot bars in his trials.Adding to that,large cuts and bruises also covered him from where the chains had lashed out.Finally, everyone was treated and we were all put in bed to recover.The next day none of us had gained enough strength to move yet,but we felt much better than before.The previous night,Kagome had called all my sisters,Sukari,and Kauru asking them to help take care of us.They all agreed and had been doing everything they could to help us get better since they came over.She had also called Tifa and told her the tragic news about Cloud.When she found out,Tifa came over and said goodbye to us,then explained she was going to go back home.That was the last time we ever saw her.Kagome was sad at first,but decided it was for the best.When she was gone,Kagome went back to taking care of Serina,while Marlene took care of Damien.Of course Yugena took care of Helix,and Kauru was caring for Batosai.Tsunami had been put in charge of cleaning the house and yard,leaving Sukari to take care of me.She had been obsessively asking me if I needed anything for the past three hours.No matter how many times I told her I didn't,she continued to ask me.I wanted to tell her I was tired of it,but I couldn't bring myself to hurt her feelings.All she was doing was trying to be helpful and if I told her to stop she would be upset.So I continued putting up with it for a full week more.By the end of that time the others and I were fully healed and got out of bed.We thanked everyone that had helped heal us and they left.Just after they were gone,Damien and Helix announced that they had to leave as well.We all thought Serina would be upset,but she simply nodded in understanding.

"I knew that they were going to leave after they got healed.Damien told me before we went to fight Sesshomaru."she said as we all nodded.

"Why are you guys leaving?"Kagome asked.

"Remember how a long time ago I mentioned how we planned to move out and live on our own?"

"Yes I remember."

"Well we never got the chance before now,which is why we're leaving. Helix and I are going to move into a house of our own and search for the shards of the new jewel."

"Alright,come get us when you finish settling in."I said as they both nodded.

"We'll see you guys later then."Damien said as he walked toward Serina.He embraced her lovingly and placed a soft kiss on her lips.He let go and walked with Helix out the door.We watched them leave until they were out of sight,then we shut the front door and sat down.We all decided to wait until after we saw their new house to begin our own search for the shards of the jewel.As soon as we were done talking,I decided to go train and grabbed the phone.I invited Batosai over and asked Serina if she wanted to join.She decided not to and I waited for Batosai.About five minutes later he knocked on the door and we both went outside.We walked into a clearing and drew our swords.We ran at each other and swung quickly.Our swords clashed and we swung again. Batosai quickly jumped into the air and a dark red flame engulfed his sword.I changed my blade red too as he came back down.

"APOCALYPSE BLADE!"he yelled as he swung down at me.I swung upwards with both hands and struck his sword.He flew back up into the air as I was thrown to the ground.He crashed back to Earth yards away and quickly jumped back to his feet.By the time he stood I was already running at him again and charged an attack of my own.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"I sent the energy flying off my blade directly at him.For an instant,Batosai changed to his full manslayer form and dodged the attack.I stopped when I saw that and lowered my sword.

"Why did you turn full manslayer?Wasn't that a waste of energy?"

"Yeah it was,but I couldn't help it."

"What do you mean you couldn't help it?"

"I mean I went straight to my full form.I completely bypassed my normal manslayer form."

"You mean you can't change to the first level of your form anymore?"

"I guess not.See if you can change to your full demon form."he said as I sheathed my sword.

"Okay,here goes."I began to gather energy and I could feel myself transforming.I tightened my muscles and shot all the energy throughout my body at one time.My claws and fangs sharpened as my eyes turned red.The scars on the side of my face turned black and a black cresent moon appeared on my forehead.I quickly released my energy and transformed back to normal.

"Well?"I asked as Batosai shook his head.

"You're the same way as me apparently.We both skipped the first form and went straight to our best."

"Well I guess that's not really bad."

"Yeah,let's just continue training."Batosai said drawing his sword.

I nodded and drew mine as well.For the rest of the day,we both trained and finally stopped at dark.He decided to go home and I walked back inside.I went to sleep that night and woke up the next day totally relaxed.I ate breakfast and sat around until Damien called at about three that day.He informed me that they had finally finished moving in and invited us out.I told him we were coming,then hung up and told Serina and Kagome everything.We got Shiori out of the guest room we had re-decorated for her and left toward Vega's castle to meet Helix like Damien had told us to.On the way we picked up Batosai and took him with us.We all began walking and found Helix waiting for us on the way there.He guided us through a forest for a while,until we finally saw the house in the distance.It was a normal,one-story house covered in an obviously fresh coat of white paint.We went through the front door with Helix and greeted Damien who had been waiting for us.He gave us a tour of the house and showed us everything in it.It had three bedrooms,two bathrooms,a small kitchen,and a large living room.He showed us which room was Helix's and then his own.Helix's room had been painted grey when they first came to the house and it had just finished drying.It had a simple bed and a fair-sized TV along with a bunch of sports car posters stapled to the wall in various locations.We walked down the hall to the end and went into Damien's room next.His walls were painted dark black and there was a large,flat-screen TV hanging on the wall above the foot of his bed.We all laughed after we realized how much money he had apparently shared with Helix.On the roof of his room,Damien had installed several long black lights that automatically came on when you turned the normal lights in his room off.The other difference was the stereo in the corner.It looked like it could have easily cost a thousand dollars.It was black too except for the red neon lights that followed the outside edges.Damien smirked and pushed a button on the remote that worked it.The disc holder opened and showed that it was a six-CD changer which he had already loaded it with six of the most popular heavy metal CD's in the world.He closed it and led us past the guest room,which was still under work,then back to the living room.We congradulated him on being able to con his father out of money and he smirked.

"Well,you know I've always been good at that."he said as we all laughed.

"Yeah we know.It seems like you guys got everything you could want here huh?"I asked as he nodded.

"Yeah,this place is pretty awesome.But….I didn't invite you guys here just to show it off…."Damien said as his face turned serious.

"Why else are we here then?"I asked.

"Because if you don't mind,I was hoping we could have one last training session before we all start our search."

"Sure we can.It'd do us all some good anyway.Let's go."I answered as we all walked outside and into a field a couple minutes away.We all decided to do one-on-one matches and let the ones that weren't fighting watch.Instead of going first as usual,Damien and I decided to wait and watch the others first.Batosai chose to fight Helix and they moved into the center of the field we had walked to.Batosai grabbed the hilt of his sword,waiting for Helix to make the first move.Helix drew his sword and charged his energy quickly.

"MADNESS METHOD!"he yelled as he ran at Batosai.He slashed diagonally one way at him,then from the opposite.Both swings struck and Helix back-flipped a short distance away.He threw his sword into the air and released the energy he had gathered earlier in one enormous blast.It sent Batosai flying to the ground as Helix caught his sword and descended.

"Nice opening attack huh Batosai?"Helix smirked.

"Yeah,let's see how you like mine."Batosai smirked back as he stood. He held his sword in front of him and we all saw a dark purple flame swirl around it.

"SWORD OF ETERNAL FLAME!"

Batosai ran at Helix and swung his sword down hard.Helix blocked and jumped backwards as Batosai attacked again.Batosai continued to attack relentlessly until Helix finally messed up.He slipped on some gravel as he was running and fell onto his back.In an instant Batosai stood above him with the flaming blade tip at his chest.He quickly felt an enormous rise in Helix's power as he transformed and vanished from his sight.I also realized that Helix was unable to transform to his normal full-demon form either now.Batosai quickly transformed as well,barely managing to dodge Helix's blade as it flew past his chest. Batosai returned the attack with a strong counter that slashed Helix's side open.He winced shortly,but followed with a counter of his own.He ran at Batosai and stabbed at him.Batosai started to dodge,but almost didn't make it now that Helix had the added power of the jewel shard in his leg.The blade pierced the outside flesh of his right arm as Batosai swung his flaming sword at Helix.He quickly ducked and withdrew his blade as Batosai swung down again.This time Helix countered and their blades collided as purple fire shot through the air.They pushed against each other until Batosai finally shoved him away and sheathed his sword.As Helix was running back at him,Batosai held both hands toward him as a small white flame appeared in the middle of his palms.

"CELESTIAL FLAME!"Helix quickly stopped and began spinning his sword.

"TIME CALIBUR!"their attacks struck each other and sent them both flying to the ground.Both fighters pulled themselves to their feet and began charging energy.Helix finished first and began his attack.

"RAY OF HOPE!"Helix held his sword straight up,pointing at the clouds.His energy began to flow along the blade,going higher and higher the more he charged.The energy trail reached the clouds and parted them,traveling higher still.His power kept ascending,until it had finally gone beyond the Earth's atmosphere.By this time,Helix had used nearly all his energy and had to attack now.His arms tensed and he brought the gigantic blade of energy down as hard as he could.His own sword and the extension made by the energy flew straight down at Batosai as he drew his sword.It was immediately engulfed in the purple flame again and he charged up his own energy quickly.When Helix's blade was only mere feet from him,Batosai swung his sword up with all the power he had.Their attacks struck each other,creating a colossal explosion.They both flew to the ground,causing huge craters.After a few seconds,Batosai crawled out of the crater,now in his normal form.A few moments later,Helix did the same and they both stood to their feet. They walked back over to us and collapsed on the ground.

"When did you guys learn those new attacks?"I asked.

"Well I've been trying with Damien lately so he should have some new ones too."Helix answered.

"Yeah and I've been practicing by myself."Batosai added.

"You two have gotten a lot better.We might actually have a challenge later."I said to Damien as we both laughed.They both laughed back sarcastically and asked who was going next.Serina immediately stood up and asked who was going to fight her.To make it interesting I poked Kagome's ribs quickly,causing her to jump to her feet.Serina smiled and began walking.Kagome followed after shooting a glare at me and held the bow Damien had let her borrow.

"Have you been slacking off as much as Inuyasha has Kagome!"Damien laughed as an arrow stabbed deep into the ground inches from his left foot.

"Not exactly."she answered coldly.

"What!When have you been training Kagome?"I asked surprisingly.

"I found some spare time.Now Serina,you better be ready.I'm stronger than I look."Kagome smirked at her daughter.

"Alright,on three begin."Serina said as Kagome nodded.

"One….two….three!"Serina immediately took off across the field, narrowly dodging the arrows that her mother shot.She continued running,splitting her weapon apart as she went.As she jumped over yet another arrow,Serina pulled back her blades and hurled them at Kagome.They missed her completely and returned to Serina,who quickly threw them again.They missed again and she kept repeating the process.By this time Kagome had stopped shooting and was watching her weapons very carefully.Before she even realized it,the emerald green trails left behind Serina's weapons had completely surrounded her and she was encased in a green sphere.She couldn't see anything as Serina caught her blades and jumped into the air.

"EMERALD ECLIPSE!"Serina pulled the blades back and hurled them into the sphere,slashing both of Kagome's sides.The sphere disappeared and Kagome fell to the ground.As Serina ran over to help her,Kagome pulled another arrow on her bow and charged up energy.

"SACRED ARROW!"the arrow flew at Serina as she ducked and barely avoided it.

"Never give your enemy a chance like that,no matter who it is."Kagome said as Serina nodded.

"Alright then."Serina split her weapon again and swung it quickly at Kagome.She rolled out of the way and Serina swung again.Kagome kept rolling and grabbed an arrow as she went.Just as Serina swung again,she launched another arrow and jumped away.As Serina dodged that arrow,Kagome pulled another onto her bow and charged up all the energy she had.Serina pulled back her blades and did the same.

"SACRED ARROW!"

"MYSTIC CYCLONE!"Serina's cyclone flew at Kagome's arrow and they struck one another,creating a massive explosion that hurled them both to the ground.Kagome was the first to rise,followed moments later by Serina.

"You're gonna have to learn not to let your guard down no matter who you're fighting Serina."she said with a focused look.

"I know,it's just harder to do with you mom.I don't wanna hurt you."

"Well you don't have to worry about that sweetheart.Your father used to train with me and never once in all our fights did he hurt me.So,don't be afraid to try next time alright?"

"Okay mom,I won't."

"Good.Now I guess you and Damien,huh Inuyasha?"Kagome asked as we nodded.

They sat down as Damien and I walked into the same clearing.We both took an attacking stance,preparing to charge one another.Silence fell over the area as everyone waited for us to begin.Without any warning at all,Damien and I charged at each other as fast as we could.We both pulled back our right fists and swung them forward with all our strength.Our knuckles collided directly,throwing us both backwards as flares of energy shot through the air.We regained our balance and swung again,colliding with the same effect.We attacked again and again,adding even more power to each strike.In just a few minutes,Damien and I had become so caught up in out-doing each other we had nearly transformed.Now that none of us could transform into our normal demonic forms,we went straight to our hyper forms. Everyone knew that the combination of my and Damien's hyper forms could cause a lot of damage,but we also had to know exactly how much control we now had over ourselves in that state.The others watched on restlessly as they felt our power rising dangerously close to the breaking point.Damien attacked suddenly with a furious right punch also charged with the power of the jewel shard embedded in his arm.I quickly pulled back my left fist and charged as much energy into it as I could.With my arm flaming with energy,I swung forward as hard as I could at Damien's open chest.My fist struck him directly as his hit my right side.Damien slammed roughly into the ground as I flew across the open space,crashing into the dirt over a hundred yards away.The instant Damien hit the ground,anger shot through every fiber in his body and gave him the final burst of energy he needed to transform.The same happened to me when I struck the ground as well.We both stopped and focused our energy for a moment,allowing our bodies to prepare for the stress of changing.I could feel the warm demon blood begin to coarse through my veins as my demonic aura shifted the winds around us.A wave of crimson swept over the normally ice blue color of Damien's irises as his demonic aura began to spread as well.The black scars and cresent moon appeared on my face as my eyes filled with the same blood red color.Damien drew his sword as a wave of black swept over the blade and the black flames designs spread across his arms and face.My claws and fangs sharpened again as his hair turned pure white.We both gathered the last of our spare energy as I placed a hand on the Tatsaiga.I drew the blade,which I saw now automatically turned red,and held it above my head as my demonic aura swept over it.At the same time,Damien and I released all the energy we had gathered, creating a massive flash of demonic power that blinded everyone and formed a large crater beneath us.Even though everyone had regained their sight completely,all they saw of us were two blurs as we sped toward each other inside the crater.We both swung our swords and struck with so much force the crater blew easily twice as wide as it already was.We both jumped out and began sprinting toward each other again.This time we met and both dodged sideways,charging up energy as we ran past each other.I turned around swiftly with my sword pulled behind my head as Damien began spinning his blade at a humanly impossible velocity.

"WIND SCAR!"

"TIME CALIBUR!"both our attacks struck each other and evaporated completely.Damien and I quickly ran at each other again, not giving each other a chance to recharge energy.We both swung our blades violently again and again,trying desperately to get the upper hand.Finally I made a mistake and slipped on some loose dirt we had shifted when we transformed.As I fell,Damien took the chance and gathered all the energy he could.He stored it all in his blade and swung it at the sky.

"SOLAR RAIN!"the attack flew into the air as he ran at me and slashed over and over.Just as the attack began falling back down, Damien jumped out of the way.I quickly jumped back to my feet as well and charged energy into the Tatsaiga as quickly as I could.Just as the attack was about to hit me,I swung my sword at it with all my strength.

"ROUGH DIVIDE!
My blade struck the attack and seemed to hold it in mid-air as I turned around and flipped the Tatsaiga,sheathing it in the process.As the hilt touched,energy exploded above me,extinguishing Damien's attack.I quickly realized sheathing my sword had been a mistake as Damien ran at me with his blade held behind his head.He brought it down hard as I rolled out of the way.His blade crashed into the ground as he quickly removed it,swinging down again.It took him just long enough to remove it for me to have a chance.As his blade was coming down,I grasped my sword handle and drew the Tatsaiga just in time.Damien's sword crashed into mine and I could barely manage to hold it off with only one arm.I had to use my other arm to support my body on the soft ground as I tried to stand while holding him off.With a swift blast of my aura,I knocked Damien away and jumped to my feet.I ran at him before he regained his balance and attacked.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"the energy flew at him and struck directly,blowing him across the open field.He crashed into the ground and quickly fired a counter attack as I was running to finish him off.

"TIME CALIBUR!"I saw the attack as I ran toward it and realized if I dodged,it would hit our friends behind me.I grabbed my sword again and charged up all my energy.

"BACKLASH WAVE!"I reversed his attack back at him as Damien jumped to his feet.

He froze time and dodged,then ran at me as it was still frozen.He slashed me more times than I could count,then unfroze time and collapsed as he transformed back to normal.The slashes tore open all over my body and I fell to the ground,changing back as well.We both stayed on the ground and refused to move until Kagome said she was fixing lunch.We both immediately jumped up like nothing had happened and ran inside to eat.We shoveled down plate after plate of the sandwiches Kagome had made for us until we couldn't even move. Damien and I both relaxed in our chairs,trying to digest and regain the ability to move.After we had recovered and everyone had put away the dishes,we all sat in the living room and talked for one last time.After a few hours I told Damien we had to leave and we all stood.Batosai and I shook Damien and Helix's hands as Kagome exchanged goodbye hugs with both of them.By the time we had all stepped away from Damien waiting for Serina to say goodbye,she was already in his arms.Her face was buried in his chest and she was sobbing uncontrollably.Damien held her with a blank stare that gave away more to the fact that he didn't know what to do.Finally Damien turned back to normal and pulled her tighter against him,whispering words none of us could hear. Apparently he had managed to calm her down because she stopped crying and looked up at him.Now all that came from her were small sniffling noises and a small blush because she was embarrassed from crying in front of everyone.Damien smiled at her lovingly and pulled her to him in a deeply passionate kiss.When it ended,Damien embraced Serina and held her as if he never wanted to let go.After an almost unbearable pause,they separated and Damien smiled at her again.

"Don't be sad Serina.We're not gonna be apart that long.I promise you the second we gather all the shards,Helix and I will return and I'll never lead your side again.Just please try to wait that long okay?"he asked as she replied with a weak nod.

"Thank you Serina.Even though I don't always have time to stop and tell you,or I'm afraid to admit it around other people,I really do love you Serina.I couldn't even belive it myself at first,but now I know it.I love you more than anything I've ever loved before.Don't ever forget that."Damien said as he stared deep into Serina's dark,chocolate eyes. Tears began to form at the base of them as she grabbed him again.They shared one more kiss,then Serina walked over to the rest of us.She hugged Helix goodbye and followed us as we left.We waved goodbye as we walked and Serina stared at Damien in the doorway until he finally forced himself to close the door.Serina continued walking,not talking or even looking at any of us.Finally I decided to break the silence and stopped in front of everyone,causing them to do the same.

"I know we're all a little upset because we have to split up our group for a while,but let's try to cheer up.What do you say when we get home, we order some pizza,rent a couple movies,and just hang out for tonight, then start our search in the morning?"I asked as Kagome and Batosai nodded.

"That sounds good to me."Kagome smiled.

"Yeah,me too."Batosai added as Serina kept looking down at the ground.I moved over to her and lifted her chin where she was facing me.

"Doesn't that sound good to you Serina?We'll even have ice cream if you want it.What do you say?"I asked with a smile.A small grin appeared on her face and she nodded happily.

"That sounds great to me dad."

"Alright,then laugh a little.It won't be that long before the whole group is back together.I promise."I said as she laughed sarcastically just to irritate me.

"Oh a funny girl huh?"I asked as I lifted her in my arms and told Kagome and Batosai to tickle her.

They began poking her ribs and underarms as she squealed and began trying to struggle free.I held her as she squirmed and fought with all her might to get free and make them stop.Soon she began begging for them to stop and we decided to quit.I set her down,allowing her to catch her breath.She smiled at me and I returned it,then continued walking. We finally got home and the others ordered pizza as I ran to the video store and rented some movies I thought everyone would enjoy.I took them back home and Batosai brought Kauru over so we could all watch them together.We ate and joked around until early in the morning.We all slept a lot later than we originally planned to,but it didn't matter.By the time all of us were up it was already two in the afternoon.We all ate a quick breakfast,then Batosai and Kauru went home and changed clothes.By the time they came back,Kagome had already packed all the stuff we would need that day into her backpack.We all left and went toward the demon world, intending to look for any information about where Sesshomaru was.We searched around for nearly two hours,not finding even the smallest clue.Finally,just as we were about to give up,we came across a back-alley gang of demons that looked like they hadn't eaten or bathed in over a month.I asked if they had heard about any new demon through the area and they all shook their heads.I told them I would pay them for any info. they had and immediately one of them stepped forward.

"Okay,the only thing we know is that he was heading East toward the alchemist region."

"And you're sure this was the same man I seek?"I asked doubtfully.

"Yes,exactly the way you described him.Long hair,two swords on his waist,giant fur over his right shoulder.The same exact details you said."

"Alright,well thanks for the help."I said walking off.

"Wait!You said you would pay us!"the gangster complained.

"Sorry,I don't make it my business to help out gangsters.Especially not demon ones."I added walking off with the others.

We continued East,surprisingly finding more and more clues as we went.By nightfall,we had already found three people who swore they had actually seen Sesshomaru pass by recently.We unpacked the blankets from Kagome's bag and decided to crash for the night.We awoke at daybreak and set out again.All day long we went from town to town,gathering as many clues as we could find.By noon,we had already been to five separate towns and were getting very hungry.The next town was still five miles away and we also realized that it was the first one inside the alchemist region.As we entered the town,we saw it was a far more relaxed place than the stories demons told it to be.Several young children were playing ball in an open area,many couples were walking hand-in-hand,even the adults had constant smiles on their faces.We walked carelessly,traveling through the streets without worry.Finally we came to a diner and we all sat down inside.We ordered a small lunch and rested for a minute.We paid and left,then began asking people about Sesshomaru.Sadly there were no more leads in that town.We began walking out,heading for the next one.On the outside of the town,there was a very large oak tree that we couldn't even see the top of.Beneath it we all saw the figure of a person.He was just sitting there,with no visual purpose at all.His eyes were closed and Shiori,who I had been carrying most of the time,jumped out of my arms picking up a rock in the process.

"Hey that guy must be meditating!I bet he's really good at fighting!Let's go see Inuyasha!"she cheered happily as she ran toward him.

"If he's meditating,then he should be able to dodge this!"Shiori said as she chunked the rock at the guy.It sailed through the air and struck him directly in the head.Immediately the guy's eyes flew open and he clutched his head in pain.

"OWW!What was that!"he asked with a shocked expression.I quickly ran and grabbed Shiori,lifting her into my arms again.

"I'm sorry,that was this little girl.She thought you were meditating so she threw a rock at you to see if you could dodge it."

"Well next time someone tell her I was sleeping!"he stated with a still pained look.

"I'm sorry.Like I said,it was an accident.Are you okay?"I asked as I helped him up from his sitting position.When he was on his feet I held out my hand.

"My name is Inuyasha,and you are?"I asked as he reached his out as well.

"Kyo Terayda,pleasure to meet you."he answered as the others walked over.They all shook and introduced themselves too,then we all sat down under the tree to rest in the shade for a minute.

"So Inuyasha,are you a demon?"Kyo asked honestly.

"Yeah I'm half demon,you gotta problem with that?"I asked defensively.

"Oh no,of course not.I take it your daughter is too?"

"Yeah,she's only one fourth though.Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to be sure.See,I'm a demon too."

"You are?You don't look like one."I stated surprised.

"Yeah I know.I'm a full-blooded fox demon though.The only way you can tell now is by my tail,see?"Kyo turned and showed us his twin foxtail that I could not believe I had overlooked.It was blonde just like his actual hair with a white tip.I also remembered that most fox demons are characterized by their emerald eyes,which I also noticed for the first time,that Kyo had.

"Oh,so I take it your ears only show in your full demon form correct?"

"That's right."

"By the way,what is that you're wearing?It's not a kimono is it?"

"No it's not.This is what is known as a gi.It is really nothing more than an extremely long,button-up shirt.Under the top half that extends below the knee,people wear these same straight-legged pants.The satch around my waist not only holds the halves of the gi together,but it also supports the sheath for my sword.Since I take it you have never seen this kind of weapon either,I will show it to you."Kyo said as he drew out his blade.It was relatively small,only 34 inches or so,but it was thinner than any blade I had ever seen before.Even when he drew it out,the blade shook as though it was made of rubber.

"This,is a tai chi sword.Also known as a gime.The purpose of the blade is not to overpower your opponent,but to control and out-maneuver them.See,it is flimsy now,but if I send my own energy into it like this….(Kyo paused for a second,then tensed his arm sharply.)….then my own energy binds to the blade and makes it stronger than any other sword.This kind of weapon is meant for speed and agility as you can imagine."

"How do you expect to win any battle with that pathetic blade?"I asked as Kyo's eyes leered angrily at me for a split second.

"Besides this sword,I also have one other type of power.I am also an alchemist.I'm not one of the old style ones that you hear stories about though.Where I come from,we don't use alchemic circles drawn on surfaces to create our alchemy.In the new breed of alchemists,the seals that allow us to use our powers are actually on our body.Mine is three outlines of circles on my forehead.The middle one is slightly larger than the other two though.They are very hard to see though,the seals are only a small shade different than my actual skin color.Thanks to them,I can control any element at will.Unfortunately,the only two I can create myself are fire and water,but if the other elements are around,I can control them."

"Oh,I've heard of these new fighters.They're supposedly the strongest alchemists of all."Batosai stated.

"How do you know that Batosai?"I asked curiously.

"Haven't you guys ever wondered why I am able to control elements myself?"we all nodded in realization.Batosai lifted up his shirt and turned around where we could all see his back.Directly in the middle of it was a very light outline of a star.

"That is my alchemic seal."he stated lowering his shirt again.

"That's an alchemic seal?I always thought it was just a tattoo or something."Kauru said with a look of utter shock on her face.

"I guess over time I just forgot to tell you about it.Sorry Kauru."

"It's okay."she smiled.

"So,you're really an alchemist too Batosai?"Kyo asked.

"Yeah."he answered simply.

"Which town did you come from?"

"I don't remember what it was called anymore.All I know is that it's located at the very edge of this continent,near the sea."

"Oh,I know where you're talking about.I think that town is known as Hakemito correct?"

"Yeah that's right."Batosai answered as he remembered.

"So,what elements did you learn?"

"Unlike you,I can create anything I want,but I have a very limited range of manipulation.The only thing I can do now is surround my weapon in the element I summon."

"Oh,you must not be very far in your training then,are you?"

"No.Unfortunately as I was about to be taught how to harness them better,my second master Kenshin Himura insisted that we hunt down a demon that had been plaiging this world…."he stopped suddenly as Kyo grabbed his shoulders with a shocked look.

"You trained with THE Kenshin Himura!"he asked as Batosai nodded with a slightly frightened look.

"Kenshin is known and revered in my alchemist clan as one of the highest ranked alchemist fighters in this country!What did he teach you!"Kyo asked still shaking him excitedly.

"He taught me everything I know about swordfighting.He also taught me the attack know as Toriusen."

"YOU KNOW THAT!TEACH IT TO ME!"Kyo pleaded releasing Batosai and holding his hands together in front of him.

"Why?It's not that great of an attack."

"How can you say that!The ancient technique Toriusen is legendary all around the alchemist world.When used correctly,it is stronger than any other attack known to alchemists.Legends say that the ancient attack Toriusen was actually used by the creator of the universe to divide heaven and hell themselves."

"Really?The one Kenshin showed me isn't really that strong at all."

"Even though I hate to doubt the great Kenshin,very few people now know how to use the technique in its true form.I think though,if you could teach me the beginning of the attack,then I could discover the secret to the full form."

"I don't really have time.See,we're on a journey to find something and I don't have time to stay here."

"Really?What are you guys looking for?"

"There is a jewel that as shattered a short while ago that has the same properties as the legendary Shikone jewel.Well this one is over five times as powerful as it and we must relocate the entire jewel to keep it from falling into the wrong hands."

"You're not joking are you?"Kyo asked as Batosai shook his head.

"No,it's the truth."

"I know you probably won't believe it,but I am actually on the same quest as you.I am also searching for the shards of what the demons recently have been calling the Vados jewel.However,you are probably thinking that I search for it to gain power like most other demons.Well you are mistaken.I search not to gain power,but to find someone who is connected to the jewel as well.The man I seek is named Sesshomaru.A long time ago my village was destroyed by a demon.I was given only a small clue as to who he was.The man that told me the clue was also a demon as well.He was a lightning demon named Heiten.Upon my return to the destroyed village,he explained everything that had happened,then told me I needed to find his master named Sesshomaru and ask him who was responsible for the death of my family and friends.So for the last month or so,I have been searching for any clues as to his location.Finally,my journey brought me here where I met you."

"So you search for Sesshomaru to ask him about your village's destroyer?That's the only reason?"I asked as Kyo nodded.

"Yes.I vowed revenge on the murderer of my family and Sesshomaru is the only one with any more clues about his identity.The only ones I have to go on now are that he is an incredibly strong demon with a powerful sword."

"Pretty vague if you ask me."I stated.

"Why do you say that?"Kyo asked.

"Because I'm a demon and I have a strong sword,but I don't see you attacking me."I answered obviously.

"Yeah,that's true.Like I said,I need more clues."

"I agree.So,what is your plan now?"Batosai asked.

"I'm going to continue my search of course."

"By yourself?"he asked as Kyo nodded again.

"Of course,I have never traveled with anyone else."

"Well how would you like to start?"

"What do you mean?"Kyo questioned.

"I mean,how would you like to travel with us?We can handle a little more help ourselves."

"I can't.If I get distracted now I'll never be able to find Sesshomaru."

"Hold on,that's what I'm trying to tell you.We are looking for Sesshomaru too."

"You are!"Kyo asked astoundedly.

"Yes.Although we seek him for a highly different reason,we still have the same goal.See,you seek him to find information.We all seek him to avenge the death of our friend he killed and to keep him from getting the Vados jewel."

"What!Sesshomaru killed your friend?"

"Yes.Sesshomaru is a ruthless demon that will not stop at anything to get what he wants.He is also Inuyasha's older brother.Even though we will all be the first to tell you that Inuyasha is one of the strongest demons around,Sesshomaru is easily ten times as strong as him or any of us.He killed our friend and nearly all the rest of us as well.We figure that if we search for the jewel shards,then he will no doubt appear somewhere on our path.When that time comes we will exact our revenge."Batosai finished as Kyo nodded with understanding.

"I see.In that case then,I would like to travel with you guys.That's the only way I can be sure that you guys don't finish him off before I can find out the truth about my village.Would you guys mind if I went with you?"he asked as Kagome stepped forward.

"No,of course we wouldn't.In fact,I think we'd enjoy having another friend along for the trip,right guys?"Kagome smiled at the rest of us.

"Yeah,I guess."I shrugged.

"That sounds fine."Batosai added as Serina and Kauru both nodded.

"Then it's settled.I'll travel with you guys until we find Sesshomaru."

"Okay.Well before we get going again,are you hungry Kyo?"Kagome asked with a sweet smile.

"YES!I haven't eaten in over two days!"he exclaimed wrapping his arms around her in an exhausted plee.Kagome smiled at his sudden change in appearance and tugged him off her.

"Alright then,let's go get you something to eat."she smiled as we began walking back to the diner we had entered earlier.We ordered Kyo everything he wanted,which managed to stack up quite a large bill after he was finished,then left toward the next village to continue our search. The only extra luggage we now had to carry was Kyo's small backpack, which he finally convinced Batosai to carry for him.With a wide smile on his face,Kyo strolled beside our group like he had always been with us.After a few hours of walking,Batosai began to get tired from carrying Kyo's bag.Finally we stopped and he set it down.He unzipped it and looked inside to find a random assortment of objects that had nothing in common.Among them were sticks,leaves,stones,and even a small rabbit that caused Batosai to scream when it struggled its way out of the objects and ran past him.After Batosai had caught his breath he turned to Kyo.

"What is all this?"he asked as Kyo smiled even wider.

"I was collecting things.I wanted to remember the places we've been to."

"You mean I've spent the last three hours lugging over thirty pounds of useless trash on my back!"Batosai snapped as Kyo gasped and grabbed his bag.

"Don't say that!These are all very important to me."Kyo said clutching the bag close to him.

"Then you carry them from now on."Batosai leered walking off.Kyo paused and thought for a moment,then threw the bag down where he stood.

"Too much work."he said as we all began laughing.Batosai looked like he could have killed Kyo right then,but continued walking.We all did the same and walked for almost another hour before coming to the next town.By the time we got there the sun was beginning to set and we decided to stop for the night.We found a nice hotel and rented it for the night.My family along with Shiori slept in one room while Batosai, Kauru,and Kyo all slept in a separate room.That night we all rested up and woke up early the next morning.We left the hotel and searched through the town for any more hints about Sesshomaru or a jewel shard.We managed to find one demon that told us he had been through that town only a couple days ago.We thanked him and continued on our path in the same direction.On the way,we all stopped at a clearing.

"Alright,since you're going to travel with us,we need to know what you're capable of."Batosai said walking away from the rest of us and grasping his sword handle.Kyo followed him and stood with his arms at his sides waiting for him to attack.Batosai quickly ran at him and drew his sword.As he was running,we saw Kyo move two fingers on his right hand up to the mark on his forehead.He held the other palm out as his alchemic seal began to shine.In the time it took him to do that,Batosai had only moved about three feet.As Batosai was running,a large flame appeared in front of Kyo and he began moving his hands,manipulating it.The flame instantly grew and was hurled at Batosai.He quickly veered to the side and continued running as Kyo shot another flame.It was amazing how fast he could actually create his attacks.Batosai ran as fast as he could,dodging the fire attacks as he went.Finally,he dodged under Kyo's barrage and was now in range to strike.A dark red flame engulfed Batosai's sword as he swung upward at Kyo.

"APOCALYPSE BLADE!"a smirk showed on Kyo's face as he drew his gime and shot his energy through the blade.He swung down and struck Batosai's sword.The flame around Batosai's sword dissipated as Kyo continued holding off his blade.Batosai released his grip and backed off,astounded that Kyo had blocked that with his flimsy blade.

"How did you do that?"Batosai asked after regaining his thoughts.

"Like I told you earlier,that is a concentrated surge of my demonic energy.As long as I can maintain that,then no blade can ever bend my sword.The only problem is,concentrating that energy takes a lot out of me,so I can only do it for a very short time.This is why normally I would have just dodged and slashed you,but I also wanted to prove I can block if I have to.I also see that you do have a slight understanding of elemental control,and even the strongest element of all,dark,no less. I'm actually quite impressed.Even though you can harness the elements, I take it you are not very far in your training."

"No,I was only trained for a little while by Kenshin like I told you.Then he died and I never returned to my old town."

"Well then,I will make you a proposition.You teach me your knowledge of the ancient Toriusen attack and I will show you everything I know about elemental control."Batosai nodded and held out his hand as they shook.

"Deal."Batosai agreed.

"By the way,I'm surprised your sword could actually stand up to my direct energy colliding with it.What makes your blade so special?"Kyo asked as Batosai drew his sword out,handing it to Kyo.

"You may be very surprised,but that is the actual reverse blade sword Kenshin used to create a name for himself with."he stated as Kyo nearly dropped the sword in amazement.

"You mean this is THE reverse blade sword!"he gasped.

"Yes.Not only that,held within the weapon is actually the very essence of Kenshin's powers.When he died,he transferred them to me and allowed me to keep it after his revival."

"Revival?You mean Kenshin is alive!"Kyo gasped again.

"Yes,I'll let you meet him one day."

"Thank you Batosai.I can't wait to learn from him.Oh,here's your sword back."he handed him the blade as I stepped forward.

"Well now you know pretty much everything about Batosai,time for us to learn about you.For instance,exactly how far your power can go. What do you say Kyo?"

"I'm fine,but are you sure you can handle a full demon like me?"he asked with a smirk.A flare of anger instantly shot inside of me.

"I think I'll manage."I snapped walking away from the others.I stopped and grasped my sword handle tightly as Kyo stopped next to me.

"What's so special about that little katana you have that could take on my gime?"Kyo asked seeing that Tatsaiga's very aged sheath.

"Don't underestimate my Tatsaiga.It may be old,but this was given to me by my master Soujiro and crafted from my father's powerful fang, then remade with my own."

"Wait,hold on a second.Your master was Soujiro?THE Soujiro?Lord Soujiro of the great Meige Revolution?"

"Yes,the one that fought alongside Kenshin Himura and destroyed over one third of the rivaling army by himself.Also the second master of the Wind Scar,the attack that can slay a hundred demons in one swing. Not only was I taught to use it by him,but after I revived my father as well,he showed me every other secret of the attack.So I now have the knowledge of the attack's creator and its best user."

"How do you people know so many of these great warriors?"Kyo asked,still reveling in awe.

"They've just appeared through our life.We don't know how."Batosai stated simply.

"Very well.Then I shall see just how well my gime can stand up to the legendary power of Lord Soujiro himself."

"I should warn you Kyo.I have long since surpassed Soujiro in strength.When he died nearly the same time as Kenshin,he gave me his power and I still have all of it as well.Add to that all the strength I have gained myself and you should have your hands full."I smirked.

"I'll be the judge of that."Kyo smirked back placing a hand on his alchemic seal.

"Then I won't keep you waiting any longer."I pulled the Tatsaiga out,transforming it at the same time.Kyo's eyes widened for a split second at the powerful blade,then his alchemic seal began to glow.I quickly swung the Tatsaiga in front of me as a massive wave of water flew at me.The blade hit the center,splitting the water harmlessly on both sides of me.The second I lowered my sword and looked at Kyo I saw a massive blast of fire soaring toward me.I slashed it with the Tatsaiga and ran at him.Just as I got to him,he shot another fire attack at me.I quickly brought my sword down in both an attack and a block.

"WIND SCAR!"the attack formed and evaporated Kyo's attack, flying toward him still with a large amount of force.The attack struck and blew him to the ground a short distance away.He got up just as I began charging up energy.I jumped into the air as Kyo charged for another alchemic attack.

"DRAGON TWISTER!"as the attack flew off my blade,I saw that Kyo hadn't been forming his own attack,he was manipulating mine.As I watched,my Dragon Twister turned around and was charged with his own power too as it flew back toward me.I quickly pulled the Tatsaiga behind my head and swung down as hard as I could.

"BACKLASH WAVE!"the powerful attack struck the reversed Dragon Twister and easily overpowered it.This collision formed an enormous combination of power that flew behind Kyo,barely missing him,and into the sky.At the last second before I swung,I had moved the Tatsaiga slightly off target,causing the Backlash Wave to miss.Instead of giving Kyo time to recover from the sudden shock,I immediately attacked him again.I ran at him and swung my sword just as he snapped back to reality.He flipped his blade up and it collided with my Tatsaiga,throwing us both back.I ran at him again just as he sheathed his sword.In under a second,he formed another wave with his alchemy and hurled it at me.It struck me directly and hit with so much force the wind was knocked out of me.I tried to catch my breath again just as I saw Kyo jump.In the air,he formed a large sphere of fire and hurled it at me before I could react.Before it was barely five feet away from Kyo,I dug my claws into my arms and hurled the blood at the giant blaze.

"BLADES OF BLOOD!"the blades struck the fire blast,rupturing it's core and causing a massive explosion of flames to erupt directly next to Kyo.Just before all the fire hit him,Kyo focused his alchemy and waved both hands outward.To my amazement he had managed to harness every single flame and they all flew away from him,raining toward the ground.It all evaporated long before it got to me and Kyo landed as I watched the fire evaporate.As I was distracted,Kyo took advatage of the time and summoned his energy again.This time he made a sphere out of water, but he didn't simply hurl it at me.He formed the water into individual spikes that resembled ice needles,but he knew they would dissolve when they hit me.Still,he also knew that the spikes had enough weight to hurt badly.To give me at least a slight warning,he yelled as he spun around and threw them at me.When I looked,all I saw was a flash of blue coming toward me.Instinctively I pulled the Tatsaiga behind my head and brought it down swiftly.

"BACKLASH WAVE!"the attack flew at his spikes and absorbed them inside of it.The wave of energy flew at Kyo as his spikes spiraled inside it.Figuring that,Kyo already had his sword drawn and was charging his energy into the blade.Just as my attack got to him,Kyo swung his blade and struck the attack directly in the middle.Every muscle in Kyo's arm strained to hold off the attack as I realized I might have put too much into it.I quickly ran to help deflect it as Kyo shot a glare at me.

"DON'T YOU DARE HELP ME INUYASHA!I CAN HANDLE THIS ON MY OWN!"he said as I stopped running.I continued watching as a flare of blue energy began to circle around the arm that held his gime.His eyes began glowing the same fiery blue color that now encircled his hand as I felt his energy begin to rise.It quickly shot up far beyond the level of any demon I had ever felt before as Kyo's entire body was surrounded in the same sky blue fire.The instant it engulfed him I saw two long,fox ears that extended far below his shoulders appear on the top of his head.In the split second they were there,Kyo easily overpowered the Backlash Wave and hurled it into the sky as I had done earlier.The instant the energy had begun to move away,he had reverted his power and his ears had disappeared.He sheathed his sword and sat down,looking very drained and weary.I quickly kneeled next to him as Kagome threw me a bottle of water.I handed it to him and he nearly swallowed the bottle itself in the process of drinking.

"What happened Kyo?I saw that you changed to your actual demon form,but with you being a full demon it shouldn't take much energy for you."I stated as he set down the empty bottle and managed to regain his breath.

"It isn't trouble at all for me to change into that form,but the problem I have is controlling it.The last time I did that,I ended up nearly slaughtering my entire village until the alchemist leaders finally got control of me.I have been practicing now for three straight years,but even still I cannot control that power very easily.It's as if there are two sides to my personality.The one you see before you now and the other trapped deep inside of me.Whenever that other part reaches the surface,it seems as though I lose almost complete control of my mind.I cannot stand that feeling,so I have been trying to overcome it.Even still, I apparently have not reached the goal I desire."he said looking slightly depressed.

"It's okay Kyo.Inuyasha had trouble controlling his demonic blood when he first learned to transform into his hyper demon form."Batosai stated as I shot him an angry look.

"You mean there's a level even beyond a full demon form?"Kyo asked as Batosai nodded and explained everything about how we had all reached our hyper demon forms and were now so in control of them we could no longer return to our first demonic forms.At the end Kyo nodded in understanding and turned to me.

"Would you be willing to show me your hyper demon form Inuyasha?"Kyo asked as I looked toward Kagome and the others.They nodded their approval and I stood up.

"Sure,but not for long.Like Batosai said,I still haven't mastered control over mine either if you must know."I said walking a short distance away.I rested both my arms at my sides for a moment, preparing my body for the change once again.After a moment,I tensed the muscles in my arms and began channeling energy throughout my body.I began to feel the warm demon blood coursing freely through my veins once more as my claws and fangs sharpened.The black scars appeared on my face as my demonic aura began to rise.By the time the cresent moon appeared on my forehead,energy was already visibly flowing off my body.Kyo felt the enormous incline my power gave and was shocked a little when my eyes turned blood red.He marveled at my change in appearance and power as I finished transforming completely.

"Nothing less than I would have suspected Inuyasha.Are you in control enough to maybe demonstrate how much your attributes have increased?"Kyo asked as I smirked.

"Sure,why not?"I asked in my newly-changed voice that surprised him even more.

"Alright then,dodge what I fire okay?"he asked as I nodded.His seal began to glow as he shot a fire blast at me for a warm up.He was surprised to see that it went right through me.He quickly began firing more and more at me,increasing speed as he shot.I dodged every one with ease,barely having to move at all.I was moving so fast,it seemed as though I never moved at all.Finally he began to get irritated and formed the of the same enormous spheres as earlier,hurling them in all the directions I could move.I did the only thing left and jumped into the air.The second I did I knew what Kyo had planned.As I flew in the air, he shot a number of fire attacks at me faster than any of the others.The flames blazed toward me as I pulled back my claws and swung.They shattered the attack instantly as I descended back to the ground.

He gaped in shock as I stood with my claws extended,prepared for another attack.

"Okay,you're fast.Now let's see just how strong you are."he smirked as he charged his alchemic seal with his left hand.He slowly unsheathed his gime with the other hand as continued charging power.Suddenly Kyo's full demonic aura engulfed the blade,surrounding it in a sky blue flame.He lifted the sword above his head and charged apparently all the energy he had into it.For another split second,I saw his full demon form appear as he brought the blade down.

"NOVA BLADE!"as Kyo's blade descended,I quickly drew my own sword and charged my attack too.The energy that surrounded his blade was hurled at me and flew in a form that was almost identical to my Dragon Twister.Just before it got to me,I unleashed all the demonic power I had managed to store.

"ROUGH DIVIDE!"my Tatsaiga connected with his attack,swirling with my demonic energy.I held against his attack trying to overpower it as I saw Kyo jump.He was very determined to prove he was better than me.I saw his gime flash in the air and knew he had thrown it at me. Knowing I couldn't dodge,I began focusing all the demonic energy I hadn't had time to charge into my blade.Just as his sword was about to stab into my neck,I pushed against his attack with everything I had.

"HAAAAAAA!"I finally overpowered the attack and pushed it off my blade,hurling it into the sky.I quickly switched the Tatsaiga to my left hand and grabbed Kyo's gime with my claws just before it hit me.I smirked and handed him the blade as I changed back to normal.He smirked back as he sheathed it and we walked over to the others.We both sat down next to them and began talking.

"So,am I good enough to keep traveling with you guys?"Kyo asked as we all began laughing.

"Yeah you are."I laughed as he smiled widely.We laughed for a second until Kyo remembered something.

"Oh yeah!Batosai,weren't you gonna teach me the Toriusen attack?"he asked excitedly.

"Yeah,if you want."he answered.

"Well I do."

"Alright then,come on."Batosai said standing and walking away.They stopped in the clearing and Batosai drew his sword.

"This is what the attack will be like when you finish."he said charging his energy.A moment later he lifted the sword above his head and swung down hard.

"TORIUSEN!"an enormous blast of energy flew off the blade and tore across the ground,splitting a crack deep into it for over fifty yards. Kyo analyzed every part of the attack as Batosai did it,trying to learn the secret.When the attack finally vanished,Kyo stared with a curious look on his face.

"That's all?I thought that the legendary Toriusen would be much stronger."he commented as Batosai nodded.

"Yeah,that's it.I always thought it was supposed to be stronger to,but that was all there is to it."

"Well I guess if that's all there is to it…."Kyo started drawing his sword.He instantly repeated the move Batosai had done and shot the same attack right beside Batosai's previous one.He sheathed his sword and paused to think,staring blankly at the ground in front of him. Batosai's jaw immediately dropped in amazement as Kyo continued contemplating.

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT!"Batosai finally asked,snapping Kyo out of his thoughts very suddenly.

"I just did what you did.I saw you do it,so I tried my turn."he answered simply.

"But how did you learn it after only watching me one time!"Batosai continued.

"It was easy.I saw the way you controlled your energy as you attacked. When you are trained in full alchemy you are forced to learn to read other people's motions very quickly.Didn't you learn how to do that as well?"he asked curiously.

"Yeah,but nowhere near as fast as that.It takes me watching them multiple times to learn their strategy and find its flaw."

"Oh,well I guess I'll teach you how to do it like me sometime.Right now though,I need to think for a second.I'm trying find out what is missing from the technique."he said going back into deep thought. Batosai finally gave up and sat down,waiting for him to finish.A few minutes passed until Kyo snapped his fingers eagerly and drew his blade with a hopeful smirk.

"That's got to be it!Here,watch Batosai."Kyo paused for a moment apparently gathering his energy.He quickly spun in a circle with his arms outstretched,swinging the blade vertically as he went.By the time Kyo had spun all the way around,all the energy stored in his body had been transferred to his wrist.With all the momentum,he brought his sword down toward the ground.Just before it hit,all the energy stored in his wrist shot through the blade as Kyo launched the full version of the attack.The blast created flew off in an enormous wave,splitting the ground over twenty feet deep.The attack continued tearing across the field until we all saw it was getting dangerously close to the town. Batosai and I quickly ran in front of the attack and charged up our own energy.He moved in front of me and tried to block it.

"CELESTIAL FLAME!"the enormous fire blast erupted from Batosai's hands and struck the attack full on.The sheer power of Kyo's newly learned attack was absolutely overwhelming.It almost instantly evaporated Batosai's attack.I quickly rushed in front of him and swung down hard.

"BACKLASH WAVE!"even as strong as my attack was,it was still nothing compared to the true Toriusen.As I began charging energy again,Kagome,Kauru,Serina,and Kyo ran over to help.They all launched powerful attacks as Batosai and I charged our energy again.

"SACRED ARROW!"

"MYSTIC CYCLONE!"

"NOVA BLADE!"

"CELESTIAL FLAME!"everyone shot their attacks as Kauru fired another Celestial Flame that Batosai had apparently taught her.Just as theirs all struck,Batosai and I followed with two of our own.

"CELESTIAL FLAME!"

"DRAGON TWISTER!"both our attacks struck the wave already being fought against by the others' attacks.Finally,the energy Kyo had used faded and the attack was destroyed by all our counters.We all sank to the ground to rest as Kyo gave a stupid grin.

"It worked at least."he continued grinning as I shot him a glare.

"Okay!Okay."he held up his hands in protection.

"Well at least he's useful."Batosai commented trying to ease the mood.

"Great,one more person that's more helpful than Inuyasha."Kagome sighed as everyone began laughing.

"Haha.Real funny dear."I smiled sarcastically.

"I know."she beamed as she leaned over and kissed me quickly.

"So,what was the secret to the attack anyway?"Batosai asked curiously.

"Well I saw that you were focusing your energy on your whole arm and depending mostly on brute strength to form the attack.What I did was channel it all into the closet point to my blade,being the wrist,until it was just about to hit the ground.Then,along with the momentum from the vertical spin,I released the energy through the blade and let it fly off on its own.Also,as I realize now,that is a very dangerous move.Because to depend completely on the way the energy will go when it flies off the weapon is not a wise decision.As we all learned,you lose all control over the attack when you rely on its course.So from now on,that attack will have to be deemed a last resort correct?"we all nodded in agreement. Kyo started to ask Batosai if he wanted to train with the elements a little,but saw he was lost deep in thought.Kyo asked what was wrong as Batosai snapped back to reality.

"Oh nothing.What were you saying?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to practice alchemy a little."

"Oh yeah sure."Batosai nodded.

"Alright,come on then."Kyo stood and walked a few yards away so none of us were in their range.

"So,what to teach you first…."Kyo stated staring into the sky for a second as he realize how late into the evening it actually had become.

"Alright,since it's almost night anyway I'm gonna teach you to harness the purest and possibly most dangerous element of all,light. Okay first,we must reawaken your dedication to the training of an alchemist.What I want you to do is draw your sword.(Batosai obediently followed.)Okay,now hold the blade sideways,pointed to your left.(He followed again.)Alright,it may not seem like much work,but I want you to hold that sword there for as long as you can.I'm going to create a flame that will burn exactly one inch below your arm now.If you get tired and lower the sword at all,you will be burned.Do not worry though,the heat from the flame will not affect you unless your arm descends.(He formed the small flame below his arm)Okay,now stay like that for ten minutes."Kyo instructed as he sat and waited.When ten minutes had passed and Batosai still wasn't having trouble,Kyo stood. He charged his alchemic seal and changed the fire to a darkness flame.

"Now the training will become more severe.This flame will burn through nearly anything.It is also slightly closer to your arm because it doesn't radiate excess heat.Now you only have a half inch of allowance. However,just to test your limit I'm going to add something else."Kyo's seal began to glow again as a downpour of rain began to fall on Batosai.

"This will make your endurance much more difficult.By the way,the flame will not go out if water touches it,so don't get any ideas.Now,I shall return when another ten minutes have passed."Kyo said sitting a few feet away once more.We all watched as sweat began to form on Batosai's forehead.After eight minutes had passed,his entire body was soaked to the bone and his arm was trembling from fatigue.As we were watching,his muscles finally gave way and his arm began to fall.He struggled as hard as he could to keep from letting it fall,but only managed to hold out for ten more seconds.Finally,his arm lowered until it touched the flame and Batosai yelled in pain as it burned almost an inch into his arm even from the slight touch.He dropped his sword in agony and clutched his arm.Kyo calmly stood and walked over to him. He grabbed the hand that clutched his scorched arm and pulled it off. Seeing the wound,he released his arm and ordered Batosa to pick up his sword.Batosai obeyed,wincing in pain as the muscles in his injured arm tightened to lift it.

"I congradulate you on getting even that far.This shows that you have had some proper training in the past.Now,there is one more task you must complete before you can even begin to think about harnessing the true dangerous power of all the elements.For this task,you must learn to endure pain as well as more fatigue.The reason for this is because when training as an alchemist,often you are actually more dangerous to yourself if you lose control than to your opponent.So,sheath your sword and step back.(Batosai followed regretfully and awaited the task.)Now, you are not allowed to dodge or protect yourself with your weapon.The only defense you have is your own body and your alchemic powers.So prepare yourself."Kyo said charging his seal.Batosai braced himself as he saw a flame form and fly at him quickly.The fire struck his chest and burned him harshly, although he had to admit it was still not as painful as the darkness flame.He continued ignoring the pain as more and more blasts were shot at him.

"Good job Batosai.Now I think you're ready for the true training.That was just the warmup afterall.Now you will be hit by all elements much faster and random in type.So get ready,here it comes."Kyo charged his seal once more and shot an enormous wave of water which knocked Batosai to the ground strongly.Just as he tried to get up,Batosai saw a large lightning bolt flying at him.Without being able to dodge he was hit by it full force.The electric current surged through his body,causing enormous pain.Just as Batosai was absorbed in that pain,Kyo shot an enormous fire blast without giving him any time to recover.Just before the flame hit him,Batosai braced both arms in front of him and deflected most of the attack away.Kyo smirked and immediately began charging a powerful darkness flame attack that quickly grew larger than his entire body.Batosai's eyes widened as he began charging his own alchemy,preparing to block as well as he could.In an instant Kyo hurled the enormous attack at him and began charging his seal again. This worried Batosai,but then he realized he didn't have time to worry about it.Just as the huge attack was about to reach him,Batosai fired his own counter-attack of mortal fire and continued feeding it energy.Just as he began to overpower the onslaught,Batosai saw what Kyo had continued charging his seal for.Flying at him at a very high velocity were two enormous boulders,each bigger than the attack he was blocking now.Without thinking,Batosai let up on his guard from the darkness flame in an attempt to block the stones.By the time he realized what he had done it was too late.All three attacks were now too close to block.Batosai barely even had time to brace himself before the attacks slammed into his body at once.Both sides were crushed by the two boulders,then before that pain could even register the darkness flame struck his body directly and sent him spiraling to the ground in a scream of agony.Seeing what had happened,Kyo quickly ran over and lowered his alchemic power to make the darkness flame disappear. Another quick outward sweep of Kyo's hands and all the shards of the boulders that had been spread on the ground were hurled far out of distance.Kyo then began inspecting Batosai's wounds to make sure they weren't too serious.The boulders had only managed to leave pretty large bruises and cracked a few bones,but the darkness flame hitting his arms and chest full-on had really taken a toll on his body.Literally every inch on the front of Batosai's chest had been scorched by the searing flames.His clothes were charred and torn,his chest was burned badly,but his charged alchemy had managed to save his arms for the most part.Of course they were burned terribly,but Kyo knew it would have been much worse if Batosai hadn't had the alchemic talent to form his powers so well.Kyo muttered a thank you under his breath and proceeded to heal the worst of Batosai's injuries.When that was done he ordered Batosai to stand once more.Painfully,he obeyed and stood straight awaiting his next order.

"You have done very well Batosai.The most difficult part of your training is now behind you,although I cannot say that the rest will be much easier.Now,your powers have definitely been re-awakened and your body is surely used the fatigue and pain now.So,on to the next task.What I am going to do now is teach you to harness and control all nine elements to the maximum ability I can.Okay,first we will begin with light as I promised earlier…."Kyo began teaching Batosai the physical aspect of the elements as well as the mental ideals of controlling them.By the time nightfall came Kyo had managed to teach Batosai a beginner's version of harnessing every element,and finally began to grow tired himself.In Batosai's eager desire to learn,he had long ago abandoned all thoughts of sleep or rest.Only when Kyo fell asleep in the middle of teaching Batosai how to control a dangerous fire attack did he finally agree to go to bed.Greateful that they had finally shut up,we all found a hotel and managed to sleep soundly for the entire night.When the sun came up the next day,Batosai took Kauru off alone with him after telling us they needed to be alone.When he was sure they were alone,Batosai sat down and asked her to join him.She sat next to him,completely unprepared when he pulled her tight against him in a loving embrace.After a shocked moment,Kauru finally pulled apart and asked him what was wrong.A solemn expression covered his face as he looked at her.

"There's something I want to do Kauru.No,something I need to do.I have realized in these last few days that my powers as an alchemist have slackened greatly in these past years.After meeting Kyo for the first time I have learned a stunning realization.I'm nowhere near strong enough to protect you anymore."he said finally having to look away.She drew in a breath preparing to chew him out for thinking such nonsense when he held a finger to her lips and looked at her again.

"No Kauru,I'm not wrong this time.I won't take the same chance I took fourteen years ago.If I'm not strong enough now then…."he trailed off lost in his memories and on the verge of tears.

"Batosai,what do you think is so wrong with you?What are you afraid of?"she smiled sweetly as his emotions finally reached their limit.

"I'M AFRAID OF LOSING YOU AGAIN!"he snapped as she gasped in shock.

"The last time I wasn't strong enough for you I found out that you liked Kail more than me!I won't let that happen again!"

"But Batosai…."she started.

"NO!I will not take that chance again!I love you far too much to lose you again!"he continued as he saw a tear fall from her cheek.Almost instantly his anger melted and he took her in his arms as she began sobbing.

"Haven't I proved my love for you yet!Haven't I convinced you that you are the only one for me by now!"she asked through tears as he began rubbing her back and calming her down.When she had finally stopped crying he held her at arms length and looked at her again.

"Kauru I know you love me.I do.It's just….I need to prove myself in order to feel like I deserve you."

"Do you really have to?"she asked.

"Yes I do."

"Well is that the only reason you're upset?"

"No,it's not.Kauru,this is the hardest thing I've ever had to say and I had hoped I'd never have to say it,but I do.Kauru,I have to go alone.I can't take you with me where I'm going."he said as the impact struck her heart.A very hurt look appeared on her face as she took a deep breath to compose herself.She swallowed and managed to look at him.

"But why can't I go?"she asked hurtfully.

"I would love to let you come more than anything,but….it's against the law where I'm going to bring anyone that wasn't born there.You see, I'm returning to my old alchemic clan to finish the training I began so long ago.Please understand Kauru.I don't want to leave you here,but I have to."he said as she forced a smile even though she was on the verge of tears.

"So,how long are you going to be gone?"

"At the most three or four months."

"Okay.That's fine.I'll wait here."she said with a fake smile as tears began rolling silently down her cheeks.He pulled her against him one more time and apologized over and over.After she finally stopped crying Batosai looked her in the eyes as they leaned toward each other in a passionate kiss.In that silent moment,both of them vowed to return to each other no matter what.They pulled apart and Batosai smiled at her as he stood up.Kauru stood as well and smiled sweetly at him.As they stared at each other,she untied the blue silk ribbon that held back her hair and handed it to him.

"Here,I want you to take this Batosai."she smiled as he took it softly in his hand.

"Now,no matter what happens I want you to bring this back to me. That is my favorite ribbon Batosai,the only thing that means more to me than it is you.So promise me you will bring it back to me along with yourself."she ordered looking hopefully into his eyes.

"Okay Kauru.I swear I will bring this back to you no matter what."

"Thank you Batosai."

"You're welcome.Okay,I'm going to leave now.Please tell everyone I said goodbye and that I will return soon enough."

"Okay I will."she said as tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Please don't cry Kauru.I'll be back as soon as I can I promise."he said taking her face in his hands.

"I love you Kauru."he said with a gaze into her eyes that melted her heart to its core.

"I love you too Batosai."she answered as they kissed deeply one more time.When they separated,Batosai squeezed her hand reassuringly once more and began walking away as tears fell freely from Kauru's cheeks. She waved goodbye to him even though he never turned around until he finally vanished from her sight.She spent the next few minutes crying by herself,then decided to tell everyone and get it out of the way.When she walked back,everyone knew something was wrong especially when Batosai didn't follow behind her.

"Kauru,what is it?Why have you been crying?"I asked as she looked up at me.

"It's Batosai,he um….(sniffle)….he went to train back in his old alchemist clan.He said I can't go with him so I have to wait here."

"I'm so sorry Kauru.You must be absolutely crushed."Kagome apologized embracing her tightly.Kauru nodded,but pulled away from her to look at me.

"Inuyasha,would you….would you mind taking me back home?"she pleaded timidly.I nodded in empathy and smiled at her softly as I lifted her in my arms.I told everyone to wait here and ran back toward home as quickly as I could.Through the entire trip Kauru never said a word and I wasn't going to force her to talk right now.We finally reached her home and I set her down.She stood at the door and smiled at me the best she could.

"Thank you Inuyasha.I just need to lie down for a little while."

"I understand,take as long as you need.Call us if you ever need anything.We'll never be too far away to help you okay?"

"Okay,I will.Promise."

"Good.Alright,take it easy Kauru."I said embracing her sincerely.

"I will."she said actually smiling a little.I started to walk off as she called my name.I turned and looked at her as she smiled genuinely.

"Thank you and all the others for being such good friends to me."

"You're welcome.Trust me,it's no trouble."

"I'm glad.Goodbye Inuyasha."she waved as I returned it.

"Goodbye Kauru."I walked backwards waving at her for a short distance,then broke into a run again back to the others.When I got back we all decided to take the day off and just relaxed,trying to get over the sudden sadness of Batosai leaving.At that same time,Batosai was running through the forest at top speed in an attempt to be able to finish his training and return to Kauru faster.After two more hours he began recognizing strangely familiar landmarks and realized he was back.No sooner had he noticed that than his old alchemist town came into view.He walked through the entrance,greeting the ones that remembered him,and straight toward the home of his old master.