Chapter 3

Sesshoumaru came face to face with his opponent. The demon that faced him appeared in human form as a woman, dressed in regal clothes.

"So, you are Sesshoumaru, son of the white dog, who killed my grandfather and chased my people from this land so many years ago. I am Pauru of the Dragon Demon Tribe. You will die!"

"Pauru, you have no claim to this land. Be gone with you.", Sesshoumaru growled out.

"I will not leave until I see you dead. You will pay for the crimes of your father. My people did not deserve to be chased from these lands."

"I have no idea why my father chased your people from these lands but I will not allow you to remain now."

Pauru transformed into a blue dragon with green eyes. She flew into the air, determined to squash Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru readied the Tenseiga, now a mighty fighting sword, with the Meidou Zangetsu Ha as his power. But, the dragon sensed something from the sword and, before Sesshoumaru had a chance to swing, she sent a burst of white hot flame upon him. Tenseiga protected him, but it still sent him flying, burning him to the bone.

Pauru laughed as the flames enveloped Sesshoumaru, thinking she had an easy win. But she was surprised when Sesshoumaru got up and readied his sword once again. Although seriously injured, he was still ready to fight.

"I underestimated you, Sesshoumaru.", Pauru said as she retransformed back to a human, "I will let you live another day. But I will return with my forces. You will not win this battle.", And before Sesshoumaru had a chance to counter with his sword, she was gone.

"Bitch!", he said to no one, "How could I let her attack like that. I must be getting soft."

Sesshoumaru headed home. Although most of the time found him wandering, defending his lands, he had built a home for Ai, his wife, and their son. It was after he had decided to marry a human that his dislike for Inuyasha began to wane.

He had kept his eye on the little girl while she grew up. She reminded him so much of Rin, her mother. Still not understanding Inuyasha's feelings for Kikyou and then Kagome, he questioned his brother's reasons for losing his heart to a woman. Inuyasha had simply responded,

"Maybe if you tried it, you may discover it to be worthwhile and maybe you wouldn't be so cold hearted."

Demons were supposed to be strong ... he had always surmised that because of Inuyasha's half-human status, this was the reason Inuyasha desired love. But, with Kagome, Inuyasha appeared happy and content. No longer the lost and lonely hanyou that he once was. Sesshoumaru had always desired power. But his father had lost his heart twice. And he was an extremely powerful demon. And Inuyasha's power only seemed to grow when he was in the presence of his miko witch. Maybe there was something to this love.

When Ai was a young teen, she began to seek out Sesshoumaru, fascinated by the demon. And he, in turn, became fascinated by her. Inuyasha's mate was teaching her magic and he could sense she was a strong character, even for a human. By the time she was twenty, she traveled with him all the time. He enjoyed her company and sought out the witch Tamae to brew the potion that would extend Ai's life. Tamae did, after teaching the potion to Kagome and Ai, and six years later, they married. Having all the time in the world, they waited 15 years to have their son, Taromaru.

So lost in his thoughts was he, that Sesshoumaru didn't realize he had arrived to the home he had built for Ai. Once he did, he realized that Jaken was there to greet him first.

"What is it, Jaken?"

"My Lord, you are hurt ..."

"Never mind that. What do you want?"

"M-M-My Lord, I regret to inform you that Ah-Un is missing."

Kagome looked wide eyed, "It's a dragon."

"Not just any dragon, mama,", Hiroshi said, "But it's Uncle's dragon."

"It is Ah-Un", Inuyasha stated, getting closer, "And he's injured."

Kagome said to Kazuo, "Hurry, get your sister. She can heal him."

Kazuo ran inside and got Kaori. Kaori was now a healer with miko and witch powers like her mother. Coming outside, she cautiously went up to the injured dragon.

"What's the matter with him, Papa?", she asked her father.

"It looks like he was bitten. By something with huge fangs."

Kaori placed her hands on the dragon as a bright light was emitted from her hands. After a while she released her hands and fell backwards into her father's arms. The bigger healing jobs still took a toll on her. Inuyasha carried her into the house as Kagome examined the dragon.

"Will he be alright?", Kazuo asked.

"Yes, he's healed now. He should be fine. Let's go inside and let him rest.", Kagome said, as they walked into the house.

By this time, dawn was beginning to break so Kagome started to prepare breakfast. Inuyasha, meanwhile, pondered why Ah-Un came to his place instead of being with Sesshoumaru. He told Kagome that after breakfast, he was going to find Sesshoumaru.