A/N:
I apologize for the late update, however, for that I bring you this relatively long chapter, filled with goodness which also welcomes us all into a very fun arc.
Thank you so much for your kind reviews and messages, I appreciate all of your support and I'm very glad to know you're enjoying this journey.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Still firmly occupying his spot on the edge of the grassy precipice, Sesshomaru blinked against the earliest rays of sunlight as those overcame the far mountains in the distance, soon reaching where he stood to caress his skin and shine his features with a silhouette of warmth. His golden gaze carried across the land spread below his elevated position, silently observing as it gradually uncovered before him, the light slowly venturing through the constructed maze of humanity located at the base of the mountain, marking the end of the night and the start of a new day.
As if suddenly shaken from a trance and reminded of his surroundings, the daiyoukai inhaled sharply, then, turned his head halfway back to scan the center of his camp, where his companions were still sleeping soundly. Confirming that all was in order, his gaze eventually settled on the two children compiled from pure spiritual energy, floating idly next to the slumbering Rin and wearing their still vacant expressions.
He narrowed his golden eyes at the uneventful sight, soon turning once again to stare at the far distance as he resumed his silent task.
'What has that woman discovered, to suddenly shift in her direction like that?' He couldn't help but wonder as quietly as possible.
Unbeknownst to the rest of his group, Sesshomaru's attention was focused on Kikyo's unique scent and her changing whereabouts ever since she had decided to part ways, monitoring her movement from afar and granting himself with valid information regarding any potential progress in her private quest. However, and much to his own inconvenience, the more she strayed further into the thickness of the forest and many different living creatures surrounding the mountain and the valley below, the harder it was to distinguish, now already faintly present and barely noticeable, even for his keen senses.
Exhaling, his mouth formed a thin, displeased line.
Was his decision to allow her independent travel a mistake, after all?
Should he momentarily leave this spot to quickly detect her precise location and effortlessly retrieve the woman back to his side?
Many thoughts of the sort swirled in his mind, the self-doubt slowly piercing through his calm composure as it threatened to take full control over his actions and have him do as it pleased.
But the image of pure determination embedded in Kikyo's clever mahogany eyes soon flashed before him, the sight of confidence and an unmatchable iron-clad will eventually calming his nerves and disciplining his feral musings back into order.
A look that somehow always managed to puncture through his walls and reach all the way straight to his core; one that held a certain amount of vulnerability in it... and yet also carried undeniable strength, an educated awareness of the situation and its potential consequences, an unfiltered clarity that spoke volumes instead of actual words...
A look that promised the woman knew what she was doing.
Now feeling a tad more relaxed by the concept, Sesshomaru turned on his heel, setting his gaze once again on the rest of his sleeping group members. Straight-faced, he began striding towards the area, soon reaching the peaceful sight of Rin sprawled on the ground before the strangled flames and next to the projected warmth of A-Un, her head rested against the soft grass below it as it cushioned her comfortable slumber, with the snoring Jaken not that far from where she was positioned.
He lingered in his place, listening to the sounds of nature as those responded to the presence of the new sun, prompting the wildlife all around him to slowly begin the fresh new day and whatever it may hold.
"Kikyo-sama is fine." One of the children suddenly notified with a calm voice, breaking through the even serenity of the early morning and causing his sharp gaze to immediately find their being.
Fierce gold met with dull black as Sesshomaru quickly evaluated the sudden affirmation, realizing both girls were staring at him through blank expressions, soon narrowing his studying gaze down at the one who spoke.
But they only nonchalantly broke from his eye-contact once their current task was completed altogether, casting their unfocused vision forward with a smooth motion, their expressions remaining blank and unreadable before him.
The higher she climbed, the tougher the angled surface proved beneath Kikyo's feet as the chiseled soil scraped against her straw sandals with every new step, the lack of plant life and strong wind blowing through the elevated space indicating of the mountain's top at near distance, where the mysterious evil presence was supposedly located. The sun above was already halfway through its course in the sky by the time the priestess had reached the area, but the heavy fog which circled the higher grounds of the mountain barely permitted any rays of light through, granting her environment with an unspoken eerie feel to it.
There was an undeniable feeling of uncertainty which she definitely did not miss, that much she had to admit to herself, at least;
All this time spent so tightly with Sesshomaru's group somehow padded her thinking with an addicting concept of safety, falsely prompting her to conveniently forget about the sensation of being alone while possibly having to face an approaching danger, one which sent her senses into a frenzy and tensed her mind with avid alert...
But even so, Kikyo knew that this decision had to be made, and that her current situation was indeed, inevitable.
Naraku's manipulative existence relied on reading his enemies and premeditating his every move by that certain knowledge, therefore there was no possible way to catch him off-guard while he was aware of herself constantly traveling along with Sesshomaru, taking note of the daiyoukai's strong youki which the latter never bothered to conceal, thus expecting both of their actions and acting accordingly.
The time to strike was now, precisely when her loathsome enemy was most likely distracted by Inuyasha's group, who had managed to arrive sooner than them to the possible location of his heart.
And with that motivation supporting her each and every new step forward, Kikyo let out a deep, silent breath, approaching closer and closer to the source of the strange but powerful youki, which had only gotten clearer the more she neared its reading. Quietly, she continued on her exploration until eventually reaching a vast, empty area, hidden well behind the firm walls of the mountain's side as if it were a secret path completely detached from the rest of the world. The fog slithered across the rocky ground in visible slow waves, engulfing her feet and obscuring the rest of her path ahead, yet the priestess only clenched her firm grip on the ceremonial bow held tightly in her right hand, soon resuming her movement forward through the suspicious scenery.
However, as soon as she began crossing through the area, an unexpected flare sourcing from deep within her robes prompted her to come into a sudden halt, and she quickly sent her free hand inside her grabs to fish out the broken piece of crystal granted to her by Jaken, holding it now in her open palm as her sharp gaze dropped to carefully study the emerald rock in her possession.
And Kikyo's vision narrowed at the absence of youki which so stubbornly emanated from the piece, before.
Clenching the crystal in her hand, she immediately raised her gaze forward once more, mahogany eyes scanning the surface before her through a composed expression. The silence was deafening in her ears and the high air cold against her face, causing her jaw to clench and all of her senses to sharpen.
But the image which soon came into view was nothing she had ever expected, making Kikyo's eyebrows form a hint of a confused frown at the sight;
From the heavy, condescend fog in front of her, suddenly emerged a young, pale girl, dressed in all white and displaying an entirely blank expression while carrying something closely to her chest. Her steps which were so impossibly light and inaudible as if she were a ghost hovering over the earth, shortly came into a sudden stop as well the moment she noticed the priestess' unplanned presence, and she only slightly raised her head at the sight, maintaining her now static position in silence.
Calm mahogany quickly evaluated the mysterious girl in front of her as neither said anything for a stretched moment, both keeping their wordless stillness, soon lowering from the girl to observe the odd bundle held so closely in her arms.
"So, that's Naraku's heart, huh." Kikyo eventually determined, her eyes darting back to the girl in order to carefully test her next actions.
'To think that I would actually come across the heart while tracking down that other evil presence...' She mused, tensing her shoulders.
But the child refrained from answering to her rhetorical question and instead chose to quietly linger in her spot without moving for the longest time, awaiting the priestess' next choice of actions, instead.
With no further unnecessary stalling, Kikyo swiftly reached back to pull one arrow out from her quiver, placing its narrow shaft on top of her left index finger as she aimed the attack forward, straight at the bundle held in the child's arms, drawing her bow and locking her strike on its target with formidable speed.
'This could all end, right now.' Was the thought which raced in her mind, pumping the adrenaline in her false body as if blood was still cursing through it, eyes set on her prey and her attention completely focused on the source of all current evil, the most vulnerable part of Naraku's existence, exposed so unattentively before her like that.
Before she could release her shot, however, a sudden strike was immediately sent in her direction from above, forcing her to momentarily halt her doings and quickly dodge the attack. With a sharp movement, Kikyo swiftly raised her head upwards to the source of the new threat, realizing that the being lurking above her contemporary exchange was no other than the one she had sensed from before.
'So, that's the evil presence which guided me here!' She gritted her teeth at the inconvenience of the situation, swiftly aiming her interrupted attack up at the dangerous creature, instead.
Without a moment of hesitation this time, Kikyo released her precise shot up at the mangled being, only for its pale body to suddenly separate into countless different parts, each of them supported by strange orbs of light as those hurriedly glided through the air in order to successfully swerve from her deadly strike.
"What...?" Kikyo breathed through her slight shock, her eyebrows meeting in a silent attempt to decipher whatever was happening before her. Her vision focused on one of the orbs, shortly recognizing the energy which manipulated the pieces;
'They're... Haku...' She narrowed her eyes up at the unbelievable sight, recalling her old priestess training and studies, telling of Kon and Haku, the soul and life-force which are needed to be kept in balance, in order for a being to be truly be considered alive, 'For this creature to possess so many of the Haku pieces like that...'
Another deadly strike was sent in her direction before she even managed to finish her thought, making her back away once again and steer clear from the path of the attack. Now jolted from her distracting encounter, Kikyo straightened with realization, whipping her head towards the girl and witnessing her quickly approaching the edge of the rocky cliff.
"Damn!" The priestess called while drawing her bow yet again, taking another aimed shot at Naraku's offspring, however, the child simply jumped down from the high edge of the mountain in response, her form falling through the misty air and soon enveloped by the pieces of the youkai carried by the Haku as it saved her from the deadly plummet, lowering her down safely through the thick fog which quickly shrouded both of their beings into the unknown, below.
Stepping to the edge of the cliff as well, Kikyo lowered herself on one knee, placing one hand on her leg as she leaned down to cast her gaze far into the low depths of the mist.
Yet nothing but obscurity greeted her back, now.
'I've lost sight of them...' She reprimanded herself, releasing a deep breath and finally easing her shoulders, although hardly for the preferable reasons, 'The evil presence also managed to vanish.'
Lingering in her spot for another moment, Kikyo eventually rose back to her feet, stepping away from the edge of the mountain.
'The stone which the baby was holding...' She recalled the dark orb clasped between the infant's small fingers, narrowing her eyes, 'That had to be the Fuyouheki stone, as Inuyasha's group had informed us.'
Silence once again reigned through the now empty space, leaving the priestess standing alone in the aftermath of the unplanned and swift battle. The foreboding feeling of alert which gripped her so firmly before, now abandoned her nearly completely, assisting her mind to gradually ease and shortly begin planning her next preferable course of actions in response to the recent occurrence.
'For now, I must leave this place at once before Naraku hears of my precise location.' She decided, raising her free hand to her chest in order to perform the familiar hand seal, calling upon her Shinidamachu.
A moment passed, and her trusty youkai helpers soon reached her location, carrying her away from the scene. Concealing her existence once again from any fresh threat that might now be lurking around her, Kikyo eventually resolved to land at the lower side of the mountain, camouflaging herself amongst the thickness of the lush forest and wildlife spread and occupying the entire base of the high landform.
Once her straw sandals met with the grassy ground below them, Kikyo breathed the moisture in the air deeply, appreciating the certain soothing freshness that only the woods could grant her with; one which she could not access during the past few hours in her most recent pursuit. She raised her gaze to the sky barely seen through the lush tops of the trees, noticing the hint of orange which decorated the leaves, indicating of the sun already beginning to set.
And her thoughts inevitably drifted to a certain inu daiyoukai, prompting Kikyo to lower her head and set her gaze back at the continuation of her current path.
'I wonder if he managed to get some rest during the night.' She mused, tilting her head slightly to the side as her stern expression eased.
But a hint of an amused, albeit tired smile soon crossed her features the more she weighted the possibility.
'Knowing him, he most likely stayed up, stubbornly attempting to monitor my progress from afar.' She theorized, closing her eyes and exhaling softly.
Followed by her serpent helpers as those remained close by her side, Kikyo eventually resumed her movement towards the side of the mountain, stepping through the density of trees and soon reaching the edge of the forest in order to grant herself with a proper view down the nearest valley. The wind was soft and caressing against her features, blowing through her long, unbound and straight hair as the warmth of the setting sun met with her face, the restrained rays shining over the not so far villages below as those mindlessly basked in its soothing presence, unknowing of any evil.
'Should I purchase something for Rin to eat?' Kikyo pondered, eyeing the many stores and food stands scattered below her, 'The food we acquired back then at our previous visit to the nearest village had already been entirely consumed.'
As if to firmly enforce her decision, Rin's worried expression from yesterday soon rose into her conscious, causing the priestess to straighten with poise.
'I have left her so suddenly, after all... it is only decent of me to return with a gift, now.' She reasoned.
"Night has already fallen, just where is that woman?" Jaken grumbled with annoyance, holding his hands upwards in the direction of the steady flames before him as he let out a deep breath, leaning against the large rock currently supporting his back.
"Kikyo-sama is probably still busy searching for anything new." Rin guessed.
They both exchanged looks for a moment, then, curiously settled their gazes on the back of their master, who was still quietly standing in his usual far spot at the high edge of the mountain, observing the now star-filled clear sky above.
Tilting her head to the side, Rin's features crossed with concern, and her brown eyes soon found her green companion's being yet again.
"Hey... Jaken-sama." She whispered to the imp-demon with a single hand shielding her mouth, leaning closer towards him, "Sesshomaru-sama barely moved from that spot, hasn't he?"
Jaken raised one angry brow to the sound of the child's irritating question.
However, even he was at a loss of words and a lack of will to protest anymore at this particular point.
"That's because that miko is most unpredictable." He replied with a tired although clearly bitter voice, shaking his head, "There is no telling of what is going on through that head of hers."
Staring at him for another moment, Rin blinked with surprise.
"Maybe you can't tell, Jaken-sama." She said, turning back to face the blazing campfire, "But Sesshomaru-sama sure can."
The imp-demon narrowed his large, yellow eyes at her direction.
"Well, who says I even want to!" He scoffed while crossing his arms, "All I wish to know is how much longer must we to wait for that woman to return!"
But a sudden idea soon rose in the child's mind, causing her to shift her glance to the two girls made of pure spiritual light, hovering not that far from where they both sat. Her gaze lingered on their similar forms for a moment before she spoke, her timely silence prompting Jaken to watch her actions and shortly predict his companion's next intentions.
Before Rin could even address the floating beings, however, a certain approaching presence caught her attention, causing both Jaken and her to immediately whip their heads towards the daiyoukai's existence.
"Jaken." Sesshomaru called, stepping closer to the center of the camp.
The imp-demon sprung to his feet with immediate compliance, straightening his posture before his master.
"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama." He said, gripping his wooden staff firmly.
Sesshomaru studied the state of his campsite for another moment in which no one spoke, his sharp gaze scanning his vassal, Rin, the sleeping A-Un and eventually, the two children made of purifying aura. Eventually, His golden eyes darted back to Jaken's form, making him slightly flinch in response to the deafening and unreadable silence.
"Remain here with Rin." He ordered, watching him closely.
Jaken's yellow orbs bugged out of his skull, and every bit of anticipation he held at that moment regarding his master perhaps deciding to cease wasting time and possibly keep moving without the priestess was erased in its entirely, causing his shoulders to slump with defeat.
"Y-Yes... Sesshomaru-sama..." He confirmed, watching as the daiyoukai simply turned on his heel, his mokomoko soon extending far below him with a smooth motion, engulfing his feet and carrying him away from the campsite, far into the depths of the endless starry night sky.
Sesshomaru inhaled deeply as he slowly descended the mountain's side with only the pale waning crescent moon serving as his limited source of light above, feeling the cool breeze flowing through his long hair and grabs, presenting the many scents of the land and its various occupants. He focused his golden eyes on his current unplanned destination in the low distance, finally able to confirm that his sense of smell was indeed correct, and that the priestess' current location was no other than the nearest human village positioned at the middle of the valley.
'What is that woman trying to do?' He couldn't help but wonder, irritation gathering within him the more he attempted to decipher the reason for Kikyo's unexpected, yet lengthy stop.
But every potential theory had failed to satisfy him, proving far weaker than the urge to seek out her existence and simply see with his own eyes what it was which caused this momentary hindrance in her quest, leaving him with no other choice but to follow after this newfound secret need of his.
Concealing his presence to a near non-existent degree, Sesshomaru soon reached the valley, steadily hovering in the outskirts of the village and using the tall and dense tree tops as means of camouflage against any fool who would dare to try and engage in a senseless battle against him. The unique scent of the priestess was now strong enough to indicate of her close location, leading him along tall wooden fences and huts, fires propped and scattered in calculated places designed to keep away potential threats, looking like nothing but dull invitations for slaughter in his eyes.
The foul condensed scent of humans, he found, was much more threatening to his keen nose than anything else this mortal village could possibly attempt to strike at him.
Just then, Sesshomaru's sharp golden eyes caught the unmistakable sight of her, the strong scarlet red of her priestess' garbs and her long dark hair vividly standing out to him as if the sun was still up above, granting only her with a sole ray of light which followed her existence wherever she went. And he immediately halted his movement, locating a nearby tree branch to elegantly land on and observe her from his elevated and distanced position.
Completely still, he watched the woman make her way between several humans laying on the ground, parts of their bodies dressed and mended with medical herbs and a few of them agonizing in pain, most likely from either a recent war, or a measly demon attack. His gaze narrowed as he fixed it back on Kikyo, studying the way she knelt down before every single one of the wounded mortals, presenting each of them with water to drink in order to sustain their fragile bodies.
And eventually, he released a deep breath.
'How unnecessary.' Sesshomaru determined at the one possibility which somehow escaped him, raising his chin before the occurrence.
Yet, he remained planted in his hidden place for the longest time, his keen gaze never straying from her being and the particular dignified way in which she operated; slow movements that held a certain precise firmness to them, dedicated to whatever patient that was currently under her care, her full attention placed on her task and her spiritual aura calm and collected all around her.
"I was and still am a priestess." Her words from before rang clear in his mind as his mouth formed a thin, displeased line.
This woman's sense of duty was still as strong as steel, even after all of this time.
Suddenly and much to Sesshomaru's quiet surprise, Kikyo glanced up at his direction, mahogany colliding with gold all the way from where she was located to nonchalantly notify him of her awareness to his presence. Composed, she held his eye-contact for a single moment, shortly breaking from his fierce gaze and lowering her attention down once again to focus on her current doings.
'This woman...' Sesshomaru's jaw clenched at her endless amounts of nerve.
But he only kept his ground with poise, assessing the situation and his next course of actions in silence.
'So, he came after all, huh.' Kikyo mused, her impassive gaze aimed down as she carefully checked the wound of an unconscious soldier, replacing the wilted medical herbs scattered within the many layers of unraveled cloth with freshly picked ones, 'It was only a matter of time before even he ran out of patience, I suppose.'
Still, the priestess found a large part of herself curious regarding his next choice of actions on the matter;
Will Sesshomaru force her to come back with him after she decided to assist these villagers without consulting him?
Will he use his unparalleled speed to land in the middle of the crowd and scare everyone away while demanding she stops wasting his time?
After all, it was her idea to split their ways in the first place... anger on his end would be understandable to expect.
"Miko-sama, you have my deepest gratitude for nurturing our men back to health." A sudden raspy voice snapped her from her deep thoughts, and she raised her gaze up to meet with the kind dark eyes of an elderly man, "They were attacked by a monstrous mountain dog while on their way through the woods to the nearest village, most likely the act of a terrible youkai."
Rising to her feet with a smooth motion, Kikyo bowed her head lightly before him.
"It is of no trouble at all." She stately answered.
The elderly man's expression eased, and he released a long and tired breath at the severity of the situation, his eyes momentarily leaving Kikyo to scan the several injured villagers, lying still on the ground before them both.
Then, his dark orbs found the priestess once again.
"At any rate, the nutrients you have requested for your journey are prepared." He informed, nodding once, "However, the clothing and arrows would take a bit longer to accomplish, I'm afraid."
Hearing this, Kikyo processed the information in silence.
"I see." She replied, her features maintaining their regal calmness, "Could you perhaps give me an estimation of time?"
"Two days, at most." The man said, his gaze turning sharp, "The materials have already been collected and our best men will see to it first thing tomorrow morning, miko-sama."
Nodding once to his words, Kikyo took a deep breath.
"Thank you." She answered simply, ending the conversation with another respectful bow as the elderly man mirrored her gesture, soon turning on his heel and stepping back in the direction of his hut, further into the now completely silent village.
'Two days, huh.' The priestess echoed to herself, lifting her chin as she pondered the unplanned knowledge.
The cold night wind found her once again, swaying her silky hair rhythmically back and forth for a moment in which everything was left quiet, leaving only the burning sound of several torches serving as her sole source of light to fill the space as their uneven flames danced across the ground according to the brief gust's wishes.
And she felt Sesshomaru's eyes still on her, studying her profile and most likely awaiting her next move. Straight-faced, she simply turned in his elevated direction yet again, calm mahogany meeting with his fierce gold as she felt his firm gaze burn her even from his distanced location.
This time, however, Kikyo held his eye-contact, silently conveying her unwavering and definite decision to him as she stood in stillness, surrounded by the many injured villagers resting on top of nothing but thin straw mats all around her.
And once Sesshomaru read her quiet plea, his golden eyes narrowed and he exhaled deeply. Without uttering as much as a word, the daiyoukai broke away from her presence, raising his attention to the sky above, his mokomoko soon stretching below him as it carried his form away from the scene, back into the endless darkness of the night.
Now fixed on his new destination, he felt the cold wind ruffling his silver bangs and long hair behind him as he hovered above the tree tops, approaching the side of the mountain yet again on his way back to his campsite.
But his thoughts were stacked thick with various parts of his most recent encounter with the priestess and her wordless wish, the look in her deep mahogany eyes speaking volumes before him, especially considering the information he had already gathered about the woman until now, as well as everything she so stubbornly and loyally stood for.
And the daiyoukai could only begrudgingly listen as her voiceless promise echoed in his mind far louder than any other musing, making him release another quiet, yet heavy breath;
"I shall catch up to you in two days' time, Sesshomaru."
"S-Sesshomaru-sama, if I may...!" Jaken sheepishly trotted forward to try and match his master's long strides as they continued on their way through the land, only now with the absence of one particular group member, "This Jaken has utmost respect for your decision to proceed without the miko, as there is truly no true reason for us to halt our progress because of –"
"Silence." Sesshomaru firmly cut into his words, irritation clear in his voice.
The imp-demon swallowed harshly to the undeniable spike of deadly youki which emanated from his master at that moment, instinctively stepping back from his existence until his pace evened with Rin, A-Un and the floating Shikigami, tailing not that far behind.
"Jaken-sama, you shouldn't try and force Sesshomaru-sama into a conversation, right now." Rin advised through a whisper, her large eyes fixed down on his slouched, green form.
"I was merely attempting to express my undeniable loyalty." Jaken muttered under his breath with defeat, barely audible enough for her to hear.
But the child's gaze soon left him to settle on Sesshomaru's back in front of her, observing him for a few moments in silence.
She didn't require her master to speak in order to notice his awfully bad mood ever since yesterday's night, when he returned and informed them both of his sudden decision to continue on their way at the first hint of sunlight.
Slumping her shoulders, Rin eventually raised her gaze to the sky above, her dark brown sorting through the lush tops of the trees which surrounded their current path, noticing the reminiscence of light still stubbornly gripping onto the rapidly falling dusk which so aggressively fought for its dominance.
'Kikyo-sama has been gone for so long, already...' She concluded, sighing softly as she simply laid down, placing her head on the comfortable surface of A-Un's saddle beneath her and venturing through her countless unanswered curious questions regarding a certain beautiful priestess.
The hours passed and night conquered the sky once again, the countless stars spread all across the endless horizon above as they shone clearer than ever due to the complete absence of the moon, causing the group's environment to appear much darker than usual. Accompanied by only the presence of his vassal as Rin was already deep into her slumber on the back of the two-headed dragon, Sesshomaru suddenly came into an unexpected halt, prompting Jaken to straighten himself as surprise immediately crossed his features.
"Sesshomaru-sama?" The imp-demon voiced his confusion, watching as the daiyoukai silently turned his head to the side, focusing his vision on somewhere unknown, far into the distance, "Do you sense something?"
"Stay here." The familiar command soon left his mouth, however, before the daiyoukai managed to leave and follow after his current discovery, bright spiritual light began shining behind their forms, and they both turned to witness Kikyo's Shikigami flying through the air and positioning themselves at each sides of A-Un's large dimensions, bringing their small hands up to their chest as they simply closed their eyes, concentrating on their sudden task.
And a dome of pure spiritual energy shortly formed above their heads, spreading across the ground as it carefully circled the two-headed dargon youkai without harm, extending far enough for Jaken to screech with fear and fall backwards, away from the range of the fatal force.
"We shall keep Rin safe." The two girls informed through their unchanging blank expressions, then, resumed back into their lengthy silence.
Observing the sight for another moment, Sesshomaru eventually lowered his unreadable gaze to Jaken, who was still recovering from his momentarily shock at his feet.
"Let's go." He shot down at him, causing the imp-demon to shake his head with alert and immediately jump as he grabbed onto his master's extending fur sash before he departed without him.
And they both ascended to the late, night sky, flying quickly over the forest until the sight of concentrated woods below them replaced with human villages instead, prompting Jaken's green brows to frown with bewilderment regarding their current possible destination.
However, he preferred not to possibly contribute to his master's building irritation any more than he had already did by foolishly inquiring about it, and he could only sigh heavily at the tense situation. But his thought process was easily interrupted by the familiar, gradually nearing stench of their most hateful enemy, and his yellow eyes widened once he fixed them onto a certain battle unfolding in the not so far distance, among the many wooden huts of an abandoned village.
"Sesshomaru-sama! That area smells of at least one of Naraku's offspring!" He called.
Keeping his silence, Sesshomaru only lowered himself towards the events currently happening beneath him, his fierce gaze focused down on the large, pale creature which was too occupied with his opponents to notice his presence. And once the soles of his shoes came in contact with the ground of a tall hill in order to grant him with a clear view, Sesshomaru sent his sole hand to unsheathe his Tokijin with a quick motion, his sharp eyebrows forming a scornful frown.
He swung his sword once, sending a deadly attack at the creature and successfully striking at his arm as the shocked faces of all souls present in the area hurriedly turned in his direction at that very moment.
"Sesshomaru..." His name uttered from the mouth of a black-haired human, his battered form sprawled on the ground next to his worried female companion.
'That human...' Jaken narrowed his yellow eyes at the miserable sight, surprised by the familiar large group of people before him, 'That is most definitely Sesshomaru's despicable half-breed of a brother, however...'
Not even finishing that thought, he quickly shook his head in order to rid himself from any useless musings, reaching into his own garbs and pulling out the broken piece of crystal he still held in his possession.
"Sesshomaru-sama! There's no mistaking it." Jaken called firmly, holding the crystal up before him, "That youkai possesses no trace of youki whatsoever, and the same goes for the crystal!"
Hearing that, Sesshomaru's gaze sharpened, and he only tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.
"Hoo? And how did you get that?" The large youkai spoke, aiming his glare down at Jaken as he slowly leaned closer to the small imp.
Sesshomaru's eyes darted to Kagura as she stood in a safe distance, away as possible from the threat of the battle.
Then, he glared down at his vassal, watching him mustering up his courage to answer Naraku's servant before him and needlessly share important information with their enemy, no less.
"I have nothing to hide!" He screeched proudly, attempting to hide the shaking in his knees, "This was –"
"Shut up, Jaken." Sesshomaru firmly halted his outburst, quickly setting his glare back on his target. "I followed your disgusting scent until it led me here."
Chuckling with mockery, the youkai lowered his head in a threatening gesture.
"And what do you plan to do?" He taunted with a low voice.
Sesshomaru swung his sword yet again as a response, sending another deadly attack at his direction.
But the force of the strike somehow stopped to hover in mid-air once it collided with the body of his enemy, swirling in his grip and immediately reflecting back in his direction.
"Humph." The large youkai scoffed, "That doesn't work anymore."
Sesshomaru easily dodged his own attack, landing on safe grounds as his glare threatened to bore a hole through his enemy by itself.
"For someone who just mindlessly comes and starts swinging his sword... meeting me will be something you'll regret, Sesshomaru." Naraku's servant hissed, a dark smirk creeping through his face, "I can absorb the bodies of other youkai and thus increase my own strength, therefore, your sword's energy is nothing but food for me."
The daiyoukai kept silent to his enemy's words, his golden gaze narrowing with contempt.
And the large youkai immediately charged in his direction, not wasting any time.
"Swing your sword around as much as you'd like!" He called with glee, sending another attack at his direction, "I'll consume every last bit of its power!"
As soon as he moved away from the pathetic strike, Sesshomaru noticed his half-brother making his way towards his enemy, jumping on top of his body and climbing closer to the wretched being, attempting to strike at the Shikon fragement which was apparently embedded somewhere within it.
'What an utter fool.' He scoffed at the sorry sight of him still attempting to fight even in his pitiful human state, only to predictably get slammed straight in his fragile chest and propel backwards, far away from his goal.
Putting the distraction into good use at least, Sesshomaru quickly launched forward, placing a point-blank direct hit on his prey, watching as the youki was once again absorbed even when the attack was in concentrated, close proximity.
"Don't get involved Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled from deep within the large youkai's clutches, "He's my prey!"
But Sesshomaru only narrowed his golden eyes at his absurd words, his expression crossing with avid anger as he felt his own patience slowly running thin.
"Humph." He mocked his poor state, observing as the parts swirled around his pathetic existence, preventing him from moving at all, "Jumping around in that disgusting form of yours is starting to irritate me."
And without a hint of hesitation, the daiyoukai released another strong attack at his enemy.
"I'll slice the two of you together." He informed, sharp eyebrows meeting with a deep scowl and his golden eyes displaying a murderous intent.
One after the other, each of his attacks were left consumed in their entirety, processed and used to increase the strength of his enemy before him. However, this fact did not deter his actions, and Sesshomaru continued to relentlessly strike at the wretched being in front of him, channeling a little more of his youki into Tokijin with each new swing of his sword and testing the limits of the blade as well, all until dawn was eventually breaking in the far distance.
The faint hint of sunlight pierced through the clouds and met with his features, causing him to realize just how much time he had already dedicated to such an unworthy existence, and he only grit his teeth as he felt the anger steadily rise inside of him.
Sesshomaru swerved away from another useless attack, sending a concentrated hit to once more violently collide with his opponent.
And he witnessed as the body part which blocked the strike finally broke under the pressure of his unmatched force, proving that there was a capacity to the trick, after all.
Satisfied, Sesshomaru watched as the arm detached from its loathsome source, parts of it falling to the ground and scattering pathetically at his feet.
"Consume all of my energy, you said...?" He ridiculed the shocked creature, his glare fixed on his enemy as he quickly swung his sword yet again, "The youki of I, Sesshomaru, could never be contained by someone of your meager caliber!"
The precise and effective hit blasted through Naraku's servant at long last, tearing more of his body to shreds. The youkai paused in shock processing his own unexpected defeat and soon attempting to desperately save whatever dignity he still had left by launching one last single strike, only for the now healed Inuyasha to ruthlessly cut through it with his Tessaiga, slicing him up until there was nearly nothing left of him any longer.
Naraku's servant was now completely destroyed save for his upper body, floating idly in the air as he quickly turned to make his escape, discharging toxic misama in a poor excuse for a distraction.
Sesshomaru acted swiftly, throwing one last concentrated blast in his hurriedly escaping direction, however, the attack evaporated against Naraku's powerful barrier, defending both his servant and his offspring from the fatal assault, allowing them to safely run away and vanish into the clouded sky.
Sheathing back his Tokijin at his side, Sesshomaru immediately turned on his heel, anger clear on his face as he began distancing himself away from the cursed area, his fingers clenching into a tight fist.
What an absolute waste of time this was.
"Jaken." He called, his voice ending up harsh and too demanding for his liking.
'What is with this cursed uneasiness, still?' Sesshomaru clenched his jaw, inhaling sharply.
Was it truly just this infuriating and fruitless exchange which managed to tug on his nerves, causing his mind to momentarily prove so indisputably unbalanced, this way?
Before his vassal even managed to cross through the deathly area still flooded with remaining miasma, however, another existence soon passed him on his way, breaking the daiyoukai out of his deep musings.
"Wait a fucking minute, Sesshomaru." He heard Inuyasha call firmly behind him, landing not far from where he stood, "We need to talk, alone."
Not even turning in his half-brother's direction, the daiyoukai's nose wrinkled with quiet disgust.
"I have nothing to discuss with the likes of you, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru hissed, resuming his steps forward and distancing himself from the utmost last individual he needed to concern himself with at that particular moment.
But the next words which reached his ears caused him to immediately halt both his movement and his troubled thought process altogether;
"It's about Kikyo, and trust me... I'm sure you'd wanna keep this between us."