Chapter 21:

As Arisa nervously followed Sesshomaru, she decided to ask that one question that had been bugging her ever since they left Totosai's place.

Now is the perfect time to ask about something personal…!

"Sesshomaru…"

He looked at her half-way, waiting for her to speak up.

"Why…do you hate Inuyasha?"

"He deserves to be hated."

"But he's your brother…!"

He lifted an eyebrow at her, his eyes piercing.

"I do not consider that half-demon as my brother."

"So what if he's a half-demon?"

"Why do you know of our ties?"

Arisa swallowed hard. "Uhm…I happened to engage with them. It was right after your battle with him, when you used that hand Naraku gave you."

"So you were there."

"Yes…and I intended to follow you right after but I couldn't just leave them behind, being severely wounded and all. I'm sorry."

"Not that it matters, as it is already done."

"…Kagome told me a brief background about the two of you. Then, they told me a little something about sacred jewel shards and about Naraku collecting them. That's when I realized you were in trouble after all, considering the dark aura I saw from the arm before, and the way you suddenly discarded it at that time."

Sesshomaru didn't answer anymore, but Arisa still had so much more to say.

"And you don't like it that Tetsusaiga is owned by Inuyasha…"

"You seem defensive of him. Why is that?" Sesshomaru asked in an irritated tone.

"I am not! I am just wondering why you are harboring this much hatred towards your brother just because of him being a half-demon and him having the Tetsusaiga. You are—"

"There is no explanation for that. What is your point in this?"

Arisa's face scrunched up, and just as she was about to answer, Sesshomaru cut her off.

"You stay here with Jaken. I do not want unnecessary interference."

"What did you just say!?"

He didn't care about replying, and walked off instead. There was a wide land area just after the forest they were at, and it was oddly perfect for a battlefield.

"Sesshomaru, wait…!"

However, before she could run to follow him, Jaken stopped her by pointing his Staff of Two Heads right in front of her.

"You better listen to Sesshomaru-sama! You were lucky enough he didn't kill you the instant you mentioned Inuyasha." Jaken protested, and it made Arisa no choice but to comply.

"He really hates Inuyasha that much?"

"Yes, just so you know. I, as well, hate that half-breed, but I still can't help but address him as Sesshomaru-sama's brother."

"No one asked for your opinion, but I approve of it when you describe them as brothers."

"You keep quiet!"

Unable to sit still any longer, Arisa decided to take some action.

"Jaken, sorry but I will need to go out there. I have to."

Jaken scowled. "Didn't I just tell you to heed Sesshomaru-sama's words?"

"Don't worry, I will just watch."

She said that, and without waiting for Jaken to object her, she fled from their spot in a jiffy. She could already hear him rant from behind, but she didn't mind.

As she reached the end of the forest, she heard the booming sound of something powerful and felt its intense vibration through the ground. She hid on one of the trees just before the open area, and slowly peeked from it. She saw a huge crack on the ground and it was near Inuyasha. She then inferred that Sesshomaru was getting the upper hand, and he was holding a huge sword.

Is that the Tetsusaiga…? It's the same sword he held; back when he was still using Naraku's arm. Wait, could it be that he is in possession of it again!?

She carefully scanned his arm, to see if there was an evil aura and there, she observed that he was using a different one - a dragon's claw.

When and where in the world did he get that!?

Though she sighed in relief because it was not Naraku's, she still kept her eyes on him. Soon, she noted that he was a bit struggling while handling the sword.

Sesshomaru swung the Tetsusaiga, and a powerful blast came out from it, the same as what Arisa had heard before. She was terrified as it was aimed at Inuyasha, who was still on the act of recovering. She got worried for him as it looked like he would surely receive the impact, and was about to shout for him to take notice. Kagome was a step earlier, and that was when she noticed that they were present, but this time, a huge cat and another woman who had a large weapon on her back were with them.

"Inuyasha! Look out…!"

She really wanted to go to them, but it would surely become a fuss so she opted to lie-low for now, and talk with them again on a more befitting occasion.

Luckily, he was able to dodge at the last minute, but it caused him to crudely land on the ground.

"I cannot fathom why the assigned owner of Tetsusaiga cannot even utilize the Wind Scar, believed to slice a hundred demons in just one swing." Sesshomaru voiced out as he nonchalantly stepped back.

Arisa shifted her attention to Sesshomaru, and she noticed that he was clearly in discomfort. She looked at his dragon-like hand, and saw that the sword was starting to reject him awfully. He then threw the sword away along with his artificial arm; the sword changing back into a rusty, regular one. At the same time, he walked towards Inuyasha.

"You, who does not know how to utilize a sword properly…!" he continued to rant as he went straight for Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru was too fast for Inuyasha to avoid, especially in his current situation. He punched him in the forehead, and it sent him to a distance, disrupting his ability to see for a while.

Kagome was about to run to Inuyasha's side, but he stopped her in an instant. Sure, his sight wasn't working right now, but his ears were.

"Don't come, Kagome! I will settle this…!"

After that, he called out to Tetsusaiga by raising its sheath, and the sword went to him in a flash. Soon after, the sword transformed back to its huge, fang-like form.

Meanwhile, Arisa was terribly getting stressed on what she was witnessing, but she was already too late to just go and stop the fight. She then focused on Inuyasha, as she was starting to get worried about his injuries. Though, somehow, he looked like he was preparing himself, concentrating on something.

Inuyasha maintained his position, as Sesshomaru slowly approached him once again. However, just as he was about to claw him out, a powerful blast like earlier was lashed onto him. He thought that it was merely a weak one, so he defied it with confidence.

Arisa knew it was the Wind Scar. She had hoped that Sesshomaru would dodge it, but to her shock, he just stood there, about to oppose it directly.

"What are you doing…!? Hurry and get away!" she unconsciously screamed, loudly and clearly.

Sesshomaru heard her somehow, as he glanced towards where she was. However, it was too late for him to realize that it really was the Wind Scar, taking it head-on.

She watched as the blast hit him; and it horrified her. She could not believe what she was seeing. It looked like Sesshomaru was about to go into pieces.

Shit…! No…!

She suddenly noticed a ball of light flying towards the forest, and she quickly followed it.

"Sesshomaru!" she yelled as she chased after it.

It felt like everything around her collapsed. She cannot accept the possibility of Sesshomaru losing his life. As she desperately ran, her heart and mind were filled with nothing but worry for him.

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