"InuYasha! Kagome! Shippou!"

The three turned, each at the sound of their name. Streaking down from the sky was Kilala, Sango and Miroku on her back. InuYasha sighed with relief. Reinforcements. He never thought he'd be so glad to see someone other than Kagome running towards him.

"We saw the clouds," Sango said without getting of Kilala's back. "Something bad's happening, isn't it?"

"Very bad. InuYami's out there!" Kagome cried. Tsugaru chose that moment to appear. He opened the door slowly, blinking out at the world.

"Shippou...I had a bad dream," he whispered as his eyes found the babysitter. "I dreamed that Yami was hurt real bad, and no one knew where she was...But I could hear her saying 'follow the light, follow the light.' But it was all dark and scary, and I didn't see any light. I'm scared, Ship—"

He broke off, staring wide-eyed at the sky as lightning stabbed through the clouds. InuYasha nodded, almost as if to himself. "Well, that's one problem solved," he muttered. "Now to solve the biggest one: finding her. Kagome...go get your bow and the Tetsusaiga." Kagome nodded and rushed into the house.

There were a few tense minutes of waiting. Shippou made a popping sound and transformed into a large goose. He motioned for Tsugaru to climb on. The little hanyou did so. InuYasha didn't really want to take his only son into danger, but he couldn't leave him all alone. The door opened and Kagome reappeared holding the items.

InuYasha reattached Tetsusaiga's sheath to his belt. He patted it gently. "Ah...there's a feeling I missed." He felt the familiar weight of Kagome on his back. Nodding to those around him, he jumped up into the sky. "Sango, have Kilala run beside me. Shippou, fly behind," he ordered. "I don't want you flying Tsugaru straight into danger."

"Man, I knew I should've let someone else take the kid," Shippou muttered.

"Hey!" Tsugaru shouted. "You just fly, Shippou. We have to find InuYami! I know my dream was real. She's hurt! Hurry, Shippou! Fly faster!"

"I do that and I'll pass your father."

"Daddy, go faster!"

"I'm trying, Tsuga."

;-:-;-:-;

Sesshoumaru sealed off the area carefully. He smiled. "No one will be able to pass through this barrier," he murmured. "No human, hanyou, or youkai...No one can stop me."

InuYami moaned softly and gripped the armor in her hands. She shuddered. Her eyes were slitted, and everything hurt. The youkai knew that she was going to die. No one knew where she was...no one even had a clue...She was cold and alone...The stress and the pain became too much for her young mind to bear, and she blacked out.

;-:-;-:-;

InuYasha dropped down just at the edge of the field. His eyes narrowed angrily. "Sesshoumaru," he growled.

"Where's Yami?" Kagome cried, clutching her bow and quiver to her chest. "Where is she?"

InuYasha sniffed. "Her scent is here. I can smell her, but the grass is too tall to see for sure without giving myself away...Shippou, act like a rat."

"What, and give you guys awa...Oh. I think I know what you're getting at!" Shippou nodded. With another pop, he became a small brown rat with a fox tail. "Like this?"

"Lose the tail!" InuYasha hissed.

"I can't!" Shippou squeaked. "I can only make it longer." And he did. It was still thick, but at least it had lost some of its fluffiness. With that, he squeaked and scurried off into the night.

;-:-;-:-;

Rat-Shippou scuttled through the grass. Let's see...InuYami's scent is everywhere. I just hope she's not by Sesshoumaru. He sat up, poking his head above the grass. His rat eyes could just make out a small splash of red on the ground. He snapped his claws. Me! Well, guess I gotta go closer.

;-:-;-:-;

Sesshoumaru's quick eyesight caught a glimpse of a brown rat coming towards him. He held his ground, eyes not leaving the rat for an instant. He watched the rat break into a run and—SMACK!—slam straight into the barrier. He glowered. That was no rat.

The rat sat up, shaking its head. It looked up to see Sesshoumaru pointing at it. "I see through your disguise. Change back!"

The rat squealed and sped away through the grass. Sesshoumaru followed it back to the edge of the field with his eyes. He smiled as soft voices reached his ears. "Shippou, you moron! He's looking right at us!" "He is...?" "You may look like a fox, but you're about as smart as an ant!"

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," the youkai sang softly. "I know you're hiding there, brother. What's the matter? Do you still hold a grudge?"

There was the sound of someone being punched. InuYasha leapt from the grass to land in front of Sesshoumaru. The hanyou's golden eyes flicked left and right until finally—"YAMI!" Sesshoumaru smiled.

"I see I have someone you know with me. Yes, InuYasha...She's here."

"You bastard! What have you done to her?" InuYasha drew the Tetsusaiga. The sword remained rusted and battered. It was then that InuYasha remembered. It only changes when I'm defending a human! InuYami is all demon!

"Temper, temper...I see the fang-sword rejects the child...How interesting."

InuYasha ignored the remark. "What have you done to her?" he repeated in a grating voice.

"What have I done?" Sesshoumaru smiled coldly. "I have done nothing. She willingly gave me her life energy. She brought me back." He noticed the look of stunned disbelief on his half brother's face. "You see, InuYami was in need of the kind and caring ear of her beloved Uncle Sesshoumaru."

"You poisoned her mind," the hanyou snarled, sheathing his sword angrily.

"Stand back, InuYasha!" Kagome called. She lifted her bow and aimed for Sesshoumaru's heart. Standing behind her were Sango, Kilala, and Shippou, each ready to fight.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the youkai warned. "InuYami and I are bonded. If you wish to see her dragged to hell with me, shoot at will."

"Kagome, don't!" InuYasha barked. "I see it now. Can't you see what he's got in his hand?"

Kagome looked closer. She spotted a small wisp of something held in the demon's hand. "A soul?" she asked.

"Life," InuYasha corrected. "Yami's life. He took it from her, and now he's got it in his very hands. If you kill him now, he will be dragged down to hell, but he will take her with him!"

Kagome lowered her bow. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"Now that I have life, I want nothing." Sesshoumaru tugged the life-cord in his hand. InuYami shivered and moaned softly. Kagome nearly burst into tears. Tsugaru had been right. InuYami was indeed in pain. "And now that I hold someone's life, I fear nothing."

"If they truly are bonded, nothing can make him let go willingly," Sango murmured.

"Then perhaps I can knock it out of his hand!" InuYasha drew his sword and leapt at Sesshoumaru. He could see the delicate veins in his brother's eyes when out of nowhere he slammed into something hard. The hanyou dropped down to the ground, rubbing his bruised cheek.

"I can't get through..." he muttered. "It's like he's got some sort of wall in front of him."

"Maybe it doesn't let half demons through!" Shippou suggested. "I'm youkai; maybe I can get through!" He jumped, only to meet the same fate as InuYasha.

"Maybe it doesn't let any demon through, half or whole," Sango murmured. "Kagome, we're human. It's worth a shot."

Together, the two women lunged, and were knocked back by the invisible wall. InuYasha shook his head. He reached forward and placed his hand on the barrier. Sesshoumaru laughed. "No hanyou, no youkai, no human. Nothing can pass through," he said. "Stop trying."

But Sango was not ready to give up just yet. "Kilala! See if you can get through!" To the others, she added, "Kilala is a different kind of demon. Maybe she can do it." The demon cat roared and lunged. She was knocked back in her kitten form. She sat up, mewing her confusion. Sango picked her up. "It's okay. You tried."

InuYasha groaned. Even if they could find some way to get through, they couldn't hurt Sesshoumaru for fear of hurting InuYami. It was useless.

;-:-;-:-;

Tsugaru struggled to free himself. "But Mr. Miroku! I can help! It doesn't let hanyou, humans, or youkai through, but I can go through!"

Miroku tried hard to keep the thrashing child in his hands. "No, Tsugaru! You're hanyou as well. You can't get through!"

"No! I can! I'm too human to be a hanyou, but I have demon blood, too! I'm not a hanyou! Hanyou are half demon! I'm not half demon!" Inspiration struck him, perhaps given to him by his sister's spirit. He stopped struggling. Miroku relaxed his grip slightly. It was just enough for the boy to free himself and make a run for it.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

InuYasha whipped around to see Tsugaru running towards him through the grass, followed closely by his babysitter, Miroku. The hanyou child reached his father's side without any signs of tiredness. Miroku, however, was completely out of breath. He slumped to the ground, gasping and panting hard.

"Tsugaru, what are you—?"

"Daddy, there's no time to explain!" For a six-year-old, his face was incredibly serious. "I'm not demon enough to be hanyou, but demon enough not to be human! I can do it! And I know how!"

InuYasha knew better than to ask how his son knew what to do. Tsugaru had a point. There was barely any demon blood in him, but there was some. He knelt down in front of the child. "Tsugaru, I'm placing all of my trust in you. If you can get in there, try and pull the life from his hands. If you can't do it, come back as fast as you can." He laid his hands on Tsugaru's shoulders. "All right? I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, Daddy." Tsugaru took a deep breath. "I need the Tetsusaiga. It's the only way!"

InuYasha unsheathed the fang-sword and placed it in his son's hands. "Be careful," he whispered. Tsugaru nodded, and broke into a run. He ran straight at the barrier, head down. At the last second, he thrust out his hand. "Smasher Claw!" he shouted. His claws flashed dark gray. There was the faint sound of glass breaking as the tiny boy shattered the wall with his bare hand.