From where the village of the Bat Demons rested it took us only three days to reach the castle's town. This was, of course, mostly due to the speed of which Hachi flew in his transformed state. I used multiple dosages of the nebulizer along the way there to recover my strength, spending a lot of the time napping and cuddling with Sango. Kirara and Shippō often curled up next to me when she, Inuyasha, or Kagome went hunting for food, and sometime during this the stitches were removed from my legs and my left arm. My back was mostly scarred over, though a few scabs remained.

When we finally arrived at the town Hachi packed up our things, including what was once left behind at the town entrance, and flew off- saying he would return at daybreak. It was the middle of the night, after all. I rode atop Kirara's back as we entered the town, looking around at the destroyed and dilapidated buildings. "Are we… Are we in the right place?"

"Did Naraku do this?" Shippō asked, glancing around anxiously. "This place was a lot nicer before, wasn't it?"

I cringed at the skeletal corpse of an animal, turning my head away. It wasn't the only one either- the streets were lined with dead bodies, human and demon. The entire place was ruined. It held a revolting stench and made it harder to breathe than ever, the smell so bad I could practically taste it.

Inuyasha's ears flicked and he growled, hand flexing around his sword handle in anticipation of an attack. "Damn that Naraku… he can't keep getting away with this!"

"I agree." Kagome held a hand up to her chest, frowning deeply as she looked around. "The entire town feels desolate… how awful. I think he sent the demons to ravage the town."

Oh my gods. No. The urge to throw up increased as we walked over a bridge, my eyes catching sight of something floating in the polluted water. That kimono… I recognized it. It belonged to Juzo, the little brother of Otoki. I tugged on Kirara's fur and pulled her over to move closer, trying to get a better look at the face. The corpse was missing chunks of flesh in multiple places, but there was no doubt. It was him.

"What is it?" Sango asked, seeing how I had moved away. She and Miroku followed, the woman dressed in full battle armor, holding tight to her hiraikotsu. Her eyes widened when she saw what I was looking at. "That's…!"

Miroku's expression darkened and he brought his hands together, grabbing onto the beads around his right hand and praying in silence. "May his soul, and the souls of the other villagers, find peace in the afterlife."

"He just… killed them." I said, chills running down my spine and leaving me disturbed. "A-All of them. For no reason."

So many mangled corpses lined the streets; it was as if we were walking in a bad dream. There was so much wrong with this. I bet if we went and looked inside the houses we would find the rest of the deceased, their bodies belonging to the other people we had met during our stay in this town. The wives of the samurai, the jerk-faced guards that tried to attack us because they thought we were suspicious, and even Nizaemon. They were all gone.

Not a single person was spared.

I stiffened when I felt an arm slide around my shoulders, relaxing only when I realized it was Sango. The demon slayer pulled me close to her chest, leaning forward and resting her head against mine. She knew at once how close I was to shutting down, recognizing the signs of me going into shock. "Easy. Deep breaths. In-and-out." She inhaled through her nose deeply and out through her mouth, trying to get me to do the same. "Don't let it get to you."

They did nothing wrong and Naraku just…

Damn it.

I hate him. I want him dead.

Why?

I don't understand it. He gains nothing from this. Is it just some sort of sick satisfaction?

"We can't allow Naraku to live any longer." Miroku said quietly, opening his eyes and lowering his hands. His anger burned quietly, heard only in the undertone of his voice. We all turned towards him, listening to the monk as he spoke. "Too many have already been lost. We must end this- once and for all."

Inuyasha nodded at that, determination burning in his golden gaze. "Yeah," He said, glaring into the direction of the castle, "let's go. You guys might want to get ready- there's a nasty smell up ahead."

"Smell?" Kagome asked, confused. He nodded.

"Yeah. I think it might be Kagura."

Oooh, that's not good. Sango pulled away and readied her weapon, marching forward. I took a shaky breath and pet Kirara in an attempt to ease my anxiety, the cat demon following after her. Together the group moved onwards, marching past the debris and crumbling buildings. I had a bad feeling that a lot of the town was destroyed by miasma, rather than just demons attacking. Did that mean… everyone inside the castle was dead as well? The samurai were certainly goners, but… Otoki…

No. I wouldn't think about it.

Even if her brother didn't survive… she must have. I can't accept otherwise. I won't. I didn't want to recall all the people we spoke to, their laughter and speeches, the anger some showed towards us for our weird appearances and our demonic friends, but it was difficult not to. The silence was deafening and I found myself glancing at the windows, remembering how it all used to be.

I was slowly getting used to all the violence, but this… was a straight up massacre. It was different. Miroku offered prayers for all those we passed by, promising to give a proper burial later, acting like the monk he always claimed to be. Inuyasha cursed Naraku's name and readied his sword when we approached the castle entrance, seeing who was there waiting for us.

The burn seemed to have finally healed from the female demon's face, allowing her to show off her true beauty once more. Kagura was completely unscathed now, showing no signs that she had ever been injured by me or Kirara. Anger swelled up inside of me at the sight of her, recalling all the terrible things she's done. The woman's red lips tilted upwards into a smile, taunting us. "Well, well," She purred, tapping her fan against her chin, "you finally showed up. I was about to fall asleep."

"Kagura…" Inuyasha growled. "Did you come to die?"

"Only in your dreams. I just knew that if I waited here… you would eventually come." The demon said, watching unfaltering as Kagome drew her bow. The middle schooler notched an arrow and aimed at the sorceress, her dark glare promising an unwanted end to the demon's life if things did not go to plan. "Oh?"

"You're not getting Irene's soul!" Kagome told her, shouting across the field. "I don't know what you or that… Anastasia… wants with it, but you can't have it!"

My head raised up and I turned towards Kagome in surprise. It felt so odd having someone so much younger than me act so strong, so protective, and even stranger knowing that it was simply because she cared so much about me. I always felt like such a burden, but she never treated me as such. Kagome fought and stood up for me, doing all she could to keep back any danger.

"If you even think about taking it I'll send this arrow right through your heart!"

Kagura opened her fan upon hearing that, eyes narrowing coyly. "Is that so? How interesting. Go right ahead; it's not as if I have one that you can touch."

"What!?" Inuyasha growled. "The hell does that mean!? Weren't you born with a heart?"

"None of your business." She responded, irritated by the current conversation. "All you need to know is that I'm here for the girl."

"I'm telling you right now, lady," I began uncertain, looking around nervously as if expecting that white-haired demon to show up again, "my soul really isn't all that great. You won't like it!"

"Whether I like it or not doesn't matter. It's just a soul." Kirara's muscles tensed, the cat demon hunching down as if ready to leap into the air and out of the way. My fingers dug into her fur, fear slowly rising to the surface and mixing with the frustration that I felt. When was she going to attack? My anxiety was all over the place right now. "But I'm under orders to capture you… and you walked right into my trap. So tell me, Irene, are you going to give yourself up willing?"

How I wanted to hurt this woman. I felt awful for having these thoughts, of wishing to cause harm to others, but I seriously disliked her and her creator. "What do you even get out of this, Kagura!?" I asked, voice cracking as I raised the volume of which I speaking. The emptiness of this village reeked with the scent of death, only fueling the fire raging within. "H-How come you just do whatever Naraku says!?"

Something I said must have triggered her rage, because Kagura's red eyes were furious. She scoffed, opening her fan and hiding the lower half of her face. "What he says?" She echoed, eyebrows knitting together as she scowled. "It's not as if I have a choice. Now I don't know about you, but I'm getting rather tired of this conversation. How about we end it here?" Kagura lifted her fan out to the side, extending her arm, and thrust it upwards. "Dance of Blades!"

The wind picked up and before long several glowing arcs appeared, flying through air. I yelped when they all headed towards me, barely keeping hold of Kirara's fur when she shot upwards. The cat demon dodged the blast easily, letting out an angry roar in response to being attacked. Inuyasha lunged, a battle cry ripping out from his throat, the half-demon charging straight at the wind sorceress. Kagura laughed as his his blade hit hard against a blue force field, bouncing against it and sending him flying back.

"You can't touch me while this barrier stands!" She boasted, grinning widely. "Anastasia has given me a barrier rock to protect myself from your pathetic attacks. You have no hope of winning."

"If they're so pathetic how come you need it, huh!?" Inuyasha demanded. His eyes flickered up and he blinked, seeing the way green flames were dancing along the outline of my body. The half-demon shifted his stance, moving a little more on the defensive when he figured out what was about to happen. "Your barrier won't last long, Kagura! Just wait and see!"

Kagura raised her fan above her head, narrowing her gaze at him. "The only thing you'll see," she said coldly as several corpses rose from the huts, crashing through the rooftops to reveal themselves, "is my Dance of the Dead."

To my horror the bodies raised to the sky, twirling about and creating a whirlwind of blood and bones that threatened to destroy the entire town and all of us. Several particularly sharp bones that whipped through the air nicked me and Kirara, cutting the cat demon's legs and slicing my left cheek and arm.

"Look out!" Shippō screamed, clinging tight to Miroku's arm as the monk ran for it. The fox demon watched over his shoulder as the cyclones whirled around, tearing deep into the earth and ripping apart all it came into contact with. Sango tossed her hiraikotsu at Kagura, allowing the weapon to swirl through the air, and then jumped back to avoid oncoming debris. Her brown eyes were alight with fear. "We're gonna be crushed!"

"Forgive me for this, departed!" Miroku said quickly. He turned on his heel and stopped running, pulling the prayer beads off his right hand with great haste. "Everybody stand back! Wind Tunnel~!"

There was nothing that could have prepared me for the even stronger wind that reached through the air, pulling in all that was near. I had never seen Miroku's curse in action until now, only hearing stories of it and seeing the aftereffects of him getting poisoned, but this… was truly fearsome. As Kirara moved around, roaring every time she got cut or nicked by bones, trying to avoid the whirlwinds, I could make out bits and pieces of the monk sucking all the dead bodies and debris in. The cat demon didn't even have to dodge anymore once it got passed a certain point, flying high enough away to avoid being dragged into the wind tunnel and allowing me to squint- watching as his right hand swallowed up all that threatened it.

He looked pained to have his curse devour the deceased, yet there was no choice. Everyone would have been killed by the cyclones had he not. We were all bleeding from some sort of wound caused by the damage Kagura had dealt.

And I hated it.

The green pentagram formed at my feet, beneath where Kirara was flying, the flames dancing in midair.

Sango caught her hiraikotsu as it doubled back, taking several steps away and leaping to the side to avoid an oncoming onslaught of wind blades. "Inuyasha, we need to get rid of the barrier!"

"I'm aware of that!" He snapped back, jumping onto a nearby rooftop as Kagura's wind crashed into the ground right where he had been standing before. The half-demon growled and ran across the tiles, escaping several more attacks. "Hurry it up, Irene!"

Freaking- can't he tell I'm trying!? These things take time! I'm not a professional summoner; honestly, sometimes I want to smack him. I had to remind myself he was still a child, the half-demon technically only fifteen years of age despite the whole being sealed to a tree thing. "I'm workin' on it!" I shouted at him with a pout, wheezing a little from how loud I had to speak. It would be so nice if I could just move and run about like a normal person. Urgh. "Back off, will ya!?"

I missed being able to talk peoples' ears off. Whenever I had to babysit my cousin's kid he always got so upset when I told him I couldn't run around and play with him. The sight of a child being so heartbroken hurt. I'm not even sure why I'm remembering this right now; was it because of Juzo? The child's corpse that I saw in the water back by the bridge…

Damn it. The flames grew brighter and Kagura raised her head, watching with wide eyes as a large fiery green eagle appeared. It barreled straight towards her and seeing this she reacted- waving her fan through the air. "I don't think so!" The blades danced towards the spirit, ready to disrupt it, only to phase straight through the creature. I let out a squeak and Kirara moved to the left, narrowly avoiding the wind. The female incarnation yelled and stumbled back when the Shikigami penetrated the barrier, breaking through it with ease. "What!?"

"Ha…" I whispered, grinning weakly for a moment before I fell forward, collapsing against the cat demon's back. Kirara let out a worried roar, craning her neck to look at me. "D-Did it…"

I watched through bleary vision as the eagle flapped its wings, dissipating the barrier, Kagura standing there in shock. She stumbled sideways to avoid Inuyasha's sword, the half-demon wasting no time in jumping from the rooftop to swing at her with full force. "How is this possible!?" She demanded, swinging her fan desperately. Several more skeletons flew at Inuyasha. "How did you destroy my barrier!?"

Struggling to push myself up, I stopped at just the right angle to get a good look at the incarnation. A tired smile spread across my lips, something about her alarm causing me to feel rather smug. "I wasn't gonna… let you… take my soul. Moron."

Kagura huffed and quickly plucked a feather out of her, dodging another swing of the tetsusaiga. She leapt back to avoid an arrow Kagome shot at her and the sorceress landed elegantly on the arch in front of the castle entrance, staring down at us coldly. She swung her fan and closed it, bringing all the dead to a halt, causing them to collapse upon the earth. Everyone shouted as they moved to avoid the falling bones and debris, and for a split second I swore Kagura's eyes met mine.

"I suppose keeping you alive a little longer won't hurt… Hmph."

She threw the feather in the air and jumped on it, flying away and making her escape. Inuyasha ran after her, screaming at the woman to come back. "Wait, damn it! We weren't finished with you!" The half-demon waved his sword at her, trying to get her attention, but Kagura was long gone. Inuyasha scowled and stared for a moment longer before sheathing his sword, irritated. "What the hell was that for…?"

"I don't know," Kagome said with a frown, "but it doesn't look good. Naraku must have sent her after us. Why did she just give up like that though? It doesn't make sense."

"Irene!" I heard Sango shouting and Kirara moved down, attracted by the sound of her voice. "Are you alright!? Why did you use the Shikigami again; you know it wears you out! You should have let Inuyasha break the barrier this time!"

"Everything… wears me out." I retorted, tired eyes meeting her own. My fingers were barely holding on to the cat demon's fur, feeling almost numb. "Kagura just… makes me angry."

The rest of the gang walked over and I winced when I felt a fist bump against the top of my head. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Inuyasha frowned at me. "Next time let me take care of it, okay? Don't waste your energy like that, stupid."

What!? He was the one yelling at me to hurry up and cast the spell! Hypocrite.

"Now, now," Miroku moved, pushing Inuyasha's hand away to rest his hand on hair, petting me as if I were some kind of dog. I made a face, yet said nothing as he continued, "Irene did a fine job. If we acted faster we might have been able to defeat Kagura once and for all. But since we didn't… Naraku will soon know that we have a way to break his barrier."

"So what?" Inuyasha demanded of the monk, glaring at him. I was about to sit up and snap at Miroku when I felt his hand move down my back, but I was beaten by Sango who had reached out and snatched his wrist, staring at him a very dark look in her eyes. He laughed nervously, pulling away and stepping to hide behind the half-demon when he saw the threatening aura she was radiating.

"Sorry, sorry! Can't help myself. Haha…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "As I was saying- since there won't be anymore barriers we can get to Naraku easily, whether it's by my sword or Irene's Shikigami! We're unstoppable likes this; what does it matter if he knows or not?"

"We shouldn't get carried away," Sango told him, taking a spot beside me and running a hand comfortingly against my back. My lungs really hurt, but it was nothing compared to the heartache I was desperately trying to ignore. "We have to be careful going ahead, Inuyasha. Kanna might show up at anytime to try and take Irene's soul, and we can't sense her presence."

Shippō nodded his head, climbing onto Kirara and sitting behind me. "Right! We need to be super cautious!"

Inuyasha turned towards the castle, determined. "Whatever. Let's just get going."

Miroku hung his head. "Ever the optimist these days, my friend. Kagome! You ready?"

"Yes!" She ran back to collect the arrows she had shot at Kagura, sticking them into her quiver. "Let's go to the castle!"

When we entered the building there was no wounded soldier asking us to save those who were hiding, nor was there anyone to find. No, they were nowhere to be seen- and the entire castle was torn apart. Ceilings and walls were collapsing in on each other, flooring torn apart, mold spreading along the wood. Cobwebs and insects littered the area, and several passages were blocked by debris. Each step was a hesitant one and we had to travel in a convoluted way just to get to the next few rooms.

And if I looked close enough… I could make out several decaying corpses underneath all the rubble. It was sickening. I curled up against Kirara, arms draped tiredly against her sides. Shippō sat on her head, watching me with worried green eyes as I drifted on the verge of sleep. It felt like that was all I did nowadays; cast a spell, sleep for days on end. Cast a spell, sleep for several more days. It was so exhausting. The few times I did remain awake I ended up having mental or emotional breakdowns of some sort that only left me more weary and caused me to sleep for even longer.

It didn't even feel like I was truly a person anymore.

And, like the ragdoll I was slowly turning into, my eyes closed and I drifted into darkness as the urge to sleep took over. My body was going to give out on me completely if it didn't get rest. I was so tired I slept through even the sounds of battle, Inuyasha and the others fighting multiple demons throughout our trek in the castle.

"Help me…"

My eyelashes fluttered and I mumbled, confused at what I heard. The voice sounded so familiar. It was young, too.

"It hurts… I'm scared…"

Was it a girl's voice? Where was it coming from? I groggily opened my eyes and blinked away the sleepiness, seeing that we were heading up a staircase. Something glinted against the reflection of Inuyasha's sword and I paused, turning to see what it was. "Wha…?"

The group paused, hearing me speak up. "What is it?" The half-demon asked curiously. "Something wrong?"

Oh, always. Yet… this felt different. Eyebrows knitting together, I let go of Kirara's fur and leaned down some. "I saw a thing."

"Huh?" Kagome looked deeply confused. "What did you see?"

"I dunno." I answered honestly, frowning. My body felt weird- like an invisible force was trying to tug away at it. Deciding to go with the sudden sensation I slid off of the cat demon's back, moving up to the step just below where Inuyasha was standing. The half-demon watched with furrowed brows as I knelt down. "I just…"

My hands were so small- ridiculously so. They fit between the cracks of the staircase perfectly and I reached down, wiggling my fingers until they latched around what was felt like a pointy stick.

"Save me."

My breath hitched in my throat and I almost dropped the item. What was that? Did I hear a voice just now? I think I was imagining things; I was still so tired after all. I shook the thoughts away and made to pull my hand out, struggling a little with the strange object. When I finally retrieved it and was able to see what it was a lump formed in my throat, a stinging sensation forming in my eyes.

"N-No…"

The stick was broken in half and the paint was covered in blood, but the object was unmistakable. It was the pinwheel Juzo had made for his sister Otoki.

Sango looked down, closing her eyes sorrowfully. It was as if she expected this. "She must not have made it out of the castle…"

"What? Who didn't make it?" Kagome hurried down the steps, alarmed. "What's going on? What did Irene find!?"

"Th-The pinwheel, it's…" I showed it to her with shaky hands. It wasn't as if I was foolishly believing she had made it out; I knew it was impossible for the girl to have survived. I was merely pretending, clinging to a false hope that she might have made it. "It's the one Juzo made. O-Otoki is… she's… she's gone."

Why did I even try and make myself think otherwise? I knew the truth.

No one else survived, so why would she? This world isn't so kind.

Damn it all. Her brother had handed this to me and I had promised to give it to her. We found her by the tower and, handing her this pinwheel, we said we would help her. We told Otoki that if she made it downstairs to the samurai she would be able to escape the castle. That if she did that… she would be safe.

But Otoki wasn't safe. She never was.

We had lied to her. Naraku overwhelmed us and murdered the samurai, and after we were forced to leave he destroyed the town. All that was left were corpses and collapsed buildings- even the beautiful pond water was polluted. Everyone that lived here was gone.

And Otoki, the girl who had been so relieved and happy to hear that her younger brother was doing alright, was dead.

"You don't mean that Otoki, do you?" Kagome asked, shaken. "The one that we found…"

"M-Maybe she just dropped it while she was running away?" Shippō tried to suggest.

We really caused her death, didn't we? All these people… because of our incompetence when facing Naraku. What fools we were.

My fingers were numb as they dug into my pocket and I couldn't even feel what I had grabbed. I just knew they wrapped around something, and as I struggled to unlatch the rescue with one hand I raised the medicine to my mouth and inhaled as best as I could, dropping it and clamping my hands over my mouth and nose to stop myself from exhaling. It was so incredibly painful- my insides felt like they were on fire. My heart pounded so loud and fast that it actually seemed to slow down.

When it felt like I could handle it no more and was on the verge of actually passing out I let go and breathed- only to erupt into several hard coughs after. I was so tired and dizzy. My skull felt like it had been smashed against bricks repeatedly. It was as if there were gravel in my throat.

"I-I told her… t-to be… be safe…!" I squeezed my eyes shut and dug the fingers of my left hand deep into my chest, so much so it started to physically hurt. The pinwheel was a cruel reminder. "She was supposed to be safe!"

The tears burned like acid. I had my back facing the others, unable to look at them.

"Wh-Why…?"

Arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close in an embrace. I didn't reciprocate the hold, instead clinging tightly to the broken pinwheel. "There's still a chance she made it." Sango said quietly, trying to calm me down. Shippō darted over and picked up my fallen rescue inhaler, moving over and climbing on my lap, trying to hold it out to me. I had only used one puff. "Let's finish taking your medicine and find her after we defeat Naraku, okay? I'm sure she's safe."

Miroku looked at Sango uncertainly and she shook her head, but said nothing out loud. I stared at them lifelessly, knowing full well the demon slayer was telling falsities to try and calm me down. Otoki's blood was on this pinwheel. She was dead.

Where her body lied, however, was another matter.

I took my inhaler from Shippō and used it once more, able to hold my breath a bit easier this time despite the burning sensation, and I proceeded to climb back onto Kirara with Sango's help. Shippō sat with me, keeping me company as we went up the staircase to the next floor. The entire time I kept my gaze locked on the pinwheel, watching it spin crookedly from the movement.

No matter what it takes… I'll help make sure Naraku is dead.

I couldn't save her, but I can sure as hell avenge her.

We had managed to make it to the other side of the castle, ready to head up the final floor and take down Naraku, but it was blocked by debris. The group had to make a roundabout trip onto the rooftop where there was a large hole in the wall, and we had to climb through it to get into the east end of the castle. There we were about to head into the next main area, only… buzzing around and keeping guard of it… were the Saimyōshō.

"There are so many of them!" Kagome exclaimed. She looked at everyone worriedly, grabbing her bow. "If we continue on this path Naraku will find us first!"

"We'll have to find another way." Miroku observed. Inuyasha scoffed and turned his head, irritated.

"Damn it all…"

We ended up having to go back over the roof and into the west side again. Heading downstairs it took almost thirty minutes to return to the front entrance on the first floor where we entered into the east hall. There were no staircases except one that led down into a garden filled with pyrethrum flowers and rocks.

"This damn place is a maze!" Inuyasha growled, kicking at a wall. Miroku and Kagome tried to calm him down, but he was furious. "Naraku just had to go and destroy everything, didn't he!? Now we can't even get to him!"

"Just hold on a moment, Inuyasha." Sango said, walking towards one of the flowers. She had a strange look on her face, showing intense thought. I stared at her tiredly from my spot on the cat demon's back, confused. "These flowers… they're pyrethrums."

"Yes, yes, they're very pretty." He huffed. "Admire them later. We have a job to do."

She rolled his eyes at them. Miroku stepped away from the half-demon, intrigued by the young woman's behavior. "What is it, Sango?"

The demon slayer knelt down, plucking the flower from the ground. "It is a very beautiful flower, but… burning it will create a smoke that will target the nervous systems of insects. Irene will have to wear my mask so she doesn't get bothered by it, but…" She looked up, smiling at us. "It could kill the Saimyōshō."

Inuyasha looked quite pleased to hear this. "Then what are we waiting for!? Grab several of them!"

"Yes!" Kagome agreed, running over and already plucking several flowers. "If we can get rid of the poisonous insects we can go back through that one area!"

"Alright." Sango stood, carefully placing the flowers into the sleeve of her kimono. "Let's do this."

And with that we made our way back to the front entrance, through the west hallway, up several staircases, and back through the rooftop for a third time. It took another half hour, maybe even longer, to return to the area where the bugs were buzzing about. I once again became grateful to Kirara, even if it was while I was on the verge of falling back asleep. Hiding by the corner, Sango pulled out a small plate from underneath her shoulder guards, and then she took off her mask and handed it to me.

I couldn't tell if the mask was supposed to be a respirator or a gas mask, but either way it would help block out the stench. It took a few seconds, but I managed to tie it behind my head and wear it. It was working surprisingly well already, clearing my lungs and filtering the air around me, making it easier to breathe. My eyes closed and I leaned forward, slumping against Kirara. This felt so nice; unlike the one I used back home this mask didn't give me a headache.

With Shippō's help starting a fire, Sango held her sleeve over her face to block out the smell. She began to fan the smoke towards the Saimyōshō, the burning flowers creating a terrible stench that I, thankfully, could not smell. I only knew it was bad because of a certain half-demon's reaction to it. Kagome turned, looking at him worried. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha was about to throw up. "It's awful. Eugh…" He covered his nose, trying not to gag. "So gross."

"Sorry…" I apologized, seeing the way he was reacting. If this mask wasn't helping me so much I might have been nicer and offered it to him. "Hang in there. I believe in you…"

"He really has a sensitive nose, doesn't he?" Shippō asked, poking his head out from behind me to look at his friend. "I hope when I'm older my nose isn't as bad as his."

"Yes." Miroku grinned. "If you had a keen sense of smell you might not be standing as close to it as you are."

"Look!" Sango suddenly exclaimed. Several of the Saimyōshō had fallen down, unable to fly any longer as the toxins from the smoke attacked their nervous system. "I think it's working!"

"Th-Then let's… go…!" Inuyasha gagged, stumbling forward. His face was practically buried in his kimono sleeve. "Ooooh, I'm gonna be sick… ugh."

"There, there." Kagome patted his shoulder, nose covered as well. Sango quickly stepped on the fire to put it out. This mask was seriously amazing. How long has the demon slayer had it? I wondered if she could make me one. All her armor was built from demon bones and she told me a while ago that she made the battle gear herself.

The path forward seemed a little less clear than before, but with the Saimyōshō dead it was easier to navigate. Unfortunately, any clear path up to the tower was blocked by debris so we had to maneuver through several more hallways and rooms, taking messy pathways to get to the next staircase. All the demons we encountered just made it worse. As we entered the next room something caught my attention and I released Kirara's fur, causing the cat demon to stop. A strange whispering was filling my ears.

"Uh, guys…? Look!"

Inuyasha held his sword out towards the people that were approaching, amber gaze locking onto their armor. So many strangers stood in this room with us, walking so slowly. It was hard to tell in this darkness, but it almost looked like some were limping. "The hell-? They're all over the place!"

"I think they're heading towards us." Miroku said, reaching out with his staff and waving it ahead of him to ward of any evil. A faint light came from the circular part of his staff, illuminating the room and allowing us to get a better look at the people. A strange black mist was coming off their bodies and their armor… it was red. "Are they working for Naraku? Their flesh is completely decayed!"

Oh gods. I think I recognize some of these people. It was hard to tell because some of the faces were misshapen, yet upon closer inspection to the kimonos they were wearing underneath the armor… and the hair color… frick; I think I'm going to be sick. They were the samurai that helped us before and this time they weren't just not alive.

They were undead.

"It hurts…!"

My shoulders tensed and my breath caught in my throat, eyes growing wide. No one else seemed to hear the voices crying out, pleading with the world to be saved.

"Why did this happen!? I can't control my body…"

They were scared. I could hear it; their soul's pained weeping. Why? Was I going insane or did this have something to do with the Shikigami? Either way it wasn't pleasant and we were face-to-face with my worst nightmare. I had one supernatural fear and this was it. I had no idea how things worked in this world, but I really didn't want to find out.

I could feel the goosebumps crawling along my skin, showing how scared and disturbed I was by what was happening. Perhaps I finally broke and that was why I was hearing things. Inuyasha stepped forward, raising his sword high into the air and getting ready to swing.

"Don't hurt us!"

The hair on my neck stood on end and I freaked, reaching out as if to grab onto the half-demon's sleeve. "W-Wait! Inuyasha, those are the samurai!"

"What!?" He froze mid-swing, ear twitching as he listened to my words. Inuyasha's eyes widened and he focused on the soldiers, realizing at once what he almost did to them. I could hear the voices screaming, begging for us to help them or run. It was as if there was an imaginary knife twisting in my chest, their cries reaching deep into my bones. "Are you serious?"

"It is them!" Kagome exclaimed, horrified. "What did this to them!?"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Sango protested, taking a step back as the corpses neared. "They all died!"

"They are dead." Miroku stated, confirming all our suspicions. "But some strange power is making them move… and I don't think it's Kagura this time. This feels different from her Dance of the Dead."

"O-Okay?" I questioned, trying desperately to ignore the sounds I was hearing. They were so unnerving and eerie, and it made hard to focus. How could I try and come up with a decent plan while panicking over the fact that zombies were heading right towards, when suddenly voices are filling my head and making me dizzy. Feeling like I was going to suffocate, I lowered the mask and inhaled. "So… So what do we do!? Th-They're getting closer!"

"They're aware of us!" The monk shouted, clearly staring to panic himself. He pushed Sango back and urged Kagome to move with his staff, focusing his gaze on the half-demon. At least ten more zombies had entered the room during this. "We'll be surrounded soon! We have to run!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed at that and got ready to charge. "Are you kidding!? We can just fight our way out!"

"We can't! Don't do it, Inuyasha!" Kagome quickly rushed over and grabbed his arm, attempting to stop him. The fearful cries of the undead filled my mind and I squeezed my eyes shut, leaning over and bringing my hands up to my head. It hurt so much! Not just my heart, but my skull! It felt like it was starting to overflow with so many undead in here. Shippō looked at me in alarm.

"Irene, what's wrong!? Your nose is bleeding!"

Sango whirled around, eyes wide. "What's happening!?"

It hurts. I can't take much more of this. "Save us. I want to go home."

"My wife… I want to see her…"

"It's so cold and dark. My body feels like it's burning. Help…"

"I'm scared!"

"Don't hurt us! Please!"

My teeth ground together and I choked, fingers digging into my hair. "Make it stop… just shut up…" They're causing this pain. My brain felt like it was going to implode from within my skull. "L-Leave me alone…! Get out of my head!"

"What's in your head?" Sango reached out, cupping my face and trying to get me to look at her. "Irene-!"

These samurai helped us before, stubbornly refusing to head home to save those that were still in the castle. They entrusted Naraku's demise to us- this town to us- and we failed them all. Now they were cursed to wander and kill, their spirits trapped in their own dead bodies. It was as if Naraku and Anastasia were torturing them, leaving them self-aware. Kirara let out an angered roar and moved, startling Shippō and causing the fox demon to fall off her head. He bounced on the ground and squeaked when he landed near an undead, hurriedly making his way over to Miroku.

The group was very close to being cornered.

"No arguing!" Miroku shouting, slowly being pushed towards the other side of the room, Shippō on his arm. Sango was beside them, while Inuyasha, Kagome, Kirara, and I were by the west door. "We'll be killed if we stay like this! The corpses must be able to smell our vitality; if we separate they'll have trouble finding us!"

"You're right!" Sango said, narrowing her eyes and taking note of their sluggish pace. "They seem to be moving pretty slow."

"Fine." Inuyasha stepped forward, pushing Kagome behind him. "I'll stall them while you guys go on ahead!"

"But our weapons won't work on the dead!" Kagome protested. "You'll be in danger, Inuyasha!"

"So what? I'll be right behind you! Just go!"

Miroku looked back over his shoulder at everyone. "Meet up at the castle tower! Travel in no more than groups of two, got it!? Good luck!"

My head… it's splitting. I felt so dizzy, the world around me starting to spin as the blood gushed from my nose and ears. Even my sight began to darken and it took a second for me to realize the tears I was crying were actually blood. "Wait!" Kagome began, fearful. "What about-"

She never finished her sentence, being forced to run off when Inuyasha gave her a hard shove to avoid her being swarmed by the walking dead. The last thing I saw of them was Inuyasha charging at the samurai and the regret on Kagome's face, the girl running for her life.

I fell forward onto Kirara's back when we picked up speed, the cat demon flying off the ground and charging out the doorway. So many zombies were outside- I couldn't even count them. I wasn't able to. I was so overwhelmed by voices and pain and sickness; the very world around us started to go black. I was briefly aware of us encountering zombies in one of the rooms and then demons sometime downstairs, but I couldn't move.

My body was completely limp.

I remember Kirara roaring, moving to avoid something. What exactly it was I couldn't recall, for the next thing I knew the cat demon was nuzzling my face as the world grew silent once more. I succumbed to sleep, giving into my own weakness, and when I awoke... she was gone. As it turns out I was hiding behind some rubble on the first floor, inside one of the northern rooms? Something wet was tickling my face and I turned, staring dazed at the calico cat that was licking the blood off my cheek.

"Mrrow." What…? That was the same cat from the old temple and Tsuzumi Village. How did it get in here? Should it not be dead? All the other creatures were killed. "Meow."

I sniffled and raced a hand up to head, cringing, and made to sit up. Pain wracked my right shoulder and I hissed, snapping a hand up to press against it. How did it get cut? Gods, that was a pretty deep gash. Ooooh, I feel sick. At least I was breathing clear; this mask was doing miracles. Where are the others though? I looked around the room, frowning when I saw none of them were nearby. What happened to Kirara? Pulling off the mask I shakily stood, glancing around. I didn't like how quiet it was.

"Kirara-?" She was nowhere to be seen. "Kirara!"

The cat let out a mew and walked forward, pressing his side against my leg.

"N-Not right now. Frick. No, no, no, no."

Where was she? I remember entering the one room and being surrounded by the undead, and us splitting up. Everything after that was a blur. I took a shaky breath and brought my hands down, placing them against my side and standing still for a few moments. It was then I noticed one of my pockets felt particularly lacking in an object. Otoki's pinwheel. Where did it go!?

I fumbled about trying to locate it, but the only thing I could see was the strange calico cat that appeared to be following me all over the place. It was becoming a bit too coincidental for my liking, especially since it wasn't killed with the rest of the animals. Did it appear after the slaughter or…?

"Oh, come on~!" I knelt down and picked up the cat, not intent on leaving it behind like I did last time, regardless of how strange it was. For several minutes I wandered the room in a desperate attempt to find the pinwheel. I wasn't sure why I felt so protective of the pinwheel all of a sudden, but it had so many emotions and memories linked to it. I couldn't just let it go. "Where!?"

"Scared…"

"Hah!" I yelped, whirling around. "Not again! Nope!"

"It's dark…"

I quickened my pace, heading outside the room. I looked at both sides trying to figure out which way to go, determining which way would lead to the tower safely. I went left, walking as fast as I could without getting dizzy. There was no way I was going to be eaten today; I refused. All I wanted was to find the pinwheel and reunite with my friends. Zombies were not of my list of things to deal with today.

It wasn't as if they were the single most terrifying supernatural thing on the face of this planet. No, sir. I'm not scared of them- not at all. Nope. Deep breaths; don't think about it. Eugh.

I was about to enter the next room when I heard a bark. My eyebrows knit together and I turned, confused as to why there would a dog nearby. That was when I saw it- faint and glowing red, the giant pup resting atop a pile of rubble in the middle area. It was the Shikigami that old man Kakuju said was my familiar. Did I summon it by accident? How come I didn't notice?

It barked again to catch my attention, trying to get me to follow it. I hesitated before doing so, deciding to trust it. Carefully cradling the cat in my arms, I climbed over the banister and stepped onto the splintered wood and fallen rocks. The bottoms of my feet were so rough from a near two months walking without shoes, so it didn't hurt as much as it should have. I felt quite powerful as I maneuvered my way around the debris. Pushing some wood to the side, I neared the dog. Looking at the animal closely I noticed that it's ears reminded me of someone I knew. I really have to ask Kagome later to bring some kind of dog catalog with her next time because I needed to know what breed this dog was. It was bothering me so much.

"Y-You find something, boy?"

He barked. Then the dog turned and began to press his nose into the rubble, pawing away at some stone. I knelt down beside the giant puppy and reached out to help, eyes widening when I saw what he was trying to show me. I gasped.

"The pinwheel!"

The dog let out a happy bark and I tucked the item into my pocket, grinning at the Shikigami. I carefully held the cat with one arm, the animal crawling up onto my good shoulder, and I reached down to smother the dog in pets.

"Awww, you're such a good boy, aren't you? Thank you for helping me! Awww." His ears perked up happily and he leaned into my touch, tail wagging excitedly. "You like them chin rubs, don't you? Yes, you do! Daaaw, talk about good ear scratches! Gasp! Do you want your tummy rubbed? You want that tummy rubbed, yes! Such a good pupper!"

As I was in the process of rubbing his belly the dog let out a very happy bark and vanished into sparks, his job done for now. I giggled and stood, greatly amused by this. I was a cat person, but dogs always liked me more for some reason. Having one for a familiar just sort of proved it.

"Okay! You ready, kitty?" I looked at him. The cat mewed. "Then let's go find the other-aaah!" Something reached out of the rubble and wrapped around my ankle, pulling me down. The scream that ripped out of my throat was one of pure, unadulterated fear, and I thrashed like a mad man. I kicked at the red-armored arm that was trying to pull me down and continued to screech. "Get off me, get off me, get off me, get off me! Gaaah!"

Flames lit up along my body and turned bright white, burning away at the hand that had hold of me. In my head I could hear someone else screaming, a man, and it made me greatly dizzy, but I ignored it in favor of survival.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry- not today! N-Not doing this today!" I scrambled up onto my feet and tripped, stumbling over words and wheezing for air. I couldn't breathe in my panic, too desperate and scared to get away. My fingers got splintered and my feet were bleeding from some sharp nails that were on the ground as a result, and the cat was digging its claws into my back to keep hold as I ran and climbed over the banister. "Z-Zom… Zombies! S-Sangooo!"

I would run on shattered glass if it meant getting away. If they couldn't hear me or smell my blood, then what did it matter? I was getting out alive one way or another.

"Sango! Sango, heeeelp!"

Where was she!? I can't do this on my own! I'm the squishy wizard of the group, damn it!

Running was a stupid, horrible decision and I should not have done it. I was already getting dizzy from the nosebleed that occurred when I could hear the voices again. They were in such agony; it was maddening. And it didn't help that I was gasping desperately for air, chest heaving as I limped down the hall. I pulled myself into a room, finding black spots dancing in my vision. It was so dark already because it was night and this was just making it worse. I didn't want to find out if I would end up turning into one of them if they scratched or bit me, or ate me alive, but considering what I just wandered into I had a terrible feeling I was about to find out. Dozens upon dozens of undead were wandering the area, turning to look at me with their misshapen and bloody faces. Mouths gaping open, revealing rotten and missing teeth, with fingers and even arms missing from their bodies. Chunks of flesh were gone.

My heart was about to burst out of my chest, though from fright or asphyxiation I wasn't sure. The cat meowed and stared up at me, watching as I hyperventilated and stumbled back. "I-I can't do this… I-I can't…"

Holy mother of all that is good.

Please no.

I began to choke up. There was nowhere to run; I was completely surrounded by them. It wasn't as if I could just turn back either- there were zombies heading this way from that direction too. I could see them coming from the door. My back pressed against the nearest wall, the sob caught in my throat starting to suffocate me. I was so scared. My friends were gone and my worst nightmare has come to life. I couldn't see any escapes either which meant I was about to be turned into their dinner.

Have you ever had terrible thoughts of being eaten alive? Because I have while growing up, constantly traumatized by horror movies, and they were all coming back to me right now and rushing through my mind, all in the most painful and most agonizing ways.

"S-Somebody…" They were so close. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. "P-Please…" My legs gave out and I sunk to the ground, tears blurring my vision. Their cries were filling my ears, the voices of the dead haunting my being and gradually killing me. It was so bad that blood started to pool from my ears, the tears that fell not quite clear as they became tainted with red.

This was all so stupid.

I came all this way to die by these walking dead samurai, who ironically had died trying to help us, and I never even found my sister. What if her corpse was in this castle- what if she was one of them? I can't stand it. I cradled the mask and the calico cat close to my chest, unable to bring myself to look away as the end drew near. There was no way I would survive this time.

"Make it stop. It hurts. I want to die."

I had gotten so lucky in the past because someone would show up- whether it be Inuyasha or Sango, or even Kagome and Miroku. Kirara was missing and it was just me and a random cat, and I didn't have much energy left to use another Shikigami spell. No one could save me this time. Still…

"I-I don't wanna die…" I whimpered, curling into a ball and hugging the cat protectively. My voice was so small and quiet, absolutely trembling with fear. The tears were streaming down my face, burning my skin and staining it crimson. The zombies were inches away, reaching out with their bare hands ready to tear me into shreds. All dignity was long gone. "S-Somebody…!"

This was it. I was going to die.

"I'm sorry."

But then the pain never came.

Instead I watched as a sword came out of nowhere, slashing at the backs of the undead, sending them falling to the ground with several loud THUDs. The breath I was holding came out in a strangled sob and I blinked rapidly to clear my vision, eyebrows furrowed as I watched someone I've never seen before slash away at the remaining zombies, not so much as sparing me a glance as he did so. Those that were slain had a strange blue light erupt from their bodies and a whisper filled my ears, the voices gradually quieting and causing the pain in my head to dull.

Was I… seriously alive? Did this person just save me? I was in so much shock I didn't even register how strange his appearance was, and I only snapped out of it when a little green goblin-like demon shouted at me. I jolted, staring at the creature with big eyes. "H-Huh?"

"You're in the way!" He snapped. The goblin waved a staff around- one that was almost too large for him to carry- the object holding two shrunken heads at the top. One belonged to that of a very old man and the other appeared to be a young woman with long black hair. Seriously, how the heck was he able to carry it around with his small stature? "Move it before I kill you, human!"

The cat in my arms hissed at the demon, catching the goblin's attention.

"Ugh!" He grimaced. "Get that beast out of my face; it's disgusting! And in Lord Sesshōmaru's presence no less? The audacity! We should take your life right here!"

"Wh-What?" I was so confused. Why did they save me if they were just going to end my life? I don't understand. The name he said sounded so familiar though. "Um… wait, who was-? Uh. S-Sorry." The goblin wanted me to move. Right. I made to stand up, but my legs gave out on me and I winced, unable to get them to work. "I-"

"Hurry it up! And what's wrong with your face!?"

Not answering his question, I tried to stand once more.

It didn't work. The stranger walked over then, his long furry boa flowing effortlessly behind him with each step. I knew at once he must be an incredibly powerful demon, though I couldn't help but get distracted by how similar he looked to someone I knew. This person was so inhumanely gorgeous. If I wasn't already so low on oxygen, I would dare say he was breathtaking. I sniffled and brought a hand up, wiping the blood off my face as best as I could as I took in the sight of the newcomer.

His long silver hair fell down to his knees, neatly brushed and well taken care of, and his bangs parted elegantly in the middle of his forehead to reveal the pale blue crescent moon that marked his skin. The man's long, dark lashes and magenta eye shadow only helped to bring out his amber eyes- which honestly looked more like pools of molten gold. They would be so easy to get lost in. Two violet streaks lined each side of his cheeks and his ears were pointed just enough to show that he wasn't quite human. But even more startling than his beautiful appearance was the regal, confident way he held himself. From the way his sleeves moved when he walked I could only assume he was missing his left arm, the only fingers visible being the ones on his right hand that poked out beneath his kimono sleeve- claws long and sharp, yet somehow appearing manicured. I'm not even sure why I'm paying this much attention to him, but damn he was mesmerizing. If I looked close enough I could see similar violet streaks lining the inside of his wrist.

His white haori was embroidered with red flowers, and over top this was a strange black chest armor almost similar to that of what Kōga wore. His left shoulder was covered with a type of guard that strangely reminded me of Sango's weapon. Was it made out of the bones of other demons? A long yellow sash was wrapped many times around his waist, accented with blue streaks, and it appeared to be holding the sheath of the sword he was using and another blade that was much sharper and larger in size.

Whoever this person was he was not to be messed with. What did that goblin say his name was?

"Y… You… are Sesshōmaru?"

I recognized that name and I hated it.

The man stared down at me, very little emotion showing on his face. I still had no idea who or what the goblin was, but he seemed to be getting even more annoyed with me as he proceeded to stomp his foot on the ground, threatening to beat me with his staff. "I said hurry up, human! Do you have a death wish!? And that's Lord Sesshōmaru! Show some respect! My master has saved your life!"

"S-Sorry…" I wheezed. Unable to actually walk I wound up simply crawling out of the way, watching as the green demon… pulled the wall open? Frick, was that a door this whole time? I could have escaped! "A-Are you kidding me!? Since… when was… that door there!?"

The gremlin stared at me as if I were an idiot. Which, admittedly, I could be a lot of the time. "Since the castle was created? Be grateful you were saved and shut up; we need to hurry to the tower!"

"Tower?" I echoed, realization dawning as they were about to walk away. "Y… You mean with Naraku?"

The majestic silver-haired demon halted in his step, turning to look at me from over his shoulder. I tensed and swallowed down the lump in my throat, feeling my heart dare to skip a beat. He was quite intimidating. Those golden eyes felt like they could see into my very being, reading every weakness and strength as if they were written down on a piece of paper in front of him. It was a calculating gaze, one determining my sense of worth.

The way he spoke sent a chill down my spine, though I wasn't quite sure if that was a bad thing or not. "You know where he is?"

For a moment I hesitated. When I finally opened my mouth to speak the green gremlin hurried back into the room, standing between us and waving the staff around frantically. "L-Lord Sesshōmaru, please, don't bother with that pathetic foreigner! I'll find the path again soon, I promise you! It'll just take a few moments, but then-"

The man narrowed his eyes at the demon and the gremlin went silent, stepping away and bowing his head nervously.

"M-My apologies, M'lord…"

Sesshōmaru focused his attention back on me and I tensed, shakily clinging to the cat and dirtied objects. He was clearly waiting for an explanation, an answer to his question. I had the feeling that this man- this demon- didn't like to talk very much. Even more than that, though, I was certain he was the older brother of someone I knew. Yet if that was the case… why didn't he just let me die?

"I… I was there… b-before." I blinked a couple more times. My body wouldn't stop trembling and I found it hard to meet his gaze, a weird feeling washing over me. I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I needed to calm down. Also- this person was very tall. It didn't help that I was sitting down. "Um. H-He was there the last time I saw him, so… h-he should be there again. I… I can try to… to take you there, i-if you want?"

"What!?" The gremlin screeched. "We don't need the help of a human woman! How do we even know you aren't in league with Naraku!? If a weak mortal like yourself met him you should be dead!"

"Th-That's…" I broke out into several coughs, cringing and leaning over, chest heaving painfully. The cat let out a loud mew and licked my bloody cheek. I had forgotten it was bleeding. I think most of my cuts from Kagura's battle had reopened from all the movement, including my shoulder. That explained why it was aching so badly. I glanced to the side, viewing the fallen samurai with a pained heart. "Th-The samurai… they… they saved me a-and my friends. Wh-When Naraku released his miasma the… the samurai… got us out of the castle, but he... killed them because of that. And now…"

Now they were walking dead. Their brains still seemed intact, so how were they actually killed? Their heads were attached to their shoulders. I know for a fact that Sesshōmaru slashed at them with his sword, so where are the wounds? The flesh burned when I used the fire before.

When I glanced back up at the man his expression was still hard to read, completely calm and serious despite standing in a castle during the middle of an obvious apocalypse. His eyes narrowed at me. "Why are you after Naraku?" He inquired. It was hard to tell if he was really friend or foe, especially because of how his little servant acted. The way everyone avoided talking about him made this person seem like a bad guy. "What is your relationship with him?"

"He… um… well… i-it's a long story?" There were far too many details and I wasn't sure he wanted to hear them. I wanted to avoid getting on his nerves. "I-I mean, it's… kinda confusing…"

"Then make it short!" The gremlin demand, stomping his foot. "Time is being wasted!"

"S-Sorry…!" I flinched, ducking my head. Talking really hurt and it sucked because my voice was quite loud. "B-Basically, um... he teamed up with this evil l-lady named Anastasia? A-And together they… brought me and my sister here to Japan. B-But I… I don't know where she's at, so… I'm tryin' to… to beat some answers…" My vision blurred and for a moment I thought I was going to pass out. "...some answers… outta him?"

The gremlin squinted at me. "You don't look like you're in the position to beat answers out of anyone."

"Th-That's 'cause…" I forced a closed-eye grin. "I'm the squishy wizard. Obviously. Haha… lungs are… bad."

The mask Sango gave me before seemed to help really well with my lungs. I held it up to my face, inhaling deeply, and waited for my vision to clear before I attempted to stand again. It worked this time, though I wobbled back and ended up staggering right into the wall. Despite how it hurt, I leaned all my weight onto my left shoulder and rested against it.

"S-Summoning spells are… awful." I chuckled and flinched. My chest was burning. "He… He wants my soul for something, too. So… that's a thing."

Sesshōmaru seemed to zero in on the first thing I said, finding that the most curious. "You were brought here through a spell?"

"Y-Yeah. You think… if someone was gonna pull you from another time… they would at least have done their research." I cleared my throat, making a face at how disgusting it sounded. I was so terribly thirsty. My brain wasn't working very well so I didn't really have much control over what I told them, nor was I aware of what exactly I was telling them. The cat struggled in my hold, climbing onto my good shoulder when I moved away from the wall towards the door. Peering outside I didn't see anymore undead, nor did I hear voices. "Gods. Okay. I-I think… we can go?"

My limbs felt so weak and tired- just standing took a lot out of me. I hated it. I glanced back at the silver-haired beauty of a demon, wondering if it would be alright to ask a certain thing. His amber eyes seemed to almost glow in this darkness.

"Do… Do you think…i-if it's not too much to ask…" He wasn't saying anything at all and that made this all the more nerve-wracking. I was terrible with people as quiet as him. It was even worse because he was a demon that could very much kill me with just his pinky finger if he wanted to, and he only had one pinky finger. I could almost make out the resemblance between him and Inuyasha. "If I… If I lead you to the tower, w-will you p… protect me on the way?"

I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, fear coursing through my veins. It really was pure luck and coincidence that this man saved me. I had no doubt that if he hadn't needed to enter that room he would have just let me die. Asking this felt like I was bargaining with the grim reaper. As such I found myself quickly adding on to my sentence, stammering as I did so, in an attempt to defend myself and give a better chance of survival.

"I-I can normally… fight, but…" I shifted my feet, scared that I screwed up. The skin on the bottom was so badly scratched up; my ankles hurt. "I-It'll only be to the tower. A-And I can break barriers! S-So if… if that's thing… oh! I can heal, too! I-I might not be able to walk afterwards though." I bit my bottom lip, looking at the ground. It would be a miracle if he didn't slay me now; I really needed to learn how to stop talking. "S-Sorry if… if I'm annoying you."

Stupid. Idiot. I hated being like this- why did I have to talk so much? I wish I had a filter. I waited for Sesshōmaru to pull out one of his swords and cut me down with them, to end my pathetic life like the villain he supposedly was. Yet that didn't happen and instead he turned his cold gaze towards the hall outside. "Just lead the way."

My head raised, mask lowering, and I looked up at him with wide eyes, hardly able to believe what I just heard. He was sparing me? Was this truly the brother I heard so little about? Surely one who thought humans were insects would not actually agree to protect one? Unless… maybe it wasn't him after all. Perhaps the familiarity was just a coincidence?

Shizu and Shiori flashed through my mind and I thought about Tsukuyomaru. Perhaps… this person in front of me met a special human and they changed his opinion? If it is the Sesshōmaru I was told about, then… maybe he had a change of heart. I liked to think there was good inside of everyone, though Naraku was clearly the exception.

The male demon glanced down at me, seeing how I made no move to walk. He watched as a smile slowly spread across my lips, expression brightening greatly upon hearing those words he spoke. "Right! S-Sorry. Um, he said your name was Sesshōmaru? That's really pretty! I'm Irene."

I felt so much better without the voices filling my head and with the mask clearing my lungs. The castle was extremely moldy this time around, filled with a strange purple mist. I prayed it wasn't residue miasma. I looked down at the goblin, bringing a hand up and petting the cat on my shoulder as we left the room and walked down the hall.

"What about you?" The demon gave me no answer, only sending me the stink eye. I hesitated at that, surprised by the sheer hatred in his gaze, but I didn't let that deter me. If his master was letting me live, then by all means he wouldn't let this racist and/or sexist goblin kill me. "Did… uh, did you guys see any cat demons on the way here?"

I was a little scared to bring it up. Inuyasha didn't get along well with his brother, but did that mean Sesshōmaru knew about his friends? Did he hate them? When was the last time they all saw each other? Would he slaughter me ruthlessly for mentioning them? Maybe if I'm careful and I don't mention any names…

"I… I was with one, but… we got separated and I blacked out. When I woke up she was gone, so…"

The goblin scowled and walked several feet ahead of me, regardless of the fact that he had no idea as to which direction the tower was in. "Are you blind!?" He demanded. "You have one with you right now!"

"I mean, I lost my glasses a while back… so kinda. But no- I said cat demon, dummy." I scratched behind the animal's ear, grinning when I heard him purr. "This is just a normal cat. I thought you demons had great senses of smell? The one I'm looking for is…"

I glanced uncertainly up at Sesshōmaru. He wasn't reacting at all. Thank goodness.

"She has yellow fur with black spots, a-and her eyes are a really nice shade of red. Sort of like a crimson?" The goblin rolled his eyes at me and walked even further ahead, muttering about foreigners and stupid women. He was acting really rude. "You know… I can't tell if you hate me because I'm a human, a female, or if it's because I'm not Japanese."

"How about all three?" The goblin suggested, turning to glare at me. I frowned. He then turned, pointing and angrily waving his arm at me. "Stop walking so close to Lord Sesshōmaru! You disgrace him!"

In all fairness he was the one walking next to me. He could be moving ahead with the gremlin, using those long legs of his to his advantage, but instead he kept pace with my own and allowed me to lead the group through the castle. "Seriously?" This was ridiculous. "You really wanna go that route? Are you so much of a bigot that you won't even tell me your name? There's nothing wrong with being female or a different ethnicity! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't thanks to Naraku, so you can take your-"

Without warning the cat leapt off my shoulder, charging at the goblin with fangs bared.

"-what!?" I lunged forward, trying desperately to catch the animal. "C-Come back!"

The goblin screeched when the cat's claws scratched across his face, tearing into his scaly flesh and causing him to bleed. He tried to hit the cat with his staff when it jumped off, but he missed and the animal dashed away into the unknown. "Cursed felines! I hope you get eaten! Raaah!"

Okay. I know I was angry at him for being a little childish brat, but I hadn't expected this to happen. I didn't intent for him to get hurt. I took a nervous step back, scared that he might now take his anger out on me. Sesshōmaru's expression had darkened, only fueling the anxiety coursing through my veins.

"Th-That really hurt…" The goblin grumbled, tears in his big yellow reptilian eyes. "Damn that cat…"

Before I knew what I was doing I was already making my way over to the wounded demon, acting out of both fear and concern. He was a jerk and sort of deserved to be smacked, but to get cut so badly? That stray was acting way out of hand. "A-Are you okay?" I set the mask down, kneeling beside him and reaching out with my right hand. "H-Here, I can-"

The goblin glared and smacked it away. "I don't need your help, woman! This is all your fault!"

"Well, maybe if you weren't being such a child the cat wouldn't have attacked you!" I retorted, staring him down. "Just shove off, will ya? I'm trying to heal you!"

"I don't need to be healed by the likes of you!"

"If it's my fault the cat attacked, then-" The yelling caused me to become short of breath and I broke into several coughs, wincing as I hacked into my shoulder. "-then I should… h-heal you… to fix it. Frick…"

"You're just an insignificant mortal! Nothing you do can help a demon like-"

Oh my gods, will he just shut up? Irritation washed over me and I gave up on playing nice, fingers dancing with a blue flame as I reached out for his face. The goblin shrieked and tried to smack me with his staff, but I quickly snatched it away from him and willed the flames to heal his cuts. "It doesn't… hurt. It's fine." I told him. The goblin continued to glare daggers at me, stopping only when he felt the injuries gradually fade away. His shoulders slumped as he relaxed, reluctantly leaning into the cool warmth of the flames.

Sesshōmaru observed everything that occurred with a calculating stare, standing in silence.

I thanked the Shikigami for giving me their blessing; they really were so kind, what with them patiently dealing with my greedy self. When the scratches were gone and the flames dissipated, I pulled away and watched as he wiped the remaining blood of his face. "F-Feel… any better?"

"Yes…" He looked uncertainly at me, not understanding why I went out of my way to help him. "What was that?"

Plopping down onto my rear and crossing my legs, I held my hands up with a tired grin. I coughed some more, clearing my throat before attempting to speak. "I-It's, uh… called Shikigami? I-I can communicate with spirits. Sorta. We don't really talk… more as I just ask them for help. It… It wears me out super fast though. O-One of my friends say it's because the spirits are so powerful. I'm always sleeping because of it, haha… ehhh. Your cuts weren't too bad- normally I'm… I'm healing…"

Oooohh, dizzy. My head leaned forward and my eyes closed for a moment, a yawn escaping my lips.

"...worse injuries. Shikigami are… really strong."

Footsteps reached my ears and I lazily moved to the side, glancing up to see Sesshōmaru standing beside us. His piercing gaze bore into mine, the man noticing the way my hands were shaking and how hard it was trying to stay awake. "You needn't have."

"Yeah, I did." I responded, leaning back and closing my eyes.

A nap sounded so good right now. I smacked the ground blindly, fumbling for the mask, and the second my fingers touched it I raised it up to my face and breathed into it. I could already feel it working its magic and I wondered if the reason it worked so well was because of the material it was made out of.

"The cat… it's always showing up where I'm at." I explained quietly, not speaking too loud because of my lungs. "The first demon that I helped kill- the cat was in its temple. Then… in a village where I was almost kidnapped by one of Naraku's people. When I woke up after I got separated from my friends here in the castle and I passed out… it was beside me. I-It feels like it's following me. And the reason why it attacked your friend was because… I was mad at him. So I kinda did need to heal the goblin."

"I'm an imp!"

A grin suddenly spread across my face and I leaned back towards him, victorious. "So now you tell me about yourself. Gonna say your name yet? Or is Sesshōmaru gonna be my favorite?"

"It's Jaken, you wretched human!"

"Jaken?" I blinked at that. "Hmm. Yeah, no… Sesshōmaru is a far prettier name. Still… I'm sorry. That cat shouldn't have done that to you…" A sighed escaped my lips after I apologized. "I wish I knew why it actually ran off like that. I'm sorry."

Forcing myself to stand, I ended up wobbling sideways for a moment before catching my balance. I glanced at the two ends of the hallway up ahead, trying to recall what had happened that led to me being alone with these two. Kirara didn't just abandon me, did she? I thought we were getting along quite well, even if I pulled that stunt in the lake. She always seemed so protective of me. I missed her so much already.

"I hope everyone is okay…" I stepped forward, looking in both directions. "I think… we head left? Yeah."

As we walked I patted my jean pocket for my rescue inhaler and pulled it out, hesitating for a moment. How many hours has it been since I last used it? I really could use a boost right now; my lungs were very much unhappy. Deciding to just do whatever and not bother with the details, I tiredly shook it up and held it to my mouth- inhaling the medicine. I hacked up a storm once I exhaled, staggering forwards, and proceeded to take another puff before sticking the object back in my pocket.

I counted to ten in my head before gasping.

"Okay! Got this."

Just why did my lungs have to worsen over the years? As if having asthma wasn't bad enough, I had to live in a house of extreme smokers for over fourteen years and now I have to use a freaking machine just to function on a daily basis. Worse than that I now have to rely on a random fifteen-year-old girl I met like a month or two ago to supply me with that medicine because some crazy voodoo magic lady and her evil half-demon ally decided they wanted to kidnap me through time and space. Grah.

I could feel the stares boring into my skull from the side and I turned, seeing both Jaken and Sesshōmaru looking at me. "It's… medicine? Helps with my lungs. Because, you know, sickly human?" I moved my head side-to-side in a weird dance move, feeling increasingly awkward by the intensity of their gazes. Sesshōmaru was especially unnerving and I reminded myself that he might actually be a certain half-demon's brother. "I, uh, literally can't function without my medicine. It's... not very fun. But that's life! So! Yeaaah… hey, new area!"

I came to a halt, raising a hand up to my head as I waited for the throbbing in my skull to dissipate so I could think. It was faint, but I think I could hear voices again. It was getting very annoying. I stepped forward and closed my eyes, trying to remember the path my friends and I took.

"We went that way. Then… there, but… that staircase is blocked off?"

Muscle memory.

I could remember the way Kirara's muscles moved with each step she took through the castle and every time she turned. It made it a lot easier recalling the directions, yet… also more complicated at the same time with my eyes open? It was weird. My hands moved with each word I spoke, fingers twitching as I remembered the feeling of her fur. Sesshōmaru stood beside me, patiently waiting for me to give directions and watching my odd movements closely. Him standing there made me anxious, his very presence making me panic and attempting to hurry up the jog through memory lane. "O-Okay, uh… the… the Saimyōshō were that way and… yeah. The smoke. Okay."

I think I knew where to go with this.

The imp, whose name I finally learned was Jaken, looked up at me with curious eyes. His hatred seemed to have dialed down quite a bit for some reason. "What smoke? Did something burn?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. The Saimyōshō did." I blinked in surprise at the question, answering it easily. "Well… actually we burned a flower which poisoned them and then made them drop to the ground dead, but… same difference. Err… charge!" I pointed down the hallway and began to make my through it, Jaken marching begrudgingly behind me. "It'll take a bit to get to that area anyway, since we have to go upstairs first. It's kind of a maze. I mean, it was a lot bigger before the castle got all damaged and stuff, but now the way up is all funky and some of the staircases are smashed, so we gotta-"

Nothing could have prepared me for the sudden wall that came tumbling down, a large Minotaur demon charging towards me from up ahead. It truly did resemble a bull, even lowing its head in such a way to point its horns at me- ready to rip through my torso and tear out my entrails. Eyes going wide I found myself stumbling back, startled from the abrupt crash. Just as I tripped over my feet and fell back there was a flash of white, Sesshōmaru appearing in front of me faster than I could actually see.

The demon had long-since sheathed his sword, but he didn't let that stop him. His claws flexed as the Minotaur neared and then he ran at it, moving so fast it was hard to keep track of where he was. Next thing I knew the bull demon was in shreds, its organs falling to floor and staining the wood a black-ish color. Sesshōmaru had slain it so effortlessly, hardly moving at all. His cold eyes showed not an ounce of sympathy for the demon he had slain, yet there wasn't any amusement in his gaze either; it was as if it was simply something that needed to be done, a demon in his way that he had to kill, nothing but pure apathy for those standing in his path. Sesshōmaru flicked the blood off his hand and turned, golden gaze focusing on me when he saw I was just sitting there.

Jaken ran over, stars seeming to glimmer around him as he gazed up at his master, cheering him on. "Absolutely dashing, Lord Sesshōmaru! You are unparalleled in power!"

"Th-Thank you…" I was stunned. The man never even hesitated; this person knew exactly what to do, how to do it, and he ended the battle quickly as a result. All the while he did it in the most graceful fashion, moving so beautifully even as blood and entrails fell around him. "You… You're amazing…"

"Can you walk?" Sesshōmaru asked, smooth voice cutting through the tension, speaking to me. He remained where he stood, simply waiting for a response.

Realizing that I was sitting on the dirtied floor, I jolted and snapped my head up. "Uh, I-I think so." Arms out to the side as I staggered into a standing position, I waited for a few seconds before giving him two thumbs up. "Y-Yeah! For now, at least. Um… I-I think we have to go… this way? No, that way!"

I forced myself to walk, moving past him and stepping over the guts of the demon that was slowly disintegrating. He ended that battle faster than anyone I knew. Sesshōmaru was incredible.

And, despite it all, I found myself agreeing with Jaken.

Sesshōmaru really was dashing.

Damn it. I rested a hand against my chest, feeling the racing of my heart, and used the other to hold the mask up to my face. I felt so flustered after that; he was so majestic and impressive. It almost felt nice being protected by him. Frick.

"What was I saying before the demon? I don't remember."

I hadn't really noticed before since I just napped or rode on Kirara's back during the majority of it the last two times I navigated the castle, but it was huge. It was as if I were trying to make my way around High School again, and instead of people giving me the directions I'm the one trying to lead them. As we walked I turned my attention to Sesshōmaru, staring up at him curiously. Despite his longer legs he continued to match my face, allowing me to lead him and Jaken to the tower. It really did leave me as a mess- this powerful person relying on me. He was so tall; it only added to the intimidating aura he gave off. I recalled all the warnings I was told about Inuyasha's older brother, about how they didn't get along and the snippets of backstory I was given from our time in the bat demon village. Did Sesshōmaru really try to kill him at one point for being a half-demon? That's what it felt like. I was afraid to ask.

But… the more I watched him… the less certain of that I became.

"You don't seem like a bad person."

His golden eyes turned to me and I jumped, realizing I said that out loud.

"I-I-I mean, a lot demons I meet are always trying to kill humans, you know!? Heck, the... the one time there was a good demon he ended up getting killed by his dad because he fell in love with a human, and then me and my friends ended up killing that guy because he was a jerk a-and then we headed here to the castle where we got separated! Which probably really doesn't matter to you and you don't care one way or another! You might hate humans, you might not; I'm still alive out of sheer luck! I don't know you. And I'm fully aware of the fact that if you didn't enter that one room you probably would have left me to die, but-"

Oh gods, I need to shut up. The words kept coming out and they wouldn't stop. I was so nervous and scared and flustered- so many things were mixing together.

"-b-but, I mean, like, you know! On a scale of jerk-to-super-nice-person I think you're somewhere in the middle of that?"

I was digging myself a grave and I knew it. Why hasn't he slain me already?

"That's a good thing though! If someone as incredibly powerful as you was evil then the entire world would already be enslaved or something by now! Maybe even destroyed! So, like, you're great! Be you! Be your wondrous self, you… demon lord… person!"

I want to curl in a corner and cry now. The second the last few words left my mouth I lowered my head and brought a hand up to my face, shoulders sagging as regret and humiliation sunk in. Why was I allowed to speak?

"...I'm sorry… please don't kill me."

"Hn." Oh, thank you for your mercy. "Which way to the tower?"

"R-Right!" I coughed and raised the mask to my face, clearing my throat and looking around. "This way, sir demon lord! Hopefully that title isn't insulting, but it just occurred to me as I said it that it might be because I'm not even supposed to be speaking this language? So I apologize for that and anything else I say or do that may be offensive! I repeat; please do not kill this pathetic human for her incompetence. Thank you!"

The silence that followed afterwards was unbearable. It only enabled me to think about all that I had rambled and I berated myself for being such a fool. He really must not be the older brother of Inuyasha because why else would he spare me? You know; I have one question that would solve all this inner dilemma over his family tree.

I just hoped he wouldn't figure out my connection to Inuyasha from it.

He was so powerful that I really didn't wish to be on the receiving end of his wrath. We headed up a staircase during this time of my silent debating and after gathering enough courage I spoke up. "So… Sesshōmaru! What kinda demon are you?"

It was futile, as he avoided speaking whenever possible, but I was freaking out. The silence in this castle was also becoming quite eerie, even though it was so relaxing a short time ago due to the voices having stopped. His amber eyes looked so familiar, though his silver hair was a lot more kempt compared to Inuyasha's. I had a feeling Sesshōmaru put a lot of effort into his appearance.

"I'm thinking you might be a dog demon?" He said nothing, merely looking down at me with that intense gaze of his. "No? Am I wrong?"

Jaken stormed towards us, waving his staff angrily at me. "He is a great dog demon, woman!"

I yelped, attempting to avoid the staff that was determined to whack me hard in the leg. He really was so defensive over his master; I don't even think I said anything wrong that time. "Whoa! Wh-What's the difference? I-Is that stronger that regular dog demons or-"

"Lord Sesshōmaru is mightier than any creature alive! He is not to be compared with the common mutt!" Our walking had ceased, now demoted to the imp chasing me around in a rage and me trying to hold him back by the staff. These two shrunken heads were really creepy. "You should be treating him with respect, you ungrateful foreigner-"

Sesshōmaru turned and glared sharply at the small demon, irritated that their journey to the tower had been ceased. "Jaken." The imp stopped in his next step, faltering upon seeing the harsh stare sent his way.

"W-What is it, M'lord?" Jaken asked, voice shaking fearfully. Sesshōmaru stepped forward, walking in his direction, and planted his foot firmly on the imp's face. Jaken was knocked roughly onto his back, crushed beneath the demon's weight, and I dropped the staff I was left to carry. "Oof…"

Of all things I had expected him to do that was not one of them. I hurried over and followed closely behind Sesshōmaru, casting a hesitant look back over my shoulder. While it felt nice to be defended, I did feel bad for the imp that just got squashed beneath his boot. "Y-You okay, Jaken?"

The imp pulled his face out of the ground and sent me a dark look, saying nothing. He clearly blamed me for what happened to him. Wow. I shook my head and continued after Sesshōmaru, hurriedly moving beside him and trying to keep pace with his long stride. Once I was beside him he seemed to slow down, taking smaller steps to match my speed. It was a subtle action and if it wasn't for the fact that I was able to catch my breath again I wouldn't have even noticed it.

A wave of gratitude washed over me and I found myself apologizing, explaining as we headed down the hallway, "So this is going to sound weird, but… I-I just learned demons existed recently? They don't… well, where I'm from we don't have them. Which sounds terrible now that I think about, but b-because of it I don't know a whole lot about them? I-I wasn't intending to insult you; I was just curious what kind of demon you were. You don't look much like a dog though."

Sesshomaru focused on the area ahead, not giving me the honor of a glance. I wondered if it was considered beneath him to interact with humans and if saving me really was a fluke on his part. I decided to take his silence as a response and continued, defending my opinion.

"What? It's true. Unless you can, like, transform into one. That would be cool. But since you're a great demon it would probably be really massive. Is the boa you're wearing made out of dog fur? It looks super fluffy. My Shikigami familiar is a dog, by the way! It's what saved me when I was summoned to Japan!"

We turned a right down the next hallway, Jaken following behind dejectedly. I heard whispering, but I ignored it- believing it was coming from the imp- and I hesitantly peered into the nearby room. The talking helped relieve my stress, especially since it was about something I knew about, and I guided the lord and his servant inside. I hoped that if I spoke enough about myself he wouldn't kill me, instead perhaps taking pity on my poor unfortunate soul.

"I actually wasn't the one Naraku wanted; well, it wasn't Naraku that wanted us at first- it was this evil lady named Anastasia. She cast the summoning spell to get my sister, but because I had the power to use Shikigami and Maria didn't, Anastasia needed me to activate the spell. Once it was working she tried to use her Shikigami to kill me, but then the dog saved me! I'm pretty sure he's the reason why I met the friends I have now. But since Anastasia is working with Naraku he's sending all his people to get my soul."

I wondered if the reason why Sesshōmaru was so tolerant of my behavior was because he had Jaken by his side. That imp spoke a lot as well. It made sense, in a way, seeing as the demon lord was so quiet.

"To this day I still don't know why they want it so bad. They were after Maria, but then they changed their minds and decided to go after me instead? I don't know. It's weird. Maybe they want both our souls? Long story short, Naraku needs to die and Anastasia confuses me."

The whispering was growing so much louder. Jaken's eye twitched and he snapped, exasperated by my ranting, "Do you ever shut up!? You humans are all so annoying!"

"I will when Sesshōmaru tells me to stop talking. Until then, I'mma talk like a crazy lady and-" I was cut off abruptly by a sudden pain shooting through my skull, the voices growing so loud it was as if they were shouting. Blood gushed out of my nose without warning and I staggered sideways, legs quickly loosing feeling. The mask clattered to the ground and my knees hit the floor, forcing me to hunch over.

"It hurts…"

No. Leave me alone. I don't want this. I don't want to go through this again.

"Save us…"

My vision colored black and the blood fell free, mixing with my tears. I brought a hand up to my face, trying to hide the crimson liquid. Sesshōmaru stared down at me, expression changing just the slightest. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips tilted downwards, and if I hadn't been paying such close attention to his features earlier I would not have noticed the difference. Jaken moved forward, alarmed by my sudden state.

"You, woman! What is the matter? Why are you bleeding?"

"The voices…" I choked, sobbing as I raised my hands to my pained skull. "Th-They won't stop. It hurts. The zombies…"

My body fell onto its side and I curled into a fetal position, fingers tangling into my hair. I felt so dizzy and sick- it was even worse than not being able to breathe. It was like some pressure was being pushed against my brain, trying to fill it up with noise until it erupted. There were just too many voices. My skull was going to overflow.

"Th-They hurt… it hurts… eughh…"

Make it stop. Please.

"Voices? The undead don't speak, fool! All they can do is… uh, L-Lord Sesshōmaru? What are you doing?"

He unsheathed his sword, stepping further into the room until he was ahead of me- keeping my wounded self on the floor behind him. The sword seemed to be glowing, yet the blade itself was dull. I still didn't understand how he defeated the zombies from the first level with it. Sesshōmaru narrowed his gaze at the next doorway. "The dead approach."

As if hearing him the corpses of multiple samurai and innocent villagers came flooding in from the hall. I almost screamed, back arching as the pain became too much. They needed to get out! Out of my mind! It hurts!

"Voices of the undead…" Sesshōmaru murmured, glancing at me from his shoulder for a brief second before refocusing his gaze on the zombies. "Her connection to spirits must be what's causing this..."

Jaken hurried forward, looking up at the demon expectantly. "What shall you have me do, sire!?"

"Keep her out of the way."

"O-Of course! Right away, Lord Sesshōmaru!"

The imp stayed close to my side, watching with a disturbed expression over his shoulder as I writhed and cried out. I clawed at the wood with my fingers, teeth grinding together as I tried to will the voices to go away. My eyes were squeezed shut, stinging from the blood. I couldn't see anything as a result. I was briefly aware of Sesshōmaru charging at the undead to slay them all and yet all I could hear were the voices of the corpses screaming at him- pleading with the demon lord to spare them. To free them. It wasn't as if the demon could hear them either; no, for some reason this only seemed to affect me.

Gradually the voices began to die down and I stopped thrashing. I went limp against the ground and became weary, more or less exhausted from the entire encounter. I lied on my back, wheezing. The silence was so nice and relieving... I really wanted to take a nap.

"Are you alive, woman?" Sesshōmaru. The footsteps were so soft and quiet I almost didn't hear them.

I didn't trust myself to speak, so I simply tapped the ground. My nails were torn up and my fingertips were bloody. If my throat wasn't so sore and in desperate need of a drink I might have fallen asleep. The demon hummed and sheathed his sword, staring in silence and waiting for me to recover. "I… It's just…" Gods, speaking was so painful. It felt like glass shards were in my chest. "It's just a few… more hallways and… a staircase… b-before the roof…"

"You sound horrid." Jaken blatantly commented. "Were you really hearing the voices of the undead?"

I cringed at the loudness of his voice and turned my head. I didn't want to get up. My legs felt so tingly; I wasn't sure they would even move.

"A few more staircases and then a roof, you said?" Sesshōmaru said, repeating what I told him. I was going to let him go by himself from here on out, but… if the voices came back I wasn't sure if I would survive it a third time. I wasn't ready to die just yet.

"Y… Yeah." I struggled to push myself up, the world around me spinning. I blinked rapidly to try and clear the blood out of my eyes, waiting for my vision to clear. I wiped the blood off my face with my sleeves, sniffling and cringing at the sudden sting of my sinuses. "I… I can… oh gods. Ugh…"

I brought a hand up to my mouth, resisting the urge to vomit. How pathetic.

"Stay here." He ordered. "Jaken, remain with her. I'm going after Naraku."

"B-But my lord…!" The imp tried to protest. He focused a glare on me. "Damn you, woman! I'm supposed to be staying with Lord Sesshōmaru- not babysitting you!"

Oh no. I don't think so. Summoning all the strength and willpower I had left, I staggered onto my feet and stumbled forward. "I… I'm coming, too! M-My friends are… w-waiting for me. I'm not…" I coughed, picking up the mask and following after him. He had fixed his cold stare onto me, as if attempting to scare me back into waiting with his servant. I met his gaze evenly, determined to keep going despite how ill I felt. "I'm not dying here. I refuse. B-Besides, we had a deal!"

I jabbed the thumb into my chest, standing forward on my toes a bit to try and meet his gaze on his level.

"I'm taking you to the tower! I… I promised. And… And I keep my promises, Sesshōmaru! Okay?"

I was shaking, barely able to stand upright. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't slow me down."

"A-Are you kidding?" I asked, grinning weakly at him through the tears. "Slowing people down is the only thing I'm good at! You're the one thing keeping me alive, so I'm sticking with you. Sorry, not sorry. As a sickly human, I've gotta use you to my advantage. Hope ya don't mind."

I whirled around after saying that, the words I was saying a lot more confident than what I was actually feeling. I limped past the fallen bodies, walking over them and making my way to the door. There were so many… more than before. At least thirty or forty in this large room. It was no wonder the voices were so loud. Still… these samurai were the ones who helped me and my friends escape. It was cruel having to make them die twice. One of the faces weren't too badly disfigured and I could make out what they looked like, and I became quite woozy as a result. That soldier was one of the men we had delivered food to.

"Naraku is… really… eugh, I hate him."

I took a deep breath and blinked rapidly, fighting the tears.

"I'm fine. It's fine. Damn it. Where's- ah, stairs. U-Up here… Sesshōmaru."

The demon and his servant followed after, Jaken surprisingly not yelling at me for once. I held onto the half-broken railing as we walked up the creaky steps, pausing only when the whispering of a hauntingly familiar voice reached my ears. Sesshōmaru looked down at me, reaching out and placing a hand over the sword handle- seeming to recognize the signs of me hearing voices already. The whole building reeked of death- I doubted even he could tell the scent of a moving corpse from a still one.

"No…" Please, let me be wrong about this. "No, no, no! Not her!"

I hurried up the staircase like the fool that I was and once at the top I saw someone standing at the other end of the hallway, slowly making their way over to us. That pink-and-white kimono was unmistakable and yet… something was wrong. It was covered in blood. The right side of her face was burned away, almost seeming to mimic that of what I had done to a very irritating incarnation so long ago.

"It is her…"

"What's going on!?" Jaken demanded, climbing up quickly when he saw that I had stopped. "Why the hold up!?"

"Otoki…" I choked out, stepping forward. "Otoki, no…"

"Where is my brother…? It hurts."

"I-I know…" Otoki never made it out of this castle, so of course she wasn't alive. She was dead right from the moment we left for Rindoh Village. I had known it all along and yet… it was still so hard to accept. The proof of it was right in front of me. "I know it hurts. I-I'm so sorry."

"I want go home…"

"I know. I know you do." I understand that more than anything else in this world. I want to go home as well.

Jaken's eyes widened as he watched this take place, leaning forward with intrigue. "She is communicating with the corpse's spirit! How mysterious. What do you think of this M'lord? Uh… M-M'lord?"

Otoki was right in front of me now, yet somehow I was unafraid of her. All I felt was sadness, my heart reaching out for this poor girl. All she had wanted was to see her little brother, to know he was doing alright without her. This child never deserved such a painful end. "I'm sorry…" She reached out, a dark aura emanating from her body. Dropping the mask and grabbing her wrists before she could touch my neck, I stared at the outcome of my own failure. If only I were stronger- if I wasn't so weak! I should have went with her and made sure she got out of the castle. Suddenly she moved forward, alarming strength pushing me back. "Wh-What!?"

She was so much younger than me; where did all this power come from? The edges of my heels met the top step of the staircase and I struggled to stay upright, knowing that if I fell I would snap my neck or break a bone. "Save me." She seemed to say, empty eyes boring into mine. "Free me from this spell. Please."

"O-Otoki!?"

That was when I saw him. Out of the corner of my vision was Sesshōmaru, blade held high in the air.

"N-No, wait-!"

His eyes were as cold as hardened gold. There had to be a way to save her aside from killing her! How was his weapon even working against the corpses? I still don't understand anything of what's going on! This can't be the only way! My protests fell on deaf ears and seeing the way he brought the sword down towards her I panicked. In my effort to stop him from slaying the child I released Otoki's wrists and lunged, desperately trying to grab him.

The corpse took that chance to wrap her arms around my waist, clinging tight and changing the direction of which I was moving with her dead weight. "No-!"

"I'm sorry."

Her lips parted and her mouth opened wide, teeth ready to dig into my wounded shoulder. Right as she was going rip apart my flesh Sesshōmaru mercilessly swung his sword... and then the voice stopped. I collapsed hard onto my front, the girl's body so heavy from death that it was crushing me. I didn't even have a chance to figure out what she meant by how to free her. She was gone.

"Wh-Why…?" I wheezed, shakily crawling out from beneath her. I rolled the girl's body over and weakly tugged her into my lap, sniffling. "Why did you do that!? Sh-She was- She was trying to tell me something! The spell it… it had a way to be broken! I-I could have saved her! You didn't have to just kill her, you jerk!"

I brought a hand to rest against the burned side of Otoki's face, guilt welling up inside my heart as I looked at her. After a short moment, I turned to glare at Sesshōmaru, not bothering to hide the betrayal in my voice.

"How could you?"

I was really starting to think he could have been someone I was able to trust, but now… frick. Damn it! I took a shaky breath and bowed my head, eyes squeezing tightly shut as I mourned. I was completely unaware of the pentagram being drawn at my feet or how the blue light from Otoki's mangled body began to take shape, icy cold flames dancing along my body. I wouldn't have even bothered looking up if I didn't feel a pair of hands cup my face, raising my chin gently.

I tensed and opened my eyes in confusion, only to stare in shock at the person in front of me.

Her visage was so ghostly and transparent, and for a moment I thought she wasn't even there at all. She looked so unlike her corpse, all injuries and blood gone from her flesh and kimono. It almost felt like I was viewing a completely different person. The child pulled her hands away and smiled warmly at me, several fiery butterflies flapping around her. "Hello, Irene."

"O… Otoki?"

She rose from the pentagram, the fire seeming to give her shape. It was so different from the way the other undead behaved after being destroyed. It was almost as if the Shikigami reached out to her spirit before it could fade away, giving her one last chance to speak. I felt almost certain that was exactly what had happened, and yet… how? What was that light that appeared when she and all the other corpses were slain? Was it their souls?

Did Sesshōmaru actually free them after all?

The young girl laced her fingers together in front of her, eyeing me warmly for a moment before turning to see Sesshōmaru, watching him tuck his sword away back into its sheath. She was just as adorable as when we first met. "Thank you so much!" She said, leaning down in a deep bow to show her respect. "You saved me!"

"He… He did?" I asked, stunned at the confirmation. "Sesshōmaru… saved you?"

The spirit stood up straight and her smile softened, noticing how confused I was. She nodded at my words. "Yes. Because of his sword I was able to break through the spell that was placed on me. I always thought demons were scary… especially when they came and attacked the castle. But you saved me, Mister Demon." She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes. "It's thanks to you that I can sleep soundly now and see my little brother again. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mister Demon."

The flames grew brighter around her for a moment before they started to dissipate, the butterflies flying downwards to the pentagram below. Otoki was starting to lose her form. "W-Wait! Don't go! I-!"

There were so many things I wanted to say to her.

To tell her.

So much was running through my mind, suffocating and overwhelming, and I ended up losing track as my mind went blank. My voice died on my lips. Otoki knelt down beside me, staring at me with sad eyes. Those eyes… they would still be full of life if I had taken a different path. If I had thought to bring her with us, or to go with her and ensure she got out of the castle, she might still be alive. I was just so angry at Naraku that I didn't think straight.

And because of that she paid the price.

"I… I'm so sorry…"

Otoki shook her head at me, moving close and resting her forehead against mine. It was such an odd feeling as the fire was somehow cold. I wondered if it they were the flames of death. "Naraku is the one who did this." She told me, hands grasping my shoulders gently. "You tried to save me."

The girl then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around me.

"You held me like this once, remember? You said it was for my brother who couldn't be there for me. This time… this embrace is for you- from the both of us."

"No…" Keeping hold of the corpse's head with one hand so not to drop the body, I reached out out with my other arm to try and reciprocate, holding her tight. My voice cracked, heart feeling as if it was being crushed in a vice. "P-Please… don't go."

"Thank you, Irene…" She pulled back, freckled face smiling at me. "Farewell!"

"Otoki-!" My fingers faded through the flames as she vanished, the butterflies flapping their winds and disappearing into the pentagram. The fire around me burned brighter, flickering angrily in the air as the cold blue turned icy hot. "N-Not… Not… Not y-you, too-!"

The airways in my throat closed up and my breath came out in stuttered bursts, the pain flowing through me unbearable. I heaved and gasped, shaking uncontrollably as the sobs wracked my body so hard I was leaning over, feeling as though I were about to vomit. I tried desperately to stop it, tired of crying and frustrated by all the loss happening in this world, but there was no end to it. My lips curled back and my teeth ground so tight together it hurt.

Otoki's final words echoed in my mind.

Naraku was the one who did this. He took her and the samurai away, placing them under a spell and using them against us. I bet he even had Anastasia burn her face for some sick kind of message, as if to warn me against harming Kagura again. Bastard. I turned to look at Sesshōmaru and Jaken, anger settling in and fusing with the sorrow.

"A-All these people… i-in the… the castle… they're being controlled by Naraku?"

Jaken took a step back to avoid being touched by one of the embers, hiding behind his master. "Uh, y-yes… If you destroy a corpse that's under a spell, the spirit will go free. But only if you're Lord Sesshōmaru, of course!"

"Why… Why only him?"

Otoki said it had something to do with his sword. How could a weapon with a dull blade, incapable of harming enemies, save a spirit?

Jaken grinned widely, proud to be speaking of his master. "Lord Sesshōmaru is the only one capable of wielding the tenseiga- a weapon crafted from his father's mighty fang, a blade used to slay the undead!"

"And… you knew about this?" I looked up at the great dog demon, uncertainty in my gaze. When he saved me downstairs when I was cornered by all those zombies it was the tenseiga that he used. The blue light that I saw erupting from their bodies were their souls drifting away to freedom. "About their spirits?"

Sesshōmaru gave no verbal response. The neutral expression he wore, however, told me everything I needed to know. Facing Otoki once more and breaking out into several rough coughs, I willed the flames to dissipate. The world began to spin as a result and I found myself hunching over, staring into the deformed face of the girl I barely had time to call a friend.

I seriously hated Naraku.

He's so… awful. It's to the point where he can't even be described as bad or evil. He's just… awful. There's so much wrong with him and all that he does. I'm so tired of it. All these innocent people are being murdered because of his own selfish desires. Stubbornly ignoring the pain in my chest as I started to wheeze, I pulled out the broken pinwheel that sat in my pocket and tucked the end of the stick into her obi, making sure it would stay with her. Juzo really did work so hard on that gift.

"I'll get him back," I promised her, voice a low trembling growl, "Naraku won't get away this, s-so… so… just rest now, okay? Give your little brother a hug for me?"

Moving slowly, I set the girl's corpse down on the ground and closed her one open eye.

"I-It'll be… alright. No one can… No one can hurt you now."

Ohh, it hurts so much. The tears don't want to stop. Speaking is taking so much out of me, but… this war isn't over. We still need to get to that monster waiting in the tower. Jaken tapped his foot irritably against the ground, losing his patience waiting for me. "What are you doing!?" He demanded, voice rising up in pitch again. "How much longer do you intend to keep Lord Sesshōmaru waiting!?"

I said nothing, struggling to regain control of my emotions and calm down enough to get oxygen flowing decently again. The silver-haired demon, however, focused on the gremlin with a cold stare, calling out with a sharp tone, "Jaken."

"See!" The gremlin exclaimed, then turned to face his master expectantly. "Wh-What is it, Lord Sesshōmaru?"

He narrowed his eyes at the demon. "Leave the woman alone."

The gremlin jumped, startled by the harshness of his voice, before sinking down and backing away in fright. "Y-Yes, M'lord…"

I really don't want to do this anymore. I don't care how much it hurts me; I'm not gonna hold back. Naraku has lived and tormented others long enough. Anastasia was the one who summoned me and my sister here, anyway, so I'll just get my answers out of her. For now that wretched half-demon needed to die. I stood up and wobbled, dragging my feet over to the mask that was on the ground. My body felt so numb.

I brought my sleeve up and wiped at my face, sniffling loudly as I knelt down down and picked up the fallen object. I held it with both hands, fiddling with it for a moment, before forcing myself to go over to where Sesshōmaru was standing. There was a huge misunderstanding and I needed to set it right. "Se… Sesshōmaru…?"

His piercing gaze focused on me. My heart caught in my throat and for a moment I forgot how to talk.

"I… wh-what you did… o-or were doing with the… the corpses; I-I didn't realize. You were saving her a-and… I yelled at you. I shouldn't have… done that. I'm sorry."

I sniffled, blinking several times as I raised my head up to meet his intimidating gaze once more. There were still so many things I had yet to learn about the Feudal Era and its inhabitants, and there were a lot of supernatural powers that I remained to lack understanding of. And although I was dizzy and angry, and so many other things, at this exact moment only one emotion was rising strongly enough to the surface that I wanted to express it.

And that was gratitude.

"But… I-I want to thank you." I smiled warmly at him, clutching the hem of my sweater tightly and holding the mask to my side. "Y-You didn't have to save them, but you did. Otoki and the… the samurai that attacked me earlier. You freed them and… stopped the voices. So… thank you."

I wiped at my face again, trying to brush away the tears that were falling once more. My head was pounding furiously at me. It seriously wanted a break from all these emotions; I felt so worn.

"Y-You're seriously amazing, Sesshōmaru. You're even putting up with all my nonsense." I sniffed. "I-I'll take you to the tower now, so… yeah. Thank you. I-It's this way. This castle could do without an evil spider or two."

I rose the mask up to my face and tied it on, blinking several times as I wobbled to the next doorway. The moldy, musty air became filtered through the holes in the mask, clearing my lungs and straightening out my blurry vision. I was just going to keep this wretched thing on for the rest of my time here; I kept taking it off because I hated wearing masks- something that was mostly brought on from all the days I had to wear my respirator- but this thing was incredible. What was Sango's secret to making it?

"It's… this way… um, the rooftop is-yeah. Over here." I peered through the big gap in the wall to see outside, cringing at the sight of the red armored samurai lying dead on the ground. Those must have been the ones Sesshōmaru killed on his way to the castle's inside. If he hadn't had to fight so many he might not have arrived in time to save me. "That's scary…"

"It's just the dead." Jaken commented thoughtlessly. "You really are a weak mortal."

"I'm a sick mortal, dude. There's… There's a difference. If I really wanted to, I could burn your face off like I did with Kagura."

"..That was you!?"

I paused, turning to look at him in confusion. Sesshōmaru's eyebrows raised just the slightest, as if he were intrigued. "You... know her? Actually, how come you guys are after Naraku? Did he… Did he take someone you care about, too?"

"I have a score to settle." Was the silver-haired demon's only answer. "You say you were the one to scar that incarnation?"

"Yup." I looked back at the blue roof nervously; the last time I crossed it I was riding on Kirara. This would be a true test of my balance skills, which… I severely lacked when there wasn't a book on my head. Ick. Can I really do this? I glanced up at Sesshōmaru, uncertain. "Y… You'll catch me if I fall, right?"

He said nothing and I could only cringe, forcing myself to swing a leg over the debris to crawl outside.

"Okay, guess I just gotta not fall then. Oooh. Yeah. I-I met her a few times. First time she stole some jewel shards and I was dragged along to fight her, and then the… the cat demon friend I mentioned nearly tore her arm off when I tackled the lady to get the fan away. I didn't get the fan, but I did burn her face. Then we met in a village where she- whoa!" I waved my arms wildly, yelping as I nearly slipped. "I'm okay! O-Oh gods… okay. Um. She… She tried to kidnap me. Then Naraku's other incarnation, Kanna, showed up later in a different village to take my soul. We saw Kagura again on her way back in here. They really want me dead for some reason. Dunno why."

"I wonder. Now can you hurry it up!?" Jaken demanded, glaring. "You're taking forever!"

That's it. I carefully held my arms out, sliding my feet along the tiles and bringing them to a halt as I glared down at the little imp. "Can you please just stop shouting at me!? I-I have been trying to… to deal with your bullcrap, but unlike you I could actually die from this! S-So just… just shove off, toad!"

"Toad!? How dare you!" He raised his staff and swung it, aiming to smack me hard in the stomach. I freaked out when I saw this and threw myself back, sucking in my belly to avoid the hit, and it worked- but only momentarily, for shortly after I found myself about to roll down the rooftop again. "I am an imp demon!"

As I recovered from the loss of balance the staff suddenly disappeared from Jaken's hands, Sesshōmaru taking it from him and jabbing him hard on the head with the bottom of it. His eyes were narrowed in what I could only assume to be irritation, the man watching as the demon rolled down the side of the roof. Jaken barely managed to grab onto one of the tiles in time to stop his descent below.

"L-Lord Sesshōmaru, why…!?"

I was stunned. The elegant demon lord did not bother to respond to the imp, instead walking forward. "Keep going," He ordered me, "I can smell the smoke you mentioned."

"I-It doesn't bother you?" Feeling the anxiety start to rise up from that intimidating look I continued to walk, carefully making the rest of the way across the rooftop now that he was acting as a barrier between me and Jaken. The imp had climbed his way back up, now trailing behind Sesshōmaru with a disheartened look on his face. "I-I have a friend that's, um, you know… half dog demon and it, uh… really freaked with his nose."

Something flashed in those beautiful golden eyes of his when I said that and I wasn't sure if it was a good thing. Even more nervous, my rambling showed no signs of stopping.

"Well, I mean, I-I think we're friends anyway. He's always yelling at me and calling me stupid, but he has his nice moments! I told you my Shikigami familiar was a dog, right? I'm pretty sure he transported me near where that half-demon lived so I wouldn't die. Because, like, that person saved me when we first met, you know? There were these villagers that tried to kill me thinking I was a demon because of my weird clothes, so I was shot by arrows and everything, and when I got away a demon showed up! That… That demon almost ate me, but then the Shikigami happened and I passed out. When I woke up the half-demon was carrying me to the village he stayed at so I wouldn't die from blood loss because of what the villagers did. Fun times. Oh, yeah, the smoke! Almost forgot. I actually got this mask because of the smoke. It wasn't from him, but from someone else 'cause I can't breathe near it. She's pretty chill. She is a demon slayer though, so be warned. I don't she'd attack you though- you're pretty nice. And I know I called you a jerk earlier during the whole... thing, but I thought you were one until it was revealed you were actually helping! So you went from neutral to jerk to nice! Does that make sense?"

As I took a deep breath, I came to the conclusion that I really needed to have an on-off button. My words just kept going and going. Voices began to whisper again and tear into my skull, and I tried to ignore them.

"I dunno. I like you, though. But it also takes a lot to make me hate someone- Naraku was the fastest. Kagura second. On the bright side if there's ever an actual zombie apocalypse, I now know who to go to for help!" I laughed, only to shudder at the thought of having to deal with anymore undead. "Th-There are so many… frick. What was it again? I think they can smell our vitality... We're only three people, but that's a lot of scent to go around, I guess."

I really would have died had I stayed downstairs with Jaken. Nearing the hole in the next wall I faltered, feeling something drip onto my top lip. My nose was bleeding again. I glanced up at Sesshōmaru for a moment, wearing a pained expression as the noise started to worsen. I pointed at the hallway, one of my eyes closing when blood began to spill from it and obscured my vision. The demon lord unsheathed the tenseiga.

Walking through the hole in the wall, I rolled rather ungracefully onto the ground and pushed myself up onto my knees. I was just about to attempt standing when a sword came hurtling down at me from nowhere, and had it not been for Sesshōmaru appearing from behind and blocking the attack with his sword I would have most likely lost my head. Holy frick. The demon's reaction time was astounding.

The silver-haired man stepped forward and sent the samurai's blade flying. "Nuisance." Sesshōmaru growled, slashing at the undead.

I watched as the corpse collapsed and the soul left its body. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only one in here; there were at least ten, accompanied by twice as many demons. My head was throbbing and I curled against the wall, knees to my chest with my hands gripping my skull. We were completely pinned, trapped and surrounded in this small area. Our only exit would be back through the hole in the wall, but could we even get through it in time? I wouldn't be able to make it like this. Were the demons and undead just waiting for us to show up here?

"Jaken!" Sesshōmaru called out, catching the attention of the green goblin behind us. "Take care of this."

"Yes, M'lord!" The goblin began to cackle maniacally as he approached, waving his staff in the air. "Ohoho! The time to shine has come! Watch, human, and behold the power of the staff of two heads!"

He held the staff outwards in front of him, the mouth of the old man opening as it faced our opponents. A few seconds later a hot red fire began to spew out of it, burning all the demons that tried to come near and turning them into ash. It did little for the undead except make their inner voices scream in agony and make me hurt as a result of that, and when they began to move again Jaken shrieked and ran over to where I was, hiding behind Sesshōmaru.

"H-How was that, sire!?"

He seriously only lived to please him, didn't he? My goodness. I flinched and let out a small noise, pained. The throbbing felt more like someone was taking my skull and filling it up with some kind of pressure, trying to expand it despite the bones being rigid and not very malleable.

"I don't want to do this…"

"Help…"

Sesshōmaru twisted the tenseiga and lunged, moving with incredible speed as he slashed at the undead samurai. None stood a chance against him, falling one-by-one with a loud THUD onto the rotten floorboard. The bright blue souls erupted from their body, drifting away and vanishing into the distance. It was a wondrous sight and an amazing feeling as the world was enveloped in silence once more. Sesshomaru flicked the sword and tucked it back into its sheath. "What a waste of time."

He said that, but he still went out of his way to free the spirits of the dead. I doubted he would ever admit it himself that he cared about them. Why else would he help them? This demon lord was kind, no matter how cold and aloof he appeared. I somehow felt safer with him than when I was actually travelling with the group; I haven't been injured once since I started wandering around with him, save for the voices. This person was absolutely brilliant.

I slowly pushed myself away from the wall, stumbling over to him with big eyes after blinking the blood away. "H... How are... you so strong!?" No matter how many times I've seen him do this, he was still so incredible. It was incredibly different from the way Inuyasha or the others fought. This man and his battle capabilities, not to mention his very person, was in a league all of his own. "Is it... 'cause you're a great demon? O-Or... Or did you train for, like, hundreds of years to get so powerful? How old are you? You look my age, b-but you're probably centuries old. Right? O-Or thousands of years?"

The man stared down at me, not answering a single question and merely letting me ramble excitedly.

"You're amazing!"

"But of course!" Jaken gloated. "Lord Sesshōmaru is the best! There is no one better than he!"

"Clearly! If… If anyone can defeat Naraku, it's you! I mean, I can try and help, but a-all I'm really good for is healing. You'd just be like swish-" I swung my arm goofily through the air, grinning widely despite him not actually being able to see it because of the mask, coughing a little as I did so. I wobbled a little, still a bit dazed, and easily caught myself. "-and then… and then bam! Naraku's dead."

He was fighting with a single arm, too. I could only imagine how powerful he was back when he had both limbs, which then brought on the question- how did he lose his arm in the first place? It must have been quite the powerful opponent, one who rivaled him in terms of sheer power and intellect.

"That spider won't stand a chance against you!"

Maybe I was over-doing it with the praise. I didn't really care; this person was just so cool. I rocked on my heels, bouncing a little on the balls of my feet in my excitement. It's been so long since I was able to feel so happy about something, even if my head was calling for some serious tylenol and acetaminophen treatment. My mood-swings were probably something to be a little worried about, but that didn't matter right now. No- this incredibly powerful and beautiful demon in front of me was what was important. He could defeat Naraku easily; I just knew it. He probably didn't even need a trick to break any barriers.

"I'm really glad you're on my side, otherwise I'd already be dead!" I joked. "You're amazing!"

Sesshōmaru said nothing as Jaken and I lavished him with praise. The man was most likely used to it by now. He was clearly confident in his own abilities, walking around as if he owned the whole castle. I walked with a bit of a skip in my step as I began to make my way down the hall, swinging my arms at my side. I had to stop shortly after, the actions taking too much air out of me, but I was in such a good mood.

Jaken was a pain, but I enjoyed travelling with Sesshōmaru now that I knew he wasn't a bad person.

When I saw more undead heading towards us as we neared the area with the burnt flowers I backed up, no longer panicking now that I was certain that the great dog demon lord would protect me. He rushed forward and slashed at all the zombies, and I found myself mesmerized by the way he battled. It was as if he were dancing with the tenseiga. The pain in my skull lasted only a few seconds now, what with how quickly the great demon acted, and as long as I kept my distance from the undead it wasn't as intense.

Stepping over the corpses so not to disturb them, Jaken and I hurried back to Sesshōmaru- the man waiting for us to catch up. "It was… frick, which way was it?" We were in the area where my memory got super hazy. I know for a fact the gang went to the room up ahead, but after that it was black. "I think… this was the room where we split up."

I stepped inside, staring around the room with furrowed brows. It felt like there should have been multiple samurai in here.

"Y-Yeah… I guess… that was what happened." I nodded, biting down on my bottom lip. "My cat demon friend must have carried me down to the lower floor and took off to avoid gaining the zombies attention, a-and that's when you found me. Um…"

I really hoped she was okay. I headed to the next doorway and peered through it, very anxious now that my mind was drawing a blank on where to go from here. It was so nice being useful, but now… I had no idea where to go. The place looked familiar, but so many rooms were covered with fallen debris we would have to take a roundabout path to the top.

Jaken narrowed his eyes at me, seeing how I was hesitating. "Are you sure you know where the tower is?"

"I-I do, it's just…" I'm scared. I don't want to be abandoned. My fingers twitched and I began to fiddle with them, glancing back-and-forth down the two hallways. They were so dark. "This is as far as I got in the broken down version of this castle. The last time I went to tower it was all…" I waved a hand around. "...normal? I-I can get you there, it'll just take a minute! This way!"

"You better not be lying!" Jaken threatened. "I'll kill you if you are!"

"As if." I said, making a face at the imp. "You don't scare me. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, does. Oh, look, a staircase! See? I do know what I'm talking about; I'm not totally useless. Up here! This is… yeah! Haha! The tower! Woo! I'm not a failure."

I whirled around on my heel and pointed at the next big room up ahead, grinning through the mask.

"See, Sesshōmaru? We just gotta go through this next room and-"

I barely got two steps in through the doorway when there was a loud meow and I was catching a familiar cat demon in my arms, the kitten curling against my chest and licking the blood off my face. I stumbled and caught myself, standing still for a second as I processed this. I held her up, staring at her big red eyes in shock.

"K-Kirara?"

A voice from inside called out my name and very soon a young brunette came rushing out, barreling into me as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Sesshōmaru and Jaken waited outside in the hallway, stopping as if they knew what was about to transpire. "Irene! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you!?"

"S-Sango?" She held me so tight she was shaking. Relief washed over me and I leaned into the touch, having a bit of trouble reciprocating before Kirara climbed onto my head. I clung to her kimono, burying my face in her shoulder. "I-I was so scared that- ohhh, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"I should be saying that about you!" She pulled away, grasping my shoulders. Her eyes widened and she then reached up, resting the back of her hand against my face. "Irene, you're burning up! Your eyes are all red and puffy, too. Were you crying again? Your wounds are still bleeding, too! How much blood have you lost? I'm surprised you're still even able to walk!"

I laughed weakly through the mask, pulling back a hand and tapping at the object. "Mostly because of sheer willpower and this. Think you can make me one sometime? I love it."

"It might take a while, but sure. I'll have to collect the demon bones necessary to do so." She looked over her shoulder, calling out to the others. "Everyone, look! Inuyasha was right; Irene is here! She's safe!"

Kagome brought a hand to her chest, letting out a small sigh. "That's a relief. I'm glad."

"Me too." Miroku smiled. "We were getting a bit stressed out waiting for you. We feared the worst might have happened."

Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms. "I told 'em not to worry. You can be pretty useless most of the time, but you always pull through in the end. Still…" His ear twitched and he glanced uncomfortably at the doorway. I wondered if he could smell the demons I was travelling with. I sincerely hoped he was not the brother I thought he was. Could he smell Sesshōmaru?

I was never able to ask, for Sango pulled me back into another hug. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to go after you when I saw Kirara was alone, but more and more corpses were gathering and it would be too dangerous if we were all together. We figured you'd be safer by yourself than with us."

"N-No! No, it's okay. I mean, there was a whole horde of them on like several levels that tried to kill me, but…"

Sango moved back a step, leaning away so she could brush the bangs out of my face. I was sweating badly, covered in dirt and blood- both dry and fresh. I must look like a mess to them. Sango was smiling so warmly it got rid of all the words I was going to say.

Shippō spoke up from his spot on Miroku's arm. "How come you had such trouble getting here?" He asked, confused. "We didn't encounter any demons or undead on our way up here."

"They smell vitality," Miroku said, his eyebrows knitting together, "By all means they should have went after those of us that were in groups of two. How come they all went after you? Did Naraku somehow order them to-"

"Uh, actually I think it was…" I hesitated, catching everyone's attention. Inuyasha scowled, his ears twitching as his eyes once again flicked to the doorway behind me. He was really unnerved by their scents, wasn't he? I suppose I should tell them. "I think it was because there were three of us? I mean, a larger group to track and all that…"

Kagome looked dumbfounded. "Three of you? You mean you weren't alone? We were all up here, so how could you have-"

As if deciding now was the time to reveal himself, the silver-haired man known as Sesshōmaru entered the room. Kirara's fur stood on end when she saw him walk up behind me, the demon far too close for her liking, and she began to hiss. Sango's eyes widened immediately and she wasted no time in hoisting me up onto her shoulder, causing me to yelp as she suddenly jumped back closer to the rest of the group in an attempt to get away from him. The cat demon leaped down to the floor and transformed, snarling at the man.

Everyone else readied their weapons, Inuyasha pushing Kagome behind him as he unsheathed tetsusaiga. "Sesshōmaru!" The half-demon growled. "What are you doing here!?"

Were they seriously going to attack him? This is not okay. Nope. I wiggled my legs and struggled in Sango's grasp, the woman loosening her hold in surprise. She wasn't used to me resisting her protection. I ripped the mask off my face- leaving it to dangle around my neck- and I stumbled over to the full-blooded demon, alarmed and very much panicking. "W-Wait! Don't… Don't attack him! Please!? H-He was really nice and helped me get here!"

Sesshōmaru's golden eyes followed me as I made my way in front of him, watching as I held my hands out defensively as if to protect him. Which, admittedly, was a little ridiculous because he needed no one to shield him. I was just scared and, even now, I was struggling for oxygen.

"Nice?" Sango echoed, stunned. "You can't be serious."

Inuyasha scoffed at my words, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Get away from him, Irene! Sesshōmaru doesn't have the heart to be nice. All he has is a hollow where a heart should be! I bet he was gonna kill you once he got what he wanted."

"What?" I've seen Inuyasha angry before, but this was pure bitterness that was in his voice. He almost sounded afraid. "B-But… he protected me! The zombies were about to kill me when Sesshōmaru showed up! He… He saved me from several demons and dozens of undead! He isn't the bad guy, I promise!"

Sesshōmaru actually scoffed when he saw the way Inuyasha was looking at him. "So, little brother, this human woman is indeed your friend? I suspected as much."

My eyes went wide and I looked up at him. He knew all along? Was my hinting that obvious? How come he let me live? If he truly was related to Inuyasha and was the villain everyone painted him out to be, by all means I should not be alive right now. He seemed so tolerable of me, a human, so did he really hate him for being a half-demon? I didn't understand.

"What of it?" Inuyasha demanded, snapping at Sesshōmaru. He gripped the handle of tetsusaiga anxiously, ready to fight if need be yet clearly scared of this opponent. It was a completely different side to him. "You gonna kill her now? I don't know why, but you seem to have her brainwashed into thinking you're some kind of compassionate demon! How about you show her your true colors, huh?"

"T-True colors? What?" I'm so lost. Sesshōmaru stepped forward, pushing me back with his hand and out of his way. His hand reached for the other sword, the one I had yet to see him use. "So you are his older brother?"

Kagome nodded fervently. "Yes! He's the one we told you about- and he's ruthless! Get away from him while you can!"

"I…" I really didn't want to. I trusted Sesshōmaru. He scared me a little at first, but he's been so kind. He protected me, honoring the deal we made, and while there was nothing to be gained from freeing the souls of the dead he did it anyway. "I don't…"

I don't think he's a bad person.

"Irene." I snapped my head up, staring at Sesshomaru with wide eyes. It was the first time he called me by name. I hadn't even thought he remembered it. The demon wasn't looking at me, instead focusing his attention on Inuyasha and the others, watching them closely. The demon removed his hand from his sword, standing upright and narrowing his eyes. "You've completed your side of the bargain. You are no longer under my protection."

"Uh, o-okay?" That came out of nowhere. "D-Does that mean I should back away from you now or…?"

He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes before turning away. Sesshōmaru no longer appeared as if he were going to battle the others, sliding a foot forward to walk away. "Do what you will." He told me, moving ahead and stepping past the others. Inuyasha called out to him, demanding he turn back and fight him, but Sesshōmaru paid him no heed. "Jaken, let's go."

The imp yelped and hurried forward, not wanting to be left behind. "Y-Yes, Lord Sesshōmaru!"

"Where do you think you two are going!?" Inuyasha growled. "Get back here!"

Jaken turned his head and scowled, waving his staff in the air. Sesshōmaru continued to walk, leaving the demon behind. "You should be grateful; my master is in a charitable mood today! Your lives have been spared!"

"If he's in such a charitable mood," Miroku began, narrowing his gaze at the goblin, "how come he's leaving without you?"

"What?" Jaken whirled his head around, screeching. He chased after the majestic demon. "W-Wait for me, M'lord!"

I was extremely tempted to follow after Sesshōmaru myself, finding something about his presence very magnetic. Even more than that I felt an urge and desire to prove that he wasn't as terrible as the others clearly believed him to be. It was a strange sensation and I found my foot moving forward, almost as if I was going to chase after the demon lord.

"Irene?" Sango's voice snapped me out of it and I jumped, startled. She was looking at me with concern. "Are you okay? What exactly happened between you and Sesshōmaru? What bargain was he talking about?"

"Huh?" She set her hands on my shoulders, standing close to me. There was no reason for her to be so scared. "I-I told you; he kept me safe. He saved me and when I asked if he was going to where Naraku was, we made a deal. He'd protect me and I'd bring him to the tower. A-And he did! He even freed the souls of the undead!"

Miroku blinked, stepping forward and leaning down with big eyes. "A-Are you certain that is what happened? Sesshōmaru is one of the coldest demons in existence! Humans are no better than insects to him. Did you become ill and hallucinate?" The monk held a hand out, attempting to touch my face to feel for a fever, but Sango smacked it away.

"Don't touch her, monk."

"N-No, I didn't hallucinate!" I really don't like how they're acting towards him. Sesshōmaru was kind to me. "I mean, he's a little intimidating and I can see what you mean by ruthless, but that's only towards his enemies! He made Jaken stop whenever he started to act really mean and when this one samurai almost took off my head he-"

"You're dreaming." Inuyasha growled, stepping forward. He seemed so bitter and angry whenever his brother was involved. His eyes were so intense I was a little frightened of him. "I've known Sesshōmaru my whole life and he isn't nice to anyone. I don't know why he spared you after getting here, but I can tell you one thing; it wasn't out of the goodness of his heart."

"W-Well, maybe he met a human before coming here and they changed his mind?" Not all demons were bloodthirsty. Even if it at one point Sesshōmaru was a terrible person he clearly didn't behave like one now. "It's not impossible that-"

"That's the thing." He snapped. "It is impossible. He hates humans and half-demons more than anything in this world."

Inuyasha would know more than anyone else. He was the very product of a human and demon relationship, and if I remembered what little I was told about his past well enough then it would not surprise me at all if Sesshōmaru had tried to kill him when they were both younger. Heck, the man looked ready to battle him a few minutes ago if he weren't so intent on destroying Naraku. Still… that didn't mean he couldn't have had a change of heart.

"I… I still don't think that's…" I hesitated. I feared that if I kept trying to defend the demon I just met the friendship I had with Inuyasha would completely fall apart. Our personalities weren't too compatible to begin with, which made a lot of our interactions rather rocky. "I just…"

Kagome, seeing the way the conversation was starting to tread downhill, stepped forward and clapped her hands together. "Anyway! Don't you guys think we should get going? If we stay here any longer Sesshōmaru is going to get to Naraku before us!"

"What!?" Inuyasha snapped out of it, grasping the tetsusaiga tightly as he began to dart forward. "Like hell I'm gonna let that bastard kill him!"

"I-Inuyasha!" Miroku called after, exasperated when he saw the half-demon take off. Kirara moved and dashed between my legs, startling me as I yelped and fell onto her back. Sango leaped on behind me, helping me sit up, and we took off after him. "Wait for us! We're joining the battle, too, you know!"

Kirara wasted no time in chasing after the half-demon, leaving me struggling to hold onto her fur as I began to hear voices. Sango kept one hand on my waist, the other resting on her hiraikotsu in case it was needed. Miroku and Kagome chased after, Shippō clinging to the monk's shoulder tightly. I still found it amazing how Miroku could keep up with Inuyasha and Kirara's pace. Kagome, however, was lagging a bit behind. We entered a hallway and went through it into a room higher up, leading into the main area of the tower. The sounds only grew louder and it was there that we saw something truly horrifying.

Chills went down my spine, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.

Dozens upon dozens of corpses littered the room, surrounding Sesshōmaru and leaving him completely cornered. There wasn't even enough space for him to jump away and land somewhere else- he was stuck in a horde of about fifty or more zombies, and while I was left completely stunned by this Inuyasha grinned broadly- rather pleased that his older brother was caught in such an awful situation. "Ha! How's that, Sesshōmaru? Can't get to Naraku now, can ya!?"

"Look at all the corpses!" Kagome gasped, freaked out by the sight of them. "Th-There are so many!"

I winced a little at the pounding in my head, eyes struggling to observe the room in this darkness and misery. I couldn't see any sign of that irritatingly pretty evil half-demon and this was the last room in the castle. In fact, it was the room we saw him in last time we were here. Was all this just one giant trap? Was even the powerful demon lord, Sesshōmaru, lured here under the pretense that Naraku would be in the castle? I found it so hard to believe that he could have been tricked and I just met him.

"Make it stop. Please... I don't want this."

I almost cried out at the loud voice, gripping Kirara's fur tightly. I searched the room from my spot near the door, desperately trying to find out where the noise was coming from. Several corpses lay dead at Sesshōmaru's feet, but he was barely making a dent in the small army.

"I don't want to hurt anyone..."

There! I saw him, hiding in the back of the room on the opposite side of Sesshōmaru; the undead's body was glowing with a terrible purple light- far brighter and more malicious than any of the other corpses dark mist. It seemed to be blending in with the others, groaning and hobbling towards the demon lord. Something was familiar about its blue armor, however, and I became very disturbed when I realized why. I squinted, left eye closing when it began to get blinded by blood. "D-Do you guys... see that!?"

"What?" Sango asked, frowning. She readied her hiraikotsu, noticing several zombies turning towards us. "See what, Irene?"

"Look!" Shippō wailed. "Some of the ones fighting Sesshōmaru are turning this way!"

I urged to Kirara to move a few steps closer, the cat demon reluctantly doing so and growling at the walking dead that dared to come near. "Th-There! In the blue!" It was definitely that person's voice I was hearing over the others. He spoke so loudly, so mournfully. It only reminded me of how determined he had been to save everyone before. "It's Yukimura!"

"Surely you're not serious!?" Miroku exclaimed, eyes widening. He observed the crowd for a moment until he saw the person he was looking for. "It is him!"

"I don't want to kill! My body is not my own!"

"Damn it all!" Inuyasha bared his teeth, frustration lining his features. "Naraku isn't here then!?"

No, but he was definitely pulling the strings. I hated that bastard so much and I only met him once. Sango narrowed her eyes, staring at the corpse and pushing several more undead back with her hiraikotsu when they got too close. She was doing her best not to harm them. "Something about him... he's different from the other undead!"

"Yes! It's his demonic aura!" Miroku said, swinging his staff and kicking at a corpse. He pulled out several sacred sutras, tossing them onto their bodies and watching them stumble back and burn. He quickly held his hand up in prayer before repeating the process. "It's much stronger than the rest! Naraku must be using this corpse to control the other undead! He knew we wouldn't be able to fight them, so he came up with this spell!"

Which meant... oh, of course! I'm an idiot. "Yip, yip! Up, Kirara!" The cat demon roared and jumped up, flying above the corpses. I cringed at the sight, watching as civilians and samurai alike were forced to wander in suffering, cursed to battle. Inuyasha and the others were doing their darnedest not to hurt them, but even then... it was difficult. There was just so many. "That way! Towards Sesshōmaru!"

She gave me a strange look before obeying, avoiding the spears and swords that were being swung below. I could see the demon lord step aside and swing with the tenseiga, slicing at two corpses and freeing their spirits, before blocking blades from several others. Even in such close-knit quarters Sesshōmaru was truly incredible; it was so temping to sit there and merely watch him fight. He was absolutely mesmerizing. If we were in any other kind of situation I might have been content to stare.

"S-Sesshōmaru, can you hear me!?" The blood was spilling from both eyes now and I was clinging to Kirara tightly, unable to see very well as I rapidly blinked to try and clear my vision. The voices were so loud and deafening. I was having trouble making out my own voice. "Y... Yukimura is controlling the other corpses! If you... If you free his spirit you can break the spell o-on... on all of them! He's the puppet master! The one in blue armor!"

I could hear Inuyasha scream indignantly from the other side of the room, though what he said was lost on me. I think he was mad because I was asking his brother for help. Several of the zombies turned, distracted by the scent of mine and Kirara's life force, and waved their blades and hands up in the air to try and get us. The cat demon flew higher and I yelped, the pain dulling some from the distance. Thank god this castle had high ceilings. Wait- if we can distract them... Sesshōmaru can get away.

"Move closer, Kirara! W-We have to get them away!" The cat demon let out a sound and flew around the corpses, trying to attract their attention. "H-Hey...! Y-You all... want to be saved, right? C-Come right this way then!"

Blue flames flicked along my fingertips and it was then I noticed the butterflies flapping about. They were so tiny, hardly visible, but they were definitely there. I blinked the blood roughly out of my eyes and held out my right hand towards the corpses, determined.

"O' miracle of light..." Yes. That was the incantation; I'm sure of it. It felt so weird, as if something was guiding my lips to speak it. "...bind the evil that hinders you!"

The flame grew in power and the butterflies shot outwards, an even larger one flying out from the pentagram beneath my feet in the air. They beat their wings and soared through the air, the icy blue flame washing over the undead surrounding Sesshōmaru. He watched as this took place before slicing at those in an immediate circle around him, taking that chance to leap up. I yelped when he suddenly appeared before me and nearly fell off the cat demon, Sesshōmaru seeming to float in midair. His golden eyes were piercing, the long boa drifting behind him. "You say that corpse controls the others?"

"Y-Yes?" I squeaked, startled. I could feel a cough rising to the surface, but I held it back as best I could. My heart was currently buried in my throat.

"Hn. Good." He twisted the tenseiga that was in his grasp and lunged, flying downwards at Yukimura with astonishing speed. The voices seemed to have dulled a bit, clearly due to the spell I had cast. It slowed them down in their walk, even making their word process a bit sluggish. I watched through blurry vision as Sesshōmaru slashed at Yukimura, the demon lord intent on running him through, but... his sword never made contact. The blade bounced off of a blue barrier, forcing him to back away. The demon lord looked mildly irritated upon this new development. "Pathetic. Hiding behind a barrier..."

Miroku turned to Inuyasha, struggling to keep a few undead back with his staff. He didn't have enough room to pull out another sutra. "Inuyasha, use the tetsusaiga! If you do then Sesshōmaru can free Yukimura's soul!"

"What!? No way in hell; I'm not helpin' him!"

"Don't be childish!" The monk hissed, shoving the undead back and smacking it in the side of the head with his staff. "We'll die at this rate!"

Inuyasha raised his sword and knocked a zombie back. "No, we won't! I'll kill him myself!"

"You can't, Inuyasha!" Shippō cried out, seeing the way the half-demon was trying to charge through the horde towards the leading corpse. "You'll hurt Yukimura!"

"But-!" He hesitated. That was when I felt something grab my foot, an undead villager trying to tug me off of Kirara's back. A scream ripped out of my throat and I freaked, thrashing and trying to get it to let go. The half-demon whirled around, ears twitching at the sound. "Irene!"

"L-Let go of meeeeee!" My grip slipped and Kirara roared, trying to fly higher as she kicked at the undead grabbing at her. I was dangling halfway through the air, ankles grabbed by the undead and my fingers tangled into the cat demon's fur. It was going to end up yanking tufts of it out at this rate. My heart raced loudly, fear enveloping me and racing through my veins. The spell must have worn off because the pounding was back in my head and even more intense, the zombies too close for comfort. "S-Somebody...! Heeelp!"

I broke out into several coughs. My grip was starting to loosen.

The zombies gave one last tug and then I was falling.

For a moment I thought I was dead, but then I found myself in a pair of red-clad arms with a half-demon leaping across the shoulders of multiple undead. It took a few moments before Inuyasha jumped up, landing onto Kirara's back with surprising ease. It almost felt like that time back in the forest when he saved me from that huge demon. The half-demon set me down and I wheezed, coughing as I clung to the cat demon. Kirara let out a roar, relieved. From below I could see Sesshomaru slashing at the undead, having moved from Yukimura to them sometime during my fall. I blinked, dumbfounded, raising a hand up and wiping off the blood dripping down my chin. I sniffled, ignoring the pain in my head. "Th-Thanks..."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Yeah, right. You're lucky you ain't dead yet."

I made a face, resisting the urge to make a sarcastic comment, and leaned over the side to watch Sesshōmaru battle. "You guys are really brothers?"

"Don't ask." The half-demon growled, turning to look at Yukimura. "Damn it... I don't want to work with him. I hate that bastard."

My eyes drifted over to stare at Inuyasha, curious. So many questions littered my mind, only making my migraine worse, but they were for another day. Now was not the time to ask about his past or his relationship with Sesshōmaru. "We... We need to break the barrier. Y-You said... you'd handle it this time, right?"

He hesitated. Right- family issues. Okay.

"I guess I'll do it. H-Hey, Sesshōmaru!" The demon lord did not so much as glance up. It didn't really surprise me; he really didn't look at me a whole lot when I spoke. It made me wonder if he was even listening, but then I remembered he knew my name. That gave me hope. He slashed at another undead below and for a moment, just that one moment, I wondered if he was still protecting me. When I fell and Inuyasha came over to catch me, did Sesshōmaru move away from Yukimura and his barrier to slay the undead before they could cause me further harm? I kind of wished that was the case. "I... I'm gonna break that barrier, okay? I'll show you how strong a sickly human can be!"

Inuyasha gave me a strange look when he saw the grin on my face, knowing full well I was in pain. "The hell? Don't help him! It's Sesshōmaru!"

"Yeah. I know that." I was shaking so bad from all of this. My anxiety and my fear were merging together into a very unhealthy concoction that spread throughout my bloodstream, and I knew I was going to have nightmares for many more days if I survived this. Still, having such a powerful demon nearby protecting me helped ease some of the tension plaguing my body and I took a deep breath, bringing my hands down to Kirara's fur as if I were about to commit a transmutation.

I can do this. My friends are in danger and this tenseiga of Sesshōmaru's was our only hope of escaping out of this alive. Inuyasha was too bitter towards his brother to help, so it was all left to me. Clearly. Damn it all; he could be such a child sometimes. Miroku was right. Leave all the work to the sickly person! It was taking all I had not to scream from the excruciating agony wracking through my brain. The fire grew around me, causing no harm to my dear cat demon friend or Inuyasha. It spread along the air, a pentagram beginning to form with the flames flickering from red-to-orange, and then blue-to-green. They grew high and fierce, hot to the touch yet not burning myself or any of my friends.

The summoning circle slowly began to expand as I prayed.

"O' overflowing blue sky..." The star in the middle became bright, almost blinding to look at. An eagle flew out of the circle, flapping its wings majestically and diving into the air. I focused my attention on the barrier surrounding Yukimura's corpse, multiple emotions flooding my being as I recalled how desperately I had pleaded with him and the other samurai to leave this castle. "...remove these storm clouds from my path!"

The eagle let out a loud, ear-piercing caw before beating its wings and plunging downwards towards the barrier. Dizziness washed over me and I fell over, collapsing against Kirara's back. The mask had saved me a lot of pain during my travel through the castle, but this was it. I was done for the day. Sesshōmaru dove away from the corpses after sending them all flying backwards with a powerful swing, forcing them away with the strength of his own demonic aura, and charged right at the barrier. At the exact moment the eagle pierced the blue force field Sesshōmaru swung the tenseiga. It sliced through the dissipating barrier easily, the blade tearing deep into Yukimura's flesh.

Only… it didn't actually leave a mark. The tenseiga freed Yukimura's soul, but left no cut behind to show it. The only thing that told me the corpse was defeated was the emptiness in my skull.

"H… He did it!" Kagome exclaimed, stunned when all the other corpses fell down onto the ground, completely immobile. "Sesshōmaru broke the spell!"

"Grrr~ I've had about as much as I can take from that Naraku!" Shippō growled, digging his little paws into Miroku's shoulder. The monk was making his way over with Sango, the woman carefully lifting me into her arms once Kirara lowered us to the ground. Inuyasha hopped onto the floor. "How's Irene!? Is she doing okay?"

"I don't know. She's terribly pale." Miroku responded, reaching out holding a hand carefully over my face. "We need to get back outside where Kagome's supplies are; she needs her medicine! Her breathing is weak. She's bleeding everywhere!"

I'm so tired. Today was far too much for me; I needed a break.

"I can't believe this is happening." Sango shook me lightly, trying to get me to open my eyes. I was so sleepy; I just wanted to take a nap. Everything hurt so badly. "Irene, stay with me! Don't do this!"

Shippō sat up straighter when he saw this, his green eyes watery with tears. "I-Irene, just hold on a little while longer, okay? We'll get you to that weird machine!"

Sango looked close to crying herself. She hoisted me up, sitting me upright so my back was against her chest. "You're bleeding badly…"

"Sesshōmaru," Kagome began, taking a daring step forward when she saw him sheath his sword, "you... weren't going to kill Irene, were you? I want to thank you- for protecting her, I mean. We were all very worried."

The demon lord gave her an empty stare, expression neutral and showing nothing of his thoughts. For the longest time it seemed he wasn't going to speak until he said, "I came here only for Naraku. If he isn't here there is no use remaining in this castle. I'm leaving."

Jaken suddenly came stumbling out of the west doorway, apparently having been hiding in that area the entire time. "W-Wait for me, sire! I-I have news! Um, that is... i-if you don't mind me saying... I saw from a nearby window some of those poisonous insects flying by! They seem to be heading in the direction of Ayame Village. Th-That's not too far from here, is it? Naraku might be there!"

"Hn." Sesshōmaru paused right before he left, focusing Inuyasha with a cold stare. "I suspect you'll be heading there as well, little brother? In that case- be sure to stay out of my way. Otherwise… I will kill you."

"Ha!" Inuyasha scoffed at that. "I'd like to see you try."

Kagome frowned, watching him leave. I tried to pull myself out of Sango's hold and stand, so I could thank him for helping me on the way here, but my body wouldn't move. I was too weak. My limbs had completely given out on me. "That was so strange… oh! Right, the bandages! Give me one moment, everyone!"

"As much as I'd love to head directly out for Ayame Village…" Miroku sighed. "We should probably return to Kaede's as quickly as possible. We need to recover and Irene is in no walking condition. With Hachi flying us we'll be able to double our time there and to the village; it's our best option."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort, but everything he said went through one of my ears and out the other. All their voices began to blur together, fading away into darkness. I couldn't make sense of anything they were saying. I was just so tired.

And I know Sango wanted me to stay awake… but sleep was far too tempting.

Read and Review! Please? I appreciate the feedback. Sesshomaru finally arrived! Woo!