Chapter 04

Inuyasha laughed at his elder brother's obvious consternation. After all the years that the great Lord Sesshoumaru had made Inuyasha's life miserable, whether it be taunts or embarrassing defeats, it was good to be able to turn the tables on him, so much so that his mouth just didn't know when to stop running. Taunt after taunt came spewing out of the hanyou's mouth as he attempted to get another rise from his brother.

"Ha, and you call yourself the great Sesshoumaru!"

"It's Lord Sesshoumaru, you imbecile. And I wouldn't expect one as low as you to understand how to act in the presence of your betters." Sesshoumaru said that last bit in an icily disgusted tone.

Surprisingly Inuyasha took the comment in stride, instead of lashing out with his blade. Laughing more with himself than with anyone in particular, Inuyasha made his last smart-ass comment of the day. "Those are big words coming from someone whose woman was ashamed to even be seen with you. But then again I knew all those big words would come back to haunt you when they saw how truly small you were."

Almost immediately the room's interior began to shimmer and change form. Inuyasha's four companions shifted back nervously behind their ill-mannered friend. Ayame, it seemed, had managed to slip away without anyone being the wiser, in the midst of the siblings' verbal sparring session. Kagome was the first to notice the wolf demoness' absence, but was stopped from pointing it out as the surroundings finally finished shifting, settling on an open field.

Gone were all of the furnishings, and even the doors that had once adorned the room. This was truly amazing. The grass, the castle, the sky…Kagome stopped and did a double take to her left. There standing about a kilometer to her left was the very castle they should have been standing within. That's when it hit her and the rest of the group. They really were outside. But time to question how would have to come later, as movement in the corner of her eye brought her back to the current situation.

Quickly and with the utmost grace, Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tokujin from his waist and swung it to his side with his left hand. Inuyasha too drew his sword, but stopped at seeing his brother wielding a weapon with his left arm. But he merely shook his head and progressed toward his awaiting enemy.

"This is not going to end well," Sango stated bluntly as the others watched on from behind.

The pair clashed quickly in a blur of blinding speed only recognized by the others by the reflecting light from the swords and sound of clashing blades. Then Inuyasha came flying back toward them, and they all knew how this fight was to turn out. Kagome tried to talk Inuyasha out of fighting his older brother, but he acted exactly the same as he always did, and Kagome was forced to take a backseat to the heated sibling rivalry lest she become a casualty to their perpetual squabbling.

Inuyasha again played the aggressor in the pair's next clashing of blades, hacking and slashing at his elder brother all the while Sesshoumaru blocked his attacks with a bored ease to his movements. Eventually Inuyasha did manage to land one slash however small, that made a small smear of blood appear on the dog demon lord's right shoulder.

Then and there Sesshoumaru decided to end the toying with his younger sibling. When next Inuyasha lashed out at him, coming down upon him with a strike after leaping into the air, Sesshoumaru began his assault. The great demon lord used a considerable amount of strength in his parry, sending his brother to the ground halfway between himself and his companions.

Inuyasha growled as he rose to his feet. That was the second time in this fight that his brother had sent him to the ground, and it was quickly becoming an annoyance. Inuyasha advanced again toward his enemy, intent on disemboweling him with his claws if need be.

"Give up, half-breed. Realize when you have been defeated, and discontinue your meddling in my affairs. You will never defeat me, no matter what you try." Sesshoumaru said that all with a tone that seemed to mock the young hanyou while not shifting a single octave up or down.

Inuyasha, of course, was pissed, but also confused. That's why as he leapt forward and attacked his brother yet again, he queried, "What the hell are you on about!?"

Sesshoumaru's parry once again sent the seething hanyou back a few meters, but not onto his butt, like the two previous times he was knocked back. This time he landed on his feet, bracing himself as his momentum pushed him back a few more feet in an attempt to throw him onto his back. But he stayed firm and once again began to advance on his ice cold brother when the reply came.

"You idiocy is renown throughout the lands, but even an ignoramus such as yourself cannot possibly be so dense as to have forgotten this." The look Inuyasha, and the rest of the group for that matter, sent him forced the demon lord to amend his presumptions as his little brother came at him.

Parrying each attack with the grace and elegance with which one of his station at all times carried themselves, he continued, "Well, I guess I once again underestimated you, little brother. Your stupidity amazes even me. Let me refresh your memory. Small clearing in the woods. Bits and pieces of dismembered demons strewn about all over the place. Maybe even one of these," Sesshoumaru said as freed himself of Inuyasha enough to draw out the small dagger that he nicked off of his diminutive retainer.

Inuyasha paused, "How did you know-"

"I know many things," said Sesshoumaru as he rushed at his brother for the first time in their current scuffle, "But what I want to know from you is why you were there."

There was a short pause in the speech while Inuyasha tried to defend himself, rather poorly, against the offensive onslaught of his elder brother before managed force Sesshoumaru back. Inuyasha then balked his reply. "Heh! And you think I'm going to tell you!?"

"As I should have guessed," Sesshoumaru stated calmly, "It was too much to think that you would actually have a part in something like that, you like the mental, and physical, fortitude to pull off something like that. But someone like you is stupid enough to loot their corpses. I will have that blade back!"

"Over my dead body!" Inuyasha barked loudly.

"As you wish," Sesshoumaru said extending the sword to send a stream of energy into Inuyasha that shot him to the ground fifty feet back.

Inuyasha jumped back to his feet, and raising his sword he made a downward swipe toward his elder sibling screaming with all his might, "BACKLASH WAVE!!!"

A torrent of energy swept past Inuyasha as multiple tornados formed in the area all headed at Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha looked on with glee as he spoke, "And so it ends, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

For seconds nothing could be seen through the cloud of mist that had settled over the area following the burst of energy and the immense explosion fifty yards away. Sheathing his sword, Inuyasha clanged through the wreckage toward the corpse he was sure to find in the wake of such destruction.

A slight clanging sound was heard just ahead, and Inuyasha started forward a bit more cautiously to see what might be there. Not for any fear of his brother, for after an attack like that, there was no way he could be alive. But this area was crawling with demons that were just waiting for the chance to devour the body and essence of another downed youkai. That was what made what stood before him even more outrageous.

When the smoke and mist finally cleared from the area, Inuyasha and co. let out a collective gasp. Then a cry was heard as a huge torrent of blue energy smashed into Inuyasha, who barely got his sword up in time to deflect a portion of the attack that sent him down into a heap on the ground at the feet of his companions.

Both Sango and Miroku got into battle stances as Kagome ran to Inuyasha to check his wounds. She had tears in her eyes looking down at his prone form, but looked up immediately as she heard the sound of Sango letting loose her Hiraikotsu. The angered demon lord walked slowly toward the group, not even stopping as he easily countered the demon-hunter's attack. Sango caught the weapon roughly as the demon lord approached.

Kagome stepped in front of Inuyasha in the hopes that her actions would stop the demon lord's. When it became obvious that they wouldn't, she tried another approach. "You've won already! We already realize how strong you are! Killing him isn't going to prove anything. What else could you possibly want?"

Sesshoumaru didn't respond to her query, instead choosing to continue on toward his fallen opponent while at the same time replacing his blade in its sheathe. The group visibly tensed up, and prepared to defend Inuyasha with their very lives if it came to it, when the Kitsune spoke up in response to Kagome's question.

"Maybe he's here for the Tessaiga again," said the young fox demon, "Isn't that what he usually wants when he fights with Inuyasha?"

Kagome nodded in agreement with her minute companion, and then turned back to the quickly advancing demon lord to ask, "What could you possibly do with the Tessaiga? You can't even hold it!"

"I care not for that pathetic excuse for a weapon, you impudent wench!" Sesshoumaru said, annoyed at the sheer audacity of a mere human to speak in his presence, much less to him.

"Then what is it that you want?" This query, surprisingly, came from the Kitsune, who, emboldened by the fact that the demon lord hadn't yet killed Kagome, decided to risk his hide to assuage his curiosity.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the puny fox demon, before replying in a slight growl, "Not that it is any of your business kitsune, but he picked up a dagger off of a dead demon a short time ago. I'm here to collect it."

Kagome pulled her backpack off of her back and began ruffling through the contents strewn about within. When she found what she was looking for, she tossed it at him. He caught the dagger in mid air, placing it on the inside of his garment, partially revealing the other dagger that he himself had shown Inuyasha not too long ago. Once he had put the item away, Kagome said, "That's what you came for. Now that you have, will you please just leave him be?"

Sesshoumaru at first looked affronted that this human would continue to speak in such a manner to him, but he buried it as he did indeed accomplish his goals with his younger brother and therefore had no more need of his, or there, presence. So he nodded curtly, and said, "For now," before turning face and walking off, away from the hanyou's company. He was stopped as another feminine voice called him out.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, would you at least answer us a question before you left," the demon lord turned back slightly toward the defeated hanyou's companion as she asked, "I saw that you already held another identical dagger, why did you need this particular one?"

The demon lord turned completely toward the group once more. His posture spoke of aggression and his sword was once again drawn. Looking toward the group, he narrowed his eyes slightly, not enough for the group to notice, but they nonetheless got the message when he spoke. His normal calm voice was laced with a hint of menace.

"Who are you human, to think that you could possibly question the great Lord Sesshoumaru?" he spoke as he stepped forward slightly slower, but with the threat of imminent violence in company. No matter how good they were at talking, right at this moment nothing any of the three humans said would make the situation any better, so it was up to the Kitsune to defuse the situation, and surprisingly he came through.

"We didn't mean to offend you, Lord Sesshoumaru. We were just curious."

The great demon lord ceased his aggressive advance on the party, and replaced his blade in its sheathe once more. He still wasn't pleased, but the conflict with Inuyasha's party was over, for now. He would just have to remember their impudence when next they met. For now he had more important matters at hand. Looking down at the Kitsune whose quick thinking saved the group from a possibly grim fate, Sesshoumaru said curtly, "I suggest you make sure your humans learn their place, Kitsune. Next time I will not be so, merciful."

"I will, thank you lord Sesshoumaru," said Shippo.

Sesshoumaru turned around and began walking away once more when he said over his shoulder, "I didn't need it. I just wanted to make sure the half-breed would stay out of my way. There's more at stake here than your pet hanyou can handle."

With that he was gone, and the company let out a collective sigh of relief at getting out of that particular situation. Kagome turned to look over Inuyasha as the others looked on concerned. Miroku spoke up after a few minutes to break the silence.

Looking over to Sango, who had suddenly become very close to him, Miroku said, "It's good to see that you're alright, my dear Sango."

Sango at first began to blush at his words. That didn't last as her face turned to that of consternation as Miroku's wandering hand found its way to her butt. Just as quickly, a resounding SMACK was heard before Miroku was off nursing his reddened cheek happily, and Sango was back to blushing a nice shade of crimson.

It was then that the little kitsune spoke again, this time to no one in particular, though everyone looked to him as he asked in his squeaky voice, "Where's Ayame?"

Dark clouds obscured the dismal night sky from view entire forest surrounding the infamous castle of Naraku was covered in a dreary shadow. All demons and other animals had taken flight from the cursed lands in haste, and the only ones brave enough to enter into this domain at the moment were the master of the castle, of course, and his 'loyal' retainers.

Currently as he sat in his seat at the far end of one of the many rooms, Naraku stared boredly at Kagura, who had spent the better part of five minutes relaying the movement s of groups of demons in the surrounding areas outside of his 'realm'.

Naraku of course, didn't give a damn about the movements of the weaklings about which Kagura spoke, and he made sure she knew it as he reached for a jar on a table to his right. Dipping his hand into the jar, he gave its contents a slight squeeze and watched in amusement as his servant was sent to her knees, clutching her chest in pain. That would teach her to waste his precious time on things that mattered not to anyone of any importance.

"Stop wasting my time, Kagura," he said as she began to rise to her feet, "You know that I couldn't care less about anything you've just said about the last few minutes. So get to what I sent you out for or I will be forced to punish you. Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes Lord Naraku," replied the shaken wind sorceress. His recent demonstration of power had hurt her quite a bit, but no more than usual. It was just another stroke in a long list of punishments divvied out by the evil demon that quite literally possessed her heart. But that hadn't stopped her as of yet. Don't get it wrong, she always eventually gave him what he requested; as she was about to, she just made sure he was thoroughly pissed first. It was small way of rebelling against the one who controlled nearly every aspect of her life.

Standing upright once more, the wind sorceress straightened herself up before beginning with her report, "Everything so far is going as planned."

Naraku merely looked on exasperated at his servant before replying, "You try my patience far too often Kagura. If you continue to bore me with this useless drabble I will be forced to amuse myself at your expense, and I know how much you enjoy that. So you can either tell me what I want to hear here and now, or as I have fun with you later, it's your choice. Now what exactly has been done?"

Kagura smiled inwardly as she continued to irritate the demon who held her life in the palm of his hands. But that inner smile was cut short upon hearing his not so veiled threat. Though he hadn't overtly mentioned a specific punishment, she knew in her mind what he would do to her and shuddered at the memories of his past punishments of the sort. It was one of the only things he did to her that she truly feared. And there was only so much she could do before he decided to carry through with that particular threat, and though she could handle some of his most violent of punishments, she would not test him further with the recent threat in the air. So, she cut straight to what he wanted to hear.

"As you already know, your new pet detached a few groups of Youkai from the east and laid them out, with hints that they were dispatched by the south. Kanna managed to get to the scenes before anyone else and make sure that there was no link to you on the scene. Also, it has been reported that the lord of the west has been informed of the intruders, and of their origins. He foolishly believes it to be merely a declaration of war on the side of the east. His dimwitted hanyou brother has even managed to entangle himself into the mix which should prove an added bonus for you. Now all we have left is to wait for your new pet to return from her latest mission and we can begin phase II," she said this last bit so as to belie the kinship she felt for the young demoness under the power of Naraku, for in the hands of Naraku, any piece of information was a potential weapon.

"Your attitude needs fixing, Kagura. Perhaps I should take you in the back and teach you how to speak in my presence," Kagura cringed as Naraku smiled nastily at the thought, "But you have done what I requested, so for now I will postpone your punishment. Leave me for now, and come back when she has returned and you are ready to begin Phase II."

"Yes, lord Naraku," she said before turning and leaving in a gust of wind.

The moon was full and the innumerable stars dotting the night sky looked down upon the world shedding what little light they could through the dense forest upon Inuyasha and company. The group had been traveling for days through forest after forest, encountering malign demons and humans alike as they traveled off toward their ultimate destination, the village of Kumori deep within the territory of the lord of the south.

They would have been there sooner, Inuyasha constantly reminded them, were it not for the inherent weaknesses of his human companions, or more specifically Kagome who felt it was their duty to aid everyone they encountered, and Miroku, who felt the need to introduce himself and his desire to propagate his seed to every eligible female he met.

They eventually did arrive though the entire party, with the exception of Inuyasha, Ayame & of course Kirara, were exhausted and happy to see an end to the torment of trying to keep up with a pair of demons. They couldn't rest just yet though, as just when the group reached the entrance to Kumori, a pair of samurai, garbed from head to toe in armor the same color as the forest around them, stepped forward, impeding the group's approach. Inuyasha seemed to go from mildly upset (which seemed to be his version of calm recently), to livid in an instant. It was only the quick thinking of Kagome, Miroku, and Sango to step between the guards and Inuyasha that headed off a potential conflict and prevented the group's journey here from being a wasted trip.

"What business do you have here stranger?" one of the guards said to the group. The pair had yet to draw their weapons, but they were in an aggressive position and had hands on their katanas ready for any aggression on the group's part. And they were not alone. Something to the tune of twenty archers, sat in the trees above, bows drawn in case the group decided to turn hostile, not to mention the number hidden all around them on the ground.

Sango stepped forward for the group, taking two steps forward toward the guards before she replied, "We did not come here for a fight. My friends and I came here to speak to your lord in the hopes of seeking out an audience with young master Shinzo."

"Why should we trust your word," the second guard asked suspiciously, "What guarantee do we have that you will not make an attempt on the lives of those within?"

"Look if we wanted to, we would have already done it. Now move the fuck out of the way so we can do what we came here to do." Inuyasha took another step toward the entrance to the city and the two guards unsheathed their weapons quickly, preparing for the hanyou's attack. Inuyasha laughed, "You can't think you could even hurt me with those pathetic weapons."

Sango pulled him back, apologizing to the two guards who remained ready for an attack at any moment. Looking to Inuyasha, she spoke, "Inuyasha this is not the place. This village is the home of exceedingly skilled samurai. Each and every one of their warriors has been in battle with a demon before and come out on top. Besides, knowing them, they've got at least about a dozen others nearby to aide these two if you decide to attack."

"I don't sense anyone else!" he replied.

"That doesn't mean that they aren't there, Inuyasha. Please, you have to trust me on this one. If not, we will have traveled all the way here for nothing, and I know you don't want to head back empty handed, do you?"

"Fine!" Inuyasha said before walking back to stand beside Ayame, grumbling the entire time.

Sango and Kagome breathed sighs of relief at the same time, before turning back toward the two guards and the group's current objective. That's when Miroku's absence from the group was noticed. Looking confusedly toward the guards, they saw the monk standing there, talking to the pair of guards, both of which had resumed non-aggressive stances, with their swords once again resting inside of their sheathes. One of the guards whispered something to his companion, who turned heel and raced off through the gates and into the village as Miroku turned back toward his companions with a grin on his lecherous face.

Sango waited until he had returned to the group before asking, "What exactly did you just do?"

"Nothing much really," said the monk seriously, "It seems that my father was a friend to these people, so when they saw my hand, they changed their minds about us. One of the guards just went to find someone to take us to see the lord."

Just then the gates to the village opened. Out the gates walked the second of the two guards, accompanied by a young man. The young man was garbed in casual but expensive red and gold colored clothes with his hair tied up in a ponytail high on the back of his head. Walking next to his samurai companion, it was clear who held the higher status. His companion seemed like he was trampling through the forest next to him. Though it's highly doubtful that Kagome and Sango even remembered he was walking with the samurai guard.
"Welcome, friends," replied the young man as he and his guard companion stepped in line with the first guard, "We are honored to have you here. My name is Hisoki."

Miroku was the first to speak, "Thank you, Hisoki. Would it be possible to speak with your lord tonight, or do we need to…"

"You wish to speak with him as well?" Hisoki asked confusedly, "I thought that you came here to speak with Shinzo."

"They came to present themselves before our lord, Ma-"said the guard who had stayed with them, when the other guard jabbed him in his side, "Hisoki."

"If that's why you wanted to see him, don't worry about it," he said with a smile, "Your presence is already known. Who do you think sent me here?"

"A-Alright, then," began Sango, "When can we see him?"

"Now if you'd like. Follow me," he replied before turning around to walk back into the village.

Most of the group began walking after him, as the two guards moved out of the way to let them pass. Inuyasha stopped walking upon noticing that Ayame was no longer with the group. Turning around, he noticed her standing, rooted to the same spot she had been in as the group conversed with the two guards and Hisoki.

"Are you coming?" he asked her. Ayame shook her head 'no'. Something about this place made her uneasy, Inuyasha surmised, but what could it be? Following her gaze, Inuyasha's gaze fell upon a larger version of the crest he saw on the dagger hanging just above the gates to the village. With his gaze still locked on the crest, Inuyasha asked condescendingly, "What the fuck is so interesting about that?"

The area suddenly seemed to get very uncomfortable for Ayame. Taking one step back, she slowly surveyed the area, looking for something, before she turned heel and dashed off into the depths of the forest, away from the looming gates that reminded her so vividly of events that haunted her dreams for quite some time. Not wanting to lose the only lead the group had slip between their fingers, Inuyasha took off almost immediately after she did, racing off into the cover of trees yelling obscenities all the way.

The rest of the group had just entered the village gates when the sound of Inuyasha's swearing stopped them dead in their tracks. Turning around, they watched as their ill-mannered companion disappeared into the foliage. Hisoki too stopped to look as the ill-tempered hanyou sprinted off into the cover of the forest. Looking upward, he made a few slight hand gestures that went unseen by the party before turning his attention back to them. His hand reclined lightly on the hilt of his katana as he asked, "Shall we go, or did you wish to wait for your companions?"

It was Kagome who managed to stammer out a response first. "N-No we're coming," Kagome, the first of the group to regain her voice, managed to stammer out.

So Hisoki nodded before turning heel and walking back into the village, the others following closely behind. The gates closed silently behind them. The town was dead as they walked through. Everyone in the town was asleep, presumably and not a sound was heard as they walked through the town, for the first five seconds at least.

"Why are we out here doing this?" Miroku asked, cutting into the silence blanketing the entire town.

"Are you not interested in protecting the people who live in the villages back home?" asked Sango quizzically.

"What? Whatever we have been attacking has been killing demons, not humans. What have we learned so far that has made you as a demon hunter opposed to these people?"

"I didn't say that I had a problem with whoever has been killing these demons, but whoever has been killing off these demons is obviously good at it, by the number of demons we found. And all we know about this person or group is that they managed to dispatch a few nice-sized groups of demons. Who's to say they aren't just targeting large groups? How long will it be before an entire village is demolished? Or what if it happens to be something like Naraku? I'd rather know what we're facing before we have to face it."

Miroku was quiet for a moment, as if deep in thought about something. Then he mumbled something Sango couldn't make out.

"What was that?"

"I said it still doesn't add up…" Miroku said contemplatively, "Asking you those questions I wasn't trying to second-guess our quest, but more to see if you could come up with a reason that would have spurred Inuyasha into this. I know Kagome could have coerced him into coming regardless, but it seemed more like he was trying to push us here. He's more interested in this than normal."

"I've noticed that too, but I don't know any more than you do. Perhaps we should speak with him?"

"Hmm, perhaps you're right," Miroku said thoughtfully, "Alright; we'll talk to him later though. Right now, let's go see what this Shinzo can tell us?"

The group stopped in front of a nice looking home. Hisoki turned back to them to say, "Please, wait here while I go and get Master Shinzo."

Hisoki disappeared into the home, only to re-appear a moment later, ushering the group inside. The group followed him to a room somewhere in the center of the building. Inside, a lone man, sat with a small, ornately designed box at his feet, obsidian katana in hand. He was very lean, had long black hair that matched the darkness of his eyes tied back in a ponytail, and looked to be no more than 18 years old. His expression was very serious as he examined the blade in his hand. Upon the group's entrance, he rose and replaced the blade in its sheathe on the rack to his right, before resuming his place behind the small box.

"What can I do for you?" he inquired of the group.

"Master Shinzo," Hisoki piped in, getting a curious glance from Shinzo, "This is the group our lord spoke of."

"I thought there were youkai in the group. I see only humans.

"Hey!" Shippou exclaimed indignantly.

"I meant you no ill will, little one," replied Shinzo, "But I was expecting more along the lines of more adult youkai, and you are still a child."

Shippou huffed in indignation, but got no more voiced as Shinzo spoke to the group once again, "I assume you had questions, so ask."

"Not too long ago a few groups of demon warriors were wiped out along the borders to the western lands. Your daggers were left at each of the sites. What do you know about that?" Miroku asked.

"That is a really long answer. Is there something specific you want to know?"

"Who is responsible for killing all of those demons, why are they being killed, and why are your daggers there?" Sango asked.

Shinzo looked up to Hisoki, who was standing by the door, "You couldn't have answered these questions?"

"He said you. Besides, they were going to ask you for you anyway," replied

Shinzo just shook his head. "Alright, let's see I can't answer your first question, you really don't want to know the second, and because I made them for the killer."

"Well if you know the killer well enough to give him, your daggers, how are you not able to answer the question?"

"It's not that I don't know the answer, I just can't tell you. It would show great disrespect to my departed sister."

"Please, Lord Shinzo," Kagome said finally speaking up, "I understand the whole honoring your sister thing, but a lot of people's lives are at stake here. I'm sure your sister wouldn't want that."

Shinzo was silent for a moment before replying, "I can't tell you a name," the group's shoulders slumped visibly, "but I can tell you who is employing the assassin. He is a hanyou named Naraku. He wants to bring about a war to take out the lords of the North, South, East, & West provinces, and possibly more. I advise you to leave the rest of this alone. Nothing good can come of dabbling in such. Believe me, there are worse things than youkai, far worse."

"What else can you tell us? Please, if its as bad as you say, we need to know. One way or another we will face Naraku, and we'd be better off if we knew what he was planning."

"Fine, I'll tell what we have confirmed at the moment. It seems that this hanyou, Naraku is planning on opening some sort of gate, of sorts to hell. He plans to summon something that should never set foot on this world."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"Be on guard at all times. The taint has already begun seeping into our land. And though he may be far off from his ultimate goal, you are still not safe. As you get closer and closer to him in the coming months, you will see things that no mortal should ever be witness to. I hope you're as strong as you seem to think. You're going to need it."

"You do all of this talking about what mortals shouldn't see, and what shouldn't be in this land. Why haven't you done anything about it yet?" asked Kagome.

Shinzo smiled, "You'll find out soon enough. But for now, I must retire. It is late and I wish to get some sleep. We'll be in touch when we learn something you should know." And with that, Shinzo rose, picking up the box that rested at his feet and ushered the group out of the house. Hisoki offered to put them up for the night, but they refused, choosing instead to search for their missing companions and possibly get a bit of distance between them and the village before they bedded down for the night.

It didn't take the group long to find their companions though, as the guards to the village gate pointed them in the right direction as soon as they left the village. Walking to where they were said to be, the group was surprised to find the two asleep together at the base of a tree, Ayame's head resting in Inuyasha's lap. A twinge of jealousy ran through Kagome, but was brushed aside rather quickly as she realized that Inuyasha had been the only one Ayame really trusted since they found her, and besides, it did seem like a really canine thing to do.

The rest of the group was about to bed down, when out of the shadows a figure stepped. He was garbed in a cloak that shimmered in a dark reflection of his surroundings. The creature walked forward and stopped about ten feet from the group, startling Inuyasha and Ayame into consciousness. Inuyasha's first reaction was to draw his sword from its sheathe in preparation for an attack. Just before he was about to attack, the figure spoke.

"Do not pursue this any further, I beseech you! You will only help to further his goals." Said the cloaked figure.

"Who are you?" asked Miroku.

"It doesn't matter," said the masked figure, "Listen, my time is short. Tell the others, if you go to him, then-" He stopped talking as a blur suddenly passed by in front of him and his head tumbled to the ground soon after. Then there was another, wearing a similar cloak as he, except this one's cloak did not hide the distinctly feminine face underneath, nor those lavender eyes that captured both Inuyasha and Ayame's attention.

"It's her!"

"It's her!"

Both spoke the same phrase at the exact same time though one was in mere recognition, while the other was laced with fear. Both though were mesmerized by the young female standing before them. No one spoke though, as she approached the dead messenger, reached down and touched the two pieces of her defeated target, causing them to immediately burst into flames until nothing but dust was left of the messenger. Then she stood, and for a moment looked upon the group. No one moved, except for Ayame, who cowered back slightly, and Shippo who all but climbed into Kagome's backpack. Finally, Inuyasha found a voice to speak to the girl, but as he was about to get the first syllable out, she vanished.

"Just like Ryu…" Inuyasha muttered to the night.