Enraged and with a spark of fury blazing in her brown irises, the slayer sprinted forward with her boomerang held high and her strides long. "You bastard!" Once within close proximity, she swung at the feral man, cloaked by the shadows of the old tomb, but miserably, she had a feeling he wouldn't make this easy for her, because the moment the sharp edge of her mighty weapon whirled itself for him, he nimbly dodged, managing to safely duck out of its path some distance back.

Sakon couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, now aren't you a hell kitten," He laughed as he planted his hand upon his hip while scrutinizing the young woman before him.

Once her boomerang returned itself to her, she squinted through the darkness. "I recognize you…" Sango found herself saying before clenching her weapon tightly in her grasp. Why it was impossible not to, after all, his face was plastered all around town, and she knew that he was the one responsible for kidnapping her friend some time back.

The thief arched a brow at this before leaning forward and smirking. "Do you now? Why, I'm flattered!" He sarcastically replied. "Tell me, do I remind you of an ex-lover or—"

"Not a chance!" Sango interrupted.

From the sidelines, Sakon watched as the large feline pulled the young warrior's body out of harm's way, and Sakon couldn't help but shake his head. "What's the point? He's dead anyway."

Sango glared. Everything about him fit the description; the drawings in town were right on the dot, from the half closed eyes to the curvature of face right down to the exact clothes…She'd be a fool not to recognize him. "Now that I've found you…I won't let you get away!"

When he realized she wasn't going to make this easy on him, and the fact that she was out for revenge, Sakon immediately found himself dodging her massive weapon. With each attempt to strike him, he saw the fire in her eyes blazing, screaming bloody murder. However, while she seemed to possess great strength, like that of many men, she was still a female; one that should and would be dominated and subdued by a man. The thief didn't plan on losing to such a minx, but that didn't mean he couldn't have any fun.

One swing, two swing, three swing…No matter how hard she tried, he was somehow quicker on his feet, and it agitated her further. What's more, his smirk did not die down, and she fought to retrain a growl surfacing from her throat. How dare him…How dare him for hurting her friends…Mocking her like that…He wasn't even trying to fight back!

"Coward! Fight me like a man!"

After escaping the sharpened edge of her boomerang, Sakon landed on his feet a short distance away before sending the vixen a scowl. "I'd watch what I say, if I was you, Sango…"

The demon slayer glared. "Scumbag thieves do little to scare me! After I'm finished with you, I'll take back the jewel you stole!"

"Jewel? So that's what you want?" The thief suddenly found himself laughing at her fierce determination to retrieve the stolen item. "If its jewels you want, I can give you a few, however, they aren't free of course…" Sakon found his eyes suddenly wandering over her feminine assets before licking his lips hungrily. Though her former friend was indeed attractive, this little vixen had plenty to offer.

"No thanks!"

From what his eyes could discern in the darkness, he saw that the young woman wore a black skin-tight jump suit with fitted pink armor plates on either side of her shoulders and knees. A red sash was tied off around her small waist, holding a short curved blade and a medium length sword, along with an iron chain tied off at her hip and for some strange reason, he liked it. Even her long chestnut tresses, which were tied back in a high pony tail, the length resting at her mid-back, exposing her slender neck did little to lessen his anticipation for their ongoing battle. Sure he'd seen her many times, along with her raven haired friend while they journeyed across the land, but up close, he never realized how beautiful she was.

Sensing the evil aura emanating off the thief whom her beloved companion stood up against, Kirara howled and instinctively, stood before her master, baring her fangs at the man, who otherwise didn't seem at all intimidated by her large stature or menacing growl.

"Leave this to me, Kirara…I'll take care of him."

Hearing this, he outright couldn't contain himself and laughed. "Really? You honestly believe you can outmatch me in combat?" He questioned. "Well then, lets battle fairly then. A test of strength. Just the two of us. What do you say?" When he saw her drop her boomerang beside Kirara and her fallen companion, he smirked. "Ladies first." He'd already won…

OOO

No longer standing within the darkened room he'd fought in previously, Link found himself standing upon dry land, staring out onto a distant landscape of graying soil and black skies. Intimidatingly large canyon walls surrounded this barren wasteland, and as he peered behind, he realized he was nowhere in Termina.

As far as he could tell, he was the only inhabitant there, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was merely a dream or if it had been possible that he had died back there. While he walked along the soil where the cold breeze whispered across his skin, several strange entities caught his eye; they seemed misshapen and darkly formed; they stood rigidly in some places, and as he sauntered past, he realized they did not seem human, only faceless creatures of this strange realm.

"Where…am I?" He wondered aloud.

Eventually, after furthering his walk in this unknown place, Link found himself standing before a massive ocean, its graying contents still in the night, with bright orbs of lights below its surface glimmering. If he had to guess, he'd say he was dreaming but it seemed a little too surreal to be a dream.

From the beach itself, two separate streams diverged into ocean, and as Link looked on across the horizon, he made out that the first led to a pleasant meadow of beautiful white flowers, where a mystic white light seemed to hover. The other continued on through a heavy fog of questioning and eerie silence.

Could it be…that this was the afterlife?

Immediately after realizing this, an eerie laugh caught him off guard and his surroundings soon faded from sight, leaving him standing within complete darkness and looking upon the one person he hadn't expected to confront.

"You…" Well, he was more shocked than anything, but seeing the figure standing there before him, though transparent oddly enough, it had him questioning even himself.

"Wherever there is a greeting, a parting is sure to follow, but that parting need not last forever…Those were the very words I said to you when we last met, was it not?"

OOO

The battle between herself and Sakon had commenced. One moment Sakon had tossed the small dagger of his to the side and the next, a long blade materialized within his hand, its edge darkly emitting a strange aura; it left Sango stunned for a brief second, but she knew she shouldn't be surprised; after all, she had confronted some other worldly magic in her own Era.

Immediately after he revealed his blade, Sango unsheathed her own before sprinting forward across the stone flooring of the drafty room. Within the next couple seconds, her blade met his own, and the clattering of steel reverberated off the walls and ceiling.

Though, just as they had begun the fight, Sango immediately found herself pushed back by the brute strength of her opponent. Quickly evading the strike to her midsection, while leaping back on her heels, Sango charged again; only this time she had a different strategy in mind; if she couldn't attack him from the front, then she'd try a different approach.

While he was bound and determined to block her frontal attacks, what he hadn't expected was that the young woman would suddenly vanish into thin air. As he quickly searched through the darkness with his eyes, he could not discern any movement in front of him.

"Take this!"

Too late to react in time, Sakon found himself thrown back by her powerful kick, causing him to hurdle into a few stray crates ahead of him, their edges digging painfully into his back and legs. It was such a surprise that he mentally berated himself for not focusing entirely.

As he managed to pull himself up from the rubble, she once again charged toward him, her sword ready to strike. However, this time, in an effort to protect himself, he held his sword up, allowing its dark aura to pulsate in his grasp.

Unfortunately for him, before he could use the dark powers contained inside the blade, his sword was literally ripped out of his hands and thrown across the room where it landed beside the young woman's feline. It had happened so quickly that he couldn't help but glare at Sango standing before him, no longer charging, but instead, holding a long iron chained extension in her hands, its end formed into that of a curved blade in the other.

It was obvious she was no ordinary opponent. This slayer had skills, strength and an agility that surpassed even that of an ordinary human. Taking her down would prove no easy task; he knew that, but everything had a weakness.

Mockingly, he held his hands up in surrender, but that only furthered Sango's annoyance. "You are no ordinary woman, that much I can see," He replied, but as he said this, Sango only continued to swing her chain in circles from her position some feet away, intimidatingly staring him down quietly. "Well, shall we continue?" He asked, and as she said nothing but narrowed her gaze, he smirked.

Almost instantly, Sango watched in slight curiosity as he ran directly for her, and she briefly pondered what his intentions were since he was unarmed. It wasn't difficult to figure out; obviously he was going to fake an attack on her by dodging and then reclaiming his sword behind her and Kirara. As if she would allow that to happen.

When he was well in reach, she kept her feet apart and hurled her iron chain for him, but just as she expected, he ducked and raced in the direction of the flung sword, but unfortunately for him, his path was blocked.

"You really aren't making this easy for me," He faked a disappointed reply, but this only earned a scowl from Sango.

"I can tell you aren't taking this battle serious. If you're a real man, than fight me. Stop playing around!" She growled. "Because I won't hesitate to kill you!" She seethed.

A cackle escaped his throat and he nearly doubled over from her threatening words. But it died short when he fixed her a long hard look. "Then I will play seriously…" With that, he dug his hand into the pocket of his pants and retrieved a small cylindrical brown tube, and after uncorking the lid, he emptied its contents into the palm of his hand.

Its contents were in the form of a small red pill, and it lay there innocently before he brought it to his mouth and swallowed it whole. The entire process took less than a minute, and immediately the effects had taken place. One moment he was standing before her smirking and the next he was suddenly behind her, grasping her arm behind her back with her chained weapon lying on the floor at her feet, while he held her wrist in his other.

"I'm just full of surprises, aren't I?" He whispered into her ear, and at this, she suddenly gasped, feeling a familiar hardness against her lower back, before struggling to free herself.

Kirara growled from the sidelines, but did not interfere as of yet, settling only to stand protectively in front of Link while keeping watch on the thief closely.

In an effort to escape his grasp, Sango stomped on his foot, pressing in with all her strength. When he leaned into her, yelping in pain, she then twisted her body from his loosened hold and raised her leg, effectively delivering a blow to his chin. From the force of her mighty kick, he staggered back, momentarily distracted by the pain that he did not notice her retaliation again, this time to his face, which she struck vengefully.

But Sakon was not finished yet, because as he allowed her to put in a few hits, he was able to recognize her fighting style easily. She was the type to rush in and use her strength, but her specialty was from a distance, swinging around her giant boomerang. Still, her hand to hand combat and sword playing was not bad either, but she left many openings in her attacks that he was well aware of.

Retaliating yet again, the young slayer closed in on the thief and as he regained his composure, she jumped into the air and as she twisted her body, she swung her leg directly for his head. However, it proved futile when he unexpectantly grabbed her ankle. This in turn caused her to rear back her arm and hurl her fist at him, but with his supernatural speed, he had caught it as well. Attempting the same thing with her free arm, she found that he too had caught it in the hand that still held her other.

Once again, Sango found herself caught in his grasp, and she struggled to free herself. "Let me go!"

"Now why would I do that?" He asked before painfully squeezing her ankle. As she fought to free herself, he took this chance to use his leg to trip her, causing her to stumble backwards onto her back where he held her still. "What is a girl to do? Don't you think you should give up? You're no match for me, my dear," His foul breath fell upon her face.

As he sat on her legs, while holding her arms above her head with one hand, he found himself leaning into her seductively before caressing her unblemished and smooth face, tracing the contours of her lines. "Now this seems familiar!" He chuckled before lowering his hand to her sides, before roaming down the curvature of her waist and to her hips where she immediately stilled. Even her breasts tempted him, and he couldn't help but fondle them roughly, earning a gasp from the girl beneath him. "I must say, you're a lot bustier than your friend," He complimented, but Sango only glared.

"You—"

But she was suddenly cut off when he forced his mouth upon her own, still fondling her body, and it had shocked her so much that she immediately bit down on his tongue attempting to invade her, and he retreated, scornfully.

"Bitch!"

Before he could try again, she suddenly flicked her wrists, revealing two hidden daggers. "Don't mess with me!" Forcefully, she broke free from his hold and slashed him across the face, effectively causing him to fall off her and onto his knees. Sango took that moment and regained her standing. "You talk of fighting fairly yet you use other means to increase your speed."

Sakon ignored her as he wiped away the blood from his mouth before sending her a glare. She really was going to make this difficult for him.

"I'll ask you again, where is the jewel?!"

"You won't get any information out of me, slayer!" He spat before swallowing another pill.

Surprised, Sango turned to her feline some distance back, but the saber tooth had already reacted. Before Sakon had the chance to stand up, the large saber tooth had pounced him from behind, and as he struggled to fight her off, she sank her fangs into his shoulder and he cried out in pain. Her large stature easily overpowered the small human, and he was caught between her and the floor.

Unfortunately, Kirara's strength alone was not enough to subdue the thief, because as soon as she had pounced him to the floor, she was suddenly thrown off into the furthest wall, where she collapsed, leaving Sango to stare in fright.

"Kirara!" She cried, but when she felt an ominous aura emanating from the thief, still crouched on the floor, his shoulder still bleeding, she turned to him warily. He was different now…

OOO

How was it possible? This was the afterlife, wasn't it?

Yet still he stood there, smiling just a before. He was wearing the exact clothing four years prior; elegant and costly attire seemingly made from silk that didn't especially fit in with the time period. Red hair was parted to the side, leaving his bottom half neatly shaven around his head. A golden and extravagant necklace covered the collar of his long, purple dress coat, where golden cuffs decorated his wrist.

If he said he was a merchant, traveling the world to sell his masks, one might not believe a word, possibly even believing he came from a well to do family. Then again, he might even get mistaken for conman, what with his sly intentions for deceiving others into helping him with nearly impossible tasks.

However, as much as Link knew about those residing in his past lives, this man was something of a great mystery, a puzzle he had yet to decipher. What he did know was that he was a collector of rare masks, and at one point he had allowed children to borrow them and bring joy into the lives of others…But when he met this man in Termina, during a time of great despair, Link learned that this man had gone to great lengths to obtain a hellish mask, and somehow, he had known of its creation by an ancient tribe that had been damned long before he nor himself were born. Whoever he was, Link didn't exactly find him a threat…but he felt a sense of suspicion emanating off his person.

Link nodded. "Happy Mask Salesman…Why are you here?"

He only clasped his hands, smiling at him just as before. "Why indeed. Surely you do not plan to leave when there is so much left to fulfill?"

"Such as?" Link questioned.

The merchant chuckled. "Are you not the same hero that risked his life to save Hyrule as well as Termina?"

Hearing this, Link turned his face away. "Do not call me that…I've done nothing in my life worthy of such a title. I may have postponed Termina's inevitable destruction, but my strength alone was not enough." Link knew he wasn't the true hero to save the land, nor was he a true hero to save Hyrule.

"Hmm…You accomplished great feats on your travels. Believe me, I know," The Happy Mask Salesman began, chuckling at perhaps a recent memory from way back. "For such a young lad, you managed to put hope into the hearts of those most precious, even if an impending doom rested over the lands," At Link's questionable stare, the merchant laughed. "Why, did you think I wasn't watching you while you went out on your journey?"

"You mean…"

He nodded. "Indeed. While I may have awaited your return in town, I did however, leave occasionally from the Clock Tower. You did well to cheer up the citizens, and through your acts of kindness, you meant much more to them than you might have thought," He explained, and at this, Link lowered his eyes.

Happy Mask Salesman was not a fool. He saw the sadness hovering around the boy, and if he could, he would reach out and console him, but due to his short period within his subconscious, the merchant continued. "I hope that you will not stay here too long…"

Link chuckled at the irony of it all. "Too late…as you can see."

"Regret is a terrible thing…" Began the merchant, and at this, Link met his stare. "Though it still grieves you, you must tolerate the pain. A 'troubled soul', such as yourself will only continue to wander the afterlife, if you let your past consume you."

Link pondered on his words. "Though I've only just arrived, I do not intend to dwell here…" He explained. "My friends…" Link paused before clenching his fists. "The 'others' are waiting for me…"

At this, the merchant was satisfied. "Now that's what I like to hear. Yes, they are indeed waiting." Turning around, the Happy Mask Salesman pointed ahead of him toward a small speck of light in the distance, and at this Link stepped over to the merchant's side before staring ahead. "If you continue that way, you will return."

Seemed easier than he had planned. "That's it then? How when I'm already—"

He chuckled. "Nothing is impossible. You just need to believe. Believe in your strength, and you will surely succeed. Believe in yourself."

Before he took that first step forward, he hesitated before turning back to the older man, still smiling as before. "How did you come here though? By magic?"

For a moment, the merchant grew silent and he patted young Link's head before walking off in the opposite direction, where his form slowly faded from view. "In time you will know everything; that I can assure you. We will meet again, Link…very soon…"

As soon as the merchant's form disappeared from view, Link turned around, his eyes settling on the small speck of light ahead. His frown deepened and he lowered his gaze solemnly. Still a hero, was he? Bringing kindness into other's hearts?

OOO

A cry escaped the young slayer the moment she was thrown against the wall, where she crumbled to the floor achingly. It seemed, the moment Sakon swallowed the second pill, his strength had sudden increased tenfold, and his muscles had grown to an alarming size that Sango didn't know what to think, or react when his strength overpowered that of her own and that of her feline companion. Just one hit had knocked the saber tooth unconscious, and Sango didn't feel too far from it.

First his speed had increased, and now it was his strength.

While she attempted to push herself up, Sango's arms nearly gave out, but that didn't stop her from turning to stare over her shoulder, where his ominous figure snidely approached her.

"Are you giving up already, slayer? Shame, I was starting to enjoy myself," He spit before bending down and grasping both of her elbows, effectively causing her to hit her chin off the stone flooring. "Let's play another game…this one is what I like to call 'loose arms,'"

A searing pop shot through Sango's arm the moment he yanked it back behind her, and her cries were muffled as she turned her head away. She knew that without looking that he had dislocated her arm. Fortunately her other was spared.

"Should we play 'loose legs' this time?" He questioned in her ear, and when he reached his hands to her ankles, she suddenly twisted beneath him and effectively kicked him in side of the head. He didn't move away, and he brought his hand up to feel the sting before smirking. "Is that the best you can d—"

Immediately, before finishing his sentence, he jumped back a few feet, barely dodging her mighty swing from her boomerang, which he had failed to notice had laid beside her.

"I'm not…just a toy you can mess with! And neither are my friends!" Again she threw her weapon, and while the pain in her right arm pained her, she didn't let up. Unfortunately for her, her boomerang missed the target and instead struck the back wall, sticking to it at an odd angle that left Sango cursing under her breath.

Sakon chuckled. She was really putting up a fight, and he had to give her credit. Out of all the females he had encountered and tortured, she proved quite the entertainment. "How about I make you a deal? Become my mistress and I'll give you the jewel you want so badly! What do you say—"

"Go to hell you creep!"

Sakon chuckled before shaking his head sarcastically. "Shame…then you leave me no choice…" Raising his eyes to look upon the woman, he pulled the same capsule from his pocket, this time offering one last smirk. "I'll be sure to leave your remains behind for your friends. What kind of man would I be if I did not?" He questioned, and at her silence and hateful vengeance, he cackled before slowly bringing the pill up to his mouth.

Immediately, before he had the chance, she threw her short sword in his direction, but it merely missed, and instead clattered to the floor beside him nosily.

Again he laughed, and as it echoed through the room maniacally, he failed to notice a soft hue of pink light, glimmer beneath him, it's sudden intensity nearly startling Sango as she watched from a distance curiously.

"This is the end for you slay—" A stabbing pain brought silence upon the thief. When he suddenly peered down, he took notice of a familiar short sword somehow pierced through his neck, his own blood spurting from the wound as it soaked the blade thoroughly. As his eyes followed the length of the sword to its handle, his eyes widened when he saw vengeful, reawakened blue eyes glaring at him from the floor at his feet.

How was it possible?

"I—I…killed…you…how…" Sakon gasped, the pill forgotten as his hand fell limp at his side.

Even Sango was just as surprised, and she fell to her knees breathlessly, grasping her arm as she watched a small glittering fairy encircled the young boy, and its small luminescent wings flickering as it seemed to give him energy.

"You thought wrong…" The young swordsman replied before pushing himself up into a kneeling position with one knee on the ground while using his other foot as leverage to support his weight. Though not completely alert and feeling as though he had just woken up from a deep sleep, Link still felt dizzy and a little disoriented, but other than that, his energy was back and so was he.

While he still held the sword in Sakon's neck, Link took that moment to quickly survey the room. He found Sango almost immediately on her knees, staring at the scene before her in disbelief. From what he could gather, her arm had been injured, but he couldn't discern its damage.

Because he knew that she did not necessarily travel alone, he searched the room for any other occupants who might have succumbed to the thief's cruelty. His eyes found Kirara immediately, limping toward them in her small kitten form. Aside from her small injury to her back, where a small patch of red blood coated her fur, Link turned his glare back to the thief, who immediately flinched, a cold sweat forming on his brow.

"How many others have you wounded?" Link seethed questioningly, and if Sakon could, he would have gulped, had it not been for one impediment. Without even bothering to say anything more and the fact that Sakon was now at his mercy, Link didn't hesitate to break his shuddering silence with one strong push before withdrawing the blade entirely.

The moment the thief's body hit the floor, Sango's eyes widened. It was over, and what's more, Link had ended it, saving her life as well as Kirara's. However, even as Link tirelessly searched through the thief's clothing, in possible search of the stolen gem, Sango couldn't help but fix her gaze onto him. The boy whom she had thought dead by Sakon was alive and breathing.

Scowling, Link pulled away from the corpse and wiped away the dry blood from beneath his eye before turning to the young woman before him. However, and unexpectedly, he was suddenly pulled into a strong embrace and he couldn't help but hear her quickened breath. "S-Sango?"

"Thank goodness you're alright!" She cried, and at this, Link suddenly felt wetness upon his cheek, and he realized she was crying. "You fool…How was I going to tell the others had you died?"

Link blushed, but only halfheartedly returned the embrace before pulling her away to stare at her sternly. "Are you alright?" His eyes trailed downward, and he frowned. "Is your arm alright?"

Sango nodded. "I'm alright. I've had worse," She explained before suddenly popping it back into place with a loud crack, and while anyone else would have cringed at the sound, Link did not. After rolling her shoulder, she felt a small tap on her knee and glanced down to see Kirara nudging her curiously. "Are you alright, Kirara?"

"Mew!"

Before Link could get a word in, he was once again pulled into another embrace by the slayer, this one more tender and loving, that it brought a small blush to his cheeks again.

"Are you alright, Link?" She asked as she pulled away, and at his nod, she smiled before ruffling his hair, much to his confusion. "I assume he was not in possession of the jewel then?"

"No. If my assumption is correct, then it, along with the stolen pendant would be in the hands of another," Link replied.

From the corner of the slayer's eyes, she caught sight of a small, white box lying innocently beside the body before picking it up curiously. "What's this?"

Link looked on curiously as she opened it. When the contents of what lay inside were seen, he narrowed his eyes. "I see…so he must have been using these for his advantage…"

"What are these?" She asked before looking through them. Viles and small capsules lay inside orderly, each with different colors, and some merely black or silver. One container caught her eye instantly, and she lifted it from the box. "I recognize this…he used these pills to enhance his speed and strength!"

"This is the first I've seen of these. Perhaps he purchased them from a doctor…"

A small silence weighed between the two before it was suddenly shattered by a loud explosion just outside. Their heads swiveled in the direction of the exit before looking upon each other with concern.

"What's happening?" Link asked, and as Sango regained her standing, helping the boy to his feet, and after retrieving her weapons, they made their way outside. From a distance, they saw a pillar of smoke rise above the trees of the Woods of Mystery, and Sango worriedly turned to her feline friend.

"Inuyasha and Miroku are in battle, I presume. Kagome went missing, and I'm afraid she might be caught in the midst of it," She replied, and at this, Link suddenly clenched his fists.

"Wait…how did you know where to find me?" He asked, and at this, she pointed to Kirara.

"The scent of your blood must have carried through the wind."

Realizing he'd almost forgotten, Link quickly opened his satchel and withdrew a small red potion before uncorking the lid and handing it to Sango, who drank from it quickly before feeding its contents to the small feline. When she went to hand it back, her face suddenly flushed and she quickly turned her back to Link.

"What are you doing?"

In the process of changing his clothes, he turned to her before wrapping his belt around the newly fitted tunic. "Sorry. I'd rather not have them worry about the blood," He explained and at this, Sango nodded. "Ready?"

At this Kirara transformed, and the two swiftly made their way toward their destination.

OOO

While it had seemed the battle had just commenced, it suddenly came to an abrupt halt when the giant of a man suddenly fell to his knees. He, who was called the Boat Keeper by the two witch sisters, held his head in agonizing pain and in but a matter of seconds, he fell to his side out cold, leaving Inuyasha and the others to stare in question.

"What the hell just happened?"

Koume and Kotake investigated the strange phenomenon closely, and when they saw no signs of the older man stirring, they lifted his body into the air with a wave of their staffs before turning to Miroku and Inuyasha.

Kotake coughed. "Let's return to the hut for now."

"Yes, once he awakens, we'll begin the questioning. If he was involved in the kidnap of the Deku Princess, then he'll be handed over to the Palace," Koume explained before she and her sister took off for the Potion Shop.

Inuyasha scratched his head irritably. "I have no idea what the hell is going on," He grumbled, and even Miroku had to agree with him.

"For now, let's return," Miroku explained before sauntering over to the boat where Kagome lay unconscious. When he attempted to pick her up, Inuyasha stopped him.

"I'll take her," And as the monk moved away knowingly, Inuyasha placed a hand underneath her back and legs before using his demonic speed to catch up with the fleeing sisters, with Miroku following closely behind.