Disclaimer: I do not own 'Inuyasha' or any of its characters.

Chapter Forty: Guilty

Inuyasha and Koga had travelled on Kirara's back for less than two hours without taking a break. Usually, when he travelled with Shippo on Ah-Un, they didn't need to take a break, so they could reach the West in three hours. This time, Kirara understood the seriousness of the situation and tried hard to expedite the process; Inuyasha was grateful for that.

It wasn't the most comfortable journey of all, especially since he had never travelled so close to Koga, let alone with the wolf demon behind him. However, he was sure that his choice had been the right one. Even if the two had never really got along so much – after Naraku's death they usually remained calm in the other's presence for Kagome and Ayame's sake – he was a decent fighter, and the Goiraishi could cause real damage. From what Kichiro and Osamu had explained, they could need someone else to help them; the sooner the battle ended, the better. He could already imagine the damage everything had caused, so if Koga helped them remove the threat sooner, he could travel in close quarters with him.

And if his brother even dared to say anything about it as soon as he got back, he would show him. Sesshomaru was already in trouble for the mess he had made; the whole situation had been caused by the fact that he had been away too long, and it was up to them now to clean it up. If he only thought back to those damn panthers that had come to the village, the blood boiled in his veins. But all the better, he would take out all the anger he had tried to contain in vain on those damned demons who had only thought of attacking their lands.

"Oi, mutt face, control your aura," Koga told him from behind, "you're making me antsy. Use that anger later."

"I think I'll use it now, instead," Inuyasha replied, his nose suddenly twitching without control. " Use your ears, wolf-turd. Did you hear anything? Kirara, speed up and rise higher! It seems we get to fight before we even reach the battlefield," he smirked.

Just as nose and ears were suggesting, after a couple of minutes they met a hoard of demons. They were probably part of the reinforcements Kichiro and Osamu have been talking about. They were heading towards the castle, and from their movements and cries, it was possible to recognize the euphoria and excitement that preceded a war.

"Tessaiga was really itching to strike someone, and these bastards just gave me the perfect opportunity," Inuyasha smirked. Among them, no one could be considered an ally, of course, and this meant he could use its force without obstacles. "Let's start cutting down their reinforcement, shall we? Kirara, surpass them; they'll never know what got them."

They reached the front of the group, and Kirara lowered herself a little bit to allow Inuyasha a better angle to strike. "Watch out, wolfy," he warned Koga. Inuyasha unsheathed Tessaiga and addressed the hoard of rouges; he really couldn't see someone notable among them. Were they the better Noboru could find? Probably the strongest had been the ones to attack the palace, and these were only good to play dirty. "Oi, fuckers! Say hi to my Tessaiga," he shouted just before he unleashed the full power of the Wind Scar, efficiently wiping all of them out. Some didn't even have the opportunity to raise their heads in response to Inuyasha's shout; everything left was ashes and five long, deep marks. Inuyasha leaned the sword on his shoulder and smirked at the sight, "You see, wolfy? Doesn't miss a beat my Tessaiga," he bragged.

"Cocky too much, mutt?" Koga snorted and rolled his eyes, actually annoyed that the half-demon had already had a chance to warm up and destroy a few demons, leaving nothing to him.

"They say 'I don't care how long it will take" or "just do it", but I would like to see them in my shoes. How am I supposed to look for Sesshomaru-sama without any idea where he might be?" Jaken huffed while he flew over another abandoned human settlement. Surely, Sesshomaru-sama would never let Rin spend almost two weeks in a forest after they mated; he had to have found another solution. Probably some mansion in an isolated area or anything else that could be away enough from human prying eyes.

"Sesshomaru-sama, Sesshomaru-sama, where are you?" he kept shouting, hoping that he would reach his master's keen ears, inciting Ah-Un to proceed even faster so to cover a larger area. Actually, Jaken didn't know which he was more afraid of at the moment, whether it was Sesshomaru, who would probably tear him to shreds for interrupting him, or his Lady Mother if Jaken didn't hurry back to the palace with her son right away. He sighed; he couldn't do anything. Life as Sesshomaru's vassal was surely dangerous.

"We can't go on like this," Katsuro thought after striking down another demon; everyone was tired, winded, and the strength was now lacking. They had fought for two whole days without breaks, and even if they had killed the majority of demons that had started the attacks, others kept coming. Where in the seven hells were they coming from? How much time had they spent gathering all of them? Even the strongest in his army couldn't take it anymore; the enemies took advantage of it to hit and hurt. It was clear that they were just waiting for the moment they would tire completely.

He stopped to take a breath and wipe out his forehead; his reflexes weren't so good anymore either. How long could they last like this and without reinforces? If he was to request the guards at the castle wall, who were probably more rested than them, to come in the middle of the battle and put some of his soldiers at their place, the inner defences would be lowered and the enemy could take advantage of it instead. He could hope that some of the wounded of yesterday had already healed and could come to their aid so the ones currently fighting could have a break.

He was preparing himself to knock down the demon in front of him when this was shredded in pieces by five elongated silver claws that immediately after shot lightning blasts at another. Katsuro jumped back to avoid being caught in the explosion caused by them and observed the wielder of such a weapon, a brown wolf demon with black hair, who stood cocky in the middle of the battlefield. The First Commander hadn't the time to question him that he looked behind his shoulder at shouted at someone else. "Oi! Mutt face! What now? Who is strongest, uh?" he goaded, shooting other blasts at the demons that were trying to attack him.

Katsuro immediately recognized the voice that answered back and turned to the half-demon that was currently wiping out as many demons as possible with his sword. The two clearly had a lot of anger to vent. Above all, they were fresh and rested because, within a couple of minutes, they had taken out almost all the enemies in the area. Next to Inuyasha, a giant cat demon was tearing apart other opponents with her long fangs.

"Keh! Just wait. I'll make the army leave the battlefield, and I'll wipe them all out with only a swing of my Tessaiga, just like I did on our way here," Inuyasha retorted back. "Give up, wolf turd! You'll never reach my strength," he taunted him.

"You'll get it back at the end of this battle, mutt!" Koga shouted back, not even looking away from his opponents.

"Dream on, wolfy!" the other replied.

"Inuyasha?" Katsuro called; he pointed to the wolf demon and the cat, "are they with you?"

"I thought you could use a little bit of help, First Commander," Inuyasha grinned, leaning on Tessaiga and surveying the area. They had killed every demon there; they could move to the next area. "I had to convince wolfy there, but in the end, he decided that a little battle adrenaline never hurts." He called out Kirara, and the four of them moved to the left, where the battle was still raging.

"You came just in time; my whole army is out of strength. We've been fighting non-stop for two days now," Katsuro explained. "The damage is grievous too."

His tone showed it more than his words, and his fatigued appearance confirmed it. In fact, Inuyasha had spotted Katsuro as he was still flying over Kirara and had immediately noticed how exhausted everyone was. If Koga hadn't jumped as soon as he noticed the First Commander's opponent, the latter would probably have been injured as well since his reflexes were anything but fast at that moment. It didn't take a genius to see the situation everyone was in. Inuyasha grimaced at the thought. The whole valley had been destroyed and, where once were flush grass and streams of water, now there was only burnt ground for the most. It would be arduous to bring it back to the old splendour.

"I've been informed just some hours ago, Katsuro. They sent some fuckers to kill the pups and me and to kidnap Kagome," he said, gripping harder the hilt of his swords. It didn't take long for Katsuro to guess what had triggered the half-demon's anger. "I took them out, but one who gave me some answers, I was already on my way to West when Kichiro and Osamu reached the village. I sent Jaken to locate Sesshomaru, and this lady here gave us a ride," he explained, patting Kirara's head tenderly. "I'm sure you don't get all this fun when with Kohaku, right Kirara?"

"Well, we sure can use your energy, all of you. We need to take the rest down as soon as possible because everyone needs to rest and the wounded to be cared for before we can even think to do some damage control," Katsuro continued.

"I'll tell you what our next plan is," Inuyasha spoke. "You take Kirara with you – you seemed a little winded too – and fly to Kimi, wherever she is. Koga and I can take care of the other bastards alone, not the first time we have to fight a hoard of demons on our own. The cat confessed who was behind all of this. You two together have to put Noboru under arrest before he can even think to escape or feign innocence. The coward is hiding somewhere; I bet no one saw him just for a second. We have proof he's at fault. Bring him to the dungeon and make sure he doesn't escape. I don't care what he says; he will be dealt with when everything is finished."

"The Lady's brother is behind all of this?" Katsuro widened his eyes. Sure, he knew the older dog demon disliked Inuyasha and that his relationship with Toga-sama hadn't been the best, but why should have he planned to kill his own nephew?

"Keh. You seemed surprised. I know what you're thinking right now. You're damn strong, Katsuro, but don't let something like blood relations fool you," Inuyasha mumbled. "The prick had been planning something like this since before my father died, but he is too coward to take action in his own hands," he scoffed. "We didn't have a reason to blame him until now, but we found the perfect way to make the cat confess," he grinned devilishly. "Now go, do as I say. It is an order!" He winked, but he was actually the one in command right now, and no one could oppose him. He would make sure to visit Noboru down in his cell when the battle was concluded. "Go, Kirara, you can trust him," he patted the cat demon and then nudged her.

Kirara had no problem getting him on her back. Katsuro promptly gave her the direction of the palace, even if the cat demon could easily see the less damaged building in the land. He noticed she was keeping herself really up in the air to avoid being struck or even seen or every possible obstacle. From the way she was fighting on the battlefield before and moving now, Katsuro presumed she was used to certain things. He wondered if she had even been part of Inuyasha's group when they were fighting the foul demon.

"You and Inuyasha seemed in tune, Kirara," he commented; the cat looked up at him, tilting back her head as far as possible, and locked her eyes with him. After a few seconds, she turned again and sped up her pace; Katsuro chuckled and patted her.

Less than five minutes later, they reached the main gates of the castle and Kirara landed in front of the guards who were prepared to attack. They stopped as soon as they noticed the First Commander on the demon's back. They all bowed, and at the same moment, the sabre-toothed cat transformed in a whirl of fire from which an innocent-looking kitty came out. Kirara jumped on Katsuro's shoulder and mewed, still observing the guards closely.

"Well, aren't you a surprise?" he thought, caressing her and then letting his gaze fall on each of the guards that were in front of them. Finally, he found two that he was sure he could trust. "Shinichi, Arata, with me, Now!" he said while making his way through the gates and heading towards the main hall of the castle. The two guards hastily followed him without saying a word. He noticed with delight that the castle seemed to have remained unscathed and asked at them, "You had a lot of problems guarding the gates? I saw a few corpses while I was coming here."

"The Commanders and soldiers you sent here at the beginning helped us guard the castle. The few demons who managed to enter were killed either by other guards inside or some courtier who took part in the battle," Arata offered. "Everyone tried to do his part and defend women and children."

Katsuro nodded. "Very good. We should hurry now. We are going to put under arrest a demon who might prove himself difficult," he informed the two. "Orders came from Inuyasha-sama; he got proof that this one is behind the attack on the valley. You are both quite strong and sturdy; you'll be good at maintaining him if we need." He grimaced slightly at the thought while continuing, "I can already predict he'll fight our orders, be prepared."

They both nodded in response, "May we inquire who is this demon?" Shinichi asked. Katsuro's only answer was a smirk. The dog demon sniffed the air and tried to locate the Lady, then headed towards the southern entrance of the palace. He found Kimi with her fox friend and one of the elders he recognized as Minato; he bowed, the guards followed behind him.

"My Ladies," he greeted, "I have news from the battlefield." Kimi peered pleased at Kirara, a small smile gracing her lips and then inclined her head to encourage him to continue. "Inuyasha-sama arrived a short while ago; he and another wolf demon who accompanied him are wiping out the enemy. In a matter of a couple of minutes, they cleared the area where I was fighting. He said they would take care of the rest and sent me to deal with a problem of the utmost urgency. He requested your assistance as well, Kimi-sama," he reported. Then he glanced at the other demonesses slightly to let her know that he couldn't discuss the matter openly.

Kimi observed the First Commander quizzically and wondered what was the problem that would force Inuyasha to remove Katsuro from the battlefield. "Very well, come, we'll go in my son's office," she complied and offered at her companions a nod before heading east of the palace. It didn't take them much to reach the place, and once Kimi checked the surroundings, she asked Katsuro the reason for these orders.

"Inuyasha-sama informed me a small group of demons tried to sneak up on them; he left one alive to glean as much information as he could. Through him, he managed to get the name of the one that's behind the attack at the palace; according to Inuyasha-sama, he's currently hiding here," Katsuro explained.

Kimi gaze hardened, "I presume that since Inuyasha came here to West, his family is well?"

"Yes, milady, he said he was already on his way when Osamu and Kichiro reached their village," Katsuro confirmed. "His family is well guarded."

"Good. Why is it that he requires my presence for this arrest? Because that's what it's all about, I guess. Otherwise, it wouldn't have made you walk away from the battle, and you wouldn't have brought any more guards with you," she commented, eyeing the two behind him. If Inuyasha had asked Katsuro to bring her with him, most likely the demon who survived the attack on the village had made her brother's name. She saw Katsuro hesitate, and that only confirmed her suspicions; the Lord Commander was probably thinking that the news could affect her somehow. She wanted to roll her eyes.

"He requires your presence because the culprit is your brother, Kimi-sama," the dog demon confessed; the guards behind him tried to choke back a gasp to no avail.

The Lady remained impassive, "I am afraid I have not seen him since the battle began, but I guess that to try and look in his personal chambers couldn't hurt. Worst case, you could also sniff him out as you did with me."

They found Noboru at the archive; he appeared calm and composed as if nothing in the world was in the wrong place. He was not at all perturbed by the many battles that were destroying the valley, although he was placidly looking outward, a book closed in his lap. By now, the enemy was clearly at a disadvantage thanks to the arrival of Inuyasha and Koga; the balance of forces had been tipped rather easily. Besides, as Inuyasha had already hinted, sometimes it was enough to clear the field and launch one of Tessaiga's attacks. But he didn't seem bothered by the idea so much. Maybe he was convinced that even if his plan had failed, nothing could have nailed him, or maybe, it was naivety. The fact is that as soon as he noticed them approaching on his face appeared a slightly surprised expression.

"Sister, First Commander," Noboru greeted them, inclining his head as much as it was necessary and then returning his gaze to the battlefield.

"Brother, the First Commander here has a communication to make," Kimi informed him, waiting for Noboru to turn his head again.

"Oh?"

"By order of Inuyasha-sama, you are as of this moment under arrest for the charge of treachery. You will be escorted to the dungeon and granted a hearing as soon as the battle is over and the major problems caused by it resolved," Katsuro recited sternly, watching the various degrees of rage passing through Noboru's eyes.

"WHAT? How dares the half-breed do something like that? Under what accuse? Treachery? That's nonsense," Noboru bellowed enraged, jumping out of his seat and failing to maintain his control.

"We have witnesses in our custody that claimed you are the one who organized the attack on the valley and the palace to overthrow Sesshomaru-sama and kill Inuyasha's family," Katsuro continued, unfazed by the outburst, then he waved to the two guards who swiftly blocked the other dog demon.

"Release me!" he ordered them, "Why I would do something like that to my own nephew, the blood of my blood? There is no proof; the half-breed is delusional. He has tried to kick me out of these lands since the day Sesshomaru's made him his heir; he was just searching for an excuse!"

"I'm sorry, Noboru-san, but I cannot go against his orders," the First Commander retorted even if surely sorry he was not. "You'll have your opportunity to give your statement, but for now, you are to be escorted in the dungeon. I will ask you not to oppose my guards; you will only make your position worse."

"Kimi, why are you not saying anything? You would allow the half-breed son of that human who stole your mate to imprison your own brother?" he turned ferociously to his sister.

"I am allowing the First Commander to do his job and imprison the demon who tried to overthrow my own son," Kimi replied sternly and in a very glacial tone. Without another word, Shinichi and Arata nudged Noboru and escorted him towards the dungeon, Katsuro and Kimi in tow.

"It doesn't end here; the half-breed will hear from me, he and those little abominations he sired on the damn priestess!" he threatened.

"Believe me, Noboru-san, we are very well aware of what are your feelings towards the little lords," Katsuro said coolly, appearing controlled on the outside but raging on the inside. He could very well imagine, given the turn of the events, that behind the old attempts on little Muteki and Toga's life was Noboru as well. He would make sure that the dog demon ahead of him would pay for his crimes.

Inuyasha put down his sword and wiped out his forehead while looking around the battlefield. The sun had already arisen a couple of hours ago, but they finally managed to kill everyone, and he had told other Commanders to check on the wounded, send the worst to the healer and note everyone who had unfortunately died; he could already see that deaths hadn't been spared in their side too. Fucking Noboru, there were many young demons between them, and he had recognized some faces. It made his blood boil, and he had no more enemies to kill on which to unleash his anger.

"You see what I've done, mutt?" Koga shouted at him from his position behind him, grinning widely, Goraishi still in place. It had been strange, but they had covered each other's back instinctively as they fought, something he would have never imagined to be comfortable enough to do with the wolf demon. "Oi! What's your problem now? We killed everyone here; you got your fun. Why are you still grumpy?" Koga asked him, noticing his clenched fist and the frown that marred his face. He thumped him lightly on the head to shake him out of his daze.

"Fun!" Inuyasha scoffed and glared at him after he retailed with a punch, "Look how many of us have died because of a bastard who wanted more!"

"Inuyasha," Koga said sternly, the use of his given name was a testament to his seriousness, "you used to find entire villages brutally wiped out because of a single jewel shard. During the hunt, you almost spent more time burying people than killing demons. Your slayer friend's village was slaughtered the same way, my tribe was annihilated because of that. why are you so surprised now? We know very well how it goes when suddenly someone is thirsty for power."

"Fuck, I know, it's just..." he scrubbed a hand through his face, "I knew these demons, I helped them training, some of them were so young, and the fucker didn't care at all!" Slight traces of guilty could be perceived in his tone.

"Be glad we arrived in time, your army was exhausted, and if we arrived a little too late, there would have been much more death," Koga replied, understanding well what he was feeling. After all, losing his pack had been a hard blow; he guessed Inuyasha was feeling the same now. "Come one now, we haven't so much time to dwell on these things, and you're still the one in command, mutt, aren't you?"

They reached the castle shortly after and found a flurry of demons going back and forth, carrying the wounded or organizing the dead who needed a burial. Others were putting out fires that were still burning and helping civilians who had been caught up in the fights or had found their homes destroyed. They would need to move the fastest possible to bring the valley back to what it had been. "Just wait when Sesshomaru see all of this," Inuyasha commented.

"I already saw your ass of a brother enraged once," Koga replied, "but I still have to understand why he's not here and why you can't find him," he inquired.

"Not now, wolfy," was Inuyasha's answer. "I just hope Jaken comes back soon with him because I'm itching to go back to the village and check on Kagome, even if we'll need all the help possible here."

"Inuyasha!" they heard from their right; the half-demon immediately recognized Hayato's voice and turned. "Tables turned quite fast when you arrived; we couldn't keep up that pace for long," the elder continued while approaching them with Ryota and Toru. They were a little dishevelled too, and he could see they had fought hard.

"I came as soon as I heard about the attack here, but I can see that death and destruction hadn't been spared," he grimaced, then heard Koga shouting and turned to him. "What no, wolfy?" Inuyasha growled, then noticed a pair of Commanders trying to capture him and narrowed his eyes at them. "Oi! You two, leave him alone; you think I'd bring someone who is a danger to the West inside the castle?"

"No, Inuyasha-sama," they hastily let Koga go and explained. "It's that this demon is not known, and after the attack, the First Commander told us to be suspicious of everyone who approaches the castle's walls."

"Obviously, that doesn't count for demons who are seen with me," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "This wolf helped me fight the demons, I mean... not that I like him so much, but at least don't try to imprison him," he muttered.

"Oi, Mutt! Is this the way you show me your gratitude?" Koga bellowed.

"Keh!" Inuyasha snorted, "I'm not the one that has to show you gratitude, wolf turd. You needed someone to vent your anger on as much as I did."

"Why you..." Koga spat out and was going to add something more when they were interrupted by Hayato's laughter.

"Oh my, Inuyasha, are your friends always so funny?" he inquired.

"It's not my friend!"

"I'm not the mutt's friend!" they bellowed at the same time.

"You must be quite young, cub," Toru interjected. "I've been living in the Western Lands for centuries, sure, but I don't remember ever seeing you."

"Who are you calling a cub? You're speaking with the chief of both eastern and northern Yoro tribe!" Koga declared, enraged for such disrespect from other wolf demons, no matter how old.

"Northern? Is the Wolf elder not guiding his tribe anymore?" Ryota inquired; they hadn't heard from their old tribe for quite some time. They left their place there when they had joined the current Inu-no-Taisho's grandfather protecting the lands but kept visiting from time to time. Something must have changed during the last decade, apparently, if this cub was now the leader and the two tribes had joined.

"Where do you live? Grandfather died years ago along with a lot of his tribe," Koga explained, "northern and eastern tribes have been unified almost for six years now."

"I don't think they know much about the wolf tribes, wolfy," Inuyasha interjected. "They have been part of the council of elders here since before my old man became the General," continued, crossing his arm. "Koga here mated Ayame, the white wolf's granddaughter; that's why he is the leader now," he explained to the two elders.

They nodded. "It's has been years since we last saw the Choro, it's a pity we didn't get to see him once last time before he passed, but I remember little Ayame. She was a strong-minded and dutiful child," Toru commented.

Inuyasha snickered. "Yeah, strong-minded, she can hold her own, and she can even pack quite a good wallop; fleabag here can prove it."

The three elders cracked up, and Koga narrowed his eyes at Inuyasha. "At least I can't be sat by my mate, mutt!"

"That's an old story, wolf breath!" Inuyasha retorted.

"I still can see the collar, pooch," Koga spat out.

"I can see a pattern here," Hayato remarked, laughing under his sleeve at the two young demons' display. Toru and Ryota shook their head and waited for the array of playful insults to finish.

The sun was rising, and Rin was quietly sleeping with her head laid on his chest when Sesshomaru heard the distinctive screeching of his servant calling his name desperately. The dai-youkai stood up, being mindful of the girl next to him and dressed calmly, hiding how much he was bothered by this interference.

Outside the old mansion, Sesshomaru could see Jaken examine the area from Ah-Un's back and call his name frantically. Quick as lightning and with extreme precision, he picked up a small rock and threw it at him. It struck the toad-like demon in the forehead and made him fall down, loud noises following his fall. Ah-Un spotted the dog demon and landed at his feet; it settled with the two heads leaned on its paws, watching the scene unfolding.

Meanwhile, Jaken was still complaining about the abrupt greeting, and Sesshomaru graciously stomped on him with his black boot to make him shut up.

"Jaken," he said with the cold and deadly voice he usually reserved for the one who intended to kill within minutes.

"S-S-Sesshomaru-s-sama," Jaken stuttered, bowing lowly and not meeting his eyes, "I-I've been s-s-sent by your L-lady Mother and brother f-for urgent pr-pr-problems," he explained, cowering under his death glare. Sesshomaru raised his brow, and Jaken took it as a sign to continue, this time more steadily. "They attacked the valley, my L-lord, they had been fighting for more than two days, and the army is tired, my L-lord. When I arrived at your brother's village, some demons had already attacked him and his family; he was very furious. He went to block the attack as soon as I left to find you, my L-lord." He watched rage filling his Lord's eyes and feared for his life when the boot started pressing a little more on his sternum.

"They dare…" he whispered with a deathly tone; he freed the imp, which shivered, and then gave him precise instructions. "You will bring Rin to my brother's village. I assume that Inuyasha had left the miko and his children protected. You will leave her only and exclusively with Kagome," Sesshomaru gave Jaken a look that promised death if something was to happen to Rin right now.

"Yes, my L-lord, of c-course, my L-lord," Jaken bowed again. "Kichiro and Osamu are currently at the village guarding Inuyasha's house along with some wolf demons, Kohaku and his sister's family," he informed him.

"Very well, reach me in the West with Ah-Uh as soon as possible." That said, he left in a ball of light, not even warning his new mate, leaving this task to the imp.

The morning after, everything was quiet at Kaede's village, and everyone had got back to work as nothing had happened. Then again, fields didn't plough themselves, just as clothes didn't wash themselves and goods didn't sell themselves. A normal day was beginning in everyone's house but the younger miko.

Miroku had been checking on Kaede to assure that the bindings on the cat demon were secure and that the old priestess wasn't having problems. When he got back to Kagome's, he found her trying to calm a very distressed Toga.

"Sweetie, everything is fine. Daddy just went to see Oji-sama," she was saying, "he'll be back soon; you don't have to worry." It had been expected that, as soon as the pups woke up, they would be distressed at their father's absence, but as usual, Toga was the louder.

Everyone else in the room that wasn't used to this display was stunned at the violent temper tantrum a small pup like him could throw. He saw a look of desperation passing through Kagome's eyes and then heard a heavy sigh.

These were the moments she wished Toga hadn't taken so much after his father. He could be stubborn, inconsolable and very loud. The pup, wiping his big eyes with clenched fists, kept complaining to his mother, "You said that yesterday at dinner already," he cried.

"I know, baby," Kagome told him, removing his hands and passing a handkerchief through his face marred by tears, "but we know that the trip to Oji-sama is long, don't we?"

"But the bad demons wanted to kill him," Toga sobbed more; he was still scared from yesterday and not seeing both of his parents next to him was making him antsy. Kagome understood very well and pulled him in a tight embrace, stroking his back soothingly. Muteki was next to her, his head leaned on her shoulder, Kagome circled his shoulder with her free hand. "Daddy is coming back soon, and you two will see he is fine, okay? After all, you know he is very strong, and no one can do anything to him. Now, why don't we eat these great yummy fishes Ginta and Hakkaku had caught for all of us? You don't want them to be sad because you refused something they caught for you, do you?" They both shook their head, and she nudged them towards the table where Sango's children were already seated and eating. The attempt at distracting them worked for now since Toga started telling Ginta how good he was at catching fish himself because his daddy had taught him, and his eyes lighted up at the older demon's praise.

Kagome got up and straightened her red hakama, sighing heavily. She hoped the problem in the West could be solved as soon as possible, she couldn't show it to the children, but she was worried too.

"Are you alright, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked her while bouncing Hiroshi, "Did you need to rest a little bit? You seemed drained."

"I'm fine, Sango-chan. I couldn't fall asleep anyway," she replied truthfully. "Do you think there's a possibility Inuyasha may be back by the end of the day?" she asked the guards with near to zero hope.

"Without finding Sesshomaru-sama, we can't make any predictions, Kagome-sama," Kichiro replied honestly and apologetically. Kagome nodded; she knew the fox demon was right. Even if they stopped the attack at the palace soon, if Sesshomaru wasn't found, Inuyasha wouldn't be able to leave the valley without a leader to supervise the lands. She just hoped that the dog demon could be found as soon as possible.

A/N: Even if the battle is technically finished, the aftermath would be taking some time. We have to deal with Noboru and Sesshomaru's absence.

What will he do once he reaches the castle and finds out about his uncle?

Thanks for reading so far. Leave a review behind and have a nice weekend!