The village of Ukedo was quite pretty this time of the year. The fishermen were in full swing, bringing in the fresh catch of the day for home and market. It was quite a sight to see. People bustled about their daily lives without a care in the world. They did not know that the deadliest assassin in all of the land was standing next to the Lord of the Western Lands. They stood at the top of a hill, staring down into the village.

"This one will go ahead, Lord Sesshoumaru. This one fears that it may cause problems, should you walk through town." Kenshin said quietly. She was back in her normal attire- the pinkish red kimono with the white hakama. Tomoe tucked into the obi at her side. "Wait until nightfall, this one will make the entrance easy and unassuming."

"How DARE you give orders to Lord Sesshoumaru? Do you have an idea who he i-"

"Silence." Sesshoumaru barked at Jaken, who promptly fell silent. Behind them, Rin lulled about on the back of A-Un, watching the events carefully. "Do it your way, Battousai." he said and promptly turned away to head into the tree line.

"Master Jaken, keep an eye out on the third window on the second floor of the castle. This one will use a mirror and a flash of light." she said and made her way down the hill into the village. It had been sometime since she went somewhere alone. She had to admit, she did not like the experience these days. It was always nice to have a chat with Rin, or to listen to Rin and Jaken bicker about something or other. Sesshoumaru, however, emanated a barrier of safety wherever he went. A nice, lovely change.

But now she had to abandon that feeling of safety, and she let herself dip into that pool of malice in the pit of her heart. Those violet eyes turned a liquid gold the closer she got to the castle, and little by little, she let the Battousai out. Her left arm was out of the sleeve, tucked across the opening in her kimono. It did, however, show a bit of the binding that she used to hide her breasts. This gave her the appearance of one who shouldn't be bothered- a dirty, nasty look. Especially with those eyes looking as if they could kill just by looking. Kenshin got closer to the front gates of the castle, and when she made her way to the entrance, two armed men crossed their naginatas. No entry for her.

"Halt! Declare yourself!"

"Hitokiri Battousai. I have come to see Lord Yamaguchi." Kenshin said dully.

"... Very well." he snapped his fingers, and a boy appeared at his side. "Akihito, run and tell Lord Yamaguchi that a Hitokiri Battousai is here to see him." Empty eyes stared up at Kenshin, and the boy disappeared.

The two guards and Kenshin stared at each other. She wondered if they knew the universal law of swordsmen. There was a barrier that a samurai, specifically one of great skill, naturally projected. Crossing that barrier was sure death unless some sort of magic was involved. Kenshin was certain she could behead these two men with relative ease before they could raise the alarm bell. They were glaring at her nervously, their fingers tightening around their naginatas… and the boy appeared. The guard leaned down, and the boy whispered into his ears.

"He will see you." the guards said, and they allowed her to pass. Into the castle she went, and Kenshin was a bit disgusted. Women were in various states of undress, and most of them were drunk. She had remembered how much the Lord gave into his lust, and often used very powerful sake to get any girl in the village he wanted. Of course, it's what one would expect when the daimyo of the region gives power to the first person he can manipulate.

The Lord was sitting in the middle of the floor on a tatami mat, looking completely undignified. It was clear that Kenshin had interrupted something. His topknot was a little lose, his kimono looked as if he put it on hurriedly, and he absolutely reeked.

"Aaaaah, Battoshi. Didsha kill that rat bastard, Sessshomaru?" he slurred, dragging out Sesshoumaru's name longer than he probably should have.

"I did." she lied smoothly. "But I discovered that you may have been lying to me, Lord Yamaguchi. Why did you really ask for me to assassinate Sesshoumaru?"

"Aaaash, you sheesh, he -hic- destroyshed mysh fishings village. Long ago." he hiccuped at the end. She was pretty sure the Lord was lying to her. Sesshoumaru would have no reason to disrupt the business of a human.

"Are you sure, Lord Yamaguchi, that this is the… correct answer?" she asked, her left thumb lightly flicking up on the guard of her sword. "I don't like liars."

He promptly skittered backwards. "Wait, wait wait!" he said, throwing his hands out backwards. Kenshin took another step forward, her hand slowly moving over to the sword. "I cansh explain!"

"I will give you five seconds." she said, and took a step forward. Her tabi muffling the sound of her foot steps on the floor. "Five… four…"

"Waaaait!"

"Three… two…"

"Stop!"

"One…!"

"And that is enough of that, Battousai." A voice to the right of Kenshin said, and she turned.

In the doorway stood a man. A tall man, his head and right arm wrapped in bandages and garbed in a purple kimono. His eyes were a vicious red, and tufts of hair sticking out from the bandages that wrapped around his head. Kenshin immediately knew there was something off about him. It was painfully obvious. He took a few steps into the room, his left hand casually resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist. His right hand raised to rub his chin.

"Hmm… I have to admit, Battousai. I didn't expect to see you here today."

"Ooh, thanksh you, My Lord!" Yamaguchi sputtered, crawling over to grip at the man's kimono. "Thankhs you so muchsh!"

The bandaged man looked at him very briefly, before reaching out with his right hand to grip his throat. His gloved hands dug into his throat.

"I'm afraid you've served your purpose, Lord Yamaguchi." and he squeezed tighter, and with a vicious snap and a flex of his hand, he snapped the neck of the lord and casually threw him off to the side. "You will be quite nutritious for me." he said, and then turned his red eyes towards Kenshin. Who, by this point, had crouched herself slightly, her left thumb pushing up on the guard of her sword while the right hovered over it. Her face remained blank.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Shioshio Makoto, Battousai. You don't know me. But I know you. You have made it… easy, for me, to gather the nutrients I need." he said, flexing the fingers of his right hand. "You see, Battousai, I have a goal. I will be the strongest in this land. I will overthrow the Emperor and stop this silly warring. The weak will become food for the strong."

"That is ridiculous, Shishio. The strong exist to protect the weak." Kenshin countered.

"Have you forgotten? You make your living by killing men. Do you even take a moment to pay attention to the men you kill? Some of them are innocent. You don't stop to think. You feast on the weak, and grow stronger. Unfortunately for you, Battousai, this means that you are going to be food for me."

"I? Food for you?" her heart was thundering in her ribs. She could feel it- the call of battle causing her senses to begin to focus. She knew what was about to happen next. She moved, tapping into the speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, drawing her sword in a fluid motion. She planted her right foot, flicking up on the guard and catching it within her right hand. The slash was fast, and Tomoe sliced through the air.

If this were anyone else, it would be an instant kill. However, Shishio was nothing like a normal man. His gloved hand came out, and with three fingers, he stopped the blade in it's tracks.

"Unfortunately for you, Battousai, you are not as strong as me!" he yelled, and pushed her back. His own sword came out of it's sheath, and he swung at her. Their blades clashed, and they moved at speeds one might think were impossible. Every slash of their sword, every clash, every stance. Their swords met, the eerie sound of twin steel echoing through the place. Neither one had the advantage in their dance, but it was evident that was going to change.

"That is a wonderful blade you have. Not many could stand up to the Mugenjin." he said, and then stepped forward and slashed, clashing their blades. He didn't disengage, he just pushed her forward. Their strength difference was immense. While Kenshin was stronger than any other woman her size, Shishio Makoto was a very large man. He weighed more. He was able to back her up against one of the walls. He pushed her back, leaning in close. The cold steel of their swords oh-so close to Kenshin's face.

"Can you feel my heat, Battousai?" he said, and using his one arm to pin her down, his left hand came up to his mouth and removed his glove. And sure enough, she could. His hand suddenly darted forward, grabbing her face. He squeezed, and she screamed. He was burning her! The pain was intense! "The fires of hell burn inside me! I use the flesh of the weak as my fuel! One thousand humans! One thousand demons, Battosai! Each one I devour, and it makes me stronger. But you… your flesh will taste sweetest. Because you understand me!" he yelled over the sounds of her screaming, and he whipped her across the room by her face. She hit the floor, and he crossed the distance between them, and his sword, the Mugenjin, punctured straight through her left shoulder. His laugh echoed as she screamed louder. Blood pooled beneath her. "Feed me, Battousai!"

Meanwhile…

A scream. It was faint, but Sesshoumaru could hear it. Followed a moment later by the smell of… blood. But it was blood he smelled before, carried faintly on the wind. It was almost imperceptible… but it was there. Sesshoumaru had been lounging against a tree, letting the last rays of the setting sun settle over him. But when he heard and smelled that, he quickly got to his feet.

"Jaken. Stay here. Look after Rin." Sesshoumaru said, and promptly took flight.

"Wait, Lord Sesshoumaru, where are you going?!" Jaken screamed behind him, flailing his staff about.

It didn't take Sesshoumaru long to land before the front gates of the castle. The two humans who stood guard jumped, and made to stop him. They seemed unnerved by the screaming inside, but Sesshoumaru's claws tore through them like paper. He was… annoyed. And when he stepped forward to make his way in, he found himself blocked.

"Hey, there! Sorry– I can't let you interfere with what Lord Shishio is doing. Are you mad at me?" he frowned. It was Sojiro the Tenken, lightly tapping his left foot, looking a bit guilty.

"Get out of my way, boy." He said, and flicked his claw, his whip of light aiming for him. But, Seshsoumaru was wrong. This wouldn't hit him.

Sojiro the Tenken was, perhaps, the fastest mortal alive. Maybe faster than most demons, as well. The instant that hand moved, Sojiro moved with an absolutely unearthly speed. He was behind Sesshoumaru, his sword from its sheath and leaving a long, bloody mark across his back. Sesshoumaru let out a noise of surprise, and lashed out with his claws, poison dripping from them. But by the time he moved, Sojiro was gone again. This time, he was to the right of Sesshoumaru, and slashed his sword across his right shoulder. That blade cut straight through his skin, and tore through his mokomoko.

"That is enough!" Sesshoumaru bellowed, and his demonic power poured out of him. It created a blast of wind, which threw Sojiro away from him. Sojiro landed a distance away, casually rebounding and tapping his left foot again.

"Wow! You're really strong, Lord Sesshoumaru!" he said with a wide smile.

Sesshoumaru watched him for a moment before he unsheathed Bakusaiga. He raised it over his head, and simply slashed downward. The green demonic energy rolled off of the sword, and aimed to completely destroy Sojiro.

Unfortunately, once again, for Sesshoumaru, the attack would miss. Sojiro was simply too fast- he was behind Sesshoumaru again, this time cutting at his left hamstring. Sesshoumaru yelled out, promptly hitting a knee. He did turn, though, and slashed out with Bakusaiga. Sojiro moved, and the sword lightly grazed the body of the dead guard. Promptly, the human disintegrated under the flood of decomposing energy. In a matter of seconds, the body was completely gone.

"Whoa! I gotta be more careful– I can't let you hit me. Guess I better speed up, then. Two steps shy, maybe?"

Sesshoumaru watched him from a knee. This human was a pest. And inside, the screams grew louder.

Inside…

Shishio had Kenshin pinned, keeping his foot pressed against her chest. He was digging that sword around inside the wound. Twisting it. Widening it. Making more of that blood spill across the floor. Her face was burned, her shoulder was tore open… It was a bad, bad sight.

Kenshin's sword was just out of reach, her right hand reaching for it… fingertips away. She let out a scream, lunging herself just enough to grab it. She turned, sword held backhand, and slashed it up at Shishio. He merely laughed and jumped away, landing a bit away. Kenshin quickly scrambled to her feet. Her face pallid, blood pouring out of her left shoulder at an alarming rate. Hiten Mitusurugi-ryu might be dangerous to use… if she used it while low on energy– low on blood, actually. The strain might cause damage to her muscles. But she had no choice… She had to end this in one strike.

"You have some fight in you still, Battousai. I commend you, I truly do. You are strong, and your strength will be used to better this land. But… you have to die for that to happen. You have to feed me." And he moved. He was fast. Faster than Kenshin would ever expect someone like him to be. The distance between them was crossed, and he made a broad slash, from Kenshin's left to her right.

She ducked. This is where her small form was advantageous against larger men. She ducked under his slash, and spun. As she spun, she stood from her duck, and tapped into that speed the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu allotted her. And sure enough, her muscles screamed, but so did she:

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu; Ryukansen!" the sharp edge of Tomoe would meet Shishio's back. It cut him deep, straight through the bandages and leathery skin. But Kenshin's aim was off– that attack should have him in the neck. It did do enough damage to cause him to disengage, however. He stumbled forward, blood blossoming from that wound.

"Yes! Excellent! That is what I want, Battousai!" he said, holding his sword aloft. "But since you showed me yours… how about I show you mine?" He said, holding his sword out in front of him. "Behold, Battousai! The Homura Dama!" He yelled, and the sword ignited. Fire quickly encompassed the room, and swirled around the sword. "You see… I've killed so many humans. SO many demons. This blade hungrily eats the oils from their fat. And because the fires of hell burn inside me… I can ignite them! Now, die, Battousai!" He said, and crossed the distance between them.

She was losing too much blood. It was leaking out of her mouth, now. Shishio was on her before she knew it. He raised it high, and brought it down upon her. She didn't know what happened. But somehow, she found the strength to bring Tomoe up. The two swords clashed, and the fires wrapped around her. Suddenly, full of strength, she used Shishio's own immense strength against him. Their swords clashed, and Kenshin somehow pushed off of him. She went through the fires, and… unfortunately for her bones, crashed through the walls leading outside. Outside she went, hitting the grass and leaving a long, bloody skidmark.

Sesshoumaru and Sojiro were still in the midst of their battle. Bakusaiga was glowing a vicious green, and they were about to clash once more. However, they both paused when Kenshin came crashing through the walls and out through the gate. Behind her, the entire castle was aflame. And through the holes in the wall stepped out Shishio. His walk was slow and deliberate, his silhouette magnified by the roaring flames behind him.

"Sesshoumaru. I see you've met Sojiro the Tenken, and it seems he's gotten the better of you, hmm?" he asked, then looked towards Sojiro. "Let's go. We're done here. This is not the time or place to finish this." Shishio said, and snapped his fingers. A roar echoed, and a horse and carriage seemed to appear out of nowhere. The horse was skeletal, it's bones a charred black. The carriage's wheels seemed to be on fire, and the door swung open. Inside, a female rested on the cushions. An oiran, from the looks of it.

"Hear me well, Sesshoumaru. We'll meet again. And when we do, I will feast upon your flesh. Go– rest up. Heal. Hell comes for you." He said and stepped into the carriage.

Sojiro smiled at them, "Bye, bye! I can't wait to fight you again, Lord Sesshoumaru! Next time, I'll actually try." he said, and jumped into the carriage. As quickly as it was there, it was gone.

Sesshoumaru immediately turned his attention to Kenshin, his golden eyes staring down at her. He kneeled down, his arm lifting under her. She weakly held Tomoe in her right hand, and those golden eyes had turned violet once more.

"Lord… Sesshoumaru… hello…"

"Be quiet, Battousai." he tucked his other arm under her legs and lifted her. She weakly cried out, and he took off into the skies. He settled back down where he left Jaken and Rin. Upon seeing the horrendously wounded Kenshin, they both gasped in surprise.

"Lord Sesshoumaru– what–"

"Kenshin!" Rin gasped.

"SIlence!" Sesshoumaru barked loudly. His anger was palpable. "Follow me and do NOT fall behind." He immediately took to the skies.

Sometime later…

He had taken her to the only place he knew that could help a human. A little village near the Bone Eaters well. Why, Sesshoumaru hadn't even bothered to heal his own wounds. He promptly pushed himself into the hut. Kaede, who was awake because of course she was, jumped up in surprise.

"Sesshoumaru! What are you– who is that? Set her down!" Kaede didn't even question it at this point. Sesshoumaru sat her down as instructed, and Kaede observed her. "Hmm… this is a grievous wound. Rin!"

Rin stepped around nervously. Usually, she stayed with Kaede and lived with her. But sometimes, she went on trips with Sesshoumaru. This was one such occasion. "Yes, Lady Kaede?"

"I need you to go find Jineji and Kagome. Bring them here."

"Yes!" And off she went.

It wasn't long after that that Kenshin's screams filled the hut. The two women and the half-demon were working on her inside. The scent of blood was strong, and it filled the air. By this point, villagers had been trying to investigate, only to be scared away by Sesshoumaru's glare.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru, what the hell is going on here?"

"... Inuyasha."

"You show up here, wounded, and carrying a half-dead human. What gives, Sesshoumaru? This isn't like you." Inuyasha said, crossing his arms and glaring at his half-brother.

"You listen here, Inuyasha! Who are you to question milord's motives?!" Jaken bellowed.

"Feh. Would you shut the hell up, Jaken? I'm talking to Sesshoumaru." he said, looking away in annoyance.

"What I do is of no concern to you, Inuyasha. But if you must know, the girl was attacked." he said dully.

"Attacked? By who?" Inuyasha asked.

"I am going to find out." he said. After he said that, Rin came out of the hut. She looked pale.

"Lord Sesshoumaru? You can see her now, if you want. She's awake– she's asking for you." RIn said, and dipped back inside.

Sesshoumaru said nothing and followed her inside. Kagome and Kaede were absolutely covered in blood. The white kosodes were completely stained with the blood of the girl laying there. She looked… absolutely terrible. To Sesshoumaru, she smelled like she was on deaths door.

"... L-Lord Sesshoumaru…" she said weakly. She turned her head to look at him, her violet eyes blood shot. Tears of pain streaking down her cheeks. "T-this one is sorry. The one who… put the assassination order… on you… is Shishio Makoto." she said quietly. Everyone gathered had gone dead silent to listen. Even Inuyasha remained respectfully quiet. "H-he… he wants… to e-eat the strongest." she said, and coughed. Kagome hushed her quietly, offering her a sip of water, which she took.

Sesshoumaru watched her, his face impassive. Amazing how the demon lord could remain so detached from everything. Even though, internally, he felt a stab of panic.

"T-this… this one… requests a favor… N-near… near… Kitakata… a samurai… m-my master… Hiko Seijuro…" she said, and before she could finish, her eyes had slipped closed. She had fallen unconscious.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome spoke up. She looked horrified as well. "There is something wrong with her other than these wounds. Her body is attacking itself. The muscles are almost damaged and we don't know why. We gave her some herbs to kill the pain, which is why she fell asleep. But… she kept mentioning this Hiko Seijuro man. Her master, whatever that means. He might know something."

"Feh. You think Sesshoumaru would go out of his way to help a human?" Inuyasha prodded him. "You have to have a heart for that."

"Correct." And Sesshoumaru turned and walked from the room. Jaken followed. "Jaken, stay here and keep an eye on the Battousai and Rin."

"Where are you going, Milord?"

"Kitakata."

Inuyasha had stepped out after him.

"You be careful, Sesshoumaru. Whatever you got yourself into seems like it's pretty dangerous. You better not die before I can kill you myself. But I'll make sure everyone is safe while you're gone."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, and lifted off the ground. He was headed north to find a man.

To find Hiko Seijuro.