It didn't take long for Sesshoumaru to carry the wounded Battousai to the place he had in mind. Sesshoumaru had never been there personally, as he had no use for it, but he had realized this could help him. The closer he got to the waterfall the more he could smell it, the very pungent smell of sake. He landed down on the lush grass alongside the lake filled with sake gourds– so many gourds. The surface of the lake was completely covered with it, and Sesshoumaru's nose was burning with that smell.

Jaken leapt off his mokomoko, looking around:

"Lord Sesshoumaru, where are we?" Jaken asked, confused.

"... Come out, Master of Potions." Sesshoumaru said quietly, and he gently sat Kenshin down on the grass. During the flight, she had fallen asleep again. This time her face seemed calmer, as if she were actually resting. Sesshoumaru gently stroked her face, and then stood back up.

An old man with pointed ears and a very bushy beard appeared nearby. He clutched an odd looking staff in his left hand, and gazed up at Sesshoumaru.

"Aaaah… Lord Sesshoumaru. I haven't seen you since you were but a boy! Do you remember when your mother and father brought you here? You got-"

"Silence! I, Sesshoumaru, do not have time for your foolish reminiscences." he said sharply. "Heal her."

Jaken, however, wished he could hear exactly what the old man was talking about.

"Hmmm! A human, Lord Sesshoumaru? I thought you were above such trifle relationships." he hobbled his way over and sat on the ground next to her. "These wounds are simple." he said, his arms elongating and grabbing a gourd of sake out of the water. He poured a small cup and mixed up some herbs, and then lightly touched the surface with the end of his staff. It turned a bright, vivid red. "But I suspect you're worried about the underlying condition, eh? Her muscles are deteriorating."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but Jaken piped up.

"Can you fix that, Master of Potions? I mean– is it possible?" Jaken asked hopefully.

"Hmmm… I do not think I can stop it, no." he took one of Kenshin's hands and gazed at the palm lines. "But I might be able to slow it." he added a few more herbs to the sake and tapped it again. This time it changed into a deep emerald. "However, Lord Sesshoumaru, there will come a time when she will be unable to hold a sword for battle." He was wise, very wise. He could see through people like they were transparent. "Are you prepared for that future?"

Sesshoumaru kept quiet, but his eyes lowered from the Master of Potions to Kenshin's sleeping form.

"How DARE you question Lord Sesshoumaru's preparedness on any given situation?!"

And then Jaken got struck by a staff.

"Down there, Lord Shishio." Sojiro said. They were on a hill, overlooking Kaede's village. Sojiro, Shishio, and the oiran.

"Excellent work, Sojiro. Let's pay them a visit." he said, his arm wrapped around the oiran's shoulders. His eyes shifted to her. "You look worried, Yumi."

"No, not at all, Milord." but she was. He could see it, but he didn't push any farther. Instead, they walked down into the village. But the instant they got a few steps in, they found their way blocked. He was garbed in a red outfit and had a sword at his side.

"Feh. Who the hell are you, and why do you smell like evil?" the boy asked. By Shishio's account, he seemed quite young. His face had yet to mature into manhood. Young, which meant he would be foolish in battle.

Sojiro stepped up. "Heya! I'm Sojiro the Tenken, and this is Lord Shishio. I hope you don't mind, but we've come to visit!"

Inuyasha's ears twitched. "Shishio? Wait a minute! That means you're the bastard who hurt that girl!" and his hand flitted down to his side, grabbing the hilt of Tessaiga and drawing it. The blade roared to life, and Sojiro let out a sort of giggle.

"That's a really big sword! Lord Shishio, is it okay if I play with him?" he asked, lightly beginning to tap his left foot.

"Go ahead, Sojiro. Just don't kill him."

"Tch. Kill me? I don't know who you think you are, but I'm a lot harder to kill than you think!"

"Ooh? Then let's see what you got!" Sojiro said, and promptly disappeared. Inuyasha had just enough time to react, raising Tessaiga to block the incoming strike. Tessaiga collided with the katana, and the two went into a struggle.

"You're pretty fast for a human," he said smugly. "But you're not very strong." and he easily began to push him back. Sojiro's eyes widened. He hadn't expected him to be so strong–! So, he did what Sojiro does best and vanished. He appeared behind Inuyasha, slashing his sword at the exposed back- when suddenly-

SNAP!

The sword broke cleanly in two. Sojiro blinked rapidly.

"E-eh?! How? What? How? Lord Shishio! He broke your sword!" Sojiro protested.

Inuyasha turned and slashed Tessaiga, but found open air. Sojiro was back where he started, apologizing profusely to him.

"Quit your blubbering, Sojiro." he said, stepping around him and unsheathed his own sword. "Clearly that sword was useless if it couldn't cut through the flesh of a half-demon." he said, and stood at the ready. He held the sword in front of him in a traditional stance. "Let's see what you're made of, half-demon!" He said, and the two clashed. Shishio was a lot stronger than a normal human. So the strikes from Mugenjin rang a lot harder on Tessaiga. And it was clear the longer they fought that Inuyasha's skill with a sword was not on the same level as Shishio's.

"Feh!" Inuyasha yelled, stepping forward and putting a great deal of strength into his slash. Shishio rose Mugenjin and the two swords collided. Sparks flew between them, and the two swords trembled upon contact.

"Yes… you will be good food for me, Inuyasha." his red eyes glimmered. "You will be the proper meal to necessitate my victory! Ahahaha!" he laughed and pushed back. Inuyasha grunted, straining him to keep Shishio back.

"Are you some kind of stupid bastard? Talkin' about eating me?" he said, before they suddenly jumped backwards. A glowing arrow pierced the air between them, forcing them to disengage.

"Inuyasha!" a voice called. It was Kagome, standing a distance away with her body. She nocked another arrow, her left eye closed as she took aim. "There's a really strong demon aura coming from him!"

"What? I don't feel nothin'." he said, leaning in and taking a sniff. All he smelled was burned flesh.

"It's really strong, it's… really evil, actually!"

"Evil?" Shishio said, holding his sword aloft and pointing it at Kagome. "Am I evil? What is evil? For me, weakness is evil. Raw power is justice. The weak are food for the strong, and it is through that strength that I will become the Lord of these lands. I will be the new emperor!" he said, and held the sword in such a way. "And it starts with killing you, Inuyasha."

He held the sword high. "Behold, the first secret sword! Homura Dama!" He shouted, and a massive tornado of fire enveloped him. The fires raged, singing the white bandages that covered his body. He slashed the sword through the air, and the tornado of fire quickly consumed Inuyasha. Burning him to a crisp where he stood.

Shishio laughed in his victory. However, he paused once he realized that Kagome did not look amused. Finally, Tessaiga cut through the whirlwind of fire, and he stood there, looking seemingly bored.

"Feh. You really are a dumb bastard. Fire won't work me thanks to the robe of the fire rat." he said dully. "I've had enough of this," Inuyasha raised the sword up high and brought it down. "KAZENOKIZU!" he bellowed, slashing the sword through the air. The wind scar tore through the earth, the massive flux of demon energy aiming to rip Shishio apart.

Sojiro moved, grabbing Yumi and quickly getting her to safety.

"If that's how you want it, Inuyasha! Then I will show you true strength!" he held his arms to either side as the wind scar tore into him. It hit him full board, and he withstood it. The gaps of yoki tearing through his flesh, spilling his blood. However, in it's place… black fire tore from his body. "Do you see now, Inuyasha? These are the flames of hell, tearing free from my soul!" and then he moved. He went straight through the raging wind scar and straight into Inuyasha's range. No one, perhaps, expected him to be so fast. But his sword tore through the protection of the robe of the fire rat, and the sword went straight through his chest. It pinned him to a tree. "Now… feed me!" He bellowed, and opened his mouth, biting down on his neck.

Together, Jaken and the Master of Potions fed Kenshin the potion. Immediately, the wounds began to close. The dried blood seemed to get absorbed back into the body, and after a tense moment, Kenshin awoke.

"Good! You're awake!" The Master of Potions said happily. "How do you feel?"

"This one feels… better." she said, flexing her hands and toes, trying to get a feel for herself. "Better than normal."

"Oh ho! That is because I am truly a Master of Potions! All your wounds have been healed, even nagging injuries. You're as right as rain." He said happily, digging his pinkie into his ear.

"You are truly incredible!" Jaken chirped.

"This one cannot thank you enough, Master." she said and dipped her head. She got to her feet, turning to look at Sesshoumaru.

"Battousai." he said simply.

"Thank you, Milord." she said and dipped her head in a bow.

"This is nice and all, but unless you plan on drinking with me, would you leave?" The Master whined.

"You should not rush Lord Sesshoumaru! He does what he wants, when he wants, where he wants! You should respect that!" and then the staff hit his head again.

"However, Kenshin Himura, you should be warned. Your time of using your special sword techniques is rapidly approaching an end."

"Yes, Master. This one knows, that she does. Time is not a friend, but this one shall make do with what she has. We should be going, Lord Sesshoumaru, that we should. And… thank you again, Master." she bowed her head to him.

"Hmm! Think of nothing of it. Come drink with me again, soon."

Sesshoumaru quickly scooped Kenshin up into his arms, letting her arms wrap around his neck. He began to take off–

"WAIT FOR ME, LORD SESSHOUMARU!" Jaken shrieked, clinging onto the mokomoko as they took off.

Meanwhile…

"INUYASHA!" Kagome shrieked and fired another arrow. However, Kagome would not have the chance to shoot the arrow. As soon as it released from the bow, Sojiro snatched the arrow out of the air.

"Whoa! I'm sorry, I can't have you interfering in what Lord Shishio is doing." he said, giving her a smile.

Shishio, in the meantime, had taken a large chunk out of his neck. He swallowed it whole, and then the fires erupted out of him. They tore out of him, roaring through his frame and creating a large pillar of fire. Only his red eyes peered out from the flames as he reached out, his fiery hand grasping the handle of Mugenjin.

"You were delicious… Inuyasha. You have my gratitude." he pulled the sword free, and took a step back. His frame was completely encompassed in fire at this point, and soon a red mist began to appear around him.

"What is… what is that?" Kagome asked. Sojiro was too close, she would never be able to draw her sword.

"Hmmm! It looks like his human blood is boiling off, maybe. He's done it. Did you know, Miss Kagome, that you could become demon by eating one thousand humans and one thousand demons? Mr. Inuyasha has become that thousandth demon. Lord Shishio is now the most powerful demon in Japan."

Inuyasha had hit the ground with a wet thud. "D-damn it." he said. During the bite, he had dropped Tessaiga which had reverted back to it's normal form. He was losing a fair bit of blood, but… he could withstand this. He had withstood much worse. He reached out for Tessaiga, and promptly got back to his feet.

"Hey! Bastard! I'm not dead yet." he said, clutching his chest.

Shishio turned to look at him, and the fires snapped away. He stood there, his bottom covered by the charred remains of his purple kimono. His torso was bare and muscular, and a graft sawft of black hair hung from his head. It seemed that the spell had transformed him back into… a normal-ish looking person?

"Is that so, Inuyasha?" He said. And he could feel the power surging through his body. "I have no doubt that with that fang, you could probably kill me. But now… you're weaker than you ever will be. I have consumed some of your demon energy, and it has transformed me into the perfect demon. My strength is absolute!" He said, holding a hand out towards Kagome. She screamed as an unspeakable force pulled her forward. Kagome didn't have time to react, nor did she have a second to draw up her spiritual power. He grabbed her by the neck, and promptly slammed her into the ground below.

"See, Inuyasha? This is what happens when you are weak. The weak will suffer. The strong will survive on the flesh of the weak."

"Inu… yasha…"

"YOU BASTARD!" Inuyasha said, raising his sword and clearing the distance between them. "I'LL KILL YOU!" And Shishio simply sidestepped the errant slash of his sword, and then slashed Inuyasha across the side. He yelled in agony as the sword, not only cut, but tore along the flesh. The wounds inflicted from Mugenjin were hard to close, as the blade had dulled significantly over the years. Now it was serrated, and tore the flesh away instead of cutting cleanly. Much more painful.

Shishio then positioned Mugenjin downwards. "Die, human!" he yelled, and stabbed the blade downward.

"KAGOMEEEEEE!"

Kagome closed her eyes. And the last thing she would see would be Mugenjin coming down to kill her.

However… Mugenjin stopped.

Kagome opened her eyes…

And Kenshin had arrived, holding Tomoe against the back of her right hand. It was the Ryushousen! Kenshin and Sesshoumaru arrived at the battlefield!