Sesshomaru jumped backward as the floor of the cavern began to rumble and split apart. The walls rose up, closing off the entrance of the cave. He was separated from most of his brother's group. He was not bothered by this. He had grown tolerant of his brother's presence, but did not long for it. Though, he was displeased that Kohaku was accompanying Inuyasha. Hotaru's death was already a stain on his pride. The boy was in more danger than most from Naraku. Sesshomaru had no desire to see Rin wept once more.

Out of all of Inuyasha's little gang, only the monk had ended up on Sesshomaru's side of the wall. He had fallen when the earth began shaking, but he had recovered his footing.

"Sango!" The monk shouted, attempting to damage the wall by striking it with his staff. It was no use. The wall held fast.

Sesshomaru turned and began walking down the long cave. He could smell Naraku was waiting at the end of it. The monk followed him. Sesshomaru tolerated this. The monk had proved himself to be useful before, he could prove to be useful again. As they walked, Sesshomaru noticed the sound of wind coming from the monk. It was faint at first, but gradually grew louder and louder.

"Huh?" The monk said. Sesshomaru turned. The monk's wind tunnel was in it's dormant state, protected by his prayer bead, yet it was beginning to draw in wind from around him. "No!" The monk cried, as he clutched his right hand with his left. The force of the wind became greater and greater, creating a crater in the floor of the cavern.

Suddenly, the female demon slayer appeared from around the corner.

"Miroku!" She shouted.

"Sango, stay back!"

The demonslayer skidded to a halt. Her eyes went wide with horror.

"Sango, run away!"

The demon slayer was being pulled forward. She tried to escape, but her feet slid across the cavern floor. She drew her katana and drove it into the ground, gripping the hilt for dear life. Her feet lifted off the cavern floor. She struggled to keep her hold, the sword began to slip.

"Sango!" The monk screamed. The demonslayer's katana was ripped from the ground. Her body warped and elongated grotesquely as she was sucked into the monk's hand. "No! Sango!"

Sesshomaru watched with mild curiosity. The monk was foolish to be tricked by such a pitiful illusion. It would have been easy to leave him there in his torment, but that was precisely what Naraku wanted. Sesshomaru would not allow Naraku his sick fantasies.

Sesshomaru extended his toxic claws and whipped the monk's arm. It would not be enough to seriously injure the monk (he may still prove to be useful), but was enough to snap him back to his senses. He stumbled backwards and fell. His face was stark white and his eyes were dilated in fear. The ground had returned to its previous state. The monk looked at his hand in panic.

"It seems you fell for one of Naraku's illusions." Sesshomaru said.

"An illusion?" The monk repeated, still recovering from his vision. "So...Sango…"

"The woman was never here." stated Sesshomaru. He turned to walk away.

"I told Naraku that the great Lord Sesshomaru could not be fooled by an illusion." Bakuya appeared out of thin air, he had a smug grin on his face. "I told him you would see straight through any lie. So, instead, I will show you the truth."

The cavern swirled around them. The setting changed. The cave morphed into a gully in the woods near a walking path. Naraku's illusions could often duplicate images and sounds, sometimes even physical pain, but he could never manage to duplicate scent. There was no familiar smell of forest wind, which created an eerie disconnect between dreams and reality.

In the vision, Hotaru and Kohaku clung to each other at the bottom of the gully. Hotaru's face was covered in blood. Inuyasha and his friends stood around in silence, all except the demon slayer who was holding Hotaru's weapon. She lifted it high and plunged it into the child's back. Hotaru convulsed and fell forward. The demon slayer dropped the weapon and stumbled backwards, the monk rushed to catch her before she collapsed onto the ground. Kohaku held Hotaru as she choked on her last breath.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. He turned away from the vision to look at the monk for an explanation. The monk did a very good job hiding his panic, but the scent of fear rolled off of him like waves.

"Lord Sesshomaru, please understand, Hotaru was possessed by Magatsuhi. She was determined not to allow him to take control of her. She begged Sango to end her life before he could use her body to do any harm."

Sesshomaru glared at the monk for a long while. He had observed his brother's companions for a while now, and knew the monk would do just about anything to protect the demonslayer. But there was no deception in his eyes. What he said was true. Clearly, Naraku had hoped that Sesshomaru would see this illusion and be spurred to seek revenge on the demonslayer. Anger burned in Sesshomaru's soul. To think he would fall into such a crude trap was insulting.

Fury sharpened Sesshomaru's senses and he saw through the illusion. Bakuya still hid in the cavern, concealed by the faux scene. Sesshomaru reached for his sword, but he stopped before he drew it. The tenseiga, his father's sword, had failed to kill Bakuya in the past. It had failed to destroy Magatsuhi. It had failed to resurrect Hotaru. It would not help him now.

Long ago, Sesshomaru's father had asked him if he knew what it was like to want to protect someone. Sesshomaru had scoffed at the very thought. He had been infuriated by the weakness his father was showing, and had known it was all the fault of that wretched human who bore his half-breed brother. He detested his father for that weakness. He understood now. He had decided to protect Rin. She was weak and helpless, everything he should have despised, yet he cared for her. He cared for her more than he ever cared for anything else. Her fragile little life was worth more than his pride, more than his power, more than his own life.

Then Hotaru and Kohaku came along, and he had decided to protect them as well. He even found himself respecting them. They were neither weak nor helpless. They were clever and resourceful, brave yet not stupid, a rare balance for humans. Hotaru's death caused him genuine sorrow. He did not care for the feeling. This went beyond pride. This was personal. Sesshomaru didn't need his father's sword to avenge Hotaru. He would kill Bakuya with his own strength.

Without thinking, Sesshomaru sprang forward to attack Bakuya. As he moved, a strange tingling sensation grew from where his arm once was. Flesh and bone began to materialize where it had previously been absent. A left arm appeared out of the stump. In its hand was a sword. Without stopping to contemplate, Sesshomaru drove the blade into Bakuya. The foolish demon did not dodge quick enough this time. Light exploded from him as the sword made impact.

Bakuya of the dreams was no more.

Author's Note: Sesshomaru is so hard to write for, but I love writing him. I hope you guys like reading it. Please Review. I love you guys all so much!