Chapter 10: Cataclysm

I don't wanna know

Who we are

Without each other

It's just too hard

I don't wanna leave

Here without you

The Other Side - Ruelle


December 2nd - 5 P.M.

The sun had gone down, and the light from the moon lit up the snow surrounding them. The destruction lay heavily in front of them. Their faces reflected by the icy, jagged pieces that protruded in every direction. Kagome's hands shook, it was taking every ounce of her to stand when everything inside of her was breaking. "We can't leave him in there!" Kagome placed two hands on the surface of the destroyed barrier and tried to move it with no luck. Sango, Kohaku and Miroku came up behind her to help her budge the large piece. The large piece groaned against the heavy snow underneath as they heaved it to the side revealing even more smaller pieces wedged together.

"Come on, we can't stop." Kagome scrambled forward, using her strength to push the smaller pieces aside. Kirara trotted beside Kagome and began digging the ground, loosening the blocks of ice from the bottom.

"Move aside," a cool collected voice commanded behind them. Everyone turned their heads knowing exactly who that voice belonged to, and it was none other than Sesshomaru.

It took a few moments for Kagome to realize what Sesshomaru was intending to do. He watched her, one eyebrow raised wondering if she was going to move or if he would have to force his way through. Kagome collected herself and moved back where the others had retreated.

"I thought you left," Kagome managed to say. "I didn't think you would come to help us."

"I care not for you, I am here to retrieve Tokijin."

"I did save your life you know." Kagome bit out harshly. "I guess that means you owe me one." She eyed him cautiously.

"And I said move aside!" Sesshomaru snapped at her, meanwhile a strong gust of wind circled around him picking up the snow in the process. Sesshomaru's eyes turned a rich crimson with slits for pupils.

Kagome 'eep'ed and quickly escaped back to where her friends had retreated. They looked on as Sesshomaru changed into his gigantic beast form. At the end of his transformation, the snow and wind had cleared and he began to move numerous chunks of ice away with his oversized paws. Although he still only had three paws, he was able to use his head and front paw to shift the larger blocks away. His hind legs kicked away taller pieces, diminishing the fallen structure to its bare bones.

In little to no time he had cleared away much of the destruction, and through the wreckage a glimpse of red was recognizable. Sesshomaru turned his head to look back to the humans, signalling that they could come forward. Everyone rushed at a sprint towards him. Climbing over discarded rubble, the sight of Inuyasha came into view. Kagome slid to her knees beside Inuyasha's broken body, the flickering of Tetsusaiga's barrier was the only protection he had from the two pieces threatening to crush him. Sesshomaru easily knocked down the rest of the debris that lodged itself between two other blocks.

Tetsusaiga's barrier gave one last hoorah sensing no more imminent danger to its master. Inuyasha lay unconscious on his side, his breathing haggard. Kagome touched his head gently, curling her fingers in his clawed hand that rested near his head. "We found you," she whispered tenderly. Before she could look up to the demon lord to thank him for his assistance, he had already moved to the other side of the rubble where she could only assume he sensed his sword.

Kagome trained her eyes back to Inuyasha. His eyes were closed and lips were drawn into a frown. Her line of sight travelled down to the scorch marks on his side where burnt, raw flesh was slowly knitting itself back together. "We can put him on Kirara until we get back to the village," Sango offered.

Kagome let Sango's words process before she nodded her head. "Just let me dress the wound first," Kagome murmured.

As Kagome moved away pieces of Inuyasha's robe, she grabbed her first aid kit. The bandages were neatly folded inside on top of the ointments. Kagome carefully pushed the bandages aside and grabbed the ointments. Loosening the cap off the tube of burn relief ointment, she applied a pea size amount to her fingertips. When her fingers came into contact with Inuyasha's wound, a warmth radiated from her touch. Kagome quickly retracted her hand away from the wound, but was surprised to see that the inflammation had gone down substantially.

Curiosity took hold as she looked from her fingers to the wound. Slowly, she tried applying the ointment again and the same warm feeling radiated out from her hand. She moved her hand further along the wound and she noticed the skin repairing itself sevenfold. Her eyes widened in shock. She was healing him on the spot. It only took a few moments and his wound had completely healed as if nothing had ever happened, but only the singed edges of his clothing revealed that he had been injured. It seemed her spiritual powers had restored to their original strength.

"Kagome did you just-" Sango asked in wonderment. Everyone took notice of

"Yeah...I think I did." Kagome replied with equal astonishment, as she looked up at her demon slayer friend.

After Kagome finished dressing Inuyasha's wounds, Miroku and Kohaku began lifting him up to put him on Kirara's back when the ground started to rumble. Everyone looked to each other and then to the ground. Snow was shifting back and forth and rubble that was stacked had slipped off and tumbled to the ground.

A fearsome growl ripped through Sesshomaru's throat. His head lowered and his hackles raised towards the pile of ice in front of him. A pulsing rhythm beat underneath the destruction. Then all went deadly silent as the pulsing ceased.

"What just happened?" Shippo questioned worriedly. Kagome motioned towards Shippo, ushering him into her arms as she slowly rose to her feet. Miroku and Kohaku had just finished positioning Inuyasha onto Kirara's back when Sango suddenly started into action. "We need to get back, get further away. Misotaku isn't dead. Kohaku you remember what father taught us about demon transformations." Kohaku nodded affirmatively.

"After the last pulse, we have but a few minutes to prepare." Kohaku confirmed. Kagome looked hastily back to the pile of rubble where she thought they had vanquished Misotaku.

"We must hurry then, we might only have seconds left." Miroku stated.

Kagome looked to Shippo thoughtfully. "Shippo, do you think you might be able to protect Inuyasha?" Shippo looked up at Kagome with big eyes, but a determined resolve replaced them and he went to stand by Inuyasha. "Inuyasha will wake soon," Kagome revealed to the group.

The group had moved further away from the battlefield, awaiting the next phase of the fight. Kagome had her bow and arrow in hand, Sango with her hiraikotsu raised, Miroku gripped his staff tightly, and Kohaku's scythe and chain at the ready. Sesshomaru did not retreat from his spot, keeping close to the mountainous pile where Misotaku lay.

A beam of blue light shot upwards to the night sky. Electricity from Misotaku's power spiralled into the beam. Ice blocks flew outwards and what was left in their wake was a monstrous dragon, armoured in glass. The dragon's neck craned up and a harrowing screech echoed across the land. The newly transformed Misotaku stretched his sharp pointed wings and then whipped his large head around to his opponents, and then fixated his gaze not at Sesshomaru, but at Kagome. The tiny human woman who nearly ended his life.

Kagome's heart hammered in her chest. She never expected this to happen. Even with her regenerated powers she wasn't prepared for this fight. She was only really prepared for the final fight with Naraku. This was something entirely different, something that she was frightened about, and now she was yet another target for yet another enemy.


They had finished running a hundred kilometres to get to the Western Lands. Adamara and Koutsu panted, their legs and sides sore from trying to keep up with their leader, Kouga. They had almost reached their destination when Kouga decided to stop and brief his comrades on the plan.

Adamara and Koutsu leaned against a large tree as they watched their leader looking at them. Adamara looked to Koutsu and he looked to her, before Kouga could open his mouth a tremble shook the earth where they stood, and shortly after they too saw a great beacon of light soar into the sky.

"What the hell?" Kouga peered through the space between the trees to catch a better glimpse of the light show.

"Lord Kouga, what is it?" Koutsu asked.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good." Kouga admonished, his jaw clenched apprehensively.

"Shall we check it out?" Adamara asked, unsure of what look had just crossed the Prince's face.

"No. We need to carry on with our mission," Kouga confirmed. "Whatever is going on over there is the Western Lord's problem." With that said, Kouga turned away from the ominous power kilometres down the valley, he couldn't pin his finger on it but for some reason he felt a strange tug in his gut.

"We need to pass through these mountains and find the Western tribe ambassador. We need to do this and lead an army of soldiers with us back to the East. I sent Ginta and Hakkaku to meet with both North and South tribes to confer with the ambassadors there and to gather anyone who will back our cause. You both will take the Western tribe soldiers to the South and meet up with the soldiers that Ginta is leading. Once we have discussed things with Rui here, I will make my leave to the North to aid Hakkaku. Try and keep the troops moving to the East, we have until the full moon."

"Understood," Adamara nodded her understanding of the plan.

"There's just one other thing. Why did you come with us to the West, if you needed to be in the North?" Koutsu asked with slight confusion.

"The Western tribe are not the most willing contributors. For the most part they keep to their own unless there is an incentive in it for them." Kouga

"So what incentive are we giving them?"

"To be free from tyranny." Kouga said simply. "That's enough for a break. Let's go." As he took up the lead in the run towards the Western tribe, he could hear the shriek of a monster awakening in the valley. "When I leave for the North, make sure you keep the troops away from whatever the hell that is over there."

"Agreed," Adamara hastily agreed, not liking the sound that came from the valley below.

...

When they arrived at to the front gates of the Western tribes territory, the three Eastern wolf demons had to tread carefully along the mountain ridge to reach the hidden entrance only wolf demons know about. With skillful climbing and jumping they slunk through tight crevices that wound its way deeper inside the mountain. After the last few turns in the path, they came across two footmen guarding the cave entrance. Beyond the cave the smell of dinner and smoke from a fire pit had wafted to their nostrils.

"Prince Kouga! We weren't expecting you. Would you like an audience with our chief?" The footman asked. He had short spiky black hair and green eyes, his armour was similar to the Eastern tribes except they had longer pelts that went down to their knees. Not wanting to waste Kouga's time, the footmen made an opening for the three Eastern wolves to pass through.

"Yes, and with Rui also." Kouga added.

"Seisu, I am going to inform Rui of Prince Kouga's arrival, please see to it that you lead our guests to the main den." The shorter footman named, Seisu nodded and began leading the way while his comrade went to find their leader.

Kouga, Adamara, and Koutsu followed silently into the Western tribe's home. As they walked in they could see lively lights dancing on the walls from the grand fire that nestled in the centre of the main den. Around the fire were burly wolf demons enjoying their share of wild boar. Their fangs ripping and tearing into the flesh of the beast hungrily. Bones had been haphazardly discarded into a growing pile to the side.

Seisu offered them each a sizeable piece of meat to eat for they had travelled all this way and were their humble guests. Kouga and his comrades quickly downed their food gratefully as some members of the Western tribe came up to greet them eagerly. Out of all the tribes the West and South were his favourite neighbouring tribes to keep in touch with, the North were ironically colder in their dealings with other tribes.

It wasn't too long until, Rui, a short and bulkier wolf demon had approached Kouga in a strong armed embrace. He playfully slapped Kouga on the arm demonstrating their good natured friendship.

"Ah Kouga! Good to see you. I was wondering when we were gonna see that mug of yours around here," Rui grinned a few dimples sporting his cheeks. "What brings you to us tonight?"

"Good to see you, Rui. I'd be visiting more if I could, but you know how it is these days." Kouga shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I'm here on matters of business, it's rather urgent. If you don't mind I'd like to speak to both you and Dante about it."

"Hm, this isn't another attempt to find a suitor for Ayame, where you relinquish your promise to her?" Rui smirked and tried baiting Kouga for good measure. Rui's smirk slowly fell away into a frown as he noticed Kouga wasn't in a joking mood.

"Urgent you say? Let's go find Dante." Rui patted Kouga's shoulder before moving forward to lead Kouga away from his comrades and into the chieftains quarters.

The walk to the chieftain's quarters was similar to his own caves back in the Eastern mountains. Cold stone encased the corridors and every few feet there would be scones ablaze on the walls illuminating the way. Rui asked Kouga to wait as soon as they approached a stone door that was pulled away to a larger room inside that had been decorated with clean fur carpets and fine furnishings. Not a second later Rui had ushered Kouga into the room.

"Come in Kouga, we won't have you waiting outside the door now." A deeper voice acknowledged the younger wolf leader's presence outside his quarters.

The baritone voice belonged to Dante, who sat in a wooden decorative chair in the middle of the room with a scroll in his hand. He looked just as he always did. Clad in armour with long, beautiful bear pelts hanging down his back. The pelts were fashioned into a cape as the arms of the bearskin draped over Dante's shoulders and fastened under shoulder pads. "Now I know you didn't come all this way to drink sake and talk about the good ole days, Kouga. So tell me, what can we do for you."

As Kouga explained his situation with the Elders, he knew the troubling look on both Dante and Rui's faces as the lines in their foreheads creased. Rui rubbed the hair on his chin contemplatively, while Dante listened in silence while fiddling with a fox skull that was on the table. Every so often he would stop and look up at Kouga when parts of his story surprised him. When silence had taken over, Dante had cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair. The skull was back on the table and his clawed hands were clasped together.

"Well Kouga, that's quite the problem you have. I don't see any reason for my people to get involved in that. We already have enough problems with the Elders as is.." Kouga remained firm in his resolve and waited for Dante to finish. "I can understand why you would ask for our help, after all, we are cousins."

"What I don't understand is why a human? You know our way, so why get caught up in the business of those annoying creatures?"

"It's complicated, she's not like the humans you and I have encountered." Kouga tried to reason as he saw Dante squint his eyes in confusion.

"All humans are the same, cousin." Dante rubbed his eyes tiredly, already knowing where this conversation was leading. He knew out of all the cousins, Kouga had the most stubborn personality and once he was set on something there was no changing his mind.

"Not this one." Kouga argued sharply. "Kagome is a priestess, she's kind, loving, fierce, protective...beautiful." Rui and Dante looked to one another as Kouga described Kagome's personality and mere essence as an extraordinary example of her species.

"A priestess powerful enough to evade the Elders and piss them off no less, I would have killed to see that." Rui chuckled deeply.

"Dante, all I'm asking is for you to join me and my tribe in a solid fight against the Elders. If we can get the numbers to stand against them, we will be changing the very history of our people. Don't you want to be free of the tyranny that they impose on us?"

Dante was silent for a few minutes until he looked at Kouga very cautiously. "How many tribes do you have backing you at this very moment?"

Kouga didn't need to blink as he answered assertively, "I have Ginta in the South consulting with them as we speak, and Hakkaku in the North. I have my entire tribe's blessing and support in this."

"I know you, Dante. You refuse for the safety of your tribe, but let me ask you this. How is it going to feel when everyone fights but your tribe? How is that going to look to our brothers in the South?" Dante breathed heavily through his nostrils, not liking the idea of being the cowardly tribe. Kouga sensed his turmoil and took this as his queue to continue, "You said you would have killed to see Kagome stand up to the Elders. Don't miss out on it this time. Join my cause cousin, and you won't regret it. I swear on my tribe. You do this, and we will be free to rule our lands without the sovereignty of the Elders."

"You drive a compelling argument, Kouga." Dante's hand gripped the end of the armrest as pushed himself off the chair to walk towards Kouga.

"I have one condition however," Dante paused considering his words. "I will join your cause when I get word of the Southern Ambassador and Chieftan's approval. Until then it's a no for me." Kouga was about to protest, but he bit his tongue. If he pressed any further, Dante would change his mind. His cousin was a fickle demon with a short temper when pressed. Dante held out his hand as he waited for Kouga to agree to the terms.

"Fair enough," Kouga gripped Dante's arm as Dante's fingers wrapped around Kouga's forearm in agreement. Azure eyes meeting evergreen orbs in their pact to usurp the Elders.

"Since we might be going to war over a mortal, tell me more about this priestess that's got you so worked up," Rui smirked, expecting Kouga's face to turn red from embarrassment any moment now.

...

Kouga conferred with his comrades about the discussion and now they would have to wait for Ginta's work to be done in the South. The reason Kouga chose Ginta for the mission was because he had direct relatives in the South, and a demoness that he fancied. It would be no chore to get the South to back their cause.

Kouga retired to the honorary guest chambers with Koutsu and Adamara. It took little to no time for both wolf demons to fall asleep, but Kouga lay awake with the same gnawing feeling in his gut that he had from earlier. He quietly got to his feet and left the room to get some fresh air. Climbing up the face of the mountain to the peak, he found the snow made it slippery this time around. When he reached the top he sat down on the cliff edge where he could see further into the distance. Dark clouds hid the moon tonight, but something just did not sit well with him when he saw that great beam of energy shoot into the sky.

'What kind of demon could produce so much power?' He thought worriedly. Before he could contemplate further, he noticed three wolves running up the hidden mountain path, their fur a light tan colour. They were from the Southern tribe most definitely. They had sent their fastest wolves to deliver a message to the Western tribe. When Kouga jumped back down to see what the wolves had to say, Dante had already received the message loud and clear. The wolves howl war cries loud enough for everyone to hear. Soon wolf demon soldiers came out of their dwellings and listened to the wolves. Dante walked away to return later with large pieces of meat for the wolves to devour.

"Looks like you get your war, Kouga," A small smile formed on Dante's lips.

Kouga noticed Koutsu and Adamara had joined the commotion in the main den. Their eyes met and they gave a nod, confirming they knew what they had to do next. They will all be leaving tonight in separate directions, his comrades leading the convoy of soldiers to the East, and Kouga to the North.

"Now it's time for me to leave. Thank you, Dante." The cousins held out their hands in farewell. Kouga turned around to jog out of the Western wolf caves. He had to catch up with Hakkaku in the North.

"Oh don't thank me yet, you still have to persuade the Northern tribe. My advice: tread very lightly." Dante looked at his soldiers in the den. "In formation! Enough of this ruckus! If you are chosen to fight in this battle, tonight you will follow our brother and sister from the Eastern tribe to start your journey to their lands. We'll make this quick so you can say your farewells to your loved ones."

Rui made his entrance, he had thicker furs on with heavier armour. He had started out calling 10 soldiers to the front and slowly began adding more to the group that would leave tonight. "If your name wasn't called, you will return to your den," Rui watched as the men who weren't called dispersed back into the caves.

The men that were called had formed their own formation. These were some of the strongest warriors they had, and they would aid Kouga well in this fight. Rui began to walk the line of the soldiers.

"You will be under my charge during this battle. Lord Dante has agreed to aid our brothers to the East in a battle against the Elders. Too many times we have been pushed around and taken for granted by the Elders. It's time we stop this tyranny, and show them that we are the Western Wolf Tribe and we don't take orders from them. We are joining our brothers in the East to help in this just cause to bring down the sovereignty of the Elders and to free us from their grasp. You will have time to say farewell to your family. We leave when you hear the wolves howling our war song."

...

Kouga was heading through the mountain pass to the North when the distant roars and thundering of a battle had caught his attention. He didn't know why he was being drawn to it like a magnet. He could spare only a few minutes to spy on the battle scene before he had to keep going to the North. His legs propelled him up into the air, making broad leaps to cross large gaps to the rugged cliffs leading to the valley below. As he made his way through he caught a glimpse of a monster flying higher into the sky.

It was a dragon demon, and a large one. His eyes widened at the size of this beast. The dragon had opened its mouth where a large amount of power was being drawn to make an attack. The blue, almost white ball of power had illuminated the peaks of the mountains as it hurtled towards the targets on the ground.

Like a cat, curiosity took over the wolf demon. Then it hit him like a flash of lightning. His froze in his steps. He remembered that Sesshomaru was Inuyasha's older brother, but what are the chances that Inuyasha is there as well? 'And wherever Inuyasha goes, Kagome...'His eyes were wild, furious that Kagome would be in such a dangerous situation.

His steps were no longer cautious, they were fully tearing up the ground as he sprinted to his beloved priestess. When he got closer to the battle, the scent of blood was in the air. The only scent he was interested in was Kagome's, and his nose confirmed that she was indeed there battling this ferocious demon.

He cleared the corner around the valley, and his heart racing. His eyes absorbed the scene, and he was completely taken back by the sound and sheer size of the explosion. Kouga shielded his eyes from the blinding light.


Kagome felt the burning hate in Misotaku's reptilian eyes. She knew he hated humans, but now he hated them even more because of what she did in the most dire moment of her life. She had thought she killed him before when the mirror shattered from the bullet that ripped into his body. It was like a blur now, she just shot the gun and fell back from the volume of the gun's attack. It didn't matter now how the event happened, because here he was in front of her ready to blow her up into smithereens.

"I will admit, I was shocked that a mere human almost killed me. It would have been a wretched way to die, but that's when I felt your power. A power I had forgotten about long ago. Tell me priestess, did you think that attack would actually kill me?"

Kagome shuddered inside at the sheer magnitude of his voice. It boomed and she was almost sure the entire country of Japan could hear him. The one thing that stood out for her was that she had infused her priestess powers in the bullet when she pulled the trigger.

"I can feel your fear all the way from here," Misotaku chuckled darkly. "I will make your death nice and slow, so your friends here will watch on helplessly as I tear you apart."

"Like hell you will! You won't be getting anywhere near Kagome!" Inuyasha had done a flip in the air and landed in front of Kagome with his Tetsusaiga ready for action.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed with surprise. He had fully recovered and was back to his usual stubborn self.

"You ok, Kagome?" Inuyasha looked to his side briefly waiting for her to respond. Kagome smiled brightly and nodded. "Hai! I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Dammit! I missed a lot didn't I?" Inuyasha said softly.

"Not really...well, I thought my shot killed him and then his ice dome fell apart on us." Kagome admitted.

"Ah the half demon returns. I thought you were dead," Misotaku cackled. "An oversight I will rectify."

"I can't wait to chop your head off so you will finally stop yapping," Inuyasha ran at full speed towards Misotaku. Misotaku welcomed the oncoming attack. His dark chuckles vibrated, shaking his head in the process. Sesshomaru joined in on the fight his large dog form attacking Misotaku. Their bodies collided with a resounding clash each time they landed a blow to the other. The others waited for the opportunity to join in, but the power of the demons was too dangerous to get close to.

Kagome watched with worry, they had fought against dragons before, but this opponent was something else. Her powers were back to normal, and she could feel a burning within her. Her spiritual powers could sense the large demonic power that exuded from this beast. It took a few moments for her to steady herself so that her powers didn't start getting out of control. Inuyasha landed attacks on the dragon, but the hide of the dragon was stronger than the effects of the Wind Scar. It was time for her to send an arrow towards the abomination.

Her hand reached behind her head where her arrows were placed, her right hand gripping her bow tightly.

She felt the motions of stringing her bow, as if it was as involuntary as the breath coming out of her lips. Her breath hitched as she focused on Misotaku and Inuyasha's movements. She concentrated on the ugly sneer of Misotaku's scaly snout snapping at the half demon, trying to catch him in mid air. That's when she saw it.

The hollowed hole in the dragon's chest. It had healed, but left a distinguishable scar. If she could somehow hit him there, she would deal another lethal blow surely.

Kagome trained her arrow to aim at the moving target. She waited until Inuyasha was out of the way, and the bow string vibrated as she let go with the long-awaited spiritual power she possessed.

Her arrow, brighter and larger than her usual attacks, cut through the cold air with a blazing pink fire absorbing the entirety of the weapon. Misotaku too slow to react was caught surprised as the arrow pierced into the former wound.

Inuyasha took this opportunity to aim his attack in the exact spot Kagome hit, using instead the adamant barrage to effect more damage.

Misotaku roared, shaking the earth and mountains surrounding the battlefield. His body was on fire, deep red cracks split from his wound spilling his aura and blood down the hardened reptilian belly. The shards of the adamant barrage exploded with power, until a bright white light encased Misotaku and reacted with an immeasurable BOOM. Both spiritual and demonic powers created the cataclysm of power surges that resulted in a bomb-like attack.

Inuyasha had jumped away to safety as the power surges racked Misotaku's form. It was a combination they had never experienced before, and Inuyasha looked back at Kagome to comprehend that they just created this attack with their weapons. What exactly did she do?

The power died down and nothing had been left but a charred black spot scarring the snow where Misotaku last stood.

"Is it over?" Kohaku questioned, voicing everyone's thoughts at the same time.

Sesshomaru transformed back into his humanoid form and turned to walk away from the scene. His hair swayed in the snowy wind, when he felt something drift to his nose. This time he couldn't understand where it was emanating from, it was another scent altogether. A small white orb appeared, hovering in the air before it flew in a bee line towards Kagome. Kagome's eyes widened, her body frozen in fright. She had no time to dodge or react, and the others were too far away. The orb was upon her but before it made contact it disintegrated and left a glowing form in its wake. A man dressed in a light blue haori and white hakamas walked towards her, he placed a pale clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, young one." Kagome stood shell shocked. This man standing in front of her was not Misotaku, but another dragon demon with softer features. His face was fuller, a younger version of Misotaku it would seem.

"My name is Lord Katsu. I am the younger brother of Miso, you know him as Misotaku." Katsu let his voice grow still as he let the priestess and her comrades process the information. "I am grateful to you, for ending the misery and hatred my older brother ensued on the people of this world, and for freeing me from the confines of his body. My soul may now rest and join my beloved in the afterlife."

Kagome nodded shyly, not knowing what to say only starring up at the demon dumbly. "You were really trapped within Misotaku this whole time?"

"Unfortunately so. It is my deepest regret that I could not prevent Miso from going down this dark path after my demise. He let his grief kill his soul, and forced me to watch as his evil slowly consumed the good in him and using my own mirror nonetheless." Katsu sighed, but took the time to get a good look at the small human woman in front of him. He chuckled softly, "You do remind me of her. My Sara. I could feel that familiar spiritual power in the arrow you shot at Miso."

Kagome smiled in response. "You shouldn't keep her waiting much longer. I'm sure she can't wait to have you by her side."

Katsu beamed at that thought of Sara waiting for him. "I believe you're right. I can hear her calling now. I will take my leave of this world, and thank you again kind priestess. Sara will be overjoyed to hear of you and your group of friends. I don't think there has ever been a group of humans and demons travelling together. It will put a smile on her face I'm sure," Katsu scanned the rest of the group as he said all this. His eyes landing on Inuyasha and then Sesshomaru.

"Say hello to her for us." Kagome replied. Katsu nodded as he started to disappear back into the bright orb. Before shooting off into the night sky, the orb hovered in front of Sesshomaru briefly and left without another moment's notice.

While everyone was staring up into the night sky, Sesshomaru left without any acknowledgment to the others. He had left Rin, Jaken, and Ah Un for too long and needed to get back to them. He didn't need to 'escort' Inuyasha and his friends off of his lands, most of the humans were wet and cold from the prolonged exposure outside and there weren't any villages nearby for them to escape to, they would be leaving the way they arrived soon enough.

It was quite a surprise to him after seeing Katsu show up so unexpectedly. He replayed the demon lord's words in his head before he joined the afterlife. "It's good to see you again, old friend. The title of Lord of the Western Lands suits you well, as does your sword Tokijin." Without another word Tokijin had appeared and fell into the soft snowy earth, leaving an imprint where it now lay. The words drifted on the wind, an apology from the demon for wrecking havoc on his lands. Sesshomaru paid no mind to Katsu leaving as he retrieved his sword with care from the snow and left as if nothing transpired between the two demons. His father's warning about the Katsukane mirror, now a distant memory no longer a threat to him or his lands.

Yet the one thing that struck his thoughts was the weapon that priestess, Kagome used on Misotaku. The one that saved his life, although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, had the power to take down that powerful a demon. It peaked his curiosity to say the least. He would make sure to get the truth about the weapon out of the girl sooner rather than later. It was no secret that her powers had grown as well. He could only think of one priestess that had as much power packed into an attack like that. Midoriko. It wasn't a good memory that resurfaced.

'The person behind Inuyasha's existence...and father's death'


Next Up - Chapter 11: Something About December