If the Roles Were Reversed

by Glon Morski

I: Until he fell down the well and 500 years into the past, Inuyasha didn't believe in legends. His beliefs were challenged when he found himself in a world in which said legends are reality. Problem? He wants to leave that world behind, while it is unwilling to let him go. And so he begins a search for a substitute for a duty, aided by Kagome, his slef-proclaimed hanyo protector.

30. Tessaiga's True Master

Well, here it is, people, the next chapter. I's a bit longer than usual, so I hipe you'll be able to forgive me the slow update rate. Happy reading and leave a review at ath end, why don't you ;) Oh, on that note… We hit 450! Thank you guys so, so much! Now, let's aim for 500, why don't we :D

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ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:

hello-anime: Uhm… I'm assuming you liked the chapter overall, so I'll just thank you for it… but could you please try to finish your sentences? Sorry, but my brain just isn't fit enough to try and guess what you meant from time to time (I don't mean to offend you, by any means, I'm just tired most of the time and require proper English for understanding, like a five year old *wink*).

happyface2107: Don't worry, by now, I'm incapable of writing without all the detail, I think. And no, you weren't demanding, nor did you sound like a spoiled brat, you merely stated your opinion, and it was heard and taken into account. And as for the love-triangle: we'll see just who the third person will be, ne ;) Patience, patience. As for good fics – go to my profile and check out my favorites list, there's a whole lot of fics I think are really good there. I'll start sending you off elsewhere once you're done with those, alright? (since there are quite a lot… basically all of Kanna37's fics are there, for one, or at least a good part. And other fics, like 'Shikuro', are really long by now, so unless you do nothing else, you'll need quite a bit of time to read them anyway). Thanks for the reviews (and Halloween wishes, though I'm not celebrating it) and glad to hear you liked the previous chapter, hope this one is just as good :D

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Tracks for this chapter:

GazettE: Miseinen

Final Fantasy X OST: Truth Revealed

Standard breakers and reader's key apply.

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Chapter 30 – Tessaiga's True Master

It actually didn't take Inuyasha very long to reach Kagome's current location. Though it was relatively far away from the village, it was closer to the well than the black haired boy thought it would be. The fact both relieved and frightened him. Relieved because he was quick to find the half-demon, and frightened because of what he saw.

He arrived just in time to see Kagome being slammed into a tree with enough force to break the trunk. She fell to the ground on the other side of it, the felled tree luckily falling in the opposite direction and not squashing her. But then again, given how quickly she was back on her feet as if nothing happened, Inuyasha wondered if the tree ever had the chance to touch her.

Sesshōmaru was standing opposite his sister with a calm, collected, almost cold look on his face. Tessaiga was at his hip, emitting the occasional sparks when it came in too close contact with the demon's waist, but surprisingly, it wasn't rejecting the daiyōkai like Inuyasha remembered it had back at the tomb of Kagome's father. Than fang was untransformed, which meant the battle up until now had been most likely claw-to-claw. And it didn't look like Kagome was winning.

Inuyasha watched with wide eyes as she jumped this way and that, her brother sometimes waiting for her to come to him, sometimes moving in as well and sometimes following her when she was dodging one of his attacks. It was soon visible that it was a fight of claw against whip, and the black haired teen easily noted that Sesshōmaru's whip made contact much more often than it should and Kagome's fire rat robe certainly wore the marks as proof. There were a few minor scratches on her person here and there, as well, most likely thanks to the few times Sesshōmaru actually swiped with his claws. In great contrast to all that, Kagome's brother didn't wear a single mark of any fight.

Kagome had yet to land even one blow.

When Kagome dodged Sesshōmaru's whip once again, but wasn't quick enough to notice the quickly approaching mokomoko and was, as a result, punched in the stomach and sent once again into a tree, Inuyasha's feeble patience snapped. He wasn't just going to stand by and watch. No matter how strong Sesshōmaru was, he wasn't going to stand on the sidelines anymore.

Without a second thought, the young kannushi reached up and took Shippō off his head before gently setting him on the ground and straightening, his hand immediately moving to his sword, ready to unsheathe it and do battle. However, he didn't even have the time to tell Shippō to get somewhere safe, much less to actually try to attack, before the daiyōkai's gaze flickered briefly in his direction and not even a second later, the Dokuhebi no Kei was flying at him.

He didn't allow himself to be surprised, though, and reached for his sword to block the attack. But he didn't need to bother, for the whip missed as Sesshōmaru was forced to jerk his arm upwards, lest he wanted it cut off by yellow claw-like energy blades.

"I thought I told you the last time, Sesshōmaru," Kagome growled from her crouched position at the tree, as her attack had easily shredded Sesshōmaru's fur. The hanyō briefly wondered if cutting it up more would reach skin and make him bleed, but that was a thought to ponder at a later time. "Don't drag Inuyasha into it!" the young half-demon yelled as she jumped at her brother once more, forcing him to jump back to avoid her. Her claws still caught one of his sleeves, however, and as soon as she landed, Kagome leapt off again, following her brother, giving him almost no time to strike back. Whenever he did, she dodged, only to counter almost immediately afterwards, her attacks suddenly becoming fiercer.

"Amazing," Inuyasha heard a familiar voice say and turned to his right to see Miroku. The monk had obviously been there all along, since Shippō mentioned something that implied he came, too, but Inuyasha hadn't even seen him at first. But before Inuyasha could ask just what was so amazing, Miroku spoke again, as if he had heard the unspoken question. "Her strength has returned."

"What?" Inuyasha asked in bewilderment, blinking as he stared at the monk. "What do you mean by that?" he couldn't help but ask, his eyes traveling swiftly between the ongoing fight and Miroku, who was also observing the fighting duo through narrowed eyes. His expression was grave as he continued to observe, his grip on his staff tight and he was obviously tense for some reason.

"Until just a few moments ago, Kagome-sama had a lot of trouble to even keep up with that demon. She was very obviously overpowered and quite easily, too," the houshi said, his eyes darting this way and that as he tried to follow the movement of the two fighting people. "I was persuaded it was because she had yet to finish recovering, though Kagome-sama said she was fine and ready to take him on. But now… it's like she had found strength she didn't have access to before. It's like she had been miraculously invigorated," Miroku explained, finally turning to glance at Inuyasha with a penetrating look, obviously thinking of something he didn't say aloud, but Inuyasha hardly paid attention to the possible things the monk left unsaid, focusing on the two siblings instead.

"Knowing her, I'm quite sure she was simply holding back until now," he said, watching as Kagome flipped back to avoid a swing of Sesshōmaru's claws gracefully and leaping at her brother immediately after landing, as if she had springs in her legs. Sesshōmaru seemingly floated away from the half-demon, but her claws met his armor and made a dent in it – not a big one, but still a dent. It looked like Kagome was paying Sesshōmaru back for ruining her haori, not that the hinezumi's fur would stay damaged for long.

"Holding back?" Miroku replied with disbelief evident in his voice. His eyes moved away from the kannushi and focused on the two dogs again as they both growled and snarled at each other, Kagome more so than the ever-stoic Sesshōmaru, and exchanged claw-strikes. It was a very deadly dance that could easily end a life if either dancer made the smallest mistake. "Why would she hold back against an enemy of this caliber? Why would she hold back against a daiyōkai?"

"Because that daiyōkai is her brother," Inuyasha answered in a low tone, knowing that the demon Lord, at least, did not like to be reminded of that fact. "Well, half-brother, but still…" Inuyasha trailed off, his eyes betraying his unease as he watched Sesshōmaru's claws dig into Kagome's shoulder, luckily not fueled with his poison, just as Kagome managed to break through his armor and wound his chest shallowly near the joint between his shoulder and the arm that should not have been there, since she had cut it off last time they met.

Had his eyes been better than any human's eyes could ever be, Inuyasha would have noticed the irritation mixed with concentration on Kagome's face as she forced herself to make the wound shallower than it could have been. Of course, there was no chance of her tearing Sesshōmaru's heart out, he was much too quick for that. Plus, he was a yōkai, and a Lord at that, so no matter what sort of wound she dealt him, even to the chest, the risk of him dying from it was very small. But that didn't change the fact that the idea of seriously wounding him like she had done the last time made her sick to her stomach. She knew one thing, however, and that was that one of her ways of winning and regaining Tessaiga would be to cut off Sesshōmaru's new arm, as that was what allowed him to wield the sword at all. Or at least that was what she suspected, since it was very obviously not Sesshōmaru's own, regenerated arm, nor was it an arm of another demon. It was a human arm. She could tell because of the blunt nails, not to mention she could smell the difference in scent.

With another snarl, she once again somersaulted backwards, this time in order to avoid her brother's Dokkasō, but didn't attack again. Instead, she merely stared at her brother through narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what he was up to. This fight… it was almost too easy. He was toying with her. And that was never a good sign.

"What's wrong, dear brother?" she asked angrily, her anger meant to cover up her apprehension. "Why are you holding yourself back so much? I thought you wanted to show me how much better you were suited for Tessaiga than me? Or could it be that the great sword you've been searching for so long doesn't accept you?" she couldn't help that little taunting mockery at the end, too used to taunting her opponents in a fight to remind herself that this was Sesshōmaru she was taunting. And he was not a demon who should be taunted, ever.

She remembered that as soon as she saw him narrow his eyes, though no snarl appeared on his otherwise still stoic face. She was glad for that, though. If he had snarled, that would most likely mean her death, or just a very hard and very rough fight, if she was lucky enough to survive. 'Then again, I beat him before, back in otou-san's grave,' she tried to reassure herself, but the attempt failed when her eyes darted briefly to the unsheathed sword at Sesshōmaru's hip, resting right next to another, one Sesshōmaru always wore but never used as far as Kagome could tell. She never really understood why that was, though.

"The only thing this Sesshōmaru seeks is fighting the strongest opponents there are," the daiyōkai replied stoically as he stood proudly a few feet away from her, tall and proud. "Which excludes the lowlifes such as you, little sister."

"And yet you seek me out to fight me again and again. Why's that, then?" Kagome bit back, a slight growl rising in her throat, but whether it was an angry or a hurt one, even she couldn't tell. But she had to admit that Sesshōmaru's words hit something within her. They always did, not that she'd ever allow anyone to know that.

"Only because you are a taint on my family's honor, little sister," Sesshōmaru answered coolly, the endearment slipping through his teeth as close to a disgusted spitting as the stoic Sesshōmaru would ever get. "A taint that needs to be eradicated."

"And yet you never killed me," Kagome couldn't help but point out, despite her instincts telling her to stop talking. She was treating into a very dangerous territory right now and she knew it. And yet, she couldn't stop the words that kept flowing out of her mouth. "I'm almost starting to think you could never manage to kill me, for whatever reason," she said suggestively, both possibilities she left as the possible reason for that inability being more than offending to Sesshōmaru. And he responded accordingly, now openly glaring at her coldly, although except that glare nothing betrayed his fury.

"Do not think so high of yourself, hanyō," he growled out, the sound more than enough warning to anyone who heard it. If Sesshōmaru growled, it meant he was starting to get really peeved. And a peeved Sesshōmaru was an exceptionally deadly Sesshōmaru. "This Sesshōmaru could kill you any moment and you would not be able to lift even a finger. That is the difference in power between someone as low as you and this Sesshōmaru," he continued talking, his voice icily and the growl still present in his throat, though heard only by Kagome's and Shippō's demonic ears.

"If you can kill me so easily," Kagome replied lowly as she crouched and flexed her claws again, a truly intimidating glint shining in her eyes that would have scared off any lesser demon than the one in front of her. If looks could kill, her brother would be already six feet under. And yet, for all the killing intent shining in her eyes, Kagome knew that when it came down to it, she would never be able to kill Sesshōmaru, even if he had tempted her to try. It wasn't just that he was stronger than her (or at the very least as strong as her, though she seriously doubted he didn't outrank her. She was, after all, just a hanyō). It was also the fact that he was her half-brother, her family. She could never kill her own blood. But Sesshōmaru was a different story and she knew that. They both did. And yet, she could not stop herself from finishing the taunt that had started to exit her mouth, "then why don't you?"

That officially marked the first time she dared Sesshōmaru to kill her, and she regretted it instantly. It was never her plan to taunt him like that, to dare him to kill her, because she knew daring him to do such a thing was asking to be killed. Her plan had been to calmly wait until Sesshōmaru got bored, survive somehow until then, and hope he'd keep his word to 'show her how to properly use chichi-ue's heirloom'. If he only drew Tessaiga, then she had a chance, no matter what the others thought of it.

So why, why did she have to make things harder on herself and dare Sesshōmaru to kill her?

She sighed inwardly at that question. She knew why. Because she was mad. Mad that he had once again tried to bring someone else into their fight and this time for no apparent reason other than him being there.

Her half-brother didn't need to be told twice, either. Snarling viciously, actually snarling like any enraged dog would and like the always collected Sesshōmaru never had before, the daiyōkai lunged at her and Kagome barely managed to avoid his attack, his following ones being just as hard to avoid and leaving her absolutely no time nor opening to even try to counter. The little break was over and the fight was on once again, this time much more vicious than any other fight the siblings had ever had.

Now, she could really truly hope to survive until Sesshōmaru drew Tessaiga. If he did at all. In case he didn't, she was dead meat, for she was sure she couldn't last long against Sesshōmaru when he was this pissed off.

Actually, she was very likely to be dead meat even if he did draw their father's fang. 'Damn it! Why did I have to be so fucking stupid?' Kagome berated herself as she desperately tried to dodge her brother's various attacks.

"Why would they fight like that if they're related? Why would they try to kill each other?" Shippō asked finally in a broken voice. His question broke the stunned silence that fell on the small group watching the fight, each of them stunned for different reasons. Miroku because of what Inuyasha told him about Kagome holding back, and Inuyasha because he heard what Kagome had said. 'Kagome… What are you thinking? Do you want him to kill you?' he couldn't help but think as he watched the two dogs in their now very one-sided fight. He resisted the urge to bite his lip in worry when Kagome didn't manage to evade one of Sesshōmaru's strikes with his whip, though luckily, the poisonous energy-weapon only hit the fire rat robe.

"They're not trying to kill each other," Miroku said calmly, yet sadly, understanding shining in his eyes as he glanced at the kit perched on Inuyasha's head. Judging from the small tremors the kannushi felt from him, the little fix was on the verge of tears.

"They're not?" Shippō asked disbelievingly and even Inuyasha stared incredulously at the monk. But before he could ask whether Miroku had lost his mind or not, the monk answered the fox with nothing but the purest truth.

"No. Kagome-sama is not trying to kill her brother. It is her brother who is trying to kill her," he said sadly, his eyes never leaving the kit. "The killing intent is merely one-sided," he added wisely, but it did little to make little Shippō feel better.

"But why does he want to kill her so much? They're siblings! The same blood! So why?" the little kit wailed, making Inuyasha sigh.

"I'm trying to figure that out, too," he mumbled quietly under his breath, his feeling of unease rising to the surface again as he looked at the fight again. 'If I had a brother like Sesshōmaru… would I be willing to fight against him? Would I be willing to kill him?' he couldn't help but wonder.

He never told it to his mother, especially not after his father passed away, but there was a time when he wished he had a little sibling. He still wished that from time to time, though he'd never tell it to anyone. The times he wished most for a sibling was when he was little, because he wanted a friend, and a sibling seemed like the perfect solution – they'd always have each others' backs and they'd always help each other out. That's how Inuyasha had always imagined it. But if he had a sibling who was out for his blood… would he be able to fight him, if only to defend himself, like Kagome was doing?

He was afraid to know the answer to be quite honest, because both possibilities weren't very appealing.

"He's a full demon and a Lord at that," Miroku answered, bringing Inuyasha out of his thoughts. The monk didn't question Inuyasha's lack of understanding anymore (for there was no doubt he heard the kannushi's soft spoken words), most likely because he now knew the teen was not from this time. "She is a half-demon. I am quite sure that is reason enough," he stated gravely. Shippō didn't respond to that, merely slumped down on Inuyasha's head, though his sobbing had quieted down. It seemed he saw some kind of twisted logic in those words.

Inuyasha didn't, though, and he stared at Miroku, horrified by the explanation and angry at the same time. Fists clenching it his sides, Inuyasha couldn't help but glare at the monk, though it was mostly ignored. 'That's reason enough? What are you, insane? How is that any reason to hate someone?' he yelled in his mind, but before he could voice these thoughts, Kagome's words from what seemed like so long ago floated back into his mind.

"A child of a yōkai and a human is called hanyō, or half-demon. It's a being which is half-yōkai, half-human and has the blood of both species in its veins, but ironically belongs to neither. Humans fear them because of their demon blood, yōkai despise them for their human blood. Sesshōmaru is one of those who think the mix between the species is a crime and the outcome-child nothing but filth," she had said when she had explained to him what she was.

He had listened to her of course, but he never really thought about the implication behind her words. He never really realized just how literally she meant what she said. And in reality, he had yet to truly find out, even though he thought he understood.

"Yeah… that would be reason enough for Sesshōmaru," Inuyasha said quietly, his fists relaxing as he glanced at Kagome as she kept evading her brother without a single counter-attack. Mostly because she didn't get a chance to. 'What would it feel like to have only one family member left… and know that he hates you and wants you dead?' the future-born teen had to suppress a shudder at the thought, immediately filing that question among those he didn't want to know an answer to.

Oblivious to the others' conversation and thoughts, since she was solely focused on her brother (distraction meant death in this particular fight, after all), Kagome kept ducking, jumping and flipping around, trying to stay clear of her brother's claws and whip, though not always succeeding. She was lucky enough not to get any of his poison into her system, however. Yet.

Still, she couldn't last on luck alone and finally, the difference of blood finally won out. Just as Kagome ducked to avoid Sesshōmaru's whip, his fluffy mokomoko rammed into her stomach, effectively winding her and sending her to the ground. She fell flat on her back, but didn't allow herself to lie around for long, and quickly rolled to the side and to her feet, trying to regain her breath as she went. Surprisingly, Sesshōmaru didn't attack again, though, and she was quick to find out why. Her eyes widened when she noticed a very familiar figure in front of her and it wasn't one she ever expected to stand between her and her brother. Her eyes widened in both surprise and horror, but she was quick to cover both emotions up.

"Enough! Leave her be! I'll fight you!" Inuyasha yelled as he reached for his sword, his words far braver than he felt as he stared at the once again completely stoic daiyōkai, though his eyes were narrowed. Seeing him like that reminded the black haired teen of his true form and just how terrifying the demon could be, but he refused to yield. He wouldn't let Kagome get hurt again, whether it was protecting him or fighting against someone like Sesshōmaru. He would protect her, or at the very least fight by her side, if she allowed nothing else. But he was fed up with just sitting idly by and watching.

"You stupid fool! Do you want to be killed?" Kagome hissed angrily from behind him, but her angry half-whisper was ignored as both her and Inuyasha froze when another figure stepped in front of the both of them. It was Miroku.

"I cannot keep silent any longer," the monk said in a serious tone as he watched the daiyōkai in front of was apparent that he was planning to join the fight and neither of the people behind him were happy about it, although t was for very different reasons. Inuyasha turned his head in Miroku's direction as fast that Shippō would have fallen off if he had still been perched there, but the black haired kannushi had enough brains to set the kit on the ground and tell him to go hide somewhere safe before he challenged a demon like Sesshōmaru to a fight.

"Stay out of this, Miroku!" He yelled as he stepped forward as to not be behind the monk. Said spiritualist calmly turned to glance at the teen with a rather exasperated look.

"Inuyasha, it is impossible to do it alone," Miroku said slowly and calmly, as if he were talking to a little child and was merely making them see the obvious. His words were directed not only at Inuyasha, however, but at Kagome as well, if his quick glance in her direction was anything to go by. But Inuyasha was never one to listen to reason.

"Shut up! And don't stand in front of me!" the future-born teen yelled again, this time causing Miroku to look at him as if he were insane. That couldn't be what had bothered the teen, could it?

Their little argument was interrupted by two clawed hands resting on one of their shoulders as Kagome stood between them. She glanced first at Sesshōmaru, wanting to make sure he wouldn't attack in her companions' moment of distraction. Once assured that he would merely observe for now, she glared at Inuyasha and then at Miroku before closing her eyes in exasperation. All of that took only half of a second before she spoke.

"I appreciate your concern and will to help," she said in a seemingly calm tone and squeezed each of their shoulders, trying to convey through that one gesture that she was thankful, that she really appreciated it and that they didn't need to worry. She couldn't tell whether she succeeded or not, but whatever the case, those two were going to be out of this fight before they even entered it if she had any say in it. "But it's not needed," she finished, her voice eerily calm and a bit cold. With a swift push, she shoved both of the men away from her in opposite directions like one would shove a curtain to the side, effectively clearing the way between her and her brother. Miroku staggered a few steps backwards, but managed to keep his balance. The same couldn't be said for Inuyasha, whom Kagome had accidentally shoved to the ground like a sack of potatoes, although his fatigue was part of the reason why he fell so easily. Ignore it as he might try to, the fact remained that he was dead tired.

"With that little interruption over," Kagome said nonchalantly as she flexed her claws and regarded her brother warily. It seemed he had cooled off a bit thanks to Inuyasha's and Miroku's interference, but even if that was the case, that didn't make him any less dangerous. Kagome had taunted him like she never had before and she knew he wasn't about to let it slide. Still, the little pause had also helped her to calm down and that was something she could only be grateful for. She had a lot more chances with a clear head, after all. "Where did we leave off?" she asked calmly, preparing for the fight to begin anew. 'Just stay alive until he draws Tessaiga. He's bound to at some point, I'm sure of it. Once he does…' she didn't even get to finish the thought, because just then, Sesshōmaru swiped with his hand, his whip responding to his call and flying straight at her.

[T]

She ducked to avoid the blow, then quickly rolled away when Sesshōmaru flicked his wrist, making the whip fall down on her. It hit the ground a few feet away from her, and before it could move again, Kagome jumped forward, claws raised. Sesshōmaru merely stepped back from her swing, but this time it was Kagome who tried the constant offensive, striking time after time. She wasn't as quick as her brother, however, and after a couple of swings, he managed to seemingly float out of her range and out of her sight, as well.

But contrary to what many people thought, though Kagome couldn't always keep up movement-wise, Sesshōmaru's speed wasn't one she couldn't keep up with by sight. And so, when the daiyōkai seemingly appeared out of nowhere behind her and struck out his claw as if to impale her, she was ready and twirled to the side. She then grabbed his hand before he could retract it and raised her own claws to strike. Sesshōmaru glared at her coldly, as if disgusted by her touch (then again, he most likely was) and tried to throw her off by swinging the arm she held.

This wasn't the first time he tried to do so, however, and this time, Kagome was prepared. Her hold on his arm tightened to the point where her claws pierced his skin. She let go of his arm as soon as her feet touched the ground again and used the momentum to flip backwards when he tried to strike out at her with that same arm, but then he simply made a swift circular motion with his wrist, his whip materializing once again and aiming straight at the half-demon.

It had hit its mark this time, smacking against Kagome's wrists as she protected her face with her arms. She bit back a hiss when she felt that familiar pain of acid working its wonders on her skin, but was quick to react. Disregarding the pain, she quickly reached out and grabbed the acidic whip in her hand before it could retract to its master or attack again. She ignored the pain that shot through her hand when the acidic poison started to rot her hand, using the connection she now had to her brother as a way to ensure he wouldn't get far. Rolling the whim around her hand to shorten the distance between them at speed that almost seemed impossible, Kagome leapt at the same time, her free claw held behind her, preparing for a horizontal slash. She was leaving herself wide open, she knew that, but it was a risk she had to take.

Sesshōmaru didn't fail to notice the obvious opening, but with his only demonic arm immobilized, there wasn't much he could do.

Kagome had forgotten, however, that his whip was made of nothing other than her brother's youki, and so she was almost caught completely of guard when the whip suddenly vanished and Sesshōmaru raised his own claws, now glowing with an eerie, green light. But Kagome was much too close now to avoid the attack he was preparing to throw at her.

"Dokkasō," Sesshōmaru said calmly as he swung his arm almost nonchalantly, the green, poisonous blades aiming at Kagome and giving her no chance to escape, being fired at point blank range.

"Sankon Tessō!" Kagome called at the same time, the golden blades of her youki shooting from her claws and falling onto her brother.

The two energies collided and fought with each other for about a second before a small explosion covered both fighters from view, raising a cloud of smoke. After merely three seconds, to figures jumped out of that could on opposite sides of it.

Kagome landed in a crouch and faced her brother, a small grown forming in her throat. She quickly raised her claw and swiped at her own cheek, effectively deepening the small scratch she had obtained there. It immediately started to bleed much more strongly, but the hanyō-girl had achieved her goal. Flicking her wrist, she let the few droplets of blood fall from her claws to the ground, causing the grass to start dissolving as they hit, revealing that a bit of Sesshōmaru's poison had been within the wound.

Sesshōmaru landed stoically opposite her and regarded her with a cool glare, seemingly untouched. But keen eyes could see the small wound on his arm, the blood slowly flowing down toward his fingers and dripping to the ground slowly. Sesshōmaru didn't seem to notice the wound, though, not that it was unexpected. He was a demon, he could stomach pain and ignore it.

The two siblings didn't stay immobile for long. As if a referee had yelled 'go', the two jumped at each other again at the same time. Seeing that, Kagome quickly flipped in mid air and positioned her hands on the ground, then propelled herself higher, just as Sesshōmaru's whip hit the ground where she had just been. But the daiyōkai was prepared for her to try and get into the air, so as soon as she was high enough, he sent his fur after her. Next thing she knew, the mokomoko was wrapped around her like a boa and effectively immobilized her, while Sesshōmaru calmly floated to her level.

"This is your end, little sister," he said calmly as he raised his demonic arm, the claws once again shining an eerie green. But Kagome wasn't about to give up.

"That's what you think," she spat angrily as she forced her arms to move despite the restrain. It didn't work, though. Sesshōmaru smirked and pulled his arm back, ready to strike and end her life. It was then that Kagome decided to use drastic measures.

In the next moment, golden light flew from between the fur and Sesshōmaru growled before retreating hastily, his fur recoiling from the half-demon and letting her fall to the ground. She landed on all fours, and raised her head to keep her brother in her eye sight. Her whole body was covered in small cuts, but the worst of were her claws, which were covered in blood. With a sniff she could tell that it was both her brother's and her own. 'Well, it could have been worse. At least it didn't hit some vital spot,' she thought in relief.

Discharging her youki like that usually didn't end well. What she had just done was a very powerful, but absolutely lacking any control version of Sankon Tessō. Usually, the blades of energy formed as she swung and the swing directed the attack. If it was used as a simple youki discharge, like what she had just done, the blades formed haphazardly and could fly and hit basically anything. Giving the confinement she had been in a second ago, she might have as well killed herself with that attack. But she had to try. 'It worked out, that's what counts,' she told herself, trying to calm her racing heart. Yes, it had worked out. But she was aware that it had been very close to failing.

Unaware of her thoughts, Sesshōmaru slowly lowered himself to the ground in front of her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. His fur hung over his shoulder like it always did, the only sign that it took a beating the blood coating it and slowly making bigger and bigger stains in the white mane. Kagome blinked. 'His fur's… bleeding?' she noticed with something akin to fascination. This was the first time she had stroke at Sesshōmaru's mokomoko, so she had never known the thing could bleed. She always thought it was just a big bunch of fluff, despite the fact that its hits were quite powerful.

Sesshōmaru stood silent like a statue for a while, merely staring Kagome down with that cold I-am-stronger-than-thou look – though admittedly, he was indeed more powerful than her where raw strength was concerned. Then, ever so slowly, his hand moved sideways, straight towards the two swords at his hip. There was no doubt which one he was reaching for.

"It is time," he said calmly, his eyes never leaving Kagome's. His hand slowly touched Tessaiga's hilt and then, just as slowly, drew the sword out of the obi it was tucked against, its sheath still at Kagome's hip. As soon as it was drawn, the sword transformed into its true form, the question how Sesshōmaru was able to keep it untransformed before remaining unanswered, just like the question of why the barrier didn't repel him. Kagome had an idea about that second one, though. She narrowed her eyes, not liking the way Sesshōmaru was slightly smirking at her at all.

"Let me show you the true destructive power of the Tessaiga," Sesshōmaru spoke, a tiny bit of his excitement seeping into his voice, though even Kagome barely registered it. "Jaken!" the daiyōkai called loudly. As if awaiting the call, and probably he was, a very faint voice of the toad answered, barely loud enough for the humans to hear, but plenty loud enough for the two dogs.

"Yes, right away, Sesshōmaru-sama! I'll summon all the yōkai in the vicinity," the toad called from some distance away. Following his words was an oni's yell, loud enough to shake the ground. Kagome's ears flattened against her head at the noise and it took all she had not to cover her ears in an attempt to keep the noise out. Sesshōmaru must have been affected even worse than her, since he was a full demon, but he was far above showing discomfort.

Inuyasha had fallen to the ground when the earth started shaking from the noise, but the loud sound didn't register in his head, and neither did when it stopped. He was far too focused on something else.

"How… How can he… hold the Tessaiga?" the stunned teen stammered, his wide eyes never leaving the sword Sesshōmaru held. Of course, he shouldn't have been surprised. Considering Shippō had told him the daiyōkai had taken the sword, it implied he could wield it – he wouldn't be able to take it otherwise. But it was only now that he saw it happen that the fact registered in his brain, along with the knowledge that it wasn't possible last time around.

"What do you mean, how can he hold it? Like any other sword," Miroku replied, his voice unreadable, though it was evident he didn't like this turn of events. Still, the monk had enough brains not to interfere after being thrown out of the fight once. Inuyasha shook his head.

"You're wrong," he said as he clenched his fists. "Tessaiga is special. It has a barrier around it that doesn't allow yōkai to touch it. But at the same time, only yōkai can make it transform. That's why Kagome, someone who's half-human, can wield it efficiently… Sesshōmaru shouldn't be able to touch the blade," he explained, sudden fear gripping his heart. He had seen Kagome fight her brother bare handed, he had seen her fight him with Tessaiga when he had only his claws… but now that he had the sword and she had only her claws, he didn't know if the outcome would be a favorable one. 'Kagome…'

"Human blood to wield it, demon blood to reveal its true potential, huh? Indeed, that is a weapon only hanyō could ever hope to wield efficiently… only that this daiyōkai can hold it," Miroku answered gravely. Their little exchange was interrupted, however, as another loud roar resonated in the forest. Once it quieted down, a series of quieter, rather terrified shrieks answered and next thing both spiritualists knew, the sky was literally covered in a colorful sea of lesser demons, who took to the skies in fright, trying to flee the stronger opponent who scared them out of their hiding. Inuyasha gaped.

"So many…" he whispered, not knowing how to feel except that it shouldn't be any positive emotion.

"Look now, little sister. One swing," Sesshōmaru said as he turned his back on Kagome, facing the yōkai instead as he raised Tessaiga. "I'll destroy a hundred yōkai in one swing," he said as he swung, Tessaiga cutting seemingly air. In the next second, a blinding light exploded from the blade and rushed the yōkai, who screeched even louder upon contact. When the light vanished, the sky was clear and both Inuyasha and Miroku stared at the result of that one swing. The yōkai weren't the only thing that was gone. Sesshōmaru had also leveled quite a chunk of forest with the ground, leaving a wasteland-like clearing where only moments before a dense forest still stood. 'So powerful,' Inuyasha thought with awe, unaware that Kagome's thoughts were exactly the same.

The young half-demon didn't allow herself to stay stunned for long, though, and easily recovered from the surprise. It wasn't the light that surprised her, anyway – she had seen the Kaze no Kizu before. She just hadn't expected it to be this powerful. It didn't seem that way when she used it.

"You've waited long enough, little sister. Now, it's your turn," Sesshōmaru said, the slightest signs of a smile on his face almost sending shivers down Kagome's spine. Almost.

"Gladly," she answered evenly as she flexed her claws, one of her hands slowly inching towards Tessaiga's scabbard. She had to get this right on the first try. Failure was not an option, because it would mean death. She couldn't allow herself even the smallest mistake. "Come at me then, and I'll show you just who knows Tessaiga better," she barked, her whole body tense with anticipation. She couldn't mess this up. She just couldn't.

"This Sesshōmaru will make sure you regret those words, hanyō. The likes of you could never master Tessaiga," Sesshōmaru said stoically as he lunged forward, aiming a horizontal swing at his sister. Kagome jumped upwards to avoid it, then flipped in mid air and landed behind the daiyōkai. He was ready for her, though, and immediately turned, bringing the sword with him. She ducked this time, then jumped forward from below, her claws extended. Sesshōmaru jumped back before she could reach him, however, and all she did was tear into his kimono's left shoulder, missing his flesh entirely. The demon frowned at her and Kagome smirked.

"It seems this Sesshōmaru forgot a very important point," Kagome said mockingly. "Namely, a yōkai like you shouldn't be able to hold this sword. That means that new left arm of yours is a human arm. The second I rip it off, there won't be a thing you'll be able to do to keep it," she said as she lunged again.

"Fool. That only works if you can reach me," Sesshōmaru replied coldly as he raised the sword above his head, then swung downwards almost too fast for Kagome to follow. She would never have the time to evade it, she was going to fast towards him.

Spark flew as Kagome skidded to an abrupt halt, not nearly far enough for the great fang to miss her, and yet the blade never reached her. Sesshōmaru's eyes widened slightly, revealing his surprise at what he saw. In front of him, Kagome stood with both hands raised, holding a black scabbard in her bloodied hands and effectively blocking the sword.

Putting all of her strength into her arms, Kagome pushed Sesshōmaru away from her and jumped a safe distance away from the demon, the sheath still held firmly in her arms. Beside her claws, it was her only weapon. But what Sesshōmaru didn't know was that it was the best weapon to fight Tessaiga.

"Hn," the daiyōkai grunted as he stared at the unscathed Kagome. "So you stopped Tessaiga with a scabbard. But do you really think a scabbard can beat a sword, little sister?" he asked almost mockingly. Kagome smirked.

"Shows how much you know. This is more than just a scabbard and it's plenty enough to beat you," she replied. In response, Sesshōmaru lunged again, Tessaiga poised to impale Kagome in the stomach. She twirled to the side to avoid it, then brought the scabbard to her side to block another attack. This time, however, instead of pushing Sesshōmaru away, she proceeded to lay the scabbard against the flat of Tessaiga's blade, then rolled over it as the sword continued, suddenly no longer meeting any obstacles. But Sesshōmaru wasn't brought out of balance by this and rapidly turned the sword in his hand, immediately swinging backwards. Kagome jumped over the blade again, then jumped back immediately after touching the ground to somersault backwards and gain some distance from her brother. He didn't follow this time around, allowing her a short moment to regain her breath.

[/T]

"Do you see the difference, little sister? You could never wield this sword like this Sesshōmaru can," he said calmly, though Kagome couldn't help the impression that he was gloating.

"And yet it chose me as its wielder first, not you. You needed to steal someone else's arm to be able to touch it," she bit back even as she raised the scabbard again to block another attack. Throwing herself to the ground, she rolled away before Tessaiga could smash her, then quickly got to her feet – just in time to see Sesshōmaru preparing to unleash what could only be a Wound of the Wind. 'Ah crap!' she cursed in her mind as she quickly leapt to the side, just barely avoiding the great energy as it passed by her. It caught the sleeve of her haori and easily burned it away, but Kagome herself had been lucky enough to avoid it. 'Too close. Much too close,' she admitted to herself as she stared at Sesshōmaru wearily, awaiting his next move. He was smirking again, and she didn't like it at all.

"It is such a wonderful, powerful sword," he mused as he held Tessaiga vertically in front of him and gazed up at the tip of the blade. "Its only weakness is that it cannot choose its master," he continued, now looking down at Kagome again. "It was made to obey those who have human blood. That was the only reason you were able to take Tessaiga before this Sesshōmaru," he said coldly. At that, Kagome couldn't help but laugh outright.

"You really think so, Sesshōmaru?" she asked once she finally calmed down. "Then you don't even know the basics about Tessaiga. You don't know it nearly as well as I do. And you never will," she said as she prepared herself to block his incoming attack, for indeed, Sesshōmaru chose this moment to strike. Apparently, he didn't like what she was saying.

Tessaiga clashed with its scabbard again, and upon contact, the scabbard pulsed, making Kagome's eyes widen before she smiled. Finally. It was time. Somersaulting backwards, she once again distanced herself from her brother.

"Shall I tell you something about Tessaiga, dear brother?" Kagome asked in a light tone, her confidence rising with each beat of the scabbard in her hand. Sesshōmaru raised a brow in question, but remained silent. Kagome took that as a sign to continue, though she still remained vigilant, so that he wouldn't be able to catch her off guard. "Tessaiga is very much like the man who wanted it made," she said simply. "At least from what kaa-san always told me. And do you know what kaa-san always said about otou-san, Sesshōmaru?" she continued to ask, though she knew very well he had no idea. Bracing herself for an attack she knew would follow her next words, she continued to talk without waiting for an answer. "She always said otou-san was like a little puppy."

True to her suspicions, the ever proud Sesshōmaru could not take that supposed jab to his pride without retaliation and with a vicious snarl, the first one Kagome had ever heard from him ever since their first meeting, he lunged at her. But Kagome was ready and merely jumped to the side to avoid the swing, then turned in mid air so that her feet came in contact with a nearby tree. Propelling herself on the trunk, she flew above Sesshōmaru and landed on the ground a good distance behind him, pointing the scabbard in his direction like one would a sword – only that the end facing Sesshōmaru was where the sword's hilt usually was, while the tip was aimed at Kagome's stomach. Still grinning, Kagome spoke again, as if she had never been interrupted.

"Kaa-san always said Otou-san was like a puppy in the regard that it was enough for her to call and he would come as soon as he could," she said, though her voice was no longer as light as it was before. "Tessaiga is the same. It will answer its true master's call. It couldn't do that if it couldn't choose its own master, now could it," she asked rhetorically. "So let's see who the true master of the blade is. Come, Tessaiga!" she called at last, the scabbard in her hand pulsing stronger and stronger. She remembered the last time it had happened. Back then, she hadn't had the time to wonder why the sword flew towards her, she had only been glad that it had. But once Sesshōmaru took it and she had been forced to think of a plan to regain her blade, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She could only hope it was truly the scabbard that called the blade, but then again, nothing else would make sense.

Only Tessaiga wasn't flying towards her, this time. Sesshōmaru smirked again.

"If you're words are the truth, little sister, then it seems Tessaiga has chosen," he said, cold satisfaction heavy in his voice as he once again raised the blade to the far left. Kagome knew what he was planning, but this time, she didn't move, though whether it was from fright, disbelief, or maybe hope that the sword would obey in the end, she herself didn't know. "Enough of this. Die," the daiyōkai spoke calmly as he moved to swing the blade…

…only to have Tessaiga suddenly rip away from him when it was aligned with the scabbard and fly straight towards Kagome. Smirking, Kagome swiftly put the scabbard at her hip and moved one step to the side so that she could catch the blade as it soared past her.

"Yes, indeed, it would seem it has," she said as she glanced at her brother, who was once again missing an arm. The scabbard's call hadn't been powerful enough to make Tessaiga slip out of Sesshōmaru's grasp, but it was strong enough to rip his borrowed arm out of the socket of his shoulder. Said arm was now lying at Kagome's feet and the hanyō scrunched up her nose when a scent she was quickly starting to memorize entered her nose. Satisfaction forgotten, she turned towards Sesshōmaru and nailed him with a heated glare.

"Oi, Sesshōmaru," she started as she shouldered Tessaiga, her way of showing she had no desire to fight any more. Sesshōmaru, who had by then turned his back on her, most likely intending to leave now that he wouldn't be able to hold Tessaiga anymore, anyway, stopped in his tracks when Kagome called him, and even graced her with an annoyed look over his shoulder. Why he decided to listen, Kagome didn't know, but she was glad he did.

"I know you. I met you enough times to know what you're like. You wouldn't have bothered to find a suitable human arm just to wield the Tessaiga. Knowing you, if you'd try looking for an arm, you'd want an arm of a strong yōkai," she said, her glare narrowing. "So who gave you that arm, and that nest of insects from last time? And why would you, the great Sesshōmaru accept their help?" she just couldn't understand that. It was so unlike him. Sesshōmaru never accepted anyone's help. He was above it. So why this time around?

But Sesshōmaru didn't grace her with an answer, his gaze saying more than he ever would in words – as far as he was concerned, this was not any of her business, so he would not tell her. Without a word he started walking again, and this time, Kagome didn't stop him, although she did growl low in her throat as she watched him walk away.

"Was it someone who called himself Naraku?" she probed, somehow once again making Sesshōmaru stop in his tracks… or rather, mid-ascend, as he was about to fly off. And he wasn't the only one. Inuyasha, who had started to walk towards Kagome stopped dead in his tracks at that particular question as well, just as Miroku. Kagome growled louder. "Answer me, Sesshōmaru!" she yelled at him, her anger rising. Sesshōmaru didn't even turn around as he answered.

"This Sesshōmaru has no obligation to tell you anything, hanyō," he said coldly, yet made no move to fly away. "But know that this Sesshōmaru would never accept help from anyone. This Sesshōmaru does not need anyone's help to achieve what this Sesshōmaru wants," and with those words, the daiyōkai left.

"What the Hell did he mean by that?" Inuyasha asked as he glanced between the spot where Sesshōmaru had been but a few short second ago, and the still seething Kagome. "Was that his way of saying he didn't meet Naraku?"

"No," Kagome replied immediately. "I've smelled it enough times to recognize that stench anywhere. The one who gave that arm to Sesshōmaru was definitely Naraku," she growled.

"So then, was Sesshōmaru-sama lying?" Miroku asked doubtfully, the fact that he recognized Sesshōmaru's strength easy to detect in his voice and way of talking about the demon. Kagome sighed and shook her head, motioning for the two spiritualists to follow her as she started walking back towards the village. Inuyasha fell into step beside her and Miroku walked slightly behind with Shippō perched on his shoulder, as the kit had come out of hiding almost as soon as Sesshōmaru started to leave.

"No, he wasn't," Kagome replied. "That was his way of doing two possible things. Either warning me, which I doubt because he hates me," somehow, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice that Kagome sounded somewhat sad as she said it, "or, which is far more likely, it was his way of simply stating what he thought was obvious."

"What do you mean, Kagome?" Shippō asked slowly and Kagome sighed.

"Sesshōmaru isn't one to accept anyone's help. He accepted that arm, though, meaning he didn't think of it as someone helping him. The only other option is that it was part of a bargain," she replied in a low tone. "But he wouldn't go out of his way to help someone else out, even as part of a bargain, either. Meaning Naraku's interest could be taken care of at the same time as getting Tessaiga," she finished, leaving the conclusion up in the air, though it was obvious to anyone what the only conclusion was. 'Naraku… he wants my head,' Kagome thought, but knowing this only made more questions pop up. 'If he wanted me dead from the start, though, why go through all the trouble to make that trap for Kikyo and I? Why not kill me himself, disguised as Kikyo? Even if he wanted us both dead, he could have just killed us one after the other. Why go through the trouble of wounding Kikyo, but not killing her, just to have her try to kill me? Just so that the Jewel could be tainted?' somehow, she doubted that. There were plenty of other ways to get the Jewel tainted.

"Then the question that remains would be why," Miroku murmured and Kagome's ears twitched on her head, trying to catch his soft-spoken words, although she didn't need to strain her hearing to understand.

"How are you even sure it's Naraku?" Inuyasha suddenly asked.

"I smelt his lingering stench on that arm," Kagome replied easily as she glanced at Inuyasha from the corner of her eye, only now truly registering that he was back. "I haven't picked it up a lot of times, but his stench is one that's hard to forget," she added after a while.

Silence fell over the group as they slowly continued the leisure walk back towards the village. Kagome's nose easily caught Kaede's scent as they approached. The old priestess must have come to the forest to gather some herbs.

"How… how is your back?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, his voice just quiet enough for only Kagome to hear. The half-demon turned her head slightly to glance at the teen. He wasn't looking at her, staring instead at the ground beneath his feet, his eyes bearing a guilty gleam. She couldn't help but smile reassuringly, despite the fact that he didn't see it.

"It's fine," she replied. "The wounds have healed…" she cut herself off and came to an abrupt halt as her own words made hit her hard, something she had overlook before suddenly frighteningly obvious. 'Wounds… I was wounded when Sesshōmaru first came… I was weakened… so much easier to kill than usual,' she noticed in shock, her eyes slowly rising to glance at Inuyasha, who, along with Miroku, had stopped to glance at her questioningly when she stopped so suddenly. She quickly averted her eyes back to the ground, but not in embarrassment, as her thoughts raced. 'He had that nest, too. That nest if poisonous insects that almost poisoned Miroku-sama to death… insects that could poison him while they were sucked into the kazaana…'

Their encounter with Sesshōmaru was too timely to be a mere coincidence. It was planned, it had been the perfect death-trap, had Shippō not arrived when he did and had Sesshōmaru had a little less honor than he had. They had barely gotten out if it alive, though. It had been a really close call.

Sesshōmaru probably came as soon as he got his arm. He wouldn't have waited, he'd attack as soon as he got the means to hold Tessaiga.

That means that there was a big chance of the one who gave him the arm knowing what condition Kagome was in to begin with. And there was really only one way he could know.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked when the half-demon didn't start walking again, or move at all for that matter, standing still as a statue and glaring at the ground, instead. "Hey, Kagome?" he tried again, but she didn't respond. She didn't even hear him. 'He's watching us. That means he has to be close… it means he knows his plan didn't work out, he knows I've regained Tessaiga and that Inuyasha's back…' a terrifying realization came over her as the teen's name popped up in her mind. Her eyes widened. 'He possibly knows about Inuyasha's origin… about the well,' she realized, a cold sensation running down her spine at the thought. She barely suppressed a shudder.

"Oi, Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice finally reached her ears and she blinked, her eyes once again seeing what they were looking at as she was brought back to reality. She shook her head and brought a clawed hand to pinch her nose, trying to calm her thoughts.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," she said, even though no one asked anything.

"Ye don't look fine," the voice of an elderly woman responded and Kagome quickly snapped her head up to see who spoke, not that she didn't realize the voice. Kaede must have felt her aura and approached them when they stopped so suddenly.

"I am," she assured the group, though they still eyed her doubtfully and, in Inuyasha's case, even a little worriedly. She sighed. "I just realized something really perturbing, is all," she admitted slowly.

"What would that be, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked gravely, but before Kagome could respond, a slightly stronger breeze came from behind them, seemingly pushing them on and also bringing a certain scent into Kagome's nose. She stiffened and sniffed a few extra times to make sure she wasn't imagining it. She wasn't.

"He's here," she growled, and before anyone could stop her, she turned around and leapt towards the trees, intent on finding the source of the stench. It couldn't be far. The scent the sudden change of the wind had brought into her nose was far too strong to have come from far away.

"Kagome!"

"Kagome-sama!" three voices called her at the same time, but she wouldn't stop, racing as fast as she could to where she knew the scent was coming from. She could swear she saw a glint of white not far from her between the trees. 'Gotcha,' she thought as she sped up even more and prepared her claws. She swung when she was close enough, but he evaded her and landed easily on the ground, her right beside him. Before he could attack or try to flee, Miroku came up behind him, followed by Inuyasha and Kaede.

"You're Naraku," Kagome growled at the baboon-clad man, making Miroku's eyes widen when he realized just what demon the hanyō-girl had led him to. His eyes narrowed and for the first time since she'd met him, Kagome not only saw it in his eyes, but also smelt the strong scent of hatred coming off of the monk. She didn't allow herself to be distracted by that, though, keeping her eyes on Naraku instead, in case he attacked or tried to flee.

The man, or rather demon, impersonating a baboon hardly moved an inch, but his posture revealed he didn't feel very threatened by the hanyō or any of the spiritualists. Kagome narrowed her eyes and flexed her claws.

"I wasn't planning on actually hunting you down for what you did, but since you so graciously decided to reveal yourself to me, I can't just let you go and do nothing," she said in a seemingly nonchalant tone, slowly moving into a fighting stance, Miroku doing the same thing opposite her, while Inuyasha slowly moved behind the demon, his hand slowly reaching for his sword even as he moved to cut off another way to escape, leaving Naraku with only one way to go. Or at least, that's what Inuyasha believed. "Before I kill you, though, tell me one thing," Kagome continued, fighting the urge to glance at the black haired teen. It wouldn't be good to let Naraku know someone was cutting off his route from behind. Even if he could still, possibly, take to the skies if he had the ability, it was better for Inuyasha to still have the element of surprise, since he was stealthy enough for the demon not to notice him, as his hearing wasn't as good as Kagome's it would seem. Or at the very least, he pretended not to notice the teen and the hanyō was not about to chance giving him away. "What grudge do you hold against me?" she finally asked, for it was certain he had some kind of grudge. Why would he want her head so badly otherwise? This couldn't be just because of her blood.

"Grudge, huh?" Naraku said with a chuckle, apparently amused by Kagome's words for one reason or another. As his eyes were hooded by the baboon's skull, it was very hard to read him. "I guess you can't die in peace not knowing why someone hates you so much," he said, a perturbing smirk on his face, but Kagome wasn't thrown off by his relaxed demeanor. She knew he could be either bluffing, or he could be really powerful, and thus not scared of her, but she wasn't about to leave an opening to find out which of those was true.

"I think I have a right to know what I did to piss off someone I've never met," Kagome growled, bending her knees slightly. She would wait for an answer, of course, but if he refused to give one, then she'd do without. Not knowing why he hated her didn't stop her from killing him, after all. Naraku merely chuckled again.

"Would anyone need any specific reason to hate the likes of you?" he asked rhetorically, amusement still present in his voice. Kagome snarled, suddenly feeling much, much angrier. She got ready to leap at him, thinking the 'conversation' over… until Kaede stepped forward, regarding Naraku with a wide eye.

"You are…" she started, but trailed off, recognition easy to detect in her single eye. Kagome doubted the miko had ever seen this demon before, though. That meant she had recognized his aura. And he recognized her, as well.

"Kaede, huh," he said, rather than asked, another chuckle coming forth from his throat. "My, my, how old you've grown."

"You know me?" Kaede asked briefly, but it sounded more like a statement than a question. "I knew it. You're Onigumo." Kagome blinked at the old miko's words, trying to understand her meaning. 'Onigumo? No, that's not possible. Onigumo was human. That's definitely a demon standing in front of me. They can't be the same person… unless Naraku devouring Onigumo allowed him to get the bandit's memories?'

"Onigumo… Such a nostalgic name," the yōkai's voice made Kagome focus on the current situation again. She listened intently to what was being said, all while berating herself for her little moment of distraction, thankful the demon hadn't used it. "I, Naraku, am not Onigumo," Naraku spoke and Kagome snorted.

"I figured out that much, thank you," she muttered under her breath, not loud enough for the other demon to hear. She frowned. 'His hearing isn't as good as mine, and I'm only hanyō. So he's not a mammal-yōkai of any kind. Not an inu, not a neko, nothing like that. But what kind of demon is he?' she wondered as she discretely scented the air, but his stench was far too evil to allow to distinguish what breed of yōkai he could possibly be, especially with the scent of the baboon which's pelt he wore partially covering his true one. The young hanyō suppressed a growl of frustration. Not knowing what he was, she had no idea what to expect of him next, and she wasn't very fond of surprises of this kind.

"But it is true that fifty years ago, I was born out of Onigumo," Naraku continued, unperturbed, causing Kagome to straighten up and drop her offensive stance in surprise, though she still remained vigilant. She wasn't the only one. Miroku reacted the same way and Inuyasha seemed to lose his focus completely as he stared at the yōkai's back with bewilderment clear in his eyes. 'Born out of him? What the Hell does he mean by that?' the black haired teen wondered.

"Onigumo was a foolish man," Naraku continued, as if sensing the group's bewilderment and deciding to humor them with explanations. "He began to desire the kind-hearted miko who nursed him," his words made a truly feral growl come forth from Kagome's throat, but it went unnoticed by everyone but the hanyō herself, though she wasn't quite sure why she got so angry. She could hardly condemn a man for his feelings, a human's heart couldn't be controlled by reason, after all. Even she, the half-human that she was, knew that. "He succumbed to his weakness and called forth the demons and let them devour him, demanding in return a body that could move and power that could allow him to posses both the Shikon and Kikyo," Naraku continued, this time actually turning to glance at Kagome briefly when she snarled savagely. 'Lusting for Kikyo is one thing… but to wish to posses her like a mere object and to give himself to demons just to have the power to actually go through with it whether she wanted it or not… how dare he disgrace her like that,' she thought angrily, her eyes narrowing to slits at the demon in front of her, the demon who had once been the human being he now spoke about. 'I will not forgive that,' Kagome vowed, while Naraku turned away from her again, seemingly disinterested as he finished his story.

"That is how many demons became one – Naraku. Creating my body took countless demons, and because the miko had been reduced to a powerless girl, this region had teemed with demons," Naraku turned to Kagome again as he spoke, a smirk playing at his lips while the half-demon tried to control her anger, since she wanted to know the whole truth about what happened fifty years ago – and she was certain Naraku was not lying. She'd be able to scent or hear it if he was. "All because the miko Kikyo learned to love and regard as a sister a filthy and worthless being, a hanyō," he said with satisfaction almost palpable in his voice, even though Kagome refused to show how his words affected her. Inuyasha glanced between the yōkai, the hanyō and Kikyo's siter, his own brain trying to make heads or tails of what was being said. 'Kikyo… Kikyo lost her powers because of her connection to Kagome?' he thought doubtfully. 'Is that even possible?' it sounded ridiculous as far as he was concerned.

"She gave in to childish desires, tried to use the Shikon's power and was punished," Naraku finished, turning once again towards Miroku, Kaede and Shippō (who had now found a perch on the miko's shoulder, instead of the monk's), not having acknowledged Inuyasha even once during the whole speech, as if he hadn't even noticed him. "Inuyasha," Naraku drew out her title like a taunt, though he didn't turn his head this time, most likely just moving his eyes to glance at her, "you've experienced the punishment yourself."

"Punishment my ass!" Kagome exploded, her eyes practically shooting daggers at the baboon-clad man and shining with a fury Inuyasha had never seen before. "You tricked us! You tricked Kikyo into trying to kill me and me to believe she betrayed me!"

"Then let me ask you, Inuyasha, was the trust you had in each other so easy to destroy? The truth is that anger, bitter anger turned her against you and would have turned you against her, had you not been hit by that one arrow. That is the true legacy of the trust you had for each other," the demon said with a smirk. But his words had the opposite effect of the one he most likely wanted, because instantly, Kagome calmed down and smirked right back.

"Oh, really?" she said sarcastically, her scent filled with confidence, had anyone been able to smell it. "If what you say is true and if our trust in each other had indeed been destroyed so easily, why am I standing before you? Why aren't I dead? Why did I not leave the village and never return upon awakening?" she asked question after question, her voice confident, strong and arrogantly satisfied all at the same time. "Let me tell you why. Because some part of Kikyo still believed I haven't done anything, so she couldn't bring herself to fire an arrow that would actually kill me. And because I wanted answers and knew that if I'd find them anywhere at all, it would be near the village it happened. I believed Kikyo had a very valid reason for doing what she did, and she, somewhere deep down, believed I wouldn't betray her, so she left me a sliver of a chance to be revived. So you tell me, did you really manage to destroy our mutual trust? Because I fail to see it that way," she finished smugly, noting not without satisfaction that Naraku's smirk had vanished from his face. Of course, she was still angry, but now, she was able to hide it behind a mask of confidence and smugness. But Naraku didn't seem overly perturbed by her words and his smirk was right back on his face quicker than anyone expected it to. The clearing they were at fell silent for a minute before Naraku spoke up again.

"If that's what you think then explain, hanyō, why did Kikyo choose to die and not cling to life, instead, so that she could ask you for an explanation? Why make sure you followed her into death with an arrow instead of wishing on the Jewel to live, like she should have? Had she pleaded for her life, her wretched wish would have easily been granted…"

"She didn't because she wasn't anywhere near stupid enough to do such a foolish thing!" Kagome yelled, interrupting Naraku easily, though her mind was much calmer than her voice. 'The way he said that… it makes me think he wanted Kikyo to live,' she thought. 'Wait… Kaede said something about Onigumo's infatuation with Kikyo… what was it… oh yeah, she said the bandit wanted to see Kikyo angry and filled with hatred…' suddenly, it all made sense. The whole plan was devised for two purposes. One: to kill Kagome and to have Kikyo do the deed and two: to fill Kikyo's heart with hatred and bitterness, the Jewel's defilement being merely a side-effect and a bonus.

But knowing all that only made Kagome even madder.

"Such a foolish woman. The Sacred Jewel only grows more beautiful when it's tainted," Naraku said in response. The only answer he got after those words was Kagome pouncing at him. She was done reigning her anger, she was done listening to his provocative words. Now was the time for action. It was the time to protect the honor of someone who could no longer do it herself. 'How dare he say that about her!' Kagome thought furiously as she closed in on the demon, faster than any of the human's could follow.

Naraku escaped into the air, but Kagome easily followed him, both of them now much too high for Miroku or Inuyasha to help, but Kagome hardly cared. This was between him and her, anyway (though admittedly, Miroku had just as much of a reason to fight the guy as her). She swung her claws at him in a wide arc, but they only caught his pelt as the demon quickly threw it off. Kagome glared at his now revealed, masculine form, though he still hid his face behind the sleeve of the obviously expensive kimono he wore, as if he tried to impersonate a lord. In the next second, a cloud of violet gas, one the young hanyō easily identified as miasma – the same miasma that the cursed sword had been made of – surrounded them. Where Naraku released it from she didn't know, nor did she care.

Holding her breath, Kagome allowed herself to land on the ground, her already-damaged haori taking an even more savage beating as the shouki started to slowly dissolve it and her hands not faring any better because of her fight with Sesshōmaru. She heard another set of feet landing not far from her and knew Naraku had landed as well. That was all the better. She smirked, waiting for a sign of any kind to know where to aim, her hand slowly reaching for Tessaiga's hilt, disregarding the growing pain entierly.

"So you've sunken into my miasma," she heard from not far away and she smirked. Without a word, she ripped her sword from its sheath, letting it transform instantly. It cut through the shouki easily – a thing she honestly didn't expect but wasn't about to complain about – leaving the space between her and her enemy clear. He was staring at her with wide eyes before he swiftly turned his back and started to walk away from her, probably planning to flee. 'Big mistake, dumbass,' Kagome thought as she jumped after him, Tessaiga held firmly above her head. It took but a second to aim before she brought the sword down. Had Naraku been facing her, he might have laughed at her apparent lack of focus, for the sword cut only the air between the two of them. If he had, though, it would have been the end of him, because was Kagome did was to unleash the Wound of the Wind.

The destructive energy raced towards the demon whose back was turned and a great explosion followed not even half-a-second after it hit. The wind it caused blew away the cloud of miasma, allowing Kagome to breathe freely once again, but she only frowned when she glanced at where Naraku had been only a second prior. There was a perfectly circular crater there, with a few lines inside that were made by the Kaze no Kizu. But Kagome's attack was not the one that made the crater itself, of that she was sure.

"Fucking coward," Kagome growled angrily as she sheathed her blade and straightened up. "He fled," she muttered angrily as she glanced up at the sky, a fierce glare on her face. 'Next time we meet,' she thought, 'Next time our paths cross, I won't let you get away. Be sure of that, Naraku, I will kill you, whenever you decide to show your face again – because I know you will,' she vowed to herself before turning around and calling out to Inuyasha, in response to him calling her name.

~ξ~

A few hours later found them back at the village, more precisely in Kaede's hut. Well, in Kagome's case, on Kaede's hut would be even more accurate, since she decided to lay down on the roof.

[T]

Now that all the excitement was over and she had time to just sit down and think, something Naraku had said kept ringing in her head, making her distinctly uncomfortable and guilty.

'He said… Kikyo lost her powers because she learned to accept and love me like a sister,' she thought, her face expressionless save for her eyes, which shone with profound sadness. Naraku hadn't been lying, she knew that – or at least whatever he said, he believed to be true himself. 'Could he be right? Could I… be possibly the reason why she became weaker?' she couldn't help but wonder, her heart clenching at the very idea. It was possible in a way, after all. She was hanyō, after all, a being that, in almost any spiritualist's beliefs, was as impure as any other demon, if not more. Could that supposed impurity possibly pass on to Kikyo somehow and weaken her?

The idea seemed ridiculous… but what other reason would there be for Kikyo to become weaker? And she had become weaker after a while of knowing her. Kagome might have never mentioned it, but she had noticed it – only back then, she had believed Kikyo had simply not used her full power for whatever reason. 'If that was really it… if she really lost a part of her power and if it was really because of me…' her thoughts trailed off for a moment, but she couldn't stop the proverbial wheels from turning. She couldn't stop her thoughts from continuing like she might have wanted to. 'What if it happened with Inuyasha, too?'

It didn't seem like she had to worry about that for now. He was strong and steadily getting stronger – Shippō had already told her how he killed a group of lower yōkai as soon as he came through the well. Low-level as they might have been, they were still his first kills on his own and they were the proof he was getting stronger. But how long would it last? There would come a time when he learned to use a sword as well as he could, when he would know how to use his reiki properly, what then? Would he start to lose his powers like Kikyo had if she stayed around too long? 'I can't allow that,' she thought resolutely, but at the same time had to acknowledge that the only thing she could do to prevent it was to leave for good. Her ears drooped at the thought. 'I don't want that,' she admitted, if only to herself.

She didn't want him to leave her, and she didn't want to leave him, either. She couldn't tell why, it just was that way.

"Kagome!" the voice of the boy of her thoughts cut through her inner monologue and she sat up on the roof before she easily moved over to its edge to glance down at the ground. Sure enough, Inuyasha stood there with his head upturned to stare at her. She sighed in exasperation.

"I told you to get some sleep," she called down to him. "You look like shit."

"And I told you I was fine!"

"We're not leaving yet."

"I'm telling you we can. I'm not tired,"

"But I am," Kagome lied and easily as she leaned away from the roof's edge and one again lied down on her back. She hoped the discussion would end there. Why couldn't he just listen to her and go to sleep? He obviously needed it. She didn't know why he could be possibly so tired, given that he had been in his time the last couple of days and she doubted that he spent the whole time, without pause, trying to figure out how to seal the Jewel. Still, for whatever reason, he had obviously missed a good number of hours of sleep and the human body wasn't made to last very long without rest, so she had told him they'd leave tomorrow. But of course, he had to be stubborn and insist he was fine, when he was obviously very much dead on his feet. To be quite honest, considering what he looked like, Kagome was impressed he wasn't collapsing right there and then.

"Then come into the hut. There's plenty of room there!"

"I'm comfortable enough here!"

"Then I'll come up to you!"

'Wait, what?' she hadn't expected that. She also didn't expect him to actually mean it, but he surprised her when he jumped up to grab the edge of the roof. The hut was low enough for him to reach it rather easily and soon, he was pulling himself up until he was on the roof, lying down beside her.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked her when he found a comfortable position. Kagome shrugged.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing important."

"Yeah, and I'm the queen of England."

Kagome didn't answer that, merely turning her head to stare at him with a questioning look. He sighed when he noticed it.

"It's a figure of speech. I'm telling you something that obviously isn't true as a way to show you I'm not buying your bullshit," he explained and Kagome nodded in understanding.

"It's not true because you're not a queen, not a female, or because 'England' doesn't even exist?" she asked, curious.

"Because I'm not a female, much less a queen. England is an island in the far East, part of the European continent."

"European continent?" Kagome asked again, making Inuyasha groan softly.

"Don't change the subject," he said then. "What were you thinking about?"

"I told you, nothing important."

"Bullshit."

"I'm not lying."

"Bullshit," Inuyasha repeated, his eyes narrowing in a glare. "You think you're the only one who can see when people are lying?" he asked rhetorically, irritation seeping into his voice. Kagome sighed, but caved in, realizing he wouldn't let it go.

"Something Naraku said," she admitted finally, surprising Inuyasha, if the sudden widening of his eyes was anything to go by. Then he snorted and turned to stare at the darkening sky again.

"Don't believe anything he says. He probably just wants to mess with your head," he finally grunted, his eyes closing despite himself. Kagome didn't answer, only bit her lip as she too stared at the sky. 'It's hard not to listen to it when I know he wasn't lying and that his words somehow make sense,' she thought as she let silence envelop them for a while. After a few minutes, she suddenly realized that Inuyasha's breathing pattern had slowed and evened out. Turning her head to the side, she found him fast asleep. He must have been more tired than even she thought he was.

He looked peaceful as he slept, much more so than any other time. There was no anger in his expression, no irritation, no arrogance, just peace. She had never seen him with such an expression before and for some reason, it made her sad. She wished he could be as peaceful as he seemed to be now when he was awake, too.

As night fell over them making the nightly chill set in and she gently removed her by then 'healed' haori to drape over him like a blanket, a sudden realization hit her. It wasn't a big epiphany, it was something she had known deep down for a while now, but only now could she finally admit it. Even if she tried to, she wouldn't be able to leave his side just yet. He was getting stronger, but he still wasn't strong enough for her to be able to leave him on his own and be sure he'd be fine. So her protector instincts wouldn't allow her to leave until then. 'I can't leave yet, and not only because of my promise to Kikyo,' Kagome told herself. 'I have to stay and make sure he's strong enough to stand his ground on his own against more than just low-level demon scum. And if he loses his powers before I deem him ready to wander around in this time on his own, then his pride be damned, I'll protect him with my life,' she thought determinedly as she lied down next to him.

Despite her fears, she wouldn't leave his side, not yet. He had a lot to learn still, so she couldn't leave him alone. So she wouldn't, until he was able to defend himself as if he had lived here his whole life.

[/T]

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And this is it. That's it for this month. I hope you like it and see you next month (which will hopefully be less stressful than this month had been… though I frankly doubt it… :/).

Fun Fact: This chapter (as in, chapter 30 in general) was originally supposed to be introducing Sango, but since a few Arcs got a bit longer than I expected them to, that got postponed. Sorry for that. But not to worry, our favorite demon slayer will enter the fray… eventually :D