Usual disclaimer about characters belonging to someone else unless they are original

Kohaku studiously observed the slaughter from his hidden perch in the trees. He noted the locations of each strike, the speed required, and the follow up. As a demon hunter, Kohaku knew when he was watching a master of his craft at work. The pure white snow served as the canvas for Shiroime's artistry of death.

Four hulking trolls had blundered through the woods into the ambush laid by Shiroime and the wolf demons. Shiroime and his partner shifted silently downwind while the wolves did likewise on their end, albeit with less grace. This way, all the hunters could see the backs of their intended prey. Just as quietly, without any signal which Kohaku could discern, the canine and lupine yōkai pounced instantly.

A few heartbeats later, the massacre was over. All four heads had been severed and none of the hunters were injured. "I forgot to mention, young human, their necks are easy to cut and pierce. That may be useful to you. Small targets so you will need to be precise. Come, we have more prey and this time, I want to see what kind of hunter Lord Sesshōmaru has chosen." Kohaku laughed nervously. It was true that Sesshōmaru-sama was placing a lot of confidence in him and Kohaku wasn't sure why.

"You're being manipulated," Sesshōmaru commented as he followed Tōran deeper into the forest. She spun around with accusations in her eyes.

"Say that again?" Her tone indicated a threat.

"The spider is manipulating you by stirring your emotions," her mate replied coldly.

"So what?" Tōran snapped back.

"Your judgement is impaired by your emotions. Use your powers and master them," Sesshōmaru told her, watching Tōran for any change. If, in her fury, she turned on him, Sesshōmaru prepared to defend himself.

"The Mistress of Winter fighting with a burning rage? Maybe she could defeat me with such passion! Her sister's fire is almost extinguished, so be quick!" Jorōgumo's voice echoed around them.

Tōran snarled bestially and charged ahead, slashing through the trees with her ice lance. That sound she made aroused the animal part of Sesshōmaru, though he quickly tamped it down and kept his emotions in check. He sighed slightly and followed at a walking pace. This was Tōran's quest and Sesshōmaru was not foolish enough to stand in her way. She would either conquer without him or he would catch up to her when he needed to.

Damn Sesshōmaru! How dare he tell her to calm down! Karan's life depended on every moment and she would never forgive him if his slowness resulted in her death. Worse, she would never be able to look Shunran and Shuran in the eye again. What kind of elder sister would she be if she couldn't protect her younger siblings? It was too easy for Sesshōmaru to say such things when he and his brother barely got along. He knew nothing of what family truly meant! The stupid canine knew nothing of the fear and emptiness of losing family!

Every heartbeat recalled to Tōran how very close she had come to losing her siblings four years ago. The shocking swiftness of their deaths and the suddenness of their return had shaken Tōran to the core. And it had shown her that Sesshōmaru was powerful in his own right. But that episode had also shown her just how disconnected Sesshōmaru was from almost everything. The connections he was constructing now were new and superficial. How could he ever know the feeling of helplessness?

At that moment, Tōran broke through the trees into a dark, grassy area. No light shone through as the canopy was covered by spider webs and the stench of spiders was strongest here. Large lumps lay gathered about in rows, covered by spider silk.

"Welcome to my larder, little Tōran. Your sister is here somewhere, still alive. Good luck finding her!"

"Come out and fight me!" Tōran yelled back as she rushed towards the closest one and began ripping off the webbing. Immediately, a spider yōkai lunged out at her, narrowly missing her neck. Tōran flew back and sent an ice spike into the offending creature, impaling it. Other spiders began emerging to swarm towards her. Tōran roared her defiance and charged towards them, unheeding of their poisonous fangs and bursts of sticky spider silk.

Sesshōmaru strolled past the devastated tree-line into grassy area before him. It was no trouble tracking Tōran since all he had to do was follow the broken trees. But it had been some minutes since she had rushed off on her own. He had heard the sounds of fighting and death but that had abruptly ceased moments earlier. And now, in the middle of this glade, he saw a large oval shape covered in spider silk. Tōran's scent was here but it was faint.

"Come to meet your end as well? I have no quarrel with you, so leave with your life. Tōran and Karan are mine," Jorōgumo chuckled.

"Incorrect," Sesshōmaru simply replied, drawing Bakusaiga. It pulsed in eager anticipation, matching his rising bloodlust. "I am Sesshōmaru and Tōran is mine!"

A swarm of black spiders descended from the trees around, spitting gobs of sticky silk towards him. Sesshōmaru stood still, batting away the gobs with Bakusaiga. His sword shone in an eerie green, melting the spider silk it touched instantly. At the same time, it released a wave of corrosive energy that burned down the trees housing the spiders trying to ensnare him.

The spiders leapt from their trees and began swarming towards Sesshōmaru in waves of midnight black. Each time he released a wave of corrosive energy, more spiders appeared to replace the ones he killed. "And now, you meet your end as food for my children!" Jorōgumo cackled as the spiders began biting Sesshōmaru.

Poisons flowed into Sesshōmaru, burning him internally momentarily before dissolving harmlessly in his blood. He took a deep breath and raised the sword before him, channeling energy into it. "Seiryūha!" he called out and blue-green energy swirled around him, melting away the spiders swarming over him. Each tendril of energy began to join to form a fierce dragon that ripped and tore into the spiders before rising to break the spider web ceiling. For a moment, it struck the webbing and seemed to falter but, with a deafening roar, the energy tore through and exploded into the air above them. "I did not come here to fight weaklings."

"Oh, bravo. A spectacular light show. A pity you couldn't do it without breaking my roof. I can fix that later, after I kill you," Jorōgumo commented dryly. Through the broken web, sunlight shone down onto the figure in the middle and a white-skinned woman with jet-black hair descended from the web above. She landed next to the sunlit figure. "You know, your dear Tōran is under here, trapped, paralyzed, poisoned, and suffocating. So, why not surrender to me? Be my pet and I promise you ecstasy for the rest of your life!"

Sesshōmaru examined the humanoid form before him. She wore a white spider silk corset, which emphasized her long bare legs and impressive bust. Sesshōmaru, however, felt nothing. Tōran was his mate and that was enough to satisfy him. "She is strong enough to break through that weak shell," Sesshōmaru commented without emotion. "I am the Demon Dog Lord and I will not be your pet."

"Such misplaced confidence in little Tōran! How could her small breasts ever satisfy a man?" Jorōgumo laughed, pushing out her own breasts and advancing towards him with unabashed confidence. "Oh! I know! You like those little things, you pervert! Are my girls too large for you?"

Sesshōmaru looked past Jorōgumo at the encased Tōran and saw that blue light was pulsing from within. He guessed what would happen soon and decided to keep Jorōgumo talking.

"You are weak. No male would be satisfied by such a soft and weak female. Tōran may be smaller but she is certainly tougher than you," Sesshōmaru sneered.

"What? How dare you!" Jorōgumo screeched as the light behind her grew in intensity. It was then that she noticed the light and turned just as it erupted in a blinding flash. Sesshōmaru smirked smugly.

"He is mine!" Tōran screamed as she emerged, thrusting a three-pointed spear towards Jorōgumo, cutting her left cheek as she ducked aside. However, Tōran pulled the spear back, hooking Jorōgumo's neck and pushing her towards Tōran. With a sharp hiss of anger, the Panther daiyōkai drove her hand into Jorōgumo's belly and released energy into her attack.

"How?" was all Jorōgumo uttered as she collapsed to the ground. Tōran stabbed her in the back with the crescent-shaped spear and looked at Sesshōmaru.

"My breasts aren't small," she told him, "Find Karan." Sesshōmaru turned to look, still smiling smugly.

Author's Notes

1. I am seriously having writer's block. I'm just not sure what the next few steps should be.

2. I know this is short. I have a NSFW part planned. I may add more details in later revisions. Just wanted to get something out there.

3. Constructive feedback and comments always welcome.