"Sesshomaru!"

"Hello, little brother." Sesshomaru spoke calmly as he approached the pair.

"I'm not giving you the Tessaiga." Inuyasha challenged.

"There is little you could do to prevent me from doing as I pleased, Inuyasha." Inuyasha growled in frustration at the truth of his brother's words.

Though Sesshomaru's eyes watched his brother, every other sense was trained on the woman Inuyasha was crouched protectively in front of. Though he did not concern himself with his brother's dalliances, he found this woman to be rather…interesting.

He had come across the pair after tracking his brother in his inu form, the sulfur having made it more difficult to scent in his human form leading him to shift. Inuyasha had been fighting a deranged demon and Sesshomaru was prepared to enter the fray; if only to prevent someone of his father's blood from being killed by such a weak demon. However, a woman who had been standing to the side of the battle suddenly bolted forward and Sesshomaru decided to observe from a distance for the time being, curious about this woman the villagers had called a witch and who his brother's mate had deemed a threat.

He sensed no power from her; she was a mere human. Yet, she was a magnificent sight to behold. Despite her obvious disadvantage, her movements were fluid and unnaturally quick. Her eyes were sharp and calculative, confident that she would be victorious despite the overwhelming foe she was facing; a small smirk at the corner of her mouth. Her midnight hair was pulled from her face and he watched as her sweat from fighting in such heat trailed down the side of her face, and down her slender neck before disappearing between her breasts. He admired her form and found himself staring at how each of her muscles would flex as she continued to deftly doge and cut attacks of her own; her humanity seemingly irrelevant.

Sesshomaru had to grudgingly admit that she was a master with the knives she was wielding and quite skilled with the bow as well. He even allowed that on technique alone she could give him a run for his money. Though, what truly caught his attention was that she was capable of condensing energy into a tangible form without the use of channeling; not unlike his own poison whip. It required immense control and power to use energy in such a way, power he did not sense her having. Upon closer inspection he found that she was using borrowed from the band on her arm. The adornment itself was curious, but Sesshomaru had seen first-hand that power stored in inanimate objects posed just as great a threat as inherent power when the user was capable enough.

Though he recognized her skill with a blade her dependence on a metal trinket left a bad taste in his mouth. He had fought long and hard for his position and those battles had shaped who he was today. His power and strength were earned as he overcame the many obstacles that opposed him.

Sesshomaru did notice that something was wrong with her. She seemed to struggle to maintain the weapons she materialized, though this did not surprise him in the least. Concentrating such large amounts of foreign power would cause tremendous strain on the body. Yet, despite the obvious pain and disorientation she must have been experiencing, she fought on; tenacious and unrelenting in her onslaught of attacks.

When the chameleon demon was finally defeated, he had expected Inuyasha to finish it off with their father's fang and was once again surprised when the woman laid hands on the demon. Sesshomaru almost took a step back in surprise at the incredible force of power she began to channel into the demon. He growled lowly at the cruelty with which she chose to dispose of the demon, having one's cells rupture one at a time was one of the most painful ways to die and her inexperience was only slowing the process.

Sesshomaru once again began to make his way to the demon, this time with the intention to end its life quickly so to not prolong its suffering when the girl began to slice the demons skin and infuse the armband's power into him. Sesshomaru was surprised when he felt the disease that had settled upon the chameleon begin to fade. His useless brother seemed to wake from his daze and dashed forward toward the woman who had finished healing the demon. Hearing his brother's voice, she turned and met the red eyes of his true form.

His heart stopped beating in his chest as he felt her eyes bore into his own, looking deep into his soul. He stood frozen behind his brother, completely exposed to her gaze. Her blue eyes that were so sharp and calculating as she fought the deranged demon were soft and curious despite her disorientation. It was only when they closed as she lost consciousness that he realized he had not been breathing. His gasped inhalation drew the attention of his brother who slid into a defensive crouch in front of the woman.

"What are ya doing here if ya don't want my sword?" Inuyasha questioned suspiciously, drawing Sesshomaru, who had shifted into his human form, back to the present.

"There is much to be discussed brother." He briefly glanced at the woman who was still collapsed at his brother's feet. "Perhaps it would be prudent to remove ourselves to a more favorable location." It was strange that Inuyasha was not more concerned for the woman who must be suffering from the extreme heat and threat of being burnt alive. The ground around them seemed to tremble and magma would ooze out of crevices in the island's surface occasionally yet Inuyasha had not even offered his fire rat robe. Sesshomaru actually thought it quite strange how the island was behaving, he had made sure that he knew what was happening on each of the islands since the Facture and had never before heard of the volcanic island being so active.

"Keh, we aint going anywhere with you."

"Your idiocy truly knows no bounds."

"Bastard!" Inuyasha growled as he tensed to attack. A weak grip on his ankle stopped him, though, and he looked down to see that though she was holding onto him, Kagome was still unconscious.

'So she saves him even in her sleep.' Sesshomaru mussed. "You will tell me of any unusual demonic power surges you have felt recently."

"And why should I do that?"

"I have just come from the elderly miko's home where your mate is currently staying in your absence."

"What about it?" Inuyasha growled harshly.

"She seems to have lost her ability to communicate with the world's energy." Sesshomaru stated mater-of-factly, "It would take very little effort on this Sesshomaru's part to rid this world of one defenseless pupped human."

"Not even you would do something so cruel, Sesshomaru."

"Do not test me." Inuyasha glared at his brother, trying to find any hesitance whatsoever in his threat, but none were to be found. Inuyasha scoffed and looked away in defeat.

"Aside from this demon here," he said gesturing to the incapacitated chameleon demon on the ground, "And then some of the surges around her," this time pointing to Kagome, "I haven't felt any demonic energy shifts."

"The demon was possessed?"

"I have no idea; you'll have to ask Kagome. She's the one who can sense that shit. Though she did something and its' aura returned to normal."

Sesshomaru hummed noncommittally, 'So she is capable of sensing the energy field despite having no inherent ability to use the energy.' He returned his attention back to his brother who looked like he would rather be anywhere else. "There are energy surges around the girl?"

"She is quite in tune with the energy of the world." Inuyasha said as he evaded a direct response. 'That would explain her almost nonexistent scent; she almost blends in with the nature around her.' Sesshomaru could sense that his brother was keeping secrets but decided not to pursue them at the moment. He had other things to straighten out first.

"This Sesshomaru has not checked in on you for quite some time." Inuyasha scoffed, "It is pack law that members must present their potential mates to their alpha to be approved."

"Yea well, we were a little busy with the aftermath of the Fracture and Kikyo losing her power to go hunting you down for approval, not that I even need it from you."

Sesshomaru suddenly felt a strong feeling of apprehension tingle down his spine. His voice was cold and laced with venom as he spoke, "Inuyasha, you wouldn't happen to know something about the fracture would you?" His brother's eyes widened and he subconsciously stepped backward, his foot nudging Kagome awake; though neither brother noticed. "Inuyasha…" His voice trailed off threateningly.

"We were there." Inuyasha finally relented, his face turned down in shame.

"You were there."

"Yes, but we couldn't do anything."

"Explain."

"We had been hunting Naraku for months; he had all the shards but one, which Kikyo was holding onto for safekeeping." That was a mistake, Sesshomaru though bitterly. "When he confronted us, he brought hordes of demons with him. Even using the full power of the Tessaiga, we were unable to hold them back and I was overwhelmed. He took Kikyo and stole the shard from her."

"You allowed that cur to claim the Shikon no Tama? Will you ever not bring shame upon our family?"

"Did you miss that part where I said he had hordes of demons? The sky was shadowed there were so many blocking out the sun! We fought for days on end but they kept coming!"

"What was his wish?"

"Power, he wished for all the power in the world." A vicious smirk spread across Inuyasha's face as he looked up into his brothers eyes, "His wish was his downfall; he was too greedy. Power and energy cannot come from nothing and he wanted everything. The jewel's power was not enough, so he began to draw from the land itself. The world fractured from the strain, the fission producing vast amounts of energy which support and divide the islands which were formed from six of the tectonic plates, the other plates being broken down into pure energy."

"If he has such power why is it that this Sesshomaru cannot sense him?"

"Kikyo and I realized early on that any wish made on the jewel would be twisted or granted in an unfavorable way. He wished for power, but not for the means to control that power."

"His body couldn't control it." Sesshomaru concluded.

"Yea, it was disgusting watching his body parts explode across the sky."

"And you found all these parts to ensure that he was, in fact, gone I presume." Sesshomaru said as he breathed out a relaxed sigh. This would explain why he had been unable to find the disgusting hanyou. It was certainly a weight off his shoulders though had he been the one to deal with Naraku, the world would probably still be in one piece.

"Are you kidding? I didn't have time for that!" Sesshomaru's blood ran cold, "Kikyo had just lost her powers and we had killed him, I wasn't about to go hunting down guts when I could finally mate her!"

"Fool, Naraku has regenerative abilities! How could you be so careless?" Sesshomaru fumed. "His body's self-destruct could have been a way to divide his power so that he could learn to control it in small regimens."

"There's… there's no way that's the case." Inuyasha said hesitantly, "I mean…he's dead. I haven't sensed his power and Kikyo hasn't sensed the jewel either."

"Your foolish mate no longer has any power."

"Umm." The brother's stopped arguing and turned to look at the woman who had woken without their notice. She was seated beside the chameleon demon and examining the gauntlets on its' wrists. Kagome was extremely confused. Inuyasha was talking to who she assumed was his brother, for all they looked alike, about some half demon named Naraku who could apparently regenerate and was the reason the world split into pieces.

Though, regeneration and world ending power aside, she found herself staring rudely at Inuyasha's brother. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, his long silver hair was kept neat and he had an air of royalty about him; even her heightened senses couldn't pick up any physical defaults. Her fingers accidently brushed against a rougher edge of the gauntlet and she realized what she had been doing. Clearing her throat she spoke, "I don't mean to intrude on your conversation, but this Naraku guy, was he able to poison minds or manipulate people?" Neither brother spoke, indicating that she should get on with her point so they could return to their conversation. "It's just that this guy wasn't in his right mind when he attacked and these gauntlets seem to be emitting a dark energy. I think it's what drove him to act out of character."

Sesshomaru said nothing as he looked down on the girl. He was tired of human women running around thinking that they knew everything and were capable of everything. After all, it was Inuyasha's mate who broke the Shikon no Tama in the first place when trying to fend off Naraku. Though this…Kagome… was fair with a sword…as good as he was with a sword, the energy around her armband was nagging at his mind; a constant reminder that she had no power of her own. He felt as if he needed to physically restrain himself from ripping it off of her and destroying it. It was a constant throbbing sensation in his mind that was pulling at his instincts.

"Naraku could manipulate people or cause their energy to run rampant by using a jewel, the Shikon no Tama, to do it. But Kikyo had the ability to purify the jewel shards."

"You said that this guy absorbed all the energy around him before rupturing and dispelling it back out."

"Keh. What about it?"

"Well, wouldn't he have absorbed the jewel too? What if these gauntlets have been infused with a part of his power combined with the jewel?"

"Like that's likely, idiot. It's just a theory that he is still alive."

"But look," she said as she began to weave her energy around the gauntlets. As she did, the impurity and evil was replaced with purity and they shone with holy energy. "See. And I don't think these are the only ones. I can sense more tainted energy farther inland."

Inuyasha looked to his brother who had a dark frown on his face.

"This doesn't mean he's still alive, just that there are objects that contain a power similar to the jewel." Inuyasha stated firmly.

"You will not take responsibility for your failure and rid the world of these objects?"

"My failure? I wasn't the one who caused the Fracture."

"You were unable to prevent it. Is it not the duty of your priestess to care for the jewel?"

"She's pupped, I refuse to allow her to travel and I won't be leaving her alone now that I know there are others running around with these cursed items."

"Yet here you are consorting with a human woman using borrowed power."

Inuyasha froze and his gaze fell to the delicate golden band wrapped around her arm. They had decided to not tell anyone of her power so she would be in less danger and he would cut out his own tongue before he told his brother how powerful she was. There was no way of knowing if Sesshomaru would rut her or kill her and Inuyasha wasn't willing to figure out which.

Kagome's eyes narrowed at Sesshomaru's comment, pointing to herself she asked in a chilling voice, "Me?" She hated it when people assumed that she had it easy back in Japan; particularly when they said she was only getting good grades because she was giving out favors to the professors. She worked hard to improve herself and her chances of survival. Her hands were not smooth but rough and calloused from the hours she spent sword in hand. She had an indentation on her third finger from where her pen had dug into her hand while furiously taking notes and doing practice problems. She could disarm and subdue a trained man three times her size in less than five minutes. Weak and dependent she was not.

"She's different." Inuyasha interjected quickly hearing the threat in Kagome's voice and hoping to divert his brother's attention back onto himself.

"I'm sure she is." Sesshomaru's voice was thick with insinuation. "Have you placed a claim on her?"

"Excuse me? Who is supposed to have placed a claim on me?" Kagome raged.

"Are you joking?" Inuyasha asked aghast, his brother's expression clearly said that Inuyasha was an idiot for thinking he would joke. "I already have a mate why would I claim her?"

"Good." Before Inuyasha or Kagome even realized he had moved Sesshomaru had already knocked Kagome out and thrown her over his unarmored shoulder. He turned to leave, his brother still standing beside the fallen demon. "Wait for the demon to wake before finding out what he knows and how he came into possession of these gauntlets." Sesshomaru said holding the two adornments he had snagged sometime during his attack on Kagome. "This Sesshomaru will send Jaken to your home to collect his testimony tomorrow as I presume you will be returning to protect your pupped mate."

"Now wait just a minute, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled as he gathered himself from the shock. His brother had always been overwhelming but it seemed Sesshomaru had been training since they last met and Inuyasha was caught off guard by the speed and efficiency with which he had dispatched Kagome. "Where are you taking Kagome?"

"As your alpha, it is this Sesshomaru's duty to take responsibility for your actions. This woman can sense the jewel which will be of use to this Sesshomaru."

"Sesshomaru, you should find someone else. Kagome doesn't understand anything."

"Are you offering your mate?"

"No!" Inuyasha spat, "It's just that Kagome isn't from around here, she isn't what she seems."

"I am aware of her less than decent profession, Inuyasha. Prostitute or not, she will do as I say."

"Ahh," Inuyasha cried out in frustration; things were escalating too quickly. "She's not a prostitute and she's not going to do what you say!"

A cruel grin, one that only those who were about to experience death at his claws ever saw, spread across Sesshomaru's face. His eyes shone with malice and sadistic pleasure. "Well then, little brother, this Sesshomaru will just have to make her."