Tokijin's thrust: Conflict at the cave; Sesshomaru vs. Rykemina-
Sorceress of Fire

PART A:

Sesshomaru moved through the rock - soil ground, gripping Tokijin close to his waist. Jaken moved behind, listening through the forest close by for any movement that Sesshomaru had described to him before.
" Keep your guard, Jaken…we're not the only one's who travel here." The forest was, indeed quiet, though Jaken assured himself Sesshomaru could sense a foul scent in the air. While Jaken already smelled a un-usual stench far off, he wondered; why where they there?
" Jaken, you've smelled it as well, I presume?" Sesshomaru commented faintly.
" Oh, oh yes Sesshomaru; but ah…please tell me Sesshomaru- sama, what is the secret that you mentioned before, ab-bout your Tokijin?" Jaken waited for a reply for minutes, but Sesshomaru said nothing. He continued with a small quickened pace that left Jaken puzzled. At once, Sesshomaru darted to the left, diving close into the forest's edge, slicing a whip from his claws; cutting trees apart and sending a figure hiding within, emerged. Sesshomaru withdrew his Tokijin, standing in a defensive position.
" Wind sorceress Kagura…what purpose did you think you could serve not being detected from the scent you exposed. If you were planning to attack from within, you've set a pitiful first stage." Kagura was dressed in a partial new robe, her usual outfit covering half of her body.
" Kagura does not have the same scent she once did." Sesshomaru thought, staring down Kagura who had her fan fully drawn in a ready attack position. " Better yet;" Sesshomaru perplexed, " She was killed by Naraku not long back, her heart was returned to her body, but only for Naraku to kill her in a different way. Yet, she's standing here exactly the same as before."
" Heh, Sesshomaru; it's been too long…"
" Kagura, you've been sent by Naraku to spy on me, how very interesting…..the last time you spied on my trackings through these lands, you were in request to get me to destroy Naraku; bribing jewel shards I still take no interest in." Sesshomaru spoke in a normal tone.
" The same arrogant Sesshomaru. Let me inform you, I've come back from death by those jewel shards you mentioned. Naraku has given me another shot to accomplish his orders, but this time he does not hold my heart, rather; he has placed four shards of the shikon jewel inside me, it was impossible to re-create me like before because Naraku's strength doubles each time he regenerates. The jewel shards are held at his will, in other words Sesshomaru; the more I use these shards I have, the stronger they will build up, making me invincible." Kagura had thrust out her fan fully, facing Sesshomaru, who still grasped Tokijin.
" So, let me guess, Kagura. Now that you're no longer under watch from Naraku, you intend to destroy me here and now."
" Heh, you're getting good at this guessing game. However, it will not be a match like before, the jewel shards have given this fan new abilities, and their first test is you, Sesshomaru. I must say, don't you wish you could've freed me, destroyed Naraku, and obtained the offered jewel shards before, you wouldn't be faced with this problem, now would you?" Sesshomaru held Tokijin at a position facing Kagura.
" Know this, Kagura…If I destroy Naraku altogether then I shall destroy all of him. Himself, and his detachments. Naraku probably has told you before, you're nothing more than a fragment of him, and once Naraku dies, those shards inside you will expire. Its just as you've said, Kagura, he holds them; once Naraku is destroyed, those shards you obtain will be destroyed as well." Sesshomaru faced a now worried Kagura, who folded her fan up a bit. Jaken peaked from behind a tree, wandering what would surface between Sesshomaru and Kagura.
" I'll make your task easy and strike first." Sesshomaru said, lifting Tokijin, a swirling blue lighting surrounding the blade. Sesshomaru thrust a now increasing by the second blast of electrified lightning into the ground, which shook the ground, blowing a blast of lightning and rocks towards Kagura's path. Kagura withdrew her fan, and slashed a shield paces away from where she stood. The attack burst onto the shield, absorbing into the barrier, the blow from Tokijin vanished in a matter of seconds. Jaken saw for the first time, an attack from Tokijin diverted.
" Heh, you're pathetic Sesshomaru. Did you expect your dragon strike to kill me? I told you, I've grasped new strengths and abilities. When you've increased your swords strengths, we'll truly battle." Kagura pulled a feather from her hair and flew away, looking down at Sesshomaru. " There's someone in that cave beyond who wants to meet you, Sesshomaru. Don't even think about getting Tokijin new strengths in there without getting by her first." Kagura then flew upward and vanished. Kagura traveled through darkened clouds, wandering. " Could Sesshomaru be telling the truth, once Naraku is killed, the jewel shards will disintegrate as well? That can only mean one thing, that what Sesshomaru said…if the jewel shards are destroyed, the shikon jewel won't be completed, that means Naraku must not kill me, or his chances for getting the whole jewel will be lost. Heh, Sesshomaru, you've given me a valuable tip." Kagura further thought about Sesshomaru's comment, soaring further into the clouds.
Jaken moved from hiding, a tearful expression in his eyes.
" Sesshomaru-samma!!, that Kagura women is…"
" Do not worry, Jaken. In time, Naraku's made it so he will kill himself. As his lust for the jewel increases as well as his detachments will, all he thrusts for is to recover the remaining jewel fragments. Just like the band of seven, and with others who've been given shards by Naraku, he's taken them back…fearing his goal with the jewel to ensure the only thing he lusts for will not be accomplished and completed. As well, you know that the person Kagura mentioned inside waiting is of Naraku's vile essence."
Sesshomaru thrust Tokijin back into his sleuth, walking out of the forest with Jaken close behind. Sesshomaru maneuvered out onto the rock atmosphere, where the giant cave ahead stood.

Nightfall came over a small hut that stood against the edge of a forest. The wind's howl moved through the thickets and across a meadow. Sango, Kagome, and Shippo were sleeping as Miroku and Inuyasha stood outside looking for any enemy close by.
" So, what does this new battle against Naraku and Kanna mean?" Miroku asked, facing the meadow beyond. Inuyasha stared at his tetsusaiga that he grasped in its rusted form. The blade and strength of the tetsusaiga had never been better, but it was the thing Kanna mentioned that worried Inuyasha.
" My sword's fine, just forget it. It was nothing but a mere fight with that bastard, Naraku. If I hadn't transformed, I would've been able to probably kill Naraku, tetsusaiga was strong enough.."
" That's just the thing, Inuyasha. Like Kagome informed us, it is the fact that you transformed that effected your tetsusaiga. Unlike anything that's occurred with tetsusaiga, your transformation damaged tetsusaiga, something never done before. If a am being honest, your recent battle has been anything but a mere battle, probably the most important yet. Listen, Inuyasha your transformation triggered an affect in both you, and the tetsusaiga, and it also frightened someone who cares about you a great deal."
" Hey, shut up..me and Kagome have been down that path before and she's use to it."
" Yet she shouldn't be, she shouldn't have to be afraid of someone who protects and cares for her as well, you may deny the situation, but in time, you must know that each time you transfigure, though your instincts when a full demon are to survive and you at the time believe its beneficial, its exactly the opposite. Each time you transfigure, you are at a greater risk for not recalling who your allies are. The tetsusaiga used to suppress the demon nature in you Inuyasha, and only the tetsusaiga could keep your mind and strength in check when your life was on the line. Now, it seems as from what I've been informed, the tetsusaiga does just the opposite. I'm afraid the tetsusaiga could not be back to normal given what Kanna did to its blade." Miroku commented.
" Huh, forget that! I unleashed the true strength of tetsusaiga when me and Kagome were fighting Naraku, the tetsusaiga isn't only stronger, but it grasped a new skill, so just forget it Miroku, the tetsusaiga is now its original self again so what happened to tetsusaiga with Kanna's mirror doesn't matter any more."
" How can you say that Inuyasha?! Don't you recall what occurred when you held tetsusaiga for the second time? Sure you were able to unleash a new technique with your sword, but you almost weren't able to accomplish this because, whatever was done to tetsusaiga almost overtook your mind as you held tetsusaiga''s blade. It's no mystery, in fact, Inuyasha, I'd say it's natural for you not to recall what happened, after all…when you fired the windscar, your mind had at that point had lost to the demon nature that overtook you from holding tetsusaiga too long. Until you can at least see Totosai to possibly repair the sword, than at this point, tetsusaiga's un-useable." Miroku said in a hushed tone.
" You know what Miroku, you're starting to piss me off, I've heard all I need to…however, I understand about my transformation. I never wanted it to happen again, especially after the danger I put Kagome in..but Miroku, something stopped me, almost like a thought. That thought restored my memory, and brought me to grip my sword and attack Naraku's barrier and destroy it."Inuyasha said almost silently. Miroku looked on out to the open valley many paces away, then spoke again.
" While you did have a memory of Kagome that saved you, it's possible that that won't happen again. Until we can truly pin-point the exact facts with tetsusaiga and your transformation; it's not good to be going after Naraku. In any case, I think it would be good for you to pay a visit to Totosai, he has indeed repaired tetsusaiga when Goshinki bit it in half, perhaps he can fix it this time." Miroku said.
" Just one problem, Miroku. Totosai's a swordsmith, he repaired tetsusaiga because it's blade broke in half…this time the sword's not broken in half."
" Good point, however Totosai forged Tetsusaiga so he should be able to fix it. I think that it could be repaired in a matter of days, we just have to watch out for Naraku. In the meantime, we all rest and be on our guard." Miroku commented, maneuvering back to the small hut and opening the door. " Now's a good time to go to Totosai, Inuyasha I'd go now an return by morning." With that said, Marko disappeared into the hut while Inuyasha asked Kilala to take him across the lands to repair the sword.

PART B:

Sesshomaru progressed further across the rocky atmosphere, wandering what secret dwelled ahead that could increase Tokijin's strength. Jaken moved close behind, continuing to look into the forest for fear that Kagura had come back.
" Sesshomaru-samma, what do you intend to do once you discover that person Kagura said was expecting you?" Jaken moved with great pace as Sesshomaru walked further across until reaching a cliff that below dwelled a stream. Sesshomaru did not speak for moments.
" The person Kagura mentioned is most definitely a new detachment of Naraku, she would not bother to speak if the person was not of Naraku. If Naraku's detachment prevented my journey to finding an upgrade for Tokijin, then most definitely I will destroy them. Hold tight, Jaken." Jaken grabbed onto Sesshomaru's pant leg as Sesshomaru quickly shifted from the cliff into the entrance to the cave. Jaken looked behind, sensing something. A barrier had sealed around the cave's entrance. Sesshomaru requested Jaken step back while Sesshomaru withdrew Tokijin. Sesshomaru sliced a whirlwind of electrified might at the barrier, yet nothing happened and the barrier remained intact.
" Jaken, keep up. " Sesshomaru said moving slowly into the caves depths with Jaken close behind.
" I wonder if Sesshomaru is worried about the cave's barrier, after all…he has lost already to Kagura, something Sesshomaru's not likely to do. I just hope Sesshomaru's Tokijin can withstand whatever Naraku has planned. " Jaken perplexed in his mind, walking behind Sesshomaru as they further progressed into the depths of the cave.
It seemed as though days went by as Sesshomaru and Jaken traveled further into the cave.
" Jaken, be prepared to fight." Sesshomaru said silently withdrawing Tokijin. Jaken positioned his staff in attack position as a hoard of demons came from corners in the cave.
" The smell of Naraku's scent" Sesshomaru thought slicing the demons apart with his dragon strike. More continued to come with a worse smell of Naraku each time.
" There's a reason Naraku is making this diversion with these demons, he wants me to be exaughsted by the time his new incarnation arrives." Sesshomaru thought, tearing apart more with a slash of electrified might from Tokijin's blade.
" Behold the staff of two heads!!" Jaken shouted, releasing flames from his staff that instantly killed an incoming pack of demons . Sesshomaru continued to fight with Tokijin, slicing different blasts from his sword's tip, no matter how many were destroyed, more and more continued to surface from the cave.
" If Naraku intends to keep us at bay, however, he's making a bad first move." Sesshomaru perplexed, slicing a combination of the dragon strike and a blast of electrified lightning from Tokijin's blade.
" Heh, you must be Sesshomaru…" A voice from afar said with a laugh. " You can't even destroy a hoard of demons, let alone locate my scent. I've been anxious to battle you, Sesshomaru but I didn't know I'd be battling a pathetic fool." The voice said again. A bright slash of fire roared from a corner and onto the demons that continued to come after Sesshomaru.
" You can't even disintegrate a complete hoard of demons with one slash of your sword. I'm disappointed Sesshomaru, you've made this not even a fight." The voice said.
" You must be the person Kagura was talking about, the one she said was anxious to meet me?"
" Sesshomaru, you're soon going to find that that sword that was forged from Goshinki's fangs is not even to scale with the strength and abilities I grasp. Goshinki's fang is useless, he was constructed from Naraku when he was weak, it's a shame that I won't have much competition." The voice maneuvered out of the cave's darkness and faced Sesshomaru. The voice was of a women. She wielded a staff with a crystal at the top and four other crystals that surrounded the staff's middle.
" Sesshomaru, allow me to introduce myself…I am Rykemina, sorceress of fire.

Kilala traveled across the vast forests below, getting closer by the moment to the boarder of the land where Totosai lived. Kilala hurried with might, as the wind's stretch moved across the tops of the forest trees. Inuyasha held tetsusaiga tight, remembering Miroku's words from the previous night.
" This is one of the most important battles with Naraku yet, as before your tetsusaiga suppressed the demon nature inside you and kept your mind and strength in check when your life was on the line, now whenever you hold tetsusaiga for too long, it unleashes your demon nature. Until tetsusaiga's repaired, you can't battle Naraku…" Inuyasha remembered his words, Miroku was right. Yet what if tetsusaiga was broken for good? Wither way, Totosai had to fix the sword to his best ability for tetsusaiga to go back to its normal state.
" At that moment, I forgot who Kagome was, even though I remembered a time with her, had it not been for that memory….I can't let tetsusaiga continue to be like this, Kagome…" Inuyasha thought, as Kilala soared downward into the land where Totosai dwelled. Kilala dropped downward onto the rock-soiled land. Ahead, Inuyasha could see the skeleton head where Totosai was probably working on his mallet. The earth's ground was hot, had small spots of lava and was covered with rock and soil. Inuyasha jumped with great pace across the land and reached the entrance of the gigantic skeleton head. Holding tetsusaiga firmly with a confidant expression, Inuyasha walked inward to find Totosai fast asleep.
" Hey, Totosai!!! Wake up!!" Inuyasha shouted, walking further. Totosai awoke with confusion , facing Inuyasha he didn't know what could've happened, until he saw Inuyasha holding tetsusaiga in both hands.
" WHA….what did you to tetsusaiga !!" Totosai said, crying immensely.
" Shut up Totosai, it's not broken this time..yet, recently with Naraku my sword's purpose with my demon blood was reversed. Instead of keeping my mind in check, it now is the cause of my transformation. Totosai, now if my life's on the line and I can't hold tetsusaiga then there'll be no stop to my transformation." Totosai didn't scream, cry or shout but took tetsusaiga from Inuyasha's hands, holding it on a rock, looking it over.
" Well?! Can it be fixed?" Inuyasha sat down looking at both his concern for tetsusaiga and his curiosity for Totosai's awaited answer.

Kouga thrust his speed into action, accelerating across rock-soiled ground-determined to pick up a scent he'd detected earlier. The moon's gaze was slowly slipping away, Kouga knew time was minimal--yet with the wind's excessive howl he began to think.
" Naraku's castle previously covered the west, but where his scent is at its greatest magnitude is through the east. What could he be attempting to accomplish? He knew about this--otherwise he wouldn't have made his wearabouts this complicated to debate over." Kouga rushed across the open plains, hurrying back to his hideout. " If Naraku's scent is at a new direction, he's already constructed new tactics. I have to find Kagome, and discover what Naraku intends to surface. Kouga leaped through thickets of ruined forests and plumetted downward, still pondering this yet to be revealed plot.

TO BE CONTINUED…..