Hey, I came to fix my chapter because I apparently spelt some things wrong. Re-write, nothing more. Nothing has changed except a couple of letters! See you in the next chappie!

Chapter 7: Come, See, Conquer

"Where's the girl?"

Sesshomaru turned to face his brother, glaring and restless, walking towards him, a black aura surrounding him.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said, nodding his head slightly. Not in respect, no, but in so they wouldn't have to argue over the little trivial action again. Even though Sesshomaru was decades older than his younger sibling, Inuyasha had always held a powerful sense of position, wanting to conquer and control everything.

"Don't waste time, dammit, where is she? You went after her, right?" Inuyasha looked right to left, then circled behind the demon-lord in hopes of seeing the jewl-detector.

Sesshomaru remained silent, letting his brother walk around him. It annoyed him to great depths that he thought he might be hiding her somewhere.

"Well," Inuyasha asked, sounding irritated.

"She got away. The wolf prince carried her off," he replied, never letting a hint of what really occurred reach his face.

"Damnation!" Turning, Inuyasha smashed his fist into the nearest tree, shattering the trunk to pieces. The tall tree came crashing down, sending a loud boom across the lands. "You're all worthless! Do I have to do everything myself?"

Sesshomaru said nothing, letting the pack leader rant and tear anything he could get his hands on. It was a known fact that no one who got in the way of Inuyasha's great temper made it back in any good condition, possibly even dead.

"Hey!" Sesshomaru turned away from the raid and looked to see Miroku emerging from a nearby shrubbery. "I can't find anything. They really covered there tracks or something, 'cause there's no sign of them anywhere." Miroku turned to help Sango through the bushes, but, with some amusement, Sesshomaru watched as she shook away his hands and slashed through on her own.

Both walked over to stand near him, and saw Inuyasha cursing and raging. "He started again? What happened this time," Sango asked, continuing to watch they're boss shred an unsuspecting bush.

Sesshomaru sighed and didn't answer. There was no need to, nothing was of importance now. They would have to begin searching again, and all because he had let the girl and the prince go.

"Oh wait," he heard Miroku start, his voice filled with a mocking tone. "Let me guess, you were right on their tail, and you failed to catch them?" The monk let out a taunting laugh. "The great Sesshomaru, lord of the western lands, failed to catch poor, little Kagome-" Miroku was cut off abruptly as a blur streaked by him, catching the young man by the neck. Everyone turned to see Inuyasha holding the monk high above the ground, a bruising hold about his neck.

Inuyasha's eyes were crimson now, and the demon marks on his face were very clear, deep purple against his cheeks. His voice, low and rasping, a guttural growl, could be heard ringing through the forest. "I told you never, NEVER, to say that bitches name in my presence." Each word was punctuated with a not so gentle squeeze of the neck.

Miroku could only gag and choke, pulling at Inuyasha's hand, trying desperately to break the demon's hold to no avail. His face began to change colors, going from red to purple quickly as his oxygen was cut off.

Sango rushed forward, attempting to rescue her lover, until Sesshomaru caught her about the waist and held her back. She clawed and scratched, trying to break his hold.

"Now," Inuyasha began again, "As penance for your failure to follow orders, I shall leave you with a… gift." Lowering the body in his hand a bit, Inuyasha reached up and traced a long talon down Miroku's cheek. His face twisted in pain, and his eyes began to flutter down when he was abruptly dropped. He landed hard upon the ground, his legs crumpling beneath him in a futile attempt to catch himself.

Sesshomaru let go of the demon slayer, and watched as she ran over to Miroku's side. Dropping to her knees, she pulled his head into her lap, only to find him unconscious. Brushing his hair from his face, she whispered soft words of comfort to him.

Unable to look anymore, Sesshomaru turned to face Inuyasha. "Was that necessary? Placing a man on death's door simply because of a name?"

Inuyasha stopped, his back to the demon-lord. His long hair blew carelessly in the wind, his dog ears twitching slightly against the breeze. He watched as his hands clenched and unclenched, again and again. "Sesshomaru," he began, his voice still laced with an angered edge. Then, he watched as Inuyasha's whole frame seemed to droop, his hands falling listlessly to his side.

Sesshomaru stood still, waiting for the finished sentence. He received none, as Inuyasha walked away into the forest and back towards the road.

He heard a slight groan, and turned back to see Miroku's face still contorted in slight pain. Then, as he heard Sango's low gasp, he watched as blood began to drip slowly down the side of the man's face, dripping to soak into the earth beneath.

The twilight lit the sky, blues and grays scattered in no particular pattern. The sun was now set below the trees, out of sight yet never out of mind. The one source of light that would never diminish, even in the densest of fogs and storm clouds.

There was little light here, though, illuminating the room in which he sat. Only the light of the great star, now fading rapidly, shed anything with which he could see. But even then, after the darkness came, he could see perfectly. It was a special ability he possessed.

One of many, many "talents" he knew.

Closing his eyes, he sat quietly, nursing his thoughts, letting his mind wander.

The Shikon-no-Tama, the most prized and wanted possession of any demon, even half-lings and humans. No bigger than a golf-ball, it was colored amethyst, perfect in almost every way. The Shikon, as every hunter and king knew, was one of the most powerful weapons of the living world. Possessing great power, one could reach any goal, any wish, any greedy desire that they sought after.

A frown began to crease his brow, a slight line forming between his eye brows. With such a great power, he could finally reach his life's goal. Everything he had worked for, everything he had lived and fought for could finally be restored.

He sighed loudly and opened his eyes. Looking to the table across the room, he saw a glint of what little sunlight there was hit the glass. A slight smile curved his lips. He sat there a bit longer, relishing in the memories of older times. Standing, he walked over to the table. Staring, he felt is heart clench, and a deep, soul-racking ache came to rest in him. So deep, so full, he couldn't remember a time without it.

Reaching down, he pulled the picture frame to his chest. Holding it tight, he breathed deeply of the morning air, relishing in the fact that he was still alive, loving the taste of dew and clean air whisking over his tongue. Ah, life.

He shook his head, willing the bright pain of unshed tears to disappear.

Ah, life.

The greatest of Hells.

"Is she awake yet?"

"No, nothing. Kouga, what happened anyway?"

Kouga stood with Ginta in his cave, watching as Kagome slept. They had made the long trip with the raven-haired mistress in his arms, arriving a little before dawn. His family and pack members had all greeted them, and within minutes after seeing his exhausted state, had rushed both himself and Kagome into the caves. After a thorough washing on his part, he had run off to find that the female wolves had placed Kagome in a bed.

He had stayed with her all night, refusing to leave her side in case she was to awaken. It wasn't because he cared or anything, just because he wouldn't want his precious jewel detector to be damaged in any way.

Or, in any case, that's what he kept telling himself.

Now she slept peacefully on his bed of furs. He should've left her in the female cave, but he didn't want to be away from her. He felt that she was safer from anyone on the outside when she was in his bed. Snuggled safely beneath another thick pelt of fur, she looked so fragile that he wanted to wrap himself around her and protect her from the world and its dangers.

"Kouga," Ginta said once more, snapping his fingers in the pack leader's face. "Helloo! Are you listening?"

Turning from Kagome, Kouga motioned for Ginta to follow him. Once outside the cave, Kouga drew in a deep breath. "We were attacked."

Kouga could feel the anger and concern in the air as Ginta began to rant. "What? When? Who? The Fangs? Those bastards, we should've killed 'em when we had the chance. Why the fuck did we let them go? Wait 'till I find them, they won't stand a chance-"

"The demon lord let us get away."

Silence. Then a startled, "what?"

Kouga turned to face his friend. "For some reason, Sesshomaru let us go. They caught up to us, so I ran with her to find some place safe. Sesshomaru found us. And… he let us go."

"Sesshomaru? The almighty, I rule the Western lands, S-e-s-s-h-o-m-a-r-u?"

"Yes. I don't know why either." Although he had his suspicions. He still didn't know what the demon lord had been doing, or why. He must've had a reason or a motive to let them go. But the strangest thing…

"I saw him that night, he was the one I met at-"

He heard Kagome's words as they echoed through his head.

Where had she met him before? Had something happened there that resulted in Sesshomaru letting them get away?

"Kouga! Kouga!"

Sighing, Kouga turned to see Hakkaku running towards them. "What is it?"

Huffing, Hakkaku took a few seconds to compose himself. "It's Kagome."

Instantly on alert, Kouga rushed over to where he stood. "What is it? Is she hurt? Speak up, man!"

"She's awake."