9

Sesshomaru looked up from where Rin was playing in the rippling stream as Jaken came staggering out of the woods behind him. He had heard the commotion going on behind the trees, but he'd felt no need to step in. The two humans he smelled often abused the little imp but they never seemed to want to finish him off. Jaken collapsed at his master's feet, trying not to touch the developing bump on his head.

"Sesshomaru-sama, Inuyasha's friends… They say they have something to show you."

Something to show? What could they possibly have that would be of interest to him? Did something happen to Tetsusaiga?

"Stay with Rin," he commanded as he walked off.

"Do you think we got him?" Kagome asked while she and Miroku were heading back towards the well.

"I don't know," he replied. "But we had to do it that way. If we had told him the truth, he wouldn't have come."

10

It was full dark when Inuyasha caught up to Toukijin. The half-demon stood on the roof of a warehouse and looked down over the industrial park below. The landscape of steel and concrete was alien enough to him. But the hunched figure dragging the sword through the open expanse in the center sent a chill up his spine.

"Hey, long time no see, you overgrown toothpick," he called out.

The sword glowed a brilliant angry blue and Amon looked up from the grey pavement at his feet.

"You… What are you…?"

"Saving your stupid ass," Inuyasha replied. Amon was obviously in pain. Resisting the sword's power was using up a lot of his energy and he looked about ready to break down. But he seemed to figure out the plan quickly enough because he didn't appear to be resisting at all when Inuyasha started off towards the Higurashi shrine and Toukijin followed.

11

Travisian sipped water from a cheap glass as the others pulled up chairs close to where he sat next to Nagira's desk. Apparently, the promise of information had gotten around because they all looked excited to be there. And they should be, Travisian thought. He only wished that he had caught them in time to stop the sword. Through his long years of confinement in The Vatican, one of his few joys had been imagining his family's reunion with the Dog Clan. But that dream was in danger of being ruined now. And what could he do to save it? Nothing, except try to explain 500 years of secret history to people who were not in the proper mindset. Where to begin?

"In order to put my information in the proper perspective, you must first understand my family," he said. "My name is Albert Travisian and I know a great deal about the business of hunting evil. Indeed, my family has been in that line for longer than anyone remembers. My earliest ancestors hunted evil demons here in Japan and helped many people. But they did not hate all demons. Some of their closest friends were courageous demons who turned against their vilest kin in defense of humans. Foremost among these creatures was the half-demon son of the Great Dog Demon Inutaisho. His name was Inuyasha. During the Feudal Era, he and my ancestors traveled together, defeating the monster Naraku and killing only demons who committed acts of violence towards humans. They promoted peace and harmony between the two groups and they were well loved by the people they protected.

"But after many years, another group of humans rose up against the demons. But they were not fair-minded like my ancestors and their friends. They were full of rage and hatred and they sought to destroy every demon they laid their eyes on. It did not matter to them whether a demon was good or evil. They despised all demons equally. Even Inuyasha, who was only a half demon, was not exempt. The slayers, as they were called, roamed the forests and plains and killed thousands of demons. My ancestor Miroku recorded the events of those terrible days in one of his early writings."

Here, Travisian paused and reached under Nagira's desk. Days ago, he had sent Nagira all the scrolls he thought would be relevant to his story. And now he pulled one out of its plastic tube and unrolled it. He took a sip of water and read the scroll out loud.

Only a few months have passed since I last wrote. The demon purges have been progressing even faster than we feared. The slayers attack in such numbers that even the strongest demons fall before them. And their hatred seems unquenchable. Kagome-sama calls it 'genocide'. Spurred by her kind heart, we sent messages to all the demons we know offering protection. They began to arrive almost immediately.

The first was my dear friend Hachi who brought a mountain cat named Bunza with him. The news from the mountains was bad. The mountain cat tribe had been attacked by slayers and massacred. Bunza and two of his friends were the only known survivors. A few days later, word reached us that the wolf demon tribe had fallen as well. The slayers had cornered them inside their cave den. Kouga and Ayame were able to fight their way out and escape but they could not save the others.

Next to arrive was Touran. She was badly wounded and barely made it to our gathering place. A whole day passed before she was strong enough to tell us what happened. The cat demon tribe had received our message and left their home together. But they were ambushed and cut down. Touran herself managed to get away but her siblings were not so lucky.

Soten and Koryu arrived two weeks ago. They avoided the slayers altogether by flying the whole way to reach us. Myouga and his fiance Shyuga came with them as well.

Jinenji arrived several days ago and Shiori was with him. Apparently, Shiori had been attacked by a group of slayers on the road when Jinenji happened to come along. Luckily it was a small party and he was able to drive them off. They traveled the rest of the way together. Both lost their mothers years ago and neither has anybody else to turn to now.

At this point, anyone who has not arrived is presumed dead or in hiding elsewhere.

Story Notes:

"My ancestor Miroku…" - I hope you all liked this little surprise. I've been hinting at it ever since the beginning of HD4 but I wasn't sure anyone really noticed.

"…all the scrolls…" - At the end of HD4, Nagira received a courier package with some more scrolls. These are the ones Travisian will be reading from throughout this story.

The names of a lot of demons are mentioned in the excerpt from the scroll in this chapter. Just so it'll make more sense, here's a little guide.

Hachi - Tanuki (or Badger) demon, first introduced in episode 16. Miroku's former sidekick.

Bunza - Mountain Cat (or Linx) demon, first introduced in episode 72.

Kouga - Wolf demon, first introduced in episode 35.

Ayame - Wolf demon, first introduced in episode 83. Kouga's fiancé.

Touran - Cat (or Panther) demon, first introduced in episode 75.

Soten - Thunder demon, first introduced in episode 68. Little sister of the Thunder Brothers.

Koryu - Dragon demon, first introduced in episode 68. Soten's sidekick.

Myouga - Flea demon, first introduced in episode 5.

Shyuga - Flea demon, first introduced in episode 65. Myouga's fiance

Jinenji - Half Earth demon, first introduced in episode 31.

Shiori - Half Bat demon, first introduced in episode 73.