Sorry for not updating sooner, my computer wouldn't let the chapter load for some reason.

Warning: blood and swearing

Summary: Naraku has come up with a new devious little scheme. To use Magatsuhi, his new little minion created from the jewel shard itself to wound Sesshomaru enough so he himself can absorb the wounded inu youkai's wondrous powers. Can Inuyasha help his wounded brother heal after the assault and will Naraku succeed in gaining Sesshomaru's powers for himself? Read and find out.

Thoughts

'flashback'

"Talking"

Chapter 3

Jumping down from the tree the hanyou sniffed at the air again before scowling. He wasn't sure whose blood it was on the air all he could tell at the moment was that there was a lot of it. He looked down at Miroku, whose hands and apparently even his subconscious was just as lecherous in sleep as they were when he's awake. A smirk crept slowly onto the sleeping monks face like a blooming flower, however this flower was a rose, beautiful at first look but when you get to close the thorns pierce your skin. But this rose's thorns were not thorns but nearly over perverted hands that can't stay away from a woman's and most likely a man's inappropriate areas. And as that creeping smirk spread across his face his long, thin fingers flexed, groping the empty air.

Inuyasha, knew that the monk was most likely in one of his little fantasy worlds about Sango finally submitting to her secret wants and lusts, or perhaps… could the letch be thinking of Kagome? He gropes her whenever he gets the chance as well, even if it's not nearly as bad as when with Sango. Feeling a sudden fit of anger and over protectiveness Inuyasha shoved one foot into the monk's ribcage with enough force to knock the man over. Immediately when he hit the ground the monk spluttered to life, grabbing his staff and reaching a hand into his haoroi to most likely grab a sutra. Dark eyes surveyed the area, looking up, down, to the sides, before they landed on clawed feet and slowly made their way up the red clad, smirking half demon.

"There is no danger, is there Inuyasha?"

"Nope."

"Then why did you wake me up at such an ungodly hour!?" Tired frustration morphed into a look of surprise and the surprise morphed into a look of lecherous greed with the smirk spreading so much on his face and turning into such a mischevious look Inuyasha had to wonder if Shippo really was the kitsune in the group. His dark eyes swam through the air onto the sleeping slayer where they commenced to skim over the covered form. Oh how I would love to get that woman uncovered and into my arms…and bed, ku ku ku"Unless, you believe that I should try to get my way with Sango now that she is asleep she won't be as wary. No, what are you doi-ack!"

Inuyasha's eye twitched as his clawed hand rested in the air where Miroku's head once was. "You idiot, I didn't wake you up for that! Feh".

Pulling his hand back to his chest where his arms crossed over his chest in an almost protective cover he left the monk to pull himself out of the dirt. Walking over to the sleeping cat and kitsune he realized that he must not have been as silent as he thought he was when the large ears twitched, causing the large demon to open her eyes and look at him curiously.

"Monk, I expect that you'll wake them up," jerking his head over to the girls to indicate who 'them' was. The hanyou picked up the fox by the tail as he heard Miroku practically throw himself in Sango's direction.

"If I may ask Inuyasha, why are you having us all wake up at this moment when there is no danger?"

"I'll explain it when you get them up," Kami, why can't they just do as they're told? That monk should know now that I don't like to say things twice. Ignoring the reprimanding look Kirara was throwing at him Inuyasha dropped the kit to let him connect to the hard ground. (such a brilliant way to wake up ne? and in the middle of the night too)

"Wah what was that? Sango, Kagome! Gah!" The screaming stopped when Sippo's head met with Inuyasha foot. Getting up off his back the red haired youkai glared at the hanyou and pointed at him with a tiny finger. "Inuyasha you teme! Wait 'till I tell Kagome what you just did, she'll sit you so far into the ground that you won't know right side up! Kagome! Kagome!"

The half breed's entire body twitched as he twisted around to look at the girl from the future with bright horror reading through his eyes and face clearly enough for bugs to see it on the ground. The girl mumbled and turned to her side, her back facing them as Inuyasha sighed with relief before lunging for Shippo who screamed. Chasing the kit around the hanyou finally managed to catch the little guy by his tail and covered his mouth; muffling the screams coming from the still struggling kit.

Kirara mewed in slight annoyance from the two and then from the loud smack followed by Sango's voice screaming, "Pervert!" Nonetheless Kagome finally opened her eyes to see Sango's upper body twisting out of her sleeping bag like a demon so she could hit every inch of Miroku's body she could physically reach. Inuyasha was kneeling on the ground, one of his hands covering the squiming Shippo's mouth as said kit was dangling from the half demon's tight hold on his fluffy tail.

Kirara closed her eyes and listened as the children began their usual fights. Inuyasha was sat, the minute the bright purple glow emanated from the cursed necklace around his neck Shippo was able to break free of his grip with a victorious shout. And of course the kit yelped and hid behind Kagome's legs as Inuyasha pulled himself off the ground and snarled at him only to be sat a couple more times, and Sango had given up on trying to reach Miroku with her hand and resulted in grabbing Hirakos and using that to attack him.

After about ten minutes she reopened her eyes to see the group sitting around the dying fire looking considerably calmer than when they had woken up. Honestly, she was the only mature one in the entire group.

"Alright Inuyasha," Sango had her hands in her lap as she looked across the dancing flames to the still fuming half demon. "Why did you wake us all up? It's still the middle of the night."

"I smelled blood," immediately the drooping heads of his pack jumped up and their suddenly very alert eyes found his squarely focused. "I don't know whose, we're too far away for me to get an identity to it but there's a hell of a lot of it."

Kagome lifted a finger to her chin and remarked as she looked up at the starless sky, "Well, now that you mention it, I think I can sense the sacred Shikon jewel shard." She pointed to the east and everyone turned to look in the direction, "I think it's coming from over in that direction somewhere, it's really feint though."

Inuyasha stood, the others following suit. "Feh, that's the same place the scent of blood is coming from."

Without a word the girls packed up their things while Miroku kicked out the fire. Sango, Miroku and Shippo jumped onto Kirara's back who stood and crouched, ready to jump to the air while Kagome clambered onto Inuyasha's back. The group took off, letting the moon that was still centered in the sky like a ghostly phantom guide them to where they needed to go.

After a couple of hours with the moon just starting to fall the group remained silent. Inuyasha could feel Kagome's breath even out and her heart beat slow to a smooth steady beat as she fell asleep on his back. Looking at Kirara he rolled his eyes when he saw that the humans on her back were sleeping as well, so was Shippo but, the kid was just that a kid, he needed as much sleep as he could get. A long range of mountains came into view and different smells automatically bombarded his sensitive nose, causing his eyes to squint and his nose to curl in disgust at the many new and extremely disgusting smells.

"Ugh, what is that?" Miroku's groggy voice drew the attention of one snowy white ear as the monk coughed and covered his mouth and nose, accidently hitting Sango's back with his elbow. The slayer groaned when her reflex told her to slap the perverted man behind her before she told herself that neither was the touch a hand groping an inappropriate area or on purpose. For once. She too covered her mouth and nose as she brought into awareness enough to smell the disgusting scents once she lifted her face from Kirara's thick fur on her neck.

Guess the smell is horrid enough to rouse even humans from sleep Inuyasha thought as Kagome stirred on his back and Shippo hopped onto Miroku's shoulder. "Inuyasha," Kagome's voice was high pitched as she covered her nose with a cringe on her face, "What is that smell?"

Inuyasha felt aggravated at their reactions to the horrid fumes coming from the place, he had the best nose here so it should be he who was complaining. "Do I really need to tell you? Trolls, goats, and every other thing that lives here," he snorted as he jumped over a sharp protruding rock. His eyes narrowed as he caught the scent of blood, however it not being the same blood that he was pursuing.

"Ah, what are those? Trolls?"

Sango answered Shippo's frightened question as she ran a soothing hand in his red hair. "It appears so." A couple of trolls were up ahead, their massacred bodies leaning against the rocks. Blood and gore was speckling the rock halfway up to its peak, making disgusting yet beautiful patterns on its grey surface, the crimson liquid glittering like dark gems in the setting moonlight. "Look at the wounds though," Miroku pointed at the deep slashes on the demons' necks where skin and muscle had been ripped clean apart. Their heads were resting on their shoulders, connected to the bloody lump of neck by slim slivers of flesh, blood glistened as it slowly dribbled from the open wounds that was still dissolving under green puddles that ate away at the skin and bone.

Taking another sniff Inuyasha felt a flash of fear. "It looks like Sesshomaru's poison." The blood up ahead…the blood that had woken him just from the pure amount of it….

Kagome let out a shriek as she clutched tighter onto the fire rat as her ride made a sudden mad dash forward, causing Kirara to yowl as she was forced to double her stopped pace to keep up. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?"

"His blood smells to be about another days travel ahead, but if we hurry we could get there in a couple of hours."

"Who's blood Inuyasha? Your brothers!?"

"Yeah monk his, there's a lot of it and it smells fresh." What the hell is going on? Who the heck could of hurt Sesshomaru this badly? And who did this other scent belong to? The hanyou felt a sudden stab of guilt as Tetsaiga shifted at his hip when he kicked off the side of a rock. He had taken the Meidow, if he hadn't would his aniki have been injured this bad?

"Guys I can sense the sacred jewel shard!" Kagome seemed able to sense his tenseness due to the fact she was resting on his back and didn't wait for him to ask. "It's up there somewhere," pointing forward to show where up there was. "But, it's strange…"

"What do you mean Kagome?" Miroku's brow was furrowed as his thoughts ran deep. His mind was running along the same path of Inuyasha's, the same path but a different route. The shard that Kagome is sensing could be either Naraku or Kohaku. Knowing Naraku, he wouldn't want to risk himself by fighting Sesshomaru, even if the Taiyoukai was without any weapon but, Lady Kikyo had purified Kohaku's shard so Naraku couldn't use it for his gain. Kohaku couldn't have been the cause and Naraku wouldn't have done it unless he suddenly changed battle tactics.

"It's like it just ran away, but at the same time like it's staying put. I can still sense its presence in the same general place, it almost feels like a cloud or something around the place but at the same time its not there anymore." Her fingers curled into the fire rat, "I don't know how to explain it."

The darkness from the sky was beginning to fade behind them, the edges turning from black to a dull bluish grey. The sun was starting to rise, indicating a new day that held the promise of surprise.

"Sango, how's Kirara fairing? Can she make it a few more hours?" Inuyasha didn't want to stop for any reason necessary, and if It came to it Inuyasha could run ahead with Kagome while the others rested.

Sango patted the feline's head, eliciting a yowl. "She's fine, what about you Inuyasha?"

"Feh, I don't get tired like you humans do," putting an extra amount of force into his right leg he shot up another couple meters.

After about two more hours (there's a lot of hour hopping isn't there?) the group reached a large field that seemed to stretch for miles, at least that's what he expected to see after the large hill before him, with the sun's dangerous rays just barely leaking over the horizon. Inuyasha inhaled deeply and stopped; causing Kagome to yelp and Kirara to made a harsh stop, making her skid in the air in front of them.

"The battle took place just over that hill," he shrugged Kagome off his back and she walked beside him, somehow keeping up with his not so fast but not so slow pace. "Sesshomaru's scent is all over the place," as well as this other scent.

Sango and Miroku jumped off of Kirara, Shippo clutching onto the monk's robes as the fire cat transformed into her smaller self and hopped into the slayer's arms. "Kagome," Shippo perched himself more comfortably on the mouscled shoulder so he wouldn't fall off. "Do you still sense the Shikon shard?"

Everyone turned to the girl, with the exception of Inuyasha whose being seemed focused on the area ahead, but one snow white ear was turned towards her. Kagome held her chin high and kept her back straight as she attempted to locate the jewel's presence, "It's the same as before, like it's here but at the same time it isn't."

After the statement the hanyou practically ran the rest of the way up the hill in front of them, the others quickening their pace to follow behind. The scent of Sesshomaru's blood was assailing his nose, caressing the nerves in his brain that indicated what smell was what almost as if it wanted to throw him into guilt over drive. Feh, why should he feel guilty over what happened to that bastard? Sesshomaru had been trying to kill him ever sense Tetsaiga allowed his person instead of Sesshomaru's to be its weilder. Then again, aniki had been helping him out lately…and even though he has had more than enough chances to kill him he never has. Plus aniki had even given him his weapon! Like he finally acknowledged him in strength. As he got to the top of the hill his eyes widened and a gasp flew from his mouth at the sight before him.

'Inuyasha what is it…?" Miroku's voice trailed off as the rest of the pack stood beside him, sharp intakes of breath coming from each of them. Even Kirara had let out a surprised shrill noise.

Naraku's tentacles were literally covering the ground like a thick, bloody blanket. Though the group was still a bit of a distance they could clearly see that most of the tentacles were sliced in different parts, although the real damage had yet to be seen. Large gauge marks were in the ground in one area, looking as if something had tried to tear the earth apart.

Walking slowly the group headed towards the destruction, Sesshomaru's bloody scent getting stronger and stronger with each step. Littered around them was tentacles and now that they were closer they could see the little and major damage done to them, most were slashed into thousands of little pieces, the wounds themselves issueing the same green acid that were left on the trolls. These were so fresh however, that thin tendrils of white smoke still wafted out of the poison that still ate away at the lumps of flesh turning them into unrecognizable mushy masses. A couple were charred, caving in where the flesh was blackest and the delicate sniff showed Inuyasha of the distinct smoky smell from Jaken's staff and the sharp tang of the dragon's lightning.

"Look at these gauges," Inuyasha turned to the rest of the group who where bending over and looking into the deep groves. Inuyasha copied them and noted that the surrounding and endless darkness of the valleys seemed to go down for a couple of meters, they were obviously serious wounds inflicted on the earth itself due to the battle.

"I wonder what-," Sango started to say twisting her head before Inuyasha interrupted.

"They look like claw marks. Sesshomaru must of transformed." Blood was licking the edges of them and was slowly dripping into the dark, however most of the blood was centered in the field, thick tentacles covered in the crimson liquid as the lie in the puddle of blood beneath them. Each and every one of them positively wreaked of Sesshomaru.

"What happened?" Shippo had gotten off of Miroku's shoulder and was currently hopping over the wounds inflicted by Sesshomaru's claws as he voiced everyone's question.

Kohaku…Sango's eyes were narrowed as she bit her lip. Was he alright? Kirara sensed the woman's worry and mewled before snuggling further into her arms.

Kagome walked away from the group. Something white had caught her attention and the sight of the thing dragged her about six yards away from the pack. Looking down at the blood stained fur she felt a strange feeling of recognition. This thing looks familiar… and even more disturbing to her suspicion was the spiked bone sticking out of one end, blood covering it along with slivers of flesh and muscle.

"Inuyasha, guys, come look at this."

Looking up they automatically approached to her side before looking down at the object as well.

"Is that…?" Sango knelt and poked the fur, Kagome shrieked along with Shippo and recoiled to hide behind Miroku when it twitched away from the woman's touch.

Gripping his staff and ignoring the younger pack members behind him Miroku stated stiffly, "I believe it is."

Inuyasha knelt down as well, picked up the bone between his claws and stood back up before taking a deep sniff. "Yep, this fluff is definitely Sesshomau's. Who knew that it was actually a part of him though, I thought it was just a fashion statement."

"But who could have torn it off him?" Shippo was greatly confused. He had seen his pack leader's elder brother get injured, so he knew it was possible, although the only time he gets injured is usually when his enemy does something sneaky. But who could've been strong enough to tear him apart?

Inuyasha walked away from the fur to the edge of the destruction. "I don't know what happened, and we won't know until we find him. It smells like he and his pack went to the forest over there."

Sango walked up to him looking at the white haired half demon with large eyes. "Is Kohaku…can you smell him?"

Looking into her desperate, apprensive face he took another sniff and nodded before replying quietly, comfortingly, "He smells alright, terrified, but unharmed." Though that may just be because Sesshomaru's scent is so strong it's blocking nearly everything else, he couldn't find the heart within him to tell that to her though.

Kirara jumped out of her arms, and the woman appeared to be too relieved to even notice that she was transforming before the cat was nearly as tall as her neck. "Monk," Inuyasha called getting into position to run. "You're running this time, Kagome you're getting on Kirara with Sango and Shippo."

He lead them to the forest sniffing the air constantly to stay on his brother's trail. It seemed that he had rid the dragon in the air but thankfully their scent was downwind of him. Miroku was panting from the fast pace they were doing and Inuyasha could hear the silent rasping of Kirara as well but, only once they found his brother would they rest.

After entering the forest the rising sun was blocked by the thick canopy, and there was no trace of nocturnal mortal animals and youkai as they prepared to sleep. Birds began to chirp their songs and a couple huffing sounds came from far away deer. Kirara suddenly growled before landing ubruptly in front of Inuyasha causing Miroku to crash into his back from his sudden stop.

Throwing the monk off himself he lifted himself from the dirt and was about to yell what the hell was wrong when the feline turned to the opening of a burrow. "I wonder…," Miroku walked over to the opening, already recovered from his crash before kneeling. Just as soon as he knelt he jumped back up and backed off a few feet when a low ominous growl ensued from the burrow.

Inuyasha let out a laugh that to Kagome sounded more like Buyo suffering from a hairball. "So that's where the old dog is," golden eyes glittering with both amusement and worry he crouched in front of the opening, ignoring the warning growls.

"Inuyasha," Sango's voice and posture screamed caution as she and Kagome dismounted off of Kirara who in turn undid her transformartion. "Perhaps you should back up a bit." Shippo yelped when the growls turned from soft to vicious followed by the sound of clacking most likely very powerful jaws.

"Oh please why should I?" The hanyou waved the caution away with his hand and began his decent.

Shippo bounced up to the entrance and shouted at him, "Rethink Inuyasha! It might not be who we're looking for!"

Inuyasha ignored the kit but the others didn't. They looked at each other, each face holding the same expression, the silent question of if they had invaded an easily aggravated youkai and not Sesshomaru.

The growling stopped only to be replaced with a loud, "what the hell?" from Inuyasha. A roar was emitting from the burrow now and a bright blue light was climbing up from the ground down below. The light seemed to be chasing the frightened hanyou who burst out from the entrance, his white mane getting singed from the electric blue attack. "Fucking dragon!"

Shippo screamed as two large heads suddenly appeared out of the entrance, their dark scales a perfect camouflage for the area around them. Both heads were attached to a single large body that just barely exited the burrow. The dragon looked as if it were planning to attack before stopping and just looking at them. The heads looked at each other then back at them before turning back into the burrow and disappearing.

"That was the bastard's dragon!" Inuyasha shouted with a smirk before following the beast. "And I think it's invitin' us in."

The rest of the group faltered before following their alpha.

Yes chap. 3 is done! Way to go Ah-Un u electrocute Inu's ass! Mwahahaha cough clears throat cough sorry just a bit hyped up on Halloween candy…Anyway thanks for the reviews so far and keep 'em coming!

Ja ne.