Chapter 22

Sesshomaru was in a bitter mood. Both Shura and Matyeo knew it by the way he moved. The demon lord was taking swift, deliberate steps, almost as if the act of walking was a means of forcing the anger from his body. He had been that way ever since the three of them had left the frosty mountain ridges and started their decent, but for what reason neither was sure. Matyeo had attributed it to the weather, which had been unusually severe for that time and thus delayed their travel over the summit. Shura however had a hunch the great demon's mood was her doing. Though she had remained completely obedient the entire journey and performed every task her father appointed, dangerous or not, there always seemed to be a lingering dissatisfaction in his eyes. It was almost as if he were expecting something more of her. But what exactly that something was, Shura hadn't a clue.

As it turned out the she-demon was not far off in her presumption. Sesshomaru was indeed fuming over her progress, but this time his rational extended beyond the mere completion of his drills. Thus far, despite all the improvements Shura had acquired in body and fighting skill, she still was missing one key component, the confidence to use these skills without hesitation. Sesshomaru had hoped the rigorous journey over the mountains would bring out the lingering remnants of his daughter's potential, but to his dismay such was not the case. Even after all the lessons, all the trials of strength, endurance and will…there was still one individual whom Shura feared…and wouldn't dare challenge in earnest.

It was this faint tremor of doubt that maddened the great dog so much. For he hated seeing it at this point, when there really was no reason. And so, he marched on, intent on continuing Shura's training until this fear was driven from her, no matter how long such an endeavor would take…or how harsh it would be.

A faint wind stirred the gradually foliating landscape, carrying with it a pungent and familiar scent. All three demons paused momentarily as if to reaffirm the identification that had registered in their olfactory memory. But the moment was short lived…the scent was unmistakable. Naraku was near.

Without even thinking Shura sprang forward, shooting past her father in a blur of silver towards the lingering aroma of her nemesis, but a sharp note halted her plans.

"Shura! Stop right there!" the great dog's command came with the abruptness of a bark and it sent Shura skidding to an abrupt stop. When the she demon glanced backwards her golden stare came to rest on her father's composed yet noticeably perturbed countenance. "Where do you think you are going?" asked the dog lord, his voice a perfect reflection of the emotions written on his face. It was obvious he already knew the answer, and was only inquiring as a means to point out Shura's recklessness. But nevertheless the she-demon was compelled to answer.

"Naraku is close…I can smell him," she informed. As she spoke Shura bounced lightly on her toes. The scent was still approaching and it made her burn all over with vengeful desires. At present it was taking every ounce of willpower just for Shura to remain standing there. There was no doubt Sesshomaru saw this, given her incessant shifting and continuous glances to the distance. But to her dismay the dog lord remained unsympathetic to her conflict.

"You will not take another step towards Naraku until you complete your training is that understood." Sesshomaru's order burned in Shura's ears almost to the point of flinching. But the she demon stood her ground. Had it been any other time she would have yielded, but with the scent of her rival coming ever closer…she could not give in so quickly.

"But…" Shura tried to protest, but her father cut in before she could utter another syllable.

"Is that understood!" Sesshomaru restated in a tone that implied most vividly his unwillingness for compromise. Shura turned away swiftly on her heels in an effort to conceal her face and the sneer of anger that had tugged its way across her lips. Her entire body had started to tense, and it only grew worse the more she thought of her father's restrictive order.

Another gust of wind blew past, tussling the long whisps of Shura's hair and evaporating the beads of sweat that had started to pool in her clenched fists. That same current blew past Sesshomaru's face as he watched his daughter fume, the smell of Shura's anger was saturated in it.

"Sorry father," the sudden sound of Shura's voice almost startled Sesshomaru for it was much harder and deeper then normal "not this time…" in the next instant Shura had propelled herself forward, leaving a stunned Sesshomaru yelling in her wake.

"Shuramaru! You come back…. " Was the only thing Shura heard before the great dog's voice faded out of range. But she didn't dare stop. Naraku's scent was still teasing at her nostrils and with each stride she took the demon's location became clearer. He was hovering at a moderate pace just in the distance at a point where the surrounding greenery was noticeably thicker, and he was heading in her direction. With body pulsing Shura continued to race forward into the forest until Naraku was just above her. Then without even breaking stride, she altered her pursuit upward, ricocheting off the nearest tress in an alternating pattern until she broke through the canapé.

With claws bared Shura reared back her arm and lashed out at the source of Naraku's scent…a black haired woman with pink eyes sitting on an ivory white feather. The blow connected, splitting the feather clean in half and causing its stunned rider to fall towards the ground. Shura quickened the feather-rider's landing when she doubled back in mid air and, with the speed of her father, rammed down hard with her shoulder.

Kagura hit the earth with a loud thud and with such force it left a noticeable indentation. But she was far from finished. Rising to her feet the wind sorceress glared furiously around her, ready to face whatever that silver blur had been. Sure enough, seconds later the silhouette of her attacker bounded down through the canapé, coming to a halt not ten feet away.

"Importunate little…" Kagura started to snap when she saw for the first time the features of her attacker…a canine she-demon. But she was stopped abruptly when the dog demoness suddenly darted from her current stance and repositioned herself not three inches away from Kagura's face.

"What is this?" inquired the silver dog demon with glare that was far to close for Kagura's comfort "You reek of Naraku, and yet, you are not the one I seek…" Unnerved by the proximity of the interrogating dog demoness Kagura seized hold of her fan and struck out with the razor edge. Her attack missed slitting open the dog demon's face, but it did create a much greater gap between them. Straitening herself Kagura kept her fan at the ready and once again stared over at her attacker, who was waiting just as poised several yards away.

"And who are you exactly?" sneered the wind sorceress when the canid's face didn't register. To her annoyance the question was ignored.

"Deceiving bastard…have you taken to shape shifting now?" hissed the dog demon with fangs partially bared. "Then again I suppose it doesn't matter what form you take… beast or woman I'll kill you either way for what you did to my home!" Now Kagura raised an eyebrow. Apparently this demon, whoever she was, had a grudge towards Naraku that extended back before she and her siblings had been created.

"You actually think I am Naraku?" mused Kagura with a smug tilt of the head "Don't be so naive." To that the she demon just stared for a moment, as if reassessing the input from her senses.

Upon closer study Shura did indeed detect the differences between Kagura and her puppeteer Naraku. The changes were subtle, existing as only the slightest alteration in essence, but they confirmed what the wind rider had hinted towards.

"An incarnation?" grumbled Shura with a lingering note of spite. The wind sorceress snorted.

"Catch on quick don't you." to that Shura growled deeply. If this woman before her was merely a culmination of Naraku's essence then the same was probably true regarding the beast that had slaughtered her village. In retrospect it was a bit disappointing, knowing a resurrected fragment of Naraku's essence had killed her so easily. Then again this little twist also had the potential to work in her favor; why waste so much effort trying to kill Naraku all at once, when she could easily take him out in pieces by slaughtering his incarnates one by one. And Shura knew exactly which one she wanted first.

"Listen to me wind rider," the she demon snarled in a low, dangerous tone "if you value you're life you will tell me what I want to know…"

With rapid steps and a pounding heart Inuyasha darted through the thinning forest towards the village. Even from that distance the smell of burning ash mixed with blood was almost sickening. But still the half demon ran on, driven by the insatiable urge to kill whatever demon Naraku had dared to send there. It didn't so much concern him when his friends didn't follow, for he was focused solely on the hunt and given the choice much preferred to take the demon out himself.

Within moments he had reached the town, now nothing more then a wreck of toppled, burning houses. Even the small line of trees bordering the community had been scorched black, adding to the area's already ominous aura of death. And standing amidst the rubble, with eyes blazing red as the ember pits dieing out around him, was the incarnate Goshuri.

Massive and towering the demon formed a conniving grimace when Inuyasha stepped before him. But the half demon didn't much notice it. His gaze was fixed not on the incarnate's face but on the sizable, squirming something he held in his right hand.

"So, you've finally come Inuyasha!" Goshuri's voice was low and harsh and it seemed to accent his movement as he took a few strides forward toward his foe. Inuyasha stood his ground defensively, and stared with hateful eyes up at the demon that now faced him. The beast was surprisingly battle worn for one of Naraku's incarnates. His left arm was missing; cleaved at the shoulder. And on the opposite side his face revealed similar trauma. His right eye was practically squinted shut complements of a long, clean scar that ran vertically down through it and continued along the side of his face. Though it was difficult to tell for sure from where he stood, Inuyasha was almost certain the beast's face had been damaged by a sword while his arm had been severed by a demon's claws.

"Another incarnation," sneered Inuyasha "Naraku must be loosing his edge if you're the best he can come up with." to that Goshuri only laughed evilly. Then he flexed his arm revealing the mass he held in his fist. A raven-haired village woman with piercing brown eyes and tattered clothes winced uncomfortably in his grasp. To Inuyasha's horror the woman's distinctly enlarged belly further revealed that she was not the only hostage.

"So you think I'm weak do you?" hissed the demon "an ironic insult considering you harbor such an attachment to mortals." The demon paused and to Inuyasha's discomfort snorted a huge breath upon the women he held. As expected the villager cowered in horror. "Any demon who would waste their time defending such frail, bothersome creatures isn't worthy of that title."

"Why you…" Inuyasha started to snap as he retrieved Tetsusaiga from its sheath and held it out threateningly. But before he could follow through with an attack Goshuri raised up the trembling villager so that she was shielding his heart. The action made the woman shriek, and true to his nature Inuyasha hesitated.

"Pathetic, simpering…." Chuffed Goshuri when he saw the half demon's predictable reluctance "it's hard to believe a welp like you actually killed my brother." Now the half demon looked perplexed.

"Brother? What are you talking about?" he yelled out in frustration. Goshuri grimaced again, revealing a mouth full of short, serrated fangs.

"Not to bright are you? I would think you'd at least remember my twin brother, considering it was his fangs who broke your precious sword!" Inuyasha's eyes widened and a jolt of dread ran down his spine.

"Goshinki!" the gasp flew from the half-demon's mouth before he could stop it and in the following moments Inuyasha suddenly realized just how much his black-bodied foe did indeed resemble the deceased Goshinki in appearance an manner. Even the incarnate's lure of human slaughter was uncomfortably familiar.

"Catching on now are we?" mused Goshuri when Inuyasha's face distorted with unease "Good. I was beginning to get bored." With that the incarnate bared his fangs and let out a horrendous snarl. The sound made the village woman in his grasp wail all the louder. "Now then Inuyasha" Goshuri challenged "come and face me if you are not a coward!"