*We are coming closer to the end of this story - just a few chapters left (maybe a lemon, I don't know if it will work or not). Thanks again for your reviews - and I hope you like the vindication here!*

Rin, in her tattered clothes (still covered in blood), wasn't sure she would be able to pull off what Inuyuki had asked her to do. But I have to try, she reminded herself, even if it means that I fail and we all die. These two demons weren't going to leave Rin or Sesshomaru-sama alone until they were gone for good.

Inuchiyo's eye gaped at Rin. Impossible, she thought. I made sure that she was dispatched. I saw the light leave her eyes!

Noticing her surprise, Rin said, "I take it you are surprised to see me standing?"

Inuchiyo only growled. Her brother did the same.

She saw a blinding flash of white as her lord stood in front of her. She could sense the strange combination of relief and anger in his voice as he said, "Rin, leave here."

"No."

All eyes turned on her. She had never refused Sesshomaru-sama anything, as long as she had lived. She had obeyed him implicitly and without question. It was the reason she had been allowed to follow him. Sesshomaru simply looked at her incredulously.

"Rin, do as you are told," he said, growling at her. She was unafraid.

"Sesshomaru-sama, this is one thing I must do on my own. You have always protected me - and I love you because of it - but I know for a fact that there is only one being who can defeat Inuchiyo."

His surprise at Rin's correct naming of the enemy was, of course, completely concealed. However, Rin almost laughed because Sesshomaru-sama lightly tossed his hair aside with his left hand - which was always the way that he showed veiled surprise.

"Please, Sesshomaru-sama, I do need you to help me - I can't do this alone." She looked meaningfully at Inukaito, who was still snarling, waiting for his sister's command to fight.

"No. Rin, you must leave." I can't lose you again, was what he really meant, and she knew it.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I will die if I don't do what I came to. Please, let me do what I need to do. Or rather, what she needs me to do."

Confused, Sesshomaru moved ever so slightly to her side, still glued to her. It was the most she could hope for - and so she finally did what was needed. She drew something long, white, and thin out from underneath her clothing. It resembled ivory - but it was cracked jaggedly across the middle. Inuchiyo, watching intently, shrieked with dismay when she saw it.

"This is what you killed me with, Inuchiyo. It will be your undoing." Inukaito rushed at her, but Sesshomaru, who had turned back into his large white dog-form, grabbed him by the neck, holding him mercilessly with his teeth. Rin snapped the blade in half, as though it was a stick. A large shard fell out of it, which she saved.

Inukaito suddenly shrank down to his humanesque form - one he hadn't been in in over two hundred years. His eyes were wild, his white hair disheveled and matted. Sesshomaru was still holding him by the neck, growling.

"Brother!" shouted out Inuchiyo. She turned on Rin. "You bitch!"

"You're wrong," Rin said, her anger rising. "You're the bitch. You've ruined so many lives - all for selfish gain. You truly are one of the worst youkai I've ever met - and you aren't even powerful." Inuchiyo growled, slashing Rin's arm. Rin, crying out in pain, raised her staff, and before Sesshomaru could rip Inuyuki to shreds, she called,

"NOW! Inuyasha!"

His brother appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as did his companions behind him. Inuyasha jumped into the air, his red Tetsusaiga flashing brightly. He intercepted Inuchiyo - and stabbed deeply into the bone blade.

For a moment, the air seemed still. Inuchiyo, in disbelief, dropped what was once her prized possesion. Out of it flowed what seemed to be a black colored smoke, and it grew, and grew, with a sighing, groaning sound. It flashed into the air, in the shape of a great, black beast.

As quickly as she could, Rin grabbed a shard of the bone, and quietly motioned to Kikou, who was standing closely by. She apologized, and shoved the shard in between the dog's withers. Kikou cried out, but just for a moment. He very rapidly began to change, before everyone's eyes.

First, he grew tall - as tall as Sesshomaru was when transformed. His eyes turned the color of deep sapphire. His hair quickly grew black as night all over. He then began to sprout a tall, black topknot upon his head, that flowed behind like a long silken ribbon, and a glorious tail that was even longer. A swirl of white was branded upon his forehead. He was no longer Kikou - he was a vessel for a different creature.

"It worked!" Rin called joyfully.

Sesshomaru, his eyes wide, was frozen to the ground. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe. The only thing he could do was speak her name in disbelief.

"Inuyuki."

She looked straight at him, and moaned deep in her throat.

Rin could only stare at her admiringly - Inuyuki had certainly been modest in describing herself. Her aura, almost complete, was enormous and powerful. She looked straight ahead at her enemy, and growled deeply in her throat.

Inukaito had gone mad. After being transformed constantly for the past two centuries, he no longer thought rationally like other youkai. He was purely a slave to his beast-half, and had no common sense. Seeming to forget that he lacked his powers since the bone-blade had been broken, he rushed at Rin, snarling and snapping like a dog. Rin easily countered him by running her staff underneath his feet and tripping him upside down. Inuyuki growled at him once, and rushing up to him, slashed him with one of her gigantic paws, scratching him badly. He howled in pain.

Attempting to gain leverage of a sort, he rushed for Rin. But his speed was now gone - and Sesshomaru stepped in front of Rin, his eyes glowing menacingly. Turning around, Inukaito's wild eyes narrowed. He attacked Inuyuki outright, like one crazed. She took one long, vicious look at him, and snapped her jaws around his frail body, swallowing him whole. As she did so, she turned her beautiful blue eyes to Inuchiyo, who quivered in terror.

"No, no, no, you have it all wrong. This was all Inukaito's idea. He was the one who wanted the power - not me!"

No one answered her. The only answer she recieved was a vicious cut on the side of her face that wasn't ruined. This was followed by a slash across her side, then her legs, then her neck - Inuyuki was using her gigantic claws to cut her to ribbons. Then, Inuyuki's long, beautiful black topknot twirled itself around Inuchiyo's neck, becoming a noose. Slowly, very slowly, it went tighter and tighter. Gasping and choking, it was now evident that Inuchiyo was weak, and always had been. She had relied too heavily on the magic of her ancestors, since she had little of her own - and without it, she had nothing left.

Finally, she was still. No one moved - everyone was surprised to see a youkai so easily defeated, just like a human. They were even more surprised that she was able to create so much pain.

Inuyuki dropped Inuchiyo's corpse like a sack of rice. She was suddenly shrinking - and turning brown instead of black. The magic was fading. As it did, she turned and looked deeply into Sesshomaru's eyes. He walked up to her, quietly and calmly, and laid his hand upon her face. Each had a look of longing - and admittedly, Rin felt sudden pangs of jealousy.

Inuyuki rumbled deep in her throat at Sesshomaru's touch, and as suddenly as she had appeared, she faded in a black mist that wrapped itself around Sesshomaru; then, to Rin's surprise, it wrapped itself around her. As it did, Rin could feel thankfulness and peace filling her being. She knew that at long last, Inuyuki was complete. She would be able to find peace, forever. As Rin realized this, tears of happiness cascaded down her face.

When she was once again aware of herself, which seemed like hours but must have simply been a few seconds, she looked up to meet Sesshomaru's eyes. She had expected to find sadness in them - sadness that he had lost Inuyuki once again. However, all she could see was his normal deadpan expression - with a slight softness to it that she knew was for her.

"Rin," he said, simply. She knew it was a request to follow him. Rin, looking back at her friends from her village life, said,

"Thank all of you so much - especially for understanding when my corpse suddenly rose from the dead, and listening quickly to what needed to be done."

Kagome and Sango giggled. "Think nothing of it," Kagome said. "It's not the first time something like that has happened around here, after all!"

"And Inuyasha, thank you so much for agreeing to help break the bone blade - I am so very glad that it worked like we thought it would."

"What did you think I'd do?" Inuyasha asked, "Let another demon ruin the village? That's why I'm here!" He said, proudly.

"The only reason the villagers allow you here," muttered Kagome.

Inuyasha, annoyed, simply said nothing. He knew if he did he'd regret it later.

"I have to go now," said Rin, looking quickly at her lord, feeling the heat of his gaze. Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"We know," said Kagome and Sango. "We've known for a while. But please come to visit sometimes! After all, you owe us the story of what happened to you while you were... gone."

"Of course," Rin said. "I won't be gone forever."

Smiling, Sango said, "We'll see."

They were waving at one another, walking off, when Inuyasha said, "Hurry. Let's go." He looked nauseated.

"Oh, come off it Inuyasha! I know you hate your brother, but jeez! Who knows when Rin will be back next? I want to say goodbye properly!"

"You obviously didn't see how my brother was staring at Rin."

Sango and Kagome giggled. "Who didn't?"

"Trust me," Inuyasha said, "You won't want to be within five square miles of this place by sundown. Just be thankful you can't smell why."

At this, as they walked away, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku laughed mercilessly.