Beyond the Darkness
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A/N: I hope you guys don't hate me for all of the cliffhangers I'm writing, but, you probably do anyway. d: I'm just hoping you all are enjoying the story, since I'm totally neglecting all of my other stories (especially Vampire Kisses. /: Sorry Jagger && Emily). Well, R&&R por favor annnnnnnnnnd ENJOY. :D -Michele

PS:There is some bits of InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, but it's exactly taken word-for-word. I just needed a little scene from it for the story. Anywahoozles, disclaimer for the movie, and, of course, the fandom, but of course there is already a disclaimer instilled in the site once you've become a member, at least I'm pretty sure there is. d: I dunno. xD Enjoy. (:

::Forty-Eight::

Sesshomaru peered out into the vast grasslands, overlooking forests and mountains in the far west. The wind blew his long white hair in the breeze, the tall grass blades grazing against his white hakama.

Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up. He saw the majestic profile of his father, gazing out into the grasslands as well.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Inutaisho asked, squeezing his son's shoulder. Sesshomaru looked back out at the plains, nodding. "You know, one day, this will all be yours."

"What do you mean?" asked the young dog demon. He looked back up at his father with large golden eyes, full of curiosity. Inutaisho looked down at his son with a smile.

"One day, you're going to inherit all of this. It'll all be yours. I'm going to give it to you," he explained.

"But, why?" asked Sesshomaru. "Why when you are the most powerful demon in all of Japan?" Inutaisho chuckled and knelt down to his son's height.

"Because I love you, son. And I want you to have it. One day, you will become Lord Sesshomaru, lord of the Western Lands of Japan."

"When will this be?" asked Sesshomaru, excitedly.

Inutaisho ruffled his hair and stood. "One day. I won't be around forever. I'm going to need someone to take my place. Who else better to look after my land than my own son?" He grinned, glancing down at him through the corner of his eyes.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Sesshomaru repeated softly, looking out at the grasslands that would one day be his.

Inutaisho stood before the wide manor, the moon large and full before him. He was dripping blood, a wound made from sealing Ryukotsusei into a mountain. It was a particularly large wound, and Myoga the Flea was sure that he wouldn't survive it if he didn't do something about it.

Sesshomaru appeared behind him. Sesshomaru was questioning his father about going to aid the human woman he was infatuated with. After all, he was deeply wounded, and she was just a human. How could a magnificent demon such as his father fall in love with a human?

After questioning his father and demanding his most powerful swords, Tetsusaiga and Sounga, be entrusted to him, it was Inutaisho's turn to question his son. Questioning him about why he was so obsessed with obtaining power.

"Tell me, Sesshomaru — do you have someone … to protect?" Inutaisho asked.

Sesshomaru eyed his father strangely.

Someone to protect?

"The answer is no. I, Sesshomaru, have no one to protect," Sesshomaru answered surely. What kind of question was that anyway? As his father rushed off, transforming into his dog-form, blood still seeping from his torso, Sesshomaru pondered this.

Someone to protect? Feh, ridiculous.

Sesshomaru was squared off with Naraku, his glowing red eyes glaring intently at him. His father's words from the day of his death echoed in his mind.

Someone to protect. Someone to protect. I was wrong, Father. I do have someone to protect. And now she is dead!

Sesshomaru swung his sword down at Naraku, crushing earth and producing a wave of strong wind shooting straight for him. Naraku's barrier blocked it, however, but Sesshomaru wasn't done. He'd struck a couple hordes of demons before performing the Dragon Strike at Naraku.

"You will die!" cried Sesshomaru. Another strike.

"You aren't as high and mighty as you might think you are, Sesshomaru. Not now that you have a mate and close companions," Naraku taunted.

"Come out and fight, you pathetic poseur!" Sesshomaru cried. Naraku growled.

"A pathetic poseur who managed to kill a purebred demon," he hissed. Sesshomaru roared and struck Naraku and his barrier. The barrier was resisting, but Sesshomaru continued pressing forward.

Someone to protect. Someone to protect. I do have someone to protect. Nikala!

He glanced back at her body, the unconscious auburn fox cast aside and a gaping hole through her breast. He'd missed the baby, but had he done that on purpose just so he could take it?

Nikala …

Images of her smiling face flashed before his eyes. He was remembering when he'd first seen her, just barely passing out in the field from searching days on end for her son without food, water, or rest. He remembered how he'd first come off as a shallow demon, someone who couldn't give a damn about her, but all because he wanted to prove the feelings he had for her wrong. It wasn't his intention to fall in love with the beautiful fox-demon woman. In fact, he hadn't wanted it at all.

But it had happened. And then came the memories of him learning to accept these feelings, remembering the way his insides felt when he'd seen her in the hot springs absolutely nude. Then the first time he expressed his feelings for her by grabbing her aside and pulling her into a kiss that felt like an explosion of pleasure. He remembered hearing her say that she loved him, remembered searching for her son, remembered finding him, remembered making love with her, remembered how he felt about being a father ….

His jaw clenched tightly shut. She couldn't be gone. She just couldn't be. Why couldn't Tensaiga save her? That was his father's fang. It was capable of doing so much — so why couldn't it save a mere fox demon?

Sesshomaru's pressure on Tokijin's strike to the barrier strengthened. Naraku was glaring at him from inside. He knew Sesshomaru was winning. That Tokijin was breaking through his little barrier. How was that even possible? It was bad enough that InuYasha could take down a fully structured barrier with Tetsusaiga, but Sesshomaru wasn't even using his father's fang … how was Tokijin capable of doing such a thing?

"You can't shield yourself forever," Sesshomaru growled, leaning into the sword. Naraku called on more demons to protect himself and distract Sesshomaru, which really got on his nerves. Agitated, he lifted his sword from the barrier, reluctantly enough, and struck at the demons. But they continued coming and coming. Sesshomaru mentally groaned.

That bastard, Naraku, he thought. He's protecting himself by bringing these pathetic distractions!

If only he wasn't one arm short. How much easier it would be to fight with two arms.

Damn that half-breed, he thought again, this time with a sneer. If he'd only given me Tetsusaiga … if he hadn't cut off my damn arm …

He remembered how Nikala wanted to make it her quest to find Sesshomaru's arm, to restore that empty space. She knew it meant everything to him just to have that arm. He wanted to hold her with both of them, not just one. He wanted to fight twice as fast, do twice as much. Wield Tokijin in one hand, use Poison Claws with the other.

As he fought single-handedly, he'd suddenly picked up a scent … actually, a mixture of scents. And the group was coming for them.

He turned around and saw, coming up over a hill near the opposite side of the mansion, was Rin and Jaken, running towards them, calling out for Lord Sesshomaru. Jaken had his staff spewing fire while Rin was running with iron pans, as if she were going to smack them against a demon's head. Sesshomaru widened his golden eyes and glanced back at Naraku. His surprised look told him that he wasn't expecting this either.

Rin … Jaken?

And then, what he saw next really made Sesshomaru's eyebrows rise.

InuYasha and his entire clan stood side by side, their weapons out and ready. InuYasha peered down at Sesshomaru, his eyes narrowed, and a small grin spreading across his lips. He nodded and then burst into war calls, running towards the hordes with his fang wound behind him. The others had dispersed as well, even Shippo with a fully-well developed fox fire that was burning the demons at an impeccable rate.

"What is this?" cried Naraku, rising himself into the air. He lunged for Nikala's body, but Sesshomaru was quick to intercept. He stood in front of her protectively, his sword pointed at Naraku.

"Very well. I'll take you instead. You'll make a fine addition to my collection," Naraku said and he let loose his tentacles. Sesshomaru's fast speed was no match for the tentacles and he cut them off before they had time to reach him.

"You're not laying a finger on any of us," Sesshomaru said. Suddenly, an arrow pierced Naraku's barrier, causing it to disperse. Naraku's face was etched with terror as Sesshomaru quickly glanced towards the opposite end of the mansion where the others had come from. Kagome had just released one of her sacred arrows, and now was his chance to hit Naraku.

"DRAGON STRIKE!"

The shape of the blue dragon and electricity crossing the blade emerged and struck at Naraku, which hit him square in the chest. A blinding light flashed and Naraku's body exploded into many bits. However, when the cloud of dust dispersed, all that was left was the remains of a shattered golem left in the rubble of the earth.