It took us three days to reach Lord Daichi's castle. It was far to the south and it rested on its own island. We gazed upon it from the mainland shores. The castle itself was on a large hill it seemed. From where we stood it seemed as though the castle was floating above the trees surrounding the island.

"Minako that must be it." I confirmed.

"Yes." She whispered. She gazed upon the island in awe. "How are we to get across?" She asked.

"We can always swim." I suggested as I jumped off her back to stand beside her. She shot me an evil look.

"You wish to swim?" She asked concerned. I laughed.

"Don't worry we're not going to swim." I said gazing up and down the beach. "We'll take a boat." I said pointing at a boat down a ways. When we got to the boat a sudden realization hit me. "Uhm…Minako…" I began.

"I see…there's not enough room for the two of us to go." She finished for me.

"So how are we going to go now…swimming's still an option." I said.

"Shiori go." Minako told me. "Its better you do this training without me. I will go and do my training of my own. Just call me when you've finished." She explained.

"If you're sure." I said. She nodded in reply. "Then listen for the proudest howl you'll ever hear Minako. Cause when I'm done that's the sound that will fill the sky to beckon you." I told her confidently.

"I will await the sound Shiori." She said proudly. Then without another word she disappeared into the woods. I didn't look back from that point on as I jumped into the boat and rowed off toward the island.

When I reached the castle gates they were guarded by two demons, one male, and one female. As I walked up to the gate they stopped me. I just watched them silently seeing as they were most likely testing me. Seeing if I was worthy enough to meet Lord Daichi. I just stared at them as I had seen Sesshomaru do so many times when he wanted people to do as he wished, striking utter fear into people. They both watched me curiously for a bit before looking toward each other nodding then looking back at me.

"You are in great turmoil." The female said.

"So you have sought out Lord Daichi to assist you." The male said. I watched them silently.

"I have come for Lord Daichi to train me, so I may become whole and return to Master Totosai to retrieve my weapon the Raikasai. I was told when I became whole I would be ready to use my weapon as it should be used." I told them. They once again stared at me studying me over.

"You may enter." They said in unison as they returned to their former positions. The gate opened on its own so I walked inside without speaking to them again. I didn't want to be foolish and say something that would get me thrown out. I looked upon the grounds and saw nature as beautiful as it was meant to be. I generous amount of trees and flowers and a beautiful crystal clear lake. I stood and gazed in awe. The lake amazed me the most. I'd never seen anything so clean, so pure.

"I see you're enjoying my castle thus far." A voice said. I turned around to see a young looking man with spiky brown hair and piercing golden eyes. He wore old armor much like that of my father's but he looked about Sesshomaru's age maybe a little older. He gave me a cocky looking smile and waited for my response.

"Your castle? Then are you Lord Daichi?" I asked.

"Just call me Daichi, no need to be formal." He replied. He walked past me looking me up and down and stopped before the lake gazing into its waters. "So what is it I can help you with Uhm…"

"Shiori." I told him.

"Uhm yes, Shiori, how can I help you?" He corrected himself. He looked at me now right into my eyes as if he was looking through me. It honestly made me a bit nervous but I told him everything about fighting Naraku and become whole as Totosai had explained. He still just stared at me silently through my entire speech and even afterwards he stared at me. He reminded me of something, his eyes, why were they familiar? "Shiori," he finally spoke, "Come over here would you?" He beckoned. I walked to his side when I did he pulled me over to the lake. "Look deep into the water." He told me. "What do you see?" He asked. I stared into the water, still unable to look away from his eyes.

"I see you and I, Daichi." I told him still staring deep into the reflection in his eyes. His reflection smiled at me.

"Then you are not looking hard enough." He told me. I stared into his eyes in the water, why where they so familiar? Suddenly the water shifted as did the image in its reflection. I couldn't look away from his eyes. They remained as the water became foggy. I knelt down to look more closely into the water. The eyes were all that stared at me in the darkness that had now became the water. Then it all changed and I was looking into the eyes of a sad and scared little boy, before the figure could show me who it was I was dragged into the water with no way of escaping.

I opened my eyes. Darkness surrounded me. I sat up and looked around, all way dark except for a single light. I stood and walked toward the light. It felt like forever I had been walking, as I walked the shape became bigger and bigger. The closer I came the more the light took on the shape of a young boy. The boy I'd seen in the water. He was facing away from me and all I could see was his…silver hair.

"Sesshomaru?" I asked. "The boy turned around to face me. How could I think this little boy was Sesshomaru? Those eyes I'd seen…they were familiar. They were Inuyasha's eyes. "Inuyasha, why are you here?" I asked him. He backed away from me. "Inuyasha, don't you recognize me?" I asked.

"You hate me." He said.

"Inuyasha, I could never hate you." I told him.

"How can you love him and hate me?" He asked. I couldn't quite understand his question. "He and I are so much alike and yet you cast me aside. Why is it you will only accept me or acknowledge me when I appear to you like this?" He asked.

"Inuyasha, what are you talking about?" I asked. The voice that replied was not Inuyasha's although it came from him. It sounded like a young girl.

"You love him! He's family to you and you accept him for who he is!" She cried. "Why can't you accept me as well?" She asked.

"Who, who are you?" I asked. Inuyasha disappeared in a huge light. When the light subsided I stood facing…me, but I wasn't how I should be. I was a human. My hair was black and long, my skin was pale and beautiful, and my eyes were a piercing blue. Those beautiful blue eyes were filled with sorrow and tears. "You're me." I said answering my own question. "You're my human self." She nodded.

"Why, why can't you accept me for who I am?" She cried. I couldn't lie to her. Those eyes…even though they were my own…I couldn't lie to her. They reminded me so much of Inuyasha's eyes on the night I met him. He was scared and alone and all I wanted to do was comfort him. Those eyes though, so hopeless so lost, they felt as if they were all knowing.

"I can't accept you…because you are weak." I told her. "You are my weakness and because of that I feel as though I have no need for you." I told her.

"Do you not know what I truly am!" She cried. I stared at her waiting for the answer. She suddenly became angry with me. "Then you must learn!" She yelled. Then her body burst into tiny pieces of light that flowed toward me. They disappeared as they touched my body. When they were all gone, I suddenly felt so weak. I felt as though my senses were practically gone and my strength diminished. I looked at my hands, no claws. I had become…a human.

I wandered now aimlessly through the darkness. I felt so helpless. She was just proving me right, that being human was…weak. It was a weakness. What does she want me to do? Beg for help? As if my words rang true the world around me changed from utter darkness to a field, a beautiful field with a faint glow to it. The flowers surrounded me gave the green world color, as did the cherry blossoms falling around me being blown in the wind. The field was surrounded by trees and in those trees was the darkness. I stared into them suddenly becoming afraid, but I couldn't be afraid. I am a demon and as a demon I can fear nothing.

"Yet you fear me." A voice called from beyond the darkness. Slowly it walked out into the open field. Another me appeared but she was much different, her hair was silver; the whites of her eyes were black and her eyes color, yellow. She didn't have wolf ears like me; her ears were more like my father's and Sesshomaru's. She wore a beautiful purple kimono and a fluff much like Sesshomaru's but it wrapped around her neck and down like a scarf. She was gorgeous and utterly powerful looking. She was what I always wanted to be.

"I do not fear that which I want most." I told her.

"You do not fear this form of me but you fear the beast you become instead of me." She explained. She raised her claws to me. "Fight me and if I find you truly worthy I will grant you our true power, the power we contain as a whole."

"Then why are we to fight. Isn't fighting pointless when we want to join together?" I asked.

"That is up to you." She told me. Without hesitation she charged at me. She struck barely missing as I dropped to the ground, more like slipped in my fear. I stumbled up and ran as she chased jumping ahead of me cutting me off. How could I fight her? How could I prove myself to a demon as a human? What strength does a human have? She struck again barely missing once again as I stumbled back. She was toying with me. Damn her. I pushed myself away from her as I tried to get up and run yet again. Suddenly Kagome's face came to mind. Her fear of me as I was about to kill her. A memory I'd tried to forget. She was so scared, so WEAK! Damnit! Her fearful face turned into Kikyo's just before Naraku struck her down. She had been a threat. A human a threat to a demon…what made Kikyo a threat? I tried to remember her as she stood up to him. Her spiritual power…yes…but something…it was something else too…

"You must learn, the truest strength a human posseses." My human voice echoed in my mind. My demon self stood before me again at the ready to strike.

"It seems you may never understand. It's time to end this." She struck me hard in the arm as I had once again tried to escape, she barely missed striking me dead. What was it….What made them strong? Their fear? I dropped to my knees. No wow that was stupid…why would fear make a human strong…I can't think…I can't just guess. Then it hit me as Kikyo, Kagome, Sango and Miroku's faces crossed through my mind the strength in their eyes. My demon self stood above me ready to cut me through. She swung.

"Will."