Sesshomaru lifted a brow at Kagome, Inuyasha, and the other female's actions. He was impressed with the silence in which they moved. He could still see them—hidden as they were in the trees—, but he had been watching them.
Even their yoki and Kagome's reiki had disappeared expertly. He could sense them faintly on his own—the connection he had with them by becoming their alpha made his awareness of them stronger. Who knows if he would have paid them any attention if that connection hadn't existed.
"Where did they go?"
Sesshomaru glanced at Shippo. "Have you tried looking for them?"
"Yes," Shippo said. "I sent out my yoki, letting it soak into the ground and trees so it wouldn't be detected like I've been taught. I know that much."
Sesshomaru ignored the kit's attitude. "And?"
"And I still can't find them," the kit mumbled.
Sesshomaru wasn't surprised. Shippo was still considerably young. The level Inuyasha, his mate, and Kagome were at, to think a fox demon of only a hundred and five would find them was unrealistic. Even if he was the kit's teacher.
"What did you find?" Sesshomaru said.
"I… I didn't have enough yoki to do a complete search," Shippo said, bowing his head.
Sesshomaru frowned. The kit knew better than to deplete his energy so foolishly.
"I would have run away," Shippo said softly. "But, I needed to know if it was her."
Sesshomaru would have done the same—kept fighting, kept hunting until he found her, too.
But…
He wasn't a fledgling demon. He was the rare product of two powerful Daiyokai and rose to the title of a Dai at an unprecedented age of two hundred. And after creating his own sword from his body with just the shear amount of his power alone, he had surpassed his father and mother.
It had been a bittersweet moment.
"I understand the need you must have felt," Sesshomaru said, surprising the kit. "However,"—the kit groaned— "it is clear I have been too lenient with you—given you too much freedom, and not trained you enough."
Sesshomaru could see the kit was waiting to hear what his punishment would be, but he stayed silent and allowed the kit to worry. He concentrated more on the four distinct yoki racing toward him—that had been racing straight to him for the past hour. And it had been perfectly clear why his old/new packmates had taken to the trees.
Predators laying in wait… Hunters sitting tight so their prey could get close enough, so they could pounce.
Sesshomaru made no move to inform his three warriors and 'secretary', that they were in potential danger. He wanted to see if his men would sense them—see if demons of their age and power would notice them.
He watched his men suddenly appear through the trees. When they were twenty feet away from him, Inuyasha struck first, answering his silent question.
Landing behind the two warriors trailing behind, his brother knocked them unconscious and leapt back up into the trees, taking them with him, all without making a sound.
Next came the other female, and just as silently as Inuyasha, wisped the third warrior away without his secretary, Masa, none the wiser. And when Masa was five feet away, he was rewarded for his wait. Kagome, silently landing behind Masa. Her strange, wickedly curved blades at Masa's neck and at his main artery at his upper thigh before the demon knew what happened.
Sesshomaru's lips curved at Masa's bewildered expression, his amusement clear, until…
"You smell nice," she huskily purred in his secretary's ear. "I may just take a bite out of you."
A savage snarl filled the forest, and his fangs elongated at the sight before him. However, the foolish miko merely glared at him over Masa's shoulder and stayed where she was.