Author's Note: Before this chapter starts, I believe some weapon terminology may be necessary for those who don't know about 16th century Japanese warfare:

Katana: The most standard sword used by Japanese foot soldiers. A simple curved blade that comes in many different sizes.

Nodachi: A huge two-handed sword, the Nodachi was the ultimate weapon in terms of offense. It's long range and massive size made it devastating when used by the few warriors who were strong enough to wield them.

Naginata: A spear and an unusually long blade, the Naginata was one of the most effective and versatile weapons of the era, giving the wielder the power of a sword and the long reach of a spear.

"So Sango, I don't suppose you have any brilliant plans on how to defeat twice our number?" Miroku asked while clutching his staff tightly and clinching his teeth. No attempt was being made to hide his anger at her decision to send Kirara away.

"Actually I do." She calmly replied. "A throw from the Hiraikotsu should scatter them. Then I want you to take off to fight them through the woodlands, while I remain to fight the others here."

"You want us to split up? Why on earth should we even consider such a thing?" Regardless of how angry he was with Sango, the thought of leaving her in the middle of battle was simply unacceptable.

"Because they'll break into pairs to fight us both." Sango tried to explain as fast as possible with the demon soldiers closing in. "One-on-two gives us a better chance of survival then two-on-four. Now get ready..."

Miroku was practically beside himself with anger. "That's your plan? How do you even know they will split up evenly to go after us?"

"Because they're using my tactics, remember?" Sango pointed out. "And under these conditions, that's what I've been trained to do. Unless you've got any better ideas, prepare to get moving, because our time is up!"

Sure enough, the demons had finished their pre-battle assessment. At that very moment, they drew their weapons and started to charge. But before they could get close, a strong throw of Sango's Hiraikotsu caused them to dive for cover out of the way. Sango was disappointed, but not surprised that she had failed to hit a single one of them. These demons were too powerful and knowledgeable of her weapons to fall victim to such a basic long range attack.

At that moment, Miroku took off for the woodlands just as he had been instructed. Though he hated the idea of leaving Sango, her plan made tactical sense, and he could not bring himself to disobey her. At the start of the hunt, he had agreed to follow her lead without question and he knew the wrath he faced from her if he went back on his word might be as deadly as the demons he was facing now. As soon as he got deep enough into the forest, he looked back to discover Sango's prediction was correct. Two of the demon warriors were chasing after him, charging through the forest and gaining fast. He had hoped for the vague possibility that the Saimyosho would remain with Sango, enabling him to use his Wind Tunnel, but as he expected, this was not the case. Every single one of them had gone after him, hovering above the pursuing demons to ensure his Wind Tunnel would remain sealed.

Miroku kept running and brought his staff up in a defensive position as the first demon warrior caught up, raising it just in time to block an overhead swing from the demon's slim Katana blade. He immediately countered, slamming the blunt end of his staff into the demon's chest and then following through with a strike across the face with its bladed tip, slicing open a big gash across the demon's face and knocking him to the ground.

But before Miroku could go any further, the second demon infantryman was upon him, swinging wildly with a giant Nodachi sword. Now Miroku didn't even attempt to block the oncoming blows. The demon's sword was far too large for his thin staff to be effective in a defensive manner. Instead, all he could do was run further into the forest, while quickly shifting back and forth to dodge as sword swings whirled around him and occasionally cut and through his robes, missing his body by inches. Much to his dismay, he saw the other demon had risen to his feat and was coming after him too. The wound across his face had not incapacitated him in the slightest degree.

As the demons chased him deeper into the massive forest, Miroku realized he had to do something to get the momentum back in his favor. Without warning he reached blindly into his robe and hurled a massive barrage of enchanted sutras in their direction. His quick throw and the demons' fast reflexes caused most of them to miss, but it forced one opponent to dive out of the way, while one sutra hit the Nodachi-wielding demon in the leg. He immediately dropped to the ground, rolling in pain and furiously trying to pull it off.

"Now's my chance!" Thought Miroku. "I've got to take the other one out while he's down!" Rushing over to the other demon, Miroku took the initiative by unleashing a devastating fury of blows from his staff. Now it was the demon who was on the defensive, desperately blocking and dodging as blow after blow from Miroku's staff sliced through his flesh and pounded his bones. Finally, a powerful strike to the head sent him crashing to the ground.

However, before he had the chance to finish him off, Miroku heard the noise of rapidly approaching footsteps behind him, causing him to turn around just in time to see the other demon charging at him with his Nodachi held high. With no time to move, Miroku could only raise his staff in an attempt to block the oncoming blow. His block was successful, but the other weapon was so much more powerful that the impact sent Miroku's staff flying out of his hands. The demon then followed up his sword strike with a kick to Miroku's head, sending him stumbling backward several steps until he collided with a large tree.

Now with Miroku pinned against a tree with no room to maneuver and no weapon to block his opponent's blows, the demon charged in for the kill. Miroku quickly reached into a pocket in his robe for more sutras to throw, but to his horror, there were none. He had already thrown nearly all of them, and had no time to check his other pockets for more. However, he felt something else: The pistol he had taken from Natsumi. In the excitement of battle, he had completely forgotten it was there, but now it was his only hope. As the demon closed in, Miroku quickly pulled out the firearm, pointed it at it's head, and pulled the trigger, firing the weapon just inches from the demon's face.

The crack of the gunshot boomed throughout the forest as the bullet tore through the demon's skull and blew out the back of his brain, killing him instantly. Finally, Miroku had taken down one of his opponents. But it provided him no respite. As the smoke cleared, he saw the other demon had recovered and was rushing back into the fight. The pistol in Miroku's hand was now useless for it's intended purpose, but it was still a heavy blunt object. Miroku quickly dodged a sword thrust from the oncoming demon and countered by slamming the butt of his gun into his face. Then he drilled the demon in the head with an outward swing, once again knocking him off his feet and striking him so hard that the gun slipped out out of Miroku hand in the process.

Miroku hoped his blow was strong enough to keep the demon down, at least long enough from him to pick a weapon up off the ground, but it wasn't. Almost immediately, the battered and blood-covered demon was rolling back up and reaching for the katana sword he had dropped. In pure desperation, Miroku did the only thing he could think of. He threw himself on top of the fallen demon and started hammering him in an attempt to prevent him from regaining his sword. While trying to defeat a demon with nothing but his fists seemed almost suicidal, Miroku figured it was better odds then trying to fight against a sword-wielding demon while unarmed.

For the next several seconds, Miroku and the demon wrestled along the ground, trying to kill each other with their bare hands. Eventually, the demon warrior broke the stalemate by slamming his knee into Miroku's chest and shoving him away with tremendous force, sending Miroku tumbling down a nearby steep embankment before rolling to a stop face-down in shallow stream. On the hill above Miroku, the demon looked down on his opponent lying face-down in the water below. It seemed like the time for his victory was at hand. Screaming at the top of his lungs, the demon drew a dagger from his belt and leaped from the hill to the stream below, preparing to make a killing strike as he landed on Miroku.

But he never got the chance. As soon as the demon was in the air, Miroku rolled onto his back and opened up his Wind Tunnel. Caught in mid-air decent, the demon had no way avoid his fate, and could only watch helplessly for a few seconds as his own momentum carried him to his death inside the void. The hoard of Saimyosho wasps behind immediately rushed to Miroku, but his fall had created enough distance from them that he was able to re-seal the Tunnel just in time. Now with their purpose nullified, the Saimyosho scattered, flying off into the clouds.

Exhausted but victorious, Miroku pulled himself out of the water to catch his breath and check himself for injuries. Amazingly, he found none. Though his robe was soaked, covered in mud, bloody, and slashed in several places, he had received nothing but a few minor cuts and bruises. "A total victory!" Miroku thought to himself as he climbed up the hillside to retrieve his staff, though he had to admit it was somewhat unconventional. "Sango would be impressed."Suddenly the thought of Sango snapped him alert. Realizing Sango could still be in danger, or worse, Miroku took off at full speed, his desire to help her completely overwhelming his weariness and fatigue. Soon he was able to find his weapon and prepared to rush to her aid. "Don't worry Sango, I'm coming."

But suddenly Miroku realized that would not be the case. Fear gripped him, a greater fear then he had ever experienced in battle, when he realized his fight with the two demons had taken him too deep into the forest. He could see nothing but trees and bushes in every direction. He had no idea where he was, and more importantly, no idea how to get back to the village to help Sango. As with Zanshin and all the other demons under his control, the demons he and Sango faced today did not give off any hint of demonic aura.

Desperately Miroku started searching the area, looking for any sort of pathway or landmark that could help lead him back to the village. Though he had full confidence in Sango's abilities, he still found himself running through the worst possible situations in his mind. "Sango, please hold on. I'll get there soon, I promise."

As Miroku led two of the demon warriors away into the woods, Sango made her move. Knowing the two opponents she was facing knew her tactics, she decided to do the one thing they would not be expecting her to do when faced against larger, stronger, and more numerous opponents. She attacked. A vicious, furious attack. Charging in at full speed, Sango swung away wildly with her Hiraikotsu, sending both foes scrambling out of the way. Eventually she made contact with one of demons, striking him in the center of his face with a hard blow that sent him skidding across the ground. The other one moved in to strike her head from behind, but she raised the giant boomerang in time to block the blow. The she immediately countered. Dropping the Hirakotsu to free up her arms, Sango slammed her elbow hard into the demon's unarmored chest and then caught him across the chin with a side heel kick, sending him crashing through the door frame of a ruined house. As the demon rose to his feet, Sango picked up the Hiraikotsu and hurled it in his direction, throwing it too fast to make precise aim. Fortunately, a precise hit wasn't necessary. Instead of striking the demon, the massive boomerang tore the through the foundation of the house, causing the entire rotten structure to collapse on top of him. The demon soldier only had time to look up in surprise before he was buried under a mountain of rubble.

However, there was one problem. The Hiraikotsu was buried under the rubble as well, and would be sorely missed as the other demon had recovered and was rushing back into the fight. Sango barely had time to draw her sword as the second one rushed at her, attacking with a massive Naginata spear. Armed with only her slim Katana, Sango found herself outmatched on the defensive, desperately back-peddling as she avoided the demon's thrusts and swipes. The whole time Sango looked for an opportunity to counter-attack, but the other weapon was so much longer then her's that she couldn't get close.

Finally Sango got her chance when an errant thrust lodged the spear tip into a building wall, and she took full advantage, swinging her own sword down on the Naginata's wooden handle and slicing it in half. Now instead of a spear, all the demon had was a carved up wooden stick. However, this turned out to be more effective of weapon then Sango realized. As she moved in to strike the demon, he stopped her by grabbing her wrist as she was swinging her blade. Then he slammed the wooden handle into her chest. Instantly, Sango dropped her sword and doubled over on the ground, groaning in pain. The demon responded by picking Sango's sword off the ground and pulling a similar katana from a sheath on his own belt. Sango narrowly managed to roll out of the way as he brought both weapons to bear, stabbing them into the spot where she had been and missing by mere inches.

If Sango had seemed out-matched before, it was nothing compared to the situation she faced now. Winded and without her primary weapons while facing an opponent armed with two swords, Sango decided continuing a conventional fight was far too difficult. Instead she found herself literally running for her life, darting between huts and buildings with the enraged heavily armed demon hot on her heels and slicing at her whenever he got close. Suddenly spotting an old barn up ahead, Sango came up with a plan. Without warning, she stopped, turned around, and threw a poison bomb at the pursuing demon, causing him to dive into a nearby ruined household to avoid the toxic fumes. As soon as the bomb left her hands, Sango ran off into the barn and slammed the door shut.

As soon as the poisonous vapors dissipated, the demon charged out of the house he had been taking refuge in and immediately looked to re-engage. Seeing Sango was gone, he found her footprints in the ground and followed them to the barn. Without even bothering to slide open the door, the demon simply smashed through the ancient wall of the structure with his swords ready for combat. However, no one was visible. The entire place seemed abandoned. The demon did a thorough search of the area, but found no evidence Sango was still there. He was just about to leave when he noticed something. Tucked away in the corner of the barn, he saw a few piles of hay with something unnatural sticking out of them. Upon moving closer, he saw what it was: The scabbard for Sango's katana sword. Only a few inches of it were visible, but the demon could clearly identify it and knew full well the last time he saw it, it was attached to Sango's waist.

"I have you now," The demon thought to himself as he crept up to the piles of hay as silently as possible. As soon as he was close enough, he thrust the blades into the piles hay where the sword scabbard was visible, expecting feel the impact of them impaling through Sango's body in the process.

But it didn't happen. The demon felt no impact as his swords cut through the hey pile. He heard no death cry, and saw no blood seeping out. All he had time to do was realize he been tricked before Sango jumped down from the hayloft above, landed behind him, and thrust her arm-blade through the back of his head, earning herself an instant kill. The demon immediately became inert weight and the swords dropped from his hands as he collapsed next to them, dead before he hit the ground.

Breathing heavily from fatigue and injury, Sango pulled her scabbard out of the haystack, picked up her sword, and headed back out. She wanted nothing more then to sit down and rest for a while, but that was out of the question. Miroku was still out in the woods somewhere, and she couldn't rest until she knew he was safe. "Keep up the fight, Miroku, I won't be long."

But first there was the matter of retrieving her Hiraikotsu. Heading back to the site of the demolished house, she happily discovered it was visible amid the wreckage. The last thing she felt like doing was digging through the rubble, especially with Miroku still in need of assistance.

However, as she started to pull the heavy weapon out of the ruins, she quickly discovered her own problems had not yet been resolved. The demon who was buried by the collasped house suddenly burst out of the rubble and charged at her with unstoppable fury. Sango could see he was gore-covered mess, but that provided little comfort, as this did not reduce his determination to kill her one bit. Sango quickly dove out of the way as he brought his sword down on the spot where she had been, forcing her to leave the Hiraikotsu where it was amid the ruins.

Instead, she drew her sword and prepared to defend herself yet again as the demon came charging back at her. But before he reached her, an enraged Kirara swooped down upon him from the sky, catching the demon (and a bewildered Sango) completely by surprise. Sango watched in amazement as Kirara's massive body flattened the demon on the ground and tore him to pieces with her teeth and burning claws, continuing to bite and rip him apart long after he stopped moving.

At some point, Kirara realized she was just ripping up a corpse and stopped, turning back to her mistress, who was still looking at her with awe.

"Uh..t-thanks for the assist, Kirara." Sango sputtered out, still shocked by Kirara's timely appearance. "I guess that takes care of things here. I hope you found out where Zanshin was going."

Kirara nodded her head and roared happily in acknowledgement.

"Great! Now come on and help me pull the Hiraikotsu out from the rubble. We've got to go find Miro-"

"Sango!" Miroku interrupted as he came running out of the woods and through the village. After several minutes of wandering, he had finally managed to find his way back and was desperate to learn of Sango's fate. "Sango! Are you okay? Where are the demons?"

Sango happily turned in response to meet him. "Miroku! You're alright! Everything's fine here!"

Upon hearing this, Miroku took a moment to stop and catch his breath. "Oh thank goodness you're safe. Those demon warriors were so vicious, I had no idea what they might do to you."

"Don't worry Miroku. Those demons gave me some problems, but I was able beat them, with some timely aid from Kirara of course," Sango explained while patting Kirara's head affectionately.

"Glad to hear it," Miroku replied. Then suddenly the tone of his voice became far more serious. "Of course, she could have helped both of us a great deal more if you hadn't sent her away so recklessly."

Sango rolled her eyes. "You're still upset about that? I told you this hunt was going to involve taking risks."

"You never mentioned unnecessary ones that could easily get us killed." Miroku countered. "Honestly Sango, I expected better judgement."

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you," said Sango, doing all she could to emphasize her sarcasm as she and Kirara pulled the Hiraikotsu out from the rubble pile. "Now are you done pouting? If so, then come and join me on Kirara. We need to move out."

Though this was hardly a satisfactory answer, Miroku agreed nothing more could be gained from this conversation. "Fine. We can talk about it on the way back to Keade's village. Hopefully Naraku's attack has not yet commenced."

Now it was Sango's turn to become serious. "You don't seem to understand our situation. We're not going back."

For a few seconds, all Miroku could do was stare in disbelief. "Sango. Didn't you hear what Zanshin said? Naraku is going to assault Kaede's village! All our friends are there and they need our help."

"We don't know that!" Sango pointed out. "Zanshin could have been bluffing. Inuyasha could have recovered by now. We don't have enough information to take the chance of letting Zanshin get away. Now come on! Kirara is going to take us to wherever she tracked Zanshin too. The fact that she's back already means he couldn't have gone far."

"And what if Zanshin was telling the truth?" Asked Miroku. "What if Inuyasha is still too badly injured to fight?"

"The village will still be under the protection of our companions, and Kouga's wolf demon tribe," Sango calmly replied. "They can handle whatever Naraku throws at them. However, there isn't anyone else here to defeat Zanshin. Just us!"

Miroku was so surprised by Sango's behavior that he could hardly find words to respond. "Are you really that callous? Zanshin even said Kohaku might be involved! Doesn't that mean-"

"Enough!" Sango shouted in rage. Her patience with Miroku was coming to an end. "I said this hunt was only going to end when Zanshin no longer walks the earth and I meant it! We're closer to hunting him down then ever and we can't turn back now. Nothing is going to stop us!"

"Sango! Listen to yourself! Do you have any idea who you sound like?"

Finally Miroku's words struck home. For a moment, Sango paused to consider his point as it sunk in. Finally she re-composed herself and continued. "Miroku...let me make this clear. I'm going after Zanshin. Now if you don't want to come with me, you don't have too, but otherwise you've got one very long walk home."