A/N: where we last left off, Sesshomaru had taken a dragon's paw from a slain dragon (compliments of Getsu's wolf fire and temper) to go back and try to claim the Tetsusaiga from InuYasha, the latter having not yet learned the power of the Wind Scar. and that's where this chap lets off.

disclaimer: i don't own InuYasha; my OCs belong to me.

Chapter 17: Howls: Full Circle

The hollow din of the dragon claws scraping against the blade of Tetsusaiga made her ears hurt.

"Onee-chan, how in hell did he get ahold of a damn dragon paw?" She looked at her sister who stood passively to the side, arms folded over her chest.

She kept her eyes on her mate, keeping a poker-face. "Recycling. A dragon's paw is practically the definition of 'tough skin'. The scales are hard as iron and usually put up a good fight against any demonic barrier given off by the dragon's enemy." He did his homework, she thought.

Both she-wolves blinked when he smirked darkly. "Uh-oh," they muttered in chorus.

"The Tetsusaiga is amazing; despite not being wielded by its master, its power is formidable. However it refused to show the Wind Scar to the one it has chosen as its master. Tetsusaiga, cut through the emptiness and reveal your power." Sesshomaru declared to a growling InuYasha.

Totosai gasped, "he must be able to see it, he must be able to see the Wind Scar!"

"The 'Wind Scar'?" Korihime, Getsu, and Kagome repeated in chorus.

The welder looked at the three females, "in a nutshell, the Wind Scar is the secret to Tetsusaiga's ultimate power. Slaying one hundred demons would be virtually impossible without being able to use the Wind Scar! Sesshomaru must be able to see it."

"Well if Sesshomaru can see it, can't you teach InuYasha to see it too?" Kagome asked.

"InuYasha can't be taught because he first has to see it within himself; if he can't do that, he'll die." Totosai answered.
Well this is just great, Korihime mused.

The hollow din of the claws hitting the blade rang out, making both Okami-yokai's ears hurt, as the Inu-Daiyokai forced his little brother back and sent him flying.

"InuYasha!" The group of humans moved forward out of concern for their friend.

The Okami-Daiyokai moved infront of them, katana drawn as the top of the hilt and the bottom end of the black scabbard connected horizontally, making a wide blue barrier form infront of the humans plus welder and two yokai.

"Getsu…" Kagome began in surprise.

"'Divine Barricade'; one of Mangetsuga's powers. It was our father's sword forged from our grandfather's own right fang centuries ago. Our father was to entrust it to his firstborn child when the child was old enough to leave our clan and create one of their own. Mangetsuga was the only heirloom we could salvage from the destruction of our home years ago, the destruction caused by the vile half-demon Naraku." Korihime explained, her arms folded over her chest.

"Father was reputed to be able to cast an oblong blue barrier that stretched for two hundred yards until he could mount an offense against the enemy he had been dragged into battle with, long before we were born. His actions aren't as legendary as the ones done by the Inu no Taisho, Sesshomaru and InuYasha's father, but he was respected and feared throughout the West by lesser demon clans."

Her silver eyes traveled to the silver of the katana's blade. "One day I'll also be able to cast the same oblong barrier as our father did centuries ago." Getsu declared quietly, her voice turned wistful as her father's kind face flashed in her mind.

"So you two also have unfinished business with Naraku." Miroku stated grimly.

Both sisters nodded once. "I saw him rip my father's heart out before my eyes at my own would-be wedding; Korihime watched our mother be devoured by his demon horde. If anyone has a grudge against that shit, it's us." Getsu growled frostily, her silver eyes glinting yellow for the briefest moment.

"Onee-chan," Korihime mused softly, catching the glint in her eyes. Her inner demon almost wanted to come out for a second back there, she thought.

Sesshomaru lunged one final time, sending InuYasha sprawling back.

"InuYasha!" Sango barked, lifting the large boomerang at her back and preparing to hurry away from the barrier's safety.

"Don't even think about it!" Korihime declared, grabbing her arm gently and holding her back from charging.

"K-Korihime," she began.

"Korihime's right, I'll finish Sesshomaru off and I'm gonna do it with the Tetsusaiga!" InuYasha hollered as he had gotten back up, baring his sword defensively.

"InuYasha," Sango began in surprise.
Getsu nodded back at him, throwing a look at Sesshomaru and nodding slightly at him, smiling a little.

The brothers continued again until InuYasha's forehead met Sesshomaru's extended fist, the dragon paw clinging to the sword's blade; blood trickled down his forehead.

He's defending Tetsusaiga from breaking! Korihime thought in awe as Getsu's eyes widened a little; poison came from his fist before the hanyou was sent flying back again and he dove after him. "InuYasha!" Korihime barked.

"I see it!" InuYasha declared as he could see where to hit, catching the scent of the wind scraping; he tensed his stance and swung the fang.

A wide jet of yellow demonic energy screamed at the Inu-Daiyokai.

"Sesshomaru!" Getsu shouted, eyes widening as the dragon paw was knocked off his arm and she could sense his inner demon reaching the surface; she dropped the barrier to sprint to his side.

"GETSU, NO!" Miroku, Kagome and Korihime shouted in chorus.

The Tensaiga pulsed until a dark barrier formed around his pain-infused body as she threw her arms around him and held onto him, digging her claws into his stole and burying her face into his neck as the two daiyokai disappeared without a trace.

:::::::xXx:::::::

They watched the swordsmith ride away into the dying afternoon.

"Kori-chan, where do you think Getsu-onee went?" Shippo asked of the wolf demon that was holding him in her arms.

Korihime shrugged, frowning a little. "I don't know; Sesshomaru took a bad hit, it might be a while before I pick up his scent, or my sister's." She looked up at the sky as if the clouds held an answer.

"You can stay with us." Kagome offered, seeing her ears twitch; she looked at her in surprise. "Y'know, until you find Getsu and Sesshomaru." She said with a kind smile.

Korihime quieted and looked at the faces of the monk and demon slayer, her blue eyes traveling to the hanyou lastly. "Just for the night. I'll look for them tomorrow." She nodded.

InuYasha huffed and sent her a leery scowl. "Good, the less time we hafta endure your stink the better."

THWACK.

"Maybe in that short amount of time I can teach you some manners regarding women." Korihime mused as she shouldered her long bow after beating him upside the head with it.

"Why you…" He growled as he made to get back up from the blow.

"Sit boy!" Kagome barked; the beads glowed around his neck before he fell face-first into the path.

Korihime laughed.
Onee-chan, I hope you're okay… I'll find you, honest.

Her head was spinning.
She opened her eyes to blearily look up at the trees overhead that basked in the scarlet and pink light of the dying sun.

'Sesshomaru!' Her inner demon growled in her ears, making her eyes sharpen alertly.

Getsu scrambled to her feet from lying on the ground, ignoring the slightly dizzy spin that threatened to make her teeter back, looking around alertly for her companion. "Sesshomaru?" She called, feeling her inner demon tug at her subconscious and lead her away from where she had fallen, quietly trekking through the knee-high bushes.

The aforementioned Inu-Daiyokai lay against the roots of a tall oak, surprising her; she sighed in relief and hopped the last shrub to land nimbly a few feet away from him, moving closer.

His inner demon almost hummed as she could sense that it was close to becoming unleashed; she hesitated for a step before she fought the fear and moved to kneel at his side. "Sesshomaru," she lowered a hand to his shoulder, seeing his head turned to the left.

A feral snarl ripped from his throat as he reacted quicker than she'd have expected him to react given his current condition; he pinned her to the tree, making her yelp out of reflex, gold eyes turned red and his fangs drawn as he glowered into her surprised stare, his hand's claws digging into her right shoulder deep enough to draw blood.

She met his red gaze and listened as his beast thundered growls from deep within his chest, lifting her left hand to cup his left cheek gently, making him stiffen. "Sesshomaru, it's me." She whispered quietly, seeing his red eyes widen sharply.

The red color of his eyes slowly faded until they were that melted gold she was well-accustomed to seeing, his sharp teeth receding to look like his normal fangs; his inner beast retreated to the inner recesses of his mind, making her own beast whine softly for his beast.

"Getsu?" His voice was low and slightly raspy, making her ears twitch, looking at how deeply his claws had sunk into her shoulder before he let her go, seeing small specks of blood stain her kimono sleeve and his claws.

She rolled her shoulders softly, ignoring a wince, looking at him as he rocked back on his heels and lifted his clawed hand to rub his temple gingerly. "I'm not hurt, in case you're wondering." She mused quietly, seeing his ears twitch.

Sesshomaru opened one gold eye at her words before his eye shut and both opened stiffly. "I didn't mean to attack you like that. It was just…"

"Instinct." Getsu finished.

He nodded, "hn." He looked her over for a second before meeting her eyes. "Other than that, you're alright?" He asked.

She nodded back, smiling at him. "Peachy. This is a first, I've never seen you so concerned. Sure InuYasha didn't give you a concussion with that Wind Scar?" She reached to place her palm to his forehead.

He deadpanned, making her snicker. "Pretty sure. And we're mates if you recall; I told you long ago that I would protect you." He caught her hand as it fell from his forehead, squeezing gently as he noted her hand fit perfectly into his own.

Getsu blushed a little and her eyes softened as she leaned in to kiss him and curl her fingers in his hair. "I know, it's just a surprise to hear you worry about me." She said in an almost-purr.

Sesshomaru released her hand to gently pull her into his lap, her arms folding on the back of his neck as he smirked softly up at her, his hand traveling to the small of her back as his claws dug gently into the back of her obi sash. "You know Inu-yokai are more possessive of their mates than Okami." He growled and lifted his hand from her waist to knot his fingers in her hair and crane her neck to be bared as he sank his teeth in gently, marking her.

She growled softly in submission and nodded, trembling as he licked her mark slowly and teasingly.
"I know, that was the only reason we stayed with Koga for a week a few centuries back, because you couldn't handle having me so close to another male demon." She mewled as he bit her throat rather forcefully, making her growl again.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest at her mewling noise, digging his claws into her back. "I still don't trust that damn mongrel… Not with my princess." He groaned softly, making her shiver and drag her claws through his long hair.

'My princess'… I like it, she thought.

:::::::xXx:::::::

He stared at the tall bamboo bottle filled with water standing yards away from them.

His mate stirred a little, briefly catching the scent of human, before she seemed to brush it off and snuggle deeper into his side, sighing in her sleep.

He smiled down at the sleeping female, ears twitching as he watched their visitor leave a large leaf bearing a few mushrooms and a fried fish, tiptoeing back into the bushes; the smile he showed his mate dropped swiftly as he scowled after their visitor.

"You're wasting your time and generosity; I don't eat human food." He growled.

The human girl looked away as she kept quiet and continued on her way through the dark forest.

:::::::xXx:::::::

Stars shone brightly overhead.

Her blue eyes stared up at the bright lights and she sighed quietly; the humans had all fallen asleep huddled around the dying campfire, leaving her and the ever-vigilant hanyou awake.

"So you're an orphan too." The usually gruff voice of said half-breed mused in a quiet tone, making her ears twitch, before she sensed him come sit down at her right side.

She nodded, keeping her eyes on the stars overhead. "Your mother passed when you were a pup, I would imagine." She saw the bristle in his figure and shrugged. "Sesshomaru mentioned it, a few decades after your father passed. My condolences." She smiled weakly.

InuYasha scoffed after a long pause of awkward silence, rubbing his nose gingerly with a clawed finger. "I kinda overheard you and your sister today; Naraku killed your parents. I gotta hand it to ya to have come so far even after your loss." He grumbled.

Korihime shrugged again and smiled wistfully. "We're only like this because we've been a pack for so long. Sesshomaru, Getsu, me…" Her eyes saddened a little at the mention of her sister.

"One thing still bugs me about you, though, aside from you being a full demon."

He ignored the eye-twitch at his insult towards her lineage, looking at her.
"Why do you like humans so much? Both you and your sister don't mind them, or at least you don't mind these three," he jerked a thumb back at the slumbering members of his party. "And from what I've seen, most demons hate humans to the point where they consider them food. So what the hell's your deal?" His gold eyes peered into her blue stare. "It ain't because yer soft-hearted, is it?"

Korihime rolled her eyes and shoved him off playfully, snickering at the growl that came from the hanyou.
"Our father had a lot of human servants in our home and he and our mother treated them with kindness, even though they lived to serve our family. So naturally Getsu and me were raised to be kind towards most humans, even though there are some that are evil or greedy. I guess it has to do with respect."

She shrugged innocently and reached up to pull on one of his white dog ears, making him yelp and then growl a curse.
"But what's with you, actin' so curious? Is it that you like me more than you think ya do, InuYasha?" She teased, grinning toothily.

InuYasha's face turned red and he snorted, shoving her off with another growl. "P-Piss off, why would I like you? Yer a full demon incase ya forgot! And don't do that to my ears or I swear I'll kill you with my own friggin' claws." He threatened lowly, a vein twitching on his brow as she ignored the death threat regarding his ears.

She giggled and smirked playfully, slugging his arm. "Such manners! It's a wonder women fancy your brother more than you… It also explains why Kagome is the only girl to put up with a moronic half-breed like you." She saw his cheeks flare as red as the fire-rat kosode he wore at the mention of the priestess.

He snarled and swung at her with his claws drawn, making her scoot away in mock-fear, his lip curled indignantly. "I don't give a rat's ass about my damn brother; he's in his own hell with your sister. And don't drag Kagome into this, wolf girl." He spat, cheeks still red.

She sighed and shook her head patiently, making a mental note to brain him in the morning before leaving. "What my sister and him do is none of my business. And why not, is it because you want her?" She wondered the last bit in a sing-song voice, her tone low.

InuYasha snarled again and lunged at her; she dodged effortlessly.

"Your reflexes are completely horrid, love." Korihime chided, sounding as if she was scolding a child, hopping out of the way as he sailed at her again, dying to get his hands around her throat.

"Keep blabberin' and I'll show you 'horrid', you damn wench!" He began to lunge at her again.

THWACK.

Thin wisps of smoke rose up from the large bump on his head as he lay sprawled on the ground with the female wolf demon standing over him, her long bow slung over her shoulder leisurely.

"S-stupid wolf…" He grumbled into the dirt.

She sighed and stomped her heel onto his bump, making him yelp again, rubbing her heel into the bump absently. "Getsu-onee was right, your fighting style is utterly atrocious." She mused patiently.

InuYasha growled a curse from his face-plant into the ground.

Korihime smiled smugly.

She yawned and stretched out, blinking open her eyes to see he'd dozed off, surprising her; her eyes softened at the sight and she smiled, slipping free of his arm's grip on her ribs to stand to her feet and stretch her legs.

The scent of cooked fish caught her nose; she heard her stomach growl softly in response.

A fish that looked to be cooked and slightly burnt lay several yards away from her on a large leaf with a few mushrooms; she tilted her head to one side, her grumbling belly making her move closer to the offering.

She picked up the fish after noticing that the mushrooms weren't poisonous, taking a bite from the cooked meat and almost groaning at finally having something in her belly.

A rustling of the bushes infront of her pricked her ears; she looked up from taking a second bite, swallowing and blinking her silver eyes to see one brown eye meet her stare. A little girl that looked to be at least seven in human years stood there with a second leaf carrying thin sticks that smelled like medicinal herbs; she gasped at the sight of the awake yokai.

She put down the fish and nodded her head to her napping companion, looking at the girl. "It's okay, he's asleep. Are these for him?" She asked in a kind tone, seeing the child dip her head once in a nod, keeping silent.

"Thank you for offering to help. He's not scary like you'd think he is." She smiled gently, watching the girl set the leaf down next to the one that held the mushrooms and half-eaten fish; she looked at the tall stalk of bamboo that held water in it, her eyes softening. This girl just wants to help, she thought. "My name's Getsu. What's yours?" She asked quietly.

The girl remained silent, seeming sheepish at failing to give an answer; she tilted her head to one side curiously before she nodded and exhaled.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, it's alright." She assured warmly, meeting the girl's brown eye that was widened in surprise and flashing a kind grin.

The girl nodded and smiled back, albeit humbly.

"Your kindness towards humans never ceases to amaze me." He mused aloud, making both females blink.

She looked over at him to see him staring up into space. "Oh, you're back from the dead." She teased gently.

He huffed, glancing at the human girl and the second leaf she had brought. "I told you before that I don't need what you've brought." He said in a rather sharp tone.

The girl looked sad before the she-wolf scowled over at him, surprising her.

"Be nice, she just wants to help. It's not every day you'd see an injured dog lying around." She scolded.

A vein twitched on his brow at her insult infront of the girl. "I don't need help, especially from a human child." He growled.

She rolled her eyes.

"Such prideful words comin' from a dog licking his wounds." She sighed, ignoring the growl and death glare he sent her way, lifting a hand to tousle the girl's hair gently, surprising her again; she blinked before her eyes softened and she smiled. "Don't mind him, he's just grouchy. Hardly any sleep does that to 'im." She assured gently.

The girl nodded and smiled again, watching the kind she-wolf lift the water bottle and hand it to him despite the sore look he shot her with (which of course she ignored blissfully).

"Where did you get those bruises?" He asked, making her ears twitch as the girl looked at him again. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He added, averting his eyes from the girl's awed stare.

She looked at the girl and noticed the blotchy bruises on her face and arms and legs and bristled instinctively, feeling an out-of-character sense of protection for the child that wasn't hers. Those damn humans, they never learn, she thought irritably.

The girl watched him glance at her before she smiled widely, showing a missing baby tooth in her goofy smile; the wolf demon smiled softly at her.

"What're you smiling about? I simply asked a question: I don't care, I'm just curious." He snapped curtly.

THWACK.

A large bump swelled on his head; the girl blinked in confusion of what had just transpired.
"What was that for?" He ground out between rubbing his head gingerly, scowling up at the perpetrator through one gold eye.

She scowled with her hands on her hips. "Don't be so mean to her, she's just concerned for yer well-being. Besides, a little kindness wouldn't kill you, now would it?" She scolded annoyedly.

He snorted and looked away. "Since when are you so endearing towards humans?" He growled under his breath.

"Since now; you're lucky Jaken isn't here otherwise I'd have beaten you into a damn coma with his staff." She huffed and folded her arms, sitting down near him.

The girl blinked again before she laughed at the sight of the pissy Inu-Daiyokai.

She cocked her head to one side before she smiled at her and chuckled.

He scoffed in further annoyance.

Korihime waved back at the group of humans plus hanyou, twin-tailed neko and kitsune. "See you guys later!"

"Oi wolf girl, don't go gettin' yourself killed!" Said half-breed hollered, a playful smirk on the corner of his mouth.

"Piss off, half-breed, or I'll brain ya like I did last night!" She grinned, turning to spirit away in the direction her sister's scent led her.

It was a few hours before she came closer to the source of the scent, skidding to a halt as another scent wafted with the one she had been tracking.

Wolf demon.
Koga? She thought in surprise, smiling at the sudden stroke of luck before she sprinted in the direction of the new scent.

It had been a while since she'd seen that arrogant dog; a few centuries, to be exact.

Of course she doubted he had changed much; tanned, black-haired and wearing brown wolf pelts with chest armor, just as he'd looked when they first met that day in the snow.

It was a surprise to find that he was this far out, away from the caves he and his two packmates plus wolves had lived in when they first met all those years ago; something must've brought him out of hiding.

Whatever it was, she was glad to be able to see him again.

The stink of blood fumigated her nose, tainting the scent of wolf, as she neared the outskirts of a village with an irrigation creek that cut through the west end of the village.

Her feet came to a skidding halt and her nose sniffed the air; a growl rumbled in her throat at the stink of human blood.

A raid?

Her hands balled into fists; that idiot mongrel had a lot of explaining to do!

:::::::xXx::::::::

"Koga!"

The Okami-yokai's ears twitched; he turned about to see a familiar cobalt-haired wolf princess.
Her blue eyes that once were soft were now hard as sapphires.

"Korihime?" His face split into a grin at the sight of his technical-first crush. "It's been a long time, what brings you around here?" He asked, placing his hands at his sides.

Her arms folded across her chest. "It's a long story, but enough of that; what's with you? There's human blood stink all over here. And on top of that, why do you have Shikon Jewel shards in your limbs?" She replied curtly, making his ears twitch again.

Koga huffed and smirked rather proudly at the last bit, "Nothin' much, just expanding my horizons. As to the shards, well they make me stronger than when I was when we met a few centuries back. What's with your softness towards humans? I've never heard a wolf demon goin' soft on what most demons consider food." He explained, lifting an arm to flex his muscles.

Korihime scowled, unimpressed. "You were strong enough back then, idiot. And how I see humans is none of your business so keep your snout out of it." She growled.

He quirked a brow, lifting his hands in surrender. "Well excuse me for askin', your highness. Besides, don't you like me now that I'm stronger? I could take on anyone now, including your stuffy brother-in-law." He quipped.

She bristled. "Of course I don't, and you couldn't beat him even if you tried! Sesshomaru isn't as much of a bull-headed dog like you." She retorted hotly.

A growl formed in his throat. "Watch your mouth, princess; you're lucky I like you otherwise I'd kill you for that."

She sneered, the softness evaporated from her eyes. "Do you? Well here's a bit of news: I don't like you. And here's another thing: you're not half the demon my father was." She snarled.

He bristled and flashed his teeth, the wolves that had torn the village to shreds having regrouped around him and were now snarling at the brazen she-wolf. "Take that back." He ordered angrily, the muscles in his limbs tensing for an attack.

She huffed and sent a thundering snarl at the wolves, making them whimper and growl in reluctant submission to her dominance. "Piss off, mongrel." She spat at his face.

Koga swung his fist at her face; she side-stepped effortlessly, ducking his next swing and slamming her boot into his ribs, sending him flying into the irrigation creek.

Getsu was going to have her head, but she was too pissed off right now to care about the later consequences.

A/N: sorry folks but i kind of lied. turns out there was only room for ONE action scene in this chap and it was the one in the anime episode. ^^; sorry! other than that, yes more smut xDD and we get to see Rin! *huggles Rin* she's so cute lol