A/N: where we last left off, Sesshomaru, Getsu and their pack had come across the corpse of a demon that was slain by InuYasha. taking the head as a "souvenir", Sesshomaru and Getsu were left with the current conundrum: how did InuYasha slay the demon if not by the power of Tetsusaiga? and what's with this change in his scent? it smells like... full demon?

both of those answers are given in this chap, and then some, so enjoy!

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

Chapter 19: Moons: You, Me, Them

"So why did you decide to come to this place?" She wondered aloud, wrinkled nose covered by the right sleeve of her kimono top, as she scowled at the murky swamp he was leading the way through that was bathed in the blood-orange color of sunset.

Her sister and the girl had stayed back, the former being deemed the 'pup-sitter' unofficially by her mate.

"We're almost there." He replied calmly, looking at her.

Her lip curled at the stink of the dead demon bones here or there in the water that looked more like acid than swamp water, nodding. "Okay, but if anything attacks us, I'm feeding Jaken to it." She replied, ignoring the squawked retort from the aforementioned imp.

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

She bristled and wanted to growl.

He sent her a look, quieting her instinctive urge, looking at the felled imp on the dirt floor of the hut.

So I would imagine Kaijinbo finished the sword, she mused, tapping her chin with a finger. But judging from Jaken looking like this, it seems either he struck out at him in rage or the sword possessed the swordsmith. She watched him revive the imp, sheathing the Tensaiga. "Do we go after him?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Not yet." He replied.

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

"Kori-onee, where do you think Lord Sesshomaru and Getsu-onee have gone?" The girl asked as her babysitter tossed a twig to the burning embers of the fire.

She sighed and then shrugged, "not sure, Rin. But they'll be back soon, knowing them. Getsu-onee doesn't like to leave for a long amount of time." She assured the girl, flashing a light smile.

She nodded, glad to know that at least the kind female daiyokai was more considerate.

"Damn that stupid Kaijinbo! Where on earth could he have gone with that sword?" The annoying voice of the imp spoke from the fog that brought four figures forth from the darkness.

"Would you stop whining? Good grief, you're worse than a groveling cub." The impatient-toned voice of the Okami-Daiyokai snapped with an exasperated sigh.

"Give it a rest, princess, you'll be arguing with him all night if you keep it up." The ever-calm sigh of the Inu-Daiyokai advised.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Getsu-onee, you're back!" Rin beamed as she hopped to her feet to go greet the couple.

Korihime smiled in slight elation at being relieved of her babysitting duties, straightening nimbly. "We were just talking about you…" She began.

"Korihime, Rin, don't move." Sesshomaru ordered sharply, making both females freeze in place, the former's blue eyes glancing from him to her bow and arrows she left on the ground.

Getsu's eyes sharpened as she caught the stink of Naraku coming from the trees, bristling at the scent and growling.

He flew past the trio of females at the thin trees in the edge of the wood, slicing at them with his claws effortlessly; a blur of maroon and lilac leaped out from their hiding place before landing before him.

A female demon stood yards infront of him, dressed in a maroon and violet striped kimono with brown hair pulled up and red eyes.

Rin scrambled behind Korihime as Getsu cracked her knuckles and moved to stand defensively infront of the two females of her pack. "Your stink reeks of that half-demon. Explain yourself now." Getsu ordered coldly as Korihime's claws grew instinctively and she bristled.

"So you must be InuYasha's older brother, Sesshomaru; and let me guess, these two bitches of yours are the last surviving members of the Western Wolf Clan, Korihime and Getsuei. You're very clever." The female yokai replied smoothly, her right hand she'd drawn across her chest holding onto a black fan.

"I am Kagura, the Wind Sorceress; an incarnation of Naraku." She introduced calmly.

"'Incarnation'?" Sesshomaru repeated softly.

"Right; Sesshomaru, the fangs you delivered to Kaijinbo to forge a sword belonged to another incarnation of Naraku's by the name of Goshinki." Kagura informed.

Sesshomaru sort of scoffed. "That's all very interesting, but you sought me out just to tell me this?"

She smirked, the fan spreading with a flick of the wrist and covering the bottom half of her face. "Can't you smell it? Tokijin reeks of Goshinki's aura, it's closer than you think." The wind howled softly and picked up around them as she lifted up into the air riding a giant white feather, looking back at the trio of yokai, particularly at the silver-haired male. "You are the sword's rightful owner!" She added before taking off into the darkness.

Both females scoffed in unison once she left.

"Rin, you can move now." He mused to the girl.
She nodded and sighed as she stretched her arms, flopping down into the grass with a giggle.

"Well that was lively! She's lucky I didn't have my bow on hand otherwise I'd have shot an arrow into her forehead." The cobalt-haired female huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

The ebony-haired daiyokai snorted, glaring up at the velvet sky. "Get in line, I'm the oldest; and it would have been my pleasure to burn her alive with my wolf fire." She growled.

He rolled his eyes, contemplating quieting her but he thought better and kept his mouth shut: he would rather be purified by a thousand sacred arrows than be on the receiving end of her wrath.

Thunder growled loudly overhead.

"Talk about a dramatic entrance," she muttered under her breath.

He glanced at her. "You're not still sore about the other night are you?" He cocked a brow.

She huffed and shook her head, patting the head of Ah gently. "Nope." She replied calmly, smiling when the dragon chirped at her kind touch.

He made a mental note not to bug her about that topic and sighed, rolling his eyes. "If you say so." He mused, the dragon shooting down a bolt of lightning at the evil sword standing upright with the blade stuck in the ground, before he tousled her hair affectionately and then leaped down to land near the small crater the lightning bolt had made.

"Jaken, take the reins." She tossed the reins at the imp before leaping after him, landing nimbly a few feet away from the hanyou's pack of humans and the visiting welder.

"Getsu!" The group of humans greeted her in slight surprise as the neko mewed and the kitsune beamed; she waved lightly, gravitating to their side.

"I didn't figure we'd run into you lot today. Otherwise I'd have brought Kori," she returned calmly, accepting the warm hug from the kitsune and hugging back before letting him move to sit on her shoulder.

"Getsu-onee, where is Kori-chan? Shouldn't she be here too?" The kitsune asked, seeming concerned for the second kind Okami-yokai he considered an older-sister figure.

Getsu smiled up at him, ruffling his hair. "It's a long story, kit." She offered sheepishly.

"Yeah, but…" Shippo began with a pout.

"So what the hell're you doin' here, Sesshomaru?" InuYasha's gruff voice interjected in the kitsune's interrogation of the female daiyokai, the question steered at his older brother.

"I'd ask the same of you. I simply came here to pick up the sword you've been sniffing around; apparently the demon from whose fangs the sword was forged held a large amount of bitterness and anger towards the idiot half-breed that destroyed it. It desired revenge even after the remains were used to forge the sword." Sesshomaru explained coolly, earning an eye-roll from his female counterpart.

"What!?" His brother spat in surprise.

"How does he know the Tokijin was created from Goshinki's fangs?" The demon slayer wondered softly.

"So that means you…" The monk began.

"I was the one who commissioned Kaijinbo to make this sword." He finished in the same cool tone.

She sighed and nodded when she felt a few looks from the human party. "Yeah he did. And from what we've gathered, this Goshinki was an incarnation of Naraku. Which reminds me, great job killing the incarnation." She added to the hanyou with a smirk, folding her arms in the sleeves of her kimono habitually.

"Sesshomaru, you must not touch Tokijin! Even you would be possessed by the evil aura that surrounds the blade! Heed my warning, I implore you," the welder Totosai barked gravely, making the female daiyokai's ears twitch.

I'd have figured there was a catch to this sword; it's a wonder Kaijinbo is dead, he probably couldn't control the evil that's reeking off his masterpiece, she thought grimly, her lip curling a little.

He walked towards the sword stuck in the ground, lifting it up by the hilt and holding it aloft. "Pathetic fool, just who do you take me for?" He drawled calmly, slightly smirking.

Her eyes sharpened as she both watched and sensed the evil aura dissipating from the sword; the aura is practically nonexistent, she thought in slight awe before she huffed and smirked to herself. Your power ceases to amaze me, Sesshomaru.

"It seems the Tokijin has chosen me as its master." His gold eyes met his little brother's likewise-gold eyes. "Draw your sword, InuYasha; there's something I wish to verify."

This doesn't smell like such a good idea, she thought. "Honestly, I can really tell you two are related!" She declared aloud.

He huffed. "Don't start with that again; and keep out of the way, Getsu." He added an order, making her ears twitch.

She huffed back and grumbled a curse, watching as the two brothers began fighting.

This fight, compared to the previous one, was different; it smelled different, to begin with, and the odds weren't as great as they were in the previous fight; whereas Sesshomaru had used a dragon's paw from the unfortunate beast she had slain in her irritation, he now was on even –if not slightly uneven—par with InuYasha in the form of wielding a powerful demon sword.

And there was something else that was different about this fight as well… either her eyes were deceiving her or she was zapped with the lightning from Ah-Un, but she could swear that InuYasha was having trouble lifting Tetsusaiga from the ground.

"Kagome, can I ask you something?" She asked quietly, her elbow nudging the aforementioned priestess's arm.

Her brown eyes looked at the pensive daiyokai. "What is it?"

"InuYasha's Tetsusaiga is too heavy for him to wield."
The girl balked at her dead-on realization; her silver eyes turned to her brown orbs. "Did Totosai do something to the fang?" She asked slowly.

"Your eyes are very sharp, Lady Getsuei. I did indeed do something, I took a fang from InuYasha's mouth and used it to repair the broken Tetsusaiga." The aforementioned welder explained, making her ears twitch.

She nodded, looking at the battle and her brow furrowed. "I had a feeling that's what happened. But if that's the case, and InuYasha hasn't had time to train with his newly reforged sword... this isn't going to end well." She mused softly.

If he can't wield Tetsusaiga as well as he used to, coupled with this change in his scent, his demon blood will try to claim his soul: that's the only inevitable outcome of this situation, she inwardly deduced, watching the two brothers battle, the fine hairs on her arms and neck standing on end each time she felt Tokijin's aura pulse when their blades clashed.

Sesshomaru punted Tetsusaiga from his hands, the sheer aura that pulsed from Tokijin sending his little brother flying back with a yelp of pain; the great fang flew in the air and then landed in the ground hilt-up, the demonic power from the sword diminishing until it looked like the rusted and beaten-up form of an old katana.

InuYasha growled and rubbed his cheek gingerly, shuffling to his feet.

"Idiot, grab your sword, now!" Getsu barked, perking up as he charged blindly at the older of the two brothers, weaponless. "InuYasha!"

The Inu-Daiyokai lifted the Tokijin at his charging brother; the aura pulsed and looked red.

"Sesshomaru, don't do it!" She cried; the sheer aura of the demon sword sent him flying back again, his blood flying. "Damn it all…" She began to run to his defense. I can't believe I'm doing this! She thought.

"Stay where you are, Getsu. This will be over soon." Sesshomaru growled at her, perking her ears.

Getsu glared at him and wordlessly obeyed, her claws digging crescents into her palms as her hands balled into fists.

"I've seen all that I need to see." He mused coldly before he took off at a sprint towards his little brother. "Die."

"Look out, InuYasha!" The monk barked.

That same stink rose into the air, practically pulsating from the injured and crouching hanyou merely several hundred yards away from her oncoming mate.

That scent! He thought in surprise, his gold eyes sharpening.

"InuYasha… his demon blood has taken over!" She breathed in realization, swearing under her breath before she flew forward, katana flying from the scabbard.

"Getsu-onee come back!" The kitsune called.

A wide blue barrier that resembled a circle formed infront of the charging Inu-Daiyokai, making him skid to a halt just short of crashing into his companion; she stood tall infront of him, her back to the transformed hanyou, katana and scabbard connecting at the hilt and bottom tip to form the barrier.

So this is a complete 'Divine Barricade', he thought, lowering the sword in his hand as he locked stares with her stubborn silver eyes; even in anger he couldn't bring himself to cut her down or strike her. It wasn't what he was raised with when it came to women.

"Kagome, take him and go. Now." Getsu ordered sharply, sparing a glance back at the gathered group of humans plus welder, kitsune and twin-tailed neko.

Kagome nodded and they did as told, hurrying away from the field with an unconscious hanyou.

Sesshomaru watched the barrier fade as she broke the connection between the katana and its scabbard, dropping his arm. "Explain yourself." He ordered, his tone stiff as she sheathed her heirloom fang quietly and turned her back on him to return to where they had left her sister and the child.

"Neither of us knows how strong InuYasha can be when his demon blood kicks into overdrive, so I stepped in to prevent your little experiment from backfiring and getting you critically injured again." She reasoned as he followed in step until he was at her left side, her arms crossing in the sleeves of her kimono again.

He snorted. "What happened to having faith?" He demanded irritably, slipping the demon sword Tokijin into the yellow and blue sash at his waist.

She closed her eyes serenely, shrugging. "I was hoping to hear a 'thank you, you're such a brilliant mate, my princess' sort of response; not a growl of disgruntlement." She replied coolly.

Another snort. "Don't flatter yourself; I was close to running you through when you stopped me so spontaneously." He growled.

Getsu looked up at him as they passed through the trees, the darkness of the wood consuming them. "So why didn't you?" She challenged.

Sesshomaru shook his head softly as the idea of seeing her blood spilled made him cringe; he pulled her to his chest, leaning her against a tree and digging his claws into the bark as he leaned onto her, towering over her petite height.

"Because the sight of your blood being spilled makes my own blood boil. I'd be dishonoring not only your father's last wish and your life but I'd be completely disgusted with myself if I ever caused you that sort of pain. The little 'reunions' between InuYasha and myself are matters of my own, I do not want to drag you into them… Not if it puts your safety on the line." He explained lowly, feeling her curl her fingers in his silver hair as he stared down at her slightly awed silver orbs that softened in realization.

She nodded slightly, lifting her free hand to trace a claw along one of the maroon streaks on his right cheekbone.

"You really are kind, despite everything everyone else says about you. But I want to fight; I was raised to fight to protect what I love most, what I honor most… And right now, that's you. And Korihime, and Rin… and maybe even Jaken." She chuckled weakly at the mention of the imp, meeting his melting gold orbs. "I guess we're one in the same when it comes to looking out for each other, huh?" She mused.

He sighed rather shakily and dipped his head in a single nod, kissing her forehead tenderly before he rested his cheek against the left side of her head. "It appears so. Even though I may be sounding highly hypocritical by saying this, when you fight, it's almost as if you're dancing… and you're dancing for me." He mused aloud, seeing her ears twitch.

Blush stained her cheeks a reddish pink he found he liked seeing on her pretty face before she smacked his chest chidingly, hearing a rumbling chuckle come from him as he moved away a little from her.

"S-shut up, just because I helped you escape death doesn't mean you're permitted to try and make me swoon, dog breath." She stammered indignantly, her cheeks flaring dark red as her mind went to all sorts of unmentionable places, distinctly hearing her inner beast snickering at her flustered self.

He smirked widely, recalling that day he'd gone to gloat after their first sparring match and watched her bump her head on a branch in the tree she'd hidden in. "Temper, temper. We can't having the Lady of the West acting like a callous teenage boy upon receiving a compliment from the man she loves." He mused smugly.

Her cheeks flared a scarlet color and she spluttered a huff, jerking her stare away as she leaned back into the tree and folded her arms across her chest. "Piss off, ice king; I do what I please." She growled.

Sesshomaru shook his head softly and smirked again, relishing her currently flustered and highly attractive state, leaning in to cage her against the tree, tipping her chin up between his thumb and index finger. "That much is obvious; it would take a lifetime to be able to tame a wolf demon as feisty and beautiful as you, my princess." He teased, his mouth hovering mere centimeters away from hers, making her shiver and then blush more.

Getsu growled softly as her beast hummed in satisfaction, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him hard, her arms sliding to fold on the back of his neck, pulling his body to hers. "Keep talking and I'll show you who's the alpha." She purred.

His eyes glinted red as he saw hers glint yellow before he leaned in and pressed her back closer into the tree bark, kissing her greedily and growling softly as she fought his conquest for dominance with an equally-insistent resistance, her claws digging into his scalp.

If this was how he was going to react whenever she stopped a death match between him and his brother, then she had to do it more often.

A/N: the question is up to you guys: do you think they did it again or just made out~? xD

until next chap, see ya!

** main songs for this chap: **
01. "The Wolf" by Fever Ray
02. "Moment 4 Life (ft. Drake)" by Nicki Minaj