Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

Flames welcome.

Like My Master

By: Miyukyshan

A/N: Hello readers! I'm so sorry to have kept you all waiting. I won't bore you with excuses. I'm not thrilled with my writing in this chapter, but once I've finished the story I plan to go back and flesh everything out more. I just wanted to get this up so you all wouldn't be left hanging. Thanks for sticking with me!

Chapter Sixteen: Price of a Soul

Sesshomaru didn't know how long he stared at her lifeless body. With her dead, their bond was severed and he felt strangely hollow. There was an odd sensation roiling in the pit of his stomach and it took him a moment to recognize it.

Guilt. He snarled as the word flashed in his mind. Guilt was not something he was accustomed to, and he only felt it one other time in his long life. His eyes snapped open and he flew to his feet, startling the people gathered around him. Kagome's sobbing reached his ears and he cursed her pregnancy hormones. He sought out his brother and nearly scoffed when he found him trying to comfort his sniveling mate.

"Inuyasha," he said tersely.

The half-demon looked up from Kagome and watched his elder brother with caution. Sesshomaru schooled his features as he advanced. His eyes darted to Kagome and he cleared his throat. The hysterical woman looked up but her tears did not stop.

"Stop with your weeping, human," he snarled. He ignored Inuyasha's bristling form and levelled her with a steely gaze. "This day is not yet done." Sesshomaru turned his attention to his brother. "I have a plan."

Inuyasha glared at him for his previous insult but nodded. "I figured you'd come up with somethin'."

Sesshomaru turned on his heel and walked back to Sayu's body, not bothering to see if his brother followed. His eyes scanned over her, avoiding her face, and came to the shackles still coiled around her wrists. "Look here," he said.

Everyone came up to clamber around him and look where he was pointing.

"The shackles have not fallen away. If she were truly dead, they should have opened." He looked around at the faces as if they were expected to come to his conclusion.

Inuyasha stared hard at the black metal and was about to question his brother when Miroku cut him off.

"You think her soul is still trapped?" the monk asked.

"In the Underworld," was his clipped reply.

Sango tapped a finger against her chin. "How can we release it?"

Sesshomaru's golden eyes flitted to hers and then settled on the corpse crumpled on the ground. "This has happened once before. I lost Rin to the Underworld and had to retrieve her. The Guardian of the Underworld held her and I had to defeat him to get her back."

"And you think something similar has happened with Sayu?" Kagome asked. Her tears had stopped and her eyes were flashing with an intelligence Sesshomaru previously overlooked. "But how do you get to the Underworld, or back for that matter?"

"Tenseiga."

Realization finally dawned on Inuyasha and his eyes widened. "You're going to use the Meido."

Sesshomaru nodded and grabbed his discarded sword before turning away from the group. "Clean her up," he said before putting a little distance between them. Tenseiga pulsed in his grip and he grinned. He looked to the sky and inhaled. Despite the horrific turn of events it was a beautiful day, and he had every intention of turning the tables. With a guttural cry he raised the Tenseiga and brought it down in a beautiful arc. "Meido Zangetsuha," he roared.

The sword sliced through the air and opened up a circular void. He glanced back at Sayu one more time and flew into the darkness.

Kagome looked from Sango to Inuyasha in a panic. "Do we leave her here or take her to the village?" she asked.

Sango stepped forward and took her shaking hand. "I think we should keep her here. Miroku and I will take Kirara back to the village for supplies." She gave Inuyasha a sharp look when Kagome's head was turned and the half-demon gulped and nodded in response.

"C'mon Kagome, you need to sit down," Inuyasha suggested as he ushered his waddling mate away from the gruesome scene.

Sango nodded, pleased at the sometimes dense half-demon's understanding of women's needs. There was no denying Kagome was good for him, but every now and again Inuyasha reverted back to his old ways and needed some gentle prodding. A hand on her elbow alerted her that Miroku was ready to go. She jumped on Kirara's back and glanced at Shippo. The poor fox demon was looking unsure of himself.

"Shippo, go make sure Inuyasha doesn't do something stupid," she said with a conspiratorial grin.

"I heard that!"

Sango snickered and shouted for Kirara to rush back. Miroku's arms snaked around her waist as they lifted into the sky.

They returned shortly after with rags, a fresh change of clothes and a large basin. Inuyasha was charged with going to the nearest river to collect water. When they'd gathered everything they needed, Sango and Kagome set to their gruesome task. The demon slayer looked at her friend with pursed her lips.

"Kagome, if this is too much for you I can do it alone," she whispered.

Kagome shook her head and bit back another wave of tears. "I want to help."

They started with her face. Sango cleared the bloody mess while Kagome did her best to rinse out her matted hair. They weren't sure what to do with her clothes, so they just stripped Sayu and tossed the ruined garb aside. They had to refill the basin three times before her skin was cleared of the sticky liquid. It was difficult dressing her, but they managed to wrap the simple grey kimono around her and tie it with a sash. Kagome was tracing the lacerations on her arms as Sango finished her work.

"She really is quite beautiful," Kagome murmured.

Sango grunted in response and fell back on her butt in the grass. "I wonder how long Sesshomaru will be gone. There's no telling when it will be too late."

The priestess nodded as she absent-mindedly rubbed her protruding stomach. "I know. Rigor mortis sets in a few hours after death and her brain cells should already be shot."

Sango folded a small blade of grass as she listened to Kagome ramble on. Sometimes she would drift off and speak about things Sango didn't understand and she just had to wait it out.

Sesshomaru's frown deepened as he continued forward. It was much colder than he remembered, and nothing really looked the same. He'd been following a rocky path for what seemed like ages, and walls shot up on either side that disappeared into the darkness above him. The only thing leading him was a strange blue light that never seemed to get closer.

Images of Sayu's last moments continued to torture him as his fingers went numb from cold. He huffed at himself, breaths coming out in small white puffs. The endless tunnel was going to drive him mad and he didn't even know where Sayu's soul was.

If it's even here... he grumbled to himself.

His sensitive nose picked up a trace of blood in the air and he shot forward. It was so miniscule he was afraid he'd imagined it, but as he raced down the narrow corridor the smell became stronger. The blue light grew brighter as he approached what he hoped was the end of his searching. The path veered off to the right, the first deviance in the sickeningly straight line, and when he turned he nearly fell over himself at the scene he was met with. His eyes darted around as he took it all in: the disgusting hag carving in blood on the stone floor, the circular shape of the room, walls disappearing into darkness like before. But it was the creatures beyond the old woman that made his blood run cold.

Sayu's image was naked and chained to a rock. Blood dripped from many fresh injuries on her battered body. Two foul creatures towered over her unconscious form with deadly weapons coated in a thick layer of old and new blood. Sesshomaru took a step toward her but a gravelly voice made him look to the hag.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Her voice was hoarse from disuse. A gargling noise he could only assume was laughter poured from her mouth.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The hag's eyes drifted to Sesshomaru and he was surprised to find them milky white. Her unseeing orbs seemed to cut through him and he took a step back.

"If you want to set her free, you have to pay the blood price."

Sesshomaru looked back at the mangled body against the rock and bit back a growl. "Why have you kept her here?"

Another cackle echoed through the small chamber. "Her life was traded for that of another. The only way to remove the curse is to pay the blood price."

Sesshomaru growled and clenched his hands. "And what will I be giving up in return?"

"Oh, this is a smart one," the hag whispered to herself. She shifted her weight and dropped cross-legged on the ground. Her gnarled old hands clenched bony knees through the matted clothing she wore. "Sesshomaru, you will have to give up that which is most important to you."

Rin's smiling face flashed through his mind, but he kept his features slack. "How do you know my name?"

The old woman chuckled. "I know all. And it is not the child I seek."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he watched the disgusting creature resume scratching into the ground.

"It is your power I want. You must give up the future strength you would have acquired." The old woman paused and looked at him again with those milky eyes. "Sesshomaru, you will never become stronger than you are now, and you must live with the knowledge that one day, the brother you despise will surpass you. That is the price you must pay."

"Why you-," he snarled. He was about to lunge for the woman when a loud ringing filled the room. It rattled his brain and he almost dropped to a knee. It rang three times and by the time he could hear again Sayu's shrieks took the place of the ringing. He looked up and saw her pulling at the shackles. Her eyes were crusted over with dried blood and she couldn't open them. The beasts were moving slowly to stand before her, weapons lifting in the air, and Sesshomaru realized with horror what they were about to do.

The dog demon altered his course and jumped to defend her, but he ran into a barrier and was thrown back. He looked up, madness burning red in his eyes, and roared as the blades pierced the screaming woman. The hag laughed through all of this and Sesshomaru turned crimson eyes to her wrinkled face.

"If you want her, you must pay the price," she shrieked.

There were very few moments in Sesshomaru's life when he felt helpless. His father's abandonment of his mother, the death of his mate-to-be, Rin's second death, and now watching pitifully as Sayu was tortured and mutilated before his very eyes. It left a sickening kink in his gut but he couldn't bring himself to move. Was the loss of his potential power worth the life of the woman before him? Would he ever be able to live knowing Inuyasha would surpass him? He didn't know. It wasn't a decision he could make on a whim. But that's what the hag was asking of him. Sesshomaru tried to shake his head clear of anything else so he could concentrate, but Sayu's screams and the smell of her sweet blood was driving him insane. The rock walls beneath him dug into his skin and he pressed against them, grateful for the small pain that distracted him. Rin's face appeared again and he closed his eyes. Hadn't he once said nothing was worth losing her? But he got everything he wanted in the end, like the spoiled prince he was. This was the first time he would ever make any real sacrifice on his part. His red eyes faded back to gold and he looked away from the gruesome scene.

The old woman gave him a toothless smile and laughed louder than she ever had. "I knew it! I told her you wouldn't save her. You are too selfish to give any part of yourself for the sake of another. You were born a monster, and you will die a monster! Alone with all the power in the world."

Sesshomaru winced as her words cut through him. He pushed himself up and glowered at the woman. He looked down at the symbol carved in the floor and back at the hag. Her laughter ceased and her features were drawn in confusion.

"What is this?" she questioned as she rubbed the stump of her finger over her chin. "Surely you wouldn't! Only a fool would give up such power," she shrieked as she shot up to her feet with an agility Sesshomaru never would have thought possible.

The dog demon grinned and slashed his palm open as he stalked toward her. She tossed her head in a frenzied panic as he approached, tugging the stringy mess of hair clenched in her fists.

"No, this cannot be! You would never give it up," she cried again.

Sesshomaru stopped just in front of the carving and dropped to his knees. He looked up at the howling woman and grinned. "You should know to never tell this Sesshomaru what he will and will not do," he whispered darkly before slamming his bloody palm into the center of the rune. His breath was sucked out of his body and black dots swirled in his eyes as he struggled to remain conscious. He felt something tearing within himself and groaned. The sound of a raging wind filled the room and the old hag screeched as her body turned to dust and was swept up and out of the chamber. Once his eyes focused, he saw the carving slowly dissolve against the rock along with his blood.

He struggled to inhale as he slowly lifted himself to his feet. The groans of the beasts finally pierced his awareness and he lifted Tenseiga and destroyed them with a single swing of his sword. Dizziness overwhelmed him and he stumbled forward and crashed down at Sayu's knees. He stayed completely still as he reoriented himself, listening to her ragged breathing and the occasional clink of metal. At her soft whimper, he lifted himself once again and looked her up and down. Tenseiga pulsed in his hand and he slashed through her body, the wounds disappearing instantly. The shackles around her wrists creaked open and her arms dropped uselessly to her sides. Sesshomaru bent to lift her, but her body dissolved into balls of light and drifted up into the darkness.

Sesshomaru allowed himself a smile before opening another portal back to his world.

Upon his return, Sesshomaru was pleased to see Sayu's body clean and free of blood, although the peasant clothing she was wearing made him frown. Everyone was staring at him expectantly and he was about to open his mouth when a small portal opened near Sayu's body and the pink balls of light flooded over her. Her chest arched off the ground as her soul was pushed back inside and Sesshomaru moved toward her.

When the last little light was absorbed the shackles around her wrist fell open with a soft clank. Sesshomaru held his breath as he waited for her eyes to open. This was the moment they had looked forward to and dreaded all at once. He could only hope his sacrifice was worth it. All other thoughts were banished as Sayu's black hair slowly faded to silver, starting from the crown of her head and flowing to the ends. It fluffed up as the color changed, becoming thicker and healthier than it was before. Her dark complexion lightened and her facial features became more defined, the soft roundness narrowing and becoming sharp edges.

Sesshomaru watched all this in stunned silence, not believing his own eyes at the transformation. He was vaguely aware that his hands were shaking and his heart was thundering so hard against his chest he felt it would break out. It's not possible...

"Wh-What the hell?" Inuyasha screeched. "She's supposed to be dead!"

"You know her?" Kagome asked.

Sesshomaru knew Inuyasha's eyes were on him. He could feel them burning into his face as he stood still as stone. His mouth parted when the woman on the ground drew in a ragged breath and her eyes flew open, revealing deep gold orbs. She looked around blindly for a moment before calling his name. It was soft, uncertain, and he thought he would collapse at the sound of that beautiful, familiar voice. But he couldn't move. She called his name again, a little louder, and tried to sit up.

He could see her fully now, the woman he lost so long ago. No, that wasn't right: the woman he thought he lost. No words could escape his constricting throat as he continued to stare at her. He couldn't speak her name. He couldn't shatter this perfect dream. But Inuyasha took the responsibility from him and he knew he would always be grateful for that.

"Mitsuko?"

At hearing her real name, her gaze flew to land on the half demon. "Inuyasha?" Her voice was tight, but her vision was still a little hazy. Her head turned slowly, taking in all the other humans surrounding her, before finally landing on Sesshomaru's frozen form. He heard her inhale, heard the sob she bit back as his name fell from her lips on a choked gasp. The brightness of her eyes on his as she called to him one last time seemed to finally bring life back to his body. He had his arms around her so fast she squealed in surprise. He crushed her body to his and buried his nose in her now silver hair. Her cold nose pressed into his neck and Sesshomaru tangled a hand through her hair as she wept. They both trembled as they embraced, inhaling each other's scent and familiarizing themselves.

A/N: So... are you surprised? I'm sure most of you aren't. haha I am NOT good at subtlety. And just for the record, I hate that word. It sounds like suddle but it's spelled with a silent 'b' that magically makes the 'd' sound. Ridiculous. And this is not the end for our little couple. They still have a bit of hardship to go through before they get their happy ending. So sorry if this chapter seemed rushed. It was originally going to be longer, but due to my crazy life and writer's block, I decided to cut it off and just get this up so people would stop hating me for making Sayu die. I also wanted to give another quick shout out to some authors I've gotten a little caught up on. I LOVE good character development and plot in a story (as we all should) and have found two authors who do this brilliantly. I am so obsessed with their work.

The first is Arlia'Devi and her amazing series called The Path of Water. It's a Chihiro/Haku pairing and it is so beautifully fleshed out. The plot and imagination are just out of this world. I don't know how Arlia'Devi does it, but she really brings the Spirit World to life in this story. She also develops the other characters outside of Haku and Chihiro's relationship, but not so much that you get irritated and want to see more of the main characters.

The second is by an author named Team Damon. The story is called Ruin and it's a Loki/OC story. I've recently become obsessed with Loki and this story has just added kindling to the fire. It started out as a one-shot and Team Damon made it into so much more! There are amazing and steamy lemons that make me need to take a cold shower. But they don't seem excessive because they really play to Loki's character. It's amazing what Team Damon has done with this story. The plot is just unreal and the way the characters are developed is amazing. It takes place before Thor and the author is going to carry the story all the way through and past Thor: The Dark World. I am literally wringing my hands for updates from this author. I've already read it twice and I just recently found it.

Please, PLEASE give these authors and their stories a visit. You will not be disappointed. They update frequently, unlike me, and the chapters are always ridiculously long and oh so satisfying!

Neeky-chan: Yes! It had to be done! She certainly couldn't get off that easily. And I'm glad you enjoyed the fluffy moment. I'm so good at imagining them in my head but as soon as I go to write them I have epic brain farts. I'm so terrible at them! And as for replying back, I feel like it would be rude not to. When someone takes the time and effort to respond to something I've written, what kind of a writer would I be to not even acknowledge that? I love responding to you all. And today was a little dreary, but those always make for great writing days. I just wish I could open my window so I could listen to it. But the entire apartment would turn into a freezer if I did that so I have to content myself with occasional glances out the window. I'm pretty sure I know where you hail from now, and I almost moved there myself to go to college. Instead I went in the opposite direction and now I have snow instead of rain. Haha You take care and use that rain for writing!

Snowy B: I have to admit, the reason I started writing this chapter so soon was just so I could respond to your review. I literally fell off of my bed laughing when I read your review. You ugly cried! Haha I love it! I mean I hate that you cried, but that's a phrase I don't hear very often and it always makes me laugh. I am so happy my writing had such an impact on you and I hope I can continue to do it in the future. Thanks so much for your review and I hope this chapter made up for the tears.

aoa1012: I know! Cliffhangers are the worst! I get so mad when people do them... Sorry. But I hope this chapter made up for it. Please don't die or quit following me. :'( And thank you so much for the compliment and review! That is so flattering!

Getsunohimesama: Oh my goodness! I hope this chapter answered all your questions! If not... well then I suck as a writer and you can just pm me for answers. Lol Hopefully that's not the case! Thank you so so much for your unbelievable compliments and for continuing to stick with me. You're the best!

Guest: I know... As I said to aoa1012, I hate when other writers do this! But you just can't resist doing it with your own stories. Gotta keep everyone on their toes I guess. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy this so much! Once it's done I plan on doing some major overhaul on it and adding more scenes. Probably making Sesshomaru more like himself (he'll still feel all the feels, just not show so much of it). Thanks for the review!

DestinyRose09: Always good to hear from you! As you can see, Sayu is most definitely alive... just not so much herself anymore. It took me forever to decide on her demon name because I always thought of her as... well, Sayu. Haha. We'll see how it goes...

And oh my goodness! Your exam is so soon! I'm sure you will do amazing though. And I wouldn't wish Sayu's curse on anyone. Bleh! Thanks, as always, for your reviews and continued readership (is that a word? Is now!). I am so grateful to have such awesome and dedicated readers. :D I wish you luck once more for your exam and will try to remember to say a quick prayer for you on your big day (maybe a BIG one of it's as terrifying as you say it is). Take care!

Angel-Of-Life1990: As you can see, things... sort of worked out. Haha She still has a little ways to go before she has anything like a happy ending. Thank you so much for your review and very sweet compliments. I'm so overwhelmed by your praise. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

BoundaryBreaker: Yeah, things got a little intense. And you guessed right! Off to the land of the dead Sesshomaru went. Thank you so much for your review. They mean so much to me and help me to carry on writing. It's good to know people enjoy my work. Thank you thank you thank you!

Guest: OMG I didn't end it like that! Haha I hope this satisfies you for now. Please don't cry. *Hands a tissue*

Guest: I updated! Gah! So sorry for the wait.

Guest: It worked! I updated! It just took a while... I'm not super happy with this chapter, so I look forward to rewriting it and fleshing it out more.

X: Oh my goodness, I don't even know what to say. Thank you so much for your beautiful review and I am so sorry it took so long to post. It's readers like you who make me love writing. I'm just... stunned. Stunned into silence! So thank you.

Guest: I didn't... Surprise!

JeresyPrime23: I am so happy you love my story! Thank you so much for the great review! And I always dislike when people rush the happy ending. I love when the stories develop it over time. So I'm so pleased you think I did that. Thank you! And I love my little Sayu, so I'm always overjoyed when other people love her, too. So glad to have you as a reader.

Ash: Oh yes, the overused cliffy. I do so love them, but hate when other authors do them. I'm such a hyprocrite! Thank you so much for the review and I hope you continue to enjoy their journey!

Dontgotaclue88: Oh my goodness I'm so sorry I made you cry! But yay for evoking emotions in my readers! Here's the end of the cliffy! Please don't hate me...

Conejo-sama: I always try to respond to my reviewers. The fact that you all take the time to review my story is an honor in itself, and I would be a terrible writer if I didn't acknowledge you all. Thank you so much for your review. Sesshomaru has succeeded in bringing her back, but they aren't finished yet. Please hang in there with me as they carry on with their journey.