A/N: It's been too long, really it has, I missed you all! I am so sorry I never got another chapter up and haven't been sticking the once a month schedule, I had lots of essay deadlines to get through and technology hasn't been my friend recently so it took me a while to get this written. I should be getting back on track with this story now my deadlines are done for a while. Anyway that enough of me talking, on with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything...except Rin's dog Lord Fluffy which sits on my desk.

Sesshoumaru was worried, not that he had shown it outwardly, and it seemed the wolves shared his worry. Ari had woken up a few days ago after having been unconscious for nearly a week, but she had yet to use her magic again. She had snapped at Rin when the girl asked her to re-animate her stuffed dog and had been mostly silent and distant. The Daiyoukai had understood that she was still shaken and upset after having lost control like she had but he also knew that he needed to snap her out of the depression she was sinking into.

"I almost killed him. I almost killed them all," She whispered brokenly to him the following night.

"But you didn't, though this one wouldn't have been to sad if the hanyou had perished," Sesshoumaru murmured trying to create some humour as her reached over to embrace the distraught girl. He frowned when she flinched away from his touch but still pulled her to him, ignoring how stiff she was in his arms.

"How can you say that?" Ari asked him turning furious emerald eyes towards him. "Inuyasha is your brother, what is so wrong with him being a hanyou?"

"He is the living proof of my father's disloyalty towards my mother," Sesshoumaru argued half heartedly, "My father chose a disgustingly weak human over my mother and I. He chose to sacrifice his own life for that human and half-breed."

"Disgustingly weak human?" Ari echoed hollowly and standing from his embrace she turned to face Sesshoumaru who peered up at her in slight confusion. He watched in surprise as she drew back her hand and fast as lightning slapped him hard across the face. The force of the slap was enough to push his head to the side leaving his cheek stinging harshly. "Maybe if your father didn't have such a jackass for a first son then he wouldn't have felt the need to sire Inuyasha. You can't blame Inuyasha for something he had no control over, we don't choose our family. Inuyasha has done his best to survive and his behaviour may not be polite and collected, but the only one to blame on that front is you. You should have been there for him; you should have taught him how to behave accordingly. You should have taken the place of your father and been there to help him understand his youkai heritage. You are the disgrace not Inuyasha! As for the disgustingly weak human your father chose, clearly it runs in your family because in case it escaped your notice I am human. Don't blame your father for choosing a human when you are doing the exact same thing."

"He chose her over me, his own son, you don't understand what it was like. I tried my damned best to make him proud of me, to have him acknowledge me but nothing I ever did was good enough. I sought power to become worthy as the Inu-no-Taisho's son, but the one person I wanted to please was never happy with the choices I made. And then he goes on and betrays my mother, she isn't the best mother one could ask for, she is cold and manipulative but she didn't deserve to be betrayed. Inu mate for life, we choose one partner and stay with them throughout our entire life, but not my father, no he chose to betray our traditions and marry a human." Sesshoumaru said trying desperately to think of some way to defend himself. He knew that what she had said was true; he was to blame for Inuyasha's poor upbringing but he couldn't escape the hurt that he felt at his father's disregard for him. That hurt had long since turned to anger and scorn after seeing the effect his father's affair had on his mother who cared deeply for the Inu-no-Taisho and the only one he could take it out on was Inuyasha. He started slightly when he felt a hand caress his still stinging cheek, slowly gold met green.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have slapped you, nor should I have over reacted like that. I'm scared and I'm taking it out on you, I don't want to lose control and hurt you again, what if next time I do some-" She was cut off by a pair of lips touching gently against her own. She responded to the kiss eagerly, allowing Sesshoumaru to pull her back into his lap and hold her close. His lips continued to brush softly against hers even when the tears dripped from her eyes and her hands clenched tightly into his haori.

"Do not ever apologise to me, my little witch. I would prefer to have you angry and shouting at me if it meant you would stop being sad," Sesshoumaru murmured once he pulled away, resting her head against his neck, feeling her tears dripping onto him as he ran his hand through her hair. He vaguely recalled something in his memory about humans, especially women, being more emotional in comparison to the demon counterparts, so he was content to let her cry it out on him. "This one was careless with the words I chose, I did not mean to offend you so, I have realised since meeting you that not all humans are weak though some I care little for. As for you fear, it is unnecessary for you have more control then you seem to think you do, everyone slips up from time to time. You have just discovered your new powers, you are still learning. You know now the consequences of releasing such power all at once, and you will not do it again unless the severity of the situation calls for it." He continued to pet her hair all through the night, long after she had fallen asleep and her sobbing stopped. His golden eyes peering out into the night, watching as Rin's chest rose and fell with each breath and listening to the quiet breaths of the one who held his heart in her dainty fingers.

oOo

The following week after Ari's breakdown had been a little easier than the previous, she had a developed a tentative trust in her magic, allowing her to reanimate Rin's dog and apologise for being so rude. Sesshoumaru hadn't strayed too far from her, allowing her his support for which she would be eternally grateful. She sat in a field making daisy chains with Rin, laughing as the toy dog ran around the Daiyoukai in circles whilst Silmeranna and Anarya rested in the shade of a tree, their large eyes closed in sleep. Ari expected a quiet day, like they had been experiencing for some time, what she wasn't expecting was for a large three eyed bull to swoop down and greet the group with 'moo'.

"Totosai," Sesshoumaru muttered disinterestedly, his behaviour alone giving the distinct impression that he lacked the energy to care about why the sword smith had visited. His golden eyes narrowing slightly at the less than formal way the witch greeted Totosai.

"How are you?" Ari exclaimed happily, hugging to older man, a giggle threatening to escape her as he blushed and stuttered unused to the attention he was given.

"Ah," he began, casting unsure looks at Sesshoumaru, who was growling lowly, before making his way closer to the Daiyoukai, "I was meant to visit earlier but, you know me, I forget these things. I see the Tokijin is missing." He looked a little hesitant as if he didn't want to be anywhere near the deadly assassin that was the Lord of the West. He held out his hand before demanding he be given the Tenseiga.

"Yet I can still rip you apart with my claws," Sesshoumaru said as he stretched his fingers menacingly, his eyes narrowing even further as he rose from his position on the ground, looming over the frightened Totosai as his aura flared in annoyance. "What is your business with my sword?"

"Ah, well, the sword called out to me," Totosai said, as if it explained everything, which to him it explained everything perfectly; to the others it only made them think the sword smith was crazy.

"Why did the sword call out to you?" the soft voice of Ari floated over to them as she moved to stand beside Sesshoumaru, her hand drifting to the sword in question before she quickly pulled it out and handed it to the grateful smith, poking the inu who growled at her to shush him.

"I see," he mumbled to the sword, ignoring the youkai and witch and he held a one sided conversation with the sword. Ari rested her head on Sesshoumaru's shoulder to keep him from tearing the sword out of Totosai's hands and killing the poor guy, her eyes watching as the smith caressed the blade of the sword before speaking, this time to the Daiyoukai. "You have changed Sesshoumaru, you have shown compassion and heart has become pure, Arianna has been a good influence on you and now Tenseiga is ready."

"Ready for what?" Sesshoumaru's voice was clipped, anger seeping into it as he thought the smith was trying to take the sword from him. Although he cared little for the blade, it had given him Rin's life and it was his father's memento to him, he was attached to the healing sword though he would never admit it.

"To be reforged..." the old youkai said, a hint of playfulness in his tone as he looked at Sesshoumaru, pausing dramatically as he wanted to keep the lord waiting and he was enjoying watching him squirm. Though the Daiyoukai didn't show any physical sign of impatience, his aura was pressing angrily against the smith. "... into a weapon."

"A weapon?" Ari asked in wonder, her voice revealing the astonishment that Sesshoumaru felt, his eyes widening slightly as his only response to the news.

"Hai, I shall make it into the weapon your father wished it to be, I shall return with the sword in a weeks' time, then you shall have the sword you wanted." Both adults watched as Totosai disappeared, taking the sword and bull with him.

"Wow, I wonder what its power will be," Ari mumbled as she drifted from Sesshoumaru and back to Rin, leaving the male to contemplate in silence.

Youkai are all idiots.

At least that's what Ari found out in the course of the following week, word of Sesshoumaru's lack of swords had gotten around and they had been consistently attacked by a large number of lower youkai. Snakes, lizards, frogs and all other creepy insects and bugs that had Ari shivering in disgust and bathing a lot more than usual, youkai guts left a rank smell on her clothes and skin as Sesshoumaru's poison whip cut them apart. Sesshoumaru had only been getting annoyed and Ari often found it amusing to experiment with her powers, one youkai had been stupid enough to go after her and Rin and soon found himself being impaled by the branches of a tree. The end of the week found an exasperated Daiyoukai and tired witch awaiting the arrival of the sword smith whose promised return would be this day.

The clouds above them shifted slightly and a blue lightning bolt shot down to the earth below them, revealing Totosai, sitting atop his bull which once again 'moo'ed it's greeting. Tenseiga was clutched in his hands and, with some reluctance, handed over the blade to Sesshoumaru who pulled it from its sheath in one flourish.

"Are you ready to test its power?" Totosai asked wearily and, as if it was planned, an oni rose from the ground behind Sesshoumaru who turned to face his opponent, eager to test Tenseiga's new powers.

"This Sesshoumaru is always ready," he leaped into the air, swinging the Tenseiga in a long arc across the oni's torso before landing in the same position he started in. He watched, ignoring Jaken and Rin's exclamations that nothing was happening, only pausing to glance at his side were Ari he stepped. They both watched in fascination as a large crescent appeared behind the oni, sucking the youkai inside of it, a voice calling out from within.

"Don't forget the wedding little witch, it is soon approaching."

Ari gasped as the crescent closed completely, she knew that voice, the voice of Death. "Crap, I completely forgot the wedding," she muttered, beginning to pace back and forth mumbling about Hermione and Ron and her apparent death wish, Sesshoumaru on the other hand was feeling a little twinge of jealously, the voice had called her by the nickname he used, deciding to disregard the voice entirely he turned to Totosai.

"What is this power?" He demanded.

"Ah, the Tenseiga is a sword that connects this world and the next, it cuts a path between those worlds and allows you to see the minions of the underworld, giving you the power to bring back departed souls. The power that defeated the oni however works in reverse, you send the souls into the next realm, the technique is called Meidou Zangetsuha." Totosai said, though his attention was on Ari who was now comparing Hermione to that of a dragon, his eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Forget the damn sword I have a wedding to attend," Ari shouted, uncaring of Tenseiga's ability in the face of her friends wrath.

"A wedding?" Sesshoumaru muttered, his eyes narrowing harshly.

"Yes on the other side of the well, I can't miss it," she was pacing again.

"Why would you need to attend a wedding?" his voice had a dangerous hint to it again, the jealousy from before filling his heart, marriage was something humans do to bind themselves to their partner he recalled as an intense anger shook his form. Why would she need to have this marriage? Was she going to marry someone in her world? Leave him for this other male? An angry growl tore from his throat making the girl pause and look at him curiously. "The only one you will marry witch is this one."

"Oh," she said, shocked at the jealous rage she saw in his eyes, she smiled at him before laughing. Hearing his growl only made her laugh harder, she approached him slowly, trying to calm her giggles before pressing a gently kiss to his cheek. "Of course you stupid fluffball, who else would I want to spend my life with besides you. It is my friend's wedding I must attend, my best friends are to be wed and I have to be there, it would be horrible if I missed it."

"Hn," Sesshoumaru muttered, noticing distantly that Totosai had vanished, the cowardly smith not wanting to hang around. His gaze flickered down to meet the green he adored, his mind turning over what she had told him as he brushed his nose against hers. "I shall take you to the well Koishii."

Ari blushed, slightly startled at the fact that he had called her koishii but enjoying it all the same, she nodded her head and once again pressed her lips to his cheek in thanks. Smiling happily as she felt his arm wrap around her and they were up in the air, flying towards the well, Ah-Un carrying Jaken and Rin behind them.

Kagome and the others were in the clearing of the well as they touched down and after a brief altercation between the brothers, which Kagome's 'sit' command soon put an end too, Ari explained what she was doing. Kagome was happy that she was going back, telling her that her mother had an owl with a letter stating the wedding was in a few days and quickly rushed the witch to the well before returning to stand by Inuyasha at the edge of the clearing.

"It seems you are to leave me again Koishii," golden eyes watched as the witch stood upon the edge of the well, a flicker of sadness and longing showing through them before he schooled his emotions, leaving his eyes empty again.

"Not this time Sesshoumaru," Ari said, turning to face the youkai before holding out her hand to him, her gaze shooting up to Kagome before giving a pointed look in Rin's direction and at seeing her friend nod she returned her gaze to Sesshoumaru, her hand still out stretched towards him as he looked at it confused. "Would you like to meet my friends and family? Do you want to see my world?"

A/N: Oh my how mean of me... I leave you waiting for a new chapter for ages and then I go and leave you in suspense... at least Sesshy learned the Meidou Zangetsuha.

So what did you think? Are you mad I left it like that?

Please review