Author's Note: If you see any spelling or grammar errors please let me know so I can edit. Especially let me know if you see the word "demon" being used instead of "youkai" anywhere in the story. I tried hard to remember to use "youkai" for accuracy but watching anime put the mistranslation in my head.

Chapter 46 Inside Wei

Although Kouga had cut in half the number of opponents Sesshoumaru had to deal with, the distraction provided by the second Wei was enough for the Wei pinned beneath him to escape. Free from Sesshoumaru using his flight abilities to exert pressure and crush the first Wei under a section of wall, that Wei had immediately extricated himself and began grappling with Sesshoumaru.

In fact, that Wei had actually managed to put Sesshoumaru in a headlock and was doing his absolute damnedest to break Sesshoumaru's neck. Worse, somehow being in such close and sustained contact with Wei's deathly aura was negating many of Sesshouamru's youkai abilities, forcing him to rely solely on his hand-to-hand combat skills.

"You brought this on yourselves," Wei snarled savagely into Sesshoumaru's ear. "You invaded our country, butchered us by the millions and turned our women into sex slaves for your soldiers. You cannot imagine just how much we hate you."

"That is just fascinating Wei," Sesshoumaru grunted while trying to break out of Wei's vise-like grip. Sinking his hips back and then pushing on Wei's elbow with all the strength of his outside arm, Sesshoumaru created a hole large enough to draw out his head. "Now tell me how much you hate your government for all the Chinese they've murdered."

Sesshoumaru barely had time to bring the Toukijin up to guard as the Shining Hate materialized in Wei's hand and he brought it down in high slash.

"You seriously think the two are equivalent?" Wei demanded, seething as he dodged a strike from Sesshoumaru and made a slashing counter attack. "Say what you will about my government, but they united a fractured land, made us a nuclear power, and gave us back our self-respect after a century of humiliation."

"And at such a modest cost to the Chinese," Sesshoumaru mocked, as Wei tried to slice off his head. Ducking beneath the blow, he came up under Wei's guard and slammed the Toukijin into Wei's chest. For a moment, Wei looked confused and Sesshoumaru could swear he heard countless thousands of voices whispering horribly in the night, threatening him and promising exquisite death. The Toukijin vibrated uncontrollably in his hands and the battle raging around him seemed to fade into silence and shadow.

Inexplicably, Sesshoumaru found himself standing in an ocean of blood up to his knees. Above him the sky did not hold any sun, moon or stars. Instead, from horizon to horizon, scenes of Imperial Japanese soldiers attacking, looting, burning, stabbing, raping, mutilating and engaging in endless depravities stretched out like an insane series of stomach turning broadcasts.

In the scene directly in front of him, an infant in a crib screamed hideously as it was bayoneted by laughing soldiers. In another, a girl of no more than fourteen cried hysterically as three soldiers raped her in a house full of corpses. The sound of heavy gunfire erupted and Sesshoumaru turned and saw a scene in which a long line of thousands of Chinese were being mowed down by machine guns and falling into a trench already filled with rotting cadavers. The scenes swirled and shifted in a riot of sadistic violence and one that was completely surreal suddenly dominated the skyline.

It held a gargantuan tree whose bark was made of men, women and children whispering dark and incomprehensible threats at him. Sesshoumaru didn't know exactly how but looking at the monstrous roots of the tree he somehow intuited that the lake of pitch-black ichor they were sunk in and absorbing voraciously was somehow composed of grief, fury, hatred, and despair.

What the hell is this?

Sesshoumaru was so transfixed by what he was witnessing he did not register Wei rising up silently from the ocean of blood.

The spell was broken as Wei grabbed Sesshoumaru by the throat and held him aloft in a grip of iron. Faces beyond count began to break the crimson surface, their expressions contorted in rage and agony. A deafening roar filled Sessoumaru's ears, as they bayed their demands for vengeance.

"YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!" Wei thundered, as he forcibly plunged Sesshoumaru into the ghastly ocean like it was a horrific baptism. "GET OUT!"

Crimson liquid filled Sesshoumaru's lungs and then-

Incomprehensibly, Sesshoumaru snapped back to the reality of the life and death struggle he knew was happening all around him. The Toukijin, still planted firmly in Wei, was convulsing violently and red-hot fissures were traveling down the length of the blade to the pommel.

Sesshoumaru didn't know exactly what had just transpired, but he released the Toukijin and shifted backwards just as his blade seemed to cry out in a keening wail and then explode in a cerulean flash of light. Sesshoumaru, taking advantage of the momentary distraction, retrieved the Tessiaga in a burst of speed from where it lay and took up a guard stance.

The Wei he had been fighting was still standing but, for the moment at least, was only gazing at him with complete revulsion. "The Toukijin is incapable of hurting me, as we were both born of the same emotions. Never once though did I imagine that it could serve as a bridge and allow you to touch me in that way. It is nauseating to think a Japanese would be able to do so."

"What was that? What are you exactly?" Sessoumaru asked, though he doubted he would get an answer that would satisfy him.

The revulsion in Wei's eyes morphed into naked hatred once more "I am all your sins come back to haunt you. I-"

Whatever else Wei was about to say came to an abrupt end as Kouga's second wave hit on the hinge of the second defensive line.