Author's Note: I'm still not too happy with the last chapter, and though of course I could always go back, and maybe one day I will, I've decided to move on. Focus more on making future chapters better. Thank you all for all the wonderful reviews, favorites, kudos, and follows!

~*Flame

Disclaimer: InuYasha & Final Act are all owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Media & Madmen Entertainment.

Chapter Twenty

It still amazed me how informed Jaken always seemed to be. I never saw him conversing with other creatures prior to him revealing key information, nor receiving any messages, coded or otherwise. However he managed it, I hoped my fall from grace changed nothing. Even if the information he received wasn't as vital as it once was, I didn't want to be kept in the dark. The West might not need me, but I still needed the West.

When Jaken first informed me of Rouyakan's call, I assumed the gentle youkai had been near. Yet, Jaken continued to lead me through the forest, deeper and deeper, farther than I considered was possible. Would I still be needed by the time we arrived? Though that was always going to be a problem. What help could I give when I had already proven to be a failure?

With how far Rouyakan was from the Shiro in the Sky, he likely hadn't heard the news yet. When he learned the truth, I was certain he would seek aid from someone more capable in the West. So why was I so set in responding to his call?

The longer it took to reach him, the more I questioned my actions. Rouyakan was loyal, but his loyalty was to the West. If he had already learned the truth of my status and only I came to his aid, how long would that loyalty last? It was only a matter of time before our enemies felt the West was vulnerable, no longer having an heir. The Western Lands would need every loyal youkai to protect it. When the time came, would I be welcome to help as I could? Would I even want to?

The thought nearly froze me in my tracks. Eyes widening a fraction, as I barely continued to follow Jaken through the trees. Of course I would want to. Just because the Western Court had no need of me, didn't mean the army was the same. In times of war, it was expected that every Western citizen offers their strength.

Yet, when the Panthers attacked, it was only Rouyakan and his compatriots that offered their strength for the cause. And even then, only because they fought under Father's banner centuries before. Why hadn't others done the same? Was… was I wrong about what the West needed? Perhaps that was why the Court found it so easy to cast me aside.

After what felt like hours, the damp earth of the forest shifted, the sharp bite of iron piercing the air. Picking up the pace, I quickly overtook Jaken, the scent of blood and pain leading me to the base of a tree close to the treeline. There, barely conscious, lay a brutally beaten Rouyakan. Growling, I kneeled beside the youkai, rage filling me over his condition.

He was gentle, the guardian of this very forest. Who would dare harm him in such a way? Nostrils flaring, I took a deep breath of the surrounding air, searching for any scent hiding beneath the iron tang, but it was useless. Even with my superior senses, there was just too much blood.

"Who did this to you?" Bulbous eyes fluttered before rolling to the side, focusing on me as best as they could.

"Sesshoumaru-dono…" His voice was harsh, barely a whisper, as if his throat itself was damaged. He reached out, gripping the loose sleeve where my left arm should have been. I expected him to jerk away as if burned, sneer before sending me away, ashamed to have called on one such as I. "You came…" The utter relief in his voice would have brought me to my knees had I been standing.

"I am here." I assured him, humbled by the utter conviction shining in his eyes. He didn't care that I wasn't whole, that I was no longer the Western Heir. He only cared that I was here and would keep in safe. In all the centuries I had been protecting the West, never have I seen such blind faith in my strength.

Swallowing past the lump that formed in my throat, I rested my hand on his shoulder, careful of his many wounds. "Who did this to you?" His eyes rolled to the side as Jaken appeared, various herbs cradled in his arms. Without a word, he started work on a poultice for Rouyakan. His injuries would heal in time, his youki doing most of the work. The herbs were used to take the edge off, to give him relief from the pain that wracked his body.

His eyes swung back to me, tears of gratitude welling. The herbs were common knowledge, but rarely given. Too many believed that suffering through pain would strengthen them. A little pain, sure, but something like this? The herbs were more than a kindness. The gentle youkai sighed as Jaken placed the first of the poultice on the wounds closest to him.

"I don't know his name." His eyes drooped, his healing body calling for rest. "He forced shards on me…" I narrowed my eyes, beginning to suspect who may be behind this. "He wanted me to kill Inuyasha-dono…" Growling, suspicion confirmed, Rouyakan must have thought I was angry with him for attacking the hanyou. His eyes snapped open and had he not been so injured would have prostrated himself before me. "I didn't, I swear."

"Calm yourself." He sat back as Jaken covered more of his injuries in the pain relieving poultice. "Your loyalty to the West is not in question." He shook his head.

"Not the West." I lifted an eyebrow, surprised at his confession. "To you, Sesshoumaru-dono. To a fellow warrior who fought by my side and protected everything I held dear. It was my turn to protect what you hold close, and I failed you." His eyes slid shut, sleep finally claiming him.

"You didn't fail me." I whispered. Sitting back on my heels, I watched the forest guardian as he slept. Conflict warred within me from his words; so similar to Jaken's. Did others feel this way? That I was worthy to be their protector? Even when the Western Court believed otherwise?

I had only ever lived my life in service to the West. When the Western Court ripped that from me, I was so certain everything had been lost. But that wasn't true. I didn't need the West. I didn't need to protect those that lived far from threat, who were strong enough to hold their own. I needed to protect those that couldn't protect themselves.

"Have you someone to protect?" Father's words from our last conversation rang through my mind. Only now did I truly understand what he was asking. Standing, I glanced at Jaken as he finished slathering the last of the poultice on Rouyakan's injuries.

"Protect him. Once he is healed enough, we shall hunt down Naraku and make him pay for the slight against those under this Sesshoumaru's protection."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!" The pride glimmering in my retainer's eyes had the lump returning to my throat. Forcing it back down, I shifted to another tree across from the sleeping youkai. Should he awaken, he would see me, though I didn't expect that to be soon. All the better, since I needed to gather more information on the puppet master, and I knew just how to get it.


There was no telling how long it would take Kagome to join me in the Dream Realm. In the past, when the magic connecting us was working, we generally had a set time. But all that changed when she traveled to the past and revealed her true colors. Leaning against the boulder in the grotto, bile churned in my gut the longer I had to wait for her to show.

I was already irritated that I had to go to her for aid. Though I could probably find out what I needed to about Naraku on my own, it would take time. Time where others under my protection could come to harm. That left a far bitter taste in my mouth than speaking with Kagome. I had already failed the West. I would not fail again.

Leaning my head back, the soothing chill of the boulder seeped into my skull. I refused to leave Rouyakan to heal on his own, even with Jaken by his side for protection. I would not leave until I was certain he could hold his own once more. It was part of the reason I thought to come to Kagome for answers. Even waiting for her as I was felt at least a little productive.

Of course, there was always the chance the Miko wouldn't answer my questions. It was a risk I was prepared for. Nothing ever came for free, so I was banking on her own curiosity to reveal what I wanted to know. Granted, there was no way to tell if she was being truthful. The Miko had fooled me nearly my entire life. With the limitation of scent not existing in the Dream Realm, it was impossible to detect her lies. So I would have to surprise her, offer an answer to the question she asked at our last meeting before anything else.

Even that was risky. She could always take the knowledge and leave, revealing nothing in return. All battle strategies held some risk; this was no different. It may not be a physical battle, but it was a battle of wills, a battle of secrets. As long as I could keep the pain of her betrayal at bay, I would succeed.

The trees across the grotto rustled, signaling my wait was finally at an end. Sitting straighter, I waited for the perfect time to strike. A ghostly, translucent hand pushed aside the foliage, parting it just enough for an equally transparent figure to enter the grotto.

"I wasn't working with Naraku. We were using each other for our own means." Startled, the phantom Kagome jerked her head in my direction. Eyes wide, my name slipping past her lips, she froze. "Tell me what you know of Naraku."

"What are you doing here, Sesshoumaru?" I kept my bored facade in place, not letting my irritation over her question show through. This was a battle, after all. It would be a shame to have her give in so quickly.

"I have already answered your question." I glanced down at my hand, as though inspecting my claws for any imperfection. "You must answer mine before you get another." Her brows furrowed before she moved closer. I could practically see her mulling over my words as she sat across from me, the lush grass showing through her form.

"Fine." She frowned, determination shining in her eyes. "He's a hanyou after the Shikon no Tama."

"Hn," I nearly smirked. So she was prepared for battle as well. "I am here to ask you about Naraku." Her lips parted, an argument on the tip of her tongue. I knew well that would not be her next question, but it was the last one she asked. Lifting an eyebrow in censure, she shut her mouth, pouting. "Why does Naraku have such a vendetta against Inuyasha?"

Kagome chewed on her lower lip, clearly trying to decide what to tell me to prompt another question. It excited a small part of me, this game of wits. It shouldn't, but memories of our youth and games so similar to this plagued my mind. This was why I didn't want to come here. It was far too easy to fall back into old patterns best left forgotten.

"Kikyou." Sitting back, I cocked my head to the side while looking at her strange new form. She had gotten much better at this game. "You didn't hurt Inuyasha so badly during our first encounter." It was not a question, so I kept my lips sealed. Her trick to try and gain more information from me than was asked would not work. After a heartbeat or two, she gave up her trap. "Why was this last time so different?"

I nearly snorted at her waste of a question. Perhaps her mind was lost with her corporeal form. "The influence of the Shikon shard." Her own irritation flared as she realized the wasted question. Ah, but if she was not so focused on the hanyou, she would have been able to ask what she really wanted to know. The question I could so clearly see swirling within her eyes. "What is Kikyou's connection to Naraku?"

"He fell in love with her." She finally revealed after a much longer pause. I found that hard to believe. No doubt there was more to it than that, but it was enough. If Naraku truly loved Kikyou, her attention on Inuyasha would be enough to create the vendetta. Though, that love was likely more of an obsession, considering he was still after Inuyasha so many years after Kikyou's demise.

Standing, I saw Kagome stumble to rise as well in my peripheral vision. "Wait!" Had Mother not trained me so well, I would have rolled my eyes. I had gotten all the information I needed. Our game was over. She lost. "I have another question!"

"You have no further information I require." It was unlikely for them to know of his location, otherwise Inuyasha would have gone after him personally.

"That's not true!" I paused, gracing her with a raised eyebrow. A smug look settled over her features as she crossed her arms over her chest. "He has a defining mark." That could be useful… I had only encountered the hanyou's puppet, and even that was covered by the baboon pelt. Surely one more question would harm nothing. Nodding my head, she took a deep breath before asking the last thing I expected.

"Why are so you mad at me?"

My mind blanked at the question. Of all the things she could ask, how could she not know? I stared at her, incredulity slipping past my facade. Was this her way of continuing her innocent act? Of pretending I hadn't come to realize who she really was behind all her sweetness? Sneering, I leaned in closer, wanting to see the look of understanding fill her eyes as she realized I had seen through her farce.

"You betrayed me." She reared back, confusion and hurt on full display.

"What? No! I've never betrayed you!" I scoffed, refusing to repeat myself. "Is this about Tessaiga?" Gaining control over myself, I felt my facade snap back into place. I refused to answer. "It is!" She took a step back, gasping in shock, as if she had no idea how deep her betrayal went. "I didn't betray you!" Her fists clenched at her sides, as if she were the one insulted by my accusation. "You were being a jerk." Scoffing, I turned. Clearly, she refused to follow the rules of our battle, refusing to reveal this supposed unique mark Naraku held.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" she snarled, stomping footsteps moving closer. I refused to respond, my silence only goading her further. "Did you ever think that I would have helped you if you just asked in the first place? That if you hadn't come at us, at Inuyasha, with that fake mother, we would have just given you Tessaiga?"

I leapt across the river, putting space between me and the irate Miko. Whatever information she had wasn't worth it. She continued to call out as I left the grotto and returned to the waking world.