The melodic susserations of the forest filled Kaede's ears as she and Kikyo made their way down a winding path in the woods of Shimotsuke. Since their last interaction two days ago by the river, her big sister hadn't spoken to her. Kikyo communicated only using hand signals to interact, signaling to her to be quiet. Kaede made a drawn out sigh, kicking a rock with her sandal as she realized how her fantasies about priestess training seemed to all fall flat. Where were the yokai? The Samurai and the epic battles that would follow? Without even being able to discuss the sights she saw, such as a butterfly fluttering past, or how a pygmy woodpecker pecking away at a stump had been the culprit of a tapping sound that began a while ago, Kaede began to feel dissuaded about her aspirations to become a great priestess like her sister.

As Kaede realized this, she stopped mid step and attempted to prevent the tears threatening to overflow. Even her mangled eye still felt the sensation in its intact glands. Kaede rubbed her remaining eye and stroked the iron Tsuba as a comforting motion, feeling the engravings in the cool, smooth metal surface. In her distraction, she didn't see the movement on her blind side, nor did she notice the sounds of branches breaking under foot due to all the other noises in the forest; her visual impairment giving her a disadvantage that hadn't fully been accounted for.

Out of the greenery crept a large, lanky creature, with patches of gray fur missing from its coat. Large, intelligent eyes honed in on the small child and a pink tongue swept across the wolf yokai's muzzle. Kaede sniffled, wiping the wetness from her cheeks. Kikyo had gone aways up the path without realizing her little sister had fallen behind; she was determined to get out of these woods as quickly as possible.

After their disagreement earlier, the silent treatment she was giving Kaede had turned to private introspection. Kikyo's mind still turned over her feelings towards Onigumo and why speaking about him with her sister had touched such a nerve the way it had.

Why am I so affected by the mere utterance of that man's name? She placed her hands over her face and attempted to silence the pervasive thoughts that plagued her daily life. It wasn't enough to take her mind off Onigumo, bringing her attention to Kaede's sudden scream.

Kikyo snapped out of her distraction and whirled around, already readying an arrow. Kaede had fallen to the ground and had both hands up before her, attempting to form a barrier between herself and the snarling wolf that was standing over her with its saliva dripping down in streams. The weak barrier was easily broken through with the fall of a heavy paw that landed on the girl's tiny chest and pinned her to the ground. Kikyo had been about to shoot her arrow when her bow was knocked far out of her grip as she was attacked from behind, another large wolf yokai pouncing atop her.

The Miko grunted in pain as she struggled to free herself, but the massive wolf yokai was so heavy it was making it impossible to move. Kaede cried out as the wolf holding her captive licked the tears from her face and savored the salty flavor on its chops, its pupils dilating with hunger. It was thinking about how delicious she would be and considering what part it should eat first as it waited for the other wolf to make the elder sister a meal.

Kikyo grit her teeth as the black wolf took a hold of her ponytail and lifted her head from the ground, her back contorting painfully. She stretched her arms out as far as they could go, but still couldn't reach her bow. She clenched her fists and attempted to channel her spiritual powers, but they flowed out of her hands and singed the ground below her uselessly. Kikyo grit her teeth and willed her body to move, but she was virtually paralyzed. Kaede's cries of her name broke her heart and she could do nothing but squeeze her eyes shut in the hope that this was all but a dream.

Out of the blue, part of the weight was removed and a whistling, snapping sound preceded the sharp cries of an animal in pain. Blood splattered on the ground before Kikyo and she opened her eyes wide in surprise as the weight lifted from her body entirely and Kaede was released from the other wolf yokai's grip as well. Kikyo's senses went on high alert and she turned about sharply, finding her bow on the ground and gripping it tight.

What she saw contradicted her understanding of the world entirely. A female yokai was standing there while twin rose vines, thorns and all were unraveling from around the dead wolf yokai and into her palms. Kikyo and the demoness shared a long, silent stare before either one of them addressed the other.

"Why have you done this?" Kikyo whispered, looking from the dead bodies to their unlikely savior. A yokai that killed other yokai, to save, of all people– a priestess whose specialty was purifying their kind.

The yokai woman knelt before Kikyo with her hands on the ground and bowed in submission.

"I am in your service, Lady Kikyo. To protect you from all evils–be they demon, human, I shall kill them all."

"Tell me your name."

"I am Zenatryx." The yokai hissed, looking up to Kikyo with a caustic yellow stare. Kikyo narrowed her eyes and nudged Kaede behind her protectively.

"Though I appreciate your assistance, I have not hired you, Zenatryx."

"No, only Master Naraku tells me what to do. He tells me, 'follow the Priestess Kikyo through the dark forest and ensure that no harm befalls her' and I will be forgiven of all my past transgressions."

Kikyo was silent as she pondered over the statement, attempting to find meaning in it.

"Who is this 'Naraku' you speak of?"

"Naraku is my master. His true name I cannot speak. He is the lord of all demons, the white baboon."

" White baboon…?" Kikyo whispered, looking pensive, before wincing as the wounds on her back began to sting and the realization of how much pain she was actually suffering settled in.

"Are you hurt, my Lady? You should not stress yourself. Allow Zenatryx to help." The yokai said in a soothing voice and reached out to Kikyo, grasping her wrist. A searing pain like a lightning bolt of energy had gone through her hand and her skin sizzled, causing her to pull back immediately. Kikyo chuckled softly, about to chide the demon for touching her so foolishly, when she abruptly fell to her knees and collapsed in pain. Kaede held Kikyo protectively as the yokai woman recovered, looking over at the miko curiously.

"You, little child. Will you help me aid your elder sister? I cannot touch her in her state, else I will be purified. If you would be so kind as to help me, I'm sure your sister will recover from her wounds much quicker."

Kaede gazed at the strangely exquisite creature with one starry, widened eye and considered what she'd said. She looked down to Kikyo and grimaced upon seeing the bleeding wounds, gulping. She recalled how Kikyo had befriended the half-demon, InuYasha and Kikyo's beliefs on such matters.

' Yokai are deceptive and cruel. There be much worse than simple men to fear, Kaede.' Kaede recalled Kikyo's words and yet… It seemed to her that both humans and yokai could either be bad or good. Perhaps she needed to judge for herself. If Zenatryx was truly hired to protect them, it wouldn't make any sense for her to hurt Kikyo, right?

"Only… if you can promise me that you're not going to hurt her."

"I promise you, I only intend to keep her safe. This is my duty." Zenatryx said with a grave tone, bowing her head.

"Ok. So, what do we do now?"

"I shall teach you the healing arts of the yokai. We work the most fantastic wonders."

~•o•O•o•~

Warblers sang their cheerful bird songs high above a cozy village set within a cove of overhanging trees; the sunlight filtering through the trembling, leafy branches dappled with the buds of blossoms yet to bloom.

There was a commotion in the small village below as an intimidating group of men passed through and the inhabitants came out of their humble homes to watch them ride by atop their tired steeds. Onigumo approached the stables and dropped a coin purse into the stablemaster's palm.

"Make sure each one of our horses is fed, watered and shoed properly."

The stablemaster nodded eagerly, pocketing the pouch and directing the brigade to bring their horses inside. Onigumo's men piled into the stables and tied their horses, then returned to the village center on foot, some of them leading their captive women behind them. The last of the women were released to their home village and took off running towards their families with happy sobs of relief.

"Hey! Aren't those the bandits who raided us last time?" A village man shouted, though he didn't seem too sure of his accusation. The bandit leader of last had been an ugly, short man while this one was tall and held an aristocratic air about him, with his fair features and long, wavy black hair tied half up in a ponytail.

"Perhaps, once. Rasetsu's band is no more. If any of these men have offended you, by all means they will pay reparations, but I am not Rasetsu, nor do I agree with what he has done to you all. I am Onigumo, and the black dragon always pays his dues." Onigumo announced, and the group of villagers gasped in surprise.

" Onigumo! Why have you come back? There is nothing here for you. Reika is long gone." A middle aged woman shouted. Two armed guards stood at her sides protectively, bearing their halberds in a cross before the noble woman.

The brigade all looked towards their leader in surprise, yet Onigumo only lowered his gaze and smiled.

"Hm. Yes, you're correct. I have nothing here to claim, do I, okaasan?" Onigumo mocked.

"I am not your mother, fiend!" She hissed and the surrounding village men began to draw their katanas as her guards pointed the tips of their halberds towards him in a silent, yet obvious threat.

Onigumo was not intimidated by their threats and instead, he began to laugh, in a soft, husky, rhythmic pattern. His men stared at him in confusion, unsure what to do. Some drew their swords and others held back upon realizing how outnumbered they were. Under Rasetsu, such a tense situation would easily be amended by slaughtering the offending group–given the victims were weak and defenseless enough. They restrained from this habit once they saw Onigumo hold out one hand to cease their attack, instead walking closer to the distressed woman he had called 'okaasan.' She was not his birth mother, but at one time, they were associated as such through the marriage of Onigumo to her daughter.

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers as Onigumo dropped to his knees and went into a prone position, bowing his head into the dirt at her feet.

"I can only offer my condolences for your loss. You may spit on me, hit me, whatever you like if that satisfies you, but I must tell you, your anger is gravely misdirected."

She frowned, contemplating her next action with tightly fisted hands. After a moment of thought, she released her tension and sighed.

"Stand up, Onigumo."

He looked up and got to his feet while she brushed the dirt from his purple haori with her bare hands.

"I apologize as well. I directed my anger at you only because there was no one else to… T-take it out on." She admitted meekly while dusting off her hands.

The handsome warlord nodded his understanding and placed his hands on her comparably petite shoulders which were hidden in a black Iromofuku , a kimono typically only worn for funerals.

"I shall return Reika's dowry. It's the least I can do, Lady Reiko."

His proclamation was met with tears and Reiko fell into his arms, sobbing. The onlookers saw this and returned their blades to their sheaths. They decided that the black dragon was not a threat–at least for today, and returned to their business as if the brigade had never entered the village.

"Would you all like to rest in the inn? We shall prepare tea, baths and our finest courtesans upon Lord Onigumo's return." The local inn master announced and the former bandits nodded eagerly and followed behind to view their luxurious accommodations.

Onigumo watched his men take off with a smirk, then walked behind Reiko, towards the gates of the manor he once reigned as daimyo. As he retreads those old steps, perhaps it was a trick of the light, or his fanciful imagination, but for a second he thought he saw the shadow of a woman running along the cracked walkway. The sounds of bubbling laughter and distant speech entered his ears, yet the sound was only an artful imitation by an elusive uguisu bird, which was perched on the gateway, casting the shadow he'd seen.

Onigumo furrowed his brow and scowled, his fall back in step gathering Reiko's attention.

"Come along, we have much catching up to do."

The youthful lord took his attention away from the mischievous nightingale and followed after, a small flock of birds fluttering out of a nearby tree with alarmed squawks as he walked past. Then, just as his imagination had taken a turn for the darker, his memory reminded him of the procurement of a certain sparrow by a just as elusive miko. His scowl faded away and was replaced by a still serenity. Onigumo was placated by the hope that one day, he would capture the flighty creature he truly desired.

~•o•O•o•~

"It's just up ahead. Come, InuYasha, follow my footsteps…" An ethereal voice whispered to him, urging him on. InuYasha ran through the forest, sweat pouring down his body, his breaths heavy in his chest. He'd been running now for hours, and he had made great progress with the encouragement of the entity in the amulet.

Myoga had given up clinging to his master's hair and currently took up residence in his dog-like ear, gripping a tuft of hair for support as he bounced with InuYasha's rapid movements. The flea demon was exhausted just by hanging on for dear life, he couldn't hang on for hours, let alone run though three provinces like Master InuYasha had done. Myoga wasn't hearing the voice InuYasha was, but he still sensed that something here was off. There was determination in the half-demon like he'd never seen before, and Myoga worried that InuYasha was hurrying headlong into his demise.

"It's just a little farther… you're nearly there!" The feminine voice of the amulet whispered greedily, digging her proverbial claws into the hanyou and refusing to let go. Soon he'd be at his destination, where he'd find the very thing he desired. Whether or not it would be the death of him, InuYasha was willing to bargain his own life for Kikyo's. Such was the power of his love, that he was blinded to all other possibilities.

Amber met gold as Sesshomaru stared up at the sun without flinching, admiring the rare illusion of two smaller sun's on either side of the real one that appeared only when sunlight refracted through ice crystals in clouds. To him, the gleaming objects in the sky signified something deeper. His father had always told him that their ancestors were looking down on them from the heavens, and to act as if he were walking in their light at all times. Sesshomaru had lived up to this expectation, and well. He never did anything that his ancestors would disapprove of… until now.

Losing his limb to a human priestess and a bandit was his largest humiliation besides receiving the Tenseiga instead of the Tessaiga. His perceptive father had hidden away the sword where it was ' seeing, but never seen; protected, yet never known to its protector,' Sesshomaru fully intended to go to all ends of the Earth to seek out what he desired. A strange sound startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked away from the sun and towards the sound, his needle thin pupils expanding to see where it originated.

"That scent…"

"M'lord… you sense it, also? Someone is approaching — eh?!"

Jaken held out his Staff of Two Heads and gasped as the old man let out a rasping cackle. The Nintōjō that Sesshomaru gave to Jaken was able to sense the black pearl that housed Tōga's tomb, but if the black pearl was not nearby, the woman's head would shriek.

"Your father's tomb is nearby, M'lord!"

Sesshomaru straightened and lifted his nose to the air, grimacing upon catching the odor of something familiar. He softly growled and removed Tokijin from his waist belt, taking a fighting stance.

Each time the old man laughs, it's because he's nearby. Why, father? The wind blew Sesshomaru's hair back and his fingers tightened on the hilt of Tokijin as a figure garbed in red came bursting out of the woods. Sesshomaru's proverbial hackles raised in anger. Jaken scrambled out of the vicinity as quickly as possible once his master leapt into the air to meet InuYasha. The younger brother seemed to have a death wish today, and it would not go over well given his Lord's overall mood.

InuYasha charged blindly at Sesshomaru once catching his scent, the amulet urging him on eagerly while Myoga cried out in distress, then hopped off of his shoulder at the last minute before the two clashed. InuYasha threw his body towards the brunt of Tojikin's demonic aura, his robes rippling against the energy. InuYasha snarled as he continued to surge forth, pushing his body stubbornly against the aura until breaking Sesshomaru's guard and attempting to leap on his brother. Sesshomaru was quick to hop backwards, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Never had he seen InuYasha so desperate to leap to his death before. In all of their clashes, InuYasha did not charge into battle so rashly before even sharing a rude greeting. It was unprecedented, even for InuYasha.

"Are you so eager to be cut down?"

"Feh! Stop running away !"

InuYasha began slashing through the air, attempting to break through Sesshomaru's defenses. The Sankon Tessō concentrated his youki into his claws and hardened them into an iron-like substance that could cut through another demon's youki and scatter their soul, hence the title. Though a formidable attack against weaker yokai, Sesshomaru was no ordinary demon.

Sesshomaru held up the Tokijin as a barrier against the claw attacks while leaping backwards to give himself the space to even swing his blade. InuYasha pursued him so closely and so desperately that his steps dug trenches into the dirt and Sesshomaru could practically taste InuYasha's perspiration as his brother continued to foolishly advance.

"Come on, fight ME!"

"Why are you so eager to die?" Sesshomaru replied with all seriousness, his typical sarcasm nowhere to be found.

"I need…" InuYasha began while charging his brother, who had taken to a tree. Sesshomaru leapt up into a branch and readied his blade as InuYasha leapt. It was like drawing a moth to a flame.

"I need to become a full demon!"

"Fool! A tiger cannot change its stripes."

Sesshomaru swung his blade, sending out a spike of ki that tattered the robe of the fire rat and left wind burn on InuYasha's face. Regardless of this, there was no stopping now that he had launched himself so willingly.

Sesshomaru hit him dead center and blood sprayed out from InuYasha's forehead before the blade met his chest. Soon, both hands bled as he attempted to grip the hilt of Tokijin but instead caught the blade. A deft kick to the chest should have knocked the fool back down to the ground, but still InuYasha clung desperately to the blade.

Sesshomaru scowled and loosed his grip, sending InuYasha plummeting to the ground. He was quick to follow, landing atop InuYasha's body just as it hit the ground and made a deep crater. The wind was knocked out of the half-demon as Sesshomaru predicted, giving him the chance to retrieve his sword and sheath it in the seconds it would take for InuYasha to recover.

Jaken ran to the edge of the crater just as his lord jumped back onto the grass, turning to look at his half-brother as InuYasha struggled to gain his bearings.

"The staff. Where is the tomb if you thrust it into the Earth?"

Jaken nodded upon his master's order, and threw the staff as directed, landing just near InuYasha in the dirt just as he sat up. With his heavy silver bang concealing his eyes, InuYasha spread his fingers out, cracking his knuckles. The blood coating his claws darkened and clung to the nails just in time for Sesshomaru to leap into the crater.

"Rrrg! Blades of Blood!" InuYasha snarled, and flung red crescents of youki towards Sesshomaru, who was quick as always to raise a defensive arm. The odd thing about it was that it was his left arm… not his right. Plus, it looked misshapen and dark in the brief time that InuYasha saw it before his own blades of blood were flung back at him.

"Urk!" InuYasha grunted as the attack plunged him farther into the crater and tattered his garments. Blood began to flow freely from his chest as he lay back, panting heavily as he suffered from the wounds.

Then, just as it appeared that InuYasha was down for the count, a blue light began to emanate from his right hip, where a glimmering chain could be seen dangling from his pocket. Sesshomaru witnessed this all, yet stood idly by and waited to see why the oddity was occurring. Jaken had been waiting for the old man to cackle once again, but the two headed staff remained silent for the time being. It appeared that all bore witness to the blue light glimmering by InuYasha, and were dazzled by it.

Red and orange flickered through his vision, along with large black dots that seemed heavy and cumbersome on the battered dog-demon's eyes. InuYasha struggled to awaken, the fingers on his right hand twitching as he took labored breaths between the stabbing pain of his bruised ribs.

"InuYasha… Hear my voice. Awaken, Master InuYasha!" An airy, feminine whisper tickled the hairs in his triangular ears and they began to twitch.

"Yes… Good. You are so close to your destiny. If ye wish to grasp of it, you may be keen to hear my bargain."

Through his unconscious daze, InuYasha listened to the voice and tossed his body slightly in the indentation; his consciousness struggling to return.

What is…. My destiny?

He voiced this only to himself, yet the gentle, ethereal spirit of the amulet was able to hear his thoughts.

"Your destiny… As ye are, ye will never surpass the might of your father. Sesshomaru holds in him the potential to conquer the world as he is on the verge of discovering your father's most coveted secret! Ye must kill him before he discovers it. The only way is to utilize my gift once you have reached your desired form… Then, as your servant, I will grant you immunity to the curse of the new moon. You will never have to suffer this pain, nor humiliation again."

InuYasha nodded weakly, his rattling breaths quickening as his weakened body struggled to heal itself.

I understand. I want… I want to be better than Sesshomaru. I want to be stronger than my father. I don't want to watch Kikyo suffer… I need to save her! So, if the price of your bargain is my humanity… I'll take it.

A tinkling, haunting laughter erupted from the air around him as the blue light intensified and sparkles of golden light could be seen surrounding InuYasha. Sesshomaru furrowed his brow as he witnessed this, as well as Jaken, who gasped in surprise.

"M'lord? Do you know where that creepy voice is coming from!?" He trembled while hiding behind his master's flowing white hakamas.

"It's coming from that amulet in his pocket. It's… possessed." Sesshomaru mused, then narrowed his gaze on the blue light in an attempt to understand its composition.

This is no ordinary spirit… This energy… Could it be?

"A wise choice indeed, Master! I've but one more request before you wake…"

Yes? Anything.

" Anything,you say?"

"No more! Go away, vile temptress! He's MY master!" Another, less delicate voice shouted, this time from behind InuYasha's ear. This intrusion woke him up fully, and he sat up in the dirt, looking around himself in confusion.

"Myoga? What are you doing here? I thought you left ages ago!" InuYasha grumbled while kicking at his ear, knocking the flea out onto the ground. Myoga bounced around in aggravation as he shouted, sweat drops of anxiety flying off his balding head.

"I've been here all along! Please, listen, Master InuYasha! I have something very important to tell you! Instead of taking the bargain from the amulet, what if I told you I have a present from your late father that WON'T involve losing your human side?"

InuYasha kicked dirt onto the flea as he crossed his legs to sit more comfortably in the hole. "What could I possibly want from him?" He questioned irrationally, though inwardly, the temptation of Myoga's offer tugged at his heartstrings just a bit more than the amulet's offer— not that he would show that with Sesshomaru listening just above him.

"At the risk of your elder brother hearing, would you allow me to whisper in your ear?" Myoga questioned softly, tapping the index fingers on his four little hands together in a nervous gesture.

"Rrr! Go on, and make it snappy!" InuYasha growled, baring his fangs. Myoga leapt into the air, then crawled deep into his master's ear canal and whispered as softly as possible.

"When your father was alive, he entrusted myself and Totosai with the task of giving his sons each an heirloom of his – One you may know as the sword on Sesshomaru's hip, the Tenseiga, the sword of life! The other is Toga's prized fang, Tessaiga – able to kill a hundred demons in a single stroke!"

InuYasha's ears perked at this and sent Myoga tumbling out.

"Is that so? And you know where this deadly sword is, Myoga? Wait… Why haven't you told me this sooner!?"

"W-Well, I- I.. er, I did try to tell you…" Myoga stuttered, then was crushed unceremoniously as InuYasha leapt out of the hole, now ready to battle again after his short rest. His body still ached, but his determination outweighed the pain.

Sesshomaru met him as he landed on solid ground with an icy aura that could cut through the air with a knife. He had heard everything with his keen hearing, despite Myoga's attempted secrecy.

InuYasha seemed to sense this, and his body tensed with apprehension.

"...Would you like me to enlighten you as to why Myoga neglected to tell you about our father's sword, InuYasha?"

"I'm sure you'd love to tell me, wouldn't you?" InuYasha snapped back while flexing his claws.

"Because you're not worthy. Perhaps you should listen to the spirit in the amulet and take her offer… I wonder how you will change once your humanity is gone. Maybe then, and only then you could wield the Tessaiga."

"Yes! Listen to your elder brother, for he is wise beyond your years! If you use me, then you can also use the Tessaiga! Only a fool would turn down such a bargain!"

"Wait, before you take her offer InuYasha! There's one more thing I need to say!" Myoga yelled as he hopped onto his master's nose and pleaded in desperation.

"You'd better tell me everything, Myoga. Or that'll be your last leap."

Upon hearing his master's threat, the flea nodded earnestly.

"Listen, InuYasha... I neglected to mention the sword at first because I thought you wouldn't need it! But now, while facing an enemy such as your brother, I see that you do require a weapon worthy of your strength! Most importantly, the Tessaiga has the potential to prevent your demonic side from taking over your body, therefore protecting you from harm! So, with this you do not need the assistance of the spirit in the amulet. Please reconsider, Master!"

InuYasha snarled and flicked the flea off his nose rudely, then tossed the amulet into the dirt alongside him.

"ENOUGH! I didn't ASK for his protection, nor do I need it! I don't need the bargains of a stupid amulet, either! I've had enough of this idle conversation, let's fight and see who's really worthy of our father's sword!"

Upon InuYasha's declaration, Sesshomaru's cold aura altered into something less bone chilling, as well as the deadly expression on his face. As Jaken looked on, he could have sworn he saw a rare smile cross his Master's face before it was lost with the blur of his incredible speed. Sesshomaru leapt towards InuYasha, and the two battled with enthusiasm; the promise of a treasured heirloom as the victor's reward.

The amulet on the ground, meanwhile, had taken on a less cheerful blue shade. Cracks formed on the glass, and tendrils of red seeped through the now dark, indigo aura.

~•o•O•o•~

Definitions:

Nintōjō/Staff of Two Heads

Sankon Tessō/Iron Reaver Soul Stealer, InuYasha's "soul shattering" claw attack.

Iro-mofuku (funeral kimono)

Hijin Kessō (飛ひ刃じん血けっ爪そう/ Blades of Blood, "Flying Blade Blood Claws")

A/N: my apologies for the hiatus!