A Dragon's Fang, a Human's Heart

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

A human with the power of a demon. To many such an idea sounds ludicrous, does it not? Well he's here to prove them wrong. He will journey across time with the love of his life on his journey as he fights for friendship, for honor, for life, and above all, for love. Rewrite of the Rise of a Warrior: Inuyasha.

10. Sango the Demon Slayer

(Sango the Demon Slayer)

"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."

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In a village not that far from where our heroes are right now, things were growing rather hectic.

"I can see it, it's approaching from the forest!"

"Come Demon Slayer, the time has come!"

"Stand back and let me handle this from here." from within a crowd of angry and fearful villagers emerged a beautiful young woman with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, clad in a black skin-tight jumpsuit with a red sash around her waist, pink armor plates and a sword strapped to her side, carrying a boomerang the size of a person behind her. This woman, going by the name of Sango, stepped forward just as a massive centipede demon burst forth from within the forest "One clean shot is all I need. Hiraikotsu!" in a flash she hurled forward her giant boomerang, which proved to be more than enough to rip the centipede demon apart in an instant before returning to the hand of its owner. With the job done, Sango quickly caught hold of a certain something that had emerged from the body of the demon, which just so happened to be a Shikon Jewel shard 'It's just like I thought, a shard of the Shikon Jewel.'

"If you don't mind me asking Slayer, what is that crystal you hold there?" asked one of the villagers.

"This jewel is what caused the demon to go so out of control. But in any case my job here is now done, so feel free to call on us again if you should require any help."

"But we haven't paid you any sort of fee yet."

"All I need is this jewel shard to count as payment. It only makes sense after all, seeing how the jewel had originated from my home village.'

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Meanwhile, with the main group…

Nightfall came, and the skies had darkened over the lands of Musashi, but even so it was still covered with stars.

"Oh wow…" Shippo looked up in awe at the sight of the night sky above them "Tonight the sky is full of stars… You know sometimes I wonder which there are more of out there, stars in the sky or shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"I know what you mean, but the difference is that I've been at it from the start." Tatsu pointed out from his place lying on the ground next to the fire "If I had to guess then I'd say that we've got a long way to go."

"I wouldn't say that just yet." Inuyasha shot a smirk at him "Don't forget that Naraku is out there gathering every jewel shard he comes across just like we are, and in the long run he's gonna end up saving us a lot of pains in the ass. Now how does that sound for a good strategy?"

"It sounds like saying that a only a 5 year old would come up with a plan as stupid as that would be an insult to 5 year olds." that wiped the smug look right off of his face.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Stop and think for once in your life, the more shards of the jewel that Naraku has the more powerful he becomes as a result. If he gets every other shard then chances are we won't be able to beat him without some kind of miracle. Seriously dude, even the 5 year old sitting next to me can figure out something as simple as that. It's times like this I wonder if you're doing this on purpose or maybe you've just taken a few too many blows to the head."

"How about I try that theory on you ya little-"

"Or I could wake up Kagome and ask her to say the word."

"...I swear to god I hate you with every fiber of my being."

"Love you too fluffy."

"You're gonna die a slow and gruesome death."

"Perhaps that can be saved for another time." Miroku noted dryly "But tell me Inuaysha, what do you intend to do in the event that you gather all of the shards of the Shikon Jewel?"

"What do you think genius, I'm gonna become a full fledged bona fide demon."

"Oh I see, so that's what you intend to do."

"Who the fuck in their right mind would want to be a pathetic weakling right? You've gotta be able to stand up to someone you don't like if you need to."

"Fair enough. But tell me something though, when you use the power of the Shikon Jewel to turn yourself into a full blooded demon, do you honestly believe that you're going to remain as you are right now?"

"I… Of course I do, why the hell wouldn't I?"

"Then tell me this, can you recall a single instance of having seen a demon that had ever tried to use the Shikon Jewel for a benevolent end? This is merely a theory, but I believe that those who seek out and gain the powers of the Shikon Jewel would end up eventually losing their own hearts in the process."

"That may be so, but when the hell did I ever say that I wanted to become a good demon or some noble crap like that?"

"You didn't, but I know you don't wish harm on any you consider your friends. What you wish for them is to protect them, and that is why you desire more power. Hear me now Inuyasha, once you do become a full blooded demon, who's to say you won't end uo devouring Kagome and the others?"

"There's no way in hell that's going to happen, I'll make sure of it." Tatsu gripped one of his swords on instinct, but then then shot a look at Miroku "And where the hell are you going to be when that happens?"

"I will have long since fled out of self preservation."

"...You know I'm starting to think Inuyasha is right about you being a dick."

'He's wrong about me.' Inuyasha ignored their exchange and stared down at the fire flickering before him 'Miroku is wrong about me. All of the demons that I've fought until now were rotten to the core from the very start, it's a simple coincidence and that's all there is to it. I'm not like the rest of them.'

'He's probably trying to convince himself he's different from the rest of them.' Tatsu glanced over to see Inuyasha deep in thought about the conversation 'Inuyasha's not entirely wrong, I doubt he would let himself lose control as easily as that. But if that does turn out to be the case, I have to be prepared for anything.' he glanced over to see Kagome sleeping in her sleeping bag a short distance away 'Whatever it takes to protect her.'

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Meanwhile, with Kagome…

"Oh great, so much for getting some sleep before…" Kagome let out a groan as she slowly opened her eyes, only to cut herself short when she realized that while she was in a clearing in the middle of a forest, with no sign of anyone else "What the… How did I get here? Where did everyone else go? Okay guys, if this is some kind of prank then it's not funny." and then she looked down and realized that rather than her usual school uniform, she was clad in a traditional priestess kimono "Okay now this is getting creepy. What's going on, where is everyone?"

"All of the others are where they were, but this is a place that you can call your own, somewhere that can help you to grow on your mission."

Kagome whipped around and found herself face to face with a shadowy figure, his face and features obstructed from her view by darkness, and she promptly reached for her bow and quiver of arrows, only to realize that they weren't there, and so she opted for holding out a hand to prepare an energy blast "What did you do to the others? Who are you? What is this place?"

"You're afraid for your companions but you still keep that fire in your eyes, and they are the first thought that comes to your mind. You've grown strong over the years, haven't you Kagome?"

"How… How do you know my name?"

"How could I not?" the figure took a few steps closer, revealing some familiar facial features such as a head of short raven black hair and deep blue eyes, his appearing leaving Kagome frozen to the core "After all, I gave the name to you didn't I?"

Kagome was left frozen where she was, the only movement she could make being a hand beind slapped over her mouth with tears streaming down her face "It can't be… Dad…?"

Sure enough, before her stood Kisuke Higurashi, and he didn't waste even a second more as he pulled Kagome into a gentle hug and let her cry into his shoulder "Yeah it's me, I can't tell you how much I've missed you baby girl."

"Dad, I… I don't understand…" Kagome gently removed herself from his embrace after a few moments "How are you here? And where exactly is here?"

"Well as for the how, I don't really know how to explain it very well myself. Based on what I've been told at least, this is a sort of meeting of the minds so to speak, and we're in a mutual realm where my spirit can meet you face to face, if you can call it that, and I called your subconscious into that realm when you went to sleep tonight."

"But even if that is the case, Tatsu and I are in the Feudal Era, almost 500 years before you should've been born."

"I know, I've been watching you all this time, and all I can really say to that is death, like life, is unnecessarily complicated."

"Uh huh. Not that I'm complaining, but why are we both here right now?"

"Like I said, I've been watching for awhile, so I know how troubled you are. You don't want to stand by and do nothing while your friends and comrades fight to survive. Even if you lack the same passion for battle as they do, you still want to support them in any way you can, and that's why you asked my father to teach you how to use the Healing Hand."

"Yeah. You're right about me dad, I hate fighting, but I want to stay by their side in any way that I can, even if I can only heal."

"Who said anything about only being able to heal?"

"Dad you say you've been watching me, so you should know what I'm talking about. I'm so underqualified for this it's like I'm something out of a gag manga, I've never handled a bow and arrow in my life, this whole energy thing confuses me to no end… I'm rambling aren't I?"

"No more than I usually do, but then again you did take after me in a number of ways. I know you have a lot you want to improve on Kagome, and I'm going to help you in any way that I'm able to, but our time together is limited right now. I can't help you as much as I would like to right now, but what I can do is tell you why I brought you here in the first place. I'm going to help you to harness these powers of yours and aid you in learning how to do what it is you desire the most. Teaching you how to use these powers not to fight, but to protect the people that you hold dear."

"You will?"

"It's the duty of a father to teach his daughter everything he can in order to ensure that she will succeed in life, is it not?"

"So then… do you want me to call you sensei or something?"

"That might be a little bit much. But in any case, let's get started."

"Okay then." Kagome looked around in a rather awkward way "So how exactly are we going to do this? I mean, what do we do first?"

"Well based on what I've seen from you so far, you want to understand how to summon your spiritual power on command, such as when you fire energy blasts or fire one of your Sacred Arrows right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well the key to unleashing your energy on command in battle is to control that energy effectively. The principle behind it is far from difficult to master, but it does require some getting used to. Every living behind, whether they're human or demon has this energy inside of them, though there are a number of differences between the two types, but the problem is that very few people know how to use it effectively, so for now we'll have to work on you finding it before you can learn to use it. Tapping into this energy on command will not only allow you to harness it faster and more effectively, but greater control will also help you improve your use of the Healing Hand. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready, so let's get started."

"Okay then. I'm going to take this one step at a time for you, so make sure that you pay attention to my instructions."

"Whatever it is I have to do, I'll take all of it in stride, I'll force myself if I have to."

"Very well then. Now then, the first thing you have to do is quiet your mind, and be sure to maintain your composure." Kisuke cupped his hands in front of him "When you're ready, you start to slowly draw our the energy from within your body." he slowly formed a small ball of purple energy within his palm "So there you see it for yourself. Are you prepared to try it for yourself or will you need another demonstration?"

"I think I'm ready. After all, it's not like it's going to kill me if I don't get it right the first time I try it. It won't kill me right?"

"It won't."

"Okay, just checking." Kagome slowly cupped her hands in front of her.

"Keep in mind that you have to calm yourself or it's not going to work."

"Right." she tried to summon some energy in her hands but she quickly ended up getting frustrated with it, her entire body tensing up in the process.

"No that's not it, you have to calm yourself down. Don't let yourself get too stressed out, it's not going to happen if you spend all of your time beating yourself up to the point where you won't let it come out."

"I know, but I…" Kagome looked up at him, tears of frustration brimming in her eyes "I need to find a way to make this work."

"...Why don't we take a break for now and just talk." he sat down on the grass beneath them and motioned for her to do the same, to which she did "It's not just frustration over not getting it as fast as you would've liked. You have something that's bothering you don't you?"

"Well… yeah actually, I do. It's about Tatsu. You know he's been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I can't and don't want to imagine my life without him. But there's a pretty big problem I found out about a few weeks ago. I heard him say… that he loves me."

"Uh huh."

"The only thing is that no one else knows that I know, and I have now idea what the heck I should do about it. You understand how guys think, what do I do?"

"Well since I don't know much about this whole situation, I can't say for certain exactly what you should do. What do you think you should do?"

"...I hate it when you do that."

"Answer the question."

"Well… I don't think I should let him know that I know, not yet at least. What I heard him say was something that I obviously wasn't supposed to hear. If he finds out that I know how he feels and I don't feel the same way, it could really hurt him."

"So you think the only thing you can do is pretend you don't know and act as if nothing is really different?"

"It's really the only thing I can think to do."

"Fair enough. But there is one question that needs to be raised on this matter. What if you did feel the same way?"

"Well, I… I don't know. I mean Tatsu is a great guy, but I never imagined me and him ever being anything more than friends."

"So you don't feel the same way?"

"I never said that. Look dad, I… I don't know if I feel the same way about Tatsu. That's the sort of thought that's never crossed my mind, so I have no idea how to feel about that. But at the same time, I'm not against it either. I just… need some time to decide it for myself."

"Fair enough, I won't push you into something you're not ready for. But then tell me this at the very least. If you're unsure of how you feel about him, then why go through all of this trouble in the first place?"

"Because there's at least one thing that I can see plain as day. Even if I don't know about whether or not I return his feelings, even though I hate fighting, Tatsu is still my friend and still one of the strongest, kindest and most courageous people I've ever known. I want to stand by his side every step of the way, and I'll do whatever I have to in order to make sure that happens."

"I see. You've really grown strong haven't you?" Kisuke gave a small smile, and then he pulled himself back to his feet "Alright I think that's enough chat, let's get back to it. You think you'll be okay?"

"Are you kidding, now that I've gotten that off my chest to someone I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

"Glad to hear it. Now remember what I said before, you have to maintain your composure during this or it's not going to work."

"I know, I have to stay calm through this. Believe it or not, fighting for your life in the Feudal Era is pretty good practice for keeping a grip on your sanity and self control." Kagome then went on to relax slightly as a light began pulsing slightly in her hands.

"There you go, you've almost got it."

Kagome took a deep breath to compose herself, and slowly but surely a small orb of spiritual energy flickered into life in her hands.

"There you go, you're doing it even faster than I was expecting you to. It doesn't really surprise me though, considering how fast you learned to use the Healing Hand, and I always knew that you had an incredible amount of spiritual power."

The spiritual energy in Kagome's hands disappered and she stumbled forward slightly, but she managed to stop herself before she fell to the ground, and then she looked up at Kisuke and gave a bright smile "It was only for a minute, but it felt incredible. So does that mean I'm ready to try this advanced stuff?"

"Far from it, that was just the first step. All you managed to do was tap into it, now you have to learn how to control it effectively. There's a number of ways for you to do this. There's the traditional blast of energy like you've been using and like Tatsu does, or channeling your own spiritual power into various objects and weapons, like an arrow, which would subsequently turn it into a Sacred Arrow, or into the blade of a sword."

"That does make some sense. So what do we do now?"

"Now that you've proven that you have an established connection with your dormant energy, I will teach you how to use it effectively in the best way you know. Intense training."

"Do we really have the time for that? I know I've only been in here with you for at least a few hours at the most, but I'm pretty sure Tatsu and the others are gonna have questions if they wake up to find me in a coma."

"You have nothing to be concerned about in that regard. Time passes much slower in this realm than it does in reality, and because of that one hour in the real world can amount to one week's worth of training in this realm. A Time Dilation Zone if you will."

"Huh. Well that's convenient."

"In a lot of ways, most of which even I don't fully understand. But there are some benefits in life that shouldn't be questioned, and to that end, let's get started."

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Morning came, and the hunt for the Shikon Jewel shards continued. However, they were quick to run into an unexpected complication… case and point.

"What the fuck do you mean some girl took the jewel shard!" Inuyasha was less than pleased when he heard about Sango taking the jewel shard, and he did the only thing he could do: start interrogating random villagers "Alright start talking assholes, who the fuck was it? Come on and answer me already!"

"Oh no it's another demon, call for the slayers!" needless to say, the villagers were less than willing to go with his methods "A giant centipede!"

"Do I look like a fucking centipede to you?!"

"Sit boy." was all Kagome needed to say, which caused Inuyasha to fall flat on his face, his screaming and cursing being muffled by all of the dirt in his mouth.

"That should shut him up for a few minutes, all the time we really need." this was when Tatsu got down to business on the matter at hand "So what's this I've been hearing about some kind of Demon Slayers, these people just going around killing demons for a living? That actually sounds pretty interesting, but getting back to the point of why we're here the slayer that killed that giant centipede said she'd take the shard instead of getting paid?"

"Aye, that's what she told us." one of the villagers gave a shrug "She said that this jewel or whatever it was called had originated from her home village in the first place."

"And things just got a lot more interesting." he looked down at Inuyasha's place sprawled out in a small crater "You ever hear anything about the origins of the jewel?"

"Hm?" Inuyasha raised his head from the ground and spat out some dirt "Never gave it a single thought."

'That doesn't surprise me in the slightest.'

"Back when I first learned about the jewel and what it could do, Kikyo already had the thing in her protection and she had to keep it purified. The thought of where the jewel came from or how it was created never crossed my mind."

"Looks like we've got something to look into."

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Now that her job had been completed, Sango returned to the village of the Demon Slayers with parts of the body of the giant centipede, which she decided to use to make some armor. When she returned, she was reunited with her demon cat Kirara and her younger brother Kohaku, and then she showed the jewel shard to her father, who performed a ritual in an attempt to suppress the evil within the jewel. Despite this, he revealed to them his doubts about the ritual working, and recalled how 50 years ago it was in the possession of priestess who had unusual purification abilities, but was killed in a fight for control over the Jewel. Sango's father advised that the family watch over the Jewel fragment until they found someone who had the ability to purify the Jewel. Sango left to rest, while her father advised Kohaku to start battle training. Kohaku took the chance to ask Sango if all demons spit toxins and breathe fire, to which she explained that some of them did, but that the ones they needed to be most afraid of were ones that pretended to be human.

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Nightfall came.

Sango, Kohaku, and another group of demon slayers were hired with the task of killing a giant spider demon that had been terrorizing a castle every night and killing several people. The castle's keeper noticed that Sango's younger brother Kohaku, and their father claimed that Sango and Kohaku were the village's two top fighters, which was only true of Sango. After everyone was told to do their best at slaying the spider demon, the said monstrous creature appeared from the clouds and attacked the group. Meanwhile, inside the castle, Nagasaki Hitomi tells Kagewaki that demon slayers had been hired and that the demon was responsible for his illness.

Everyone at the castle was amazed by Sango's fighting skills, and the group easily took down the monstrous demon. Upon noticing this, Sango rightfully suspected that the demon was a little too easy to slay and suspects that this one was a trap. Sure enough a piece silk attached to Kohaku, and under its mind control he began killing villagers, his father and even tried to attack Sango, only for her to notice that the spider demon's silk thread lead to the castle, and she quickly realized that Nagasaki had been possessed. She tried to head to the castle and attack but ended up being injured by Kohaku, who was shot with arrows from the castle guards and Sango being shot as well not long after.

This was when Kagewaki arrived and killed Nagasaki, before showing everyone that Nagasaki was actually possessed by the demon, explaining why he suddenly started acting strangely. He then ordered for Sango and Kohaku to be buried in the corner of the castle garden. However, despite this, Sango wasn't willing to give up without a fight and was able to dig through her shallow grave with ease, which didn't go unnoticed by Kagewaki.

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Meanwhile, with the main group…

Despite the sun having long since set, Tatsu and the others continued their slow trek through the forest in search of the village they sought "Anyone have an idea of how close we are to finding this place?"

"None of us know anymore about this than you do." Miroku told him "But I do find it very hard to believe that no one from that village was able to tell us where the Demon Slayers could be found."

"Yeah I know, just saying that they're somewhere in the mountains doesn't really help us in the grand scheme of things."

"How about you both shut up so we can find the place already!" Inuyash barked at them, which only earned a few eye rolls.

"And what about you? Let me take a wild guess, you're gonna snatch up whatever jewel shards the Demon Slayers have in their village aren't you?"

"What the hell do you think?"

"I think you gotta learn to shut up and try a little bit of diplomacy before you end up setting their sights on us."

"It could happen to, they're supposed to be pros." Kagome pointed out.

"Which is why I'm personally eager to see what they can do."

"Yeah, you would be. I can't wait to find out more about the Shikon Jewel and how it came to be in the first place. Those villagers mentioned the Demon Slayer said that it originated from her home village in the first place."

"So today is just full of mysteries, but if we play our cards right then these Demon Slayers could turn out to be a big help in the fight against Naraku." this was followed by an ominous wind blowing through the area "Well that's just typical, all you have to do is mention his name and even the skies get pissed at you."

"No it's not that, I sense something coming towards us from above, and from what I can tell there's a lot of them. Take a look." she pointed upwards to where a massive horde of demons were passing overhead, much to her horror "No way, there has to be hundreds of them."

"Hundreds at the very least, even all of us together would probably be hard pressed to deal with that many."

"But there are so many of them, where could they be going?"

"Whatever it is they're doing, I've got a pretty bad feeling about this."

"Me too, I can smell death already." Inuyasha muttered "Those demons are all charging in to attack."

"We'd better get moving and follow them." and so the group didn't waste any time in going forward at full speed, but it wouldn't be enough.

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It was a massacre, despite the best efforts of the remaining Demon Slayers to fight back, blood and bodies were covering the place left and right as the village itself was being engulfed in flames, only for those sounds to be drowned out by the cries of battle and the screams of agony that filled the scene.

It was during all of this that Naraku, clad in his typical white baboon pelt made his way through all of the carnage to where the Shikon Jewel shards were being kept, easily doing away with any of the demons hat dared to stand in his way.

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Morning came, and the sun was still rising throughout the skies, but all was not well.

"Take a look up there." Inuyasha stopped the group on a path going up a hillside, when they caught sight of what was awaiting them "The entire village is burned."

"You think that village was what the demons were after?" asked Tatsu.

"You'd have to be an idiot to think anything else."

"Then we'd better get moving." and so Tatsu took off running, with the others following hot on his heels.

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About 10 minutes later…

Unfortunately, Tatsu and the others arrived at what was left of the village to find the place littered with the bodies and weapons of various humans and demons alike, some flames still flickering throughout the wreckage 'Dammit, looks like we're too late. Way too late.'

"This is horrible." Kagome muttered, a hand clasped over her mouth "Looks like the villagers fought against the demons, and they lost."

"Hate to break it to you Kags but I think that it's kind of a stretch to call this a fight, to me it looks more like a massacre."

"And there's no doubt about it either." Inuyasha noted grimly "This is the same village of the Demon Slayers that we were looking for."

'You mean it was. I doubt there are any of them left after something like that. Do I want to dare to guess about the shards of the jewel either?"

"I can't sense any of them." Kagome told him "If there were any here then someone must have taken them."

"This gets better and better by the second. Well in any case we can worry about tracking down the shards later, right now we should at least dig some graves for these people and check for any possible survivors." this was followed by a hissing noise in the distance "And speaking of possible survivors, I think we've got some unexpected company." his suspicions were soon confirmed by the appearance of a large cat two tailed cat demon with the head of another demon in its mouth, snarling at the group "And then there was one, get behind me guys." he motioned for the others to stand back as he drew both of his swords.

That is, until a new voice got their attention "Master Inuyasha, would that be you and the rest of your companions?"

"And it can talk."

"Down Kilala, I assure you that these people are not our enemies." that voice prompted the demon cat to engulf itself in a ball of fire, and then reveal itself in its small kitten form.

"And now that's happening."

"Oh wow, it's so cute." hell even Kagome seemed taken aback by this.

'At least there's one thing that makes sense about all of this.'

"You know I never did get to taste your blood before we last parted ways." this was when a familiar small figure jumped onto Tatsu's neck and started sucking on it, only to be smacked off within a few seconds "How cruel…"

"I'm starting to see why Inuyasha gets so pissed at you Myoga, so what the hell are you doing in a place like this?"

"You know this flea?" asked Miroku.

"He's basically a servant of Inuyasha, and a victim of Kagome's unintentional attempted murder the first time we met him. Anyway let's get to work. You guys start gathering up the bodies, I'll start digging the graves." he stomped one foot into the ground, which subsequently created one of the graves in question "I need the practice with this anyway."

"Huh. Well that is convenient."

"Yeah tell me about it." Tatsu watched as Kagome and the others went off to gather the bodies, and then he glanced over at Myoga on his shoulder while he continued creating makeshift graves with his earth manipulation "So if you popped up out of nowhere like this then I'm guessing you came here for the same reason we did?"

"Indeed I did, and sure enough this is the secret village of Demon Slayers." Myoga told him "It was for many generations that the people of this village had worked hard to confront demons and dispose of them."

"So it only makes sense that the demons would hate them with a burning passion and take the first chance they get for some payback."

"Such a thing is true, and yet it is still strange that they would choose this time of all times to launch their attack."

"How so?"

"A number of their warriors had been summoned to a distant castle, and as such this village had been left with few to protect it. I cannot help but wonder if those of their warriors that travelled to the castle are indeed safe."

"I'm gonna go ahead and take a wild guess, and say no they're not."

"One of the few times that I really hope you're wrong about that." this was when Kagome made her way over to the sight of the graves with a number of flowers in hand "I figured it was only right that we put some of these on the graves once they've been buried."

"Good idea, show proper respect and the like."

"It is quite the shame though." Miroku let out a sigh "I had hoped to speak with someone from this village about the Shikon Jewel."

"Oh yeah monk, way to keep your priorities straight. Alright start talking flea, you can't tell me you don't know something."

"You're asking if I know something about the Shikon Jewel." Myoga frowned in thought.

"That's gotta be the main reason why you came here, just like the rest of us. What other reason would you of all people have to travel to a village that kills demons for a living? You wanted to learn about the origins of the jewel like the rest of us did."

"Yes actually, this is something that's been troubling me a great deal for awhile now. I needed to learn more about the history of the jewel, keeping in mind the fact that everyone who has ever come across the jewel itself has ended up suffering from a great deal of misfortune." this got the attention of Inuyasha and the others as well "I followed the rumors of the Shikon Jewel, and as such I found myself here in the village of the Demon Slayers. However, there is one thing by which I am still left rather disturbed. It was during my journey that I noticed the figure of a white baboon continuously slipped in and out of my sight."

"You said it was a white baboon?"

"That is what I said yes."

'Dammit! He has to be talking about Naraku, the bastard slipped in during the chaos and helped himself to the jewel shards. Well even if he did, he can't have gotten too far just yet.'

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Meanwhile, at the castle in question…

After discovering that Sango was still alive, Kagewaki was quick to have his servants treat her wounds, the physical ones at least "I must admit that I am relieved, at least you were able to survive young lady. You told us that your name was Sango correct? For what little such a thing is worth my dear girl, I offer to you my dearest apologies. You lost not only your family, but also many of your fellow villagers."

Sango didn't reply to him, her mind racing over the recent events 'I still don't understand, how could something like this have happened?'

"If only there was something I could do to ease your pain."

"Young lord."

Kagewaki glanced out the doorway to see Naraku emerge from the bushes "Naraku."

"As you had instructed me I rushed to the village to notify the inhabitants about this terrible development, but by the time I arrived I found that the village had already been annihilated. I was unable to find any survivors." this earned a gasp from Sango as she overheard the entire conversation.

"Tell me everything you saw when you arrived at the village of the slayers."

"What I saw was the slain bodies of countless villagers soaked in their own blood, and the two warriors that were responsible for all of it. One is a human swordsman by the name of Tatsu, and the other is a half demon by the name of Inuyasha. Both of them seek the power of the Shikon Jewel for themselves, one to transform himself into a full blooded demon, and the other to attain unrivaled power. Both of them must have believed that they would find the jewel at the home of the Demon Slayers, and thus they attacked it."

"I see."

"I've heard enough." it was at this moment that Sango burst onto the scene, her eyes blazing with unyielding rage "Return my weapons and my armor to me, I shall avenge my village and destroy the wretches that dared to slaughter my kin!" she failed to notice the smirk that Naraku had spreading across his face.

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A few hours went by, and Sango's mission for vengeance, misguided as it was, had begun.

"We cannot travel any further by horse." after travelling for a fair distance, Naraku had decided to abandon the horses, but then he looked down to see Sango supposedly unconscious and slumped against a nearby tree "Is Sango dead? Well so much for that evil scheme.'

"You shouldn't underestimate me." Sango's eyes snapped open as she turned to face him, her expression one of rage "I will not die, I refuse to allow myself to die until I've killed those who destroyed my village!"

"I see, that is good. But are you in any condition for a battle?"

"Slaying demons that prey on the innocent is my sole duty in life. And besides, I have nothing else to lose. Something about this Naraku doesn't seem right. The lord sent him with me, something about how he's his advisor and well versed in the ways of demons. He also said to return to him once my mission was complete. What he doesn't understand is that I'll never be able to return to him even if I did want to, because I don't have much time left. I can only hope that my body will hold out for just a little bit longer, that it can hold out until I complete my final task.'

'Her spirit is unwavering, and yet her body will not be able to hold out. Perhaps I should give one of those to her.'

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Meanwhile, outside of what's left of the Demon Slayer village…

By this point, Tatsu and the others were making their way towards the outskirts of the village to find what they were looking for "So this cave that you were telling us about is where the Shikon Jewel was created in the first place?"

"Yes that's the place, we're currently heading towards the outskirts of the village, and that's where we'll find the limestone cave." Myoga told him "This village actually served as a factory of sorts."

"Factory for what exactly?"

"The people of this village crafted weapons and armor from the skin and bones of the demons they killed." this was when they reached a certain cave not far from the village "And the people of the village threw the portions that went unused into this cavern. This place is filled with a collection of remains of various demons, and it's fabled that deep inside this particular limestone cave lies the carcass of an absolutely gargantuan beast."

"So to sum up, this cave is where the Shikon Jewel formed to begin with?"

"At least according to the local legends that I've heard about, yes."

"Sounds good to me." Inuyasha gave a simple nod "Good work Myoga."

"Thank you Master Inuyasha, such a compliment means the world to me. I'm more than happy to do anything to help, I'm a great deal more than just a common parasite you know."

"Yeah sure you are, but that all goes to hell when the going gets tough and then all of that big talk about loyalty and courage dries up and you take off on me again."

"Oh come now master, how could you doubt my loyalty so easily?"

"Yeah you're right, how could I?"

"Because we've met you and dealt with that crap before." Tatsu pointed out dryly.

"Yeah right, that's how."

"So do you think we should go and see what's in the cave?"

"Why the fuck are we not already, I say we go for it." Inuyasha started to waltz into the cave, but then when he tried to enter it he ended up slamming face first into the barrier "Ow! FUCK!"

"This whole scene looks pretty familiar."

"Last time it was that little smartass in the helmet, so what the fuck gives now?!"

"That's what I was about to tell you Master Inuyasha, a strong barrier has been placed in front of the entrance to the cave to ensure that trespassers like us are not able to casually wander in and out without good reason." Myoga told him.

"How about next time you tell me about that sort of thing before I walk right into the thing and make an ass out of myself!"

"Hate to break it to you man, but you're doing that all on your own."

"Fuck you!"

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Meanwhile, with the vengeance seeker…

Naraku continued on his way leading Sango along the pathway, only to stop when he took notice of the fact that Sango had fallen to her knees, despite using Hiraikotsu as a crutch "Tell me, are you in great pain Sango?"

"I'm fine!" Sango spat out "A little bit of pain won't stop me."

"Such a poor thing, you couldn't die even if you wanted to could you? Tell me then, would you care to try this?" he held up a certain something that caught her off guard.

"But that… that's a shard of the Shikon Jewel!"

"So you know of it then."

"Of course I do, but how did you get your hands on something like that? Where did you get that thing from?"

"I've had it in my possession for some time, but I'm willing to lend it to you. I can only imagine that you've come to believe that the power of the Shikon Jewel can only be used to commit great evil, but in fact it can be used for great good as well."

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Meanwhile, back at the limestone cave…

"TESSAIGA! TESSAIGA! TESSAIGA!" now growing frustrated, Inuyasha had resorted to continuously charging at the barrier with the Tessaiga in hand "Fuck!"

"Oh yeah, charging in and screaming is definitely gonna work." Tatsu noted dryly.

"At least I'm doing something instead of just standing there like a bunch of fuckups!"

"Yeah we're all doing something, it's called thinking, something you might want to try every now and then. Either way it's pretty clear by now that we can't force our way in, and any of the villagers that might have actually known how to get past this thing are dead."

"Not all of them were killed though." Miroku pointed out "Keep in mind that the best of the Demon Slayers from this village were at some castle during the attack."

"And the demons chose now to attack because their best fighters were away, and if they hadn't done it when they did then they would've been ripped apart and turned into weapons or armor of some kind. So you're thinking that if we track down this castle where the other slayers went and see if there are any survivors, and see if we can convince them to tell us how to get past that barrier, or even better just tell us what we want to know about the jewel?"

"That would be my guess, and as you said before, if we play it carefully then we may very well receive some valuable allies in the battle against Naraku. We don't know how much time we have right now, so we had best get moving while we can."

"Right." Tatsu was about to follow after the others, but then he stopped and took a quick glance inside the cave 'What the hell, is that growling coming from in the cave? No it's in my head, it's like… What the hell?'

"Tatsu come on, we have to get moving!" Kagome called after him.

"Right sorry, I'm coming." he quickly made his way after them, not noticing Kirara eyeing him from her place in Kagome's arms, seeing how his mind was still drifting 'I could hear it in my own head, some kind of angry growling.'

"Oh, so you were able to hear that."

'Is that you Ryuhogo? I haven't heard anything from you since my fight against Sesshomaru a few weeks back, and now we find the limestone cave and I hear you snarling at it. Something I should know about?'

"Let's just say that when you and your companions speak of the Shikon Jewel, its origins to be more specific, it brings back memories that I'm far from eager to revisit. I'm not going to be elaborating on that right now, so don't bother asking."

'Fair enough I guess, who am I to question my makeshift spirit guide?' after finishing the conversation with Ryuhogo in his mind, Tatsu snapped back to reality "So be real with me for a second, does anyone have any idea where this castle is supposed to be?"

"Based on what Myoga's told us, nobody has a fucking clue." Inuyasha told him flatly.

"No chance of finding it with your nose?"

"I can't get a whiff of anything around here."

"So what then, we wait for them to come to us or- Get down!" he quickly pulled Kagome to the ground just as the massive form of Hiraikotsu as it ripped through the surrounding forest with ease "Okay giant boomerang, now that's a new one."

This was when Sango revealed herself as the Hiraikotsu returned to her, a mask covering her face and her eyes blazing with rage "Tell me, are you the ones known as Tatsu and Inuyasha?"

"And if we are?"

"Then I've come to kill you both and claim my vengeance."

"You had me and lost me, who are you exactly?"

"This is bad, this is really bad!" this was when Myoga piped up from Inuyasha's shoulder "That woman is Sango, she's from the village of the Demon Slayers! Listen to me you two, no matter what happens you must not fight her."

"Word of advice Myoga, you've really gotta work on your timing." Tatsu was forced to summon a plateau beneath his feet that elevated him high enough to avoid being ripped apart by another sweep of the Hiraikotsu, only for it to cut clean through the plateau and force him to land back on the ground 'One sweep of that thing was enough to rip through solid rock, I guess Myoga was right when he said these Demon Slayers are nothing to scoff at. So do you want to explain what this is about? Inuyasha I can sort of understand, spend two minutes with the guy and you'll see why people think he's an ass, but what the hell did I ever do to you?"

"Be silent you wretch, I'm here to avenge my people!" Sango hurled Hiraikotsu at him without hesitation.

Tatsu leapt over the Hiraikotsu to avoid being hit by it, then landed back on the ground 'And now she's talking about going on some kind of mission of vengeance. Inuyasha get ready, it's coming your way now!"

"I know that you jackass!" Inuyasha quickly leapt over the Hiraikotsu "This big thing is really starting to piss me off!"

"That thing and pretty much everyone else in the world." this was followed by a swarm of Saimyosho appearing on the scene "And speaking of things that piss people off, we've got another swarm of poisonous insects closing in. So much for being able to rely on Miroku right now, he sucks any of them in and he'll be poisoned."

"But Kagome has that healing spell, it can't be that big of a deal."

"Sure it won't put his life in danger but he'll still be out of it for at least a day, I know I was even after she started healing me from my fight with Sesshomaru. But in any case, if those things are popping up then I'll give you one guess who can't be too far behind. Naraku."

Sure enough, Naraku had appeared behind Sango, and you didn't even need to see his face to know how smug he looked "Face the reality you two, this Demon Slayer is going to bring about the demise of both of you, so you might as well just accept your fate."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself you damn dirty ape." Tatsu drew both of his swords off his back and prepared to charge.

"Hold it!" Sango was quick to bar their path to Naraku "I'm your opponent, the two of you should only be focusing on me."

"Oh great, she sounds like one of my brother's ex girlfriends."

"If she keeps interfering like this I'm gonna end up ripping this bitch a new one." Inuyasha spat out.

"I've got a better idea, how about you take Naraku and leave her to me."

"You wanna explain why you're shafting me on this one?"

"I just figured that you wouldn't want to waste your time on some pathetic human that would never be able to give you a decent challenge. And besides, Naraku is a lot more deserving of your rage isn't he?"

"...You know the funny thing is, I know you're playing me, but you're right. She's all yours." ah, the joys of references to Team Four Star.

"Fine by me." Tatsu promptly turned his attention to Sango "Alright then, it's just gonna be you and me from here on out. As I'm sure you can imagine I've got more important things to take care of, so I'm gonna have to end this fast."

"Go ahead and try it if you can." Sango let out a scoff "The defenesless people of my village may have been quick for you and your friend to slaughter, but I think you'll find that I'm not going to die so easily."

"Actions speak a lot louder than words, see if you can back up that talk. Great, she thinks that me and Inuyasha killed her people, another one of Naraku's attempts to use someone else to try and kill us for shits and giggles. Kind of a downgrade from someone like Sesshomaru, but who am I to understand the mindset of a feudal despot?'

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango was quick to hurl forward Hiraikotsu at full speed.

'Now's the opening I need to end this fast, before that thing comes back! You left yourself wide open." Tatsu was quick to charge in with both swords.

"Perhaps, but I'm far from defenseless!" Sango threw down some poison powder, resulting in a poisonous mist that covered the battlefield "It's easy to overwhelm the sense of your opponent, whether it be a traitorous wretch or a dog eared mongrel like Inuyasha."

"I think you'll find I can handle a lot more than you give me credit for."

"It's useless, this Demon Slayer will finish you off in no time." Naraku let out a dark chuckle at the sight of Tatsu and Sango battling it out, but then he turned his attention to those who were confronting him "And what do we have here, if it isn't Inuyasha and the holy monk."

Sure enough, Inuyasha and Miroku stood before Naraku with their Tessaiga and staff in hand, respectively "You'd better be ready Naraku, cause you're gonna die slowly when I get my hands on you."

"I offer my apologies for not obliging you, but the only thing I'm ready for as you put it, is to gather the shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"I don't give a damn what you want to do, the only thing I want is to have my sword stained with your blood!" Inuyasha promptly charged at Naraku with the Tessaiga barred and ready to cut him down.

"I think we shall see about that." Naraku wasted no time in dodging both Inuyasha and Miroku's attacks with ease, only for one of his hands to suddenly be chopped off and for him to be knocked to the ground.

"And that's one for karma being a bitch, now for the head."

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you." Naraku gestured to where his severed hand was moving on its own… and hurtling straight towards Kagome.

"Kagome hold on!" Tatsu prepared to pounce towards her, only for the hand to rip the jewel shard she had from her neck and return to Naraku before any of them could reach it.

"This shard does not belong to the likes of you, and now that I have it in my possession I have no reason to linger here any longer than is necessary. I bid all of you farewell for now."

"Not without a fight you pathetic bastard, you're not going anywhere!" Inuyasha prepared to pounce at him with the Tessaiga, only for him to engulf himself within a cloud of poison in order to prevent the others from getting close.

"I shall await you back at the castle Sango, I trust you will not fail to kill these wretches before you return." and so Naraku promptly took his leave of the scene.

'Believe me, I have no intention of letting them live. But the question still remains, can I really trust him of all people?' it was then that Sango noticed Kirara rubbing up against her leg, and her eyes lit up with relief "Kirara it's you, you're still alive!" she took her into her arms without a second thought, but then lowered her voice as her eyes narrowed "Kirara listen to me, I want you to follow him, and if he does anything suspicious then I want you to kill him." that prompted her to transform in her giant cat form in a ball of fire and take off.

"Naraku you son of a mother fucker, get the fuck back here!" Inuyasha was quick to take off in pursuit of Naraku, with Miroku following right behind him.

"You guys go ahead and go after him, I'll be quick with wrapping things up here and then the rest of us will catch up with you." Tatsu was quick to brandish both of his swords as he turned to his opponent and dropped into a stance "You ready to do this?"

"I came here ready to end you." Sango promptly brandished Hiraikotsu, her eyes blazing with unyielding rage "You had best be prepared to fight to the death, or else I'm going to kill you on the spot."

"I'm always prepared for a fight. It's pretty obvious that with her current mindset I won't be able to talk her out of this without using force, I'll have to be careful with it.'

'I have to get him now while I still have some life left in me!' Sango then charged at Tatsu with her Hiraikotsu in hand, and then she promptly hurled it forward.

"But at the same time, I've got more than a few tricks up my sleeve, and I don't have time to waste fighting with you!" Tatsu ducked underneath the Hiraikotsu, and then he slammed one hand into the ground, which resulted in Sango's legs and her right arm being bound by rock, which left Hiraikotsu to pass overhead and land on the ground out of her reach "If you're nothing without your weapon then you shouldn't have it."

"Even without Hiraikotsu, I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve! You should understand that I'm far from defenseless!" Sango promptly freed herself from her rock restraints and charged towards him with her sword drawn.

Tatsu needed only to rip through the blade of her sword using one of his, and then break it in half to stop her right in her tracks "Yeah hate to break it to you, but as much as I do enjoy a good fight I've got shit to do right now."

"The only thing you have to do right now is die!" Sango promptly threw down a smokebomb that covered the area in a thick cloud of poison.

"Yeah word of advice, that stuff isn't the best thing to use on an opponent that's literally standing two feet away from you." to that end, Tatsu promptly ripped Sango's mask off her face before she was able to stop him, and then he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the cloud before either of them were able to breathe any of it in.

'He rips my poison shielding mask from my face, and now he's trying to save me? No that can't be it, that's not possible! He's one of the ones who attacked my village!' so once they were out of the cloud of poison, she pulled out a small dagger from within her armor and didn't waste a second as she thrusted it into Tatsu's right shoulder.

"...Okay first of all, I'm left handed so that's not as effective as you think it is. Second of all, the fangs that I wear give me enhanced durability." Tatsu promptly ripped the dagger out of his shoulder like it was nothing, without even any blood visible from where the wound was supposed to be "Third of all, did it ever occur to you that Naraku has been lying to you about all of this? I mean it's not like he's the most open and honest guy on this side of the country. And lastly, even if you don't believe me you should quit while you're behind. Fangs or no Fangs I'm still only getting started, but you're oozing out blood by the gallons."

"What… What are you talking about?" it was then that she finally looked down and realized the amount of blood that was coming from her wounds "I didn't… I didn't realize that I was losing so much blood. I haven't felt any pain from my wounds."

"Yeah attacking someone in a blind rage will do that to you."

"But I…" and then she promptly fell over and passed out.

"That's something else it will do to you."

"Tatsu!" this was when Kagome and Shippo rushed over to him "Tatsu are you alright, how bad was it?"

"Her sword didn't even pierce my skin, it's her you should be worrying about. She was losing a lot of blood the whole time she was coming at me, but she never felt any pain."

"I could see that she had a shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded in her back, that probably has something to do with it."

"You'd think that for all the crap people and demons go through for these things, they'd at least be able to close up a few wounds, but I guess all they're good for is making sure that the user doesn't feel any pain. If anything that means those things do more harm than good for the people that use them."

"Not only that, but from the looks of it Naraku probably put that jewel shard in her back so he could manipulate her into fighting you and Inuyasha to the death. Just hold on, I'll heal her wounds as fast as I can."

"You sure you can heal her fast enough for us to catch up with the others?"

"I'm still new to using the Healing Hand, but I have had some practice with it, so I can at least get her well enough for us to move her within a few minutes. Just stand back though, I need some space for her to do this." Kagome promptly knelt down next to Sango and began forming a series of hand seals "Rin. Pyo. Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen." her arms began glowing with white energy as she placed her hands on Sango's back.

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Meanwhile, with the others…

"Don't think you're gonna lose me that easily Naraku! For the love of fuck monk, get your ass moving already!" with his rage driving him forward, Inuyasha burst forward with the Tessaiga in hand, only one goal on his mind.

"You might be surprised by this Inuyasha, but not all people in the world can match your pace whenever you want them to!" Miroku was forced to skid to a stop at the sight of a chasm too wide for him to cross alone, but it was mere seconds after this that he found Kirara hurtling towards him and having him ride on her back "Thank you for this, I appreciate the ride."

"About time you caught up monk! YOU'RE GOING DOWN NARAKU!" seizing the first opportunity that he could find, Inuyasha burst high into the air and thrusted his Tessaiga forward towards Naraku with enough force to leave a noticeable rip in his baboon mask "Got him!"

"You're as arrogant as you are foolish if you thought that was enough to defeat me." Naraku was quick to rebound and sprout a number of roots from underneath his baboon cloak, which forced the three of them on the offensive, only for Miroku and Kirara to soon be caught by the roots, despite managing to avoid a few of them, and to be thrown to the ground "You would be wise to not take me lightly."

"That goes both ways bastard."

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Meanwhile, with the others…

'What is this… What's wrong with me…? I'm… being carried? But by who?' Sango slowly opened her eyes and found herself being carried by someone she didn't expect 'You mean it was him?!'

As it turns out, it was Tatsu carrying Sango on his back, along with her Hiraikotsu, with Kagome and Shippo using that for support "Looks like you're awake, Kagome's Healing Hand worked a lot faster than I thought it would. She's gotten better."

"Put me down, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"It's called saving your life, now quit squirming around before you send all of us crashing to the ground."

"Listen you little-"

"Just try it, I'm not in the mood for any of that right now."

"Take it easy, it's alright." Kagome was quick to try and calm her down "Tatsu is a good guy with a good heart, even if he does have his moments where he can be kind of irritable. But in any case, we're going after Naraku because he stole the shards of the Shikon Jewel that we had with us."

"He said your name was Sango right? Cool it with the squirming, we're trying to help you out of the goodness of our hearts so deal with it."

"You know you could stand to be a little less irritable to her."

"She just tried to kill me and she ran a sword through my shoulder, I think I'm allowed to be somewhat irritable. Besides, it's not like I'm as bad as Inuyasha."

"Fair point, but mine still stands."

"And so does mine."

"Anyway don't give that too much thought Sango, sure Tatsu has his moments where he gets annoyed kind of easily, but he's still got a good heart. The rest of us didn't want to leave you behind back there, even if I did heal your wounds so your life isn't in danger you still need some time to recover."

"Let's get moving either way, we're not letting Naraku get away with our shards of the jewel after all of the crap that he's pulled."

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Meanwhile, on the other end…

"You can't be serious." Miroku pulled himself off the ground and looked at Naraku's form in disbelief "Is this appearance I'm seeing just some sort of illusion?"

"Whether or not my appearance truly is an illusion to you, the time has come for you to find out first hand!" from within his baboon cloak, Naraku sent forward a series of roots to attack the ones pursuing him.

"If you think any of us are gonna go down so easily bastard, then you're living in a fucking fantasy!" Inuyasha wasted no time in cutting down the roots coming at them, only for them to regenerate themselves.

"This isn't good!" Miroku was quick to run into the same problem "It doesn't matter how many times we cut them down, they always keep regenerating!" it was then that he was grabbed by the leg and noticed another root hurtling towards him 'Dammit, that will pierce right through me!'

"Get the fuck down you worthless monk!" fortunately Inuyasha was quick to come to the rescue and rip the roots apart with Tessaiga "I mean seriously Miroku, what the everlasting fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Yes well I- Inuyasha behind you!"

"What?" Inuyasha whipped around and prepared to cut down the roots, when…

"Terra Shield!" a wall of earth suddenly rose up in front of Inuyasha and Miroku and deflected the roots, courtesy of Tatsu as he and the others arrived on the scene "Looks like we're a little bit late to the party."

"So Tatsu, it would seem that you're still alive." Naraku let out a chuckle.

"I think you're gonna find that I'm a lot more capable than you give me credit for."

"Rather amusing to think of, seeing how the last time I looked, you were losing to a wounded Demon Slayer."

"How about you pull that stick out of your ass and just admit it already, you were the one who turned that pack of demons onto the village and framed me and Inuyasha to cover your own tracks."

"All I did was mention to the demons that the guard for the village happened to be much more thin than usual that day."

"And you just so happened to help yourself to the jewel shards in the village in the process, take advantage of the chaos for your own gain right?"

"It would seem that you have intelligence to match up your arrogance, but keep in mind that the people of that village should've been prepared to defend such a valuable bounty."

"You could've just taken them though, killing everyone in the village wasn't necessary. Chances are they would never have even noticed that you were there to begin with."

"Casualties for the sake of a greater cause, me obtaining the Shikon Jewel shards and making myself more powerful."

"Naraku!" this was when Sango got his attention from the sidelines "The demons in the castle and the giant spider demon, all of those were part of your trap weren't they?"

"A trap, is that what you refer to my simple diversions as? I was led to believe that the Demon Slayers from your village were more than capable of handling any sort of demon, and yet they literally did not live up to their boasts."

"Naraku you son of a-" Sango grabbed hold of Hiraikotsu and prepared to hurl it forward, only for the jewel shard to fall out of her back and for her to collapse to the ground, leaving her to be tended to by Kagome, and for the jewel shard to be collected by Naraku.

"Such a useless fool she was, there's no use in me lending you this shard of the Shikon Jewel if all you choose to do is defy me."

'The jewel shard… it was suppressing my pain… even with Kagome's healing… Naraku!"

"In all honesty, it would've been a great deal easier for you to die believe that these wretches were your sworn enemies instead of me."

"Naraku you son of a mother fuck!" Inuyasha was quick to pounce at Naraku with the Tessiaga in hand "You really like to fuck around with people's feelings don't you?"

"Is Kikyo the one that comes to your mind when you say that?"

"You son of a- You're gonna pay for that!" with one clean stroke of the Tessaiga, Inuyasha was able to cut Naraku's head clean off, leaving it and his body to fall to the ground with a very loud thud "Goodbye and good riddance you fucker."

"But is it really?" Miroku looked down at the beheaded form of Naraku "Is this the Naraku that I've been pursuing for so long? No it couldn't be, that was far too easy."

"No doubt about it, there was no way he'd have the power to make Kikyo and all of those other people suffer so much."

"Hate to break it to you guys, but we've got another problem!" Tatsu was quick to alert them to the sight of Naraku's headless body bursting upright and attacking them with its roots 'Great, not even cutting his head of is gonna kill him. He's like a bad guy from a horror movie, and not even one of the good ones either.'

"It would seem that now you've underestimated me." this was when Naraku's head suddenly popped up again and started talking "I will not allow myself to die so easily."

"And now he's got a talking head going for him, why the hell am I not surprised? Oh wait, it's because I've seen anime!" Tatsu was quick to start cutting down the roots, only for him to run into a problem "Dammit, these things just keep growing back!"

'I don't get it, he's using the power of the Shikon Jewel. I can usually see shards of the jewel without too much of a problem, so why didn't I notice it before? He's a demon and yet I wasn't able to sense it at all, and even now I can't sense the spirit of a demon within him. I don't see how there's any way that could be possible, unless…' and then Sango felt the realization hit her like a ton of bricks "Tatsu that's not really Naraku, that's just a puppet!"

"Yeah I have no idea what the hell you're talking about."

"In the art of demon puppetry, the puppet is controlled by the master with something they hide deep within the body. It's his heart, you have to aim straight for his heart!"

"So the heart then? Alright then, one clean shot is all I need. Dragon Burst!" as he sheathed his sword, Tatsu blitzed into the air above the demon puppet and unleashed a wave of blue energy from one hand, which evaporated most of the puppet's body and caused the rest of it to crumble away into dust, leaving only a small wooden figure behind in the crater "Like I said, one clean shot from my Dragon Burst was all I needed. So what the hell is that thing supposed to be?"

"This is what's known as Demon Puppetry." Miroku told him "The hair that's wrapped around the doll on the inside belongs to Naraku."

"That was a lot more than a doll we just had to deal with."

"It was essentially a fake duplicate of Naraku, the real one was probably hiding somewhere safe and controlling this puppet, and using it to view what was happening here."

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As it turns out, Naraku was using the appearance of Kagewaki to hide his true identity, as well as using the castle as a fortress of sorts to protect himself, and he intended to use both of them to great satisfaction.

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After the encounter with Naraku's demonic puppet, the group returned to the Demon Slayer village, or what was left of it anyway.

Tatsu let out a low whistle as he and Shippo looked through what was left of the Demon Slayer armory "You've gotta give it to these people, they definitely understood variety. And they made this stuff from the leftovers from demons they killed?"

"Yes, that's how these people have been for many years." Myoga told him "The people of this village used these arms in order to slay demons, and what they collected from those demons they used to make weapons and armor for themselves. They were a formidable force to be reckoned with despite being humans, and that was why the demons held such anger towards this place and gladly attacked it when they saw the opportunity. Naraku took advantage of the hatred they held for the Demon Slayers, and he used them to do his dirty work."

"Typical, the bastard wants power but can't be bothered to do his own work. Those kind of people make me sick."

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Time passed, and hours turned into days for the group.

"For fuck's sake!" it was around this time that Inuyasha finally ran out of patience "Hey tell me something you guys, is that Sango woman still in bed healing or what? She should've been back on her feet days ago."

"It's a lot more than just physical wounds she has to deal with right now." Tatsu told him.

"Whatever it is it's not like she can just lounge around sleeping all day, someone go and get her out of bed. She's the only one that actually knows where Naraku is hiding. She keeps saying that she can't remember how to get to the castle where she met him, but if we keep looking around then there's bound to be something that can jog her memory sooner or later."

"Probably some kind of spell he put on her, and now that it's gone he wiped her memory of anything that could lead her back to him, and us by extension."

"Who cares about some stupid spell and her wounds, we've been waiting for 10 days for her to get back up already! I would've been up in 3 at the most."

"First of all, in order to care about her wounds you actually have to care, something you need a lot more practice in by the looks of it. Second of all, even with Kagome's healing spell it doesn't change the fact that Sango is going through a lot more than just physical pain. In the span of one night she lost everything she ever knew and loved because of Naraku, that's not the sort of thing you get over right away."

"Yeah well I say that the best cure for that is vengeance, and if we want that to happen then we have to find Naraku's fucking castle! You and the monk can stay here and widdle away at a fire if you want, but I'm gonna go see if she remembers anything!" he was promptly hit in the head with a large rock that knocked him to the ground "What the fuck did you do that for?!"

"Well for one, if I didn't then the monk would've. Two, leave her alone and let her rest for the time being. You might find this hard to believe, but not everyone can brush off death like it's nothing out of the ordinary. If you need something to occupy you until that happens, then we'll head outside of the village and do some sparring."

"...Fine fuck it, let's go."

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Meanwhile, with Sango…

At the same time, Sango sat with Kirara in front of the graves of the villagers, fondling one of the flowers she held in her hands 'I still can't wrap my head around the thought that, in the span of one night, all of them are gone.'

"So this is where you were, I was getting worried." this was when Kagome came up to her and knelt down next to her "I don't think you should be up and about yet, even with my healing abilities you still need to rest."

"I saw what you did here… you and the others buried all of the villagers and even marked their graves."

"Well, it didn't seem right to just leave them. I can't exactly tell her to cheer up, in the span of one day she found herself all alone in the world. Hey listen, if you're feeling up to it then what would you say if we asked you to join our group? Tatsu and the others have their quirks, but overall they're really decent guys, at least for the most part. What do you say?"

"Tell me something, Kagome was it? That's a shard of the Shikon Jewel that you have hanging around your neck isn't it?"

"Yeah. From what I've seen up until now, whoever gets their hands on the shards of the jewel become more powerful, and we've still got a lot of pieces to collect before this thing is whole again."

"Naraku is going to come after that you know."

"There's no doubt about that, that's why I have to be prepared to help the others in any way that I can."

"And that's why I want to join you and your friends."

"So that you can avenge your family and your people?"

"I guess so. Besides, the Shikon Jewel itself…"

"It was born here, that's actually why we came in the first place. We heard the jewel was created here, and we wanted to learn more about its origins, but that's when all of this happened. Based on what I've seen and heard up until now, everyone that's come into contact with shards of the Shikon Jewel seems to end up suffering in some way. There has to be some way to stop that.'

"Alright, go get the rest of your friends. You all helped to bury the dead, so in return for that I'll tell all of you how the Shikon Jewel came to be, and how this endless cycle of bloodshed had first started so long ago."

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About an hour passed, and the moment of truth was about to come to fruition.

Tatsu and the others (with him carrying Sango on his back) stood in front of the limestone cave in anticipation "You know for the place that the Shikon Jewel was created in the first place, I was honestly expecting something with a lot more flare. I don't know, some kind of massive ancient temple or something that really grabs people's attention more. Maybe that's just me, but you get where I'm going with this. So getting to the point Sango, how do we get past the barrier to this cave anyway? Is there some kind of incantation we need to use to get in there?"

"No no, there's nothing of the sort." Sango told him "To put it in simple terms, this place acts as a graveyard, so there's no point in just looking for a way in. At first, the people of my village had thought that the demons had placed a curse on this cave to keep anyone from entering, but it was a long time before anyone came to realize that she is the one who keeps the intruders out."

"And who is she exactly?"

"She is the person from whom the Shikon Jewel was born, a person who holds a spirit filled with sadness and regret, and it prevents others from entering. That's what I sense from it. It will be easier for all of you to understand once we go inside. Go ahead and step through the barrier, see for yourself."

"What makes you so sure that I'll be able to pass through the barrier?"

"Countless people have lost their lives because of the dark power of the Shikon Jewel, and it is the sympathy and compassion that you and the others show for the victims that lead me to believe that she will allow you to enter the cave. Go ahead and try."

"Alright then." so with a deep breath, Tatsu took a step forward and managed to pass through the barrier, with the others following one by one. Well, almost everyone anyway.

"Yes I knew it, they were able to pass through!" it was around this time that Myoga finally caught up with the group "Now we can finally meet face to face with the person who created the Shikon Jewel! Enter Myoga!" he pounced forward, only to end up slamming into the barrier and being electrocuted as a result "Now why did that happen?!"

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Meanwhile, in the cave…

'So this is the place where the Shikon Jewel was created?' Tatsu and the others made their way all the way to the back of the cave, where they found quite the mind boggling sight 'Okay, so aside from the skeletons that came from god only knows how many demons, and at the front of all of it is a statue with a massive dragon demon holding a woman in its jaws, with one arm missing and a hole in her chest. Okay, so what are we looking at right now?"

"The short version, this is what started it all." Sango told them "There was a time hundreds of years ago when a multitude of ogres, dragons and other demons combined their bodies and their powers, and then possessed the soul of a mortal man in order to wage a battle that was unlike anything ever seen before, and they fought against one human with unrivalled power."

"Are you talking about the woman we're seeing in the stalagmite, as in the one with the hole in her chest and missing her right arm?"

"That was her, she was a powerful priestess that lived many centuries ago, and word is that her power was unrivalled by either humans or demons."

"Well based on the number of demons we're seeing in that statue, it's not hard to see that she's backing up those claims."

"The entire country was controlled by the court nobles at the time, wars and famines dragged on with no end in sight, and countless lives were lost as a result. The dead and the near dead were all devoured by various demons, and as such they were able to grow in great numbers. A number of priests and warriors set out to slay them, but only one priestess was able to purify the souls of demons and render them harmless. She was that priestess, and her name was Midoriko. She was considered to be the most powerful human of her time."

"So to sum up, she had the ability to purify demons like Kagome does?"

"It was in her world that humans, animals, trees and even inanimate objects like rocks were all created through the four souls."

"Hence where the term Shikon comes from."

"I've come across that philosophy in my readings as well." Miroku noted "The four souls are referred to as Aramitama, Nigmitama, Kushimitama and Sakimitama. When these four souls are combined, they become the soul of one person that is housed inside the heart. Aramitama refers to courage, Nigimitama refers to friendship, Kushimitama refers to wisdom, and Sakimitama refers to love. When the four souls all work together in harmony, it is referred to as Naohi, and the human heart is filled with goodness. Are all of you keeping up with me on this?"

"More or less."

"Good enough for me. Anyway, when someone commits an evil deed, the four souls energize evil and the human loses their way. To put it in simple terms, a soul can turn good or bad, and this transformation can happen within the soul of a human or the soul of a demon."

"Like a wise man once said: Anyone is capable of great good and great evil."

"That's another way of putting it." Sango let out a sigh as she sat herself down "And now all of you understand why Midoriko was as formidable of a foe to the demons as she was, because she was able to purify their souls and leave them powerless."

"So what then?" Inuyasha let out a scoff "This priestess you're talking about fought off an army of demons by turning them into a bunch of weaklings, and for that matter her powers didn't last very long now did it? As far as being a priestess goes I'd say she's pretty useless now."

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge her, she hasn't lost the battle yet."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Tatsu, hearing a certain familiar growling going off inside his head 'I'll deal with that later, but when the time comes that's gonna have to be dealt with before it turns into something worse.'

"After she fought off the demons single handedly for 7 days and 7 nights, one demon was able to finally get its fangs into Midoriko, but with the last ounce of her energy, she reached deep within her own body for strength, and she was able to seize the soul of the demon, but in doing so, she had to force out her own soul."

"Which raises the question, is that hole in her chest the spot where she forced out her soul?"

"What flew out of her because of her actions was actually the Shikon Jewel itself. Despite forcing out the demon's soul, she didn't have enough strength left to purify it, and all she was able to do was seize and imprison it along with herself. Although both of them have lost their flesh, a battle still wages on inside the Shikon Jewel itself, between Midoriko and the demons in question. That right there is why the fight is far from over yet."

"So to sum it up, there's a war between souls raging inside of the jewel itself, even though the shards are still scattered throughout the country."

"Yeah well, it's not like this story makes things any more complicated." Inuyasha then proceeded to start running his mouth "We just have to worry about Naraku going after the other shards of the jewel, then I'm gonna take possession of the Shikon Jewel and use it to turn myself into a full blooded demon, and then Midoriko can rest in peace." this was when his body started glowing, and he suddenly got flung out of the cave and landed somewhere in the surrounding forest, where he hit the ground with a loud thud.

"You wanna elaborate on that one?"

"That's simply because people who talk about using the Shikon Jewel for selfish gain are expelled from the cave." Sango told him flatly.

"Or to put it in simple terms, the original version of telling him to sit."

"But all joking aside, let this be one reason why he must relinquish any and all thoughts of using the jewel for himself, in order to become a full blooded demon." Miroku pointed out.

"Try telling that to him, it's gonna take awhile before something like that really registers in that thick skull of his.

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Hours passed, and the sun was beginning to set over the skies of Japan.

Myoga was left in awe when he heard about the events in the cave from Tatsu "So you're saying there was a priestess inside of a stalagmite? Oh my this is sounds amazing, please tell me all of the juicy details."

"So from what I've been able to gather, the priestess thrusted her soul out of her own body along with those of the demons while it had her in its jaws, and they've still got a statue of that in the back of the cave." Tatsu told him.

"So they were covered in a stalagmite, which means that several centuries must have passed since the battle took place."

"That's what Sango told me. If you want to see it for yourself then you can come with me, I'm gonna head back there later. I have something I want to check on."

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Nightfall came, and the moon was shining over the lands.

By this point, Sango was talking with Miroku and Kagome (with Shippo sleeping in her lap) about her village and the Shikon Jewel itself "The people of my village have worked as Demon Slayers for one generation after another, and if I had to guess then I would say it likely had something to do with the influence of Lady Midoriko. Over the centuries since its creation, the Shikon Jewel has passed through the hands of hundreds, if not thousands of humans and demons, and eventually returned to this world during the time of my grandfather. The Shikon Jewel came out of a demon that he had slain, but the life of my grandfather and that of many others were lost in the battle as a result. The Shikon Jewel had been removed from the demon, but because it was in the demon's possession it was horribly defiled, and the Demon Slayers didn't have the ability to handle it properly."

"Which means they entrusted Lady Kikyo with purifying it." Miroku frowned in thought as he heard this.

"Kikyo you said? Was she the priestess who had the ability to purify the Shikon Jewel?"

"That was her yes, but Naraku found out about her and ended up killing her."

"When the jewel comes into the possession of demons and evil humans, it ends up becoming defiled as a result. When it comes into the possession of a soul with a pure heart, the jewel will transform and become pure."

"All of this is very complicated, the jewel is a sacred one that possesses the potential for great good and great evil, as Tatsu had said earlier, but even if it does have that potential I've never heard of an instance where the jewel has been used for good, and as long as Naraku is after its power, there is only going to be more and more violence, bloodshed and chaos, and so we have to put an end to the bad karma that the Shikon Jewel brings about." it was then that Miroku poked his head out of the hut and looked up at the roof "You know what I mean by this Inuyasha, you must relinquish any and all thoughts of using the Shikon Jewel to turn yourself into a full blooded demon."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself monk." Inuyasha promptly flipped him off from his place on the roof of the hut (now sporting a large bruise from his eviction from the cave earlier), but then he let out a sigh "But whatever the case, the first thing we have to focus on is finding Naraku and taking him out."

"That is a fair point, but this won't be the last time we discuss your wish."

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A few hours passed by, and everyone was fast asleep. Almost everyone that is.

"Alright a little further back, and here it is." with Myoga riding on his shoulder and Kirara by his side, Tatsu led the group into the back of the limestone cave "Yep this is it, the place where the Shikon Jewel itself was born."

"So I can see. Thank you Tatsu, we made good time in coming here." Myoga promptly leapt down onto the ground and landed in front of the statue.

"Especially considering that little argument we had about why it was a horrible idea to bring the jewel shard with us. Seriously though, if you get to close to that thing with it then god only knows what could happen."

"I'll admit you have a fair point." Myoga then took a breath and looked up at the statue "I offer my apologies for earlier Midoriko. I too feel compassion for humans, but when one lives for as long as I have and sees as much death as I have, one becomes accustomed to it and hardened like stone."

"And then self preservation wins out." Tatsu's commentary was ignored.

"I hope you can forgive me for earlier. This afternoon I was too eager in my pursuit for the truth, but since you've allowed me to pass beyond the barrier I take it you understand."

"Nice."

"Thank you. Still though, with so many massive demons gathered here it's hard to imagine that a single priestess took on all of them at once, and all on her own for that matter. And then to think there's the possibility of numerous smaller demons merged together to form a larger one of incredible power."

"You'd be singing a different tune if you knew anything about the origins of Naraku."

"Yes, I heard about it from Lord Inuyasha earlier. What about that hole in her armor?"

"According to Sango, that's she forced out her soul and the soul of the demons and formed the jewel in the first place."

"It's incredible, I can think of no other word to describe it. So anything else you wanted to see while we're here?"

"No I think I've seen all I need to. My point does stand though, how could one human stand against that many demons alone? Well I probably shouldn't overthink it too much, and I do have places to be, so I should get going. Thank you for your help Tatsu, and be sure to give me regards to Master Inuyasha and the others." and with that, Myoga promptly hoisted a tiny sack onto his back and hopped out of the cave and into the night.

"Him leaving usually means something bad is about to happen." Tatsu prepared to grip his swords as he looked around for a moment, gave a shrug and then looked up at the statue in front of him as he knelt down next to Kirara "You know Myoga is about as cowardly as they come, but he does have a fair point. I'm not denying that Midoriko had incredible levels of spiritual power and battle prowess and sort of defined the standard, but no one can do everything on their own, and I doubt she's any exception. For all we know, she probably had some backup that no one knows about."

"There's much more truth to that claim than you realize."

Hearing another voice coming from behind him, Tatsu whipped around on his heel and gripped the hilt of one of his swords, only to stop when he saw who it was "Okay appearing to me in a dream is one thing, but this is a whole new level of weird."

As it turns out, standing before him was the figure of Ryuhogo, complete with the dragon scales and humanoid appearance, his expression neutral and unreadable "What is it about this that you find to be strange?"

"The fact that you're here when you're supposed to be dead. I mean appearing to me in a dream is one thing, but this shouldn't be possible."

"In some ways you're correct. I'm not actually here in the physical sense, this is just a simple apparition that I created from the mutual plane, and it allows me to see and hear everything that happens around you, but my presence can only be seen, heard and felt by those who wield those Fangs, and those who were around back when I was still among the living."

"Fair enough, so what are you doing here then?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with right now, just doing… a little bit of reminiscing from old times."

"Fair enough. If you don't need me for anything then I'm gonna head back before Kagome and the others notice I'm gone, I don't want them to worry. I'll see you the next time you pop up in one of my dreams I guess."

"Which will be either the next time you discover a new Fang or when you actually require my assistance." Ryuhogo gave him a simple wave as he watched Tatsu make his way out of the cave, and then he knelt down by Kirara's side and petted her, earning a small meow "Yes, it's good to see you again too old friend. I know you must miss her as much as I do." then he looked up at the statue of Midoriko and gently cupped her face with one hand, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he did so "It won't be long now my love, soon the time will come for this painful cycle to be broken, and your suffering will at last come to an end."

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Meanwhile, back at the Demon Slayer village…

'The sun should be up in a few hours, but with any luck the others are still fast asleep, so I doubt anyone noticed I was gone.' Tatsu was quick to try and quietly slip back through the gates of the village, only to find a surprise that was waiting for him 'Okay, I wasn't expecting that.'

As it turns out, standing in front of him was Kagome, a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back, with a large target in front of her, and she was panting somewhat with a number of cuts across one hand. She took a moment to catch her breath, and it was then that she finally noticed Tatsu standing a short distance away and gave a sheepish smile "Oh hey."

"Hey, what are you doing out here? I figured that you would've been asleep with the others by now."

"I was trying to but I couldn't get to sleep, so I sort of gave up after awhile and figured I'd come out here to do some practice."

"Fair enough, so how's that going?"

"See for yourself." she pointed at the results of her practice.

"Well you're a lot closer than you would've been, another half an inch and you'll have the bullseye for sure."

"It's not good enough though, and that means I'm not good enough. I don't have that warrior spirit or whatever it is like you do, I'm not a fighter, I don't like fighting like you do."

"That doesn't mean you should doubt your own abilities. I've been there a few times myself over the years, doubting yourself like that is poisonous to yourself and to those around you. Keep in mind that you chose to come back here with me, you chose to take up the fight against Naraku to keep him from getting all of the jewel shards, hell you even chose to learn a healing spell just to help us."

"It was mostly to help you."

"My point is that there's nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to being weak, but there is something to be ashamed of if you're content with staying at the level you are now, letting others fight your battles for you. If you're not satisfied with being at the level you are now, then you just have to resolve yourself to get stronger. It's what I do, and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to do it."

"So then… you don't think I'm weak?"

"Of course not, I never did."

"You think I'm a warrior like you?"

"Of course not."

"So then what am I?"

"You're not just Kikyo's reincarnation, I never bought that to begin with. Seriously, you two don't even look alike. I mean I saw the two of you side by side, and to be totally honest I just didn't see it. Anyway what I'm trying to get at is, you're Kagome. That's what you've always been, and frankly it's all that you need to be."

"Tatsu, I…" touched by what he said to her, Kagome promptly threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice soft "Thank you."

"Hey that's what I'm here for. Whatever happens, whatever we have to deal with, I'm always gonna have your back." he gently returned the hug.

'Tatsu, I can't say for certain if I feel the same way about you that you do about me, but right now that doesn't matter. Even if I can't say it to you, it doesn't change the fact that I'm always going to be by your side.'

A/N:

And with this chapter, which wraps up the first season of this story, not only do we see the introduction of Sango herself, as in the final member of the main gang, but we also learn about the origins of the Shikon Jewel. The only real difference here is that Ryuhogo seems to have some history with Midoriko that he isn't letting Tatsu in on just yet. What that history is, you'll find out soon enough.

One thing that's definitely worth noting is that, as of this chapter, like Tatsu has been, Kagome is now receiving training in the Limbo that allows him to meet with the spirit of the dead and learn from them, but in this case, she learns from her own father, Kisuke Higurashi. Originally I was going to have Midoriko be the one to appear to be the one who trains her, but considering her soul is trapped within the Shikon Jewel, I figured that wouldn't really work. Besides, as far as I know, the original anime never really explored or did anything with Kagome's father, only mention that he died in a car accident and then mention him in one episode. I always did want to see at least something with him, so I decided to have him appear as Kagome's spirit guide, so to speak.

So yes, I had Tatsu fight Sango one on one, while Inuyasha goes with Miroku to go after Naraku and the jewel shard he stole. I wanted to have Tatsu be the target of one of Naraku's schemes instead of just having him be there, so to speak. Besides, I wanted to show off a little bit of his skills. Keep in mind that even without the power of the Fangs, he's still got years of training in swordsmanship and hand to hand combat to fall back on.

For those of you who follow the actual anime, in episode 26 there was a scene that showed that Kirara was once a partner of with Midoriko back when she was still alive. I decided to expand on this so that Ryuhogo is acquainted with Kirara from his days amongst the living, and as a result she can see his apparitions. As for the history Ryuhogo shares with her, along with Midoriko, that's going to be revealed at a later date.