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.

11. Sibling Suffering

(Sibling Suffering)

"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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A few days passed by, and the hunt for the Shikon Jewel shards had continued, but now the group was taking part in their secondary purpose: Demon Slaying.

"Yes yes I know it stinks, but it's necessary." Sango was quick to cut short any exposition as she stood in front of a building in front of her with Hiraikotsu in hand, watching as smoke was being sent forth from within "This is part of what we use to slay smaller demons, it doesn't last very long though so be patient. Alright then, if you guys have everything ready then go ahead and lure it this way."

"I still think we could've just used a mousetrap or something for this, but anyway we've got it ready!" Kagome called out to her from the other side of the house "How about it Sango, are you almost done?"

"It should be coming out any minute now." she then looked down at where Inuyasha was sprawled out on the ground 'Even if he is only a half demon, he's got a lot more sensitive of a nose than any other humans, so I'm not surprised he would be like that.'

'He'll be back to normal by the time the smoke is cleared.' Miroku just let out a sigh at the sight of Inuyasha's essentially useless form, but then something else caught his eye in the form of a beautiful woman in the crowd 'Quite the beauty, I'll have to see where this goes.' and so he promptly took his leave and went after the woman.

"Hey Miroku, where do you think you're- It's coming now, get back!" Sango was forced to brace herself as a large rat demon emerged from underneath the hut "Tatsu here it is!"

"On it." this was when Tatsu blitzed onto the scene and cleaved the rat demon in two using one of his swords, which caused it to dissipate "Alright everything's okay guys, go ahead and clear out the smoke.

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About an hour passed after the demon was slain, and the group had returned to the inn they were staying at for a little bit of downtime.

"Well that was a pretty sizeable letdown." Tatsu let out a sigh as he looked over both of his swords, and then over at where Inuyasha lay sprawled out on the ground "Looks like he's gonna be out of it for awhile. So where'd Miroku run off to?"

"I saw him walk off on his own while we were working." Sango told him.

"Let me take a wild guess, he saw a woman somewhere in the crowd and went "Pretty woman 11:00, Miroku want" and took off on us. That's about what happened right?"

"That's what I saw at least, but while we were in the middle of slaying demons? That's just so unprofessional."

"He's a professional perv and groper, he probably tried to get her alone somewhere so he could give her the line about wanting her to have his child."

"Back up a second, he does what now?!"

"And that's only after he grabs you on the ass."

"You mean he's done that to Kagome?"

"Not just her, me too." this only intensified Sango's look of disgust "Trust me, it's not fun for me either."

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At the same time, the women in question, after deceiving Miroku into believing that she was a prominent princess, got close to him and then revealed that she was actually the disguised form of a giant mantis demon, much to the disappointment of Miroku. This revelation forced him to fight her, which he did successfully, but it came at the cost of sucking her into his Wind Tunnel, which was injured in the process.

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Nightfall came, and the group had all reunited at the inn for dinner.

Miroku was quick to notice the cold glares that Sango and Kagome were giving him, and he was rather unsettled by it "Tell me something my friends, is it my imagination or have the girls been staring at me quite coldly since I came back?"

"It's not your imagination, and frankly it's justified." Tatsu told him dryly without looking up from his food "Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that you left us in the middle of demon slaying to go chase after some woman."

"You really think that's it?"

"Either that or it's from groping people on the ass all the time, frankly they think you're a philandering creep, and they're not wrong either. Need I remind you of what you did to me the first time we met?"

"Are you still mad about that?"

"You grabbed me by the ass, that sort of feeling sticks with you, not to mention it gives people the wrong impression about you."

"You mean as in-?"

"It's a bigger issue than you think, regardless of what era it is. Women don't have to deal with that same problem though, on which I call bullshit. I mean why is it a girl can do stuff with another girl and not be gay, but if a guy so much kisses another guy then-" Tatsu cut himself short when he noticed Inuyasha dunking his head in a nearby barrel "What the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to drown out some bad memories." was all he said.

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Nightfall came, the moon was shining brightly, and almost everyone was fast asleep. The key phrase there being almost everyone.

Miroku was still lying wide awake, pondering the pain he was feeling coming from what he had on his right hand 'Dammit, this stupid thing still hurts. That conniving giant mantis made my Wind Tunnel spread. It's only a matter of time before I end up suffering the same type of demise as my grandfather, and my father. At this rate, there's only one person who can help me to at least put that off for a little while longer.'

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Morning came, and the sun was rising over the skies above.

Tatsu let out a sigh as he made his way into the room "Well the innkeeper confirmed it time and again, Miroku took off on us before dawn and he said something about going on some long journey and apparently he asked the innkeeper to wish us well before he took off."

"What the fuck is his problem?" Inuyasha let out a scoff "Why the hell does he always have to run off and do things on his own."

"...Do I even need to say it?"

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Meanwhile, with the monk in question…

As it turns out, Miroku was riding through the skies above Japan on the back of Hachi, musing over memories of his past as he did so "I was there and saw everything when my father was drawn into his own Wind Tunnel, and he disappeared without a trace. One of my greatest fears in life is that I will very likely end up dying that way as well."

"I see… Oh Miroku we found a spot, I can see it from here!"

"So there it is, take us down once we get close Hachi."

"Understood." and so Hachi took them down to the ground in front of a nearby temple and allowed Miroku to land on the ground, before he transformed back himself and took notice of a large crater that sat in the yard "So where did this giant hole come from anyway?"

"Oh you mean that? That would be my father's grave, all that remained of his presence after he was sucked into his own Wind Tunnel."

"O-Oh, I see."

"Anyway we should get moving, the sooner we find Mushin the sooner he can repair the damage to my Wind Tunnel."

"Y-Yes of course, just allow me to pay my respects."

"Go ahead, I'll go find Mushin."

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A few minutes later, inside the temple…

"Mushin are you there, it's Miroku!" it didn't take Miroku long to track down the monk in question, drunk as he ever was "Well that's typical, drunk again as usual. Alright you stinking drunkard it's time to get up, I need your help."

"Hm?" with a loud yawn, Mushin finally regained consciousness and laid eyes on Miroku "Oh so it's you Miroku, I'm surprised to see that you're still alive."

"Yes well that can go both ways, and to put it frankly you're not going to live very long if you keep drinking the way that you do. The only difference is that I have a Wind Tunnel in my hand, so what good excuse do you have?"

"So what then, did you come here to lecture me about that?"

"No I actually do need your help, a giant mantic nicked the sides of my Wind Tunnel and I was wondering if you could repair it." he held out the hand in question so it could be examined.

"Let's see… No it's too late, you're going to die by tonight." this caused Miroku's gaze to harden furiously "Relax, I'm just kidding around." he was promptly met with a large bruise on his head from the hand in question.

"Look do you want to get sucked into this thing?"

"Now now calm down, there's no need for any of that. I'll go ahead and stitch you up but I warn you now, you have to refrain from using the Wind Tunnel and not try to use it or exposte it for any reason until it's been completely healed."

"And what will happen to me if I do?"

"In that case the Wind Tunnel will spread from the nick and eventually it will end up consuming you entirely, and if that should happen then I will no longer be able to help you. Now then, I had best go and start gathering the medicinal herbs I need. Go on and purify yourself, god knows you need it."

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About an hour went by.

Hachi stood by as he watched Miroku cleansing himself beneath a nearby waterfall "So then that drunken old man Mushin is the high monk that raised you?"

"That's right, and he taught me everything I know, the good and the bad." Miroku told him "As for which one I learned more of from him, that's rather debatable."

"I can't deny that he's a little bit rough around the edges, but he does seem like a man with a kind heart."

"I guess so. You know part of me believes that I shouldn't be worried over such a small nick to my Wind Tunnel, but given what happened to my grandfather and my father, I can't afford to take any chances."

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Meanwhile, back with the others…

"I just don't get it." Kagome frowned in thought over Miroku's departure "It's not like Miroku to do something like that, why would he just take off like that without a word to anyone?"

"Well maybe it's because both of you shot him such dirty looks." was Shippo's input, which actually left Kagome and Sango rather taken aback.

"You really think he would leave over something like that?"

"He's just a kid, don't let that get to you." Tatsu gave a shrug "Miroku's got way more flaws than I can count, but he's not that petty."

"But he's as fucked up as they come." Inuyasha let out a snort.

"Like you're one to talk."

"Say that again, I fucking dare you!"

"If I may Master Inuyasha." this was when an unexpected newcomer popped up on Inuyasha's shoulder and cut short an inevitable argument.

"Looks like you decided to show your face again Myoga."

"Yes I actually returned late last night, and when I came in I noticed that the monk was acting in a rather strange manner."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The entire time I saw him he kept staring at his right hand, the one that had the Wind Tunnel in its palm, and he seemed very deep in thought, but he didn't say what was bothering him."

"So you're saying it's something wrong with his Wind Tunnel then?" asked Tatsu.

"That would be my guess, but it's little more than that."

"Well either way I've got bad feeling in my gut about this, we'd better go and track him down before something happens."

"And how the hell do you expect us to track him down?" Inuyasha let out a scoff "I say we just leave him, finding the other shards of the jewel is more important right now."

"Yeah well you're outvoted, we're holding off on finding anymore shards until we track him down."

"And who the fuck decided that?"

"The guy who actually knows how everyone else here thinks and gives a damn about the opinions of others."

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Meanwhile, back at the temple…

"Let's see, a few more and…" Mushin was in the middle of prepping Miroku's medicine, only to take note of something unusual outside "It's the middle of the afternoon, why is it suddenly so dark outside?" it was then that he noticed the figure of a demon in the corner of the room, but before he had time to react he was engulfed in a strange vapor.

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A little while later…

'It won't be long now…' by this point, Miroku laid on a futon in one of the rooms of the temple, ready for what had to be done 'Just a little while longer and this worry will be over, at least for the time being.'

"Sorry to keep you waiting." this was when Mushin made his way into the room, though he had a subtle yet sinister air around him "Did you drink your medicine?"

"Yes I did, but I'm starting to feel very groggy."

"Sleep now my boy, I can assure you that it will all be over quite soon."

"I'm glad to hear it, because I don't feel like dying just yet." then his body relaxed considerably, unaware of the unsettling vapor Mushin had coming from his mouth.

"Not to worry my boy, I'll be sure to ease your pain soon enough." and then Mushin pulled a cleaver out of his robe and promptly brought it down.

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Meanwhile, with the main group…

"Wait hold on a second." Tatsu held out a hand to stop the group from advancing "I'm sensing something nearby. Stand back, just to be on the safe side." with one clean stroke of a sword he ripped through the tree in front of him, revealing a Saimyosho to them that promptly started flying away "Naraku again, that figures."

"That's all I need to know! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha burst into the air and tried to rip through the Saimyosho with his claws, only to end up clipping one of its wings "One more shot and its dead!" he barred his claws and prepared to follow through, only to be yanked back to the ground by a set of iron chains attached to his leg, courtesy of Tatsu "What the fuck did you do that for?!"

"Stop and think for a second, if he's using those things to spy on us then that probably means he's got something planned for Miroku. Let's follow it and see where it leads.

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Meanwhile, back at the temple…

"Not to worry my boy, I'll be sure to ease your pain soon enough." and then Mushin pulled a cleaver out of his robe and promptly brought it down.

"What the-" lucky for Miroku, his eyes snapped open in time for him to bolt out of the way of the cleaver and hit the ground with a thud, but he was still alive.

"Oh so you're still awake, I guess I didn't make the medicine strong enough."

"You're not Mushin are you, tell me who you are!"

"I am a demon worm charmer, not too long ago I came across Naraku and he promised to give me a shard of the Shikon Jewel if I killed you."

"So then, another one of Naraku's traps?"

"I can see it for myself, the medicine may not have put you to sleep but it was still enough to numb your entrie body, so you still can't move much anymore. Now then, the time has come for you to go in peace!" he brought down the cleaver again.

Miroku was forced to bust through the door of the temple, which ended up leading him to crash into Hachi "Quick Hachi, give me my staff!" he received no arguments, but did receive the staff just in time to block another stroke of the cleaver.

"That won't be enough to save you."

"Uh… kaboom!" Hachi was quick to use his magic to engulf himself and Miroku in a cloud of smoke, and when it subsided the both of them were gone.

"You won't get away from me!"

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"Come on, keep moving…" Miroku let out a groan from where he was being carried by Hachi on his back "We have to keep moving…"

"I'm trying, but I can't run any faster than this." Hachi told him without even batting an eye, and so he kept running.

"But we have to… Oh no, look. The demons are gathering." they looked back to see a large number of demons were appearing on the scene "Save yourself… if you stay then you'll only die with me…"

"But Master Miroku, I can't just-"

"Just go, I can keep them at bay by myself until the effects of the medicine wear off."

"But-"

"I don't have the time or the energy to argue with you about this, now just go!"

"I… alright." and so he promptly took off running away from the temple.

'Good thing he's a coward, otherwise it would've gotten him killed."

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Meanwhile, with the coward in question…

"This is bad, this is really bad…" now in his flying form, Hachi was quickly making his way in the opposite direction of the temple, his mind racing "Miroku can talk as big as he wants, but even he can't take on all those demons alone, especially not when he's in his current condition. Tatsu and Inuyasha can't be too far from here." it was only then that he heard a certain buzzing noise, and he looked back to see a large swarm of Saimyosho trailing after him, which caused him to bolt ahead while screaming at the top of his lungs.

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Meanwhile, with the main group…

"Okay guys, hold up a second." Tatsu motioned for the others to hide behind a series of trees as they continued following the injured Saimyosho "Don't forget that this insect is the only lead we've got right now, so we can't lose it."

"Yeah but it's not the only insect out here, take a look." Inuyasha promptly jerked a thumb up towards where Hachi was hurtling towards them with the swarm of Saimyosho still hot on his heels, and he transformed back and fell to the ground in a heap in front of them "Looks like we've got ourselves another lead, and the annoying raccoon dog too."

"Nice to know you've got your priorities in order, now do us a favor and get the other insects already."

"Fine, I could use a little bit of a workout. Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" with a series of slashes from his claws, Inuyasha promptly ripped through about ⅔ of the Saimyosho with ease, which caused the others to flee.

"And now let's see if the badger can tell us something we can use."

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Meanwhile, with our favorite lecherous monk…

Now being forced to defend himself against the demons alone, Miroku sat in the crater that was his father's grave in a meditative position, with a barrier erected around him 'Well isn't this just typical, I'm going to end up dying because I like to flirt with women. Isn't that just my luck? I guess Tatsu was right when he said that was going to get me killed, I just never thought it would be like this. Irony, thy name is Miroku.'

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Meanwhile, with the main group…

"Looks like my gut instinct was right." Tatsu frowned in though as he and the others rode through the skies on Hachi's back, hearing his story about Miroku's predicament "Looks like he got himself into trouble again."

"Yes he did and he doesn't have any use of his Wind Tunnel either, his hand was injured in battle when the sides of his Wind Tunnel got nicked when he tried to suck in a giant mantis demon. He went to the high priest Mushin, the man who raised him, in order to get it fixed, and then Mushin said that if he used the Wind Tunnel before it healed then it would spread and kill him."

"Which means that we have to get there before that happens."

"Right. Wait there it is, there's the temple in front of us!" and then Hachi started screaming in terror at the sight of the large horde of demons in front of them.

"Don't stop now Hachi, we go straight through them. Inuyasha."

"As if you had to ask." Inuyasha was quick to bolt upright and draw his Tessaiga "Time to start busting some demon skulls." and so he started cutting down multiple demons at a time as they hurtled forward "We don't have any time to waste on you bastards, so get the fuck out of our way! You gonna keep going or am I gonna have to do the heavy lifting?"

"Oh I'm more than willing to do my part." Tatsu shot him a smirk as his body was covered in what appeared to be dragon scales "I'm just testing out something I've been working on for awhile now. Fairy Tail, eat your heart out."

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Meanwhile, with our favorite lecherous monk…

'So this is it then…' seeing the various demons surrounding him, Miroku let out a sigh as he removed the barrier surrounding him 'Very well then, I will accept my death with grace. I will face my foes without flinching, and I will die with honor. I won't fight when there's no point, like I know my companions would, Tatsu and Inuyasha in particular.' he closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable as the demons closed in on him, when…

"Iron Spear Storm!" this was when a barrage of iron spears suddenly rained down from above and ripped through a number of demons, which caused them to evaporate on the spot.

"What the-"

"The cavalry, that's what." Tatsu leapt down onto the scene, his body covered in metallic dragon scales and with two swords in hand "And I've been learning a few new tricks over the past few weeks."

"I see, so did you come alone?"

"Well what the fuck do we have here?" this was when Inuyasha promptly landed on the ground next to him.

"That would be a no."

"About time we tracked you down Miroku, looks to me like you went and got yourself into trouble again."

'I see, so the both of them came.'

"You know it wouldn't kill you for thanking me for saving your sorry ass."

"A fair point."

"Hey Miroku!" it was at this moment that Kagome and the others dropped down onto the scene and rushed towards him "What gives Miroku, why did you up and leave us like that without saying anything? You had us worried sick, we had no idea what happened to you. You've got a pretty nasty gash in your shoulder, just hold on and I'll heal you within a few minutes."

'So they came looking for me, all of them did.'

"Don't look so surprised we're here, that's what friends are for." Tatsu shot a smirk at him, then turned to Inuyasha "So you have any input for the heartwarming speeches and the like?"

"I'm not one for sentimental speeches and the like." Inuyasha let out a huff and just looked away indignantly "Besides, you guys already said what I was gonna say."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself."

"Who goes there?" this was when Mushin appeared on the scene, still possessed by the demon worm charmer "I will not hesitate to punish anyone who would dare to disturb the piece of my temple."

"You're the monk called Mushin right, the one that Miroku came to see to get his Wind Tunnel repaired? Pretty interesting, you want to explain what the hell is going on here?"

"Nothing that concerns you boy, you'll leave now if you value your life."

"Please Tatsu I beg of you, don't destroy him." Miroku was quick to plead with him, but his voice was still hoarse.

"Oh yes Miroku that's a very good boy, I knew that I raised you well over the years."

"Yeah well, I say who gives a shit if you raised him?" Inuyasha didn't hesitate for a second as he brandished the Tessiaga "I say your drinking days are over you drunken bastard!" and then he charged at him, only for the Tessaiga to be covered in a large set of prayer beads, causing it to revert back, and then he himself was engulfed in it 'Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me, why the hell do I always have to deal with the traps and bullshit?!' and then he saw a horde of demons hurtling towards him "I don't need the Tessaiga to deal with the likes of you!"

"But that doesn't mean you get to hog all the fun!" Tatsu suddenly blitzed in front of him and fired a barrage of iron spears from his fingertips, ripping through all of the demons in a matter of seconds "Plus I've been wanting to put this to the test. You can say whatever you want about anime like Fairy Tail, but they have some seriously kickass attacks.'

"My my, aren't we lively tonight?" Mushin let out a chuckle and held up a hand seal, which caused Inuyasha to cry out in pain and fall to his knees as the prayer beads binding him surged with electricity.

"What the hell are you doing to him?"

"I have the half demon bound with my sutra magic, so frankly it's a surprise he's still able to move at all, but I can assure you that both you and him won't last for much longer." this was when the unsettling mist started coming out of his mouth, which soon toon on the form of balls of light containing a number of demons.

"Okay this just reached a whole new level of creepy."

"Tatsu be careful, he's got demon worms coming out of his mouth!" Kagome called out to him from where she was healing Miroku.

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Myoga is over here and he told me, big surprise I know. Anyway he says that Mushin was possessed by something called a Demon Worm Charmer."

"Is there a way to stop him without killing him?"

"Myoga says that there should be a charmer close by that's controlling him, we'll have to steal the worm bottle away and put it down near him, and that will make the demon leave his body for good."

"You guys go ahead and hunt down the charmer, Inuyasha and I will take down as many of these things as we can."

"Right!" so Kagome and Shippo were quick to rush off.

"Kagome hold on!" it was at this moment that Sango and Kirara finally dropped down to the ground in front of her "What's going on here, it's like there's no end to the demons."

"Yeah and Tatsu and Inuyasha are fighting off a lot of the other demons right now, but we've got a plan so you don't have to worry. And I'm guessing that Myoga is gonna pop up where he think it's the safest any second now."

"Oh Sango, I'm so relieved to see you here!" this was when Myoga popped up, on Sango's own shoulder no less.

"So you think it's safer with her?"

"Um… nothing personal."

"I rest my case."

"Kagome look up!" this was when Shippo directed their attention toward where the charmer stood on the roof of the temple.

"Is that him?"

"Yes that's the charmer, I'm sure of it." Myoga told her.

"That's all I needed to know." with a deep breath, Kagome locked and loaded an arrow and fired it at the demon worm charmer, only for it to miss "Oh come on!"

"Don't worry about it Kagome, I'll get him." and so Sango was quick to take off.

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Meanwhile, with the main fighters…

"And that makes 37." Tatsu barely even needed to bat an eye as he cut down yet another demon hurtling towards him "So how are you holding up with those things?"

"How the fuck do you think?" Inuyasha barked at him "These stupid beads are still draining my strength from me, I can't get them off either."

"Well you'd better go ahead and get your second wind already, we've got more incoming right about now." Tatsu jerked a thumb at the next swarm of demons that were hurling towards the two of them.

"You're wasting your time." Mushin let out a chuckle "Soon your friend won't have any power left to move at all, let alone fight, and it's only a matter of time before the number of my demons overwhelms you, so you might as well just accept your fate. Now then, do the two of you wish to be devoured alive or do you want me to be more benevolent and chop your heads off first? I do happen to be a demon who loves to eat flesh, whether it's dead or alive and kicking, so either way this is going to satisfy my appetite."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet old man, Inuyasha's still got plenty of fight left in him, and if you think he's gonna lie down and die like a dog then you've got the wrong guy."

"You would be wise to think twice about killing me, keep in mind that this host is the only one with the knowledge and ability to repair Miroku's Wind Tunnel, and if his hand is left as it is right now then all of you will be sucked into it by this time tomorrow, and that includes the damn monk. Either way, both you and the half demon must resign yourself to the fact that everyone in this temple is going to die soon enough."

"Yeah I wouldn't get my hopes up too high you damn dirty ape, even without his claws and sword I've still got more than a few tricks up my sleeve. Case and point." Tatsu promptly fired upwards a barrage of iron spears that annihilated a considerable number of demons, but even more of them kept coming towards them "Seriously dude, that second wind is more than welcome anytime now!"

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Meanwhile, with the lecherous monk…

'Tatsu and Inuyasha, and the others, all of them can't hold out forever… I don't think I have any other choice…' gritting his teeth, Miroku slowly lifted his arms and prepared to rip off the prayer beads around his wrist.

"Master the poison has worn off, you can move again!" Hachi lit up when he noticed this, but then he let out a gasp once the realization kicked in "No not the Wind Tunnel, you still haven't fully healed yet!"

"You had best prepare yourself for this Hachi, it's very likely that both of us are going to get sucked in this time, but keep in mind that it's a lot better than being torn limb from limb and eaten alive by a pack of demons."

"...I agree master, I'm with to the bitter end."

"Alright then, get ready. Wind TUNNEL!" with all the courage he could muster, Miroku opened up the Wind Tunnel and began sucking in the demons that hurtled towards him, but he found himself struggling to keep himself upright "Hachi I need you to brace me!"

"Yes sir!"

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Meanwhile, a short distance away…

"And that's another one!" Tatsu promptly cut down another demon in front of him, only to whip around and see Miroku sucking in the various other demons with his Wind Tunnel "What the hell is he thinking?"

"What the hell is that fool thinking?" Mushin hissed "If he uses it now then he'll suck in everything around him, and that includes the shards of the jewel!"

'He's distracted, now's our chance. Inuyasha!"

"Already on it." with a burst of strength, Inuyasha managed to free himself from the hold of the prayer beads and then proceeded to knock out Mushin with one blow "What was that you were calling it, a new burst or something?"

"The term is second wind. Stay here and deal with these weaklings, I'm gonna go make sure the lecher doesn't get himself killed." and so Inuyasha promptly took off.

'Looks like someone's becoming a pretty big softy.'

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Meanwhile, back with the lecher…

'Come on, come on!' unfortunately, it was around now that Miroku started straining to keep himself balanced with his Wind Tunnel open "No this is bad… I can't hold my ground!" and then he slipped and he and Hachi fell back, but then he was grabbed by the wrist and his Wind Tunnel forced closed by one person he wasn't expecting "Is that… Inuyasha?"

Sure enough, Inuyasha had managed to swoop in and save Miroku at the last second, but as one would expect from him, he came off as more pissed than concerned "God dammit monk, if you try and use that Wind Tunnel again then I swear I'm gonna rip your arm clean off!"

"Do you… think that would actually work? As in do you think it would negate the effects of the curse? Because I actually have thought about that a few times but-"

"Shut your fucking hole, and I mean both of your holes!" as the next swarm of demons hurtled towards them, Inuyasha took a step forward and gripped the hilt of the Tessaiga, which caused it to transform "I personally couldn't give less of a damn if you die or not, but there's no way in hell you're gonna go and do it while I'm around, you got that? I won't let anyone else accuse me of abandoning you, and I don't want to have to deal with any bullshit guilt trips! You're sure as hell not gonna pin that responsibility on ME!" and with a primal roar he brought down the blade of the Tessaiga, which promptly released a powerful wave of energy that subsequently eradicated every single demon in front of them, which left most of those present stunned.

'He… He was able to destroy every last demon with a single sweep of his sword? How is that possible?'

Needless to say, even Inuyasha was taken aback by what he witness "What… What the fuck just happened?"

"I think that's anyone's guess." this was when Tatsu made his way over to them and breathed a sigh as he sheathed both of his swords "But if I did have to guess as to what the everlasting fuck we just saw, I'd say it was the full power of the Tessaiga that Sesshomaru told us about."

"You really think so?"

"That's what it looked like to me, and don't forget that Sesshomaru used that more than a few times when he and I fought awhile back, and I got hit by that at least once. Bottom line, I know damn well what it looks like when I see it."

"Shit… what about that charmer demon?"

"Sango and the others are taking care of it as we speak, the old guy should be fine, but it's our own perv we have to worry about."

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Hours passed, and the sun was now shining over the skies above.

Shippo was the first one to grow restless with all of the waiting "He's been in there for so long now, what's keeping him?"

"Take it easy Shippo, what he's doing is really delicate work." Kagome told him "He has to stitch the wound very carefully, we don't want him to rush and for something bad to happen."

"Honestly, he really is such a fool." this was when Mushin stepped out of the temple and let out a sigh "If he's not more careful then he's going to get himself killed."

"That sounds… somewhat promising I think, but how's Miroku doing?"

"I finished stitching the wounding, and now he's resting so give him some time. As for your male companions, Tatsu and Inuyasha I believe your names were, I need to have a word with the two of you."

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A few minutes later…

Tatsu poked his head into the room to see Kagome and the others tending to Miroku, then made his way back over to Mushin and Inuyasha "So just go ahead and give it to us straight, is he going to be alright?"

"For the most part he'll be fine, the girl Kagome's healing powers are something I've never seen before." Mushin told him "As for his Wind Tunnel, I did the best that I could to repair it, but it's definitely spread now, but by how much I can't say."

"So you're saying that it cut his life short in the process, and he doesn't have that much longer to live?"

"That part may be exaggerating it a bit, but as for how long he does have, that's something I can't say for certain. The Wind Tunnel that Miroku has in his hand is a curse passed down through generations that was placed on his family by that wretched demon Naraku. If Naraku is destroyed then the Wind Tunnel will disappear and Miroku's life will be spared."

"Which means that we have to find Naraku and take him out before that happens."

"Correct, and the sooner you do that the better for all of us. It's the only hope for Miroku, and for many others as well for that matter."

"He won't suffer the same fate as his father and grandfather, I can guarantee that all of us are going to make sure of that one way or another."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up for him just yet." Inuyasha told him dryly as he jerked a thumb into the room, where Miroku was being beaten over the head with a bucket by Sango "But right now I'd say he's well on his way to making a full recovery."

"Should I bother asking what happened?"

"He woke up and grabbed Sango by the ass, and now you're seeing the results."

"So the bottom line is that he's well enough to be himself right about now, and he's still got a hell of a lot of life left in him."

"Yes indeed, Miroku's bloodline is to be feared." Mushi noted "And not just because of the Wind Tunnel."

"No arguments here."

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A few days went by and things seemed to calm down, but things are almost always calm, at least in the Modern Era.

"Now let's see here, what state is the world in today." Grandpa Higurashi was now doing what he did best: looking through the newspaper for inspiration for… certain stuff 'Well what do you know, it seems that Foot in Mouth disease only has an effect on younger children? Well so much for that one, now I can't use it. Well this is just great, now I'm starting to run out of diseases to use as an excuse for Kagome being so absent from school while she and Tatsu are off travelling around the Feudal Era on some grand adventure.'

"Hi gramps!" this was when Kagome shot past him.

"Hi. Let's see here, it seems a cold is spreading around, I guess more people should be dressing warmer and preparing for colder weather. Wait that's it, I can say that Kagome is stuck at home with a bad cold!'

"Bye gramps, I'll see you later!" and then Kagome rushed off past him.

"Alright then, see you later my dear, just make sure you watch out for cars. Wait hold on a second Kagome, where are you going at this time of day?"

"She's going to school of course." Mrs Higurashi told him "Why, where do you think she was going on a school day?"

"She can't just rush off to school like it's the most important thing in the world to her, I went to the trouble of thinking up a really good illness for her so she should show some gratitude for crying out loud! I swear, she really is such an impertinent child isn't she?"

"...What exactly are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about her illnesses and how she keeps galavanting off to the Feudal Era!"

'Grandpa… he's losing it isn't he?'

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About a half hour later, at school…

"Come on come on, it has to be in here somewhere!" now in the classroom, Kagome was ripping through her backpack in search of a certain something, only to end up empty handed "Oh you've gotta be kidding me."

"Oh for the love of…" Tatsu breathed a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose "What did you forget this time?"

"It's my math book, I was in such a rush I left it in my room. And the same goes for my english book, my science book and my social studies book as well."

"And that's why it never pays to sleep in on a school day."

"Tell me about it. Isn't that just typical for me, the one day I actually do show up for class after being gone for god only knows how long with all sorts of weird excuses, and I'm about as unprepared for it as you can get. I even brought my quill pen instead of my ballpoint. Irony, thy name is Kagome." she was promptly handed a pen and a textbook "I can't just take yours like that, what are you going to study with?"

"Excuse me students, is Ms Kagome Higurashi in here?" this was when one of the other teachers made his way into the classroom with a bag in hand, and he handed it to Kagome, which just so happened to contain her textbooks and school supplies.

"This is… actually just about everything I need."

"Your younger brother dropped this off a few minutes ago, and then he asked me to forgive you for being such a scatterbrain." that caused her to blush and many of the other students to burst out laughing.

"Well you've gotta give it to the kid, he's doing a pretty good job of getting his act together for his age." Tatsu pointed out, earning an eye roll from Kagome and prompting her to hand him something that came from the bag "What's this?"

"Something with a note that says to give it to you, and if it's from my little brother then I don't want to know what's in it."

"Fair enough." Tatsu accepted the notebook, then let out a sigh as his mind began drifting to recent events 'It's been about a month and a half since me and Kagome started travelling back through time 500 years into the past, into the Feudal Era. Since I meet with Ryuhogo every night in that void between the worlds of the living and the dead, 8 or so hours of sleep being equal to about 2 months of training per night, 30 days since I started training with him, I'd say that gets me more than a full year's worth of training. Plus in the Feudal Era I've got Inuyasha, Miroku & now Sango to train and spar with, but back in our time both me and Kagome have high school exams looming over our heads, we've got our work cut out for us trying to compensate for all of the time. But at least we're not alone in this.' he leaned over to Arashi, his voice low "Thanks for the copy of the notes you gave me."

"Whatever you have to do man, I've got your back." Arashi gave him a thumbs up "But in all seriousness thank Kagome's kid brother, keeping up with all of the school stuff for you and her was his idea. Not just that, he's been keeping track of homework and exam schedules for the two of you. For a little kid, he's doing a surprisingly good job of keeping his shit together and getting his priorities straight."

"Huh. Good for him then, it's kind of surprising when you think about what he's putting in this journal."

"And what's in there exactly? If this is some kind of stupid plan about how to win her over then I swear to god-"

"I already made a vow on my father's grave that I wasn't going to be a simp, and you know as well as anyone else that I will never go back on my word."

"So then what is it?"

"Well see back when I was still recovering from my fight with Inuyasha's brother, Sota came to see me and suggested something to me that I actually found pretty interesting. What if I used the abilities of the fangs to replicate techniques from various anime?"

"...That's fucking genius. So which ones have you done so far?"

"Well aside from the occasional Dragon Ball reference with the energy blasts, I've tried to copy a few techniques with my geokinesis. The only problem is that I don't know many earth based techniques from anime, so I don't really have a lot going for me in that regard, so I mostly use that one for the sake of defense. As for the metal manipulation, that works out a lot better. I can cover myself in dragon scales made of metal, and fire off barrages of iron spears from the tips of my fingers. Give you one guess what that's from."

"One guess is all that I need, and so I say, nice. So what else can you do?"

"I'm guessing I'll unlock additional powers as I get more Fangs, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see from here on out."

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Hours passed, the rest of the school day came and went, and the sun was now setting over the skies of Tokyo, but all wasn't calm for everyone.

'Come on, come on…' with the sun still setting above, Kagome locked and loaded an arrow and fired it at a target, only to miss it by a small margin "Crud, I'm still not getting anywhere with this."

"Not going to lie, out of everything I expected to see here, one of which being what I think was a guy with dog ears, this was not on the list."

Kagome jumped at the sound of a semi-familiar voice and whipped around, only to find herself face to face with Raidou "Oh hey, it's just you. Sorry about that, I'm just not used to people sneaking up on me like that."

"So Tatsu never does something like that?"

"Well every now and then, but if I try to slap him or something out of reflex, he's usually fast enough to dodge."

"Fair enough. So what exactly are you doing right now?"

"I couldn't concentrate on homework, by that I mean I was so confused to the point where it hurt to just look at it, so I just figured I'd get some practice in."

"Yeah, Tatsu actually figured something like that was gonna happen, so he asked me to drop these off for you." he held up a notebook "So why the archery then? No offense Higurashi, but you're the last person in this entire city I'd expect to pick up a weapon of any kind."

"Yeah, I've been getting that sort of reaction from a lot of people lately. It's just…" she breathed a sigh as she looked down at the arrow in her hand "You've seen for yourself how Tatsu can be, how he always rushes in whenever something big or dangerous happends, like with the evil mask and those Fangs you guys are looking for. The point is no matter what he faces he always pushes himself to rise to the challenge without hesitation, and there are a lot of times when he ends up getting hurt really bad in the process, and meanwhile I've always just stood by and did nothing but watch. I've always hated the thought of that, but I never really did anything about it, until a little while ago."

"You mean the fight where he took a guy's arm off and ended up passing out in a pool of his own blood?" this caused her to cringe visibly "Bad memories?"

"That's one way to describe it. It's just… the one time I wanted to help him, and I couldn't even do anything. He's always fighting to protect me, and the one time I wanted to protect him back I was helpless. I don't want anything like that to ever happen again."

"You… You really care about him don't you?"

"Of course I do. He's my best friend, he's been there for me for as long as I can remember… he did everything he could to help me get through some of the hardest times of my life, and vice versa. I can't say if I feel the same way that he does, but I want to stand by his side and do everything I can to not drag him down, him or the others."

"...It's all about conviction and focus."

"Come again?"

"Your shot, I can tell plain as day why you're always a little bit off. The key to mastering any form of weaponry or martial arts is to keep your mind clear, to make your thoughts precise and focused. That's really all there is to it. To put it in simple terms, think about the things that mean the most to you. Take me for example, I think about how I want more than anything to get back something that was taken from me a long time ago, and fulfilling a promise I made to someone I hold dear."

"I… I think I understand. Let me try it." so Kagome turned around and took a deep breath as she aimed at the target 'I know I don't like fighting or the thrill of a challenge like Tatsu does, and I can't say for certain whether or not I feel the same way he does, but no matter what happens, I want to stay by his side and by the side of the others, and protect them in any way that I can!' and so with her resolve renewed she fired forward her shot, and within a matter of seconds the arrow hit the target, landing directly in the bullseye, and her eyes lit up when she saw this "I did it, I really did it!" she whipped around in her excitement over her accomplishment, only to be met with the sight of Raidou walking away from the scene "Where are you going?"

"I'm looking after my uncle's shop while he's out of the country remember? I've got other places to be, and if you got the shot then you don't need me here anymore. Do what you have to do, and I'll do the same." and so with a nonchalant wave he promptly took his leave.

'He's kind of a loner and doesn't open up very much, but he's a nice enough guy. But still, I've only been practicing for a week and I already got hit the mark, for real this time! I've gotta go and call Tatsu and tell him!' she prepared to rush inside, but then stopped for a moment 'Okay, wow. I mean out of everyone I know, Tatsu is the person I want to tell the most. He's been that person for awhile actually. Does that mean something?'

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As it turns out, what no one in the main group knew was that one of Naraku's Saimyosho had witnessed Inuyasha using the full power of the Tessaiga to wipe out the demons at the temple, and then reported to him about this. As a result, Naraku decided to deal with the group by sending someone they couldn't kill, a certain someone brought back from the dead by a Shikon Jewel shard implanted in his back. He believed that this was someone that they wouldn't be able to kill, and even if they did, it would still serve him.

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Another few days went by, and the hunt for the Shikon Jewel shards continued.

Tatsu glanced over at where Inuyasha was brooding in a tree nearby "Yeah seeing something like that is how you know we're back to the typical routine."

"He's been rather quiet since that night at the temple." Miroku noted "I can imagine that he's very troubled by not being able to reawaken the full power of the Tessaiga, seeing how such a power would be very useful in the fight against Naraku."

"Not to mention that Sesshomaru used that power more than a few times back when I fought against him, and you know damn well what it did to me."

"I only have a rather vague idea of what it did, considering Naraku's insects had poisoned me at the time, but I know that it was unbelievably powerful."

"The full power of the Tessaiga, the power to kill 100 demons with a single shot. I think that's definitely something worth looking into."

"Yes. Naraku took the offensive with those demons he attacked us with at the temple, and he's probably keeping a watch on us from somewhere so it won't be easy to figure out what our next move is going to be."

"But at the same time, it's going to save us a lot of time looking for him if he just up and comes to us instead. Whatever he does try to attack us with, I'm sure that we can handle ourselves against them without too much of a problem." this earned a chuckle from Miroku "I take it then that you agree with me?"

"I'm sorry about that, it's just that I can't use my Wind Tunnel until it's completely healed, or risk all of us being devoured by it. I feel rather vulnerable as I am right now, and to hear you speak of such confidence is something I find encouraging."

"I took a page from a friend of mine back home, my best friend Arashi, he keeps saying how it's important to remain optimistic in the harder times, if not for yourself then for the sake of those around you."

"How very true."

"But in any case we've got you covered until you heal all the way. If Naraku tries to make a move against us then we can handle him, don't forget that that's the main reason why I'm working on new techniques to use with my fangs." he held up the fangs attached to the necklace he wore for emphasis 'But even so, trying to use creativity to beat your enemies instead of power can only get you so far in the grand scheme of things. I'm not gonna let that get the better of me though, whatever happens I won't let Naraku get his hands on them.'

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Meanwhile, with the girls…

Kagome poked her head over a nearby rock and looked at where Shippo was poking his own head through some bushes "Well Shippo, how does it look?"

"Looks like they're still talking." Shippo told him "They look like they're probably gonna be talking like that for awhile."

"Which means that the two of us have a chance to go for a dip in the hot springs."

"That does sound kind of nice." Sango let out a sigh "I know that the monk would probably try to peek at us, but do you think Tatsu or Inuyasha would?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Inuyasha is such a cold fish and Tatsu couldn't care less about doing something like that." the tone in her voice sounded somewhat disappointed, which didn't go unnoticed by Sango.

"Why do you make it sound like you want him to look?"

Kagome's face turned red when she heard this, but she chose not to reply, and instead she just removed her clothes, grabbed a towel and sunk into the hot spring "This feels really good."

"I know what you mean, I never get to do this very often myself." Sango let out a sigh as she slipped into the hot spring, but as she did so it revealed the scar in the middle of her back.

'That's… a really bad scar.'

"You saw that scar on my back didn't you?"

"I didn't mean to stare."

"It's alright, it's just an old wound that didn't heal very well."

"Did you get that from your work as a Demon Slayer?"

"No, this scar is one that I got from my little brother Kohaku. If only I had been able to figure out a few things earlier than I did, then maybe he'd still be alive today. Kohaku was very tender hearted, he was always a kind and gentle boy, and looking back I don't think he was very well suited for the life of a Demon Slayer."

"I'm sorry, I never meant to bring back any bad memories for you or anything. I kind of know that feel myself."

"You don't have to apologize for anything, it's not your fault. Kohaku was able to revert back to his old self before he died, and sure I still grieve for him, but thinking about that helps to ease the pain of losing him. We were both strong Demon Slayers and I take pride in that fact, and all of us have our reasons for being here don't we? Tell me something though Kagome, why is it that you're gathering the shards of the Shikon Jewel in the first place?" that caused Kagome to blush, mostly from embarrassment.

"Oh, that… Well I figured that it was the least I could do, seeing how it was my fault that the jewel was shattered in the first place."

"So the strangely dressed priestess that fired a Sacred Arrow at the jewel with a demon claw attached to it, and shattered the jewel to pieces that scattered throughout the land… you mean that was you?"

"Yeah, and now god only knows how many people are being slaughtered because of it." she looked away in shame, gritting her teeth as she did so "And I can barely even do anything to help them."

"Don't let yourself get so upset over it, I'm sure that you were just trying to retrieve it from a demon that had it. It's not your fault, but what's amazing is that you're the reincarnation of a priestess that guarded over the jewel in the time of my grandfather."

"That's the part that doesn't make any sense to me, but I do understand that we need to gather the other shards of the jewel before Naraku does, and the best way for us to do that is by working together. But now that Naraku is in the picture, things have gotten a lot more complicated. If we want to find the other shards of the jewel and make sure no one else has to suffer because of it, then we've got a lot of work ahead of us. We all have to get a lot stronger."

"Agreed, both for the sake of breaking the curse of the jewel and destroying Naraku. Speaking of which, did you follow the deeper points of our conversation you peeping toms?" it was at this moment that Sango hurled a rock into some nearby bushes, followed by the sound of a crash, but when the two of them looked over they were surprised by what they found "Oh so it wasn't them, it was just a monkey."

"You can relax while we're over here, Miroku is one thing but Tatsu would never let him do anything like that. Case and point." Kagome pointed at where a sword was embedded in a tree not far from them, the hilt of the blade attached to the end of a set of iron chains "Yeah, he's one of the few guys that believes chivalry isn't dead. It's alright Tatsu, it was just a false alarm so there's no need to go on the warpath." this caused the the chains and the sword to retract back in the direction of the campsite "See what I mean?"

"I do, more or less."

"Yeah." Kagome let out a sigh as she sunk deeper into the spring, her mind drifting 'This whole mess with the Shikon Jewel has become a nightmare, and now more and more people are getting drawn into it by the day. Out of all of them though, I feel sorry for Sango the most. She had to watch as her friends and her family, her whole village, everything she ever knew and loved was ripped away from her in one night. We're all that she has left in the world. I can't let anything like that happen again, I won't.'

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Morning came, and the sun was shining brightly over the skies above.

"Alright then, time for us to get going!" Shippo tried to take Kagome's bag on his own, but he was quick to start struggling with it "Kagome what do you keep in your bag, rocks? It's a lot heavier than it was before!"

"Yeah I know, I have a test next week." Kagome told him "I figured I should bring as many books as I can carry, if I can actually find a chance to study while I'm here. I'm probably in over my head on this one, especially since I never do find a chance to study over here."

"You know Miroku keeps saying that you and Tatsu should give up on this school stuff for this year and flunk a grade."

"Oh come on, you mean he thinks so too? There's already my brother Sota saying stuff like that, he's only in elementary school and he's already saying stuff like I could flunk six times, and then we'll end up in the same grade as each other and then we can help each other study and graduate together. I swear he's such a little geek, he thinks he's so hot too." it was only then that she realized that Sango was standing a few feet away from her 'Crap, again with me and my big stupid mouth!'

"You know what I think?" this was when Sango walked past her with a small find smile spreading across her face "I think he probably acts tough and pretends to be cocky, but he hates to be lonely and he probably cries easily. He's a very good boy, this little brother of yours."

"...Yeah, yeah he is."

"She's not wrong, he's good kid and he's got promise." Tatsu pointed out as he held up a certain notebook "And don't forget that everything that I've got in this journal here, that was all his own creativity."

"You're just stealing techniques from anime you both like."

"The benefits of which you guys saw back at the temple."

"...Fair enough."

"Anyway that discussion's gonna have to be put on hold, we've got another problem heading our way right about now." Tatsu jerked a thumb at where a man covered in blood was staggering towards them, only to collapse in the middle of the road "Yeah that's not good. Inuyasha."

"Give me a second." Inuyasha quickly rushed over to check on the man, only to come up short in regards to any good news "Yeah he's about as average as they come, and he's also about as dead as they come."

"Anything else we need to know?"

"Not much aside from the fact that he's not the only one who's been killed around here. I can smell it, the air around here is thick with the scent of blood, and it's fresh too. Looks like there's been a slaughter."

"...Let's move."

"Right."

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About 10 minutes later…

It didn't take long for Inuyasha and the others to find the village in question, or what was left of it at least "Shit, looks like we've got ourselves an old fashioned massacre."

"Any idea if there are any survivors?" asked Tatsu.

"There's too much blood in the air to tell."

"Then we should proably split up and search to see if we can figure out what happened."

"Hold on a second." Sango suddenly picked up a small rock by her feet and threw it towards one of the huts, which subsequently caused it to explode "Don't move an inch, whoever was here has treps set everywhere, so if you make one wrong step then your leg might be blown off."

"I guess whoever decided to start a bloodbath wanted to make sure no one would be able to track them down. They've got a sadistic streak too, you can't even try to bury the dead or pay your respects to them without getting your face blasted off. Anyone wanna bet that this is Naraku's own handiwork?"

"Whoever it is, this heartless bastard doesn't deserve to live." Inuyasha let out a snarl as he gripped the Tessaiga "I say we track him down before he makes another move."

"I already found him, keep in mind that I can sense the presence of others detect the vibrations within the earth. He's in that hut over there."

"Good, if this bastard thinks that any of us are the kind of people that are gonna just sit still and take this crap, then they've got another thing coming!" so with the Tessaiga drawn, Inuyasha then pounced at the hut and cleaved it in two, easily swatting away the chain sickle being used to attack him as the figure revealed himself.

"Is that the one?"

"No doubt about it, this kid is practically soaked in the scent of blood, not to mention the weapon he's got there. There's no doubt about it, he's the one who did it. The kid has to be out of his fucking mind."

"At least if the lifeless eyes is anything to go by, just stand back and let me handle him. We don't want to kill him if we don't have to, and you're not exactly a model of showing restraint."

What no one noticed was that Sango was left shaking at the sight of the boy in front of her, her mind racing 'No, it can't be… Kohaku?'

'The kid's wearing the same kind of armor that Sango has, which means that either he's a Demon Slayer, or he's actually a ninja. Dammit, if he is a ninja then I owe Arashi god only knows how much money.'

'Kirara recognizes him, but how? It couldn't be Kohaku… could it?"

'Did she say Kohaku?' now that got a reaction out of Kagome, which was one of shock 'But that's the name of her younger brother, but he's dead… Does that mean-' her thoughts were quickly cut short as Kohaku took off running away from them.

"Kohaku wait!"

"Get back here you little shit!" Inuyasha was quick to pounce after him, only to end up setting off a landmine that sent him skidding backwards a short distance.

"Kirara let's go!" Sango was quick to make the call, which prompted Kirara to transform and to let Sango jump onto her back, and the two of them took off after Kohaku.

"And now we're doing this.

'Okay I know there's a Pokemon reference in there somewhere, but I'll strain myself trying to figure that out later.' Tatsu didn't hesitate and was quick to take off after Sango, with Inuyasha & the others following right behind him.

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Meanwhile, with Sango…

'Come on, come on!' Sango and Kirara chased after Kohaku into the forest outside the village, a blue energy washing over them as they did so 'I thought you were dead Kohaku… I saw you die that night, I held your lifeless body in my arms! How is it that you're back, and how could you kill so many innocent people? Kohaku… what happened to you?'

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A few minutes later, with the group…

"Iron Spear Storm!" having reached the blue energy that surrounded the forest in front of them, Tatsu fired forward a barrage of iron spears from his fingertips, only for them to fail to pierce the energy "Dammit, I've tired every technique that I have and I couldn't break through the damn barrier."

"But you're certain you saw them pass through this barrier?" asked Miroku.

"I saw a flash of pink and fire pass through, that's the callmark for Sango and Kirara if I ever saw one. Speaking of which are you sure about this Kagome, are you sure about that, that's what she said and not something else?"

"I'm positive, there's no doubt about it." Kagome told him firmly "I heard for myself that Sango had called out the name of her younger brother Kohaku, but she told me last night in the hot springs that he had been killed by Naraku along with all of the other Demon Slayers that night at the castle. Plus I saw for myself, and I'm pretty sure that Miroku saw it too, that he had a shard of the jewel imbedded in his back."

"Well we've dealt with that one before, you'd think that after last time Naraku would try and use something with a little bit more originality than just grabbing someone, cramming a jewel shard in their back and forcing them to fight against their will."

"You think he's controlling Kohaku the same way to try and get to Sango?"

"Naraku isn't really one for being subtle when it comes to this stuff, and knowing Sango I'd say there's a pretty fair chance she knows all too well what's going on."

"But if she does know about it then why did the barrier let her pass through?"

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

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Within the barrier, Sango and Kirara were able to catch up to Kohaku before long and quickly confronted him, only for Naraku to appear and reveal to Sango that he was the one responsible for bringing Kohaku back from the dead with a Shikon Jewel shard implanted in his back. But then he went on to reveal that if the shard in Kohaku's back was removed, then he would die in an instant. However, being the reasonable and merciful being that he was, he promptly made an offer to Sango: He would spare Kohaku's life if Sango did one simple task for him, which just so happened to be bringing to him Inuyasha's sword, the Tessaiga. Sango refused to let herself be bribed and tried to attack Naraku, only for him to disappear in a cloud of miasma, and when he left he took Kohaku with him.

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A little while later…

Kagome and the others were still waiting outside the barrier, when they saw Sango emerge it along with Kirara "There she is. So how did it go Sango, was that boy you were chasing really your little brother? Did you get a chance to talk with him?"

"Let me make this perfectly clear, that boy was not my brother!" Sango spat at them, which came out a lot harsher than she intended, and she cringed visibly when it did "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at all of you."

"You don't need to apologize, the important thing is that you returned unharmed." Miroku was quick to assure her "But this entire incident with the slaughter, the traps scattered throughout the vilage and the barrier, was Naraku the one that orchestrated all of it?"

"Yes it was, there's no doubt in my mind about that."

"I see, since that is the case I can only imagine that you must be exhausted from the encounter you experienced. For the time being, we should return to the village and get some rest."

"There's just one other thing Miroku. I want you to perform a service to commemorate and honor the villagers that were killed."

"Of course."

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Sunset came, and a certain level of calm had settled over the village.

Tatsu glanced over at Kagome while he was using his earth manipulation to dig a series of graves for the villagers "So Kirara and Shippo are out getting the rest of the explosives?"

"Yeah, they're using Kirara's nose so they should be done pretty soon." Kagome told him "They actually might be finishing up right now."

"Good, the sooner we get rid of those things and bury the villagers the better. You know call it a hunch, and maybe it's just me that thinks this, but I'm getting the feeling that there's a lot more to that cat than any of us realize."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a hunch based on something I saw back at the Demon Slayer village. I'll tell you about it some other time, right now we've got other things to worry about."

"Yeah I know. So what do you make of all of this? About Sango meeting up with Naraku I mean, what do you think of it?"

"Well based on what we've seen from Naraku up until now, he probably wanted to take the chance to gloat to her about how he's got her brother under his thumb."

"You think he tried to make Sango and Kohaku fight each other?"

"I doubt it, Naraku is arrogant and sadistic but he's not stupid, so I doubt he'd try and pull the same trick twice so soon. But even if that is the case, Sango doesn't have the heart to kill her own brother, and he knows that and he's taking advantage of it to its fullest."

"I just don't get how some people can be so cruel like that."

"Trust me, trying to understand the mindset of people like that does a lot more harm than good for you. In the meantime we should probably leave her alone and let her have some time to think until she's ready."

"So we shouldn't try to talk about it with her?"

"That sort of thing doesn't work unless the person is ready to talk about it, and they're the only ones who can decide that."

"I know, but still…"

"Well it's not like we can just let the bastard off the hook." this was when Inuyasha made his way over to them and started making an ass out of himself "So what if he's another one of Naraku's puppets and he's got a jewel shard crammed in his back, the fact is that the kid was responsible for slaughering an entire town full of people, and if Sango doesn't have the guts to kill him then one of us is gonna have to put the kid out of his misery. Hey Sango tell me something, you got a problem with that?" the only reply he received from Sango was a cold glare, and then her walking away "What's her problem?" he received a harsh glare from Kagome, as well as an eye roll form Tatsu "What?"

"For crying out loud Inuyasha, I can't believe how much of an insensitive jerk you can be sometimes! Sango wait up!" Kagome was quick to rush after her.

"Great, every time I tell it like it is I end up looking like the bad guy."

"You're the only one of us who can pull it off." Tatsu told him dryly, but then he breathed a sigh, his voice low "Look, while you're an ass for saying it the way that you did you do raise a valid point or two. We can't just let the kid run around under Naraku's control like that."

"Which is why we have to put the kid out of his misery. Think about it, Naraku sent Sango's zombie shard puppet brother because he thought we'd be too sentimental about it and wouldn't have the guts to finish the job, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna fall for that."

"Nice to know you care."

"You said yourself you think I'm right about this, so then why the hell are you acting so pissed off about it?"

"Because the difference between us is that I actually care about people's feelings, whereas you make it a point almost every time you open your mouth that you obviously don't."

"...Why don't you shut the fuck up and get lost?"

"If you want me to admit I'm wrong about that, then prove it. Apologize to Sango for starters, that's the least you can do." and so Tatsu promptly walked away.

'Shit, I'm in a crappy position aren't I? I'm the only one who's willing to take care of this, but it's not like I want to kill the kid.'

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Nightfall came, and the group had settled down for the night.

'Kohaku, I…' Sango lay wide awake with Kirara by her side, her mind drifting to memories from her past, as well as her earlier encounter 'Kohaku didn't even react when he saw me today. I have to wonder, has he truly forgotten everything about me, about himself? No, he doesn't even know that Naraku is the one responsible for destroying everything we've ever known. I won't allow him to be made into a puppet for Naraku to use as he sees fit, and in order to make sure that doesn't happen I have to save him from his clutches. He wanted me to bring him the Tessaiga, and only then would he let me have Kohaku back.' she glanced over to where Inuyasha lay sleeping against the wall of the hut (supoosedly) and started to reach for the Tessaiga, but then she stopped herself 'What the hell am I doing? I can't give the sword to Naraku, if he has that kind of power at his command then god only knows what he'll do! I can't do it."

"You can't do what?" this was when Inuyasha's eyes snapped open, which quickly took her off guard.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I'm a light sleeper, so what's your deal?"

"Nothing too bad, I just couldn't get to sleep."

"I see." there was a brief pause "Look, I… I'm sorry okay? About what I said earlier I mean."

"You have nothing to apologize for Inuyasha, I made it clear to you and the others before that the boy we saw today was not my brother. The little brother that I knew would never have been able to slaughter an entire village. Something like that would go against his very soul. I'm going to put an end to Naraku and to the imposter."

"It's not as simple as you want to believe it to be, if this kid looks exactly the same then can you really forget everything and turn on him that easily?"

"You shouldn't underestimate me, even if I am human I'm still a Demon Slayer. I'm not going to let myself fall for one of Naraku's tricks again."

"Oh. Well in that case, tell any of the others I apologized for anything and there's gonna be all sorts of hell."

"A little late for that." this was when Tatsu got their attention, revealing to the two of them that he was awake "I heard everythin and there's no way in hell I'm gonna be letting you live that down."

"Fuck!"

"But in all seriousness Sango, don't make claims that you can't back up. I know for a fact that if I was in your position, then I'd probably never be able to go through with it." he received no reply from Sango 'Even if she claims that it's not really him, she still has to see his face and be reminded of the pain. Kikyo is a prime example of that, and Inuyasha understands that a lot better than he's willing to admit, but it's what lets him understand how Sango is feeling about all of this.' then his head snapped to the side and his eyes narrowed "Wake up the others and keep your guards up."

"We already know." this was when Miroku got their attention "They're outside right now, and they have us completely surrounded. There's a lot of them."

"Let's get moving then." Tatsu grabbed his swords and made his way outside, with the others all following right behind him, where they found Kohaku making his way towards their hut with a large pack of demons following his lead 'Great, he's using the kid again, trying to mess with our heads to give himself an advantage. Don't even think about doing anything stupid or reckless on us monk, you've still got a matter of days before your Wind Tunnel is healed."

"But… I know, you're right about that."

"Besides you don't have to waste any energy on the likes of them, these kinds of demons have strength in numbers but that's all they have. Case and point. Iron Spear Storm!" as the demons started charging them, Tatsu fired forward a barrage of iron spears from his fingertips that started ripping through multiple demons at once, causing them to evaporate.

"Not even that, all we have to do is take out the ring leader and then the rest of them are as good as dead. Take a look and see for yourself." Inuyasha promptly drew the Tessaiga from its sheath as the demons came hurtling forward, only for Kohaku to wrap his chain sickle around and start attacking him.

'Oh just fucking perfect, he's sending Kohaku after the one guy that wouldn't hesitate to take him out.'

"Hate to break it to you kid, but if you want to try and take me out then you're gonna have to do a lot better than that!" Inuyasha didn't hesitate in using the Tessaiga and Kohaku's chain sickle to hurl him to the ground "And now it's over." he prepared to bring down the sword on Kohaku's head, but instead he thrusted it into the ground and slugged him in the face, sending him skidding a fair distance away 'God fucking dammit, I don't know what the hell made me cave in. It's okay to kill him, he's just another trap that Naraku's using to try and take us out. I should kill the kid, hell I have to kill him or no one else will have the stomach to!'

"I know what you're thinking." this was when Kohaku pulled himself back to his feet, his voice lacking any sort of emotion "And you're right, you should kill me. I deserve to die. I killed every last one of them. Our father, our friends, our fellow villagers, I slaughtered them one by one with my own hands. It's true that I did all of it, and that's why I shouldn't be allowed to live." to that end he turned his own chain sickle on himself and stuck himself in the back, right where the jewel shard had been implanted.

'What the fuck is this kid thinking hitting himself like that, what's he trying to prove?'

'He's trying to take the jewel shard out of his back.' Tatsu frowned in thought as he watched what was happening 'But that shard he's got in his back is the only thing that's keeping him alive right now, if that thing gets taken out of his body then he's going to die in an instant. That's probably what Naraku is trying to do with him, get another shard back in his hands. Crap I can't let this happen.' he pointed a finger forward at Kohaku and prepared to summon an iron spear from his fingertip 'I can't overdo it with the kid, one good shot is all that I need-'

"Don't do it!" this was when Sango suddenly hurled forward Hiraikotsu, knocking the Tessaiga clear out of its place in the ground and causing it to revert back to its normal form as it landed a short distance away from her.

'...Okay I wasn't expecting that, so what the hell is she doing?' Tatsu's eyes widened only a fraction, but then his attention was caught by Kohaku mounting the back of one of the surviving demons and then riding away.

'Is this Naraku's way of testing me? Does he really believe that I would give in and steal this sword from Inuyasha and let him get his hands on it? What am I supposed to do? I… I'm sorry, but I can't lose him, not again!' so she grabbed hold of Tessaiga and didn't hesitate in mounting herself on Kirara's back.

"Dammit Sango, what the hell are you doing?!" Inuyasha barked at her, only to receive no reply from her.

'I don't have any other choices, this is the only thing I can do. If there is a chance of getting my brother back, then I can't afford to lose him! Not again!' it was then that she and the various demons she was following were engulfed in a white light.

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Meanwhile, back with the others…

"Okay guys I'm ready, now let's get going." Kagome rushed out of the hut with her bow and quiver of arrows in hand, only to fid the others standing in place "Why are you guys just standing around like that, we have to go and get Sango!"

"The kid's got a shard of the jewel in his back." Inuyasha pointed out "Plus I can still smell the blood he's got pouring from that wound in his back, his scent still hasn't gotten too far from here so I can follow it."

"You think Naraku is calling him?"

"The kid's blank slate, I'm pretty sure that's the only reason he does anything." Tatsu told her flatly as he took Kagome onto his back and took off running, with Inuyasha and the others all following hot on his heels, though he let out a sigh as they continued "Miroku can't use his Wind Tunnel and Inuyasha doesn't have the Tessaiga, looks like I'm gonna have to take the lead on this one."

"You won't have to do it alone, I might not have that warrior fire that you do but I'm not gonna stand by and do nothing while you fight to protect everyone, not anymore. This time I want to do what I can to protect you." Kagome tightened her grip on the back of Tatsu's gi, her eyes blazing with determination.

'Kagome…'

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Meanwhile, with Sango…

'So this is the place then?' Sango and Kirara touched down on the roof of a large yet familiar castle covered by a thick purple cloud, one that she recognized 'This castle… Kohaku where are you, come out and show yourself!"

"If you wish to see him, then first put down your weapon."

'Naraku, so he's here too…' gritting her teeth, Sango hurled Hiraikotsu into the roof of the castle in front of her, which prompted a certain figure in a white baboon pelt to reveal himself to her as she dropped to the ground in front of her.

"Well done Sango, you did as I asked you too and brought the Tessaiga to me, as we had agreed upon."

"Let me see Kohaku, I'm only willing to hand over the sword after I see him." this prompted a red light to flash within the castle, revealing the figure in question to her "I've had enough of your lies and deception, now turn Kohaku back to his old self!"

"You're in no position to make demands of me, and killing me won't help you, something you should already understand all too well. If you wish to direct your anger then I suggest you do so towards the object at fault, that being the Shikon Jewel itself. The jewel is desired by demons and humans with evil in their hearts, and out of that desire your village was attacked by a pack of ravenous demons. That's why your father and comrades were killed, that's why Kohaku's own soul now wanders alone in darkness. All of it is because of the curse of the Shikon Jewel."

"I've had enough of your lies! You're the one who orchestrated the deaths of my family and my comrades, and sicked the demons on my village, you're the one who coveted the wretched jewel, and you're responsible for everything!"

"People are killed because of the power that emanates from the Shikon Jewel, and people live because of its power as well. There's no reason why you should bother to despise the jewel itself as much as you do. Keep in mind that your dear brother was revived because of the power of the jewel, and you made a promise to exchange the sword for the life of your brother. So tell me, what will you do?"

"You're the one that I despise, and I never made a promise like that to you! If you want my answer so badly, then I'll give it to you!" she hurled forward the Tessaiga and charged at him with a blade sticking out of her armor.

Naraku caught the Tessaiga (not being affected by the barrier on the sword, something you'll want to keep in mind for later) and blocked Sango's furious barrage of attacks, only for one stroke to rip through hos pelt and for a head of long black hair to reveal itself, one that she had recognized all too well.

"It's you… you're the young lord of the castle from that night."

"Kagewaki was a noble lord, it was his decision to give proper burials to all of the fallen Demon Slayers, whereas I had been the one to give the order for your care after the massacre."

"You mean you killed the lord and took his place."

"I can assure you that Kagewaki is still alive, at least according to the fools who believe so easily that I am him."

"Damn you Naraku, just die already!" Sango renewed her assault on Naraku and attacked him in a blind rage, only for her blade to be shattered in a single move and for her to be sent tumling backwards in a heap, blood pouring from a wound to her shoulder.

Naraku let out a chuckle at the sight of her in agony, only to be met with Kirara pouncing at him from behind, but he simply released some more of his miasma that caused Kirara to fall to the ground in agony.

"Kirara! What the hell did you do to her?"

"I did nothing that she didn't do to herself. Nothing can survive being exposed directly to my miasma, and neither you nor her are an exception to that rule."

"What?" this was when Sango was suddenly bound by a strand of Naraku's hair that had clung onto her arm, blasting her with some of his miasma ntil she fell to her knees and started gasping for iar.

"Tell me Sango, would you agree to become one of my servants along with your brother? I do remember the last command given by Kagewaki, he had asked you to return to the castle once your task was complete."

"...You really expect me to serve you, to cater to your every whim after everything that you've done? Let me make this clear to you Naraku, my main goal is to destroy you and nothing is going to change that! I will avenge my family and my fellow villagers, and you'll pay for all of the blood that you've shed!"

"Is that your final say in the matter?"

"It is."

"So be it then. Come to me Kohaku." this prompted Kohaku to emerge from within the main building of the castle.

"Kohaku…"

"And now this ends sister, goodbye." Kohaku raised his chain sickle.

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Meanwhile, with the others…

"Yeah that's gotta be it." Tatsu screeched to a halt at the edge of a hillside a short distance away from the castle, which prompted the others to do the same "Creepy caslte with the ominous color in the skies surrounding it, yeah that's usually a pretty strong sign of the evil fortress where the bad guy is hiding." this was followed by cries of pain "And so was that?"

"That was Sango's voice, we have to hurry." Kagome told him.

"Got it." and so they all took off again.

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Meanwhile, in the castle…

"Kohaku, please…" despite being left with a number of wounds, Sango managed to pull herself back to her feet and continue to try and get through to him "Please Kohaku, you have to break free of Naraku's control. You can resist him, I know you're strong enough to!" but instead of that happening, all she got was Hiraikotsu being thrusted into the ground next to her 'What's he trying to do now?'

"Yes that's right Sango, grab hold of your Hiraikotsu." Naraku's voice echoed throughout the grounds of the castle "Use this weapon and kill your beloved younger brother with your own two hands. Slaughter him like an animal, and then burn with the desire to live. Pray to continue wandering in this world and vow to do whatever you can to survive. When you kill your brother and when you are bathed in his blood, the jewel shard in his back will glow brighter than ever with the power of darkness, and the more sullied it is the more beautiful it becomes."

Sango slowly reached to grab hold of Hiraikotsu, but then she stopped and let out a bitter sounding chuckle "He wants me to kill you, what makes him think I would ever be able to do such a thing? I can't… Kohaku…" she reached towards him, but then she finally collapsed to the ground.

It was at this moment that Kohaku regained awareness, if only for a moment "My sister…" he fell to his knees.

"Sango!" it was at this moment that Tatsu and the others arrived on the scene to find Sango on the ground with serious wounds 'Great, so he forced her own brother to go to town on her and she didn't have the stomach to defend herself, let alone fight back.'

"You son of a bitch!" Inuyasha wasted no time in barking at him "Get the fuck out here and show yourself Naraku, where the fuck are you hiding?!"

"You really think he's gonna show himself that easily?

"Kohaku massacred his own father and his fellow villagers, he massacred an entire town full of innocent villagers, yet his sister claims that she is unable to kill him. She claims that she loves her younger brother more dearly than she does her own life. I do not understand such a thing, how could this be?"

"It's called having a soul. How is she?"

"She's hurt pretty bad, she lost a lot of blood too." Kagome told him from where she was in the middle of healing Sango's wounds "I've stopped the wounds from getting any worse but there's something else, some sort of corrosive energy in this wound on her arm."

"As long as she's not getting any worse, we'll cover you for as long as you need."

"Right." Kagome quickly went back to treating Sango's wouds through the Healing Hand, though her mind began drifting as she did so 'This whole thing is horrible, it's just like what happened to Inuyasha and Kikyo 50 years ago, when Naraku tricked them into fighting against the people they love. Now he's trying to make Sango turn on her younger brother in the hopes that she would kill him, and then the jewel shard that he has implanted in his back would be defiled even further. Both of these are almost exactly the same, making people hate and betray each other so they would take each other out. Kikyo died and had the jewel burned with her body in an attempt to rid the world of its power, and Sango refused to fight her brother for that very same reason. I just don't get how some people can be so cruel and despicable. Even if Sango did find it in herself to be angry with her brother, she would never let herself be used by him like some kind of tool. She's a good person at heart, and no matter what happens she will always love her brother. You're a fool Naraku, you don't understand people anywhere near as well as you think you do."

"Is that so?" Naraku let out a menacing chuckle that echoed all around them, which was almost immediately followed a cloud of purple vapor "Spare me your arrogance you wretched mortals, now all of you can die slowly from my miasma. I'll be sure to relish each and every moment you draw closer to your inevitable deaths."

'A demonic miasma… I wonder…' Kagome's thoughts were cut short as she looked down and saw Sango trying to pick herself up "Sango you shouldn't be moving yet."

"Yeah so stay the fuck where you are and don't move!" Inuyasha barked at her "I've got a ridiculously long list of things to chew you out for, so don't you fucking dare go and die on us right now!"

"Inuyasha's right, in his own way more or less, because none of us want you to die."

"It's all my fault…" Sango slowly pulled herself onto her knees and turned towards Kohaku as she held up a poison shielding mask "But at the very least… I can give you this…" she took him into her arms and attached the mask to his face, which subsequently purified the jewel shard in his back as a result.

'Sango… it's her genuine love for her little brother that's purifying the jewel shard in his back and erasing Naraku's corruption… Wait a second that's it! I can't sense Naraku's demonic aura with all of the miasma covering the place, but I can still track him through the jewel shards that he has with him!'

'Come on think, how do I dispel the miasma?' Tatsu looked around at the cloud of miasma that was surrounding them, his mind racing 'Maybe I can try and use my earth powers to elevate us out of here, but there's no telling how high up the miasma reaches. I could use an energy blast to cause an explosion that would burn up all the gas and the oxygen with it. No, the others are too close and I can't do it without them getting caught in it. Maybe I can-' his thoughts were cut short when he caught sight of Kagome preparing to fire an arrow "Yeah I don't mean to sound harsh Kagome, but that's not gonna do much against a cloud of poison gas."

"Maybe not a normal one, but an arrow packed full of spiritual power should be enough for me to purify the miasma, and with any luck we'll get a few good blows on Naraku too. I can track him down through the jewel shards he has with him, and I know what I'm doing so just stand back and let me handle this."

"Kagome-"

"Let me do this Tatsu. I can't just stand by and watch as you protect me while I do nothing, not anymore. You've always protected me, so this time let me be the one to protect you."

"...Okay." Tatsu placed both of his swords back in their sheaths and took a step back "Do what you have to do."

"Got it." so using her ability to sense the jewel shards, Kagome turned in a certain direction with her arrow locked and loaded, her mind racing as she did so 'I have to remember what Raidou told me, it's all about focus. I learned all about that by watching you over the years Tatsu. Over the years I've stood by and watched as you defended me and protected me and others, your resolve never wavered, not even for a second. You've always protected me up until now, and I'm grateful to you for that. But this time, this time I want to be the one to protect you!' and so with that final thought, she fired her arrow, resulting in a surprisingly large explosion.

When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Naraku had been struck by the Sacred Arrow, and as a result one of his arms had been blown clean off, leaving him just as surprised as pretty much everyone else 'What… How could she have…?'

"I've had enough of you Naraku! I've had enough of your arrogance, enough of your cruelty and enough of you making people suffer just so you can laugh! I'm done with all of it, and I'm putting an end to this right here and right now!"

'She's nothing but an oddly dressed human girl, how could she have so much power at her command? With a single arrow she was able to purify my miasma so easily. This kind of power is something I've only seen once before, and it came from Kikyo, but she perished 50 years ago, so who is this girl?'

"I'm not going to let you make anyone else suffer!" with her conviction firmly established and her resolve unwaving, Kagome promptly fired a second Sacred Arrow at Naraku, this time striking him square in the chest as the spiritual energy burned away at his body.

'This power is exactly like Kikyo's own Sacred Arrow, but how can this be? Don't tell me that this girl is…' his thoughts were cut short as his body continued to be eaten away at, and then he engulfed himself in a massive whirlwind of miasma.

'Maybe I should've thought this through.' this thought entered Kagome's mind as she got swept off her feet by the ensuing winds that resulted from Naraku's whirlwinds of miasma.

"Kagome hold on!" Tatsu was quick to grab Kagome by the arm and pull her close to his chest as he used one of his swords to hold himself in place "Okay you're two for two, credit where it's due and all that, now let's focus on not being swept up in a huge cloud of poison okay?"

"Y-Yeah okay. Okay I didn't expect this, when the heck did Tatsu become so… chiseled and the like?' Kagome's face turned a deep shade of red for a moment or two, until…

"Kohaku!" cries from Sango were quick to snap Kagome back to reality as they all took notice of the sight of Kohaku being levitated away as the castle dissolved, and then there was a white flash of light that engulfed them.

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Morning came, and the sun was just beginning to rise over the skies above.

Kagome opened her eyes to find herself in Tatsu's arms, to which she blushed and freed herself from it as she looked around "The castle is gone, but how did he…?"

"It was a phantom castle, nothing but an illusion." Sango's voice was hoarse.

"So then… he's gone isn't he?"

"Well it's not a huge loss." Tatsu jerked a thumb over to where Inuyasha was grabbing hold of the Tessaiga and placing it back in its sheath "So what about Naraku then, did he really get away on us again?"

"He must have, I can't sense any traces of his demonic aura or any jewel shards. I'm so sorry about this Tatsu, I screwed this up bad."

"How the hell is that screwing up? You saved us back there, if it wasn't for you then that could've ended up a hell of a lot worse than it did. Besides, far be it for me to deny credit where it's due, what you did back there was incredible. You really have gotten stronger."

"Maybe I am stronger than I used to be, but it's not enough. I couldn't destroy Naraku today, and because of that he got away and he's going to make more people suffer."

"Come on, you can't beat yourself up over this."

"I know, the only thing I can do is follow what you told me. There might not be any shame in being weak, but there is shame in staying weak. I can't be satisfied with the power that I have right now Tatsu, I have to get so much stronger. Once I am stronger, we have to do everything we can to destroy Naraku, so that no one else has to suffer because of him."

"Well you don't have to do it alone, we'll do it together. All of us. And speaking of people suffering…" he glanced over at where Sango was trying to pull herself back to her feet and use Hiraikotsu as a crutch, despite Shippo's protests.

"Sango hold on a second, you can't move around just yet. I wasn't able to completely heal your injuries, and you still need to rest."

"I'm sorry…" Sango's voice was soft and hoarse "But I can't stay with you any longer, not after this."

"Sango come on, you don't have to leave."

"Yes I do, I betrayed all of you."

"Sango, you don't have to be so hard on yourself over this." Miroku told her "We all understand that Naraku was threatening you with the life of your brother if you didn't do what he said."

"That's just it, so long as he has Kohaku what's to stop me from betraying all of you all over again?! As long as Kohaku is under his control…"

"So what does that mean then?" asked Tatsu "Are you saying that you're just gonna grin and bear it and go after him on your own? To put it bluntly, you're not going to last on your own."

"I don't have any other choice in the matter Tatsu."

"Yeah you do, and remember this. Now matter how strong you are and no matter how much raw power you have at your command, don't try to do everything on your own. If you do then you're all but guaranteed to fail. Now stop fighting us on this and let Kagome finish healing your injuries already."

"But why… after everythig I did, why would you still help me?"

"You're our friend, what other reason do you need?"

"For fuck's sake Sango, will you stop whining already?!" this was when Inuyasha decided to open his mouth "We want you to stick with us because you're a decent fighter for a human, and that's all there is to it!"

"There you see? In his own way that makes him sound like the biggest jackass on this side of the country, even Inuyasha wants you to stick around, especially since he's sore about you snatching his sword away from him so easily." he ducked underneath a sweep of Inuyasha's claws "And he's also got one of the most fragile egos to go with it, but he's a good guy deep down. If you're willing to look deep enough anyway."

This was when Shippo sealed the deal with his puppy dog eyes that only a little kid would be able to pull off "Why do you want to leave Sango, don't you like us anymore?"

"Of course I do." now Sango's facade was beginning to crack "But it's all my fault that all of this happened, and I can't stay with you or else I might end up doing something like this again. But even so, I…" it was at this moment that she finally broke down crying and promptly threw herself into Kagome's embrace.

'It's always the little kid puppy dog eyes that make them break down, we probably should've just done that from the start.' putting that thought aside, Kagome was quick to comfort Sango as she let her cry 'I can't even imagine just how hard this whole thing must have been for her. I promise you it's going to be okay Sango, no matter what happens we're always gonna be here for you."

A/N:

With this chapter we see the beginning of the second season, but it starts off on a bit of a grim tone, as we learn more about Miroku's past and see Sango have to suffer more than she already has, all because of Naraku. Kohaku is back from the dead, but under Naraku's control, which is going to be a crucial element for the rest of the series.

Speaking of crucial elements, while there wasn't a huge focus on it, I did show a little bit more of Kagome's progress in her own training. Since she's got control of her own spiritual power down pretty well, now she's focusing on training with certain weapons, in this case her skills with a bow and arrow. With some advice that she received from Raidou, she's getting much better at focusing her shot, and then there's that whole scene where she launches that Sacred Arrow at Naraku. I don't know about the rest of you, but I got chills watching that scene. I also think of it as a giant middle finger to all of the people out there who say Kagome is useless.

On another note, if this chapter is anything to go by, Tatsu is going to be using a number of techniques that come from other anime. This is mainly because other anime have really cool techniques that I can work with, and it's a lot of fun to use them in various stories.