Naraku, Hokai, Tsumetai and Mikata waited impatiently for the right time to strike, Naraku was determined not to squander this time of patience.

As he now controlled the swollen ranks of the Wicker clan, he had them all working day and night to turn his onyx caves into habitual headquarters. Rooms were created within days, until a miniature underground palace began to form under the living rock of Kukoyoseki isle.

With nothing else to do, Mikata and Tsumetai feasted and drank, bored of waiting for actions from Naraku, who had no qualms about ordering around every northern and eastern demon they had brought along. Naraku kept the couple well supplied with rice wine and food.

Hokai had almost been forgotten in the general hubbub, but he was always watching. The spider demon had immediately relinquished his control over the Wicker clan and passed the baton onto Naraku. Because of this he had little to do, except wait and watch the goings on around him. He became rather fixated on his brother, as some of Naraku's behaviour had become…Odd.

Naraku always had his dark mirror on his person and would watch the images it showed, sometimes for hours at a time, his red eyes glued to the reflective surface. Hokai had offered to watch the mirror, and therefore the actions of Kikyo and Sesshomaru, so Naraku could rest. But Naraku always refused.

Whenever Hokai glimpsed his brother staring at his magic mirror , it was always trained on Kikyo's image.

Naraku had also become obsessive over the supplies being brought in by the demon servants. Hokai, wishing to be useful, thought he could at least begin overseeing the supplies coming in. But Naraku had shooed him away dismissively.

Hokai could not help but feel a baffling disappointment. The brother he remembered had been a partner in crime. They had schemed together and shared ambitions of power far beyond their small clan. Hokai had expected some acknowledgement of their close blood ties, or at least some form of trust and familiarity. So far, this had been lacking.

By day Naraku stared at the reflection of Kikyo, by night he feasted with Mikata and Tsumetai.

Hokai was surprised by Naraku's attendance and attentiveness during these endless feasts. He served food and poured wine himself for Mikata and Tsumetai, whilst Hokai looked on with perplexity. Naraku did not even pour his own drinks, why would he serve theirs? Was he coveting their power, concerned they may lose interest in his plans and go home?

Mikata and Tsumetai seemed to accept this behaviour from Naraku almost as a peace offering for a frosty beginning. But Hokai was not convinced of this show of kindness.

At one such feast Hokai made a truly suspicious discovery. It was a night like any other on the isle. They sat upon the long newly carved table laden with mostly seafood. Mikata and Tsumetai monopolised the provender and wine that Naraku offered, practically pouring red rice wine down their throats at an almost continuous pace. Naraku made a big show of pouring their wine and filling their plates with rice cakes, miso and an array of fish.

Later, when Mikata and Tsumetai had fallen asleep in their chairs, spilling wine like blood out across the table top. Naraku smiled and began to make his way to his newly formed bed chambers, Hokai jumped on this brothers retreating back, skittering behind Naraku and whispering into his human shaped ear.

"What are you doing brother?" Hokai breathed his foul breath into Naraku's face he was so close. Naraku wrinkled his nose as he turned to face the spider.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Why are you being so…friendly to Tsumetai and Mikata? It's not like you, not like you at all," Hokai hissed.

"Hokai, I'm surprised at you. These are our allies, you yourself vouched for them. I am merely showing my gratitude," Naraku said smoothly.

Hokai opened his fangs to retort, but was pulled short when he noticed the small line of blood on Naraku's wrist. Using his front legs, Hokai seized his brother's hand. The cut was deep and straight, directly across his wrist. Suspicion boiled in Hokai's abdomen, making his spinnerets quiver. "What is this? What have you done?"

Naraku snatched his hand away and two drops of his blood dripped onto the dark floor. Naraku's face was perfectly expressionless. "It's nothing Hokai, a scratch."

"A scratch? How did you do it?," Hokai demanded, Naraku smiled quaintly.

"Hokai are you losing your nerve over a small laceration? You said you were the Spinner of our clan, isn't the Spinner meant to be strong and brave?" Naraku taunted before sauntering off deeper into the caves, disappearing into the shadows.

Hokai dawdled in the dark for some time, wondering what to do. When Hokai had mastered his courage, he skulked after his brother, creeping along the solid black, intricately carved door that led to Naraku's quarters. Hokai opened the door a crack with his bulky body and peered inside.

Naraku's room was hard and sharp, with every item made of the same obsidian onyx that shaped the walls. The soldiers had been working hard to please him, they had created fine tables and chairs carved so delicately each item must have taken hours. A solid, heavy looking bed was pressed against the back of the cave wall, covered lightly in more baboon pelts.

There, as always, Naraku sat with his mirror held aloft. Over Naraku's shoulder Kikyo's doe eyes stared out at Hokai, trapped in her prison of glass.

Hokai withdrew silently, his heart burning with questions. Why was it that, more often than not, he was catching his brother staring into that mirror? Staring at that priestess?


The next fortnight was like bliss, heaven. Like a normal life.

Kikyo and Sesshomaru slipped into living together like minnows in a stream. Kikyo especially, had settled into her life as the lady of the castle with astonishing ease.

Most of the castle demons who had been under the barrier with Kikyo and Sesshomaru had seen this coming. When Kikyo had lost her souls beneath the barrier they had all seen Sesshomaru hold her close, overwhelmed with concern for her safety. They had also seen that she had tried hard to save them all, a feat that had earned her respect from the the resident demons.

Kikyo took Rin's well being incredibly seriously. She organised for human food to be delivered for the teenager from Inuyasha's village. And a disgruntled, jealous looking Jaken had spent much of his time ordering a myriad of rainbow coloured Kimono's for the girls. Kikyo had been human once, and could anticipate what Rin would need to live happily, things that Sesshomaru, being a demon, had not thought of.

Kikyo cooked for Rin every morning and when the sun went down. On most mornings, Kikyo and Rin would go out into the gardens and pick herbs or flowers. Kikyo would show Rin how to preserve some of the herbs and they would place their discoveries in jars in the dusty kitchen.

Sesshomaru would watch the two girls laughing in the winter sunlight. It was a glimpse of happiness in otherwise consistently frustrating days for the dog demon.

Sesshomaru had been searching for the spider, the eastern lady and the northern lord, but they seemed to have disappeared into thin air. They were not holed up in their castles and all of their strongholds were mysteriously empty.

Sesshomaru was tethered to his own domain by his anxiety. He would search for his foes during the day and return at night, worried that if he returned home too late, he would see a suffocating barrier surrounding his castle, or that he would learn that his precious girls had been taken. This limitation impeded his search massively, for he could not hunt with any depth or detail.

Every night when he would return empty handed. He would spend some time with his daughter and hear about Rin's carefree day. When Rin had retired to bed, Sesshomaru would lie in his own bed with Kikyo. They would hold each other close and he would gaze into her beautiful, dark eyes. Kikyo's eyes were mesmerising to Sesshomaru, filled with wisdom and kindness and a clarity that comes from a long and hard life.

A fortnight had passed fruitlessly. Sesshomaru held Kikyo against his chest, under his chin. She held a blissful look of utter unconcern on her face, but Sesshomaru was restless. Their enemies were still out there, hiding, planning. Until he located them and killed them how could he keep Kikyo safe?

"You seem frustrated Sesshomaru," Kikyo said idly, her eyes still peacefully shut. Sesshomaru hesitated for a moment, loathe to burden Kikyo with his worries when she looked so content.

"I cannot locate the scent of Hokai and the other two. They are gone. I need to search more thoroughly and that would mean staying away from the western lands for longer," Sesshomaru explained, his claws lightly brushing the delicate skin of Kikyo's arms.

Kikyo opened her eyes at his words and she looked at Sesshomaru searchingly. "Perhaps they have fled, knowing they cannot defeat you, your mother and Inuyasha. Not the three of you together. Perhaps this is their chance at life and they are taking it."

Sesshomaru shook his head dismissively, showering Kikyo in silver threads of hair.

"It doesn't matter. I need to find them, no matter what their motives for disappearing are. I will travel to the northernmost part of Japan and begin a careful search."

"I'll go with you," Kikyo said earnestly. Sesshomaru stroked her cold cheek with his clawed finger.

"No. Stay with Rin, protect her. I want both of you to to make your way to Inuyasha, for additional security."

Kikyo looked worried, and Sesshomaru felt guilty, knowing he was the cause. She also looked like she was about to protest his request and Sesshomaru did not want to hear her challenges. Not now. Sesshomaru kissed her quietly, basking in the feel of her lips against his. Kikyo sighed contentedly and eventually fell asleep, enfolded in his arms.

Sesshomaru watched her sleeping form for a while, trying to memorise every curve of her face to sustain him for the next few days that lay ahead. He burned with a resolve to keep her safe. He had to find their enemies, or he would have no peace. He refused to mar their contented love with threats looming forever over their shoulders.

He did not believe they had given up and fled, Sesshomaru had not yet heard that his mother had found her meido stone. And Sesshomaru began to suspect someone other than your average thief had stolen it.

The next morning it was colder and starker, with a chill wind that seemed to be blowing harder with each passing day. A wary sun peaked behind a bank of grey clouds, casting a feeble light over the castle and the demons it inhabited.

Sesshomaru stared at the ceiling of his bedroom glumly, the thought of leaving Kikyo and Rin for days made his limbs feel heavy and dull.

Kikyo awoke beside him with a stretch of her willowy limbs. She kissed Sesshomaru's striped cheek whilst he sat there frowning and padded off to the bathhouse in her bare feet, it was a room that seemed to be a favourite of hers.

Feeling irritable, Sesshomaru went to find Jaken. The little toad had tried to hide how thrilled he was to see Rin again after years of being apart, but had not quite been able to master himself. When they had been hunting Naraku, Rin had spent more time with Jaken than with anyone else. Since Rin's return Jaken had set aside some time each day to be with Rin.

Sesshomaru found Jaken in the great hall, fretting over the commissioned kimonos the dog demon had ordered for Kikyo. Jaken began to tremble when he saw the western lord approaching.

"Mi'lord! Please forgive me! The priestess's dresses haven't arrived yet! I ordered them like you said sir, but-"

"Jaken, be quiet and listen to me," Sesshomaru snapped, interrupting the toads dithering. Jaken fell silent meekly.

"I'm going after Tsumetai and the others. I want you to escort Kikyo and Rin to Inuyasha. Take your staff of two heads with you."

Jaken nodded and bowed obediently. "Of course sire…but ...how long will we be staying with Inuyasha?" the green toad asked.

"Until I find the northern lord and the rest of them, and remove their heads from their shoulders," Sesshomaru growled, so belligerently Jaken began shaking again.

Sesshomaru turned to walk away. The sun had risen not that long ago, if he left now he would have the majority of the day to search, and the sooner he started, the sooner he would find them. He would search all through the night as well if he had to, he would stop at nothing until those demons were found.

"If anything happens to Rin or to Kikyo whilst I am gone, I'll kill you," Sesshomaru told Jaken in a lightly threatening voice. Jaken gulped loudly.

Shoulders squared with resolve, Sesshomaru walked out into the garden. Despite the cold air, Kikyo and Rin were already outside. A love of being outside was something Rin and Kikyo shared. Today, they had eschewed flower picking for a lesson in archery. Kikyo had managed to find a smaller bow for Rin to practice with. Rin listened, fascinated as Kikyo explained each part of the bow, pointing an elegant finger to each area in turn.

Sesshomaru did not want to interrupt them, they looked so happy and content. He felt like he could easily watch them for eternity. For every smile and every laugh was precious to him.

Eyes as sharp as ever, Kikyo spied Sesshomaru watching them. She took Rin's hand and they walked over to the dog demon. Kikyo was back to wearing her priestess robes, her hair was down and decorating her shoulders. Rin wore her favourite orange kimono.

"Sesshomaru, are you leaving to look for them?" Kikyo asked dully, already resigned to listening to the answer that she knew she would hear.

"Yes. Remember, I need you to make your way to Inuyasha, today. He will protect you whilst I search. Jaken will go with you as a guard," Sesshomaru said.

Kikyo gently took Sesshomaru's wrist and pulled the dog demon aside. "I don't like the thought of you going alone Sesshomaru. What if they plan another ambush or a trap? Could we not ask Inuyasha or your mother to go with you?" Kikyo suggested without much hope of a positive reply.

Sesshomaru ignored this proposal in his usual typical way. He gave Kikyo a hard look. "Just concentrate on getting to Inuyasha safely. Don't take any detours or linger here too long. Get there as soon as you can so I know you are both safe."

Kikyo nodded, acknowledging the emergency in Sesshomaru's eyes. She sighed in defeat and reached up her hand to cup Sesshomaru's cheek.

"Come back to me," Kikyo said faintly.

"I will," Sesshomaru promised the priestess. He leaned down and kissed Kikyo gently. He had become accustomed to kissing her each day. Now that he was to be away from her for a while, Sesshomaru tried to lock their kiss into his memory, to savour it as a touch to cling to once he was alone.

Sesshomaru said farewell to Rin, who hugged the dog demon tightly, pained at Sesshomaru's plan to leave.

"Remember our plan," Kikyo reminded her lover sharply. "Once you locate Hokai, find Inuyasha so he can aid you. Please Sesshomaru, don't fight alone," she said with an anxious frown. And because she had asked him, he knew he would have to oblige, rather than risk disappointing her.

Before setting off, Sesshomaru permitted himself one last look at Kikyo and Rin. He gazed at them hungrily, as if he could imprint their likeness permanently on his eyes. He tried to hold Kikyo's winsome smile in his mind's eye as he took to the air.

Sesshomaru was as determined as a hound on the hunt. He pelted through the air with deliberation and began sifting through and investigating every scent that passed his nose.

He would find them and kill them. For his new family. For his beloved Kikyo.


Hi everyone sorry it has taken a while to get this chapter up! I am moving house and it is a pain and a kerfuffle.

The next chapter will ping between a few points of view so bear with me! It needs to switch back and forth so I can show Naraku's devious plan to the fullest!

I hope you are all enjoying the story so far, brace yourself for some dark turns ahead! And when I say dark I mean pitch black!