(Secret of Pure Light)

Nightfall had come, and the group had settled into camp for the night. Well, most of them.

'I need to be prepared…' Tatsu sat by the campfire near the sleeping forms of the others, using a whetstone to sharpen one of his katanas in his lap 'What happened to Kagome and the others CANNOT happen again. And it WON'T. I'll make sure of it.' he cast a glance over at the sleeping forms of the others, Kagome in particular, until something caught his eye in the form of a certain something small, orange and furry writhing around 'And apparently I'm not the only one who's been having some problems sleeping.' so with that in mind, he gently nudged the furry figure in question "Shippo wake up."

"Fire!" Shippo bolted upright and was left panting heavily, looking around frantically until his gaze fell onto Tatsu, and then onto Kagome "She… They're okay… They're not hot…"

"Well I wouldn't say that, just about every guy we come across in this world or mine thinks that she's-" Tatsu paused as he looked down and saw Shippo with tears brimming in his eyes, so he took Shippo onto his shoulder "Okay yeah, that's how you know I'm spending way too much time around Inuyasha and Miroku. And my friend Arashi. And my mentor Akira. And my older brother Kazuma. I've got a lot of guys like that in my life now that I think about it. You doing okay?"

"I… I had a bad dream…" Shippo's face fell as he looked away "It was scary… I tried so hard to be brave but… I thought they were gonna die… and I couldn't do anything… then you tried to save them and you…" tears began streaming down his face.

"I know how you feel. For a minute I was really scared they would too."

"It's like… what happened to my father all over again… It's not fair…"

"No. It really isn't. It's like what happened to my mom and my dad. For a long while it was just me and my brother. It really hurt. It still kind of does. But I want you to listen to me." he gently sat Shippo on the ground in front of him and looked him in the eye "What happened to Kagome and the others yesterday is NEVER going to happen again."

"You… You promise?"

"I promise."

"I… I'm still scared though…" Shippo grabbed onto Tatsu's gi as tears began brimming in his eyes again, leaving Tatsu to gently rub his back.

"I know. But I don't think you should tell Kagome about that."

"Why…?"

"She's really good with that stuff, I know she is… But she almost died. Miroku and Sango did too. We shouldn't have to remind them of that. We don't want to upset them, especially when they're still recovering."

"Did… Did they cry or anything?"

"I saw a little bit of it. Just… try to be brave for her okay? I think that's what a great demon would do, and I know you wanna be one someday."

"I do, I just… I don't know if I can do that."

"We gotta start somewhere, right? And listen, if you're having trouble with this you can come and talk to me." Tatsu paused and looked over at where Inuyasha sat against a nearby tree with his eyes closed "But not him. Definitely not him."

"Okay, I… I'll try."

"Alright. Now you'd better go get some sleep, Kagome's probably missing her cuddly buddy by now."

"Alright." Shippo made his way back over to Kagome's sleeping.

'She'd probably be mad at me for telling him not to come to her… just another part of Kagome's nature I'd say. One thing is pretty clear though. I have a promise to keep now.' Tatsu watched quietly as Shippo fell asleep snuggled against Kagome, and then he turned his gaze back to the flames flickering in the campfire 'I did meanwhat I said. What happened to the others, especially to Kagome, is NEVER going to happen again. Because I'm going to make sure of it.' on that mental note, he turned his attention back to sharpening his swords with his whetstone.

"I don't need you breathing down my neck while I'm doing the watch." Inuyasha opened his eyes and shot an annoyed glare at Tatsu from where he sat by the tree "If you're gonna sleep then fucking do it already."

"I was going to say the same thing to you." Tatsu noted dryly without looking up from where he sat by Kagome's sleeping form, using a whetstone to sharpen one of his katanas "Even you need to get some rest."

"Don't lump me in with the human crowd, I'm not weak like the rest of you." Inuyasha paused for a brief moment, and his gaze softened, if only slightly "Besides, it's not like the Band of Seven is gonna pop out of the bushes and attack as soon as you close your eyes."

"Doesn't matter if you're right, because I'm not giving them the chance." Tatsu examined the blade in his hand and stowed away his whetstone "Just because they took a blow doesn't mean they're gonna give up that easy. Before Koga left he told me that he beat one member of the group calling himself Kyokotsu, stole the jewel shard out of his head too, and Sesshomaru ripped apart the poison user, Mukotsu I think his name was. And you said you took care of Ginkotsu when you fought him, right?"

"I hit him with a Wind Scar point blank, not many demons can survive something like that, and sure as hell not some reanimated corpse, even if it is made of metal."

"Which means that the Band of Seven has been cut down to four, with Renkotsu and Jakotsu still being around. They're gonna be a lot more cautious now."

"And that's only gonna make them a lot more dangerous." Inuyasha let out a low growl "So before the remaining four regroup and try to take us out, I say we make the first move against them instead."

"So we get our hands on them before they try and get the drop on us."

"You gonna complain about this being one of my plans?"

"Nope, for once I actually agree. I'm not taking any more chances with these fuckers, the first chance we get we take them out. Period." Tatsu's gaze hardened with fury as he placed both of katanas back into their sheaths "But we have to find them first, and that raises a couple of other concerns. My Ki sensing only works up to a certain distance, so that will only get us so far."

"There's plenty of other ways to find them, mostly cause they reek of dead bodies and graveyard soil, and don't forget that they were brought back Shikon Jewel shards."

"So we have three ways to find them."

"And without having to hold back, the both of us are more than strong enough to stop them, whatever they may be planning."

"No. Not stop them. We're gonna nail them to the fucking ground." Tatsu let out a snarl as he strapped both of his katanas onto his back, his eyes blazing with fury "There's only one way this is going to end, and it's when they're dead. Every last one of them."

"Yeah… for sure." Inuyasha eyed Tatsu warily for a moment before turning away 'It's one thing for me to want to go in and start cutting off heads, but to hear that from him? This doesn't feel right.'

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Amidst all of the chaos erupting throughout the land thanks to the Band of Seven being brought back from the dead, Kikyo had encountered a doctor by the name of Suikotsu, who had taken it upon himself to care for orphaned children in a remote village.

She quickly took notice of the fact that he was already dead, and the fact he had a Shikon Jewel shard implanted in his neck. But the thing that left her baffled was that the shard in his neck was completely pure, without a single hint of corruption or defilement.

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Meanwhile, with the main group…

'It can't be too long before something happens…' Tatsu cast a vigilant glance around the area as he ran through the grassy plains while carrying Kagome on his back, with Inuyasha following close behind him, and the rest chasing them on Kilala's back 'Now that we're out in the open again, the rest of the Band of Seven will probably try and lure us into another trap, or maybe they-'

"Over that way!" Kagome pointed in a certain direction ahead of them "I can sense the presence of another jewel shard in that direction?"

'...Or that. I'm not sensing any familiar Ki, what about you Inuyasha?"

"I'm not picking up any scents yet." Inuyasha told him "Either way it sounds like we might have got these bastards, so let's get them."

"Believe me, I plan to." and so Tatsu picked up the pace with a small burst of energy emitting from his feet "Remember what I said last night."

"What do you think I- Wait hold on, where's Myoga?"

"Master Inuyasha!" as it turns out, Myoga had hitched a ride onto a crow flying above them and gave a quick salute "Forgive me my lord, I just remembered that I have some really important business I must attend to, but I wish all of you the best of luck on your endeavors from here on out!" and just like that the crow was gone.

"...What the fuck else is new? Nothing about that surprises me anymore."

"Don't get too bent out of shape Inuyasha, he's already done more than enough." Sango gave a small smile from her place on Kilala's back "Don't forget that if it wasn't for him and Tatsu, the three of us wouldn't be here today."

"It was like two days ago, pretty sure nobody's gonna forget about that." Inuyasha's sarcasm disappeared when he saw Shippo's expression turn downcast as he buried his face into Sango's shoulder 'Shit I know that look, it's like the time he took the ramen out of Kagome's bag in the middle of the night before I could get my hands on it. The little runt is hiding something, and it's bad. Gonna have to look into that later.'

'Like I thought… he knows…' Tatsu cast his own subtle glance back at the others until his gaze fell on Shippo 'If he tells the others… No, I can't worry about that right now.'

"This doesn't feel right." Kagome spoke up from her place on Tatsu's back "I don't understand something about this."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean every Jewel shard one of the Band of Seven possessed has been tainted or defiled, but this one… I don't know, it just seems so pure."

"So you think it doesn't belong to one of the Band of Seven?"

"I don't know, I mean maybe they can fake it or something? I don't think Naraku was ever able to do that."

"But we have no reason to believe the Band of Seven can't." Tatsu's gaze hardened as he moved to grip one of his katanas 'Either way, if it is one of them… This sword is going through their skull the first chance I get. It won't happen again, I'll make sure of it. No matter what I have to do.'

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At the same time, Kikyo was tending to one of the villagers and heard a story about a member of the Band of Seven that also went by the name of Suikotsu. This led her to suggest that the doctor called Sukotsu was the same as the one from the Band of Seven, but the villager was quick to dispute this and explain that their personalities were exactly the opposite of each other.

He then went on to add that when the Band of Seven was executed, their Suikotsu looked akin to a demon, absolutely nothing like the kindly doctor with the same name. Kikyo was left to wonder what this meant, but the conversion was quickly cut short when she sensed the presence of multiple jewel shards approaching.

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Meanwhile, with the source of mysterious purity…

"Let's see, what did you find here?" Suikotsu knelt down to examine an herb one of the orphaned children with him had discovered "Ah that's green gentian, it's good for a weak stomach. We can pick some more of these and then we'll go back home, does that sound okay?" he was about to start picking the herbs in question, only to be stopped when something else caught his attention.

That something came in the form of Tatsu and the others, the former moving his hands towards the hilt of his katanas as his gaze hardened, with Inuyasha preparing to draw Tessaiga "So this is the one then. Guess that panned out a lot faster than I thought it would.'

"Who are you?" Suikotsu immediately positioned himself in front of the children and motioned for them to get back a short distance "What is it that you want with me?"

"That depends on what you say or do next." Tatsu promptly materialized an iron staff in one of his hands "And whether or not you're actually one of the Band of Seven."

"Hold on a moment, there has to be some sort of mistake. I'm a physician, I could never be any kind of warrior." Suikotsu tried to take a step forward… the key word being tried, given that he found himself pinned to the ground by Tatsu with the iron staff.

"I'm not going to fall for that again, especially not when your whole body reeks of the stench of death and graveyard soil." Tatsu paused and glanced over at Inuyasha "Right?"

"He reeks of the stuff." was the blunt confirmation.

"Just making sure." Tatsu turned his heated glare back onto Suikotsu "Just like the rest of your merry band of butchers."

"You think I have the smell of death? But I'm not-" Suikotsu was cut short by Tatsu pressing down on his body even further.

"One of your buddies already tried the innocent act once, no chance in hell I'm going to fall for that again. If I have to force the real you out into the open, then so be it." Tatsu immediately unleashed a small burst of demonic energy that blew Suikotsu right off the ground and sent him hurtling backwards.

"Tatsu hold on a second!" Kagome tried to call him off "He's got little kids with him, we don't want them getting hurt!"

"I know that, and they're not the ones I'm after."

"Dr Suikotsu!" the two kids wasted no time in rushing toward Suikotsu's side the second he hit the ground "Are you alright Dr Suikotsu, he didn't hurt you did he?"

"I'm fine you two, you don't need to worry about me." Suikotsu gave a small pained smile, but then his gaze hardened "But I need you to listen to me Chiyo, Yuta, and run away from here as fast as you can."

"No we're not going anywhere, there's no way the two of us can just leave you behind!" the kids were quick to try and help Suikotsu to his feet, shooting dirty looks at Tatsu as they did so.

"It's alright, I can take care of myself. You two are the ones I'm worried about."

"They're not the ones we're after right now." Tatsu tightened his grip on his iron staff and moved to launch himself at Suikotsu again.

"Tatsu hold on a minute." Kagome was quick to step forward and put a hand on Tatsu's shoulder to stop him in his tracks "This isn't working, all those kids are seeing is you attacking him for no good reason. As far as they can tell, we might as well be the bad guys in this situation. I hate to say it, but I think we might have had the wrong idea about this guy. Does his Ki feel anything like what you sensed from the rest of the Band of Seven?

"Inuyasha said his scent reeks of corpses and graveyard soil, and you yourself said that you could sense a jewel shard coming from him didn't you?"

"Yeah but like I said, his shard wasn't defiled like the ones from the others, and it's pretty clear by now that he's nothing like the other members of the Band of Seven."

"For all we know it could be an act, Renkotsu pulled the same thing at the temple and look how that turned out." Tatsu's gaze hardened further with anger as he raised his iron staff "There's no chance in hell I'm going to let any of that happen again. NONE of it." he was about to advance, only to stopped in his tracks by the sound of an explosion ringing out loud enough for everyone to hear, followed by plumes of smoke visible in the distance.

"But that's in the direction of… Oh no, the villagers!" Suikotsu didn't waste a second as he took off running, with Chiyo and Yuta following close behind him.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going? We're not done with you yet asshole!" Inuyasha let out a snarl as he gripped Tessaiga and prepared to launch himself at Suikotsu, only to be stopped in his tracks by a set of iron chains wrapping around them.

"You can track his scent and Kagome can sense his jewel shard, so we WILL track him down and finish this later. But if people are hurting then we gotta do what we can to help, plain and simple." and so Tatsu launched himself forward in the direction of the smoke without another word, leaving the others to trail behind him 'If the Ki I'm sensing belongs to who I think it does, then one thing is for sure… No more blood is going to be spilled by their hands. I'm going to make sure of it… no matter what it takes.'

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Fires and explosions rained down over the village, sending everyone into a chaotic panic.

"There's no time, you have to run!" Kikyo wasted no time in evacuating as many of the villagers from the scene as she could "Hurry and get away from here as quickly as you can!"

"Please hurry, you have to come with us!" one villager stopped in his tracks and was quick to turn his gaze toward Kikyo "You can't stay here, all of us are as good as dead!"

"I'm going to be just fine, you need to get to safety with everyone else!" Kikyo sent the villager on his way and turned her gaze back toward the flames spreading throughout the village, only to be forced to brace herself for the shockwave and cloud of smoke that erupted following another explosion, and her eyes widened as she caught sight of the hulking figure making its way toward her through the smoke.

"Stop Ginkotsu, remember what we came here to do." the smoke cleared to reveal Rinkotsu, as well as Jakotsu, riding atop the hulking form of the newly rebuilt Ginkotsu "But I will say that was quite the entertaining way to make our presence known."

'These men all have jewel shards embedded in their bodies, so that means they must be members of the Band of Seven.' Kikyo's gaze hardened as she tightened her grip on her bow 'They won't be going any further than this.'

"Lady Kikyo!" it was at this moment that Suikotsu came running onto the scene, only to be left horrified by the destruction that lay before him "What on earth is all of this?"

"So this is where you've been hiding out all this time." Jakotsu drew his attention, along with the others "You sure as hell made it a giant pain in the ass for us to find you."

"Wait, what?"

"Quit playing dumb already Suikotsu, you know we came all this way just to look for you, I don't think it's gonna kill you a second time to at least try saying thanks."

"What- But I don't-" Suikotsu froze as his gaze locked onto the three of them and visions began to flash in front of his eyes, but he was quick to shake them off "I… I don't understand, just who are you people and what could you possibly want with me?"

"Okay seriously, the stupid nice guy act is starting to get really fucking old."

'Except this isn't an act.' Kikyo studied Suikotsu intently from the sidelines 'I can tell that he truly isn't lying… But if that is the case, then what is going on? What is his connection to these three?'

"Sea Dragon's Cradle!" a large dome made of solidified water suddenly erupted past both parties and throughout what was left of the village, quickly snuffing out most of the flames still burning away at the ruins, courtesy of Tatsu as he arrived on the scene, with Inuyasha and the rest of the group trailing close behind him, and the former gave a scowl as he got a look at the ones standing ahead of them 'Guess Kagome was right about the jewel shards being nearby, not to mention Inuyasha picking up their scent, and I the Ki I'm sensing from them makes me want to wretch. And speaking of me wanting to wretch, of course Kikyo had to be here too.'

"So you've come." Kikyo turned gaze over towards Tatsu and the rest of the group "I see that the rest of you have come to the Northern lands as well."

"Y-Yeah…" Inuyasha took a few steps toward her, albeit rather shakily "But Kikyo I don't get it, what the hell are you doing here?"

"There will be time for discussion, but we have other priorities to take into consideration at the moment."

"And you can't afford to be distracted by anything else." Renkotsu shot a confident smirk toward the rest of the group "But I have to admit I am fairly impressed, I didn't think all of you would survive our last encounter. Though I'm sure that Jakotsu is more than pleased to see Inuyasha is still alive for him to play with."

"Here I thought we were going to have to track you all down." Tatsu's gaze hardened as he drew one of his katanas off his back "Now I can carve those jewel shards out of your necks all at the same time."

"Is that what you believe? To think you show so much confidence, and that you went to such great pains just to stay alive. Such a shame too think it's all going to be for naught."

"Give it a few minutes, we'll see if you can keep saying that with a sword carving through your eyes. Frankly the fact that you have those things is the only reason we're not having the monk use his Wind Tunnel on you." Tatsu cast a glance back at the others and shared a brief yet clear look with Inuyasha 'We're the only ones up to fight, Shippo is still too young and Kagome and the others haven't fully recovered from Mukotsu's poison. Everybody else stay back, I can take care of them on my own."

"Like hell that's going to happen." Inuyasha took a step forward and drew Tessaiga out of its sheath "You're not the only one who wants to get some payback on these lowlives."

"Fine, just don't get in the way and cut them down the first chance you get."

"This should prove to be fairly interesting." Renkotsu's smirk widened, but then he hardened his gaze and turned his gaze over toward the others "Alright listen up Jakotsu, I want you to go over and take care of Suikotsu while I take care of Tatsu and Inuyasha's group myself."

"Wait hold on, what?!" needless to say, Jakotsu was less than happy about this "But why do I have to do it?"

"Because I just asked you to, that's why. Keep in mind what we had come here to do in the first place."

"Why the hell do you have to give me the short end of the stick now of all times? Plus you have to keep me away from Inuyasha literally every time. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you want to have him all to yourself."

"Keep running your mouth about such stupid nonsense and I'll have no problem with ripping your tongue right out of your head."

"Shut up already, I'm sick of listening to your petty squabbling. The sooner we do this, the sooner you all fucking die." Tatsu let out a snarl drew his second katana off his back and was quick to charge towards Renkotsu, only to find himself being stopped in his tracks by a stream of flames Renkotsu was breathing in his direction, following him drinking the liquid in the gourd on his waist.

"Funny, I was intending to say something fairly similar to you. Of course if you had let yourself die at the temple like you were meant to, you could've been spared all of the suffering."

"Do I look like I'm suffering? In case it slipped your notice, the Fangs of Ryuhogo enhance my resistance to heat and fire. I won't feel a single damn thing."

"So I've noticed… but the same can't be said for your companions." Renkotsu's smirk grew wider as he unleashed a series of wire over their heads and released a burst of fire across them to create a makeshift net of flames, trappling the group underneath.

"Inuyasha!"

"I'm on it!" Inuyasha immediately pounced over the group and ripped off his Robe of the Fire Rat to cover them with it.

"Sea Dragon's Cradle!" Tatsu rapidly spread out his arms, and almost instantly a dome made of solidified water appeared over the group, giving him the chance to level a various glare in the direction of Renkotsu "I already made myself clear, you're NOT laying another fucking hand on any of them."

"So you like you believe, but you're just proving my point." Renkotsu let out a chuckle "Do you wish for me to tell you what your greatest weakness is? The fact that you care about others, this desire you have to protect your weak human companions."

"Which is probably what Naraku thinks, and yet he's never succeeded at killing off a single one of us." Tatsu let out a snarl as he tried to burst toward Renkotsu, only to find both of his katanas being bound in place by wires wrapping around them.

"Yet Naraku speaks the truth. Your greatest weakness is that you care about others. Only when you tear these weaknesses away and become all powerful."

"You sound so much like him it's pathetic. The only difference between you and him, he's not around for me to do THIS!" Tatsu suddenly unleashed a powerful surge of electricity from the blades of his katanas, causing them to surge back to Renkotsu and electrocute him on the spot, causing him to cry out in pain and result in a small explosion that blew him and Ginkotsu back a fair distance, with the former being sent crashing to the ground and the latter skidding back a fair distance.

"Well so much for taking care of things himself." Jakotsu let out a sigh of frustration as he cast a look back to see Renkotsu and Ginkotsu being sent flying, and then he turned his gaze back to where Suikotsu and Kikyo stood in front of him "Anyway let's get this over with already, so don't bother trying to resist okay Suikotsu?"

"Now you see here." Suikotsu kept his gaze firm as he took a step forward "I don't know who or your friends are or what you want from me, but I can't even fathom the reason why you might have come here, so you might as well just kill me and leave everyone else in peace. Why would you waste your time attacking this village and its people?"

"Okay seriously Suikotsu, how long are you planning on keeping up with this stupid act? Would it kill you to hurry the hell up and snap out of it, otherwise I have no problems with killing you for real!" and so Jakotsu unleashed his Jakotsuto, releasing the wild torrent of blades that came dangerously close to taking Suikotsu's head off.

"Get back!" Kikyo on the other hand pushed Suikotsu out of the way of the blades and took the chance to fire a Sacred Arrow at Jakotsu, the wave of spiritual energy missing by only a few centimeters as it soared over his head.

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Meanwhile, with the battle blades and flames…

"We're wasting time Ginkotsu, now hurry and fire!" Renkotsu gave the order once he was able to regroup with Ginkotsu, prompting him to fire a barrage of cannonballs from the cannons now mounted on top of his back.

"Dual Iron GAUNTLET!" thinking quick, Tatsu threw both of his katanas into the air, covered his arms in iron dragon scales and slammed his fists into the oncoming cannonballs, causing them to shatter to pieces on contact, and then he proceeded to dodge and weave his way around the oncoming barrage of wires with steel rings attached and the wave of flames coming from the flamethrower mounted on Ginkotsu's body with a series of flips and maneuvers, though this did force him to retreat back a short distance to avoid being hit.

"Good, that should at least keep him a short distance away. Now we can help Jakotsu do what he should've been able to do by now. Ginkotsu, make the job a little easier for him." Renkotsu gave the order, prompting Ginkotsu to fire a single blast from his cannons, the resulting explosion sending Suikotsu and Kikyo hurtling to the ground with a mighty crash, which Tatsu quickly took notice of, along with the others.

"...Fuck, I'm going to have to do the right thing here aren't I?"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that if I were you Tatsu, because if you don't play close attention to what's right in front of you then your friends are as good as dead!" Renkotsu let out a malicious laugh as he gripped his flaming wires and tried to make them close in on the others inside the water dome… only for the flames disperse and the wires to be ripped to shreds upon making contact with the water dome "What?! That's not possible, there's no way you could break through my flame wires that easily!"

"You don't know the first thing about me or what I can do. You think you know about all my weaknesses, but here's the reality." Tatsu caught his swords when they fell back into his hands from above and pointed one of them at Renkotsu, his eyes blazing with anger "The only genuine weakness in play is yours, and I'm going to make good use of it."

"You think see my weakness? And let me guess, you plan to use it to beat me?"

"I don't plan to beat you. I'm going to drive my swords through your skull and carve that jewel shard out of your neck. And I'm not going to make it quick." Tatsu let out an outright snarl as his body began surging with azure-colored demonic energy, causing Renkotsu to step back a short distance.

"You… You really shouldn't be focusing on just yourself right now." Renkotsu directed the group's attention to where Kikyo was left lying unconscious on the ground following Ginkotsu's attack "Like I said before, you should pay close attention to what's right in front of you or your friend is as good as dead!"

"First of all, she's anything but my friend. Second of all, she's already dead. Third of all, she can't be kept down as easily as you think." Tatsu paused as he noticed a series of blue lights erupting from within Kikyo's body 'Or I'm wrong. Is that the souls she collected being expunged from her body?'

"Lady Kikyo no!" it was at this moment that Suikotsu leapt back onto his feet and grabbed hold of Kikyo to pull her out of harm's way "Lady Kikyo please, you need to hold on. I'll get you away from here."

"Help us!" and it only got worse when Chiyo and Yuta could be seen in the distance running toward the village "Dr Suikotsu please, you have to help!"

"Listen to me children, you have to stay as far away from here as you can! These man are too dangerous, you have to get out of here!"

"Oh great, we have to deal with this now. Well whatever works I guess." Jakotsu gave a shrug as he unleashed a torrent of blades from his Jakotsuto… aimed directly at the kids.

"Children get down!" Suikotsu didn't hesitate in rushing towards the kids to try and get them out of harm's way, only to see a white flash appear in front of them… right before the blades dug into his back, causing his shoulder to gush blood as he fell to the ground in a heap.

As it turns out, Tatsu had appeared in front of the kids at the last second using a large shield made of solidified water to protect them from the blades 'The Dragon Warp, limited but still very effective. Are you two okay?"

"Dr Suikotsu!" the two kids tried to rush towards Suikotsu to help him, only to be stopped by the water shield dropping down in front of them "Let us go, we have to help him!"

"He won't want you to put yourself in danger, there's a reason he tried to jump in front of that freak to begin with. Stay here and I'll do it." Tatsu waved a hand and made the water shield morph into another dome over the two kids, and then he knelt down to where Suikotsu lay on the ground, his gaze softening slightly 'If all of this is anything to go by, I guess he's not actually a member of the Band of Seven after all.'

"Are they… okay…?" Suikotsu spat out some blood as slowly he lifted his head to meet Tatsu's gaze "The children… are they hurt…?"

"They're both fine, I got to them in time. Don't worry."

"I see… that's good…" Suikotsu gave a pained but relieved smile, only for a pulsing sensation to wash over him as his body grew tense 'What… What is this…?'

"What the hell are you doing you wretched fool?" a voice snarled within the darkest depths of his mind "Quit acting like a saint! You know who you are, and you know what you are! Your heart longs to bathe these lands in the blood of these pieces of filth, and you know this to be true!"

'This doesn't feel right…' Kagome was quick to take notice of the change in Suikotsu from where she and the others remained inside the water dome, but the sight of Suikotsu's change made her freeze on the spot 'One minute he's normal, the next the shard in his neck turns totally black out of nowhere? Something doesn't feel right.'

'This change in his Ki… something doesn't feel right…' Tatsu's gaze hardened as he took notice of Suikotsu's hair suddenly spiking up, and he immediately retreated back to avoid the hand making a grab for his throat, as well as grab the other hand aimed at his face. He then proceeded to tighten his hold on Suikotsu's wrist (keeping in mind that his arms are still covered in iron dragon scales) and released a short burst of demonic energy that sent Suikotsu skidding back a fair distance 'So the question is, what the fuck is this one's deal? What the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Oh good, I was wondering how long it was going to take me to wake up." the figure let out a chuckle as he lifted his face, revealing his head of spiky black hair, green markings covering his face and a crazed and malicious look in his eyes "As for what I am, I'm Suikotsu of the Band of Seven, and you're about to fucking die by my hands."

"So I guess we were right, you really are just another monster like the rest of them."

"And proud of it. I would've been able to come out and do my thing a lot sooner if it wasn't for that pathetic do-gooder doctor inside of me holding me back for as long as he did. The thought of it makes me sick."

'He's like a completely different person than he was before… I have to wonder…' Tatsu frowned in thought for a moment as he looked at Suikotsu and started walking slowly towards him.

"Ah, so you're eager to be the first one then are you? Well if you wanna die that badly, I'm more than happy to help you out!" Suikotsu pounced toward Tatsu and moved to grab him by the throat… only for him to disappear from his grasp in a white flash "What the hell?!"

"Come with me, this way." using the Dragon Warp, Tatsu materialized inside the Sea Dragon's Cradle and sat the two kids down next to Kagome and the others "Stay with the others, you'll be safe in here."

"Tatsu hold on a minute, something isn't right about this." Sango shared a look with Miroku and the others before turning her gaze back to Tatsu "You saw it closer than we did, but it's like he's a completely different person now. It's almost as if he has two different hearts."

"You're right, and I'm pretty sure I know what it means. It's a term that Kagome and I learned about in my time."

"From this school thing you keep talking about?"

"No I never really learn stuff in school, anything worthwhile I usually learn from my brother. He referred to it as having a split personality. In a person's mind they have a completely different person, they can emerge and take over. To give you the short version even Inuyasha would be able to understand, he's a different person in all but body and name." Tatsu's expression grew darker as he turned his gaze back toward Suikotsu and the others "And he's still a member of the Band of Seven like the rest of them, which means only one thing… It's time to put him down like a dog, just like the rest of them."

"One of those times we're actually on the same page, now let's do this." Inuyasha grabbed hold of Tessaiga and prepared to advance on the Band of Seven… only to be stopped in his tracks by a katana being held out in front of him "Tatsu what the fuck?"

"You and the others aren't part of the equation. This is my fight now, I don't need you getting in the way. Stay on the sidelines and keep the others out of the line of fire."

"Are you out of your fucking mind?! I don't care how pissed you are or how tough you're trying to act, these fuckers need to-" Inuyasha cut himself short at the dark glare Tatsu was sending his way, with the others reacting in a similar manner.
"I said. It's my fight. And no one else is going to die here. I'll make sure of it, and there's only one way I can do that now." Tatsu levelled his glare back in the direction of the Band of Seven, on Suikotsu in particular, the vein in his temple throbbing with anger as he began radiating with demonic energy, and an opening appeared in the water dome large enough for him to make his way out into the open.

"Wait stop, you can't go there! You can't hurt Dr Suikotsu!" the kids tried to rush after Tatsu to stop him, only for the opening in the water dome to disappear before they could.

"Stay back, it's not safe for you out there." Kagome motioned for the kids to get behind her, and she and the others watched as Tatsu made his way towards the Band of Seven 'Nothing about this feels right… Suikotsu is one thing, but Tatsu… I've never seen him so genuinely angry like this before, it's like he's a whole different person too. Tatsu, just be careful."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Do you now?" Suikotsu found himself on the receiving end of Tatsu's glare, but he was far less intimidated than he was meant to be "Oh you do NOT want to make that face at me little man, not unless that's the look you want to have on your face when you get to hell and meet the rest of my victims."

"This ends now… and you're going to pay. Every last one of you." Tatsu let out an outright snarl as he got into a stance, his body surging with enough demonic energy to shake the landscape around him.

"What… What the hell?!"

"Suikotsu stay focused on the task at hand, and take these." Renkotsu got Suikotsu's attention and threw a set of objects to him, that being a pair of matching tiger claws "I get the feeling you may need them going forward."

"I'm not gonna object to getting these back. This one might actually turn out to be some fun for a change." Suikotsu gave a wicked smirk as he tied the sets of claws onto each of his hands, and then he turned his gaze back toward Tatsu "Anyway if I remember it right, you were looking to pick a fight with me. Well you're about to get your wish, but I'm telling you now, it's gonna be your last."

"Funny. I was gonna say the same thing to you." Tatsu placed both of his katanas back into their respective sheaths on his back and dropped into a combat stance.

"Huh, here I thought you'd be too scared to come at me without using those puny little swords of yours."

"I don't need them to beat down a piece of trash like you. Besides, I want to feel it to my bones when I rip you and your buddies apart, piece by piece."

"You'd better show more respect than that you little shit, because you don't get to look the fuck down on me! Because the mighty Suikotsu of the Band of Seven doesn't get disrespected like that by anybody, especially not some pathetic scrawny brat like you!" Suikotsu brandished his claws and pounced towards Tatsu at full speed.

"I'm not just anybody." Tatsu disappeared in a white flash a split second before Suikotsu could strike him, and in that same instant he appeared behind Suikotsu and dealt him a sharp kick to the back of the head, sending him crashing to the ground in a heap "I'm the guy who's about to send the Band of Seven back to hell, by drowning them in their own blood."

'What in the-?!' even Renkotsu was left taken aback by the sight of Suikotsu being struck down so easily 'Suikotsu is our greatest close combat fighter, the thought he could be struck down as easily as that is just preposterous!'

"What the fuck…" Suikotsu spat out a small amount of blood as he pulled himself back to his feet and immediately turned his enraged gaze onto Tatsu "How the hell did you get back there already?! You cocky little-"

"You know the irony of it isn't lost on me." Tatsu cast a disdainful glance back at Suikotsu "As much as you guys have been hyping yourselves up, you're turning out to be another gigantic disappointment."

"What the fuck did you say to me?! Are you seriously trying to tell me that you think I'm all bark and no bite?"

"If you trying to pounce at me like an animal in heat was your idea of an attack then yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Maybe you just aren't all everybody made you out to be."

"Is that what you think?" Suikotsu let out a snarl, then a smirk full of rage as he got into his own stance "In that case, how about I show you what close quarters combat is all about!" and so he leapt forward and began trying to slash away at Tatsu with his claws, forcing him to go on the evasive to avoid the attacks "How do you like that?! And tell me something brat, how do you plan on drowning me in my own blood by running away like a filthy coward?"

"Well for starters, you can't carve me to pieces if you can't hit me for shit." Tatsu continued his efforts in dodging and weaving around every one of Suikotsu's strikes, albeit straining slightly to do so 'All gaslighting aside, it's pretty obvious that this guy is no joke. His strikes have enough power to slice through almost anything as far as I can tell, and he's pretty fast for being so big too, not to mention that the metal dragon scale armor does weigh me down slightly. I have to be careful about this.

"JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!" Suikotsu let out a roar as he moved in and attempted one final slash of his claws… only for Tatsu to disappear in a white flash before the claws were able to connect with him "What in the- Where did he?"

"Right over here." Tatsu drew Suikotsu's attention from his place across the battlefield, which also earned looks of awe and disbelief from.

'Okay, that I didn't even see…' Kagome shared a look with the others and saw them looking just as dumbstruck as she was 'I guess that teleporting ability of his really comes in handy… But this doesn't feel right, it's not like him to act so aggressively in or out of a fight.'

"So that was you showing me what close quarter combat is all about?" Tatsu turned back to fully face Suikotsu as he cracked his neck "Now if you're done making an ass out of yourself, I think it's my turn." and so he launched himself forward with a burst of pyrokinetic energy from one of his legs faster than Suikotsu was able to react, and disappeared before any blows were able to connect on either end.

"What the-" Suikotsu's shock quickly turned to rage when he looked up to see Tatsu doing a handstand with one hand directly on top of his head "I… I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!" and so he raised his claws to try and impale Tatsu in a rage.

"That makes two of us." in one swift movement, in a few swift movements, Tatsu leapt over the slash of Suikotsu's claws, landed on the ground and slammed his fist directly into Suikotsu's gut, causing him to fall to his knees and grab his stomach in pain "Just so we're keeping track, that one was for Sango and Miroku."

"Damn you… you little… YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!" Suikotsu let out a snarl as he leapt back to his feet and tried to slash at Tatsu with his claws again, to no avail.

"This one is for the Wolf Demon Tribe!" Tatsu landed a roundhouse kick to the face with enough force that it sent Suikotsu hurtling to the ground with a loud crash.

"You filthy, arrogant, wretched little… SCUM SUCKING PIG!" Suikotso gritted his teeth as he dug into the ground and pulled out a large boulder, which he promptly hurled forward.

"Am I supposed to be intimidated? Ryu-KEN!" Tatsu unleashed a blue-colored surge of pure demonic energy and thrusted one hand forward, meeting the boulder on contact and resulting in a flash of light. When the light dissipated, Tatsu was completely unharmed and the boulder had been shattered to pieces "The force of my demonic energy alone was more than enough to rip apart something like that with ease. There's nothing you can throw at me that I can't rip through without breaking a sweat."

"That was PURE LUCK!" Suikotsu's rage only increased as he prepared to rush forward for a follow up attack, only to notice a white flash and look up to see Tatsu directly above him

thrusted his armored arm forward… right through Suikotsu's chest and out his back, leaving him to cough up a considerable amount of blood "Let this get through your thick fucking skulls… I'm not afraid of you, or any of your buddies over there."

"This one is for the monks of the temple that Renkotsu slaughtered!" Tatsu dealt Suikotsu a brutal smash attack to the head hard enough to send him crashing to the ground.

When the smoke cleared, Suikotsu lay sprawled out on the ground, finding Tatsu looming over him as he spat out some blood "What the hell… How can you be so powerful… The Band of Seven are… supposed to be unstoppable…"

"Or maybe you just aren't as dangerous as you've been made out to be." Tatsu's gaze darkened as he grabbed hold of Suikotsu by the throat, his other arm surging with electricity along the iron scales "And this one… this is for Kagome. Your friends poisoned her… she almost died because of the likes of you… and one of you tried to raper her… all because I wasn't there… A mistake I'm not going to let you repeat… So this is for her, and for everyone you sick fuckers kill for the hell of it! Thunder GAUNTLET!" in a single swift movement driven by rage, he thrusted his arm downwards… right through Suikotsu's chest and out his back, leaving him to cough up a considerable amount of blood "Let this get through your thick fucking skulls… I'm not afraid of you, or any of your buddies over there."

"You say you're… not afraid of me…" Sukotsu spat out some blood, which he promptly licked up, and gave a defiant smirk "But look who's afraid of you…"

"What the hell are you going on about?" Tatsu followed Suikotsu's gaze, and most of his anger quickly melted away at what he saw 'Oh…'

"Tatsu…" as it turns out, the rest of the group was looking at him in a stunned silence, as well as some shock and horror, Kagome in particular as she tried to shield the kids' gaze from the battle unfolding.

'I… I never wanted it to come to this…' Tatsu retracted his arm from Suikotsu's chest and slowly lowered it as he turned back to him… only to suddenly find his legs being swept out from under him, leaving him pinned to the ground with a set of claws held above his head.

"You let your guard down, and that's gonna be what kills you in the end." Suikotsu gave a grin full of malice as he prepared to bring down his claws on Tatsu's throat, until…

"Stop!" it was then that Chiyo and Yuta rushed to the very edge of the water dome while calling out to Suikotsu, causing him to freeze on the spot "Doctor what's wrong with you? You have to snap out of it, go back to the way you were before!"

"Shut up you little-" Suikotsu cut himself short as he suddenly began sweating and gripped his head in agony "Shut up… Get out of my head!"

"Well this is inconvenient at best." Renkotsu gave a scowl from his place on the sidelines with the others "It looks like Suikotsu hasn't completely awakened just yet. Well go ahead Ginkotsu, it's time to do your thing."

"Grr…" Ginkotsu immediately turned and began making his way towards another target, in the form of Kikyo's unconscious form lying on the ground.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha wasted no time in trying to carve through the water dome with his claws in a fit of rage and panic, only to find that it wouldn't budge "Fuck fuck FUCK!"

"...Dammit, I have to do the right thing now don't I?" Tatsu leapt back to his feet and tried to make a beeline toward Kikyo, only to be forced to use his armored scales to block a swipe of a certain set of claws 'And apparently a multiple personality breakdown isn't enough to stop a guy with a ridiculous amount of bloodlust.'

"You're not fucking going anywhere…" Suikotsu let out a snarl as he continued clutching at his head with his free hand "And keep your eye on your opponent!"

"Not gonna mean much if your opponent has a giant gaping hole in his gut, or has to deal with something like this. Dragon BURST!" in a flash, Tatsu stuck out one hand and unleashed a quick wave of demonic energy with enough force to send Suikotsu tumbling backwards a fair distance, allowing him to make a beeline towards Kikyo's downed form, though he quickly noticed something else out of the corner of his eye "Sea God's Shield!" he wasted no time in summoned a large shield made of solidified water, just in time to fend off a wave of flames hurtling towards him.

"I should find your reflexes fairly impressive." the source of the flames, that being Renkotsu in this case "But I think you'll find that you won't have time to come to her rescue when you have me to contend with."

"Excelt here's the thing, I actually don't. Sea Dragon's Cradle!" Tatsu waved his hand and summoned another dome of solidified water… this time around Renkotsu himself.

"Don't think you'll be able to contain me that easily!" Renkotsu drank from his gourd and breathed out another stream of flames… only for them to disperse immediately upon coming into the contact with the water dome "What in the-?!"

"Water beats fire, here I thought you'd be smart enough to know that." Tatsu disappeared in a flash via the Dragon Warp and pulled Kikyo out of the way in time to avoid Ginkotu's attempt to run her over, and then he sat her gently on the ground'Inuyasha I swear to god, you had better be grateful for this.'

"Well well, it looks like someone has to play the big hero after all." Renkotsu let out a chuckle in spite of being trapped within the water dome "Though truth be told, the priestess was never the one that we were after."

"I've already proven that you can't get to me that easily, and the others are under my protection in there. You're not getting your filthy hands on anyone else."

"Perhaps not me, but then again it's not as if I need to personally. I think you'll find the rest of my companions have a few tricks up their sleeve. See for yourself." he pointed in a certain direction that prompted Tatsu to follow his gaze for a moment.

"Okay seriously, why do I keep getting stuck with all of the dirty work?" Jakotsu rolled his eyes as he made his way up to the water dome surrounding Kagome and the others, and he prepared to unleash the blades of his Jakotsuto.

"After all, getting the children out of the way now means that Suikotsu won't have anything left to distract him, so we won't have to worry about that bothersome other half of his coming out when it's not wanted."

"No stop, don't do it!" it was at that moment that Suikotsu finally picked himself up from off the ground, clutching his head in agony as the green markings on his face began fading in and out of existence "Please stop… I beg of you… Don't hurt them…"

'Suikotsu… this isn't right…' Renkotsu frowned in thought as he shared a look with Jakotsu in the distance 'It's like some other force is preventing Suikotsu from taking complete control of himself. At this rate, killing the children might push him over the edge and lead to us losing him altogether, assuming that we could even find a way to break through Tatsu's water barriers? But this raises the question… Could all of this have some relation to the barrier surrounding Mount Hakurei? It seems we may have to make some adjustments to our plans and take our leave for the time being."

"You're living in a fantasy if you think I'm letting you walk away from this." Tatsu let out a snarl as he tightened his grip on both of his katanas and prepared to launch himself at the group.

"As much as I hate to disappoint you, but it seems that we find ourselves unable to stay in this area any longer than we already have. Alright Ginkotsu, if you're going to help me out of here then I believe now would be the time."

"Grr…" Ginkotsu let out a growl as he stopped in his tracks, and a moment later a group of saw blades burst out of the ground from within the water dome surrounding Renkotsu, and then a set of wires to wrap around Renkotsu and pull him underground, before pulling him back out on top of Ginkotsu's metallic chassis.

"I suppose we'll have to call it quits for today. Hurry Jakotsu, grab Suikotsu so the rest of us can get out of here."

"Don't you think I know that?" Jakotsu rolled his eyes as he slung Suikotsu's wounded form over his shoulder and leapt onto Ginkotsu's chassis alongside the others.

"Good, now let's get the hell out of here."

"You're not getting the hell away that easily." Tatsu paused and began to inhale, demonic energy circulating around his body in the form of a mix of flames and electricity 'I wanted to see if I could try this one out at some point… No time like the present I guess… Lightning… Flame… Dragon-"

"Grr." Ginkotsu turned on Tatsu in the middle of preparing his attack and fired a set of projectiles from the cannons on his back, forcing Tatsu to break off his attack and evade it before the ground under him exploded.

"FUCK!" Tatsu let out a snarl as he was was engulfed in a cloud of smoke and rubble, only to see that the Band of Seven were already disappearing into the distance, to which he let out a snarl, then a sigh as he de-materialized the water domes around the area, along with his metal dragon scales, and placed his swords back in their sheaths 'They got away. Of course they did, why the fuck am I not surprised?'

"Kikyo!" the second the water dome was down, Inuyasha had made a beeline for Kikyo, with the rest of the group (the kids included, following close behind him as he came to a stop next to her unconscious form "Dammit, wake the hell up already… Did all of the souls of the dead leave her body already?'

"Wait Inuyasha, take a look up there!" Kagome directed the group's attention to something else that caught her eye, in the form of familiar white creatures, that tried to get close to Kikyo, only to end up evaporating before they could reach her "Those are Kikyo's Soul Collectors… it's like there's some kind of force preventing them from getting any closer."

"Then we'd have to move her away from here." Tatsu made his way over to the group, earning a few looks of wariness from the others "It's pretty obvious what's gonna happen if you keep her here, the only way to let her Soul Collectors get to her is to take her somewhere else."

"Right…" Inuyasha turned his gaze towards Kikyo and quickly picked her up in his arms bridal style.

"Okay. Let's go." Tatsu started walking after them in silence.

It was only after a moment passed that Kagome tentatively spoke up "Tatsu… I-"

"We can talk later. This is more important right now." Tatsu continued walking without another word, leaving Kagome looking downcast even further.

It was then that Shippo looked up from his place on Sango's shoulder "Is it just me, or did things get kinda scary here."

"No Shippo, it definitely isn't just you." Sango gently patted him on the head.

'I had hoped it wouldn't come to this… ' Tatsu continued making his way forward, close behind where Inuyasha was carrying Kikyo, but ahead of the rest of the group, his mind drifting over his own recent actions with every step he took 'I didn't want them to see me like this… But I guess it can't be helped at this point… I knew exactly what I was doing… I could've stopped at any time then… But I didn't… and I don't think I wanted to either… In any case it doesn't matter, because I can't stop now… and I don't want to stop either… Not until the Band of Seven are dead… Every last one of them.'

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Nightfall came, and the group had finally found a location to settle down in, temporarily.

"This should be a good spot." Inuyasha sat Kikyo down in a grassy area under a tree a distance away from the village, which allowed the Soul Collectors to close in on Kikyo and begin to feed souls into her body, with Inuyasha and the rest of them looking on "Is… Is it working?"

A few moments passed by before Kikyo opened her eyes and found Inuyasha and the others looking over her "Inuyasha."

"Kikyo, you… you're awake."

"Yes… where am I?"

"We took you away from the village."

"I see… So I take it that my Soul Collectors were not able to approach the village?"

"No, they weren't. You knew about that?"

"I had my suspicions…" Kikyo paused and looked over at the others "Tell me, what happened to the rest of them?"

"You mean the Band of Seven?" Kagome knelt down next to Kikyo.

"Yes… those vile men in possession of Shikon Jewel shards."

"We managed to drive them off… or Tatsu did anyway." Kagome flinched at the memories of the recent conflict "But they managed to take Suikotsu with him."

"I see… Kagome. I'm sure that you must have seen it as well. The jewel shard Suikotsu had in his neck."

"Yeah, I did see it… It was really pure at first, but the moment he changed, it became dark and corrupted."

"And that was when his… other self, the side of him that was suppressed, took over, and he left with the Band of Seven. And we have this land to thank for that."

"I don't think I understand, what do you mean it's because of the land?"

"This land that we inhabit now is inherently wicked, it does not allow anyone with a demonic aura to approach. The reason for this is because Mount Hakurai is purifying the air of the areas that surround it."

"You said it was Mount Hakurei?" Miroku frowned in thought "I've heard of this place before, it is said to be a sacred mountain that absolves and cleanses criminals."

"That is correct monk. The man that referred to himself as Dr Suikotsu was able to live in this place because deep down inside, the true nature of his heart was pure and untainted."

"But then there's his other personality." Kagome finished for her "The version of Suikotsu that belonged to the Band of Seven came back up to the surface, which meant he wasn't able to stay here. It's why they stopped fighting and just retreated out of the blue, because they had come too close to Mount Hakurei?"

"Pure has become impure, and impure has become pure. Good is evil, and evil is good. To live is to die, and to die is to live." Kikyo turned her gaze toward Kagome "You are correct, in that the nature of Mount Hakurei itself is too pure."

"And the Band of Seven already knew that." Kagome paused and looked over at the others "So then what do you guys think we should do?"

"If nothing else, this may be worth looking into." Miroku frowned in thought "I must admit that I am curious about a few things."

"At least we have some kind of direction now." Kagome turned her gaze back to Kikyo "So then what are you going to do?"

"I know what must be done…" Kikyo paused and glanced over to see the village children still watching them in the distance "I will choose to stay here for the time being, to stay close to the children here, at least for a little while longer. Besides…"

"There's something else?" Inuyasha looked down at her.

"I could not go even if I were to wish to. You saw them, did you not Inuyasha? You witnessed my Soul Collectors being repelled by the aura of this land. It took every ounce of strength that I had just to stand at the base of the mountain."

"Kikyo…" the two of them gazed at each other in silence.

"At least we have some idea of where to go now." Kagome paused as looked over and saw Tatsu already walking away from the scene "Tatsu wait, where are you going?"

"To Mount Hakurei." Tatsu stopped in his tracks for a moment and cast a brief glance back at the others "You said it yourself, we have direction now. The Band of Seven are still out there, and I can't waste time dragging my feet while they're out there upping their body counts for shits and giggles. I'm going on ahead to see what I can find. The rest of you can catch up with me when you're ready." and so he rushed off into the the night without another word.

All the while, Kagome could only watch as Tatsu's form disappeared into the darkness, her own expression growing solemn 'Tatsu…'

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

'Great, he's still acting like that…' Inuyasha looked ahead to see Tatsu running ahead of the rest of the group, and Kagome riding with Sango on Kilala's back, and then he cast a look over to where Miroku was running next to him with Shippo on his shoulder "Okay you gotta give me some answers here monk, what's up with Kagome riding with Sango?"

"Probably because Tatsu didn't show any interest in carrying her at the moment." Miroku told him flatly.

"So what the hell is his problem, what crawled up his ass and died?"

"Whatever is or isn't his problem I can't say, but it doesn't really matter at this point. Tatsu made it abundantly clear that he wants to be alone right now, so we should respect his wishes for the time being or else he-" Miroku cut himself short when he saw Inuyasha bolting past him "And he completely ignores me, because of course he does."

"Hey Tatsu!" sure enough, Inuyasha stormed ahead until he was running alongside Tatsu "Come on and say something already, what the fuck crawled up your ass and made you like this? Just fucking answer me dammit!"

"Not. Fucking. Now." Tatsu turned his head and shot a dark look at Inuyasha, which was enough to make him retreat back towards Miroku.

"He uh… He didn't really wanna talk."

"I noticed." Miroku told him dryly "What Tatsu probably needs right now is to be left alone, if for no other reason than to work through his own turmoil. If he wishes for us to help him then we can reach out. I'm sure you agree, don't you Shippo?"

"Y-Yeah…" Shippo's expression turned solemn as he watched Tatsu advance further ahead, and he quickly buried his face in Miroku's shoulder.

'I had expected this based on his behavior… He knows something…' Miroku paused and shared a brief look with Inuyasha "That being said, I'm sure even he could use a brief rest in order to recover his strength. The ladies will likely agree."

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So it was arranged, and the group took a brief rest when they came to an open clearing.

"Okay seriously, enough is enough." Inuyasha turned his gaze towards where Tatsu stood off to the side of the clearing while everyone else was gathered together "If you've got something to say then let's fucking hear it."

"You're the one that decided to stop us out of the blue." Tatsu rolled his eyes without turning to face Inuyasha.

"Look anyone can tell you're pissed about something, or you got a stick lodged up your ass for some reason or another."

"I'm not angry, assuming that's what you were trying to say. You're failing miserably at it for the record."

"Oh for the love of- I'm not the kind of guy that gets someone to pour their heart out over tea or something! I don't know what the fuck your problem is but you'd better either spit it the fuck out or get the fuck over it!" Inuyasha finished his tirade and took a few breaths, only to be met with silence, to which he scowled and began to storm back over to the rest of the group… at least for a moment.

"...I can't get it out of my head." Tatsu's voice was quiet and void of emotion, but still loud enough for Inuyasha to hear, but not the rest of the group "I can't stop thinking about it. Every time I close my eyes, I see playing in front of my eyes over and over again, like it's on some fucking loop."

"What are you-"

"What do you think I'm talking about?" Tatsu whipped around to face Inuyasha, his expression contorted in a twisted mix of grief, shame and anger "Kagome and the others almost died thanks to the Band of Seven, because I wasn't thereto protect them. To protect her, and they used that to the fucking fullest."

"You've got nothing to gripe about." Inuyasha let out a growl, but paused to compose himself, and his gaze softened slightly "You're the reason they're alive at all now. They're here because you saved them."

"...No. I didn't." Tatsu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists "I gave it everything I had, I used all my strength to try and get Mukotsu's poison out of their systems… but it took literally every last bit of strength I had… Until I didn't have any left to give… And then he showed up out of the blue."

"What?"

"From what Shippo and Myoga told me, it went something like this…"

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(Flashback- to the night in question)

"Shippo, just… just let me say this okay…?" Tatsu was met with silence, and so he chose to carry on as the purple energy continued to envelop him, spreading across his skin "For so long, I trained myself to get as strong as I could… I didn't like to say it, but a big part of it was to see how far I could go… to see how strong I could possibly get… But the reason I started it in the first place was because… I wanted to save her… I couldn't do anything to help my dad when I lost him… and after I did, she gave me the strength to keep going… I think it's only right… that I return the favor… But after that, you guys will have to pick up the slack…"

"Tatsu, you…" Shippo had tears brimming in his eyes again.

"You're still pretty little Shippo, but you've got heart… and a few decent teachers, when they want to be… But still, try to go the way that you want to go… You've got what it takes to turn into a Great Demon… so keep moving forward, and show them what you're made of… and be sure to tell Inuyasha… he shouldn't get so bogged down in the past, or kicking himself over every little thing… Tell Miroku that he's gotta stop dragging his ft and commit to Sango already, and vice versa… And listen Shippo… I need you, and the others to do me a little favor when this is over… Just make sure that you guys look after Kagome… and I know she's gonna look after all of you too…"

"I… I will… I promise…"

"Yeah, I… I figured you would… and tell the others I said thanks… for everything." Tatsu gave one last pained smile before he slumped forward, the flowing crimson and purple energy almost immediately dissipating.

"Tatsu…?" a moment passed before Shippo made his way over to Tatsu and tried to shake him conscious, to no avail, leaving his eyes brimming with tears "Tatsu… no…" he was about to break down crying again, until…

"So this is the fate he's chosen for himself."

Shippo glanced up at the sound of a familiar voice, and immediately froze to find a certain white hair and kimono clad figure standing before him "S-Sesshomaru…"

"It seems that history chooses to repeat itself." Sesshomaru looked down at Tatsu's body, and his gaze hardened slightly 'Like with Father, I held a wish to defeat you… One chosen to wield these demonic artifacts said to hold supreme power. And yet you chose to give your life in such a way, for the sake of a mortal woman no less… You were destined to hold ultimate power, and it was my desire to defeat you… Yet this is the fate you chose for yourself…'

"L-Lord Sesshomaru…" it was at this moment that Myoga spoke up from his place perched on top of Shippo's head "What is it that brings you here? I'm sure you would have a reason for appearing at this point."

"My business is my own fox, I owe you no explanation." Sesshomaru turned and began to walk away from the scene.

"H-Hold on…" Shippo shakily raised his head to meet Sesshomaru's gaze "Y-You have it with you, don't you?"

"Explain what it is that you refer to fox."

"That sword you have, the Tensegia right? It's the one that can bring the dead back to life with just a stroke… You can do it, you can use your sword to bring Tatsu back!"

"What reason would I have to do so? He chose his own fate, to give his life for the sake of his human companions."

"But you…" Shippo looked up at Tatsu's corpse, then over at the unconscious forms of Kagome and the others, and then he rushed around to meet Sesshomaru face to face, trying to keep his composure despite visibly shaking "Sesshomaru… Please do it. Please find it in your heart to save Tatsu, so Kagome and the others don't have to lose him."

"Step out of my way fox."

"You don't understand! If Tatsu passes on then Kagome will be heartbroken, I don't want to have to see her cry over him dying like that! He loves her and she loves him, we all do! Even you like him, you wanted to fight him and helped him a bunch of times!"

"I told you to step aside fox. I will not say so again."

"Please, you have to!" Shippo got down on his knees and bowed his head to Sesshomaru "Please bring him back, I'm begging you! I'll do whatever it takes! Just bring him back, please! You have to!"

"I admire your devotion Shippo, but I'm afraid that won't work." Myoga spoke up from his perch on Shippo's head "Lord Sesshomaru has never been one to go out of his way to fulfill the request of others. There's also the sword itself to consider. Based on what my master told me a long time ago, the Tenseiga can only be wielded by one who holds a heart full of compassion for others, and it will guide the user to where and when it must be used."

"It seems my father informed you well. I am not surprised, as you speak the truth. But my will is mine alone, will not be guided on my actions by others such as yourself." Sesshomaru turned on his heel and prepared to walk away from the scene… only to immediately stop in his tracks when he felt a pulsing sensation wash over him, which led him to look down at the blade strapped to his side 'This sensation… the Tenseiga is stirring. Is it telling me to save him…?' with that in mind, he turned back towards Tatsu's body and turned his gaze toward Shippo "Stay back."

"You- You'll do it?" Shippo looked up at him in shock "You mean you'll-"

"Lay his body on the ground and stand back. I will not tell you again."

"R-Right!" Shippo quickly got to work laying Tatsu's body down flat on the ground, and then he took several steps backwards.

'If Tenseiga is telling me to save the Fang Wielder, it does so with purpose…' Sesshomaru was quick to narrow his gaze as a series of creatures became visible over Tatsu's body 'I am able to see the emissaries of the afterlife… so I know where to strike.' and so with one clean stroke of his sword, he cut down the creatures with ease.

"Wh-What did you do?"

"Stay quiet and observe, and you shall see for yourself."

"Wait, what?" Shippo looked over at Tatsu's body, and his eyes widened.

Sure enough, Tatsu's body began twitching slightly, and after a moment his eyes snapped open as he bolted upright, panting heavily "I don't care what your desk is made of, just send me to- Wait, where am I?"

"Among the living once again."

"Oh… so that's why I've got my clothes back. Good for me. Did I…" Tatsu paused and looked down at his hands "Did I really…"

"You're alive!" Shippo wasted no time in launching himself at Tatsu and clinging to him tightly with tears streaming down his face "You're okay"!

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine… But did I really…"

"It would seem so I'm afraid…" Myoga told him "But Shippo was determined to ensure that it would not stay that way. His persistence likely led to you being returned to us."

"Ah… Makes sense…" Tatsu gently patted Shippo on the head, and then he turned his gaze to look up at Sesshomaru "I… I really did myself in then, didn't I… I was gone… But you went and brought me back…"

"Do not mistake this for sentimentality." Sesshomaru told him flatly "I did what Tenseiga had instructed me to do, nothing more."

"Either way, you still saved me. Thank you."

"As I said, this was not sentimentality." Sesshomaru turned on his heel and began walking away from the scene, but stopped and cast a brief glance back at Tatsu "It would seem that you are in my debt once again. Do not forget that." and so he continued on his way and disappeared into the forest without another word.

"I won't, trust me…" Tatsu looked back down at himself, and then his gaze suddenly snapped toward Kagome and the others "Are they…"

"They're alive, thankfully…" Myoga leapt onto Kagome's unconscious form "You did manage to stop the poison from finishing them for the moment, but that doesn't mean they're out of danger yet."

"So you mean… they're still…"

"Alive yes, but as I said, they're not out of danger yet. Fortunately know what to do, but we'll have to act fast." so Myoga promptly dove onto Kagome's neck and began sucking blood out of her as fast as he could.

"That… That's good…" Tatsu's composure quickly faltered as he looked over Kagome and the others 'I died… as in I literally died… and it still wasn't enough…'

(Flashback end)

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And now back to the present…

"Wait, seriously…?" Inuyasha looked over at Tatsu with a mix of disbelief and horror "You mean that you…"

"Died? Yeah, I did… and a fat lot of good it did…" Tatsu's tone was held with bitterness as he turned his gaze away from Inuyasha "It still wasn't enough."

"But you-"

"I know I know, but I can't stop thinking about it." Tatsu paused as his voice became slightly more shaky "And it gets worse… The other night, Kagome and I were talking and… she told me that Mukotsu tried to…"

"He tried to… do that?" Inuyasha's horror became more visible.

"Yeah. All because I wasn't there to save her." Tatsu's tone became more aggressive and filled with frustration and sorrow, gripping his fists so tightly they began to bleed "She needed me and I wasn't there for her. She was poisoned, she almost died, and they tried to rape her, all because I wasn't there to protect her. And even when I was there, I still couldn't protect her. I even gave my literal life trying to save hers, and it still wasn't enough. I feel like such a complete fucking failure! And now no matter how many times or different ways I try to rationalize this… to justify it… it always comes down to the same conclusion over and over again… That I just wasn't good enough…" he paused as his breathing became ragged, and then he finally turned around to fully face Inuyasha "So now do you get what crawled up my ass and died as you put it?"

Inuyasha said nothing, he just walked away from the scene without another word, with Tatsu being left alone with his own turmoil…

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At the same time, following their retreat from the village, Renkotsu wasted no time in leading the rest of the Band of Seven towards their next destination: to meet up with their leader, their big brother Bankotsu.

A/N:

Yeah I know, an update for this story is so overdue it's not even funny, so I'm sorry about that. But here we are now, getting into the real meat of the Band of Seven, starting with Suikotsu. And in addition to that, we see Tatsu beginning to fall into the depths of his own anger, an arc that's going to be lasting a good while, at least for him.

Also yes, Tatsu really did die in the last chapter trying to save Kagome and the others from Mukotsu's poison. The only reason he's alive and with us now is because Sesshomaru chose to revive him with the Tenseiga. And for those of you who have watched the Final Act, you know what that means. But believe me when I tell you that the ramifications of this are going to haunt Tatsu for awhile. As for how that will pan out, you'll have to wait and see. Also I included a TFS reference. I know it might be a bit out of place or a bit of mood whiplash, but I couldn't help myself.