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. Support my Patreon. /TheLegendaryDragonReaper

47. Darkness of the Heart

(Darkness of the Heart)

Ruthierobinson508: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. I'll be sure to keep your offer in mind for the future.

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The conflict at Mount Hakurei had finally come to an end, but at a great cost.

"Okay hold, let me see if I've got this right." Koga glanced over at the rest of the group, minus two specific people, as they sat around a campfire "You're saying that Naraku went and put up that huge barrier around an entire fucking mountain and holed himself up in there just to kill this one woman?"

"Trust me Koga, it's nowhere near that simple." Kagome told him "In all honest, her spiritual powers were probably the one that Naraku truly feared. What he wanted more than anything else was to rid himself of his human heart, because that part still inside of him still wanted Kikyo for himself. He knew he couldn't kill her as long as he held it inside of him. It wasn't even the first time he tried to get rid of it."

"It wasn't?"

"Once not long after the time Kagura stole your jewel shards, he tried to cut his human heart out and it turned into another incarnation that called himself Muso, he had the heart and memories of the bandit named Onigumo. Then he went and absorbed

"Some human bandit, what does that have to do with this?"

"That's how Naraku was born, from letting a swarm of demons devour him and give him their power. But then Naraku went and absorbed Muso back into his body."

"So he went through the trouble of letting it out just to put it back in him?"

"I can vouch, I was there." Sango spoke up "I think he felt like it was too soon to let him out into the open. And I think I know what he was doing at Mount Hakurei then."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning all of the clumps of flesh that Miroku and I saw when we went inside the mountain, he was trying to create a body that he can seal his human heart inside, so that he can cast it away."

"Okay, I think I'm following you so far." Koga glanced over at the rest of the group "So now that he finally went and killed off this priestess he's been lusting after, you mean to tell me that piece of shit can whatever the hell he wants whenever the hell he wants?"

"That's one way to put it, and I fear it may be the most accurate." Miroku noted grimly.

"Like hell I'm gonna sit around and let that happen. Somebody's gotta put that fucker back in his place."

"You shouldn't go off on your own again."

Koga glanced over to see Tatsu leap down from one of the trees above them "Finally decided to join in?"

"I just came to grab another whetstone from my bag." he reached into the bag in question and pulled out a sizable stone as he hoisted Banryu over his shoulder "This thing needs work. Also give these to your buddies, they might come in handy." in his free hand he materialized two metal clubs and handed them to Koga, then promptly disappeared from the scene without another word.

"...Good talk."

"He might not be wrong though." Kagome spoke up from where she had Shippo sleeping in her lap "Naraku has more of a grudge against us than you, so if you stick with us you'll have a better chance of running into him soon. And it would probably make us feel safer if you're sticking with us too."

"Uh huh. You know I know what you're trying to do Kagome… and it's definitely working. I'm in." Koga paused as he cast a look around "I figured the mutt was gonna raise hell over the idea of me sticking around. Where the hell did he go anyway? He looked all kinds of put out about something."

"It's not hard to figure out." Sango muttered quietly "Inuyasha is having a hard time coming to terms with Kikyo dying… again."

"He ain't the only one." Koga cast a glance over in the direction Tatsu had left, and then looked down to see Kagome's downcast expression "The difference is, the mutt's not the one hurting someone else over his brooding."

"Koga…"

"Gotta give that a minute though, there's… something else I need to do."

"Hey guys!" this was when Hakkaku and Ginta made their way onto the scene with several piles of logs in hand "We got more firewood like you guys asked."

"Right." Koga took a breath and turned towards the two of them "Listen up you two… there's something I gotta talk to you about."

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Following Naraku's escape and the destruction of Mount Hakurei, Inuyasha had split off from the rest of the group in a desperate search for any sign of Kikyo. He scoured the riverbank, which had been poisoned by Naraku's miasma, all while being haunted by his own guilt and grief, and the things that Sesshomaru said to him.

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Meanwhile, back with the main group…

"Hold on, what?!" it should go without saying that Hakkaku and Ginta were less than happy to hear what Koga had to say to them "You mean you're just leaving us behind after everything we went through together?! What the hell Koga?!"

"You're wasting your breath over this, I've already made up my mind. I'm gonna be joining up with Kagome's group and sending you two back to the mountains." Koga let out a sigh as he cast a small glance down at the lights shining in his legs "These Shikon Jewel shards have already put the rest of our tribe through too much hell. Look it's nothing personal, it's just too dangerous to let the two of you stay involved in this."

"So what, you think we'd only get in your way if we stuck around?" Ginta and Hakkaku both had tears brimming in their eyes now "Face the facts, if we hadn't been around you would've been killed a long time ago!"

"...Yeah. I probably would've." Koga let out a chuckle as he took a few steps forward, and in a flash he had enveloped the two of them in a tight hug 'The two of you have been by my side for as long as I can remember, and now… It might the last time I see the two of you. Just… make sure to take care of yourselves, okay?"

"We will… Just make sure to come back alive, okay?"

"I will. But first…" Koga picked up the two iron clubs and handed one to each of them "Call that a little parting gift from Tatsu, alright?"

"Right, we… we definitely will. And we'll be seeing you soon." Ginta and Hakkaku waved at him with their newly acquired weapons, and just like that they were departing from the scene without another word.

'Yeah… seeing you soon.' Koga's face fell as he watched them leave 'Assuming I'm still alive once this is over.'

"Glad to have you on board."

Koga looked over to see Kagome casting a smile in his direction, though he was quick to see right through it 'That's a fake smile if there ever was one. Good to be here. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I mean, you gonna be okay from here on out?" he was met with silence "Don't put up a front, you know damn well what I'm talking about." that was enough to get Miroku and Sango looking in their direction as well.

"...It just doesn't feel right." Kagome finally spoke up, her expression solemn "How could Tatsu just leave me behind like that?"

"Yeah, pretty sure he hates himself for knocking you out like that. Frankly it's the only reason why I didn't kick him in the face then and there."

"No not that, I mean… it's like he just gave up on me."

"He… He did what he thought was best. He wanted to keep you out of danger."

"But what about all of our training? All the months of effort I put in, learning how to fight with a sword, how to heal, all the trials and fights we've been through up until now… I believed in the two of us facing everything together. I could've fought by his side."

"Doesn't mean he sees it that way. He… He didn't want anyone else to get hurt. And I get why. I broke off from Hakkaku and Ginta because… it's my fault. The jewel shards I have in my legs got the whole Wolf Demon Tribe involved, but I thought I could fix it if… if I left them behind and went out on my own. In his own way that's what Tatsu's doing. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

"...But I did." Kagome was met with silence "I just… I guess I feel betrayed."

Koga said nothing, he just let Kagome rest her head on his shoulder 'Trust me Kagome, you're not the only one hurting right now.'

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Morning came, and an ominous mist had washed over the skies of Feudal Japan.

"It's morning already." Koga cast a glance over at where the rest of the group was asleep by the remains of the campfire, and then he looked over at where Tatsu was sharpening the blade of Banryu nearby "Should one of us say fuck it and go hunt him down or something?"

"We don't have to." Tatsu paused and looked up "You've got the enhanced sense of smell, you should be able to smell him over there by now. He's basically back already."

Sure enough, it was at that moment that the figure of Inuyasha made his way through the mist and came to a stop in front of the group, his expression solemn "You guys waited up?"

"The others tried to but… they've been through enough already." Tatsu cast a brief look toward where Kagome lay fast asleep in her sleeping bag, Shippo curled up next to her, though he was quick to look away "You didn't… you know."

"No… I just thought that… I could at least try and find her remains…" he clenched his fists tightly, causing the others to look away.

"I… see." Tatsu looked away from the group, turning his gaze to where Banryu was embedded into the ground next to him 'I… can't think of anything to say to console him. I don't really feel anything toward this now… I just feel so much anger and sadness… I thought once the Band of Seven were gone, it would go away but… Now it's just at myself…'

"Just forget it, alright?" Inuyasha shook it off as his expression turned neutral "I'm… I'm okay now." and so he began walking past them.

"Hey mutt." Koga held out an arm to stop him.

"What?"

"The others told me what your deal was with her. For what it's worth… I'm sorry."

"...Whatever." Inuyasha just walked away without another word.

'Yeah, that fucker sure as hell isn't okay, but that's all the sympathy I can give him now. This one on the other hand…' Koga took a breath and turned his gaze toward where Tatsu was picking up Banryu out of the ground and promptly slammed a foot against his back "Hey."

"Hey." Tatsu cast a brief glance back at him "So you're sticking around then?"

"You can thank Kagome for that, she pointed out that I got a better shot of finding Naraku if I stick with the rest of you. Plus you know… not dying. And this way Kagome will have some extra protection if something happens."

"Right… that's good."

"Yeah, so you oughta stop feeling sorry for yourself already. It's getting fucking annoying, and I ain't the only one that thinks so." Koga paused as he noticed Tatsu's face fall, and he let out a small sigh "Wait hold, I suck at this. You know I'm not trying to sound harsh Tatsu… but do you think you're the only one suffering right now?! Do you?!"

"I know." he summoned a flame in one hand and began using it to weld the damage on Banryu's blade.

"How do you think I feel? You think I like leaving behind my two closest friends or having to go out and find the corpses of the wolves that Ginkotsu and the others killed? You think that doesn't hurt me?"

"You're right."

"Would you stop agreeing with me, it's creeping me the fuck out!" he aimed a fist toward the back of Tatsu's head, only for it to be caught with one hand.

"The fact that you almost died yesterday is the only reason I'm not slamming you into the fucking ground right now." Tatsu's expression darkened considerably.

"Fine, you wanna wallow in your own misery then go ahead." Koga started walking away, only to be stopped in his tracks by another voice.

"...I thought it would be different." Tatsu's voice was soft and lacking any emotion "I thought once I had defeated the Band of Seven, everything could go back to normal. That I could forget all of this and move on… but I don't feel any different than when all of this started. Kagome is over there, she's alive and well now, the same with the rest of them, and I should be going over to her and taking her in my arms and telling her how much I love her… but I can't. I can't do it because I'm still so angry."

"Angry at Naraku?"

"No… angry at myself. I don't even think I know what I'm doing anymore."

"...You know ever since all this with Mount Hakurei and the Band of Seven started, you're the one whose been blowing in and out of situations trying to take them out. Now you got Kagome right over there, she isn't going anywhere. And I think it's safe to say neither are you. So let me ask you this: Am I really the one you gotta be talking to?" Koga was met with silence, the only response he received was Tatsu walking away from him 'Figures, he's not gonna have the guts to say anything on his own if he keeps going like this. Be ready Kagome, because what he needs more than anything right now is to have you by his side. It's pretty obvious he's got one hell of a long recovery ahead of him.'

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Hours passed, and the group had resumed their travels, only finding destruction waiting for them.

"It's just horrible…" Kagome and the others could only look on at the sight ahead of them, in the form of a ravaged village "It looks like this area got affected by the collapse of Mount Hakurei too."

"I just hope Shintaro and the others are alright." Sango muttered, only to recoil slightly as she watched Kilala take off towards the village without her "Kilala wait!" and so she quickly took off after her, with Kagome and Shippo close behind her.

"I suppose we'll be going then." Miroku was about to follow them as well, only to pause as he noticed Koga falling behind the rest of them "I take it you have some hesitation about heading into a human village?"

"Call it whatever you want, but me and human villages don't really mix too well." Koga told him flatly.

"Understood. Kagome did mention you have bad history with some of them… particularly one specific village." that was enough to make Koga flinch, and Miroku's gaze softened slightly "I don't intend to go into further detail, don't worry. I'm fully aware that humans do have the capacity to do horrible things… but not all of them. I was taught that anyone is capable of both great good and great evil. Since my travels began with the rest of the group, I've come to understand that this applies to both humans and demons. Just call that something to consider for yourself." and so he turned and made his way after the rest of the group.

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Meanwhile, in the village itself…

"Here you go, enjoy." as it turns out, Shintaro and his older sisters (Hana, Getsu and Yuki) had taken it upon themselves to provide food to the rest of the villagers, though he paused when he looked down and saw Kilala standing before him "Hold on, aren't you-"

"Shintaro!" this was when Kagome and the rest of the group (minus two specific individuals) came rushing onto the scene.

"Kagome, all of you, I didn't think you would come back. I'm pleased to see that you're looking well."

"And I must say that all of you are looking well yourselves." Miroku took a step towards the three older women… only to find himself being pulled away by Sango "Oh come on!"

"Well… I mean he is right, it's good that you're all okay." Kagome gave a small smile, though it quickly fell away when she saw both Tatsu and Inuyasha standing isolated from the rest of the village, and then she looked over to see Shippo trying to pull a log out of a pile of firewood "Try not to push yourself too hard Shippo, I'm sure one of the others can-"

"I got it." Koga promptly made his way over to Shippo and pulled the log out for him, along with a pile of others, and carried them over to Shintaro and the others "This what you need? Give it any second, they're gonna start screaming about a wolf demon in their village…'

"Actually this is perfect, thank you." one of the sisters gave him a smile as she accepted the wood and placed it into the fire below the pot.

"Uh… okay then." Koga glanced back over at the others 'Huh… guess the monk wasn't wrong about that.'

"It's a relief to have some extra help, seeing how many demons have been running rampant in so many villages in the area."

"Like this one?"

"We were one of the more fortunate ones. It was nowhere near as ferocious as with some of the others."

"Yeah trust me, it could be a lot worse. I'd know." Koga made his way back over to the pile of wood to grab more for the fire, though paused and cast a look over at where Kagome and the others were being surrounded, and then to where Tatsu and Inuyasha stood off on opposite ends of the shore, separated from the group and each other 'At least the damage isn't as bad in a place like this… Doesn't mean the rest of them aren't hurting though. The mutt is one thing, not really anything that can be done for him right now. But Tatsu's the one beating himself into the ground over everything, and he can't see how much that's hurting Kagome. We left the mountain so fast to track down Naraku, doesn't mean they aren't still hurting. Not like I'm the one who's got the answer here.'

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It wasn't just Shintaro's village that had been attacked by demons.

Rumors had quickly spread to the surrounding areas about the disappearance of Mount Hakurei in a single night, leaving them to hope nothing bad would come of it… right before the village and everyone in it ended up getting slaughtered by a horde of demons passing through, leaving a thick yet potent miasma in their wake.

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It didn't take long for the destruction of this village to be noticed.

'Dammit, again…' Tatsu made his way into the village, with the rest of the group trailing close behind him as his expression darkened 'Another village that got slaughtered because of Naraku and his forces…'

"It's horrible, and this is the third village we've seen like this…" Miroku looked around at the remains of the villagers strewed across the grounds "I don't suppose you can sense anything in the area?"

"Just a bunch of Ki grouped together but they're fading and fast, they have to be heading away from the scene. None of them feel significantly strong either."

"So then this must be the work of the swarm of demons that escaped from Mount Hakurei when the barrier was taken down. I take it you agree with that?"

"Unless you've got any other ideas of where they'd be coming from." Tatsu gritted his teeth as he looked down at himself, clenching his fists to the point where they began bleeding 'I thought we would make progress by forcing Naraku out of hiding, but now… If anything, it's even worse than it was before. I thought things would be different now…' he cast a brief glance over and caught sight of Inuyasha still brooding away from the rest of the group 'Now it's just one death or catashtophe after another… and nothing I do makes any difference…'

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Hours passed, and the sun began setting over the skies above.

"There." Tatsu waved one hand and created a sizable hole in the ground in front of him "How many more are there?"

"I think that's all of the graves for now." Sango let out a sigh as she finished piling dirt on top of one of them "Shippo and Kilala had already finished gathering enough flowers for them too."

"Good." Tatsu was about to walk away from the scene, only to pause as something else got his attention "Hold on."

"What is it?"

"This Ki I'm sensing… something else is coming." Tatsu's gaze snapped in a certain direction as he moved to grab hold of Banryu.

"Such a shame… it seems that everywhere I go, more tragedy is to follow." as it turns out, the one standing before the group was a young man with long maroon colored hair tied into the back, clad in a black kimono a bird wing design on each sleeve and tail features at the bottom, along with a set of feathered earrings and a katana strapped onto his side. He cast a look around the scene in front of him, his expression solemn "It would seem that everywhere I go in this land, tragedy is sure to follow. And it would seem that I'm not the first to find this one."

"It's not even the first one we found." Shippo muttered quietly from his place on the ground "We found a bunch of others like this too."

"Even more needless carnage… Do you require aid in putting these souls to rest?"

"We definitely wouldn't object, thank you." Kagome offered a small smile, and the group got to work.

'Something about this feels off.' Tatsu looked him over the figure from his place off to the side, and he shared a brief look with Koga 'I don't sense anything out of the ordinary, but at the same time… something feels off about him.'

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A little while later, after burying the dead…

"I see." Miroku cast a brief glance over at the figure "So you came from the areas surrounding Mount Hakurei?"

"That is corrent monk." the figure gave a simple nod "I am called Shuiro. When the sacred mountain collapsed, my village was destroyed in the chaos… Very few survived. I was one of the few fortunate ones, and so I chose to travel through these lends on a pilgrimage, hoping to spare others from suffering from what my village went through. During this time I also heard that there was an evil aura spreading to the South."

"I see."

"It is rather strange though…" Shuiro paused as his expression changed into something akin to disgust.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just… a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. It's actually quite similar to… what I was told by the priestess."

"Hold on, what?" Inuyasha quickly rounded on Shuiro "You said a priestess?"

"It was only two days ago, when an injured priestess washed up on a riverbank relatively close to a village on the other side of the mountains. She claimed that she had been injured in a heated confrontation with a demon she referred to as Naraku, and she held the desire to go after him before more could fall by his hand."

'That… That has to be Kikyo, there's no doubt… so she really did survive after all… Do you know where the priestess is now?"

"This I cannot guarantee, or if she's even still alive. Her injuries were grave, they may have been fatal for all I know."

'So then… is she…'

"You should go." Tatsu was the who broke the silence as he turned his gaze toward Inuyasha "If you want to find her then go already, you don't have time to hesitate. For all we know she may be waiting for you."

"...I'll be back soon." and so Inuyasha took off without another word, quickly disappearing into the distance 'I have to do this… I have to see for myself if she's dead or alive… If I don't, then I won't be able to go on…'

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Morning came, and the sun was once again rising over the skies above Feudal Japan.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this." Sango cast a glance over at the others as they continued on their way "It's been more than half a day and Inuyasha still hasn't come back yet."

"I say don't give it too much thought." Koga gave a shrug from his place the front "The mutt might only be a half demon but he's still got the same kind of nose, once he's ready he's gonna pick up on our scents and drag his tail back over to us."

"Yeah, I guess that is true."

"Either way it's gonna have to wait." Tatsu stopped in his tracks and turned his gaze toward the path behind them "We've got company of the human variety."

"Wait, what?"

"Hold it right there!" as it turns out, a male figure with cyan colored eyes and light blue hair tied into the back, bangs on the front and sides of his head, clad in a long white kimono with a tail feather pattern along the bottom, as well as blue diamond patterns along the arms and torso had rode onto the scene on horsebac "None of you move, all of you look suspicious. Especially the tall one with the armored chestplate."

"Oh sure, point fingers at the furry one why don't you?" Koga grumbled, only to be met with an elbow to the ribcage from Sango, causing him to recoil slightly 'Okay first question, how the fuck is she that strong?'

"I am Konebi, one of the lead samurai of this region's castle. There have been many strange happenings in this vicinity lately, the lady of our castle has given us orders to detain any and all travellers that look suspicious. Now come with us."

"Uh huh." Koga paused and lookede over at the group "Is this the part where we kick them all in the face and take off running?"

"Believe it or not, I actually think that's the right call." Sango spoke up "We can defeat all of them easily and just run."

"Honestly my dear Sango, don't be like that." Miroku let out a sigh "At this point you're both starting to sound like Inuyasha. Besides just look at them, if you ask me these men are nothing but ordinary humans. There isn't anything stopping us from escaping at any time we wish."

"Hey! What are the three of you talking about over there? Stay silent and still and prepare to be bound for transportation back to the castle." the figure dismounted his horse and began to approach the group with a rope in one hand and a spear in the other.

leader turned back to the rest of his group "Get the rope and tie them up so we can take them back to the castle!"

"Yeah, nothing stopping us from getting out. Right." Koga rolled his eyes as he begrudgingly let himself be bound in ropes, but paused as his gaze fell onto Konebi "Anyone else-"

"Already felt it myself." Tatsu's gaze darkened as he kept his gaze locked onto Konebi 'There's no mistaking it… this guy is definitely no ordinary human… Neither was the one yesterday. So what the fuck is the game here?'

All the while, Shippo and Kilala had taken the chance to escape into the nearby fields and had to watch the rest of the group get restrained "This is bad… we gotta find Inuyasha and get him back here or…"

'Friends and mistress in danger… take fox boy and go." Kilala didn't waste any time as she grabbed Shippo by the arm with her teeth, and the two of them fled from the scene.

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Later, at the castle in question…

"Please have mercy, I beg of you to release me!" one bound traveller was particularly unhappy about being bound in the grounds of the castle "I swear to you that I have all of the proper travel documents in my pockets!"

"We shall see soon enough." Konebi gave a smirk as he turned to the figure hidden behind the blinds of the castle "What do you say?"

"Dispose of him." was all the figure said.

"As you wish milady." Kenobi's grin widened as he drew a katana and brought it down on the villager… only to end up being stopped in his tracks by an enormous blade appearing out of nowhere the block the strike "What in the-"

"I knew there was something off about you." as it turns out, Tatsu had appeared on the scene in a white flash, his expression dark and full of anger "I could sense it the first moment I laid eyes on you, another one of Naraku's twisted demons."

"...Hm. So you noticed." Kenobi let out a chuckle as he tossed away his katana, his features becoming more feral, with fangs protruding from his mouth and his hands now barring a set of claws "Take that knowledge with you to the next world once I carve out your heart."

"That will not be your doing."

Kenobi paused before launching himself at Tatsu and let out a groan "Of course you have to step in where you're unwanted, don't you Shuiro?"

Sure enough, the blinds of the castle parted slightly to reveal the maroon hair of Shuiro as he stepped out onto the scene, moving to draw his katana "I do what I must for the sake of fulfilling my purpose."

"Even now you're proving yourself to be too soft."

"You forget that we were created with a purpose. My purpose does not require habtiaully killing innocents for the sake of entertainment. We may have been created from the same being, but that does not mean I share your hatred for humanity, nor that of our creator." Shuiro paused and looked back to Tatsu "Though I doubt this will stop you from attacking me."

"Then you don't need to bother asking." Tatsu cast a brief glance back at where Kagome and the others stood tied up alongside another group of prisoners, and then he turned his gaze back to both Shuiro and Konebi "We're taking this somewhere else."

"You have no need to fear, I have no intention of harming any of your companions or the rest of the humans, for they are needed for-"

"Dragon HAMMER!" Tatsu didn't let Shuiro finish before he launched himself forward and unleashed a Dragon Hammer, hitting both Shuiro and Konebi at point blank range with an azure burst of demonic energy coming from the blade of Banryu, sending both of them flying away in opposite directions, with Tatsu disappearing after Shuiro with a burst of speed.

"Well that didn't last real fucking long did it?" Koga looked over at the others from where they stood bound by ropes "I figured it was gonna happen at some point, I just thought it was gonna be me or the mutt. Not like this wasn't fucked up to begin with."

"I know, I just…" Kagome's face fell as she cast a brief look in the direction that Tatsu had disappeared 'Tatsu…'

"Filthy heathens, no sense of decorum." it was at this moment that Konebi descended back onto the scene, scowling as the burns covering his face began to heal rapidly, and he turned his gaze to the blinds of the castle "So then, shall we pick up where we left off?"

"No… she's here." the voice of a woman broke out from behind the blinds, followed by a single finger pointing forward "The priestess with the others… bring her to me."

"As you wish." there was a sudden burst of wind, and in an instant Konebi had appeared by the others and yanked Kagome away from them "It would seem that the lady wants to see you face to face, and you don't want to disappoint her. Though if you were to resist I wouldn't object to the chance to put you in her place."

"Hold on, what?" Kagome's gaze quickly harened as she tried to free herself of Konebi's grasp, to no avail 'So it's just me they're after, but what's this about?'

"Now the question is, what do I do with the rest of this filth?"

"I have no need for the rest of them." the woman spoke from behind the blinds "Dispose of them as you wish."

"With pleasure." Konebi's smirk grew more malicious as he summoned a pathway made of ice that connected to the entrance to the castle, and he promptly hurled Kagome onto it and sent her sliding towards it.

"Kagome hold on!" Koga quickly freed himself of the ropes and tried to rush after her, only to find himself sliding on the ice and met with a series of chains bursting forth from the ice and latching onto his arms, binding him on the spot and being forced down onto his knees as the chains were pulled back down onto the icy road beneath him "Fuck!"

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Meanwhile, with the wayward swordsmen…

'So muchuch ferocity…' Shuiro wiped away some of the blood from his face as he slowly pulled himself out of the small crater he had landed in, placing his katana back into its holster on his waste as he did so 'It would seem that there is some truth to Naraku's words… this one is far from an ordinary human…'

"No games, I'm not fucking around with you." Tatsu landed on the ground in front of Shuiro and pointed the blade of Banryu at him "There's only one way this is going to end, and it's with your corpse lying in a pool of your own blood."

"If that is what you wish, then you must prove yourself to be capable of such a task by besting me in combat." Shuiro slowly drew his katana from its sheath and pointed its blade at Tatsu "I was created by Naraku to fulfill a single purpose: to defeat you in combat. He said that you were very unique, that something about you was different from the rest of your companions. I wish to see with my own eyes just what it is that makes you different from the rest of them."

"You'll do a lot more than see it when I use Banryu to carve out your heart." Tatsu drew Banryu off his back and charged forward… proving to be a nearly fatal mistake.

"Shi no Dageki."

Tatsu found the left side of his vision filled by a familiar silver blade and knew on instinct where it was coming from, prompting him to roll out of the way just in time to avoid the strike, during which he barely managed to position his body so that he could use Banryu to launch himself into the air and slam the flat part of Banryu's blade down on the back of Shuiro's head.

'He's swift and agile.' Shuiro's katana arced down from the blow and swept to cut open Tatsu's stomach.

"Ryuken!" thinking quick, Tatsu instantaneously covered his body in iron scales and clasped both of his hands around the blade of Shuiro's katana, using a quick burst of the Ryuken to let the momentum of Shuiro's strike throw him clear, sending him hurtling a short distance away and giving Tatsu the to catch his breath and look back up at the castle 'These fluctuations in Ki, they're coming from the others… from Kagome… Dammit, I put too much focus on this one and the other one rebounded faster than I thought he would. FUCK! I need to wrap this up and get back over to the others.'

"Do not allow yourself to become distracted so easily." Shuiro rebounded and gracefully landed back on the ground "You do not have time to be concerned with the safety of others when you have the battle at hand to contend with."

"I know damn well who I should be worried about, and frankly it's not me." Tatsu hardened his gaze as he got into a stance with Banryu in hand 'The only problem is, it actually might be me right now. Whatever the deal is with this one, his Ki isn't tell me everything I need to know about him. Like that sword he carries, it's almost like… don't tell me…'

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Meanwhile, outside the castle…

"Kagome hold on!" Koga quickly freed himself of the ropes and tried to rush after her, only to find himself sliding on the ice and met with a series of chains bursting forth from the ice and latching onto his arms, binding him on the spot and being forced down onto his knees as the chains were pulled back down onto the icy road beneath him "Fuck!"

"Ah yes, the pathetic wolf prince, all alone now without his pack to protect him. It shows what you really are, a pathetic little cub desperate to make people think he's a leader when the truth is he's nothing more than a mangy stray-" Konebi was cut short by Koga kicking him in the face hard enough to send him crashing to the ground.

"I don't need my arms to put a piece of shit like you in his place." Koga let out a snarl as he used a burst of strength from his right arm to free himself of his restraints, only to freeze on the spot as he looked over and saw the remainins prisoners, Miroku and Sango included, being hoisted into the air by numerous shackles made of ice, with several ice spears being pointed at them at nearly point blank range.

"Perhaps you can protect yourself, but I think you'll find that the same can't be said for the rest of your companions or these peasants. And for your little act of defiance, their lives have been rendered forfeit." Konebi let out a chuckle as his body was engulfed in a surge of cryogenic energy, and he used a makeshift pillar of ice to raise himself above the rest of them "I'm going to enjoy this…"

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Meanwhile, inside the castle itself…

"Hey!" Kagome let out a yelp as she was thrown to the ground inside one of the rooms of the castle, leaving her to pull herself up onto her knees, only to find that her sword and bow were out of her reach "What do you want with me?"

"What makes you truly one of a kind." a flash of light drew Kagome's attention to where a certain noblewoman sat at the front of the room, her expression cold as she held the form of an infant in her arms "Now that Kikyo is dead, it would seem that you are the only one left that has the power to sense the shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"What are you-" Kagome paused as her gaze hardened, and she turned around to confront the source of it "Kagura."

Sure enough, it was at that moment that Kagura made herself known from within the shadows and gave a scowl "Okay I'm just going to say it, at this point I've had it with that bastard forcing me to do all of these menial tasks , and now he's got me looking after this stupid brat. Now I'm just stuck in here watching these two new hell spawn of his do all the work, honestly at this point I'd get it done easier if I just control some random monk with my Dance of the Dead."

"But if you're here… then that story about Kikyo still being alive…"

"It was nothing more than a lie to get Inuyasha away from the rest of the group." a voice quickly drew Kagome's attention back to the noblewoman holding the infant, though the voice became even more distorted "No one will come to save you. The rest of your companions will be killed at the hands of Konebi, and Inuyasha will be searching in vain for Kikyo."

'Wait a minute… that woman isn't the one that's actually speaking, is she? If what I'm sensing is right…

"Tatsu will not come for you." sure enough, the voice came from the infant being cradled in the arms of the noblewoman "There is only thing he is focused on, fighting and killing the enemies in front of him."

"You… You're another one of Naraku's incarnations, aren't you? Then those clumps of flesh that came from Mount Hakurei… they turned into this baby…' Kagome quickly hardened her gaze as she locked eyes with the Infant "What exactly is it that you want with me?"

"It's as I just said, the death of Kikyo means that you are the only one left with the power to see the shards of the Shikon Jewel. What I need is your eyes." the Infant's gaze hardened as the woman holding him slowly stood up and made her way over to Kagome.

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Meanwhile, outside the castle…

"Perhaps you can protect yourself, but I think you'll find that the same can't be said for the rest of your companions or these peasants. And for your little act of defiance, their lives have been rendered forfeit." Konebi let out a chuckle as his body was engulfed in a surge of cryogenic energy, and he used a makeshift pillar of ice to raise himself above the rest of them "I'm going to enjoy this…"

"Not as much as you might think!" it was at that moment that Sango dealt Konebi a headbutt and freed herself of the robes binding her using a blade hidden on her forearm 'It's times like this I'm really glad that I keep so many hidden weapons.' she quickly blocked a seires of ice spears being aimed at her as she grabbed Miroku by his ropes and threw him to the ground "Koga!"

"I'm on it!" Koga blitzed over to the scene and caught Miroku before he could hit the ground, and then one swift slash of his claws was enough to free him of his bindings "You gonna be good now monk?"

"I should be now Koga, thank you." Miroku gave a nod of gratitude, only to be forced to leap out of the way to avoid a barrage spears being aimed at him "We'll still need to get to our weapons though."

"No chance he's gonna let you get to them." Koga broke off one of the ice spears to use as a makeshift spear just as Sango landed on the ground next to them "So we'd have to make an opening ourselves. I say we do it if it means we can rip his fucking face off as we do it."

"You peasants really think that you can challenge the likes of me?" Konebi let out a chuckle… only to be met with an ice spear being hurled at him courtesy of Koga, which caused him to shoot a dark scowl at them "It seems you do. And you'll suffer for it." and so with a wave of his hand, he sent an enormous cascade of ice spears hurtling down towards the group.

"Scatter!" Sango gave the order, prompting the three of them to spread out in different directions to avoid the assault of ice spears "Someone get the rest of the other!"

"I'm on it!" Koga pounced forward and tried to make a grab for the remaining prisoners, only for them to be hoisted into the air courtesy of a set of makeshift ice chains used by Konebi "Shit, go for the fucker himself!"

"Right!" Sango and Miroku charged towards Konebi, with the latter acting as a foothold for the former to launch herself into the air and attempt to slash at him with her hidden blade, only for an ice spear to suddenly appear in front of her and ram directly into her, sending her careening back towards the ground and crashing into the walls of the castle gates.

"Sango!" Miroku wasted no time in trying to rush to her aid, only to find his way being blocked by a barrage of ice spears 'Dammit!'

"The slayer's tough monk, just stay still for a second!" Koga blitzed forward and quickly leapt off of Miroku's back to launch himself into the air, blitzing along the existing ice spears toward the bound prisoners.

"Don't think I'm going to make it that easy for you." Konebi let out a snarl as he merged the ice spears together and had them latch onto the chains holding the prisoners, slowly encasing all of their bodies in ice, while also using another ice chain to yank Koga towards him "You pitiful mongrels really believe that you have what it takes to defeat me? Naraku said you were foolish, but he never said you were delusional."

"You're gonna have to do better than that you frozen piece of shit, I've been called so much worse." Koga shot a smirk at Konebi as his right hand was engulfed in a burst of energy.

"The only thing I wish to call you at this point is a frozen corpse, and it will be so satisfying to render you as such as I freeze the blood coursing through your veins."

"Yeah, let me think about that… Nope! Lightning CLAW!" Koga strike Konebi with a burst of lightning from the Goraishi, causing him to shriek in pain just as the ice chain instantaneously retracted and formed a makeshift shield in front of Konebi just as the blast struck, causing them to drop Koga and leave him to rebound on the ground.

"You filthy little bitch…" Konebi was seeting with anger by this point as he encased the bound prisoners in a set of jaws, which then continued morphing until they took on the form of an enormous dragon made of ice "Now every last one of you is going to suffer in ways you could never even fathom."

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Meanwhile, inside the castle…

"It's as I just said, the death of Kikyo means that you are the only one left with the power to see the shards of the Shikon Jewel. What I need is your eyes." the Infant's gaze hardened as the woman holding him slowly stood up and made her way over to Kagome.

"Stay back!" Kagome tried to force herself away from the Infant and the woman, only to find herself being held in place by Kagura.

"I think you'll find that I'll be making very good use of your eyes. Alright Kagura, now I want you to untie her ropes."

"You sure about that?" Kagura gave a raised eyebrow, only to be met with a scowl from the Infant, which prompted her to swipe her fan and cut Kagome free of her bindings, and then keep her held in place as the Infant and the woman closed in on her, despite her attempts to get herself free.

"Now then, your eyes will belong to me."

"No! Stay back!" Kagome tried to jerk herself free, albeit to no avail.

"What is it that you're so afraid of? Do you think that I'm going to take your eyes and then just devour you?" the Infant let out a chuckle as he pressed his head and hands against Kagome's chest and closed his eyes 'This girl… What is it about her soul? I can't find any darkness within her… This can't be the case with her. With every human, there is always some form of darkness that lies deep within their soul. Perhaps, anger, hatred or… Yes, there it is…'

"What… What are you doing…?" Kagome found herself frozen on the spot 'What is this terrible feeling? It feels like he's… groping around inside my heart… Please help me… I need you to be here Tatsu… He isn't coming for me… Tatsu isn't coming for me… He won't be here to rescue me… He's out there fighting… He went off alone… Tatsu…"

'I found it!' the Infant's eyes snapped open as a pulsing sensation washed over him, causing the noblewoman to fall over dead as Kagome held him in her arms "At last I've managed to grasp the darkness that lies within your heart Kagome. That means you won't be able to get away from me. Now hold onto me tightly, allow our souls to unite and then you shall become my new pair of eyes."

'Tatsu… you won't come…' Kagome slowly tightened her hold on the Infant, her expression growing more solemn as dark energy began washing over her and the Infant.

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At the same time, Inuyasha was off continuing his search for Kikyo, only to be unable to find a trace of her anywhere, unaware of the trap that Naraku had set. Eventually he ran into Shippo and Kilala and learned from him what had happened with the others, cursing himself for falling for the trap so easily, and they quickly rushed off to help the others.

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Meanwhile, with the waywards swordsmen…

"Iron Spear Storm!" Tatsu didn't waste any time as he fired a barrage of iron spears at Shuiro and leapt back to gain some distance.

'Intriguing. The ability to generate metal.' Shuiro wasn't dissuaded by this and simply used his katana to deflect the iron spears away from him, even cutting some of them clean in half.

'Fuck fuck FUCK! There has to be some way to get through his defences, unless… One clean shot should get through if it's fast enough. Aqua Javelin!" with his mind racing, Tatsu rushed forward and fired off a large spear made of solidified water, aiming for the right instant.

'Water too, and he's fast!' seeing that he couldn't defend in time, Shuiro attempted to leap out of the way, leaving the water spear to pierce his right arm as it flew past, leaving a bloody gash on the side but nothing more than that.

'Dammit, all of that just for a drop of blood. I'll have to hit him with something bigger, maybe a two-element attack or something, but I doubt he'll give me the opening to prep it, let alone use it against him. The question is, what in the fuck am I supposed to do?!'

"Is this truly all that you're capable of?" Shuiro studied Tatsu from afar as he tightend his grip on his katana "If this is the extent of your abilities in battle, then it would seem that Naraku was in the wrong to fear you."

"Oh trust me, I'm gonna give him something to fear when I stick this sword right through his fucking eyes! Dragon HAMMER!" Tatsu let out a snarl as he burst forward and unleashed a blue-colored burst of demonic energy from the blade of Banryu.

"Hono no Kogeki." Shuiro took a breath as he drew his katana from its sheath, and with one stroke he unleashed a burst of flames that ripped through the Dragon Hammer and cancelled it out, then carried on towards Tatsu at blinding speed almost too fast for him to dodge.

"Ryuken!" Tatsu burst out of the way with a quick spike of the Ryuken, clearly noticing how the ground rolled as the blade barely missed him 'Shit, one strike of that hits me and I'll be as good as a fucking kebab.' he hit the ground and was about to rebound… only to be met with his chest bursting open as a silver blade pierced his chest.

"And so this ends." Shuiro stood over him with his hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression one of disappointment as he locked eyes with Tatsu "It woud seem I was correct. Naraku was wrong to consider you such a threat as you are now."

"Don't you fucking… look down on me…" Tatsu spat out some blood as he raised his head to meet Shuiro's gaze, until his gaze fell onto the blade piercing his chest "This sword… This was mine… I gave it up to get away from Renkotsu… and now you have it…"

"I was told by Naraku that this blade was sacrificed by one of his enemies, and it was claimed by a group of his Saimyosho prior to the destruction of Mount Hakurei. He entrusted it to me, and so I intend to use it to carry out my purpose."

"Yeah well… Suck to be you then." Tatsu coughed up more blood as he tried to force his way back onto his feet, only to be forced back down by Shuiro driving his sword deeper, causing him to cry out in pain, though this didn't stop him "I'm not done… I've still got… plenty of fight in me…"

"However much intent you may have to carry on is irrelevant. It will do you no good to continue this battle so long as you remain as you are. Even now it's clear from the look in your eyes, you let yourself be blinded by your own anger. So long as you remain as you are now, you will not have the skill nor power to defeat me."

"Is that right…? Well to bad for you…" Tatsu gave a defiant smirk as blood continued pouring from his wound, energy slowly surging around his body "I've got something better… than skill or power…"

"Which is?"

"Creativity! STORM DRAGON'S ROAR!" Tatsu let out a primal roar as he summoned a water dragon coated with electricity and sent it hurtling forward toward Shuiro, colliding with him head on and sending him hurtling backwards a sizable distance. With the battle paused for the moment, Tatsu coughed up more blood as he staggered back onto his feet, summoning an open flame with one hand and holding it to his chest, causing him to cry out in pain but also stopping the bleeding 'Cauterizing injuries with flames… hurts like a bitch, but it gets the job done… Now I have to-'

"Meikai no Shugeki." Shuiro appeared before Tatsu faster than he was able to react and gave a single stroke of his sword, which was enough to land a swift barrage of slashes at point blank range with enough precision and ferocity to cut through Tatsu's iron scales, sending him hurtling back to the ground with a mighty crash 'I see, so he allowed me to wound him to give him the chance to get close enough to try and finish me. A master move, but a failed one, at least in this case. So what shall you do next?'

"Dragon… THUNDER!" gritting his teeth, Tatsu grabbed hold of Banryu and drove the blade into the ground as he unleashed a powerful burst of electricity, sending it careening out in every direction.

'Metal, water and now lightning…' Shuiro raised his katana in an attempt to block the attack as it closed in… only to find his sword blown out of his hands, prompting him to throw himself to dodge the attack, until…

"Dragon BURST!" Tatsu threw himself at Shuiro and unleashed a blue burst of demonic energy from one hand, striking Shuiro square in the face and throwing him backwards, leaving a large burn mark on his face that rapidly began healing 'Fuck, it didn't work… He saw it coming at the last second and backpeddaled… He's definitely not making this easy for me…' he landed on the ground and spun on his heels, then instantly transitioned to running across the battlefield.

"Shinko no Meikai." Shuiro moved to grab his katana and was on him with a burst of flames, both of them springing across the battlefield for all they were worth, arms and legs pumping with swords in hand and both of them moving faster than the eye could see, and numerous flame enhanced sword strikes flew from the blade of Shuiro's katana.

'Shit!' Tatsu found himself rolling, dodging and contorting to avoid the flaming slashes, none of them coming closer than an inch to him. Eventually both of them came to a stop, both of them left panting heavily, Tatsu in particular 'This isn't right… I shouldn't be this worn out… Is it the blood loss doing this to me…? Then again, letting him gouge me to get close… might not have been the best idea… I have to end this soon, or I won't last much longer…'

'It would seem that my own form may not be able to hold out as long as I had intended. This may be problematic.' Shuiro felt his mind racing as he kept his gaze locked onto Tatsu 'This does feel strange though… it's as if I'n not able to use as much power as I desire against him… What is it that holds me back? No, asking questions of my abilities will not change the outcome. This is what I was created for, if that means death then so be it.' and so he tightened his grip on his katana, crimson-colored demonic energy radiating from his body 'This one, he does not look with fear or concern. No, he is prepared for what's to come. If only he were not driven by anger, this battle may very well have ended already. So the question is…'

'What's he doing to do next?'

'I suppose there is only one way to find out.' Shuiro charged toward Tatsu with crimson energy coating his katana, Tatsu meeting his charge with energy radiating from Banryu… and then the world around them exploded.

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Meanwhile, with the battle outside the castle…

"Dammit…" Sango let out a pained groan as she opened her eyes and pulled the rubble off of herself, only to cast a brief glance over and find both her Hiraikotsu and Miroku's staff half buried amongst the debris, to which she gave a smirk 'Oh good, it's about time we managed to take back what belongs to us.'

"Sango!" it was at that moment that Miroku rushed over to her side "Are you alright?"

"I'm a lot better now that I have my Hiraikotsu back. Speaking of which, you may want to take this." she quickly handed Miroku's staff over to him… only to end up bringing Hiraikotsu down on his head as she forced his hand away from her "Really, you're doing that now?!"

"I simply wished to make sure you hadn't been injured earlier."

"Thanks but no thanks, I plan on returning the favor to him."

"Welcome to the fucking club!" Koga hit the ground near them with a loud crash, then quickly pulled himself back onto his feet as he spat out some blood to the side "We got a plan?"

"I hit him from afar with Hirakotsu, Miroku uses spiritual power on him with his staff, you use that claw of yours to blow up the ice dragon."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Koga gave a smirk and didn't waste any time charging at the ice dragon at full speed.

"All of you are going to suffer in ways you can't imagine!" Konebi waved his hand and sent the ice dragon hurtling down towards Koga, with it catching him in its jaws despite his attempts to keep it from chomping down on him.

"Well if nothing else, at least we're not doing this in a collapsing mountain, so it serves as quite the improvement compared to last time." Miroku cast a glance over at Sango as the two of them charged toward the ice dragon with their weapons in hand "In any case I may need you to cover me, I'll go in and help Koga."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Hirakotsu!" Sango wasted no time in aiming Hiraikotsu at the ice dragon, ripping through one of its legs in one sweep, though it quickly began regenerating "Go now!"

"I'm on it!" Miroku pierced the ice dragon in its other front leg with his staff and used it to vault himself into the air, where he crawled his way along the head until he could see Koga hanging onto the inside of the dragon's mouth, along with something else in his free hand "Koga!"

"About fucking time you showed up, now shut up and take them!" Koga hoisted the bound forms of the prisoners into the air, leaving Miroku to catch them… until his grip suddenly gave out and he was left falling into the dragon's mouth just as its jaw snapped shut

"Koga no!" Miroku and Sango could only look on in horror as the former landed on the ground with the remaining prisoners and the latter cut them free with her hidden blade.

"That's one mongrel down, only two more to dispose of." Konebi let out a chuckle… only to pause as he noticed a surge of energy coming from within the dragon "What?!"

"LIGHTNING CLAW!" a primal roar sounded from within the dragon a split second before its head was blown clean off, courtesy of Koga as he rose up from within, the Goraishi on his right arm surging with electricity, and he returned to the ground along with the others "That's one pain in the ass down, now to get to the important part. We're coming Kagome, just hang there a little bit longer.'

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Meanwhile, inside the castle…

"Well shit." Kagura gave a scowl as she watched the battle unfolding from inside "Looks like the others haven't been killed yet, so much for those two new incarnations. I guess they aren't all that they've been made out to be. Of course these fools are predictable too, they're fighting just to save the prisoners. They're all too soft-hearted for their own good."

"Such is their nature." the Infant gave a wicked smirk from his place in Kagome's arms "But that is what Konebi has that Shuiro lacks, a malice and desire to kill. Such a thing is contagious, it won't be long now before it spreads to the others and they all end up killing each other. The heart of a human is weak, and it's far too easy to bread hatred. Our enemies out there are no exception, nor is this girl." his smirk widened as he looked up at the lifeless look in Kagome's eyes.

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Meanwhile, with the battle of wayward warriors…

The explosion was deafening and Tatsu found himself being blown right off his feet, his body being covered in small burns all over as he was sent tumbling to the ground until he finally came to a stop with a loud crash. A moment passed before he slowly staggered back onto his feet, his mind slowly regaining awareness 'Okay first off, that hurt way more than it should've… Second of all, what the fuck was that?'

"So this is what the fuck you've been doing all this time." it was at that moment that a red and white figure leapt down onto the scene in the form of Inuyasha, Tessaiga in hand and swirling with demonic energy around the blade.

'...Well shit, that explains a few things. Like the searing migraine I have now.' Tatsu paused and looked over to see Shuiro picking himself up on the other side of the battlefield, giving him the chance to look over at Inuyasha 'Well if nothing else, at least he's not attacking either of us while I'm down or anything.'

"I'm not gonna like, it's times like this that I really love the Wind Scar." Inuyasha gave a smirk as he hoisted Tessaiga over his shoulder, though it quickly fell away as his gaze hardened "We don't have time to fuck arounf tohugh."

"I haven't been fucking around, I'm in the middle of fighting for my life. What the hell are you doing out here anyway?"

"I was off following the lead I got from that fucker about Kikyo and didn't find anything. That was when Shippo and Kilala showed up and told me you guys got taken to some castle, and then I figured out the whole thing was a giant fucking setup. I just found you first, but I'm picking up all kinds of fucked up scents."

"Because there's another one there, Koga and the others are-" Tatsu froze as he began sensing what was taking place in the distance 'That other incarnation's Ki, it's fluctuating like crazy and putting out all kinds of crazy energy, Koga and the others are fighting and… Kagome's Ki got separated from the others?"

"I could smell a little bit of that too."

"FUCK! I was so caught up fighting him I didn't sense any of it coming." Tatsu levelled a glare at Shuiro, and then he disappeared in a white flash without another word.

"...So I'm just supposed to fight this guy now?"

"That will not be happening today, Inuyasha I believe your name is." Shuiro stood upright as he placed his katana back in its sheath "You are not the opponent I was created for."

"Then you're going after him? Cause I ain't letting that happen." Inuyasha pointed Tessaiga directly at Shuiro.

"I would expect no less, but no. Your companion Tatsu is in no shape for a proper battle, and to be truthful, neither am I as of now. Fighting him when we are both in such a state will not give me what I desire… so you and your companions up there are free to go." he looked up and saw the forms of Shippo and Kilala hovering above them, then turned back to Inuyasha "But tell your companion this: the next time we meet, swords will cross."

"Yeah, whatever." Inuyasha just shot a look at Shuiro and took off running in the direction of the castle without another word, with Shippo and Kilala following behind him.

'It would seem that there is more to my adversary than just anger…' Shuiro watched their forms disappear, before turning and walking away from the scene himself 'And it would seem that I have much to learn and understand, both about him and about myself…'

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Meanwhile, outside the castle…

"LIGHTNING CLAW!" a primal roar sounded from within the dragon a split second before its head was blown clean off, courtesy of Koga as he rose up from within, the Goraishi on his right arm surging with electricity, and he returned to the ground along with the others "That's one pain in the ass down, now to get to the important part. We're coming Kagome, just hang there a little bit longer.'

"You worthless, insignificant wretches!" Konebi was practically foaming at the mouth with pure anger now as he waved his hand, causing the remains of the ice dragon to reform itself into that of a three-headed hydra "You pathetic wastes of human and canine scum! How dare you attack me and lay your filthy hands on one of my creations! As punishment for your transgressions, I will see to it that every last one of your fucking heads are mounted!"

"...Well shit, we had to piss him off, didn't we?"

"Truth be told, that is normally how it goes by this point." Miroku let out a sigh "Forgive me you two, I'm sure we could end this quickly and escape with our lives if I were to use my Wind Tunnel on the beast, but…"

"Your what now?"

"But even then there's no guarantee it would work, not with Naraku being the one behind this creature anyway." Sango finished for him.

"Okay gonna have questions about that later, but now we focus on the giant fucking behemoth in front of us. I don't know about the rest of you, but there's no chance in hell I'm letting that thing look down on me."

"You're right about that Koga, and even without that point, we owe it to Kagome to get in there and rescue her."

"Damn right, so there's no chance in hell I'm gonna give up." Koga held up the Goraishi and prepared to charge the hydra.

"You're going to suffer in ways you could never dream of!" Konebi prepared to have the hydra pounce at the group… only for a loud squelching noise to sound out, prompting him to look down and see a metal spear piercing him through the chest, causing him to cough up blood and fall to his knees "Wh-What…"

"Payback time." as it turns out, Tatsu was the one stabbing him from behind with a makeshift iron spear, and he took the chance to throw Konebi onto the back of the ice hydra as he raised the blade of Banryu into the air "DRAGON THUNDER!" he let out an ungodly roar as a series of lightning bolts rained down from above, striking Konebi and the hydra simultaneously, causing him to scream in pain as he was vaporized on the spot, leaving the remains of the hydra to shatter to pieces and fall to the ground. With that over, Tatsu wiped away the traces of Konebi's blood from his face and turned to the others "You guys okay?"

"You could've gotten here a fuckton sooner, but yeah we're fine." Koga wiped away some blood from his lip as he and the others made their way over "Forget about us, Kagome's the one that needs us right now. That icy fucker sent her inside the castle earlier."

"Inuyasha gave me the rundown, I'm on my way." Tatsu turned on his heel and launched himself into the castle with a burst of flames from one leg 'This residual Ki… Kagura was in here not long ago, the same with Kagome, but…' he came screeching to a halt as he reached the back room and found the corpse of the woman on the ground 'Add the fact that the new swordmsan was the one who told us that Kikyo was alive, and it was just another setup by Naraku, and we fell for it. FUCK!"

"They got her, didn't they?" Koga came screeching into the room with Miroku and Sango right behind him, Inuyasha trailing close behind them.

"Can you pick up her scent?"

"Already got it, she's with Kagura in that direction." he pointed in one particular direction… and that was all he could get out before Tatsu bolted from the scene with a burst of flames from both legs, and Koga didn't waste any time following after him, along with the others.

'I'm coming Kagome, please just hang on until I get there!' Tatsu continued launching himself forward, using burst of flames from his arms and legs to propel himself into the air at greater speed, his mind racing 'How the fuck could I let myself be such a fucking idiot?! I'm making the same mistake over and over again! I let myself get caught up in one thing or rush off without thinking and I get the fucking rug pulled out from under me! I already fucked up once and the others almost died because of it, and I… I thought I was the only one hurting. I've been acting like such a fucking idiot all this time, and now everyone else is suffering because of it. And it's hurting Kagome… now if I lose her again because of it… FUCK! Ryuken!" a burst of demonic energy propelled him forward at even greater speed 'I'm Kagome, please just hold on until I can get there! If I lose you again then… I don't know what I'm going to do…'

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Meanwhile, with the wayward love interest…

"Finally, I was wondering how long we'd have to hide out in human territory." Kagura rolled her eyes as she found herself and Kagome, the latter holding the Infant, through the skies on her giant feather, until they came to a temple resting on the edge of a mountain and made their way inside, the former giving a smirk as she saw who was waiting for them "Well what do you know, if it isn't Kanna."

Sure enough, Kanna stood before the group with her mirror in one hand, and she held out her other hand to reveal a certain something bathed in a black light "Here."

"A Shikon Jewel shard huh? So where are we going with this?"

"Where I want it to go." the Infant spoke up from his place in Kagome's arms "That jewel shard has been tained and I want you to implant it into Kagome, and once it's been done it will render her completely under our control. My mission here is almost done, so once you implant the shard it will be time for me to go into hiding."

"Right… so you're saying that with this thing, it's going to make Kagome into another slave to serve Naraku then? Well doesn't that sound familiar." Kagura's smirk widened as she made her way over to Kagome and lifted her chin to lock eyes with her "She's going to end up sharing the same fate as Kohaku."

'Kohaku?' the mention of that name was enough to help Kagome regain a certan sense of her awareness 'This impure light… she's going to implant that jewel shard into me! No, I can't let that happen… but I can't move my body… This infant… It's like it has my soul stuck in some kind of chokehold… I have to get free… I have to get control back over my body…'

"Kagura hold on." the Infant stopped Kagura in her tracks as he glanced up at Kagome "This girl is proving to be a stubborn one, she's already regained consciousness."

'I… I have to try… Tatsu, I need your help…'

"You're wasting your time and effort." the Infant quickly began trying to render her suggestible again "You have to realize by now that Tatsu isn't going to come to your rescue. You know how he is by now. There's one thing that he lives for, battling the strongest opponents that he can come across. He proved that by choosing to fight against Shuiro over protecting you and the rest of your companions. Go ahead Kagome, remember how you've felt all this time. You hate it when he goes off to fight, don't you?"

"What?" Kagome's eyes snapped open.

"You've always hated when he rushed off into a battle, and he always leaves you behind, because he has no faith in your abilities. When the Band of Seven were finally defeated, it seemed as though it was finally over. But then a new challenge appeared, Shuiro and Konebi, and just what did Tatsu do? The very second they appeared before him, he left you behind again. It doesn't even matter who the opponent is, because Tatsu will always rush off to face the next challenge and leave you behind. You know where Tatsu's heart truly lies… and you feel bitter towards him for it, don't you? Don't you hate him for it? It's okay to feel hatred and resentment… you're not in the wrong to feel this way. You can fill your heart with bitterness once more… and allow me to grasp onto your soul with all of its hatred."

"I… I…" Kagome's voice quickly faded as her eyes shut once again.

"Good, looks like you finally got her." Kagura gave a smirk as she held up the jewel shard and began slowly approaching Kagome to place the shard into her head.

'I feel bitter towards Tatsu…? I hate him…? I mean I guess I have the right to be mad at him, but even so…' Kagome's thoughts were cut short as a pulse washed over her body, followed by a brief flash of purple light, forcing Kagura to retract her hand.

"What the hell is going on? She shouldn't be able to repel the shard like that." Kagura's eyes narrowed as she studied Kagome 'So it seems that there are a few things even this devilish little brat can't do.'

"You… You're wrong."

'She spoke?!' the Infant's gaze hardened furiously 'That shouldn't be possible. How is it that my suggestive powers aren't working on this girl?'

"What you're saying to me is completely wrong." Kagome's voice slowly became louder "Tatsu is a fighter by nature, it's not something that he can just give up so easily. But he doesn't fight just for the sake of fighting or to prove how strong he is… the main reason he fights is so he can protect the people that he loves… even if it means he feels like he has to do it alone. And even if I can bring myself to accept that on a rational level, I still can't help feeling some hurt and anger over being left behind by him in those kinds of situations. But with that being said, bearing a grudge against Tatsu and feeling hurt that he would leave me behind… these kinds of feelings are normal ones that any human could have. And it doesn't mean that I should feel bitterness toward him over it. I will admit, this is the first time I've seen Tatsu so adamant in refusing to let me or anyone else help him in his struggles, to the point where he forces me to stay behind as he goes off alone. And I know he's hurting too over this, because he knows how difficult this is for both of us. There have been times when I wish Tatsu would give up fighting altogether, but then I've always found myself feeling bad afterwards for harboring thoughts like that. I understand that all of these feelings… what they means is…" Kagome clenched her eyes shut as a few tears began to brim "They mean that I'm in love with Tatsu!" that earned an outright snarl of anger from the Infant.

"KAGOME!" it was that that moment that Tatsu ripped through the walls of the temple in a burst of flames and screeched to a halt.

"Tatsu… you came for me…" Kagome gave a small smile as her legs finally gave out, the Infant flying out of her arms as she lost consciousness and fell back into Tatsu's waiting arms.

'Kagome…'

"Well that definitely explains a few things." Kagura gave a smirk as she caught the Infant in her arms "No wonder Naraku hates that girl as much as he does."

"Here's an idea, you tell me what the fuck you did to Kagome and give me a good reason not to drive Banryu through your skull."

"Nothing too significant." the Infant rolled his eyes "All I did was rummage around inside of her soul for a little bit. I was able to find a small speck of darkness in the girl's heart, and I have you and your hunger for battle and hate for my fellow incarnations to thank for that. It really is quite the shame, just one more little step and I could have crushed her soul completely."

"You little shit… what the fuck even are you?"

"Tatsu!" it was at that moment that Koga came speeding onto the scene, with the others arriving on the back of Kilala and Inuyasha trailing close behind them "Is she alright?"

"I… I don't know."

"Then I know who to thank for it." Koga let out a snarl as he turned his gaze onto Kagura "Here I thought I'd never get the chance to rip you apart after everything you've done."

"Oh great, you and the others are still alive." Kagura rolled her eyes "I guess that means you managed to elude Kenobi."

"Yeah sure, let's go with that."

"...He's dead isn't he?"

"Why the fuck are you surprised?"

"Personally I'm not." the Infant gave a smirk "Tell me wolf demon, monk, demon slayer. Did you enjoy it when you finally killed Kenobi?"

"What, I'm supposed to believe you were the one calling the shots behind that icy prick? Just wait and you can ask him when you see him in hell." Koga prepared to advance on the group, only to stop when he noticed Miroku and Sango frozen on the spot "What is it?"

"Take a look for yourself." Miroku pointed at the Infant "This baby and the ghastly color of his skin… I think he may have been created from the clumps of flesh that Naraku was producing back inside Mount Hakurei…"

"Hold on, what?"

"Sango and I found them inside the mountain." Miroku turned back to the Infant as his gaze grew hard "Tell me, are you Naraku's human heart."

"What led you to believe such a thing?" the Infant gave a raised eyebrow.

"We all know very well that Naraku hid himself inside Mount Hakurei, in order to not only create a new and more powerful body for himself, but also for the sake of casting away his human heart. Naraku told us that he cut this part of him away because of how it continued to yearn for Kikyo, so that he would be able to kill her."

"So this thing… is Naraku's heart that yearns for Kikyo still?" Inuyasha slowly took a few steps forward as he let out a snarl full of rage "It's absolutely fucking sick, the way Naraku just loves to fuck with people's emotions for his sick kicks!"

"Is that what you think?" the Infant let out a chuckle "There is a possibility that I am indeed the human heart that Naraku had once possessed within him. I have the ability to clearly see into the heart of a person, see their weaknesses and frailties. I know just what it is that needs to be done to make a person suffer, to be filled with sorrow or hate. All of this is very familiar to me, but if there is one thing that I did not inherit from Naraku, it was the yearning and anguish that he once felt for Kikyo. And where do you think that feeling went? Those disgusting clumps of flesh that you saw at Mount Hakurei, that's where the feelings went."

'So that was the human heart Naraku abandoned?' Koga shared a brief look with both Miroku and Sango.

"And that is why I have no feelings of either pain nor sorrow."

"I think I get all that I need to." Tatsu gently sat Kagome's unconscious form on the ground and slowly rose to his feet, snarling with rage as he pulled Banryu off his back "To dum it down a few levels, you're nothing but a filthy fucking monster that came out of Naraku's heart, got all of his evil and sadism. In other words, you got every reason he has for me to gut you like a fish. All the reason I need to follow through. DRAGON THUNDER!" in a flash, Tatsu summoned an iron club and hurled it at the Infant and Kagura, followed by raising the blade of Banryu and summmong a storm overhead that rained down numerous lightning bolts raining down from above.

"This is one of the parts I enjoy most." the Infant gave a smirk as the lightning storm closed in from above… only to end up being absorbed by a barrier around him "You didn't expect me to have that ability, did you?"

'Shit, he managed to absorb the lightning of the Dragon Thunder?! Naraku managed to do that when Sesshomaru and I fought him, and then he… Oh no…' Tatsu's expression went pale as he cast a frantic look back at the others "Everyone get out of here, NOW! Sea God's SHIELD!" he summoned a series of water shields to separate himself from the group as they took off (with Inuyasha grabbing hold of Kagome's unconscious form) as he stood firm, the Dragon Thunder shooting out of the barrier towards him, leaving him to steady himself as the lightning made contact with him, leaving him to skid back to the edge of the temple, the electricity starting to overwhelm him 'It's too much… I'm sorry… I can't do this…"

"You don't have to do it alone." the sound of another voice made Tatsu's eyes snap open and look over to see Koga standing before him, the Gorasihi materializing on his right arm as he got into a stance "You let me live after making me swear that I'd protect Kagome. It's time for me to live up to that, only this time we're doing it together."

"...Right." Tatsu composed himself slightly 'Remember what Ryuhogo taught me… Guide it down to my chest… then let it build until it has nowhere to go but OUT!' and so with a primal roar, he and Koga stuck their arms out and projected the lightning back towards the Infant and the others, colliding with the barrier and resulting in an explosion that sent both of them flying out of the temple and hurtling down the cliffside.

"Hang on!" thinking quick, Koga grabbed onto Tatsu by the blade of Banryu he held as he embedded the Goraishi into the side of the cliff and used it to slow their fall until they finally came to the ground, landing beside the rest of the group "No doubt that little shit was born right out of Naraku, he's about as sadistic as that piece of shit. So where is he now?"

"Right up there." Tatsu spat out some blood to the side as he looked up "And he's got the same smug grin on his face."

Sure enough, the Infant rested in Kagura's arms as the two of them, along with Kanna, floated away from the scene in a barrier "Don't think that this is going to be over just yet. I'll be back soon enough."

"Go ahead and try it you little fucker." Koga let out a snarl "If you ever lay a hand on Kagome again, you'll be begging for death by the time we get through with you."

"Is that what you believe? Well now that Kikyo is no longer with us, that girl is the only one that has the power to see the shards of the Shikon Jewel. It won't be long before Kagome's eyes are made ours, and then the Shikon Jewel will become whole once again. And it will be a jewel full to the brim with pure hatred and malice."

"If you think that, then you don't know the first thing about her." Tatsu used Banryu to pull himself back to his feet "She would never do anything to help Naraku, not even if her life were to depend on it."

"We'll see soon enough. Keep in mind that there are many ways to corrupt that girl, for so long as you cannot overcome your darkness, she cannot forget hers." and on that note, the barrier disappeared into the skies of Feudal Japan.

'He doesn't know what he's talking about… Kagome would never let something like that get the better of her…' Tatsu looked over to where Inuyasha was carrying Kagome's unconscious form over to them, leading him to gently take her into his arms 'Too bad the same can't be said for me now… I let my anger get the better of me and left her all alone to fight Shuiro… and look at what happened to you because of it… I'm sorry… but I can't put you through any more of this than I already have…'

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As their group flew away from the scene on top of Kagura's giant feather, the Infant was left exhausted and came to realize that he she was stronger than he had expected and used up too much of his energy in his attempts to control her mind. This led Kagura to realize that while the Infant may have been Naraku's offspring, he wasn't as powerful as Naraku himself was.

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Following the long and brutal conflict, the group finally returned to Kaede's village.

"So that's it… she's gone." once they had arrived, Inuyasha had taken it upon himself to explain to Kaede what had happened, and now the two of them stood in front of Kikyo's grave "Forgive me Kaede."

"It's alright Inuyasha, you do not need so say anything else." Kaede told him quietly "My dear sister Kikyo had been forced to return to this world of the living. Her soul knew only suffering while she was here, and so…"

"I… I wasn't able to save Kikyo's soul. I wasn't there for her and she died alone, all because of that bastard Naraku."

"Perhaps… but now Sister Kikyo's soul has faded, so at the very least it means that she will no longer have to suffer. So remember Inuyasha, that means you need not suffer either." she gave him a small smile "Yes it is true that my dear sister is gone, but… I merely wish that her remains could be returned to her proper resting place."

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Meanwhile, with the rest of the group…

"I don't like this…" Shippo glanced up at Miroku and Sango as the three of them were filling their canteens with water down by the river "I just hope Kagome is going to be okay. She's still been sleeping ever since we got back."

"I know Shippo, but we don't have anything to worry about." Sango gave a small smile as she knelt down in front of Shippo and ruffled his hair "Trust me when I say that she's going to be just fine, okay?"

"I agree. Unfortunately, I don't think it's Kagome we need to worry about." Miroku let out a sigh as he cast a glance over at the others "Think about everything that happened between us during the conflict with the Band of Seven and the events at Mount Hakurei."

"A lot did happen, I know… But we did win."

"True, but as I'm sure the others can attest, not without paying a price. Broken bones and other injuries can be healed or repaired fairly easily… but things such as broken trust or grief, those types of wounds take much longer to heal."

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Meanwhile, with the remaining members of the group…

'So this is where the mutt is from.' Koga looked around the village from where he stood right outside Kaede's hut 'Well if nothing else, at least the people here aren't trying to stab me in the face or something, so I guess the monk wasn't wrong about some humans being decent. Guess we'll see how that pans out.' it was then that his attention was grabbed by a low moaning sound that prompted him to bolt back inside at full speed "Kagome…"

Sure enough, Kagome slowly opened her eyes from where she lay on a futon, until her gaze fell onto Koga, and she gave a small smile "Koga, you… the others… are they…?"

"We're all fine. We brought you back to the village guarded by that old priestess."

"Kaede… I see… so we made it back then…" Kagome paused as her face fell "Tatsu… I thought he-"

"He bolted off to find you the second he found out you were in trouble. Whatever the hell that creepy little shit said to you was a filthy lie."

"I see… so he was there…" Kagome slowly pulled herself up to sit upright, with Koga moving to support her.

"Take it easy, don't move around too much. You wanna see him right?" he was met with silence, which was all the confirmation he needed "Wait here, I'll go let him know you're awake." and he was out the doorway of the hut in a fraction of a second.

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Meanwhile, with the wayward protagonist…

'It's clear to me now, there's only one real choice here…' Tatsu stood on top of the tori gate overlooking the village, using a whetstone to sharpen the blade of Banryu while using his flames to weld any cracks or damage to the blade 'I know what I have to do now…'

"Hey."

Tatsu looked down to see Koga standing underneath the tori gate "Hey. Getting accustomed to being in human territory?"

"It's sure as hell gonna take some getting used to, but it's nothing I can't handle. Gotta learn to adapt if you wanna survive in the Wolf Demon Tribe." Koga gave a smirk, but it quickly fell away as his gaze hardened "Kagome's awake by the way."

"I know. I could sense it as soon as she regained consciousness." he leapt off the torii gate and landed on the ground, only to start walking away before Koga grabbed him by the shoulder and made him stop in his tracks.

"You expect me to believe she doesn't want to see you? That you don't want to see her?"

"...You expect me to believe that I deserve to?" Tatsu didn't turn around as he spoke, though his voice was hoarse and filled with anguish "She needed me and I wasn't there for her."

"She doesn't blame you for that."

"Well I do. I let her get into serious danger. Any later and… I would've lost her. I should've seen all of this coming. All this time I've been letting my anger cloud my judgement. Now Naraku is back and more powerful than ever, and his incarnations and this new heart of his are all still out there." Tatsu gave a scowl "Let's face it Koga, I was supposed to be this great and powerful Guardian, but all I am is an endless fuckup."

"Yeah they're out there, but we'll get them."

"We?" Tatsu spun around to face Koga, his eyes full of anger "You don't get it Koga, there is no "we" here. It's my fuckup, my problem, my responsibility. I was content with fighting on my own, but against my better judgement I let other people try fighting my battles for me and now I put everyone in this group and the girl I love in harm's way." he gritted his teeth as he turned back around "No one else is going to get hurt because of me, it's my mess and I have to be the one that cleans it up."

"So then… what are you going to do?"

"What else? I'm going to train until my bones turn to fucking powder if that's what it takes, but I'm going to get as strong as I need to. Then I'm going to find Naraku and every last one of his spawn and take them out for good. And I'm going to do it alone." he started walking away, until the voice of Koga came through.

"And what about Kagome?" that was enough to make Tatsu stop in his tracks "You think she's gonna be okay with that plan of yours?"

"...That's why I'm not giving her the choice. Not this time." Tatsu clenched his fists to the point where blood trickled down his palms as he blinked back tears "Besides… I don't think I want to see her right now. Not like this. Not that I deserve to anyway." and with a white flash, he fled from the scene via the Dragon Warp.

'Shit…' Koga paused as his nose twitched slightly, and he looked back to see Kagome standing at the entrance to the hut, her expression solemn "Kagome-"

"It's alright Koga, you don't have to say it." Kagome blinked back a few tears as she let Koga embrace her "He'll never stop trying to be the hero and protect everyone… even if it ends up hurting himself…" she paused and gave a small smile "But I still love him… so it's not like there's anything I can do but be there for him."

"Yeah… that's a decent way to look at it." Koga gave a small smile of his own, but paused as he looked in the direction Tatsu disappeared 'You're gonna have a long road ahead of you at this point Tatsu. You'd better be ready for it.'

A/N:

Now we deal with the immediate aftermath, and see one significant change from canon, in the form of Koga parting ways with Hakkaku and Ginta to join the main group. I knew going into this I was going to have him join the group. Like I said in a previous chapter, if there's anyone who had wasted potential in this series, it would have to be Koga. But unfortunately, even with the end of the conflict with the Band of Seven and Mount Hakurei, the hardships aren't over yet. Not only is Naraku back and more powerful than ever, but our heroes still have to heal from the wounds they suffered, both physical and emotional. And it will be a longer road to recovery for some than others, Tatsu and Inuyasha in particular.

But we'll get to that later. For now I want to give some detail about some additions to canon, in the from of two original incarnations of Naraku I created: One of them being called Shuiro (Japanese for Vermillion) and the other being called Konpeki (Japanese for Azure). Truth be told the latter is more of a one off thing, similar to with Juromaru and Kageromaru. The former on the other hand, I plan to keep around, at least for the time being.

Anyway that's all I have to say for the time being. Thank you all for reading, and please support my Patre0n at the link provided in my profile page.

Anyway that's all I have to say for the time being. Thank you all for reading, and please support my Patre0n at the link provided in my profile page.