Hokai, Tsumetai and Mikata had fled the dog demon's rage and run into the safety of the eastern lands, of which Mikata controlled a large potion. At this point, the north of Japan was too far for them to recover in, and so they sought a closer haven. They shuffled through a shadowy pine forest as best they could, crashing through the trees.
Tsumetai and Mikata had patches of skin and hair missing from their bodies, burned away by the poison that had dripped from Sesshomaru's maw. A human would have melted into oblivion, bone and all, in seconds had they suffered the same attack. Only their alexipharmic demonic auras had prevented them from sharing this fate, and their damaged skin had already begun to heal.
Unnoticed at first, Tsumetai had taken the full force of Sesshomaru's front claws when the dog demon had landed among them and swiped at all in his path, so he was by far the worse for wear. Two large, deep lacerations crisscrossed his chest garishly, and blood seeped from the wound as he staggered onwards. The northern lord was now much more alert than he had been.
"That wretched dog! He'll pay for this! If it's the last thing I do I'll get my revenge!" Mikata cursed loudly, wincing as some branches grazed the ruined skin and flesh on her shoulder. She rounded on Hokai like a wild dog, "And you! Leaving us there to fend for ourselves! What kind of ally are you?"
"Calm yourself my lady, we got what we wanted: Tsumetai awake. Now Tsumetai has been revived, and once you are both back to your maximum level of power…this attack from Sesshomaru will be a minor setback," Hokai said. From the thick hairs covering his body, he plucked a smaller, messenger sized spider that seemed to be clinging to his back, unobserved.
He whispered his location, and some mumbled instructions to the small spider resting delicately in his pincers, in response his messenger detached itself and scurried off into the trees. Tsumtai watched the spider scramble away, his grey eyes narrowed in suspicion. They had gone through a hurried introduction as they moved east, but Tsumetai was dubious and still had some questions to be answered.
"We still need to come up with a plan of retaliation, and we must be on our guard. We were lucky the dog demon did not give chase, fortunately he was more interested in scolding his companion to pursue us," Tsumetai said gutturally, pain making his voice thick. He moved gingerly on, trying to prevent further blood loss from his abdomen.
"Yesss…" Hokai hissed with interest, "and that is odd indeed. Kikyo and Sesshomaru…both were hounded by my brother, and both contributed to his demise…but separately. From what I can gather, the priestess and the dog demon had never even spoken before, which means this relationship must be a new one. ..could it be that upon his arrival at our trap.. the dog was trying to protect Kikyo?" Hokai mused.
"I thought the mongrel was obsessed with protecting some child?" Mikata interjected sullenly.
"You are quite right my lady, perhaps the priestess is a new infatuation. Did you see how he towered over her so protectively? Another weakness we can use to possibly bend the scales in our favour. And Kikyo herself is an opponent not to be overlooked," Hokai said.
"But…you said Sesshomaru's half-breed brother was romantically involved with the dead woman? Or do dogs like to keep it in the family?" Tsumetai said.
"Inuyasha is now married to Kikyo's reincarnation, Kagome. When Kikyo died he must have moved on with his new life. I'd be interested to see if the half breed knows his old love is walking around…back from the dead," Hokai said.
"What I'm interested in is how we are going to settle the score. The longer we take to retaliate the longer Sesshomaru has to strengthen his defences. We should attack! Tonight! The sooner the better!" Tsumetai said. The trio staggered to a halt, pondering this offensive possibility.
Hokai shook his pincers. "You will likely need tonight to heal. But that means we can think about our next move. We need to exploit Sesshomaru's weaknesses, like we did with the priestess and the children. We know the child he looks after is a weakness, and that she was recently moved into Sesshomaru's castle from Inuaysah's village. So the child is for now beyond our reach, until we breach the dog's castle. Sesshomaru himself cannot be killed, not yet. My brother's struggles have proven that. But if he cannot be killed until he is weaker…Perhaps we can incapacitate him long enough to get a firm grip on his lands, surround him and then you can finish him once and for all."
Mikata shook her head wearily, inspecting her wounds as they walked. "And how do you propose we use his weakness and incapacitate him? If we succeed in doing all that, we may as well kill him," she said dubiously. Hokai huffed impatiently at the demonesses' narrow minded view.
"He will be expecting that! Don't you see? He believes that we think we have power enough to defeat him, but the both of you combined are equally matched to him. If we intertwined all of our powers together to trap, not kill, we could possibly invade his lands again, kill the priestess, kill his brother if necessary… and buy ourselves time," Hokai lectured as if addressing a child, his glib composure slipping momentarily.
An uncomfortable silence ensued as the demons digested this idea. A stiff wind blew around them, causing their poison burns to sting.
"Mikata is right, if we aren't planning on killing Sesshomaru, we may as well close up shop and come back where we come from," Tsumetai spat, rounding on the spider demon with an icy venom.
"Do you know why I am so intent on destroying that dog? When I began attacking the western lands, I'd never met Sesshomaru. I rarely attended the balls his fool mother organised in an attempt to bond the most powerful demons in Japan together. When I came into power I realised my lands were blighted. A disease had spread to every corner of my lands, an infestation of human existence that was expanding further and further. Like rats they were reproducing on a massive scale- even squabbling amongst themselves and killing each…or sometimes killing themselves ritualistically, nothing quelled the tide. No matter how many humans I killed, I did not seem able to dent the rise. Mikata and I have slaughtered as many of the vermin as possible in our respective lands. Eventually the humans scattered from our domain. And what have we found? The remaining humans left alive have fled to the west and the south of the country, to the islands, where they continue to grow and thrive. Left unchecked, humans will breed until they become a serious threat to all demons- yes even to you Hokai! The dog allows humans to squat on his lands and refuses to take action. I wouldn't be surprised if he had failed to notice the humans in his land, he is so preoccupied with his own drab little life. That is why he must die!" Tsumetai said, revealing the real reason behind his hatred for Sesshomaru.
Hokai listened to Tsumetai, surprised by his honesty but not surprised by his words of warning. Some demons were becoming uneasy about the growing number of humans. The violent Sengoku period had allowed demons to live unchecked as the undisputed strongest creatures on Japanese soil, but there were rumours of some foul tempered daimyo that had managed to conquer a larger portion of japan and was bringing some of the scattered human tribes together.
Smaller human rivals were being cut down. Rabbles of peasants had been transformed into dutiful warriors. Muskets had arrived in Japan and were being used by the more innovative daimyo to gain more and more control of the human provinces.
It was thought by some that in mass, humans could become deadly. More human lives meant more demon slayers like Sango, more monks like Miroku and maybe one day, more priestesses like Kikyo.
Hokai himself did not believe such nonsense, humans were too weak and inconsequential compared to demons, but it was a rippling concern that had begun to take root.
Hokai clicked his pincers rather dismissively. "I understand your frustration my lord, but we must tread carefully with the dog demon. Apart from that wretched priestess, Sesshomaru has no allies. If we can disable him, no help will come. We just have to figure out how to do it, and so we will form a plan tonight."
Kikyo had become accustomed to seeing Sesshomaru's castle in varying states of transformation. Just days ago it had been riddled with the bodies of demons, and the castle had borne unmistakable signs of attack and neglect, now it was unrecognisable. The outer wall had been rebuilt and made thicker, wood reinforced by stone. Two metre long spikes now adorned the top of each wall like rows upon rows of jagged teeth, unsightly but effective. Robed, reptilian looking demons worked tirelessly to maintain the red barrier now pulsing in the sky. The castle was ready to withstand an attack.
The reptile demon's looks of fierce concentration quickly changed to disbelief as Kikyo casually walked up to the edge of the barrier and dissolved a portion the size of a doorway, and stepped through, all without lifting so much as a finger.
Vaguely remembering her way, Kikyo began walking towards the castle's main entrance, increasingly aware of the magnified number of demons around her. Burly demons creating weapons in a hastily rebuilt forge, all manner of demons going though sword drills or inspecting their shields. Some were practising fire magic and thunder magic, causing the air to crackle around them. All those that she passed watched her with openly hostile eyes.
'They must know then, that I betrayed Sesshomaru and helped his nemesis to walk free. I will be lucky if they do not attack me outright. The war gave them a mere couple of days of reprieve, but now my actions have taken that rest away from them,' Kikyo thought. She looked around her perimeter warily, watching the demons glare at her.
Deciding that an unconcerned air was the best way forward, Kikyo steeled her shoulders and continued on briskly.
A small horde of demons stood ominously outside the great hall, Kikyo braced herself as she approached. The demons were looking so mutinous she half expected to be attacked, but she was permitted to slide the door open and step inside.
The main hall was dark, with only a few braziers lit on the opposite wall, making the flickering shadows seem deep and far.
The low table was encrusted with ferocious looking demons, each cloth of gold or crimson cushion was occupied with clawed or hooved feet. The demons were mere footnotes however, and Kikyo's eyes were inexplicably drawn to Sesshomaru.
The dog demon sat further away at the head of the table, his eyes glowing as brightly as the torches behind him.
The dog demon's servants began to hiss and jeer as Kikyo hovered over the threshold uncertainly.
Sesshomaru's eyes flashed like lightning when he perceived her. "So… the priestess has returned,'' Sesshomaru said softly. Around him his vassals snickered loudly.
Kikyo guessed that she should be grateful he had not callously mentioned her undead state, like he usually did, in front of an audience.
A sudden thump from behind sent Kikyo sprawling forward. She could not catch herself in time and her knees connected painfully with the wooden floor in front of her. A demon had shoved her into the room violently.
"Leave her," Sesshomaru commanded in a deadly voice as Kikyo slowly got to her feet, her body tense in case she was pushed a second time. The demons behind her shuffled backwards obediently.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I would like a moment of your time," Kikyo said as calmly as possible, as if the push had never happened. Sesshomaru glared at her lightly for a few moments.
"Get out," Sesshomaru snapped. At first Kikyo thought he was ordering her out of the castle, until the vassals around her lumbered to their feet, quietly grumbling, and made their way to the door. Kikyo glided past them and sank into the cushion to the right of Sesshomaru, who tried and failed to hide his fury at her temerity.
They waited to speak until the last demon had slid the door shut, Sesshomaru's citrine eyes boring into her own.
"Why have you come back?" Sesshomaru asked. He did not sound overly angry now, but Kikyo suspected he was like a swaying snake, waiting to strike.
"I have returned to ask your forgiveness for my actions, and to explain them," Kikyo said. Sesshomaru held her gaze steadily, until she blushed and looked down into her lap, staring at her folded hands.
"What makes you think I am willing to offer forgiveness, or that I have a burning desire to hear the excuses about what you have done?" Sesshomaru said bluntly.
"Well…if not you, then I would like to apologise to Rin. I put her in a terrible predicament, she must have been worried," Kikyo said.
Instantly, Kikyo knew she had unwittingly kicked the hornets nest. Sesshomaru's handsome face darkened with rage, and she felt his demonic energy spike to almost intolerable heights.
"Rin is no longer here. Now that Tsumetai threatens this land once again, thanks to your hands, and now I know the east is involved as well, I have had no choice but to send her back to Inuyasha. My grasp on my own domain has never been weaker. Rin has never been further from my reach." Sesshomaru had not raised his voice, in fact it was low with fury. Kikyo did not believe that Sesshomaru would harm her, but she certainly felt hot under the collar of her dirty, blood stained kimono.
"Please understand Sesshomaru, I could not leave those children to suffer and die, I had to act," Kikyo retaliated boldly, trying to placate the dog demon.
"And now because of your foolishness, Tsumetai and his mate are free to terrorise a countless number of children," Sesshomaru argued, stinging like a viper. In apparent frustration he rose from the table and away from her, melding into the shadows around him.
'How can he be so self righteous? Surely he knows I had no choice?' Kikyo thought. Kikyo got to her feet wearily, facing Sesshomaru with a fatigued determination. She had not absorbed any souls for several hours, and the day was taking its toll. She fixed the dog demon with a critical eye.
"We both know you would have done the same if they had threatened Rin. And we knew there was likely to be some retaliation for imprisoning Tsumetai. Do not deny that Sesshomaru…I am sorry that Rin is gone, but those poor children…all children, are as precious to me as Rin and deserve to be saved. Please acknowledge that you understand why I had to release Tsumetai like I did. Acknowledge that if Rin was at risk you would have done the same," Kikyo said, sounding increasingly exasperated, running her fingers through her raven hair.
Sesshomaru said nothing. His back was turned and he looked as stiff and unmoving as stone. His stance was unforgiving, but Kikyo suspected his silence was stretching as her words engendered doubt in his mind.
Kikyo sighed with frustration, moving closer to Sesshomaru, so she was enfolded in the same dark shadows.
"When you…when you left me, I returned those children to their village. It was far, but I certainly could not have abandoned them in that barren place," her voice momentarily became sharper, to show her disapproval that he had done exactly that. "I had expected them to be locals, but they told me they had come from the north, had travelled down through the east. Fleeing ice demons and freezing weather…What they described is surely Tsumetai's wrath. Hearing what they told me, I feel this war between you and the north is not just your business alone, but could spell disaster for humans too. If Tsumetai wins, if he kills you and takes your place as lord of the western lands, I fear the rest of us will be slaughtered in a frozen wasteland. I want to help stop this," Kikyo said, staring at Sesshomaru's back.
"So, you left those children unguarded in their pitiful village, to return to the safety of my castle? However did your unfailing moral compass manage that?" Sesshomaru asked mockingly, turning slightly so he could watch her reaction.
Kikyo ignored his jibe, she was stunned that his interest in the fate of the children was so minimal, and he had not even bothered to respond to her concerns about Tsumetai.
"I directed them to Inuyasha, they will be safe with him. And my sister would not turn away people in such dire need. Once they arrive, Inuyasha will be more than capable of protecting them, "Kikyo replied, looking up at Sesshomaru's profile.
When Inuyasha's name passed through her lips, the light mockery left Sesshomaru's face and was replaced with a concentrated anger. It was a different look of vexation to the one he had projected on to her before, less flighty and more profound.
"I cannot use you," the dog demon said harshly, "Tsumetai and Mikata know your weakness, a weakness that has cost me. They would simply pluck a child from the nearest village and manipulate you to their own ends."
"Perhaps if I stayed hidden-"
"Your assistance is no good here priestess," Sesshomaru snapped impatiently. And Kikyo suddenly felt like an unwanted child, being scolded by an adult.
Sesshomaru's resentment was evidently relentless, refusing to forgive and forget. She was pushing her presence on him, and for the first time she tried to consider why. If her apprehension was for the fate of the humans in Japan, surely she could help in other ways? She had always worked for the greater good, and was at her best when she travelled alone. Perhaps her loneliness was overriding what mattered.
If Sesshomaru did not want her, she could charge herself with finding more northern refugees and guide them to safety. The only place of safety she knew was Inuyasha and Kaede's village, though once she had posed as a mysterious saint and created her own haven in some caves.
Kikyo knew in her heart she was merely delaying the inevitable. That someday soon she would need to face Inuyasha.
'Perhaps the time for running is over,' she thought with disquiet. Lost in her thoughts, Kikyo was barely aware of Sesshomaru's eyes upon her, watching as she agonised.
Kikyo felt very tired, as if her body had been optimistically holding out for sanctuary at Sesshomaru's castle, and was now sagging with fatigue with the realisation that she would have to leave.
The priestess rubbed grubby fingers over her eyes, willing her limbs into keeping her upright for a little longer. She would likely be facing a night in the open countryside, something she had not had to do since she was revived. Evening had settled in and the darkest hours of night were approaching.
"Very well," Kikyo said, her voice dull. "I will not impose my presence on you, Sesshomaru. As you said, I have cost you dearly. Besides, now that Rin is gone and you feel you can't trust me in this war…there would be no reason to stay any longer anyway. If the remnants of the northern group travelled this far, maybe I can find others and lead them to my old village…I thank you for your time…and for helping me, when I was first revived."
With legs that seemed to grow increasingly numb with each second, Kikyo bowed stiffly to Sesshomaru and turned away, slowly making her way to the door.
"Wait, priestess."
Kikyo stopped languidly, her breath shallow.
"I will permit you to stay the night. It may have escaped your notice, but you're covered in dirt and blood," Sesshomaru said.
Kikyo stared down at her attire dumbly. He was right. Her white jacket was stiff with old, dry blood and grime, her hakama trousers had runnels of claret staining them. Even her white sleeves were completely soiled.
"I- I didn't notice. I must look frightful…" she said in disgust, peering down at herself.
Sesshomaru walked to her side and eyed her critically. "You do. I will permit you to bathe and wash these clothes tonight. You may leave tomorrow, when you look less grim," Sesshomaru said.
Kikyo shook her head stubbornly. "Forgive me Sesshomaru, but the only clothes I have are the ones I'm standing up in. I shall scrub these as best I can and be on my way," Kikyo said primly, self conscious now she knew she looked in a state.
"Do not be spiteful, priestess. You have displeased me greatly, that does not mean I will send you out into the night looking like a common beggar. I will show you to the bath house." Without waiting for her reply, Sesshomaru passed Kikyo and slid open the hall door. Jaken and some other demons still lingered outside, possibly to eavesdrop, and were scattered with a bark-like command from Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru strode further into the castle, his silver hair swishing behind him. Kikyo hurried to catch up, her mood considerably lighter now. "I had no idea you were so gracious, Lord Sesshomaru," she said a little sarcastically, given that a few minutes ago the dog demon was mercilessly refusing to forgive her for releasing Tsumetai. Sesshomaru only nodded impatiently, any notion of sarcasm or satire completely lost on him.
Together, they wended through the castle to the mysterious bath house, an area that Kikyo had never seen. Sesshomaru marched by Kikyo's side silently, his yellow eyes unreadable.
Kikyo glanced at Sesshomaru curiously as they walked.
Either she had imagined it, or Sesshomaru had become exceptionally enraged when she had mentioned Inuyasha?
What had she said earlier? That inuyasha was more than capable of protecting the lost northerners she had stumbled upon. But why would such a comment have any impact on a demon like Sesshomaru? Sesshomaru did not seek to defend humans, the exception of course being Rin. That could not have been the reason for his anger.
Unless…Kikyo mentioning Inuyasha reminded Sesshomaru that she and his brother were once lovers? Was jealousy being projected as rage?
Looking up at Sesshomaru divulged no secrets, his face was closed, with no emotions floating to the surface. Kikyo inwardly dismissed her own musings as foolishness. The lord of the western lands, envious of an old love affair? It did not seem likely.
The bath house Sesshomaru spoke of was more of a large bathroom, with elegant wooden flooring and supported by slim red pillars that reached up high beyond view. The bath at the centre was large enough for twenty men to bathe comfortably together without touching. The bath's construction consisted of many rough, natural looking stones, giving it the look of an indoor hot spring.
When she was alive, Kikyo had washed in the freezing waterfall by her village. Since she had been at Sesshomaru's castle, she had only ever had a quick wash by the river running through the willows trees in the garden. This level of luxury was completely alien to her. Sparkling turquoise water already brimmed over the stones and steam was rising in slow, lazy spirals.
Unable to contain her curiosity, and painfully aware of how dishevelled she looked, Kikyo sat on the bath's stone edge and dipped her pale hand into the hot water. A swirl of dirt lifted off of her palms, momentarily muddying the clean water. Kikyo frowned.
"I do not have any spare clothing," she repeated.
Sesshomaru stared at her expressionlessly for a moment, before stalking away haughtily and leaving the room.
Bemused, Kikyo waited for him to return. When he did not, she swiftly undressed, looking around her nervously, then eased herself into the water with a sigh of pleasure.
In warm comfort, she scrubbed away the grit of an unspeakably tiring day. There were no soaps or oils so she immersed her dark head of hair in the water, her faux skin turning pink with the heat, just like a normal humans. Despite her desperate need for souls, the bath eased her stiffening limbs and helped her relax. As she did not need to breathe, she stayed under the blue roof of the bath water for a few minutes, her eyes closed.
When she resurfaced, bobbing up from the water, Kikyo realised with a start that Sesshomaru had reentered the bath house. He was carrying a plain blue kimono in his claws.
The demon's yellow eyes widened in surprise as Kikyo self consciously shielded her breasts from view with her arms, wondering if he had seen her naked body. His gaze had changed from before, and carried as much heat as the bath. Sesshomaru's eyes lingered for too long on her exposed arms and hips.
"Sesshomaru! I thought you had retired for the night," Kikyo said loudly.
Strolling further into the room, Sesshomaru delicately placed the blue kimono on the edge of the bath. "I can hardly have you wandering my halls with no clothes on. I was being courteous, retrieving this for you," Sesshomaru explained, golden eyes still fixed on her. Kikyo blushed hotly, her arms clamped so painfully around herself her ribs began to protest.
"A gentleman would not walk in on a lady whilst she is bathing," Kikyo pointed out, but Sesshomaru was not listening and instead was looking around the room expectantly.
"Where are your soul gathering reptiles?" he asked with a mote of curiosity in his voice.
Kikyo looked bewildered. "I…why do you ask?" she lowered herself into the water, so that it slopped around her shoulders, Sesshomaru eyed Kikyo knowingly.
"You still look like you're about to collapse at any moment. Call your reptiles. If you faint in the bath I would be expected to pull you out and save you. Then your efforts to conceal your body would be wasted ..unless that's what you want?" Sesshomaru said with an oddly low, almost purr-like quality to his voice.
Kikyo blinked. Was the dog demon subtly flirting with her? Or toying with her?
She fiercely wished she had her robes on. A decent human man would avert his eyes away from her, but Sesshomaru had no such social qualms, and stared at her openly.
Unused to any form of flirting, Kikyo ignored this last comment. "I will rejuvenate my body when I am alone," Kikyo said in a rather pointed voice. As Sesshomaru was doing little more than spying on her in the bath at this point. The thought sent a strange thrill through her body, and she felt excited and uncomfortable at the same time.
"You dislike absorbing your souls in the presence of others. Why?" Sesshomaru asked, a tinge of further curiosity in his eyes.
Kikyo was silent for a long time, until the water ceased to ripple around her and her dark hair ceased to drip.
"A monk once spied on me whilst I was collecting the souls of maidens who had died. When he looked at me…he saw…a horror. He could not see the suffering and pain I was feeling. He did not consider that I had not asked to be resurrected…he told me that humans carve their lives with every moment of living, but that for the dead, time stands still. He said I was tragic, trying to exist among humans, and was destined to fail. My soul collectors are…a reminder…of how inhuman I have become," Kikyo said. And she knew in her heart she was speaking truthfully.
Sesshomaru had listened to her story without comment. "Hm. The monk, you have mentioned him before," Sesshomaru said. Kikyo was surprised that he remembered a casual description from days ago. "Is he the one you killed?" he asked.
Kikyo raised her eyes to his. The reflection on the water made her eyes shine like onyx. "Yes, he is the man I killed. It was an accident really. The claw of the dragon spell he was trying to bind me with broke and impaled his neck. But, if he had not crossed my path, he would likely still be alive now."
Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side, his golden eyes glowing with surprise, that such a pious woman could have caused the death of any human.
'Sesshomaru is a demon. No doubt he has ended countless lives,' Kikyo told herself. The knowledge that he would not judge her too harshly was a strange comfort. When Kikyo looked down into the bath, Sesshomaru's face was reflected in water, as fey and amoral as ever.
"Humans believe they are all knowing and all seeing. That the world revolves around their short lives, but men are not the masters of death. Perhaps your existence and what you have become has surpassed the understanding of humans. I do not sicken and wither away like humans do, does that mean my life own life is also stagnant? No human monk should feel qualified to tell another being if their presence is acceptable," Sesshomaru said.
Kikyo digested this new perspective with interest. Perhaps her envy of the living had inadvertently put normal humans on a pedestal. Sesshomaru was right, the life spans of demons were surely different and varied, and yet they traversed the earth's plane with a sense of belonging. Why couldn't she have that?
The shikon jewel was gone and Naraku was dead. Could she learn to embrace her own undead life without feeling ashamed?
"Men are not masters of death," Kikyo repeated slowly, smiling faintly at Sesshomaru. "You are more insightful than I expected. I have never thought of life in that way. When I was alive I was respected and admired, it is hard…to now be reviled as a monster," Kikyo admitted.
Sesshomaru sent a piercing glance her way, and her heart gave a painful throb. Sesshomaru looked impressively handsome, surrounded by the foggy air of the bath house.
"You are not a monster priestess, I will hear no more of this from you. A monster is an unsightly evil creature, not a beautiful woman like you."
Kikyo blushed, surprised by Sesshomaru's words. That he thought she was beautiful..
Sesshomaru himself looked slightly stunned for a moment, and averted his eyes from her quickly.
"Sleep well priestess," Sesshomaru said abruptly, before he turned promptly and walked away. Kikyo's arms dropped to her side and she clutched the side of the bath, her ebony hair swirling under the water.
"...Thank you for your kindness," Kikyo whispered to his retreating back, "Lord Sesshomaru."