"So, what do you need to tell me—right now?" Inu Yasha inquired dryly as he continued through the forest.

Sayaka let out a long sigh as she gathered her courage. "Well, I might be able to help you in this fight… I’m…. well, I’m not really human."

"I figured that much. I’ve never seen a human so interested in yokai and hanyou problems aside from my friends here."

"So you knew all along?"

Inu Yasha nodded as he leapt from the branch of an old oak. "I just didn’t say anything because I knew that you wouldn’t want to talk about it. It doesn’t make any sense to force out of someone what they don’t want known."

Sayaka allowed a thin smile to cross over her lips. "Thank you… Thank you for understanding."

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

Kagome sat in front of a campfire, in a blissful reverie. She had finally been able to push her thoughts of her home, friends, and family from her mind. For once, she felt truly free from all true worry. She had not been bothered with studying for school, keeping up with a secondary life—now all she had to worry about was her day-to-day in the feudal era as a hanyou woman. And that, though she would never have guessed, was much better than her former life. Though, she did know she would one day have to awaken from this peaceful dream and return to reality.

Sesshoumaru growled as he stood from his place next to the campfire that Kagome had set up for them for the night. "Naraku is near…"

Kagome blinked a few times, pulling herself from her trance. Her eyes darted around, from the direction that Sesshoumaru was looking, to Sesshoumaru, and finally to Rin sleeping next to Aun. She let out an exasperated sigh as she reached for her bow and arrows. "Are we going to fight him now? Are we going to end all of this?"

Sesshoumaru dared not to look back at Kagome as he shrugged. "Jaken, watch Rin. Kana, let’s go."

Kagome nodded as she took one last, long look at Rin, sleeping peacefully. [Am I about to awaken from my own peaceful dreaming?] Kagome shook her worried thoughts from her mind as she began sprinting, shortly behind Sesshoumaru.

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

Naraku snickered as he made his way quickly through the wilderness. Since his last meeting with her, the hanyou woman that was traveling with Sesshoumaru continued to intrigue him. He scoured the area to find out exactly who she was, but it had seemed that the only person who knew anything about her was, logically, Sesshoumaru.

It was Sesshoumaru’s power that Naraku yearned for. He knew that with that amount of raw jyaki that he could easily finish collecting the jewel shards and finally rid himself of his human heart; his human blood that intermingled with the yokai blood that coursed through his veins. With the addition of Sesshoumaru’s blood, he would finally be all-powerful.

True, though, was that Inu Yasha had nearly as much raw ability as Sesshoumaru, but taking in a hanyou would be a step backwards rather than forward. Naraku condemned the thought of introducing any more human blood into his veins.

It was the idea of finding a way to use Sesshoumaru’s hanyou companion to bring Sesshoumaru’s demise that excited Naraku. He could achieve yet another of his goals and get a jewel shard in the process!

The woman had too much spunk for Naraku’s taste and reminded him somewhat of the human woman that had once accompanied Inu Yasha. Likewise, she would be disposed of as soon as possible. He had no use for her other than to verify whether Sesshoumaru would risk his own life to save hers. Naraku knew that the taiyokai would attempt to act as though he didn’t care, but Naraku realized that, if Sesshoumaru would risk himself for a human child that he had no use for, he would likely come to the rescue of the hanyou woman.

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

A.N. Though I’m sure I’ve already defined this, the term jyaki refers to Sesshoumaru’s ‘demon energy’.

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

Sayaka gritted her teeth as she saw the last of the sunlight on the horizon. [It’s about time…] "Inu Yasha, let me down for a second."

Inu Yasha nodded as he slowed his pace and came to an abrupt halt. "It’s time, isn’t it?"

Sayaka smiled as she released Inu Yasha’s back and took a few steps away. Her chocolate tresses seemed to glow for a moment as they returned to her usual silver with a bluish hue. Her ears were once again like Inu Yasha’s and her claws soon returned to their normal length. She grinned and even blushed slightly as she gestured for Inu Yasha to continue heading towards Naraku. It was not as though she needed his lead to find him, the aura that the dreaded hanyou gave off nearly permeated the area.

Inu Yasha stared for a brief moment before he began sprinting towards Naraku once more. Sayaka seemed to remind him of a woman he remembered from his childhood. The memories were faint and brief, but they were the only memories that Inu Yasha had of his father’s castle. The woman was a yokai friend of his mother’s, an inu yokai much like his father had been. Long silvery-blue hair and beautiful amber eyes, a kind voice… was the only description Inu Yasha could ever remember. He had never asked his mother while she was alive who the woman was, so he knew very little of her.

Inu Yasha scowled as he caught Naraku’s hideous stench once more. [I’ve got other things to worry about than who that woman was and what relation she has to Sayaka… Right now I have to concentrate on destroying Naraku…]

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

Kagome stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Naraku, coming towards herself and Sesshoumaru, his trademark evil smile over his lips. She could not help but to feel that he was coming for her, especially not when he locked his gaze onto her. She shuddered in fear momentarily, her voice as shaky as her knees. "Se-Sesshou-kun… do I… do I take it out?"

Sesshoumaru hesitated, considering the consequences, all of them, of the actions Kagome was asking to take. "Not this time. Not unless I tell you."

Kagome nodded weakly as she did her best to rid her heart of the fear that had washed over it. She took in a deep breath as she held her bow in front of herself and withdrew an arrow from her quiver. She hesitated, though, when she caught the scent of her old friends. [They’re coming too… I… I have to be careful not to waver. I have to consider my every action before I take it. But… if anything happens to anyone… I might just take the shard out anyway.]

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

Sayaka gasped as she stopped just shortly behind Inu Yasha, Sango, and Miroku. The very power she felt resonating from Naraku was more than enough to make her quiver in fear, though she restrained herself from doing such. She took a step forward, next to Sango and took a long look at the sword on Sango’s belt. "Do you use that often?"

Sango took a quick glance at the sword at her side—the one that her father had given her in her first battle. She considered the sword as more of a mark of her abilities than an actual tool, using it only rarely. She took a quick look at Sayaka, now a hanyou, but still unarmed. "You know how to use it?"

Sayaka nodded. "I’m an expert at the use of a sword."

Sango smiled as she withdrew the sword from its sheath. "If possible, try to leave it one piece… it was a gift from my father."

"Don’t worry…"

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

Naraku stepped forward, towards the hanyou woman and Sesshoumaru, a cocky smile upon his face. He leered at the hanyou woman, seeing her, for the first time, fully dressed. "I see that you finally found some clothes to put upon this woman, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru scowled, but remained quiet as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his Toukijin. [Is she what he wants? Or his he merely toying with my mind in order to catch me off-guard?]

Kagome stepped nearer to Sesshoumaru as she felt Naraku’s continued gaze. [Something’s wrong… I don’t like the way this is going… maybe we should not have come…]

Naraku’s smile widened as one of his arms extended, reaching for Kagome. She dodged as Sesshoumaru withdrew his Toukijin from its sheath and severed the outstretched arm. Naraku recalled his stump of an over-extended arm and smiled as he held it next to his face. Within seconds the hand had regenerated and Naraku sneered at Sesshoumaru. "Something I’m sure that you regret that you are unable to do, Sesshoumaru-sama…"

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~

Inu Yasha took in a deep breath as he concentrated his energy on his Tetsusaiga, causing a vortex of energy to become visible around the blade, which had now taken a reddish hue. He stepped forward as he raised the blade in the air, shortly behind Naraku. [I can’t let him hurt Kagome…]

Sayaka stared at Inu Yasha’s sword in awe as the sword not only displayed a great jyaki, but also changed its coloration. [I’ve never seen a sword do that before… but I’ve heard stories about swords such as that…]

Inu Yasha looked forward to make sure that Kagome and Sesshoumaru were both out of the way of his attack. When he had become sure that they were, he forcefully swung the sword through the air, sending out a barrier-breaking Kaze-no-Kizu attack. The destructive energy shot across the field and towards Naraku. Just as it was nearly upon him, Naraku turned to see it.

All that was visible next was an explosion. Smoke, flesh, blood, and dust whirled around the enemies of Naraku.

~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~