InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Nature ❯ Demon Nature Chapter 26 Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer ( Chapter 26 )

Demon Nature Chapter 26

No, I don't own the Inu Yasha Characters guys!!! ^_^

Benjiro lay in the room off of the main temple. His burns were slowly healing, but his mind was if anything disintegrating. He had let his people down, he thought to himself over and over. So many had been killed…

His mind would not let him rest, his thoughts going round and round in a circle, immune to his attempts to discipline them.

"This was my fault," he thought to himself. "My ego got in the way of common sense. We tried to trap the demon close to its home and didn't take into account its spawn. They were supposedly hanyou, not full youkai, and therefore less powerful than their father. I was wrong. If I want to end the menace of Sesshoumaru, the entire family has to be taken out. No one has seen the human woman who was his mate in years now, but the rumor is that she is still alive. I wonder if we can even consider her human any more? She had lain countless times with a powerful demon, his horrific seed fertilizing her womb, and had born him two children that they knew about. Who knows how many more are up there? I wanted to spare her life, to confine her to a temple where she could do penance the rest of her life. Forget that option. She would have to die, and in order to purge her soul, die the death her mate would die. I was a fool to think the demon could be confined and maybe…what? Changed? It had struggled almost until death, and confined, it would find a way to get out of whatever prison they put him in…"

The door opened, and his student came in hesitantly.

"Master?"

He tried to call to Hiromasa, but it was as if fire were in his throat.

"Don't try to talk Master," the young man said, kneeling next to him.

"They say you should lie still for a few more days."

"The others…" he croaked, wincing at the pain.

"They have been buried."

Benjiro was stunned.

"You've been asleep two days Master. It is truly a blessing that you are alive."

"The Gods are good Hiromasa," he croaked before closing his eyes.

"Rest Master."

Benjiro had no choice but to obey.

Taisho walked into the clearing, coming to stand face to face with his father's general.

"Where is your Lord Father?"

"He's been detained. He asked us to join you."

"I know your Lord Father thinks highly of you, but you are hanyou…"

"Bred to rule," Sakura said, coming to stand next to her brother.

The General, that was what everyone called him, was skeptical.

"Put yourself out of harms way, we're going against someone who is almost your sire's equal…"

"Who is very pregnant," Taisho said calmly, removing his sword from its scabbard and checking the blade.

"Leiko? Pregnant? Come on, she's barren. Everyone knows that," he said laughing.

"Have you interrogated anything yet?"

"We don't have to…"

"Humor him," Sakura said, stepping into the General's face.

"Get something," she said, her voice steel

The General looked nervous, and he ordered two demons to capture one of the locals. Taisho stood next to the General while Sakura adjusted the laces on her leather shin guards. She was dressed in pants and a short leather jerkin, her long hair in a single braid, in honor of her mother. Thinking of her mother brought thoughts of her father, and she felt pain pierce her chest. No, she would not let these demons see her human side she thought to herself, pushing her emotions aside. If something was wrong, she would know.

The scouts had captured a small serpent demon, and were dragging it into the clearing. Sakura stood up and walked over to where they stopped, looking down at the demon, which glared up at her with hatred.

"You sssmell of human blood…hanyou. How dare you think you are sssuperior to me?"

Sakura sliced the demon almost in half, it's cries of pain not affecting her.

"Leiko. Why hasn't she shown herself? Doesn't she know we are here?"

"SSShe may, but no one hasss ssseen much of her. Her consssort is leading her troopsss."

"Why?"

"It, uh, ssseems that ssshe isss pregnant."

Two pairs of gold eyes calmly met the General's startled eyes. He was a bull demon, and he literally shook with rage.

"What???!!!"

"SSShe can't lead the troopsss in her condition, and while her consssort is able…"

"I want you to do something for me serpent," the General said, stepping closer to the injured demon, which met his eyes with a stony glare. The General knew enough to stay out of striking range, as Sesshoumaru's children had also known.

"Yesss?"

"Get me hard facts. I will expect you back by sun down. If you don't return…"

The General stomped on the wound Sakura had made, and the serpent got the message.

"Yes sir," the serpent said, still trying to maneuver itself into striking distance.

The General had worked with Sesshoumaru for centuries, and now understood why he'd ordered an attack now. He needed to see if Leiko was totally incapacitated or not.

The General also knew nothing short of death would keep Sesshoumaru away from this. Sesshoumaru had to be hurt, or in serious trouble back home, to not be here. But that was knowledge he kept to himself. If he didn't, the assembled demons would kill his children, and nothing in the world would keep Sesshoumaru from taking his revenge if that happened. The General knew he'd be the first to die.

"When the serpent gets back, we get the information, and kill it. We will move tonight."

No one disagreed with his strategy, and the rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, the demon army rested, and watched the two young hanyou who sat flanking the General, watching the troops assembled in their father's name. If Leiko was pregnant, then their chances of winning increased a thousand fold.

Many would've liked to see Sesshoumaru's hanyou brother, Inu Yasha, with his demon slaying sword here, but instead the pups were. They weren't stupid, and they wondered why Sesshoumaru had sent them instead of coming himself. If something happened to them during the assault, no one could say the act was premeditated the thinking went. Taisho looked over at Sakura, and began to talk to her mind to mind.

"They're going to try and kill us sister."

"I know. And attack Father. What do we do?"

"Kill them first."

Sakura looked down, running the whetstone over her sword before standing up. Taisho did the same, and took the lead walking over to one particular demon who fancied himself the one who would kill at least one of them. Without a word, Taisho beheaded the demon, it's blood gushing out as the heart kept pumping blood.

"What the hell are you doing???!!!" the General shrieked.

"He annoyed me," Sakura said calmly, leaving her brother's side and walking over to the demon the recently deceased one had been hanging with the most, and calmly splitting it in two.

"He annoyed me too," she said.

"I don't like to be annoyed."

"You can't just kill my troops…"

"We just did General," Taisho said, stepping in front of the General while Sakura stood behind him.

"Is there a problem General?"

"No. None."

"Good."

Leiko had been surprised that Sesshoumaru had sent his troops in the dead of winter, thinking that he would wait until spring, and come in force. The number of troops was small, and she knew they were his most dangerous allies.

"Should we go with a small force my love?" he consort said, the very sound of his voice grating her nerves.

"We should get out of here," she snapped, shifting her weight as best she could.

"No way. We are ready…"

"I have my cubs to think about," she snarled, turning away from the father of her children.

"We have the advantage of terrain…"

Leiko looked at him, and smiled.

"Of course. How silly of me."

They kissed lightly, and Leiko yawned.

"I'm tired."

"Go and rest. I'll handle the preparations."

She retired to her quarters, and summoned her maid. She knew Sesshoumaru's shock troops, and knew that when they penetrated her defenses they would tear her to shreds, and her off spring would die. This feeling towards her cubs, there were two, was new to her, and she wasn't sure how she would feel once they were born. All she knew was that she wanted them, wanted them to be born and have a chance to live. The thought of any demon harming them sent her over the edge. She would kill anyone who went for them, even at the risk of dying her self. But she did not want to die, and that meant not being here when Sesshoumaru's troops arrived.

"My Lady?"

"We are leaving."

"But…"

"I have to think of my cubs. Come this way."

They exited on the valley floor, and Leiko walked towards the coast, the sleet and ice not a concern for her, or her companion. When Leiko turned and headed up an incline towards a rock face, her maid wondered if her mistress had lost her mind. Just as the maid thought she couldn't go any further Leiko disappeared, and she scurried to catch up, rounding a bend and seeing a cave, where Leiko stood waiting for her.

"Come."

They walked down a gently sloping incline and entered a well stocked, warm, large cave. Moss provided light, and a stream ran through it.

"I will give birth here."

"The war…"

"We can't win right now. Sesshoumaru saw to it that I was taken out of play, and unfortunately…well, we're not ready right now. I thought I would have more time to prepare."

Leiko sat down heavily, closing her eyes, and her maid quickly ran to try and make her comfortable.

"Rest My Lady. I think a storm is coming."

The attack came in the dead of night, and was over in no time. The General walked through what had once been the home of Leiko, the Demoness of the North. It was now under the control of the Demon of the West, his troops finishing up outside. The sound of screaming reached his ears and he ran towards it, coming up on a sight he would never forget. Sakura, now in youkai form, was decimating his troops, flinging their lifeless bodies down the cliff face. The gore reached to the middle of her legs, the fur on her stomach was red from blood, and stained with other colors he knew represented blood of other, less human demons. Her brother stood facing the other way, as blood covered as his sister, and together they were claiming this place as theirs in the name of their father. The General could only watch in amazement as they finished off his troops, and seeing no one willing to challenge them, fixed their red eyes on him.

"No…"

Sakura moved quickly, her enormous fangs piercing the hide of their father's general.

"I am loyal…"

Taisho shifted back to human form.

"But you will rally those who want to oppose us," he said calmly as his sister's powerful jaws snapped his spinal column, the last of his life escaping through his wounds. Sakura, bored now, tossed his lifeless body into the pile at the bottom of the cliff, watching as her brother retrieved flame from a sconce and tossed it down the hill. The fire erupted, and Sakura, now back in human form, her clothing covered in blood and gore, stood at his side.

"You have to go back…" Sakura said softly, already missing him.

"No. Father will come when he can. He'll know. I can't leave you here alone."

Sakura was pleased, and moved closer to him.

"And in the spring, we move on the East."

"Yes My Lady," Taisho said with a grin.

"I like how that sounds," she laughed. "Say it again."

"Of course my Lady," he smiled.

Kagome forced herself to sit still as the servant combed and dressed her hair. She was restless, and more than ready to get out of Sesshoumaru's palace. But she knew that was useless now, that for at least the foreseeable future she would be here. She would give birth here as well, something Inu Yasha seemed more and more concerned with. He did not want her to travel now, in fact he only went out to see what was going on around his brother's domain. And that was what was driving her crazy.

He had too easily taken on the Lord of the Manor persona, and Kagome didn't like what she saw. Sometimes, when they were out wandering, she would forget that he was half demon, that his nature was divided. He could show human emotions at times, and when he went with her to her time, he would only let his human side shine.

But here, with Sesshoumaru severely wounded and weak, he was a demon, and acted as one. He had killed two servants yesterday because he thought them disloyal to his brother, and told her about it over dinner as if he'd killed a couple of bugs. Myouga had returned at some point, and was more obnoxious than ever before. The humans who had attacked his brother had been located, and today her Inu-chan was going out to avenge the attack.

Kagome tried to bow her head, and the servant tsked loudly.

"My Lady, please hold still," she murmured. "Lord Inu Yasha is going out today, and you must be beautiful for him when he returns," she said softly, her voice swelling with pride. Kagome felt ill. Inu Yasha was going out to kill humans. Once he did this, would he ever be able to stop? Would she, and her children, be in danger? Had she been fooling herself about him all along? She really wanted to see Rin, but that was impossible. The servants thought that their Lord would be around very soon, but Inu Yasha had told her that Sesshoumaru had been more severely hurt by the spelled weapons than they had thought, and that he drifted in and out of consciousness. Before he'd left today he'd asked her to make sure she went to see Rin.

"I would like to visit Rin-sama today," she said aloud.

"Of course. I am almost finished."

Kagome had been shocked at the number of humans who worked for Sesshoumaru when she'd come here. Many of them had been captured and served at his whim, but many had volunteered, including the human girl who was her servant. She envied both Rin and Kagome for having demon mates, and was herself the lover of one of the top canine demons in the household.

The sound of her comb being placed in its box broke her reverie.

"I will return soon Kagome-sama. Please rest."

Kagome sighed, leaning against the wall, not wanting to waste all the time the woman had spent fixing her hair by lying down. It was very long, and she suspected she was having a boy. She closed her eyes, hoping Rin would see her today.

Sesshoumaru thought he was dreaming. Sometimes in the dream he would see Rin, and she appeared to be crying. At times like that he felt that he could almost feel her next to him, the warmth from her body somehow comforting to him. At other times he saw nothing. The only way he knew he'd been sleeping was when he'd feel Rin's tears falling on his face. He had to wake up, he had to know if this was a dream, or if he was dead.

Rin felt eyes on her, and looked up, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Master!!" she cried, crawling over to him and kissing him, her tears falling onto his face.

"Rin…"

He had not spoken in over a week, and she had begun to worry, to fear that he would slip away from her in his sleep.

"My Lord…"

"Why…what happened to me?"

"The humans tried to capture you. You escaped thanks to Sakura and Taisho."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, and Rin was afraid he would slip back into what Kagome called a coma, a deep sleep as she understood it. But he opened his eyes again, and looked at her.

"Rin. You…are not hurt?"

"No my Lord. They did not penetrate your defenses, and Lord Inu Yasha has doubled the enchantment, and the defenses."

"I…was…afraid they would harm you…"

Kagome had said it was important that he remember, and Rin felt relief flood through her.

"You must never…let them capture…you…Rin-chan."
Rin-chan? He called her Rin-chan?

"My Lord, you must rest…"

"I have rested many days it seems…where are our offspring?"

"They went north…"

Sesshoumaru sat up, closing his eyes for a minute to get his bearings.

"My vassals…will try and kill them without me there…I must go…"

"Master, give it two days. You are weak still…"

He sniffed at her, and then opened his eyes wide. She was in heat, and had not eaten in some time. The latter scent he remembered from when he'd first found her all those years ago.

"You…you must eat Rin."

"I will my Lord, now that you are better…that you are still with me."

"Rin…"

"Sleep Master. You must sleep."

Sesshoumaru lay back, closing his eyes, and Rin sighed. He had been doing this before, then he had slept for a week.

"Rin, you must rest too…"

"I will Master, when you are better."

He was gone again, and she sat back, looking at him. There were times she hated her kind, and now was one of them. If her Master died…

She felt the room spin, and her eyes blur, and she fought the feeling off, trying to make sure she was there whenever he woke up. Laying down, she lay close to him and closed her eyes, deciding that if she slept she would feel better.

The servant stopped Kagome at the door, and she met the servants' eyes, wondering why she was being stopped.

"No one can see Lord Sesshoumaru except Rin, at Rin-sama's request."

"She sent for me. Let me in, or I will have to open the screen myself…"

The servant thought about what Inu Yasha's reaction would be when he got word that his mate had been denied access to Rin, and she stepped aside, opening the passage for Kagome, who took a minute to let her eyes adjust to the dim room. She finally saw Sesshoumaru and Rin, and she regretted forcing her way in. They both appeared to be asleep, and Kagome decided her talk with Rin could wait.

"Kagome?"

The sound of Rin's voice startled her, and she turned around.

"Rin. I'm sorry to disturb you…how is he?"

"He woke up for awhile and asked about the children…Oh…Kagome…"

Kagome went to her side, and gasped. Sesshoumaru had been ill for about two weeks, and it appeared that Rin had not eaten at all in that time. She was drawn, and extremely pale.

"Rin, when was the last time you ate?"

"What does it matter? My Master…"

"Rin, you must eat. I will have some soup brought for you. Just try and get it down. If you eat too much you'll get sick."

"I drink tea…"

Kagome was already at the door, telling the servant to bring a very light broth for Lady Rin. When she finished she came back and sat down next to her, watching her watch Sesshoumaru, who was now looking back at her.

"Who…Kagome."

"Sesshoumaru. You're getting better."

"It seems so. A day or so more…you were ordering broth…"

"Your Lady hasn't left your side, and she needs to eat, or she will be ill."

"Rin…"

"I will eat Master. Just rest."

"I will be fine Rin. Go with Kagome…"

"I must sit, or else the room spins…"

Kagome got up and went screaming for the servants to bring the broth immediately, knowing Rin was not in good shape. The food was brought at once, and thanking the servants, dismissed them. Sesshoumaru was sitting up, his eyes still not quite right in Kagome's mind. But he was forcing himself to stay awake to make sure that Rin ate, and didn't throw up.

"Come on. Here," Kagome said, holding the bowl for Rin to sip. After a few sips she gagged, and Sesshoumaru was alive enough to glare at Kagome.

"It's because she hasn't eaten Sesshoumaru. Relax."

He watched intently until Rin finished the bowl of soup without gagging and half of a second one before he lay back, exhausted by the effort. When he got his claws into the human who had done this to him…

"Master…"

"I just need to rest Rin. I won't sleep again like I have been."

She looked skeptical, but felt her body begin to react to the foreign substance food had become, and she got up to attend to her toilet. Kagome stacked the bowls and looked over at Sesshoumaru.

"Where is Inu Yasha?"

"Getting vengeance on the humans."

"When did he leave?"

"This morning. He should be back soon."

"He went to avenge me," Sesshoumaru said softly, and Kagome realized the concept of filial loyalty had escaped him until now.

"When he gets back tell him to come and see me."

"I will Sesshoumaru."

She got up to leave, and Sesshoumaru reached out to take her hand.

"It means a lot to me that you care about Rin. She needs more human contact. I will be gone a lot, and I don't want her to be lonely."

"Rin hasn't had the best of relationships with humans Sesshoumaru. I'm here for her, if she wants to talk to me."

Sesshoumaru let her hand go, and Kagome bowed.

"I'll make sure that Inu Yasha comes and sees you at once."

Their eyes met, understanding passing between them. Sesshoumaru could never say how much he loved Rin, but she knew that his feelings went deep, and that he needed to do right for his mate. What he didn't always know was how to do it.

"Thank you," he said, his eyes leaving hers and going to Rin, who was coming back in.

Kagome left them alone, going back to her suite.

Rin sat down next to Sesshoumaru, and he watched her as she did, his eyes still not focusing right.

He stroked her hair, and kissed her deeply. He remembered everything now, all that had happened to him, and he remembered how his last thoughts had been of her, and his fear of the humans torturing and killing her, of her delicate flesh being torn and desecrated. She had done nothing more than love him, and for that they would make her pay not only with her life, but would condemn her soul as well.

"Master?"

"I am fine Rin. Sleep."

With a satisfied sigh she closed her eyes and he heard her breathing change to that of sleep. He was concerned for his off spring, and whether they'd been able to fend off the attacks against them.

Rin shifted, and brought his attention back to his mate. She was deathly pale and thin, and he knew it wasn't because they hadn't tried to feed her. She had not been able to eat, and he knew that fear stemmed from her distress at his condition. When all of this was over, he would find some other remote place for them to live and move there with her, where she would be able to give their children the love and care her human nature demanded from her. She had not given their first off spring human love, which was why they were superior demons. Once his power was consolidated, he would indulge her with that. He would always protect her; it was the least he could do for this human who showed him how to see life a different way.

There were a million things to do, he needed to see to his off spring, but instead he took his Rin in his arms, holding her so her head rested on his chest, her hair forming a curtain which almost hid her body from view. Cradling her to him, he radiated heat to keep her warm and closed his eyes, allowing the feelings he now knew existed in him to flow freely. She would be ravenous when she woke up, and he reached out to his kitchen help. The human woman, who if she had wanted to, would've been a powerful miko, came at once.

She entered the chamber head down, eyes averted.

"My Lord?"

"Prepare more food for her. Have it here as quickly as possible."

"Yes My Lord," she said, bowing and leaving the room quickly. Sesshoumaru kissed the top of Rin's head and closed his eyes, his rest now normal for him. It was a state between sleep and consciousness, not true sleep, he didn't need that.

He felt the remnants of the spells which had almost claimed him, and he decided to use this time to study them and figure out ways to counter their actions in his body.

Kagome knew she wouldn't see Rin again today, not with Sesshoumaru revived, and she contented herself with writing, and reading some books she'd brought back with her. When Inu Yasha came back, she would voice her feelings, but she knew it would be a waste of time. He was what he was; she'd always known what he was. It was just that when he was out, attacking something or someone, she worried, and wished she had a normal human mate. She smiled, remembering the boy who had been so in love with her long ago. He'd finally married and had children almost the same age as hers, but they didn't keep in touch. That wouldn't have been smart, not with Inu Yasha's temperament.

She felt the feather like touch of her child, and sighed, rubbing her stomach. She could not go back to her time, and Kaede was dead. Who the hell would deliver her child?

Rin woke to Sesshoumaru's kiss, and she melted in his arms, feeling her body react to being close to him this way. Wordlessly he crushed her to him, inhaling her scent, his mouth seeking hers even as his claws shredded her garment in his rush to be with her, to claim the one thing that was good in his world. His tongue savored her body, from her mouth to her now wet opening, lingering over her straining nipples, and blood engorged bud, his rough tongue tasting her essence that literally flowed into his mouth. She was writhing under him, her hips pressing against him, begging him to enter her, to give her what she needed to survive.

"Aishiteru, Rin," he said into her ear as he plunged inside of her, ramming his full length in as if his life depended on it. Her cry of surprise ended in a moan of pleasure as he plundered her body, each stroke bringing her pleasure, new memories replacing old ones as wave after wave of pleasure wracked her body, her fluid covering his manhood. She felt him begin to tremble, his motion becoming faster, and she joined him, wanting to feel his hot seed burst into her, wanting it to make her bloom, to feel alive as only he could.

"Sess…" her voice trailed off into a cry of release as his howl of pleasure echoed through his home, his fangs sinking into Rin's neck as he exploded into her, the taste of her blood causing his body to sing.

The servants, human and demon, smiled, and Kagome blushed. Sesshoumaru was back, he was alive, and mating with Rin. All was right with their world.

Rin, sated, slitted her eyes open to look on her Lord and Master, and found him staring at her.

"Master? Did I not please you?"

"More than you will ever know Rin," he said, managing a smile.

"Now you must eat again."

"Master…"

"Eat Rin. I have missed you greatly."

Benjiro and Hiromasa stood just inside the line of evergreens, watching as the half demon known as Inu Yasha walked through the ruins, his feet bare, and not feeling any of the heat from the still smoldering ruins of what had been their shelter. His eyes blazed red, and he seemed to be in the midst of a transformation to full demon, something neither man really wanted to see.

"They're here…" he muttered, going down on all fours just outside the ruins now, and just like a dog, sniffing the ground for their scent.

"Master, we must leave…"

"The smoke will confuse it for a while…"

"Just a while Master. Please. Come."

Benjiro leaned heavily on Hiromasa as they walked deeper into the trees, the pine needles cushioning any sound their exit would make and helping to mask their scent.

"Where will we go where we won't bring the wrath of the demons on innocent people Master?"

"We must go East, where we may find some protection and be able to rest. Sesshoumaru won't come there…"

"For now."

"For now, yes. But it will give me time to heal, and to see if we can rally others to our cause. We must eradicate the entire family before they gain power over all of Japan's demons. If my weapons didn't kill it…"

"We will try again Master."

Benjiro smiled at Hiromasa, and they turned to leave.

Inu Yasha stood hidden, watching the humans make their way toward what they thought was safety. Any number of demons were lurking, waiting to see if he would attack them, if he would take revenge on them for what they had done to his brother. And if he didn't, only the Tetsaiga was standing between him and death at their hands. Silently he followed them, not even noticing day give way to dusk, and then to night, pausing when they did, moving when they did, using scent more than anything else to track them. He had not wanted any part of Sesshoumaru's war, he'd said as much to his older brother, but here he was, and he knew only his very strong will was stopping him from attacking and destroying the humans who had spelled his brother almost to the brink of death. Kagome had told him this morning that she wasn't sure she liked him anymore, that he was becoming more like his brother the longer they stayed in his palace, and that they should take their chances on the outside. Kagome could be very persuasive when she wanted to be, but today he had ignored her, because he knew their chances on the outside were slim and none. Because of the war, demons were looking to get an in with him and his brother, and trying any means at their disposal to weaken them at the same time. It was the nature of demons, and they did it without thinking. No harm, no foul. But humans had felt the turmoil in the spirit world, and were actively trying to combat it, to avoid becoming pawns in a game they knew was rigged against them.

The humans had stopped, and Inu Yasha did as well, twirling his ears to face forward to listen better.

"…slayers? There are no slayers now. They were wiped out a long time ago…" the older priest was saying.

Inu Yasha thought about Sango, and wondered where she and Miroku had taken refuge. Knowing Miroku, they were probably living in the lap of luxury right about now, his ability to spy dangerous black clouds one that even today Inu Yasha smiled about. Sango was an exterminator, and when called upon, she would help her mate Miroku, in battles.

But she was no longer young, and who was coming up behind her?

"…the old village is not far from here. We can take refuge there, and rest until I am well."

The old priest looked up at the sky and frowned, hauling himself up.

"We must find the village, and soon. I fear a storm is coming."

The humans walked on, and Inu Yasha, knowing where they were going now, followed, moving from tree to tree without being detected.

The barrier was still there, and the old priest, despite his injuries, probed it until he found the right way to neutralize it, creating an opening for himself and his disciple.

"What will you do now Inu Yasha?" a voice said from his right, and he turned to see a demon he hadn't seen in a while, one with two tentacles that hung from it's forehead but otherwise was human. They were very good at creating illusions, seeming to multiply themselves, and also very dangerous.

"I have done what Sesshoumaru wanted…"

"Lord Sesshoumaru would be picking his teeth with their bones right about now," the younger demon said.

"You, Lord Inu Yasha, are not as blood thirsty as your famed brother."

"What the hell do you know? I was sent to scout, nothing more."

The other demon smiled.

"The old human was right, a storm is coming."

"What do you want?"

"I want to fight on your side. I can be of service."

A demon offering to pair up with another one was cause for all sorts of alarm bells to go off in Inu Yasha's head, and thinking Kagome would be proud of him for thinking instead of acting, he stepped in closer to the demon, who looked about eighteen human years, but who was much older than that.

"How?"

"There is a way into the village that is not protected by magic."

"And?"

"Once you and Lord Sesshoumaru enter…"

"For that you don't need to meet Sesshoumaru," Inu Yasha said, the sword cutting a thin line on the demon's throat, Inu Yasha pushing back the images of the graves of Sango's neighbors, and family.

Inu Yasha made to leave, and the young demon halted him.

"There are those of us who think it's time for a change of leadership, that one demon shouldn't be the ruler of us all."

Inu Yasha raked his eyes over the newcomer from head to toe, and with a derisive snort, took to the sky.

For his part, the young demon stood watching Inu Yasha, and smiled to himself. Rumors were ripe that Sesshoumaru was dead, or dying, and seeing Inu Yasha out said to him that while Sesshoumaru may be injured, he was not dead. Not one demon had laid a hand on the demon dog, fear of Sesshoumaru's retribution, and the hanyou's sword, holding them back. Inu Yasha spoke of his brother in the present tense, which meant the Demon Lord was alive. That was news to take back to his co conspirators.