Sesshoumaru alighted at last on the cliffs of a blackened, desolate canyon, his trailing band of humans and demons following suit. Long ago, this place had been the site of a ferocious battle between daiyoukai, and decades later, the land had yet to recover. Once a lush valley, the earth where he stood was hard

Slowly, painfully, Kagome peeled herself off from the wall as Naraku wrenched Kanna’s mirror up toward him. His red eyes narrowed viciously, Magatsuhi’s glinting behind him in wicked glee. Neither of them looked up as Kagome cautiously approached, circling around to Kanna’s other side. Her breath stilled in her lungs at the image the mirror

As Kagura flew away toward the western sea, Sesshoumaru turned to Kohaku, whose dark anxious eyes followed her still. “Take hold of my tail,” the daiyoukai said, offering the length of fur to the young man as he rose. “I will take you to your sister.” Nodding, the boy tore his gaze away from the

Dressed once more in her fire-rat haori, Kagome padded over to the window, Kanna still standing sentinel by the door. Hooking her fingers into the bars, the miko gazed out over the dark sprawl of Naraku’s phantom castle, an eerie purple sky roiling above it all. As she watched, vast monstrous shapes swam through the

Kagura sat up gingerly, rubbing at her neck. “One of those swords of yours,” she said, glancing toward his left hip, “has the power to resurrect the dead, is that right?” Sesshoumaru’s claws clenched around Tenseiga’s hilt. “How did you come by that knowledge?” “Does it matter?” Kagura countered with a twist of her lips.

Sesshoumaru grit his fangs, his claws scraping through his tousled bangs in frustration. Once more, Kagome’s captor had eluded him. Heatedly, he surveyed the wasted mountainside, its blasted slopes scattered with the remains of humans and demons alike. This was the scene of a massacre—yet another bloody scramble for the fractured Jewel concluded in total,

Blood red eyes swam briefly into focus. “…Well done, Magatsuhi. It was good of you to bring her here.” Blue lips pulled into an icy smile. “I thought the girl might be of interest to you.” “Oh,” the silky voice replied, “most assuredly…” Darkness swallowed Kagome whole. When she emerged into the low light again,

What have I done? Frozen, Sesshoumaru stared down at his bloodied claws, the image of Kagome’s sundered flesh fixed beneath them still. He had mutilated her. With these hands, he had maimed an innocent girl–mauled her, like a rabid beast. Her blood glared up at him in accusation–from his skin, from his hair, from the

Fire. She was on fire. Kagome’s jaw wired tight, her nails carving trenches into the soft earth below. Tears streamed down her burning cheeks as she scalded from without and within, every nerve and muscle straining to withstand the blaze. No! she screamed to herself. I won’t–I WON’T! Reiki seared through her veins, roiled like

Sesshoumaru frowned as he regarded her. He should leave. He had brought Kagome here to rest and recover her strength. To remain any longer ran counter to that aim. Yet he asked her all the same, “You wish for me to stay with you?” Her grip on his hand tightened as she nodded, her large