Buffy X-overs 1. Willow Plus experiment equals KABLOOEY!

"An Heir with Character" by Shadow Master aka Shadow Master

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Disclaimer : This is to plainly state for all to see and read that I do not own the characters from either Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Anime series InuYasha. I got this idea by reading a Christmas drabble written by Simone of the Zordiak as part of the drabble series entitled 'His Greatest Gifts'. I won't give away too many details but suffice it to say that due to a 'little spell' done by Willow Xander winds up being transported through space and time to the warring states era of Japan in the InuYasha universe. That was not all though as he discovered soon after his arrival that he was in for one helluva time.

Look for the fic at "Twisting the Hellmouth" ?no5911&chapter3).

In any case I intend to use the basic facts from the drabble to form the basis for this fanfic and see where it leads me. As with my other two new fanfics entitled "Xander Unlimited" and "Black Wing" whether or not I continue this fanfic past the first chapter will all depend on what type of response I get. Therefore if you enjoy this first chapter then please submit your reviews or send me an email.

Now lets go on to see how this mother of all screw ups started …

An Heir with Character England, Three Days Before Christmas, 7:00p.m 

"Merry Christmas Willow!" Xander said as he welcomed his bestest bud to the new headquarters for the newly reformed Watcher's council.

It had been nearly a month since he had last seen his wicca friend and while she had been off around the world tracking down newly activated Slayers with her magic he had been using his skills as a carpenter to fix up one of the lesser used estates used by the Watcher's led by Quentin Travers. It been left by itself for a little over ten years and thus had fell into a sort of disrepair as a result with broken windows and weak floor boards being chief among the damages he had to deal with. Remarkably things like electricity and plumbing were more or less intact and the place was heated by a furnace in the basement so they didn't have to worry about bills piling up heating the place. There were still some things left to do but with most of the main areas like the living room, dining room and kitchen done he and Giles had decided to take a break from all of the heavy labor and prepare a little surprise for the girls when they got home. He had almost been worried that they wouldn't make it in time but someone must like them in the higher realms and he bet that it was Cordy.

His mood almost dipped as he took Willow's coat along with Faith and Buffy's to put them in the closet but he managed to keep his care-free face on. It had only been two months ago that they had received word from Wesley that Cordelia Chase, an honorary Scooby who had been in a coma ever since she had been used as a vessel for the Demon-Lady Jasmine, had passed away. While he had known ever since the fluke years earlier between him and Willow had forever destroyed any chances he and the former Queen C of Sunnydale High School had for a romantic relationship she had still been his first girlfriend. The news had hit them all pretty hard and for a few days they held what Giles had called an Irish Wake in which friends and loved ones of the family told stories about personal experiences they had with the fallen one. It helped to lighten the heaviness in their hearts and once the cloud of gloom had been lifted enough they went back to their quest to resurrect the Watcher's Council to be what it was meant to be. Now they were back again just in time for the holidays to enjoy each others company and take a breather from their long term project for some well earned R&R. Wood and Andrew would be arriving later and the only late comer would be Kennady who was on the other side of the world training some newly called Slayer in Japan. That meant that for at least a little while the core members of the Scooby gang were back together just like in the old days. After that thought passed through his head he almost slapped himself for saying something like that in present company. It was just like using the W word but ten times worse as some supernatural being whether it be heavenly or demonic in origin always uses such thoughts to stir up some excitement.

Deciding to change the subject quickly he turned to Buffy and asked "So Buff what's new and exciting in the world of the search for the newly Chosen?"

"Well Willow managed to zero in on two new Slayers in Africa but we .. uh .. had a little trouble getting our message across to them." Buffy replied while seemingly becoming very interested in the food on her plate.

Her behavior automatically clued in Giles and him that something bad and potentially catastrophic had occurred that they were likely going to wind up paying for later had happened on Buffy's trip with Willow to Africa. Knowing they weren't likely to get any straight answers from Buffy both men turned to Willow who was the only other person who would be able to tell them what happened. Willow looked at their inquisitive faces and was visibly torn between telling them what they wanted to know and being a pal to the blonde Slayer by keeping her mouth shut. In the end she decided to give them a neutral summary of what happened that hopefully wouldn't get them in too much trouble. Apparently the two new Slayers that Willow's magic had detected in Africa belonged to one of the more back-to-basics-no-technology-remote tribes. It had taken both she and Buffy days to get to the tribes' land and when they had gotten there they had run smack dab into the language barrier as no one in the village spoke any of the more commonly spoken languages in Africa. Willow had been a bit leery about doing any translation or language spells in front of them without knowing anything about their superstitions or religion. So Buffy had gotten the bright idea of trying to mime everything to them in the hopes that actions would speak louder than words. Both of them agreed that for a time some of what they were trying to say was getting across but then Buffy had taken an axe they had brought with them on the off chance that they encountered a demon and lopped the head of a wood carving of a person. After that things had gone downhill as they were both run out of the village with little more than what they still had in their back packs by a number of spear wielding tribesmen.

For a moment Giles, Faith and himself had just sat there looking back and forth as they tried to alternately trying to picture Buffy trying to mime the calling of the Slayer and the two of them running for their lives while being chased by men with spears. The first snicker came predictably from Faith who looked like she was about to keel over with laughter any moment. Giles was a bit more composed about it but Xander could tell that he was laughing on the inside. As far as he was concerned he wanted to join with the majority and laugh at the mess that they had made for themselves but he decided against it. Instead he decided to back them up or at least give the people in the room someone else to laugh at.

"Well look at it this way Buff at least I wasn't there to make matters worse." , he inserted subtlely with his patented grin, "Knowing my luck I probably would have desecrated a sacred alter or somehow wound up insulting the chief's lovely daughter!"

As they first looked at him with shock and then began to tremble a bit before bursting into laughter told him his plan had succeeded. He always did things like that, used self-depreciating humor to lighten the mood or take some of the heat off of a friend. Not many guys would actually be willing to make themselves look like idiots to cheer up a friend, none who wanted to be seen as manly men but he figured that ship had already sailed for him. The best he could do was put this embarrassment to good use and cheer up his friends at the same time. They spent the rest of the night doing pretty much the same thing until a little past midnight when most of them decided to head to bed. Willow though said she wanted to head to the lab/library to work on a project she had been toying with since they had first set up shop in this place. She hadn't given them all the details but said that it basically was just a little spell with a few modifications that she thought would help them in their work. Giles had been a bit leery of this given Willow's history with magical experimentation but he knew Wills wouldn't do anything to harm them and said as much to G-Man. The Watcher reluctantly agreed stating that Willow had come a long way in controlling her magic since that whole Dark Phoenix state she had been in.

As for him he decided that he would take advantage of his access to the bank accounts of the former Watchers Council and watch some satellite TV. Giles had sputtered a bit when Xander had originally bought it but when the Zeppo had pointed out how it would help them keep an eye out for any new Slayers as they would undoubtably draw attention to themselves. After all not every girl would use the gifts that a Slayer received for the 'good of mankind' like Buffy and at least some would use them for less than ethical gain. With reasoning like that Giles had been forced to admit that it was a wise investment although access to the literature channel seemed to tilt his opinion of the luxury just a little. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone of course. Tonight though Xander was going to partake in one of his little closet hobbies (SO not what you are thinking) and quickly flipped through the channels until he found what he was looking for and laid back on the couch to enjoy the show.

Nothing like seeing a little Anime to take the edge off the day! he thought to himself as he watched the intro to 'InuYasha' on the screen.

He had always liked Anime since he and Jesse had first started watching it when they were kids but as he got older and that 'cartoons are for kids' frame of mind became a problem he had been forced to be a bit sneaky when he wanted to watch his favorite shows. Willow knew because she had caught him in his basement bedroom watching a 'Tenchi Muyo!' marathon one day but she had promised not to tell anyone if he would make an honest effort of getting a job. He hadn't succeeded until after the ascension of the Mayor but he thought Willow was more after the actual effort put into it rather than the end results. In any case once he had gotten an apartment of his own with Anya it had gotten less bothersome to watch what he wanted. When the trouble with the first had started he had been forced to put his viewing habits on hold to deal with the numerous repair jobs at the Summers' home and minion mashing missions but now he was free. Therefore he was going to start catching up on his shows and see what he missed while they had been trying to put their respective lives back together. First up was InuYasha with the heroic hanyou kicking demon butt and still managing to make it look like he was a total tough guy. That and the fact that he was able to kick the butt of a certain snobby Inu-Youkai Lord just like he had wanted to do to numerous seniors during high school and a few demons that had treated him like a weakling back in Sunnydale. Granted a portion of his mind realized that the writers of the stories probably weren't being very realistic about the fights and tilted things in the half-demon's favor but it didn't matter to him. The fact that someone considered an outcast by both the in crowd and the out crowd could make name for himself and do just as well as either side was inspiring for him. After all he wasn't a braniac like Willow was and at the same time he wasn't a real good fighter like Robin Wood or Buffy but he still managed to contribute something to the team.

So for the next two hours he watched the episodes with contentment but eventually the fatigue he had worked up putting this house back together took its toll and he decided to call it a night. Before he did though he was going to take a stroll past the lab/library to see what Willow was up to and try to persuade her to get some sleep as well. He knew that sometimes when his favorite little redhead (that wasn't Dana Scully) got wrapped up in some project or other that she tended to forget about little things like sleep. He had found her more than once using an ancient tome of Giles' as a pillow after their all night research sessions. Needless to say the tweed wearing gentleman nearly had a heart attack when he saw her sleeping on one of the most rare volumes in his collection and afterwards made sure that there was a pillow within arms reach next time it happened. Needless to say Willow found a pillow much more comfortable than some leather bound book and as it didn't cause G-Man to have a panic attack it was all of the good.

When he reached the lab/library he could still hear activity going on inside so he guessed that young miss Rosenberg still had a full head of steam in her. He shook his head in amazement at her friend's boundless energy when she was on one of these little projects. True her place in the Scoobies kept her pretty busy but when she had the time she was always trying out new spells she had read about or occasionally trying to mix spells to see if she could invent one of her own. However after the last two wound up blowing the windows out Giles had insisted that she show him her research before she did anything serious. The sounds coming from the lab though led him to believe she was definitely doing something serious which meant she was trying to do something special for the gang for Christmas and prove she could do it by herself at the same time. A voice at the back of his mind was telling him he should go get Giles before something explosive happened but another more manipulative voice was telling him to take a look. Surprisingly the more persuasive voice sounded a lot like Cordy so he caved in and opened the door rather than listen to the voice of reason and get Giles. He could never say no to Queen C when she was alive so a voice in his head like hers kinda had an unfair advantage.

When he stepping in he could see Willow sprinkling some kinda dust on rock that looked suspiciously like the biggest ruby that he had ever seen in his life. Around the not-ruby were several scrolls and books arranged in what to him was a chaotic mess but what he was sure Willow thought was well organized. She didn't seem to have noticed that he was there and he decided it was probably best that he keep his distance from the thing-a-ma-gig that she was working on until she did and explain everything to him. After all the last thing he wanted was to distract her at some crucial point and wind up causing her to turn into a toad by accident. Since just standing there was boring he looked over the various documents and books she had spread out over every table and tried to make what sense of it he could. He couldn't pretend to be able to make sense of even half of it but the numerous nights he had gone through Giles' books had given him a strategy to understand the incomprehensible. It didn't make him a genius but it did let him know when he had discovered something useful or crucial to whatever crisis they were currently facing. From what he could tell the scrolls seemed to deal with teleportation spells and some transfiguration spells meant to change a person's clothes. He smiled as he imagined what Buffy would do if she found out about this spell and the fortune it would probably save them all in clothes if they could get it to work. He still wasn't sure what Willow was planning to do with a teleportation spell and a transfiguration spell but he had to admit that the possibilities were intriguing.

Whatever the wicca had been doing with the powder she was sprinkling seemed to be done and now she seemed to be doing some spell chanting to move on to the next part of her plan. Unfortunately it was then that he began to notice some strands of black begin to creep into her hair as the chanting she was doing grew louder and louder. This got him a bit worried as it meant that no only was his best friend dabbling into some dark magic but it also meant she was reaching the upper limits of her powers. Ever since her little episode after Tara was killed she had a profound reluctance to push her powers too far or to try spells that were up there in the power range. It also meant that whatever she was doing was no 'little spell' but rather a helluva a lot of magic and that could mean big trouble if things get out of hand. He slowly moved around the tables towards Willow, keeping himself from startling her in mid-chant, and decided that when the chanting ended he would talk to her and get her to explain herself. He trusted her more than anyone but even she could make mistakes and mistakes with magic were generally of the bad. As he walked along the table and looked at the open tomes and volumes he could tell that no two of them came from the same place in the world or in some cases not even the same species. This made the concern growing inside of him jump a level as he doubted anyone knew what could happen when you mixed so many different magicks together.

Eventually he made it to Willow's side and coincidentally she finished the chant she had been speaking which caused the black strands in her hair to vanish. It was then that he decided to make himself known by reaching out and putting his hand on her shoulder. Unfortunately Willow was apparently so focused on her project that the sudden appearance of a hand on her scared her out of her wits and caused her to jump around and back. He would later remark that he should have found a less sudden way of letting someone who has been concentrating for so long that you were behind them. At the moment however all that filled his mind was watching Willow bump into the table which destroyed whatever balance was keeping the giant ruby in place. With eyes surprisingly big he and Willow watched the ruby roll towards the edge of the table before they both lunged to try and stop it. Funny enough the next few moments were exactly like he had seen in countless TV shows, time seemed to slow down and each second seemed like an hour. He tried his hardest, just as he knew Willow was, to get to the ruby in time but for every step towards it he took it seemed the rock managed to stay out of reach. As it finally left the table and begin its downward plunge to the ground time resumed its normal speed. In the time that it normally took to blink the red stone hit the ground and shattered like a glass sculpture. It was in what seemed like thousands of pieces, more than one would expect from a solid looking rock like that, and whatever bad karma breaking something like that gave a person he had a feeling it was going to be delivered to him in full before too much longer.

Right on cue the shards of the ruby began to pulse with an arcane glow and as the pulses of light continued to increase little bolts of crimson energy began to arc between the fragments. He didn't need a wicca to tell him that such a sight was generally bad sign and that any sane person should be worrying right about now. Worry was definitely what was on Willow's face and she knew probably better than he did just how much trouble they were in. Deciding that the time for viewing was over he decided that the best thing they could do was get the hell out of here and evacuate the house. A bit extreme perhaps but given his lack of knowledge and abundance of experience in such matters he felt it was better to overreact and be wrong then to sit around for the big bang. Grabbing Willow by the arm he began to drag her to the door as she was still a bit out of it from the work and the accident that led to the current situation. When they reached the door she finally snapped out of it and as insane as it sounds wanted to go back to where the nasty was brewing.

"Willow what are you doing!? That thing is looking not of the good!" , he exclaimed as he tried to pull her to the door, "We need to get everyone up and out of the house before it goes kablooey!"

"No you don't understand!! If I don't stop this the entire continent is going to be wiped out!!" Willow exclaimed as she struggled even harder as a surge of adrenaline gave her some strength.

"WHAT!? You said that this was just a little spell!!" he exclaimed as he looked back at the increasingly pulsing shards.

"Okay so maybe it wasn't so little but I did all the research and checked my facts over to the hundredth degree and I was sure that I could do this without any trouble but then you came in and scared the heck out of me and made me knock the ruby off the table and now its shattered and going to cause all of Great Britain to be sucked into oblivion and" Willow babbled by way of explanation before Xander clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her tirade.

"Okay. That's bad. I get it. So what do we do to stop it?" Xander asked as calmly as he could manage in the hopes that some of that Calm would pass on to her and keep her from making this worse.

"I .. I .. don't know! The spells have been corrupted now that the ruby has been shattered! But … " , Willow said as the wheels began to spin in her head to come up with an answer, "If I completed the final phase of the teleportation portion of the spell we might be able to send the shards somewhere else!"

"Then lets hurry because I am not liking the way those shards are flashing right now!" Xander said and as one they moved for the tables and began to prepare.

He began to grab things as Willow pointed them out and once they each had their arms full of containers or scrolls they got as close to the ruby shards as they could without getting hit by the energy bolts that were now reaching about neck high. He passed Willow the ingredients for the spell as she asked for them while at the same time keeping an eye on the shards for any sign that the crap was about to hit the fan. For a while it seemed like Willow's idea was going to work, quicker and quicker he was passing her the necessary herbs, liquids and slime she said she would need and they were almost all used up. Unfortunately that was when he noticed that the shards were beginning to light up for longer periods of time and were no longer rapidly pulsing. Whether that meant that the energy in them was becoming more controlled or less controlled he didn't know but he did know that things were coming to a close for better or for ill. They were down to two ingredients when the pulses of light stopped and the crimson light coming from within the ruby shards became constant.

"Willow whatever you have left to do you better doing because I think we made those shard angry!" he joked slightly as he looked back to his friend.

"Not enough .. not enough time! I need at least five more minutes!" Willow said as the anxiety in her voice began to spike.

"Willow I think we'll be lucky if we get one minute!" Xander exclaimed as her anxiety became his anxiety.

This only made the wicca hurry even more and he was beginning to hear what he thought were a few misspoken words and perhaps a few less than perfect arcane gestures. He didn't know what that meant as far as magic was concerned but if it was anything like he remembered doing carpentry work it usually led to mistakes and the need to start the work all over again. That meant that a possible chance for survival just went straight to zero and it was going to be a matter of seconds before those shards did their thing. The moment he realized that he knew what he had to do and why he had to do it. Grabbing Willow around the waist he used all the strength he had gained by fighting alongside Buffy and the boost of speed granted to him by the adrenaline he threw her at the door. For a moment he marveled at the lift he was able to achieve with the throw before he winced slightly at the pain he had probably given his friend as she slammed into the door and knocked it off its hinges. He hoped that she'd be safer out there than in here but that counted on the theory he had that the Watchers had put wards and protection spells on all their buildings. After all if they had been fighting demons and dark magic users for centuries it made sense that they would use better materials for construction and reinforce them with spells and talismans. He didn't know how they'd stand up to Willow's spell if it was even half as powerful as she described so giving the room a cursory look around he spotted something that might help. He grabbed a metal chest that was resting on the ground next to one of the bookcases and after getting over how heavy it was dragged it over to the shards and opened it. Tossing the contents out without paying much attention to what they were he made sure it was empty before he looked to the ruby shards, braced himself and reached out to grab the first handful.

This has **got** to be one of the stupidest things I have ever done in my **life**! he thought to himself as his hand closed around the shards beneath it.

Almost as soon as he made direct skin-to-ruby contact with the shards the energy contained within them shot up his arm and did a marathon in his nervous system. Surprisingly it wasn't really that painful, more like someone opened his veins and poured hot tub water into them which actually was quite pleasant. Of course Giles had often mentioned that magical energies that felt pleasant were actually doing nasty things to a persons insides and their mind. Keeping that in mind he put his first handful into the heavy chest and went back for some more although this second time he was a bit quicker on the pick up and put down with a little bit less on the analyzing. Each time he picked up a handful he could feel the energy coursing through him and each time he wondered if this is what people felt like when they received radiation poisoning. As he was about to place the final handful of shards into the chest the light being generated by those inside it seemed to dim to practically nothing and for a moment he wondered if he had just made a big deal about nothing. The shards were apparently waiting to catch him napping and when his caution towards them wavered the crimson energy lashed out and entered his body through the remaining shards in his hand. It was complete sensory overload as no matter how hard he tried to grasp what was going on it was ripped away from his comprehension by the energy now coursing through him. He didn't know whether it was mere moments or minutes but he could have sworn that he heard Giles' voice attempt to reach him through the mess that was now his mind.

Just as he thought he felt a vibration in the floor boards he thought to himself …And I didn't even get to finish watching the InuYasha Marathon. 

With that his world went black and the last thing to go through his mind was the final scene in the episode he had been watching just moments before.

Note: Please feel free readers to point out any inconsistencies or mistakes I may have made with stuff pertaining to the InuYasha universe. I am only aware of the English dubbed version shown in North America and only up until the episode involving Muso/Onigumo being introduced. If you have any ideas or suggestions please feel free to send them to me.


	2. Xander the Youkai Prince?

"An Heir with Character" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

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**__**

A Forest, early morning, time-space co-ordinates unknown 

Consciousness came back to him slowly, bit-by-bit and sense-by-sense.

Memories on the other hand were coming back slower than words coming out of Oz's mouth during a conversation. He opened his eyes and almost immediately shut them as the light that entered his eyes was brighter than looking at a large spotlight from five feet away. He quickly decided that he would keep his eyes closed and focus on using his other senses to figure out where he was among other things. His other senses such as touch and smell came to him at slightly more reasonable levels than the light his sight had provided and did well to inform him of his situation. Judging from the grass he could feel beneath him and the lack of pollution his nose was picking up it was clear to him that he was a fair distance away from civilization. His hearing confirmed this as all he could hear around was the sounds of nature, not a single car horn or noisy bustle of a busy city street as far as he could tell. Sitting up from his horizontal position on the ground he found that he was in remarkably good condition considering what he had just been through.

'Been through'? Been through what? he thought to himself as he tried to recall how he had gotten to where ever it was he was at the moment.

He remembered watching TV, an InuYasha marathon, then going to the library to check on Willow. He entered the library and saw Willow working on something, some project of hers that she had said was a little spell. It was then, with those too little words, that everything that followed came back to him in a rush and as soon as he finished recalling it all immediately opened his eyes bright light be damned. He was almost immediately blinded again but just like your eyes would adjust if you forced them to after coming out of a dark or lightless room so too did his adjust eventually. What greeted his eyes was just what he had expected in that he saw a densely wooded area with him being in the only half decent clearing within eyesight. Looking around him he caught something on the periphery of his sight, something darting away just out of the corner of his eyes. Shifting around in an attempt to catch what he had seen he only saw it dart out of his field of vision once again but this time he had a better chance to see what it was. It was silver hair that was almost white in color and there seemed to be quite a bit of it as he had seen at least a foot of it vanish behind him. Determined to face whatever was playing a game of hide and seek with him he pushed himself to his feet and after a few moments of dizziness he waited for the silver haired person to make another move.

It wasn't until he made a fist with his right hand that he felt a sudden poking of something sharp in his palm and reflexively brought his hand up to see what it was that poked him. What he discovered though was beyond anything he had expected and almost made him faint right then and there although he would never admit it to anyone else. Instead of his normal human hand in front of him was a hand that had claws at the end of each finger and two purple slash like tattoos on his wrist. He sent a mental command to his hand to wiggle his fingers in the hopes that the hand in front of him would not move and therefore would prove that it wasn't his hand he was looking at. Unfortunately it seemed that it was not 'do what Xander wants day' as the hand in front of him moved in accordance with the signals he was sending to it. Bringing up his left hand as if to confirm that the change had been done to both of his hands and found that it was indeed the case. Once this was done a sudden insight caused him to reach up to his head and inspect his hair and found the first bit of evidence to support his growing suspicion as he found his hair much longer than he remembered it. Grabbing a clump of it and bringing it out where he could see it he found out hat the silver-white hair he had seen moving out of the corner of his eyes was his own.

What the heck!? he thought to himself as he tried to figure out what had happened to him.

All of this was making the kinda sense to him that wasn't and it was beginning to freak him out completely. He several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself, telling himself over and over that he needed to be calm if he was going to get himself out of this fix. The first thing he denoted on his agenda was to find out just how many changes his body had undergone so he would know just how bad his personal situation was. Once that was done he could try to find out where exactly Willow's botched spell had dropped him so he could find his way back to England. Judging by the plants around he definitely wasn't in Europe or North America and since he wasn't freezing his butt off it was likely he was still somewhere close to the equator. That probably meant either South America or Asia by his reckoning which meant that Giles would have to fork over some real cash to get him a plane ticket home. Looking down at himself he was thankful that his clothes had somehow remained intact through the trip he took because the idea of walking around naked in some foreign land didn't appeal to him in the slightest. His mind automatically thinking back to the crack he had made to Buffy earlier about him getting in trouble with some tribe for getting friendly with the chief's daughter. While some might be of the opinion that it was just coincidence that got him into this situation he knew better and suspected that either a servent of D'Hoffryn had been listening in or some other demon who enjoyed seeing mortals suffer. That was the only plausible explanation for him being in the middle of nowhere by himself with no idea of the local dialect.

When I get back home I am definitely asking Giles to find out who I was in a past life that pissed enough higher beings off to deserve this kind of bad luck! he thought to himself with a frown as he picked a random direction and started walking.

As he walked along he decided to try and pass the time by rehearsing what he was going to say to Giles on the phone when he called from where ever he was on Earth. It took some really delicate and choice words to say to Giles 'Hey G-Man! Willow's spell went wonky and now I am on the other side of the planet!' without giving him a coronary. After all as much as they all loved and respected the guy he was getting up there in years and it wouldn't do to have senior Watcher among them have a stroke because Buffy played with their magic supplies or Willow read a book she shouldn't have. Still out of all the things that could have happened this was probably one of the more endurable for the seasoned Watcher as it did not involve causing the end of the World or raising an unspeakable evil. Still he was certain when he walked through the doors of New Watcher HQ that his new looks would make for certain that Willow would get a second lecture to follow the one she was most certainly receiving right now. If he senses had not been tricking him then Giles had heard the commotion going on in the lab and had come in just in time to see his great disappearing act. He almost felt sorry for Wills but the fact that she had sent him half way around the world and made a few modifications to his person had him learning towards her receiving some punishment.

After about twenty minutes he finally came to a lake and thanked whatever god, goddess or deity that had decided to have pity on him right then. Not only would it let him see just how extensive the 'modifications' to his person was but it would also give him a chance to get cleaned up a bit. His clothes were torn and covered in dirt indicating that he had fallen from up high and was only alive probably due to some trees. It would only make him more suspicious when he hit civilization if he arrived dirty and disheveled and besides if his nose was right he was beginning to reek a little. Moving to the water's edge he got down on his knees and looked at his reflection in the water only to receive the mother of all shocks and once again curse his luck. The face looking back at him was one he had never seen outside of its Anime setting and the fact that he was in a environment much like the one in the show meant that he was in more trouble than he had originally thought. His hair which he had already determined had grown and changed color was much longer than he had originally anticipated as it almost reached his butt. His ears had got all elfish like an extra from the Lord of the Rings movies and while his facial features remained pretty much the same his skin was slightly paler than normal. It wasn't exactly vampire pale but more like someone had taken some white make-up powder and covered ever inch of his skin in it. His right eye had also somehow grown back but instead of the normal brown eyes he had been born with both eyes were now a dark amber yellow. His mouth now also sported a set of fangs that were more dog like than vampire like but not so pronounced that they would be noticeable if he kept his mouth closed. Also there seemed to be tattoos similar to the ones on his wrists on his face, twin slashes on each cheek and a purple crescent moon on his forehead.

Willow! You are so going to get it when I get back! Xander thought with anger as he realized what had been done to him.

While he still possessed the standard facial features of his old safe the magic of the red-haired wicca's experiment had apparently turned him into a Sesshomaru clone. Well not exactly a clone as he would need to look exactly like the Youkai lord for that to be the case but if a stranger were to look at him at that moment they would certainly mistake him for a relative. He remembered that Willow had been mixing a transfiguration spell with the teleportation one but he had thought that meant only his clothes would change. After all if Willow had been successful than not only would the gang be able to travel anywhere in the world but they would also be able to get clothes that would allow them to blend in better without spending a dime. Obviously though whatever had gone wrong with the spell that he had interrupted by mistake it had gone far past its original constraints. He also had a sneaking feeling that changing him into a dog demon wasn't the end of what had gone wrong when ruby shards had zapped him. It couldn't be that simple for him, if he had been transformed into Sesshomaru than chances are that he was now in Japan since that was where the Anime series took place.

He shook his head to clear it of the conflicting thoughts and suspicions.

No sense jumping to conclusions until the proof is staring you right in the face! he thought in a scolding manner to himself.

He knew that he could come up with probably half a dozen different possibilities as far as what happened to him and where he was but for the moment that meant nothing. Letting his suspicions take control of his mind would solve nothing and just work him up more than was necessary. As much as he disliked the character in the Anime he decided to take a page out of the aristocrat's book and lock down his emotions as much as possible. It was a difficult thing considering how emotional he was usually but right now they were running at such a high level due to his current predicament that they would only hold him back. Right now he needed a clear mind if he was going to think his way out of this and right now the first order of business was to clean up as he had originally planned. Taking off all of his clothes with the exception of his boxers he waded into the cold water and almost jumped out of it right away due to the sheer frigidness of the water. Pushing such thoughts away he waded deeper until the water level was just below his chest he began to clean off the dirt and clean the few scrapes and cuts he had so they wouldn't become infected. Without his shirt and pants in the way he was able to say with all certainty that his transformation into a youkai like Sesshomaru was total and detailed. Just like in the show another pair of slashes were on his skin next to the elbow joint on his forearm and his toe-nails were changed into their claw-like equivalents although they seemed more refined than those InuYasha had been shown to have in the series. He supposed that came from the fact that Sesshomaru was full demon while InuYasha was only a half demon. Cross-mating between species was also a random thing since there was no real way to tell how compatible the two partners would be or which traits would be dominant. The one plus about the fact that he looked more like the youkai lord rather than the hanyou InuYasha was that he could more easily blend into a crowd of humans. His ears could be covered up by his long hair and as long as he avoided direct eye contact the golden eyes he had been given would not be noticed. As far as his newly clawed hands he could just be sure to keep them in his pockets and only take them out briefly if he needed to take or receive something. As for his feet he would probably need to get his hands on some more durable footwear soon since he had been in his socks when he had entered the lab.

Exiting the lake he put his clothes back on, not particularly caring that he was still wet, and resumed walking in the direction he had originally chosen before coming upon the lake. At first he walked at a leisurely pace, being in no particular hurry, looking at his surroundings and trying to identify the various plants in order to pass the time. He was slightly surprised to find that he could actually identify some of them rather readily which was strange since he didn't have a garden and the closest he had come to some of these plants was seeing pictures of them in some of G-Man's books. He supposed that after all those late night research sessions some of the knowledge in the books must have seeped into his skull by osmosis or something. At least it would make sure he didn't accidently step into some poison ivy along the way since he didn't relish having to figure out just how hard was too hard when scratching himself with his clawed fingers. Just then something seemed to 'ping' at the edge of his mind, like some kind of internal radar telling him something was nearby. Being new to this sense he couldn't tell what it was but he could tell it was evil from all the demons he had encountered in Sunnydale. He could also sense another 'signal' if you wanted to call it that a short distance away from the evil one. This one wasn't evil per se but he could also tell it was at odds with the world around it, as if it was the opposite of everything else. The evil signal seemed to be approaching the other one at a pace similar to his own and was getting closer with every moment.

Picking up the pace he began to go at what he considered a light run as he tried to reach the signal that did not belong before the evil signal did. He wasn't entirely certain what compelled him to do so only that it was his belief that evil had to be opposed and unless this alien signal did something horrible enough to deserve an ill fate he would protect that being. It wasn't until he had gone several yards that he realized that he was going at a clip even faster than he had seen Buffy do when she absolutely had to be somewhere or else. The surprise he felt at this was only temporary as he remembered that Sesshomaru was quite swift on his feet as well, even more so than InuYasha. It had been proven in numerous episodes that while the hanyou had the advantage of the Tetsaiga in their battles Sesshomaru was physically swifter and stronger than his half-brother. In fact it was only because of Sesshomaru's arrogance and pure chance that the mutt had prevailed.

Mutt? Where did that come from? , he thought briefly at the back of his mind, InuYasha was always my preferred character in the series. Why would I use such a derogatory term in reference to him? 

Dismissing the puzzle he picked up his pace a little to try and make it to his destination before any other thoughts cropped up. Whatever this powerful evil signal was he couldn't afford to let himself become distracted on things that could wait until later. It took him about ten minutes to reach his destination but much to his disappointment he hadn't been running fast enough as the evil signal had arrived ahead of him and had been there for a few minutes. Slowing his pace he decided to use some stealth and scope the situation out first rather than attacking a demon he knew nothing about. It was times like this that being the lesser powered of the group came in handy as it often required him to sneak up on an enemy rather than dive in head first like Buffy. When he finally came into eyesight he saw two people standing on a dirt path and immediately pegged them as the ones he was sensing. One was a priestess of some kind, dressed in the usual red parachute pants and white shirt with billowing sleeves. She had black hair which added to his suspicion that he was in Japan and if that wasn't enough it was done up in a style perfectly in keeping with the region. The other was a man with long black hair but it looked wavy and unkempt as though he only took care of it when he had to and not before. He was dressed in clothes that were obviously very expensive for the time and definitely looked the part of a Japanese feudal lord. He couldn't quite hear what they were saying to one another but he could tell by the man's body language that whatever he was planning it wasn't of the good. With this in mind he crept closer so that he could intervene if necessary but remain out of sight in case it turned out to be nothing.

"As I told you before Naraku, as long as Onigumo's heart lays within your body you cannot harm me." The woman said in a calm tone of voice that made it clear she was surpremely confident in her position.

"And that would be true if Onigumo's heart still resided within me." , the man called Naraku stated as he stalked towards the woman, "However that is no longer the case."

With speed that instantly pegged him as a demon Naraku's right hand shot outwards and grabbed the woman by her neck. Now Xander didn't know all the details of the situation but from what had been said the woman used to have some kind of protection over herself which prevented the man from harming her but now for some reason it was gone. Given the power that was rolling off the man the woman would be dead in moments, overwhelmed by the monster's power. Plus there was something about this demon that really rubbed him the wrong way, something that made him want to kill him right then and there. Therefore with little holding him back he ran as swiftly as he could from behind the tree that had been his cover towards the man called Naraku. He had barely managed to clear the trees when both of the people finally seemed to notice that they were not alone. By that time however he was too close for them to do anything so when he lashed out at Naraku with all his strength his claws tore a vicious wound in his chest. The demon let go of his prey and staggered back at this unforeseen assault while the woman coughed as she tried to force air back into her lungs. Xander took a position between Naraku and the women both to ensure her safety but also to prevent the demon from using her as a hostage at the last minute. For a moment the demon seemed taken aback by his appearance and it was then that the demon's name jogged something in his memory and he too was stunned for a minute. Naraku was the name of the main villain in the InuYasha Anime series and while there were certainly some differences between the animated version and the real life version he could believe that it was indeed that demon that stood before him now. His mind fought against that conclusion, repeating over and over again that every character in that series was fictional and that he couldn't really be looking at the demon villain of that series. He could believe that Willow's spell had somehow transformed him into a copy of Sesshomau but to actually have been transported to a world where the show was reality seemed almost too much to accept. If it was true however he had just hurt and likely pissed off the most powerful demon of the era.

"How dare you strike me!! Who are you!?" Narakau asked in a manner than implied that if he didn't answer quickly he would be prevented by death from answering at all.

Deciding to keep his true identity a secret for the time being he quickly recalled everything he could about the way Sesshomaru acted and altered his facial expression and mindset to match. After a short moment Xander Harris was gone and Alexander, firstborn son of the Tai Inu-youkai of the West Lord Sesshomaru, stood emotionlessly before the filth called Neraku.

"This Alexander doesn't have to explain his actions to anyone, least of all to **half**-demon filth like you." Xander said in an aloof manner meant to irritate those on the receiving end.

A palatable aura seemed to appear around Naraku and the power signal that Xander had originally sensed spiked up sharply indicating that the half-demon before him had been holding back the lion's share of his power. That might have been good for him but for this newly transformed human-turned-dog-demon it meant that he may be seriously out of his league at the moment. That was when he heard the sound of wood being bent almost to the breaking point and the shaft of an arrow tapping the front end of a bow. Turning his head slightly he restrained the impulse to look shocked and merely raised his left eye-brow as he imagined Sesshomaru would have. The woman behind him had recovered and now had an arrow notched in her bow and it was currently aimed directly at Naraku. For a moment he debated whether or not he should move to a slightly more defendable position in case she decided to turn her arrows at him because if he was right than the woman's name was Kikiyo. He had seen numerous examples in the show of what her enchanted arrows could do to someone they hit especially demons and he had no desire to find out what one was like. However he decided not to on the hope that since between him and Naraku she had an unknown demon and a known enemy that she eventually intended to kill. Add to that his pulling a save a few moments ago and he was fairly certain she wouldn't shoot him, at least not before she had a quick Q&A session with him. Turning back to Naraku who seemed more cautious about what to do now that his number of enemies had gone up by one and his wound seemed unusually slow to heal.

"This Alexander suggests you leave Neraku while you still can." Xander stated coolly but with a look he hoped indicated that the window of oppourtunity for escape was closing.

For a moment Naraku seemed willing to challenge his two adversaries but then he seemed to feel noticeable pain and without warning one of his arms seemed to transform into something decidedly not human as it was not proportionate to the rest of him. This caused him to shift all his attention away from Kikiyo and Xander to his arm as he seemed to be trying to will it back into the desired shape. It seemed to take a few tries but eventually the arm shifted back but it was enough to discourage Naraku from engaging in a confrontation right at that moment.

"There is nothing for me to gain by dirtying my hands fighting you now but I will not forget this Alexander!" Naraku said before walking into the darkness of the shadows beneath the canopy of trees and disappearing altogether.

Xander held the 'Alexander' façade for a few moments longer to be sure that the half-demon Naraku wasn't hanging about to learn more before dropping it. With a sigh of relief he turned around and what he saw caused the relief he had been feeling stall as he found that Kikiyo hadn't lowered her weapon and was aiming it at him. For a moment he debated using some kind of humorous comment to lighten the mood but given the look in the priestess' eyes he doubted that such a move would be wise. So he decided to wait for her to make the next move and hope that he would be able to talk his way out of this or he was going to find out rather painfully if he had also been gifted with Sesshomaru's healing factor.

"Why did you interfere demon?" Kikiyo asked with a voice that was at once both emotionless and at the same time filled with hostility.

"I am sorry Lady Kikiyo. I was unaware that it was you whom Naraku was attacking." , Xander answered formally as he doubted that she would understand his humor or tolerate any disrespect.

Unfortunately he had used her name specifically and since they had never met before she immediately upped her suspicion of him and tightened her grip on her bow.

"How do you know my name and what is your connection with Naraku? Are you one of his allies?" she asked and seemed moments away from attacking him.

His anger rose as she accused him of being in league with the very monster that had mortally wounded her over fifty years ago and caused the star-crossed lovers relationship she had possessed with InuYasha to be destroyed. More than that he felt as though she had just accused him of setting up innocent people to be drained by vamps and given the source of Naraku's power the comparison wasn't all that far off. Both consumed other living beings in order to increase their own power level and while he wasn't overly sad at demons being killed he didn't like the idea of them giving power to a being who didn't deserve it. In any case he decided that the time for being polite was over and now he was going to tell this walking corpse of a woman exactly what was on his mind.

"Look you piece of animated clay and bone I just saved your life from a very bloody and likely painful death so I think the least you could do is act civil towards me!" , Xander said in anger as he tried to do with his eyes what he was unable to do with his hands, "As for that **filth** if you ever insinuate that I have any connection at all with then I will make sure you regret it!"

With that being said he turned around and began to walk away from her, not even letting her reply to his statement or deliver any kind of response whatsoever. By the time his anger had simmered down somewhat he realized he had just turned his back on a very powerful priestess who had a strung bow in her hand and an arrow ready to fly at him.

Well I'll find out one way or another whether or not that was such a smart idea. he thought to himself mentally shaking his head at his stupid decision.

He had taken all of five steps before he heard the sound of the wood of the bow being relaxed and an arrow being returned to its place among the others.

"I am sorry. It is just that it is uncommon for a demon to care what happens to a human without having an agenda of their own." Kikiyo said in a tone that while no longer colored by suspicion or hostility.

Turning around his eyes confirmed what his unusually acute ears had told him in that she was no longer aiming a bow and arrow at him. That was a plus in that she seemed willing to let him live but he had no doubt that if he wasn't careful that he would find that arrow pointed back at his chest in a heartbeat. Regarding her for a moment he compared her to the artist's depiction of her in the Anime series and found that the reality was much better than the fiction. It was giving him a major case of the wiggins seeing characters he had only before seen in an Anime program standing before him looking just as real as he did. Still he figured since it was probably going to be a while before he found a way back home he might as well enjoy the whole experience while he could. At the end of that thought he realized that he had been staring at her and quickly looked away as he didn't want to give her reason to be angry with him again. After all while he was fairly certain that she no longer hated InuYasha as much as she did when first reborn in her clay body she would no doubt react badly to another demon looking at her strangely.

"You never answered my question." Kikiyo stated from her position a few steps away from him.

"What!?" he asked with a bit more anger than he had intended at her continued interrogation of him.

"Why did you save me?" she asked calmly as if she was oblivious to the hostility that had been in his voice a moment ago.

Calming himself a bit he replied "I had sensed Naraku's power a short distance from here and was curious as to what he was up to so I decided to investigate. When I arrived I had decided merely to observe but when he attacked you it was simply in my nature to intervene. Besides Naraku by his very existence makes me sick so his attack on you merely gave me one more reason to cut him up."

"How did you know my name? I do not believe we have met before." Kikiyo asked as she seemed to accept his responses to her initial question.

This was the question he had secretly been dreading as it was one he had no easy answer for without coming across as either a liar or a crazy man. He mentally flipped through his possible answers and decided to go with the one that seemed at least marginally alright and believable to someone living in the warring states era of Japan.

"I had heard rumors of a priestess in this region with unusually strong abilities that went by the name of Kikiyo. When I arrived here to investigate I saw what you were wearing as well as the power you possessed and drew my own conclusions." He replied in as casual a manner as possible so as not to give off the impression that he was lying through his teeth.

The priestess nodded in acceptance of this and didn't seem to find it odd that he knew she was not a normal person. He wrote it off as her believing that he had just overheard something during her conversation with Naraku. It was a theory he certainly wasn't going to dispute as it left him with less of a minefield to walk through which he certainly did not wish to deal with right now. As he saw her start to walk away his thoughts turned to what he should do now that he had confirmed that he was not in his own dimension much his own time. If what he remembered about the show was accurate relationships between demons and humans were tense and volatile with neither side particularly friendly towards one another. While there were a few species of demon that were relatively harmless and peaceful there were enough bad apples in the bunch like Naraku that the humans tended to group all demons together rather than make distinctions between them. With this in mind he knew he would have trouble finding a place in a village to stay for the night since while he looked human enough not to be exposed as a demon right away it would only take one look at his ears or claws to change the situation quickly. He knew that Sesshomaru often slept in the woods during his random travels across Japan but Xander doubted that he would be developing the sane affinity any time soon. For him sleeping outside required at least a tent and a sleeping bag if it was going to be bearable for a home-grown Californian. That of course was not taking into account the fact that the drunks he had been gifted with for parents had never taken him camping a day in his life meant that his chances of his surviving on his own were pretty slim. That left only one option and it was one he didn't relish as it would only cause him more trouble in the end but as with all other choices like this he decided to go with the riskier one.

"Priestess, would you happen to know of a place where I could rest for the night? I am afraid that my previous accommodations are no longer available to me." He stated carefully as he began to roll through possible responses to the likely questions she would ask him.

She seemed to consider his question for a moment before replying "You may stay at the temple in which I currently reside until you find some place else."

He stood there dumbfounded at the fact that she treated his question as something perfectly normal but far be it for him to look a gift horse in the mouth. Taking up stride behind her a bit he followed her back to the small temple and was a bit uneasy as he noticed several Japanese soldiers were laid out around the temple. From what he could tell they had been involved in one heck of a battle and apparently had come to the temple for medical aide. It made since this wasn't called the warring states era for nothing and since there were no established hospitals then temples and the people who ran them were the next best thing. What concerned him though was how they would react when they saw him and what he might be forced to do if they attacked. While it was true that the majority of them were injured and didn't seem capable of standing up much less attacking him there were enough that it could get messy very quickly. His fears were proven to be correct when the less injured soldiers noticed the priestess' return and then noticed him trailing not too far behind. Almost immediately some of them drew their weapons and began to advance on him quickly but they halted when Kikiyo held up her hands to stop them.

"Do not be afraid. Alexander has only come here to spend the night at the temple." , she stated in soothing tones in an attempt to calm them, "He bears neither you nor your comrades any ill will. Do you Alexander?"

"She speaks the truth warriors. I understand you mistrust towards me and if it will put your minds at ease I will consent to allowing the priestess to use her talents to seal me in a room inside the temple. Would that be sufficient?" he asked as he looked over the assembled army to see how they would take such an offer.

All of them and to a certain degree Kikiyo seemed shocked that an obvious demon would willing allow himself to be sealed. It essentially meant that he was willing to be imprisoned with no guarantee that he would ever truly be released. This caused a few to mutter that the only reason he was probably offering to submit to this was because he was powerful enough to break free of the seals. Others were considering the possibility that he had the priestess under some kind of mind control and would force her to release him once they had suitably let down their guard. However a man dressed in expensive looking armor seemed to be giving the entire situation more objective thought which was a positive sign as he was likely the one in charge of these troops. If he decided in favor of the idea then the other soldiers would likely follow his lead and respect his decision. After a few moments of debate among the soldiers the leader stepped forward and all waited to see what decision he would make.

"While I appreciate that you seem to be willing to suffer imprisonment to put us at ease demon I do not believe it will be necessary." , the leader said without fear while his men gasped in astonishment, "If you are, as some of my men have suggested, powerful enough to break through the seals of the priestess Kikiyo then it is unlikely we could defeat you in battle given our weakened condition. However if you are not strong enough to break the wards and truly mean us no harm it would be dishonorable to imprison you based purely on our own suspicions."

Xander smiled slightly at this example of enlightened thinking that was rare back home between humans and demons. Some like Giles who were well informed on the cultures and practices of various demon species understood that while some species were dangerous others were perfectly harmless and some were even beneficial. Most of the people who came across demons though only saw their differences and assumed they were evil because of their scary or unusual faces. Needless to say he was glad that even in this ancient era, at least from his perspective it was, there were at least some enlightened people.

"Thank you for your open mindedness sir. It is not often I get such a reaction from a human." , Xander said politely, "If I might ask sir what is your name?"

"My name is Samonoske Akechi and it is my opinion that in these changing times one cannot afford to be held back by past prejudices." Samonoske stated before turning back and continued tending to his mean as well as convincing some of them that his decision was the right one.

Xander smiled in amusement at this not envying the job of trying to convince a large number of soldiers that they could trust an unknown demon not to kill them while they slept. If he was in their position right now he probably wouldn't be so trusting either especially since he knew just how powerful a 'relative' of Lord Sesshomaru was likely to be in battle. He had no idea how powerful he himself was after Willow's little snafu but he was pretty sure that he wasn't much higher than InuYasha was at this point in the series. After all he wasn't born an inu-Youkai and he doubted any magic oriented transformation could make him powerful enough that there wouldn't be any difference between a natural born and an artificial one. Still hanyou level strength should be enough to keep him safe in this era until he found a way to return home. Turning to the temple he went to find a place where he could sleep tonight and heard with his enhanced hearing Kikiyo apparently following him. He discouraged himself from thinking such egotistical thoughts and instead thought that she was likely just getting more supplies to tend to the wounded.

Entering the temple he found that there was precious little free space to be found as the reason for the large number of wounded soldiers lying outside became evident. His expression became grim at this sight, even after the battle with the First Evil when the gang had numerous injuries to deal with on their way to a hospital it had not been this bad. Some of these men he knew would not make it from the sheer amount of blood that was soaking into the bandages while others would likely have to rely on others for help for the rest of their lives. It made him realize that while he was no stranger to battle he was still pretty green as far as full-fledged war went. To think that there were probably groups like this all over the country fighting and dying for everything from land to power. Not that war was fought for any more altruistic reasons back home but at least there the fighting had taken place overseas for him. For these people it was right here on their doorstep usually not more than a few miles away and the possibility that their home towns might be called upon to sacrifice supplies or men made him wish there was something he could do to help.

"You feel sorry for them?" Kikiyo's voice asked.

Turning he found her standing a few steps behind him with some bandages and some clay bowls no doubt filled with ointment and water.

"The land where I am from while far from peaceful does not have battles on this scale. It saddens me to think that while some may survive the injuries they have received many here will likely die." He replied surprisingly not guarding his emotions as he probably should have as he noticed the priestess looking at him like a puzzle to be deciphered.

He was beginning to think of her in the same way as she wasn't acting like he had expected her to judging from what he had seen in the Anime series. Truthfully he had expected her to try and get him on his way immediately or at least try and bind him to a tree with an arrow like she had done to InuYasha after she thought he had betrayed her. Yet the Kikyo in front of him was being civil towards him and even indulging in idle conversation while she tried to figure him out. He ridiculed himself for dropping his false Sesshomaru personae after Naraku had left as apparently he was acting too suspiciously un-Youkai like to avoid attracting attention. He would have to work on that if he was going to keep things peaceful during his stay in this time. If the patterns from the show applied here than if word of a powerful Youkai got around then it was only a matter of time before InuYasha's crew, demon hunters or Sesshomaru himself showed up. Despite how cool it would be to see his favorite character in person Kikyo had already proven that there was no guarantee that they would be just like they were in the show. His hero might turn out to be a potty-mouthed jerk who attacked first and never bothered to ask questions later. Still it was nice that the one character he had run into was nice enough and seemed content to be civil to him.

"If you are hungry there is some food on a table near the alter. I must attend to the other wounded soldiers." Kikyo stated before turning around and walked away.

Finding a vacant corner of the temple he sat down with his back against the wall as fatigue began to set in a bit. This was unusual since he had thought that his time unconscious during transit from one world to the next would have been enough but either that was not the case or his brief use of speed and strength had worn him out more than he had thought. Looking about the room he wondered if it would be safe to catch some rest with the men considering it was only because of their commanding officer that they were not attacking him. The choice was taken from him as his body seemed to make up its own decision and he slipped into a restful slumber.

Naraku's Castle, Location Unknown, Early Evening 

Damn that inu-youkai! Naraku fumed as he watched the last signs of the demon Alexander's attack fade from his chest.

To say that he was upset at the interruption between himself and the undead priestess Kikyo by the dog demon was an understatement. While he had been debating whether to actually kill the priestess up until the moment he had begun to strangle her he didn't appreciate having that choice forcibly taken from him. He grimaced slightly as he recalled the feeling of Alexander's claws tearing into him and the hours it had taken for the wound to heal. That fact was what bothered him the most, his wound should have healed within moments of being inflicted but for some reason it had not. Was there something different about this youkai Alexander or was the slow healing the result of his lingering connection to Onigumo. With the time now available to him to review the incident in full he acknowledged that the boy had a strong resemblance to InuYasha's half-brother Sesshomaru. The family markings in the form of the purple crescent moon on the forehead and twin slashes on either cheek were evidence enough of the connection between the two of them. This was at odds with what he knew of the Youkai Lord since to the best of his knowledge Sesshomaru didn't have a mate much less one bonded to him long enough to bear him an heir of such advanced years. While it was possible that Alexander might be Sesshomaru's full-demon brother this was also unlikely as the dog demon lord had at least ten years on Alexander. Add to that the fact that Inutaisho had been slain a little over that many years and the likelihood that he would have had time to have a child with another Inu-Youkai woman was slim at best.

This Alexander is most puzzling. Naraku thought as he regained some control over his emotions and tried to look at his current enigma with more objective eyes.

He spent a full hour trying to determine where this new player in the game had come from and why he had chosen that particular moment to make his existence known. He was sure that he would have heard of another powerful Inu-Youkai at some point during the last two decades yet there had been nothing about a young twin of Sesshomaru wandering about. As his patience began to wear thin he decided that it didn't really matter where Alexander had come from only that he be removed from the board as soon as possible. He had painstakingly planned out several ventures over the past five months and he would not have them spoiled by a random element.

"Kagura." He called out both with his voice and with his mind.

A few moments later the wind sorceress who was one of his incarnations appeared and knelt down in front of him at a respectful distance. He had recently released her from her imprisonment in the catacombs beneath his estate for her attempt to abandon him and had sent her to tell InuYasha and his comrades where to find Onigumo a few hours ago. He had doubted that his weaker half would be able to prevail against them but that had not been the point of the exercise. It was instead a useful way to dispose of his weaker half while at the same time causing no end of grief to that mutt who dared to stand in the way of his destiny. Unfortunately that idea had fallen through and he decided it was time to give Kagura a more difficult mission than simply delivering a message.

"A new player has appeared on the board Kagura in the company of the priestess Kikyo. I want you to take a group of demons to the temple where my wasps tell me they are currently staying and dispose of them both." Naraku ordered in his usual aloof position.

This seemed to surprise the wind sorceress which was conceivable since he usually reserved dealing with the undead priestess for himself.

"Who is this Alexander?" Kagura asked with genuine curiousity but no doubt attempting to divert any anger he might feel about her questioning his orders.

"An Inu-Youaki who bears some resemblance to Sesshomaru. He has apparently concealed himself from the rest of the world up until now so tread caustiously when dealing with him." Naraku responded covering up his own lack of knowledge on Alexander by making it seem as though the boy had remained unknown by choice rather than chance.

"Are they related?" Kagura asked as she seemed to process the possibility that Alexander might be a relation of the demon lord whom she had attempted to form an alliance with behind his back.

"Possibly. It is more likely that he belongs to some other inu-youkai aristocrat family but that matters little since judging by the state of the clothes he wore he has been cast out by his family." ,Naraku replied as he recalled the unusual and dirty clothes the boy had been wearing, "Now go and kill both him and Kikyo."

"As you command Naraku." Kagura responded with a bow before standing and leaving the room.

Walking over to a window that overlooked his estates courtyard and watched as Kagura left on her feather followed by a group of youkai. While he had some concern about her ability to kill both Kikyo and Alexander he was certain that no matter what power the pair had the sheer number of youkai sent against them would be enough. After all it wasn't like they were going to be receiving any reinforcements at the last minute.


	3. Battle with an InuYoukai's birthright

"An Heir With Character" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email : 

The Temple, Half Past Midnight 

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Something is wrong! was the thought that shot through Xander's mind as he awoke suddenly from his slumber.

Looking at the entrance to the shrine he could see that night had fallen and most of the soldiers around him were fast asleep. The uneasy feeling that rested within him was potent but not overwhelming as it seemed to be no more than an insistent prodding at the back of his mind. Getting up quietly he walked to the entrance and passed his gaze over the entire area to try and find a reason for his uneasy state. He could see that while some of Samonoske's soldiers were asleep there were some that were on watch duty around the perimeter and the tents that held their supplies. None of them seemed to sense anything odd which made him consider that perhaps the ill feeling in his gut was just hunger since he hadn't eaten since arriving in this world. However a moment later he heard footsteps coming from the woods off to the right and saw Kikyo emerge with her eyes scanning the surroundings as well. For a moment he wondered what the priestess had been doing in the woods until he remembered her most dangerous weakness. She needed to regularly absorb souls of the dead in order to maintain the enchanted body that her soul inhabited. It was likely that she had been with her soul gathering demons away from the soldiers so they wouldn't discover her true nature.

She approached him and asked "You sense something is amiss as well do you not?"

"Yes. There's something not right out there and it is getting worse." He replied while continuing to examine their surroundings in an attempt to figure out what had set off his 'Spider-Sense'.

Just then he noticed something odd in the sky a fair distance away from the temple, a dark cloud that he had dismissed at first as bad weather but now thought differently. He was beginning to see luminous balls of light in the cloud as well as large numbers of things flying in and out of the mist. Closer and closer it came until his newly transformed youkai eyes let him see the cloud more clearly and his eyes widened as he recognized both what he was looking at and what it meant.

Grabbing the nearest solider who was awake he said "Solider! Wake everyone up! This camp is about to come under attack!"

The soldier at first seemed angry at the demon giving him orders, then curious at what had gotten the demon so upset and then frightened as he looked in the direction the demon had been staring at a few minutes ago. The approaching demons were picking up speed and now were becoming easily visible to the human members of the camp which was confirmed by numerous soldiers suddenly grabbing their weapons or voicing their shock. Cursing silently to himself he wished that he had been resilient enough to eat something before he had fallen asleep because he had a feeling he was going to need a lot of energy in a couple of minutes. The rest of the camp woke up in a hurry after the initial commotion and Samonoske was quickly organizing his men to deal with such a large number of opponents given their collectively weakened state. Xander elected to stay with Kikyo near the temple where most of the injured lay on the ground since they would be least able to defend themselves. It seemed like forever but when the demons finally arrived chaos came with them as the battle joined and all that anyone thought about was the enemy in front of them and the comrade beside them. Xander did his best to use his enhanced strength and speed to make up for his lack of skill as a hand-to-hand fighter and for the most part it worked. Oh a few demons managed to tag him and draw blood but he managed to finish them off on the counter attack. Still he thought he was probably doing a decent enough job of guarding his area and after a few glances at Kikyo he found that she was having little trouble as well.

It went on like this for a while and he began to wonder just what was the point of this attack and what the demon's hoped to accomplish with this attack. He doubted that this was just a random attack, there were far too many of them, but he couldn't think of anything this camp possessed that would give so many demons cause to attack. None of these warriors were demon exterminators from what he could tell of their armor and weapons since most demon hunters of this world made use of the claws and hides of their kills. He was certain that there were no shards of the Shikon-no-Tama here because while he had no idea what one felt like he was fairly certain he would know if one were near. With every blow he struck against an attacking youkai he tried to come up with some reason for this attack but it wasn't until blades of light rained down on him from above that he got his first clue. He hadn't sensed the attack coming with all the scents and energy signatures of the other demons clouding his senses and by the time he did they were already cutting deep into his skin.

He fell to the ground and gripped a bleeding wound in his side as he looked up towards the estimated source of the attack and almost growled when he recognized his attacker.

"Well, well, well, I was doubtful when Naraku said that an inu-youkai that looked like Sesshomaru would be found here but there you are!" came the taunt from the Wind Sorceress Kagura as she set down on the ground and stepped off her feather.

Xander managed to force back the pain of the wounds her fan had inflicted on him and managed to get unsteadily to his feet knowing that he stood a better chance of survival that way. Her presence made it all too clear that this attack was organized by Naraku as revenge for the attack Xander had committed yesterday afternoon during the altercation with Kikyo. The half-demon must have been pretty pissed by those scratches he had received at the hands of 'Alexander's' claws to send his second in command and numerous youkai as payback. He supposed he should be flattered that he warranted such drastic action but at the moment he was trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this situation in one piece. He was injured and even if he had inherited the fast healing of the youkai he doubted that the wind sorceress was just going to stand there and wait for him to recover. That left only one option and that was to deliver a debilitating wound quickly so that she would be in no better condition to fight then he was at the moment. Cursing himself for the pain he was about to cause himself he surged forward with all the speed he could muster to cover the distance between them. Every step was agony and made him aware of every laceration that the wind sorceress' initial attack had caused and this slowed him down considerably since mind and body seemed to argue with one another about what they could or couldn't do.

"Trying the direct approach? Heh, maybe you take more after InuYasha than Sesshomaru." , Kagura said with her mouth grinning with amusement, "Dance of the Blades!"

Darting to the right he managed to avoid the volley of energy blades and heard them tear up the ground where he had been moments before. Several more repeats of this attack came at him and each one he managed to dodge by an ever smaller margin as the distance between them decreased. It wouldn't be long before he would be too close to dodge Kagura's attacks in his weakened state and then all that would be left of him was wet meaty chunks of dog demon flesh. That meant that he had to attack now while he still could but he was still too far away for a physical attack which only left him with the option of least success. He had seen all the half and full demon characters in the show use their youki attacks at one time or another but seeing them done was a far cry from being able to perform one yourself. The only reason why he had been able to utilize his speed, strength and agility as well as he had so far in battle was because they were physical abilities. After all it didn't take any real skill to lift something or run really fast, once you did it the first time the rest pretty much came naturally. He had a feeling that a youki attack was more like learning a fighting style or how to wield a sword with skill and proper technique. In other words it took practice and time neither of which he had much of at the moment which meant this would come down to dumb luck.

Straightening out the pointing and middle finger on his left hand he willed what youki he might have in his body there and with a motion like snapping a whip yelled "Poison Whip!"

A second after he called out the attack nothing happened and he feared that the cursed Xander luck had struck again but then he watched in astonishment as a tendril of golden energy grew from his finger-tips and snapped out towards Kagura. The female youkai seemed somewhat surprised by this and only barely managed to avoid the full brunt of the attack as she jumped into the air. Despite her reaction time Xander's energy whip managed to take off one off one of her arms at the elbow joint but he cursed as he realized that it wasn't the arm with the fan in it. Still she seemed motivated to keep her distance though which would have to do for now as it allowed him to resume using his speed to dodge her attacks. At least that was the idea but when he came to a stop beneath the wind sorceress the pain that had momentarily submerged by the surge of adrenaline brought about by his charge came back big time and caused him to drop to one knee. Looking up at Kagura he could tell she was debating another attack on him when an arrow whizzed by her head and caused her to retreat further on her now deployed feather. Looking to where the arrow had come from he saw that it had been Kikyo who had pulled the big save and when they made eye contact the look she gave him clearly said 'now we are even'. He nodded in acknowledgement, ignoring what pain this caused him, and looked over the battlefield to see how this little war on the whole was going.

The youkai seemed to be turning the tide slightly as the men who had been slightly injured but still able to fight were getting worn down by fatigue and the receiving of even more injuries. They weren't in dire straits by any measure but if this fight was drawn out too long they were going to be in a little bit of trouble near the end. He wished he had a better understanding of what he could do now beyond theories and ideas but at the moment he was pretty much making things up as he went along. It had been luck more or less that had allowed him to successfully perform Sesshomaru's energy whip and he doubted that he would be able to land such a lucky hit a second time. The wind sorceress was cautious now and staying out of the range of Kikyo's arrows and his own claws but he doubted it would be long before her own desire for revenge surfaced. Something had to be done to make an impression on these demons, one that would motivate them to break off their attack and turn detail despite commands from their mistress. Unfortunately he wasn't sure what he could do that would make them back off like that in his present condition. Kikyo was managing to take the demons down in small groups and the soldiers were doing their best with one-on-one battles but no more than that. In short the demons attacking them had enough opposition for them to take the fight seriously but not enough to scare them into a retreat in the least. Usually it was times like this that InuYasha would come in with the Tetsaiga and use the Wind Scar technique to deal with this many demons but he doubted his luck would suddenly become that good.

So the question is do I have enough left in me for one more hat trick? he thought to himself as another of Sesshomaru's abilities drifted through his mind.

It would certainly be impressive enough to put a large bit of fear into the demons and may be even enough to convince Kagura it was time to call off the attack. The only problem would be he would have to hold it long enough to generate the desired effect and probably unleash at least one attack. He didn't know if he had the control or energy left to do that without having some serious draw backs waiting for him afterwards. He had learned the hard way fighting alongside Buffy and the others that trying to fight when you are injured only makes things worse no matter how careful you are in battle. It had taken about five 'Buffy-saves-you-before-you-get-killed's before he finally had clued into that and had sense enough to stay at home if he had been injured in a previous patrol. Still he decided that it was worth the risk and if things went bad then chances are he would be unconscious before the demons managed to deliver the death-blow. At least that was how he reasoned it out to himself as he closed his eyes and began to search the inside of his new body for the power he sought. He didn't know what he should look for so instead he sought out the emotions he himself associated with it. Primal emotions, primitive but at the same time coherent, belonging to both beast and man with neither fully abandoning that particular side of themselves. Drawing upon these emotions he raised them higher and higher to the surface of his consciousness and as he did so he could feel the wind around him begin to pick up but he sensed that Kagura was not the cause of it. He pushed this observation aside as he felt it begin to affect his concentration and continued to draw upon the emotions he had sought within himself. The wind continued to pick up and as his emotions seemed to reach their peak he opened his eyes and viewed the world around him through the red eyes of a fully transformed inu-youkai. He would later remark that he hadn't even felt his body changing into the giant dog demon form but he merely attributed it to him being so focused mentally that physical sensations had been unable to reach him.

Time to let them know what they are in for with the enlarged me! Xander thought from within his new form as he let out a loud bark that sounded more like a roar given the decibel level.

This caused just about everyone, both demon and human, to stop fighting for a moment to look at the huge dog demon that now stood in their midst. If they only knew how hard it was for him to maintain this form they probably would have attacked him right away. He could feel his strength beginning to slip away and if he did not play his trump card soon his power would slip through his fingers. Taking a half the youki he had left in him he drew it into his mouth and after building up the pressure by closing his mouth he aimed it at a large concentration of youkai that did not have humans among them and let it rip. To those that observed this the energy that came from his mouth looked like red cloud being propelled by the mother of all gusts of wind as it was propelled towards the Youkai that were the targets of this assault. The red cloud hit the ground and began to rush off to the sides around the point of impact before the blast cut off at the source. It didn't take long before the effects of the blast could be both seen and heard as the youkai screamed in pain as they seemed to fall apart and decompose due to the effects of the cloud. By the time the cloud of red had fully dissipated all that was left of the horde of youkai was a mass graveyard of bones and weapons. Turning to the remaining youkai he tried to give off the impression that they were next on his list if they didn't scram and quickly. Fortunately they didn't seem to have any trouble picking this up and despite the screams from Kagura to stay and fight it was clear their sense of self-preservation was more powerful than their sense of loyalty to Naraku. Deciding that it would only take one more push to get even the wind sorceress to turn tail and run he looked up in her direction and tried to pull of a threatening growl. It was then that the woman seemed to realize that she was the only one not running away and that she was surrounded by a small army of humans, the priestess Kikyo and a full blooded dog demon in his most powerful state.

"This isn't over Alexander!!" Kagura yelled in anger before retreating further into the sky and away from the temple.

The giant dog demon watched her go for a bit but with visible strain beginning to show on its face in the form of heavy breathing and a slight trembling of the limbs. Once Xander was sure that both the youkai and Kagura were far enough he released his grip on his present form and allowed his body to do as it would. He could feel himself falling to the ground, his form shrinking back into the more humanoid form, his consciousness fading as blackness swept in from the corners of his vision before all input vanished.

Early Afternoon, The Temple 

Who are you? Kikyo thought as she applied a cool damp cloth to the forehead of the inu-youkai Alexander.

He had been in this deep sleep ever since he had transformed back into his more human guise after driving off the youkai that Naraku had sent to attack the temple. From what her skills as a healer could tell there was no poison in his system nor any curse that might harm him so she could only conclude that he had overexerted himself. That fact was unusual because as a full inu-Youkai he should have had greater reserves of power in him than that. She had seen when he had been hit by Kagura's wind blades and supposed that injury combined with the battle could explain his present state but that raised another interesting mystery. While he had used his great speed and strength well in battle she was curious as to why he had waited until the last moment to use any of his youki attacks or even transform into his true form. The list went on and on with mystery after mystery that while most would dismiss as nothing she was observant and knowledgeable enough about youkai to know when something was amiss.

Then there was the fact that he bore a resemblance to InuYasha's older half-brother Sesshomaru, the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West. The young man didn't come right out and say it but the way he had held himself in front of Naraku was definitely a fair imitation of the youkai Lord's own personality. Then there was the energy whip that Alexander used in the battle which to her was another sign of the young Inu-Youkai's connection with Sesshomaru. Still if that was the case then why had he behaved so civilly towards her and even saved her life from Naraku along with the lives of the soldiers when Kagura's forces attacked. It was well known that the youkai Lord held a sharp distaste for humans which sprang both from the affair his father had with InuYasha's mother and the prejudices that most youkai had for humans as a norm. If Alexander had spent enough time with Sesshomaru to learn the poison whip attack then surely some of the Lord's opinions and prejudices would have rubbed off on her patient. Then again even if that were the case his disgust or hatred would still be noticeable even if he personally didn't have anything against humans. All in all he was most definitely not your typical youkai and for some reason she found that this was refreshing for her. Even during her brief relationship with InuYasha he had always behaved partially the way a youkai ought to act. Her presence had calmed him and caused him to yield to his human half more than he otherwise might have and she was certain that it was only her reincarnated self Kagome who kept him as close to his humanity as he was last time they saw one another. This Alexander had no such human side that she could detect to soften his attitude towards humans but nevertheless seemed to treat the human race as his people.

Could that mean that he was an orphan raised by humans? , Kikyo thought to herself as took the cold damp cloth off his forehead and soaked it in the bowl in front of her, While it would be rare for a human family to accept much less care for an inu-youkai child it would not be impossible if their love was great enough. 

It would also explain his seemingly complete unfamiliarity with the region and where he was if he had spent much of his formative years in one place never straying far from his foster parents' side. They would likely live someplace isolated in order to avoid letting others know that they were caring for a youkai child and generating a mob to kill it. His lack of familiarity with the full extent of his abilities and the rather clumsy way in which he wielded them also lent some credit to the theory that he had been raised by humans. He likely would have stumbled upon his youki abilities by accident as well as his ability to transform into a large dog demon. Still she couldn't resolve to her satisfaction why Alexander had been able to do a passable copy of Lord Sesshomaru's attack.

Oh what does it matter anyway!! It is not like I genuinely care what happens to this demon!! , she thought to herself as her thoughts turned to a certain hanyou, The only reason why I did not slay him as soon as I saw him was because I owed him a debt for saving me from Naraku. It seems that the half-demon is coming close to finding a way to break Onigumo's hold over him and when that happens he will come to kill me. 

She harbored no illusions that Naraku would let her live once it was within his ability to kill her as she posed a threat to him with the power she possessed from her time as a human and her current existence as one of the walking dead. If nothing else then delivering her dead body to his sworn enemy InuYasha would serve as a well placed psychological blow and perhaps be enough to break the hanyou's spirit. While she may still hate him for the life he took from her when she was human he still felt something for her even after she had bound him to a tree in a state of living death. She had used these feelings he felt to her advantage many a time and while he had been able to break free before she could exact her revenge many times it still allowed her a measure of control over him. It was then that an idea came to her that might be the key to both her final revenge over InuYasha and ensuring that Naraku would not succeed with his attempts to kill her in the future.

This youkai, Alexander, is apparently a stranger in these lands and only barely aware of the power he possesses. If I were to go with him and act as a guide as well as a teacher in how to utilize his special abilities it will create a powerful bond between us. , Kikyo thought as a plan began to form in her mind, With time that bond should allow me to control him and use him as a weapon against both InuYasha and Naraku allowing me to achieve both my objectives at the same time. 

While gaining revenge over InuYasha was and always would be her primary mission she acknowledged that she would also have to destroy Naraku before he could accomplish his dream of ruling over a youkai infested Japan. Fortunately both of her goals could be accomplished with careful planning and if she was successful in bringing Alexander to her side her chances of success would only increase. What would happen to him after both InuYasha and Naraku were dead did not matter to her as she would likely be killed in the confrontation that destroyed her two hated enemies. He would likely be angry when her deception and manipulation of him became clear but hopefully by then it would no longer matter. Others could deal with the bitter youkai and the aftermath of her efforts while she would finally be able to rest in peace without revenge and hatred to keep her here in the land of the living.

As if in response to her thoughts Alexander began to stir from his slumber with groans of pain as his movement aggravated his bandaged wounds. His eyes opened revealing their amber irises and slowly knowledge and memory returned to them as he seemed to recall where he was and how he came to be injured. It was odd that one so powerful could look so vulnerable and innocent when waking from slumber but when she examined his eyes better she could see that he was not the stranger to hardship and battle that one might think. Turning his head to look at her she could see that he was pleasantly surprised that she was tending to his wounds. For her the reasoning had been simply that she did not trust the soldiers who had been helping her take care of the wounded not to kill him in his sleep. While it was true that he had helped save many lives in the battle last night there were still casualties and being the only youkai present made him a favored target of their hatred and blame for the loss of their comrades. She had overheard a few of them remarking that the youkai that had attacked must have come because Alexander was here and that this made him responsible for their suffering. Others said that he had been holding back the entire battle and only revealed his true strength when he himself was threatened with death and that in their minds he did not care what happened to them. Not once did the soldiers consider that the young youkai did not have the knowledge to make full use of his abilities or that the horde of demons that had attacked the temple had an alternate reason for attacking. In any case it was not genuine concern for him that caused her to tend to his wounds but rather the lack of any reliable help to do it for her that made that decision.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked with a voice barely above a whisper.

"Only a few hours. You overexerted yourself during the battle." Kikyo said neutrally as she would to any patient under her care.

"No choice. The attacking youkai were beginning to turn the battle in their favor and something had to be done to end the battle before any more soldiers were killed." , he said as he pushed himself into a sitting position with a little more effort than a healthy person would use, "Next time though I will take more care not to be caught so unawares by that wind sorceress."

"A wise decision. Fortunately though inu-youkai heal fast and you should be fully recovered in a day or two." She stated calmly as she watched him examine his wounds to judge their severity.

"I will be leaving before then. It is unlikely that Naraku will give up on revenge after only one attempt and it will take much more time for Samonoske and his men to recover." Alexander stated as he began to push the blanket aside before suddenly stopping and looking beneath it himself.

She almost grinned with amusement as the inu-youkai blushed in embarrassment as he realized that he had no clothes on underneath the sheet. Contrary to what was probably going on through his mind she had no taken off his clothes but rather they had been ripped apart when he had transformed into a giant dog demon. That was yet another oddity as most youkai who could transform themselves changed their clothes with them in order to prevent such embarrassing events from taking place. Alexander seemed to be an odd mix of contradictions and surprises which she was finding entertaining at the moment.

"Dare I ask what happened to my clothes?" Alexander asked with his right eyebrow raised in inquiry.

"You neglected to take them into account when you transformed last night." She stated as if it were the most normal reply in the world.

This only caused his blush to deepen as he no doubt realized that he had fallen unconscious and naked in front of countless soldiers as well as herself. This only made his youth all the more evident as an older inu-youkai would not have been so ruffled by such a scene and if they were upset they would direct their anger at those who had witnessed it. Standing for a moment she walked over to where one of the soldiers had placed a small pile of clothing that Samonoske had ordered to be set aside for the youkai who had saved them from a massacre. Returning to Alexander's bedside she placed the clothes down next to him. The clothes consisted of a simple white shirt and brown vest with black pants and boots to complete things. According to Samonoske who had given the clothes to her they were some extra things he had packed before embarking on his current campaign and would not be missed.

"Here are some clothes for you to wear. Samonsoke provided them for you as thanks for defending his injured soldiers during the attack last night." , She explained with her usual reserve, "I will leave so you may get dressed."

With those she stood up and headed for the entrance of the temple to tend to the other injured soldiers.

A half hour later, Temple Entrance 

Man this is worse than when Buffy saved me from Larry on Halloween! Xander thought to himself as he walked out of the temple in his new clothes.

Back during that infamous Sunnydale moment when he had attempted to stand up to Larry and prove in front of everybody in the lounge area that he wasn't the wimp they thought he was. He had been willing at the time to be pummeled by the jock since as far as he had been concerned he had already earned macho points by not running away at the first sign of confrontation. He had been content with that but then Buffy had to come along and 'save' him which had not only destroyed what little respect he had earned but also labeled him as 'a guy who needs a short blonde girl to rescue him'. Needless to say it had taken the thwarting of the newly ascended Mayor to earn some respect in the eyes of his fellow classmates. This however was worse as he had wound up cut up and naked in front of people who were probably some of the best warriors of this era judging by how they fought last night. It was like getting a chance to play with a championship NBA team only to wind up ripping your own shorts off along with those tear away pants they wear. In any case he doubted that he would be able to look any of them in the eye on his way out and would only be able to relax once he had gotten sufficiently far away from them.

"I see you have recovered my friend." Came a voice to his right.

Turning he saw Samonoske approaching with another man who Xander assumed was his second in command. They look a little banged up from the battle but nothing like one would expect from people who had been fighting well over fifty deadly demons the previous night. This spoke well of their skills as warriors and that they would be able to hold off another attack by Naraku long enough for the demons to realize that he was no longer there and leave. At least that was the idea he was going with when he decided to leave now rather than wait until his wounds had fully healed and the pain at least dropped to a slight throb. He knew that the smart thing would be to stay but if the Naraku of this world was anything like the one depicted in the Anime series then another attack would be coming and coming soon. The best thing he could do now was leave and hope that he could take the trouble he had attracted with him when he left.

"Yeah. I figure I should get on the road as soon as possible before more demons come along looking for payback after I pounded them last night." He said with a cocky grin as he intentionally exaggerated his role in the battle last night in order to keep the mood light.

Samonoske seemed to catch onto this and said "We'll be sure to give them directions when they come looking for you. After all it isn't honorable to owe someone or a group of someones a debt for very long."

Xander laughed at the image of the demons arriving at the temple only to have Samonoske point in a direction and try to tell them where they could find the inu-youkai Alexander. Not that the situation would be all that funny as the youkai that came would likely kill the soldiers first and then resume their search or accept directions and then eat the soldiers. Still it was good that the leader of the army didn't hold him responsible for the deaths of some of his men or had come to fear him from the little display of power he had given last night. He had seen enough examples of it in several movies, TV shows and comic books to know that if you put someone not human with a lot of power next to humans there was a better than average chance that the humans would wind up hating the non-human. Some would do it as a simple case of 'he/she/it might do this/that' syndrome while others would simply hate him because they believed he was a youkai. In any case it was nice that Samonoske was one of the few that were able to look past race or power and see the person beneath it all.

"Well I'll be sure to talk it over with them if they ever manage to catch up with me." , Xander stated before extending his hand, "By the way thanks for the clothes."

"It was the least we could do after you saved so many lives last night." Samonoske said as he gripped Xanders hand by the wrist in a warrior's handshake.

"Still thanks. Well I better be going. I wish you well my friend." Xander said as he turned to leave for where ever fate thought he needed to be in the future.

"Farewell Alexander." Samonoske said before something off to the right seemed to catch his attention but not in a way that made him feel threatened.

Turning to see what was so interesting he saw Kikyo approaching him with the Japanese warring states era version of a back pack filled with what seemed like provisions for a trip. This was strange as his knowledge of the show told him that the priestess only moved on from a location when one or more of the local inhabitants caught her during one of her soul absorbing sessions. He wondered what had prompted her into moving on now with no cause visible that he could figure out.

"Lady Kikyo, are you going somewhere?" asked Samonoske's second in command with both puzzlement and worry.

"Yes I have decided that I cannot remain at this temple as much as I may want to stay." , she explained calmly as one might expect of a priestess, "Like Alexander I have made an enemy of the demons who attacked here last night as well as their master. While I have no doubt I could defend myself I would needlessly endanger those who come to this temple for aide and sanctuary. Therefore I will travel with Alexander for a time until I find another place in need of my skills as a healer and priestess."

That seemed logical enough and he too was certain that Naraku would likely send a larger force next time to make up for the failure of the smaller group that came before. He might even create another incarnation of himself to send with Kagura to stack the deck in his favor and would keep sending forces to the temple until everyone was dead. It wouldn't matter if Kikyo was the only one who was there at the time, Naraku wanted her dead too, it would just mean there would be one less person to make the power levels more even between the two sides. Still why she would want to journey with him instead of just picking her own direction and leaving was somewhat puzzling but not overly bothersome to him. In fact he would probably enjoy the company as he knew next to nothing about this place or this time beyond what he had seen in the show. Needless to say 'three days travel past little village number two' wasn't exactly helpful given the number of little villages that were probably all over Japan in this time.

"Well you're welcome to come with me Kikyo. It'll make the time pass quicker and we can get to know each other better." He said in an attempt to show his vote in favor of the idea and try and move their relationship past the 'saving-each-others-butts-due-to-necessity' stage and more towards 'I had a good time talking with you' stage.

"Yes I am sure we will." Kikyo said but her tone and eyes made it clear that she wanted nothing of the sort to happen and would take exception to any attempts on his part to try and make it otherwise.

Without another word she began down the dirt road that lead away from the temple and to the south not even caring whether or not he was following or not. Xander just looked at her like he would after a serious yet unexpected tongue lashing from Willow that normally left him thinking 'Where the hell did that come from?'. While it was obvious that Kikyo was no Willow by any stretch of the imagination he was still curious as to why she had gone from being perfectly civil with him to barely tolerating him.

"I have a feeling that this is going to be a long trip Samonoske." Xander said ruefully as he watched the retreating back of the priestess get smaller and smaller.

"Aye my friend. Still I am sure she will warm up to you once she sees past the surface to the man inside." Samonoske said patting Xander on the shoulder.

Man! At least I only have only to deal with two of the principal characters of the show! , Xander thought to himself after a brief glance skyward and a rolling of the eyes, I don't even want to think of what might happen if more of them showed up! 


	4. News spreads fast and Stuff hits the fan

**_A Village Just to the West of the Kinki/Chubu Regional Boarder, Two Days Later_**

Mid-Morning 

**__**

This is most puzzling bit of news. I must tell the others immediately. the young man thought to himself as he left the restaurant.

He and his comrades had stopped in this village to pick up some necessary replies and ask the inhabitants about any strange stories they might have heard. Such stories were often indicative of the presence of a sacred jewel shard which was at the core of their mission. While these stories were not always reliable the only other way they could locate the shards was more or less traveling until they came across something at random. While it was true that the others were keeping their ears open for anything useful he himself found that people were more likely to tell you want you want if their tongues were suitably loosened by a bottle of sake. So he had headed to the nearest restaurant and waited for something useful to reach his ears and indeed something had come his way. As he walked down the main street market place he tried to make sense of what he had heard the two soldiers talking about but for every answer he came up with another question emerged. This continued until his eyes finally caught sight of his comrade and perhaps future wife's Hiratsu poking up from the numerous heads that were milling about on the bodies of the village folk. While it was true that he was a bit wary of her lately due to her rather … um … firm rejecting of his most recent advances. While it was true that most men would be discouraged by such a thing he was determined to eventually win her over no matter how long it took.

"Sango!" he called out as he politely made his way towards her waving his arm up high to let her know where he was amongst all the hustle and bustle.

This caused her to turn in his direction but it was a few seconds before he could see her lovely face unobstructed by the crowd. Luck was with him it seemed as the rest of the company was there as well although it looked like InuYasha was openly challenging the entire village with the way he was glaring at them. Kagome on the other hand was apparently trying to negotiate with the vendor over the price of the food supplies with Shippo happily sucking on a lollipop at her feet. He wasn't sure where Kilala was at the moment but he was sure that the cat demon was close by as it almost never left Sango's side. Still they would have to find her soon once he told the others the news as InuYasha would likely wish to leave immediately.

"What is it Mirokou?" Sango asked as she had apparently seen the troubled look on his face despite his efforts to remain stoic and composed.

"I just overheard a most puzzling and perhaps troubling bit of information during my meal at the local restaurant." , he replied as the others took notice of his arrival and the look on his face, "According to two reliable sources a temple near Kyoto was attacked two days ago by a large force of youkai."

"So?" InuYasha inquired in his usual brusque manner.

"They were apparently led by a wind sorceress." Mirokou stated and at the mention of that fact the he had no doubt only one name manifested in their minds.

"Kagura!!" growled the hanyou at the thought of Naraku's servent.

It had only been a brief few days ago that the wind sorceress had surprisingly aided them in their struggle with Muso/Onigumo by revealing his whereabouts. The reasons for both her actions and those of Naraku that day had been a mystery for the most part despite their efforts to uncover the truth. In the end though Naraku had safely managed to reabsorb Onigumo into his being and while none of them had cared what happened to the thief it had been a lost chance to weaken Naraku by destroying Muso. The only useful bit of information that they had managed to gain from the whole experience was the fact that Naraku could apparently interchange the various demons that made up his body to make himself stronger. They also learned that while it was true that he was a half demon like InuYasha he for some reason could choose the moment of his weakness whereas InuYasha would always change into a human at each new moon. Not that this was overly helpful as all it meant was that if they didn't kill Naraku soon he might become too powerful for them to defeat.

"What could she have been attacking the temple for? A sacred jewel shard?" Sango asked with concern just like the rest of them at what Naraku's new scheme might entail.

"No I don't think so. If there was a sacred jewel shard anywhere within a days journey of here I'd feel something." Kagome said after momentarily stretching out her senses to make sure.

"According to the solider which I overheard Kagura seemed to be focusing her attacks on a priestess and young inu-youkai man who were defending the injured closest to the temple." , Mirokou stated as he was mentally amused at dangling the information in front of them like this, "The priestess was said to wield enchanted arrows capable of completely destroying some demons while the inu-youkai fought with his claws and wielded an energy whip in one direct attack on Kagura."

"Could it be…?" Kagome began to say before InuYasha interrupted her.

"Sesshomaru!!" growled the hanyou at the mention of his half brother.

"Apparently so judging from the descriptions I overheard. They decribed the inu-youkai as being no more than two decades in appearance with long silver hair and a purple crescent moon his forehead with twin crimson slashes on either cheek." , Mirokou stated as he remembered what he had overheard, "However I am puzzled as to why Sesshomaru would join a priestess in the defense of humans as well as be so restrained in the use of his power."

"Restrained?" InuYasha asked as the sheer oddness of the statement.

"Yes. From what I overheard Sesshomaru used his claws for the majority of the battle and only when he was injured by one of Kagura's attacks did he use his energy whip technique" , Mirokou replied while secretly glad that his friend had calmed down a bit, "What was also strange was that in an apparently final move to drive off Kagura and her youkai Sesshomaru transformed into his true demon state and dealt a serious blow to the youkai forces. He did not remain in his transformed state long, only until the youkai attacking the temple fled completely from sight and even then he lost consciousness upon returning to his more human form."

"That sure doesn't sound the like the Sesshomaru that we know." Shippo remarked before returning his attention to the raspberry lollipop.

"No kidding. No way would Sesshomaru dirty his claws by fighting hand-to-hand when he could just act all superior and kill them with his youki whip." InuYasha commented with a growl showing his disdain for his half-brother's aloof attitude.

"Indeed. When you add that to the fact that this inu-youkai could not maintain his transformed state for very long and one has to wonder if it was Sesshomaru at all." Mirokou said as his mind began to entertain other possibilities.

"Nah it's Sesshomaru for sure. The crescent moon on his forehead and the twin slashes on each cheek that you mentioned are marks that only appear on inu-youkai of his bloodline and last I checked Sesshomaru didn't even have a mate much less much less a child." InuYasha countered with his mind set on the unnamed inu-youkai being his half-brother.

"What could bring the two of them together in defense of the temple?" Sango asked curiously as she herself tried to come up with an answer.

"Feh! Sesshomaru was probably just looking to deliver some payback on Naraku for something or other!" InuYasha exclaimed obviously bristling at the alternate meaning 'bring the two of them together' could have in some people's eyes.

"Perhaps. In any case I thought it wise to inquire as to the whereabouts of these warriors and learned that they had departed together the morning immediately followed the attack." , Mirokou explained all the while gripping his staff tighter at the looks he was getting from the hanyou among them, "They were last seen heading in a northwestern direction towards Kyoto but given that two days had passed since then it is anyone's guess where they are now."

"Well if the priestess defending the temple was Kikyo then she likely left to avoid another attack by Naraku." Sango stated based on what she knew of the undead priestess.

"Yeah. She may have changed after her rebirth but she could never allow innocents to come to harm while she could avoid it." InuYasha spoke in agreement of the demon exterminator's theory.

"But why would Sesshomaru leave with her? Why would Kikyo even allow it at all?" Kagome asked while trying to ignore InuYasha's reactions to the mention of Kikyo.

Mirokou silently sighed at this as it was seemingly obvious to all but those involved that Kagome and InuYasha had feelings for each other that went beyond a close friendship. Both of them tried to cover up what they were feeling and deny it but to those that had traveled with them for so long the connection between them was clear. However it was also clear that the hanyou still harbored some feelings for his former love Kikyo and every time he let this show it hurt Kagome to know this fact. Like any woman she disliked the idea that the man she fancied had powerful feelings for someone else that would never fade no matter how much she may want it to be so. Mirokou personally hoped that InuYasha would eventually get over his former love and channel those emotions towards the one that truly needed them

Shippo seemed to pick up on the tension and said "Well why don't we just find them and ask them?"

Everyone looked down to the young kitsune cub and for a moment Shippo probably began wondering if he was about to be knocked on the head by InuYasha again.

"Sounds good to me." The hanyou said and without further discussion began to walk towards Kyoto or at least in its general direction.

The others looked at InuYasha dumbfounded for a moment before hurrying to catch up with him. Only Mirokou waited a bit before moving as one single thought crossed his mind.

I hope that InuYasha will be able to remain calm when we do catch up with them. , the Monk thought with concern, I do not look forward to the possibility of fighting Kikyo or Sesshomaru much less both of them. 

**_Castle of the Tai Inu-Youkai, Same Time_**

**__**

**__**

Well this will not do at all! I must inform Lord Sesshomaru at once! Jakken thought to himself as he turned away from one of his Lord's many informants.

The fox youkai had arrived only a short time ago and within a moment of delivering his information he had the toad demon's complete attention. What he had been told was both infuriating and valuable as he was sure that his master would consider this of the utmost priority. Walking at as brisk a pace as he could manage without losing what dignity and poise he had he made his way to youkai-sama's main audience chamber where he last saw his lord attending to his royal duties. He hoped that his lord would not be too upset at this intrusion but Jakken was sure that once he delivered the news he had just received that any anger the Ice Lord felt would be directed to a more worthy individual. He could scarcely believe that there was actually a demon out there with the gall or stupidity necessary to commit an act such as this against Lord Sesshomaru. He had been a loyal retainer in the royal family for years and never, not once, had such flagrant disrespect been shown towards them. He had no doubt that his Lord would want to make an example of this youkai, perhaps flay him alive and hang his skin outside the castle walls. At least that is what the toad youkai thought such a cur deserved for such an insult towards his superiors.

Finally arriving at the doors to the main audience chamber Jakken knocked once and then sat on his knees to wait for his Lord to acknowledged his presence.

"Enter." came the emotionless voice from within the audience chamber.

Obeying the command the toad on two legs opened the door and entered the chamber walking towards the throne where his Lord sat. Once he had closed to respectful distance for one of his stature to be addressing his superior he returned to his knees and bowed once before beginning his report.

"Milord. I have just received some upsetting news from one of your informants stationed east of Otsu. Two days ago a large force of youkai attacked a ningen temple just outside a small village there." , Jakken explained trying to mention all the vital information while presenting it fast enough so as not to annoy his lord with his slowness in getting to the point, "The youkai were led by that servant spawn of Naraku's Kagura and from what the kitsune told me it was only due to two warriors that Naraku's forces were turned back."

"What that half-demon **filth** does with his servants and those youkai foolish enough to side with him are none of this Sesshomaru's concern." Sesshomaru stated in a tone that said that if Jakken did not get to the point soon the Tai Inu-youkai of the Western lands was going to be significantly peeved.

"Oh I agree my lord but my concern came from the descriptions of the two warriors who were responsible for driving off Kagura and her band of cowards. One was of a priestess wielding mystical arrows obviously being that undead priestess Kikyo that your half-brother once fancied." , Jakken exclaimed as he hurried to give his Lord the most important information and save himself from his terrible anger, "The other was described as being a young inu-youkai male with a purple crescent moon on his forehead and twin crimson slashes on each cheek. I am sure you can understand my concern milord if this fool is allowed to roam free for too long."

"Are you telling me that there is someone out there who dares to impersonate this Sesshomaru?" asked the Demon Lord as he got to his feet at once with a cold anger in his eyes.

"Sadly so milord. He even apparently found a way to imitate your youki whip and your more powerful transformed state. According to the spy he was last seen heading towards Kyoto in the company of the miko Kikyo the morning after the attack." Jakken replied to his master's request even though he thought it might have been a rhetorical question.

"Then this Sesshomaru will have to meet with this imposter and inform him as to why it is unwise to trifle with his superior." , Sesshomaru said as he began to stride towards the door, "Jakken. Prepare Ah-Un immediately and alert all of my informants to remain on the look out for this fool."

"At once milord. That fool will soon learn just how much pain his foolishness has earned him!" Jakken said with excitement as he hurried to complete his tasks.

As they both reached the door however a small black-haired form came running around the corner and ran right into Sesshomaru before stumbling back and landing on its butt. The toad youkai was about to verbally chastise whomever it was who had the audacity to run in his Lord's halls and then bump into him without profusely apologizing when he realized who it was and sighed in frustration. The orphan girl Rin sat down looking up at them with confusion for a moment before looking up and smiling at the youkai who had taken her in. Personally Jakken could not fathom why his Lord had taken this ningen girl in and cared for her like this. She was too young to know any useful skills and too weak to be a proper warrior or laborer which made her all but useless. However he knew that Sesshomaru had feelings for this girl, inexplicable though they were, so he kept his opinions to himself.

"Hello Sesshomaru-sama! Rin was just coming to see you!" the child said happily as she got up and hugged her foster father.

"I have no time to play Rin. This Sesshomaru has an important matter to deal with." Sesshomaru stated calmly before gently removing himself from the hug.

"Where is Sesshomaru-sama going?" , Rin asked with some sadness at his departure before suddenly changing to hopefulness, "Can Rin come too?"

"This will not be a recreational journey Rin. You will remain here." Sesshomaru stated firmly as he looked down upon the girl who invoke some strange emotions in him.

Jakken was silently proud of his Lord for putting his foot down at the girl's impertinent request to accompany Sesshomaru on such an important mission. This was a matter of great importance not some trip into the countryside for sight seeing or fun and it was no place for someone who couldn't even wield even the simplest of weapons. Even if this imposter could not come anywhere near his Lord in terms of power the young ningen would only hinder him. Besides if she stayed here maybe he would actually be able to fight at his Lord's side rather than having to take care of that troublesome brat. All his hopes turned to dust however when the girl used the most underhanded trick that all young ones seemed to know and exploit to their benefit when confronting adults. He of course was immune since he harbored no feelings for the child but looking up at Sesshomaru he could tell that his Lord was beginning to waver in his decision. The toad youkai wanted to speak up and encourage his Lord to resist and not to fall for the annoying ningen's tricks but he held his tongue knowing his Lord would only turn his anger on him for speaking ill of his charge. Sighing the sigh of defeat he resigned himself to once more having to play babysitter to the little girl on this voyage away from the castle.

"Very well. Gather some food at meet us at the stables. We shall be taking Ah-Un." Sesshomaru stated as his resolve crumbled under the girl's stare.

The girl sang with delight as she raced towards the kitchen to gather food enough for the three of them for a few days. He only hoped that his master would deal with the imposter quickly so that they could return to the castle and he could get to doing some real retainer work.

One Day Later, A Dirt Path, 11:00am 

I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I'm actually enjoying this. Xander thought to himself as he and Kikyo continued down the path that would take them to Kyoto.

The two of them had been traveling for a little over three days and he was surprised to find that he was actually having fun traveling like this and hunting for his own food. This was pretty big considering that he was pretty much a city boy at heart and as such was pretty much ignorant of all things related to camping out or living off the land. He had gone camping exactly once with his Uncle Jack but aside from learning the finer points of fly fishing and starting a fire he wasn't exactly versed in how to survive. Sadly this only soured things even more between him and the miko since while he was perfectly able to hunt and kill dinner (as long as it didn't look like Bambi or Thumper) but she was the one who had to skin, clean and set it up to be cooked. Apparently even in this ancient era women still got mad at men when they didn't do their fair share of the housework or proved incapable of doing something all men should be capable of doing. This made his personal goal of trying to get to know Kikyo better all the harder but he was determined to succeed at his personal project. In the series she seemed so mercurial, one minute she was as cold and reserved as ice and then the next moment he was swearing revenge and looking to kill him with a stare. She was much more complex than her fictional self was portrayed to be and he had decided when they had left the temple that he was going to try and unravel it before he went home.

You know, in a way she's almost like Cordy was back w-when… he began to think before the mention of his ex-girlfriend but always friend caused his feelings to go from relaxingly good to almost brooding.

It was pretty much the response that he always had whenever someone mentioned the Queen C in his presence although he did his best to restrain himself from letting it show on his face. Even though it had been a little over six years since they had officially broken up he found that he still wished he had not made that stupid mistake and kissed Willow in the basement of the factory. It had been an act of the moment, both of them had thought they were going to die, and thought that they had to make the best of a terminal situation. Even after they had broken up and he had moved onto Anya as a girlfriend he could never lie when someone asked him if he still had feelings for her. When he had heard of her death it had hit him so hard he had almost never left the estate or for almost a day his own room. The contacts that Giles still had through the old Watcher's Council had kept them apprised of the whole mess involving the fallen power that be called Jasmine. While he had not been the only one who wanted to go to LA and help out Angel Investigations Giles had reluctantly convinced them that the goddess' mesmerizing ability was too strong and they would only fall under her spell if they went. Then the whole mess of her falling into a coma and Deadboy signing on to be C.E.O of Wolfram and Harts LA branch drove a wedge between the two teams and the rest as they say is history. Still he couldn't help but wonder what might have been if he had just exercised a little bit more restraint that night. Would she have stayed a member of the Scooby Gang? Would their relationship have eventually developed to the point where they would have gotten married? It was a storm of 'What if's that caused him to stop walking and look over the scenery that the vast surrounding forest provided.

He knew he was probably setting himself up for another tongue lashing at the hands of the priestess but at the moment he didn't really care. Looking at the quiet piece of nature before him he wondered what Cordelia would have thought about his present predicament. Hell, what would she be like if she had been dragged along with him? Surprisingly he automatically thought of Kikyo in answer to that question and the more he thought of it there were some surprising similarities between the two women. They both had done their best to fill a role that had been thrust upon them and had done their best to fulfill people's expectations of them. Both of them had fallen in love with someone their peers thought they shouldn't have even been seen with and both had come to hate their former boyfriends when things had taken a turn for the worst. The only difference was that Cordy had eventually worked her way out of that rut and while they had both known that a romantic relationship was impossible they had remained close friends. Kikyo seemed to be stuck in the hate and revenge phase but he had his own personal theory as to why that was so with her but he would wait until he had more evidence before confronting her about it.

He was about to ask her something when the wind suddenly changed direction and he froze as a scent he recognized from Sunnydale filled his senses. He had smelt it when he had entered the Master's lair with Angel and when he and the gang had been fighting to get the survivors of the Initiative. It was the smell of blood and death along with the smell of something else that he couldn't readily recognize beyond the fact that it wasn't human. He closed his eyes and tried to use his sense of smell to at least gain a direction for the smell but he had little hope that he would succeed in this act. Despite the progress he had made since first arriving in this world he was still too new to his inu-youkai body to use it as well as one born to it would. Still if they were going to be walking into a war zone or something equally dangerous it would be nice if they had a way to avoid it.

"Alexander? What do you sense?" Kikyo asked as she seemed to have taken notice of the change in him and was approaching.

"There is blood and death in the air. I'm trying to figure out where it's coming from." He explained before refocusing his attention on his task.

The scents that were being carried past his nose reminded him of the few times that he had been conned by Buffy or Cordelia to go with them when they went shopping and stopped at a perfume shop. Even as a human he had been overwhelmed by the multitude of smells and there were often too many of them to pick out an individual perfume among the many. Only when the girls had sprayed some on their wrist and held it close to his nose had he been able to give an opinion as to whether or not he liked it. Now he was going to have to hope that his new demony sense of smell was up to the task of sifting through the scents and smells of the area. One by one he attempted to tune out the smells that did not matter until the blood was all that was left and then with a few cursory steps in random directions to find out which way the smell became the most potent and he finally had his direction. Another thing that he seemed to pick up was that the blood was still relatively fresh, as if the violence was still ongoing or had only recently finished. For a moment he considered telling the priestess traveling with him that they would be making a slight detour around the carnage but then stopped. He had initially wanted to avoid getting involved in another battle because he didn't want to get into something that his amateurly wielded inu-youkai powers wouldn't be able to get him out of in one piece. Then he remembered his early days in Sunnydale fighting the good fight with Buffy and realized that he had done okay then and he was much more skilled at fighting now than he had been then. Maybe that would be enough to take on whoever was causing such a massacre as to reach him from such a distance.

Might as well at least check it out. , he thought to himself before turning to the miko and saying "It is coming from that direction. I'm going to check it out and see what's going on. I should be back before nightfall."

"No. I am coming with you." Kikyo stated as she placed her portion of the supplies behind some bushes to conceal it from casual view.

"Look I appreciate the offer but you won't be able to keep up with me at the speed I intend on going and I don't have a lot of experience carrying someone while running." He said truthfully since even as a human he hadn't been able to manage more than a slight jog with someone the priestess' size on his back.

"Then perhaps it is time you gained some experience." She said in an icy tone that said the discussion was over and done with.

Xander considered arguing with her but he knew that every minute he wasted arguing the fact someone at the source of the trouble could die because of it. Besides if he just darted off and left her there was no guarantee that she would be here when he got back Heck, he would be lucky if she didn't take his supplies with her and leave him with nothing. With a sigh of resignation he turned his back to her and got down on one knee as an invitation to climb onto his back. Privately he wondered what would be worse, Kikyo mad at him for leaving her behind or Kikyo mad at him because he had given her one helluva bumpy ride.

Something tells me there would not be much difference between the two. he thought to himself as he hooked his arms around her legs as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Once he was sure that she was secure he stood up and immediately broke into a run in the direction that he had smelt the blood coming from and was momentarily shocked at how different it was from when he had run to get to Kikyo soon after his arrival in this world. Before the surrounding world had been slightly blurred as he had ran by but still within what could be considered normal for a human sprinter. Now though he was running at a much faster pace that was closer to a high performance car with the gas pedal pushed to the floor. At that speed he should have trouble seeing the world around him especially given the fact that there was no windshield to keep the wind out of his face. So add blurred vision with serious wind friction and he should be all but blind as he should have been forced to keep the wind out of his eyes but they were fine. It was like there was some sort of invisible barrier just in front of his face keeping the speed at which he was traveling from affecting him. It was then that he remembered something from the show about demons having an aura given off by the amount of power or youki they wielded. Normally it would take a concentrated effort to form a shield capable to stop an attack but in this relaxed state it might be enough to keep him from being affected by the speed he was running at right now. Kikyo seemed to have something similar but was apparently still forced to place her head close to his back to avoid the full brunt of it. For a moment he wondered if InuYasha had ever carried her like this but dismissed it quickly when he had to leap to the side to avoid hitting a fallen tree. He mentally chastised himself for taking his mind off of watching where he was going since at the speeds he seemed to be going were capable of inflicting serious hurt if he wasn't careful.

It took them about an hour to reach the source of the smell he had sensed back on the road but when they arrived he wished that he had never had a sense of smell to begin with much less one so acute. The scene that greeted him was nothing short of a massacre with dead bodies littering the ground around the small village and their blood soaking into the soil. There was no rhyme or reason to the killing, old and young, male and female were strewn about with only a few looking like they had put up a fight. It was a scene he had not come across in his entire tenure as a member of the Scooby gang back home and it was taking some serious control to keep from losing it at this sight of this scene. Almost on cruise control he drifted through the village, walking at an almost zombie pace as he looked over the carnage and with every pair of lifeless eyes he asked himself a single question.

How could any sentient being do something like this? Xander thought to himself as he stopped moving and closed his eyes at the sight.

He had known when he had awoken in this world and knew which world in particular it was that there would be some rather gruesome scenes that he would come across. Numerous episodes of the InuYasha anime series depicted massacred villages with the perps either being demons or humans depending on the circumstances. He had seen the scenes depicting what was in front of him now but what he had seen did not even compare to what his imagination had produced for him days before. He felt overwhelming shock and disgust at the thought of what had transpired here but on the heels of that came something that he was all too familiar with even in its magnified state.

Rage.

Whenever he had seen an example of how low some beings could go to satisfy their own evil ends a fury filled him and only one punishment could meet with his approval. With a growl that was distinctly not human he turned in the direction that the carnage seemed to have progressed and where the ones who did it likely went after they were done. He would use his sense of smell to lead him to their lair and then lay down his own punishment for what they had done here.

"Stop." Kikyo said in a commanding tone of voice.

He turned to her and the emotions broiling his in eyes dared her to stand against it, to stop him from satisfying his rage. All she did was stand there impassively, looking at him with eyes devoid of emotion as if she was willing his emotions to simply flow off of her and disappear. For a moment he considered simply turning away from her and continuing on his path of destruction but for some reason her lack of emotion rubbed off on him and he quieted his emotions to hear what she had to say.

"Does your need to avenge these people outweigh your obligation to at least give them a decent burial?" she asked as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Her words killed the remainder of the rage in him and looking at the dead that surrounded him he nodded in agreement. Avenging them was all well and good but if he left them here to rot it would only be a matter of time before every bottom feeder and eater of the dead came to have their fill. It would not matter if they were demon in nature or just normal animals attracted by the smell of death the end result would be the same. Their remains would be desecrated and if this verse was anything like he thought it was they would be unable to achieve their final rest with their bodies in such sorry states. He would be no better than those that did this if he ignored this obligation so with nothing further to be said between them he searched the area for a shovel and a clean patch of land. It would not do to bury them beneath the same dirt that was now soaked in their blood and no matter how long it took her would find them just the right spot. This took an hour but eventually he found the right spot in the bottom right hand corner of the fields where they grew their food up until this day.

It took them the majority of the day, almost until sunset, but eventually they were down to the last four bodies to be buried and almost pointedly it was a family. Two parents and two children lay before him and he couldn't help but wonder what type of people they were in life. Was the father anything like Giles? Was the mother like Joyce? Was the girl like Willow or the boy like Jesse? The thoughts of his friends both dead and just a world away from him cemented his desire to administer justice to those responsible for this bloodbath. With each of the final bodies that he buried he could feel a bit of him die with every scoop of soil changing him from who he had been to something else entirely. As he patted down the mound of dirt he knelt in front of the graves and said a silent prayer hoping that they would get some manner of peace. Just then a sound intruded upon his moment of silence, a sound of something cutting through air and heading towards him at great speed. Reacting on instinct he dodged to the side and just barely managed to keep his head on his shoulders as an oversized boomerang whizzed by him before turning around and flying back the way it had come. It took him less than a minute to place where he had seen such a weapon before and even less to understand what it meant.

Could this day get any worse? he thought to himself as he turned around and found the source of the attack.

There, standing before him ready to attack was the team that he had watched ever since the show had first aired in North America and they looked angry. He wasn't all that certain why this was so considering he had done nothing to earn this but then he took in the scene around him and the fact that his clothes had a fair amount of blood on them. It hadn't been intentional of course but had happened as a matter of course when carrying dead and bleeding bodies to their respective graves. For a moment he hoped that they might have seen the shovel he had been using and connect the dots but given the look on their faces they had jumped to the wrong conclusions. He briefly looked around to see if Kikyo was around so perhaps he might have some help in dealing with them whether it be by using force or by using words but she was nowhere to be seen. She had departed earlier as he was finishing burying the last group of dead villagers to find some flowers or herbs for some sort of funeral rite that she was going to perform. He personally hoped that she would be back soon and help him out but given that he was up against four skilled warriors and two of them had the ability to wipe him out with one blow and he was in deep trouble.

Before he could raise his hands and try and talk himself out of the mess he found himself in the hanyou in red charged him drawing the Tetsaiga as he went. He definitely knew he was in trouble then because while he did alright fighting demons there were two things different in this particular situation. The first was that he had no intention of trying to kill InuYasha as he still considered the guy his favorite character of the series and an honorable fighter. The other reason was that the demons he had fought so far were essentially mindless beasts or idiots so they were not exactly a challenge for someone like him. The first swipe of the demon sword he was able to dodge but the second one came closer than the first and the third actually managed to slice through his shirt. Luckily though he was wearing it loose on his body so the blade did not manage to cut through any skin. Deciding it was probably better for him to try and put some distance between the two of them Xander deked to the right to throw InuYasha off and then ran to the left. With the speed that his pure inu-youkai demon form provided for him he was easily able to put a football field's distance between the two of them.

"Look hanyou, I don't want to fight you so please just back off." He stated being careful not to call the sword wielding teen by name since a stranger would not have that information.

"Like I'll really believe that after you massacred this village!" , InuYasha growled as he raised his sword up high before bringing it down in flash of energy, "WIND SCAR!!!"

The moment the sword finished its swing a torrent of golden energy raced across the ground towards him like horizontal lightning and going just as fast. Putting everything he could into his legs he leapt into the air to avoid the attack and apparently just barely made it as he could literally feel the power of the attack passing beneath his feet. Unfortunately he had no time to catch his breath as the same 'cutting through air' feeling he had sensed before intruded upon his senses and he turned to see Sango's boomerang heading straight for him. He knew that he could not dodge it despite the fact that Sesshomaru could apparently generate magical multi-colored clouds to fly on. That left only one option and if he missed he was going to be half the youkai he used to be and a whole lot more.

Putting his pointing finger and middle finger together he drew his hand back and watched as a strand of energy grew from it before suddenly striking forward with his hand and saying "Poison Whip!"

He cheered internally when his plan worked and the energy whip connected with the boomerang and knocked it off course. Unfortunately this only brought him a temporary reprieve since as soon as he let the energy whip go out InuYasha was on the attack again. This time it was as soon as he touched down but thankfully it was not in the form of the Wind Scar. No it seemed he was back at trying to cut him in two with the blade of the Tetsaiga itself which was fine by Xander as it was easier and potentially safer than trying to avoid his most powerful attack. The bad part was that it was only a matter of time until the hanyou scored a lucky hit and then it would only take one more to finish him off. He had known that if he came across one of the main characters in the series and actually had to fight them it would take a miracle for him to win. After all they had either been born with with their special abilities or had perfected them from when they were very young. He on the other hand had gotten this fantastic new body only a couple of days ago and was just barely beginning to get the hang of its numerous abilities. Thus when you had to choose between the trained warrior and the amateur it was pretty much a no brainer to bet on the person who knew how to fight.

Still I have always been one to root for the underdog. , he thought to himself as he dodged an overhead shot from the sword, Might as well make this guy work for his kill at the very least. 

With defending himself no longer on option Xander went on the offensive and after InuYasha missed with a sword swipe he dove in past the hanyou's guard and delivered a solid right hook to his jaw. What happened next surprised him because he had intended just to knock the guy on his butt and hopefully knock some sense into him. What happened though was InuYasha being sent sailing through the air and through the stone walls of one of the few houses in the village still intact. Then just like in one of those silly comedy movies he looked down at his fist shocked at the strength that was apparently in it now but that only lasted a moment as the hanyou's comrades picked up the slack. An arrow whizzed by his head missing its target only by the slimmest of margins and was quickly followed up by Sango's apparently newly recovered boomerang. Needless to say he felt like he was on the receiving team in a game of dodge-ball and he was the only one on his team while the other team had twenty people. When the monk Mirokou got close enough Xander was forced to dodge close range blows once again as the lecher's purifying staff. The Zeppo had seen what that effect had on demons when it made contact and he had no desire to see if his transformation was close enough to making him a true demon to make the weapon fatal. Still it put him in a bind as he could not retaliate against the humans in the group as he had against InuYasha since he had proven that he did not know his own strength. While a demon or hanyou might be able to survive one of those punches it would kill if not seriously harm a human on the receiving end of it. That meant he had to try and reason with them and hope that they were more open minded then that hot headed hanyou had been.

"Look, I'm sorry about your friend but he wasn't giving me many options!" , he exclaimed as he ducked under a swing by the monk, "I know it looks bad for me but I promise you that I was not the one behind this massacre! What can I do to make you believe me?"

For some reason this caused the monk to pause in his attack and look at him speculatively and for a moment the human turned inu-youkai hoped that there was still a way for him to walk away from this peaceably. Unfortunately some god or goddess must have disliked this notion since no sooner did the thought cross his mind than the home that he had punched InuYasha into exploded as the hanyou emerged from the building explosively. A mixture of relief and surprise crossed his features as he was glad that he hadn't seriously hurt the hanyou but shock that he was tough enough to take being put through a stone wall. He knew from the show that demons or even a hanyou were tougher than humans and InuYasha had survived wounds that would have killed him many times over. Still the reality of the situation was somewhat shocking which probably was what allowed the white haired boy to land some payback on him in the form a close range slash with his claws. Amidst the pain he cursed himself for lowering his guard because of cheesy flashy entrance like that but pushed it aside as he clumsily dodged attack number two in the form of a second slash. Looking at his options he only saw one that might afford him some chance of survival but he found himself hating the idea of his usual last resort option of running away. He had once told Buffy that he laughed in the face of danger but then ran away and hid until it went away but a lot had happened in the intervening years between then and now. He was no longer a member of the out crowd, a geek who was blessed to be friends with a shy genius named Willow and a girl who was beautiful enough to be a member of the In crowd named Buffy. He was now a warrior in his own right who despite the normalness that was his form and abilities was still able to contribute and occasionally play a key roll in saving the world. Add to that the fact that he now had a body with strength and powers comparable to one of the most powerful demons in the land. Would Sesshomaru run from his half-brother after just one lucky blow? HELL no!

"Lucky shot half-breed!! I've tried to play nice here and get you to understand that I had nothing to do with this mess but if force is the only thing you understand then so be it!!" Xander said as the world through his eyes gained a red tint.

With the pain from the wound on his chest pushed off to the side he charged InuYasha with every ounce of speed he possessed making it appear as though he teleported from where he had been to right in front of the hanyou. Not giving his adversary a chance to react he copied a trick he had seen from the Anime Hellsing and shoved knife-hand through the hanyou's stomach and out his back. Contrary to what the other witnesses thought he was not trying to kill InuYasha but rather to neutralize him as quickly and efficiently as possible. He knew from experience that the attack wasn't fatal as Sesshomaru had delivered a similar blow when he had gained temporary control over the Tetsaiga. Using his free hand he placed it on the hanyou's shoulder and removed his other arm from InuYasha's body before allowing to fall to the ground. Unfortunately as he looked around he found that his choice of tactics had apparently cost him what consideration he had earned with the monk and any of the others as they all had their weapons ready to strike.

"Lower your weapons. The strike was not fatal as you should know if you have spent any amount of time with hanyou." , he said a tone he hoped left the impression that he knew what he was talking about, "He will survive and hopefully now we can talk about this like civilized people."

For a moment it looked as though his statement only angered them more with the tone of voice he put into it but almost reluctantly they lowered their weapons. However just as Xander was about to give himself a mental pat on the back he sensed a huge power signal heading his way and he could tell that those others with the ability could sense it also. He knew it was coming at him from the front but what threw him a bit was that he wasn't all that concerned or defensive as one might expect when sensing something this huge approaching. He didn't know why and it bothered him that he wasn't either feeling fear or apprehension but rather some other feeling that he wasn't able to put a name to just yet. His sense of hearing could detect InuYasha struggling to one knee, no doubt attempting to save face, and looking in the same direction as he was but with a look in his eyes that hinted he knew more than he was telling.

It took about five minutes for the person responsible for the signal to finally become visible to those with youaki enhance sight. When this happened though he really, and he meant **really**, wished that he would stop trying to look on the bright side of things because whenever he did something like this always happened. There, riding a chariot being pulled by something that looked like a two headed dragon mixed with horse was the very person whom he knew InuYasha and his compatriots no doubt had assumed he was when they first laid eyes on him.

"Sesshomaru!!" InuYasha growled out before suffering a coughing fit as his body attempted to cope with the massive hole in his torso.

"What's he doing here?" Sango asked with surprise as she turned her attention away from him and towards the demon Lord.

"Chances are the same thing you guys were." , Xander said with a shrug, "He wanted to meet the new inu-youkai in town."

He tried to remain cool in front of the others but internally he had a feeling that the shit was about to hit the fan. He knew from the show that the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West considered himself the king of his castle and lord of all he surveyed. Generally a person like that would not be too tolerant of someone going around looking anything like him protecting humans.

Maybe he'll forgive me if I show that I managed to beat the crap out of his half-brother? Xander thought to himself as he waited for the Ice Lord to touch down.


	5. The Tai InuYoukai Cometh or Kikyo vs Xan...

"An Heir With Character" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

Note : I am open to suggestions as to who Xander's love interest in this should be. So far I am trying to choose between Kikyo, Kagura and Sango but there is just too even a tie between the three so I am hoping that by opening up the floor to you the readers I might be able to come to a decision. Send me emails, mention it in your reviews, just name your choice and give me the best reason to go with this girl. Thank You!

Sesshomaru's Perspective 

So my half-brother and his comrades are here as well. Interesting. Sesshomaru thought as he took in the scene laid out before him.

It had taken awhile to track down the imposter as he was not attempting to draw attention to himself as he would have expected of someone trying to use the reputation and influence his appearance may have afforded him. Fortunately though his network of spies in the area he was able to at least determine the road that the young inu-youkai had taken. From there it had been a simple matter of traveling down that road until he picked up a tangible trail that he could follow to find his prey. The rest had been mere child's play by comparison as he soon caught the scent of an unfamiliar inu-youkai as well as that of death on the wind. Given that the imposter had fought to defend a group of ningen at the temple it stood to reason that he might investigate and apparently his hypothesis was correct. Focusing his attention on the imposter himself he felt shock run through his body and almost break his composure but all that showed on his face was a widening of the eyes and nothing more.

When he had first been informed of an inu-youkai traveling the countryside that looked close enough to him to be mistaken for him he had expected the similarities to be greater. While this boy did possess features similar to him that was all, the shape of his face and his height were distinctly different. It was almost as if someone was planning something and this boy who for all intents and purposes be a relation of his could be the first step. If so he would quickly teach whoever is behind this that this Sesshomaru was not to be taken so lightly nor thought to be so foolish as to fall for such a tactic.

It took only a few moments for Ah-Un to clear the forest and once done Jakken directed them to the ground below a few feet behind the group assembled below. The monk, demon exterminator and peculiar human girl took up defensive positions in front of him and when he looked around them to see why he found his half-brother down on one knee with a large bloody whole in his stomach. He looked to the imposter as it was unlikely that one of InuYasha's comrades would harm him so and no other hostile force was within sight and the inu-youkai's right hand covered up to the elbow in blood. While it might look as though the imposter was the aggressor he soon spotted his half-breed half-brother's handiwork in the form of a bloody slash attack across the inu-youkai's chest. While he did not pretend to know the pretender it was entirely plausible that his half-brother had attacked first and the other merely sought to end the battle swiftly his brutal attack.

Efficient. Sesshomaru thought with approval at the tactic.

Most youkai would have foolishly toyed with their opponent, drawn out the battle to prolong their adversary's suffering. Apparently this inu-youkai thought as he did that only a careless warrior took foolish chances or gave their adversary time to develop a strategy with which to defeat them. A quick decisive strike was preferable and a tactic far more befitting a warrior of high status and decorum. While he knew that this youkai was not of any noble house he knew of it was still promising that he behaved in the proper manner. Still his failure to make it clear to others that he was not this Sesshomaru nor was entitled to all the benefits that being the Tai Inu-Youkai of the west entailed still needed to be addressed and dealt with. Stepping off the chariot he could sense that Rin was following close behind him and Jakken was taking up his usual position behind and to the right.

"I see you fare as well as always against a true demon InuYasha." , he said confidently at his brother who responded with a characteristic growl, "This Sesshomaru has business with this youkai. Leave."

"We're not going anywhere Sesshomaru!!" InuYasha declared as he managed to get to his feet even though it was clear he was still a little unsteady on his feet.

"This is not open to discussion." Sesshomaru said in a manner that to him meant that the discussion was closed.

"Yes! This is a private matter between Lord Sesshomaru and the cur who dares to masquerade as him around the countryside! Be gone!" Jakken said to reinforce his Lord's words as any good retainer would in his position.

"This inu-youkai may have been responsible for the massacre of this village." Sango stated with more calm than one might have anticipated given the similarities between the massacre here and the one in her own village.

"The place was like this when I got here!" , Xander exclaimed in defense of himself, "I only got the blood on my clothes from carrying their bodies to their newly dug graves."

While Sesshomaru believed the young inu-youkai's statement he frowned slightly at the lack of emotional control. He had learned though life that everything was a battle of some sort and that it was unwise to give one's adversary any advantage and losing emotional control was one advantage that often brought about defeat. His half-brother was a perfect example of this as he rarely exhibited any control over his emotions in battle and often only gained victory through sheer luck or determination. He felt oddly disappointed that this inu-youkai that looked so much like him did not know this or at least practice more restraint among strangers. Dismissing this thought as something he could consider after he had dealt with the impersonator's actions and arrived at a suitable punishment. After all no matter the circumstances he could not allow others to mistake this inu-youkai for him or to allow this imposter to abuse the advantages his appearance may afford him.

"What happened to these ningen is unimportant. This Sesshomaru is here only to deal with the youkai who dares to take on his appearance." He stated in a tone devoid of emotion as he approached the target of his attention.

They were displeased with his response but he did not care what effect the statement had on them. He was the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West and at best they were ronin and as such their opinions mattered little in the grand scheme of things. The nameless inu-youkai didn't seem the least bit surprised in his statement, almost as if he was expecting it or something like it. That was odd as he was fairly certain that they had never met before nor had the stranger ever been seen in Japan during his lifetime. It was a strange fact that he found oddly interesting, as if this boy were an enigma and it was becoming clear that it was a mystery he was tempted to try and unravel. First though he would have to ascertain the pup's identity and then discover why he had gone to such lengths to look like this Sesshomaru.

"What is your name pup?" He asked the young inu-youkai.

"My name is Alexander Sesshomaru-Sama." The boy replied before giving a respectful bow.

Interesting. Sesshomaru thought at the pup's apparent knowledge of proper protocol.

Apparently the boy knew more than was readily apparent for while he was known throughout Japan he was fairly certain that no youkai past the Chinese coastline knew more than the barest of facts as it pertained to him. This would seem to indicate that either the boy had access to a greater information network than most youkai or that he had indeed been born in Japan and had somehow managed to avoid notice until now. This only enriched the mystery surrounding this pup and made him more inclined to solve it and he would not allow anything to stand in his way.

"This Sesshomaru is not pleased that you have chosen to impersonate him even if it is unintentional." , Sesshomaru declared authoritatively, "You will explain why you have done this."

The pup seemed to be hesitant to explain but Sesshomaru sensed that it was not because he was planning some sort of deception but rather was attempting to ascertain how much of the truth to divulge. In any case whatever the boy conveniently decided to edit out he would have to use his network of spies and agents to find out for him later.

"I assure you Sesshomaru-sama that it was not my choice to impersonate you in any way. In fact this is not my natural form." , Alexander explained with no deception in his voice, "A friend of mine who is a magic user was experimenting with the mixing of spells and things went wrong. The result was my arrival in this land and in this form."

"What spells was your friend attempting to mix?" Sesshomaru asked to clarify the details.

"Teleportation and transfiguration." Alexander replied.

"For what purpose?" Sesshomaru inquired.

"We are a part of a group dedicated to dealing with the more destructive and apocalyptic elements of the demon community. My friend had hoped that the combined spell would allow us to travel anywhere in the world and change our clothing to better match that worn by the local inhabitants." Alexander replied after a brief moment of hesitation in which he was no doubt deciding whether or not to divulge more about his background than was tactically sound.

While Sesshomaru was unaware of any organization aside from the now defunct demon exterminator clan that Sango was the only survivor it made sense to devise a spell that would allow one's operatives to move around undetected. As for the spell going awry and transforming this young man from whatever he had been before into an almost perfect mirror image it still raised the question of why he had been chosen as the template for the pup's new appearance. The young man seemed to predict that this would be his next line of inquiry as he seemed ready to continue with his explanation.

"As for why I wound up being transfigured into an inu-youkai that bears a close resemblance to you Sesshomaru-Sama I can only theorize that when the spell reached a certain stage it drew upon memories I have of a report that my group received on recent youkai activities here in Japan." , Alexander explained though a bit warily as though he were expecting to be attacked at any moment, "Up until two years ago we had only been loosely monitoring demon activity here but with the re-emergence of the Shikkon no Tama and the half-demon known as Naraku we felt this areas was worth closer observation."

Tactically sound and logical if the boy was truly part of such an organization of that sort but his claims would have to be confirmed before this Sesshomaru was going to accept what he had just been told. If this was indeed the truth he would allow this organization to continue with their observations but any sanctions that became necessary to be carried out against the local youkai would not be permitted without his approval. As for the boy himself he would offer the services of his own demon sorcerers in returning the pup to his home and to his natural form. This would serve the dual purpose of ending the young one's impersonation of him however unintentional and place him in this Sesshomaru's debt. This would be no small debt of course and it was one he would ask to be repaid in full should he need the services of skilled demon hunters.

"If this is true then this Sesshomaru offers the resources of the Tai Inu- Youkai of the West in undoing the effects of the spell your friend performed and returning you home." He stated in a tone befitting someone of his stature offering his considerable resources to one who at the moment possessed no rank or status at all.

Kagome's Perspective, At That Moment 

Just when you think a situation cannot get any weirder. Kagome thought to herself as she observed the conversation between the two inu-youkai.

A little over twenty-four hours ago it had just been a relatively normal day for their merry band, at least as normal as looking for shards of the Shikkon No Tama ever got, and now they were standing near two inu-youkai who almost looked like father and son. She kinda bought his explanation about a spell going wrong and sending him here in an inu-youkai body since she herself was a reincarnated miko from centuries in the future. Still there was something about him that just did not sit right with her, almost as if the changes in him were more than skin deep effects caused by the spell. After all she had seen him use not more than ten minutes ago use Sesshomaru's energy whip attack to deflect Sango's Hiraikotsu. For someone that was supposed to be new to his dog demon body he seemed to have a pretty good idea of what it could do and how to do it. When you added to that the comment earlier about knowing just how much punishment a hanyou could take and it seemed somewhat suspicious. After all while it was possible that he had learned about it in one of his organization's reports learning about it and being able to do it on the first try were two different things. Then it suddenly struck her that Alexander had used exactly the same move to defeat InuYasha that Sesshomaru had used when he had used the dead arm of a human with a shard of the sacred jewel to wield the Tetsaiga.

There are just so many questions and inconsistencies that come up with this guy! , she said mentally with frustration, I mean the guy says his name is Alexander which means he's probably from England somewhere or maybe even Greece. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense and I just know its going to bug me for a week and InuYasha probably for a month. 

"I am honored that you would be willing to aide me in returning home Sesshomaru-Sama but I must however decline your offer." , Alexander said which shocked just about everyone there except InuYasha who was still trying to save face in front of his half-brother, "While the reports I have read show you to be trustworthy when offering assistance I have made it a personal rule of mine never to implicitly believe those reports. They may have been altered before I saw them or you may have known you were being watched and acted in a manner that best suited your interests at the time. In any case I believe it would be wiser for me to seek out my own way to return home."

Kagome all but started to back away as she expected the youkai Lord to her left to become seriously violent at having a seriously generous offer from **the** Tai Inu-Youkai of the West turned down by a non-ranking nothing. After all while he might give no outward sign of emotion every last one of her friends who had encountered the full blooded inu-youkai before could tell when he was seriously displeased with someone. Usually this was quickly followed by the offending party's death by means of dog demon claws or energy whip but as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened she was beginning to wonder if she had misread the situation. Looking at Sesshomaru's face for some indication as to what was going on in his head she almost thought that she could see a bit of respect in his eyes.

"Very well. This Sesshomaru respects your decision to find your own way home." , Sesshomaru stated in his usual cooled tones, "However he would hope that should your own attempts fail you will not be too proud to seek out our assistance."

"Thank you Sesshomaru-Sama. Should my own efforts fail I just may take you up on that offer." Alexander stated before bowing respectfully.

"Come Jakken, Rin. We are leaving." Sesshomaru stated as he walked back to where Ah-Un were waiting for him.

The toad youkai seemed as surprised as the rest of them at the lack of violence on the part of the ruling Lord of the youkai but did not wait long before running to catch up to his master and his young charge. Within moments they were just a speck on the horizon and then they were gone leaving the bewildered party and single inu-youkai standing there amidst the ruins of a decimated village. The cause of their gathering however seemed to decide that it was his turn to leave as he turned away from the group and tried to sneak away while they most of the team was watching Sesshomaru depart. InuYasha on the other hand was quick to pick up on this and moved to block his path as he was apparently not satisfied with the answers that had been given up until now.

"Where do you think you're going!?" InuYasha growled as he placed a hand on the hilt of the Tetsaiga.

"I am going to find Kikyo and then we are going to try and track down those responsible for this massacre and deal with them accordingly." , Alexander said without fear at the obvious threat implied by the hanyou's stance, "As such I suggest you restrain yourself from starting anything with that sword of yours as I believe I have already proven that I can kill you if the need should arise."

Kagome saw Alexander close his right hand into a fist but saw something when he did this that she had not noticed beforehand when he was deflecting Sango's attacks or fighting InuYasha. His right hand seemed to glow slightly with unknown energy and she could almost make out spots on his hand where the glow seemed unusually concentrated. If she didn't know better she could have sworn that he had at least three sacred jewel shards embedded in the palm of his hand. The difference was that they did not feel like shards of the Shikkon jewel or even glow the proper color to her miko eyes but there was definite power there that went beyond anything they had witnessed thus far. She would have to step in and try to prevent a fight breaking out between InuYasha and Alexander so that her friend would not discover the hard way just what kind of power his opponent had.

"InuYasha! I think we should just let him go." , She said just before standing literally in his path, "I think we can be pretty sure that he wasn't responsible for the deaths in this village and if the bad guys really are elsewhere maybe we could work together to stop them."

This seemed to calm the half-demon as he was likely shifting his aggression from his half-brother's look-a-like to the demons responsible. This did not last long as judging from the look on Alexander's face he did not like the idea nearly as much as she thought he would.

"While I appreciate the offer young lady I am more than capable of dealing with a few lowly demons on my own." , Alexander said as he resumed walking in the direction he had been heading in before InuYasha intercepted him, "If by some chance I did need assistance I would not ask for it from people I do not know and who moments ago were trying to kill me. Besides I think I already have someone to help me. Isn't that right Kikyo?"

Alexander looked off to his left and surprisingly right on cue the undead miko Kikyo stepped out from the forest with a bundle of plants over her shoulder. Kagome could hear InuYasha's gasp at the sight of the miko and inwardly sighed with sadness at the reaction the guy she might have feelings for always had at the sight of his former love. It was always like this, no matter how much time passed and no matter how many times she tried to kill him InuYasha always seemed to have a place for her in his heart. She tried to console herself by saying that sooner or later he would see the truth and then move on and perhaps want to be with her but for some reason it always seemed to be later rather than sooner. Still she refused to give up hope that someday she would prove to have a strong enough hold on his heart that he won't give Kikyo a second look.

"Indeed. We should hurry though. If the demons who did this thought to take any survivors back to their lair to feed on later then they will not be alive for very much longer." Kikyo stated as she walked forward until she came to a stop at Alexander's side.

This act unfortunately only served to get InuYasha even more upset as it would likely seem to him that his former love was showing favoritism to another and worse that this other was a full blooded demon like his half-brother. Alexander apparently chose to ignore this and instead took the bundle of plants from her and through them at the group's feet.

"If you wish to be helpful then perform the proper funeral rites for the dead villagers. We would do it ourselves but as Kikyo has pointed out we are short on time if any potential captives are to be saved." Alexander stated and with no further words got down on one knee like InuYasha did when he wanted her to climb onto his back.

Surprisingly Kikyo did not hesitate, almost as if the two of them did this often in the last couple of days, and once his arms were hooked around her legs he stood up and broke off into a run towards the north west. As they soon were to far away to see it was clear that Alexander while not a natural inu-youkai was comparable to Sesshomaru in terms of raw speed. InuYasha's mood did improve however once the object of his hate and the object of his affections disappeared from sight but at least that the hanyou wasn't trying to push his body into following them. If he had tried to do that she was afraid she would have to 'SIT' him in order to either knock him out or force him to realize he was in no condition to do anything at the moment. Sighing with relief she kneeled down and opened the bundle to see what plants Kikyo had picked and began to portion them out according to the number of graves she could see.

Looking briefly in the direction where Alexander had gone Kagome thought to herself I have a feeling things are going to get a lot more interesting with him around. 

**__**

1 Mile North West of the Village and Increasing, 20 minutes Later 

Man am I glad to get out of there! Xander thought to himself as he continued to follow the scent left by the demons who attacked the village.

He had been fortunate that the day not been particularly breezy so the scent that he had detected earlier belonging to his prey hadn't been washed away. Not that it was by any means as strong as it had been when he and Kikyo had first arrived on the scene but it was still strong enough for him to follow so long as he did not get distracted. That however was not as easy as it sounded with Kikyo on his back and gripping him slightly tighter than on the first piggy-back. Rationally he knew that she was likely doing this because his piggy back ride was probably as nerve racking as riding shotgun in a car without brakes and being driven by a maniac. Irrationally though he thought perhaps it was because she had been trying to get a rise out of InuYasha as they left and had just forgotten to ease back into a more reserved emotionless position. In any case while her miko outfit was covering it was by no means padded so you can imagine what having her pressed that closely into his back was doing to his concentration. After all it had easily been over a decade since he had given any girl a piggy-back ride and then they hadn't entered puberty yet so there weren't any … curves … to distract him. Still if he could suppress certain happy thoughts in high school long enough to make it to graduation then he could certainly manage to focus on running through the woods rather than the beautiful undead woman on his back.

With my luck we'll be dating by the time I find a way home and then I'll wind up being so in love with her I'll wind up choosing to stay in this place! , Xander thought to himself while keeping himself from rolling his eyes, What is it with me an weird women?! Do I have a sign posted on my forehead saying 'only weird women please' or what? 

Personally he believed that he would have to be hopelessly in love with her to give up the modern conveniences of indoor plumbing and electricity but then again he had also thought he would violate a cardinal law of the 'I Hate Cordelia' fan club and date her for almost two years. Mentally shoving the entire debate aside he forced himself to keep his mind on the trees and bushes he needed to avoid in order to keep them both from being killed.

His tracking of their prey continued for about an hour until the scent became strong enough that he was certain that the demons were just ahead. Stopping and letting the undead miko off he gestured for her to quietly follow him as he crept soundlessly through the bushes and on top of the fallen leaves. Contrary to what some might think his ability to move silently was not something that had come with being transformed into an inu-youkai but rather over seven years fighting the undead and demonic. After all since he was neither gifted with Slayer abilities or fancy wicca powers he needed every advantage he could get against the supernatural. It had taken him awhile, even with his soldier memories from Halloween, but eventually he had gotten pretty good at sneaking up on vamps and staking one or two before they even realized he was there. With his youkai body he was pretty sure that he would be able to out perform even the best military espionage outfits in sneaking ability. Moving so silent that only those within a few feet of him would be able to pick anything up at all he proceeded in the same direction he had been running in up until a moment ago. He tried to find an even mix between choosing a path that would allow them the most cover for their approach but at the same time would not impede their movement very much. It took them another fifteen minutes but eventually they were close enough to the source of the scent he had been tracking to see who and what they would be dealing with.

Wolf demons. Xander thought to himself as he easily identified the breed of demon hanging about the entrance to a cave.

He had suspected this might have been the case given the similarities between the village he and Kikyo had just left to the one depicted in the Anime series that had been ravaged by wolves under Kouga's control. While it was true that the majority of demons would not turn down a human as a meal the more animalistic youkai tended to leave more wholesale destruction behind. The more humanoid among the youkai like the wolf demon tribe could actually think and thus didn't waste effort on knocking down walls or destroying stables. He couldn't tell whether or not this was Kouga's tribe as he couldn't see the arrogant wolf demon nor the two idiots he normally put on guard duty but he doubted that this was their actual HQ. From what he remembered from the series most wolf demon tribes lived at the base of mountains or up on them depending on the amount of food in the area. The wolf demons had most likely just stopped here for the night before moving on back to the rest of their tribe. That was assuming of course that they weren't rogues that had been cast out of their birth tribe for improper conduct of some kind. In any case there were only three on the outside that he could see with the possibility of being at most five more in the cave judging from the size of the hill and the shape of the opening. Closing his eyes he attempted to use his now acute inu-youkai hearing to sift through the background noise of nature and the meaningless conversation of the wolf demons outside the cave to hear what was going on within. He could definitely hear voices, six that he could make out with four of them being adults and two being children without a doubt.

"We want our mommy and daddy!!!" screamed a little girl who was apparently trying to be brave but coming dangerously close to crying.

"You're Mommy and Daddy are dead human but don't worry you'll be joining them shortly" said a deep voiced male sarcastically with his intentions clear.

"You leave my little sister alone!!" came the voice of a boy not much older than the girl from the sound of his voice.

Turning to Kikyo he said "We have to lure every last one of those wolf demons out here or they'll just wind up using those kids as hostages."

"What do you propose?" Kikyo asked in a tone that implied that she knew he had some kind of plan brewing inside his head.

"Well I'm thinking I could transform into my larger form. That would force the ones on guard duty to call for reinforcements." , Xander explained while keeping an ear focused on what was going on in the cave, "Once they're all out you pick them off with your arrows and I'll take care of any stragglers once I'm … um … decent again."

He was further embarrassed when he saw a slight twinkle in her eye telling him that she was secretly amused with how he was feeling. Still she nodded in agreement with his plan so without further delay he crept back a bit from where she watching the entrance to the cave and began to disrobe. Personally he hadn't been thrilled when his mind had come up with this particular idea but it was the only one he had aside from rushing the cave and hoping that the sounds of a struggle would draw out the other wolf demons. Unfortunately with the amount of power that both he and Kikyo were packing the demons would most likely use the children as human shields or hostages and then kill them the second they thought that they could make their getaway without them. Hopefully though he wouldn't get too badly scratched up by their attacks since his chest was still slightly sore from InuYasha's claws.

Closing his eyes he focused on the power within himself, the power of the inu-youkai, and fed this fire within him allowing it to grow larger and larger. He could feel his body shifting, growing larger and fur quickly starting to cover his entire body as his face took on a more canine appearance. Before long he could feel his dog shaped head poke out above the top of the trees higher and higher until the vegetation just barely reached the top of his legs. Looking down at the cave entrance he could see that his appearance had definitely gotten the wolf demons' attention but just to slam the point home he let out a vicious bark that echoed throughout the area. His canine face almost slipped into a doggy smile as his plan worked and the remaining four dog demons who he had heard in the cave came out to see what all the commotion was about. When those that had been in the cave looked up at the white furred menace that was now in their midst they stupidly stood there dumbstruck at the sight. It was almost pitiful how easy they made it for Kikyo to take them down as it took three of them falling over dead before the remaining four realized what was going on. Deciding he wanted in on the action a little bit and because he didn't want to give the wolf demons time to figure out what he and priestess were up to he took a swipe at them with his right paw. He managed to hit the first two sending them flying into and through several trees before falling to the forest floor and not moving. Once he was certain that there were no other demons in the area around the cave he reversed the transformation as best he could, forcing the power back down to where it had been before, and quickly got dressed again before heading for the cave.

He approached the entrance cautiously in order to ensure that the wolves hadn't done the smart thing and have at least one of their number well hidden nearby to ensure that even in defeat they would gain some measure of victory. However neither his ears nor his amateurish skill with his nose could detect any sign of a hidden agent waiting to attack. Besides very few demons used bows and arrows in the show as they seemed to prefer getting in close with their enemies but he wasn't about to allow his misconceptions of this place be his downfall. By the time that he reached the cave he had expected Kikyo to already be escorting the children outside but there was no one waiting for him. It wasn't until he began to enter the cave that the smell of blood entered his nose and this urged him on as he rushed inside. What he found wasn't 'kid dying on the floor' bad but it was still nothing to be overly optimistic about. Apparently the wolf demons had had a little fun with their prey before finally deciding to eat them as the little girl he had heard was injured. She looked to be just short of eight years old but had a nasty and bloody cut down the side of her leg from thigh to shin. She looked like she was growing faint and Kikyo was by her side apparently attempting to stop the bleeding with some bits of cloth from her robes. The little boy who had come to the girl's assistance stood close by and was apparently unsure of the woman who was attending to his sister's wounds but seemed to trust the undead priestess enough. The one surprise seemed to be that there was a third person in this cave in the form of a little girl who seemed barely six years old and seemed to curled up at the back of the cave. She was almost motionless except for the slight trembling in her limbs that hinted that she was terrified into silence and motionlessness. As he reached the three step mark the other occupants of the cave to notice him and the reaction hurt him more than he could tell or probably knew. The child whom he had failed to detect became like stone and her eyes grew wider in fear at the sight of him. The young boy immediately moved in front of his injured sister and Kikyo looking like he would do anything he could to stop him from proceeding any further. The young girl who Kikyo was attending to was doing all she could to crawl away from him as fast as she could with the priestess forcefully keeping her from moving and making her wound worse.

They're terrified of me. Probably have never met a demon who didn't want to harm them. , Xander thought with sorrow filled eyes as he began to back away a bit, I should probably just leave and let Kikyo tend to them. I'll only get in the way. 

However before turning around he stripped off his shirt and tossed it to Kikyo's side as it was already damaged and could be used for bandages. Once done he left for the entrance to the cave and tried to console himself by standing guard to keep any sneaky demons from taking advantage of the deaths of those higher up on the food chain. If he couldn't be around to help tend to the injured children the least he could do was make sure Kikyo could tend to her duties without being disturbed. Still it was constantly bugging him that the kids were so afraid of him because back home he used to be so good with kids. Aside from the fix-it jobs at the new Watcher HQ it was his job to be the intro guy for new Slayers who hadn't reached puberty yet. There weren't many but enough had gone from being potential Slayers to full blown ones that they needed someone to de-scarify some of the responsibilities of the Slayer. He would help them to learn how to control their Slayer strength so that they could do normal things like hug their parents without crushing them or open a door without pulling it off its hinges. It was basically his job to prepare them before they were handed off to Faith and Buffy for official Slayer training regimens and he had been determined to make the transition as smooth as possible. There was never going to be a cold clinical Watcher popping out of no where to tell a girl that she was destined to fight demons for the rest of her life. They were not going to be told that they had no choice and were likely to die in three or less years but most importantly they would still be able to live lives of their own outside of slaying. That was the one thing that the entire original Scooby gang had agreed upon once they had enough free time on their hands to began formulating a plan to resurrect the Watcher's Council. He would take the young ones and make sure that by the time their combat training began they knew they could walk away from the fight if they wanted or fight but still do girly things if they wanted. To see such terror on the faces of those children, kids who had seen such horrors already, and know that he was the cause of these emotions made him wish he could speed up the return home process.

Maybe I should have taken Sesshomaru's help when he offered it. he thought to himself as he knelt down in front of the cave entrance and began to take in the surrounding area.

He still was wary about taking the help of a youkai Lord despite what he knew of the dog demon from the anime TV series. While the information he had was most certainly incomplete it did tell him that the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West had his own reasons for offering assistance. Maybe he only wanted to lure him someplace else to kill him or interrogate him in the hopes of learning the secrets of the teleport/transfiguration spell for his own purposes. In any case he doubted that it had anything to do with kindness or offering a boon to a lost traveler since the inu-youkai only had feelings for his charge Rin. Anyone else human, youkai or otherwise was only a servant or an enemy as far as Sesshomaru-sama was concerned. If that was the case then he couldn't risk it and had to try and find his own path hoping that it would eventually lead him back to where he came from.

About twenty minutes later Kikyo sat down beside him and while he half expected her to speak she just sat there seeming to join him in monitoring their surroundings. It wasn't until he actually stopped looking at the forest and turned his gaze on her that she seemed intent on talking to him.

"I have tended to the young girl. She will require some time to recover from the blood loss but she should be fine." Kikyo stated almost like a doctor telling parents news about their children's condition.

"What about the boy and the little one?" he asked in a matching tone.

"The boy was relatively uninjured, only a few minor cuts and abrasions. As for the 'little one' she has not moved from the spot where you last saw her but nor will she let me near her." Kikyo replied as she seemed to look for something in his eyes.

"Not surprising considering the trauma she suffered seeing her entire village slaughtered by those wolf demons." , Xander stated with a nod before returning his gaze to the woods, "We will likely need to find out if she has any family in another village and make sure she gets there."

"You seek to find her family?" Kikyo asked as though puzzled by the lengths he was willing to go to help perfect strangers.

"You would propose we leave them to survive on their own? They cannot defend themselves and are too young to know how to survive in the wild." , Xander said with a bit of anger at the thought of leaving those kids by themselves, "If that was the case we would have been better off just letting the wolf demons finish them off!"

"Do you think me so cold and uncaring so as to wish that fate on small children?!" Kikyo asked with equal fervor as she sprung to her feet to gain the advantage of height over him.

"Why not!? You've become so detached after your rebirth in that body of clay it's a wonder you care at all for humans anymore!!" , Xander yelled as he too got to his feet and found he had at least a head in height over her, "Maybe you just want to leave them to die so you can absorb their souls just before they die!!"

Days later he would remark that he shouldn't have spoken those words because within moments of them leaving his mouth Kikyo in a surprise move both to him and herself slapped him hard across the face. Chances were that the only reason why he was still on his feet was because of his youkai strength and because she was known more for her spiritual powers than physical strength. Still it served to knock some sense into him about his choice of words and he immediately regretted speaking like that to her. It was not her fault that she needed human souls to survive or that she felt so detached from everyday normal humans. It was thrust upon her by the demon sorceress who brought her back from the great beyond and how could she feel one with the human race if she was not truly alive much less human. In essence she was just coping as best she could with the cards she had been dealt and he doubt he would have done any different in her shoes.

Looking back at her with true regret in his eyes he said "I'm sorry Lady Kikyo. I was wrong to judge you like that. I know nothing of your life or what goes on inside that head of yours so how could I possibly guess at your motivations. I'll go hunt down some supper for us all. The children are likely hungry since they likely haven't eaten since this morning."

Turning from her and wanting to get away from the woman whom he had offended as never in his long life had he ever really enjoyed hurting others especially women. He suppose it came from the desire to not be anything like his father Tony Harris but rather to treat women with respect from the beginning. Granted those cursed teenage hormones had sabotaged that intention a few times but as his girl friends (girls who were his friends not the other type) would attest he was a pretty decent guy when it came to women. They never accused him of being a pervert or chauvinistic pig and that placed him head and shoulders above most men. After all having more than one knockout of a woman say he was a pretty decent and kind-hearted guy must make it true. To know that in a rash moment of anger he had come close to sounding just like his father in one of his drunken stupors. Now he had to do something to atone and the best thing he could figure to do was get them all supper and hope that it repaired the damage done with Kikyo and perhaps made him seem less evil in the eyes of the children.

The Cave Entrance, 5 Minutes Later 

Why did he affect me so? Kikyo thought to herself as she helped the young boy Ichiro and the young girlTsuyu prepare a fire for when Alexander returned with the food.

She had been puzzling over that since he left between directing the children on how to set up a proper fire and where to find what they would need to make one. She had not meant to upset him when she had inquired as to why he would want to go as far as find the closest living relations of the children. She was simply surprised that someone who seemed so eager to return both to his homeland and to his natural form would find things to slow down his progress towards his objective. Logically the best move for him would be to keep any ties he had to others to a minimum and only keep ties that would aide him in his overall objective. To stop every time that someone needed help and to not leave until they were properly looked after and their safety assured. It wasn't the actions of a trained demon killer or covert operative but rather than of an ordinary person, a good person who could not bear to see others suffering. If anything he would have to say that he thought with his heart rather than his head and that was uncommon for both demons and demon hunters. Often such people were colder and more jaded in their view of the world and used to choosing the most efficient path to accomplishing their goals. That was not the case with Alexander and she found herself interested in finding out just what type of person he was on the inside. As she followed that train of thought she found she had to reign herself in a little since she recalled where her last time of interest led her with regards to a young man with long silver hair.

I will only learn as much as I need to in order to manipulate him into fulfilling my objectives. , She thought to herself sternly as she finished laying out the fire wood, I have no interest in him beyond that and if he becomes more of a problem than a solution I will deal with him accordingly. 

However that did not mean that she would oppose him in finding help for these children before continuing on their journey. The one that gave her the most reason to be concerned was Takara who while now moving sporadically had still not spoken a word. She remained close to the rest of them but still managed to appear as though she was completely alone at the same time. Kikyo decided she would have to try and draw her out a bit over the next few days because it was only going to get harder for her the longer they left the child by herself. Then again they should not push too hard or they will just make things worse for her and perhaps make the damage irreparable.

"Why do you travel with that demon priestess?" Ichiro asked with his distaste for demons evident in how he pronounced the word.

"Not all demons are evil. Alexander is one of the few that I have encountered that actually cares for humans especially those in need of aid." , Kikyo responded neutrally as she turned to look him in the eye, "As for why I am traveling with him it is because he is a stranger in this land and requires a guide for the duration of his stay here. As we were traveling in the same direction towards Kyoto I decided to become that guide."

"There's no such thing as a good demon!!" Ichiro stated bluntly before stomping away in anger towards the entrance to the cave before sitting down and leaned up against the left wall of the cave.

Tsuyu did not say anything either in favor or against her brother's statement but Kikyo could see in the way she moved she was leaning more towards agreeing with him. Takara on the other hand seemed to look directly at her for a few moments and then resume her previous position but seemed more relaxed than she had been before.

About twenty minutes later Alexander returned to them with an armful of fruits and vegetables in one arm and three rabbits in another arm. Ichiro just looked in his direction for a moment before giving him a hateful glare and then doing his best to look anywhere but in the direction of the inu-youkai. Tsuyu had a look of fear in her eyes for a moment before focusing her attention on the fire itself or once it was placed in front of the fire the food that Alexander brought back for them. What came as a surprise to them all was Takara who actually got to her feet and walked to a point that seemed equal in distance between Kikyo and Alexander before sitting back down. It had been the most action that any of them had seen come out of the little girl since she had been rescued from the wolf demons. In truth it was a pleasant thing to see and it seemed that if where she was sitting was any indication she had latched onto both she and Alexander as a form of emotional support. Looking at her though she could have sworn that she seemed to be standing a little closer to Alexander than to her but perhaps that was because she saw him as a source of strength. Not surprising since she herself had felt the power within him ever since they first met but now she sensed that it had grown stronger since then. While it was not as palatable as Naraku's foul aura it was still strong enough that just about every living thing could sense it on some level. For some it would be something that only their subconscious could detect causing them to take a unintentional step back in his presence. For others like herself he almost literally seemed to glow an unearthly light blue, almost as if he was a natural element personified. Whether or not Takara could perceive his power as anything beyond a subconscious impulse remained to be seen but in the end it probably didn't matter that much. The children would be leaving their company once they reached whatever village their next of kin lived in and then it would be back to just Alexander and herself.

Just the way it should be. she thought to herself before taking the first skinned rabbit and hanging it by a branch over the fire.

The Next Morning, The Camp Site 

**__**

**__**

Oh Mannn! This is the last time that I sleep on the ground! Xander thought to himself as awoke from his slumber.

It had been a tense supper last night with one of the children looking at him with hate, another looking at him with indecision and wariness and the last as silent as a statue. He had made several overtures to each of them to try and show them that he wasn't a threat but no matter what he said the boy, Ichiro, refuted every claim he made that he was not evil. Tsuyu sided with him but that was what he expected between the two siblings as he felt he would pretty much do the same thing if he had gone through what they had. As for what was going on inside the head of Takara there was no real way to tell as she barely gave any outward sign of lucidness besides not bumping into anything as she walked. He had thought she may have said something when he had heard Kikyo refer to her by name but apparently it had been Ichiro who had told her the five year old girl's name. In the end though they had all gone to bed with full stomachs but wither none of the animosity between the children and himself resolved. He hoped that he would be able to win at least one of them over today otherwise he was going to have three pairs of children eyes looking at him with either fear or hate or both. As he tried to rise from the position he had taken sitting up against a tree he found that there was something laying in his lap and against his chest. Opening his eyes and looking down a smile sprang to his lips as he saw the sleeping form of Takara lying on top of him.

Well at least it's nice that I've gotten one of them to like me. he thought to himself as he just laid there and watched her sleep.

After awhile he began to notice the rest of their little party waking up and Kikyo returning from woods where she had likely absorbed her fill of souls. While he could not say he was entirely comfortable with the idea he realized that she had no real choice in the matter if she wanted her body to stay in good condition. As for the other children they were just beginning to wake up themselves with the exception of Takara who seemed content to sleep in a bit. She was apparently a girl after his own heart as he too knew the value of sleeping in when the chance for it arose. Unfortunately once Ichiro saw the scene he immediately ran over and all but yanked the little girl from her spot on him which of course caused her to wake with a start.

"Takara! What were you thinking going anywhere near that demon!?" he yelled at the little five year old while keeping himself between the girl and Xander.

Unfortunately this only upset the girl who didn't seem to like being woken up so violently nor yelled at first thing in the morning. While she wasn't crying he could tell it wouldn't be much longer if things didn't simmer down and soon and if there was one thing that he couldn't stand it was seeing a child cry.

"Look boy! I know you have to reason to like me much less trust me but that is no excuse to treat Takara so badly!" , Xander declared in a tone that made it clear he would be heard, "You of all people know what she has been through in the past couple of days! Hell, she has had it worse or have you forgotten that the trauma of the massacre has rendered her unable to speak?!"

This seemed to knock the wind right out of the boy's sails as he gently set the girl down and released her carefully.

"Sorry Takara." He said and clearly meant it from the look in his eyes.

This seemed to calm the little one down but without doing anything to show that she accepted the boy's apology she ran back over to Xander and wrapped both arms his waist. This pretty much confirmed that the little girl was attached to him and probably wouldn't let go until she overcame the trauma she had suffered.

"It seems as though Takara has adopted you Alexander." Kikyo stated with a genuine smile on her face.

That alone made the bad blood between him and the boy seem not so bad and Tsuyu seemed to be less wary of him at the sight of the bond between him and Takara. For Xander that meant that it was only a matter of time before he won them over and they could all get along together and forget all this fighting. Getting down on one knee he gave Takara a gentle hug to show how much he appreciated the confidence she had in him. When he let go she looked at him a smile on his face and it all but melted his heart to see a girl who had been through so much. Still they couldn't just sit around here enjoying each others company until the cows came home so it was time to ask the tough questions.

"Now that you have all had a good night's rest I guess it's time we get you to where ever your closest family members are living." , he stated as he looked at Ichiro, "Do you know where they live?"

"Uncle Kaori and Aunt Keiko live in Kobe. We've gone there a couple of times during the summer." Ichiro answered hesitantly as he was probably wondering how much he should tell 'the evil demon'.

"Well that's a bit farther than we had planned on going but I suppose I can go the extra mile or two. After all Kikyo it's not like we have any set destination in mind." Xander said as he looked at the priestess in the hope that she wouldn't throw a fuss over the change in their itinerary.

"No I suppose we do not. Besides it is the duty of a priestess to aide those in need." Kikyo stated with no apparent dislike of the change in their plans.

Xander smiled at this as he his hopes were met rather than dashed as he had feared would happen. While this Kikyo was different from the one depicted in the Anime series it was a constant between the two that they put their own agenda and set of priorities ahead of those of others. For Kikyo it was the death of InuYasha and Naraku and he bore no illusions that she would attempt to use him to bring about the deaths of either or both of her enemies. That didn't mean that he would separate himself from her, at least not right away, since he was sure he could learn a few things from her along the way. Besides until he found someone human, demon or otherwise that possesses either the knowledge or power to get him home he would need at least one ally in this world. At least with Kikyo he knew roughly what she was capable of and what her own objectives are which was more than he could say for any of the other InuYasha characters. He couldn't ally himself with any of the good guys because of his close resemblance to Sesshomaru and their instinctive dislike of the aristocratic inu-youkai. As for the bad guys he knew he could not trust them to tell him anything useful or that didn't have a double purpose behind it. Besides since he had made an enemy of Naraku any demons under his control including his incarnations Kagura and Kahna would just as soon kill him as look at him. As for those more in the gray area like Sesshomaru who only did things to either protect his own interests or kill those he considers enemies. While it did seem as though the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West wanted to help he could not be certain of true motivations or that he would live five minutes past walking into the Lord's castle. So in the end the best move for him was to ally himself with a wild card element that did not belong in either good guy or bad guy camp but at the same time would not care if he left. Caught in time as she was by her body of clay and bone she had all the time in the world to devise the proper way to kill either InuYasha or Naraku. It just happened that he was a potent weapon that had all but dropped into her lap and she wanted to do all she could to make use of it before giving it up.

"Then we had best be on our way eh? We have a lot of ground to cover so we may as well get started." Xander stated in what he hoped was an optimistic tone of voice.

He just hoped that his usual brand of luck didn't find them along the way or else it was only a matter of time before someone got seriously hurt.

Naraku's Castle, Kagura's Room, mid-day 

It had been an eventful couple of days in this miasma enshrouded castle and she was not sure how much of it she could take.

It had started with the appearance of the inu-youkai that bore a resemblance to Sesshomaru, Alexander, and had only gotten worse when she had returned from her failed attempt to kill Kikyo and him. The only thing that had saved her from being chained in the dungeon again was the news of a peculiar ability that the inu-youkai possessed. It had been discovered when one of the demons who had been on the receiving end of Alexander's last attack managed to hobble back to the castle. The fool had hoped that his master would see fit to heal him but instead Naraku had killed him on the spot for failing in his mission. It was when they both inspected the youkai's body that they discovered the demon's right arm had apparently withered as if from old age but the rest of the body remained as young (figuratively speaking) as he was supposed to be. The damage to the demon's arm did not seem to be the result of an attack similar to Sesshomaru's Dokkasou attack. If that had been the case the demon's arm would have been melted right off and likely have done more discernable damage to the main body as well. This damage was selective to the part of the demon that the crimson mist touched and no other which seemed to intrigue Naraku to no end. She could practically see the possibility of absorbing Alexander into his already powerful amalgam of demon body parts dancing in Naraku's head.

If my suspicions are true then it is only a matter of time before he steps up his efforts to acquire this Alexander which means either manipulating others or perhaps creating a new incarnation. Kagura thought as she walked to the window that overlooked the castle grounds.

Not that there was anything remarkable to see from this location as Naraku's miasma had already killed anything living within the castle walls and obscured anything that existed outside the stone walls as well. While she did not exactly care for such things there was only so much death and desolation even a youkai could take. Being as one with the wind as well made living in the castle surrounded by the poisonous miasma rather than clean rich air only added to her displeasure. Such things were significant elements in why she desired to gain her freedom from Naraku besides being able to determine her own destiny. She was like a wild animal that yearned to be free to roam where it would but was instead chained and caged by an oppressive master. Unfortunately she did not possess the strength to break the chains that held her in that monster's service and so she was forced to rely on the power of others to aide her towards that end. It was then that a possibility entered her mind that she had not considered but might prove to be of great help towards her gaining her freedom.

Perhaps this Alexander might be more receptive towards a partnership than Sesshomaru was when I approached the youkai Lord. Kagura pondered as she sunk deep into thought.

She had only months ago approached the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West proposing an alliance between the two of them against Naraku. She had even offered him two shards of the Shikkon jewel as proof of her commitment to this partnership but he had thrown it back in her face. While he may have said it differently he basically told her that if she was too weak to take a stand against her 'master' on her own than she was unworthy of a partnership with him. However Alexander seemed to possess none of the 'aloof' personality that his look-a-like did or at least he did not show it as the Ice Lord did. Granted she had only seen him in person during the battle but the clothes he had been wearing were torn and filthy which no youkai aristocrat would be caught dead in. He was a true enigma wrapped in a wild card floating in the sea of possibilities and she was seriously considering going to him with her idea to kill Naraku but if she decided in favor of this she would have to be careful. It was only a short while ago that she had been released by Naraku from her imprisonment in the dungeons of the castle and was almost certainly being monitored by Kahnna or Naraku or both. If she was going to get the message across to him she would have to either find a way to block Kahnna's mirror or find an intermediary to make the offer for her. Since it was unlikely she would have the time for the former she would have to go with the latter but who could she manipulate into doing this for her that would not attract attention nor be missed by Naraku. Her first thought strayed to Kohaku but he was a favorite tool of Naraku's when he needed to put off the demon exterminator Sango or employ stealth on some mission. The only way that she could perhaps use him would be if she could convince Naraku to place the boy near the inu-youkai. With this concept the facts began to snowball into an idea and then a sound plan that she would have to hurry to put it into motion.

Exiting her room she went at a leisurely pace to the half-demon's room where she had last seen him musing over the possibilities of absorbing Alexander. Unsurprisingly when she slid the door aside to the room she had last seen him he was right where she had left him in the exact same position. She stood a good five feet from him and waited for him to acknowledge her presence although it grated on her to have to act so towards her enslaver. It seemed like an hour had passed before he turned his head in her direction and even when he did this it seemed as though he was intent on only looking at her and nothing else.

"You have something to say Kagura?" Naraku asked in a tone that managed to sound both disrespectful and neutral at the same time.

"I was going to suggest that while the ultimate decision regarding Alexander would be yours it might be informative to have one of your agents follow him covertly." , Kagura replied carefully so as not to cause him to suspect her true intentions, "After what we saw of the bat demon's arm it would be unwise to confront him before finding out the extent of his abilities."

"Oh? Which of my servants would you suggest I send?" , Naraku asked as if addressing someone especially stupid, "No matter what else may be said about Alexander he at least possesses the ability to sense the youki and perhaps the scent of demons. How could any of my servants follow him without being noticed?"

Reigning in her anger at his tone she replied "You could send the boy Kohaku. While he does bear your taint he is still primarily human and therefore has no youki to alert Alexander. When added to the fact that he has never seen the boy in your company he would even be able to get close to the inu-youkai without seeming to be too dangerous."

He seemed to consider this for a moment before saying "Agreed. Use my network of spies to locate Alexander's precise position and then take Kohaku to a point outside the range of the inu-youkai's senses and drop him off. He can make his own way towards his target from there and watch the newest player in this game."

"As you command." Kagura said and began to walk towards the exit.

"Oh and Kagura?" Naraku said in a tone that implied she had better listen.

"Yes?" she said trying to keep the sudden fear within her from seeping into her voice.

"Do well to keep in mind that while the boy will be observing Alexander I will be observing him." Naraku stated in a voice that made it clear he was aware of the true intentions behind her suggestion.

"Yes, master Naraku." She stated with a quiet inner fury at her plan being discovered and neutralized before it had a chance to begin.

Letting the anger simmer within her she went to the empty room where the boy rested between missions although it was more accurate to say he simply knelt of the floor and did not move until summoned for by his master. The boy was little more than a puppet with almost no mind of his own beyond the skills he had been taught by his family in the village of the Demon Exterminators. Naraku claimed it was the boys own wish to forget his past and essentially be a blank slate but she suspected that his decision was more the result of careful manipulation and demonic influence than free will. Still she felt a certain kinship with the boy as they were both slaves to another's will and would likely cherish freedom if it one day came. Until that day though she would do what she could to keep him safe both because he would then owe her upon their release and because he occasionally proved useful against the hanyou and his friends.

Upon opening the door to his room she said "Kohaku, gather your things. Naraku has a mission for you."

"As you wish Lady Kagura." Kohaku stated in an almost lifeless tone of voice.

Once he had gathered his demon exterminator gear and minimal supplies they walked out into the courtyard of the castle. Once there she wrapped her arm around him and a whoosh of wind they floated up into the sky on her magical feather out to find their target. As they gained more and more distance from the castle her mind could not help but begin to run through scenarios that worked around this current set back but still gained her the inu-youkai Alexander's support against Naraku.

The Camp of InuYasha and Company, Early evening 

"InuYasha seems to have recovered from Alexander's attack." Sango stated as she looked up at the hanyou who now both rested and kept watch over the camp from a high tree branch.

"Hey! It wasn't that bad!" InuYasha yelled as he looked down at the female demon exterminator.

"I would hardly call a hole in your stomach a light wound." Mirokou stated putting in his two cents.

"So!? I'm half demon! It'll be all gone by tomorrow!" growled InuYasha warning the others that they had better change the topic of discussion.

Taking the hint Sango asked "So what do you all think of Alexander?"

"Well his story certainly seems a bit much to believe don't you think?" Kagome asked as she looked about to see the reactions of the others.

"It's a crock if you ask me! Even if he does belong to a group of demon hunters I find it hard to believe that we haven't heard of them up until now." InuYasha stated as his anger seemed to drop to a heavy annoyance.

"True. If it is their mission to monitor and deal with serious demonic threats it seems unlikely that they would have neglected to take action against Naraku in the past two years." Mirokou said in an oddly contemplative tone of voice.

"Just because they haven't been making their presence known doesn't mean that they are not out there. With the proper tools some exterminators from my village were able to hunt and kill demons barely leaving a trace behind to show that they were there." Sango stated making a subtle jab at the fact that they as a group lacked something in the stealth department.

"Feh! Doesn't matter what humans do to conceal their presence you still leave a scent behind." InuYasha said before looking away into the woods.

"Still if they kept the number of warriors low and didn't leave any survivors it is possible that they could have killed a number of demons and just let anyone who found the bodies come up with their own ideas as to what happened." Sango stated and that got a nod from the rest of the group.

"Isn't it strange though that he looked so much like Sesshomaru?" Shippo stated as he took a break from sucking on his cherry lollipop.

"It would take some pretty powerful magic to change a person that much no matter what that person might have been originally." , Mirokou stated as he crossed his arms across his chest with contemplation, "Since light magic is centered more around healing and purification one can only assume that dark magic was employed to make him look like an inu-youkai."

"I think it goes beyond appearances Mirokou. We saw that he was able to perform Sesshomaru's poison whip technique and he was both strong enough and fast enough to match InuYasha." , Sango pointed out as her own mind laid down possibilities before she spoke of them, "No simple spell of illusion nor one to change ones surface appearance could have given him such power."

"Agreed though I must confess that I have never heard of such a spell before it conceivable that it might have been invented by dark sorcerers or even demons elsewhere in the world." Mirokou said in agreement with his secret love's theory.

"There was also something strange about his right hand." Kagome stated in an almost reluctant tone of voice, as though she was afraid of what might come of her news.

"What do you mean strange?" InuYasha asked as he jumped from his perch down to the ground.

"Back when we were in the village I saw a strange glow coming from his right hand. It was almost like the glow from a sacred jewel shard but there was no distinct shape or form generating the light. It was almost as if the jewel shards had completely merged with his hand to the point where I couldn't tell where one began and the other ended." She stated as she warily watched the hanyou for his reaction.

"You mean he had sacred jewel shards in him and you didn't tell us!?" InuYasha said in surprise and a bit of suspicion as he tried to discern her reasons for staying silent up until now.

Unfortunately his accusatory tone brought out Kagome's own inner fire and she stood up to the one person who could inspire both love and anger in her heart.

"I said it was **like** the glow of a sacred jewel shard! The glow had a red glow to it rather than the pink one that I see when I look at a jewel shard!" , Kagome stated hotly are she stood nose to nose with the hanyou, "Besides they were completely merged with his right hand! What would you have done? Chop of his right hand and take it with us?"

"Maybe I should have? At least then between him and Sesshomaru they would have a complete set of arms!" InuYasha said sarcastically with an arrogant look in his eyes.

"InuYasha!" , Kagome exclaimed in a tone that let all know what was coming next, "SIT BOY!"

With a thump that made it clear that the young girl from the future had put a little extra oomph in her command as the force of the impact created an impression in the ground. Before the hanyou could retaliate for it though Kagome strode off into the forest no doubt intent on blowing off some steam. She would come back eventually once she was sure that she could have a civil conversation with the half-demon. In fact as far as Sango was concerned these little spats they had were fairly common and despite how it may look it only made it more clear with those to the eyes to see that they loved each other. Neither might be ready to openly admit it but there were too many times when they had been willing to risk unbelievable danger to save the other for it to be anything but love. Secretly there was a bet going on between Mirokou, Lady Kaede and herself as to how long it would be before they finally admitted it to one another. Shippo wasn't involved nor was Myoga as the core three didn't trust them not to let the secret slip out or try and influence events to ensure that they would win.

Thinking back to how similar Alexander and Sesshomaru looked she would have sworn they were father and son had she not heard the younger inu-youkai's explanation. Aside from the obvious differences in age and a few changes in the structure of Alexander's face they were almost identical. She wondered what would happen if the self-proclaimed demon hunter failed to find a way back to his people. Would he settle down somewhere and try to raise a family? Would he go to live with Sesshomaru? Would he become a force for good or evil? Amidst all these thoughts she found herself wondering what he had originally looked like before being changed into an inu-youkai and if he had originally been human. After all he had not implicitly said that he was originally human and the fact that she was working with a demon, half-demon and a cat demon made it possible that other demon hunting groups would do the same. Still there was something by the way he had fought and acted that made her believe that he had indeed once been human. He had seemed rather clumsy in the use of the energy whip when he had deflected Hiraikotsu away from himself and even when he had fought InuYasha he seemed to struggle just to keep up. While InuYasha would have likely come out on top she doubted that the hanyou would have been able to emerge without his fair share of bloody wounds.

Looking over at the others she noticed Mirokou looking speculatively in the direction where Kagome had gone a few minutes before and had to wonder what he was thinking. Despite the fact that she knew him to be a good man and a trusted ally she had to wonder if any of the thoughts that were going through his mind had ideas of 'checking up on Kagome'. It had been an annoyance since the first time she had met the group that the monk seemed unable to keep his more lustful impulses in check. Not only did he always seem to spy on Kagome and herself when they were bathing but whenever the chance arose he always tried to grope them. Fortunately all it seemed to take to get him to come to his senses was a hard slap across the face but truth be told she was getting tired of it. Every time they visited a village and came across a girl who was the slightest bit attractive he never ceased to ask her if she would consider bearing his child. You would think that after being struck across the face fifteen times by fifteen different women he would understand that asking that question was not the best way to open a conversation. She had originally thought that she could break him of that habit over time but all she had to show for her efforts was his claim that while he may continue to admire the beauty of other women his heart would always be hers.

'Course that could just be a convenient excuse to keep me from dumping him for good! she thought with a frown of disgust as she laid down on her bedroll and curled up to go to sleep.

As sleep claimed her she began to wonder if it was time to look elsewhere for companionship of the romantic kind.


	6. The road to Kobe is filled with complica...

**_Just South of Kyoto, Mid-Day_**

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Well it looks like I've almost won the majority of them over. Xander thought to himself as he looked back only to receive a tentative smile from Tsuyu.

It had been a little over a day since they had first set out for Kobe in the hopes of reuniting these children with their next of kin and at least the girls of the trio were warming up to him. Well Takara seemed to be relatively friendly with him since day one but it had taken a few hours of speaking with him and getting to know him to allay the majority of the concerns Tsuyu had about him. Ichiro on the other hand remained as obstinate and hateful towards him as ever and nothing anyone else in the group said seemed to budge him one bit. Kikyo had made attempts to enlighten the lad to the fact that not all demons were evil and Tsuyu made her own argument by stating that he hadn't killed them in their sleep but nothing changing in the boy's demeanor. Still he was at least aware of the fact that he was safer traveling with the group than he was just going off and trying to get to Kobe by himself. That showed that the boys hatred towards demons had not gotten so bad that it had overridden his self-preservation instincts or common sense. If the boy had tried to go off on his own the newly transformed inu-youkai would have to probably knock the kid unconscious, tie him up and then carry him the entire way to Kobe. That act would probably destroy whatever trust was building between him and Tsuyu and might even cost him the unconditional affection he somehow had earned from Takara. Ever since he had woken up to find the five year old asleep on his lap with her head against his chest the child had stayed right next to him and insisted on holding his hand for the entire trip. The few times he had tried to convince her to walk by herself she had given the 'I'll cry if you make me do that' look and he had resigned himself to being joined at the hip with this kid.

With one kid under his wing so to speak it had fallen to Kikyo to care for the other children to make sure Tsuyu's leg was healing properly and Ichiro behaved himself. Not surprisingly that had not been a problem for the priestess as she was no doubt familiar with the task of tending to children and reigning in people with short fuses and hot tempers. In the Anime series she was almost always shown caring for someone whether they be adults or children in whatever nameless village she had been shown living in. She was maternal in that way with the only time she raised her voice or showed anger being against InuYasha and his friends or Naraku and his forces. It made sense that she would have ill feelings towards the people she deemed responsible for her death and that hate would only filter down to any person or persons who were allied to either of them. That in a way was probably why she had acted so coldly towards him in the beginning because of his superficial connection to InuYasha who she held responsible for her death despite the revelation concerning Naraku/Onigumo's involvment. However he could see that his kind nature and efforts to bridge the gap between them was working as more and more emotion rose to the surface instead of remaining hidden within her body. It had gone from simple support of his decisions to a twinkle in her eye to an outright smile at the connection that had formed overnight between him and Takara. It was clear that her resolve against letting him in was beginning to waver slightly and depending on what happened before he left to return him home he might actually be able achieve some level of peace. Still if his personal theory about her proved correct then he could not let himself give her too much peace given what that could mean for her. Still if he could return even a bit of her old humanity to her and perhaps nurture this new life she had been given it would be worth it.

Looking ahead and down the dirt road they were traveling down he spotted a group of human travelers trying to fix what looked like a cart that had a broken wheel or something. Normally in a situation like this back home he would not hesitate to stop and try and help them out as it was pretty much his chosen position among the Scoobies since it had been confirmed that combat was not his forte. Unfortunately in this era and this body his choices were more along the lines of running into the bushes to allow Kikyo and the children to pass the men safely and unmolested or walk with them and risk the extra attention. Even though there were some groups like InuYasha's that didn't automatically see demons as evil the majority of the people of Japan equated different with demons with evil. If he was seen walking with Kikyo and the others it might place a stigma on each of them if word spread far enough about three children and a priestess traveling with a youkai. People would immediately become suspicious and try to come up with a reason why they were still alive much less staying with him voluntarily. Some would no doubt see then as demons disguised as humans, humans allied with the demon or people under a demon's influence. This of course could either cause them to be forever ostracized from the mainstream human society or maybe lynched to death like those Salem witch trials he had heard about both in school and from Willow. He shook his head in horror at the thought of these children having to go through that after having face such hardship already.

"Continue on. I will cut through the forest and meet up with you once we are out of sight with these humans." , he said before kneeling down in front of Takara, "Takara I want you to go with Kikyo and the others doe a little while. I'll meet up with you in a bit, I just don't want those humans to see me."

Takara shook her head at this and held on even tighter to his hand while telling him with her eyes that she refused to comply with his request. The young girl still had not spoken a word since she had been rescued from the wolf demons and had only communicated what she had wanted via hand signals and expressions on her face. This was good in the sense that she wasn't a walking zombie anymore and was becoming more interactive with her surroundings and the people in it. It had been agreed upon by both him and Kikyo that it was a step in the right direction and with some time to properly come to terms with her trauma as well as some healing time the little one should be verbal again before too long. However in the meantime she was firmly bonded with Xander and never strayed more than twenty feet from him at any time with his hunting time being the only period when she was forced to be apart from him. Kikyo had surmised that Takara felt safer in the presence of a strong 'big brother' and would not leave him until she felt safe to be on her own. That of course led to some uncomfortable moments when he had to come up with a reason to get away to .. **ahem** .. answer the call of nature along the way. Still between him promising to come right back and Kikyo distracting the children as a whole with stories they had managed. Now though he was hopeless in coming up with a reason to give her for his temporary departure that would satisfy her and that she would comprehend. After all how could you expect a child of her few years to understand things like prejudice or hatred just because your skin is a different color or because you are of another race as was the case with him at the moment.

"Just take her with you. I doubt the men ahead of us have noticed us yet much less counted how many of us there are." , Kikyo stated as if she was stating the obvious to someone, "Besides I doubt I could keep her from looking into the forest every five seconds for you and that alone might prod one of the men ahead into trying to see what she was looking at,"

Takara immediately broke out in a smile and nodded energetically at the idea making her support of the priestess' suggestion clear. Ichiro was silent but was looking at the inu-youkai with tons of unspoken threats in his glare if anything happened to the little girl. Tsuyu nodded in deference to the wisdom of a priestess which made Xander wonder if the girl had any opinions or sentiments of her own. Still he was outnumbered as to a course of action so admitting defeat he got down on one knee and gestured for Takara to get on his back. Like a jack rabbit she jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms tighly around his neck while he hook his arms around her short legs. Once he was sure that she was safe and in no danger of falling off of him he stood up and looked towards the others.

"We can meet about a mile up the road. That should be far enough ahead of these people that they won't be able to tell that I'm a demon if they look in that direction." He stated plainly before taking off at a light job into the woods.

Takara gripped him slightly tighter as she was no doubt unfamiliar at moving at such a pace but after awhile she relaxed and seemed to be enjoying the ride. He didn't stray too far from the road as he did not want to get lost in unfamiliar territory but stayed far enough away that he would not be spotted by someone on the road. Unfortunately he was close enough to the men standing by the cart to see that there were at least six men hiding in the bushes not far from the road itself. None of them were impressively armed or armored but they still had a blade of some kind on them and as he saw Kikyo, Ichiro and Tsuyu get closer it became clear what was going on. It was apparently the clichéd 'pretend to be having vehicle trouble and ambush anyone who stops to help' tactic that car thieves would use in this reality's future and apparently was a favored tactic here as well. He tried to think of the best way to spoil this particular plan in as efficient a manner as possible before Kikyo and the others got too close. He knew that Takara would still follow him even if he asked her to stay hidden while he dispatched the bandits so his only choice was to fight while keeping his body between her and the thieves. Darting forward he charged the hiding thieves and with a kick worthy of the NFL he hit one of the crooks right in the ass sending him flying high and forward. Before the others could do more than begin turning in shock he immediately cocked the leg he had used to dispatch the other bandit and delivered a sold side-kick to the side of the man on the right. This sent him hard into his comrade knocking them both to the ground leaving Xander to turn to the left to face three remaining crooks on the left who now had enough time to draw their weapons and face him.

Not wanting to give them time to use their swords he lets his anger rise to the surface knowing that it would cause his eyes to turn crimson. This in addition to baring his teeth complete with some pretty impressive fangs had a visible effect on the crooks as they hesitated in their attack in order to wonder if they should start running now. That was all that the inu-youkai needed as he released one of Takara's legs and used his free right hand to generate the poison whip and slice through their swords at the hilts. The crooks look down at their now bladeless hilts before looking back at his fearsome visage and all at once turn around and make a run for it. Grinning at the sight he turns around to the two he had knocked to the ground to see the one that had acted as cushioning for the one he had kicked getting to his feet. The impact of his friend had been enough to disorient him and hitting the ground had knocked the wind out of him but more or less he was unharmed. However when he looked about and saw that his comrades were either gone or unconscious he found himself in the unenviable position of facing the demon alone.

"Your friends have run away. I suggest you do the same." Xander stated and punctuated by flexing the claw tipped fingers of his right hand so the crook could see it.

Despite what some might say about crooks being stupid they still have strong survival instincts and right now the bandit's instincts were telling him to get the **hell** out of there. Not needing to be told twice the thief turned and began running in the opposite direction his comrades had been going. With that handled Xander moved towards the road and saw that the 'helpless men' were about to spring their trap. Apparently he had kicked that first crook farther than he had previously thought as he was almost sure that the landing point was somewhere near the cart. In any case he decided to wait two or three trees inside the forest and wait to see whether or not the bait would turn tail and run once they realized their back up was missing. He didn't see any weapons on them but they might have hidden them in the cart and were just waiting until their allies were in position before grabbing them. Just then though he considered the possibility that these crooks might have another six bandits on the other side of the road waiting to strike just as the group he had just finished dispatching had been preparing to do. Cursing himself for not taking that into account he decided to head this problem off rather than waiting to see what developed. Taking off at sprinting speed he became something akin to a blur to any but youkai eyes leaping into the air as soon as he reached the edge of the forest. He flew over the bandits near the cart and resumed his sprint as soon as his right foot hit the ground heading for where he presumed the other crooks would be lying in wait. He quickly spotted them and decided that this time he would make sure to pitch the whole group out onto the dirt path so as to ensure that those visible to Kikyo would get the message he was about to send those in front of him. Slowing down a bit to ensure that the bandits ahead of him could actually perceive something beyond a formless blurred shape he watched as looks of shock came upon their faces.

"Hold on tight to my neck Takara!" he said and was gratified that the child was still with him as he felt her tighten her grip on his neck.

Releasing both of the girl's legs he lunged forward with his hands and grabbed the closest two crooks by their chest plates before slamming them together like a pair of paddles. Once they were suitably stunned he threw them over his shoulder hoping that he had measured the amount of strength needed to make them reach the road correctly. Turning back to those that remained he was glad to see that there were only two more left so he simply repeated what he did with the first two but this time he jumped up and kicked them both in the butt at the same time. Lady luck was with him because despite the fact that it was the first time he had ever tried that move he connected dead in the center of their backsides. He landed in a crouch and took a moment to collect himself before confirming that Takara was still firmly attached to his neck. Fortunately though she still had her arms firmly wrapped around his neck albeit quite a bit tighter than she had been before he had dealt with the crooks.

"Are you alright Takara? I didn't hurt you did I?" Xander asked as he got down to one knee again to let her off.

Slowly but surely she loosened her grip and dropped to the ground but seemed a bit wobbly on her feet so he swiftly pivoted on the foot that was planted flatly on the ground. Holding her up gently by the shoulders he waited until she seemed to regain her sense of balance before letting her stand under her own power. She looked alright but it took a few moments for her to look lucid in the eyes but when she did surprisingly enough a big smile came over her face. She jumped at him and gave him a big hug around the neck as her way of showing that she was both alright and that she had had fun riding on his back. He ran his hand through her ruffling it up as a sing of affection at the crazy kid who had just gone into combat with him and treated it like a carnival ride. Gently guiding her down he took her by the hand and both of them walked hand in hand back to the dirt road where he was confident that Kikyo had clued into the situation. After it wasn't every day that four bandits with swords dropped onto the ground in front of you and he was pretty sure that the crooks acting as bait would have reacted suspiciously enough to confirm their overall intentions.

They walked out of the forest a few minutes later and just as he had predicted the crooks he had thrown out into the road were unconscious due to the rough landing and the priestess had either disarmed or pinned down the rest with her arrows. When he and Takara he became slightly concerned when the undead priestess' face took a disapproving look to it.

"I take it the men lying unconscious on the ground are your handiwork Alexander?" she asked in a tone reserved for kids who had been showing off and wound up breaking something in the process.

"Well, yeah, but I had to let you know something was up somehow and all of them are alive aren't they?" he asked with concern as he wondered what he had done to get her mad at him.

"It did not occur to you to simply return to us and reveal what these men were planning rather than attempting to deal with them on your own? With Takara in your care no less." Kikyo stated with his disapproval only growing.

"Well, I just thought that it would take a lot more time to find an alternate route to avoid 'em so it made more sense to just dive in and deal with them." , he said as he tried to make himself appear more confident in his course of action than he really was, "Besides I took them all by surprise so they barely had time to draw their weapons much less attack so Takara wasn't in any danger."

"What if there had been a bandit hidden in the trees? He could have shot an arrow and hurt or even killed Takara!" Kikyo said just below yelling volume reprimanding him.

"Um, excuse me? Not to interrupt your argument or anything but what do you intend to do with us?" asked the apparent leader of the bandits who was presently pinned to the side of the cart by one of Kikyo's arrows.

"Shut up!" yelled Xander as he gave his best death glare to the crook.

"Be quiet!" said Kikyo at the same time but at a lower decibel level and in a way that made it even more intimidating than the command given by the inu-youkai.

Naturally under the twin glare from the two individuals who had managed to defeat his entire gang the leader of the bandits quickly obeyed hoping they would be lenient.

"Look Kikyo! I admit I probably could've handled the situation better but I would **never** let anything happen to Takara!" , Xander declared without thinking his statement through, "Besides this time is dangerous enough as it is for a child her age! At least sticking close to me offers her some protection!"

This seemed to stop Kikyo in her tracks and he realized it was because it was the first time he had declared with such passion the desire to protect the child who had become so attached to him. Ichiro and Tsuyu seemed equally surprised by his bluntness and Xander quickly tried to reign himself in as he did not want to let them get too good of an idea of what does on inside of his head. He knew that Kikyo intended to manipulate him to her advantage in her struggles against InuYasha and Naraku so by revealing that he cared what happened to Takara he had just given up on of his weaknesses. He had revealed that he cared about what happened to the five year old girl and desired to keep her as safe as he could. Retreating into the pseudo Sesshomaru personae he schooled his features into an icy demeanor that not even the priestess' fiery temper could burn through.

"We should leave these bandits to their own devices. I think a couple of hours wondering if a hungry demon is going to come upon them before they free themselves should encourage them to seek a new vocation." Xander said keeping his tones even and emotionless as he related his opinion of the situation.

"Indeed." Kikyo said in agreement as she recovered from her own shock at his blunt pronouncement of protection.

With no further words being said to one another they resumed their journey down the path towards Kobe.

**_Kikyo's Perspective, 10 minutes Later_**

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The more I think about it the more I am certain that Alexander's true form is that of a human Kikyo thought as she looked at the pair of the inu-youkai and Takara walking ahead of them.

The man in front of her was obviously an honorable human warrior who saw his life as one dedicated to the defense of innocents. He was not a samurai as he was obviously not sworn to any Lord but at the same time he seemed to refuse to allow any harm to come to the children while he was in a position to stop it. He acted as though he would rather die himself than fail in his role as their protector or at least as Takara's protector. The little one's ability to see past the prejudices and preconceptions of those years older had earned her place in the young man's heart. She on the other hand hoped that the human turned inu-youkai would not let this one example of acceptance cause him to lower his guard in the presence of other humans children or otherwise. She knew all too well from her travels abroad how humanity viewed demons and half breeds no matter how kind or courageous they were at heart. If he did not steel himself against their slanderous words and slurs they would wound him in the heart and soul causing a change in him that could be quite profound. She knew from the brief time that she and InuYasha had been together that his own life had been hard growing up as a hanyou causing him to keep everyone at a distance. The hanyou did it because he didn't want to get hurt by letting someone he got too attached to or developed feelings for in any way. She had been the only one since his mother passed away that he had felt safe enough around to let his guard down even a little bit. The feelings between them might have been tarnished and cracked by Naraku's machinations but she still knew that he had feelings for her and that it would take something severe to bring him to harm her.

Alexander on the other hand being human in his original form had probably never been on the receiving end of the hatred and bigotry that most demons had to endure. He had gotten but a glimpse of what it might be like from Ichiro but had likely written it off as a result of trauma caused by the massacre. Indeed the boy did have reason to dislike demons after what had likely happened to his family and friends but the kind of hatred most often felt towards demons by humans had no justifiable reason. Despite the abundance of demons of every variety and form most humans never encountered one and so relied on secondary information given by those who had seen one. In some cases this was good in that learned men and women were able to deliver the truth that there were in fact certain demons that were harmless and others that were actually beneficial. Unfortunately they were outnumbered by those that tended to group demons into one large group of evil monsters that could do no good and had to be killed on sight. Due to this combination among the human race there was no real way to predict what each individual's reaction would be to meeting a demon each time they came into contact with one. She worried what would happen when Alexander was forced to experience the hatred most humans felt towards demons on the receiving end rather than the giving. It would not matter that he was human at the core or that he meant no harm to those around him for most people did not look beyond a person's appearance before judging them. There were some like herself and she wagered Alexander who tried to see to the person within the being before coming to any conclusions about them but the amount of weight their opinion held over others was random at best. So when they finally reached Kobe she wondered how the people there would react to the presence of an inu-youkai in their bizarre little group. Would they accept it or would they fear him and allow that fear that they felt to fall into hate or anger against someone who was different and perhaps dangerous? If they were to attack him how would he react?

He would likely try and reason with them and if that failed flee to the woods and wait for me to leave before reappearing. she thought in her estimation of what the man would do.

Indeed she did not seem him as the sort of person who would harm anyone unless it was to protect himself or others. However even people who were good at heart had limits to how much they could take and she had a feeling that if Alexander had too hard an introduction to the bigotry and prejudice that some people had it would change him forever. For some reason this bothered her and made her wish she could do something to keep that from happening but knew that it was going to become more and more inevitable the longer he remained here as an inu-youkai. After all he could not avoid people for the duration of his stay and it was only a matter of time before news of his existence reached the more militant citizens who would not wait for him to attack them before retaliating. These groups were few as most leaders of towns and villages did not think it wise to go seeking trouble or inciting the local demon population to attack. However those that did exist were reputed to be good at their jobs and were capable of killing most demons except those of extraordinary power. Sesshomaru would definitely be one of those they would not be able to kill but that was more due to the fact that the inu-youkai had a small army at his disposal and was utterly ruthless in battle. Alexander on the other hand would be an easier target for them due to his lack of skill fighting as a dog demon and his reluctance to cause serious permanent harm to a human. In short his inexperience and good will towards humans would give those adversaries of his who were human a tremendous advantage over him, perhaps a fatal one.

I will have to begin educating him on the realities of Japan once we deliver the children to their kin in Kobe. , Kikyo thought to herself as her gaze rested on the young man in front of her The sooner he comes to expect the hostility from those that are human the easier it will be for him to accept it and steel himself against it. 

In a way she approved of the way that the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West conducted himself and likely felt towards others. He kept his emotions in check and dealt with things from logical point of view never letting his guard down unless something extraordinary happened. Alexander himself had been one of those rare people that could provoke such a reaction in the inu-youkai aristocrat but she suspected that the reaction was more due to the fact that Sesshomaru had not anticipated such a close resemblance between the two of them. Much like those in InuYasha's group she would have considered them to be father and son or blood brothers if she went strictly by their appearances. However the elder inu-youkai of the group did not let this surprise rule him nor allow any visible signs of his surprise to appear on his face. She however had caught the widening of the eyes that was characteristic of surprise and had caught it from her vantage point close by. However the similarities between the two inu-youkai were more superficial than anything else as Alexander had a distinctly original fighting style that was entirely his own and had different abilities as well. One of the reasons she had thought him useful in her overall goals had been what she had discovered when she had briefly looked over some of the demons who had been killed by his crimson breath. She was aware that Sesshomaru had a similar attack when in his pure dog demon form but that was more of a corrosive poisonous breath which Alexander's breath was not. She had been intrigued when the demon bodies she examined looked as though they had been lying in that clearing for ages as there was nothing left of them but dried up bones. The bones were brittle too as well as the weapons they had been carrying so that eliminated the possibility that Alexander's breath had just stripped the bodies of their flesh. Somehow the crimson mist had actually aged everything it had come into contact with to an amazing degree and made for a potent weapon against even the strongest of demons. After all with a few exceptions most demonic abilities were just expansions on the normal abilities most animals possessed or on the elements themselves. Some were more extravagant in appearance when used but were still based on established elements or natural abilities. To her knowledge though Alexander was the first to exhibit even a clumsy control over time as manipulation of such forces usually required complex spells and rare ingredients.

Even with this she believed it was just the first sign of what he was capable of and how powerful he truly was which left her more than a little curious to see what other surprises he had in store for her and Japan as a whole.

**_Two Miles Away, Same Time_**

Well, well, well! Isn't this interesting Kagura thought to herself as she put away the scrying mirror she had been using to see and hear things through Kohaku.

Her plan it appeared was a complete success, the boy was able to remain close enough to observe the little group without being detected. When the former demon exterminator had been on the approach she had been concerned that the inu-youkai's sense of smell or the miko's spiritual senses might pick him up. However after an hour had passed and no sign was given that the boy had been detected she settled down and watched the scene play out on the mirror's surface. She had been almost bored to tears for awhile but when the group had come upon the pack of bandits she had taken a significant interest in how the situation would resolve itself. Despite Alexander being a dog demon she almost would have said that he was behaving like a cat playing with its favorite ball of string the way he dealt with the crooks hidden in the forest. Kohaku had wisely decided to stay with the inu-youkai rather than the main group but had lost him when he had taken off for the other side of the road to deal with the second group. With that problem arising the little warrior had returned to the main road to wait with Kikyo's group as they both knew that there was a good chance he would reunite with them. The prediction had proven true and then they had both been treated to a little drama although the wind sorceress had probably enjoyed it more than the boy had. Apparently Alexander was very protective of the little girl called Takara for he was very passionate in stating that he would never allow her to be harmed. She knew that Naraku would like that at least as it would give him a point of leverage against the inu-youkai if a trap needed bait or a threat needed to be made. Whether or not any of the other children would be worthy surrogates for the role of bait she did not know but she guessed grabbing them as a group would not hurt. She still had no idea as to their ultimate destination so she would not be able to set an effective trap ahead of them so she would just have to keep watching and hope one of them let it slip.

As for the inu-youkai's abilities she believed it was safe to say that his speed was at least on par with his look-a-like's whereas his physical strength didn't seem too different from InuYasha's. Still she wouldn't consider lifting two humans and throwing them a dozen or two feet as needing a great deal of effort. She herself was strong enough to do so if she wanted to dirty her hands by getting close to her human prey and killing them like that. A more appropriate test of strength would be needed to find out what his upper limits were and perhaps one that would force him to combine his speed with his strength to see if he could do so. At the thought of combining strength and speed an idea popped into her head that caused her to grin and then to downright smile from ear to ear at her brilliance. It would take some doing to get her hand picked opponent to the stage in time but once he was there she had no doubt it would be quite a show. Leaving Kohaku to his own devices as she knew that the boy would stick to his standing instructions to follow and observe his target without the need for further guidance from her. Taking to the air on her feather she headed directly south to the mountain range near Nara as quickly as she could manage without making her youki stand out too badly that it would be detected by her prey. She just hoped that Naraku would not be angry about her leaving his puppet unattended but she had a feeling that he would not even notice it given the possibilities that Alexander opened up for him.

**_24 Hours Later, The Mountain Range South of Nara_**

"Dance of the Dragons!" Kagura yelled as she sent her most powerful attack down on her hapless victims below tearing some apart while sending others slamming against solid stone with a sickening thump.

It had taken her seven hours to reach the mountains near Nara after making a quick side trip and since then she had made herself quite busy laying down the foundation for the first phase of her plan. Two encampments had been laid to waist since then with no survivors whatsoever to be found at all as she had been very thorough to make sure that the truth did not get out. She could not have news of her part in these massacres getting out or it would ruin her overall plan. She would likely have to destroy one more encampment before enough anger and need for revenge would cause him to seek out the person she wanted. She had left enough evidence in the battle scarring on the ground and the little scraps of cloth that she had found on her little side-trip that it would lead the fool in the direction she wanted. She still had one clump of the cloth in her hand but that she would save for the finishing touch on her plan as she raised her fan once more while finding her target.

"Dance of the Dead!" she declared before sending a bolt down to the dead corpse beneath her on the ground.

As all dead bodies dead when she used that particular attack on them the body she had targeted rose to its feet as though alive but it was no more than a puppet on strings. Not that anyone who saw it would be able to tell as she had managed to perfect this technique to the point where the only way she could be found out would be if the animated corpse was asked complicated questions that required actual memory. Fortunately having her puppet 'faint' just after delivering the news of the identity of the culprit and remaining unconscious until he 'died' from his wounds. That way her 'champion' would not be in able to question anyone and would have to accept what the evidence and deathbed pronouncement at face value. Letting go of the last piece of cloth in her possession she let it drift down to her puppet on currents of wind she controlled until it was in his hands.

"Now go and find him. You know who I'm talking about." She commanded and watched happily as the corpse walked away with an almost live manner down a stone path leading away from what remained of the encampment.

Now that the second phase of her plan was on its way she had better return to her observation of Alexander through Kohaku and be ready to spirit the boy away should he somehow be discovered. After all while the boy was skilled at remaining invisible she had been using her powers over the wind to gently keep his scent from being carried on the wind to the inu-youkai. With her absence there was always the chance that a sudden change in the direction of the wind would expose him and she knew she could not allow him to be captured or killed. In addition to her own affinity for the boy she knew that Naraku would punish her for the death or capture of one of his most useful tools. Without Kohaku he would not have the potent weapon he needed to manipulate or distract the demon exterminator Sango making him have to work harder in coming up with a plan. It always angered her how little Naraku did himself in carrying out his multitude of plans and strategies and how she got blamed when something came up that he didn't account for. No matter how much the foul being tried to distance himself from when he was Onigumo Naraku still had all the strategic skills of a thief. Perhaps an accomplished thief but still a coward whose fear of being hurt himself had carried over into his new identity as Naraku. Of course he covered up his cowardice with an aloof revulsion at having to dirty his hands dealing with or battling lesser demons when he had subordinates he could delegate to on hand. She of course saw through this cover as she was quite adept at giving people the wrong impression of her such as wearing an expensive kimono when it would have been much more advantageous to wear something less confining and capable of using in combination with her powers. By wearing a kimono though she gave off the impression of being a brainless wealthy noblewoman who probably had no combat skills whatsoever. This caused them to only lightly guard themselves against an attack from her and focus more on their surroundings which was the last mistake they usually made with her.

Floating higher and higher into the sky her mind began to imagine what kind of battle would transpire when the two combatants finally met.

Lair of the South Wolf Demon Tribe, One Day Later 

Whoever has done this will pay Kouga thought angrily as one of his subordinates informed him of the massacre of yet another of the wolf demon encampments allied with him.

The entire tribe was in a furious state and had been ever since word was first brought back to him about the first attack. It had been a bit difficult to determine which encampment had been attacked first as they had happened seemingly within hours of one another but as of that moment a total of four had been laid to waste. He had organized search parties to try and look for survivors in the areas surrounding each encampment but after the second one turned up no survivors he had focused his efforts on warning all that could be reached. The only way so many encampments could be taken out so completely was with surprise on the murderer's side and given the number destroyed and the time since it all began that was definitely a possibility. After all no other member of his tribe, heck no other wolf demon, could run as fast as he could which made it unlikely that any warning could be sent from one village to another. If all the remaining packs could be warned of a dangerous demon or demons in the area there was a chance that they could mount a defense in time to at least stall their attacker/s until help arrived. Hearing a commotion coming from one of the mountain roads leading to his lair he strode in the direction of where the source was and was shocked as well as angered by what he saw. Limping into camp was a single wolf demon warrior who looked as though it was taking every ounce of will power he had to put one foot in front of another. This was not what shocked and angered Kouga though, no it was the fact that he knew this particular wolf demon and considered him a friend.

"Tomeo!" Kouga exclaimed as he ran in an instant to his friend's side.

Tomeo seemed to recognize his voice as he turned in the leader's direction but this lapse in concentration shattered what focus was keeping him upright and he dropped to the ground. Kouga rolled him onto his back and attempted to keep the wolf demon awake for fear if he was allowed to lose consciousness he would never awaken. Tomeo seemed to barely be hanging onto consciousness but it did not surprise Kouga in the least as his friend had always been too stubborn for his own good. It was one of the reasons why he had appointed him leader of the pack guarding their territory's western front and trusted him to send all enemies packing. To see him so close to death only impressed further on the leader of the wolf demon tribe that whatever it was that was attacking them was either powerful or numerous beyond count.

"Tomeo! Who did this to you? Are there any other survivors?" Kouga yelled as he tried to keep his friend's focus centered on him.

"I-I-it was a dog demon and a human priestess. They attacked fiercely and without warning killing many before they could reach their weapons." Tomeo struggled to say as his strength was obviously failing him.

"InuYasha!" Kouga growled as immediately imagined the half-breed and Kagome attacking Tomeo's pack.

His own mind rebelled at the idea that his woman Kagome would have anything to do with such massacres but the only dog demon who might have a grievance with his tribe was that mutt InuYasha. Maybe Tomeo misinterpreted what Kagome was trying to do and just thought she was attacking when in fact she was trying to protect them. Yes that had to be it! There was no other acceptable reason for her to use her weapon at such a time. Besides while accurate with a bow his woman was too kind and gentle to be much of a match for battle hardened wolf demons so if one of his people had gotten hit with one of her arrows it was his own clumsy fault.

"NO! I-I-it wasn't that mangy hanyou! He could never have enough power to defeat me or my soldiers!" , Tomeo exclaimed angrily as he gripped Kouga's armor to emphasize his point, "It was a full inu-youkai that closely resembled Sesshomaru in appearance but was obviously a peasant in the way he dressed."

"Hey I think I know who he's talking about Kouga!" , Ginta exclaimed excitedly as he now had valuable information to impart to his Alpha, "There's a word spreading like wildfire around the entire region of an inu-youkai demon slaughtering a large number of Naraku's forces that attacked a ningen temple east of Otsu. They said he possessed all of Sesshomaru's abilities and was quite powerful."

Kouga frowned at this information as he too had heard of an as yet unidentified inu-youkai fighting alongside ningen against Naraku. He however had dismissed them after some consideration as just the excuses of Naraku's incompetent forces being turned back by humans. With the same story coming from his own men though the rumor had just become fact and with it the possibility of something more than just a random attack. Why would this inu-youkai defend a human temple one day and then slaughter four encampments of wolf demons the next? What was the purpose behind it? It was then that he recalled that there was another person involved in the slaughter of his brethren and with her perhaps the answers he sought.

"Tomeo! Can you describe the human priestess who aided this scoundrel? Can you tell me who it was?" Kouga ordered as he gently shook his friend's weak form.

"S-she was dressed in standard human miko garb and was armed with arrows that could utterly destroy anything they hit. Nothing we tried to shield ourselves with worked!" Tomeo explained as he seemed to force his memories to remain coherent.

Kouga didn't know anything about an unusually powerful miko aside from Kagome but she never seemed to be wearing the traditional dress that other priestess' wore. That cleared her as a suspect but it still meant they had two powerful threats out there which showed a distinct dislike for youkai. Maybe this priestess was somehow controlling this inu-youkai to exact some sort of mass revenge on the demon community? No single demon was foolish enough to pick a fight with the wolf demon tribe and if this inu-youkai had more in common with Sesshomaru than looks he wouldn't declare war on this scale without some sort of practical benefit resulting from it. In any case it didn't matter, the blood of his people had been spilt and there had to be retribution most vicious against those responsible. Besides if he chose to do anything else he would lose the respect and loyalty of his people as their leader. A tug on his armor alerted him to the fact that Tomeo had more to impart to him so he returned his attention to his friend determined to make sure that he missed nothing that had cost so many lives.

"I m-m-managed to injure him and r-rip off a part of his shirt. You should be able to … able to track him with it." Tomeo said pulling a piece of blood stained blue cloth from beneath his battered armor.

"You've done well old friend. You rest and let the healers tend to your wounds." , Kouga said with a smile of encouragement, "Before the week is out you and all those that have fallen at this fiend's hand will be avenged!"

Tomeo smiled at this before gasping and going limp in Kouga's arms but after placing a hand over the wolf demon's mouth confirmed that he was still alive. Most likely the blood loss combined with exhaustion had just forced him to enter a healing sleep to begin recovery. Quickly motioning for three of the tribe's best healers to attend to Tomeo he watched as his friend was carried into the main cave where most of their medicinal herbs were stored. From personal experience Kouga knew that Tomeo's injuries were life threatening but knew that he had a better chance with their people's more experienced healers here in the main pack than anywhere else. Turning towards Ginta he decided to see if his subordinate had any other useful tidbits to share or if he only knew what everyone else did.

"Have you heard where this inu-youkai scum was last seen?" Kouga asked in a manner demanding an answer.

"W-well according to some kitsune I occasionally barter with for herbs and information he was last seen heading south west from the human city of Kyoto." Ginta said as he worried about whether or not what little he knew would satisfy Kouga.

"Good. Then it shouldn't be too hard to track him from there." , Kouga said with a smile before addressing the rest of the Ginta, "Select twenty of our best warriors but leave enough behind to maintain our boarders and repel an attack if this information you were given was just a ruse meant to lure us away from here."

"Right away Kouga!" Ginta said as he raced away and began picking out warriors that had been gathered since the first massacre had been discovered.

Ginta may be an idiot most of the time but he did come in handy occasionally and that was probably the only reason why Kouga hadn't killed him off yet. For any tribe to remain strong they had to cut away any dead weight that existed among them and that included stupidity. In any case it was a rule that came to mind again and again whenever Ginta or Hakkaku screwed up on a task he had sent them on or fell asleep when they were on guard duty. Lucky for them something always seemed to come up before he could consider getting rid of those two so for the moment their positions in his tribe were safe. Still he ought to consider some special training for them to whip them into respectable shape rather than the goofs they were seen as by most of the tribe.

There'll be time enough for that once this inu-youkai murderer is dealt with , Kouga said as vengeance filled him mind body and soul Him and his little human miko friend 

The Camp of InuYasha and Company, Just outside of Kyoto, Evening 

Damn that Alexander InuYasha fumed as he winced slightly at the pain his stomach wound was still causing him.

It had been about four days since he had been defeated by that clumsy inu-youkai and his wound had still not fully healed yet. It tore at his pride how an obviously inexperienced fighter like that baka could have inflicted such a serious wound on him especially since it was taking longer than usual for a wound like that to heal. He had been hurt much worse than this in the past and been ready to fight within three days which logically meant this would should have been gone in two. However it was still there and if he hadn't outright refused to allow anyone to examine his wound they would have noticed the slowness of his body to heal itself as well. He had been concerned that with some of the looks they were sending his way that they had deduced the reason for his defensiveness but after they did nothing he guessed that they probably just wrote it off as his wounded pride talking rather than anything physical. Still he had to be vigilant not to give any outward signs of pain or weakness that might arouse their suspicion but hopefully another day of rest would be enough to get him back on track.

Walking along ahead of the others he was the first to see a speck hopping towards them rather quickly down the road. When it didn't get larger or more defined as the distance between them decreased he knew who it had to be and grumbled at the arrival of his 'retainer'. It always bothered him to have such a coward as Myouga as a retainer but even he had to admit that the flea demon occasionally had some useful information. The only problem though was that he didn't tend to reveal the most crucial information until they had all found out for themselves the hard way. If it wasn't for the fact that all the other potential retainers hated him because he was a hanyou he might have considered trading up but as it stood he was forced to settle for what he already had.

"Master InuYasha! Master InuYasha!" , he heard Myouga yell as the flea got within hearing distance of his sensitive ears, "I bring troubling news! War is brewing!"

This caught the half demon's attention since even Myouga had to know that there were always wars brewing somewhere between someone. The fact that the flea youkai felt it was worth mentioning meant that either he was getting senile in his old age like Toutousai seemed to be every time they met or that there was something unique about this 'war'. Waiting for the flea to reach them he was unsurprised when Myouga almost immediately jumped up to his shoulder and seemed interested in parching his thirst. Fortunately a stern glare from him discouraged the flea long enough for the others to notice what was going on and surround the two of them.

"Myouga! What are you doing here?" Kagome asked as she focused on the flea resting on InuYasha's shoulder.

"I've just heard some disturbing news! Almost all of Kouga's wolf tribe have mobilized and are heading in the general direction of Kobe!" Myouga said with anxiety in his voice.

"WHAT?" the entire group exclaimed with the exception of InuYasha.

"What for?" Kagome asked incredulously at the idea of Kouga going on the warpath.

"From what I've learned over the past three days four encampments of wolf demons loyal to Kouga have been completely wiped out! There has not been a single survivor of any of the attacks!" Myouga replied with the anxiety rising in his voice as he thought about all the possible trouble ahead for his master.

"Do they know who did it?" Sango asked as she was probably familiar with what happened to humans during a war involving demons of any kind.

"Apparently there's a unknown inu-youkai traveling the countryside killing everything he comes across! Apparently he looks a lot like Lord Sesshomaru!" Myouga replied with sweat visibly showing on his little forehead.

"You mean Alexander?" Mirokou asked as the identity of the inu-youkai clicked into place for everyone.

"You know the fiend?" Myouga asked in surprise.

"Well I wouldn't call him a fiend exactly. Maybe a little rude but I can't believe he'd massacre any village much less four wolf tribe villages." Kagome said as she appeared to be trying to reconcile what they knew of the new inu-youkai on the block with what the flea demon was telling them.

InuYasha bristled at Kagome's defense of that baka but even he had to agree that Alexander didn't seem like the kind of person to go on a killing spree. He knew of demons who liked to do that sort of thing and insanity or an uncontrollable bloodlust usually were strong components in their individual personalities.

"Indeed. He also seemed somewhat inexperienced in the use of his inu-youkai abilities so I doubt he could have possess the skill necessary to so overwhelm four separate groups of wolf demons." Mirokou contributed scratching his chin.

"Feh! Those wimpy wolves aren't that tough! I could take them on easily!" InuYasha input to make it clear that didn't think much of Kouga or his wolf demon brothers.

"Perhaps one group InuYasha but four entire encampments in less than two days seems highly improbable if not impossible even for one thought to have power close to Sesshomaru's" Mirokou countered and even InuYasha had to admit to that fact.

Even Sesshomaru had limits to what he could do before requiring rest and if this Alexander was as unfamiliar with using youki and fighting with an inu-youkai body as he claimed there was no way he could have gone through four wolf demon encampments. Even those wimpy wolves would have hit him enough times to force him to rest in order to recover from the wounds.

"If that is so then there are only two logical possibilities that I can see." , Mirokou stated continuing his argument, "Either he was deceiving us back at that villiage and was much more dangerous than he let on or someone else is responsible for massacring four wolf demon tribe encampments."

"Yes but who?" Sango asked the one question that was most important.

"Well who do we know who'd benefit from Kouga and Alexander fighting each other?" Kagome asked looking to the others for an answer before giving her opinion.

"Duh? Naraku obviously! After Kagura failed to kill him and Kikyo at the temple he was bound to try again!" , Shippo said piping up with a smug look on his little face, "You guys are so slow sometimes!"

"Why you!" InuYasha said as he knocked the kitsune cub hard on the head.

"WWAAHH! Kagome! He's being mean!" Shippou cried as he quickly climbed out of the basket on the front of her bike onto her shoulder and around to her back.

"InuYasha!" Kagome said scolding the hanyou for picking on the fox demon cub.

"Feh!" InuYasha said in a huff before turning away from her before the look in her eyes forced him to say he was sorry to the brat.

"In any case I must agree with Shippou that Naraku is most likely the one responsible for the massacred encampments as he has certainly proved himself capable of it in the past." , Mirokou stated nodding his head before turning to Myouga and asking "Do you know where Alexander is right now?"

"Not exactly but I believe he may be headed to Kobe." Myouga said vaguely and this made InuYasha suspicious about just how vague the flea's information really was.

"Oh and why would he be heading there?" InuYasha asked in a tone that made it clear what he believed the flea demon's answer would be.

"Well .. um .. it's the only human village left in the direction he's going in before he enters the Chugoku region." Myouga said with no little bit of embarrassment over his shortcomings this time as a source of information.

"Hah! I knew you were bluffing!" InuYasha crowed at exposing the cowardly flea.

"Ahem yes well in any case we should probably hurry and try to get to Kouga before he finds Alexander and try to stop them from doing Naraku's work for him." Mirokou stated trying to get their discussion back on track.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going." InuYasha said impatiently as he started walking in the proper direction.

"Why are you in such a rush InuYasha?" Sango asked apparently mystified at not having to persuade the hanyou to go to the aide of two people he didn't really like.

"That's easy! He just wants to taunt Kouga with the fact that he fell for one of Naraku's tricks again." Shippo said arrogantly before ducking back behind Kagome when InuYasha glared at the cub.

"Sigh Well then let's be on our way." Kagome said as she almost rolled her eyes at InuYasha's less than altruistic reasons for preventing a fight between Kouga's tribe and Alexander.


	7. The Tragedy of the Reality

"An Heir With Character" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email: This is to reaffirm to the readers that the poll for potential pairings for Xander is still open so keep on sending them in because of this moment Kikyo has the lead. Also I wish to address the comments made by some reviewers of this crossover concerning Xander not using any new or interesting abilities aside from those used by Sesshomaru. Please try to understand that unlike it may appear in the Anime series unique abilities or powers can't be switched on and off like a light switch. It is like learning how to perform a proper martial arts technique or even something basic like playing the piano. It takes time to discover, practice and perfect. Also keep in mind that Xander is unaware that he **possesses** any abilities other than those used by Sesshomaru. He didn't exactly take a good look at those who were killed by his crimson breath nor has either Kikyo or Kagura told him about the effect his breath has on those it touches. When added to the fact that Anime series does not exactly go into any real detail as to how demons or hanyou learn their attacks or devise new ones so Xander doesn't really have anything to work from to develop attacks of his own. Don't worry though that is going to change over the next few chapters. Just be patient.

One Hour Outside of Kobe, Early morning 

"Well Ichiro looks like you're almost rid of me for good." Xander said as he pointed with his chin at the city of Kobe growing larger in the distance.

The boy just frowned which was a big step considering the last time they had spoken to one another the boy had outright told him he refused to speak to him. From the boys point of view he supposed it was a wise precaution as there were some demon's who had hypnotic voices or amazingly potent powers of suggestion. If there were similar demons here in this universe then it was sound advice to keep conversations between you and them to a minimum since most enthralling spells required a two-way conversation. In any case the boy was at least moderately civil with him this morning but still only spoke to him when necessary. It would almost be a pity to see them go with their Aunt and Uncle as he would have liked to have the time to actually get that boy to like him. Still he could not deny that he really wanted to get on the trail of something or someone who could get him back home and back in his normal human body. Of course if he could somehow wing it so that he could keep the newly regenerated eye when he returned so at leas then he would be able to drive and perhaps get out of receiving those pirate jokes. Whenever he got into a squabble with one of the Scooby gang or newbie slayers they always pulled out the pirate or peg-leg jokes. He usually took it in good stride and just got even with a few bottle-blonde jokes or some otherwise crack that some of the newbie slayers who knew nothing of American pop-culture would not understand. He always find it so amusing to hear them try and come up with a witty retort to something that they didn't understand. Sometimes they even managed to make themselves look even stupider which earner him brownie points with anyone else who didn't like his adversary at the time. In any case having both eyes back would benefit him in a number of ways and at least now he had a story that no one could beat when he got back. After all how many people could say that they got transported to a universe where their favorite TV show was a reality and have some bad-ass inu-youkai abilities as well.

Too bad I couldn't take some of those abilities back with me. , he thought looking at Kobe ahead of them Maybe then I could actually be a player in the fight against evil instead of just being the fix it guy. 

It had been irking him ever since they had started putting together the new Slayer's Watcher Council in the aftermath of Sunneydale becoming the world's largest pothole. Ever since then he had been more or less regulated to fixing up the new HQ and stocking the place with supplies of all kinds. He had tried a couple of times to request an assignment like locating and bringing back one of the newbie Slayers or maybe patrol of the local cemeteries but the excuse they gave for denying him was always a variation of a single fact. With only one eye not only did he have a blind spot that demon's could exploit but his uncanny ability to get himself into trouble was not something they wanted to turn into a global thing. The worst part was that he couldn't exactly deny any of the points they made because they were for the most part true. With a patch over one eye even the dimmest of demons would know how to get the drop on him and given his luck with women as well as trying to be the hero traveling to locales around the world was not a bright idea. So with these annoyingly true facts he had tried to keep himself content by doing what he could and being the best at them that he could. Needless to say he thought he was making record time restoring the estate that the new Watcher HQ sat upon and there was no one better than him at cheering up the gang when things got grim. If he managed to find some way to bring some of these youkai abilities with him then he would be able to fight side by side with the others and perhaps even be the one to save the day on purpose rather than by accident.

He almost laughed at the thought of him being the one to telling some demon who the winner was and who the loser was or something witty like Buffy did just before finishing off someone like The Master or Glory. That thought however was vaporized when his clumsy power sensing ability when blooey and caused him to stop in his tracks as the sensation spread all over his body. It wasn't so much the strength behind the single but rather the number that caused him to stop and take notice of what was coming at them. Looking to Kikyo he could see that she too could sense the demonic aura's approaching them from behind and that concern was a valid description of what she was feeling at the moment. His mind tried to run through all the possibilities for this many demons heading in this direction and he could only come up with three that fit this current scenario. The first was that Naraku had decided to have another go at killing off both him and Kikyo by sending a large number of deadly demons their way with the expressed orders to rip them to shreds. The second was that the demons were making a raid on Kobe which was a distinct possibility given that it was a major map worthy town even in this era. The last was one that his inner voice was hinting to be the more probable one which was that the Xander Luck had struck again with some random demons sensing both him and Kikyo and coming to the decision to pit their might against their own. After all heaven forbid that in an entirely new universe he could go about his business without some deity deciding to play with him like a ball of string. One of these days he was going to have Willow cast a spell to list all of his past lives and find out if he had done anything so bad that he was still paying for it karma wise today.

"Any idea who we might have made mad to have them send this many demons after us?" Xander asked Kikyo almost rhetorically even knowing she would probably answer anyways.

"Naraku most likely but there seem to be fewer than the horde he sent after us at the temple. Perhaps a tribe of wolf demons who discovered the remains of those responsible for the village massacre have come to seek revenge." Kikyo suggested as she got her bow and arrows unpacked from their meager belongings.

"In any case we need to get the children to safety before they arrive. They can't get caught in the middle of something that's our fault." , Xander said with an uncommon seriousness entering his voice, "Take the children and make for Kobe as fast as you aan. I'll handle the demmns."

"You cannmt possily thini you can defeat that many demons on your own!" Kikyo exclaimed incredulously.

"Defeat? Not a chance but I can delay them long enough for you to make it to Kobe." , he replied as he steeled himself for one intense battle, "Once I am certain you are safe I will lead them away from here and hopefully lose them in the forest. I fall goes well I should be back within two to three days and we can resume our respective journeys."

"And if you cannot lose them?" Kikyo asked with a raised eyebrow of inquiry and skepticism.

"Then at least I'll be the only one hurt rather than you or the people of Kobe." He stated plainly as though he was willing to accept such a fate if it became necessary.

"It is hardly heroic to commit suicide attempting to fight a battle you cannot win." The undead priestess stated doing a good impression of an annoyed female Vulcan.

"Hey, who's trying to be a hero? I just don't want to see any of you or the innocents of Kobe get hurt and I'm the best person to deal with these demons." , Xander stated with a tone he usually reserved for deadboy when he was particularly peeved at the ensouled vamp, "After all despite all your abilities you have a finite number of arrows and aren't exactly experienced at close quarters combat. Besides who do you think the people of Kobe are going to welcome more, an inu-youkai with children or a priestess with children?"

He could see that this little fact was enough to destroy whatever points she had been preparing to make against separating but that left him with his most difficult challenge. Somehow he had to persuade Takara to leave him behind and go with Kikyo and the others to Kobe while he stayed to deal with the group of demons that were rapidly approaching. The child's attachment to him had only grown since their small encounter with the bandits and she was even beginning to learn how to read how he was really feeling despite the masks and false emotions he tried to use to obscure the truth. That left him with either choosing to try and lie to her in the hopes that his acting skills had improved since the last time he had tried to lie to her or tell her the truth and hope she would obey his wishes and go with Kikyo. Getting down on one knee in front of her he looked her in the eye and decided that the truth was the only way to go with his little one.

"Takara I need you to go with Kikyo and the others and go ahead to Kobe. Some bad demons are heading this way and I have to stay and drive them away." , Xander said as he tried to be as brave and confident as he could, "I promise that as soon as I make the bad demons go away I'll come back to see you. Will you go with Kikyo and the others?"

Predictably Takara vigorously shook her head in the negative and clasped her arms around his neck in the mother of all hugs refusing to let him go.

"I know, I know but Takara its not going to be safe for you here in a little bit and it would make me very sad if you were to get hurt." , Xander said as he tried to get what he was saying across to her while at the same time being gentle, "You've come to mean a great deal to me over these past couple of days for you look at me not as a demon but as a friend. Please, for me, go with Kikyo and the others to Kobe. I promise we will see each other again."

Reluctantly Takara relinquished her hold on him and slipped to the ground but it was clear that while she was likely going to obey him she didn't like it one bit. In a move that surprised just about everyone there she leapt up and gave him a peck on the cheek before running over to stand with Ichiro and the others.

"Good. Now you guys had better get going because those demons are going to be in eyesight any minute now." He said before turning in the direction he could sense the demons coming from.

He could sense some hesitation on their part but eventually the sounds of feet pitter-pattering away filled the air before slowly fading away into the distance. In truth he wasn't sure what he could do against the oncoming group of demons aside from attempt to talk his way out of whatever grievance they had with one another or run like hell if talking didn't work out. After all while he might have the body and the powers to hold his own in a fight right now, despite the fact that he couldn't use them very well, his years as the Zeppo had allowed him to perfect his negotiation technique. True it often came down to 'hey look over there' followed by burying an axe in his adversary's forehead but hey he was still alive wasn't he. Hopefully though this was something that would require a rational and levelheaded person more than an experienced warrior otherwise he was going to be more than sore come tomorrow.

Looking into the distance he could see the first sign of his opponents in the form of a raging dust cloud that seemed to indicate that they were approaching at a fantastic speed. Fortunately though there were few demons that could meet or surpass Sesshomaru in speed and since he had been gifted with a fairly good copy of that speed he should be able to keep up with them if things got nasty. However his confidence in his speed so turned to concern as he noticed a central twister like dust cloud in front and at the center of the larger dust cloud designating it in all likelihood as the leader. What bothered him was that none of the other demons manifested the same sort of spiral dust cloud as the one in the lead. That might indicate that their leader was of a different species of demon than the main group but he doubted it as every demon he had seen in the Anime series had been really bad at working well with others. Well, the species that had been considered evil didn't get along with each other and the only time they were seen together was when they were forced to by a stronger demon like Naraku. With the leader being of a different species being tossed as an option that left the possibility that the leader was simply more powerful than the rest and thus manifested his abilities differently. In any case it meant that at least one of them could be capable of pounding him into the ground if he wasn't careful.

In any case I can just do what me and the gang usually did when we came against a demon too powerful to beat. , he said as he grinned at the humorous memory Run like hell until Giles or Willow came up with a way to weaken it enough for Buffy to turn it into a shish-kabob. 

When the leader came close enough for Xander's inu-youkai eyes to pick out enough detail to put a species and a face to him he looked towards the heavens and asked whoever was listening if there was a sign on his back saying 'InuYasha characters come to me'. As the figure got closer there was no doubt that the wolf demon who was coming his way with the rest of his tribe was the infamous Kouga. Cursing his luck he realized that the reason why the twister cloud around Kouga was different was because of the jewel shards in his legs. They made him much faster than your standard wolf demon and even caused InuYasha a few headaches when the wolf prince came calling on Kagome. Fortunately though a demon that was trouble for the hanyou would hopefully just be a nuisance for him given the differences between Sesshomaru's speed and InuYasha's. The problem with this scenario was the sheer number of wolf demons with him as he counted at least twenty of them with the possibility of more being hidden in the dust clouds. He knew that if he went all out he could probably make short work of the normal wolf demons and probably even beat Kouga but that would most likely mean killing them. That was something that he outright refused to do over what was likely going to be another case of either mistaken identity or an over exaggerated rumor. Crossing his arms over his chest he waited for the other side of this little meeting to arrive and hope that they could at least talk before matters degenerated into mindless violence.

Someone had apparently been listening to his hope because once the party of wolf demons reached the distance of about one block away from him they stopped all together.

"Looks like we finally caught up with you you murdering bastard!" Kouga exclaimed with fury pointing directly at Alexander.

"While I agree that you did catch up with me wolf demon I am afraid that you are quite mistaken about the latter half of your pronouncement." Xander said calmly so as not to add to the tension that the wolf demons were giving off at the moment.

He could tell that they were barely keeping themselves from attacking him right that moment and only their respect for Kouga and the fact that he had yet to give any orders was holding them back. From what he could tell looking at their faces he doubted that they were just making this whole 'murderer' thing up as an excuse to attack him. Someone or some people had definitely died and it was the grief of loss and the need for revenge that was driving them to commit this act of aggression. Why they had pegged him as the person responsible he had no idea but he supposed the only way to find out was to ask them.

"Maybe you could tell me who you think I killed so we can get this mess all straightened out sooner rather than later." He said in a tone he hoped was respectful yet also genuinely confused.

"Don't act like you don't remember you filthy mutt! You wiped out four of our packs no less than four days ago and you'll pay for their blood with your life! You and that ningen priestess of yours!" , Kouga roared before looking around and asking, "Where is the bitch anyway? Hiding in the trees to shoot us in the back?"

"While I don't doubt that something bad happened to get your fur kilt in a knot wolf boy I most certainly did not wipe out any wolf demon packs in the last four days." , Xander said getting a little annoyed at the continued accusations that he was the second coming of Angelus or something, "As for Kikyo all I'm going to say is that she is safe for the time being. Whether or not she would shoot any of you in the back with an arrow can't say I know if she would one way or the other. We only just met about a week ago so I don't know her very well."

True he probably knew her about as well as anyone else in the show with the exception perhaps of Kaede, InuYasha or **ugh** Naraku but it would be better for the undead priestess if her only connection with him was a loose one.

"Liar! One of my brothers survived your attack and named both you and your wench as being responsible for the massacre of his pack!" , Kouga said with venom before reaching beneath his armor and tossing something to ground between them, "Perhaps this will jog your memory! Tomeo managed to cut it off you!"

Okay, now I'm sure I'm being set up Xander thought to himself as he recognized a bloody piece of his shirt that he had given to Kikyo to bandage Tsuyu's leg.

As soon as he had recognized Kouga as being the leader of the group he had suspected that this was another repeat of that incident where Kagura framed InuYasha for the massacre of the northern wolf demon tribe in order to get Kouga to kill him. Apparently she was a little sore after the whupping he gave her back at the temple but decided to send this cocky idiot to do her dirty work again. He had never really liked the wolf demon on the show as he was always treating Kagome like a possession and ragging on his hero InuYasha. Meeting him in person like this he couldn't say that his opinion of him had gone up all that much at all and would likely go down before this was over.

"Man! I guess you really can't teach a young wolf new tricks! If all you have to tie me to the crime is a scrap of bloody cloth and the words of 'the sole survivor' as proof I guess you really are as stupid as you look!" , Xander said has he began to try and guess just how stupid Kouga really was, "Can't you tell your just being set up to do Kagura's dirty work again?"

Unfortunately that proved to be exactly the **wrong** thing to say as the wolf prince apparently didn't approve of being reminded of the last time he had been used and humiliated by the wind sorceress. As a result he charged head first and it was all Xander could do to avoid the first series of attacks as they had caught him almost completely off guard. To add to his troubles though the rest of the wolf demon tribe apparently decided to take their leader's charge as an order to attack as they started running towards him moments later. Before he knew it he was surrounded on all sides by wolf demons with Kouga doing his best to knock Xander's head off with one swing. The only thing that worked in his favor though was while the jewel shards might make Kouga capable of running faster than any normal wolf demon his punches on the other hand were normal. There was nothing super fast about any of them which meant that even InuYasha could probably dodge most of them if he tried. Sadly he had also given Kouga an advantage as well since all he was doing at the moment was dodging. Not once did he attack although he saw numerous openings in the wolf prince's defenses that he could have exploited to his advantage. Even though he was tempted to attack he knew that kicking Kouga's cracked butt would only make matters worse as the other wolf demons would likely jump in to get their own pound of flesh. As long as it was him and Kouga they seemed content to just sit back and wait things out but if he eliminated their leader either by rendering him unconscious or by killing him he would have a free for all on his hands.

"C'mon you monster! Fight me or are you afraid I'll expose you as the treacherous weakling you are!" Kouga roared as he threw a punch that actually managed to graze Xander's chin before rolling off of it.

"Hey! I'm not the one who needs twenty or more buddies to take down one youkai!" , Xander retorted to keep the wolf prince's attention on him, "Besides you're moving so slow I can't help but move out of the way! A guy can only stand still for so long before he gets bored!"

It had been Xander's intention to keep the wolf demon's focused on him for at least another ten to fifteen minutes and then cut out into the forest away from Kobe. However someone higher up on the celestial food chain apparently thought that was a wimpy way to end things and decided to move things along a little differently. After seemingly pausing for a moment Kouga seemed to look over his shoulder in the direction of Kobe and whatever he was thinking of caused him to smile.

"That's where your wench is isn't it? She's in that human town." , Kouga asked before turning to one of his men, "Ginta take the men and search that town from top to bottom for that priestess wench! Anyone tries to get in your way, kill 'em!"

"Right away Kouga!" , the wolf demon named Ginta replied, "Alright guys! You heard the boss! Search that town and don't stop until you find the priestess!"

NO , Xander thought as he looked as the pack of wolf demons began to charge towards the town In the state those wolves are in it'll be a bloodbath! I have to stop them 

Kouga however took advantage of that momentary distraction and hit him in the jaw with one of the hardest punches he had ever been on the receiving edge of in his life. It knocked him hard to the ground and caused him to skid across the dirt leaving a small ditch behind to show how far he had traveled. Naturally when he had managed to gather his senses and looked at Kouga the wolf prince had a cocky smile on his face.

"Best keep your mind on the fight murderer! I want this to last long enough for me to at least gain some satisfaction from tearing you apart." Kouga taunted as he was apparently quite proud of the hit he had just scored on him.

Growling at how bad the situation had become Xander surged to his feet and decided that he had had enough of the passive wait until your opponent comes to his senses approach. He had to take out this entire group right now or there was no telling how many people in Kobe were going to die because of this prima donna's false preconceptions of the truth. He would go after the rest of the tribe later as he was certain that Kikyo could hold them off for at least a little while. His primary concern was Kouga because maybe, just maybe if he could take the wolf prince down quickly enough the other wolf demons would come back to take a try at him as well. Running forward with a speed that left after images of himself briefly in the air he ducked underneath a clumsy punch by Kouga and slammed one of his own right in the stomach. He heard the tell tale whoosh of air that told him that he had succeeded in knocking the air out of the wolf demon's lungs. The sad part was that he had made the same mistake Kouga had and allowed that one successful attack distract him because instead of falling to the ground as he had predicted Kouga merely planted both hands on the ground and delivered a thunderous kick to his right hip. If the wolf prince's earlier punch had been impressive his kick was ridiculous as it sent such pain up and down his body that when he finally fell to the ground he could barely move never mind get up.

DAMN IT! I never thought that Kouga would think to use his feet as a weapon like that , Xander said as he tried to shove the pain away and get back to his feet He never really did any impressive martial arts attacks in the Anime series and seemed more like a brawler like InuYasha. I can't let him get a lucky shot like that again 

Managing to force himself to his feet eventually it was obvious though that he was favoring one side more than another as any significant weight placed on his right leg or hip sent searing pain throughout his body. Fortunately his own punch prior to the kick had kept Kouga from delivering up a follow up attack but as of that moment both of them were on their feet and the wolf prince seemed to sense victory in the air. Like the dumb animals that traveled with the wolf demon tribe the more primitive side of the wolf demon sensed his injury and believed that the kill was going to happen soon. Xander could not let that happen, he would not let that happen, because Takara and the others needed his help and he would not let them down. His only chance though was to deliver one decisive blow to Kouga and hope that it would be enough to take him out of the fight for the duration. That meant taking out the wolf demon's legs because without them he was not only immobilized but his most formidable weapon would be lost. For his plan to work though he would have to lure the pompous jerk into a false sense of security and make him press the attack. To this effect he pretended that the pain in his right leg had spike and fell onto his backside rolling to the left immediately to take the pressure off his wound. This provided the wolf prince with an exposed back and an apparently vulnerable opponent which proved to be just what he wanted as he roared with bloodlust as he began his charge.

One … two … three … NOW Xander though and just as Kouga was about to reach him he used both arms to push himself into the air until he was passing right over the wolf prince's head.

However despite what some people back home might think it was not his intention to have Kouga run head first into the tree trunk that had been behind him. That was too cartoony even for him and he very much doubted that wolf boy would have fallen for it. No his plan came to fruition when Xander grabbed a hold of Kouga's shoulders and redirected the momentum from his charge so he could lift the wolf demon into the air and then slam him feet first into the ground adding some of his own strength to the mix. As a result of the surprise attack and the combined force of both the wolf prince and his own inu-youkai strength several painful snaps could be hear ringing throughout the area. Xander's true plan for taking out Kouga's legs had never been to use the poison whip attack to slice them off as Sesshomaru might have but instead turn the wolf prince's own aggression against them to break both legs. It would be wound enough to take him out of the fight without permanently crippling or maiming him since despite his cocky attitude he occasionally proved useful against Naraku. He was not allowed to pat himself on the back though as mere moments after the sounds of Kouga's legs being broken his own feet touched the ground. Pain instantly reminded him of its presence has he landed on his right leg out of habit aggravating the surely badly bruised hip and causing him to drop to shift as much of his weight on his left leg as quick as possible. He almost lost his balance from the pain but at least he was fairing better than Kouga who had apparently lost consciousness from the pain of having both legs so forcefully broken. He hoped that the wolf demon wouldn't be too pissed when he woke up because he was not looking forward to going another round with him if he could avoid it.

Now I remember why I leave the fighting to Buffy and Faith , Xander thought as the pain in his right side dropped to a light throbbing Being a hero is too **damn** painful 

Suddenly the sound of many screams reached his sensitive ears instantly reminding him that about twenty wolf demons were tearing through Kobe looking for Kikyo. If they found her they would also likely find Ichiro, Tsuyu and .. oh **no**!

"Takara!" he said with fear as he began to hobble as fast as he could towards Kobe praying that Kikyo was keeping the children safe.

"You realize you look like a baka hopping around like that!" , came a sarcastically familiar voice from behind.

AANNNDD the hits keep on coming as he turned his head to spot the familiar party that he had left in the massacred village.

"Did I ask for your opinion InuYasha?" Xander said while trying to look more dignified rather than a pathetic invalid.

"Nah but I decided to give you a free one since you beat Kouga." InuYasha said with the Tetsaiga resting on his shoulder.

"Shut up! I've got better things to do that keep you amused!" , Xander snapped as he could feel time ticking away for Kobe as he hobbled over to where Kirara had landed in her giant transformed cat state, "Now get me to Kobe **now**!"

"Hey! What do we look like! A taxi service?" InuYasha growled as Xander finally reached Kirara's side.

"Look! Before Kouga and me started playing patty cake with each others faces he sent twenty wolf demons to tear through Kobe looking for Kikyo!" Xander declared with annoyance at the time it was taking to explain things to the newcomers.

"What?" InuYasha declared before taking off for Kobe and leaving them all in the dust.

"Why did Kouga attack you Alexander?" Sango asked as she helped him up onto Kirara's back.

"Apparently a 'survivor' from one of the massacred packs made it to Kouga and gave him a piece of the shirt that InuYasha shredded a few days back," , he said with a slight wince as he briefly put some pressure on his bruised side, "Needless to say when I tried to explain to the wolf that he was being used again to do Kagura's dirty work he took it the wrong way and decided to close my mouth with his fist."

"Hmmm as we suspected. However I am curious as to why Naraku is giving you such special attention." Mirokou said from behind him.

"Oh the jackass was trying to kill Kikyo a week ago and I just stepped in and gave him a nice scar across his chest!" Xander said offhand mistakenly allowing the pain from his side to make him a little testy and just as much a potty-mouth as InuYasha.

"That would've been when we were fighting Muso!" Kagome exclaimed as she and most likely the others matched the dates in their heads.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's get going alright!" Xander said as his enhanced hearing picked up a few less screams coming from Kobe and hoped it didn't mean what he thought it might.

With a sigh that no doubt corresponded with 'another foul mouth like InuYasha' Sango ordered Kirara into the air and within moments they were approaching the outer edge of Kobe. What greeted his eyes was nothing less than chaos as the once ordered city was now a mess of fleeing villagers and very angry wolf demons searching the entire area for Kikyo. Since it seemed as though they were still looking chances are that they hadn't found her yet but it also meant that the frustration and anger levels were continuously on the rise. From what little he could see from this vantage point there weren't any casualties yet as the scent of death was absent from the air. How long that would last was anyone's guess but he doubted it would be more than an hour before the wolf demons took their frustrations out on the humans. Somehow he had to either drive them off or make certain that their attention was solely focused on him enough to allow the villagers to get to safety. How he could do that in his weakened state was a question to which he had only one answer. Given the pain he was feeling right now and the pain he would likely feel if he gave his solution a try he wasn't certain if he could pull if off but he knew he had to try. Looking around he knew he would need he spotted what was apparently a central town courtyard and it seemed big enough to meet his needs.

"Sango, have Kirara put me down in the main courtyard over there." He said as he tried to mentally talk himself into going through with his plan.

"Why?" the demon exterminator asked with a mix of curiousness and confusion.

"I intend to give the wolf demons a bigger and more important target than Kikyo or the villagers." He replied with a look of determination that he bet made him look even more like Sesshomaru than he would have liked.

Nodding with some reluctance in her eyes she asked Kirara to do what he asked and seconds later he was gently slipping from the fire cat's back to the stone courtyard of Kobe. Pain flared up his side for a few moments as he tried to keep his balance but once he did he tried to master his concentration because he had a feeling he was going to need it.

"No go and join InuYasha." He said and surprisingly she obeyed without question.

"Be careful Alexander!" he heard her say before she flew out of range on Kirara's back.

Unfortunately careful isn't going to cut it , Xander thought to himself as he spotted the first group of wolf demons coming his way from a street leading to the courtyard Besides that just wouldn't be my style. I'm more of a dive in head first and need rescuing later 

With that he closed his eyes as he always did and drew on the beast that was howling inside of him to be released. He could feel the wind begin to swirl about him was the false youki he possessed began to build in size and strength, as if heralding a force of nature that was about to be released. As he felt his body begin to shift he tried to infuse his pants with the same power, attempting to mimic Sesshomaru's transformation as close as possible so he wouldn't have to ask the villagers for another set of clothes later. Pain arched up his right side as his legs were the first to begin to transform and for a few precious seconds he could feel his concentration begin to slip as his conscious mind and his body's sensory input warred for supremacy. However seeing Takara's possible fate if he failed gave him renewed determination and he treated the pain like his mathematics teacher in high school and ignored it. With the pain pushed to a corner of his mind the transformation proceeded unhindered and hopefully with his clothes intact as he was not looking forward to what InuYasha would say if he changed back naked. Once he felt the energy he had released reach its peak he opened his eyes and as though through red glasses he looked down upon Kobe as it was spread out around him. He looked down at the wolf demons he had spotted earlier and knew he had their undivided attention with the way their mouths were hanging open right then. To emphasis the trouble they were in and hopefully lure the others to him he let out a mighty bark that echoed throughout the entire area.

**__**

Kikyo's Perspective, Same Time 

Alexander Kikyo thought as she heard the thunderous bark echo all across the town.

It had been almost half an hour since she had taken the children and ran to Kobe for safety and to alert the people of the battle that was about to break out just beyond the edge of their town. The townsfolk had been skeptical at first but when their own priests picked up the demonic auras approaching they rushed to get as many people into the shrine as possible. With the buildings blessed walls and a few potent sutras placed at all points of entry as well as around the perimeter it would be the only true safe haven for the innocent. It was in there that she had placed Ichiro, Tsuyu and Takara before going to aide in the gathering of other people who had not yet entered the shrine. With her bow in her hand and arrows within reach she fired upon any wolf demons that either figured out what was going on or attempted to approach the shrine. She was mentally preparing a few cutting remarks for him on how to properly keep a band of wolf demons away from a village but that stopped when she spotted a familiar white and red form laying into the wolf demons. She cursed for second time when she realized that if InuYasha was here than his friends couldn't be far behind and that meant that **she** was here. It never did her well when her reincarnated self was close by because she could feel the throbbing of the meager soul that still resided within her pulse with the need to join its kin. She was lucky that the young girl Kagome had no official teaching in the skills of a priestess otherwise she had little doubt that what little life was left to her would be taken. However as she looked up and towards the center of town she found that her one investment in her quest to destroy the two hanyous she so despised was effectively drawing all eyes to him. If that held than there was a good chance that most if not all of the wolf demons would be drawn to deal with him rather than hunting her and the towns people down. It was fortunate for her as she had used almost half of her arrows and did not expect to have them replenished any time soon.

"Lady Kikyo, what is that?" asked a familiar voice from behind her as she saw Ichiro poking his head out of the entrance to the shrine.

"It is Alexander Ichiro, in his transformed state, now get back inside where it is safe." Kikyo stated in reply with tone reserved usually for unruly children.

"B-b-but Tsuyu and I can't find Takara in the shrine!" , Ichiro said nervously as he pried his eyes away from the head of the giant demon dog visible over the roofs of the town, "We knew she came in with us but now we cannot find her anywhere!"

It would seem that my new ally Alexander attracts trouble as much as InuYasha often sought it out she thought to herself as she used her experience as a priestess to keep her cool and not snap at the child for adding to her difficulties.

"You and Tsuyu remain in the shrine. I will find her and bring her back here." She said with a tone that brook no argument.

The boy nodded before retreating into the shrine and she prayed to whomever would be listening that he would do as he was not told and not get any ideas involving 'helping' her. Rising from her firing position inside of the circular barrier of holy sutras and other blessed artifacts she swiftly began to stride through the streets to the right of the shrine. She knew that there was no way that Takara could have snuck by her from the main entrance so that meant only the sides as she knew that the back of the shrine was a solid stone wall. As she looked all about for signs of the girl she wondered what could have possessed the girl to leave the safety of the shrine but in looking towards Alexander's large form she knew her answer. She had suspected almost from the moment that she had seen the child sleeping with her head on his chest that Takara had become attached to Alexander. As their journey had progressed the attachment had only grown and she had been worried as she had all but dragged her to Kobe that she would have tried to go back for him. It had been her hope that the other villagers would have been enough to keep her inside the shrine and if not them then at least Ichiro and Tsuyu. Apparently though the child was smarter and more determined than she had appeared or at least smart enough to sneak out of a building unseen. She just hoped that none of the wolf demons came across her because she had no doubt that the trauma of what happened to her village was still fresh in her mind. It would likely freeze the young child on the spot with fear or undo all the progress that Takara would have made in the company of her and Alexander. Hurrying her search Kikyo checked in every vendors stall and inside every intact building whose door was unlocked for signs of the girl.

Near the center of the town she could hear the sounds of the wolf tribe attacking Alexander with their meager weapons but she was not concerned about it. In such a form only an enchanted weapon like InuYasha's Tetsaiga or another demon equal in size or power to him would be capable of inflicting harm upon his form. Since she could not sense a demon of such power within the boarders of the town she knew that the wolf demons were wasting their time attacking him. It was like ants attempting to devour a human. In a large enough group it might be possible over time but for only twenty they would be nothing more than annoyances to the inu-youkai. However they might be capable of doing some damage once they realize that he will not chance using his full power in such a populated area. She remembered the last time that he had done so against the horde of demons that Kagura had led against them at the temple where they had first met. His crimson breath had been capable of laying waste to entire legions but with no true way to direct it with such precision he would do just as much damage to the humans as the demons. At the thought of his last transformation into his mighty demon form she remembered coming upon him afterwards with Samonoske and finding him bare and without clothes. She blushed for a moment at the memory as her heart skipped a beat but quickly squashed such emotions and thoughts as they would only make it that more difficult to use him as a weapon against InuYasha and Naraku. It would take everything the two of them had to accomplish her goals and she would have to be willing to sacrifice him in battle if it would ensure that she emerged victorious. If she began to consider him as anything else than a tool she might hesitate in her choices and besides she **refused** to allow her emotions to make her vulnerable again. Returning her focus to the task at hand she looked up and down the streets she came upon, looking carefully for the bright red dress that Takara had been wearing. With such a brightly colored piece of clothing it shouldn't be too difficult to pick her out of the all the duller colored objects laying about.

There she thought as she spotted the bottom a piece of red cloth fly around a corner two blocks away from her as she hurried to catch up.

At this rate the child would soon reach the main courtyard and if she were to get caught up in the battle between the wolf demons and Alexander and she shuddered to think what kind of advantage the wolf demons might have holding her hostage. He would never think to attack them if they threatened Takara's life and she did not like what her imagination was providing for her imagery wise if they actually stooped to killing her. It was a distinct possibility if they thought that the child meant was much to Alexander as their brothers had to them. If they came to accept the fact that they could not kill the inu-youkai they might be content to settle for hurting him emotionally by killing the child in front of him.

Spurred on by this she yelled "Takara! Come back here! It's dangerous that way!"

The young girl seemed not to hear her as she continued down towards the main courtyard where the battle between wolf demons and a dog demon raged on. It was like the beginnings of a nightmare, no matter how fast she tried to run the child seemed continually out of reach. She only hoped that her fears would not become a reality and that the levity and joy in Alexander's eyes would not turn to pain and sorrow before all was said and done. If that happened it was inevitable that the grief he would feel would turn into something else and she doubted that the wolf demons of Japan would be able to weather the storm of his fury.

**__**

Kobe, Sango's perspective atop Kirara's Back 

He won't be able to keep that up for long. Sango thought as she looked down at Alexander as he fought to defeat the wolf demons apparently without causing them lasting harm.

She had dropped off Mirokou near the shrine to help the priests there protect and aide villagers who sought sanctuary there. When he had asked where she was going she had told him that she was going to search for any stragglers who were either too injured to get to the shrine on their own or were being attacked by wolf demons. In truth though she had an alternate purpose to her observing the town from the sky and that was to learn more about Alexander by watching him. Ever since she had first began to wonder what he looked like as a human she had found her thoughts occupied by other questions about him. What weapon did he favor? Where was his homeland exactly? Did he have a family? A Wife? She found herself blushing at the direction her questions seemed to be heading towards but then assured herself that she was perfectly within her rights as a single woman to consider other possibilities besides Mirokou. Not that she was willing to up and wed the inu-youkai man right then and there but she had to admit to herself that she was not completely adverse to the idea if she was given more time to get to know him. In any case it provided some interesting possibilities for the future not the least of which was using Alexander to see just how strong Mirokou's feelings for her truly were.

It was out of the corner of her eye that she spotted a bit of rapid movement coming down one of the streets leading to the courtyard where the battle was taking place. Looking at it more closely she could see a little girl no older than six years running towards the courtyard and a woman in priestess' clothing chasing after her. She knew from missions with her father how easy it was for an innocent to get hurt when a battle involving a major demon was taking place. It was one of the reasons it was standard practice among demon exterminators of her village to ask the village elders to maintain a safe distance from the battlefield during the time when they were working. She had to get the woman and the child to the shrine before the wolf demons took notice of them and decided to act.

"Kirara take me down to them!" Sango said as a request as she kept one hand on her sword and another gripping some of the fire cat's fur.

As she got closer she could see the woman chasing the child more clearly and was shocked to find that it was the undead priestess Kikyo. She had known that the walking dead woman was traveling with Alexander but she wondered what she was doing here running into the thick of things. It seemed as though she was trying to get to the child before she could enter the courtyard of Kobe but did not look as though she would be able to do so in time. Urging Kirara down just inside the street the child was running down she hoped to be able to prevent her from going any further all the while preventing the wolf demons from attacking. She was certain that Kouga had mentioned them all to his fellow wolf demons and labeled them as being off limits to attack. This being the case it was a safe bet that if she could keep the child close to her she would be safe until things settled down a bit. As she knew that they would the wolf demons took notice of her and Kirara but kept their focus on Alexander as he was the larger and more important threat to deal with at the moment. Sliding off of Kirara on the street side of the fire cat she grabbed the child before she could find away past her but the child squirmed in her grasp and was quite obviously trying to get free.

"Please! Stop! It's not safe to go in there!" Sango said as she tried to calm the girl and make her understand that she was in danger if she went any further.

However this did nothing to calm the girl as she continued to try and get free but thankfully she had a firm grip so the chances of the little girl escaping her was slim. Looking back the way the child had come she noticed that Kikyo had arrived but was keeping her distance from her. Not surprising based on the way that she acted towards she and the others whenever they met one another in the quest for the sacred jewel shards. The undead priestess would usually render all but InuYasha and Kagome helpless in some manner and then proceed to both steal the shards they had and find a way to take her former lover into hell with her as a final act of revenge. She was still unsure as to why Kikyo was following Alexander around but she was sure it somehow worked into her quest to destroy both InuYasha and Naraku. However she herself would refrain from taking any action against her. Whatever ill blood Kikyo had between herself and InuYasha was for them to decide and resolve not her and she doubted her hanyou friend would appreciate her interference in the matter.

However Alexander is another matter. , Sango thought to herself as she passed the child to Kikyo She likely intends to manipulate him to further her own agenda not caring one whit if he perishes as a result. Besides given who here two targets are I should try and find out what she has in mind. 

"What are your plans for Alexander Kikyo?" , Sango asked as the priestess tried her own methods to calm the girl, "I somehow doubt that you are aiding him out of the kindness of your still heart."

"What business I have with Alexander is none of your concern." , Kikyo responded as the child seemed ready to admit defeat in her efforts to free herself, "Do not worry though all shall become clear soon."

As the priestess turned to leave though a pain filled whimper filled the air and the two of them looked to the obvious source of the noise only to see Alexander in his canine form stagger as though he had been dealt a serious blow. Jumping over Kirara she saw that the demons had apparently decided to focus their attacks on his right hind leg and each time they struck it caused the inu-youkai great pain. More pain in her estimation than there should be given the size difference between the wolf demons and the dog demon look-a-like of Sesshomaru. It was then that she remembered the wound that Alexander had suffered battling Kouga and the area that the wolf demons were attacking was in the same rough area. The wound was obviously still tender and now that his enemies had found their weak spot they were hitting it with everything they got turning the tide of the battle. Taking Hiratsu from her back she charged the demons intent on distracting them until Alexander recovered enough to defend himself on his own. The only down side was that she would have to pull her punches with the wolf demons as they were of Kouga's tribe and for the time being at least he was an ally. InuYasha of course would not care one way or another what happened to Kouga and his tribe but Kagome on the other hand would want to keep needless bloodshed from occurring. They noticed her approach but apparently Kouga's orders against harming one of Kagome's friends was enough to cause them to hesitate and that was all she needed. Using the blunt part of her weapon she laid into them with all the strength she dared to use hoping that her distraction strategy worked. She could hear from the sounds he was making that Alexander was still in some pain but was recovering so all she had to do was keep the wolf demons occupied just a little longer. However then something happened that she had not considered as she watched the giant canine form began to lose definition before seemingly being blown away by the wind. When all was said and done though all that remained was a weakened Alexander down on one knee and seemingly exhausted by his efforts to deal with the wolf demons. Not surprising as she knew that maintaining such a powerful form would likely be taxing and when added to the work of keeping the pain from his wound at bay it was a surprise he was able to last as long as he did.

His luck didn't improve though as the wolf demons soon detected their prey's moment of weakness and like most predators they attacked en masse. He managed to get to stand but it was clear that his balance was such that it wouldn't take much to knock him back to the ground. Two wolf demons attacked in tandem with one another first one with a spear with a curved blade and another with a katana with both aimed for the inu-Youkai's body. With speed that was surprising considering that his right leg was pretty much useless he slipped to the side as the wolf demon with the spear as he passed but once their heads were more or less side by side Alexander used both his adversaries momentum and his own strength to deliver a serious punch to the demon's stomach. Sango could almost see the wolf demon's eyes bug out as all the air was forced from his lungs before he sank to the ground. However the inu-youkai did not have time to rest as the one with the katana charged him and narrowly missed lopping his head off. With each swing the demon seemed to get closer and closer to accomplishing his goal of ending the dog demon's life. With his mobility limited so limited he could not make full use of his speed and was forced to resort to trying to anticipate where the next attack would come from. For now this strategy was working but as she watched four more wolf demons arrive run towards him with weapons drawn she doubted he would be able to do it against five at once.

Guess I'll have to deal with them. Sango thought as she brought her Hiratsu to bare and moved to intercept them.

However her actions were stopped before she got more than halfway as arrows of light struck two of the demons with deadly accuracy while two other arrows only grazed them along the shoulder or the stomach. For those that struck true the wolf demons' lives were ended in an instant of purifying light whereas those who only brushed by the holy energy were given grisly wounds similar to that of serious second degree burns. Looking to where the arrows had come from Sango saw Kikyo with her bow in her hand and another arrow in place and ready to fire. The child stood at her side although it looked as though only some firm command or kind reassurance was keeping the child from running into the courtyard. This caused her to wonder again why the child had seemed so insistent in coming here when most children would be running from the 'scary demons'. Whatever the child's reasons the demon exterminator prayed that she would stay where she was despite the fact that it was next to Kikyo. Turning back to Alexander she could see that he was beginning to lose his struggle of keeping the blade at bay as she watched is deliver a shallow cut in his upper arm. He seemed to realize this and after the last swipe by the wolf demon he tackled his adversary to the ground despite the pain this obviously caused him when his legs hit the ground. However with impressive discipline he managed to deliver two solid punches to the demon's head which was apparently enough to render him unconscious as she watched the wolf demon's struggles end and his limbs go limp. With a shudder that spoke of exhaustion and perhaps the end of an adrenaline surge Alexander rose shakily to his feet and looked around the courtyard as though expecting another attack. He spotted her and surprisingly gave her nod of acknowledgement and unless her eyes were deceiving her gratitude at her aide earlier in giving him a short breather. However it was on Kikyo and the child that his eyes finally locked on before he began to make his way over to them hopping was quickly but as carefully as possible.

It looks as though the danger has passed. Sango thought as she placed her boomerang back on her shoulder.

As she began to walk towards Kirara with the intention of regrouping with Mirokou and the others she heard a pained groan come from behind her. Turning her eyes to see what was causing it in case there were people that needed her help but instead she saw something that caused fear to race through her bones. One of the wolf demons that had not received a direct hit with Kikyo's arrows had managed to push himself into a sitting position but it was not this that she feared. It was the spear that he was in the process of throwing that caused her to reach for her kitana and charge him but everything seemed to slow down in the next few moments. With every second that passed by another action was taken and with every action she knew more and more that she was too late to do anything. By the time she was within eight strides of her target the spear had already left his hand and was on its way to its target. Turning her head she watched as the weapon flew through the air but then shock hit her hard as she realized that the spear's destination was not Alexander but the little girl who was now running to meet him. In the back corner of her mind she could almost understand what the wolf demon was doing with this final act. He obviously knew that even if his spear hit Alexander dead center as an inu-youkai it would not be enough to kill him or even permanently injure him. However if he took the life of someone he might care for it would cause him unending pain and that would be enough to satisfy the wolf demon's desire for revenge.

Incapable of doing anything from where she was she did the only thing she could.

"LOOK OUT!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Xander's Perspective, Same Time 

"LOOK OUT!" came Sango's voice from behind him with enough urgency to cause him to whip his head around in her direction.

By the time he did so though the cause for the demon exterminator's alarm was already a few feet beside him and for a moment he wondered why she was so afraid. However when he tracked the spear's trajectory the fear that the demon exterminator was feeling became nothing as he looked towards the first normal person who had accepted him in his new form. With both body and mind acting as one he ran with everything he was with arms outstretched in an attempt to grab the weapon out of the air. The pain that he felt was the only eclipsed by his fear for Takara's safety and his determination not to fail one so innocent. He ignored the pain and ran with both legs pushing them as hard as he could despite their protests trying to close the distance between the weapon and himself. However no matter how hard he tried, no matter the fact that Kikyo had taken notice of the danger to the child and was moving to the rescue, the spear was moving to fast. The distance it was outside of his reach coupled with measuring its speed against his own diminished speed were proving too great for even him to overcome. Nevertheless he did not stop trying, did not stop trying to overcome the obvious inevitability of what was about to transpire. After all he was pretty much key guy when it came to overcoming seemingly impossible monsters and foretold deaths. He had been the one to bring Buffy back from the dead when the Master had left her to drown in a pool of muddy water in the catacombs beneath Sunnydale. He had been the one to provide the rocket launcher that blew the Judge into bite-sized bits. He had been the one that had planned and organized the placement of the explosives that took out Mr.'I-am-an-ascended-snake-demon' Wilkens. Again and again he had managed to beat the odds and prove that while he might not be as powerful as a Slayer or a wicca nor as knowledgeable as a Watcher he was more than capable of thwarting the plans of evil-doers. Plucking a spear out of mid-air in a newly given inu-youkai body based on the powerful Lord Sesshomaru should be a piece of cake.

Sadly the fates had apparently decided that his run of good luck and chance had finally reached its limit for with the next breath he took the spear struck Takara in the chest sending her to the ground. He was at her side moments later but knew immediately there was nothing he could do to save her as the slight inclination of her body told him that the blade had come out her back. With this knowledge he cradled her in his arms searching her open eyes for any sign of life if only to let her know how sorry he was. All that looked back at him though were lifeless eyes that might as well belong to a plastic doll. The spear must have killed her instantly leaving nothing to touch the ground but a lifeless body with a growing pool of blood beneath it. Grief overwhelmed him with surprising potency as images of the last couple of days flicked by his eyes hitting him with a force akin to a god's mightiest blow. Waking up in the forest after saving her from that small pack of wolf demons. Seeing her slowly warm up to him with every sunrise and sunset. Holding her hand as they walked down the dirt road to Kobe. The smile on her face after he had dealt with the majority of the bandits. The attachment she showed towards him when he tried to convince her to go with Kikyo while he dealt with Kouga and his tribe. The look of joy as she had begun to run to him when all the fighting was thought to be done. The images kept coming, again and again, each time like a stab wound to his heart and each time he cursed himself for not being fast enough to save her or smart enough to make sure all the wolf demons were down for the count. In the end though what came to the forefront of his mind was what he had said to Kikyo during their journey to this town.

"Look Kikyo! I admit I probably could've handled the situation better but I would **never** let anything happen to Takara!"

He had meant every word when he had come to his lips and when he had been fighting Kouga outside the village and his tribe within her safety had been the driving force behind his actions. It had aided him in keeping the pain away so he could maintain his transformed state for as long as he could and had made him fight harder to keep the wolf demons from wandering off. All that time he had found strength in the fact that all the ones who had wormed their way into his heart since he arrived in this world were safe from harm. He knew this because he could sense Kikyo even while fighting the wolf youkai and knew she was near the shrine which meant that the children were inside and safe. He had not even detected their arrival at one of the entrances to the courtyard as he had been focused on the many enemies attacking his wounded side. It had taken Kirara and Sango arriving to draw his attention in the right direction but even then he had taken only cursory notice of their presence. Maintaining his giant canine form was hard enough when he was more or less improvising and making up the right technique as he went but doing so with such a painful injury made it all the harder. It was not until the battle had supposedly been concluded that his attention fell solely upon her running towards him but that moment of joy and relief as no more. All that was left was this gaping hole in his heart and a pain that threatened to tear him apart from the inside out.

Why am I feeling so strongly about this he thought to himself in sorrow I have known her less than a week and yet it feels as though I have lost family 

The answer came to him a moment later as he realized that in a way she was family to him, family in the only way that mattered to him. Back home in Sunnydale his parents had been perfect examples of the worst America had to offer and had proved that to him more than once. They were drunk most of the time and had him cleaning the house and cooking the food almost everyday while threatening to beat him if he refused to do so. That would have been bad but bearable for him as it just meant that he would have to learn skills that most young Americans didn't learn until they were in their early to mid-teens. What had really driven him to seek refuge at Willow's house and spend the night on his roof during his parents' worse episodes had been the way they had always tried to tear him down. It was like they couldn't stand to see him making something of himself while they were stuck in the same dead end jobs that they would have until the day they died or retired whichever came first. They told him he was worthless and that he would wind up working at some minimum wage dump for the rest of his miserable life. It had been those hurtful words that had driven him to spend time with his friends whenever he could and over time they became his surrogate family. From Willow and Jesse to the rest of the Scooby gang to the newbie Slayers his family had grown and had come to mean more to him than those he was related to by blood. They were his life and everything else including his own personal safety came in a distant second when he learned one or more of them were in danger. That is what Takara had become to him when she had shown her affection for him, a little sister and like any older brother he had sworn to keep her safe from harm.

"I .. have failed her!" he cried softly as he drew her close to him.

With his acknowledgement of Takara as family the pain inside of him filled his person to the point where nothing else could exist. Tremors danced up and down his body as the emotions burned hotter and hotter with every passing moment that he looked at the still form in his arms. It was too much! Too much for him to deal with and keep contained within his body! In one thunderous cry of sorrow and anguish he let his feelings explode from his mouth letting all within earshot know of his pain. Again and again he cried out until his voice grew hoarse and no sound could be produced from his mouth. With that avenue of venting lost to him all he could do was sit there on his knees and cradle the form of one whose life had held such promise just moments ago. It didn't matter that his right side had gone numb from the pain his movements had caused. It didn't matter that the light cut he had in his right arm was bleeding his life down onto the ground.

Nothing mattered except for his pain.

Kikyo's Perspective, Same Time 

Such pain. Kikyo thought as she watched Alexander weighed down by his sorrow.

A sorrow she found surprisingly that she too felt although to a lesser degree at the still form of Takara. However it was not so much sorrow at the child's death per say but rather for the pain that Alexander was enduring at this very moment. She had not been very close to the children for the duration of their journey to Kobe and had treated it as nothing more than one of her duties as a priestess at the least and a stepping stone in gaining Alexander's trust at the most. Thus she had been detached from them and accepted Takara's death as just the reality of the times that she lived in and nothing more. However in seeing such pain both in the way Alexander moved and the grief stricken cries he had voiced moments ago she found herself weighed down with guilt over he part in causing his sorrow. She should have been paying closer attention to the child from the moment she had entered the shrine! Had she not been so focused on defending the building that was already protected with sutras and holy icons she might have been able to keep the girl from seeking out the inu-youkai. Even if there had been nothing she could have done to keep the girl in the shrine she should have made certain that the wolf demons she had struck down with her arrows were truly dead. Looking at the one responsible she narrowed her eyes as she looked at the cause of the pain inside the one who was so vital to her future.

I may have been unable to kill him in time to save Takara but I can still make sure he does to live to enjoy his foul act she thought to herself as she raised her bow with the arrow still in place.

With death in her eyes she aimed her arrow at the heart of the wolf demon who now had managed to get to one knee despite his injury. He had a foul smile on his face as he was no doubt taking pleasure in the pain he had just instilled in his former adversary and that made her all the more angry. How could anyone, demon or not, take pride in the slaying of a child to bring grief to a foe! There was no real achievement in attacking a defenseless child and it only proved him to be a coward in the end and without honor of any sort. Channeling all the power she could into the arrow she was determined to lay a curse upon him so foul that it would be remembered by demon and human alike. It would not be so merciful a punishment as the one she had given InuYasha who had been bound to a tree in a state of living death for fifty years. No, with her newfound abilities given to her through absorbing the souls of the dead and the unnatural body she had been reborn in it would be much worse. She would lock him in a state of perpetual pain and torment for the remainder of his life without any release short of someone ending his life for him. In this punishment he would be repaid pain for pain and Takara's death would be avenged hopefully giving Alexander some closure.

"What are you doing?" Sango asked as she seemed to finally be able to pry her eyes off the tragic scene before her.

"What does it look like? I am going to finish what I started with the first arrow." Kikyo replied never once taking her eyes off of the wolf demon who now seemed to appreciate his current situation.

"Killing him will not bring the girl back. It will only give Kouga and the other wolf demons one more reason to keep coming after you." , Sango explained as she began to move to step in between the arrow and its target, "Don't you see this is exactly what Naraku wanted! A chance to see what Alexander was capable of and to pit two potential enemies against one another!"

For a moment this seemed to cause her to falter in her determination to kill the wolf demon as she did not want to do anything that would help the one who had orchestrated her original demise. A tactic such as the demon exterminator suggested was certainly not beyond the realm of possibility in fact it matched the foul being's personality perfectly. He never got his own hands dirty but rather manipulated others in order to meet his own ends and getting rid of a powerful demon like Kouga as well as the one who recently attacked him by making them kill each other was perfect. No matter who won as long as the other died he would gain some measure of victory and if he could learn the full extent of Alexander's powers all the better for future encounters. She smiled inwardly as she realized that because of his good nature the inu-youkai had likely been pulling his punches against the wolf demons. He might have even guessed the same scenario as the one Sango was proposing and only used as much force as he needed to scare them off. If that was the case then Naraku would be sorely unhappy at the lack of results his little scenario had produced which meant most likely that there would be more attacks in the future.

"All the more reason to remove one potential opponent from consideration while I can." , Kikyo said as her determination solidified and her aim steadied, "It is obvious that these wolves are not smart enough to realize when they are being used. If reason cannot prevent them from attacking again perhaps fear will."

"No." came the hushed voice of Alexander.

Looking down at him she could see that he had managed to regain some self-control despite his grief but his command confused her. She had seen herself the brotherly affection he possessed towards Takara so why would he not wish to see the one responsible punished.

"Why not?" she asked genuinely interested in his response.

"Sango's theory is true. Kouga showed me a strip of cloth before we fought." , Alexander said as he rose slowly to his feet, "It came from the shirt you used to bandage Tsuyu's leg. Whoever destroyed those wolf demon packs had to have gone to the cave and picked them up and planted them after each attack."

"While this is likely true I somehow doubt that the wolf prince will accept such an explanation without proof of Naraku's involvement." Kikyo stated as she lowered her bow slightly while keeping it at the ready to use on the wolf demon if necessary.

"Yeah but I won't fall for Naraku's trick. If he wants me dead he's going to have to come and do it himself." Alexander stated in a quiet voice with grief barely beneath the surface.

For a moment Kikyo considered killing off the wolf demon anyway if only to ensure that she would now have time to begin grooming her weapon into what she would need in her revenge against InuYasha and Naraku. With the children safely in Kobe the human turned inu-youkai no longer had anything to tie him down or distract him and so he would have his undivided attention. Still if she went against his wishes now he may become angry with her or at the very least less likely to take any advice she gave or any instruction. He may even choose to distance himself from her and that would not serve her plans at all so with reluctance she relaxed her bow and placed the arrow back with the others on her back.

"As you wish Alexander. However you may come to realize that it is unwise to leave a potential enemy alive at your back." , Kikyo stated before looking down at the shell he still held in his arms, "Give Takara to me. I will ensure that she receives the proper funerary rites."

For a few minutes he did nothing, just looked down at Takara's lifeless form, but eventually he looked at her with eyes she had only observed on Sesshomaru before that moment.

"I know you are in pain Alexander but the citizens of Kobe will look ill upon the sight of a demon carrying a dead and bloody little girl's body to the shrine." , Kikyo stated attempting to appeal to the young man's sense of reason, "They may even deny her a proper burial for fear of some demon sorcery being used on the girl. Please, I promise I will personally see to her myself."

He seemed to think on this a moment and then passed the girl to her gentle as though the child's body would shatter at the slightest rough moment. Once the child was safe though she apparently did not have to inform him that he should leave Kobe and wait for her in the neighboring forests. There was no telling how many lives had been lost in the wolf demons' assault and even if there were only injuries none except those who accompanied InuYasha who would consider that Alexander was trying to help them. They would see him as an outlet for their rage and misfortune this day and in his present condition it would only deepen his grief and guilt. If he was to begin the healing process he would have to be spared as many further emotional distress and allowed to come to terms with his loss. Watching him hobble north towards the edge of the city and the forests beyond though she couldn't help but wonder if it was even possible to wound the inu-youkai further.


	8. Retreat, Regroup and Rethink a few thing...

Note: I am trying a new means of indicating thoughts than I have up until now. Now all thoughts will be indicated by italicized words rather than being found inside of brackets. I do this because for some reason the brackets don't show up when I save my Msword document as a web document. 

Also though I am adding another proposal to the Xander-pairing question that I am going to ask you the readers to give your opinion on. I am currently debating whether to keep this a Xander-solo fanfic or to bring some of the Scooby and Angel Inc. gang into the story. What do you think? Please mention your opinions in your reviews.

Evening, Two Miles from Kobe 

_This is not good._ Kagura thought as she tried for what seemed like the thirteenth time to come up a believable excuse to give Naraku as to why her mission had failed so miserably.

When she had first put it into motion it had seemed so simple, find a demon to pit against Alexander and then take notes on his various abilities. She had even managed to trick the wolf prince Kouga into coming off his mountain and attacking the inu-youkai outright. With two jewel shards in his legs he was certainly powerful enough to give the 'son' of Sesshomaru enough trouble to force him to take the fight seriously. Unfortunately she hadn't taken into account the fact that Alexander didn't seem to have the killer instinct that the Ice Lord possessed. In all of the battles that the dog demon had been involved with he had pulled his punches and only used enough force to render his opponents unconscious. Even with the debilitating wound that Kouga had inflicted on him which only increased the chances of him being killed the inu-youkai continued to hold back and that would not do at all. What was worse was that he had somehow made the connection between the attack of the wolf demons and Naraku which now made any future experiments impossible as it would be tainted by knowledge of her Lord's involvement. The only good thing that had happened was that Alexander had suffered an apparently serious blow emotionally as a result of the death of the human child. It may inspire him to fight with less restraint in the future allow a proper measuring of his skills and abilities.

_Yes! I will tell Naraku that we can still get the information we desire by sending a new incarnation after him suitably empowered to push him to his limits!_ , Kagura thought to herself as she began constructing a web of lies and half-truths to preserve her life, _We can use his own anger and need to avenge the child against him!_

"An interesting plan Kagura but rest assured that it will only save you from death not punishment." Came a voice from the shadows cast by the setting of the sun.

Whipping around in fear and shock she watched as a figure in a baboon pelt appeared to her as though produced from the shadows themselves. For a moment she thought that it was indeed Naraku but when she did not sense the familiar tainted youkai aura that she usually did she knew what truly stood before her. It was one of his demon puppets being controlled from a distance acting as her 'master's' eyes and ears as well as voice. She had hoped to have more time to prepare for him but with the battle over and done his arrival wasn't totally unexpected. Still she had to wonder what punishment he had in mind for her initial failure and if she would be able to bear his punishment.

"Master Naraku I am sorry for the failure of my initial plan but it was still informative." , Kagura said as she attempted to lessen her punishment to nothing, "We know that despite his youkai form he still thinks like a human and so he has weaknesses like humans do as well. Add to that his habit of placing himself in harms way to protect the innocent and we have the perfect way to defeat him without lifting a finger."

She had hope as no response came immediately from the puppet's pelt wrapped form but hesitated to speak since the silence could also be a sign of building anger. If it turned out that she had angered him by refocusing things on her initial failure or by trying to whine her way out of punishment he would only worsen her torment rather than lessen it. In was always a gamble trying to guess his response to various arguments or suggestions but so was life in general so she had done her best to become very good at it. It had helped her avoid the brunt of her Master's anger many times but not always and she took care to repress the memories of the more horrible punishments that he had come up with for her. For him cruelty and horror were an art form to be practiced and perfected with him caring not who he chose to practice his technique on. While most of the human retainers that had been in his service until the miasma overcame them died from the deadly fog some had simply disappeared for Naraku's own personal amusement and experimentation.

"Excellent. Begin preparations to lure him to a place of my choosing while I start designing a suitable opponent for him to face." , the demon puppet stated apparently pleased, "Kohaku will continue to monitor him for any other useful bits of information that can be used to our advantage."

"As you command Master Naraku." She said with false reverence and a bow while on the inside she wanted nothing more than his destruction.

With those words the puppet cloaked in a baboon pelt faded into the shadows cast by the trees and for a moment the wind sorceress thought that perhaps he was truly gone. However her relief at his disappearance vanished as all at once her body was overwhelmed by pain causing her to drop to her knees and clutch her chest. It was a pain she was all too familiar with as it had been a means favored by Naraku when he wanted to 'discipline' her for either failure or disobedience. As long as he was in possession of the core of her being he was able to torture her or kill her at a moment's notice and there was little she could do on her own to stop it. It was because of this she had made attempts to make alliances with other demons in the hopes that they would prove powerful enough to kill her 'master'. Alexander had seemed to be the perfect potential ally when he had routed her first attack at the temple but after his dismal performance against Kouga and his unwillingness to kill made her wonder if she had been mistaken. Even that mutt InuYasha was not above killing demons that attacked him no matter whether or not they belonged to a tribe that he was allied with but then again that might have more to do with Kouga's infatuation with Kagome. Still he was not at the discard stage yet as the death of the girl may rid him of the "don't kill" rule that seemed to dominate his mind in previous encounters. In all the previous battles he seemed to have no reluctance towards killing the more mindless youkai he fought but when they possessed a more human level intellect he started to pull his punches. That told her that he was one of those warriors determined to play things by the hero handbook which of course forbid the use of lethal force when the enemy could either be reasoned with or otherwise neutralized. With the death of the child though he had been rather forcefully introduced to the fact that in such dangerous times as these those unwilling to kill were often killed themselves. She had hope that this would change him for the better, into a warrior more able to face and kill Naraku when the time came.

Until then though she would have to follow her 'master' wanted and start gathering suitable bait for his trap as well as perhaps a few suitable demons to soften him up for her new 'brother/sister'. After all if a hanyou like InuYasha can defeat all the other combat incarnations he 'Lord' has produced up until now it would take something special to match the power of a full inu-youkai like Alexander. Still if there was one thing she was willing to give her 'Lord' it was his ability to conjure up truly bloodthirsty and deadly creations. Even she possessed amounts of those qualities but unlike that purple monster that had been the first to bring InuYasha's demon half to the surface she knew enough to use them like scalpels rather than a blunt heavy object. In his newest incarnation though she would recommend equal amounts of skill and power with the bloodlust and killing instinct properly channeled. After all only by taking the battle with Alexander seriously and focusing would he achieve victory for if the incarnation let the bloodlust overcome him he may make mistakes and she had a feeling that was all the inu-youkai would need to strike a deciding blow.

_If there is one thing I am certain of with regards to that inu-youkai it is that he has uncommonly good luck with regards to his personal safety._ , Kagura thought to herself as the last of the pain from her 'punishment' drained away, _I just hope that it will be enough or I will have to look for another means by which I can gain my freedom from Naraku._

Outside Kobe, Between Midnight and Early morning 

The sun was rising in the east having mere moments ago peaked over the horizon but the tall silver haired figure that stood atop the hill overlooking Kobe took little notice of it beyond telling him what time it was roughly. He had been like this since sunset the previous evening and for all intents and purposes was little more than a statue to anyone that saw him. Only those that got close enough to see past the black profile to the details that lay underneath would be able to tell that this was not a figure chiseled in stone but a living being. Ever since he had left Kobe at the conclusion of the battle he had been standing here contemplating the events of the past several days. Day by day he scrutinized his actions and the actions of those around him like an instructor making sure that a student had completed his designated task properly. He forced himself to be thorough in thinking through every single even and remembering what it was exactly he had been thinking up until yesterday. Once all the facts were recollected to the best of his ability he asked himself questions that every person asked themselves after the death of someone they cared for in one way or another. It had taken him hours but eventually he came to the only conclusion the facts seemed to support.

He was responsible for Takara's death.

He might not have been the one to throw the spear that killed her but it was his lack of skill and experience in his inu-youkai abilities that prevented him from taking action. Ever since he had first been dropped into this world by Willow's spell he had been focused on only one objective to the exclusion of just about everything else and that was to get home. Oh he may have toyed with the idea of helping the InuYasha gang take down Narakua and rescued the children from those wolf demons but the former was just an idle thought and the latter was a more impulsive act than anything else. As far as he had been concerned his quest to return to the life he knew was his first priority and he would not involve himself in anything that would delay his departure. That was why he had not bothered to train himself in the use of the various abilities found in inu-youkai nor ask for any advice from Kikyo on the best ways to deal with particular demons. He had just walked blissfully along in the world from his favorite Anime series like he was walking through an amusement park. He hadn't seen the truth of this place or how dangerous it could be and as a result had done nothing to prepare himself for it. He actually had the gall to think he could protect Ichiro, Tsuyu and Takara with Kikyo's help believing that his clumsy understanding of Sesshomaru's techniques and his enhanced physical abilities would be enough. Now looking back on this he found that while he could not fault himself for wanting to return home as soon as he possibly could he should have done more to prepare himself for what that would entail. He should have known Naraku would continue to seek revenge on him after the first time they met even after Kagura's attack had been repelled. The baboon pelt wearing half demon was not known for letting those who he considered his enemies attack him without achieving some manner of revenge. While some might say that the fault for the child's death lay only with Naraku and Kagura he knew that if he had only been better trained and prepared for Kouga and his tribe Takara would still be alive.

_Takara, I'm sorry._ he thought to himself as he yearned to go to her gravesite and pay his respects in person.

However that was impossible as the cemetery for the town resided within eyesight of Kobe itself and given his unique appearance would be spotted for certain by anyone out for an early morning jog. He wasn't certain if people in the warring states era of Japan did that sort of thing but he wasn't about to cause more trouble than he had already created for these people. He had been the one to bring the full fury of the Wolf Demon tribe down upon them and whatever deaths or injuries they had been forced to endure was his fault as well. No doubt for the foreseeable future the people of Kobe would be bitter towards strangers and outright hostile towards demons as a species due to what happened to them. If he showed up at Takara's grave he would probably be accused of doing something foul and chased out of town by a mob. For an inu-youkai like Sesshomaru that would be nothing to worry about as he would not hesitate to slaughter the whole bunch of them if they dared to attack someone of his station. For Xander though he would not raise so much as a finger to stop them and would likely make a run for it if he chose to run at all from their anger. In any case it would only cause more trouble for both the people of Kobe and likely disgrace Takara's memory in the process if the people made any connection between the two of them. They might even think she was a hanyou just through that connection alone and he knew that could lead to all sorts of terrible things that he would not and could not allow.

Now though he had a decision to make and he believed he should make it soon as he had no doubt that Kikyo was at this very moment looking for him. It would not take her long with her sense to track him to this spot or to notice if he chose to try and leave without her at his side. The choice before him was a simple one: continue on as he had since arriving here in the hopes that the casualties would be limited to just him and maybe Kikyo or do something about his lack of skill and knowledge before his incompetence killed anyone else. He found it ironic that he same thing that had kept him a support player back home was the same problem he faced here in this world. He had always been thought of by the enemies of the Scooby gang as a goof and an incompetent fool whose threat level ranked just above the other 'happy meals on legs'. He and his friends had stated otherwise saying that while he was not as good as the others in their particular fields he was still an important part of the team. As much as he hated to admit it he was 'the one who sees' as some people referred to him but more than that he was the heart of the Scoobies. He had been the one to keep them grounded and lent a different perspective than their own when they themselves could see no other solution to a problem. In this world though he had no Scoobies to pick up the slack if he dropped the ball and as a power in his own right in this world people would look to him to take the lead. While there were certainly more powerful demons in existence in the InuYasha universe Sesshomaru's family was a ruling family for a reason and he had inherited that when he woke up in this body. As much as he might want to believe that he was still the Xander he had always been that was not the case for the duration of his stay here in this world. Here he was an inu-youkai, a foster brother of Sesshomaru and InuYasha for all intents and purposes, and the more he tried to resist what he had become the more people would be hurt by his inaction.

_I guess there's only one choice then._ he thought as he finally opened his eyes from his quiet introspection and looked up to see a familiar red and white garbed form walking towards him.

Kikyo looked to be in good form near as he could tell and had apparently stocked up on more supplies while in Kobe. Either that or they had been given to her for her aide in defending the town from the big bad demons which was a distinct possibility. They had probably even asked if she would stay on to help protect them from any more attacks but he knew that she would not stay. Her need to absorb the souls of the dead and dying would be harder to cover up in such a large town and he doubted even the more novice among the priests already stationed in Kobe would be able to ignore the unusual nature of her spiritual energy for long. No her condition was best concealed by administering to small remote villages and temples where the likelihood of someone seeing her for what she truly was could be called slim at best. The only problem she might cause in the future that he could see had to do with his next destination but he hoped that he could smooth any ruffled feathers that might result from her presence.

"How are you?" Kikyo asked in her usual monotone although his sensitive ears could have sworn some genuine concern mixed in.

"I've been better but they say that time heals all wounds." He stated as he turned more fully to face her.

"Who says that?" Kikyo asked with a bit of confusion.

"Um, it's just a saying where I come from." Xander replied a bit nervously.

"Oh." She just said as though that explained everything.

"I've decided where I'm going to go from here but I am not sure if it would be safe for you to go with me." He stated as he tried to come up with just the right way to approach this subject.

He knew that she still intended to use him in her quest to destroy both InuYasha and Naraku but what he was about to propose might discourage her from continuing with her current plan of action. After all she would most certainly feel unwelcome where he planned on going and she would be forced to share him with another. Unfortunately it could not be helped as it was vital to him to improve his fighting skills in this new body or else more would perish under his watch. He guessed this would be the ultimate test of just how much she valued having him on her side and how much she was willing to endure to win his trust.

"Where do you intend to go?" she asked and thus made it impossible to dance around the answer any longer.

"To Sesshomaru's castle." He replied in a determined tone of voice.

"You seek to take him up on his offer to help you find a way home?  
Kikyo asked with no little bit of worry in her voice.

"Eventually perhaps but not before I gain a bit of revenge against Naraku." , Xander replied with anger and guilt slipping into his voice, "He was definitely the one who tricked Kouga and his wolf demon tribe into attacking me and that makes him responsible for Takara's death! To do that I'm going to need to learn how to fight with this body and what better teacher could I have than the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West himself."

"Perhaps I could instruct you." Kikyo suggested although he could see in her eyes that she did not expect her suggestion to work.

"Maybe in how to perform spiritual attacks but I need to learn everything about how to fight in an inu-youkai body and that can only come from another inu-youkai." He stated trying to look thankful for her offer of assistance but remain firm with his original choice.

"Very well. I shall accompany you to Sesshomaru's castle and teach you what I can along the way. It will not be much as it took me over ten years to learn the skills of a priestess and even I do not know everything." Kikyo stated in acceptance of his choice and her decision to go with him despite the danger that lay ahead.

"That's alright. It'll help me get in the proper mindset when I start training with Sesshomaru." He stated nodding in gratitude that she seemed willing to continue traveling with him despite the danger that no doubt lay ahead.

He was certain that Naraku would still come after him even after too failed attempts to kill him and then when they got to Sesshomaru's castle it was anyone's guess whether or not the inu-youkai Lord would even let Kikyo near his castle much less enter it. After all it was common knowledge how most youkai felt about humans and he had a fairly good idea of what Sesshomaru felt about Kikyo in particular. After all it was a going theory among InuYasha fans back home that it was the hanyou falling in love with a human and then being bound to the tree by that same human that caused the rift between the brothers. It was even speculated that had InuYasha not fallen in love with Kikyo then the brothers might be on better terms with each other although there would always be the distance between a pure blood and hanyou. In any case it was a distinct possibility that if he showed up at the castle with the undead priestess in tow that any goodwill that might exist between him and his look-a-like would vanish. Still it was a chance he would have to take as he would rather not have to travel this land alone and did not yet have any real reason to trust the Ice Lord enough to let him take up that task. More than likely it was only the Lord of the West's temporary fascination with the similarities in their appearances that prompted him to make his earlier offer. Once that fascination disappeared there was no telling what would happen between them which was why he was choosing to pay the Lord a visit sooner rather than later. With any luck by the time he wore out his welcome with the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West he would at least be able to make his escape if possible or match Sesshomaru if necessary in battle.

"Then I guess we'd best be on our way." , Xander said to the priestess before him, "We don't want to keep Lord Sesshomaru waiting now do we?"

Unfortunately there was just one problem with his course of action that he had not yet resolved and hoped that either Kikyo or someone else would be able to solve it.

_Where exactly is Sesshomaru's castle?_ he thought to himself as he began to walk towards the west.

Kaede's Village, One Week Later 

_I wonder how Alexander is doing?_ Sango thought to herself as she helped Kaede prepare breakfast.

It had been a week since the attack on Kobe and only a few days since they had all returned to Kaede's village to allow Kagome a chance to return to her home and attend 'skool'. Sango understood why it was important to the miko to live up to her responsibilities at home but she was the one who had to keep the peace along with Kaede when InuYasha's impatience or Mirokou's 'impulses caused trouble. Sometimes she wondered if Kagome really understood what she meant to the rest of the group and the influence she had over them. A few words from her could usually calm down the tempermental InuYasha while a few simple words of wisdom could usually discourage the monk from his usual habits. Without her here to keep things peaceful like she usually did it was up to Kaede and herself to keep friction to a minimum both among her friends and as well as the villagers one or both of them wound up annoying. In fact only Shippo was actually behaving although he was more than willing to be a distraction for InuYasha should the hanyou and Mirokou come close to blows over some stupid guy thing. Apparently the dilemma of men understanding women and vice versa hadn't been resolved even in Kagome's time as she seemed to become just as frustrated as she did when men like InuYasha and Kouga wound up going at it over the miko or something. Still Kagome would be back soon enough and their journey to find jewel shards and defeat Naraku once and for all would resume. Until then it shouldn't be too hard for Kaede and her to keep the others from killing each other or being run out of the village by the people who lived there.

Still even trying to focus on the task in front of her she could not help but think about the mysterious human in an inu-youkai body. He had seemed so broken walking out of town while Kikyo carried the dead body of the girl back to the temple to be put through the proper burial rites. It was such an unusual sight seeing such emotions on a demon's face as with the exception of a few that had become her friends. It spoke a lot of what kind of man he was and that he cared for those who walked with him beyond simple duty or obligation. If it was just his duty to protect the innocent or to kill demons he would certainly be angry at his failure and perhaps determined to exact revenge but he would have remained detached. She herself had strived to remain detached from the people living in the villages she was sent to by her father knowing that if she let every single death hurt her emotionally it would eventually wear her down and perhaps bring about her death. For a supposed experienced demon hunter he acted more like a rookie the way he let his heart rule his actions and took everything so personal. Still, while that was dangerous for someone in that profession, she found it oddly endearing as far as character traits go. After all with a person like that their intentions were easy to discern and they generally disliked deceiving anyone unless absolutely necessary. For others that she knew both in passing and in her own circle of friends they were more guarded as was prudent when dealing with demons and magic. Unfortunately this also made them reluctant to let anyone into their hearts or their minds for fear that an apparently harmless or inviting stranger. It was that wariness that had caused the most trouble between Kagome and InuYasha since the hanyou had been betrayed by one person to many as well as the woman he once and may still love.

For Mirokou though it seemed that this wariness took the form of an endless affairs with every attractive woman he came across whom he never really cared for in his heart. After all how else could a man like him make the same proposition to dozens and dozens of women and then pretty much forget about them a day later. She had hoped ever since she had realized this that she could eventually prove to him that her feelings for him were genuine and that he could trust her but now she wasn't so sure. They had been traveling with each other for almost two years now working to defeat Naraku and locate all the scattered fragments of the jewel of four souls. Numerous times they were almost killed in their quest and numerous times she had risked her own life to try and protect him as a way of proving her love for him. She had hoped that such acts would start to kill off his womanizing ways and perhaps persuade him to reveal how he felt about her in his heart and soul. Sadly from her perspective she was no further along in her mission to win his heart than she had been when they first met. He was still drawn to every woman that caught his fancy and he still acted like a womanizing pervert towards her whenever he got the chance. She had been resigned to continue with her mission to claim him but as she remembered Alexander her heart seemed to consider other options. When she had first laid eyes on him in that destroyed city she had thought him to simply be a younger version of Sesshomaru, cold and heartless with no love for humans. By the end of the encounter though he had proved that while he could be ruthless he wasn't necessarily evil in how he treated others. It hadn't been until they came upon him outside Kobe that she really thought she saw the real him beneath the surface. Even though Kouga had come against him with the intent of killing him he only used as much force as was necessary to end the fight. More than that he had not hesitated to rise to the defense of the people of Kobe even though it was clear he could barely stand upright much less walk or run. However the most telling fact about him had been his reaction to the little girl whom a wolf demon had killed, for all intents and purposes he had acted as though she were a little sister both when he saw her running towards him and when he held her still body. She knew that was not the case if for no other reason than they bore no resemblance to one another but it was still clear that in the brief time they had been together he had become attached to her. Who knew what might have happened between them had the girl lived? Would she have chosen to remain with him as his sister or would she have remained with the people of Kobe?

_In any case family clearly means a great deal to him. _she thought as her mind continued to wander over the events of the past couple of days.

"Sango!" came a loud voice that dragged her back to reality with all the force of her Hiraikotsu causing her to look around for whomever had called her name.

Thankfully it turned out to only be Kaede and not Mirokou or InuYasha as she didn't even want to think what kind of trouble that would cause them all. It was bad enough that InuYasha and Kouga got into it every single time they came across one another she didn't even want to think how the monk would act around Alexander. Normally he was quite levelheaded when the hanyou and wolf prince started coming to blows but there was no way to be certain if he wound up taking the part of InuYasha should she show signs of affection for the newest inu-youkai in Japan. For all she knew he could wind up being worse than the half demon and she didn't like the images that inspired in her minds eye. She doubted that the monk could do Alexander any real harm both because of the physical prowess the inu-youkai demonstrated in his battle with InuYasha and in the battle against the wolf demon tribe. Still it would cause problems and they couldn't have bad blood stirring up between one ally and one potential ally if they ever had to fight side by side against Naraku.

"What was that Kaede?" she asked as she looked at the wise woman who had apparently been trying to get her attention for the past few moments.

"I was asking if ye had finished chopping the vegetables. Is something troubling ye?" Kaede asked with concern and certainty that her observation of the demon exterminator was correct.

"I was just thinking of that inu-youkai we encountered named Alexander." Sango replied while watching the priestess to see how far she would pursue this inquiry.

"Ah yes. I have heard much talk from InuYasha about this dog demon who bears an unusual resemblance to Sesshomaru." , Kaede said sagely before a twinkle entered her eye, "Although I imagine the young hanyou's opinion of the young man would be more than a little tainted by his bitterness towards his brother."

"Yes, that would be a fairly accurate impression." , Sango stated with a little restrained laughter of her own, "However I found that his resemblance to Sesshomaru was all that he had to connect him to the youkai Lord."

Catching on to her strategy Kaede asked "What is it exactly that has ye so deep in thought?"

Deciding she could trust Kaede to keep this between them she replied "I was just wondering how he was doing right now. He seemed to be in a great deal of pain when I last saw him, the death of the little girl hurt him deeply."

"Was this child a demon like him?" Kaede asked with an objective tone in her voice.

"No she was human but the way he cried over her dead body made it seem as though they might have been as close as family." Sango replied as thoughts of her own lost family floated through her head.

"A sensitive person this Alexander seems to be to be so affected by the death of one he barely knew." , Kaede said with her sympathy clear towards the young inu-youkai, "Mixed with the skill to apparently best InuYasha in combat and methinks he be similar to a true samurai at heart."

"A true samurai? What do you mean?" Sango asked as her idea of a samurai was probably different from the one that Kaede was thinking of at the moment.

"Despite most samurai these days who follow their code of honor only out of obligation or a desire to retain their positions there are some that who are born with this kind of honor within them." , Kaede explained as she scooped up the chopped vegetables and dropped them into the pot hung over the fire, "This I think is what drives Alexander if what I have been able to discern of him is true. He acts and fights with honor not because he must but because it is a part of who he is at his core and cannot behave any other way."

Thinking on this Sango came to believe that she was right about Alexander and with the image of a noble and honorable samurai in her mind the 'fascination' she had with him only grew. Perhaps she should spend more time thinking about ending her current mission and taking up a new one. After all how much more difficult could it be to earn the attentions of a samurai than a lecherous monk?

The Castle of Lord Sesshomaru, One Week Later 

"Where is the boy now?" asked the emotionless and composed voice of the Ice Lord.

"He was last spotted by your spies less than a week away from here milord." , replied Jakken promptly in response to his Lord's question, "Unfortunately that walking corpse of a priestess Kikyo is accompanying him here and seems unwilling to part ways with him."

"She no doubt still believes that he can be forged into a weapon for her to use against either Naraku or my witless half-brother." , Sesshomaru stated with an ethereal bit of bitterness when mentioning his half brother, "We shall dissuade her of this idea when she arrives."

Indeed the more the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West considered how he felt about the boy the more he seemed to desire to aide the boy and be concerned about his welfare. He found this strange for though he may look like an inu-youkai of his bloodline if his story was true he was but a human whose appearance had been altered to look like him. If this was the case he should be angry with the youth and should have removed him from the countryside to limit the potential damage he could do to this Sesshomaru's reputation. After all it would not matter if the boy made it clear to all those who could hear his voice that he was not Lord Sesshomaru those that did not seek out the truth would come up with their own conclusions. These uninformed conclusions would be damaging to him and while the imprisonment of the young inu-youkai would solve this problem he was unreasonably reluctant to do so for some reason. Whenever he was about to order the boy apprehended and brought to him he remembered the respectful way in which he spoke upon their first meeting. It was refreshing to receive some respect from a stranger when he often received nothing but sarcasm or disrespect from those who did not know who had not personally witnessed his power. While this alone was not sufficient to prevent some action being taken it did prompt him to seek alternate solutions aside from a swift execution or immediate exile from Japan. The boy seemed to truly be here by accident with no desire to do anyone any real harm much less intentionally pretend to be him in order to spread disinformation or something. It would be poor form and perhaps appear to be a sign of weakness if he were to simply destroy him due to an event of chance that the boy had no control over. He would have much to consider upon the boy's arrival and not just concerning the possibility of punishment but other avenues of thought as well. While there existed the possibility that the boy might be able to return home there existed an equal chance that he would remain trapped here in the land and in his present form.

_Where would he choose to dwell I wonder?_ Seeshomaru thought to himself as Jakken waited patiently for his Lord's next command.

It would be interesting to say the least to see him come to terms with his new situation and try to find a place in a land he had no ties to at all. For all intents and purposes Alexander was a stranger in a land that was without a doubt strange to him as he likely had only read about the youkai from reports. It was likely he would need someone familiar with the region and the politics of the various species of the area in order to survive and avoid any unpleasant altercations. As for a purpose it was blatantly obvious by the way he acted that he saw himself as a warrior of good and would likely follow his half brother's lead in protecting the humans from the demons who would prey upon them. A foolish move considering how ungrateful the humans would be to any assistance he offered them and considering the hordes of demons that took to attacking human villages regularly it was inevitable that he would meet his end in them. Perhaps this Sesshomaru should invite the boy to join his army, perhaps as a captain, and put his warrior instincts to more constructive use. While his kingdom consisted primarily of demons there were a few select human villages he chose to protect for the valuable resources they provided. One such resource was their usefulness as spies when he did not want his involvement to become known to his youkai enemies. While the boy might have problems dealing with the demons under his rule that were hostile towards the humans this Sesshomaru could place him in charge of protecting the human villages. The more he thought about the idea the more it seemed to please him that there might be a place for Alexander in his kingdom.

This of course returned him to wondering why he was giving such unusually generous treatment to someone he knew next to nothing about. The question rolled around his mind for awhile until he was forced to come to a rather inappropriate conclusion. Despite the fact that Alexander was originally a human he appeared as this Sesshomaru often believed his son would look like were he to take a mate. It had been a concept he had pondered on and off ever since he had been officially recognized as the inheritor of his father's lands and titles. As the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West he would be expected not only to rule but produce an heir to continue his line so that should the unfortunate happen his people would still have a leader and protector. However while he was knew he was not lacking in potential mates none of them quite met with his approval as they fell short of some of his desires. Most unfortunately sought to be his mate for no other reason than to share in the power and wealth he possessed and as such he could not trust them or their intentions. It was likely the foolish idea of making Alexander his son in all but blood that made him look upon the young inu-youkai differently than he usually would. It was out of the question to give such a position to one born human especially to one not born of this land but he could still prove useful with some proper training. To have another at his command with power that was nearly his equal would be useful when circumstances required that he be in two places at the same time. Yes, if he were to gain the boy's allegiance in the event he could not return home would be most fortuitous indeed.

Looking back to Jakken he said "Have two rooms prepared for Alexander and the Priestess. While this Sesshomaru loathes allowing that walking corpse into his castle the pup would likely be resentful if she was excluded from my hospitality."

"As you command milord." Jakken replied visibly displeased at the human miko being permitted inside the castle walls and treated like a guest.

Sesshomaru was displeased with her presence as well since she was responsible for binding his half-brother in a state of living death fifty years ago. While he cared little for what trouble the hanyou got himself into it reflected badly upon their family as a whole. For a son of Inutaisho to fall in love with a human woman only to be betrayed by her and bound to a tree like a witless fool spoke ill of all the members of his bloodline. He still remained certain that she intended to manipulate Alexander for her own ends and if she succeeded it would shame his family regardless of whether or not he was actually related to this Sesshomaru. Whether or not the pup was aware of her intent to manipulate him was uncertain but it would be a matter for discussion in private when he could be sure the priestess would not overhear them. Once he ascertained the boy's position regarding Kikyo he could determine what course of action should be taken if any depending on the situation.

"I look forward to your arrival Alexander." Sesshomaru whispered softly so that none could hear what he said but him.

Kikyo's Perspective, Early Afternoon, Three days Later 

**__**

**__**

_Now I begin to see why my mentor took frequent respites between training sessions._ Kikyo thought as she tried to ignore a headache that was growing in strength.

It had been a little over two weeks since she had departed from Kobe with Alexander on their trip to the home of the Tai Inu Youkai of the West and during that time her lessons in the use of ones spiritual energy were slow at best. It was not that the inu-youkai before her was dull witted but rather that he had the attention span of a child and thus most of her time was spent keeping him focused on the task at hand. Still he was making some progress so it was not a total waste of time attempting to instruct him on how to perform some of the simpler techniques. He had already managed to learn the technique by which he can imbue a foreign object or weapon with his own spiritual energy to make it more resistant to damage than those wielded by people ignorant of such abilities. In the broader scheme of things it was a simple parlor trick compared to some of the more complex techniques that a priestess could learn during the course of her training. However such things took time to learn no matter how exceptional the student might be and she was fairly certain that Alexander would not wait that long before seeking Naraku out. Thus she was trying to restrict what she taught him to what would be most useful in fighting Onigumo in particular which was what had led to her current lesson which was how to see the truth behind illusions and other deceptions. His nemesis would likely use all manner of trickery and deceit to distract Alexander since she knew that for all his power Naraku was a poor fighter in general. No matter what skills he retained from his days as Onigumo nor what new knowledge he stole from the minds of the demons he absorbed into his body he never engaged in conflict directly unless he had no other choice. He preferred to send others to do his dirty work whether by tricking them as he had the wolf prince Kouga or creating them as he had the wind sorceress Kagura. So far this appeared to be one ability that he excelled at as he had proven capable of seeing through the majority of the illusions she cast on the first try. Those that he was forced to work harder at to see through were those that played on his emotions surrounding Takara and her death. It was then that his anger and desire to seek revenge ruined his judgment by destroying his focus thus making it easier for him to be deceived by others. With her list of techniques to create illusions or other deception oriented magicks nearing an end she had decided moments ago to try and improve his self-control and self-discipline. If she could improve those qualities in him even a little bit it would go a long way to his mastering a few of the other techniques she had in mind for him.

"Are you sure this is going to help me improve my focus?" Alexander asked from his position upside down on both hands balancing a rock on each foot.

"Yes now stay focused on maintaining your balance and keeping both rocks steady in their positions." , she said sternly for what seemed like the hundredth time, "To be able to focus your mind to the point where you have complete control over your body will prove useful both in combat and when confronted with illusions created by Naraku."

"Yeah but I feel so stupid upside down like this." , Alexander complained like so many other men at the thought of losing face by doing something 'unmanly', "Doubly so when I look like one of the most feared and ruthless demons in all of Japan while being upside down."

"I suggest you learn to endure then for I doubt that the training you seek from Lord Sesshomaru will be any better." She stated with a firmness that made it clear that she would not waver from her outlined regimen.

"Yeah but I doubt he would have me standing on my head like this which is kinda the point here." The inu youkai responded making his displeasure at the exercise crystal clear.

"No he will most likely have you spar with him again and again without holding back anything until you are so covered with wounds that you are unable to continue for several days." She replied with an arched eyebrow completely serious in her tone.

He seemed to think on this a moment before shrugging with his eyes and attempting to focus on the task at hand as she had told him to. Confident that he would much rather perform her exercise and look foolish than endure several days painfully recovering from the wounds inflicted upon him by the Ice Lord she returned to her own personal contemplation. At the moment she was considering how best to deal with the inu-youkai Lord when they arrived at his castle in a couple of days. They had encountered each other a few times since her rebirth and usually due to some kind of trouble that InuYasha had gotten himself into. While he had not openly attacked her nor revealed what he thought of her beyond a few scathing words she doubted he would be pleased with her remaining close to Alexander in his castle. She knew he placed the blame for InuYasha being bound fifty years ago equally on both their heads but as she was human and not family he would undoubtably be less reluctant to act on his emotions. She knew that the inu-youkai kept his emotions under strict control but he was not above obeying them under some false logical pretense. Still she had faith that even if he did choose to attack her that she could hold him at bay until Alexander joined her side and together they would be a match for even the Tai Inu Youkai of the West. However there was one ability of his she wanted him to at least partially be able to control before they arrived and today was as good as any to see if her focusing exercises were doing any good.

Returning to the matter of his instruction Kikyo removed five fruits from their bundle of supplies and after taking one in her right hand set the others on the ground.

"We shall now attempt to have you focus your crimson mist into a steady concentrated beam." , she said before holding up the fruit, "I will toss this fruit into the air and you will attempt to hit it with the mist."

Nodding in agreement he closed his eyes and took a few minutes to center himself before saying "Ready."

Tossing the fruit high into the air she commanded "Now!"

His eyes opened swiftly and he looked up into the sky to visually acquire his target before raising his open palm up towards the target. After a half second taken to ensure an accurate shot he tensed and a stream of crimson mist shot from his palm towards the target like steam escaping violently from a vent. The steam was about as thick as his palm was long but it still barely nicked the side of the fruit destroying less than a fifth of the target. As soon as the fruit hit the ground she picked it up to examine it more closely to see what immediate effects his power had on the target. From what she could tell it was almost identical to what she had found examining the remains of the demons that had attacked the temple. The portion of the fruit that the mist had connected with had been reduced to ash from what she could see of the remains drifting to the ground. The part of the target that was untouched remained the same in almost all areas except at the boarder between the portion that was hit and the portion that wasn't hit. In this area it was like an open wound that had been cauterized by flame for it was completely black along the surface of the boarder. The boarder itself was only a millimeter thick if that making it easy if one want to peel the damaged portion away and enjoy the rest of the fruit. It was interesting to see and an effect she had missed when she had examined the bodies of the demons before but that could have been because most demon corpses decompose at an accelerated rate after death. The good side of that was that it would allow him to strike a target with precision without causing collateral damage to the surrounding area. This would likely be used if he encountered a being with a sacred jewel shard embedded its body or one whose one weakness was very difficult to hit. However it would take more practice before he could be relied upon in battle because as it was now he might harm an ally by accident.

"A commendable start but your aim needs work and it will take time to learn to use it effectively in battle." , Kikyo stated as she picked up another fruit from the pile she had left on the ground, "This time try to fire a narrower stream of mist and pierce the center of this fruit."

No words did he speak but instead only nodded in agreement with her request as he returned to the focused state he was in before. This second fruit was slightly smaller than the previous one but was also thinner so it would not provide him with such a large target as before.

"Ready? Now!" she said as she tossed the fruit into the air and waited to see the results.

This time though she was surprised to see him only point a finger at the fruit and for a moment she thought he might be intending to use his energy whip. However he remained true to the point of this exercise as a thin condensed stream of crimson mist was fired from the tip of the finger. With this strike his aim had improved a bit as it tore a hole in the fruit just to the right of the center without cutting the target in two. While this could be simple trial and error results it might imply that the more mist he used the less accuracy his attack would have. Something to either prove or disprove depending on the results of this session and the few that they would be able to manage before arriving at Sesshomaru's castle. She had not been exaggerating when she had described the likely course that the demon Lord would likely take in instructing Xander in the fighting arts of the inu-youkai. He was renowned for his ruthlessness and his icy demeanor and would likely not treat any student of his with kid gloves no matter who they might look like. In fact he may push Alexander even harder than he would any future students since how the younger inu-youkai faired in battle would immediately be passed on to him because of the similarities in their appearances. Therefore it was only logical to assume he would not allow the pup to leave until he was at least skilled enough to out perform InuYasha in every measurable way.

In this though he will be meeting my standards as well. , Kikyo thought as she picked up two pieces of fruit this time, After all if he cannot outfight InuYasha then he will be of no use to me. 

**__**

Within Sight of Sesshomaru's Castle, Mid-day 

_Well we're finally here!_ Xander thought as he took in the sight of the castle of the Tai Inu Youkai of the West.

It was truly a sight to behold and it was all he could do to keep from pulling a Keanu Reeves and saying 'woah' at what he saw. He had seen pictures of these old Japanese castles on TV and some even in school but to see one in person was another story all together. This was a castle properly maintained and kept up to code that was darn near perfection and given the semi-mystical qualities that likely went into its construction in the first place that was saying something. It was definitely larger than any of the castles that survived to modern times in his world and looked like it contained a small city which was entirely possible. As a youkai Lord there would be those who would be living there to serve Sesshomaru and those that lived there under the Lord's protection for one reason or another. To accommodate that many youkai no doubt of various shapes and sizes the castle would have to be of considerable size to say the least. He supposed the size was also there for intimidation effect as well since just about anyone who saw this would believe that the person who ruled there must have considerable power and wealth to command servants to maintain it and wealth to provide the materials. All in all it made sense to him but with this acknowledgement he believed that the impression it probably made on him was considerably less. Still it was definitely better than the Chase mansion had been back in Sunnydale and they had pretty much been the richest family in town before they went into debt with the IRS. There was only one thing he was concerned with though and that was how he was going to deal with numerous pairs of eyes staring at him where ever he went. After all while Sesshomaru may have managed to remain composed and stoic during their initial meeting he had little doubt that when the Ice Lord's subjects saw a younger inu youkai walking down the streets that looked exactly like Sesshomaru he would never get a moments peace. The rumor mill would probably have him pegged as Sesshomaru's long lost son or something and half the available women in town would probably start making plans to woo him. He could just picture the Tai Inu Youkai's response to people thinking Alexander was his son and the females throwing themselves at him. Hopefully the Demon Lord would limit his wrath to his subjects and not decide to take out the root of the problem which in this case would be him. It was at that moment that he started wishing he could get a shirt or something to cover his upper body as he was still just wearing the pants he got from Samonoske and nothing else. Needless to say he was pretty sure that no matter what the era seeing a handsome shirtless man with muscles walking down the street would be a drool worthy sight for any woman.

When they reached the front gates of the castle he could see two guards predictably posted at either side of the door with more posted atop the walls. He almost laughed at the looks on their faces as they looked for the first time upon someone who looked almost exactly like their Lord but at the same time was different. He kinda wondered whether or not the rumors would reach the main audience chamber before or after them. Fortunately the doors opened before the guards could make any improper comments or jump to the wrong conclusions and out walked the toad youkai Jakken. Xander had not been able to understand since he had first seen the toad youkai in Ichiro's massacred village why Sesshomaru would keep him around despite his obvious incompetence. After all it was pretty much a consensus among the fans of the show he had talked to in person and online that the character of Jakken was created only for the comic relief he provided. In this considerably more realistic version of the famous Anime series he would have thought that InuYasha's older half-brother would have had the sense to kick him to the curb. Either that or the witless toad would have been killed for good by one of his Lord's numerous enemies but at least this meant that he might get a few laughs in while he was here.

"Ah Alexander! I am pleased to see that you were able to make it here unhindered since your battle with that cur Kouga in Kobe." , Jakken stated with his usual babble even though Xander wasn't royalty of any kind nor truly related to the toad youkai's Lord, "My Lord's field agents informed us that you were coming here and I believe you will find that all has been prepared for your arrival."

"Thank you Jakken. I trust there will be no trouble with Kikyo being allowed to stay here as well?" Xander asked formally even though it went against his usual way of doing things.

He knew that if he was going to get instruction from the Lord of the castle that he would have to stay on Sesshomaru's good side for the duration of the stay. That likely meant acting like he was in the presence of God or something and avoiding using any American teenager lingo. After all he doubted that anyone outside of perhaps Kagome would understand any of his references and misinterpretations could get a person killed as he and the Scoobies had learned back when the vamps tried to resurrect the Master. They had made a mistake with the requirements for his resurrection by assuming that 'near' was meant in the emotional and relationship sense but it had in fact been literal as in distance. He didn't want to risk insulting Sesshomaru as that would most likely get both him and Kikyo killed at least and tortured for five months straight at the worst. That meant he would have to try and recall everything he had ever seen in the movies or on TV about how to speak to and how to behave around royalty. While he had little doubt that there would be specifics unique to Japan he hoped that as long as he obeyed all of the major rules he wouldn't get penalized for violating the smaller ones.

"While Lord Sesshomaru is reluctant to allow Kikyo into his home he is willing to tolerate it for your sake provided she refrain from … devouring .. the souls of any of his subjects." Jakken replied making it clear that if he had his way that Kikyo would never have been allowed to enter his Lord's kingdom much less his castle if he had a say in things.

Turning to the miko in question Xander asked "Will that be acceptable Kikyo?"

"It will." She replied in monotone.

"Good because that is how it must be!" , Jakken piped up before turning and ordering the doors open, "Now let us proceed to the central audience chamber! We must not keep Lord Sesshomaru waiting!"

"There is something I would like to ask before we continue Jakken." Xander said tentatively as he was unsure how best phrase the question he wanted to ask.

"Yes?" the toad youkai asked in a more polite tone than the one he had used when discussing Kikyo's situation.

"Is there a more .. covert .. method by which we can travel to our destination?" , Xander asked as his mind struggled to come up with the right words, "I doubt our journey to Lord Sesshomaru would go unnoticed by the people we would pass on the main streets to our destination. I am uncertain if their individual reactions would be to Sesshomaru's liking given my resemblance to him."

"I am sure my Lord will appreciate your concern but rest assured that Sesshomaru-sama has instilled proper discipline in his subjects." , Jakken said sounding genuinely pleased at his foresight, "They no better than to misbehave towards one of their Lord's honored guests."

"Very well. Then we had best be on our way." He replied although inwardly he was dreading what was to come.

So it was that they strolled down the main street within the castle walls to the main building at its center where the Tai Inu Youkai of the West awaited them. Just like he had anticipated though he was instantly the center of everyone's attention the moment he set foot inside the castle walls. A few people even unconsciously dropped some of the things to the ground that they were holding without realizing it because they were so shocked. Not a big surprise considering his appearance but he was getting slightly uncomfortable at the looks just about every woman between the ages of 15 and 45 in appearance. Some of them were disturbingly like Faith in that they seemed skilled at getting their lustful intentions across with looks and subtle gestures alone. Some of those looks and gestures though made him have to focus incredibly to keep from blushing a color of red that would make an apple seem downright white in color by comparison. Despite his wish to be the smooth and suave ladies man shown in just about every spy movie back home he somehow knew he would never be that cool under the lustful gazes of so many attractive women. So he did his best to focus his gaze forward and hoped that they would get to where they were going before Kikyo or Jakken took notice of his predicament and embarrassed him. Still a small part of his mind was secretly reveling in all this attention from the fairer sex as he had been sorely deprived of it during his high school years and no that incident with the love spell didn't count. Still he wouldn't be surprised if a few of these lovely ladies did wind up fighting with each other over him since he was uncertain whether it would be considered unladylike in this era to do so.

In any case this is definitely going to be an interesting visit. , Xander thought to himself as he almost lost his composure at one lady's posture, If only Willow and the gang could see me now! 

Earth, Realm of the Scooby Gang, Xander's reality of Origin 

_Xander, where are you?_ Willow thought to herself as she closed yet another book without any results to show for her studious efforts.

It had only been two days or so since the accident that had whisked her childhood friend away somewhere and so far none of them were any closer to finding out where he was then when they started. After Giles had spent the entire morning after the incident chewing her out over the danger she put them in by attempting to mix two such potent magicks they had all slipped into research mode. All of them had pretty much come to the conclusion that their Xander-shaped friend was still alive but that was about all they knew. Giles had stated that none of the diagnostic spells, as Andrew liked to call them, that they cast on the area where Xander had disappeared had indicated that he had perished. The senior Watcher had stated that if he had perished there in the laboratory there would be remains of some kind that could be identified as belonging to him. When added to that the very nature of the spells she had been attempting to mix and it was almost a sure thing that he had most likely just been teleported somewhere. The hard part was that he could literally be **anywhere** as the teleportation spell had the ability to make him cross time and space while the transfiguration spell could do anything from change his clothes to change his very species. Never in all their years together fighting the demonic and supernatural did the term 'needle in a haystack' ever come more into play than it did right then and there. They had already done the standard locator spells and come up with nothing so now they were looking up some of the more complex and exotic types. These were difficult because not only were the ingredients rare but it took an experienced witch or wizard to perform them without suffering any sort of nasty side-effects. It would take time to get everything they needed but Giles had said that he knew a place that grew their own magical herbs for their students nearby so it wouldn't take more than a day or to before they arrived.

That didn't stop her from he hourly worry time in which she lectured herself on her own stupidity while at the same time hoping that Xander could keep himself out of trouble until they could get him back. Then of course she remembered the Zeppo's track record of staying out of trouble and her worry level automatically jumped a level upwards. Grabbing another book from the pile she had constructed on her right side she continued to perform her task for today which was to look up benign demons they might be able to contact for assistance. While it was something they had all be reluctant to attempt they knew that their own abilities and knowledge were too limited by the average life span and their own individual experiences. There were demons out there who had lived for centuries and while they were not to entirely be trusted they were not known for going back on any bargains or contracts between them and their clients at the time. They had even deigned to call up Angel and his people for any hope that they could provide but they weren't exactly pinning all their hopes on that. Ever since Angel had taken down the members of the Circle of Black Thorns that represented the Senior Partners' movers and shakers on Earth they had been forced to return to their original way of doing things. No longer did they have the vast but questionable resources of Wolfram & Hart to call upon but even with the few contacts and texts they had managed to take with them before they left. Still for one of the founding members of the Scooby Gang they could do no less than give it their all and use every resource at their disposal to try and find him. So far she had only managed to find two out of a number of demons that they might be able to persuade to help them out without having to pay too big a price in return. Fortunately there were some demons that valued material possessions more than blood or internal organs so with a few discrete looks at what the various warehouses that the old Watcher's Council possessed they should be able to find something of value to barter with. Nothing dangerous or apocalypse bringing of course but still something that would be considered precious to the demons they would negotiate with in the next while.

_Of course we could always call a few so called 'benign' deities or gods for help but somehow I doubt they'd be of any real help._ Willow thought rolling her eyes while remembered how helpful the Powers That Be or other good guy spirits had been to them in the past.

Despite the supposed help that the P.T.B had been to them over the years just about everyone connected to the original Scooby gang agreed that they would have more luck doing this on their own than asking them for help. Still they had already gone through more than half of the library's contents and she had exhausted all of her online sources with the exception of a few chat rooms but nothing new had been posted regarding her inquiries in some time. Thus they had extended their feelers to the world outside the new Slayer's Watchers Council to the occult and magick world itself hoping that they had some book or scroll that would help. Just as she was about to turn another page there was a tapping on the window and she looked up to see an owl perched outside the window. She had been a bit startled the first time that it had happened but after Giles explained things she had just started to accept it as just another strange occurrence in their lives. According to Giles he had a friend in the magic community who had a system of mail delivery much like carrier pigeons set up all over Great Britain and that it was quite an efficient system as well as less likely to be intercepted by questionable beings. Going over to the window she opened it and stood out of the way as the owls that came seemed to like actually entering a house they were delivering mail to rather than just dropping off the mail and leaving. Watching as it flew across the room before landing on the back of a chair by the main table in the library she smiled at its cuteness before she walked over and untied the letter tied to its left leg. She smiled as she recognized the handwriting on the envelope as belonging to Giles' friend A.D and wondered if this letter would be as enjoyable as the previous ones she had read. While the letters as it pertained to information to help Xander were not so good it was always amusing to hear what AD had to say. If he and Xander ever got together she doubted it would be long before everyone within earshot was rolling on the ground clutching their stomachs in pain due to how hard they were laughing. Opening the letter she read :

_Ms. Willow Rosenberg_

_ I write this letter in the hopes that you are well and remain optimistic in the search for your friend. I have looked into enlisting aid to help in the search but regret to inform you that many of my friends with the requisite knowledge are otherwise occupied with a matter of equal concern. However I have been able to enlist the aide of two of my comrades who are experts in the areas of charms and the dark arts and they have assured me that they will look into the matter as soon as they are able._

_ On another note I must say that while I admit it was rather reckless of you to attempt to mix two such volatile forms of magic I find it admirable that you are willing to 'think outside the box' as they say. In any case I would like to extend and invitation to you, once the current problem has been solved, to come to my home and receive some official instruction in the magical arts. I am by no means belittling the progress you have made so far, indeed I am impressed that you have managed to progress so far with so little official instruction, but I believe that you may benefit from such an experience._

_ In any case I will continue to keep you informed about the status of our progress and hope that we will soon find a way to return your friend to you._

_Sincerely,_

_AD_

PS – Thank you for the wonderful suggestion of a delicious sweet. These twinkies really are quite addictive.

Willow let out a slight giggle at this as she remembered her writing offhand in a recent letter to him about Xander's addiction to twinkies. Apparently he had taken her mentioning of it as an actual suggestion and was now in the same boat as her bestest friend was in. She could only imagine what Giles would say when he found out that she had inadvertently hooked one of his friends on a prime example of American junk food. Writing a quick note thanking AD for his help she placed it in an envelope and after giving the owl a snack tied it to its leg and sent it on its way. Hopefully these friends of AD would be able to help them make some progress because as of that moment they hadn't even left the proverbial starting gate.

"YOU'RE SENDING WHO!" came Giles' yelling voice from the main living room down the hall.

Worried at what could possibly upset her longtime friend and mentor so much that he would raise his voice to the point where the entire house could probably hear him she left the library and strode quickly to the living room. When she arrived Giles had apparently already concluded the phone conversation and was currently cleaning his glasses into oblivion. It made her wonder just how many lenses he had to replace over the years because of nothing more than his furious rubbing of them whenever he got nervous or angry. It was always a sign of increased emotional instability or stress when Giles cleaned his glasses for no other reason than because it was habit. It was a 'tell' as Xander explained it one night when they had gathered around a table in the kitchen and played a few rounds of Poker with varying assignments worldwide as the stakes. Everyone had a habit or mannerism that emerged during times of increased stress and emotional duress and for Giles it was cleaning his glasses. She only hoped the senior Watcher wouldn't go broke replacing all the lenses he had worn out with unnecessary rubbing.

"What's up Giles?" she asked in a friendly manner hoping that her presence would calm him down enough to at least tell her what was going on.

"That was Angel on the phone. Apparently while he hasn't been able to find anything directly to help bring Xander back he is sending someone who at least might be able to help us narrow down the possibilities at least." Giles replied as calmly as he could although it was obvious to the wicca that he was still very upset.

"Who?" Willow asked running mentally through the list of names of people, demons or miscellaneous beings that Angel might send to help them.

"Illyria." Giles replied before looking into her eyes and conveying just how potentially cataclysmic that person coming here could be for them.

To this there was only one response Willow could give.

"Oh boy…" she spoke in a voice just above a whisper.

Main Audience Chamber, Sesshomaru's Castle 

_Well here goes nothing._ Xander thought to himself as he walked down the red carpet that led from the entrance all the way up to the throne where Sesshomaru waited.

They had finally made it into the castle proper where only Sesshomaru and his immediate servants lived with only a few more suggestive looks from some of the women outside. Once the number of people looking at him went down he found it easier to relax and be more like himself which would come very handy since he doubted the Ice Lord would appreciate his look-a-like acting like a stuttering fool. Still he had a feeling the few maids that lived in the castle would be working extra hard to 'serve his needs' during his stay. He just hoped that Sesshomaru wasn't one of those rulers that insisted that ten different servants help him dress and look dignified every morning. If that was the case he would no doubt arrange similar treatment for him if for no other reason than to ensure that someone considered a VIP guest actually looked the part. It wouldn't matter if the servants that were sent to him were all male, all female or a mixture of the two for it would still be uncomfortable for him. Still he would have little choice but to endure it unless he wanted to risk insulting Sesshomaru by refusing some of the perks that came with being his guest. He'd probably have to learn to get up earlier than anyone else and dress himself to avoid the servants and tell the Ice Lord that it was just his standard practice to get up early to train. Since he doubted that even with the Lord's informants keeping Sesshomaru appraised of his location and activities that they would be so detailed as to outline his routine every morning. After all there was giving a complete report to your Lord and then there was giving a **complete** report to your Lord. He doubted that even Sesshomaru would want a report so detailed so as to be downright irritating to anyone with an ounce of sanity.

Once he reached what he hoped was a respectful distance, a little over ten feet from the throne, he bowed respectfully once before standing straight and awaiting his host to speak.

"Welcome to my home Alexander. This Sesshomaru is pleased to see you once more." The Ice Lord said managing to sound genuinely pleased but at the same time keep his voice utterly devoid of emotion.

"I am pleased to be admitted into your kingdom Sesshomaru-sama." , Xander said trying to find a balance between sounding respectful and boot licking, "I have a request to make of you."

"You wish this Sesshomaru's aide in returning home. This Sesshomaru believes this was already discussed at our last encounter." Sesshomaru stated with what sounded to Xander like confusion.

"While that was the original proposal that is not what I have come to request of you." , Xander stated while trying to sort his thoughts, "I still intend to search for a solution by myself first but I have recently discovered though that my .. lack of skill and experience in this inu-youkai body is an unacceptable liability it my quest. While my amateurish knowledge of inu-youkai abilities may keep me safe against weak youkai unless I learn how to use this form to its fullest I will almost certainly be killed by more powerful opponents in the future. Especially if Naraku persists in attacking me at random points along my journey."

"That is why I, Alexander, have come to ask you Lord Sesshomaru for formal instruction in the fighting ways of the inu-youkai. I must learn to use this body to the fullest in order to overcome the trials that are no doubt to come or else failure is almost certain. Will you grant this request Lord Sesshomaru?" Xander asked before falling silent and awaiting a reply to his request.

Silence became the dominant theme as not a word was spoken in the room by either Xander's party or those gathered around Sesshomaru on the raised dais where his throne resided. Seconds ticked by but Xander kept his face passive and emotionless as he doubted any show of emotion would help win the Ice Lord over. If there was anything that seemed to make the Youkai Lord who he was it was the complete lack of emotion on his face and in his voice. Only when supremely ticked off did the inu-youkai show emotion and naturally it was an imperial rage that more often than not resulted in the death of the one who provoked him. In all other encounters the Tai Inu Youkai of the West remained in complete control and Xander personally believed that he did this to gain a victory over his opponents. After all if your adversary got all riled while you remained perfectly calm it made your opponent look bad as well as causing the fool to wonder if there was something he was missing. This left the other side vulnerable which made for one helluva advantage in battle which was something he was considering adding to his own bag of tricks. True it went against his usual 'class clown' personae that he had managed to preserve within himself despite all the hellmouthy and demonic occurrences that had filled up his life up until the final fight with the First. Unfortunately the death of Anya had killed much of that part of him and while it was there it was to a significantly lesser degree that it had been before. He kept up appearances in front of the other Scoobies since he figured that having someone bring some much needed levity to certain situations would help keep them all sane but he was not as he once had been. He had a feeling that Willow knew something was different about him but not the depth of the difference. He had been ready to reinvent himself for awhile now but hadn't had much of a chance given the amount of work that went into creating the new Council and locating the newly born Slayers. Now though, with his time almost entirely his own, he had the chance to begin and he hoped that Lord Sesshomaru would oblige him by helping him with the first step. Even if he did not retain any of the abilities inherent in all inu-youkai he was sure he would come away stronger and better from whatever the Ice Lord had to teach him.

"This Sesshomaru is intrigued by your request but he will have to take some time to consider it thoroughly." , Sesshomaru replied with his right eyebrow raised, "Rooms have been prepared for you and the miko. Jakken?"

"Yes milord?" Jakken said in a way reserved for suck-ups and yes men.

"Show Alexander to his room and see to it that he is provided with some proper clothing." Sesshomaru stated coldly while showing obvious disdain for Xander's current apparel.

"Right away milord! This way Alexander." Jakken said as he began to walk towards the entrance/exit of the main audience chamber.

Kikyo surprisingly didn't move to join him and for a moment he wondered what she was waiting for before looking to Lord Sesshomaru.

"Do not concern yourself with Kikyo Alexander. She will be showed to her room once I have concluded speaking with her" Sesshomaru stated in an attempt to reassure him.

"Go with the toad youkai Alexander. I will be fine." Kikyo said to clearly state her confidence in her future well being.

Nodding once Xander turned and followed the loyal retainer out of the room and down what was likely only the first of numerous hallways and corridors that this castle possessed. He had confidence that Priestess Kikyo would be able to handle Sesshomaru as he had seen her capable of vanishing like a phantom into thin air in the Anime series back home. While that by no means meant that she possessed a similar ability here he doubted that she would have so willingly encouraged him to leave her if she felt her continued existence was in jeopardy. If there was something other than revenge that Kikyo did well it was survive and he had no doubt she already had some kind of plan for making a quick exit if Lord Sesshoamru saw fit to 'neutralize' her.

_Hope those two get along alright. I'd hate to have to find another guide to show me around this world._ , Xander thought to himself before asking "So Jakken, any word on where Naraku's castle might be located?"


	9. Of meetings and answers

Note : I thank you for your patience in waiting for the next chapter to be published. I am sorry for taking so long but as you may have guessed I have several other crossover fics involving Xander. I will continue to try and update each and every crossover fic on a regular basis but it will require some patience on the part of you my honored fans. Also here is a request that I hope you will include in your reviews of this chapter. What kind of attacks do you think Xander should have? All I really have in mind so far is an invisible energy thread technique that would pretty much do the same thing as Walter's mono-filiment threads from the Hellsing series. I wish Xander to have more than that to fall back on when he eventually confronts Naraku. Think you can help? 

Main Audience Chamber, Sesshomaru's Castle, Kikyo's Perspective, 5 Minutes Later 

**__**

**__**

**__**

As the minutes of waiting ticked by Kikyo finally came to the conclusion that Alexander was far enough away that even his inu-youkai ears would be unable to overhear the conversation.

"What is it that you wish to speak to me of Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked politely as she turned her head to face the demon Lord more fully.

"This Sesshomaru knows what you have in store for the pup Alexander." , the Ice Lord replied with the chill in his voice dropping a few degrees more, "You intend to manipulate him into being a weapon in your vendettas against my half brother and Naraku. This Sesshomaru wishes to inform you that you would be wise to give up this venture."

This almost broke through her calm façade as she tried to understand why the Ice Lord that was so ruthless and cold in battle would be concerned with her intentions towards Alexander. Granted his arrival in the massacred village of Ichiro, Tsuyu and Takara was understandable as he no doubt wanted to ascertain the intentions of a person who looked so much like himself. However that should have been the end of the demon Lord's concern but apparently he had more of an interest in the young inu-youkai than simply preserving his own reputation. What that could be she was not sure but perhaps by playing along with this conversation she could learn more about the Tai Inu-Youkai's intentions.

"Whatever I have planned for Alexander is a matter to be decided between the two of us." , she stated with a chill equal to the person on the other side of the conversation, "What concern is it of yours what happens to this 'pup'? I am sure you have already managed to convince others that he has no connection to you."

"What this Sesshomaru tells his subjects to believe and what they choose to believe are not always the same." , Sesshomaru stated as he deftly avoided the intent of her query, "As long as Alexander exists in the form resembling mine his actions will continue to reflect upon us whether it is his intention or not to cause us trouble. This Sesshomaru will not allow you to manipulate him for no other reason than because it would reflect badly upon us when word of your machinations spread."

_Is he truly only concerned for his reputation?_ , Kikyo thought as she began to construct her next statement for the youkai Lord, _or is that just a convenient excuse to cover the fact that he is does not wish Alexander to come to harm?_

"Whatever your suspicions may be Lord Sesshomaru you have only your own suspicions and very little physical proof to support your belief." , Kikyo said while keeping any potentially offensive emotions out of her voice, "Besides I am sure than a learned demon hunter such as Alexander knows of my quests against InuYasha and Naraku. If it is his decision to continue to remain in my company despite any potential dangers that may arise from being near me then that is his decision."

_There! If he attempts to press his command it will appear as though he does not respect Alexander's freedom to choose and this will only alienate the pup_ , Kikyo thought to herself with an inner grin, _If he wishes to remain in the young inu-youkai's good graces he will have to either terminate his interference or be satisfied with simply voicing his opinion to Alexander and leaving it to him to decide on a course of action._

"This Sesshomaru will not take away Alexander's right to choose his own fate." , Sesshomaru stated with slightly narrower eyes than he had before her comment, "However we will inform him completely of your nature as well as offer an alternative to you if he wishes for a guide during his stay."

"Such is your right Lord Sesshomaru." Kikyo stated unfazed by his seemingly increased displeasure at the direction she seemed to be driving the conversation.

"Jakken will return shortly and see you to your room." , Sesshomaru said rising from his throne, "This Sesshomaru reminds you not to feed off of any of his subjects or there will be dire consequences for both you and Alexander."

With that the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West left the room with nothing to keep Kikyo company but empty space and her own thoughts. While this was not entirely reassuring it did seem as though Sesshomaru was willing to tolerate her presence for the moment. The fact that really had her head working overtime though was what the youkai Lord's real interest in Alexander was and how it might interfere in her plans. While the reasons that she had been given were certainly plausible she still felt that the actions that supported the reasons were not proportionate to each other. If all Sesshomaru was concerned about was his own reputation he could easily have just killed Alexander and be done with it. He was certainly ruthless and cold hearted enough to do it as his past exploits had proven in great detail and Xander would not provide any serious challenge to him should he try it. That being the case it left her to wonder if there was something beyond a noble's reputation that drew the inu-youkai to Alexander. It was then that a possibility manifested in her mind that was impossibly both possible but also impossible at the same time.

Could it be that Lord Sesshomaru is considering adopting Alexander into his family! Kikyo thought incredulously as her mind went ballistic trying to wrap itself around that idea.

To the best of her knowledge while Sesshomaru was known to take women to his bed chamber occasionally their ties with him were temporary. A new woman was seen with him every few months with none seemingly being good enough to capture his interest enough to make a suitable wife. As such he was still without a legitimate heir to the throne of the Tai Inu Youkai of the West which was a problem as serious as any threat to territory or possessions. After all it was the duty of every Lord to ensure that his line continued past his death and while it was preferable to choose a wife out of love most Lord's did not balk at wedding one out of necessity. This all being said Alexander must be something akin to a godsend in the eyes of the inu-youkai lord as it meant he would have an heir without needing to go through the process of finding a wife. While there was the fact that Alexander was originally human she doubted that Sesshomaru was too concerned with that as only a select few people knew about that. To even her senses both natural and spiritual he seemed to be just another inu-youkai male with nothing at all hinting at his hidden nature. While it was possible that a miko of greater power than herself or perhaps another skilled magic user might be able to detect the truth it would be an uncertain conclusion. Add to that the similarity in their appearances and she doubted anyone would doubt that they were father and son if that was what was declared to the people. Still that also meant a potential problem for the future, a problem that she would have to start preparing for immediately if there was to be any chance of countering it.

What will Sesshomaru do if Alexander does find a way home? Kikyo thought as she gave form to the concern that existed within her.

If her theory was correct and Sesshomaru was indeed planning on adding Alexander into his family and making the pup his heir than he might take steps to ensure that he did not lose his surrogate son. That could mean anything from simply giving the young inu-youkai false information on where he could find a portal home or outright destroying all the possible ways Alexander could return home without the pup knowing he was responsible. There were certainly enough warriors under the Ice Lord's command capable of such covert activities and since the Youkai Lord could remain with Alexander during the times these acts took place he would be above suspicion. The possibilities and theories were numerous which pretty much meant that aside from staying close to her 'friend' during his stay here she would have some serious planning to do. While it was certainly possible she herself would have to curtail his efforts to return home until her own objective was achieved she could use Sesshomaru's efforts as a good cover.

So much planning to be done but then I have nothing but time. she thought to herself as she sensed the toad youkai Jakken approaching the audience chamber.

Two Hours Later, Rin's perspective, Castle Gardens 

**__**

**__**

Rin wonders where Al'xander is. wondered the young girl known only as Rin to all who knew her in her current life.

She had known for awhile now that the demon man was coming to see Lord Sesshomaru and since she had seen Sesshomaru-sama and Jakken looking over some scrolls she figured that their meeting was over. Since then she had been looking everywhere for the newest resident of the Castle as she was curious as a kitten about the person who looked so much like her Lord. She had been there when they had met him for the first time in that massacred village but the sight had brought up too many bad memories and so her attention had been divided. Now that she was safe back in the castle she could give her entire focus over to finding out who he was and what he was like. Maybe he could be her new friend, maybe even a big brother in the same way that Lord Sesshomaru was like a father to her. That was why she had been looking for him among other reasons, to see what he was like and if he wanted to be her friend. She had questioned dozens of servants about his whereabouts but it wasn't until she had asked the Kitsune gardener that she learned he had left the interior of the castle for the middle of the flower garden. She was about halfway there and could see the long mane of silver-white hair already which only caused her to run faster with excitement. He seemed to sense this and turned his head slightly and looked in her direction but with no emotion much like her Lord.

"Yes?" Alexander asked with a little bit of interest in his voice.

"Rin wanted to meet you. Rin's name is Rin!" she said putting on her best smile that Sesshomaru-sama seemed to like.

A small grin seemed to curl his lips up but other than then that there was nothing to inform her of what he was thinking.

"A pleasure to meet you Rin." Alexander stated as the small grin vanished from his face to replaced by an emotionless mask.

"Rin wonders what Al'xander is doing right now." She said in a curious manner without actually asking a question.

It had been a point of confusion for her to try and understand the various rules of the demon court but one thing she had learned very quickly was that there were certain questions one just did not ask. So she had found a way to find out what she wanted to know without actually asking the question which is what she was doing with her Lord's guest right now. There were a dozen different things she wanted to know but she didn't want to make him mad by accident so she had to be careful.

"Meditating. I have asked Lord Sesshomaru if he would teach me how to fight as an inu-youkai would fight." , he stated picking up on her inquiry, "He has not yet given an answer but I wish to be prepared in case he agrees to my request."

Rin nodded as she remembered that the dog demon in front of her had once been human like she was and just looked as he did because of magic. She didn't understand why he would need to prepare to learn how to fight like Lord Sesshomaru because it always looked so effortless and easy when her Lord did it. Still at least it would mean he would be staying with them for awhile and give her a better chance to get to know him. After all she was certain that her Lord would agree to teach him after seeing what their first meeting with Alexander had done to change how the Tai Inu Youkai acted. Sesshomaru seemed more speculative than before, seemed to act like he didn't need to take all the responsibility and pressure on his own two shoulders. If things went the way she hoped that they would she had faith that Alexander's presence would be a good thing for Lord Sesshomaru.

"Rin is sure that Lord Sesshomaru will agree. Rin thinks Lord Sesshomaru likes Alexander!" she stated truthfully and sincerely.

To this Alexander only raised his right eyebrow in surprise.

She was about to explain what she meant when she wondered whether or not Sesshomaru-sama would like it if he told Alexander these things. Her Lord she had found was a very private man who didn't like letting others know what went on inside of his head. That was why she figured why he tried to act so cold all the time because emotions were a good way of finding out what a person thought about certain things or people. Since she was uncertain as to whether or not her Lord wanted Alexander to know how he felt about the younger inu-youkai she decided to keep her mouth shut. If Sesshomaru-sama wanted him to know he would tell Alexander himself when the time was right and not a moment before.

"Perhaps." Was all Alexander said to her prediction of Lord Sesshomaru's response to his request.

For a few minutes they just remained like that with her standing just a few feet behind him while he remained sitting on the ground. She waited to see if he would ask her something or do something to pick the topic of conversation ut he remained qilent.

"Rin wonders where Al'xander is from? How far is it from here?" Rin asked hoping to be able to coax him out of the silence that surrounded him.

"It is a place called England and it is quite far from here either by land or by sea." Alexander replied without moving his head.

Rin had never heard of this England which probably meant that Alexander was right and it was quite far from Japan. Not that she was very knowledgeable of the world around her outside of where she had been in person with Lord Sesshomaru or heard about in court. She knew that there was a world out there that she knew nothing about but she also knew that even if she wanted to go and see it the chances of her getting the option to do so was slim at best. She had no belongings of her own save what Sesshomaru-sama gave her and even if later when she grew up she wanted to go she would likely be too indebted to her Lord to leave and explore the world on her own. Thus she would have to be content with hearing about the world outside Japan from those who came from the other kingdoms and regions. That made her even more eager to ask Alexander about the world which he had lived in and places he had seen and the things he had done.

"Rin wonders what it is like there? Is it like here?" Rin asked with all the eagerness of a curious kitten.

"No. It is much colder." Alexander replied with a distinctly unfriendly tone in his voice.

It was like the voice that Sesshomaru-sama used on her when she was misbehaving or didn't follow and order he had given to her. This left her puzzled since to the best of her knowledge she had done nothing improper or antagonistic towards him so that left her with nothing in the way of an explanation. It bothered her but she would not be deterred so easily for while it had not been as chilly she had received much the same response from Lord Sesshomaru when they first met. It had taken awhile but she had eventually gotten through that icy exterior and she was certain that if she just stayed with it she could break through Alexander's barriers as well.

"Rin wonders have you been in many battles?" Rin asked as she moved to sit down close to him.

"A few. Now if you do not mind I am trying to meditate." Alexander replied as he seemed to be doing his best to ignore her and closed his eyes.

"What is meditatating?" Rin asked since she did not know what it meant herself.

His reaction to this was one that she had not anticipated in the slightest for no sooner was the question out of her mouth than he whirled around and on one knee growled at her with his eyes beginning to take a red tint to them. The crimson color was not quite as dark as the color of Sesshomaru-sama's eyes when he transformed but it was clear that Alexander's eyes were well on their way to becoming just like that. The only difference other than color that she could detect was the fact that when Sesshomaru-sama did it to her she knew he was just mad and would only yell at her for a few moments. She knew that he would never actually hurt her when angry but would just storm off instead and refuse to be with her for a few days. In Alexander's eyes she could see a deep pain had been awakened by her questions and perhaps her very presence and this hurt could very well push him into doing something he would not otherwise do. This knowledge caused a spark of fear to manifest within her and she quickly got to her feet and took a few steps away from him.

"Just leave me alone!" he yelled and without further adieu he took a few swift steps before leaping onto the roof of the entrance to the gardens and proceeded to leap farther and farther away.

_Rin wonders what could hurt Alexander so much to make him act like that?_ Rin thought to herself as she finally lost sight of him.

Xander's Room, Just After Sunset 

_Damn it! What was I thinking?_ Xander thought to himself as he sat on his bed with both his arms and legs crossed.

It would almost be funny if it wasn't so stupid and he was furious with himself for losing control like that and lashing out at Rin. He had just wanted her to go away. He knew it was nonsense but every time he heard her voice or looked at her face he was reminded of Takara and his own failure to protect her. It was a memory that haunted him now weeks after her actual death and he doubted that he would ever be able to get over it until he got his revenge against Naraku. He knew that it had been a wolf demon that had killed the little girl but it was only due to the orders of Naraku and the schemes of Kagura that they were brought into this mess. Kagura definitely lost points for originality by using the same trick twice of Kouga but then again she was just an incarnation of Naraku so it wasn't her fault that her 'father' botched things when he created her. Still despite his need to redeem himself and avenge Takara he knew he had screwed up by taking his feelings out on Rin. She was an innocent in this matter and was only trying to make friends with him and he let his emotions get to him causing him to snap at her. He knew that this had the potential to severely damage his chances of receiving combat training from Lord Sesshomaru. Both in the anime series and apparently in this universe Rin and the youkai Lord were close, like father and daughter almost, which meant that hurting or offending her was most certainly not a wise thing to do right now.

_Looks like I better get a formal apology ready _, Xander thought to himself before sensing a powerful entity heading in the direction of his room, _and it looks like I'll be needing it sooner rather than later._

The door opened with a swoosh and standing there in all his icy glory was the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West looking significantly displeased. It was the look on the Ice Lord's face that reminded the Zeppo all too clearly just how ruthless and deadly the demon Lord could be when provoked. The only comforting thing he could see at the moment was the fact that Sesshomaru had apparently left the Tenseiga and the Tokijin elsewhere instead of bringing them with him. That hopefully meant that he would just be receiving a tongue lashing and a few death threats rather than a thorough thrashing as well as perhaps a messy death. Hopefully if he was honest and appeared genuinely sorry for his actions this will wind up being little more than a bump in the road.

"This Sesshomaru would have you explain your behavior towards his Rin." Sesshomaru demanded managing to sound angry and emotionless at the same time.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I am sorry for my actions towards Rin. I know nothing she did justified the way I treated her in the garden." , Xander said with a formal bow before continuing with his words, "She .. reminded me of someone I failed to protect recently. Someone who died because I wasn't skilled enough to protect her."

"Yet another reason why you seek this Sesshomaru's instruction?" Sesshomaru asked betraying nothing in his voice or body language.

"Yes. If I had been more skillful I would have been able to dispatch her killer more efficiently and she would still be alive." , Xander said as memories of his other failures back in Sunnydale floated through his mind, "Still past failures are no excuse for how I treated Rin. I hope you will accept my humble apologies Lord Sesshomaru."

For a time there was nothing but silence and open space between them, one inu-youkai staring at another attempting to discern what was going on inside the other one's head. Sesshomaru unfortunately was the uncontested master of keeping his thoughts and motivations a mystery to all but telepaths and perhaps even mind readers were at a loss in that area. He himself did his best to keep his face as cold as stone but he was certain that a master of concealed emotions was also a master at seeing past the defenses of others. Perhaps if the instruction in the ways of combat stayed on the itinerary then he could try and learn to conceal his emotions during the lessons as well.

Eventually Sesshomaru nodded and said "This Sesshomaru will forgive this transgression against his Rin this time. In the future however this Sesshomaru suggests you maintain tighter control over your emotions. Do not allow the past to dominate your present."

Then without further adieu the youkai Lord turned and left the room with Xander breathing a sigh of relief that he had managed to avoid paying for such a stupid mistake. Letting his emotions get the better of him had been a flaw of his for as long as he could remember and despite his scattered efforts to correct this problem it still remained as strong as ever. Back in Sunnydale the most trouble this could get him into was exchanging a couple of harsh and in some cases ill chosen words with his friends over the chosen course of action. Around matters concerning deadboy in particular he seemed to have trouble remaining objective although whether that was because the guy was a vampire or because he had won Buffy's heart he didn't know. Likely it was a combination of both but whenever they were together in the same room he couldn't help but antagonize the so-called good vampire with odd nick names. Here though matters were different, here he didn't have Buffy or the gang to pull him out of any kind of trouble he got himself into and would have to be more careful not to bite off more than he could chew. His training with Sesshomaru would make him more capable of getting out of trouble of the hostile youkai sort or obstinante priest if his typical luck held.

In any case he should probably try and get some rest for if Sesshomaru did agree to train him he would need all his strength and endurance to make sure that his first lesson did not become his last lesson.

The Seaside Village, Evening 

_It sure is beautiful here._ Sango thought to herself as she looked out at the water sparkling in the moonlight.

Most of the others were either asleep or just admiring the scenery like her but no real decision had been reached on just what they should do now that their mission here seemed to have failed. They had come to this town on the advice of Myoga the flea who had stated that if InuYasha soaked the Tetsaiga in the blood of a barrier generating bat demon it would become powerful enough to break through Naraku's barrier. She had never seen the hanyou so eager to get somewhere before where destroying Naraku was not tied to the destination. However when they arrived at the village and began their search for this demon they discovered that it was not a pure-blooded bat demon but a hanyou like InuYasha. The little girl Shiori had been kidnapped by her grandfather, a true bat demon, and taken to the lair of his people against her will. Naturally a rescue attempt was made but when the realities of the child's life in the village were made clear, the abuse she had received because she was a half-breed, it had been decided that perhaps it was better if the child stayed with one who seemed to genuinely care for her. So they had returned to the village to rest for the night and would likely set out the following morning for another way to enhance the power of the Tetsaiga. She and Mirokou had volunteered to keep watch during the night just in case some of the bat demons made an attempt on this village. Just because they were content to leave the young girl with her grandfather didn't mean that they were blind to the threat that the bat demons represented to the villagers.

It was so difficult for villages like these who lived in such close proximity to demon lairs to survive, constantly on guard and in fear for their lives. They were too small to have many comptetant warriors and not every person skilled with a sword was capable of combating demons. Even with the larger armies in Japan they often were no match for some of the more powerful demon species that existed and against the likes of a demon Lord like Sesshomaru their deaths were all but certain. Even among the stronger warriors from her own village were wary of engaging a truly powerful demon no matter how many exterminators were brought along for the job. For these villagers it must be difficult and even if they somehow emerge victorious the cost would no doubt be high for that victory. Still they faced it true bravery and commitment never giving up in their self-appointed duty of protecting those whom they cared for so deeply.

For some reason the thought of protection as a duty brought an image of Alexander to her mind and instead of just passing through her mind's eye like most other brief memories the image of him shirtless outside of Kobe stuck with her. She hadn't paid much attention to it at the time given that she and her friends had been in such a hurry to get to Kobe and stop Kouga from making a mistake but now that she thought about it he looked **very** good. He wasn't overly bulky in terms of muscle but rather a slim well conditioned body that looked like it had been forged in battle. While it was true that the inu-youkai features were the most visible she could now see features that likely belonged to him alone and most likely would remain the same if he was ever made human again. The soft gentle eyes, the humorous smile that seemed to always be just beneath the surface and those oh so kissable lips. She almost didn't catch it in time but she was almosy to the glassy eyed blushing stage that so many of the women Mirokou made his proposition to got with a few sweet words from him.

Shaking her head she thought _I will **never** allow myself to get so smitten with any man like **that**!_

It made her so angry every time when they entered a town or village and within the first hour Mirokou never failed to find a beautiful woman and begin his routine which always ended with 'will you do me the honor of bearing my child?'. It gave her little comfort that the majority of women did the right thing and slapped him across the face and the few times the victims didn't slap him she was quick to do it herself. The rest of the gang weren't too pleased with it either but they tried to remain tolerant and likely reminded themselves that he **was** useful in their quest to kill Naraku. Grudgingly she had to admit that with his sutras, spiritual power and wind tunnel he did contribute something to the battle but it was the rest of the time that he was nothing but a lecher. He said again and again that he was a monk not a priest and thus was not required to give up women for the rest of his life. Personally she believed that he chose to become a monk more because it was a useful way to woo women than because he was actually interested in the job. After all what could be better for a woman that to be noticed by a 'virtuous' monk passing through to battle 'dangerous' demons. It was the oldest trick in the book and the fact that he actuall was a monk, albeit not entirely virtuous, just made his lines and promises seem that much more believable.

If they had any idea what kind of man he really was and how he really saw them as just a means of continuing his line and pursuing Naraku in case he failed they would give him the cold shoulder every single time. Only their mutual enemy, his occasional moments of honor and the fact that she had thought she could change him into the person she believed he could be kept her from disliking him entirely. She had tried for a long while since she originally joined with InuYasha, Kagome and the others after the destruction of her village but her efforts had produced results that were barely noticeable. At this rate by the time she had succeeded in changing him into the man she hoped he would become she would be Kaede's age or older. That was not the kind of life she had always dreamed of having and while none of them could guarantee that they would last past tomorrow they all made plans as if their victory was assured. She now realized that she had come to a turning point in her life and that a decision had to be made that could take her down one of two paths. Should she continue to work on Mirokou and hope that she would eventually get her wish or accept that he would never change and examine her other options? It was a choice she knew she would have to make soon if she was to be able to continue with her life and some part of her knew the answer already. It was only a matter of time before it became fully known to her and when it was in her grasp she knew it would be the best day of her life.

Suddenly she felt a change in the air and it was a feeling she knew all too well both from her training as a demon exterminator and during her time with InuYasha. Running swiftly she cleared the forest and saw her feelings confirmed as black spots on the horizon became clearer and she knew that the bat demons were on their way. No doubt Shiori's grandfather wanted to make the child completely his and the only way to do that was to eliminate all the ties she had to anywhere or anyone else. That meant that the village and Shiori's mother were going to be destroyed if she and the others were not able to defeat the demons.

_One thing you can say about traveling with InuYasha is that it is never dull._ Sango thought as she hefted her Hiraikotsu and ran to join the others.

**_The Main Audience Chambers in the Castle of the Tai Inu Youkai of the West_**

Mid-Morning 

_Now is the time of truth when Sesshomaru's true intentions will be revealed._ Kikyo thought as she sat next to Alexander directly in front of the Ice Lord's throne.

She had spent much time debating the demon Lord's motives in her mind while she waited for morning to come and while she could not prove it for certain what happened next would prove one way or the other whether or not Sesshomaru's motivations extended past protecting his own interests. They had both been summoned less than a half hour ago and were now waiting for the Lord of the castle to make an appearance. Alexander seemed to be uneasy in the way he held himself, almost as though something had happened since they had last seen each other to make him feel guilty. She knew not what it was nor had the polite inquiries she had used been able to get him to tell her what happened willingly. She did not believe it was serious as her time with him had enabled her to see what emotions truly existed within his heart and he was not very capable of concealing his emotions to begin with. Even when he attempted to emulate Sesshomaru's behavior and manner of speaking she could see through that mask to what lay within.

In truth she found it oddly pleasant that he was so honest with his emotions as many warriors she had encountered both before and after InuYasha tended to keep their true feelings a secret. Some did so in order to maintain the fearless warrior image that they wished to convey to their allies and opponents while others simply didn't feel confident in expressing emotions that were not 'manly'. Alexander seemed only concerned about keeping his true emotions a secret from those he did not trust whereas when he was among people he trusted he was much more open. While she would not say that he was completely comfortable with her it was fair to say that it would not be much longer before his trust in her reached a point where the last barrier within him dropped. This she felt was a positive step for once he trusted her with his true emotions it would only be a few months more before he would trust her council and her judgement of others. Once that was achieved it would be possible to properly shape his perceptions of InuYasha and Naraku to the point where he would gladly give his life to end theirs.

The door to the audience chamber opened and in walked Jakken walking with the usual pompous stride that he thought he was due as the most important retainer of the Tai Inu Youkai of the West. Personally she believed that the only reason the Demon Lord kept the toad youkai around was for the occasionally humerous moments the short demon provided. No more than ten steps behind was Sesshomaru-sama himself fully encased in his emotionless façade betraying nothing of what was going on in his mind. She may be able to glean some information from him during this session as she noticed in the audience they were granted the previous day that he seemed to soften a bit in Alexander's presence. The Ice Lord soon took his place on the throne before them but then instead of beginning the meeting as both she and Alexander had no doubt expected. Instead he merely sat there looking at them as if staring into their very souls as though that would be the deciding factor in his choice to instruct Alexander. Almost ten minutes had passed before he spoke and it was at that point that she concluded that it had been a test of patience. He wished to determine whether Alexander had the commitment and patience to sit still and remain silent so this test could be used as an indicator as to how he would behave during training. A clever move for the demon Lord.

"This Sesshomaru has given much thought to your request for instruction in the combat style of the inu youkai. It is an unusual request that this Sesshomaru has been asked to consider coming from one who professes to be a demon exterminator." , Sesshomaru said in a calm and diplomatic manner, "What guarantee does this Sesshomaru have that you will not use such teachings against him or his subjects?"

"I assure you Lord Sesshomaru my companions and I only kill demons who represent a clear and present danger to those under our protection. With the exception of situations where such knowledge would prove vital in protecting or saving many lives I promise to keep the secrets of your people's fighting style to myself." , Alexander said in an equally diplomatic manner, "Besides which my group is primarily based on the other side of the world so it is unlikely that my friends and your people will ever come into conflict with one another."

Sesshomaru seemed to consider this a moment before saying "If this indeed is the case Alexander then this Sesshomaru agrees to instruct you in the fighting style of his people."

Kikyo could tell that Alexander was quite happy with the answer as the knowledge and skill he would gain would help him greatly in avenging Takara's death.

"Do not be too pleased Alexander. This Sesshomaru will be a difficult teacher and will not settle for anything less than total mastery of each lesson." Sesshomaru stated making it clear that this was no joke and he was going to be taking his job as Alexander's instructor very seriously.

"I understand Lord Sesshomaru. I will endevour to do my best." Alexander said with a neutral tone of voice but Kikyo could sense some anxiety at what was to come.

"Make sure that you do. This Sesshomaru will not be pleased if this venture is revealed to be a waste of his time." , Sesshomaru said with his tone not changing from his previous comment, "We will start your first lesson later this afternoon. I suggest that you take the time until then to prepare yourself. You are dismissed."

With a short bow of agreement Alexander rose to his feet and began to walk towards the entrance of the room and she mimicked his movements before following him.

They had almost reached the door when Sesshomaru said "I hope that you are of strong stock Alexander. You will need to be."

Alexander nodded again and then they left the room heading back in the direction of their appointed rooms where the young inu-youkai would likely meditate until he was called. She had found during their time together that he seemed equally interested training his mind as well as the body. He had shown an aptitude for the more mental abilities of the priestess in terms of discipline and control and her time attempting to help him with his crimson mist. At first when she instructed him in how to achieve a proper meditative state she believed it would take months for him to suppress his emotions and listen to his inner self. Still after the first week he seemed to enter the proper mindset more easily and with that his progress rate increased dramatically. He was still a long way from matching what she was capable of as a priestess but he did possess potential that she believed would be interesting to see him reach one day.

Looking at him now though she imagined he would spend at least half the time until the first lesson attempting to dispel his dread at what methods Lord Sesshomaru will use to teach Alexander what he wished to know.


	10. Training Session No1 and added complicat...

Note: I wish to hereby apologize to my faithful readers for screwing up on my usually predictable update and new chapter schedule. I went home for a week or so and there were no computers available for me to write my new chapters on so I had to wait. As recompense I have lengthened the chapter from the usual ten to seventeen(according to my Microsoft Word program) and introduced an original character that I am considering making a permanent part of this story and any sequels I decide to write. Let me know what you think! And now on with the show….. A Forest Just Outside of Sesshomaru's Territory, An Hour Later 

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_ Naraku will not be pleased._ Kagura thought to herself as she came to the conclusion that Alexander would not be leaving Sesshomaru's territory anytime soon.

She had completed her preparations to maneuver him to a location of her Master's choosing and even had suitable bait at the ready to force his co-operation should the inu youkai perceive the truth behind her subtle efforts. The problem now was that it would be difficult to draw Alexander out without the possibility of Sesshomaru accompanying him where ever he went. The fact that the Ice Lord had not immediately ejected the pup the same day he arrived meant that he was giving the young man special consideration which was rare. How far this special consideration would extend was unknown and that was what complicated matters for her and may anger Naraku. While the Master was not an impatient being nor was his patience infinite in duration and it was her fear that he would take this delay poorly. That was why she was currently devising a convincing excuse that not only minimized the problem but also pointed out how it could work to his advantage. At the moment all she could think of is that by allowing Alexander to stay with Sesshomaru for a time it would make the young inu youkai an even more valuable when the time came for Naraku to absorb him. After all the only reason why Alexander might seek out the Tai Inu Youkai of the West would be to either gain knowledge or power and that could be passed on to Naraku upon absorbtion.

_ That should please Naraku if nothing else._ , Kagura thought to herself as she looked in the direction of the Ice Lord's castle, _He may have attempted to coneal it but I know for a fact that all attempts to infiltrate the demon Lord's kingdom have failed._

It had been the cause of many a period of foul temperment in Naraku's castle when his spies returned to report they were unable to enter Sesshomaru's kingdom without being slain within a day. The only ones who managed to survive to make this report were the more cowardly spies that had sworn loyalty to Naraku and they didn't live for very long after they had delivered their report. The hanyou once known as the thief Onigumo had known from the beginning of his efforts to conquer all of Japan and beyond that he would need to deal with the powerful inu youkai Lord sooner or later. In an effort to gather intelligence for the inevitable confrontation Naraku had sent spy after spy into the Tai Inu Youkai's lands under orders to determine the numbers and power of Sesshomaru's armies. Once that could be determined plans could be made to undermine and perhaps destroy the more powerful elements of the army weakening it enough to be defeated. However with the continuous failure of his spies Sesshomaru's lands remained an unknown element and that made it a source of constant frustration for Naraku. Fortunately she had learned early on to be away from the castle when he was in a particularly foul mood over the latest unfavorable report from his operatives.

If Naraku was successful in absorbing Alexander not only would he receive new powers but also all the knowledge of what the inu youkai had seen and heard while within Sesshomaru's lands. This would prove invaluable in any future attempts to invade this territory in the future. Hopefully if he paid her a visit, whether it be in person or through one of his demon puppets, this excuse would placate him enough to save her from any sort of punishment or pain.

As for Alexander himself his spending time in Sesshomaru's company could actually turn out to benefit her personally. With a little luck some of the Ice Lord's ruthlessness and skill would rub off on the young dog demon and erode away his reluctance to take the life of his enemies. If that one weakness was taken away and his killer instincts enhanced then he would be more than ready to kill Naraku when the time arrived. She would follow her 'Master' Naraku's plan to lure the yound man into a trap but when the moment of Onimgumo's triumph seemed at hand she would turn the tables on him and do her best to provide Alexander with the best opening he would ever have to kill their mutual foe. She knew he was powerful from the way he managed to dispatch so large a number of demons in the attack force she had led to the temple where they first met. His crimson mist alone would be more than enough to finish Naraku as long as he scored a direct hit against his foe and once that was done she would finally be free to pursue her own agenda for the future. She had no real plans laid out as of yet but she knew that anything would be better than the perpetual servitude she was forced to tolerate now. All she had to do was keep up the appearance of obedience and subservience to that monster until the right oppourtunity presented itself and then seize it.

For now though she would remain where she was, positioned just outside Sesshomaru's lands awaiting a signal from one of the other servants that monitored the border. If Alexander or Kikyo took one step outside of Sesshomaru's kingdom she would be alerted instantly and would move to trail them from a distance. She had no idea how far along her 'Master' was in crafting a suitable incarnation of himself to use in the defeat of the pup. In any case he had not sent word to put their plan into effect so she was left contemplating her own survival and possible future should things play out the way she wanted. In the past her efforts to kill Naraku using other powerful warriors and demons had failed miserably with none of them possessing either the skill or the power needed to finish the job. For a time she had hoped that InuYasha might have been the one she had searched for to aide in her bid for freedom but as the recent skirmish with Muso had revealed Naraku's constant upgrading of his body had rendered Tetsaiga useless. Where before it held the promise of obliterating Naraku entirely it now was incapable of even breaking through one of Naraku's youki barriers. That had rendered him useless to her but Alexander was a full demon in terms of power and if his crimson mist worked the way she hoped it would even the barrier would fall before it.

_So in the end all of my hopes are pinned on one mysterious inu-youkai male._ , she thought to herself as she considered leaving briefly to check on her preparations, _You had better not let me down Alexander!_

An Emptied Room, Sesshomaru's Castle, Mid-Afternoon 

_ Stop it! An instructor must maintain discipline and self-control!_ Sesshomaru thought to himself as he awaited the arrival of Alexander when the pup's first lesson.

He had been present since the last of the furniture had been moved out of the room and it had also been since then. However as the moments ticked by he found himself increasingly uneasy and nervous but could not come up with a rational reason for it. While it was true that Alexander would be his very first pupil in the fighting style of the inu youkai he was fairly confident that he could fulfill the pup's request. After all as a noble he had received the best of everything both as a child and now as the ruling Lord and that included combat training. He was certain that if he emulated his sensei's teaching method then he should be able to achieve similar results with Alexander. Yet despite the confidence in himself that he currently possessed the nervous feeling within him remained and grew as the time of the first class approached. Was it the idea that continued to surface in his mind where he speculated on making the boy his heir? Was it the superior way in which Alexander behaved around him? To these questions he had no definite answers one way or another but he was determined not to allow his anxiety show in his face or his behavior. He would remain in front of the young inu youkai as he always was in front of others, untouchable and certain in everything he said or did.

As for the class outline for this session he would have to see firsthand just how much this young pup knew and how far they had to go before this Sesshomaru could consider him finished. It was the same method that his own teacher had used but in retrospect he would pull his punches a bit with Alexander. After all he had been born an inu-youkai and had been allowed seven years to grow accustomed to it before his father had insisted that he start down the path of the warrior. The young inu youkai he was to teach had been in his current form for not even a single year and was employing its gifts without any true understanding of what his current limitations were. If he did not show some restraint he would either scare the pup into withdrawing his request or injure him to the point where it would take a few days before combat instruction could resume. For some reason it was important to him to instruct Alexander properly on the first attempt rather than make several mistakes before finally devising the correct method. It was as though his heart already considered the pup to be his son and all that was left was for his mind to come to the same conclusion. It did not make sense at all for he knew intellectual that it was only through an accident of magic that the boy was now an inu youkai that bore a close family resemblance to him. The very idea that a human who bore only a family resemblance to him because of magic inciting him to consider the idea of seeing him as a son was bizarre on a grand level.

_ In any even this Sesshomaru will maintain a moderate level of professionalism during the pup's instruction until he has completely settled this disturbing topic for himself._ Sesshomaru thought firmly as he forced all indecision and anxiety to the lower depths of his mind.

It was as he finished this mental task that the door opened to reveal the source of his confusion calmly walking into the room calm and collected. Predictably right behind him was the undead miko Kikyo who was as cold and reserved as she had always been since her revival by the demon sorceress Urasue. Thus far she had obeyed his command not to devour the souls of any of his subjects but he knew she did this more so to remain in Alexander's good graces rather than any real fear of him. It was her way as a wandering wraith of bone, clay and a fragment of the soul that she once possessed when she was alive and completely human. With the knowledge that she was no longer human she no longer felt she was constrained by human morality or restraints like others did. In a way she was a contradiction in that while she continued to conduct herself as a priestess would she acted quite detached from those she aided. Personally this Sesshomaru thought that she continued her priestess duties just to pass the time between attempts to kill either Naraku or his witless half brother.

In any case she had given him no real reason to ask her to leave his realm and without juste cause Alexander would likely go with her if she was to leave. Still this Sesshomaru would make certain that any attempt she made to influence him met with extremely limited success. For now though it was time to begin the first in a series of lessons to turn this amateur into an inu youkai warrior worthy of even this Sesshomaru's respect.

With the closing of the door Sesshomaru began his first lesson and charged the yound inu youkai with his arm poised for a slash of his claws. The boy exhibited good reflexes as instead of freezing in shock at this unexpected attack the pup leapt backwards to avoid the blow. However when this Sesshomaru followed up with a second attack the youkai Lord succeeded in making contact with the young inu youkai cutting five parallel lines across the front of his shirt. No blood was spilled though but that was more due to the Ice Lord's own restraint than any delayed attempt by Alexander to avoid the attack. It was this second attack that Alexander attempted to launch his first with a slash of his own aimed at Sesshomaru's face. However with his experience though he had seen the attack coming almost from the moment it was launched and easily avoided the pup's claws. Deciding to force the child to be more careful in how he chose to attack the youkai Lord grabbed the extended arm and use the young inu youkai's own momentum to send him flying into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Alexander hit hard but was soon back on his feet and charging forward with both arms tucked close to his body with no sign as to which limb would be used first. Sesshomaru decided not to allow the child to make his move and leapt into the air to force the pup to alter his plans significantly for it was more difficult to attack an airborne inu youkai than one standing on the ground. The boy proved up to the task of altering his tactics in the heat of battle for there was no faltering when he followed this Sersshomaru into the air.

_A mallable mind this young inu youkai has._ , Sesshomaru thought as he dodged at attempt by Alexander to trick him into a vulnerable position, _He shows that he has the ability to improvise when circumstances are not as he might expect them to be. That places him quite a few levels above InuYasha._

As had been proven in numerous encounters both when the Tai Inu Youkai was a participant and an unnoticed observer he had judged his half-brother as being nothing more than a brawler when it came to being a warrior. There was no grace, no skill, in the hanyou's movements when locked in a battle with a worthy adversary. He relied on predictable youki techniques and his flawed skill with the Tetsaiga to defeat his adversaries. While InuYasha had on occasion managed to force this Sesshomaru into withdrawing from battle that was more due to his momentary lapse in discipline than his half brother actually being his equal. In this pup though there seemed to be the potential that promised much if the young one remained dedicated to learning the fighting art of the inu youkai. This made the Ice Lord even more determined to make sure that the lessons went smoothly as it would encourage the boy to come back for more. The idea of possibly finding someone to pass his knowledge onto was oddly attractive to Lord Sesshomaru.

_In you may rest the future of my line young Alexander._ , Sesshomaru said as he decided to take the level of fighting up to the next level, _This Sesshomaru hopes that you do not become a disappointment to him._

Xander's Native Reality, New Watcher's Council HQ, The Laboratory 

"I am disappointed in you Willow Rosenberg. From what I have witnessed of your skills thus far I would have thought you more careful when dealing with such volatile forces." Illyria stated with all the emotion of a lump of coal as she surveyed the room where the Zeppo had disappeared.

She had arrived mere hours ago and been oblivious to the warm welcome both Willow and Giles had attempted to deliver to her upon opening the front door. Even before she had seen the estate itself she had known where the tear in the dimensional fabric was located. Although her power may have been substantially decreased after the majority of it had been forcibly removed from her body by the souled vampire Angel and his friends. She had not been happy with being lowered to such a weakened state but had learned to cope with the help of the one known as Wesley. The memories of the one who had been chosen to be the vessel for her essence combined with her own encounters with the human made her situation more bearable. While she did not believe in their quest to protect the weak and ignorant members of their race from the half-breeds and filth that the demon community represented staying with the vampire and Wesley was necessary. Many millennia had passed since she had reigned over this realm with her true demon bretheren and in that time the world had been inherited by a race that had been little more than livestock to her kind. She was a stranger here with only the most universal constants still unchanged by the passage of time to comfort her and make up for her ignorance in other areas.

It had only been a short while ago by how she had measured time since her new life had almost been cut short when the vampire had put in motion the ambitious plan to obliterate the key agents of the Wolf, the Ram and the Heart in this realm. They had succeeded in their mission but had very nearly lost had it not been for the timely assistance of these 'Slayers' when their need had been at it's greatest. She may have even lost her guide Wesley had the wicca Willow who stood before her now not healed the knife wound in his stomach. From there the situation had become steadily more dire when their foes had unleashed an army of demons and monsters to make quick work of those who had dared such a bold act as to destroy the circle. The battle had been fierce and bloody with none escaping it without significant injury. Some had even required immediate medical attention of the sort that could only be found at one of the humans' official medical facilities. However from what she had seen with her own eyes and heard second hand between this Council and the vampire's relocated investigation agency all had recovered fully from their wounds.

However it was because of this Willow's act of saving her Wesley's life that she was here now repaying that debt. It had been less than a week ago that the correspondance between the two organizations had begun looking for a way to find one of their allies. She had seen this Xander Harris only in passing during the final fight with Wolfram and Hart. He had seemed no different than any other human, less than that as he was missing one eye, but he had been deemed important enough to warrant every resource be employed in the search. In the end though it had been decided that she would go to their lair in person to use her superior senses to determine where he had gone or at the very least narrow the list of possibilities. So here she was and what she saw only lowered her opinion of the red haired human and her supposed skill in wielding potent magicks. Spells centered around the manipulation and transportation of energy were among the more delicate and complicated that these humans were capable of wielding. She herself had only been able to wield her own control over the flow of time haphazardly when she had found herself in this new body. It had taken her time to adjust to the changes in sensation and perception from what she had known in the body of her birth. Eventually she had regained the majority of her former mastery if at a lower level of potency due to this form's inability to contain the entirety of her power. To hear that this mortal had attempt something so foolish without first learning the lesser magicks related to teleportation and transmutation had caused her to almost reject the request for aid.

_Yet here I am and all because Wesley insisted that I honor their request._ , Illyria thought distastefully as she continued to survey the room, _Damn that human and his attractive smile!_

"I was careful!" , protested the wicca as she attempted to defend herself against the former hell goddess' statement, "I followed the directions for each individual spell to the letter! The merger would have worked if the ruby hadn't been shattered."

"It would not have shattered if you had possessed the forsight of locking the door to this room." , Illyria said as she approached the approximite location where this Xander was said to have been seen last, "You have only your own carelessness to blame for the loss of your friend."

"HE'S NOT LOST! We just can't find him at the moment!" Willow yelled angrily at the very idea that her best guy friend was gone for good.

"In all likelihood he was killed when the energy was channeled through his body by the shards of the Ruby. The tear in the dimensional fabric that your undisciplined spell caused is considerable and the power needed to create such a tear would have been more than most humans could withstand." , Illyria said without restraint but decided to say something optimistic if only to cause Rupert Giles not to bother Wesley with a phone call, "However that would only have been the case if he had remained here for the duration of the incident. If there had been a destination in mind when he had been immersed in the energy of the spells there is a chance he may still be alive."

This seemed to calm the wicca somewhat and earn a nod of thanks from the current ruler of the Watcher's Council. Secure in the knowledge that any report made to Wesley or the vampire would place her in a favorable light she returned her complete focus to sifting through the layers of energy and magic as perceived through her superior eyes. It was no easy task to do this with the chaos that foolish witch's spell had caused in the natural flow of magic in this region but with untold years of experience to guide her she was finding it only moderately difficult. She could almost see what the boy had attempted to do days ago in order to minimize the potential damage the spell had the power to perpetrate. It had been an efficient course of action given the circumstances that must have been involved in the incident but ultimately futile where he was concerned. Attempting to place the unstable shards into such a crude container only placed him in further danger rather than less and it had been only mere chance that it had even been partially successful. From a certain point of view though it would be in the boy's best interests if he had indeed been transported somewhere or somewhen else rather than remain here. Much like exposure to the humans' nuclear waste being in such close proximity to such magicks would likely have been lethal to him eventually. His body would have either lost all cohesion from the transmutation elements of the spell or gradually completed the change into energy as it was the mid-point of the teleportation process. If he had indeed been transported elsewhere it was likely that the individual spells would have run their course and left him unharmed for the most part aside from some physical disfigurment and fractures to his soul.

While she was uncertain if retrieving him was at all possible she would give these humans her best efforts if only to completely repay the debt she owed the wicca. It was then that she perceived something that she did not expect to find and changed the depth of the problem considerably. When she had first been told the details of the experiment she had known that there would be damage to the walls separating this dimension from all the others. This had led her to believe that this Xander Harris would have been transported to one of the neighboring dimensions that existed in close proximity to their own. However what she saw now was not just a tear in the dimensional barrier but also in this very reality. It was a common misconception among the human race that terms reality and dimension were the same thing when in fact they were quite different. A dimension was unique with each dimension being fundamentally different from each other so as to make it almost uninhabitable to non-indigenous species. The fact that the human who had been chosen as her vessel had been able to suvive in Pylea was merely the coincidental fact that the natives required an environment similar to Earth's to survive. In most cases a human transported to another dimension would die within moments of arriving there as the environment would be incapable of meeting their needs or be instrinsically hostile to them.

Realities on the other hand were much more similar to one another than dimensions with the only variations being things such as historical events, differing origins of creation and magics. Alternate realities were such that it was quite possible for a human from one reality to survive in another provided that he could adapt to the different customs and power structures in that reality. For instance while it may be the case that in this reality sciences such as cloning and genetic engineering may still be in their infancy another reality may have already gone through a Eugenics war with such knowledge. In another reality magic and non-humans may be as common place as the recorded word is here which made for some interesting scenarios. She remembered one of her brothers journeying to another reality in the hopes that even one as weak as he could rule over all. She still wondered from time to time what had become of little Malbolgia and if he had achieved his dream or if he had been slaughtered within days of his arrival. In the end it was little more than a passing topic for her as she had never truly had any affection for her sibling beyond his occasional uses in her plots against her rivals.

In the case of this Xander Harris though while it may have increased the chances of him still being alive it increased the number of places where he may have been transported to by the failed merger of spells. Much like the numerous paths not taken in a mortal's life there existed numerous alternate realities and determining which one the boy had been sent too would be difficult. Perhaps if she attempted to determine what had been in the young human's mind at the time of the transferrance it might help to narrow down the possibilities.

"What was Xander Harris doing prior to the failure of the merger?" she asked without looking up from the hole in the fabric of reality.

"Um .. ah .. I think he was watching an InuYasha marathon on TV." Giles replied answering only because he kept close tabs on what the lad's 'little expenditure' was being used for as well as being the last one to go to bed that night prior to the accident.

"Yeah! It's like his favorite anime show ever!" Willow said enthusiastically as she remembered the times her friend had convinced her to watch the show.

"What is this 'InuYasha' show about?" Illyria asked only vaguely familiar with the fantasies that the human's insisted on watching on one of their contraptions.

"It's about this girl who accidently locates a magical portal in her family's sacred well that transports her back to the warring states era in Japan. That's about five hundred years ago historically." , Willow explained as she tried to summarize the basic facts of the show, "There she finds out not only that she is the reincarnation of a powerful priestess but also that a powerful mystical item was hidden within her body. The item is later shattered into many pieces and scattered throughout Japan which leads to her traveling across the country to find them and make sure that no one demon or human uses them for evil ends."

"There are demons in this show?" Illyria asks in hopes of more details as it would help in narrowing down the possible destinations.

"Yeah! There's dog demons, fox demons, spider demons and … Ohhhh just wait here and I'll show you!" Willow said as she ran out of the room presumably to get something.

The wicca returned a few moments later with a .. DVD Illyria believed it was called and a few other pieces of human technology. Taking a large mirror from a shelf she placed it on the table and began to connect one of the machine's to the mirror though for what purpose the former demon empress did not know. Wesley's comrade Rupert seemed to have an idea and moved to try and stop her but the young woman stopped him with a gesture.

"Don't worry Giles. This is one of my inventions that does actually work." , Willow said as she began to draw some symbols on the edge of the mirror, "Buffy asked me to come up with a way she could watch her favorite shows on the trips where they would be out of contact with civilization for awhile. It took me awhile but now all you need to watch DVDs in the field is a mirror, a DVD player, some light and your favorite DVDs."

Rupert Giles merely shook his head in disbelief at the frivolous use of magic but Illyria waited patiently and with a detached air. She knew not what the red haired woman was doing but was willing to give her some leeway before voicing her growing impatience. It took only five minutes for Willow to complete the process and with a few words of power the mirror ceased to reflect images and took on an ebon shade. The young wicca then took a silver disk and placed in the human machine and then it was with the press of a button that images began to appear on the surface of the mirror as well as sounds. It was with the insistance of the wicca that she watched the entirety of the disk's contents and was introduced to this entertainment called anime in the form of the show InuYasha. Though she found the story predictable in that it favored the human characters and those few demons who were close to humans in their appearance. She found it childish and immature and it only lowered her opinion of this Xander Harris if this was what he watched to entertain himself. Still, as the ending credits of the final episode on the DVD finished, she found that it would be helpful at narrowing down the number of possible destinations that the boy could have been transported to by the accident. If this show was truly at the forefront of the young man's mind when he was bombarded with the arcane energy then there were only a select few realities he could be in.

With this in mind she returned to the location of the tear and with a violent thrust pushed her right hand into the tear in an attempt to interface with the anomaly and seek out the gathering of realities that best matched what she had just been shown. It was at times like these that she could almost feel her former power return to her, the power to literally mold the world around her to meet her needs. It would be fleeting though for she knew that once she disconnected herself from the tear the power would leave her and she would return to the limited lower state she was forced to endure in this time. She took a moment to revel in this but soon reigned in her emotions and began her search of the realities in question. It would not be difficult as the energies released by the wicca's failed merger of magicks was unique and would be easy to detect. The only problem would be if there was some time difference between this reality and the one in which this Xander Harris could be found. Just as each living being on this world was born at a different time so to was each individual reality created at a different moment in time. Not only that but just as each person is different in several ways each reality also progressed temporally at a different rate than the others. For all the wicca knew three hundred years could have passed in the world where her friend had been sent to and he could be little more than a collection of dust and bones. In any case she would complete her task and then be gone from this place.

_There! The strongest trace of the power that was created in this room lies in that reality!_ Illyria thought as she saw with her true demon eyes the faint but definite crimson glow of the merger spell.

"I have found where the one you call Xander has been sent." Illyria declared as she withdrew her hand from the tear.

"You have! Oh thank the Goddess!" Willow said in relief before realizing who she was in the presence of at the moment.

"Is it possible to bring Xander back Illyria?" Giles asked trying to cover for his friend's ill chosen words.

"Not from here. I only found him by following the astral trail left by the spell to the reality where he was desposited. If we are to retrieve Xander Harris and return safely we must go to this reality ourselves and establish a departure portal on that end." Illyria replied bluntly and efficiently.

"Very well. I will delegate my duties to Ronald and pack a .." Giles began as he no doubt was making a list but was stopped almost immediately by Willow.

"No Giles! I'll go with her. I got us into this situation and I have to get us out." , Willow said in a manner that brooke no argument, "Besides you're the pretty much the president of the Watcher's Council. You're too valuable to risk on a mission this dangerous. Besides lets not forget who has more magic in them. I stand a better chance of helping Illyria open another portal on the other end than you do."

For a moment it looked as though Giles might contest this course of action but eventually he breathed a sigh of defeat and nodded giving his permission.

Believing matters were decided Illyria said "Very well. I will require one hour to prepare and then we will leave. I expect you to be ready to leave by that time."

_Never mind the fact that you forgot to ask whether I wished to go on this journey or not!_ Illyria thought frostily as she sat down on the floor and began her physical and mental preparations.

Two Weeks Later, InuYasha Universe, Mid-Day 

**__**

**__**

_ O-kay! Best out of twenty-three!_ Xander thought to himself as he quickly got to his feet just in time to dodge to the side and avoid a follow up attack by Sesshomaru.

It had been like this almost every single day since the first lesson and he was distinctly beginning to hate going to his room after every lesson aching all over wearing blood stained clothes. Unfortunately that was how the Lord of the castle insisted the lessons be done stating that his inu youkai body was perfectly able to heal any lacerations overnight and any other sources of pain were part of the training process. That didn't make the pseudo youkai any happier but given that any argument he gave would be unlikely to sway the Ice Lord all he could do is grin and bear it. In any case according to Sesshomaru-sama he was making progress and the demon Lord almost seemed pleased but then again the Zeppo could just be reading a little too much into the youkai Lord's facial expressions. Still he had been knocked to the ground a total of twenty-three times since the lesson started this morning and had not landed more than a glancing blow against his opponent the entire time. Fortunately as he continued to dance around the room dodging Lord Sesshomaru's attacks he hit upon a potential strategy that might just give him the edge he needed. From what he could tell the fighting style of the inu youkai seemed restrained to just using one's hands and claws against one's opponent adding in the odd youki attack when it was beneficial. Not that Sesshomaru had used any such energy attacks against him stating he did not want to damage his castle too much but it was a logical assumption. That led him to believe that perhaps he could gain the advantage if he mixed in some fancy footwork in with his own hand-based attacks.

_ Time to see if this brilliant idea of mine will work._ He thought to himself as he moved himself just out of range of the next attack before thrusting his right leg forward aiming for the youkai Lord's stomach.

For a moment time seemed to slow down as he waited to see if his attack would connect knowing that it was entirely possible for Sesshomaru to just dodge to the side and in doing so be in a prime position to attack while he was vulnerable. He waited as his foot inched closer and closer with every second to its target and for a moment believed that he had screwed up. However when he felt his foot make contact all his hesitation disappeared as he watched the Tai Inu Youkai of the West lift into the air and fly back almost to the wall opposite of the Zeppo before recovering and coming to a stop. He looked across the room at Xander with a look of surprise on his face as if that was the first time that he had been struck in such a manner. When the look on the Ice Lord's face changed from surprise to an ice cold stare strong enough to freeze the sun it took all of Xander's will power not to make a run for it. While it was true that Sesshomaru was almost always cold as far as his face was concerned it was at times like these that made his normal look seem like a sunny smile in comparison. With a speed that Xander had never before now known the youkai Lord was capable of Sesshomaru-sama charged across the room and with a vicious punch to the not-quite-inu youkai's gut. Air whooshed from his lungs like a high pressure air hose and momentarily was unable to form a coherent thought as he was flung hard against the wall rendering him unable to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

"An admirable effort Alexander. However we are here to teach you how to fight like a proper inu youkai and not a dishonorable ningen." , Sesshamaru stated calmly from his place in the middle of the room, "Keep that in mind when you fight me."

To this Xander could make no reply more because his lungs were still sorting out how to properly draw in oxygen than whether or not he had a reply to the Lord's statement. Taking a moment to calm himself and focus on getting his bodily functions back in working order he decided that straying from the established ciriculum might not have been such a good idea. Apparently Sesshomaru's opinion of ningen fighting styles was the same as his opinion of ningens in general which was that they were little better than crooks, cheaters and homewreckers. Not surprising considering what he could remember of Sesshomaru from the Anime shows detailing his past. According to those episodes Sesshomaru's pop cheated on his mom with a ningen woman and that affair might have played a role in the mother's death. Needless to say that gave Sesshomaru some issues to work through but hopefully Rin would smooth out the rough edges and inspire some open mindedness. In any case it was back to glancing blows with the claws and fists for him since he had no intention of coughing up his lung from another one of those punches. Once he was back to his feet he got in the ready position that Sesshomaru had shown him and decided that he would take the offensive this time and try and get some payback. He stayed with the tactic that had earned him the most concrete hits which was attempting to fake one attack in order to set up the youkai Lord for the real hit. Unfortunately though he soon found himself tossing this tactic out the same window as his 'use kicks to mix things up' idea as the demon Lord saw the attack coming and grabbed the attacking arm before using it to throw him across the room. Fortunately this time he simply landed on the floor and skid across the floor instead of hitting the wall which was preferable since there was some padding on the floor.

_Best out of twenty-four here I come._ Xander thought with a groan as he picked himself off the floor.

Eight Hours Later, Hallway Leading Back To Xander's Room 

_Much more of this and Naraku won't have to worry about killing me because Sesshomaru will do the job for him._ Xander thought as he trudged down the hall to his room where he anticipated becoming comatose the moment he hit the pillow.

The rough training session had ended early this time because the Tai Inu Youkai of the West had noticed him limping a bit after a particularly nasty throw. Xander had believed that this would simply cause the Lord to focus on that weakness and tell him that he should fight through it. Still getting the rest of the evening off was perfectly fine with him so he kept his mouth shut and left the room before the demon Lord could change his mind. He had seen Kikyo leave the room about an hour earlier stating that she had other things to do and would be back later which meant that she was going for her nightly meal of souls. He still couldn't say one way or the other how he felt about her feeding off of the souls of the dead. On the one hand he knew that she needed to absorb those souls in order to remain in her current state of life instead of going to pieces before his very eyes. The original bit of sorcerery that had brought her back was designed so that her original soul would be completely within her body and keep it from deteriorating. However since the unique link between the undead miko and Kagome interfered with that she was left with a mere sliver of a soul to sustain her existence. That sliver cannot exist on its own and would gradually fade into nothingness if she did not feed it and bolster it with the souls she devoured. He could understand the desire to live, understand that it was a powerful motivator that could be used to justify just about any act no matter how wrong others might think it was. On the other hand though she was preventing the souls of the innocent dead from passing on and being reincarnated into whatever form fate decided they should have. It was a situation that was neither white nor black., right nor wrong, but instead resided smack dab in the middle of a patch of grey that had him on the fence position-wise.

_Could it really be right to deprive her of a chance to live again? Or would the right choice be to end her second chance at life and let both her soul and the souls she has consumed pass on?_ He thought to himself with no clear decision in his mind or a possibility of one in sight.

When he opened the door to his room he immediately knew that something was not as it should be for there were no lit candles awaiting him. It was routine that all of rooms occupied by guests or residents would have the candles within lit after sunset and he had never seen this procedure broken since he had first slept here. It had become as expected as street lights popping on in a major city back in his own world and the fact that his room was now dark did not speak well of what lay within. Fortunately inu youkai eyesight was good for seeing in the dark and after a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the lack of illumination he could easily make out shapes and identify everything in the room. What he could see though was a winged form on his bed in a relaxed position apparently waiting for him but he was unable to make out certain specifics because the wings were resting in such a way as to obscure any telling futures. Well the wings as well as some kind of sleevless hooded cloak if his eyes were not mistaken but given the lack of tell tale shine of metal and the non-hostile position he doubted that he was in danger. Moving casually over to where an oil lamp was he reached out and used his youki to light it and once done the entire room was illuminated to the point where he could more easily make out the features of his uninvited guest.

_And what features they are!_ He thought as his sense of reason and caution decided to drop the ball only to have it grabbed by an area below the belt.

Laying back beind propped up by fully extended arms a most certainly female form with orange/brown wings wearing a hooded cloak as he had earlier seen which ended just above the knees. Her feet were bare and looked like they went on forever from what he could see and she had wrist braces on both toned arms that told him she wasn't a civilian or someone's arm candy. As for the body, which he only looked at for a moment as he was **not** going to make the universal mistake of staring at a girl's chest for more than a second, he could tell that like her arms there was some muscle present. He still couldn't make much of her face due to the hood but she definitely had the most interesting purple eyes that for some reason reminded him of sapphires. Mentally shaking his head to reboot along with his common sense and caution at finding strange women in his room with hidden faces. Despite the fact that the last time he found an attractive woman in his room she had immediately disrobed and then made wild monkey sex with him he somehow doubted that this winged one was another Anya. After all what were the odds that he would wind up in the same room with another weird, sex starved and money fixated demon woman. When this thought left his head the woman sat up straighter and used both hands to pull the hood down to finally reveal her face.

_Okay! Definitely not anywhere near sex starved as with a face and body like that she has probably never complained **ever** about not getting any! _, He thought as he tried his best not to look like a gaping immature teenager, _In fact I'm surprised that she isn't already Mrs. Sesshomaru! What is she doing in my room then?_

"Not that I'm complaining about finding a beautiful winged woman in my bed but what are you doing here?" he asked trying not to take notice of the looks she was sending his way.

"**Giggle** Well I just thought that after such a tiring day of training with Lord Sesshomaru that you might need some help **relaxing** and getting the **kinks** out of your muscles." , the winged woman replied with a saucy smile on her face as she stood up, "I am Satu of the western tengu clan."

"Nice to meet you. I'm .." Xander said but before he could finish she put two of her fingers from her right hand on his lips stopping him.

"I know who you are Alexander. The entire city surrounding Sesshomaru-sama's castle is rife with rumors of your origins and what business you have with our Lord." , Satu said as she let her right hand drop until it was pressed flat against his chest, "There are those who say you are a long lost son while others believe that you are a shapeshifter that the youkai Lord wishes to employ. Personally I think that the truth is far more intriguing than anyone suspects."

Xander was only half hearing the words coming out of her mouth as she rest of his mind was distracted by the way her was rubbing his chest. She was under an arm's length away and was coming dangerously close to invading his personal space and it looks like she was just getting warmed up. He tried to casually look about the room without her noticing so as to size up possible escape routes but apparently his subtlety needed some work as she picked up on what he was doing and moved closer. With her so close escaping would be doubly difficult as it left him with little room to maneuver and given her probable wing span even if he dodged her arms her wings would be enough to stop him. Thus he was in one helluva uncomfortable situation as not only was a beautiful tengu woman putting the moves on him but he could use nothing more than words to dissuade her as pushing her around or hurting her would only make matters worse. In a way it seemed fairly similar to his first time with Faith from the seemingly innocent encounter to him actually not interested in taking up an offer of the sensual nature. He had personally always considered Faith a serious hottie but given that she had been with issues when she first arrived in Sunnydale he hadn't acted on his emotions. In the storm that followed there had been no time to get to know each other and when she had woken from the fall induced coma it had been only a week before she fled to LA. Then when she eventually came back to help them with the trouble with the First during the weeks leading up to the destruction of Sunnydale he was already involved with Anya and not interested in anyone else. In any case Satu was definitely cut from the same cloth as Faith and was interesting in being **very** friendly with him but he was still wondering about the reason. After all he somehow doubted that anyone knew she was here judging by the hooded cloak she was wearing and the fact that she likely came through the window. Add to that the fact that she seemed to be trying to turn up the heat in here and his mind was already dreaming up possibilities of how this could go drastically wrong. One possibility was that she would go on the offensive sexually like Faith had that night with the Sisterhood of the Jhe and he would wake up the next morning in bed with her. This would be better than being shoved out the door with your clothes but if Sesshomaru, Jakken or Kikyo happened to come by and give him a wake up call it could get complicated for him. Another would be that he could try and talk his way out but given her expert **talents** and appearance he doubted he could put more than two words together before slipping into guy babble. Besides she would likely just get angry and make trouble for him in the form of false rumors or if she was a warrior as he believed she would decide to let her fists, claws and whatever else she had in her counter argument. Such a scuffle would undoutbably attract unwanted attention from the rest of the castle and perhaps cause unnecessary trouble for Lord Sesshomaru. So that left him with plan C which entailed teasing her into following him outside the castle where he could perceivably lose her and then double back to his room and get some sleep. While he was still tired and slightly sore from his training session with Sesshomaru-sama he was certain that he could still move at a fairly decent clip.

Taking her by the hand like a suave super secret agent he led her over to the window and asked "How would you like to find out just how intriguing?"

She seemed slightly taken aback by his question as she had no doubt believed she would have to work a little harder to get him in the proper mood but quickly recovered and replied to his question with a look that said it all.

"However you're going to have to catch me first!" Xander said and with a lopsided smile before leaping from the window to a rooftop below and across from his room.

As soon as he touched down he took off running at near what he would call his top speed while trying to pace himself as he imagined that he would need to do some serious zigging and zagging before he would lose Satu. The last thing he needed was to run out of steam before he accomplished his mission and then have the winged woman catch him expecting an explanation that he would not give her. Behind and above him he could hear the sounds of wings extending and then what could only be the tengu woman taking to the sky above him. As soon as he leapt to his fifth rooftop he dropped down to the ground below and resumed his flight from his pursuer where he stood a better chance of losing her. She was in a superior position for this little game as she could cover more ground from the air than he could on the ground and running on the rooftops only made it easier for her. By dropping to the streets below he could seek cover beneath overhanging rooftops and behind stacks of crates and baskets making for perfect hiding spots. With this in mind he began to randomly go right or left down streets as he spotted them and in some cases hiding until she passed by before going back the way he came. Unfortunately she seemed skilled at such games of tag and was able to follow him almost every step of the way losing him for only a minute or two before finding him again. He was getting sincerely frustrated as he remembered being quite good at tag back in his own reality and he'd be damned if he was going to get caught now.

_Only one chance! There's one place she might be edgy about going to and where I could get some better cover to lose her!_ He thought to himself as he headed back to the main castle buildings.

It took him awhile and there were several close calls when Satu made some dives to try and tackle him but thankfully after trying to avoid the attacks delivered by Sesshomaru earlier he was more than up to the task. Eventually he arrived at his destination of the royal gardens that he routinely meditated in when he had the spare time and had something to contemplate. While it was true that the garden for the most part consisted of flowers and bushes there were some trees native to the region there which would hopefully obscure him from Satu's eyes. If she wanted to catch him she would have to land and search on foot which would give him a window of oppourtunity to get past her and back to his room. He had just reached the ten foot mark and was closing on the edge of the collection of trees when something slammed into his back and sent him hard to the ground. He wasn't all that hurt or winded by being tackled to the ground but given who was likely on top of him at the moment he had to move quickly. Rolling over onto his back he quickly reached out with both hands to grasp her shoulders and push her off him so he could get back to his feet safely and get away. Unfortunately he had done it in such haste that he misjudged both the location of said shoulders resulting in his hands being a **little** too close together and about four inches **south** of her shoulders. Needless when his brain became aware of this error he found himself oddly paralyzed and unable to re-attach his hands in a more neutral location.

"Why Alexander! I had no idea you felt so strongly about me!" Satu declared seductively as she surprisingly made no move to remove his hands from her chest or slap him silly like most women would in her position.

"I .. uh .. um .. that is … uh" was all he was able to get before she firmly straddled his stomach to make sure he could not get away very easily.

"Well I have to say that I feel some **definite** attraction towards you as well! You put up one helluva chase before the end but I'm afraid I still have quite a bit of pent up **energy** to use up." , Satu said as she removed the hooded cloak she had been wearing to reveal that she was wearing the equivalent of a Chun Li outfit but with an exposed midriff, "What do you say we both do something **vigorous** and **pleasurable** before retiring for the night?"

Before Xander could give any kind of answer though he heard a twanging sound fill the air and in the time it takes a person to blink a purple blast of energy flew by Satu's right wing lightly burning a few feathers on that wing causing her to jump off him. She landed a few feet away and immediately went to inspect the damage to her right wing before both she and Alexander looked towards where the blast came from. When the source was discovered however the two of them had very different reactions to the perpetrator. For Satu it was a reaction of mild annoyance and a little bit disappointment at not being able to have her way with the young inu youkai male. She had been perfectly honest with him when she had said that she felt some attraction towards him but whether it was actual love or just lust would take time to discover. For Xander his unease went up by a factor of five and feat became a real issue because there standing just outside entrance that led into the castle was the undead priestess Kikyo with bow and arrow in hand. While this in itself would be enough to case most demons to make tracks the icy look she was sending the tengu woman and the pseudo-inu youkai was enough to make both of them question whether or not they'd still be alive tomorrow.

"Alexander. I believe your time would be better spent going to sleep early as Lord Sesshomaru will undoubtably wish you to be well rested for tomorrow." , Kikyo said in a tone reserved for one of barely restrained fury, "As for you tengu I would leave and never let me catch you near this particular inu youkai again. I am sure that Sesshomaru-sama would agree that he has no time to be wasting with virtueless women like you."

This of course got Satu more than a little steamed due to the fact that she considered herself to be among the more professional female warriors who served under Lord Sesshomaru. There were some she knew of who were well on their way to having slept with every male in the Tai Inu Youkai's kingdom whereas she was much more picky with who she chose to display her body to. In her estimation Alexander was definitely worthy as he was pretty scrumptious if she said so herself and she had a feeling her opinion of him would only increase as she got to know him. Still she wasn't willing to risk herself after just the first encounter and the potency of the miko's enchanted arrows was well known among those of the demon set. It was said there wasn't a demon in existence that could survive a direct hit with one of theose purification arrows and she certainly wasn't going to try her luck. With a sigh she flexed her wings a little to make sure she could still use her right wing and then turned to Alexander for a few parting words.

"Well Alexander I guess it would be alright to cut our little date short since I am sure it will make you look forward to the next one." Satu said as she walked right up to the inu youkai.

Then before either Xander or Kikyo could react she lunged forward, wrapper her arms around his neck and gave him one of the hottest kisses right on the lips. It only lasted for a few seconds before she released him and took to the sky but it left the former Zeppo dumbstruck with dazed look on his face. It was only there for a moment though as he quickly picked up on a sharp rise in Kikyo's energy signature causing him to sharply twist his head in her direction. On the outside she seemed to be her usual stony ice queen self and had even placed her bow and arrow back in their 'storage positions' as he like to call them. However when he looked into her eyes and then took her rather sharp energy signature and he knew that he had to tread carefully in the next few seconds or be dodging enchanted arrows while trying to get the hell out of there. Quickly composing himself into his 'Sesshomaru personae' as he usually did in difficult situations he slowly and regally began to walk in the direction of the door to the castle. He hoped that if he didn't do anything to make her even madder he might be able to make it back to his room before being torn apart by either her arrows or her words. He had just made it into the door when she let out a fake cough that let him know she had something to say to him and so he braced himself.

"Alexander. I suggest you do more to restrain yourself in the future." , Kikyo said as she began to walk in the opposite direction towards the forest section of the garden, "No doubt many female youkai will approach you in that manner and I would hate to think you were pathetic enough to fall for their low bred charms."

With that she vanished into the darkness of the trees leaving Alexander LaVelle Harris with his looking to the sky and wondering why he had to be the recipient of the old curse 'may you live in interesting times'. After all he was all for a little excitement every now and again but at the rate things were going he'd be screwed long before he ever found a way to return home.

_What I wouldn't give for some sort of normal crisis like a horde of vampires or maybe a Mayor with delusions of demonhood._ , Xander thought as he continued into the castle to get a good night's rest, _At least if that was the case I could just stake them or blow it up and that would be the end of it. I never was very good at the complicated things. We all left that in G-Man's hands. How did he do it?_


	11. Into the Panther Den we Go

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this story whatsoever. I write only for my own personal enjoyment and the fun my readers get from reading the story. Therefore I would really appreciate it if you big name companies and multi-billionaires didn't sue me because I can guarantee that you'd spend more money paying your lawyers than you'd ever get from my pockets. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& One Month Later, A Forest Two Miles South of Sesshomaru's Castle

"Hey! Watch it with that thing will you!?" Xander exclaimed as he just barely ducked low enough to avoid being cut in two by Sesshomaru's youki whip.

Unfortunately the youkai Lord's only response to his protests was to lash out once again with his energy whip forcing Xander to shut up and worry about saving his own skin. Fortunately after repeated attacks and even more repeated lectures from the Ice Lord himself the Zeppo turned inu youkai had learned the fine art of dodging attacks without looking like a complete amateur. It had in fact been a serious issue with the demon Lord that he not fight like a drunken brawler or a ningen. Sesshomaru's reason had been that since he possessed physical attributes of similar strength to his own the pseudo youkai should make full use of them. Personally he thought that Sesshomaru-sama just didn't want him walking around with his youkai looks tumbling around in battle looking like a complete idiot. After all he seriously doubted that anyone in this era would believe him if he tripped over a rock and by sheer coincidence managed to dodge an enemy's attack only to get up and say 'I meant to do that'. Still even though he had gotten better at dodging his instructor's attacks didn't mean there still hadn't been a few close calls here and there.

_I know I could use a haircut but something tells me that Dog Lord over there would go about a foot overboard if I asked him to take a little off the top. _He thought to himself as he tried to launch an attack of his own.

Instead of a youki whip though he decided he'd take a tactic out of a certain hanyou's play book and threw four parallel blades of energy from his claws in a slashing attack. It wasn't a perfect match for InuYasha's Iron Reaver technique but it was close enough to achieve the desired results. Unfortunately, as was usually the case whenever the two brother's fought, the Tai Inu Youkai of the West was easily able to dodge the blades of energy with his superior speed. Even though his imitation youkai eyes could keep track of Sesshomaru for the most part there were moments when he lost track of the Ice Man. Fortunately though he had an ace up his sleeve in the form of Kikyo who was watching the entire training session from the sidelines. It had been about an hour ago but when it became clear that he could not track Lord Sesshomaru as exactly as was needed the undead priestess had started to render covert assistance. Whenever he lost sight of the youkai Lord she'd look in the direction he had reappeared in giving him just enough time to either dodge or block the incoming attack with one of his own. Taking a quick glance over at her he could see that she was looking directly above him and as quickly as he could leapt backwards to evade the attack. Unfortunately as he felt a distinctly not good and likely pain oriented sensation in his back he realized that Sesshomaru must have finally caught on to the miko's trick.

Rolling with the attack he got to his feet as quickly as he could only to once again have to leap backwards to avoid a follow up attack in the form of Sesshomaru-ama's youki whip. Scraping up a little dust cloud as he finally came to a stop he could see that the Lord had decided to delay his attack somewhat. Most likely to make another snobby remark about how he wasn't fighting 'honorably' or that using an attack created by a hanyou was unbefitting of someone of his pedigree or something like that. It was times like those that he really began to remember why he had been more fond of the hanyou InuYasha than his pure blooded older brother. Sesshomaru had this arrogant air about him that made it clear he though he was above everything and everyone. He probably felt that they all should be bowing down before him and was annoyed that they hadn't slipped into that role right away. InuYasha on the other hand was a half decent guy that you could eventually call friend once you learned to tolerate his 'chip-on-the-shoulder-the-size-of-Mount-Fuji' attitude. Still wishing that he could somehow have the hanyou as a teacher rather than Sesshomaru-sama wouldn't get him anywhere. If he had wound up in a hanyou body when Willow's botched spell dumped him here he might have sought out InuYasha but since he had gotten one like Sesshomaru's instead the choice of instructor was obvious.

"This Sesshomaru commends you for your progress Alexander but will remind you again that you are here to learn how to fight like a proper inu-youkai." Sesshomaru stated coldly, "This Sesshomaru would remind you to not imitate the fighting style of a lowly hanyou like my witless half-brother."

"As you wish Sesshomaru-sama." Xander replied as he mentally prepared himself for another assault by the youkai Lord.

"We will take a break from today's lesson to give you time to reflect on your mistakes during battle." Sesshomaru said as he began to walk off into the surrounding woods, "We will resume later this evening to see whether or not your night combat abilities have improved."

_Oh great! Someone just kill me __**now**__!_ Xander thought to himself as he did his best to hold in a groan of dread.

It had become a part of the routine that every second day they would wait until nightfall and then spar under the cover of darkness. According to the youkai Lord a warrior could never count on being able to fight in a well-lit area or during the day for that matter. Therefore it was important to be able to use you other senses to their fullest when one's sight was no longer sufficient. Unfortunately while he may be making progress with his daylight fights with the Ice Lord his nighttime fights had remained as painful as ever. He couldn't count the number of painful blows he had taken while trying to fire off a few attacks of his own. It wasn't that he wasn't trying hard but trying to find someone without your eyes wasn't easy at all. He knew that youkai senses were much more potent and sensitive than human senses but that didn't mean that it was easy to make sense of what they were telling him. He could certainly smell when Sesshomaru was in the area but he had yet to tune his nose enough that could tell which direction to look in. The same could be said for his sense of hearing as well as the other senses especially the one sense he had hoped would prove the most useful. It was something he had come to call his 'energy sense' as it allowed him to detect and locate other forms of energy whether it was human spiritual energy or demonic youki. He had come to rely upon it on his trip with Kikyo as it was a nice early warning system but as he found out during his first nighttime battle with Sesshomaru it was useless in close quarters. It was kind of like a beeping noise that got louder according to the target's power level and as the target got closer the space between the beeps decreased. Once the target got to within thirty yards of you however it became a solid single tone which of course gave him no idea where his opponent was coming from. Whether Sesshomaru had deduced this himself or was merely fighting the way he normally did the pseudo-inu-youkai didn't know. In any case he had a sinking feeling that it would be among the more painful lessons he would have to learn before the Ice Lord considered him a comptetant warrior.

For the next ten minutes or so though he decided that he'd better bandage up what wounds he had received this session and try and get some of the blood out of his clothes. After all while fighting like a proper inu-youkai might be at the top of Sesshomaru's list of important things for him looking like one came right after. Therefore wearing a blood stained outfit would not be very good and would likely earn him another lecture if he didn't at least try to clean the blood out. Since a simple spit clean wouldn't get rid of the blood given the sheer quantity of it he might as well head to the river that was nearbye and try and clean it there. He quickly mentioned where he was going to Kikyo and was soon on his way hoping that by the time he was done only a sharp eye would be able to tell that there was any blood in the cloth to begin with.

For the majority of the walk to the river his mind was occupied with attempts to find a way of improving his odds of surviving the night dueling with Lord Sesshomaru. Unfortunately the youkai Lord's speed and the natural cover of darkness made for a deadly combination and one that his adversary would use to its fullest. One of his first ideas would be to disappear briefly and set up some traps around his position so that even if he could not see Sesshomaru the springing of his traps would let him know the direction the Ice Lord was coming from. Then again any traps he could cobble together in the random ten second periods he'd manage to lose the inu-youkai Lord would probably be both obvious and horribly ineffective. Add to that the fact that Sesshomaru would probably slam him down with some extra hurt before sliding into another 'stop fighting like a ningen' lectures and any consideration to early warning traps went flying out the proverbial window.

As he cleared the forest and began to step onto the rock and dirt covered shore of the river he momentarily contemplated just tossing the shirt in the river and continuing his lessons with the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West shirtless. Fortunately that conjured up even worse images of a twelve hour lecture than anything else he had thought up so far so he shook his dead to disperse the idea like a fading fog bank in his head. Taking off his shirt he pushed it beneath the surface of the river and held it there allowing the cool water to run through it and set it up for some scrubbing. He held it for about a minute before he began to rub and brush the parts of the shirt that had blood on them. He doubted whether or not he'd be able to get them completely clean giving this century's lack of washing machines and products like 'Tide' or other similar ones that were used to clean clothes. Hopefully since most of the blood was still fresh it would be soon enough to get rid of the red stuff before the stain could set in or whatever. Much like the female need to shop he never bothered to learn the whys and wherefores when it came to doing laundry and why it was important to get them cleaned as quickly as possible in one situation but not in others. He just accepted it and made it part of his routine of chores in the Harris household and prayed he got it right so as to avoid incurring his parents' wrath.

He had been at it for about five minutes when a sound of feathers cutting through air reached his sensitive ears. He had only a moment to contemplate what it could be before something touched down behind him and wrapped a pair of slender arms around his neck. For a moment he thought he was under attack but that idea came to a screeching and extremely flustering halt when he felt a **curved** body press up against his back and someone blow hot hair past his right ear. Now anyone else in this dimension would probably take a couple of minutes trying to run through the various possible females that could be behind them doing such things. After all there wasn't exactly a shortage of winged youkai in these parts and he was pretty sure the majority of them were knockouts so the person currently clinging to him could be any woman out of a thousand. However given his luck and the number of winged female youkai that would make a play for him in this manner there was only one woman it could be.

"Hello Satu." He said in a polite manner even though his mind was dreaming up just how things could turn to shit if either Kikyo or Sesshomaru found them like this.

He was just glad that Jakken and Rin had been left back at the palace. Rin likely would have made innocent but embarrassing questions but the toad youkai would have prattled endlessly about proper etiquette and the like. It was during prattling sessions like those that he understood the scenes in the Anime where Sesshomaru made the toad suffer a little without actually killing him. Moments of venting such as these were probably necessary lest the Ice Lord actually lose his famous composure and kill the toad youkai outright without thinking. As for Rin he would probably try and satisfy her curiousity as best he could without delving too deep into things no child should know at that age. Though he was pretty sure that Satu would probably use the Q & A session as an excuse to wind him up inside or make him squirm with every difficult to answer question she tricked Rin into asking. He knew that he didn't know Satu well enough to really predict her actions that well but something about her reminded him of both Faith and Anya at the same time. Satu had Faith's sexy playfulness and flirtation skills but at the same time appeared to have the sex drive and bluntness with her intentions that painfully reminded him of Anya. With a combination of qualities like that he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to resist her '**charms**' and what the repercussions would be down the road.

_I'll worry about that particular bridge when I come to it._ He thought to himself as he carefully unwrapped Satu's arms from around his neck and turned to face her.

"Oh! You remember my name! I am so touched!" Satu said with glee while not losing an inch of her sex appeal.

"You're not the sort of person I'd forget meeting." Xander stated reflexively before realizing how Satu would likely take his words given her objective.

"Really?" she asked rhetorically as she wrapped her arms around his neck again and seemed to be preparing to wrap her legs around him next.

"Um, yeah, so what brings you to these woods?" he asked trying to redirect the conversation to something she couldn't twist into some kind of flirtatious statement.

"I have an important message to deliver to Lord Sesshomaru concerning a report from one of his spies in the field." Satu replied taking on a slightly more official tone now that he had reminded her of the reason for her coming here, "I was flying overhead and decided a quick visit without you couldn't hurt and that maybe you could tell me where my Lord was."

"Well the last time I saw him he was heading to a spot further up river." Xander said as he attempted to shake loose some excess water from his shirt, "Probably so he can think up some new and interesting ways of beating the crap out of me during our night time duels this evening."

"Yes, well, Lord Sesshomaru can be a bit harsh from what I'm told by the men from the soldiers' barracks but it usually does work out in the end." Satu said with what seemed to be genuine concern for his well being, "Apparently those who got tossed around by Sesshomaru-sama eventually became warriors of great skill and honor. I'm sure you'll turn out to be the best warrior ever when the training is done!"

Xander almost laughed at her words since he knew she was just saying that to butter him up and make him more susceptible to her more intimate advances. The woman was proving more and more to him that she was skilled at these cat and mouse chases when it came to men she found **interesting** and likely succeeded more often than she failed in achieving her goal. Fortunately though it seemed that the news she had to deliver to Sesshomaru was important enough to get her to put her arousal on hold until the message was delivered. He was just about to escort her to where he believed Sesshomaru was when a new ping suddenly appeared on the edges of his 'power-level-percieving' power's range and it was definitely potent. Oh it wasn't as big as Naraku's or Lord Sesshomaru but it was definitely above InuYasha's with Satu just being a little weaker than it. Turning in the direction he sensed it he focused his mind and tried to pick up more information abou this demon but all he could perceive was that the youkai was apparently female. Aside from that things like her purpose and overall demeanor were a mystery to him and that did not bode well as far as he was concerned.

"What is it? What do you sense?" Satu asked apparently used to the look he probably had in his eye and the reason people usually got it.

"A demon is approaching Sesshomaru's location. A female from what I can tell but the rest is impossible to make out." Xander said as he pulled his still wet but no longer dripping shirt back on, "Given the timing of your report I don't think this is a coincidence or of the good."

In a move of speed that surprised him slightly Satu took to the air immediately and began to fly swiftly in the direction he had indicated Sesshomaru was in. Deciding it would be best if he went after her he took off at a fairly brisk pace but not all out as he suspected Satu might be doing. After all if he was right this was the part of the series where the panther demon tribe showed up so he had a good idea of what was going on and what would happen. The female he was picking up was likely Touran of the Pather demon tribe and she was here to let the dog Lord know that they were resurrecting their Pather Lord and goad him into coming to try and stop them. Of course he knew that this would prove to be a mistake on their part as the InuYasha gang would come and between the two son's of Inutaisho (when they weren't fighting one another) the Panther Lord would perish and his people would return to China. Still he knew better than to assume anything given how many times back in Sunnydale assumptions had almost gotten them killed. Things were different now that he was here and the ripples from those changes might affect the outcome of the struggle with the panther demon trible. After all in the episode, number seventy-five if he remembered correctly, Sesshomaru had Rin and Jakken with him but now he had Kikyo, Satu and himself by his side instead. Granted it was only Jakken who accompanied Sesshomaru to the temporary HQ of the panther demon tribe and he was more or less comic relief but the change in the inu-youkai's roster could affect the outcome of certain events. In short what he had in his head was more of a schedule of what Fate **planned** to have happen rather than something that **would** happen no matter what.

_I guess since I'm the one that threw Fate's plans out of whack in this dimension I should probably do what I can to make sure things stick as closely to the way they're supposed to as possible._ He thought to himself as he performed a few mini-leaps to climb up onto one of the rocky walls that existed on either side of the river.

His current plan for approaching this situation was to sneak in close using the trees and bushes get into a prime ambushing position and then just watch how things would progress from there. If things went the way they did in the Anime series they would just have a little verbal sparring match trying to knock the other off their guard by sounding more confident of their impending victory than the other youkai did. Once that was done Touran would pull a disappearing act to hook up with the remaining members of the panther demon tribe in order to prepare things for the ceremony. From there things were a little more uncertain on how things would proceed for Sesshomaru and Jakken as the show mainly focused on the InuYasha gang. In any case though he figured it would be a good idea to try and convince the youkai Lord to let him go along to fight the panther demons by his side. Not only would it perhaps be necessary as Jakken would not be around to lend aide with his staff but it would be an excellent opportunity for him to test his newly learned skills under actual battle conditions. He figured that there would be precious few panther demons as skilled as Sesshomaru so while he might not be able to land a blow on Sesshomaru the cat demons would be another matter entirely.

As he crossed the halfway point between where he had been washing his clothes and where Sesshomaru was he noticed much to his regret that from here on out there would be no vegetation taller than a blade of grass. That would make covertly observing the conversation between Touran and Sesshomaru impossible. He supposed he could just walk up bold and arrogant in his pseudo-Sesshomaru personae and merely stand to the side but he was unsure if the Ice Lord would appreciate the added complication of his presence becoming known to the cat-woman. That being the case maybe he could circle wide and attempt to find a position from which he could block her retreat if necessary and still overhear what was being said. That could cause some problems if the panther demon thought it would be a good idea to fight her way free as he was sure the four cat youkai that the writers actually deigned to give names in the series would be quite powerful. The fact that in the series Sesshomaru actually listened to the woman's speech and let her go rather than lopping off her head the moment she got within range implied that much at least. Still circling wide seemed to be the better option than just waltzing in there like some baka cocky vampire would. Add to that the fact that the wind was blowing in the same direction he was currently running and he'd be down wind if he circled wide and hid behind the panther demon.

_You realize of course that it also means that both Sesshomaru and Touran have probably already smelled you coming by now?_ Came the sarcastic voice of his inner Cordelia.

_Shaddup you!!_ He thought back at it even though he adjusted his course slightly to try and make it not quite as obvious where he was going to the cat or the dog demon.

He wasn't too worried about Satu though since given the fact that she was actually a genuine youkai and had likely been in service to Sesshomaru long enough to know how to act and what to do in certain situations. She likely wouldn't matter one bit to the icy panther demon one way or the other so the likelihood of battle was slim.

It took him a few more minutes to get to the location where Sesshomaru was but thankfully it seemed he had just missed the opening few minutes of the conversation. Continuing with his plan he circled around the perimeter of the meeting site and hid behind a rock outcropping behind the panther demon. He was fairly certain that he hadn't been detected as he saw no sign of annoyance that Sesshomaru would likely feel from an unwanted intrusion nor did Touran seem to subtley change her behavior in a suspicious manner. Pressing his back up against a large smooth stone face he listened to the conversation while also paying careful attention to what Sesshomaru said in case he dropped some kind of subtle hint that he wanted Xander to attack. Granted he wasn't exactly used to the concept of subtlety given what he and the gang did back in Sunnyhell but he figured Sesshomaru-sama would have caught onto that little fact about him. Hopefully if any cues were dropped they wouldn't be too blunt otherwise Touran would catch on to them no problem.

"Well that's a fine way to greet someone!" Touran stated with a chuckle of false humor, "This time I'm going to settle things once and for all!"

"We settled things a long time ago." Sesshomaru said with ice in his voice, "But if you insist. You won't be as lucky as you were fifty years ago."

"You're still as boorish as ever I see." Touran stated condescendingly, "I agree that things will turn out differently from how they did fifty years ago though. Our **Master** is waiting for you."

"Master?" Sesshomaru asked with barely a hint of interest.

"Yes, the one who leads the Panther Tribe." Touran replied with respect for her Master, "I realize your dear father is dead but our Master is going to be resurrected at long last."

"Resurrected? For what purpose?" Sesshomaru inquired and as far as Xander's ears could tell genuine concern was present in each word.

"To attack the lands in the East once again but more importantly to get our **revenge** on all your kind!" Touran said with a voice that made her hatred of the inu-youkai of Japan clear.

"I will personally see to it that he never breathes again." Sesshomaru said firmly in a way that left no room for doubting his resolve.

"I am glad to hear that you've accepted my challenge." , Touran stated but quickly added to her statement when she saw the Ice Lord reach for the Tokijin, "Come now don't be so hasty. We won't battle out here. **Come** to our **castle**!"

With that a blizzard cold wind came out of nowhere and began to break up the freshly frozen river into pieces of ice ranging in size from a snowflake to a boulder.

"Then you can bring all the reinforcements you require!" Touran taunted as she raised her voice so it could be heard over the roar of the blizzard cold wind.

_If I'm going to do anything the __**time**__ is __**now!**_ Xander thought since he knew the panther demon was using the wind and the shattering ice as cover so she could disappear.

Using the skills taught to him by Kikyo to see through illusion as well as his increased ability to see rapidly moving objects thanks to his sparring sessions with Sesshomaru he quickly locked his eyes on the departing Panther demon. Knowing he would only get one shot at her before she brought her full skill to bear he took aim with his right index finger and fired a condensed stream of his crimson mist at her exposed leg. It was no thicker than a pencil but it would be sufficient to injure her leg to the point where her speed on foot would be significantly reduced giving him the edge in that area. He just counted himself lucky that whatever magic she had used to call up the blizzard wind was not going to affect his mist's course or else it would pretty much be useless. Kikyo, when she had been helping him to gain a measure of control over it, had speculated that because of the mist's temporal qualities it would take youki or human magic of considerable power to affect it. As he watched the beam reach its target he figured that as powerful as Touran was she wasn't powerful enough to divert or block his attack. The Panther demon let out a scream of pain that was both human in sound but also containing some distinctly feline elements like that of a cougar. She dropped immediately to the ground collapsing to one knee since the left leg he had hit with his crimson mist was apparently incapable of supporting her at present. An added benefit apparently was that with her concentration shot to heck the blizzard wind quickly died out completely and the ice in the river returned to its liquid state.

Stepping out from his hiding place he said in his best Ice Lord voice "I do not believe Lord Sesshomaru gave you permission to leave panther demon."

She turned to face him and was quickly overcome with a case of shock but like the ice she was capable of creating she quickly clamped down on her emotions and looked at him with the same **polite** hatred she had Sesshomaru.

"As if my people **need** permission, to do anything, from a dog demon!" Touran said using the term 'dog demon' in the same way people use 'pile of trash' or 'sicko'.

"Perhaps." he said in cool indifference even though internally his dislike of her became more real to him than it had been before he had actually seen her, "However I believe that Sesshomaru-sama has a few more questions he'd like to ask you about your plans. Isn't that right Lord?"

"This Sesshomaru would indeed like to hear more about your plans to revive the Panther General." Sesshomaru said without so much as batting an eye at Xander's sudden appearance out of nowhere.

"Well I don't know about plans but how about some of **THIS**!" Touran said and then she thrust her right hand out towards Xander unleashing a barrage of ice spears at him.

He had been expecting this though and bringing his own right hand up he decided to deliver a second shock to her system to go with the first. A crimson glow lit up his right hand from within and a disk of crimson mist expanded from his flat palm going from something the size of a camera's lense cap to a full-length mirror in under two seconds. It was still transparent, as the mist was not dense enough to obscure him from sight, so predictably the blue haired lady panther demon thought her attack would tear right through it. Imagine her surprise when the moment the ice spears made contact with the crimson disk they vanished into nothingness without a sign of mist to indicate that they may have just been melted by the disk. He kept a smile from appearing on his face as a look of shock did indeed reappear on Touran's face as he doubted she had ever seen anything like his crimson mist or had one of her attacks blocked in such a manner.

"Any more attempts at defiance you would like to make?" he asked as he closed down his crimson disk causing it to eventually wink out of existence.

While he did lower his arm slightly he kept it ready in case it hadn't sunk into her skull that anything she sent his way the crimson mist would nullify on contact. She looked back and forth between the two of them, no doubt deducing the odds of this plan or that plan, before she did something that she had never been shown to be capable of in the Anime series. After pressing her palms together and closing her eyes he felt her power spike immensely and at first he thought she was going to pull out her master technique to kill both him and Sesshomaru. However what happened instead was that her body seemed to go from flesh and bone to snow. Then a powerful gust of wind seemed to come out of nowhere to carry her body snowflake by snowflake off into the sky before anything could be done to stop her.

"Well that certainly wasn't mentioned as one of her abilities in the file on her." He muttered to himself as he watched the last flake of her fade from sight.

"It is not one that Touran uses often. It requires a great deal of her strength and youki in order to perform it properly." Sesshomaru stated as he walked up to a position next to Xander.

"Good. Then the fatigue combined with the wound I gave her should make it more difficult for her to get back to the rest of her tribe and hopefully delay the resurrection ceremony." Xander said as he turned his head to look at the youkai Lord.

"Why did you attack her?" Sesshomaru asked in a way that made it difficult to judge how important the answer would be.

_Best go for honesty with a little tactics thrown in._ Xander thought before he replied, "I wished to question her further. I found it suspicious that she would inform you, the leader of the opposing army, of something so vital and then give you just enough time to stop it if you hurried."

"The youkai of the panther demon tribe have always been an arrogant sort. No doubt her overconfidence inspired her to meet with me in order to gloat about her tribe's impending victory." Sesshomaru said with the word 'impending' spoken in such a way that made it clear her found the concept laughable.

"Perhaps. Still if my initial hunch was right Satu has some news about their movements. News I would very much like to hear." He said as be started to look about the area to see if he could spot any sign of the tengu woman.

"Satu?" Sesshomaru asked with an eyebrow raised in such a way so as to make a Vulcan jealous.

"Yes. I was further down river trying to clean up a bit when this tengu woman dropped down from the sky thinking I was you." Xander replied in an entirely convincing way that was supported by an equally believable story, "She told me a little about why she was seeking you and when I sensed Touran's approach we both moved to assist you. In truth I thought she had gotten here ahead of me given how fast she can fly."

"Of course I got here sooner." came a familiar voice from the rocky outcropping on the right side of the river, "However I thought it best to wait until my Lord's meeting was over before making an appearance."

With wings tucked in the tengu female stepped out from behind a batch of large rocks that were ideal for hiding someone of her configuration. With a little trot, hop and a jump she landed softly on the edge of the river next to them and without hesitation dropped to one knee with head bowed in respect.

"Lord Sesshomaru. I was dispatched by Jakken to bring you news concerning sightings of the panther demon tribe but it appears I was a little too late." Satu said formally without raising her head.

"This Sesshomaru will forgive your tardiness in the matter. We would also ask that you answer the questions asked by Alexander." Sesshomaru said before turning to the pseudo-inu-youkai in question.

"Yes milord." Satu said as she raised her head to look at one Xander Harris.

_Here goes nothing!_ He thought as he took a silent deep breath.

"Satu, was there any news pertaining to the number of panther demons sited? An estimate perhaps?" he asked as he prepared to fit her answer in with what he already knew.

"The reported number of panther demons varied from informant to informant but the average number was ninety-two panther demons including Touran's foursome." Satu replied in an official manner but a twinkle in her eyes hinted at some mischief inside of her.

"Hmmm, too small a number to be consider a serious threat. Even if it was the case that they planned to attack with their resurrected Master before an army could be assembled to counter them they would have to know they would eventually be defeated." Xander said as he thought out loud, "With those numbers it makes even less sense as to why they would give away the element of surprise by telling us of the impending resurrection. Unless there is some element to their overall plan we are not aware of yet. Satu, how long would you wager it would take the panther demon trible to travel from the mainland to the western shores of Japan?"

"Depends on the weather and the state of the sea. If they were determined though it would take them at most a week to cross the water." Satu replied with a bit of actual consideration as she thought about what he was saying.

"Perhaps resurrecting their Master is just the first step. Maybe they have a larger force docked on the shores of the mainland that has orders to follow them here after a pre-determined amount of time." Xander said as he continued to speak of his thoughts for Sesshomaru and Satu to hear, "After all no matter how powerful this Master might be when he is fully resurrected I doubt that the panther demon tribe could accomplish much with so few troops."

"Sound speculation Alexander but to what end? What course of action would you propose this Sesshomaru take?" Sesshomaru asked in a professional and official manner.

"I would never presume to tell you what to do with your kingdom Lord Sesshomaru." Xander replied but when he saw the look in the Youkai Lord's eyes he knew he'd have to propose something, "However I would suggest that Satu be sent back to the palace to place your armies on alert and order those along the western coast to keep a close watch on the sea for signs of approaching ships. If the panther demon tribe does have a second wave of warriors on the way it will be imperative that they be detected as soon as possible so that word can be spread throughout your forces in time to counterattack."

"Then it shall be so. Satu, you have your orders." Sesshomaru said in approval of the pseudo-youkai's strategy.

"Yes milord. It shall be done." Satu said and without waiting for anything she launched herself into the sky with her powerful legs then spread her wings when she reached the apex of her jump.

Xander stood there for a moment slightly stunned that his off the cuff suggestion about how to handle the panther demon tribe had been taken both seriously and had been enacted by the Tai Inu-Youkai of the West. In the series he was so stern and very much with the 'you are all pathetic compared to me' attitude he had doubted very much if the youkai accepted advice from anyone. Still at least by following his suggestions there was a good chance that any reinforcements the panther demon tribe had on the way would at least be delayed if not outright repelled. Still he wondered what made Sesshomaru agree with his proposed course of action. Looking at the youkai Lord he tried to convey this question with his face since he did not trust his mouth to phrase the inquiry just right.

"You need not act surprised Alexander. Your concerns about the tactics used by the panther demon tribe were valid and your suggestions the prudent response." Sesshomaru stated with a hint of respect, "Even if it is revealed that there are not reinforcements coming from China it will prove an adequate exercise for my soliders. This Sesshomaru suggests you inform the miko of the situation and invite her to join us. This Sesshomaru believes he knows where Touran and her comrades may be."

_Woah! Sesshomaru is not only complimenting me but also __**suggesting**__ that Kikyo come with us to face the panther demons? _He thought to himself with barely concealed disbelief, _Someone sure woke up on the right side of the bed this morning!_

_**A Clearing That Lay an Hour and a Half From Kaede's Village, Five Hours Later, **_

_**InuYasha's P.O.V**_

_Damn cats!! They ain't getting away from me!!_ InuYasha growled mentally as he followed the scent of the cat demons who'd kidnapped Kagome.

While still pissed that the assholes had managed to get their hands on the strange miko so easily he'd cooled down a bit so he could focus more on following the trail rather than on his feelings. Those damn felines had been all over the area making it difficulty to sniff out the right direction but his nose was up to the task so long as he didn't get too distracted. The only question that he was concerned about aside from when would he catch up to them was just how difficulty would it be to get Kagome back. He wasn't as simple minded as some people thought. He could think things through just fine. The problem at the moment was lack of information since he'd been sealed to the tree outside of Kikyo's village before the invasion from the west had begun. He had never personally fought them before and the only one he knew about who had been around had scampered away like a coward so as not to get caught up in the battle. From what he'd seen so far their common soldiers weren't anything to gloat about but the three that stood out seemed to have some power to them. Ranged attacks looked to be their speciality thought the big one was obviously the muscle of the group.

Dumb muscle but muscle just the same.

Not that he'd have any trouble bringing the bone-head down of course. He was no stranger to fighting youkai that were stronger than he was and was already figuring out the best way to make the bastard eat dirt.

One had some kind of flower petal trick and the last one, the one that he'd fought, used fire as her main attack technique. The flower one might cause him some trouble with how sensitive his nose was but the other one was so cocky she'd slip up sooner rather than later and then she'd find out what happened to people that pissed him off. He only had to decide whether to gut her with his claws or carve her up with the Tessaiga.

Still he didn't know what sort of cheap tricks they'd have waiting for them and he was sure that they were waiting. Aside from being a snack he couldn't think of a single reason why a group of cat demons would want Kagome unless she was supposed to be bait to lure him in. He'd screwed up and made those walking hairballs believe the girl meant something to him! Of course they thought that bratty girl was his woman. Yeah right!! She was just the best chance he had to find all the Sacred Jewel Shards. Nothing more than that. It was only because of that fact that he was putting so much effort into getting her back. If he had some other way to track down the glowing pink jewel shards he'd goodbye and good riddance to the girl from the future. She was more hassel than she was worth most of the time and the only reason he could think of to keep her around was for that ramen stuff she brought back sometimes from the future. However if the price for some peace and quiet without her nagging him was to go without that stuff it'd be a sacrifice he would be willing to make.

_Too bad I don't have another idea for finding the jewel shards!_ He thought sourly as he continued to follow the trail of cat stink, Japan's a big place. _It'd be like looking for a needle in a rice field!_

So as much as he hated to admit it he needed Kagome and that meant clawing through whoever or whatever he needed to in order to get her back.

It was then though that he spotted something coming towards him from the forest ahead and for a moment he wondered who it might be. However as the thing got closer he recognized the whirlwind moving swiftly towards him and growled in annoyance at the headache he knew he'd have in a minute.

"Isn't that Koga?" Shippo asked from his right shoulder.

He didn't bother answering and it turned out that he didn't need to since once the youki filled wind got close enough it dispersed to reveal the cocky wolf prince. One of the top three people he couldn't stand and the only one he couldn't pound on whenever he wanted due to Kagome liking the prick for some reason. Every time he didn't "play nice" with the flea bag she used that blasted sit command on him sending him face fist into the ground.

"Hey mutt! Where's Kagome?" asked the wolf standing arrogantly with on hand on his hip.

"None of your damn business!" he yelled back refusing to answer any questions coming from that fur-clad fool.

"I've been picking up the stench of cats lately." Kouga declared sounding annoyed, "Today though I've been catching a bit of Kagome's scent mixed in with them."

_Oh great! I know what's comin' now!_ He thought as his mind predicted what was going to happen.

"You mangy mutt! Don't tell you that you let Kagome get kidnapped by those mangy cats!" Kouga exclaimed taking on a more angry stance.

He didn't have anything to say to that and naturally the wolf prince took that as a confirmation of his theory.

"You did didn't you!? What the hell were you doin' while she was getting grabbed!?!" asked the Wolf Prince angrily making it sound like the hanyou had been goofing off while it'd happened.

"Shut up!! They used cheap tricks to sneak by me!" he yelled back angrily refusing to let the jerk in front of him get away with talking to him like he was some inexperienced pup.

It was about then that his ears picked up dumb and dumber, the two wolf youkai that usually followed Kouga around, and the leader of the wolf tribe heard them as well.

"I'm outta here! I got better things to do than waste time with a halfbreed like you." Kouga said before tapping into his power again and taking off in the form of a mini-whirlwind.

Naturally quite a bit of dust was swept up into the air and while the others wouldn't believe him he was sure the asshole did it on purpose to mess up his nose.

"Damn that Koga!" he growled as he tried to push the dust away from his nose.

"I know you don't like him InuYasha but having one more person on our side will make getting Kagome back easier." Mirokou said from his spot behind Sango on Kilala's back.

"Miroku's right. Besides I doubt we could stop him from going after Kagome given how he gets when someone mentions her." Sango said letting her opinion be known to the group.

"And he's stronger than you InuYasha." Shippo said sounding so sure of himself.

_That's it! I've heard enough!_ He thought before he pulled the kitsune off his shoulder and threw the kid back to the monk before yelling, "Shut up! Like we can really count on him when it counts!! I'll save Kagome **without** that asshole's help!!"

With that he sprinted forward as fast as he could so he could get to the cat demons before that flea ridden wolf did. If that dumbass managed to get to her and save the day before he could he'd never hear the end of it from Kagome. It'd be 'Koga did this' and 'Koga did that' for the next week easily.

He'd rather listen to his high and mighty half-brother go on about him being a disgrace to the family than listen to someone sing Koga's praises.

_Hang on Kagome! I'm coming!_ He thought even though he knew she wouldn't be able to hear him.

_**The Entrance to the Hidden Valley of the Panther Devas, A Few Hours Later, Kikyo's P.O.V**_

"Looks like InuYasha and his friends came through here earlier." Alexander stated after taking a moment to sniff the air, "Along with that bastard wolf prince!"

_He still feels hatred for the wolf youkai prince. _She thought as the group of four took in the entrance to the valley where they'd tracked the cat demons.

Not that she'd expected anything different from the young inu youkai but it would be a distraction for him that could very well hinder him in the battles to come. While she didn't think him foolish enough to run off with a head full of fury like InuYasha would if the young prince chose to provoke her future weapon calming words from her would be needed. Whatever their plans were for entering the territory of the enemy youkai she would go with the younger of the two dog demons no matter what.

"Indeed. The strength of the scents also tells us that this valley has been the lair of the cat youkai for a few weeks at least." Sesshomaru-sama stated in his usual icy tone as he turned to his protégé, "Unacceptable."

"Time enough to prepare traps and defenses for this very night no doubt." Alexander said suppressing his emotions somewhat, "If nothing else InuYasha and his comrades going ahead of us will make things easier for us. Knowing the hanyou he will take the most direct route to the very center of enemy territory stumbling over every trap in his path and directing the focus of the enemy towards him in the process. We could take advantage of this."

"How so?" Sesshomaru asked sounding interested in what his pupil had to say.

"If we split into two groups and go around the area InuYasha will be going through we could further divide the enemy forces up until the individual groups sent against each of us became nothing more than annoyances." Alexander replied taking on an introspective look, "It would allow us to arrive at the spot where the cat demons plan on resurrecting their leader much sooner. Perhaps in time to prevent it altogether."

"You would suggest that we are not strong enough to face them directly?" Sesshomaru asked in a pointed manner bordering on insulted.

"Of course not Lord Sesshomaru." Alexander replied calmly with a respectful bow, "I merely thought our primary goal was to prevent the resurrection of the cat general. If this is so then time is not in our favor. We know not the requirements of the magic they seek to use save that it will likely occur sometime tonight given that they chose to reveal themselves to you today. It would be a strategic misstep to permit them to succeed in their plans."

A raised eyebrow was all the youkai lord provided to prompt the youth to continue with his explanation.

"My mentor at the school where I learned to fight always taught me that fighting an enemy on two fronts was unwise. It forces a division of forces and makes replenishing supplies difficult." Alexander said continuing his tactical explanation, "If my earlier theory is indeed correct then there is a much larger force on its way from the mainland. Better to prevent their Lord's revival and finish off his subordinates before they arrive then risk the larger force becoming organized under their leaders."

In terms of strategy she could see the wisdom of finishing the confrontation with the youkai tribe from the mainland sooner rather than later. While she doubted that any spell of resurrection would be able to fully restore the great cat general and was confident that two inu daiyoukai could finish off one weakened giant cat it would take time. Time and the assumption that the stronger cat demons didn't have an escape planned out should the battle not go according to their wishes. If the cats managed to escape with their leader then death would cover the lands worse than ever before. It was dangerous enough with the various human warlords and bandits scattered throughout the country but if a youkai war broke out the number of human deaths would triple.

The wise choice was obvious but would the Lord Sesshomaru's pride permit anything other than the direct approach.

"Do as you wish." Sesshomaru stated before striding into the valley.

With those words it became clear that the daiyoukai had paired her with Alexander while the toad youkai would as usual follow the trail left by his master.

That suited her nicely.

While she thought she could see signs of disappointment in the eyes of her charge she knew it would not last long. No doubt he had been encouraged by the youkai Lord's earlier approval of his strategic recommendations and was disappointed that the trend hadn't continued. While she had thought the trend might continue as well she was not overly surprised when things went in a different direction. Lord Sesshomaru no doubt wanted to retain his position of superiority and dominance in the relationship he had with his young student. While it was beneficial to such a relationship to permit the student to occasionally take the lead the teacher must retain a position of control until their protégé is ready to stand on his own. Alexander had made much progress since that first fight with Kagura but was still months away from truly mastering his inu daiyoukai form. What would the fateful day when he did master his powers look like? Alexander successfully maintaining a stalemate for a full day perhaps?

_I will simply have to wait and see I suppose._ She thought as the young man began to veer towards the left of the direction Sesshomaru-sama.

Soon after they entered the forest that ran the circumfrence though he began to pick up the pace to a light jog and she was forced to keep up by breaking into a run. While she disliked movng in such a manner the nature of her resurrection fifty years after her mortal death made it so she no longer needed to breath quite as much as she would have were she still human. Nevertheless she disliked moving in such an undignified manner.

"I trust that you have a plan for dealing with the leaders of the cat demons once we arrive at our destination?" She asked hoping that Alexander wouldn't suddenly choose to take after Inuyasha by making things up as he went along.

"I do. You pick a spot where you have the widest field of view of the castle courtyard where this is likely to take place and pick targets of opportunity. I'll focus on trying to use my crimson mist to destroy the body of the panther general they plan on resurrecting." Alexander replied as they cleared the forest and entered the city that surrounded the castle, "They can't bring him back to life if there's nothing for the cat daiyoukai's spirit to inhabit."

"Unless one of the lieutenants chooses to become a host for the spirit themselves." She pointed out as a flaw in his original plan.

"It's possible I guess but in the end it might be preferable." The young inu youkai said. "They are lesser youkai then their master so their bodies won't be able to handle his full power. He would need to keep it low in order to avoid destroying his new body. That will make him substantially more manageable than if he resurrected in his own body."

An astute observation as well as one not every demon hunter might have considered were they in his place right now.

Alexander was quite the insightful individual and had the makings of a skilled strategist.

More than ever before she was certain she had finally located the perfect weapon with which to destroy both InuYasha as wellas Naraku.

_**Later on the Western Edge of the Village, Xander's P.O.V**_

_So far so good._ Xander thought as he continued to slink between the buildings using them for cover, _All the cats seem to be focused on Inuyasha's team and completely missing Kikyo and me. Doubt it will last though._

While according to this episode a panther youkai's sense of smell wasn't as strong as a dog demon's it'd be stupid to think that they wouldn't pick him up sooner rather than later. He just hoped that by the time they did he and Kikyo would be at least two thirds of the way to the corpse of the great cat general. By that time both InuYasha and Koga would be at the other entrances allowing a three point strike on the corpse of the great panther general. It wouldn't be easy but it would definitely be easier since the panther diva Toran would be significantly weaker since she pulled that snowy disappearing act earlier. With luck that would mean she wouldn't have as easy a time fighting Sesshomaru and hopefully that would keep her away from her master's body. With all the other devas stuck with their own fights he and Kikyo should be able to approach the target without much difficulty since there'd only be the nameless cannon fodder minions to get in their way.

Easily dealt with.

He was about to make the next dash when he spotted something in the air to his right. Pausing a moment he saw that it was Kilala, Sango and Miroku flying overhead no doubt looking for InuYasha who'd run off after Karan. If things went according to canon the trio would spot the thunder muscle guy and begin to descend thinking it was InuYasha. How they could make that mistake when the big oaf's outfit wasn't red at all nor his hair white he didn't know but Anime could be like that sometimes. They'd get hit with a nasty blast of lightning but survive to be thrown in the jail cell with Kagome as well as the original residents of the town to await being sacrificed to the great cat general. At least…that's what **should** happen.

_But like most sci-fi fans I know that when it comes to having knowledge of the future and being in place to do something about it nothing is for certain._ He thought hesitating to continue on his way, _Just by being here I could've changed things big time. Question is did I change things enough that Thunderbutt wouldn't bother to take prisoners this time around. Did I change things enough to kill rather than capture?_

It was a possibility he'd rather not dwell on considering how important the three of them up there were to the future plot of the Anime series. He knew he should leave things to canon and let events transpire as he remembered but the whispering in his head about the changes that could happen was being persistant. In the end though the choice was made for him when the wind shifted carrying his scent to the muscle bound electricity casting cat demon. Almost immediately the panther diva turned around and he knew that the oaf's target was no longer the members of InuYasha's pack but him.

_I guess there's nothing to do now but go with the flow and hope it doesn't get me fried extra crispy. _He thought as he charged the fat cat youkai.

"Well, well, well! So you're the pup that's been following that cocky Sesshomary around." Mr. Muscle said confidently falling into a combat stance, "Let's see if you're tough enough to fight with the strong!"

With that the battle was joined but surprisingly enough he wasn't doing as badly as he thought he would in his first real fight after Sesshomaru's training sessions. After trying to match speeds with the attacks of the Lord of the Western Lands his current foe was a poor substitute. That didn't mean he could be lazy about how he evaded attacks or launched his own but it did leave him confident that he could take Thunderbutt down without getting hurt too bad himself. His main obstacle was the fact that just dodging the main blast of electricity wasn't enough if he wanted to avoid injury. He had to also evade the arcs of energy bounced around the perimeter of the central blast because while they weren't as damaging they could still disrupt his offensive moves if he got careless.

"Not bad. Better than that half-breed anyway." Mr. Muscle said without an ounce of respect, "Still you're dreaming if you think you're going to win this you dumb dog."

"It'll be a cold day in hell before a cat ever gets the better of a dog." He declared before charging right for the big bad boy.

"Stupid move. You're just making yourself easier to kill." Mr. Muscle said as he began to power up for a super blast of electricity.

"You'd think so wouldn't you." He said before he revealed one of the things that he'd learned early on in his lessons with Lord Sesshomaru.

While the son of the great dog general Inutaisho could move swiftly over long distances it was over short distances that he truly showed his superiority over lesser demons. Just as he figured the cave cat was wabout to unleash his attack he pushed his speed to its maximum in the blink of an eye both evading the blast of his enemy as well as placing himself behind the idiot. Then, with an all too Sesshomaru flourish, he attacked with his youki whip not only burning the panther youkai but also knocking him off his feet. It wasn't very far though, less than ten feet, but that was more due to his reluctance to kill than an inability to do so. While he might not be willing to take a chance with the lives of Sango, Mirokou and Kilala he knew for a fact that killing this overgrown hairball would only make things worse. It was Sesshomaru reviving the four divas after their master betrayed and killed them that put an end to the conflict between the cat youkai and the youkai of Japan. If he wound up seriously hurting or killing one of them he'd only wind up pissing them off more and they'd just be more determined to win the war.

He had no desire to become the target of seven generations of feline fury.

So the moment it looked like his foe would get back to his feet he performed another super speed burst putting himself right in the guy's face so he could deliver a half strength back fist to the guy's jaw. This…this sent the guy rolling across the dirt a good fifty yards before coming to a stop. The big lug wasn't out cold though as evidenced by the groan and the slow rise to all fours but given how quick most youkai could move he could tell that some damage had been done.

_Is it enough for Mr. Muscle to turn tail and make a run for the castle though?_ He thought as he waited to see what his adversary would do next, _That's what I'm going to find out in the next few minutes I bet._

"You're gonna pay for that you mangy fleabag!!" growled Mr. Muscles as he once again got to his feet with electricity crackling around his body.

"I give you one chance to walk away cat." He said making his voice as cold as Sesshomaru's for intimidation's sake, "Refuse at your own risk."

Unfortunately it looked like this guy was too mad to thing straight and cared about payback more than he did doing the smart thing. He was about to think up a way to drive the point home that more fighting would not be good for the humanoid feline's health when another of the Panther Divas dropped down in front of her comrade.

Karan.

"That's enough Shuran! You've embarrassed yourself quite enough for one night." Karan said making it clear she was ending the fight.

"But Karan he—" Shuran argued but was silenced with a slash of kitty claws across the face.

"But **nothing**!" the redhead growled with her tail lashing about, "He'll get his when the Master rises! Until then we stick to the plan."

For a moment it looked like the mountain of muscle was going to protest further but one threatening flexing of female feline claws made him cave in quick enough. Either Karan was a lot stronger than she appeared to be in the Anime series or maybe the two of them were…

Ugh! Bad mental Polaroid!!

It took every ounce of willpower he had to keep his disgust from showing up on the outside but if any of them were telepaths they'd have no trouble knowing what was going through his head right then.

"I'll see you soon bone breath!" Shuran said with enough emotion to mean it, "You better hope the Master kills you first and does it quick because I won't if I get my chance."

With that the two Panther Divas leapt away across the rooftops, some of which were aflame thanks to Karan's powers, heading towards the castle where his daiyoukai eyes could just about pick out the corpse of the great cat general. Looking about he was glad to see that Sango, Mirokou and Kilala seemed to be in good shape. While mixing it up with Shuran might have cost him some time he did make sure that the three members of InuYasha's crew wouldn't get hurt or captured. His actions wouldn't put Kagome in danger either since she'd be brought up top with the rest of the villagers when the main event got started.

"You fought the panther demon to keep him from attacking members of InuYasha's safe." Came Kikyo's voice as she approached him from behind, "Why?"

"I'm just preparing for the future Kikyo." He replied before turning towards the castle, "A future where Naraku is nothing more than dust in the wind."


	12. Confrontation at the Castle

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this fanfic whatsoever. I write for fun and for the enjoyment of all those who like reading my stories.

Note: Sorry if this is a bit shorter than you'd like but I felt it was better to make it all quality then introduce unnecessary quantity.

_**A Castle Gate, Thirty Minutes Later, Kikyo's P.O.V**_

"I hope you don't think you're just going to be able to walk in there just like that, mutt," came a frigid female voice as the miko and daiyoukai came to a stop in front one of the main gates.

Looking up to the top of the wall that surrounded the main castle, she saw one of the panther demons and, judging from her appearance, a higher ranked one at that. Looking to the sides, she was somewhat surprised to see no lesser demons preparing to ambush them but figured that this woman must believe herself to be strong enough to defeat them without help.

_Or perhaps the point of this confrontation is not to defeat us but rather to delay us._ She thought as she remembered the primary goal of the cat demons in Japan.

A fact that Alexander appeared to be aware of as he resumed taking steps towards the gate, presumably with the intention of forcing a confrontation so the woman could be removed as an obstacle sooner rather than later. A wise move for, the longer they spent talking, the more time the rest of the cats to accomplish their objective. While it was possibly that one of the other groups opposing the panther demons might make it through in time to prevent the resurrection of the supreme leader, she did not believe it wise to take chances.

And neither did Alexander it would seem.

"As if you could stop me, you giant hairball." Xander stated in a passable imitation of Sesshomaru's normally glacial tone of voice.

"My, my, my! It sounds like someone's gotten a little too sure of themselves after his battle with Shuran." Spoke the cat commander with some warning in her words, "While I may care for my comrade like a brother, he's all brute force and very little strategy. I, on the other hand, am a much more balanced fighter. HAH!"

With that exclamation the panther commander sent a blast of flowing ice towards Alexander but, instead of evading it as she'd expected him to, he merely raised his right hand with the palm aimed at the oncoming attack. It took her less than a second for her to realize what he intended and allowed herself a small grin as a stream of crimson mist shot out from the inu daiyoukai's palm. The two forces collided and, while a stalemate did exist for a second or two, the decaying effects of the mist quickly broke that impasse as it broke down the ice so quick that the attack might as well have been air. As a result the crimson mist emitted by Xander's right hand cut through the ice blast of the cat commander so fast it was a compliment to the female's skill that she was able to evade it in time.

"What was that? I've never seen a mutt do that before!" exclaimed by the panther commander, who looked somewhat shocked up this unforeseen turn of events.

"It is a technique that has only recently been developed within Lord Sesshomaru's lands." Alexander explained as he lowered his right arm back to his side, "He will be most pleased that it was proven so effective. Then again he may consider an attack of yours to be a poor test of the technique's full capabilities."

"Why you little pup!" The cat commander snarled with great anger before forming a spear out of ice and charging Xander's position.

While she might have been a bit worried since the young daiyoukai did not possess a weapon of his own, he proved up to the task of making do with what he had. Speed to evade and youki strengthened claws to attack, the two exchanged blows in such a way that they almost seemed to be dancing. In the end though a bloody cut to the panther demon commander's upper arm proved to be enough to cause her to withdraw to her former perch atop the castle's wall.

"You'll pay for that, you mangy mutt! For every **drop** of blood I lose you will lose **seven!**" The female cat demon vowed before she leapt out of sight.

"She couldn't be a little more specific with that?" she heard Alexander mutter as she approached him, "Math is not my best subject!"

"Whatever her mistake, we should pursue her swiftly." She said as she began to walk past him, "If her intent was to delay us then the only reason she would retreat would be if she had succeeded in her goal."

"True. I just hope that the inside of this castle doesn't turn out to be a maze or something because a sharp nose isn't going to be much help if there're hidden doors and stuff." Xander said as he strode up next to her before scooping her up into his arms.

With that he leapt over the wall, landed on the other side and then began to run at moderate daiyoukai speed, presumably following the scent of the panther demon they'd just encountered. While she was tempted to make a comment about possessing two perfectly working legs and the fact that he need not carry her, she decided to remain silent. Speed was what was required now and, while she was capable of moving swifter than any human woman, she had no hope of matching a daiyoukai running this fast.

As they ran through the various structures that made up the castle, she began to wonder if her weapon-in-the-making was truly on the right trail or not. It looked to her as though he knew not where to find his prey and that should not have been possible given how keen the nose of an inu daiyoukai was, according to her memories. Indeed InuYasha's sense of smell was quite keen since he'd never failed to find her when they had still been… close.

"Is something the matter, Alexander?" she asked in her usual composed manner, "You seem to be a bit lost."

"Damn cats have been all over this place, including Touran. Even with her bleeding from the scratch I gave her, it's not easy picking out the most recent trail." Xander replied taking a few more obvious sniffs to emphasize this.

"Then perhaps you should seek out a scent of someone less likely to have spent a great deal of time here." She suggested as the idea continued to take form in her mind, "Given that InuYasha is here, the panther demons have likely stolen something or someone from him. That would imply either the shards of the Shikon jewel he possessed or Kagome. Look for one of them instead."

"Makes sense." He replied before exiting the building they'd been in and taking in the scents in the open air.

After a few seconds he was off again and seemed to be heading to the farthest edge of the castle's interior. If the layout of this castle was like some of the others she had been to, there would be a sizeable courtyard there and that would be ideal for a resurrection ceremony. Alexander thought so as well it seemed as he picked up the pace by quite a bit causing the scenery to begin to blur alongside them.

As they closed on their destination, three pieces of movement caught her eye and, once she'd identified them, she began to reconsider a suspicion she'd had after Xander's battle with Shuran. To the left was Lord Sesshomaru, who was the midst of hopping over the wall encircling the courtyard that was the destination. That he would arrive ahead of them would imply that which ever Panther commander had opposed him had been singularly ineffective in delaying him at all. The second piece of movement came, predictably, in the form of InuYasha and his allies, including the ones who'd been saved by Alexander less than an hour ago. While his comment had been vague, one possible interpretation could be that the young daiyoukai knew something of the events to come and somehow the youkai exterminator and monk played valued roles in those events. She knew a far more reasonable interpretation was that Sesshomaru's pupil thought they'd be of use in the battle against Naraku and didn't want them to be slain before that day arrived.

Nevertheless, she could not help but feel as though the more fantastic possibility was in fact the more accurate of the two.

The final spot of movement was the wolf youkai prince Koga, along with two of his subordinates, who were making their way to the eastern edge of the courtyard. This would make for a tense situation, given Alexander's current feelings towards the okami youkai and she would likely have to remind him at least once of their true purpose in the castle. She could only hope that Koga would have the sense not to provoke Xander for, if the fool did, a fight between the two would be sure to follow.

It only took a few moments for the two of them to reach the top of the wall that surrounded the courtyard and once they had he set her down. A look was all that was needed for her to know he wanted her to now seek the perfect spot to fire her arrows from and so she did as he wished. All the while though she would evaluate her future weapon and see if his lessons with Sesshomaru had made him stronger than before.

She hoped so.

For both their sakes she hoped so.

_**The Courtyard of the Panther Divas' Castle, Sesshomaru's P.O.V**_

_Foolish arrogance._ Sesshomaru thought as his eyes showed his enemies out in the open before the corpse of their dead leader, _or perhaps something else._

Drawing the Tokijin, he leapt forth and brought it down in an overhead swing but, instead of continuing on its course all the way to the ground, it encountered something that could not be seen beforehand. Gold and crimson energy appeared in thin air, flowed away from the point where his sword struck an invisible wall before forcing him backwards to the spot he'd initially leapt from.

A barrier. He thought after a moment's consideration.

As far as he knew, neither Touran nor any of her comrades possessed the power to create such an obstacle and that left only that which he had at first viewed only as a husk. Could the efforts of the panther youkai have progressed this far already? Possibly. However in the end it mattered little, only adding one more foe he would have to slay before the threat to his lands was extinguished for good.

"Soon, our master will be resurrected." Touran said from her place before an alter erected before the large corpse, "Sesshomaru, you and that pup that follows you will die this night."

He was about to correct her when light from the full moon above broke through the parting clouds and the first signs of true life began to emerge from the dead body of Touran's leader. Noises akin to a waking giant emerged from the formerly deceased body and trickles of youki became perceivable to his senses. Still it was nothing he could not cope with once he destroyed the barrier for, while he was willing to concede that the former cat general was reviving, he was still weak. It would take little effort on his part to send the necrotic fool bad into the afterlife where he belonged.

However, as he watched the body of the giant panther demon reach down to the alter that lay before it, he saw three glowing shards that he immediately determined belonged to the notorious jewel of four souls. He realized immediately that Touran and her kin no doubt intended for the power residing in those fragments to make up for any shortcomings their ceremony might possess. As the corpse ate the shards, he mentally began to predict how much of an increase in power the large foe would receive. In living youkai, a single shard was reported to increase their power roughly five fold, so three of them would increase youki levels to fifteen times that which the panther general's body had been producing before consuming the shards.

A significant increase but still not something he needed to be concerned about for that put the giant barely above his half-breed brother in terms of power.

"Give me blood… flesh… and a soul!" spoke the deep voice of the corpse as a blue glow overtook the body and green light lit up the eyes.

_It would seem that the resurrection ceremony requires that the target replenish that which has been lost in the years since it was slain._ He thought as he saw the mound of dirt next to the platform and immediately identified it as a holding area for the live sacrifices, _No doubt Touran and her comrades intend to sacrifice the ningen villagers that once lived here._

Almost immediately the mountain of dirt exploded outwards, revealing a group of ningen, including the one that InuYasha travelled with, trapped behind a barrier composed of both youki as well as air. It was no doubt designed to keep the humans in but not keep the reanimated corpse out when it decided to devour them. Whether they died or not was of no concern to him, save in that it would strengthen his foe enough to become troublesome rather than a swift kill. Deciding the time to act decisively before the giant cat general was fully restored, he was about to unleash the power of Tokijin on the barrier when a voice known to him broke the silence.

"Kagome!" Came the cry of the wolf youkai prince Koga as the fool leapt into the air, no doubt to dramatically arrive at the ningen woman's side.

However, even with the jewel shards embedded in the wolf's legs, the cave-dwelling prince lacked the strength needed to break through and so was unceremoniously flung to the ground.

"Hahahahahaha! As if you could break the supreme master's barrier!" Touran said mockingly as she stood up along with her comrades, "Not even a daiyoukai of Sesshomaru's reputation could break through!"

"You can stay there and watch the sacrificial lambs being devoured if you like." Shunran said with amusement at the failure of the okami prince.

With rickety sounds of unused muscles and rickety bones the panther general reached for the first handful of ningen flesh that would restore it to full health. However, before the giant could complete his act, a foul sound filled the air heralding the arrival of his hanyou half-brother who came charging in as emotional as ever with the empowered Tessaiga held over his head. However it was as he felt the youki begin to gather about the blade that he saw something he had not anticipated.

The blade of his father's sword was glowing blood red.

_What is happening? The color of the Tessaiga is-!_ He thought with some minor surprise as his sibling launched his attack.

His surprise only rose when he watched as the barriers, both the larger one he had struck as well as the smaller one surrounding the ningen, were torn asunder by the youki attack generated by InuYasha. This caught the attention of virtually everyone in the area but only he had the presence of mind to keep his emotions to himself. Ignoring his witless half-brother's grandstanding, he turned his head slightly to take in the remainder of the new arrivals that included Alexander as well as the undead miko who had been with them at the entrance to the village. Taking a moment to survey the young pup's appearance, he was pleased to see no signs of damage on the boy's clothing or any other sign of injury. While he had dismissed the young one's plan initially, it looked as though it had served him well in minimizing his confrontations with the cat youkai. He doubted that the boy had been able to avoid fighting entirely as he was sure that one of Touran's comrades or perhaps the ice element expert herself would have been there to greet him at one of the gates to the castle proper.

_Alexander has learned his lessons well to come this far in such an unblemished state._ He thought as he mentally reviewed the training schedule he had in his mind, _I will have to proceed to the more advanced techniques once this conflict is over._

Turning his attention back to the scene unfolding before him, he peripherally heard Jakken prattle on about matters which were either irrelevant or plainly obvious. Seeing the wolf youkai Koga shamelessly treat the ningen girl as his mate only lowered his opinion of the fool but decided to leave the amoral idiot's fate in the hands of his student. He had little doubt that Alexander would seize the first chance that presented itself to attack the wolf prince, whether it was physically or verbally, and he would not intervene until it began to reflect poorly upon him. For while his connection to the boy had been clarified for all in his lands to know, the connection of teacher and student was almost as important as father and son. It would not do for others to see the young one as a hot tempered youkai enslaved to his emotions and possessing no regard for honor and etiquette.

That was a role fit only for his hanyou half-wit half-brother, InuYasha.

"Give me **blood!**" bellowed the barely living corpse as it reached for the ningen.

His fool of a brother failed to dodge in time and, while the ningen woman was carried to safety by Koga, InuYasha was seemingly crushed beneath the giant hand. It was only moments later when his sibling managed to reduce the shame being brought to their family by destroying the hand that had been used to attack him in one swing of his sword. All brute force and no finesse but, then again, this was InuYasha doing the deed so he knew that to expect more would be foolish.

With the great panther general momentarily distracted, the ningen woman whom his half-brother followed chose to lead the now-freed sacrifices to safety. Did the little girl really think that she could lead the rest of her kind present this night to safety without any sort of opposition? Touran was quick to show InuYasha's wench just how wrong she was as the panther commander ordered her subordinates to block the escape route. Thus it was with some surprise that the woman found the one flaw in panther youkai's plan: in order to revive their leader, the sacrifices had to be alive and in relatively good condition. With their options so limited the cats found themselves helpless as the combined onslaught of InuYasha's friends and Koga's group tore through them like the sharpest of blades.

With that matter attending to itself, he turned his focus back to the great cat general, who was being humiliated by an inu hanyou. With a single swing of Tessaiga, the barely living giant was knocked to the ground, being far too weak to withstand such a pitiful blow. It looked as though what strength the sacred jewel shards provided the lumbering giant was barely enough for basic movement and nowhere near enough for true combat.

"Give me blood…a soul…" groaned the pathetic giant cat as it was too weak to move at the moment.

"Please wait just a bit longer." Touran pleaded with her half resurrected master, "I will present you with the head of our despised enemy's son!"

_Foolish woman. Her leader is but a pale shadow of what he once was._ He thought with contempt at the blue haired woman's actions, _She should have used the resources from this venture to strengthen herself rather than try to revive what was once dead._

"Keh! I don't care who he is but you can't use human blood and flesh to resurrect him!" declare InuYasha raising the Tessaiga in preperation for another assault.

"Well, you're going to be the first!" declared Touran with on hand on the hilt of her katana.

"Come at me and you'll become fodder for Tessaiga!" his half-brother declared with unwarranted confidence.

Looking at this sight, he was reminded of the battle that was fought years ago when the panther youkai tribe came from the mainland to invade his lands. He had been victorious but the loss of troops on his side had been great and the sword his father had gifted him with had been utterly useless in battle. Indeed, because of the Tenseiga's shortcomings, it had only been a victory because the enemy had fled and he would have preferred to have been the winner because he had utterly wiped out the enemy. It frustrated him to no end that his father had chosen to give the fang he desired to his witless half-brother, who wielded it more like a club than a true sword. Would that it would be as easy as taking the katana from InuYasha to make it his own but, due to the enchantments on it, even if he did seize it he would be unable to use it properly.

_What could father have been thinking?_ He thought as he watched his brother pinned to the ground by youkai Shuran.

Finally reaching the limit of what he could tolerate in terms of InuYasha's incompetence in battle, he leapt forward and, after drawing the Tokijin, unleashed a blast of youki that cast all his enemies to the ground. Walking up to his sibling, he could tell that the hanyou would not be happy at this indirect rescue but it mattered not to him. His only concern had been to put an end to the shame the half-breed's performance was bringing to their family.

The rest was merely a side-effect and nothing more.

"W-what?" gasped InuYasha before he sat up to glare at his older sibling, "What're you doing?"

"Stay down, InuYasha." He said as more of an order than a request, "They are my prey."

"No way!" InuYasha predictably responded as he got to his feet, "You stay out of this!"

_He __**dares**__ to command __**me!**_ He thought as anger rose in his mind.

With the desire in mind to show the mutt his place he surged forth, youki making the Tokijin glow, and with the intent of delivering an overhead slash attacked his half-brother.

The battle was joined.

All else could wait.

_**The Top of the Wall Surrounding the Courtyard, Same Time, Xander's P.O.V**_

_I can never get over the fact that even with this sort of thing happens every time they meet none of the baddies ever manage to take advantage of this chance to take them both out. _He thought as he watched the two brothers go at it.

Indeed, with the way the two were so focused on each other, all it would have taken would have been two precision shots to the head to take them both out. Hell! If he asked Kikyo to do it, her sacred arrows could probably do the job without too much trouble. Then again, he had to remember that what he remembered of the InuYasha universe was directly from an Anime show where the hanyou was the hero and no company would kill off the hero before they'd milked the series for all it was worth. The same went with Sesshomaru, given how popular the ice prince was with fans who liked the ice cold badass aura the Lord of the Western Lands gave off.

However, in this world, he knew in this world things could very well turn out differently since he seriously doubted that whatever higher beings were running the show cared about who lived or died whatsoever.

Surveying the sights, he could see that things were pretty much going to end the way they had in the series since he could already see Touran and her buddies preparing to launch a joint attack. Behind them their lord and master was sitting up and would likely soon make his move to drain the life force of his subordinates to finish the restoration of his body. What didn't fit with the anime episodes he fondly remembered was the fact that a significant group of cat demons were breaking off from the force trying to corral the human sacrifices and were heading towards the two battling inu youkai. Were they looking to make names for themselves by helping their superiors? Possibly, but they were setting themselves up for disappointment. Even fighting each other, both sons of the great dog general Inutaisho would easily be able to swat aside their attacks.

Still…

The whole goal of this mess was to make the Panther youkai tribe go back to China on a more positive note so that they don't come back in the future. While the nameless warriors might not look like much ,if too many of them died then that might be enough incentive to provoke another seven generations of bad luck for Sesshomaru. Therefore, with only a little hesitation, he leapt from his perch and placed himself in their path with a 'do not even **think** about fighting me' look on his face.

"Do yourselves a favor." He said in his best impersonation of Sesshomaru's voice, "Turn around. Walk away."

For a moment it looked like the group might actually do it since they didn't look crazy about the idea of fighting someone who looked like Lord Sesshomaru. However their fears about what their superiors might do to them if they didn't follow standing orders regarding inu youkai turned out to be stronger as they all launched themselves at him in one big cat pile attack. Using the speed and reflexes he'd honed through sparring with the Lord of the Western Lands, he easily managed to kick, punch and throw his opponents around without seriously harming anything other than their pride. It was fairly easy but then that was to be expected, considering that compared to Sesshomaru, these grunts barely counted as flies. By the time the last of them hit the ground, the feeling of gathering power caught his attention causing him to turn and see that the four of the panther demon tribe were about ready to fire off their joint attack.

Too bad it wouldn't happen.

With savagery one could only expect from something dead desperately wanting to live again, the great pather youkai general lashed out at his subordinates, successfully hitting three of them. Only Touran managed to evade the proverbial knife in the back and that was because her head had been in just right position to see the attack coming in time to duck. Like a teenager sucking up a slushie on a hot Summer day, the cat general drew in the released elemental energy from the four dead or dying subordinates. The light show it was giving off had apparently been enough to stop the fight between InuYasha and Sesshomaru, but just like in the Anime episode, that didn't matter much as the giant hairball underwent a serious make over. Like hitting rewind on a VCR, he watched as the moving corpse changed into a more alive-looking being until there was no sign at all that it had once been deceased.

While InuYasha was gasping at the fact that the cat general had killed three of its subordinates, neither he nor Sesshomaru suffered a similar reaction. He knew it was going to happen because of the Anime series while Sesshomaru simply didn't care about what happened to the cat commanders. A little cold but when it came to fighting an opposing army worrying about your enemy's well being was counter productive at best.

"You there… the two sons of Inutaisho." Spoke the cat general in a booming voice, "You and your kinsman will be the next to die!"

_So nice to be included in his dinner plans!_ He thought sarcastically as he prepared himself for the fight to come.

He knew that the key to winning this entire fight was the Tenseiga so all he'd do was buy as much time as he could until the sword clued in its master on what needed to be done.

"Keep dreaming, furball!" InuYasha declared as the cat general attacked him with one hand, only to miss.

Sesshomaru was quick to take advantage of the opening provided by delivering a solid youki hit with the Tokijin, only to be knocked back by a blind backhand. InuYasha was the next to attack with the Wind Scar technique but, while it apparently hurt the giant feline, the damage was minimal from what he could see. Deciding it was his turn, he took advantage of the lingering smoke obscuring the giant hairball's vision to deliver three precise blows with his mastered youki whip. Leaving bloody lines across the cat's face, he had only a moment to feel satisfied by the attack before being forced to do some quick evading. Landing a fair distance away, he had to frown in as he watched the wounds he'd created close up fast and then dodge the feline's claws as they were launched from the giant's fingertips. While large and impressive, they were easy to evade but the lightning blasts that followed were a bit more difficulty to deal with. Fortunately, neither InuYasha nor Sesshomaru were content to be spectators in this battle so, once they got involved the firepower the cat was unleashing got divided up between the three of them.

Unfortunately, while evading wasn't too hard, getting in close enough to do serious damage and making it stick was proving to be quite a bit harder. Without a sword of his own, he had to rely on his youki whip and the glancing blows he was able to manage with his claws because anything more than that was impossible thanks to the feline's expert use of his horns. Other than knock him back a handful of times, he didn't get hurt any but then again he was fighting with the intention of buying time rather than dealing the killing blow himself. As he landed back on the ground one more time, he turned his head and saw Sesshomaru crouched on the ground, looking decidedly unsettled as well as perhaps a little miffed. Considering how well the youkai Lord kept his emotions in check, that likely meant that the daiyoukai was half a step away from being seriously pissed off.

_Looks like it's time for the big finale._ He thought as he withdrew a little further under the pretense of evading incoming fire.

Watching as InuYasha was knocked to the ground, he watched with quite a bit of respect as Lord Sesshomaru leapt into the air with Tenseiga in hand. With a slash that would be almost invisible to normal human eyes, the daiyoukai delivered a blow to the cat general's head as he passed by in front of the youkai. Landing with the utmost in grace and refinement, the ice prince sheathed the gift from his father no doubt considering the battle over now.

"What's that sword?" asked the cat general looking as though it was unharmed, "It won't work, kid! Its blade is too dull. Hahahahahaha!"

He had to smile as the energy began to exit out of the giant cat youkai and the look of utter shock crossed its face. Like steam blue light began to rise out of the panther general as he dropped to its knees as his legs no longer possessed enough strength to allow him to stand.

"I'm losing…I'm losing…" the cat general gasped as though struggling to keep the youki inside of him.

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'power' fleabag." He said unable to resist adding in his two cents.

Just like before when the feline was absorbing the power, his body rapidly shriveled back into its corpse-like state. One swing of the Tessaiga by InuYasha a few seconds later sent the giant cat onto its back, unable to move and once the Sacred Jewel shards were removed, the last of the life energy in the body disappeared. That only left the three panther youkai commanders and they soon began to revive as the Tenseiga's power returned their energy to them along with their lives. It only took them a little while to regain their senses and, with Jakken filling them in on the circumstances of their resurrection, it looked like this little adventure was at an end.

Looking about the immediate area, he soon found Kikyo standing in one of the abandoned and somewhat run down guard towers with bow in hand. He hadn't seen or heard any arrows cutting through the air so either he needed his ears checked or she hadn't seen any reason to get involved in the battle. Deciding that the time had come to hook up with her and leave with Sesshomaru, he looked her right in the eye and then jerked his head back the way they came to indicate it was time to go. She nodded once before disappearing from sight, after which he fell in behind Sesshomaru, who was already on his way out of the castle, leaving Jakken behind utterly clueless.

The toad youkai would catch up soon enough.

_**A Room in the Liberated Village, An Hour Later, Sango's P.O.V**_

_He saved me._ She thought as she looked out the window at the stars hanging in the sky, _He saved me and I didn't even thank him._

Ever since she'd turned in for the night, she had thought about the one event that stood out to her with regards to their battle against the panther demon tribe. She, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara had been flying over the burning village trying to find InuYasha so that they could regroup when they thought they saw him standing out in the open. They had been too far away to be sure but since the size was about right and it didn't make any sense for an enemy to be standing around doing nothing they'd begun to move towards the person.

Then he had appeared and attacked the person who they'd thought was InuYasha.

She'd had no trouble identifying him since there were few who had a head of long white hair and dressed in white clothes. The clincher though had been the sheer speed and power that Alexander had exhibited in defeating the panther commander Shuran. She had begun to direct Kirara towards the battling duo when one of the female panther youkai intervened and stopped the fight in its tracks. When the two panther demons left and Alexander hadn't pursued Miroku had suggested that they resume their search for InuYasha, since the young daiyoukai didn't need their help anymore. However, as time went by and things got serious, her mind kept going over what had happened and only one thing could be said for certain. If Alexander hadn't attacked Shuran when he had, she and her friends would have walked right into an attack and, given how potent a lightning attack the large cat demon was capable of, she wasn't sure they would have survived. It would have all depended on whether or not the youkai had intended to take them prisoner or simply kill them so that they wouldn't interfere with their plans.

She doubted that either Miroku or Shipou had figured out just how close to death they'd possibly come.

She herself hadn't worked it out until about an hour after the fighting had ended but had put it at the back of her mind until just a few minutes ago, since she didn't want to spoil the celebration the villagers had put together to enjoy their newfound freedom. Over and over she went through it in her mind and, while she knew that she was probably imagining things, her romantic side couldn't help but think Alexander had intervened specifically because she had been in danger. Ever since she'd had her discussion with Kaede, the theme of her daydreams had involved her and Alexander encountering each other in a variety of different ways. It was much more fun than imagining all the different ways Miroku would somehow become less of a lecherous asshole and more the sort of person she'd wanted him to be. The only question she had yet to find an answer to was just how far she planned on taking these feelings that were developing within her concerning the young daiyoukai. Was she content on merely using him as material for her fantasies? Or did she want to work towards making him something more?

Knock-Knock.

Turning the door, she watched it open a bit to reveal Kagome in her usual sleep wear with a friendly smile on her face.

"Kagome? What are you still doing up?" she asked, a bit surprised that the girl from a future time was visiting her at this hour.

"Well you seemed a little distracted near the end of the feast so I thought I'd see if anything was bothering you." Kagome replied before looking questioningly at the floor just inside the doorway, "Can I come in?"

"Sure. I'm sorry if I worried you." She said patting a spot by her side, "Have a seat."

Smiling the young woman she had come to see as a sister of the heart entered the room and took the seat offered to her. Once Kagome was comfortable, she began to wonder exactly how she should respond to her friend's inquiry. She hadn't been aware that her thoughts had been given away so much and hoped that only the teenage girl before her had really taken notice.

"So what were you thinking about?" Kagome asked, implying that her interest was greater than originally thought.

"Well… I guess I was thinking about Alexander. Before we met up at the rear castle courtyard, he managed to stop one of the panther youkai from attacking while we were in the air on Kirara." She replied, trying to be honest yet conservative with her response, "We thought the cat was InuYasha. I don't want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't been there."

"I guess you were lucky that he was there to help." Kagome said after taking in the answer to her question.

"Yeah…lucky…" she commented, wondering if it was truly that or perhaps something more.

"What? You think he knew that you guys needed help before anything happened?" Kagome asked with some surprise at the possibility.

At first she had wanted to say no, that her suspicion had been that Alexander had been there to specifically save her, but when she took a moment to think about it, she wondered if it was true. It had been a large village and the odds of someone just encountering another by choice were bad enough that locating someone by chance was even worse. However, if Alexander had been looking for her by choice rather than by chance, she had to wonder what his reasons for doing so were. They barely knew one another and, if he had known she'd be in trouble, that meant he had known of the panther youkai's intentions beforehand. How had he known?

"I don't know. Maybe? But how could he?" she asked as she tried to come up with an answer herself.

"Maybe he's a Seer, someone who gets visions of the future, maybe that's how he knew." Kagome suggested, sounding confident in her answer, "I saw it once in a movie."

_Not the most reliable source._ She thought remembering Kagome-chan's description of the plays of the future, _But I have heard of people who claim to be able to see the future. Never actually met one but, considering the life I lead, I suppose it's possible._

"If he could see the future, though, then why didn't he stop the entire thing sooner?" Kagome asked as a new question rose up in her mind.

"Maybe he didn't see everything? Only bits and pieces?" she asked, proposing a possible answer to her friend's question.

"Maybe." Kagome said sounding like she didn't have a better explanation.

It was as she was reviewing everything she'd seen him do earlier that his ability to know what would happen gained strength. For most of the fight he had remained on the sidelines, watching, but when the group of cat youkai moved to interfere in the fight between InuYasha and Sesshomaru, he blocked their path. Indeed when she reviewed his moves, she saw that he had pulled his punches with those he fought and only acted to keep them from interfering with Sesshomaru and InuYasha. Did Alexander know that the older daiyoukai would have the key to ending the fight? The more she thought about it, the more mysterious and strangely alluring the young inu youkai appeared in her mind.

"You like him don't you?" Kagome asked with a playful tone of voice.

That snapped her out of her thoughts in a flash as she turned to her friend and felt a little fear at the 'cat facing the cornered mouse' look on the girl's face. On instinct alone she placed herself on the defensive but this turned out to be the wrong thing to do because a look of victory appeared on her friend's face.

"You **DO!**" Kagome exclaimed with a wide smile that looked genuinely happy for her.

Blushing a bit in embarrassment she didn't know what she should say.

"I…guess…maybe?" she stated with some uncertainty in her voice.

They spent the next two hours talking it over and by the time Kagome went back to her room all she had managed to confirm was that it was more than a passing fancy she felt Alexander.

What was she going to do about it?

That was going to take a whole lot more thinking before an answer would come.

_**A Clearing a Few Days South of Kobe, Around Noon the Next Day**_

There really wasn't anything special about the clearing when you got right down to it. There were hundreds like it in Japan alone and so many more if you took the entire world into account. About the only thing worthy of note was that an hour's walk from the clearing there was a shrine that often served as a sanctuary for passing soldiers so that they could tend to the wounded. Aside from that, there was nothing that would mark it as unique or special.

In an instant, though, that changed in a way none of the locals could have predicted.

In a flash of light a swirling pool of light grew into existence and did not stop until it had reached a diameter of four feet. It hung in the air like a mass of sunlight and for a time it looked like nothing more would happen but that changed fifteen seconds later when two diamond-shaped stones emerged from the pool. They floated as though the laws of gravity had no hold over them but once they completed exiting the pool they dropped to the ground as though gravity was getting its divine retribution against them. Buried three quarters of the way into the dirt they were and, once they stopped moving down, they began to glow a nice sea blue. As if by magic pillars began to rise up out of them, higher and higher, with no clue being given as to where the extra mass was coming from. The pillars looked vaguely Roman in their appearance and, as they reached the six foot mark, they appeared to reach out to one another before coming together to fuse into one solid piece. Indeed it looked as though the entire thing had been carved out of a single piece of stone rather than two individual pieces.

A few seconds after it finished the pool began to float towards it as though it was a piece of metal being attracted to a powerful magnet. The moment the stone arch and the pool of light touched one another they joined together with nothing more than a ripple in the pool to show for it. Peace reigned for a minute before much larger ripples revealed that the pool was more than a fancy light shot. It was in fact a method of travel as was proven when three people exited through it to arrive in the clearing looking a little disoriented but otherwise okay. As soon as the last of them exited, the energy that filled every corner of the arch shrunk to the size of your average person's head before simply hovering in the middle oblivious to everything around it.

"Well, that was… unpleasant." The oldest of the group said as he took a moment to reset his glasses higher on his nose.

"Considering the primitive nature of your trans-dimensional portal, I am amazed we survived transit at all." Spoke one of the women with streaks of bright blue in her hair.

"We didn't have much choice." Spoke the redhead as she glanced about the clearing, "The connection between our dimension and this one was getting weaker. If we'd waited any longer we wouldn't have been able to get here at all."

"Quite. Not let us finish securing the connection so we can begin warding the clearing." Spoke the older one before he slipped off the backpack he'd been carrying.

"I hope Xander's alright," muttered the redhead as she began to set out objects and ingredients on the ground.

"I'm sure he's fine, Willow. You said yourself that of the two of you Xander was far more knowledgeable about the show this dimension is based on," reassured the older man as he began to look through a large book.

"Knowledge of another dimension is hardly enough to ensure survival, Rupert Giles." Spoke the blue haired woman as she looked around as though she could see more than most.

"Perhaps, Illyria, but his odds are certainly greater with the knowledge then they would be without it." Giles said as he found the page he was looking for.

"The knowledge would only have kept him alive for a short time." Illyria said without looking at him even once, "Given that we do not know what, if any, time difference exists between our native dimension and this one, years could very well have passed since your friend arrived."

"Yeah, or just an hour or two could have gone by!" Willow snapped in response to the less than optimistic appraisal of things, "We won't know until we look around. Now unless you have something positive to say **shut up**!"

This only caused the former ruler of Vahla ha'nesh to glare at her for a moment before resuming her appraisal of the area using her enhanced senses. The new dimension appeared to fascinate her even more so than when she had only viewed it through Rosenberg's mirror device and it was certainly more interesting to her than watching the two humans working. Indeed, it held her interest so much that had Willow Rosenberg and Rupert Giles been paying more attention they might have suspected that she might wish to stay once their goal had been achieved.

What they did not know, could not see, was that something much more **profound** had started to happen to the transformed Old One the moment she entered this dimension.

Something that would change her fate greatly in ways none could have foreseen.

_**Throne Room, A Castle Shrouded in a Purple Fog, Geographic Location in Japan Unknown**_

It was in a less than gentle manner that two small forms were thrown to the floor in front of the raised platform upon which the throne sat but that was of relatively small concern to the ones being thrown.

Indeed, when one took into consideration everything that had happened to them in the last week, the momentary discomfort of their landing seconds ago mattered little. It had been a week ago that they'd been in their new home and had truly begun to put the horrors they'd witnessed in the village of their birth behind them.

They had been happy that night in Kobe but it was not to last.

It had started out with waking up on the middle of the night, an odd sound disturbing their slumber, and when one had gone to investigate the other tentatively followed out of fear of being left alone. It had not been until they had reached the dining room that they had seen the first signs of life in the form of the voices of the adults calling to them. The voices sounded odd but it was unmistakably the voices of their Aunt and Uncle so they did not heed the warnings in their hearts that bade them do not listen. Instead they followed the callings of their relatives out of their home and towards the middle of the dirt path that lay before it where they could see the source of their summons. However it was as they came to within ten feet that they saw something that would tear open old wounds that had only recently closed.

What stood before them was not their Aunt and Uncle but rather their corpses, for all over their bodies were wounds any one of which could have brought them into death's cold embrace.

Indeed the vacant eyes looking down at them held no life whatsoever and, with the spell of deception broken, both bodies fell to the ground as cruel laughter filled the air. Both of the children looked up and saw a woman floating in mid-air on a giant feather looking down at them with inhuman red eyes and sharp pointed ears. The brother and sister tried to flee, tried to hide, but whether it be places of man or places of beasts none could protect them from the woman as she pursued them relentlessly. In the end the ground beneath their feet was blown apart and the stones hit both their heads hard enough to render them unconscious.

For days on end they were taken by the youkai woman through the air with no way to escape save to their deaths should they choose to jump and plummet to the ground. By the time they first saw the castle enshrouded in unnatural mist, they were greatly weakened by the journey as they had only been given minimal food and water by the demonness.

Now…now they were deep in the castle both frightened and so very tired.

At the sound of one of the doors to the throne room opening, the two children turned their heads towards it and saw someone that looked both normal and yet inhuman at the same time. Dressed in clothes more expensive than those worn even by the wealthiest person they had ever seen was a young man. However, when they looked into his eyes, the children found them to be just as red as the woman who had brought them to this horrid place. Yet unlike the woman who acted out of a sense of amusement and duty this man had a look in his eyes that spoke of something…**greater**.

Something…**DARKER**.

"Hello, children. Welcome to your future."


End file.
