Sesshomaru glared at the enormous barrier. The powerful magic sustaining it had likely been stolen from Bokuseno himself. It shimmered in the fading light. His fingers lightly drew along its edge and provoked the protection, causing sparks to fizzle against his flesh. A deep soreness sank into the tips of his fingers.

"A trap." He allowed the frustration to fuel him. The owner of such a magical force would take advantage if he crossed. Like the monk's barrier underneath Naraku's mountain, it would slow his reflexes and make every movement painful. They intend to use Mayu and Grandmother as bait. A mechanism to distract me.

"It matters not." Sesshomaru steeled himself for the pain as he stepped forward. His footstep landed on the interior slowly and he carefully rebalanced his weight. Pain racked him as he passed through. He waited as the reiki arched over his skin and protested against his very existence. Its power was enough to stop his movement as he waited for the pain to dull.

I will not be cowed.

Sesshomaru silently grit his teeth and pressed forward. The looming shadow of Bokuseno called to him. His eyes slid over the digging youkai that scurried out of his path. It was impossible to restrain his jyaki in his state, so he allowed his power to rage. Whatever human force opposed him would feel his aura approaching. The breach of her barrier would have already alerted his foe. He passed the huts built from the old forest wood. Anger coursed through him on Bokuseno's behalf as he considered the human arrogance in felling a thousand year forest to wage war. The ancient magnolia was wise and powerful. Even Father had cautioned against showing Bokuseno disrespect.

"Seijun-sama!" A voice cried. A badger fell to his feet apologetically as he approached. A human female was meditating under Bokuseno's boughs. The instinct to transform nearly overwhelmed him. Mayu's head was bowed forward, lifeless, slumbering from the arrow in her shoulder. His respected grandmother was likewise contained. The unmistakable scent of his mother filled his nose when he inhaled.

What human deceit is this?

The female showed no signs of fear as she rose to her feet. A fair-skinned human of middle years turned. Average brown hair ordered into a bun and clear grey eyes assessed him. In other circumstances, he would ignore such an obviously mortal creature of ordinary intent.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I presume?" She did not wait for him to answer. A casual bow mocked him. He cracked the stiff fingers of his right hand as he prepared to strike.

"Release them." He vaguely remembered the power that had bound Inuyasha for fifty years. While it seemed like an ordinary arrow, the arrow of sealing defied most. Inuyasha had remained frozen in time...to a different tree. He worried what exposure to Bokuseno's power might imply.

"Me? I do not have the power." The woman touched her collar lightly. She seemed pleased at her own inefficacy.

"You have waged war against me. Who are you?" Sesshomaru did not recognize this human or her scent. The extraordinary work undertaken to cause him sorrow suggested a familiar relationship.

"I am Seijun, former priestess of a small castle." The woman stated plainly. "It's doubtful you would remember my family. They were waging war against a neighboring clan when you encountered them. I believe you insisted upon a boat?"

"A boat." Sesshomaru cast his memory back. He vaguely remembered the smell of burning flesh as Jaken cleared the river embankment during his search for Father's tomb.

"Yes. They selfishly refused to give you a boat." The woman continued. "Most of our able-bodied men burned to a crisp! Their wives and children found the bodies several days later. The wolves and carrion had already cut away what remained of their flesh. The other boats were still tied to the dock. I suppose you only needed one."

"This is your cause? Those fools?" He could remember smaller details about the arrogant humans that night. Their foul smell. Their dismissal of his clear demand. His eagerness to find Father's tomb and claim his birthright. His hand touched the Tenseiga's handle lightly.

"The enemy clan surrounded the castle and laid siege. They poisoned the water." The woman's calm mask betrayed nothing. Her tone and intonation were factual, not emotional. "Children were left to starve to death. The castle was finally surrendered but the casualties were too much. Even the lord succumbed to death."

"Your failures are not my concern."

"I suppose not." The woman studied his armor. Her lack of fear, healthy fear, in the face of his impressive jyaki stunned him. He decided that her mind was either broken from her experiences or she was playing an advantage. Bokuseno's mask was still and silent behind her.

"Where is the other, the girl?" Inuyasha descriptions of his battle played through his memory. His mother's destroyed castle. Centuries of artwork and engineering destroyed in a single night.

"Girl?"

"There is another. A warrior." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.

"Gone." The woman shrugged one shoulder. "Chasing a ghost."

"What is the purpose of this?" Sesshomaru lifted a hand towards his relatives. His mind reeled at his mother's living scent.

"Your mother and grandmother were too powerful to enslave. So they were bound. The miko enslaved any youkai she found terrorizing human encampments. She despises your kind, as well." Seijun recited. It sounded rote.

"A priestess has the power to free them." His patience was wearing thin. The woman shook her head sadly and half-turned to look at the females.

"I have trained to heal and console, but I have no true power of my own." The woman's dull eyes had the nerve to meet his. He considered her words and the resigned hate underlying her message. It implied that she would slay him with an arrow if she could, but lacked the power.

This creature is not Mother's hireling.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" A familiar voice called piteously. He half-turned to see Jaken burst from a little hut and tumble down the short stairs. The distraught kappa pushed himself up with his empty hands. The absence of the weapon handed down to him by Father made his teeth grind; the kappa's weakness had allowed it to be taken.

"M-my lord, I am so glad to see you!"

The snick of cheap metal glancing off his armor was followed by an instinctual retaliation. His right arm moved without thinking, slicing the throat of the human fool who had tried to stab him in the back. Her lifeless body dropped to the ground with a slight thud. Redness flowed freely to stain the ground underneath the woman, turning her hair dark, her clothing stained. Her eyes gazed out at the world, the final angry image lost in stillness.

"Well done, my lord!" Jaken crept closer to the corpse. A quick kick to her leg confirmed her state. There was a sudden uptake in the murmuring of the onlookers. Cheers arose around him as the magical barrier suddenly began to fall. The youkai dropped their cursed work. Perhaps the miko's curse was bound to her life, her words.

"My lord, be careful!" Sesshomaru kneeled before Mayu's lax body. The female certainly looked dead, pinned in eternal stillness, the way Inuyasha had been stilled for half a century. He gripped his hand around the shaft protruding from her chest. Potent sparks set his skin on fire. The very essence of the reiki burning his flesh denied him, despite his enhanced resistance. He opened his hand to survey the damage. Like Inuyasha's miko, the spelled arrow holds its power beyond death.

"You're injured!" Jaken wailed.

Kagome has the power to remove these arrows.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" A strange voice called. He turned to see several of his mother's people approaching, buoyant expressions on their face. "We have been found! We are so glad to see you, milord. That awful creature has kept us here for too long!"

"The compulsion," One of the males spit on the ground.

"We should attack the humans' holy men and teach them a lesson!" More angry calls rose around him for vengeance, to raze the local temples, rend every priestess limb from limb. He frowned at their fervor despite his understanding.

"Enough!"

Silence fell as the mixture of kitsune, inuyoukai, ookami and tanuki heard him. Intelligent youkai, naturally skilled at digging, who could hold a human shape. His eyes followed the lines of the tilled ground. Bokuseno's far-reaching roots were exposed to the open sky. His attention returned to the silent mask that was his councilor, his last advisor. Without animation, the carved mask looked no more than a theatre prop.

"What have you done!" Totosai's voice yelled. "Bull-headed, you are! I thought Inuyasha was the impetuous one." The old swordsmith cracked his hammer against a few legs before the crowd parted to allow him through. The terrible storm on his wrinkled visage heralded foul weather. The long-handled hammer waved in his direction again, although the badger knew better than to strike him.

"Do you dare insult me, Totosai?"

"The ground, fool!" Totosai swung his hammer in an arc in front of his feet. The soil underneath his feet darkened. The disconcerting change was radiating out from the base of Bokuseno. The thick scent of human blood filled his nose. His head snapped up as Bokuseno's great boughs shifted. A thousand leaves drifted over his shoulders as they turned dead and brown.

"Bokuseno!" Sesshomaru commanded. The mask remained silent. The blood from underneath the human woman seemed to be the source. He stepped back as undergrowth rose out of the ground to claim her body. Within moments, the human woman disappeared under the ground.

That woman!

"Cursed dogs!" Totosai stood behind him as the other youkai fled the bleeding ground. The growing aura was ominous.

"Bokuseno, answer!" Sesshomaru let his own youki flow. The sleeping magnolia only seemed to grow in stature as his challenge called. The lush greenery in the distance was already fading as the power spread.

"Explain." Sesshomaru turned on the badger stroking his chin. Father never spoke of Bokuseno revealing such powers. It bodes ill.

"A willing human sacrifice, it seems." Totosai eyed the mound. "Human blood spilled on Bokuseno's roots. Your mother, grandmother and mate bound? A terrible spell, although I cannot guess its purpose. Human hatred can reap terrible curses as powerful as any spirit."

A power tugged at his senses. He turned to engage the threat but saw only a drunk, waddling human with too much fat around his middle approaching. The human scratched his stomach as he studied the dying magnolia. The man pursed his fat lips and sent a high-pitched whistle into the air. There was something familiar about the monk's irreverent manner.

"It's quite something, isn't it?" The monk tilted his head back.

"Can you remove the arrows?"

The man shrugged.

Sesshomaru restrained the urge to strike down the human as he moved forward at no great haste. He leaned forward to peer at his sleeping mother. Something like a low murmur passed his lips. The man wrapped his hand around the shaft and squeezed. Shimmering light flowed from the man's palm but the arrow did not burst.

"Three females, three generations," the monk straightened. "Same family?"

"Indeed." Sesshomaru waited impatiently.

"The same blood?"

"Grandmother gave birth to a son, this one's father - " Totosai aimed a thumb back at him. "The youngest here bred with this fool - "

"Another son?"

"What of it, human?"

"Probably nothing, nothing at all." The man rubbed his chins. "Three sons in three generations by three mothers? Four women dead. Death and agony." Sesshomaru watched his father's advisor and the human continue to examine the tree. Useless insights about the power of numbers. The concentration of the blood caused his youki to rise.

My children.

The power of his urge to turn back towards Inuyasha and his humans threatened to overtake him. Whatever unnaturalness had been released into the world would certainly threaten the mortals. Whispers taunted him that his children would die without him, that they were already in danger. The fear that accompanied the expectation of danger was nothing like the thrill of battle. Hurtling himself against a foe to shield his children from the falling blow, to spare himself the pain of their deaths...not for joy, but a desperate act.

I understand, Father, even if you made an unworthy choice.

Rationally, it would better serve his children to remain here. To free their mother from Bokuseno and break whatever spell had been wrought. It mattered not that his feet ached to race for his clever little daughter and his trusting son. For the first time in centuries, the prospect of his death concerned him. What would become of them without Mayu, silent as stone? Without even his mother to fend off greater enemies? The humans would wither away in a matter of decades, unable to teach them.

"I will not." Sesshomaru battled the emotion in his chest. In a natural gesture, his hand rested on the Tenseiga. The grip of the blade felt good. He pushed past the arguing vassals. Anger surged and he ordered Bokuseno to answer. His fist came against the ancient wood with power. If need be, with his very will he would destroy the tree and reverse any spell!

"My children will not die, tree." Sesshomaru let the partial transformation fuel his power. No miko and her weak human blood would threaten him and prevail.

"Sesshomaru." A voice called. "Sesshomaru!"

The rage of war coursed through his blood like lightning. He turned on the fool willing to die with a snarl. A small feminine shriek surprised him as Mayu flinched away. His rage faded as she stared at him.

"Whatever are you doing?" Sesshomaru loosened his grip on the Tenseiga. The tall grass underneath was a lush green.

"Did you find anything?" Mayu tilted her head. Sesshomaru turned. The field swayed with lush green vegetation. Several rabbits charged forward. Their strong legs stopped over a particularly thick patch of green. The female circled around until he was forced to stare into her storm-blue eyes.

"Mayu."

"I have a craving for boar. There's normally a brood or two in the lowlands." The female turned without waiting.

"Stop!" Sesshomaru shook his head. He caught the female's arm and stared down at her face. It looked like Mayu. She smelled like Mayu. The creases around her nose formed as she studied him.

"Are you not hungry?"

Sesshomaru watched her pretty head tilt. Her eyes lit up with a familiar warmth. She leaned into his grip and dropped her shoulder. The confident, flirtatious expression caught him. There was no remnant of grief. His hold relaxed.

"Then you may wait while I hunt." Her smile widened as he became the source of her mocking. The breath in his throat caught when he followed her free hand. The familiar little meadow was quiet save the rabbits ignoring their presence.

"Oh! There they are." Mayu pulled his hand down to the siren's call of her distended stomach. The little mound moved of its own accord. A pleasant, impossible presence asserting itself.

Perfectly comfortable, the demoness shoved away from his armor in search of her dinner.

Sesshomaru watched her retreat. There was a memory of dispute. What was under dispute couldn't be determined. The gentle swing of Mayu's hips convinced him to follow. The matter could be determined later. The thick, pungent scent of wild boar was on the wind. The wonder of the hunt pushed his legs faster over the grass. Even if the hunt would only end with squealing pigs, it was enough to free his instincts. The speed and the thrill and the satiated female who would be primed to drag him to her bed.

Kagome struggled to become conscious. The light hurt her eyes. The inside of her mouth felt like sandpaper. She rotated her jaw until her gums separated from her teeth. Her eyes were still closed when she pushed herself upwards.

"Kagome," Inuyasha groaned.

"Inu...Inuyasha!" Relief washed through her wary body. A familiar clawed hand wrapped around hers. Despite her blazing headache, it was a relief to see him. Noise cut into their reunion. Silent youkai stood all around them. Frozen. Closed eyes. Inuyasha let her lean on his weight. The ocean of silent bodies seriously gave her the creeps. She jumped and grabbed him when she noticed the red stain on her clothes. The stain was smeared on her arm.

"Inuyasha!"

"It's blood. I'm sorry, it's blood!" Inuyasha verified that her skin was unbroken. Her screams brought him into his arms. The overwhelming scent of human blood saturated the ground, the air.

"What's happening?" Kagome gazed blearily at the frozen youkai. The thousands of dead leaves littering the ground. The enormous magnolia looming overhead was familiar. She pressed close to her husband's side as they reviewed the situation. Everywhere they looked, blood had soaked up through the earth. Roots had sprouted through the soil at every possible angle. She squealed as another root twitched in their direction.

"Look." Inuyasha nudged her.

'The sky is red, RED!"

"I noticed! Look!" She followed his direction. Through the path of youkai with vegetation suckered to their skin was a surprising figure in white.

"Get on." Inuyasha crouched to let her climb. The vines stayed dormant under his feet after a cautious step forward. The red sky cast an eerie light on Sesshomaru's pristine clothing. Her arms tightened around his neck when she realized he was like the others.

"Shit. Shit!" Inuyasha kicked at the vines. A scary, shrill scream sent made them both jump.

"Let me down. I'll purify them."

"Wait!" Clawed hands tightened on her legs. The vines wrapped around his boots and calves tightened and extended. The hand that held Tenseiga was encapsulated. The blade still glowed blue. It confirmed that Sesshomaru was still alive despite his stillness. Whatever protection the sword granted, it seemed to be slowing the progression of Bokuseno's roots.

"Do you see the others?"

"Hopefully they're far away, where this spell cannot reach them." Inuyasha moved again. The vines seemed curious about his ankles but did not attack.

"Are we immune?" Inuyasha lowered her legs gently. She cringed against his side as the vines snapped in her direction but let her be.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!" A familiar voice called. In the midst of the frozen bodies under the red sky, a pale shimmering orb crackled against the vines. Totosai stared at them grimly. The fat, swollen monk beside him continued to focus on the protection spell.

"Don't try to purify the plants!"

"Why not?"

"The kuromiko wields both energies. It feeds on both!" Totosai grasped his maul.

"So what can we do? Eep!" Kagome clutched Inuyasha's sleeve as a larger vine rolled towards them. It ignored them as it pushed into the ground.

"Can you free the women?" At the base of the withered, dehydrated magnolia were three arrows pinning the three females. Otherwise, the glorious silhouette of the ancient demon gave no indication of its previous state. Inuyasha stayed close as she ran across the interlocking roots. Only the land directly surrounding the tree's base was free of the evil flora. Kagome examined the arrow fletch protruding from Tukiyo's chest. The weathered fletch was dirty and thin. She tweaked the feathers lightly.

They're the same arrows. Misaki orchestrated all of this!

"Inuyasha!"

"I see them. Can you remove them?" Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga free.

Kagome's hand closed around the shaft of the arrow. Angry red energy glowed in opposition to the spiritual opposition. She grit her teeth and willed the arrow to disappear. The skin on her hand blistered until she was forced to let go. Inuyasha caught her before she tumbled onto the bloody ground. He examined her injured hand angrily.

It didn't work! Why didn't it work?

"Dammit, Misaki!" Inuyasha lifted his head. He helped her back to her feet. Kagome yelled but his hand still encapsulated the same arrow that had harmed her. There was a marked lack of response to her husband's grip. Kagome's eyes widened as the spelled arrow came free in his grip.

"Inuyasha! How did you do that?"

"The kid made an exception to her spell." Inuyasha watched the arrow disintegrate into sawdust. "She was sad when she hugged me. I could smell it, Kagome."

"Wait, the arrow!" The shock gave way to panic. The both turned on the quiet inuyoukai staring at them with furrowed brows. Her eyes shifted to survey the bleeding ground and the overcast sky. A single move of her wrist cut through a creeping vine with a glint of poison light.

"Tukiyo-sama?" Kagome called.

Inuyasha's quick reflexes acted before she could make sense of the matter. Arms wrapped around her and her feet left the ground as he jumped away from the green wall of sizzling poisonous energy. Inuyasha cradled her in a protective crouch as Sesshomaru's mother seemed to focus on the frozen forms surrounding the tree. Kagome felt his hands tighten on her flesh. Tukiyo's eyes narrowed on the captured body of her son and the others.

"Tukiyo, wait!" Inuyasha barely rolled out of the way as another wall of poisonous light barreled towards them. Unlike Sesshomaru's whip attack, the poison was concentrated into solid form. Inuyasha cursed as the youkai didn't pause in her attack, casting another barrage of poison in their direction.

Inuyasha kept her cradled in his arms. Trenches had been carved into the ground that still smoked from acid. The inuyoukai's interest had diverted to focus on her son. The roots around Sesshomaru's feet screamed as green acid melted them away.

"Your grandmother!" Kagome tugged on his collar.

"Y-yeah." Inuyasha took one last look at the devastation. He jumped closer to Bokuseno before setting her on her feet. The arrow pinning his grandmother dissolved into a shower of sparks. Kagome clasped her hands to her chest when the female's ancient eyes blinked open.

"Grandmother!" Kagome instantly rushed forward to assist.

"What are we doing? Help me." The woman's raspy voice deepened. Inuyasha stepped aside while Kagome draped an arm across her shoulders. Her husband's hand closed around the last arrow.

"What is this magic? It's that girl, isn't it?"

"You've been pinned to this tree. Mayu!" Kagome was relieved to see the woman moving. She touched her shoulder where the arrow had been. Her eyes looked past Inuyasha to the soiled earth. Red shadows crossed the sea of bodies. The blood-stained clouds overhead shifted with the wind.

An enormous aura flared to life. Tukiyo was carefully destroying each blood-colored vine from climbing her son's frozen legs. Their persistence in keeping Sesshomaru spell-bound was frightening. Tukiyo's tattered kimono swept across the ground as she studied Sesshomaru's boots. In the root's absence, marks had been left in the flesh. The thorny plants had cut Sesshomaru's skin. Darkness surrounded the abrasions.

"It's not working. Inuyasha?" Kagome's heart strained at the woman's focus.

"There must be poison or magic in those plants. Whatever it is, it's spreading." Inuyasha gestured at the glowing Tenseiga. Grasping Kagome's hand, they left Mikazuki to embrace Mayu. The grandmother's worry showed in each deep wrinkle marking her face.

"Tukiyo?" Inuyasha stopped at a safe distance. Despite her calm mask, there was a sense of worry in her attention. The torn kimono, the unwashed hair -

"Where are the children?" The soft, mannered tone was almost missed. Cool, golden eyes seared through his flesh. The unreadable expression echoed her son's mannerisms.

"There are children?" Tukiyo reaffirmed.

"A boy and a girl. I think they're with our friends." The softness of his own words hung in the air. Her previous attempts to strike him seemed forgotten.

"In the dreams, I saw children." Inuyasha was taken aback to see Tukiyo touch Sesshomaru's face. The mask of indifference dropped as she gazed at him sadly. The memory of the same woman pinning his throat to the wall, the desperate desire to kill him to save Sesshomaru - it made no sense.

"Yuki, Airi - they're safe?" Mayu interjected.

"They were with the others. I'm sure they're fine." Kagome nodded. A weird flush colored the inuyoukai's cheeks when she noticed Tukiyo. The mother was considering Sesshomaru's wrist. His hand was locked around Tenseiga's handle.

"The sword's protecting him against...this, right?" Inuyasha dropped her hand to approach.

"Bokuseno is also known as the dragon tree. The sap fabricates a state of dreaming. Once the sap has taken hold, Bokuseno will feed on the life potential of its victim. The possibilities of past, present and future forge the rich pabulum required to empower Bokuseno. The tree is growing." Tukiyo's pale eyes lifted to the expanding canopy, despite the death around them.

"Is that why the ground is red?"

"Someone has cursed Bokuseno. The roots have been torn from the ground, the sap spilled." Tukiyo's torn kimono was red at the hemline.

"Misaki! That's why the youkai were digging." Kagome's heart broke as she remembered the enslaved youkai. "She fed them to Bokuseno, all of them!"

"Bokuseno's powers have been amplified. The kuromiko chose her bloodline carefully." Tukiyo's cool eyes passed over them. Mayu lifted her chin. Inuyasha pulled Kagome out of the way gently. She opened her mouth to protest until she saw the warning in his eyes. There's no telling how Mayu will react. If Tukiyo makes a move to hurt Mayu, we'll stop her.

"The blood of a grandmother, mother and mate of the same lineage. A powerful foundation for a curse."

"Can you break it?" Mayu glanced at Sesshomaru's face.

"The curse should have failed. You are not blood." Tukiyo's dark eyebrow shifted.

"How dare you? Of course Mayu is blood!" Kagome kept her fists at her side. "How can you be so mean after everything you've been through?"

Mayu's nose crinkled but she didn't rise to the insult. Tukiyo's head tilted slightly. The tension between the two was palpable. Inuyasha's grip on her arm resumed, lest she throw herself between the two. Despite the bloody soil, the red sky, the danger of their situation, it was impossible to look away. Mayu's hands clenched at her sides. The challenge in her eyes remained as Tukiyo stepped closer still.

"Oh, young one." Mikazuki's tired sigh broke the silence.

"You saw my dreams." Mayu asked. It was more of a confirmation. The light in Tukiyo's eyes had Kagome on edge. It was the same malicious delight that shone in Sesshomaru's eyes during a particularly good fight. The wicked joy he experienced when doing someone bodily harm.

"I felt a presence in my slumber. You were spying too." The smile was dangerous.

"It wasn't intentional." Mayu blinked. The silent call for help went unanswered as she shrugged her shoulder at Inuyasha. The hanyou shook his head.

"Your dreams...while you were pinned to the tree?" Kagome studied them. Sesshomaru's mother is enjoying this a little too much. We need to break the curse on Bokuseno! Where is her sense of priorities?

"No wonder the curse has been able to hold Sesshomaru. Bitches teats!" Mikazuki cursed.

"It was never my - oh!" Mayu stood completely straight. Tukiyo's hands rested gently on her lower back. The cringe factor was off the charts. Kagome lifted her hands in a shrug as Mayu's eyes begged for help. Inuyasha was equally bewildered. I never pictured Sesshomar's mother as a...hugger.

"Grandmother?" Inuyasha growled.

"It can't be helped, but it makes such a curse robust. There is limitless potential in an unborn spirit. A curse linked so intimately forms an indomitable web. The one who cast this curse, the warrior girl. She intends to break my grandson's spirit. What is she searching for through our memories?"

"Sesshomaru would die before he breaks," Inuyasha's eyes shifted.

"Unborn spirit?" Kagome's voice hitched.

"It takes considerable malevolence to curse a father with his child's life force. It will require equal regard to unbind him." Mikazuki fixed her gaze on Inuyasha. The hanyou paled.

"Misaki cursed him with a baby!" Kagome pressed her face against Inuyasha's chest. The evil and hatred required for such an act left her feeling stunned and sick. The familiar safety of her husband's arms couldn't remove the sting of such malice. Her spirit ached for her future child. If her words had been true, if she was seeking revenge for future Inuyasha's death, her soul had been darkened. The good, beautiful infant she loved had been replaced.

"We'll save her, Kagome." Inuyasha promised in her ear.

"Misaki?" Mikazuki's eyebrows met.

"The warrior girl, the hanyou...she called herself Misaki. She wants revenge on Sesshomaru for my death." Inuyasha relayed quietly. "That's why I could break the sealing arrows. She excluded us from her spell."

"The arrows were sealed with reiki and youki." Kagome grasped his collar.

"Your infant daughter?"

"How can we break the curse, Grandmother?" Inuyasha's determination radiated through his voice. Kagome was encouraged by his desire to save their daughter. Whatever had gone wrong in the future, they could save Misaki. They had to help her! Their daughter might be powerful but she was young and hurt. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. Inuyasha can't be dead! After everything we've done to help Sesshomaru, I refuse to believe he would betray us.

"You heal quickly, don't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"My vitality is not boundless. Give me your hand." Mikazuki extended her arm. Inuyasha grasped her wrist. Kagome watched in amazement as light followed the path of Inuyasha's veins. The old woman pushed Inuyasha's torn sleeve higher on his arm. There was a satisfied huff.

"What is that?" Inuyasha's eyebrows lifted.

"Your resistance to the Dokkasō. How fast you heal!" Kagome understood immediately. Even for a half-demon, Inuyasha had always healed extraordinarily quickly.

"You don't have the same potential as your brother, but you have the gift. It should be enough." Mikazuki gazed proudly at her stunned grandson.

"Really?" Inuyasha blinked.

"That's so cool. How does that work, Grandmother?"

"In my youth, I discovered that I could channel my excess youki to heal my own wounds. As I grew older and more powerful I learned to heal others. I am not sure how being half human affects your strength. However, I will need help to fight the sap's power. There's nothing else to be done."

"H-how do I help?"

"Tukiyo removed the roots but the cursed sap has taken hold. Tenseiga is slowing its progress but we must act swiftly. If we combine our strength, mayhap we can pierce the dreaming state. Do you love your brother?"

"Whaat?" Inuyasha's face flushed.

"Our gift is influenced by our compassion. This curse locks its victim in a dream state of their own making. Your exclusion from the curse and your gift make a powerful antidote. The stronger your bond with your brother, the more effective its power."

"I don't love that bastard!"

"Would you risk your pride to save your daughter's life? Your brother's?" Mikazuki's kind face hardened. Every wrinkle deepened as she challenged her grandson. Inuyasha's mask of anger didn't change. "Young one, I would ask Tukiyo or Mayu if they had the blood!"

"I'll help!" Kagome interrupted. The intense staring match continued.

"I need your blood to break the curse and Kagome's powers to fight the reiki. Would you rather he died?" Mikazuki's lip curled over her teeth. The absence of her fang only added to the effect. The disappointment and anger only seemed to strengthen Inuyasha's resolve. Oh, Inuyasha. Just this once, you need to embrace your feelings!

"Inuyasha." Her husband turned in shock to face the voice. The taiyoukai was almost as tall as Inuyasha. She was completely undaunted by his rage. The wind stirred their long hair. Inuyasha's chin lifted proudly while she examined him. The face that mirrored Sesshomaru's so closely revealed little about her emotions. Mikazuki grasped Kagome's hand to silence her. We need Inuyasha's cooperation to break the curse and save our daughter. If only he weren't so stubborn!

"In my dreaming, we met in battle, though we have never crossed paths."

"Bokuseno mentioned a shikigami."

"The creature imprisoned my son. You defended him." Tukiyo's head tilted slightly.

"I was protecting my family. Not Sesshomaru!"

"My son put himself in harm's way to shield you." Inuyasha flinched when Tukiyo touched his cheek. Whatever violence he had expected, Tukiyo's eyes warmed to honey gold. It left him speechless. "Sesshomaru is not prone to selfless deeds."

"That wasn't - you - "

"My son does not have allies. An alliance implies equality. An admission of vulnerability." Tukiyo's voice was soft. "You have the same flaw, but by different paths."

"Flaw?"

"Vulnerability does not equate weakness." The female's touch was gentle. "Sesshomaru has endured centuries of suffering rather than listen to counsel. Your father designed trials to challenge him because his ego allowed nothing else. A pack of demon slayers was preferable to admitting need to his mother."

"My f-father?"

"The General would be pleased." The warm, proud tone caught him off-guard. Inuyasha's ears flipped wildly when her lips brushed against his cheek. He stumbled a bit.

"Inuyasha?" Mikazuki called.

"I will wage war against Bokuseno. You must help Sesshomaru." Tukiyo's gentle hands directed Inuyasha. The blushing hanyou stayed silent rather than protest and ramble. Mikazuki grasped Inuyasha's wrist firmly. With Inuyasha's anger dulled, Tukiyo stepped back. Kagome's pleasure dulled a bit as she noticed the wicked gleam in her smile.

Itsuki claimed she was a brilliant tactician. A master of strategy. Did she mean anything she said? Was she just manipulating Inuyasha to help her son? Inuyasha has always wanted his father's approval. Could she dissect his emotions so easily? The tilt of her head and the way she pivoted on her toes left the sentiment unclear. Kagome bit down on her tongue when Mikazuki started to instruct Inuyasha.