Kagome regained consciousness in a dark, cool, damp place, a sickening aftertaste in the back of her throat from the chloroform that had been used to subdue her at the hotel. She was lying on her side, bound hand and foot with slender ropes. She tested the knots and found them to be quite secure. A roaring sound echoed in the little chamber, and at first she thought it was in her ears until it dawned on her that she was hearing waves breaking against the shore. She squinted at the dim light coming from the cave mouth, then tried to see around her. There were several shadows she gradually recognized as belonging to Yuki, Sango and Rei Rei. Of the five other shadows she could make out, four had points on top of their heads, so she guessed they were kitsune. But whose? Mikoto’s or Hisui’s? The fifth form was likely human, since it had no pointy ears on its head. That one sat a little apart from the others, just outside the cave mouth. When he started talking to someone she couldn’t see, Kagome had a terrible, sinking feeling of recognition. It was Tachimora, that bastard! So, these were Mikoto’s people, were they? Her estimation of Mikoto Asano’s intelligence plummeted when she thought he’d actually given a low-life punk like Tachi command of some of his kitsune. So who was he talking to outside the cave? Some of his old gang? Or more of Mikoto’s lackey’s?
        "Just keep an eye out for Dog Boy," Tachi commanded impatiently, "how tough can that be?"
        A male voice replied, but Kagome couldn’t hear what he was saying, though she was sure she heard a touch of fear in his tone.
        "They’re just a bunch of girls, chickenshit!" Tachi shot back, setting Kagome’s teeth on edge. The nerve of that guy! "Yeah, I know what Asano did before, that’s why we’re keeping her unconscious! Relax! She’s the only one who can give us any trouble and she’s taking a nice, long nap."
        The other voice didn’t sound convinced, but the conversation ended there. Kagome’s eyes had adjusted to the light enough for her to tell which shadow was which of her friends. She made a point of finding Yuki first, since Tachi was so confident he’d immobilized her. Sure enough, she was still unconscious. Unfortunately, she was on the other side of the cave, so Kagome couldn’t try to wake her up without drawing attention to herself. She looked to her left to find Sango awake and looking at her. They exchanged nods and scooted closer to one another as quietly as they could, freezing in terror and pretending to sleep whenever a kitsune looked their way. When they were back to back, they worked at each other’s knots, but didn’t get too far before they were noticed by one of the kitsune.
        He looked over his shoulder and snapped: "None of that!"
        That got Tachi’s attention. He jumped up and ran into the cave to see what was going on, saw what Kagome and Sango were trying and went over to kick each girl in stomach. "Knock it off!" He grabbed Kagome by the arm and dragged her away from Sango, then he threw her down and kicked her in the backside for good measure before going back outside for a smoke. "Bitch."
        Tears stung Kagome’s eyes but she’d be damned if she’d give that creep the satisfaction of knowing he’d made her cry. Well, he’d be sorry when Inu Yasha figured out where she was! Someone had to have noticed four kitsune appearing in the ladies’ room, grabbing them, then disappearing. That wasn’t something that happened every day. Of course Inu Yasha and the others would ask after them when they didn’t come back in a timely fashion, then whoever saw their kidnapping would tell them what had happened. Even if that wouldn’t tell them where the girls had been taken, it would give them some clue as to who was responsible. Then they could force that person, be it Mikoto or Hisui, to reveal their location. She hoped Sesshomaru would support Inu Yasha in this, or the now mostly human half-demon wouldn’t have a prayer of standing up to Mikoto or Hisui.
        "That was weird," she thought, "I never thought I’d see the day when I actually relied on Sesshomaru for help."
        On the other side of the cave, a little bit to Yuki’s left, the magical girl was twisting herself up to put her bound hands in a position to touch her wand, which was still strapped to her leg. She thanked the powers that be that her kidnappers hadn’t thought to frisk their captives, otherwise, she’d be utterly helpless. A few more twists, and the tips of her fingers touched the head of her wand. She took a deep breath and shouted: "Ancient spirits, grant me your power! Spiritual transformation, powers of light, coalesce!"
        In the explosion of pastel light that followed, quite a few people screamed, including the kitsune (who also cussed a blue streak), and Kagome. Then the cave was engulfed in Pretty Space, and Rei Rei stood unbound and proud in the middle of it all, magic wand aloft, sequined sailor fuku flapping in a wind she conjured for that very purpose. "By the ancient spirits, I punish you!" She shouted, pointed her wand at the startled group of kitsune and zapped them before they could bring their own magic to bear. Outside the cave, Tachi beat against the walls of Pretty Space, trying desperately to get in and subdue his captives. Rei Rei quickly released her companions, but it took some heavy duty magical girl mojo to awaken Yuki, who was none to happy about having been kidnapped by a punk like Tachimora and a bunch of kitsune she suspected worked for her own father. But since the kitsune were fried to a crisp at the moment, she elected to turn her attention to clobbering Tachi instead.
        "Drop the Pretty Space, Rei Rei!" She growled. "I’m gonna fry his ass!"
        "Get the rest of him while you’re at it," Rei Rei joked, then struck a pose and pointed her wand at the cave entrance. "Pretty Space dropping in three…two…one! Go!"
        Yuki held her hands in front of her, palms outward, focused her chi and as soon as Pretty Space was gone, she let it fly. Tachi had seen this trick before and had the good sense to run like hell when the bolt of light roared out of the cave and exploded in the ocean. The girls cheered and ran after him and the three humans who were with him. "Come back here and die like a man, Tachimora!" Yuki screamed after him. He just kept on running.

        "Tachimora works for my mother," Mikoto insisted to Inu Yasha for the fourth time. He was starting to get a little peeved at the stubborn half-demon, who stood in the sand with his hands on his hips, glaring at him. Hisui stood behind her son, looking smug, while Sesshomaru stood at Inu Yasha’s side and heaved a heavy sigh.
        Inu Yasha jabbed a finger in Mikoto’s face. "Shinai told me he works for you!"
        "And you believe him over me?!"
        "Yes!" Well, not ordinarily, but at the moment Inu Yasha was feeling a twinge of sympathy for the poor kitsune, who was probably dead by now after taking Hisui’s claws though his chest. No, he thought, if Shinai had died, Tsurai and Gin would be there challenging Hisui. "So, since Tachi works for you, and he kidnapped the girls, then you gave him the order to do it—not Hisui!"
        Mikoto raised a dubious eyebrow. "You’re coming to Hisui’s defense? Ah, of course. You work for Sesshomaru, who is sleeping with Hisui. Naturally, you’d take her side."
        Inu Yasha’s eyes blazed with outrage, but just as he opened his mouth to retort, Sesshomaru’s hand clamped down onto his shoulder to silence him.
        "He’s only trying to bait you, Inu Yasha," Sesshomaru said calmly, but his eyes betrayed his frustration. He was at the end of his rope with this matter and determined to resolve it before the night was out. "Mikoto, my sources tell me Tachimora is under contract to you. Also, you were seen checking him into the Green Mermaid. Why would you get him a hotel room if he works for Hisui? I would think such mundane duties would fall to Shinai if Tachi really is Hisui’s employee."
        The demoness in question tossed her head with a smug little huff and told her son tartly: "You can’t get away with blaming me for this, Darling!"
        Mikoto gave his mother an impatient sigh. "Of course I can, because you are to blame. While it’s true I initially retained Mr. Tachimora and even procured a hotel room for him, you subsequently hired him away from me. As of yesterday, the boy was working for you." He turned to Sesshomaru and asked: "How old is your information?"
        "More than a day," Sesshomaru admitted. "Hisui? Is this true?"
        Her smirk remained undimmed as she told him: "I did make Tachimora an offer, but he elected to remain in Mikoto’s employ upon receiving a better offer from him. So, he is still working for Mikoto."
        Mikoto sputtered with rage: "That is a lie!"
        Any retort Hisui might have planned was interrupted by an explosion coming from south. Then they saw a bright flash of pastel light that meant Pretty Space was back in action. Inu Yasha’s eyes bugged, and his jaws dropped, then all at once he busted out laughing. Jabbing a triumphant finger at Mikoto and Hisui, he crowed: "Ha! See? That’ll teach you assholes to kidnap a magical girl!" With a loud war whoop, he took off in the direction of Pretty Space. Miroku and Shippo hesitated only a second, then followed him. Sesshomaru wasn’t far behind.
        Shunusuke gave his father a severe look and growled darkly: "If you are responsible for this, father, I won’t forgive you!" Then he ran after Inu Yasha, as well.
        Mikoto started to say something to his mother, then changed his mind and turned to his wife instead. "Karen, go back the hotel and stay there—no arguments! Just go."
        She hesitated for a moment, opened her mouth to argue, then turned and stalked back to the hotel, none to happy at being ordered about. However, she could see in her husband’s eyes that this was something a human like her had best stay out of if she wanted to see another day. Whether or not he’d make good on his earlier threat to challenge his mother, she didn’t know but sincerely hoped he wouldn’t. Hisui Oukami was a full demon who had killed all of Mikoto’s siblings. What was to stop her from killing him, as well? And who would protect her children if they got caught in the crossfire? She trusted Yuki’s unique power to defend her against any attacker, maybe even Hisui, but Shunusuke had only his martial skills and telepathic ability, no magic. If he chose to defy his father as well as his grandmother… She paused in her tracks to look over her shoulder, but the beach was already empty. Damn!

        "Where’d the Pretty Space—" Inu Yasha started to exclaim, but was cut off by a blast of blue light that exploded into the sea. Then he heard Yuki’s voice shouting for Tachi to come back and die like a man, and his heart skipped a beat. "YES!" He poured on speed in the direction of Yuki’s voice, his heart pounding at the thought of mixing it up with Tachimora again and making him pay for even looking at Kagome. "Tachimora, you asshole! I’m coming for you!"
        The two groups collided with fists and epithets flying, as well as the occasional explosion of blue or pastel light and at least one calling upon of the "ancient spirits" to punish somebody. In fact, Inu Yasha and his allies would’ve had things nicely in hand if Mikoto and Hisui hadn’t showed up and started throwing their weight around.
        "Give me those Jewel shards, girl!" Hisui screamed at Kagome and lobbed a blast of chi at her.
        "Don’t do it, Higurashi!" Mikoto shouted, then had to jump out of the path of his mother’s attack.
        Kagome dove out of the way, and the energy exploded a crater in the sand behind her. She rolled into the surf, then had to jump out of the way of another deadly bolt. Then Yuki was between her and Hisui, lining up the shot. Rei Rei struck a pose beside her and did her ancient spirits incantation. Blue and pastel energy blazed forth from the two girls, headed straight for friend and foe alike.
        Everybody screamed and dove out of the way, only to be thrown into the air by the force of the explosion. Inu Yasha met Tachi in mid air and planted his fist in the boy’s face before they both crashed back down to earth, and Inu Yasha discovered his human body really couldn’t take those kinds of landings quite as well as his demon body could.
        Shunusuke managed to land on his feet but wasn’t able to remain upright and fell on his butt. Then he saw Sango flailing and cursing her way back down and scrambled back to his feet to catch her. Miroku landed in the sand next to them, but just as he got up and brushed himself off, Shippo landed on his head, and they both went down.
        Sesshomaru and Hisui floated gracefully down to earth, and Mikoto managed to land with reasonable aplomb not far from them. When everybody was on their feet, they took up fighting stances again. Except for Yuki, who had used up her energy and crouched, panting and exhausted in the surf with Kagome and Rei Rei to either side of her.
        "Daddy," she panted, "how could you?! I’m your daughter!"
        Mikoto seethed and pointed an accusing finger at Hisui. "I wouldn’t do something like this to you! This was Hisui’s doing!"
        "Mikoto-darling!" Hisui gasped in shock. "How could lie to your own child like that? Did I raise you to lie to family?" She giggled. "Oh dear, I suppose I did. Well, in that case, good show, Darling!"
        "MOTHER!"
        Blink-blink. "What? I had nothing to do with this, Darling. Why do you insist upon accusing me?"
        "Because you’re guilty!" Mikoto hissed. He stomped over to grab his mother by both shoulders and give her a really good shake. "I am sick and tired of you always laying the blame for your actions on me! I refuse to be your scapegoat any longer! And if I must challenge you to put an end to it, then consider this a formal challenge. What is your response?"
        Hisui looked to Sesshomaru for support, but he turned away. "This is your business, Hisui," he told her firmly. "If you survive it, you can tell me all about it over breakfast tomorrow morning, but I will not interfere in what is clearly a family squabble."
        "But—" Hisui stammered, then clamped her mouth shut with a snap. "Very well, Darling. If that is your final decision, you are no ally of mine. When I’ve slain Mikoto, I will challenge you."
        The breath caught in Sesshomaru’s throat at that, and everything got incredibly quiet. Even Inu Yasha and Tachimora stopped fighting to hear how the Great Demon of the West would respond to a challenge from his lover. "That is a gamble you cannot win, Hisui Oukami," the demon lord warned in a dangerously quiet voice. "I am no longer the pup you ignored all those centuries ago, and Mikoto is no longer your whipping boy. We have harnessed the powers of this world, while you have disdained them, believing your own power is enough. If you challenge me, you will die. If you kill Mikoto, you must face his children, who will surely wish to avenge him. Not to mention certain kitsune who will want vengeance for what you did to Shinai. I would reconsider this course of action, if I were you, Hisui."
        Inu Yasha counted five of his own heartbeats before Hisui replied. "Do not underestimate me, pup! Before you were born, I slew all those who stood between me and the title of Great Demon of the North—even my own father and mother! I eliminated the Great Demon of the East and put his son under my control!"
        Rei Rei gasped as she realized Hisui had just confessed to a crime she’d previously pinned on her. Oblivious or uncaring, Hisui went on.
        "Now I will destroy the two men who stand between me and my lifelong goal of supreme power! First my weakling half-blood son, then you, Sesshomaru!" She bared her fangs at him and showed him her claws. "I loved you, and this is how you show your love in return? Challenging me instead of standing by my side?!"
        "What goes on between you and your son is none of my business," Sesshomaru replied calmly, but his back was stiff and tense, and his eyes bored into Hisui’s like hot coals. He flexed his fingers at his sides, claws ready for action.
        Inu Yasha dropped Tachimora and went to stand beside his brother, while Shunusuke took up a place at his father’s side. Mikoto held up his hand and shook his head at his son. "Stay out of it, Shunusuke. If she defeats me, it falls to you and Yuki to avenge me and keep our holdings out of her hands."
        Shunusuke nodded once, then reluctantly backed away. In the ocean, Yuki glared hot death at her grandmother and swore to kill her or die trying if Mikoto didn’t win the challenge.
        "You killed the Great Demon of the East," Rei Rei hissed through clenched teeth. She raised her wand and pointed it accusingly at Hisui. "And blamed me for it! I don’t care if this is the last thing I do, Hisui Oukami, Great Demon of the North," a bright pink aura ignited about her body, throbbing and gaining intensity as Rei Rei’s anger grew, "but I will punish you for your crimes!" She closed her eyes and began her incantation, calling upon the ancient spirits and the spirits of those murdered by Hisui Oukami to come to her aid and smash the demoness in one, mighty blow. The force of the energies gathering around her blew up her hair and her skirt, revealing her sequined panties that had so mystified Inu Yasha before.
        He stared at her with wide eyes, watching the power whirl about her sparkling body, lighting up the night like a blazing pink bonfire. Miroku and Shippo appeared beside him, just as awestruck as he was by what they were seeing.
        Hisui closed her eyes and started gathering her own powers to counter Rei Rei’s attack. Mikoto looked from the magical girl to the Great Demon and decided it was an uneven match. Though the fight wasn’t his business, he began to meditate, focusing his chi so he could fire upon Hisui at the same time as Rei Rei did. Seeing what her father was doing, Yuki staggered to her feet and used the last of her strength to find reserves of chi to use in support of the magical girl.
        Kagome saw how Yuki was struggling and thought of the Shikon fragments hidden in her underwear. If she gave them to Yuki, they would make up for the energy she’d already lost. Then again, Yuki might try to keep them to give to her father when it was all over (if they survived). She looked to Inu Yasha, but he was watching Hisui power up. Alright, Kagome thought, it’s up to me. She hiked up her skirt, reached into her panties and untaped one single shard from her belly. It was one of the little ones Inu Yasha had taken from Mikoto, not the big one she’d brought with her from the past. She went to Yuki and very carefully taped the shard to her shoulder with a whispered: "Use its power—but give it back when you’re done!"
        Yuki grinned, then all at once her aura crackled with greater intensity as she drew upon the shard’s power and added it to her own. Kagome backed out of the way, ready to dive into the water when all those powers collided. She bumped into Sango, who had the same idea. They hung onto each other and watched, breathlessly, for what seemed like forever before the four powers pulled back to strike.
        Just then Shunsuke jumped into the middle of the ring and shouted: "STOP IT! Stop this right now! I said—" Inu Yasha tackled him in time for the energies to fly over their heads and smash into each other just a foot or two from Hisui’s face.
        The demoness planted her feet in the sand and gritted her teeth as she fought too keep the three powers at bay. She grunted and groaned and was pushed back through the sand toward the water, but the energies didn’t get through.
        Inu Yasha looked over his shoulder at his brother, who watched Hisui with a tense expression and sharp eyes. His fists were balled at his sides, and Inu Yasha thought he looked ready to spring. "Stay out of it, Sesshomaru!" Inu Yasha called to his brother. Sesshomaru glared at him once, then reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pistol. He hesitated with it halfway out, then pulled it free and pointed it at Hisui.
        "This is loaded with youkai-specific ammunition, Hisui!" He shouted over the roar of the clashing powers. "Stand down and let’s settle this peacefully!" He pointed it at Mikoto, then Yuki. "I said, enough! You, too, magical girl. Power down! This weapon works just as well on humans…and I am a very fast, very accurate shot."
        The four fighters glared at him but didn’t stop their attacks.
        "Don’t imagine I’m bluffing," Sesshomaru growled and fired four slugs into the sand barely an inch from each combatant’s foot.
        Mikoto and Yuki relented, leaving only Hisui and the magical girl locking energies. Soon, Rei Rei began to lose. Realizing this, she dropped to the ground, letting Hisui’s attack whiz over her head to obliterate a big chunk of sand dune behind her. Before Hisui could attack again, Sesshomaru had the pistol pointed in her face.
        "You wouldn’t dare!" She snarled at him.
        In response, he pulled back on the trigger a little bit and gave her a very level stare.
        She let her hands drop to her sides in surrender. "There you are, turning against me again, Darling," she sighed dramatically. "I wonder why I love you."
        "I often wonder why I love you, as well," Sesshomaru replied with a tight smile, "but the fact remains that I do. Enough to stop you when you are clearly acting unwisely."
        Inu Yasha rolled off of Shunusuke in time to see Tachimora trying to escape, so he tackled the human and mushed his face into the sand to teach him a lesson. "By the way, Tachi," he growled into the man’s ear, "who do you work for? Mikoto or Hisui?"
        "I told you, he works for—" Hisui began, but Sesshomaru brought the pistol up again, and she shut up with a pout.
        Inu Yasha yanked Tachi’s head back by the hair and repeated the question in more forceful tones.
        "Hi-Hisui Oukami," he coughed and spit sand. "She made a counter offer I couldn’t refuse: Do what she said or die."
        Every eye turned to Hisui, whose jaw worked for a while before sputtering angrily: "He’s lying!"
        "No I’m not!" Tachi shot back. "What is your problem, bitch? You told me to get rid of Inu Yasha’s women or die, so I got rid of them—but you didn’t tell me one of them was a fuckin’ Sailor Moon chick!"
        Hisui’s face turned a very unattractive shade as she trembled with rage and power crackled in her palms. Sesshomaru waved the gun at her and shook his head. "He’s just a common punk, Hisui, ignore his babble."
        "Who’s a Sailor Moon chick?!" Rei Rei shrieked and shook her wand at Tachi, who tried to escape Inu Yasha’s grasp to get away from her. "Do you really think I want to be a magical girl?! Huh?! No! I don’t! I was just minding my own business, doing my homework one evening when this little fairy person appeared in my room and told me I was the chosen defender of justice and here’s my wand, have a nice day! I hate this! It’s so corny and stupid! My uniform has sequins fer cryin’ out loud! I look like a damn Christmas ornament!" Tears sprang into her eyes, then poured down her cheeks as she collapsed onto her knees and sobbed. "Then I get mixed up with her!" She pointed the wand at Hisui, who jumped in spite of herself. "She is such a total shrew-bitch! I never did anything to her! I just happened to be the big sister of the best friend of the son of the Great Demon of the East, who Miss Thing over there wanted dead! Only she’s too much of a spineless wench to accept responsibility for her own crimes, and blames them on a wimpy, funny-looking, insipid magical girl like me! I hope Mikoto kicks your skinny white ass, you shrew!"
        All but Hisui and Rei Rei took a few moments to digest that, each one hoping one of the others would be the first to field a response that wouldn’t piss off the magical girl or Hisui even more. Unfortunately, the first one to open his mouth was Inu Yasha, the King of Tact. He looked Hisui straight in the eyes and said with a sneer: "Does she know you, or what?"
        Hisui ignored him in favor of Rei Rei. ""Shrew’? You call me a shrew?" She accused indignantly, and tried to advance on the magical girl only to be stopped by Sesshomaru. "She called me a shrew, Darling! How can I simply allow her to insult me like that?"
        "Because she’s right!" Pointed out Inu Yasha, who never did know when to quit.
        Sesshomaru gave him a withering glare over his shoulder and told him to stay out of it. "Hisui," he began in a strained voice, then tried to put on a sweet smile. He only succeeded in looking like he was about to eat her alive. "Darling? While you are not, at this time, being a shrew, you are being a bitch in more than just the literal sense, and I have lost all patience with your childish fits of temper."
        "’Childish fits of—" Hisui sputtered, but Sesshomaru wasn’t finished with her yet.
        He licked his lips and continued in what he thought was a patient tone. "You will not possess the Jewel. History has shown that, so stop wasting your energy on it. The Eastern Lands are better served by Mikoto acting as regent to the juvenile heir until he comes of age, than by you controlling them on top of your own, rightful territory."
        "Darling! How dare you suggest—"
        "Put a sock in it, Shrew-Bitch," Rei Rei snarled, "you confessed to the killing in front of all of us! You’re not fooling anybody by acting like it wasn’t all a big power grab!"
        "She called me a shrew again!" Hisui shrieked and glared at Sesshomaru to either let her defend her own honor or go defend it for her. He allowed neither.
        "Get over it," he sighed. "She’s upset and hates you with every fiber of her body. She will continue to hurl insults at you as long as doing so gets a rise out of you."
        Hisui’s eyes blazed and she pointed angrily past his shoulder at the smug magical girl. "But she called me a shrew!"
        Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and growled under his breath: "Hisui, you are beginning to fit the bill. Stop it."
        Gasp! "Darling!"
        "’Darling’!" Inu Yasha mocked as he got up and brushed sand off of himself. He kept a foot on Tachi’s back to keep the human down. "Bitch, you really are a shrew. If my brother didn’t have his brains in his balls, he’d leave you."
        Those who knew Inu Yasha best sighed and buried their faces in their hands. Inu Yasha blithely soldiered on.
        "You’re a spoiled brat, who can’t take responsibility for anything. No wonder the Northern Lands are shit—you’re in charge! You probably think being a Great Demon is a fashion statement, or something, not a big job with major responsibilities!" He took his foot off of Tachi’s back so he could kick him in the side a couple of times to give him an idea of what would happen to him should he try to run away. "Hell, I hate to say it, but I think the North would be better off with Mikoto than you—and that’s saying something, ‘cause I think he’s a total asshole, too. See, I’m on to you, Hisui," he waggled a finger at her with a wicked smirk. "You’re just acting like you care about Sesshomaru so you can get control of the West by going through his pants."
        "Thank you for that vote of confidence, little brother," Sesshomaru muttered.
        Inu Yasha didn’t hear him. "You don’t have a sincere bone…in…your… oh shit." He dove out of the way of the angry bolt of energy Hisui tossed at him before Sesshomaru could stop her. "Can’t you take the truth?! Yikes!" Dive. Kaboom!
        He landed in the waves at Kagome’s feet and looked up to find her seething at him with a look that usually prefaced…
        "SIT!"
        Splash! Burble-burble-burble. Inu Yasha surfaced, gasping for air and cursing Kagome, Hisui and Sesshomaru with adjectives and descriptions of bodily functions that really weren’t meant to share a sentence with one another. Even Tachimora looked shocked.
        Hisui raised her eyebrows with a scheming grin on her face. "Show me how you did that, girl, and I’ll let you all live."
        "Hisui…" Sesshomaru warned and showed her the gun again.
        She pouted at him. "I’ll bet it’s not even loaded."
        He showed her the rounds in the chambers, and she simmered down very quickly. "I thought you loved me, Darling," she whined.
        "I do," he replied in exasperation, "that’s why I’m talking you out of this course of action. Forget the Jewel, the Eastern Lands, and Inu Yasha, and I’m sure you will live a lot longer."
        She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that a threat?"
        His sigh came out more like a disgusted growl. "Do you want me to threaten you, Hisui? Or challenge you? Is Inu Yasha right?"
        Her eyes went wide, then she gathered her composure and snarled: "No, Inu Yasha is not right. He is never right. He’s an utterly brainless git with no class and no sense of style. He’d be better off dead, rather than tagging along after you, dirtying your family name and embarrassing your organization."
        "That wasn’t a very wise thing to say," thought Miroku with a knot of dread in his stomach. Even if Hisui was an incredibly powerful Great Demon, he’d seen what Inu Yasha was capable of if you got him mad enough, even in his current condition. Still, Hisui was a Great Demon…
        Inu Yasha bared his flat-topped human teeth at Hisui and displayed his fingernails—then remembered how thoroughly unintimidating that was when he was in human form. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets to hide the fact that they had no claws. "I am not an embarrassment!"
        She laughed. "Of course you are. Look at you. You’re a filthy urchin with no skill whatsoever. Guts aren’t everything, you know. You need skill…and intelligence, another thing you seem to lack. You’re a common dog."
        "…a common…dog…?" Inu Yasha ground out through teeth that refused to unclench. "Take that back, bitch!"
        Giggle. "Make me."
        Sesshomaru rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "That was mature..."
        "Ah-HA!" Inu Yasha crowed and stabbed a triumphant finger at Hisui, who just sort of blinked at him in confusion and disgust. "My point, exactly! You’re just a spoiled little baby!"
        "THAT WILL BE ENOUGH!" Roared Sesshomaru and Mikoto in unison. They looked at each other in astonishment for a moment, then accepted that they were agreeing on something important and got on with it.
        "Inu Yasha," Sesshomaru commanded in an angry hiss, "shut up!"
        "’Shut--?’"
        "You are not helping!" He pointed at Kagome and added. "Make him sit if he opens his mouth again."
        Kagome gulped. Inu Yasha fumed. Sesshomaru turned his ire on Hisui, but Mikoto beat him to it.
        "If you abandon the Jewel, mother, I will withdraw my challenge."
        "Who says I want you to withdraw your challenge," Hisui huffed. "I don’t need impertinent children nipping at my heels. I should have killed you long ago!"
        Gulp. The others backed up a bit more, and Tachi decided this would be a really good time for him to try to escape again. He was stopped by Shunusuke, who held onto him by his collar and kept him from struggling with a look that bespoke the most horrifying punishment for disobedience.
        "Thank you," Mikoto told him with a polite inclination of his head. When he looked up, he saw that the rise at the top of the beach was now sported a small contingent of humans in dark suits. Sesshomaru’s people, he guessed. He figured his own weren’t far behind. Even as he thought that, about a dozen kitsune appeared in front of the humans. One of them leaned heavily on his two companions, and Mikoto recognized Shinai, Tsurai and Gin. He didn’t know the others but guessed them to be Shinai’s allies. Mikoto turned to his mother with a grim look. "I think things have gotten a little too hot for you, Mother. What will it be? Forsake the Jewel and leave these kids alone, or persist and deal with us and them," he pointed at the dunes and was gratified to see Hisui’s face turn a few shades paler. "I don’t think apologizing to Shinai will make it all better, so it might be best if I hire him to keep him out of trouble." He gave Sesshomaru a lopsided smirk and added: "I doubt he’d be amenable to working for Sesshomaru."
        Hisui looked from the small army to Mikoto, then Sesshomaru, where her gaze lingered. After a while, she smiled pertly and gave her lover a little peck on the cheek. "Very well, Darling," she said to Mikoto, then hung herself off Sesshomaru’s arm, "you win this round. I forsake the Jewel, since it already had another destiny, anyway. And you may have Shinai, too, if he’ll have you. There. Is that what you want?"
        "One other thing, Mother," Mikoto told her in a hard voice, "leave the Eastern Lands alone, or face challenge from me and the South."
        She bit her lip and glared for a few moments, then shrugged and giggled. "Oh, very well. Yawn! What a tiring evening this has been! Sess-Darling, take me back to the hotel so I can properly apologize to you for being such a bore."
        He sighed and didn’t budge. "Not until you admit to Shinai that you lied and apologize for attacking him without good reason. He was your most loyal operative, Hisui. What you did to him was shameful." When she only tossed her head at him, he added: "Do it, or sleep alone."
        She pouted, but he refused to give ground, so with her head held high, she stalked over to where Shinai hung on Gin and Tsurai, paused, then inclined her head almost imperceptibly and said: "I attacked you without just cause. I was wrong and I apologize." Before he could accept or decline her apology, she turned and walked back to Sesshomaru.
        "Definitely a shrew," Gin muttered in Shinai’s ear.
        "You’re better off without her," Tsurai added in his other ear.
        Shinai found he wanted very much to be alone in his secret little hidey hole tree in Australia and disappeared. After a moment’s deliberation, Gin and Tsurai reluctantly decided not to follow him. They reported to their boss instead, while behind them, one by one, the other kitsune disappeared, and the humans relaxed their guard.
        Sesshomaru freed himself from Hisui and went to his brother. "I want you to know you are not an embarrassment to our family or my organization. Skill will come with training, and I have high hopes for your ability to learn quickly."
        Inu Yasha looked at him in shock and couldn’t find anything to say for a long time. By the time he did, Sesshomaru and Hisui were halfway down the beach, and he didn’t feel like chasing after them. Kagome startled him when she hooked her arm through his and gave him a sweet little peck on the cheek. "Now if you can just learn to keep your mouth shut…" she teased.