"Mount Hakurei?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yes. He's either there now or he's going to be there," Lyra told him. "But it will definitely be that mountain."

He gave a single nod. "Let's go."

Sesshomaru turned away and resumed walking as the others followed. Lyra just hoped her vision was correct. It had been all out of whack since she left and she couldn't make sense of anything. Hopefully she would be able to understand them better.

They had been walking for quite a while and for most of the time it was just Lyra and Rin talking to each other and playing games. Jaken quickly grew annoyed, however Sesshomaru appreciated the girls' talking and laughter.

Rin hummed happily as she let go of Lyra's hand and skipped ahead. The day was so beautiful. It was a picture perfect scenery with blue skies, fluffy white clouds, the sun shining. Little white butterflies fluttered around, landing on the random flowers dotted around the fields before flying off again. Lyra was glad that Rin was still able to have such a positive attitude towards the world even after everything she had been through. And that was why she admired the little girl.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I'm feeling quite hungry," Rin said. "Can I get myself some fish?"

Sesshomaru stopped walking and looked down at her. "Take Jaken with you."

The imp was utterly displeased with his words but he knew better than to disobey him. As Rin happily ran off with Jaken following behind, Lyra stood beside Sesshomaru.

"I have to admit I hope they return with some fish," she said. "I'm going to go and help them."

Just as she was about to follow after them, Sesshomaru grabbed her hand causing her to look back at him.

"What's wrong, Sesshomaru?"

"Are you in pain?"

Smiling softly, she shook her head. "No. I can feel it a little but it's fine."

"Very well." He suddenly looked ahead. "There are wolves ahead."

Lyra's eyes widened. Rin and Jaken had just gone in that direction. Sesshomaru made her stay close as he made his way towards the river. After making their way through the trees and exiting out by the river, they saw a couple of wolf demons and a small pack of wolves from the Wolf Demon Tribe. They seemed to be getting ready to fight Jaken who was holding up his staff. Lyra noticed that Rin had been crouching behind Jaken in fear and she understood why.

Sesshomaru looked at the wolf demons. "Jaken, what's all this commotion?"

Rin got up and hid behind Sesshomaru instead as the wolf demons began to step back. As Lyra observed the demons closer, she realised she had met one of their tribe members before; Koga. These two in front of them, however, seemed a lot less forward and brave than the one she had met. Sesshomaru only had to look at them, simply his presence causing them and the wolves to back away slowly.

"Who are you and what do you want?" asked the one with the dimples.

"You looking for a fight?!" yelled the one with the mohawk, holding up his fist.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at them, causing them to cower back.

"We're leaving but it's not out of fear," Dimples said.

The demons and the wolves then fled the scene.

"Rin?" Sesshomaru called still looking in the direction the wolf tribe had left.

"Yes?" she responded, looking up at him.

"Weren't you going to catch yourself some fish?"

She smiled and gasped. "Yes!"

Rin made her way happily to the lake, already spotting fish swimming by. Lyra laughed quietly to herself, catching Sesshomaru's attention. He simply stared at her with his usual blank expression, wondering as to what she found so amusing.

"You literally exude danger vibes," she said, knowing what he was thinking. "You barely have to speak and others fear you."

Jaken stepped forward. "Lord Sesshomaru is to be feared for he is the Great and Powerful Dog Demon!"

Lyra smiled at his loyalty. "Yes, I know that."

"You did not fear me," Sesshomaru stated. "In fact, you chose to follow me."

She shrugged casually. "I had no reason to be scared of you and I was more afraid of being alone. Besides, you saved me. Remember?" She smiled, absentmindedly moving her hand up to play with the bottom of her necklace as she looked towards the river. "And not only was my birthplace calling me, but it was also your eyes I saw before I had fallen into the well. I knew there was an important reason for it. And I was right."

Jaken had already wondered off to help Rin. However, Sesshomaru continued to stare at Lyra as she spoke.

"I have no reason to be afraid of you. I love you. And the only thing I am afraid of is losing you."

"I have already lost you too many times before, Lyra," he said, causing her to look up at him. "Which makes me doubt bringing you with me."

She tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Perhaps it would be best for you to stay in the castle."

"What?"

Her brows furrowed slightly. She knew what he was implying but she wanted to hear him say it.

"You are already one of Naraku's targets," he explained. "Therefore it would be safer for you to remain behind the barrier of the castle. And the guards will protect you."

Lyra frowned slightly and folded her arms. "What if something gets in and you're not there to save me?"

"I assure you that will not happen."

"But what if, Sesshomaru? Wouldn't I be safer by your side?"

"I will return to you once I have disposed of Naraku," he tried to explain.

Lyra raised her brows a little, feeling a little hurt by his suggestion. "So you expect me to sit in that huge castle all by myself, twiddling my thumbs while waiting for you to return?"

"I only wish to keep you safe, Lyra," he said, his tone becoming a bit more stern.

"No. It sounds as though you don't wish for a distraction, which I will become to you because you'll have an extra person to protect whilst trying to kill Naraku," she argued, becoming a bit more upset about the situation.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes slightly, his brows creasing at the change in her attitude. "That is not true, Lyra. I will not argue on the matter."

"And I will not return to the castle without you." She dropped her arms to her sides and breathed out, the hurt evident in her eyes. "I've already been separated from you for too long, Sesshomaru. I can't go through that again. I won't."

Before he could respond, she walked away from him and joined Rin and Jaken at the bank of the river. She couldn't believe that he wanted her to remain in the castle whilst everyone else was out there trying to defeat Naraku. Out of anger, she had said that she would be a distraction to him but she knew that wasn't true. She knew that he didn't see her in that way. But she simply could not be away from him again. Her father had made that same mistake and she had died anyway. Not only was she safer with Sesshomaru, but she was also happier at his side. She would have hated being in that huge castle all by herself. She sighed quietly and sat on the grass as she watched Rin and Jaken catch another fish.

'That was selfish of me. I shouldn't have spoken to him like that... He only wants what's best for me.' She then huffed and crossed her arms, still adamant that she was right. 'But I won't apologise until he speaks to me again first.'

Sesshomaru watched her as she sat on the grass with her back to him. The frustration he had felt during their little spat dissipated instantly. She had every reason to be upset with him. Likewise, he had every right to do what was best for her safety. He could not take any chances. Before speaking to her, he thought it would be best to let her mood improve.

As they caught their last fish, Lyra caught Sesshomaru casually walking away from them. Her mouth hung open with a silent gasp as she felt offended that he didn't even bother trying to talk to her. She glared angrily at the back of his head before letting out a sigh. If it was the silent treatment he wanted, then that was exactly what he would get.

***

The members of the Wolf Demon Tribe, Ginta and Hakaku, had found their leader, Koga. He was in the middle of an argument with Inuyasha, as usual, and it wasn't long before it lead to the two physically fighting over a bag of snacks. Ginta and Hakaku were still thinking of the demon at the river, wondering who he was. And there was one person they could ask to find out.

"Kagome, ever heard of a guy called Sesshomaru?" Ginta asked her.

"A fair skinned dog demon who wears a fur over his kimono," Hakaku added.

Kagome blinked at their sudden curiosity. "Yeah, I know him. He's Inuyasha's older brother."

Both their eyes widened, stunned by the fact. "Inuyasha's brother?!"

"What kind of guy is this Sesshomaru?" asked Hakaku.

Kagome thought before answering. "Where to start? Well, he doesn't get along with Inuyasha at all. And he has a powerful evil sword named Tokijin. He's extremely strong and a bit on the cruel side."

"Cruel?" they both repeated in a cowered tone.

Kagome eyed the other two still fighting. "Inuyasha and Koga can scrap like that forever. But I feel pretty certain that they'd never kill each other." She held her chin before continuing. "I don't think Sesshomaru would hesitate to kill his opponent though."

Hakaku looked at Ginta, his voice laced with fear. "Hear that?"

"Who knows though?" Kagome added. "He could've changed for the better. He doesn't seem as cold hearted as before. But I have to put that down to my cousin."

"Cousin? Is that the woman travelling with him?" Ginta asked.

Kagome smiled with a nod. "Yep! They'll be getting married. Her name's Lyra."

Kagome became distracted by the fight that was still continuing and went to stop it. Using her command, Kagome caused Inuyasha to crash down to the ground bringing Koga out as the winner of the snacks.

"Sounds like one dangerous opponent," Hakaku stated.

"Good thing we didn't engage him in a fight," Ginta agreed. "I guess we have Lyra to thank for that otherwise he probably wouldn't have hesitated."

"Lyra, huh?" Koga's voice suddenly joined them as he held his potato snacks. "Oh yeah, I've met her before. Pretty fine lady if you ask me. If I hadn't met Kagome first, I would have made her my woman."

Hakaku and Ginta gasped, sharing nervous glances at one another. They both imagined Koga coming across Sesshomaru and Lyra. 'Hey, Lyra. Why don't you leave that mangy mutt and become my wife instead?' they could hear him say. They then imagined Sesshomaru's face transforming into a ferociously growling dog demon with red eyes and sharp fangs. They're bodies tremored with fear at just the thought of it. There was no way they could allow Koga to cross paths with Sesshomaru.

After they had said their goodbyes to Kagome, the two tried to figure out a way to change Koga's route from going to the river. However, Koga refused to listen to their sudden desire to divert from their path. They both glanced down, nervous and disheartened. They couldn't tell him about Sesshomaru because they knew exactly what would happen. An angered Koga appeared in their minds as he yelled, 'You morons! Why should I have to go out of my way to avoid Inuyasha's older brother?! He's just another mangy mutt. Bring him on! Show me where he is!' The last thing they wanted was for their leader to confront a powerful demon like Sesshomaru and get killed. And with their leader already attracted to Sesshomaru's mate, he would definitely be a goner.

They had to stop their paths from crossing somehow.

***

The sun was already setting and Sesshomaru and Lyra still hadn't spoken to each other since their disagreement. They both wanted to talk again but they wanted the other to talk first. If Lyra spoke first, then Sesshomaru would know that her attitude had improved a little. However, if she spoke first, Lyra would take it as a loss. It was okay for Sesshomaru since he barely spoke anyway. But Lyra was struggling. She had done quite well considering she felt as though she was about to burst out a lecture. But she didn't want him to win.

It was their first real argument and her pride was at stake. Rin and Jaken could feel the tension between the two but they also chose not to say anything.

Soon, night had fallen amidst their silence. Jaken held A-Un's reins as they walked, Rin sitting on top with Lyra sat behind her. Sesshomaru walked beside them closer to Lyra, yet she still refused to utter the first word. The way she avoided eye contact as well only proved to him that she was still angry and therefore he refused to speak, which only frustrated her further. It was a viscous cycle.

Suddenly, Jaken halted in his tracks causing everyone else to stop.

"Hm. Them again," he announced.

Ahead were the two wolf demons from the river. They were blocking their path. They both stood with their arms spread out.

"This road is closed! You cannot pass!"

"Turn around and take another route!"

Jaken turned to Sesshomaru. "What do we do now if we can't take this route?"

Rin turned to him as well. "Lord Sesshomaru?"

Lyra looked at the two demons as Sesshomaru stayed quiet. 'Please don't do anything to get yourselves killed, you idiots.'

"We're the personal assistants of Koga, the great young leader of the Wolf Demon Tribe," said the one with the dimples. "I'm Ginta from the fires of hell!"

"And I'm slayer Hakaku," the other one said.

Jaken frowned. "That wasn't what they said earlier on."

Ginta and Hakaku then spoke together. "This road is closed! Turn around."

Sesshomaru continued to stare at them in silence. Suddenly, they began doing some weird moves.

"You got that?"

Still, Sesshomaru only looked at them. That simply instilled even more fear into them. They tried again but to no avail. Ginta was then thrown up into the air by Hakaku before he crashed back down with a kick, creating a small yet insignificant crater. Lyra smacked her hand to her head, not understanding what they were trying to prove.

"Well?" they asked proudly.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "Make way."

They both quickly cowered. "You go elsewhere! This path is closed," Hakaku pointed.

"Nothing to see here. Move along," Ginta added.

Lyra shook her head at their stupidity. She hoped she wouldn't have to jump in and save the imbeciles from Sesshomaru's wrath.

"I told you to make way," he threatened as he walked towards them.

It only caused them to tremble with fear even more, yet they still refused to move out of the way. Lyra couldn't help but giggle at their persistence and she quickly placed her hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet. Sesshomaru heard her laugh though and mentally disapproved at her finding the situation amusing. However, he continued to move towards the imbecilic wolf demons. If they weren't going to move voluntarily, he would have to get rid of them himself. They were both about ready to leave, planning on dragging Koga away before another voice joined the party.

"Somebody looking for me?"

Everyone looked up to the nearby cliff. There stood another wolf demon, one who Lyra recognised.

"Koga!" the two exclaimed.

Sesshomaru stared at him as he stared back.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Koga asked before jumping down from the cliff. He faced his comrades, placing his hands on his hips. "He reeks like that filthy mutt Inuyasha."

Rin gasped quietly. "Lord Sesshomaru..." She too recognised the leader.

Sesshomaru glanced back a little as Ginta and Hakaku ran and hid behind their leader.

"That's him. Inuyasha's older brother," Hakaku told him.

"Don't go picking a fight with him," Ginta added.

Koga looked at Sesshomaru. "So, you're Inuyasha's brother? Except that you're not a half demon." Sesshomaru focused on the leader again, causing him to smirk. "What's this? Looks like I struck a nerve."

Ginta and Hakaku gasped. "Koga, no!"

Koga then noticed Lyra towards the back. "Oh hey, Lyra. Long time no see. How ya doing?" he greeted with a casual salute. "We were just talking about you today."

Lyra laughed awkwardly and just waved in return. Sesshomaru became a tiny bit vexed at his greeting towards his mate, narrowing his eyes at him. Ginta and Hakaku's eyes widened, both shaking and hoping that Koga didn't say anything more because they knew Sesshomaru wouldn't hold back.

"Stay back," Sesshomaru ordered before walking forward towards the wolf demons.

"Sesshomaru..." Lyra called out to him, hoping he would stop.

The last thing she wanted was an unnecessary fight to break out. However, Sesshomaru ignored her. Not only were these demons wasting his time but he also didn't like the way the leader spoke and looked at Lyra. Jaken began backing up with A-Un, thinking to himself how foolish they were. Sesshomaru had come face to face with Koga who looked as though he was ready to take him on. Lyra had to do something to stop them before they could even start and so she climbed off A-Un's back.

"Lyra!" Rin called to stop her.

Just as Lyra was about to move away, another demon began to run towards where Koga and Sesshomaru were standing. It was only a low level demon, big and bulky with red eyes but not very intelligent.

"Give it to me! Give me the jewel shards!" it growled before going to attack Koga.

It slammed its hand down to crush him but Koga quickly jumped out of the way and kicked its face. Holding its face, the demon growled in pain whilst clumsily tumbling towards Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken yelled.

Lyra gasped in fright even though she had nothing to worry about. Grabbing his Tokijin, Sesshomaru destroyed the demon in one swift movement. Koga landed on the ground with his hands on his hips.

"Thanks, but I could've handled him myself," he smirked.

Sesshomaru didn't say anything but his attention instantly went to what was happening behind him.

Rin screamed. "Help us, Master Jaken!"

Another demon, this time a large type of insect, broke through the ground. Lyra screamed as she stood between it and the others. It screeched loudly sending shivers down her spine. Jaken bravely tried to attack it but the demon knocked him away.

"Jaken!" Lyra yelled.

She looked up at the demon and automatically stood in front of it to protect Rin. It was a subconscious act she didn't even have to think about. The demon brought down one of its sharp claws to attack her. Sesshomaru was already rushing to save them. However, due to the jewel shards in his legs, Koga was able to overtake him and kicked the demon in the face a couple of times.

"No humans for you, worm!"

The demon growled before breaking apart and turning into dust. Koga landed beside Lyra and Rin as Sesshomaru came to a stop.

Lyra smiled. "Thank you, Koga."

He winked at her. "Anytime."

He then walked away to return to his own group.

"Unnecessary interference," Sesshomaru said as Koga walked past him.

"Feeling's mutual."

Everyone was kind of confused as to what had just happened. It was as if an unspoken mutual alliance had formed between them. Koga put his arms around his friends and began walking away with them.

"See ya 'round, Lyra!" he called before leaving.

Sesshomaru watched them leave, making sure they had actually gone. Jaken stepped up to his side.