AN: It's been nearly six months since last update. I hope this chapter with five pages and a bit of action makes you happy.

Thank's for the reviews. As for the enemy, his identity will not be revealed yet, you'll have to wait for it a bit longer.

For this chapter, I must warn those with weaker stomachs. There will be some gore. Not much and not for long, but still enough to warrant M-rating, in my opinion.

DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha, Kagome, Touga, and Sesshoumaru belong to Rumiko Takahashi, other characters are mine.

Enjoy! Even the gore part, if you can... -shivers-

Chapter 5

Two men were sitting at a corner table at a shady pub. The taller of the men was gazing incredulously at his companion. "You have got to be kidding? We can't do that."

The other man snorted. "Of course we can. It's not against the law."

Taller one sighed. "I didn't mean that. I meant to say that it's impossible. She put the seal on him and, considering their mutual past, won't even consider releasing him. And only she can break the seal."

His companion grinned. "Oh, but I have a plan. We can make her do it."

"How? Threats won't work and the two dogs will keep her safe, no matter what. Not to mention that the dragon herself is pretty strong, to mildly put it."

The other man smirked at this. "I told you, I've got a plan. You see, she is not completely without a weakness."

"Huh?"

A sigh. "Long time ago, bad things happened to her when she was captured. All we have to do is to remind her of those days. Or, possibly remind her that her sister was kidnapped and she saved her only barely."

"Latter one won't work. Her sister vanished centuries ago."

His companion gave him a smile that sent chills down his spine. "Then isn't it good I know where her sister is?"

"What?!"

"She is also sealed, by yours truly. So, if we can't convince Aurora to release him otherwise, we can always use the little sister. You know, change her freedom to his."

The taller man shook his head. "You're insane, completely and utterly insane."

His companion chuckled. "I know. Just remember, insanity and brilliance aren't that far apart."

Sesshoumaru was gazing at the photo he was holding. The picture had been taken two years prior, when he and Aurora had been visiting the island of Santorini. In the photo, taken by a friendly local man, he was gazing at Aurora while her eyes were at the sunset. They had been on board a ship to watch the famous Oia's sunset at the sea.

She, even in her completely human form, had been as beautiful to him as the sunset had.

There and then he had decided to propose to her one day, before that he hadn't been sure if he wanted her that way.

The two had always been close, but he had never expected that they were attracted to each other as lovers rather than just friends.

He suddenly smelled his father's scent approaching his study. The scent was soon followed by foot steps that halted at his door. "Come in, Father."

Touga opened the door, slid in and closed it behind him. To Sesshoumaru he looked as if his thoughts were somewhere else, as he just stood there.

Sesshoumaru sighed almost inaudibly. "What is it?"

The older youkai startled before turning his gaze at his son. "I've got… disturbing news."

The younger taiyoukai frowned. "What news?"

His father held his silence for a moment before sitting down at a chair by the wall next to the door. Then he talked, yet his gaze was at the rows of books that filled Sesshoumaru's book shelves. "You remember Aurora's sister, don't you? The one you rescued?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, I do. She disappeared centuries ago."

Touga sighed. "She was kidnapped again, and sealed."

Sesshoumaru blinked. "What? How do you know this?"

The other youkai dug a folded A4 from his pocket and held it in his hands. "This is an email message that was posted to my personal address just a moment ago."

Then he tossed it at Sesshoumaru who using his youki floated it to his hands. He then unfolded it and began to read it.

As he read it he felt his anger rising and, in response to the emotion, he felt how his youki began to flare around him.

After he had finished it he turned his attention at his father. "We can't show this to Aurora. Instead, we must handle the situation ourselves."

Touga shook his head. "You read what they wrote. They will bring her sister back only if Aurora meets them, alone. If she doesn't do this, they will break the statue, and kill the one sealed in it."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "They must be bluffing. They need her for something, and since they wish to make her do whatever they want by threatening to kill her sister, they must realize that if they do kill her, they would lose their only way of controlling Aurora."

Touga shook his head. "Possibly. However, are you willing to risk her sister?"

"They could be lying, and they really don't have Aurora's sister in their hands."

His father sighed. "Again, possibly. Still, we can't risk it. They might be telling the truth."

Sesshoumaru knew then that his father's head wouldn't be turned. "Very well. Who will tell Aurora about this?"

Before his father could reply, the door to his study was opened violently, and the now open doorway revealed furious looking Aurora. "You planned not to tell me, Sesshoumaru? Not to tell me about my own younger sister?"

Sesshoumaru got to his feet. "Aurora-"

His intended explanation was cut off by Aurora's low growl that preceded her youki's flaring. This was followed by the first stage of her youkai transformation, as her face began to elongate.

Before she could transform any further, Touga grabbed her wrist and allowed his own youki to flare in warning.

Sesshoumaru observed as her gaze went directly at the older taiyoukai, who responded to her fiery gaze with a stern one of his own. The two were at it again, fighting for dominance.

And as usual, she lost.

As he watched, she averted her gaze from his father, and subdued her youki, returning back to her humanoid form.

For a moment all was quiet, before she let out a small growl. "We have to save her."

Touga released her wrist and moved his hand to her shoulder. "We will save her. We just have to make sure that the ones who are holding her won't know about our plans."

She shook her head. "I'm saving her, alone."

His father frowned at her statement. "You will not. We'll help you."

She then raised her gaze to meet his father's gaze. "All right. What's the plan?"

An hour later Sesshoumaru and Touga were in the living room discussing with Kagome and Inuyasha about their plan. Aurora had gone to her room to get prepared.

Inuyasha didn't like the plan. "Why we just don't do a surprise attack while she's distracting them? The whole sneak-the sealed-sister-away-while-Aurora-talks-with-the-bad-guys –plan is just so… dull."

Kagome punched his arm. "If you attack with Tessaiga you might end up destroying the statue. Sheesh, Inuyasha. I'm sure that there are brains under the furry ears, somewhere, so use them."

Inuyasha glared at her. "Keh! My plan is better. Besides, couldn't you protect the statue with your miko powers?"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha who seemed confused. "What?"

She grinned and rubbed one of his furry ears. "So you do have brains."

Then she turned to Touga. "I could do that."

Touga shook his head. "You're staying here. It's too dangerous out there."

She narrowed her eyes and Inuyasha gulped. He had seen her like this before, and it had never ended up well. "If you haven't forgotten, I have fought multiple youkai, as well as Naraku. I can take care of myself."

The older taiyoukai lifted one eyebrow. "So, you have never gotten into trouble, not even once, so that one of my sons would have had to come to your rescue?"

Kagome blushed. "So, I've gotten stronger since then. Besides, I'm not going there alone, now am I?"

Touga sighed. "The wedding planner is coming here in a couple of hours, and someone has to stay behind for the meeting. Only you and Aurora know what she wants for the wedding, but Aurora can't stay behind. Also, the planner is busy so the meeting has to be today, or else the next possibility would be too far in the future, leaving only little time to finalize the plans."

She exhaled heavily. "Fine, I'll stay behind." She got to her feet. "Actually, I think I'll go to Aurora, since there are still few things that I must check with her, about the wedding."

That said, she walked out of the living room, leaving the men on their own.

Before the men could break the silence caused by the surprise from Kagome agreeing to something she wanted to do so easily, it was broken by Kagome who ran back to the living room, looking very upset. "She's gone!"

The men got to their feet nearly simultaneously, and Sesshoumaru walked to her. "Calm down. Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Her room is empty and the window is open."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and was like that for a short moment. Then he opened them. "I can't sense her nearby. However, I've got a pretty good idea where she is. She is on her way to meet the ones who sent the message."

Sesshoumaru had been partially right. He had been wrong about her being on the way to meet the senders, for she was already at the location the meeting was supposed to take place. The small opening in the woods in front of a rock face and a cave in it was empty, though.

"Show yourselves, I'm here to make a deal for my sister."

For a moment, nothing happened, but then two men emerged from the cave. The taller of them spoke. "So, I see you got the message."

"Where's my sister?"

The man grinned. "You'll see her when you have agreed to do what we want you to do. And as soon as you have done what you have agreed to do, you'll get your sister back."

She growled. "I want to see her, now."

He shook his head. "Agreement first. And remember, if you kill us now, you'll never find her."

She let out another growl but decided to play with their rules, for now. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

He smiled. "See, that wasn't so hard." Smile vanished. "We want you to break a seal you once made."

She could feel her eyes widening. She shouldn't have known. "I will not release him."

He shrugged. "Then your sister dies."

She forced herself not to begin to transform, again. "All right. I'll break the seal. Now, where's my sister?"

The taller man waved his hand to the other man, who nodded and walked back into the cave, only to return a moment later, carrying a statue of a female youkai.

Aurora recognised the face of the youkai sealed in stone. It was her sister.

The recognition triggered something inside her, something that had been asleep for so long.

The two men never realized what happened as the centuries of worry and anger for her sister was suddenly released and she attacked the men, youkai actually, with her claws, slashing them.

Fury inside her wanted them to suffer as she had for all these years, and every time her claws sank in to the flesh and cut it the fury felt satisfaction. Still, a piece of her remembered the holy weapon, Moonflower, that was still in her care, in the safety of her room.

That part of her remembered that she wasn't a killer, nor she wanted to be one.

This realization allowed her to regain control, just as three men reached the clearing.

She turned to look at them, her future husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law, and saw the looks in their faces and eyes, and felt confused.

Sesshoumaru looked calm, but she saw it in his slightly widened eyes. He was horrified. Touga looked perfectly calm, if a bit grim, but Inuyasha's wide terrified eyes and paled face told her what the others must've felt, even if she couldn't understand why.

She noticed how Sesshoumaru's gaze went from her to her right hand side, and from there back to her, moving from the top of her head to her hand and legs, and finally returning to her eyes.

She raised her hand and felt nauseous as she saw that her claws were dripping blood, as was her hand.

She raised her other hand to her eyelevel and saw that the claws in that hand were also dripping blood, and that her hand and arm were covered with it, some of the blood already drying.

A glance at her clothes revealed that they were stained in blood, more red than the original pale blue and white.

She remembered the raising fury and turned her gaze at her right. The sight made her nearly lose the contents of her stomach. The places where the two men had been earlier were now looking like sites of cruel slaughter. On the place of the taller man there was a pool of blood, pieces of intestines, ripped off limbs, and a mass of flesh and bones that could have been the torso at one time. The head was missing, though.

On the place of the other man she noticed a bloody clump of flesh in the form of a human, a clump that had cuts all across the torso, so that the clothing that had been covering his chest was gone, or just couldn't be identified among the spilled guts and blood.

Amazingly, he was still alive, she could hear his heart beating.

She ran to him and kneeled beside him, feeling the tears that flowed from her eyes. She hadn't meant anything like this to happen. "I'm sorry this happened. I just-"

She couldn't say more when she felt strong hands lifting her from the ground and noticed Sesshoumaru passing her as the strong arms pulled her away from the dying man.

As she watched, she saw Sesshoumaru pulling Tenseiga from the sheath that he had been holding in his left hand. Then he glanced back at her before turning back at the man. After that he swung the sword horizontally across the air above the man on the ground.

At first nothing happened but then the body fell quiet and a transparent figure of the man emerged standing next to the corpse.

The ghost glanced at the corpse, before looking at Sesshoumaru. "Thank you for letting me to die in peace." Then he turned his gaze at Aurora. "I don't blame you for killing my brother, or for making my body look like that, so you shouldn't either."

Her words were only slightly more audible than whispers. "Why would you want to bring something so horrible back to this world?"

The ghost glanced at the remains of his brother before turning back to Aurora. "He said it was for the survival of the youkai."

Aurora bowed her head. "The time of youkai is gone, and the time of humans has begun. We can only adjust ourselves to the human world, or stay out of it completely."

The ghost of the youkai chuckled. "I know, and so did he. I think he was just hoping that we wouldn't die out entirely."

A silence fell until Aurora broke it as she realized that her sister was there too. She turned to look at the statue. "How do I break her seal?"

The other one shrugged. "Until recently I didn't even know that my brother had sealed her, and I don't know how he did it in the first place. I'm sorry about that. I really am." This said, he vanished into thin air.

Aurora swallowed hard. "Rest in peace, one of the last youkai. I'm sorry too that it went to this point."

Then she felt as she was turned around and she saw Touga's grim face. He was still holding her. "Aurora, we have to get you cleaned. Come, let's get you back to the mansion, so that you can get the blood off of you. And the clothes… I'm sure they can be saved, I know you like that shirt. And if they can't, well, we'll get you new ones. As for your sister, we'll take her with us.

So, after a long cleansing shower Aurora was in her bedroom, in clean clothes, and she was reading a book about seals, curses, spells, and other things like that, hoping to find a way to break the seal on her sister.

Every once in a while she glanced at the statue that stood by her door. "I'll free you, I promise. Just wait and see."