Time Traveler Katsumi

Anger

"—chan," Kagome's voice said. "—chan." Katsumi retrieved her scrying mirror from her bag.

"Yes?" Katsumi said, flipping it open.

"Katsumi-chan. I just thought you should know... Naraku has a new incarnation. His name is Byakuya. He manipulated some youkais into fighting us." Sesshoumaru glanced in her direction.

"Byakuya?" Katsumi asked.

"He looks young and his dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail," Kagome said.

"Okay, so he's a young youkai with a ponytail who smells like Naraku," Katsumi said. "Got it. Thanks, Kagome-chan. Bye-bye."

"Bye-bye," Kagome said. Katsumi closed the mirror. "Heard that?" she asked Sesshoumaru.

"..." Sesshoumaru started walking again. 'A new incarnation... huh?'

They were walking past a lake, when Rin noticed something.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what's that?" Rin asked, looking down into the water. "Huge bones." Sesshoumaru stopped and they all looked into the water. She was right, there was the skeleton of a huge turtle-like youkai in the lake.

"Oh—this is..." Jaken said.

"What is it?" Katsumi asked.

"It's a meioujuu," Sesshoumaru said.

"Meioujuu? What a huge shell," Rin said.

"It certainly is," Jaken agreed. "At any rate, the shell of the meioujuu is said to be one of the hardest of all youkais." 'Oh, I'll just casually flatter him,' Jaken thought, glancing at Sesshoumaru. "In the entire world, the one to have the power to cut this meioujuu's shell, would be someone like Sesshoumaru-sama, wouldn't it?"

"Uh, Jaken, there's a piece missing from the shell," Katsumi said.

"She's right," Rin said.

"Eh?" Jaken said, taking a closer look. Sure enough, there was a gap where part of the shell was missing.

"Do you think someone did this?" Rin asked.

"It doesn't look like it was an accident," Katsumi said. It was removed too neatly.

"... How should I know," Jaken said.

"There are traces of burns from paper charms," Sesshoumaru said. "Likely, this was done by a human priest." He started walking again. Rin climbed back onto Ah-Un.

"... I bet so," Rin said. "Sesshoumaru-sama sure knows a lot about everything doesn't he."

"Oh, shush," Jaken said. "You're just flattering him."

"Unlike you?" Katsumi said. They didn't see or smell the small piece of flesh swimming through the water towards the skeleton. It swam into the mouth of the skull. Flesh began to form over the skeleton again. The meioujuu opened its eyes. It raised itself up out of the water.

"Damn you, human... How dare you take my armored shell..." the meioujuu said.

Inuyasha stood on the grounds of a castle, staring up at the sky.

"It'll be here soon," he said.

"The meioujuu?" Shippo asked.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said. "The damned stench is getting closer."

Meanwhile, the others were inside.

"Houshi-dono... Just as you've asked, the salt and water have been prepared..." one of the castle's attendants said. Miroku used a branch with leaves on it to sprinkle the water on the salt. "That will..."