Those damned Imps! Setsuko couldn't get her mind off of their failure the previous day. They were supposed to go after Brent, and yet they tried attacking all of his friends at the same time! Thanks to their inability to follow simple instruction that foul human was lost to the current of the river. On top of that, the Half-Demon with the massive sword chased after her. She had fortunately already covered her scent so escaping was relatively easy. Being back to square one however was maddening. All trace of Brent was lost; there was no telling how far the river had taken him or even which direction.

            Every last one of the Imps was slain by her. Either they met her fangs or were crushed by her grip. Pitiful, pathetic little things. She never should have considered using them, and she won't in the future.

            It was after those worthless vermin were gone that she noticed a strange buzzing sound nearby...When she looked up she could see several large insects above. Why did she feel like they were watching her? Never did they close in...They hovered above her out of her reach. No matter. If they didn't plan on attacking then there was no need to exert energy to kill them. The little beasts looked poisonous anyway. The important thing right now was to try and pick up the trail to find that damned human. Of course, she would have to try and concoct a new scheme to get him alone...

            Having found her way back to the river Setsuko decided to take the left fork; which was in fact the wrong way. Once she'd chosen her path she noticed something...it had grown quiet aside from the raging river below. Setsuko looked to the sky...the bees were gone...This was a relief to her; she had been growing weary of hearing that incessant buzzing. For the rest of the day she followed the river's path and found no sign of anything. The Lizard Demon cursed her luck, as well as those meddling friends of Brent's. The decision to search the entire night had crossed her mind, but she knew this would on drain her of energy. It was difficult, but she managed to fall asleep. Setsuko's dreams were filled with wonderful images...at least for a Demon. She saw herself killing her Brother's murderer in many different ways. Choking him to death with her tongue, ripping his throat out with her fangs, tearing his still beating heart out of his chest and eating it in front of him. His blood...she swore the taste in her mouth was real...and it was more delicious than any other human's she'd had the pleasure to taste. Oh how she wished she could perform these executions and see the life in his eyes fade away!

Two things awoke the Lizard Demon the following morning. The first was the sudden ray of sunlight that had found its way to her closed eyes after a gust of wind moved the foliage of the tree she had been sleeping in. The second was the sound of the buzzing. The same buzzing that came from those insects she saw yesterday. Only this time the sound was far more prominent...

Not long after noticing her stalkers had returned, and she had leapt down the ground, there was a great gust of wind that caused her ponytail to wave crazily. Setsuko shielded her eyes as bits of the earth were kicked up and blown around. When the gusts finally subsided, and she brought her arms down, a woman stood before her. It was clear this stranger was a Demon.

            Red eyes, as bright as rubies, stared her down. In her right hand she held a hand-fan. She was adorned in a white and purple kimono. The woman's hair was put into a short tail in the back and had a couple feathers protruding from the band.

            "Are you the Lizard Demon Setsuko?" The woman asked.

            "Yes. What do you want?" Setsuko maintained her distance as she eyed the woman warily.

            "I have been sent to bring you a proposition."

            "And who is it that sent you?"

            "You need not worry yourself with that. I merely am-"

            "I don't intend to make a deal with anyone unless I know who is at the source of it!" Setsuko wasn't ready to put any trust into her.

            "You are after a human are you not? My Master can lead you to him, and his proposition will only aid you in your hunt."

            How did this Demon know that she was after a human? What could possibly have landed this opportunity for aid from an unknown individual? This was almost too good to be true...

            "Take me to your Master. I will not accept this proposal otherwise! And before we go any further...what is your name?"

            "I am Kagura the Wind Sorceress. And if you insist on meeting my Master then I suppose I have no choice." Kagura wore a look of disdain as she picked a feather from her hair.

            The feather grows in size to that of a canoe. Stepping into it gently, Kagura kneels and takes her seat as she looks up at Setsuko.

            "Climb on."

            If this were true then Setsuko would be thankful for the tremendous luck that had fallen upon her. Though if things were to turn sour she always had her methods of escape; she felt confident in her abilities. The decision was made; Setsuko walked over to the canoe-sized feather and took a seat. Kagura waves her paper fan and a gust of wind lifts them into the air effortlessly. They soared high into the sky with the wind carrying them gently. The Lizard Demon had never been this far up before; not even on a mountain. She could see both paths of the river. They separated a great distance, and Setsuko was relieved at the thought of being shown the way to find Brent by her unknown aid.

            For the duration of the flight neither Kagura nor Setsuko spoke a word. The only sound to reach their ears were the gentle gusts of wind going by, and the horde of large insects following them. The Lizard Demon's heart was racing as she flew through the air. She wanted this to work after admitting to herself she had no idea how to track Brent down. It had taken a lot of willpower to be smarter with her decision and not accept whatever this deal was on the spot. Any time you were going to make a deal you had to know who you are dealing with.

            The trip appeared to move faster than Setsuko anticipated as she realized the feather was slowly descending back to the earth below. They were landing in some mountain range...Setsuko had never been this far before. Now completely oblivious as to where they were she had no choice but to follow this Kagura. Had the right choice been made? She would find out soon enough.

            The feather gently landed near an opening that leads deep into the mountains. After stepping of the feather it changed back to its smaller size in a puff of smoke. Kagura grabbed it out of the air and placed it back into her hair.

            "Follow me." The Wind Sorceress never bothered to look back as she entered the cave.

            The large bees remained outside as Setsuko followed the woman. Finally, she wouldn't have to endure that endless buzzing again. The tunnel became darker as they walked along as the sunlight behind them grew farther away. It didn't seem like they had walked for that long, but Kagura had stopped and was bowing her head. The tunnel had opened into a larger room; so dark it was that Setsuko couldn't tell how large it was.

            "I have brought the Lizard Demon. She demanded to speak with you." Kagura said as she looked up.

            "I see. Very well. Was Kagura able to tell you of my proposition Setsuko?" That voice...it was utterly menacing...cold and commanding...

            "No. I had wished to hear it directly from the person who is claiming to be able to aid me. Who are you? Show yourself!" Setsuko was determined to look strong in front of whoever was speaking even if she couldn't see them.

            "I will not show myself to you. My body is currently healing from a battle I have suffered in. Though, I will give you my name. I am Naraku."

            "Well Naraku, before we take this further...How did you know my name and who I am after?" Setsuko asked rather indignantly.

            "Ah yes. I suppose it is unnerving that I know such information. Those insects you saw earlier are Saimyosho. They follow my command and act as my eyes and ears when I need them to. But now you wonder, ‘Why were they watching me?' It seems you have met the very people who have put me into the current that I am in. Among those people is the one the human you so desperately wish to kill. He was seen just last night as some of my minions tried to capture someone that I am after. This is why you now stand before me. Our prey is together now in a single group, and to that end I seek to make a deal with you. What say you?"

            Setsuko stood there quietly for a moment as she thought. Things were making sense. It was Brent's friends that had done such damage to Naraku. To barely survive simply as she was escaping after her first attempt to kill the human she couldn't imagine what it would be like to try and fight them all head-on; especially with that Half-Demon wielding such a mighty sword.

            "What is it you are proposing?" The Lizard Demon looked quizzical.

            "I am an amalgamation of many Demons. They create my body and give me my abilities. I will offer to you their aid in fighting Inuyasha and his friends while you are able to kill that human. With any luck you will be able to rid me of them as well."

            "Is Inuyasha the Half-Demon?"

            "Yes. Beware his Tetsaiga. It has the power to kill 100 Demons in a single stroke. His allies are not to be underestimated either. The Monk Miroku has a Wind Tunnel in his hand that will devour anything in front of it, never to be seen again. Sango is a Demonslayer with many weapons at her disposal. And Kagome is the young woman who can fire Sacred Arrows."

            "Yes. I have met her power before. My arm was destroyed, but as you can see..." Setsuko held up the arm that had grown back with a smile.

            "There is one more thing you should know. The human you wish to kill, Brent, has acquired some new power of his own. If what my Saimyosho tell me is true, then he is as strong as Kagome. He has a weapon now that can produce a similar effect to her arrows, yet he is able to shoot much faster than she can."

             "I'm not going to let that stop me. He killed my older brother and will pay with his own life!" The Lizard Demon clenched her fists in anger.

            "Then it is settled. Kagura will take you to where they are. The Demon I have chosen to help you will be following. Should you need further assistance my Saimyosho will come to me. There is little I can do myself with my destroyed body."

            "Thank you Naraku. Hopefully, this will be finished before the end of the day." Setsuko grinned maliciously.

            "Go now, and destroy Inuyasha and his friends. Kagura show our friend the way."

            "Yes Naraku." Kagura said with a hint of disdain.

            The two women walked out of the cave and back into the nearly blinding sunlight. Saimyosho still hung in the air; their buzzing still obnoxiously loud.

            "We will only need a few of you. The rest may leave." Kagura commanded to the large swarm.

            Again she removed a feather from her hair and made the flying feather as she had earlier. The moment they were both on the feather they soared into the air for the second time that day. This time however, Setsuko was smiling. Anxiousness swelled inside her as her goal now grew closer with each passing second. This Demon would help her get Brent all to herself, and he would die by her hand. Setsuko's brother had a taste of his blood before he was killed, and she had heard him growl in pleasure from the taste. Soon, it would be her turn to taste his blood.