No Surrender: Tragic Swordsman, Yuukanmaru
Episode 5
Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kagura are flying along the route described for them by the nobleman. Kagome says, �Look Inuyasha, about this morning, you really need to start being nicer to Shippo.� �What�d I do?!?� he asks, genuinely perplexed. Kagome says, �You weren�t exactly kind when he asked if he could come.� Inuyasha says, �All I said was that, if he�d come, we�d�ve ended up fighting. We always do.� �Inuyasha,� Kagome says with frustration, �Do you have to have everything written out for you? He was still shaken from last night and he wanted to be with you.� �Me???� the half-demon asks. �Of course you.� Kagome says. �You�re the one he knows he can look to for protection. You�re always saving him and me. Not to mention that you were the one who avenged his father. If you�d give him half a chance he�d idolize you. But no, you have to keep acting like you�re his age. Every time you start to look really cool to him, you have to go and behave like a little kid.� Inuyasha looks away, ponderously. Kagome grabs his arm and says, �Kagura, stop!� After the feather lands, Kagome looks off into the distance and says, �There�s a sacred jewel shard up ahead.� Inuyasha sniffs the ground. �Hmm�� he says. �I smell a demon, but I also smell human. The thing is, it�s only one scent and it�s not a half-demon. Naraku�s in there too; probably the incarnation we been hearin about. Let�s go!� The three head off towards the crest of a small ridge. As they reach the top, they are confronted by a strange sight accompanied by a strange sound. A man in simple blue clothing is sitting in lotus on an old tree stump playing flute. He has noble features; although he is not classically handsome, per se. He is fully absorbed by his melody, a pleasant piece which seems well suited to the afternoon breeze. Beside him are two finely crafted samurai swords. Kagome takes a step forward, but Inuyasha extends his arm. Blocking her path. She says, �It can�t be him.� Inuyasha says, �Two swords and he ain�t human. He reeks of blood and Naraku. It�s him alright.� The piece finished, the man sets aside his flute and stands. Bowing, he says, �Mistress Kagura, Lady Kagome, and Lord Inuyasha I trust. I am Yuukanmaru and, as you have guessed, I serve Naraku. I bear no ill will toward any of you. However, by my master�s orders I must kill you all.� Reaching for his swords, he asks, �Shall we begin?�