It was late morning when Akiko came to and surprisingly the lord was still sleeping in her lap. Hand touching the forehead she sighed in content as the door opened. "Good morning," Aisu greeted. "How is he?"

"His fever's gone for the most part," Akiko said. "I'll need to monitor it though just to be sure. He'll live."

"That is good to hear." A maid then entered the room with a tray of food for the human to eat. The servant didn't stick around though, quickly leaving.

"Has there been any news...?"

The young woman didn't have to continue, the wolf already understanding what she was hinting at. "No, but that causes me to worry."

"Why?" The less of Naraku's movements, the better.

"Because that means no one knows what he's planning. He's been too quiet, but in the last few hours since you being here things have been growing restless outside. Demons are aware of your presence and I would not doubt he will soon be aware as well."

The young woman's fingertips lightly touched the dog demon's temples once more focusing a small concentration of ice to sooth the fever further. "Aisu, why is it that demons are more aware of my presence than others? Not all of them have this effect on each other, right?"

"You are a very strong entity and hold a great amount of untapped power that will continue to show itself the more you train. They sense that in you, which is why they are so aware. It's unavoidable. Much like the lords and ladies from other lands as you've probably noticed from the gathering. The power of authority, strength, and presence. All higher-class demons have this power over the lesser ones. It can't be helped, which is why demons such as Lord Sesshomaru are feared and they stay away from. You can be classified in the same category as them."

"I didn't know..."

Aisu smiled. "I know. But that is why you cannot hide your return."

"Will you send me away again?"

"No," she answered truthfully. "We can no longer delay. The northern household must be uncovered in order for you to truly ascend to power before Naraku claims it as his own."

"Why hasn't it been before? Don't you know where it is?"

"Unfortunately an enchantment has been placed over the household that only my successor can break. And its location has also been wiped from my memories for that reason. No one in the pack remembers either for that matter. Those that fought against me did not wish for it to be found again and they took every measure to be sure of that. We've been searching for it since news of your reincarnation surfaced and have a few areas in the land we believe it to be. But we need you to help perform a thorough search."

"When do we leave?"

"As soon as we know what Naraku is planning so not to be taken off guard or fall into a trap. We cannot leave ourselves open to threats while on the road."

Sesshomaru slept the entire day as Akiko made her way throughout the grounds, even changing into more traditional clothing before finding Rin and assuring her that everything would be all right. Taking care of the girl well into the evening she put her in bed before making her way back to the lord's room with Tobi at her side. Aisu's third in command, Kou, sat outside the door, head picking up at her approach. Jaken was beside him, slumped against the wall with eyes closed finally resting, though he remained faithful as ever to not leave the door unguarded. "How long has he been asleep for?" Akiko whispered quietly.

"A few hours," Kou answered lowly.

"Let him sleep longer, he deserves it."

Sesshomaru was still sleeping in his bed when Akiko went to check on him. The fever had not progressed since last seeing him, yet still took a wet cloth from the basin beside them, cooling it further with frost and placing it on the forehead. There was a bench in the room that the young woman felt her way towards, taking a floor cushion and using it as a pillow before closing her eyes. She listened to Tobi pace for a moment before lying down beside her, sighing heavily to show he was relaxing and giving a small smile at the action Akiko fell asleep.

It was warm when she woke next realizing that the bench was no longer underneath her. Shifting, there was padding, hand reaching out to feel the comfortable surface. "He moved you early this morning," Tobi's voice came from the side of the bed. His nose stretched out into Akiko's palm.

"Sesshomaru's awake?" the young woman questioned.

"And walking around. Aisu and him are discussing downstairs."

Pushing the thought from her mind that she was actually sleeping in the demon's own bed she attempted to smooth out her bed head with her fingers as Tobi guided them from the room. Kou and Jaken were no longer present, which didn't surprise Akiko as they made their way down the steps. Though they didn't get far when Tobi paused, a low growl resonating from his chest, while his head turned to stare at the window they were passing.

"What is it?" Akiko questioned, completely on edge. She felt it as well. A dark, and unwelcoming presence was hanging in the air. It came crashing through the wooden frame, so large and with such violence it made it splinter as a rabid snarl escaped the half-demon's mouth, attacking. The force of the entrance had Akiko's back slamming up against the wall in alarm, arms shooting forward to create a barrier of ice as a demon's claws scrapped harshly against the surface, pushing her further back. The space was too small though, the young woman feeling them become overrun with such minimal space to move about. Tobi could not release his demonic state for fear of crushing his mster, as his teeth ripped into the demons that continued to attempt to crawl their way inside as blood pooled at their feet, the stench burning his nose. But he would not allow that to be a distraction, teeth piercing the hide of a lizard demon.

Akiko yelped, only barely ducking when a demon's hand penetrated the area her head once was causing her to crash to the floor. The sword appeared in hand, slicing off the lower arm causing the enemy to howl and fall back out the way he came. "Akiko!" Aisu's voice called over the chaos. She wasn't alone as the howling of wolves echoed in the air as the pack converge on the destroyed section of the manor.

"Enough," a boar demon bellowed, further destroying the wooden wall as he climbed inside. Tobi's eyes landed on the item in his hand, eyes widening and whirling in his human's direction.

"Akiko!" he shouted. Tossing an enemy out of his way he lunged as the item was thrown at the ground. "Don't breathe-!"

It exploded causing a thick smoke to fill the staircase as those still alive screeched and quickly removed themselves from the vicinity, Akiko feeling the rush of the contents warm her skin in an uncomfortable way. Tobi was pressed into her side, giving a sharp yelp unable to block off his sense as it burned the nostrils. His teeth bit into the fabric around Akiko's shoulder tugging the young woman from the danger to find cleaner air as his vision began to falter, tripping over his paws as well.

"Stay back!" came Jaken's voice from the bottom of the staircase. "It'll render you unconscious in minutes!"

"We need to assist them, now!" Aisu stated.

But from the smoke the boar continued on, unaffected by the contents and gripped ahold of Akiko's leg giving it a quick and painful jerk. She cried out from the strain, breathing in the poisoned air and causing her to cough roughly. Her senses were beginning to fail her trying to get out of his grasp as Tobi continued to tug, her hands clutching at his coat in desperation. But he was struggling, blinking to relieve his sight, and feeling his strength beginning to wane. "Let go, pup," the boar ordered. "This one is mine."

Tobi snarled aggressively, paws sliding against the ground as his nails dug in to try and stop himself from slipping. And to Akiko's horror she could feel her limbs begin to loosen and not because she wanted to. She was growing tired, muscles beginning to relax and loose her grip. "Tobi," the young woman spoke desperately. A low whine escaped him, staring at his human's terrified expression feeling the clothing between his teeth beginning to tear. "Tobi, I can't hold on." Her fingers were turning numb. And with a final jerk the young woman went flying through the air as the section of the top tore away. The force had the half-demon falling forward, flipping over in a desperate attempt to grab hold of her once more. Though his legs gave out as the animal's body collapsed on the stairs watching Akiko's last struggles of turning the demon into ice when she was hit in the back of the head and rendered unconscious.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin shouted. The child came running to their side dragging his weapons behind her that had been in the armory being repaired. Removing his Tokijin from its sheath, the dog demon released a powerful gust of wind that cleared the foul air revealing Tobi's form as the former queen rushed to his side. He was only barely holding on to consciousness.

"Akiko," he grunted out.

"We know. We'll find her." But the animal felt terrible that he had allowed her to escape his grasp, head falling back to the ground as the rest of the pack gathered around. "Do you know where they went?" He groaned lowly in answer.

"This is the work of many demons who do not agree on much," Sesshomaru stated. His foot kicked away a corpse in his way, staring out over the grounds. "They would only have one thing in common to gain something from capturing your successor."

"Naraku," Aisu snarled.

"That coward! Using other lowly demons to do his dirty work for him!" Jaken squawked.

"It's not the first time," the wolf said. "Which means, he could still be injured and not strong enough to come here himself. Otherwise we would have sensed his presence outside the grounds."

Rin came up beside the beta, taking the piece of cloth in his teeth away and holding it gently in her hands. She recognized it as a part of Akiko's clothing. He gave a low whine before the child began stroking his fur to try and comfort him. "Kou, Sho, look after Tobi, Rin, and this household," Aisu ordered. "The rest of you, we hunt down that boar and Naraku. We may still have time. If Naraku is weak he may prolong killing Akiko because he'd want her to suffer by his hand."

The girl glanced up at Sesshomaru standing beside her, holding up the cloth in order for him to grasp. It smelled of the half-demon, but Akiko as well, hooking his weapons into place beside the armor. They had to move quickly. There was no telling what the enemy would do, the wolves fearing for her life. He had not succeeded the last time she was here... but that could quickly change in an instant.