Three-Sided Battle to the Death

This episode opens with scenes from the previous....Inuyasha is impaled on Onigumo's (Musou) branch-like arms. He breaks free only to be quickly grabbed by the throat. Again, Inuyasha tears Musou to shreds with his Kaze no Kizu but for how long? Not long...and Miroku notices that the spider symbol seems to hold some key to the monster's constant regeneration. Even Kagura watches from a distance wondering why this incarnation is different from the rest.

Miroku tells Inuyasha to aim his Kaze no Kizu at Musou's heart, and he does. Unfortunately, Kagura uses her wind to deflect Inuyasha's attack, but the power still rips Musou to shreds...again. This time Naraku's poisonous bees grab the piece holding Musou's heart and fly off making it obvious that Naraku still needs Onigumo for some reason. Inuyasha and Miroku go after them.

It's dark. Musou has regenerated and is cleansing himself by the riverside. That's when he is confronted by Naraku. Naraku wants him to come back so he can dispose of his ugly soul. Musou is angry with Naraku for killing Kikyo, but then he is told Kikyo is alive...somewhat. Musou tries to escape, but he is eventually caught. Inuyasha appears questioning the reason Naraku wants Onigumo back in his body so badly. The hanyou and Naraku begin to battle leaving the door open for Musou (Onigumo) to flee. Naraku instructs Kagura to go after him. Kagura gives chase, but suddenly, Musou turns around and heads back.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha is still battling Naraku, and Miroku joins him. They believe Naraku has become weaker without Onigumo. Just then, Naraku is pierced by none other than....Onigumo. Sadly, that just made it easier for Naraku to absorb the screaming man (monster?) who desperately wanted to see Kikyo once again.

"Since Onigumo is a part of you, are you still a 1/2 demon?" Miroku asks. After some bantering, Naraku admits there is a time when he is weaker, but he may chose when that is. He can separate from his body parts; then chose to retain the strongest, making him even more powerful. At this point, Miroku realizes that Kagura did not tell Naraku of Inuyasha's secret.

Inuyasha is pissed and attacks, but Naraku places a barrier around himself and Kagura. He has become stronger. In a billowing cloud of black smoke, he and Kagura depart. At the village where Kikyo is tending to injured men, she notices the ominous presence of Naraku.

That evening Kagome patches Inuyasha while Miroku laments of Naraku's strength. Is all hope lost of defeating this monster? No...Inuyasha confidently states that he will get stronger, too, and defeat Naraku once and for all. A minute later Kagome remembers she left her bag by the well. When she runs outside, Inuyasha follows. The young girl admires the stars. Not far off, Kikyo's soul catchers summon a vision of the two young people. "What is my soul wishing?" the priestess wonders.

Toutosai's Rigid Training

Inuyasha has left on Kirara to venture to Toutosai's. He is determined to get stronger and break Naraku's barrier. That same morning, Kagome returns home.

When Inuyasha doesn't pay complete attention, he misunderstands Toutosai's requirements for taking a bath as his means of training. A young mountain cat demon (Bunza) also approaches Toutosai for training to break a barrier. Now both are working hard. Unbeknownst to them, what they are doing is NOT training.

Poor Bunza becomes ill, and Inuyasha takes care of him. Eventually, Bunza opens up and explains why he needs to learn the technique. Seems a demon attacked his mountain home and created an impenetrable barrier. They escaped to the mountains where Bunza's father told everyone only Toutosai knows how to build a sword strong enough to break the barrier. Many did not believe him. That's when Bunza approached Toutosai. The young mountain cat wants his father to gain respect once more. Right about then, Bunza's cat friend arrives claiming the boy's father was in trouble. Bunza wants to fight alone, but Inuyasha joins him. They are like brothers, after all.

Bunza and Inuyasha arrive at the mountain and find the demon tricked Bunza's father into entering the barrier. Bunza and Inuyasha work together (mostly Inuyasha) breaking into the barrier and defeating the evil demon. Inuyasha boasts how his training has really made him stronger.

After saying his goodbyes and vowing to see one another again, Inuyasha returns to Toutosai. The hanyou becomes angry when he finds out he hasn't learned the technique and leaves hastily. Truth is, Toutosai really does know a technique to break Naraku's barrier, and he resolves to teach Inuyasha, but now somehow has to tell the stubborn hanyou.

Inuyasha finally returns to the others. He fights with Shippo over the goodies Kagome brought back from the real world. Kagome orders him to "SIT". As a nice gesture little Shippo offers to share.

NOTE: A really cute episode showing a child's determination to save his father.

Shiori's Family and Inuyasha's Feelings

A beautiful child is escorted to a vicious looking demon, but why?

Deep in the woods, Kagome and the others are playing cards. All except for Inuyasha who continues to pout and worry about his inability to break Naraku's barrier. Myoga arrives in his usual blood-sucking fashion and tells Inuyasha that he must immediately go to the 100 bat beasts nest. It is a nest protected by a very strong barrier in a town to the West. Inuyasha must kill the demon that formed and protects that barrier, then let the tetsusaiga absorb the blood of that demon. Afterwards the tetsusaiga will get stronger by absorbing that demon's power. This cheers Inuyasha up saying he'll kill 1000 demons if it makes the Tetsusaiga stronger. So they venture to the West on a shape shifting Hatchi.

Near the bat beasts nest, a woman is about to be brutally beaten to death until Inuyasha intervenes. She takes Inuyasha and crew back to her home and explains the villager's anger. The woman is the mother of the hanyou child, Shiori. Seems the bat beasts were always attacking the village, sucking a human's blood for food. Shiori's father, Tsukuyomaru, didn't kill people, and he convinced his demons not to attack the village after Shiori was born. The village was peaceful until Tsukuyomaru died. Shiori's Grandfather (Taibokumaru) said that if we gave Shiori over to them, they won't attack the village. Shiori was needed to protect their nest barrier. Shiori's mother agreed to turn the child over mostly because the young hanyou was treated cruelly by the other villagers. Unfortunately, Taibokumaru did not keep his promise.

Shiori's mother leads Inuyasha to a secluded cave surrounded by water. (On the way, Inuyasha recalls days of his youth.) As they approach the cave, Shiori sees her mother and happily calls out to her. This arouses Taibokumaru. The old geezer refuses to stop the attacks and has no intention of returning Shiori. Inuyasha tries to use force with his Kaze no Kizu, but the old demon is protected by the barrier. When Taibokumaru retaliates with his own attack and hurts Shiori's mother, the child begs for them to stop. (Sad, melodious music echoes in the background.) Sadly, a tearful Shiori cries, "I promise to fulfill my job. Please don't hurt my mother!" That's when Taibokumaru, refuses to send her back knowing how the villagers treated the child. She was despised as a half demon.

That evening, Shiori's mother admits defeat. She knows the child may be better off with her grandfather. However, back at the cave, Taibokumaru sees his granddaughter crying and fears the day she will want to return to the village. To prevent that, he resolves to destroy the village including Shiori's mother (nice guy, huh?).

Later that evening, Inuyasha sits on a cliff overlooking the sea. He recalls his painful past as a rejected hanyou and wonders what to do. Kagome sits beside him reminding Inuyasha of the friends he has now. They are interrupted by the evil cackles of the bat beast's pack heading straight for the village. Oh no...can the villagers be saved???

The Red Tetsusaiga Breaks the Barrier

Taibokumaru sends the bat beasts to attack the village. Inuyasha and the others go into action in an effort to save lives. Shiori, held by her demon grandfather, sees her village under attack. Unfortunately, Taibokumaru demands that she continue to protect him with her barrier or her mother won't be spared. The villagers beg for Inuyasha's help, but they are not very willing to take Shiori back. Inuyasha asks the child if she wants to come home or not. Inuyasha tries to attack Taibokumaru, but the barrier is still too strong. Suddenly, the elder demon unleashes a crushing attack killing many of the villagers. He then instructs the rest of the bat demons to destroy everything.

Shiori's mother begs Taibokumaru to leave the village alone just as his son did. That's when the old demon admitted his son was weak because he fell in love with a human. Seems when Tsukuyomaru threatened to leave the tribe, his own father had him killed. Shiori is shocked when she hears this. Inuyasha's hatred toward the old demon intensifies, but he knows if he is able to break through the barrier, Shiori may be killed. Taibokumaru gloats and taunts Inuyasha. When the old demon uses another attack, Inuyasha counters with his Bakuryuha. Hopefully, the attack will find an opening in the barrier and destroy Taibokumaru. Unfortunately, the barrier holds. Suddenly, Shiori illuminates in anger and throws her grandfather out of the barrier as revenge for her father. The old geezer can't believe the power this child has.

Since she is no longer held, the child plummets towards the Earth. Her mother runs to catch her. Even though Shiori is a half-demon, Taibokumaru won't let a human have her. He attacks the woman. Inuyasha counters again, and it appears that he has finally destroyed the old bat demon.

When he gathers the others to leave admitting he cannot kill a small child, Shiori asks Inuyasha to slice into the red spherical orb that she is carrying. Shiori was given the orb and told it helps the protector create an even more powerful barrier. Also, it holds the power of Shiori's grandfather as well as her father.

Before Inuyasha can strike the orb, it glows...sending out an evil aura. The pink ghostly figure of Taibokumaru emerges from it. He attempts to destroy Shiori and her mother, but a barrier deflects his attack. It appears this may have been the work of Shiori's father. The deflection weakened Taibokumaru, and Inuyasha destroys him for good. The red orb splits confirming the end. Just afterwards, the tetsusaiga glows and turns red...it has absorbed the power within the orb.

Inuyasha and friends leave the village atop of Hatchi. They know that Shiori will continue to have hardships, but hopefully, she will gain strength from them.

The Plot of the Panther Devas

Sesshomaru and company peer from the edge of a cliff. This is the spot where the huge demon, Ryukotsusei, was sealed, Jaken says. Jaken can't believe Inuyasha defeated this demon.

Deep in the dark forest, Koga and his pack notice a group of cat demons who seems to be in a big hurry. Even he admits they are too dangerous to worry about.

The next morning, Inuyasha grows tired of waiting for Kagome to return so he goes through the well to fetch her. He waits with Grandpa until she returns from school. When Kagome gets home, she is surprised to see the young dog demon. Inuyasha wants to rush back...that is, until Kagome's mother invites him to stay for a steak dinner.

In the Feudal Era, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo are talking when Hatchi appears begging for help. He tells Miroku that he must hide in the village, because the cat demons from the West are after the Shikon shards. Just then a female human-cat-like demon approaches them looking for a young priestess. Could she mean Kagome? The girl says she is from Hyounekozoku's Tribe. When asked what she wanted, the cat demon evilly chants the Shikon Shards...then snaps her fingers calling members of her tribe to attack. Miroku, Sango, and Lady Kaede fight them off until they leave vowing to return. Miroku and the others are grateful that Kagome is in her world.

In the real world, Inuyasha is roughly playing with Kagome's cat Buyo. The poor thing becomes angry and scratches Inuyasha. Gramps warns him of a cat's revenge, but Inuyasha doesn't care about that. He cockily picks up the cat, holding it upside down. Kagome sees this and yells, "SIT!" Then announces that it's time for dinner.

Back in the Feudal Era, the cat demons are gathering forces. It appears there are four siblings...three female feline demons and one large muscular male. The leader sends the three back to the village while she (Kouran) goes to find Sesshomaru.

By a lovely riverside, Rin and Jaken are catching fish. Sesshomaru senses something and walks down river. He notices the water is turning to ice recognizing this as the work of Kouran. The woman faces Sesshomaru telling him to come to their castle...their father has revived, and they wish to seek revenge. Sesshomaru instructs Rin to stay behind as he goes to face the Hyounekozoku (leader of the cat tribe).

Meanwhile, back by the well, Inuyasha and Kagome have returned. They listen intently as Hatchi tells them of the battle with the cat people that occurred 50 years ago. Inuyasha can't remember anything about it so it must have happened while he was sealed to the sacred tree. As they are talking, the young cat-girl and her muscular brother (Shuuran) approach. They ask if he is Inuyasha, the younger brother of Sesshomaru. Confirming this....they begin to attack. While Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango are fighting, Shun uses her power to put Kagome and Kirara to sleep. Then Shuuran unleashes an overwhelmingly powerful attack and grabs the unconscious Kagome. They tell Inuyasha to come to their castle to get her back and vanish. Inuyasha gives chase with Miroku and Sango following close behind.

At the same time Sesshomaru is venturing towards the castle when he passes Louyakan. The demon wants to fight by Sesshomaru's side, but his help is refused. Sesshomaru claims Jaken is the only friend he needs.

A distance away, Kagome is demanding the cat demons let her go! All four have come together with Kouran telling Kagome that they plan to kill Inuyasha. A moment later, Koga's voice echoes down from the cliffs above. "I've come to save you," he shouts. He is greeted with a flame attack that acts as a diversion while the main cat demons escape. Koga is left to fight with other members of the tribe, and is joined by Inuyasha a short time later. Both are chasing the cat-people when they come to a huge wall. Curiously, all of the cat scents as well as Kagome's have vanished. Koga says it's just like Naraku's barrier. Inuyasha pulls out the tetsusaiga surprising Koga when it turns red in color. The dog demon charges at the barrier....

Will the tetsusaiga's new strength break through this barrier? Just what happened 50 years ago that involves Sesshomaru? Don't miss the next episode to find out!