Inu Yasha: Shattered Memories, Vol. 17
The fractious and unresolved relationship between Kagome and Inu-Yasha recedes into the background as they and their companions confront Naraku's latest scheme. The demon-lord has taken control of Sango's younger brother Kohaku, and is using the young man as an assassin. But even Naraku's powers have limits: the kindness of Sango and Kagome touch Kohaku's still-human heart. Inu-Yasha's suavely sinister brother Sesshomaru visits a 2,000-year-old magnolia tree whose branches were used to make the sheathes for the enchanted swords Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. From the tree-spirit, Sesshomaru learns that Inu-Yasha's half-human/half-demon nature may eventually reduce him to a mindless killing machine. Sesshomaru wants to destroy Inu-Yasha almost as much as Naraku,  but Kagome's largely untapped powers and the awesome magic of the nearly restored Shikon Jewel remain the wild cards in their deadly game. (Unrated, suitable for ages 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery)--Charles Solomon