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Chapter One

The grove in which the group of friends had gathered in for the night was a tangle of blue and black shadows. As Kagome finished the fire ring with the rocks Shippou had gathered she heard two people coming towards her from the forest, looking up she saw the two forms of Inu Yasha and Miroku caring firewood. Above the tree tops Sango and Kirara were watching for an enemy attack.

Kagome smiled at the two men as they unloaded the firewood before her. Taking and arranging each log and stick to make a teepee the young miko hummed to herself a little tune from her own era. When she was satisfied with the little pyramid of wood she started to rummage through her bag, after a second she successfully pulled out a book of matches.

Just before a match could be taken out of the little package, a yell from Sango signaled trouble. Immediately the group went into battle mode. Inu Yasha and Miroku started to run in the direction they last heard Sango. Kagome jumped up from her seated position. Quickly she grabbed her bow and Shippou, but before she could take a step to catch up with the others a monstrous paw smacked into her side. Completely destroying her bow, knocking the air out of her lungs and Shippou out of her grasp, Kagome tried to move only to realize she couldn't even twitch her figures.

What seemed to be a huge disformed bear towered above the miko and smirked. The bear youkai grabbed the girl that lay before it by the throat, picking her up a few feet above the ground it raised its other clawed hand above its head. Letting out a bone curdling roar the demon brought down its arm and pierced the miko as though a she a needle and it, the thread. Kagome's eyes widened as the giant clawed hand pushed its way through her torso, to pain was so excruciating that she couldn't even scream in agony. The young miko was just able to see the cruel smile on the demons lips before everything when dark and the pain finally receded.

Inu Yasha and Miroku turned at the sound of the roar behind them. They watched just in time to see a mighty demon whip its arm out from their friend's body and through it down to the ground. Before what was left of Kagome hit the ground Inu Yasha let out a battle cry, withdrew the Tetsaiga, and charged.

Cold fury raged within him, 'HOW DARE THAT CREATURE TOUCH HER?!' Silver hair billowed behind him as demon speed carried him his loves murderer. Drawing his sword, vengeance was repaid before the demon could even sense his presence.

Inu Yasha stopped dead in his tracks as a blur of white slid past the demon, a moment later, the top half of the demon slid to the ground. A white figure stood with his back facing away from the hanyou, staring at his handy work. A new found rage filled Inu Yasha as he watched his brother turn and look down at his lifeless friend.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl at his feet, rage consumed his entire body. Dirt and blood covered her smooth skin and delicate body. The hole that went right through her flesh leaked and spewed blood so that the scent was enough to make a human, let alone a youkai, want to vomit. Concentrating, little purple and blue gremlins started to appear, surrounding her body. Glaring at the little filthy creatures of death, slowly his hand slid the Toukijin back in his obi, next to the Tenseiga. Sliding his hand from one hilt to the other, the taiyoukai of the western lands unsheathed his own inherited sword.

When Inu Yasha had stopped Miroku had kept going. Within minutes Miroku was able to reach the spot where he could see Sango and Kirara where fighting what appeared to be a large weasel youkai.

The hanyou in red watched as his hated half-brother brought his sword up to shoulder length. Realizing what he was planning to do only made Inu Yasha twice as furious, even if she did manage to survive that onslaught by the bear, he was going to kill her! Once more he let his feet carry him to where his friend lay. Sesshoumaru brought down the sword down and across the young girl's body before the younger brother could even get a quarter of the way there.

"Kagome!" her friend called as he watched his brother ruthlessly defile her body. Suddenly, he couldn't go on, suddenly his feet stopped moving, but his momentum kept him going. Inu Yasha fell to the ground, the Tetsaiga flew to the side and transformed into the rusty blade it appeared inactive. The hanyou barely manage to catch himself as he landed hard on his hands and knees, digging his claws into the earth, he watched as his tears fell from his eyes and absorbed into the dark soil. "Kagome..." he whispered once more.

Slowly the young miko's eyes refocused. At first, she could only see white and black, but as everything came into focus she could see that the white was someone kneeling over her. Kagome could feel her wet clothes clinging to her, and her hands lay in a puddle of some liquid. Trying to concentrate on the figure above her, she could feel the persons hand gently stroke her cheek. With ever second passing everything became clearer and clearer. Before she new it, the young girl was looking into the face of Sesshoumaru. Staring up at him without moving, everything in Kagome's mind told her to get the hell out of there, yet, strangely, her body refused to do so. Instead, she snapped up and through her arms around the man at her side.

Sango and Miroku finished off the demon with ease. As they walked back the silent clearing the scene before them stunned them. The red form of Inu Yasha was on his hands and knees a few hundred yards from a massive corpse, a few feet from that, the small body of an unconscious Shippou, yet, the thing that truly caught their eyes was fact that they could see the white and green uniform of Kagome, smeared with blood and dirt wrapped around a white form that looked entirely to much like Inu Yasha. The pair stopped in pure shock. The cat youkai continued on to the little kitsune.

Looking up in just in time to see the woman he loved wrap her arms around his most hated family member, Inu Yasha was filled with loss and betrayal, but resentment when he saw his brother do the same to her. Looking back down to the tear stained dirt was all he could stand to do now, now nothing else was enough to make him move.

The great lord of the Western Lands was being covered with blood and filth that would undoubtedly stain his elegant white clothing. Yet, this is right were he wanted to be, and nothing could move him from this spot without it losing its life. Content, and almost actually happy, Sesshoumaru finally held the woman he had fallen in love with in his arms. He had been driven to find them by his feelings for her, and he had just caught up with them when the bear youkai attacked. Being all more than glad to kill Kagome's murderer, he had sliced through him like warm butter. Not knowing her reaction to him being her savior, he could only slay the slaves of death and keep them from her just a little longer.

She didn't know why, but she knew he wasn't here to hurt her or the others. She didn't know why she felt safe in his presence, and she really didn't know why she felt the need to suddenly become so physically close to someone who had tried to kill her countless times. The truly surprising part was when his own arms encircled her. Kagome couldn't imagine why, but being there, in the arms of Sesshoumaru, evil, vial, murderous, Sesshoumaru, just being there felt... right...

The closeness wasn't enough for him, she was his now, he claimed her them moment he had brought her back to life. He pulled away gently and felt her try to draw closer, but he managed to find her lips with his own, and that is when she let the slight distance stand where it was.

Sango and Miroku watched the scene unfurl before them. Each of them awestruck, they focused their vision on their white headed friend before them, and without saying a word they walked the short distance to him. Kirara met them at the distraught hanyou with Shippou laid out across her back. Sango gathered up the Tetsaiga as Miroku helped Inu Yasha to his feet. Slowly, the small group of friends turned and headed back in the direction they had traveled they day before. With one less member than they had started with, one member who had brought them all together to be the small family they had become. Knowing all they could do, was walk away from the two, they dragged, pushed, and guided Inu Yasha down the dusty trail.

The kiss ended, and he was holding her close to his heart. His demon senses wary of any approaching trouble. Sesshoumaru had watched as the exterminator and the monk led his brother away. As far as he new, Kagome had been oblivious to it, but he wasn't sure. As he looked down to inquire on the fact, he found she was sleeping. Smiling slightly as he watched the sleeping miko in his arm, the taiyoukai reluctantly scooped her up in his arms and stood. Leaping into the air, a light pink cloud formed under his feet. Heading back to his domain with his new prize, Sesshoumaru could not help but let the sides of his mouth twitch up. Kagome merely snuggled into his chest.

Inu Yasha allowed his friends to guide him back to the direction of the village. After ten minute of walking two distinct smells suddenly became more than over powering. Stopping completely and becoming immobile, the hanyou stared up at the sky. Just barely visible, the two forms of Sesshoumaru and Kagome were gently floating on a cloud. Noticing their friends sudden stop they looked back to see what was wrong, as they saw him look up they followed his gaze. With a sigh each, they went back to nearly dragging Inu Yasha on their shoulders. The hanyou looked down at the ground slowly passing beneath him and whispered the woman he couldn't get out of his mind.

"Kagome... Oh Kagome..."

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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