Death or Love? by Mistress DragonFlame

A killer? Or a lover?

He followed at a distance, knowing why she ran so clumsily.

~*~*~*~

She ran through the forest nosily, but she didn't care. She only wanted to go to her home, her real home, in the present time Tokyo, away from all this war and famine and death, away from InuYasha.

Kagome stopped at the well and sat on its rim, tears streaming down her face when she recalled the scene she just witnessed, still vivid in her minds eye: InuYasha and Kikyo holding on to one another as though waiting for death to come. She remembered the words that lead her to the clearing: "You have always held a place in my heart and always will. And I promise to protect you from any thing this damn planet can throw at us, for all eternity."

It was then she realized she was second to vulture food. That InuYasha cared more for it then her and, as he said, always will.

~*~*~*~

SesshoMaru* was but a few feet away and still she hadn't noticed. Her whole body shook with silent sobs. He could also smell her tears. He wanted her to stop crying over his wretched hanyou brother and be happy, with him. 'InuYasha must be insane to go for a waking corps over such a powerful living being' he mused.

< This is how I spell it. So sue me! ...Don't take that literally. >

She truly was the miko of legend. He had witnessed her power on several occasions. Any weapon in her hands could brake any spell or shield* and could even undo the Tetsusaiga's transformation as long as she was still conscience. She could, if trained properly, make any shield or spell with a single thought.

< Well she can but she cant yet stop the stupid soul sucking mirror thing (I just found out about that damned thing on 3/16/03!)>

He finally put two and two together when Rin came up to him with a scroll, telling him that it would do for her nightly bedtime story.

The legend tells of a human miko From a near/distant place who has the power to break any spell or shield with a single thought, and make any spell or shield instantly, if she was properly trained that is, and had the power (unbeknownst to her) to increase any beings, through her love and trust, power ten fold.

Once he had read this he looked in to every bit of information he could find about it and came upon a very doubtful notion; that if she had a yokai* for a mate, they would have only full-blooded yokais* and not hanyous, which baffled him completely, so he thought it only myth.

< I know, I know its spelled youkai not yokai but in my book Dragon Knights®, vol. #1 by Mineko Ohkami (which, by the way, is very good) from Tokyopop® They spelled youkai, yokai. So I think this is one of those times where you're 'dammed if you do, dammed if you don't'... Like getting a bikini wax. >

He was about to grab her when she slid off of her perch on the wells rim into the well below. He thought she had just sensed his presence but misjudged the distance of where he was at and thought to hide in the well. Oh well, now she's trapped down there, or so he thought, and jumped in too.

~*~*~*~

< Just to let ya know this is my first fan fic. Ever. I started it first, and then a whole bunch of ideas leapt into my head so I stopped writing this one for a while (long, long, while) and worked on all the other ones (the ones I already posted and some I haven't). And so the point of this is a warning because once you start writing one, even if you only plan to write just one, ya just can't stop! But I am glad I got my first pick nickname before someone else got it. I should write about the story now, shouldn't I? >

Kagome climbed out of the well with tears still falling freely. She collapsed at the door to the outside world. She would seal the well later, for InuYasha wouldn't try to come get her for at least three days, (Kaede-baba had given her a good shield scroll for that purpose) never to return to the warring era again and no one, not even Shippo (well maybe Shippo) would be able to come here, or so she thought.

~*~*~*~

SesshoMaru landed in the well to find it completely empty, but Kagome's scent was still in the air and it was fresh. In fact, she was just a few feet away. 'She smells just like Sakera in full bloom...' he thought to himself. He then noticed a ladder going out of the well ' that wasn't there before...' but he decided he just hadn't noticed it before and jumped out.

He hopped out only to find that he was in a hut with a small staircase and only one door with Kagome holding on it.

He smelled in deeply but silently and cautiously. Oh, the smells! Some he recognized (Humans, smoke, dogs) and some he didn't (car exhaust, cleaning stuff and fast food) some were good but most were bad (especially the fast food one). The air was so thick, it made his head spin. He was, actually, having difficulty breathing. He focused on only Kagome's scent to keep from fainting and it worked. Soon his head stopped spinning and he was breathing normal again.

He jumped up from the wells rim and landed so soft behind the sobbing miko that she didn't even noticed. He reached up and grabbed the child's, no, woman's frail neck and felt her pause and every muscle in her body snap to attention instantly. Just like he pictured it, except she didn't scream. No. Instead she calmed, reach into her pocket* and pulled out a scroll. He at first thought she would place it on him but she didn't. She instead placed it on the door and wall's junction. Effectively sealing him and her in.

< Dose her uniform have pockets? ... Don't answer that. >

~*~*~*~

Kagome had been crying* her heart out while a yokai, who must have followed her through the well, grabbed her throat. She could fell its razor sharp claws at her artery.

< Maa, she cries a lot! It seems like she cries at least once in every fan fic. that includes her. Tich! Stupid mortals and there silly emotions (I am also ~sigh~ sadly enough a mortal, but only in body, not in spirit. Yes, I think my soul is that of a jaguar yokais not a mortal. Odin may strike me down if I'm wrong ~yes I'm a Norse, I do not believe in 'God'. Look it up! But please don't stop reading because of my religion! Please? ~ And not turn me into a Valkyrie when he does.) So I command her to not cry for the rest of this fic! Man I should stop doing this and let you read the f*#&%@ story now, shouldn't I? >

Strange enough she was glad that it was about to kill her. She'd be able to get over her heart brake then. Though she didn't want it to get loose in her world, it would be devastating. So she sealed it and herself in the well house.

She wanted it to end then, but the yokai behind her was taking its sweet time on how to kill her. She didn't care on how it killed her; she just wanted it to end. And for it to make up its mind quickly. Though it would be nice if it did it the swift way and not long and drone out.

All of a sudden, a second arm cam around her waste and pulled her in to a tight embrace. She felt as though she wanted to drown in the creatures' warm embrace. She then felt the creature's breath tickling her neck, which was a surprise for the things* head was at her throat. She then herd, strange enough, "zan'nen de*" 'what was it apologizing for? Why would it apologizing in the first place anyway?' and before she could recognized the yokai's voice it bit in to her and then lapped at the two gaping holes left from its fangs.

< I don't like calling SesshoMaru a 'thing' any more than you do, but it fit the sentence. So sue me! Again, don't take this literally. (Please don't ever take me seriously when I say 'So sue me!' because I'm broke ~digs in all the pockets in her pants and in her peruse~ all I have is two pennies and a nickel! I don't have an allowance! And I don't have a job, though I wish I did, I'm only 15! P.S. when I finished writing this it was 10/19/03 so I've aged sense then and then you must account for that time difference). And that is how you say 'I'm sorry' in Japanese. This version is for regret. There is also this one for pity 'ki no doku de.' I've got to stop doing this! Ok read the fic. now! I command you too! Muahahahaha! I am evil. n_n >

Her every muscle snapped to attention again and so did her pulse. Her hands sprang to the hand at her throat but she soon stopped trying to break its hold on her and gave in to the creature and relaxed completely (it was still liking the wound).

~*~*~*~

As soon as he grabbed her, her pulse when from 2 to 140 beats per second, and aroused him in more than one way. He felt the 'urge' and he wanted to rip open her throat, letting her life's blood to pool at his feet, but that would be unforgivable even by him. For she was the key to saving all of yokai kind. Both the weak and the strong.

He bent down and breathed in her scent deeply but silently. There was Sakeras all right but also a hint of magical herbs and a sense of raw untapped power; a very unique scent and very inviting.

He then apologized for having to hurt her but he had to do it. He bit down in to her neck making two gaping holes from his fangs (but oddly enough his other teeth did not brake the skin); he then withdrew and began to lick the wound. His saliva* mixing with her blood. Permanently marking her as his. Both in scent, and in flesh.

< ...No comment. There, nice and short! >

She had (of course) reached instantly when he bit in to her but calmed soon enough. Right before she past out completely (the wound had stopped bleeding) he asked her how to get back to his time. She answered weakly " The...well..." he was lucky he had such good hearing or he would of been trapped in this hut for hours with a woman who needed medical treatment he could not give her at the time.

He gathered her up in his arms and walked to the well. He must come back and explore this world of smells; he though to himself once Kagome had fallen in love with him and of course recovered. And with that he jumped in to the well. And on the other side he left quickly enough because he sensed that InuYasha was near.

~*~*~*~

'She had to see and hear everything, didn't she? Feh! Oh, well she just sits me and forgives me like she always does. Wonder how long she'll stay in her era this time?' he had known she had heard and saw everything because he had smelled the saltiness of her tears, herd the crackle of the underbrush as she ran away, and had sensed the sadness in her. He shook off Kikyo, (who was, yet again, trying to take him to hell with her.) and bonded effortlessly through the woods to the well clearing. He'd sensed Kagome's Shikon shards and a full-blooded yokai, who was ether suppressing their power or it was Shippo. When he got there, there was no Kagome or Shippo to be seen. 'Heh, so she took Shippo to her time with her. Well that's one bonus to her leaving.' he looked at the well one last time before leaving to the village. He was very surprised to see Shippo there, playing with the village children. 'Well, maybe he just said goodbye... Feh!' and he forgot the yokai's presence. For now....

~*~*~*~

Kikyo watched InuYasha bonded off, and called to her soul-catchers to carry her away.

"Till next time, InuYa-" but she didn't get to finish for one of her soul-catchers slammed her in to a low tree branch*.

And if you could understand there language you would here one say to another "See? I did it. You owe me 5 Human souls."

"Yeha, yeha. I'll pay you. Holed your horses' soul! But lets get her first, before she gets any madder."

"Ok."

< I couldn't resist. I've always wanted to see that in the show, but they'll never show it (sigh). >