InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Bond of Blood ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Bond of Blood

Written by : The MOUSE

Co-written by : Logan Kale

Wind whipped by her face as Kagome clung to Inuyasha's back.

"Where are we going?"

"I told you, it's a surprise." he answered simply, bounding to another outcropping.

Resigned to the fact he wouldn't tell her anything until they reached where ever it was they were going, she settled against his back with her face buried in his hair. She felt his shoulder muscles tighten, the sureness of his leaps faltering only slightly. She smiled, pleased that she was able to elicit such a reaction in him. It was slightly empowering to know that she could make him lose control with the barest of touches. Raising her head slightly she saw their destination from just over his shoulder. It was a break in the cliff's side, barely wide enough for a broad-shouldered man to walk through. Inuyasha walked right up to it.

"Close your eyes." he instructed.

"Nani?"

"It's a surprise, remember? So close your eyes."

Kagome pouted, but obeyed when she realized he wouldn't take another step. She could feel the darkness within the cave envelope them and she tightened her hold on the hanyou's back, more out of instinct than fear. The ambient air gradually grew warmer and more humid the further into the cave they got.

"Inuyasha?"

"Almost there."

He peeked at her from over his shoulder. Part of him hoped beyond hope that she would like his surprise. Earlier that day he ad enlisted the help of many of the refugees' children to aide him in setting up the cavern just ahead. The young girls had seemed to know what it was he wanted, the boys were perfectly clueless until the girls began to issue their orders.

Like perfect little soldiers.

Entering the cavern he blinked in awe, glad he had asked for the children's help in the first place. Carefully he eased Kagome off his back and came to stand behind her, his hands over her eyes.

"Mou…" she pouted.

Inuyasha guided her forward a few steps. He gave the cavern an appreciative glance before dropping his hands away, taking a step back.

"Now you can look."

Her eyes fluttered open to a sight she had only ever imagined before. Yet, now, there it was before her. The cavern had been strategically covered with wildflowers, thick moss and carpets of leaves covering ugly stone and sharp edges. Daylight filtered through holes in the cave's ceiling, casting a soft light with which to see by, that light brightening and dimming from the action of clouds passing before the sun occasionally. A golden orange insinuated itself into the light, a signal that the sun was beginning to set outside. Bamboo mats covered most of the ground, scattered with petals from flowers, and a pile of towels were neatly rolled up next to a steaming hot water spring. Kagome spun in place slowly, wanting to take in ever last detail. Her lips moved, but she was unable to make a sound as if afraid to break this dream. She turned to Inuyasha in awed disbelief.

"You… you did all this?"

"With the village pups. I told them what I wanted, they did the rest. Bright little whelps."

"When…?"

"Last night. You said you wanted a hot bath and I remembered this place."

He stumbled a step back when she threw herself at him, her arms wrapped tight around his neck. It took only the barest heartbeat to react and hold her just as tight to himself. He enjoyed the embrace for as long as it lasted, his nerve endings snapping to life when he felt her lips brush the edge of his jaw.

"You are just the absolute best, Inuyasha." she breathed into his hair.

They pulled apart, staring at each other with an awkward silence before Inuyasha turned his back to her, letting her strip in protected privacy to bathe. Kagome smiled at his back in gratitude. He could be impossibly sweet and considerate when he wanted to. Trusting that he wouldn't turn and peep, she quickly shed out of her robes and jeans, setting them on a nearby rock shortly before slipping into the soothingly warm spring.

She sighed happily.

"This is bliss."

Inuyasha risked a peek over his shoulder, smiling softly. Her back was to him, water glistening off her pale flesh like diamonds in the dim light. Every instinct he had was screaming to just leap into the pool with her and take what his demon blood was begging for, but he fought it back. He would not give in to his base urges and force himself on her. That would label him as no less than an animal in her eyes, someone like Kouga.

Inuyasha would wait.

The choice had to be Kagome's in this.

He could ask her, but she had to decide if she wanted to be his mate or not. He had to hear it from her own lips. As he watched she shifted her hair over one shoulder to work out the tangles, revealing the bandages that still covered her back.

"When was the last time someone changed that bandage?" he thought to question.

Kagome looked at him from over her shoulder and saw his gold eyes fixed on her. She was mildly surprised to find him watching her, during her time spent in Sengoku Jidai five years ago she had learned to accept his constant watchful gaze. But the emotion in his eyes was different now. The thinly veiled look of lust made goosebumps rise along her flesh.

"Um… K-Kaede-baba changed them two days ago. She said I was almost healed."

He looked away in thought.

"Two days… Right."

He whirled around and strode purposefully to the pool's edge.

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, dipping lower into the water to hide herself.

"Wha… What're you doing?"

"Back up over here. That wrap is coming off."

"Nani?"

"Just back up."

She hesitated before taking the few short steps backwards towards him. Her bottom lip became firmly wedged between her teeth when she felt his razor-sharp claws rake across the bandage at her shoulder and low along her ribs. She held the remains against her chest in some form of modesty, letting him inspect what little was left of her old wound. His fingers were impossibly gentle against her skin, dancing across her back with infinite care.

Inuyasha smelled the subtle change in her scent the moment his claws cut through the bandages. He almost purred from the invitation it broadcast to his senses, but he stamped it back down hard. He would not take advantage of her trust, though what he could have possibly done in the past to earn it was beyond him. His let his fingers trail over the remains of the wound, noting the presence of pink skin. Pushing up a sleeve he plunged a hand into the water to retrieve a flat and slightly rough stone. With carefully gauged pressure he rubbed it against her back to allow the new skin to breath, his other hand lightly gripping her nape. Her back arched towards him, giving him better access.

Kagome had to struggle to stay alert during his ministrations. Over and over again she had to tell herself that she was naked in his presence and that a lack of attention could mean just about anything.

Why not let that anything happen? part of her mind questioned.

She squashed the voice back, then paused in thought.

What if she did allow something other than his casual ministrations to happen?

What if she accepted right out to be his mate?

She searched deep in herself, asking her heart if she was really ready to commit her entire life to the beautiful hanyou behind her. Her heart answered yes. She asked her soul the same question and she received the same answer. Her mind too said yes, that her life was already tied to him since the first moment they met.

And there was no denying what her body's choice was in this matter.

"It might itch a little, but you won't need the bandage anymore." Inuyasha voiced, letting the stone he was using drop back into the water.

She smiled at him from over her shoulder.

"Arigatou."

A quick smile flitted across his face before he turned his back to her again, but this time remaining seated on the rocks surrounding the pool. Kagome took the opportunity to peel the remains of the bandage away from her chest, tossing it aside. She let herself sink into the water, swimming to the other side of the pool, then turned to stare at Inuyasha's back. She could see his ears twitching to keep track of where she was even if he couldn't see her.

She giggled at him.

"On guard duty?"

He grunted.

"These days, always."

"Inuyasha, no one knows we're here or even where here is. Besides, you're practically guarding the door and I'm completely naked. There isn't much of a chance that I'm going anywhere for a while yet."

His ears flattened at that.

"I'm that obvious."

"Only to those who know you as well as I do." and she swam over to where he sat.

Biting her lip nervously, she rose out of the water and pressed herself against his back, her arms wrapped around his waist. His body went stiff in surprise, but soon began to relax under the feel of her hand pressed against his heart. His hair was impossibly soft where it clung to her wet body, its simple touch electrifying her senses. She sighed softly, snuggling closer into his silvery white mane.

"I know you don't ever want me to leave you."

She felt him look down at his hands at her light whisper.

"I don't want to leave you either… ever."

She grabbed fistfuls of his haori to add emphasis to her admission.

Inuyasha felt his breath lock in his chest.

She had finally said it!

After days of careful planning and years of painful longing and wishing, she had finally said what he had so wanted to hear.

She was staying… staying with him.

A purring growl rumbled in his chest, a joyful smile plastering itself to his face. Now all he had to do was work up the courage to really ask her to be his mate. But he had to get her at ease for that. A positively devilish grin suddenly spread across his lips at a thought. With the barest flexing of his muscles Inuyasha pushed off the edge of the pool, falling backwards into the water and taking Kagome with him. She shrieked in surprise before hitting the water, pushing away from him underwater, then sputtering as she surfaced, being very cautious to keep herself low in the water for modesty's sake. He merely laughed at her shocked expression, not caring that he was completely soaked. Her shock and annoyance bled away at his laughter, and she giggled despite her best efforts not to.

"You over-grown mutt!" she accused, splashing him.

He splashed her in return and she splashed him back. He disappeared suddenly beneath the water. In a slight panic she curled into herself in an effort to hide parts of her she didn't want him to see… quite yet at any rate. Inuyasha surfaced with a mighty splash and stood with a growl, his arms spread in a menacing manner. Kagome laughed at how ridiculous he looked, with his haori hanging in a sodden mess on him, instead of being frightening as he had hoped. He frowned, taking a step towards her. She reacted by dropping below the water's slightly milky surface and out of sight. He blinked, stepping forward and staring at the spot she used to occupy, his arms dropping a bit. Worry began to rise within him when she didn't surface right away.

"Ihyou!" Kagome shouted from behind him, leaping onto his back with a loud splash.

With his balance suddenly thrown off, Inuyasha fell face first with an unceremonious splash. He recovered quickly enough to turn around and wrap her in his arms before she could move too far out of reach, her arms pinned against his chest. Their laughter slowly died down as both came to the realization of just how naked Kagome was at that moment.

A hot blush crept over her skin, her gaze locked with that of the soaked hanyou. She could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest, mirroring her own heart. Kagome gulped when his gaze softened, becoming unusually tender. Those golden orbs dropped for the briefest moment, looking at her lips, before returning to her dark blue eyes. Goosebumps rose along her flesh in sudden realization of what it was he was about to do, her heart beginning to race.

She saw the hesitation written on his face and knew it was because he was unsure if his next action would be welcomed or rebutted.

Kagome made the decision for him.

Bolstering her resolve, she leaned in towards him and brushed her lips to his in a chaste kiss, her eyes fixed on his for any signs of mistake on her part. His eyes searched hers for an instant when she pulled far enough back for their breaths to continue to mingle. At some unspoken signal both closed their eyes and kissed again, lips pressed firmly to each other. Almost timidly Inuyasha lightly licked at her lips, asking for entrance. They parted with a gentle sigh, allowing him to deepen the embrace, both mutually exploring leisurely, hungrily. Kagome's arms slid up his chest to wrap around his neck, no longer caring about her nakedness, again marveling at how soft his hair was against her skin. All she cared about was the feel of his warm hands sliding along her back and the dizzying heights his kiss was bringing her to.

It was as if she had waited an eternity or eternities for this moment.

His lips left hers, drinking in the water that clung to the delicate arch of her neck, his teeth grazing along her flesh lightly. Kagome couldn't hold back the thrilled gasp when she felt his hand press against the small of her back, sliding ever lower at a languid pace. Inuyasha purred softly at the tremor that coursed through her. Knowing she was finally within his grasp, that she would belong to him no matter what, made his demon blood boil to take her then and there. He fought off the urge, somehow knowing that it wasn't how she would want it. He would fight against every urge his blood whispered and go slowly and tenderly. More than anything he did not want to hurt her and therefore scare her away.

But, by Kami, how he wanted her!

He tangled a hand in her hair to force her to lean back, exposing more of her flesh to his searching tongue as he began to back her towards one of the cavern walls. He kept his ears pointed towards her, wanting to hear every breath, every gasp, every throaty moan she made in response to his touch.

He had to smile at a thought.

He was the one evoking these responses in her, not that damnable Kouga, not that weakling Hojo from her own time, not any other guy.

An involuntary shiver raced up his spine when he heard her whisper his name. Inuyasha licked and nipped his way across her throat and collarbones to find the spot that had caused such a reaction. He wanted to hear her say it again, just like that, somewhere between begging and pure pleasure.

Now, if he could only find a way to remove his clothes while still holding on to her lithe and writhing form.

So concentrated was he on her sounds and scent that he almost missed the smell of an intruder entering the cave, calling out in question for any inhabitants. He froze for a brief moment, and then began growling in annoyance at the cave entrance, having recognized the scent.

With the absence of his lips and teeth robbing her of her will, Kagome regained the use of her once limp limbs, pulling herself out of the prone position Inuyasha had held her in. Briefly she wondered why he had stopped until she heard him growling menacingly. Opening her eyes she found him staring at the cave's entrance. Seconds later she heard the voice his sensitive hanyou ears had no doubt heard long before her. She groaned softly in dismay, burying her face against his shoulder, as she easily recognized the voice.

"Shimatta! Why can't he just leave us alone." she breathed fiercely.

Inuyasha paused, looking at the girl in his arms to the cavern entrance where Kouga's voice was steadily growing louder. Coming to the decision that Kouga would no doubt start a fight if he found them like this, and that Kagome was tired of these fights, the hanyou released his hold on the young Miko and took a hesitant step back. A light tint colored his cheeks as he tried to avert his eyes from her nakedness.

"I… I should hide… for now." he managed to say over his tightening throat.

Kagome immediately felt a sense of loss when he moved away. Feeling suddenly confused about what had almost happened, she let herself sink to her knees in the water, absently watching Inuyasha shake off most of the water from his hair and clothes before ducking behind some large boulders. Her mind replayed the sensations over and over.

Had it really just happened?

Had they almost taken the next logical step in their relationship?

For a little more than half a year after having met the proud half-demon she had harbored a deep-rooted affection for him. Late night dreams, that had often made it to her diary to keep the memory fresh, had left her yearning for them to happen in real life and pondering whether she was ready for such a thing. Those dreams had merely intensified during her five-year absence from Inuyasha's side.

She sat against the edge of the pool, leaning her arms against the rim, toying with a few loose stones. Part of her mind was sorely disappointed about the interruption. She definitely wanted to know just how far they could have gotten had it not been for the annoying intruder. Looking up slightly she saw the source of that disruption just entering the chamber, a smug expression plastered on his face. Kagome winced in annoyed distaste, returning her attention to the stones under her fingers, dearly missing the heat and feel of Inuyasha's body.

"Well, well, well… So I wasn't mistaken, I really did pick up your scent here."

His tone was self-congratulatory and arrogant. Kagome merely turned away from him.

"Go away, Kouga. I want to be alone."

"To get away from that damn half-breed, that I can understand. But why would you possibly want to stay away from me?"

Her hand closed over a loose stone beneath the water.

"You are so full of yourself."

"And yet you love me."

"I do not."

"Of course you do."

"Iie, I don't."

Her hand tightened on the stone. She could faintly hear a growl coming from behind the nearby boulders. Inuyasha was getting more and more riled with each passing moment. Deep down it warmed her heart to know he was so willing to defend her in this, no matter the injuries he could sustain if he got into a fight with the wolf youkai.

But she didn't want him to get hurt over something so trivial as Kouga's infatuation.

"Kouga, leave." she insisted.

"Not until you finally admit it to yourself."

"Admit what?"

"That you want me."

The way he said it made it sound as if the answer was plain and obvious to anyone.

"About as much as I want my head cut off." Kagome muttered loud enough for him to hear. "Now go away."

"Not until you realize that I'm right in this."

Out of sheer frustration she whirled around in the spring and hurled the stone at the youkai, aiming for his head. He ducked the stone in surprise, gaping at the fury he saw glowing in her eyes. A frowning smirk replaced the gape.

"Never knew you had so much fire. Guess I'm going to have to teach you to respect your mate." and he reached for the ties of his clothing, taking deliberate steps towards the pool.

Kagome blinked at this, backing away to the other side of the pool.

"Nani…? Wha-What're you doing?"

"I'm going to teach you exactly who commands who in a pairing."

Before she could even react, a blur of red and slivery white darted out from behind the rocks and pinned Kouga to the ground, a vicious growl filling the cavern. The wolf youkai, completely immobilized, could only stare up at the hanyou in shock. He had been so engrossed by the amount of skin he could see and the heady scent from Kagome that he hadn't even noticed Inuyasha's scent also wafting through the air. The hanyou's golden eyes were flecked with red in pure fury.

Kouga recognized that sign.

It was the first step towards the hanyou's blood rage, and if that happened while the youkai was pinned then Kouga didn't stand a chance. He didn't seem to notice that Inuyasha's hair and clothes were a little damp for some reason.

"You so much as lay a fuckin' hair on her and I'll rip out your fuckin' lungs and feed them back to you!"

When Kouga didn't react to the threat right away, Inuyasha picked him up by the throat and tossed him unceremoniously towards the entrance.

"Get out, now, while you can still walk!" the hanyou barked.

Hitting the ground forced Kouga to regain his senses. He stood quickly, facing off against his rival, trying very hard to match the fury in his eyes spark for spark. Somehow he failed and only succeeded in further angering the hanyou.

"I said leave!" Inuyasha roared.

Kouga looked to Kagome, hoping to get some sort of help or support from her in this matter. He blinked in surprise at finding her back turned to him, doing her best to ignore the happenings. He couldn't believe it. She wasn't even trying to stop the half-breed from attacking him like she had done so many times in the past.

Didn't she care anymore?

Inuyasha didn't let him question her about it, merely shoving the rival through the entrance and following him until they both stood outside. The air had grown colder in the last few hours, forcing Inuyasha to fight off a shiver with every ounce of restraint he had. His still slightly damp clothes didn't help him in this chill. He stood before the crevasse in a classic guard stance, arms crossed defiantly over his chest. Try as he might, he wouldn't let Kouga back into the cave.

He hadn't been blind to what he had almost done to Kagome.

The intent had been all too clear in his words and stance.

Shimatta, wolf, I wouldn't even go that far to try to claim her from a rival, he ground inwardly. Kill the other male, hai. Rape the female… are you fuckin' mad!

"What the fuck was going through that pea sized head of yours?" he demanded of the youkai.

"She's my female!" he countered. "I can do what I want to her!"

"You really don't listen to her, do you? She's not your female!"

"She will be."

"She'll hate you if you do this."

"I'm simply claiming what's mine by right."

"What fuckin' right? Tell me, what fuckin' divine force told you she was yours? She certainly didn't since she always told me you were only her friend."

Kouga struck a self-righteous pose of superiority.

"You'll never understand what she and I have."

"The way I see and hear it, you have nothing with her."

"I have a whole lot more than you can ever hope to have."

"Not fuckin' likely."

"And just what were you doing in there with her? Spying?"

"Guarding." he answered quickly. "From assholes like you."

His hand gripped the hilt of his sword, making a point to make sure Kouga saw the move.

"If you so much as try anything against her from this moment on, know that I will kill you. Leave. Now."

Pausing to offer one last growl at the hanyou, Kouga turned and fled back to the castle. Inuyasha squared his shoulders unconsciously in victory. He'd have to keep a closer watch over that youkai to make sure nothing would happen to Kagome.

Keeping her safe was his duty.

He paused in his own thoughts. Safety was something he couldn't guarantee the object of his affection, especially not after he would take her as his mate. The world would find out she was his and try to use her against him. She would become a target to all his enemies.

"You know, you can be quite rational when you want to be." a giggling voice sounded behind him, calling him out of his thoughts.

He turned to find Kagome grinning at him just within the edge of the crevasse, clutching her robes tight around her to block out the cold, her dark hair hanging in damp rivulets.

He blinked at her.

"Nani?"

"I heard what you said to Kouga. Arigatou."

He looked away, a faint blush touching his cheeks at having been heard.

"Keh… Head back to the castle."

She looked at him strangely before he abruptly took off, leaping from rock to rock until she could no longer see him. Part of her wondered if he was going after Kouga to punish him properly for interrupting them earlier. The remaining part felt suddenly alone. It wasn't like the feelings she had experienced before, not like being home alone or in a classroom alone. This was deeper, just skimming the edge of her soul.

Needless to say she didn't like the sensation.

She shivered, more from the feeling than from the chill in the air, and reluctantly began her trek back to the castle. Almost in self-torture she replayed the last little while over and over in her mind's eye. The look in Inuyasha's eyes when he had held her close had stolen her breath. There was want glowing in the golden orbs. His kiss and the feel of his hands against her skin had communicated the same.

It explained so much.

All those days and nights in the past where he had put his life on the line for her.

All those nights he had sat up close at her side to guard her as she slept.

All those moments she had found strange when he had been unusually gentle and patient with her.

It all made sense now.

His feelings for her ran deeper than she had first realized. At first, she had only been a Shikon no Tama shard detector for him. Along the way she had somehow managed to win his friendship. She sighed softly. And she had pushed him away all those times, subconsciously knowing his feelings and fearing them for some reason. She now saw how much deeper he had taken her into his heart. She looked around and found herself blindly approaching one of the cooking fires where Kaede sat, busy mixing together herbs for various poultices and potions. Kagome sat next to her and watched the older woman work in silence.

"What troubles you, child?" Kaede suddenly asked.

"Kaede-baba…" but her voice escaped her.

How could she tell her what she had discovered? What had almost happened?

"I see confusion in your eyes. Has something happened?"

Kagome breathed softly.

"Hai."

"Good or bad?"

"It… it started off good, but now… I don't know."

"Tell me, Kagome-sama. Sometimes the insight of an old woman can help clear even the most muddled of thoughts."

Kagome had a long pause, staring into the fire. Kaede waited patiently for her to come to her decision, casually noticing Kouga hovering just within youkai earshot.

She smirked grimly.

There was a being who just couldn't understand the ways of a young human woman's heart.

"Baba… I love him…" Kagome finally blurted, her eyes remaining fixed on the fire.

"Who?"

"Inuyasha."

Kaede smiled.

"I see Inuyasha finally managed to bring your defenses down as well, as you have long ago done with him."

The young girl looked at her in shock.

"You knew?"

"Child, I have lived a good many years. I know the looks, the mannerisms. And now you have realized it. It was a long time coming."

"Demo…"

"Child?"

"We…"

The images replayed in her mind and she shivered despite herself.

"We almost… Then Kouga almost caught… Inuyasha told me to come back here and he left."

Kaede gently caressed her head in a motherly fashion.

"Easy, Kagome-sama… You are confused right now, it's understandable. Having all those emotions stirred to the surface, only to have them cut short. Inuyasha is just as confused at this moment, which is why he left."

"Demo, where did he go?"

"To think no doubt. It is the hanyou and youkai way. They seek out a quiet corner to come to decisions, to actually think things through. It is why we so often found him in a tree somewhere, looking as if in deep thought until he noticed us. He will return to you when his thoughts are clear."

She sighed.

"The Fates began kindly for you, then had to throw a knot into your thread of life."

"Kouga?"

"Hai. He is a knot that will not be so easily unraveled out of your life. He is persistent and holds tight, which is what ultimately leads to his losses. Inuyasha, on the other hand, pushes people away. He doesn't realize that this draws people in to him. I remember in my younger years how completely taken I had been with him myself at his brash behavior and seemingly cold demeanor."

"You, Baba? You loved him?"

She snorted.

"An idle infatuation with a person who saw me as nothing more than an insect. But it gave me the opportunity to see things very clearly. He pushed away everyone who wished to be close to him, which only served to draw those same people ever closer. He pushed you away the hardest, drawing you in the closest of all to his heart, much closer than even my Onesan ever got."

Kagome stared at the fire, leaning on the old woman's shoulder. What Kaede said was true. In all the times her path had crossed that of the resurrected Kikyou, Inuyasha could have just left and never returned to her and his new friends. But each time, Kikyou had played the subtle seductress. It wove a kind of spell around the grief and guilt stricken hanyou, making him agree to whatever she asked of him. Once that emotional spell broke, for one reason or another, the hanyou always ran to Kagome, always silently asking her forgiveness for anything he may have done to hurt her. He never once voiced it to her, never once showed an outward sign of remorse, but Kagome had seen his eyes. Guilt had always swirled painfully there.

"As always, Kagome-sama, you must be patient with him. You know as well as I that these sorts of feelings are still very new to Inuyasha. When he is ready he will return to you and, when he does, I am certain you will become inseparable from that moment on."

She blushed at the thought.

"Do… do you approve?"

"Hai, I do. It shows how much the Fates and Kami wanted you both together. Too many signs. I wish you both a happy life for the time you will have together."

"He'll outlive me, won't he?"

"Hai, perhaps. Or perhaps he will find a way to become mortal for you. It is too bad that the Shikon no Tama was returned to its home village. It would have been helpful at this moment."

"Iie, it's too dangerous."

"Hai, you're right."

She sighed.

"Time will tell what it has planned for the two of you. Despite it all, you have my blessings, child."

Kagome smiled up at her.

"Arigatou, Baba."

* * *

Seated comfortably in the crook of a tree branch, Inuyasha cradled Tetsusaiga in his lap as he thought long and hard. He had sat there for several hours already, locked in a mental debate with himself.

The topic of his deliberations: Kagome.

He replayed what had almost happened in the hot spring until he could almost feel and taste her soft skin and smell her growing arousal.

They had almost mated.

And she had instigated it.

Kagome had been the first to make a move, leaning in and kissing him timidly, her eyes searching his and letting him know it was okay. It had been the only prompting he had needed.

Damn that fuckin' wolf for having walked in when he did, he growled to himself.

His mind teased him with images of what could have happened had they not be interrupted and he growled at himself. He forced himself to think of what the days would be like after all that, after she became his mate.

He saw two possible roads.

One would lead to days and nights beyond imagining with a few bright-eyed pups clinging to their legs. He could almost see their faces, mirrors of Kagome's lovely features, smiling up happily at him and their Okaasan. Part of him feared the thought of having children. His own Otousan had died long before he had gotten a chance to know him. More than anything he wanted to be there for his family, but at the same time he was afraid of it.

What if he didn't have the instinct to be an Otousan?

The other road he saw led to dangers that would haunt them both for the rest of their lives. Youkai would no doubt get wind of their mating, somehow they always did. They would hunt down Kagome primarily.

She was human, she was weak.

Could he risk putting her in so much danger?

Could he risk losing her to Kouga if he didn't act?

Better still, could he possibly go on living every day next to her, not being able to touch her, to hold her?

I might as well be dead, he concluded.

Her scent alone is enough to drive me mad.

He sighed heavily, staring up at a half moon rising off the horizon. It was decided. He would let her decide if she wanted to be his mate or not. If she said no, if she was too afraid, then he would bare that pain like a good warrior and hope for a day when she would finally say yes.

I am such a sucker for disappointments, he thought morbidly, dropping out of the tree.

A few hanyou leaps brought him back into the protective enclosure of the castle where he saw Kaede sitting up alone by a bright fire. He approached her cautiously, still unsure of her abilities even after having known her for so many years.

"Baba."

"Have you come to a conclusion, Inuyasha?"

"Nani?"

"Kagome-sama told me you left without saying where you were going. I assumed it was to think."

"Um… hai."

"Decisions of the heart are always difficult, demo never one sided."

"How the fuck did you…?"

Kaede chuckled.

"I may be old, my demon friend, demo I am not blind in the eye I have left."

She turned to look at him, feeling how serious he was on the subject and deeming it inappropriate to tease him as she normally did. The outcome of the situation was important to him.

"I know how much you want to protect her. So does she. Demo, do not make such a momentous decision without asking her first what she thinks on this matter."

He nodded slowly.

"I thought so."

Inuyasha paused and stared into the fire.

"Baba, I… I'm afraid for her."

She smiled softly, knowing how much of an effort it took for the hanyou to voice this fear.

"I know, Inuyasha, demo don't you think she fears for you as well? Each time you have been injured the poor girl has been wracked with guilt because she knew you were hurt protecting her."

"I'd die for her." he stated in all conviction.

"I know. Demo, would you still die for her even when she does not want you to die? Even when it would kill her to see you die?"

His mouth opened to answer, then snapped shut.

"Keh."

"She loves you dearly, Inuyasha."

He jerked slightly at that in surprise. He knew she cared, he had some inkling that her heart was within his reach, but he hadn't dared let himself believe it was love.

"Tell her of your fears. Let her make the decision after knowing this."

Inuyasha stared into the fire as he thought of what she just said. He then smirked.

"She came to talk to you too, didn't she? About the same things we just talked about?"

Kaede chuckled.

"Hai, that she did. The elderly often have the best advice for young hearts."

He stood with a huff of amusement.

"And no one is older than you, hag."

"Except, perhaps, you." she quipped.

"Keh." and he turned to walk towards the castle.

"Be gentle with her, Inuyasha."

He stopped in mid-step, giving her a puzzled look.

She grinned wryly at him.

"The first time for a woman can sometimes be quite painful."

The dog-demon turned as red as his haori before he whirled around and raced off into the building.

Kaede laughed softly.

"Ah, young hearts."

Silently avoiding the refugee villagers milling in the castle's entryway and managing to sneak by the reception hall the villagers had turned into a communal hall, Inuyasha headed down the familiar corridors and up the stairs to what was once his Okaasan's room. Kagome's scent tugged at him, growing stronger to his heightened sense of smell with each step he took. He hesitated for a moment at the door, steeling himself against the anxiousness growing within himself, then quietly walked in. Sometime while he was gone Kagome had lit a fire within the room's fireplace, a square pit built into the floor. Although it blazed brightly, the room retained a chill from the approaching winter. He approached the fire to gain some of its warmth, hiding his hands up his sleeves, mildly wondering where Kagome had hidden herself.

"You should have let yourself dry off before staying outside for so long."

He turned his head towards the voice. He could see Kagome's silhouette though the layers of diaphanous silk hanging in curtains around the bed. She casually tossed some cloth onto the bed's end before parting the silk folds and stepping into full sight. She kept her robes wrapped tightly around herself to block out the night's chill. Inuyasha watched her every move as she came to stand at his side, noting how she always kept her own eyes fixed on the fire.

"You risk catching a cold." she continued.

His eyes returned to the fire.

"Keh. Hanyou don't get sick."

"Oh."

Inuyasha winced and softened his tone.

"What about you? Warm enough?"

"Hai. The silk around the bed keeps it pretty well insulated from the cold. So, if I do get cold, all I have to do is stay in bed."

He saw her smirk out of the corner of his eye, a bright blush covering her cheeks, her scent shifting slightly.

"And staying in bed is certainly not the most unpleasant of thoughts." she near murmured.

He had to smirk in agreement.

Kagome fidgeted slightly, before looking at the hanyou standing at her side.

"Inuyasha?"

He twitched an ear in her direction in acknowledgement.

"Where did you go earlier?"

He sighed silently.

"I had to think."

"About what?"

"Stuff… the future."

"Mm. Any inspirations?"

"One or two."

Inuyasha swallowed hard, bolstering his courage for the upcoming conversation.

"Kagome, we need to talk."

A twinge of fear touched her heart at those words, watching his eyes disappear beneath his bangs as he lowered his head.

"Talk about what?" she questioned meekly.

"Our future."

Kagome felt as if her lungs were in a vice grip, refusing to let her breathe. He had said our future, his and hers together. There had been no distinction. She didn't know whether to scream or pass out. She prayed silently that this talk would be a positive one and not shatter her already fragile heart.

Inuyasha faced her with a determined expression on his face. He wouldn't back away from this. He was hanyou, a warrior. He had gone up against monsters and full demons and had defeated them all, so he was going to be damned if a simple, heartfelt conversation with the woman he loved was going to be his downfall. Kaede was right, he had to lay it all out for Kagome to see.

"Do you know my reasons for always protecting you?"

She kept her eyes fixed on the blazing fire before her.

"You told me often enough, it's because I'm human and weak."

He winced again, seeing the sadness enter her eyes, shaking his head.

"That's only part of it."

Tentatively he reached out one hand and let it hover over her hair, not quite daring to touch her. He swallowed again to force the lump from his throat. He would not be stopped now, he had to tell her everything.

"I protect you because I realized you are the single most important person in my life."

She blinked at this in surprise. She knew he cared about her a lot, but to actually hear him voice it was something utterly new to her ears. Feelings were not something the stoic half-demon voiced easily. She turned slowly to face him, incredulity on her features, causing Inuyasha to smile ever so slightly at how adorable it made her look. He touched her cheek, carefully tucking a few loose strands of her hair away from her face, feeling her shiver ever so slightly.

"I… I fear for you." he near whispered, afraid someone other than Kagome would hear his confession. "I'm afraid to lose you to some youkai or madman who would find out just how much you mean to me."

Kagome could feel honored tears beginning to burn her eye, threatening to spill at any moment.

"Inuyasha…"

His thumb trailed over her bottom lip to silence her, his eyes glowing in the dim light.

"Let me finish…"

He had a long pause as he gazed at her face, watching the firelight cast a play of warm hues and dark shadows. The trust and innocence shining in the liquid pools of her eyes warmed his heart. She trusted him no matter what he did or said.

"Realize, Kagome, this isn't something I'm asking you to accept lightly…" he continued. "I told you before, youkai absolutely hate the mixing of human blood with that of their kind, even with a hanyou,… They hate everything that isn't pure youkai… demo…"

He had a particularly long pause, staring at the lip his thumb was absently caressing. It trembled ever so slightly at his touch.

"I… I want you, Kagome. I need you with me, always…"

Inuyasha felt a pleasant tingle in his chest at having finally voiced his feelings.

"Demo… this isn't my decision, ne?… Just know, if you say hai, you need to understand that there will always be things hunting us, just like there will always be humans who will hate you for this… and the same goes for our pups."

Kagome's mind stuck on that word for a moment. Pups… his word for children. Her breath locked in growing realization.

"The choice has to be yours on whether you want to risk staying with me… as my mate…"

Her heart gave a painful and happy slam against her ribs, beating so fast and loud she was sure the whole world could hear it.

He had said it.

He had actually said it… finally.

He wanted her, wanted to be with her and only her.

She gave up trying to hold back the tears that now trailed down her cheeks, struggling hard against a giggle at the horrified and confused look battling to dominate his face.

She knew why.

He so hated to see her cry.

"Wh-why are you crying?"

He looked about ready to bolt out of the room in guilt so she gripped his sleeves to hold him in place and to reassure him.

She smiled through her tears.

"I'm just happy."

He blinked, more confused than ever. This wasn't something he was readily familiar with. Humans cried when they were hurt or sad. They didn't cry when they were happy… did they?

"Happy?" he questioned. "Honto ne?"

"Hai."

She laid a hand to his cheek tenderly.

"What took you so long to ask?"

Inuyasha blinked again, his confusion beginning to clear at an achingly slow speed. He wasn't entirely sure he had heard her correctly.

"Is that…?"

"Hai." she smiled brightly.

"Hai?"

He wanted to be absolutely certain.

"Hai." she giggled, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tight.

He repeated it once more to himself, wanting to be absolutely sure he didn't make a mistake, when it suddenly hit him full force.

Hai.

She had agreed!

His arms crushed her tight to his chest, purring low into the crook of her neck, breathing in deep of her scent to imprint it on his memory for all eternity and beyond.

She was his now.

Not Kouga's.

Not Hojo's.

His!

He had every right to claim her and, by the slight shift he noted in her scent, she wanted him to claim her. He smiled against the skin of her neck, his heart doing happy summersaults in his chest. As much as he wanted her, she too wanted him. It was so much more than he had ever dared to ask for. Unlike Kikyou, Kagome didn't ask him to choose what he wanted to be to be with her. She had told him once that she didn't want him to change, though if he chose to be either human or full youkai she would respect that.

To Kagome there was no distinction between youkai, hanyou or human.

To her, he was simply Inuyasha.

And he adored her beyond description for that simple fact.

"Where were we earlier, before being so rudely interrupted?" she whispered coyly against his neck.

He pulled his head back enough to reach her lips, finding them parted already and waiting for him. His purr intensified as he delved deeply into her mouth, searing her soul with the growing heat of his passion for her. He felt her fingers dance lightly against his cheeks before continuing lower along his throat, lightly plucking at the ties of his haori. He let her continue, fisting a hand in her hair to continue to assault her mouth with his own.

She pulled open his haori, her searching fingers parting his hakama to reach the warm flesh of his chest. He growled softly at the feel of her cool hands smoothing over his muscles, moving up to trace the edges of his collarbones and easing the haori and hakama over his shoulders, then inching back down over the planes of his chest. Her touches were light, almost timid, but spoke of a growing need budding within her that only he could satiate. Inuyasha released his hold on her just long enough to pull his arms free of his sleeves, unable to contain the delighted shiver that raced up his spine at the feel of her hands sliding along his sides.

Never once breaking contact with her lips, he swept her up in his arms and carried her towards the bed. He smiled at the feel of a slight tremor course through Kagome's body in anticipation. Her scent had changed once more, growing stronger by the moment. She knew exactly what was going to happen and her scent was letting him know she was ready, that she was not afraid. Being ever so tender he laid her down on the center of the large bed, straddling her hips to better concentrate on her sweet and yielding lips. She whimpered at the feel of the cool silk through her robe, wanting more of his warmth to surround her. He almost didn't notice her hands dipping to his waist until he felt the ties at his waist loosen.

His heart rate hitched up a notch at this.

She was just as anxious as he was to feel more flesh.

Leaving her lips, he traced a hot trail across her cheek to nip at her ear gently. She gasped, turning her face towards him. Before her hands could get too far, Inuyasha gripped her wrists and pinned her arms at her sides as he nipped and kissed his way down her throat, pausing to taste her pulse. If she undressed him completely now then chances were he wouldn't be able to control himself long enough to make sure she was completely ready and begging for him to finish it. Her breathless panting only served to arouse him even more.

Inuyasha released her wrists to grip the edges of her robe, spreading it wide to reach her soft skin hidden beneath. He nipped at the pulse lightly just as he cupped her breasts, marvelling at just how supple her skin was under his calloused hands, pleased at their slight weight.

Kagome gasped loudly at the feel of his tongue lapping a molten trail between her breasts, the pads of his thumbs just grazing the sensitized edges of her nipples. A devilish thought broke through the haze he had caused in her mind with his ministration, a positively roguish grin spreading across her lips. She dug her fingers into his hair, finding the base of his ears and stroking them gently.

It had the desired effect, much to her delight.

His entire frame shuddered, a breathy gasp expelled from his lips in surprise as his mouth hovered above one breast. This only encouraged Kagome to make her movements slower, more teasing against his sensitive ears. The fur covering his ears was fine and soft, his ears warm to the touch. Pleasant goosebumps rose along her skin at the feel of his hot breath returning to the valley between her breasts as he struggled against his senses. She loved knowing that her simple touch could shatter his often hard resolve.

He was purring now, his lips to her skin, his hands clumsily fumbling with the ties of her robe, his purr turning into a growl of frustration when he couldn't get the ties undone fast enough. She laughed breathlessly when he bared his teeth against her breastbone. Inuyasha raised his head to growl down at her, his eyes glowing bright gold in the dim light.

She smiled sweetly.

"Having problems?"

"Goddamn ties…"

"You can't cut them!"

A snarl began to curl his lips back. Instead of cringing in fear, Kagome took his face in her hands and pulled him down to herself, kissing him deeply. His frustration scattered away, as did many of his other thoughts while his tongue began a battle with her own. The growl died back down to a purr, his arms wrapping around her shoulders to hold her close, the ties of her clothes momentarily forgotten. For the moment he carefully eased himself down on top of her, his entire concentration focused on her sweet lips and the feel of her heart beating loud and fast where his chest pressed to hers. The feel of skin to skin, after so many years of dreaming and yearning, was better than either had expected. His sense of touch seemed to liven to a degree he had never known before, and he wanted to feel more.

More of her.

Retaining some form of control over her senses, Kagome snagged her thumb through the last tie holding her robe shut and easily pulled it undone just as his lips began a slow exploration of her face, showing every inch of skin loving attention. She moaned softly and brought her hands up to caress his sides, encouraging him to continue.

He hardly needed her prompting, her breathless sounds tugging at his core. Careful so as not to scratch her, Inuyasha quickly raised himself up and yanked her robe open. He froze at the sight that was offered up to his eyes, watching her arch up to him from the feel of cold air touching her bared skin.

Kagome forced her eyes open to look at him, feeling a blush race over her body at the lust swimming in his eyes as he took in her nakedness.

"Inuyasha…"

"Shan…" was all he breathed, lightly and languidly trailing clawed fingers from her throat down to her navel, not yet daring to go further.

He now knew what that cloth had been she had tossed so casually at the foot of the bed. It was the remaining clothes she had worn from the future; those strange blue leggings she called jeans and her undergarments.

Had she somehow known he would ask her to be his mate this night?

That question would have to be answered later, his mind rapidly overheating at the sight of so much of his beloved Kagome laid out and writhing before him, watching as she managed to slip her arms free of her sleeves. The urge to taste every inch of her was all consuming. He wanted to possess her, claim her quickly and leave his mark. Again he fought off his demon blood, laying a teasing kiss on her lips, feeling a slight pain in his loins as he denied his ever growing need for now.

Fighting with himself every step of the way, Inuyasha dropped ephemeral kisses over her eyes, sliding towards one of her ears. A small sound of pleasure escaped her throat when his tongue began tracing the whorls of her ear. Encouraged, he nipped her lobe gently before letting his lips trek to her other ear and repeat the attentions there as well.

Kagome arched up to him, wanting more physical contact with him than just his hands beneath her shoulders and his lips dancing across her jaw in a gentle nuzzle. She could feel the heat radiating off his body, only adding to her present tortures. It merely intensified the liquid heat pooling between her legs, threatening to drive her completely mad if it wasn't tended to soon. Kagome could feel his teeth grazing the arch of her throat, nibbling across each collarbone to the curve of her shoulder before returning to the hollow at the base of her neck. She gripped his biceps, her nails digging into his skin in hopes of letting him know how much she needed him to take her, to end the torturously pleasurable sensations before she died from them. The semblance of a purr echoed from her lips when he placed a hot, open-mouthed kiss above her heart.

His kisses continued like this along her breast, tracing his tongue along the slight indentation beneath the mound, purposefully ignoring the pink tip demanding his attention.

She whimpered her frustration at this until his mouth closed over her nipple suddenly, drawing out a surprised gasp from her as he suckled gently. His teeth grazed the edge of the aureole, moving inwards until they closed around the hard tip. Kagome let out a strangled wail, arching up to him. Slowly Inuyasha licked his way over to its twin, nibbling at the tender flesh until she writhed beneath him in a total lack of control.

She felt the hanyou smile against the expanse of skin leading to her abdomen, leaving not a single inch untouched by either his lips, tongue or teeth, causing her to whimper and mewl with abandon.

"My reijin…" she vaguely heard him whisper before his tongue licked the rim of her navel, then slipped inside.

"… koishii…" she moaned in return.

Inuyasha paused, looking up at the human whom he would soon claim as his mate. Being ever so careful he let the claws of one hand trail down her side, over her hip, and along her thigh. She shivered, the heady smell of her musk growing even stronger. He smiled and nuzzled the edge of her veldt, feeling her hips writhe beneath him urgently. The scent of her core called to him, beckoned him for just a taste, a simple touch, but for now he ignored it, drawing a frustrated growl from Kagome. Inuyasha couldn't help but chuckle at her, nipping at the tender flesh of her inner thigh, making her body jump.

"… onegai…" she managed to plead between uncontrolled moans, her hands reaching for his ears.

He deftly kept himself just out of her reach, inching her legs apart, all rational thoughts beginning the leave his mind at the strong scent of her arousal. Fighting for every ounce of control he may have had left, he nipped his way up her inner thigh towards her heated core. He could feel its warmth against his cheek as his tongue teased the crease where her leg met her mound. Her pleas and strangled cries merely encouraged him to take his time, to drive her to a feral peak before he did anything.

But that decision abruptly died when she managed to fist a hand in his hair, tugging him to her heat. The scent assaulting his nose snapped all his resolve and he buried his face into her folds. Inuyasha gripped her hips firmly to hold them still as he took his first experimental tastes of her.

Kagome clutched the sheets tightly, unable to stop the myriad of cries and moans that he wrenched from her. She had seen it written in books, seen it depicted in mangas, but never once had they successfully managed to convey how glorious the feeling would be. She concentrated hard on the sensations, only managing in making them all the more incredible. Kagome's breath came in gulping gasps, her fists tightening on the sheets as if she were aiming to tear them apart. She could feel his tongue circling her sensitive nub in what she could only describe as fascination, causing her hips to buck despite his grip. His lips dipped lower, placing an open-mouth kiss over her opening, creating the slightest of suctions that wrenched a pleasured cry from her lips. Kagome felt as if her body was on fire. A deep pressure was building within her, growing to unimaginable heights with the promise that its final release would be spectacular. She dug her fingers in his hair again, dying to hold onto some part of him as he brought her closer to the edge.

A low rumble reverberated through his chest. Inuyasha buried his face in those lovely folds, his tongue circling and tapping her sensitive nub one moment, then his lips moving over her entrance the next, his tongue exploring her passage with exquisite thoroughness. He loved the sounds she was making. Mewls and moans, meant only for him, pulled at his ears and demanded that his demon blood to take what he needed.

Not yet, he growled to himself.

He felt hidden muscles begin to ripple against his tongue and he withdrew, moving up slightly to suckle that intriguing node that always made her shudder and cry out in a way he liked. His tongue gave one final swipe over her hyper-sensitized nub and she catapulted over the edge, crying out his name in abandon. He quickly dipped to her opening again and lapped up every drop or her sweet juices, wanting to savour every nuance that was Kagome, making her moan softly through her exhausted pants for air. Inuyasha shed the rest of his clothes before lying atop of the prone human, body-to-body, kissing her deeply to allow her to taste herself on his lips, unconsciously grinding his hips against her to help alleviate some of his need.

She shivered pleasantly in his arms, her arousal returning quickly and easily from the feel of clawed fingers gliding up her sides and circling her breasts, and from the feel him pressing up so intimately to her.

She smiled wryly at herself.

Had she been so starved for this kind of attention that she wanted Inuyasha to continuously bring her over the edge?

Despite having his full weight on her body, she found it comfortable and exciting all at once. He wasn't crushingly heavy, just enough to keep her pinned to the bed, his low purring growl vibrating through to her where his chest pressed against her own, arousing her further. Kagome managed to raise her tired arms and smooth her hands down his back to his rear, thrilling at the feel of hard muscles and warm, smooth skin. She could feel his hard member pressed to her lower abdomen and she smiled. He was magnificent and she wanted to feel more of him…

All of him…

She shifted her hips up slightly, sliding her feet over his firm calves in a silent plea. Inuyasha left her lips to stare down into her liquid blue eyes, silently questioning her if she was absolutely sure this was the step she wanted to take with him.

"Kagome…"

His voice was strained from holding back for so long. Her fingers touched his lips tenderly, enticing him closer until their lips brushed. Her next supplication answered every question he was going to ask her at that moment.

"I want you, Inuyasha." she breathed into his mouth with all conviction.

A loud growl emanated from deep in his chest as he claimed her lips in a crushing embrace, causing her to moan softly. There would be no more prompting now, no more questions, only the promise of pure pleasure from here on out.

His demon half demanded him to just flip her over and have his way, that she had more than given her assent. He growled at himself, arguing that he wanted to see her face while they mated, wanted to witness the sweet pain and beautiful pleasure playing on her face in the dim light. He had spent years dreaming of that scene, night after night, imagining how she would feel beneath him, surrounding him, crying out his name in ecstasy. Now he wanted to see it really happen.

With one hand supporting himself above her, between her legs, and the other hand clamped down on her hip, Inuyasha rocked forward in one quick thrust, sheathing himself deep into her tight warmth.

Her eyes flew open with a startled gasp, feeling herself stretch to accommodate his thick member. Everything she had ever read told her there would be pain.

Yet there was none.

She had felt her barrier break, yet the pain stayed away.

Inuyasha's gold eyes stared down at her in concern, fighting with himself to keep from moving for fear of hurting her. She blinked and smiled adoringly, tightening her inner muscles around him to urge him on.

He dropped his face to the crook of her neck with a relieved groan, strong arms twining around her shoulders possessively. He revelled for a moment at how perfectly she fit around him, his shaft buried to its base within her. It was as if she had been made for him and only him. He almost lost control then and there, regaining it enough to nip at her rapid pulse beating beneath his lips.

Slowly, he withdrew until only the head remained inside, then forcefully pushed back in, repeating the motion a few heartbeats later in an attempt to hear her moan like she did. She made the most arousing sounds, urging him to move faster. She would moan and gasp breathlessly and entreat the heavens when he slid in and out of her slick canal, then pant softly when he stopped momentarily. The louder her cries got the more aroused he became, and the greater the strain on his control became.

He forced his eyes to remain open, no matter how intense the rapture became. He wanted to watch her, watch her writhe and chant his name in the throes of pure bliss.

She was simply sublime.

Her eyes were shut tight as she concentrated on the sensations, her moist lips parted in desperate breaths. A thin film of perspiration glistened on her skin, wetting her hair. A deep rosy blush coloured her entire body. Every so often her bottom lip would become wedged between her teeth when a particularly sweet sensation occurred.

Inuyasha kneeled up, his hands finding the backs of her knees and pushing them up so they were level with her chest.

Her eyes snapped open, her breath locking in her throat. None of the pleasures from before had prepared her for this. It was beyond anything she had previously felt, feeling him delve so deeply within her she was sure he was touching her soul. All she could do was cling to the bed sheets as he edged her ever closer to something she knew would be fantastic. Kagome managed to dig her fingers through his damp hair, hungry for his lips, lost in the warmth he stoked in her core with each thrust.

He bent slightly and took one of her nipples in his mouth, suckling it as one of his hands fondled her other breast, doubling her pleasures.

She wailed in a bliss so deep it bordered on pain.

Her voice only pushed him further. He moved faster then, his breath soft against her neck. He felt her skin made slick from the fine layer of sweat that clung to her, felt her writhing in agonizing pleasure, and especially felt her warm wetness surrounding his member as he drove into her, again and again. He wanted the gods to strike him down where he lay. He believed nothing in the mortal Universe could ever feel this good, nor feel this right. Her supple body arched under his, skin-grazing-skin. Sweet pain was rising inside him, forcing him to move faster. The ecstasy flitting across her face drove him on, making him move faster still.

His movements became rough then, almost to the point of being violent, a low growl transferring through to her. As before, her inner muscles began to twitch around his member, signalling she was almost to her peak. He nuzzled a spot at the base of her neck, lapping at that spot in preparation, feeling his own peak draw near.

Part of him smiled.

They would climax together… as mates should.

He let go of her legs in favour of crushing her close in his arms, his own release toppling him over the edge of sensation, his teeth digging into her shoulder hard enough to draw blood.

Her body tensed when he bit her, arching into him away from the mattress, silken muscles clamping hard along his shaft as his name broke from her lips in a primal scream, feeling the amazing sensation of his hot seed filling her, her legs locking around his hips. With a supreme effort, not quite understanding what instinct was pushing her to do this and not really caring at that moment, she lifted her head from the pillows and sunk her teeth at the base of his neck. The slight tang of blood on her tongue both surprised and thrilled her, doubling her experience.

Was that what her hanyou koibito felt at that moment?

They hung there, suspended in time, waiting for the crashing tidal wave of sensation to dissipate, before Inuyasha collapsed on top of her. His breath came in hard, ragged pants against her shoulder, his tongue gently licking the wound he had left there. Kagome wrapped tired arms around his heaving chest, nuzzling her face against his jaw in silent and drowsy contentment.

She heard him chuckle breathlessly, his arms tightening possessively around her flushed form.

"You are mine now, Kagome." he husked against her skin.

She smiled softly.

"I was always yours, Inuyasha." and she nipped the edge of his jaw.

"Aishiteru."

A light shudder shook his frame before he pulled his head back to mesh his mouth to hers in a deep embrace, causing her to moan softly and cling to his body, tasting her own blood on his lips mingling with the taste of his blood. His touch alone was often enough to electrify her senses, his kisses took her one step beyond.

Kagome's eyes snapped wide open when she felt his thighs clench, gently pressing his hard length deep inside her again. Before she could even say a word, Inuyasha pulled out of her quickly and flipped her to her stomach, his body pinning her to the bed.

"Inuyasha…?"

"Shhh… We're not done, untenshi… not by a long shot."

She shivered pleasantly from the promise in the hot whisper against her ear.

He nipped a long trail down her back, following the curve of her spine with tongue and teeth, as his hands trailed down her sides in the gentlest of caresses.

Kagome trembled in pleasure.

She had been right in her past thought. She knew he could be gentle and tender when he wanted to be. Clawed hands gently gripped her hips, urging her to kneel up, as he kneed her legs apart. She obeyed, her back pressed to his sweat-slicked chest, one of his arms wound around her waist while the other hand busied itself at her breast. Kagome felt as if her whole body was thrumming so much his touch awakened feelings she never thought she could experience.

He entered her from behind with one hard thrust, causing her to gasp loudly, her hand instinctively reaching up to play with one of his ears. He purred in bliss, nipping at her shoulder. There was no need for any preliminaries this time, finding her more than ready for him, her passage still wet and beckoning. There was no need to go slowly either by the sounds of her desperate mewls and whimpers. Each plunge he took into her made her pleas grow louder, demanding he go even faster to help her reach that glorious peak.

He readily obliged her.

Kagome let herself drop forward to the bed, unwittingly giving him access to delve even deeper than before. She wailed desperately, clinging to the silk sheets as he raced her ever closer to the edge. Never had she thought that anything could be so incredible and feel so impossibly wonderful. Her world exploded to a whole new level when his hand shifted from her hip to rub against her hard nub, driving her to a dizzying height. She screamed in pleasured agony, a cry that mixed with his roar, toppling over that wonderful edge and felt his seed spill within her for the second time that night.

She gulped desperately for air, gasping softly when he pushed into her a few more times. Her limbs were limp from growing exhaustion and she did not resist him when he pulled her up to press her back to his chest. Kagome loved the feel of his warm arms cuddling her close, the feel of his lips teasing behind her ear in a gentle nuzzle.

"… sugoi…" she panted when she had regained enough of her breath.

"We're not done yet, Wagimoko." he purred huskily.

She groaned softly, feeling his hands slide up from her hips to glide over her stomach and ribs, massaging her breasts in clear intent. She smiled at his seemingly insatiable need to be so intimate with her over and over again and at the name he had just called her.

Wife.

"You're going to kill me... Otto…"

Husband.

He chuckled warmly against the side of her neck.

"Then I guess I can let you rest up for a little bit, Aisai." and he withdrew gently, easing her down to the mattress to rest.

Kagome pulled him down with her to have him lie close, staring into his passion filled gold eyes with all the love she possessed for the hanyou.

His hand rested warmly on her hip, his thumb tracing idle patterns there. His expression was soft as he watched her pant faintly, allowing himself the tiniest of grins at her attempt to memorize his features with her eyes and hands.

Her light fingers traced the edge of his face tenderly, smoothing away rebel wisps of his hair, before reaching up and beginning to caress his ear.

Inuyasha's eyes closed at her touch, a purring rumble in his chest. His breath hissed between his teeth when her fingers trailed against the base and he titled his head into her touch. He could almost feel her smiling, too engrossed in the sensations to bother opening his eyes. He didn't even open them when he felt her lips brush his ever so lightly, only parting his lips to capture her breath. But she pulled away before he could kiss her, drawing out a slightly frustrated growl from him. Inuyasha felt her hand come down to rest on his shoulder, the bed shifting a little as she moved, and he growled louder at the lack of her touch on his sensitive ears. That is, until something softer and wet began caressing one. Curious, he opened his eyes only to be confronted by a perfect view of Kagome's pert breasts right at his eye level.

Inuyasha blinked.

Did that mean…?

His eyes bulged in realization.

She was licking his ear!

He shuddered as a wave of incredible desire washed through him, his hand tightening on her hip. This was thousands of times more erotic then what he had ever let himself imagine and dream of. All he could do was lie there for the moment as her lips and tongue toyed with one ear and her fingers lavished attention to his other ear. His nerves came alive with sudden force and he could swear he could feel every tiny particles of dust in the air touching his skin. His member was painfully stiff between his legs. If she persisted this way for much longer he risked exploding.

"… Ka-Kagome…" he managed through clenched teeth.

Her hands came up to rest on his shoulders and she placed a quick kiss on the tip of his nose teasingly, the pressure in his loins easing almost as soon as her attention ceased on his ears.

"It's your turn." she whispered, surprising even herself at the sultry tone of her voice.

Then she pushed him over so that he was laying on his back, straddling his thighs before he could move. Shocked at her newly aggressive attitude, he simply let her take control for now, wondering what she was intending to do. He looked down into her face, which was now moving down his chest, slight nipping kisses marking a trail as she moved to his right nipple. She kissed the taught bud lightly, then grazed it with her teeth, pulling a soft whimper from him. She began to suck on his nipple lightly, brushing her tongue against it for a moment before switching to his other one. She suckled on his left nipple now, flicking it once with her tongue before nibbling on it lightly and pulling away.

She began to kiss down his stomach, her tongue flickering out from between her lips every now and then to taste his skin.

He just watched her, trying to fight back the moans that wanted to spill forth at the feeling of her mouth on his stomach. But he couldn't stop the moan that came out when he felt her mouth on the tip of him, just barely sucking as her tongue traced slow circles around it.

She smiled up at him for a second, then sucked slightly harder on his tip, drawing a soft groan from him.

His hands moved to the back of her head as she trailed her tongue along the underside of his arousal, teasing him beyond normal endurance. She held him in her hand for a moment, causing him to shiver, before pushing the tip back into her mouth, flicking her tongue against it and causing his eyes to roll back and close in pleasure. But they snapped open again when he felt her start to draw him deeper into her mouth, stopping every now and then to get adjusted to the feeling of him.

A jolt of searing ecstasy rocked hard through his frame, completely knocking the breath from his lungs and freezing his arms when his eyes locked on the sight of Kagome's head in his lap. Inuyasha swore his heart stopped as his mind rather abruptly blanked to everything but the sight of her lips around him and the feel of her tongue making a slow, firm glide up and back down.

He gave up holding back the intense growl rumbling in his chest, building with her every move into a near roar. Inuyasha gripped the sheets beneath him, his claws tearing into the flimsy fabric, his eyes shutting tight as the pleasure built to an almost painful crescendo. Despite his best efforts, his hips bucked suddenly with his climax, bright lights exploding in front of his eyes before they rolled back in a profound bliss. He was only mildly aware of her tongue lapping him clean in languid pleasure.

"… Kagome…" he rumbled low when his thoughts became coherent again after a few minutes.

She raised her eyes to his and favoured him with a sultry grin, slowly crawling back up to lie at his side.

"I couldn't be the only one here to enjoy myself." she whispered, tracing idle patterns across his chest.

He shivered from her light touch, grinning wryly.

"I thought you said you needed to rest?"

Kagome smirked.

"Iie, you're the one who said that."

"Didn't hear you disagree."

"I just needed a minute before I returned the favuor."

She blushed suddenly.

"It… It was a little fantasy I harboured for a while… I knew how sensitive to sound your ears were, I… I wanted to see if they were sensitive to touch too."

He purred.

"I think you more than proved just how much."

It won a giggle from her lips.

"Hai, I did. Now you're the one who needs to rest right now."

Regardless of the fact that only a few short minutes had passed before he could speak again, the feel of her cool fingers tracing the lines and angles of his chest aroused him again. It was beyond his control. Knowing that Kagome was finally his mate made Inuyasha want her every waking moment of the day.

He wanted to hear her moan and scream his name and other incoherent endearments.

He wanted to feel her surround him intimately.

He wanted to feel her writhing in ecstasy beneath him.

Kagome saw the look in his eyes a heartbeat before he rolled on top of her, a confident grin on his lips. She laughed in spite of the situation, hitting his shoulder with her fist in mock annoyance as his legs nudged hers apart.

"Again? Inuyasha, you're a sex fiend!" she accused playfully.

He smirked arrogantly.

"Just you try to complain about it, Koi." and he entered her with a quick, deep thrust.

She gasped loudly, her voice locking in her throat, her head thrown back into the pillows, legs wrapping instinctively around his waist.

Inuyasha nipped her chin gently with an obviously pleased smile.

"Thought so."

* * *

Sitting up late into the night, Kouga stared into a small cooking fire in the castle's great hall. Occasionally he would cast a quick glance towards the doorway as if hoping for someone to walk through. He had heard the conversations both Kagome and the hanyou had engaged in with that old Miko woman, Kaede.

Kagome had to be delusional.

Or under some sort of spell.

Had to be!

It was the only way he could find for her to accept that half-breed's advances. That hanyou was nothing compared to him. Kouga had a pack, he was a strong Alpha male who could provide for his entire pack and a mate effortlessly. He could breed his mate many strong and healthy pups. Kagome would forever be tended to by the lesser females and protected in his absence by the lesser males. She would never have to leave the den for anything.

The hanyou had nothing.

He had no way of protecting Kagome at all times like Kouga could.

That decided him.

He would go up to Kagome's room, confront her of this mindless infatuation, and drag her back down to the hall and to his pack where she belonged. He knew he would get into a battle with the hanyou, but it didn't matter. He would defeat the half-breed and prove to Kagome once and for all that he was the undisputed Alpha male in this castle and she had to submit to him.

Kouga nodded to himself and stood, walking towards the dark corridor leading to Kagome's room. He wasn't aware of himself jogging quickly through the corridors until the door to her room appeared before him. He paused, going over his plan once again in his mind. If the two were asleep, he would quickly scoop Kagome up in his arms and run off before the hanyou could react. No matter if she was awake or not, he would run off with her to have a real, undisturbed conversation with his intended mate.

Resolved in his actions to come, Kouga opened the door and strode in. His nose was immediately assaulted with a scent he was familiar with, yet couldn't quite place. He had smelled this someplace before, but it was never so thick. Looking towards the bed he noticed a pile of clothes lying forgotten on the floor. He blinked, recognizing the items instantly.

One was the robe Kagome had taken to wearing, to the obvious pleasure of the half-breed.

The other was the hanyou's Hi-Nezumi made clothing.

Kouga felt his blood freeze in his veins in slow realization of what the scent truly was.

He quietly approached the bed and parted the curtains of silk to see the sleepers.

This was the sight he had dreaded to see.

With the blankets barely covering them up to their waists, the hanyou and human slept peacefully, tiny smiles on their faces. Both were obviously naked, Kagome's back pressed to the half-breed's chest as he kept his arms wrapped around her, his nose to her nape. No doubt having sensed the cold breeze now wafting against her skin from where the curtains had been parted, Kagome shivered, turning in her sleep towards the hanyou as she sought more warmth. He reacted instantly to the move, absently tugging the blankets higher over her shoulders and crushing her close, his lips to her forehead. There had been no mistaking the soft happy sigh that escaped her lips.

Kouga felt his mouth grow dry.

He had lost her.

Iie! his mind screamed furiously and he frowned.

They're mated, hai, but a mate can be won away from a pairing with sufficient convincing. I just have to make Kagome see that I'm the only right choice for her.

He stared down at the sleeping couple, stifling a growl.

Enjoy her while you still can, dog turd. Kagome is mine!

* * *

Hanshu Taishou struggled as best he could against his captors, feeling their claws tightened on his armor clad arms with just enough pressure to cause pain but not tear off his arms. He cursed at them loudly. How dare these creatures take him prisoner. They had no honor in the art of war. They had just simply appeared as if from the mists of Kokuhyou and had attacked his mighty army, the largest assembled in all of the Empire. His army counted in the near ten thousands, yet a small band of these hell-beasts had succeeded in wiping them all out of existence.

And instead of killing the general as the rules of engagement called for, they took his prisoner and dragged him into this strange hive. Not only that, but they had failed to disarm him. Taishou looked around for a way to escape, noting the slick walls all around. Climbing was definitely out of the question if he couldn't get his hands on strong ropes and a hook of some sort. If he stared at one spot long enough he could almost swear he saw it pulse with some sort of heartbeat.

Was this hive alive?

Along the floor he could see the countless remains of hapless creatures that had dared take on these formidable foes. Taishou recognized the bones by their sheer size alone. Youkai had attacked these beasts and lost as well. A dreaded realization hit him at this.

If youkai couldn't win against these scorpion men, then what possible chance did humanity stand?

The two scorpion beasts that held him suddenly shoved him forward into an immense room before pulling back into the shadows so only their glowing red eyes could be visible. Taishou stumbled to recover his balance, straightened his armour with a sharp tug, and then began a careful examination of the chamber. The first rule of a prisoner: find a method or direction of escape. The chamber walls were just as smooth and slick with some sort of slime, just like the corridors of this hive. A well protruded from the center of the floor, a bubble of glowing energy crackling and pulsing just within the lip of it. It bathed the room in a strange blue and white glow, alternating in color for time to time. From each gaping entrance the Hanshu could see the glowing eyes of his captors, watching him, keeping their distance for some reason.

"They are there to keep you from escaping, Osanago." a honey smooth woman's voice echoed throughout the chamber, as if having read his thought.

The Hanshu whirled around in place, drawing his katana, searching for the source of the voice. It sounded human enough, definitely a woman. If he was truly fortunate, he would be able to negotiate his release with this woman who seemed to have so much power over these scorpion creatures.

"Poor Osanago, trapped and alone. Where is your captor, Anchi?" the voice taunted.

Taishou frowned.

So much for negotiating with a reasonable being.

He heard the soft clicking of claws on stone and turned, only to find nothing behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Facing an opponent head on was easy, facing an opponent who refused to show themselves…

"Show yourself, Onna!" he shouted to the room.

"Tsk, such a temper."

"Your kaibutsu killed my whole army! I'm hardly in the mood to be calm."

"Kaibutsu! Be kind, Hanshu, these are my children, hardly monsters."

There was another skitter of claws on stone.

"Your children? What are you?"

The voice chuckled softly.

"Hanyou." it cooed.

"Jinkouteki!"

Unnatural.

The air went deathly still. Taishou held his breath, hearing his heart pounding in his own ears at the feel of the tension within the room grow.

"I have been called that my entire life, Hanshu!" the voice hissed angrily. "I did not tolerate it then, nor will I tolerate it now."

Akuma Sasori skittered down the side of a wall into the shadows, her red hair seeming like real fire in the well's light, the shadows making her look much more immense than she truly was. She moved from place to place quickly, never giving the human a chance to truly see her… not just yet.

"Decades, Anchi! I have spent decades trying to forget that word! I am not jinkouteki. If I were, I wouldn't have been born."

She stalked forward slowly, enjoying the look of terror entering the man's eyes as she came into sight. It was the same look she had seen all those decades ago, the fear swimming in that warlord's eyes when he suddenly realized she would kill him.

"You remind me of a man I once knew." she spoke softly. "He was proud and arrogant… he could have been my Otousan… had he cared more."

Taishou blinked.

"He abandoned you?"

Was this the cause of all the carnage, an old hate?

"Iie…" she near giggled. "I killed him."

Akuma let her fingers trail over the surface of the bubble protruding from the well, the soft bluish glow erupting into a myriad of harsh reds and ugly purples, energy crackling to life in thin, random bolts.

"Do you know why I had my children bring you here?" she asked.

"Hanyou have no reasons to give." The words were out of his lips before he realized it.

The scowl on her face deepened, an old pain flitting across her face.

"Hanyou have no reasons to give. Hanyou feel no love, give no love, get no love. Hanyou seek only power. Hanyou are hated among all creatures!"

She shouted the old refrain she had heard for the vaster portion of her life, hating the taste of every word. These had been words that had been drilled into her very psyche over many decades, words that she had come to despise since they always led to a beating by that twisted little human who had dared presume himself her better. She caught herself before she could lunge at the Hanshu in fury, taking a deep breath to regain her composure. Killing him now in a rage was no fun. She wanted to see the fear in his eyes.

"Why did I have you brought here?"

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Taishou's face.

"I…"

"Never bothered to think about it."

Akuma chuckled, looking down at her blood red nails.

"My children think I look a little pale. They want me strong to be able to rule this world."

When she raised her eyes to his, Taishou felt frozen in place, mesmerized by her cobra like eyes. Her fingers lightly touched his cheek in an uncharacteristically tender caress.

"Are you afraid to die, Hanshu?"

"H--… Hai."

She smiled ever so sweetly.

"As well you should be."

She placed a gentle kiss on his brow.

"Arigatou, Hanshu."

"Na-Nani?"

"For showing me your fear."

Taishou never saw her tail move. The next moment, and every other that would ever come, were simple oblivion.

Akuma stared at the lifeless body dangling from the tip of her tail, impaled through the back of the skull. The death of this human lord, of this military general, helped to ease some of her past pain, but not enough.

She slid her body along the low bench that had been designed for her as her throne in her birth land, her arms crossed over her chest, fingers drumming absently on her arms in thinly veiled irritation. Report after report from her Scouts had come in every few hours before the arrival of her meal, giving her news and a clearer picture of just what was happening in that castle a few days away from her hive.

She didn't like any of it.

The numbers of human refugees were growing within those castle walls, growing to the size of a small army. But she had no reason to worry about them. They were all frightened of her children and unorganized to make them completely harmless.

An idle nuisance.

What truly annoyed her were the constant reports of the strange girl and the silver-haired hanyou, of their growing closeness.

One of the Scouts had managed to get very close to watch them. He had seen them at a hot spring, first playing like children in the water, then kissing and clinging intimately to each other before being interrupted by the wolf youkai.

Another Scout had reported the heavy scent of musk in the air later that night coming from one of the castle's more isolated rooms. It could have meant anyone had mated that night, but the scout had reported the stench was so great that the half-breed would have had difficulty resisting its lure.

Hanyou are unable to receive human or youkai affection, a long since dead voice droned in her mind.

You are jinkouteki creatures, hated by both beings that spawned you. A hanyou will never find a mate who will love him or her.

Hanyou were destined to die alone.

That was something that had been instilled in her since her youth. Everyone she had come across had proved that saying right more than once, stoning her and chasing her away from any place she dared try to find rest in. Akuma scowled at the demi-orb hanging over the well's surface, tearing pieces of flesh from the Hanshu dangling from her tail and chewing thoughtfully on each piece.

She would not die alone.

She had found an entire world dedicated to her, who would do anything she asked for without question.

Her children adored her.

Demo they do not love me.

She shook her head violently.

I don't need love! A hanyou can live without love!

But her mind couldn't help but wonder about the girl who seemed to love that other half-breed.

Why was she different that all the other humans Akuma had encountered as a child?

Why did she treat her half-demon with such respect and care and affection?

A dainty insect leg tapped the ground in thought and she shifted her weight more comfortably on her throne, tossing what inedible substance remained of the Hanshu behind her absently. The Scouts had reported that the girl possessed great power, they could smell it easily radiating all around her.

Akuma grunted to herself.

That was why the hanyou stayed around. He was attracted to the smell of power. All hanyou sought power, which was ultimately why they were killed in the first place. That quest made them dangerous.

The girl's motives were more mysterious than the half-breed's.

Did she seek power?

Was she a sorceress of some kind?

Akuma Sasori sighed with a deep frown. Simply thinking about these things would not tell her what she needed to know. If she wanted to discover the girl's motives or why she seemed to be attracted to the hanyou, she would have to ask her directly. She let loose a high-pitched screech. Almost immediately a large scorpion man with a broad torso and huge pincers scurried into the chamber. He bowed low, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"What iss your wissh, Great One?" he queried in a tone far too soft for his size.

"Take a legion, raze the land to that castle where our scouts have been watching a girl and hanyou. Let nothing survive until you get there. Bring me back the girl with the scent of power around her… alive."

"What of the hanyou that wass reported with her, Sshining One?"

Akuma almost grinned.

"Do not kill him. Incapacitate him for a while. I want him capable of coming here. After I question the girl, I will have questions for him as well. I want to see just how far he will go to save this girl."

"I hear and obey, Misstressss."

Without once raising his eyes to Akuma, the scorpion General whirled around on thin legs to race into the hive's numerous corridors, letting loose shrill cries and random clicks as he went. From every possible angle and corridor came countless smaller versions of the General, clicking excitedly with the prospects of battle.

Looking like some great black tidal wave, the scorpion beings swarmed out of the hive, heading North and towards the coast. The loud roar of trampling insect legs and gnashing claws filled the air sounding like never ending thunder, reverberating off into the distance almost as if in warning of the impending danger. All standing structures and trees didn't stand a chance against the massive horde. Whole forests were razed to the ground in a matter of seconds to leave behind nothing more than piles of splinters and crushed leaves amongst the stripped bones of hapless animals and unlucky youkai; surviving villages disappeared from existence into piles of ash and scattered bones; animals and humans were trampled mercilessly by sharp and spindly legs to provide food for this army as it trekked ever onward. Everywhere the multitude went, carnage and death followed with endless streams and pools of warm blood.

The-One-Who-Was-All had given them their orders and they would obey them to the end.

* * *

Inuyasha frowned slightly at Kagome, slight concern visible in his eyes as he watched her tighten the ties of her hakama, tugging it into place over the waist of her jeans.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? This isn't going to be easy on you."

She nodded, shifting her bow and quiver of arrows more comfortably on her shoulder. She had to smile. Tough as he tried to act, Inuyasha was the most caring and concerned man she knew.

"Everything that needs taking care of here is already being taken care of. I have nothing to do and it's driving me nuts. I need to get out, stretch my legs… so to speak."

"You do know it's not safe out there."

"Hai, hai, I know. Lots of bugs, as you like to call them."

She smiled sweetly.

"Demo, I'll be with you. I won't be in any danger with my ever loving protector watching over me."

Her smile and innocent tone of voice won a quick smile from him, but it was quickly replaced by his frown.

"Demo, going on a hunt…?"

She gave a frustrated sigh.

"Inuyasha, I've learned to gut a whole stag and skin it too. If I'm not totally grossed out by having my hands in its innards then I think I can handle a little hunt, ne?"

The hanyou shook his head slightly, turning his back to her.

"You'll see." and he crouched a little to let he climb on.

He barely glanced at the hunting party gathered not far away, merely waiting until Kagome was settled comfortably on his back before taking off at a demon's speed for the surrounding forest. Inuyasha wasn't concerned that Kouga or his pack were following. He had nothing to worry about any of them. Kagome was his mate now, his alone. No other male had any claim to her save perhaps to call her Onesan, and one day his male pups would call her Okaasan. She bore his mark just like he bore hers.

A grin tugged up the corners of his lips at the memory already a day old.

He had felt her fingers lightly tracing the base of his neck shortly before she had apologized. Upon asking her why, she had told him she had bit him a little too hard during their lovemaking. It had caused him to leap from the bed and inspect his neck in the mirror. A small circle of perfectly defined teeth marks decorated the base of his neck. The wound had refused to heal like his other wounds usually had, proof that this was a mark that was supposed to remain where it was. With a smile he had all but leapt back into the bed, cuddling her close. He had explained to her the significance of the mark then, how it meant they belonged to each other and no one else. She had blushed, touching her own bite before giving him a smile that left him like nothing more than a puddle in her surprisingly talented hands.

Inuyasha snapped himself from the memory before it got him too distracted, sampling the air for a soon to be prey. He had been so wrapped up in his reminiscing that he had failed to notice the day pass, the once low morning sun now high in the sky. Glancing around he was pleased to see he hadn't wandered too far away from the castle, even in his daydream state. He was sure the other hunters and the wolf youkai pack had gathered quite a few kills by now, enough to last the refugees back at the castle for the next couple of weeks if the meat was stored properly.

One more wouldn't hurt.

He would give his mate the opportunity to make this kill. She had to learn to fend for herself if ever he was forced to be absent too long.

A familiar musk wafted to his sensitive nose and he slowed his race.

A stag.

Male… just entering his prime.

The meat such a beast could provide would be enough to keep his mate alone fed for a week at least, to keep her strong to bear his young.

He smiled to himself.

And how he would enjoy making those pups.

Kagome noticed his slower pace.

"What did you smell?" she asked in a quiet hush.

Inuyasha blinked back to reality.

"A buck… He's close."

Her hand tightened on his shoulder.

"Then let's find him."

"Hai."

Still keeping Kagome on his back, Inuyasha crouched low to stay beneath the line of the bushes, darting quickly between trees until he reached a line of underbrush circling a small clearing. Browsing peacefully, unaware of any dangers lurking nearby, was a trio of graceful stags, two females and a magnificent looking male. Being as quiet as possible, Inuyasha eased Kagome off his back and tugged her forward until she was in front of him, back pressed to his chest.

"The kill is yours, Koi." he whispered.

She blinked up at him in surprise, then nodded shakily. She had been fully willing to witness the hunt, to see either her hanyou lover or one of the other hunters kill an animal, but she had never expected to become an active participant. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and bit her lip. She figured she must have subconsciously decided to become a hunter or she would have never brought the weapon with her.

Kagome took a deep steadying breath, notched an arrow, and took careful aim. Her hand shook despite her best effort to keep still and steady. Flashes of the movie Bambi kept appearing before her mind's eye, taunting her with the cruelty of the whole situation. One of Inuyasha's hands came to rest on the hand holding the bow to help steady it, gently nudging it over by a few millimeters until the arrow was pointing at a specific spot on the buck. She paused for a split second, drew back the string another inch, and then released.

With the barest hiss against the air, the arrow flew straight and true from her hand to the buck's heart. The does ran off in surprise, crashing through the forest in fear.

Numbly, Kagome followed Inuyasha into the clearing where the dead animal lay. The hanyou crouched down with a hand on the buck's side, then grunted, pleased.

"A clean kill." he mumbled, smiling.

Kagome dropped to her knees, unable to take her eyes off the stag.

"I can't believe I just did this."

Inuyasha looked at her, noting her shock, and his ears flattened. He realized now, she wasn't made for the hunt. Up until now he had treated her like one of his own kind, as if she had lived the same life he had. He realized now what a mistake that was. She had lived a fairly sheltered life back in her time, where one could simply enter any number of buildings and purchase a meal or provisions. She had never had to hunt and kill an innocent animal. Her heart was just too caring to take a life, even if it meant her survival. He wracked his brain for something to say that would help appease her shock.

"You do what you can to survive, Kagome." he began slowly. "When I was younger, I remember telling myself that I would die first before I killed an animal, that I could survive off catching fish or eating berries and herbs."

She blinked up at him and her heart began to warm that he was volunteering private information about his past to try to comfort her.

"Fish are animals too?"

"Keh. Not like a rabbit or a stag. Killing a fish isn't as… messy."

"Oh. What changed your mind?" she questioned.

"Starvation. I couldn't always count on the river to provide for me and in the winter, berries and herbs are impossible to find. I got to watching animals on the hunt and realized that if I wanted to live then I had to hunt, and kill."

"Does… does it get easier?"

"After a while. You start seeing prey not as a living creature, demo as your means to live one more day."

He suddenly grabbed her hand and laid it against the side of the stag's neck.

"Thank it."

"Nani?"

"Thank it, its spirit. It… it makes the hurt go away."

She blinked again.

"Did… you…?"

He merely nodded, understanding her incomplete question. For the first few months of his hunts as a child, he had felt the need to thank the spirit of the animal he had killed in order to appease the guilt he felt at having taken a life. After that, the hunts had become so commonplace to him that he had and now no longer felt the need to express gratitude towards the dead prey. Death had become a normal thing to his younger self. Back then it had been kill or be killed. Youkai hunted him for what he was, larger carnivores saw him a potential prey. He had no choice then, he had to grow hard and cold to the death or be consumed by it or madness.

His mate lowered her eyes to the stag, her fingers gently stroking its fur. She was silent, lost in an inner contemplation of her actions present and future. Inuyasha merely watched her until he heard the bushes rustle in the distance. Looking up he found some of the other huntsmen that usually joined him in the hunt just now coming into sight. A few members of Kouga's pack were among them, specifically Hakkaku and Ginta. Inuyasha approached them, not wanting them to come any closer to Kagome than they already were, pleased that Kouga was smart enough to keep his distance now, mildly wondering why Hakkaku and Ginta weren't with their leader and Oniisan at that moment.

Lost in her thoughts, the young Miko was barely aware of the new arrivals or that Inuyasha had moved away from her.

"If you dwell on every stag or rabbit you kill like this, you'll never want to eat again." Inuyasha scolded her.

She inhaled sharply as if snapping out of some all consuming thought, her eyes lifting to him in what he could best describe as surprise. Kagome forced a smile, trying to shake off the remains of her shock.

"Gomen ne, I guess I'm taking this a little harder than I thought I would."

He smirked at her.

"Not to say I told you so…"

She returned the smirk with a slight frown.

"Demo you're just baka enough to do it anyway."

She saw the sparkle in his eyes dance as he suppressed an amused chuckle. Ever since that night he had claimed her as his mate, Kagome noticed how much calmer and surer of himself he was, allowing himself to show that side of him he had once deemed too much of a weakness. Kagome found it amazing that all it took to mellow him was the promise of a family.

With the barest effort Inuyasha picked up the buck from where it lay and tossed it over to the hunters. They staggered under its weight, looking to the hanyou in question. This one was sniffing the air in distaste.

So much for his earlier assumption that Kouga was keeping his distance from Kagome.

"Take it back to the castle." the half-breed instructed. "This is Kagome's kill, so no one has a right to the meat except her, got that?"

The group of wolf youkai nodded, readily agreeing that the one who made the kill was the one alone who was allowed to decide what happened to the meat. Inuyasha grunted to himself. There were definitely good points to having a pack mentality. And seeing as both he and Kouga acted like and fought for the position of Alpha male, the rest of the pack would treat them both as the Alpha until one was clearly declared the leader.

Inuyasha turned back to his mate, crouching slightly at her side in a sign for her to climb onto his back. She resisted the urge to blink in confusion before following the silent order. Once she was settled, he stood and took a few steps, preparing to leap off into the trees.

"Where're you taking aniyome?" Hakkaku questioned.

"Hai, aniyome should stay nearby for Nii-chan to find her." Ginta readily agreed.

The hanyou froze, a vicious growl rising in his throat, and Kagome winced knowingly.

Sister-in-law.

They had dared to assume that Kouga was the human girl's undisputed mate, despite her continuous reminders that she was not interested in him. Inuyasha turned to the youkai, glaring heatedly at them in pure rage, the growl growing louder in menace. They backed away, afraid and confused at the hanyou's reaction.

Kagome merely curled her fingers into Inuyasha's haori in anticipation of him either taking off like a shot or lunging at the youkai to rip out their throats, neither of which she was in the mood to stop at that moment. Truth be known she was more than a little annoyed at the whole mess with Kouga now. She had found it cute and flattering in the past and, at times, it served her purpose to make Inuyasha notice her as more than just a Shikon no Tama shard detector.

But the attentions of the wolf youkai and his pack were wearing thin.

She had come to realize that to the youkai she was nothing more than a prize to be won, a status symbol and nothing more. And Kouga was more obsessed with possessing her now than loving her, of proving to the world and his pride than he could lay claim to any woman he chose. Kagome had no interest in being a trophy wife for the youkai, especially not now that her koishii hanyou had finally admitted how much he truly cared for her. For the remainder of the day following that, when she and Inuyasha had finally decided to get out of bed sometime after what she could best guess as noon, Kouga had shadowed her every move. He acted more like a stalker now than someone out for love.

She could and would tolerate the slip from Ginta and Hakkaku for now so long as they didn't go too far…

"Nani?" Ginta managed to ask. "She and Nii-chan are mates so-"

Kagome frowned.

That was the drop that finally spilled the bucket of her patience.

"Oh, for the love of Kami-I am not his mate!" Kagome shouted in exasperation, raising up on Inuyasha's back to emphasize her point.

Ginta and Hakkaku blinked repeatedly in surprise. Inuyasha gave her a proud smirk from over his shoulder.

"D-demo… Nii-chan said…" Hakkaku sputtered.

"I don't care what he said! I was never, am not, and will never be his mate! He never touched me, we never even slept together!"

Ginta scrambled to find some form of proof to the contrary.

"Demo… we-we smelled the musk the other night… and-and Nii-chan wasn't with us that night and… and-"

Kagome pressed her face into Inuyasha's hair with a near growl of frustration.

"So help me, I am going to kill one of them…" she muttered.

"Oi, that's my line." the hanyou retorted playfully.

She nipped his nape lightly.

"You're not helping."

He forced down a chuckled and faced the youkai wolves, his frown returning full force.

"Listen up, I'm only going to say this once…"

They stared at him expectantly.

"Kagome is my mate."

Not waiting for a reaction from them, he could already imagine their shocked expressions, the hanyou merely turned on his heels and leapt off out of sight into the treetops. His top priority at the moment, get Kagome as far away as possible from the group of wolf youkai. He had felt the tension bunching her muscles, her fingers digging into his shoulders in growing annoyance. As much as he wanted to pound Ginta and Hakkaku's faces into the ground, or even watch as Kagome attempted the feat, something in him told him it would be best if she simply got away from everyone for a while. He especially wanted to keep her away from Kouga. He had easily smelled him coming nearer, no doubt at a flat run.

In Kagome's present state she was very liable to kill him.

And there no fuckin' way in Hell that I'd stop her from doing that if I ever gave her the chance, he smirked in self-satisfaction.

"Ne, Inuyasha, where are we going?" Kagome suddenly questioned.

"As far away from wolf boy and his pack as possible."

He could almost see her smile from behind him as her arms wrapped around his neck adoringly.

"Arigatou." she breathed, placing a light kiss on the side of his neck.

"Keh." was all he replied, giving her thigh a slight squeeze.

After a few powerful leaps, Inuyasha sampled the air, pleased to find no trace of any youkai anywhere near them. Kouga had not followed. For once, the wolf demon had done something intelligent, which, in itself, was absolutely remarkable. Without him following them, Inuyasha could risk slowing his pace to a walk now to allow himself to enjoy the light and comforting weight of his mate settled on his back.

He smiled, rolling the term over and over in his mind.

Mate.

Untenshi.

There was something he never thought he would ever call someone, let alone Kagome. For the longest time she had been the unattainable, the forbidden. She had been far too pure and innocent to allow himself to think of her as more than just a friend, and even there she was too good to be his friend.

He had heard the sayings.

Hanyou were not allowed to feel trust or compassion or love, especially not from a human. If one were lucky enough, a hanyou would find one of its own kind and live some kind of peace that way. But Kagome had broken down all those barriers and thrown out all the so-called rules set out by the purists. She had accepted him as more than a friend.

She had accepted to be his mate.

Part of him had resolved itself to the fact that he would live his life alone, never to have a companion except a small handful of friends, never to have a mate to bare his pups…

Inuyasha blinked at himself.

Pups.

A legacy.

There was something else he never thought he would have. He would make sure his brood would have a different chance than he had.

I'm going make for goddamn sure I'm there for them, unlike my Otousan, he growled as he came to the edge of the forest.

He stepped out into the wide glade of drying Autumn grasses, vaguely hearing them crunch beneath his bare feet as he walked, feeling a cold gust of air blow past. The smell of snow hung heavy on the air and part of him wondered if Kagome was warm enough without protective winter clothing.

How will it be like to be an Otousan?

It'll be different, hai, demo how much different?

Will I be able to protect them all?

Will I be a good Otousan to them?

"Anything I do has got to be better than my Otousan." he mumbled, not really intending to do so.

"Nani?"

He stiffened, abruptly realizing that he had spoken his last comment out loud. He stopped in his tracks, feeling Kagome slide off his back to appear before him, staring into his eyes with curiosity.

"Inuyasha? What were you thinking about?"

He opened his mouth to snap out nothing, his usual remark, but shut it abruptly.

No, she deserved to know.

After all, she was his mate and the future Okaasan to his litter.

"I… I was thinking about… about our pups." he faltered uncharacteristically.

He frowned at himself, at the fact that his words hadn't come out as sure as he had wanted them to.

Damn, this is harder than I thought.

Kagome's eyes widened marginally, a light blush touching her cheeks.

"Oh."

She hadn't really thought about the moment she and Inuyasha would have children. Images of black haired and silver haired hanyou children entered her mind, scrambling over each other and racing to Inuyasha in joyful innocent glee. Part of her delighted in seeing these youngsters, her children.

Another part of her was terrified.

She was afraid of raising these children, afraid she would fail them somehow. She paused as she pondered his muttered comment a few seconds ago, then tugged on his sleeve to get him to sit on the ground with her, facing each other. She took his hands in her own, her thumbs absently trailing across his knuckles.

"You're worried about being a good Otousan to them?"

He sighed heavily, his ears drooping in apprehensive shame.

"Hai."

Kagome gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Want to know something?"

One of his ears perked up in interest.

"I'm terrified I'm not going to be a good Okaasan."

Both ears shot up as his eyes went wide.

"You? Hell, you'll be a perfect Okaasan! Look at you and the brat those last two years."

She looked away slightly.

"Shippo made it easy…"

"The fuck he did! The little brat did everything possible to get in trouble, yet you pulled his tail out of the fire each and every time, forgave him, coddled him."

She frowned slightly.

"Would you have rather I just leave him behind to fend for himself?"

"Iie, of course not. The fuzz ball would've never survived on his own. Demo you knew exactly what to do and say to him at any given moment."

"Maybe… demo what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You have an Otousan's instinct."

"Oushikuzo."

"Iie. Shippo told me everything you ever told him."

He blinked rapidly.

"Na-nani?"

"When you both thought Sango, Miroku and I were dead. You told him to be strong. He also told me how you took care of him, protected him when I was in the future."

"He would've gotten himself killed otherwise."

"Demo you always acted like you didn't care about him when the rest of us were around. You did though, more than you let show. You taught him how to hunt. You comforted him by telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. You teased him too, demo that's all part of the package. An Otousan does those sorts of things."

Inuyasha considered her words.

"Honto ne?"

"Hai. Why were you so afraid?"

He squared his shoulders defiantly.

"I wasn't afraid."

"Hai, hai, worried then." she amended.

"It's just…"

He faltered at finding the right words, absently shredding a few blades of grass that lay between them.

Kagome saw the distant look enter his eye, the old sadness that she had seen take him at moments during the last few days when she had asked him about his past. It made the often tough and strong hanyou look so vulnerable. He so often put up harsh facades, but she knew the gentleness that dwelt in his heart, just waiting for the moment to show itself and be felt.

She understood him so well.

Despite his protest, he was afraid he wouldn't be a good Otousan since he had never had such a person in his own life. All the men who could have been some sort of fatherly role model were dead. The daimyo would have been the ideal model, but fate had it that he should send them away and then be killed. From what she had heard, Inuyasha's youkai Otousan had been killed long before the hanyou had gotten a chance to know him. And his Oniisan was not someone to use as a role model under and circumstance.

Kagome slid her fingers into his hands, rubbing gentle patterns against his palms in comfort. He let her continue, opening his hands to her to give her better access and contented himself to silently watch her slim fingers move. She traced the lines of his hands and up along his fingers, brushing her fingertips to his before sliding her palms against his.

"An Otousan doesn't learn to be a good Otousan by watching others." she began slowly, softly.

Gold eyes lifted to watch the expression of deep thought furrow her brows. Her eyes met his.

"A good Otousan does what he thinks and knows is right for his children, what won't hurt them, what will help them become good in their own right. You know what's right. I've seen you around the children in the castle."

"Keh, annoying little brats."

She smiled tenderly.

"I know you don't mean that just like I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you'll be an amazing Otousan."

Inuyasha was in so much awe from her affirmation that he could just stare at her. When her cool fingers trailed over his cheek, something inside him snapped back to reality. In the blink of an eye he had her pinned to her back, a menacing grin on his face, his intent all too clear in his eyes. Kagome merely laughed, giving his hair a slight tug.

"You're insatiable!" she accused.

"Can you blame me?"

"I can try."

He nuzzled the base of her jaw, purring and licking his way down her throat to her pulse. She giggled huskily and clutched at his arms, feeling her heart begin to race. Inuyasha was just inhaling her scent, looking for that one place along her collarbone that always seemed to make her lose control, when a new scent snuck through the growing haze. It was just on the edge of his senses, but enough to catch his attention. It was vague, a half remembered scent. He lifted his head, rising to his knees to better sample the air, his ears swivelling around to catch any hint of a sound.

Kagome watched him, noting the look on his face. It was part way between confusion and recognition. She saw his ears snap in one direction, his whole body turning that way as he stood. She got to her feet at his side, staring off in the direction he was. A kind of dark haze was rising to cover the sky over the horizon, the hills in the distance turning black as if scorched. Fear rose in Kagome's throat at the strange sight, her hands instinctively finding Inuyasha's sleeve and curling into the material to offer herself some sort of comfort.

"What is that, Inuyasha?"

Her voice sounded so small, so terrified. A fierce growl began to rise in the hanyou's throat as he took a step forward, just enough to stand protectively in front of his mate. Nothing would harm her, he would see to it with his life. This black wave was heading in two directions. One was towards him and Kagome. The other was heading off towards the castle. Gold eyes squinted to get a better look at this phenomenon happening in the distance.

He could just barely make out individual shapes…

His eyes snapped wide.

In a move faster than the blink of an eye, Inuyasha scooped Kagome onto his back and headed back to the castle at a flat run, hoping beyond hopes he would reach there before the wave did.

"Nani? Inuyasha? What is it?" Kagome demanded, fear rising another notch in her throat.

"Goddamn bugs!" was all he replied.

"Kami…" he heard her choke out, her fingers gripping his shoulders more firmly. "It's been so long… Why now of all times?"

"Remind me to ask one of them if any survive." Inuyasha growled.

It took mere short minutes before the crumbling walls of the castle came into view. Inuyasha could see the scorpion beings drawing nearer, villagers trying their best to hold them back with flaming arrows and any other object they could get their hands on. Kouga's youkai pack were attacking the creatures, giving the smarter villagers the time to escape. Inuyasha felt Kagome shift against his back, hearing the twang of a bowstring snapping after a release. A glowing arrow, infused with her instinctual Miko powers, flew into the fray of scorpion men, exploding upon contact to scatter them in every which direction. They merely got to their spindly legs again and continued the attack.

"Shimatta…" Kagome cursed.

The hanyou took that to mean she had no doubt meant to kill the creatures instead of scattering them.

"You have to hit their heads, remember?"

"I was hoping…"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes scanned her friends fighting for their lives.

"They won't be able to hold out for much longer! They need breathing room!"

The hanyou frowned to himself as he neared the battle, already drawing Tetsusaiga from its sheath. There was only one way he could see to put some distance between the two attacking factions. He came to a sliding stop between the lines of friends and foes, giving his sword a mighty swing. Light and wind coalesced into a powerful blast, Tetsusaiga's Wind's Scar attack activating at its wielder's unspoken bidding. With some luck the blast will have severed many of the scorpion's heads from their bodies, but Inuyasha knew not enough of them would fall. At the moment, the only thing that mattered was getting as many of these creatures as far away from the castle walls as possible to give his allies the time to regroup.

"Get inside! Fall back!" he ordered the villagers and youkai, then turned and leapt into the relative safety of the castle walls.

"How was that for breathing room?" he smirked to his mate as she slid from his back.

"Very intelligent." she praised, favoring him with a warm smile.

"Keh."

He quickly scanned the inside of the castle.

"Where the hell is wolf boy?"

"Gathering up stragglers." Kouga announced as he ran into sight, a child under each arm.

"These two were the last ones. The bugs may be many, demo they're as dumb as rocks."

"How so?" Kagome questioned, ushering these children towards the castle.

"They're not even bothering to attack from behind."

"Keh, I'll take the good news as it comes. Everyone inside the castle!" Inuyasha called to the refugees.

"It's defendable."

Kouga nodded.

"Agreed. All able bodied archers! Set up a line inside the entryway!"

Inuyasha gripped Kagome's arm to restrain her a moment.

"Kagome, I want you in there with the other humans while we set up a line out here."

"Nani?"

"If any of the bugs get past us, you'll be the last line of defence for those people."

But the look in his eyes betrayed what he truly meant to tell her. Kagome could see his fear and worry for her shining in his golden eyes, silently pleading to accept his plan so she could be safe from the brunt of the battle. Her hand tightened on her bow and she nodded in resolution. Just as he turned to join the wolf youkai massing on the bailey, she gave his arm a tug to have him to turn back to her. Her lips fastened to his, conveying her anxiety and hope to him all at once.

"Be safe, koshii." she whispered to him.

He gave her a confident grin.

"I promise, Untenshi. Now, go."

She ran up the short steps to just within the castle's entryway, an arrow notched and ready to pull tight at any given moment. The lone hanyou turned to the castle's outer walls, frowning. He could hear the enemy returning in full force, could smell their stench approaching. He risked a quick glance to the youkai standing with him. The faint smell of fear lingered beneath their bravado.

That's right, morons, be afraid, demo be more afraid for the ones we have to protect.

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to Kagome, more to reassure himself that she was far enough back that she wouldn't be a ready target. Turning back he caught sight of the season's first snowflakes beginning to drift down to the ground. He could almost hear them touch the earth so much the silence was deafening.

No birds sang, no gulls cried above them.

Even the crashing waves seemed to have quieted.

Straining slightly he could just barely hear the silent clicking of the scorpion creatures' claws and body armour scraping against stone and frozen ground. With each sound he could almost picture their large claws snapping shut and their spindly legs quickly moving them from one place to the next. Inuyasha's hand closed over the hilt of his sword, unnerved by the distant sounds and overbearing silence.

A sudden loud shriek rendered the air.

"Here they come!" Ginta shouted.

All eyes fixed on the wall where a living wave of black poured over, scorpion men skittering into the bailey relentlessly. The clicking of insect legs and the loud clamping of deadly claws filled the air, drowning out the cries of fear from the women and children huddling within the castle. Tetsusaiga glowed to life brightly, almost aching for a battle. With the seemingly unending waves of scorpion beasts pouring into the castle, the sword's wish to fight would not be disappointed.

Rising like some towering tsunami over the wolf youkai and lone hanyou, the scorpions bore down on their foes, their numbers preventing any charge of any kind on their part. Claws, swords and talons met with dull crashes, hard outer shells causing sparks with each strike the defenders attempted. A few of the youkai managed to get past mighty claws, severing heads of a few from the attacking hoards. Scorpion bodies began to litter the ground, piling high with each successful if not few blows from the youkai and hanyou, but the onslaught just didn't seem to end. For every scorpion beast that was killed, a dozen or more seemed to appear behind it to take its place.

To anyone watching it seemed like a hopeless battle.

To the defenders, this was a fight they absolutely had to win at all costs.

Defeat was not an option.

Kouga felt like laughing as he fought. Before, when he had first encountered these creatures with his pack, they had been severely outnumbered and they had no clue as to how to kill them. But now he and his pack knew how to dispatch them. And his beloved Kagome had told them how. A large beast charged at Kouga and he ducked beneath its claws, ripping its head off in one upward blow. He smiled at the clean kill. His skill and prowess in battle had to impress the lovely female. She had to see that he was the stronger and smarter choice as a mate.

Risking a glance to Kagome he felt his blood freeze.

She had taken a few steps outside the protective safety of the castle entryway, arrows flying from her bow to protect her friends and Inuyasha. So intent was she on protecting her friends that she had failed to see the scorpion coming straight for her. Kouga broke the line of defence to go to her rescue, only to see Inuyasha beat him to her.

Tetsusaiga made quick work of the creature too engrossed in his target to be able to block the blow. Inuyasha blocked the attacks of a few other beasts before looking to his mate.

"Get back inside!" he ordered.

She merely blinked in surprise, realizing what had almost happened, making a quick dash back up the steps. Taking a bracing breath, Kagome returned her attention to the battle, drawing her bow at ready. She saw the surviving youkai and Inuyasha being forced back by the beasts, step by agonizing step, until the defenders stood within the door. With each step back they took, Kagome took a matching step back, signaling the refugees to do the same.

The floor beneath her feet seemed to tremble, but she relegated it to the intensity of the battle raging outside. Instead, she concentrated on the fight, launching an arrow into the fray every so often to pick off the scorpion men who got too close. The youkai and Inuyasha seemed to be holding them off just at the castle door, neither of them advancing or retreating.

That was when the dull sound of stone grinding on stone reached the young Miko's ears.

Dark blue eyes quickly scanned every possible source for this sound; looking to the ceiling, the support columns, the walls. Nothing seemed to be causing the noise.

A sudden insight forced her eyes down to the floor.

Could they be…?

She shook off the thought, deeming it too improbably a course of action for beings that hadn't even bothered blocking the back of the castle, a means for their escape.

From the front line, the ear Inuyasha kept trained on his mate picked up the drone of grinding stone along with one more sound. There was a scraping of something against hard earth and rock, much like a sword scraping the ground. It was cavernous, echoing beneath his feet…

He froze.

Beneath his feet!

Inuyasha turned from the battle, his eyes on the floor beneath Kagome's feet. An intricate lattice work of fractures were winding their way across the stones, tiny plumes of dust rising from a pressure beneath. The grinding sound grew in intensity as he watched, a few of the youkai glancing back to see what the source of the noise was. Incredulity and slight fear crossed their faces.

Kagome saw their looks and suddenly understood.

Inuyasha's muscles coiled, ready to pounce and whisk Kagome out of harm's way…

Too late.

The young Miko couldn't help the scream of both surprise and terror as the floor beneath her feet surged upwards before being sucked back down into the inky darkness. Almost the same moment she vanished down the gaping hole, innumerable scorpion men gushed from the opening to invade the entry hall, attacking everything in sight.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out, turning from the first wave of attackers to this new assault.

Kouga, too, turned.

A hole in the floor seemed to ooze scorpion beasts from the very place Kagome had once stood. Amidst the sea of black creatures, the wolf youkai Alpha could see a blur of red and silver cutting down creature after creature, Tetsusaiga somehow re-sheathed and forgotten at Inuyasha's hip.

Kouga could only watch and blink in amazement.

"Oh, shit…"

The hanyou used bare claws and sharp teeth to desperately slice through his foes, screaming the human girl's name in obvious fear for her life and safety. No matter how many beasts swarmed the hanyou, they were no match for him in his present state. Concern for his mate was fueling his attacks, making them far more vicious than even a demon-rage could make them. Where once he had been unable to, his newly found determination gave him the strength to tear through his enemies' armor as if it were nothing, tearing limbs from bodies, avoiding and slashing off poisonous tails aimed at him. A primal roar filled the air as scorpion beast after scorpion beast fell in his wake, torn apart with wanton abandon.

Fighting off a few beasts of his own, the realization suddenly hit Kouga. Kagome's kidnapping was what made Inuyasha so formidable. His deep-rooted affection for and bond with the human girl was what made him so much stronger.

He fought for her safety, for her life.

Kouga noticed that he, himself, did not feel the overwhelming desire to charge headlong into the battle, the reckless disregard for his own life, that the hanyou obviously felt. True, he cared very much for the lovely Miko, but it spurred nothing of what the hanyou was obviously experiencing.

A mate, even a potential mate, would feel the need to do this, to fight as Inuyasha did at that moment.

Kouga didn't feel the need.

The mutt really, truly is the only one to be her mate, he realized as his heart gave a slight and painful twist.

With that one thought he finally saw his motives. As a youkai male, part of him demanded to be a leader in all packs he came across, to dominate. He had seen Inuyasha and his friends as a rival pack, one he had to take over, and the hanyou's affections for Kagome labeled her as the Alpha female of the pack to be dominated. The moment of clarity surprised even him. All the times he had chased after Kagome, it had been to gain control over the hanyou's pack through her.

Finally close enough, Inuyasha dove into the squirming black tide, down the hole, frantically searching for his mate's scent or the sound of her voice. It was the only thought that dominated his mind, aside for killing every last one of these creatures for daring to take his Kagome in the first place. He screamed out her name as he cut down the last of his enemies within these ancient catacombs. Dirt and stone fell in large chunks around him from an unstable ceiling and walls, just as he faintly heard his mate cry out his name, sounding so distant.

Those bastards couldn't have gotten her so far already, he wondered mutely.

Around a sharp bend in the catacomb tunnel he saw the reason why sounds were distant. The dust had settled to barely a foot off the ground from a cave-in the beasts had no doubt caused to block any sort of chase and attempted rescue. It blocked the entire height and width of the tunnel. Inuyasha roared with all ferocity, launching himself at the rubble, digging frantically. The more dirt and stone he removed, the more fell from the walls and ceiling. A particularly large chunk fell directly in front of him, forcing him back by a step. His clawed hands balled into fists in rage.

Iie, I'm no good to Kagome if I get myself buried here, he reasoned. Tunnel, tunnel… If there's a way in then there's a way out.

The moment he came to that realization was the moment the weakening walls finally gave up standing after the recent cave-in. Hunks of stone and earth tumbled from their ancient resting places, raining down on the lone hanyou. Inuyasha quickly turned on his heels, racing down the tunnel to the one entrance he knew remained intact as the catacomb fell in around him.

Kaede kept her gaze locked on the hole in the floor the entire time, from the moment Kagome had disappeared into its black depths, to when Inuyasha dove in after her, to now as she waited for their return. Over the noise of the continuing battle she could hear the ugly sounds of groaning stones from the instability the tunnel below was adding to the floor. A loud rumbling rendered the air as a great plume of dust and small stones exploded upwards from the hole, signaling a complete collapse of the tunnel. Kaede felt her blood freeze in fear of the lives of her two friends down there until a blur of bright red leapt up from the dust, coughing from the powder drifting through the air.

"Inuyasha! Where is Kagome?" she nearly demanded.

He all but snarled angrily.

"The fuckin' bugs collapsed the catacombs! She's on the other side heading for gods know where!"

He scanned the smaller number of scorpion men still fighting with the wolf youkai. Inuyasha was very much surprised to see Kouga and his pack taking an active part in protecting the humans. This was uncharacteristic of him or of any youkai. Humans were seen as lesser creatures, not worth protecting.

"Keh, the asshole has a heart after all." he muttered.

"Where are the rest of the bugs?" he yelled to Kaede.

"Most of the creatures left the moment Kagome was taken!" she told him. "It seems she was the target from the beginning!"

This only served to further infuriate the hanyou.

No one was allowed to do this to his mate.

He looked to the huddled mass of humans, most staring at him expectantly. These were the humans he had vowed to protect, the villagers from Musashi who knew he would never leave them undefended.

Inuyasha was torn.

How could he keep his promise to them while going off to save his Kagome?

"Go after the bugs!" Kouga shouted at him.

He blinked.

"Nani?"

"We'll hold off the rest of them here! You go after Kagome!"

He frowned at the fighting youkai.

"Oi, what's your angle?"

"No angle, you thick-headed moron!"

He took off the head of his opponent before turning to face the dog demon.

"It's a mate's duty to look after his woman."

Inuyasha was stunned, to say the least.

Kouga, his long time rival for Kagome's attention and affection, the one youkai who was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the young Miko belonged to him and no one else, was actually conceding defeat?

He just stared at the wolf youkai for a brief moment, trying to determine if this was some sort of a trick or if it was really the truth. He then simply gave a curt nod and took off, part of his mind reassured that the humans would be under the protection of an entire band of youkai. They stood a better chance than on their own.

Outside, snowflakes fell in large and heavy clumps. Already a blanket of snow lay on the land, covering any tracks the scorpion beasts might have left behind in their retreat. But Inuyasha didn't need to see any tracks to be able to track them. The falling snow had cleaned the air of most other smells, leaving only the freshest scents to waft to the hanyou's nose. He could smell them, smell that disgusting mix of insect, death and sweat that seemed to permeate their bodies. It had taken everything he had not to gag from the stench when they had gotten too close. In the middle of a battle, that was a dangerous distraction.

With two mighty leaps, Inuyasha cleared the castle's outer walls and ran through the snow, following the stench of the scorpion beasts. Leaping over a low rocky hill he took brief notice of the opening the creatures had dug to reach the catacombs. From there on their scent was thick on the air and easy to follow. Sneaking along the edges of that scent was the scent belonging to a terrified Kagome.

Inuyasha growled, gritting his teeth, doubling his speed.

Hang on, Kagome, I'm coming!

* * *

For Higurashi Kagome, the entire rush away from the castle in the clutches of these scorpion beasts was a near blur. The race through the catacombs had been a mere blink of an eye, first deep blackness before she was near blinded by sudden daylight. She was aware of the cold of the beginning winter air around her, made worse by the speed at which they were moving. She was aware of the thick falling snow clinging to her hair and clothing, her body heat melting it and making her even colder. But what she was most aware of was the strength of the huge pincers secured around her waist and arm. Every so often they would tighten around her, then release as if the creature remembered that she was there.

Before long she began to recognize landmarks, telling her that she had been brought back to Musashi. Permanent landmarks were actually all that were left. Most of the forest was gone, save a gracing patch around the Go-Shin-Boku. No doubt the power of the ancient and sacred tree protected it from the ravages of these beasts. Everywhere Kagome looked she could see countless legions of scorpion men gathered here and there, fighting amongst each other for status.

Then, through the falling snow, Kagome saw where she was being taken.

The structure rose up from the ground like some ancient mound, its muddy walls a stark contrast to the falling white. Some form of internal heat kept the snow from collecting along the exterior, melting upon contact.

A hive!

Without pausing, her captors raced right up to the structure and dove through the low entrance at its base. The stench inside was deplorable, as was the growing heat. Kagome recognized this scent from having spent years fighting creatures that surrounded themselves with it.

The stench of death.

Bones littered the ground and the young Miko distracted her frightened mind by trying to identify the species of each skull. The small animals were easy to name. The larger bones obviously belonged to any number of youkai.

Kami… she shuddered. If youkai fell to these… these things, then what kind of a chance do we stand?

Seconds after this thought she was all but thrown into a large central chamber. Unable to regain her balance quick enough, Kagome stumbled and landed in an unceremonious sprawl of the hard-packed earth. She slowly raised herself to her knees, blue eyes scanning the entire room from top to bottom for any place to hide or any means of escape. The heat that reigned in the chamber was near stifling, her skin beginning to itch from the humidity of her clothes combined with the ambient temperature. Scratching at her arms slightly, she looked to the doors of the chamber, wondering why the creatures were holding back just within the shadows.

It was as if they didn't dare enter.

Turning in place she saw a strange elevated bench near one of the walls. Turning a little more she saw something that made her heart freeze.

The Hone Kui no Ido!

It dominated the center of the room, a glowing bubble of pure blue-white energy just hovering within its lip. Kagome didn't dare approach it, feeling the energy crackle through the air, invisible to the eye. It was malevolent energy, bordering on evil. But part of her mind was daring her to go over and lay her hands against the walls of the well. It took everything the young Miko had not to give in to her own subconscious mental goading.

"So, you are the young woman of power my children speak of." a smooth, feminine voice echoed through the chamber.

Kagome looked around quickly, peering into every shadow in every conceivable angle to find the source of the voice. There was no sign of the speaker, only the telltale sound of spindly legs skittering across hard stone. It unnerved the Miko to the point of annoyance. If her captor wanted to speak to her, the least she could do was have the decency to show herself.

"Hai, you do have great power. Amazing for a child." the voice continued. "Your scent is filled with your power, yet smells like nothing I have ever experienced in this world."

The woman's tone was far too patient and sweet, almost bordering on sarcasm.

"Who are you?" Kagome demanded.

"My name will mean nothing to you."

"Then what does it matter if I know it or not?"

There was a pause of consideration.

"Iie, I suppose not. Call me Akuma Sasori. What of you, child? What is the name of the girl who holds so much power?"

"I… I'm Kagome… and I have absolutely no idea what power you're talking about!"

"Kagome… Do you know why I had my children bring you here?"

The Miko could hear the smile in Akuma's voice, still unable to see her in the shadows.

"I… I suppose it's revenge."

"Revenge? Why revenge?"

Akuma was almost toying with her.

"I… killed… or helped to kill your… children."

"Mm, that you did. And revenge may have been my original reason, demo now…"

The scraping of claw on stone stopped for an instant, hitting hard on a surface immediately after.

"I want to know more about you."

"Nani?"

"I want to know more about you. I have had very little female company in the past and the reports my scouts have brought me have made me curious."

"About me?"

"Hai. I want you to tell me everything about yourself."

Kagome paused in thought.

She didn't want anything to do with this being, let alone tell her all about her life. The longer she could keep this… this hive queen talking and distracted, then the more time it gave for Inuyasha to come get her out of this mess. She was positive he was on his way, she could almost feel her mate's presence. And if this queen was distracted then she couldn't give orders to her drones on how to properly defend the hive.

At least, that was what Kagome hoped.

Insect behaviors, even hanyou or youkai insect behaviors were something completely alien to her.

Perhaps if she omitted certain aspects of her life…

"I'll tell you on two conditions."

"Two? How very shrewd of you."

"Two conditions, or you'll learn nothing."

Insect legs scrambled across the floor somewhere behind her and Kagome around to face…

Nothing.

Shimatta, that's getting annoying.

"What are your conditions?" Akuma asked carefully.

Kagome took a deep breath.

"One, you have to let me see you."

"Why?"

"Well… be-because… because I feel like a complete idiot talking to a disembodied voice." she managed to think up quickly. "Face-to-face or no conversation."

"Very well. And the second condition?"

"If… if I tell you about myself, then… then you have to tell me about yourself… and why you're attacking us."

Akuma chuckled.

"Two very reasonable requests."

Peeling away from a dark shadow, Akuma's towering figure emerge into the garish light emitted by the well. The young Miko swallowed hard at the sight. By the look of her face, had this creature been born human, she would have been very lovely. Her face was that any lovely noblewoman of the time could have had; high cheekbones, soft eyes that only seemed harsh by the crimson of her irises, lips hinted with a natural blush. Her skin had a flushed ashen color, giving her some sort of warmth, and she sported a kind of armor across her chest in a form of modesty, though barely. Impossibly long flame red locks cascaded around her shoulders seeming like molten rivers of lava, their color only rivaled by that of her talon-like nails.

But from the waist down was where all semblance of humanity ended.

Covered in blue-black scales that glistened brightly was the body of a pincer-less scorpion, the most deadly looking stinger adorning the end of a long and hypnotically swinging tail.

Tearing her eyes away from her staring, Kagome noticed the frown that had appeared on Akuma's face. The insect queen moved forward and the young Miko had to fight with herself not to back away from fear.

"You have the same look on your face as every other human who has crossed my path; Disgust." Akuma spat.

"Ii-Iie, not disgust."

"Then what?"

"Fear."

"Why? Because of what I am? Because I am hanyou?"

"Iie…"

"Then why?"

"Be-because you're so big… be-because you could kill in the blink of an eye. You… you're dangerous."

"Because I'm hanyou."

"That has nothing to do with it. Even a human of your size would scare people."

The frown melted to curiosity as the scorpion woman walked around her captive. This girl was definitely like no one she had ever met before. Never once did she lay the blame with Akuma's hanyou heritage. Never once did she fear what Akuma was, only what Akuma was capable of doing. She lowered herself to the ground, directly in front of the captured human.

"And now, as per our deal… Tell me about yourself, Kagome."

* * *

Inuyasha ran through the thickly falling snow with all the speed he possessed, determined to reach the creatures that had dared take his mate from him. Nonetheless it was not enough to catch up to the scorpion beasts already so far ahead. Their speed was incredible in the deep drifts that had already gathered on the ground, faster than any youkai he had encountered. No doubt they had already reached their destination, wherever that was. He would soon learn that objective seeing as the trail these beasts left was so easy to follow.

Easy to the point where a blind man could find it without effort.

Inuyasha had crossed into Musashi Country only a few moments ago on the scorpions' trail and, if his senses weren't playing tricks on him, the creatures seemed to be heading back to Kaede's village, the place he had called home for the last five years. He had recognized a few landmarks and the scent of the Go-Shin-Boku.

But why were they heading back there?

Who the fuck cares! he self-argued. They attacked the castle, they have Kagome… What the fuck else do I need to know?

Running past the tree line into the open, Inuyasha came to a skidding stop at the sight offered up to him.

"Kuso…"

Rising out of the snow to a mountainous height was a mount that reminded the hanyou of hives used by beekeepers… only thousands of times larger. Snow refused to stick to its surface, melting off in large patches where it had managed to collect. Forming a black skirt all around the rim of this hive were hundreds upon hundred of scorpion warriors in the midst of sparring matches, testing their strength against each other.

Before any of them saw him, Inuyasha dove into the nearest snow bank to hide, carefully peering over the edge to keep his foes in sight. Fortunately for him, the wind had recently shifted and was blowing towards him and not against his back. If the beasts had any kind of a developed sense of smell, then they wouldn't be able to smell him for now.

With the number of scorpion warriors milling around the hive structure, how was he ever going to find a way to get in?

Though part of him was itching for a fight with his new foes, the part that was steadily winning ground knew that even if he succeeded in fighting his way through the outside warriors there were no doubt just as many or more waiting inside.

He studied the hive for a long time, studied the closest distance between it and the surviving forest. The distance wasn't impossible. Not too much in any case. Given enough speed he could cross that distance with a flying leap. A plan slowly began to take shape in his mind, a plan that he knew was one of the better ones he had devised in a long time. It all depended on him making one very crucial move, a leap over a slightly vaster distance than he was used to.

He growled low to himself as his frown deepened.

I can make that, he reasoned. I have to make it.

Resolved to his course of action Inuyasha retraced his steps to gain running room to jump. Mighty hanyou strides built up his momentum as a powerful half-demon leap shot him up in the air heading towards the hive's imposing structure. He kept his eyes fixed on the ground below for any sign that the sparring scorpions had noticed him. Thankfully no one looked up. He landed on the side of the structure, his claws digging into the caked mud-like material to hold firm. Again, he checked the crowd below for any sign he had been spotted.

None of them seemed to have noticed.

Damn bugs are even dumber than wolf boy said they were, Inuyasha snorted.

Careful of the size of the debris he was creating he began to punch at the wall with his fist, slashing at the material with sharp claws to get inside the hive. Despite his strength and best efforts it took several long minutes to get through the thick material. The texture reminded him very much of what he remembered concrete felt like in Kagome's time, hard and granular beneath his fingers. Before long he had a hole chipped open in the side of the hive, large enough for him to squeeze through.

Inside the structure was pitch dark, no doubt due to the scorpions' lacking need of light to see by. Inuyasha blinked once to get used to the dark before beginning the slow creeping exploration of the level he was on. His hand gripped the hilt of Tetsusaiga each time he approached a bend in the corridor, pausing for a moment to listen for enemies waiting to ambush him. The moment the insects scurried by, he would rush down the tunnel to the next niche or alcove he could find to conceal himself for the moment. Inuyasha sampled the air, resisting the urge to gag from the stench. He could just barely pick up the subtle nuances of Kagome's scent through the layers of other smells piled on top of each other. Much to his relief he didn't smell her blood. Chances were she was still alive.

Woe to the scorpion creatures who would be stupid enough to kill her.

* * *

Kagome tugged at her sleeve absently, her eyes fixed on the glowing orb bulging out of the Hone Kui no Ido.

"… and after five years of traveling here and there, learning all I needed to learn, I decided to come back to my friends only to find the village sacked and my friends on their way to the castle you also attacked a little while ago."

She resisted the urge to wince at her own words. She hated lying, but she was not about to tell Akuma where she truly came from. Or, more importantly, from when she came from. If this queen found out, she would no doubt try to get there and conquer Kagome's world. She could hear Akuma tapping the tips of her legs of the ground in an unconscious move, greedily absorbing every word the young Miko spoke, sometimes asking for more when she knew Kagome was holding back.

"A Miko… who traveled with and befriended a hanyou…" Akuma began softly. "Unheard of."

"I can't imagine not being his friend."

"You are much more than just his friend, little Miko."

"Na-nani?"

"His scent is all over you."

The scorpion hanyou blinked suddenly, a wry smile curling up her lips.

"You didn't tell me you were his mate."

"Um… that… that's recent." Kagome blushed.

Akuma frowned abruptly in slight confusion.

"Hanyou have no reasons to give. Hanyou feel no love, give no love, get no love. Hanyou seek only power. Hanyou are hated among all creatures. Hanyou will never find someone who will love them for who they are. Hanyou are destined to die alone. It is a known fact by all humans and youkai."

"I don't believe that. I heard it enough in the past, but I just don't believe that. No one, be they hanyou, human or youkai, deserves to live and die without love. That would be too cruel."

Akuma could hold back her blink in surprise, hiding it with a deeper frown.

"Your hanyou is only with you because he feels your power. The moment he gets what he wants or finds someone stronger, he'll leave you."

"Iie. I know he loves me. I can see it in the way he looks at me, feel it in the way he holds me."

"All lies." she hissed.

Kagome looked at her captor curiously.

"That's been drilled into you for years, ne? You weren't allowed to forget it?"

"Hai. Because it's the truth."

"The truth of a misguided few. Would… would you tell me… about your past?"

Akuma sat there for a long moment, just staring at Kagome with thinly veiled suspicion. No one had ever asked her about her past. No one had ever given her a choice. Yet here was this girl asking her about her life, letting her have the option of talking about it or not.

Why was this child so different?

"Why would my past, a hanyou's past, interest you?" Akuma questioned.

"It would help me understand."

The scorpion queen blinked.

The Miko wanted to understand?

"My Okaasan was raped by a youkai." Akuma began slowly. "I was the result. I killed her at birth. I was told it was because I ripped her insides apart and stung her. I might have."

"It was hardly your fault-"

"Hai, because I am hanyou!"

"You were a baby! You didn't know, how could you have known? And stop blaming what you are. Just because you're half demon doesn't mean you're automatically a killer."

Akuma paused.

"Perhaps… The Kobushi who took me after that raised and trained me for his purposes. No one would dare anything against him with a hanyou like me defending him."

Kagome picked up on her tone of voice, a slight twinge of old pain.

"He was cruel to you, ne?"

She very nearly growled.

"Hai. I was supposed to be his weapon. I belonged to him. The last beating he gave me was the last for the both of us."

A tiny grin turned up the corners of her lips.

"He trained me well, he never saw the move until it was too late. By Kami, his death felt so good."

"How… how old were you then?"

"Some seven summers."

The young Miko couldn't help the growing pity she felt for her captor.

"So young…"

"Young of body, old of mind and spirit thanks to his beatings. I must have wandered for a year before an old daimyo found me. He was strict, but informative for the little time I was with him. I learned he used to be a bouzo, demo he was thrown out for practicing the dark arts. He continued practicing even after that and I watched him. He taught me spells and chants that I learned could protect me, if ever I could master them."

She chuckled softly.

"I was so inept when I began. When the neighboring village heard he was harboring a hanyou, they sacked the shrine and murdered Shalto-houshi, then took me to their village where I became an amusement for them. I was chained to the village center, beaten, taunted, left to die."

"Demo, you escaped."

"I forced myself to stay alive, to practice the spells Shalto-houshi had taught me. Late one night, I succeeded. I ransacked the village in repayment to my kind hosts. I never found anyone like you out there. Everyone was hard and cruel to me. Another Kobushi found me. He was a lot like the first one, saw me only as a possible weapon. So my fighting training resumed. At night I would go to the castle's shrine and read every scroll I could get my hands on, all the spells they had were memorized."

Her form straightened as the memories became clearer in her mind.

"Whole armies fell before me. The Kobushi made sure I knew the rules of my service to him. He was teishu, I was dorei. His words were my law. I stayed with him for two decades before I felt the need to find a companion. The Kobushi told me I would never find a mate. Hanyou can never know love or affection; that was one of the first rules he taught me. Demo I knew there had to be a place where I belonged. If not in this world, then in another. To get to that world, to escape, I first had to kill my captor. Another Kobushi died at my hands. Those we had conquered in the past left us their most powerful spells and oldest scrolls. I studied them all. One spoke of opening a door to another world, any world one chose. I chose a world that had more of my kind."

"Then… they're not your real children?"

Akuma chuckled again.

"Hardly. I couldn't have all male children even if I wanted to. That's just impossible."

"Mm, guess you're right."

"These handsome beings made me their goddess, their queen. They are all natives of the world I escaped to. I was happy with them for a while, demo I wanted more. More than the Hanshu I chose as a mate. I want to teach all humans the cost of belittling and hunting down hanyou, to teach them how it feels to be hunted like my kind, to know that there's no escaping the hatred. That well," and she motioned to the Hone Kui no Ido, "… holds the power to open the door between our two worlds. All the youkai that were thrown into its depths charged it with energies that go beyond our world… it even can transcend time, it would seem."

Kagome resisted the urge to bristle at her words.

"Demo I seem to be unable to open the portal wider than for just one of my children at a time."

Thank goodness! Kagome thought in relief.

Akuma turned to smile at Kagome.

"Demo, all that will change soon."

"Na-nani?"

"You will help me, child. You and your hanyou."

The Miko blinked.

"Help you?"

"Hai. Your power is strong enough, stronger than mine, to make it all happen."

She stood, walking towards the well in oblivious glee.

"And the strength of the hanyou will make me even more powerful. Both together will give me plenty of power to wrench open the door to our worlds and bring all my children here in one glorious wave of destruction."

The scorpion warriors guarding the doors trilled happily, claws and legs clicking in excitement. Kagome looked to their red eyes glowing in the darkness in fear before returning her attention to Akuma.

"All this… for revenge?"

"Hai." she hissed, stroking the energy bubble before her. "Revenge! I will drain your powers to add to my own, then I will do the same with your mate."

"Drain?"

Akuma gave the frightened girl a sweet smile and a knowing look.

"Hai, drain. Do not worry, child. For being so understanding, I will make it quick."

The girl from the future didn't like the almost insane expression hovering over the scorpion female's face.

"Make… make what quick?" she asked, though Kagome was sure she already knew the answer.

Over the sounds of clicking insects she could just barely hear the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard. She braced herself, an insight letting her know what would soon happen and just what she had to do to escape it.

The insect very nearly laughed.

"Silly girl. Your death will be quick, of course."

"Unlike yours." a voice snarled.

The moment Kagome heard the familiar growl she flattened herself to the ground. A blast of bright light and very powerful wind ripped just above her, catching all the scorpion beings off guard and hurling them in every which direction. Akuma went flying backwards, across the chamber, to slam hard into a wall. The force of her impact, combined with what energy blast did not hit Akuma, caused the wall to fracture in places. Some of the fissures were even large enough for a person to hide it.

Scorpion warriors raced towards their queen in worry as she picked herself gingerly off the ground. Akuma's red eyes looked to where she had left her captive and widened marginally. Standing protectively over a huddling Kagome was a red clad, silver-haired dog hanyou. A long, almost ridiculously oversized sword was clutched in the half-demon's hands, glowing menacingly to ward off any attack by the scorpion warriors. His red-flecked gold eyes almost dared any of the warriors within the chamber to try anything against him, a dangerous growl rumbling in his throat.

Akuma chuckled gleefully as she stood.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to come, my fellow hanyou."

Inuyasha snarled.

"I am not your fellow anything, bug."

She seemed a little confused by his reaction.

"You are hanyou, like I am. That makes us family… of sorts."

His frown deepened.

"Hardly."

She blinked and straightened to her full height. With the flick of a hand Akuma signalled her warriors to surround the pair to prevent any form of escape. She took a moment to straighten her hair in a show of arrogance, then took a few measured steps towards the two.

"I must congratulate you, my silver-haired Otouto. Making it this far without being noticed by my children is quite a feat."

"I am not your Otouto, bug." he merely replied, his tone low and dangerous.

"Ah, demo you are. All hanyou are family. We all want the same things in life. We all suffered the same."

One scorpion warrior got too close for Inuyasha's liking and was sent flying backwards with the barest sweeps from Tetsusaiga. His reddening eyes turned back to the queen, targeting her as the prime opponent.

"Do I look like I'm suffering?"

Akuma pouted.

"Maybe not now. By the way, nice touch telling this Miko you were mates. It pretty much ensures she'll stay with you for life no matter what you do. Humans are so sentimental when it comes to those things."

Inuyasha was getting more than a little annoyed at the insect queen. First off, she talked too much. All through the journey to the hive he had built up his rage in preparation for a fight and it seemed all she wanted to do was talk his ear off.

Add to that she was now calling him a liar about his feelings for his Kagome…

"I never told her anything that wasn't the truth."

Just within his line of sight he could see Kagome look up at him in awe and adoration.

He smirked inwardly.

Hai, he would never lie to her.

He could never lie to her.

Akuma Sasori felt most of her patience bleed away at his stubborn refusal to see the truth in the matter. Strange as this Miko was, she had to be with the half-breed to tap into his strength for something she wasn't saying. Humans could only care for humans, every other creature was a beast of burden or a weapon for them. Yet Kagome's actions and words constantly spoke of her compassion and acceptance of what was different. That she did not hate the half-breeds of the world as the rest of her kind did.

And this half-breed was just as frustrating to try to understand. She couldn't understand why he didn't have the same general view about humans as she had. Had he not live around enough humans to know how much they hated him, how much he was despised by every last one of them? He had to be solely after the Miko's powers. That was the only reason Akuma could possibly see that he remained at the girl's side; that he continued to act as if he cared for the girl. He was after something that required great power and the girl had more than enough to spare.

Hanyou could not feel anything other than anger, hate, sadness, loneliness…

No hanyou could go against the unspoken rule.

It was inconceivable.

Impossible.

Unthinkable!

"Hanyou feel no love, give no love, get no love."

She spoke the rhetoric with as much disgust as she could muster, hating the taste of the words as much as the sound of them.

"Hanyou seek only power. Hanyou are hated among all creatures. Hanyou will never find someone who will love them for who they are. Hanyou are destined to die alone. You know this as well as I do!"

"So what if I do?"

"Then why do you persist in trying to prove the immutable wrong?" she nearly shrieked.

A wry smirk curled up one corner of his lips.

"Hanyou have no reasons to give."

Akuma stance changed slightly in some unspoken and subtle signal to her warriors. With shrill cries these scorpion men charged the hapless pair in a great wave to follow their queen's silent command. They had to kill the half-breed for defying her.

But Inuyasha was ready for the charge.

In the blink of an eye he had an arm wrapped around Kagome's waist and a mighty leap had him flying up and out of the way of the charge. The racing beasts were unable to slow in time, unceremoniously crashing into each other. The recovered from the impact quickly though, turning to face their target just as he landed across the room from them. Inuyasha knew he would never be able to defend his mate against all of them, especially if the insect queen called for reinforcements. His gold eyes scanned the chamber quickly, catching on the deep fissures that had opened up in the walls. A desperate idea formed in his mind.

If he couldn't fight, then he would protect.

He turned and raced to one of the fissures, urging Kagome to squeeze inside it quickly. She didn't argue, feeling the urgency of the situation. He sheathed Tetsusaiga and held it in his fist as he squeezed in after her. It was a tight fit and the crevasse only stretched a few meters, but at least it would give them a moment to think of an escape plan. The pair managed to crawl in far enough to be out of claws' reach. Even so, the scorpion men continued to try to grasp them, large pincers snapping loudly in the narrow passage, unable to touch the pair.

Inuyasha spared them only the briefest moment to growl at them before turning his full attention to his mate. Kagome had managed to turn around in the crawl space to face him, dark blue eyes nearly glowing in the dim light. The fear he saw swimming in her eyes caused a lump to form in his throat and he tenderly cupped her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, just loud enough to be heard over the snapping of scorpion pincers.

All of the fears Kagome had kept bottle up inside, from the moment of the first attack at the castle to the moment Akuma said she would kill them, came rushing out in a wave of tears and she threw herself against his chest. She held him as if her life depended on it, her face buried in the crook of his shoulder, fists bunching into the folds of his haori.

Inuyasha blinked, crushing her tight in his arms. Her scent was a confused jumble of both fear and relief. He nuzzled the side of her head tenderly, purring softly in reassurance, hoping to soothe away the fear that hung so heavy around her. He could feel her form trembling in his arms and he held her tighter in response, burying her in his long sleeves.

"Shh, Koi, I have you now." he rumbled low, giving her shoulder a light nip.

"I… was so afraid… you wouldn't… get here… in time..." she hiccupped softly.

He stroked her hair lovingly.

"Shhh… Kagome…"

Kagome felt her panic begin to bleed away thanks to the strength of his arms surrounding her and the soft purring rumbling in her ear. It always amazed her how safe and comfortable she felt with the often brash hanyou. It was as if them moment she met him she knew he would always be there when she needed him the most. She breathed a deep sigh against his neck, willing herself to let go of the remaining tension to be able to think rationally and clearly.

Inuyasha's body jerked against hers abruptly, forcing him forward by a bit. His purr changed to a vicious growl, his arms releasing his mate to brace against the crevasse walls. Kagome looked up and saw the small grimace tensing his features, his head turned to scowl at the scorpion warriors behind him. Peering over his shoulder, the Miko saw the cause for his change in demeanour.

The scorpion had given up trying to reach them and drag them out of the crevasse. Instead, they were using their long tails to stab at anything within, hoping to kill the pair within their hiding place. Deadly stingers tore through Inuyasha's Hi-Nezumi haori and into his flesh, injecting lethal venom with each sting.

Kagome's breath locked in her throat in fear of her mate, her tears returning.

"Inuyasha!"

"I won't… let them… hurt you…!" he ground viciously in determination.

"Demo they're killing you!"

"I can… fight it…"

One of the deadly tails snuck under his arm, forcing Kagome to fall away on her left to avoid the deadly stinger. Just as she fell, another tail snuck by on Inuyasha's other arm. The Miko cried out in agony as the poisonous stinger jabbed into her side, injecting its venom immediately on impact.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed in horror.

He dove forward, dragging her with him to the very back of the crevasse and out of harm's way, dropping his sword in the process. She was writhing in pain, clutching at her side as if she could alleviate the sensation. He lifted her shirt carefully to see her wound, a deep gash in her side where blood trickled forth. An ugly greenish bruise was already forming around it.

Inuyasha recognized these signs from the first attack on the village in Musashi.

It was too late to do anything.

Kagome was dying.

For what seemed an eternity, he just stared at the wound before looking up at the agony flitting across his mate's lovely features. His world grew progressively red with each pained whimper that escaped her throat until all he felt was the rage towards the beasts just outside.

He snarled suddenly.

They had hurt his Kagome, his life-mate.

No one alive or dead was allowed to lay a finger on his mate.

No creature in the Universe was allowed to harm his mate in any way.

He forbade it!

She was his, no one else's!

He decided whether and when she lived and died!

These beasts would pay dearly.

His low growl steadily grew louder and more vicious with each passing second. Kagome forced her eyes open and saw the gold of his eyes bleed to pure red, youkai stripes beginning their slow trek across his cheekbones. He bared his lengthening teeth as he looked over his shoulder, flexing his longer claws in anticipation. The Miko swallowed hard against her pain and at the sight of her hanyou lover.

Demon rage!

There would be no stopping him now.

Before she could say a word, Inuyasha was already racing out of the crevasse, tearing apart scorpion tails that were in his way until he re-emerged into the vast chamber.

Summoning her strength over the searing fire coursing through her veins and limbs, Kagome managed to half crawl, half drag herself to the entrance of crack in the wall, taking hold of the sheathed Tetsusaiga to offer herself some form of belated protection. She heard Inuyasha roar in primal fury before she saw him charging at the scorpion warriors.

He didn't seem to feel the blows and stings he received from his foes, didn't seem to feel the wounds and gashes opening with each impact. There was only a furious determination on his face and in his crimson eyes.

He was out for blood.

Akuma watched the wrath that had taken hold of the silver-haired half-demon with fascination. She knew her children's armor was strong enough to resist all forms of attacks by humans and youkai, yet this hanyou was cutting them down as if that armor was non-existent, tearing off tails and claws as if wet paper was the only thing holding them in place. His appearance had changed since he had hidden in the wall. His eyes glowed the most ferocious of reds, strange purple stripes having appeared on his cheeks. He didn't speak throughout his attack, only snarled and roared from time to time. Akuma turned her eyes to the crevasse in time to see Kagome crawl out. Her skin had grown pale and the scent of fear reached Akuma's senses. From that alone, the scorpion queen was able to tell the girl was dying, poisoned by the sting of one of Akuma's children.

The insect monarch snapped her gaze back to the raging hanyou.

Was this the reason for his rage, because Kagome was dying?

True, he would lose a great source of power, but no creature went into such a frenzy as this because of a loss of power. It was useless since that power was often reborn into a new creature, or someone new appeared with far more power than the first possessed.

Had what both he and the human told her been true?

Akuma scrambled backwards to avoid the lashing claws of the half-demon who had suddenly appeared before her. Risking a glance to the chamber she saw the piles of parts that had once belonged to her children, their soft innards and green blood oozing across the ground. It had only taken him a few brief minutes to dispatch them all.

Demo, they were few to begin with, she reasoned, a small smile curling her lips.

Just as she opened her mouth to call for reinforcements, the hanyou slashed at her throat. Akuma clutched at the wound, scurrying back and away. She tried to screech for her warriors, but only a hissing gurgle escaped her throat.

He had slashed her vocal cords!

In his furious attack on her he had cut away her only means of calling for help. She could not longer make a sound above a low, hoarse hiss. That was not nearly loud enough to call to her warriors for assistance.

She was on her own.

Iie, the bastard! she hissed.

No doubt he had wanted to sever her head from her neck, but in his rage had miscalculated the blow.

Very well, he wants a fight? I'll give him one!

Her wound forgotten Akuma lunged at him, long talon-like nails at the ready to offer up some slashes of her own. This beast would die at her own hands, she would see to it.

Kagome struggled with her waning senses to stay conscious, watching the battle raging with fear for her mate. The two hanyou circled each other, swiping at each other with razor sharp claws and biting at each other when one got too close. Blood began to stain the ground with green and red itchor from the fighters. She saw Akuma lunge at Inuyasha, murder in her eyes, but the dog demon managed to leap out of the way, lunging onto her back. He roared with the vicious gashes he opened along Akuma's human and insect backs.

The insect queen rolled, effectively throwing her attacker off. In a move faster than the blink of an eye Akuma turned on herself and let fly her tail in a sweeping arc. It caught Inuyasha in the side with a resounding crack, breaking ribs, sending him flying against the side of the Hone Kui no Ido, momentarily stunning him. Akuma smiled as she advanced on the dazed hanyou, raising her tail to impale him trough the heart and be done with it. She would drink his blood afterwards and gain his amazing strength before doing the same to the dying girl. The one good thing about being a scorpion hanyou, poisons under any form had absolutely no effect on her.

The barest flex of muscles sent the razor tipped stinger towards its hapless prey.

Inuyasha dodged the intended blow at the last possible second, the stinger gouging a steaming and hissing hole in the well's side from her venom. Clawed hands latched onto the end of the tail, just beneath the deadly tip. Akuma whirled around in place, wildly swinging her tail back and forth to dislodge the hanyou.

But his grip held firm, digging deeper with each move she made, soon adding his teeth for extra strength.

The only sounds that filled the room were those of clicking insect legs, the desperate gurgles of pain and the need for aid from Akuma, and the feral growls and snarls from Inuyasha clinging to her tail. There was a sickening squelching sound, followed by a wet pop. The scorpion queen gurgled loudly in pain. Akuma's stinger had been ripped off due to the ever-increasing pressure from Inuyasha's grip. The hanyou went flying backwards, easily landing on his feet at some distance to continue to face off against his opponent.

Akuma stared at the dripping remains of her tail in horror.

She was defenseless now.

The hanyou would never give her the time she needed to cast any spell she might know to protect herself.

She had to buy herself some time.

She had to get away.

The half-demon's snarl caused her to look at him suddenly. He was in a low crouch, preparing to leap at her and finish this battle. His demeanor was made even more terrifying in the garish light thrown off by the portal within the well…

The well!

Blood red eyes snuck a peek at it quickly.

It was a way out.

All Akuma had to do was leap into its glowing portal and she would find herself in any number of worlds, or even any time in the past or future. It was a place away from the enraged hanyou, a place where she could recover, have the time to cast whatever spell she needed to protect herself from his next attack.

Now all she needed was to be faster than her foe.

Knowing this would be the last act she would do if she failed, Akuma summoned every ounce of speed and strength she possessed and launched herself forward in the direction of the strange well. From the corner of her eye she saw the hanyou bolt towards her in response, teeth bared in vicious intent. She twisted on herself, her tail connecting hard with the side of the half-demon's head, sending him sprawling. It bought her a few precious seconds to reach the well ahead of him. Akuma reached out a hand to the ancient stone and could almost feel its cold surface beneath her fingers before something grabbed her tail and yanked her back.

* * *

Kagome fought with senses and strength that were abandoning her, grappling with her consciousness to drag herself across the ground. She could hear the ferocity of the battle raging between the two hanyou. Sooner or later one of them would win and she was afraid it would not be her beloved Inuyasha. In his demon rage he often hesitated with his actions, something that could very well cost him his life.

Believing she could be some help to him somehow Kagome dragged herself to the well with Tetsusaiga clutched tight to her chest.

She had to reach the well.

Just a few more meters…

* * *

Whirling on herself Akuma used the hanyou's grip on her tail to pull him closer, her long talons slashing at his arms and chest to force him to let go. The second she felt his grip grow lax she turned in mid-leap to dive into the glowing portal hovering in the well.

She was almost there!

She was almost free!

Escape at last!

She jerked violently at the feel of a pair of arms snaking around her waist. Twisting around, she found a weak and pale Kagome holding on to her with all the strength she possessed.

What the hell is she doing!? Akume screamed mentally.

"Kagome!" the monarch heard the half-demon cry out suddenly.

The last thing Akuma saw were his once blood red eyes now gold again and filled with fear and worry for the dying human girl clutching her waist.

Then the entire chamber exploded with a blinding flash of white.

* * *

Kagome blinked as she turned in place. Everything was suddenly blue white in color, bright but not blindingly so.

It was strange.

It almost looked like the limbo between times when she passed through the well, yet the sensation was off. There was no movement, no perceptible shift in time or place, just a void. She could feel the energies crackling just on the edge of her senses, threatening to explode, but never quite doing so.

"Am… am I… dead?" she questioned aloud.

"Iie, little Miko. And not for a long time yet."

Kagome froze, having recognized the voice, and whirled around. There stood Akuma Sasori with an almost godly radiance. Her once dark armour shimmered with a warm light, their color akin to that of cobalt. A patient smile was on her thin lips. The young Miko back peddled in fear, an almost instinctual move from seeing the scorpion monarch, falling to her rump unceremoniously. Akuma's expression changed to one of genuine worry, holding her hands up in a placating and non-threatening gesture. That was when Kagome froze. Akuma didn't seem to be terrible or malevolent anymore. She merely seemed to be surrounded by an aura of blameless valour.

"I mean you no harm, Kagome. I merely wish to apologize."

Again, Kagome blinked, staring at her in thinly veiled suspicion.

"Nani?"

Akuma smiled.

"Hai, I want to apologize. Gomen nasai, to you and your friends."

"I… I don't understand. Why…?"

"For now, you don't really need to understand. My reasons will come to you in time."

"Na-nani?"

Akuma chuckled.

"Ne, you're an inquisitive one."

"What… what happens now?"

She sighed heavily with finality.

"Now… I die."

Kagome felt tears sting her eyes. Despite everything she couldn't help but feel pity for the insect queen. None of her actions were really her fault. Decades of living under oppression after oppression, hate after hate, it was enough to twist anyone's heart and soul.

Akuma saw the look on Kagome's face chuckled softly.

"Arigatou, little Miko, for caring about what happens to me."

She paused a moment, as if listening to something in the distance. A bright smile illuminated her face.

"I wish to give you a gift before I leave."

"Gift?"

"Hai. Hanyou are forever destined to be alone… that's the accepted rule. You know that, ne? You heard it enough from me during our time together. Demo, to one who has conquered so much in the hopes of defying such an end, to dare to want more than what he was allotted… For that noble audacity I will not let him be robbed of a victory he so rightly earned."

Is she talking about Inuyasha? Kagome self questioned in wonder.

The room began to grow steadily darker, Akuma's form fading into the growing shadow. Her voice sounded so distant all of a sudden.

"Time and destiny will not tear apart those two souls which I have ultimately chosen to favour…"

* * *

Inuyasha opened his eyes and groaned as the pain invaded his senses.

The demon rage was gone.

Pain radiated through his every limb as Inuyasha struggled to regain his senses. The blast from the well had thrown his clear across the chamber. He rose to his knees and looked around. Scorpion warriors lay in disassembled piles all around the ground. That strange queen of theirs was nowhere in sight, neither was the energy bubble that had hovered just within the lip of the well. He pressed a hand to his throbbing ribs with a slight grunt, feeling the need to pant to alleviate the burning in his lungs.

"Did… a lot more… damage… than I… ever… remember doing… Demo they… fuckin' deserved it… for what… they did to-"

He froze, eyes darting all over the chamber as he searched for his mate. He couldn't believe the foolish move she made mere seconds before. What could have possibly possessed her to crawl to the well and latch on to the insect matriarch's waist as this one began to tumble into the well. Gold eyes soon found Kagome, lying face down against the wall of the Hone Kui no Ido.

"Kagome…"

Fighting against limbs that refused to work, Inuyasha managed to drag himself across the ground to her side, carefully turning her limp form over. He cradled her carefully in his arms, half lying on top of her with his weight supported on his elbows. His arms trembled from the effort. She didn't move, didn't react to his presence, even after he nuzzled her cheek gently with a soft keen in the back of his throat.

His ears flattened back in worry.

"Kagome… Don't leave me, Aisai… You're not allowed to leave me… ever again… I won't let you…"

His acute sense of smell picked up a new scent mixing its way into Kagome's often intoxicating scent. It wasn't offensive, and it didn't seem to add to her appeal.

It was just there.

Indefinable.

Indistinct.

There, but not there.

A particularly sharp pain radiated up his side and he felt his head spin. Inuyasha laid his ear to her heart to stop the world from turning so fast without him, hearing the life-giving organ beat softly yet strongly within her chest. He listened to it for a moment; afraid it would suddenly stop, before another lancing pain escorted him to the oblivion.

* * *

Despaired screeches filled the night air surrounding the hive. All scorpion beast eyes turned to the structure, listening to the scream intently. The cry was suddenly taken up by all, warriors turning to face the hive with somber expressions on their insect like faces.

Sickening squelches rose from their ranks as individuals and gathered groups brought large pincers up to surround their own throats and squeeze hard.

Bodies fell in waves of black all around the hive, forever lifeless.

* * *

Inuyasha's senses returned quickly, his eyes opening with a start. He blinked repeatedly to try to clear away the fuzzy haze before his eyes. It was like trying to stare through water. The room was much too bright to be the hive. It seemed like daylight, being too bright for torch or even candlelight. When the haze finally lifted he could see the bamboo rods and wooden boards that formed the supports of a ceiling. This was definitely not the hive. He could smell the light scent of incense burning nearby, and the scent of many humans.

Souto no doubt.

Monks.

This had to be some sort of shrine or monastery. His sensitive ears could hear the practiced quiet footfall of those same souto walking through the building, and the hushed voices of people speaking in concern.

With a quick flex of muscles Inuyasha sat up and immediately regretted it. His every limb screamed in agony, wounds that had not yet healed opening once again. He bit back his cry of agony, only a quiet whimper escaping his clenched teeth, a hand going to the bandages wrapped around his chest. Most of his arms were also bandaged in the same clean white rags.

"Take it easy, Inuyasha." a male voice soothed as a pair of hands appeared at his shoulders to help support him. "You should not be moving just yet with the kinds of injuries you have sustained."

Gold eyes looked up and blinked in surprise.

"Miroku?"

The young Buddhist smiled, amused by the look of shock on the hanyou's face.

"Hai, though I dare say you were probably expecting to see Kami-sama and his Heavenly Court, ne?"

"Um… hai…"

"Then I will not be insulted by your surprise."

"Where am I?"

"A Shinto shrine about a day's march from the hive."

"When did you… we get here?"

"Sango and I arrived late enough to have missed your epic battle with those creatures. You arrived here two days ago."

"Two days? Kaede must be going mad right about now."

"She lives?"

"Hai, so did a bunch of villagers from all around here. They're safe. What happened?"

"The creatures guarding the hive seemed to have lost their will to live and were easily dispatched, most by themselves at their own hands. The rest put up little if no resistance. Sango and I found you at the base of the well deep inside that odd hive structure."

Inuyasha stiffened abruptly in worry. He had just remembered those last few instants within the hive, shortly before the portal in the well exploded. He could still see her form lying on the ground, immobile.

"Kagome! She was stung!"

Miroku's smile became gentle and knowing.

"She is well, my friend, and alive. She is resting and recovering from her injuries in another room with Sango."

Fighting back the pain Inuyasha threw off his covers and struggled to get to his feet, his mind barely registering the feel of bandages wrapped around his legs. Thankfully, someone had left him the modesty of his pants.

Miroku gripped his shoulders to restrain him.

"You must rest, Inuyasha. You should not be moving just yet."

Inuyasha tried to shrug his hand away, rising onto wobbly legs, using his sheathed Tetsusaiga for support.

"I… have… to see… her…" he ground, taking a shaky step towards the open door.

"You will reopen your wounds if you persist!"

The hanyou faced him, gold eyes glowing fiercely with determination.

"Take me to see Kagome." he demanded.

Miroku sighed heavily, draping his hanyou friend's arm over his shoulders to support his weight and help him walk.

"You are as stubborn as always, my friend."

Inuyasha smirked as they walked.

"Keh. Try not to sound too disappointed."

They walked slowly this way down corridors that seemed far longer than they truly were to the injured hanyou. Every step caused jarring pain to shoot through Inuyasha's body, his jaw clenching hard to keep from making a sound and betray the weakness.

"How bad is she?" Inuyasha suddenly questioned, hoping to take his own mind off the pain.

"She has been unconscious the entire time." he replied quietly. "Sango has told me her wounds, the worst being the sting mark in her side, will heal if she is given the right amount of time and rest. How she managed to survive the sting is beyond understanding. From what I have heard the creatures' poison is very deadly."

Inuyasha's jaw clenched.

"Hai, it is."

"For what purpose where you inside the hive?"

"She was taken by the bugs, I went in to get her out. Who knew their queen was such an ikeike. Powerful too."

"How did you defeat her?"

"I… I changed. They hurt Kagome, stung her," He resisted the urge to beat the bouzo to a bloody pulp for the sly grin he shot him. "… and I let go of Tetsusaiga. Even in a demon rage I couldn't kill her, she was too strong. Kagome was the one who actually killed her… I think."

"Nani?"

"Hai. I guess she purified the well while the queen bug was in it. She just grabbed the bug and fell in the well with her. And then the light in it went from black to bright white. I must've changed back before everything exploded 'cause I remember seeing them fall in. The all I remember was Kagome on the ground and then I woke up here with your happy puss smiling at me."

"Hm, there must have been quite a bit of evil energy within the well at the time of purification for it to explode as you say it did. Kagome's powers have definitely grown since we have last seen her to be able to purify it."

Miroku slid aside one of the shrine's paper doors revealing the youkai exterminator, Sango, kneeling at a sleeping Kagome's side, carefully dabbing her forehead with a damp cloth to break a slight fever. Kirara's tiny feline form was curled up against Kagome's side to offer some sort of comfort and warmth. Sango raised her eyes to the newcomers, quickly scrambling to her feet to aid the houshi support Inuyasha as he walked.

"You really should've stayed in bed." she chided. "Hanyou or not, these are serious injuries. You need to rest."

He didn't answer her.

Inuyasha's eyes merely remained fixed on the young woman lying in the center of the room on a plush sleeping mat and wrapped in warm blankets so that only her head and the slender arch of her neck were visible. She seemed so pale and small at that moment that he felt his heart squeeze painfully. Part of the reason she was hurt so badly was his fault.

He had been the one to ask her to be his mate.

He had failed to protect her from the scorpions when they had attacked.

And his refusal to see the reason behind what that scorpion hanyou had said had resulted in Kagome being in this state.

Inuyasha's heart again gave a painful squeeze. He shrugged away from his friends' support, Tetsusaiga dropping to the floor forgotten as he struggled with leaden limbs to move to Kagome's side. He needed to touch her, feel the warmth of her skin and take in the sweet scent that permeated her skin to reassure himself that she truly was alive. She was just too pale and too still for his liking.

He never made it to her side, collapsing to the unforgiving floor from extreme pain and exhaustion, his world going blissfully dark and numb.

With Kirara looking on in worry, Sango and Miroku raced to their fallen friend's side, carefully turning him over to check if any of his injuries had reopened. There was some bleeding, but thankfully none of his more serious wounds were seeping any blood yet.

"You should've insisted he stay in bed." Sango chided the bouzo.

"I did. He was adamant about coming here."

Sango couldn't help but smile down at the unconscious hanyou, smoothing a few rebel locks away from his face.

"Even after so long, he cares for her still." she mused.

Tucking a long lock away she noticed a perfect semi-circle scar decorating the base of his neck. With a curious frown she gave the mark a closer inspection, noticing it was a complete circle of scars. They looked like teeth marks.

Small puncture marks.

Sango blinked and moved to Kagome's side, inspecting her shoulders as well. Miroku watched her in confusion.

"What are you looking for?"

She merely grunted.

"They were both bitten."

"Nani?"

"Something bit them both, houshi-sama, by something that didn't heal on Inuyasha despite his ability to mend wounds."

The monk pondered this news, staring long and hard at the matching marks on both his friends.

What kind of creature could have left these marks?

Why did it merely bite them and why at the base of their necks?

Why did the wound not heal completely on Inuyasha as all his other wounds usually did?

"Remind me to ask them when they are well enough."

"Hai. For now, we should get him back to his bed."

"Iie, he will merely awaken again and demand to return to Kagome's side."

He rose to his feet with a decisive expression.

"I will fetch his bedding and bring it here. I am sure they will not be adverse to sharing a room in their state."

The youkai exterminator merely nodded in agreement as Miroku left. While she waited she carefully took the cold compress from Kagome's brow, freshened it from the bowl of water lying nearby, then carefully applied it to the hanyou's brow.

"Stubborn mutt." she chided in a gentle whisper. "You have to care for yourself too, not just for the girl you love."

Miroku returned moments later, carrying the bedding materials with the help of a shrine novice. Together the two men easily lifted Inuyasha away from Kagome's side, allowing Sango a quick moment to set up a bed for the unconscious half-demon, then settled him in the center of the sleeping mat. Inuyasha didn't react to any of it. Miroku thanked the novice, then sat at Sango's side shortly after he left.

"No doubt our friends will have interesting tales to tell us when they wake." the houshi voiced softly.

"Mm, no doubt. How do you think they'll react to our news?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I suspect Inuyasha will not be surprised at all. As for Kagome, I envision shrieks of joy."

"Think so?"

"Of course. You and Kagome are such good friends I cannot see how she would not be happy for you."

He sighed heavily with an exaggerated expression of dismay.

"I, on the other hand, will simply be accused of being a lecher again."

Sango merely laughed quietly.

* * *

The dimness of waning night met her eyes as Kagome woke slowly. Through the thin walls she could see the first strains of daylight beginning to lighten the darkness of night, heralding the coming of day. She felt cold all over, her limbs feeling as heavy as lead. The side where she had been stung hurt atrociously, much the same way it did when the Shikon no Tama had been ripped from that very spot some seven years ago. Some sensations were just never forgotten. Waiting for her memories to resurface form the fog in her mind, Kagome merely lay there, staring at the ceiling blankly.

She remembered being in the hive and she shuddered.

She remembered being defended by Inuyasha.

She remembered being stung.

That's right, I was stung, she pondered mentally with a small frown. Shouldn't I be dead by now?

Her last memories consisted of clutching Akuma Sasori's waist and then that strange dream-like experience within a void.

Was that real?

When her mind finally caught up with her she began to hear the gentle sounds of breathing somewhere within the room. She craned her neck to look above her. Leaning against the wall in a perfect sleeping Buddha posture, was Miroku-houshi. At his side, using his lap as a pillow, was the youkai exterminator, Sango. Kirara was curled in a tight ball against Sango's stomach, sleeping just as peacefully.

Kagome allowed herself a smile.

The cavalry… late, but at least they're here.

Kagome lowered her eyes from them to the occupant of the sleeping mat next to hers.

There, breathing gently, though in obvious discomfort, was Inuyasha.

She could see the scrapes and scuffs still decorating his face, the bare hints of his many bandages showing at the edge of his covers. Biting her lip she carefully reached over and stroked his closest ear, caressing the softer than soft fur covering it. His ear twitched slightly beneath her touch as if surprised, his slight frown of pain melting away gratefully from the distraction. A quiet purr hummed in his chest. Gold eyes blinked open slowly and he turned his head in her direction, inadvertently pulling his ear away from her touch. Kagome easily returned the smile he gave her, contenting herself to caress his cheek with the backs of her fingers. His purr grew a little louder as his eyes closed, turning his face into her hand.

"You had me worried, Inuyasha." she whispered, trying not to wake the other occupants of the room.

He opened his eyes.

"You? Fuck, woman, I was the one who thought you were going to die."

She chuckled lightly.

"The mighty Inuyasha was worried about me?" she teased.

His expression was dead serious.

"You're my mate, of course I was."

He was rewarded by an honoured smile from the Miko.

Then, "What happened back there?"

Kagome blinked. "You don't remember?"

"Bits and pieces. What did you do?"

"I… I'm not sure that I did do anything. Akuma and I fell into the well… I remember her trying to tell me something…"

She sighed heavily in frustration.

"It's all a jumble."

He grunted. "It's alright, it's not important right now."

"Inuyasha, how did we get here?"

"Blame it on those two." and he jerked his chin in the direction of the sleeping monk and demon hunter. "They found us and brought us here."

"And where is here?"

"Some shrine a day away from the hive. They haven't let me move by myself the moment I woke up. I'm starting to feel like some fuckin' puppet."

"How long…?"

"Five days now. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up."

"Five days? Oh, Kami… The others must think we're dead."

He snorted derisively, staring up at the ceiling.

"Keh. I just love their confidence in us."

His ear twitched at the sound of rustling covers. Inuyasha looked over at his mate and found she had tugged her blankets all the way up under her chin. He saw a slight tremor shake her frame, the faint sound of her teeth chattering reaching his sensitive ears.

"You cold?"

She blinked and looked at him in surprise, then sunk a little deeper under the covers, embarrassed that he had noticed. Inuyasha barely saw the light blush that tinged her cheeks.

"Um… hai, a little." she responded meekly.

He tugged his covers down a bit, enough to free an arm, and motioned for her to join him on his bed. Kagome smothered a small squeak before ducking even lower under the covers. He blinked at this in surprise. He managed to turn himself on his side without too much pain, propping himself on his elbow and peering at her intently.

"Nani? What is it?"

"I… um… I'm not… wearing much right now."

He blinked again.

"So?"

"So… ah…" and she stared at the ceiling as she searched for an answer that would make sense.

Inuyasha smirked and rested his cheek on his knuckles casually.

"Kagome."

Blue eyes turned timidly to him.

"I've seen you in less."

His eyes seemed to glow suddenly in the dim light, his smirk become roguish and confident.

"A lot less."

Her blush deepened and he chuckled, patting the bedding just in front of himself.

"Get over here."

She hesitated for a brief heartbeat, mentally debating with herself if she should join him in his bed while only in her underwear.

Baka, go for it, she self-argued, glancing at him.

He's right, you made love so of course he saw all of you. You're mates, husband and wife. It's more than okay.

Kagome set her shoulders in determination. Willing her stiffened limbs to move she rolled to her side, moving out from under her blankets with a cold induced shiver. It was just so cold in the small room, probably more so due to her lack of clothing. Part of her demanded that she ask Miroku or Sango to light a fire in the room later in the morning. She then slipped under his blanket, pressing close to Inuyasha's chest. All thoughts of the cold left her mind at the feel of his warm skin and gentle hands. It was like being home after so many long years in a frozen wasteland, home to the warmth and affection that could only be offered by a cherished one.

Inuyasha carefully tugged the covers up and over both their shoulders before cradling her close with a purring sigh. He had missed holding her, missed the feel of her skin grazing his. He hadn't realized how much time had passed until he finally held her again. Those few days could have been centuries for all he cared. He nuzzled her cheek, his purr growing in intensity, his hands traveling boldly against her back and hips as his tongue lightly flicked across her cheekbone, dipping lower to her neck.

Kagome stifled a giggle.

"Shh, you'll wake the others."

"Fuck them." he husked against her neck, nipping lightly at the mark decorating her shoulder.

To stop him from progressing any further, and to help calm her racing blood, Kagome pressed as physically possible to his chest, cautious of his many still healing wounds. She pressed her lips gently to the hollow of his throat, settling her head beneath his chin. She heard his purr shift to a slight growl of annoyance before returning to that gentle and soothing rumble. His arms tightened possessively as he nuzzled the top of her head, one of his legs thrown casually over hers to keep her from moving away.

"Oi, Kagome."

"Mm?"

She felt him smile in her hair.

"You're not allowed wearing clothes to bed anymore."

She smothered another chuckle.

"I don't really have a problem with that so long as you keep me warm at night."

"Good." he purred.

His hand slipped over her hip to come and rest on the bandage covering the only serious injury she had suffered in the hive. The pain she must have endured because of it made him wince and he inhaled her scent deeply to reassure himself that she was truly alright.

He blinked.

Sneaking in between the scent of exotic flowers and the scent was purely her own was a new odour. It wasn't repulsive and it wasn't completely alien to him either. It was ever so vaguely familiar, half-remembered and buried in the back of his mind somewhere. Inuyasha frowned as he wracked his memory for a clue as to where he had sampled this scent before.

I know that scent…

But no matter how far back he went in his memory he just couldn't quite place where he had experienced that scent before. A near silent gruff bark blew past his lips in slight frustration. This shift in her scent would bother him until he finally found out what it was. He figured it was due to that scorpion hanyou, but what he wanted to know was what she did to his mate to cause this change.

That fuckin' bitch and her magic! he cursed. I'll have to get Miroku to see if he can feel anything and if he can remove whatever that bug did.

He felt Kagome shift slightly against his chest, forcing his attention back down to her. A smile came easily to his lips. She had pillowed her cheek to his heart, a tiny contented grin just barely tugging up the corners of her lips as she dozed in complete security. Inuyasha nuzzled the top of her head, a deep purr rumbling in the depth of his chest.

Despite all the obstacles that had been thrown at him up to this point, despite everything else that could happen in the future, so long as Kagome was with him life was good.

* * *

Miroku blinked repeatedly in wonder at the sleeping pair before him. Ever since he had awoken later that morning he hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from the scene. Had it been any other persons sleeping there, he wouldn't have been the least bit surprised, but this was Inuyasha and Kagome. These were the only two beings he had ever known who had vehemently denied their relationship even existed no matter the weight of the proof presented, denied that any stronger feelings save friendship were present between them.

Yet here they were, snuggled together on the same sleeping mat, looking as comfortable and content as possible with Kagome's back pressed to Inuyasha's chest. His arms were wrapped tight around her and his face was buried against the back of her neck. Miroku could barely hear the soft purr-like sound that emanated from the hanyou, and there was no denying the Miko didn't mind Inuyasha's obvious affection by the small smile adorning her lips.

Neither seemed at all concerned by the distinct lack of clothing on Kagome's part, or the lack of shirts on Inuyasha's part. That alone would have been enough to earn the hanyou several loud sittings from the young Miko.

That or Inuyasha would have received a sound slap across the face and a beratement to end all beratements from Kagome.

Miroku resisted the urge to snort at the irony.

And they called him a lecher.

The bouzo returned to his contemplation of the odd pair and arched an intrigued eyebrow.

"How very interesting…" he mumbled.

"What I find interesting is how you can wake up so early in the morning." a voice slurred sleepily.

He smiled passively.

"A person can witness some of the most fascinating of sights if they wake with the sun."

Sango opened her eyes and looked up at his face in curiosity.

"What kind of sights?"

"Our two sleeping friends, to name just one."

Fighting sleep stiffened limbs, the youkai exterminator raised herself up onto her hip, wondering what the bouzo meant as she opened her eyes to the other two sleeping occupants of the room.

Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor in surprised shock.

"How…? When…? Nani!"

"Hush, Sango." Miroku hissed. "Let them sleep."

"Demo… She's practically naked…"

"Hai, I know."

"What in the Sacred Mounts is she doing in his bed?" she near demanded, carefully to keep her voice down nonetheless.

"By the looks of things, she's sleeping."

Sango frowned at her companion.

"You are just far too calm about all this."

"Mm, perhaps. Or perhaps I believe this is all due to a change in their relationship that they have not discussed with us as of yet."

She blinked, looking from him to the slumbering pair and back again. She found that line of reasoning hard to believe. True, it had been painfully obvious to everyone how truly and deeply the Miko and hanyou cared for each other, but it was highly unlikely either of them would act on it. Sango was sure Inuyasha knew the rule when it came to half-breeds, that they were pretty much forbidden by law, both man's and natural, to have a mate. She also knew that he was far too proud and arrogant to let himself soften that way. Inuyasha knew far too well the consequences of taking a human mate, for himself and for the woman of his choosing. It meant she would be shunned for life, or be killed.

And Kagome…

Kagome was just as proud and stubborn as the hanyou, with a sensitive streak that pretty much ensured she wouldn't be able to take his abrasive words and behavior for very long. And she was from a world where no one believed demons existed, any more in any case. At least, that was what the Miko had explained to her.

That was a recipe for disaster in the making.

He could never be accepted in Kagome's world and she would be in constant danger for her life if she remained with Inuyasha.

And yet there was that nagging voice at the back of Sango's mind that screamed at her over and over again that it was fully possible that they had finally become a couple.

"Interesting dilemma for them, ne?" Miroku voiced softly.

Again Sango blinked, looking at him. He merely smiled at her in his ever-serene manner. She frowned in annoyance.

"I hate it when you do that."

She could see him struggle to suppress a chuckle.

"You make it so easy." he very nearly cooed.

"And you both are too loud." Inuyasha abruptly growled in the depths of Kagome's hair. "Shut up already. Let Kagome sleep."

"Too late." the Miko murmured softly as she woke. "I'm already awake."

Gold eyes glared accusingly at the youkai exterminator and the bouzo.

"Couldn't keep your yaps shut, could you?"

Still surfacing from her slumber, Kagome blindly reached back for one of his ears and gave it a gentle scratch. Her smile came easily when she heard the familiar and comforting purr of contentment rumble in his chest.

"Be nice, Inuyasha." she chided. "I'm sure they didn't mean to be so loud."

Whatever complaint he might have offered in defence was lost in the low growl against the back of her neck.

"Um… Kagome?"

"Hai, Sango?"

Blue eyes opened to the other woman and noticed the hesitant and confused expression on Sango's face. Sango couldn't find her voice to reply, merely gesturing helplessly at the duo before looking to Miroku for aid. He shrugged at a loss, no more adept in finding the appropriate words than the taiji at his side could.

"When…? Why…?" Sango finally said in a voice that was still unsure of itself.

Inuyasha managed to prop himself up on his elbow as Kagome rolled to her stomach, staying close to him to share in his body's warmth, a pillow tucked tight to her chest on which to rest her chin.

"When and why what?" Inuyasha questioned, suddenly interested in the conversation.

Hanyou and Miko stared at their friends in confusion, waiting on an answer. Again the taiji's voice left her. Her lips would move, trying to form the words she wanted to say, but the sounds refused to come out. Her mind couldn't form a proper sentence or question on the subject without sounding overly judgmental. Sango was thrilled they were so close now and, more than anything, she didn't want to say a thing that would put this newly found affection in jeopardy.

Putting two and two together, Inuyasha abruptly understood what had the taiji so tied up in knots. He rolled his eyes in mild irritation of the direction the conversation had taken. He understood the displeasure and revulsion of the humans in his time at his relationship with Kagome, but he had expected a lot more acceptance from those he had called his friends for so many years. After all, these two quite nearly threw them together at every given opportunity, tossing in thinly veiled innuendos in suggestion.

As if reading his mind, Sango straightened suddenly in guilt.

"Iie!"

Inuyasha gave her a skeptic frown. Miroku and Kagome merely watched them in silence.

Sango forced her voice to respond, swallowing hard. "Gomen ne for my reaction, Inuyasha, demo it doesn't mean is don't approve."

He remained quiet, letting her explain herself.

"It's just… it's just…"

He frowned at her, a kernel of anger wedging into his heart at what he thought she would say.

"It's just I'm hanyou."

"Iie! It's just I… I kind of came to expect you would both always stay at arms length from each other. And now, to see you like… like… well… It kind of takes a moment to grasp the meaning when you're used to seeing the opposite for so long."

Kagome bit her bottom lip, seeing her friend's point. All the time Sango and Miroku had traveled with them the only male they had ever seen sleep so close at her side had been little Shippo, and he was just a child. Inuyasha had always been up in a tree or across the campfire from her or even sitting against an opposite wall if they had been lucky enough to find a shelter.

Inuyasha snorted unexpectedly.

"Didn't think our sleeping habits were of so much interest to everyone." he griped.

Miroku's expression became knowingly sly. "They are when it involves the two of you. So, how long have you had this sleep arrangement?"

"What business is it of yours?"

"None. I am just curious as to how close you have become."

Inuyasha and Kagome gave each other a quick look, the girl blushing lightly with a small smile and the hanyou grinning arrogantly.

"Close." was all Inuyasha chose to reply.

"Which means…?" the monk prompted.

All he got was a warning growl from the half-breed and a warning glance from Sango. Kagome's blush merely deepened. She loved her friends dearly, but sometimes they pried too much into things that were just too personal to discuss.