InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Miko Malice ❯ Sacrifice for Me ( Chapter 18 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions, among others.

A/N: I'm back! I've missed you guys so much and I am so, so, so happy to finally have this monster chapter done!

I have to say that there are several things that happen in this chapter that are not Kosher with the manga/anime. Please keep in mind that this is fanfiction—not how accurate can we get to the original. I have artistic license here and as far as I'm concerned, if it bothers you, you can always go elsewhere.

I know, I said I was going to try to get this out on “Friday”, but I really haven't been in a happy writing place lately. I made a list of what I wanted to happen in this chapter, then when that didn't work, I outlined it in detail, and still I just couldn't get the words to come together. So I've had to write a sentence or two here and there, basically dragging it out of my head. Ug. Sorry for having taken so long.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I received more reviews for Chapter 17 than any other chapter I have ever written. I'm really sorry it took me so long to update—that's usually not the case. In the interest of getting this out quicker, I only commented on reviews who asked direct questions—if I missed something you want to know, please ask me!

Juunsan'ya: Thank you so much for the email about the weddings. I was an anthropology major in college, so I'm always interested in learning about other cultures. I've only been to two Catholic weddings in my life, and to be honest I think the Japanese have a much cooler practice. I don't think there is space in this chapter for wedding details, but I can always go back and fix the last one when I do revisions. Or maybe use it in a future fic. Thanks again.

Youkaineko: You're right, Kikyou should have had more of a reaction to Inuyasha. I was really concentrating on the interaction between Inuyasha, Kagome, and Taro and I have to admit I forgot about Kikyou. My bad. When I revise this thing, I'll add to it, because it really is a missed opportunity. As to Kikyou's scent at the wedding, since her father was there she actually did feel calm, but don't worry, that isn't going to last. Obviously, lol. That's cool that my story has a medieval Europe feel to it—I totally heart European history.

sprat111: Ok, fluffy, like any other slacker/bad ass is basically sitting in what would be considered “the back of the class”—as far away from everyone else as he could be. He just happens to be next to the door so through that he hears the army coming. Everyone else is paying attention to the ceremony, and were distracted. Kikyou is kind of chilling in the chapter because her dad is there and she kind of has to behave under his watch and can't be her total crazy self. She's also seeing what everyone else does before she makes her next psycho move. Green is the neko's battle color: Midori means green in Japanese, Kagome's eyes turn green when she becomes a full demon. Just playing off the fact that in the original manga/anime Kagome's school uniform is green. There's probably going to be two chapters after this one—one to wrap it all up and an epilogue. Haven't really thought about a sequel.

ObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS: While flattered by the death threat—really—in the interest of this chapter not sucking, I had to wait until my head was in the right place to write it. I got it up as soon as I could, but I'll admit it took me a lot longer than I would have preferred.

Chapter 18 Sacrifice for Me

Deshi felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach. What the hell was going on? One of his guards was supposed to be there to whisk him and Kikyou out of the manor. Then the dogs, preoccupied with the ceremony would be slain by the rest of the army.

Evidently not everything went according to plan…

Swallowing hard, Deshi tried to keep his head about him.

Especially because now an extremely angry demon lord was coming at him with claws bared, eyes flashing, revealing his lust for human blood.

Deshi wanted to lie and tell Lord Takahashi that the army currently attacking the manor did not belong to him, but it was clear the dog demon could smell his guilt as well as hear the lack of honesty in his voice. Drawing his sword, Lord Higurashi did his best not to get his head lopped off.

XXXX

Inuyasha stared at his brother, letting the older inu youkai's words sink in. We're being attacked? By humans? Now that he wasn't focusing on his wedding, he could smell human—more than he should have—and could hear the rumble of running feet and war cries.

How didn't we see this coming?

Glancing over at Kikyou who was currently pale and glaring at the stone floor he noticed that her scent had changed—not longer did she smell like peace and calm, but she reeked of fear and hatred. Not giving her a second thought, Inuyasha leaped up from the velvet pillow he had been sitting and sprinted to the door Sesshomaru was about to open. Kagura stood by his side, her fan open and face grim but determined.

Those two could take care of the army. Inuyasha had one goal in mind: getting to Kagome. He didn't know where his father had stashed her away, but he was bound and determined to get find her before she was harmed. Kami only knew what a bunch of war mongering humans would do to a female hanyou.

XXXX

Kikyou stood up on shaking feet. This is not good. This is definitely not good. What in the hell was Deshi planning? For us to be trapped in a room with a bunch of demons who could rip us apart?

Swallowing the lump in her throat that was trying to strangle her, Kikyou looked around for some way she could be of use.

Just then Inuyasha's older brother opened the door to the Great Hall and the last two people in the world she thought she'd see rushed in.

XXXX

Sesshomaru and Kagura finished muttering to themselves their plan of attack and the inu youkai swung open the hall's door only to nearly be knocked over by two figures rushing past them; a neko youkai and a neko hanyou. Having bigger fish to fry, he let them past: the shorter one smelled suspiciously like his brother.

Stepping out into the corridor, Sesshomaru reluctantly let Kagura take the lead. He was thankful for once that she was a skilled fighter and didn't need to be coddled. The wind user whipped her fan from side to side, knocking human warriors off their feet. As she moved, the gusts picked up till they were able to blow the men not only off their feet but pushed them back. Creating her own little wind tunnel, Kagura commanded it to pick up the soldiers, moving them out of the manor.

Once they were outside, Kagura spread her arms wide, artfully holding the fan in one hand. Quickly, as if she was about to embrace herself, she brought her arms together before her, in the process push the straggling warriors out into the open field that lay before Takahashi manor.

Now it was Sesshomaru's turn.

Stepping in front of his mate, Sesshomaru drew is sword.

The humans never knew what hit them, suddenly, all of the hundreds of men on the would-be battle field lay dead in their tracks.

Smirking down at his wife, Sesshomaru sheathed his sword. They both turned to go back inside.

XXXX

Inuyasha had had every intention of following his brother out to do battle with the attackers once he had taken Kagome to safety, but the instant the door opened, he found himself looking at his quarry.

“Kagome?” He asked, eyes growing wide. She looked like she had been roughed up. Her hair was a mess, her clothes dirty, and worst of there was a dark bruise growing around one eye and another purple spot on the opposite cheek.

Not giving himself time to think about it, he pulled her into a tight hug, not wanting to let her go; afraid she wasn't real. Inuyasha drew Kagome close, wanting to say so many things but all of them sticking to the back of his throat no worse than if they had been coated in glue. Instead, he sucked in as much of her scent as he could, squeezing her into him.

Kagome hugged Inuyasha back just has hard as he held her. I got to him in time. He's safe. She could hardly admit to herself how worried she had been for him. Kami only knew what Kikyou had had in store for the inu hanyou when the army attacked. Now that she had her voice back, Kagome was going to give not only her sister but the demon lord who threw her in the dungeon a piece of her mind. Burying her face in the crook of Inuyasha's neck, Kagome sighed in contentment. I won't let you go again.

Kikyou watched the interaction silently, placidly. Inside, she felt a coiling from the pit of her stomach: a combination of anger and jealousy. Kagome shouldn't have been out of her cage; and Inuyasha had almost been hers. The miko had still been on the fence as to whether she would keep the inu hanyou as her own or destroy him as had told Kagome she would. The hanyou confused her feelings in ways Kikyou was unaccustomed, but now it mattered not. If he was so quick to go to Kagome when just moments before he had been about to marry her, Kikyou refused to stand for it.

Stomping over to the hugging couple, she raised her arm to strike Inuyasha in the back with a punch of purifying energy. At the last moment, Inuyasha was suddenly shoved out of her reached to topple to the ground. Kagome had pushed him down and Kikyou only swiped at thin air.

“Stay down!” The neko shouted at Inuyasha before she lunged at her sister.

Inuyasha was startled into complying. Sh-she spoke! He almost thought he had imagined it, but his ears were still ringing with the sound of Kagome's voice. Somewhere, he felt the smallest twinge of regret that her first words to him were not something loving, but a command to protect his life.

Laying slumped on the floor where he had fallen, Inuyasha watched as the two women fought, trading blows with equal ferocity and grace. Again, Inuyasha was reminded how similar they were—long black hair, pale skin, even their facial features were similar.

Slowly, pieces of a puzzle began to slide into place in Inuyasha's head.

It was when Kagome and Kikyou were locked together, face to face, Kagome's fingers gripping Kikyou's wrists to keep her from getting at her, that Inuyasha made the connection.

They look so much alike.

Her father is a human; he lives in a castle.

The youkai she came in with—the sun burst—her mother was a neko demoness.

Only the one who put the spell on her—her sister—can take it off.

Kagome is suddenly speaking.

That can only mean….

XXX

Deshi ducked a swipe of demon claws. The human lord tried to swing his sword into the youkai's abdomen, but instead stumbled backward. He only managed to get out of the way of Taro's next attack by rolling to the side. Lord Takahashi's claws stuck deep in the great hall's flag stones, giving Deshi just enough time to twist out of the way.

Wobbly, he tottered backwards, unable to see where he was going as Deshi attempted to both find his center and keep away from the raging youkai charging at him.

The human lord failed to see Izayoi in his path and even though Taro noticed his wife behind his advisory, he did nothing to halt Deshi's progress. He could see that the human was tiring, slowing down: his movements were coming more jerky, his aim off.

Izayoi tried to side step, but at the same moment, Taro lunged at Deshi and knocked the lord backward, his arms wide and the sword's blade out of his control. For an instant, it appeared Lady Takahashi was in the path of danger, but at the last possible second there was a flash of black and green to whisk her out of harm's way.

Deshi fell to get ground, but fended off the demon lord with his sword once he regained his sway over it. Neither man noticed how close the lady of Takahashi manor had come to being impaled.

XXX

Midori sat down the sputtering Izayoi down. Lady Takahashi was needless to say not particularly happy with her husband at the moment—he had practically pushed Lord Higurashi at her! He was willing to use her to get at his prey, even if he meant to harm her.

Turning to the tall, pale demoness standing next to her, Izayoi was struck by how gracefully she stood and the sunburst on her forehead. “Midori Higurashi I presume?” Lady Takahashi bowed, guessing the other woman's identity. Even though it had been hinted Lord Higurashi's wife would not be at the wedding, Izayoi, as lady of the manor, still had to do research on any possible guest. “Thank you for getting me out of their way.”

Midori inclined her head. “It was no trouble. I can see your husband engages his brain as much as mine.”

Izayoi smiled and agreed.

Midori continued, “I believe our children have formed quite the connection.”

Izayoi raised an eyebrow, “You're Kagome's mother?”

Nodding, a small smile graced the neko youkai's lips. “She has been missing for some time. I wish to thank your son for taking care of her; I can see that he has.”

“Speaking of our children, should we help them?” Izayoi took a step toward the fight that was breaking out between the sisters.

Midori pulled Izayoi out of the way, placing a hand on the other woman's shoulder. “Trust me, it is for the best that Kagome takes care of her sister herself.”

“Kikyou is her sister?” Izayoi gasped, her eyes growing impossibly wide.

Midori realized she had some explaining to do concerning her family's dynamics.

XXX

Kagome could tell her sister had the slightest of upper hands, but she was determined not to let the older girl beat her. God knew what kind of kick Kikyou would give her if she went down. Kami knew what would become of Inuyasha if an angry, youkai-hating miko was suddenly loose to do as she pleased.

However, she was grateful to her mother and Inuyasha for staying out of her way and letting her handle this on her own. She could sense Midori's eyes on her. At least her mother could step in if anything went awry, such as Kikyou knocking her unconscious.

XXX

“I knew that girl was up to no good,” Izayoi grumbled as she watched Kagome and Kikyou sparring out their frustrations. She was a little irked that not only was she forbidden to step in, but her son seemed to be content in his spectator role as he observed from his position on the floor, arms crossed and hands tucked into his sleeves. I hoped he'd grow out of that habit. “Did your husband know his younger daughter was here?”

Midori shrugged, arms crossed, staring straight ahead at the two men fighting. “I don't believe he did. But he found this attack on your home a more productive use of his time than looking for her. For that, I will not allow your husband to kill him: his life belongs to me.”

“So why are you allowing,” Izayoi finished with a gesture toward the duel.

“If he loses a limb, it is not my problem. I only wish to give Kagome time to take care of her sister. My kit needs to cut her teeth on a real fight.”

Izayoi shook her head. “I still cannot believe my husband fell for such a trap as yours set for him.”

Midori nodded. “Knowing Deshi, I am surprised his scheme worked as well as it did,” a thin, malicious smile twitched her lips. “Why not just leave Lord Takahashi?”

Izayoi was silent for a moment: “Maybe I should. But what would I do with Inuyasha? I couldn't leave him here alone with his father and brother. I can't take him home with me.”

“I know how families can be when it comes to our hanyou children,” Izayoi picked up the bitter glint to the taller woman's voice. “But,” here Midori's voice picked a happy purr, “if I know anything about my daughter, she would be more than happy to see Inuyasha at Higurashi Castle. If I remember your family correctly, your home is not far from mine—half a day's journey at most.” Lady Higurashi turned her head just enough to be able to look Izayoi in the eye from the corner of hers.

Lady Takahashi was speechless for a moment, but then a conspiratory grin perked up the corners of her mouth. “I believe you are right.”

Both women turned their heads back to the two on-going matches when first there was an awful smell, a blaring siren of a noise, punctuated by a howl of pain that ripped through the hall.

XXX

Kikyou could feel her strength slipping—this was what she got for taking Kagome on in a prolonged fight. Her sister had more energy as a hanyou and could stay active for longer bouts of time. Wiping blood from her busted lip where Kagome had landed a side-swipe of a punch, Kikyou made up her mind that it was time to play dirty.

The miko righted herself, taking in another reason why she needed to end the fight: Kagome's aura was starting reappear, glowing a pale green all over her. It was anyone's guess as to what she would be able to do with all that pent up energy she had swirling in her.

Pulling her own miko power into her hands, Kikyou conjured in one palm a rank odor, in the other a screech worthy of an angry banshee. Her arms swung wide and all the two half demons nearest her froze where they were as Kikyou moved in on her sister.

Kagome was, needless to say, disoriented by the painful overload of her sense. She was trying to use one arm to cover her ears and the other hand was clamped on her nose. Inuyasha was in much the same predicament, but he still managed to keep his eyes silted open, watching Kikyou and Kagome.

Reaching her sister, Kikyou released the spell on her hand with the stink reek and lashed out to grab the neko's head to take hold of her hair and threw her to the ground.

Inuyasha tried to stumble to his feet and defuse the situation, but the ringing in his ears was causing an intense vertigo like none he had ever known.

Not bothering to notice anything but her prey, Kikyou quickly removed the dagger from her kimono.

A weapon blessed to kill a hanyou. She snarled in her own deluded mind.

The miko brought the blade down.

XXX

Inuyasha watched what he was fairly certain were sisters feeling more than a little confused. If they were sisters, then that meant that Kagome was Kagome Higurashi—Lord Higurashi's daughter. The hanyou's eyes swiveled over to said man fighting with his own father. Did the human lord realize his daughter was here? Was that why he was attacking the manor, or could it all be some kind of twist of fate?

One thing was clear: Kagome did not seem happy with what was going on.

He watched Kagome as she moved, scowling at her face. Someone had struck her before she had even stepped into her current fight—an eye was slowly swelling shut.

Where in the fuck did dad put her? Kami, I hope not the dungeons.

Wanting nothing more than to get up, step into the fray, and cut the miko bitch down, Inuyasha was finding it painfully difficult to stay down as Kagome had commanded.

Speaking of miko bitches, his mind mused. Come to think of it, now that the spell had been taken from Kagome, she was a miko too.

And if I have anything to do with it, she will be my bitch. The hanyou smirked a little, picturing his revenge for the hijinks her demon side had pulled on him. Even in his mind, he knew his internal bravado was his self conscious trying to keep him from having an all-out aneurism. Neither his youkai nor human side liked watching Kagome place herself in danger.

But this was not his fight, and if he was remotely right about Kikyou and her father, then Kagome had some revenge coming to her. He couldn't step in—she might not forgive him if he did. He would not dishonor her unless she was in danger—and Inuyasha didn't want to piss off the neko and risk triggering a transformation into her full demon.

No, that really would not be good, for anyone.

It was then that a horrible sound and a painful stench enveloped Inuyasha's senses. His eyes immediately went up to Kikyou and sure enough, the miko had conjured some type of spell, emitting from her hands, that was spewing a disorientating combination of smell and sound into the air.

Staggering to his feet, he knew he had to get to Kagome—Kikyou had decided to resort to tricks, and he'd be damned if he would let her harm Kagome while her senses were unsettled so. He just wanted to be there for her—in the worst case scenario.

He was having problems moving, his mind just wanted to shut down. Kikyou pushed Kagome to the floor, a move that somewhat surprised Inuyasha, until she drew a dagger out of her obi.

Kagome was prone, unprotected.

In retrospect, he should have gone after Kikyou, but at the time, all that had mattered was getting to Kagome.

Somehow he threw his body between hers and Kikyou's dagger, which Inuyasha had a sinking feeling he had seen this particular weapon before.

How did she get it? I left it—

It was then that the pain of being stabbed—really, truly, good and stabbed, not the pin prick Kagome had given him—registered in his mind. The wound wasn't just the dagger plunging into his flesh; Kikyou also managed to slash it down, drawing it out.

But that wasn't all: as Kikyou held the dagger in his side, its handle glowed pink and burned like a bitch. He could feel each and every vein of scalding pain that crept out from the enchanted bland. The hanyou did not know how much more he was going to be able to stand: he could feel his powers weakening, as if it were the night of the new moon—or if he was being purified.

As a human, there's no way I'll survive this.

Inuyasha gasped and whimpered, collapsing on the ground like so much jelly.

I hope Kagome is safe. If only…

Somewhere in the darkness, he felt the blade of the knifing being pulled out of him, and he breathed a sigh of relief before completely blacking out.

XXX

Kagome watched in horror as Kikyou plunged the dagger into Inuyasha, twisting and tearing his flesh as she used it to rip into him. The neko hanyou's eyes glared a ferocious green for an instant, then she was pushing Kikyou off Inuyasha.

The miko tottered backwards, taken unawares, to fall flat on her back.

In the split second Kikyou was down, Kagome plucked the dagger out of Inuyasha's wound. The poor hanyou was turning human again, his blood pooling the ground, making it slick. She would have to care for that in a moment, right now she had to get Kikyou out of the way before she did anymore damage.

“He'll die you know,” Kikyou smiled as she climbed to her feet. “Slowly, I didn't get his heart, but he'll become fully human and will bleed to dea—”

As Kikyou had prattled on, Kagome gathered her energy. From the moment the spell had been lifted she had felt her miko powers boiling beneath the surface of her skin, but it had been incredibly difficult to command them. Yet, after seeing Inuyasha in pain and bleeding all over the place, somehow Kagome managed to gain some control over all her miko abilities.

Like a thunder clap or lightening strike, Kagome sent a pale green ball of miko energy surging at her sister.

Kikyou saw it coming, as if it was in slow motion, and she tried to run. Like a heat seeking missile, the orb of priestess power enveloped Kikyou Higurashi. For a moment it retained its light green color and in the next became a dark shade that was almost black.

Kagome stood, her shoulders rising and falling as she panted, her normally brown eyes now green as her power had not completely receded.

Whirling on her heal, she turned back to Inuyasha, only half listing to Kikyou's shrieks in the background. The other miko was tugging on her head, spinning, and screaming incomprehensible words. Kagome couldn't not bring herself to care.

Not when Inuyasha lay before her, in pain and bleeding all over himself as well as the tiled floor.

A tiny part of her panicked. There was so much blood, and when her hands touched his skin to gage the extent of the damage, her fingers were lathered in the thick red liquid. Even though she had been trained as a miko, she had never liked the sick room. Maybe it was the smells—blood, illness, powerful medicinal herbs—but she had rarely found joy or the urge to aid people in ill health.

So it surprised her when she took to caring for Inuyasha so quickly. He needed her, she was there. Mechanically, skillfully, she slashed off his shirt so she could see the wound better. While his clothes were mostly ripped and hung loosely around him, there was still danger of strands of the material getting in the way.

Once she could look at the full extent of Kikyou's strike, Kagome could see it was worse than she thought. Not only was it deep and gushing blood, but she could sense the traces miko magic that were stuck inside Inuyasha. The wound had cut clear through his skin, but the section of the slash that reached his lower abdomen had thankfully not been deep enough to pierce any of his internal organs. Kagome could smell nothing of the queasy stench that would have been everywhere if his intestines had been nicked by the knife. At least there was that blessing, though if anything were to kill him, it would probably be the miko power swirling around in his wounds.

She had to have used that fucking dagger—the one she gave me. This is what I could have done to him.

But you didn't.

Brushing aside the painful battle going on in her head, Kagome looked to the task at hand. She saw that her mother and Lady Takahashi had appeared at her side.

“Quickly!” Kagome cried out to the lady of the manor, “I need bandages—lots of them. I need to stop the bleeding. Kaede should be sent for as well. As fast as you can.”

White with her misery over her suffering son, Izayoi was running off on the errand. If nothing else she wouldn't be around to witness what was going to happen.

Midori crouched down next to her daughter, “You could always cauterize the wound with your powers.” She offered.

Inuyasha rocked from side to side a little, unconsciously trying to relieve his pain.

“You don't think that would kill him?” Kagome swallowed, but shook her head. “Something has to be done, or he'll be dead anyway.

Biting her lip, Kagome placed her hands Inuyasha. At her mere touch, he gasped something that could have been her name, and the neko nearly smiled. Focusing all of her energy in her hands, while still controlling the dose of power she was giving off, Kagome first seared the skin of the internal wall of his abdominal cavity, then the middle, and finally his external skin. She next set to work over the top of the wound's arch, finding that once the blood had stopped that Kikyou's cut was not a straight line, but one that curved from his ribcage down and over just past his belly button.

“He's still lost a lot of blood,” Midori reminded her daughter when the younger neko appeared to relax.

“What else can I do for him?” Kagome reached up, brushing some of Inuyasha's bangs from his eyes. He was pale—so very, pale and taking shallow breaths. It hurt to look at him and Kagome had to pull her hand away. The wound might have been sealed by that didn't mean he wasn't going to die.

“He can't survive such a wound as a human,” Kagome chocked out, but refused to give into the sobs building up in her chest. “This isn't fair! He's dying.”

“There is one thing you can do.”

Kagome whipped around to look at her mother. “Anything—I'll do anything. I can't let him die now.”

Midori cocked her head to one side, concentrating on her daughter, reading her scent.

“Mark him.”

“M-mark him?”

“Mark the inu. It will draw out his youkai and save his life. Otherwise you will have to watch him pass.”

Before her mother had even finished speaking, Kagome had leaned over Inuyasha carefully, tenderly pulling up his upper body. His head fell back limply, but as quickly as she could, the neko bite into his shoulder next to the crux of his neck. In that instant Kagome could feel Inuyasha's soul in his aura as hers reached out to him. She could feel their souls drawing close, his youkai regaining ground under his skin, practically burning her teeth, but still she held on. Her knowledge of mating was slim at best—never really believing she herself would ever actually be given the chance to mate—but from what she had understand, her instincts would guide her.

I hope Inuyasha isn't too angry when he wakes up with a mark. It is I who will be bound to him, unless he marks me. She tried to console herself with the little knowledge she had of youkai mating rituals. The marks were could be forced, and as a defense mechanism only the marker was considered “marked” by their choice to scar another's flesh.

If Inuyasha never reciprocated her mark with one of his own, Kagome knew with some certainly she would never have another. Monogamy was a code youkai and hanyou lived by, controlled by their instincts.

Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts, Kagome forced herself to concentrate on the hum of Inuyasha's blood. It was speaking to her in a language she could not decipher, but she could sense that he was welcoming her. Suddenly, with a bright light and a jolt, Inuyasha's form started to flicker between his human, hanyou, and what she could only assume to be his full-youkai appearance.

Something in his blood told her it was all right to let go know, so Kagome carefully released her hold on Inuyasha's skin slowly and pulled away. Equally as gently, she lowered his body back to the floor.

The flickering continued for a few more seconds, then abruptly stopped on his human form.

“It—it didn't work!” Kagome cried.

“Wait,” commanded Midori. In a swirl of her green robes she stepped over to Inuyasha's head and used a clawed finger to lift up one of his eye lids. Underneath, Kagome could see a vicious red color that she knew not to be blood but the eye of Inuyasha's youkai. It was then that she noticed there was a red half moon slowly appearing on his forehead, along with stripes on his cheeks.

“His youkai is helping.”

At her mother's words, Kagome quickly moved back down to his side and could see her hastily done cauterizing was healing rapidly. A glance at his face told her the hanyou-turned human was regaining normal coloring.

“Thank Kami!” Kagome cried, throwing herself at Inuyasha in the gentlest way she could. She brushed his black bangs from his forehead and pressed a kiss to his skin.

“Kagome?” The neko hanyou whipped around to see Inuyasha's mother staring down at her, holding out a small arsenal of bandages.

Before she could take them, Midori appeared—from wherever she had momentarily disappeared to—at their sides holding an unconscious and bleeding Deshi over her shoulder. “We're going now,” the demoness said in a tone that left no room for argument.

XXX

Meanwhile….

Kikyou felt her body ripple as Kagome's power hit her. It was an uncanny sensation and sent a shudder down her spine; nothing pleasant about it at all.

Her head. Her head was where it really felt strange. On impulse, Kikyou thrust her fingers up into her hair, digging them in her scalp to try and relieve the tension that was slowly building there.

That was when she felt them.

No wonder everything is so different. Her mind thought, mostly coherent before she was startled by a cry ringing out through the room.

It took her a moment to realize that she was the one screaming.

There were cat ears on her head, and Kikyou pictured them to be exactly like Kagome's. The appendages tuned into all the sound so that she had to halt her shrieks for the noise they made were too much for her to take.

A hanyou! She turned me into a half demon. How?

Jerking her hands away from her hair, Kikyou held them in front of her face and stared wide-eyed at the claws now covering her fingers.

I'm a hanyou! The priestess's mind wailed.

This time she didn't care. Clamping her hands over her ears as she had seen Kagome do so often in the past, Kikyou indulged the need to scream to her heart's content.

How? How? How?

A jolt from behind suddenly sent Kikyou sprawling on to the floor. She lay there on her stomach, deciding it was better to lie still until the nightmare was over.

XXX

Deshi and Taro had been locked in their own battle, perfectly oblivious to the movements and actions of their families as they fought.

Lord Higurashi thought he heard some strange noises, but all of his concentration was on keeping out of the path of the slashes of the demon's claws, and praying that he could land his own hit.

It wasn't until he backed up into something that knocked him off his balance so he landed flat on his back that he even paid the slightest attention to his surroundings. Glancing over to see what he had struck, Deshi found himself looking at his daughter, Kikyou.

There's something not right about her…

Before he could pinpoint exactly what that was, he realized that Lord Takahashi was bearing down on him, the demon's claws drawn.

Deshi was tired—he had been pummeled and clawed within an inch of his life. His muscles ached and he had been pushed to his limit. For a moment, he pondered just letting the lord have his way and slice him to ribbons.

However, before he could decide one way or another, Deshi felt himself being hauled up. His attempts to struggle were halted when someone struck him on the back of the head, sending his world spiraling into darkness.

Lord Takahashi looked on in shock as the neko youkai pulled up the human lord he had been so close to killing, bashed the back of the man's head and threw him over her shoulder like a sack filled with so many potatoes.

“Release him wench,” growled Taro, panting. He was at his breaking point; the human had put up a good fight.

The neko snorted. “I think not, inu. This is my husband, and as such he is mine to do as I please.” She readjusted her grip on her husband's legs.

“You are on my lands, of which I am lord. As such—”

“I am the daughter of the neko lord to the east,” Midori paused to let this information set in. “You have thrown me in your dungeons where I found my kit beaten and just only saved her from being raped.”

“What do you—” Taro tried to ask, still not grasping the full scope of the situation.

“I will take my family, my husband and my kit, and we will leave you in peace. All I ask is that you allow me to leave with them.” Midori said in a decisive tone.

“And you have the right to ask this because?” Taro did not like being told what to do in his own home.

Rolling her eyes, Midori pointed to the sunburst on her forehead and spoke slowly, as thought she were dealing with someone who had not all his wits about him: “I am the daughter of the neko lord to the east. After your treatment of myself and my kit in your manor, I doubt my father will pleased, and he is not a demon to take lightly.” She did not add that she and Kagome were essentially banned from the neko lord's home. “He would not bring an army so easily destroyed.”

Taro considered all this for a moment, all the while his eyes wandering. They fell on Kikyou's prone form. “What about this one?” He motioned to the human girl who now appeared to have grown neko ears.

“That one is not mine, as far as I am concerned, you may do with her what you will.” Midori said tightly, turning on her heel and strolling away before Lord Takahashi could say another word. It was clear she had never really planned on giving him a choice after all.

He watched as she stopped behind the neko hanyou he had thrown in the dungeons who was crouched down next to a body lying on the ground.

That's Inuyasha! Taro gasped, hurrying toward his son.

As he arrived at his son's side, the neko youkai was trying to convince daughter to come with her.

“The boy will be fine, you must come with me.”

The girl shook her head. She was leaning over Inuyasha, her hands clutching his clothes, but Taro could see she was sure to keep her weight distributed on her feet.

“You will come with me willing, and I'll give you a chance to say your goodbyes…” the demoness glanced at the comatose inu hanyou, “…as best you can. Or I knock you unconscious like your father and take you home with me anyway.”

Kagome visibly stiffened and looked around for someone to help her, but all the faces seemed impassive. She knew she didn't belong in this place and she didn't deserve Inuyasha after all she had done, but that thought did not make her any more eager to leave his side. Suddenly all Kagome wanted was to be close to him and never be parted again. However, Midori wasn't giving her any options.

“Come Kagome,” Midori said with warmth, glancing and meeting Izayoi's with a small smile. “All may not be lost yet.”

Sniffling, Kagome leaned over Inuyasha's head again. Using her whole palm, she brushed his dark hair back across his forehead, her fingers delighting in the way his skin was warming to a healthy glow yet again. Long ago, when she had been a young miko in her father's home, she would have blushed at the idea of being so close to a man in front of so many other people.

But she had changed by both cruel and kind circumstances.

Inuyasha had helped her to change, for the good.

Without a second thought, Kagome leaned over a kissed the hanyou goodbye, her mother's words ringing in her pointy cat ears, All may not be lost yet. His lips did not move against hers as she would have wished, but Inuyasha made a tiny moan that Kagome was sure no one else heard. All may not be lost yet.

The words gave her hope, as well as the ability drag herself away from Inuyasha's still motionless form with only one last caress to his face. Standing, Kagome turned to Izayoi, “Please tell him I did not wish to leave him,” her eyes momentarily flicked over to her own mother and Inuyasha's father. “I would have stayed here if I could. Tell him—” I love him, but she couldn't finish the words outside her head. It was too personal and something she wanted him to hear from her mouth alone.

Before she started to weep openly, Kagome jerked herself around to face her mother. Midori rearranged her hold on Deshi so she held him between her arms; one arm supporting his back, the other fitted just under his knees. The demoness knelt so Kagome could climb on her back, holding onto her mother by linking her arms around the older neko's neck. When she was secure, Kagome laid her face on her mother's shoulders so she could simply close her eyes and hide her tears.

Midori gave the demon lord and his wife a stiff nod before she jumped into the air, propelling herself out a skylight in the ceiling.

Just before they reached the ceiling, Kagome looked down at Inuyasha, taking the last image of him with her. If only I could have seen as a hanyou one last time. And then they were gone.

Heading home.

XXXX

A/N: Ok, I know in an earlier chapter Kagome's aura glowed pink, but I'm really getting into the green thing, so I'll change that when I revise.

Since this story is drawing to a close, its time for me to pick my next fanfic project. I have a couple of fragments of new stories I've been working on, but none of them are anywhere near ready to be posted. So this leaves my previously published stories.

Better Things Than You

Georgian/Victorian London to start out with. Inuyasha jilts Kagome mysteriously for Kikyou, and it leads the two on an adventure in the jungles of I guess Africa. They meet a whole bunch of Amazons of whom Sango is a member and Kagome has something to do with the future of their tribe as their miko.

The Fortuneteller and a Nerdy Hanyou

Quasi futuristic fic. Kagome and Inuyasha are thrown together after Inuyasha is dumped by Kagome's cousin Kikyou. They have to find the Shikon no Tama before Naraku…or maybe its Onigumu can get to it.

As for my other incomplete stories Filling the Void and Marriage of Convenience for Whom? just have a chapter or two a piece to go, so I'll finish them somewhere along the way. If you have any preference, please let me know!