InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Someone To Watch Over Me ❯ See How We Fight ( Chapter 9 )

***Chapter 9***

~*~*~See How We Fight~*~*~

 

 

She closed her eyes, slowed her breath, and buried her fingers into the mixture of dirt, ash, and bone fragments that formed the ground she sat on. She tried to relax, honestly she did; but the task proved to be impossible. Seconds before she opened her eyes she pounded the dirt once with her fist and coughed lightly at the dust her action produced.

 

“Damnit!” she exclaimed, as tears of frustration stung her eyes and tickled her nose.

 

“Don't give up, Kina,” Ginta soothed her, smoothing his knuckles over her high cheekbones. “She needs you,” he encouraged.

 

“You think I don't know that!” Her outburst ended on a broken whisper, a half sob. “May baby needs me; she called for me, and now…I can't…”

 

Her head thumped back against the wooden wall that supported and surrounded the dry well where they sat at the bottom. A stray tear ran down her cheek as she closed her tired eyes. Ginta watched her, his brows drawing together in a mix of confusion and irritation. Kina wasn't a quitter, not by any means, so why did it seem that she was willing to give up?

 

Her spirit is weak, his youkai spoke to him.

 

You've been strangely quiet throughout all of this, Ginta replied. And what do you mean, `her spirit is weak'?

 

Her spirit has been weakened by her worry, her fear. Make her forget the fear, help her control the worry. Strengthen her spirit, and don't just encourage her to fight; make her want the fight so bad she can taste it.

 

And how do I do that? Ginta asked as he watched the slow, silent tears glide down her face, only to linger on her chin before dropping down to dampen the skin covering her collar bone.

 

Distract her. Hold her. Love her. Let her know that she won't be fighting alone. Help her find Kagome. Give her the strength she needs to fight.

 

Ginta nodded silently to his youkai, to himself. Standing up, he walked the few short steps to Kina and knelt down; grasping her hands in a gentle, firm grip he tugged her to her feet. She sniffled back her tears and looked up at him in confusion. Shaking his head, he denied her an answer to the question her eyes asked. Pulling her close, he held her gently as she rested her cheek against his shoulder, and he guided her in a slow moving dance.

 

“A hundred days have made me older since the last time that I saw your pretty fa-ace,” he sang to her softly, his voice a rich, melodic tone caught somewhere between tenor and baritone. “A thousand lies have made me colder, and I don't think I can look at this the same…All these miles that separate…disappear now when I'm dreamin' of your face…I'm here without you, baby, but you're still on my lonely mind. I think about you, baby, and I dream about you all the time. I'm here without you, baby, but you're still with me in my dreams…and tonight It's just you and me…”

 

Ginta let his voice fade out and fall silent as he felt her relax in his arms, feeling the rhythm of her breathing nearing that of sleep. Slowing the movements of their dancing until they came to a natural, gentle stop, he pulled back slightly and cupped her face in his hands as he kissed her forehead.

 

“You can't give up on her, my love,” he told her softly, staring deeply into her eyes. “Let me help you find her, love.”

 

“How?” she asked, searching his eyes for the answer.

 

The soft, gentle smile, the light brush of his knuckles up across her cheek soothed her, even as it lit a fire deep within her, body and soul.

 

“As I love you, your spirit will strengthen. Reach out to Kagome, use our connection to heighten yours with her - search for her. As soon as you find her, as soon as you feel her spirit, hold on as tightly as you can. Don't let go, not even for a second.”

 

She nodded silently, and he moved his arms up to wrap around her back.

 

“Close your eyes, koishii,” he whispered, his lips brushing against the delicate shell of her ear, his warm, moist breath tickling the fine hairs within. “Let your spirit soar…”

 

Her eyes closed upon a sigh, her head falling back only to be supported by one of Ginta's large hands as she released all the tension in her body. A surprised breath was sucked in slowly, softly when she felt him kiss her neck, nibble her collar bone. Moving slowly, taking his time, he left hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses along the juncture of her neck and shoulder. He trailed up her neck sensuously, scraping his fangs against her skin every now and then, soothing the delicate skin with his hot tongue.

 

A harsh moan tore from her, when he dragged his fangs slowly over her pulse point, once - twice - only to then lap at the skin with the flat of his tongue. She whimpered, begged him for more of the same as she felt her blood thicken in her veins. Tipping her head up with the hand that cradled it, Ginta claimed her lips with his own in a searing kiss that burned her - damned her - and left her wanting more. Catching her and holding her tightly in his arms when she fell boneless against his chest, he rubbed his hands up back, kneading the muscles just below her shoulder blades with claw tipped hands.

 

Tingles and shivers ravaged her body; electrical tremors swirled and coiled up her spine only to travel down it once again. Fires that had banked slowly suddenly flared madly to life once again, and she gasped, whimpered into the kiss as his tongue slipped inside to play with her own. Her skin felt aflame, and she groaned with the ferocity of the feeling as the muscles below, and deep within, her belly tightened spasmodically. A burning feeling, a liquid heat, deep within her pooled low inside of her, tightening muscles long forgotten after years of being alone, bringing with it a sweet ache that she couldn't seem to help but want more of.

 

His gentle touches, the soft kisses upon her lips, the nibbling of his fangs on her plump bottom lip, soothed her, calmed the fire within her only to set it ablaze once again - hotter and brighter than before. A dominant, possessive growl sounded from deep within the wolf youkai loving her, the sound filling and echoing in the space surrounding them. Her heartbeat sounded loudly in her ears as the buzzing and tiny tremors that she had felt just beneath her skin from the very first touch of his lips on her skin, suddenly intensified, and she gasped as she felt her soul separate from her body.

 

Kina felt herself float upwards, drawn by the barely-there whisper of her daughter's voice calling for her. She could feel Ginta clearly, all around her, his youki twining with her spirit to lend her the strength she needed, even as his spirit stayed behind to guard over her as she made this journey.

 

Ginta knew the very moment her soul separated from her body. Holding her limp body against his own, he slowly lowered them both down to the dirt floor of the dry well.

 

“Be safe, my love.” He spoke the words softly as he looked up to a sky he couldn't see. “Fight well, beloved.”

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

 

 

The thick, fathomless darkness that surrounded her seemed to be thinning. She felt the silent tears that had been running down her cheeks gently wiped away by an unseen hand. A warmth, an unmistakable aura wrapped around her. The feel of it soothed her, strengthened her, as she felt her wounds heal and disappear as the aura began to glow brighter and take solid form.

 

“Mama.” Kagome breathed the words as she embraced her mother. “How?” She didn't understand how her mother could be there in her world of darkness.

 

“You called for me, sweetie,” Kina said, tucking Kagome's hair behind her ears.

 

“Mom, you shouldn't be here,” Kagome said, looking around nervously. “You have to go, mom; it's not safe here,” she told the older woman desperately.

 

“No, Kagome, I'm not leaving you,” Kina told her. Taking her daughter's hand, she looked into her eyes seriously, a grim determination set in her features. “I'm here to fight beside you, Kagome.”

 

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

 

 

 

The growl that tore through the quiet room rumbled like thunder and ended in a snarl that was far beyond being described as vicious. Golden eyes flashed with an anger so intense, it robbed him of the ability to be still. Standing quickly, he clutched the girl he held cradled in his arms to his chest and moved away from the others seated in the room.

 

“Inuyasha?” Sango's eyes followed the hanyou as he moved restlessly across the room.

 

Sesshoumaru looked disapprovingly on his half brother, stifling the growl building within him before it sounded. He could see the anger, the tension, and the uncontrolled emotions on the hanyou's face. He could hear it all in Inuyasha's constant, steady growls that were almost too low for the humans to hear. But, more than that, was the fear: the almost shame he could smell in his brother's scent.

 

Sesshoumaru moved quietly; the only sound he made was the soft rustling of his silken clothing. Standing slowly, his movements fluid - graceful - he walked to stand before his agitated younger brother.

 

“Walk with me, Inuyasha,” he said, the request clearly not optional.

 

Inuyasha took a half step back, twisting his upper body away from his brother as he tried to shield Kagome.

 

“I bring no threat to your mate,” he said, following his brother to the far corner of the large room. “You're doing her no good by resisting the meditation.”

 

“It's fucking pointless,” the hanyou growled, clutching the woman in his arms tighter against his chest.

 

“It is the only way to reach her, Inuyasha. Through this meditation - this spell - we will be able to join her, wherever her spirit may be.”

 

“I can't fight the son of a bitch. Damn monk made that perfectly clear,” he growled angrily.

 

“And he was right. But simply because you cannot fight the dark sorcerer directly, does not mean that you cannot help her fight him. She needs you there to support her in this fight, Inuyasha. As she is your strength, so too, are you hers. What are you looking for?” Sesshoumaru asked, having watched his brother look back and forth between Kagome and the lengthening shadows of the late day sun outside the window beside which they were standing.

 

“Tonight…”

 

Inuyasha let the word hang in the air unexplained as he looked down at the girl cradled in his arms. The later the day grew, the more irritated and anxious he became. He was already having trouble, the headache that came from the weakening senses. He sniffed at Kagome, trying to do so unnoticeably, wanting to get more of her scent before it was gone from him completely.

 

“Damnit! I'm pretty sure I know the bastard who's doing this to her. I should just go back and kill him!” he snarled darkly.

 

Sesshoumaru gave a fierce and quick warning growl to the hanyou, the inu command understood instantly as his eyes flashed angrily.

 

“You must neither harm nor kill the sorcerer until your miko has won her fight against him.”

 

“Mind telling me why?” Inuyasha asked, wanting desperately to sink his teeth into something.

 

“Their lives are bound. Whatever happens to the sorcerer will happen to your mate.”

 

Inuyasha suddenly felt cold as fear, anger, and disbelief gripped his heart with a single unforgiving hand. He felt as though the floor had been ripped out from underneath him and wished for this whole mess to be over so that he could finally get his hands on Shiro.

 

“Is the reverse true?” he asked quietly.

 

“In my experience? No.”

 

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

 

 

 

The jar of pickled diakon radish pieces fell from his hand, slack from the sudden shock of pain in his chest. The jar landed hard, upturned on its metal lid, the glass cracking. Jagged lines appeared and spread quickly throughout the glass like wild climbing vines, creating a haphazard spider web type pattern. Seconds later, the cracked glass shattered apart, spiced vinegar splashing on his polished black shoes.

 

`The bitch is trying to fight me.'

 

Stepping carefully over the slippery mess, Shiro made his way quickly to the rear door of the old grocery store and exited into the alley. He ignored the aproned teenager that reprimanded him for using the employee entrance, and moving with precise, calculated steps, he stepped onto the sidewalk behind the store. Fishing the small, six-button, black rectangular remote start and security key from the pocket of his midnight blue trousers, he pushed a series of buttons and listened to the tell-tale beep as his black imported Infinity Coupe roared to life. Sliding behind the wheel, he gripped the always polished steering wheel and shifted into gear before turning on to the empty street.

 

`So, the little girl wants to fight me, does she? Well, I'll show her what a real fight is.'

 

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

 

 

 

“Don't touch her!” Kagome screamed, tears stinging her eyes.

 

She ran at Shiro, knocking him away from her mother, and catching the woman as she fell. The tears that had been stinging her eyes fell as she looked down on her mother, the woman's blouse singed from where Shiro had pressed his hand against her chest. A harsh, aching sob tore from Kagome as the woman in her arms fell limp.

 

“You couldn't protect your father, either.” Shiro's words were angry, gloating, as he stood over Kagome arrogantly. “You're a failure to them both, and a shame to your family.”

 

 

“Kagome, I'm fine!” Kina called out, her daughter seemed so far away from her now. “I'm over here, Kagome!”

 

A hand touched her shoulder from behind and it was all Kina could do not to scream. A tall youkai with long silver hair flowing down his back and golden eyes - Inuyasha's eyes - stepped up to her side. He was dressed so finely, the kimono he wore was the fanciest she had ever seen.

 

“She is beyond your reach now, Mother.” The youkai spoke so formally and it was then that Kina noticed the magenta crests on his cheeks. “This battle will not be easy. She must be able to see through the illusions he creates and find the truth.”

 

“She's terrified of him,” Kina said, her eyes locked on her daughter and her treacherous brother. “She tried to tell me so many times, but I never understood.”

 

“Not your fault,” a familiar voice said, approaching from behind her.

 

“Inuyasha,” Kina spoke his name, so glad that he was there, “who?” she asked, looking around at all those who had come in support of her daughter.

 

“My brother, Sesshoumaru,” Inuyasha said, and introduced Miroku and Sango, each nodding in turn when their names were spoken.

 

Kina gasped, her eyes opening wide, and stepped quickly toward the wolf youkai that moved into view, standing just behind Inuyasha. She spoke his name, her voice trembling, seconds before she embraced him.

 

“You came!” Her voice shook, a choked whimper highlighting the hope and relieved gratitude in her words.

 

Her hand touched his face, the others that had come for Kagome watching with wide eyes. Ginta looked down at the woman, his arms that had wrapped around her from the moment she embraced him, tightened around her in a protective embrace. He could smell her - smell his scent upon her - and he knew what he was to her. He knew what she would become to him.

 

Ginta looked deeply into her eyes, read her soul. “I will wait for you,” he promised her, before kissing her lips. “We must help Kagome fight,” he said, and they stepped away from each other together.

 

 

“NO!”

 

The group turned as one at the sound of Kagome's panicked, heartbroken scream. She was on her knees, a cluster of tall stone spikes in front of her, a few stained with blood; when they looked up it was to find Inuyasha's lifeless body impaled upon them.

 

“You did this!” Shiro laughed at her, doing his damned best to break her.

 

“No!” she sobbed, folding herself over, the backs of her hands pressed against her knees, her face buried in her palms.

 

They all stood watching as the kodotama necklace glowed and the illusion of Inuyasha was tugged down further on the spikes. Kagome screamed again, the agony of her sobs tugging at the hearts of her collected family that stood watching, unable to pass through the invisible barrier that kept them separated from her.

 

“No!” Kagome shook her head, unable to truly believe what she was seeing. “I didn't say it!” she cried out to the lifeless body on the spikes. “I didn't say it, Inuyasha! I promise I didn't!” Her words were broken by whimpers and violent sobs.

 

“You're the only one who can use that spell, Kagome,” Shiro reminded her, sounding at once both angry and victorious. “You killed him! You killed Inuyasha!”

 

“No!” she cried, her tears clawing at her, hurting her.

 

“Yes!” he crowed, laughing at her pain, her grief.

 

“No!” Inuyasha snarled, his voice dangerous - deadly.

 

He didn't know when it had happened, but by the time he realized he had broken through the invisible barrier Inuyasha was already halfway to her. He wanted to attack Shiro, kill him for what he was doing to Kagome but knew that he couldn't - at least not here. Stepping over to Kagome's huddled form, he grabbed her by the arms - just below her shoulders - and hauled her to her feet.

 

The touch of Inuyasha's hands on her broke the illusion in front of her, the image of the dead and impaled Inuyasha bursting into a fine sparkling dust. She couldn't stop the tears, couldn't quiet the all-consuming fear and grief that constricted her heart. Kagome tried to stand on her own, but her legs wouldn't hold her, and she fell heavily against Inuyasha. She searched his eyes through the watery haze of tears, begging silently for it to truly be him standing in front of her.

 

“Kaguya's castle,” he whispered in her ear, knowing she would understand.

 

A half laugh-half sob sounded from her as she surged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tightly to him, her face buried in his chest. Shiro screamed, growled when he felt his hold on Kagome weakening. The harder he tried to separate her from Inuyasha, the stronger her resistance became. Shiro roared his anger when Inuyasha lifted Kagome into his arms and carried her to her group of supporters. Setting Kagome on her feet, Inuyasha kept her tucked against his side as their friends and family formed a protective circle around them.

 

“You…will…be…MINE!” Shiro panted, struggling against Kagome's renewed strength.

 

“No!” Kagome screamed, frightened, when she was pulled backwards by an unseen force.

 

“Ka-GOME!” Inuyasha roared, reaching out for the girl as she reached out for him.

 

“INUYASHA!” Kagome cried out for him; her tears - crystalline drops - suspended in the air as she flew backwards. “I love you!” she half whispered, the hanyou hearing every word.

 

It happened so slowly, yet almost too fast to comprehend. Kagome's declaration of love for the hanyou seemed to stop time. All things were frozen for one moment - then two.

 

A bright pink-white light lit Kagome from within, illuminating the space they were in with blinding brightness seconds before disappearing back into Kagome's body and exploding once more throughout the space. Her body felt alive, on fire, and more energized than she could ever remember it having been. Shiro's mouth opened in a silent scream, his face twisted in malignant rage. A ribbon of pure iridescent rose shined out from Kagome's heart, twisting around and becoming one with the ribbon of red light that emitted from Inuyasha.

 

A deafening roar, a piercing scream sounded from Shiro as his body twisted in on itself, deforming hideously, seconds before he exploded. Black dust and grotesquely dark purple orbs of light burst out in all directions with the force of a supernova as Kagome was flung into Inuyasha's arms. All those present were thrown from that world of darkness with all the power and energy of a lightning strike.

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

 

 

It was so dark now, much colder than the day had been. Ginta sat in the bottom of the dry well watching over Kina as she lay still as death on the packed dirt floor. He closed his eyes and dragged his hand through his two-tone hair, praying for her safety. A harsh gasp whistled in her throat, and Kina jerked upright, Ginta's name on her lips.

 

“I'm here, my love,” Ginta said, striking a match to light the pile of kindling near them.

 

The bright red orange glow of the fire was a shock in the darkness, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Her gaze settled on Ginta's form, and she leaned to one side, pulling her legs up and sliding them underneath her as she moved to stand on her knees. Reaching out to the wolf youkai, she happily let him drag her into his arms, his lap, and straddled his thighs. Kina leaned up, bent over him as she stood on her knees and looked down into Ginta's eyes, her small hands framing his face, feeling his growing stubble beneath her palms.

 

“You were there,” she told him, shivering pleasantly when he slid his hands up her back, beneath the sweater she wore, his palms hot against her smooth skin.

 

“I remember,” he said, smiling up at her. “It's where we first met.”

 

She breathed in deeply, a familiar heat spreading through her, making her lethargic even as it energized her. Ginta drew in a slow, deep breath, taking in her changing, darkening scent as she stroked his stubble-roughened cheek with the backs of her bent fingers and lowered herself to sit on his lap. She kissed his forehead, his eyes and nose. Pulling back, she looked deeply into his eyes, her own glazed with desire.

 

“Make love to me, Ginta.”

 

He growled hungrily - possessively - at her, smiling when her scent spiked with the heady spice of her arousal. His hands still nestled against the bare skin of her back - buried beneath his sweater she wore - slid up, his claws trailing against her sensitive skin. Kina whimpered, groaned when he lifted the sweater up and over her head, tossed it to the ground beside them. She wasn't sure if it was the cold air, Ginta's ministrations to her body, or a combination of them both that caused her nipples to tighten almost painfully, and she whimpered when she felt him release the rear clasp of her bra.

 

With the shoulder straps of her bra beneath the pads of his fingertips, he slid the stretchy ribbon-like material down her shoulders and over her arms, letting the feather touch of his claws trail over her delicate flesh. He growled appreciatively when she whimpered, her head falling back to expose her tender throat. Tossing her black satin bra aside, it landed carelessly on of the discarded sweater.

 

A half groan-half whimper sounded from Kina when Ginta's hot tongue dragged over the pulse point of her jugular, his hand combing into her hair to cradle her head, seconds before he claimed her lips in a searing kiss. His arm wrapped around her back, supporting her as he leaned into her, and laid her down on the well floor, his body covering hers.

 

“Forever, Kina,” he whispered to her, his voice raw as he repeated to her his promise from years past.

 

“Forever.”

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

 

 

Sesshoumaru was the first to awaken from the meditation. Blinking quickly as his eyes adjusted to the ambient light from the lit oil lamps decorating the corners of the room, his gaze landed on his brother and he stilled. Devoid of claw and fang, hair a rich, dark black, he understood now his brother's anxiety from earlier.

 

The wolf lying within the center of the loose circle formed by Kagome's pack lifted her head from where it rested on the miko's stomach and gave a low whine. Her long, flat, pink tongue slipped out, and she licked Kagome's face, washing away the salt of the girl's drying tears. Sesshoumaru leaned forward, watching intently as Kagome's eyes opened, and she whimpered, fresh tears blurring her unsteady vision.

 

“Hush, miko,” Sesshoumaru said softly as he brushed the tears from the edge of her eye with the knuckle of a bent finger. “You're safe now,” he told her when their eyes met. “Look up, Kagome. Look at who's holding you,” he instructed her, seeing the misery and grief in her eyes.

 

Kagome turned her head and gasped when she met the expressive brown eyes of Inuyasha. He bent down over her, cupping her damp cheek in his palm, and smoothed away her tears with his thumb. He could feel her trying to sit up, but she was too weak to perform the action. Encouraging her to lie back, to rest, he watched as she blinked tiredly up at him, dark shadows in and under her eyes.

 

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, for a moment wishing, praying that he hadn't truly been there in that place of darkness with her. No matter that he was there with her now, alive and human for the night, all she could see was him as a hanyou - impaled on stone spikes. She could still see his blood running down the rough stone and knew - whether it was an illusion or not - that his death had been her fault.

 

“No.” Inuyasha's voice was soft yet forceful.

 

Tilting her up, leaning her body against his chest, he tucked her head beneath his chin and hugged her close. Inuyasha watched as Miroku helped an unsteady Sango to her feet and guided her over to where Kirara and Shippou were curled up together, asleep. Watching silently as Miroku sat down on the floor, his back against the wall, and tucked a nearly sleeping Sango into his arms, Inuyasha found his concern for the taijya muted by his worry for Kagome.

 

He looked down at the girl he held tucked against his chest, saw the tears that slipped silently down her cheeks, and hugged her tighter as his lips pressed into a thin line.

 

“Kagome, we were there with you. We saw what you saw,” Inuyasha told her, hearing her sniffle back her tears.

 

A pitiful sob sounded from the girl in his arms, her voice clogged by the tears she cried when she spoke to him.

 

“I didn't say it, Inuyasha,” she told him, her voice trembling.

 

His reaction was immediate, almost violent, yet he was still so gentle with her. Setting her back from him slightly, he framed her face in his hands, challenging her as he locked eyes with her.

 

“You didn't kill me, Kagome! I'm fine! I'm right here!” he growled at her, watching as her exhaustion and the memories of the battle for her soul weakened her even more.

 

She whimpered, choked on her tears, angry that he didn't seem to understand her upset. Didn't he get it? In the end, it didn't matter that she didn't say the command - didn't use the spell - it was her spell. She was the only one who could use it, therefore, she had killed him.

 

“You didn't do anything, Kagome,” Inuyasha told her, smoothing away her tears with his thumbs.

 

“It was my spell!” she yelled, her voice too weak to be very loud.

 

“No! It was his!” Inuyasha snarled. “Why are you so insistent that that damned illusion was your fault?” he asked forcefully, searching her eyes for the answer.

 

She closed her eyes, tears escaping between her lashes and shook her head before opening her eyes and looking into Inuyasha's. Her voice trembled, full of misery and grief when she spoke.

 

“Of all the times I've - I've s-sat you -”

 

“You've never hurt me,” he cut in quickly, “not once. Pissed me off and annoyed the hell out of me, sure. But you've never hurt me.”

 

Her eyes begged him not to be lying to her. Closing the short distance between them, he kissed her damp, trembling lips, tasting the lingering salt from her tears. Kissing her cheeks and eyes, he sipped away her still falling tears, before tucking her into his arms once more and cradling her against his chest.

 

“Go to sleep, Kagome,” Inuyasha soothed her.

 

Sesshoumaru and Ginta sat watching Inuyasha and the girl in his arms. Kagome's eyes blinked slowly, heavily, as she raised a fisted hand to rub her eye. Her fingers unfurled slowly, almost lazily, before she laid her open palm in the curve of Inuyasha's bent elbow. Nuzzling her face deeper into the folds of his fore rat robe, Kagome's eyes closed, a soft sigh sounding from her as she let sleep claim her at last.

 

“What was that with you and Kagome's mother?” Inuyasha asked Ginta.

 

“Couldn't you smell her, Inuyasha?” Ginta asked him. “She bore my scent. She is, or will be, my mate.”

 

Surprise lighting his tired eyes, Inuyasha simply raised a black brow in question before turning his head and resting his cheek on Kagome's hair.

 

“Sleep, Inuyasha,” Sesshoumaru commanded his voice low and soft. “I will guard you this night.”

 

Suspicious of his brother's intentions, but too tired to argue, Inuyasha let his eyes fall closed and was asleep within seconds.

 

 

 

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

 

 

 

He screamed, he yelled, he beat the hard cold floor he sat upon; his rage was all-consuming. He'd had her right where he'd wanted her, seconds away from breaking her spirit completely, and that damned hanyou had interfered again. Kagome had won the fight, but only because of the hanyou's presence.

 

“Perhaps it is time for more conventional means,” Shiro said, walking to the desk across the room. Opening the top drawer, usually used for writing tools and the like, he withdrew a heavy, black metal, nine millimeter hand gun and pulled back the top slide to check the chamber, before checking the magazine and snapping it back into the gun's stock. “Let's see her fight this.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~*~*A.N.~*~*

Here Without You by Three Doors Down, originally released on their 2002 album, Away From the Sun