InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taisho's Darling ❯ No Rest for the Weary ( Chapter 24 )

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Disclaimer:  I don't own these marvelous characters; they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.  I merely torture them at will and put them in uncomfortable situations whenever possible.

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Chapter 24

No Rest for the Weary

……

Kaede had never looked as beautiful as she did right now, Toto-sai decided as he gazed upon the flushed face of the human woman.  She was warm with exertion, panting slightly in order to catch her breath.  A tiny pearl of a tooth caught at her lower lip as she concentrated on the task before her.

Frustrated and somewhat bored, Toto-sai studied her as she worked.  She would look much the same in the midst of love-making, he observed, her cheeks so rosy and tendrils of hair framing her face.  Right now, a pink glow emanated from her hands as she gripped the hilt of the sword she was purifying.  Oh, he could think of a much better use for those lovely hands…

He sighed heavily.  It was a depressing thought, knowing Kaede would never be his.  That damn dog had gotten to her first, somehow managing to secure the woman's heart with a tie that could not be broken.  What did Taisho possess, that made the ladies' hearts beat so rapidly for him?

"At last!" Kaede crowed, holding the sword aloft.  "I was beginning to wonder if I could finish what I'd started."  She tossed the purified weapon aside and crawled over to where Toto-sai was sitting.  She rested against the cold anvil, brushing shoulders with the elemental youkai.  "Whatever could the Young Master be thinking, possessing such a vile sword?" she continued with a shake of her head.  "And shame upon thee - ugh!"

"Kaede?  What's wrong?" Toto-sai asked.  The woman had the most horrified look upon her face.

"Nothing," Kaede gasped.  "What I meant to say is shame upon you, Toto-sai.  You… you…" she repeated.  A dreamy look settled upon her face.  "No more Jaken," she mumbled.

"Let me guess," Toto-sai grimaced.  "You're using the habit-breaking spell to update your speech, right?"  He eyed her with suspicion, having detected the slight spike in her scent.  His sense of smell was nowhere near as good as an inuyoukai's, but it was certainly better than a human's.  Kaede must have chosen a rather vivid image as her reward, and judging by her reaction, he had a pretty good idea of just what the woman was picturing - or rather, who.

"It's been a bit rough, but the spell is quite effective," Kaede spoke, answering his question.  She frowned at the metal-smith.  "But what I was trying to say, Toto-sai, is shame on you for forging such a blade in the first place!  In all my years, I've never felt such a bloodthirsty aura!"

"Humph," Toto-sai snorted.  "You're casting blame in the wrong direction, Kaede.  I didn't forge Tokijin for Sesshomaru; my former apprentice bears the responsibility for that loathsome blade."

"Funny you should mention Kaijinbo," Yura's voice spoke from behind them.  She entered the room wearing her typical short skirt and stacked heels, the roughened ground of the forge not causing her the slightest stumble.  "Guess who's been arrested for selling illegal weapons?"

"Don't you ever knock?" Toto-sai groused.

She arched a brow in amusement.  "Oh, I'm sorry, Toto-sai.  Did I interrupt something?  And in the forge, too," Yura clucked her tongue.  "That's pretty kinky, Toto-sai, even for you…"

"Yura, this is Kaede," Toto-sai introduced the two.  "I believe I've mentioned her during the course of our conversations.  Kaede, Yura is my assistant.  She knows everything I know," he added.

"Charmed, but actually, I know more than he knows," Yura said airily before turning to the elemental demon.  "Toto-sai, have you gotten around to setting up a conference with Taisho?  I hate to nag, but it's become kind of urgent."

"You look as if you've been in a fight," Toto-sai responded, noting her disheveled appearance.  "What's the hurry?  It's the middle of the night."

"There was a rather entertaining turn of events at Club Lavanda tonight," Yura answered in explanation of her appearance.  "And as for the sudden need to contact Taisho, new information has reached my ears.  Are you aware that Kikyo has disappeared?"

Toto-sai felt the woman beside him stiffen.  Although she had been told the truth about Kikyo, Kaede still didn't trust the reincarnated miko.  Placing an arm around Kaede's shoulders, Toto-sai directed his questions to Yura.  "What happened?"

Yura shook her head.  "I'm not sure.  Firefighters responded to a call at her clinic, only to find the place burned to the ground.  They've searched the remains but haven't uncovered any bodies so far.  You don't suppose Naraku has killed her, do you?"

"I doubt it."  Toto-sai pondered this new information.  "Kikyo is pretty sharp; I doubt she'd let Naraku get the jump on her.  It's far more likely that she's gone into hiding."

"Where would she go?" Yura asked.

"I know where she is," Kaede spoke.  "There's only one place she could go.  She's got to be with Taisho-sama."

"She'd take refuge with a demon?"  Yura was astonished.  "I mean, I know she's in league with Taisho, but to actually seek refuge with him?  And won't that be the first place Naraku looks?"

"Kikyo has to stay with Taisho-sama," Kaede insisted.  "He has the Shikon no Tama.  And what's more, Taisho-sama has hidden the jewel without telling Kikyo of its whereabouts.  Do you really think she's going to let him get away with that?"

……

Kagura opened the door of her house as quietly as possible.  She felt ridiculous, sneaking inside as if she were some errant child.  It couldn't be helped, though, not if she wanted to avoid her mother.  She was simply too tired to argue with Sakura tonight.

Jumping into Miroku's bed had been a completely spontaneous action on her part, and she was now forced to deal with the emotional aftermath.  She, Kagura, had slept with a human male, thereby making her the biggest hypocrite on the face of the planet.  What had happened to the proud youkai who believed the two races should never mix?

She had once loathed humans, clumping them all into one large, completely inferior group.  All that had changed once she had started hanging around Miroku.  Through the former monk's various acquaintances, Kagura had actually gotten to know other humans by spending time with them.  Some of the humans justified her previous conclusions, exhibiting the crude behaviors she loathed.  Others, though…some of the other humans she had met were different.  Kagura had found herself enjoying their company, and she'd even started to forget that they were human and she was youkai.

The lines between demon and human had definitely blurred while in bed with Miroku.  She hadn't just slept with a human; she'd spent the night with a wonderful male, by far the most talented and considerate lover she'd ever had.  The strongest cleaning fluid in the world couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

Her thoughts wandered to Kanna, her sister who was willing to give up everything to be with the man she loved, and for the first time Kagura believed she actually understood her sister's reasoning.  Maybe this was what Miroku had been trying to tell her.  Human or demon - it didn't matter in the end.  A good heart was a good heart, no matter the vessel in which it resided.

As she crept down the hallway, she suddenly froze.  The door to her mother's bedroom was open.  Had Sakura heard her after all?  Carefully, Kagura moved to the doorway of her mother's room and peeked inside.

The bed was empty.  "Mother?" Kagura called softly.  There was no answer.  "I'm sorry I came in so late," Kagura spoke quietly.  "Where are you?"

A light shone from beneath the door of the adjoining bathroom.  "Mother?" Kagura rapped on the door lightly.  "Are you all right?"

Still no answer.  Frowning, Kagura pushed the door open, then fell to her knees as her mind registered the sight before her.  A wave of dizziness crashed over her, and she forced herself to stay conscious.  She had to stay awake, had to help her mother…

Her mother was beyond any help.  Reeling with the effort of trying to ward off the image of Sakura's bloodied, torn body and sightless eyes, Kagura stumbled out of the house.  She had to get away, in case whoever killed her mother decided to come back.  Her mother must have outlived her usefulness, or even worse, attempted to double-cross her partner-in-crime.  Struggling to hang on to some small shred of her composure, Kagura sped back to the mansion.  It was time to call on the Big Dog for help.

……

"You again?" Abi snorted from her desk, where she was filling out her end-of-patrol paperwork.  "You got some twisted jail-house fantasy, Inu-Yasha?"

"You wish," the hanyou growled at the police officer.  "You guys picked up my manager tonight.  You need to let him go."

"It's all a big mistake," Koharu whimpered as she clutched Inu-Yasha's sleeve, tears forming in her eyes.  "Koga would never hurt anyone!  He was just waiting for me to close the shop!"

"Why didn't you say something when we collared this joker?" Abi scowled.  "According to the arresting officer, you were on the scene."  A high-pitched monkey scream erupted from the nearby human holding cell.  "Shut that thing up, Nobunaga, or I'm having monkey stew tonight!" she yelled at the human sitting on the floor outside the cell.

"I heard some commotion in the background, but I ignored it," Koharu told the police officer.  "I'd had a fight with my boyfriend and my mind was on other things.  Come on, let him go!" she pleaded.

"Abi, you guys haven't got a case and you know it," Inu-Yasha sighed.  "A simple check of times and dates is going to prove that Koga was working at Club Lavanda when the other stalking incidents happened.  I've got hundreds of witnesses."

"Witnesses aren't always reliable, or have you already forgotten that?" Abi retorted, referring to the earlier incident at the club.  She softened at the sight of the cash-filled envelope Inu-Yasha slipped unobtrusively beneath her paperwork.

"I believe all the evidence you need is right under your nose," Inu-Yasha told her.  "Get him released, Abi.  I need him at work when the club opens tomorrow night."

"You mean tonight," Abi corrected him as she stood up from her desk.  "It's well after midnight, so technically, it's already tomorrow.  Let me see what I can do about getting wolf-boy released."

"Koharu, please don't start crying," Inu-Yasha sighed as he heard the sniffles begin anew.  "I just can't handle any more tears tonight.  Why do you women have to cry so much, anyway?"

"I don't know," Koharu gulped, choking back a full-blown sob.  "Maybe it's just a human girl thing.  Don't you ever get upset?"

"Of course I get upset," the hanyou answered.  He absently ran a claw through a tangle in his silver hair.  "I just handle it differently."

"How?"

"I dunno.  Usually, I just destroy something," Inu-Yasha shrugged.  "Dry the tears now; Koga's coming over here."

The wolf demon rushed past Inu-Yasha, pausing just long enough to acknowledge his employer before enveloping Koharu in a crushing hug.  "You idiot!" Koga scolded, giving the woman a rough shake.  "Why didn't you tell me you were working in such a dangerous neighborhood?  And what's the big idea, walking down that street with no one to protect you?  Don't you know you could have been raped or killed?"

"It seems like the only one she needed protection from was you," Inu-Yasha grumbled as he shoved the pair ahead of him.  He wanted to get out of the police station before Abi's partner put in an appearance.  The kitsune was already suspicious of him; Inu-Yasha didn't want to think about the youkai's reaction if he spotted Koharu's slave bond.

His primary concern, however, was to leave before Abi had a chance to count her pay-off.  He hadn't meant to short her on the cash, but this night was proving expensive.  Any more incidents and he'd be forced to sell the club in order to finance his bribes.

……

Sango awakened with a stiff neck caused by sleeping against a door, and a demanding bladder caused by two pups growing within her.  Silently resenting the hormones that had turned her into a veritable fountain, she wearily staggered to the adjoining bathroom in order to take care of business.  Once finished, she returned to the bedroom.

His bedroom.  Sango inhaled deeply, reveling in the faint woodsy smell that always seemed to be a part of Inu-Yasha.  She wrapped the red haori around her tightly, burying her nose in the fabric.  She really ought to get him out of the hallway, Sango decided.  She'd been angry enough when she'd locked him out of his own room, but for the life of her, Sango couldn't remember why she'd been so upset.  Did pregnancy make everyone this volatile, or just her?

He wasn't in the hallway.  Sango peered up and down the corridor, wondering where the hanyou had decided to spend the night.  As she stepped out of the room, her attention was caught by the sword buried in the wooden door.

"Do you know what that is?"

Sango hadn't heard anyone approach, so the sudden words caused her to jump.  "Don't do that!" the pregnant woman gasped, clutching at her heart.  "It's rude to sneak up on people, you know!" she scolded, turning to owner of the voice.  "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Kikyo's gray eyes bored into her.  "Forgive me for startling you," she said evenly.  She didn't sound very repentant.  "I asked you a question, Sango."

"Answer my question first," Sango countered.

"I am here at Taisho's invitation," Kikyo said simply, making it plain she would say no more on the subject.  "Sango, this is not an idle question.  Do you know what that is?"  She pointed to the weapon.

"Yeah, it's a sword," Sango answered.  "I have no idea why it's stuck in the door, though.  Maybe Inu-Yasha lost his temper again?" she mused.

The miko was shaking her head.  "Some demon-slayer you are," Kikyo scoffed.  "I would have thought you'd been told of the legendary Tetsusaiga.  Don't you realize the significance of it being embedded in the door?"

"It's been a few hundred years since I was allowed to be a taijiya," Sango reminded her, "so forgive me if I'm a little rusty."  She leaned in to get a closer view of the blade.  "So this is Tetsusaiga?  It doesn't look like much, does it?  What does having it stuck in the door mean, other than that we're going to need to fix this hole in the wood?"

"Appearances can be deceiving," Kikyo said.  She touched the hilt of Tetsusaiga with something Sango would have labeled as sentiment, had the gesture not come from such a cold woman.  "Sango, there was a time when this blade held immense power.  During that time, if the blade had been placed in a door it would have formed an absolutely impenetrable barrier.  Nothing harmful could get inside a room guarded by such a strong shield."

"What's that got to do with it being stuck in the door right now?" Sango asked.  "I still don't see why Inu-Yasha would put the blade in his own bedroom door."  She yawned, her lack of proper sleep catching up with her.

"Were you not inside that room when Inu-Yasha placed the blade in the door?"  Kikyo tilted her head to the side, studying Sango closely.  "Go back to bed, Sango," she sighed.  "Perhaps your mind will work correctly in the morning, after you've had some rest.  Just ask yourself this: does the strength of the weapon lie in the blade itself, or in the one who wields the blade?"

"Strange woman," Sango mumbled in confusion as she watched the miko depart down the hallway.  She started to close the door but changed her mind.  Getting a tight grip on the hilt, she yanked Tetsusaiga from the door, surprised at how easily it slid from the wood.  She'd expected to have to work at it a bit.

The blade would have formed a barrier, once upon a time.  Sango's fuzzy mind was suddenly alert.  Inu-Yasha had placed the sword in the door in order to protect her.  But the sword couldn't protect her anymore; Tetsusaiga had nothing left!

Did it matter, though?  The message was still there - Inu-Yasha was offering his protection to her, a worthless human slave carrying someone else's pups.  As the significance of the hanyou's gesture hit home, Sango found herself on her knees, hugging the Tetsusaiga close to her heart.

……

"What do you mean, you don't have your keys?" Inu-Yasha growled.  They were standing outside of Koga's apartment building.  "Where are they?"

Koga was searching his pockets by the dim light of the street-lamp.  "I know they gave them back to me when I was released from the police station!  They've got to be around here somewhere!"

"Maybe you dropped them," Koharu suggested, shining her tiny pen-light on the ground.

"No, I remember putting them in my pocket as I walked past the human holding cell…" he stopped talking and growled deep in his chest.

"What is it?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"That monkey…that damn monkey grabbed me as I passed the cell!  I thought he was just being playful!"  Koga dug through his pockets.  "My wallet is missing, too!  When I get my hands on that little fuzz-ball, I'm gonna skin him alive!"

"Hey, we need to get Koharu off the streets," Inu-Yasha noted, observing the empty neighborhood.  "The human curfews are back in force because of the rioting; someone's sure to report her if they see her.  You can stay at the mansion tonight and get a locksmith out here in the morning, Koga."

The wolf demon followed the pair back to the car.  "Can't you just take me back to the police station?" he complained.  "I want to kill that furry little thief!"

"Drop it, Koga," Inu-Yasha said tiredly.  "We'll take care of this in the morning, preferably when Abi is off-duty.  I don't dare show her my face unless I'm holding a large wad of cash."

……

"Where did you put her?" Taisho asked, resting his chin in his hand.  At this rate, he'd never get any rest, and the kami knew his old bones needed it.  Wistfully, he remembered a time when he could go for days on end without sleep.  Youth was spectacularly under-appreciated.

"Kagura opted to spend the night in Miroku's room," Bankotsu answered.  The guard was rubbing the still-tender spot where he'd hit his head trying to dodge Kagome's purification attempt.  "Miroku gave her a sleeping draught and placed a barrier at the door; he's hoping she'll be able to handle her grief a little better after some sleep."

"What of Kanna and Kohaku?"  The couple had been contacted by a hysterical Kagura while she was en route.  They had arrived at the mansion at almost the same time as the wind sorceress, a soundly sleeping Rin and Shippo in their arms.

"I put them in Sango's room, and the pups are back in their own beds."

"Sango is still in Inu-Yasha's quarters?"

The guard nodded.  "Yes, and Inu-Yasha and Koharu haven't returned as of yet.  Your son called a short time ago and said Koga would be accompanying them.  Something about the ookami being locked out of his house because a monkey took his keys?  Anyway, Koga will likely stay with Koharu, so - "

"No he won't," Taisho interrupted.

"Pardon, Taisho-sama?"  Bankotsu blinked.

"Koharu will not allow him to spend the night in her room," Taisho grunted.  "She doesn't approve of physical relations before marriage.  Find another place for the wolf."

"But she works in that shop…"

"Yes, she's a bit of a walking contradiction, isn't she?  Her innocence is nothing short of amazing, considering all of the years she lived with my cousin.  Put Koga in Nazuna's room."

"And where will you sleep, Master?" Bankotsu asked.

"Has Kaede returned?"  The expression on the guard's face gave him the answer he needed.  "Fine.  I'm going back into her room.  Good night, Bankotsu."  Taisho heaved his body from the chair and shuffled off in search of some badly needed rest.

……

"Inu-Yasha, Koharu and Koga are entering the mansion," Jakotsu noted, looking at the map.  "I'll escort Koga to his current place of rest.  And by the way, Bankotsu, what's up with that lie you told Taisho-sama?"

"Taisho-sama asked if Kaede had returned.  She hasn't returned, therefore, I did not lie," Bankotsu countered.

"Why didn't you tell him she'd called earlier and said she'd be coming home during the wee hours?"

"He didn't ask."  Bankotsu caught the glare his partner was giving him.  "Oh, Jakotsu, don't look at me like that.  If Taisho-sama knew Kaede was returning, he'd never climb into her bed.  Someone has got to sort those two out; they're making themselves miserable!  Think about it - do you really want to spend the rest of your days in the service of a sexually frustrated inuyoukai?  He's grouchy enough as it is."

……

Tetsusaiga was missing.

Inu-Yasha reached a claw out to trace the hole left behind in the wooden door.  Someone had removed his sword.  This confused him, because his sword was special.  The only person who should have been able to remove the blade from the door was the person it was meant to protect.

Sango, he breathed.  Opening the door, he almost tripped over her sleeping form.  She had fallen asleep on the floor, wrapped snugly in his old fire-rat haori.  And Tetsusaiga…Tetsusaiga was held securely in her arms.

Sleepy eyes opened to meet the molten gold of his gaze.  "Wha…what time is it?" Sango said with yawn.  She shivered as she sat up, his haori falling from her body.

"It's really late," the hanyou whispered, crouching down in front of her.  "Come on, let's get you in the bed."  He moved to assist her to her feet.

She allowed him to help her rise.  Sango paused, then handed him the Tetsusaiga.  "Here," Sango said.  "You need to take this back."

He accepted the weapon with a heavy heart.  She didn't want his protection, didn't want him.  Inu-Yasha struggled to keep his expression clear.  In spite of what he'd said to Koharu down at the police station, he damn sure felt like crying right now.  He shouldn't have allowed himself to actually hope that someone as vibrant and strong as Sango would actually want to be tied to a worthless hanyou, a second son with no prospects…he turned to leave, hoping to escape before he made an even bigger fool of himself.

A hand upon his arm halted his progress.  Her smooth palm, so soft to touch but with inherent strength in its grip, lightly caressed his bare arm.  "Inu-Yasha, you have to promise me something," Sango said.  She was pressed against his back, her soft curves draped against his hard form.

"What?" he choked out, unwilling to face her.

"Your strength is in your heart, not your sword, Inu-Yasha.  Promise me you'll always use that strength to protect me," Sango whispered.  Her arms moved around his waist, bringing them closer together.  "Promise me, please…because I would be honored to have Inu-Yasha as my love."

"You'll have me as your love…and also as your mate?" Inu-Yasha asked, turning in her embrace.  She nodded, and he traced the hollow of her cheek with a tender claw.  "Sango, I'll always protect you.  You're everything to me, you know that?"

"I guess I do," Sango smiled, nuzzling her cheek against his large hand.

Inu-Yasha wondered if she'd ever know how much her smile warmed his heart, or how he had found a home within her soul.  "Come to bed, Sango," he whispered, the invitation laden with a deeper meaning.  "It's late, and my mate needs her rest."

……

Kaede walked slowly into her room, her entire body screaming in protest the entire way.  She was too old to be out this late, especially when her 'date' consisted of purifying old weaponry.  The things she allowed herself to be dragged into these days...

She rummaged through her wardrobe, searching for a clean nightgown.  She was behind on doing her laundry, she noticed.  Grumbling, she dug through a pile of clean clothes lying on her chair.  Grabbing an overly large shirt she recognized as belonging to Taisho, Kaede slipped it on her small frame.

"It looks better on you than it does on me."

So engrossed in her thoughts was she that she had taken no notice of the demon lying in her bed until he spoke.  "Master?"  She approached the bed.  "I didn't expect to see you in here.  I thought you were sleeping in Kagome's room tonight."

"Someone else is occupying that room.  It appears we have a full house, Dear Kaede."  Taisho-sama gave a weak laugh, causing Kaede to start worrying in earnest.  Her master sounded so tired…

"You're running a fever again," she scolded, placing her cool hand on his warm forehead.  "Can't I leave you alone for a few hours without you getting into mischief?  Really, you ought to - aaaah!" she yelped as he pulled her into the bed.

"Cease your tongue-lashing and let me sleep," Taisho ordered.  He pulled her resisting form next to him.  "I mean it, Kaede; stop wriggling around and go to sleep.  Whatever needs to be said can wait until tomorrow."

"But - "

"I said hush, woman."

Kaede fell silent.  Who was she to argue with Taisho-sama?  She shifted closer to him, resting her head upon his broad chest.  She closed her eyes with gratitude, for this was by far the easiest order she'd ever had to follow.

……

Kikyo stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.  Too many memories, both of her predecessor's life and her own, haunted her dreams.  The miko wondered if she'd ever again be able to close her eyes and rest.

Inu-Yasha had found another.  She was still trying to digest this information.  She searched her soul to see how she felt about losing the one being who had actually loved her, and came up with nothing.  She truly felt nothing.

Was she already dead, merely walking around this life as an empty shell?  Or had the original Kikyo taken over her mind completely?  The young woman had always felt as if she were split into two, one half of her controlled by the original miko's memories and emotions, the other half dictated by the circumstances of her life.

If she could rid the world of that cursed jewel, she could rid herself of the original Kikyo.  It would be wonderful to call her life her own, to be happy or sad or in love and know that it was she who felt these emotions, and not the ancient miko.  How would it be to embrace her younger sister and brother as her own, and not feel the other Kikyo's overwhelming resentment at their freedom and happiness?

Pondering these thoughts, Kikyo wondered if she'd ever loved Inu-Yasha.  Perhaps it was the original miko who had loved him…that would explain why she, personally, felt no jealousy at being cast aside.  She'd been angry enough when he'd shot down her plan for using the jewel to make him a human, but that was more related to her disappointment over a lost opportunity to be rid of the foul object.

And where did Taisho hide the jewel, anyway?  Kikyo hoped it was in a safe spot.  Now that everything was out in the open, Naraku was bound to come after them with the minions of hell.  In all likelihood, the end of the week would see every occupant of the mansion dispatched to the next life.

The mansion itself would remain standing, of course.  Kikyo's face cracked into a wry smile.  Naraku never passed up on the chance to grab a good piece of real estate.

……

Sesshomaru wasn't certain what awakened him this time.  It could have been the birds chirping in an annoying manner outside of his window, welcoming the rising sun.  It could also have been the rush of water through the pipes, the sound of an early-morning bath being drawn.

Most likely, though, it was his half-conscious realization that his mate was no longer lying beside him.  Kagome was absent, leaving Sesshomaru behind in what now seemed to be a very cold bed.  Rising, the youkai dressed in a nearby robe and went in search of his missing miko.

His stomach lurched as Sesshomaru finally awakened enough to notice what else was missing.  The bond between them - she'd closed it again.  He couldn't feel her soul, couldn't tell if she was happy or sad or injured…alarmed, he dashed toward the main rooms of the house, following her scent.

He found her kneeling on the hard floor of the kitchen, hunched over and groaning in pain.  A carton of milk was at her feet, the liquid pouring from the smashed container.  Rushing to her side, Sesshomaru cradled Kagome's shaking form as he searched for the injury.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome begged him, "help me!"  She was holding her arm, her moans growing weaker as she fought to keep her eyes open.  Her breathing was irregular, coming in short gasps.

There was no injury upon her, but…his mark had disappeared.  Sesshomaru stared at the blank spot on her neck, wondering if the events of the previous night had been nothing more than a dream.  No, here was the slightly pink welt on her ear, caused by a nip of his fangs in the throes of passion.  And her scent was still intermingled with his, evidence of their mutual joining.

Without the mark, last night's removal of her slave bond would cause her death.  Already, she was fighting to continue breathing, her fists clenched in agony.  With something akin to terror rising within his chest, Sesshomaru sank his fangs into his mate, trying to draw his mark back to the surface.  It was to no avail.  As soon as he released her, a black glow encompassed the mark, dissolving it completely.  Afraid of causing Kagome further harm, Sesshomaru ceased his efforts and roared for help.

……

A/N:  Thanks to all of my extremely patient readers!  I appreciate your reviews so much; I only wish I had time to answer them personally.   And thanks, as always, to my beta, TitianWren! - Lavender