InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price ❯ Outflanked ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha; Rumiko Takahashi and a large publishing conglomerate hold his leash.

 

A/N: The bunnies were completely fried after that last chapter, and went on strike. Through threats and bribery (well, okay… mostly bribery in the form of Cuban cigars and jugs of Long Island Iced Tea) they grudgingly agreed to go back to work.

 

Bouquets to my CMAs, Forthright, Ranuel and SilverOnTheRose, who fight off brain-melting heat, attacks of yellow goop and bouts of laryngitis to whip the bunnies into shape!

 

Warnings: Extreme violence, coarse language, character death and angst.

 

The Price

Chapter Twelve: Outflanked

 

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Tsubaki stared in fascination at Sha as scarlet energy boiled around him, causing his long black hair to rise as if caught in a vortex. The dark colouring of the whipping strands abruptly vanished, replaced by brilliant silver at the same moment as deep burgundy streaks lanced through his red youki. His concealment spell is gone… what powerful jyaki! Narakage didn't mention this, the bastard! She was completely taken aback when another animalistic growl rent the air and her opponent's head snapped up, revealing flaming red eyes, the pupils reduced to brilliant blue pinpricks. Will my powers be enough to kill him? Dammit, I've been set up!

 

The youkai didn't waste words; cracking his knuckles, he leapt for her, his claws murderously crooked. Tsubaki threw up a barrier with just enough spiritual energy to discourage his attack, but not endanger her own demonic powers. Sha somersaulted over the cracking energy, thereby avoiding a partial purification. Agilely landing in a crouch, he prowled just beyond the barrier's boundary. Tsubaki followed his movements, noting the jagged facial markings and elongated fangs. I can't make the barrier any larger without the boost provided by the youkai he killed! Ceasing his stalking, Sha stared intently at the screening energy as if he could see right through it. Tsubaki pressed her hand to her heart, feeling rather faint at the killing fury contained within his reddened glare. When he drew his sword and it erupted into a massive, white-wrapped blade, she grimly realized that Narakage had neglected to inform her of several pertinent details. Damn the bastard straight into the seventh hell… even if it's my own fault for not asking the son of a bitch enough questions. Her scalp prickled as the jyaki wreathing Sha's body increased in intensity, and when his weapon turned the colour of freshly-spilled blood she knew she was in deep trouble.

 

Sha slowly paced backward until he was roughly fifteen feet away, his savage eyes never leaving the barrier. Kagome… I promise that I won't let myself completely lose control over this witch; Naraku will pay for your life with his own. Raising the huge sword over his head, he thundered an attack name as he slammed the blade downward.

 

“Hijinsaiga!”

 

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I'm really going to die. Kagome gazed upwards at the night sky as her body hurtled towards the plaza far below, the building's window frames whipping past in a blur. In a matter of seconds. Deafened by the roaring fear inside her head, tears stripped from her cheeks by the rush of air, she was unnervingly clear-headed. I'm sorry… Mom, Gramps, Sota… “Goodbye, Sha,” she rasped into the slipstream, choking on the lump in her throat. If only….

 

Something caught her shoulder with a deceptively delicate tap, sending her spinning through space so fast that it felt like the air was being sucked from her lungs. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, but it wasn't enough to stop the horrible sensation that her stomach contents were trying to force their way back up her throat to join the escaping oxygen. Did I hit the building? Shouldn't I be dead? She'd barely formulated that thought when she was struck again, this time on the hip and sent careening in a different direction. Am I still falling… or rising? She glimpsed the darkened sky above, more of an impression than an actual view because her brain was threatening to shut down her senses. As she spun upwards, on the verge of blacking out, her body gradually slowed both its frenetic rotation and its ascent. Oh…only a reprieve.

 

In that moment in time, where she was briefly weightless, before gravity's shackles were completely refastened, she was snatched against an armoured body, her head cradled in a long-fingered hand. Wh-wha…?

 

The person clutching her in a death grip was shouting at someone else as they once again plummeted earthward; Kagome could feel the vibrations of his voice quite easily, since her face was pressed against his throat. Maybe… maybe I'm saved? The grip on her head saved her from a possible neck injury when her rescuer violently changed their trajectory, quickly followed by what felt like a mid-air somersault, and then leaves and branches snapped and tore at them, ripping her jeans and filling her nose with the scent of fresh sap. This experience was repeated several times with tiny respites in between until they burst out of the foliage for the final time and hit the ground running. When they finally came to a stop, Kagome found herself half-dumped on the pavement as her saviour collapsed onto his knees, gasping harshly into her hair. Over his shoulder, she noticed an entire row of tall landscape trees gracing the building's entrance façade on the other side of the vast plaza, their carefully-pruned silhouettes now utterly ruined as if an errant typhoon-strength wind had torn through them. That's how he cushioned our landing!

 

When her rescuer showed no signs of releasing her, Kagome forced her arm to work and weakly tugged on his sleeve. It'd be nice if everything would stop spinning…! The iron grip immediately loosened, and she found herself looking up at a delicately handsome face, rosy-flushed pale skin ornamented by a blue crescent moon, topped by a spiky thatch of silver hair. “T-tenmaru?” she croaked, blinking rapidly in an attempt to steady her vision.

 

“You nearly gave me a heart attack, Aunt,” the hanyou hoarsely replied between gulps of air. “That was far too close.” He eased her onto the polished concrete of the plaza and sprawled beside her on his stomach; when she rolled onto her side, Kagome noticed two long, skinny streamers of hair curling from the nape of his neck down his back, not to mention bloodied splinters of wood poking out of his shoulders and twigs out of his tail. A scabbard and what appeared to be a baton protruded on awkward angles from his waist. Her eyes wandered lower, and she was astonished to see that Tenmaru had canine paws, the pads as pink as the insides of Sha's ears and the fur framing the pebbled skin the same shade of silver as his tail. She was about to say something when five gouts of red flame spurted across the night sky like the claws of an enormous beast, originating on the blacked-out tower of the Metropolitan Government Building.

 

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As the red flames tore towards her, a cloud of vapour poured out of Tsubaki's eye and coalesced into a mass of minor youkai just before the leading edge of Sha's attack ripped into the barrier. Flinging herself out of the way, leaving her creatures to take the brunt and buy her time, the dark priestess fled between the mechanical units. He's destroyed the altar, but that doesn't matter; his woman is dead. All I need to do is escape, and the Jewel is mine! The hair on the back of her neck stood straight up, and she put her back to a vent.

 

“Run all you want, bitch… the end will be the same,” snarled a terrifyingly feral voice. “I'm gonna take you apart nice and slow.” Red and blue eyes glowed in the darkness. “It's payback time.”

 

As he slunk forward, Tsubaki gave a brittle smile. “Don't count me out just yet, Sha Nishiki.” Vapour again issued and took on the form of a multi-legged, crustacean-like youkai. Snapping its massive pincers open and shut, the creature took up a stance in front of its mistress as she raised another barrier.

 

Sha smirked unpleasantly and flourished his weapon, the great blade burning red. “Don't waste my time, bitch… Hijinsaiga!”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“Sha's still fighting,” Kagome said as the second blast of red energy faded into the stars. “He probably thinks I'm dead.”

 

“A not unreasonable deduction,” Tenmaru wryly commented as he rolled onto his back, wincing when the broken wood was driven a little deeper into his flesh. Shoving himself up to sitting, he removed the offending vegetation while assessing Kagome with a critical eye as she also sat upright. For her part, she inspected his gleaming black armour worn over hakama and kimono, accented by a long, graphic red obi and the elaborate hilt of the short sword. She was interrupted in her examination when he reached for her, brushing the backs of his claws over her cheek. “What are these markings, Aunt?” he asked.

 

“Curse marks,” she replied, self-consciously rubbing at her skin even though she noted that the twisting black lines on her hands had faded in intensity. “Naraku gave Tsubaki… the woman Sha is fighting… some of my hair, and after her shikigami bit me earlier today, she's been able to control my body.” Giving Tenmaru a stricken look, she added, “She made me kill one of our escorts.”

 

Tenmaru sympathetically squeezed her hand. “What must we do?”

 

“I can purify myself, sort of, but we have to kill either the shikigami or Tsubaki to completely lift the curse.”

 

Tilting back his head, the hanyou gazed up at the towering building. “Then we had best enter the fray as quickly as possible,” he said, letting go of her and organizing himself for the ascent. Footsteps thudded; a moment later, two guardsmen hovered, one of them holding her bow.

 

Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on the Jewel. I need your help to protect Sha. He's probably completely freaking out up there… I almost feel sorry for that Tsubaki woman. Almost. She was quickly enveloped in warm pink light and as soon as she opened her eyes, she was delighted to discover that the markings had completely retreated from her hands. “Tenmaru! Have the curse marks disappeared from my face?”

 

He paused in the act of untying his colourful obi to scrutinize her countenance. “Yes, they have.” Glancing up as another fan-shaped explosion of red energy streaked across the sky, he held out his hand and said, “It is time to rejoin Uncle.”

 

Kagome allowed him to pull her upright; when she swayed dangerously, Tenmaru braced her against his chest. “Nice, um, armour,” she commented, tapping the lacquered metal breastplate.

 

“It serves a purpose,” he briskly replied. “In order to accomplish this manoeuvre, you must ride on my back.”

 

Slumping a little, she answered, “Sure…” not quite able to conceal her lack of enthusiasm for the idea.

 

Tenmaru chose to overlook her reluctance, but he gently added, “The only way to calm Uncle is for you to be present… alive and unharmed.”

 

“All right,” Kagome agreed and obediently moved around behind him. Hooking her hands over his shoulders, she prepared to hitch herself into place when he crouched. With some assistance from the guardsmen, Tenmaru efficiently formed a sling seat out of his obi that locked Kagome into place against his back.

 

“My lord, wouldn't it be wiser for myself or Hiro to carry the lady?” one of the guardsmen finally spoke up as he slid Kagome's bow into her quiver.

 

“I am less likely to be eviscerated by Uncle if he is in feral mode.”

 

“Er, yes, sir,”

 

`Feral mode'? Instead of asking, for fear of the answer, Kagome muttered, “I feel like a baby.”

 

“I require the full use of both my arms and my legs,” he calmly replied, shoving his short sword and the baton through the plain waist wrap formerly concealed by the vivid obi. Catching hold of her elbows, he brought her arms around his ribs and then folded her fingers over the edge of his breastplate. “Hold on here, because I must have maximum reach,” he advised. Rolling his shoulders, he bounced on the pads of his paws while testing his balance. Satisfied, he murmured, “Let us proceed.”

 

The trio of youkai loped across the plaza, picking up speed until they left the ground in a gathering rush. Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on being a limpet as Tenmaru scaled the tower, powering their way upward without benefit of momentum, using only his considerable physical strength. After a very long minute, they caught their breath on the `bridge' section; tactfully, none of them commented on the body of their colleague lying sprawled several dozen feet away, his blood trickling into the gutter, because of Kagome's obvious distress at the sight. Half a minute after that, they crested the parapet of the second tower.

 

They'd barely landed when Tenmaru released the knot and swung Kagome off his back. The length of red silk fluttering around their ankles, he set her on her feet at the same time as he pulled the baton free and rapped it against the roof. As it extended into an extra-long spear tipped by a sword blade, he carefully observed the roiling jyaki on the top of the other tower. “It would be most unwise to distract Uncle, as that would give his opponent an opening,” he decided, watching Sha slash at what appeared to be a giant lobster. A huge claw came away, spinning and bouncing down the side of the tower, sending shards of glass, concrete and exoskeleton showering onto the plaza below.

 

“Gonna be quite a clean-up operation,” dryly observed one of the guardsmen.

 

“Yes; Father will have to pull every string he possesses to keep this one out of the press.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“Mr. Higurashi?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Wh-what do you think they're planning to do with us?” the young woman whispered, her words echoing in the concrete-walled cell.

 

The teenager considered the raw skin on his wrists before replying, “I don't know why you're here, but I'm a hostage.”

 

“Hostage?”

 

“My sister has something that Narakage Hitomi wants; he grabbed me to make her give it to him,” Sota answered. “What's your connection, Miss Mifune?”

 

The pretty, dark-haired girl mumbled, “I really have no idea… I mean, I have money, but I somehow don't think that's what he wants.”

 

“Did he say anything when you were abducted?”

 

“N-no… just that he was `pleased to make my acquaintance', and he kept… smiling at me in a really creepy way.”

 

At the young woman's frightened tone, Sota stopped probing what he suspected was a loose tooth, courtesy of the crazed yakuza's sword hilt. Managing a crooked smile despite his aching jaw, he said, “Don't worry, Miss Mifune. Once my brother-in-law gets here, things'll be fine.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Tsubaki flattened herself against a transformer box, watching Sha disassemble her most powerful youkai joint by joint. My barriers are useless against his sword… I have to get out of here and find the Jewel before someone else grabs it! Damn Narakage anyways; this is probably exactly what he hoped would happen! A large, eel-like youkai burst out of her eye in response to her desperate summons. “Take us away from here!” she implored and the creature wrapped its coils around her. As it rose into the air, the white shikigami hissed softly and tucked its head under her chin. “There, there, my pet. We will survive this… somehow,” she whispered consolingly. There was a wild shout from the furious hanyou being left behind, quickly followed by another spectacular explosion as a swing of his sword devastated what was left of the crustacean youkai and took out another transformer, sending a shower of sparks and body parts into the sky.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“Ho! The witch is trying to escape!”

 

“She's coming this way!”

 

As the scaly youkai undulated through the night towards them, Kagome reached for her bow. “What are you doing, Aunt?” Tenmaru demanded, attempting to shield her from the oncoming threat.

 

“I'm the only one out of the four of us with a distance weapon.” Dropping to one knee to increase the angle, she notched an arrow. I can't get a clear shot at her, thanks to that eel-thing, so I'll just have to bring down both of them! Tenmaru took a long step back and the startled guardsmen threw themselves flat as Kagome's entire body flared brilliant pink. Gritting her teeth, she aimed at the creature's head. I'll hit somewhere on its underbelly, unless she unleashes some of that freaky wind again! Both Tsubaki and her youkai looked down to identify the source of so much spiritual energy, and that moment of distraction sealed their fates.

 

“Look out!” As the creature dropped out of the sky, its head vaporized by Kagome's arrow, Tenmaru grabbed the young woman and dove for cover, barely escaping the mass of writhing coils as it demolished a wide swathe of the roof's superstructures.

 

Over the din of cracking wood, screeching steel and exploding electricals, Tsubaki shouted, “How can you even be alive, woman?”

 

“It appears that news of your death was highly exaggerated,” Tenmaru muttered into Kagome's ear, and she mustered a weak giggle. “Unfortunately, your opponent survived.”

 

“Then the curse is still active,” she whispered, nervously glancing at her hands.

 

Tenmaru grunted in agreement as he rolled both of them out of the way of a massive, twitching tail tip that thrashed several more times before going limp. “Our turn,” he growled, rising to his feet. Offering Kagome his hand, he cautioned, “Uncle may be unrecognizable when you see him; please do not be afraid.”

 

“Is `feral mode' when his eyes change colour?” When Tenmaru nodded, she bravely replied, “I've seen him like that before, when he fought the dragon-youkai,” but inside she was much less certain. Can I control the Jewel if it sees Sha as a threat?

Waving the guardsmen towards Kagome, Tenmaru sniffed deeply before stalking his target. Bent double, his paws making no sound on the scattered debris, he used the deceased youkai's body for cover until he was directly opposite the dark priestess. Leaping over the spasming flesh, the hanyou took Tsubaki completely by surprise. His spear described a slashing arc and the shikigami fell in two squirming pieces at Tsubaki's feet… just as a transformed Sha arrived on the edge of the roof.

 

She's alive! Kagome's alive! Fucking brat saved the fucking day! The fanged hanyou grinned triumphantly, the burgundy streaks of jyaki slowly fading into the burning mass of his youki as the rage in his heart calmed. Why does she smell like tree sap?

 

“You are annoyances!” the dark priestess spat as Tenmaru retreated, vapour pouring from her eye and turning into a jabbering horde of reptilian and insectoid youkai that vigorously engaged both hanyou. Sha's bestial roaring as he hacked his way through the mass unnerved Tenmaru; as he glanced towards his blazing-eyed uncle, Tsubaki called, “Rip out her throat, my pet, and then bring me the Jewel!”

 

What the…? The shikigami? Dammit! Wheeling around, Tenmaru jumped up onto the hillock of dead youkai and raced along its scaly hide, desperately tracking the rapidly-regenerating white serpent as it slithered at incredible speed towards Kagome. The young woman was trying to draw a bead on the creature, but it was moving too fast for either her or the guardsmen to pin down.

 

“Darn it! Hold still!” Kagome shouted in frustration. The shikigami dodged a guardsman's sword and flew at her, its jaws opened wide and revealing wickedly long fangs already beading with poison. How do I defeat this thing? It's moving too fast for even a dog-youkai to hit! Out of sheer desperation, as the shikigami closed the range with terrifying speed, Kagome threw down her arrow. This had better work! Her bow suddenly blazing with spiritual power, she unleashed a mighty swing aimed at the shikigami's head. Please hit! Connecting with a resounding `thwack', the blow sent the stunned shikigami rifling back towards Tsubaki like a spectral line drive.

 

The dark priestess had darted around the oozing end of her former conveyance, intending to avoid Sha, intercept her shikigami and its prize, then make her escape. Her final parasitic youkai was already issuing from her eye and taking the shape of a giant insect, its towering wings glittering against the night sky. The vapour had barely cleared when the shikigami slammed into her face, sending her staggering backwards. My own curse…? She deflected it? “Nooo!” Tsubaki screamed, scrabbling futilely for a grip on writhing flesh as the white snake bored into her eye socket, sending black streaks of venom burning across her pale skin.

 

At the same time, Kagome had the oddest sensation in her chest and realized that she was free. I can breathe again!

 

“Kaze-no-Kizu!” Sha let go Tetsusaiga's signature attack at nearly point-blank range, but the great sword refused to cooperate. Instead, it shrank back to its usual shabby guise, ribbons of youki unwinding from the blade. “What the fuck?” he snarled, transferring his fiery glare from the sword to his intended victim and back again, until an unpleasant smirk displayed even more of his elongated fangs. “I get it… without your youkai hitch-hikers, you're merely human.”

 

The insect clicked its mandibles as it skittered away from its erstwhile host and the furious hanyou, but before it could take flight, the guardsmen threw themselves on it with claws and weapons until it was reduced to a twitching pile of body parts. The filmy wings caught the wind from Sha's billowing youki and twirled out into space, spiralling downwards like oversized maple seeds towards the distant ground.

 

Tenmaru slipped his hand under Kagome's elbow, and the pair cautiously approached Sha. He was standing over Tsubaki's huddled form, flexing his claws and growling ferociously, clearly at war with himself over dealing the final blow. The dark priestess was on her knees, rocking back and forth with her head in her hands and sobbing brokenly. Kagome had a moment of consternation when she realized that Tsubaki's long black hair had turned dirty white. Puzzled at the dramatic change, she nudged Tenmaru and mouthed a question; the dog-youkai shrugged helplessly.

 

Sha's head turned towards them at that moment. His reddened gaze settled on Kagome, and icy blue gave way to softened amber. “Thank the gods,” he murmured, his voice roughened, but not entirely due to his elevated youki.

 

“What are you waiting for, Sha Nishiki? Finish me off!” demanded a high-pitched, querulous voice that certainly didn't resemble Tsubaki's haughty tones.

 

Sha relaxed his menacing stance. “After all the shit you've pulled, you want a quick death?” he sneered. “Fuck you, witch. Leaving you like this is gonna hurt way more.” Stepping back, he sheathed Tetsusaiga with a `click' and stepped back, giving the watchers their first clear look at Tsubaki.

 

She was unrecognizable. The intense blue eyes had turned pale and rheumy, the fine porcelain skin now heavily wrinkled and blotched with age. The arrogant beauty who had challenged them barely fifteen minutes earlier was now a feeble, elderly crone, baring yellowed teeth as she squinted after the hanyou.

 

“What should we do about her?” Kagome quietly asked Tenmaru.

 

“Leave her,” Sha's rough-edged voice rasped. “She's nothing to us now.” Scarlet eyes flickered. “Her curse's power is broken, and she's been appropriately punished.” Stalking away without a backwards glance, he gestured for them to follow.

 

“Damn you straight to hell, Sha Nishiki!” the hag screeched.

 

“You first,” the hanyou icily retorted.

 

Tsubaki shrieked a few more choice epithets before going silent. As Tenmaru led her away, Kagome looked over her shoulder in time to see the white-haired woman teetering on the parapet before taking the fatal plunge. “No!” she yelped and tried to run on pure reflex, but Tenmaru's grip on her arm turned bruising.

 

“Leave it, Aunt,” he said urgently. “She made a choice, and you do not need to see the results.” Jerking his head at the two guardsmen, Tenmaru hastily ordered, “Dispose of the body and any other evidence… quickly.” They saluted before disappearing over the edge of the roof, leaving the three of them alone amidst the ruined structures.

 

Sha waited for them to approach, his youki outlining his form against the darkness. The faint `thunk-thunk-thunk' of a helicopter's rotors was carried to them on the brisk night wind, as were the wails of approaching sirens. Kagome stumbled slightly as the adrenaline wore off, then was grateful for Tenmaru's support as he steadied her footing. “We'd better get out of here,” she mumbled wearily into his shoulder before smiling reassuringly at her husband.

 

“Don't get me wrong, brat; I'm fucking grateful that you showed up when you did… but why are you here?” Sha rumbled, his eyes still more red than gold, even though his facial markings had faded and his fangs weren't quite so obvious… but he still made no move to approach the pair.

 

Tenmaru let go of Kagome and straightened up. “The Shrine was attacked this evening, by the yakuza known as the Band of Seven.”

”What?” Sha and Kagome simultaneously exclaimed.

 

The young dog-hanyou twitched, but continued, “Sota Higurashi was taken, Lady Buyo is mortally wounded, and Lady Yayoi is now aware of the existence of youkai.”

 

“Taken? What do you mean?” Kagome gasped.

 

“Kidnapped, presumably on Naraku's orders.”

 

The young woman pressed her fingers against her suddenly-pounding temples. “At least it was Sota, not Mom or Gramps… and it's probably inevitable that Mom would find out about youkai sooner or later.” She looked up with a watery smile that immediately disappeared. “Wait… Miss Buyo is injured?”

 

“Yes, Aunt. I was sent to bring you back to the Shrine and happened to arrive at a fortuitous moment,” Tenmaru replied.

 

“Me? Why?”

 

“Brother is of the opinion that you can purify the shouki that has contaminated her wound.”

 

“Shouki? Naraku was at the Shrine? Again?” Sha snarled.

 

“Not in person,” his nephew answered. “Lady Buyo identified the thing bearing his scent as a golem before she was struck down. It appears that once again, Naraku used others to fight his battles for him. Instead, he was most likely involved in the abduction of Miss Mifune, who would have been a softer target.”

 

“He grabbed Rin's reincarnation? And Tokyo's still standing? Where the fuck is Sess?”

 

“Restraining himself, Uncle; instead of levelling the city, he took out some of his aggressions on the Band of Seven. He and Brother are at the Shrine supervising the clean-up.”

 

Sha finally held out his hand to Kagome, the extra-long claws glinting. “The cat would probably rather face your tender mercies than Tenseiga's steel, so we need to get there sooner rather than later,” he said softly, his gentle tone somewhat at odds with his intimidating appearance.

 

“Tenseiga's steel?” Kagome queried, her desire to be in his arms speeding her stride.

 

“Long story,” he evaded, then watched in disappointment when his wife's entire body lit up with pink light. Confused, Kagome looked down at herself, and then up in time to catch the resigned expression on Sha's face. “I figured as much; the Jewel is reacting to my youki. You'll have to ride with Tenmaru.”

 

“I'd rather be with you,” she grumbled, shaking her glowing hands as if to rid herself of the energy.

 

Sha swallowed his frustration. “I was pretty wound up when I thought you'd died… I need a little more time to calm down,” he replied.

 

“Okay,” she whispered regretfully before turning back to Tenmaru, who was studying his left paw rather intently. “Uh-oh… how are we going to do this without your obi?”

 

“Descent doesn't require the use of my arms,” the young dog-hanyou replied, retracting his spear and shoving it through his waist wrap next to the short sword before going down on one knee.

 

Kagome sighed before moving the streamers of his hair out of the way. “Could you stop, er, wagging?” she asked after her third attempt to avoid stepping on his swishing tail.

 

The hanyou chuckled and held still; after she arranged herself against his back, he hitched her a little higher as he rose to his feet. “All right, Aunt?” he asked quietly.

 

“Not really,” she truthfully replied, taking a firm grip on the straps securing his breastplate. Resting her head against his shoulder, she queried, “Is Gramps okay?”

 

“Your honoured grandfather had been earlier admitted to a clinic due to chest pains, so he is unaware of tonight's events. Your lady mother is coping admirably with everything that has happened.”

 

“It's been quite the wedding day,” Kagome mumbled, too tired to steel herself as both hanyou jogged across the roof away from the approaching sirens and jumped off the parapet. As they skidded down the side of the tower, she kept her eyes closed and stayed fairly relaxed. Several stories above the Assembly building's roof, they launched outward, redirecting their downward force into horizontal acceleration as they flew across the rooftops of the low-rise buildings that made up most of the Tokyo skyline, quickly leaving the Shinjuku district far behind.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“You fucking owe me, Hitomi!” the mini-skirted yakuza shrieked, his tattooed face twisted into a savage snarl. “My brothers are dead because of you!”

 

“There were risks, yes, but your leader was aware of them,” Narakage blandly replied, flicking his lapels. “I cannot have the boy… damaged… simply to slake your bloodlust.”

 

“Maybe I'll just play with you, then,” the yakuza hissed, and his sword bit at his employer's jugular.

 

Dark reddish-brown eyes gleamed with sardonic laughter before Narakage yanked the weapon out of his flesh, the wound instantly sealing. His other hand transformed into a thin, whip-like appendage that snapped out and around his attacker's throat. Dragging the struggling man down onto his knees, Narakage smiled as he throttled him into submission. “Now, now, Jak… remember your place in the pecking order. Ren has managed to contain his emotions.”

 

“Ren doesn't have any emotions to contain!” the yakuza choked out, dark spots dancing through his vision. The former `chauffeur' arched an eyebrow, but remained silent.

 

The dark hanyou abruptly withdrew his appendage with a little caressing motion on Jak's cheek. Considering the risks to his plan, he finally conceded, “Very well; I give you permission to show Mr. Higurashi a little of your special `hospitality', but…” he raised his finger as a perfectly lascivious smirk crossed Jak's face, “if you kill him, I will turn what's left of you over to the House of the West… and you saw what happened to Kyo's body, I believe?”

 

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagome found the rhythms of Tenmaru's movements so lulling that she actually dozed off between his takeoffs and landings, even remaining in a semi-conscious state through the smooth transitions. I wonder if it's because of his paws… he has bigger landing pads? She came awake with a start when he jostled her.

 

“Take a look, Aunt,” he said quietly.

 

I drooled on him! How embarrassing! Blinking owlishly as she tried to orient herself while wiping away the dribble of saliva marring the gleaming backplate, Kagome realized that they were poised on the roof of one of the apartment buildings overlooking the shrine grounds. “Oh… my…” she whispered as she surveyed the floodlit damage, which included a crumpled lump of metal that might once have been a vehicle.

 

“Fighting was fierce,” Tenmaru commented before pushing off into space after Sha.

 

“No kidding. Are those paw prints?” They landed amongst crews shovelling gravel and power washing the paving stones; Sha didn't stop to inspect. Instead, he strode rapidly towards the house, workmen dodging out of his way. “Why hasn't his youki settled down yet?” Kagome asked worriedly as Tenmaru set her on her feet.

 

He carefully inspected his uncle's rigid posture as they followed in Sha's wake. “I assume it is because of his emotional distress over your apparent death.”

 

At the foyer entrance, Sha stood aside, giving Kagome plenty of room to enter the house. She took a deep breath in an effort to project calm confidence to the fractious Jewel, and stepped forward. Her husband warily watched her approach, his appearance essentially back to normal except for bright rings of scarlet around his golden irises. One, two, three steps… and she stretched up on tip-toe, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Sha closed his eyes, catching her in his arms for a crushing hug, breathing deeply of her warm skin-scent. Kagome….

 

“Oh, Kagome, you're safe! Quick… Miss Buyo needs you!” Yayoi Higurashi exclaimed, beckoning urgently from the inner doorway. “Oh, goodness… look at you! What happened to…?” She broke off at the sight of yet another silver-haired, golden-eyed, dog-eared hanyou, whose broad-shouldered silhouette certainly resembled her new son-in-law. Temporarily shelving her questions, she bustled Kagome into the house and handed her over to Tsugane, then retreated back outside to fuss over both Tenmaru and Sha.

 

“Auntie?” Tsugane asked, concerned about the exhaustion radiating from the young woman, not to mention her scratched, torn and filthy appearance.

 

She smiled gamely. “I understand that we have a patient?”

 

“Er, yes… we do,” Tsugane replied, noting that she dodged his unspoken inquiry. “Right this way.” Leading her into the tatami room, he waited until she seated herself next to Buyo's unconscious form before pulling back the dressing.

 

“Oh, no,” Kagome whispered, staring in shock at the raw flesh and exposed bone spreading across the cat-youkai's chest. When she instinctively reached to examine the injury, her fingertips sparked pink and she snatched back her hand.

 

“You're her only chance,” Tsugane grimly explained. “She can't heal herself because the shouki is eating away at her, but if you can purify it….”

 

“How can I do that without injuring her even more?”

 

“You can channel your spiritual energy into an arrow, right?” When Kagome nodded, he held up a shining, narrow-bladed instrument. “Why not a scalpel?”

 

“I'll try,” she immediately responded. Taking the implement, she inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm herself and then directed the power within her into the tiny blade. Help me to protect Miss Buyo… she won't die if I can help it! A narrow beam of rosy light shot out of the scalpel, which was fortunately pointed up at the ceiling at the time. Frowning in concentration, Kagome brought the beam back down in length until it extended slightly beyond the tip of the blade… but it was a real effort to maintain her control. This isn't going to be easy, but I have to do this!

 

“Here goes….” Moving with deliberate care, Kagome started on the tendrils of dark purple shouki worming their way towards her patient's heart. Oh, that's… ugh. Poor Miss Buyo! She'd be in so much pain if she was conscious! She could actually see the cardiac muscle rapidly pumping inside the cat-youkai's ribcage because the demonic acid had dissolved the intervening flesh to a level of transparency. It's like doing open-heart surgery… sort of. Trying very hard to only touch the charged scalpel to the invading shouki while avoiding all contact with Buyo's vital tissues, the young woman began to sweat with the effort.

 

Chasing the menacing tendrils away from their target, Kagome gripped the scalpel so tightly that her fingers cramped. Sitting back to flex them, she watched in dismay as the shouki began flowing back into the fissures she'd just cleaned. “Darn it!” Going back to work with a renewed purpose, she was disconcerted when her hand began shaking. Willing the tremors to stop, she found that the energy flowing through the scalpel became uncontrollable, endangering the life she was trying to save.

 

Just before she gave way to panic, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and a clawed hand gently grasped her wrist. “You're exhausted, Mishi,” Tsugane murmured in her ear. “I'll keep your hand steady, while you concentrate on controlling your power.”

 

She gratefully leaned back into his embrace, until she thought of something. “Sha's not going to like this,” she muttered uneasily, remembering her husband's strong protective streak.

 

“He's not here to have a hissy,” he assured, after a quick look to make sure. “Your lady mother is outside chatting him up, so I'm momentarily safe from both of them.”

 

“Both of them?”

 

“Lady Yayoi has quickly developed something of an ear-fetish.”

 

Snickering, Kagome relaxed and let the Jewel's power flow, watching Tsugane guide her hand and the glowing scalpel through the injury. The amount of active shouki reduced significantly with each pass until it had been chased back to its entry point in Buyo's shoulder.

 

“It's working, Mishi… look, her flesh is beginning to heal.” It was true; Buyo's heart was now concealed from view by fresh layers of healthy tissue and bone. “Just a little bit more, and we've done it!” Kagome bit her lip in concentration as their joined hands moved in concentric circles, herding the shouki into a smaller and smaller concentration until with a final sizzle, the dark vapour vanished. “Excellent job, Dr. Higurashi,” Tsugane teased, releasing her and moving to inspect the now-rapidly healing wound before covering it with a fresh dressing. “Shit!”

 

The young woman silently toppled over, the scalpel slipping from her hand to stick quivering in the tatami mat; only Tsugane's superior reflexes saved Kagome from a nasty collision with the floor. While the dog-hanyou checked her pulse, Sha crashed into the room. “What the hell happened?” he demanded.

 

Tsugane quickly replied, “She's just fainted; she was exhausted to start out with, and having to concentrate so hard finished her off… but she was successful. Lady Buyo is out of danger.”

 

“Keh,” Sha grunted as he extracted Kagome's limp form from Tsugane's arms, carried her across the room to the opposite corner, and settled down with her cradled in his lap. Removing her quiver and laying it aside, he unzipped her jacket, then hooked his claw into the neckline of the t-shirt and peered intently at her chest.

 

“Uncle… what are you doing?” Tsugane asked as he finished attending to the unconscious cat-youkai, keeping his tone resolutely neutral as Sha thoroughly inspected Kagome's cleavage.

 

“Making sure that the witch's curse is really gone,” the elder hanyou growled. “It was too damn close tonight; if Tenmaru hadn't arrived when he did, she'd be dead.”

 

Tsugane wiped off his hands on his hakama and seated himself next to Sha. “Crap. Naraku was one step ahead of us the entire time.”

 

“Sess brought me up to speed when we were outside… so, the fucker also snatched your mother's reincarnation and the whelp.”

 

“Hostages.” Tsugane glanced down at Kagome, his expression clouded. “No question as to what he'll want in return.”

 

“Over my dead body.”

 

“It can't come to that.”

 

“Is everything all right?” Yayoi hesitated on the threshold, wringing her hands. Sesshiro loomed behind her, his yellow eyes glittering in the hallway's gloom although his face remained impassive.

 

“Yes,” Tsugane replied with forced cheer. “Aunt is simply a little tuckered out from her successful life-saving efforts.”

 

“Oh! Miss Buyo will recover?”

 

“Completely, ma'am.”

 

“That's a relief,” she sighed, then announced, “I'll make miso soup… I need a little something, and I'm sure we could all use a cup of tea,” and darted towards the kitchen after a quick stop to lightly stroke the sleeping cat-youkai's cheek.

 

Sesshiro stepped into the room, followed by Tenmaru. Sweeping the youki-generated fur looped over his shoulder to the side, he seated himself with his swords across his lap and without preamble, said, “Sota Higurashi's weapon was located a dozen blocks away to the north-west; it appears that it was thrown from a moving vehicle. Our enemy has covered his tracks exceedingly well; not a scent-trace nor witness to indicate his location.”

 

“Bastard,” Sha snarled, his eyes flickering red and causing a tiny, answering pulse of pink to glow through the material of Kagome's top.

 

“I expect that we will be informed of his demands tomorrow afternoon, with the confrontation most likely at nightfall.”

 

“Why nightfall, Father?”

 

Fangs flashed. “He will try to make us sweat for as long as possible.”

 

“I fucking hate being on the defensive. How can you be so fucking calm? He has your wife, dammit!”

 

Sesshiro cast a significant glance towards the kitchen, and Sha flattened his ears. “Pointless tantrums waste energy better put towards strategy, Brother,” the taiyoukai calmly intoned.

 

“Mr. Tenmaru? Would you be a dear and give me a hand?” Yayoi called and the young hanyou eagerly jumped to do her bidding. As steaming cups of tea were passed around, Sha declined the one offered because he was completely focussed on the young woman in his arms. “The soup will be ready in a few minutes,” his mother-in-law said, gently brushing her daughter's bangs away from her forehead. “Try to wake her up because I'm sure it's been a while since either of you ate anything.”

 

“What time is it, anyways?” he asked.

 

“Almost midnight,” she replied as she took both Tenmaru and their serving trays back into the kitchen.

 

Sha massaged his neck with his free hand, wincing. “Helluva day.”

 

“You'll have no excuse for ever forgetting your anniversary,” Tsugane pointed out, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

 

“That's assuming we have an anniversary.”

 

Shaken by his uncle's dark tone, Tsugane instantly said, “Think positive, Uncle.”

 

Sha didn't reply, instead turning his efforts to waking his wife. Brushing his fingertips across her grimy cheek, he lightly tickled her ear until her eyelashes flickered. If we were alone, I'd kiss her awake… hell, if we were alone, I wouldn't stop at just kissing. “Oi, girl,” he softly greeted when her eyes finally opened. “You've used up your life-time quota for giving me heart failure tonight.”

 

“Sh-sha…? Where…? Oh, right,” Kagome mumbled, grimacing slightly.

 

“Your mother's made miso soup.”

 

“It's morning already?” she asked, clearly befuddled.

 

He couldn't help but grin as he helped her to sit up, arranging her in his lap so she was nestled against his chest. “Not exactly… more like a midnight snack.”

 

Kagome rubbed her eyes, then squinted at the futon across the room. “How's Miss Buyo?”

 

“It's only been a few minutes since you started your beauty sleep. According to the brat, she's fine.”

 

The young woman smiled wearily at Tsugane. “Thanks for your help earlier.”

 

“No problem, Auntie,” he winked.

 

Mrs. Higurashi and Tenmaru arrived at that moment with trays of covered bowls. Clucking over Kagome's dishevelled appearance, she handed her some soup and a pair of chopsticks. Sha finally accepted a cup of tea at Yayoi's insistence; she gently tweaked his ear as she served herself. The maternal gesture brought a lump to the hanyou's throat as he contemplated what he might have lost. The two women most important to me… how can I protect them against an enemy that holds all the cards?

 

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“Good evening, Miss Mifune.”

 

The young woman flattened herself against the far wall, her eyes showing white against the gloom. “What have you done with Mr. Higurashi?” she demanded, her voice a high-pitched rasp.

 

“My associate is showing him some, ahem, special attention,” Narakage smoothly replied, inhaling the scent of her fear like a rare perfume. “Don't worry… he will shortly be returned.” Loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, he slowly paced across the room, smiling with dark pleasure as she tried to sidle away but only succeeded in thoroughly cornering herself. “My dear, dear Miss Mifune; please don't be afraid. I promise I won't hurt you… any more than necessary,” he purred, thoroughly enjoying her terrified scream as tentacles burst out of his midsection and rushed towards her.

 

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As soon as Kagome had slurped the last bit of broth, Yayoi whisked the bowl out of her hand. “Please excuse us, gentlemen; I wish to speak to my daughter.” Kagome complied without protest, although Sha briefly looked pained at having to let her go. The young woman was surprised to be led into the kitchen instead of upstairs, the usual venue for mother-daughter chats in the past, but understood when Yayoi shooed her into the bathroom. “You'll feel much better after a quick shower, dear; I'll fetch your pyjamas.”

 

“Thanks, mom,” Kagome sighed, sliding out of her leather jacket.

 

Yayoi touched her daughter's grubby cheek. “Mr. Tenmaru told me what happened… a heavily edited version, I suspect.”

 

“It was… unpleasant,” she agreed, then tilted her head. “You must have been, um, surprised to find out that youkai exist?”

 

The older woman smiled quietly. “I was a little taken aback, especially when I ended up on the roof with your other nephew.”

 

“On the roof?”

 

“It was the safest place at that moment; one of the attackers had tentacles.”

 

“Tentacles!”

 

“Calm down, dear, or I suspect that your husband will be joining us.” Yayoi stopped to consider her words, then continued, “Dogs are known for their loyalty and protective natures… I assume that dog-youkai exhibit the same tendencies?”

 

“From what I've seen so far… yes,” Kagome agreed.

 

Yayoi nodded. “Considering what you're up against as the Shikon miko, I am quite content to have Sha's family on our side. When did you discover your husband's true nature?”

 

“Wednesday afternoon, when Grandpa `fell sick'; he'd actually been attacked by a youkai that was after the Jewel. We managed to kill it, but Sha was badly injured while protecting me.”

 

“Ah… so it wasn't a viral illness after all.”

 

“Er, no. In Sha's case, it was a sword through his chest.”

 

Yayoi pondered that information for a moment while Kagome stripped out of her ruined clothing and headed for the shower stall. “What really happened the day we found Sha in your bedroom?”

 

“A giant caterpillar-youkai.”

 

“Good heavens! Anything else?”

 

“That earthquake on Thursday? A dragon-youkai.” Kagome managed a chuckle at her mother's stunned expression as she stepped under the warm spray. “Mom… what about Grandpa? And S-sota?” she asked, leaning her forehead against the cool tiles, allowing the soothing water to flow over her aching body.

 

Mrs. Higurashi gathered up the discarded clothing. “Grandfather suffered chest pains this afternoon and finally agreed to go to the clinic around dinnertime. The doctor thinks he may have suffered a mild heart attack, but he's stable. Lord Nishiki has arranged for a security detail… although he feels that this Naraku fellow won't bother us again tonight.”

 

“Because he has what he wants,” Kagome mumbled. “Bargaining chips.”

 

“I am worried,” Yayoi admitted, hugging the laundry to her chest. “However, Lord Nishiki is confident that Sota will be all right, so I'm doing my best to think positive. By the way, did you know that Lord Nishiki can turn into an enormous white dog?”

 

“You saw him?”

 

“Impressive, if a little unnerving. I'll be back in a minute with your bedclothes.”

 

After the bathroom door shut, Kagome slowly washed her hair and soaped herself down, aware of every little twinge in her muscles. Well, I can't expect to fall off a skyscraper and not have any injuries… it could've been so much worse. A shudder passed through her frame as she unsuccessfully tried to not imagine Tsubaki's fate. Mom took the news about youkai fairly well… and has an `ear-fetish' according to Tsugane. Recalling Sha's response to her private ear-fondling gave her pause. Maybe Tsugane's mother used to pet his ears? Let's hope it was done in a maternal fashion! Kagome had just finished soaping up when the door opened, and Yayoi deposited her kitten-adorned pink pyjamas on the counter.

 

“Here you go, sweetie. Feeling better?”

 

“Yes, mom… thanks.” After the door closed, while rinsing off, Kagome was abruptly struck by a great weariness that threatened to buckle her knees. Ohhh… maybe not `better', after all. Turning off the taps, she leaned heavily against the wall, fighting the urge to simply close her eyes and slip away into oblivion. Splitting my head open or breaking my arm now wouldn't be an ideal way to face Naraku tomorrow. Forcing herself to remain both upright and conscious, Kagome worked her way out of the shower stall and across the room to the towels. However, that was it; she managed to land awkwardly and painfully on one of the small wooden bath stools. That's gonna bruise. Dragging a towel around her shoulders, she wrapped her arms around her knees. Just a minute or two to catch my breath….

 

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The young woman flinched as the steel panel briefly opened and a body was heaved inside. “Here you go, girlie… I left some for you!” chirped a falsetto voice, and then the door to the cell slammed shut, leaving her in near-darkness. The metallic tang of blood filled her nose, overpowering the pervading stench of rotten fish, mildew and diesel. The owner of the body groaned, and she jumped. Shaking off the terror that had been eating away at her, she painfully crawled to his side.

 

“Mr. Higurashi?” she whispered, tentatively reaching to brush the matted, damp hair away from his face, and recoiled, her fingertips sticky with fluid. “Please, don't die!”

 

“S'okay, Miss Mifune,” the teenager slurred, his face pressed into the decaying rubber matting, his clothing hanging off him in shreds. “Jus' a scratch….”

 

“How can I help you?”

 

“Wanna roll over…” Karin bit back a sob and helped Sota onto his back, revealing a vicious pattern of criss-crossing cuts covering his torso and thighs. Grimacing, he mumbled, “Hurts like an effing mofo… `scuse me, miss.”

 

“It's all right… don't trouble yourself on my account,” Karin replied, smearing at the tears streaking her bruised cheeks. She pulled her torn sleeve over her hand and dabbed at the blood on his face. “What did he do to you?” she asked in horror, noting how all the slices were shallow, seemingly designed to shed as much blood as possible without killing the victim.

 

“You don' wanna know… but th' bastard's gonna regret it.” Sota craned his neck in an attempt to look down at his injuries; Karin cast aside social mores and carefully pillowed his head on her lap.

 

“Thanks, miss… that's better,” Sota murmured, his eyes sliding closed. “Jus' need to hang on `til th' dogs sniff `em out….”

 

“You mean the police?”

 

A faint smile curved his lips. “Bigger an' nastier than that.” As the young man slid towards oblivion, Karin covered her face with her hands and wept.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“I will maintain a watch outside,” Sesshiro stated. “Our allies are on alert across the city.”

 

“What about the young woman that was kidnapped? Her family must be frantic!” Yayoi said worriedly, turning her tea cup in her hands.

 

“The police have been informed,” Tenmaru assured.

 

“Why was she taken?”

 

“She is, um, connected to our family,” Tsugane carefully replied. Yayoi noted the underlying tension among the four dog-youkai at the mention of the unfortunate Miss Mifune, and wisely dropped the subject.

 

“Tenmaru, you will remain here.” Inclining his head to Yayoi, Sesshiro rose to his feet and swept outside, his youki crackling; Tsugane bobbed a bow and raced after him.

 

After a moment of silence, Mrs. Higurashi clapped her hands. “Off to bed, everyone,” she briskly commanded. “Mr. Tenmaru, I can offer you a futon….”

 

“Thank you kindly, ma'am, but I will sit up with Lady Buyo,” he replied. “Youkai don't require as much sleep as humans.”

 

“Handy trait in a situation like this,” she observed. “I'll sleep in Sota's room, then, since my room is rather a shambles.”

 

Sha's ear twitched. “The shower stopped running ten minutes ago,” he muttered.

 

“I'll see what's taking her; she was very tired.” Yayoi bustled off, and the two hanyou soon heard her chivvying Kagome into her clothing. “Sha, can you give me a hand?” she called, and he leapt at her summons. Inside the bathroom, he found his mother-in-law struggling to dress his half-naked wife. “Hold her upright until I can get these pyjama bottoms on her,” Yayoi directed, and he propped up the barely-conscious young woman while she efficiently completed the task. Scooping Kagome into his arms, he smiled a little when she burrowed into his shoulder and fell sound asleep.

 

“The day must have finally been too much for her,” Yayoi observed as Sha carried his wife through the laundry room and out into the kitchen. As they passed, Mrs. Higurashi patted Tenmaru's arm. “If you're hungry, there are leftovers from the wedding lunch in the refrigerator. Help yourself, dear.”

 

“Thank you, ma'am,” the young dog-hanyou replied, smiling boyishly.

 

At the bottom of the stairs, Yayoi stopped Sha and first kissed Kagome, then tugged on his sidelock to bring his cheek into range. “Tomorrow will be a long day, my son, so try to rest as much as possible tonight.” She stopped, noticing the shabby hilt of his sword for the first time, because he couldn't hide it with his arms full of her daughter. “Is that… the Inuyasha-no-Tetsusaiga?”

 

“Yes.” He held his breath, waiting for her next question, because he hadn't identified himself as the mythical youkai pinned to the Goshinboku when they'd earlier spoken, but she didn't follow up.

 

Making shooing motions with her hands, Yayoi continued, “Off you go. I tidied up Kagome's room so that the bed is accessible.”

 

“Good night, Mother,” Sha said, with a small bow, and turned to ascend the stairs. He took a quick peek inside Yayoi's bedroom door, since it was open, and raised his eyebrows at the boarded-up window and the scattered debris. Shit. Fuck Naraku, anyways. Shouldering open Kagome's door, he was greeted by another tumbled mess, but a path to the bed had been cleared and the sheets turned down. Carefully arranging the young woman on the bed, he tucked the blankets around her shoulders and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead; she didn't even stir, apparently deeply asleep. Closing the door, he turned out the light and took a seat on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed with Tetsusaiga propped against his shoulder. This is my worst fucking nightmare come to life. I'm going to lose her… I know it. He was trying to not work himself into an even more agitated state when his hair was lightly pulled.

 

“Come t' bed,” Kagome mumbled, her eyes closed.

 

“Gotta stay awake and watch over you,” he replied, disentangling her fingers from his hair and kissing her palm.

 

“Lotsa guards outside… c'mon,” she urged.

 

He glanced down at himself. “My clothes are filthy.”

 

“Take `em off, then… I'm wearing `nough for both of us.” When he still hesitated, Kagome folded back the blankets and whispered, “Please.”

 

Sha exhaled, considering, and then mentally threw his hands in the air. What the hell. Doesn't really matter, does it? Stripping down to his underwear, he slid under the covers alongside the young woman, who immediately pillowed her head on his shoulder and draped her arm around his waist. “I don't smell that great,” he warned as she snuggled close.

 

“Don' care,” she sighed, as her knee slid between his thighs. “Wanna be wi' you.”

 

“You're lying on my sword arm,” he felt obliged to point out, but Kagome was already fast asleep, her fingers flexing on his skin. Sha tucked Tetsusaiga behind her back, then clasped her tickling hand in his and brought up both to rest over his heart, his other hand toying with her damp hair. Staring up at the ceiling, surrounded by her gentle scent, he tried to not think about tomorrow's likely outcome and failed miserably. Dammit, it isn't fucking fair. I just found her a week ago, and now… she'll be taken away, like everyone else I've ever loved. His eyes burned with tears, but instead of hastily scrubbing them away, he let them flow since there wasn't anyone to witness his weakness. Is this my destiny? To have a taste of happiness, but then lose it for centuries, until the gods decide to play with my heart again?

 

Sha rolled onto his side, carefully dislodging the slumbering young woman. Looking down at her face, he admired soft, slightly pouted lips and thick, dark lashes as she slept in his arms. Caressing her skin with pads of his fingers, his heart aching, Sha burned her delicate features into his memory. Kagome… the other half of my soul… gods, I want you to be my future. What price will we have to pay to be free of Naraku? A stray tear drop landed on her cheek as he wrapped himself around her, hiding his misery in her hair.

 

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