Hell Knows No Bounds

A.N.: Yo, Inuyasha freaks!! Welcome to another suspenseful chapter of my story! *nervous grin* Sorry"¦I've had too much sugar. I need to be "˜fed'! Reviews are a wonderful thing!!!! *puppy eyes once again* I'm pathetic enough"¦don't make me beg. I really don't want to resort to all that "60 reviews or no new chapter" bull. Not a threat...I just would not like to resort to that. (I'm too lazy to put that much effort into it!!)

Disclaimer: *winces in pain* Okay"¦the kidney idea didn't work. I may not own Inuyasha, but I was able to buy the entire DVD and manga collection! *grin*

**Last Chapter**

Kagome waved until their figures had disappeared into the early morning darkness. Dawn would be here in another three to four hours. The demoness glanced to the tree to find Sesshomaru sitting at its trunk again, head bowed in light sleep. Kagome cocked her head slightly, laughing to herself at his peaceful appearance. Sitting down beside him, Kagome snuggled up to the sleeping Taiyoukai's form and let her head fall against his shoulder. The demon's tail instinctively wrapped itself around her, giving some protection against the early morning cold. With one last look at the handsome demon lord, the miko-demoness settled into a dreamless sleep.

**On with the story**

Chapter 12
Into the West

The inky blue of the night sky faded to lavender, and then to pinks and gold with the rising of the sun. The village lay still, recovering from the previous night's activity. A chill remained in the damp morning air; birds chirping mildly in the new light.

Kaede exited the hut quietly, careful not to wake any of its other occupants. The children stirred, but remained in dreaming with peaceful sighs. Inuyasha's steady snore remained as such as Kikyo shifted in his arms, but soon returned to stillness. The old miko snatched up a basket and made her way to the forest, set on retrieving fresh herbs for the day's work. She smiled as she passed the sleeping demons; pink and gold rays of sun bouncing off of the blanket of obsidian and silver hair that surrounded the pair. Her feet ground into the dirt path as her figure disappeared into the trees.

Inside the hut, emerald eyes slowly blinked and widened. Shippo slowly sat up, wincing slightly as he felt his bruised skin twist and pull. With practice stealth, the kitsune climbed out of the futon and made his way towards the door. A small gasp almost made him step on a dreaming Inuyasha's head. Turning abruptly, Shippo saw Rin sit up and open her mouth to speak; he quickly raised a finger to his lips in request for her silence. The girl nodded her head vigorously before tip-toeing her way to meet him. The two children pushed back the door-flap and walked into the morning sun.

"Where is Sesshomaru-sama and Kagome-sama?" Rin asked once outside of the hut; her eyes blinked several times to adjust to the light. Shippo rubbed his own eyes before acknowledgeing her question. His bright eyes landed on the slumbering couple.

"Look there, Rin." Shippo pointed a clawed finger the sight. The girl giggled and started to run at Sesshomaru, but stopped when she felt Shippo grab her arm. "We had better wake them gently." He grinned slyly before taking her hand. "I doubt that they would appreciate a surprise this early in the morning." Rin giggled again and followed him to Sesshomaru and Kagome's sleeping forms.

Shippo went to Kagome's side as Rin went to Sesshomaru's, he smiled as he saw her tail twitch. The kitsune brought his face inches from the demoness's, his whisper was low.

"Mama? Mama, wake up." Shippo patted Kagome's cheek as her eyes slowly opened. She yawned and sat up, placing Shippo on her lap as she did so. Sesshomaru was beginning to wake as well. Kagome smiled down at her adopted son; the sunlight had turned her burgundy eyes into a light crimson.

"Good morning, my Shippo." She nuzzled the boy's head as she purred affectionately, a giggle bubbled from Shippo.

"Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin offered a toothy grin as the Taiyoukai rubbed his eyes and straightened his posture. He grunted slightly as he shifted his weight off of a protruding tree root.

"Good morning, Rin. Are you well?" The cold gaze warmed slightly as he patted the girl's head. Rin nodded furiously as she grasped one of Sesshomaru's legs. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome, the events of the previous night beginning to appear. The demoness returned his gaze, a small smile playing on her seductive lips.

"What are you two doing up so early?" Kagome ruffled Shippo's hair playfully; her eyes darted between her son and Rin.

"We aren't tired anymore, Mama. Rin and I didn't know where you two were so we came to find you!" Shippo began to shift restlessly in her lap, his tail swishing from side to side.

"How about we get you some breakfast then? You and Rin go get cleaned up while I find something for you." Kagome shooed the children off and stretched once more; a shivered suddenly flew up her spine.

The eyes of Sesshomaru bore into her, eyeing how the kimono clung to her curves in all the right ways as she stretched. His eyes rose to hers as he smirked; he stood quickly, using his tail to bring Kagome up with him. Her yelp of surprise only broadened the sly smirk.

"Show-off"¦" Kagome growled as she gave him a playful shove; Sesshomaru chuckled in spite of himself. The two embraced and shared a chaste kiss before Kagome went in search of her bag. Sesshomaru was about to follow when a toad-like demon appeared in the distance.

"Lord Sesshomaru! My Lord!" The creature was making great time until a bump in the countryside chose set him off balance; Jaken face planted with an unpleasant thud. Sesshomaru clicked his tongue, decided whether he was annoyed or amused. Jaken dusted himself off and continued his hurried pace to his master.

"Jaken." The toad came to a skidded halt, his chest heaving. Sesshomaru set his burning gaze on the whimpering minion. "Why do you hurry so?" He finally settled on annoyed as the toad began to stutter and chirp. "Speak quickly!" A growl was rising in his throat as the toad jumped.

"M-Milord! N-News from t-the house! There is a-a meeting with the o-other lords in t-two days time!" Jaken glued his eyes to a spot in the dirt between his feet, fearful of his master's reply. A large lump settled in the toad's throat as Sesshomaru grunted; a clawed hand raised up to rub his temples.

Sesshomaru rubbed his temples, willing the coming migraine to retreat. "˜The fates have it out for me, I'm sure of it.' Now not only did he have to deal with settling Kagome and her son into his home, now there was the question of three demon lords visiting as well. "˜She's going to kill me"¦' The thought of how Kagome would take having to be formally introduced to the others was now hitting him fully. Sesshomaru grunted, agitated with how the female was affecting him. "˜She is going to be the end of me.' He finally dropped his gaze to the quaking form of Jaken.

"Very well." Sesshomaru left it at that and walked to the hut. As he arrived, the Taiyoukai noticed that the children were already eating fruit out of a basket Kagome had prepared.

Inuyasha and Kikyo had awoken and now sat eating some of the ramen Inuyasha had brought back with him. The children smiled and said their hello's as he passed, searching for his demoness. Inuyasha grunted as he slurped; Kikyo bowed slightly in greetings and then returned to the unfamiliar cuisine. Sesshomaru's attention was brought to the hut as Kagome raised the flap in front of the entrance. Kagome smiled at his sweetly as she approached him. A frown grew on her features as she noticed his above-average, serious expression.

"Something wrong, Sess?" Kagome laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I have just received some news from home; I must return as soon as possible." He eyes searched hers, and Kagome understood the question his sunset orbs asked her. She smiled at his once more, letting her hand brush across his chest before dropping it completely. The demoness clapped her hands together, startling the seated group. Each pair of eyes bore into hers as she smiled brightly.

"As I am sure, you all know that Lord Sesshomaru has been courting me." The dining area became nerve-wrenchingly quiet, Inuyasha grumbled at her words. A smack from Kikyo quickly quieted him.

Kagome's eyes drifted to the approaching form of Kaede; the woman had impeccable timing. The old woman paused as she reached them, setting the basket of herbs by her feet as she gave Kagome her full attention. Kagome took this as a cue to continue with her speech.

"And I have decided to accept him as my mate." Shippo grinned as Rin let out a joyful cheer; the others remained politely quiet. "In accordance with such a decision, I must leave for the Western Lands. However, I will only go if Shippo agrees; my son's best interest comes first to me always." Eyes fell on Shippo, his mouth wide with surprise. Hardly a minute had passed when the kitsune launched himself from his seated position, and into Kagome's arms.

"I approve, Mama!" Shippo buried his head in Kagome's arms, happy tears coursing down his round cheeks. Rin ran to Sesshomaru, clutching his leg as her wide eyes met his.

"Is it true? Is Kagome-sama going to come live with us?" She squealed in delight as the Western Lord nodded his head.

"So when do you plan on leaving us, child?" Kaede leaned on her bow, a joyful expression on her weathered face.

"I can only assume as soon as possible considering Sesshomaru had business to attend to." Kagome brought a finger to her cheek in deep thought; her tail flicked across the grass in a counting rhythm. Shippo jumped from her embrace to stand beside Rin, happy grins brightening both of their faces.

"So you're just going to take off and leave us? What about Sango and Miroku?" Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest, tipping his nose in the air. Kikyo sweatdropped, smiling apologetically.

"I'm sure you'll come to see us, won't you?" The miko questioned, attempting avoid a painful end for Inuyasha.

"Of course we will. Besides, Sango and Miroku already know where I'll be." Inuyasha jumped up at the last statement. Kagome instantly felt the hair on the back of her neck bristle. Sesshomaru let a warning growl rumble through the air; his claws flexed instinctively.

"So you already knew you were going to leave us last night? Why didn't you say anything then?" Kagome held her own growl in check. Inuyasha didn't take the hint and continued to lecture the woman. "Nice job dropping this on us now! Gods, Kagome!" He suddenly froze as a cold smile graced Kagome's cherry lips. Leaning forward slightly, Kagome let the words fall from her lips in a purr.

"Sit boy"¦" A resounding thud filled the air, followed by laughter and swearing. Kagome straightened once more before turning to Sesshomaru, a smirk painted across his face. "I'm going to change before leaving." With a bow, Kagome ducked into the hut to change into her blood-red kimono once more.

Inuyasha finally managed to climb out of the hole, glaring at a giggling Kikyo as he did so. Kagome reappeared from the hut, the other clothes were tucked away in the silk covering once more. Inuyasha growled out "bitch" while cracking his back into place. Sesshomaru strode past him, pushing him back into the hole as he passed. Kikyo gasped and raced to help her lover out of the crater.

"You think you would have learned by now, love." Kikyo had to fight the laughter in order to pull the fuming male from the ground. The man shot her a sour look before sitting at the table again.

Kagome picked up the young kit, and watched as Sesshomaru gathered Rin; a sudden thought hit her.

"Why did you call Sesshomaru "˜Papa' last night, Shippo?" The kit blushed lightly, his hands knotted in her kimono. With hesitancy, Shippo raised his flushed face to make eye contact with his mother.

"When I first felt Sesshomaru's hands on my head, I thought my father had come back to me." Shippo shifted in her arms, his eyes darted to the ground. "But when I realized who it really was, I didn't care. It felt right to call him that." Kagome lifted his chin with a finger, her eyes searching his.

"It's okay, Shippo. Can you keep a secret?" Kagome smiled as the boy nodded his head in earnest. "I think you made him happy calling him that. But that's between you and me." The two hugged tightly before joining the Western Lord and beaming little girl. The demoness only made a small detour to gather her belongings. She gathered her bag, making sure to empty it of the ramen; Inuyasha would be sure to make use of it in time. With a final goodbye to Kaede, Inuyasha, and Kikyo, Sesshomaru summoned his riding cloud to carry the group to the West. Kagome called out to them as they rose into the sky.

"See you guys soon! I'll be sure to come back!" She giggled as she waved, the wind whipping her hair about her. The cloud rose and disappeared into the horizon. Kikyo set to clearing up the table from breakfast as Kaede returned her attention to her herbs. Inuyasha was left alone to stare at the sky.

"Take care, Kagome. Don't forget us"¦" Inuyasha smiled lightly, missing his best friend already.


TBC

Alright"¦not my best but I'm tired. I'm battling 3 research papers and two finals while writing this stuff for you guys. *pops back* My brain might need a lil R&R. *shrug* No worries though"¦48 hr deadline stands still! Lemon in the VERY near future!! Please review folks! Show a little love! ~_0 See you soon! Cheers! - G.S.

Special thanks to these loyal reviewers:

Kikiz "“Many thanks to you for coming back to tell me what's up! It's deeply appreciated. I promise not to beat up Shippo anymore"¦well"¦unless it can't be avoided. *goofy grin* Nothing too bad"¦promise!

SG21 "“ What can I say? I like being able to just keep posting chaps for you guys! As long as you guys are still diggin the story, I'll keep posting.

TricksterGoddess "“ Yeah"¦the "papa" thing was kind of spur of the moment, but it worked out! It's all good!!! Woohoo!