Her Destiny

Chapter 14

Kagome and Sango were making their way outside the castle. They were heading toward the gardens as they were both discussing the upcoming introduction for Kagome. They were making plans on the training they were going to be doing in the coming days, when they heard someone yell, “Kagome!”

Kagome stopped in her tracks as she spotted Inuyasha heading her way. He had a big smile on his handsome little face that reminded Kagome of her little brother.

Inuyasha came racing to her side and asked, “Kagome, a few of us were wondering if you can teach us some of that strange ninja fighting techniques that you use. We would all like to learn how to fight like that.”

Kagome was surprised that they wanted to learn something from her, what they called ninja fighting techniques. She looked at Sango and asked, “What do you think Sango? Should I teach them how to fight?”

Sango giggled as she said, “If they don’t mind learning from a girl, then by all means, I think that you should teach them. It will make them well rounded and they will be able to defend themselves.”

Kagome smiled as she said, “Very well Inuyasha, I will teach you and your friends if you are willing to listen to me. But if you refuse to follow my instructions then the lesson will end, is that understood?”

Inuyasha agreed as he turned and whistled over his shoulder. About 5 young Youkai came running out of the forest as they all stood behind Inuyasha. They were the smallest of the youkai in the castle and she now understood why they wanted to learn from her. They were the ones that were constantly picked on by the other youkai children in the castle. There was a kitsune, 3 Inu’s, and a neko, all of them were males and very small for their ages.

She looked at all of the children as she asked, “Are all of you willing to listen to the instructions that I’m going to be teaching you?”

All the children replied at the same time as they all said, “Yes.”

Kagome looked at Sango and then turned, saying to all of them, “All right lets go.”

Kagome turned and walked to the training field followed by 6 Youkai children, Sango, and Kirara. Once she got to the field she started her lessons with the children. Kagome was impressed. The children were listening to everything that she was saying and when she corrected them in their stance or pose they took it to heart and learned from their mistakes.

They practiced for two hours before Kagome called a halt to the practice. She had over heard one of the pups say that it was a waste of their time to learn such feeble moves. He wanted to learn real fighting techniques so that he wasn’t the one laying on the ground all the time, hurt by the older pups that were in the castle.

Kagome got an idea as she told Sango to wait for her there with the children. Kagome walked off to the side, towards the forest, as she said, “I know that you’re there watching us, please come out here were I can see you.”

There were at least two Inu Youkais that were watching what Kagome was doing with the young ones. One happened to be the father to one of the children, as they both stopped in front of Kagome and bowed deeply to her. The elder Inu Youkai was the one to speak for the both of them, as he said, “Yes milady, how may we be of service?”

“Please rise. I would like to know if you would be willing to demonstrate some moves with me. I want to show the young ones that everything I have been teaching them is not a waste of time or effort on their part. I will need you two to attack me. I promise not to hurt you.” Kagome said as she watched the soldiers with interest.

The one that had spoken before said, “I am willing to help you milady because one of the children that you have agreed to teach is my pup. I want him to learn how to take care of himself. I know that he is small and is picked on by the others. It pains me to see this but my duties prevent me from teaching him as much as I would like.”

Kagome turned to the other soldier as she asked, “How about you? Would you be willing to help me show the children some moves?”

The other Inu agreed to her request as they all walked over to where the children were sitting. Once she got in front of them Kagome said, “All right everyone listen up. I want to demonstrate those moves that I have been teaching you for the past two hours. I know that they are simple and you might think that you are not learning anything but I want you to see those moves in action.”

The pups all sat up straight as they watched what Kagome was going to do. Kagome turned to her opponents as she bowed and they bowed in return. They all got into a fighting stance as the first soldier attacked.

Kagome saw the first inu youkai coming towards her as she brought up her left arm and blocked his first punch. She then took her right fist and slammed it into his chest as the soldier fell backwards on the ground. He looked at her in awe as he stated, “You didn’t use your Reiyouku and you are still this powerful?”

Kagome giggled as she said, “Yes, I don’t need my Reiyouku to fight. I am strong on my own and what I want to show the children is that no matter how weak you think you are you can defend yourself. Size matters not, it is the skills you possess.”

The Inu Youkai soldier nodded his agreement as he looked at his partner. They both smiled at each other as they both attacked at the same time. They wanted to see how she would fare when they both attacked.

Kagome smiled when she saw them coming. She was wondering when they would come after her together as she got ready for their attack. They moved with demonic speed as Kagome blocked their first strikes.

There was a blur of fists moving in the area as Kagome had yet to throw a punch. She was just avoiding their attack. She moved with speed as she defended herself against the youkai. Then she decided that it was time to strike back.

Kagome turned as she grabbed the arm of the first soldier as he threw a punch at her. She then turned and kicked her right foot up as she caught the second soldier on the left side of his head and sent him to the ground.

She then turned, still holding on to the youkai’s arm, and threw the other soldier over her shoulder making him land squarely on his back behind her. She put a well-placed kick on his stomach and left him withering on the ground. She quickly turned and brought her left leg up and caught the other soldier, who was about to attack her again, in the face as he went down. She followed up with an elbow to his stomach as both soldiers laid on the ground not being able to breath.

Kagome stood as she turned to her students and said, “Now do you all think that what I have been teaching you is a waste of time?”

All of the children shook their heads no as they watched the soldiers slowly get up off the ground. She turned to them and bowed as she said, “I thank you for helping me demonstrate some of the moves I have been teaching them. This little demonstration served to prove my point that size and strength matters not. It’s the knowledge that you hold that makes you into a better fighter.”

Kagome then turned her attention to the children as she said, “All right everyone lets get back to work.”

All of the children were eager to learn as they all got back to training.

The soldiers left the area with a few new bruises but were a little bit wiser for the wear. This ningen was strong without her Reiyouku. They imagined what could have happened to them if she really did use her Reiyouku. They shuddered at the thought as they went about their duties.

What Kagome didn’t notice was that she had an audience. A pair of golden orbs was trained on her as he watched her training the pups.

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru was in the trees as he watched what Kagome was doing with some of the pups from the castle. He was impressed that she had attacked not using her Reiyouku. She was powerful without it and this pleased him immensely. She will be a wonderful mother to their own pups when they have them.

He inhaled deeply then growled. She had taken off his scent and this did not please him at all. He was wondering, how on earth did she manage to do that, he has never heard of any female being able to remove the scent that was put on them by a male.

He remembered when he placed the scent on her. It was very enjoyable indeed.

-------FLASH BACK START OF LIME-------

They had just left Mount Tsuruga and he was trying to find a place to rest for the night. He was tired and Kagome had fallen unconscious in his arms on their way down from the summit.

He spotted a cave not too far away from the mountain as he made his way there. He walked up to the cave entrance and sniffed. He determined that the cave had been empty for a while now and they could rest here in peace. He spotted some dried grass and placed Kagome down on the makeshift bed.

Sesshoumaru sat next to her and gazed upon her sleeping form. He couldn’t bare the thought of other males going anywhere near her. He sat there and thought for a few minutes. He couldn’t mark her, or his father would kill him if he did. He needed to wait until she was presented and then won the fight to dominate her.

Then he got an idea. He could put his scent on her and no one would know what he did because she would smell like him anyway. With them spending time together like this his scent had already rubbed off on her. He just had to make it a little stronger so it would last until the arrival of the other lords.

Sesshoumaru was happy with this idea as he looked at his sleeping angel. She was still wearing the white nemaki. She had left the castle in such a hurry that she forgot to change clothes. She was perfect in their eyes as he heard his beast growl in contentment. At this moment in time he actually agreed with his beast. They had found the perfect mate.

He held up his hand and began to open and close it repeatedly. Inu Youkai had oil glands in their bodies that made them unique. This oil was used to mark their mates. Although the female never knew what the male was actually doing for they would be busy doing other things. But since Kagome was unconscious he could do this without her knowledge.

He looked at his hand and saw the oil starting to come out of his pores. When he had enough in his palm, he was ready to rub the oil on her body. He opened her obi and then pulled the nemaki apart. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. She was gorgeous in his eyes. Perfect in everyway that a female should be. But then he spotted something that blocked his view of all of her. She was wearing some sort of material around her chest and something that covered her sex very well. He sighed he would not be able to remove these garments without her noticing that he had done something to her.

He looked down her flawless body and noticed for the first time that she had no shoes on. Her feet were bloodied and numerous cuts on her feet. He took her leg as he started to massage it gently. Slowly running his hands over the skin of her leg as he gently massaged her, making sure that the muscle relaxed and got stronger. Her skin was very soft to the touch as his fingers traced every curve of her leg. Her muscles were firm and her skin just had a little give to it.

The oil in his hand was immediately transferred to Kagome as his scent was beginning to cover her natural scent of Midnight Blooming Jasmine. He continued to rub, working his way down to her feet and then he started to heal them for her.

His hands glowed brightly as he healed her wounds. ‘When she awakens in the morning she will not notice that her feet have been injured.’ Sesshoumaru thought as he continued to heal her. When he was done he continued to leave his scent on her body.

He rubbed his hands up her leg again as he reached her thigh, he came close to her heat but it was covered up by a white thin cloth. He sighed, knowing that he couldn’t take it off so he could bury his face where her scent was the strongest; he then went on to massage her other leg. He rubbed every muscle of her leg as he felt her relax under his touch.

He then went to her stomach, gently caressing her soft and warm skin, then, he ran his hands up her side feeling her curves as he went. He brought his hands down and moved them over her stomach. He felt her move as he quickly looked up to see if she was going to wake up. She shifted just a little but continued to sleep.

He let go of the breath that he didn’t know he was holding as he continued to explore her body. He moved his hands up, wanting, no yearning to take her breasts into his hands. Then he got an evil thought as he moved the material up exposing her breast to his hungry eyes.

They were perfect, her breast fit right into the palm of his hand, he moved one hand over her breast and gently squeezed. He heard her moan gently as he felt her peaks go stiff from what he was doing.

He moved the hand that was holding the material up over to expose the other breast as he pulled the material above them leaving them exposed. He put his hand on the other breast as he gently massaged it as well. Both his hands were occupied massaging her breasts as their peaks stiffened from his administration.

Kagome shifted and moaned, making Sesshoumaru freeze in place. He thought it best to continue placing his scent on her before she woke up. He moved his hands up and brought the material back down and covered her beautiful mounds.

He then proceeded to her upper chest and neck. He rubbed his hands slowly around her neck as he bent down and nuzzled her gently taking in her scent. He was satisfied that she now carried a good amount of his scent on her. He heard her sigh in contentment as he continued to rub every bit of her exposed skin. He was careful in what he did because he didn’t want Kagome to wake up and see what he was doing.

His beast demanded that he take her at once. She was theirs and they would not risk losing her to another male. Sesshoumaru battled with his beast and calmed him down saying, ‘We cannot mark her as our own. We are the heirs to the west and as such the other lords must approve our mate. Without their approval, if we take a mate they will not recognize her as lady of our lands. Do you wish that to happen? We have responsibilities to the land and the people we protect.’

His beast settled down after that. When Sesshoumaru was done placing his scent on his intended mate, he closed her nemaki and put her obi back on. He then pulled her onto his chest, placing her head on his shoulder, and wrapping his arms around her small form.

Kagome subconsciously wrapped her arms around Sesshoumaru’s chest as she settled down to sleep for the rest of the night. Sesshoumaru purred in satisfaction as he buried his nose in Kagome’s hair and fell asleep.

-------END OF LIME FLASH BACK-------

He had enjoyed putting his scent on her but he would have enjoyed it more if he could’ve rubbed his body against hers. That is the traditional way of placing his scent on her but he would have to wait for that opportunity.

He continued to watch his intended as she instructed the runts of the castle. She was taking their training very seriously and making sure that each of them learned the correct posture and positions of the moves that she was teaching. She was a very good instructor and he wondered if she had students before.

He turned his attention back to his beloved and noticed that practice was over for the day. The ningen onna’s were now playing with the pups on the field. They looked to be chasing each other as everyone ran away from only one child. He wondered what sort of game they were playing when he heard the young kit say, “Tag! You’re it!”

‘Tag?’ Thought Sesshoumaru, what a strange game. He continued to watch as the pups played down in the field. Kagome was in the middle of the children as she squealed and ran away from them. Soon the game was forgotten as the children tried to catch Kagome.

He noticed right away that Kagome was just running fast enough to let the children stay close to her. She could have dodged every hit but she chose not to. She chose to be it for the children as she chased them around the field.

The shriek of laughter could be heard as the children where enjoying themselves. Kagome managed to grab one of the pups and began to tickle the little one. The other children came to the pup’s defense as they pushed Kagome down on the ground and started to tickle her in return. It was very funny to watch as Kagome withered on the ground laughing.

Sesshomaru continued to watch as they went from game to game with Kagome. She taught them many new ones that even he didn’t know how to play as he observed from his perch.

---oOo---

Akurei was watching what was going on down in the field. The so-called strongest miko of the land was playing with youkai children. ‘How pathetic, a ningen miko lowering herself to play with youkai children, she really is no threat to me if she is under the control of Youkai. But just for good measure it wouldn’t hurt to kill the miko. In the long run I will kill every powerful miko in the land to make sure that they won’t get in my way. So this one’s demise will not hurt.’

Akurei got ready as she chanted her spell that released the youkais that she held at her disposal. She let out the first waves of her youkai allies into the field down below. Once the castle is thrown into turmoil, she can go down there and kill the miko herself. She would take her blood and use it to make herself young again. She did not lie to that youkai lord, she truly wanted the miko’s blood as it was the source of her powers, and also, it was the secret to her longevity and young looks.

Kagome was laughing her head off when she felt a large amount of youki coming their way. She pushed the children away from her as she stood up on her feet. She was scanning the area as she pulled her twin swords from their sheath and said, “Run, run back to the castle for protection.” When she saw that the children wouldn’t move she yelled, “RUN NOW!”

The children had no idea what was going on but when they saw that Kagome had pulled her swords from her back they knew that something bad was coming. They backed away from her hearing her words. They stood there not being able to move, as they were petrified. Only when they heard her yell, “RUN NOW!” did they actually turn to leave the field and head back to the castle. But they were surrounded as hundreds of youkai came out of the forest.

Kagome and Sango cursed under their breath as they saw the amount of youkai coming from the forest. But that’s not what caught Kagome’s attention. The fact that she was sensing a kuro miko out in the forest was her greatest fear, because she could hurt the children.

At that moment the soldiers that were protecting the castle came into the field as they surrounded the pups to protect not only them but the two ningens there as well.

---oOo---

The new commanders that Inutaisho had appointed took their job very seriously as they sensed that youkai had somehow come through the barrier. They were heading for the young miko who was currently training some young pups at the training field.

They had gathered their soldiers and raced to where the threat was located. They arrived as the youkais where emerging from the forest, the soldiers quickly took a defensive stance against the enemy to protect the young miko along with the pups.

The commander that was in charge turned to Kagome and said, “Milady, take the pups and head for the castle, we will protect you while you get the pups to safety.”

Kagome was torn. She wanted to help defend the castle but she was also worried about the pups that were with her. She set her mind on what she had to do. The little one’s came first as she said over her shoulder, “Sango! Help me get the children back to the castle!”

Sango and Kagome gathered the children as they raced back to the castle. They were all running away from the field when they were attacked. They dodged the blast of Youki that was thrown at them as Kagome countered with, “Arashi No Kaze!” A powerful storm of winds came out of her swords as it surged towards the enemy. It ripped them apart as they continued to make their way to the castle.

Kagome fell behind with the ones that where having problems running. She saw as Sango raced forward with the other children as Kagome protected the two she had.

Inuyasha was struggling to keep up with Kagome and the others. Shippou had stayed back with him as they ran back to the castle. At that moment a youkai came out of nowhere and grabbed Inuyasha in his deadly claws as he brought him into the air. He was squeezing the life out of Inuyasha as he cried, “KAGOME! HELP ME!!!!”

Kagome stopped only to see that a youkai had Inuyasha in his grasp. She felt her anger beginning to rise, the like of which she has never felt before. It was an instinct that females possessed to protect the young, as it finally snapped inside Kagome. She growled out her warning to the youkai that had Inuyasha, “Let him go you bastard!”

The youkai just smirked as he said, “Why should I let him go? To kill the son of the Western Lord would make me very well known. It matters not that he is the runt of the litter.”

Kagome at that moment looked at Inuyasha and she saw the tears running down his face. He was scared and hurt as Kagome’s anger exploded. Her eyes turned a pure white as she gripped her katanas even tighter. She rushed forward not caring what happened to her, the only thing on her mind was to get to Inuyasha.

She leaped into the air as she yelled, “Raijin Kogeki!!!” A powerful bolt of lighting drew out from the sword, severing the arm of the youkai that held Inuyasha, killing it instantly. Kagome brought her sword down and cut Inuyasha’s limp form out of the youkais grasp. She brought him into her chest as she landed gently on the ground.

Sango and the other children were at her side when she landed as she placed Inuyasha’s limp form on the ground. She took out her dagger and cut her hand open. She allowed her blood to drip to the ground as she stabbed the dagger into her blood creating a very powerful barrier around her small group.

She then turned her attention to Inuyasha as she summoned her healing powers. She placed her hands on his slowly rising chest as she healed all of his wounds. When he was healed and he was breathing easier, she sighed in relief.

She looked around and then said, “Shippou, come here please.”

Shippou moved closer to Kagome as he heard her say, “Can you cut your thumb for me please.” Shippou was confused but he complied with her wishes, as he cut his thumb on his sharp little fangs.

Kagome took his thumb and then pressed it to the dagger. The drop of blood mixed with hers as she turned to him and said, “Shippou, I’m going back out there to fight. When help gets here, meaning when you see Lady Ayashiko, I want you to pull the dagger out of the ground. It will drop the barrier that I have created around you. I want you all to stay with Inuyasha. He will be fine, I have healed all of his wounds and injuries.”

Kagome then turned her attention to the rest of the pups and said, “Do not touch the barrier or you will get hurt. The barrier will protect you from harm until help comes from the castle. Shippou is the only one that can bring the barrier down.”

Kagome stood on her feet, as she made contact with her Karioya and mentally said, “Hahaue, Otou-san, the castle is under attack and Inuyasha has been hurt. I have healed his wounds and I need someone to come down and tend to his needs. I’m going back out to the battle, I have a kuro miko to kill for what she has done.”

---oOo---

Inutaisho and Ayashiko have been in the study discussing the message that they received from their spies. Akira, Kentaru, and Youko had managed to join Jakyoku army and were keeping an eye out on what was going on.

They have been secretly sending messages back to their lord informing him of what Jakyoku was planning. They gave him a warning that he was still after Kagome and that he had just gotten back from seeing a kuro miko. They had no idea what they talked about but they figured that it was not good.

Inutaisho has already set his soldiers on alert, to be on the look out for the kuro miko. They didn’t want anything to hurt their pups.

Once they got that taken care of they were discussing, in detail, the upcoming meeting of the lords to present Kagome. They were getting to the finer details of the ceremony when they heard Kagome talking to them. At the thought that their youngest was hurt made the two youkais inside the castle rage as they roared their anger at the intruders.

They rushed out of the castle as they went to the battle that was raging down in the field. They spotted the pups in the middle of the fight with a strong barrier around them as they raced to their side.

All of the soldiers, that protected the castle, were engaging the enemy as the two-youkai rulers saw their elder son in the middle of the fight with blood red eyes. He was on the verge of losing control, and going into a full blood lust, for what they had done to his brother.

Inutaisho took out his sword and with one swing cleared the path to his youngest as his mate raced right behind him.

Ayashiko used her claws as she was cutting down the youkai that got in her way of getting to her pup. Her eyes, now red with anger, only saw where her pup was located, and anyone getting in her way was quickly cut down, as she raced towards Inuyasha.

They stopped before touching the barrier that protected the pups, when they saw a youkai get purified for touching it.

Ayashiko, when she saw her pup lying on the ground with dried blood on his mouth, lost it, as a mother’s rage took over. A powerful wave of her youki spread over the area, as any of the enemy youkai that came in contact with it died on the spot. Her powers were so great that every youkai that was in the immediate area was destroyed, as the castle soldiers quickly got out of the way of her attack.

Ayashiko walked over to where her pup was laying on the ground. Her red aura was encircling her body, like a barrier, as she walked right through Kagome’s barrier to where Inuyasha was laying on the ground. She picked him up in her arms as she whimpered. ‘He should have never gotten hurt in his own home.’ Thought Ayashiko as she stood with Inuyasha in her arms.

Shippo upon seeing Ayashiko enter the barrier without getting hurt almost fainted. He never knew that she possessed such great powers. When she stood with Inuyasha she turned to him and said, “Shippou lower the barrier and I want all of you to come with me.”

Shippou quickly pulled the dagger from the ground as it lowered the barrier. All of the children stayed close to the lady of the castle, her own aura encircled all of the pups and protected them, as she led them back to safety.

Inutaisho upon seeing that his mate had their son safe in her arms and the other pups following closely by her side, turned his attention to his other son. He raced towards Sesshoumaru, killing all the youkai that stood in his way. When he was by Sesshoumaru’s side he asked, “Sesshoumaru where is Kagome?”

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru was still in the tree watching his intended playing with the pups. He had laughed in some instances when the pups had her pinned to the ground tickling her. He mused, ‘Hmm, I must remember this. She is very ticklish and I can use that to my advantage.’

Then he felt the slight change in his mate’s scent as he saw her standing up and looking around the area. He opened his senses and found that a large amount of youkais was heading toward the field. He saw the castle soldiers come out of the forest and surround Kagome and the pups to protect them.

He heard the new commander words to his mate as he saw the inner struggle that she was having complying with his orders. But he saw that her maternal instinct to protect the pups was stronger, as she left with the children to go back to the castle.

Sesshoumaru jumped from the tree he was in as he joined his father’s soldiers down below in the fight to protect the castle. He was in the middle of a battle with a very large youkai when he heard his brother cry for help. He took the chance and looked over to where the sound came from and saw that his brother was in danger. His eyes started to bleed red as he dispatched the youkais in front of him and made his way over to where his brother was located.

He saw Kagome attack and get his brother free as his anger took over. No one hurt his brother; they will all pay for hurting him with their lives. He was attacking the youkai that was near his brother and his intended when he picked up the scent of his beloveds blood. This sent him over the edge as he thought that she was hurt. His blood lust came forth as he was killing everything in his way.

It wasn’t until his father came to his side that he had recovered part of his senses as he looked for his mate. They heard a blood-curdling scream that belonged to Kagome as they both left the area and went to help her.

---oOo---

Kagome left the children behind, in the barrier she created, as she and Sango raced into the battle. Kirara was following closely behind them as they killed all the youkai that stood in their way.

Kagome’s twin swords where humming with power, purifying youkai after youkai when they made contact with her swords. She had a specific goal in mind as she was making her way over to the kuro miko that started all of this. She finally found her as she stopped about 20 feet away from her.

Akurei turned as she saw the miko coming towards her. She was not impressed by the miko as they stood there starring at each other.

Akurei decided to break the silence between them as she said, “You know, for a powerful miko you degrade yourself by being with youkais. It is a disgusting behavior to be playing around on a field with their pups or teaching them our way of battle.”

Kagome huffed, furious at the comments that the kuro miko has made, “No, there are no differences between the youkais and ningens. Children are children and they need to be loved and protected. There is nothing wrong with teaching them to protect themselves from people like you. It’s kuro miko’s like you that give the rest of us a bad name. Why are you here?”

Akurei was getting irritated with this miko as she said, “I came here to kill the most powerful miko in all the land, but when I got here, all I find is a pathetically weak ningen girl that has lowered herself to play with youkai children. I will end your pathetic existence and then be on my way.” Akurei then shot a blast of kuro miko powers toward Kagome.

Kagome’s anger was out of control. She could not permit this woman to live. Her aura was so dark that it was almost suffocating at times. She saw a blast of her kuro powers coming straight for her as she put up a powerful barrier to protect herself, Sango, and Kirara.

The blast hit Kagome’s barrier and it almost broke, almost being the key word, as Kagome concentrated on her powers and brought it forth to protect those with her. She deflected the blast right back to its owner as Kagome pulled Jenjou out of its sheath, her twin blades having been put away, she was ready to fight this kuro miko.

Kagome turned her attention to Sango and said, “Sango, I want you to stay in this barrier. I can handle the likes of her. But I can’t handle you getting hurt while I’m fighting.”

Sango reluctantly agreed to her request as she and Kirara watched what was going to happen.

Akurei was not expecting her blast to be returned to her. She had to move fast to avoid getting hit with her own powers. She turned and glared daggers at the miko. She was a lot stronger than she anticipated.

Kagome stepped out of her barrier and faced off with the kuro miko. The kuro miko was powerful because Kagome felt the power that she holds. But Kagome also felt the power of other miko’s within her, as her eyes grew big with understanding. “You used the blood of other miko’s to keep yourself alive all these years. How could you do that to the others of our kind?”

Akurei laughed an evil laughter as she said, “Is it not obvious on why I did it? How do you think I have lived all these years? I’m ningen but yet I’m over 130 years old and I expect to live longer. As long as there are miko’s like you around to feed my need for blood then I will continue to live.

Midoriko’s blood sustained me for a long time before I needed others. I lived for over 100 years with her blood. I have yet to find another miko with such powers. But if I can then I would live forever!”

Kagome was shocked to hear this. This kuro miko had killed Midoriko, her real mother. The power that had been building up inside of Kagome had finally reached its peak when she heard this kuro miko’s confession.

Because of her she had lost her mother, because of her, she was living a miscible life in the future, because of her she was hurting the one’s she had grown to love over the six months. She had finally found a place where she belonged and she was taking all that away.

Jenjou was starting to gain power as Kagome brought it forth to do battle. She was trying to keep her anger in check as she went after the kuro miko. Sword met sword as Kagome’s blade clashed against the one in Akurei’s hand. The pure white aura of Kagome’s sword was battling the pure black aura of Akurei’s.

It was a battle of strength as they tried to see who was the stronger of the two. Neither would back down from the other as they both pushed each other away. They continued to battle with their swords until Akurei sent out a blast of her kuro miko powers that hit Kagome right in the chest.

Kagome screamed in pain as she was surrounded by a dark aura. She had her forearms crossed in front of her face as she tried to fight off the blast. It was powerful and she was starting to lose to this woman.

At that moment she felt Inutaisho coming towards her along with Sesshoumaru. She had to fight to protect them because if she didn’t, this woman would kill them.

Inutaisho and Sesshoumaru came into the clearing and what they saw sent their bloods boiling. Kagome was surrounded by a dark aura and she was trying to fight it.

Inutaisho lost his composure upon seeing his pup in danger and yelled, “What are you doing to my pup you wench! Release her!”

Akurei turned to the new comers and spoke frostily, “That youkai, is none of your concern. What you should be concerned with is staying alive.” Akurei released more youkai into the area, which went straight toward Inutaisho and Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru at seeing his intended in danger, lost all control over his inner beast as it came forth to protect their mate. His eyes turned a pure blood red as his fangs and claws grew in length. He did not transform completely but he did call forth the power he held deep within himself to come and protect his intended mate. He howled into the air letting everyone know of his rage. Kagome was all he could think about as he attacked the on coming youkais.

Kagome heard Sesshoumaru’s howl and it went deep into her soul. It brought forth her powers in its rarest form as she broke the spell surrounding her. Her body glowed a pure white in color, as she stood there in front of Akurei and said, “You bitch! Die for attacking the one’s I hold dear to my heart!”

Kagome raised her hand up as a powerful blast of her Reiyouku came forth and went straight for Akurei.

Akurei saw the attack coming as she tried to get out of the way. She couldn’t move fast enough to escape the blast as she surrounded her body with her most powerful barrier. Kagome’s blast hit Akurei, who fought desperately against it. She was about to win against the force of the blast when her strength failed her and Akurei was consumed by Kagome’s powers.

Once the light faded from the area, Akurei was down on her hands and knees trying to breath. Her hair started to turn white as her skin was becoming wrinkled. She had been hurt very badly by that miko’s power. It has somehow negated the power of the dead miko’s blood that she had stolen.

She was a lot stronger than she anticipated. She gathered what little energy she had left and sent it forth, as another wave of youkai went toward the girl, Akurei made her escape during the resulting melee.

Akurei would have to find some more miko’s to replenish her powers and then come back to kill this bitch. She could not allow her to live now. She was a threat to her life and she has something that she wants. With the blood of that young miko she would become immortal. But first she must kill her to make her dream come true.

Kagome was left weak by the blast she sent towards the kuro miko. She was not expecting the youkais that came toward her as she dodged the first wave of attacks. She was not so lucky with the second wave as she was hit and she landed hard on the ground.

Hiraikotsu came flying in, cutting the youkais in half, which were about to hurt Kagome. Sango had left the safety of the barrier to go and protect her friend. She was fighting the hordes of youkais with Kirara that wanted to kill Kagome.

Kirara was battling with the youkais in front of her when all of a sudden she heard a gentle voice in her mind, ‘Kirara, take Kagome back to our village and bring her to my cave. Quickly my friend before we lose her.’

Kirara roared into the air as she raced towards the fallen miko. She picked Kagome up gently and placed her on her back. Kirara then took off into the air as she left the battle behind. Her former mistress had asked her to get Kagome back to her village and bring her to the cave. She will do this for her because there had to be a reason she was requesting this of her.

Kirara looked back as she sensed that she was being followed. She turned to see at least 5 youkais following her in the air. Kirara knew that she couldn’t fight with the girl on her back. She had to get the girl to safety as she concentrated and transformed into a ball of fire. Streaking across the sky, Kirara was leaving behind a line of fire, as she flew away from the area, heading back home.

---oOo---

The battle in the area was finally over. Inutaisho was tired as he looked around for Kagome. He spotted Sango as he raced to her side and asked, “Sango where is Kagome?”

Before Sango could even answer they heard the vicious growls coming from Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru had followed Kagome’s scent as he kneeled down on the ground. His intended was hurt and she was missing. He picked up the scent of the neko youkai and howled into the air. That neko had taken his Kagome and he would follow to get her back. He transformed into his true form as he howled into the air and took off. He would get her back no matter what.

Sango, seeing that Sesshoumaru had transformed into his true form, turned to the youkai lord and said, “Milord, we must hurry. Kirara took Kagome away from here and the direction she was going, she was heading back to my village. If Sesshoumaru gets there before us, he will attack and destroy my home.”

Inutaisho’s eyes opened wide as he grabbed Sango and formed his demonic ball of light. He had to quickly make his way toward Sango’s village before his son got there. Once he did get there, he didn’t know what he was going to do to calm his son down.

---oOo---

Kirara traveled quickly back to her village. She had to reach Midoriko’s cave before anything happened. She could feel that someone was coming after her because their aura was very powerful. She could only guess on who it might be, as she traveled quickly.

Kirara reverted back into her normal form once she reached the village. The villagers noticed her return as they came into the center of the village to greet her.

Hiro came running out of his house when the alarm was given. He saw Kirara coming down and made his way to the center of the village to see what was wrong. When he got there he noticed that Kirara had someone on her back and she was hurt. The villagers made to take the girl from Kirara but she growled viciously at them to stay away.

Hiro was confused on why the neko was acting this way, as he said, “Kirara, the girl is hurt, we must help her with her injuries.”

The fire under Kirara’s feet flared to life as the villagers tried to get closer to the neko. They stepped back as Kirara looked off to the side and leaped into the air. She was heading toward Midoriko’s cave at a fast pace.

Hiro and several of the village men followed closely behind the neko youkai. They had no idea what was going on or why she was acting so strangely. All they knew was that there was a girl that needed their help and the neko was unwilling to let them get close to her.

Several of the villagers raced forward as they went around and tried to head off the neko. They knew that she was heading toward Midoriko’s cave as they hurried to intercept.

Kirara was running as fast as she could without dropping the girl on her back. She couldn’t fly because of the spells and enchantments around the area that prevented her from doing so. She was almost to the cave when several of the village men stepped in front of the cave entrance, blocking her from entering.

Various weapons were leveled at the neko youkai as Hiro came up from behind. He signaled his men to stop as he said, “Kirara, please we only wish to help the young girl. We will not harm her we promise. But if she continues to lose blood like this she will not survive the night.”

The sense of urgency was growing strong in Kirara’s mind. Midoriko wanted the girl in the cave as soon as possible. She roared her request to the cave begging Midoriko for help. She could not attack as long as Kagome was unconscious on her back.

Kirara also noticed that during the time she was traveling to her village, storm clouds were slowly moving in. They were dark clouds meaning that there was a storm coming and soon. She needed to get the girl to safety and to a dry place so she wouldn’t get sick if it did rain. She roared again but the villagers wouldn’t move out of her way.

The villagers, seeing that the neko youkai would not let them get close to the girl, were slowly making their way toward Kirara. Their weapons were raised, ready to attack, to get the young girl away from the neko.

At that moment a powerful barrier was put around Kirara and the sleeping Kagome as it stopped the villagers in their tracks. Kirara gave a small growl of thanks as she walked by the villagers. The barrier prevented them from attacking the neko as she made it to the safety of the cave. Hiro and his men tried to follow but the cave refused to let them in.

They stood there in front of the cave as Hiro said, “Midoriko must have been the one to summon Kirara here with the girl. That neko has always been loyal to Midoriko until my daughter befriended her. We can only hope that Midoriko will heal the girl’s wounds and not let her die.” They all sat in front of the cave and waited. They would protect the female that was within the cave until she came out with the neko.

They were there for a long time when the alarm was given around the village. Two very powerful youkais were coming their way. Hiro has never felt such power coming from any youkai before. Whoever was coming would be here soon, as he left several of the village men to guard the cave. He took the remaining men and headed towards the center of the village.

There they waited until they saw a golden ball of light coming in fast. They made room for it to land, Hiro stopped his people from attacking the golden ball of light, which was landing in their village. He had a feeling on who it might be and he was correct.

Inutaisho landed with haste as he let go of Sango and turned towards the direction where his son would be coming into the village. His eyes clearly focused on the task at hand to calm his son down.

Hiro came running up to the youkai lord as he said, “Milord, who is coming this way?”

Inutaisho let out a sigh of frustration as he said, “That would be my eldest son, Sesshoumaru. I presume that Kirara has come here with a young girl on her back.”

Hiro was shocked that he knew of the girl as he answered, “Yes, she arrived about an hour ago and the neko is in Midoriko’s cave with the young girl. She would not let us get near her to treat her wounds and she was bleeding rather badly.”

Inutaisho thought as much, Kagome’s blood was strong in this place and that was driving his son out of control. He turned to the ningens and said, “I will handle my son. I request that your people stay out of this fight. He might kill you in his current state of mind.”

Hiro was shocked to hear this as he asked, “Why is he so upset? We have done nothing to him, milord.”

“He is upset that Kirara took Kagome from him. He sees her as his intended mate though the right of courtship has not been granted yet. In three weeks time Kagome will be presented to the governing lords of the land and if they accept her as my pup then she will be introduced as a female ready to be mated. My son will make his intension known at this time. But because of traditions he cannot court her, as he would like.” Inutaisho said, he was sensing that his son was getting closer to the village.

Inutaisho stepped away from Hiro as he started to glow a golden color. He transformed into his true form as he raced into the forest going after his son, before he reached the village.

The villagers were shocked to see the great beast that stood before them. It was a magnificent creature, the pure silver inu was huge as he stood tall and sniffed the air. His blood red eyes scanned the forest searching for his son. Once he found his scent he raced off into the forest, going after him.

Hiro turned his attention to his daughter as he asked, “Sango what is going on here? Who is that girl? And why is the Lord of the West so interested in her?”

Sango had so far been standing off to the side, just watching and listening to everything that was happening in front of her. When she saw Inutaisho leave she said a silent prayer that he would be able to control Sesshoumaru or else everyone in her village would die today.

She heard her father’s questions and then answered, “The girl with Kirara is named Kagome. She is the one that you sent me to protect. She is the descendant of Midoriko and a very powerful miko. I have never, in my life, seen a more powerful miko.”

Hiro heard his daughter’s reply while stating, “But Sango, Midoriko had no relatives that we knew of. She was the only one of her clan.”

“I know father but Kagome is Midoriko descendant and as such she has even surpassed Midoriko in her powers. Kagome was the one that Lord Inutaisho had in his arms that day he came here and took the Shikon No Tama with him. He has protected Kagome from any harm because it was a promise made long ago between Lady Ayashiko and Midoriko to look after each other’s children.

He loves Kagome as his daughter and so does his mate. Sesshoumaru, the heir to the West, has an interest in Kagome. But youkai law is complicated. Heirs to the land cannot mate a female unless the governing lords have approved them. If Sesshoumaru was to take Kagome as his mate, they would not recognize her as the new Lady of the West, therefore making their mating void. Sesshoumaru does not want this. I think that he has deep feelings for Kagome but he must hold them back until he defeats the other males who will challenge for the right to court Kagome.

Once he defeats them then he has the right to court her. But until that time, he has been protecting Kagome, to make sure nothing happens to her.”

Hiro now understood what was going on. He turned to the west as he heard a loud explosion in the near distance, he knew that the lord and his son were battling. He furrowed his eyebrows together and asked, “Sango how did the young miko get injured?”

Sango looked down at her feet as she said in a low and hurt voice, “A kuro miko showed up and attacked the castle. She went after the children that Kagome was teaching and injured one of them. Kagome got mad and went after her. I was by her side the whole time but when it came time to battle with the kuro miko Kagome asked me to stay out of the fight. She told me that she couldn’t fight the kuro miko fully if she was worried about me getting hurt. So I agreed.

Kagome got distracted for just a second and that’s all that kuro miko needed to attack her. She surrounded Kagome with a dark spell and was trying to kill her. When Kagome heard the Lord of the Castle coming towards her, she got a burst of energy from somewhere deep inside her and broke the spell. Kagome then attacked the kuro miko injuring her badly, but before we could kill her, she sent her minions after us.

The youkais attacked, and Kagome being left weak from her attack against the kuro miko, got hit by one of the youkais. I was there to protect her when I noticed that Kirara had picked her up and left the castle. I saw in which direction she was heading and knew that she was coming here.

When Sesshoumaru pieced together what happened he transformed and ran this way. Lord Inutaisho flew here as fast as possible to prevent his son from destroying our village in his rage. All he wants is Kagome.”

Hiro took all this in and now he understood what was going on. Somehow they had to get Kagome out of Midoriko's cave so she could meet the young lord. He looked at his daughter again and said, “Sango we must go to Midoriko's cave and get the girl. She is the only one that will be able to calm the young lord.”

Sango agreed with her father as they made their way back to the cave to see if they could get Kagome to come out.

---oOo---

Inutaisho left the ningen village behind to go towards his son. He was close and he didn’t want him to destroy this village. He raced in his true form toward his son as he stopped in a clearing. He could feel his son coming and he was almost there.

Sesshoumaru was blind to just about everything. His rage was so great that he didn’t even notice who the Inu Youkai was standing in front of him, as he came crashing into the clearing. He stopped in his tracks, the male that was in front of him, was blocking his path to the village that held his intended. He growled viciously at the male telling him to move out of his way.

Inutaisho would not back down. He was the alpha of his pack and as such he demanded respect from his beta. He gave a series of yips and growls as he said, “Beta male you will stand down. You will not harm the ningen village up ahead.”

Sesshoumaru growled back in reply, “I will get my mate from those ningens. They have no right to take her.”

“They did not take her. The neko brought her here to be protected. She is unharmed. She was hurt in the battle but she is being protected to make sure no one harms her.” Said Inutaisho as he was walking slowly to his son. He was emitting a calming aura around his son to get him to calm down.

Sesshoumaru took a step back when he noticed what the youkai in front of him was doing. He growled as he lashed out at the other youkai. Sesshoumaru still did not recognize that the youkai standing in front of him was his father, as he attacked. He leaped in the air as his claws came down with a poison mist surrounding them.

Inutaisho saw what his son was doing as he quickly moved to the side and sent his own attack to his son. His tail whipped around as his golden whip came out and hit Sesshoumaru across his chest.

Sesshoumaru hit the ground hard as the impact sounded like a loud explosion. He tried to stand when he heard the other inu say, “Beta male! Do you challenge me for the right to lead!”

Something clicked in Sesshoumaru’s mind when he heard this. He took a deep breath inhaling the other Inu’s scent. He recognized the other Inu as his father as he said, “No leader male we do not wish to challenge.”

Sesshoumaru then submitted to his father as he barred his neck to him in submission. Inutaisho stepped forward and grabbed his son by his neck with his jaws. He squeezed just slightly as he growled out his demands, “Transform back Sesshoumaru.”

They both transformed back into their ningen forms and when they reappeared on the ground Inutaisho had his son by the neck with his hand. He released him as he stood in front of his son and said, “Get up Sesshoumaru. We will go to the village and find Kagome. You will not attack or harm any of the ningens in the village, do you understand?”

Sesshoumaru nodded his head in agreement as he followed his father back to the village. He didn’t mean to challenge his father for the right to lead their pack. He knew that he would take over some day, but he will wait for the day that his father gives him the right to lead. At the moment, Sesshoumaru has no desire to take it from him.

Inutaisho looked up at the sky and noticed the black clouds. It was going to storm soon and they needed to get to Kagome. Flying to the village was out of the question when he saw lighting flashing in the distance. Then he heard the sound of thunder rolling through the area.

He decided to run there instead, he turned to his son and was about to talk to him, when he went down to his knees. He felt a sharp stab of pain in his heart, and fear was the other feeling he was getting. Kagome, his precious little one, was in distress as her fears consumed her.

Since he had formed a bond with Kagome when he marked her, he could feel her feelings and her distress. Her emotions were so great that he didn’t have a chance to pull back from his contact with her before it hit him full force.

Sesshoumaru came running toward his father as he said, “Father, are you all right?”

He helped his father to stand and noticed that he was still shaky on his feet. Inutaisho breathed in deep as he said, “Kagome, my little one, why are you so scared?”

At this statement Sesshoumaru’s eyes almost went red again as his father explained, “Sesshoumaru, her fear is not from the place she is currently located. Her fear is of a memory that plagues her mind. She must learn to work through these fears and when she does, she will become a stronger person for it. We must hurry to the village to see what is wrong with her.”

Inutaisho took a step forward and sensed the location of where he has to go. He took off into the forest heading toward the village where Kagome was currently located. Sesshoumaru was following closely behind his father keeping pace as they went.

Curiosity got the better of Sesshoumaru as he asked, “Father, how do you know what Kagome is feeling?”

Inutaisho looked at his pup as he smiled and said, “When you have pups of your own, you will have to mark them as members of our clan. I marked you with the crescent moon on your forehead showing that you are heir to the Western Lands. Your brother’s mark is located on his left shoulder showing that he is second in line to succeed. Kagome’s mark is located on her right ear showing that she is a member of our clan. When you mark your pups you share a connection with them. That’s how your mother and I know when you are in distress or hurt. The mark lets us know that something is wrong.

I can feel what Kagome is going through right now and her fear is great. Whatever memory she is having is making her scared.” At that moment another flash of light went off in the distance and a few minutes later the sound of thunder came to the area.

Inutaisho had learned to back away from his connection with Kagome so he wouldn’t be caught again. He felt her fear spike when the sound of the thunderstorm was heard. Realization hit him as he stopped on a tree branch and looked off into the distance. Then he said in a low voice, “She’s scared of the storm. Kagome is scared of the thunderstorm that is coming this way.”

Sesshoumaru didn’t understand why his intended mate was scared of such a meaningless thing as a thunderstorm. There were a lot of things that he didn’t understand about his mate to be but he was willing to learn them while he was courting her.

He turned his attention back to his father as they continued going to the ningen village. All Sesshoumaru could think of was Kagome and getting to her as soon as possible.

---oOo---

All right, this is the end to another chapter. Now people, do you think that Sesshoumaru was actually going to confront Kagome on his scent? Really, what he did, was taboo and he did it without her knowledge. If he confronted her about removing his scent from her person, Kagome would have suspected that he did it on purpose.

Now our Sesshoumaru had a lot of fun putting his scent on her skin, but Kagome failed to notice that she should have had the scent only on her clothes. This was to Sesshoumaru’s advantage.

As promised that if I got a lot of reviews for a chapter, then you would get another chapter early. So I keep my word. Oh someone asked me how many reviews I was looking for, I don’t look at the numbers but at the number of people wanting the next chapter as quickly as possible. This time over 40 reviews requested the next chapter.

I was told that I was blackmailing all of you into reviewing. LOL I wish. You get a chapter a week regardless if you review or not. But it you want me to put up an extra chapter for that week then I would like to hear from you. But one extra chapter is all I will give the next update is set for Monday.

I also opened the reviewing process for non FanFiction.net users. I have kept it closed for a reason, and I hope that I don’t regret my decision. But as long as everyone plays nice then I will not limit it again. I really would like to hear from all of you. It makes me happy to read your opinions.

For those of you who are looking for the URL for the Dokuga Awards, if you look in my profile you will find the URL that you are looking for in all the sites that I post. I hope this helps. The voting is now open if you would like to vote for your favorite story or fan art.

In the next chapter you will find out why Kagome is scared of the thunderstorm. Sesshoumaru will realize his actual feelings for Kagome. Plus I will give you a background to the final fight in which Midoriko creates the jewel of four souls. But understand people that part of the story is my imagination working, and in no way reflects what Rumiko Takahashi was thinking when she created the jewel. This is my version of what might of happened, nothing more.

Until the next time!

Ja ne!