The Hot Springs

---Castle of the Lord of the Northern Lands---

Genbu sat with his arm draped over his knee, uncaring of his state of undress as he watched Chihaya sleep. The luck dragon lay with her arms up, her hands resting to either side of her head, and the sheet only covered her from the naval down. A small smile curled her full lips and her pert breasts lifted with every breath she took. His palms tingled and he slowly reached forward to give them the sensation they craved. Sliding his palms over the soft mounds of her breasts, he gently squeezed the firm flesh, his breaths becoming shallow as her nipples distended. Chihaya inhaled more deeply, her small smile widening to a grin, and began to squirm under his touch. She stretched her lithe body and opened her eyes.

"We've been in here for a great while, Genbu-sama," she purred. He continued massaging her breasts but looked up to watch her lips as she spoke. "Perhaps I should check on the men and their progress." The limb between his legs twitched and began to grow. "If what you said about the human army is true, we will need to be prepared should they be lucky enough to find us." He pinched her nipples, gingerly tugging and plucking to keep them hard. She sighed and he leaned over her. He laved the lush tip of her breast. One hand briefly detoured south to toss the sheet away from her body. "I should at least instruct Matsui to hasten the repairs to the castle's defenses."

"Why do I only desire you more when you speak of war tactics?" Genbu said as he lifted his head. He looked into her dark emerald eyes as his hand slid up the inside of her thigh.

She softly moaned, opening her knees. "Because my ambitions are the same as yours. I wish to see you and you alone rule the northern throne, to witness your reign, and to see you surpass all previous possessors of the northern lands." Her eyes fluttered shut as his exploring fingers became too distracting.

"Do you not nurse any of your own ambitions?" he whispered. Chihaya moaned.

"I-I already command an army. I will make them the deadliest force in all four corners of the land." Her heart leapt when Genbu took his place between her thighs. She wrapped her legs around his waist. "D-deadlier than even the largest human army. Your--" She gasped, her words breaking off as he drove inside her. She opened her eyes to watch him. "Your dynasty would be unchallenged for centuries--p-perhaps for all time."

"Our dynasty," he corrected, deepening his thrusts. "You shall bear my offspring. At least ten."

"Ten?" she said breathlessly. "We had better get started."

"Why do you think we've been in here for such a great while? Besides the obvious madness that has taken over me," he said. She had no more to say when he sped up and rapidly pumped between her thighs. He had already taken her several times but every time his eyes landed on her again, he literally rose to the occasion. He wondered how he hadn't seen the pure sexuality she exuded before now, how he hadn't taken complete advantage of it.

Chihaya didn't realized that she had lost her train of thought until she suddenly grasped for his shoulders. Her deepest muscles shuddered. "Ahhh..." Her eyelids fell shut. It was barely audible when she breathed, "I suppose Matsui can w-wait until tomorrow then." His hips pressed close and jerked against her. His soft but deep sigh of satisfaction spilled across her ear as he settled upon her.

"By then perhaps this madness will have abated," he groaned. Chihaya hummed with a smile as she stroked his shoulders.

---Castle of the Lord of the Western Lands, Outside---

With his head propped up on his hand, Inutaisho lay on his side on the porch outside the kitchen. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the quiet solitude of early evening and the comfortable weight of a good dinner in his stomach. His own version of his mother's soba recipe wasn't as good, but it came close. The feelings of jealousy and agitation that had plagued him for the last couple of days were blissfully absent for those precious few moments and he rejoiced in the fact that tomorrow evening, he and Yokiri would be together at last.

However, his momentary peace was not to last. His ears twitched and a frown marred his face when his nose caught the scent of his younger brother approaching him from inside the house. Toku was covered with the scent of his lover.

"I ate it all and I'm not making any more of it," he groused. Toku's light laughter flittered to his ears and it only made his frown deeper.

"Pining for her, are you?"

Inutaisho's eyes flew open and he gnashed his teeth. "Shut up!" he growled, looking back over his shoulder at his brother. When he saw that Toku was strapping his sword to his side, though, his face went slack. "Are you going somewhere?"

Toku sighed as he flipped his long hair back and gathered it into a ponytail. "That's what I wanted to warn you about. We're about to have a visitor."

"A 'visitor', huh?" Inutaisho parroted, coming to his feet. "Can I have a piece?" He smirked as he punched his fist into his palm. Upon seeing his brother's small wince, though, his arms fell with disappointment. But a fight is exactly what I need right now!

"You know that I would normally say yes--" Toku began to say.

Ikkatsu entered the room at a run. "He's...almost here," she panted. Inutaisho's eyebrows shot up.

"But I'm afraid I need to do this alone," Toku finally finished. He dropped his arms, having tied his hair back. "You're welcome to watch, though," he added with a lopsided smile. Inutaisho's grin returned.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Ikkatsu asked shrilly. "Zannin is the most powerful fire demon of us all! Every demon in the south fears him!"

"Every demon in the south is about to rejoice at his death, in that case," Toku nonchalantly commented.

"Well, that's just great." Ikkatsu gesticulated wildly. "I can't wait to see what this place looks like as a yawning pit of ash and brimstone. If you thought I was a challenge, you're about to learn what a real challenge is."

"Did I say that I thought you were a challenge?" Toku said, his glance sliding over to her. Ikkatsu made a harsh sound of frustration and stomped her foot, shaking the whole kitchen. Inutaisho watched as Toku flashed his gentle smile at his lover and patted her shoulder. "I'm only teasing." His attempt to cool her off only backfired.

"This isn't the time for jokes!" Ikkatsu grabbed Toku's chin and pulled his face toward her. She looked directly into his eyes. "Zannin is psychotic."

"I haven't even heard of him," Inutaisho said with a shrug.

Without releasing Toku's chin, Ikkatsu shot a glare at Inutaisho. "Well, perhaps you know him better as the--"

Ikkatsu gasped, letting go of her lover's face, and closed her eyes as she shivered, her expression tinted with fear and disgust. Inutaisho's whole body stiffened and a chill raced up his spine. Foreign demon energy that rivaled their father's was trickling into the compound, and it gave both brothers pause.

"He's here," she whispered. Ikkatsu began to back into a corner of the kitchen. "He's here." Crouching down, she hid behind the end of a cabinet and tucked herself into as small a ball as she could manage. Even more than the demon energy growing stronger with every passing second, Ikkatsu's reaction alarmed Inutaisho. He looked at his younger brother, whose expression was a strange mix of anxiety and determination, and realized just how much danger Toku was in. Toku swallowed and finally met his brother's eyes.

"I only ask that you keep Ikkatsu safe, in case I..." Toku didn't finish his sentence. Inutaisho didn't know what to say, so he settled for a nod. Striding across the kitchen, he grabbed up his sword sitting against the inside wall. When he looked back at the outside door, Toku was gone.

"Good luck," he mumbled. He strapped on his sword.

------

Toku quickly pulled on his boots, his heart pounding. He hadn't been so nervous before a fight since the last time he had sparred with his father, which had been many years ago. The anxiety only fueled his determination, though, only made his concentration more fixed and his movements more brusque.

Striding away from the house, he drew his sword. The air became foggy and the foreign demon energy grew thicker, like a cloud of hot smoke that only grew more oppressive the farther he walked south. It was like walking into a sauna and the air was full of steam so hot it seemed to singe his skin.

Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, he saw something ahead of him, an outline in the fog that looked like flames licking up at the sky from a large bonfire. Toku stopped, willing to let his enemy come to him and to give himself time to study his opponent. Gradually, the flames grew denser and therefore brighter, going from white to blue to yellow. Toku saw a strange movement within the column of fire, as though the fire were walking with two legs. He blinked and suddenly the fire was contained within a human form, its upward flowing hair the only part of it that still seemed to burn.

The light began to fade and the form that Toku had expected appeared from out of the flames: a red-haired male fire demon.

Zannin.

By the gods, he's tall. Toku had always thought of himself as being above average in height, but for the first time in over a decade, he remembered that he was only half-demon. Pure demons that took human form, on the other hand--demons such as his father... Zannin's hair was as long as Sesshoumaru's and it took human form last, falling to his shoulders and spilling down his sides. Unlike his father, though, Zannin wore no armor, only plain black clothes. Toku was surprised to see that Zannin did not carry a weapon, but recalled an instant later that Ikkatsu had conjured her own from thin air.

The heat and steam swirling in the air around Toku threatened to choke him, though. It felt like he was breathing fire and his lungs ached inside his chest. It was a painful sensation to speak around, so Toku was unable to answer immediately when the fire demon spoke.

"You are the one. You have taken what is mine," Zannin growled. Toku could see fire burning in the back of Zannin's throat every time he opened his mouth. "And you shall die for it."

"She was never yours. She will never really belong to anyone," Toku finally managed to say. "Not even me, but I will fight for her."

"You are twice the fool then. Once for taking my property, and twice for thinking she was anything but property. The insolence," Zannin said with disgust, his lip curling. "You are not even pure. Not even older than the oldest of humans. Your mother was the human, wasn't she?" He said the word human as though it were an insult to him to even have to speak it, and his question was spoken as a statement, as though he knew on sight what Toku was: Beneath Him. "A human mother who thinks she can spread her legs and earn status. A half-demon brat who thinks he can plant his seed and earn purity."

Toku's anger flared so hot that the scorching temperature of the air could only be considered toasty in comparison. Zannin smirked in reaction to seeing Toku rise to his bait. Arrogant bastard.

"I enjoy being what I am and I am proud of it, but my 'purity' wasn't on my mind when I 'planted my seed' into your 'property' over and over again. She loved every minute of it." Toku sported his own smirk to see Zannin's eyes flare. The fire demon's face twisted with rage.

"It is a disgrace that her body was so befouled by a half-demon!" Zannin shouted. "Not even a demon of her own kind!" Toku's body automatically took its stance when he saw the slight change in the fire demon's posture that said he would soon attack. "She was to give me heirs and the daughters who would bear the heirs of my male brethren. She is mine and I will undo your mark, even if I have to skin her!"

Toku had thought he was prepared, but a fireball the size of his chest came flying at him faster than he could dodge it. The scalding flames punched him back and he felt his body leave the ground. An obliging tree trunk stopped his backward movement. Gasping with pain, he realized he was on the ground again and struggled to his feet. He managed to dodge a second fireball by only a split second and drew his sword. "Hikari no Kaimen," he gasped out. When he finally turned toward Zannin, the fire demon had already conjured a sword of fire longer and far brighter than Ikkatsu's.

Zannin swung at him with a growl. Thinking that his sword could absorb the other just as it had with Ikkatsu, Toku wasn't prepared to parry a second time when Zannin's sword merely shimmered when it met his own. The blade came at him again, perhaps even faster than before, and he only dodged well enough to avoid losing an arm. Even so, the sword sliced a deep gouge into his bicep and he couldn't help shouting in pain. Zannin laughed, continuing his assault, and it was all Toku could do to defend the rapid attacks. He had no time to call upon any of his sword's aspects--couldn't use them, for his left arm could hardly move and his right arm burned with strain as he tried to keep up. Even so, Zannin's current pace seemed to be merely a fraction of his capacity. He was toying with him.

Toku had never seen a swordsman move so fast, or rather, he had only seen such speed when fighting his father. Of course, his father never injured him, and perhaps that was where his training was lacking.

You are too slow, his father had said. Toku recalled feeling ashamed. He had proven himself as the fastest of his siblings, though his technique wasn't as good as Genbu's, yet he was still a disappointment to his father. You rely on your eyes too much, and not on the movement. Toku hadn't understood and still wasn't certain what his father had meant.

The minutes dragged by and the fight was quickly draining Toku's energy. More and more, Zannin's blade slipped past his parries and blocks to slice at him. He realized, though, that Zannin had pushed him back a hundred feet toward the house, that he stepped forward every time he slashed his sword from right to left after a series of thrusts.

You rely on your eyes too much, and not on the movement.

That was it. He watched the enemy's sword, but not the pattern--the technique. He was only prepared to defend, did not study his opponent's routine to find the holes. His father had been deliberately showing holes in his technique when they sparred, hoping that Toku would see them, but he hadn't. His father had assumed that Toku wasn't fast enough to take advantage of the weaknesses, but to Toku's shame, he hadn't even been looking--had been counting on his offensive speed alone to win his fights. It was no wonder that Genbu's swordsmanship was superior to his.

Zannin's sword thrust at him. Once, twice, thrice...slash. Bottom-left to upper-right, bottom-right to upper-left, slash, slash... He could see it. Zannin had a routine, or perhaps Zannin was being lazy and not bothering to change up his technqiue.

Toku began to anticipate Zannin's next moves, was able to block every time, to parry every thrust. Zannin's frustration began to show as the fire demon's hacking slices grew stronger and his laughing smirk turned into a snarling sneer.

There! That was the hole! Zannin's step forward slowed the time between his attacks. It would be enough.

"Are you not growing tired?" Zannin hissed. "Should I end your misery? Should I reclaim what is mine, and scrape out the seed you have left there?"

"I'm afraid it has already taken root," Toku answered. His throat seemed to be lined with thistles. "I would rather kill you so that I may see my own heir born."

Enraged, Zannin's right-to-left slice was vicious--and over-extended. The fire demon stepped forward, as per his routine, and Toku dropped to his haunches. Sending his blade up through the hole in Zannin's defense, he buried his sword in the fire demon's gut. Zannin made a noise as though something wet were clogging his throat and his blade disappeared with no more than a puff of smoke.

"Haka," Toku growled. Zannin gasped, long, low, and hollow. His arms went limp and his eyes went wide. Under the gravity of his own weight, his body slowly sank down the length of Toku's blade toward the hilt. The color in his hair and his skin rapidly began to fade, turning white, then grey, then black.

Finally, he exhaled his last and his body went still. The blackened corpse was on its knees, his hands brushing the ground, and a blade smeared with blood protruded from his back. Toku tried to summon the energy to pull his sword back and stand up, but when he moved his sword hand, the fire demon's body fell apart like a snowman made of ash. Zannin collapsed into a pile of black soot, and Toku fell back onto his rear.

He closed his eyes. "That...wasn't so hard," he sighed.

"Toku!" a feminine voice called from far away. Toku planted his hands on the ground, determined to meet his lover--his mate--while standing. The world went gray at the edges as he staggered to his feet. He heard a strange tapping and looked down to find drops of his blood hitting the ground with quick succession. It wasn't until that moment that he saw the damage Zannin's first two fireballs had done. The front of his haori had completely burned away, leaving only a few shreds clinging to his shoulders. The back of his haori hung from his waistband. The skin on his chest was black and streaked with blood oozing from gashes he had suffered during the swordfight.

When he looked up, Ikkatsu was already in his line of sight, followed by his brother. He didn't know if he could survive his wounds, but he was at least grateful that his pup would survive and that he was standing victor over his slain enemy. He watched Inutaisho overcome Ikkatsu, reaching him first. His eldest brother sheathed his sword and immediately wrapped an arm around Toku's waist, grabbing Toku's wrist with his other hand and pulling Toku's arm across his shoulders. Toku was grateful for the support. He wasn't sure if he could have remained standing any longer.

"Let's get you back to the house," his brother said. "Jaken arrived a moment after you left. He can assist." Ikkatsu had stopped a few feet away, her hand covering her mouth. Toku tried to walk but found he couldn't. Inutaisho took on more of his weight, though, and Toku managed a step forward.

"You did it," Ikkatsu said, bringing her hand away from her mouth. "You really did it." When Toku neared her, she took up the same position as his brother on Toku's other side. It became even easier to walk and their pace increased.

"By the gods, Toku. You nearly died," Inutaisho scolded. "Who the hell was that, anyway?"

Ikkatsu provided the answer. "Zannin, the Lord of the Southern Lands."

"W-what?" Toku stuttered.

"I told you that every demon in the south feared him. I told you that he was the most powerful of us."

"The Lord of the Southern Lands was a fire demon?" Inutaisho asked. "We had always heard his power rivaled our father's. We hadn't known anything else about him, so Genbu and Toku thought they would conquer the northern throne instead."

"Zannin was very secretive about himself and his 'nobility'. He left no challengers alive, made no boasts about his abilities. No one knew, even the southern demons," Ikkatsu explained.

"He sounds more and more like our father," Toku grumbled.

"So what does it mean that he has died?" Inutaisho asked.

"It means that Toku is now the Lord of the Southern Lands. I will vouch for your victory. I need only to collect Zannin's remains once we return to the house," she answered. Toku's vision went hazy again.

"I've...taken the southern throne?"

"I'm afraid Genbu will have to rule the north on his own," Ikkatsu confirmed.

---Inuyasha's Forest, the Well---

Rin stood with Sesshoumaru, Karran, and Kouryoku as they all awaited the return of Inuyasha and Kagome from inside the well. She didn't understand how the well worked or where it led, even after Sesshoumaru had tried to explain it, but she was more worried about the ritual to come than about knowing where Inuyasha and Kagome had gone. She fidgeted with the sleeves of her black kimono, which Sesshoumaru had somehow procured from one of the villagers while she slept. Karran had to help her dress herself, for her shaky hands hadn't been able to hold onto the material long enough for her to keep the folds straight.

Sesshoumaru, standing directly behind her, reached down and grasped her hands, pulling them up to her shoulders. He didn't say anything, even though she was squeezing his fingers as tightly as she could. Gradually, she began to feel calmer. Her heartbeat began to slow down to normal.

"The sun will rise in half an hour. They should be here soon," Karran said quietly. Rin began to wonder how she had been so nervous only a moment ago, feeling quite at ease now. Waves of soothing comfort seemed to be washing over her, smoothing away the anxieties she had been harboring for several days. She felt Sesshoumaru press his lips to the top of her head.

Our link...he's using it to calm me. Rather than feel manipulated, she felt grateful. It was Sesshoumaru's way to hide his affections when in public, but that he still thought of easing her apprehensions...

A light flashed from inside the well. "They're here," Kouryoku announced. It was only a second later that Inuyasha popped out to land on the edge of the well with Kagome in his arms. She also wore a black kimono, though hers was embroidered with small white flowers along the sleeves and skirt. Kagome's eyes looked a little red.

"How'd it go?" Kouryoku asked, coming forward to greet his mother.

Inuyasha stepped down and set Kagome on her feet. "Why is that her mother always feels the need to grab at my ears?" he grumbled.

"It was hard to leave," Kagome said, sniffing as she pulled her son into a brief hug. "I don't know if we can go back after the ritual, so we had to say our goodbyes."

"We should hurry," Karran said. "Dawn will be here soon."

Kagome nodded and looked at Rin. "Are you ready? I know I'm not," she joked.

Rin smiled, laughing a little. "I am as ready as I may ever be."

Kagome nodded at Inuyasha, who picked her up again. Without warning, Sesshoumaru swept Rin into his arms and she let out a tiny shriek. Kouryoku grinned at Karran and opened his arms to her. Karran laughed and leaped toward the nearest tree. Her feet touched the branch for only a split second before she jumped to the next tree, disappearing into the canopy as she ran ahead of them all. Kouryoku was quick to follow, obviously chasing her. Rin watched as Inuyasha lit off into the trees, his mate gasping and gripping his shoulders. She then glanced up at Sesshoumaru, who was already looking at her.

She recalled being woken by him an hour ago, his head between her thighs, his hands holding her down while he... Rin blushed, her thighs squeezing together from the memory. Something in the way he made love that morning had felt desperate, which hadn't mattered to her at the time because she had felt the same. She could see it now, though, in his expression. He was scared for her. It was so subtle, but it was there. It wasn't at all certain what would happen during the ritual. It could go smoothly and wonderfully, or she and Kagome could both die.

"You do not have to go through with the ritual," he said softly. "We can continue as we did before. I will wait for you again."

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she whispered. She did consider it. They knew they could be together forever as they were, though she would die and be reborn until Sesshoumaru's long life finally ended, but who knew how long that would be. Most demons did not last until the end, always dying in conflicts for power. She could possibly be reborn a hundred times before Sesshoumaru passed. It would kill him to see her die so many times, to live alone for the years when she was growing up again.

"I don't wish to be away from your side ever again. It will be all right. It must," she vowed. Sesshoumaru merely nodded. Holding her tighter to his body, he began running, his strides quickly becoming longer and faster until he was sprinting through the forest. The trees blurred and Rin closed her eyes, pressing her cheek to his shoulder.

---The Shrine---

The shrine's main chamber had already been prepared. Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kouryoku stood at the back, not allowed to come within twenty feet of the center of the room, where Rin and Kagome were asked to sit opposite each other. A small plain table sat between them, which held only an empty bowl. Karran sat diagonal to both of them.

"Are you ready?" Karran asked. "Sunrise is upon us, so I hope you are." Rin gulped down a sudden protest and simply nodded her head. Her heart pounded like a drum. Kagome looked pale, but she nodded as well. "Very well. I will first need each of you to prick your finger and squeeze a drop of blood into the bowl." Karran held out two small knives. Rin's heart nearly exploded as she recalled the last time a knife threatened to slice her skin. It was a moment before she could work up the courage to take the proferred blade.

Wincing, she pressed the tip of the knife into the pad of her longest finger. The sting wasn't as terrible as she imagined--no doubt the blades had been sharpened well--and blood welled up from the small wound. She held her finger over the bowl and let a single drop fall. Kagome's face was very determined as she squeezed a drop of blood out from her own finger.

"You may set the knives on the table," Karran instructed. They did so. "Now, I must first draw out the Shikon no Tama from you, Kagome. I think it won't hurt, but you may find the sensation unsettling." Kagome's eyes went wide. The chamber was starting to fill with light from the rising sun.

"D-draw it out? You won't cut it out like the centipede demon, will you?" she asked.

"No, not like that. The jewel is not whole because you ingested it as a powder in your, uh...previous life," Karran attempted to explain. Rin watched Kagome glance at Inuyasha, whose hard expression didn't budge. Kagome then looked back at Karran.

"O-okay then." Letting out a pent-up breath, Karran turned in Kagome's direction. She held out one hand, closed her eyes, and began to chant. Kagome immediately began to squirm. Rin wrung her hands, watching as Kagome grimaced and fidgeted as though being touched in places no one should be able to touch.

Light began to build up in front of Karran's hand, and gradually, specks of light could be seen leaving Kagome's body and gathering together. The light condensed and solidified, growing into a small ball that Rin recognized. The memory was very faint, but she knew it when she saw the Shikon no Tama coming together.

Finally, the jewel flashed brightly and was complete. Still chanting, Karran slowly brought her hand toward the bowl. When the chanting stopped, the Shikon no Tama dropped into the bowl with a light clatter, where it briefly rolled around the bottom and came into contact with the two drops of blood. The jewel flared again and when the light faded, the blood was gone, absorbed into the jewel.

Karran opened her eyes. "Kagome, pick up the jewel and hold it in your palm. Mother, hold Kagome's hand so that the jewel touches your skin."

Even though her daughter had spoken, everyone in the room was frozen for several heartbeats. They all looked at the tiny object that had caused so much grief for so many years. Rin was suddenly afraid that demons hungry for power would descend upon them at any moment, yet she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She looked across at Kagome, who still hadn't moved.

"Kagome?" Karran said softly. Blinking, Kagome swallowed and reached for the jewel. Gently picking it up, she let it roll down to her palm and held her hand out. Rin licked her bottom lip and grasped Kagome's hand. The jewel was quite warm. Looking up at the only other person in the room who was fully human, Rin maintained eye contact with Kagome and squeezed her hand.

Rin was never so scared in her life. Not even the incident with Sayo compared. She didn't want to look at Sesshoumaru, though. She was certain that she would lose her nerve if she did.

Karran began a new chant. Rin stiffened, certain that something awful would happen, but for several seconds, the chant continued with no reaction from the jewel. Unfortunately, those few seconds gave her enough time to imagine all sorts of terrible things, such as the jewel exploding, killing everyone in the shrine. Perhaps the roof would crash in as more demon crows arrived to claim the Shikon no Tama.

Rin gasped as a sudden, sharp tingling sensation spread up her arm and over the rest of her body. Light began to pour from her and Kagome's clasped hands. Her hair lifted from her shoulders. Kagome's fingers clamped down on her hand.

Leaning forward as though compelled, Rin tried to concentrate on bearing the increasingly painful sensation, which was now like being pricked by a thousand thorns. She therefore didn't notice that a powerful wind swirled around them until her hair blew across her face. The gale picked up stray objects in the chamber and tossed them against the walls or out the windows, shattering small urns or breaking apart candles that had been lit before the sun's ascent above the horizon.

The sensation grew to something akin to being stung by bees, and Rin and Kagome both cried out in pain. Rin closed her eyes, hoping to keep in the tears that threatened to fall. She felt her body rise up to her knees as though something underneath her were lifting her. The force continued to propel her upwards, carrying her up to her feet.

Over the sound of the wind and the pain, Karran's voice continued to chant. When the pain intensified, becoming like the cut of a knife, Rin screamed. She wanted to let go of Kagome's hand, to run to her mate and hope that she could escape the pain, but after everyone's long journey to get here, after Sesshoumaru's long wait for her return, she knew she couldn't stop now. She had to endure.

Karran cried out, suddenly flung away from the center of the room. Rin saw only red against her eyelids as a light too bright to look upon exploded from the jewel still pressed between her and Kagome's palms.

The pain ceased and the world went quiet.

Rin opened her eyes, gasping to see that she and Kagome floated in a white space. Still clinging to Kagome's fingers even though she could no longer feel the jewel against her palm, Rin didn't want to let go, scared that she would somehow fall. It seemed that Kagome felt the same. The other woman looked at her as though she would never forgive her if she let go of her hand.

"I have waited so long for this day," a gentle voice said. "Centuries." Rin looked around the empty space, trying to find a source for the voice.

"M-Midoriko?" Kagome said.

"Yes." The voice seemed to smile. "I have felt your soul before. I am glad to see it has been repaired."

"Who are you?" Rin asked.

"I was once a priestess," the voice explained. "Long ago, I fought against demons, the elements of twisted human souls that sought to destroy the world. My final battle took my life, but I used my powers to extract the souls of the demon army and kept them inside my own heart. I hoped to purify them."

"The Shikon no Tama is your heart," Kagome stated.

"Eh?" Rin said, shocked.

"Yes." The voice was now sad. "And I failed. One last demon soul still struggles with mine. It taunts me with truths that I did not want to hear when I was alive. I had always thought that I could purify all the demons of the land. I could bring peace. It was my greatest wish."

Rin frowned, thinking that this Midoriko would have killed Sesshoumaru and all her children.

"I did not know the true source of demons, and for that, I am doomed to spend eternity in battle with this final demon. One of my own making."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Demons are the result of human imperfection. Jealousy, greed, rage, anguish...these feelings created demons. They will never be defeated with force, and my righteous anger is what I now battle."

"Then...do you now know how to defeat them?" she asked.

"Yes. I realized my error the first time I touched your soul, Kagome. Your name was different then." An epiphany struck Rin and she realized that Midoriko spoke of Kikyou. "It is love that can defeat these feelings. Your love for a demon is far more powerful than that of the most gifted and blessed of priestesses. Is this not true, Rin?"

"Huh?" Rin said, feeling as though she couldn't entirely follow the conversation.

"Did your loved one not tell you himself? About your power over him?"

You hold an authority over me that makes you more powerful than I could ever imagine to be.

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, he did."

"It is this love that has come to release me, to banish my righteous anger and let me finally rest. I will grant you your wish. I only ask that you teach others what I have learned." Tears began rolling down Rin's cheeks.

"Thank you," she said. "I will do as you ask." Kagome echoed her sentiments.

"Farewell." The voice began to fade. "And please take care of the little ones growing inside you."

Rin would have said something more, but she became distracted when her feet suddenly found something solid to stand on. Kagome was less steady on her feet and abruptly let go of Rin's hand.

Rin had a sudden thought. "Wait! I have one more question! If demons are the result of human feelings, then what created dog demons?"

"Unrequited love, Rin." The voice was threadbare now. "You are the balm that soothes their anguish."

------

Sesshoumaru was not one to feel fear, but when it came to his mate, bearing his unborn pup, he felt a fear so desperate and so consuming that it took all his willpower to resist the urge to run at the enormous ball of light encasing Rin and tear at it until it released her. Her cry of pain and the sizzle he had felt along their link had been more than enough reason for him to pull her out of the ritual, to put a stop to it immediately. However, she had told him that it would be all right, that this was what she wanted. He wouldn't go against her wishes.

No matter how much he wanted to.

The ball of light suddenly snapped, blown out like a candle's flame. Kagome was on her knees, looking as though she had fallen, but Rin was on her feet on the other side of the table, and Sesshoumaru couldn't get to her side fast enough.

"Rin," he breathed, pulling her into his arms. She never smelled so good and he pressed his nose to the top of her head, burying it in the sweet scent of her hair. Her arms came around his waist and held on tightly.

"Mother!" Karran gasped out, unabashedly wrapping her arms around both her parents. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Rin said, her voice muffled against his chest. He could hear her sniffing and knew she was weeping. He pressed his hand against the back of her neck and did his best to comfort her through their link. Karran held them both tighter.

He looked over at Kagome, who was in a similar position, held in the arms of her mate and son. She was softly explaining what had happened while they were inside the ball of light.

"Did it work?" Sesshoumaru whispered. "Is the jewel finally gone forever?"

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin answered. "Yes and yes!"