As Death Gives Life

Chapter 28 – Deceit, Discovery and Discipline

A/N: I have something special to share with all of you! I am thrilled to announce that two separate artists have honored me by drawing pictures for As Death Gives Life! I want to thank both Bloody=Kisses and Sintar for their wonderful additions to the story. Please take a few minutes to visit the site links below to check out their beautiful works of art!

FanArt by Bloody=Kisses: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/22216871/
FanArt by Sintar: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/22240787/

****Ok, I want to apologize for the late update. I’ve been really sick, but I’m feeling better now. To make up for it, this chapter is over 7,000 words long! I hope you enjoy!

~~~***~~~

Rin just knew that her heart was going to burst right through her chest. When Kagome slipped out of the castle she watched her friend maneuver through the shadows toward the far end of the courtyard. She had to admit that this whole escapade was very exciting. She had never participated in anything so deviously planned before. Perhaps Kagome was a bad influence? Rin started to laugh at her own silly thoughts when she caught sight of movement. She ran from her perch near the castle wall to a large manicured bush near the fountain and squatted down trying to see if she was just imagining things.

There it was again. Someone was walking through the courtyard. A second later revealed a glint of metal. It was a guard! He was sure to catch Kagome if she didn’t do something! Without another thought Rin ran toward the gardens and as soon as she was near she feigned an injury by releasing a cry of pain. She even made sure to dirty the right side of her leg to make it look real.

In seconds the guard was making his way to her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was sure that Kagome would escape undetected. The guard made his way through the dimly lit garden to her side.

“My lady! Are you injured?”

Rin tried her best to look distraught and replied, “Hai. I twisted my foot.” When she looked up from her foot to meet the eyes of the young inu guard her breath left her completely. He was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as her Sesshomaru-sama. He seemed to be stunned for a moment himself as he crouched beside her staring into her eyes.

Rin tried to find her voice but for once it seemed to elude her. His eyes were a beautiful violet and his long hair was shiny black. He had a long dark blue vertical stripe running down the right side of his face from his forehead almost to his jaw. He appeared to be very young, but she knew that looks could be deceiving when dealing with youkai. He may look young and in reality be hundreds of years old. After staring like an idiot she finally managed to find her voice. “My name is Rin.”

He laughed jovially and Rin thought she had never heard a sound so magical in all her life. He returned his attention to her ‘injured’ leg and said, “I know who you are. How could I not?” Rin huffed at his remark. “I was only trying to be nice.” He looked up again and smiled. The moonlight sparkled in his eyes and she caught sight of a pearly white fang when he grinned at her once more. “I meant no harm. I am lieutenant general Jiyuu, at your service, my lady.” Rin smiled back at him and he immediately turned back to her injury. She almost felt bad about lying to such a nice handsome man, but when he gently took her ankle in his warm large hands, all thoughts of regret flew straight out the window.

“Does this hurt?” Jiyuu asked. Rin had to shake herself back to reality. His touch and the sound of his voice had arrested her good sense. She needed to play this off or Kagome could still be caught before she was able to help her monk friend. “Um... yes, it does.” Before she had a chance to protest Jiyuu swept her up into his arms. She squealed as her body left the ground and his strong arms held her gently against his hard chest. His mischievous grin met her shocked expression and he said, “Do not fear, my lady, for I shall gladly assist you back to the safety of the castle where we can have a healer look at your leg.”

Rin tensed in his grasp, unused to such contact with a male, especially one that made her heart race in her chest as this one did. His easy going way soon made her relax just as quickly, and she gave in to the warmth and comfort of being held in Jiyuu’s strong arms.

~~~***~~~

They were making great time and Kagome was exhilarated. It had been so long since she had ridden the wind mounted upon Inuyasha’s back. The feeling of soaring through the night air was better than any roller coaster ride back home. The others paced along beside them easily. Kirara carried Shippo and Sango while Kat was nothing but a blur, playfully darting around them all below. Kagome smiled widely as her long ebony hair danced wildly behind her. This was the life. This was what she loved. Running free with her friends.

For a moment her mind slipped back to Sesshomaru, and the smile faltered. He was going to be so mad when he figured out that she was gone. Would he ever forgive her? She shook her head. She couldn’t think of that now. What’s done is done and there’s no going back now. She would just have to face the music when she returned.

They traveled silently through the night passing over the vast western countryside headed for Edo where Miroku was waiting to change his life forever. Kagome tried to think of several good arguments to use on him to pass the time. The term ‘freak’ kept coming up and she was sure that would be argument number one. Then there was the speech impediment that he was sure to suffer from. How was he going to impart his holy wisdom when he could hardly even talk? That would have to be argument number two.

Kagome’s breath was suddenly snatched from her body when she and Inuyasha were brought to a crashing halt.

“What the fuck?!” Inuyasha shouted.

Kagome heard the pained sounds of her friends as they too suffered the same fate. She braced herself for the impact of the ground below but it never came. Instead she was caught in a sticky net, but Inuyasha wasn’t so lucky. Below she could see his red clad form hit the dirt hard. At once she began to struggle to free herself from her entrapment, but the more she struggled the more entangled she became!

Kirara was down also and it looked like Sango was hurt, but still able to move. Shippo managed to transform to a pink bubble saving himself from the impact. Kagome frantically looked around for Kat and found her neatly wrapped in a net just like the one she was in.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome called. Her arms wouldn’t come loose! It was like she was glued or something.

“Ka.. [cough... cough] gome!” Inuyasha called as he struggled to regain his bearings. “What... in the hell..?” He wiped the dirt out of his eyes and blinked looking around for Kat and Kagome. He found Kat tied up and struggling fiercely. Then a shadow of something knocked her on the back of the head. “KAT!” Her body went limp, and he moved to get up, but the sound of laughter reached his ears. He jumped to his feat and pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath transforming it into a huge deadly fang.

He turned around looking for the enemy, seeing nothing at first but then the shadows seemed to move. His amber eyes narrowed as he realized that the shadows were not shadows at all. It was youkai, all of which had been camouflaged in the darkness.

“Shadow demons!” Inuyasha snarled. The creatures moved toward him in the darkness and he readied himself for battle. “What the hell do you want?!” More laughter drifted up and Inuyasha realized that it was not coming from the shadow youkai, but elsewhere. “Coward! Come out and face me!”

A feminine scream pierced through the air sending his heart racing. He swirled around in the direction of the shriek. “KAGOME!!”

“Inuyasha! It’s a spider web! You know how I HATE spiders! Get me out of here!” Kagome was shivering all over now that she knew what this sticky net actually was. She was looking around frantically for a giant spider and hoping with all her might that she wouldn’t find one.

“Wench, you scared me to death! Shut up a damn minute!” Inuyasha growled as he turned back to the source of the laughter. Out of the forest stepped a figure different than the rest. He caught sight of armor and a gleaming sword already drawn. Inuyasha shifted and tried to ignore the pain in his hip where he hit the ground earlier. “Who the fuck are you?”

On closer inspection Inuyasha realized that this was a fox youkai in front of him; one armed and obviously ready to do battle. That was fine with him. Some damn body was going to pay for this shit and this looked like the guy to do it.

“Ah, Inuyasha, the banished prince of the western lands. Been visiting with Sesshomaru-sama have you?” The fox chuckled again and stepped into a battle stance. Inuyasha snarled and did the same before saying, “First I’m gonna take you out, and then I’m gonna wipe out the rest of these assholes!” The shadow demons all smirked at once, causing a shiver to run up his spine. In the darkness they blended in only revealing sharp white fangs.

“You are welcome to try Inuyasha, but I am willing to release you and your friends in exchange for one thing.” The fox looked at him seriously and Inuyasha drew up his face in question. “What?” The fox looked from Inuyasha and pointed to Kagome. “Her. I only want her. You see, my brother Tsuneharu met his untimely death recently at the hands of your high and mighty brother Sesshomaru. I only want to avenge him. A life for a life you know, and this one here...” The fox pointed to Kagome. “... will do nicely, but do not worry yourself Inuyasha, for I have no intention of killing her at all. I want her.” He arced his sword slicing through the air. “She will be my bitch.”

Kagome growled and shouted, “Your jerk! Don’t call me a bitch!”

Inuyasha ignored Kagome’s angry mouth and focused on his opponent. “No way. Kagome comes with me. That isn’t even an option.”

“Very well then. Have it your way. First I’ll kill you and then I will take my bitch home to my bed.”

~~~***~~~

Rin was half relieved and half disappointed when Jiyuu placed her on the table in front of the healer. She hated to admit it, but it was very nice being held in his arms like that. Jiyuu didn’t seem to mind at all either, and stayed by her side instead of leaving like he very well could have done. “Arigato Jiyuu-san, for helping me.”

Jiyuu flashed the young mistress another charming grin. “It was truly a pleasure my lady.”

“What was a pleasure, lieutenant general?”

Rin and Jiyuu spun around at the smooth voice of Lord Sesshomaru. Jiyuu immediately went into rigid military position. He was about to answer when Rin did it for him. “Sesshomaru-sama! Jiyuu here was so kind as to help me back to the castle when I fell and hurt my foot.”

Sesshomaru replied with a “Hn...” as he narrowed his eyes at his lieutenant general who appeared a little too happy to be helping Rin in his opinion. He nodded slightly in appreciation and then issued his order. “Dismissed, lieutenant general Jiyuu.”

Jiyuu saluted his Lord and turned to leave, but Rin’s sweet voice stopped him. “Arigato Jiyuu. I hope to see you again sometime.” Jiyuu couldn’t stop the huge grin from taking over his face if he had tried. He turned back and bowed respectfully to Lady Rin before leaving the room.

Once Jiyuu left the room Sesshomaru focused on Rin and her injury. The healer was at her side inspecting her foot. “How did this occur Rin?” Sesshomaru asked. She squirmed a bit.

The first clue that something was amiss.

He narrowed his eyes, wondering what his ward was up to now. Had she been merely wasting the time of his guardsman? That was most unlike Rin. He decided to see what she had to say.

“Um... I fell near the garden.” Rin replied with a shaky voice. It was so hard to lie to Lord Sesshomaru like this. It was like he could see right through her!

“Hn... is that so? Why, Rin, were you wondering outside in the dark near the gardens?” Sesshomaru was even more suspicious now. Rin never was able to lie very well to him.

“I was... um... going to... watch to moonflowers coming to bloom,” she replied. Silently she congratulated herself for her quick wit. That was an excellent answer.

“Moonflowers do not bloom during this portion of the year, Rin.” Sesshomaru countered. All the while watching as the healer searched for the source of injury. It did not slip his notice that Rin had made no flinch or sound of distress to reflect injury at all. She seemed completely focused on his questioning.

‘Darn it! I just blew it,’ Rin chastised herself for being such a baka. She should have remembered that! “Oh... I guess I forgot,” she replied sheepishly.

“Rin. What are you hiding? I do not like secrets.” Sesshomaru warned. Her body language was screaming deceit and he wondered what it was that had her so willing to tell an untruth? Then it hit him. Only one person in his domain could persuade Rin to lie to him.

Kagome.

“Where is Kagome, Rin?” He hoped that he was wrong. Although his heart still picked up its pace for fear that he was right. Rin’s face drooped and he felt his heart fall. Rin looked away from him before replying in a soft voice full of guilt. “Please forgive me Sesshomaru-sama. I only did it to help Kagome-chan. She needed to go help her monk friend.”

His eyes narrowed and he pulled her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. “Where is Kagome?”

“She left awhile ago with Inuyasha and her friends. They were going to the village they call Edo.” Rin sighed in defeat, hoping that Kagome would forgive her for spilling her secret. Lord Sesshomaru, however, wasted no time in dropping her chin and heading out the door.

~~~***~~~

“Wind Scar!” Inuyasha released a blast of blinding yellow light that ripped through soil and rock. The fox was quick and using his tricks to throw him off. The blast went without a hit and he cursed his luck. From behind him a sound triggered his instincts and he threw his sword behind him barely blocking the katana before it sliced his head from his shoulders. “You bastard!” He growled as he swung around meeting hit for hit. Sounds of clashing metal resounded through the small clearing as the two warriors battled it out.

“You have no hope,” the kitsune sneered as he motioned to his right. Out of the darkness lumbered a boar youkai followed by another. Both were grinning and bearing large weapons. “Inuyasha!” Sango’s voice cut through the night as she struggled to pull her weapon from her back. The hard landing threw out her shoulder and she doubted that she could even lift her hiraikotsu much less wield it against the enemy.

“Foolish woman,” the fox sneered as he effortlessly blocked another strike by the hanyou. “You can do nothing with your weak human body. Surrender to your betters!”

Sango screamed out a battle cry and dropped the boomerang to the ground before pulling out her katana. She may not be able to hurl her favorite weapon but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t fight! A real taijiya could parry just as good with their left as their right! “Die!” She screamed as she met the first boar who slung a spiked hammer at her. She buckled under the heavy weight, but easily rolled to her feet ready to take on some more.

Kagome felt helpless wrapped up in a web stretched between the trees. All she could do was watch her friends battle below. The fox was meeting Inuyasha move for move and Sango was clearly injured. Inuyasha, too, seemed to be moving slower than usual, favoring his right leg. The shadow youkai moved around the two battling men, but seemed to be hesitant to enter the battle themselves.

Kagome then realized that the remaining boar youkai was heading in her direction. He was grinning a lopsided grin, which was distorted all the more because of his huge ivory tusks. She renewed her struggle to break free, but nothing was working. “Inuyasha!”

Inuyasha heard Kagome cry out, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. The damn fox just wouldn’t die! He pushed away, barely missing a earth-shattering swipe of the kitsune’s powerful youkai blade. He hit a huge tree trunk with his feet and pushed off hard, flipping once and landing in a crouch just in time to block another strike. This bastard was good.

Shippo was huddled next to Kirara who had been injured during the fall. Her leg was hurt, but he didn’t think it was broken. She was still in her large demonic form snarling wildly at the shadow demons surrounding them. He knew that she was protecting him even though she couldn’t walk right now. He was shivering with fear, and shocked that Inuyasha was taking so long to defeat the fox. He couldn’t help feeling a little awed at the skill of his fellow fox youkai. The guy was really a great fighter!

Kagome’s hysterical scream immediately attracted Shippo’s attention and he looked up to see a huge shining black spider youkai crawling out on the web that she was caught in. “Kagome!!” Without thinking of his own safety Shippo rushed from Kirara’s side toward Kagome. “Hold on Kagome, I’m coming!”

Inuyasha was growing anxious now. Kagome’s last scream sounded more frantic than any he had ever heard from her in all the years they traveled together. He had to save her and this bastard was standing in his way! He was too close to hit with the wind scar and so far he had matched him evenly in the sword fight.

Things were beginning to feel desperate.

Unbridled fear. It was blinding and unbearable. Fear like nothing she had ever known. Paralyzing. The huge black spider was creeping its way toward her with all eight eyes locked on her small form. Would it eat her? Kami she hated spiders! This was her worst nightmare! She couldn’t even fight back!

The boar youkai below was grunting in pleasure as it watched her screaming and writhing about uselessly. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breath! Suddenly she heard Shippo yelp. She opened her tear-streaked eyes to see the sneering boar holding Shippo up by the tail. Her heart almost stopped completely.

Then something changed.

The mindless spider minion did not recognize the shift in power, but the smirking boar noticed it right away. The girl had gone completely still and her eyes were now glowing with a strange silver light. The very air felt charged with crackling power and he stepped his bulking frame back, unsure of what was happening.

“Oh you’ve done it now!” Shippo growled as he tried to wriggle out of the boars’ grasp. “She’s gonna kill you for sure!”

A white blur was all that announced the arrival of the western lord. He quickly searched the area, taking in every minute detail. Inuyasha was busy in a duel with an extremely skilled fox. Shadow youkai hovered in everywhere in the darkness. The taijiya was battling for all her worth with a boar wielding a massive hammer, Kat was unconscious wrapped in... something. Then he caught sight of Kagome.

She was glowing with snapping waves of power obviously awakened by a monstrous spider heading for her, or was it the brought out by the boar holding her kitsune like a bundle of wheat? For just the briefest of moments he stood in awe of her beauty and raw strength unleashed. The miko most certainly was a dangerous force to be reckoned with.

The massive power surge quickly caught the attention of all those present and even Inuyasha stopped his attack to stare at the miko high above them. The black spider paused its approach, clearly uncertain of how to proceed. Suddenly a blast of energy surged forth disintegrating the web holding Kagome in captivity. The blast didn’t stop there however, it raced toward the spider, overtaking it and turning it to ash.

Sesshomaru started to leap forward to catch her before she plunged to the ground, but stopped when he realized that she was in complete control. She hovered above, illuminated with a strange light while her long silken hair danced about her form in a false breeze. She was simply magnificent.

He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes off of her. Sesshomaru was spellbound, watching until her ethereal body landed gracefully on the ground. The touch of her dainty feet to the earth below snapped him back to the moment. It did the same for all the others.

“Ah, Sesshomaru-sama. I see you have come for your bitch.” The fox said with a snarl. Inuyasha was forgotten as he prepared to face his true enemy. Sesshomaru assured himself that Kagome was in control of her situation and safe from harm, before turning to face the fox. He looked very familiar somehow, but he couldn’t quite place him. “And you are?”

“I am Chuu. Brother to Tsuneharu, whom you so coldly tortured to death.”

Sesshomaru grunted and pulled Tokijin from its sheath. Inuyasha visibly shivered, mumbling that his damn sword always gave him the creeps. That brought a smirk to Sesshomaru’s face, as the sword was forged from the demon Goshinki who once broke the Tetsusaiga in his jaws. His golden eyes, however, were locked on the fox, who dared attack his miko. For this, Chuu was going to die.

The fox lunged forward, and with his lunge the battle resumed. Things took a change. The boar after Sango dropped the fight and barreled toward Inuyasha with swine-like grunts. Inuyasha was prepared and more than ready, but highly pissed that the fox was now focusing on Sesshomaru instead of himself. That arrogant bastard was always trying to show him up.

Kagome took one step toward the boar holding Shippo suspended in the air. Her voice came out like a melody of the Gods, beautiful, powerful, and deadly. “Release my kit or die.”

“Told you so,” Shippo chided as he jerked around trying to get his tail loose from the boars grasp. The baka hog did nothing to save himself, instead bringing up a short knife and holding it firmly against Shippo’s throat. He gulped and shivered. “Kagome!”

Kagome wasted no time in disposing of the boar. She held out her hand as if to take a lover’s hand in her own. The boar was enchanted by the woman before him emitting so much power. Her eyes glowed and swirled a strange silver that took over his every thought. Nothing made sense to him, and nothing mattered at all except to take the hand offered by this enchantress. He lifted his hand, dropping the knife and touched her fingertips.

It was the last thing he would ever do.

The boar turned to ash before another thought could pass through its clouded mind. Shippo squealed, but never hit the ground, instead floating gently downward. As soon as his feet hit the dirt he launched himself into Kagome’s arms. She hugged him close and when he looked up she was back to normal. “Kagome! You did it!” Kagome hugged him again and then hurried over to Sango.

Sesshomaru saw his miko’s performance from the corner of his mind. He was more than impressed with her abilities, but put that aside for now while he took care of this imbecile who dared challenge him.

Inuyasha was busy. He easily cut through the baka hogs’ gut leaving him to bleed to death in his dust. Then he started on the shadow demons, which were snarling with acid dripping fangs as they slashed at him with long claws. He didn’t even bother using Tetsusaiga on these idiots, instead he slashed them with his claws before calling “iron reaver soul stealer!”, effectively taking out half a dozen in one swipe.

Sesshomaru’s speed was far superior to the fox, and even though the fox was a highly skilled swordsman he was simply no match for the taiyoukai. Sesshomaru could have easily killed him many times over, but opted to make him pay by delivering a slower, much more painful death. Slash after slash left the fox bleeding, and Sesshomaru had to admit that the fox was nothing if not rigorous, refusing to fall. It was only a matter of time, however, before the blood loss became too much for him.

Chuu coughed, knowing his end was near. The inuyoukai was impossible to beat. He was fast and agile. Easily flipping and dodging his attacks. It was impossible to count the number of painful cuts over his flesh. He could feel his life’s blood draining slowly from his body, leaving him weak. His arms were leaden and his sword was beginning to be a burden instead of an asset.

Chuu knew that he was going to die and sent up a prayer that his brother be there to welcome him in hell.

“I grow tired of this game fox. Die!” Sesshomaru released a blast of Tokijin’s awesome power. The wave of demonic power sliced through the air toward his enemy who was shredded to bits under the blast.

It was over.

Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and turned to Inuyasha who had just decimated the final shadow youkai. Inuyasha was grinning like a fool, and that is when his brother pounced, slamming him hard against a tree trunk, knocking the bark loose and shaking the leaves free. He growled as he squeezed the hanyou’s throat. “How dare you take Kagome from me.”

Kagome was appalled at the lethal grace that Sesshomaru used to kill the fox. It turned her stomach that he could be so callous, as if he savored the suffering of his enemy. She knew that it was just his way, but it still didn’t make her feel any better about it. She breathed a sigh of relief when he finally put an end to the suffering and killed the fox with a blast of his sword, but as soon as it was over he attacked Inuyasha!

She scrambled to her feet and ran to his side. “Please Sesshomaru! Please, it’s not his fault! It was all my idea! Please let Inuyasha go!”

Sesshomaru was tempted to crush the boy’s windpipe, effectively removing him as a threat to his house, but Kagome’s plea’s stopped him. He inwardly cursed his newfound weakness for the miko, and promptly released Inuyasha from his grasp. He glared coldly at the hanyou who was rubbing his throat and grumbling something under his breath.

He turned his stare to Kagome who had the good grace to look ashamed of her actions. “Miko, you have much to answer for.” Kagome cringed at his cold words and rigid stance. It was clear that he was furious with her. She looked down at her feet, fidgeting beneath his cold gaze, waiting for him to pass judgement.

Inuyasha leapt to his feet, ignoring the throbbing ache of his neck and sought out Kat. He quickly found her next to Sango who was busy removing the last of the sticky spider web from around the demoness. “Is she going to be okay, Sango?” Sango looked up from her task and nodded. “I think she will be fine, Inuyasha. She took a pretty hard hit to the head though. She needs a little time to recover.” As if on queue Kat groaned and tried to move her delicately clawed hand to her head. Inuyasha crouched down beside her and took the hand in his. “Don’t worry Kat. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” The sound of his voice seemed to soothe her and she drifted off again.

Piercing golden eyes were boring holes into one small miko, as the taiyoukai tried to quell his raging temper. Outwardly he appeared his usual calm stoic self, but on the inside he was battling a monsoon of emotion. Both anger and relief pounded through his heated blood. She had acted like a child! An irresponsible child. By doing so she put not only herself, but her pup in danger as well.

One minute she was standing there wishing for a nice hole to open up and swallow her whole, and the next minute she was snatched up leaving behind a squeal in her place. Sesshomaru was furious with her and she really couldn’t blame him, but what would he do? Was he taking her back to the castle? She tried to struggle against his steel clasped arms but did not manage to gain even a centimeter of freedom. In mere seconds he stopped and released her.

They were now standing beside of a stream of water edged by rocks and boulders of various sizes. It was strange that she could see so clearly in the dark now, having never really noticed her acute eyesight before. Her thoughts were cut off abruptly by the deep thrumming of Sesshomaru’s chest vibrations. It sounded sort of like a growl, but deeper. She looked up and met his narrowed angry look. Instinctively she stepped back.

“You have acted foolishly Miko, not unlike the actions of a child. Therefore I have deemed you worthy of a child’s punishment.” He took a step toward her and she took one more away. Her could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she glanced from side to side gauging her chances for making a break. Her chances were nil as it were, but he wasted no time in giving her the option.

“Eek!” Kagome squeaked as he grabbed her up while being mindful of her delicate stomach. Before she knew what he was doing he had taken a seat on a large boulder and bent her over his lap. “Don’t you dare, Sesshomaru! I mean it!” Kagome kicked and struggled, but all her efforts were useless and she bit down the urge to cry out as the first contact between his palm and her backside was made.

“I think that a spanking is more than appropriate, don’t you my rebellious little miko?” Sesshomaru had to admit that this was one of his better plans. A thoroughly suitable and highly enjoyable punishment fitting the crime. Another firm slap on her round buttocks almost brought about a squeal from her mouth, and he had to fight the urge to chuckle at her predicament.

Two more smacks and he was beginning to really enjoy the way her cheeks jiggled upon impact. It was somewhat fascinating to watch the ripple of her firm flesh beneath his palm. His hand paused briefly to rub a smooth circle there before grasping the flesh in his hand.

“Hey!” Kagome yelped as she twisted her head around to glare at her tormentor. “Just what do you think you’re doing back there?!” He looked up and much to her relief she found the fury subsided from his sun kissed orbs, but in its place was the twinkle of mischief. She growled and twisted, trying to free herself from his grasp. “Let me go Sesshomaru!”

He did chuckle then and the sound surprised himself almost as much as it surprised her. “Miko, I am enjoying this far to much to stop now.” To prove his point he thrust his hips upwards a bit, grinding his swelling manhood into her stomach. She gasped in shock and froze completely still. “Good girl. I would say this was hurting me as much as it was hurting you, but that would be a lie.”

He popped her again.

“Yelp!” Kagome could hardly believe the injustice of it all! This pervert was enjoying this far too much! “You... you... HENTAI!” Another chuckle was her only answer before he firmly kneaded the flesh of her behind under his huge palm. As much as she hated to admit it to herself the feeling was doing things to her insides that just shouldn’t be done! Heat was pooling in her nether region and she cursed her own hentai thoughts.

The scent of her arousal hit him hard and he faltered in his game for a moment. The spicy smell drifted up into his sensitive olfactory nerves causing him to groan with need. His cock was growing thick and heavy pressed against her while his hand took advantage of her exposed buttocks by caressing the smooth flesh. Little by little he worked the back of her kimono up until he had a perfect view of yet another strange lacy covering. This one in deep crimson, barely covering anything at all.

The scent of her essence was driving him mad and he slowly traced a circle over her silken flesh with the tip of his claw earning him a husky moan from his little captive.

Unfortunately their dangerous game came to an abrupt halt as soon as he caught scent of Inuyasha heading toward them. Cursing the half-breed to the depths of hell he pulled her kimono down, causing her to whimper slightly, before he pulled her up to sit upon his lap. It wouldn’t do to stand up at the moment, least the hanyou catch sight of the huge bulge in the front of his hakama. He leaned close to her ear. “Inuyasha approaches. You will sit here quietly, and we will continue this game at a more acceptable time.”

The deep whisper of his voice sent shivers of excitement over her body, and Kagome wondered what in the hell had gotten into her? She was acting like a hussy, but all she could do was utter some nonsense in agreement and do just as her taiyoukai ordered.

Just then Inuyasha crashed through the brush. “What the hell is going on here? What are you doing you bastard? She’s coming with us to Edo, and I don’t give a shit what....” His tirade came to an abrupt cease-fire when he was greeted with a very scary sight... and smell. For one, there sat Kagome, pretty as you please, on a smirking Sesshomaru’s lap. To top that off the air was thick with the scent of arousal, both male and female. He narrowed his eyes and spat to the side before speaking again. “Just wrap this love fest up so we can be on our way.”

Kagome couldn’t stop the giggle that poured out as Inuyasha fled back into the forest. The giggle erupted into full-blown laughter when she felt Sesshomaru’s chest vibrate from his own deep chuckle. The two of them sat for a moment enjoying the embarrassment of the hanyou before Kagome finally stood up. She turned to Sesshomaru and bowed. “Please forgive my childish behavior Sesshomaru-sama. I meant no disrespect to your authority when I left. I only wanted to help Miroku.”

Sesshomaru grunted. “Hn... you have always been hasty in your efforts to protect those ridiculous friends of yours.” He stood up, thankful that his erection was deflating quickly. “I shall accompany you to Edo.”

Kagome squealed and hugged him tightly. His eyes widened in surprise, before her patted her softly on the back. He was further caught off guard when the little miko grasped his hand in her own leading him back to her band of misfits.

Dawn was approaching and the rising sun cast a beautiful glow of pinks and oranges over the land. Kagome sighed as the growing village of Edo came into view. It was almost like coming home. Inuyasha was in the lead carrying Kat in his arms. She had woken fully earlier, but he refused to release her just yet. Kagome thought this was very sweet, but dared not say so in case he chose to drop her like a hot potato onto the ground.

Shippo was perched happily on her shoulder while Sesshomaru walked a step ahead of her. His rigid posture was beginning to be easier to read the more time they spent together. He was always alert and searching for signs of trouble. Now that they were approaching the village he was even more stiff than usual, clearly a sign of his discomfort around the thick human populace. She jogged up to his side and clasped his hand in her own giving him an encouraging squeeze. He looked down at her with one brow raised in question. Kagome merely smiled widely in return.

He assumed that she was simply happy to be home, and through her gratitude chose to hold onto his hand. He decided to allow it for now, besides, the feeling was not an uncomfortable one. Just the opposite actually. It felt intimate, and he was quickly ascertaining that anything intimate with the miko was welcome to him.

As they passed by several large rice fields he noticed the stares of the laboring ningen’s, but paid no heed, until several of them dropped their tools and ran toward them. He swiftly stepped in front of Kagome, shielding her from harms way, but her laughter made him look at the situation twice. The ningen's who approached then fell to their knee’s bowing their respects as they passed by. Kagome surprised him as she spoke cheerfully to the gathering crowd. The miko actually knew each one by name and stopped to inquire of their families and crops.

He waited patiently for her to continue their journey. It was apparent that she was well liked and honored among the villagers as were the rest of the group, even Inuyasha. It just went to confirm his conclusion that ningen's were of lesser intelligence.

Ahead he caught sight of billowing robes and a long shining staff running toward them. The houshi to which the taijiya lay claim as her spouse grabbed her up and swung her around in his excitement. Her grunt of pain queued him in to her discomfort and he quickly released her from his grasp.

“Sango my love, what happened?” Miroku looked her over for other signs of trauma, then noticed Kirara was injured as well. He turned around catching sight of Kat being carried so gently by Inuyasha, which earned the hanyou a raised brow in question. The houshi then caught sight of Kagome and Shippo standing closely to Lord Sesshomaru. He bowed his greeting to the demon lord before taking his friends into a warm hug. His wayward hand began to make a southern path, but was stopped by the sound of a vicious growl of disapproval. He looked up from Kagome’s shoulder to meet the narrowed eyes of the taiyoukai, clearly asserting his authority. Never one to be foolish in such matters, Miroku released Kagome from his arms and stepped back. “Kagome, Shippo! It is so good to see you again!”

The group continued the walk further into the village where they stopped at a hut at the far end where an elderly miko met them with more pathetic welcomes. Sesshomaru wondered at the ability of these humans to rub against one another so readily. He turned his attention to the old hag. Could this be Kagome’s mother? Her grandmother?

“Kaede!” Kagome called before hugging her adoptive grandmother closely. It was so nice to be back to Edo. “How have you been?” The old woman hugged her back then stepped back to take a good look at her. Her hands clasped Kagome’s shoulders and she looked her up and down. “Aye, my dear. This old woman has been doing well, and by the looks of it ye have been faring all the better under the protection of the Western Lord.” Kagome giggled and glanced to Sesshomaru. “He’s been keeping me in line mostly.” Kaede laughed. “ ‘Tis no easy task, I might add, to keep this one in line.” She turned and greeted the stoic taiyoukai who only gave her the slightest hint of a nod in return. She turned back to Kagome and patted her on the back. “Do say that ye have come to talk some sense into that foolish monk.”

Kagome sighed. “Yep. I have, and Lord Sesshomaru was kind enough to accompany me.” Kagome chose to leave out the part of her escape for now. She wasn’t sure how over it he really was.

After settling down, Kagome approached Miroku with her concerns. “Miroku, can we talk a minute?”

He met her with a bright smile and nodded toward a path leading to the springs behind the village. Sesshomaru followed behind, giving her distance, but close enough to keep a wary eye on the monk. She didn’t even bother trying to convince him to let her go alone. It was pretty obvious that he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight anytime soon.

Once they made it to the clearing where the springs were nestled into a rocky cliff, she took a seat and urged Miroku to join her. Sesshomaru, she noticed, took a seat beneath a tree far away, but still in clear sight. She had no doubt that he could still hear every word they said with his superior hearing, but it really didn’t matter at this point.

“Miroku, Sango is very upset about your decision to split your tongue. Forgive me, but I just have to say that this is the grossest thing that you have ever decided to do. You know that right?” She chuckled lightheartedly in an attempt to lighten the mood a little.

Miroku inhaled a soothing breath of air and nodded. “I know that Sango is against this, and I regret that she felt the need to come to you with our problems.”

Kagome scoffed at him. “Don’t be silly Miroku. We are family and family sticks together, right? I’m not here to judge you. I just want to see if there is another, less... icky, way of solving your... problem.” Miroku chuckled at her use of words, but decided to hear her out. After all Kagome-sama was wise beyond her years and her knowledge of the future earned her a higher place of respect than most.

“So this Hindu priest has convinced you that this will stop your wondering hand? Miroku, you must know how outrageous this sounds to someone like me.” Kagome shook her head in despair.

“I do. I must admit that it even sounded strange to me at first, but the priest was wise and the more he spoke of this the more it made sense.” Miroku explained.

“Listen Miroku, I’m going to be blunt here. I think that you need to understand a few things. First of all, in my time, this tongue splitting thing is a thing of the past. The Hindu people do not practice it anymore. What does that tell you?” Miroku shrugged in question. Kagome continued, “Well, it tells me that it didn’t work. If it worked they would still be doing it, don’t you think?” She didn’t give him a chance to respond before continuing. “As a matter of fact, the only people that still do that are called body modifiers. They are basically a limited group of individuals across the world that think it’s cool to be different. They want to be different than everyone else so bad that they do weird, and usually very drastic, things to their bodies. Most everyone else thinks they a freaks. Some of them want to look like lizards or snakes and some of them want to look like they are evil.”

That seemed to catch his attention. “Evil? Why would they want to do that?” Kagome shrugged. “Who knows, like I said, they are considered freaks.” Miroku sat there for a long while processing Kagome’s words of ‘future’ wisdom.

Sesshomaru appeared to be bored as ever, but in reality his curiosity was peeked. Several things that Kagome said made no sense at all. She talked about ‘her time’. What does she mean by that? Even the words that she used to relay these things to the monk were strange and unknown. Why does she talk in such a way? If she is, in fact, from this very village, then why does her speech vary so differently than all the others?

Miroku sighed deeply. “So in the future, even the Hindu priests no longer perform this ritual of cleansing and self control?” Kagome nodded. “You got it. It’s a thing of the past, only still performed by a few misfits who are seeking attention.” She thought about relaying the positive sexual benefits of such a transformation, but quickly decided against it. Knowing Miroku he would jump on it just for that purpose alone.

Sesshomaru was anxious for this little session to be ended. He had questions that needed answers. Who was Kagome? The monk clearly said ‘in the future’. Does that mean that the miko is not of this time? Could such a thing be true? It would certainly explain her odd behavior and style of dress. Those short revealing skirts that she used to wear were nothing short of scandalous and had more than once distracted him during battle.

“I will consider your words carefully Kagome-sama. It is a bit disheartening to think that there is no cure for my lecherous ways with women. Since taking Sango as my wife I often feel ashamed of my actions.” Miroku sounded downtrodden. Kagome patted him on the back. “Miroku, you have to understand that it is really just mind over matter.” He looked thoroughly confused over that statement. She decided to clear it up. “You know, mind over matter? Oh never mind. Listen it’s all in your head. You have the ability to control yourself if you really want to. When you make up your mind to stop trying to feel up other women you will. See? Mind over matter.”

“Ah... I see.” He smiled a little. “Kagome-sama, you always know the right things to say.”


~~~***~~~

A/N: Whew! That was the longest chapter in history. I hope you all enjoyed it. Next update we pick up with our injured friends progress to recovery. Kat’s injury has sparked an inner knowledge in Inuyasha. Jiyuu pays a visit to Rin and Kagome and Sesshomaru return to the castle... alone. Will the trip prove to be uneventful? Stay tuned to find out!

OK, now don’t forget to go read Animal Attractions on A Single Spark and FF.net! That is my latest story written with my partners in crime KogasAngel, Psuedomonas, and ShadyMinion! It’s guaranteed to be fun so don’t forget to do the three ‘R’s... Read, Rate, and Review!

Ja ne!