Blood Stained

Thanks Eve for Beta-Reading.

Blood Stained

Chapter 38: His Woman

Kagome was awake as soon as the sun rose. Despise her best attempt, she could not sleep. She wasn't sure if it was because she couldn't wait to start the chase for the second shard, or because of her good state, but her body would not rest.

For the first time in a while, she felt no pain. Kagome had a feeling it would not last the whole day, but she would enjoy it for as long as she could. Currently, she was sitting on the couch, looking through the window.

She had no idea where they were heading for yet, but she hoped it would not be another secluded area. It didn't feel as safe. At least, the youkais wouldn't harm them in the middle of a city, and Sesshomaru wouldn't have to use his youki.

Kagome couldn't stop herself from glancing in his direction. He was lying on the bed, sleeping. He had slept a little more lately, and she wondered if it was a normal thing since she re-called him saying he didn't need much rest.

Maybe she could ask him later; after all, they were supposed to be talking right now. Well, since she was giving him a second chance that meant they were supposed to be able to speak each other outside of jewel related talk.

Technically.

They were still working on that part.

Nonetheless, she didn't want him to have a sickness, and either push himself, and pass out on her when they would be in a secluded area, or slow down their traveling because he didn't take care of himself.

Her hands were resting on her stomach, a smile on her face. She was glad that her son felt well for a little while. It hadn't been as bad as she thought, and at least it had benefit someone.

A sudden movement in the room caused her to snap her head in direction of the bed. She observed as Sesshomaru stirred up from his sleep, never looking in her direction.

It took him a few seconds before he was completely awake, and once he was, the first thing he did was to look in direction of her bed. He frowned when he noticed she was there, but then he gazed around, and easily spotted her.

"Miko," he said, greeting her.

Kagome softly nodded her head in response.

Sesshomaru dragged his feet to the side of the bed, before sitting down. He ran his fingers through his short black hair, before sighing. He had fallen asleep again. He had gotten rest a little while ago, it was too soon for him to require again.

Perhaps all the transformations had exhausted his body? He didn't see anything else that could be the cause.

He glanced her way, and he could tell right away that she had been up for a while. Had she not slept the whole night? He cursed himself slightly for resting while she remained awake.

With a sigh, he made his way to the bathroom, and disappeared behind the door.

Kagome had not been able to resist the urge to look at him as he awoke. Sesshomaru was always different when he was sleeping, or when his mask wasn't on. Perhaps she couldn't get over the fact of him looking vulnerable.

A few moments later, Sesshomaru came out of the washroom, and he looked like himself again. Not like himself from the feudal era, but the one she had been seeing for the past weeks in the modern era.

"Are you well?" he asked, before picking up his bag.

She nodded. "I slept for a while."

At least it was not her weaknesses or anything, so he figured there was nothing to worry about. Her attitude wasn't as cold towards him, and he expected that if there were something wrong with her, she would share it with him.

He opened his little notepad that was hidden in his bag, and read through. He had two main locations he wanted to check for the shard. Hopefully they would be able to find it. He had a feeling though, they would need to search it. Good thing she could sense them.

"Are you ready?" he inquired, stuffing the book back in his bag.

Kagome hadn't changed, but she had slept in her normal clothes, so she hardly needed to change. Plus, it didn't really matter since they would probably get dirty by climbing or running.

No need to put on fresh clean clothes.

"Where are we going?"

"Melbourne."

She frowned. "Right in the heart of the city? Wouldn't they be hiding?"

It was the smartest way to go wasn't it? Obviously whoever had the shard was not being very intelligent about it and how to protect it. Hopefully that would make the task easier for them.

"Apparently," said Sesshomaru before putting his bag over his shoulder. "Are you fine with walking?" When she looked up at him confused, he explained further. "The location keep moving throughout the city from both extremities. I thought we could walk and perhaps wait until you sensed it. Would that be acceptable?"

She nodded. "I don't see a problem with it."

"If you need to rest we will, or we will call a car to pick us up."

Kagome reached out for her purse, and slid it on her shoulder.

"Would you like something to eat?"

Kagome shook her head. "I'll grab something along the way if I get hungry."

"Very well," he said, before beginning to lead the way.

He knew Melbourne quite well since he had traveled there a few times. He actually owned a house but he hadn't thought that taking her there was the right move. A hotel was a neutral place, not more hers, not more his.

He was doing this to make sure she was comfortable. She might be nervous in his house, and they were making some sort of progress, since she was talking to him as if he was anyone else. He intended on keeping things that way.

Not because he thought he deserved it, or because it made him feel better. But because it made her feel better, and it meant she was taking steps in the right directions.

She deserved to feel whole again. And it was also a requirement if they intended on completing the jewel. But, he now knew that the jewel would require more time than expected, and more protection.

What if she still couldn't purify it when it was completed? She couldn't wish upon a dark jewel, when she herself had darkness. They would have to wait, and make sure nobody got hold of it, or it would be terrible.

Sesshomaru turned his head slightly to look back at her. Like usual, she was somewhat behind him, just going where he was going. He sighed before focusing his attention to the sight in front of him.

It was as if they were complete strangers who didn't know each other.

And in all honesty, they somewhat were.

What did he really know about her? True, he had somewhat spied on her during the past 17 years, but he knew nothing of her taste. What was her favorite color? Her best memory? What music did she like?

Not that it mattered, not that it would change anything.

Sesshomaru kept walking ahead for a minute, until he decided to turn around to check up on her. That was when he noticed she was not behind him anymore. He quickly spotted her, and ran back in the other direction.

"Did you sense it?" he asked when he reached her.

Kagome nodded. "But it's moving, and it's getting weaker. Whoever has it is getting out of range."

"What direction?"

She pointed to her left, and immediately, Sesshomaru headed that way. Kagome followed behind him as quickly as she could.

"Tell me if he changes direction," he almost yelled out.

She nodded even though he couldn't see her. She made sure to keep all of attention focused on the shard, not wanting to let it escape her grasp.

It was getting weaker, and weaker. There weren't much explanation for that. There was no way someone was using youkai speed in the middle of the city. That meant the person was traveling in car, and chances were, they wouldn't be able to catch up to them.

And a few minutes later, she was proven right. Kagome stopped running; she couldn't sense the shard anymore. When Sesshomaru didn't hear her heavy footsteps behind him, he came to an alt as well.

He spurned around, to look at her, and he knew it right away. Their only thing they could hope for right now was that the person would come around again. There was no point in using the car, and following them, they could be going anywhere, and the city was big.

This might require more than one day, but he was prepared for that.

"Would you like to keep walking around?" he asked when he reached her side.

Kagome pondered on the issue for a few seconds. Well perhaps it was the best way to go, since their person might come back. They couldn't just go back to the hotel already, and give up.

The best thing to do was to continue.

"We should." She put a hand on her stomach. "I think I should eat."

He agreed by nodding his head. "I know a place," he said, before doing like usually, and showing her the way.

Sesshomaru was a little upset with his lack of speed. Never would he have lost an enemy in the past, he would have caught them before they even knew what hit them. The more the hunt for the shards progressed, the more useless he felt.

He lacked power, he lacked his power.

A few minutes later, they reached a small restaurant, the one he had been looking for, and he held the door open for her. Kagome walked in quickly, and soon enough they were sat at a table.

Kagome ordered a bowl of soup, but she rapidly noticed that he didn't order anything. She found herself wondering if she had ever seen him eat or drink anything in the past?

She could always ask… "Why don't you eat?"

"Because I don't need to. I never did with my youki, and I still do not with a human appearance."

"Can you eat?" He needed to eat something, his body needed some type of nutrients didn't it?"

He nodded. "I can if I wish."

"I saw Kouga and his pack eat humans." Although, now that she thought back about it, they had been able to give it up pretty easily. Also they had eaten chips, and other things she had brought.

So youkais did need food.

But why didn't he?

"They are wolf youkais. They are different. I simply do not require anything."

Kagome knew she could have pushed the issue, and ask for more, but she didn't. It was hard for her to back down, but she bit her tongue. She had no intention to get herself into an argument, especially with him, for something so foolish.

So, she dropped the issue, and put her hands on her purse, which was on her legs.

She had a feeling this would be a long day,

-B-

After three more hours outside, Kagome's feet had begun to hurt, and there was still no sign of the shard. It killed her to be the first one to stop, but after all, she was in a special condition Sesshomaru wasn't; she was pregnant.

A sigh escaped her lips before she decided that it was far enough. "I'm done," she said, as she ceased all movements.

Sesshomaru turned around to look at her. She was slightly hunched back, a hue of red covering her cheeks, most probably due to the heat. He had completely forgotten about that. Quickly he nodded at her, before taking out his cellphone. He wouldn't make her walk any further.

Close to them, he spotted a bench, and he went to sit down, with Kagome imitating him. Once he ordered for the driver to pick them up, he closed his cellphone shut. Perhaps next time it would be wise to bring maybe a hat, and some water bottles.

He would forget sometimes that humans were fragile.

They waited on the bench for a few moments, before the driver arrived. And then, it only took ten minutes to get to the hotel. During the drive there, Kagome had her eyes closed, allowing herself to rest.

She had intended to try to form the connection, but she wasn't sure if she was up for it. Kagome felt drained, and it was as if every little action took all of her energy. Maybe they could do it after she napped?

When she felt the car come to a stop, she opened her eyes slowly, only to see Sesshomaru already making his way out. She followed closely behind, and he held the door open for her.

They made their way to the hotel in silence, and as soon as they reached their room, she plopped down on the bed. Her hair was sprawled across the soft blue blanket, as she finally gave her poor back a rest.

Deep inside, she found herself wishing this hotel had a massage place. Kami knew she could use one.

Kagome could hear Sesshomaru moving around, but she didn't give it a second though. Instead she was trying to figure out if waiting to form the connection was better. Or maybe they skip it for today? No, they had to make progress.

With a sigh, she lifted herself up, her hair cascading down her back. "We should try it again," she said, tilting her head to the side.

Sesshomaru focused his attention on her before agreeing. He made his way towards her bed, and sat down. Usually she came to his, but from the exhausted look she had on her features, he assumed it was best for her to do as little as possible.

He wasn't sure it was the best idea to do it right now when she seemed tired, but apparently she had no problem with the idea.

They intertwined their hands together like they had done way too many times, and both of them closed their eyes. It wasn't as hard as it used to be, but it was still taking them a few seconds to find the right mode.

Cold.

Kagome was sitting on the sidewalk, rain pouring on her. She was freezing to the bone, but she refused to move. She had to stay there; it was how she would deal with the pain.

Her mother said he was happier now. He was in a better place.

But shouldn't a better place be with his family?

He wanted to be her mother said, but the truck came down the road too fast. Neither could avoid each other. Her mother said, she'd never see her father again. And Kagome felt the tears pouring out of her eyes.

Why did he have to go?

Didn't he love them anymore?

Then she heard a voice.

"He shouldn't have gone."

Kagome snapped her head up, and turned it in direction of the sound. Somewhere beside her, there was a boy. He looked like a teenager, and he was standing there, no rain surrounding him. His eyes were cold, but she could see pain upon his features.

"He was weak. He let her destroy him."

Unknown to Kagome, Sesshomaru had just watched his father die. He had foolishly tried to save that human whore, and her filthy son. The great Inutaisho had died to save humans. He died for their sakes, yet his sacrifice was worth nothing.

Did his bastard's child life mean more to him than Sesshomaru's?

Sesshomaru wouldn't let himself make the same mistake. Never.

All of the sudden, a bright white light surrounded them both, and it blinded them.

Kagome's fingernails were digging into the ground, as she desperately tried to escape. A scream almost escaped her, as pain throbbed throughout her abused body. Not like this. She couldn't lose her virginity like this.

Blood was dripping down her legs, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her heart was ready to burst into pieces. She tried to escape him, tried to use her power to fight him off, but she failed.

She was shaking from the shock, and she kept repeating to herself that it was not real, that it was all a bad dream. But she couldn't wake up from it. And she couldn't scream for help either, or perhaps it would cost her friends their lives.

She was all alone with it.

Sesshomaru's eyes were bleeding red, as he dug his claws in her skin. She was his. He had craved for her, for her skin in a way he had never wanted anyone else before. Her scent was intoxicating him, and he always required more.

The pain in his heart was finally diminishing. For years now, he had been dying to steal her from the worthless half-breed. She was always meant to be his, and for too long he had been pushed back in his cage. His desire to mark her was out of control.

She was the only one who could free him from the pain in his heart. The only one who could save him from this suffering. For too long he had been in pain, for too long he had missed her presence by his side.

It was time for him to claim her, and to forever get rid of his misery.

With every thrust he took inside of her, he felt his despair disappear. And he found himself craving more of that delightful sensation. No longer would he be force to endure this hardship.

She'd be his, and she would love him the same way she loved the hanyou.

Once again, a bright light enveloped them, until nothing could be seen anymore.

Kagome was lifelessly laying on the bed, her body begging her to eat some food. It was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open, but she managed. At least, she had until he had showed up.

His cold emotionless eyes were set on her, and she knew it.. When Kagome found the strength in her to look up at him, she saw those amber orbs she despised. Although she wondered why he was here.

Why did he bother showing up? Why should it matter to him if she ate or not? He had already express how little he cared for her.

He had taken her life from her, and turned it around. Nothing was left but the shell, and she didn't know how to rebuild herself. She hated what he had done to her, she was better than this, but she couldn't bring herself to be more.

And now here he was, to bring more shame upon her, but forcing her to eat.

Sesshomaru was clearly annoyed. He had better things to do with his time then to deal with her tantrums. Why was she being so foolish? She knew she required food. And why could none of his servants do their job right?

It was obvious she had no energy… why couldn't they force her to eat.

It shouldn't even be any of his concern. But it wouldn't be right to allow his, mate to die while under his care. Once again, she was proving to be a burden, once he didn't wish for, nor wanted.

The worst of it all was he would have to fight or threaten her, or she wouldn't do as she was told. Every time, she had to be difficult. Didn't she realize this would be much easier for her if she went along?

Then again, she had never learned to submit to an alpha.

For one last time, the white light engulfed them, and this time, a normal dressed Kagome, with a very pregnant belly was sitting on a swing, looking out at the sky. Sesshomaru was sitting besides her, imitating his actions.

"You remembered," he stated.

She shrugged. "A little." Tears were still flowing out of her eyes as she re-saw everything.

No wonder her memory was a blank. Who wouldn't wish to forget about all of this? Wasn't it better to erase it all than to face it?

"You didn't like me very much," she said referring to the latest memory.

A tiny smirk adorned his lips. "I didn't like humans much then."

"What about Rin?"

His smile seemed to sadden. "She showed me not everyone can be included in the same basket. You are different as well. You do not wish for power and destruction."

"I don't believe in his redemption," she bluntly admitted.

He turned his head, and observed her face.

"I believe in yours." She scoffed. "Although, I'm sure you've done more than what I've seen."

Her heart was breaking from the way he hadn't cared. The saying too little too late was coming to her mind when she thought about him, and what he was trying to do. Could someone really change, and earn forgiveness?

She didn't know enough to make up her mind, but one thing was for sure. If he was there, and he stuck around even when he didn't have to, it said something about him.

Sesshomaru felt Kagome collapse on his chest, and his first reflex was to wrap his arms around her. Her face was firmly pressed against him, and he moved his hands up, to hold on to her shoulders.

He pushed her away from him, holding her up. He knew she had been too tired for this. It had sucked out all the energy she had left. Ignoring his own feelings, he moved out of the way so he could lay her down on the right side of the bed.

She was peacefully sleeping while he felt turmoil of emotions inside of him. He already remembered very well all of those moments, all of those memories. It hadn't been necessary to see them again, But this time, it had been much worst.

He had seen her face, he had felt her feelings, while everything had happened. All the thoughts that had gone through her mind, everything. If he thought he felt guilt before, he had been wrong.

What he felt now was guilt. Heart-breaking guilt.

Sesshomaru could barely bare to look at her face. This whole connection thing made her feel better every time, but it made him feel worst each time. Perhaps it was only fair. It was going in a circle.

She might escape it one day, but he wasn't sure he would.

Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome's belly, and before he knew it, he was sitting on the edge of the bed. The feelings of needs and guilt were eating him alive, and he didn't know how to deal with them.

He had this urge he could not explain. He didn't like it.

He had to lay beside her.

Sesshomaru pondered the issue for a few seconds, knowing it was a horrible idea. No good could come from him doing this. He would be invading her personal space, and if she found out, she would freak out.

But why did he have to?

Before he could stop himself, he was positioning himself on her bed. Maybe if he just lay there, without moving, without going too close to her? Sesshomaru disliked his current state of confusion, his lost of control.

Yet, completely hopeless, he laid there beside her, a few inches separating them. One thing he would need to make sure of was that he needed to be gone before she woke up. He didn't wish to scare her.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, trying to chase away his emotions.

He was weak.

Weak for her, because of her.

-B-

Kagome felt a familiar warmth feel her, and then a pulsing went through her body. Her eyes snapped opened, and before she knew it, she was sitting up in the bed. There it was. The shard. She could feel it nearby.

Without even looking beside her, Kagome rose to her feet, and headed towards the window. She could feel it coming from around the hotel. She tried to spot a person, or a car, but there were too many of both of her to pinpoint it.

She finally turned around to look if Sesshomaru was there, but she found herself staring at an empty room. When had he left? Or better, why had he left? Then she realized in her panic for the shard, she had forgotten about the previous events.

They had shared a few memories this time. She could still very well recall them. It had been different to see things from his eyes. Once again, she wasn't sure if she liked it.

All of his feelings had been twirling inside of her. And she had been surprised by the beast's need. She didn't like him more or anything, but she wasn't aware of the pain it brought it to be far from her. But then again, it brought her great suffering to be around it.

And then she remembered Sesshomaru's cold thoughts when he had forced her to eat, when she had thought about giving up. She was glad she did not, she was grateful that she ate.

But she wasn't grateful for him.

That Sesshomaru was the Sesshomaru she was trying to forget about. Or the one she was trying to replace with the new one.

The feeling of the shard getting closer to her brought her out of her thoughts.

There was no way they were lucky. Whoever was carrying the shard didn't just happen to come to the same hotel as them as the same time. It was too convenient. It could only mean one thing.

The person knew they were after the shard.

But were they coming in peace? She doubted.

Her stress grew slightly as she found herself wondering where Sesshomaru had gone. Kagome asked her self if the best thing to do was to wait in the room safely, or to go down and met them where they were a lot of people.

She decided to stay in the room. Although it might be safer to be surrounded by people, in case something happened, she didn't want anyone to be harm. There was less risk of that if she didn't go down there.

But now, she was by herself, at their mercy.

As she felt the shard slowly getting closer and closer, her heart began to hammer inside of her chest. Kagome tried to sense an aura, but she couldn't. From the look of things, either it was a human whom had the shard, or a youkai who disguised his youki much like Sesshomaru did.

But why would the person come to them?

They knew they couldn't fight in a hotel! Maybe she had been wrong this whole time, maybe this was just a coincidence. Although that idea didn't sit well with her, it was the one that made the most sense.

Suddenly, she felt the shard stopped, and she assumed they were at the information desk. Something clicked inside her head as she realized they would be coming in her room.

She had to hide the jewel. Although it had sutras to cover it, it wasn't safe to leave her purse in view like that, in case they would look through it. Never could see allow that person to lay their hand on the jewel.

They would only be missing one shard.

Her heartbeat echoing in her mind, Kagome rushed to her purse, and took out the jewel box, and the shard. Where could she hide them? Where wouldn't they think of looking?

Nowhere.

If they really wanted it, they would turn the room upside down to find it.

Her eyes widened slightly as she headed for the washroom. Suddenly she felt the shard moving closer, and she knew they were aware of which room she was in. Kagome knew she was to hurry; time was running out.

She lifted the top of the toilet, and dropped the jewel box and the shard there, before putting the top back on. Maybe, just maybe, they would think she wasn't stupid enough to look there. It wasn't a common place to think of after all.

Whoever was there had almost reached the right floor, and Kagome rushed out of the washroom, not wanting to give away any hints. She glanced around the room again, wondering where Sesshomaru was.

Why did he leave now out of all time? What had been so important that he had rushed out of the room without a word?

Kagome licked her dry lips as she felt the shard being a few footsteps away from the door.

Then it happened. The person knocked on her door, and for an instant, Kagome stopped breathing.

She waited a few seconds before speaking. "Who's there?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Did Sesshomaru still have her bows and arrows? If so, where were they? Her eyes traveled around the room, trying to locate his bag. That was where they had been the last time she had seen them.

The person behind the door never answered her, instead, they banged on the door once more.

Kagome hurried to Sesshomaru's bag, and unzipped it. A sigh of relief almost escaped her once she saw her weapon tucked in the bag. At least she would have some form of protection.

She took the bow out of the bag, and grabbed a few arrows. She armed her bow, before walking in direction of the door. She had small plan, which she could probably pull off. Kagome had a feeling she might be able to open the door quickly enough to then back away, and aim at her opponent.

It wasn't perfect, but she didn't have much other choices right now.

The person was still banging, and she knew it was time.

Kagome prayed, before unlocked the door, and she swung it opened. Time to face it.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was just outside of the hotel, heading back inside. He had only been able to feeling of being beside her for a few minutes until he had felt himself suffocating. The flashback of her when the beast had first taken her had been stuck in his mind.

He had never seen her face then until now.

The suffering, the misery, it almost made his gut twist.

He tried to remind himself that it was a custom that used to happen a lot back in the feudal era, but not matter what he told himself, it never made it right. A wrong couldn't be right.

Living in this era had erased the only defense he had back then.

Sesshomaru found himself hoping she was still asleep. He didn't wish to explain to her why he left. Not that he had to, but now that they were somewhat talking a little more, even when not necessary, she might ask.

If she did, he wouldn't know what to answer. The truth was the best solution, but not always the best to handle.

He tried to chase the feelings and thoughts away from his mind as he pushed the hotel door open.

Judging from how exhausted she had been earlier, maybe they needed a day break from all this connection, and bond stuff. Maybe it was also why he was so tired even when he required very little sleep.

Forming a bond with her was sucking the little energy he had. He could only assume that it was worst for her since she was not only pregnant, but also using her miko powers during the connection.

No wonder it had broke off when her energy had run out.

A few minutes later, Sesshomaru was coming out of the elevator, ready to head towards the room. And then he noticed something out of the ordinary, something that worried him.

Something that made him regret leaving her alone.

The door of their room was open. Not a lot, it was just a crack, but he knew she wouldn't have left it open. She probably wouldn't even have left the room. It meant someone came in.

He tried to run a list of suspect in his mind, but nobody came up. Nobody knew about them, except for her family. Surely they weren't the one who came all the way down here to check up on her.

Almost ready to activate his youki if her life was in danger, Sesshomaru closed the distance between himself and the door. He tried to be on his guard as he approached the door. He attempted to peak him, but it wasn't open enough for him to be able to see.

It only left him with the option of walking.

Sesshomaru pushed the door open, and was shocked to see that it was empty. He tried to calm himself by remembering that there was another room to their room. A tiny living room like room. Maybe she was in there.

He fully entered inside their room, and that was when he saw them. Two men, leaning against the doorway, their backs facing him. If his youki was free, he would have growled.

Why were they there? Who were they?

He took one more step, and it seemed to give his presence away. Both men turned around, and he could finally take a good look at them. They both had short black hair, and brown eyes. They weren't very tall or muscular, and he had a feeling that even with his human body, they weren't much of a threat to him.

"Who is he?" asked one of them to the other, as if he couldn't hear them talk.

They both narrowed their eyes, as if Sesshomaru was the threat. Sesshomaru bared his human teeth at them, before getting closer.

"Where is she?"

Neither of the men talked, but they were clearly blocking him from accessing to the room where he now assumed Kagome was. Ignoring the way they were trying to obtain his submission, he walked towards them.

He might not like any different than a human, but Sesshomaru still didn't let anyone tell him what to do. He held more status and power than any of these useless being. Plus, his main concern right now was the miko's safety.

When Sesshomaru was right in front of them, he stopped. He was ready to confront them, when she came through.

"Stop!"

All three men turned their head in direction of the heavily pregnant miko, who was trying to make her way through. Sesshomaru watched as she came in view, completely unharmed.

Did she know these people? Why would she know anyone in Australia?

Both men moved to let her pass, and she offered them a tiny smile before turning her attention to Sesshomaru.

"Don't harm them."

"You mean that's Sesshomaru?" They both looked so surprised by his appearance. Immediately their attitude changed, and they seemed to show him a little more respect.

"Who are they?" he asked, looking down at Kagome.

She bit her bottom lip. "They have the shard."

So she was being friendly to them, hoping they would give up the shard? There were safer, and quicker way to get the shard from them.

Sesshomaru put his hand on her arm, and slightly moved her behind him as if to protect her. "Miko, just stay back."

The first thought that ran through her mind was that he was going to use his youki, and that could only mean bad news, and not only for her. But for them too. His beast would have no pity, and she couldn't allow it to happen.

Immediately, Kagome went for his hand to stop him, although he made no attempt to reach for his wrist, but she had been to caught up to notice. "I know these people."

Sesshomaru dropped his guard at her words. How could she possibly know them? The surge of feelings he had been experiencing for the past hours had gotten the best out of him, although he did consider almost everyone a threat.

Kagome closed her eyes tightly. She knew this was going to happen. She told them not to do this, not to wait like this. She even warned them that he would be coming back, but they didn't listen. What was it with man and their ego?

Was it really impossible for them to listen to a woman once in a while? Although, they had only arrived a few minutes ago, she barely even had a chance to explain the situation to them.

"You're standing a little close to my woman there."

Sesshomaru's head turned in direction of the voice, only to see another man coming in view. He had long black hair, and bright blue eyes. An annoying smirk was adorning his face as he came in full view.

From the second he looked at him, he didn't like him. Although, there was something familiar.

Kagome sighed heavily. As if she needed this in her current state. "Do you remember Kouga?"

Kouga. The Wolf Prince.

Oh yes, he remembered him.

-B-