The End of the Demons

Keep your Enemies Closer



Kagome finished washing and drying her clothes and quickly fixed something to eat. She washed the dishes and skillet that she used preparing her breakfast and then she was ready to go. Sesshomaru sat quietly at the table the whole time. Kagome figured he was forming a plan.



“So what do we do first,” she asked.



“We will track down one of Naraku’s incarnations and figure out how to put its energy into the jewel,” replied Sesshomaru.



“Great!” replied Kagome. “Let’s get this show on the road.” With that she jumped up and ran to the door expecting Sesshomaru to be right behind her. He had not moved.



“Sesshomaru is something wrong?” she asked.



“There is someone approaching the house,” he said calmly.



She looked out the backdoor and saw Mrs. Ando. “Oh, don’t worry, that is just the old lady that lives here. I’ll explain that we just needed a place to stay for the night. She will not cause us any problems.”



He did not respond and did not move. There was something about the look in his eyes that made her uneasy. Mrs. Ando came through the back door, just as she always did. She saw a smiling Kagome and a strange man sitting in her kitchen. Before she could ask any questions and before Kagome could explain anything, Sesshomaru was out of his chair, and had thrown the old woman down into a chair of her own.



Kagome’s hands flew up to her mouth and then, before she could stop herself she had grabbed Sesshomaru’s arm.



“Miko, meet an incarnation of Naraku. Probably one of the few who actually know exactly who and what they are,” Sesshomaru said with an arrogant tone to his voice.



Kagome looked from Sesshomaru to the woman in the chair. “Mrs. Ando?” she questioned.



The woman laughed at her. “You are such a stupid girl and a pathetic excuse for a Miko. You never had the slightest clue what I was. Even now, you cannot believe what is right in front of your face.”



Kagome was so enraged and embarrassed that she never noticed that she was still holding onto Sesshomaru. “Miko, if you can stop molesting my arm, I believe we have business to attend too,” Sesshomaru added.



Now Kagome was livid. Not only did this woman deceive her for years, she had just insulted her, and now Sesshomaru was getting in on the let’s make Kagome look like a fool act. She threw his arm away from her in disgust. Then she grabbed the skillet off of the counter and clocked the old woman in the head. The woman fell out of the chair onto the floor.



“Who’s the stupid one now? I’m not the one knocked out on the floor,” Kagome shouted. She threw the skillet back onto the counter. “And you,” she shouted, poking Sesshomaru in the chest with her finger, “I have not now, nor will I ever molest any part of your body.”



She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back towards the demon lord. If she wouldn’t have turned away, she would have seen the smile that appeared on his face so fast he couldn’t stop it. He almost let a laugh slip out, but he regained his control just in time. Letting the girl see his playful side would not suit his purposes. She was much easier to control when she was scared and off balance.



“Miko, it is easier to question someone when they are conscious,” Sesshomaru stated coldly, once again completely in control of himself.



“Well you’re mister pain and suffering, wake her ass up!” Kagome said coldly.



“Are you giving me an order, human?” Sesshomaru hissed, no longer amused.



Kagome knew that she had gone a step too far as soon as the words left her mouth. Now she had to calm down and apologize before she got herself or her family hurt. “No, I would never give you an order. I was just really mad and I spoke without thinking. I’m sorry, please accept my apology.”



“Very well, but you would be advised to watch your tongue and your temper in the future. I don’t think your time with the half breed has helped you to become a proper woman.” Sesshomaru stated as he pulled the old woman off of the floor and placed her back in the chair.



“What do you mean a proper woman,” Kagome questioned.



“You exhibit many qualities that are not befitting a lady, like your foul language and temper tantrums to name a few. No self respecting male would ever accept you as his mate.” Sesshomaru stated. “Get some water to throw on the woman and something to bind her to the chair.”



When Sesshomaru looked up, he was surprised that Kagome had not moved to obey him. She was in tears. “You really think that no man would ever want me,” she said sadly. It was not a question. It was like she was repeating it as it was sinking in.



She hung her head and dried her tears. Then she walked to the sink. She came back with a glass of water and handed it to Sesshomaru. Then she looked in a few drawers and a utility closet before she found a roll of electrical tape. She silently walked to the woman and taped her to the chair.



Kagome’s brief moment of empowerment was forgotten. She had never fully understood why Inuyasha did not seem to return her feelings. She had also been left out, when all of her friends from school had started dating. Hojo had long ago, moved on from his crush on her, and she had been feeling lonely lately. No one had ever come right out and given her a reason why decent men did not seem to be interested in her. She knew that Sesshomaru could be cruel, but he did not lie. If he said that no male would want her, then that was what he believed to be true.



The demon lord was a little surprised. He did not think that his words would have such an effect on her. He took the glass of water that she offered and after Kagome secured the woman to the chair, he threw the water in the woman’s face. Mrs. Ando woke up with a groan. She tried to reach up and rub the rather large lump on the back of her head, but found that she could not move her arms or legs. She looked at the demon and then Kagome.



“You little bitch,” the woman yelled. “You hit me in the back of the head. I can hardly wait until Naraku gets a hold of you.”



“And what exactly does Naraku want with her?” Sesshomaru asked.



The old woman closed her mouth and looked away from him refusing to answer. In a flash Sesshomaru sunk his poison claws into the woman’s arm. She shrieked in pain.



“I would advise you to answer my questions. My poison is unique. It has the power to keep a victim awake while it slowly dissolves everything it touches. I will make you suffer more then you can possibly imagine, and I will enjoy every second of your pain.” Sesshomaru’s spoke with a smirk on his face. He could smell the woman’s intense fear. She would be easy to crack.



Kagome just stood beside him and looked at the floor. She did not want to see someone tortured, but she had to be strong and prove she was not weak.



“What is Naraku’s interest in the Miko?” Sesshomaru asked again.



Once again the woman would not answer. Sesshomaru slammed his claws into her right hand, and this time he excreted a nice amount of poison. Kagome started to feel sick as the woman’s hand started to melt. The sight of it combined with the smell of roasting flesh and the woman’s screams of agony were almost too much for her, but she refused to move away.



“Okay, Okay, I’ll tell you,” The woman wailed.



Sesshomaru retracted his claws and waited.



“Naraku wants what he has always wanted. He wants to posses Kikyo. Since he now knows that the girl is Kikyo’s reincarnation, he has decided that she would be the next best thing. He will keep you like a pet, his to use when he desires. I don’t understand why he would want someone as unremarkable as you, but that is his business.” The woman stated coldly.



“Why hasn’t he come for the girl in all these years?” Sesshomaru asked.



“He needed to make sure that she played her part in the past by bringing him the jewel and he had to make sure that her Hanyou was neutralized. Once he has the girl, he does not want any interference in his plans.” The woman answered.



“Does he know about me?” Sesshomaru asked.



“No, I don’t think so, but he does have a feeling that something odd is happening. You probably should not have wiped out one of his homes if you wanted to stay out of sight.” She stated.



“How many incarnations are in existence right now?” Sesshomaru asked.



“I don’t know,” She replied.



Sesshomaru dug his claws in her other hand, “You think you can lie to me wench,” he yelled.



“I don’t know,” she said weekly. “I would guess there are more then a hundred, but they are constantly reproducing or being reabsorbed, so I have no way of knowing for sure.”



“A hundred,” Kagome repeated quietly.



“Miko, concentrate your powers on the jewel and see if you can pull in her soul,” Sesshomaru ordered as he stepped back and out of the way.



Kagome did as he asked, and a pink light came out of the jewel and engulfed the woman. In seconds all that remained of her, were her clothes. She had been pulled into the jewel.



Kagome put the jewel back in her pocket and walked out of the room. Sesshomaru found her sitting on the couch.



“Miko,” he questioned, “Is there a problem?”



“No, I am just going to have to spend the rest of my life tracking down incarnations of Naraku, being his pet, or being your servant,” Kagome replied bitterly. “No, problems here.”



Sesshomaru then did something completely out of character. He said something nice for a change. “Tracking down the incarnations will go faster then you think. As soon as they realize that their kin are being destroyed, they will start to stay in groups for safety. We will be able to take out many at one time.”



Kagome just nodded, so he continued, “You will not be Naraku’s pet. As long as you are my servant, you are under my protection. He will not touch you.”



“Thank you,” she said quietly.



She waited for him to comment about her not being a servant for the rest of her life, but he said nothing more. ‘I guess it will be option 3 for me,’ she thought sadly.



Sesshomaru knew that she was hoping that he would promise to release her from servitude when they were done taking care of Naraku, but he was not prepared to do that right now. He wanted to see how this all played out and whether or not he was going to be able to get back to his time. If he was being honest with himself he would have also admitted that the girl had grown on him a bit, especially when he saw the fire in her eyes and her little display of violence earlier, but he would never admit that. Not even to himself.



“Come Miko, we cannot expect all of the incarnations to come to our door. Time to hunt,” Sesshomaru said as he headed to the door.



--------------I still do not own any part of Inuyasha or any of the characters used in this story.