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Madman	By : Rinseternalsoul Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 12292 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Madman

By Rinseternalsoul

**Disclaimer: I can only dream of having the money that Rumiko Takahashi makes off of her anime, Inuyasha. Me? I’m just a non-profit fanfiction author who adores the show and loves to write smut.

Chapter 16 - Hidden Strengths

A/N: I have got to mention a very perceptive reviewer, Silver_Drache from A Single Spark. You are one smart gal. I could hardly believe that you had already figured Kagome's dramatic moment out. Nice work! And thanks for the great review!

To all my readers: I love you guys! You are the world's best fanfiction fanatics! I've been smiling for days after reading all of your reviews. Thank you!!!

This is it... The big fight scene chapter. I'm so nervous, sitting here, getting ready to write it, and praying that I live up to the images that have been playing through my head. I'm also very excited! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for months! Finally, the time has come. I believe that chapter 18 will be the last chapter (sniff). But, I am looking at the bright side. I will have much more time to devote to Violation of Honor once this story is done!

This Chapter is Dedicated to my on-line pal, Risa. An all around cool gal and my biggest fan. Thanks for being sweet!

Kagome gasped, and helplessly cried out when the machine clamped down simultaneously in her temples and the back of her head. The vise-like halo sank the four little metal spikes deep. Her breath slammed out of her from the pain of it, and she snatched hard on the restraints holding her in place. Through tears of fear and frustration, Kagome blinked and opened her eyes just enough to see Juria standing across the room with a smug look of success on her deceptively pretty face. She blinked, and the whir of the machine began to gain strength. Matsuno Hotaka watched her, his image blurring between the watery pools distorting her vision. Something was pulling at her mind, sucking her coherency, and eating her life away with hungry jaws. From her ears to the tips of her toes, she felt as if her body was burning, coming apart from the inside our. The very cells, made up muscle and bone, felt as though they were exploding individually, before being vacuumed from her body through the metal posts embedded in her head. It was an inferno, burning a stormy path through her entire soul.

Hotaka secretly admitted a sense of unease, watching the lovely young miko die right before his eyes. He hated the suffering of innocents. It was the seed of his determination to rule the world. He wanted to end suffering on a global scale. For that reason, he felt just a bit uneasy taking the miko's life, but it was a necessary evil. In the grand scheme of things, her sacrifice would save millions. It was a noble death that he had given her.

That alone eased his conscience, and he refused to think on it further. It had to be done. Everything depended on The Purity Machine. All of his carefully laid plans, decades of gathering information, and risks that, if discovered by his superiors, would land him in front of a firing squad.

Failure was not an option.

As the miko's gut wrenching scream finally - thankfully - died on her lips, his attention was drawn to the special titanium-alloy glass that made up the reaction chamber of The Purity Machine. His eyes opened wide in shock as he spotted a tendril of blue glowing light snaking its way from the entry valve to pool in the bottom of the reservoir. He glanced back to the girl, and found her rigid form now slumping, but still looking at him with heavy lidded, shimmering blue eyes, that had gone blank. She was probably suffering from shock. It would make it easier on her, he decided, and turned back to watch the magical blue thread, winding slowly into a growing coil.

His scientists cheered, and exclaimed that it was officially more than any other 'donor' had produced. Their lab assistants went into a flurry of movements, checking gauges and tracking data results from the many LDC computer screens. For a moment, they each forgot about the slowly dying miko, and felt only the thrill of achievement. It was a breakthrough that would change the world.

When the miko's heart rate grew so slow that each tiny blip on the monitor seemed only to appear with phenomenal effort, Hotaka was beginning to clench his teeth with anxious anticipation. Though the glass chamber was nearly full enough to begin systematic pressurization, the girls' life force was quickly draining away. If she did not last long enough to kick start the machine, it would have all been a waste.

Kagome felt nothing now. She knew nothing. In a floating world of shadows and light she raced her brother, Souta, up the shrine steps. His childish laughter filled her ears like the music of angles. Her mother and her grandfather kissed her cheek good night, whispering their love as she weightlessly passed them by. Inuyasha was there, waving with a wop-sided grin. Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippo all cheered happily. Kouga, Kaede, Rin and Jeninji, all laughed and waved from below. Rishou, blew her a kiss, and finally Eri met her with a brilliant smile. Everyone that she had ever known and loved came to her during that surreal moment in time. They went through her thoughts with such clarity that she felt she could reach out and touch them. In the end there was only Sesshomaru. He did not smile. Instead his golden eyes held sadness, and it made Kagome want to cry.

The darkness called to her. Kagome felt its comforting hands urging her to embrace warm, eternal, oblivion. It was her destiny to meld with the darkness, an undeniable pull that offered relief from lifelong struggle. A peace came over her, as she walked into the solace that was offered there, and a smile slowly spread over her face.

It was as if she were coming home.

The small blip on her heart monitor then turned into the flat line of death.

Private Itou Kenshirou was alternating his attention between the hip-hop magazine on the table in front of him, and the usual dark nothingness outside of the guard shack. As usual, there was nothing interesting about guard duty at the main gate. The guys all hated it when their shift came around, because there wasn't much to do at night except sit, and watch the empty dirt road that lead up to the base facility.

An hour ago he talked to his girlfriend, Kimiko, and then she had to go to bed, because of a big test at the university tomorrow morning. His friends were either sleeping this time of night or partying. In either case they didn't want to spend their time jawing with him on the phone. So, he was left with flipping through magazines.

Did you know that Snoop Dogg was arrested for possession of marijuana... again?

Big shock.

With a heavy sigh, he looked up from the book to check the area again. His partner out here tonight wasn't any luckier than him. They flipped a coin over who would take outside duty. Shou was the lucky bastard that won tonight.

Immediately he noticed that Shou was talking to someone and the gate was opened. He reached behind him and grabbed his gun, before hurrying out to see what was going on. When he got to the gate, he saw Shou leaned over, talking to a beautiful, but extremely pale young woman.

She was on the ground, as if she had, seconds ago, collapsed, and was just now sitting. She was looking up into Shou's face with little emotion, so he couldn't tell if she was hurt or frightened, but she was holding her hand out, as if to ask Shou's assistance. Shou held out his hand, but the girl never actually touched it, and instead, rose to her feat with little effort. When she did, Kenshirou noticed that she held a large round dinner plate in her hand.

Odd that.

Kenshirou watched the fey like woman, now standing slender and petite, and wearing a thin gauze dress of ghostly white that danced around her shapely legs in the night breeze. As if she felt his eyes, she turned to look at him, holding his gaze, while she flipped over the round object in her hands. At first glance, he was stunned to find that her eyes defined the word black. Eyes so black that they seemed to cry out for the very night to come in and fill them. It was somewhat bizarre, since they were in absolute contrast the stark white of her hair.

She looked like an angel, but her eyes held a look of menace.

When the revelation of a mirror fell on the shadowed face of Shou, Kenshirou's expression became instantly confused. Why was she carrying around a mirror? And where had she come from? They were located many kilometers from the main streets.

As he took as step forward, his attention was drawn again to Shou, who suddenly grasped his neck and chest, dropping his gun to the dirt in the process. Before Kenshiro could determine what was happening, Shou's knees hit the ground.

His eyes grew wide, when he realized that the woman was somehow doing it. The mirror in her hand was swirling with blurred images, as if they were being funneled inward in silver and black cyclone.

Kenshirou, despite four years of service to his country, panicked. Training had never prepared him for this particular scenario.

By the time he gathered his wits, Shou was falling sideways, hard to the ground. Before his partner hit, Kenshiro turned to run. He pulled up his gun to shoot, but it was too late. The mirror met his gaze and took hold of his mind, body, and soul.

Private Itou Kenshirou never even had the opportunity to scream.

Once the man's soul was trapped in her mirror, Kanna turned to look over her shoulder, then nodded to Lord Sesshomaru.

Step one was completed.

Kouga had to admit that when Sesshomaru first lead him to the front door of the nihility demon's house, he was more than creeped out, he was disappointed in the old warrior mutt. He couldn't figure out why Sesshomaru thought they would need the assistance of Naraku's spawn to get Kagome back.

When he tried to protest, Sesshomaru nearly choked him to death without a word. Fucking bastard. No wonder Inuyasha always hated him.

Now he could see the dog's point. The place where Kagome was being held was loaded with firepower. It was a veritable fortress, the likes of which he had never seen for a mere research base. The gate was also a pretty good distance from the main doors leading to Kagome. They would have to get in and search for her by scent, because if they crashed in they would risk the chance that she could be on the other side and get hurt. They had no idea where she was being held inside the building.

Sesshomaru had pointed out the wing where they had held him for a short time, but there was no guarantee that they would keep her in the same area as the youkai. They were going in blind, without anything but their senses to go on. Kouga was anxious to get Kagome out of there and to safety, but he guessed that Sesshomaru had other objectives, as well.

Like the assassination of Matsuno Hotaka.

From looking at the heavy weaponry they were facing, Kouga understood the need to get as close to that door leading inside the facility as possible before setting off the alarm. It also wouldn't hurt to take out a few of those bastard's carrying fully automatic machine guns before they swarmed the gate.

Kouga, a centuries old youkai, was nearly impossible to kill, but he made no mistake, he could be killed. Besides, getting shot hurt like hell. If he was brought down, he would be useless in saving Kagome, so sending in Kanna to take out the humans at the gate made damn good sense.

The human soldiers had no idea what lay beneath Kanna's frail feminine subterfuge.

Another human male fell to his knees, as his soul was literally ripped from his body. Kouga watched, feeling a shudder of revulsion, while the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

Rishou and Detective Kobayashi moved almost soundlessly up next to him. Kouga was impressed with the two of them, as well. It was apparent that both of them had been trained in stealth maneuvers, although he suspected that Rishou's training might have been from a far more shady source than the detectives'.

They both carried weapons, and Kouga nodded behind them toward the six men working their way up by crawling on their bellies. "Who are those guys?" he harshly whispered.

Rishou threw a look over his shoulder and then turned back to him with a grin. "Some very dangerous friends of mine."

Kouga gave him a half grin. "Looks like you know a lot of dangerous people."

Rishou gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah. I wasn't always the owner of an anime store."

Their attention was immediately drawn to Kanna, as she took the souls of three more soldiers, before any of them realized that the ethereal cast of the young woman in white was only a disguise for a demoness with terrifying powers. A shot rang out, hitting the dirt close to Kanna, but she did not even flinch.

"That's our queue!" Kouga shouted. The men around him crouched down low, as they stormed the gate amidst popping rounds of gunfire. Sesshomaru, however, took to the air, and landed lightly in front of Kanna, protecting her from the soldiers in front of her. She then turned, putting her slender back against Sesshomaru, while she once more raised her mirror and took the souls of the soldiers advancing from the rear.

In one synchronized move, Sesshomaru drew the Tenseiga in his right hand, and Tetsusaiga in his left. He narrowed his eyes on the two soldiers approaching from his right, then cut through the air. The Meidou Zangetsuha ripped open a nearly perfect circle to the netherworld, sucking the men in, while they screamed in fear and pain.

Without missing a beat, he raised the Tetsusaiga, and the fang transformed, ready to do his bidding. His lip curled in devious satisfaction, before he raised his arm, invoking the Wind Scar, then unleashing its fury.

"Wind Scar!" His voice was deep, like the smooth rumbling of a volcano before eruption. It was a shout of unbridled vengeance. A declaration of complete confidence in victory. The land shook. Earth and rock blasted from the ground, as the Wind Scar devastated everything and everyone in its path.

The human's around them cried out in fear of the powerful weapon. Some dropped their guns and ran, while others redoubled their efforts. A missile launcher sent a deadly shell straight toward Sesshomaru and Kanna, but Sesshomaru was too fast for the speeding projectile, swiftly grabbing Kanna around her narrow waist, and leaping to safety.

Kouga leapt, dodging first one shell, then another. He rolled head over heals and came up in a crouch just behind a concrete barrier near the helicopter pad. He pulled out the grenade Sesshomaru entrusted him with, and pulled the pin. He tossed it into the chopper and leapt a safe distance away, while unloading nearly an entire clip of bullets from the semi-automatic weapon in his hand.

One soldier cried out and fell back from a bullet wound to the chest, just as the inevitable explosion shook the ground. The weapons and fuel cells on the helicopter fired immediately after the grenade went off. Pieces of the helicopter flew everywhere. Huge chunks of mangled steel amongst burning debris raced through the air in a deadly rain of flaming projectiles.

Kouga ducked just in time to avoid getting hit upside the head with an unidentifiable piece of the mutilated machinery. Two soldiers went down in the unexpected explosion from the searing heat of flames, and Kouga grimaced when a piece of the flying blade cut through another, slicing his body completely in two. That was gross.

The alarms were blasting and chaos was everywhere. Kouga grinned. His adrenaline was pumping and his heart pounding in his chest. "I've missed this shit," he mumbled, before he darted out from the safety of cover to push just a little closer to the metal door.

Rishou and Naoaki, made their way through the battlefield, ducking bullets and flying debris. When the sword in Sesshomaru's hand released a wave of crashing power, they had been momentarily stunned at the magnitude of destruction, but quickly gathered themselves, and continued forward. Following behind them, were six of Rishou's most trusted friends, fanned out and cleaning up after the demons, by taking out any remaining soldiers posing a threat

The darkness seemed to caress Kagome's soul with warmth and acceptance, comforting her, urging her to stay in its arms forever, until a pink light suddenly flared, powerful and bright. It pierced the soothing darkness with a blinding intensity that drove away peaceful concession, and instead, seared her very soul with... hope.

Hotaka had witnessed the last breath leave the soft lips of the miko, even as they began to turn a clinical blue. Everyone watched The Purity Machine, waiting, hoping, that her power would have been enough. When a spark ignited the pulsing burr of the machine, cheers went up all around. He released a long, deep, breath that he was unaware, until that moment, he'd been holding.

It worked. The Purity Machine was booting up.

Juria stepped up beside him, with a pleased look on her face. He was stricken in that moment to kiss her lush full lips, but he refused to give in to the impulse in the presence of his men. She smiled, flashing her perfectly aligned, pearly white teeth, making her dark eyes sparkle. Her pride was open for him to see, as was her respect, and desire.

"Congratulations, sir," Juria affably bid.

Hotaka nodded with a wink. "I couldn't have done it without you." He then looked up and held his arms out to all present. With a broad smile he exclaimed, "All of you! This could not have been possible without all of your efforts! Your hard work and dedication to our cause will take us into the next generation of world rulership! One that offers equality and hope for all!"

"Hail Hotaka!"

"Oh shut up!" Kagome complained as she opened her eyes. The shock from the people standing around her made her laugh. The power of the Shikon raced through her veins, giving her strength and renewing her life. It was then that Kagome knew the truth. Five hundred years in the past, the Shikon merged with her body, and until that moment, she thought that it rested in her side, just as it had before her first trip through the Bone Eater's Well.

She was wrong.

The Shikon was not only a part of her, it had melded and become one with every single cell in her body. She could feel the magic jewel giving her life, renewing her stolen purity and restoring her strength. But it didn't stop there. It flooded her with power. Nearly overwhelming her with its strength. It was as if a floodgate had been opened.

She understood, then, why Naraku would dedicate his life to acquiring the Jewel of Four Souls. The feeling of invincibility was amazing, but Kagome knew it for what it was. It was a force that could be used for good, or for evil. A deadly lure of power.

A force that had chosen her to protect it.

A force that would never let her die.

Kagome looked around her, smiling.

Matsuno Hotaka grasped a table nearby, when he saw the miko had recovered from death. The utter silence in the room was only interrupted by the blips and beeps and purring of machinery. Each and every one of the witnesses subject to the miracle had their shocked eyes trained on the now, fully conscious miko.

Kagome captured Matsuno's eyes and held them. He took a step back, reaching for his gun, but unsure whether to pull it

It was all becoming clear to her now. She knew what she had to do.

"You want my power?" She asked, with a voice that seemed to echo, as if she were not alone in her body. Her smile grew wider, and her fingers spread wide. "Then have it!," she shouted. "Have it all!"

A blinding pink light surrounded her, then spread from the spikes in her head, upward, through the wiring and piping overhead, and then into The Purity Machine. The whirring of the motor increased to dangerously excessive levels and the red warning light began to flash furiously. When it exploded, they ducked, trying to avoid the flying pieces of titanium glass. Kagome was strapped down, unable to dodge the shrapnel, but did not flinch as her body was pelted with several cutting shards.

The explosion of the machine was merely the beginning. The power continued to flow, winding along the wiring in a show of pink lightning, snapping and sizzling as it spread. It raced through the halls and corridors, burning a path of purity along the way. In the rear of the facility, where the growing pods of youkai clone's pulsed with life, the purifying energy gathered, before striking. One by one, each pulsing pod exploded with purifying light, before being completely incinerated by the miko's power.

When the last one was gone, the power began to recede, flowing back to its source. Kagome sucked in a hard, pain-filled breath, as the Shikon's power came back home. Her body tensed and she cried out as it flooded her body before settling once more. Weakly, she looked up, finding her enemies looking around in confusion.

Kagome quirked a small grin and whispered, "You messed with the wrong miko this time."

Juria wiped a piece of glass from her hair and stood up. Chaos was everywhere. It seemed like every piece of equipment was smoking and every alarm in the place was blaring. When her radio went off she snatched it from her belt. "Go ahead!" she shouted into the receiver.

"We are under attack! I repeat... we are under attack! There are... things... attacking us with weapons that we can't defend against!"

The voice in the radio sounded full of panic, and Juria knew that she couldn't waste any more time here in the lab. She had to get out there and help her men. "Hold your position! I'm on my way!" She jumped up, only sparing a glance at Hotaka, before running out to meet their attackers.

She had a pretty damned good idea who it was attacking them.

She cursed her misfortune. She had hoped that she killed the bastard, if not from the bullet wound, then with the fall. Unfortunately, it looked like he was still alive and well. By the time she made it to the front lawns - passing running soldiers and dodging pieces of plaster that had come loose from the rocking explosions coming from outside - the place looked worse than any war zone she had ever seen. There were dead soldiers lying everywhere. Her chopper was wasted, and half of the east wing was on fire. The neatly manicured lawn was a thing of the past. In its place was a deep ravine of scorched, upturned earth.

Sesshomaru saw her as soon as she stepped outside. He sheathed Tenseiga, before flicking his wrist and slicing another foolish mortal in two with his whip. Numerous places on his body ached from the impact of bullets hitting the bulletproof material of his duster, but he put the rib-bruising injuries out of his mind, and prepared to face off against the bitch.

With a dangerous calm, Sesshomaru informed Juria of his intent. "I am here for the miko."

Juria smirked, and just for the hell of it, she said, "She died about fifteen minutes ago. You're too late youkai." She hadn't lied. The bitch had died. She just wouldn't mention seeing her come back to life.

He could sense the truth in her words. Sesshomaru's eyes flashed red. He felt like someone had just punched him, hard, in the gut. Kagome was dead? "No," he hissed. His hand automatically moved to Tenseiga's pulsing hilt. He rushed forward - all thoughts focused on getting to Kagome as quickly as possible. There was still time to bring her back with his sword if the harbingers of the netherworld had not taken her soul yet.

Juria drew her weapon, aimed it, and fired. The paralyzing bullet hit the youkai in the upper right quadrant of his chest, knocking his shoulder back, but not stopping him. He merely smiled, moving with otherworldly speed, as he raced straight toward her. She fired off a second shot, but the specially formulated bullet whizzed right by him. A miss!

He made no move to slow and Juria had no choice except to throw herself away, but she couldn't hope to move fast enough to completely escape him. His claw swept out, slashing through her arm. She barely felt the pain, because of the rush of adrenaline. She hit the ground hard, pulling her gun up to shot him again, but to her horror, she realized that her gun lay several feet away, still attached to her hand, which was still attached to her arm.

Her eyes went wide in shock. Her arm was twitching on the ground, and the stub left behind was pulsing streams of precious blood out of her body with every beat of her heart. She quickly snatched off her belt, preparing to stamp the flow of blood with a makeshift tourniquet, but before she could get it secured, a ghostly white figure moved to stand closely in front of her.

Through tears and blood, Juria looked up and met the black eyes of a beautiful young woman holding a mirror in her hands. Her voice was soft, and emotionless as she said, "The miko will live on, but you will not."

Juria screamed as every cell in her body began to burn. It felt as if she was being wrenched in two from the inside out. It was unimaginable, but her very soul was being torn from her body, and pulled into the swirling abyss in the demonolatry mirror.

Juria's body fell limply to the blood-soaked ground.

Kanna flipped her mirror over and stared down into the swirling, mystical reflection, mesmerized for a moment, by the beauty of it. She could hear the woman's soul screaming from within. It gave her a fleeting sense of fulfillment, but just as quickly, it was gone. With a loving hand, she traced a finger over the cool, smooth, glass, then turned and walked away.

Without pause, Sesshomaru held up his right hand and released a spray of his Dakkasou. The acidic poison had eaten straight through the thick metal door by the time he reached it, leaving a sweet smell in his wake. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the potent scent.

It was the scent of death to his enemies.

Kouga swept past Kanna on his way to the door that Sesshomaru had just melted into a pile of green, bubbling, sludge. Naoaki, Rishou, and his friends, had the soldiers outside under control. There was no more bombing and the sounds of gunfire had ceased, but the acrid smell of spent shells lingered thickly in the air. That, combined with the overwhelming scent of blood and the sweet wisteria stink of Sesshomaru's poison flower claw, made him want to hurl.

Swallowing down his lunch, and that beer he grabbed out of Rishou's bullet hole ridden refrigerator earlier, Kouga followed the scent of Sesshomaru, which was following the scent of Kagome. They rounded several corners, racing down whitewashed hallways with harsh iridescent lights overhead. Their boot-clad feet beat down against the polished vinyl hallway, moving too fast to make a sound.

Kouga hit his shoulder, and winced, as he took another sharp turn. Sesshomaru was moving nearly too fast to keep up with, and something told him that he still had some to spare. Of course, he would never admit it. The bastards' ego was already big enough.

As they leapt down a flight of steps, Kouga began to wonder what was going on between Sesshomaru and Kagome. In the last five hundred years that he had known him, the daiyoukai never went out of his way for anyone. He only protected those sworn to him or those he held a personal affection for.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed to cold blue slits. Could it be?

Kouga shook his head. No. Sesshomaru had merely pledged protection to Kagome and honor bound him to see her safe. He would never get the hot's for a human female. Nah. That stubborn prick would go celibate if there were no females to bed other than mortals.

Kouga turned up his nose when they came to a dimly lit corridor with low hanging pipes and sizzling, melting, wires overhead. Sesshomaru had slowed, and so he followed suit. The smell of Kagome was strong here.

Sesshomaru growled low. He could smell not only Kagome's light, unique scent, but he could also smell her blood. It enraged his instincts, and he had to fight to keep his beast in control. He needed to keep a clear head in order to use Tenseiga to revive her.

When he opened his hand, melting the doors that kept him from Kagome, he wasted no time in stepping through. It was a brightly lit central chamber. Behind closed doors, there several humans crouching in rooms hidden from his view, but not his nose. In front of him there was a thick metal door standing open and blasting an ear shattering alarm. He walked through first, with Kouga close behind. They spotted Kagome immediately, and just as quickly they were both enraged.

As well as relieved.

She was obviously alive, and struggling against the males' hand that held her hair wrapped around it. Sesshomaru met her eyes and saw her sweet lips breathe his name.

"Sesshomaru..."

Kouga suddenly moved behind him, and Sesshomaru turned his head in time to see the wolf grab a human - that was stupidly attempting to slit his throat - and slam him down so hard onto the quarry floor that it busted a hole of concrete out from beneath him. Blood pooled out of the mortal's mouth, ears, nose and eyes, his bones and organs crushed from the force. Kouga released the dead man, and turned his attention back to Kagome and the man holding a gun to her head.

She was kneeling on the floor, with Hotaka standing just behind her, pulling her hair tight with one hand and threatening to shoot her with the other. There were a few places over her torn white shirt that bled dark red stains. Her beautiful legs were lacerated and embedded with pieces of glass. She looked drowsy, as if she had just come awake.

And behind thick, dark, lashes he found the strangest thing.

Kagome's blue eyes, always as blue as velvet night, were no longer blue. They were nearly glowing with a pink radiance that was literally spellbinding. Only when she blinked those heavy lids, laden with thick black lashes, was he able to look away and meet Matsuno's insanity filled eyes. The madness was there, shining now for all to see. A once great man, fallen to his own deluded plans of grandeur.

"Release her, Matsuno, and I will grant you a swift death."

Sesshomaru's growling demand shook Kagome toward full wakefulness. She reached up and clawed her fingernails into Hotaka's strong hand, but he still wouldn't release her. She went still when he tapped her head roughly with the barrel of his gun. In the lab she died, only to discover that the Shikon had joined with her and made her immortal, but she didn't want to push her luck. A bullet in the head could be the one thing that would revoke the immortality clause.

Besides, even if she lived, that would really hurt.

Sesshomaru looked ready to filet Hotaka with his bare claws, and the guy behind him.... wait a minute... Kouga? Kagome's eyes grew wide when she realized that the wolf prince was alive and with Sesshomaru. She would have cheered, if she hadn't been in the process of having her life threatened.... again.

Hotaka stood tall and proud as he faced the demon and his accomplice. He had no illusions of escaping with his life. The youkai was well armed, not only with guns and knives, but with mystical demon swords, as well. With his speed, and acid like poison, the odds of escape were nearly non-existent. Since his own personal assassin failed to remove the threat of the second male youkai, leaving him alone to face them both, Hotaka was forced to accept his defeat. He held up his head and nodded at the devastation around him.

"The miko has destroyed them all," Hotaka said. "All of them. One thousand of the worlds most deadly living weapons, all purified into ashes." He snatched Kagome's hair, anger flaring to such a point that he ignored the growls of warning from the youkai males. He leaned down, staring into her eyes. "Why? Why would you destroy the hope of the world?"

"Release her at once!" Sesshomaru barked with growing fury. Something in his gut was clenched so tight with worry that it was making it hard to breathe. It was not a feeling that he was accustomed to, and one he wished not to ever feel again.

From behind him Kouga threatened Hotaka, "I'll rip out your liver while you're still alive, you crazy bastard! Let my woman go, now!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. Even now, after five hundred years and saving the world from a madman, Kouga's delusions of a relationship between them couldn't be shaken. On the bright side, Sesshomaru's reaction was comical.

With one, hard, swift movement, Sesshomaru's fist came up, slamming into the wolf's face that was right behind his left arm. Kouga's body flew back and he hit the floor... unconscious.

Sesshomaru never once took his eyes from Kagome, as he removed the annoyance that was Kouga. Once the wolf was down, the daiyoukai added, "Kagome is not your woman, fool." A warmth then flooded his golden eyes. Warmth he offered to no one save her. "She is mine."

Kagome's heart did a summersault in her chest. Sesshomaru was claiming her? The knowledge made her lip twitch with a smile. She wanted to kiss him, but first she had to get away from 'psycho boy' holding her hair.

"Oh, how quaint," Hotaka laughed. Even to his own ears it was brimming with hysteria. "The miko and the youkai. The ultimate 'odd couple'." He then shook his head. "Damn, who would have guessed? Unfortunately, it was something that I never calculated into my plans."

Hotaka drew in a deep breath and prepared to end it all. He would not grovel. His dream was dead. There was only one reason left to continue on. "Did you... , his voice cracked, ...Juria?"

Sesshomaru smirked, "Is no more." He could see the will to live, leave the mortal's eyes. Hearing that his lover was dead ended the man's resistance. He released Kagome's hair, and she scrambled away, before jumping to her feet, not stopping until she was behind him.

Once she was clear, Sesshomaru pulled the Tetsusaiga, walked forward with calm assurance, and swung. Kagome released an 'Eek', from behind him, just as Hotaka's head separated from his body and fell with a thud to the ground.

Sesshomaru turned and immediately went to her, pulling her into his arms. "Kagome," he whispered against her hair, as he inhaled her scent in a deep soothing breath.

She pulled back and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You came for me."

"I will always come for you, Kagome," Sesshomaru promised.

And she had no doubt that he would.

"Oh Sesshomaru!" she cried, and threw herself into his arms. He was so relieved to have her back in his embrace that he did not even bother to correct her for neglecting to call him Shuusaka. Finally her sobs grew quiet and she turned on him with a brilliant smile. Her cheeks and nose were rosy, and her lashes drenched from tears, but that smile was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.

Besides her eyes.

Those magnificent pools of sparkling magenta held a warmth and acceptance that he never wanted to be without again.

"What happened to your eyes?" he asked curiously.

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

So she is unaware of the change? He decided not to say anything further. She had been through enough already, and there was a chance that they would return to their former bright blue. "Nothing," Shuusaka replied. He left the puzzle of her eyes and traced a path over her smooth cheeks to her full pink lips. By the Gods he wanted to touch them against his own. He wanted to press against them, and feel their softness opening to him.

Kagome gasped when Sesshomaru swept her up against him and captured her lips in a kiss that curled her toes. His lips, though masculine and stern, softened just for her, and moved over her with passionate need. She slipped her fingers into his soft opalescent hair, and moaned as she opened up to his seeking tongue. It sent a thrill through her when he touched it against her own, sliding them together in a breathless dance.

Kouga blinked, and pushed away the heavy fog that had settled in his brain. His nose hurt like hell, and he reached up to touch it with a wince, pulling his fingers back to find blood there. Then he remembered. "You dirty back stabbing....!" His tirade against Sesshomaru died in his throat when he spotted Kagome responding with such fervor to the kisses of that damned mutt. His first reaction was to growl, low and dangerously, but Sesshomaru released his own warning rumble, telling the wolf in no uncertain terms, that the woman belonged to him.

Kouga jumped to his feet, ready to do battle for Kagome's heart, but when she sighed so sweetly, so softly, and then looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes with so much shimmering emotion, Kouga paused.

What was that?

He had never seen Kagome look at him like that.

Hell, she hadn't even looked at Inuyasha like that.

"I love you, Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered. The words came out before she had time to reconsider the risk to her heart. The strange thing about it was that it felt right. She was laying her feelings open for him to do with as he would, and it was pretty scary, but it was the right thing to do. It was the truth, and she wanted no secrets between them. She loved him. He had come to mean so much to her during their ordeal. She saw a side of him that she never knew existed. A Sesshomaru that would risk everything to come to her rescue. A hero.

Her hero.

With a totally hot bod.

His eyes softened even more at her declaration, and she was gifted with the most magnificent smile that she had ever seen on a male face. His eyes lit up, a shining gold, and she could see all of his fangs clearly. He pulled her into another mind-boggling embrace, kissing her lips with barely leashed passion, nearly bruising them with his lusty intent. Gradually, he eased the pressure, softening the kiss into something tender and sweet, gently nipping at the corner of her mouth before playfully nibbling at her bottom lip. Kagome melted into him and he held her there, closely, enjoying how perfectly her soft womanly form pressed so warmly against his own hard planes.

Kouga's eyes narrowed and his brow sunk low, before he turned away. He could kick Sesshomaru's ass to win Kagome, but if she didn't want to be won, there was nothing left for him to do but move on. He wasn't used to giving up. It hurt, and made him want to smash things, but surprisingly it was more pride than anything else. He hated to lose her to that stuck-up mutt, but better him than some other loser.

At least with Sesshomaru, he could trust that she would be protected.

Fuck. He had the worst luck with women.

His feet moved to storm from the room, but Kagome's soft voice calling his name stopped him. He turned to find her standing beside of Sesshomaru and smiling at him with warmth in her mystical eyes. They glittered with a soft magenta light that resembled the purified glow of the Shikon no Tama. They were beautiful, just like the rest of her.

"Kouga. Thank you for coming to save me."

"Feh. Didn't have anything better to do," he replied in an embarrassed tone.

Kagome began to walk toward him, slowly, gauging his reaction. The smile never left her face, and if anything, it only grew wider. When she stood right before him, looking up at him, he inhaled deeply. She smelled so damn good. Just like he remembered.

"I missed you so much," Kagome said happily.

Kouga couldn't help but to smile. "I missed you too, Kagome." His eyes opened wide with surprise when she flung her arms around him. He looked at Sesshomaru when the mutt growled his displeasure, and Kouga enjoyed the moment by hugging her back. She felt good against him, but there was none of the passion that she displayed for Sesshomaru. Nope, this was the hug of a friend, not a lover.

When she pulled away from their embrace, she again went to Sesshomaru's side, and Kouga hated the empty thump inside of his chest when he looked at them. He had hoped...

"Take care of her mutt, or you'll be answering to me," Kouga growled, before stalking out the doors and never looking back.

Kagome felt terrible for Kouga, but she couldn't let him go on believing that they had a chance. They never had. He was just too stubborn to see it, and she was too softhearted to hurt his feelings. She was surprised that he took it so well. In the past he would have fought Inuyasha to the death. It seemed that they had both done a lot of growing up since they saw each other last.

Kagome looked up to find Sesshomaru watching her with a warm intensity that caused her blood to heat. Then he said, "I do not like when you touch other males."

Kagome rolled her eyes and flapped one arm wildly in exasperation, before stomping out through the metal door. "I swear! The testosterone levels around here could suffocate a girl."

Sesshomaru followed behind his miko with a mischievous curve to his lip. He listened to her ranting outburst all the way down the corridor and up the stairwell. She had a hot temper, his miko. One that he would enjoy soothing for hours on end.

The upper levels were beginning to fill with smoke. Kagome had to stop her nervous fussing in order to cover her mouth with a handkerchief that Sesshomaru pulled from his leather coat. A coat that looked really, really good on him.

The closer to the front of the building they got, they could hear the frantic cries of the demons locked up in the lab somewhere. Kagome turned to Sesshomaru and pleaded for their lives. "We have to help them! Please?"

He almost ignored her plea, wishing only to be rid of this place and back at his flat, but the sorrowful noises coming from the trapped youkai made him agree with Kagome. He easily scooped her up into his arms, smiling down at her when she squeaked like a mouse. In seconds he had maneuvered the many hallways using his youkai speed, and when he stopped in the holding corridor for the youkai, he gently lowered Kagome to her feet.

The doors here were powered with a mystical barrier, and he couldn't break through without Kagome's help. She walked along, stopping in front of each individual door, touching it with the open palm of her hands, and then whispering an incantation. The spell flickered, and Sesshomaru then promptly went to work ripping doors from their frames. The disoriented youkai moved to run for escape, but as soon as they spotted the miko and daiyoukai they stopped to cower back, afraid of their strength and power. He nodded, giving silent approval for them to dart quickly by him.

The last cell was finally wrenched open and Kagome spotted a rather round furry youkai curled in the corner shivering with fear. He wouldn't even look up, so she called to him. "It's okay, now. You can go free." When he finally peeked out from beneath his arm, recognition was in his eyes. He threw his hand back and cried out, "Kagome-sama!"

"Hachi!" Kagome squealed before rushing forward and hugging her shivering old friend. Another possessive growl of displeasure from Sesshomaru had Hachi curling into a ball and pleading for his life. Kagome playfully chastised Sesshomaru and coaxed Hachi out again. "Come on, Hachi-san, we have to get out of here. The building is on fire."

That got Hachi up and moving. Sesshomaru scooped up Kagome, not bothering to check if the sniveling raccoon-dog followed, and raced for the fresh air outside of the laboratory.

They burst through the ruined door and into the night air still riddled with the smells of death and dying. In the distance Sesshomaru heard the call of approaching sirens. They did not have much time to evacuate.

Rishou and four others burst through the door that they just came from, running like the devil was on their heels. Naoaki came after, holding his right shoulder, but making damn good time. Rishou spotted them and shouted, "Get clear! The whole place is set to go in less than three minutes!"

Sesshomaru pulled Kagome closer, and took to the air.

It was time to go home.

A/N: Whew! That was intense! I hope that you all enjoyed it, and didn't have heart failure or anything. LOL! Did I surprise you? Were you expecting Juria to end up in Kanna's mirror? Muahahaha! I felt it was a fitting end for her, but does anyone, even Juria, deserve to have her soul trapped in a mirror forever? How did you like the way Juria's arm was cut off by Sesshomaru, just like Takemaru's was taken by the Inu no Taisho? Let me know what you thought of the big battle scene. I love to hear from ya'll!

Well, the time has come for.... THE LEMON! Which will be in the next chapter. YAY!

And guess what? My brand new nephew, Lucas Smith, was born just two hours ago. He weighed 8lbs 8oz. And has a shock of black hair on his little head. Congratulations to my brother and his sweet wife! I finally have a nephew!
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Madman