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Soul Consumption	By : Seren1tyStar01 Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 19431 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Hi all. I know that this is short notice considering the length of time I usually take to post a chapter, but I had a bout of inspiration and my muse was exceptionally helpful this chapter, therefore; you received it in a much quicker fashion. Unfortunately, I cannot promise this quick posting again, I am just at a great time at the moment to be able to write without interruption. And now on to the boring stuff�.Let�s see�.ah yes�.all the usual disclaimers apply. I do NOT own Inuyasha or any character or subsidiaries within. I am but a poor humble fan that has a vast imagination and a computer. And now without further ado, I present to you the newest addition to our collection.

Soul Consumption

Chapter 5

Devil�s Prey
In hindsight, I realize that removing the claim from my person was a bit rash in my anger, but no matter the regret I hold for doing it, nothing can change the fact that I did. Of course, regardless of my actions, I never thought, for even a moment, that my powers would attack him without my consent. I have never before felt more powerless than in that very moment when I could smell his burning flesh. I did not understand what could have happened to make it attack. There was absolutely no reason for it and even as I think these things, I know that somewhere in my shamed soul, there was a small part of me that wanted to hurt him, for hurting me. Still, that part of me was considerably smaller than the rest and should not have been able to hold sway over my powers enough to have caused that much damage or any damage for that matter. Glancing over to Sesshomaru laying helpless on my sleeping bag, I feel an enormous wave of guilt wash over me for all the pain I have caused. I am a miko and as such I am bound to heal the sick and help the wounded, not hurt and maim, regardless of species. Miko�s and other holy people in this era might be set on destroying any and all youkai they encounter, but that wasn�t my way. No creature deserved to be hunted to extinction for no reason other than that they were different or perceived evil.
Just because one is different than you, doesn�t mean they are evil. Take Jinengi for a perfect example. He is a half demon and as such, these priests and miko�s are saying that because he is part youkai, he must be evil. There is simply no in between with these holy hunters. Jinengi is nothing like anything evil we had ever come up against. He was kind and passionate about herbs, a loving son and he had never even thought to hurt another living creature, though the villagers had beat him terribly, on more than one occasion. He had a frightening face yes, but was graced with a heart of gold. The villagers said he was killing people under the cover of darkness and they attacked him simply because he was part youkai, regardless of whether there was any evidence against him or not. If it hadn�t been for Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and I, he would surely have been killed that very day. Luckily, we had heard about a terrible demon that plagued a town not far from where we were, killing innocents and eating them or something along those lines and so naturally, we had gone to investigate because it could be a lead on a demon with a jewel shard. Of course, what we found was nothing but the petty cruelness of the villagers that assumed it was Jinengi that had taken their missing friends. It was only later in the day when we found the true culprit and made him pay for his crimes, while also teaching the cruel villagers that beauty is only skin deep and that although Jinengi was far from anything that resembled beauty, he was also kind hearted and very gifted when it came to herbs, that the villagers showed any signs of remorse for what they had done to him.
There are some things that can never be expressed in words and others that could never be expressed other than with a simple gesture, a nod of the head, or a flick of the wrist. Regardless, the actions of others and those of my own are never to be ill advised and never to be taken lightly. I didn�t make the decision to end our mating by myself. Someone or something was pushing me ever so quietly, using a voice that I could not consciously hear, a voice that went straight to my heart and soul and was ever so slightly trying to dampen the purity there. My thoughts and emotions are my own and yet the feelings are much more intense, making me nearly burn with the intensity of them. Oh Kami! There is something out there, trying to control my emotions and in essence, control me as well. If they can make such a small part of me want to hurt my beloved and then make those feelings soo strong that I can do nothing, but watch as his skin is melted with the strength of my power, I don�t know how long I will be able to resist them. There is only so much I am going to be able to do, before they realize that I am on to them and they abruptly change my emotions, so that I once again attack my family and friends. I must act quickly!
Turning abruptly back toward where Inuyasha is fighting with the bird youkai we had met nearly six months ago, I take my chance while he is occupied and approach my beloved. I can see his skin healing right before my eyes and I feel my heart lurch into my throat when I feel his eyes on me. Sweeping his figure with my eyes, I see that the burns, although deep, are healing remarkably well. It seems that even when I try to kill him, I don�t succeed. I believe this is the first time I have ever been happy to have failed in something I did. Creeping over to his side, I hear his growl of displeasure and warning at my presence and my audacity to come back and I immediately bare my neck in submission. I need to get close enough so that I can heal him and whisper what is happening. If I am controlled again, he needs to stop me. My life is forfeit and he needs to realize that I love him and would never hurt him willingly. Crawling toward him on my hands and knees, nearly dragging my body across the ground, with my head down below his the entire time, I finally come upon him. Looking upon his face, I see the distrust in his eyes and again I feel the anguish and guilt wash over me. With regret and pain in my eyes, I place my hand on his chest, ignoring his growls of warning and feel my healing abilities become one with my mind. I concentrate on healing him and almost immediately, he is.
I feel a tear drop from my eye before I can catch it and I look to his face once again. The pain and distrust is gone, replaced with caution and wariness, but underneath it all, I see the hurt. The hurt for the betrayal of his heart and the pain he is feeling now, but there is nothing I can do, save for this one warning. Leaning as close to his ear as he will let me, which isn�t as close as I would like, I quietly begin to whisper my fears to him. �Love, please do not forsake the world to find me when I leave here with that bird youkai. I know you do not understand now and I also know that you are in pain because of what I did. Please know that I did not remove your claim and try to purify you on my own. There is someone out there that has invaded me at the most intimate level. I can feel them even now, desperately trying to control what is coming out of my mouth. Please, listen to what I say. When they have control of me, they will control not only my power, but that of the Shikon no Tama, especially if Naraku is the one responsible for this �possession�. There will be hell to pay for anyone who tries to come up against me. I beg of you, do not hesitate to kill me again. It could mean your life, the life of Inuyasha and everyone we hold dear. I love you Sesshomaru more than anything I have ever thought precious, please remember that you are the keeper of my heart and soul and I would never willingly hurt you or anyone I love.� Breathing hard, I begin to struggle against the evil that is creeping through me, sullying my body slowly, before moving onto my soul.
�I only have a few seconds left before they take complete control of me, please hear what I have said and do not mistake me for a friend again. I would love to go home with you and fight any demoness that didn�t approve of our mating, but I fear I will never get the chance. Because of this, I release you from any responsibility you think you might have to me and this goes for Inuyasha as well, although I fear he will come after me anyway. Know this, if we meet again, it will mean death for one of us. I am sure that they will have complete control of my body, heart and soul by then and I would forever have to live with killing those most precious to me if you came. I beg of you, I will already be living with whatever they will inevitably make me do, please do not add yourselves to the atrocities on the list.� Suddenly, I have to shake my head to be able to think and then I realize that they are making it impossible for me to say anymore. If I cannot think of anything to say, I cannot say anything that will be understandable.
I see Sesshomaru begin to stand over me and I look up at him with anguish in my expression. Desperately trying to get him to understand that he needs to stay away from me, I start to back away from him, but then those evil hands wrap themselves around my body and I can no longer resist them. All I have left are my heart and my soul, which are already starting to feel the taint from this evil within me. This is the purest form of evil I have ever felt. By the Kami, could it be Naraku? Could he be doing this to me? Shock registers in my whole body and I search out Sesshomaru�s eyes immediately, hoping that he can read the thoughts swarming in my head through my over suggestive eyes. Seeing him narrow his eyes at me, I immediately begin to cower. He no longer looks at me with love and adoration or even devilish playfulness, but with contempt and I can feel my pure heart start to break.
By the Gods, he doesn�t believe me!
I can see by the look in his eyes that he doesn�t give one ounce of merit to my story. He honestly believes that I would betray him so completely over something as petty as a glance at my inner thoughts? This normally, totally refined and perfectly calculating youkai lord, thought me a liar? Standing tall before him, I could once again feel the evil spreading through me as though it travelled through my very veins. With as much contempt as I could muster through my eyes and as much of my face that I still had some semblance of control over, I glared fiercely at him and was about the say something along the lines of �Why you no good, arrogant dog!� or something to that effect, when I felt his jyaki start to rise and I immediately take a step back from the face of it. Seeing him affectively powering up to attack me, was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. Even facing off with Naraku was far less intimidating to me than facing my beloved in a fight to the death and I couldn�t help the shudder that passed through me when he began to remove Tokijin from its� sheath at his side. The massive amounts of fear I felt in that moment, shocked me to the core because it was then that I realized, whatever had taken control of my body, was also deathly afraid of Sesshomaru.
Seeing an opportunity to kill whatever is inside me, or at least the tie that somehow managed to allow him entry into my body and soul, I start calling upon my miko ki, feeling it begin to bubble under the surface, a direct call to arms to the youkai in front of me, and I face him in a fierce battle stance. Seeing the way I have come before him, he immediately raises Tokijin in front of him in his own battle stance and readies whatever attack I send his way. Apparently, he assumes I will be an easy kill. Wow! That sure made my self esteem and self worth drop to almost non existent levels. The mate of my heart does not believe in me or my abilities. So, I am worthy of his bed, but not of his respect as a miko in power or ability as a fighter? By the Kami, why did he even decide to mate me if I was such a lowly creature that I merit no respect at all? Dear Kami, I am never going to give him a second glance when this is over with. I was probably his idea of a sick joke. Maybe he had planned to watch me die by the hand of one of those snobby demonesses after his title and wealth, once we were at his palace.
Feeling my anger flare at the insult to my pride and to my heart, my miko energy echoes within my blood and immediately comes to my hands. Forming myself a very powerful shield and sword, naturally made of my ki, I advance on him with as much force as I can, without endangering my life by depleting too much energy, though I am far from that. Debating on whether to attack him outright with my sword and shield or try out some of my energy tricks, the answer is made for me, when he gracefully lunges toward my person at inhuman speeds. I should not be able to see him, let alone block one of his skillful lunges, but somehow my miko abilities have grown to be much stronger than I ever imagined and so I find myself nose to nose with the Western Lord and the grimace on his face matches my own. He thinks so little of me that he honestly believed I would be finished in one blow. How could I not have seen this before? How could I have given myself to this man, given him my virginity and pledged to be only his for the rest of our long lives together and not seen the way he really, truly saw me? How is this even possible?
I can see the utter shock and amazement in his eyes. He thought he would be wiping the blood off his sword at this moment and not feeling like his skin was trying to rip off the bone with the power of my ki. Good. Maybe now he will see that I am someone to be reckoned with. I refuse to allow myself to be seen as just another shard detector. I am Kagome Higurashi, reincarnation of Midoriko; I come from a powerful line of priestesses that will not be so easily defeated and I refuse to be taken advantage of! I refuse to be so weak as to let someone evil into my body and control me. NO MORE! I feel my miko energy surround my body and make a powerful barrier, none save I can break through and then I am thrust into my inner sanctum. My very soul is changing because of these thieves who think to steal my power and destroy my innocence. I am waging an internal battle for my purity and I feel the strain on my body. They are trying to take down my shield, with my own powers, but I will not be deterred. They will not be able to release that barrier unless I am dead. I continue my search, passing through my body and heart, not finding the evil that is trying to possess me. Everything I touch is purified and though there is still a strain on my body, it is much less than before. The evil was slowly killing me and I didn�t even know it. Dear Kami, help me defeat the evil that has taken over my body! Please help me in this struggle for dominance in my very soul!
Coming to my soul, I find the dark part that was once so very small, it could hardly be seen, has grown much larger than I ever thought possible. No wonder that small part of my subconscious was able to take control of me long enough to make Sesshomaru think about just how powerful I truly was; she had a large portion of my powerful soul to back her up. She had only needed one moment to perfectly time her take over and then one more to act on it. In that one moment, she had taken over and done so much damage, I had to stand back and really look. There was no way I would ever have imagined I concealed that much power within myself. Truly, my power was vastly untapped if I could do that much damage to a powerful Taiyoukai and not even break a sweat or feel even a remote strain on my body or my spiritual power. Of course, Midoriko had told me that I had a massive amount of power that I had yet to tap into, but that when the time was right, it would come to my aide.
Regarding this evil taint with a lethal eye, I determine that if I use one hard hit of my ki in a direct assault on the damaged area, I should have enough power to negate the evil surrounding me and controlling my body. Hoping that I don�t use too much power in ridding myself of this taint that my barrier falls prematurely, I set to work at gathering my ki for a massive attack. Whatever is connected to the strands of evil that have wound themselves around my body is going to feel this surge and if they have any self preservation, will immediately release their hold or suffer an extremely painful demise. The only good thing I can see coming out of this if they don�t release their hold immediately is that I might get some insight as to who this evil is and what their motives are. If I can attach my energy to one of the tendrils leaving me before they are completely relieved of my body, I might be able to follow them all the way back to the source and then I might be able to discover what it is they want or had originally planned.
Meditating for a few seconds, I desperately try and calm my anxious nerves and settle myself into a relative calm, for I know this is going to depend on precise movements and energy releases. If I even move wrong once, this could all be for naught and though they would never be able to attach themselves to my person or my heart and soul again, I would sit much easier knowing why they tried to control me in the first place, though I have quite a few morbid ideas already. Feeling myself centered and in control, I gather my energy into one massive attack at my fingertips and release it with almost perfect precision. I immediately feel the purifying effects on my soul and the strain on my body lessens almost completely. Closing my eyes, I see the black tendrils unwinding themselves from my soul and in a desperate hurry to leave. Grasping one tendril within my spiritual hands, I let it lead me to where it is being pulled and feel my spirit leave my body in my attempt to catch whoever is behind this. With one glance behind me, I see that Sesshomaru is standing beside my body, as if keeping watch against anything that would hurt it. That is an interesting development. Looking to his side, I notice that Inuyasha is gripping the bird youkai by the throat and has a large gash across his chest, no doubt from the razor sharp feather attack from the bird youkai in his grasp. The bird itself looks worse for wear, but upon closer inspection, I see that his gaze is following me, perfectly. It is as if he can see my soul leaving� Kami�could it be that he was sent to make sure I made this exact journey? Could I be falling into a trap? Could this all have been one big ploy to lure me out of my body so that it was left vulnerable? What should I do? If even one minute amount of that evil still inhabits my body while I am gone, it will take over me and destroy all those I care deeply about�..what do I do?
My decision is made for me in a matter of moments when I see my body begin to move without my soul intact. Immediately releasing my hold on the evil essence that once inhabited me, I feel a strong call to my soul as my body urges it to come home. In a rush and almost dizzying effect, I come back into myself and feel the immediate weight of flesh surrounding my essence. The way my soul had felt unaccompanied by the burden of flesh, the undeniable freedom experienced is something I could never possibly hope to describe; but there was also an unencumbered feeling of coming home after a long journey that also couldn�t express the true experience with anything close to an accurate account, that made the entire journey a truly wondrous thing.
Feeling my eyes begin to flutter, I opened them with a sense of foreboding and awareness normally absent from my body. To my right, Sesshomaru is standing perfectly still, as if on watch while trying to protect something precious to him. Kami, could he be hoping to protect me? No! I refuse to think like that�dammit�after all he did to me, there is no way in HELL I am going to let him off the hook so damned easily! I see him tense minutely as if feeling my soul return to my body and then step to my side, directly beside me, as if trying to convey something my delirious mind simply cannot grasp. Resolutely determined not to think on his deliberate actions for the moment due to the ever growing migraine in my head, I turn toward his ever present brother and see that his grasp on the bird youkai has not diminished. Of course Sasuke and I know that he was also working for Naraku, or at least doing some of his dirty work at one time, but for the life of me, I simply cannot recall his reasoning other than his lady love, but I distinctly remember that there was something else that bothered me about him.
*Flashback*
It was something along similar lines of when Naraku offered Sesshomaru the human arm with the Shikon jewel shard, knowing it would eventually rot off and damage him in the process. Sasuke had not lost a limb, but was losing something very valuable to him. He was a very powerful youkai to begin with and had no need of the Shikon shards, but he happened to come across Naraku on his travels to find a powerful miko so that he may save the love of his life from her demise. Unfortunately because he was a youkai, all of the miko�s he encountered refused to aide him in saving his beloved, regardless of the fact that his beloved was a human princess. Having travelled half the world over, desperate to find a kind hearted person with any amount of holy energy to make his love�s pain go away, he came to realize moments after crossing his path that Naraku knew all about him and his troubles. It was then that the deal had been struck. Naraku would give him a Shikon shard and with it, Sasuke could heal his lady love. The only catch was simply that if he were to come across a miko that traveled with a fox kit, a demon slayer with a fire neko, a priest with a cursed void in his hand and an inu hanyou named Inuyasha that he was to eliminate them by any means necessary. Naraku had apparently said the miko was a dark priestess that would curse his whole family line and kill his only love if ever they were to meet and that she was not to be trifled with because of her tremendous power.
Sasuke had immediately grown suspicious of Naraku and his intentions, but the threat of losing his precious lady eventually made up his mind for him. Taking the jewel shard from Naraku, he bid him a good day and left in a flash of light to bring his lady love her saving grace from the immense pain she was in. It had originally been the threat of an extremely dangerous demon that had caused our pack to arrive in Sasuke�s woman�s village, however; it had been the threat of Sasuke himself that had been the reason for our visit. Apparently, the townspeople had been afraid of Sasuke courting the princess and immediately began to spread rumors to their surrounding towns, hoping that someone with holy powers would come to their aide and rid them of the demon poisoning the mind of their princess. Of course, it wasn�t until we had fought with Sasuke and nearly died, that our group discovered the reason for the fighting in the first place. During one of Sasuke�s more powerful attacks, I had to use a massive amount of my miko ki to not only deter his attack back to him, but also to relieve him of his remaining jaki, without which he would no longer have enough energy to attack. Of course, because I had not been trained, I had no idea how I managed this, but regardless of my lack of training, my ki was triggered and let loose upon him mere moments before his attack would have hit. I still remember heaving a huge sigh of relief after seeing that I had not only nullified his attack, but his remaining power as well.
Sasuke had immediately fallen back and been overcome with so much heartache and grief, I could not help going to him in his time of need. The expression on his face was devastating and I knew I could not stand idly by and watch someone suffer needlessly, regardless of species. Of course, Inuyasha had desperately tried to drag me away from him, but I merely uttered �sit� and he plummeted to the earth as I went to Sasuke. He had this look of utter alarm and fear in his eyes when I approached, I had to slow down in fear I had done something to hurt him without my knowledge. Arriving at his side, I touched his shoulder in a gentle way of trying to comfort him and he immediately shied away from my touch. Pulling back as if I had been burned, I looked to him with many questions floating in my eyes. His gaze was locked so intently onto mine when I looked into his eyes, I could not look away and I could almost feel him probing my inner thoughts and feelings before delving as deeply as he could, to the very depths of my soul, before I even had the chance to blink.
*End Flashback*
This was the first time I ever transported my corporeal body into my inner sanctum and learned not only to center my self and meditate, but also to form my inner barriers and sustain my miko ki for as long as possible without fear of draining my energy completely. It was here, in the deepest part of my soul, my inner sanctum, where I could practice my skills without fear of interference.
Sasuke was actually the one to teach me how to use some very powerful spells, specifically for transportation, so as to travel a great distance within moments; separation, so as to separate my soul from my body without endangering my life and one more powerful spell that he told me only to use in the most dire of circumstances. In truth, I know not if I ever mastered it; I simply don�t believe I had enough time to train with him for it to ever be fully effective, but I know without a doubt that if ever there comes a time when I have no options left, I will not hesitate to use it. It was a massive attack that would take many minutes of complete concentration before it would be powerful enough to be released, but the end result would be well worth it.
Unbeknownst to us, our bodies begin to glow a slight blue and attach hands simultaneously. The glow begins to get brighter the longer we are connected and the spiritual power in the air begins to crackle with power. Miroku senses this immediate change and though they know the reiki will purify on contact, they stay routed to the spot, hoping against hope that the power will dwindle and Sasuke will release Kagome from whatever trance he has put her under, while trying to protect Sango, Shippo, Kirara and Inuyasha as best he can with a barrier.
It was within this inner sanctum with Sasuke, that I would learn to harness my growing power and I would meet someone from my distant past, or rather, my uncertain future, who would teach me the ways of the Miko, while also showing me how to harness the power of the Shikon no Tama, regardless of who held it within their possession. Of course, I am getting sidetracked from my original point.
*Flashback*
Sasuke had taken me into my inner sanctum to see the purity of my soul and to prove to himself that I was not a dark miko and that Naraku had lied to him. He had immediately looked at his surroundings and a new light had entered his eyes before he turned to me and kneeled in my presence. I was so astonished; I stepped back and gasped at his actions. This was a very powerful youkai, not as powerful as Sesshomaru, but still extremely powerful in his own right. I could feel his jaki licking my skin and to have him bow to me, a simple untrained useless shard detector, was not acceptable. I bent to his level and shook my head slightly before speaking gently and not wanting to alarm him with my close proximity, I made sure to keep my anxiety in check so that my ki wouldn�t spike to try and calm me. I had no idea how to get out of where I was, at the time I didn�t know it was called my inner sanctum and so I was desperately in need of some information, which I would not get if he didn�t trust me. So I said that my name was Kagome and that I was wondering why he had brought me here and then asked if he could possibly explain his intentions. He gave me a really skeptical look and then appeared thoughtful for a few moments before he finally decided to speak. It was then I learned of his relationship with Naraku and what he had been told about us. Seeing that he knew I was not a dark miko, I then asked him why he had originally been seeking out a miko or priest because he had not been extremely forthcoming with any details. After I learned of his princess, I immediately grew concerned when he told me what Naraku had told him to give her to get well.
Telling him that we needed to leave this place immediately and return to his lady love right away, he looked at me with a deep concern on his face before telling me that I was the only one who could release us from this place. Upon seeing the horror on my face, he had grown concerned and asked if I was truly a miko. Of course, that is when I fill him in on my slight problem with harnessing the power flowing within my veins and I see a dawning of understanding light his features before he motions for me to sit beside him in a meditating position. We sat together for a few minutes until I couldn�t help fidgeting under his scrutinizing gaze. When he still showed no signs of speaking or movement, I could feel my anger feeding the power I knew lived in my blood and I started glowing brightly almost instantly. I was so shocked at the reaction; I looked to him for answers and saw his gaze intently on mine. Not understanding what was happening, I saw him rise from his position to grasp hold of my shoulders. He started to speak so low and in such a soft tone that I had to strain with all my might just to be able to hear what it was he needed to tell me. He was trying to teach me how to harness the power in my soul and I was having a hard time trying to grasp the concept. He kept telling me to trust in my feelings and to control the power, not let it control me. I kept shaking my head, trying to explain without words that I didn�t know how to do that and that there was so much power; I could feel it trying to consume my very soul.
(*Memory within the Flashback*)

(AN-Kagome is remembering something that she felt while she was in her inner sanctum with Sasuke for the first time, so in essence, this is a flashback within a flashback. If you are confused, please don�t hesitate to email me and ask questions�.)
I finally understood then, what it was I had felt the first time I saw Sesshomaru. Truly, the only way I could begin to describe the feeling was being overwhelmed in the essence of his very being. I could never fully understand what had overcome me when I saw his ethereal beauty for the first time. It was like I was drowning in his unrestrained jaki and then suddenly, my power had come to the forefront and his energy had depleted greatly; though I don�t think anyone noticed this little display of power, except for Sesshomaru and I. It was at that very moment when he finally locked his gaze onto my own that I felt the recognition in my very soul. It was such a soul shaking revelation; I nearly fainted from the power of the emotions that surged through my blood. Of course, I did no such thing, rather; I strung my bow and knocked an arrow, determined to tell this delicious creature, that though I was a human woman, my power was not to be taken lightly and that if he continued to try and maim Inuyasha, I would not hesitate to strike.
When his obvious dismissal of my person was so rudely made known, I immediately felt my anger flare and my ki bubbled to the surface with such a surge of power, I nearly lost my breath at the sensation. Again, he turned as if to ascertain my purpose and with another clear dismissal with the flick of his hair over his shoulder, he once again turned toward Inuyasha on that monstrous Oni of his. Not being able to contain my obvious fury at being so readily ignored, I let my arrow fly with more power than I had ever put into a single arrow. I watched it narrowly miss him and could not help the gleam of satisfaction in my eyes as I saw some of his silky silver hair float away on the breeze.
Immediately, his eyes returned to my person and I felt a chill run the length of my spine as he readied an attack. Thinking quickly, I dodged whatever was headed my way without so much as a millimeter between it and my body and once the coast was clear, I regained my footing to look upon his deadly form once again. He was staring at me intently, so intently in fact, I found it terribly hard to breathe. I could feel my pulse flutter within my breast and I abruptly latched onto the tree beside me so that I wouldn�t lose my footing. Shaking my head to clear it, I noticed that Inuyasha was once again fighting the Oni, while Sesshomaru�s gaze was still intently on me. A shiver ran the length of my body almost immediately and instead of once again succumbing to the turmoil I could feel swirling in my very being, I again knocked an arrow and readied my aim. Seeing the heated look in his eyes upon gazing the fiery determination within my bright blue orbs, I refused to allow anymore of his presence to deter me and let my arrow fly with perfect aim. I could only watch, helplessly, as he merely plucked the arrow from the air moments before hitting his person. Complete shock and surprise coursed through my system as I saw him fight his very beast from taking control when my power refused to be diminished.
Again, I felt the energy rushing through my blood and knowing that he could kill Inuyasha or myself without a moment�s hesitation, I let the sparkle of determination burn brightly in my stormy orbs, while I began to draw more of my power to the surface. I felt his jyaki rise to nearly painful levels in response and couldn�t help the pained gasp that left my lips before feeling my reiki come to my aid. Before, his energy felt like it was smothering my very existence, now it was more like a sensual caress, however; there were only so many outcomes to this eventual meeting and with the flick of his wrist, he apparently wanted to end my existence in a flurry of acidic poison. Of course, it was then that Inuyasha saw what was transpiring under his notice and immediately came to my rescue, although his help wasn�t needed in the slightest. In retrospect, if Sesshomaru had any intention of ending my life, I guarantee that I would not be alive today.
*End Memory*
Coming back to reality after that flash from my memory, I realize that somehow, I suppressed my miko abilities during that flashback and can only surmise how it came about, until I look back at my companion in confusion. His look of utter calm is enough to release me from my stupor and I immediately relax. Once I have found my center and I feel the constant thrum of my power, quietly flowing through my veins until such a time as I need to call on them again, I suddenly become aware of a constant sound in the background of my mind. It is so very faint, I nearly missed its� presence entirely, but it immediately begins to get louder, as if it knows I have detected it.
*Thump�*
The sound I hear makes me almost shudder in response�.
*THump�.*
I can hear it getting louder, almost as if it is coming towards us�.
*THUmp�.*
The way it makes my whole body pulse in time with it, is making my anxiety sky rocket..
*THUMp�.*
It is almost deafening now and its� close proximity is causing my very being to shake�..
*THUMP�.*
Looking toward Sasuke, I see that he hasn�t so much as ruffled a feather in response to the commanding presence I feel drawing near. Not knowing what to expect, I call upon the power flowing through my veins and am shocked when nothing happens. Glancing around wildly, I try to calm my racing heart and still the chaos whirling in my mind, however; it continues to plague my thoughts.
THUMP�..
Concentration is inconceivable as I desperately try to regain some semblance of control. I feel my mind slipping away and then suddenly, I see an anchor in front of me. Not an anchor in the literal sense, at least not from a boat, but an anchor nonetheless. It was simply a tether, holding steadfastly to whatever it was that kept it in place. Regardless, I could not see what held it and there was no way for me to use my reiki to feel my way anywhere else and even as I tried to discern another route for me to take, I could feel my vision beginning to fade. Unable to determine whether my fainting would inexorably damage my visitor, I fight determinedly against the darkness and push it down with one heavy thrust while lunging toward the tether that hopefully leads to our salvation.
THUMP�..
In hindsight, perhaps I should have thought about an alternate route of escape.
THUMP�..THUMP�..
The vision in my mind begins to clear and after blinking a few times to clear the fog from my mind, I am shocked back to reality when I see Sasuke on the glowing pink floor of my inner sanctum, covered in blood. Screaming in fright, I immediately run to his side and feel the tears begin to course down my face. An overwhelming sensation of anger, sadness, regret and something else I cannot name flows through my veins and surrounds my body in an almost suffocating cocoon of feeling and emotion. Resting Sasuke�s head in my lap, I once again try to call upon the power within my blood. Feeling nothing but an empty void where the purity of my reiki used to dwell, another wave of despair, sadness and anger nearly suffocate my being and I cry out from the loss. Not knowing what else to do, I can only sit with his head in my lap and pray that a higher power will take pity on the creature before me that is dangerously close to crossing over to the next life. I glance toward his many wounds and nearly lose my breath when I realize that not only are they not healing with the power of his demon blood, but that the wounds consist of holy energy burns, bloody holes from what looked to be purifying arrows and what looked to be a massive attack to his middle with the miko energy consistent of Kikyo and myself.
THUMP�..THUMP��
Gasping at the sound that appeared directly behind us, my body nearly seized in terror, until I could finally control my reaction to the obvious threat that was mere inches away; my heart thundered in my chest and my panting breaths nearly caused unconsciousness, but a sudden surge of protectiveness caused me to fight the darkness that was pressing down on me.
After a few moments, I felt my body come under control and I wearily turned to face whatever danger lay ahead. Regardless, I would do whatever I could within my power to make sure that Sasuke and I survived.
A strong sense of foreboding and awareness overcame me as I gazed at the person who was no doubt the cause of all the troubles we had been experiencing so far.
By the Kami, how could I possibly stand against this powerful foe without weapons of any kind?
The creature standing before me, gazing at me with soulless eyes, nearly made my heart freeze within my breast and for the first time, I truly know terror.

Alright everyone, I hate to leave you with a cliffy here, but I have no choice. I am determined to stop here because I am exhausted and it is well after three in the morning. I hope you enjoyed this new installment of Soul Consumption and I promise that in the next chapter, there will be some citrus, if you catch my drift. I look forward to writing the next chapter and if anyone has any ideas about where they think this story should go, I would love to hear from you. Remember, constructive criticism is always welcome and even flames are sometimes warranted. Regardless, I look forward to hearing from my fabulous fans and hope that I get some delicious reviews to satiate my curiosity and hopefully, let me know that I am not writing this just for me.

Thanks again for reading and I will see you all next time.
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Soul Consumption