InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Legacy (II) ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

A Simple Legacy II by elle6778 - Chapter 11

She looked down numbly at her bloodstained kimono. Her wounds were severe, but it was nothing compared to those her daughter had suffered.

Devastated by the death of her daughter, she had arrived at one final decision. Her deceased daughter cradled in her arms, she had vowed to remove the jewel from her mate. It had taken her just short of one week before she finally found an opportunity. Grabbing the jewel from him after she had placed a sleeping spell on him, she had fled their home.

Wondering south, she had tried to find someone pure of heart to place the responsibility of protecting the jewel. Her powers had told her that the jewel's previous protector had been tainted by the hatred in her heart, weakening its purity. As a result, evil had won and the jewel had appeared in a youkai instead of a pure human.

She sighed heavily as she leaned back against the wooden wall of the well house. Between the times when she had left her mate and now, she had not been able to find anyone, youkai or human, who was pure in heart. Time was running out, and she was getting desperate.

The sound of a commotion reached her. She cracked open the door and peered out. Something was happening in the main house. The humans inside were rushing about and she could sense their excitement mixed with anxiety.

The baby must be arriving soon.

Then an idea suddenly presented itself to her.

If she could not find one who was pure enough, then she would just have to make sure that one was born pure and remained pure. It was a simple spell to perform, and she had no doubt that she could make it work. The baby, currently soulless, would be the best candidate. The fact that she was a descendant of a family with a miko background was an additional benefit.

However, she was aware that being pure did not mean that the baby girl would be capable of keeping herself safe. But there was no youkai in this strange place, so did it matter? Or had her weakened power failed to detect their presence?

Her brow furrowed in thought. Perhaps she should make sure that if the girl were to encounter a youkai, the girl would have some sort of protection. Her lips twisted. Gifting the girl with her powers would be next to useless, considering that she could not even protect herself from her own mate. Furthermore, the girl would have no idea to do with the gift that was bestowed on her since birth. Not to mention, without proper guidance, any power in the hands of an immature child would be dangerous.

Perhaps it would be better if the girl remain unaware of her gifts until she was older.

She frowned, wondering what it would mean to bestow such a gift to a human. Human or youkai, if one's heart was evil, then one was evil. However, one so pure such as this child might be guided such that she would treat human and youkai fairly. Too many humans held an unfair prejudice against youkai and if this powerful child did the same, it could mean the destruction of youkai.

A stab of pain pierced tore through her, making her gasp. The loss of blood was beginning to make her feel lightheaded. She should cast the spell soon. Time was running out for her and soon, her energy might be insufficient for the spell to work properly. A weak smile crossed her lips. She knew that her power alone was inadequate to bind the spell fully to the child. However, her life force should be enough.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the tiny beating heart in the mother's womb not far in the distance. The child would enter the world shortly.

It was time.

She took a deep breath, knowing that it would be one of her last and uttered the words from her heart.

“For the human child born in this family filled with love, I bestow a simple legacy. She shall grow pure and strong with the best of both worlds in her soul, with the Shikon-no-tama concealed within until she matures. Once eighteen of years in human form, her full strength shall arise. Should there be a presence of a mighty youkai with own power greater than hers, that strength shall also be hers and the two of them shall form an understanding of each other. With what remains of my life, I bind this spell to the human child.”

Her heartbeat slowed as she muttered the last words of the spell. A piercing light exploded, blinding her failing vision. Her last thought was that perhaps one day, her daughter would be avenged.

…***…***…

Kagome woke up with a gasp, shooting right up into a sitting position. The dream immediately crashed over like an avalanche.

So it was really her, the sorceress, who had left the Shikon jewel in her body. And that sorceress's spell was how she had ended up with a strange youki surrounding her aura. It appeared that somehow or other, she had been gifted with some youkai's strength. But whose? She had come across countless youkais since her eighteenth birthday.

But the first one she had been around was Sesshoumaru.

Her eyes widened.

If that was the case, the `understanding' part of the spell suddenly made sense. Now that she thought about it, it had been easier for her to read Sesshoumaru soon after her birthday. But the spell also mentioned understanding of each other. Did that mean that Sesshoumaru had been able to read her thoughts since then as well?

She felt the blood draining out of her face.

A quiet voice interrupted her thoughts. “What ails you, Miko?”

“It's another dream,” she said evasively, unsure whether she should tell Sesshoumaru about it. The taiyoukai was sitting on the ground not too far from where she had slept.

He gave her an odd look. “Did you manage to find out more about the sorceress?”

She sighed and finally decided that perhaps Sesshoumaru could make more sense of the entire thing. Unsure how he would take it, Kagome ventured uncertainly, “There was a spell placed on me when I was born. It was that sorceress Moriko was talking about, I think.”

She proceeded to explain the spell the best she could, frowning in concentration as she tried to remember the exact wordings. Sesshoumaru listened intently without a single interruption. When she had finished explaining, she waited for his reaction. She wondered if he had come to the same conclusion as she had done. But Sesshoumaru simply remained still, staring thoughtfully at her.

She began to shuffle impatiently. He was the only one who could confirm her suspicions and she had to know if the youkai was him or someone else.

“Sesshoumaru, say something,” she urged anxiously.

His expression blank, he remarked, “It explains the youki surrounding your aura.”

“Who do you think it came from?” she asked, needing to hear his confirmation.

He fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment before he spoke. “It is possible that on the day of your eighteenth birthday, you might have received this Sesshoumaru's youki as a result of the spell.”

Although his expression did not betray a single thing, Kagome had a feeling that Sesshoumaru might not be as calm as he appeared. It must be very disconcerting for him to find out that his strength was now also hers.

“However, this Sesshoumaru had not seen any evidence of the increased strength. The skills you have shown thus far appeared to be your own. Perhaps the sorceress's strength was insufficient to complete the spell.”

Kagome looked down at her hands. What he said was true. She had shown no signs of having the strength of a youkai. As far as she knew anyway. Unless she counted the fact that she was less tired nowadays. But there was still another element of the spell which worried her. She was unsure how Sesshoumaru would take her question.

Feeling a little awkward, Kagome ventured, “Um…Sesshoumaru?”

His brow lifted slightly in question.

Steeling her resolve, Kagome pushed on, “Do you…um…Can you read my thoughts?”

A moment of silence passed before he replied, “No.”

Kagome closed her eyes and exhaled in relief. No, it was not Sesshoumaru. Perhaps it was Inuyasha. Her brow furrowed. Somehow, the term `mighty youkai' did not seem to fit Inuyasha.

“This Sesshoumaru could only discern your emotions,” he added after a pause.

Her eyes shot open in horror. So it was Sesshoumaru after all. “R-Really?” she stuttered.

The taiyoukai nodded. “At this moment, you are worried and…perhaps a little horrified.”

Kagome gulped. Yes, she was horrified that he could read her emotions. Who would not be? Her mind raced to think of what else she might have unwittingly let out in the past. She had spent so much time with the taiyoukai in recent days. She could have been feeling everything under the sun.

The image of his hotsprings immediately flashed across her mind.

Groaning in mortification, she covered her face with her hands. No wonder Sesshoumaru had run out in the middle of his bath. Her thought at that time had been nothing short of scandalous. Unbidden, images of Sesshoumaru's water-slicked body appeared before her again. She immediately flushed.

“Miko,” he growled in warning.

She cringed. No doubt Sesshoumaru had been granted a flash of the heat which suddenly rose in her body at the memory. If she was not so embarrassed, she would have found his obvious discomfort amusing. It was not often that she got to see the stoic taiyoukai so flustered.

“I'm not doing this on purpose. Stuff…um… things just appear in my mind,” she muttered. She gestured weakly in the air. “Hormones.”

He raised a questioning brow. “Perhaps you would like to explain.”

Grimacing, she quickly shook her head. “Trust me, you don't want to know.” Then she groaned. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“It does not serve any purpose.”

“What do you mean? It's embarrassing! You could have told me and…” she paused as something occurred to her. “Hey! How come I can't read your emotions? I used to be able to!”

His expression was unreadable. “This Sesshoumaru had taken the appropriate steps to ensure that you don't.”

She threw her hands up in the air. “That's just…unfair!”

His eyes flickered. “Perhaps.”

Glowering at him, she asked, “Well, how did you do it?”

For a second, Kagome could have sworn that he smirked. Really smirked. Then his expression returned to its usual stoic appearance.

“It requires…practice.”

“Practice?”

“Hn. Barricading emotion is not a simple task. To this Sesshoumaru, it was something learnt as a pup.”

She blinked. But she could learn, right? Slowly, she said, “I think I can do it if you tell me how.”

“No.”

Her eyes flashed. “You want to feel everything I feel? My human emotions?” she shot at him. “My every little feeling?” she reiterated forcefully.

His golden eyes flickered. “It could be…amusing.”

She could feel a blush radiating out from her face. He could not possibly be thinking of that time in the hotsprings, could he? Flustered beyond belief, she jumped to her feet and yelled, “Hey, look here. I've no intention of becoming a source of amusement for you, Sesshoumaru!”

Sesshoumaru simply shrugged. Elegantly.

She huffed. There must be something she could do to get him to teach her. Another trade, perhaps. As soon as the idea appeared, she quickly discarded it. It was dangerous to make a deal with Sesshoumaru. The only way she could get him to agree was to show him that teaching her to barricade her emotions would benefit him more than her.

She brightened as an idea suddenly presented itself.

Knowing exactly what she could do to force his hand, she hid her grin. The idea itself was almost too simple. But judging from his earlier reactions, she was almost certain that it would work. It was not hard for her to conjure up the image of a naked Sesshoumaru in her mind after all. She just hoped that he could not tell that it was him who fuelled her heated thoughts. That would be mortifying.

Averting her gaze from him, for she simply could not do it while staring straight into his eyes, she allowed those scandalous thoughts to surface. As expected, her entire body began to flush.

Two seconds passed.

“Miko…” he growled. “Cease your thoughts. Now!”

Grinning inwardly, she ignored him. Closing her eyes, she continued, this time adding more to the picture using her overactive imagination. In her mind, instead of walking out of the hot springs, Sesshoumaru walked right up to her, the hot water swirling around his well-defined abdomen. She pictured herself stepping forward to close the gap between them. Her fingers would reach out and start from his neck, trailing down his chest just before she pressed herself against him. Then she would…

“MIKO!”

She heard a soft thud as she impacted against the ground. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself on her back with Sesshoumaru glaring down at her, his breathing ragged.

Knowing that she had gotten to him, Kagome suppressed her grin. Blinking innocently at him, she asked meekly, “Yes, Sesshoumaru?”

He stared at her for a long while, his expression unreadable. Releasing her abruptly, he stood up and took a few steps away from her.

“Very well. This Sesshoumaru shall assist you in shielding your emotions.”

Her smile almost split her face.

…***…***…

Sesshoumaru stood at the mouth of the cave as he waited for the miko to gather her belongings.

After she had woken up from the dream, neither of them had slept. The miko had been so excited about her latest lesson that she had insisted that he taught her right then. He had not been pleased with her demand. Or the manner in which she had forced his cooperation. However, considering the nature of the emotions which had emanated from the miko lately, Sesshoumaru decided that it was best that she had the ability to shield her emotions from him.

The lesson had gone well, as he had come to expect from any lesson he taught her. It had only taken her a short time to grasp the intricacies of barricading one's emotion. All she had to do now was to ensure that the barrier remained intact. At all times.

His senses began to tingle, alerting him to the fact that they were about to have a visitor. His brows furrowed lightly as he realized who it was. Then he heard the miko's rapid footsteps before she appeared by his side, wearing an excited look.

“Shards!” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm.

He glanced down at the small hand gripping his arm with surprising strength. The miko should never be allowed to touch him in such a familiar manner. But considering that the time they had spent traveling, he supposed that she was simply used to his presence much the way as Rin was.

Extricating his arm from her, he looked into the distance. “It is the prince,” Sesshoumaru said levelly. It did not surprise him that Kouga had chosen to track him down.

The air swirled madly before the prince emerged from its midst.

With a curt nod, Sesshoumaru greeted, “Kouga.”

“Sesshoumaru,” Kouga returned. Then, noticing the miko, the wolf prince's brows grinned. “Kagome! I thought I picked up your scent. Where are the rest of your friends? I can't smell the stink of the mutt.”

“Heh heh,” the miko laughed, obviously uncomfortable for some unknown reason. “Nice to see you too.”

Turning back to him, Kouga asked, “So, you're looking for the shards now, huh?” Then the wolf sniffed the air, a puzzled expression crossing his face.

“It is necessary,” Sesshoumaru replied. He eyed the sniffing wolf curiously, wondering what he was trying to find.

With a quick glance at the miko before turning back to face him, Kouga asked carefully, “There are only two of you here?”

So that was what Kouga was trying to sniff out. “Indeed,” Sesshoumaru replied tightly. He knew what Kouga was about to say next. It should be somewhere along the line of what Takeo had insinuated not too long ago.

Looking a little worried, Kouga said to the miko, “Kagome, do you mind leaving us for a while?”

The miko looked as if she was about to protest.

Sesshoumaru kept his expression even, but his voice carried a tone of warning. “Miko, it would be best of you comply.”

Her eyes widened. Then she shrugged and walked away. Turning back to Kouga, Sesshoumaru remarked, “Your concerns are unnecessary, Kouga.”

Kouga gave him a hard look. “You're traveling alone with my woman, Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru tensed, barely managing to hide his surprise. This was not what he had expected the prince to say. He was not aware that Kouga had a claim on the miko. She had said nothing to that effect, and neither did anyone else until this moment. A feeling of annoyance enveloped him as his mind whirred with the potential problems this could cause him.

“Is that so?” he asked quietly.

Kouga's eyes narrowed. “Are you calling me a liar, Sesshoumaru? I've held back because I've been waiting for her to get over that mutt brother of yours for three years. I have every intention of claiming her.”

Sesshoumaru ground his teeth together. Everything to do with Inuyasha always seemed to get in his way. First it was his father's obsession with the human hime, Inuyasha's mother, then it was Tetsusaiga, and now it was the miko. The only consolation he had was that once this entire debacle with the shards and Naraku was resolved, he would have no reason to go anywhere close to Inuyasha or anything else associated with him.

“Look, what if I joined you?” Kouga offered.

“No.” His tone was abrupt. The wolf's presence would slow them down. Not to mention that his affections for the miko could be potentially distracting for her.

Giving him a suspicious look, Kouga asked, “Why not? The more help you get, the faster you'll find the shards. Not to mention you're in my territory now.”

“This Sesshoumaru does not require the assistance,” Sesshoumaru intoned flatly.

The wolf bristled. “What if I say you can't hunt in here if I don't come along?”

Sesshoumaru's expression hardened as his hands clenched into fists. The insolent whelp. “Do not threaten this Sesshoumaru if you value your life.”

Kouga glared at him. “I don't want to fight you, Sesshoumaru.”

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to smirk. The wolf was no match for him and he knew it, but still, Kouga was foolish enough to challenge him.

“But if you lay a single claw on Kagome, I will hunt you down,” he added harshly.

“The miko will not be harmed by this Sesshoumaru. She is an ally,” Sesshoumaru remarked dryly. Surely the wolf would know that if he intended to harm the miko, he would have done so already.

“I mean it, Sesshoumaru! She's my woman and she should not be traveling alone with an unmated male.”

Sesshoumaru willed himself to remain calm. He and the miko had not done anything disrespectful and it irked him that he had to listen to the ranting of this wolf. Not to mention the absurd insinuations Takeo had made.

“If anything, I should be traveling with her,” Kouga added irritably.

Sesshoumaru eyes narrowed. The more Kouga kept going on about it, the more Sesshoumaru was convinced that something did not sound quite right. A claiming was an important thing. Surely someone must have mentioned something by now.

“Is the miko aware of the claiming?” Sesshoumaru asked evenly.

Kouga's eyes flashed. “Of course.”

“And she accepted your suit?”

Sesshoumaru was not surprised when the wolf averted his gaze. “She's still hung up over that mutt,” Kouga muttered irritably.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. “And you still wish to pursue her?”

He did not understand why Kouga was attracted to the miko but then again, Kouga had previously indulged in various deeds which reminded Sesshoumaru of Inuyasha. Obviously, this attraction to the miko was something else they shared. How pathetic.

“She's everything one would wish for a mate. She's strong, smart and beautiful. Heirs born from the union would be powerful,” Kouga explained insistently.

As he absorbed the wolf's words, Sesshoumaru decided that the wolf was correct in his assessment. The miko possessed the qualities required of a good mate. However, the wolf prince appeared to have forgotten something.

“She's human.”

Kouga gave him an odd look. “I know she's human. But she's more powerful than most youkai so what does it matter? With her at my side, my strength would increase.”

“Indeed.”

Kouga's words struck a chord in him. If the miko decided to mate with the wolf, or any other youkai for that matter, her power and skills would increase her mate's strength. The very thought unsettled him.

He was the one who had trained her thus far, honing her skills to such a point that it could be considered formidable by any youkai standards. Although the miko had agreed not to stand against him, Sesshoumaru was certain that should her future mate demand otherwise, the miko would have no choice but to comply. Somehow, the thought of battling against the miko disturbed him. He did not understand why, seeing that he had always relished a good battle against a skilled opponent.

The only way he could think of to prevent such an occurrence was to ensure that she either never mated with anyone, or mated with someone who had no inclination to create trouble.

Or he could mate her himself.

He stiffened instantly at the stray thought. It was ludicrous to even think that he, Sesshoumaru, would mate a human, however powerful she might be. Or however appealing her scent and her form might be.

Appealing? Sesshoumaru stiffened further. He did not understand where these thoughts came from. He had no such interest in the miko.

Shaking away his wayward thoughts, he decided to push the entire issue to the back of his mind. After all, it had nothing to do with him and hence, did not deserve undue contemplation. Not to mention that the miko had shown no inclination to mate anyone as of yet.

Glancing pointedly at Kouga's legs, Sesshoumaru said, “We will return for your shards once we've collected the rest.”

Kouga looked as if he was about to protest. Sesshoumaru immediately tensed and gave the prince an uncompromising look, leaving no doubt that he had no qualms about retrieving the shards by force.

After a moment, Kouga snarled, “Fine. But I'm giving it back to Kagome. Not you.” The expression in Kouga's eyes warned Sesshoumaru that the wolf had no intention of backing down from his words.

“Hn.”

It did not make any difference to Sesshoumaru. After all, his only interest was to destroy Naraku. He had no intention of keeping that jewel. It belonged to the miko and therefore, should only remain with her.

…***…***…

Kagome's snuck an upward glance at the silent taiyoukai beside her. Sesshoumaru had been more silent than usual after he came back alone from that talk with Kouga. For some reason, he did not seem to want to talk about it. Not that he often wanted to talk, she thought wryly.

She looked around. The sky had turned dark a few hours ago and although she was not really tired, she did not feel like trudging along the melted snow any longer. “Um…Sesshoumaru? I think we need to find shelter.”

“There are no shelters in this area.”

“There must be a cave or something nearby, right?”

“No.”

She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Then where are we going to camp?”

“Surely you've slept under the stars before, Miko.”

Letting out an exasperated exclamation, she retorted, “Yes, but not late winter. Especially now that the snow has melted and everything is wet and muddy.”

He glanced around them, sniffing delicately. “The weather will not turn unpleasant tonight.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I'm going to freeze if I sleep on the ground, Sesshoumaru! It's getting warmer but it's not that warm.”

“You will sleep in the tree.”

Her eyes rounded. “WHAT?”

“Do you not understand, Miko?” he said in a flat voice.

“I thought you said tree. Can I remind you that I'm human?”

“Your reminder is unnecessary.” His tone was dry.

Somehow, Kagome felt that there was something else going on in his mind at that very moment. She fervently wished that she could read his emotions.

Anyway, his insistent that she slept in a tree was ridiculous and she was not about to listen to it. “Then you should understand that humans don't sleep in trees. Hanyou and youkai are different.”

“Perhaps you need to be reminded that you have the strength of a youkai. You will survive a night in a tree,” he pointed out, the flash in his eyes betraying his irritation.

“But-”

She gasped in shock when he lifted her in his arms. The next thing she knew, the cold air swooshed past her and they landed on a wide tree branch.

“I'm going to roll over and kill myself in my sleep,” she muttered darkly as she held on tight to the branch under her legs.

“Cease your complaints, Miko,” he ordered firmly.

Tossing him an irritated look, she resigned herself to sleeping in a tree. To her surprise, instead of jumping off as she had expected, Sesshoumaru remained on the branch, settling himself behind her.

A little confused, she ventured uncertainly, “Um, Sesshoumaru? What are you doing?”

He stilled. “Resting.”

Already uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping on a tree branch for the night, Kagome wondered how she was going to cope with having Sesshoumaru sleeping so close to her on the same branch. Especially after all those embarrassing thoughts she had been having about him lately.

“Sessh-”

“Cease your chatter.”

She scowled. “I can't sleep like this with you,” she gritted out and immediately felt him tense behind her.

“This Sesshoumaru will not compromise your virtue.” His tone was dry.

Her eyes widened. “WHAT? NO! That's not what I meant!” Quickly twisting to look at him over her shoulders, she added, “It's just that you're leaving against the trunk, and I can't sleep sitting up like this.”

She squeaked in alarm when a pair of strong arms suddenly went around her and pulled her back. Warmth immediately surrounded her, courtesy of Sesshoumaru's chest and arms. She flushed involuntarily.

“Rest,” he said in an even voice.

Kagome scowled. He was obviously not as affected as she was by their close proximity. Perhaps she should not either. After all, it was not as if Sesshoumaru was anything like Miroku. He probably figured that this was the most practical way to sleep.

Figures.

With a resigned sigh, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

…***…***…

His golden eyes snapped open, surprised that he had actually fallen asleep.

The presence was faint. Nevertheless, he could recognize it without a doubt. What was Jaken and Ah-Un doing heading this way? And could he not sense Rin with them?

He glanced down at the sleeping Miko in his lap. She looked very comfortable with the side of her head pressed against his chest and one of her arm hanging off the side of the branch. It was slightly disconcerting to find that she trusted him enough to allow herself to be in such a vulnerable position.

What troubled him more was his own response to her proximity. He had expected to remain awake the entire night, not drifting off to sleep. The implication behind his action did not escape him. He was comfortable around her. Far too comfortable. Inuyoukai like him never slept deeply unless they felt safe and secure. Their very nature did not allow it.

For some reason, his thoughts during his conversation with Kouga came back to his mind. Quickly, before he could mull over it, he pushed it away.

Knowing that he had to wake her before he could leave to investigate the reason for Jaken and Ah-Un's presence, he grasped her shoulder and shook her. “Miko,” he called out firmly.

She jolted in his lap. “Wha-”

“Wake up, Miko.”

She turned her head around. Sesshoumaru felt her bewilderment wash over him as she twisted around to face him. Giving him an incredulous look through bleary eyes, she exclaimed, “Sesshoumaru, it's not even dawn yet! Why did you wake me up?”

He did not reply. Instead, he pushed her off his lap onto the branch and jumped off the tree.

Grabbing the branch with both hands, she glared down at him, now wide awake. “HEY! I could have fallen off, you know!”

Her words barely registered in his mind as he headed in the direction Jaken and Ah-Un were coming from. His attention was drawn to the small speck in the sky which was growing larger as it neared him. Soon, he could make out the form of the diminutive toad youkai standing on Ah-Un's back.

The two-headed beast landed on the ground not far from him with a grunt. It was obvious that Jaken had pushed him hard.

“Sesshoumaru-sama!” Jaken yelled frantically as he stumbled off Ah-Un.

Sesshoumaru remained still as the toad youkai ran the short distance between them. When he reached, gasping for air after his short stumbling run, Jaken straightened. “Sesshoumaru-sama. Forgive this humble servant for interrupting your quest.”

“What is it, Jaken?” Sesshoumaru asked impatiently. Something had to be wrong if Jaken came out all this way to find him.

“The forest youkai…She mentioned that Naraku was making his way to the Western Lands,” Jaken choked out between breaths. “I thought you should be informed as soon as possible.”

A gasp escaped the miko's lips.

The first thought that came to Sesshoumaru's mind was, “Rin. Where is she?”

Jaken glanced down nervously. “This humble servant of yours thought that it would be better to leave her under Inuyasha's care.”

“You fool,” Sesshoumaru bit out as he kicked the cowering toad, sending him flying into the distance. If Naraku managed to make his way past all the barriers and wards, his home would be left defenseless.

Without another word, he grabbed the miko, ignoring her squeal of alarm and transformed into his traveling orb. Although traveling in this manner depleted his energy much quicker than his cloud, it was necessary. He would not give Naraku an opportunity to hold Rin as a hostage again.

With his traveling orb, it only took him a short time to arrive at the border between the Western Lands and the Eastern Territories. He could not risk stopping too close to his castle just in case Naraku had already found it, hence he decided to stop some distance away. The moment he released both himself and the miko from the orb, he expanded his senses outwards. The trail was faint, but he could tell that Naraku was not far away. His face set in stone, Sesshoumaru gathered his cloud and pulled the still disoriented miko next to him, holding her firmly around the waist.

“Sesshoumaru,” she gasped as they shot into the air again. “Can you actually tell where Naraku is?”

“He's close,” Sesshoumaru replied, his eyes not leaving the landscape before him.

Then he saw a flash of red blurring around a white fur-covered form amidst the trees in a large clearing in the forest below. Inuyasha and Naraku. It seemed that there were only two of them there. Sesshoumaru's lips thinned. At least Inuyasha had the sense to leave the rest behind in the warded castle.

Sesshoumaru's eyes gleamed. Naraku would pay for his audacity.

“I see them,” the miko exclaimed.

A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Miko, you will not fight,” he said firmly.

“What?!” She twisted around to give him a doubtful look. “Why not? He's there and between three of us, we can take him down.”

“It's most likely his puppet. And you will keep your skills hidden until we encounter the true hanyou.”

Her features cleared as she comprehended his reasoning. “I get it. Element of surprise, right?”

Without another word, Sesshoumaru transformed into his energy orb and brought the miko with him. With a bright flash, he appeared in the clearing in front of the two surprised hanyou.

“Sesshoumaru, what a pleasant treat,” Naraku drawled in an oily voice. “And the miko as well.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Inuyasha snapped at him irritably.

Ignoring Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru regarded Naraku with an expression of disdain. “You are trespassing,” he said icily.

The hanyou laughed. “As charming as ever, I see. I will remove myself from your lands once you return my belonging.”

“Moriko is not yours!” You kidnapped her!”” the miko yelled.

With a smirk, Naraku turned to Inuyasha. “I see that she had decided to switch sides. Humans are so fickle, don't you think?”

“Enough talking,” Sesshoumaru said in a disinterested tone just a fraction of a second before he charged, simultaneously unsheathing Toukijin.

A blue blast ripped through the forest, taking down the few trees in its path. Unfortunately, the baboon fur covered form managed to escape it.

Just as Sesshoumaru began to advance on Naraku, Inuyasha appeared by his side. The hanyou's presence irked him.

“You're in the way,” Sesshoumaru bit out as he shoved Inuyasha to the side.

“You're butting into my fight. Go find your own,” Inuyasha shot back, his golden eyes flashing angrily as he raised Tetsusaiga. Then he brought it down with a yell of, “Kaze no Kizu!”

The golden blast ripped another track down the forest, heading straight at Naraku. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance as he observed the raw power of the attack. So, Inuyasha had not been lying when he said that Tetsusaiga's power had increased. He felt his anger rise at the realization that he had inadvertently helped Inuyasha to grow stronger.

Unfortunately, Naraku seemed to have anticipated the attack and had removed himself from the path of destruction.

“Watch out!” he heard the miko yell in a frantic voice.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened.

…***…***…

t.b.c.

A/N: Well, I hope you've enjoyed that. Kagome's legacy is now clear, I hope. Now we'll just have to see how Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha fare against Naraku! Please review and let me know what you think!