A/N: Woo, I'm fixing the errors... well, the ones I found, anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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HOCINE VOBIS HABETIS IOCUM

Is this your idea of a joke?

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I never thought it would happen this way.

Never thought that pink blur in front of me would take the blow I knew I couldn't dodge.

Never thought I'd see that fac e again.

Never thought I'd ever have to see another ookami killed by Naraku after this battle.

Never thought I'd have to see another ookami killed during this battle.

I don't really remember the nex t few mintues... Or was it an h our?

Time meant little to me; it began again when that mutt grabbed my shoulder.

There was... understanding in his eyes, and... pity.

I slapped his hand away, jumped back easily.

I hadn't noticed, but at some point I must have move d... well...

There was a figure sprawled against a nearby tree—one of the few that had survived—lying as though thrown.

Red, pink, white... they blended together as my mind tried to process what had just happened.

Naraku was dead. My wom an was safe.

That was all that mattered.

That mutt's big brother, Sesshomaru turned gracefully to leave, sheathing his katana, a twin to Inuyasha's untransformed.

Kagome had mentioned, at some point, that it could bring back the dead; bu t I had definitely seen his kenki, a great, destructive power that made Tetsusaiga look like a child's toy.

Forget the crescent portal I had heard about.

This creature was powerful beyond my imagination.

"Se sshomaru-sama!"

And Kag ome was running after him.

"Sesshomaru-sama... onegai..."

I watched, arms crossed, pretending I didn't care; she could take care of herself, and there was no one else to protect.

I had one person to protect.

One.

She'd be fin e.

"Teme! Bakayarya—don't you hear her?!"

The mutt's voice grated on my ears; I ignored him, eyes scanning the field.

The monk, the houshi no hentai, lay motionless on the ground, beads thankfully wrapped aro und the glove covering his k azaana.

The tajiya knelt over him, as well as that boy-child: it seemed she couldn't decide which one... meant more to her?

Wasn't that boy her brother, or something?

"Listen, aniki..." My head turned back to the creature in white; I had seen him in his true form, when he had dissolved a good half of that blasted hanyo's body, before using his brother as a shield to return to that humaniod form which seemed equally lethal. "Instead of slicing you to pieces, how about you just do this one thing for us, and you can on your way."

I snorted quietly; idle threats would never move the great Lord Sesshomaru: I had little prior knowledge of him, but I had seen enough.

Glancing over my shoulder, I had to tear my eyes away from the sight, returning them to Sesshomaru.

"Hn. This Sessshomaru has no—"

"Yes he bloody well does!!"

Tetsusaiga was raised; Sesshomaru...

I shifted slightly, concealing my shock as the taiyoukai knocked t he blade out of the way—out of his brother's hands—and wrapped one of two hands around the hanyo's neck, claws digging into the flesh.

Naturally, Inuyasha's hands came up to grasp Sesshomaru's wrist; naturally, he ignored the threat, concentrating on the hanyo's "weakness" co ncerning mortal women.

I had wondered, for a while, what his relationship with his "ward" was, but after a while I gave up trying to understand the enigma that was Lord Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru-sama... you are too clever for your own good.

I did not think or the figure behind me; no, my entire concentration was focused on the group before me.

Poison talons pointed almost lazily toward Kagome—I knew he would not harm her; Inuyasha would easily comply—he asked, "Maa, ototo, if you wanted somehting from me..."

A flick of his wrist, and the hanyo was some twenty feet away, massaging his neck.

"Why did you not simply ask?"

"Because you would've said no anyway!!"

"At last, ai noko learns."

Growli ng, Inuyasha lurched to his feet, lunging at his brother—only to be reminded by a quirk of Sesshomar's eyebrow and a twitch of his fingers, the tips just touching Kagome's neck, that he didn't really have a choice.

Ignoring the drama unfolding befor e me (the mutt would give in eventually, to whatever his brother was demanding; likely, he just wanted him to die and/or leave him alone), my eyes slid to the monk and boy once more.

I couldn't remember his name, but when he had attempted to fight against his master, Naraku had assured himself, at the very end, to punish him and his sister for that defiance.

The last order Naraku ever gave was for Kohaku—that's what it was—to dig out the Shikon shard in his shoulder.

One more kakera for me...

I glanced at my wrist, contemplating the irony of the situation.

"Keh!"

Such a clever comeback.

Wait—what was he going to do?

"Sesshomaru-sama..." At last, everyone's eyes settled on her. "Onegai, please bring them back..."

"Baka no koto. I have no time to banter with ningen."

"I think you owe us something... for helping you defeat Naraku. That houshi saved your life, whether you'll admit it or not."

I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth; and that wasn't all.

"Besides, if it weren't for Shippo, your ward would be dead, yo?"

He twitched, and I realized that great demon lord hadn't noticed the absence of the child... though she wasn't really a child anymore; I'd go tten a glimpse of her before things really started heating up. I supposed she was beautiful enough, but she wasn't my type.

What is my type?

Kagome, of course.

Brave, beautiful, loving, kind, miko powers and the ability to see Sh ikon shards...

Though, it did make me wonder: what was a girl—one who was clearly no miko—doing that close to that damn hanyo?

And that toad thing—it(he?)was gone, too.

Lord Sesshomaru, you have some debts to pay off.

"And your..." I searched for the word. "Servant. Unless, of course, you are not a man of honour."

Well, a youkai of honour.

It had been clear from the start honour was a big thing for him: pride, honour, everything dog demons were famous for. And an inu taiyoukai...

After all, he was the former Inu no Taisho's son, wasn't he? His musuke, the new Inu no Taisho, would surely feel the same way in most things, save perhaps the whole huma ns-are-insects-to-be-trodden-on mindset.

"... This Sesshomaru has no need for dealings with humans."

There: he didn't consider humans worth the trouble of—

"Your ward may see things differently."

Yes, he was a taiyoukai, but, not concentrating on the scent of the wind as I was, the wolf sniffed out the girl before the pedigreed dog.

"Sesshomaru-sama!"

Incredible, that he had not noticed her; but then, to one who is not used to emotions, surely dealing with them would take up a great deal of one's atte ntion.

"Kagome-san, Inuyasha-san?"

"Rin-chan..."

I moved away, back toward the boku I most wanted to avoid.

At last, I crouched by the body of a girl, young woman, really; striking red hair was pulled into two ponytails, pink and white furs contrasting greatly with the natural browns and greens around her.

"H... Houshi-sama?" My head swiveled, nose twitching at the scent of life where there had unmistakenly been death. "Miroku?!"

Humans...

I heard a raised voice, which had to be Inuyasha; a calm, cold voice whose tone could only belong to the stoic taiyoukai; and a softer, female voice; the girl... what was her name? Lin? Rin, that was it.

Apparently, she had convinced her master to revive the monk...

"Kohaku?!"

"Nnh..." "Kohaku?" "... Ane-ue?"

... And the boy.

Great, fine, peachy.

"Sesshomaru-sama... ?"

Again, that sweet, soft tone, closer this time; my ears detected nearly inaudible footsteps—in fact, for a human, or even a half-demon, they would have been—stopping just behind me.

"Move."

It was an order I was loath to comply with, but when I looked up, I saw something in his frozen amber gaze that changed my mind.

I hope I'm inv ited.

This wry thought was interrupted when I was abruptly shouldered out of the way; the blade—Tenseiga was its name—was still out: apparently, he'd given up putting it away and just left it in his hand.

Holding the katana in front of him, he stared at something I could not see, though something, some smell I could not identify, tickled my nostrils.

With one quick slash, he sliced through some invisible creature—creatures, by the way he swung t he blade... Invisible to me, at least.

I detected something I was not expecting from the ookami female: a heartbeat. Blood rushing through veins, a twitching finger, then... nothing.

I don't know why, but at that moment, I became suddenly angry, more so at the uncaring expression in the demon lord's eyes.

"Why didn't it work?" I demanded. "Doshite?"

Sesshomaru merely shrugged, as he did, announcing softly, "I cannot revive an unwilling soul."

Then he turned, calling quietly, unhurriedly, to Rin and the toad-creat ure; I could only stare.

His words came back, to me, replaying themselves over and over again.

I cannot revive an unwilling soul.

Why? Was she satisfied in this final sacrifice? Didn't she hav e anything left to live for? What about her grandfather? Her jii-san would be more than a little displeased...

But it was an honourable way to go, dying in battle, especially to protect another.

At least, he would be proud.

Forcing myself t o turn away, the stench of death clogging my nostrils, I watched as Inuyasha held my woman in his arms, speaking to her quietly.

My woman.

Ah, yes. The determining factor. An honourable death, proving herself to him and her tribe, in a way ensuring something akin to happiness, or at least pride. And relief. She had been wise to expect that from him—though how she found them was a mystery.

I had a long gash in my side, but ignored it; my youkai blood would heal it soon enough.

Turning away, I hesitated, then stoop ed to pick her up; her family would want her body.

You were such an idiot

I slipped away silently; they wouldn't notice my absence, which was just as well.

Ayame...

My eyes narrowed slightly as the scent of my remaini ng kinsmen came to me.

Anata wa baka desu...

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A/N: Okay, so he isn’t as protective of Kagome as he should be. It's my story, and I can use dei ex machinae if I want to...