Chapter 6: Approval

She felt the maid enter the barrier with the twins, face set in a pained wince. The youki swirling in the air was making her miko ki act up and her control was wearing thin. She knew why Sesshomaru's beast took over at Kouga's declaration. Kouga challenged Sesshomaru's claim, and he was making an example of him. She just couldn't understand why the beast cared. It had raped her and left her there bleeding and vulnerable. It had impregnated her and left her to fend for her and the growing children within her. Sesshomaru and his beast would never take her as a mate, so why not allow another to claim her? It would have been better for her to be with someone that would try to make her happy instead of with be with a man that could care less about her. Surely, if he freed her, he would be free to sleep with another. She wasn't sure how demon customs worked.

She felt her ki gathering to the surface of her skin, the demons still arguing amoongst themselves and she was doing all she could to not release the burst of ki she felt accumulating. It was making her body ache and she curled into herself to try to relieve some of the pain. It wasn't working as well as she would have liked. She clasped her head in her hands, fighting to not scream out, but it was becoming difficult. The levels of youki in one area was growing higher, and her ki wanted out to purge what it saw as a threat.

She threw her head back, hands clasped over her ears. "Stop it!" Her ki had burst free from her body with the declaration. It rushed over everyone, burning most, purifying a few to dust, but rarely did it not do anything to anyone. She was panting, her body feeling drained and the demons around her hissing and snarling in pain at the damage she had done to them. Sesshomaru had not been affected by the power, but it had forced his beast far into the recesses of his mind. Half of the panther demon's face and been burned away, leaving a bloody mess. Parts of her body had been purified as well. She was the worst of them that had not been purified completely. Her ki was diminished close to nothing and she was on the verge of passing out. Kouga had been knocked unconscious, a few minor burns on his body.

"Miko," he said, a deadly tone to his voice. "Why did you attack this one?"

"You do not understand," she murmured, sweat forming on her brow. "The amount of youki in one place was becoming overwhelming for my miko senses. I held them back as long as I could." She looked up at him, exhaust clearly written on her face.

"You harmed my pups," he seethed.

"I did not. I gave Hanako and Hibikimaru to the maid to get them out of here and within the safety of my barrier. They were never in any danger. I held it off until I knew they were safe." She dropped her head. She was exhausted. "You are the only one in this room, aside from myself, that is not harmed. All my ki did to you was force your beast back and into a slumber. I do not have the power to harm you. You can thank your beast for that."

"That whore attacked us," the panther accused. Her youki fizzled out when she tried to summon it forth. "I want her head."

"Enough," the elders said. Their flesh was regenerating from the burst of miko ki. It was deadly to them when focused solely on one target. The others that had been purified were weak. "It is clear that the youki in the room had her miko ki on edge. It was a defense mechanism to ensure her and lord Sesshomaru's safety, as well as the safety of the western lands' heir. Had there been no hostility in the air, she would not have lashed out instinctually."

"My heir, and the eastern lands heir was in danger as well," Jyuga reasoned, anger apparent in his eyes.

"I meant them no harm," Kagome said. "They were confused, and their youki had not rose in challenge. My miko ki did not see them as a threat."

"I am fine," Kechi said. "It was actually quite warm." He smiled. "My feet don't hurt anymore either."

"My ankles aren't as swollen and my nausea is gone as well," Lady Ami told her mate with a smile. She felt the enthused kick of her unborn child. "And our little one is safe."

"Little ones," Kagome murmured. "Twins, from the feel of it."

"See, twins. Maybe one of them is a little girl, like you want," she tried to reassure her mate. She had remained calm and had reigned in her youki during all the argueing.

"Your arm," Kagome whispered.

"What? Did you purify the other to non-existance?" Sesshomaru snapped.

"No." She shook her head. She was still in shock. "Your other arm..." She stood and approached slowly. She took hold of his hand and ran a hand up his sleeve, taking in the feel of his skin.

"Do not touch me!" He pulled his regenerated arm from her hold, just now taking in the fact that he now had two arms. He held it in front of his face and observed his arm. The claws were right, the stripes present, and the muscle tone was right. He flexed his fingers and he could see the poison come to the tips. It was like he never lost his arm to begin with.

"She restored your arm," an elder said. "It should have taken a thousand years to grow back."

"I'm tired," Kagome murmured, then fainted. Her energy was completely gone now.

The panther demon leapt forward to kill Kagome while she was down, but was blocked by Sesshomaru. He may not like the miko, but she was his in a sense, and she gave him back what his brother took. Panther demons really had no honor, attacking when someone was down.

"You shall not harm the miko. Had you not been hostile towards me, her, or anyone else in the room, you would not have been harmed. It was self defense on her part, knowing you wanted her dead. Leave, before I finish you off." He shoved her back and away from the unconscious miko. She had wasted energy because of the hostility.

"I approve of your heir," Lord Hiro said. "His mother may be tiny, but she packs one hell of a punch." He smirked and rubbed the dry blood from his chin. His injuries were almost done healing. "She must be one hell of lover in bed."

"Hn." He said nothing because the first time he laid with her was forced and the second, she wasn't paying attention to him. He would make her pay attention this time around, and he'd be sober. Maybe then he could withold cuming until he wanted to cum.

She woke up with a headache and to the crying of her twins. She was laying in her bed. She knew she had made a few enemies when she had released her built up ki. Sesshomaru probably hated her even more for it. She didn't much care. Maybe it would keep him from bedding her again.

She pushed the thoughts from her head and sat up with a groan. Her whole body hurt, but she needed to see to the twins. She just stood on protesting legs and walked into the nursery. She picked up the twins and took up her seat at the window, looking out at the quickly setting sun. She looked down at the twins and smiled at their faces as they looked up at her in wonder. She would have caressed their cheeks had she been able to. Her arms were full, however.

"I love the both of you," she murmured lowly to them. "The two of you are so adorable." She leaned down and kissed their noses. When they both had their fill, she stood and placed them in their cribs. It was close to their bed time. "Good night." She covered them with their blankets and put out the fires. She closed the door and turned to find Sesshomaru sprawled out on her bed in just his fundoshi, his clothes neatly folded on a nearby chair. She knew what he wanted.