Disclaimer: If Romiko Takahashi ever gives Inu to me, you'll be the first to know, 'cause I'll rub it in everyone's faces. Hahahaha!

A/N: I'm back! Please don't eat me. Here's my chapter, so chow down!

Last time: Kagome turned to look at Inu Yasha, they exchanged a meaningful gaze before Kagome gathered her things, and she and Sango disappeared down into the cave where Shippo had said the hot spring was.

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Chapter 6 - Healing

While Kagome and Sango bathed the rest of the party sat around the fire. Koga leaned against one of the cave walls a bit separate from the others, his expression bored. Yukkana sat at Kyouko's feet, her head resting on his knee and her eyes half-closed as he absently ran his fingers through her soft brown hair. Miroku busied himself making sutras, while Inu Yasha watched the entrance of the cave, his mind still aware that they all may still be in danger.

It had begun to rain outside their cave, slow at first and then harder as it had neared dusk. Shortly after Inu Yasha's keen eye sight picked up something moving just beyond the tree line. He rose to his feet, preparing for a confrontation if the entity proved to be a foe. A few moments later a familiar scent shifted to him on the wind and a split-second later appeared Rin followed by a stoic Sesshomaru and annoyed looking Jaken. All were soaked to the bone from the rain storm.

Rin sprinted ahead of the group toward the cave. She paused for a moment at the entrance, observing those inside, before stepping within. She shivered slightly, rubbing at her arms. "Um…."

Inu Yasha ignored the girl in favor of his half-brother, who stepped in behind her. "What the hell do you want?"

"Inu Yasha! Can't you tell the girl's soaked?" Yukkana was on her feet, moving to the young girl's side. Rin was becoming a teenager, though her face still held the roundness of her innocence. Yukkana knelt before her. "You must be cold." Rin nodded. "Why don't you come with me? We'll get you out of those wet clothes before you get sick."

Rin hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at her lord for permission. His response was one that only after three years of constant companionship could be discerned. Rin turned back to Yukkana and nodded.

The young hanyou woman offered the child a smile and her hand. Rin took it and the two moved past the fire into the darkness of the tunnel beyond.

Inu Yasha seemed to realize why his brother had come. 'He was trying to find shelter for the girl.' Somewhere inside him, Inu Yasha was beginning to realize his brother had changed over time. Somehow he had become less ruthless and even in his own way caring. He watched as the taiyoukai and his servant along with their two-headed dragon settled not far from the entrance. 'He doesn't seem to want a fight.' Hesitantly, the hanyou settled back in his place, propping Tetsusaiga against his shoulder. Maybe his brother hadn't come looking for a confrontation, but he wasn't about to take any chances.

A few minutes later Rin appeared with Yukkana. The young girl was wrapped rather awkwardly in Yukkana's outer kimono which was a deep green matching her mate's emerald eyes. Yukkana now wore the next layer of her kimono openly. Three more layers could now be seen easily beneath the pale green one she now wore. Kyouko obviously doted on his mate, providing her with the many comforts that came with being a tiayoukai's mate. (A/N: The more layers a woman wears, the higher her status. Though I believe Kyouko would provide her with even more fine kimonos, I don't believe Yukkana would be the type to wear them on a daily basis.)

Rin moved to crouch near the fire, trying to warm her chilled body. Yukkana frowned as she stretched the girl's soaked clothes over the fire to dry. She had tried to dry Rin's hair but it was still rather wet and the temperature outside was swiftly dropping. As if on cue Rin sneezed. From his spot near the entrance, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, as if the threat of a cold was something he could physically battle off.

Yukkana pressed a hand to the girl's forehead. At least she wasn't running a fever. The thin kimono wasn't going to do much to keep her warm though. Yukkana glanced over at the inuyoukai. He too was soaked. She knew the cold probably wasn't even affecting him and the dampness of his clothing was more of annoyance than anything else. However, it did prevent him from warming his ward though. She had no doubts after watching the man, that he would normally wrap the girl up in his mokomoko-sama to keep the chill away from her, but it too was soaked.

Yukkana settled back down near her mate. "Come here Rin." The girl did as she was told and Yukkana pulled her into her lap, wrapping her arms around her in attempt to warm her. At first Rin sat stiffly in her embrace, unused to such physical contact. Living with two male demons meant little physical affection was ever shown her. Sesshomaru too stiffened, but when Rin quickly relaxed into the young woman, he too relaxed.

Kyouko smiled ever so slightly at the sight of his mate holding the girl. Yukkana was so small that Rin was nearly the same size as her, even at such a young age. It was a strange sight to see her holding the girl like she was a young child, rather than a girl nearing womanhood.

Some time had passed when Kagome and Sango returned from their bath. Their chatter fell quiet as the two caught sight of their visitors. Rin had finally moved away to snuggle in Sesshomaru's mokomoko-sama which had dried out pretty well. The young girl now used it like a blanket, wrapping it around her. She smiled in her sleep, close to Sesshomaru's side. After she had warmed up, Yukkana had offered her a bowl of the stew and Rin had quickly gobbled it down and soon after had went to settle next to her lord with a full stomach and a contented sigh.

Sango warily watched the newcomers as she moved to sit beside Miroku. "Where'd he come from?"

Miroku leaned close to Sango, though he had no doubts that every youkai in the cave could hear him no matter how low he spoke. "It seems he came to find young Rin shelter from the storm." Sango nodded understanding that the Lord of the Western Lands had changed over time.

Kagome sat very close beside her mate. She could sense his unrest at his brother's presence. She could feel anxiety beginning to course through their growing bond. It had been the main reason she had decided to cut her bath with Sango short.

Across the chamber the taiyoukai opened his eyes slightly to glance her way. He could smell his half-brother's pup growing stronger within his mate's womb. He wondered vaguely how it had come to pass that his little brother had gained a mate and child before he.

Slowly those that remained awake finally relaxed and bedded down for the night. Yukkana lay atop Kyouko's broad chest, one of his arms wrapped protectively around her waist. Sango laid with Miroku curled around her, one of his hands lying mischievously on her butt. Inu Yasha held Kagome so close in his sleep that she was half covered by his body. Shippo remained curled next to Kirara, where Kagome had left him before leaving for her bath. The kit had slept right through Sesshomaru's arrival. Koga stayed where he had sat for the better part of the day, but one eye remained warily on the taiyoukai near the entrance. Soon the cave was engulfed in the soft sounds of slumber.

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"Inu Yasha…."

In the dying embers of the fire white dog ears twitched at the sound of a voice that had not been heard in well over a century.

"Inu Yasha…."

Slowly, golden orbs opened. Inu Yasha lifted his head slightly, his grip on Kagome tightening instinctively. Kagome's scent filled his senses and he struggled to wrap his mind around what had awakened him.

"Inu Yasha…"

The hanyou's body stiffened and he sat bolt upright. The voice had been distinctly female and one that sent his heart racing. 'How…' It was only thought that entered his mind.

Beside him Kagome stirred, her hands taking hold his open haori in an attempted to draw him back to her. When he didn't immediately return to her, she opened her own eyes just a crack. "Inu Yasha, what's wrong?"

He glanced down at her, his golden eyes glimmering with what looked like an inner light with the glow of the embers. "Shh, it's alright. Go back to sleep."

She frowned as he began to pull away. "Inu Yasha?"

He glanced back at her as he stood, one ear swiveling toward the entrance. "Stay here." He didn't give her a chance to respond as he made his way swiftly and silently to the entrance.

"Where do you go?"

Inu Yasha nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his brother's voice. He glanced over his shoulder at the taiyoukai. Though he and his brother had had many fights and even had come close to killing one another in the past, things had slowly changed over time. "Watch over them." It was said so quietly that only Sesshomaru could possibly hear it. His brother lifted one delicate brow, before watching Inu Yasha dash into the slush and mud left by the continuing rain turned sleet.

Inu Yasha sprinted through the night, the voice whispering past his ears again. He had been surprised that Sesshomaru had not heard the voice, but he hadn't had time to question it as the voice had seemed to move further away. Now, as he scanned the trees before him, he wondered just how his brother had missed the voice he'd heard so clearly. Ahead of him, the shadowy image of a woman in a fine kimono disappeared behind a tree.

"Wait!" He dashed after it. As he rounded a tree into a clearing, he found the woman standing with her back to him. "Who…who are you?"

"You have forgotten me?"

His ears flattened at the sadness in her voice. "I know who you sound like. But…" He lifted his nose to the wind, but no scent came to him, except that of the trees and the damp earth.

She turned slowly to him, her pale skin bright in the moonlight, her eyes just as dark and soft as they had been more than a century ago. "You have forgotten me."

"No…I….of course not!" He took a few steps forward. "Mother…how can you be here?"

A half smile crossed her lips. "My son…" She stepped closer. "Let us not question why we have been given this moment, only accept that it is." Slowly she embraced him.

For a moment, Inu Yasha relaxed closing his eyes and remembering the familiar embrace from his childhood. "Mother…" Suddenly, he gasped as her grip became inhumanly strong. His eyes snapped open and there before him was no longer his mother but a strange tree that wrapped itself around him in a death grip. He was able to take one last strangled breath as he was dragged fighting into unconsciousness to the sound of his own ribs breaking.

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Kagome had lain awake staring at the ceiling after she had watched her mate leave the cave without even telling her where he was going. Now she sat up. Anxiety coursed through her body, followed swiftly by the echoes of pain. "Inu Yasha!" Without truly realizing what she was doing, she was half-way to the entrance. Kagome didn't stop until she slammed into something solid yet warm and giving. She stumbled back, staring up into golden eyes. For a split-second she was confused. How could Inu Yasha be there? He was somewhere else and deep inside her she could feel him calling out to her. Then as she took another step back, the image of her love faded to that of the Lord of the Western Lands. She began to push past him. "Inu Yasha!"

But Sesshomaru held his ground. "Your mate told you to stay here. I suggest you respect his wishes."

Koga pushed himself to his feet. "That mutt ran off again, did he? Don't worry, Kagome, I'll protect you."

The young miko's eyes narrowed, anger and determination battling for dominance in her chocolate gaze. Without realizing it, she allowed her miko energy to pulse around her entire body. "Move. Inu Yasha needs me."

Sesshomaru lifted a brow at her, but did not budge. This did not stop Kagome though as she pushed past him this time, her miko powers brushing roughly against the demon lord's aura. The cries of her now awake companions were dulled by the rhythmic pounding of her heart and the rain. 'Inu Yasha is slipping into unconsciousness. I can barely feel him calling me.' Her feet splashed through the muck. The sleet had turned to small pelts of ice, making the ground even slicker than it had been.

As she rounded a tree, following her instincts and the fading call within her, she slipped catching herself on a tree. She paused panting.

"Kagome…"

The cold air caught in her throat. 'No!' She whipped around finding a sight, she never could have imagined. "Sota!"

"Kagome…" The boy looked up at her, his eyes familiar and warm.

She took a step forward. "How did you get here?"

"I missed you and went to the well, then this demon pulled me through. Just like that one did you." His small boyish eyes swelled with tears. "I miss you. Mom misses you and Gramps too."

Kagome frowned. Part of her wanted to comfort her brother, but another wanted to find Inu Yasha. "Sota, you…"

He frowned. "What's wrong? Have you forgotten about us already?"

"No! I'll never forget you, any of you!" She moved forward to embrace him, but someone cried her name and she was tackled to the wet ground, landing curled against something small and warm.

Yukkana gave a sharp cry of her own as a branch slashed against her shoulder and back as she held Kagome protectively against her.

"Yukkana!" An enraged Kyouko tore through the branches of the strange tree. The demon tree withdrew, but Sesshomaru gave chase, along with Kirara, Sango and Miroku. Shippo, Koga and Kyouko went to Kagome and Yukkana. The young half-demon winced as her mate helped her to her feet.

"Kagome, are you all right? What were you doing?" Shippo looked up at the still stunned miko with large emerald eyes.

"Sota, my brother, he was here…I saw him…" Kagome felt confusion brimming along with sadness within her.

"You saw what Uenho wanted you to see. Do not forget we are dealing with a serpent demon, a devious creed. He used the tree of illusion to make you see what you wanted to see. Something that only your inner most mind knew of and drew it to the surface." Yukkana winced again as the tiny pelting balls of ice began to fall harder. "If you had been caught in its grasp, it would have killed you."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Inu Yasha!"

Several hundred yards away in a clearing, a dark figure leaned over an unconscious Inu Yasha. "The wench got away, but with you, her protector, out of the way, she shall be mine soon enough."

Inu Yasha was struggling for awareness through the pain and fog from the lack of oxygen. Somewhere his mate was deeply troubled, confused and frightened. She needed him. He could hear the dull resonance of someone speaking, but couldn't yet understand the words.

"I shall ensure that she endures great pain. I will not let her follow you into death so quickly. She will suffer alone in grief for her loss. And your child shall never be allowed his first breath." Uenho watched the man before him struggle to breathe as his eyes flickered black to red to black. "Foolish hanyou, your fate was sealed the moment you broke into my sanctuary. You should have left the woman to her doom. It would have been easier on both of us. This time I shall not be so merciful. This time I shall make sure that your mate pleads for death." He paused as a low growl rose from the unmoving form below him.

One golden eye cracked a slit. "You'll never touch her."

Uenho let out a short laugh. "And you plan to stop me in your position?"

Inu Yasha tried to struggle against the tree and grasping vines, but it was no use. The more he struggled the tighter he was crushed. He let out a short cry and one last gasp for air as his throat was wrapped in the unforgiving branches.

Uenho sneered as he drew a clawed hand back to sever Inu Yasha's head from his body. The blow never fell as his hand was caught by a glowing whip of green energy. He was spun around by the owner and he came face to face with his prey's elder brother.

Sesshomaru's eyes glared daggers into the serpent, holding him frozen in place as he approached upon him, stalking him like a wild dog would his next meal. "Inu Yasha's life belongs to me."

"So, you would protect this hanyou, this blemish upon your father's line." Uenho sneered, his body tensing slightly each step the inuyoukai took toward him.

Sesshomaru continued his slow progression forward. "He is my blemish to deal with." He cracked his knuckles at his side. "You should be more concerned with your own fate." In a blur of movement, that Sango and Miroku had a hard time following, he attacked with his poisonous claws. Uenho sprang back as the demon lord's claws grazed the tender flesh beneath his robes.

The serpent hissed in pain and anger. "You'll regret that dog." As the companions watched their foe took on his true form, that of a serpent. He grew in size ten-fold. His head resembled more a dragon than serpent with glowing red eyes and horns that pointed back toward his body.

Sesshomaru wasn't about to back down from the obvious challenge. His own eyes glowed a fearsome red as he too took on his true form. The two demons now towered over the treetops and those below. As they began to battle, Miroku and Sango sprinted across the clearing. "Inu Yasha!" Sango began to break away the branches with hiraikotsu.

"Hang on, Inu Yasha!" Miroku began to smash away the tree as it tried to renew its grip on Inu Yasha.

The hanyou struggled once more for awareness. As the branches at last were cut away, pain swamped his body as his broken ribs now moved within his chest. He coughed, spitting up blood on the wet ground beside him. Droplets fell into his white hair staining it a crusted red. "Damn…" He blinked, still trying to clear the blurriness from his eye.

"Stay down, Inu Yasha." Miroku warned, as the two giant demons continued to battle.

Uenho gave an inhuman roar as Sesshomaru got a hold of him, his poisonous fangs sinking into the serpent's side. Uenho wrapped his large and powerful tail around Sesshomaru's neck, until he was forced to release the serpent to fight for breath. The great dog thrashed about trying to break free of the other demon's hold. This only caused Uenho to grip him tighter, refusing to let him get his fangs into him once more. After a few moments, Sesshomaru stumbled, blinking his eyes. He gave one last burst of energy as he tried to catch the serpent in his jaws once more. But this time Uenho was too quick as he slipped past the dog's teeth and locked his own poisonous fangs into Sesshomaru's back right leg. The great white dog roared in pain and collapsed from the crushing suffocation of the serpent's tail.

From within the forest came another roar and the barreling form of Kyouko in his true bear form. Uenho was knocked free of Sesshomaru and sent flying with four deep claw marks scarring his sleek body.

Miroku flinched as something twinkled in the sky and then began to fall to earth. "Look! The Shikon no Tama!" He rushed forward catching the stone in his palm and instantly dropping it to the ground. He gripped his hand where the jewel had literally scalded him. He grimaced. 'It's been defiled so badly, I can no longer handle. I'll have to wait for Kagome, only her purity powers will make it able to be handled once more.' Miroku stood his ground above the stone and watched as Sesshomaru took on his human form where he lay in the mud. Uenho was just recovering from the sudden attack as Kyouko charged in to strike again. The serpent was quick even in his injured state and just as Kyouko charged in head first, Uenho disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kyouko slammed into a cluster of trees where the demon had just been. The giant bear sat back, shaking his head to clear it from the sudden impact.

Kagome, Yukkana, Shippo, and Koga appeared on the edge of the clearing. Kagome's heart raced as she took in the sight before her. Sesshomaru lay motionless in the mud, Kyouko in his bear form looked dazed, and Inu Yasha….Her eyes locked on her fallen mate. She rushed to his side. "Inu Yasha!" Falling to her knees at his side, she bent over him, looking for signs of life. "Inu Yasha!" Her warm tears fell haphazardly on his checks mixing with the cold icy rain. "Inu Yasha, are you okay? Please, open your eyes."

He opened them just a crack, the world faded in and out of focus. "Kagome…" He lifted a hand to caress her check. "You're alright."

She gave him a small half-smile as she pressed his hand closer to her face. "Yeah."

"Good." He allowed the darkness to swallow him again, as his body strived to recover from the extensive damage caused by the demon tree.

"Inu Yasha! Inu Yasha!" Kagome began to sob anew. She buried her face in his shirt, her body trembling from fear and cold.

Sango frowned. 'Kagome could put her baby in danger if she stays in this state.' She moved to her friend's side and pulled her gently away. "He'll be alright, Kagome. I'm sure. After all he's been through much worse. Besides, Miroku needs your help."

Kagome blinked at her friend through fuzzy eyes. "Huh?"

"Lady Kagome, please." Miroku stood beside the jewel, not daring to touch it again.

Kagome moved towards him as if in a half dream. She stared down at the glowing stone. She touched the jewel and it glowed brightly for an instant before she retrieved it from the damp grass. "Thank you, Miroku."

"It wasn't me who retrieved the jewel, it was Kyouko."

Kagome finally looked up at him and then over at the bear demon. He had transformed back into his human form. He was rubbing the top of his head, while Yukkana tried to talk him into letting her see the wound. "We should get Inu Yasha out of the cold."

Miroku frowned at Kagome's distant expression, then nodded. He turned to Kirara and had her transform. The fire-cat took the hanyou on her back along with Kagome to hold him steady and began to travel back to the cave they shared. While Kyouko draped Sesshomaru's arm over his shoulder and helped him back along the path. The others followed somewhat subduely. Their victory had been at a great cost. And although they now possessed the jewel, none felt the joy they should at that moment.

As they reached the cave at last the hail began to fall harder, Koga helped Kagome lay Inu Yasha beside the fire. She opened his haori and began to clean the few superficial wounds. Most were much more difficult to tend because they were internal. She discovered several broken ribs. And she was almost certain there was some internal bleeding, because from time to time he would cough up blood.

Meanwhile, Kyouko had carted Yukkana off towards the hot spring, despite her furtive protest that she needed to help the others. "You will do no such thing. We shall tend to your wounds first. Once I'm certain you are well, then you may tend to the others."

Yukkana frowned and opened her mouth to protest further, but the look her mate shot her silenced her. Kyouko never budged when it came to her safety or well-being. She nodded and stepped to the edge of the hot spring where she discarded her kimonos.

Kyouko watched her first with a marked frown at the cuts along her back where the branches had struck her, and then with the hungry eyes of a mate. He watched as the silk shimmered slightly in the dim light from the torch as it slid down her shoulders and then her hips. Her light brown hair flowed down her back nearly touching her backside. When she turned her head to gaze at him over one shoulder, he felt his body tremble. "Do you plan to watch or join me, aite?" Her eyes sparkled in the dim light with a flicker of mischief.

Kyouko needed no more encouragement, as his own garments were dropped to the cold stone that surrounded the spring. Yukkana turned her attention back to the water as she stepped into the pool. Behind her Kyouko loomed. He marveled at the curves of her waist and the way her hips swayed slightly as she walked into the water. From behind you would never know what scars lay on the front of her body. Regardless of the knowledge, Kyouko thought of her as his very own goddess. His body moved forward almost of its own will. She beckoned him like the earth to the moon, and he was drawn just the same.

She trembled as his large hands slid slowly from her shoulders down her forearms to slip gently around her waist. Yukkana melted against him. There were no barriers between them, nothing she could possibly deny him….

&&&Lemon on Link&&&&

Rin sat beside Sesshomaru, her face screwed up in worry. Her lord did not look right. His color was off. He was also sweating which was extremely unusual for him. But what bothered her most of all was the fact that he had as of yet to speak to her since his return. She turned to stare at the couple beside the fire and her lord's half-brother. Kagome had collapsed next to Inu Yasha soon after cleaning his wounds. The hanyou didn't seem that badly injured but it was possible he had wounds she could not see. For some reason it had seemed as though Kagome was suffering along with him, as if she too could feel his pain.

'That's right. Lord Sesshomaru said they were mates now. I wonder how that changes things for them. I wonder what it would be like to be the mate of a demon.' She turned her gaze again to the taiyoukai beside her. 'I wonder if Lord Sesshomaru will ever have a mate.' She frowned. 'Will he keep me around if he does get one? Surely my lord would not send me away or leave me behind.'

As Rin continued to ponder these things, Yukkana and Kyouko returned from the spring. Yukkana knelt beside Kagome and examined Inu Yasha, who lay at Kagome's other side. She frowned at the already bruising skin of his chest and the definite swelling as well. He was also struggling to breath somewhat. He needed attention and soon. Kagome's hand rested somewhat protectively over her love's heart, as if its steady beat was allowing her to sleep.

Yukkana hated to disturb the couple but Inu Yasha was in certain need of her skills. Gently she shook Kagome's shoulder. The miko blinked up at her and for a moment there was fear behind her chocolate gaze. Yukkana dared a small reassuring smile. "I will heal him." An idea struck her. As a miko, Kagome too possessed the ability to heal though it was of a lesser strength than her own. It was an untapped trait that Yukkana was certain had never been taught to the young woman. "Kagome, would you like to help me heal Inu Yasha?"

Kagome frowned in confusion as she sat up. "How could I do that?"

"As a miko the power lays within you. You need but draw it to the surface."

"You mean I could heal people the way you do."

Yukkana shook her head. "I'm not certain if you would ever be able to control the soul as I do. But I'm sure you could heal the flesh wounds and in time perhaps even life-threatening ones as well."

"Will you show me?"

Yukkana smiled. She took Kagome's hand and placed back over Inu Yasha's heart. She placed her own hand over the miko's. "Now close your eyes. Focus your energy in soothing waves of warmth. Do not pulse it or gather it as you would when fighting demons, or you could injure him further."

Kagome nodded and closed her eyes. Yukkana did the same. At first she guided Kagome's energy and strengthened it with her own. After several moments she slowly backed away her own strength allowing the miko to heal her mate on her own. After a few moments Yukkana and Kagome both slowly drew away.

Kagome opened her eyes and she smiled as her gaze met that of her beloved's. "How are you feeling?"

He cracked a small smile, revealing one white fang. "Better." Relief swarmed Kagome and she leaned down to capture his lips in a passionate kiss.

Yukkana smiled and patted Kagome's shoulder as she turned to look at her. "You should both rest."

Kagome nodded and again lay down beside her hanyou. She rested her head upon his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Yukkana turned her attention then to the demon lord near the entrance. He didn't look well. Although Sesshomaru was venomous demon himself, the poison from the serpent was still in his system. Kyouko stepped up beside Yukkana and she questioned him softly. "Do you believe he will accept my assistance?"

Kyouko sighed. "There is no way to know without speaking with him."

Yukkana nodded and headed for the taiyoukai. Sesshomaru barely responded to her as she approached him. "I can help cleanse the venom from you."

Sesshomaru opened his eyes just a slit to gaze at her. "You are a brave half-demon to offer your powers to heal me, a full demon. What makes you believe I need such assistance from you?"

Yukkana frowned. "The sooner the venom is gone, the sooner you will be able to protect your own without having to rely on others."

He remained stoic for a moment, while regarding her. His gaze shifted to Rin for a brief moment and then finally returned to the woman before him. "Proceed."

Yukkana took a few tentative steps forward, always aware of her own mate watching from behind her. Sesshomaru watched her calculated moves as she reached out to place a hand over the wound in his leg. She met his gaze once more before touching him, making certain he would not change his mind. When he showed no sign of protest, she placed her hand over the puss-filled wound. Her powers seared through his body like fire. The demon could not prevent the hiss of pain that left his lips. But when she removed her hand, he could feel his own powers returning.

"Hey! If you could heal the mutts, why didn't you heal me!" Koga growled from across the fire.

Kyouko returned the growl with one that was more fierce. But Yukkana seemed amused. "Koga, your wounds were never life-threatening, and I've known for a while now that you are nearly completely healed. You do not stay because of your wounds, but for Kagome." Koga frowned but did not respond.

"What!" Inu Yasha sat up and turned to glare at the wolf. "I thought we'd already settled this a long time ago you, mangy hair ball."

Kagome sat up beside him and stroked his arm. "Inu Yasha…"

Koga grunted. "Don't worry dog-breath. I ain't going to try to steal her away again. She smells too much like you, anyway. I'm just hanging around because you can't protect her."

"Why you-" Inu Yasha reached for Tetsusaiga, which lay beside him.

"Inu Yasha, please. I'm tired." Kagome pleaded with him, her chocolate eyes drooping slightly.

Inu Yasha frowned as he looked on her. She did seem tired. The instinct to protect both his breeding mate and unborn pup, overpowered the desire to mark his territory by ripping apart the wolf who sat sulking against the cave wall. "We'll settle this later." Inu Yasha shot Koga one last glare before he lay back down and drew Kagome onto his chest where he wrapped her protectively in his arms. Kagome immediately relaxed as Inu Yasha began his soft rumbling. Things were certain to be better in the morning.

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Deep within the forest Uenho sat against a tree in his human form, trying to recover from the battle. "Damn those dogs and that bear. I would have captured the woman this time, if not for their interference. She most certainly would have come to her mate when he was in danger." He groaned as Sesshomaru's poison spread throughout his body.

"You attack the sons of the Great Inutashio?"

Uenho looked about him for the source of the voice that spoke to him. "Who goes there? What business is it of yours?" He flinched as a small spider slipped down a tendril thread to land upon his knee.

"I will help you, my lord."

Uenho regarded the spider skeptically. "Hmm?"

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A/N: My deepest and dearest apologies for not posting sooner. I had to move because my ex-boyfriend was harassing me. So, I was offline for a while. I've had a rough couple of months but you guys always make me smile, so I tried to update as soon as I could. Plus, I was having writers block for a while. But I have been bitten by the creative bug again and boy do I have some things up my sleeve. Sorry, you'll have to wait and see though.