No matter how much I love the Inuyasha series, as do us all, I have no ownership of anything Inuyasha.(sigh)

Chapter Ten

Rescued Again

Time passes, as it will. With fall in full effect, Kagome and Rin, always accompanied by Au-Un, venturing out from the castle grounds to investigate the fields around the castle.

Kagome and Rin, having risen early that morning, stroll through the field outside the castle walls. The late fall flowers are in full bloom, Rin scampering happily around, gathering handfuls of flowers as she goes. Kagome, reins in hand, is trailed closely by Au-Un as she wanders. Kagome holds Au-Un's reins, watching as Rin scampers back and forth through the field, talking and picking.

"Lord Sesshoumaru had the villagers plant this field of flowers for me. He said he didn't want me picking every single flower in the gardens." Rin giggles, picking another flower to add to the group already in her hands. Kagome smiles, her fingers reaching up to brush the flower chain that Rin had made for her, the flowers sitting on the top of her head like a crown.

Kagome glances back, her gaze catching on the bow and arrows attached to Au-Un's saddle. Sesshoumaru had commissioned the bow to be made especially for her and insisted she carry it when ever she left the castle.

Kagome turns, sensing the presence of a demon rapidly approaching as Rin's laughter suddenly dies. The demon's aura is black with hate and rage and Kagome grabs Rin and shoves her behind her as Kagome's hand grabs her bow, untying the leather strap quickly. She retrieves an arrow just as a large demon lands quite suddenly in the clearing before them.

The demon glares at them, his hateful eyes locking on Rin.

"Give me the girl and I'll give you a quick death human." The demon growls, his voice incredibly deep. Kagome draws back the bowstring as she moves to stand directly in the demon's line of sight.

"Leave demon." Kagome calls to him. The demon looks up at her and a smile suddenly spreads across his face revealing fangs nearly as long as her hand.

"You are the miko who carries the Shikon Jewel. I won't kill you yet. Now give me the girl." Kagome glances at Au-Un. The two headed dragon demon is growling, tail thrashing the air.

"Rin, run! Au-Un, cover her!" Kagome yells, releasing the arrow as Rin leaps to her feet, running for the entrance to the grounds with Au-Un behind her.

The demon deflects Kagome's arrow easily, laughing as he leaps at her. Kagome manages to dodge the first strike, rolling over the ground before rising up on one knee, firing off another arrow. This once catches the demon in the shoulder and he howls in rage. Taking the opportunity Kagome rises and runs after Rin and Au-Un. Rin sees her and stops.

"Kagome!" Rin screams. The demon suddenly charges at Rin, intent on slaying the girl, his sword raised high.

Sesshoumaru is sitting at his desk, finishing the last of the scrolls and handing it to the attendant at his side when he hears it. Though it sounds a little far off he can hear Rin screaming.

He is instantly out of the chair heading for the door, his attendant watching, stunned, as the demon lord leaps into the air and is gone.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin screams when she sees him. She cowers beside Au-Un, pointing toward the nearby stand of trees. "The demon went after Kagome!"

Kagome dodges through the woods, running as fast as she can to evade the demon after her. She stumbles and the demon growls in frustration as she manages to evade his immense hands. She spins around a tree and glances around, cursing.

All around her is nothing more trees, the brush so thick that she can't pass.

The demon laughs when he sees that he has her cornered and the ring of his sword being drawn chills her blood. He had sheathed his sword earlier to chase her but as he draws it now Kagome turns to face him.

"I shall kill you now and take the jewel. Do not worry. I will make sure there is enough of you taken to the castle for at least a decent burial."

"Why?" He stops as she questions him. "Why take the jewel if you don't need it?" She asks hastily.

He seems to smile a little as he watches her attempt at a retreat before answering.

"Revenge."

"Against who?" She asks again though she had more than a hunch on the answer.

"Sesshoumaru. If it were not for him I would have not lost nearly all my lands to the dragons of the north." He takes one massive step forward, easily three of hers, his shadow blocking out the sun through the trees overhead.

"How do you think killing me will get back at him?" She asks, somewhat calmer this time. Behind him in the trees she can see an image in white flashing through the trees. Rin must have made it to the castle.

"Don't make me laugh. I can smell his stench all over you. I can believe that the dog would have fallen so far. Like father like son." Kagome balls her fists, her anger instantly riled.

"You worthless lump of flesh!" She yells. "How dare you speak of him that way! You good for nothing worm! That's all you are! A worm! You are no better than a half breed!" She yells at him, knowing that saying that would strike a cord in her attacker. He instantly becomes enraged but Kagome stands her ground.

"Wench! You'll die for that!" He yells, his sword flashing through the air toward her.

Sesshoumaru can hear Kagome yelling at her attacker and he almost smiles. Almost. He can see the demon ahead in the trees and his anger boils underneath the surface, begging for release. He lets it, his vision going red as his talons glow bright green.

The demon suddenly lunges and the scent of Kagome's blood instantly permeates the air.

Kagome falls to her knees, the demon standing over her grinning as he rips his blade back, her blood spraying across the ground before her and staining his blade. He had moved so quickly Kagome had no time to even move before he had plunged the blade into her middle. Kagome closes her eyes for a second, finding it hard to keep them open. In the darkness she suddenly hears the sound of the demon screaming, then silence. Opening her eyes again she sees another demon before her.

Sesshoumaru stares down at her, his hair wild, his eyes brilliant red. His hand, now soaked and dripping in blood, still glows. The demon lay behind him, missing his head and a good portion of his chest. Kagome meets his gaze a long moment, watching as the red fades to gold before she feels the darkness take her.

Sesshoumaru stares at Kagome staring up at him and he instantly feels all the wrath, all the rage in him subside as she stares at him. For a reason he does not understand, he does not want her to see him like that, even though she had a few times. Then Kagome suddenly topples over, Sesshoumaru barely catching her before she hits the ground.

Her blood swiftly soaks into her kimono through the large whole in her side. Being as gentle with her as he knows how, he shifts her body against his so that she is more stable before he leaps into the air.

He lands in the gardens behind his office and sees his attendant still there, sitting on a chair along one wall.

"Get a healer in here." He demands. The attendant stands, shocked still a moment and Sesshoumaru feels his eyes start to go red again. "Now!" He roars, startling the attendant. The attendant immediately leaves the room, moving as fast as un-humanly possible.

Sesshoumaru carries Kagome to the couch near his desk, laying her out on the couch. Kagome's arm slides from the couch, her hand resting on the floor and exposing the wound. The long, deep gash in her side glares at him through severed layers of cloth. Blood still flows freely from the wound, soaking into the couch beneath her.

Sesshoumaru presses his hand against the wound hard and Kagome sucks in a breath, grabbing the couch beneath her with both hands. Kagome whimpers slightly and behind him Sesshoumaru can hear Rin suddenly run into the room, sobbing.

"Rin, now is not the time to cry." He says firmly. "Find me a piece of cloth." After the sound of ripping cloth Rin gives him a large folded piece of cloth. Sesshoumaru turns, removing his hand long enough to place the cloth over the wound as he had seen the healers do many times.

It seems that every healer on the grounds suddenly comes running in just then and Sesshoumaru backs away, allowing them in to tend to Kagome.

As he backs away he feels his body shaking, his eyes red with rage and his hands shaking badly from the adrenaline rush and rage. A hand slips into his and he looks down. Rin clutches his hand in hers, leaning against his leg and watching the healers. She shakes almost as bad as he does, tears streaming down her cheeks.

For a reason he is unsure of he leans down, scooping up Rin and cradling her to his chest, turning away and heading into the garden. He sits on a bench, holding Rin to him a long moment before shifting her back to look at her.

"Are you hurt?" Rin shakes her head.

"The demon tried to kill me but Kagome grabbed me and protected me." Rin says, her lip trembling. "Is she going to die?" Sesshoumaru shakes his head.

"No." Rin nods, looking at him.

"You look scared." He looks down at her sharply. "You are afraid that Kagome will die too?" She asks softly. Rin smiles, patting his chest reassuringly even though he had not answered.

"She can't die. We like her too much." Sesshoumaru stares at her as the girl jumps down from his lap. "I'm going to go pick flowers for her." Sesshoumaru nods, watching his charge leave.

A healer approaches slowly a few minutes later. Sesshoumaru watches the human come, noting the way the human moves, as if reluctant to approach the demon lord.

"Lord Sesshoumaru." He nods. "We have done what we can for her."

"Will she live?" The human nods.

"We think so. We are going to move her to her room if that is all right with you." He nods, rising.

"I will do it." The healer nods, following Sesshoumaru inside.

Kagome's outer kimono has been removed, the cloth draped over the back of the couch. Her inner kimono is loosely tied, through the tear in the cloth he can see the bandages wrapped around her middle.

"We've given her a tea that will make her sleep." One of the older healers says quietly. "It will also help with pain." Sesshoumaru nods, kneeling and lifting Kagome carefully, cradling her against his chest. She mumbles slightly, one hand reaching up to clutch his shirt in one hand.

Most of the healers disperse when Sesshoumaru reaches Kagome's rooms, only the elder healers following him in. He lays Kagome on her futon gently, draping one of the blanket over her legs. She refuses to let go of his hayori for a moment but after a few whispered words to her she releases her grip, Sesshoumaru laying her hand at her side.

"I want one of you in this room at all times. Switch off if you want, I don't care, but one of you will be in this room from now on until I say otherwise." The eldest healer, a gentle and kind old woman, takes a chair from the nearby table and sets it at the foot of the futon, settling herself in it with a sigh.

"I will stay." She says. Sesshoumaru nods, leaving the room and waiting for the healers to proceed him out before shutting the door.

Finding the nearest demon he can, he grabs their arm.

"Go to the kitchens. Have a pot of tea and snacks brought to Lady Kagome's room." The demon nods, hurrying away as soon as Sesshoumaru releases his arm.

After dark that night Sesshoumaru slips into Kagome's room through the garden doors and hesitates when he sees the elderly healer still at Kagome's bedside. The need to see her and the inner comfort he gains from what had become his nightly ritual overpowers his hesitation at being seen in her rooms by someone else moves him forward.

The woman looks up at Sesshoumaru approaches and she smiles at him.

"She is sleeping well, my lord." She assures him. He checks on her, noticing that the healers had braided her hair. Kagome lies on her stomach, her middle propped slightly up with pillows to keep her weight off her side.

"Take a break." He says softly. The elderly woman smiles and rises, passing by him.

When he is sure that she is gone he sits in her seat. Kagome stirs in her sleep, her hand sliding out toward him.

"Sesshoumaru?" She whispers. He reaches out, touching her hand long enough to let her know he is there before withdrawing his hand. "Is Rin all right?"

"She's fine."

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru."

"For what?"

" You're always having to come and rescue me. I can't seem to stay out of trouble." She says, her voice slightly strained.

"No, you can't seem too." He states.

"Inuyasha used to complain all the time that he didn't want to waste his time rescuing me." She says quietly. "And every time I'd tell him I'm sorry. He never would hear me though."

"Do not be sorry." Kagome looks up at him through half closed eyes as he continues. "You saved Rin." She nods slightly, her eyes sliding closed as she succumbs to sleep again.

I know that it's a bit OOC. (okay, i have a vague idea of what that means but would someone please clarify for me what it means or stands for? Thanks! Lol) Reviews encouraged and thanks for all the great reviews so far!