Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all of its characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them.

Title: The price of life
Author: Hairann

Theme: Second Thoughts
Genre: Drama, Action

AU/CU: Cannon

Rating: High T

Warnings: Swearing, including the F word.
Word Count: 1209

Prompt Summary: Knowing the price of resurrection, can Sesshoumaru force it on Kagome after everything she has done?

Story Summary: There once was a priestess who found binding a demon to be the hardest thing she ever had to do. 50 years later another priestess found releasing him to be the easiest. History repeats itself, only this time binding the demon was easy, it was releasing him that proved to be difficult.

AN: Part 11 of Voluntary Obligation.

For the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru found himself unsure of his next move. He could simply walk away from her lifeless form, forsaking her unsolicited sacrifices in his name, or he could return the breath to her body with a single slash of his sword, cutting through the chains that bound her to the underworld. While on the surface, he knew the answer seemed easy, things were never as simple as they appeared. He understood, better than anyone else, just what bringing a life back from the dead would truly lead to.

And for once, Sesshoumaru found himself wondering if he had the right to choose that path in her name. If the little he knew about priestesses told him anything, it is that they would choose death over the alternative. Even though he knew she was connected to his half-brother, choosing to be with a half-demon companion was completely different than being forced to be with a full demon who was an enemy. After all of the pain she had suffered for him, he wanted to choose the path that she would have wanted.

The problem was, he did not know which one that would be. Their few short encounters did little to show him her inner thoughts and wishes. He knew she could stand up against an opponent to protect her friends, even as fear shown in her umber eyes and her knees threatened to buckle. He had seen her subdue Inuyasha on more than one occasion, never fearing retribution. Seen her protect the life of a young demon, even when risking her own, but none of this was the same as what he was faced with now.

She had always had the chance to choose for herself and no matter which way he decided to go, he would be making the choice for her. And Sesshoumaru felt it wasn't his place, someone close to her should be making the decision. But it was only the two of them in the clearing, no one was around to tell him what to do. Sesshoumaru scoffed at the idea of allowing someone else to tell him what to do, but quickly reminded himself that it was not about him.

As he continued to stare down at her lifeless form, careful not to touch her for fear of doing more damage, Sesshoumaru did the only thing he could think to do, he called for aid. Raising his head toward the sky, Sesshoumaru bayed long and deep, knowing his half-brother would be able to hear him from the village he knew to be close by. He did not have long to wait before the half-demon was rushing into the clearing, instantly spotting his friend.

Dropping to his knees as he let off a howl of anguish, Inuyasha pulled Kagome's hollow form into his arms, turning a hateful glare toward his half-brother. "What the hell did you do, you bastard?!" he demanded as his eyes began to bleed red, though the sword at his side prevented his transformation from going any further. "You sick fuck, is this how you repay someone after everything she has done for you?!"

"It was not intentional," Sesshoumaru replied softly after a moment, noticing Inuyasha's attention was no longer on him but back on the girl in his arms. "It was done unconsciously when she removed the arrow," he continued, feeling as though he needed to make Inuyasha understand that he was not so evil that he would have killed her intentionally the moment he was revived.

"If it was an accident, what the hell are you waiting for? Save her with that stupid sword of yours already!" Inuyasha commanded, gesturing to the still sheathed sword at his side. Sesshoumaru glanced down at Tenseiga for a moment before turning back to his half-brother, a lost expression barely readable on his otherwise stoic face. "Why are you hesitating? You owe her that much at least!"

"Like all things in life, Inuyasha, being resurrected comes with a price. It is not my place to decide for her. The cost of bringing her back to life is her loyalty. She will no longer follow you, but would leave with me. I have no desire to take your mate away from you, no matter how much I may hate you. There are things that even I would never do," Sesshoumaru explained to him quietly, his gaze focused on Kagome's form.

"You know, for as intelligent as you claim to be, you're an idiot," Inuyasha spat at him darkly as he glared at him from under his white bangs. "For starters, she ain't my mate, I have never touched her. Use your nose, Sesshoumaru, no man has," Inuyasha pointed out, saying his name as if it alone was an insult. "And what decision is left to be made? She already made it for you. She chose you the moment she stayed in this clearing trying to save you.

"Maybe if we were talking about that bastard Naraku, she might prefer to remain dead, but if she really thought you were her enemy, do you think she would have gone through all of that pain to save you? What it is, I will never understand, but she saw some good in you somewhere. But fine, don't want to take the blame for it? Whatever, I will. Resurrect her. Save her as she saved you, fuck the consequences. Hell, even I would rather see her following you than dead."

Sesshoumaru stared at his half-brother in silence for a few moments, debating whether or not his words would hold true when it was all over, before deciding it didn't really matter. By then it would be too late for him to change his mind. Unsheathing Tenseiga, he motioned for Inuyasha to place Kagome back on the ground as he stood and towered over both of their forms. As the fang pulsed in his hand, the pall-bearers came into view, their chains tying her to the underworld.

One slice of the sword cut through them, disintegrating them on contact as Kagome sucked in a deep, shaky breath of air. Before she could even get her barrings, Inuyasha had embraced her in a bear hug as he pulled her back into his lap. Not really sure what was going on, Kagome silently reached her hand up to caress Inuyasha's face, brushing away the large tear drops that spilled down his cheeks. Glancing over at Sesshoumaru, hoping he could explain what had happened to her, she noticed him sheathing his sword.

Understanding washed over her, as she knew of only one reason for him to use that sword. Staring down at her arm she quickly spotted the scars, still tinged green from his poison, she wondered why the fang had been unable to completely heal her. Though after a moment, she decided it was most likely due to the fact that he had been the one to kill her in the first place. As the thought ran through her mind, it finally dawned on her that she had really been dead. Unsure of what else to do, Kagome turned in Inuyasha's arms and began crying against his shoulder.