"Yes sir, red eyes." Kouga said warily. Sesshoumaru stood tall in front him. Rage spilled from him. His eyes were staring intently into Kouga's.

"The girl was killed right in front of him. Wasn't she?" Sesshoumaru spoke as if he could read Kouga's mind. Intelligence dripped from his voice.

"Yes, sir."

Kouga prepared himself for the worst. He knew that disobeying orders, especially from a lord, brought severe punishment. He remembered the order barked at him to avoid Inuyasha seeing Kagome while she died. Kouga swallowed hard. "Sir…"

Sesshoumaru had an unexpected look on his face. He seemed pleased with the disobedience. "Very well." He said and turned around.

"Lord, why are you pleased with this?"

Sesshoumaru didn't turn back around. He walked to the bar and poured a drink into two shot glasses. He set them on the bar. "Why do you think I sent you to lead this mission?" Sesshoumaru questioned, amusing himself.

Kouga just waited, unsure how to respond to the question.

"I sent you to lead this mission because I knew that you would fail miserably." Sesshoumaru mused.

Kouga stood still unsure how to answer. He was un-amused by Sesshoumaru's response. But, there was a more important issue now. Questions flooded his mind. 'Fail?'

"I know what you're wondering. Why would I want you to be unsuccessful in killing them?"

"Them? Sir, Inuyasha's the only one alive. Kagome's dead."

"You act so sure of yourself. That attitude will get you nowhere with me."

"I'm sorry, my lord. I'm listening."

"Were you there when Kagome was killed? Did you actually see her die?"

"Well, no…"

"Exactly. There were specific orders for her not to be killed. She was only brought to the brink of death."

"But, why. Why wouldn't you kill them?"

"Because I want them alive for now."

Sesshoumaru picked up one of the shot glasses. He swallowed the alcohol inside and set it back on the bar. Then he refilled the glass. Sesshoumaru motioned for Kouga to sit and drink with him. He obeyed.

"I still don't understand my lord."

"Let me ask you another question then. Do you enjoy seeing humans suffer the way they made us suffer? Does it fill you with rage to think of the demons that were locked away, tortured and starved by an inferior race?"

"Yes. Yes to both of your questions." Kouga swallowed the alcohol trying to control his hate for the humans.

"I want them to live. I want them to grow close to each other and rip them apart when they're most vulnerable. I want that human to suffer like we suffered. I want my brother to pay! Like we paid! The way our race paid for his foolishness! Both of them will suffer!" With that said Kouga and Sesshoumaru picked up the glasses and drank. They drank as if Sesshoumaru's speech had been a toast to the future. A future filled with demons and power.

/\/\/

Kagome slowly opened her eyes. Everything was blurry and her mind couldn't comprehend where she was. She felt pain but, it wasn't too terrible. The room began to come back into focus. The last thing she remembered was a voice calling out to her and telling her to be strong…telling her to live.

A thought crossed her mind. It had to be him. "Inuyasha…" She said weakly. Suddenly she felt someone's arm touch her own. She turned to her side and next to her she saw Inuyasha. He looked exhausted. He hadn't even woken up when she spoke his name.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said his name again but, louder this time. As, loud as she could anyway. Weakly Kagome tried to see his face that was currently turned away from her. She tried to move but, it was hard. She held onto his shirt and tried to pull herself closer to him. Desperately, she tried to see him. She pulled her upper body up onto his. She could feel his heart beat near her own. He was still alive.

She let go of her grasp on his shirt. "Inuyasha." She used her hand to turn his head gently to face her own. His eyes were closed and his lips were parted slightly as he breathed peacefully. She had never gotten this good of a look at him. His lips looked soft and perfect. Kagome couldn't help it as she ran a thumb over his bottom lip. It felt as soft as it looked.

Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open at the touch. He laid there silent for a moment, just staring at her and taking in the feeling of her body against his own. He could feel her heartbeat. It was so wonderful to be able to feel her heartbeat. He couldn't help it as he pulled her into a warm embrace. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her down to him. "You're alive." He knew he was stating the obvious but, he didn't care. He was too happy now.

Kagome sighed quietly into the warm embrace. She liked the feeling of his arms around her. She didn't want the feeling to end. "Inuyasha, you came back." Now she was stating the obvious.

"I made a promise to you. I won't let you die. I could never…not while I'm still breathing."

Kagome seeked out Inuyasha for comfort by snuggling closer to him. "Please, don't let go." Kagome said in a desperate voice. Inuyasha was slightly stunned at her. But, he didn't mind holding her and protecting her.

Close your eyes, and I will be swimming
Lullaby's fill your room, and I will be singing
Singing to only you
Don't forget I'll hold your head
Watch the night sky fading red

But as you sleep, and no one is listening
I will lift you off your feet, I'll keep you from sinking

-Something Corporate

A/N: Wow I actually did make someone cry in my last chapter! Sorry about that, inu-don't-love-kikio. Didn't mean to make you look mental. Lol. But, awesome! I love that I got some real emotion in my story. Thank you for the reviews, as always everybody!