Okay folks. Here's the big one. It's shorter then the last few, but you'll see why. Please review. I want to know how this chapter affected y'all.
Thank you for reading.
Fair warning, this chapter might make you cry.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA! THIS STORY IS FOR MATURE ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY!
Morning came too soon, and as Sesshomaru laid there, he watched Kagome sleep peacefully. She hadn't had nightmares in a few weeks, and he hoped they stayed away. He'd vowed to protect her, but he couldn't protect her from her own mind. He watched as she breathed softly, snuggled into his chest. Her hair fanned out over them both and her scent permeated the air. The air was thick with her contentment, happiness, and her innate scent. He breathed it in, trying to memorize it, and noticed it was a bit sweeter than normal. He thought over what could have brought the change, but was pulled out of his thoughts when she stirred.
A smile lifted at her lips and her once loose arms, curled around him while a happy groan fell from her lips. Her heart rate picked up a bit, and he watched as she rose her head and blinked down at him. She smiled at him, sending warmth into his chest. She laid her head back down and planted a soft kiss on his chest.
He scowled as he heard his phone vibrate on the nightstand. Kagome grumbled at the noise and Sesshomaru chuckled at her as he picked up his phone. His father had texted him a few times. Sighing slightly, he checked the texts.
T: We're still on for today, correct?
T: Did Kagome get her armor?
T: Meet me at the house at ten.
Sesshomaru checked the clock and realized it was already past nine
S: We'll be there as soon as possible. Kagome's still asleep. She got her armor, and yes, the plan still holds.
Sesshomaru set his phone down and caressed Kagome's head. She peaked up at him before scowling.
"It's time to get up, isn't it?"
He nodded and smiled as she grumbled and burrowed deeper into the blankets.
"Don't make me pull you out of there."
She huffed and popped her head out with a scowl. She gestured toward his phone.
"Who was that?"
"My father."
Her eyes brightened and she smiled softly, "Checking in on us?"
He nodded, "He wants us at the house at ten."
She looked at the clock and grumbled.
"That means we have to get up now." Her voice was almost whiney and he chuckled at her.
He nodded but pulled her into his embrace and held for a few minutes longer. She settled in and as he felt her heart rate start to slow again, he knew it was time to get up. He lifted her and rose, bringing her to her feet. She grumbled and made her way to the closet as he chuckled at her.
"I'll make tea. Make sure you wear your new armor."
She nodded sleepily and he went off to the kitchen. Kagome's heart picked up as she considered the coming day. They still had hours before they went to Kikyo's but she felt her nerves ramp up in anxiety and excitement. She dressed slowly and went to the kitchen to find Sesshomaru finishing up the tea. She noticed the anxiety in the lines of his shoulders and the way he flitted his eyes around the room.
As she approached, he pressed the cup of tea in her hands and went to change. Feeling a bit worried about him, she followed and sat in the chair in their room and watched him dress. She was still captivated by the sight of him. His long toned body and sleek silver hair. He pulled out a set of armor that she'd never seen him wear before. It was similar to hers, but it had red embellishments on the cuffs. She noticed that his, too, had a crescent moon over the heart. Her chest warmed at the sight of it. It was pleasantly erotic to watch as the black cloth covered his alabaster skin. His pants were just as tight as hers, up to the crotch region. Once there, the material flowed loosely to give him room to move and breathe. The top portion was basically a tank top on him and she groaned as she saw his beautifully muscled arms on display. He chuckled at her and began to put on his chest plate and limb guards. She saw him searching for something, and she realized it was a hair tie. She leapt off the chair and grabbed the nearest one before pointing at the bed, commanding that he sit.
He raised a brow at her but complied. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled it back smoothly, noticing that his hair didn't even knot. She wondered idly if even his hair was afraid of him, so much so that it didn't even dare to step a single strand out of line. She chuckled at the thought and pulled the beautiful mass of silver into a tight bun on top of his head. After she anchored it, she turned his head to assess the outcome.
She groaned as she realized how edible he looked. He raised a brow at her in question.
"You look edible. Remind me to bully you into putting your hair up more often."
He smirked at her and pulled her into his arms, noting once again her abnormally sweet smell. She smiled at him before kissing him softly. They rose and made their way to the car, and soon found themselves in the library of the Western Estate once again.
Kagome ran the reversal through her mind and fretted for most of the day while Sesshomaru spoke at her, running over the entry plan. Sesshomaru and her mother had finished preparing the powder, and the rest was up to her. She made sure to grab an extra piece of chalk for the circle she'd need. She waited in the corner, fidgeting with anxiety, while the rest of the family watched the monitors outside of Kikyo's house. Eventually Sesshomaru grew impatient. He walked over to Kagome and plucked her out of her chair and carried her over to her meditation corner. He set her on the ground and sat across from her. She took a deep breath and tried to focus to her best ability. Once inside her center, she breathed a sigh of relief. Soothing calm flowed off of her and she felt her fears melt away as her center reminded her of her strength and everything she'd done to prepare for this.
She knew the reversal by heart and she'd almost completely memorized the floor plan. They were going to sneak in through the front and Sesshomaru was going to use his yoki to locate Inuyasha. Once they'd done that, Sesshomaru would knock Inuyasha out and she'd perform the reversal. If everything went according to plan, they'd then check out the dead space from the blue prints. Afterward, they'd get the hell out of there. If they got separated for any reason, they were to meet back at the estate. In the meantime, Toga would be monitoring the cameras for Kikyo's return or any uninvited visitors.
Kagome thought that the plan was well thought out, as long as nothing unexpected happened. But she knew that in these scenarios, things very rarely went according to plan. Thus, her anxiety ridden state. Her center was doing wonders to calm her fears, but after a while she felt a tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes to find everyone staring at her. She cocked her head to the side in question.
"Do you mind retracting some of your aura? You're smothering them."
She looked to Inukimi and Toga and saw their pinched brows. She squeaked in guilt and retracted it immediately. She mumbled her apologies before delving back in.
The others watched as Kagome wrestled with her aura, keeping it contained just enough that they weren't uncomfortable. They had also noticed that her anxiety had vanished almost instantly upon entering her center. Ayumi was very impressed with Sesshomaru. He knew exactly how she was feeling and what needed to be done to calm her. She knew that the two of them would work well together, and she felt wistful tears fill her eyes as she watched their interactions.
Kagome stood enshrouded in the darkness of the tree she hid behind. Sesshomaru stood behind another large tree some ten feet away from her. They were positioned across from the gate that led to Kikyo's house. Kagome and Sesshomaru had hidden their auras and scents and laid in wait for the order to go from Toga. Kagome saw Sesshomaru bring his phone up to his ear. Seconds later, his eyes were on her and he was nodding, giving her the signal to go. She checked the street and saw that it was empty, the bolted across the road and to the gate and scaled it quickly. She scowled as she saw Sesshomaru just leap over it. She wanted to poke fun at him, but she knew this was not the right time.
They made their way stealthily across the lawn, continuously searching for threats. She noticed that it was deathly quiet and it made her uncomfortable. She approached the front door and expected to find it locked, but as she turned the handle, it swung open freely. Her eyes shot up to Sesshomaru, something wasn't right. Why would they keep their door unlocked? Kagome knew that they'd already come too far and that this might be their only chance, so she wasn't surprised when Sesshomaru pressed on and entered the house. She kept close to him, as ordered, as they silently padded into the house.
She let her gaze flow over the rooms as they passed. Everything was lavishly furnished and it looked like whoever had paid for this house, had money to spend. Every room was stylish and well decorated and she noticed that it smacked of greed. There were gold adornments everywhere and ungodly expensive paintings and sculptures stationed in every room. Kagome's unease increased as she saw a case with a traditional set of miko garbs inside it. They were identical to the one's Kagome had seen Kikyo in during the feudal era. Kagome wouldn't have been surprised if those were the ones she'd seen her in.
Kagome's hands were resting on her belt, one on her sword, and the other on a sai. She focused on the sounds, searching for any sign of life, but it was as silent as death in the house. She switched to using her sense of smell and almost vomited when she inhaled through her nose.
The mixture of sweat, sex, death, Kikyo, and Inuyasha filled her nose. For some reason the scent made her nauseous and she immediately went back to breathing through her mouth, praying that she could keep the scents at bay. The nausea rolled through her and she had to fight to keep herself from vomiting. The scents had nearly over whelmed her and she instantly cursed Sesshomaru and his strong sense of smell.
She pricked her ears, and noticed that Sesshomaru had stopped. She felt it as he let a wave of his yoki sneak through the house and saw him cock his head to the side. He jerked his head toward the back of the house and she saw him narrow his eyes. He motioned for her to follow, but as they turned a corner, Kagome saw a small niche that was off centered. She cocked her head at it and, without thinking, went to investigate. She approached it and before she reached it, something crashed against her skull and her world went dark.
Sesshomaru stalked through the house silently, not realizing that Kagome was not by his side any longer. She'd learned how to be silent and mask her scent and aura, so he just assumed she was following. He darted down hallways until he came upon a door that lead to a bedroom. He cocked his head to the side and breathed through his nose. He regretted it instantly. He noticed upon arrival that the entire house reeked of Inuyasha and Kikyo and the scent of their coupling. It was positively foul to his sensitive nose. If he'd thought it was bad at the front of the house, now the scent was positively toxic. This must be their bedroom, Sesshomaru thought as the rancid scent filtered through his nose. The smell of death, clay, and Inuyasha were expected. The other scents were what made him want to retch. The smell of seed and sex and every kind of debauchery you can think of was permeating the chamber and escaping from under the lip in the door. He knew that he'd have to cut off his sense of smell entirely if he was to survive in that room. He pulsed his yoki out a bit and noticed that Inuyasha was in the bedroom alone. Sesshomaru turned the handle and opened the door to find Inuyasha sitting there, waiting for him with a sword in his hand. Sesshomaru stiffened as he recognized the sword. It was one of father's fangs.
Rage flowed through him at the thought of Inuyasha stealing his father's fang. He knew that the fang was a gift for Inuyasha, a gift that he'd only receive once he'd earned it. Sesshomaru couldn't fathom how his father had not noticed its absence.
He growled at Inuyasha and he raised his head to him with a wolfish grin on his face. His face fell a bit and he growled.
"Where's the girl?"
Sesshomaru whipped his head around to find that Kagome was gone. Sesshomaru turned back toward his half-brother and growled fiercely.
"This isn't over yet."
With that he turned and ran back toward where he'd seen Kagome last, but before he'd made it to the main hallway. He felt Inuyasha's furious aura push against him. Turning, he saw that Inuyasha had leapt toward him with his claws outstretched. Sesshomaru stopped and swung his leg through the air, connecting solidly with Inuyasha's face. He heard a sickening crunch as Inuyasha's jaw broke and he went crashing to the ground. The hanyou started to rise, but Sesshomaru was gone, running back to find Kagome. As he entered the hall he pulsed his aura throughout the house, no longer trying to be stealthy. He felt nothing in return, her aura was still being masked and he could not smell her either.
As he reached his hand up to his mark to feel for her location through their bond, a clawed hand grasped his shoulder, claws puncturing through his skin. He turned to find Inuyasha throwing a punch toward his face. Sesshomaru's fury ignited and he caught the fist and twisted his wrists, snapping it in half. He heard the sickening snap and Inuyasha yowled in pain. Sesshomaru's patience vanished and he began to pound into Inuyasha. His fists connected with Inuyasha's face over and over again. Bones were being broken and his blood poured out onto the ground.
Sanity rushed into his brain all at once, he was wasting time. He had to find Kagome, now.
Kagome was roused by a painful tugging sensation on her scalp. She tried to hiss in pain, but realized that something was covering her mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she saw that Kikyo had her by the hair. She yanked back on her hair, pulling Kagome's head back so that she was looking up into her face. Kikyo glared down at her and smirked as she realized that Kagome was awake. Kikyo released her hair and Kagome saw that she held a strand of it carefully between he fingers.
Kagome took a quick inventory of her body. Her head was pounding and her mouth was covered. Her arms and legs were being restrained with reiki. She was practically hog tied, her arms were tied to her feet and she was perched up in a kneeling position on her knees. She glanced around the room and it sickened her when she realized what she was seeing.
A black altar was at the forefront of the room with melted candles covering its perimeter. There were crystals on the alter and she saw there was dried blood covering them and the alters surface. A large pot was bubbling over a hot plate and Kagome grimaced at the poorly constructed scene. It looked like a sorceress's lair and Kagome wanted to laugh, she would have if she hadn't been in such a shitty position.
Kagome snapped her head toward Kikyo as she realized she was speaking.
"-wretched miko. You should have just minded your own and waited for us to kill you. That would have been a sweeter fate, but no. You had to come down here and meddle with Inuyasha. You can't have him. He's mine."
Kagome scowled under her bindings. She watched as Kikyo added the hair she'd torn from Kagome to the pot and stirred it. The liquid changed colors and then she added the final ingredient, snake venom. The liquid congealed and the scent wafted into Kagome's nose, almost making her retch. Kikyo scooped a bit into a vial and then approached Kagome with a vicious smile on her face. She lowered to her haunches to look Kagome in the eyes.
"I'm going to make you watch as I kill him, as I torture him."
Kagome's eyes widened and she fought against her bonds. Kikyo laughed and the grating sound hurt Kagome's ears and sent a shiver down her spine. Kikyo knocked back the vial and swallowed its contents. Kagome watched in horror as Kikyo transformed into Kagome. To be honest, there wasn't much that needed to be changed. Kikyo's outfit shimmered and was identical to Kagome's and her face softened and her hair and eyes morphed to mirror her own.
"And just so you don't get any ideas, I'm putting you in a sound proof barrier. He won't be able to hear you, smell you, or see you. Enjoy yourself." She smirked, threw up her hand and a barrier descended over Kagome. She strode to the other side of the room before busying herself searching through the contents of the room.
Kagome felt dread roll through her. She prayed that Sesshomaru would be able to tell the difference between them. There had to be something about her that Kikyo couldn't emulate. Kagome watched with horrified eyes as Sesshomaru burst into the room.
Kagome saw as his eyes landed on Kikyo and he let out a sigh of relief. Then his head cocked to the side and he raised his hand to his neck. Kagome wondered if Kikyo could mirror her mating mark, but she knew that it wasn't possible. A mating mark was unique and none were identical. They were specific between the couple and were incredibly hard to break. Hope filled her veins and she saw Sesshomaru's eyes narrow as he felt it through their mark.
Kikyo turned to see him in the door way and her false face went soft.
"There you are. Look what I found! It seems to be a dark miko's lair. It must be Kikyo's."
Kagome wanted to smirk, she was never that formal with him, and she prayed that Sesshomaru would notice. He circled around her and approached slowly, his nose twitching. Kikyo cocked her head at him.
"What's wrong?"
In under a second, he had her by the throat, pushed up against the wall. His claws were ready to penetrate her skin and her face showed shock.
"Where is she? Where is my Kagome?"
Sesshomaru's eyes were narrowed and Kikyo sputtered.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Sesshomaru, it's me."
Kagome saw as his hold loosened slightly, then resumed its crushing pressure on her throat.
"I do not repeat myself." He snarled it out and Kagome saw Kikyo's face falter. Her plan hadn't worked.
A nasty smile lit up her face, "Well, I had hoped to fool you for a bit longer, but this still works in my favor."
She lifted her free palm and blew into his face. A fine powder flew through the air and into his nose. He'd just been taking a breath and he inhaled the powder accidentally. Almost immediately, he released her and fell to his knees, the powder doing its job to paralyze him. He growled menacingly and tried to raise his arm, but it didn't move. Fury rolled through him and Kagome tried to struggle free from her bonds.
Kagome froze and she watched with horror as Kikyo's hand turned translucent and she plunged it into his chest. She struggled to free herself again and then Kikyo wrenched her arm out, bringing Sesshomaru's still beating heart with her. Kagome's entire body was seized in crushing pain. Her insides tore and lit on fire as her bond was slowly being broken. She writhed against the pain and her bonds as she felt her mating mark being burned away. Tears rolled down her face as the pain radiated from her head to her toes. She felt like every bone in her body was breaking. As the pain started to abate, Kagome's aura welled up with astounding force and fury.
Kagome burst into heart wrenching screams and sobs of agony. She threw herself and her aura against her bonds brutally and with a tidal wave of power, the bonds snapped and Kagome rose to her feet. Her aura swirled around her like a hurricane and Kikyo's eyes rose to her in horror. Tears coursed down her face as she rose her hand to her neck. Her mark was gone, their bond was broken, and she was no longer mated to Sesshomaru. A piercing howl of anguish tore from Kagome's throat and she took a menacing step toward Kikyo.
Kikyo smiled venomously and whispered to Sesshomaru, "Get her."
Kagome's eyes widened as Sesshomaru lunged for her. On impulse, she threw up a barrier and broke into sobs as he ran into it and his flesh was burned by its purity. She summoned a whip to her hand and lashed out at Sesshomaru, catching him by the ankle and flipping him onto his back. She turned and ran blindly through the door, throwing up a barrier to block the exit. She only got a few feet before she tripped over something on the floor. She went down hard and as she raised her head, she gasped at the sight of Inuyasha. He looked like he'd been beaten to death, but she sighed in relief as she saw that he was breathing.
She quickly threw up a barrier that made them undetectable. She grabbed the small pouch that held the powder and blew it into his face. She saw his muscles relax and she drew a circle around him and placed a few small crystals around the circle. She placed her hands on him and narrowed her gaze.
"Inuyasha, I know you can hear me. You're going to come back to me and you're going to help me get him back, or so help me I will fucking butcher you here and now."
She growled it out and then began her chant. She felt her hands grow warm and she felt her massive energy swirl around them. After minutes of chanting, Kagome's eyes snapped open as a ball of red light came hurtling toward them. It suspended in the air just above Inuyasha's chest before slamming into him. She watched him seize and twitch for a few moments before he settled and his posture relaxed. She then laid her hands on him and pushed as much of her healing aura into him as she could without depleting her energy.
After a few moments, she saw Inuyasha's injuries fade and he looked as good as new when she was done. She expected him to wake up and open his eyes, but when he didn't she sighed in agitation. She pushed her grief down and pulled him up with her. He was heavy as hell, but she'd been training hard and she was capable of carrying him.
She dragged Inuyasha through the house while maintaining her barrier. It was slow going, but eventually she got outside and to the gates. She considered trying to climb them again, but she knew it wouldn't be possible. She threw her aura out at the gate and it almost disintegrated under her power. She noticed that her aura was magenta again and tears threatened to spill over. She fought through the emotion and dragged Inuyasha the three blocks to their car. She threw him into the passenger seat and buckled him in. She looked at him warily and decided she didn't trust him. She made manacles with her reiki and tried to contain them so they didn't burn his skin off.
She climbed into the car and drove off towards the estate, barely keeping it together.
As Kagome neared the estate, she pulled out her phone and dialed Toga. The moment she heard his voice, she lost it.
"Kagome, what is it? Did everything go as planned?"
Tears sprung to her eyes, "No. It didn't. I'm here. Get out here now."
She hung up and Toga stared at his phone for a second before bolting for the front door. He watched as a car tore up through the drive way and skidded to a stop. He approached slowly and saw that Kagome's head was on the steering wheel and Inuyasha was in the passenger seat. He threw open the passenger door to find his second son, in perfect condition, sleeping like a baby and bound with magenta manacles. He sniffed the air and agony washed over him. He raced to Kagome's side and when he reached out for her she smacked his hand away. Unbuckling herself she scrambled out of the car and booked it to the gardens. Toga followed at a distance and had to back away when he saw her.
She was crouched in the fetal position sobbing into her arms. Every now and again she'd scream in agony. What really frightened him was that she was levitating nearly fifty feet off the ground in a magenta barrier and her aura was whipping around uncontrollably, destroying everything in its path. Her aura spread at least a hundred feet from her in all directions and toga could smell the grief and rage rolling off of her.
Toga started to back away, when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. He turned to find Inuyasha staring up at him with tears in his eyes. Toga wrapped his son in a giant hug and Inuyasha let the silent tears stream down his face and onto Toga's shirt. Toga pulled his head back to look at his son.
"What happened?"
Inuyasha steeled himself and his tears stopped, "Kikyo knew you were coming. She didn't know when but she knew it was soon. We stayed ready at all times and when they came in, she separated them. Kagome, stupid Kagome wandered off from Sesshomaru and Kikyo bound her. As far as I know, Kikyo was going to try to camouflage herself to look and smell exactly like Kagome to trick Sesshomaru. I don't know if it worked, but Kikyo's plan was to get close to him and rip his heart out like she did to me. Apparently she overcame him somehow, because she did it. She ripped his heart out and severed their mating bond. Kagome must have freed herself because she found me in the hallway after Sesshomaru almost killed me. She returned my heart to me and healed me and dragged my ass here."
Toga stared at Inuyasha in disbelief. His son, his oldest son had been taken from him too. He'd only just gotten Inuyasha back, and now Sesshomaru was gone. Toga swiveled his gaze to Kagome and saw flecks of green in her aura and tilted his head in curiosity. She needed a father figure right now, so that's what he'd do for her. He approached her slowly and called out to her.
"Kagome, please come down. We'll find a way to get him back. Please come down."
He watched as her barrier shuddered and then retracted slowly as she lowered herself to the ground. He waited until she'd recalled her aura and then he approached her slowly. As he neared, he noticed that she didn't move, save to look at him. He held out his arms and she nodded. Slowly, he went to her and sat on the ground beside her. She crawled into his lap and let out the most heart wrenching sobs Toga had ever heard.
Kagome sobbed into his shoulder, "He's gone. She took his heart. It broke our bond. We have to get him back."
Toga nodded and rubbed soothing circles into her back, "We'll get him back, Kagome."
Toga rested his head on hers and tried to take comfort in her scent, knowing that she was safe and sound. As her scent trickled into his nose, he stiffened and pushed his head back to look in her eyes. She sent him a quizzical glance through her tears and he almost cried with her.
"Kagome…", he trailed off and gulped, unshed tears filling his eyes.
He cleared his throat and tried again, "Kagome, you're pregnant."
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. My aim was for heartbreak and tragedy. Please review and let me know how this chapter made you feel.
I just started a new sessxkag story called Business Associates. If you're interested in an AU sessxkag, please give it a read!
-Love KJ
