A/N: AHH! GOMEN NASAI! I have been such a terrible writer this summer! After all the support you readers have given me, I haven't updated in months! I must admit, I was lost as to how this next part should develop, but I forced myself to write it so as not to keep you waiting any longer. Hopefully I won't have ruined it with my force. Still, I feel guilty. It is short, yes, but I promise it will be climactic! Thank you for sticking with me for this long.

Ever Grateful,

Lonelylark

And now, 1,866 words of…AH! Climax!

Chapter 20: Claim

When the sun rose from a full night's rest to reign over the rice paddies of Edo, it found that its resplendent light had been beaten by a small group of travelers that had already made its way out of the village. In fact, the town miko's hut had begun to stir about one half hour before the sun even began to rise. Aided by the soft light emanating from the eastern horizon, the tachi had set out towards the north, following a classic rumor of elevated demon attacks.

Spurred by her ire and the Western Lord's open show of support the day prior, Kagome was determined to assert her dominance and worth in the group, and to prove it in particular to one dog-eared individual. Her goal was first put into action by preventing any form of travel on the afternoon following Naraku's attack. Needless to say, Inuyasha was shocked and a bit more than irate when he returned to the hut after 'tea-time' to find that the tachi's main shard-detector was missing. The menacing stare of his older brother, though usually not enough to keep him at bay, was effective in keeping him rooted to the hut when coupled with one healthy sting of his poison whip. However, Kagome would not stop there.

Stretching an arm, Inuyasha looked at the ever-brightening sky and grumbled about pesky wenches. Despite the fact that the morning birds had just barely begun to flutter outside, he had been awakened rudely by a fully-dressed and impatient miko. A cup of ramen had been shoved under his nose with the information that he had five minutes to eat before they left Edo. Everyone else, though evidently still tired, had already finished breaking fast and was only preparing their meager belongings for the coming journey. He had been about to protest at the horrid time of departure, when the apathetic voice of his older brother carried to him.

"Eat or go hungry, half-breed," Sesshoumaru stated blandly as he followed Kagome out of the hut to wait for the rest of the group.

Now they were two hours away from Edo, and Inuyasha's irritation hadn't lessened. When he had grumbled about the hour, Kagome had retorted with a snooty 'We'll gain more ground today. Isn't that what you're always complaining about?' He had since taken a position at the front of the tachi in an attempt to avoid her, since she was obviously still upset about the day before. Miroku and Sango were walking side by side behind him, with Ah-Un carrying the children behind them, and Sesshoumaru and Kagome at the rear.

Really, he didn't understand it. Sesshoumaru flicks his hair back and Kagome's talking to him like they're old pals, but he opens his mouth for a second and her glare becomes ten times more daunting each time. Not only that, but Sesshoumaru's recent defense of her had him on edge. Something wasn't right, and it was pissing him off that he didn't know what.

Shippo giggled with Rin as Jaken clung desperately to Ah-Un's tail, trying unsuccessfully to get back on the bearing beast. Sitting backward on the dragon, Shippo took to opportunity to observe his miko mother and the Taiyoukai. They seemed to be indulging in pleasant conversation, Kagome doing most of the talking as Lord Sesshoumaru's expression remained placid but intent. The ease with which Kagome took to speaking with the Taiyoukai didn't much surprise him, as she was naturally kind and expressive with everyone. What did surprise him was the attention that Sesshoumaru was paying her. The fact that he openly acknowledged her as Alpha at the beginning of their journey together substantiated some of their interactions, but normal etiquette did not demand more that brief consultations between pack leaders when decisions were to be made.

A flash of gold startled the Kit, and the sounds of Jaken's squawks of outrage joined those of trampling feet in the background. Shippo turned his attention to Rin, who had asked him to repeat her tongue twister. His meek, trembling smile went unnoticed as he asked her to say it again for him. The flash of the Taiyoukai's eyes had been so sudden, that he wasn't sure if he had seen it at all. Listening to the ningen girl half-heartedly, he pushed away the feeling of being caught, and decided to wait until they were settled for lunch to resume his detective work.

Along the gentle slope of the hill just off the main road, Sesshoumaru reclined against the trunk of a tall tree. His eyes closed, he enjoyed the gentle rustling of the leaves as a subtle breeze blew in from the north, and the tips of his bangs tickled the bridge of his nose. The view when he opened his eyes was just as enjoyable, as Kagome stood crouched by the fire pit directly in front of him.

Despite the tense mood at the beginning of the day, the morning's stretch had been mostly peaceful. With the hanyou's mouth seemingly subdued for the time being, the Miko had been very much placated. They had passed the time talking of nothing in particular. It had not escaped him that the kit had been observing them closely, but he had let the scrutiny slide in favor of listening to the Miko's explanation of a modern device called a 'Television'. That ningens had created the technology to develop a moving picture box fascinated him, and he wondered just what else lay in store for the world in the next five-hundred years.

Drawing his mind away from the many possible future developments, he focused on the little miko pouring tea into a small cup. It was well into the after noon now, and they were taking a belated lunch break after trudging most of the day. Though he rarely accepted to partake of their midday meal, Kagome always insisted on brewing him tea in place of sustenance. He had attempted to reject her offer this time, with the knowledge that his daily consumption of tea had greatly thinned her arsenal, and that her stock was running low, but she would have none of it. She was truly nurturing, he decided, and would make an excellent mother if her doting upon him and her attention to the kit and Rin were any indications.

In honesty, the day could not be going better. Well, he thought, One particular thing could improve this day. But he was almost certain she was not ready for that yet. It was a slow wooing she required; a series of gentle nudges in that certain direction that with time would have her where he wanted her. In the meantime, he would be content to lure out of her those virginal inhibitions. It was in that sense that, despite his appetite for her body, the great Demon Lord of the West decided today would be a splendid day. However, he should have known that pleasant conversation accompanied with a mostly-silent inu hanyou was too good a fortune to last for long.

A familiar scent carried to him on the wind, but he paid it no heed. It belonged to one of little consequence, and he would not go out of his way to dispatch one who had not gotten in his way. Inuyasha's sudden growl at the scent was what had Sesshoumaru piqued. It was common knowledge to him that the coming visitor had a constant rapport with his brother's tachi, thus the reason for the Hanyou's irritation confounded him, though not for long.

Scarcely had Kagome stood from her crouch by the fire than the cup of tea she had been holding was thrown to the ground. In its place was a large male hand, delivered by a whirl of preternatural wind. The Taiyoukai's hackles rose even as the dust and leaves settled around them, and Inuyasha let loose an irritated snarl.

"…Kouga…" Kagome uttered, stupefied as usual by his impromptu appearance.

The insolent wolf cupped both her hands within his own, and beamed a vacuous smile that Sesshoumaru imagined was supposed to be charming.

"Hey, Kagome," was the rough purr he used in greeting.

Immediately, Inuyasha was on his feet and in between Kagome and Kouga, having severed the joined hands, and for once the Western Lord was glad that his half-brother was useful for something.

"What d'ya want, you mangy wolf?!" Inuyasha demanded, though the reason was pretty clear to everyone.

"What else?" the Kouga replied with some irritation. "To make sure you're treatin' my woman right. Now get the hell outta my way, Flea Bag!"

"Oh, brother," Shippo groaned, unwrapping a lollipop and handing one to Rin as she settled next to him on the log. "Here we go again."

"Well, at least their row will give us another half-hour's rest," the houshi chimed optimistically, referring to the inevitable scuffle between Inuyasha and the Wolf Prince. Sango said nothing, but shot a nervous glance at the Taiyoukai. Already she could feel his youki thrumming with unrest.

"She ain't your woman, you poor excuse for a canine! How many times will it take for you to get it through that thick skull?!"

"You wanna say that to my fist, dog-shit?"

Kagome looked anxiously between the two long-time rivals. The usual barbs were beginning to fly, and the tension in Sesshoumaru's aura was foreboding. Circling around the two, she attempted to get between them before things got out of control.

"Kouga," she pleaded, figuring he'd be the more likely of the two to listen to her.

"Not now Kagome," he ordered, keeping his eyes locked on his red-clad opponent, "I'm about to teach mutt-face here a lesson."

"As if I could learn anything from you, wolf piss!" was Inuyasha's baiting retort, his claws flexing and knuckles cracking in anticipation of the coming fight.

"Really –" she tried again to intervene, only to be completely ignored.

"For one thing, shit-for-brains, I'll teach you a bit about claims; I claimed her first!"

"You stupid fu –"

Just as Inuyasha was about to lunge for the wolf's throat, Sesshoumaru's voice brought everything to a stand still.

"That will not be necessary."

If the icy, imposing quality his voice had assumed was not enough to freeze them in place, the overbearing pressure of his youki most definitely was. Both males originally involved in the quarrel turned to look at the speaker.

The Western Lord stood towering imperiously over Kagome from behind. Shaking himself out of his stupor, Inuyasha glowered impertinently at his older brother for butting in to his business. As if the prick wasn't giving him enough of a hard time, what with siding with Kagome all the time, now he had to ruin his fight.

"And what the fuck does this matter to you?!"

The air around them seemed to thicken with the power of his youki, pressing down on them as if willing their submission. Around the clearing, the grass rippled with the wind's caress, but not a hair not a fiber of the Sesshoumaru's vestige billowed.

"Both your claims are invalid," the Taiyoukai stated with a steady, confident amber stare, "Because I currently court the Miko."