A/N: Sorry about the delay in posting this update. My muse is flitting between fandoms like a madwoman, crafting entire tales in two weeks, and she's NOT interested in reclaiming the trailing threads of this long-winded, ancient fic to finally tie it all together.

- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – REUNION -

Inu-Yasha darted inside, ears alert and swiveling. The manor dripped with gaudy colors, lacquered baubles, and ostentatious centerpieces even at this back entrance. His lip curled in scorn at the clashing influences, so obviously set out to impress. His men would strip this place bare, banishing Naraku's hoard of ugly trinkets and melting them down, erasing any evidence the pitiful human had ever entertained notions of achieving power or wealth.

Creeping forward, Inu-Yasha sniffed several household servants nearby and turned down a staff corridor, following the smells of lunch being assembled. The air was thick with spices, grease, soot, wax, laundry, and perfume – conflating in a cocktail so potent Kagome's scent was impossible to pick out. He waded further down the hallway, braced and treading lightly.

Bits of conversation floated through the walls, and Inu-Yasha relegated them to background as he approached the hall's end, more concerned with avoiding attention than eavesdropping on human gossip. Light spilled from an adjoining room, and he shrank back, scanning for another dark passage.

The murmur of voices drifting toward him grew loud and excited, and he changed his mind, trying to discern if he'd been discovered.

"Have you heard?" A woman exclaimed from the other side of the wall. "They broke his nose!"

"Kagome did it!" Another chimed in.

Inu-Yasha froze at her mention, knees suddenly weak. Pride swam through him, snuffing out his fear in a rush of warmth.

Of course she broke his nose; she was an Ouja. They never went down without a fight.

Crouching low, he listened intently, eager for details of her triumph. A trio of servers, heading to the kitchen by the sound of jostled pots and juggled tea, were animated as they compared scandalous reports.

"I know! I scarcely believe it," the first continued. "Master's new girl was there too, and both were escorted to the dungeon."

Another voice, an older woman's from its rasp, gasped, "Those poor things," she paused. "He deserves more than a blow to the face."

"Quiet! You'll get us in trouble!"

Inu-Yasha moved on, dashing past the lit room in a blur of red and white, veering down another hall. He lifted his head, sniffing for the mold and wetness of a dungeon, sifting through the cloying layers of scent.

Where are you?! He inhaled deeply, hunting for hints, now knowing Kagome was close. Hold on! I'm coming!

Kagome and Rin were side by side, chained against the same wall Kagura had found herself on only days ago. Their jailors had left, and both shivered in the cold.

"Are you alright, Rin?" Kagome asked, turning to inspect her. Bruises at the girl's ankles and wrists were an ugly purple, darkened from the new shackles clamped around them. Her gaunt cheeks and dirty hair spoke of the wear she'd already weathered under Naraku's care, and Kagome wondered how long she'd been here. If she'd arrived after Kagome's rescue, it had only been a few weeks. She jolted, suddenly wondering how she had looked to Inu-Yasha after a year of such captivity.

Rin, oblivious to the scrutiny or Kagome's dark musings, nodded. "You?"

The woman a few years her senior let a small smile spread across her face. "I feel… kind of amazing," she admitted. "I've never been able to retaliate like that before," her smile grew grateful. "Thank you for saving me."

Rin glanced around their cell, taking in its floor of wet hay and slime-covered stones. "It didn't seem to help us much."

Kagome's smile didn't fall. "This is no big deal. I've been here dozens of times."

"You have?"

She swept her gaze over the cell dismissively. "And for far less," she rattled her chains, testing their strength. "He won't be back for awhile – you saw to that."

Rin's own mouth started creeping up. "It did feel pretty good to see him so scared."

"And bloodied," Kagome beamed, but the delight slid from her face as a far door, the one they'd been carried down, opened in a banging rush. Its crash was so loud it almost sounded like it'd been torn off its hinges. Dread flooded her, sobering her instantly.

Rin shuddered. "It… can't be," she whispered, horrified. "How could he have recovered so quickly?"

Kagome steeled her spine, ignoring her suddenly speeding heart. "You just stay still. Don't draw attention to yourself," she said. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Footsteps took the stairs two at a time, racing forward. Her former master seemed eager to enact his revenge, completely unhindered by their earlier assault. Kagome swallowed, closing her eyes to ready herself.

A lone figure appeared in the shadows, reaching clawed fingers for the bars of their cell before he'd even come to a stop. She heard heavy breathing from the darkness of her eyelids and fought for another moment of blissful blackness, wanting to prolong the flare of triumph that Naraku would gleefully douse.

"Kagome?" Her name was quiet and cautious, venturing through the damp air like the dull glow of a fading torch. Hitched. Hopeful. Laced with barely-bridled fear. She opened her eyes to see a blaze of fire rat robes and blinked, uncomprehending. Dawning trickled in, her heart's thunderous beating changing to a pound of joy, and she managed a shocked gasp.

"I-Inu-Yasha?!" She squeaked. "You're here!?"

"Of course I am!" He growled.

Amber eyes roved over her in relief and fury, taking in the forest scratches from Kouga along her arms and the drying, crusted blood splattering her front. His examination extended to Rin as he wordlessly noted her own marks, disheveled hair and torn dress. Alarm glittered in the girl's wide gaze, and she drew back against the wall instinctively.

"I would've been here sooner if it hadn't been for that damn wolf," he muttered, resettling on Kagome. Despite his brusque tone, she heard the regret threatening to tremble his words. Her capture had been hard on her, reawakening her trauma, but it had been torturous for the hanyou before her. Remorse edged into his unfiltered gaze, mingling with a reverence she had never felt aimed her way. It banished Naraku's latest injustices in a swell of warmth. She felt so important—precious even—under such a stare.

Inu-Yasha pulled at the bars, straining against them, unaware his eyes so blatantly betrayed his thoughts. "I'll get you out in just a second," he said, concentrating on bending them over further assessing her. "Just stay quiet."

Rin pulled her eyes from him, looking over in question, and Kagome answered with another smile.

"This is the man who's wife I might be," she murmured, watching as the bars began to give way. "If he learns to behave himself."

Inu-Yasha's jerked at her words, whipping his head up. "Naraku proposed to you?!"

She shrugged. "Sort of."

He scowled, slipping through the wide gap he'd made in their cage. "I'll kill him twice," he bounded forward, reaching up and wrenching Kagome's chains from their bolts overhead. Stone and dust rained down on them, and Kagome ducked, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt the brush of his fingers as he grasped the metal rings and broke them in half, gathering the remains and tossing them aside with a clang. Haori enveloped her, and Kagome sank against a warm chest and a heavily-beating heart. Claws swept through her hair, smoothing out tangles and checking for injuries. They shook slightly, and she didn't need an Ouja's nose to know they tremored because she was safe and whole.

"I love you," she whispered into folds of fabric, grabbing Inu-Yasha around the waist and hugging tightly. The words were easy to say now, truer than any she'd ever spoken. "You keep the best promises."

Inu-Yasha gathered her up, almost plucking her from her feet. The terror that had gnawed at the borders of his consciousness, whispering that he would never see her again, that he had failed her in every way, was silent and clear. "I'm so, so sorry," he said thickly. Kagome was small and fragile in his arms, and he held her longer than the dire situation granted.

Slowly, her heartbeat against him soothed the still-terrified race of his own. "I shouldn't have let you be taken in the first place," he murmured.

Kagome stretched up, trying to see his face amid his tight clutch. "You came for me," she craned her neck back to the wall, glancing at Rin. "For us."

Inu-Yasha could smell Naraku on her mouth and fought down rage on her behalf, already toying with violent images of vengeance. He followed her gaze, half-seeing. The pale girl trembled in her bloodied, checkered dress as their eyes met.

"This is Rin," Kagome said, smiling to reassure her little ally. "And she's coming back with us."

Inu-Yasha didn't question it, releasing her only to free Rin's spindly arms as well. He would have given Kagome anything she asked for; he was so relieved she was alive and by his side again. One more forgotten child made no difference to him, regardless of race.

As he neared, Rin's eyes widened with more than trepidation. A spark of recognition flashed across her face, and she peered at Inu-Yasha's forehead for a long moment, as if expecting to see something marring his brow.

Neither Ouja noticed as she continued to search, looking next to his cheeks, growing almost mystified at their lack of striped color.

"Close your eyes," Inu-Yasha warned, yanking Rin's chains out and breaking the bonds at her hands.

The girl stared at her free arms, gazing up in new wonder. "T-Thank you, my lord."

Inu-Yasha waved her away, and Kagome beckoned her to her side.

"I'm no lord," he scanned the darkness. "And we need to get out of here."

"I know of an exit," Kagome took up Rin's hand. "It's only one level up."

Inu-Yasha arched a brow, surprise and pleasure diluting his anger. This woman did the Ouja proud. "Escaped from here before, huh?"

She cupped her free hand around his forearm, squeezing gently. "Of course."

The hanyou darted back through the bent bars, helping them both through. Rin didn't even have to turn her slight frame to get by, more emaciated than her large outfit let on.

"Let's go," Inu-Yasha led the way, and all three fled through the darkness.

"Get off me!" Naraku batted away the crouching healer, holding a new layer of gauze in his hands. "Enough!" A wide bandage covered his face, and another stretched over his collar and shoulder. The blood had been wiped from his cheeks, nose, and mouth, revealing lines of fury that contorted his face painfully.

The healer bowed and retreated, backing away quickly. Naraku rose and stormed from the room, beckoning to the pair of guards who had unlocked his chamber and escorted Kagome and Rin earlier.

"Come with me," he snapped.

They would be fired after this of course – none of his staff could ever learn of his humiliation – but the men could still serve a purpose today. The trio made their way through several rooms, a smoking area, a cards corner, and a poorly-stocked library, and headed down steps towards an unmarked, simple door. Lifting one of the many keys at his belt, the first guard brought it to the door and stopped.

Behind him, his comrade tapped his foot. "Hurry up, Bran," he muttered. "We don't have all day."

The man looked back with wide eyes. "Someone's forced the lock open," he whispered, not wanting his voice to carry to his glowering employer beyond. "From this side."

The other guard cursed under his breath and reached past, swinging the door wide. "My lord…," he started, grimacing as he stared inside. A second door, metal and covered in thick bracings, had been knocked down and lay in a heap just beyond a second set of stairs.

Naraku shouldered his way through, spotting the fallen inner door, which he'd had specially imported, lying on its back. His features knotted, and blood began to soak through his bandages as a howl ripped up his spine.

The little imp stared at the arrow in his lord's chest, breathing deeply. He had formulated his plan, steeled his resolve, and now had only to enact it. The daiyoukai locked in a priestess-imposed slumber needed him, his most loyal vassal.

Jaken squared his shoulders and approached the base of the tree, pointing the Staff of Two Heads at the feathered shaft that had cleaved through armor, impaling his lord. Closing his eyes, Jaken began chanting, concentrating on the powers of the dual spirits locked within. The staff struggled against his spell, vibrating in his claws, and he gripped it tighter, bending its will to his words.

The imp was certain combating the holy seal would rend the staff apart, but he continued his chant. Its destruction was an easy price to pay for his lord's freedom.

An image of Rin swam up, handing him flowers as she skipped at his side.

He would take the loss gladly, if it meant Sesshoumaru and the child would be saved.