Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the source material for this story. All are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This fic is labeled MA per standards for eventual violence, sex, and language so be warned.

...

Reconciliation

Chapter 13 - Blow Up the Outside World

A week after the confrontation in the North…

The day was young when the first emissaries and diplomats began to arrive near the Western Palace. Each of the four cardinal Lords was required to attend this annual meeting to discuss changes in needs and alliances over the last year. They would celebrate births and mourn the passing of the old and defeated. It was a political gathering first and foremost, but also a gathering of those alike in spirit. A daiyoukai among thousands of humans was still set apart by their very nature. Daiyoukai among others of their kind could be themselves.

The West had been the gathering's designated location for over four hundred years. More central than either the North or South, and less divisive and domineering than the dragon-dominated East, the silver inu were hospitable and welcoming compared to so many of their comparable daiyoukai Lords. The site that the Inu no Taisho had chosen to build his den made others that much more excited to be here.

The Western Fortress and Palace had been constructed into the very faces of a high mountain. 'Far away and nearer to the sky,' Touga had said. Sesshoumaru remembered his father carving much of the land himself using brute strength and powerful swords to carve deeply into the mountainside, forging new tunnels and pathways throughout the body of the mountain itself. Wise for both protection and escape.

The cozy and decadent Palace, where the meetings would be held, faced north so the family rooms on the eastern side would see bright sunlight in the morning, the central gardens and courtyards during midday, and the fading light of evening could be seen through the windows of the meeting halls and dining rooms on the western face.

The rough and unembellished Fortress sat on the Southern half of the mountain, laid out in a mirror image to the Palace. Soldier's barracks saw the first of the morning light each day; the central training grounds, forges, and common areas were lit well during the bulk of the day; and the arena saw the last of the daylight on the edge of the western cliff face.

Both Palace and Fortress were stacked three tiers high, with common rooms nearer the lowest floor, and rising in rank and importance to the highest. It was a wonder to behold and the dignitaries lucky enough to be chosen every year never failed to complement its ingenuity.

At the main entrance to the Palace stood two imposing, dark stone columns, both two stories high and decorated with polished white marble visages of sprinting inuyoukai in their true forms with noses pointed skyward and fangs bared. The effect was dazzling but also intended to remind visitors of the true nature of the youkai whose den they were entering.

Ryota was up to his ears in nobles and politicians, and the full battle regalia he was wearing felt tighter and more constricting than he remembered. The rusty red leather that coated the majority of his darkened steel armor stood out against the white and pale stone of the exterior of the palace. The large pale crescent moon emblazoned on the chest plate was polished and gleaming. The heavy armor trailed down the bear, giving him a much broader appearance, finishing at his dark brown boots. Ryota was cradling his helmet under one arm and shifting his weight back and forth. He pulled and tugged at every piece he could get his hands on. This armor was only ever for show. No one in their right mind would wear this much into battle with youkai.

'Sesshoumaru owes me for this one…' he grumbled internally.

"Stop fussing, Ryota. They will notice your unease." Kouji reminded him, gently touching his arm. Though he straightened his own pale gold robes and tapped the toes of crimson slippers against the stone walkway beneath them. He preferred less restrictive clothing than his battle-hardened Mate.

"I know. Sesshoumaru-sama will return soon, I hope, and then we won't have to deal with them alone."

"Oh, we won't be dealing with them alone anyway, my love. Ahem."

Kouji jerked his chin to bring notice to the hallway behind them as the former Western Lady approached at a leisurely pace positively dripping with opulence. A jewel tones of her many layered kimonos stood out even more against the plain stone floor. Her raised chin and following gaggle of ladies' maids was proper for one of her status and yet the inudaiyoukai managed to make the procession look… excessive.

"She can make an entrance, that's for sure." Ryota said under his breath.

When golden eyes locked with his from the Palace steps, Ryota was certain she heard him but made no other move to reprimand him. She made her way leisurely down the steps and took her place beside him underneath the great columns.

"Hello, General Ryota." she greeted him sweetly. "Pleasant morning, is it not?"

"Indeed, my Lady. Have you any last-minute instructions? And have you heard from Sesshoumaru-sama?" That was the real question.

"None, and I have not. It seems the pup has more on his mind than greeting the entirety of youkai nobility from the other three cardinal lands. Though what could be more important, I cannot guess." Kikuko sighed. "It would not surprise me to learn he has found some puzzle and followed his damnable curiosity to solve it."

Ryota snorted. "That sounds about right!" Thinking better of it, he cleared his throat and backpedaled. "Forgive me, Kikuko-sama."

"Nothing to forgive, my dear. And hello, Kouji! Does this morning find you well?" Her smile brightened at the pheasant's gratuitous and strange bow.

"Most well, my Lady. I am pleased you have remained in our presence. Far too few beautiful females grace the Palace these days. It is a den of masculinity." Kouji offered, with a wrinkle in his nose.

She laughed daintily behind her hand. "I was under the impression you did not mind such a state, Kouji, dear."

"Alas, it frequently smells and sounds like a den of males as well. I find females do not offend in the same way." he said with a smirk and a toss of glittering emerald hair. "And they are exceedingly pleasant to look at, Kikuko-sama." He winked to punctuate the compliment.

"Must you always speak your mind, Mate?" Ryota rubbed his temples. It was going to be a long day.

"Chins up, gentlemen. Ah! Katsurou and Haruna have arrived first!" she gleefully cheered. Cats were always such fun.

The toradaiyoukai touched down on the wide stone walkway in his true form and growled his presence and greeting. Haruna as well landed in the West as a lithe and deadly leopard cloaked in pale yellow fur that flared at her shoulders and dark purple spots from brow to tail. Her keen green eyes were searching for danger as she landed but she shifted immediately onto two legs and moved to link arms with Katsurou.

"Greetings, Kikuko-sama! It is too long since last we met!" His smile was genuine but strained and she knew the fresh pain that lurked behind it. "We did not bring the children with us this time. There is much to do in the North at the moment."

When they embraced, Kikuko relayed her understanding at his reticence to travel with his children. Resting her forehead against his, she relayed her regret and sorrow at his profound loss. He accepted it wholeheartedly and was encouraged when Kikuko repeated the greeting with Haruna, for it was she who would be most difficult to appease during this meeting. His mate was a woman of few words and aggressive action. He was pleased to see Kikuko acknowledge her in such a way.

"Please follow my maid to your rooms where you may get comfortable and request whatever of the West that you may need." Kikuko swept a pale arm toward the open doors and snapped at a maid to take over.

"Indeed. But tell me first, Kikuko, is Sesshoumaru not here? I cannot sense his presence."

The former Lady of the West sighed a deep sigh. "You are correct, Katsurou. I cannot account for his absence but we are sending missives to locate him. I suspect he has lost track of the days and knows not what he is missing."

"I suspect exactly the opposite, my Lady. I think he knows exactly whom and where he is avoiding." Katsurou grinned a knowing, mischievous grin.

"You know my son too well, I think. Please, this way. I will speak with you again this evening at dinner."

He nodded and pulled Haruna along, disappearing into the Palace.

"Back to work, boys! Here comes the Eastern house. Ah, and the Eastern Lady is with them. Gird your loins." Kikuko sighed again.

Dragons were always a true test of one's patience…

…

Sesshoumaru was indeed avoiding the Palace but not because of the politicians and duties awaiting him there. He had finally discovered the truth behind Inuyasha's seemingly erratic movements: Sesshoumaru himself was being hunted.

Inuyasha had traveled from Niigata to Utsunomiya to the Northern palace on the heels of his half-brother for the last three weeks. The hanyou was wreaking havoc as he followed the scent of the Lord of the West. He was slaughtering the powerful on his way, but it was Sesshoumaru he was truly hunting. Some echoing memory of their past was prompting the hanyou to sever the same arm in his enemies as he once had from his elder half-brother. It was a calling card in flesh. Inuyasha as he was now would be unaware that his former memories were the cause but the instinct to repeat that battle was haunting him.

Ego aside, Sesshoumaru knew he was at the pinnacle of his strength and the hanyou was right in instinctually seeking him out to satisfy his bloodlust. Inuyasha would not stop, however, even if Sesshoumaru was killed. He was too far gone. Weeks of violent and youki-driven rampages would have decimated his half-human body and the minute his aura was severely weakened or sealed, he would die. Nothing could be done.

It had taken Sesshoumaru longer than he'd like to admit to realize the hanyou's pattern of movement but he had only recently learned of the devastation at the Utsunomiya estate while tracking Inuyasha's scent back from the Northern castle. If the pattern continued, Inuyasha would track Sesshoumaru's scent back to the Western Palace next and that could not be allowed to happen. The daiyoukai could use this revelation to his advantage. If Inuyasha was trying to find him, he would make it easy for the half-breed.

To stop the hanyou from ever making it to the West, he had camped out in a shallow but expansive valley to the northwest of Edo that was uninhabited by youkai or humans. The inevitable battle was likely to draw attention even here but he hoped it might be over quickly enough to avoid interference. Knowing Inuyasha would not be shielding his aura in the slightest, Sesshoumaru kept his own youki open and unshielded. The tactic would keep others away and draw the hanyou in.

The inudaiyoukai took his true form, releasing more youki than was necessary to tempt the hanyou further if he was near, and hunted through the night in the small valley. Replenishing his strength before the battle was needed. If Inuyasha had absorbed the youki of even half of the daiyoukai he killed in the North, he would be formidable. It would be foolish to think otherwise. After feeding himself fully, Sesshoumaru settled back on two legs and scanned the valley. He found a large rounded boulder at the center of a wide stream and leapt to stand on top of it.

Closing his eyes to remove one sense and strengthen the others, he reached out with only his aura, setting boundaries with his youki like trip wires to catch any whisper of activity throughout the valley. He listened and sniffed the air for any signs. Finding none, he sat down and began to slowly pulse his aura in invitation. It would be days before the hanyou would reach him, backtracking from the Western borders to find his quarry. Sesshoumaru could be patient.

…

NO!

Not here.

Find him.

Kill him.

Through a red haze, tireless, crazed golden eyes searched endlessly through a sea of disappointment and screaming weaklings for the one. The one who had defeated him again and again. The one who smelled so much like him but was not. The one who taunted and scorned him. The one who abandoned him and hurt him. He would end that demon and prove his strength. He would take his strength and make it his own. Then he would hunt again. Always more. Always another.

A whisper of power caught his attention. It was faint. Far away. Calling him. He could smell it. Feel it. Taste it on his tongue. Now it was time. Strength would be his. Victory would be his.

Snarling his acceptance of the new hunt, Inuyasha wrenched this foe's head from his body, spattering his haori with fresh blood, and vaulted himself over the land toward the pulse of youki calling to him. He would answer. There would be death.

…

A week and a half on the road non-stop had tired Kagome to the bone. She stopped in a small village near a meandering river to the northwest of Edo to rest and resupply. Treating herself to an inn for the night was a wise decision. If the bath alone hadn't sold her on the self-indulgence, the bed certainly would.

She was pushing herself as hard as she could. Covering miles and miles each day, gathering information and searching for him constantly with her reiki. Since Utsunomiya castle, she had been traveling due West through the valleys, cutting across the land directly in the hopes he hadn't gone too far. She was vaguely aware she was headed to the West itself, Sesshoumaru's home, if the accounts from Utsunomiya castle were to be believed. Having never seen it, she wasn't sure it was an actual place in lieu of just a vast stretch of territory. He couldn't be a Lord with no actual subjects, right?

The rumors were following her everywhere. The red demon. The killer hanyou. The golden eyed ghost. It was becoming hard to separate actual accounts from hearsay and she was tired of trying to do so for today. He was out there somewhere and she would find him. But for tonight, her energy was exhausted. Her body was exhausted. And she couldn't listen to one more woman prattle on about some handsome demon she had almost had a tryst with once. The effort to still the rolling of her unbelieving eyes was too tiresome.

Kagome reflected she was so lucky in Sango as a female and a friend. The woman was level-headed, loyal, and undramatic. And Kagome missed her terribly. She missed everyone. At this point, she might even miss Sesshoumaru. No one here was familiar or welcoming. They eyed her with reverence for her abilities or disdain for her impropriety at traveling alone, miko or not. The urge to tell them of her many escapades with her half-demon husband and pride at her adopted demon son was almost overwhelming at times.

'Humans haven't changed much in five hundred years. Judgmental and threatened by those that are different.' Kagome thought sadly.

Settling her things and reorganizing for tomorrow, she changed into a sleeping yukata and laid down on an actual futon for the first time since leaving Edo, falling asleep almost immediately. Dead to the world.

…

A few days later and even farther west, Kagome found herself on a pleasant hillside path overlooking a small and tree-filled valley. Most trees were dropping their leaves in droves and even the noon sunshine didn't drive away the persistent chill. This valley, however, was still coated in a pillowed expanse of treetops painted the shades of fire. The priestess took a deep breath and centered her soul with the rightness of it. Nature was one of the highlights of the Feudal Era. It was all so undisturbed and untamed. Nothing like the concrete jungle of her first home. Even the rural areas of modern Japan were crisscrossed with electrical cables and the noise of airplanes or cars. There was no true isolation. Not like here.

Feeling content and refreshed after a good night's sleep under the stars and a darkening moon, she decided to keep her aura open and spread like a wide web around her in an effort to continue to train her waking skills. First, she realized there were no other humans around for miles. She was surprised to learn she was happy about that. Kagome could feel birds on the wing above and in the valley below her, even burrowing rabbits, and then, like a bolt of lightning, there was a singularly brutal youki flaring to life at the edge of her senses, white hot and demanding. It was pulsing with a regular beat, calling… her? Someone?

The aura was familiar. Deep and expansive, commanding and relentless. The bearer was cloaked in pale green in her mind's eye.

"It couldn't be…" she whispered. She smiled to herself. The first familiar face in almost two weeks. Why was he way out here and flaring his aura so brazenly? Did he need help? No way. But Kagome could find no other reasonable explanation for his openness.

"Well, here goes nothing."

But then suddenly, the call stopped. Her foot paused in mid-step and she could no longer sense him. Maybe he really was in trouble…

With curiosity burning in her lungs, she began lolloping down the hillside and started the trek through the woods to find her brother-in-law. What she was going to do when she got there, she had no idea. Following her instincts on this trip hadn't paid off yet but maybe this was the break she needed. Maybe he knew something. Maybe he would share if she could help him with whatever was going on down there. It had been almost two weeks since his visit to Edo and he surely moved faster around the countryside than she did.

…

Her aura blinked into existence at the edge of his senses. She was upwind and still very far away at upper ridge of the valley. Perhaps if he cloaked his aura, she would pass him by. He reined his energy in and waited. No such luck. She was approaching faster now. He was surprised at her tenacity. If the miko was here, she was still looking for Inuyasha. And she had chosen her hunt well.

Allowing the annoyance of his day being disturbed to pass, Sesshoumaru considered that if he divulged his plan to her perhaps she could expedite the outcome. Did she not remind him of her ability to control the hanyou in his previous lapses of sanity? She would not need to know Inuyasha would perish anyway. He guessed her emotional attachment would prevent her from doing what was necessary. No, perhaps that was unfair. She was a warrior. She might understand if he could prepare her. That might make the aftershock that much easier. She might even have an alternative to offer. Her mind was quick and she reasoned differently than most humans he had encountered. Mind made up, he unsealed his youki and let it flow freely again.

Furthermore, if she were to come back to the West with him to help explain the matter to the council, that would prove even more useful. Yes, her presence could alleviate a few of his worries it seemed. Immediate future decided, he settled down on his perch in the river and decided to meditate, casting his net even farther out to reach the lost hanyou.

Even in this state, he smelled her long before he felt the closeness of her aura. Cold rain, filling his nose with the alkaline scent of water and ice, and the fragile camelia blossoms of early spring. It was unique for a human. Even more so for a miko. They usually maintained tight control over their auras. This one allowed herself to be detected openly and freely. She was unique in many ways, he realized.

Her aura reached his as she stepped into the glade where he waited. The feel of it washing over him was like dousing himself in ice water. Too much or too long and it would start to burn. The feel of it winding its way up his spine, digging into his brain, forcing him to acknowledge what she was. That she was powerful and dangerous in her own way. Like him.

"Sesshoumaru?"

A small voice broke through his blind assessment of her and he slowly opened amber eyes and turned his head to face her.

…

Kagome was sure Sesshoumaru was this way. Or was it that way? His youki was everywhere and the epicenter of it was getting harder to find. He had amplified his aura somehow in the last few minutes and her reiki was on overdrive. She coaxed it back down, reminding herself this was most definitely an ally… more or less.

Tripping over a tree root hidden beneath the thickening piles of leaves, she yelped and nearly fell forward, hair falling into her vision as she did. Huffing her frustration at her clumsiness, Kagome straightened up and pulled out her yellow hair ribbon from a sleeve pocket. Looking around and deftly braiding her long hair at the same time, she spied a flash of silver through the trees near the burbling, shallow river ahead.

The priestess stepped slowly closer so the daiyoukai wasn't threatened or annoyed. He surely knew she was approaching but was facing away from her, sitting as if in meditation, legs crossed and palms resting on his knees.

'He could be a river kami right now for all anyone knows.' she thought, appreciating the serenity of the scene and his inhuman ability to remain so still.

She walked onto the bank of the small river, sandals crunching the small pebbles underfoot, before interrupting him.

"Sesshoumaru?"

She saw him raise his chin slightly and turn to acknowledge her. She smiled gently at recognizing a familiar face. Kagome needed someone who understood what was happening. Not gossipy women and lascivious men who didn't really care about what she was asking but were interested in her mouth nonetheless. She shook away the gross feeling.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you but I'm glad to see you, actually. How are you?"

'Babbling at Sesshoumaru, Kagome. Great. Real smart.'

"I sensed your presence long ago, miko. Why have you come?"

Right to the point but he was being… pleasant.

"I haven't had any luck finding Inuyasha since you left. Have you?"

"I have not."

"Oh." she said sadly.

'She still hopes for a positive result. Convincing her otherwise may be difficult.' he theorized.

While he formulated a strategy, he noticed changes in her scent. It wound around new flavors of wood ashes and yuzu. She looked sad and was winding her fingers in the folds of her red hakama.

'She is sad and nervous. Unique scents for her myriad of emotions. Interesting.'

His singular interest in her for the moment gave rise to these new discoveries. He had never taken the time to catalogue human emotions or note their changes. Rin's scents often only varied between thoughtful and happy, other than her natural summer sunshine and forest fern scents. She was rarely sad and he had only ever smelled her fear in the first few months they traveled together. After then, he took great care to never scent fear on her again. It would be insulting as her guardian.

"What are you doing here specifically?" she continued. "And why are you flaring your youki like that?"

"I am waiting for the hanyou as I suspect he is headed west. I will intercept him here. My aura will draw him and repel all others."

Kagome's eyes widened and she stepped forward.

"Really, it will? But why get him here?"

He stood and jumped to land directly in front of her.

"Because he is hunting me." he told her, with a mischievous lilt to his voice. Like a secret.

'He's excited by the idea of being hunted?'

To her credit, she did not flinch or falter as he landed. Curious azure eyes immediately came up to meet his. It wasn't a challenge, he knew she was ignorant of inu mannerisms, but it felt like one and he suppressed the growl to reprimand her boldness.

"Hunting you? Why?"

"He seeks power. I am his ultimate goal."

'Kami, Sesshoumaru. That's arrogant even for you.' she groaned internally.

"Okay, but how do you know he's hunting you?"

'Her curiosity rivals a pup's!' he thought, annoyed of her questions already.

"He tracked my scent north and then south again." He clipped at her, shifting and looking around before turning back to continue the conversation. "He also confiscated the left arm of his victims. I surmise that is a reference to our prior battle."

"That's it!" she shouted, surprising him. "Kami, I've been trying to figure out why for days! I knew there was some significance." She closed her eyes at the relief of finally getting that last piece of the puzzle. "I came from Utsunomiya a few days ago and when they told me about the General's death and his missing arm, I was suspicious but I couldn't place it."

'She was following the same line of thought. Good. She is intelligent enough to understand what must happen then.'

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to begin the discussion of what must happen next when her stomach chose to make itself known first.

"A-ha. Sorry. Guess I'm going fishing before making camp. Oh right, can I stay here and wait with you for Inuyasha?"

"Hm."

"Is that a 'yes'? I'm never really sure." Kagome put her hands on her hips and waited.

"Yes, miko. Hunt. I will remain here."

"Thanks. Be back soon!" She waved and jogged into the trees.

He did not acknowledge her leaving but watched her retreat. This human woman was a mystery. She was self-sufficient enough to travel alone and provide for herself but yet she chose companionship with his half-brother? She chose to live among humans who were much less accomplished than herself and would constantly require her help. A pack was a unit where all members pulled equal weight, save for the greater burden of the alpha, but it seemed like much more was required of her in particular. Why did she choose to bear the burden of so many? Why play alpha to humans who clearly did not recognize her superiority?

…

As Kagome left the glade, she slowed her walk. Inuyasha was coming here. She placed a hand over her heart to measure its rapid beat. If Sesshoumaru was sure Inuyasha was coming this way, it was probably true. She had only heard of Inuyasha being further east a few days ago but she most definitely made slower progress than the daiyoukai who could fly on a whim. His statement about Inuyasha hunting him made sense. If he was hunting for power, Sesshoumaru was a good place to start, and the left arm thing was macabre but also made sense in context. The missing limbs made her that much more apprehensive about meeting him again.

He had done horrible things since he'd left and trailed death behind him as he went. So much death. Could they live in Edo anymore? Could they cuddle up together in bed at night and sigh contentedly ever again? What did life look like on the other side of his madness? Was there life at all? Kagome shook off the dark thoughts creeping in. If that happened, she would face it but there was planning to do.

During their quest for Naraku, his demonic state was brought on several times in quick succession until they learned how to control it. After that, Inuyasha had been careful not to stray too far from Tessaiga and guarded it warily. Wait, where was Tessaiga now? Did he not have it with him? It couldn't be that simple. Maybe Sesshoumaru would know. That was plan A.

The next had been to use the kotodama. Reaching in her sleeves, she fingered the heavy beads hidden there. After trying Tessaiga, she would use them to try to subdue him. If that brought him around, then they had time to plan. To talk. She desperately wanted hear his voice. Hear his thoughts on what was happening. Hear him say her name again.

If neither of those worked, she was hesitant to try the last. She wouldn't purify him. She couldn't.

But she could seal him.

Her heart clenched painfully at the idea but he couldn't be allowed to roam free the way he was. If he was going to be here, he would have to be pinned down here and not allowed to leave until a solution could be found. And Kagome still had no idea why this was happening.

'Add that to the list of things to ask Sesshoumaru when I get back. Maybe he knows something.'

Finally finding a few decent sized fish downstream, Kagome headed back to make camp. She felt the call of youki pulsing through the woods again as she strolled back into the glade. Sesshoumaru had resumed his position on the boulder in the stream and was simply sitting and gazing at the sky, silver hair lifted occasionally by the cool breeze.

'He looks so lonely and a little sad. I wonder if he has any other family or anyone other than Rin.' she wondered. 'No, he does have other family. He's just chosen to be particular about blood.'

Preparing her fire and dinner took less time than she thought and soon, she was spreading blankets under the stars and preparing to sleep. Her company was still calling Inuyasha with his youki when she approached him again.

"Sesshoumaru? Can I ask you a few things?" Her voice was clear and loud in the dark.

"Hm?" He did not move or acknowledge her otherwise.

"I was wondering… if you knew why this was happening to Inuyasha?"

His aura centered itself within him and he looked over to her on the river bank. His eyes found hers in the dark. Kagome realized they glowed in the firelight so much like Inuyasha's did, but the emotions there were so different. So guarded.

"I do. He has inherited the ability to draw in the youki of others from our sire." He paused when she remained silent but then continued. "The captain I sent to test him described the situation and there is no doubt. The Inu no Taisho was formidable in its application but a hanyou is inferior in body and spirit. Now that his ability has awoken, it will never cease and Inuyasha cannot control it. It will kill him in time. Very soon, miko, he will die."

Kagome knew. Deep down somewhere she had been denying the truth of the situation. She couldn't be mad with Sesshoumaru for telling her outright. He probably thought he was simply explaining and had no concept of the hurt he was causing. She let her tears fall freely, not wiping or hiding them from him. The fire was at her back so maybe he wouldn't see them anyway.

Sesshoumaru was concerned at his acquiescence to answer all of her many questions. He had been keeping this revelation of Inuyasha's power mostly to himself, with the exception of the inu brothers waiting in the West, and he realized it was a relief to tell her. To tell someone who would understand without the arduous backstory to accompany these new developments. Moreover, he was satisfied to share the outcome of this battle with her. Whatever his feelings about the hanyou as a relative, Inuyasha was an inu in part, and it went against the alpha's nature to kill one so clearly outmatched and unprepared. Her presence might provide a boon to his screaming instincts in some small way.

"But then… where is Tessaiga? If we can find it and get it back in his hands, maybe-"

"He discarded it, priestess. I have brought the fang but it will not keep his youki contained. The sword is lighter than I have ever felt it. Tessaiga is drained from its efforts these past months. I suspect it will shatter if he draws it."

"So… what do you plan to do if he comes here?" she asked in a whisper, already knowing the answer.

"I will end him."

He said it factually. No anger or sadness. No mirth or guile. It was only the truth. To Kagome, it was the end of her world.

"No, Sesshoumaru, please! There has to be another way! This isn't his fault. Please help me find another way!" she sobbed. "Don't give up on him…"

"There is no other way."

He ignored her crying and the sound of her knees falling to the stones at the shore. He could not help her come to terms with Inuyasha's death. She would have to accept the truth on her own.

"I won't let you! I can stop him! Please let me try before you kill him?! Please!"

"How?" he narrowed his eyes at her now. Her emotions were indeed ruling her. He had hoped for better given her vast experience with death.

Kagome sniffled and tried to calm her voice and shaking hands. She could not erase the coarse and raspy sound of the sadness that clung there but carried on.

"We should try to get Tessaiga to him first but if that doesn't work, I brought the kotodama with me. If I can use them to pin him down, maybe I can get through to him."

"Beads of subjugation. Hn. His youki will have surpassed their ability. They would no more work on Inuyasha than This Sesshoumaru."

"No, given the amount of reiki I can use to activate them, that might not be true." She hoped it wasn't.

"It is true. Do not fool yourself. Have you another plan?"

Kagome raised her chin and met his eyes then.

"I can seal him. I have the power and I know how but that must be a last resort. I can't imagine hurting him like that but it's better than his death."

"How?"

"Excuse me?"

"How is being sealed in agony better than death?" The acid dripped from his words now. She was wrong and she should know it. Wielding her abilities like they were painless and faultless was ignorant and careless.

"Agony? No, he'll just be asleep until we can find a solution." she said softly, confused.

"Tell me, priestess. Does your unconscious mind forget all that has occurred because you are asleep?"

"No. Are you asking me if I have nightmares? Is that what you're getting at?"

"Yes. His trauma will manifest around him like a prison. He has killed hundreds in his rampage. He will relive every death and every regret for as long as he is sealed. It is a fate worse than death. Dishonorable and thoughtless. I do not wish it for the hanyou and neither should you."

'Why does he suddenly care so much? He's never cared about Inuyasha before. And his description of being sealed… how would he know?'

"But what else can I do?" Kagome asked, desperate for a different answer but knowing what he would say.

"Accept his fate, miko. And aid me in it." he tried.

She sobbed again, swallowing every unsightly noise she could, but it was over. He had broken down all of her defenses, her whole plan. Reduced to nothing in minutes.

"You can't- sit there- and ask me to- to kill my husband, Sesshoumaru! Even you're not that heartless…" she gasped as she wept.

"It is not heartless. He will die in his right mind. Take comfort in that, if you must."

"If you can promise that, why can't we just bring him back? Why kill him if you can save him?" Her voice adopted a raspy tremble, throat aching as she pleaded again for his help.

"I cannot seal his ability. It is his until death. The new moon will ensure his sanity returns, I believe."

Sesshoumaru cast his eyes heavenward from his perch. Kagome followed him from the shore. The moon was indeed almost gone. Tomorrow night it would darken completely. How could she have forgotten?

"What? The new moon- Oh no. It's been two weeks already? I had forgotten!" She rounded on him, anger flaring. "But you knew! You've been planning this all along. Defeating him when he's weak and taking advantage of his human night! It's wrong, Sesshoumaru. It's cowardly! How can you-"

"Hold your tongue, woman! Do not misunderstand my calm for complacency! I alone have righted the wrongs his lunacy has wrought. I have baited him here. And I will kill him, miko. Make no mistake."

His sneer forced her anger to rise. He was not always right. This was not the only way. If they worked together, maybe they could find a new answer but he had already appointed himself judge and executioner with no one to challenge him. Fine. She would challenge him. Crossing her arms like armor around her breaking heart, she planted her feet and yelled at Sesshoumaru.

"Well, maybe if you had helped him yourself instead of pawning the task off on a soldier, it might be different!"

"There was no indication such action was needed. Sending a subordinate was perfectly acceptable at the time." He shot back.

"Yeah, until Inuyasha nearly killed him then you deigned to step in yourself."

"You will hold your tongue in matters you know nothing about!"

He was standing now, leaning forward with claws flexed. She was too angry to be afraid, aura rising like an ocean wave threatening to crash down at any moment. His skin tingled as her energy threatened to overflow. He was hyper aware of her breathing, her movements, her angry and accusatory cerulean stare in the darkness of the glade.

"Well, let's go farther back then. Ignoring him his entire life, leaving him to fend for himself in the wild with no training, no parents and no home. How did you expect him to prepare himself for this? He has no idea who his father really was!"

"He was not wanted. It was not my responsibility to protect my father's bastard son from the world and certainly not This One's responsibility to raise him!" he snarled back.

"Don't make excuses for yourself, Sesshoumaru. Don't justify your apathy and neglect to me. I don't care why you think it was okay to leave a child to the world when there are so few of you left. It was wrong and you know it!"

Sesshoumaru took one short leap from the river and landed in front of her in a buffeting swirl of silk and silver. She did not look away. Her chin was raised in defiance and her arms remained crossed at her breasts. He strode over to stand directly in front of her, nothing the way her heart sped up at his proximity. She smelled of anger and sadness and something else… something deeper.

"You take advantage of my patience, miko. I warn you: it is wearing perilously thin." he growled with gritted teeth.

She stepped closer to him and let her arms hang down at her sides. Her eyes shifted from angry and flashing, turning down at the corners and shining with understanding. He nervously looked at both of her hands, expecting her to touch him. When she did not, he was… What was that feeling? The miko did not give him time to identify the sensation but instead, continued her assault.

"Maybe if you had treated him like a brother instead of an annoyance you wouldn't be so sad and lonely." She said it quietly and knew it was true.

How could she have known? How had she cut through him so quickly, so expertly? His rage was palpable at her precision in dissecting his emotions. A ragged snarl was her only warning as searing youki exploded over the glade and knocked her backward. Before she could recover, he was there, hovering over her with a hand at her throat that was wet with caustic poison. Her skin hissed with the contact and the sand beneath her fragile neck began to melt away. He was pressing so hard, it forced her to grab his arm and fight back for breath. Reiki crackled at his forearm but he did not relent. His hard, amber eyes bored into hers. Fangs flashing in the firelight. Eyes bleeding red. The low growl as he upbraided her echoed through her chest.

"You know nothing of me."

But she did know, and it made him all the angrier. He left the glade and took to the sky, howling his rage at the clear night in his bestial form.

Kagome watched him go and felt guilty. She was no better than he. She had baited and angered him to make herself feel something other than this crushing sadness. She knew her husband would die. The sinking feeling only grew with each passing day after he told her of his affliction. With each new account of his madness on the road, she was reminded how life would never be the same again. Inuyasha had gone too far and was too far gone. And if his new abilities were his until death, like Sesshoumaru had said, this episode would only repeat itself over and over in his long life. She knew Sesshoumaru was right.

Kagome curled in on herself and wept at the riverbank.

...

Author's Note: I will tell you that they don't separate for a long time after this so SessKag fans should start to see more of their interactions. I hope you're still enjoying it so far. Let me know, if you feel inspired.

I have also gone back in a edited the first four chapters to clarify and fix some things. Doesn't change the story too much but it flows better and makes a little more sense now. Happy reading and I hope everyone stays safe and healthy!