Disclaimer - I do not own InuYasha . . . but I do have a ton of manga, four DVD's, and my Zippo, which if anyone touches, I will break their fingers. So there : P



Author's Notes - Okay, well this one is gonna be a little long . . . I hope you can all forgive me.



1 - It has come to my attention thanks to my loyal reviewers, that I was/am being plagiarized. To tell you the truth, I'm caught between being terribly amused, highly irritated, and somewhat honored. Let me explain . . . I'm amused because, from all accounts I've heard, they did a really BAD job at it, I'm irritated because I spent a lot of time on this (as well as two solid months reading every single InuYasha fic to make sure that I had a semi-original plot line), and somewhat honored because I guess they considered my story good enough to plagiarize. Now, my next point feed into this one, so bear with me.

2 - My computer has been on the fritz. This has not stopped my writing, but I am a little behind at the moment. Due to a file mishap, we had to wipe my hard drive and start over . . . and then we lost our modem's driver, which prevented me from logging on. Thus, whoever this person is who plagiarized me with this 'Starlight Dreams' story, caught a good window, cause I never saw it. So, I have a request to ask of you, my loyal readers . . . if you have the story id# of this guy, let me know in a review. I'd like to read it and see how badly it got mangled. Also, if you haven't already, report the guy please. I spend a lot of time on this story to make sure it's a good read, and I don't appreciate someone taking my work. Plagiarism is a curse to any writer.



With that said, on with the story.



Chapter 13 Part 2



"Naraku . . ." InuYasha snarled, turning full circle in an attempt to find the source of his nemesis' voice. He couldn't see him anywhere, and the smell of him was so overwhelming that he couldn't be located by scent. A gasp from Kagome made him spin toward's his mate, a snarl bursting forth as he found her struggling in Naraku's grasp.

"Kagome!" Miroku and Sango shouted, stepping forward towards their captive friend, leaving Kirara to watch over an unconscious Shippo.

"One more step, humans, and I will snap her neck like a twig," Naraku stated calmly, his fingers tightening around Kagome's neck as his other arm tightened his grip on her around her chest. The monk and exterminator froze, looking at InuYasha in alarm, unsure of what they could possibly do. His growl was barely audible, but his fist were clenched tightly, so much so that he was drawing blood as his claws dug into his palms.

"Let . . . her . . . go," he ground out, his ears laying flat against his skull as his rage threatened to consume him. Naraku only chuckled coldly, pulling Kagome even closer to him.

"Ah . . . but she is such a sweet and satisfying catch, InuYasha . . ." Naraku murmured. Keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the growling inu-youkai, he licked a thin path up the side of Kagome's face from her shoulder to her ear. "So much like Kikyo, isn't she InuYasha? You can relive your tragic love all over again . . . though I must say, this one has so much more fire and spirit in her . . ."

InuYasha took a step forward, his eyes narrowing ominously, but stopped short of launching an attack when Kagome whimpered slightly in pain, one of Naraku's claws digging painfully into the soft flesh of her throat. She stared at her mate helplessly, unable to do anything. Her terror was overwhelming . . . so much so that her mind could not concentrate on bringing her power's to bear on the hanyou that held her in his grasp.

"One step closer, InuYasha, and you get to watch Kikyo die all over again. And this time, no arrow is going to spare you the loss." InuYasha froze, his claws digging deeper into his palms as he fought to remain in control of himself.

"You wouldn't dare . . ." he growled.

"Wouldn't I? I caused Kikyo's death that day . . . what makes you think I would hesitate to kill this girl, this copy of your love? Or could it be that you fear this girl's death more than your own?" Naraku's eyes narrowed in thought, his hand absently toying with the soft, pale flesh of Kagome's throat. "You have become weak, InuYasha. Your love for this reincarnation will be your undoing." He released Kagome suddenly, barely dodging an attack from behind that would have taken his head off. He leapt into a nearby tree, turning to glare coldly down at his attacker.

"Sesshoumaru . . ." he hissed. "I'm surprised at you, resorting to such sneak attacks. I had thought you better than your brother. He specializes in such things, after all." The inu-youkai lord merely returned the glare just as coldly from where he stood, Kagome protected behind him.

"You are not worthy of an honorable face-to-face attack, abomination. Was it not you, after all, who took a child under my protection in an attempt to force my cooperation?" he replied, his voice emotionless and empty . . . the true voice of a youkai lord.

"Yes . . . your father would be so proud of you both . . . following so closely in his footsteps as you are," Naraku sneered. Summoning his miasma, he wrapped it around himself, cloaking himself in it's darkness. "The end of this will come soon, fools . . ." he said, beginning to fade from sight. "But on my terms and my playing field, not your own."

Everyone in the clearing remained in place for a few moments after Naraku had taken his leave of them, unsure as to whether or not the psychotic hanyou was truly gone. Sesshoumaru was the first to move, turning to face Kagome, who still stood close behind him. He reached out with one delicate, clawed hand, gently raising Kagome's chin to examine the marks Naraku had left on her neck. The young miko's eyes widened at the unexpected gentleness from the usually icy youkai lord, but did not try to pull away, staring up into his golden eyes curiously as he examined her. A sudden harsh growl caused him to glance away from her and his examination, looking up at his half-brother, who stood a short distance away, blood red eyes locked on his mate and his brother.

"InuYasha . . . regain your control, hanyou. I am not contesting your claim to the young miko . . . I was merely assessing the damage Naraku inflicted." He moved suddenly away from Kagome, dodging a barely seen attack by his enraged hanyou brother. "InuYasha," he growled out, as he continued to dodge the sporadic attacks, "I have no desire to fight you for your mate. Cease this nonsense." InuYasha only snarled and lunged to attack again. Annoyed, Sesshoumaru dodged the attack once again, and seeing that his brother was not about to listen to sense any time soon, directed his comments toward's Kagome instead.

"As much as I dislike admitting this . . . I believe I am going to require your assistance, Kagome," he said, stepping to one side and bringing his fist down on the back of InuYasha's neck as the hanyou missed with another attack. "He is not currently in his right mind, and will not listen to reason."

"He shouldn't be this way at all!" Kagome called out in return. "Not with Tetsusiaga in such close proximity . . . what do you want me to do?" She motioned for Sango and Miroku to stay back with Kirara and Shippo, knowing that they could do no more than enrage InuYasha further in his current state.

"If I can restrain this arrogant hot-head, do you think that you could possibly come up with something?" Sesshoumaru replied. For the first time since Kagome had met him, he actually sounded . . . emotional. Well, actually, he sounded frustrated and annoyed, but it was still something.

"I can try . . . but I can't guarantee that anything I do will work. He doesn't have the rosary anymore." At this, Kouga stepped forward from where he had been hovering on the outskirts of the clearing, his face serious.

"I will help . . . if I may." Kagome nodded to him, absently handing him his three shards as she watched Sesshoumaru continue to lead InuYasha in circle's around the clearing. There were a couple of close calls, where the youkai lord misjudged his brother's speed, but he had yet to have actually been hit. Kouga bent down, quickly embedding the shard's in his skin once again before moving to join the youkai lord in attempting to restrain his enraged half-brother.

Together, the two youkai managed to pin InuYasha to the ground, after several moments of touch and go fighting. Each youkai held one arm firmly in his grasp, restraining the hanyou as Kagome approached cautiously. She removed Tetsusiaga carefully from her back before gently laying it across his chest. She moaned in dismay when nothing happened.

"Oh no . . . I was afraid of this . . ." she murmured, wracking her brain for what else she could possibly try.

"If you do not mind, woman . . . he is a little more difficult to restrain then you might think, even for us," Sesshoumaru snarled as InuYasha bucked, trying to free his arms.

"Sesshoumaru is not joking Kagome . . ." Kouga added, his own teeth gritted as he literally kneeled on the arm he was holding, trying desperately to keep it pinned to the ground. Kagome stared down at the struggling hanyou, searching her mind for any possible idea. Only one thought came to mind . . . no matter his form, she did not believe InuYasha would ever harm her. She only hoped her faith him turned out to be justified.

In a move that had Kouga and even the usually unemotional Sesshoumaru staring at her in shock, Kagome sat on InuYasha's chest after removing the Tetsusiaga, her legs straddling his body, her hands reaching out to gently bracket his face so that he met her eyes with his own.

InuYasha glared up at her and snarled, his fangs flashing dangerously in the filtered light. Kagome instinctively snarled back at him, baring her own teeth at him in a mockery of his. Sesshoumaru, watching closely, could not help but be slightly amused by her actions, his amber eyes glowing with faint humor as she unconsciously reacted to InuYasha as any female youkai would when their mate was endangering himself needlessly.

Kagome leaned down, keeping InuYasha's eyes locked with her own as she slowly moved one hand to trace the stripes on his face, brushing the skin lightly with her fingertips. InuYasha shivered beneath her, his eyes losing the murderous glare. Moving carefully, she trailed her fingers up his face to gently rub one ear between thumb and finger, massaging the soft fur and delicate flesh with a feather light touch. His breath caught mid-growl and he sighed, his body relaxing beneath her.

She nodded gently to Kouga and Sesshoumaru, who carefully released InuYasha's arms, stepping back quickly as he sat upright all of a sudden, dislodging Kagome from her perch upon his chest. His arms wrapped around her tightly, and Kagome shivered as he breathed against her neck, just before his tongue gently caressed the pulse just underneath the skin. She giggled and blushed, sensing that Sesshoumaru and Kouga were still standing quite nearby.

"InuYasha?" she called softly. One fluffy white ear flicked towards her, and she thought she heard a muffled response. "InuYasha . . . mate . . . umm . . ." She jumped slightly as she felt teeth lightly grate over her skin, followed by a very warm, slightly wet tongue. "InuYasha, stop that!" This time, his reply was clear as he rested his head gently on her shoulder.

"Why?" he growled softly, pulling her hips into his own with his hands firmly about her waist. She could feel her face heating up at that very sexual action, and she struggled to find her voice to reply.

"Inu . . . we have an audience, you baka!"

"Feh! You are my mate . . . what do they care what we do?"

"INUYASHA!" she squeaked, as he pulled her hips closer to his, to the point where they were almost brushing. "I should never have removed that . . . damn . . . NECKLACE!" she managed to get out, as his hands began to wander up her shirt. She glanced down at him, moving to stop his hands . . . and her blue/grey eyes met laughing golden ones. "Why . . . you . . ." she growled, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she realized he'd been playing his return to control off for the last few minutes. InuYasha grinned at her, knowing he was probably going to get his ears yanked out once she got over being stunned.

He was surprised when she pushed away from him to stand on her feet, turning her back to him. He suddenly smelled tears, and levered himself to his feet, only to be confronted by a very angry Kagome when she spun back around to face him.

"Damn it InuYasha . . . I've been worried sick about you! Where were you?! Why did you run away from me?!" She fell silent for a moment before whispering a question that pained him more than he could ever have imagined mere words would.

"Why don't you trust me?"



To Be Continued



AN - Okay my loving readers, here's another question for you . . . what else do you want to see? Or is it time I moved on? I've been looking at my story, and all I could think of was 'wow . . . this things had more loops and twists than a roller coaster'. So, give me some ideas . . . have I tortured Inu and Kagome enough, or are you thirsty for more? Give me some ideas . . . I'm working on coming up with some as well. Till then, take care all, and my best to all of you. Keep reading and writing . . . it makes the world go round, after all : )