.:All of My Tomorrows:.
chapter twenty : witching hour

He watched as Kagome's blood stained her kimono and dripped onto the ground, creating a small puddle at her feet. The fragrance sent shivers down his spine as he watched Magatsuhi pull his miasma out of her, tearing more of her delicate flesh in the process.

'How dare he.'

She did not flinch when a large gash was made in her thigh, nor did she seem to hear Magatsuhi when he screamed out and began to charge toward her. In that instant, a desire filled Sesshoumaru's heart as he watched Magatsuhi hurry toward the human. A possessive-like desire that he had not felt since his mother died.

'How dare he!'

More than anything, he wanted to protect her. She was important to him. She belonged to him. The fact that anyone would dare to hurt her sent white-hot bolts of fury throughout his body, causing him to ripple with power and teeter on the edge of maintaining his humanoid appearance.

He would protect her with his life.

Sesshoumaru did not feel the Tenseiga respond to his desire and vanish from its sheath on his hip. His mind was focused on Magatsuhi as he raced toward the beast, utilizing his gift of speed more than he ever had before.

• • •

Kagome was aware of a dim burning sensation from her neck and thigh that she distantly realized was pain. She felt moisture rolling down the side of her neck and collarbone and she knew that she was bleeding. Mild concern filtered through her mind as she noted the injury before the numbness that wrapped itself around her like a blanket suddenly intensified. It drowned out any sense of pain as she let her mind go blank of all worries and fears. She was only aware of a need to pull. She could not identify what she was pulling at or how, it was just a natural urging that demanded her cooperation.

Closing her eyes, Kagome concentrated on the urge and gave into it. Even with her eyes closed, she could see Sesshoumaru fighting against Magatsuhi, who had reverted to his true, dragon-like form.

Sesshoumaru too, was on the verge of full transformation. He seemed to be holding on to his humanoid appearance by a mere thread. His entire body had become bulkier and short, white fur coated his skin. Glowing red surrounded spheres of amber, making his eyes appear full of deadly intent. His teeth were long fangs that extended well past his bottom lip. The sight of him was frightening enough, but the growls he was making sounded even more ominous.

Kagome had never seen Sesshoumaru look so terrifying, yet he still maintained control and grace. Every strike and swing was as fluid and beautiful as it was deadly. His movements revealed years of training with their complexity and accuracy. Even Magatsuhi seemed mesmerized by his speed and grace, though was still able to shift from a defensive position to an offensive position and back again.

They were too evenly matched and Kagome felt concern for Sesshoumaru's welfare sting at her heart.

• • •

There was little Sesshoumaru could do but defend himself against Magatsuhi and try to keep him away from Kagome, but this tactic only angered the beast more and soon Sesshoumaru bore bloody wounds as testimony. Ignoring the pain, Sesshoumaru fought harder and felt his body shift ever closer to his true youkai form with each second. He fought his natural instinct to transform completely because he did not want to let go of the Tetsusaiga. He felt confident that Magatsuhi's rage would lead to a fatal mistake and Sesshoumaru need only to wait for that moment to come.

It was Sesshoumaru's experience that when unbridled fury entered the battle, the winner of the fight could be easily decided. The person burning with rage usually became sloppy as their attention divided. This eventually led to frustration, defeat and death. Sesshoumaru's father invested many long hours training his heir to control his temper during a fight. Learning that level of self-control was difficult for Sesshoumaru to master during his adolescence. When he was finally able to fight without being controlled by emotion, he was pleased to discover the deadly precision of his techniques.

His father had been right when he said that an opponent fighting with fire filling their heart burned itself out much quicker than an opponent with a battle hardened heart of ice. Unfortunately, that was a lesson Inuyasha never learned.

Magatsuhi, unlike Inuyasha, was as wizened a warrior as he was evil. He was clearly in a state of rage, yet his attacks were still clean and precise. Sesshoumaru knew that if he allowed himself to go into a rage like Magatsuhi, he would lose and so would Kagome. Yet, the temptation to give in to that overwhelming feeling of possessiveness and rage tormented him, making the thought of transforming completely sound even more enticing.

Sesshoumaru wanted to give in to that temptation. His youkai blood begged him to allow his natural instincts to override his intellect, but doing so meant releasing the Tetsusaiga and he knew that would be a mistake. As Sesshoumaru continued to combat Magatsuhi, he became increasingly aware of a strange humming sound that came from the sword. A humming that sounded strangely familiar and comforting.

• • •

As the combating pair moved ever closer toward her, she felt the insistence of the Shikon no Tama grow stronger. It wanted her to do more, but she did not know what. Kagome focused her mind on the jewel; willing herself to make whatever needed to happen, happen… yet she could not. She could not concentrate on the jewel while Sesshoumaru and Magatsuhi continued to fight so fiercely.

She was scared for him.

Frustration and fear gripped her and she felt the Shikon no Tama begin to slip. She could help him if she concentrated -- at least she thought she could. The sounds of battle grew louder in her ears, warning her that they would soon be upon her. Kagome panicked and opened her eyes, a feeling of uncertainty washing through her. Everything rested on this moment, if she failed the Shikon no Tama would amplify Magatsuhi's power a hundred fold and Sesshoumaru would most certainly die.

She could not afford to make a mistake.

A flash of steel caught Kagome's eye and the sudden sensation of warmth surrounding her and comforting her like a cocoon filled her mind.

'Tenseiga…'

She felt a tingling energy surround her as she watched the sword flip end over end as it circled her, its speed increasing until it became a blur of silver around her.

'Sesshoumaru is protecting me…'

Feeling a renewed sense of confidence, Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on the spinning orb before her. Pressing against her consciousness from the recesses of her mind was a passion that she recognized from the last time she called on the power of the Shikon no Tama. Her heart quivered at the thought of giving in to that feeling once again, but she knew that was what she had to do. Stubbornly pushing aside her unease, Kagome let that familiar feeling surge through her, empowering her.

Focusing her thoughts and emotions on the Shikon no Tama, Kagome forced herself to look inside it as she felt herself become lighter, then the ground seemed to disappear from under her feet. The Tenseiga rose as she did and she felt it pulse in synchronicity with her. The presence of the sword encouraged her and she pushed herself to continue unafraid. Images filled her mind as she continued to focus on the Shikon no Tama, pulling everything trapped within it out.

She felt Midoriko emanating from it, then Kikyou as she had been before Naraku. The people the Shikon no Tama touched filled her mind as she called forth its power. She saw friend and foe alike: Onigumo, Kikyou, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kohaku, Shippou, Kouga, Kaede and Naraku. Everyone the jewel affected appeared within her mind as she unraveled the Shikon no Tama, desperately trying to purify the jewel and undo what Magatsuhi had done five hundred years before.

• • •

Sesshoumaru and Magatsuhi both paused in their fight long enough to witness Kagome lift from the ground. A mixture of shock and surprise was evident on both their faces as the Tenseiga began to spin around her, creating a shield. It flickered with light in rhythm with the pulses coming from the Shikon no Tama. Sesshoumaru suspected the jewel was pulsing in rhythm with Kagome's heartbeat, uniting the three.

Intellectually, Sesshoumaru did not know exactly what was going on, but he knew without a doubt that the sword was protecting her somehow. His heart immediately felt at ease when he saw the Tenseiga with her, allowing him to concentrate all of his attention onto a raging Magatsuhi.

After recovering from his shock and surprise, the sight of Kagome lifting into the air with the Tenseiga and Shikon no Tama sent Magatsuhi into a fury causing his attacks to gain in strength. Tendrils of miasma, sharp claws and noxious gas came at Sesshoumaru from all sides. He was able to parry and deflect Magatsuhi's attack, but the battle was not going in his favor and he was growing tired.

The Tetsusaiga thrummed passionately in his hand, pulling him into action and Sesshoumaru resisted it as he parried with Magatsuhi once more. As both opponents pulled back to ready themselves for another round, the sword intensified its efforts to gain the youkai lord's attention and the blade began to glow. Sesshoumaru raised the sword before him to examine it with all of his senses.

"What is it you wish of me?" Sesshoumaru asked in a quiet whisper, not really expecting an answer.

A strange sense of knowing washed over the youkai lord as he held the Tetsusaiga before him. Without fully understanding what was going to happen next, Sesshoumaru placed his faith in his father's sword and closed his eyes as Magatsuhi bounded toward him. The sword urged him to stand ready as he waited, and Sesshoumaru concentrated on the sounds and scents around him to maintain his bearings.

The distant sound of Magatsuhi rushing toward him caused his ears to twitch and the hair on the back of his neck and spine began to stand on end. His muscles grew painfully tense as he ground his teeth in wait. He wanted to open his eyes. He wanted to shift into a posture that guaranteed a greater chance of an offensive maneuver. His training told him to rush at Magatsuhi and strike. To wait for an enemy as skilled as he to attack first in such a manner was suicide, but the way the sword hummed enabled him to maintain his waning patience.

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw tightly as the sound of Magatsuhi's approach grew louder in his ears. He concentrated on the sword, not trusting himself if he focused his attention on Magatsuhi. The vibrating sensation grew more intense within his grip as the once delicate hum of the sword grew louder. The sound was very low in tone, too low for human ears to hear; yet, it was strangely familiar. The more the sound increased in volume, the more certain Sesshoumaru was that he recognized it.

Then it hit him. He'd been so taken with the fact that the sword was reacting as it was that he didn't truly listen to it and he felt like a fool. The sword itself was growling.

Sesshoumaru clenched the sword tighter in his fist as he waited for the right moment to strike. He inhaled deeply, gathering the scents around him and smelled his own blood as well as Magatsuhi's. There was also the strong scent of Magatsuhi's youki surrounding him.

The scents seem to swirl all around him and he was certain that the sword was trying to show him where to strike, but the path was still unclear. It wasn't like the scents that guided Sesshoumaru when he wished to use the Kaze no Kizu or the Bakuryuuha. It was still missing something.

Magatsuhi was nearly upon him and still Sesshoumaru could not find his target. He could feel Magatsuhi coming closer, the stench of his miasma and the thundering sound of Magatsuhi's heart flooded his mind.

His heart...!

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened to see Magatsuhi in mid swing. With a speed that had no equal, Sesshoumaru thrust the Tetsusaiga into Magatsuhi, aiming for the source of the sound.

Bright red eyes full of shock looked down at the blade that impaled his chest. Sesshoumaru twisted the sword ninety degrees and then ripped it out of his flesh. Magatsuhi stumbled backward and watched as the miasma spilling out of the gash in his chest began to evaporate into nothingness. He pressed his hand against the wound to stop the flow in vain. Magatsuhi could hardly believe what was happening. Such a wound should not be possible! He forced himself to stand as he reconsidered Sesshoumaru's power.

The youkai lord pulled back from Magatsuhi and prepared to strike him once more but paused when he caught sight of his dead brother in his peripheral vision. He resisted the urge to look upon the figure fully; thinking it was a desperate trick from a dying adversary to distract him from the fight. He focused instead upon Magatsuhi and saw yet another being that should be dead, Naraku, and behind him, Kikyou.

Sesshoumaru let his eyes rove over the land as he saw more beings he recognized appear on the battlefield. Each one appeared as ghosts, though he knew some of the humans and youkai he was looking at were very much alive. He recognized two of the humans as old companions of his brother, a Buddhist priest and youkai huntress, both of whom were alive. Even Shippou was among the phantom group and with him were two older kitsune who Sesshoumaru could only assume were the brat's true parents.

Magatsuhi saw the phantom beings as well and stared in disbelief. All around him stood the ghostly images of the souls that had been touched and tainted by the Shikon no Tama. The desecration of the jewel that cursed the innocent and blessed the proud was being undone. Angry red eyes turned around to glare at the girl responsible and he howled when he saw her.

The Shikon no Tama was no longer a solid thing. She had reduced it down to its most basic and most vulnerable form. Between her hands, she held a ball of energy and within that ball was a tiny speck of blackness that formed the core of the jewel and the anchor that promised Magatsuhi immortality. That blackness was growing smaller.

He watched as Kagome slowly lifted her head to peer at him, her eyes piercing him in their intensity causing Magatsuhi to recoil. He was afraid. She seemed to throb with power and her eyes shone with the knowledge of how she needed to use that power.

Magatsuhi knew at that moment that he would die. The youkai bastard had distracted him and damaged him just enough for Kagome to learn how to unravel the darkness and purify it.

She was pulling him apart, purifying him.