Hello again everyone. Thanks to everybody who wrote supportive and/or threatening reviews (I like your style ; ) ) I would have posted this last night, but I ended up going to some seminar on 'Efficacy of Using Diptera in Estimation of Post Mortem Interval'. um, yeah.

Same disclaimers as other chapters apply

Author's Notes and responses follow the chapter

Chapter 5: The Trap Closes



It was still several hours before sunrise when Inuyasha's group arrived at a large castle wall.

Inuyasha, still riding Kirara, growled lowly. "Naraku's scent is really strong now. . .," he hesitated, ". . .and Kagome's blood."

Miroku and Sango exchanged fearful glances and Shippou quivered on Miroku's shoulder. "She can't be dead!" he cried, his eyes widening and brimming with tears.

"No. He can't kill her. He needs her to find the Shikon shards." Inuyasha said bitterly, not sure if he was trying to reassure himself or the kitsune.

"She can't be dead," he echoed Shippou, hoping with every fiber that it was true.

When they came to the gate, the found it flung open. Inuyasha through a sleeve over his face and Shippou buried his face in Miroku's neck.

"The smell," Inuyasha growled, his eyes flashing red. "That's why it's so strong." Miroku and Sango followed his eyes to the posts of the gate. "He's painted her blood here. . ."

Sango felt sick immediately. "How much?" she asked worriedly.

Inuyasha ignored her as he leaped down off of Kirara and prepared to sprint through the gate. Miroku grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him roughly to the ground. Inuyasha sprang back up and whirled around to face him, and for a fraction of a second Miroku was afraid his friend would actually attack him.

"Inuyasha, you can't just burst in there after her!" he said, as if trying to nail each word to the hanyou's brain. "He's obviously trying to make you reckless. Charge in swinging your sword and he'll cut you to pieces, especially in your condition. Don't forget, he knows how wounded you are!"

"I don't care! I'm going to slice the bastard into a million fucking pieces with this sword! He's hurt Kagome!" He didn't say killed, because he couldn't admit to himself that it might have happened.

His posture slumped a little, but his claws remained tense and one hand had a white-knuckled grip on his sword. Sango put a firm hand on his shoulder. "We're all going in there together, and we'll all be extra careful."

Inuyasha gave a small nod as he led them through the gate.

The courtyard was lit only by the pale half moon. It seemed unnaturally quiet, the group's footsteps sounded loud in their own ears.

A slow, evil chuckle writhed through the cool night air. "I'm surprised to see you on your feet so soon, Inuyasha," Naraku's voice came smoothly from the shadowed castle entrance.

"Shut up! Give me Kagome or I'll kill you now." Inuyasha yelled in blind fury.

"Don't be that way Inuyasha, I've been taking good care of her while she's been here. You know, I think she's even more interesting than Kikyou was." He laughed softly.

"Besides, we don't want to start the party before everyone's arrived. . ." Naraku taunted, stepping slowly out of the shadows.

Almost as if on cue, a silver blur streaked past the group and reappeared standing a short distance away from Naraku on the opposite side as Inuyasha and his friends.

The pale demon lord looked as calm as ever as he wordlessly drew Toukijin.

"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled in surprise. "What the hell do you want?!"

Sesshoumaru sent a chilling glance at Inuyasha. "Stay out of this, half-breed. This bastard has something that belongs to me." He returned his eyes to Naraku now standing almost between the two brothers. "I will kill you and reclaim it. You cannot escape me this time. Or do you have something new to hide behind?"

The corners of Naraku's mouth twitched upward slightly. "I don't think escape will be necessary this time."

Inuyasha was shaking with rage and impatience. "I will not stay out of it!" he roared as he finally sprang at his enemy, bringing his sword down in a massive sweep.

Naraku moved swiftly out of the way but was struck in the shoulder. The group watched in horrified amazement as the gash smoothly resealed itself. They looked up, startled, at the sound of flapping wings and surge of thoughtless roaring to see a deluge of demons and Saimyoushou coming at them.

Simultaneously, the demon brothers both rushed at Naraku, Sesshoumaru slicing him in two through the chest and Inuyasha striking his arm. This time Naraku made little attempt to stop either of them, and as soon as their strokes were completed his flesh had begun to re-knit.

Before any of them could move again, the wave had come upon them. The mass of demons encircled each of them. Miroku, Sango, and Kirara stood back to back, Shippou on Kirara's back. Miroku was swirling his staff furiously and Sango had pulled her sword and was using Hiraikotsu as a shield, the demons too close to make hurling it effective.

"Kirara, you and Shippou get back!" Sango yelled, struggling to make herself heard over the torrent of noise.

Inuyasha, enraged that something had come between himself and his prey, swung his sword wildly in the crowd of demons. It felt almost as if he was moving in slow motion. He couldn't feel anything except for the bloodlust boiling in his head. He heard something tear, but did not even bother to look down. He knew he was bleeding badly again, but he didn't care as he desperately tried to carve a path to Naraku. He was getting slower, he knew, and the pain was trying to find a way to make itself known again, trying to make him fall, but he stubbornly kept his feet as he kept hacking away. He could feel claws and teeth make contact with his body again and again as his energy sapped away. He had to end this soon.

Sesshoumaru was hardly visible as he cut the demons that attempted to reach him to ribbons. He was also trying to cut a path to his enemy, but even though his sword was powerful, it did not have the massive destruction abilities the Tetsusaiga did. The demons were not strong, but they were very numerous.

He spared a brief glance at his brother, who was swinging Tetsusaiga as if possessed. From here, he could smell Inuyasha's blood spilling all over the battlefield. 'Does he not even have the strength to bring out the Kaze no Kizu?' he wondered as he proceeded to destroy the low-level demons.

Naraku stood calmly in the midst of all of the chaos. His enemies had now destroyed most of his demons, but still he stood, silently smirking, as if waiting.

Something was wrong. Sesshoumaru could feel it; Naraku would not enter a battle like this without a plan.

Inuyasha had just bisected the last of the demons surrounding him. He was breathing raggedly and growling at Naraku menacingly. Blood was dripping from his claws and sword, though it wasn't clear how much of it was his own. It was obvious to both Sesshoumaru and Naraku that he was barely managing to stay upright.

Sesshoumaru had just finished off the remaining demons near him and started toward Naraku as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Inuyasha take a bracing stance and caught the cold, grim look in his brother's eye. He watched as Inuyasha drew his sword back in preparation-

Naraku grinned.

Sesshoumaru realized what was about to happen the instant his brother began his swing.

Across the battlefield, Miroku saw Sesshoumaru quickly speed to the furthest end of the courtyard, placing Naraku directly between Inuyasha and himself. Puzzled by Sesshoumaru's retreat, he looked up in alarm as he heard his friend's yell.

"Bakuryuuha!" Inuyasha swung with every ounce of strength he had left in his battered and beaten body. The swirls of energy sped toward Naraku, lighting up the night and tearing up the ground.

Naraku held his ground, smirk firmly in place as the volatile energy approached him. Just before the waves could impact, a dark shield sprung around Naraku. Sesshoumaru had seen Naraku return an attack to its owner once before, though Inuyasha had only experienced his deflecting barriers.* They all watched in horror as the energy seemed to stall for a moment, then explode outward in all directions.

"Shit!" Miroku saw the wave of energy coming toward him and grabbed Sango and tried to shelter her as best as he could with his body while chanting prayers. In the fractions of a second before it hit them, he saw the largest swirl of energy strike and twist around Inuyasha and another streak out towards Sesshoumaru. Naraku's few remaining demons were caught up in the raging energy and evaporated instantly.

He saw two bright flashes of light suddenly from where Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were standing, and surprisingly, a third white light burst from Naraku a fraction of a second later. The light from Naraku shot through the air in bright rays of pinkish-white.

Miroku clung tightly to Sango as both waves hit them in close succession and blew him off his feet.

Sesshoumaru felt Tenseiga flare to life next to him as the force of Inuyasha's Bakuryuuha struck him. Its protective glow surrounded him, though the blades of energy continued to seek out his youki in an attempt to tear him apart from the inside.

He saw Naraku immediately raise his hand and watched as a white light exploded from a small object as he tossed into the air. Sesshoumaru felt the light sweep over him, and for a moment he was in great pain. It felt like going through the barrier at Mount Hakurei, but as soon as the pain had begun it faded. He could see the powerful light from whatever Naraku had released on the edge of his sight and could feel its pull, but strangely it did not pain him anymore. Instead, he felt Tenseiga pulse with renewed force at his side. He could feel the warm energy from his sword push back the force of the assault. He had never felt Tenseiga release this kind of energy before.

The lights faded a little and Sesshoumaru once again caught sight of Naraku in the middle of the courtyard. Realizing his opportunity, he darted through the remnants of destructive energy and brought Toukijin down upon Naraku.

Naraku, distracted by his handiwork, did not even see the demon lord until he felt the sword glide cleanly through his chest and return again to slice off his left arm. Before he could begin any counter move, the sword struck him a third time, slicing through his abdomen all the way to his spine as the sword's kenatsu shred his body.

He jumped back and snarled at the unexpected attack. Summoning the shredded parts of his body to him, the protective shield was raised again as the hanyou lifted himself into the sky.

"Coward!" he yelled as Naraku's shouki spread behind him as he flew. "Fight me!"

What was left of Naraku gave an angry twisted smile. At least he always had a back up plan. It was fortunate the brothers were so predictable. "Go see to your little girl, Sesshoumaru. Before something unpleasant happens to her."

Sesshoumaru growled at the diminishing form as it sped away. 'He brought Rin here as insurance,' he thought. 'He knew I would come, hostage or not. She was his escape plan.'

He glanced around the battlefield, now completely vacant. If he pursued, he had a chance of catching Naraku and destroying him. But pursuit meant leaving Rin to die.

No, he decided. Rin was his, and no one took what was his. He could recover the little girl before he renewed his hunt. When he caught up with Naraku, then the hanyou's death would be his as well.

Ignoring the heavy stench of mingling blood, the Lord of the Western Lands stalked away from the battlefield.

*I am referring to the incident after Naraku leaves Mt. Hakurei when Sesshoumaru meets the reformed Naraku by the cliff- Chapter 281 in Volume 29 if you like. I know the anime hasn't come up this far yet, so sorry I'm using it as a plot device.

Authors Notes and Responses

Ok, I'll try to answer the questions I've gotten so far. First off, this is a Kagome/Sesshoumaru fic. However, this doesn't really start to develop until next chapter. Why the delay? One: I like Inuyasha too much and I have to give him some dignity and character even if its a Sess/Kag fic. Two: events taking place right now are going to be relavent later in this story and effect how Kagome and Sesshoumaru's relationship develops.

Is this going to be a long story?-- Um, yes? Actually, I have most of the story planned out right now, so I can tell you it's probably going to end up around 25 chapters. Chapter length may get a little longer... hard to know since I haven't written them yet. So, if that qualifies as long, then yes.

Thanks to sugoi!, atashi-wa-Yume, Utena-chan, Kaylana, Ryuu Girl, Angelike Riddle, Epoch9, Yuko, JoJo, Sesshoumaru13, MarsMoonStar, nema, Napea and omg girl for spurring me on. Special thanks to dreamertwin, kawaiikitsune, kagomesirene, and Sailor Panda for their repeated support!!

As for the next chapter, I'll post it when I can get over this damn chest cold and/or when I finish my computer science project. So, if you want me to get better, clap your hands...oh, wait, that's for fairies. Guess you guys will just have to review.

Till next time, keep reviewing!

-Aiwendil