Disclaimers and Spoilers: Same as previous chapters. I suppose I could add an OOC warning, but this is a fanfic, so. . .duh.

Chapter 6: Changing Hands

Moments after fleeing the castle, Naraku was joined by Kagura on her feather. She took in the state of his body, still as it had been when sliced apart by Sesshoumaru. 'Apparently all did not go as planned,' she thought with bemusement, though she knew better than to say anything out loud. 'If only they had finished him off.'

"Kagura." Naraku ordered.

"Yes?"

"Go back to the castle. Bring the miko back with you."

"What about the other one?" she asked.

"Kill her, if Kohaku hasn't yet. In any case, I no longer need her. Retrieve Kohaku as well." Sesshoumaru deserved some payment, after all, for the damage he'd done today.

"Or at least his shard, should Sesshoumaru come to retrieve the little girl," Naraku added as an afterthought.

As Kagura sped away, Naraku tried to sort out what had happened in the last battle. Anything with youki should have been torn apart effortlessly. He had even taken care of the protection powers of the brothers' swords with the white light he had released. Something had gone wrong though, Sesshoumaru didn't seem to have been effected at all, by either attack.

No matter. With the Shikon no Tama almost completed and the miko in his hands it was only a matter of time until he could use the jewel. When that happened, Sesshoumaru would die.

It took very little time for Sesshoumaru to locate Rin inside the castle. Naraku had put her in a small room dug out beneath the castle. He could smell Inuyasha's woman as well, her scent stronger due to the lingering scent of her blood. He had smelled it outside also; no doubt that was why his brother had so stupidly charged into this battle already massively wounded. Testing the air again, he realized there was also a faint trace of Rin's blood.

His claws tensed and images of Naraku's painful death filled his thoughts.

But he was nothing if not disciplined. He relaxed his hand and stalked off after Rin.



He quickly came to the heavy wooden door, which was standing wide open. He entered to find Kohaku standing near Rin, slowly drawing his sickle blade while Inuyasha's woman was straining against her bonds in an effort to reach them. In an instant the chain and blade went jingling to the floor as Sesshoumaru pinned Kohaku by his neck to the wall.

Sesshoumaru heard Rin let out a little gasp behind him and he felt the presence of another demon enter. "Kagura..." he snarled as he dropped Kohaku into a heap on the floor, where the boy lay still.

"So, Sesshoumaru," Kagura said smiling. "You fought your way out of Naraku's trap. Pity you didn't manage to kill him, though."

Sesshoumaru abandoned Kohaku in favor of standing between the two captive humans.

"What does Naraku want now, Kagura," Sesshoumaru asked impatiently.

"What he always wants. . .the Shikon no Tama." Kagura knew she shouldn't bother talking to her enemy, but she still had hopes that the man in front of her could kill her master. "And your deaths, of course. But right now, I'm just here for the miko."

"The miko?" he questioned, glancing down at the figure sitting chained below him. She was awake but it looked like she was having trouble keeping her eyes focused.

Kagura was distracted by the sound of buzzing insects behind her. 'Shit,' she thought, 'now I really will have to try to kill the little girl.' The last thing she wanted was to make Sesshoumaru into any more of an enemy than he already was, but with Naraku's insects watching, she had little choice.

"Sorry Sesshoumaru, it looks like we've run out of time to chat," she said, pulling back her fan. She released her wind blades, careful only to direct them at Sesshoumaru and Rin.

Sesshoumaru pulled the Tenseiga and, stepping in front of Rin, blocked the arching razors of wind. He rocketed forward through them, dropping his sword as he reached Kagura and grasped her throat firmly, pressing his claws against her jugular.

"What does Naraku want with the Miko," Sesshoumaru asked icily.

Kagura's eyes flashed with fear. Would he actually go so far as to kill her this time?

"I'm not sure. I think he needs her to find the last jewel fragments. And. . ."

"And what?" he said, pressing a little harder with his fingers.

"And. . . I think. . . he. . . fears her miko powers," she forced out of her constricted throat.

Sesshoumaru frowned. What could be so important about this insignificant human woman that Naraku would go to all this trouble?

"Where is he going?" he demanded.

"I don't know." The hand tightened further around her neck and she could hear the sizzle of poison.

"He didn't tell me! He doesn't trust me!" If it weren't for the hand around her throat, it would have been a yell.

'This is getting dangerous,' she thought. 'I have to fulfil my mission and get away from him.' Slowly, she brought her fan up behind his back.

Sesshoumaru watched as she struggled in his grasp until a flash of concentration came over her face. He dropped her as a new set of wind blades streaked toward Rin and moved to intercept them. At the same time, Kagura sent another wave of blades at the demon lord and Kagome's chains. She moved toward Kagome, hoping to be able to grab the miko and run before Sesshoumaru had a chance to regroup.

"No!"

The ragged yell echoed and rang in the bare chamber and white light surged from Kagome, purifying the wind blades before any could reach their targets.

Sesshoumaru spun as the purifying energy filled the room. It felt exactly like the light that Naraku had sent out earlier. Like before, it did not seem to harm him, though its intensity was overwhelming and set him on edge.

The miko collapsed into her bonds and the energy seemed to return within her. Kagura had hesitated when Kagome scent out her attack, but she knew she could not return to Naraku without the miko. She advanced once more, reassured by the girl's unresponsive state.

Sesshoumaru stepped quickly between them as she advanced.

"What are you doing Sesshoumaru? Take your girl and go," Kagura half ordered, half pleaded.

"No." Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her. "The miko stays with me." He could hear Kagome's chains scrape as she struggled to regain consciousness.

Surprise registered on Kagura's face.

"Tell Naraku that if he wants the girl, he can come and get her himself. Leave." His cold voice left little room for argument.

With a flick of her wrist, Kagura tore through the ceiling until the fading stars showed through the hole. Kagura scowled as she dragged Kohaku's limp form onto her feather and sped away in search of Naraku. He would not be happy.



Sesshoumaru sliced through the chains that bound Rin to the wall. Immediately she jumped up and wrapped herself around his closest leg.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! You came for Rin!" Then, as if realizing her position, she stepped back to see if Sesshoumaru was mad at her.

"Rin," said Sesshoumaru, his face unreadable and his voice calm and smooth. "Hold out your arms."

Trustingly, the little girl complied and watched without flinching as the demon lord sliced the manacles from her wrists with perfect precision.

He looked down at her face. "He harmed you."

Rin's small hand went automatically to her cheek. "Just a little. Rin was so scared though, but Kagome nee-san did something and he went away." She ran over to Kagome and put a hand on her shoulder and tried to look at her face. "He hurt Nee-san much worse."

Sesshoumaru finally took a good look at the miko. Whatever Naraku had against this woman must be personal. While Rin was mostly just disheveled, the miko had long deliberate cuts all over her body and a growing bruise on her face where she must have been struck. Naraku obviously took this girl seriously, her legs were bound as well and there was a faint lingering odor of some kind of poison coming from her.

Right now the miko was making a valiant attempt to lift her head and managed to whisper a few reassurances to Rin, though it appeared she was still having trouble focusing.

Kagome had been only dimly aware during the past few minutes. She had seen Kohaku enter and seemingly hesitate before drawing his blade against Rin. All she saw of Sesshoumaru as he entered was a white blur until he rematerialized holding Kohaku against the wall. No sooner than she had registered this, another person joined the party. She had tried to shy away from the demon, knowing before hearing her speak that Kagura had come to retrieve her. She struggled to stay focused on all that was being said between Sesshoumaru and Kagura, but their words sounded muddled in her brain. It wasn't until she saw the wind blades heading for Rin, Sesshoumaru, and herself that she felt the white light instinctively pour out of her.

When she came to a few seconds later Sesshoumaru was standing between Kagura and her in a battle-ready posture. This puzzled her. Was he trying to protect her? Why didn't he let Kagura take her? Sesshoumaru only looked out for his own interests, and she was nothing to him, lower than the dirt on his boots.

She breathed a little easier when Kagura and Kohaku took off on her feather, but was still uneasy. Where was Inuyasha, and why hadn't he come for her yet? Now she was alone with Sesshoumaru, a thought she could find little comfort in.

She felt someone touch her shoulder and fought back a wave of panic as she realized it was Rin standing in front of her, tilting her head in an effort to see Kagome's face.

"It's all right, Rin," she whispered. "I'll be ok." She struggled to raise her head and found herself staring into Sesshoumaru's deep thoughtful gaze.

He watched as the imprisoned girl slowly raised her head to look at him. They swam with anxiety and pain as she attempted to hold his gaze. He could see by the way her pupils adjusted and readjusted and her glazed glance that the poison was still effecting her. Or perhaps the blood loss. In any case, he had difficulty seeing how this half-dead and chained creature in front of him had managed to save Rin. Or, even more puzzling, why did she not save herself from Naraku's torment?

He walked over and split the chains in two as he had for Rin. The miko immediately crumpled to the ground; the chains had been the only thing holding her upright. With a second slice of his claws he severed the chains around her legs. He frowned. She was shivering so badly now her whole body was shaking.

"Stand," he said firmly.

He watched as the girl struggled to comply, pushing on the ground with her hands in an attempt to bring her feat under her only to fall back down with a whimper. Rin tried to help push her up from the other side, but the little girl was not strong enough to be much help.

Impatient, he grabbed Kagome around her upper arm and pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was upright he grasped her tightly around her waist to hold her there. He heard her gasp in pain and realized his hand was on top of one of her many injuries. He shifted his fingers slightly while he kept a firm grasp on her. He was holding up most of her weight since she couldn't help leaning into him for support as he led her back through the hall of Naraku's castle. Rin was scuttling along next to Kagome, watching her carefully.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome said weakly, "where are you taking me?"

He sniffed the air as they returned to the courtyard, the first rays of dawn just pushing their way over the battered fence. "To find my half brother," he decided.

Ok, another chapter. Before it comes up, I'll just say it here. Sesshoumaru has no intention of returning Kagome to Inuyasha. So, if you want to know what he has in mind and what happened to all the other characters, you'll have to wait for the next chapter. And how do you get the next chapter? Threatening and/or supportive reviews are the usual method.

I was gonna do responses after this chapter too, but that's going to have to wait. Still feeling lousy.

-Aiwendil