Hi. I write this story just minutes before I must go to school, so I may not put as much thought into the opening and closing remarks as I usually do, it being 6:30 and all. So, without further banter, here is the story.

Chapter 33: Cleanup In Aisle Five

A ripple of laughter went through the crowd of killers.

"That was easy," someone shouted. "All we have to do is shoot him once and he's gone?"

"Some feared assassin," another man broke in. "What a wimp." These jeering assassins failed to notice the building where Tobias once stood. The fire from the missile's explosion was still raging, hot sheets of flame licking up six, almost seven feet in the air. A few people near the front noticed this.

"Hey, what's with the fire?" Before anyone could answer, it happened.

*FOOOOOM!!*

The fire burst forth. It quickly blossomed into a towering inferno, at least twenty feet high and hotter than a blast furnace. It spread with such speed that it engulfed a few people who were standing too close. Their shrieks and cries were unnoticed by the crowd, who was backing up quickly and with fear.

Tobias stormed out of the raging flames. There was murder in his eyes. His sword was glowing as bright as the fire around him. He did not say a word, but instead raised his sword in front of him.

One sniper – just one – from a nearby rooftop got tone before the others, and fired off a shot. It was fantastically precise, aiming straight into Tobias's head. But it never reached it.

As soon as the bullet came within five feet of him, it seemed to haze and warp, as if distorted by heat waves. It bubbled, melted, and flash-evaporated with a puff of smoke. Terrified, the rest started shooting at him too. Their bullets never even came close, vanishing into clouds of metal vapor before their eyes. Tobias's head flicked to the side.

He saw Inuyasha lying in the alley.

He saw Kagome in a pool of blood.

"Attack me if you will," he said in a sepulchrally deep voice. "But you harmed my friends...and for that...you will all die." He gripped his sword with his other hand and brought it behind his head, holding it like one would a baseball bat about to swing. Then he spoke again, and once more his words seemed to echo around like he had shouted them. They were horribly quiet and held such untempered rage that it made a man cringe to hear them.

"Blade..." The assassins panicked. What was he doing?

"Of..." A few tried to run, but it was far beyond the time for that. There was no escape now.

"DEATH!!"

Not even the dust remained.

Pain! Inuyasha's eyes shot open, only to wake up to a horrible pulsating pain in his forehead. He shook his head a little, but that only made it worse. He sighed. What had caused this? His memory was in fragments right now, if only he could...say, what was he doing in Kagome's time?

Inuyasha's ears snapped to attention as he recalled the events that had led him here. He jerked his head left, grimacing at the barbed spikes of pain that drove into his skull; and saw Tobias, bloodied but alive, sitting against a ruined wall.

"Tobias?" he said. His voice was hoarse. Inuyasha coughed and spat, and tried again. "Tobias?" That was better. Tobias's head drifted in his direction.

"The Blade of Death," said Tobias feebly. "Gets them every time. Don't worry about me...where's Kagome?" Inuyasha leaped to his feet. His eyes darted around. All he could see was destruction, blood, a few mangled corpses, Kagome, a broken – Kagome???

Inuyasha bolted over to Kagome and reeled with what he saw. Kagome was still, unmoving. A pool of blood trickled from a hole just below her rib cage. He gently put a hand to Kagome's throat and felt for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. She was alive! But she was dying...how to get her better?

Inuyasha turned and ran to Tobias. "Give me your sword," he said hurriedly.

Tobias looked at him with baleful eyes. "What?" he said blankly.

"Give me the goddamn sword! Kagome's been hurt and I need your sword's healing to get her better!" To Inuyasha's rage and frustration, Tobias shook his head slightly.

"No? NO?! WHY THE FUCK NOT??!! Kagome's dying over there, and you say NO?" Tobias pulled himself into a better position.

"You have to understand, Inuyasha," he said quietly. "The combination of my wounds and the massive energy drain from my Blade of Death has left me in a very tenuous state. If I were to-"

"To hell with your fucking 'tenuous state'!" Inuyasha was screaming at him now. "The healing powers of that sword might be the only thing that could keep Kagome alive! It's her best chance to live, and you can just take your 'tenuous state' and shove it RIGHT up your ass!"

"Inuyasha!" Tobias angrily broke in. This one outburst seemed to cost him dearly, and he slumped against the wall. "What I'm saying is, if I let go of this sword, the wounds will overcome me and I will die." Inuyasha stopped.

"But..." he said weakly. "Wha...what am I supposed to do?" I can't just leave Tobias to die, but I can't let Kagome get any worse! Goddammit, why is everything happening now?!

Tobias fixed him with an even glare. "You're a demon," he croaked. "You can heal from such things in the blink of an eye. Figure it out."

"I'm a demon, but she ISN'T! How will my being a hanyou help KAGOME?!"

"Isn't there a way for you to give her some of your energy? Or something?" said Tobias tiredly. His strength was failing. As he had slipped through the blundering masses of guards during the battle, so was his consciousness slipping from him now.

Inuyasha stopped again. Wait...maybe there is a way... Without a word, he left and ran back to Kagome. Inuyasha tenderly gathered her into his arms and ran as fast as his feet could take him.

Tobias watched them leave. He groped in his pockets for his pack of cigarettes. He pulled out a cigarette, but noted to his dismay that his lighter had been broken to pieces. With a small smile, he pressed the end of the cigarette to the still faintly glowing sword. It ignited, and he drew in a deep drag. He needed to calm down a bit.

Inuyasha burst through the door to Kagome's house, carrying Kagome in his arms. Her mother jumped slightly at the sudden entrance and turned around.

"Inuyasha, I – Kagome? What's wrong with her? Is she all right?!" She looked panic-stricken.

"She got hurt," said Inuyasha simply. "I can handle this." Ignoring Kagome's mother's words of protest, he walked up the stairs and into Kagome's room. He laid her gently on the bed.

She was still bleeding. Her skin was turning sallow, and he shivered at the sickly hue. There's only one thing for me to do...please don't let her wake up while I'm doing this. He took off her shirt, hastily placing it over her barely covered breasts so as to avoid temptation. Inuyasha lowered his head to the bullet wound; and, making sure not to wake her, ran his tongue lightly over her skin.

Kagome jerked a little, but Inuyasha's hands held her firmly in place. He took slow, languid licks over the wounded area. Already the blood flow was slowing, the saliva forming a natural coagulant. It's working, he thought, and grinned to himself. He lowered his lips to her flesh and began gently sucking out the blood. Kagome's eyes fluttered and small, incoherent noises began rising from the back of her throat.

Her eyes opened halfway, but they were glazed over and unseeing. Inuyasha continued licking her wound, hoping with all his heart that he would finish before she awoke. After all that's happened, I don't want her to wake up and see me licking her. What will she think?

Her body began to tremble. Unknowingly, she arched her back, bringing her flesh closer to Inuyasha. He gasped a little at her rapidly warming body pressed against him, but continued with his gentle ministrations. Inuyasha desperately tried to ignore the desire awakening in his blood. Focus, dammit! Kagome needs you! A glimmer was beginning to show in her eyes. Though Inuyasha didn't know it, she was waking up.

Kagome blinked once and regained consciousness. She almost cried out at the pain she felt shooting through her torso, but was much more interested in the glowing warmth spreading through the area, lessening the pain. Her eyes flicked down and saw Inuyasha licking at her wound. What's he...is he...what's going on? Did I...did I get shot?! She tried to move, but Inuyasha held her firmly in his grip. Looking at him again, he obviously didn't know she was awake.

The area where Inuyasha was licking her ceased hurting. Now only a pleasurable tingling feeling rippled through her body with every caress of his tongue, leaving her undeniably turned on from the encounter. She was very warm now, and her breathing became labored as passion crept through her veins. This was the second time he had pulled her from pain and darkness, the second time he had rescued her from the gloom. I...love him...so much...

She wanted so much to touch him, to kiss him, to love him; but he was pinning her to the bed. Kagome needed a way to signal she was awake. She grinned inwardly as she thought of an idea. THIS will get his attention. She closed her eyes and writhed around. Inuyasha stopped, puzzled. What was going on? He moved up her body, leaning near her face to check for any signs of consciousness. In doing so, he loosened his hold on her. The time was ripe!

Kagome's eyes shot open. Her legs – which Inuyasha had NOT been holding down – spread and locked around his waist to pull him closer to her. She yanked her wrists out of his shocked grasp, grabbed his shoulders, pulled him close, and kissed him with a vengeance.

Inuyasha was in a state of minor shock. Kagome went from dying to...this...in just a few minutes? Every time he tried to collect his thoughts, they scattered in favor of focusing on her sweet taste, or the exquisite feel of her body pressed against his, or the passion-filled gaze she gave him. His arms encircled her slim body to get her even closer to him. He was lying in a rather awkward position, with his legs on the floor and his body on the bed; so he gave a quick hop and hey presto, he was on the bed and on Kagome.

"You saved me...again..." she whispered into his ear. Her hot breath rolled over the furry ear, making Inuyasha shiver. "I...love you..."

"I love you too...mate..." Kagome's legs had relaxed their grip. Inuyasha took advantage of this and entangled his legs with hers, pressing them together in a way that made them both gasp.

"What happened?" said Kagome breathily. Inuyasha sighed. This was going to take some explanation, which would require at least some of his attention, which would require diverting it from his mate whom he was currently wrapped around.

"We were in a big fight. There were guys with...guns...everywhere. You got lost, and I got hit a lot and blacked out. When I woke up, all the guys with guns were gone and Tobias couldn't even stand up." Kagome looked slightly alarmed. "Don't worry...he used Blade of Death, I think, and killed all the guys. But it took all his energy. He'll be okay in a few minutes." Not sure, but I'm not about to leave Kagome now!

"Then, I brought you back here, and...ah..." Kagome had just run his nails up his back. "Mate...do you want to hear the story?" he panted. She smiled mischievously. "So I brought you back here, and I...cleaned your wound...and, well...here we are." Irritated at his long (to him, anyway) separation from Kagome, he dived down and assaulted her lips with his own. His probing tongue made all the breath rush out of Kagome's lungs in a whoosh. I think... thought Kagome. I think...I'm ready again...

"Good," Kagome said heatedly. "Inuyasha...will you..."

"Yes, mate?" he breathed. His instincts were rising up, and an intoxicating scent emanating from Kagome told him all too well that she was *ahem* happy to see him.

"Will you..." Kagome moaned as his hot mouth hit a sensitive spot at the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her words were lost, but a quick thrust of her hips up to his told him all he needed to know.

"You want to...mate?" he whispered. Kagome nodded breathlessly. "You're still hurt..."

"Then make me forget the pain," she said. She was lying, it didn't hurt anymore, but she needed to say SOMETHING to get him going.

"You're sure about this?" he asked anxiously. She nodded. "Of course...Kagome...I love you..."

"I love you too..." she said quietly as Inuyasha hurriedly removed his shirt.

About an hour later, the door banged open. Tobias walked inside, looking very battered but at least mobile.

"I'm out of cigarettes and I feel like a herd of elephants decided to do the Stomp right on top of me," he mumbled. "Life is great." He staggered upstairs, only to find Kagome's door closed. He banged on it irritably.

"Hey!" he said loudly. "I'm back...does anyone care?" he added in an undertone. The door remained shut.

"Hello in there...come on! Answer the blinkin' door! I'll catch my death of cold out here!" Tobias yelled. There was some thumping noises, a few rustling sounds (kind of like clothes), and finally Inuyasha popped his head out of the door.

"What?" he snarled venomously.

"I'm back," said Tobias impassively. "And I'm dead on my feet. Any chance of a bed to lie on or something?" Inuyasha was about to explain to him the true meaning of 'dead on my feet' (complete with demonstration) when Kagome's voice floated out.

"Tobias? Is that you?" Glaring, Inuyasha opened the door. Tobias came in and sank onto the bed. He was amazed at Kagome's condition; humans just didn't heal that fast.

"My, you're looking sprightly for one who just took a bullet to the chest," Tobias remarked. "What happened?" Kagome blushed a little, but Inuyasha spoke up.

"Remember you said something about sharing my energy?" Tobias nodded. "Well...the saliva of inuyoukai has healing powers, so..." Tobias looked amused.

"You licked her wound? That's funny. And she didn't mind?" They looked at each other for a second.

"No..." said Kagome, fighting to keep the blush from her cheeks, "I didn't mind. In fact...you might say it was a healing experience." Inuyasha smirked. She's smart, and funny, and beautiful...I'm so proud to have her as my mate. But he remained silent.

"Excellent," groaned Tobias. "Now, I'm going to be a little while, having been shot fifteen thousand times and all, so you two just run along and I'll be with you shortly." They were only too happy to give him his privacy. The door slammed shut.

"What a night..." said Tobias as he stared at the ceiling. "And the sun hasn't even risen yet. What a fucking rotten night."

So our favorite couple got together again. And Tobias still doesn't know! Hey...I'm not precisely sure, but did I overstep the rating for this last chapter? If I have, I'm counting on either one of my legions of fans or the kind folks at FF.net to enlighten me (WITHOUT taking my story down, dammit). So bla bla bla, review.