Eden-

Okay, back on track with chapter seventeen. I hope you enjoy and that you weren't too mad at me for leaving that last chapter at a cliff hanger. Oh well, if you were there is nothing I can do about it now. Okay, let's get ON WITH THE FIC!!!

Love

Earth Priestess Eden

(Oh, and will the two boys who are stalking me in school please refrain from reviewing. Thank you)

previously

Sesshomaru began to growl. "What is going to happen to Kagome?" Sesshomaru demanded.

Sango looked out in the distance with tears in her eyes. "She is going to be raped again."

now

Chapter Seventeen

Kagome woke up a few hours later to the fox demon placing a wet clothe on her forehead. She smiled lightly at the little boy.

"Oh! You're awake! What happened Lady Kagome? Why are you so beat up?" The little fox demon asked.

Kagome smiled. "I didn't want to stay in the western lands anymore. I want to be free. No more royalty."

The fox demon nodded. "By the way, I am Shippo. I live on the border between the four lands. You can go any direction you want from here and will end up in a different kingdom."

Kagome smiled. "So I can go to another kingdom?"

Shippo looked confused. "Yes, but why would you want to?"

Kagome frowned. "There are a lot of things that I don't want to be involved with any more." Kagome lowered her head. "There are a lot of things that don't feel right."

Shippo nodded knowingly. "There are always good reasons to leave your past behind..." Shippo started to cry.

Kagome gasped. "Shippo! What's wrong?! Are you hurt!!??!!" Kagome asked as she hugged him to her chest.

Shippo wiped his eyes and smiled up at Kagome. He hugged her back. "Just now... when you hugged me... I thought for sure that you were my mom. You act like her."

Kagome smiled. "Then from now on, I will be your mother."

Shippo grinned a big smile. "You mean it?!? I don't have to live by myself anymore!!!???!!!"

Kagome nodded.

"Oh! Thank you so much Lady Kagome!!!" Shippo screamed with a hug.

Kagome laughed. "Not Lady Kagome. I am no longer Lady Kagome. I am just Kagome."

Shippo smiled. "I like Kagome..." Shippo paused for a second. Then he tested out the new word. A word that he hadn't used in many years. "Mom."

Kagome hugged Shippo. "Son..."

Sesshomaru frowned. He was looking everywhere. Still, he couldn't find Kagome.

"Sango, are you being completely honest with me? My younger brother wishes to take Kagome for a mate?"

Sango sighed and nodded. "Yes, he is only doing it so that he can gain control of the eastern lands. Kagome is the heir, that has to be the explanation. " Sango said. She didn't know if it was a lie. She knew that it wasn't the whole truth, but she didn't know that it wasn't a lie.

Sesshomaru set his face in a deep look. He stared ahead. "Inuyasha would rape

her? He wouldn't have any honor?"

Sango nodded. "He did it before." Sango frowned. "He fucked her so hard that she died."

Sesshomaru looked at the sword at his waist. "Lady Kaede, she was the one who erased my memories, wasn't she?"

Sango looked taken back. Then she nodded. "You and she and Kagome came to an agreement. I can't tell you what it is for about another month. I am sorry, but my word is my honor."

Sesshomaru nodded. "I understand."

They walked a little more in silence. Then Sesshomaru spoke again. "I... don't know why. But every time Kagome is around... I feel..."

Sango smiled hopefully. "You feel what?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

Sango sighed. 'Why did Kagome fall for this guy?' Suddenly Sango heard Sesshomaru start to growl. Then she realized why. She sensed three demons- one, a royal

woman, two, a small kit, and three, a half blood inu youkai. Sango nodded.

"Kagome is near here!" Sesshomaru said in a husky voice that didn't sound like his own. Sango looked taken back at the sight of his set jaw and raw anger.

"Sesshomaru..." Sango said. Then she smiled knowingly.

Sesshomaru snapped his head at Sango. "I am not going to protect you, demon slayer."

Sango grinned. "I wouldn't want it any other way!"

Sesshomaru nodded, feeling a new respect for the demon slayer. "Good. We will save Kagome at all cost. She will not be raped again!" Sesshomaru said as he flexed his claws. Sango grinned as she pulled out her harikuitsu (SP?)

Sesshomaru let out a low growl that meant that he was challenging the male for the mate. It lured Inuyasha out of the bushes. Inuyasha grinned.

"Hello Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said in a strange voice.

Sesshomaru continued to let out his short growls. Inuyasha grinned. "You are challenging my claim on your woman? Alright. The winner gets Kagome." Inuyasha

grinned. "And the loser has to feed the winner his blood."

Sesshomaru broke his growl and looked at Sango out of the corner of his eye. "Slayer, find Kagome and get her the hell out of here. I am going to let my instincts take over and if she is to close, I might accidentally claim my prize should I win. And should that filthy half breed win..." Sesshomaru shot a glare at Inuyasha. "Never mind, I am going to win. Just get Kagome out of my scent range. I will not be coming back to the castle tonight. Tell Rin not to worry."

Sango nodded as she took in every order with out question. As a demon slayer and a guardian, Sango knew that Sesshomaru had more battle experience and it would probably be best if she listened.

"Inuyasha... I will kill you now..." Sesshomaru's eyes turned a cold blood red. "And I will claim my mate!"

a little time earlier......

Kagome gasped as she felt a strong dog demons presence. Shippo looked up towards the entrance of the 'cave' and shivered back against Kagome.

"Shippo-san, who is that?" Kagome asked. "It's a dog demon, that I know, but... it's not Sesshomaru. It still feels like him though."

Shippo nodded in fear. "It is Inuyasha... Sesshomaru's half brother."

Kagome nodded. "What does he want?"

Shippo looked up at his new mommy and shivered harder. "He is either here to kill you or to take you as his mate."

Kagome gasped. "But... that's breaking the laws! "

Shippo frowned. "Inuyasha has never followed any laws. Why would he start now?"

Kagome nodded. Then she gained a determined look on her face. She quickly stood. "Shippo-san, stay here. And don't come out for anything. I will be back."

Kagome stood to go outside. Then she felt a soft tug on her kimono. She looked down and saw Shippo shivering even harder. "Don't go, okkasan."

Kagome smiled. "Shippo, I will be fine." Suddenly Kagome froze up again.

Shippo looked confused this time. "What is it okkasan?"

Kagome looked behind her. Suddenly she took on the princess air that she had grown up having to be. "Shippo-san, Lord Sesshomaru is here." Then she looked down and smiled at Shippo for a second. "I will be fine. Lord Sesshomaru taught me how to defend myself. And, he will protect me. I know he will."

Shippo grudgingly let go of her leg. Kagome knelt down and picked up Shippo. "I will be fine. Just stay here."

Shippo nodded with a smile. "Alright."

Kagome took a deep breath and put Shippo down. Then she climbed up the small stair way. 'I hope I am not lying to him.'

Kagome pushed open the small door and climbed out. She sniffed the air primitively. She followed her nose to Sesshomaru, carefully masking her own scent and presence so that she couldn't be detected. She smiled as she snuck up behind the 'fight scene' undetected. She saw Sesshomaru and almost ran out to him. But then she heard a low- pitch mating bark come from him.

Kagome heard this bark and lied low in the bush. She didn't know why, but her

instincts told her to listen to this demon. He was the dominant, she was the submissive. His bark told her that he was about to fight and told all demons to stay out of the battle.

Kagome looked past Sesshomaru and saw a silver haired boy a little shorter than Sesshomaru. She realized that this was his brother and that they were going to fight. Obviously, for a mate. Kagome shrank lower and tried to make sure no one knew where she was at. She listened carefully to the conversation, though.

"...should I win. And should that filthy half breed win... Never mind, I am going to win. Just get Kagome out of my scent range. I will not be coming back to the castle tonight. Tell Rin not to worry."

Kagome looked confused. 'Why would he want me out of his scent range?'

"Inuyasha... I will kill you now..." Sesshomaru's eyes turned a cold blood red. "And I will claim my mate!"

Kagome gasped silently. She immediately clasped her hands over her mouth. But Sesshomaru had already heard her. Luckily (Or unluckily, if you think about it) he was the only one who heard her.

Sesshomaru grinned. His demon instincts had already taken over and he wasn't even going to think about telling Sango Kagome's hiding spot. He wanted her to stay right there, and told her so with a series of low pitched barks. Kagome complied.

Inuyasha grinned. "You can tell me to stay put, Sesshomaru. This is a battle!" With that Inuyasha lunged at Sesshomaru, who deflected him and sent him flying backwards with tensugia.

Kagome nodded knowingly. 'He wont let Inuyasha get past that point. He is trying to protect me...' She thought.

Sesshomaru grinned. Then he let another series of barks that meant that Inuyasha had one last shot before Sesshomaru attacked him.

Inuyasha laughed. "Not on your life, demon boy!" Inuyasha said as he lunged again. Sesshomaru grinned.

Just as Inuyasha would have reached Sesshomaru, Sesshou pulled out his other sword. Tokijiin. Sesshomaru let out a loud bark and sliced him clean in half. Sesshomaru lifted his blade to his tongue and licked a small portion of the blood off of the tip. Sesshomaru grinned bigger. He tasted the blood of Inuyasha's life. The fight was over. Kagome was his.

However, that was not the way that Sesshomaru thought it. His thoughts were like so: 'Victory... mate... mate... mate...'

Sesshomaru turned from the bloodied corpse at his feet and faced Kagome. He let out a single bark that commanded her to stand before him for inspection. Kagome immediately stood and stepped forward towards Sesshomaru. She felt frightened at the look in sesshomaru's eyes. It was pure possession, pure and simple in it's most primitive form.

Sesshomaru grinned as he walked around the demoness before him. He didn't even recognize her as Kagome. He didn't recognize her as a fellow demon. He only saw her as the creature that he had wanted, fought for, and won. She was his to kill. She was his to command. She was his to mate.

Kagome gasped slightly as Sesshomaru lent down and sniffed her neck. Still, she remained standing. After a few seconds, he nodded in approval.

Kagome heard Sesshomaru let out one last bark- it was a bark that stated that she was his. Kagome turned around to face him. As she did, she didn't see anything left of the Sesshomaru she knew. All she saw was a demon who wanted one of two things. He was hungry. And Kagome knew that he didn't want to taste her flesh.

Kagome let out a cry of protest. However, not a word escaped her lips as

Sesshomaru plunged down on her. He pushed her to the ground and forced her skirt up. Finally he was able to speak a word. And he only needed to say one word. He broke the kiss for a single second and whispered that one word in her ear.

"Mate..."

Eden-

Hahahaha! Cliffhanger! Ha! Oh well, I have the next chapter written already, so you will see it tomorrow. Okay, ja!

Earth Priestess Eden