Down in a dark place beneath a dead castle lay an injured wind sorceress. Kagura never wanted to cry before. No matter her wretched fate, but this was just to much to bear. She choked back the offending tear as a sarcastic half laugh escaped her lips, "I am the wind..."
The magic of the chains held her tight. There was no escape. Her wounds were healing, but much slower than usual. Her strength lay in her ability to blend with the very air. The air in this place stank of rotting flesh and crawled with un-named organisms. Healing in this place may not ever happen for her.
When Nuraku threw her down the stairway she hit her head. The wound finally quit pouring blood, but it left a terrible pain in it's wake. She silently cursed the bastard once more. She began to drift off into another fitful sleep when the door above creaked open. Kagura was so weak, that she couldn't even raise her head to see who entered.
The voice of her sister was a welcome one to say the least, "Sister, it is I Kanna."
"Ah Kanna, did Nuraku send you down so that he can gloat?" Kagura choked out.
Kanna descended the stairs with a grace no human child ever dreamed of. Her voice was soft and somewhat cold. She looked like a specter with her pale skin and white hair floating down to her injured sibling. "Do you not feel it, sister?"
"Feel what, Kanna, pain and misery?... yes," Kagura's defeated voice replied.
"No sister. We are free," came the whisper of the demon child.
Kagome lay back taking in her friends one by one. How happy they were tonight. She wondered how long it would take for word to spread of Nuraku's death. The thought made her proud, but it also made her weary. With Nuraku's death, there were bound to be others waiting to take his place. She looked down at the jewels in her hand. She held the shards she and her friends gathered as well as the huge piece that she retrieved from Nuraku.
Sesshomaru sat watching Kagome. She looked so happy for a time, but now appeared to be plagued with worry as she stared at the jewel of four souls. That wretched jewel. Only a powerless weakling would need such a thing, and it was his mates' responsibility to keep it out of their hands. The jewel gave weak demons great power. The demon lord knew what was on the miko's mind.
"I will always be with you... helping you keep it safe," Sesshomaru said as he placed his arm around her pulling her close by his side.
Kagome looked up to the magnificent man by her side. His long white hair framed his handsome features. She reached up and traced the magenta markings on his cheek. His golden amber gaze spoke more than words could ever say. She loved him. She once thought she loved his brother, but that was mere puppy love. This was real, and deep. She leaned to him, parting her lips.
Sesshomaru met her delicate lips with his own. The taste of her flesh never ceased to please him. He licked her bottom lip with his tongue and gently nipped it with his fangs. She moaned softly making his blood boil for more.
His youkai had become quite unruly as of late. It became harder and harder to keep him from pushing his way out. Sesshomaru knew the beast wanted to take her in the traditional youkai mating habit, but he meant to keep him at bay... for now. There would be time for that when they returned to his castle. The thought of it sent another wave of heat through the youkai. Regretfully he pulled from her embrace. She needed rest from her ordeal, and if he didn't stop now, there would be no stopping him.
Kagome missed his tender lips as he pulled away. She looked into his eyes and smiled mischievously when it became clear why. The passion for her swirled in his eyes blending the amber with crimson. She looked at him for a moment longer and said, "I love you Lord Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru cocked his head to one side and let a slight smile grace his normally emotionless features, "I love you as well, my youkai miko." His words brought her much happiness. He thought for a second how strange that a few words could make this young creature smile so largely. He hugged her close to him and listened to her steady breathing as she drifted off to sleep.
"I have come seeking Inuyasha," the beautiful woman said flatly to the old woman.
Kaede found it hard to trust her sister. Since the evil witch brought Kikyo back from the grave, she had been quite a handful for Inuyasha. She hesitated to allow Kikyo to see Inuyasha in his human form. It may be that she would do him harm.
"Old woman, did you hear me? I wish to see Inuyasha," Kikyo insisted once more.
"What business have ye with Inuyasha," Kaede asked.
"That is for Inuyasha to know," was her reply.
Against her better judgement, Kaede escorted her older sister to the hut where Inuyasha lay recovering from the wounds he received while fighting the wolf prince Kouga. When she opened the door, the handsome young man sat up with a groan.
"Someone is here to see ye, dog," Kaede said in an aggravated tone.
"You can quit calling me a dog old woman! It pretty obvious that I'm just a stupid human now!" Inuyasha spat at her.
"I can see your mood hasn't changed," the old woman replied in a huff.
A woman pushing her way into the hut interrupted them. Kikyo took in the sight of her former love. The rumors were true. Inuyasha, the half demon, was now human. If her heart were not made of clay, she might have felt sorry for him. The bandages around his body were obvious signs of injury. Her miko spirit took over from there.
"Ki.. Kikyo," Inuyasha said in disbelief. He turned to Kaede who was backing out of the hut. "You should have said it was Kikyo you old coot!" The old woman only huffed at him and left the two alone.
Kikyo walked over and knelt down beside Inuyasha. "Inuyasha... you are wounded." She began unwrapping the bandages so she could get a better look at the injury.
"Ah, it's nothing," he said then groaned when he tried to move.
"Be still Inuyasha. I wish to see to your wounds," the former priestess replied calmly.
Inuyasha sat still and allowed her to survey the damage caused by that mangy wolf. He took in her beauty, which had not faded in fifty years. She still looked as lovely as the day they had their first kiss. His heart pounded in his chest. He still loved her, no matter how much he tried not to. One thing was nice about being human, her scent was now just the scent of wild flowers. It was always painful being close to her in the past. His youkai nose was somewhat offended by the smell of the flowers blended with earth and clay.
Kikyo had a great deal of time to think about what she would do if Inuyasha were human, as the rumors were told. On her journey to the village, she made a decision. Now that she was close to him once more, she was sure her decision was the right one.