Author's Note: Hello there devoted fans! Thank you so much for waiting all the time you have. With no further delay…ikimashou! And there's a little swearing coming up. Yeah. Just thought I'd warn you. I'm sure you'll all be able to handle it, though.

~

Yura raised her hand up, preparing to tighten the deadly fibers one last time.

"Die!"

"YURA!"

Surprised by the sudden interruption, Yura stopped what she was doing and turned her head to the origin of the cry. "Well, well, well…If it isn't the hanyou!"

Kagome moved her eyes to the side, but due to the dangerous restraints cutting into her she was unable to see her savior. "Inuyasha…?"

There was the gentle sound of rustling cloth as Inuyasha leaped from his perch on a nearby tree, skillfully landing at Kagome's side. "Raven, are you all right?"

There were no words to describe the relief Kagome felt to have Inuyasha at her side, although she realized they were far from safe. She looked desperately at him, wiggling her arms just slightly to emphasize her position. "Inuyasha, the threads…Cut the threads!"

A confused look flashed across the hanyou's face, his eyes flickering from Kagome to Yura, then back to Kagome. "Threads? What are you talking about?"

"Forget it, girl, he can't see them." Yura called from her perch, keeping a tight grip on the fibers that were wrapped around her hand. "But that the useless hanyou would come to your rescue…You really have made some friends in high places, haven't you?" She nonchalantly stepped from the strand of hair she had been previously settled on, freefalling a second or so before silently landing on a second fiber. In that single moment, the hair surrounding Kagome loosened just slightly, allowing her to throw her arm up and grip the fibers in front of her. "Here, Inuyasha! Cut here!" As she shouted the command to him, blood from her hand dripped down the strands she was holding, allowing Inuyasha enough of a visual for him to know where to strike. With reflexes befitting a youkai, Inuyasha swung his fists forward, his sharp claws snapping the hair that was threatening Kagome's life. The strings immediately fell from her body, and Kagome, exhausted and weak from the ordeal, collapsed to the ground, letting out a sequence of heavy coughs. Yura sneered angrily from her aerial position, shaking the now useless strands from her hands.

Inuyasha kneeled by Kagome, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her a little too violently for her liking. "Raven! Raven, are you all right?!"

Kagome coughed a bit, glaring up at Inuyasha. "Wh-…What do you think you're doing…?! We have to…" She was beginning to feel sleepy, her eyelids heavy and her vision blurring. "We have to…"

She felt something soft suddenly fall onto her body, and she held onto her senses long enough to realize that it was Inuyasha's trademark red coat. "Just stay here." He told her, his voice possessing a graveness she rarely ever heard from him. "This will protect you."

Tired, sore, and sick, Kagome allowed her head to fall onto the hard ground, barely registering Inuyasha's presence abruptly disappearing from her side.

Yura shook her head disappointedly, clicking her tongue in her mouth. "Tch, tch, tch…Inuyasha, I always knew that your love for humans would be the end of you." Placing a hand on the sword strapped to her side, Yura dropped down to the ground, quietly approaching Inuyasha. "Now then…" The metal of her sword dragged against the sheath as she pulled it out in front of her, the piercing noise echoing through the forest. "Is it a fight you want, or will you leave me to my work?"

Inuyasha smirked at the youkai woman, flexing his claws in response to her offensive pose. "Don't act so cocky, Yura. Have you lost your mind?"

"My business with this girl does not concern you, Inuyasha. I'll give you one more chance to run away."

"Heh." Inuyasha smirked, abruptly leaping into the air, aimed towards Yura. "The one who should be running is you!"

A violent spark flashed through Yura's eyes as she easily dodged the attempt, readying her blade in front of her and retaliating before Inuyasha even had the chance to turn. The hanyou jumped back the moment his feet touched the ground, barely avoiding Yura's sword, unprepared for the speed of her attack. Yura propelled herself from the ground, gracefully landing on an invisible thread in the air and turning to the hanyou, smiling daintily. "You can't really think you'll win, Inuyasha."

"Trash like you will be easy!" He shot back, momentarily crouching before pushing himself into the air, the cloth of his pants flurrying in the wind. With a little laugh, Yura tilted her body and leaped down towards her approaching opponent, both hands held tightly on the hilt of her sword.

"SANKON TESSOU!" The hanyou half shouted, half growled, raising his claws and swinging forward with a surprising amount of force. Yura, unprepared for the blast of strength, was easily caught off guard. The slivers of energy slammed into her, sending her body flying backwards, the sword ripped from her hand and thrown down into the ground right next to Kagome's unconscious figure. The youkai woman swung her arm up just in time to grasp onto a strand of hair that was left suspended in the air, using it to catch the weight of her body as she acrobatically swung herself up and onto the gently sagging string of hair.

Inuyasha softly landed onto the ground below her, immediately looking up, surprised that she had not been thrown down by the attack. It was a surprising sight; Yura's hand was almost completely amputated from the wrist, and she thumbed at it angrily, looking vexed rather than hurt. Without a verbal command, and although Inuyasha could not see it, hundreds upon thousands of fibers began to wrap themselves around Yura's damaged appendage, dispersing and falling to the ground only a few moments later. She flexed her newly sewn up hand, holding it out admiringly in front of her, staring longingly at the perfect job. The look almost immediately turned to that one of displeasure, however, when she turned her gaze down to the hanyou. It seemed that Yura was no longer in the mood for games.

"I'll admit, Inuyasha, you surprised me." She called from her perch, idly brushing some hair from her eyes. "But I've grown tired of you."

Unexpectedly, Yura flicked her wrist just ever-so-slightly, and in that moment a dangerous web of hair tightened around Inuyasha's unprotected body. "Did you really forget, Inuyasha?" Yura chided, her eyes narrowed in anger. "You're such a fool, to fall into my trap so simply. Did you really think I'd waste my time on someone as incompetent as you?"

Inuyasha winced, looking down at the indentations in his skin but being unable to see what it was that constricted him. Shit! He cursed himself for not realizing it earlier. She's been setting these fucking hairs up around me ever since the beginning!

With another little twitch, Inuyasha's body was raised into the air by the strings that held his arms dangerously tight to his sides. "Now then, why don't you be a good little hanyou and wait until I've finished my work. Before I take care of you, I'll make sure you see your human bitch dragged down to hell first."

"Raven!" Inuyasha hissed, squirming his body this way and that, trying to free himself from the invisible prison. His skin was much tougher and more durable than Kagome's, but that did not render him immune. He could feel the stinging sensation as the fibers cut into his skin and nearly drew blood.

Raven, you've got t-…Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted when he sensed something in the air around them. Yura seemed to have sensed it as well, as she had stopped where she was, her head turned to the side and a small smile on her face. "Sesshoumaru." She stated, almost gleefully.

~

Sesshoumaru stepped into the clearing, his eyes just momentarily skimming over Yura and his idiotic younger brother. He had only just returned from his father's office, but it was simple enough to see what was going on, and the fact of the matter was that at the moment, he simply didn't care. Yura was smiling deviously down at him, looking absolutely ecstatic that he had finally showed up. Inuyasha just looked surprised and confused, as he always did, and rather pathetic dangling in the air unable to move. "Sesshoumaru, you've finally arrived…" Yura drawled, loosening the strand of hair on which she was standing and allowing it to lower her body to the ground.

He paid her no mind, aware of the trap that surrounded them but feeling that it was insignificant at the moment. Yura waited excitedly in front of Sesshoumaru, but for praise or anger, no one knew but her. Her bright red lips pursed into an even wider smile, and as the youkai prince approached her, she opened her mouth just ever so slightly to speak.

However, whatever she had wanted to say caught dry in her throat when Sesshoumaru brushed past her with nothing but indifference, not even sparing a second glance. Inuyasha was just as surprised as Yura, but was doing a much better job at showing it. It remained relatively silent as Sesshoumaru silently strode over to the lifeless human girl on the ground, her mouth just barely open and her eyelids shut as if she were asleep. The youkai narrowed his eyes just slightly, crouching down and placing a hand on the girl's forehead. She's burning up…He thought to himself, upset by how warm her skin was to the touch. Even with the obvious signs of fever, what worried him the most was her lack of movement. She was no longer shivering or coughing, and he could only just barely perceive the rising and falling of her breathing under Inuyasha's cloak. Just what was it that Yura gave her…? He frowned, placing his weight onto his knees and carefully leaning his impaired maid into his arms. Her head lulled to the side a little, but still, there was no response.

Yura's eyes narrowed, her lower jaw jut out just a little, and she angrily furrowed her eyebrows together. What's happened to you, Sesshoumaru? She mused to herself, in disappointment rather than astonishment or anger.

"Lord Sesshoumaru-samaaaa!" Came a familiar croak, drawing the trio's attention away. Scuttling towards them, looking rather pained, was a huffing Jaken, his staff leaned against his pokey little shoulder and a rather large leather bag being dragged close behind.

Sesshoumaru protectively shifted the girl into his chest, gracefully turning his neck towards the uglier of his servants. "Jaken. You're late."

"I'm so sorry Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!" He whined, stumbling over to Sesshoumaru's side and letting the duffel bag fall limp down behind him. "Eh?" The toad youkai blinked his yellow eyes to Inuyasha, and then to Yura. "What is-"

"I didn't call you here to ask questions." Sesshoumaru snapped, his voice tense and anxious. Jaken bowed down to the command, posing no further questions. "Now then." Sesshoumaru said, seeming to have collected himself. "Don't fail me, Jaken. If she dies; you die." And with that threat, he looked back down at the weak girl in his arms, once more searching her face for any signs of life. Almost unwillingly he placed her back down onto the cold ground, standing and turning to Yura, his eyes giving off no hint to what he was thinking.

"Sesshoumaru…" Yura repeated his name, shaking her head with a tight frown playing on her face. "I had such high hopes for you…"

The words had no effect on him. "You should not have been so foolish, Yura."

"I don't understand, Sesshoumaru." She continued, raising her hand and allowing string upon string of hair to coil around it. "Why? Why won't you just let this human die?"

No response. Sesshoumaru just stared dully at the youkai woman, feeling it was unnecessary to provide someone of such little importance with an answer. Indignantly, Yura held her nose up, eyes narrowing to resemble those of Sesshoumaru. "Fine." She lowered her hand, balling it up into a fist. "However…A human-loving youkai…Does not deserve to walk this earth!"

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Yura suddenly lunged forward, swinging her clenched fist down in front of her, a thick barrage of hair flying in Sesshoumaru's direction. Completely unphased, the youkai lord shot his arm up and spread out his palm, a spray of poison scattering out in front of him and dissolving the threads in less than a second. Yura's eyes twitched slightly in distaste and surprise. He can see them…?!

Sesshoumaru nearly sighed. This was a waste of his time. Instead of dealing with this hormonally over-active woman, he should be getting his stupid maid somewhere safe. Why does that girl always have to attract trouble like a magnet? "Sesshoumaru! Oi, Sesshoumaru!"

Without moving his head, Sesshoumaru simply shifted his eyes to Inuyasha's direction, lips curling in disgust. And that it was Inuyasha who had to be the first to arrive…

"Shut up, Inuyasha."

"You bastard!" The hanyou hissed angrily at his elder half-brother, squirming around in his invisible prison. "Get me down from here!!"

Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on his younger brother, a tight anger growing in his chest, imagining the incompetent boy being entrusted with his maid's life. Inuyasha could hardly even keep himself alive, never mind the safety of an existence as fragile and weak as her, especially in the current situation. And then, the thought of Inuyasha's coat wrapped around the sickly girl's body made his skin crawl. This was not the first, but the second time that he had not been there to protect the foolish human, and that angered him. He had allowed Yura to trick him…He had allowed her to be alone…He had allowed her to reach the state she was in…And if she were to die…

"Where are you looking?!" Yura chimed in, her hands and fingers wrapped in fibers, leaping down at Sesshoumaru, although he was not sure when she had gotten into the air in the first place. Brought back to his primal senses, Sesshoumaru immediately stepped to the side, his movement so abrupt that he was quite literally a blur. Yura growled, her numerous weapons slapping uselessly into the ground where he had originally stood. In quick response, Sesshoumaru shifted his body to the side, spreading his hand out once more and making quick disposal of a few threads of hair dangerously close to his neck.

"Sesshoumaru, you bastard!! Get me down right now!" Inuyasha's fangs were bared angrily at his older brother, who continued to ignore his pleas. Yura, believing that was enough of a distraction to pull Sesshoumaru's sight away from his surroundings, flicked her hand to the side, new strands plunging at the youkai's prince's body. As soon as they had left her hand, they were destroyed once again by Sesshoumaru's acidic attack, although this time something struck Yura's attention. His eyes were still glued on Inuyasha, and had not actually turned to see the hair approaching him. That's it! Yura crouched a little before propelling herself into the air, landing on a tree branch high above their heads. It's not that he sees them…He feels them. She looked around her, examining all the objects in the area that her beautiful strands of hair could wrap themselves around. With a plan quickly forming in her mind, Yura dug into the pouch at her side, pulling out the skull, followed by a comb, and idly beginning to brush through the thick mass of hair that protruded from the slightly tinted bone. As quick as he may be, he has only two hands…Pulling the comb out far from her body, the hair grew and followed, floating on the nonexistent wind, being gently carried to trees, bushes, and rocks. The fibers were loose and produced no real energy of their own, and yet Sesshoumaru could still sense that something was surrounding him.

He darted his eyes to his surroundings, and yet, no matter how hard he strained, he saw nothing but clean air. So, she knows. He thought rather expressionlessly, realizing now that his strategy would have to change. She would most likely try to surround and overcome him with more than what his two hands could handle. And for protection from that, he would need…He really did sigh this time. All the compromises he made for that damn girl.

~

Jaken was busily digging through the leather bag, pulling out herbs and lotions and bottles. He had followed Sesshoumaru back to his room, and when his master had realized that the injured girl was no longer there, he ordered Jaken to immediately retrieve his medicines and follow him out. The command was vague, however, as Jaken had hundreds of different remedies for hundreds of different ailments. Nonetheless, he didn't dare go against Sesshoumaru's orders, and brought out all he could carry, and was now doing his utmost to find the appropriate materials in order to keep the human alive. Not for her sake, really, nor for Sesshoumaru's. Jaken personally didn't believe that his beloved lord needed anyone but him, and missed the days when there was no Rin or whoever this new one was, but worked diligently anyways, as he fully believed that Sesshoumaru would carry out his earlier threat.

"Unnnnnh…"

She's waking up. Jaken thought to himself, his inner voice as croaky and obnoxious as his real one. Better hurry this up.

"Whurr'm ay…" Kagome felt like her head was full of stones, and hurt as if she had just been pelted with them. She didn't remember much of what had happened in the last hour, but she did somewhat recall running, and then something about the woods, and something about Inuyasha, and something about… "Yura!"

She gasped, pushing herself up some, even as her body violently protested. Her lungs felt like they were about to cave in on themselves, and she was thrown into a fit of coughing and hacking, blood unexpectedly dripping down into her hand. "Ugh…" Kagome winced, trying to ignore that unpleasant little fact. She remembered what she was doing now, and if she could only find Yura and Inuyasha…

"Sesshoumaru, you bastard! Get me down from here right now!"

Startled, Kagome moved her head to the side, white sparks exploding in her vision the second she did so. She felt as if she had a bad case of the flu; her face was warm, and yet, for some reason she couldn't keep her arms from shivering. Nevertheless, even through the haze she could make out Inuyasha dangling pitifully from a few black hairs, and right near him was Sesshoumaru.

She felt the urge to call out to him, to alert him to the fact she was there, but she guessed that he already knew. But where is Yura…?!

"Owch!" Inuyasha cursed to himself, landing flat on his face when Sesshoumaru had not-so-carefully snapped the threads that were restricting his arms. "What do you think you're doing?!" He snapped loudly at his elder brother, ankles still tied up by the fibers. Sesshoumaru ignored the plea and turned his attention up into the air, at something that Kagome didn't have the neck mobility to see. It was then that she simultaneously saw Inuyasha's bare arms and the blinding red cloth that covered her body. Tenderly, she took the thick material into her hands, looking down at it. I remember…he gave this to me…

"Get down, get down!" Huffed a frustrated looking Jaken, raising his staff and looking ready to smack her with it. "You mustn't interrupt Lord Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Kagome sighed, having to fight against just falling back asleep. Her concerns and worries seemed dull, and the fact that Yura was nowhere in sight was an inconsequential fact that she would leave to the men. What was bothering her most was how tired she felt, and for some reason, she decided to blame Jaken for disturbing her rest. I wonder if everything's all right…

Jaken grumbled angrily, cursing his luck. This would be much easier for him to do if she had remained unconscious, but now, to make things every worse, she might pose a distraction for Sesshoumaru as well. How is she even alive? He thought, pulling a small vile of cloudy liquid from a leather pouch. Yura must have access to poison that would kill the average youkai, never mind a useless human…

"Here! Drink this!" He quacked out at her, thrusting the bottle into her face. She looked up at the toad skeptically, thinking about how good it would feel to just punch his little yellow eyes out. Having no other option, she took the bottle into her trembling hand, fumbling to pull out the cork. I shouldn't be doing this…she thought irritably to herself, wondering why the stupid youkai had decided to put it on so tight in the first place. This is all my fault, anyway…

She finally managed to pop out the cork, raising the glass to her lips and sloshing the liquid into her mouth. The vile material quite literally burned her tongue, but somehow she managed to down all that she had taken, gagging immediately after. "What…what was that?!"

"Quiet! I said quiet!!" Jaken snatched the glass back from her, regretting having wasted such precious medicine on a useless human. Kagome swallowed repetitively, desperately trying to get the harsh taste from her mouth. Stupid toady little jerk…She silently cursed at him, feeling worse rather than better. As far as her condition went, she was surprised that she was as up and alert as she was. In Sesshoumaru's room, when she had been warm and protected, she had felt tired and feverish, much weaker than she had when running from Yura. She wasn't sure if it was adrenaline or the poison letting up, but when she had felt herself in danger, her body seemed to be filled with reserve energy that suppressed the weak and nauseous effects of the poison. That wasn't to say, of course, that she felt 'good', or anything close to it. At the moment, she was in between the two, in no immediate danger because Yura was preoccupied with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, but still not safe enough to let her body have the rest it needed.

"Where are you aiming?!" Inuyasha barked loudly in the background, earning himself an exasperated sigh from Sesshoumaru. Kagome turned back to the fight, not having really registered the graveness of the situation until she saw the density of the hair that surrounded the pair. Sesshoumaru's hands were spread out in front of him, thick sprays of purple acid biting into the large black mass, although not making enough of a dent to prevent the millions and millions of threads from approaching them. Inuyasha, unable to see anything, swung out wildly in front of him, managing to dispose of some strands by luck, but almost landing in Sesshoumaru's path in the process. At some point Yura had descended from the tree branch, and was now combing hair out of her red tinted skull at an incredible pace, completely absorbed in her work. No longer as fleety and cocky as earlier, Yura had to concentrate wholly on the task at hand, the chore of being conscious of every single thread under her control taking a toll on her accuracy.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise as she realized that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru couldn't handle the onslaught for long. "Jaken! You have to help them!"

The toad youkai just looked disgusted at hearing the human speak, nudging the back of her head with his staff. "Shut up! Lord Sesshoumaru-sama is more than capable of handling this, so don't even think of interfering." He angrily grumbled at her, the last smack the hardest.

Kagome winced, detest for Jaken welling up along with her concern for her friend and master. "But, at this rate…!"

~

This is useless. Sesshoumaru thought, his eyes darting to his surroundings instinctively, trying to assess the situation. Yura was obviously struggling, and Sesshoumaru knew that if he could somehow get behind her he would be able to dispose of her without problem. That, however, was not an option, as Inuyasha was proving to be more useless than he had originally thought and Yura was slowly gaining the upper hand. His sources were quickly depleting, and due to visual constrictions, making a sudden leap towards Yura would be an extremely risky move that would not only leave his life in the hands of luck, it would also mean the sure demise of Inuyasha, which would be hard to explain to his father.

"You look concerned, Sesshoumaru." Yura growled out, her eyes boring deeply into him, his head visible over the waves of dark hair. "I only regret that you won't get to see your human bitch die before you!"

She dropped the skull, taking the wad of strands into her hand and pulling back hard, the circle of hair immediately moving in to envelop the two brothers. Sesshoumaru twirled his body to the side, his arms immediately crossing over his chest, preparing himself for the web. Behind him, he could here Inuyasha curse as their backs met, and for just a moment he let down his own stone façade, realizing that it didn't matter if he were killed or merely trapped. Either way, it meant her death.

~

"WAIT!!"

He immediately regretted his loss of control, as it was in the few moments of silence that followed that both he and Inuyasha realized that they were no longer in any immediate danger. Yura, rather than finishing through with her threat, was stopped by something that was not immediately evident. Her mouth was open just slightly, her eyes wide and wavering slightly, the hairs dropping from her hands and rendering the sea of black surrounding the brothers useless. Very slowly, she tilted her head down, tensing her palms over her stomach

"Nn…" A look of displeasure and anger washed over her face, and when she turned her body just slightly, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru could see what had stopped her. The silver blade of her formerly discarded sword was now protruding from her abdomen, ominously sparkling under the sun. And behind her, the most surprising sight of all, was a bitter looking Kagome, her hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of the blade as she thrust it even deeper through Yura's back. "You…"

Kagome kept her eyes focused on Yura, doing her best to look and sound confident, her action being quite spontaneous and quite against her better judgment (not to mention Jaken's threats and beatings). "You will not touch Sesshoumaru or Inuyasha."

Yura remained silent for a few more moments, straining her neck to look back at Kagome, her piercing red eyes displaying the transformation from astonishment to detest. "Fool…" She hissed, swinging her arm back and catching Kagome off guard, sending her flying back into the ground near Jaken. She reached behind her and calmly pulled the sword from her stomach, turning completely and taking a few strides in the now hesitant human's direction.

"Itte..te..te…" Kagome scuffled back, now looking amazed rather than threatening as she stared blankly at Yura. "I-It didn't work!!"

"Of course it didn't work!!" Jaken croaked, his scaly green face tinted red in anger. "What did you think you were doing?!"

"You, human…" Yura snarled, flexing her knuckles. "Have interfered for the last time…"

There was a barely perceptible rustling behind the youkai woman, and with speed and agility born from her rage, Yura effortlessly shot her arm behind her, called a few threads of hair to her fingers and cast them out, capturing Inuyasha's body once more in a tight web.

Kagome looked around desperately, stumbling to her feet as she continued to retreat back, trying to find something, anything that she could protect herself with. There was only one option.

"Give this to me!"

"What do you think you're doing, human?! Let go, let go this INSTANT!"

Jaken and Kagome were in a tug of war for his staff, the human girl's hands tightly gripped up at the top, while Jaken pulled back just as frantically from down below. "You will give this to me RIGHT NOW!" Kagome reared her foot back and kicked Jaken square in the face, sending the toad demon rolling and tumbling backwards, leaving the staff in her possession.

"Oh? What are you going to do with that?" Yura cooed, bringing Kagome's attention back around. The human girl looked down at the staff in her hands, and then back to Yura, realizing that this really wasn't helping her. It was still better than being empty handed, though…

"Yura, your fight is with me." Sesshoumaru sounded calm, and even threatening, but it was too little too late. He knew if he made any sudden movements he would end up like Inuyasha. Yura was dangerous before, but now that she was worked up, it was a whole different battle.

"Quiet Sesshoumaru. You'll wait your turn."

"Don't worry, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome tried her best to sound secure and confident, although her own words brought no comfort. She was simply afraid that she would get him even farther into this than he already was, and due to Yura's peak in rage, she was genuinely concerned for his safety. This is already my fault…If I had only kept my mouth shut earlier…If I only hadn't talked back to Yura…!

Sesshoumaru flicked his gaze to his maid, somewhat taken aback by her command. Being that she was a human, he expected her to be crying and pleading at this point, as most of her species did when put in life-threatening situations. It wasn't only that; he knew just as well as Yura that there was very little she could do this time without any Shikon no tama to save her.

"See? She seems to have accepted her fate!" Yura declared energetically, raising her sword into the air, allowing a few fibers of hair to gather around the sparkling silver blade. "Your precious Sesshoumaru-sama won't save you this time!"

Her voice rose to a possessed pitch, her eyes wide with the detest she felt for the human girl in front of her. She gripped both hands tightly around the hilt and sliced forward, all of the deadly hairs being sent soaring in the human's direction. Kagome said one last silent prayer to herself, closed her eyes tight, and did the first thing that came to mind. Mimicking Yura's action she slammed the staff down in front of her, presumably to use it to knock away the sharp fibers coming her way. Yet, the effect produced was much different than any of them could have imagined.

~

Kagome was nearly knocked back from the incredible force that was suddenly being emitted from Jaken's staff. With her eyes shut she could feel a burst of raw heat on her face, and the stick in her hands quivered slightly under the pressure of whatever it was spewing from the shrunken skulls that tackily adorned the head. Amidst the shimmering and crackling air Kagome felt something tighten around her arms, and in the moment of shock she blinked her eyes open, seeing a cylinder of flames erupting from the open mouth of one shrunken head. Again, something tugged back on her arms, and unable to control the sudden shift of movement she let go of the stick's shaft. It remained rigid on the ground, but due to the loss of control it slowly began to turn in Kagome's direction, the tower of flames spasming and sending a wall of pure heat in the human's direction. She heard two distance 'snaps' as the fibers restricting her arms were broken, but it was too late. The column of fire slammed into her body before she had the chance to do anything but raise her arms in front of her face.

Heat rushed by her face in an almost surreal manner when she realized that she hadn't been immediately killed. She managed to open her squinted eyes just slightly, seeing nothing but bright reds and oranges until a flickering shadow appeared through the haze, surrounding her and pulling her roughly into something soft. And then, with a strong gust of cool air on her body she sensed that she was out of the inferno, although her sight was obstructed by the gentle material her face was being pressed into. Relieved, she drew in a deep breath, a vague, comforting scent filling her senses. Sesshoumaru…?

The youkai prince landed softly on the ground a good distance away, holding his battered maid protectively in his arms. He felt her shift a little against him before timidly pulling her head from his chest, looking up with wide, innocent eyes. "Sesshoumaru-sama…?"

He let out a sigh of relief. She was alright. Begrudgingly, he knew that he owed that to Inuyasha. "Where's Yura…?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head, searching their surroundings and seeing no signs of the youkai woman. Inuyasha had been let free the moment Yura had been engulfed in the flames, and was now headed there way, a strong look of concern on his face. "Raven!"

Kagome sat up in Sesshoumaru's arms to take a look herself. Upon seeing Inuyasha she smiled, waving her arm a little in the air, but pausing when she saw the skeptical look on her master's face.

"Where did Yura go?" Sesshoumaru asked his younger brother coolly, moving his eyes from the sheepish girl to the rather unscathed hanyou. Inuyasha stopped when he reached Sesshoumaru's side, looking relieved just to see that Kagome was all right. "She ran away. She looked pretty badly hurt."

"Aa." The youkai nodded in acknowledgement, placing his hands on his maid's shoulders and carefully beginning to remove the red coat that had just earlier saved her life.

"Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! Lord Sesshoumaru-samaaaa!" Jaken had managed to stop and retrieve his staff, now carrying it close by him as he stumbled over to the trio. Sesshoumaru looked in his direction, his concern for his maid no longer apparent on his face. "Jaken."

"D-Did you see what she did, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama?!" The toad youkai looked absolutely furious about the whole ordeal. "Really, a useless human ta-UWAAK!"

Inuyasha, more annoyed with Jaken than usual, took a lesson from Kagome and didn't hesitate to kick the obnoxious servant in the stomach, sending him rolling and bouncing back like a child's ball. However, Sesshoumaru's attention was focused on something else. Right as he looked away the girl in his arms had fallen limp into his body, the fever that he believed to be gone quickly bringing the red back to her cheeks. He searched her face, shaking her just slightly, trying to elicit some sort of reaction. What happened…? She was fine just a second ago…

"You deserve it!" Inuyasha called out to the griping Jaken, catching Sesshoumaru's movement from the corner of his eye. "Sesshoumaru? Wait, where are you going?"

"Here." Inuyasha caught the red coat that was abruptly tossed to him, watching his elder brother suspiciously. "Don't forget what I said." Sesshoumaru craned his neck to look back at Inuyasha, carefully protecting his maid from sight. "I don't want you anywhere near my property."

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" Inuyasha growled after Sesshoumaru, who had already proceeded with walking away. "She's just as much a concern to me as to you! I was the one here first, remember?!"

Sesshoumaru didn't respond to that, simply because he couldn't. As much as he resented his brother for it, he was right. Inuyasha had been the one to save the girl's life not once but twice that day, and even he being superior in both age and skill had done close to nothing. It was only one more thing to worry about, as it seemed that Yura was still out there, and with the news from Kouga…Now…I can never let her out of my sight.

~

Again, Kagome found herself standing on the shore of a sparkling silver ocean, cool and refreshing waves rolling up to her ankles. It wasn't really a feeling of waking up, but of realizing that she was awake, and the calm sensations were the same as they were the last time she found herself in this place. How did I get here again…?

"Are you ready?"

Kagome jumped a little at the sound of a very familiar voice, turning her head to acknowledge a presence that she could already sense was there. "Ready…? For what?"

"To go." Sesshoumaru responded with a surprising amount of emotion, his eyes wide and almost human-esque.

"Go? Go where?"

"Come on. I'll show you." In an uncharacteristic move, he reached forward and gently grabbed Kagome's hand, beginning to lead her out into the wide, expanding sea.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kagome allowed him to pull her forward a few steps, but was still somewhat concerned at his strange behavior. She had never seen him acting so…so real before.

"No need to be so polite!" He nearly exclaimed, a warm smile washing over his face. That one really was too much for Kagome.

She pulled back on her hand, stopping Sesshoumaru's descent into the ocean. After a short pause, she finally managed to choke out, "…What?"

He looked genuinely concerned with her reluctance, eyebrows furrowed together much in the manner her brother's did whenever she refused to play with him. "Come on. We have to go."

"No…" Kagome muttered, trying to pull her hand back from him. Yes, she had always wanted to see him smile, but this Sesshoumaru just wasn't real. His face, his touch, his presence, it all seemed wrong. She heard a rushing sound, much like that of a river, and looked down to see that the ocean was swirling up around them, the now frigid water biting at her exposed legs. "Let go…"

He said and did nothing. "Let go!" She repeated, pulling more desperately, realizing that if the water kept up at this rate they would both be completely submerged.

"No." Kagome looked up, the water now at her stomach, and was shocked to see that it was no longer Sesshoumaru standing in front of her. Sharp nails dug into the skin of her arm, red eyes piercing deeply into her blue ones. "Sesshoumaru can't save you this time."

"Yura!" Just as the name left her lips cold water flowed into Kagome's mouth, and before she knew it she was surrounded by freezing black water. With Yura suddenly gone from sight she spun around frantically in the thick ocean water, no longer knowing which direction was up or down, left or right. Her eyes stung from the cold, and just as she was about to give up, she saw something sparkling above her. Having no other leads and feeling that this was her last chance, she swum towards the tiny glimmer, reaching out in front of her as her lungs screamed for air. A  little more…She stretched out her fingers as far as possible. Only a little more…

The moment she felt as if she couldn't hold her breath any longer her fingers touched upon something smooth and round: a small jewel. It rolled easily into her hand, its warm shine pulsing once or twice before exploding outwards, engulfing Kagome's body in a wave of light.

~

Without even willing it to do so Kagome's body shot up from its lying position, but was sent right back down when her forehead connected with something hard. "Uuuuugh…"

She opened her eyes a little and looked around, trying to register just where she was and just what happened. "Yura…" She grumbled, the bright light flooding into her vision greatly bothering her. "Where did…"

"Nn." She felt a small movement on the soft material she was lying on and turned her head to see Sesshoumaru sitting just a few inches away from her arm, tenderly rubbing his forehead. "What are you-…"

"YURA!" Kagome gasped out, pushing herself up and suddenly beginning to swat at a very confused youkai. "Get away!!"

Sesshoumaru kept his fingers pressed on his forehead, staring at his maid with a sort of dull astonishment that only barely expressed his real surprise. "Just how hard did you hit your head?"

Kagome opened her mouth to scream out again, but paused when she saw an easily recognizable look of disgust on Sesshoumaru's face. "Se-Sesshoumaru-sama?!" She stuttered out, just now grasping the fact that she was in his room, and just now remembering that Yura had already run away.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What has gotten into you?" She stared up at him with an unreadable expression, a strange mix of surprise, happiness, relief, and…Before he had the chance to finish his thoughts the human girl propelled herself forward, grasping the thick material of his robe and burying her face into it, holding onto him tightly. "Sesshoumaru-sama…"

The youkai prince, totally caught off guard, could do nothing but stare down at the girl with his mouth slightly agape. Just a few moments earlier he had been brought to the bed by a sudden onset of gagging and choking, which had quickly escalated to desperate gasps for air, and just as he was about to call Jaken in once again the human girl shot up and smacked straight into his forehead, leading to the situation he found himself in now. "Sesshoumaru-sama…" She quietly repeated, the vulnerability in her voice pulling at his chest.

Instinctively rather than consciously Sesshoumaru gently placed his hands on his maid's back, although not going so far as to do anything like hug or embrace her. His skin crawled just slightly at the familiar energy that was now strongly being emitted from her body, although he had been aware of the source for the past few hours. At first he couldn't seem to understand why her health was fluctuating so dramatically. Why she had seemed so energetic and resourceful during the squall with Yura, but afterwards she could barely even breathe, never mind move. That she had survived any type of poison in the first place was shocking, and the fact that it had been Yura supplying it made it even harder to believe. But when he had gently touched the girl's skin during her slow recovery, he had felt a very dim energy emanating from her, one that was just familiar enough for him to place. It was the same presence he had felt coming from the Shikon no Tama.

~

Author's Note: T_T This was the hardest chapter I've written yet. Really. That's why it took so long. Usually I sit down in a period of one to two days and just totally get involved and write. But not this baby. Because, in this one, the whole chapter revolves around fighting, and let's face it. I SUCK at fighting scenes. This was almost impossible for me to write, and I got about a paragraph done every day. I'd sit down, get a brain blockage because I didn't know where to take the action, then I'd get distracted, then I'd go off and do something else. But when the fighting ended the writing came smoothly and naturally again, which is why I'd like to assure you that the next chapter will not only be longer, but will come sooner. :D This one's only 9 pages. I'm sorry! It was just so very hard for me to write.

A few shout-outs of my lovelies. Clow angel, who I'm actually talking to through AIM right now, helped motivate me and inspire me to get this done the best I could. I'm so sorry if I disappointed anyone, I know this isn't one of my better chapters…Mariana went far enough to actually comment in my blog, which was very flattering, and so I would like to dedicate some of this to her as well. You all show so much support, and you're all so very nice, and I can't believe I'm lucky enough to have readers who care enough to give me kind words and to actually read this even though I know it gets very long, very tedious, very boring, etc. etc. At first I just kind of wrote this for the fun of it, but now it's all for you. I wish I could reply to all of your comments but that would just take forever and that'd make it so this wouldn't get up tonight and I know you probably aren't reading this at all right now so fine!

And yeah, I know that last scene was a little confusing, but basically the idea is Kagome is alive/was able to function because of the Shikon no Tama's power. I'll get more into that next chapter, but the next chapter will mostly focus on Sesshoumaru, Kagome, and the news from Kouga. Everyone remember that? Ooooh…I just briefly mentioned it in this chapter. I must've read the fight scene over a billion times due to my short attention span, but still, there are bound to be mistakes, and if there's anything major I beg you to point it out. I mean, sometimes we all make mistakes, so if it's just a little harmless misspelling it's all right…Didn't really read over the last scene. Sorry, but it's not that long so hey, how many mistakes could I have made, right? Right?!

On a note, someone was kind enough to e-mail me and tell me that their story was a lot like mine, and they didn't want me to get mad. Now, I read her story, and it is similar to mine, but really, I don't mind. So no one give this girl a hard time, okay? Otherwise I'll get mad, and you don't want me to get mad. We're all authors. No one's going to get famous off of this, and if she does, that's only because she was able to execute it better than I was. I'm not here to compete, or anything like that. So, that's just a thought.

All right, fine, I'm done. I love you all SO SO SO SO much and I want you all to look forward to a better chapter next time. I hope to get it done by next week. :D I mean it this time! I swear to god I do! No more fighting…*happy happy* No more fighting!!

Oh! And PS! I had gotten nominated for an award at A Single Spark! You Kag/Sess fans probably all know what that is. Aaaah, I don't think I won, but still, for my first fic ever to get nominated for anything…Just worth mentioning, because it's kind of a point of pride that my work really is improving. Love love love you all!