The little white tiger named Megumi began running around Kagome in circles. Why did she have the nagging urge to call her Rin? Who's Rin? Her head ached terribly, but she still kept strong, pulling Megumi into a fit of tickles, her little feet flailing around trying to pull out of her grasp. Kagome finally let the poor child go, as she did Megumi ran over to her. A panther youkai looked at her from across the field. He reached about her waist. His long black hair was pulled up and back. His golden eyes had a tinge of green on the edge of them. Immediately he come over and glared playfully at her. He couldn't have been much older than Megumi.
"Follow if you wish to see Kagome. Don't expect her to remember you. She is mine now." Before Sesshomaru could open his mouth Ekibyougami began to fly away. His black wings creating a powerful current of wind as he flew. His army began to disperse. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha exchanged glances. They too followed wearily behind the Dark Angel.
Without warning a large barrier fell. There in its wake was a large palace. The palace was giant. There were two large towers on each side. The roof itself looked like it was made of gold. In front of it Sesshomaru noticed several marble statues. One in particular caught the brother's interest, The statue of the dragon with the angel rider. As they came closer they saw several beautiful gardens with more flowers than either had seen in a lifetime. The trees bore fall leaves, but none littered the ground, as if preserved that way with a sealing spell.
"Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha whispered softly, "I don't think this palace is his."
Sesshomaru looked thoughtfully at his brother. 'I didn't give him enough credit. At least he has a mental capacity. It will be interesting to see how far that knowledge goes.'
As they approached, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha noticed that they were headed toward a large field behind the pristine palace. The field was full of laughing youkai children. When Ekibyougami landed almost all of the children ran to him and pulled on his robes. He didn't respond to any of them, instead his eyes rested elsewhere. They followed his gaze. 'Kagome…'
Kagome was sitting on the grass playing with a small white tiger child as if she were her own. She looked toward Ekibyougami for a moment and returned to playing.
When Sesshomaru took a step toward Kagome, Ekibyougami snapped his fingers and the children were instantly quiet. He began walking toward Kagome. Megumi stopped and looked into his eyes, smiling her huge smile.
"Who are all of these children?" Kagome asked, breaking the silence. The children gave a worried look. Ekibyougami was about to hit her for speaking without his permission when he noticed that Yen and Yang must not have gone over the rules with her. He looked thoughtfully at her for a moment.
"They are mine." Kagome quirked her head to the side to show her confusion, she sensed his earlier displeasure at her speaking to him. She silently asked for an answer. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stood disgusted.
Ekibyougami laughed. "They were born of me. Megumi is my youngest and Kumori is my oldest. At the mention of the oldest Kagome looked toward where the crowd was now positioned. The panther youkai nodded his head, which was at least a foot above the others. Kagome smiled. "I see now."
"Children. Inside." They all ran inside instantly after hearing their father's words. Only Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, Ekibyougami, and Kagome were left outside.
"You look stunning in that kimono. I picked it out myself." Kagome blushed and whispered a barely distinguishable 'thanks.' Sesshomaru gave a warning growl. "I have brought back a present. Hanyou!" Ekibyougami called over his back.
Inuyasha's ears instantly perked up only to drop back down a moment later. Inuyasha came forward and embraced Kagome in a tight hug, like he never wanted to let go. Kagome returned the embrace. Tucking her head under his chin. He held her tighter. "Inuyasha…" Both Sesshomaru and Ekibyougami were close to growling.
'If only I could stay in her arms forever. Curse the gods took her away from me.'
Jaken rumbled though the halls as fast as his short legs could carry him. He stopped in front of the two grand doors of Lord Sesshomaru's study, which happened to still be in slight disarray from the hanyou's visit. Grabbing scrolls he began to read. He rubbed his eyes irritably. 'Something…Anything!'
His toad eyes finally caught onto something.
It has been a millennia since the incident, yet it is still clear in my mind… I hope for the future. May it heed my warning…The Dark Angel will come again…
'Master Sesshomaru doesn't know! Your faithful servant will aide you. Be it my last time that I may…'
"Kagome…" It was a hoarse whisper, but she heard it. Kagome and Inuyasha ended the embrace. Kagome now looked at Sesshomaru blankly. She tilted her head to the side trying to establish where she had seen him before. She was drawing a blank. Ekibyougami smirked and the brother's awaited her reaction.
"Do I know you?
Ekibyougami laughed. Sesshomaru for the first time gave into hopelessness. She didn't remember, at all? How? Inuyasha felt the pain himself. The knowledge that her happiness was completely forgotten, whether or not with his brother, was utterly wrong. Kagome looked at Sesshomaru's lost expression. Something wasn't right.
She took a step toward him, and Ekibyougami stopped laughing. 'This is going to be interesting.' Kagome was now face to face with the demon Lord. He didn't move. He couldn't even bring himself to look into her eyes. Her hand came up and gently touched his cheek.
Ekibyougami started to panic. 'She might actually remember. It couldn't be possible, could it?' The look she had on said otherwise. Sesshomaru looked up slightly trying to read her eyes as they studied his face intently. They were full of confusion. She couldn't remember. But did that mean she wasn't fighting it? He waitd as her nimble hand caressed his face.
Kagome was locked into her own little world. Something told her to remember, to look harder. She looked into his eyes for the first time. Her breath nearly caught in her throat. She knew those eyes! A sudden image of her jumping into his arms in the rain and his eyes staring into hers as she was twirled around flashed through her mind. 'Damn! Why can't I remember his name!'
Her head hurt to try. Waves of pain hit her as memories came one by one. The memories, his face, it all came back. The hand in the night, pulling her naked form into his embrace, covered only by the ivory marble wings appeared in her mind. She remembered screaming for him. The large dragon stood outside breathing flames, waiting for its master, as the ones she loved were dragged unconscience back to the very room she was stolen from.
A single tear slipped down her face. She was about to speak when she thought of a better idea. What if Ekibyougami didn't know she remembered? It would give them the upper hand. That meant that as much as she didn't want to hurt either of them, it had to be done. From the information that Yen gave her the ritual was tonight. It was her destiny to go through it. She took her hand away from his face.
"You're Sesshomaru, right? Shit, my head." Ekibyougami regained his composure. Sesshomaru was relieved in a way. It still hurt. If there was a chance that she remembered his name, she might later come to remember everything. Just one memory at a time was enough for him, for now. 'If we make it out of here with her memories I have to work on her language.'
"You see…" Was all that Ekibyougami said as he made his way through the castle. Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, and Kagome followed him inside. He stopped at two very large charcoal gray doors. Out of all the places in the palace Kagome had seen, these two doors didn't match any of the rest of the place. Ekibyougami opened the doors slowly.
Only the light of thousands upon thousands of candles lighted the room. Kagome pretended to be indifferent. Domen walked into the room, slowly, yet surely, behind them. Domen took Kagome's hand to take her further into the room. Sesshomaru gave a warning growl about what would happen to him if any harm were to come to her.
In the far corner of the room lots of different youkai poked and prodded at Kagome to get her ready by their master's orders. For once in his life, Domen began to feel sorry for Kagome. The ritual would hurt beyond anything she ever knew and possibly would ever know. If she were indeed the one that Ekibyougami thought she was, she would live, if not… well nothing more to be said.
Ekibyougami was impatient. It was a nasty habit he was usually able to defeat. He had been waiting for this 'miko' for over a thousand years. He was more than entitled to be impatient. It wasn't exactly like the wait of a few hours after such a long time of waiting was going to kill him.
"Where is Kagome?" Sesshomaru was more than angry with this 'Angel' now. What in the seven hells is going on here?
"They are preparing her for the ritual." Was his only answer.
"What ritual?" His voice was little more than a growl.
"She will be mine tonight, if the ritual doesn't destroy her. If she is indeed the one I have been searching for, then you need not fear for her safety. Then again, you will not need to worry much longer, she will be free of your mark soon enough."
Sesshomaru's eyes turned a feral red, if not for Inuyasha an unholy fight would have started. "But the mating mark doesn't just disappear. Even when someone dies, the mark stays. So how are you planning that?"
"A smart Hanyou, I ought to give you more credit. Well, it's simple. She won't have the same body anymore. Remove her old body and remove all marks and scares. She won't be Kagome any more."
"MASTER!" Ekibyougami sneered.
"What now?" He didn't even turn to greet him.
"We found this in the field, it frightened the children." Domen held up a poorly neglected and beaten Jaken.
"That is my retainer." Sesshomaru growled in warning. Domen dropped the toad.
"Ugly thing." Inuyasha would have laughed, if their enemy had not said it.
Jaken threw himself at his master's feet, yet instead of shrieking his apologies to Sesshomaru's feet, he glared at Ekibyougami. "You haven't changed at all, Ekibyougami!" Jaken shouted.
Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were shocked. Sesshomaru would have asked how he knew him, but the old retainer continued. "Lord Inutaisho should have killed you when he had the chance!"
Ekibyougami smirked, "You're right, he should have. Little did he know that I would kill his mate. To assure the fact that he wouldn't find me and kill me for the sake of revenge, I made sure that he died by one that would never associate itself with a Dark Angel, a pure dragon. The fool really believed that the dragon would try to overthrow him. My revenge didn't stop there. With Inutaisho gone, I was free to go into the West again, and my first target was his beloved second mate. A disgusting, filthy human, she was easy enough to kill."
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's eyes were glowing blood red with feral rage. They lunged for him, but met a barrier, a strong one. The force sent them crashing into the giant doors behind them, leaving large imprints of their bodies before they fell to the ground in unison. Ekibyougami laughed harder than he ever remember laughing before.
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stood and growled at him. Ekibyougami ignored them and turned to Jaken. He smirked, a glint forming in the corner of his right eye. He walked toward the old retainer, forcing him to take a step back. With Ekibyougami's long legs, he was able to reach the toad, no matter how many steps they took in unison.
Ekibyougami grabbed the retreating toad by the back of his collar. He held him up to eye level. His smirk turned into an evil smile that Naraku could have withered away from. "You are the last of those who fought against me so long ago, and consequently the only one I still have yet to take revenge on."
Without warning, a black light erupted from Ekibyougami's hand and engulfed the poor toad youkai. The last thing that was heard from the poor toad was a barely distinguishable "I was glad to have served you as I did your father. Forgive this lowly Jaken." Then there was nothing more. Sesshomaru howled in a rage.
"NO ONE TOUCHES WHAT IS MINE!"
Just then, Kagome came out. Jewels covered her body from head to toe. Tattoos had been drawn on her body. Kagome was led to what looked like an alter.
'Aren't alters usually used for sacrifices? No! Kagome…'
Ekibyougami walked toward her as she was forced to lean over the alter on her stomach and stood behind her. She said nothing as Ekibyougami pulled out a sharp dagger then left the sheath lying against the alter. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha ran toward her, but the barrier blocked them again, sending them toward the doors again to make identical marks on the walls next to their old ones. They got up and leaned on the barrier making sure they wouldn't go flying backwards.
"Now comes the end of my long wait. The time is now Kagome, join me." Ekibyougami held the dagger to her flesh on her back where the dress revealed her unmarred skin.
Sesshomaru couldn't control himself anymore when the smell of Kagome's blood hit his nose. The great dog youkai form of Sesshomaru was released.
Sesshomaru's senses were tingling. Only one thing could make his blood pump in his veins at such a heart-pounding rate, Kagome's blood. He didn't complete the transformation to the giant dog demon form, but instead a man-beast stood in his place. His eyes were a blood red with a black ring lining the edges. His body was covered in white fur and his demon blood pounded in his ears. He watched as Kagome was trapped behind the barrier, incapable of acting on his bloodlust towards his beloved half-mate's captor, Ekibyougami.
Blood seeped from the deep gashes in Kagome's back. Kagome tried to hold back her tears, but her eyes betrayed her as she let the tears spill, helpless to restrain them. She didn't whimper or call out. She was helpless. The one feeling she hated most.
Ekibyougami was silent. 'The girl has spirit. She has yet to feel the real pain.' He turned the blade on himself and cut both palms, he then held them one over each cut. Blood impacted the wounds on Kagome's back. The blood slowly seeped into her flesh, drawn toward her pure energy.
Kagome closed her eyes and waited when she heard a low grunt from Ekibyougami, standing behind her prone form. The pain had stopped, for a brief instant, only to come back with un-measurable force. Pain laced her entire body from the inside out. A thousand white-hot knives seemed to embed themselves into her body.
Ekibyougami took a step back as she started to shake. This would decide everything. Kagome stood only to fall to her knees before the alter. She screamed with pain. It seemed to echo from wall to wall, reverberating through the room. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head and he screamed her name.
She fell on her stomach, crying and sobbing as she shook with muscles spasms. She cried and screamed for what seemed like eternity. Her eyes were blank and widened with a look of fear and desperation. She clawed at the floor, scratches and cuts becoming apparent as she twitched and tossed and turned on the cold stone. Sesshomaru's fur bristled, his claws embedded themselves into his palms as he growled loud enough for the whole palace to hear. Domen visibly flinched.
The palace started to shake.
The whole palace was under what felt like a terrible earthquake. The children, servants, and guards took to finding shelter. A blinding light shrouded the castle. When the light rolled back, a cry was heard through the palace.
With one last ear-piercing scream Kagome flung her body back to her knees. Her whole body was nearly limp and she was hyperventilating, her eyes still a dull blank. The light from earlier was swimming around her body as it lifted her into the air.
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were on edge, if her screams hadn't been enough, the look on Ekibyougami's face did it all. His smirk and evident self-pleasure in the act of making her scream and writhe with pain was disturbing. The look turned to pure horror when the palace began shaking. All eyes turned to her. Even he was scared when Kagome gave her last cry before being received by the light.
Ekibyougami, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha were deadly quiet, when the light slowly came down and settled itself on top of the alter. They all held their breaths, their voices ready to betray the last calm they had. The light began to fade.
There Kagome lay. The smell of her blood was replaced by a new scent. The smell of Jasmine and wildflowers mixed with the sent of peppermint and cinnamon. Kagome opened her no longer blank eyes and pushed herself from her position lying on her stomach to kneeling.
She looked toward Sesshomaru and Inuyasha with an almost pained expression. Standing weakly she began walking toward Sesshomaru, as if blindly, until she was almost a hairs breadth from him. She reached a calming hand to his face and stared into his eyes.
Sesshomaru watched as she took a careful step toward him, then another. Complete and utter rage turned to sadness and grief in a matter of seconds as he looked into her beautiful eyes. They hadn't changed at all.
Ekibyougami was in a rage, close to what Sesshomaru felt toward him, but now directed back. She should have come to him. HIM! Something was a miss. It had worked so perfectly until this. She had transformed. She was the One he had been searching for. Once again, however, Inutaisho's blood was forcing him back toward failure. He would watch and wait to see how it played out.
Inuyasha was in shock. He was gazing at the most beautiful creature in existence, the creature known as Kagome, standing just before Sesshomaru. She was an angel, a real angel. Her red highlighted black hair flowed to her slender waist. Silver wings sprouted from her shoulder blades, quite possibly as long as she was tall. She no longer wore the kimono given to her by Ekibyougami, but a white kimono embroidered with a rolling hill pattern at the hem and sleeves. A long slit ran down the sides from her upper thigh to the bottom of the kimono. Her creamy skin exposed beneath.
"Sesshomaru…" It was no more than a hoarse whisper. Her voice was as silky as her flawless skin. Sesshomaru was close to pulling her into a crushing embrace, but the thought of frightening her when she didn't remember him or have the mark, which had once been on her shoulder a moment earlier, was enough to make him shake with the effort of controlling himself.
Kagome suddenly smiled. Sesshomaru was close to having a seizure. He was afraid to move or breathe. That smile, that beautiful smile, belonged to him, and only him.
"I'm okay now. It doesn't hurt anymore." Her fingers moved from their position on his cheek to his Crescent Moon. Sesshomaru shivered. "I remember you… I am still yours, if you still want me."
Ekibyougami howled in rage, his ivory wings spread out. The look in his eyes would send the strongest of creatures to the lowest circle of hell. Once again his plans were slipping away. If he didn't succeed this time, there would be no next time.
Inuyasha let out the breath he had been holding. How long he had been holding it, he didn't know. A sly smile spread across his face at the sight before him. The look on Sesshomaru's face was a sight to commit to memory. If they lived, ultimate blackmail was in order. Sesshomaru was honestly close to a break down. If the shakiness was any indication, the surprised face certainly gave him away. He was staring at her, mouth open and eyes as wide as the plates he remembered from the castle when he was a boy.
Sesshomaru grabbed Kagome in his arms and held her tightly to him. He squeezed his eyes shut, not permitting the threatening moisture out of their refuge. She smiled against his neck and wrapped her arms around him, drawing herself closer to the warmth he offered.
The moment Ekibyougami stepped forward, the two broke apart. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha out of instinct stepped forward, both pleasantly surprised that the barrier had been removed. Kagome spoke.
"Ekibyougami, I thank you for giving me my true form. I wish to repay you." The three looked to her in shock, and the brother's faces turned to fear. Kagome stepped forward calmly and surely, giving both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru reassuring looks before stepping toward the Dark Angel. She stopped at arms length from him. The brothers emitted a low growl of displeasure and threatening intent.
Ekibyougami smirked at the two brothers before turning to Kagome, surprise now marring his features. Kagome embraced him. Her wings folded against her back; Her white clashing with his black.
'She's warm. Why is she doing this? I… can't… move!' Kagome heard in his thoughts.
'You could be so much better. Your heart is pure, I can help you.'
'Your lying.'
"Trust me." Kagome said discontinuing their telepathic connection.
For some reason unknown to him, Ekibyougami felt the truth in her words and wanted to accept them. He backed away from her and fell to the floor on his knees sitting on his feet. "NO!" He cried holding his hands to his ears as if afraid she would enter his mind again, controlling him with her sweet voice.
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha watched as Ekibyougami began to take on a black glow. His wings were flattened against him in terror, trying to shut him from the outside world. Confusion reigned in both of them. Why was she being so kind? What did she mean by 'trust me'?
She knelt before him and placed her hand on his face, tracing his every feature. Sesshomaru wanted to growl. He stared at her with evident confusion. She smiled calmly. She closed her eyes and put her forehead to Ekibyougami's.
"Let me free you." Sesshomaru and Inuyasha released their breath and took a calm step forward. Ekibyougami shuddered a moment and threw his head back, releasing his hands from his ears. Suddenly he fell limp into her embrace. She hugged him to her chest and wiped the sweat from is pain-marred face, softly cooing him to accept her help and to just let go. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha gasped when they saw Ekibyougami's wings flashing from black to white in a repeating pattern.
Both brothers got chills down their spines. Evil was forming and fast. The room went a deadly cold. Kagome and Ekibyougami didn't seem to notice. Then they all felt it. Ekibyougami opened his eyes slightly and looked toward the forgotten alter.
The brothers got into a defensive stance and waited for the evil presence to show itself. Black light erupted from the dagger that still lie on the blood-covered alter. The darkness began to take shape. They stepped protectively in front of Ekibyougami and Kagome. A light similar to that of the evil exited Ekibyougami and, moving past Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, joined the creature. More pieces identical to it seemed to come from all directions, some coming from the dented door behind them, even from the long unconscious Domen. In a black explosion the creature formed arms and legs. The dagger became a long, dark sword.
Blood red eyes now stared at the quartet.
