A/N: Yo! It's been a little while, ne? I didn't think that last chapter was a cliffie, but... I've been crowned the queen of them, so... haha, I guess it's in my blood. Anyway, thank you all for reviewing, and I hope you review again for me! Please be honest!

Disclaimer: I own this story! I don't own Inu Yasha and his friends! I like massages and facials!

Previously:

Eh, just press the back button if you want to remember. But in essence, Kagome was marked, and they're worried about the temptations that would incur. Also, Sesshoumaru has promised to take Kagome to Sango while he searches for information about these mysterious cloaked figures.

Let's Go!

chapter 25: scuffle

Kagome woke to the sound of birds chirping outside. She opened her amber eyes and sat up. She was going to visit Sango today. Although she was excited, something was pulling at her conscience. She had no idea what it could possibly be, until she entered the bathroom and saw her reflection. Unlike the first time, Kagome didn't scream- even though it was still weird to see herself in the transformed state. Shaking off the desire to look at her reflection some more, Kagome began to prepare for the day. As she was washing her face, she realized what it was that had been bothering her.

'Sango, Miroku… Kaede… What are they going to say, when they see me?' Her stomach dropped. They would probably not be happy. 'But… they'll understand if I explain it to them, won't they?' She sighed as she wiped her face dry. 'I guess I'll have to deal with it when I get there,' she told herself. For now, she needed to make sure she knew as many 'yuketsu' incantations as possible. Not sure of whether or not she had to renew the flying and breathing underwater incantations, Kagome gave it a shot. She focused her mind on the thought of flying. "Yuketsu," she said, and immediately she was transformed into a small ball of light, hovering in midair. After a brief moment, she was back in her hanyou form, standing. It worked. Apparently she didn't have to renew her spells, once she first activated them.

After she had dressed, Kagome began going through the incantation scrolls. There were a few she knew she would need- but as she looked for scrolls that might help her, she realized that there were no scrolls that provided her with anything but defensive abilities. 'I wonder why that is?' she asked herself as she kept sorting through the scrolls. Eventually, she came upon two scrolls that promised to alleviate her concern about arriving at Kaede's hut in her hanyou appearance. These scrolls were for masking one's scent, as well as transforming one's appearance. Yes, these would definitely be effective in helping a mate hide from danger. Not only that, but- if Kagome could possibly hide her scent from Sesshoumaru, then she might escape the danger of them both succumbing to the physical desires imposed on them by the temporary mark. Quickly, Kagome learned these incantations, as well as one for invisibility.

After Kagome finished learning the scrolls, she packed up a few things she had brought from home for Sango- a receiving blanket as well as diapers and onesies for newborns. Carrying her bag, she made her way outside for breakfast. Sesshoumaru, to her surprise, was further off, in the field. She supposed he didn't want to be near her because of the mark. Finishing off her breakfast, Kagome performed the 'mask scent' incantation, and approached the taiyoukai, her bag in hand. He saw her coming, but wore a puzzled look on his face.

"Have you learned to mask your scent?" he asked.

"Mm. I found an incantation. This way, you won't have to stay so far away from me. Not only that, but I found another incantation that will transform my appearance as well," Sesshoumaru nodded. For some reason, he had forgotten about that incantation. It was quite effective, and would last until she wanted to remove it. Or until she attempted an additional incantation. If she masked her scent, she might be able to forestall the cloaked persons from finding her. However, judging from her comment, Sesshoumaru guessed that she desired to change her appearance so as not to alarm her friends.

"It's pertinent for you to know that with a temporary mark, you are only able to use one incantation at a time."

"What?"

"If you decide to change your appearance as well, the incantation for masking your scent will become obsolete. You cannot, with a temporary mark, induce two yuketsu incantations simultaneously. Those yuketsu scrolls were meant for the inu youkai clan- which uses permanent marking techniques. With a permanent mark, one can use whatever incantations are desired simultaneously. But the power of a temporary mark is limited."

"I see."

"For the time being, I commend you on using this incantation." Kagome blushed. While he had thanked her before, she never remembered getting an actual compliment.

"Thank you."

"Then, are you ready to go?"

"Mm," she nodded. Sesshoumaru looked disdainfully at the bag Kagome had in her hands. Kagome smiled and laughed nervously.

"Just keep your scent masked until we arrive. Then you may change your appearance, as you desire."

"Right," Kagome told him. Sesshoumaru grabbed her by the waist, and the two ascended into the sky. As they did, they passed through a barrier. On the other side, Kagome realized that the castle was nowhere to be seen.

"Was that… an invisibility barrier?"

"The castle should be protected while we're gone. Jaken will remain there, but an invisibility barrier is one of the few barriers that can be erected without the necessity of proximity." Kagome nodded in understanding. With normal barriers, the caster needed to be inside, or at least in close proximity to the object under protection. However, since they were traveling quite a ways away from the castle, the invisibility barrier would have to do. It didn't need much power, so it was capable of remaining in place- even when the caster was nowhere nearby.

"Will Jaken be okay?" Kagome asked.

"In any case, he is not the one they are after." Kagome was surprised at Sesshoumaru's cool attitude toward the safety of his minion. She had expected him to show a little more concern than that.

Once they arrived, he set Kagome down. She promptly performed the transformation incantation- just in time, because at that moment, Miroku stepped outside.

"Kagome-sama," his eyes turned to Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru," the houshi sounded less than pleased at the presence of her escort.

"It would be wise to erect an invisibility barrier as a defense against your attackers," the taiyoukai told Miroku. Miroku stared at Sesshoumaru.

"…ri-ght…" he said, after some time.

"It was Kagome's wish to come here- but it would be for your protection and hers, if you would do as I suggest." Kagome was impressed that Sesshoumaru wasn't being as pushy as he was most likely inclined to be. Miroku nodded.

"Are you staying, as well?"

"I'm going to find out about those cloaked intruders. Kagome is in your hands. But know this: if this Sesshoumaru discovers that Kagome has fallen into harm because of your carelessness, you will die."

"As always, I will protect Kagome-sama with my life."

'Maybe so, but- will that be enough, houshi?' Sesshoumaru speculated. After a nod to Kagome, and another to Miroku, Sesshoumaru took off in search of information about these mysterious intruders.

Meanwhile, Inu Yasha completed the remainder of the tactics scrolls- at least on a superficial level. If there was any skill that he wasn't able to master within a few hours, he moved on. There was no use in using an unperfected technique against Sesshoumaru. He walked back toward the castle, away from what was left of the forest.

"Oi! Shippou! Kohaku!" The boys were busy preparing a brunch meal. Inu Yasha stepped into their camp circle. "Hey, what do you say we do a little sparring?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.

"No way, Inu Yasha," Kohaku told him. "You're probably way stronger now, right? Shippou has a hard time against you anyway," Shippou glared at Kohaku before giving him a nice, hefty whap on the head.

"Keh," Inu Yasha boasted, "I'll take both of you on at the same time. Would that make ya feel better about it?" Shippou and Kohaku looked at each other, eyebrows raised. After a moment, Shippou smiled.

"Now that's the Inu Yasha I know!"

"Great, let's go."

"Not yet, Inu Yasha… we're in the middle of making a late breakfast. Come have some food with us, and then we'll go spar." Inu Yasha looked a little disappointed, but huffed quietly as he sat down.

"Alright. But we're fighting right after this,"

"Mm," Kohaku replied. Shippou beamed. This would be fun- he would finally be able to use what he learned during his spar with Sesshoumaru.

After they finished eating, Inu Yasha was the first one to his feet. "Let's go!" he cried enthusiastically.

"Mm!" Shippou jumped to his feet as well. Kohaku stood slowly, and the three of them proceeded into the clearing.

"So… let's go! Come at me!" Inu Yasha told the boys. Shippou was the first to jump at Inu Yasha, and Kohaku followed almost immediately. It had been awhile since they were able to spar, so this was welcome- although Kohaku knew he would probably be downed in a few seconds.

Inu Yasha moved so quickly that Shippou's attack failed; the kitsune youkai fell face-first into the ground. Kohaku had been on the move toward Inu Yasha, who then swiped at him. The young taijiya used his battle senses to jump backwards and avoid the blow. In midair, he released his scythe and maneuvered it to strike at Inu Yasha from behind. Sensing its approach from behind, Inu Yasha ducked and grabbed the handle of the blade as it flew past him. Once he had it, he tugged forcefully, catching Kohaku by surprise, and slamming him down to the ground. By this time, Shippou was up and ready to attack him again.

This went on for a few minutes, until finally Kohaku was down for the count. Now it was only Inu Yasha and Shippou, while a tired and temporarily incapacitated Kohaku watched from the sidelines. Inu Yasha quickly transformed into a full youkai, surprising Kohaku. Shippou, however, had seen Inu Yasha in this form before.

"So now it's youkai against youkai, is it, Inu Yasha?"

"Got that right, twerp. Now, let's have it." Inu Yasha was grinning widely- he could definitely tell that he had improved. Before he had studied those tactics, there was no way he could defeat the combined forces of Kohaku and Shippou so easily. He could do it, sure- but not without a fight. This, however, was more like child's play.

"You asked for it!" Shippou remembered everything that he had learned when he fought against Sesshoumaru. Shippou jumped into the air, and made a straight dive for Inu Yasha's head. The inu youkai stepped backwards, avoiding the blow. Predicting his movement, Shippou dropped flat against the ground and used his leg to attempt a sweep of Inu Yasha. Inu Yasha jumped, and suddenly disappeared from Shippou's sight. The next thing the kitsune youkai knew, he was being twisted around by the tail.

"Hey!" he whined. Kicking Inu Yasha in the face, he broke free, and flipped in midair so that when he landed, he faced his opponent. Wasting no time, Shippou attacked Inu Yasha again. 'No extra movement, no extra movement' he chanted to himself. His new speed surprised Inu Yasha, who was not ready to dodge such a speedy attack. Shippou rammed him in the chest.

-WHAM!- Inu Yasha flew back through the air. As he landed, still moving backwards, he crouched, putting a hand to the ground for balance. Inu Yasha stood up straight.

"Shippou- where did you learn speed like that?"

"Heh, wouldn't you like to know?" Shippou teased. Inu Yasha, however, was completely serious. He had seen that kind of speed in only one other adversary.

"Did- did you fight with Sesshoumaru?" Shippou's smile faded when he suddenly realized that maybe it wasn't the best thing in the world to display his newfound techniques to Inu Yasha, of all people.

"I.. uh…"

"Shippou!" In an instant, Inu Yasha was in front of Shippou, clutching his shoulders. "Did you fight with Sesshoumaru?" he repeated, but louder and more slowly this time around. Shippou, who had been staring Inu Yasha in the eyes, looked down and to the side.

"Y-yeah."

"When!" Inu Yasha shouted. 'Why didn't I know about this? When did Shippou find the time to go visit Sesshoumaru? And what was Kagome doing? Was she still safe?' All these thoughts raced through Inu Yasha's head, but only anger made it to the surface.

"Sango and I went to visit her a little while ago. You were still unconscious…" Inu Yasha dropped his hands to his sides.

"I have to go. I've spent enough time here." Shippou stood there, as Inu Yasha suddenly turned and ran off in the direction of Sesshoumaru's castle.

Inu Yasha returned to the location of his brother's castle, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I can fix that," he said aloud, and whipped out his red Tetsusaiga. With a single swing, he eradicated the barrier. Wasting no time, Inu Yasha ran to the castle and entered. "Sesshoumaru! Kagome?" he called. While he wasn't looking forward to seeing his brother again, he knew that he would have to apologize for what had happened to Rin. Even if it didn't change his brother's feelings toward him, at least he would have a clear conscience. Inu Yasha sniffed the air. There were no recent traces of Sesshoumaru's scent. The only thing he could smell nearby was Sesshoumaru's minion. Inu Yasha began to make his way toward the source of the scent.

As he approached the room that he deemed the source of the scent, he stopped. There was a heavy stench of blood, and the paper door to the room was completely obliterated. Not caring about the debris, Inu Yasha stepped over what was left of the door frame and entered the room.

"Ugghh," groaned Jaken. Inu Yasha looked at the toady minion, who was in the farthest corner of the room. As he walked toward him, he observed Jaken's condition. He was so beat up, that opening his eyes were impossible. There was blood coming out of his ears, mouth, and the corners of his swollen eyes. The staff that he usually carried with pride lay broken on the floor, the mouths of the doll heads ripped off.

"What happened?" Inu Yasha practically shouted as he knelt down next to Jaken.

"Ughgh," was his response. Grabbing his clothes, Inu Yasha shook him briefly, hoping to jar him into coherence.

"What happened?" he repeated, softer this time.

"The… cloaked bandits… they…" Jaken passed out.

"Oi, oi!" Inu Yasha shook him. Jaken woke up. "What kind of people are these cloaked bandits?"

"They… wanted Kagome."

"Well, where is she?" Jaken refused to answer. "Where is she!" he demanded. "And.. how did they get through the barrier?" Jaken shook his head.

"Sesshoumaru will protect Kagome now," was all he said, before Inu Yasha helped Jaken pass out by delivering another blow to his already swollen green and purple head. Standing up, he knew he had to decide on the next course of action- and fast.

"Where are you, Kagome?" he asked quietly. The only place he knew to go was Kaede's. If Sango had visited with Kagome while he was unconscious, maybe she would have an idea of where Kagome might have gone with Sesshoumaru. Running outside, Inu Yasha began making his way toward Kaede's village.

Miroku decided that Sesshoumaru's suggestion was a good one. He set up a barrier outside the hut, using several ofuda. Remaining outside, he kept watch while the women were inside tending to Sango. She had already begun giving birth before Kagome arrived. In fact, she was almost completely dilated upon Kagome's arrival. Kaede was giving him some time to take a breather when he stepped outside and saw them. Inwardly, he sighed in relief. It was good to see that Kagome was unharmed. There was only one thing that bothered him: why did Sesshoumaru seem so protective of her? Sango was right- there was definitely something different about him. Sighing again, Miroku wondered if things would ever go back to the way they once were. He went back inside to check on the progress.

"How's everything going?" he asked. He looked at Sango, who appeared to be completely concentrated on the task at hand.

"She's beginning to give birth. Would you care to watch?" Kaede asked. Miroku walked over and stood behind Kaede, who was crouching down, preparing to catch the head of the infant. The sight of a head peeking through Sango's body was a bit more than the poor houshi could bear. He began to feel light headed, and staggered toward the door.

"Uh, that's alright.. you ladies can take it from here," he said, his voice wavering.

"What do you mean, we can 'take it from here'? You never had it!" Sango yelled. Kagome laughed to herself.

"She does have a point there, Miroku. You just wait outside, and we'll get you when the baby has been delivered."

"Right," Miroku nodded. With that, he stepped outside. "Ahh," he sighed, "fresh air." He had just seated himself when he noticed some movement in the outer forest. Immediately, he stood to his feet. "I think we may have trouble," he called over his shoulder to the women inside. Sure enough, the same cloaked figure who had assaulted him the other day had now returned… with two of his friends.

"You've erected the invisibility barrier, right, Miroku?"

"Yes, but…" He paused, watching the group of mysterious people. They seemed to be discussing something, but soon after, the three hooded figures turned and began approaching the hut. Their movements were slow and steady, like a predator who knows that it will kill its prey, no matter what. "…I don't think it's working," he finished. They were headed straight for the hut. Kagome peeked her head outside, to see what Miroku was talking about- and to see the ones who had become interested in herself and Sesshoumaru. As soon as her head was in view, the cloaked attackers sped up their approach. Miroku turned his head completely, to look at Kagome. "Get back inside!" he yelled. Just as he turned his head back to where the attackers were approaching, he was struck in the head. The cloaked bandits had arrived.

"Your barrier is useless, human woman," one of them clicked, in a throaty voice. Kagome stepped out of the hut, attempting to draw their attention away from Sango and her new baby. Kaede was doing her best to keep everything as quiet as possible inside.

"Sssshaaaa," one of them hissed. "It seems she's been marked." The third figure bowed to its comrade.

"So Sesshoumaru will be even more ready to acquiesce to our demands," the first one clicked.

'Marked?' Miroku gasped as he gained consciousness. He slid his hand inside his cloak and quickly sat up from his position on the ground. Wasting no time, he threw several ofuda at each attacker. "Marked? Kagome!" Miroku was on the verge of reprimanding Kagome- but now was not the time.

"Miroku… I'm sorry…" Kagome released the transformation incantation, and returned to her hanyou form. Miroku's eyes grew wide when he saw her streaked hair and colored eyes. How long had she been hiding it for? When did Sesshoumaru mark her?

Kagome began to move away from the hut, trying to lure the three figures away from her friends. Out of all of them, she was the strongest at that very moment. It seemed to be working. The three hooded figures turned in her direction, and within moments, surrounded her. Wasting no time, Kagome performed a yuketsu incantation. Immediately, she became a small ball of light, and she flew off, hoping that the three figures would follow her. Two of them took the bait, while one remained closer to the hut.

After flying a short distance, Kagome returned to the ground. As soon as she rematerialized, the two figures were right next to her. Quickly, Kagome reached her hand out, and touched the black cloak of the nearest person in an attempt to purify him.

But there was no response to her attempts, save a sinister chuckle of clicks. "You think you can purify us, miko?" it asked.

"What… what are you?" she asked, taking a step back. 'Sesshoumaru, you said you'd come.. where are you?' she thought.

"That's not your concern. What you should be worried about is what will happen to your friends- and the baby- if you continue to oppose us," the other figure told her. Kagome looked into the distance, where she saw the third cloaked figure standing next to Kaede's hut- towering over Miroku's unconscious body.

"If I come with you, no harm will come to them, is that right?" One of the figures bowed.

"Of course. No harm will come to them," it agreed. Kagome sighed.

"Very well. I'm your captive." Kagome watched as the figure who had made the promise lifted his arm to his friend at the hut. In a matter of moments, the third figure had joined them.

"We have remained true to our promise," one of them clicked. "Now, come." Lifting a shrouded arm toward Kagome's head, the figure expelled a kind of silent air wave at Kagome, who immediately lost consciousness.

"Let'sss go," one of the figures hissed. The other two bowed, and carried Kagome off into the forest.

The child had just been delivered. Kaede stepped outside to tell Miroku and Kagome, assuming it was safe because of the lack of noise. What she found however, was an unconscious houshi, and a missing miko. She looked left and right, scanning her surroundings for Kagome's whereabouts. Sadly, there was no trace of her left. The old miko knelt down next to Miroku, and shook him awake.

"Kagome!" Miroku called as soon as he regained consciousness. Suddenly realizing that he was lying down again, he blinked and looked up at Kaede. "Kaede…"

"Miroku, are you alright?" Kaede asked.

"Ah. But Kagome… she was taken by those bandits."

"Why were they after her?" the elderly woman asked. Miroku shrugged.

"I'm not sure… but… Kagome-sama was marked again by Sesshoumaru…" Kaede gasped. Inside, Sango was lying down, the newborn baby at her side. She had heard every word, and her eyes were glistening with realization.

'So, Kagome… you've made your decision…'

A/N:((evil laugh))Hahahah! So, not quite what many of you were expecting, was it? This is not a gory "Sesshoumaru and Kagome have wild sex all the time" fic! Pshaw! Anyway, even though it might not have been what you were expecting or hoping for, please let me know what you thought of it!

Reviewer Responses:

sheenachi: you... you made me blush with embarrassment at your review! I believe that Sesshoumaru has quite a bit of restraint. After all, if he wasn't capable of containing himself, don't you think that makes him less of a man? I think it takes great character to withhold oneself from stuff like that, especially if the temptation is there.

destinyheart15: you're right about him leading Kagome on. I'm glad you caught onto that one... I think he considers this as a kind of game of cat and mouse (heh, or inu and miko, I guess).

Hoshiko Shinomori: heh, did this chapter surprise you? I didn't write about Sesshoumaru during the nighttime- but I think he would've been okay as long as he was in his quarters across the castle from her. He might've lost a little sleep over it, but not too much.

toxiclollipop: haha! you got it right! Hmm.. as for the taste of Sesshoumaru's blood... I'm not sure how I came up with that, actually. I really like corn, and I really like garlic... so I guess I just thought about combining the two of them. Sweet corn and garlic probably tastes really good, and has a subtle, yet addictive flavor. Haha, I probably sound wacko for saying that... but... that's what I think. Has anyone actually had sweet corn and garlic before?

Thanks also to Lady Lenn, Ryosha (yay! Thanks for joining!), Nilee, rach, Golden-Eyed-Girl, Bethany A (hmm. Seems like you can relate pretty well to this story then, huh? We all have to make difficult decisions in our lives. I hope I'm getting everything pretty accurately..), SubaruWings, InuyashaGal, Beulah Page (right again! Way to go! keep up the reviews, I like 'em!), tefi2007, kandy42 (now now, you might get grounded for throwing sharp objects at the computer! Careful!), Exunamoon, EmoChicka, Tracy J, TakaraDaiya, hermonine, Moon's Rain (don't worry, you'll see how it ends eventually)and whimsy.

I hope to see you all after you read this chapter! Aba yo!