Finale

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, since if I did, it would be SessKag, which it isn't, obviously, and Hojo would be beaten up severly. Oh, but I do own this plot and Riku, who is, like, totally fun!

Sesshomaru's eyes widened at the statement. The Doushi-chin-kouei was a demon? Well, he couldn't let Kagome get hurt, demon or not.

Sesshomaru sliced out a piece of the wall and threw it at Kagome. She caught it and used it to block the next dagger.

"Take this, you freak!" she yelled, throwing it at the evil demon in rage.

A strong miko aura surrounded it, pulsing with strength as it hit him. The piece wasn't big, only about eight centimetres in diameter, but Kagome used it as best as she could, aiming right at the Doushi-chin-kouei's heart.

The Doushi-chin-kouei barely had time to move and moved quickly. He got hit in the right shoulder, the piece almost hitting his bone, but not quite. He clutched his shoulder, trying to make the bleeding stop, but to no avail.

Sesshomaru and Riku quickly got behind him and grabbed each of his arms, clamping down so hard every muscle in the Doushi-chin-kouei's arms pulsed with pain.

He moaned in pain, not able to do anything else with his body. The once mighty demon (AN: Okay, so he's pretty weak, but he knows how to play to his strengths:P) was vulnerable to whatever any of the three could do to him.

"What do I do?" Kagome yelled. She had no weapon, nothing.

Sesshomaru looked up. There was a hoard of sharpened stones and metals in the ceiling, barely visible. They were primitive, but they would have to do.

"Riku, get those stones in the ceiling and give some to Kagome. Throw them at him," Sesshomaru ordered.

Riku rolled his eyes, something he did far too often, and let go of the Doushi-chin-kouei. He ran to the wall and everyone expected him to climb it, but he stopped.

"Tie the Doushi-chin-kouei down and run!" Riku bellowed, notes of fear visible in his voice.

'What the hell is he doing? Why did he stop?' Kagome wondered. She was trembling, confused and annoyed.

Sesshomaru had similar thoughts. Taking Riku's words to heart, he pushed the Doushi-chin-kouei to the ground and released him, though the ruler didn't move, paralyzed with pain from Sesshomaru and Riku's inhuman grasps.

Riku pushed his hands through the mud walls and pulled a good chunk, about eight feet in diameter of the wall out. He jumped through it.

Kagome stood there for a second, scared to her wits end.

'Run! Just run Kagome!' she thought, urging her feet to move. She found she couldn't, but she didn't know why.

As the walls started to fall Sesshomaru noticed the Doushi-chin-kouei's aura had spread and was slowly surrounding Kagome's. And it was incredibly thick.

'Kuso!' Sesshomaru thought, he was almost scared for the girl's life. However, he knew he could get her before it fell, though it was falling fast.

He swooped in only to find Kagome was flattened against the floor, twitching. Her aura began to burst, pushing the Doushi-chin-kouei's away and, with all its power, holding up the walls of the building, saving her from harm.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, blinded by the light. Another aura began to join it, grey. It was Riku's. Needless to say, Sesshomaru was shocked, but pleased. Riku had finally accepted her and was saving her life. Maybe there was hope for the half demon after all.

The two auras built up together, trying to drive the black aura away. While it had decreased, it was still there and had seemed to stop diminishing. The crowd that was once around Kiyo's hut was now around the Doushi-chin-kouei's palace, beginning a few feet away from Sesshomaru, who everyone was staring at.

The Doushi-chin-kouei had his hands digging into the ground for stability as he tried to keep a hold on Kagome's power. Sweat covered his face and his eyes had turned blood red, thirsting for the death of another.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome yelled at him.

Sesshomaru's heart beat sped up as he saw her smile at him as she called his name. 'She's okay…'

"Some help here!" Riku yelled at him.

Sesshomaru saw Riku on his knees, fangs bared as he poured out his power in an effort to stop the Doushi-chin-kouei's black aura from taking over Kagome's.

'He's asking me for help? Maybe I've broken through to him,' Sesshomaru thought.

As he stared at the pink, grey and black mass of power Sesshomaru transformed into his demon form. His figure stretched and his eyes turned red as his body altered to form his demonic body. Sesshomaru's white coat was glossy as he poured out his aura. Power was more retrievable in his demon form.

His white aura joined the rest, pushing the last bit of black away from the ball as the colour drained from the Doushi-chin-kouei's face. The walls crumbled into dust, catching the wind in the air as the combined power disintegrated it.

As the three watched, the Doushi-chin-kouei became lifeless as his grip loosened from the ground. He was an empty vessel. He was spread out against the ground, eyes and mouth half-closed in an expressionless face. His body was pale, his brightly coloured robes spread around him, emphasizing his lifelessness.

Riku walked over to the Doushi-chin-kouei quickly, examining him for any sign he was still alive.

Sesshomaru transformed back into his human form and walked past the Doushi-chin-kouei. Instead he headed to Kagome, who was dusting herself off.

He owed her an explanation, and a choice. It was now he would give them to her. He knew she might not be able to understand, but he knew that even if there was a small chance of her saying no or understanding, he would have to tell her, and there was. He didn't know how to explain, but he would try.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome called happily as she ran over to him. Her heart did a backflip. 'He gave so much of his power for me.'

"Time is different here. In your time two months have passed and the search has died down. All I have to do is explain to the police what has happened. Adding to that, everything that has happened here will be erased and everything will return to as it has been," Sesshomaru said detachedly, not quite knowing how to explain to Kagome.

"What?" Kagome said, blinking.

"Let me explain," Riku said as he appeared behind her.

"Eeeek!" Kagome screeched.

"It's just Riku, it's all right," Sesshomaru said to Kagome awkwardly. He tended to be a bit like that when trying to comfort someone. This Sesshomaru didn't really know how.

"Thanks for caring," Kagome said, grinning up at him. She admired him so much; at least that was what she told herself. Kagome wouldn't let herself know that she was in love with the demon.

"You're welcome," the said demon replied, feeling more confident. 'She looks so pretty when she smiles…' Sesshomaru thought.

There was a moment of silence and the crowd kept staring at what had been the Doushi-chin-kouei's palace and his body, undamaged.

Riku broke the silence. "Well, Kagome, would you care to know what my grandfather was saying, or would you prefer for the two of you to stare at each other all day?" he commented rudely.

Kagome flushed a bright pink while Sesshomaru's cheeks were tinged so lightly only Riku noticed. Years of emotionless work had done that to him.

"Uh, yeah, I'd like to know what Sesshomaru was saying," Kagome said, bowing her head to hide her blush from Riku's only too true comment.

Riku grinned. "All he said was that less than one day in this time is two months in your time, which is currently unexplainable and that no one's looking for you two outlaws anymore. Oh yes, and why didn't you two tell me that you were running from the law and that nothing that happened here will be remembered," he said. For the next line he sped up. "And he wants to know if you're free for Friday night so you two can go to the movies." (AN: Sorry! I know it's a little forward, but I couldn't resist. Riku's only too perfect to deliver that. And I kin of needed this in the story since this is the last chapter. You'll see near the end:P)

Everyone was silent until Sesshomaru spoke up. "Shall we take our leave?" he asked.

"How?" Kagome asked, feeling a little dumb that she didn't know.

"Can I have your hand?" Sesshomaru asked, trying to conceal his anxiousness at holding her hand. He felt so immature, getting all worked up about holding a girl's hand, even if it was to use her miko powers.

Kagome understood that that was the reason and gave him her hand. Sesshomaru traced a name into it.

Inuyasha

Kagome gasped as she made out the slight strokes on her hand. She put the pieces together. "It was Inuyasha's grave?" she asked Sesshomaru.

"Yes," Sesshomaru said solemnly.

Before they were taken through time, Kagome said a few words to Sesshomaru.

"I think I'll take you up on that invitation to a movie, though," she said, grinning up at him shyly.

Sesshomaru smiled, for the first time, at her and the blackness engulfed them as they were taken back into their own time, willing to accept whatever would come their way.

The End

Author's Note: Oh my god! I finished! Yay! If anyone wants to read any further (which I hope you do) I'm posting a sequel but I'm not sure if I'll write that or 'Opposing the Blind' first, but I think I'll write the sequel first. It'll mostly consist of Sess/Kag fluff and that stuff. It'll have a plot to do with- oh, wait, don't want to spoil it.

Did everyone like the minor fluff at the end? I just had to add it. I was going to have an epilogue, but decided not to and it would be cruel not to include Kagome's response.

Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed this story. I wouldn't have written half as well if I hadn't seen the hits and read the reviews. I CHECK!

And, counting, I have 142 reviews! I'm quite pleased, if I do says so myself. Tell me if I have any mistakes, I want to correct them.

Watch out for the sequel!