A/N: Some action but nothing too too crazy... Haha. As always, I thank you guys for the support! Leave reviews !

Chapter 16: Back

He nodded as he heard her speak his name. It was so soft, so broken. He almost wanted to feel bad. Almost. The broken hearted look in her eyes, which he remembered always being lit by a fire of determination were now covered in sadness.

He was aware of what the old woman had done, as the old woman had told Rin several stories of Kagome's training as a priestess.

He had been rather disappointed to know that the young miko had gone missing. He had come to drop off Rin to the village, to have her interact more with humans as he was becoming more busy in the West with more meetings and patrols due to Naraku's rise of power. He had hoped that the woman would teach Rin more with reading and writing, because he was not blind. Even with the way she dressed, which was too provocatively in his opinion, the woman was very well educated. But she was suddenly gone and the old woman offered to take care of Rin when he would become too busy. With the rise of Naraku's power, the entire country was a mess. It had been Jaken the one to alert them of the attack. He had gone to get Rin as Sesshomaru finally caught a break with everything.

He had been speaking with his brother when it happened. By the time they reached the village, everything was gone and Rin was sobbing hysterically. The only thing she kept saying over and over was the old woman's name.

And now here stood the miko who could possibly end everything, in front of him a year later. Holding his gaze as her eyes kept shining. She wanted to continue crying, but couldn't bring herself to do so in front of him.

It wasn't just that he noticed. Her aura was different. He could feel it more and he knew it was because she had her complete soul now. She probably didn't know it yet, but she was far more powerful than what she used to be.

He heard him coming right away and side stepped to avoid the angry claws of his half brother. He looked at him, with a bored look as his brother snarled at him.

"The hell did you do to her?"

He was in front of Kagome after sending one last dirty look to Sesshomaru, his golden eyes looking for signs of injuries as he looked at her. But as he looked at her, that's when he realized what was behind her.

She looked up at him, her eyes so wide and innocent as the tears flowed now that he was there. The blush deepened as the sadness overflowed from her. She was pouting as she was forcing back the sob again, her bottom lip trembling with such emotion as she asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Guilt hit him instantly.

"...It wasn't the right time yet."

Her voice cracked, "She's gone."

"I know… I'm sorry."

She let out an angry scream as she collapsed on her knees, Inuyasha catching her and holding her tightly as she mourned for Kaede. He knew where her anger was coming from and the sadness as well. He had felt the same way. He had been rude, an ass to the old woman in various occasions. But she had been family. She had guided him so many times and he could never repay her again. If it wasn't for the beads around his neck, he would have never gotten to know Kagome.

He owed her everything.

Kagome was still crying by the time the others reached them. Both Wendy and Levy had been pale. The amount of destruction of what clearly used to be a beautiful sight caught them off guard. They saw the burnt bones on the ground. Wendy could still smell the scent of death heavily in the area.

Not even the sound of the birds was heard.

When there was no signs of Kagome as they came out of the well, and Laxus caught her scent, Inuyasha had taken off immediately. That's when he caught the scent of someone else and he didn't like the urgency of Inuyasha's hasty departure.

Sango was the one that spoke up as she could feel the demonic aura, "Sesshomaru told us he would be in the area. He is with her right now is my guess."

Miroku turned to the direction of where the tall beautiful tree that used to overshadow all others, "That tree will forever hold a special place in her heart. It was the start of everything. Inuyasha only saw it fitting to place Kaede's plaque there."

Levy gasped, "Isn't she the one that helped Kagome when she first got here?"

Sango nodded, "We were too late. But a good amount of people did make it thanks to her."

Lily hopped on Gajeel's shoulder, "The situation is far worse than what I imagined."

Sango sighed as she started to lead them towards the Goshinboku, "The glory that Japan once held has been destroyed little by little this past year. Naraku has slaughtered any priestess or monk he could find. He's gained as much power as he could. And now with just missing one shard, I cannot imagine on what he's going to do."

Miroku helped Wendy over one of the fallen trees as they continued, "I do not exaggerate when I say Kagome is our last hope. She's the only one that will be able to purify him."

When they finally reached where Inuyasha and Kagome were, Laxus felt like he had been hit in the gut. He could smell her tears heavily in the air. Before he could even say or act on it, a voice broke in.

"You were supposed to get the girl yet you also bring back a pack of dragons, felines, and a human."

Gajeel and Laxus instantly glared at the other man. He was the same height as Laxus but not as built. Long silver hair adorned his head. A set of familiar golden eyes, slightly more narrowed, graced his face. He had a long pointy aristocratic nose with magenta markings on either side of his face and a crescent moon on his forehead. They could see pointy ears peeking through the silver hair as well. Adorned in a red, black, and white kimono with an armor anaced on his chesd two swords on his hip, they immediately recognized him from the descriptions of Kagome.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Miroku said politely, never forgetting the fact that Sesshomaru still rightfully ruled the West, "These are her friends. They helped her when she was in their world. They have offered their help to bring down Naraku."

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow as he looked at every single one. The two girls, the small one and the slightly taller one, seemed to be outright intimidated by his gaze. The two cats held his gaze and the two men were glaring at him.

"Even in other worlds it seems that dragons are temperamental."

Gajeel snapped, "I'll show you temperamental pretty boy."

Laxus placed an arm to stop Gajeel from launching, "Enough. We didn't come here to fight him. We came to find Naraku."

Sesshomaru turned to him, "You know of the half breed."

And for some unknown reason that she wasn't sure why, Wendy chimed in.

"Naraku went to our world. Laxus fought him."

Sesshomaru looked at her, making her blush at the intensity of his gaze, and then went back to look at the other man, but just as he was going to say something, Inuyasha commented.

"If you can even call it a fight. Couldn't get through the barrier."

Laxus' temper started to flare. Gajeel immediately felt the static in the air and he could only feel sorry for Inuyasha. Kagome was still red from the face from crying and smacked Inuyasha on the back of the head.

"Stop instigating. If you didn't have Tetsusaiga you would never be able to get through to him. Stop being an ass."

And because she had felt it too, she walked over to Laxus and placed a hand on his arm. Her fingers twitched as she could feel the electricity. He looked down at her, and seeing her tear streaked face is what snapped him out of frying Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru snorted, "You always tend to go with the most temperamental Miko."

She turned to him and snapped, "I kind of liked you more when you were a bigger ass. You're starting to sound like your brother."

Sesshomaru's smug look instantly disappeared as he was compared to his younger sibling. He glared at her.

"So what is the plan?" Carla asked quickly. If they kept this up they would never make it to the West.

His stoic face turned to the cat, "I was not expecting this big of a party to show. I would either have to send a message for us to be retrieved from this area or we would have to travel there. The kitsune and the fire cat can transform."

Lily raised his paw, "Me and Carla can fly too. We can carry our partners."

Sesshomaru thought of it, "Should be enough then."

Kagome cleared her throat, "I have to go home. At least to tell my mom that I'm alive and well."

"Fuck no. You just got back and now you want to leave? Don't you see what's around us? This is not even half of what he's done!"

"I've been gone for a year. She must be worried sick!"

"Next thing I know you're gonna tell me to stay for your stupid school! You're not going Kagome and that's fucking final."

As soon as he finished the sentence, he felt a fist on his cheek, filled with lightning, that sent him across from where they were standing. He landed on the ground harshly and he could feel his cheek stinging from the blow.

"I've had enough of your shit. She wants to go see her mom, she can. She's coming back. She's aware of the situation. But talk to her that way one more time like she's property and it'll be more than your cheek that I fry."

"You really want to do this right now dragon?" Inuyasha snapped as he jumped back to his feet and made his way over to Laxus. He grabbed Kagome by the arm and pushed her behind him. She couldn't even form the words. She turned to Gajeel for help, but him and Levy just shook their heads. Wendy grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"I think it's better they get this out of their systems now instead of in the battlefield."

Levy nodded, "I agree with Wendy. I don't want to see this either but it's true."

Kagome threw her hands above her head, "Well I'm not going to stand here and watch a testosterone fight! I'm going home!"

And without looking at them, she made her way over to the well. Shippo and Sango quickly went with her.

Laxus heard her loud and clear, and as much as he wanted to stop and go after her, he couldn't. He had heard enough of Inuyasha's side comments. And now he was prohibiting from seeing her own mother? That was the tip of the iceberg for him.

His magical aura flare to the challenge, lighting erupting and covering him from head to toe as he glared at Inuyasha. The half demon snarled and lunged, but Laxus wasn't there anymore. He had moved to his right and brought his knee to directly hit Inuyasha in the stomach, knocking the air out of him.

Gajeel yawned as he went to lean on a tree, "This is going to be over soon. Might as well take a nap until Kagome gets back."

Wendy found herself standing next to Sesshomaru, watching the fight with worry as she knew she was going to have to heal one of them, if not both. She had seen Inuyasha with his sword, but in a hand to hand combat, he lacked. She wasn't the greatest fighter, but she could even tell that Inuyasha acted first and then asked questions later. Reminded her a little too much of Natsu in that aspect.

"Lightning."

She turned to look up at the other man and nodded, "He's a lightning dragon slayer. Gajeel is an iron slayer."

With the slightest of movement he turned to look down at her, "You also smell of dragon."

She blushed, "I'm the sky dragon slayer. Wind and enhancement magic are my specialty."

He took in the information and went back to look at the brawl. The lightning covering the other man was gone, as this was now a fight of skills. Sesshomaru couldn't help but be slightly impressed. It was clear that the other man could finish the fight if he really wanted to. His movements were calculated. There was no impulsiveness like his sibling.

The more he watched, the more the curiosity was rising on what the others could do.

"Why are you here?"

Wendy sighed, "It didn't feel right letting her come back alone, specially with what happened. She needed help. She became part of our family."

He let out a slight noise through his nose but didn't say anything further. Maybe it wasn't an idiotic idea after all that they came along.

His castle had become a fortress. Women and children, human and demons, were residing there for shelter. He never once thought that he would be opening the doors of his home like that, but he couldn't allow more to die even if he didn't show it. He saw too many little girls dead that reminded him of Rin.

Besides, she was loving taking care of others.

Finally, the sound of lightning echoed loudly as Laxus put an end to the brawl. He was panting and he could feel his arm burning because Inuyasha had gotten a good swipe with his claws. He had to give it to him, he was strong, but it wasn't just about brutal strength. Wendy rushed quickly to Laxus, her hand glowing green as she healed his wounds. She knew Inuyasha would need help too, but Laxus was part of her guild.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly to see the young girl possess healing powers as well. How could someone so small hold that kind of power? He was more curious now. With a side glance he looked at the other man who had a smirk on his face as the other small woman sat next to him with the black cat.

What else could they do?

Specially in a serious battle?

—

She had never been more angry as she continued fuming as she stomped to the well. With a frustrated sigh, she tried forgetting about the two men. She had a mission to do and that was making sure that the forsaken well would take her to her time. She bid Shippo and Sango goodbye and said she would only be gone for a few hours.

"Please make sure they don't kill each other."

That was the last thing she had said before jumping in.

She prayed and prayed as she fell down the well that she would go back home as she felt herself being swallowed by the energy of the well. She had her eyes closed because she was afraid of the disappointment. As she finally gained the courage, she was relieved to see the roof of the well house over her. She saw the worn down wooden ladder and quickly climbed it. She was panting out of anticipation. She needed some sort of a fresh sight.

Seeing what the area had fallen into and seeing Kaede's plaque had worn her emotionally. She needed the comfort of her mother more than ever.

She wasn't sure what day it was as she ran across the stone like walkway, aiming for her house. She gripped the door handle and immediately she was hit with the warmth of her home and the smell of her mother cooking.

She didn't bother taking off her shoes, she just ran.

And there they were. Souta was talking to their grandfather. His voice was different. His height was different too. Her grandfather looked like he had aged.

They turned at the sound of feet running and both her grandpa and brother dropped their chopsticks. Her mom turned around and immediately dropped the plate she had.

She wasn't saying anything. She was just staring at her.

"Mama…" she whispered as her eyes again welled up in tears.

Her mother gasped as she moved around the table where her oldest daughter flung herself to her. Kagome welcomed the warmth of her mother, the security and tenderness, and just cried.

She cried because even if it had been three months for her, it had been a whole year for her mother, for her family. They didn't know if she was alive.

But now a year later here she stood, alive and well. Souta couldn't believe it either, but once the shock wore off from him, he was joining the reunion. Grandpa could only smile, his eyes watery, as he took the image of his daughter reunited with her children.

The few hours they spent together came and left. Kagome caught them up on everything that had been going on. About Earthland, about the wizards. She wasn't sure about mentioning Laxus, but next thing she knew, she was telling her family about him.

Mrs. Higurashi was barely containing the full on grin as Kagome spoke of this mystery man. Her eyes were shining.

And then there was a knock on the door which Souta went to answer to not interrupt his sister's conversation.

"Laxus is one of the strongest in the guild," she continued, "Although I understand there is someone that's stronger besides his grandfather—"

"Thanks for the reminder that I haven't beaten Gildarts on a fight."

She stopped with her mouth open. Shock and a blush spreading through her as she heard his voice from behind her. She slowly turned around, not once believing that he was there.

In her living room.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes widened, her hand going to her mouth, "Oh my…"

Kagome blinked twice, "How are you here?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "The well."

"The well?" She repeated, completely not believing the idea he jumped through the well and made it to her time.

However how else could he even be there?

He nodded slowly. Souta was staring at him wide eyed from behind him, "Are you stronger than Inuyasha?"

Laxus turned his head to him, "I just kicked his ass."

Kagome glared, now remembering why she had left so hastily, "You didn't have to do that."

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Kind of needed. He was starting to get impatient again and almost came to get you but I jumped in first."

She made a face, "Just jumped in?"

"I just said that."

Mrs. Higurashi giggled, catching the attention of both Laxus and Kagome who were just inches apart as they had been arguing.

She went up to him, and after a long stare that Laxus held, she bowed.

"She told me everything you did. Thank you."

Kagome had never seen him stun in silence and blushing like that before.