Hey minna-san! I haven't updated in a long time...but I felt inspired so I decided to update...besides, I got so many wonderful reviews! Thank you all soooo much! I love you guys!

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"Kagome," Sessoumaru shouted as he sprang away from Naraku, managing to catch Kagome's lifeless body in his arms before she hit the cold stone floor. Cradling the miko in his arms he picked her up and turned around quickly, so as to avoid a direct attack should Naraku make an advance. Naraku's lower body and right arm had become a mass of brown ooze, obviously unable to sustain his human form with such battle wounds. "Ku, ku, ku," the demon beast laughed wickedly, "so you've come to save the human wrench. Maybe defend her honor? Ha! You're to late Sessoumaru. The miko has been broken." Sessoumaru's eyes bled red and he felt his demon blood pulse in his veins and surge through his heart. He was mad. Mad at the hanyou's words, mad at what the beast had done, but most of all, mad at himself for not being able to prevent any of this from happening. What kind of demon lord cannot protect his own castle? Sessoumaru felt his nails harden and extend into long knife-like claws. He bared his fangs as he lunged at Naraku...only to tear through air. He pivoted and scanned the room, but the beast was gone, only his horrible smell of death and blood remained in the room. His anger grew and his demon blood thickened, his muscles bulged and morphed. His entire body felt like it was on fire, a fire that would not be quenched until his need to kill that bastard Naraku was satisfied. His muscles tightened, about to make the first great leap in an advance on the fleeing hanyou's trail, when suddenly the red in his eyes dissipated and the golden orbs of light seemed to burst threw the blood and restore order to all. He couldn't go after Naraku...not right now at least. He glazed down at Kagome with the golden orbs, she needed taken care of first. He lifted the girl into his arms and nuzzled her soft raven hair. His heart felt torn in...pain, but for what reason? He knew what pain was...pain was losing your arm by the sword of your very own brother, pain was being stabbed and poisoned by the tail of a scorpion beast...so then what was this feeling? Sessoumaru gently sat Kagome on the bed and wrapped a sheet around her nude, battered body. He then took to the air and followed his demon senses to the west, carrying his fragile package protectively in between his chest and his arm, the place closest to his heart.

Normally if he'd come dragging in a wounded being, Sessoumaru would let a servant take care of it, but this time was different. His castle servants, who had been taught to stay out of his way unless called upon, lowered their heads as their lord walked briskly by with the strange human girl in his grasp. They stared at his backside with shadowed faces, never speaking and never breathing until their lord was gone.

Sessoumaru waded into the hot springs still fully dressed. He carefully removed the black sheet from the unconscious girl's body and, for the first time, allowed himself to fully assess the damage. It made him almost vomit and turn demon-form all over again. The girl had been violently beaten and...Sessousmaru's heart throbbed inwhat he couldn't call anything other than pain. His eyes noticed the crusted, dry remains of Naraku's seed spread across her inner thighs and mangled in her pubic hair...violently beaten and violently raped. In order to stop his emotions from getting out of control, from both being in the hot springs with the girl naked and from pure rage, he immediately refocused his attention on the situation at hand. Reaching over to a nearby bolder, he grabbed a wash cloth and began to gently clean the girl's wounds and rub a healing salve over the painful afflictions. He took the herbal spread into his bare hand and began to rub it on a particularly nasty puncture wound on the side of her hip, taking special care to avoid slicing her with his sharp nails, when his hand suddenly began to burn. The demon lord instantly pulled his hand away after realizing what had caused the burning sensation.

Kagome was glowing. Her miko energy had engulfed her body in a protective blue light. It almost looked as it her skin itself was glowing. He couldn't help but gasp at the angelic appearance of the naked beauty seemingly sleeping in the clear, rippling water of the sot springs. The holy light caressed her naked form and highlighted her perfect features, dispite the current situation. Unfortunately, as soon as the light had came it was gone, but it hadn't been merely for show. Once the light had faded, retreating back into the goddess's body, Sessoumaru was able to touch her again without risking the wrath of her miko energy on his demon body. He marveled for a moment in wonder at the extent of her indefinite power and ability to amaze him. She had almost completely healed herself; not even a full-blooded demon could have rejuvenated their body with such ease and perfection. All of her minor injuries were healed completely, while the more major ones had clotted and began to scab over. One again Sessoumaru found himself cradling her to his chest and he felt that a great burden had been lifted from his chest. "Thank Kami," he whispered to the empty hot spring. He found it hard to believe that when they had first met he had thought her weak, stupid, and loud...then he'd tried to rape her himself, an action he could never forgive himself for...now here she was in his arms, in the very same hot springs as before...be he knew better now. He was the stupid one.

He carried her over to the hot spring's edge and wrapped her in a large, soft towel before bringing her to his room and tucking her exhausted body under layers of silk sheets and arranging her head atop an arrangement comfortable pillows. He moved to leave her there snug and well under her blankets, though not daring to do so until her breaths became slow and deep like those of sleep, not irregular and faint like they had been while she was unconscious...only he was stopped by a weak pull on his newly dawned bath robe. His eyes fell to the small feminine had that unknowingly clutched onto his robe, and he allowed a faint smile to grace his lips. "Just this once, human...," he whispered out of smiling, silken lips, and he lay down next to her in his bed.

She was a goddess, intelligent, brave, strong, beautiful...and he adored her. He no longer wanted her out of lust, such a creature was above that. He didn't know how it happened...but he knew he felt things for this human. He wanted her, but he wanted her to want him just the same. He decided that in order to do this...he must first he there for her while she heals. Then, he must do something for both of them. Kill Naraku.

"Sess...ou," murmured Kagome as she rolled over, subconsciously moving closer to the bodily warmth of the demon lord. Sessoumaru shifted his weight so that she could lay closer to him as she pleased, but when hearing her call his name out in her sleep, he allowed his arm to slowly wrap around the girl's waist and pull her body against his.

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Macaroni and Mince Meat,

ChibiMinko 3