A/N:

Angst warning. ^_^

Chapter Thirty-Six

Darkness rolled like a thick blanket with the chill of late night biting harshly into her features as Kikyo's straw sandals met with the rocky ground beneath them, and she quickly signalled her serpent helpers away to grant both Sesshomaru and her with enough silence to assess their surroundings after a faint reading of their enemy had released into the air, carelessly or not, luring them to the side of a high mountain. Expressions stern and senses heightened, their eyes inspected all around them through the obscurity of low clouds descending upon the tall landform as they listened closely to their environment for any hints regarding their shared target, yet only the rumbling of thunder echoed through the endless skies above their heads, further adding to the tense atmosphere.

But the sudden inactivity did not deter their sharp instincts, and soon enough, the earth began to shake under their feet as a surge of deadly shouki emerged from the undeciphered top of the mountain, causing their attention to immediately shift in its direction.

Forms tense, they stepped back to further study their current threat, weapons drawn and ready in their hands.

"So... you have followed me here, Sesshomaru, Kikyo..." A familiar voice slithered through the darkness, the new mangled form of Naraku's offspring striding from the foggy haze before them, "But it is too late now, as my transformation is already complete."

Ignoring his words, both the daiyoukai and the priestess moved in opposite directions to the creature, closing in on their prey from each side while maintaining a safe enough distance.

Then, their calculated gazes found each other, nodding once in shared understanding to their next course of actions.

"How nice, you think you could operate together in order to defeat me..." Moryomaru mocked as his right arm morphed into a bouquet of diamond spears, the same attack he had managed to steal and absorb so efficiently from the half-demon.

And seeing the confirmation to their previous theory, a deep scowl soon covered their expressions.

"The only thing you have achieved with your transformation is to make yourself uglier, Moryomaru." Sesshomaru commented dryly, golden eyes narrowing at his enemy.

"Heh... you and I have fought once before, I recall." Naraku's offspring said, head lowering with intent, "However, this time will be different."

Hearing that, Sesshomaru simply raised tokijin in front of him.

"We shall see."

Barely even finishing his own disinterested answer, the daiyoukai quickly swung his sword and hurled a powerful attack at his opponent, only for the latter to lower himself into a defensive position, using his newly-acquired armor to diffuse the strength of the strike and absorb it instead with little effort.

Then, Moryomaru quickly released another deadly wave of shoki to spread through the ground before him.

Acting immediately, Kikyo shot her holy arrow at the dangerous substance, her spiritual energy overriding the attack on impact and cleansing the air from any disturbances, making the armoured creature whip his head with annoyance towards her being.

Sesshomaru, however, quickly made use of the successful distraction as he once again sent another strike to clash against his being, calculating more force into the hit.

Yet even in that unsuspecting state, the strong shell of the meioju Moryomaru had absorbed still proved impossibly sturdy, rendering his powerful maneuverer entirely useless against it.

"Not even a scratch." Moryomaru taunted, chuckling as the smug grin crept further through his face.

Just then, various readings of different energies caught up to their location, and soon Inuyasha and his group landed not far from where they stood, their expressions ranging from pure surprise to deep worry.

And without even noticing it herself, Kikyo's mahogany eyes found Inuyasha's battered being once more, the heavy feeling from earlier growing stronger with each new step he had made towards both her and Sesshomaru.

"Kikyo!" The half-demon called, running to her side with Tessaiga already drawn and ready, "Get behind me, I'll handle this!"

Surprised, the priestess only raised her head slightly.

"I am fine, Inuyasha." Kikyo retorted and calmly stepped past him, "Worry over yourself and your group members."

She heard him click his tongue behind her.

"I let this fuckin' bastard absorb my attack like an idiot, Kikyo!" He yelled, reaching his free hand to grab her wrist as long fingers wrapped around her false flesh, "I can't let ya get hurt by that!"

Much to their combined surprise, Sesshomaru suddenly landed before them, his tokijin clashing against Inuyasha's Tessaiga with fearsome intent, forcing the half-demon to let go of the woman and step backwards against the sheer force of his unexpected opponent.

"You have heard her, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru hissed with irritation, only continuing with his strides to further distance the unnecessary being from the spot, "I suggest you remain where you belong."

Taking advantage of his enemies' distraction this time, Moryomaru immediately launched several diamond spears at their direction, causing Sesshomaru to swiftly turn on his heel and step before Kikyo, hurling another strong attack in return as his power overcame the sharp blades and disintegrated the sudden threat at nearly the last moment.

The air filled with sparkling remains of shredded diamonds while those descended upon the area like rainfall, and Sesshomaru simply turned his head halfway back to lock his steady gaze with Kikyo's, making sure of her safety.

Then, he shifted his attention once more towards his target.

Inhaling sharply to the occurrence, Kikyo straightened with poise.

"Inuyasha." She called firmly, keeping her vision forward, "You are injured yourself, I believe it is best for you to assume a defensive position, this time."

Inuyasha clenched his jaw, processing her words in silence for a moment.

But instead of following obediently with both her suggestion and the daiyoukai's threat, he only reclaimed his lost distance, stepping forward until he once more reached where she stood.

"I can't do that, Kikyo." He asserted while keeping his stern gaze up at their shared enemy, "I won't leave ya to fight in this without me."

Mahogany eyes widened as Inuyasha charged forward, waving his sword and sending his attack up to clash against Moryomaru's hardened armour.

But the priestess' thoughts were as if wiped completely blank at that moment, vision blurring as she set her gaze onto the red of his form before her, feeling the burden spread through her limbs like molten lead pouring inside, flooding both her body and mind to the brim altogether.

"I am not the one who was abandoned, you see."

Byakuya's words tore into her conscious uninvited, and Kikyo could only swallow harshly to the realization she had been ignoring since before, now ringing in her head far too loud and clear for comfort.

Fair fingers clenched tightly around her longbow as her shoulders tensed with silent resolve, and she stepped around her silent companion, closer to the half-demon who was now jumping to avoid Moryomaru's close range attacks, barely managing to avoid them due to his hindered state.

Then, the priestess simply nocked a single arrow with cold, deadly precision, shooting at the extended limbs of her enemy and successfully tearing through his body, saving Inuyasha from a sharp tentacle that would have most likely wounded him further.

Narrowing his eyes to her actions, Sesshomaru's gaze followed after the woman for an extended moment.

And when she chose not to turn her head back and address his obvious silent wondering, the daiyoukai simply breathed in deeply and averted his attention back to the unholy creation towering before him, jaw clenching with annoyance as his mokomoko enveloped his feet, lifting him into the air while granting him with equal height to the one of his enemy.

"I don't give a damn if you don't move, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru called through a low tone, flying over to position himself behind his half-brother, "You are asking to be ripped to pieces along with this scum."

With no further words, he sent another terrifyingly strong surge of energy towards Moryomaru, the attack pulverizing through the ground below and nearly annihilating the startled Inuyasha as well, who managed to avoid the strike at the last second.

And just like before, the blast met against the dark armour in a vicious struggle of powers.

"Truly, the grudge between you brothers runs deep." Moryomaru said, his beady eyes exchanging between both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha while his grin only widened with further amusement, "And especially now, considering the latest developments, huh..."

As soon as the venomous words left his mouth, Naraku's offspring extended his diamond-covered limbs once again to snake through the entire area, missing both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha by a hair in his sudden attempt of absorption.

But his target was hardly just the two brothers.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha yelled in panic, jumping to shield the priestess from the upcoming attack sent in her direction, only for one of the spears to cut through his arm, adding another wound to his body.

"Inuyasha..." She breathed with horror, worry clear in her expression as she watched him drop on one knee before her in response to the sharp pain.

Tearing his gaze away from the occurrence, Sesshomaru's frown turned into a deep scowl once he settled his attention back on the being standing before him.

"I have had enough of your existence, vermin." He snarled.

"Heh, I bet you have." Moryomaru countered with still evident amusement, line of vision studying right through him, "Not being able to do anything with your current abilities must be frustrating, Sesshomaru. I have told you this will be nothing like last time, after all."

The daiyoukai kept quiet as Naraku's offspring only continued with his words;

"No one can break though this armoured shell of mine, and no one could have prevented me from absorbing it, either... especially not that worthless woman who dared to betray me."

Hearing that, all eyes widened with realization of the person to which Moryomaru was reffering.

"What the fuck did'ya say...?" Inuyasha called, staggering to stand as Kagome quickly ran to his side, enveloping her arms around one of his own and propping him back up using her balance.

And seeing the fragile girl before her supporting the half-demon so closely even at the grave danger of the battlefield, Kikyo only released a quiet breath and stepped away from their spot to instead approach closer to their mutual enemy.

But once her eyes located her silent companion, Kikyo noticed something had undeniably changed about him.

Chuckling to Inuyasha's reaction, Moryomaru only kept with his gleeful taunting.

"That woman dared to betray Naraku, dared to betray me, told you of the location of the heart and even went as far as to give you the crystal to locate it, only to die a miserable death. Truly, what an utter fool she was."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha immediately shouted with pure anger, lifting his Tessaiga up while stepping forward.

Kikyo's keen eyes remained on Sesshomaru, eyebrows lowering along with her silent reading of his spiked youki, coiling all around him.

And clenching her hands into tight fists, she could only watch with both worry and sadness as a blast of sheer, unfiltered and deadly demonic energy shot at Naraku's offspring, so strong that it successfully broke through his seemingly impenetrable armour and propelled him backwards, struggling to stand.

Faster than he could even process what had just happened, Sesshomaru already launched himself towards him with frightening speed, stabbing the densest part of Moryomaru's armor with clear intention of breaching through both his being and the heart of Naraku altogether.

However, even with half of his face shattered to pieces, Moryomaru still remained calm and smiling in the face of the sudden, close danger.

"You act as if you disagree with my words, Sesshomaru, but I suggest you heed them, instead..." He almost whispered, watching the daiyoukai closely, "...Because the same shall eventually happen to everyone around you."

The sudden loud crackle of a shattering blade cut through the space all around them as tokijin broke in half under the pressure of the force, leaving the stunned daiyoukai with no weapon and causing all eyes to widen with alert.

'Get out of there! Quickly!' Kikyo's lips parted with disbelief as the breath hitched in her throat to the sight.

But even Sesshomaru's speed proved incapable of escaping the swerving threat which quickly closed in on him from every side due to his close proximity.

Acting immediately, Kikyo readied her bow and arrow in Moryomaru's direction, shooting her attack at one of the tentacles and successfully hindering its movement for a moment. But Naraku's offspring was clever enough to plan ahead for an instance precisely such as this, and the next group of diamond shards was sent flying at none other than the barely standing Inuyasha, located not far behind her.

"Inuyasha!" The priestess called to him, making him wrap one arm around Kagome's waist and jump away from the spot back to safety.

Unfortunately, that single moment of hesitation was enough for a terrible feeling of dread to strike at Kikyo's very core, causing the priestess to once more shift in the direction of both Sesshomaru and Moryomaru.

And icy chills ran through her entire body as her vision went wide to the sight of a large spear driving through the inu daiyoukai's chest, his injured form completely captured by the deadly limbs of his enemy, right before her very eyes.

"Damn it! Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha called, gathering the last bit of strength in him to jump right back into the battle, forcing Tessaiga to cover with dragon scales as both of his hands clenched onto the hilt of his blade.

But once he neared the silent priestess, surprise conquered his face with little effort.

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha addressed the stilled woman in confusion.

Broken from her temporary shock, Kikyo immediately lifted her arm up, using the sleeve of her burgundy kosode to wipe her misty eyes and clear her tormented mind back into order, inhaling sharply as she silently nocked another arrow into her longbow and aimed it up, releasing the strike at the exact place where she knew the Shikon Jewel shard was imbedded.

Then, she turned to the half-demon standing beside her, unable to conceal her alarmed expression from him.

"Slay him, Inuyasha! Please hurry!" She begged.

Clenching his jaw to the unfiltered sight of the woman before him, Inuyasha only cleared his throat and focused his stern attention once more on their enemy, jumping forward and hacking his blade deep into the already cracked armour of Moryomaru.

And once Naraku's offspring was too distracted with resisting the half-demon's attack, a sudden light began shining from the inside of Sesshomaru's current whereabouts, the diamond spears surrounding his form slowly opening to reveal the irritated daiyoukai struggling in their grip with the help of none other than Tenseiga, his second sword.

Nearly forgetting how to breathe, Kikyo hurriedly aimed another arrow towards Moryomaru.

Yet, once her opponent noticed her intentions, he strangely let go of his deadly grasp, then released another surge of shoki to eat through the ground, making her step back and allowing himself with a chance to escape the scene.

As if under a spell, the world suddenly dulled around her as mahogany eyes locked onto her still standing companion, observing as despite his state, Sesshomaru still lifted himself back to his feet with elegance, his vision lowering down to his shattered sword etched into the rocky ground not that far from him.

Then, across the broken earth and steaming remains of lethal shoki still plaguing the air, their charged gazes collided for a swift moment before his golden orbs eventually broke from Kikyo's being to stare at an unfocused spot, somewhere far away. Without sparing a single word like that, Sesshomaru only extended his mokomoko below him one last time, flying away and disappearing into the dark skies now painted with the earliest strokes of dawn.

The heavy silence reigned through the air as Kikyo's shoulders eased ever so slightly, and she made sure to rid her face from any semblance of emotion in advance of turning around to face Inuyasha and his group members, watching as he stood in his place, covered with wounds from head to toe with Kagome closely beside him.

And soon she noticed every single set of eyes was now aimed at her.

"Go to him, Kikyo. Right now, that asshole needs ya."

Inuyasha's reluctant instruction broke through the deafening quiet, as if reading her mind regarding her current inner turmoil about him.

And as much as she wanted to voice out her thoughts before him, say something, anything regarding the entire occurrence and all that had happened...

At that specific moment, Kikyo found that she couldn't form any proper words, at all.

Despite that, however, the half-demon only took another step forward before her, harsh expression that once carried so much animosity in it was now so soft and understanding, capable of seeing right through her.

"I'll be fine, alright?" Inuyasha insisted, nodding once before her, "I got someone to take care of me."

Hearing that, Kikyo glanced over to Kagome behind him, who only granted her with a reassuring smile in return.

Then, she simply exhaled deeply and found Inuyasha's gaze yet again, nodding once with acceptance.

Bright amid the blue, the early dawn coloured the sky above her head once Kikyo landed back safely in the area of the campsite as her serpent helpers distanced themselves from her body to glide back into the vast sky. Poised, the priestess stepped forward, closer to where she had left the rest of her most-likely sleeping companions, only to find every single one of them already awake, eyes finding her being once they noticed her familiar presence emerging from the thickness of the forest.

However with every new step she had covered, Kikyo noticed the atmosphere of the camp was undeniably laboured with unspoken tension.

Observing the group as they sat timidly around the warmth of the fire they had propped, the priestess' eyes eventually settled on Rin, who only gestured with her head beyond the depth of the forest, her expression turning troubled as a result.

"Sesshomaru-sama told us not to follow him." The child said.

Gathering enough information, Kikyo silently resumed her movement and crossed over the grassy earth, soon reaching A-Un. Then, she rid herself from her weapons and instead collected the clean wooden bowl along with various herbs she had recently prepared in case Kohaku's training proved to be a bit too much for the human boy to bear.

Wordlessly like that, she rose back to her feet and stepped away from the camp, through the dense treeline and in the direction of Sesshomaru's faint presence.

The forest hummed with life all around her as its concealed residents steadily woke to the soft rays of early morning, the dewy grass beneath her sandals steadily replaced with long roots, fallen leaves and wildflowers the more she ventured towards the daiyoukai's reading. And soon enough, Kikyo reached a humble clearing in the dense growth; a hidden space scattered with large rocks which etched into the ground almost in some sort of unique marking and sheltered by the towering, ancient trees.

There, in the middle of that specific location, sat Sesshomaru on one of the flat-faced rocks, back straight with elegance and his sole arm rested on his bent knee, the gentle wind flowing through his long, silver hair and garbs.

Golden eyes darted to her as soon as Kikyo exited the treeline in his direction, yet they both maintained their silence until the priestess reached his spot, halting her calm steps to stand right before where he sat in order to properly assess his injuries.

And heaviness tugged on her being to the sight of his broken armour and large hole forged in both his garbs and chest, causing Kikyo to breathe in deeply and lift her chin slightly before him, her expression still remaining unreadable as her gaze ventured back up to meet with his.

But the more she watched him in his current, wounded state, the more a sudden memory formed in her head; a familiar instance in which a similar scenario took place, and one which she should have known better than to let happen again...

Just like that one day, all those months ago, the same one in which Inuyasha had appeared in their campsite and demanded for her to return with him; the same occurrence which quickly escalated into a fight between Sesshomaru and him, pushing her to instinctively protect Inuyasha from the imminent danger and unintentionally injure Sesshomaru in the process with her sacred arrow...

Just like then, she had once more put Inuyasha's safety above that of her important companion without even noticing until it was far too late.

Exhaling deeply to the unfortunate realization, Kikyo's lips formed a thin line.

Really... when will she finally learn?

The quiet only stretched between them, eyes never breaking from each other.

And the longer Sesshomaru refrained from speaking before her, the more Kikyo felt her mind gradually fill the void of his silence with countless questions, instead.

Why does he not reprimand her like he did then?

Why does he not fault her for breaking her own word to him?

However, his clear eyes carried no trace of blame in them this time, and with every new moment she stared into his pools of gold, Kikyo found herself leaning towards a different conclusion, and one that she hardly expected, at that;

This stubborn man sitting in front of her already accepts her as she comes, and if that means that she would have to put Inuyasha's safety above his, then so be it.

His respect for her was not contingent on her abiding by his rules, any longer.

'That is why he had returned without me, huh.' She confirmed to herself.

And the priestess could only release a deep breath to how utterly wrong he was by believing that she witnessed him in such an expendable way...

Wordlessly, Kikyo took one step closer to stand between his legs.

And raising her free hand up, slim fingers moved slowly towards Sesshomaru, guided by an impulse stronger than ever before as her palm hovered tentatively for a second before forming eventual contact with his skin, making him flinch slightly to the sensation of her soft touch on his jaw. Without sparing a word to the air between them, the tips of her fingers slid up to his striped high cheekbones and all the way to his forehead, entering below silver bangs and then brushing them aside in order to grant the priestess with better view.

Inhaling sharply to her sudden actions, his golden eyes instinctively lowered from her close, keen gaze to her lips, fair neck and then her chest area positioned before him, vision fixing on the burgundy kosode she was wearing and studying the tasteful pattern of reddish flowers embroidered evenly through it; anything to keep his mind distracted enough and his heart under a semblance of control at that particular moment.

"It shall heal in a matter of hours." Sesshomaru reminded her through a voice so low it was almost a whisper, attempting to cease her dangerous exploration in the process, as well.

But Kikyo said nothing in response to that claim, and she only kept her cryptic silence for the longest time, mahogany eyes never leaving his being and the various wounds which now regrettably tainted his handsome features, clear and disquieting under the soft rays of dawn.

Truly, it was all her fault.

Every reddened area, every cut and every bruise which currently displayed before her was her indecisiveness and her failure...

And yet, the more she stared down at him, the more Kikyo felt herself fill with contrasting relief to the fact that this man before her was indeed, still alive, still breathing and still oh so very stubborn, despite it all.

She was truly so scared, so worried for his sake... terrified, even.

And at that moment she also finally understood... just how much she truly loved this proud inu-daiyoukai sitting before her.

"I'm so glad you are alive." Kikyo blurted without a second thought, biting her lower lip as soon as her mind wrapped around the embarrassing words which managed to escape her through the height of the overwhelming feeling currently dulling her thinking.

Hearing that sudden confession, Sesshomaru raised his calm gaze to meet with hers once again, jaw clenching to the genuine emotions which so evidently possesed in the deepest shades of her brown, now directed at him and him alone.

And just like that, every previous attempt to ease the irrational beating of his heart at that moment evaporated with little to no effort at all, the same look expressed so vividly by the way the light hit upon her iridescent eyes tugging on a most dangerous urge which he made sure to bury deep inside of himself.

"Your concern is misplaced." He retorted, swallowing harshly.

But Sesshomaru could only watch while the woman before him ignored his words completely, taking another small step forward as her fingers treaded into his smooth silver locks all the way to the back of his head, pulling him into herself while sending her occupied, left arm upwards to wrap around his upper frame and ultimately envelop him in a soft, wordless hug.

Stunned, Sesshomaru stiffened in her hold, golden eyes wide as his forehead now rested into her left shoulder and soft chest covered by the fabric of the kosode, feeling her arms tighten around him and her head soon leaning next to his own.

Time stilled, and he only let his accumulated tension out through a breath he didn't even know he was keeping. Then, his sole arm lifted, fingers entangled deep into her long, silky hair and around her slim waist, gathering Kikyo even closer against him and making her gasp in response to his sudden, firm touch.

He already knew he would never be able to push this woman away from him, even if he wanted to.

"Do not think of me as so weak to continuously require these comforting acts of affection." Sesshomaru could only say this much, finally surrendering himself to the unnecessary gesture while easing further into her, his doubts all forgotten in the fair harbor of her arms.

And Kikyo simply chuckled lightly to his words, understanding precisely the occasion to which he was referring as she eventually closed her eyes, breathing deeply beneath the weight of his form.

"Never." She promised, feeling his fierce youki steadily coil around her entire being while it prickled against her own holy aura and almost captured her in their current shared position with no chance of escape whatsoever, "This is all my selfish doing, I assure you."

Sesshomaru refrained from answering to that.

Then, Kikyo only felt him exhale deeply.

"How pointless..." The daiyoukai muttered into her, but his grip remained locked around her body, and he soon sensed his erratic heart beat even faster to the woman's natural, alluring scent which now filled both his lungs and his mind, strangely carrying barely any trace of the grave soil and bones it once also possessed.

Molded together like that, neither Sesshomaru or Kikyo said anything more, allowing themselves to momentarily discard their mutual agreement and remain tangled up in each other for an undisclosed amount of time, listening to the combined sounds of their even breathing, real and false altogether.

It was so oddly specific, so incomparably and unequivocally noticeable to them both at that particular moment just how much their thorns aligned; how every prickle and every spike they had grown from their life experiences somehow adjusted together like carefully-designed puzzle pieces, long bristles eventually turning into soft vines of ivy and as if growing to wrap around them, weaving themselves to fill in the still existing gaps with irreplaceable substance.

'Just for a little longer...' Kikyo promised herself, however, she was already keenly aware of his high body-temperature radiating into her being in gentle, transfixing waves, as well as the familiar dangerous want which was gradually building inside of her as a result.

Still, and even if selfishly so, she wished to remain that way; to extend this shared closeness, if only for a little while... she wanted to feel the undeniable proof of him there in her arms, and pressed so tightly against her.

Unfortunately for the priestess, however, Sesshomaru soon shifted in her hold, pulling back from her shoulder and slowly lifting his head, his expression unreadable, yet his molten gold showering her with a most definite intent, somehow entrancing the priestess and fixing her in her place, unable to move from her spot.

'Just for... a little longer...' She echoed her own excuse in a desperate attempt to ground her thought process back into reality, convincing herself that she could still cease this entire occurrence whenever she truly wanted.

But even with that small promise serving as an anchor, once Kikyo silently called back on her right hand and cupped the side of his face, responding to his wordless will, she felt herself fall deeper into his scorching gaze; to a far, spellbinding place she wasn't sure offered a way back from, any longer.

And despite that, she could do little but succumb to his next move as she felt his clawed hand slide up her back and entangle deep into her endless waterfalls of long, smooth hair, soon reaching the back of her head and pulling her down towards him, all until their lips finally met in a tender press.

Closing her eyes to the addicting and already known sensation which she so desperately missed, Kikyo's mind was still ringing with alert, reminding her of the various dangers in them both possibly losing themselves in any acts of the sort.

But their bodies seemed to be pulled together by a force so strong it was almost magnetic, and they could do little but resign further into the intensity of their accumulated mutual urge as their heads tilted oppositely, kiss deepening and breaths turning heavy, allowing the hot exhilaration to spread through them like wildfire.

Easily like that, the priestess felt her coherent thinking steadily replaced by the weightless relief of the now dissolved stress which invaded her thoughts so violently before; all of it paling in comparison to the honest tides of safety, of excitement and dizzying anticipation that only this inu-daiyoukai before her could somehow send through her false body.

Yet even under the influence of that state, she managed to muster up enough willpower, already sensing they were slowly but surely approaching a certain, dangerous line that should not be crossed.

"Sesshomaru..." Kikyo barely managed to breathe between his unrelenting attacks, his lips which ceaselessly burned into her prompted her eyes to remain closed and actions consistent despite her own words to him, "Our... agreement..."

However, the daiyoukai showed no intention of stopping, this time.

Proceeding with his hungry kisses, long fingers still buried in her hair ventured lower to the priestess' nape as his claws explored inside the collar of Kikyo's kosode, feeling her shiver against him with muted delight in response to his touch. And slowly in that fashion, Sesshomaru sensed himself gradually consumed by the numbness which easily spread through his mind to the concept of this mystifying woman once again so present in his hold, so receptive to his advances and so willing to return them, pouring along every part of his body and effortlessly remedying the stinging pain of his various wounds.

Desire seemed to have finally conquered their restraint with no hope in sight, until...

"Uhhh, forgive me, should I return some other time?"

Eyes opening and locked lips parting within seconds to the foreign presence which somehow went completely undetected by either of them, both Sesshomaru and Kikyo ceased their actions immediately and called back on their entangled limbs, heads turning to stare at none other than Totosai, positioned across from where they were and sitting comfortably on his trusty ox while camouflaged by the dense treeline.

"Your little ones at the camp informed me I would find you two here, you see." He explained, entirely unfazed by the sight he had just witnessed.

Embarrassed, Kikyo cleared her throat and stepped away from the still sitting Sesshomaru, casually sending her hand up to fix her hair back into place while she forced her mind and expression clear from the emotions which still roamed strongly within her.

Getting caught in the act so carelessly like this was not something she had ever planned, and especially not as a holy priestess.

Sesshomaru, however, simply wore a look of pure contempt on his irritated features, soon rising to his feet and lifting his clawed hand before the swordsmith, knuckles cracking with deadly intent.

"What is your business here, Totosai?" He snarled, eyes glaring daggers at his father's old friend, "It better be of importance if you truly value your life."

The old youkai cleared his throat and signalled for his ox to move forward, closer to the still annoyed Sesshomaru.

"That depends if you consider Tenseiga's disturbance as important or not." Totosai answered, causing golden gaze to narrow in return, "Remember, it calls to me whenever you ignore it, Sesshomaru."

"Hmph." The daiyoukai scoffed almost immediately, lowering his hand back at his side, "Tenseiga's occasional rattling is nothing new, Totosai."

But Totosai simply shook his head at his dismissal, round eyes closing as his arms crossed together before his chest.

"Oh, but this time I'm afraid it is, you see." Wide orbs opened once more to stare at his late friend's eldest son, "It is about time for me to forge Tenseiga into a weapon, Sesshomaru."

A/N:

Sorry for a late chapter! I hope this made up for the wait ;)