Disclaimers: I don't own InuYasha, I never have, and never will.

A/N: Major cliffie, going to alternate writing Three Way Mirror and Desert Rose, longer wait. Questions? If you leave a question in a review, I won't respond in a chapter and I won't e-mail you. I'll take it that you're wondering "aloud." If you want your question answered, e-mail me. (I'm saying this because I know there will be questions for this chapter, and this applies ot all chapters.)

Review Responses:

Kayla: Deal:)

agent-doo: Strangely, that's what I was listening to when I wrote it...

fluffyrachel: Sorry to make you wait; life intervenes. So does Desert Rose...

SilverStarWing: Would you mind elaborating? I don't think that's a good "what the...?"

Also, as a last note: I mentioned in the ending of the fifth chapter (and, by the way,I'm really sorry for ranting), Sibling Rivalry, that my computer was busted. Well, it's been reincarnated! No more using library or crappy out-of-date Dell computers for THIS authoress...

Impending Doom

That morning, Miroku was the first to wake. Avoiding jarring his injuries, he dragged his sluggish body into a sitting position. His head spun, his insides lurching. It lasted only a moment, then he felt normal. Normal except for the twinge of pain in his knee as he stood. He looked about the borrowed hut through bleary eyes. He was in the middle of the room, by the fire pit where he fell asleep. Sango went to sleep out of arm's reach of him, but she presently lay next to him. He was just beginning to wonder at it when Kouga barged in.

"Oi, houshi," he barked. "Get on your feet, we have job for you." When Miroku took too long getting to his feet, Kouga crossed the room to drag him by his good arm. Miroku was surprised to note that Kouga's grip didn't pull on his injuries, and surmised that he must have pulled along members of his pack in the same manner.

Sango woke in time to see the door fall closed behind the two.

In Kaede's hut, Sesshoumaru stood by the door, looking emotionless as always. Something was different about him though, which Miroku could see in his narrowed eyes. He wasn't happy about something. The remaining traces of a spell that followed him and Kouga must have been what caused his fowl mood.

Slowly, Miroku took in the rest of the hut. There were dying embers in the fire pit, as if the fire had been kept burning late into the night. The early-morning sun managed to make its way into the hut through the windows, shedding it's somewhat helpful grey light. Something in the air didn't sit right with him since he woke up, as if there was a forboding cloud hanging around the village. He forced the thought from his head, and continued his appraisal.

InuYasha lay on his side on a sleeping mat, though it wasn't the same one that he was on the evening previous. He lay on his side so that he faced away from the three intruders. Kagome was nowhere in sight, and the bloody mat surrounded by herbs and salves where InuYasha used to lay dieing was still bloody, and covered with the healing substances, but there was a familiar aura about it. Miroku approached it.

The blood was dried and crusted in some parts, while there were a few small puddles of the sticky liquid still shining in the light. On a clean spot, Miroku touched two of his fingers to the mat. Instantly he recognized the aura surrounding the mat, but at the same time he didn't. It was different than the two auras he associated with the "feels" of the auras. One was light, cottony, and vaguely foriegn in a sense that he could never understand, like one of the kinds of sugarry confections that Kagome brought back from her time. Cotton candy, she called it. It looked like colored cobwebs, but melted in the mouth, leaving a sweet flavor. It was almost impossible to tell how much of the stuff was there at first. The other aura felt almost slick, like there was a fine layer of blood around it, but there was a texture beneath it that Miroku could only vaguely guess at. It was like the wrapping on the handle of a samurai's sword, only frayed and snagged, like the tetsusaiga. It was unyielding, unmeasurable by outside standards. The two auras had merged somehow, as if each had seeped into the other. Miroku focused for a moment, trying to identify the new feel of the aura. It was slick, like InuYasha's, but Miroku felt that if it was a tangeable thing, the slick would rub off if a finger was slid down it, and the residue would be cottony. The texture beneath seemed pliable like the cotton but rough like the sword, as if it would be able to be formed into a myriad of different shapes and sizes, and still remain strong.

There was a fourth aura, which Miroku associated with ice and blood, and didn't mix at all with the two auras the houshi was examining. Recognizing it as Sesshoumaru, he pulled himself out of his thoughts.

"What has happened here?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

The houshi paused for a moment, straightening himself into a standing position. "It would seem that the auras of InuYasha and Kagome have merged somehow." Both youkai in the room paused, their sight falling toward InuYasha. From the altered angle, Kagome was visible, snuggled up to InuYasha, and completely hidden from sight from the doorway. This surprised Miroku, as was obvious in the widneing of his eyes, miniscule step back, and his raised eyebrows. In taking the step back, he stepped on a squeeking flooboard. InuYasha's ear twitched.

It was almost comical. Kouga could hear the change in InuYasha's breathing, and saw his ear twitch. He was awake. His ears swivelled to each person in the room, starting with Kagome. Of course, since she was closest to him. Next was Miroku, who was dismissed with a slight twitch. Then Kouga. His ears flicked back and forth uncertainly, but then moved on to Sesshoumaru. One ear flattened back, and the other stayed trained on Sesshoumaru, as if InuYasha was miffed at him being there and didn't want to let him get away. The ear that was previously flattened turned to Kagome once more, and flattened back before assuming a neutral position. InuYasha forced his breathing to even out, and he imitated sleep.

It would have worked better if Kagome hadn't decided to wake up at that exact moment. She blinked, recognized some expression on InuYasha's face, and groaned a quiet, "Make them go away."

Sesshoumaru was growling.

.: xXx :.

(You are twice a fool for putting your trust in InuYasha twice again.)

Would it hurt any part of me or you to leave me alone?

(You are not strong enough to bear the blood of a youkai, let alone worthy to bear InuYasha's children.)

That's implying a lot, considering that the mating was only completed last night.

(Do not be so dense as to not realize what this mating means.)

I'm only more dense than normal because I'm carrying around a deadweight in my head. I have you to thank for that, don't I?

(I will not easily forget your insults, girl.)

.: xXx :.

There was yelling, crashing, swiping, kicking, and dodging. Sesshoumaru was holding Kagome by her shirt collar, and avoiding all of InuYasha's attempts to retrieve her from his grasp. Kouga was trying to help, but Sesshoumaru - even one-handed - moved quicker than them. In the time that Kagome was unconscious, Kouga had added his jewel shards to the vial that was in Kagome's bag. He sorely regretted doing so, when he wanted them most. Kagome was still pack to him.

Miroku tried his best to stay out of the way, but grew peeved that he had almost been knocked over twice. His good hand fell on something solid, and something he could throw. Sesshoumaru's back was turned to him when he chucked it. Sesshoumaru backed up to avoid one of InuYasha's attacks, and met the empty clay urn half-way, adding his own momentum to the force of the crash. The urn shattered. It was just enough to make Sesshoumaru slip up for a moment, and he had to tighten his grip on Kagome in order to keep a hold of her. She wasn't strong enough to bear his father's bloodline if she had to cheat in order to complete the mating ritual.

Something in the air caused a change in Kagome. In avoiding a combined assault by Kouga and InuYasha - who were working surprisingly well together - Sesshoumaru's knuckles grazed Kagome's neck. His skin sizzled, and he reflexively let go of her, almost flinging her away with a hiss. She landed on her knees, leaning to one side, her bangs covering her eyes. InuYasha's attention was focused on Kagome, though he dared not to go near her right away. There was something wrong. Something different that had nothing to do with the changes that occured the night previous.

Kagome's head raised slowly, giving the youkai and houshi enough time to see her eyes shift from grey-blue to a complete grey. InuYasha gasped, recognizing the hatred that burned behind her eyes that was familiar yet unfamiliar on Kagome's face. She was saying something incoherent.

"I will deal with Kagome myself!"

Kikyou's voice flew from between Kagome's lips, and InuYasha reeled back in some sort of undescribably agony akin to the symptoms of weakness attributed to the one-sided mating mark.