I do not own Inuyasha.

Chapter 24

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"It is very interesting, pretty." Tadao threw his black outerwear over her, covering exposed ribs shining through torn material of her outfit.

Yuutsuki's perplex glance hung over Tadao's blissful, grey eyes. Her perception of reality had shattered. Returning to the future had just become more complicated if Tadao was also living in her times.

"Perhaps you are destined to stay here and become my mate."

The wolf demon's casual, jesting tone did not cause Yuutsuki to smile this time. He observed her disturbed, confused glance and he urged to alleviate her pain and loneliness.

Tadao grasped Yuutsuki's wrist and jerked her arm, pulling her closer. She supported her head on his broad shoulder, allowing him to embrace her. Suddenly he tilted towards her and the girl felt his warm lips on her neck. She stalwartly pushed him away, a little too aggressively than she had meant.

The girl exhaled in resignation, trying to tranquil her shaky hands, as she could no longer distinguish whether selfishly relying on him was a mistake or if rebuffing his fondness was even of a larger one.

The wolf demon squeezed his fists, expecting an opposite reaction. He was convinced Yuutsuki was ready to abandon her previous attachment. He hoped she would once more eagerly reach out for him, especially after confirming he would be present in her future. Tadao wanted it to be her cognisant, deliberate choice whilst minding all factors connected to Sesshoumaru. Yet the dewy, excusatory glare he had in front of him varied from the high expectations blooming in his heart. Yuutsuki would not walk besides him. Evidently, it was not time yet, perhaps the time would never come.

Tadao threw the Rens' sword on the ground and turned away, slowly fading in darkness. He required time to regain his composure; he was irate with himself and had a battle to fight.

Yuutsuki stood motionless, her breath was curt, unstable and then suddenly, as if something was trailing her, she grabbed the Rens' weapon and paced fastest her battered muscles allowed until she reached the well. The brief moment of bliss, where she endorsed the selfishness to subdue her mind concluded in Tadao's anger and disappointment, as she was not able to meet his anticipations.

She hurled herself in, scratching her knees and palms on walls' sharp edges. Flouting the additional pain scattering around her body, with a loud shout the girl pierced the bottom of the well using her sword, and then she repeated it, permitting the demon energy to enter her body, resultant in quicker and sturdier stabs.

Senselessly dedicated to the activity, her cheeks blushed as blind fury continued. A sudden, dull pain brought her awareness back. Her heart palpitated heavily against her chest, and the drumming of her heart reverberated through her ears. She experienced an aberrant, random pain spreading throughout the arm she was wielding sword with. The sensation felt as something very thick trying to burst through her veins towards her heart. Yuutsuki glanced over the beautiful, three jewelled ring and a ghastly whiteness spread over her face. One of the jewels shattered away, the ring did not manage to protect her from immense demon energy she had willingly accepted from the sword. The two remaining jewels turned grey and shattered as well, leaving the bare, silver ring around her finger.

Without the ring it was nearly impossible to pull out the demon energy out of her body, it was far too dominant for her to manage it alone.

Her right arm blasted with continuous, raw cramps. The pain spread further and Yuutsuki felt nauseated, she violently vomited hot blood on the snow covered ground. It did not take her long to realize the demon energy was destroying her form the inside.

She dropped to her knees and attempted to pull the energy out, but sudden vertigo slammed her to the ground and the girl was not sure if she was able to fight the pain any longer. More blood flushed out of her mouth as she turned herself to a side, gasping for air.

A labyrinth of moist mist hung over the forest. Sesshoumaru ventured through it relentlessly, disregarding shards of ice forming on his long, silver hair, which sparkled with glints of the moonlight as he stalked the trace of his objective with impatience. He leapt high, thrusting through a veil of frozen, twisted branches, the determination increasing his speed.

Sesshoumaru landed gracefully in front of a skeleton bare, enormously large tree.

"A dark priestess…" The conclusion was obvious as the demon glanced at skins, furs and wings spread around the entrance of a small cave. Sesshoumaru twisted his mouth in disgust at the lower twigs ornamented with bloody heads of dead animals, all of their eyeballs pierced, left only with a smear of white on skulls.

"Magnificent, powerful dog demon…" A low vibe reached Sesshoumaru's ears, he was stunned at the fact that he could not smell nor see the priestess.

A black skinned, young woman walked out of the cave. Her long chocolate legs were bare, a small piece of white, fuzzy fur was covering her modesty. She also had very long, snow-white hair that partly covered her naked breasts as it cascaded in ringlets.

The dark priestess ventured closer, clanging brass-shiny adornments on her both wrists. She curved her ample, red lips in a cunning smile.

"Dare not to spread your sludge on my lands." Sesshoumaru haughtily inveighed as his poisonous claws glowed perilously.

The female approached Sesshoumaru. She inhaled curtly, completely enthralled by this demon and her lips parted slightly. The black skinned human quivered in excitement, tempted to succumb to urges, however the golden, threatening glare did not leave place for illusions; he would kill her if she tried. "I would suggest you hurry. The one you seek might be soon in trouble."

Sesshoumaru flinched and growled in annoyance. Priestesses did usually have gift of vision, but he could not be sure, if the cunny woman was trying to avert his attention or if she had said truth.

He leapt above the stench and fog, deciding to return shortly in order to kill this weird human.

Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened at the metallic scent of Yuutsuki's blood. He finally dropped next to the well and hastily tilted down to confirm his concerns. He glowered at the girl, incandescent with fury.

The demon dog could not specify if he was irritated with himself for not being able to foresee and prevent her behaviour, or the thoughtless girl, who kept causing him woes.

"Blood… the most elementary component of human life, a strong metaphor of corporeality and mortality. The materialized essence of a human in the most prosaic, on the other hand, most sublime way. A finite currency to pay for own stupidity."

Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened and his energy exploded, suffocating the girl, in the same way as when she had returned from the past. He was effectively aiding her to restrain the harmful energy within the sword. Their efforts combined, the destructive energy was nearly all sealed, subduing to Sesshoumaru's enormous force.

Once the demon stopped sensing the destructive energy, his thumb cleared the remaining blood off her lips. Previously, she was unable to withdraw the power of the sword and was at mercy of Inuyasha's wench, Kikyou. Luckily, this time they had managed to utilise Yuutsuki's spiritual abilities and his crushingly prominent power.

Even without Sesshoumaru's stern glare, Yuutsuki had already acknowledged the folly of her actions.

"Feckless, yet so daring." He hissed with asperity. Yuutsuki had expected rebuking remarks, yet she could not restrain a sad grimace crawling upon her face.

"I am grateful, Sesshoumaru." She gaped at his hair hung on top of his ornamented armour, then as if she reminded herself about something, her head lifted up and she placed her large, coal-dark eyes at him. Sesshoumaru's golden orbs widened as he noticed an explicit emotion he had never expected to see on her habitually radiant face – solitude.

He quickly assumed that the girl's sorrow had prompted fear deep within him for she was the sole one he wished to keep blissfully cheerful.

These humid, female eyes were reflecting exactly what he felt. An unduly acceptance of the current stance, regret of past actions and most importantly: inability to settle this affinity according to own longings.

"How did you hurt your body prior to the foolish act of abusing the sword's power?" Sesshoumaru decided to prioritise her health rather than his guilty thoughts.

"I was hit by Inuyasha's bakuryuuha." Yuutsuki averted her eyes, as if disappointed at his unrelated question. "I was also kicked around by a wolf demon."

The demon's golden eyes drew closer as he entangled his arm around her waist in order to abandon the well. He rushed up pulling her along with him and he released her as soon as they reached the surface. The girl did not stand for long, because her legs bent against her own will and she dropped to her knees, painfully colliding with the frozen ground. Cold sweat dropping down her face, she gagged once more and more blood spewed out of her mouth.

The demon lord's fists tightened as he was holding in the urge to punish this weak human for her ignorance and thoughtlessness. She was in a poor physical condition and weak mental state, yet instead of focusing on helping herself and cutting off the poisonous bounds with him, despite everything she kept wading in depth of their incomprehensible feelings. Yuutsuki gathered up her strength and managed to straighten her posture, allowing her to meet the demon's golden eyes.

Sesshoumaru had always denied he was capable of human feelings, as it was a definition of weakness, lack of control over one self. Nevertheless, his arms pulled the feeble human in front of him to embrace her tenderly and he was not sure if he wanted to avoid confronting the sadness in her eyes or to soothe a sharp pain, spreading within his chest after a minute spent with her.

"Your foolishness has no boundaries."

Yuutsuki quivered in cold, her exhausted and damaged body barely allowed her to keep conscious.

"Tadao's scent lingers all over you." His voice was ice-cold as always, however his glare remained angrily rebuking. His hand caressed the naked skin on her neck, followed up to her jaw, finally to stop on her lips. "Foolish human…" Sesshoumaru grasped her chin and forced her to look at him, slightly surprised at her fierce expression.

"Is your mate well?"

"You have no basis to be chagrined." The demon dog snorted in self-indignation, he always managed to utter hurtful words, despite the care he had for her. "Yuutsuki…" The dark eyes became tarnished, the initial sparkle of ire had extinct, and Sesshoumaru deemed it too late to paraphrase or justify his words for she would assuredly not condone his offence. The demon's supportive embrace ceased.

The Rens' ring brought from the future was shattered, only a lonely metal circle ornamented her finger.

"You brought a hindrance upon yourself, you are now unable to utilise the sword."

For a brief moment, he contemplated gifting the Rens' lost ring that Tadao had recently collected, however he could not risk her devastating it again due to her reckless actions. It was of a great significance he would pass on the ring that she could receive it in the future. He grabbed the abandoned sword and attached it to his armour disregarding the girl's questioning glance.

All of a sudden, strange pressure spread around Yuutsuki's chest and her vision went hazy. She gasped heavily and consequently, her head dropped down as she nearly lost consciousness.

Sesshoumaru immediately caught the girl, preventing her weak body from colliding with cold ground yet again. She consigned herself to Sesshoumaru, sinking into his embrace and yielding any unnecessary prejudices as he effortlessly lifted her and marched towards the village, healing her on the way.

The girl sighed, realising that despite all aspects, Sesshoumaru was the ultimate saviour, even if he was the one causing her woes. Contemplating on his reasons, she observed his sharp jaw and the golden glare fixed over the horizon.

"How did you find me? Are you crossing here by chance?"

Lowering his eyes, the dog demon looked at her; there was apparent arrogance and perhaps slight annoyance in his expression. He deliberately omitted her question, as he was sure she knew the answer. Tadao's remaining scent was irking to his pride and aggravated his already sour mood.

Sesshoumaru's keen nose picked a faint scent of Tadao. The dog demon immediately changed his route, as he was too tempted to utter things that could easily jeopardise their friendly relation and was unsure if he could hold back his urges to fight his ex-subordinate. The girl in his arms could easily prompt improbable to materialise.

"I came here on purpose to ensure your safety." This one, simple sentence of his instantaneously altered Yuutsuki's mood. She raised her astonished eyes and looked at Sesshoumaru's harsh expression; his gaze remained fixed in the horizon. Yuutsuki hid her face in his silver, moist hair, pressed her cold cheek towards his chest and whispered: "Thank you."

Despite an acute pain spreading within her body and negative memories that lingered in her heart, the girl smiled, feeling genuinely content for the first time in a long time. Yuutsuki closed her eyes and dozed off to Sesshoumaru's rhythmical steps and a subtle sound of snow crushing underneath his feet. Sesshoumaru walked slowly, enjoying the warmth of her body against his. Her long hair was hanging down, fully uncovering her round, small face that appeared even paler in the feeble moonlight.

The demon directed his steps towards Satoka's inn in order to recover the feeble human's health, yet her unstable breath made him hasten his steps. The sun was lazily climbing up, illuminating the dense forest through which he was striding.

It did not take long for Sesshoumaru to realise that what appeared to be a deep sleep, was actually something far more treacherous. Yuutsuki's breath was no longer rhythmical and repetitive. It grew shallow and intermitted, casting a shadow of dread in the demon's heart. He stopped abruptly and struggled to wake up the human in his arms. He tapped her cheek, insipidly at first, yet the lack of response prompted him to wobble her shoulders, but his efforts were all in vain, the girl remained unconscious.

"Ren Yuutsuki!" The demon slapped her pale cheek, leaving a pink blush on it. He had no understanding what could be the cause of her state, there was almost no demon energy stored within her, and she did not seem to be significantly hurt. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he discerned her heartbeat kept decreasing, yet again he shook her shoulders genuinely anticipating she will open her dark eyes.

The dog demon sharply inhaled the chilly night air and exhaled it unhurriedly, developing in his mind a way to proceed. He detected Tadao's prominent aura impending, Sesshoumaru was convinced that they would argue to some extent, each of them having reasons to be uncompromising. To his wonder, Inuyasha was also practically arriving at his location, along with about seven wolf demons.

The girl in Sesshoumaru's arms suddenly captured his drifting attention as she regained consciousness. He placed her on snowless ground, helping her to sit and support her back against a tree. Dropping to one knee, he briefly caressed her cheek and covered her shoulders with his outer jacket, previously throwing Tadao's garment away. Yuutsuki did not utter a word, however her fatigued eyes followed his posture as he stood with his back to her in order to face Tadao and the remaining demons who had just arrived.

The party of seven wolves lowered their heads in a greeting, only Tadao and Inuyasha kept their heads straight nevertheless, their facial expressions were unquestionably dissimilar.

Inuyasha was still agitated after a battle, there was blood mixed in his silver hair, he grinned and gripped Tessaiga confidently.

"All rebels bothering the west are slayed now. We do not have to worry about them anymore!"

Sesshoumaru observed Tadao's altered eyes. The wolf demon's gasps were spasmodic; the grey glance was secured on the human behind him. One could not be sure if the cause behind those lied in his previous battle or anger felt towards Sesshoumaru.

"Am I to give you a pat on the shoulder because you destroyed some gutless wolves?" The dog demon snorted, edgily observing Tadao slowly getting nearer to him and Yuutsuki. "Since when do you patrol west guarding righteousness?" The blond haired wolf demon was about to pass Sesshoumaru with intentions of reaching Yuutsuki.

"Do not." The lord of the west uttered dangerously, hardly stifling a growl. As the wolf demon entirely overlooked the threat, Sesshoumaru drew the Rens' sword and moved his arm to produce an obstacle between Tadao and Yuutsuki. Tadao's companion flinched in surprise, however tailed their leader and drew their weapons, arranged to assault if necessary.

Inuyasha growled in disbelief and yelled:

"What the hell is wrong with you both? Aren't you friends?"

Sesshoumaru did not move an inch, his expression remained unfazed as Tadao spoke. "You cannot take care of her, it would be an insult to your mate and the entire south."

Sesshoumaru frowned at his direct impudence. Once he had reached Yuutsuki, she had seemed battered and forced to overuse the sword's energy, leading to her current state. He could not be certain if Tadao was not the cause of her injuries. Almost with a smirk, he unexpectedly hit Tadao in the face, thrilled to participate in the incoming combat.