Rise and Fall of the False God

by Darkraven Haven

Post minated for 2 catagories in IY GUILD. Kagome and Sesshoumaru get swept into one trial after another trying to defeat something so dark from a future neither one wants to happen.

2. Chapter Two

The Rise and Fall of the False God

CHAPTER 2

"Kagome!" A voice screamed out. "Kagome! The well lit up, and there is someone in it!"

Kagome's little brother moved out of the shrine around the old bone eaters well. He ran into the house yelling at the top of his lungs. Kagome was in her room, laying on her belly on her bed and trying not to think about You Know Who. She had on a headset and was listening to the newest and most up and coming J-Pop band, what else. Her door was closed, but that did not seem to stop the little pipsqueak from running into her room like he owned it.

"Sota!" She growled at him, sitting up and pulling off her headset. Her large brown eyes narrowing dangerously at her little brother as he skidded to a stop. "What do you think you're doing, just running in here like you are on fire…"

"Kagome!"

"…you do this all the time, you don't stop to think about what I could be doing, or that this is my space…"

"Kagome!"

"…no you just have to come barging in here like you own it. Well you don't! This is my room…"

"Kagome!"

"…what if I had been getting changed did you stop to think about that!"

"KAGOME!"

"WHAT!" She yelled back at him, finally acknowledging the fact that he had been speaking to her at all, which in truth she had not noticed; she was too busy trying to get her point across. She was standing now, her fists balled, her feet apart, her brown eyes narrowed, like she used to do every time her and You Know Who used to get into a fight.

"Someone is in the well!" He said stomping his foot to accentuate the point. His own eyes, much like hers were narrowed now, he loved his sister, but sometimes she was so stupid.

"Well tell them to get out…" Kagome said dumbly. She was standing there looking shocked, this was the important news that he had to barge into her room to tell her, those idiot kids played in the shrine all the time, and sometimes they went down into it. She had tried to stop them, but her mother said that it did not do any harm. No harm indeed? Look at the mess that stupid well had gotten her into.

"Baka Oniichan." Sota growled knocking on her head to get her attention. "No one went into the well. But someone is in it. It lit up, and I can't see who is down there, what if it is Inu Yasha!"

"Inu… Yasha?" She asked, as if the implications of the words he spoke only now completely took their impact on her.

"Yeah Baka!" He said, his small fists balled on his hips as he looked up at her. "You know, the guy with the ears…" When he said that he would take his fingers and place them so two of them stuck up, wiggling them like InuYasha used to wiggle his ears.

"I know who he is!" She suddenly yelled, running past him and out of the house without even putting on her shoes. She ran into the bone eaters well and jumped over the edge. When she hit the bottom there was a sharp pain in her feet from the stones and other things that children through into the well cutting into her bare feet, but she didn't care, her InuYasha might be here! "InuYasha?"

She did not hear anything, but she could see the figure. Then the small mewing sound.

"Kirara?" She asked. She leaned down and lifted up the two-tailed kitten, petting her head, and now she knew for sure it had to be InuYasha! She dropped the kitten and ran over the figure that she saw; he was laying on his side, and all she could see was the mop of white hair. Her heart jumped as she threw herself onto her knees next to him, ignoring the stones that scraped and cut at her knees as she did so. There was a raspy breath drawn, it sounded painful, and there was the smell of rotting flesh, or maybe it was more festering wounds. She grabbed his shoulder, pulling him onto his back and gasped, jumping to her feet, pinning herself against the wall. The figure that unfurled was that of Sesshomaru! The crowned prince of the Inu! She stood there blinking at his serine face, her eyes tracing over the red markings that trailed up his cheeks from each pointed ear, then scanning over the crescent moon on his forehead. Then did it all again, running down the white robes and back up again. While he was sprawled there, in a very undignified manner that Sesshomaru would never do, he was most definitely not InuYasha, there was no doubting that the figure from that world that had appeared in her well, was in fact… Sesshomaru.

"Is it him, Oniichan?" Sota called down the well. "Is it InuYasha?"

"Sota. Run." She said clearly to the boy, her own voice cracking. Sesshomaru would think nothing of killing her, and Sota should he cross him.

"Oniichan!" Sota hollered down the hole. "What do you mean run? Is it InuYasha or not!"

"No." She said softly. She knew how much he hated loud noises around him, and the last thing that she really wanted to do right now was to offend him, or wake him up in any other way other than what he would like to be woken. "It is not InuYasha, it is someone else. And it is dangerous now please Sota… run."

He could hear the silent plea in her voice, and suddenly he was scared. He remembered some of the horror stories that she had told him of the things that were there, the things that wanted to hurt people, all people. What if one of those things had come into their well? What was he supposed to do? Just run away and leave her there to face it?

"I can't do that… what if…"

"Shush!" Kagome gasped as Sesshomaru's eyes cracked. He was stirring and Sota refused to leave, how was she going to explain to her mother that Sota died because something came through the well and he would not listen to her. She did not move forward, but decided to speak to him, hopefully it wouldn't backfire on her. "Sesshomaru…"

"Sesshomaru!" Sota cried out loudly. Kagome winced as Sesshomaru cringed, a low, beast like growl sputtering from his throat as those eyes flashed red and focused in the direction of the offending noise. "Isn't he InuYasha's rat brother?"

Oh gods Sota shut up! Kagome mentally screamed at her brother, but she dared not yell at him. She was afraid that if she did, she would set him off even more. She looked at him closer now, he seemed really injured, his air loom and armor was gone, he was only wearing the white hiori with red flower pattern on the sleeves, his long silver hair was a mess around his seemingly angelic visage. The tears came to her eyes, for a moment she almost believed that she would find InuYasha in this well. A dry sob came as those red eyes slipped closed again, and slowly she felt his cold energy drain.

"Kagome?" She heard again.

"Sota, please. Please leave…" She cried. "He won't hurt me…" she was hoping anyway. "… but he won't think twice about killing you."

"Kagome?" He called once more.

"JUST DO IT!" She shrieked. Mistake, those red eyes flashed open again and this time Sesshomaru rose to his feet, something falling to the ground next to him, clattering like metal on the floor. "Oh my god! SOTA RUN!"

She was too late, the lithe figure of Sesshomaru lowered itself slightly, gathering his muscles under him, and leapt into the air, easily vaulting him out of the well. She heard her bother scream in shock. Oh gods she hoped it wasn't too late, running for the latter she tripped over the item that had clattered to the floor, falling to the floor and scrapping up her thigh and her elbows as she did. She looked back at it and she saw two things, something wrapped up in bright red fabric, and the Tenseiga, the sword that did for Sesshomaru what Tetsusiga had done for InuYasha, she grabbed both items as she felt herself floating out of the well in Kirara's mouth. She had not even noticed that she had changed to her large form.

As they came over the top of the well, the youkai prince was standing, his body pulsing, his red eyes trained on Sota, who was curled up in a ball a few feet back staring at him in horror.

"Help me Kagome!" Sota cried out, which was answered with a sharp growl from Sesshomaru.

"Kirara!" Kagome cried putting Kirara and herself between the near frenzied Sesshomaru and Sota. She leapt from the cat's back.

"Sesshomaru!" She cried out, glaring at him. She held up his sword so that he could see it. His red eyes rounding on her, his energy causing his robes and hair to move and ripple even if there was no wind to take them.

"That Tenseiga belongs to This Sesshomaru!" He growled at her, his voice not the calm mask it always held, but more of the growling mess that InuYasha's became when he threatened to let loose the monster.

"Well if This Sesshomaru wants This Tenseiga, he can have it!" She growled throwing it to him, in one fluid movement, as the sword was in the air, Sesshomaru spun and grabbed, completing his ballet like maneuver he brought the blade around and placed it against Kagome's neck, thank god she knew it couldn't kill.

"This Sesshomaru will take your life with his own claws." Sesshomaru growled, there was a pulse and Sesshomaru stumbled back as if struck. His red eyes calming back to the gold ones, the look of rage melting into the serine mask of ice that he usually had.

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked, she now had her back against Kirara, and she could hear Sota cowering behind the large beast.

"This Sesshomaru does not know where he is. This Sesshomaru is… ill…" He said, his hand running over an oozing wound on his side, some yellowish fluid spilled from it, and again the smell of skin rot assaulted her nose, so strong even she could smell it, she could only think what the arrogant prince was thinking of the fact he smelt so bad. He never admitted a weakness, whatever the infection was that was running its course through Sesshomaru's body, must have certainly been affecting his mind as well.

"Sesshomaru."

"This Sesshomaru does not know who This Miko is." He said, he could feel that she was a Miko, but he didn't recognize her, partially because he never paid any attention to her, and partially because he just couldn't see her well. Suddenly his legs gave out.

"Sesshomaru… Kirara!" The cat moved like lightning, slipping under the falling figure of Sesshomaru as he again passed out, unconscious. Emboldened by the pitiful state of the demon prince's stature, she would come forward, brushing some of that silvery mane out of his face. She ran her cool hand over his burning skin. Ill? Hardly, this was the type of infection that would kill a human over night; she was surprised he had the will to move at all, youkai or not.

"K… Ka…KAGOME!" He brother threw himself against her leg, clinging to her. "He was so scary! I thought he was going to kill me Kagome."

"He would have, but I know how to deal with him, now do what I told you" She said looking around. She petted the obedient Kirara and then sighed. "No, go and get me some hot water and some bandages and peroxide and then bring it into the barn."

"But."

"No buts! Just do it!" She growled at him and he ran off to get what she had asked for as Kagome lead Kirara and Sesshomaru to the barn.

Over the next three hours Sesshomaru was restless, every time he managed to pull his eyes open she was there. This slender woman, with long dark hair and gentle hands. Hands so like his mothers, so like his Rin's hands. Tending to him like the child used to do, in his haze of confusion he found hope that when he could finally keep his eyes open it would be her, and that she would be alive and well.

"Sesshomaru my son." The woman said. He had fallen from his horse, tears spilling down his face, but he refused to sob at the pain, not him, not the heir to the Western Lands! He would be strong, and he growled at his own tears.

"Momma." He answered as stoically as the boy of only eight could muster.

"Is it broken?" Her long caring fingers touched over the wounds on his arm, where the bone had come through the delicate pale skin.

"No." He lied. She simply lifted a brow at him. "No!" He said again but she then smiled, finally the sobs took him and he fell down holding his arm. It hurt so badly, but he had felt so foolish crying in front of her! She was a strong woman, and he had never seen her cry before, why couldn't he be so strong like she was. "Yes Momma! And hurts!" He cried.

"Yes! It hurts…" Sesshomaru stammered in his feverish state. Kagome bit her lip, not to keep from laughing, but to keep from crying. She didn't have any love for Sesshomaru, that was no secret, but he was all that had ever come through that well. She moved over to him, with Sota watching on from a safe distance and knelt next to him, again she ran her hand over his head. Her lip was drawn between her own teeth, he was burning up, his hair slicked back from the sweat that he was pouring from his body, he was even panting like an overheated dog. She had only now just mustered the courage that it took to approach him and dress his wounds, sure he would not wake and kill her.

She wondered if he would have ever admitted to anyone that he was in pain, as he told his mother so readily in his coma induced dreams that it hurt… she wondered if he knew he talked in his sleep. Her hands slipped down from his forehead over his cheeks, tracing those red lines for a moment, she had often wondered if they were raised like scars, but no, they were smooth, like the lines on a tiger's skin under its pelt was smooth.

"Whatchya doin'?" Sota asked, she jumped, not realizing he had even came all the way in, she knew he had been standing there after going into the house and talking to their mother, but she missed him walking into the barn. "Momma said to come in for dinner." He reported dutifully, but she didn't move, and neither did he, he knelt next to her. "He is really hurt bad?" Sota asked.

"Yeah." Kagome said softly. Her breath drawn in she pulled her hand off of his face, recoiling as if she had been touching a viper. His eyes were open again.

"He is really hurt bad!" Rin said as she knelt next to someone else looking at him. That person she was with had been touching his face, but he did not have the energy to push their hand away. Hmm, they stopped touching him, good.

"Rin." He said, his throat dry, she smiled at him, and he slowly reached for her, she stepped back from him, hiding behind the woman's shoulder and suddenly he felt enraged at himself for frightening her. "I am… so sorry…" He said gently, weakly. Was he dying? No, he couldn't be killed by poison… but it seemed so real. "I couldn't save you… now… you don't trust me…"

Sesshomaru's hand fell as he again blinked out of consciousness.

"Who is Rin?" Sota asked as he looked out from behind Kagome. Some boy he was, hiding behind his big sister! Nope, never gonna tell anyone that.

Kagome did not answer him at first. Her hands were fast at work, untying his haori. She peeled it slowly back from the wounds that it had sealed itself to with the puss and other secretions that had come from the wounds. Panting for breath, Sesshomaru made no outward sign that he was feeling any additional pain.

"It was his ward." She said thoughtfully. "Well she was his servant, but he learned to care for her. She must have been killed before he came here…"

The thought was sad; she should be only a mere child. That her life would be so tragically torn from her at such a young age was inconceivable to Kagome, she looked at Sota, trying to think of how she would have felt if she couldn't save him from Sesshomaru. Had Sesshomaru seen her die? Did he have to watch on helplessly as her life was drained away? Why hadn't he brought her back to life with Tenseiga? None of the questions would have an answer until he was well enough to tell her. Then she would get what she needed to know from him and send his ass right back through the well.

"KAGOME! SOTA!" She heard her mother yelling. She pulled herself to her feet and nodded, she would finish the wrappings after dinner, or she would get no peace at all.

"What are you doing out there?" Her mother asked. She smiled at her and sighed.

"Um, I found an… injured dog…" She said, well technically it wasn't a lie!

"Oh? Well bring it into the house." She said smiling at her.

"No!" She said sharply, her mother looked at her oddly, lifting a slender brow. "I mean… it might… bite someone… it's hurt after all."

"I suppose you're right." Her mother said. "But when it's better bring it in out of the barn, and here, give it some food." She would scoop some food into a bowl for the 'poor animal' in the barn, Kagome didn't argue she just smiled, bowed to her mother and then turned and ran back out to the barn where she had left Kirara guarding Sesshomaru.

"Mother!" He was older now, that wound had healed without so much as a scar thanks to her tender caring hands. "Mother where are you!" He was running through the palace. His father had just told him that his mother had passed away in her sleep, and he refused to believe him, going as far as calling him a liar.

"Mother!" He screamed out as he pushed his way past Kyo, the eagle demon that raised him, who had been posted outside of her bedroom door.

"Let him see her." The deep voice of his father cut the air, hanging deep with sorrow and loss. Kyo obediently moved from before the door, watching Sesshomaru with sad eyes and Sesshomaru ran into the room. It was just as he always knew it, large and very lavish. His father spared no expenses when it came to his mother's wishes. This was her room, because even when mated, a proper woman should always have a room of her own. "Maybe it will help him come to terms."

There were no terms to come to, she was sleeping, he could see her from there. He didn't understand why they had hung the white death shroud around her. Maybe, just maybe it was a joke. Inu were somewhat playful creatures at times, so maybe she was joking. Well it wasn't funny and he was going to tell her so! He stormed over, his clawed hands grabbing the deathshroud and tearing it down. He could hear the men gasp, but no one stopped him as he climbed up into the bed.

"This isn't funny mother!" He growled in a tone he had NEVER used on his mother before. "Making me think that you are dead! It isn't funny!"

But she didn't move. Sesshomaru growled deeply at her.

"Get up Mother! This isn't funny! Stop it right now!" He said shaking her, but her skin was cold. He gasped, maybe she was really… no, inconceivable, she couldn't be! She was sick! That was it. "Mother? You are cold, you are ill, now stop playing and get up!" He grabbed her shoulders shaking her, but she wouldn't wake, she barely moved, her body was rigid and hard.

"Mother?" He said softly, his eyes would flare red and his face elongate, his mouth a maw of sharp teeth. "MOTHER!"

He stared at her coldly. He could sence his father in the room with him and turned, he leapt at his father, beating against the armor plates on his chest.

"Damn you!" He yelled! "You call yourself a mate! How could you let her get this ill?"

He was rewarded for his love of his mother with a quick back hand that sent him sprawling back onto the bed, his father understood that he was mourning, but he had no right to attack him like that, and it would not be tolerated, no one manhandled Inu no Taisho and got away with it. No one even his own son. "Sesshomaru, she is dead."

"I hate you!" Sesshomaru had yelled, the yell turning into a bark as the boy slowly transformed into the large horse sized dog he had been at that tender age. He would turn away and curl up on his mother, trying to keep her warm, if she didn't warm up she would die.

"No mother… don't leave me… I will keep you warm… just please… stay…"

Kagome gasped when she found herself gripped by him.

"No… don't leave me… I will keep you warm… just please… stay…" He was completely delirious. Again her lip was bit and she would sigh, resigning to leaning against the wall until he calmed down and released her, when that happened she could tend to his wounds, until then she settled his head into her lap, as she had for InuYasha so many times and sat back against the wall, running her fingers through his hair.

Her eyes cut to Sota and she placed her fingers to her lips. He nodded and padded over silently coming to sit next to them both. All they could really do now… was wait.

"Sota come here." Kagome said the next morning before school. "We have to drain this wound before school, I don't think that he'll start to get better so long as there is still poison in his body."

"What do you want me to do?" Sota asked softly, staring up at her wide eyed. She stood up and walked over to him, handing him a trash barrel.

"Well, hold this under his face, this crud smells so bad, that he is going to throw up." She said.

"Gross!" Sota said turning his nose up.

"Sota, if you're not going to help than leave, you are just in the way." She said shoving her fists onto her hips and staring at him. "I am the one that told you to leave well enough alone, but you just can't. You keep coming back even though I told you that he is dangerous! If you are going to keep coming back, the least you can goddamned do is help me!"

"Fine." He said softly picking up the bucket and walking over to where Kirara was large and laying down. First Kagome laid a tarp over Kirara and then reached over her, grabbing Sesshomaru under the arms and pulling him over the feline's back. She took his long white hair and bound it back and up so that it didn't get messed any more than it was.

"Ready?" She asked. Sota shook his head no… looked at Sesshomaru, and then frowned and nodded yes. She pushed on the wound, the puss and other poisons under the skin simply bubbled. She bit her lip and pulled out the knife that she had taken out of the kitchen and sterilized in some peroxide. She gently cut the wounds open along the mark that was already there. No sooner had she made the first incision than did the vile smelling fluid start to poor from the wounds. She covered her mouth and stepped back away from it, dry gagging. It only took a moment before she heard Sesshomaru wretch and finally manage to pull some form of nasty fluid from his stomach. Sota took it better than she did, but he was a boy, he was used to gross things! He ate bugs for gods sake!

She went through and cut another wound, again it poured out, and again Sesshomaru wretched from the smell, even Kirara had brought her large nose under a massive paw.

She cut it again.

And again.

And again.

Pushing on each wound until it bled the blackish blood of the youkai. Finally she sat back and sighed before pulling Sesshomaru off of Kirara's back and laying him down again, then taking the tarp and throwing it into the leaf fire outside, is stank something fierce, but had no ability to infect anyone else.

"SOTA! KAGOME!" Her mother called. "You're late!"

"Shoot!" She cried out running from the barn.

Kagome came home from school, tired and with a ton of homework to do, she didn't like having left Sesshomaru alone all day, but her mother refused to let her stay home. She ran into the house and threw her backpack down on the table.

"Mom! I'm home! I'm going out to check on the dog!" She cried out. But no one answered. She walked into the kitchen and noticed that there was a kettle on the stove, it smelled like one of her mom's gross concotions. "MOM!"

She ran out into the yard where Sota was standing at the barn doors. She ran over, but from the look in his eyes alone she knew what happened. Her mother was in there, alone, with Sesshomaru! She gasped and ran into the barn and over to the loft latter where she saw the two tails of the cute kitten form Kirara waving over the edge.

"That's right, drink this…" She heard her mother say. "Slowly… slowly…"

"What is it that This Human is feeding This Sesshomaru?" She heard. Oh gods! He was awake! She ran up the latter as fast as she could, Kirara hissing and jumping out from under her feet, and there she was, her mother was sitting on her knees with Sesshomaru propped up on a couple of pillows, all of the bandages that she had put on him were starting to yellow and she knew they had to be changed.

"It will kill the poisons in you." She said smiling at him kindly.

"Mom!" She gasped, Sesshomaru didn't even turn to look at her, his cold eyes on the cup of vile tasting tea before him as if he were debating whether or not to kill her, or drink it. He decided and tossed the cup back, drinking it all in one foul swoop.

"Why does this Miko worry for This Woman?" Sesshomaru growled now looking at Kagome, for the first time it seemed as if he recognized her. "No, This Miko is InuYasha's wench."

"Watch it buster." Her mother said.

"No mom!" Kagome interrupted as Sesshomaru glared to her mother. "It's alright, yes I was the Miko that traveled with your brother."

"Brother?" Her mother gasped. "You are InuYasha's brother?"

"Unfortunately." Sesshomaru replied.

"But you look nothing like him."

"Thank you." He answered stoically. She seemed confused, as if that comment had not really been meant as a compliment, for one, she thought InuYasha was infinitely cuter with those adorable ears on his head! But so be it, it seemed that the brothers did not like each other.

"Kagome, I need to talk to you." She said slipping to her feet and bowing lightly to Sesshomaru before retreating from the loft. "Why did you…"

She started but Kagome shushed her and brought her all the way back to the house where she was sure that Sesshomaru could not eavesdrop on them.

"I'm sorry I lied to you momma, but he dangerous. He doesn't care about anyone other than himself." She said staring at the floor. "I knew that if I told you that I found a demon and was nursing it back to health you would want to help, but I was afraid that he would hurt you."

"Honey." She said softly hugging her daughter. "He seemed quite grateful when I brought him the tea."

"He is acting strangely, but please mom, trust me and stay away from him!"

"Honey…"

"He is a killer; he doesn't care who he maims or slaughters if it gets him what he wants…"

"Honey…"

"… and I am afraid because I don't know what he wants, or why the well let him come through…"

"Honey!"

"so please Momma, stay away from him, he is a pompous overstuffed Chihuahua sometimes, but he is an American Pit Bull when he is angered."

"Define angered honey…"

"Well he gets really stoic, and then his eyes turn red, and his teeth get sharp and his…"

"… hair starts to blow, and his mouth elongates?"

"How did you know?" She asked…

"Because he is standing right behind you." Kagome gasped and spun around.

He had felt something nearby when he was fading in and out of consciousness in the barn, pulling himself to sitting, the pain tearing through his abdomen Sesshomaru pulled himself then to his feet. Stumbling over to the ladder and catching himself on the railing before he went headfirst down it. His golden eyes would attempt to focus on what was below him. The feeling was moving away from him now, but what was not was the horrified little boy that was standing there staring up at him.

"Boy." His voice cut the air, he didn't like the slight tang of pain that he heard. "Help this Sesshomaru Whelp."

"I am not a whelp!" The boy said stomping his foot, glaring up at him.

"This Sesshomaru can't make it up the ladder. Now aid him!" He growled, he felt his own pulse raising as he glared at the child, he turned his head and stumbled away from the ladder, pushing open the loft door, the feeling was coming from the house, he sniffed the breeze. The wench and her mother were there, and so was the other one. "Whelp! There is another youkai here. It is in that homestead. This Sesshomaru needs to destroy it."

"Why…" The boy asked, Sesshomaru spun around and he was standing at the top of the ladder looking at him. "Stay here where you are safe."

"This Sesshomaru does not hide." He said clearly, a slight growl in his voice. The boy stepped back and then looked at the house.

"Will it kill them?" He asked.

"This Sesshomaru can't answer that whelp. That is why This Sesshomaru needs to get to that homestead." He said pointing a shaking clawed hand at their house.

"My name is Sota." The boy said.

"Your name is irrelevant." He said starting again to the ladder.

"You don't make any sense… you are being a baka!" The boy hollered at him. Suddenly Sesshomaru had heard enough from the insolent child. He lurched his whole body forward, grabbing him by the throat and picking him up off of the ground.

"This Sesshomaru is growing agitated listening to This Human Whelp's words. Will This Whelp aid This Sesshomaru or nea?" He asked. Surely the wench wouldn't like it, but he didn't care, he had tried being polite, or as polite as a Youkai Lord needed to be to a human, but this human just kept talking, and didn't shut up! He was like a yipping puppy! How, even in his haze, had he mistaken this whimpering whelp as Rin.

A smell accosted his nose, the sharp sting of urine. He made a disgusted noise and dropped the child to the floor, turning and leaving him in the puddle of his own waste. The child was only a young one, but Sesshomaru could care less. He had seen others loose control of themselves and urinate on themselves in his presence before, it brought a feeling of accomplishment when it happened. He finally turned to Kirara.

"You." He said pointing to the little kitten. Surely this was not the same massive cat that InuYasha used to ride… but it was. Sesshomaru sighed again, no help there; he only hoped that he was strong enough. He turned then from the cat, the human boy that called himself Sota was whimpering and sniveling again as the demon lord turned to move back toward the loft window, the boy was sitting in front of it.

"What are you doing!" Sota yelled as Sesshomaru pulled himself up into the window, the demon lords silver hair simply flowed like moonlight in the night air and he looked back at the boy, who was standing, looking scared that he would hurt him, but also afraid that he would jump.

"Such concern for This Sesshomaru is unnecessary." He said clearly. The boy jumped forward, his fingers slipping off the fabric of his pants as Sesshomaru stepped off the edge, he felt himself falling, and it took every ounce of energy that he had to form the demon cloud to bring him softly to the earth. He looked back up at the child staring at him from the window and thought of Rin. He remembered all the times she had stared at him like that, like he was just the best thing ever. Inside he smiled, almost laughing, at how much this child was like Rin after all, even though he was scared, he still was in awe with him. Outside no such thing, stoic as ever he turned away and started to walk towards the house.

He wasn't listening to the Miko and her mother as he walked into the house, the other Youkai was close, his hand slipped down his bare chest, covered only with the stiffening wrappings and to his obi, his eyes red, he felt himself wanting to shift, in the fear of being attacked wounded. His eyes pulsed, and he could feel the energy building behind his eyes and he knew they had turned red, his hand came in contact with Tokijin and he could feel his face start to elongate, the wind like tendrils of energy slashing through the air. The Miko jumped in front of her mother and was staring at him, saying something, but he could not hear her over the blood rushing in his own ears. His fingers closed on Tokijin and it was pulled before the sudden pulse from Tenseiga touched him and suddenly the world got thrown back into the calm like a weight hitting him.

"Sesshomaru! I didn't… I mean…" the wench was saying.

"Silence." He growled, a pulse from him, followed by a pulse from Tenseiga. That was when he saw it, the small feline was sitting on the counter and the feeling was coming from it. He lifted his nose to the air… yes… it was the cat. He lurched forward past the woman and the Miko, pushing the Miko aside roughly.

The cat hissed and spat as the clawed hand, too fast for it to react to, closed around the back of its neck, his thumb pushing up under the feline's chin, ready to break its neck. But no, this was wrong, it wasn't the feeling of a neko; this cat surely would have turned back to its demon form if it were a neko?

"You!" Sesshomaru growled his nails running up the cat's side the wrong way, roughing up its fur, he felt his claw click over something and knew he was right. Between his clawed thumb and forefinger, he would pluck the flea from the cat's coat and drop the feline that, like a smart neko, fled for its hide. "Myouga. What do you want you cowardly excuse for a Youkai."

"L…Lord Sesshomaru…" The flea stammered, not impressing Sesshomaru. "I felt you I did! And I came because you were injured! You vanished so long ago… so much is happening Lord Sesshomaru!"

"If you came to find This Sesshomaru, then why are you in this homestead and not in the barn." He growled at the bug as he released it and dropped it onto the counter. He felt the two humans come behind him; they were looking around him to see what was on the table.

"Well, I was… thinking that maybe… um… maybe the great Se…Lord Sesshoamru wouldn't want a lowly servant like This Myoga to see him in such a state of dismay." The flea said humbly bowing to the Sesshomaru. It invoked no feelings of sympathy, or even belief, the flea was a useless coward.

"Or mayhap, you feared that This Sesshomaru might react accordingly and kill you before he knew who had come. You would rather hide than make sure that your master's only remaining son is well!" Sesshomaru growled.

"Only…" The wench said, she was staring at him wide eyed.

"Yes, this Sesshomaru is the only remaining child of Inu Taisho." Sesshomaru said softly, he didn't turn to look at them, he didn't care for his brother as a creature, but they had come to understand each other as brothers some. "InuYasha no longer draws breath."

"That InuYasha?" She pondered, surely, she had not noticed that he refered to him with the same right he gave the nobility. That InuYasha not the hanyou, or the mutt. He said nothing to her, she would not understand, and was sure he could not stand much longer in order to tell her, so he didn't say a word. His body language, his scent spoke volumes of loss and pain. His mother, his father, his Rin, his brother… he had nothing left, but nothing showed his loss, nothing from his stance to his amber eyes. Unless you could read an animal's body, and he knew these humans could not, than they would think nothing wrong. "How?"

"F… fighting." Sesshomaru suddenly found speaking extremely hard. His eyes widened for a moment at the counter as it was rushing up at his head, the flea called out to him before jumping aside and the blinding pain flashed through his head as his vision went red, it cleared moments later just before he met with the floor… it felt for a moment as if he had gone through the floor and was floating in blackness… a welcomed blackness, numbness, the pain of his wounds gone. But as his body contacted the floor the pain in his back and ribs ripped through his body and he was back again. In pain. But alive.

Damnit he thought passively. I could not be so lucky. Yes, as he had thought, before it was over, he more than wished, it would just… kill him.

Kagome flew forward in an attempt to catch Sesshomaru, but the odd angle and dead weight was too much for her and he struck the floor anyway. Kagome fell on her butt next to him, her knees drawing up, her arms wrapped around them and she cried. Too hell with her mother, school, her brother… to hell with Myouga, and to hell with Sesshomaru… her InuYasha was dead!

There was a time when she would not have believed the words that Sesshomaru had spoken, but now she had no reason, honestly not to. She knew that Sesshomaru had no reason to lie to her, and from what InuYasha had always told her, Sesshomaru didn't lie. Ever. Her mother came over and knelt next to her wrapping her arms around her, holding her while she cried. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe she would get to see him, one last time. That she would get her time to say good-bye, that she could tell him, honestly, and with no battles to stand between them, that she loved him more than anything else in this world.

"Kagome." Sota said, came down from upstairs where he had climbed in the window so that no one would see that he had wet himself when Sesshomaru attacked him. "What is wrong?"

"Inu…InuYasha… is…" She could not finish the words that she was trying to formulate in her mind.

"Dead." A voice said from the door. Kagome jumped and looked up at the figure standing in it. The figure there was of a man, a well built one, with large baggy pants on, and a half shirt, his strong stomach muscles showing. He was wearing an unzipped hoodie over that, and the hood was up so she could not see his face.

"Who are you?" Sota growled at him. "We got enough people here! What do you…"

"Shh." Kagome said coming to her feet, something seemed familiar about that voice, she sniffled some and pulled the hood back off of the man's head, gasping and covering her mouth. The man that stood there had long black hair, held back in a high held ponytail, and a set of beautiful crystal eyes that she recognized immediately. "Kouga!"

"Kagome!" He said and pulled her in against his strong chest. She broke down crying once more, and he simply held her until she could pull herself together.

"What are you doing here Kouga?" She asked him softly, she would glance over at Sesshomaru. "Forget that for a moment, could you help me bring him upstairs to my room?"

"You're room?" Kouga asked, a little spark of the old jealousy in his voice.

"No baka! He is sick, now please!" She said a little crossly at him, but he just smiled, showing off one tooth as if to say it was all a little joke.

"Don't worry Kagome, all lot of time has passed since you left, I have done my time, had a mate, she died though, don't be sorry it's OK, she was older than I was anyway, and had kids, seventeen actually of which four are still wandering, pretty good turn out, so I am really not looking for another mate right now. Just kinda likin' the lone wolf life..." He said shaking his head and smiling. He would walk over and grab Sesshomaru by the shoulder and roll him onto his back. Kagome bit her lip, he was manhandling Sesshomaru some, but then again, Kouga never did have any tact.

"Don't forget me!" Myouga cried out as he jumped up onto Kouga's head.

It was a shame to see Sesshomaru like that. She hated it; he was supposed to be the strong, stoic creature that could survive anything. He was the pillar of strength and now he had crumbled. She might not have liked him, but if he was standing up and tall, whatever it was that was happening, that Myouga had started to tell Sesshomaru about… she would know that she could handle it, because he was after all… Sesshomaru… but with him down like this, it just felt… so… wrong.

"So this is it hmm?" Kouga said as he started to gather Sesshomaru's limbs so he could pick him up.

"This is what?" Kagome asked.

"This is the great Sesshomaru. Supposedly he was destroyed so many years back in the same attack that killed his brother… well…" Kouga looked up at her for a moment from his squatted position. "At least that is what part of my mind is telling me… but I remember that he ruled. Cold, but a decent leader up until his death fighting off a monster that threatened his lands only about two hundred years ago. And InuYasha, InuYasha lived in his brother's kingdom, never given the rights of nobility, but kept well. I don't understand why it is that my memories are changing."

"Kouga, do you mean?" She asked. "Do you mean you remember both things?"

"As clearly as if they both happened. But how I do not know. Something is changing Kagome. Something is happening." He said. He would finally turn those wolf-like blue eyes off of her and scoop one arm under Sesshomaru's knees, and the other, around his shoulders. The demon king growled as he was lifted but Kouga did not flinch. "Damned Inu, always growlin' at us… whatever."

Kouga carried Sesshomaru upstairs, following Kagome to her room. He laid him down on the bed and then sat in the chair near by as Kagome cleaned his wounds and re-bandaged them, with some of her mother's herbal medicine to put on them, that she assured her daughter would word ten times better than any peroxide would.

With the soft sound of the English speaking band Clannad playing on repeat in her CD player, other than the one time, that while she was taking a shower Kouga changed the music to something called Marilyn Manson that she had never heard of, apparently it was American music, and she had changed it quickly, she sat with Sesshomaru and waited.

It amazed her that she had come to not like, but respect Sesshomaru in his first stint of unconsciousness that had been in the barn when she sat, just the two of them, for hours. What did not amaze her was that in a matter of the fifteen minutes that he had been up and functioning and speaking, all of that respect lost most of its meaning.

Kouga had gone downstairs to eat with her mother and her brother. She had asked him to, being under his ever-constant eye, while it made her feel safer than being alone with Sesshomaru did, it was annoying sometimes. She took the time while he was downstairs to get changed out of the clothes that she had been wearing for two days. Her mother decided, now that she knew it was not just a mere dog, to allow Kagome a bit of time off of school. Kagome didn't fight it, she was happy to be home. Sota however was not allowed to stay home, her mother was worried with how much Sota wanted to stay around Sesshomaru, something about his attitude toward the demon lord had changed and he wasn't telling anyone what happened.

As she slipped the shirt off over her head she felt something, like pokers in the back, pulling her shirt up over her chest she would spin around to find Sesshomaru awake and looking at her, her whole body shook in rage and her face blazed bright red. He was not even making an attempt to look away from her, just staring at her with that same mute, apathetic gaze.

"You don't have to stare." She said, a little sharper than she had meant to.

"This Sesshomaru cannot stare at anything." He answered. Slowly the lids closed over the golden pools and then slipped open again, eyes never wayvering.

"You seem to be doing a good job." She said softly, her brows knit together, humph! InuYasha said he couldn't lie!

"This Sesshomaru cannot stare wench," He growled. "Because this Sesshomaru cannot see."

"What!" Without thinking she dropped her shirt and fell down at his side, her cool hands running over his head, he was burning up, a blinding fever for sure. They say, and she did not know that it was true or not, that such a fever could cook the eyes, and you would be blind forever. Like a dog anticipating being hit, then finding himself pet, Sesshomaru pushed his head against her cool hands as they ran over his face, she was sure it was not out of affection like a dog would, more because her hands must feel like ice against his hot skin. "Gods this isn't good…"

"Isn't it?" He asked softly. "One of the final stages of a death fever is blindness… that means… that This Sesshomaru is almost well again."

"Huh?" She said canting her head. His clawed hand, shaking and on fire from the fever would grasp her arm, the one that was touching him.

"This Sesshomaru cannot die from this fever." Sesshomaru answered passively. "It must work its course, but This Sesshomaru can survive it."

Her body shivered against her will as his hand traveled up her arm to her shoulder.

"Sesshomaru?" She said glancing at that hand. She thought about his actions for a moment, and then thought better, certainly he was not feeling her up, no, rather, she assumed that he was trying to get his bearings where he could not see.

"Miko." He said softly.

"Sesshomaru." She answered.

"Would you do this Sesshomaru two favors?" He asked as his hand trailed off her shoulder and down her side, she wanted to withdraw from his exploring fingers, but dared not pull away from those deadly claws, least one should… not so accidentally… slip.

"I…if I can." She answered.

"One." His hand stopped at the waist band of her pants, her own eyes no longer on his eyes, but watching his hand with horror. "Do not tell any others that This Sesshomaru cannot see."

"O…okay." She said swallowing hard as his hand now traveled over her belly, fingers splaying, palm lying flat against her stomach and then trailing up to lay open against her lower chest, if she even flinched he would be touching… something she didn't want him to! "A…and t…two?"

"Get dressed!" He growled shoving her hard away from him. "You are indecent."

She stumbled back and landed, with no grace, dignity, or poise on the floor a few feet away and Sesshomaru took the blankets and pulled them up over his head, rolling to face away from her.

"Oh! You insufferable bastard!" She yelled at him. If he was awake still he made no motion to show it, she grabbed a shirt out of her dresser and threw it over her head, roughly shoving her arms through the holes and storming out of the room.

"He is so impossible!" She said as she sat in the barn loft, the tears pouring down her face again. She wasn't sure what she had exactly expected from Sesshomaru, certainly him pushing her away was better than where she thought it was going for a moment there, since his probing touch had made her skin crawl anyway. She was talking to Kirara, told her everything because, hell who was she going to tell.

"No." The voice came from Kirara's little body, but it could not be her, Kirara couldn't talk and that voice was not female anyway. Just the Myouga leapt from the cat's back onto her head and looked up at her. "He is scared."

"Scared?" She said softly. "Oh! No! I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell him anything." The old flea said sitting on the cat's head. She looked at Myouga now, taking him in her hand and off of the cat looking at him. He looked like what someone might describe an old Japanese sensai to look. His short white mustache was now long, it came all the way down, and he had a white beard to match it. He actually used his staff to walk now. He was an old flea, old and very wise, but a coward. "And yes, scared. Everything he had is gone. And nothing is making any sense. He is a stranger in a strange land, with strange people and nothing that makes him feel comfortable. But you…"

"Me?" She gasped shaking her head. "No, I make him feel uncomfortable, otherwise he wouldn't be so cruel to me!"

"Wrong again Kagome." The flea said softly shaking his head, something in his aged voice sounded disappointed.

"What do you mean Myouga?" She asked, she rolled so that she was laying on her belly, her hand rising to level the flea out with her face. She had talked to Myouga before, but he seemed different now, older, wiser, not so… snively.

"You are a Miko Kagome. The Miko that traveled with InuYasha. You are familiar. But you are human, and he has already lost one human." Myouga said softly sitting there, running one of his four hands over his beard and mustache as if thinking. "Rin taught him about humans, and how to care for one. Not all, only one. Her. He was hurt beyond words when she died, and now he does not want another human to get close. Rin nursed him back to health, and as payment for that she could stay at his side. Now he has another human that is nursing him back to health, and he does not want to owe you anything. He does not want to get attached. So, he pushes you away. He is cruel. It is the way he is."

Kagome nodded solemnly.

"To you, InuYasha died four hundred years ago. The wound is new, because you only just heard of it, but you can justify moving on because it was four hundred years ago. He is still hurt and angry, because he watched it happen, what seems to him, only days ago. And only days before that Rimiku killed Rin and Jakken as well."

"Rimiku?" She asked.

"I am unsure. My memories are like Kouga's. They are changing slowly with the time and I don't know what to do, or what is happening. Rimiku killed InuYasha, that I know from talking to Kirara, she was there when it happened." He answered her.

She nodded slowly.

"I need to check on his majesty." She said looking toward the house.

"Be forgiving with him, and don't give up on him." Myouga said gently.

"Well Myouga, apparently you forgot me too." She said smiling.

"Hmm?"

"I am Kagome Higurashi, I don't give up on anything!"

When Kagome returned to the room her mother was in there. She had gone up to see what Sesshomaru had said to make her daughter so angry that she had stormed out of the house and he had admitted to her what had happened and why. She had not even yelled at him for being rude, there was no time, if he was already without sight than he was in danger of never seeing again.

"This… S…Sesshomaru will survive." He panted, the icy rag placed over his eyes again. He felt like he was on fire. Her mother was wearing a very worried expression.

"He is right momma." Kagome said from the door.

"He might live through it, he is youkai after all…" Her mother said, and then ran a hand through his silvery main. "But even if he does… he might not be able to see if we don't draw the fever away from his eyes."

Kagome gasped! She had not even thought of that when she stormed out, he had been so infuriating that he had gotten exactly what he wanted from her, he had gotten her to react and leave him. She mentally slapped herself, she could not even picture Sesshomaru permanently blind for a minute, the great and proud king of pompous poise reduced to a sightless mass.

Her mother sat there with Sesshomaru all night. She was glad that she had, Kagome would not have known what to do. Kagome did not know when she had fallen asleep in the chair but when she awoke, she was not alone in it. She was curled up against a warm body with a heavy musky scent and a blanket over them. She opened her eyes to see the serine sleeping face of Kouga and smiled. He was sweet, or, he tried to be, and sometimes his actions were rewarded with success.

"Alright Lord Sesshomaru." She heard her little brother say. "Momma says you gotta drink this."

His attempt to give Sesshomaru the tea was met with resistance by the currently blinded, dirty, and smelly Sesshomaru. He pouted some. She could tell he wanted Sesshomaru to like him, like InuYasha had liked him. But that was not going to happen, Sesshomaru was nothing like InuYasha.

"I know this is hard." She heard Sota say, he was chewing on his lip, she didn't have to look over to know what had happened. "But you have…"

"This Sesshomaru doesn't have to do anything…" Sesshomaru answered, his hand would rise up and slap the cup out of Sota's hand, sending in smashing to the floor, she felt Kouga's body jerk under her as his eyes flew open. "This Sesshomaru can't drink any more of that…"

She heard the struggled whimpers of Sota trying not to cry in front of Sesshomaru. He was so gentle with their mother, why was he so hard on Sota, she did not understand it. He had never treated Rin with such hate… had he? Sesshomaru had kicked his feet off of the bed and was sitting now on the edge of it, as if debating attempting to stand.

"This Sesshomaru is a big bully." She heard Kouga growl from under her, causing his whole chest to vibrate like a growling wolf. She felt his body tense under her hand and looked up, he was angry, his whole physique taking a darker look to it. "Pickin' on a harmless kid that can't even defend himself!"

"Leave Sota alone Sesshomaru." Kagome said softly. "He just wants to help you."

"This Sesshomaru doesn't need his help."

"This Sesshomaru needs a swift kick in the ass!" Kagome yelled coming to her feet in time with Kouga, a hand placed against his chest, as if that could really hold him back, but it worked for now and the wolf demon did not move. "You do nothing but preach to us, yell at us, hurt my brother, insult me and I don't want to know what you have done to my mother! How dare you! You over stuffed foo dog! You do not have any place to be making demands when it is us that have been taking care of you! You pride yourself of being better than InuYasha! Well you are not! You are just like him! Too good to get help from a human, too much pride to admit that you need it! You… you…" Sesshomaru had managed to come, shakely to his feet during this rant. "You piss me off! I cannot believe your audacity, here, in my home! I owe you nothing Sesshomaru! I do not owe you the right to be treated poorly! I should have just left you for dead… that is what you deserve…" She could not think of anything to say, so finally she said the one thing that came to mind after fighting with someone. "SIT!"

Nothing happened and Sesshomaru just stared at her as if transfixed on her with his sightless eyes. His head would cant slightly, he did not sit, why should he do that? Why would he sit just because she had told him to. Damned wench…

"OHHH!" She growled annoyed, that was right, this was Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru didn't have his brother's rosary beads, but she wanted to see him face plant like InuYasha had, Sota was just staring at her, he had seen her do that to InuYasha before, and apparently he was standing in silent understanding of her mistake. "I said…" She growled, she came forward, grabbing the blinded and weakened Sesshomaru by the front of the robe that her mother had given him to cover himself with, which was worn open, she would jump up and place all her weight on his shoulders, forcing him face first into the ground. "SIT!"