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.

14. Chapter 14

Rise and Fall of the False God

CHAPTER 14

Kagome awoke the next morning alone in the bed. She really hated that; she did because she almost always woke up alone.

"Once this is over." She said to the empty room. "Once this is over and he doesn't have to hide, then I can wake up next to him." She sat up and moved out of bed, stretching with her arms up over her head. She had fallen asleep wearing her haori; so all she did was slip on her hakuma and move out into the room, not bothering with her obis.

Guilt wracked her mind as she saw three of the people, she had saved were lain out in the corner of the room with white veils over them. They had died in the night. Genrou was squatted down next to the dead; his black ears back against his head as always, next to him little Seto was sitting.

"Do you think that they are afraid?" Seto asked.

"Newp." Genrou answered.

"Why not? I would be afraid." Seto responded.

"Because kid, where they are, there is no fear." Genrou said rubbing the top of his head and standing. He saw Kagome and walked over. "Their hearts couldn't handle it. They just stopped in their sleep." Kagome nodded, but that did not stop her from feeling guilty. Genrou put a clawed hand on her arm and she stepped forward, leaning against him, the first of several sobs tore through her without her want or consent. He stiffened for a moment, which caused her to sob again, he reminded her of InuYasha, not sure how to deal with this emotional wreckage of a Miko. Slowly his clawed hand rose, and then she felt it come to rest on the back of her head, as the other came around her back. He did not embrace her so much as just hold her, starting to relax, and for a moment she was glad he was not InuYasha. He did not yell at her and tell her to be strong and stop acting like a child. He held her. "It's not your fault."

"Where is Maru?" She asked suddenly and very afraid. What if he died in his sleep? What if he was one of those faces? Was that why Genrou did not let her walk over there, but stopped her? So many doubts circled her mind that she did not stop to think of the fact that they never would have gotten Maru's body out without waking her.

"His Clansmen came to talk to him." Genrou said, his lip pulled knowingly between his long and sharp teeth.

"The Lotus Clan?" She gasped; she could not keep the fear from her voice.

"Hai." Genrou responded softly. Kagome instantly pulled away from Genrou and ran up to her room. Pulling on her obis and pinning her hair up, she grabbed her bow and arrows just in case. She turned then and ran down the stairs still getting her earrings in as she went out the door. She ran out as the first blow came down on Maru.

"STOP!" She screamed as Maru stumbled back under the blow of the red haired Inu that bore down on him, the Lotus' blue eyes flashed to her and he growled deeply, then back to Maru as the next blow was prepared. Kagome didn't even think that bow was flipped off of her shoulder and the arrow was nocked. She pulled back and let it fly true. The arrow tore through the Inu's hand fizzling the magic that he was gathering there, and Kagome came forward, putting herself between this one and Maru. "How dare you attack my guard!" She hissed.

"I am the Elder of the House of the Lotus, I can kill any of my Clansmen, for whatever reason without reporting to a human murderer. Step aside." The man growled. Kagome stood motionless for a moment, a human murderer? Had she wronged this man? Yes she had, she had 'killed' Sesshomaru, whose mother came from the House of the Lotus. She understood now. Before she had a chance to react Maru had streaked by her, his clawed hands glowing green as he grabbed the youkai by the throat. He had been distracted with the arrow and caught off guard.

"You will not speak that way to her…" he snarled, his eyes flickering the dangerous red.

"You collared mutt…" The Inu growled. "I don't know who you are, but you are not from my family. We know every member of the Lotus Clan, and you are not one of us. Do you understand, you stand on borrowed time, as does your wench mistress that killed my nephew!"

Maru's arm tensed and threw him aside, the inu sat where he landed in a squatted position, baring his teeth at Maru, who stood completely still, not turning to look at the man. Kagome stood her ground, watching the pair of them. His nephew? This man was Sesshomaru's uncle, and now he was fighting him to keep up a guise that she had forced him to assume. The tears streaked down her face and she moved over to the Lotus Clansmen. She knelt, ignoring his aggressive snarls and took the hand with the arrow through it, breaking the feathers off the backside of the arrow; she pulled it out as it had gone in. She leaned into him, trustingly, but could feel the eyes of Maru on her back, she knew he would not let this one hurt her, she trusted him, maybe more than he trusted her.

"Come here tonight after dark, and I will explain everything to you. Until then, I can only ask that, for the sake of these children you let this go." Kagome whispered.

"Banyuu." He answered.

"Please let this go until dark tonight. These children have been through enough and have another war ahead of them." Kagome said. "We leave tonight, if you travel with us, then all can be explained."

He seemed to think for a moment, his eyes casting to Maru's and then back to Kagome's.

"Very well. I will meet you at the river. When you get there allow your followers time to rest and come to the clearing to the east of the path. I will be there." With that Banyuu came to his feet and brushed by both her and Maru. "If you do not come, a contract will be taken out on the House of the Moon with the House of the Lotus Clan, for this mockery of our clan and the murder of my nephew. Do not end our alliance this way 'Lady' Kagome. Are we clear?"

Kagome nodded solemnly as she watched him leave.

"BAKA!" she yelled at him. Stomping her foot like a child. Why was it that when things got stressful all of her childish tendencies showed? It seemed that was her way of dealing with things. Sesshomaru walked by her toward the makeshift hospital. "Don't you walk away from me!" She yelled.\

He stopped but did not turn to face her. Simply standing his ground. He wanted her to just go inside where he didn't have to act. But she wasn't hearing it, she was scared, and when she got scared, she had to talk about what scared her right then and there. There were people watching them, how lovely, just adding to the perfection of the moment. He slowly turned to face her.

"How dare you come out here as a representative of the House of the Moon! Without me? Without my consent?" She screamed at him. What she was really asking him was: How could you be so reckless! You could have been killed, and then what would I do? Slowly he blinked at her and sighed. Stepping forward.

"I did not come out here as a representative of the House of the Moon." Sesshomaru answered in the even tones of Maru. He should be kowtowing to the floor, but he had never had to for her, and he was certain that his body would bend that way should he even try. "I came as a member of the House of the Lotus."

"He says that you are not!" Kagome yelled, she came forward and brought her hand, fingers cupped like a cat's paw. The strike was louder than it was painful. He expected for it to hurt, and snapped his head as if she had hit him with all her might. "Tell me the truth right now Maru!"

"I am a member. Estranged." Maru said softly. "Please Milady…" He forced himself to his knees, bowing his head so as to stare at her shoes, his hands upon his knees, his neck exposed. Sesshomaru in his life had never taken such a pose, not even before his father. "If you doubt me Kagome-sama, even for a moment, than take me from this world as is your right." He shuddered, the words coming from his mouth seeming like an odd sort of submission that Sesshomaru had avoided all of his life. "If This Kagome believes me, would it be to forget my place to request, or suggest that we go in, as we have acquired a large group of onlookers."

"I will have my answers Maru." She stated coolly and turned to walk into the building. Sesshomaru remained there for a moment, and then kipped to his feet and turned towards the door. Stopping for a moment, he fought back the urge, the one that his father had instilled in him. It said, very plainly, these people saw you lower yourself. They will die. That was before he had gone soft. Sesshomaru took in a deep breath through his mouth and the released it through his nose and walked. Not tonight father, tonight, I will not be killing those that saw me lessen myself. They will be dead soon enough father… I can feel it on the wind, taste it in the air. Something is coming.

He moved in and glanced around. A very dumbstruck Genrou stood at the bottom of the stairs that led to the room Kagome and he had been staying in. He sighed softly and walked by the inu hanyou, saying nothing too him as he mounted the stairs and moved through the shoji. No sooner had it closed than did a very distraught Kagome hurl herself into his arms, a move he received by simply coiling her against him.

"Shh." He cooed into her ear, his talons running over her hair. "Shh."

"I am sorry! I shouldn't have started yelling on the street!" She sobbed. He closed his eyes, listening to her rapid breaths, the rabid beat of her heart, the soft sounds that she made as she cried. She was hyperventilating… though he would not be able to attach that word to it until much later. "I don't ever want you to be forced to kneel like that again! I do not ever want to hit you again! Oh Kami Sesshomaru… I think I am losing my mind!" She sobbed like a child. He assumed like a child, the only human child he had ever known was Rin, and she had never once cried where he could see it.

He tucked his hands under her legs and carried her to the pillows, settling himself upon them and simply holding her. He closed his eyes, his senses carrying him beyond just her. He could smell her tears, and the adrenaline spiked fear, but he could also smell something on the wind, what was it? Danger. Yes. He could hear her breaths, and her heart, her sobs of uncontrollable sorrow, but he could also hear something else buzzing in the air. Danger. Yes. He knew they were not safe. Suddenly he realized that Kagome had stopped crying and was sitting up. She had felt it to. As is some form of supernatural energy was trying to get them to leave Shidi, and fast.

"Do you feel that?" She asked as if unsure of herself. Sesshomaru simply nodded, his now blue eyes having widened marginally. "We should go." He nodded once more, swallowing suddenly felt terribly difficult and he was not sure what this feeling was. "Right now,…" Her voice wavered, but she didn't move. She was panicking… and then it struck him… what he felt… was… fear.

"RIKUO!" She screamed sending his heart into his chest. The little rat ran around in a complete and totally useless circled before running up the stairs, she had never yelled at him before. He ran up to the Shoji and entered the room, to find her coiled around Maru sitting on the floor. "Take my purse, find carriages and horses and bring them back, we have to leave…"

"But mistress… they won't sell to Rikuo…" He said softly.

"Li!" She said. "They will sell them to Li… go Rikuo, hurry."

He was scared. She was scaring him. He turned and ran on all fours to Li and climbed up his side to his back. The dragon Hanyou flexed his wings slightly but did not complain.

"Mistress wants Rikuo and Li to get carriages and horses." Rikuo chattered looking at the massive beast.

"If the Mistress wants my dear little rat, than the Mistress shall have."

Rikuo screamed and clung when Li launched himself into the air, there wasn't much wind down here, it seemed almost as if he flew on his magic alone. Wide black eyes watched the city swirl by in a manner that he had never seen it before! It looked almost… pretty.

Aryu paced restlessly as Kagome moved around. He was making her nervous, his near constant chortling had stopped and occasionally he gave a deep and deadly hiss at the eastern wall, where the entrance was located to Shidi. Whatever was coming, Aryu could feel it too.

When she passed near him she would chortle, but he didn't reciprocate, once or twice his hissed right after, as if to tell her that things were in fact not safe, as chortling suggested, but rather they were very dangerous. He helped the best he could, but he was a very bestial youkai, and he was nervous, so he spent more time pacing than helping.

"Kagome." One of the two inu hanyou twins called out. "Shi doesn't feel well."

"Shi?" She asked softly. The inu pointed to the young crow hanyou, which seemed to be ill. Kagome moved over to the injured hanyou and lifted him up. The child looked little over two years in age.

"Bad…" The bird kept cawing over and over again. "Bad… bad… bad…"

"Shh, Shi." Kagome said looking to the inu. "What is your name?"

"We don't have names. Red and Blue the master called us… because of our clothes." He said.

"We liked to switch clothes…" The second giggled. "Made the master mad!"

"To hell with the master." Kagome hissed. "You, in the red, will be Kaze, and in the blue are Kizu. Everyone deserves a name. And when you put those words together, they are immensely powerful in the right hands. As I believe you two can be in time."

The boys smiled and nodded. They ran off on all fours to go help Genrou with getting things ready.

Kagome jumped, still holding Shi when the door opened and Banyuu slid inside.

"What do you want." She growled, a protective hand coming over the child's back.

"No harm." He said softly. "Something wicked is headed our way." He said softly. "You need to move these children, and most of them have no clothes."

She looked at him as he pulled the bag off his back.

"This is the best I can do for you. We will remain behind to try and figure out what is coming."

"No!" Kagome gasped. She placed Shi down and ran to him, grabbing his haori. "You will not!"

"And who are you to tell me that." he said, his pointed ears falling slightly.

"I am Lady Kagome of the West?" She asked… and she did ask, she had no idea what the correct answer would be. "Please… he is coming… and he will kill you… all of you… and if you are a threat… he will follow you back and kill or enslave the entirety of the House of the Lotus!" She cried, she was painfully aware of the tears streaking down her face. Banyuu seemed completely lost and baffled.

"Unhand me Miko." He said softly. But there was softness there. "I think I understand what you are saying. The boy that ordered the capture of my nephew is who you speak of?"

"Yes." She said. She pulled him down and he allowed it, which needless to say shocked her slightly, bending at the waist he brought his head to her. "I had to kill him for that… I would rather he dead, it is a far kinder fate than to be one of Rimiku's zombies."

"No…" He whispered softly. His voice cracked, but she knew that he believed her. He took a deep breath and stood, she could see the swelling under his eyes, but he would not shed tears for the dead, nothing to hold them here, no reason for them to stay. Never cry and never speak their names.

She nodded softly and then stepped back.

"Please Banyuu, come with us." She begged.

"I can't leave these people to die here." He said.

"Then you will die with them!" She cried. "Please! You need to leave; the West needs the strength of your clan!"

"But…" He said softly. "We will not leave those hear to die."

"Banyuu!" She cried clinging to him again. "I don't know you… I know I don't… but I am .." She took a long moment to compose herself. "I have no right to ask, but I need you Banyuu, you are the only of his family that has not cast me away!"

"Truly?" He asked.

"Very well. I will go with you, as will fifteen of my men, the rest will remain here to aid the evacuation."

"No!" Kagome insisted. "They will follow back to the House of the Lotus."

"Kagome-sama. Listen to me." He said looking into her eyes. "I know your fears, and how real they are. But it doesn't matter…"

"Baka!" She hissed batting his hands away. "You know nothing of my fears! You know nothing of what you face!"

"Don't I?" Banyuu hissed. "My own god has been torn out from under me by what you fear, the House of the Lotus, loyal to the beast gods, protected by them, has been abandoned! I know what you fear, you fear our annihilation. As. Do. I."

"Than stop it and come with us!" She yelled back at him. "Stop the destruction of your house! We will need you, when we take back the House of the Moon all will be made clear, and you bring yourself to trust me that long. Banyuu I know the future of the House of the Lotus and you are not in it!" She said before clamping her hand over her mouth.

"Hush witch." He said softly. "Some things I shouldn't know. Say no more or I will leave."

"I am not a witch…" She said desperately.

"Then what are you, because you are no Miko. I have met many lady Kagome, they are not time seers." He said softly, running a hand down her cheek. "Do you even know?"

"It is unimportant Banyuu." The velvety voice came from behind him. "Allow Kagome to get the hanyou ready to travel. You and I must speak." He said turning and walking up the stairs. Banyuu looked oddly at Kagome. He didn't understand why it was that this guard seemed to be taking control over this situation.

"Go." She said. "It is important."

Kagome watched as Banyuu vanished up the stairs. She knew that Sesshomaru needed to tell Banyuu, he needed the support of the House of the Lotus, she hadn't thought, when he took that guise that they knew all of the members of the Clan. They were remarkable.

"Kagome-sama." Kizu called. "Rikuo and Li have returned."

"Load the carriages." Kagome cried out and she turned getting to work. Glancing only once at the stairs, she didn't have time to be worried about Maru right now… the children needed her.

After talking to Sesshomaru it all seemed to make much clearer sense and Banyuu was ready to travel. Of this Sesshomaru was glad. Now he moved through the place, making sure that everything was gone, and no trace of where they might be headed remained.

There was an odd hush throughout the city as they made their way out; the others there knew there was something happening as well. It felt almost electric in the air. As the carriages moved out of the mouth of the cave and headed toward the village he looked back once. An odd sensation crept over him, as if he were saying goodbye for the last time. He then turned and hopped from the carriage scouting ahead.

The children were crying, many of them afraid to be moving, and many of them afraid of the legion of forty heads of the Lotus with them. Some of them, including the little crow Shi, seemed afraid of the sunlight as if it were his enemy. Kagome had renamed the child Orishi. And it seemed to fit him, the "Strength of Death." He slowly rode alongside the large tiger that was walking now, but would ride soon enough, he was very injured.

Banyuu's eyes trailed over to the woman on top of the cart. Not a Miko. Not a Human. Not a Witch. Not a Youkai. Not a Tenshi, or Tennyo. What was she then? A confused child. That he could see, for all the strength she was still a child, capable of the occasional childish moment, and childish tears. But the tears that fell from her eyes now were not childish at all; they were the quiet reserved tears of a woman that knew the future. Like the tears of the dragon that stood behind her, who's sightless eyes watched Shidi as they left, she too wept. The tears of a woman who knew, she could not save these people from the hellish night that would befall them. The tears of a woman who had, against all that she should do, told him of his future, or enough of it to know that something tragic was on its way. A woman who watched the city go out of her view, watching as if sitting vigil over the dead. Banyuu did not allow for this to weigh on his thoughts, should he do that, he would for sure become despairing. He did not want that, he wanted to remain in high hopes and remember that he did not believe that future was carved in stone. He pulled in the reigns on his horse and the creature slowed to a walk.

"Kagome-sama." He called to her; she turned her head as if roused from a dream. "Are you all right?" A stupid question, he knew she was not, but it invited her to talk to him if she felt she needed to.

"No." She answered solemnly. "Everything I know is wrong. This isn't supposed to be happening Banyuu." She cried and turned into Li because he was closer. Had he been next to her, he had no doubt the woman would have cried on him. The dragon cocooned her in his large blue wings, hiding her from the world, as it should be. These children did not need to watch her cry.

The goal was the House of the Moon. He kicked his horse into a gallop, moving to the front of his men before slowly again to keep pace.

He had been doing this for an hour, pulling ahead, and falling behind, trying to keep some sort of order and patrol where there was none to be had. What did Sesshomaru think? The Lotus Clan did not begrudge or hate hanyou, but this mixture or the riffraff of the streets of Shidi was simply unruly. How were they ever supposed to train this mess to be solders?

Don't think of that now damnit! He scolded himself. He shook his own head and turned his steed again to the back of the group, to make sure none had fallen behind. The tiger was now laid in the back of one of the carriages. Kagome had been rested against him, her slender figure rising and falling with each great heave of Aryu's breath.

Further study was needed. No beast youkai would allow a human to rest on him as such. To that large beast, Kagome should be little more than a snack, but instead he rose that large black streaked white face, his blue eyes watching Banyuu for a moment and then nudged Kagome to make sure she was sleeping, she cuddled in against him and he rested his head on her hip.

Further study was needed. So, he watched. Struck and amazed that the great cat, who had most likely eaten three times his current body weight in human bodies before he was a year old simply let out that ruffling sound that such animals associated with safety. He was… babying her?

Male tigers had no paternal instincts. The great cats bred and then left, but now he was coddling her like a mother would its cub. He was confused. He was sure no amount of sitting her watching was going to answer his questions.

"Why is it Byyako that you coddle this human?" He asked.

"My name is Aryu, I have not earned the right to be called by such a title." He answered softly, his blue eyes seemed almost broken and gentle.

"Does this human own you? Does she tame your beast?" Banyuu asked. The great beast chuckled, a low and not so settling sound, but the miko did not rise, she slept on.

"She does neither. She saved me, freed me from the cages. It was years of pain that tamed this monster." He said, his large black ears falling so that the white eyes on the back of them were hidden. "Now she helps this old youkai find a reason to keep going. Even if only to be a pillow while she sleeps. She has earned the love of this tiger, she is his friend, not his master."

The old cat yawned, aging yellow teeth the length of short swords snapped closed next to her head and she did little more than make a similar, yet clearly human made, imitation of the rough sound to him. He responded with his own and lied his head down. She was a curious creature, which much was certain.

He lifted his own haori now and sniffed where she had fisted it, where she had cried against him. Such a sweet and settling scent, no decay, no death, just the sweet untainted scent of a human meant to go on living. He looked over and smiled knowingly at the tiger before cantering ahead once more.

It took almost a day and a half of non-stop motion to get from Shidi to the village. When they arrived, there was a grand celebration for them. Whatever the danger had been in Shidi when they left had not touched them; the darkness that surrounded the brigade had started to lift the further from the city they got. Banyuu had offered to send his hawk back to Shidi to find out if anything had indeed happened. But Sesshomaru had told him no, and honestly, he did not want to know. He felt bad enough having to leave those people there to fend for themselves. Wait? What? Did he feel bad? A disgusted sound pushed from his chest and he stormed off to where he could be alone and think. Not to unlike another member of the Taisho line, he found himself in a tree, simply watching the camp from rested within its branches.

The army was the same as it had been when he left. The town had rebuilt and there were markers near the entrance for all of those that had died in the battle with Rimiku. It seemed that these humans and hanyou had an indomitable spirit, nothing seemed to hold them down. He sat and watched as those that came with the convoy got settled into their places here, and yet, for some reason he did not. He had opted to sit in the tree alone and watch rather than to become part of this gathering.

Even Sesshomaru's trained army gave a welcome to the hanyou that were brought. The old tiger lay listlessly under the shade of a tree out of the sun as the children played on and around him without fear of the dangerous fangs and claws that lay under the soft fur coat. Genrou was, instantly attempting to charm the ladies, it seemed that he was found his most charming when Seto was on his shoulder, and that the woman, thought the kitten was far more cute than the self-proclaimed Precious was. Li had settled in with a few of the Miko that had been taken in here. He and Kagome sat with the women, they did not seem to mind him at all, but he was a fellow seer and knower, it didn't surprise Sesshomaru that he had been accepted so readily.

He sighed as he watched Rikuo dash in and out of the kitchens, getting the woman the things they asked for from the garden, and the two inu twins that Kagome had dubbed Kaze and Kizu were rough housing a little too close to the rivers edge. Rather than worry, he simply found himself calmly wondering if the two idiots knew how to swim.

He noticed movement. The colors of his family swept across his vision as he watched the pups. Kagome grabbed them each by an ear and turned them away from the water, patting their asses and telling them to go play nearer to the huts. Then she started to walk again. Sesshomaru found himself coming to his feet, following stealthily behind her from the branches of one giant tree to the next. When he found her again, she was kneeling in front of Miroku's marker. She did not notice when he landed a few dozen feet behind her.

"Hey you." She said. He froze, for a moment thinking she had, by some completely unlike chance of fate, noticed him there. "I miss you." No, she was talking to the monk. "I know I am not supposed to say that, I am only supposed to tell you about my life, so that you don't have a reason to stay, but I don't care, I miss you. Sango won't say it, but she misses you too." She sighed and laid down on her belly, telling Miroku all about the time that had passed since his death. She thanked him for his help and apologized for taking his pearls. His pearls, what was she talking about. Those things that held the wind tunnel closed? What had she taken those…. Oh god… he looked down at the beads wrapped around his own hand with a mixture of disturbance and disgust. He had a truly clear idea of where that hand had been, all over more human ass than Sesshomaru had ever seen. He grimaced slightly and looked up, noticing then that Kagome was looking at him, her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Well where did you think I got them? Mr. I-Am-Too-Powerful-So-I-Broke-The-Beads!" She said laughing outright now. "I needed something meant to hold more power than those beads were, I figured if those little pearls can hold the Wind Tunnel, than it could hold you."

He huffed, still looking at his hand as if it were alien.

"Do you know what these things have been…" Sesshomaru asked aghast.

"Do you want me to cut it off?" She asked. He glared at her. "On a lot of ass?" She asked, seeing he wanted an answer for that question.

"Not just that… how many times did the ladies ever give into Miroku's charms?" He asked softly.

"Really… not that often… you don't have to worry about that" She giggled.

"I am not worried about that I am more worried about what they might have been used for on the more often occasion that he was… turned down." He hissed.

Kagome opened her mouth, surely she had a witty comeback, but it never made it to her lips. Rather she snapped it closed again, then opened it, than closed it again.

"Well he did make a lot of trips to the hot springs…" She mused. Sesshomaru grunted in disgust for the fourth time during this conversation. Suddenly a hot flush spread of Kagome's cheeks as if the light had finally dawned as to what in the name of god Sesshomaru had been talking about. "You are disgusting!" She hissed.

"Me!" He growled, his eyes going wide, seemingly impossibly wide for Sesshomaru. "You're the one that put these damned things on me!"

"And if I hadn't you would have killed me!" She yelled back.

"Take them off." He said holding his hand out to her.

"No." She responded.

"Take them off… now." He said shaking that hand for a moment.

"No." She responded. For a split second he forgot why he liked her and a few dozen ways of maiming her came quickly to mind. "Away." She said softly and he went… away.

He snarled at her as she swallowed loudly. He didn't bother to approach again once his hand was released he simply sat there with his arms over his chest.

"Miroku's beads were strong. I also thought, since he gave up his life for you, you would want them." She said softly. She walked over and took a piece of black fabric wrapping it around his hand and pulling the beads over it. "So here, you can have this too… and don't lose it ok?" She said. She kissed his cheek and left him standing there. He sat, rather undignifyingly at the spot he was, more or less like InuYasha before realizing this and correcting it quickly, staring at his hand.

"It's not that bad. I washed them…" A chuckling voice carried on the wind. Sesshomaru jumped and glanced nervously around and looked at his hand again. "No really… I did…" He laughed. Sesshomaru turned to flee for town only to nearly walk into the hazy image, he stepped back, trying to regain his lost composure.

"She cares about you, you dolt." The ghost said. Sesshomaru would have gotten indignant but he hadn't seen the point in fighting with a dead thing, he didn't want to piss it off. "Enough to give those to you and not Sango…"

"Why did you do it…" Sesshomaru asked the one question that had been burning him like a poker since it had happened. "Why would you, a human, put me before yourself?"

"Some things happen for a reason. Maybe your death would have been one of those things. I thought otherwise." He answered. "There was no divine voice in my head, or sudden realization that my life was over. No message from god. It was just a moment in my mind where I had to move. I couldn't stand by and watch anyone die like that."

"Then it is something you would have done for anyone?" He asked.

"No." He said shaking his head. "You see Sesshomaru, you were once our enemy, but you were an unwilling enemy, you were also at times and unwilling ally. You somehow became something for Kagome to care about again, to love even when her love was dead. How she managed to fall for an old stiff like you I do not know, but she did… even back then. It would have killed her if you died. Sango is strong, she'll move on, have a good life and many kids and be happy. Kagome would have died inside if another person she loved died. So I made a choice, one of us was going to die, and I chose me."

"I don't think I will ever understand." Sesshomaru said.

"Would you die for her? I did." Miroku asked. Sesshomaru did not answer as the vision chuckled again. "They're clean by the way. You're safe." With a wink he vanished out of sight leaving Sesshomaru to think.

"Yes." He answered softly into the night breeze and the empty spot where Miroku had stood.

"Where are you going?" Kagome asked as he started up the hill. Maru sighed and glanced back at her.

"To the beast cave." He said softly. "You are safe hear Lady Kagome. I must confer with the gods."

Kagome watched as he turned and walked into the cave. She knew what the issue that he was having a hard time not putting his two cents in. This was becoming far too taxing on him. He was not able to hold it together as well as he had been before.

For a while playing Maru must have been a great deal of fun, but now, it was wearing thin, Kagome only imagined that he must feel like a stranger in his own skin. The last time she had slept with him as Sesshomaru, he spent almost an hour rubbing against her, cuddling, kissing, nothing more than that, but an hour… because she smelled like Maru.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is. How completely degrading it is, to be jealous of yourself. I looked at Maru's reflection holding you and the hair on my hackles raised. I smelled Maru's scent on you, it made me angry… it is completely draining."

She thought about that now as he retreated to the cave of the beast gods. A soft sigh escaped her and she turned back down toward the war tent. Standing awaiting her was Kyo, the Master in Arms, Setsujin, a general under Kyo and Banyuu from the Lotus Clan. When they entered the tent, the remaining of the generals, Sango, and a few others were within. They offered her a seat at the head of the table, it seemed that Setsujin alone saw the folly in this. She said nothing of it then.

"We have been doing some thinking Kagome-sama." Kyo said, he glanced to the others, when none of them opted to take up the plate he continued to talk. "As we well know, the House of the Moon is a fortress. It is a massive strong hold."

"We have thought about all of our options." Setsujin said, at the next pause from Kyo. "And we think that our best bet is to use the Chinese black powder, refined by Kyo, to blow the eastern wall of the fortress."

"Ah yes, this make sense." Banyuu said nodding. "It is known to those that are familiar to the House of the Moon that the only blind side it holds in on the eastern side."

"What about the actual attack itself?" Kagome asked.

"That is not for you to worry yourself on Kagome-sama." Setsujin said bowing deeply to her. "We have that all under control."

"I want to know what is happening." Kagome said sternly.

"If I might be so bold, it seems pointless to go over the war plans for one who will not be on the battle field, our time is too…" He was cut short when Kyo raised his hand seeing that Kagome was moving to speak. The red eyes of the fire demon were cast her way.

"I will be on the field." She said clearly, coming to her feet.

"That is ridiculous!" Setsujin exclaimed before he could contain himself. Immediately his red eyes grew wide and he dropped to the floor.

"Why?" She exclaimed, her temper suddenly flaring. She swept down off of the large chair and rounded the table to him. "Why is it so ridiculous? Is it because I am a woman? That a woman has no place on the battlefield? Is it because I am believed to be carrying the heir? Without the house of the moon everything I do is for naught! Don't you understand? I refuse to stand back!"

"Lady Kagome. Maru will be needed with Banyuu and the archers," Kyo said gently as he could. "Setsujin will be preparing to blow the main wall, I will be on the front lines, and certainly you can't expect me to leave your protection in the untrained hands of that pit hanyou Genrou!"

She knew Kyo wasn't prejudice about the hanyou, to the contrary he seemed the most acceptant, so it was odd to hear that word tossed so casually from him, other than that was what he was, wasn't it?

"Who will protect you Kagome-sama?" Setsujin asked.

"I will."

He felt the room grow icy and silent when he spoke. Ahh, this had not been what they wanted, one was not supposed to help the time witch, they were supposed to beat her down and have her stay behind. But sometimes it took sightless eyes to see what was needed. The death that he could feel around her was stronger than any haunting he had ever been too. She was a walking Ju-On magnet, the restless dead stayed around her, within her; she was going to be needed. She alone could make the Shikon No Tama obey her, and to give solidity to these restless dead. To call them from their world to this place.

"Maybe you don't understand Li…" Kyo started. He felt the eyes in the room on him, Kagome stood no more than a few feet away from him, he had heard her delicate footfalls taking her forward. He heard the rustle of the great eagle demon's wings to his left, about a dozen feet away, and a few feet beyond the bird was the smell of fire and smoke. Setsujin, the head general under Kyo. These were all things that he needed no preternatural ability to put a fix on.

"Maybe sir it is you that do not understand." He said, his growling hiss came as his tongue lapped at the air and drew back. From a few here he tasted fear, they were in the presence of the great dragon and they were afraid. From Kagome was sorrow, worry, and affection toward Li for coming to her rescue here, he felt also in the room anger. The fire demon was angry. "I am a seer, this you believe?"

He knew that Kyo had nodded, for should he be just any blind man passing himself off as a seer, he would not have known the bird had moved.

"Than believe what I have seen. Kagome-sama is needed on that field and it my job, as the priest of the War God Sariyu to be sure that she is there." He said, his blue clawed hands came up to his eyes for dramatic effect. "I see that she will be needed to keep the dead in check. Without her the House of the Moon will become a Ju-On all it's own."

A few of them glanced around, again his tongue licked in the air, more fear than before. This was the correct path.

"There are those that have seen the dead come to her aid." Li said, stepping forward his wings flexing, his hands swiping blindly at the air, leaving it up to the others to think they had to dodge those claws, when in truth all they had to do was stand still, for he knew right where he was. "Some say the ghost of the hanyou InuYasha still comes to her, and others say the ghost of the fallen monk Miroku comes to her… do not you see, if these two ghosts come, than what else could come to aid us in our time of need?"

"I must wonder, be it out of place or not… is it wise to unleash a Ju-On or more than one Ju-On onto the House of the Moon?" Setsujin asked. He was watched under Kyo's guarded eye, Li could feel the tension in the air as he spoke. "What if you can't… stop them."

"I can." She answered not looking to Setsujin.

The fine details were worked out, and Kagome was set. It had taken almost four hours to do it, but they had managed to get everything planned out before moving back up to the Beast Gods cave. As she entered the cave she could hear Sesshomaru talking to someone, and it was Sesshomaru, not Maru that was talking. Her heart skipped a beat, the cave was brightly lit by the inferno that sat around the base of Suzaku's statue, but it was empty other than Sesshomaru who sat kneeling in the center of the cave.

"You have a guest." The hauntingly melodic voice drifted through the air. Sesshomaru rose and turned to face Kagome, a clean claw slash across his chest, he must have offended something.

"My god! What happened to you?" She cried out.

"That is right… his god happened to him." That melodic voice returned. She looked around desperately, at first seeing nothing, and then the wings of the firebird moved. Banyuu, who had come up with them knelt before the statue of Suzaku and it folded it's large wings behind it once more.

"There is so much that you do not know." The large cat said from the door where he stood over Kyo. "So much that you all have yet to understand." Kyo stepped aside, as if puppeted when Kouga ran into the cave, as if controlled he moved over to the statue of Genbu of the East. She then watched as Banyuu moved over and was enveloped in the wings of Suzaku, and The great water dragon Sariyu came and curled around them. The four gods were here. They were real and she was meeting with them!

It was like suddenly everything her grandfather had ever told her was true. She knew at this moment that she stood in the cave with eight of the most powerful creatures alive, the four great beast gods and the four priests that they had chosen to represent them.

"Tell them Sariyu." Suzaku said.

"This sharing session was your idea." Sariyu growled back at the firebird.

"But they are your people." Suzaku pleaded.

"And if so one must wonder why it is that you should put your hooked beak into their affairs, seeing as they are not from the south." Sariyu snarled.

"Fine, if you will not tell them than I will!" Suzaku hissed at Sariyu, then turned those red fire orbs to look upon Kagome and Sesshomaru. "We are caged…"

"What?" Sesshomaru asked, he had been sitting on the floor leaning against Kagome who was kneeling behind him, but he pushed himself forward, catching his balance on his hands staring at the god with wide eyes unbefitting Sesshomaru. "How could something as powerful as you be caged."

"Learn this and learn this well Sesshomaru." Suzaku said as he pointed a huge fiery wing at the inu prince. "Power does not mean the inability to be caged. It simply means that no cage that is made can hold us, other than the cages that we build for ourselves."

"Rimiku?" Kagome said now, her eyes wider still than Sesshomaru's. The bird nodded it red head and glanced it's eyes from those that gazed upon it now.

"We were dying Suzaku! No one would hold that against us!" Sariyu snarled "Do not shame yourself!"

"It was my idea I am afraid." Suzaku said, his red eyes turning to Sariyu. "And this might be what they remember us for, being so greedy as to send them a monster to be our savior." Again the bird turned to Kagome. "You see, as Sariyu stated. We were dying out. We were afraid, and then this priest came to us and said that he had a child of the priestly blood for us to take and train so we could remain alive until we could become strong enough. I knew what would happen when we bonded with the child, it would give him the strength of a god, and would cage us to his beck and call."

"We thought we could control him." Genbu said ruefully.

"We were wrong." The tiger chortled.

"So very wrong." The dragon confirmed.

"We never thought we could be so wrong." The phoenix trilled. His beautiful melodic voice carried over the air to Kagome, almost entrancing as he spoke, she felt as if every word were embedded forever as if burned, into her mind. "Now we can not betray him, we can not kill him. We are his slaves."

"But we can kill him." Kagome said softly.

"And that is why we are here." Sesshomaru finished. The fire bird bowed his head slightly showing that they were correct.

"We were afraid to ask for your help. We have no right to after the pain we have brought here. But something has to happen, if you were to free the boy of his mortal body he will become our son, our lesser, not out greater. Do you understand?"

"We don't have enough to do this." Kagome said. "there are not enough men beautiful Suzaku. The rest are all ghosts."

A delighted trill came from the fire bird, a glee held in it that she didn't quite understand or comprehend why was there.

"And tell me, are these the beings that you summon." The bird asked coyly, his singing voice still charming her, compelling her to answer.

"Yes." She said truthfully. "They are dead."

"Understand this Kagome." Suzaku said bowing his head to within centimeters of hers, she ran a hand over his smooth beak and he didn't reject the affection. "If you make your summons a problem, than I shall be forced to take them away from you."

With that the gods vanished and the statues returned to just that. Statues. There was so much magic here, it was so invigorating. She sent the others away and turned to Sesshomaru smiling, the understood what Suzaku was saying, and Sesshomaru's calm grin said he did as well.

"So you think that the gods would like a little worship?" She asked coyly to Sesshomaru.

"What kind?" He asked before seeing the look in her eyes. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "I don't think that would be worshiping them…" He crooned.

"I could call out their names instead." She said gently jesting with him.

"Don't even think about it…" he replied, the humor in his eyes. It was so nice just to see the humor in his eyes, and not on his lips.

"I obviously still have some training to do with you on proper worshipping practices," she said, her tongue running over her teeth.

"Well priestess, This Sesshomaru is always seeking new power," he replied.

Her face lost the smirk, but her eyes said all. She wanted him, all of him. Her finger lifted and curled forward and back, beckoning him to come to her. He stood, and slowly walked over, looking down to her from his full head height above her incredulously.

"Yes Miko?" he said tauntingly. He stood a full two feet away from her, just as he had several times in their past which usually had led to an attack of some kind from one or the other. No emotions played on his features. Nothing but pallid ice.

"In the name of Suzaku, I invoke the Ancient Rite of the Tantra," she said softly. "I invoke the names of those my heart holds for my mate. Saiuri, InuTaisho, InuYasha, Rin, Jakken, Miroku, Kagura, Kanna, and Kohaku," she said softly. "Strengthen me that I may strengthen my mate for the war ahead holds all uncertainty."

Sesshomaru had never heard such incantations, but the statue of Suzaku flared to life once again, laying it's wings upon the floor in answer of her incantation. Kagome pushed herself onto her tiptoes and rested both hands on his chest. She let her lips brush against his as he slowly lowered his face into her reach. Whispering on his lips as his arms came around her delicate waist pulling her against him.

"Take me, never let me go," she said softly as she pushed her lips against his. He felt enormous power pulsing throughout the room. Not like his youki, but it drew his youki out causing it to dance in the air. That crackling and popping noise he had heard the night he took Kagome's innocence was heard again, and he knew it was doing the same to her power.

He cut the obi to her outfit with his claw, smirking against her lips as she raised and eyebrow in protest.

"This Sesshomaru is cutting up my clothing…. Again," she whispered into his lips.

"This Miko is touching this Sesshoumaru again," he smirked again, turning her to the wings upon the floor, lifting her lithe frame easily and laying her upon the brightly colored fire feathers. She gasped feeling the feathers below her, fire that held no heat licked over her body as she looked upon him. This must have been what Rin saw everyday of her life. From her position he seemed a god, larger than life, and perfection moving liquidly to bend down to his mate. He untied her haori, slowly pushing it open.

She gasped feeling the cool air upon her chest. Her arms pulling him against her bare chest. His already barren of clothing from the deep scratches he had endured in his earlier prayers. She didn't care of he was still wounded, it wouldn't hurt him upon these wings. Her lips sought out his, longingly. They had not coupled since that night in Shidi and she would not be denied.

As their skin made contact, he lowered down and ground hard against her. His arousal taunting against her hakama, causing her to intake a deep breath before her kisses started to become more urgent, passionfilled and longing. He purred against her lips, a soft growl that taunted and soothed at the same time. He delighted in the shudder it sent through her body. Her arousal was strong, filling the cave with it's spicy aroma. He let a claw drag down her neck lightly. So sharp were they that she did not feel the small papercut like slice it had made.

His tongue licked over her lips, then slowly down her neck, licking up her sweet blood that pearled from the light wound. It elicited another light growl, one more provocative than the last, this one was more demanding, and she complied. She turned her head to the side, down casting her eyes away from him toward the floor.

Kagome knew what he was doing. He wanted her to submit to his wills, his wants. And right now, she knew he needed that. As Maru, he had to be submissive to her needs, and her position. He did not have to submit now, and she was "going to be put in her place." There would be other battles for dominance in the future. Tonight, she would submit. His pride had been so irreparably damaged by her, it was the least she could do. She exposed her neck to him, turning away and looking upon the floor underneath her. At the same time, she mewled lightly at the intense pleasure his tongue lolling up her neck gave her. Her breath hitched in her throat as his tongue reached the juncture of her neck to her delicate shoulder and she felt his fangs sink in deep. His fingers pushed along the hems of her hakama, and sliced it open. She felt fire in her veins as he bit deeply into her shoulder. Not pain, just intense fire.

Sesshomaru tasted her sweet blood fill his mouth, and she was sweet. Like a bruise on an apple was sweeter than the rest of the fruit. She had no fear, despite his rough passion. She tasted so ripe, so ready. Her fingers untied his hakama, as his own feet kicked off his boots. All the while he held her firmly by nape near the juncture of her shoulder and neck. He released her neck, licking the wounds he had left as he slid down the hakama. The taste of her blood had sent his inner beast into a turmoil. Red flashed right behind the white of his eyes, dangerously warning of what was plaguing him.

Kagome gave him a knowing smirk, and then lowered her eyes again, averting his scrutinizing gaze. His claws ripped through her hakama, sending what little remained of it away from her body somewhere over there. He had not a care right now of after this was done. The beast within smelled her flora, ripeness, and arousal all at once and it was all he could do not to give in right then.

Kagome heard the low rumble from within his chest. A domineering rumble that was telling her what he wanted from her. But that was all she could make out of his gutteral communications. She kept her eyes averted, trying to comply with what he wished, but she just did not have enough experience to do so at this time. She felt his erection against her leg and went to move away, a blush creeping down from her cheeks through her chest.

He smelled innocence creep into that spicy scent of her arousal, and it was more than he could take. He was afterall, a demon. He brought his head up and stared hard at her face. When she dared a look to him, he let out another growl, causing her to avert her eyes again. But that sweet smile filled with lust and passion never left her lips. The heady innocent aroma seemed to spike, and he let himself be taken in by the strong lust to try and take it from her. Centuries of self-control, training, and refusal to give into any urge unleashed.

He held her firmly by the hips, and used his own legs to push hers open. She complied, raising both over his shoulders, her hands gripping onto his arms tightly as he thrust into her hard, filling her completely. A feral growl of satisfaction filled the air along with her screech.

"Let.. me… hear… you…. " he growled out demandingly as he thrust hard into her again. She let out another scream, not of pain, for she felt none. But the passion, the fire, the pressure in her body was immense. He was no small man, by any stretch of the imagination. And had they not been laying here, upon these feathers, she was sure that his almost violent lovemaking would hurt indeed.

He thrust into her tight sheath again, grinding himself in as deep as he could and holding still there. His eyes flashed red again, the yellow taking on that bright aqua, he pulled back and thrust in again, growling loudly. She was too tight, another testament to her innocence. Gods it was ripping him apart. He bit into her calf near his face hard, licking in the blood. She screamed loudly, her fingers clamping onto the fiery feathers below her just before she felt him pull away completely. She moaned loudly at the loss, almost causing tears.

She felt her legs pushed off of his shoulders, and her hips grappled once again. He flipped her up, pushing her onto all fours. He maneuvered in behind her; one hand cupped her hip pulling her buttocks upward while the other placed firmly between her shoulder blades. This forced her shoulders to the floor at the same moment he shoved his long, thick shaft deep in her womb again. He lavished in her cry of pleasure. He pulled back and thrust into her hard again, hoping to get another of her erotic screams. He was not disappointed. She felt him pumping hard into her body. His fingers reached under her waist and between her swollen lips. Finding the bundle of nerves swollen and aching, he curled the sides of two of his fingers around it and twirled it rubbing her fiercely as the sound of skin slapping on skin was interrupted by her screams and head tossing.

'He's trying to get you to run Kagome,' it was Saiuri's voice. He wants fear. And if you don't feed that instinct now, you'll be feeding it later when you don't have a bed of feathers to take away the pain. He wants you to play hard to get. So, be hard to get. Wait until he goes to move and make a break for it, but DO NOT leave the feather bed. He gave you your night of passion and love, now feed his beast and give him his instincts.'

Kagome didn't question. She got silent, biting her lower lip. His thrusts were not getting the screams he wanted anymore. He moved his hand off of her back and she lurched forward. It was a meek attempt, but it was all he needed to illicit one of those extremely possessive growls pulling her back by the hips again. He maneuvered to put himself back inside of her, and she scuttled away from him again. Her innocent spicy scent filling his nostrils like a bottle of champagne that had been uncorked. He snarled and gripped into her sides with his claws.

That Kagome felt, and she screamed as he forced himself back into her tight passage. Once within, he let his claws out of her flesh and held her firmly. Innocence, arousal and now blood filled the air and his inner beasts call for her blood was sated. He pushed her down again, this time using his own body. His thrusts were hurried and hard, her screams were tantalizing his ears as he bit down on his mark on her neck hard, suckling the mark as he thrust straight against the cervix to her womb. Pushing her clean off her knees with every thrust. His grunts and growls vibrated against her spine causing her to let out loud moans and pained cries. Her hips were burning, her body was burning. His bites sent her body into spasms of pleasure. Even though she was not afraid of him, her acts of rebellion against his dominate control had fed his inner beast amicably. She felt the pit of her stomach tighten up, the peak of her pleasure was coming on like a freight train, and nothing was going to stop it. His thrusts became harder, faster, more needy as did his growls of ownership. He released her neck, as both arms looped around her waist, pulling her body to the arch of his manhood. He struck the pleasurable spot inside her body hard with every thrust causing her to hold herself up on her wobbly arms and scream. He was as deep as he could possibly be within her. He was forcing her body to curve to his feral need to deposit his seed as deeply as possible within her. And he was so close.

He felt her body tense tightly around his hard cock, milking him tightly as her head rose high and she screamed again. Kagome shuddered and screamed again. That was all he could take. His cock hardened and stiffened, causing Kagome to feel him deeper than she thought possible within her tight womb and causing her to scream with every one of this thrusts into her orgasm.

He bit down on her neck again and thrust one last time, hard and held tightly as his cock pulsed and pumped his hot seed into her body. He held onto her body tightly as he poured his seed within her womb, his body shuddering and trembling violently with every pulse.

As soon as his first climax passed, he was pumping her hard again. He held her tightly, by the shoulders this time thrusting in hard and fast. This was instinct, through and through. Hardcore rutting before the Beast Gods. He purred against her back, as if apologizing while he continued his onslaught of her tight core. She was dripping and it made it so much easier on his large girth within her. His thrusts were shorter this time, but double paced.

His inner beast howled, as Sesshomaru raised his head doing the same. Claiming her, all of her, as his at that exact moment. Her body shuddered into another earsplitting, mind shattering orgasm that sent him over the edge again. And together, their roars were heard.

When he had pumped enough seed into her body to get the Beast to stop it's onslaught of his emotions, he curled her against him, and tipped them both over so he was spooning against her back. His girth still within her, he held her tightly so she could not scuttle away. He tenderly licked at the bites he had made, small growls of contentment purred from him. And holding her tightly, staying in her tight womb, they slept.

The Gods must have indeed been pleased, for when they awoke, Kagome was unharmed other than the slight silvery appearance on his bites, but they were not scarring. Just marks where he had claimed her blood. He purred contently against her neck. He had passed out, he had felt her again, felt her holding his arms wrapped around her from behind, and then waking up here and now. He checked her over lightly, knowing that he must have caused damage, but only received contented purrs to his scrutiny of her body. She was not hurt, probably sore, but not hurt. A wave of relief lifted off his shoulders. This was why there were not many married hanyou parents living together. Why a demon would leave rather than stay with a human woman, because when the beast demands, the women would be hurt. Lesser youkai had ravaged women to their deaths. But laying upon a bed of Suzaku's feathers, she was fine. She had no wounds. A sniff of her scent still held the fiery feeling of the feathers, and his own, but for the first time he realized… she did not smell human. She didn't smell of decay. She didn't smell of the roses or other scents of her strange shampoo. She didn't smell of youkai, except his scent. She smelled of petrichor, charged petrichor… the clean fragrance after the strongest of thunderstorms. She smelled of the purity of the post typhoon. She smelled of the world cleansed after nature had destroyed it and rebuilt it in the flash of a moment's storm. And in that realization, he knew the world had completely changed.