Sesshomaru never turned back up at the hospital. By the time Kagome was sedated and the sutures were in place, she didn't really care. It'd taken less time than she'd thought, but it had been way more painful too.

"Get some rest." Souta tucked her into her bed, "You'll feel better in the morning."

She bit her lip. Things would likely never be the same between them, but at least she knew he still loved her. "Thanks for everything."

He braced his hand against the door frame, looking in on her with a sad smile on his face, "I'll always be here for you, Kagome." He narrowed his eyes at her, "Now go to sleep. You have to get up at six to take your antibiotic."

"Goodnight... best little brother." She yawned.

"Night." Off went the light. The door closed with a soft click.

Completely exhausted, she blinked up at the ceiling. Itched the top edge of her bandage. The pain med was starting to wear off, leaving a deep ache. It felt like too much effort to call for Souta to grab her another pill, sleep would ease it if she could just get her brain to shut up. The slowly metabolized sedation still had her in a slight daze. Mind a million miles away. On work. On family. On Rikku's barking puppy. On a very frustrating inu taiyoukai.

She sighed. They were no closer to finding the bow. Who knew if he found the egg.

A light tapping on the plywood covered window made her turn over with a groan. "I'm not getting up, Sesshomaru-sama. Come back in the morning, and use the door." It was easy to feel his youki, ruffling her reiki's feathers.

She rolled over and closed her eyes. The familiar scent of citrus laundry detergent filled her up. Cozy warmth. Her comforter made her feel so at home. So safe. It was the same one she had as a schoolgirl running back and forth from the present to the past. As she bunched up the fabric and held it to her face, she let the day fall away.

Bam!

Kagome shot upright. The bedroom door flung open to Souta tying up his robe, "Kagome! What's going on?!"

She threw her blanket off, hobbling on her aching leg as she grabbed up her crutch. "How would I know?" Another crash came louder. "Come on!" She made it to the window at the back of the hall and swallowed hard.

The well house collapsed inward. Green light shot out in every direction. Wood and dust rolled up in a huge cloud of debris.

Like a punch to the gut, a huge part of her past was gone in an instant. Nothing but rubble and light. Her hand slapped over her open mouth. Tears in her eyes.

"I don't understand..." Souta gripped the window sill so tight the blood drained from his knuckles.

Her reiki flared. "Someone is here..." The whisper crawled up her throat, "...and Sesshomaru-sama."

"The nurse?"

She shook her head, moving toward the stairs, "No, this one feels more like whoever was there when the egg was stolen."

Souta grabbed her free hand, "Wait! Let me help!"

It felt like ages to get from the top of the stairs to the front door. Stitches pulled. She clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. Sandals weren't made for the winter, but she dared not try anything else. Shoving her foot in with a sharp inhale, she opened the front door, and felt her heart crumble.

"No..."

Dust settled around a hole in the ground. The well house was toppled and with it the well itself. The crutch fell from her hand. Her knees trembled.

Cackling laughter rang through the garden. Red glowing eyes caught her from across the yard, a youkai stood at the base of what had once been her portal through time, bow in hand.

Wind whipped at her hair and suddenly Sesshomaru was beside her, still wearing his coffee stained shirt.

"Tell me what's going on." She couldn't take her eyes off the rubble.

He had Bakusaiga drawn, amber eyes on the enemy. "She has the egg, and your bow."

"Is it the nurse?" Souta popped his head out the front door.

Claws tensed over the hilt of his sword, "That disgrace is dead." Sesshomaru's words dripped with disgust and malice, "Soon this one will join her kin in the afterlife." He passed Tenseiga to Kagome, "Try not to get yourself killed."

"Wait." She huffed, rolling her eyes as she held onto his sleeve so he wouldn't take off, "Have you learned why this is happening?"

"Hn," His jaw ticked, "There is too much missing to know any certainty."

A deeper green light bloomed outward from where the well had once stood. The demoness was still cackling, a huge smile stretched over razor sharp teeth.

A disturbing grin tilted Sesshomaru's lips, "Time for battle."

Kagome glanced down at Tenseiga, "What am I supposed to do with this, I can barely walk on these meds..."

"It worked with your boot, what about these?" Souta came out of the house with neon orange carrying cases.

Brows rose, a smile slowly forming on her face as she put two and two together, "Yeah, I think those'll work!"

Sesshomaru twisted his blade through the air and cut through the stream of power.

"Hey! Jusssst what do you think you are doing, Sesshomaru?" The dragon youkai mocked, throwing her hands on her hips and scrunching her nose, "It'll be so much more fun when this egg hatches, and it WILL hatch." In her humanoid form she looked like a small woman with a black asymmetrical bob haircut and a short stubby nose. "You may have defeated my sister, but I, Yukisa of the North, am not so weak!" Her bifurcated tongue slithered between thin lips, "There isss no way you can sssstop me, dog demon."

He cast her a bored glance. Talk was pointless, his sword would do his talking. It only ever said one word, die. Pivoting on loose shingles, he calculated her movements. Awaited an opening.

She stroked the wooden limbs of Kagome's bow, whispering almost lovingly to the weapon. Completely insane.

Once the Bone Eater's Well, the remaining pit held the egg of Ah-Un. An unknown power radiated from the egg itself. The more it built, the stronger the green essence grew. Coursing waves bubbled over the top like the foam of a carbonated beverage. It sizzled and popped. It oozed upward. In an instant the glowing foam climbed toward the clouds.

He moved to cut it down once more.

Zing! Suddenly something bright orange shot through the green light. Pink flames licked up into the sky, thoroughly purifying the energy with ease. The orange piece fell into his outstretched palm. Curious, he looked over his shoulder toward the house.

Kagome stood on the porch holding a nerf gun. Her brother stood behind her, loading up more of the toys. She cocked the one in her hand with a grunt and pulled the trigger. A glorious pink flame encapsulated the foam bullet and hit its mark.

"Why you filthy human!" Yukisa gnashed her teeth, charging an arrow aimed at the house. Her eyes flashed a brilliant red. "How dare you think to defeat me with some cheap toy!" She screeched, and took the shot.

The energy rippling through a protective barrier that encased the house all the way around. Pride lit the blue of Kagome's eyes. She fired five more rounds in succession, all blazing as they rushed the dragon.

It wasn't enough to break through her armor, but it was an appreciated distraction. Sesshomaru rushed for the pit.

"Don't you dare!" Yukisa hissed, firing a shot aimed at his feet. He dodged, landing to the left of the debris.

A bullet slammed into her shoulder. She snarled, "You want to fight!" Her voice grew deep as purple youki whipped around her body, carrying her high into the sky, "I'll give you more fight that you can handle!"

Lengths of massive dark purple coils unfurled onto the lawn, crushing carefully placed stone work. Her head hovered higher than the house.

Souta's eyes bulged, the nerf he'd been holding clattered on the floor, "Kuso!" He grabbed his sister's shoulders, "We have to get out of here!"

She pushed him back, "Souta! No! I've never run from a battle, and I don't plan on starting now! You go if you want, I'm fighting!"

He shook his head at her, "This is going to be a mistake Kagome, what if... I can't lose you too!"

"Oh!" The dragon cackled from a beautiful noh mask right above its brows on the center of it's humongous head, "That'ssss right!" She crowed. "You're that bitch's Mate, aren't you, puny human!" Her head bobbed lower while her barbed tail swiped at Sesshomaru on the other side of the grounds.

"What do you know about it!?" He snapped, grabbing up a gun and firing a nerf bullet. The foam piece bounced off her scales, only making her laugh more. What had he expected? His sister had the power, not him.

"Why? What are you going to do about it?! Threaten me with your playthings!" Her laughter grew louder, making the house tremble. "My sister said you two were fun to play with, such stupid humans, especially that Mate of yours! But you are just something else!" Her tongue slithered out, tasting the air. "And your rage is delicious!"

Kagome's hands clenched over Tenseiga's hilt. Her stance was off, but she couldn't correct it. She glanced from the dragon to her brother, intensifying her barrier just in case.

"Don't you talk about my wife!" Souta snarled.

Yukisa licked her scaly lips, "Oh? Why not? Are you too sad that she died?" Her cold eyes blinked at him, full of amusement, "Albeit, a little too soon if I'm honest, we would have preferred her die during those phoney cancer treatments we'd worked so hard on the scheme too!"

The nerf gun cracked to pieces in his hands, "What do you mean phoney treatments?!"

Kagome's attention was divided between Souta and the dragon's tail. It flicked. A flash of silver, and it'd flick again. Sesshomaru was fending off the appendage. Hopefully he'd cut the damn thing off.

She shifted, and her entire leg filled with shooting pain. Gnawing. She shoved it deep down, gritted her teeth, and held Tenseiga steady.

"Do you really believe that your wife, healthy as an ox, had pancreatic cancer? Stupid boy! We had to get her into Meido somehow! How else would we lure Sesshomaru there?! Really, you know, it's that damn dog you should be mad at!"

"Aargh!" Souta lunged so quickly, ripping Tenseiga from his sister's hands, knocking her down.

Kagome tried to grab his leg. Failing. She watched in horror as he rushed through her defensive barrier, right at the massive dragon. Yukisa reached forward with her free claws.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome screamed his name, but it was already too late. Her brother's body fell back to the ground with a sickening crunch. Her hands flew over her open mouth. Her face was wet. Dripping. Every physical pain felt numb, giving way to the excruciating fire in her chest.

Yukisa cackled, "How fun," and turned her attention to Sesshomaru.

There hadn't been a moment to get the egg. The dragon's tail flung in an inconsistent pattern. Great spikes jutted out from the scales, ripping through trees and debris as it poorly aimed for him.

Kagome was screaming, the sound so shrill and heartbreaking. It could only mean one thing, that sound. Seeing an opening, Sesshomaru took it. His sword split Yukisa's tail in two.

Her mighty roar barely hid the sound of anguish.

"You're too late, dog!" Yukisa turned to face the glowing green froth. Now a skyscraper heading for the clouds, it was even taller than she. The bow fell from her claws and into the strange spuming power. "I've already set free the spirit of my Mate! Ryukotsusei!"

A booming roar filled the skies. Thick sickly clouds fluffed outward from the top of the column. Bolts of lightning zapped through the dark sky.

"Yes!" She gasped, her claws spread over her heart as she looked into the growing foam. "Come to me my love!"

If Sesshomaru knew anything for certainty, it was that this would be very inconvenient. He rushed the distracted demoness. Bakusaiga ripped through her tough hide. Drawing upward, by the time he leapt away, the muscles all along her left side were exposed.

She snarled, gnashing her teeth at him. Claws swiping. Bifurcated tail flying every which way. "You filthy beast!" Anger. Perfect.

He dodged her careless attacks with ease, biding his time for that one deadly opening.

Tenseiga pulsed. Over and over, like a beating heart, the sword called to her to take it in her hands. Kagome crawled toward her brother's crumpled body. His legs were at odd angles. She swallowed a sob. Blood seeped down his perfect face. "Please..." She mumbled through ugly snotty tears. Bleary vision, she ripped the scabbard from the ancient sword.

It sung for her. "Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub." The sound filled her ears. Sesshomaru said it would work for her... She trusted in that. With a sharp intake of breath, she rose Tenseiga high over her head. Dark shadows scurried over her little brother's body. With one great slice, they floated away. She stared down at him, crying so hard she couldn't tell if he had started breathing or not.

A gasp, and a cry. "Kagome..."

She thought for sure she'd heard his voice, but the shadows were getting darker. Mind dizzier. The sounds of battle were softer. Soon there was quiet.

Sesshomaru moved like a predator, constantly calculating his and his prey's every move. Blood splashed and splattered as he cut her down bit by bit.

Even as he drove his sword deep into her chest cavity, she gurgled bloody laughs, "My Ryukotsusei will slay you, dog... My death is... of no consequence... I have waited centuries to release him from that damn King of Hell's bow! My task is complete... I die at peace..."

He cut upward, splitting her skull with a spray of boiling hot blood. It rained and spewed as she fell back, spraying hundreds of gallons down the snowy hillside.

There was no time to enjoy the moment of victory. The column of foam began a rolling boil inward. Churning and churning.

The feel of Ryukotsusei's power was branded in his memory, yet he did not feel it here. Curious, he peered over the edge of the pit, and laughed.

Curled up, surrounded by black charred shell pieces and broken bits of what had been a bow, laid a newborn dragon. Perfectly helpless. Two red eyes blinked up at him. A yawn revealed tiny milk teeth and a thin but lengthy tongue. It's scent resembled his Father's old enemy. "Foolish onna." He leapt down into the pit and cradled the whelp to his chest.