Recap:

Malik had just finished explaining the current scenario to his fellow Lords. He wasn't sure what annoyed him more, Uza's triumphant look, or Shiho's disbelieving one. "He would not let her go."

Shiho scowled, "He could kill her."

Malik growled, "I know that. I did not have a choice though, you should have seen him. I was this close to transforming then suddenly he's nuzzling her like some pup given a bone."

Shiho stood up, "I have to go back and stop this."

Uza quickly interrupted him, "No, Malik's theory was right. I went through this once. I was just a few hundred years old when it happened. I had gone on my first hunting trip when we were attacked. I was incredibly injured and no one thought I would live. The only one I would let near me was my sister. She was not allowed to go anywhere without my permission and I had to have her by my side constantly."

Shiho paused, "Your sister? Not your mother?"

Uza grimaced, "I loved my mother but I knew she was cheating on my father. I did not trust her to take care of me like I did Aimi. It will go away when he gets better."

Shiho looked out the window as he assessed what he had just heard, "Will he remember? What happens during this state I mean?"

Uza couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. He briefly sat up just a bit taller in the bed he was confined to, "Oh, he'll remember alright. Though, considering who he is, and who she is, I doubt he will own up to it. Nuzzling his half-brother's alpha female, trusting her with his life like that? I highly doubt he would ever admit to leaning on her for anything."

Malik slowly walked over to the window that Shiho had formerly been looking out of. With a deep sigh, one full of burdens and regrets, he spoke his mind. "She reminds me of her."

Uza immediately stiffened at the mentioning of her.

Malik quickly turned back around, "I know she was your friend Uza, but she hurt me. This Kagome girl reminds me so much of Nori it is hard to look the wench in the face."

Uza did not say a word. There was nothing he could say. Words had already been said between them, things that could never be taken back. There was no point in fighting about it anymore. What was done, was done, there were only the after effects to deal with now.

Shiho, seeing the defenses around Malik's heart going down for the first time in years, made a leap of faith, "Do not forget that at one point you loved her Malik. You once saw something good in her and I suspect that those are the things you see in Lady Kagome. Nori chose her path, but that was one woman. Do not blame Kagome for things another woman did to you."

Malik just continued to stare outside the window.

Kagome could not believe her luck, or lack of it. Never would she have imagined herself in this situation. No, scratch that, she could never have imagined herself in this fricking position, let alone the situation. Okay, maybe with Kouga, cause he was crazy obsessive, and maybe with Inuyasha if he was dying or something…but come on! Sesshomaru? She would have bowed down to Naraku before ever thinking something like this could happen.

Kagome briefly looked up from her position as Sesshomaru continued to eat his meat. It had taken some time but Sesshomaru eventually decided that he could feed himself, though for some reason he still preferred it when Kagome would hand feed him. The only thing she could relate it to was how much she liked it when her mom brought her food when she was sick. Somehow it always made her feel better as a kid when she did not even have to lift the stupid spoon. Of course, now that Sesshomaru was awake he was perfectly capable of carrying out certain functions on his own. At least she did not have to chew the raw meat for him anymore. Still, her current, position, was starting to get to her. He had a nose, couldn't he just settle for being able to smell her, or hell, being able to see her? No, he just had to have physical contact at all times now didn't he? Sighing in annoyance she looked back across the room and placed her chin on her palm. "At least Touga's not here to make fun of me."

Sesshomaru immediately stopped eating but Kagome kept her glare in place. At this point, she did not really care what the hell had caught his attention, as long as no one came through that door to see her like this she would somehow survive. Sesshomaru carefully put the strip of meat back onto the plate that Kagome was holding for him in her other hand. Briefly, Kagome wondered what could have got his attention enough to place the food down but decided it wasn't worth the thought.

And that is when the doors burst open.

Kagome immediately looked over at the doors, still in a state of shock and annoyance.

It was Lord Shiho. It was obvious he was about to say something, it looked like an argument of some sort. Oh please say it was to get her out of here, please, please, please! Unfortunately for her, he froze mid sentence. He continued to stand there, disbelief parading across his features. Then her position hit her once again...oh the sight she must make right now.

She was currently sitting in the demon Lord's lap, sitting cross legged, a bowl of raw meat in her hand her chin on the other. Said demon Lord was currently wrapping his restored arm around her waist, growling slightly as his own crossed legs draped around her smaller form protectively. Kagome heard the growl grow as it became louder by the second. Obviously Sesshomaru did not like people…well, in general, sick or not, but especially ones who were interrupting his feeding time.

Lord Shiho quickly turned around and headed back out the door, silently closing it behind him. Kagome huffed, the whole situation draining her by the second.

Luck was a bitch that flat out hated her.

Lord Shiho calmly walked back into the breakfast room. Lord Uza, who was now able to walk around the castle as long as he had an escort, and Lord Malik were both sitting down in their respective spots. Lord Shiho calmly sat in between his friends and blankly stared at his plate.

Uza, who was more than happy to be out of bed, briefly looked at his long time friend, "You checked on them did you not?"

Shiho nodded his head absentmindedly.

Malik did not even bother looking at the two as he picked up his own meat, "The wench still alive?"

Shiho nodded, "Alive, and annoyed from the looks of it."

Uza just smiled, "A powerful demon like Sesshomaru is currently staging off death, I can only imagine how possessive he's being right now. At least I was still a kid. My sister says that the only other person who has ever shown that level of domineering attitude towards her is her mate."

Shiho's eyes crinkled with his little half smile. The poor girl was in for more than she knew.

Kagome carefully crept into her cupboard of a room while looking for a change of clothing. Sesshomaru had finally gone back to sleep and she had given him enough sleeping drought to keep a human knocked out for hours, if not days. That gave her a good hour right? She could go to the bathroom, change, eat and take a shower. She could then head back and he would never know she had left.

Briefly Kagome smiled to herself.

Quickly she grabbed all of her things and headed through the castle, intent on finishing the list of things to do in her head. Eventually she made it to the kitchens; all she had to do was take a bath and eat. At this point waffles sounded amazing but she knew that their wasn't going to be time for something that intricate. So instead she grabbed a batch of muffins she made a few days ago. She placed two in her pockets and one in her mouth. Unfortunately it was too big and it ended up stick out far enough that she could hardly see where she was going.

It wasn't until she reached the end of the hallway that she even noticed the destroyed tapestry surrounding her. The ugly, dark and depressing drapes that she had hated so much when she first arrived were completely destroyed, ripped to shreds. Taking a bite out of the muffin and placing the remaining three-fourths in her hand, Kagome carefully looked around.

Everything was ruined.

The tapestries, the pictures, the elegant rugs; it was all torn to bits. In fact, the last time she had seen damage like this, when Inuyasha was not around, was when Sesshomaru went berserk on them-Oh my god! Sesshomaru!

She heard a growl and dropped everything in her arms as a speeding mass came charging at her. Said speeding mass had silver hair, red eyes and very sharp claws. He was immediately by her side, on his knees as he nudged just below her breasts with his nose. More crashing noses were heard as three demon guards and Lord Malik came running full speed around the corner. When they saw the sight, they immediately stopped.

"Lady Kagome!" yelled Kurenia as he panted. Tired and out of breath, the familiar demon rested his hands on his thighs but still managed to stand. The other two guards obviously had no fear of losing face in front of her because they immediately fell onto the ground while panting, attempting to catch their breath.

Malik just stared at her, "He woke up."

Kagome eeped as the much talked about demon stood up, wrapping his arms around her in the process. Sesshomaru continued to pay attention to her by burrowing his face in her neck and hair. "Yeah," she sighed, "I got that."

Kurenia, who had been able to regulate his breathing, turned to face her, "He freaked out."

Kagome looked around the destroyed area, "Somehow, I got that too."

One of the men who was still on the floor, turned to look at her, "It was crazy. He kept trying to follow your scent but because it is so similar to Lord Inuyasha's he kept getting confused and tore up any part of the castle that we were able to stop him at."

Kagome sighed, "So much for my bath."

Malik looked over at Sesshomaru, then at the woman his friend was obsessing about. "Maybe not, Sesshomaru needs a bath as well. You should take one in his chambers."

Kagome's heart increased by beats per minute in an instant. If there were heart monitors in this time she could probably match up with a humming bird right now, "Did you just suggest that I take a bath with Sesshomaru, as in, us, together?"

Malik gave an evil glare at that, "What, is there a problem here?"

Sesshomaru growled angrily as he picked up Kagome's frustration. Kagome briefly noticed as the other guards scattered to their feet, full attention on the situation, and backed themselves up against the wall in fright. They knew they could not beat their Master, even in his currently weakened state. Instinctively she placed a hand on the top of his head in order to calm him down, if even just a little. Of course, with what Malik was suggesting she might just let Sesshomaru attack him.

Sesshomaru immediately felt her reassurance flow through him and settled down, if only a bit. This time he did not go back to nuzzling her neck, but standing as he placed his chin on the top of Kagome's head while watching the intruders. His piercing gaze never left their own as he analyzed the situation.

The woman taking care of him was panicking. That meant she was in danger. That was not allowed.

"Yes there is a problem here. I am not the type of woman who just strips naked like that!"

Malik crossed his arms but immediately put them back at his sides, in a less offensive position, when Sesshomaru's gaze turned back towards him angrily.

"Then keep you damn clothes on or something, but you made Uza take one and I am sure you will make us take one as soon as we can, what with how much contact we have had with the sick Lord draped over you. Sesshomaru is not going to let you go anywhere, especially now that he knows that he can wake up and find you gone," reasoned Malik angrily while glaring at the annoying woman before him. She was more difficult than Nori had ever been. He hated that he could not control her, he hated not knowing what she could be thinking. But most of all he hated how damn defiant she was.

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Yes, because the bathtubs are so big here."

Malik smiled, "Who said anything about a bathtub wench?"

Kagome stepped forward angrily, "You should leave before I decide Sesshomaru is healthy enough to kick your stupid ass."

Surprisingly enough, Malik continued to smirk. While it was really pissing her off, because it was, she could not help but wonder what was so amusing. From her standpoint, the whole situation was annoying as hell; it was in no way related to the word 'amusing'.

"Lord Sesshomaru has a bathhouse strictly for him and his immediate family. It is within palace walls, relatively close to his own chambers. It should be more than large enough to accommodate both you and him."

Kagome paled at the thought of actually having to take a bath with fricking Sesshomaru, Lord of the Pricks. Taking care of him was bad enough, but she would be damned before she was soaking wet and scrubbing Sesshomaru down with bubble bath soap. Kagome stuck out her tongue, "Or you could bite me. I am not a whore and I refuse to be seen as one."

One of the guards gulped as he tried to step forwards, "I promise My Lady, that is the last thing anyone in the house sees you as. You are the caretaker, the one protecting us. No harm will ever befall your reputation in most of our eyes. Those who see you differently have no place in this castle."

Kagome's eye's softened at his words. Did the castles occupants really see her in that bright of a light? She was by no means a saint, but to hear praise from a demon, any demon, was a rarity. "I-" she paused while looking back up at Sesshomaru. He was still gazing intently at the men surrounding them, not once losing eye contact. She sighed dramatically, "Fine, where is this stupid bathhouse?"

Malik pointed down the hall to her right. "Head back over to yours and Sesshomaru's room. Keep walking and four doors down you will come to a shielded garden. If you follow the path there will be a hot spring. It has trees and wooden wall's surrounding it so no one will be able to see either of you."

Kagome glared at Malik, "You seem to know a lot about it, perhaps you would feel more comfortable performing this particular post."

Malik smirked, "And deprive you of the pleasure?"

Kagome huffed as she picked up one of the muffins she had previously dropped. After taking a bite she grabbed Sesshomaru's hand and stomped down the hall. Furiously she muttered, rather loudly, something about demons and their ability to annoy the crap out of her.

After a whole round of muttering she reached the fourth door down from Sesshomaru's now torn up one. It was like he went through furniture like a teenager does clothes. One minute it was there and the next minute it wasn't fashionable enough. In fact if it wasn't for the hatred of all things human, and the ability to decimate said human beings with a mere flick of his wrist, he would fit in perfectly in her time.

Okay, that was a total lie and even she knew it.

She opened the immediate door and was presented with a small room. She could only guess that this was the changing room or something to that extent, and that the door in front of her led to the washroom. Kagome shoved open the door, about to march in, but stopped mid step. Before her eyes rested the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. There were magnificent trees, flowers and bushes were planted everywhere. The stone pathway she stood on created a perfect spiral for her to follow deeper into the woods, but it still provided a sufficient amount of safety due to the wooden walls. Of course, they were so far out that you could hardly tell that they were there. Briefly Kagome thought of home and how any spa in her day and age would pay millions for an on location sight like this. Carefully, so as not to ruin the moment, Kagome pulled Sesshomaru deeper into the springs while following the stone pathway.

While walking Kagome looked up towards the sky, only to see the begging of a sunset right before her very eyes. It was the most magnificent thing she had ever witnessed. The sun's rays reflecting off the water, the steam making the picture look almost mystical. Sesshomaru got this type of view every day? Never before had Kagome ever thought the man behind her lucky, but at that moment she did. He was unimaginably blessed to be able to see something like this whenever he chose.

"My Lady?"

Kagome turned to look at the newcomer almost immediately, only to be face to face with two demons. A man and a woman in gardening clothes looked at her with wide eyes, their claws covered in mud, clipped dead flowers at their feet.

"Please excuse us my Lady, we were just tending to the springs. It has been cared for by our family since our great Lord Sesshomaru's grandfathers time and is one of the pride and joys of the castle. Our only orders were to keep it as beautiful as possible so we figured now was as good a time as any. Please, we would not have come if we would have known you would be here," spoke the woman.

Kagome blushed as it dawned on her. She was in the western hot springs, one of the most beautiful places she had ever imagined, holding hands with Sesshomaru, at sunset. Oh god this must look awful. "No, it is my fault. I just learned about this place and knew Sesshomaru needed a proper bath. I never told you I would be here."

The man bowed, "We will run in some fresh towels and leave you to take care of our Lord. Thank you my Lady."

Before they could leave Kagome yelled out, "Wait!" unconsciously she bit her bottom lip in worry, "Umm, where I come from it is incredibly, well, slutty, to take a bath with someone you are not with romantically. I feel…" Kagome could not figure out how to say what she wanted to say, "What I mean is, are people here going to think badly of me because of this?"

The woman smiled as she stepped towards Kagome. Carefully she stretched out her hand to comfort the obviously frightened girl but stopped mid reach when Sesshomaru growled and pulled Kagome backwards into his chest. Realizing the situation the older demoness bowed, "Our opinion will not lessen. In our culture bathing is a sacred ritual among pack members, not a sexual one, though it can become one if mates so chooses but I doubt that is the case. If anything you will be held in a higher regard than you were previously."

Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru then back at the man and woman, "…My clothes are not coming off."

The woman laughed and Kagome could see the younger man smirk from behind his co-worker. Still he did not say anything back to her. Together they smiled quietly, bowing out, and away from the scene.

Kagome, realizing they were alone turned towards Sesshomaru awkwardly. With a now full-blown blush on her cheeks Kagome desperately tried not to think about the situation she was willingly putting herself in. In fact, Kagome was currently trying to block out all the things she was sure everyone she knew back home would think. Her Mother would be absolutely horrified, and her poor old grandfather would probably never talk to her again. Not for getting squeaky clean with a man, but with a demon. Her stupid brother would laugh and her friends, oh god her friends would be the worst. They would have a million questions…questions that she should under no circumstances be thinking about right now.

Kagome sighed, closed her eyes and counted to ten in her head. Eventually, after getting her heart rate to a somewhat normal level she turned to Sesshomaru, "Alright, are you ready to get-oh my god!"

Kagome spun back around and covered her eyes, desperately trying to get the picture of Sesshomaru stripping out of her head. She had of course seen him with little to nothing on, what with her giving him his daily sponge bath for the last few days. Watching him take off his own clothes was a very different scenario though. There was just something so wrong about it. God it was Inuyasha's older brother! She was having bath time with fricking Inuyasha's older brother.

Said dog boy could never know about this.

Suddenly Kagome felt a heavy weight draped across her shoulders. Discreetly she peered between her fingers and turned her head in the slightest. Sesshomaru stood there his pants in one hand and his shirt on the ground. He carefully leaned closer into her and nuzzled her neck, his own hair curtaining her view of the tamed forest surrounding her.

"I-" Before she could do anything else Kagome reached forward and grabbed what appeared to be a towel. Did those demons come and go already? How did she not see them? Did it happen while she was remembering how to breath? Cause that would be mortifyingly horrible.

Deciding not to dwell on it longer, she honestly had bigger things to be panicking over, Kagome quickly spun on the balls of her feet and wrapped the cloth around Sesshomaru's waist. Her hands met behind his back as she hugged his middle, her outer cheek carefully pressing up against his perfectly muscled chest. The young woman modestly looked up at Sesshomaru, her arms still wrapped around him of course, and tried not to stutter as she spoke. "Alright, I can do this…just promise me you are never going to remember any of this when you get better…cause I think I would die."

Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side.

Almost hesitantly Sesshomaru reached out with his clawed hand and brushed it up against her shoulder. Kagome followed him with wide eyes as he tried to pull her sleeve. Kagome instinctually pulled back a few feet in shock, only to realize that he was no longer covered, and once again jumped forwards and wrapped herself, and the towel, around him.

She said it earlier and she would say it again. Luck was a bitch that frickin hated her.

Malik walked into the war room, hair wet and body newly cleaned. Shiho was the first to stand and greet him. "I take it you found him?"

Uza looked up from the scroll he was reading and shook his head. "Why must you brutes damage everything you touch? I could hear your growls all the way over here. Isn't he supposed to be at a fraction of his power right now?"

Malik glared, "I still say the woman should have let you die when she realized you were sick."

Shiho rolled his eyes rather blatantly at their immature banter. It seemed their temporary bout of civility had ended. "Please Malik, what happened? Where is Lady Kagome?"

Malik smirked, "Oh, her? She's currently giving Lord Sesshomaru his bath."

Lord Uza immediately dropped his scroll on the ground in shock, "You did not!"

Lord Shiho took a few steps forwards, "Malik you have to know from your dealings with Nori that human's see bathing very differently than us demons. To bathe with another, especially washing someone of the opposite gender, is considered taboo to them."

Malik continued his smirk as he sat down in the middle of a few cushions, "I know, but it will calm down Sesshomaru. It may be awkward for her, but for him it is a sign of trust and loyalty. She will just have to get over it."

Uza frowned in anger, "You are worse then I remember."

Kagome swore Sesshomaru had it out for her. Even in this 'survival mode' as she was now dubbing it, the stupid demon knew exactly how to rile her up. What was it? A god given trait to anyone with dog demon blood? Carefully she looked up at Sesshomaru who was quickly closing in on her. Of course, she was not getting very far away considering her desperate need to hold up the towel. He did not seem to care at all that he was naked in front of her which made her job all the more frustrating.

Warily, and more then aware of her situation, she took a few steps backwards. Sesshomaru was quick to follow as he pushed her closer to the edge of the hot spring. It seemed he was intent on relieving her of her own clothes and was not giving up. "I swear I will never leave your side again."

Apparently that wasn't a good enough bargain because he wrapped his arm around her waist and tried to pull the fabric upward.

Kagome took another mortifying step backwards only to realize that she was now out of space. "Umm, three fights a day with Inuyasha."

She could feel her fabric ripping as he yanked harder. Terror soared throughout her veins as she took another step backwards. This time though, she found nothing but air. In an instant Kagome felt herself falling. Her back foot left her unbalanced enough that the rest of her body wasn't sure which way was up and which way was down. Before she knew it Kagome was surrounded by warm water and silver with a deafening sound of a large splash. After getting her bearings straight she surfaced, flipping her hair behind her with a stream of water it its wake.

After a few seconds to clear her vision she noticed the silver strands floating in the water that surrounded her own body. She immediately felt, what she could only guess was Sesshomaru, wrap his arms around her body and pull her closer than she deemed necessary. He quickly turned her around so they were facing each other properly. Before Kagome could comprehend what the hell he wanted now, I mean, she was in the damn pool with him already, he handed her what appeared to be a washcloth.

Almost tenderly he pulled her over to a side of the pool and sat her down on what she could only guess was a ledge. Once she was situated to his liking he began to rub the cloth, which she could only assume had some sort of cleaning oil on it to act as soap, up and down her arms. At first she tried to pull away but Sesshomaru held her arm there, in his lap, with a fierceness she had no hope of overcoming. Though, the longer she let him do what he wanted, the more she realized that he was giving her a bath. She had never seen him so meticulous about anything before, he checked every crevice, every patch of skin, every part of her that she would permit him to clean he did.

When he was done Sesshomaru rinsed out the cloth in the water and handed it to her expectantly.

It was time to return the favor.

Gulping Kagome took the small cloth from him and stared at it curiously. Maybe something crazy would happen and it would develop hands and wash him itself. Kagome looked back up at Sesshomaru who was still staring at her, and then back at the cloth. Eventually she looked at her own hands and groaned.

Hey look, magic hands.

Kagome slowly moved forwards and grabbed his hand. Painstakingly slowly she cleaned off all the dirt and grime on his body. At first she had wanted to quickly breeze through all the steps but found herself feeling guilty. Sesshomaru had spent so much time on her, even if he was mostly washing the outside of her clothes since yes, she was still wearing them. Kagome could not shortchange him on something he obviously valued, or he would not have helped her. So, she began with his nails, cleaning out every speck of dust and every blood sample she could find. Eventually she made her way up to his elbow and then his shoulder.

Absentmindedly she noticed the muscles in his arms flex randomly. They were firm, not an ounce of loose skin anywhere. Then again, Inuyasha was much the same. It had to be a demon thing because only on rare occasions had she ever met a powerful demon with even a scrap of fat on them. Cautiously she worked her way to his torso, immediately deciding that while she would follow the patterns of his stripes, she would not follow them that far. Especially considering the current lack of the towel she had tried so hard to keep on him.

No, that was floating somewhere down the spring, probably close to the small waterfall about ten feet down from her.

Sesshomaru shifted his weight just a bit and Kagome immediately felt her temperature rise. It had nothing to do with the water. No, it had more to do with looking down at exactly the wrong moment.

The three visiting Lords could not believe their ears. Something must have gone horribly wrong in the bathhouse for something like this to happen. Without delay the three raced down the hallway and towards the chaos. By the time they reached the corner a guard laid bloody and on the floor. This was slightly expected given everything that was being said around the castle. Of course, they were demons, danger was part of their lives. The guards, the maids, the servants, everyone knew the risk of working in such a powerful demon's house. Death was a constant so while the man would be mourned, no one was at fault.

This did not mean they would allow needless deaths if possible. This of course, brought them to their current situation.

Right before them stood Lord Sesshomaru, a small towel wrapped around his waist but he wore nothing else. The more important picture to the scene was the woman in his arms. She was soaking wet, still in her clothes but most importantly wrapped around Lord Sesshomaru's middle. Perhaps that was the wrong way to look at it. It was more like Sesshomaru had placed her arms around his own neck, her back up against his left arm and his other arm caring her by the crook in her bent knees. The biggest shocker was how her body was faced towards him, like a small child sleeping in their parent's arms. Of course, she was not sleeping by any means of the imagination.

"Get me the hell out of here!" she yelled at the Lords.

Uza stepped backwards as Lord Sesshomaru's growls intensified dramatically. Kagome watched as his fangs grew and his grip on her tightened. His claws began to dig into her skin and she couldn't help but whimper. She tried to hold back a small whine when she felt her own blood dripping down her arms.

"He has already attacked seven workers! I don't know what happened, he just snapped!" she tried yelling but Sesshomaru pulled her closer effectively silencing her. Before she could try again he squeezed harder onto her freshly made wounds, once again eliciting her cooperation.

Shiho desperately tried to figure out what was going on. They had already come across the bodies of two workers. One of which who had died, the other who was in critical care. They had no idea what could have set off their dear friend like this, but it was obviously something big.

Malik was the first to step forward but was pushed back by the suffocating air of Sesshomaru's demonic aura. "What exactly happened?"

Kagome's fear spiked when Sesshomaru pulled a claw away from her legs and it began to glow a familiar green. She recognized his poison, hell, she had had nightmares about it for weeks after his first kill attempt on her. Though, she could not let it stop her, people's lives were depending on her figuring this out. "We-We left the bathhouse. There were servants waiting with some fresh clothes and he went absolutely insane. When one of them tried to give me some clean clothes he started swiping!"

Malik flexed his claws angrily. Sesshomaru did not go insane for no reason. The only time anything had even happened was when the woman left, and she was clearly in the young Lord's arms. Nothing made sense. Then something strange crossed his keen sense of smell. The woman's scent, or more importantly, the half demon's scent, was missing. He sniffed the air once again and his eye's widened. "Woman! Is the bathhouse scent very strong today? Could you smell anything aside from the waters while in there? The plants or flowers?"

Kagome, who was trying not to yell at him for asking about her bathwater, I mean, come on, tried to think back to before the current chaos started. At the same time, she could not help but rant inside of her own head. Did he not realize the situation? Some things were more important than the potency of the steam she took a fricking bath in! Like I don't know? Sesshomaru losing his mind! "I don't know!"

"Think woman!" he yelled. "Your scent is different. Before it had always carried the scent of the half-breed. All except for that one day with the cat demon. I cannot smell either on you, in fact, the only thing that reaches my senses is the scent of Lord Sesshomaru."

Shiho sniffed the air as well, as did Uza. Unfortunately neither of them had the keen sense of smell that Malik did. They would take their fellow Lords word for it though. Shiho turned to Kagome, "If what he says is true, then he is entirely in his rights to act like this."

Kagome looked shell shocked at the comment as she tried to turn her head. "What? Right? No one has a right to kill for no reason!"

Sesshomaru growled furiously as two more guards appeared around the opposing corner. Without notice he crouched down to the ground, as low as he could go with Kagome still in his arms. It did not take a genius to figure out he was about to attack. The deep snarl permeated the room as the others froze in fear.

Malik, recognizing the situation, pulled as many guards as possible away from the scene. He grabbed them by the collar of their neck, as if they were disobedient pups in the way, which honestly, at the moment they were. "Let them through, he needs to take her to a safe place!" Malik motioned to the other Lords, who were trying to move everyone out of the way.

Sesshomaru saw his opening and charged through the remaining men, taking down all who stood in his wake. All Kagome saw was a deep blur every which way that she looked. Her head was already spinning with the different twists and turns she could not distinguish. Then, unceremoniously and without the briefest of warnings she was dropped. By the time she opened her eyes Kagome was once again sitting on the oversized bed she had come to know so well after the last few days.

The first thing that did register in her confused little mind was that Sesshomaru was no longer holding her, and that was all she needed. With determination in her step Kagome sprinted over to the door as fast as her human legs could carry her. Kagome felt the door briefly tickle the tips of her fingers before she was harshly pulled backwards. With a huff she skidded to an ungraceful landing on the floor. Then she felt something harshly grab her leg and pull her back to the bed where she was once again thrown.

This time when she looked up Sesshomaru was leaning over her. He sniffed her body as he crawled on all fours, eventually caging her form with his own like an animal. Her heart rate increased dramatically when his nose traveled further up, eventually meeting the juncture behind her ear. Kagome closed her eyes tightly, letting the fear roll off her in waves.

Then Sesshomaru sat down, his hips sitting directly on her own. Before she could gasp at the weight the demon pulled her punctured arm up to his face. With an almost sorrowful expression he looked at the damage he had caused. Sesshomaru spared her a small glance before daringly stroking his tongue on her wound. Kagome, in no way used to or expecting the contact, shivered involuntarily. Inch by inch, just as when he was giving her their previous bath, he cleaned her of her wounds. When he was done he rolled over to the side and wrapped his arms around her middle. Kagome, now in a somewhat more reasonable position sighed dramatically.

What the hell was going on?

Inuyasha charged up the steps to the castle. Jinenji had traveled with him for the past few days to get here in time but he feared they had not been fast enough. They had not slept or ate the entire time, they just picked up and left without a word. All Inuyasha had to say was that Kagome needed him and the oversized demon was already packing. Inuyasha described the symptoms for the infected demons as quickly as he could as soon as he got there. Jinenji had grabbed a wide variety of herbs and premade mixtures, knowing that no garden would be as extensive as his own. The others had stayed behind with the half horse demon's mother since she too was a practiced healer. Luckily only one of them had come down with the sickness as they traveled, and all the children were safe.

Inuyasha turned to watch Jinenji slowly make his way up the stairs. The moment the two had reached the castle Jinenji had slowed to a more even pace. He was a half-demon just as Inuyasha, and he had learned that their kind was not usually welcomed with open arms, no matter the help they brought. Inuyasha understood this, which is why he was not pushing the horse demon to hurry...that much. "I don't know who has been infected since I left."

Jinenji turned to the bags of ingredients he carried on his back. When he spoke, his voice was as gentle as it had ever been. "There was an outbreak about forty years ago that infected some of the islands east of here. It sounds similar, though how it got here I do not know."

Inuyasha could easily come up with a response, "Naraku. He had to of infected the town, knowing how close it was to Sesshomaru's keep. There was no way guards would not be sent to investigate giving him all sorts of ways to infect the castle."

Jinenji nodded since it made sense. He too had heard many stories of the vile character. From what he knew, there was a large possibility of it being from the half demon. The two made their way through the empty corridors and headed straight for Sesshomaru's room. "The bastard's room is this way, he was the last I knew of being infected."

Together they turned the corner, only to be met with a hoard of men. Standing in front of them was none other than Malik, "Half bread, what is this? You are already back?"

Inuyasha growled slightly, but knew that this was no time to get into a fight with the older demon, "This is the healer, let us see Sesshomaru."

Malik looked to a few fellow guards before returning his gaze to Inuyasha, "I am afraid that is impossible at the moment."

This time Inuyasha released his full on growl in rage. A few of the guards cowered in fear, each backing up just slightly but Malik held his ground much to Inuyasha's dismay, "What the fuck does that mean?"

"The miko…something happened-"

Quite rapidly both red eyed half demons were charging at the Northern demon Lord. Inuyasha and Jinenji had both lost control at the mention of Kagome's name. At this sight, all but two of the guards fled the area in terror.

"Stop!" yelled a male voice from behind them. Lord Shiho quickly rushed forwards, "The young girl is fine, and she is with Lord Sesshomaru at this very moment."

Slowly, almost reluctantly, the two demons calmed down. Inuyasha, who still had the slightest bit of red in his eyes, barked ferociously, "Explain!"

Shiho scratched his head, "You should have warned us that Lady Kagome's scent adapts to whoever is the first to touch her after a bath. It threw Sesshomaru for a large loop. As I am sure you know, only a mate carries the scent of another like that, and even then it is during the first few moon cycles. So, in Sesshomaru's unreasonable condition he saw her as a mate, himself as injured and went into defense mode. A lot of good men were killed in that fiasco."

Inuyasha said nothing as he processed the information, "Kagome always carries my scent, it has always been like that. I discovered it the first week I met her. He has known her for just as long, Sesshomaru had too of known that she is not his mate. She just has a strange ability to cloak her scent."

"Normally I am sure Sesshomaru could have recognized this, but in his current predicament there was no reasoning with him," stated Malik.

Inuyasha scoffed and turned towards the double doors, "The bastard is going to have to get over that real quick now that I'm back."

Malik stepped in front of him, "That is not a wise move Halfling. Sesshomaru is allowing no one entrance."

Inuyasha just pushed him aside, "Whatever." He took orders from no one, especially some prissy Lord who thought he was better than everyone around him. Before Shiho could stop him Inuyasha kicked the already damaged doors wide open. The lock that had them shut landed across the room with a loud thunk. The moment Inuyasha stepped through the door he was immediately tackled to the ground. He felt his breath leave him momentarily as a fist connected with his gut. He then felt a blinding pain in his shoulder as something sharp dug into it. By the time he ripped himself away the floor was covered with his own blood and the pain surrounding him was unbearable. He looked up while staggering to his feet trying to hold his shoulder.

Sesshomaru crouched menacingly in front of him. Never before had he ever been truly terrified of his older brother, but this moment topped anything he had ever witnessed. Sesshomaru's claws extended like knives from his fingers, his eyes relayed nothing but pure rage. What horrified him the most was his older brother's teeth. His mouth was covered in blood and the red life giving liquid dripped down Sesshomaru's chin and down his neck, effectively staining the young demon's pristine skin.

Inuyasha stumbled again as his vision became blurry.

"Inuyasha!" screamed a familiar voice.

His vision cleared just enough for him to make out Kagome jumping off what was left of the bed. When she tried to reach for him the blood coated Sesshomaru pulled her back and into his arms. Kagome stilled when the demon Lord growled in warning. Inuyasha watched as his best friend grabbed Sesshomaru's wrist and slowly walked him over to the bed. Eventually she was able to get him to sit down, but not without him pulling her onto his lap.

Inuyasha somehow mustered up enough strength to stand, pure determination to protect his friend helping him to do so. He tried to take a step forward, towards the human he swore to protect, but was stopped by her plea's. "Don't, he won't hurt me Inuyasha. Please, I am going to do what I can but for now you need to trust me to take care of myself."

Inuyasha shook his head as he clutched his stomach with his other claw, "Hell no!"

"Inuyasha…trust me."

Inuyasha growled angrily but his noises were quickly overshadowed by the older dog demon's throaty response. Inuyasha looked back over at Kagome as he tried to decipher what to do. He did not want to leave her with him; he did not want to leave her life in the hands of someone like Sesshomaru. But wasn't that what he had been doing all week? Their eyes locked and he saw the determination and worry in her expression.

Shit, he had to let her do this.

Slowly he backed up until he reached the doorway, "If he-"

She immediately cut him off, "He won't."

Angrily, Inuyasha turned and headed back out the door, while covering his wounds with a claw, slamming the stupid thing in the process.

Kagome sighed as Sesshomaru's grip tightened around her waist. She wanted nothing more than to run to Inuyasha, to make sure he was alright. She had seen the wound on his shoulder, she had watched as Sesshomaru tore apart her friend's arteries with his teeth. It was terrifying to watch, but it was worse not knowing if he was alright.

But she knew her place was here right now, no matter her wish. So, she did her job. Absentmindedly she grabbed a washcloth and dipped it in a fresh bowl of water. Under no circumstances was she looking at Sesshomaru while her best friends blood dripped from his mouth. Slowly, she wiped away as much as possible. Luckily, Sesshomaru was more than happy to have her touching him. It seemed to be his goal in life as of lately. When his face was clear she placed the cloth down in the now red water and pushed it over towards the other side of the room with her foot.

She didn't want the reminder about her friend's injury close to her.

Kagome felt something wet at the base of her ear and shuttered. It had become Sesshomaru's new fetish to lick her whenever he felt like reminding her that he was there, which was always. Slowly he pulled her down to the bed and rolled on top of her. She was used to this by now, his desire to hold her whenever they slept. It had become routine in a sense. So much so that she had stopped freezing up every time he tried, which pleased him greatly.

She was about to close her eyes, knowing she would spend the entire time worrying about her friend, when something new happened. The young woman suddenly felt something sharp but surprisingly gentle slowly make its way up her leg. Kagome's eye's snapped open when the claw moved to her inner thigh and began tracing circles. She immediately tried changing positions and pushing Sesshomaru off when his strong grip pinned her down. His mouth was suddenly on her lips in soft kiss. Slowly he began to intensify the kiss by pressing harder with his body.

Kagome briefly glanced to the side in panic when Sesshomaru began to kiss her jaw line instead of her mouth. Carefully and as discreetly as possible she slipped her arm out of his grasp and reached for the nearest object available to her. Her hand immediately came into contact with the vase she had spotted on the nightstand just a few minutes ago. Kagome knew she would have to do something special so she quickly prayed that the vase was as indestructible as Inuyasha's sword. Hoping that her prayer would work like it had with the tree and the wind Kagome smashed the vase against Sesshomaru's head with as much force as she could muster in her current position.

The vase shattered into a million pieces all around her but she thankfully felt Sesshomaru's weight intensify dramatically on her own body. His kisses had stopped, as had his roaming hand. Kagome looked down to see the unconscious Sesshomaru laying down, his head on her chest and the rest of his body draped over her own. Hesitantly she tried to push him off but soon found that he was much too heavy for her. It seemed Sesshomaru had his earlier wish, she really wasn't going anywhere.

Inuyasha paced the garden furiously while Jinenji made his rounds to the surviving victims of the disease. He turned to the half demon, "It's been three days! Why the hell has she only left that room to bathe? Even then the bastard is still all over her!"

Jinenji turned to Inuyasha as he spoon fed an older demoness, "Is anger your only emotion?"

Inuyasha scowled and ignored Jinenji's question, "It aint right!"

Jinenji sighed, "Inuyasha, I have done what I can. The antidote was slipped under the door, but it is up to Lady Kagome to get him to drink it. She is doing her part to keep him under control while my antidote takes effect in his system."

"Why is it taking so long!" Inuyasha whined.

It wasn't even a question and Jinenji knew it. That did not mean he would not answer it though, it was much too impolite not to. His mother had made sure to raise him with manners. "He was very sick, there is no guarantee the antidote will take. I am sure she is just trying to make sure he is doing everything to make himself better."

Inuyasha growled as he stomped towards the door, "It's stupid that's what it is!"

Jinenji sighed as his fellow half demon barged through the healing tents around them. The older demoness cackled at his discomfort, "It is alright young healer. He is just not used to sharing her."

Jinenji looked back towards the raging half demon he called a friend, "Who would want to?"

Slowly he stood up to his full height. Jinenji stretched his lanky arms and muscular thighs. He was about to head over to the nearest tent when someone called his name. It was a small demon child that had returned yesterday with her party from his home town. He leaned over in order to be eye level with the young girl, "Yes?"

"Lady Kagome wants you!" she panted.

He nodded and gave a quick thank you to the girl as he headed back up to the castle. The half demon was extremely thankful for the large ceilings and doorways as he made his way through the castle. He was well over nine feet tall and was delighted to find he did not have to crouch to the floor like he normally did when inside. By the time he made it to the hallway where Lady Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru resided there was a large crowd hovering around the door. They individually turned around when they saw him approaching, giving him plenty of room to enter. When he made it into the Lord of the West's bedroom he was surprised to see Kagome standing next to said demon Lord and holding his hand in excitement. What surprised him even more was the old toad demon Jaken, and the three visiting Lords where right next to her.

He looked to the bed to see that Sesshomaru was still unconscious but tucked under the covers almost tenderly. He walked over to the side of the bed that was opposite from her, since Lord Uza and the green demon were by her side.

Kagome smiled when she saw her friend, and Jinenji could not help but reflect her greeting back.

"He was sleeping and then started to wake. His eyes were gold! He's getting better! And what's ever nicer to hear? He's waking up!"

He could tell she wanted to jump up and down in excitement but somehow restrained herself. "He has taken my medicine?"

"Everyday in his tea. Is he getting better? Please say he's getting better. I really want a normal bath," she pleaded desperately.

Jinenji looked over at the demon Lord and pressed his pulse point on his wrist. He slowly leaked some of his demonic energy into Sesshomaru's system in order to check for anything malicious. He felt only small traces and then pulled his aura and hand away. "He will be better by morning, you are free to leave his side."

Kagome squealed like a small child and clapped her hands together in joy. Before he knew it she had jumped onto the bed and was running over Sesshomaru's unconscious and covered form. When she reached Jinenji she jumped into his arms as he caught her. "Thank you so much for coming. Thank you so much for being your kind hearted self Jinenji, you really saved the day."

Jinenji couldn't help but hug her back while listening to her words, the words he had always wanted to hear from others. He originally didn't care who said them, just that someone did. Now that he had heard them come from her lips, he knew why he would drop anything in the world for her. She was too pure, to loving to ever say no to. No, he did not blame Inuyasha one bit for not wanting to share the ray of light that was Kagome.

Said woman gently pealed herself from the healers grasp and jumped back onto the bed and out of his arms, "I am taking a proper bath right after I check on Inuyasha. Where is he?"

She looked around the room for some type of answer but no one would look her in the eye, not even her beloved friend. Her eyes immediately narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips, "Where is he?"

Uza laughed, "Well, honestly? He has been pouting the last few days like an insolent pup that had his favorite chew toy taken away."

Kagome just couldn't suppress her laugh as she began to giggle. She was so happy that she didn't even care that she had been called a chew toy. Without another seconds worth of hesitation she jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, intent on finding her favorite silver haired demon with the most adorable ears she had ever seen.

Firevixen73 - This chapter was fun to write. Can anyone else see him being all possessive like that? Just me? I hope you liked it as much as I did! Also, I got a lot of questions about why Touga wasn't there in the last chapter, or this one either, to properly make fun of Kagome. I can say that there was a reason and that it will play in future chapters. That's just some thought for you guys to chew on, I hope you enjoyed my chapter.