There were three. Their steps and youkai signatures were light but it was impossible for them to evade Sesshomaru's senses. The strangers split up to surround them and when he felt a presence settle behind himself and his pack-mate he let a warning rumble through his chest. The frequency of the vocalization was too low to wake the human sleeping safely tucked in his fur, but the growl was powerful enough to vibrate through the earth and reach the three intended targets. His eyes narrowed dangerously as the interlopers continued on heedless of his warning.

His eyes cut to the miko sleeping happily in his fur and he slowly unwound the mokomoko from her. He ignored her confused mumbling as the fur righted itself over each shoulder.

"Stay close." His voice rumbled as he drew Bakusaiga and fought a savage grin that threatened to take over his lips. Oh yes, he had nearly forgotten how danger prone this particular mortal was. The enemy broke into the small clearing and Bakusaiga sang with delight as he batted the foe's blade aside. The youkai was small and surprisingly fast. Had his blood been any lesser he would not have been able to keep up. As it was he met each of the lightning fast strikes and rebuffed them easily he made to move forward and press his attack only for the hair to stand on end as he sensed a large wave of spiritual energy speeding towards them. He summoned his whip to hew the large blast in two as he defended his position. The blue light dispersed around them and threw everything into sharp relief.

Fire sang through his veins and the thrill of battle scorched his very core as he parried another flurry of blows from the tiny demon. The third demon surged forward from behind them and made to snatch the miko. Sesshomaru whirled and his blade sliced between the enemy and the female missing both by only a hair's breadth. The stench of Kitsune reached his nose as the white-haired fox danced away and retreated behind the treeline. A furious snarl was ripped from his throat as he turned his attention back to the black-haired demon that continued to heckle him.

He was ashamed to say he did not sense when it had happened, he only knew that one moment Kagome was safely at his back and the next demonic plants had burst to life around him and she was being spirited away. The daiyoukai snapped his jaws shut, but with the removal of the priestess he was able to move from his defensive position. He flashed forward and struck out with his dokasso. His attack hamstrung the enemy but there was no time to finish the demon. Sesshomaru turned and gave chase to the unlucky bastard that had snatched something belonging to him.


Kagome strained to see into the darkness but what little night vision her human eyes were capable of was ruined by the lowly crackling fire before her. Sesshomaru stood beside her with Bakusaiga at the ready but anything beyond his imposing form was lost to the darkness. She yelped in surprise as sparks exploded around her and she covered her blinded eyes as the ringing of steel on steel echoed throughout the clearing. Bakusaiga crackled with it's immense power and her hair lifted and swirled as Sesshomaru's power buffeted her. Everything within her begged her to flee the daiyoukai, but she locked her trembling knees against the instinct.

The miko tried to make sense of the aura of the strange youkai but it was nearly impossible to feel anything through the behemoth that was Sesshomaru's energy. The daiyoukai's power caressed and flowed within her as if she was inside his very being. She wouldn't dismiss the possibility, not if his energy took up the same space as his true inu form.

More sparks leapt around Kagome and she caught a shadow of their attacker barely discernible against the black of the night. There was a pause where the attacker must have leapt back but the reprieve only lasted a heartbeat. Soon Sesshomaru had to repel another series of attacks immediately followed by a third and fourth barrage. The movements themselves were hidden in the dark, though she doubted she could keep up with the lightning quick movements even in the bright of day. Only the bright flashes and continuous thunder of the clashing swords marked how vicious the assault truly was.

Worry began to build in her chest. For the enemy to still be bearing down upon them must mean that he was a cut above the rest otherwise Sesshomaru would have ended the battle in one fell stroke.

Kagome felt a scream lodge in her throat as the neon green of Sesshomaru's acid whip whirled around her and dispersed a bright blue projectile that had flown from her left. The acrid tang of the daiyoukai's poison hung heavy in the air as she cast about to try and catch a glimpse of the second attacker. It was useless. Her senses were overwhelmed with the power the daiyoukai expended defending her, and her eyes were blinded by the fire and the bright clash of blades.

With her heart in her throat and chest burning with frustration Kagome tried to keep herself small and unnoticeable. She trusted Sesshomaru's power and abilities implicitly. She had seen both in action and even been on the receiving end a time or two however, she could not stand the thought that she would somehow distract the large inu at a crucial point in the battle.

Her vision was suddenly filled with white and she blinked up at the daiyoukai that had slashed the air just above her head. A savage snarl cut through the air and vibrated the ground itself.

As soon as the priestess could think over the staccato of her heart she realized that one of the assailants had likely tried to make a grab for her and felt like a fool for not realizing sooner. These demons were after her, specifically. Of course they're after you baka! Who in their right mind would challenge Lord Sesshomaru without good cause? These new youkai had to be in league with the ones that had kidnapped and brought her here to begin with, why else would they try so hard to go after her? Surely normal youkai would have assumed she was Sesshomaru's prey...

Kagome flinched as several small somethings landed on and around her. Oh god please don't let Sesshomaru have gotten youkai parts on me... She hurriedly brushed the items off and picked one out of her hair. A...A seed? She squinted at it in the darkness before the shell of the seed exploded open and she cried out as a large green plant stuck itself to her hand. Even while long vines wrapped around her she noticed several of the same plants growing impossibly fast and large between Sesshomaru and herself. They pushed the pair apart while the inu was preoccupied with his battle.

They're trying to separate us! Kagome tried to cry a warning to her companion but strong arms scooped her up before her voice could form. Her stomach lurched as the sounds of battle and flash of steel faded into the distance. The plant that had begun to constrict her had fallen away as soon as her abductor had her in his grasp. With the campfire far away her night vision was improved and at the first sight of silver hair cascading around her she almost relaxed, but that was before her gaze locked with the golden eyes that did not belong to Sesshomaru.

"Let me go!" She struggled in the youkai's grasp only to have a fanged smirk answer her. She gulped at the spark she saw in his eye.

"Now, now aren't you glad to see me?" His voice was liquid sin and the hair on the back of her neck stood up as he buried his nose into her neck and inhaled deeply. "It's been so long since I've had a helpless damsel at my mercy."

"H-hentai!" She screamed as she jabbed her elbow into the stranger's chest with all her might. She may as well have attacked a brick wall for all the good it did her. Her kidnapper leapt off the path suddenly and Sesshomaru streaked through the spot they had just vacated. The sun was rising now and in the pre-dawn light she could make out the daiyoukai keeping a parallel pace. He looked as unruffled as ever as he sheathed Bakusaiga and cracked the knuckles on his right hand in a very Inuyasha-esque fashion.

Kagome's eyes caught blood on the claws of his left hand and any questions she had about what had happened to the other opponent were instantly answered. Her captor leapt nimbly to the side. Kagome squeaked as the inu's claws whistled past and sheered some of the strange youkai's long white hair. The inu kept pace, hardly more than an arms length between himself and the interloper at any given time in this merry game of chase. It was when she saw a canyon up ahead that Kagome was struck by an idea.

The priestess caught Sesshomaru's eye behind the pervert and the daiyoukai inclined his head. He knew she was planning something hopefully he would be ready. Kagome waited until Yoko had kicked off from the edge of the canyon before she gathered what little power she could and flared her aura. Though pain ripped through her body at the forced use of her diminished power it had the desired effect. The abductor hissed in a breath and dropped her only for Sesshomaru to swoop underneath and catch her before she could fall to her doom. The inu's youkai cloud formed under his feet and he let Kagome slide from his grip to stand in the springy substance. The priestess gripped his Mokomoko as the world tipped and swayed and she panted as if she had run a marathon.

"It will give this Sesshomaru great pleasure to rend the flesh from your bones, fox." He bared his fangs with anticipation as his dokkaso began to drip from his claws. The priestess felt the rumble of his voice from where she rested against his fur.

"Hey!" Kagome's head snapped up and she looked over to the familiar voice that was stumbling through the brush behind and below them. "What the hell why'd you burn Kurama?"

"Kuwabara?" Kagome squinted down at the figure. "What are you talking about? How did you find me? Is everyone else here too?" Her grip on Mokomoko tightened as she took a breath against the dizziness. She felt Sesshomaru pause in whatever action he had been about to perform as he listened to her conversation. Did the miko know these demons?

"What do you mean is everyone else here they went to rescue you from that demon you're hanging onto!" The young man's voice was rough with annoyance and Kagome's head swam with the implications of his statement.

"You mean it was you guys that attacked us?" Her brow furrowed as she looked up at the stilled daiyoukai as questions chased each other through her mind. "Sesshomaru-sama can we go down and talk to him? He's a friend..." The inu glared at the fox that seemed content to stay on the other side of the canyon before his fierce eyes turned to the miko's pleading gaze. With a slight softening of his features he acquiesced. The cloud dissipated like dust on the wind once solid ground was beneath their feet once again.

"Isn't he part of that group that kidnapped you?" Kuwabara kept a weary eye on the stranger in their midst.

"Sesshomaru-sama is an old friend, from my days in the feudal era." She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder to check the dog demon's reaction to being lumped into her the 'friends' category. She'd been sleeping on him and he rescued her just now, so whatever they may have been in the past they were definitely friends now. The bushes on either side of Kuwabara rustled and Yusuke and Hiei came out of the foliage. The fire apparition stepped gingerly on a bloody leg and Kagome flushed with guilt, that would be the second wound the short demon had taken for her.

"Oh no! Hiei..." Her eyes filled with guilty tears but she swallowed them back as she released her death grip on Sesshomaru to face the trio before her. "I'm sorry..."

"Wanna tell me what the hell is going on here?" Yusuke growled, "I had to flake on a date with Keiko to rescue your ass."

Kagome looked to Sesshomaru who was doing an amazing impression of a statue. If a statue could be fierce and beautiful all at once. He was going to be absolutely no help with explaining.

"I...guess we had a misunderstanding? I couldn't tell it was you guys." She looked down with her cheeks blazing.

"Are you ready to go, then?" The breath of her previous captor ghosted across her ear and she stumbled away to hide on the other side of her statuesque ally.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, you pervert!" She snarled as she pointed an accusing finger at the silver-haired fox. Now that the sun was up she could see that he had a tail to go along with those ears. "Who the heck is that guy?"

"It's Kurama." Yusuke deadpanned.

"No way is that sicko Kurama, Kurama is a damn gentleman not some-" She interrupted herself, she had been about to say 'not some wannabe sex god' but thankfully caught herself "-not some weirdo." Her face flamed as red as a tomato at her almost slip up and the fox's fang caught on his lower lip as he grinned sensually at her.

"Yoko Kurama at your service." The kitsune offered her a bow before his eyes caught Sesshomaru's with challenge. "I'm sure the great Lord Sesshomaru has heard of me."

A deep rumble from the Inu's chest and a baring of a fang was all the reply the fox got.

"Don't be jealous, Poochy, when I wear the woman out I'll have plenty of energy left to play with you." Yoko winked at the daiyoukai who, to his credit, did an amazing job ignoring the insinuation.

He really is a perv! Kagome wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or impressed at his audacity. The heat in her face told her that she had to be at least as red as the Haori she wore. He and Miroku would have been best friends!

"If you wish to lay with the miko so badly This Sesshomaru will ensure your fur decorates her bed." The barest hint of a growl laced the inu's voice and he took a half a step towards the fox.

"Whoa, easy there buddy!" Kuwabara blanched as the full weight of the daiyoukai's gaze landed on him. "We're just here to take Kagome back to the human world. No need for death threats." The carrot top turned to the miko in question, "C'mon we can call Boton to open us a portal back to the human realm."

The priestess looked between the four spirit detectives that had come to rescue her and the only tie she had left to her past and realized she had a decision to make.

A/N

This chapter was super fun to write I only hope I didn't get carried away. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing I'm super glad you're all enjoying it so much.