*Authors Note: I received so many lovely reviews I couldn't resist giving you another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. Leave a review if you can, believe me they really help keep the inspiration going for this story. :)

Chapter 12

Kitsune seethed to herself. She had him. She finally had him and before she could take the opportunity and kill him while he had been sated, he had instead shoved her away and took off. She had been furious! Now instead of the sated beast she expected, it appeared his guard was up and he watched her with growing suspicion. She didn't understand it. If he had even an inkling that she wasn't Rin he never would have lain with her. Had she somehow given herself away? She had no idea how humans had sex. Were they not as passionate? Were they not as violent?

Her plans were going to have to be adjusted. At the moment Sesshomaru insisted she walk ahead of him and they were about to enter the clearing to Inuyasha's and Kagome's homestead. Kitsune bit her lip as was Rin's habit. The situation was becoming precarious. Inuyasha for a half demon was quite powerful, a testament to his strong yokai blood, despite being diminished by his human side. And from what she was aware, Kagome, his wife, was the reincarnation of the great and powerful priestess Kikyo. Her spiritual powers were nearly legendary and Kitsune knew she had to tread extremely carefully. The last thing she needed was to be discovered by this powerful family. She was tempted to abandon her quest for now but she highly doubted she'd ever have such a great opportunity to be rid of Sesshomaru. However, her whole plan was based on Sesshomaru being comfortable around his pet human and lowering his guard. If anything, it seemed the exact opposite was true. He kept a wary eye on her at all times and did not encourage conversation.

She had no choice. She just needed to bide her time.

Rin limped not too far behind Kitsune. It was difficult to take deep breaths but she had learned her lesson. She could not allow too much distance between herself and Kitsune. Rin looked off into the distance and could see the home Inuyasha and Kagome had built for themselves and their children. She could see Kagome's daughter Chieko playing amongst the field of flowers as she studiously attempted to ignore her younger brother Kichirou as he bounced around, annoying his big sister and pulling her hair before dashing away before darting back in for a repeat of the same.

Rin couldn't help but smile at his mischief. Chieko showed great patience. Kagome stepped from the house, her long black hair flowing in the breeze wearing her traditional priestess garb. Kagome had been in training under Kaede's watchful eye for years after Sesshomaru had left Rin at her village. The two had become great friends. Rin considered Kagome the sister she never had. Rin could see Jacken was attempting to calm Kichirou who only kicked him and scampered away with laughter. Jacken chased after the young scamp infuriated with his disrespect and Kagome simply laughed.

As Rin, Sesshomaru and Kitsune neared the home a sudden boom exploded from the trees and a red figure streaked across the sky towards Sesshomaru.

Rin gasped, but Sesshomaru simply leaped backward and used his claws to deflect the force being thrown at him.

Inuyasha rolled, then crouched before leaping onto Sesshomaru's back with a snarl. Sesshomaru tucked and threw his younger sibling over his shoulder as the two snarled openly at one another, their fangs bared and claws extended.

Kichirou hearing the commotion immediately raced to the battle and jumped into the midst of it, his tiny claws raking across his father's cheek before Sesshomaru caught his young nephew in his arms as the boy struggled and hissed at his father. Inuyasha touched the blood his songs claws had left on his cheek and glared at Kichirou. "What is your problem? You should be defending me against him!" He yelled referring to Sesshomaru.

"You attacked him first! And tried to take him by surprise!" Kichirou yelled, fiercely loyal to his uncle.

Inuyasha grunted and stood. "You're lucky you've made a traitor of my son Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru merely raised an eyebrow. "Because otherwise you would have defeated me." He said drily.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at his brother, though they both had long ago developed a semi-friendly truce they had spent centuries as enemies and some things were hard to break. "If the children didn't adore you as much as they do I would have taken you out a long time ago." Inuyasha said smugly.

Sesshomaru snorted.

Inuyasha's famous volatile temper snapped and he faced his older brother while shaking his fist in his face. "What the hell does that mean? You wanna throw down? You wanna do this? Let's do this!"

"Inuyasha! Osuwari!" Kagome yelled from the porch.

Inuyasha stiffened before his face slammed down into the earth at Kagome's command. His leg twitched and his beloved son Kichirou took the opportunity to jump on his father's head and bury it deeper into the earth with glee. Sesshomaru bent and picked up his nephew while stepping over his sibling and put on a burst of speed to reach Kagome at the porch.

Sesshomaru handed Kichirou over to his mother and Kagome smiled adoringly at her son before placing a kiss on his forehead to her son's horror. Kagome looked up and smiled in welcome at her brother in law. "Welcome nii-san! It has been much too long." Kagome held Kichirou on her hip and reached up to place a friendly kiss on Sesshomaru's cheek.

Chieko ran up to her uncle and tugged on his pants to gain his attention. Sesshomaru immediately picked up his niece so she could wrap her arms lovingly around her uncle and kiss him on the cheek as well.

Inuyasha quickly appeared by Sesshomaru's side and snatched his daughter from his brother's arms as he openly glared at him. Chieko giggled and hugged her father's neck tightly. "I love you best daddy!" She said, fully aware of her father's jealousy of his families open affection to Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha nodded at his daughter gravely. "You'd better love me best."

Chieko giggled again and nestled herself in her father's arms.

Kichirou squirmed in Kagome's arms and reached for his uncle. Kagome looked behind Sesshomaru and saw Rin walking towards the house warily. "Rin!" She called happily and handed her son to Sesshomaru as she sprinted off towards her friend.

Kagome hugged her dear friend close to her, extremely happy to finally see her again after so long but frowned when she didn't hug her back. Kagome placed her hands on Kitsune's shoulders and looked at her curiously. "Rin? Is everything alright?" She whispered, aware of her family's incredible hearing.

Kitsune gritted her teeth and bared them in what she hoped would pass as a smile. "I'm fine Kagome. It's been a long trip." She said, wishing to hell and back the priestess would release her. Kagome had great spiritual power and just being in her presence was painful to Kitsune. Here mere touch burned her, but she had to bite back the pain lest she be discovered.

Kagome frowned and squeezed her friend's shoulders before she turned and wrapped one arm around her, guiding her towards the porch. "Come inside then, you need to rest."

Kitsune could stand the burn no longer and shrugged out of Kagome's grip with a grimace. "It's been a rough trek Kagome." She replied lamely to Kagome's confusion.

Kagome was about to reply when she felt pain radiate from beside her. She looked to her left and saw nothing. Kagome waved her hand in a complicated pattern and pushed her hand palm outward toward the empty space beside them.

Kitsune felt panic bite the back of her throat. Had Kagome sensed Rin beside them? "What are you doing?"

Kagome focused her energy once more before releasing her breath. "I'm not sure. I felt something in pain beside us. It could've been a spirit or something. I couldn't stand its pain."

Sesshomaru instantly appeared beside them to Kitsune's rising panic. "You felt a spirit beside you?" He demanded.

Kagome was a bit surprised by Sesshomaru's sudden interest but answered nonetheless. "I don't' know, I felt something. It wasn't evil or demonic…but something in a lot of pain. I can't connect to whatever it is but I couldn't stand its pain any longer. It was so deep." Kagome said with sadness in her eyes.

Rin beside them breathed a sigh of relief. Kagome was truly powerful. Her broken leg was mended and her ribs were repaired. Kagome had somehow sensed her presence and managed to send healing energy towards her.

Sesshomaru looked directly to where Rin was standing and he narrowed his eyes in concentration. "But you do sense something." He said to Kagome.

"Yes." Kagome said. "I'm surprised you haven't sensed it yourself."

"I have heard whispers carried on the wind. A touch as light as butterfly wings…but it's gone as quickly as it appears." He replied absently.

Before Kagome could answer another stepped onto the porch from within.

"Rin!" Kohaku said with a huge smile as he stepped confidently forward and gave Kitsune a tight embrace.

Kitsune's eyes bugged out in horror. Kohaku! What the hell was this demon slayer doing here? He had grown quite a reputation as the most fierce of slayers, his name often whispered in both fear and reverence in the demon world. Kitsune had no idea Rin had befriended Kohaku as well.

Kohaku leaned away and smiled kindly into Kitsune's eyes. Kitsune bit her lip in worry. Oh God, was the demon slayer in love with the girl as well?

Sesshomaru looked onto the embrace they shared dispassionately. He turned to the empty space beside him and Kagome and reached out with his hand. He felt a very subtle shift in the air around his fingertips but the sensation had disappeared too quickly for him to identify.

Rin had felt Sesshomaru's fingers caress her cheek for a heartbeat before they had slid right through her. She looked towards her dear friend Kohaku and marveled at how much the boy had grown since she had last seen him. His long black hair was clipped to the back of his neck instead of the usual pony tail she had been accustomed to. His armor shone dully in the bright sun, demonstrating his many battles he must have fought and won. His weapon of choice, the Kusarigama rested on his back, the long chain wrapped on his hip and linked to his wrist for easy withdrawal. A sword rested on his hip as well. Kohaku came from a powerful line of demon slayers, renowned for their skill and abilities. His village had been wiped out, when he was a young child, and the only survivors had been himself, and his older sister Sango thought neither had been aware of the others survival until much later. He had had a very rough young life, had been manipulated and used by the evil demon Naraku and had been tasked to kill Rin as a child. Luckily, he had been thwarted in his attempts, and later after regaining his memories he had become extremely protective of Rin and they had become great friends. Determined to make up for his numerous sins, Kohaku had dedicated himself to becoming a very skilled and sought after demon slayer. He had often sent Rin letters to check up on her, but she had never been able to reply, not knowing exactly where he was. Still, she had always been grateful for his attention.

Now staring at the boy who had grown into a devastatingly handsome man, Rin couldn't help but wish she had had the foresight to fall in love with him instead of a demon. Love should not be this painful. She looked at Kagome and Inuyasha and the love they shared for one another shone brighter than any star in the sky. Rin had always prayed for something like that with Sesshomaru. Kagome had been able to heal Inuyasha's wounded heart and spirit and together they had found that great love that most could only dream of. She had been such a fool to believe Sesshomaru could ever look upon her with even a hint of the same amount of affection.

Kohaku frowned at Kitsune and stepped warily away from her. "What is it?" Kitsune said in Rin's voice.

Kohaku shook his head slightly and looked at Kitsune intently. Kitsune stiffened, preparing herself to take flight if need be. She would never survive a battle with this powerful family and Kohaku as well. "Something is…different about you. Are you feeling well Rin?"

Sesshomaru looked at Kohaku and narrowed his eyes at Rin once more. Even the demon slayer, a mere human had sensed something amiss with Rin. "Of course I'm feeling alright. What would make you think differently?" Kitsune replied brightly.

Kohaku took another step back and caught up the chain to Kusarigama in his hand. Inuyasha reacted to Kohaku's tension and crouched slightly. Sesshomaru grabbed Kagome and pulled her behind him.

Kitsune took a step back from them. "What's wrong with all of you?" She asked, desperate to salvage the situation.

Chieko placed both her palms facing each other before her, and a bright light flashed into a twinkling ball floating between her palms. She issued a silent prayer and raised her hands skyward so the ball flew above them before it burst into a million tiny sparkles that rained down upon them all. Inuyasha glanced at his daughter with great pride. She had inherited her mother's affinity to the spiritual world.

The sparkles that rained upon Sesshomaru and Inuyasha made their demon side's surface. Both their eyes turned red and they snapped their fangs in irritation. The sparkles fell harmlessly upon Kagome and Kohaku but as they hit Kitsune she cried out in pain. Everyone's attention focused on her as she felt the mirage of Rin's image fade away, leaving her exposed to the group.

Sesshomaru snarled openly in anger. "Kitsune!" He hissed right before he attacked her. Kitsune leaped back and turned into a great nine tailed demon fox, bent on survival. Sesshomaru turned into his great dog demon and slammed his head into the fox's chest driving it back away from his family. Kagome ran to her children and immediately erected a lavender colored dome around them. Inuyasha's fear for his family caused his latent yokai blood to push him into a feral rage as he went into his full demon form. His claws lengthened and two jagged purple stripes appeared on his cheeks as was his yokai family trait. His blood red eyes focused on his enemy and he immediately plunged into the battle and clawed Kitsune's sides.

The fox snapped its jaws at Inuyasha and used one of its tails to fling him away from her. She raked her own claws down the great dogs chest but he retaliated by gripping one of the fox's front legs and snapping the bone with his powerful teeth.

The fox screamed in pain and summoned forth fire to erupt from the ground and surround it. It breathed balls of fire and shot them towards the great dog and Inuyasha as he returned. Kohaku threw his chain up into the air and wrapped it around one of the fox's tails. When it stepped backwards Kohaku used its momentum to help thrust him high into the hair until he landed on the fox's back. He raced forward to its head and used his chain to wrap inside the fox's mouth and pulled back on its jaws, forcing it to expose its throat. Inuyasha sliced his claws at the opening and blood spurted from the fox. The dog demon dove forward and clamped his jaws onto the fox's throat and slammed it into the ground. The fox's tails became pointed spears and pierced the dog demon's neck, haunches and side in an attempt to get him to release her. The dog demon only held on more tightly and refused to release her, determined to crush the fox's wind pipe. Inuyasha sliced open the fox's belly and Kohaku used his sickle to stab out one of the fox's eyes.

The fox screamed in pain and stabbed the dog demon repeatedly with its speared tails. The dog demon grunted in pain and its hold on the fox's neck slackened. The fox used its tails to wrap around the dog demon's body and thrust it from her. The fox rose and shook fiercely, attempting to dislodge the demon slayer from its back. Kohaku grabbed his sword and used it to stab deep into the back of the demon fox's neck to hold him steady. When the fox attempted to use its tails to stab at Kohaku, Inuyasha was there and sliced off the tips of her tails as they attacked.

Saliva and blood dripped from the demon dog's sharp fangs as he raced back into the battle and gripped the fur at the fox's shoulder. He shook his head viciously back and forth and Inuyasha leaped forward and pushed the fox's back legs out from beneath her so she fell to the ground. The demon dog clamped its jaws around the fox's neck once more and this time there was a very audible crunch as he crushed the fox's windpipe. Kohaku pierced the fox's other eye, knowing this could very well be just the beginning of the battle. Inuyasha reached into the fox's exposed belly and ripped out its insides, determined it would not threaten his family again. The fox fell limp and ceased its struggle. It was dead.

Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha waited until Kitsune reverted back to her human form before they both did the same. Kohaku used his sickle and slammed it down, separating Kitsune's head from her body. Inuyasha spat at the dead body before he turned back to his family. Kagome dropped the barrier and the children ran forward to make sure their father was okay. Kichirou hugged his father's legs and Chieko cried softly in her father's arms. Kagome wiped the blood from Inuyasha's hands and face before she leaned in and kissed him deeply, thankful he was unhurt.

Kohaku breathed heavily after dismembering Kitsune's body. It was difficult work but he had to make sure the demon would not rise again. A sudden weak whine escaped Sesshomaru before he fell to his knees besides Kohaku. Kohaku looked at Sesshomaru in surprise and Sesshomaru grimaced before he fell backward onto the ground and lost consciousness. Kohaku quickly called to Kagome and examined Sesshomaru. He was bleeding profusely from many deep stab wounds the fox had embedded into his sides and shoulders. He had lost more blood than he could afford.

Kagome rushed forward and Inuyasha grabbed his crying children, stopping them from running forward to their uncle's body on the ground. He rushed them into the house despite their heartbreaking protests and cries.

"C'mon Sesshomaru! You've survived worse than this." Kagome cried as she used her powers to seal his wounds and thrust healing energy into him. She poured all she could into him, but he was a full-fledged yokai and her powers couldn't connect with him as well as they could with a human.

"He can regenerate can't he?" Kohaku asked Kagome.

"He can but he needs to rest. Quickly, help me get him into the house, we can't allow anyone to know how seriously hurt he is otherwise there will be more demon's coming our way, thinking to take advantage of his weakness."

"No demon shall get near him. I'll stay and protect him along with you and Inuyasha." Kohaku vowed solemnly.

Kagome smiled at Kohaku and with his help they both lifted him and were striding into the house when Kohaku glanced up and noticed a body lying in the grass not too far from their location. He very gently placed Sesshomaru on the ground and held Kusarigama in his hand as he cautiously approached the still form. Kitsune's body had disintegrated into the earth after he had finished dismembering it.

Kagome erected her barrier around herself and Sesshomaru as she watched in trepidation as Kohaku approached the still figure.

Kohaku used his foot to flip the still figure over and gasped when he recognized Rin. "Rin!" He exclaimed as he dropped to his knees beside her and checked for a pulse. It was threadbare but there.

"Are you sure it really is Rin?" Kagome asked cautiously.

Kohaku looked down at Rin tenderly as he brushed the hair from her face. "I'd recognize Rin anywhere." He gently lifted her in his arms and walked back to where Kagome lowered the dome again.

Jacken came running from the distance and glared at Kagome in disgust. "Your little shit of a son trapped me in an underground gully! It took me this long to climb my way out." Jacken finally looked at his surroundings and saw his master badly wounded and Kohaku carrying Rin in his arms. "What happened?" He asked in dismay