*If I had to choose a single anime or manga to own, I don't think I would be able to decide! Which is probably the reason why I don't own Diabolik Lovers or InuYasha.

It was the Sunday after Kagome defeated Cordelia and she still wasn't fully recovered from the blast of power she had created. It had taken almost a full day to be able to move on her own and another day for her reiki to begin to react to her will. Her reiki was still a bit weak, so she wouldn't be attempting to destroy any of the relics that night, but she knew that she could at least strengthen the seals.

Shu was walking with her on her left while Reiji was walking to her right as they climbed the shrine steps. Kagome had attempted to tell the dark vampire that he wasn't needed, but the he had been insistent that she tell him about the other relics in her possession. Since she didn't have the energy to argue, she had simply huffed and stopped protesting. Like anything I say would have changed his mind.

When they reached the top of the steps, Kagome's back went rigid. Something was off, she could sense it. Her legs carried her to the shed where the relics were held and she quickly threw the doors open. Inside, there were multiple charred spots were different objects of varying degrees of power once rested. A wave of panic rushed through her as she checked the closest one, a diary that had driven multiple people to kill others. The charred remains hummed with power, but not the kind that she had feared.

"What happened?"

Turning her head, she saw that Reiji and Shu had followed her to the shed but had wisely stayed on the other side of the rope. They looked very confused, and somewhat worried since they knew the kind of things that she kept inside.

"I'm not sure," she said as she moved to the next pile of remains, a hair stick that had belonged to a murdered princess. "All of these things, I had them sanctioned as Level 1, 2, or 3. Their remains are cleansed. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that they were purified." Looking back to the vampires, her eyes showed no room for argument when she told them. "I need to speak with Fou and Haru, right now."

She was just stepping out of the shed when the uncle and nephew rushed out of the house to bow in front of her. "Lady Kagome, I am so relieved that you've come. I left many messages with Master Sakamaki about what occurred. We were curious, but I swear that we did not enter either building."

Kagome turned a glare to Reiji, knowing without-a-doubt that he had been the one to receive the messages about her shrine but he had not told her about them. The look he gave her was obvious enough, it said 'you could not stand under your own power, and I refuse to carry you up those stairs'. Giving her head a shake, she turned back to the priests. "Please, tell me what happened."

Fou lifted his head, looking fearfully at the shed. "I'm unsure how to describe it. On Thursday night, there was this incredible pulse of power and then the shed nearly went up in flames. As I said, we did not enter but we saw flames inside. I was worried that the shed would burn down, but the fire seemed to contain itself quickly."

"You said it happened on Thursday night?" Kagome asked, her mind quickly putting two-and-two together.

"Yes, Lady Kagome. It happened just before dawn." Haru confirmed as he looked warily at the shed.

Looking to the brothers, she shook her head as she tried to hide her surprise from the priests. "I guess I just made my job a bit easier." Then she chuckled. "I'm surprised that I didn't hurt you guys since you were closer than the shrine." Kagome turned back to the priests and smiled at them. "Don't worry, I know what happened. I'm glad that neither one of you were hurt, and you did the right thing by not entering the shed."

Fou and Haru nodded in relief. "It was quite unsettling, Lady Kagome," Fou continued. "I have never felt so much power before. Even though it did not feel malicious, the shear amount was terrifying. And seeing those two spirits fleeing the grounds-"

"Wait," Kagome quickly interrupted, her brow creasing. "What two spirits?"

"When we came out of the house, we saw two spirits running across the grounds." Haru explained, his expression looking unsure and scared. "I thought that they were vandals at first, but then they seemed to meld into one being and flew into the air at great speeds."

Kagome continued to stare at them, what they described didn't sound like any spirit or demon she'd ever seen. As she was trying to figure out what they were describing, something else they had said caused her entire body to go stiff and her mouth to go dry. They had said 'we did not enter either building.'

Propelled by a wave of panic, she turned and sprinted to the well house. The hinges of the door were freshly splintered with the bits of wood littering the ground at her feet. Pushing the door aside, Kagome rushed inside as her eyes searched the ground and edges of the ancient well. There in the dirt, were two sets of footprints. One set belonging to petite, sandaled feet while the other was much larger and bare. But what really got her attention were the long strands of silver-white hair that looked to have been caught in the wood as someone jumped or climbed out of the depths of the well.

Surprisingly, she didn't start to hyperventilate, cry, or even panic. She was too scared to do any of those things. Instead, she turned and left the well house to face the two humans and two vampires that were staring at her with varying degrees of confusion, worry, or annoyance.

Standing in front of them, she took a breath before looking at Fou and Haru. "You are to close the shrine right now. Do not even think about opening it again unless you hear from me, understood?" Their expressions became panicked as they quickly agreed and ran to the house to begin making arrangements.

Then Kagome turned to the brothers. "We need to leave right now. He knows this area as well as I do, and I don't want to give him a tactical advantage. The area near the mansion will be our best bet, and if I had to guess he's probably already tracking me to that area."

A hand shot out to restrain her arm as she tried to walk past them, she knew without looking that it was Reiji. "Explain," he demanded.

Letting out a shaky sigh, she turned to look at them. "I might have left out a thing or two when I told you about my past."

"Are you referring to the two companions that attempted to kill you and failed?" Reiji said smugly.

Kagome just barely hid her surprise at the dark vampire knowing the truth about her past. Probably should have guessed that he would find out, he's the one that does all the reading after all, so he probably has a book on me somewhere."That's them," she confirmed. "They failed before and I kept them away by sealing the well with enough talismans that no demon would ever be able to touch it, let alone use it to come to our time. That blast of my reiki must have overloaded them to the point where they got damaged and let them pass through."

"And you are sure that they would come for you?" Reiji asked her, wanting to know the motivation for her possible enemy.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she nodded. "Kikyo is nothing but a reanimated corpse and they think that she will become a living being again if she takes the rest of my soul. InuYasha loves her, he betrayed me multiple times before for her benefit and there's no reason why he wouldn't do it now."

The vampire sneered at her as his grip tightened on her arm. "You truly are a troublesome girl. Perhaps it would be better for us to simply leave you to your own devices rather than bring trouble to our doorstep."

Those words cut deeper than most any insult she had received from the brothers so far. And here I thought that the only way I would ever be rid of them is if I died. I guess all demons are alikeafter all, they'll only look after you so long as you are some use to them. Shaking those thoughts from her head, Kagome glared at Reiji. "If that's what you want to do, fine. I'll kill them on my own before I come to kill all of you. Remember, our agreement protects the six of you from me as well. You cut me off and there is no reason for me to let any of you live."

Reiji's lip turned up in a sneer as Kagome's reiki began to rise. They were moments away from attacking each other when she was suddenly wrenched away from his grip and a strike to his stomach propelled halfway across the shrine grounds. She was surprised to find that Shu had an arm possessively wrapped around her shoulders and her body was flush against his chest.

"You may do as you please, but I will be escorting my bride back to the mansion. The others will decide for themselves if they wish to participate in protecting our bride." Shu told his brother as he looked down his nose at the younger vampire. Kagome was surprised, not only by Shu's declaration or that he struck his brother, but just the fact that he was actually putting forth the effort to do something. So when the blonde vampire lifted her into his arms, she looped hers around his neck to hold on as he started running back to the mansion.

~oOo~

When they arrived back at the mansion, Kagome was quick gather everyone in the main room to explain what had happened at the shrine and that she suspected that InuYasha and Kikyo had come to kill her. She noticed that Reiji was keeping to the side, and sulking. Ayato, Kanato, and Subaru looked pissed; while Shu and Laito listened with surprising patience. "I don't expect any of you to participate in this fight. This is my problem and I'll understand if you-"

"Shut up!" Ayato snapped, suddenly appearing in front of her with his hand gripping her neck and a smirk on his lips. "No one is allowed to kill you but us. And it's about time that you step back so Yours Truly can show you who's the best."

Kagome was about to smile at him when she was suddenly pulled away from Ayato and her back pressed against a wall, her vision blocked by the other red head. "Didn't I tell you that the only way you would get rid of us is if we killed you?" Laito grinned down at her as his fingers trailed through her hair and down her neck. "It would be such a disappointed if we put all that effort into your Awakening only to have you killed by someone else."

"They need to die," she heard Subaru mutter. Looking past Laito's shoulder, she was surprised to see the pale vampire's eyes glowing red with bloodlust. She suspected that it was due to his anger for the upcoming fight."

"You belong to us, and Teddy and I are possessive of our things." Kanato said in that cute-creepy voice of his. But his expression was so hard and animalistic that it sent a shiver down her spine.

They actually care about me. Kagome couldn't help but smile. They could have let her fight InuYasha and Kikyo on her own, but they were willing to stand with her and protect her. Standing on her toes, she gave Laito a kiss on the cheek before stepping away from him. "Thank you all for offering to protect me," then she sent a snide glare over to Reiji. "After all, it is a proper gentleman who will stand up to protect the woman he wishes to claim as his bride. Those who have the audacity to abandon their woman at the first sign of trouble are unworthy."

Reiji was practically shaking with anger. How dare she make me look weak in front of my brothers! How dare she continue to use propriety against me! I should ripe out her throat and be done with her! But then I would have to deal with my brothers, and she seems to be able to garner their interests, so they would not stand for that.

It was because he was glaring at her so intently that he noticed the moment she began to sway. Then she blinked, as if to clear her eyes before they rolled back into her head. Laito caught her before the others since he was the closest, but Reiji quickly relieved him of his burden as he pulled off his right glove and pressed his palm to her forehead. Her temperature was rising quickly and her heartbeat was fluctuating between speeding up and slowing down. Her Awakening had begun.

~oOo~

Hours passed and the vampires could do nothing but wait as Kagome sweated and tossed around on the couch they had set her on. They all knew that the likelihood of her surviving the Awakening was much higher than any of their previous brides, but none of them cared for the uncertainty of her survival in this situation.

It was just as dawn was approaching that the brothers sensed two beings approaching their home at great speeds. Subaru growled in anger at the scent of a dog and a dead body.

Ayato grinned dangerously as he stood from his seat. He was looking forward to having a decent fight for once. The fact that it would prove to his little birdie that he was the best made it all the better.

Laito seemed to have the same idea since he stood with his brother while wearing an excited smile. "I was hoping for the chance at a good fight. And I get to show Miko-chan that I'm best suited to be her groom."

"Not all of us are needed in this battle," Reiji stated as he continued to watch Kagome toss and turn. "Kanato, Shu, you shall watch over her and assist her if necessary."

"But Teddy and I want to have some fun too," Kanato whined as he gripped the bear to his chest. Shu only nodded to Reiji before shifting closer to his bride.

"You shall ensure that she does not die," Reiji ordered him harshly before looking to the other three. Then the four of them disappeared to the front lawn where they saw two figures approaching them, showing that they were somewhat cautious. He immediately recognized InuYasha as he appeared very similar to the drawing in his book. The woman known as Kikyo was new but familiar at the same time. Her looks were similar to Kagome if one were to only focus on her physical features. However, her expression was similar to a vampire in its egotistical air that reminded him of Cordelia. Without her saying a single word, he was already greatly annoyed with her and looked forward to watching her blood soak into the ground. Reiji became even more annoyed when the half-breed began to speak.

"Hey, where's the wench? I know you have her! Hand her over before I slice you to pieces!" He yelled at them as he drew his sword.

Subaru growled as he clenched his fists at his side. Ayato grinned maliciously as he straightened his stance, readying himself to attack. Reiji continued to look down his nose at the two while Laito laughed.

"Ho~ You actually think you have any claim to her?" Laito said as he adjusted his hat. "Miko-chan belongs to us now. And from she's told us, she has no interest in you."

InuYasha gripped his sword as he glared at them. "Like the wench has any choice in the matter. Her soul belongs to Kikyo, and Kikyo belongs to me, which means that I can take her soul any time I want!"

"Your logic is horrendously flawed." Reiji said in annoyance, the half-breed's voice grating on his nerves. "The woman you have claimed is already dead. Therefore, she is the one in possession of something that belongs to our bride. As her grooms, it is now our responsibility to retrieve the rest of her soul and neutralize any threats that may come her way."

"Damn it! You sound like that bastard, Sesshomaru! I'm gonna kill you first!" Pulling back the sword, InuYasha called out the Windscar as he threw it towards the brothers. He hadn't accounted for their speed as they seemed to disappear and was punched in the jaw by Laito. Before he could even regain his balance, his shoulder was kicked by Ayato and his grip faltered on his sword. Subaru saw this and quickly knocked the sword out of his hand.

The four demons continued their fight, with InuYasha struggling to keep the other three in his sights. Meanwhile, Reiji was having a staring match with the undead miko. She tilted her head at him as he remained motionless. "What is your true purpose in this fight?" Reiji asked her. "Your lover is outnumbered yet you seem to have no interest in assisting him."

"I know of his skills," she said coldly, her eyes straying towards the mansion. "He shall soon kill your friends and you before going to collect the rest of my soul."

"So you have no intentions to assist him? And I can assure you, it will be my brothers who shall kill your lover." Reiji baited her, suspecting that InuYasha would hear them and would likely distract him from his own fight.

"Then I shall kill all of you myself and retrieve my soul. My victory is already assured since I am far more powerful than my reincarnation."

Reiji chuckled at that before grinning at her, his eyes glowing red with bloodlust. "I believe you have that reversed, corpse. It is you that is currently animated by a portion of my bride's soul while the majority remains with her. And being what I am, I can easily sense which miko possess the greater danger to my existence. Kagome's power can make me shudder in fear and lust whenever it slightly spikes. You, however, have been peacocking your powers since you first saw us, and I feel nothing but annoyance and disgust towards you."

Kikyo's expression broke into a sneer as she pulled an arrow from her quiver to notch on her bow. Reiji was faster as he snatched the bow from her hands and snapped it in half. What he hadn't expected was that her power would flow through the arrow as she slashed it at his chest. He hissed as her reiki burned his chest, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the burns he had received from Kagome's herbs. Growling, he glared at the undead miko, knowing that he had to keep her busy while his brothers distracted the half-demon.

All the while, he was keeping his senses open towards Kagome and the progress of her Awakening. Just a few more minutes. Whether she survives or dies, this battle will be decided once it is over.

A/N: So, option A won and the battle between the vampires and InuYasha and Kikyo has begun. I will (hopefully) be posting the next chapter after Valentine's Day but I am working on it right now! I promise, all of you will find out who Kagome will end up with very soon. Until then, Warm-Fuzzies and please review!