Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Kagome slide the screen door open and strode inside the room with a confidence she did not completely feel. Before her brain could fully comprehend what her eyes were telling her, Kikyo was out of Inuyasha's lap, and both jumped to their feet a little ways from the other. In slow motion, her mind replayed the scene she'd just interrupted.
Inuyasha had been sitting cross legged upon the tatami mats, with her sister sitting across his lap. Held securely in his arms with an arm around her back for support, Inuyasha's silver mane had partially shielded the two from view, except it had been obvious that they had been sharing a moment. Kissing, in fact. What was more, his hand had been under the folds of Kikyo's haori, cupping her ample breast.
Heat began to suffuse her own face as Kikyo straightened her clothes in what could be considered as a dignified manner, though her sister, likewise, had a pink flush upon her cheeks.
Before Kagome could apologize for interrupting without first knocking, Inuyasha spluttered at them, for she wasn't alone. Sesshomaru was at her back, and she doubted he had missed what their siblings had been up to moments ago.
"What the hell? Do you not know how to knock first?!"
Sesshomaru spoke up while closing them all in the room and stepped around her. "If you require a few private moments with your lover, Inuyasha, you had but to ask one of the servants for private quarters to assuage your baser needs."
Inuyasha turned a deeper shade of red. "Baser—Fuck you!"
"I was not the one caught fornicating in a public room." With a nonchalance no one else pulled off, Sesshomaru stood taller than the rest, easily taking command of the room. Or so it seemed to Kagome.
"Please, can we not fight right now?" she entreated, glancing at everyone in turn. "Don't you think there's been enough of that already?"
"Keh, whatever." Moodily, Inuyasha crossed his arms, and glanced away, face still pink from being caught in a compromising position.
Kagome didn't judge them. How could she? Sure, she was embarrassed and sorry for interrupting their intimacy, but she didn't begrudge them the closeness they craved. Did they love each other, she wondered. A better question would be, would they have judged her had she been the one caught in a heated embrace with Sesshomaru? In her heart, she knew the answer, and it was a double standard that stung.
Swallowing thickly past the lump of sadness that suddenly appeared in her throat, threatening to strangle her where she stood, Kagome purposefully took ahold of Sesshomaru's hand to show solidarity before the antagonized stares that instantly zeroed in on their entwined fingers. At Kikyo's narrowed eyed glare, Kagome's chin lifted proudly.
"What?" she openly challenged. "Surely this," here, she lifted their clasped hands, "is nothing compared to finding my unwed sister in the arms of her half-demon lover, sharing more than just a kiss." Her eyes turned to Inuyasha for a brief second. "I saw his hand on your breast." Her gaze returned to Kikyo's, while Inuyasha coughed his embarrassment at her boldness. "You witnessing me holding my lover's hand couldn't possibly compare, wouldn't you agree, sister?"
Kagome had purposefully choose her phrasing with words such as "unwed" and "half-demon lover", daring either of them to judge her for having a similar intimate relationship. She and Kikyo were both human, more importantly, they were priestess, holy beings with the power of purification, which came with a heavy burden. And though Inuyasha was only half, demon blood still flowed through his veins just as it did more strongly with Sesshomaru, being full demon. And both men were Inugami. To judge her relationship with Sesshomaru, they would have to cast stones upon themselves first.
She even said as much, throwing down the gauntlet. "To cast a stone, you must first pummel yourselves with them."
As if to chastise her, Kikyo took a step forward. "Did you not just speak of peace, little sister? Yet there you stand, ready for battle."
"Preparing for war is not the same as initiating one," she replied. Then she shook her head. "You mistook my intentions. I am throwing out the obvious hypocrisy between us, and letting you know that I will not stand idly by and take your one-sightedness quietly."
Inuyasha glanced from Kagome to Kikyo then tsked. "You two may look almost identical you could be mistaken as twins, but you two sure don't act the same."
Kagome glared at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?"
Shrugging his shoulders as if unaware or uncaring of her ire, Inuyasha stared at her, a bored look in his eyes. "You're such a kid. A brat even."
Of all the insults he could have given her, that made her see red, and not because he wore crimson robes. Sesshomaru's hand tightened around her own, as if cautioning her to keep her temper in check. Grudgingly, she let Inuyasha's unflattering description of her pass without comment.
Without a word, Sesshomaru ignored his guests and drew Kagome across the room, where he sat on a large pillow, legs crossed. His back rimrod straight, he pulled her into his arms to sit on his lap. Unlike the way Inuyasha had held his women across his lap, Sesshomaru had Kagome facing away from him, her delicate back pressed firmly against his chest. With a large hand splayed over her abdomen, he eyed his brother and Kikyo who still stood a few paces away.
They eyed him as if he had sprouted another head, judgement clear for all to see. Either they couldn't hide their feelings—probably so in Inuyasha's case, or they wanted him and Kagome to feel the full weight of their disapproval of their relationship. He for one was getting mightily fed-up with the both of them, with people in general, for many would discourage such a relationship he had with this tiny woman in his arms. He cared not at all, except for all to leave them in peace. If not, he'd kill if need be.
"Sit or remain standing, it matters not to me. We need to talk." Unfortunately, he thought but didn't say.
I heard that. Kagome's giggling whisper echoed in his mind.
He held her just a little tighter. The bond between them was strong now after she had spilled his blood and tasted it upon her tongue.
You know this discussion will do little good.
It took her a few seconds to reply. He could feel her sadness like it was his own when she did, the bond between them giving him a flicker of her emotions.
I know.
She patted his hand, conveying she was alright.
"Keh, I am not sitting in the same room as you as if we were friends or something."
"We are family."
Inuyasha growled at him, baring fangs. "Don't mock me, bastard!"
Kikyo stepped over to the boy and touched his arm. Instantly, he gazed down at her, his expression softening. Sesshomaru could have rolled his eyes at the love and devotion he saw mirrored in the half-breed's gaze. However, he refrained.
Meeting his gaze for prolonged seconds, Kikyo then released Inuyasha and moved forward to sit upon her knees before them, demurely clasping her hands on her lap. Sesshomaru wasn't fooled. He could see the hatred she harbored towards him clearly in the hardness of her eyes. With a muttered curse everyone in the room ignored, Inuyasha stomped over to his lover, and sat down, legs and arms crossed.
"Do you have to be so blatantly indecent?" Inuyasha grumbled, eyeing their seating arrangements meaningfully, before looking away with a sound of disgust.
"Indecent?" Sesshomaru repeated, smoothly. "Shall I fondle Kagome's breast as you were doing to Kikyo's while you look on? Might that surface? It seems innocent hand holding and sitting upon my lap is far too scandalous for a pup such as yourself."
"You would dare treat my sister like a whore before me?" Kikyo hissed, ignoring his blatant insults.
"I am merely taking a note out of Inuyasha's scrolls of what is and is not decent conduct while in a public room." Sesshomaru met her censoring gaze without flinching. "You did not seem to mind the boy's fondling touch."
Inuyasha went up on one knee in a show of aggression, claws curled before him as if ready to strike. "You speak as if we intended to be caught."
Sesshomaru lifted a brow. "How can I not surmise that very thing when you chose such a setting where anyone could stumble upon you?" Inuyasha sputtered, but he continued. "Could you not sense my approach, brother? Or Kagome's?" He looked to Kikyo. "What of you? Could you not sense either of our approach?" Now he grinned. "Hard to believe, don't you think? I can believe my brother but you, Kikyo? Surely you are more skilled than to be caught unawares."
That he questioned her abilities was apparent. Just as obvious was Kikyo's displeasure at his insinuations.
"You have a silver tongue," she coldly stated. Dismissing him, she eyed her sister. "It is Kagome I wish to hear speak."
"Why when Sesshomaru only speaks the truth? Is it too much for you to hear?" For Kagome to defend him against the sister she had hero-worshipped all her young life filled Sesshomaru with dark pleasure. Insidiously, he wanted Kagome to hate her sister, for then Kikyo would never be able to take his precious gem from him.
"Kagome."
The reproach in Kikyo's voice was unmistakable.
"Don't 'Kagome' me," his little spitfire was quick to reply. Shaking her dark head, her hair brushing against his cloths, the attitude left her voice. "Kikyo, Sesshomaru is right. We, all of us, really need to talk and clear the air." With a hopefulness that made his heart clench strangely, Kagome concluded, "Maybe then we'll all come to an understanding that will be beneficial to us all."
Kikyo gave a small sigh, as if preparing for an unpleasant ordeal. He knew the feeling. "Alright, Kagome. You are right. We do need to talk, not just to speak with words but to listen."
Voice hard, Kagome nodded. "Yes, we all should listen to what will be said." It was clear Kagome understood Kikyo's insinuation that Kagome should listen to what she and Inuyasha had to say, while Kagome made sure Kikyo received a similar message to listen to their side, too.
Not likely, he thought.
But we must try, Kagome replied telepathically.
Sesshomaru honestly couldn't care less what their siblings thought. He could live a likely more happy life without their involvement, yet he did not dissuade Kagome from having this discussion here and now. It was for the best. A wicked grin threatened to split his lips, for he knew as Kikyo was now, she would not prevail in winning Kagome over.
He was sure his lover would be upset anew as his past was most likely about to be thrown in his face, but her ire at her sister's obtuse hypocrisy would prevail, he was sure. Why he had feared otherwise before, he didn't know. It was apparent the two sisters were at odds. He just had to sit back and watch Kikyo bury herself so far in the grave she could not hope to crawl out of it.
"Inuyasha," Kagome began, "I am sure you are biting at the bit to tell me what you think of your brother and how he treated you growing up. Note that Sesshomaru already informed me of the past, but I want you to have your say."
"Keh, you have no idea," the boy grumbled.
"Cease your pouting and speak. Or hold your silence."
Inuyasha eyes him hatefully. "No one asked you, bastard."
"And that is enough out of you!" Kagome defended. "For all your insistence that Sesshomaru is the bad guy around here, he has shown more civility that you have, Inuyasha. Name calling and cursing is not helping your case."
"Don't lecture me, kid," he snarled. "You wanna know what this—" Inuyasha paused, as if controlling himself from throwing out another flattering name, "…what he has done? Ok, fine. I'll tell you."
My, he is one for the theatrics, Sesshomaru spoke to Kagome's mind. Perhaps he should have invested time and effort into becoming an actor.
Sesshomaru, behave. Even though she scolded him, he could feel her smile through their connection.
Am I misbehaving, aijin? Shall I remind you how naughty I can be?
Her reply was a sharp elbow to his gut, but it hurt him not at all, a fact he was sure she was quite aware of. He almost chuckled.
Just as Sesshomaru had told her not so long ago himself, Inuyasha spoke of how Sesshomaru had abandoned him and his human mother, how he had grudgingly taken them in, but shown such a lack of care that it was neglect despite the fact all their worldly needs were provided for. Even after his mother had died, Sesshomaru had shown him no compassion. When he'd come of age, Inuyasha had left, and not once had Sesshomaru cared to check up on him or offer any bit of guidance.
"And it's all rooted at the fact that I'm half-demon, a stain upon our father's precious bloodline." The bitterness in Inuyasha's words we thick, laced with a deep sadness and anger. It was a wound that had never healed, but left to fester over time.
"I bet he didn't tell you any of that," Inuyasha gruffly charged, so certain that he was right.
"Actually, he did." Kagome's voice was soft, filled with compassion. It made Sesshomaru slightly uneasy. Had Inuyasha's words swayed her against him?
Inuyasha gave her a disbelieving look. "Really?"
"Yes, really."
Disgust shaped his features. "And yet you still want to be with him?" Incredulous, Inuyasha stabbed a clawed finger at Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru held his breath, wondering the exact same thing.
"I'm not saying how he treated you and your mother was anything other than deplorable behavior," began Kagome gently, "but that is in the past. We can't change what has been, only what is to come."
"Are you joking right now? Because I don't think you've heard a word I just said," charged Inuyasha. "You claim Kikyo is being a hypocrite towards you, but look who's talking!"
Sesshomaru heard Kagome gasped and flinched into his chest. "How am I the hypocrite—"
"You accept a man who does not accept me, yet you expect me to accept him? Or at least play nice with him? Girl, have you ever looked in the mirror? No? Then maybe you should have Sesshomaru buy you one. He sure has hell has enough money to throw around!"
"Careful, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru warned quietly, feeling a deathly calm settle over him as he contemplated strangling the boy. "It will not end well for you to imply my woman is a whore. At least I marked mine."
"Keh, it's not like you marked her as your mate."
"But claimed her I have, and you know what an honor it is to bestow such a mark, so do not pretend otherwise. In fact, if that is the case, would your lover not be your whore considering she does not bare your mark?"
"How dare you—"
Sesshomaru interrupted him. "Oh I dare so much more. Even Kagome here has claimed me as her." Lifting his free hand that was upon his knee, he moved his hair out of the way and slightly turned his head to bare the mark she'd branded him with. Then he let his hair fall back down and faced Inuyasha squarely.
"You seem to like tossing the word hypocrite around, but are you not one, as well? Or Kikyo? You both believe you have more of a right to be together than I and Kagome, yet neither of you has claimed the other as we have. What's the matter?" he taunted. "Afraid of commitment? Is she not enough? Is there another woman on the side no one is aware of?"
"Of course not!" Panicky, Inuyasha glanced at Kikyo. "It's not true! There is no one else. There never was and never will be." The sincerity in his voice rang true.
"I know, Inuyasha." Kikyo cupped her lover's cheek tenderly for a moment. "Your brother is merely trying to cause a strife between us." Kikyo eyed Sesshomaru with a cold stare as she lowered her hand back to her lap.
Another thought came to mind. "No… It is obvious Inuyasha is totally besotted by you… But I wonder. Are you completely committed to him? Is that why neither of you bare the mark of claiming because you are unable to fully accept his demonic half?" At the stricken look she gave him and the way his brother glanced away, Sesshomaru knew he was not far off the mark now.
He smirked. "Oh, I see. You cannot accept the fact that I do not accept your human blood, Inuyasha, yet you would fall for a woman who could not accept your demonic heritage? Who's the hypocrite now?"
"Shut up, bastard!" Inuyasha hollered, jumping to his feet. "Put the girl down and fight me! I've had it with your vile tongue. I'mma ripe it out and feed it to you!"
Sesshomaru gave his brother a pitying look, ignoring the command to release his woman. "The truth is not often pleasant, is it, Inuyasha?"
With a wordless scream, Inuyasha charged.
Waving his arm in a wide arc, Sesshomaru's acid whip sprung from his claws and struck the headstrong youth. Inuyasha was flung back across the room, to land with a thud on his back.
Kikyo ran to the pup and knelt by his side as he lifted up on his arms. With a hand on his chest, under the burn marks his acid had created upon his fire-rat haori, she stayed him with a gentle touch. "Calm yourself, Inuyasha. Sesshomaru is purposefully baiting us. Do not fall for his trickery."
Too late, he thought.
"It is not trickery if it is fact," Sesshomaru countered. "And it is true, isn't it, priestess?" Kikyo glared at him for taunting her station. "You wish he were human, don't you? That is why you keep your relationship secret, least you taint your reputation."
"That is quite enough," Kikyo demanded firmly, assisting Inuyasha to his feet. He noted how she did not deny his assumptions.
"Please," Kagome spoke up. She tried to leave his embrace, but he tightened his arm around her waist, preventing her from standing. She didn't fight his silent demand to remain put. Even seated, neither of their siblings could hold a candle to his power.
"Can't we talk peacefully? Inuyasha, I know Sesshomaru did you wrong in the past, but you can't expect me to leave him because of your outrage and hurt feelings over wrongs committed against you. It's not your choice what I do with my life. Now please, both of you, sit back down. I think it is now only fair for me to speak and tell you what happened after Kikyo left and the bandits attacked."
"You think I'm going to sit here after what he just said to me?" demanded Inuyasha? "You're mental!"
"Inuyasha—"
"No, Kikyo." He shrugged off her hand. "That was not ok, and I am not staying in the same room as that bastard any longer."
"Technically, you are the bastard, Inuyasha. I am our father's legitimate son, while you are not."
"Do you really not know when to shut up?!" Inuyasha fumed. "I'm out of here. Let me know when we are leaving." Inuyasha glared at the girl on his lap. "With or without the girl." With that, Inuyasha went over to the opposite wall and flung open the window, where he jumped on the sill, then outside, vanishing from view.
"This was a bad idea," Kagome muttered.
What had she expected, he wondered? It was obvious to him that their siblings would never sanction their joining, so why she bothered trying to convince them otherwise was a fruitless endeavor to his way of thinking. However, it did a marvelous job separating the sisters so he did not have to worry about Kikyo's interference.
"No," Kikyo countered. "Everything must be out in the open." She walked back over and returned to her seat, sitting like a regal lady. "Despite Inuyasha's absence, I would like to know what transpired during the time I feared that you had died."
A genuinely tortured look crossed Kikyo's face. She'd suffered the loss of her sister, believing Kagome to have been murdered. Though feuding, unable to see eye-to-eye, the sisters did love each other. And that was exactly the bond Sesshomaru was afraid of. It could potentially ruin what he had with Kagome if given a chance.
Sesshomaru sat quietly while Kagome retold how she had met him—downplaying his initial intentions to darken her soul, how the bandits had destroyed their village—without mentioning the trek to intercept them where Sesshoamru had killed a human man for raping and murdering his wife, their meeting of Onigumo and Sesshomaru's abandonment when they hadn't seen eye to eye. Kagome was quick to defend his abandonment by retelling how he had kept watch over her to make sure she was safe, even telling Kikyo how he had saved her life when the villagers had attacked—minus the part where he had incited the mob to violence.
Not even seeming winded by her monologue, Kagome went on to tell her sister how Sesshomaru had wanted to make amends for abandoning her by offering to help her locate Kikyo once more, and using magic to locate her—without mentioning the embarrassing moment where he made her watch Inuyasha and her sister having sex. He heard her stumble around this part of her story, and even though Kikyo eyed her sister, she did not interrupt.
Sesshomaru had a strong urge to speak to her telepathically and tease her, but refrained from temptation.
Kagome told of their venture to the demon world, about seeing the seer Kazuo, but backtracked by mentioning how she became lovers with him, saying how she realized she was more than a priestess, but a human being, a woman with needs, and that there was nothing wrong with wanting a partner to share an intimate part of her life with.
Then there was her capture and the fact Onigumo had not actually died but made a pact with another Inugami, Tatsuo, who had helped her fall into darkness. Next was her fight with Sesshomaru, her overcoming of her inner darkness, and the deaths of both Tatsuo and Onigumo. Again, there was no mention of his intimate interlude with her after the battle.
Afterwards, Kagome described how they'd gone to the bandits' stronghold to find Kikyo, only to find that they had already attacked the castle—where Kagome did not mention witnessing the intimate moment between her sister and Inuyasha, or their own sexual encounter.
"And you know the rest," Kagome concluded. And the rest had not been the best family reunion, what with Kikyo trying to murder him behind her sister's back and all.
"My, that is…one tale."
Kagome leaned forward, her tone beseeching understanding. "So you see how much we've been through? Sesshomaru has saved me many times, and helped me find you. I know we may not be the most suitable for each other, but for us, it works. Despite everything, we do care deeply for on another. Sesshomaru is not some monster bent on destroying me. Please, believe me, Kikyo."
"I know you truly believe that, Kagome," Kikyo voiced, yet there still was mistrust in her gaze, even distaste, when she looked at him.
"But…?" Kagome breathed more than spoke.
A pained look crossed Kikyo's face, before determination settled in, and it was her turn to lean forward. Disregarding his presence entirely, Kikyo once again warned Kagome against her relationship with him.
"Kagome, I know you are keeping things from me about your journeys with Sesshomaru while in search of me, and the fact that you do not feel comfortable telling me raises some alarm, that you know that I would not approve or feel safe allowing you to be in his care."
"Allowing me?" Kagome mimicked, a low breath of outrage that was louder than any scream. "Do you really wanna know one of the things I've kept from you?" she challenged, and Sesshomaru knew that Kagome was about to speak before thinking. "When Sesshomaru cast a locating spell, it showed us the past, so we could watch where you travelled, so we could find you. And low and behold, I see why my sister had abandoned her family, her entire village, to be slaughtered like animals. Because you were too busy having sex with Inuyasha, you couldn't be bothered to help the ones you claim to love!"
As if she had been slapped, Kikyo flinched under Kagome's verbal assault. A flush crept up Kikyo's face and a look of dismay entered her brown eyes.
"It wasn't like that…" Kikyo's low voice of defense only seemed to make Kagome angrier.
"No? Then how was it, Kikyo? Because from where I am sitting, it looks like you had abandoned us and all because you wanted a few orgasms."
Ah, so she had been paying attention to the sensual words and phrasing he'd been striving to teach her, which had also gave him the chance to tease her. Sesshomaru kept his silence, not interrupting the heated exchange.
"You make it sound so dirty when it was actually a very beautiful experience."
"And why should I take your feelings into consideration when you view my relationship as something dirty and unnatural?" Kagome charged. "You can't have it both ways!"
"Kagome, listen, you have to understand why I left," Kikyo beseeched.
"I already figured out why. It's so obvious." Kagome's tone calmed, becoming understanding rather than aggressive. "You were feeling the burden of our station as a priestess. I know a lot has been placed upon your shoulders, and my ineptitude as a priestess only added to that weight. You needed comfort, right? To be with the man you love even for a little while, to make it all better. I know you didn't purposefully stay away and let those men destroy everything we held dear."
Kagome moved out of his lap, and Sesshomaru refrained from holding her to him, knowing that Kagome would not take kindly to his interference at this moment. Miraculously, it seemed as if bridges were mending between the siblings before his very eyes, and he was helpless to stop it. He watched her rump as she crawled towards her sister. It was a nice view and would have driven him to distraction with lust any other time.
Kagome took ahold of Kikyo's hand. He could not see her face, but he saw Kikyo's. The tortured look she gave her sister probably moved Kagome, and encouraged her to make amends with Kikyo.
"I don't blame you. Not at all. I love you."
A tear rolled down Kikyo's face at her sister's words, and Kagome wiped it away with her thumb and cupped Kikyo's cheek. "But I need you to understand that I'm not a helpless little girl anymore."
Kagome returned her hand to her lap, her gentle tone gaining strength of conviction. "Because I've learned to stand on my own and have grown as a person, my reiki has been unlocked. I have control over my purification now like never before. Sesshomaru helped me. He made me realize so much about the world, and more importantly, about myself. He unlocked my potential. So please, try to understand. I love him, too."
Kagome leaned forward until their foreheads touched. "Can't you understand my feelings for him as I have come to understand why you left us to die?"
Kikyo made a strangled sound of dismay at the harsh reality at the end of Kagome's statement. Kagome wrapped Kikyo in her arms, and Kikyo barely hesitated before they were hugging each other tightly.
"I am so sorry, Kagome. For everything. For obaasan and the villagers. For abandoning you and having to rely on an Inugami for aid."
The way Kikyo spoke of him was his first clue that things were about to turn south, and again in his favor.
Kikyo glared at him over Kagome's shoulder. "But I'm here now, and he will never come between us again."
Moving a palm from Kagome's back, Kikyo placed it on the mat beside her sister's thigh, where he couldn't see it. Premonition had him rolling to the side as he narrowly missed the electrical current of purification flung his way across the tatami mats. However, he'd been led into a trap. He could feel magic beneath his form, and he knew there were sutras beneath the mats. His entrance into the circle activated the spell, and instantly he was caged in a prison of purification.
"Up to your old tricks, miko?" he taunted, remembering how she had tried and failed to trap him with a similar circle with her arrows. He called forth his demonic energy, intending to blast his cage, only to get zapped by a power greater than before.
Something was different, he knew, as he grit his teeth, fists clenched upon the floor as he remained on all fours. His skin was on fire, his very blood boiling. He was bound. He felt the binding spell that called to his blood. It was an ancient spell, one he knew of but had never encountered personally. But how had she gotten a hold of his blood to bind him? Unless…
"Inuyasha," he seethed. He turned a hate-filled gaze upon Kikyo, as Kagome looked on with mouth agape at her sister's unwarranted attack. As if summoned, Inuyasha appeared.
Inuyasha jumped back through the window he had previously exited, arms crossed and a cocky grin plastered across his smug face. "What's the matter, Sesshomaru? You seem surprised. Didn't see this coming, did you?" And the bastard dared laugh at his predicament.
"You used your own blood, our very bloodline, to allow a miko of her caliber to bind me? Insolent, pup. This will not hold me for long, and when I break free, you will know pain the likes of which you have never conceive possible."
"Tough talk for a caged dog." Inuyasha chuckled again. "And we won't have to worry about you for long." He glanced over at Kikyo, who had released Kagome and pulled out necklace made of white beads and fangs.
"That's my cue." Inuyasha marched over to Sesshomaru, and helpless to stop the brat, Inuyasha used his claws to draw his pure blood.
Growling fiercely, Sesshomaru fought against his restraints. The binding spell attacked him with a viciousness that stole his breath, but not his anger. He felt his eyes bleeding red. The change was upon him, and may the kami have mercy on his enemies' souls because he would show no quarter.
Kagome looked on in surprise. Until Sesshomaru's dark energy filtered out in a blistering blast, singing her nerve endings with a sting that felt like a thousand bees. Kagome turned towards her sister.
"Kikyo! What the hell are you doing? Stop this! It's madness!"
"Hush, Kagome. I am doing what needs to be done."
Kagome saw the beads in her hands and how Inuyasha sprinkled Sesshomaru's blood on them. Like a sponge, the necklace absorbed the blood, changing the beads color to a deep purple. Kikyo meant to bind Sesshomaru to her!
"No!"
Kagome slapped her sister across the face so hard her hand stung and Kikyo fell to the side.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha hollered.
And then he was there, preventing her from pinning her sister down by doing the very same to her. Hands wrapped around her wrists tight enough to where his claws dug into her flesh, he effortlessly caged her to the floor, while Kikyo muttered her spell.
Glancing over, Kagome saw Kikyo produce the small knife hidden within her haori sleeve, intending to bleed over the necklace with her own blood to complete the binding ritual. Knowing she was running out of time, Kagome screamed in fury. Using her entire body as a conduit, her reiki unleashed itself in a small bomb, catapulting Inuyasha from on top of her, and most likely severely burning him. Not that she cared or even glanced over at his prone form to see the extent of the damage.
Kikyo had already completed the vocalization of her spell. Blade ready to cut her palm, Kagome leapt for her. Tackling Kikyo to the floor, she tried to yank the necklace from her grip. Instead, her fingers grazed the beads as Kikyo jerked them away from her. Suddenly, the beads and fangs glowed white. So bright it was blinding, Kagome had to shield her eyes.
Like shooting stars, the beads flew behind her one after another, the spell having been activated. But how? Then she knew. Glancing at her wrist at her own blood, Kagome realized it only took a drop of priestess blood to activate the binding spell, and the necklace must have grazed her wound when Kikyo tried to keep it from her.
"Oh God," she moaned in dismay, ignoring her sister to gaze in horror at the demon emerging from Kikyo's spell she'd place beneath the mats.
With a deafening roar that chilled her to the very marrow of her bones, Kagome looked on as Sesshomaru's release of youki changed him from his humanoid form to his true, demonic one. Effortlessly, he broke the original spell that had bound him.
The ceiling gave way as Sesshomaru's immense form tore the palace asunder as he grew and grew and grew. Acting quickly, more as an act of self-preservation than anything else, Kagome erected a barrier, which encompassed her, Kikyo, and Inuyasha. She could feel their life force along with her own secluded in her barrier.
The ceiling collapsed on top of them, harmlessly. Yet the castle's foundation buried them alive. There was no way any of them could dig their way out of this mess. Before she could worry about that, a fierce growl echoed around them, scaring her almost to the point of releasing her bladder in fright. Then came the sound of digging and crashing of wood and stone. Soon, above them the sky was revealed.
Along with a very pissed off Inugami in his true form. A large, white inu, with jagged purple, demonic markings along its muzzle, a crescent moon gracing its forehead, and red and blue eye staring at them with such anger and hatred, her blood ran cold.
"Sesshomaru?" she whispered in terror, reaching up to wrap her hand defensively around her throat.
Dear God, she'd never before witnessed a more sinister sight. Growling, Sesshomaru's canines where bared in a fierce snarl, revealing teeth so huge and sharp, she knew he could easily eat her alive if he were so inclined. Worse, the saliva that gripped from his muzzle sizzled and burned away the debris around them like acid.
The only thing she could see him wearing, as his clothes had completely disappeared, was the purple beads and fanged necklace given to him, courtesy of Kikyo and her own clumsiness.
Was she about to die? Had her lover succumbed to bloodlust, incapable of distinguishing between friend and foe? Looking into those demonic eyes, she feared the answer was no.
