A/N: Hello! Looks like it's time to update, sorry it would've been sooner, but easter and stuff came around and it's apparently also a busy time for my job. I'd like to thank everyone for being patient with me. :) I also would like to thank:

Most Unlikely Angel (Thanks a bundle for the information on the swords!)
Inuyasha1818
Sugar0o
Angel of Mist
Alucardgal
Kavfh

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or related characters, or any other material mentioned in this story that is copyrighted.

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Sesshoumaru peered at Naraku, who stood menacingly over Kagome, she panted and breathed heavy, he was very thankful she was still alive. He had the lingering feeling he had been here before, he couldn't shake it. His current problem though; Kill Naraku without hurting Kagome while several feet underground.

The shards that Kagome possessed where pure, like herself. She was pure in every way, innocent, sweet, and charming, she actually disgusted him, and wondered how Inuyasha ever confused her for Kikyou, Kikyou was more ... exciting.

Naraku sensed Sesshoumaru watching them, shaking himself from his thoughts about his past infatuation and his current hostage. He chuckled, inhaling slightly to make a cunning yet foolish remark, he was interupted.

"You... You BASTARD. Don't... you ever...touch my Kagome." Inuyasha spat out, through labored breathes, he raced as fast as he could towards Naraku, fist up, he leaped only to get deflected boredly by Naraku.

"How annoying." Naraku spoke, un-enthused with the now human hanyou's current state. Sesshoumaru rose from the shadows, and Narkau smirked.

"I see, I have something of yours, now about something that should belong to me..." he stepped over Kagome, positioning himself so in inconvenienced any attack Sesshoumaru had planned.

"Inuyasha..." a weak voice reached the two demons ears. Kagome propped herself up on her arm and looked at the bleeding hanyou. She looked at Sesshoumaru with teary eyes, and he felt a pang.

"You'll never get them... Naraku... even if you slay me, they will never be yours, because you'll have to escape Sesshoumaru's wrath..." Kagome said bravely. Sesshoumaru admired it momentarily before cursing her stupidity.

"I'd be happy to take that offer.." Naraku chuckled, lifting his foot and kicking Kagome in the head. Her head shot back, a crack was heard, and she once again, was unconcious.

Splat.

Naraku hunched over the frumpled form of Kagome, his eyes were wide, and he gasped. Black liquid dripped from Naraku's abdomen onto Kagome and the floor, and a very pissed Sesshoumaru looked down at the hanyou.

"You will die now..." Sesshoumaru's hand started to glow green, he twisted his hand and pulled it out lashing at the back of Naraku's head.

Naraku chuckled sinisterly before allowing his miasma to slowly poison the little remaining oxygen supply left underground, a tentacle shot out from behind him and swung rapidly at Sesshoumaru, who boredly and effortlessly dodge them.

"It seems your plan will be your demise, Naraku." Sesshoumaru looked at the hanyou who looked behind him at Kagome crawling towards Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru took advantage of that distraction and unleashed his poison whip, hitting Naraku several times. A black liquid seeped from the new injuries Naraku had obtained, and he chuckled.

"The more you injure me, the more you poison the air, your pathetic brother and human lover will not be able to survive." He watched as Kagome hunched over Inuyasha, she fainted and laid with the unconscious hanyou.

Sesshoumaru stared at Naraku, seemingly un-phased by the news Naraku had announced to him, his attacks became quick-paced and while Naraku was distracted with dodging Sesshoumaru's intense blows, he slightly let his guard down.

"Ugh..." Naraku's eyes rolled into the back of his head as Sesshoumaru smirked in pure victory. Removing the Tokijin from Naraku's skull, black liquid splattered on the floor, and Naraku disappeared into dust.

Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose, he felt annoyed having to fight another puppet. He quickly turned and scooped up Kagome who was still unconscious, and sighed in disgust when he spotted his half brother laying under her, unconscious and slightly more useless than he already was.

--

Thud.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome scolded and squirmed slightly, shooting a glare in his direction. They stood outside the steps to Kaede's village, as the white haired hanyou fell to the ground groaning in extreme discomfort.

"He's a hanyou now, he'll survive a small fall." Sesshoumaru said ignoring Kagome's protests, "Rest, you're still poisoned, you'll just make matters worse if you move about."

"I know... but I can't just leave him there! They won't know he's poisoned! Ugh! You can be so insensitive." She flailed her arms around frantically just to get a displeased growl from Sesshoumaru.

"Trust. Me. He will survive." Sesshoumaru spat out, aggressively shifting her in his arms and allowing himself to race off to the west, back to his castle.

--

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru, who now possessed the jewel shards, they hung around his neck now, he bent down and positioned her in his lap, she cuddled against him and frowned at Shippou's small injured form, s-he wanted to praise the small youkai for being so brave and fighting with all his power, but she wanted to scold him for being so foolish knowing the injuries he'd sustain.

She watched as a nurse wiped clean the last laceration on Shippou's body they placed medicinal ointments on is bruises and cuts before bandaging him up. No one had found the small kit because in an attempt to protect himself he had transformed into a small statue.

Kagome sighed and left all of Shippou's crayons next to his futon, along with tons and tons of paper, she expected him to be feeling a tad better tomorrow, she knew he'd want to illustrate his brave battle to proudly tell her all about it.

Sesshoumaru rose, lifting Kagome with him and began to carry her to his quaters, Kagome didn't fight, she was exhausted, after stomaching several concoctions, she needed a good amount of sleep to rid herself of all the poison she took in.

Sesshoumaru gently placed her on top of his western mattress, and then laid next to her, he ran his fingers through her hair and looked at her with the deepest, saddest eyes. Kagome gasped, never before could she imagine Sesshoumaru carrying such a sad and guilty expression.

"I am so sorry, Kagome." he nestled his nose into her neck and breathed in her scent, he felt her arms wrap around his neck before he wrapped his arms around her waist, "I am so sorry... for not being there to protect you... for failing you..."

"It's not your fault..." Kagome started but was cut off from a light kiss from Sesshoumaru, who pressed his forehead to hers.

"Understand this, please, that mark you bear just doesn't tell the world that you're mine, it's my promise to you, that I will always keep you from danger, even if it means my demise." he kissed her again, this time a lot more passionately, not leaving room for protest. She melted into his kiss, and when he broke away to let her breathe, she rested her head against his, closing her eyes, letting all of this process in her head.

He laid her back once her breathing become slower and more even, she had fallen asleep, and he was in for a long haul of not being able to be with her for awhile, he had something he needed to do, and as much as it killed him to leave her side once more, it was a must.

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A/N: Okay, brief update, I wrote this chapter and a chapter to my other story! Yikes! Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll be starting on the next chapter tomorrow and will hopefully have it posted by monday evening, if not, I will post it on Saturday, thanks again for reading and all your lovely reviews!!

Another Note: My text got all smushed together (meaning there was no "scene break") so I edited it thru Fan , sorry for flooding everyone's alerts!!