AN: Here's the wonderful next chapter. Yeah, I think it's cool, but hey, that's just me. Either way, review when you finish reading, otherwise I won't know if it's good. (smirks)

Sweet Sacrifice

Kagome brought them back through the well three days later, determined to get back to the feudal era before her family got home. She didn't want to stay there; her mom knew what had happened, and she didn't want to face her mother's pity and concern. It was just too much, and it didn't help anyway.

Sesshoumaru appeared in the well beside her, studying her intently. He picked up Rin and placed her on his shoulder. "Hold tight, Rin." he said quietly. Rin nodded and dug her fingers into the pelt he wore on his shoulder, her legs clamped around his arm for extra support. Without warning, he wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist.

Rin giggled. "Hold tight, Kagome-onee-san!" she said in a sing-song voice. Kagome nodded and put her arm around Sesshoumaru's waist, her other hand holding tight to a small bag she brought with her.

Satisfied that his small pack was secure, the taiyoukai sprang from the well, landing gracefully a few feet away. Kagome shrieked in surprise and stumbled when they landed. Automatically, he reached out to hold her steady. Rin giggled and dropped effortlessly from her perch on her lord's shoulder. "Isn't it fun, onee-san?"

"Oh, yes." Kagome muttered a bit breathlessly. "Just absolute fun." She glared at Sesshoumaru, but her eyes were sparkling. "Next time warn me before we go airborne please?" she asked sweetly. "Otherwise I might accidentally purify you."

He raised one eyebrow. "Do you really think you possess the strength to purify this Sesshoumaru?" His voice was calm, but for some reason it lacked its usual coldness, and she knew he was teasing her as she teased him. She smirked.

"Don't think I can't." she said, gently pulling her arm from his grasp. "I can do a lot of things that you don't even know about." Sesshoumaru didn't exactly smile, but his eyes softened as they often did around Rin. It was good to see the miko more like her old self.

"Kagome!"

The miko froze, all traces of her joy before gone. "What do you want, Inuyasha?" she asked, turning around to face the hanyou. She quickly skimmed the forest around him and her gaze snapped back to him, her eyes narrowed. "Where's Kikyou?"

"She's back at the village." Inuyasha replied, his eyes clouded with confusion. "What are you doing with him?!"

"Rin was sick." she replied. "I needed to take care of her."

"Keh! Come on, we need to get back. What were you thinking, running off like that? You had Kikyou worried sick about you!" The hanyou's scowl was all too familiar to Kagome; it was the same look he gave her every time she did something stupid, but he never could hold a grudge against her for long, especially not if she had been hurt by her own stupidity.

"The miko will not return with you now."

Inuyasha spun on his half-brother, fury burning in his eyes. "And who are you to tell her what to do? She's my jewel detector, she comes with me!!"

"Inuyasha, there is no longer a jewel to detect." The taiyoukai's voice was as cold as ever, but there was a determination in his eyes that Kagome had never seen before. He would make his worthless half-brother see the light, if for nothing more than his kouyuu's peace of mind. She would want to know that he had healed. "Don't you understand? The battle is over; nothing will ever be the same."

For a moment, the hanyou's eyes bled red. He blinked, and they were back to their normal golden hue. "C'mon, Kagome." he growled. "We don't have to listen to this bull."

"Inuyasha-"

She didn't get any more out before he backhanded her across the face. Rin yelped in alarm and in an instant Sesshoumaru was between him and the miko, his clawed hand holding the boy by the throat.

"Do you not see?" he snarled. "This Sesshoumaru remembers a time when you would have gutted yourself for such an action." He tossed Inuyasha to the side as if he were a rag doll and turned to Kagome.

She was on her feet now, her fingers delicately probing at her stung cheek. Four lines of blood oozed from the wounded flesh, and she flinched as her touch grazed the marks. "He got me good again, didn't he?"

"Hai." the taiyoukai said softly. "Come. Let us go and get Jaken. Rin, follow close now."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama." the little girl replied.

With a smile, Kagome picked up Rin and braced her on her hip, carrying her as a mother would as the group left the clearing.

There was something different about this time, though, something Sesshoumaru noticed with growing satisfaction.

Kagome was standing at his side now.

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AN: Well, there you have it. I tried making it longer, but it's barely three pages. Go fig.