DISCLAIMER: Don't own the characters! Song belongs to Papa Roach! I own none of it! Don't let those sue-happy lawyers anywhere near me!

AMP: Now that I have my bathroom back in all of it's penguiny goodness I feel much more comfortable posting the next chapter...

Inu: Am I in this one?

AMP: I refuse to ruin the suprise!

Sessho: This fic is not about you anyway, half-breed!

Kags: Sessho, you have more important things to worry about than your brother...

Sessho: Oh, and what is that, pathetic miko?

Kags: the 500 pics of you in the shower circulating in the mail!

::Kags, Inu, and AMP fall over laughing as Sesshomaru races off to the nearest post office::

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Chap 3: Getting Away With Murder

He had chosen to walk instead of fly. That had been his first mistake he thought, looking up at the giant spider youki from the flat of his back. His next had been paying too much attention to Kagome's singing and not enough to his surroundings. And now he was lying here half paralyzed by its venom and the human miko was unprotected. "And she stands no chance in her condition" he thought.

"Somewhere beyond happiness and sadness
I need to calculate what creates my own madness
And I'm addicted to your punishment
And you're the master, and I am waiting for disaster…"

Kagome's singing still reached his ears from several yards away. He made a great effort to turn his head although he did not want to watch her demise. Kagome was kneeling on the ground and had begun to rock again, her hands covering her ears. The giant spider was approaching slowly. "Probably wondering if her condition is contagious," Sesshomaru thought sarcastically.

"I feel irrational, so confrontational
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder
It is impossible to never tell the truth
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder…"

For the first time he paused to really listen to Kagome's words and took a good look at her. She might have looked lost in her own realm, but he could see a glint behind her curtain of hair. "She's watching the youki," he realized. "So why isn't she running? Run!" he screamed at her from his mind.

"I drink my drink and I don't even want to
I think my thoughts when I don't even need to
I never look back cause I don't even want to
And I don't need to, because I'm getting away with murder…"

The spider must have decided to risk it. It began closing the distance between itself and the young woman. The demon lord continued to scream in his mind and fight the venom in his blood. The spider closed in.

"I feel irrational, so confrontational
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder
It is impossible to never tell the truth
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder…"

He closed his eyes tightly and concentrated on Kagome's song, knowing it would stop soon. Suddenly a blast of purification energy rocked the clearing singeing the fine hairs on Sesshoumaru's body. His eyes flew open. The giant spider had been reduced to a pile of ashes which were already being blown away by the breeze. Kagome was still kneeling on the ground, but now one slender hand was raised level with her eyes and a line of burned ground extended from her to the pile of ash.

The demon lord would have been dumbstruck if he had been able to talk. His vision was starting to swim and he knew the spider's venom would soon take over. He wondered what would happen to the miko when the venom finished its work. She couldn't wield Tenseiga so his life was officially over. Hopefully she could walk back to the village. What of Rin, Jaken, and his lands? For the first time he truly regretted not having taken a mate and produced an heir. Then everything went black.

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"Somewhere beyond happiness and sadness
I need to calculate what creates my own madness
And I'm addicted to your punishments
And I'm your master, and I am craving this disaster…"

Night had fallen and the forestwas unusually quiet. Kagome sat near the still form of the demon lord waiting patiently and singing quietly.

"I feel irrational, so confrontational
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder
It is impossible to never tell the truth
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder…"

The voices whispered teasingly on the outskirts of her mind. Memories flashed constantly before her. She forced them back and turned up the volume on her CD player. Closing her eyes and rocking her body she slipped into a deep concentration. Her miko powers hummed just under the surface and she allowed the smallest thread to escape and reach out to Sesshomaru.

"I feel irrational, so confrontational
To tell the truth I am getting away with murder
It is impossible to never tell the truth
But the reality is I'm getting away with murder…"

Oh yes, he would live. He would need to rest to finish recovering, but her healing powers had done the hard work.

They had left early that morning after everyone had eaten. Kagome had been wrapped in her own world during their walk and hadn't even noticed Sesshomaru keeping an eye on her. The spider's attack had been quick and the demon lord had had no time to defend himself. Its venom worked quickly and she had been left defenseless.

At that moment the voices in her head had pushed through the barrier she was always fighting to keep between herself and them. She fell to her knees and began singing to try and push them back. She felt a humming growing deep inside her. Instead of fighting with the voices she focused on the humming. It grew louder and she could almost feel her body vibrating with it.

Another voice began to force its way through the humming. She felt a hand gripping her shoulder.

"Fight Kagome! Don't just let it have you, fight!"

"I can't," Kagome whimpered in her mind. She hugged herself tightly and waited for the inevitable.

"Then let me do it for you, wench!"

Kagome pulled back and allowed the presence accompanying the voice to take over.

The spider chose to attack. It was as if the attack was in slow motion. Kagome watched the spider come after her with no emotion whatsoever and let the presence control her. She lifted her hand and braced herself as a huge pink and blue blast of purification energy shot towards the youki and reduced it to a pile of smoldering ash.

The young miko had been shocked at what she had done. Or was it what the presence had done?

"It was your power, woman. I just borrowed it."

"So I did it?"

"Too complicated to worry about now. Just heal the asshole over there so you won't be left alone."

"Asshole?" Kagome wondered. "Sesshomaru!"

She moved to the demon lord's side and gave him a quick assessment. He was dying. She could still feel her power moving through her blood and while she had never managed a real healing before, she was sure she could manage it now. Placing her hands on his body she concentrated and felt the poison moving in reverse. As she watched the venom flowed back out of his body through the wounds in his shoulder and then the wounds closed up.

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The voice helping her was gone. The other voices were growing stronger again. Her power was fading back to its normal unnoticeable level. Too tired to fight them she collapsed next to Sesshomaru and let them take over.

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Inu: So...

Kags: ::clamps a hand over Inu's mouth:: Shut up! You'll ruin the suprise!

AMP: The Almighty Penguin is tired and has had enough of your yapping! Everyone shut up and take a few days off. The Almighty Penguin has spoken!

Sessho: Already packed and my plane for Spain leaves in five minutes!

AMP: Joy.

Kags: Yes it is! I'm off for a few days in the Caribbean! Sun and sand, YIPPEE!

Inu: Gone camping in Canada! Looking forward to marking plenty of new territory!

::door slams::

AMP: Are they gone? :looks around:: THANK GOD! And now for some much needed rest...

::AMP's joy is short-lived for KoRn's "Twisted Transistor" starts blaring out of her cell phone::

AMP: ::crushes her cell phone with a hammer:: NO WORK FOR AMP! EVERYONE GO TO HELL!

::the sound of AMP snoring filters from underneath the penguin blanket on her bed::