I do not own Inuyasha or its characters...Rumiko Takahashi does.

Birth Rite ch13 Shippo's Story, and New Discoveries..

He remembered her, though for years he had tried to forget; her memory hurt him. Late into the night his dreams would center around her, his beautiful Midoriko, a woman lost to him two hundred years before.

She had saved him, her touch calming his inner demon; the beast within him raged free back then. He remembered vividly the pain he had lived through night after night, his body contorting viciously while trying, and failing to contain the beast's form within its human shell. His mother had died shortly after his birth, and his father hadn't lived long enough to teach him the things he needed to know as a child. Without siblings he'd had no way to learn the lessons he needed to know, no idea what to do when the beast within him demanded its freedom, no choice but to shift at its will. For him it wasn't about the moon. He wasn't controlled by it, though it may have been better if he had been. His demon was different: it wanted to run free in the night, but it wasn't safe; his kind hunted by the villagers who feared them. Night after night he became the prey - sometimes barely managing to survive.

She had found him on one of those nights so many long years past, and saved him from himself. She carried within her the ability to control that within him which he could not. She taught him the things he'd thought never to know, yet she was human; an outcast of her own people. She lived a solitary existence deep within the shelter of the forest. Her family came from a long line of highborn ancestors, but she was hidden from them all - the mark on her face so unusual that others feared her. Only those members of her family who knew of her gifts came around to see her, though their visits were few and far between.

They disapproved of his presence with her, of the idea that they were alone together. They made sure that she knew that she could not be with a demon, that his touch would defile all that was pure within her. But she'd told them that her life would be hers to live, that they'd sent her away to live within the darkness of the forest because they were ashamed of her. She told them that they were the ones that put her on the path she traveled, and that she would do as she wished regarding those she trusted.

So he had stayed with her, protecting her as she had him. They became close during those years, and somewhere along the way they fell in love. Yes, he had loved her, more dearly than life itself. But there were those who looked down on a demon and human mating, so they kept their love secret by finding solitary places to be alone, places none knew existed.

He could still feel the softness of her skin beneath his exploring hands, still hear her gasp of pleasure as her body arched forward filling his hands with the firmness of her breasts. He could still taste her on his tongue, feel her lips moving in time with his own, her fingers pushing the clothing from his heated flesh. He remembered how her body felt wrapped around him, hot and velvety soft, as they moved together in a rhythm known by all lovers; and the way it felt to lose himself within her. But he never forgot in all the years that had gone by the one thing that he would have given his own life to hear again- the way his name trembled from her lips when he brought her to sweet oblivion, and the tender words that spilled when they laid together in the darkness, their bodies slick from their passion, their hearts and bodies one.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Shippo turned his gaze back to Kagome – a vivid portrait of his Midoriko. How had he missed it before? He'd been her trainer, and her best friend for five years, and he'd never seen it. Why was it so clear to him now? And why was Inuyasha suddenly so protective of her? He'd never known Sesshomaru's younger brother to be interested in anything beyond his racing career.

He watched Inuyasha step in front of her, his eyes holding a silent challenge within them. So that was why her scent was off- Inuyasha had made his claim on the girl, and was feeling threatened by a new male's arrival into his territory. This trip could be most entertaining after all. He'd come down on Sesshomaru's invitation to celebrate Kagome's twenty first birthday, but this new twist in events could certainly prove worth sticking around for.

Another subtle growl brought a toothy grin to his face and his eyes narrowed on the dog demon. What better way to prove the dog's attentions for Kagome were real and not lust-driven than to become a rival for her attentions? Even though there was nothing between them but the love of dear friends...Inuyasha didn't know that - did he? Any demon who thought themselves good enough for Kagome would be proving it before he'd allow his best friend to be carted off in the claws of a beast. Shippo stepped forward, his mind already set on his new plan when the shattering of glass forced his attention away from his best friend and her potential mate.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed suddenly; his body surged past Kagome, his arm smashing through the window. Claws caught flesh for only a moment, its stagnant stench filled his nostrils, and then it was gone, replaced by nothing but mist.

"Gather the women!" Sesshomaru growled, eyes searching the darkness.

Ferocious howls echoed on the breeze. Inuyasha rushed to stand beside Sesshomaru, their eyes focused on a nearly naked Miroku standing on the porch of the cottage, his body already beginning its shift. A second later a midnight colored wolf surged off the porch disappearing within the darkness of the forest.

"Inuyasha go, I will care for Kagome." Sesshomaru said watching Sango make her way into the mansion. " Gather what belongings you can carry. We leave as soon as Miroku and Inuyasha return. "

Inuyasha's body reacted instantly, his beast howling in excitement; fur forced its way through pale skin, fangs lengthened, claws descended. His body bent, his spine realigning with his ribs, and a growl of anticipation ripped through the air. Crimson eyes blinked momentarily, their sight filled with the image of the woman both demon and human had claimed as their own.

Muscles rippled instantly when Miroku's howl of pain filled the air, and an instant later Inuyasha responded, his silver coated body plunging through the window Sesshomaru had already broken.

Kagome watched Inuyasha's beast disappear. In the distance she could hear the beginnings of a fierce battle, each sound echoing in her head, each snapping of jaws amplified, every tear of flesh increasing the anxiety in her heart. Sesshomaru watched with interest the reaction storming over Kagome's innocent face. Silently he motioned Sango to take Rin upstairs to gather her things and waited silently until the women were gone before moving closer to Kagome.

Her heartbeat hammered in her chest, her breathing came in labored gasps. Her scent shifted as her eyes closed, and Sesshomaru was stunned at what he scented within it. She smelled of Inuyasha, though he knew for a fact they had yet to fully mate. There was only one other way that she might have inherited his scent.

The marks on her shoulder shimmered beneath his gaze and suddenly everything made sense. His memory returned to the night Inuyasha had found her, her shoulder torn and bleeding from Naraku's attempt at killing her while she lay wrapped within the warmth of Kikyo's body. Inuyasha had been the one to pull her from the dead woman's flesh, and seal her wounds with his tongue; his saliva had healed her injuries while at the same time entering her blood stream. It explained why she was unknowingly able to vocalize her irritation in their language.

Could she shift her body to that of a wolf as well?

They already had witnessed her reaction to blood, something inherited from Naraku's attack on her Mother, but what else was she capable of? She was indeed a different breed, so many different combinations, and yet seemingly able to control some aspect of each one. Part Vampire, and part Werewolf; intriguing - and dangerous- but what of her human blood? Was she human at all? Humans did not have the ability to become both Vampire and Werewolf. Such a combination, though rarely seen, always resulted in death.

"She is special." Shippo said, his voice pulling Sesshomaru and Kagome's attention.

"She is capable of a great many things with the mere touch of her hand."

"What am I?" Kagome murmured, her eyes falling closed once again as she struggled to control the urge to run.

" Your touch soothes the beast within us. For a Vampire, your blood gives the ability to sustain the sunlight on his flesh. You are a great asset to both breeds, and because of that you will never be safe. There will always be something or someone out there vying for your talents, those who will kill any and all to be the one to possess you." Shippo murmured.

"How do you know this?" Sesshomaru asked, his eyes still focused on Kagome. Something was wrong here, he just couldn't quite place just what it was. Yet.

"It was a Vampire who took my love from me- my Midoriko, a woman who held the same power as Kagome. She bore the same mark on her cheek, the same glow about her when her power sought release. She died at the hands of a beast who stumbled upon her abilities. I hunted him for years once I discovered his name. I wanted his life – still want his life for taking Midoriko from me." Shippo snarled. " He's been searching for another being with her capabilities, and he will stop at nothing now that he has found her."

"His name?"

"Naraku." came Shippo's reply. He sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing slightly on Kagome, missing the way Sesshomaru stiffened at his answer. "You are not the same as my Midoriko though. She was human. You, my dear, are not. "

Stepping closer Shippo sampled her scent again. " You used to smell human, but something has changed. Now your scent has a bit more of Wolf. Are you sure you and Inuyasha haven't consummated your relationship- perhaps he just hasn't marked you yet?"

"No." Kagome breathed, her face flushing at the questions being asked of her. " We haven't done that yet."

"Naraku knows of your abilities, knows of what your blood can do for him. He'll be back. It is only a matter of time." Sesshomaru stated.

Kagome took a step back realization hitting her suddenly.

He knew of her abilities...Naraku knew!

It was overwhelming, and Kagome's hold on her raging blood broke. Every fiber of her body awakened. Bones began snapping as they realigned, skin shifted, her once dormant fangs re-emerged.

Shippo took a step back; only Sesshomaru would know how to handle a halfling's first shift. This girl was so much more than even his Midoriko had been: she was a cross between the two most dominant species out there, and she was capable of controlling or destroying them both at will. Naraku would pursue her to the ends of the Earth to possess her, to control the vast power still hidden within her.

Question was: Could Inuyasha protect her from not only Naraku, but from himself as well?

Sesshomaru's eyes widened. So she was capable of their transformation..

Kagome's scream of pain broke the silence, but he could do nothing to stop her shift. She was unmated, and only her mate could bind her beast's blood.

His body reacted to the change in Kagome's; his fangs lengthened,his eyes reddened, but he refused his beast its full transformation. He wouldn't scare the girl, wouldn't risk harming her slender frame with his larger one.

Raven fur coated Kagome's once creamy skin. Her body bent and twisted until paws replaced her slender hands. Where there had been a beautiful human female, now stood an equally beautiful wolf whose eyes were trained on the darkness outside.

Sesshomaru watched her movements, how she gradually inched toward the broken window, the way her eyes focused on the freedom to be held outside the brick walls of his mansion. Her inner beast craved it, wanted to run, to hunt. They all fought with the urges of their beasts, and now they would have to help her control hers. It would seem that even as her touch could calm their inner demons, it had no effect upon her own. In the distance Inuyasha and Miroku broke away from their fight with Naraku. Their ears twitched momentarily recognizing the pain that laced Kagome's scream. They changed positions, each running at full speed toward the girl who had become the very foundation of their lives.

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Naraku stood in the moonlight, his flesh torn and bleeding. He hadn't expected the attack, hadn't realized he'd been discovered until he felt Sesshomaru's claws ripping through the flesh of his throat.

It was all he could do to dissipate, and he'd only made it a few hundred yards before his physical form returned, unbidden as it was.

But the fight that had ensued had taken what strength he'd had left, and while he was desperately curious as to what had prompted the wolves' retreat, he was also in desperate need of blood to replace that which he'd lost. Limping into the darkness he disappeared into the forest in search of replenishment. Soon he would return for Kagome. Very, very soon.

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Kagome struggled to keep her feet beneath her, though those certainly weren't the feet she was used to. Her sight blurred momentarily, but once it re-focused she began inching toward the darkness that called her like nothing she had ever known before. It was a great need- a desperation that she'd never felt before. She needed it, craved it more than a starving man wanted food. The feeling was fierce, and unrelenting. It grew within her until all she could do was answer its call.

It was the call of freedom, the urge to run. She moved toward the window never noticing the way Sesshomaru followed her, the way he silently moved in closer.

Moving faster she flexed unknown muscles to jump, the need to feel the Earth beneath her feet all consuming. Something heavy stopped her mid-air, the force of her body colliding with the hardwood floor knocking the wind from her lungs. Searing pain ripped through the back of her neck- four points of something sharp and unforgiving keeping her pinned to the floor. She struggled again, but a fierce growl stopped her movements. It sounded so much like...Sesshomaru?

Pulling her paws more forcefully beneath her, she was stunned when Sesshomaru growled again, its rumble raising the hairs on her neck caressing her skin. " You will lay still, Kagome. Lay still."

His fangs still clutched the back of her neck, much like a parent dog might subdue it's pup. She closed her eyes as she listened to the soothing rumble of the Dog she'd grown to know and love as her Brother. Pulsing white heat radiated around them, her inner power finally surfacing to sooth the beast who'd surfaced so suddenly.

Seconds ticked by. Fur descended into cream colored skin, fangs disappeared, and claws returned to blunt human fingernails on petite human hands, but all the while Sesshomaru remained behind her , his teeth still buried in her flesh.

Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo stood in the doorway, their eyes witnessing it all.

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Le Chat Gris pointed something out to me in a wonderful review...so I must thank you again for mentioning it as I hadn't thought of how Sesshomaru's subduing of Kagome might be percieved.

Sesshomaru didn't mark Kagome- just subdued her. An actual ' mate mark' must be done while mating..( at least in my warped mind it does..lol)

I do hope you all enjoyed the latest installment. I haven't received an alert to this chapter's posting- so I doubt any of you have either- at least I hope that's the case as only a few of you have found the update and responded. And I thank each of you...I miss hearing from you all..

Anyone miss me?

I've missed you all...ALOT.

I am really- REALLY sorry it took me so long to get back. This recovery thing has taken so much longer than I had thought it would. I am still very, very sore, but the surgery was a success, or so I was told. But I am back, and I will do my best to get back to my normal posting schedual.

I am moving soon, here in about a week, so please don't worry if the next chapter is a bit delayed. Once I am settled I will be able to get back to my usual habits of writing- thus hopefully providing you all something entertaining to read.

I need to thank Almandine-Azaleea for her wonderful editing skills. She does wonders with my work..and I dearly appreciate her help. She'll be posting some wonderful stories soon. I recommend them as she has been so wonderful to allow me early readings, and they were wonderful.

Another thing I wanted to mention : I brought Shippo into the story as an adult. I hope this doesn't bother anyone...if it does I can easily change his character, but this is AU so I hope it'll be fine. I thought it'd be an iteresing twist as I have never read anything like it, so I hope you all are okay with it as well.

I hope you all like this chapter. I have missed writing for you all, and have missed hearing from you all even more. I'm spoiled- what can I say. I do hope I haven't lost anybody in the wait for this chapter...Please let me know what you thought, I'd really like to hear from each of you again...it's been forever...lol

And THANK YOU to everyone for wishing me well- and for praying. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to have so many out there wishing me better. I am so very greatful for each of you...so THANK YOU...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time...Neisha