Chapter 24

Author Note:

Yup, another relapse. I just can't help posting chapters obnoxiously late. I should probably go to rehab.

THERE HAVE BEEN MAJOR REVISIONS TO THE BEGINNING CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY. AND BY BEGINNING, I MEAN LIKE 1-20. I WOULD SUGGEST RE-READING THEM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME.

There was an old - perhaps overused - proverb that Kagome had often adopted as her personal mantra: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It seemed fitting seeing as her life had thrown plenty of lemons her way, but she had always tried to make the best of any situation despite how...sour the outlook may be.

But what about when life gave you dragons?

"Stupid proverbs!" Kagome cursed as she ran, panting like an old man on his last breath, towards a fight she should probably stay out of. "Why can't they be more specific and less...metaphorical?"

She was just a silly school girl who occasionally traversed time and fought demons, how was she supposed to handle this? She had no idea how to face a dragon, let alone make lemonade out of it...wait, that didn't sound right, did it? Whatever, the point was that this situation was bad, very bad, and even Kagome was having trouble seeing how they could win without receiving grievous injuries. Multiple grievous injuries. Perhaps even fatal ones.

Awesome.

Stopping a few hundred yards from the battle between enraged, one-armed dragon and frustrated, one-armed dog, Kagome took the chance to catch her breath. Ryuugi had been out of control, crazed by his anger, and Sesshoumaru had transformed in an effort to prevent him from flying off and rampaging a village. Or something.

Kagome wasn't really sure why he transformed, actually, but whatever. They were both giant scary monsters whose footsteps rattled the ground and would have terrified her if Sesshoumaru hadn't been so beautiful. It had been amazing to watch as his demonic fire engulfed the taiyoukai, caressing his body as he erupted into his true form. The beautiful ebony dog was so foreign and yet familiar to her. It was like she was looking at Sesshoumaru's true power, unrestricted and uninhibited - it awed her and made her shake with fear at the same time.

But now was not the time to become distracted by giant puppy dogs - she had a job to do.

Just get the spear, I don't know what I'll do once I have it, but I'll figure that out later, she thought, nodding her head as though confirming the fake conversation she had just enjoyed with herself.Come on! We've traveled so far and I can see it! I just need to go get it!

Even from this distance she could see the spear glinting in the sunlight as it lay abandoned on the ground. Too bad that every ten seconds or so it would nearly be trampled by the less than graceful dragon as Ryuugi tried to repeatedly devour Sesshoumaru. Theoretically she could try to lead the dragon away from the spear and hope that Sesshoumaru would finally come to his senses and grab it, but he would probably just do something stupid: like go rescue her before she was eaten.

Why were dogs so stupid?

"Well, looks like I'm going to have to just get it myself," she sighed, resigning herself to this rather overly ambitious plan with a grimace. Looking over at the fight once more she only confirmed the probability that she would most likely sustain horrific injuries while attempting this mission.

I'm about to do something so stupid it's Inuyasha worthy, she thought exasperatedly. Too bad I can't survive having all of my bones crushed into a fine white powder like he can.

"Alright, Izanagi," She sighed in an annoyed, motherly tone and pointed at the sky menacingly. "I'm in this mess 'cause of you, so you better not let me get squished, you hear me?"

A horrible roar sounded in the distance as flames erupted from Ryuugi's gaping maw. There was a yelp and then a thundering growl. Kagome smelled burnt hair.

"Or burned," she added exasperatedly, her pointed finger falling pathetically to her side.

Turning her attention back to the task at hand, she could see that without his godly weapon, Ryuugi wasn't faring nearly as well as he had been against Sesshoumaru. He wasn't losing, but his attacks were no longer confidant and organized, they were frenzied and desperate: like that of an animal backed into a corner. Sesshoumaru would dance graceful circles around the dragon, looking for an opening to dart in and attack, before quickly jumping back as Ryuugi snapped and clawed at him wildly.

Both were obviously formidable opponents, each inflicting damage upon the other. Sesshoumaru had multiple singe marks and the dragon's thick, scaled hide was riddled with acidic burns from the taiyoukai's bites. Yet the dog seemed to gaining the upper hand - he was quicker and more collected. He would win, Kagome was sure.

Maybe I won't need to help after all, she dared to hope.

That is until she was harshly awoken from her internal musings by a loud, ear-splitting, heart-piercing yelp. She had been distracted for only a second and that was all it took for Ryuugi's horned tail to collide with Sesshoumaru before he was able to jump away. She watched in horror as he was thrown to the ground with the force of the impact, the dragon's spikes wrenching out of his side and being replaced with a torrent of blood.

The dragon pulled away from the injured lord with a deafening roar of pain, it's tail sizzling as Sesshoumaru's acid ate away at Ryuugi's skin.

"No!" Kagome shouted, as Sesshoumaru stumbled to his feet, his growls shaking the very earth. His red eyes focusing with deadly intent on the now even angrier dragon. He swaggered where he stood as the two giants squared off against each other once again.

The baka! He's going to get himself killed! She thought wildly. Kagome did not remember making the conscious decision to start running towards Sesshoumaru, but suddenly she realized that she was sprinting as fast as she could to his side.

Her heart hammered in her chest with each step she took, her heart ached just a little more with each hit Sesshoumaru received. Ryuugi was tearing into the weakened taiyoukai, taking advantage of his injury, and it was all that he could do to defend himself.

He was taking a beating, Kagome realized, it was the first time she had truly seen him lose his composure in battle and it frightened her. Even when he had faced Inuyasha he was always poised and practiced until Inuyasha's attack would overwhelm him, or he would leave of his own volition.

But now...now he was struggling, and struggling was something Sesshoumaru did not do. She needed to get to him, needed to help him, or the life that might end on this day could be his. She didn't know what she was going to do, but it didn't matter - he needed her at his side and so that's where she would go.

Oh kami, no! I'll do anything, just no, no no! She thought wildly, her chest heaving and her mind racing with emotions she could not place.

With one final burst of speed, Kagome took her stance in front of the faltering dog as Ryuugi readied his tail for another attack. Sesshoumaru growled a warning behind her, but was too weak too stop her from protecting him.

"You better back up!" Kagome screamed commandingly, gripping her bow and arrow firmly. Her arrow glowed pink and her bowstring was pulled taught. "Back up, or I'll shoot!"

The dragon paused, forgetting about Sesshoumaru as it's attention was drawn to the miko in front of him. It snorted smoke from it's nostrils before bringing it's tail crashing down on top of her. The miko managed to jump out of the way just in time, her bow and arrow flying out of her hands in an attempt to catch her fall.

The earth shook as Ryuugi's tail collided with the ground, sending a spray of soil and grass in all directions. Kagome had just managed to wipe the filth from her eyes when she saw the harsh glint of pointy teeth rapidly approaching her.

He was going to eat her!

Scrambling in a panic, the miko managed to get to her feet and dive out of the way of the dragon's deadly bite. His teeth enclosing around nothing more than dirt, Ryuugi shook his head to rid his mouth of debris, and lunged again.

Kagome pushed herself to her feet once again, she tried to run to safety, but the first step she took had her falling to the ground as her foot caught on something hard. Catching a glimpse of gold, she instinctively reached down to grab it. Her fingers enclosed around something hard and cold and she thrust it out in front of her, hoping with all her might that somehow it would spare her life.

Ryuugi smirked to himself as his jaws enclosed over the priestess - he had finally punished the miko for taking his arm by taking her life. Once he destroyed that dog, his retribution would be complete.

Tales would be told far and wide of the great and terrible dragon who slew the mighty dog of the West. Sesshoumaru's lands would fall to ruin and he, being the kind leader he was, would become their new emperor. Every dragon would have his own dog! His own servant! And the mutts would curse Sesshoumaru for letting such misfortune befall them! Ryuugi would be ruler of all!

But fortunately for Sesshoumaru, it would seem that Ryuugi would never get the chance.

From within his mouth a great, pink, burning light erupted. It burned him, embraced him, consumed him until he was no more. In a blinding flash of light Lord Ryuugi of the South turned completely to ash. It was over so fast that he didn't even have the chance to roar his final dismay to the world. Silence was all that followed the light.

That is until his ashes collided with the earth, sounding like a torrent of rain as Kagome was buried beneath them. Fighting her way out of the piles of smoldering ash, there was only one thought on her mind.

Sesshoumaru...

***

It had been like walking in a fog for an eternity. There was no beginning and no end, no sight, no smell, just an all consuming haze that could not be escaped. At first he had thought that he was in hell, or perhaps that he had not been taken there yet, that he had been forgotten.

In life he had held sway over death, he called the creatures of the underworld to do his bidding as he saw fit. Perhaps that power came at a price, perhaps they would not come when he called this one last time. This was his penance. The pall-bearers of death would not come to take him to the afterlife. He would remain in this horrid world between worlds for all eternity: neither alive nor dead.

But then, one day, or year, or millennia, he heard a voice - he heard her voice - and he knew that he could not be dead. He had done far too many horrid deeds to be sent to heaven, and any place that would allow him to hear her beautiful tone could not be hell. He was sleeping, he had decided, and all he had to do was wake up...

Kagome bustled about the room in a fluster of silk and ribbons, wiping at imaginary dust and smoothing bedcovers that had not had a single wrinkle in quite some time. She sang as she worked partly because she was bored, partly because she could not stand the silence, and partly because she wanted to appear busy so Taka and Hakuchou could not force another wardrobe change upon her.

She was now wearing her third outfit...for that day.

I swear I'm undressed more than I'm dressed nowadays, she sighed to herself. I wish Izanagi would just get them some Barbie dolls so they can stop playing with me.

Stopping her hands for a moment, Kagome took a step back to admire her impeccable work. The room was spotless...except for the vase that by the looks of it was not exactly in the center of that table.

Everything had to be perfect and a vase that was not perfectly in the center of the table she had dusted and shined to perfection was not perfect and Sesshoumaru deserved perfection!

Twirling on her heel, the miko started her song anew as she hurried to straighten the vase:

"Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,

Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?

Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!

Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong."

"Miko, what tongue do you speak in?" A raspy baritone sounded from behind her.

Gasping, Kagome dropped the vase she was holding. As it shattered on the impeccable wood floor, she could feel her heart pound, hear it pulse through her veins. Taking a deep breathe she turned around, a smile as big as Sesshoumaru had ever seen erupting across her face as soon as her eyes met his.

Suppressing her squeal of excitement, Kagome cleared her throat. "It's french," she answered in a disapproving tone, though the smile was still plain on her face. "And it's not a tongue it's a language. The language of love, actually."

Sesshoumaru stared deep into her eyes for an inconceivably long moment - a moment in which they shared their joy, their victory, their accomplishment, and their relief for being alive - before blinking and glancing away nonchalantly. "Hn, is that why it sounded so foul?"

Chapter Note:

There once was a man from Nantucket

He lived in a golden bucket

But all of the gold

Was grimy and old

So, he said, "fuck it"

Couldn't think of a rhyme relevant to this chapter, soooo you got one about mr. nantucket and his stupid ass bucket lol