A/N: I do not own Inuyasha or Goblin: the Lonely and Great God

Chapter Seventeen

Needless to say, her two captors were scared out of their minds. Seeing the two inhuman beings shocked them to no end. Their grip on her faltered as they trembled almost as immobile as she. They could only stand and watch at the two men approached them. Kagome took this as a chance. She writhed around in their hold, screaming out.

"Sesshomaru!" She yelled, her eyes watering when her hair caught in the bands around her wrists.

There was an expression that she could not identify in his eyes. But the nerve above his temple twitched and she cold tell he was upset. The smoke around his body seemed to drift right off of him, as if he were burning now and nothing could stop his fire.

"Stupid broad somehow got Taisho right to us," the drive snarled, his teeth clenched. "We gotta get out of here."

With a nod, the other of her captors agreed. "We got to get out of here, man. Who knows what that guy will do. He's on freaking fire."

Suddenly, she was hoisted higher into the air and her heart rose to her throat, it catching and stopping any noise she could make.

"Remember, miss, it's nothing personal. Sure you're a nice enough kid," the driver stated flatly before he and the other man tossed her over the railing.

There was a loud "no" yelled by a voice that it wasn't her own—but surely it hadn't been the Goblin. She stared in disbelief at the sky that fell further and further away from her. Her mind raced at a thousand miles a second, faster than she fell. Tears poured from her eyes as she convulsed in the air, as if somehow moving would slow her descent. Kagome had not even realized it, but sobs were tearing past her lips, begging anyone and everyone who could hear her to find her, to save her before she hit the concrete brick at the bottom of the shallow water. She knew for a fact a fall and impact at that would not allow her to survive.

Mama, Souta, Jii-jii! She shrieked, her head tilting back as she could practically feel the ground almost right beneath her. This is it.

She expected pain. She expected the most mind-numbing experience of agony she would ever feel in her life other than that one time the witch paralyzed her to steal her soul to create clay-Kikyo. She expected a loud sound of her skull breaking against stone while innocent streams of water washed over her, dispelling any blood that may have broke forth from her body, excited to be released.

But that's not what happened. She stayed in mid-air, caught gently between two strong arms. Against her was a strong and firm chest, easing her and steadying her so that way she knew she had not fallen completely, that she had not hit the ground. The hands that cradled her clutched her tighter, as if trying to assure their owner that they had succeeded in retrieving her—safely, soundly.

Kagome could not stop her wails wracking her chest.

"Woman," the voice was shaky and unsure, and the arms held her tighter. "Woman you are safe, cease that incessant noise."

She looked up into the the golden eyes of Sesshomaru, his gaze unwavering as he stared down at her. The look in the gilded orbs was a curious one. As if inquiring why she was still upset if he had saved her. Casting his glance away, he looked upwards before leaping out of the trench where the river was in. He landed gracefully on the sidewalk, before setting her down gently on the ground so she could sit. Crouching down beside her, he undid the restraints on her hands and around her ankles. Watching her reactions carefully, he stood up and reformed Bakusaiga's manifestation in his hand.

"I will return in a moment," he responded, his eyes looking back down the road. "It seems as though the Shinigami is holding those two idiots at bay for this one."

"Wait," it was the first time she had talked to him since her rescue. "You won't kill them will you?"

He watched her with a raised brow but gave her no response other than a baritone 'hn'. Walking away, he ignored her calls to him as he made his way to the parked vehicle. The Shinigami held the two men to the vehicle, pinning their heads against the the windows to keep them from moving. They were begging for him to stop, how much it hurt.

The Shinigami noticed his approach. "Oy Goblin, whaddya wanna do with these goons?"

Cocking his brow delicately, Sesshomaru dug Bakusaiga between the two men, skewering the vehicle.

The driver cried out, shamelessly weeping. "Please, please mercy, Taisho!"

"What were your motives for kidnapping the girl?" He demanded harshly, leaning down over the grim reaper's shoulder.

"We were just trying to ransom her," the other man bawled. "We had not had any leads on how to get at you in a long time! And then a girl showed up at your door! We thought she was yours!"

Humming, the Goblin pulled his sword from the car and looked caustically at the two. "You are lucky this one does not kill the two of you here. That girl desired to spare your life. You both shall wait here on this road where no one will find you. For three days this path shall disappear from the map. Be grateful that is the worst this Sesshomaru shall do."

As he began to walk away, the white-haired man slashed the tip of his sword through the two side tires of the automobile, his smirk showing just a bit. "Have fun, Shinigami. This one will be patient and wait for you."

The Shinigami smiled before nodding, returning his attention to the two men. "Now, which one of you bastards wanna forget what happened here first?"

Kagome sat dazed against the guardrail when he returned to her. She stared far off into the distance, her mind somewhere else. His lips tipping a bit in displeasure, Sesshomaru slid his jacket off his shoulders and rested it around her form. The jacket seemed to rest of her like a blanket, completely covering her shape. He had not realized that she was that much smaller than he. Was she really so delicate? Yet she had held such strength to be able to keep such a situation for the most part at ease before he was able to reach her.

"Woman," he said, crouching down before.

She blinked and finally gave him her attention, her brown eyes tired and bloodshot.

Holding out his hand, he nodded gently. "Come, this one and the Shinigami will escort you home."

"Home?" She echoed him.

Come back miko, this state does not suit you. His gaze searched her before he tilted his head in affirmation. "You wish to see your family, do you not?"

With slow, lethargic blinks of her eyes, Kagome took his hand. He pulled her up with care, wrapping his arm around her waist to steady her. Had this been any other moment in his life he might have abhorred the idea of physical contact, however she was clearly unwell and needed support.

"Oy I left the assholes in the car," the Shinigami stated, wiping his hands on his leather jacket. "How the heck are we supposed to get anywhere if you made this road invisible?"

"It's not far from my home, quit your whining," Sesshomaru scoffed before leading them away. "We will stop at this one's home for a car and then drive the miko back to her home."

"Keh," the grim reaper snorted, crossing his arms.

Closing his hand tighter of Kagome, the Goblin lead their little group away. While the girl stumbled after him a bit, she did seem better. Less hysteric. That was a good first step. Honestly, instead of taking the first step now, he wished he had stepped out his door when he had felt her reiki when she had been at his house.

a/n: Hello guys, at this point i'm stalling for words because nano is a thing and I really should not have stalled out this arc to three chapters (there'll be one short one after this). Oh well. Hopefully still, I'll be able to finish this before NANOWRIMO ends. Wish me luck guys. Thanks to everyone who's been reading, it makes me so happy!

Leave a review to let me know what you thought about this chapter^^

Arigato mina!