Disclaimer: InuYasha, and all its characters, including the hotness that is Sesshoumaru, all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. At least until I'm older and she's dead and I buy the royalties off whoever inherits them.

WARNING!!!

Spoilers for episodes 155-157.

CHAPTER 15: FRIENDSHIP

Naraku leered down at the group that had assembled in front of Hosenki. Each of them had fought against him for years, and they had failed to bring him down. That they had joined together was of no real consequence. Though it was interesting to see the new dynamic they had now that they seemed to be working together.

Sesshoumaru growled and pulled Kagome behind him. Naraku was surprised, though he forced himself not to show it. "Well well well, and so the dog reflects the choices of the father. For shame, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Kagome winced, half expecting Sesshoumaru to fly into a rage. Instead, Sesshoumaru relaxed. He'd heard the rhetoric from the moment he'd taken his father's place as lord, and the talk had only increased when he'd taken in Rin. By now, he was used to these taunts. His only response was to push Kagome to the side, shoving her off his cloud. She let out a scream, but Sesshoumaru didn't turn to watch. When the scream abruptly cut off, he knew that either InuYasha or Kirara had caught the girl. He could deal with the anger she would no doubt be directing towards him when this was over.

Naraku seemed to be taken aback, but didn't let it stop him completely. He turned away, hoping to rile the demon up by ignoring him. "Hosenki, I thank you for protecting my shard." Naraku announced, loving the looks of shock on everyone's faces. "But now I'll be wanting it back."

Hosenki's head seemed to turn to Naraku and stare at him for a moment. Then he growled. "I guard the final shard of the Shikon no Tama. It does not wish to rejoin its brothers, and I have followed its wish to bring it to the Barrier Between Life and Death. The Shikon no Tama must will never be whole again."

With a shout, a part of the crystallized demon shot out at the two demons in flight, Naraku and Sesshoumaru. They easily avoided the attack, but it appeared that others were not so lucky. A shot of fear pulsed through Kagome's pack-bond, and her shrill shriek filled the air. Sesshoumaru quickly sought her out, and saw that the attack had dislodged InuYasha from their father's skeleton. Falling with him was Kagome, apparently having been caught by InuYasha when Sesshoumaru threw her. Eyes widening, a shot of some unidentifiable emotion surged through him, and he immediately turned to dive after her. Before he could reach her, one of Naraku's tentacles slid around his waist. With a growl, Sesshoumaru slashed at it, injecting it with enough poison to make it sizzle and dissolve. The tentacle dropped as Naraku discarded it, and Sesshoumaru continued towards the falling pair. He was spared watching them fall to their death when one of the skeleton birds caught InuYasha and Kagome as they fell. Sesshoumaru almost collapsed in relief as he floated down to them.

He stopped to see InuYasha giving Kagome a cursory sniff, checking for wounds. Sesshoumaru took one as well, and confirmed that the miko hadn't been injured. "You will remain here." He ordered, his eyes daring Kagome to complain.

For once, Kagome seemed to agree. "The shard is in Hosenki's body, right by his neck." She looked at the shard again and sighed. "Whatever Hosenki's true intentions were, they're no longer his only goal. The presence of Naraku's tainted shards is causing Hosenki's to become tainted as well."

"I'll take him out with one swing." InuYasha announced. Before either Sesshoumaru or Kagome could comment, InuYasha leapt from the bird. Ignoring Kagome's shout, he drew the Tetsusaiga as he fell towards Hosenki. "Hey ugly! Better learn the difference between friend and foe!" He swung Tetsusaiga down, and it hit Hosenki with a resounding clang. Instead of harming Hosenki, the blow reverberated up InuYasha's arm, and he bounced off with a shout. Kagome let out a small shriek, but it was cut off when InuYasha landed on a nearby rock formation.

"How come Tetsusaiga isn't working?" Shippou shouted.

Sesshoumaru growled and swept down to hover beside InuYasha. "Hosenki's body is made of hardened adamant, InuYasha. A simple sword, even made by our father's fang, could never be hard enough to pierce it."

"Yeah, I got that when I bounced off, bastard!" InuYasha shouted. Sesshoumaru was about to growl something back when Hosenki's mouth filled with adamant shards. The two brothers separated as the shards flew at them, ending their debate for a moment. Naraku laughed, at least until one of the diamonds pierced his barrier. His eyes widened as he shot backwards, eyeing the deceased demon with a bit more wariness than before.

"I've had enough of this!" InuYasha shouted. "Windscar!" He swung the blade as he leapt forward, though Hosenki brushed off the attack easily. He landed on Hosenki's diamond arm and began running up the arm.

Sesshoumaru growled. "Ignorant fool!"

Naraku pushed back and watched as Sesshoumaru rushed forward to his brother's aid. He would let the others wear themselves down before making his move. Though it was rather insulting that they had forgotten him so easily. By the end of this, he would have to do something to change that.

Sesshoumaru floated high above Hosenki and watched InuYasha's advancements. Seeing Hosenki's shoot more adamant shards, he pulled out Tokijin. With a single sweep of his sword, the shards shattered, bypassing InuYasha completely. The next barrage was handled by Sango as she sent her hiraikotsu to clear InuYasha's way. Sesshoumaru was about strike with Tokijin again when a bright light shot passed him. Looking up, he saw Kagome standing on the bird with her bow. He turned back to the arrow and saw where it was headed. Obviously, she had decided to help by purifying the jewel shard Hosenki held. He smirked. There was no doubt that Kagome was strong enough to rid the taint in the shard.

To his astonishment, the arrow hit the target perfectly, but the taint remained. Sesshoumaru cursed, just now realizing the truth. Hosenki had been an old demon, and as such, held immense demonic power. It would seem that Kagome did not have enough spiritual power to banish the older and more established demonic power of Hosenki. He swept his sword, his frustration strengthening the blow enough to clear InuYasha's path for several yards.

Then InuYasha made his mistake. As he reached the spot where the Shikon shard lay, he jumped into the air. Hosenki began to laugh as he saw InuYasha move, and he swung his arm. Sesshoumaru realized instantly that InuYasha had made himself into an easily attackable, but not easily defendable, target. For once, Sesshoumaru moved without thinking of the consequences. He rushed forward, just barely pushing InuYasha out of the way. The diamond arm hit his side, luckily the one without an arm. He bit his tongue to hold back a scream, and pulled both himself and InuYasha out of the arms reach.

"Idiot hanyou." Sesshoumaru bit out, ignoring the deep gashes along his left side. "Do not fight if you wish to die."

"Up yours, asshole!" InuYasha shouted. "I didn't need your help."

Sesshoumaru growled and pushed InuYasha off his cloud and onto the bird that had pulled up beside him. "Make such a mistake again, and I will not waste my time."

InuYasha almost made a retort, but he cut himself off when Sesshoumaru seemed to stumble. He quickly straightened, but not before InuYasha saw the amount of blood that coated his left side. He fell silent as Sesshoumaru flew upwards again, heading for the humans who watched them. "We cannot defeat Hosenki like this." Sesshoumaru said quickly. "We must withdraw for now, and-"

He was cut off when Kirara suddenly shot downwards, and something grazed his left side. Sesshoumaru almost screamed again, but he kept control of himself, allowing only a wince to penetrate his mask. He whirled to see the new threat and nearly cursed himself when he realized it was Naraku. How could he have forgotten the damn hanyou? It was the second mistake he'd made in a very short time. How could he be slipping?

With a growl, Sesshoumaru barked out orders. "Kagome, take the others and get somewhere safe." He snapped.

For once, Kagome didn't argue. Seeing the amount of damage done to Sesshoumaru, she directed the bird down to Kirara. "Come on." Kagome whispered. "Let's get inside of their dad. If I remember correctly, Sesshoumaru's poison couldn't penetrate his skeleton. It might help with Naraku's miasma."

"We'll follow you." Sango answered.

As Kagome led the way to the Inu no Taisho's mouth, InuYasha reached his brother. "Hey, bastard. You aren't dying on me, are you?"

Sesshoumaru sneered, glaring at the red-eyed hanyou in front of them. "As if vermin lower than a hanyou could kill this Sesshoumaru."

Naraku's eyes narrowed at that, but he didn't back off. "It would seem as though you are injured, Sesshoumaru. Perhaps you would like to take a nap?"

Sesshoumaru's temper was short, but he managed to not react to Naraku. "InuYasha, get the Shikon shard from Hosenki. I will deal with Naraku."

"No way am I letting an ass like you get all the glory!" InuYasha protested. "I'm staying here!"

With a growl, Sesshoumaru turned on InuYasha and sent him flying with a single punch. "You worthless hanyou! Do something useful instead of defacing our father's tomb!" He turned back to Naraku and barely brought up Tokijin in time to block Naraku's tentacle. The slash cut off the tentacle up until the barrier, and the tentacle began emitting Naraku's famed miasma. Sesshoumaru smirked as several more tentacles shot forward. As a poison demon, Sesshoumaru remained unaffected by the miasma. Another slash, and the tentacles were severed, releasing more of the miasma.

For a moment, the miasma was too thick for Sesshoumaru to see, and he realized with a growl that it blocked his sense of smell as well. A shot of demonic energy from Tokijin quickly cleared the miasma, but by then, Naraku had disappeared. With a growl Sesshoumaru shot upwards again, quickly clearing the miasma. He spotted Naraku immediately, as the hanyou was standing in front of Hosenki's head, several feet away from where InuYasha was climbing up the crystallized demon.

"Hosenki, you are a jeweler. Surely you see this as the travesty it is that such a beautiful jewel should be separated?" Naraku asked, tentacles, surreptitiously creeping around Hosenki's head. "It should be brought back together."

"You are the holder of the black jewel." Hosenki intoned, seeming to glare at Naraku. "But the jewel has never been, nor will it ever be, yours. It belongs to no one, and yet everyone."

Naraku frowned, not comprehending the statement. But when his tentacles reached the Shikon shard, he didn't care. With a smirk, he strengthened and sharpened his tentacles before using them as drills. "I believe you will be proven wrong."

Naraku sensed a buildup of demonic energy and quickly moved over Hosenki's head, just in time to avoid Sesshoumaru's strike. He laughed as another strike hit, bouncing off Hosenki's diamond body. "The Shikon shard is mine!" He called, just as his tentacles drilled through Hosenki's head. With one last strike, Hosenki's head was severed from his body. Naraku grabbed it just as it began to fall, and expertly removed the shard from its hiding place. "I have no further use for you." In a demonstration of his usually callous behavior, Naraku threw Hosenki's head behind him, laughing as it flew. Only Sesshoumaru saw that InuYasha had reached Hosenki's head at the second before Naraku threw it, and both he and Hosenki landed in the Inu no Taisho's mouth.

Naraku absorbed the shard, joining it with the others. He erected his barrier just in time to stop Sesshoumaru sword as it fell towards his head. Sesshoumaru snarled, eyes glowing red with fury. Naraku laughed and pushed Sesshoumaru back with his barrier, watching in amusement as the demon lord summoned his cloud and floated above him. "Come, Sesshoumaru!" Naraku shouted. "Let us see if you are as powerful as you claim!"

Sesshoumaru, deciding that Naraku was much too calm, merely smirked. "Vermin."

Naraku snarled and shot forward, intending to decapitate Sesshoumaru. But Sesshoumaru was expecting the move and quickly moved aside, allowing Naraku to pass him by. He drew Tokijin and settled in for a long battle. He winced slightly as his left side protested movement, still dripping with blood from the combined efforts of Hosenki and Naraku. He grit his teeth and faced Naraku, ready for a fight.

While Sesshoumaru and Naraku fought above, the group surrounded InuYasha. "Are you alright?" Kagome asked.

InuYasha spit out blood and rubbed his jaw. "Keh. The only injury I've got is from that bastard punching me. I think he broke my jaw!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed as she checked the jaw. "Well, it's not broken, though I'll add that to my growing list of complaints against that guy. I can't believe he threw me!"

"Well, I'll kick his ass after Naraku's gone." InuYasha shouted. He stood and started towards the edge of his father's skeletal jaw, when Hosenki's head suddenly called to him.

"Young one!" InuYasha turned in surprise, having thought that Hosenki had died again when Naraku severed his head. "Do you still have the strength to fight?"

"Of course!" InuYasha shouted. "There's no way I'm going to let Narkau win!"

"Unless something is done, the impure shard will join those in the care of the keeper of the black jewel." Hosenki intoned. InuYasha scoffed, about to turn away, when Hosenki finished his statement. "Kill me before it happens." InuYasha froze in place, and Hosenki continued. "The Tetsusaiga has the ability to absorb the power of demons it slays. My adamant barrage has been able to penetrate the hanyou's barrier. Kill me, and you will have that power."

InuYasha seemed excited for a moment, but a sudden thought made him pause. "What will happen to you?" InuYasha asked. He moved forward and knelt in front of Hosenki. "What will happen if I slay you?"

Hosenki was silent for a moment, then avoided the question. "Do you have the luxury to worry about others?" InuYasha looked away, seeing his brother fighting against Naraku. "Besides, if you are unworthy of possessing the shard, you will be unable to slay me!" With that last statement, Hosenki's body armor of adamant grew to surround the entirety of his head. "If you fail, you will pay with your life, hanyou, here and now. Do you still have the resolve to do it?"

Kagome ran forward and clutched at InuYasha's shoulder. "Don't do it, InuYasha. Having the power would be great, but it's not worth your life!"

InuYasha stood, shrugging off Kagome's hand. "Well, if you're not going to make it easy, it makes me feel a little better about doing this."

"InuYasha, don't-"

"Stay out of the way, Kagome." InuYasha growled, drawing Tetsusaiga with his usual flair. "I'll slay you, Hosenki."

Kagome almost ignored InuYasha, but she suddenly stopped when she saw his eyes. Months of traveling with Sesshoumaru had taught her a lot about reading body language, and she saw in his eyes that he was resolved to do this. With a sigh, Kagome stepped back to stand with the others, sending up a silent prayer to whatever deity might be listening. Please, let him be safe.

InuYasha kept his eyes on Hosenki's empty sockets as he raised his sword. Then, with a cry, he swung the Tetsusaiga down directly between his eyes. The blade struck with the same clang as before, but this time, a bright blue light emanated from the striking point. Thousands of tiny adamant shards flew from the point of contact, and cuts erupted all over InuYasha's body.

Once the glow had faded, InuYasha stared at Hosenki's head. It didn't even make a crack! He thought with frustration. He heard the gasps behind him, and he felt more than heard Kagome murmur of worry at the cuts that littered his body. But his eyes saw only the red light that had replaced Hosenki's eyes, and his resolve remained firm. With another cry he raised Tetsusaiga and swung.

High above them, Naraku and Sesshoumaru continued their battle. Sesshoumaru's breathing was becoming heavier as time went on, and he was slower as his body struggled to stop the bleeding on his left side. Again and again Sesshoumaru swung Tokijin down on Naraku's barrier, and again and again he was forced back, draining him a bit more.

"Sesshoumaru, do you wish to destroy me so badly?" Naraku taunted. "Please, let me grant that wish." Naraku released a few tentacles and allowed them to leave the barrier. The tentacles grew teeth and mouths as they surged forward at Sesshoumaru, inviting him to attack. Sesshoumaru jumped back, evading the attack, only to see the tentacles change direction and come at him in the air. With a small sneer of contempt, Sesshoumaru swung, sending his power up the tentacles in hopes that it would reach Naraku through the barrier. But the attack ended at the barrier, merely severing the tentacles from Naraku's body. As the tentacles fell, Naraku's miasma spurt from their remains. Soon the air was full of the miasma, though Sesshoumaru thought little of it since he was immune.

Unfortunately, he forgot the humans and InuYasha, who sat unprotected it the Inu no Taisho's mouth. InuYasha kept swinging at Hosenki, each attack pushing him farther back after the strike, and giving off more and more adamant shards. Yet still, there was no crack in Hosenki's diamond armor. He was about to swing again when Shippou shouted. "Naraku's miasma!"

InuYasha turned to look, and he started to panic when he saw how close the miasma was. He almost turned away from Hosenki, but Kagome quickly called to him. "Focus on what you need to do, InuYasha. I will take care of the miasma." She turned away and fired an arrow, purifying the miasma before it even reached them.

InuYasha stared at them for a moment longer, until Hosenki called him back. "What's the matter, InuYasha? I thought you had the resolve to finish this."

InuYasha snorted and turned back. "I don't need a reminder, Skeletor! I refuse to quit until this is done!" With another shout, he raised the Tetsusaiga and swung again.

Sesshoumaru continued cutting the heads, ignorant to what his strikes were doing to his companions. Kagome kept firing her arrows as needed, knowing that Sesshoumaru wasn't intentionally harming anyone, although adding to her list of reasons to yell. InuYasha swung again and again, each time causing more damage to himself than to Hosenki. And Naraku, as usual, kept taunting Sesshoumaru as he continued to force the demon lord back.

Eventually, someone had to break. This time, it was Kagome. After firing another arrow to purify the growing amount of miasma, she reached back into her quiver for another arrow. But she had none left. She heard Shippou whimper as the miasma got closer, and she stepped back from edge of the Inu no Taisho's mouth.

"Kagome, the miasma's coming!" Shippou shouted.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm out of arrows."

InuYasha heard her, and he swung down on Hosenki's head with renewed fury. "Damn it!" He screamed as he was forced back. Once again, Hosenki's skull showed no sign of wear. He heard Shippou scream again, and his mind was made up. With a single leap, he stood at the entrance to his father's mouth. "Stay back and out of the way!"

Hosenki called for InuYasha's attention again. "What's the matter, boy? I thought you were going to slay me and strengthen your sword."

"Shut the hell up!" InuYasha shouted. "I'll get back to you later!"

Hosenki laughed. "So seeing your comrades in danger has weakened your resolve? How pathetic. Do you truly think that the lives of your friends are more important than your sword?" InuYasha's grip on his sword tightened as he fought back the urge to go back and really wail on the arrogant demon. "Is that because you are a mere half demon?"

InuYasha tightened his grip again, but didn't even turn away. "I am what I am. And I do things exactly as I want to."

"Even if you obtained my powers, would you be able to control them?" Hosenki mocked.

"Shut up!" InuYasha roared, turning to look at Hosenki over his shoulder. "Maybe I don't want them after all! You can keep your great demonic powers. I'll pass!" He looked back, ignoring the part of him that wanted the demonic power Hosenki offered. "I'm going to focus on what has to be done right now. Nothing else matters!" The wind of Tetsusaiga surrounded the blade, reflecting InuYasha's determination. InuYasha raised the blade and shouted. "Windscar!"

Shining brighter than it ever had before, the windscar burst forth from Tetsusaiga, clearing away the miasma and going even further. It burst in between Sesshoumaru and Naraku, who continued to fight above them. It headed directly for Naraku, seeking out the source of the miasma. For a moment, Naraku's smirk grew as the windscar hit his barrier. Then the smile faltered when Hosenki's adamant broke through his barrier.

InuYasha stared at Tetsusaiga in wonder as the blade's glow dissipated, leaving behind a diamond blade. "Things would have ended differently if you had been motivated by power or greed, son of the Inu no Taisho." Hosenki's words suddenly boomed through the air, reaching even Sesshoumaru and Naraku. "While the want of power is a powerful force, the truth is, only the strongest can fight through the wants of their heart. Once gained, power is useless without direction. But the power of one who fights for what their heart desires grows in order to keep what is important to them." A single crack suddenly appeared on Hosenki's skull, and it traveled down the skull until it split open with a loud crack. "This is the lesson that the Inu no Taisho wished for his sons to learn, and to accept."

Sesshoumaru gripped his sword tightly, ignoring the rest of what Hosenki had to say as he taught InuYasha to use his power, the Adamant Barrage. How was it that he, a full demon, seemed to always be so behind when learning what it was his father wished for him? Yet it came so easily to InuYasha. He'd been taught for all his life that his pure demonic blood made him better than those with human blood in their veins. How could it be that he fell behind as his brother grew stronger?

Hours later, the group had rejoined Rin and Jaken, who had been waiting outside of the underground tunnel to the entrance to the Barrier. The two inu brothers had been treated to a long session with Doctor Kagome. She ignored any protests about demonic healing and refused to allow them to move until they were fully healed. This also meant she cleaned each wound, smacking InuYasha on the nose when he complained, and bandaged them up until every injury was covered.

InuYasha grumbled a bit about the treatment, but didn't try to defy her. Kagome had assessed him quickly, and wasn't all too worried. It was obvious that the half demon was pleased with himself, having not only gained a new power, but also stuck it to that bastard Naraku. Once his wounds were healed, he'd be as good as new.

It was Sesshoumaru that was worrying her. The silent daiyoukai hadn't said a word since they'd left the Barrier, not even when InuYasha screamed at him about his broken jaw. Which wasn't really so strange, when she thought about it. But something about his body language seemed off. The proud way he carried himself had changed, and the normal alertness in his eyes had dulled. Kagome hadn't even had the heart to yell at him for throwing her.

By now, the fire was still shining brightly, and most of the group was asleep. Kagome wasn't too sure about whether or not InuYasha was out, but she could see that Sesshoumaru remained wide awake, staring at the fire. She contemplated going over and sitting with him, but had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate it. As she bit her lip and tried to think of something, Sesshoumaru sighed.

"Miko, what is troubling you?"

Kagome jumped, not realizing that Sesshoumaru had known she was awake. Sheepishly, she pulled herself up. "I wasn't spying on you, you know."

"Speak, or sleep, Miko." Sesshoumaru answered. "I do not have time for your babbling."

Kagome glared at him, but his words didn't deter her from making sure. She got out from her sleeping bag and came to sit beside the daiyoukai. "You've been. . . well, I can't really describe it." Sesshoumaru tensed, but let no other indication slip that she had been heard. "I mean, everything is just. . . off. It's like someone took your favorite sword and melted it down and then dumped it in the river." She groaned in frustration. "You're acting all weird, and to be perfectly honest, you're scaring me!"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment. Kagome sighed and leaned back on her arms. "I don't know why I expected you to actually tell me anything, considering how you don't talk on a good day. If something was actually bugging you, you'd be even worse than usual." She looked over at Sesshoumaru and continued to ramble. "I really do want to know what's wrong. And not because I'm a busybody, although I have been told that I am one. Though I don't think looking out for my friend qualifies as being a busybody. But anyway, I want to know what's wrong because I'm worried, and you're not acting like yourself, and that's even more worrying. . ."

Sesshoumaru listened to Kagome, at least until he verified that she wasn't really saying anything of worth. He tuned out the words and just let her voice wash over him. There was some kind of a soothing quality to it, and it eased some of the tension he was feeling. He relaxed to the point that he almost missed it when her constant stream of words petered off. But the hand that suddenly touched his arm made him jolt in surprise.

Kagome quickly released him with a chuckle. "Wow, so a surprise appearance by Naraku is okay, but a touch from an incompetent miko makes you jump? I think you have your priorities mixed up a bit." She smiled up at him, and a thought occurred to her. "Unless you were enjoying hearing me talk so much that you actually let down your guard for a few seconds." When Sesshoumaru said nothing to disagree, Kagome grinned. "Well, I consider it a personal victory that I was able to get the great Lord of the West to drop his guard." Kagome chuckled again, and noticed the returning tenseness of his shoulders and growing lines on his face. For a moment, she remained quiet, just silently watching him. Then she began to speak again. "So I want to get back home soon. You see, when I go home, it means I go to school. At school I learn all those useless things that make me the weirdo I am. Like English, which won't be spoken here for another few hundred years. Then there's math, which I absolutely despise. . ."

Sesshoumaru felt himself relax again as Kagome continued to chatter, despite the fact that only weeks ago, he'd rather have cut his own throat than listen to her. Now, he found he couldn't get enough of her soft, melodious voice. It flowed over him, combining with her gentle scent to slowly relax him. If he wasn't careful, he would soon. . . fall. . . asleep. . .

Kagome let her ramble trail off as she noticed Sesshoumaru's eyes close and his breathing even out. She yawned, eyeing the sleeping daiyoukai carefully to make sure he was truly out. In all the time he'd travelled with them, Kagome had never once seen him sleeping. It was a welcome treat, and a small reminder that while enormously powerful, the daiyoukai was still mortal. Quietly, Kagome stood and walked over to the giant yellow bag that was almost attached to her. She pulled out a large blanket, one she kept for emergencies. As gently as possible, she placed the blanket around Sesshoumaru's shoulders and pulled it around him tightly. As another yawn nearly took off her jaw, Kagome walked over to Miroku's sleeping form.

"Miroku?"

Miroku shot up, grabbing his staff in an instinctive movement. He turned eyes wide and froze when he saw that it was only Kagome who'd woken him. "Ah, Lady Kagome." Sheepishly, he put his staff back down. "What can I do for you on this frigid night?"

Kagome shook her head with a smile. "Listen, I hate to ask, but Sesshoumaru fell asleep while on watch, and InuYasha needs to recover, so I was hoping-"

"I would be happy to go on watch for you, Lady Kagome." Miroku answered quietly. "It's not trouble at all."

"That's kind of you to offer." Kagome answered. "But I was actually going to ask if you could help me put up a barrier. That way everyone can get some much needed rest."

Miroku nodded. "An excellent plan, Lady Kagome."

The monk managed to rouse himself enough to make a few sutras. They spaced them out and hid them in the ground, endowing each with a bit of spiritual power. Then they sat together in the middle of the campsite. Miroku allowed his power to expand, as he usually did when creating a barrier. Though his barriers were usually small, his own power led Kagome's to weave into the spell. Her added power boost allowed them to create a barrier of a decent enough size to give them plenty of room should someone wake and move around during the night. After a quick conversation, Miroku even managed to guide Kagome's power into a spell that hid their scents, sounds, and the sight of them as well.

Kagome slumped, exhausted from the amount of power she'd used. Miroku chuckled. "You should get some rest, Lady Kagome."

"In a second." Kagome almost sighed. "You go ahead, Miroku."

Miroku happily obliged, just as washed out as Kagome. As soon as he lay down again, he was back in the world of dreams.

Kagome, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Thanks to her ever so kind nature, she couldn't just leave Sesshoumaru sitting in the middle of the clearing. She crept over to him and gently nudged the stoic demon. "Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome nearly jumped when the demon lord let out the most adorable puppy whine she had ever heard. Then she almost laughed when he fell backwards, clearly unwilling to move.

"Sesshoumaru, we need to move a bit."

Sesshoumaru whined again and shifted until his body was pressed against Kagome's. He snuffed a few times, then lay still. Kagome stared at him in amazement, her own weariness pushed back a bit by the shock. Then she got an idea. As quietly as possible, Kagome moved back towards the tree she had planned on directing Sesshoumaru towards. Sesshoumaru let out a small whimper and followed her. Kagome kept moving back until she was pressed back against the tree. By this point Sesshoumaru seemed to be almost awake, though he was crawling forward towards Kagome. It would have been worrying if she didn't find it so funny.

"Lay down, Sesshoumaru." She whispered as the daiyoukai settled down against her again. "It's okay, you can sleep now."

A small smile crept across the sleeping lord's face, and Kagome had to fight the urge to squeal like a little girl. Instead, she leaned over and gently ran a hand through his hair. "Good night, Sesshoumaru."

Her job done, exhaustion swept over the underage miko. With a yawn, she leaned back against the tree, perfectly happy to sleep there for the night. After all, it's not like anyone. . . would. . . mind. . .

"KAGOME!"

Kagome jolted upright and scrabbled to stand. Her hands flew to where her bow should have been, but it was missing. In a panic, she screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whirled and pushed, accidentally sending out a bit of her miko powers. She heard a familiar shout, and finally noticed who she'd just purified.

"InuYasha?" She asked.

"Damn it, wench! What the hell'd you do that for?" InuYasha shouted.

Kagome glared. "What the heck are you waking me up like that! I thought we were under attack!"

"What the hell are you doing cuddling with him!" InuYasha shouted, pointing at Sesshoumaru, who was now fully awake thanks to the screaming. Sesshoumaru's eyes grew wide at that statement.

"You woke me up for that!" Kagome shouted. "Dear god, InuYasha, get a grip! I was sitting there last night and I was too damn tired to move. That's all. You act like we decided to go fuck like bunnies while your back was turned."

InuYasha began sputtering, but Kagome ignored him. She stalked over to her sleeping bag on the other side of the clearing and climbed inside, ignoring the stares she was getting from nearly everyone in the campsite. She was not in the mood to deal with InuYasha's prejudices.

"Um, Kagome?"

With a growl, Kagome sat up, glaring at the moron who dared to disturb her rest. Miroku flinched back, but regained courage when Kagome's glare softened slightly. "The barrier?"

Kagome blinked, then her eyes widened. "Crap. I forgot." She struggled out of her bag and stumbled over to the fire. "What do I need to do?"

"Just follow my lead, Lady Kagome." Miroku answered with a smile. "It's much easier than creating the spell."

"Hold up!" InuYasha shouted. "What are you two talking about!"

Kagome lost her temper then. "Sit!" Ignoring the sputtering from InuYasha, she turned to Miroku and took his hands. "Lead the way, Miroku."

Once again, Miroku led her down the pathway to the spell, teaching her how to take down the barrier with ease. Kagome smiled as her power returned to her, loving the warmth it sent through her. A short while later, she opened her eyes again as the barrier disappeared. "I think I can do that on my own now." Kagome announced, grinning widely.

"I don't doubt it, Lady Kagome." Miroku answered. "Giving your penchant for protection, it's not surprising that you would excel at barriers."

Kagome smiled, any trace of tiredness gone. "Well, let's get ready to go, shall we?"

"Bout friggin time!" InuYasha shouted. "Why the hell you two put up a barrier when I'm here is a mystery to me!"

Kagome and Sango exchanged a look and shook their heads. It was so easy to forget InuYasha's childishness when he was fighting, but it all rushed back the second they were out of danger. But as he began to yell again, the two women joined the others in breaking down their campsite. About fifteen minutes later, and after a thorough check of both brothers' wounds, Kagome announced that InuYasha's wounds were entirely healed, and Sesshoumaru would be fine to move. They started out, InuYasha leading the way.

Kagome walked in the middle, a kind of divider between InuYasha's group and Sesshoumaru's. As the day wore on, Kagome became worried. On top of the wrongness from yesterday, Sesshoumaru wasn't rising to any of InuYasha's taunts, and seemed content to let InuYasha control their direction. About midday they stopped for a meal, and Kagome used this as an opportunity to speak to Sesshoumaru. But truth was, she had no idea what to say.

That is, until InuYasha got the bright idea to test out the new power of the Tetsusaiga. As he began firing Adamant Barrages, he grinned as he realized how easy it was to use. Getting one of his not so smart ideas, he whirled on Sesshoumaru. "Hey Sesshoumaru! Think you could take on my new power?"

Kagome's eyes widened, knowing that it would be a very, very bad idea. But as she was about to speak up, Sesshoumaru answered. "I have no need to prove myself against the inferior power of a hanyou."

InuYasha's eyes narrowed and he started to stalk forward. When his mouth opened, Kagome decided to play peacemaker. "InuYasha, knock it off. Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to do anything but make us weaker." A few of the group, mostly from her original group, gave her a strange look. Kagome ignored them and focused on InuYasha. "I mean it, InuYasha. Stop acting like a child."

InuYasha seemed shell shocked, staring wide-eyed at the relaxed Kagome. Then a thought occurred to him and he smirked. "Of course I won't fight him now, Kagome. I wouldn't want to fight a wounded cripple!" Kagome stared at him in shock, disbelief in every part of her body. "You know, you must actually be pretty weak. You couldn't use Tetsusaiga, you couldn't break Naraku's barrier. Hell, you can't even use your sword correctly!" He laughed, twirling Tetsusaiga in his hand. "I'll bet the reason Dad left you such a weak sword is because you were too weak to have a prayer of wielding Tetsusaiga!"

Sesshoumaru started to rise at that, eyes blazing. But Kagome beat him to the punch. Before anyone noticed, Kagome was on her feet and in front of InuYasha. Fury blazing in her eyes, she whipped back her hand and slapped InuYasha across the face. The blow was hard enough to leave scratches from her nails and a red mark from her hand. "How dare you!" Kagome seethed, her voice quiet, yet somehow resounding throughout the group. "How DARE you!" She shouted. "Sesshoumaru was injured saving your life, you ungrateful ignoramus! He wasn't given Tetsusaiga because you need it to control yourself! And we all know that Naraku is powerful because he has the power of thousands of demons in his body!" Kagome came closer, grabbing InuYasha's shirt and pulling him down so that her face was even with his. "And the only reason Sesshoumaru cannot use that stupid sword of yours is because demons do not feel as easily as humans. Hell, you'd be exactly like him if you weren't a hanyou!"

Kagome shoved InuYasha back, and the group saw for the first time that Kagome's powers were beginning to spark around her. "Grow up, InuYasha. You're two hundred and fifty years old. Quit acting like a child."

Kagome turned away and stalked back to her seat. InuYasha stared at her several minutes before he could work up the courage to ask. "Why are you defending him?"

"Because he is my friend, InuYasha." Kagome announced, speaking loudly enough for everyone in the clearing to hear. "And I defend my friends, even from other friends."

The group was quiet after that. Sesshoumaru stared at Kagome, amazed at the change in her. Before the two groups had separated, Kagome would never have stood up to InuYasha like that. She certainly wouldn't have acted so maturely. He almost smiled as Kagome got all her things packed up so that they could leave. As they began to walk, Sesshoumaru had to smile as Kagome stubbornly walked beside AhUn, entertaining Rin and annoying Jaken simultaneously. Though he quickly hid the smile, he couldn't hide his own feelings from himself anymore.

Higurashi Kagome was a human, a miko, an impudent, awkward, and rude girl. And somehow, she had become his friend.

Author's Rant

Obsessive_Goddess: HW, I'm bored.

Horse Wolves: Don't you dare complain to me, OG.

Obsessive_Goddess: But. . . I always complain to you. Who else would I complain to?

Horse Wolves: You're not allowed to complain to me because it's your fault we've been exiled to this desolate wasteland by Serephina of the Kamis.

Obsessive_Goddess: Is that where we are? I thought she just shut off her brain.

Horse Wolves: [stares at OG] Please tell me you don't think that people can actually shut off their brains.

Obsessive_Goddess: Why not? I do it all the time. Watch! [OG shuts off her brain and stares into space.]

Horse Wolves: Serephina of the Kamis! I swear, I'll never leave the fandom again! But don't leave me here with HER!

[in the InuYasha Fandom]

Kagome: So Sesshoumaru, do you have a plan yet?

Sesshoumaru: I thought you were making the plan to bust out OG and HW.

Kagome: I thought you were!

Sesshoumaru: Well this sucks.

Kagome: I totally agree.

End of Author's Rant