CHAPTER 13 - Revised 11/12/18

Kagome sat up on the bed. She couldn't sleep again. It had been a day since she was kidnapped. She had refused food and water since that would mean letting down her barrier. No one was strong enough to be able to enter. She was becoming tired due to the long extensive use of power but she needed to hold out as much as possible.

A soft knock on the door broke her from her thoughts. Before she could deny them entry, she heard a familiar voice.

"Kagome-sama. It's Soten. Hurry. Let me in." The young youkai urgently requested.

Kagome leapt out of bed and lowered her barrier. "Soten. Enter." She said as quietly as possible. It was late in the night. Everyone was still sleeping.

Soten quickly fiddled with the lock and entered the room. She looked around checking if anyone saw her before closing the door behind her. She turned her ruby eyes to Kagome looking her over. "You're not hurt are you?" Kagome shook her head. The youkai girl smiled. "Good. We are getting you out of here."

"Who's we?" Had Inuyasha come for her?

"Miki arrived this morning. Her and Fuk are waiting outside." Soten peeked outside the door before motioning for Kagome to follow. "Let's go. Be very quiet and follow me. They quickly hurried down the hallway and down the stairs. As they reached the bottom, a few guards were walking around. Soten slid into the shadows pulling Kagome tightly against her.

Soten glanced at Kagome and motioned toward the kitchen. Once the guard walked past, they slipped into the kitchen. Soten moved to the back door with Kagome in toe when a guard entered through that door. He turned to them and sucked in a breath to yell.

Kagome had frozen. They were about to be caught. Soten pushed the Tengu against the door frame covering his mouth muffling his cry as she released a knife from her belt and cut his throat. As the tengu slumped to the ground, Soten dragged his body into a dark corner. With a huff, she released the body and made her way to the door.

Kagome had peeked out and her eyes widened. The guards had increased in numbers at night. Soten cursed. "Fuk said we would get you home…She didn't mention this."

"Fuk?"

"She is a wise youkai born from the tree of wisdom. She is over one thousand years old." Soten stared at the gate where Fuk and Miki were waiting beyond the tree line. Lucky for them, tengu couldn't smell other youkai.

"What should we do?"

Soten growled at the irregular circulation of guards. "We will have to plow through. There is no sneaking around from here out. She turned her gaze to Kagome. Her ruby eyes gleamed with fear. Her jaw clenched as her eyes became hard. When the coast is clear, make a run for it. I'll distract them." She moved to leave when Kagome pulled her back.

"You can't do this by yourself. I don't care how much you feel guilty about what your brother's did. You can't." Kagome looked up at her with pleading eyes.

Soten cursed and pulled away. She lowered her head feeling her self loathing eating her up. "When it's clear, run as fast as you can." With that Soten excited the back door and hurried behind a bush. As a guard walked closer, she stepped behind him and stabbed him the back letting his cry of pain alert the others before stabbing him in the head. The other guards yelled and ran toward her with their swords. Archers on the towers by the gate locked on her.

Kagome watch in horror as she fought eight guards. One of them successfully sliced her side. Looking up, she saw the archers wait for an opening to let loose. Soten stumbled back and sliced through another tengu when the arrows flew toward her. Kagome ran out and covered her in a barrier. The arrows bounced off. Soten turned to Kagome but so did the tengu. More guards ran out of the castle toward them.

Hiroshi stood in the doorway scowling. "Get her!" He pointed towards Kagome. He wasn't joining the fight. Most likely due to his human state.

Kagome covered herself in a barrier just in time as tengu surrounded her. Soten ran towards her slicing through the tengu until one caught her and knocked her on her injured side. "Soten!"

Suddenly the field was engulfed with fire. The once organized group of tengu were running in fear. A tengu ran towards her. He was running from something. A clawed hand wrapped around his neck. It was Shippo. He drug is claws in the tengu's throat as he pleaded for his life. His eyes were cold as he snapped the tengu's neck. It was unsettling to see on the young youkai. Another guard ran toward him. Shippo easily blocked the attack and pulled the tengu by the collar bring him face to face with her murderer. Shippo plunged his claw through his chest and ripped out the Tengu's heart.

Kagome shook her head at the horror before her. What had happened to her friend? He quickly moved toward her and picked her up. "Time to go Kagome."

Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck. Miroku had walked onto the field as well as a few taijiya killing any other tengu who attacked.

Hiroshi scowled from his perch. "Retreat!" The other tengu ran from their enemy to reorganize.

Miki and Fuk waited by the gates with some horses ready to leave. Shippo put Kagome on a horse with one of the young taijiya. Miroku and the other taijiya made their way back as well but Soten was nowhere to be found.

Kagome searched the field but couldn't see through the fires.

"Let's go!" Shippo yelled.

"Wait!" Kagome halted the group. Shippo and Miroku looked up at her questioningly.

Miki and Fuk had been searching through the fires as well. "Where's Soten?" Miki asked.

Fuk cursed. She hoped she was okay.

"Who?" Shippo asked. The name sounded irritatingly familiar.

"Soten. The thunder brother's sister." Kagome explained. Shippo growled at the name remembering the brat from years before. "She rescued me. We have to help her." Shippo's jaw clenched. "Stay here." He turned and headed back into blazing fire.

WWWWWWW

Soten had watched in awe as the kitsune she had known years ago, fight off the tengu. He had become so strong. His long red hair swayed behind him as he killed one after the other. His movements were hypnotizing. He had hurried to Kagome and leapt toward the gate. She was safe. Soten fell to her knees and breathed out with relief. She was glad to have been able to save Kagome-sama.

Spots formed in front of her eyes. She looked down at the blood spilling from her side. It's fine, she thought. With her death, she had rectified her brother's sin. With that as her last thought, her world went black.

Suddenly a enticing scent reached her nose. It was familiar yet alluring. She wanted more of it.

WWWWWWW

Shippo made his way through the flames searching for the youkai girl when a scent brushed against his senses. The scent was of a rich rose. It lured him to the beautiful girl laying in the grass in a pool of her own blood. He growled conflicted with the feeling of worry and hate. He could tell she was barely alive as he gently lifted her into his arms.

Her eyes lazily opened. Her jeweled eyes meeting his. "Mate." She whispered.

Shippo cursed. He glared at the girl in his arms. His jaw clenched. "There's no fucking way I will be your mate." He growled.

They made it back to the group. From then on he refused to look at her.

WWWWWW

"My lord!" Joichiro stormed into the meeting room. Inuyasha looked up from his work and glared at the old kitsune. Joichiro paused when he saw Inuyasha's eyes. They were not their usual red. His irises were red. Was his hanyou blood changing?

Sesshomaru turned his attention to Joichiro after he set down his tea. "You have finally arrived. Please." He motioned for the kitsune to sit.

Joichiro immediately complied. A maid quickly served him some tea. "Thank you." He looked back to Inuyasha who had stared at the papers before him. Yet he didn't seem to be actually reading them.

Inuyasha growled. "Are you going to just stare or are you going to speak?"

Joichiro cleared his throat as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I apologize my lord. I just...this was not the vision I had foreseen."

"Keh. I assume you saw me storm the tengu's castle." Inuyasha picked up his papers and dropped them off to the side.

"Many of your people's lives were lost along with all the tengu. Hiroshi killed the miko... I am very glad this fate has changed."

Inuyasha's jaw clenched. It was true he was planning to go regardless of the consequences. His human and youkai warred over it for hours after his mate's disappearance. Ever since he mated Kagome, he had not felt the same. His youkai and human emotions have blurred resulting in his decision to stay. He had gotten word that Shippo and Miroku left to assist in extracting Kagome. He was sure Shippo would do what needed to be done to get her back. Though staying behind was not easy for him to do. Sesshomaru's constant watch over him was driving him insane.

"Rest assured, I did see Kagome-sama leaving safely with the taijiya on my way over. Hopefully this has not changed either."

Inuyasha let out a breath that he felt like he had been holding for hours. She was safe. He knew it had to be true. "Thank you Joichiro."

"Hey mutt-face! What happened to Kagome?" Kouga stormed in with Nobaru right behind him.

Sesshomaru scowled at the noisy ookami (wolf). Kouga ignored him as he stared at Inuyasha's eyes. "What the fuck happened to you?" He asked as he sat down. A maid quickly served both of the lords as they took their seats.

"Joichiro has confirmed that Kagome will be safely extracted from the tengu's castle. Inuyasha's change is from what we assume is due to her being the reincarnation of Ayatsume." Sesshomaru said as he took another sip of his tea.

"Kagome is a god?" The ookami lord smiled. "Keh. Makes sense since she is very beautiful."

His statement earned him a murderous growl from Inuyasha. His rubied eyes pierced Kouga's. Kouga chuckled amused from the rise he got out of the hanyou. "So are you even hanyou anymore?"

"Who knows." Inuyasha mumbled.

"Is it true that we will be going to war?" Nobaru asked.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yes. Hiroshi never mated the daughter of the northern taiyoukai. He had taken the dowry without fulfilling his side of the bargain. Sesshomaru has mated her and she will resume her role as heir to the North."

"That does not seem a good enough reason to put our people in danger." Nobaru said as he stared back at Inuyasha and Sesshomaru who growled at the oni.

"It was Kagome who chose to save Yuuna in the first place." Inuyasha added. He knew this knowledge would gain the ookami's favor.

Kouga chuckled at the Western taiyoukai's reaction. "You're right Nobaru. It's not a good enough reason but if Kagome is the new Ayatsume then who are we to deny her will?"

Nobaru nodded mulling over the ookami's words. "If she is indeed a god, then I will follow."

"She is a god." Yuuna said as she walked in. "What priest or miko can heal with touch? Inuyasha mentioned that she heals like a youkai. Tell me what being could do this?" Yuuna sat beside her mate who had focused on her since she entered. She trained her eyes on the oni.

Nobaru turned to the female inu-youkai. "So it is as my mage has said…" He turned his gaze to Inuyasha. "What is your plan?"

"Inuyasha-sama!" Hide, the young dragon youkai entered followed by Miki. That was when her scent reached him. 'Kagome…'