(A/N: Update as of 2-1-11: One shot sequel is up! Check it out, the title is Sempiternal Redolence!)

When I die I'll become a flower,
You a butterfly
And we'll live a thousand years on green pastures
Love, my love, oh my love
Always be my love

First Love

Chapter Twenty-Four

There was no stopping them. The pace they were running at was incredibly fast and if you weren't a demon, there would be no possible way for you to see them. It would only seem like a small breeze if they passed a human, but little did they know that behind that slight breeze was a group of very angry and determined demons.

At the front of the group was the silver haired fox demon, Youko. There was no expression on his face as he sped through the forest, hair flowing behind him as he jumped over and dodged trees. The energy that radiated off of him was so powerful that every member of the group could feel it vibrating in the air, causing the hair on their arms to stand straight up. He didn't need to tell his men a word as they followed him; their trust in their leader was something that no demon or any circumstance could break.

Slightly behind Youko was Kuronue, the second in command of the group of thieves. The bat demon followed his long time friend without judgment or trepidation. What Leiko had done to Kagome was inexcusable and so he knew that he had to be a part of the rescue. Yes, he would have gone anyway even if Leiko wasn't involved, but since that was not the case, he felt a strong need to help his friend and try to repair the damage the blonde woman had caused to Youko's lover.

Kuronue had not seen Leiko since their fight, but he knew that when this was all over he would. And when he did, he would definitely give her an earful. More importantly, he would make sure that she herself would ask for forgiveness and take whatever punishment came her way.

To the left of Kuronue was Taro, the male feline demon. A part of his cause for joining the impending battle was to rescue Kagome for the sole fact that his leader, Youko asked it of them. But his main reason was to kill every wolf that had hurt Ai. His lover meant the world to him and it killed him that he had left her back at their hideout. He didn't want to be separated from her for a moment when he found her beaten and broken body but she asked that he join the others and rescue Kagome. He knew that if she was alright, she would have gone also, but since she wasn't allowed to he went in her place. He could tell that she had felt some sort of disappointment in herself for not being able to protect Kagome like Youko had asked and so that made him all the more determined to go and kill as many demons as possible and aid in the rescue for Ai.

Behind Taro then followed the twenty demons that had been gathered by Kuronue. They truly were the best demon thieves from their group. Their sizes ranged from strong and muscular to thin and flexible. Their heights ranged from being shorter than Youko to being a good two to three feet taller than him. Each carried their own set of weapons they had mastered and specialized in as well as even little tricks that could be used on enemy's to confuse them and aid in their winning of the battle.

Together they made one of the most powerful units that any demon, human or group could ever lay eyes on. To be caught in their path at a time like this would only lead to a swift death without ever having the chance to try and escape.

It was a pity however, that a group of Hirohiko's men found their way into that said path.

The group of demons slowed their pace until coming to a complete halt a few feet away from the cocky men that held their flimsy swords in front of them. Their armor was made up of such material that it would be easily destroyed with the swipe of one of their claws. It seemed as though none of the humans knew this since they looked as confident as ever and the demons could hear their comments of a guaranteed win.

With the flick of his finger, Youko signaled for one of the demons to come forward. A shorter demon that resembled a deer stepped forward to stand beside Youko.

The fox demon turned his amber eyes on his comrade and spoke just loud enough so only his group could hear. "I want you to go back to the village and alert them that there is a possibility that Hirohiko's men are headed their way. This might not be the only group that is headed in its direction."

With a nod of his head, the male deer demon turned and disappeared into the brush of the forest to do as his boss told him. He was one of the fastest in the group and the additional speed would surely have him arrive back to the others in no time.

Turning back to the humans that stood a mere few feet ahead of them Youko only had to nod his head to signal the start of the battle. From behind him, five demons of his group leapt ahead of him and engaged in battle with the humans. Youko felt no need to stay and so he along with Kuronue, Taro and the rest of his men continued on. He knew his men could handle themselves and would quickly catch up with them after defeating the small group of humans. If he had felt that it was necessary for him to stay he would have. Since there were bigger enemies that lay ahead however, he knew he had to hurry and continued on.

With a great leap, Youko made his way up a tree and jumped freely into the air just as a loud explosion sounded behind him. He turned his head and saw that in the place where his men were fighting Hirohiko's that there now was a huge crater and the scent of human blood filled the air along with rotting flesh. He continued on still even as he heard the demons that had stayed behind to fight catch up and join them once again.

Night would soon fall upon them in the hour and so they needed to keep the same pace they had previously in order to hopefully find Hirohiko's hiding place within the night time. They would have a much higher advantage fighting at night than during the day. Demons had much better eyesight than humans and who didn't like to fight in the dark? They were thieves after all and the night belonged to them.

After jumping across the tree tops, Youko dropped down to join his group in their pursuit. It was quite odd that Hirohiko would send a group of his men that were so weak and ill-equipped to fight demons such as themselves now that he thought about it. Was it a trick? Or were all of his men armed so pitifully and easy to defeat? In either case it was something that Youko had already experienced in his long life and so he knew he would be prepared no matter what surprises Hirohiko had for them.

He planned to kill that bastard as quickly and as brutally as possible. For what he had those wolves do to Ai as well as for holding Kagome hostage, he would not hold anything back. That filthy and disgusting human would die at his hands and his alone. He should have done it ages ago when he first caught his scent but instead he had left him alone, not thinking he would dare to go against a demon such as himself. As a result of his neglect he was now in this mess that he needed to clean up.

Their running was filled with silence other than the occasional sigh or grunt from jumping to avoid something. They were a team that didn't need to speak much as they traveled and it seemed as if every member enjoyed that. At times it felt like a waste to talk and fill the silence with needless things and so they didn't.

Time seemed to steadily pass as the sun went down and the moon rose. Dusk was almost the perfect time of day for their group. Animals were going to sleep as well as most humans and the night creatures such as themselves could soon come out to play. Eventually there was a delightfully loud and obnoxious sound coming from up ahead of them and the group once again found themselves slowing and jumping up into the trees to the high branches to scope the area.

"Look Youko! It's a castle!" whispered Taro from a branch beside where Youko was crouching.

Slowly and silently pushing the leaves from his line of vision, Youko peered out and down at the semi-large estate that seemed to be bustling with life. He could see from where he was, horses pulling carts filled with armor and weapons as well as men running around and yelling. Youko smirked slightly. So the waste of life was preparing for them to arrive? How nice of him to be quickly preparing. It was a shame that they had arrived probably much sooner than Hirohiko could have expected and by the looks of it, this might be one of the easiest raids he had been on in a while.

Except for this raid, he would not hide from those who saw him. Instead he would make a point to kill everyone he saw that was in his way. Most importantly however, he would kill Hirohiko before he would rescue Kagome so that way they both would know that he was dead and could no longer bother them.

As for Kouga…

Youko glanced at Taro and saw his anxious face as well as his tail flicker in excitement. Turning back to stare intently at the castle, he confirmed in his mind that he would leave the filthy wolf to Taro. It was plain to see that the cat demon so desperately wanted to return the favor Kouga had given to Ai and he would allow that. Even though originally in his mind he thought he would take on both Hirohiko and Kouga, he knew that Taro deserved the chance more than him to deal with the wolf.

The group watched on silently as the castle below them bustled to get ready for an enemy that had already landed on their soil. None of them would expect to see the thieves tonight and that just added to the anxiousness of the whole situation. Catching enemies by surprise was one of their favorite things to do.

When night finally descended upon them and their nerves and anxiousness could not be held back any longer, they silently moved in. Through the trees and brush they made no sound and the group was successfully able to sneak behind the guards of the wall and snapped their necks, instantly killing them.

Youko turned to his men. "Each of you pair up and surround the castle. No one is allowed to escape." He then turned to Taro. "You must find Kouga and take care of him. I will go after Hirohiko and find Kagome."

He watched as his men nodded their heads before disappearing over the wall, leaving Youko with Kuronue. His friend game him a slight grin.

"I won't interfere when you fight Hirohiko or when you find Kagome. Instead I'll be in the shadows and hopefully stealing as much precious gems as possible," he laughed. After cracking his fingers and saluting his friend, Kuronue disappeared over the wall to join in the fight.

Not being one to waste time, Youko crouched before using as much strength as possible to launch him into the air. The force of the jump had his hair flying once again behind him as the wind gushed into his face. As he felt himself falling to the ground from such a high height, he saw his men engaging in fights as the loud screams emerged and filled the air. Explosions started to go off and he could smell the smoke and feel it burn his lungs. Chaos erupted beneath him and gave him a sudden surge of adrenaline as his eyes searched the area to land on the estate where both Hirohiko and Kagome were. He could feel it in his bones and when his feet touched the ground he used so much power that it didn't even seem like he was running but instead, he was soaring.

The floor beneath her started to rumble once again. It had been happening all day only having let up a few hours ago, but this time it was slightly different. Instead of the constant and steady feeling beneath her feet, it was rapid and at the same time unpredictable. It gave her chills and everything in her 'room' began to move and rattle.

She could hear muffled screaming through the walls before she rushed to place her ear against the wall to try and make out what they were saying. It was difficult to make anything out since even the walls were starting to shake violently but she did hear someone scream 'demon!' and a perplexed expression crossed her face.

"Youko?" she asked herself aloud and her heart skipped a beat. Could it be possible…?

She took in a deep breath and exhaled as she shook her head. It couldn't be, it was just too soon it seemed, for him to find her in such a place as this. She felt another explosion go off and she stumbled back into the room to move away from the wall that seemed to be breaking right before her eyes. Fear overtook her and she staggered to the door, using her bruised hands to pound on the door.

"Help me! Help!" she screamed into the door. She could feel the room behind her heating up and the sound of wood splitting filled her ears. Whatever had arrived at the estate was right outside and fighting its way in mercilessly and she couldn't afford to die at a time like this. She needed to stay alive in order to hopefully see Youko one last time.

Her mind was so determined to get out of the room that was falling apart behind her but her body was just so weak from all the damage Hirohiko had done to her. Her hands fell loosely around the knob of the door that she knew was locked and rattled it before returning to hitting the door, screaming for help.

The door she was pounding on opened abruptly and she came face to face with Kouga. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened and she unconsciously moved away from him.

He grabbed the collar of her kimono though and prevented her from moving any further away from him. "What do you think you're doing? You were yelling for help and here I am to save you. Is this any way to treat your savior?"

Before she could reply she was violently yanked from the room and dragged behind Kouga down the hallway that will vibrating and filled with screams of death. She could see splatters of blood that now stained the walls and feel the heat that seemed to kiss the back of her neck. She tried to turn her head slightly and could see the smoke that slowly followed them along with the orange glow of a fire that started to fill the castle.

"Keep up!" Kouga growled angrily in front of her and yanked just a little bit harder this time.

She could do nothing as he hauled her down endless amounts of steps into the darker regions of the estate where no one had been in what seemed like years. It was covered in cobwebs from what little Kagome could see thanks to the small flicker of a light in the corner. When they reached the bottom, Kouga pulled her to stand in front of him, never once letting go of her collar.

"It seems as though your lover boy is here sooner than we expected."

At that Kagome's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly as tears filled her vision. She saw him evilly smirk down at her though.

"Don't get too excited. He's already been injured and after the wolves go after him there is no telling how well he'll be. And then there is always myself and Hirohiko who will finish him off."

His smirk seemed to widen into a grin at her gasp and he laughed as she tried to free herself from his grasp to get to the stairs but to no avail. When she would not stop struggling, he growled again in irritation and threw her against the back wall of the room.

Her head connected rather painfully to the stone wall and she could hear a crack in her ears before excruciatingly and lifelessly sliding down the wall onto the ground. As her vision started to fade, she could see the wolf demon walk to her, bend down and look into her eyes.

"There is no way that you are going to leave this place or see him alive. So for now," he placed his hand on her head and ran his fingers through her bangs, "you must stay here."

Hiding in the shadows, Taro watched the wolf demon that he had been searching for throughout the whole compound turn and lock a door before sprinting in his direction. His eyes widened as he watched every part of the wolf demon approach, while he hid, holding himself back so as to not pounce too soon.

He stared at this approaching demon and took in just who had hurt Ai so badly. The male had long black hair and wore a wolf pelt around his body. Taro could see and smell the faint scent of blood that surrounded him, both human and demon blood. He did look like the type to cause grave damage and it gave Taro all the more pleasure thinking of just how to kill this demon in revenge.

When Kouga got close enough, Taro allowed himself to drop from the ceiling rafters and land right in front of the surprised demon. The confused look on the wolf demon made Taro laugh, "You must be Kouga."

At the mention of his name, Kouga smirked. "It's nice to know that I'm somewhat infamous." He stood straight up and looked up towards the roof of the estate. "You're very smart to use the smoke to hide your god awful feline scent…and to come down from the rafters…very impressive. Very…catlike."

Taro flexed his hand in front of his face and revealed his claws. "Thank you. I thought you might enjoy a bit of a surprise." His tail flicked behind him in anticipation, ready to spring at a moment's notice while his ears swiveled to concentrate on any movement.

Kouga smirked before barking out a laugh. "I did for a moment. But I hope that you enjoy my surprise even more so than I enjoyed yours…you see I can act very wolf-like also."

Taro's cat eyes narrowed at Kouga but before he could take a step forward he felt a set of razor sharp jaws lock onto his leg and another onto his shoulder. The force at which he was hit almost dragged him to the ground but because of his quick reflex he was able to catch his footing and scratch at the wolf that had latched onto his shoulder. The pain that it had inflicted was like no other and Taro let out a shriek before crazily scratching the eyes and snout of the wolf until it eventually let go. Blood covered the wolf's face and his claws and as the wolf recovered, Taro turned his attention to the wolf that had attached itself to his leg.

Its head thrashed back and forth, forcing its teeth deeper into Taro's leg and when it felt like it might rip the calf right off, his clawed hands flew to the wolfs head. With a sickening crack, Taro twisted the wolf's head with all his might and snapped it. He barely had enough time removing the head of the wolf from his leg before he felt a punch land on his face, sending him flying.

His body stopped only when it hit the wall and before the wolf demon could land another one, Taro was able to pull himself together and get up, blood pouring from his wounds. He let out a hiss at Kouga. "So that is what you meant by acting like a wolf? I should have guessed you would use your mutts to help you."

Kouga smirked again. "Well wolves do hunt as a pack so it's only natural that we do so in this situation also. We pick off the weakest prey and kill it." He looked directly at Taro and titled his head to the side. "It seems as if you are the weakest here."

At that Taro hissed again, baring his fangs and lunged. The wolf that had been recovering before and surly lost one of his eyes, jumped in between the wolf and cat to defend his master but Taro was quick and sunk his claws into its side. It let out a loud yelp and without missing a step, Taro then threw the wolf at Kouga.

The wolf demon was able to catch his comrade even though the force of impact caused him to slam into and break the wall that had been behind him. Quickly realizing that the wolf in his arms was dead, Kouga rolled him off of his body and to the side just as Taro came flying towards him, crazed.

The shrill cries that left Taro's mouth echoed throughout the whole building and there was not a soul who didn't hear him. "You hurt Ai and now I'm going to kill you!" he shouted and picked up his pace. His claws dug into the wooden floor and he launched himself at Kouga, claws extended, ears back and fangs bared.

The force at which Taro launched himself was too fast for Kouga to dodge and so Taro was able to land a rather deep scratch on the side of Kouga's face, triggering a loud cry out of the wolf demon. In turn, Kouga brought his fist down violently onto Taros back, effectively slamming his body down onto the floor and creating a large indent in the ground. Before Kouga could slam his foot down onto Taro's back, the cat used his reflexes and rolled over before sinking both clawed hands into Kouga's legs and biting down as hard as he could.

No matter how hard Kouga punched, Taro would not let go of his leg and when Kouga bent down to try and pry the cat from his being, he found his head wrapped between Taro's legs. With a swift twist, Taro let go of his leg and sent Kouga flying across the room. Instead of hitting into anything, Kouga was able to catch himself and land in a crouched position. He breathing was labored and the pain in his leg vibrated throughout his whole body.

Taro, who now stood across the room, wiped a bit a blood from the side of his mouth. "I hope you enjoy that poison that is now running through your veins." He slowly walked over to where Kouga was knelt and grabbed him by the hair, forcing their eyes to meet as he sneered down at him.

"You see, my fangs are laced with it and since I was able to get a good bite in to your leg, I was able to push in enough so that it's impossible for your demon blood or any type of healing powers to cure it." Bringing his fist back, Taro violently began to punch Kouga in the face until he let him drop to the ground, unmoving. "You could say it is my special ability."

Grabbing the wolf by the hair again, Taro placed his hand under his chin and he brought his face down to meet his enemy's. "Soon you will feel your body and reaction slow followed by your breathing until every part of every organ in you shuts down. In fact I think you could possibly be slightly blind right now." Slightly laughing, he waved his hands in front of Kouga's face with no response. Abruptly, Taro let go of the wolf and watched as he fell to the floor in a heavy heap. Effortlessly he licked his hands and rubbed both his shoulder and calf before running his hands through his hair and glanced down at the dying demon that was only a few feet away from him.

"I'll let you rot here like what you did to Ai, except you won't be as lucky."

With the flick of his tail, Taro disappeared into the black smoke that was now filling the room.

The cuts that now marred Youko's arms stung like hell. He didn't have many, but the ones that he did have were taking a bit of a long time to heal. He shouldn't be surprised though, considering he could smell that the weapons the humans used were laced with some sort of poison.

He hadn't expected that they would be armed with guns or that they seemed to have some sort of awareness how to hide and how to fight as a team. It seemed as though at this rate, that they had been prepped on an unexpected attack. Thankfully, since he was a demon, it was easy to find those that were hidden in the dark and took just as less time to kill them off. It was still hard for him to figure out where some explosions would detonate on the other hand and whether or not shrapnel would hit him.

For now though, as he ran through the halls in search of Kagome, he felt somewhat safer because this was very familiar territory for him. Having had thousands of experience going on raids in homes, estates, castles or even on side streets and alleys, he knew how to move in a home stealthily and quietly.

An unexpecting man appeared in front of him and with a quick swipe of his claws against his throat, he was dead on the floor and Youko continued on down the hall. As he progressed, he could faintly smell the scent of Kagome. It lingered just barely in the air, but it was enough to get his feet moving all the more faster.

If he could just get to her and know that she was alright, then he would be able to leave with her and go back to their home and get away from this. He wanted to go back…go back to the way things were before.

He had not totally figured out just what his feelings for Kagome were, but he knew that he had grown attached to her presence and that he always felt excited returning to her. Ever since they had been separated, he felt anxious getting back and almost could not control himself with the thought of her being next to him. When he found out she had been taken, an anger he had never felt before had smothered him and he could think of nothing else but getting her back and as he stopped in front of a dark doorway he could tell that the time was now here.

An explosion went off in the background, the sound of wooden planks being ripped from one another rang in the air, but nothing could turn Youko's attention away from the dark room that he focused so intently on. The only source of light that Youko could see was a faint flicker of a candle in the back and it was by no means close to him at all, giving the hidden room a very large feeling to it even without stepping inside.

But he knew by the scent and pure fiber of his being what lay in that room. The scent was unmistakable and not only that, it was what had been laced with Kagome's ever so faint scent. Flexing his claws, Youko stepped into the room. He must have used it purposefully to lead him here and Youko found himself growling in anger. He found himself a few feet inside the room and away from the doorway, black smoke slowly trailed in after him, filling his nostrils once again with the scent of burning wood and even flesh.

"So you've finally arrived now have you?" came a bellowing voice from the back of the room. The once small flicker of a light turned into a larger one that was a continuous flame that surrounded the room, allowing Youko's eyes to focus on the man of the hour. He was wearing much of the same armor that had covered his men in but his looked to be slightly more durable and stronger from what Youko could see. He sat leisurely in a chair, a glass of wine in hand. Behind him was something large and covered in a sheet, a possible hidden card that Hirohiko held.

"You've been expecting me? How kind of you," replied Youko as his hand reached nonchalantly into his hair to pull out a rose. Bringing it to his nose, he took in the aroma. "I've never experienced such a warm welcoming before."

He heard the man laugh and then take a swig of his wine. "Then come closer and I will show you the warmest welcome party you have ever seen!" Throwing his glass to the side, Hirohiko stood up just as it shattered against the ground. Pulling the sword from its sheath at his side, he held it to his face and gazed at it as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet. "It shall be a grand night now wont it?"

Youko could only smirk at the comment before channeling his power into the rose, creating a whip filled with thorns. Slowly, he advanced on the human. His eyes focused intently on his target that only stood on the other side of the large dojo like room. His feet were firm on the ground and he could feel the anticipation building as he drew near.

Suddenly, the floorboard beneath Youko's foot seemed to be slightly flimsy compared to the others and an audible click rang in Youko's ears. Instinct took over and he propelled himself back towards the doorway just as an explosion went off where he once stood, sending wooden pieces as well as shrapnel flying in the air. Pieces of wood scrapped his body while he felt small pieces of metal lodge into his skin as a large cloud of smoke filled the room.

Laughing could be heard once again from the back of the room. "What's wrong demon? I thought you wanted an amazing welcoming party! But how am I supposed to celebrate with you when you cannot even make your way over here?"

When the smoke cleared Youko used his claws to pluck a piece of metal from his arm and threw it to the floor. "I should have given you more credit for thinking of such a useful way counter to my fighting. You have left me pleasantly happy with this outcome."

From across the room Youko could see the smile widen across Hirohiko's face. "Is that so now? Then you will feel ecstatic to know that not only is the floor of this room covered in bombs, but so are the walls as well as the ceiling. Even I have no idea as to where exactly they are located. It will make it all the more exciting to see you find a pathway towards me. In the mean time however," at this he paused and turned to the contraption that was behind him.

Grabbing a part of the sheet with his large hand, Hirohiko tossed it to the side revealing a large silver weapon that looked much like a cannon and rested on two wheels. "Are you curious as to what this is demon?"

Youko didn't even bother replying; instead he scanned the room silently with his eyes, formulating a plan in his head. When he heard the clanking of metal against metal he turned his gaze to rest upon Hirohiko.

"This my friend is a Gatling gun. You might have seen one at least once before. These things can fire one thousand rounds in one minute." He pet the gun as if it were a beloved animal before continuing. "But if you couldn't tell mine is special compared to the others and if you haven't noticed the theme to today's festivities I will let you in on the secret right now, just for your pleasure!" Bending down he pulled one lone bullet from the large box that sat next to the oversized gun and brought it up for Youko to see. "These precious things are filled with poison, but a much more lethal dose than those that were in the guns that were fired at you earlier." He threw it up into the air before catching it and used it to load a slot on the gun.

The sneer that Hirohiko turned on Youko was not full of fun or evil play, but instead revealed a much more sadistic and bizarre side to him. "It was so much fun having that woman…Kagome was it? Yes…it was so much fun having her here. She is my most welcomed guest and it's a shame you cannot see her...although I'm not sure if you would even recognize her even if you did. She has changed a lot since she has been here, and I must say it is not for the better." He laughed loudly and Youko clenched his hand by his side.

"Well now, enough! Let the festivities begin demon!" a crazed laugh escaped the human as his hand went to the crank and with such force he began to automate the gun, sending bullets flying in Youko's direction.

On instinct, Youko quickly moved out of the way only to feel his foot land on yet another bomb that quickly exploded once he removed his foot. Shrapnel was once again sent flying everywhere and Youko thrust his whip into the air and with the flick of his wrist, he prevented most of the damage from hitting him. However, he now scaled the wall and even with as much speed as he possessed he could feel the bombs beneath his feet detonate. It sent him flying through the air as Hirohiko pointed the Gatling gun at him. One bullet landed in his shoulder while others scrapped his arms, legs and torso as he flipped through the air.

Thrusting his whip forward, Youko tried to wrap it around the gun itself but found that the bullets quickly destroyed the whip until it was completely useless. Tossing it to the side he flipped backwards until he reached his previous spot at the doorway where he knew there were no bombs. Quickly and almost violently he dug his claws into his shoulder and removed the poisoned bullet and threw it to the side with a wince.

He only had a moment more to breath before Hirohiko sent another slew of bullets his way and he once again had to run towards his enemy. Grabbing another rose from his hair, Youko held it out in front of him and blew slightly on it, causing the petals to go flying into the air. Using his yoki the petals began spinning rapidly and headed right towards Hirohiko.

Noticing this, Hirohiko turned the Gatling gun on them and was able to destroy many of the petals while the others grazed and scratched his armor or was even to get a good slice of his exposed skin on his hands and face. However this did not stop him and he quickly returned aim on Youko who had summoned yet another rose whip that was headed straight towards Hirohiko's head.

Before he was able to land a killing blow, Youko was once again catapulted by an explosion away from his target and watched angrily as the helmet that once stood atop of Hirohiko's head fell to the ground.

"You almost had me there! I'll make sure that doesn't happen again though!" barked Hirohiko once again as his cranking of the weapon increased. This time he was able to graze a bullet against Youko's face and smiled triumphantly to himself.

Not only did Youko have to worry about the extremely sensitive bombs that littered the room but the bullets that continuously flew in his direction left him little time to breathe and he could not afford to make a fatal mistake.

This mere human before him seemed to be getting the best of him but he would allow it no longer. This man had taken something that was his and instead of fighting him one on one, he had littered the room with cheap tricks knowing that on sheer strength alone, he was no match for Youko. Now, as the fox demon ran through the smoke and as bombs exploded around him with bullets flying through the air, he made a decision.

With the swift push of his legs, Youko catapulted himself into the air and retrieved yet another rose. Instead of creating a whip or a petal waltz, this time he channeled his yoki into the rose to change into a vine that wrapped around his arm and created a sword-like weapon. When his feet touched the ceiling, he propelled himself down straight at Hirohiko, arm extended with the razor sharp tip aimed straight at his head.

He watched as the pitiful human aimed the gun straight at him and his expression that was once filled with craze slowly turned to that of horror when he realized that Youko would no longer dodge the poison filled bullets. He could feel them enter his body in random places, only slowing his pace ever so slightly but he continued on despite the protests of his body. Instinct kept telling him to get out of the way of danger and pain but he would not allow himself to move. The only thoughts that ran through Youko's mind were of killing the man that stood below him for everything he had done. For all the hurt and pain he had caused Kagome, he would kill this man.

When his sword finally connected with the man's head, Youko could not feel anything. He knew that now, bullets filled his body but he could not feel the poison or the pain. Instead the only thing that filled his mind was the wide eyes expression of Hirohiko as his sword sliced into his skull. Although he could see the enormous amount of blood squirting from the man's head, he could not feel it land on his face or body. He was totally numb in that moment other than savoring the fact that he had won yet another fight and this one was not for just himself.

As the lifeless body slid from the sword and landed on the ground a familiar click rang in his ears and another explosion went off, ripping the floor from beneath him and sending him flying through the air.

Explosions and screams filled the air, while Kuronue made his way most expertly through the shadows and into a hidden room that he found while the rest of the men fought. Opening safes and debunking codes were his specialty and in no time they were opened and his large bag that had been strapped to his back was now filled with priceless goodies that he would share with the rest of his men.

It made him giddy inside but he had to calm himself because he was there after all, for a bigger and better reason. And if he had predicted correctly and followed the correct scent, he was in the room that would even lead him to what all the men here were looking for.

Kagome.

As if almost in a dance with himself, Kuronue let his feet search the ground and feel for the slightest soft spot. Explosions all the while rattled the room but his concentration was so intense that not even that could possible deter his attention. When he finally found the spot, he froze for but one moment before jumping slightly in the air and thrusting both legs down to break the wooden boards beneath him to reveal another hidden room.

He stood beside the hole he had just created and inhaled the scent that assaulted his nose. It was by no means pleasant but it was familiar. He had hit the jackpot and without hesitation, he easily ripped the floorboards away and let the light stream down to land on a small, dirty form that lay almost lifelessly on the ground. If he hadn't heard her extremely faint breathing, he would have thought she was dead.

Quickly and quietly, he floated down to the ground and landed right in front of the girl that his most trusted friend cherished the most. She looked absolutely horrible, almost like a totally different person. She was covered in bruises and scratches and dirt and Kuronue could just tell by the sight of her that she had broken bones.

Nevertheless, she was alive and that brought a slight smile to his face as he kneeled down and ever so gently and slowly brought her into his arms and cradled her to his chest. He felt like he was handling the most precious gem to ever grace the planet because he knew that if Youko were to find out that he had hurt her in any way possible, that he would be skinned alive.

He looked down at her and saw her unfocused eyes open slightly to try and look at him but he knew she was too weak to see anything. So instead, he gave her reassurance that he knew she would hear.

"Kagome, you're alright now. I've got you."

Gradually recognition graced her face as her eyes started to water before she fell once again into a deep sleep, going almost completely limp with exhaustion in his arms. He could feel his chest constrict as he continued to look down at the helpless creature in his arms, wondering how someone could possibly torture someone like Kagome and leave her in such a state carelessly.

A loud explosion, much louder than any he had heard all day, drew his attention away from the girl. Looking up, he realized that it was now time to go and get his long time friend from the battle he just won before he ended up dying of blood loss and an overdose of poison. It was a good thing that Taro actually knew the remedy for the poison the humans had used around here. His remedy had even helped prevent death from many of their comrades and he just knew that Youko would need a rather large dose of the remedy. It was just a feeling he had.

But, his feelings were never wrong.

When she heard the familiar voice telling her that everything was okay, Kagome knew she could finally let her body rest. It wasn't the type of rest that she allowed herself occasionally when she knew she was in Hirohiko's home; instead it was one where she knew she was safe and let her body heal itself without worry. The feeling was refreshing and peaceful because even though it was something small, it was what Kagome had longed to do for a while now.

She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep for, but when her eyes finally fluttered open, she did not fear waking up and instead allowed herself to look about the familiar room that she had longed for. She looked down at the silken sheets that covered her now clean and bandaged body and held them to her chest as she tried to get up. However, she was quickly stopped by a large warm hand that lightly pushed her back down onto the bed.

"Don't get up. You still are not fully healed," came a voice from beside her. It was so close and so familiar that she didn't even need to turn her head to see who it was.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she turned to come face to face with the one person who she longed for day and night while living in the hell hole. She thought she would possibly never see him again but here they were, together covered in bandages in the bed that they shared together. He gave her a slight grin as she whispered his name under her breath before forcing her still broken body closer to his. When his arms came to rest around her, pulling her close to his chest, she couldn't help but break down.

She felt his hand come under her chin and lift her tear streaked face to look at him. Without saying a word he leaned in and kissed her almost desperately on the lips and breathed in her name as his lips kissed every inch of her face until he pulled himself slightly back to look at her. Only then did she allow her shaking hands to rest on his face. Using her thumb she brushed his cheek slightly and moved his bangs to the side and searched his eyes.

"I knew you would come for me. I missed you so much." She cried again into his chest and allowed herself to be pulled even closer to Youko. She felt him nuzzle the side of her face as one hand wrapped around her waist and the other that she was using as a pillow came up to stroke her hair. His breath against her ear made her shiver.

"Please stay with me forever."

His declaration was something she had longed to hear since they had met, since the first moment she laid eyes on him. The happiness that now filled her being was unlike any other and even though it was slightly painful, she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

"I will. For as long as I live, I will never leave your side."

And she knew that no matter what she would always be with him. Through good times and even bad times, she would always be there for him to comfort him in any way that she could. There would be no reason for her to ever leave without him again.

She would live the rest of her life with Youko, her first love.

Authors Note

After…four years I have completed my second fanfiction ever. I am so thankful and sorry at the same time for those of you who have been waiting for chapters and have stuck with me through quick updates and very slow updates.

I really hope that those of you who have stuck with it enjoyed the ending and the action because I know that this was my favorite chapter to write. Maybe it was because I was constantly listening to Chuno OST music as I wrote it and wouldn't you know? It really helped speed things along ahah.

I'm not sure if I will ever write again, I wouldn't totally count it out but I know that I will not post another fanfiction unless it is totally complete or if more than half is done because I refuse to have readers wait years again for one of my fanfictions to be completed.

Again, thank you everyone for all your love and support throughout the years with this story as well as with A Wolf's Cry, you have all made me so happy as a writer and no words can express my gratitude.

Love,

Dark Paine