OMG! She updated! I know, it's been like, 3 months since I've updated this story and for that I apologize. I started school again, so that took up my time, and this chapter took longer to write than I would have liked. In any case, I would like to thank every single one of you who took the time to review! It means a lot to me, and I hope you will still follow this story, though I can't blame you if you don't.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: TROUBLE FOLLOWS

Kagome felt a distinct twitch beginning to make itself known in her right eye and she clenched her fists and teeth in anger, trying not to completely lose her cool. The sight that had greeted her upon returning to the village was not at all what she had been expecting.

She was going to kill them. Dead.

Then, she was going to bring them back to life somehow and kill them again, just to make sure she had killed them good enough for her liking. How could those two idiots do something like this?!

The village was thrashed. Huts were leveled, the tables they had been eating at were now splinters, food and trash was strewn all over the village square, and the poor villagers were left to try and salvage what they could of their poor little homes. Kagome couldn't remember ever being this mad before. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to hurt them.

Rounding on the two culprits, Kagome pointed an accusing finger in their direction and sputtered for a couple seconds before her voice finally found her. "What did you two do?!" she screamed at her half-demon best friend and then the demon that she had spent so much time with recently.

Inuyasha at least had the decency to flatten his ears to his skull and look ashamed. Sesshoumaru stood as tall and demanding as ever, looking to the world like he was not currently being scolded by a little priestess. She narrowed her eyes at him and his indifference and crossed her arms. She was waiting for either one, or both, of them to explain just what the hell happened to the quaint little village she had called home for the past few months.

After a tense silence, Inuyasha straightened his back and pointed his finger in Sesshoumaru's direction. "He started it!"

"Lies do not become you, little brother."

"Keh! This is all your fault in the first place. Why'd you have to even be here to begin with? Don't you have other, more lordly, things to do?"

"My business is my own."

"Of course, how convenient. Just admit it; you're to blame for all of this!"

"I think not."

"Think so!"

A loud shriek rang across the ruined village square, making people stop what they were doing and look towards the source. Kagome had her hands fisted tightly in her hair with her eyes clenched shut. Inuyasha gulped and Sesshoumaru straightened his back before flicking his fingers through his hair to place the strands over his shoulder. The unpleasant noise put a stop to the two brothers' arguing and Kagome finally had both of their rapt attentions.

"Look," she said hotly. "I don't care which one of you started it, but this mess had better be cleaned up! Do you even realize what kind of damage you have done here? Not just physical, but emotional as well. Sesshoumaru, you of all people should know how far these villagers have come and for what? For some stupid sibling rivalry to undo all the hard work?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the daring female. She was taking many liberties speaking to him as such, and he was uncertain how much longer he would allow her to do so without any repercussions. Yes, he knew that allowing his brother to goad him into fighting was a bit childish, but the frail emotions of a tiny village were of no importance to him. Once Kagome had finished her training with the old priestess, he planned on leaving the small community and never returning. So what did it matter to him if they feared demons again? It would probably be in their best interest anyway, to not be so inviting with them.

"You don't care at all do you?" Kagome asked as she noticed the far-off look in Sesshoumaru's eyes. He had tuned her out some three minutes ago and she had just about enough of his stoicism for one day.

Sesshoumaru continued to stare at her unflinchingly, and Kagome shrugged in exasperation. "I'm going to get Sango and go for a bath. I don't care what you two do anymore, just…leave me alone."

Kagome turned away from them and headed off in search of her friend and Shippou, he would probably like to come too. When she was out of sight Sesshoumaru heard a snort from beside him and look out of the corner of his eye to see Inuyasha staring at him with a stupid grin on his face. He closed his eyes lightly and sighed.

"What is the purpose for your staring at this Sesshoumaru?"

Inuyasha's grin took on an evil characteristic. "You're in so much trouble. Man, I'd hate to be you right now," he said as he began picking up some of the mess. He cackled happily to himself, thinking of all the wonderful ways Kagome would punish the poor bastard. She could be scary when she was mad.

"I do not fear the wrath of a little human priestess," the demon lord stated haughtily.

He earned another amused snort from his half-brother for the remark.

"You find something amusing?"

Inuyasha only shrugged. For someone who had lived for so long, Sesshoumaru was surprisingly naïve when it came to women. Though he had to admit, Kagome was unlike any woman he'd ever come across before. The girl had an iron will and a mouth to back it up.

"Just don't say I didn't warn you," Inuyasha told him smugly as he continued to pick up the mess he and Sesshoumaru had made.

The demon lord stared off to the place Kagome had disappeared to and narrowed his eyes. He did not have time for such nonsense; there was an arrogant demon on the loose and the last thing he needed was for some young woman to think she could just waltz into his life and start berating him like a child.

'Although,' he thought to himself, 'the young priestess did prove quite…entertaining at times.'

Decision made, Sesshoumaru strode across the grounds towards the forest.

"Just where the hell you think you're goin'? You gotta clean this shit up too!" Inuyasha bellowed.

Ignoring the half-demon, Sesshoumaru kept his gait steady and readied his ears for the yelling he was no doubt, about to endure. His thoughts settled along the lines of gagging her so that he didn't have to put up with her screeching, and he calmly made his way to where he knew she and the slayer were bathing.

She could not think that she could yell at him and get away with it.

*-*-*-*

Miroku stood guard just outside of the windowless hut that housed Takahiro, awaiting Sesshoumaru to come and exact punishment for handing Kagome over to those hired thugs so that they could kill her. The monk tightened his hands around his holy staff at that thought. If he didn't fear bearing the brunt of Sesshoumaru's wrath for killing the man, he would have done so gladly. Kagome was like family to him, along with the rest of the group, and so he felt some semblance of responsibility for them.

Miroku turned his ear towards the inside of the hut when he heard mumbling coming from his "prisoner". The man had been talking to himself of nonsense ever since he was brought here; whispered words of "Naraku", "kill", and "wife" was caught often and it gave Miroku the creeps.

He turned his head back around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Kikyo standing a little ways from him, staring at him and the hut. He put his hand over his heart and bowed slightly.

"Kikyo, is there something I can help you with?" he asked politely.

The undead priestess regarded him for a moment and then looked pointedly to the hut. "Your captive is possessed. It would be wise to take precautions with him," she said before turning away.

Miroku watched the woman leave and then pursed his lips in thought. If what she said was true, it would explain his ramblings, and he would indeed need to be careful. He hoped that Lord Sesshoumaru wasn't planning on keeping him on guard for much longer, he wasn't sure if he could withhold from plastering the man with holy sutras, and if the demon lord wanted answers, then it would more than likely have to come from the demon taking possession of the man.

Miroku pinched the bridge of his nose and listened to the man inside once again talk with the demon in his head. The conversation he was having this time around caught the monk off guard; he was making promises to his possessor if he would only untie the rope bounding his hands. Miroku threw the bamboo mat aside that was covering the door and step quickly inside. His eyes searched the dark hut frantically for his prisoner, and when he finally spotted him, he had a wicked grin on his contorted face.

"Night night monk," was the last thing Miroku heard before his world went black.

*-*-*-*

Sango walked just behind her friend as she stomped her way through the forest towards the hot spring. She could guess at what had her friend in such a foul mood, and she was reluctant to get any closer to her, lest she take out some of that aggression on her. Shippou braved riding on her shoulder, but was clinging on for dear life as the small priestess trampled through the forest. Hopefully once they got into the hot springs, Kagome's mood would lighten, otherwise they were all in for a long night.

Much to the small group's relief, the water came into view, and none too soon, if Sango's sigh of relief was any indicator. Quietly and quickly the trio stripped and sunk into the warm waters, allowing their muscles to relax after a taxing day. The steam from the hot spring wafted up and clouded the small area as the sun began to set behind the trees, casting a warm orange glow around them. Shippou splashed noisily next to the women, but they paid him no mind.

Kagome let out a long sigh and sunk just a little further in the water. Sango glanced over at her friend with a sad smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the slayer asked.

Kagome dropped her shoulders and pouted. "No."

"Okay. How about we-"

"It's just that those boys can be such a handful sometimes!" Kagome spoke out. Sango smiled at her friend's quick change of heart on talking and listened intently to Kagome's rant.

"Sesshoumaru knows how those villagers act towards demons, and yet he allowed Inuyasha to egg him on until they got into a fight and destroyed the town square. I swear those brothers are more trouble than they're worth."

Sango nodded in silent agreement. "We've really missed you Kagome. I know Inuyasha acts like a dolt sometimes, but he really couldn't wait to see you again. It was quite a surprise to find you with Sesshoumaru when we got here."

Kagome laughed lightly, remembering the look on her friend's faces when they found her in the demon lord's arms. "Trust me, I'm still coming to terms with our budding relationship. It's just so weird to think about me with Sesshoumaru. For so long he has been this unreachable, dangerous, beautiful demon. I mean, he still is all that, but now…he's a little less unattainable."

Sango cleared her throat and blushed. "So, um…h-how is your relationship with Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Kagome smiled lightly, but then frowned a little in thought. "Well, it was going fine, but I'm just so mad at him right now! All he cares about is himself and what he wants to do; forget about the consequences of his actions, he could care less."

Sango nodded. That wasn't exactly what she wanted to know, but if it helped her friend through her anger, than she would listen. It was worth another shot though.

"Have you two…well, I mean…are the two of you…intimate?" she asked, placing emphasis on the last word.

Kagome thought about the question for only a couple of seconds before Sango's intended question made itself clear. Blushing a magnificent shade of red, Kagome cleared her throat and turned her head. She looked to where Shippou was busy chasing a small frog and figured she was free to talk "girl talk".

"We've done…stuff. We haven't done that yet-"

"Yet?!"

"Shhh! No, not yet. We're taking it one step at a time, but the things we do do are…nice," she said with a light smile playing across her lips.

Sango hummed in happiness for her friend. Kagome needed someone that would treat her right and make her happy, and judging by the cheesy grin her friend was sporting, Sesshoumaru had been the one to give her that.

The demon slayer opened her mouth to speak again before she froze, eyes wide as she stared at the space behind Kagome. Noticing that something had caught Sango's attention, Kagome turned and looked, only to gulp when her eyes came in contact with intense amber eyes.

Sesshoumaru stood near a neighboring tree, starting intently at Kagome as Sango attempted to cover herself up from any unwanted gaze. Not that he was interested in looking at her. His gaze quickly moved from Kagome to the slayer, only to move back once again.

"Leave," he stated bluntly, and although he was looking directly at Kagome, they understood he meant Sango.

"Uh…um…"

"Sango can stay here if she wants to. I'm the one that invited her to come," Kagome said with righteous indignation.

Giving Sango a pointed look, Sesshoumaru once again brought his attention back upon Kagome. "Leave us," he repeated.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him and glowered. "I said she could stay, you're the one-"

"Um, Kagome…I think I'm just going to go back to the village and see if they need any help with clean up," she said as she quickly got out of the water and redressed. Shippou hopped up on her shoulder and clung on tightly to her clothes, wishing to be as far away from the demon lord as possible. He wasn't worried about Kagome, from what he had seen and heard it seemed that she and Sesshoumaru were very close friends.

Kagome watched Sango and Shippou walk quickly into the forest and disappear. A scowl firmly in place on her face, she crossed her arms and huffed. "Traitor."

She turned around and nearly screeched when she saw that Sesshoumaru had joined her in her bath, not having seen him even move. Quickly her surprise turned to anger, although she was quite enjoying the view of his muscular chest, and one rash decision later, she had splashed water at him.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her. "Refrain from such childish antics."

"What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that I did not want to talk to you right now."

The demon lord shrugged nonchalantly and then casually tossed a lock of his damp hair behind his shoulder. Kagome hated the fact that he looked so good doing that.

"It is my wish to bathe, if you do not agree with my being here, you may leave," he said haughtily.

Kagome growled lowly. "I was here first, so you leave."

"No."

"Fine! Stay here then, but I'm going to take my bath," she said as she turned around and continued her soak. Her eyes slid closed while she lathered her washcloth with soap she had learned to make, and she did everything in her power to forget about the opposing dog demon sitting somewhere behind her.

Yes, she was mad at him. She could hold her resolve; she was not controlled by her hormones!

"Kagome."

"What?" she snapped.

"I will not apologize for my actions, but you have my word that an occurrence such as that will not happen again."

Kagome sighed. As much as she would like a full-blown apology, she knew what Sesshoumaru had given her had been about as good as it was going to get. Still, it didn't mean she had to forgive and forget. Did it?

A clawed hand cupped her chin and turned her face. Sesshoumaru gently kissed her lips and moved back to look her in the eyes. "Do not continue to hold anger towards me. What's done is done and I have given you my word that it will not happen again."

"Fine," she said quietly, though she was inwardly still seething.

Sesshoumaru suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the female's emotions. Apparently she was set out to give him the silent treatment. Fine, she could do that if she felt it would help. Sesshoumaru had other plans for that mouth of hers anyway.

Sidling up to her, Sesshoumaru wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her forward to meet him. His lips quickly found purchase on her neck and she let out a light gasp at his abruptness. His warm tongue snaked out to run a lazy trail over her skin and Kagome closed her eyes at the sensation. She was supposed to be mad at him damnit! Not letting him kiss her, run his hot mouth over her shoulders and up her neck, not any of those things. Those wonderful, sensual things that he was currently doing to her.

"Mmmmm…" a moan passed her lips unbidden.

Hearing that noise strengthened his resolve to continue his efforts; knowing that they were not entirely unwanted. His lips began sucking on the tender spots of her neck and she tilted her head sideways so that he could reach more of those delicious spots. His claws were scraping her sides lightly, making goose bumps rise on her skin. His hands moved behind her to her fleshy cheeks and he pressed her against him, making sure she felt exactly what she could do to him.

Heat traversed her body when their bodies came together. She looked up and caught his gaze, and she chewed her bottom lip when she saw that his eyes had tinted a light crimson. She had never seen his eyes bleed that color unless he was changing into his true demon form, and she had to admit that it had her a bit apprehensive. She gulped, but kept eye contact with him, waiting for him to do something so that she was not waiting in suspense.

"Do you fear me?" he asked quietly, the intensity in his eyes never wavering.

Kagome nodded her head slightly; she couldn't lie that he sometimes scared the crap out of her. He was quiet, mysterious, deadly, powerful, and never let his emotions overtake him. He was a magnificent creature and Kagome suddenly felt very plain in comparison. It was then that she closed her eyes and broke their stare, but a low growl startled her into snapping her eyes open.

"Did you just growl at me?" she asked incredulously.

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but his hands moved languidly over her backside and he dropped his head down to hers to place a hungry kiss on her lips. She sucked in a breath at his quick devouring of her lips, but met his passion with her own. She gripped his shoulders in an effort to stay upright as he pushed himself against her. His hands trailed to the small of her back as he nipped at her lips, taking the bottom between his teeth before pushing his smooth tongue into her mouth with deep caresses. His thumbs stroked her back lightly as he walked her backwards to the edge of the spring. When her back touched the edge and she could go no further, Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her and jumped out of the spring and placed them gently on the ground.

They separated then and Kagome panted for the air that he stole with his kiss. His hands came up to cup her face and she blinked languidly while he silently looked her over with his red-rimmed eyes.

"You are unlike any human I have ever encountered," he said quietly.

Kagome raised her eyebrow and gave a half smirk. "Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"

The demon lord shrugged. "You many take it as you like."

Kagome raised herself onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his lips. They once again fell into silence as they allowed themselves to become lost in each other's ministrations. Her hands slid over the taught muscles of his chest and he lowered her onto the ground, allowing her to lie upon the clothing he had shed earlier. He propped his body over hers and he dropped his head to suck gently at the juncture of her neck and shoulders. She hummed in content, loving it when he kissed her neck.

His hand moved to a supple breast and he enjoyed the way her nipples drew taught under his attention. Leaning his head forward, he took her pert little mound into his mouth and Kagome hissed lightly when his hot tongue made contact with her cool skin.

Her hands fisted themselves in his long, silky hair and she lifted her hips to try and relieve the tension that had steadily built. She could feel his arousal resting close by her center and her eyes flew open when reality came crashing down. They were naked together, he was on top of her, and his impressive erection was pushing against her. She gave him a gentle nudge and he raised his head to look at her. She was surprised by the underlying desire she saw in his golden depths and it almost scared her as much as seeing his eyes begin to bleed red.

"Sesshoumaru…" she whispered, allowing her eyes to ask the question for her. Her insides were trembling with nerves, and tightness had made its way between her legs. His hands caressed her soft mounds as he trailed his tongue down her body. Her legs spread easily to accommodate him and he drew his tongue over the inside of her thighs.

Kagome lay panting as his dexterous appendage found her moist folds and she took in a deep breath when he breeched her nether lips. She threw her head back and arched her body at the new feeling, bringing her hands to fist in her own hair as he lapped at her womanhood. Her hips rose up to try and increase the pressure, but Sesshoumaru pushed her back down and continued with his delightful task.

His primal side was wreaking havoc on his more rational side, but he paid it no attention. The woman was mewling and chanting his name softly with nearly every stroke of his tongue and he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He gave a particularly rough suck to her bundle of nerves and she cried out his name louder as she came. He smirked viciously released her with a quiet 'pop'. He watched in veiled fascination as her chest rose and fell with each shuttering breath she took, and he slowly worked his way back up her body, leaving small kisses in his wake.

When he was level with her, she opened her eyes lazily and gave him a satisfied smile. "Mmmm….that was-"

"Quiet."

Kagome scowled at him. What the hell was with the attitude all of a sudden? She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "Well excuse me; I was just trying to compliment you."

"Woman, be silent," he hissed at her.

She stilled when she noticed that he was concentrating on something, apparently far away. "What is it Sesshoumaru?"

The demon lord gave her a bland look and returned to his silent inspection. Kagome shut her mouth with an audible click, and blushed at her moment of ignorance. They laid there in silence for a while, Kagome watching his face for any sign of displeasure in case immediate action needed to be taken.

After a moment longer, Sesshoumaru looked down at her and brushed a kiss across her lips. "We must go; something is not right."

She nodded her head, but refused to talk in case he still needed her silence. They quickly got dressed, each damning the sense of bad timing that seemingly hovered over them whenever they got a moment alone.

"So what do you think is wrong?" Kagome asked as she finished putting on her shoes. When no answer was forthcoming, she looked behind her to see Sesshoumaru already walking back towards the village. Kagome scrunched up her face into a pout and angrily tied her shoes.

'Damn, can't even wait for me to get my stupid shoes on!' she thought bitterly.

She ran up to catch him and fell in stride at his side. Their time at the springs was cut too short, and she was feeling a little awkward now, thinking of what he had done to her. A blush covered her cheeks and she caught Sesshoumaru looking at her from the corner of his eyes. He raised a finely sculpted eyebrow and she looked away from him quickly, going back to her thoughts.

She hoped that everyone was okay. She was sure Sesshoumaru wouldn't have stopped…well, what they were doing, if it wasn't important. She smiled at that. He actually seemed to care what happened to her and her friends. It was a warming feeling and she allowed it to carry her on the walk back.

When they arrived she took a cursory glance around, noting that while most of the mess had been cleaned up, the place was still in shambles. It would no doubt take a little while to get everything back in order, but it looks as if Inuyasha at least helped. She sent a scathing look Sesshoumaru's way, which he methodically ignored.

Some of the villagers stopped to look their way, but then proceeded with their chores as if they weren't even there. Kagome sighed. She had a feeling she wouldn't be in this village for much longer and it saddened her to think they may leave on bad terms.

"It is not you they are angry with," Sesshoumaru stated as they trudged through the small community.

Kagome looked up at him in curiosity, and he looked at her from the corner of his eye. She appreciated the gesture for what it was, him trying to make her feel better about the entire situation, but all the same it didn't stop her from feeling bad.

They continued on a few steps more before Inuyasha suddenly appeared before them, his face set in a hard frown. Kagome's nerves were immediately set on alert and she clenched her fists at her side. When no explanation was forthcoming, Kagome decided to take initiative.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong? What happened?"

The half-demon scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Miroku's missing."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sure he's just off somewhere…maybe with Sango?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "I could smell blood―his blood―and I've looked everywhere for him," he said regretfully. He fidgeted a little and Kagome gave him a pointed look.

"What are you keeping from me Inuyasha?" she asked quietly.

The half-demon looked to Sesshoumaru, quite sure he knew what he was about to say. "Kagome, your friend Takahiro is gone as well. We're pretty sure he's the one who took Miroku."