Feudal Japan was having one of it's lovely summer days. The sky was clear of clouds, the sun was shining and it seemed more like the Garden of Eden than a primitive era. Well, that was until you looked over the hill to see the perfect scene switch to a bloody battle.

"InuYasha, kill the head!" Kagome yelled, knocking an arrow in her bow and firing it at an oncoming demon.

"Where is Sesshomaru?" Rin called from behind Kagome, cowering and crying.

"He's fine Rin. I promise, just stay behind me." Kagome told the child.

Kagome blew a stray hair out of her face remembering how things had turned sour so quickly.

They had been wandering in the western lands for a few days without an appearance from Sesshomaru. They knew it would come eventually, and it did. As usual, instead of explaining why they were there InuYasha simply charged Sesshomaru. This left time for Shippo and Rin to play, as they always did when InuYasha and Sesshomaru fought. It was a funny thing, every time Sesshomaru showed up so did Rin. And the two brothers would fight long enough for Shippo and Rin to have some fun and then they would leave. Kagome, Sango and Miroku knew that Sesshomaru only came to fight so often so Rin could see Shippo but InuYasha was none the wiser.

On that particular day things had taken a turn for the worse. Out of the sky flew a demon. It was a flying, six headed, snake demon that possessed three jewel shards. Its poisonous tail loomed behind it's massive body. Sango and Miroku had rushed into battle, along side InuYasha and Sesshomaru, while Kagome stood protecting the children. Little did they know that the snake demon had some followers. As the four main fighters dealt with the big problem Kagome was left to fend off the onslaught of lesser demons while trying to keep the children out of harms way.

"I got it!" Yelled InuYasha as he sliced off one of the snakes head.

It shriveled and turned into dust, as always, and from the ashes you could see a small jewel fragment.

"Oh shiny!" Rin exclaimed.

Kagome turned to see Rin running out towards the battlefield in an attempt to get the jewel shard.

"Don't worry Kagome, I'll get it." Rin yelled.

As she reached the jewel shard she caught sight of Sesshomaru and yelled to him.

"Rin, get back here!" Kagome yelled, running towards her.

Kagome and Sesshomaru both saw the snake demon turn one of it's ugly heads towards Rin and watched in horror as it's poisonous tail made a swipe for her. Rin screamed and even Sesshomaru's demonic speed couldn't get him there fast enough to save her. Rin was thrown back into a tree, unconscious.

"Rin!" Kagome yelled, rushing over to the fallen girl and kneeling beside her.

Sesshomaru seethed. He had left Rin in the care of the miko and now she was hurt. He reached over to Kagome's kneeling body and grabbed her hair, pulling her to her feet with a loud yelp.

"I will deal with you later, miko. Mark my words, if my ward dies...you will too." Sesshomaru growled, dropping her.

Kagome let a tear roll down her cheek and pulled Rin's body towards her. Placing Rin in her lap she pulled Shippo to her and put a protective barrier around them, starting to heal Rin. The minor cuts and bruises she could heal but the large wound and poison she could not.

The battle finished almost instantly, now that Sesshomaru had a reason to finish it off quickly. He sliced the remaining head off with his sword and started to stalk towards Kagome. Knowing that she couldn't heal all of Rin's wounds Kagome had resorted to alternative and privative healing techniques. She was wrapping Rin's cut abdomen in gauze when Sesshomaru started to pound on the barrier.

"Let me at my ward, miko. She will be brought to my castle for healing. Since you are incompetent at watching and healing her." Sesshomaru raged.

"You can't move her Sesshomaru!" Kagome yelled, for once in her life standing up for herself. "If you even try to move her the wound will reopen and she will bleed out before you get her to the castle. Then it will be your fault she died. Can you live with that?"

Sesshomaru growled and narrowed his eyes, pacing back and forth in front of her barrier. The gang started to approach but he erected a barrier of his own, engulfing him, her and the children.

"I am not leaving until she healed and neither are you." Sesshomaru announced.

"Fine, but, it may take awhile." Kagome sighed, catching Sesshomaru off guard with how caring she was. "I can't close the wound, it's too big, and the poison got into her blood stream before I could stop it."

Kagome knelt down beside Rin and started to cry.

"I am so sorry Sesshomaru. I didn't mean for her to get hurt." She sobbed, looking at Rin.

Shippo, who had been quiet until then, suddenly jumped out of the barrier and stood opposed to Sesshomaru.

"Fox fire!" Shippo shouted, letting the most powerful attack he could out of his petite body at Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru didn't even flinch but turned his gaze to the little demon.

"That's for making my mama cry!" Shippo told her, puffing out his chest.

"Shippo! No!" Kagome yelled, urging him to her.

Sesshomaru stalked toward Shippo and watched the little demon gulp, but he was still standing his ground, despite Kagome's plea's.

"Sesshomaru. Please. Don't hurt him. He's just a kid." Kagome pleaded, watching Sesshomaru in horror.

Sesshomaru bent down close to Shippo and then picked him up by his clothes, pulling him to eye level and keeping him as close as possible.

"Do not do that again." Sesshomaru instructed.

"Okay." Shippo agreed, more scared than ever before.

Kagome sighed in relief when Sesshomaru dropped him. Shippo tried to re-enter Kagome's barrier but couldn't. Sesshomaru only smirked, knowing that he now had the upper hand.

"Mama, why won't you let me in?" Shippo cried.

"Shippo...I...I can't. The minute I let you in Sesshomaru will be able to get in. If he gets in he's going to move Rin and re-open her wound, which will kill her. You...You have to stay out there with Sesshomaru." Kagome explained to him, close to tears again.

"Well, well, miko, it looks as though I have the upper hand." Sesshomaru announced with a smirk.