Somewhere in Time

Faith

Kagome curiously watched the great demon lord while breakfast was just being cleared by Sango, Rin, and Shippo. Sesshomaru was staring into the distance, his golden eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he sharply turned his attention to the group. Before he could speak, however, Kagome understood.

"Inuyasha! I could feel a jewel shard coming from there!" She pointed exactly where Sesshomaru was looking at and their companions quickly sprang into action. Inuyasha crouched and unsheathed his tetsusaiga. Kirara shifted to her neko-youkai form and with practiced ease, Sango leapt onto her back and they hovered above their camp to investigate.

"Sango, what do you see?" Miroku called out, taking his position beside Kagome. Shippo was perched on his shoulder, his tail twitching in fear.

"A snake demon is quickly coming towards our camp!" she yelled as Kirara descended.

"Take Rin and Shippo, stay high. The snake won't reach you. Jaken-sama, take Ah-Un and follow Sango and Miroku," Kagome instructed as she ran to grab her bow and set of arrows. The imp was about to protest but was silenced by a glare from Sesshomaru. Silently, Jaken took the reign and commanded the two-headed dragon to follow Kirara and the rest.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku hollered from above. "What about you, Kagome-sama?"

The priestess shook her head and bravely turned towards the incoming danger. "I'll stay with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru-sama. They can't sense the shard but I can. Protect the children!"

The monk nodded and they all rose upwards until they were but small points that dotted the bright sky. Before Kagome could run towards Inuyasha, the daiyoukai was suddenly in front of her, crouching defensively.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" she asked, startled.

"There is a horde coming in from the opposite direction. Naraku's."

"Keh! We can beat 'em!" Inuyasha strode towards them confidently.

Kagome's brain worked quickly for strategy but Sesshomaru beat her to a plan. "Take Naraku's side, little brother. The miko and I shall deal with the snake demon."

"Oi, don't order me around!"

"Your tetsusaiga easily destroys hundreds of youkai in one swing. This task shall be easy for you."

"Sesshomaru-sama's right, Inuyasha."

Scowling, Inuyasha nodded and switched positions with them. "If you let anything happen to Kagome, you bastard..." He let the unspoken threat hang in the air.

Sesshomaru ignored this and assumed a defensive stance in front of Kagome. His youki rose magnanimously, filling the air with an astounding electric field. Kagome couldn't help but flinch as the daiyoukai's battle aura sizzled and clamored around her. Sesshomaru straightened and turned distractedly at her.

"Oh... I'm sorry. It's just..." she stammered, embarrassed.

"Stay still, miko. No harm will come to you." It was stated firmly, confidently, erasing Kagome's fear and doubts. She nodded and held her breath as the snake demon burst into view, hissing and slithering. At the same time, Naraku's demon horde dove towards Inuyasha, but was immediately blasted by tetsusaiga's attack. The rest broke off and headed to Kirara and Ah-Un's direction, and Sango's hiraikotsu quickly made a wide swath. The rest were taken care of by Miroku with his wind tunnel, but Naraku's saimyosho flew towards it threateningly, forcing him to seal his hand.

Sesshomaru curled his hand and a greenish light appeared, assuming the shape of his deadly whip. His eyes followed the slinking snake demon. "Where is the shard, miko?" he asked quietly.

Kagome quickly scanned the gigantic snake. Finally locating it, she pointed. "There! It's embedded on the forehead!"

In an instant, the daiyoukai vanished in front of her and was suddenly airborne, heading towards the head of the snake. His dokkaso slashed where Kagome pointed, but its scales were too thick. Sesshomaru returned beside her, growling.

"I will attack the snake demon and you will wait for my signal. Aim inside its throat." The daiyoukai spared her a searching gaze and with grim determination, she nodded her assent.

Despite the rampage swirling around her, it was Sesshomaru that captivated her attention. Killing perfection. Yes, the name absolutely suited the inu-youkai who moved with the speed of light, who attacked with terrible precision, and who planned battle strategies with nerves of steel. He was, without doubt, the strongest youkai Kagome had ever met. He moved with such grace and fluidity that was every bit predatory.

Solid. Powerful. Dangerous. Very, very dangerous.

Knowing that Sesshomaru was fighting on their side comforted every fiber of Kagome's being. No harm will come to you. Somehow, as she watched the snake demon glide around the daiyoukai, fear didn't weaken her will.

"Miko!" Sesshomaru shouted amidst the clamor. His glowing whip had struck the snake demon's head, effectively calling forth its wrath, and it dove straight at Kagome with blinding speed.

Taking this as the sign, she calmly strung an arrow to her bow and aimed squarely at the snake demon's hissing throat. "Hit the mark!"

The arrow wheezed past, enveloped in bluish light, and shot right through the target. The impact sent an explosion of the youkai's appendages and Sesshomaru whisked her away at a safe distance.

Inuyasha ran towards them after dispatching the last of the demon horde. "Oi, bastard! How dare you put Kagome in danger!"

Sesshomaru released Kagome from his arm and the priestess gingerly picked up the jewel shard from the bloody head of the snake demon. It was immediately purified from her touch. Holding it up proudly, she beamed at Inuyasha. "It's all right. Sesshomaru-sama and I had a plan, and it worked perfectly!"

"Idiot! The snake demon came too close!" Inuyasha retorted, eyes blazing with concern.

Kagome shook her head. "Don't worry. Sesshomaru-sama said no harm will come to me. He kept me safe. I have faith in him."

Sesshomaru glanced away. One corner of his lips curled upward, and in the gathering light, it seemed to Kagome that he was... smiling.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter was based on YoukaiYume's Raindrops doujinshi. You guys should really check that out on Tumblr and DeviantArt because it's really one of the best SessKag fanfics out there.