Disclaimer: Yes. I totally own it. Which is definitely why Sesshoumaru can't seem to win, even though I love him. Totally why I watch the English dub and pretend to like it.. Yep…I own it, which definitely explains why I'm making a FANfiction about it. Yep. (/Sarcasm)

Pairings: SesshoumaruxKagome with a little Naraku to Sesshoumaru obsession bordering on creepy.

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Okay here are my opening warnings: for starters, I refuse to mix English with Japanese. So NO, you will not see me writing honorifics. I will not refer to demons as youkai. The Shikon no tama, is the Shikon Jewel to me. Miroku is Monk I will not call him Houshi. Kikyo and Kagome will be referred to as Priestesses not Mikos. Understood? I've never liked seeing two languages so absurdly mixed when if you think about it: If they're speaking in Japanese, and the story is 'translated' English wise for the readers to read, then wouldn't the stray Japanese words also be translated?

Second, I am no novice fan fiction writer. Some of you may know that. If you don't, then look at my page. You will see I write a great deal. I've learned in the long run that you generally have to do things out of ordinary to get some notice. This story will be no different. If you do not like progressively realistic stories, than you will not like this. I will not have the characters fall in love in five chapters. They're lucky to hate each other a little less in that time.

The Fragile

Chapter One – The Downward Spiral

"Inuyasha!" I shrieked when he ignored my warning once again. It's not that I wasn't used to it…But every now and then I thought of how nice it would be if he would listen to me. He was chastising me again for being weak. That was something I was too used to. The jerk. "I saved your butt back there with my arrow and you're yelling at me!"

"You got in my way damn it! I could have killed you if you hadn't tripped over your own damn feet!"

"Well you shouldn't have been attacking like a madman when I was right there!"

"I just told you, stupid! I didn't know you were there!" He growled at me indignantly. 'What a jerk. I save his life and this is how he treats me!' I folded my arms and glare at him, but his attitude didn't let up. 'He thinks he's getting off Scot free with this one does he?' I lifted up my bag on my shoulders and started to walk out of the village. I knew he'd follow me. He always does when I say I actually want to go home.

The previous fight was so trying. Another misfortunate puppet of Naraku, of course, tried to kill us. By then I was expecting anything to try and kill us. Though it would be a sad day when we have to worry about getting strangled to death by killer weeds or something, even though that was not far from possible with Naraku. I sighed. I'd wished that we could just kill him, but he was expertly evasive and tricky. It was always so hard to tell when, or if, it was the real Naraku.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha's voice creeped into my consciousness. I turned around to him and gave him a look that spelled out, 'don't make me say the S-I-T word'.

"I'm going home! What does it look like?" I called and he pouted in his stubborn way.

"Fine! Go home! Damn wench."

"Sit boy." I said casually, almost a little pleased with myself at the sound of his face plant into the ground and the following grumbles. I sighed again continuing in my walk. I stopped before I left the village to tell Sango I was leaving. Of course, I walked into the hut at just the time her handprint was being made on Miroku's face. 'He just doesn't learn.' Though I'm sure he thought it was well worth the pain of a handprint. Sango looked flustered, but greeted me with a smile nonetheless.

"Hey Kagome! …What's wrong? You look irritated?" Miroku commented rubbing his sore face gingerly. "I'm to guess, Inuyasha?"

"And you would be correct, Miroku. I'm heading on home for a while until Inuyasha realizes that I'm more useful than he seems to think I am." I shook my head indicating the stupidity of his behavior.

"That sounds like Inuyasha." Sango joined in my head shaking. "We'll see you soon then? Miroku and I were going to track the last demon's path, we'll send Inuyasha after you if there's anything we find that's important."

"Thank you Sango! I'll see you guys very soon!" I said waving before I walked out of the hut. I was in no hurry to jump down that well, because I really didn't want to face that massive Algebra test waiting on the other side. It's a wonder I wasn't expelled from school all together! 'Probably has something to do with all the diseases I've apparently got.' I thought to myself ruefully. I was getting so caught up in the feudal world, that I was losing myself in the future world. I suppose it didn't matter. None of the people in my world could fight demons. I guess that only made me special.

I could see the well just within sight. I smiled. That well was my ticket between both worlds. Who knew that a simple well could be so much? And I'd thought there was nothing on my family's property that might be so important. I'm amazed my mother accepted my traveling back and forth. I wasn't going to complain because she was okay with it, though. Actually I was grateful. I know she was worried about me. I smiled when I remembered the first time he's seen Inuyasha. She did the same thing I did and touched his ears. If he had lightened up on the attitude he really could have attracted the ladies with those cute ears of his. The idea of seeing two or three girls fawn over his ears didn't bother me like I thought it might. I guess having seen him run back to Kikyo so many times finally got me to the idea that he didn't care about me like he cared about her.

The loud rustling of tree branches alerted me to an intruder. That intruder dropped down directly in my line of sight and I let out a loud scream. I lost my balance and fell backwards, landing on my butt and scattering the contents of my bad on the ground behind me. Looking up at the overwhelming sight of red sent some relief through me.

"Inuyasha! What was that for!"

"Did you see him Kagome? I smell him around here!"

"Smell who Inuyasha?" I asked, picking myself up and brushing off the dirt. "Naraku?" The thought hit me and I was worried. I wasn't sure we could take another attack by Naraku so soon.

"Sesshoumaru!"

"Sesshoumaru?" I repeated. 'He's here? But why?' A sudden pang in my gut made me drop the thoughts of the unusual circumstances. "Inuyasha! A jewel shard near by!" I blurted grabbing for my bow and quiver of arrows. "It's coming from that direction and approaching quickly!" I said pointing just passed the well.

"The same direction Sesshoumaru is coming from!" He growled and pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath, transforming it into a large blade that closely resembled a fang.

True to word, it wasn't long before the quick movements of Inuyasha's half-brother were seen. He darted out of the tree line with more dash to his step then I'd remembered seeing in any of the fights with Inuyasha. It wasn't until he was very close to me that I realized he was coming directly at me. I had no time to move so I was panicking in my mind, until I realized he had no sword drawn and in his only good arm was the frightened body of the human girl that followed him. He landed sloppily in front of me. His armor was broken off and he was without his large piece of fur. The empty sleeve was ripped off to the shoulder, revealing the remaining portions of that arm that Inuyasha sliced off. There were red smears across his chest and on his face. 'Blood.'

He breathed in deeply and without warning thrust the girl at me. I dropped my bow and arrows to get my hold on her. I looked up with question, but he had looked back at the tree line. There were a dark figures immerging from it. He looked down at me and said only a few words before he darted off to the right of Inuyasha, stopping before the trees.

"What the hell?" Inuyasha said glancing over to me.

"Inuyasha! Look!" I pointed the best I could with Sesshoumaru's human tag along in my arms.

"Those things reek of Naraku!"

"Rin?" I said gently and the child looked to me. I checked her as best I could and found no traces of blood on her. So it was to say she was safe at the moment. But then whose blood…? "Sesshoumaru, are you injured?" I asked, not really caring if he was offended. From what I could tell the four of us were trapped.

"Answer her jackass." Inuyasha added in.

"You'll silence that tone of voice with me little brother, if you know what's best for you."

"Sesshoumaru, damn it, I asked if you're injured!" I restated my question with force.

"Yes, priestess, I am."

"How the hell'd that happen?" Inuyasha snorted, moving to come back to back with Sesshoumaru.

"Would you like me to show you first hand, little brother," with that, the demon Lord didn't sound very happy, nor did his threats seem very heart filled. He looked more tired than anything.

'You really got yourself in a position didn't you."

"Inuyasha, don't taunt him right now!" I said with a yelp when the black shadows became large branch like appendages and shot out at Rin and I. I threw the us both to the ground in order to avoid getting hit. "Oh, what are those things?"

"Looks like Naraku's gotten all new creations for me to destroy." Inuyasha jumped forward and sliced at the thick hazy black…things, with Tetsusaiga. "Damn!" He gasped, jumping back into place behind his half brother, after his attempt failed. "They regenerate! Sesshoumaru, what IS this?"

"I don't know, idiot half-breed." The ice prince retorted, staving off the approaching shadows with the blast from Toukijin.

"Naraku tried to make Lord Sesshoumaru join his side, but Lord Sesshoumaru said no! And Naraku attacked us!" Rin squeaked, pressing herself as close to me as possible.

"Silence Rin." Sesshoumaru's cold voice made the girl instantly quiet. I honestly didn't see why she was so loyal to him. He was such a jerk most of the time!

"So what's this? We're you going to toss Rin at us and run off, Sesshoumaru?" I frowned. The nerve! Leaving us to take care of the mess.

"I expect not a mere human to understand this one's motives." He replied. I narrowed my eyes but sighed. He and Inuyasha really should have considered being friends, because they were both so very good at being evasive and moody, even though Sesshoumaru's moods were more like passive, irritable, impatient, and cocky.

"Well excuse me for bleeding human blood."

"Now looks who's antagonizing who, Kagome." Inuyasha snorted, slashing once again with Tetsusaiga.

"Shut your mouth, mutt," Sesshoumaru verbally stepped in and I had to grin. He wasn't defending me, by any means. Merely ruffling Inuyasha's fur.

"What the hell is this? Kagome, you traitor, siding with the enemy!" A deep rumbling emanated from his throat in the very same tone of Sesshoumaru's growl and the two lifted their swords together, swinging diagonally to cover as much space around them as possible. Rin and I ducked down beside the two. The girl was murmuring. She sounded so scared and I did all I could to comfort her, but I was a little scared too.

"Damn them!"

"What's going on! You two are fierce demons. Why aren't you killing that!" I shrieked kicking off a plantlike blurb of black. Inuyasha swung the blade, cutting off the rest of the creatures approach to us.

"Give us a damn break!"

"When I call it, half-breed." Sesshoumaru interrupted, dropping Toukijin and pulling the Tenseiga from its sheath. I understood what he was doing! It was their combined attack, that worked on Soung, that he was going for.

"Ready, when you are." Inuyasha was surprisingly complacent. I realized then that we were in more of a bind than I'd thought.

"Now!" The older brother's voice cut through the air, and a split second later, so did their swords, combining energy waves to tear apart anything that decided it was tough enough to stand in the way of the perfect attack. Their father really knew what he was doing.

The shadow creature took the attack head on from the other side of the well and the whole cluster of trees and the creature were ripped to shreds. The rest of it recoiled and it limbs dropped off, seeming to have died without it's main body. The well now had a brand new path going from it, thanks to the massive blast of the two swords' attacks. Everything stunk of roasted demon, but a bad smell was far better than being dead. And to think I was almost home before this happened. Just my luck, it couldn't have waited a few more moments.

"What…was that?" I asked meekly, breaking the silence that was left as the two brother's panted in time with each other.

"Whatever it was…"

"It's not dead." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and I hugged Rin closer to me. The creature was reforming in the center. Its 'legs' were curling up and providing it with a new core.

"Sesshoumaru, why is it after you? Is it because you said no to Naraku?" I watched in dismay as the thing recreated itself in the center of the clearing created by the massive blast. It was spinning off what looked like legs with the center of it raised off the ground, like a giant…a giant Spider!

"Naraku…is a bitter creature, merely throwing a tantrum." He explained, dropping the sword into the dirt. I blinked at the action. Why did he drop his sword? Trailing my eye along his arm, it was painfully easy to see the wounds were making it hard for him to stand right, let alone hold the sword. It seemed like he'd been in one hell of a fight before managing his way into our company.

"One hell of a tantrum," Inuyasha said in a low, irritated voice. I'd heard that tone out of him when we fought Takemaru being controlled by Sounga. "Kagome, run toward the village."

"But what if it follows me?"

"Go, we'll stop it if it does. We could use Sango and Miroku right about now!" When Inuyasha asks for help, then you know it's bad. I nodded and stood carefully grabbing Rin. She stood with me and looked to Sesshoumaru before doing anything at all.

"Go Rin," her Lord assured and she ran ahead of me. I would have rather been attacked then see that poor girl get hurt. I grabbed my bow and arrows as quickly as I could and followed Rin. Her legs were much shorter than mine so I pushed her along as much as I could with my hands full. The shifting sound growing louder behind us confirmed my suspicion that it was following us. I made certain not to look back. I knew if I did I would panic. It was coming so close that I wouldn't have time to stop and draw an arrow to fire off at it. 'What is this thing?' I thought, wincing when the loud blasting echo of the Tetsusaiga eradicated the limb following us.

"Show yourself Naraku!" Inuyasha openly challenged. Was Naraku really there? That couldn't be. I didn't feel the jewel shards that he should have had. I only felt the one! With a swift movement, a large white blur sped in front of Rin and I, turning only slightly in our direction before I felt an arm under my back lifting me from the ground and throwing Rin against my abdomen. I shrieked and Rin did to. In that hand was the previously discarded Toukijin and I looked up at the face of the white blur.

'Sesshoumaru?'

I leaned my head back and gasped to see another white form very close to where Rin and I were running. Near it, the grass had wilted and died, and the soil turned black. A hazy purple fog was clearing to reveal none other than the Baboon-Skin clad Naraku. Anger boiled and my heart thumped with the want to destroy such a beast!

"Naraku!" Inuyasha snarled in the same tone my heart was beating to.

"Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. What a pleasant surprise." The half demon form of Naraku spoke. He removed the cover over his face. Had be not been an evil and horrible person, Naraku might have been considered a handsome man, but actions could easily over shadow appearances in monsters like him.

Sesshoumaru dropped back to the ground, placing me back on my feet, holding Rin in my arms. It was easy to figure out why he'd managed to save me. Rin just happened to be in my same path, so it was easier to get us both out of the way. I still had to wonder why he went out of his way for a little human girl. After all, he chastised Inuyasha so greatly for being a half demon, with human blood, yet he was in the company of a full human little girl! He was never easy to understand.

"It may please you, in the slightest, dear Inuyasha. I have not come for you this time."

"Shut your damn mouth, you bastard! I don't care what you've come for! I'm going to kill you!" He leapt with the last word said, but Sesshoumaru's hand flitting out and his fingers closed over the back of Inuyasha's collar. The half demon dropped back on his behind and glared up at Sesshoumaru with enough force I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd spontaneously combusted from the intensity! "What the hell was that for?"

"It's an illusion, half wit. That's not where Naraku's coming from." The more elegant of the two, turned to face the giant Spider like thing, only stopping for a second to look back at the form of Naraku. "That is merely a puppet. Either way, we are surrounded."

"Your nose is impeccable as ever, Lord Sesshoumaru." Naraku's form grinned wickedly and all at once more of those limbs shot out from both directions, but they were all aimed at Sesshoumaru. I took my chance to draw an arrow.

"Sesshoumaru, get down!" I yelled and he actually obeyed. Well, I didn't give him much of a choice, since I released the arrow before he had time to object. He'd ducked just enough for the arrow to pass him right by and make dust of the assaulting limbs. He slipped away from the scene and stood next to Inuyasha. Even I could hear his breathing.

"Damn…you're really hurt aren't you?" Inuyasha almost sounded concerned. He was probably more concerned that they wouldn't be strong enough to fend off Naraku, if Sesshoumaru was losing against him in the long run.

"Get down, idiot." The elder brother's hand went down on Inuyasha's head and he pushed him to the ground, ducking with him. I pulled another arrow and noticed it. Carefully aiming, I released the arrow and blew apart the limbs again.

"They just keep coming back! What do we do!" I asked. There was no way we could use the well. If Naraku knew about the well, then there would be no stopping him. And getting away from him would be impossible.

"We have to draw him off!" Inuyasha said in a low tone.

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"I have an idea," Inuyasha declared, looking up at Sesshoumaru with a look that clearly said, 'You're not going to like this'.

To be continued…

Leo: In case you hadn't noticed, or don't know the particular band. The story and all of its chapters are titled after Nine Inch Nails songs and/or albums. I hope to keep the chapters this long. Mainly because I have many other stories I should be working on. I'm not used to writing such short chapters anymore. But I will progressively get them longer!

I don't usually ask for reviews, but I really would like to know what you think of this story so far! So please review! It inspires me to write faster/update!