A/N: This fic is based on my first fanfiction, Just A Mistake. The characters Yuki and Hiro are mine.
To my readers who are Sesshoumaru fans, this story is going to be very Kouga friendly. I thought and thought about how a sequel to my first story would go with a Sess/Kagome pairing, but nothing really fabulous came to mind. Instead, I have written this story based on the premise of what would happen if Sesshoumaru was actually not the one the Jewel wanted for Kagome.
Yes, I know in the first story, Sesshoumaru was told that he had passed the test. But what if the Jewel did not approve of him? What if the jewel allowed Kagome to see how life with the handsome, powerful taiyoukai truly was?
This is an EXPERIMENTAL story and I hope you enjoy it. I expect that you Sesshy fans will probably flame me, and I don't blame you. This is why I have posted it under the Kouga/Kagome section of this website.
A very special thanks to my friend, KogasAngel, who offered wonderful advice and much support. She actually came up with the title and I give her credit for that.
And to ShadyMinion, also a dear friend, thanks for your support and advice!
Chapter 1
Kagome stared at her reflection. To an observer, she appeared calm and completely at peace. But this was not the case. She was in turmoil. A horrible, swirling mass of it coiled in her belly and stayed there.
Picking up her brush, she resumed brushing her black and silver streaked hair. She frowned delicately.
The night had been a disaster. She had known it would be. He hadn't changed at all. During these last weeks he proven to her that...
No, that was unfair. He had changed a little and actually made an effort to try to see her as his equal. But it was not to be. Knowing Sesshoumaru as well as she did, she knew that he could never see her as his equal. Silently, stealthily, he slipped back into his old ways. Soon she found herself going about the castle with her scent masked and trying to keep out of his sight.
That night at the party they had thrown together, a very foul-tempered female youkai had insulted Kagome's former ningen status. Kagome had looked at Sesshoumaru to see his reaction. Her mate just stood there, allowing her to be insulted.
Kagome's eyes filled with tears. The look in his eyes made her blood run cold. It was as if he blamed her for being a ningen...and now that she was his mate, he would be insulted because of what she had been.
He had not been pleased and she could sense his doubt at making her his mate again. It had been as strong as the taste of wasabi and just as unpleasant.
Putting the brush down again, she wiped her eyes. She was going to do it. It had to end. This time...would be the last time.
That sweet man she met in the gardens would help her. No, he wasn't a man, but an elf by the name of Hiro. He promised her that he would help her out if she was ever in trouble. Until she made her escape, she would keep out of Sesshoumaru's way.
The next day, as she walked about the gardens, weeping softly, she came across a familiar figure. He was standing silently by a tree just outside the perimeter of the gardens.
His brown hair was long and silky, brushing the back of his knees. He wore a robe of forest green velvet that brushed the ground. He smiled tenderly at her and held out his hand to her.
"Kagome," he said, his voice a mere breathy whisper on the breeze.
She went to him without hesitation, slipping her small hand in his. He led her away into the forest.
Kagome was beyond caring if Sesshoumaru became pissed that she left the grounds. So what? If he flew into a rage, it was not anyone's fault but his own.
"We were waiting for you to come to your senses, Kagome," the man said softly.
She looked at him sharply. "What do you mean by that?"
He turned slightly to look at her. His brown eyes were those of one who is young, but the look in them was that of an ancient, wise man. "This was not the path you were to have taken. Sesshoumaru was not the mate you should have chosen. He did not completely pass the test."
"The test..." she murmured. "What test?" It sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't be sure.
Hiro pulled her close to him, as they moved faster between the trees. "The Shikon no Tama has tested your mate, Sesshoumaru-sama. Before you returned to this time, he was given the test. He passed it in a sense, but the Jewel now feels that it was a mistake to have granted him his wish."
Kagome held on to him tightly as their feet left the ground. They were flying through the forest, and now were miles away from the castle. "What wish?" she asked, burying her face against his shoulder.
"He wished for you to return to him, alive and well, and to begin again to keep you from destroying his mark on you. He wished this, but he has failed to treat you as he promised." Hiro's eyes and voice hardened. "The jewel does not like it when a wish is granted on a promise and that promise is not kept." He looked down at Kagome, who had lifted her tearful, golden eyes to him. "He swore he would never hurt you. He has not kept his end of the bargain."
Kagome turned her head out slightly and looked to see where they were headed. "Where are you taking me?" she asked curiously. "Will I have to go back to Sesshoumaru?"
Kagome felt a pair of warm, soft lips on her temple. "No, you will not have to go back to him, Kagome. Not unless you wish it."
She shook her head vigorously and he laughed softly. "I am taking you to a place that will allow you to use the Jewel as you desire. Do not worry. Sesshoumaru cannot follow you to this place."
Hiro had felt her body tense a little, but she relaxed at his words. She was so unhappy, he thought. She did not deserve to be so unhappy.
Ok guys...please R&R! I'm not sure what to expect, but hopefully I won't get flamed too badly.