Another one that has met the mighty rewrite/edit. Not a lot has changed on this one either just fixes to make it easier to read. Hope you enjoy; much love for you all. Keva

xx

Kagome sat at her desk reading the passage in the old book over and over again. "This can't be for real." She said to herself as she read it once more. "Then again, had anyone ever told me that demons, mikos with magic, and hanyous once really roamed the land, I would have thought them to be mad." She muttered after reading the passage.

She closed the book and looked at the cover; it was old, so old in fact, she was certain it was written long before Inuyasha's family ever came into existence. The title had been worn off with time, so she had no idea what it was called or who if anyone actually wrote it. The kanji inside was so old she had a hard time finding a book that had the translations of the ancient text. Yet once she found it and read the book she was shocked to find that the book was a book of spells.

Most of the spells in the book were for healing, some for finding love, a few for cursing someone with things like, loss of hair, weight gain, poverty and so on. Then there was the one that caught her attention and that was when she began to wonder. Could she do it? Would it work if she did do it? Should she do it? But more importantly would she be able to handle the repercussions if she did do it?

Not that the book said there would be repercussions for casting such spells. However considering she traveled five hundred years into the past with nothing more than a jump through the well and had seen such spells cast she knew there were repercussions. There were always repercussion she had seen it enough to know that much so the real question was; would she be able to deal with the repercussions of her actions?

Well it all depended on how badly she loved her friends and how badly she wanted them to all be happy. Miroku free of his curse, Sango reunited with her brother, Inuyasha finally free to… well be with Kikyo. Apparently he doesn't care that she's a zombie, or a faded memory of her former self, or clay and weeds being held together with stolen souls. All it amounted to was that she wasn't definitely not human.

Yet that was neither here nor that all she cared about was her friends and their happiness. So yes she would do it and deal with it whatever the consequences were when they came. Opening the book to the spell she began the process and mentally crossed her fingers hoping beyond hope that it worked.

xx

Two weeks later Kagome found herself sitting against the well staring up into the deep blue summer sky. The air was fresh, the birds were singing, and Inuyasha was gone. They weren't expecting her back for another week so they decided to go and do whatever it was they did while she was gone. She was fine with that she had things of her own to do and didn't need the interruptions of her friends to get them done.

She rose to her feet and began walking while smiling she wasn't headed for the village she was headed somewhere else. To a place that held dark memories and something that contained a valuable object that she couldn't wait to get her hands on. She could only imagine his face when he found out that she had it and what she was going to do with that particular item. A giggle escaped her lips as she thought about it.

He was going to be angry for sure but when she held the priceless object there would be nothing he could do about it.

She stepped through the dark little cave that held a single candle causing shadow and light to dance across the wall. She could feel the memories of this place dancing around her ready to attack her for interrupting their dance. Waving them off as a minor nuisance she moved to kneel down next to the marred earth. The scar of a being who gave his body away freely to lowly demons in effect creating her worst enemy Naraku.

Looking down at the spider shaped scar that matched the one on his back, she dug her fingers into the soft earth, moving the dirt aside. Four handfuls later, she jabbed her fingernail against something hard. "Ouch that hurt." She hissed as she went to put the wounded digit in her mouth but seeing the black dirt on her finger and under the nail she decided against it.

Reaching into the small hole she grabbed the jar and pulled it out. "Hiding it right under your enemy's nose. Very clever of you." She grinned as she held the small jar up in front of her face. Pulling the lid off, she dumped the contents into her hand, and smiled even bigger as she stared at it. "I own you now." She grinned rather evilly for someone as pure as her.

She placed the jar back in the hole, covered it up, and left the cave. Once outside she held up her treasure towards the sun, making it glow even brighter. She could see it pulsing as the crimson liquid inside swirled about wildly. "So this it what it's like to hold someone's heart in your hand." She arched a brow at it then tossed it into the air and caught it before she left heading back towards the well.

She knew she wouldn't make it she could feel him coming for her the second she laid her fingers upon the red gem in her palm. Not to mention there was only one shard left and she currently carried that one around her neck. Halting her progress when she heard trees crashing to the ground in the forest to her right she waited.

"Girl you will hand over the final shard and in exchange I will make your death quick and painless."

Kagome locked her deep browns with his crimson and smiled victoriously at him. "Nope." She then continued walking towards the well.

Naraku stared hard at her. "You will not escape me."

She shrugged her shoulder as she continued to walk away. "Do I look like I am escaping you? Nope, just merely walking away."

He quickly moved to stand in front of her and attempted to grab her by the throat but was quickly thwarted when she easily dodged his attack.

Kagome jumped back away from him and narrowed her eyes to dangerous little slits. "You do that again and I will kill you." She hissed.

Naraku laughed at her statement but soon that laugh turned to a gasp of pain. It was searing through his chest like fingers wrapping around his heart squeezing the life right out of him. His brows drew together at the painful sensation then he cut his hard eyes to the girl as the pain receded. She had his heart in her hand. "You will hand over my heart before I kill you." He growled.

A smirk grew on her lips. "Not a chance." She held the red stone up before her. "I figured that since we can't seem to defeat you in battle," she looked at him with disgust clearly written on her features. "because you use underhanded tricks to win. Pretty slimey of you if I do say so myself." She pointed a sharp finger at him. "So, I decided there was only one way to bring you under control and that was by obtaining your heart. Pretty slick of you to hide it right here under our noses. Probably would have done the same thing if I were you."

"How?" He growled demanding an answer.

"Now that is one secret you will never know." She grinned evilly and stared at him pointedly. "What you should concern yourself with is is what I am going to do with it."

His fury welled up inside him so much that he thought he was going to explode into a million little pieces if he didn't find release from it soon. "What?" He hissed.

"Maybe I will kill you." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I haven't quite decided yet." She again began to walk away and as she passed him and before she could do anything, he grabbed her by the wrist and ran his claw across it drawing open a deep gash.

Kagome hissed in pain and began squeezing upon the gem in her other hand trying to force him to release her.

Naraku fought the pain as he then ran his fang across his own wrist and pressed it against hers. "My pain is your pain as yours is mine." He whispered painfully.

Kagome screamed in pain as she felt the squeezing around her own heart. Loosening her grip around the gem in her hand she jerked her wrist from his grasp. "What have you done?" She demanded trying to keep the panic at bay she already knew the answer to that question and did not like it one bit.

He pulled himself up to his full height as the pain in his chest receded. "It will stay until you return what you have stolen." He smirked like he had just won some great victory.

Her brown eyes narrowed to tiny little slits. "Oh yea? Well two can play this game." She bit back as she grabbed the shard that was dangling around her neck, placed it next to his heart then pressed them both against her chest. "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine." She said icily.

Naraku watched with crimson anger as the jewel began to glow bright pink surrounding the gem that held his heart in pink light then both vanished into her chest.

Kagome snorted in disgust at him then turned and began walking west. She needed some advice and she needed it now and from someone who could possibly break the spell he cast upon her.

"Wench were do you think you are going?" He questioned as he followed off after her.

"None of your business. Now go away!" She snapped.

Naraku growled angrily. "Not until I have what is mine back along with your death and the last jewel shard."

"Well you can't have any of them." She bit back as she continued to storm away from him.

Just as he was about to snatch her up and abscond with her another being made his appearance.

"Hanyou filth you will die on this day." Sesshoumaru growled as he withdrew tokijin.

"Sesshoumaru no!" Kagome yelled as she ran towards him. "If you kill him you will kill me too!"

"This isn't over miko bitch." Naraku growled then vanished in a black cloud of miasma.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl standing in front of him eyes narrowed deeply. "Miko." He growled.

Kagome sighed as she dropped her head like a child being chastised. She knew that by the way he said miko he wanted a compete explanation of what had occurred. "I was on my way to see you." She started then followed that up with explaining to him what had happened before his arrival. "So you see I need your advice or help or something. You are the only one I trust with this my friends would kill Naraku in effect killing me as well. I know none of them know of any spells that would break the bond Naraku placed on me." She placed her fingers to her temples and began rubbing little circles upon them. She then looked up at him eyes full of desperation. "It gets worse." She whispered.

Gold eyes stared down at the girl. "Come." He ordered and began walking towards his home.

Kagome followed silently lost in her thoughts trying to sort out how to undo everything she has done. "It's hopeless." She sighed to herself.

Sesshoumaru ignored her as his mind was too busy trying to fix what the girl had done. He understood what she was trying to do but her simple mind didn't comprehend the consequences of her actions.

"Wait!" She yelled out. "The book."

Sesshoumaru stopped and turned towards her. "What book?"

"The book that started all this. It's at my house do you think it has a spell to break the spell I placed along with the spell he placed upon me?"

His eyes narrowed as he walked towards the girl grabbing her up and taking her to the well. "You will fetch this book and return here immediately." He ordered and was pleased as she quickly complied with him.

Ten minutes later Kagome returned through the well with her yellow bag upon her back packed with her essentials and the book. "Okay." She said as she began walking west past him.

Sesshoumaru walked after her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Without a word he used his jaki to form his cloud and flew them both to the Western Palace.

xx

Kagome sat before Sesshoumaru silently waiting for him to sort out the mess she got herself into this time. "Ya know Sesshoumaru," she started as she looked up at him from counting on her fingers. "this makes the seventh time I have come to you to help me fix one of my mistakes."

He stared pointedly at her. "Hai, perhaps you should start thinking about the consequences of your actions before you TRY to help."

She placed her elbows on the table, set her chin on her palms, and sighed. "Well they seem like good ideas at the time. So why do they always go completely wrong? Maybe I'm cursed by the Kami or something."

"Miko the only curse is your inability to think things through before you act on them." He grabbed the scroll sitting next to him on the table. Opening it he handed it to her along with the ink quill.

Kagome nodded, she knew the routine she had done this enough to know. She signed her name and held her finger out to him. She flinched when he pricked her finger with his claw and put a drop of blood on her signature. She was amazed now as she was every time she had done this, when her blood drop followed the line of her signature, turning it crimson. She stuck her wounded appendage into her mouth and watched as Sesshoumaru signed his name followed by pricking his finger and letting the blood fall on his name. Once that was done he rolled the scroll up and stared at her. "So Sesshoumaru, how are things going with you and the lord of the north's daughter?"

Sesshoumaru put the scroll away and helped her to her feet. "I have declined the offer to wed her."

"What? Why? I thought you liked her and it would expand your lands." She asked eyes wide as she walked with him down the hall towards the dining room.

He smirked. "I found her to be too much like my mother."

"Really?" She gasped. "That's too bad." She said with a shake of her head. "So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing." He answered dismissively as he slid the door to the dining room open.

Kagome walked to her usual seat at the table, to Sesshoumaru's left. He had tired to get her to take the seat on his right but she refused telling him that that seat was meant for his wife not a lowly ningen such as herself. His response to that was aside from Rin she was the only other ningen he respected and as such she was entitled to the special privileges that he didn't even grant to other demons.

"Nothing? Why not?" She sighed as she waited for him to begin eating before she followed suit. "You know Sesshoumaru I really wish you would find someone to marry someone to love you for all that you are. You need someone in your life to take care of you." She nodded pointedly at him.

"Miko, I do not need a wife for anything other than creating an heir to carry on my legacy." He nodded curtly as he placed some meat into his bowl.

Kagome set her chopsticks down and stared seriously at the demon lord. "Sesshoumaru I just want you to be happy. You need someone and I am sure someone out there needs you." She leaned in towards him as if what she was about to say next was the most important thing he would ever hear. "It concerns me that you might spend the rest of your life alone and never know what it is to love someone."

Sesshoumaru eyed her for a few moments. So many times they have had this conversation and every time it ended the same way. He would concede and agree with her if only to shut her up. Oh the peace he had when he had told her that he was courting the Northern Lord's daughter the miko was thrilled. He had never seen the girl happier. Now it was back to the same thing. 'Sesshoumaru you need a wife. Sesshoumaru I just want you to be happy. Sesshoumaru there is more to life than just acquiring power. Sesshoumaru you need someone to love.' He was tempted to sigh and roll his eyes at her but suppressed the urge. "Miko, my personal life is not your concern."

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. "You always say that." She picked up her chopsticks and continued eating. "Sesshoumaru is it so wrong for me to want to see you happy?"

"Iie, miko. It is wrong that you continue to annoy me with this conversation. If," he shot her a deadly look even though he knew it would have no effect on her. "I spend the rest of my life alone then so be it."

She shook her head and sighed deeply in defeat. "Fine Sesshoumaru, if you say so."

xx

Kagome stood in front of the shoji door to the spare room staring up at Sesshoumaru. "Arigatou Sesshoumaru." She smiled with a small bow. "See you in the morning."

Sesshoumaru gave her a small nod then both parted ways her going into her room and him heading for his study. He needed to begin working out how to solve the mess she got herself into this time.

Kagome looked around her room and smiled this was indeed her room. On the small table in the corner sat pictures of her friends and family that she brought from home. The large oak wardrobe, held her clothes that she also brought from home, as much as Sesshoumaru disliked them. He made her keep several kimono as well, just in case he had an unexpected visitor or some kind of gathering.

On the bed were white silk sheets with a beautiful patchwork quilt she acquired from her grandmother before she died. Plusher favorite fuzzy blanket with a teddy bear picture in the center. The walls were adorned with some of her favorite art work, which was mostly drawings from Shippou and a younger Rin. She loved her room, it was her home away from home, and she always looked forward to the days when she would come and visit Sesshoumaru and get to stay in her own room.

With a smile on her lips, she moved to the wardrobe and changed into her pajamas which consisted of just basic shorts and tank top. It was summer and it was hot even in the middle of the night. That was the downside to Sesshoumaru's home you died of heat in the summer and froze in winter. She did have a small fireplace in her room but it wasn't near big enough to heat up the room to a temperature that pleased her when it was freezing outside.

She walked over to her bed and folded back the quilt it was hot enough that she wouldn't need it. Crawling in between the silk sheets she stretched out then curled into a small ball and almost instantly fell asleep. It had been a mentally draining day with obtaining Naraku's heart and all.

xx

Sesshoumaru sat at his desk looking at the book the girl brought that contained the spell she cast to tap into the hanyou's mind in order to find his heart. It was an old book indeed the kanji inside was so old that he was sure they quit using it long before he was even born. Luckily she had also given him the book that contained the translations for the old text and he quickly found a couple of things. For starters the spell she cast only works one time and once you use the ability to tap into someone's mind you can't read their thoughts a second time unless you cast the spell again. Second, it contained nothing about the bond that the hanyou filth and the girl created between each other.

He closed the book and pushed it aside and pondered on this whole mess with the girl. She had said this was the seventh time she had come to him for assistance but for some reason it felt like the hundredth time. He had to wonder how she could get herself into these messes and so often. Normally he would have thought her to be simple and without the brain capacity understand even the simplest of things. However over the last six years he found that she was as far from being simple as he himself was from being weak.

He easily remembers how this whole thing with the girl started. It was his own fault when it came right down to it he just had to go and blast her with his poison in an attempt to kill her and death should have taken her yet it didn't. Once she pulled herself up from the muck of his poison she instantly became part of his pack as much as he loathed the idea. His scent became a part of her as a permanent testament that she belonged to him to which he of course denied with all his being. Consequently forcing him to attempt to take her life and as much as it irritated him he just couldn't do it. Granted as part of his pack she was the omega not worth his time but enough so that she was still under his protection.

Although each time he saved her for instance when he saved her from Mukotsu he told her that he was searching for his baka of a worthless hanyou brother. Which was mostly untrue. Nope, he was saving her as a proper pack leader is supposed to and maintaining her safety.

It just went downhill from that point on. Their paths would cross constantly and not entirely because they were both seeking the contemptible hanyou, It was because he was guarding his pack which she just happened to be a part of unknown to her. Then the day came that one day that began the process of moving her higher up into his pack.

He had been checking his lands and happened across her sitting under a tree staring into a strange book and muttering curses under her breath.

Kagome looked up and saw the demon lord standing over her. Normally she would have been afraid but her math homework was driving her completely crazy. She had been trying for hours to work out the problem but with missing so many classes she never got the lesson aobut how to solve the problem. "Hey Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl and narrowed his eyes at her and her disregard for his status. "Girl why are you here alone?"

Kagome looked up at him. "Well I have to get my homework done and with Inuyasha's large loud mouth I can't. So I decided to find a place where I could get some peace and quiet so I could try to get it done." She then sighed showing her frustration. "However, even with the quiet I don't think I will be able to get it done. I just don't get it!" She bit out with a slam of her fists into the grass.

He didn't know exactly what she was talking about nor did he particularly care and was all set to leave her when she stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey Sesshoumaru, you are by far one of the most intelligent beings I know. Do you think you can help me?" She held her book out to him. "Perhaps if you read it and understand it then you can explain it to me so that I can get it and get my homework done."

Sesshoumaru stared at the book for a few moments before plucking the book out of her hand. The compliment she had paid his intelligence deserved at the very least an insult to hers. He decided that once he read the book and understood what she was trying to sort out he would point out that it was rather simple and that perhaps she should give up since her mind was too simple for such complex problems.

It didn't work out that way. The problems she was working on were harder than she made them sound and they ended up spending hours between the two of them trying to work out how to solve the math problems. He found himself shocked to find that she had to work out problems like these almost daily for something she called school. Leaving him to finally understand why she was so intelligent for a ningen after he found out what this school thing was.

"Oh thank you Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome sighed happily. "Now I can finish the work for my other classes."

He was intrigued as to what other things she had to study for and was going to find out. He liked this math thing she had to do. It challenged his mind and he was finding as time went on things in his life weren't as challenging as they once seemed to be. "What are these other classes?"

Kagome smiled up at him. "Well there is literature, science, social studies, and art. Art and literature are my two favorites. Math is okay along with social studies but science is the one class I hate the most." She glared at the ground. "I mean what do I care what compounds mixed together make up poison or anything else? Or what chemicals mixed together make" she waved her hand in the air. "whatever. Truthfully I really don't care." She finished with a nod of agreement with herself.

Sesshoumaru just looked down at her. He wanted to see the books for these other classes of hers especially this science class she despised the most. However he would never sink so low as to ask this ningen for anything. He just stared at her for a few moments then turned to leave but once again she stopped him.

"Hey Sesshoumaru." Kagome called as she jumped to her feet.

He turned to face her and gave her his most bored look ever.

"Um, I just wanted to thank you for your help and…" She trailed off not sure if she should ask him or not.

"Miko say what you have to say." He ordered.

Kagome stared up at him. "Well I was just wondering if you would help me again sometime. I mean if your not too busy." She fidgeted slightly under his gaze. "With having to come here and hunt down Naraku and put the jewel back together I'm falling further and further behind in my classes. I'm afraid that if I don't catch up soon I'll have to drop out." She sighed sadly. "Then I won't be able to get into college and get a degree so that I can have a good job."

He stared down at her considering her words. He didn't know what college was or what this degree thing that she desired was but he assumed it had something to do again with this school she had to do. He found it strange that as a ningen she was so determined to carry such burdens and do what she was required to do no matter how hopeless it seemed to be. Most ningens would just give up and be the useless beings they were put on the land to be. "Perhaps if we cross paths again." He said then turned and left her standing there.

That was how it all began, helping her stay caught up with her classes. Then slowly she would pose other problems to him that had nothing to do with her school but more to do with situations she would herself into. She'd ask him what he thought was the best way to handle the situation. He would give her his solution and she would follow that up with. "Hmm… yea I'll try that." Then during their next meeting she would proceed to tell him the outcome of his solution to her problem.

It just went downhill from that point on. She then began seeking him out for advice and solutions until the first big problem came about and he had to spend sometime working out a solution to it. That was the first time he brought her home so that they could work a solution to her problem out. He decided that he would use contracts to help her so that way she was at the very least bound to try his solution no matter how much she disliked it.

He tolerated it being his respect for her as a ningen was growing with each passing moment they spent together since he was given sight into how smart she really was. Even if she more often than not she didn't think about the consequences of her actions when she would try to do something to HELP bring down Naraku or keep the dead bitch away from Inuyasha.

It was about a year or so later when she showed up at his door distraught over an occurrence that happened in her own time. He knew what had happened to her the moment he saw her and he became angry that someone would dare hurt someone in his pack. She was beaten, her clothes were ripped, and the scent of her blood overpowered him along with the scent of an aroused male covering her body. She was raped and from what he could make out from her hysterical rambling some male from her time raped her when she refused to go out with him.

He placed her in her room and for about a week she just stayed in bed staring blankly out the window lost in her own mind. When he finally had enough he forced her to face what had happened to her along with the release of her anger because of it. By the end of the day her room was littered with broken objects holes in the walls and the shoji door to the balcony lying on the floor.

After that she ended up staying with him for a moon cycle and moved into another room which is now her current room a room without the memories of what happened. During the month she was with him he learned everything there was to know about the girl. Her likes, dislikes, everything that ever happened between her, Inuyasha and her friends. He learned how they all became friends and found it astounding that when each one of them met they didn't like each other.

She told him of her home and family in her own time and about her father's death. That was when he asked her why she didn't go to her family after she was raped and found her answer rather strange. She had said that after it happened the only thought that went through her head was; 'Sesshoumaru, he will know what to do.'. She ran home sobbing and instead of heading for her house, she ran straight to the well and to the Palace of the Moon. When he asked her what she would have done if he wasn't home her response was; 'You would have found me by the gate curled up fetal position bawling and waiting for you to come home.'

So here she was again in another mess of her own making leaving him to solve it. How did she weave her way into his life and so deeply that he didn't make decisions regarding his life or his lands without considering what effects it would have on the girl? She was part of the reason he decided against marrying the daughter of the north. Had he decided to marry her he would have had to shun Kagome from his home and quite possibly from his lands. In his pack Kagome is the alpha bitch even though they aren't joned, and had he married his chosen female would have become the alpha bitch and most likely would have killed the miko just to prove she was the true alpha bitch.

Sure the demoness was cold and cruel like his mother but that was something he could handle easily. However in the end he decided against marrying her because he didn't want to deal with breaking her and because had he had to shun Kagome the girl would have died. Well maybe not literally but her heartbreak would be worse than when she was raped. He could easily see how much she depended upon and needed him in her eyes and he liked it. Why? He didn't know but he liked it more than he would ever admit.

Perhaps it was because she looked at him like he controlled the moon and the stars moving them across the sky with nary but a wave of the hand. It was the same way Rin used to look at him before she grew into what Kagome called a mouthy teenager. Always talking back and never doing what she was told his ward was constantly pushing him to the breaking point. Then when she met that boy in the nearby human village… he thought for sure he was going to kill her or him or both.

Sneaking out to see him then returning and lying to about where she had been during the night. As if he were so naïve as to not know where she's been or who she was with. If it weren't for the miko he most likely would have acted out on his desires killing the boy and locking his ward away for the rest of her natural life. The miko told him that she was just growing up and coming to a part of her life where she was trying to define who she really is not a child but not an adult either. "Soon she will find herself and it will all be no more than just a bad dream." It was hardly a dream more like a never ending nightmare and he was trapped right in the center.

He dismissed his wandering thoughts about the females in his life and decided that he would retire for the night. Perhaps in the morning he would be able to come up with some kind of a solution to the problem the girl immersed herself in this time.