Author's Note:

I am not giving up on this story, so please enjoy!

-Kaydi15

Earlier that evening...

Amber eyes watched the sun setting over the horizon, its glow only enhancing the beauty of the youkai that seemed more like a god than a man. Silver hair danced in the gentle breeze, his sharp nose could detect scents from miles away. She was close by, he could both smell and sense her. He could barely believe that a ningen could posses as much power as she did.

His brother was a fool. Had things been different even he wouldn't be too proud accept the miko as a mate. With proper training her power could someday rival his.

And he was also not above admitting that he found her attractive. There wasn't a woman, demon or human, that was like her.

Yes, his brother was a fool indeed.

Sesshomaru stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing out unto the brightly colored landscape before him. He could tell that the winter would soon be upon them by the way the leaves bronzed. He hoped that Rin was preparing for winter back at his estate.

He regretted having to leave her behind but once he heard whispers of the return of that damn kumo he had to investigate. It was easy enough for him to catch up on what had transpired in his absence.

The miko Midoriko who had created the jewel came to warn the priestess Kagome of its return to the land of the living. Kami only knew why the jewel was returning, but it was obvious that once again they would need to find another way to destroy it. The return of the jewel also meant the return of a few people, including the Kumo and the priestess he was obsessed with before.

The return of the priestess once again caused his brat of a half-brother to go back to his old ways, foolishly choosing to abandon the miko Kagome for the un-dead priestess. The miko becomes proficient in the art of demon-slaying since she can no longer rely on the protection of the mutt and then chooses to separate herself from their little group.

If he weren't Sesshomaru he would've been rolling his eyes at his brother's stupidity. He had seen first-hand how loyal the miko had been to his brother, whilst the other miko pinned him to a tree for fifty years at their first lover's spat.

His beast becoming restless. It had been a while since he stretched his legs. Maybe it was time to visit his mother; if anyone could give more insight on the return of the Shikon no Tama then it would be her.

Moments later he was once again in his true form and climbing his way up into the clouds. His roar echoed through the sky, the primal song resonating in the beasts who instinctively knew that the creature making the sound was a predator like no other.

He had heard it. It was faint but he knew instinctively where that sound came from. Amber eyes looked at the sky, knowing full well what flew behind those clouds.

He couldn't help the growl that bubbled in the back of his throat.

"Sesshomaru," he thought. "Just what the hell are you doin' 'round here anyway?"

"Inuyasha, what seems to be troubling you?" He was brought out of thoughts about his half-brother by the sound of Kikyo's voice reaching his ears.

"Don't worry about it," he responded gruffly.

Kikyo could never understand why Inuyasha would behave like an ignorant child when it came to his older brother.

Yes, she knew that was the cause of his grumpy mood. She was able to sense his brother's energy even though he was miles away. She would never admit that she was impressed by his brother's strength; she had yet to come across any other demon that possessed such deadly power. She would also never admit to being fearful of the fact that Inuyasha shared blood with a demon like Sesshomaru. She knew Inuysha was stronger than even many full-fledged youkai, so she could only imagine how terrifyingly strong his youkai half was.

She remembered the day Kaede told her about how at times while journeying with Kagome and the others, Inuyasha had lost himself to his youkai blood and even turned on his own friends. Apparently only Kagome had been able to reach him while he was in such a state.

It made her wonder, would she be able to reach to Inuyasha should his heart be once again taken over by the demon blood that ran in his veins?

Or, would he turn his deadly claws towards her.

Kikyo stared at the man who pledged his heart to her and felt, shame? How could she fear the man she loved? Could it be possible that she really didn't know Inuyasha that well?

A familiar feeling swelled in her chest and a face she knew all too well came to mind. A face that looked like hers but still managed to look so different.

She was jealous of the girl that was able to get Inuyasha to open up his heart to her. Kagome had changed Inuyasha in ways she never got a chance to, when it should've been her all along! Her duty to the Shikon Jewel made her lose her chance at life. A normal life, where Inuyasha was just a boy and she was just a girl.

They would've been happy if it were not for that cursed jewel.

She wondered how long it would take for Inuyasha to open his heart to her the way he did with her reincarnation.

There was silence that permeated the that was beginning to drive her mad. Once again, she had found herself in the embrace of a man she once knew to be the enemy. His kiss was like no other that she had ever felt before and she was finding it hard to keep her mind off the sensation of having his silky lips against hers, or what it would feel like if those lips began to explor-

"Don't even go there Kagome!" she scolded herself internally. It had taken every once of her strength to pry herself away from the kiss that sent flames to down to her bones, but she needed to think and clear her head. She couldn't just go fall head over heels in love with the first guy that came along after she broke things off with Inuyasha.

Bankotsu didn't say a word when she broke the kiss, he simply went to a corner of her hut and sat down. She could feel his eyes on her form but she dared not meet his stare. She wasn't ready for what she might see in those sapphire eyes of his.

"Miko," came his gruff voice.

She fought to ignore the tingle that ran down her spine. "You know what my name is Bankotsu," she said.

Internally he was reveling in the sound of his name on her lips, still plump and swollen from their kiss.

"Why won't you look at me?" he asked, even though he could bet he already knew. He just had to hear her say it.

"I'm a little preoccupied right now- this blade isn't going to sharpen itself you know," came her reply.

"Bullshit!" she flinched at the sudden change in his voice. "Just say what it is, you don't have to pretend!"

"Say what?" she snapped back at him. "What is he talking about?"

He was beginning to lose his temper. How could she sit there and play dumb when it was obvious that the reason she kept pulling away from him was because she still had feelings for that filthy dog!

"Just admit it priestess, you're still in love with him aren't you?"

"In love?! You think I still have feelings for Inuyasha?"

"Well why the hell else do you keep running from me? You broke away from our kiss and then started sharpening that damn blade like nothing happened!" he roared. He was on his feet now, barely able to contain the anger and jealousy that sent his temperature into the sky.

She was on her feet now too, if the daggers she was glaring at him were real he would've been once again on his way to the land of the dead.

"I am not in love with Inuyasha! He betrayed me! You and I were enemies Bankotsu! You and your damned Band of Seven killed countless people and tried to kill me and my friends! And now, here you are kissing me and it feels amazing but at the same time I feel like I'm betraying them for even considering the possibility that I could love you!" she screamed at him.

And then there was silence again. She couldn't hear anything except the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears.

This time, she wished she could just crawl under a rock and die. "Why the hell did I just say that? Oh no, he's looking at me like I'm crazy! What do I do? What do I do? Oh, kami what do I do?"

"Do you feel it too then?"

"Huh?" she couldn't think. Her brain felt like it wasn't getting enough blood. She never wanted to pass out so badly in her entire life. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, I just-"

"Kagome," his voice was firm. She felt his hand grasp her chin and once again his sapphire gaze bore into her soul. "I don't know what this is, but I have decided that I don't want to fight it. Whether it be fate, destiny or some other bullshit I would be lying if I said I've ever felt this way about anyone before. I can't ignore that I feel something for you and I don't want to.

In my past lives my only goal was to gain more power because I didn't want to live my life in fear. My name would go down in history and I would be immortal. For some reason I have been given another chance at life and I think this time the reason is you. I can't get you out of my head and I don't give a damn what anyone has to say about it.

You are meant to be mine, Kagome. And someday, when you're ready, you will be."

She felt terrible. How could she reject him after such a heart-felt speech? She knew she had to, however, she had a duty to fulfill and she wasn't going to let her foolish heart make things more complicated by falling in love.

She was tired of love coming back to haunt her. She could no longer bring herself to trust the emotion that brought so much pain to her life. After all, if Onigumo hadn't loved Kikyo so much that he was willing to sell his soul to demons then she would be living her life 500 years in the future instead of being trapped in the Feudal Era, never to see her family and friends again.

She knew there was something between her and Bankotsu and there was a part of her that wanted desperately to embrace it. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the old Kagome would do. Dive in headfirst without a second thought. Now, she was different. She was a mature adult that had too many people depending on her to continue allowing herself to make such childish mistakes.

She took a deep breath, hoping that this could go without them needing to come to blows once again.

"Bankotsu, I don't-"

Kagome's breath hitched and suddenly she was no longer in the room. It was almost like she was having an out-of-body experience. She saw herself kneeling at an altar with Bankotsu by her side as her friends cheered and threw rice at them. Then a flash of light and she was in Kaede's hut nursing a newborn with Bankotsu by her side. Another flash of light brought her to an unfamiliar field, surrounded by the loveliest cherry blossom trees she had ever seen. She was pregnant, sitting in the grass and watching Bankotsu play with a child that had his same shimmering blue eyes. She had never seen him smile like that and she was overcome with the joy that flooded her soul.

"Kagome? Are you alright?"

Suddenly she was back to the present. Why she had gotten that vision? Was someone trying to tell her that she was meant to be with Bankotsu? Was it Midoriko?

"I'm okay," she said.

"Kagome, you're shaking."

"I'm fine, I just need a minute."

And then everything went black.