I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho fandom or characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and to Toshihiro Togashi. I do not make any monies or profit from the writing of this story.

Hello! We meet again! Yes this is me the creator of this beloved story. I owe all of you a huge Gomen nasai! I lost my password to and could not update. Thank you, thank you to those who took the time to review and to those who made this story a favorite! As you can see from the title this is a re-written version of my original story. I hope you will enjoy it just as much. I really love to hear your thoughts and comments...Please let me know what you thought of this chapter as well whether good or bad. Thank you again!

Enjoy,

DawnFire_ice

Prologue

The faint glittering of the katana in the wan light went unnoticed as he placed the razor sharp tip just where his prey's heart would be. A cruel smirk twisted his lips, as he looked coldly down at his soon to be victim; he felt a swell of victory and fury. "You won't ever have her." he said firmly, and with all the conviction within himself. His carmine eyes blazed with rage and the dragon curled around his arm, tore frantically at the bonds within his mind, he mentally tried to soothe it with the promise that his victim would die, but his eyes never left the shadowed face before him.

The blood tainted lips of his enemy turned up in a sadistic smirk full of malice "Neither will you." The figure laughed manically before cutting off with a gurgle as Hiei drove the sharp katana into his enemy's heart, reveling in the feeling of flesh giving way to the solid cold steel. Within his mind the dragon roared. He watched with satisfaction as dark life blood stained the skin and the floor around Kage, relieved he was finally dead. But those final words rang in Hiei's ears with bitter truth. She would never be his because-

The energy around the room shifted and the room blurred, as though someone had disturbed calm waters causing ripples. As the ripples of energy calmed once again Hiei found he was standing beside the form of his Miko. Something was wrong. Even though he was beside her he could not sense her nor did she move as he called her name. Her midnight hair hung around her face shielding it from his view. The posture of her body was slumped forward and her arms hung limply at her sides in slowly pooling crimson; her life blood.

Oh gods...Hiei stared uncomprehending at her figure. When had this happened? When could Kage have done this? Up until the final moment when Hiei had thrust his katana through Kage's heart he had heard her, she was screaming Hiei's name. She had sounded so afraid, and her fear had spurred him to finish the battle all the more quickly. He had wanted to go to her to assure her that she was once again safe. He had come for her.

But they had failed. Shock was slowly giving way to horror as his heart began to understand what his mind already knew. Kagome was dead. Hiei fell to his knees before her and tried to pull her in to his arms but his katana was in the way. Thinking he had merely forgotten to put it away he moved to do so but found that it was stuck. Frowning he looked down at the weapon. It didn't appear to be stuck in anything that he could see so he pulled again and as it came free Kagome's body was pulled forward.

Hiei dropped the sword with a clatter as he moved to catch his beloved. Emotions swirled within him. He'd never even gotten the chance to tell her how he felt for her, as mute as his feelings might have been. Now she would never know that she had done something he'd always believed was impossible: she'd captured his heart.

Her skin was still warm as he gently pushed the hair from her face and saw for the first time the tears that clung to her dark lashes and stained her perfect cheeks. Guilt flooded through him as he lowered his lips to hers, softly kissing her as he should have done several months ago when they had first met, the taste of her blood on her mouth, a bitter reminder of his failure. Now it was all too late. She was his light and now she was gone, her life snuffed out like a candle, leaving him alone once again in the darkness of reality. Damn it, this is why he hadn't told her how he felt. This is why he had given her to him. He had thought it would protect her if she didn't know; that somehow if he never confessed that his enemies would leave her alone.

Holding her close to himself he buried his face in her shoulder. "I'm so sorry." he whispered. "I tried Kagome, I tried to save you. I was just too late." The soft clatter of a hiroseki stone seemed to fill the silence as first one and then another and another fell. Vaguely he could hear footsteps approaching him and he buried his face deeper in her shoulder. Not caring that he would see them together.

"Hiei? What happened?" The soft voice of the avatar asked as he knelt beside his friend. His heart clenching painfully at the site of the woman both Yoko and himself had chosen for their own lying in a growing pool of her own blood. Glancing around him for some answer to his questions he spotted the Hiyoukai's katana and inhaled the scent blinking at what he found. Standing swiftly he moved to look closer at the weapon that was covered… in Kagome's blood.

Kurama could not believe what his nose told him, Hiei would never...as much as the truth had hurt when he had realized it, Hiei loved her. Glancing around the room he saw all the signs of a battle except the blood that should have been splattered showing that Hiei had wounded if not killed Kage. Inside his head Yoko raged demanding blood for her lost life.

Yusuke moved closer not believing what his eyes told him. Kagome was lying limp and broken in the arms of his team mate. Angrily he punched the ground as his grief turned to fury at the monster who had done this to her. He wanted to snatch her away from Hiei, but the tears on his cheeks stopped him cold. How had he not seen that Hiei was in love with Kagome? How had he been so blind? Silently he raised his pain filled eyes to meet the questioning eyes of the avatar. Had Kurama known? The tears wetting the emerald eyes shocked him. Had they all been in love with her?

Hiei did not raise his head as he croaked out, "I killed Kage but I was too late." He slightly gestured his head towards the side of the room where he recalled the corpse lay cooling in a pool of his black blood. "He's over there." Kurama looked the direction of where his friend gestured and saw nothing. He shook his head negatively.

"There is nothing over there." Yusuke said softly. Suddenly understanding, but not comprehending the events, Hiei raised his head.

"You must be blind then, fool," he snapped, looking towards the wall where his victim lay. He frowned when his eyes met nothing. No blood, no corpse, nothing marred the pristine white wall.

Confused, Hiei looked around the room. Where were the blood spatters that had splashed on the wall as he fought? Something definitely wasn't right. He looked down at Kagome in confusion pushing her out and away from his chest to see her. Kurama gasped and turned shocked eyes to Hiei, the reality crashing through, Hiei felt his world shatter. The only wound on her was a sword wound piercing her heart exactly as Kage had been in his 'battle'.

Yusuke felt like he had been torn limb from limb as he too saw the sword wound and then the sword –Hiei's sword laying a foot away covered in her blood. He was frozen in shock and unable to move, as sadly Kurama reached over and lifted Kagome's limp body into his own arms taking her from Hiei's limp grasp. Laying his lips to her cheek he kissed her softly in farewell, His heart was breaking as he turned his now amber eyes on his long time friend who was also grieving the loss, eyes burning with rage he demanded, "Hiei, what have you done?"