The Remembering

by KalGal

Kagome, an archeology student, gets the chance of a lifetime to assist in the touring of an Aztec Temple. While checking up on a Temple resident, she is attacked and accidentally sent back in time where she is thought to be the lover of a god. With this development, she is thrust into an ancient battle for a man her past self-loved and her future-self is reluctant to let go.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha nor anything Aztec.

This is my gift to all the readers who waited for me to come out of my slump. Hope you like it because it was a living hell to write.

"And who might your lovely companion be?" The man asked, tilting his head of the side and running his eyes up and down my body. I repressed a shiver and held my hand out, waiting for him to take it.

"I'm Kagome sir, your translator." He seemed slightly taken back, most likely expecting some old man dressed in a cape and a wand. Not many younger people knew how to speak fluently the language of the long dead Aztecs.

"So you can talk Aztec-ian to the caveman that hides in the ruins into letting us come in?" The explorer asked, wringing his sweaty hands and looking back to his employer, a fat man and woman. They were tapping their feet impatiently and the woman was fanning herself with her wide-brimmed hat.

"It's actually Nahautl-" My words were cut off as he shushed me, causing my fingers to dig into the fleshy part of my palm. I glanced up to my Professor and noticed he to was slightly angry at the man for his treatment of me.

I knew it was a big deal, not every archeology major gets a chance to see inside a recently opened Aztec monument, but the bugs nipping at my legs, the sun baring down on us, and the asshole leading our troop was starting to wear on my limitless patients.

"Let's move!" Our guide called, waving his arm to show us that we would embark. We all shuffled forward in the, hopefully, correct direction.

"So Professor, you were explaining the importance of this pyramid before the plane landed, care to continue?" I asked, slapping a rouge leaf from my face. He smiled, happy to explain something to someone that wasn't to a complete idiot.

"As I was saying, this is the Temple of Xolotl, the dog spirit and The Lord of the West. He leads the dead to Mictlan, their land of the dead. His was in important part of many of this regions lore. Many stories go that the god fell made in love with the goddess Itzpapalotl, the Obsidian Butterfly was the best translation I believe, and so to trick her, he traded his human form for that of a dog, fooling the goddess into thinking he was a-"

"Nagual, people that can turn themselves into animals, go on." He smirked down at me and continued onward, leaving me a few steps behind.

"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, he fooled her and then he bedded her, pissing her off when he told her his was a sun god. So to pay him back, she leaves, returning to her paradise of Tamoanchan. You have to remember, she was a warrior of the stars, not a goddess you wasn't to tussle with, but Xolotl was clever, and sent a lightning bolt into heaven to drag his lover back down to earth. The rest of the tail in lost to all but time."

"Wow." The words bounced around in my head a few times before settling down and letting me think about them for a few minutes. "Do you think she even liked him, he seemed like a cocky bastard."

"Who are we to try to understand the will of gods, my dearest Kagome." He smiled and the laugh lines around his mouth deepened and the wrinkles that covered his forehead scrunched together from good humor.

Less than an hour later, the peeks of the Temple appeared through the trees, and the dull gold of their paint could still be seen event from a distance. A sense of happiness that most certainly was not mine, flowed through my veins and made my steps quicken.

When we reached the outlying land of the massive tower, my eyes seemed to want to drink everything in at once. The large pillars that lined the massive steps seemed to be carved and painted to resemble a man with the head of a dog on one while the other showed a body made of bones.

"Well aren't you just the handsomest dog skeleton I ever did see." I joked and ran a hand lightly over the rock, grabbing my fingers back when I slight electrical shock resonated up my arm. I glanced back as my steadily moving group. I raced to catch up.

When I was in line with them I noticed a sparkling piece of metal glimmering from under a pile of fallen blocks. I picked my way over it it and dug lightly and was rewarded with a dusty key. I looked for any other keys but the only other thing in its vicinity was a box. I heard my name being called and quickly sprinted to rejoin the group, shoving the object into my backpack.

"So Kagome, the Aztec language is not something one normally just choses to pick up." The rich man asked, pulling a pocket fan from within his fanny-pack.

"I don't know...you see my mother adopted me because I was left outside a small village in Mexico. They villagers took me to Mexico City and my mother adopted me from an agency. I wanted to thank the villagers and they only knew snippets of English so I thought I would learn their native tongue to show my gratitude. They said they though I was a child of the gods, left for them to care for." I smiled at the memory of all the happy tribespeople when they saw I was thriving and healthy.

"You wanted to learn a whole language so you could thank a bunch or savages?" The guide scoffed and the pudgy woman frowned and looked back at me.

"Well I think it's sweet." I nodded politely in her direction and watched as her husband helped her over a particularly stubborn log. "Speaking of sweet, I think I need something to eat."

"You ate not two hours ago." Her husband chided, laughing at his wife with good humor. She glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"My body is a temple and right now, my temple needs a good bunch of candy sacrifices." She joked, fanning herself more vigorously with her hat before placing it back on her mop of bright red hair. I handed her my bottle of water and she smiled in gratitude, making her ruddy cheeks stretch and show her bright green eyes.

The base of the temple was right before us and I looked around and was filled with sadness at the broken and dilapidated stone statues that littered the ground. This once magnificent place of worship was reduced to a heap of unexplored rubble. I traced the lines of one relief and sorrow seemed to seep into my bones. For some odd reason I wanted to cry and I was shocked to discover tears leaking from my eyes. I rubbed them from existence before I could be caught.

"Are you coming? The man lives at the top." Professor questioned, raising an eyebrow at my bloodshot eyes but dropped the subject when I smiled and continued onward.

We took our time climbing the many steps, stopping along the way so the couple could take pictures, and boy did she use that to her advantage. When we finally peeked the top I was surprised to find the entranceway much larger than all the books had told me they would be. The Aztec's were advanced for their time but never could make the insides very big, but this one was huge.

"I thought you told me temples were small!" I accused my Professor, smiling over at him and watching as the woman's camera flashed multiple times. "This place must be huge. Just imagine what it must have looked like in its prime!"

"This is not the only part of the temple, Papalotl." A man muttered, shuffling from a room to my left. His gnarled hands gripped a cane so worn with age the pictures were faded so much they couldn't been seen. His sagging mouth was tugged up with a smile, raising the rest of his body up with it. His deep set eyes brown eyes were lost in the deeply tanned folds of his face.

"Butterfly? Why a butterfly? Can't I be a Cuetlachtli?" I asked, letting the words roll from my tongue. He seemed slightly surprised and pleasantly confused.

"I do believe you are to kind to be a wolf, but do not think so lightly of the beautiful insect, if you get to close to its delicate wings they might just cut you." His cryptic comment was left to float around in the air for a few seconds before the man whistled and a white dog trotted out of the room. He looked towards our guide. "Why have you come back Zorrah?"

"He called him a fox, the traditional word for a trickster." I leaned over and whispered to the woman watching the exchanged with raised eyebrows. She looked over at me and smiled.

"I just want to show this nice couple the temple grounds...maybe spend the night in the lower levels." The old man frowned then glanced over at me. I could feel my cheeks reddening and refused to avert my eyes.

"What do you think little Papalotl?" He asked and the guide looked over at me expectantly. I just nodded and he seemed to be waiting for me to explain my decision.

"I feel like I want to be here a little longer." My strong word came out tiny and pathetic, but the old man nodded nevertheless and raised his cane over our shoulders and to the small piles of rock and the remnants of a once grand garden.

"One rule." We all stopped moving and waited for him to name his terms. "If you are to reside on the gods land, you must respect their traditions and culture. That includes dress."

More than an hour later we all stood once again out by the stairs, dolled up in various states of undress. Our guide was wearing a cape and little else, while my Professor was given the honor of an upperclassman's garb. The woman and I both wore skirts that revealed far less than the men's outfits and mine was a pure black with a cape that looked suspiciously like the wings of a butterfly.

It took us much less time to climb down the Temple and over to our temporary campground but our costumes kept bunching in all the wrong places and caused us many stops along the way. We had to avoid the ruble piled high around some sort of clearing and that cost us even more time. When we finally shrugged off our packs, all of our backs were aching.

We built a fire and told stories. The couple told us that they were called Fred and Lily and won the lottery a while back and only wanted to spend some of it after they had paid for their children's collage. The guides was named Sam and took this job to save up enough money to attend the university of New Mexico next year. I almost felt bad for being so rude to him. Almost.

It was late in the night when I noticed from the corner of my eye, a flash of light from the rooms lining the open top floor of the Temple. I shot up from my spot on a rock and the three others seemed as confused as I was.

"What is it?" My Professor asked, sitting up in his sleeping bag, the fire reflecting its flames in his glasses.

"Thought I saw something." I watched the floor for a few more seconds before I was sure I saw starting to see things. "I think I'm going to go check on the old man."

My professor nodded hesitantly and handed me a flashlight. I flipped the switch and started picking my way through the rubble, being very mindful of my feet. As I was walking I kept a constant eye on the Temple, but never saw another flash of light. From there anyways.

As I was passing the large mounds of stones, I was stopped by a steady flickering to my left. I spun around but the light was gone and I was left with the feeling of stupidity. Then it happened again, farther around the rock wall the thing pulsed and raced into a line of pillars, waving between them with ease. I gave chase to the fluttering creature and it lead me farther and farther from my camp ground. I jumped over fallen reliefs and shattered ceramics, finally stopping to slip my shoes off. I threw them onto the tallest rock I could find so I could get them tomorrow but the thoughts were taken from my brain and easily replaced by the single thought.

"I need to catch that light."

I spun around a corner and came to a dead end. A wall of shattered stone was built up and filled in with crude plaster, the two pillars standing guard at the entrance had since fallen over and blocked the way in but one was tilted at an angle, stopping the falling debris from completely blocking the door.

I shoved my flashlight into the small sash and got down onto my hands and knees before dropping even lower into an army crawl to get into the small cavern. When I finally shimmed through, I was exhausted.

I stood up and looked on in awe. The many columns that held the roof up supported a multitude of drawings and the roof itself was a masterpiece. Some parts had pointed holes in them that connected to a star, the strategically placed holes lined up to almost every star in that nights sky. Next to the gap was charcoal words of the star and its meaning or importance. I reached up to the low-hanging painting and followed the thick white lines that interconnected to make pictures from the random points of light. I smiled and ran my fingers in the deep groves on the wall.

The words came to me instantly, written in Nahautl, but familiar all the same. I traced the characters not really absorbing them till a single name came up. Itzpapalotl. I squatted down and started to read from the light of my flashlight.

"This is the gate for my love Itzpapalotl. May she return to me soon, for I miss her dearly." I noticed the words were written not by a chisel or any other tool the Aztecs were know for using. It looked like it was carved from sharpened nails. I continued to read on the opposite side of the room and realized that it was not really a message but more of the man telling the story to the immortal lovers.

"So what I really want to know is if the guy gets the girl." I muttered skipping over their meeting and reading about how she vanished. It ended and I grew frustrated, cocking my hip and looking angrily at the wall like it might show me the last page to a good book.

I was pulled from my anger by the sound of shuffling. My eyebrows knitted together and I quietly made my way over to the only hole in the wall big enough to see through. I leaned down and brought my eye to the split in the plaster, scanning the dark landscape.

A shift of movement caught my eye and I tracked its path closer and closer. The creature was huge, its body was smooth and reflective in the slivered moons limited rays.

"Ahuizotl." The name if the creature came from deep in my mind, a word I had no idea it's context but the feeling of it seemed familiar on my tongue. I blinked and noticed with growing horror, that the beast had heard me call its name. It turned its head to the side and locked eyes with me.

It looked like a sleek wolf, with pupils the color of fresh blood, and I backed slowly away from the wall. My ears picked up the animals movement as it stalked closer to my hiding spot, its growling and the sound of it licking its chops gave away its position.

My adrenalin had kicked in and my fight or flight instincts had come into play. I tried to think rationally and seemed to be coming up with a blank. I knew I couldn't outrun the creature, it was all muscle and would catch me before I could reach help. But I also couldn't stay here.

A small flickering light came from behind me and I feared the creature had gotten in before I realized it was the small bug from before. I grew angry at its shimmering light.

"It's your fault! If I hadn't been so concerned with following your damn light!" I whispered furiously. The flashes dulled and revealed a butterfly, its pure white wings fluttering up and down lightly. It ignored my accusation and instead flapped down to the well situated in an alcove hidden within the wall.

I heard the growling intensify and glanced over my shoulder to see the massive creature butting at the rubble blocking it from me. I threw caution to the wind and raced over the dirt floor to the lip of the well.

The beast crashed into the room and his claws found much more traction than my bare feet, gaining ground more quickly than I could. The world slowed as I kicked off the well's rim, throwing myself into the darkness that congregated at the shafts bottom.

The creature snapped at my falling arm and nicked my shoulder, sending searing rods of pain to my brain and tearing a scream from my lungs. I clutched at my bleeding appendage and screamed again when the floor raced up to meet my face. The wind blew my hair back from my face and my face kissed the soil.

My eyes shot open with a startled breath and a cry of pain. I sat up quickly, taking in the dawn sunlight starting to filter in from the holes in the ceiling. The events from last night filtered into my mind and I smacked my head against the wells wall to knock some sense into my brain.

"Damn, I think I almost lost my mind." I muttered, lifting my arm up to see what I could have possibly done to think an Aztec monster was coming to kill me. The blood was still flowing lightly but it didn't seen as if it was that deep of that serious. The only thing that worried me was the fact they resembled bite marks.

I clutched it and hefted myself up, looking for any handholds in the flawless wood. I finally settled on grabbing vines that seemed to be sprouting from the soil behind the wood paneling and used it as a ladder of sorts and it was tricky with only one arm.

I threw myself over the edge and groaned in pain when I landed on my bad arm. I rolled over and let my head fall backwards. When I finally stood up and considered how I was going to explain being attacked my a make-believe monster to the others when I noticed that the entranceway was intact.

"What the hell?" I asked, running my hands over the perfectly polished rock that I knew I had saw get demolished by said monster last night. "So much for routine expedition."

"What do you think you are doing in there?!" A voice called and I spun around and was surprised to note that she was speaking Nahautl. She moved forward as few feet closer to see my face then stopped, her jaw going slack and her breathing becoming labored. "Oh gods, its you! I apologize greatly o' Itzpapalotl!"

"What?" I responded in English and her brows furrowed in confusion as she snuck to her knees and bowed. I quickly recovered and flawlessly slipped into her tongue. "I am not who you think I am, my name is Kagome, not your goddess."

"I must inform The Lord of your return." She seemed to ignore my last comment, focusing mostly on what she would get out of it. "My name is...Sango my Lady."

"Did you hear a word I just said?" I asked, questioning the woman who grabbed at my hands and before I could get out of her way she yanked on my injured arm and I let out a hiss of pain.

"You are wounded! I'll send for a medic!" She muttered, leading me quickly up the pathway to the raised Temple. I let out a breath when I realized where I was. I had gone back in time, the landscape was the same, the same colors were on the walls only bright and vibrant, not dead and fading. My awe was cut short when Sango reached the base of the Temple and started marching up the many steps, my body in tow.

"What is the year!" I asked, needing to know if this was just some elaborate setup or if I really had lost my mind and this was my madness. She stopped and glanced back at me, her eyes furrowed in concern.

"Mistress...how long have you been asleep?" Sango let her hair whip around her face and my earlier words seemed to sink in. Her eyebrows shot up and she latched onto my arm and continued up the stairs even faster than before.

My legs were burning from the exertion by the time we peeked the temples top. She tugged at my arm and shoved me behind a pillar when a servant with a woven basket of laundry on her head strutted past. Sango leaned leisurely onto the stone and gave a slight nod to the woman who shrugged her shoulders at Sango's odd gesture.

"This way!" We made our way down the corridor and at the end sat a massive wooden door, pictures were hand carved and filled in a with a multitude of colorful paints made from an assortment of berries and roots. I wanted to examine the artwork closer, but the woman tugging at my arm was already heading inside the richly decorated interior.

The space was obviously a bedroom, with a large bed situated in the center of the chamber. The sheets were multiple layers, each one being a new color, until you reached the black mattress. I smiled and walked inside, strolling around the room and running a hand over everything in their vicinity. When I noticed what I was doing, I quickly pulled my hand back and looked over the the smirking woman closing the large doors.

"You did that the first time I brought you here." She whispered, padding lightly over to my spot by the open side of the bedroom. "You were waiting for my Lord."

"I'm not her. My name is Kagome. I was attacked by a mythical monster and have obviously slipped into insanity and imagined a make believe world where Cortez never killed the whole population."

"What was that last one?" She asked, her voice slightly panicked but I just waved her question away. "I know not of your mental deformities, or the mass murderer to whom you're referring to, but I do know that I am very real."

"I was attacked by a Ahuizotl. I got away by falling down the well in that building you found me in." Sango nodded politely but glanced uneasily around the chambers. "What?"

"You look so much like her." She confided, running a hand into her hair and shook it a bit, making the pink hued beads clank against each other. "But the way you act, its just the farthest thing from Itzpapalotl."

"Her again! The man at the temple called me the obsidian butterfly; that's her name correct?" Sango's pretty face scrunched up in thought and I watched with. Bated breath until she spoke again.

"Your coming here was no accident. The beast you fought seek out their pray, they are sent on their trail and let go like hunting dogs. Someone wanted you dead and I think I know who. You asked me the year and now I ask you the very same question, from which era do you reside in?"

"Um...1967?" My tone was confused but she was satisfied with my answer. "I'm really not dreaming am I?"

"Stupid question." She spun around and was about to leave when I called out for her to tell me why she wanted the year. "Tlazolteotl, The Lord was once her lover till he met you, or at least the woman that looked like you, and he left her. She was furious."

"So you think she sent an evil dog to kill me?" When she nodded I sighed and pinched myself to make sure I wasn't going to be shocked back into reality with a broken body at the bottom of a well. "So is this like a guest room I can stay in or something?"

"Or something." She replied, smiling a kind smile and slowly shutting the doors behind her after telling me she was going to convince the healer to help me. I made my way back over to the bed and sat back softly, letting the light scent infused with the bedding float around me.

A great rushing was happening as the sun began to rise. As soon as the beams hit the raised pillar surrounding the Temple, the hustle and bustle of people shook the doors and made me jump off the bed. I creeped slowly forward, coiling my muscles in case a person raced in. When the sounds died down, I popped my head out only to see the back of of a man clad in leopard skin race down the stairs.

My bare feet made little noise on the stone floor as I moved to the open top and peaked down at the gathering. I noticed at once that the servants and warriors were forming lines based on rank and status. I spotted the thick mass of black hair that I recognized at Sango placed closer to the stairs and also caught sight of, who I assumed was, the healer. He was whispering things into her hair and I could see the tight lipped grin she was giving him, a restrained smile, and wanted to laugh when she smacked him away from her persons.

They all stood ram rod strait when the light hit the Temple's base. The golden paint shimmered under the rays and I watched, mesmerized by the reflective color but quickly shocked from my revere by the entrance of who could only be Sango's Lord.

He descended from the sky on a cloud like some sort of mystic god, which I assumed he was to these people. I racked my brain for a scientific explanation but when I found none, I threw caution to the wind and just watched in awe as the Cloud Man landed on the ground. The fluffy white condensed water vapor swirled up his body and solidified into a pelt around his neck, leaving his alabaster chest open for my gawking.

He bobbed his head every few steps, making more of his pure white hair fall lightly over his shoulder every time. His chest was minimally covered with his cloud coat and it moved in sync with his smooth gait, giving him the impression of floating. As he started walking up towards the stairs, the men and woman in the rows bowed to him and released a collective "Welcome Home."

As if he could feel eye on him, his gaze scanned the top tier of his Temple and caught my eye before I spun around and raced to my room. The doors clanged close and the disruption seemed to spark panic among the masses and I could hear the uproar even from behind the hardwood.

The only good hiding place I could find was behind one of the two pillars in the room and both were situated besides the bed. I slid behind the stone and it's chill seemed to be sucked into my bones. I listened with bated breath for the eventual opening of the door so even when it came, the mighty scraping, I refused to panic.

"You think you could hide from me forever?" The man called, padding lightly across the room and throwing the drapes open so the room would be bathed in sunlight. I tilted my head so I could track his progress and watched as he frowned at the blistering sun and closed the curtains. "I knew you would come back, but I knew not in what form. A human woman was not what I expected."

His words held little meaning but when my hand traced my stomach on its way to my mouth, my vision blurred and a memory, vision, sight flashed before my eyes. It was me, or a version of me, and she was strutting around the room, her clothing leaving little to the imagination. I refused to breath because while I knew I would never be so bold, I also knew this was not a vision where I was in control. Words flowed from her, our, mouth and they were deep and husky, seductive to the man who was hidden behind the curtain and on the bed.

"You are no Nagual." She planted her, our, hand on her hips and cocked them to the side, smiling when the man's smirk could be seen through the thin material. She reached a painted nail up and I noticed that her fingers were made up of delicate bone wrapped in the black pelt of a jaguar and tipped by an obsidian claw. Her fingers were that of an animal. "I have to confess, I have never bedded such a powerful creature."

His grin only widened as her nail parted the material and I let out a shocked breath at the man sitting on the abundant supply of sheets. It was the god from before, his chest covered in gauze and his golden eyes scanning over me. I could feel all this happening, like an out of body experience but I was most certainly not in control.

"Should you like the pleasure?" He questioned, his tone equally sensual in its tone. Our mouth tilted up and we took a step back, letting our bare hips sway as we padded away from the bed and towards the door, as if we were planning on leaving. He was not fooled with our ploy and just chuckled when we threw a smoldering look over our shoulder.

"What? Do you find my leaving so gratifying?" We snarled, baring our fangs in a show of dominance that deep in our mind we knew would make him react. And react he did.

He was upon us in seconds, slamming the door closed by pressing our body against the wood and holding up there. His eyes, once a molten gold, now swirled with a crimson, the color of fresh blood. Even when lost to his beast, he managed a smirk, a small quirk at the corner of his mouth that ignited a deep rooted anger within us and pulled the demons from their hiding spots in our hearts. Every feeling of love and hatred, fury and passion, confusion and the fulfilling taste of being complete.

"You best stop. You are promised to another." Our mouth moved but the words that left them were colored with our displeasure. But stop he did not, and he proceeded to lower his lips down to ours.

Our hands reached up from their place at our side and tangled in his disheveled hair, scratching at his scalp. His kiss deepened, pressing us closer to the door and we took the time to lift our body up and to wrap our legs around his waist. He took our moves in stride.

With a great sweep of his arm, the contents of his dresser were scattered on the floor and we took their place. His lips moved down and rested on our neck, taking his sweet time, and we tried again to force words from out mouth.

"Tlazolteotl is very protective of her concubines, do you really think she would let such a fine specimen as you slip through her fingers?" Her words seemed to have no effect and we started to squirm, the room quiet besides our muted gasps. "Why me?"

"You question me?" With her change of tactics came results, and he planted both hands on rather side of our bodies so to prevent escape. As if we would be foolish enough to do that. "I have been after you for a very long time Itzpapalotl."

"You lie." We rose an eyebrow and watched the smirk creep up his mouth and he leaned in close to our ear, breathing and sending chills up and down our spine but the skepticism had settled in our minds, deluding our thought processes. "You have a goddess of the moon and you want a warrior?"

"Do you remember the War of Bloody Gold?" With a nod from me, he continued, letting his hand rub up and down our spine. In retaliation, I let my claws, still draped lightly over his shoulders, swish back and forth across his broad back. "I watched you fight, all the others claimed you to be the most violent and bloodthirsty but I knew that you were not reviling in the kill like a monster would be. Oh no, you pitied the people you slain, and you felt pain for their loss."

"Why would you watch me when Tlazolteotl was also at battle?" Our voice had gone soft and lost the husky tilt. Memories of the battle filled my head with pictures of death and killing; gods fighting off their demons. "I have heard that she is lovely with her bow and starred arrows."

"She may hold the heavens in her hands, but you capture the sky in your wings." His words were met with our lips, all resolve to leave before his intended found out was lost with the scorching kisses we shared.

We were moving again. My body met little resistance against the bed as his hands were slowly dragged up our sides, lighting a fire inside our stomach. The curtains were closed, so tight no moon light could shine in, and the blankets were wrapped around our bodies and for just a second, I didn't know were the Goddess Itzpapalotl ended and were I began.

I was so taken back by the vision that a gasp of pure shock was pulled from my throat and in the instant, the god heard the sound and all chance of escape was lost; but a small part of me was slightly thrilled about the prospects.

"Why do you hide?"

The words were whispered in my ear and I jumped before attempting to sprint to the opposite side only to be grabbed my my arms and thrown onto the bed. I bounced a few times, letting out screams before I came to a stop in the middle of the mattress.

"I'm not the woman you think I am!" I called desperately, clambering off the bed and keeping constant eye contact to make sure he never moved. He took a step to the left and I matched him by moving one to the right, always keeping the plush bedding between us. "I'm not her! I'm not Itzpapalotl!"

At the mention of her name, his eyes shifted in color, blending to make a shocking shade of orange. He strutted forward faster than I could back petal and when he finally reached me, I though he might toss me onto the bed again but was even more surprised when his arm snaked around my back and we flew onto the nearest wall and his nose became buried in my hair.

"Do not squirm." He commanded and I felt myself wanting to please him, to make him happy. This feeling made me angry. "You claim not to know me, yet your body is responding like you do, so tell me this, if you were unaware of my existence, then how do you know my name?"

"I'm from the future, you have many stories centered around you, plus your name is written on practically every wall a bit much if you ask me but hey, go big of go home, that's what mom always used to say-"

"Not my godly name. The name you gave to me. Remember it." Again the order stirred the instincts from their locked box in the center of my heart and I forced the bile that was threatening to come up, back down. He leaned forward and rubbed his face against mine and the vision came with sharp clarity.

We sat on small mats, the house low to the ground and overlooking the ocean. Japan, I recognized, and realized that again, I was not the one around which this memory revolved.

"Kami, if you don't mind our asking? Why would you descend on such a poor families house when a mansion is but few miles away?" I turned my head and took in the young girl. Her hair was short and her eyes were large and brown, still sparkling with the sheen of childhood nativity. The mother tried to shush her child but I waved it away and instead looked towards the girl to answer.

"Because, while your home may not be the richest or the most lavishly decorated, it has by far, the best view in all the land." My words brought a smile to the girls face and even her mother seemed to be pleased by my comment. I looked over to my lover and watched as he hid a smile behind a sip of tea. "I fear we must be leaving soon, our Temple needs us."

We walked for a few miles before we both took to the skies. My black wings spread and cut the air waves with a practiced precision, while his cloud had to maneuver past every obstacle. I opened my mouth to laugh at him and prod at his sloths pace when a tentacle breached the cloud cover and latched onto him, dragging him downward. My scream was lost to the wind and as I tried to reach for him, the creature pulled down and yanked my lover with it.

I flew feet higher then let my body stop. The muscles tightened and coiled as I let the air rush around me. I tucked my wings into my body and spiraled into free fall. The air pulled at my unbound hair but once my body reached terminal velocity, my hair was the least of my problems. I was focusing on landing in such a way that nothing would be broken that couldn't be fixed immediately. When I calculated the distance down to the tee, I sprawled my wings and the upward drag slowed my decent to a point that is resulted in a minimal tumble.

When I stood, digging my heals into the ground in a defensive pose, I took in the battle ground. Huge marks decorated the hillside like scars that appeared to have been made by the small creature that was a dissolved pile of poison at the hand of Xolotl.

"Sesshomaru. That shall be your pet name." I called, unabashedly letting my eyes wander up his marred chest and to his face where a smile was indented on his lips. He raised an eyebrow and padded after me when I spun around and started walking.

"And the names meaning?" He called, his seductive voice carrying over the loud, repetitive, beat of the oceans waves. He was gaining ground and I licked my lips loud enough for his sensitive hearing to catch.

"The Killing Perfection." I purred out and his arms grappled for mine; his attempt to spin me around and kiss me. My body moved deftly out of his grasp and his growl in response was loud enough to show his irritation.

"I kill a monster to woo you, the least that I ask is a kiss." His voice was hard but the underlying affection was only noticeable to those who took the care to study his speech patterns.

"You think I'm impressed by the monotone quality of your blade-work. Don't flatter yourself." My words bounced off his massive ego and he took his time as he stalked after me. I held in a giggle while strutting down the well worn path, pretending to take in all the scenery, while truthfully, stealing glances back at Sesshomaru.

"We must return soon, I must accompany the moon through her night rotation." With that sentence, all the lightness of the atmosphere dampened and the smile that was coyly tugging at my lips slipped from my mouth. The explanation filtered through my, her, brain, and soon I understood why her mood went south.

"Of course. We wouldn't want to keep her waiting." My tone was hard as ice and just as cold. He seemed to comprehend how angry his actions made us and remained tight lipped as we flew back to his temple, a short distance with wings and a cloud. We landed gracefully and the many servants flocked to our arrival. I watched my handmaiden nod sadly at my slight shake of my head, informing her that he would once again be leaving to protect Tlazolteotl as she stood on her podium in the sky, letting her light bring sight to those in the darkest of nights.

As he did every night. As he will for all eternity. Forever. I bit my tongue to stop the huff of frustration.

"Sesshomaru!" I cried out and the hazy world of my memories was lost and replaced by the current predicament which was, sadly, in sharp focus. The man my Dark Side claimed to love was blocking me from standing anywhere besides in his arms. For the first time, I noticed that we had moved while I was comatose and realized that we sat on the bed.

"I knew it was you. You will have your memories back soon." He leaned forward and placed his forehead on mine, making our already close position appear to be that of lovers. He shifted his weigh so that my back was situated between the mattress and his unyielding chest.

"I'm not her! I may have her thoughts but I was born around Mexico City! I'm majoring in archeology!" I yelled and hoped to persuade him but my words only caused his once seemingly happy face to furl up in confusion.

"Was is this majority you speak off? You were born in Mexico City, is that in another land?" His tone was that of slight curiosity and was a thinly veiled attempt to make it seem as if he didn't care.

"I'll make a deal!" He froze above me and watched as I tried to squeeze out of his grip. When I finally succeeded, I shuffled back a bit so we had an arms length between us and continued with my train of thought. "I'll tell you my story if you stay over there!"

"I agree to your terms." He supplied easily, sitting back on his legs and waiting patiently for my explanation of the things that stumped him. "Continue."

"A major is... The point of whatever you want to do when you grow up. I want to major in archeology, or the study of, well, old things. I want to travel and uncover secrets that were long forgotten and thought to be lost." My wandering mind snapped back to reality when I realized I was getting sidetracked. "Anyways, Mexico City is the civilization that will take the Aztecs place in a few hundred years."

"So the Age of Gold will soon end. Interesting. You can travel in time and you still think of yourself as mortal?" His hand rested on his chin and his bangs fell off his forehead as he leaned forward to get a better look into my eyes. "You must be my lover, you even have the fire in your eyes."

"Hey buddy, we had a deal! You promised!" I squealed as he slowly crawled forward on hands and knees. I brought my hand up to block my face but my feet refused to move. That blasted voice in the back of my head screamed "You're wanted by a god!" but my mind was telling me the opposite.

"I am a god. I an notorious for braking deals." His hands were placed on my face and he lightly put his forehead against mine, his eyes glowing an eery shade of red as he lowered his face to mine.

My vision blurred and many minutes later and I was carefully placing articles of armor on Sesshomaru's body, straitening the fabric where it had wrinkled. He watched me work, shifting every so often to get a better position to gently rub my back, trying to dull the anger. Needless to say, my hostility dwindled little.

"I will return before you awaken." He promised, grabbing my face between his hands and bringing his mouth to my forehead and leaving a glowing crescent above my temple. "I leave you with my mark, a guarantee that I will come home."

"What is a pyramid on earth to a temple in heaven?" I forced my self pity to the deepest recesses of my mind but they kept creeping out like skeletons in the closet. We were able to hold back the tears gathering in our ducts. "Sometimes I fear that you will leave and never return, content to say in the moon with Tlazolteotl."

"Do not worry lover, if I have not left you yet, why would I do so now?" He questioned, trying to use logic to cheer me up and it worked to the extent that a small smile graced my lips and his whole demeanor seemed of brighten. "Shall you honor me by retrieving my sword?"

I strutted over to the holder and shifted it from its pillowed throne, holding it delicately between two hands before stopping halfway across the room and drawing the blade and watching the setting sun reflect off its polished surface.

"I should run you through," I mentioned. His eyebrow rose in question and I just smirked, swaying my hips as I swayed forwards. He refused to move even when the point of the blade was pressed firmly against his chest and a trickle of blood was staining his perfectly white shirt. "Maybe that action might stop this horrid feeling of jealousy."

"Do not think I prefer this. I would like nothing else but to spend the night with you, but for now, I must do my job." He commented, his words getting more and more horse as I sheathed the sword and moved forward before standing on my tiptoes so we were eye to eye. I started to talk and made sure my lips would just brush his.

"Oh, sure. Please, we must go, we mustn't keep the Great Tlazolteotl waiting." I smirked at his labored breathing and planted my feet, spinning on my heals with his sword in my hands. "I will see you at the bottom."

When I reached the peek, I spotted the moon that had just breached the horizon and when the first rays hit the platform situated at the Temple's front gate, a beautiful woman took their place. Her obsidian hair was long, brushing the ground with its length, and her clothing was perfect with a differentiating color theme of red and white. Her stature was small and her waist was tiny, dainty, the type of woman many men preferred.

I took a few steps back and evaluated my situation. I had always though myself superior to the lower emotions of humans, but in that moment, I felt intimidated. I was tall, much to tall, and my body was not slim but larger and more muscled from vigorous training regiments; my hair was not as long seeing as it often got in the way when fighting and my skin was not pale like hers, but dark from sun and marred beyond repair. My once proud thoughts about my scars suddenly vanished, and I wanted to cover them up, or better yet, make them vanish.

"Don't let her win." Sango muttered, stalking up with a fierce glare at the woman waiting patently at the bottom of the steps. He nose twisted up in disgust. "One of her best skills is to make others feel inferior. You are stronger, braver, and so much more beautiful."

The missing pride flooded back and I smiled down at my friend, giving her a quick hug before racing down the steps with hurried footfalls. The goddess looked upwards with a radiant smile that dimmed when she noticed it was not the intended recipient. My hand reached out and a spear was placed in my hand.

"Welcome." I greeted her, my smile was bright and her face was narrowed in annoyance. I spun the long spear around my fingers as if it was an easily acquired skill. "My lover will be down shortly."

"He will tire of you soon, and leave you just like he does the others." Her words cut deep but my ego was still hanging by a thread and my sass was still intact and ready to fire.

"And what, return to you? I think he would sooner turn mortal than take you to bed." My sharp comment made her white cheeks flush red from embarrassment. She looked at me with a glare and spit out a few filthy words.

"I am an archer, I know how to handle shafts!" Her innuendo was unexpected but my quick mind was already ahead and before I knew what I was doing, I wound my arm back and threw the spear, watching her eyes widen as the pointed tip grazed her ear and sped over her shoulder. Her dress fanned out as she spun around to watch the weapon imbed itself in the small eye of a stone dog guarding the front gates.

"You may have handled many, but mine are longer, thicker, and require more practice." My obscene comment was not lost on her and her perfectly painted mouth was opened in a small O.

"Is all well?" Sesshomaru asked, descending the stairs and looking between us. Tlazolteotl snapped her lips closed and smiled brightly before folding her lands into her dress and making sure not a hair was out of place. We both nodded and his eyes grazed over the still wobbling spear buried deep within the dogs eye before glancing over to me with a slight smirk. He leaned down to give me a kiss and I smiled, lacing my fingers into his hair-

"I would like to ascend early tonight. We must depart now." Her voice was tighter than it normally was and from the corner of my eye I could see her hands were so balled up that her knuckled were turning whiter than her natural skin color. I sighed and ignored her, dragging his face down to mine in a searing kiss that left us both breathless.

"To remember me by." I whispered in his ear so the woman watching our every move couldn't overhear. He smiled and leaned down to repay my action.

"I think the image of your magnificent spear throw will be placed in my mind for quite a while." I laughed and Tlazolteotl took that time to clear her throat. He leaned down once more and kissed the mark on my forehead. As if she had just seen it for the first time, she gasped. The mark declared me to be taken by him. The pair of wings imprinted on his back I had placed there the first night we had met.

"Tlazolteotl, I meant to ask you," She perked up at being directly included in our conversation but deflated when she realized the topic. "I was wondering how my brother was adjusting."

"My husband? Why care about him, he is doing what he is always to do, nothing more, nothing less." She sighed and Sesshomaru finally took the cue and formed a cloud under her feet, eliciting a high pitched giggle from her throat.

"I will ride the dawn clouds to return to you. Wait for me." He bowed politely and kissed my hand before stepping onto the cloud and flying off with another woman. Damn him and his pride for thinking it was his duty to protect his brothers wife. Damn him for making me worry. Damn him for making me love him. Damn him.

Reality was rippling around me and Sesshomaru's hair came into sharp focus. He was kissing points on my neck and before I could roughly shove him off of me and demand he keep his distance, the corners of my sight started to curl in on themselves.

It was a night after my last vision. That was all I could tell because while I had access to what she was thinking, the goddess was currently asleep and my mind was awake, making most of the things swirling around in my head, a jumble of mismatched thoughts and feelings.

A gentle prodding at my neck made my body coil in a defensive poise. I slowly reached my hand under my pillow and my fingers curled around the hilt of the knife I, she, alway hid under her pillow. Once the pinpoints continued, I tightened my legs and flipped myself up, spinning around and nailing the intruder in the cheekbone with the ball of my foot.

Sesshomaru held his face as he turned his head and glared at me with animosity. He stalked forward and slapped the knife out of my hand and I watched at it clattered to the floor.

"Do you often attack your lovers when they intend to welcome you home?" He demanded and I rolled my eyes before stepping off the bed and roughly taking his head into my hands and waiting till the blemish disappeared from his accelerated healing.

"Oh yes, very often, I find it makes affairs much more interesting." I jested, strutting to the window and planting my hip against the cold stone. The last beams of moonlight vanished under the horizon and I let out a relieved sigh.

"You are implying that you have had many; lovers, that is." His tone was losing its harsh edge and lowered to a dull slice used when he wanted to make a point. His hands clapped my shoulders and worked the sore muscles, coiled from my unrestful sleep.

"You of all people should know of my past. I'm sure it is her choice topic when detouring you from continuing a relationship with me." I raised and eyebrow and looked over my shoulder, just daring him to contradict. He remained quiet till he chuckled.

"You are much to smart." He placed a delicate kiss at the juncture of my neck and my shoulder and slowly worked his way closer to my mouth. I checked my facial muscles but they slipped when he kissed the corner of my lips before kissing my nose and grabbing me by the waist and carrying me to the bed.

Throughout the day the sickening feeling of dread hung over the memories, most likely left over from the goddess when looking back at her thoughts.

"Please stop." My voice was small and fragile, not my wanted tone at all. I could feel the tears that had made tracks on my face fall lightly onto the bedding. I rubbed at the betraying ducts before standing up and placing my hand out in front of me in a defensive position. "This is to much! I just want to go home!"

My heart was pounding against my rib cage and it felt like the organ might beat its way from my chest. I slammed the door shut and raced over the polished floors, images of ruined pillars and wrecked doorways filled my vision. I pushed forward.

I clomped my way down the many stairs and tore my way across the landscape, taking little time to admire the scenery. My crying had vanished and in its place was a foreign emotion of rage. When I raced into the garden, hidden from prying eyes in my time, I was surprised to see it empty and secluded, the perfect place from me to hyperventilate.

My breathing was jagged and irregular and burned when I inhaled. When the searing pain in my side dimmed, I took three soothing breaths before running a hand through my hair in an attempt to wake myself up.

"Congratulations Kagome, you win the award for University of California's Most Crazy Championship." I huffed in annoyance and gripped my roots with force.

You still think this to be a dream?

The voice came from deep within the garden, a floating blue light shimmered a bit before dancing over the water running in the small fountain. I stood, meeting a bit of resistance, but succeeded in standing.

The ball expanded and took shape, twisting and shifting in midair till the form of a woman was clear and she dropped it the ground at my feet, crunched on her hands and knees like a Spider-Man pose. When she stood, I noticed our shocking similarities. Her eyes were darker, almost black, and her lashes were much thicker than mine. Her hair was similar but where hers curled, mine frizzed and split. Her gait was strong and confident and she sauntered right up to me, sticking her nose in my face before raising a claw and grabbing my head and moving side to side, as if inspecting me like a piece of meat.

"You're her, the goddess that everyone thinks I am." I guessed after slapping her hands away from my cheeks. She looked affected and planted her hand on her hips in a way that extended her wings a bit.

"No, I am Kagome, but I am also Itzpapalotl. I am her, but I am also you. We are one and the same. I am your beast, and you are my keeper. I am your instincts and you are our mind. We are you and you are us. And we most certainly are not crazy." She smiled and showed her slightly pointed teeth. Another step closer and I stumbled backwards tripping over something and falling backwards. When I spun around to see what it was, I screamed when I noticed it was my body. "Stop screaming! Why are human so easily scared? Have you never before stepped out of your corporal body?"

"No! I don't normally go for a stroll with out my body!" I snapped back and Itzpapalotl just smiled and seemed satisfied that I was not some weeping child. My eyes followed her and the smile slipped from her face. "I'm guessing that those rouge feelings were you? So you need to tell me something."

"That can wait; you think that you are not a goddess yet you have wings." I scoffed and she squatted down to grab at my mid section and the enlarged muscle that rested just under my breastbone and extended to my shoulder blades. "What do you call these?"

"It's called Myostatin. It's a restraining...thingie. It stops muscles from growing and I must have just not made any because it have a bit more strength. Why is my anomaly important?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows in question.

"Its just that with your physique and extra tissue matter, your body would be able to support wings. But forget that, Sesshomaru thinks he can protect you from the truth by making you remember the best of our time together, but to get why I left him, you must see the rest of our story, for it is the beginning of yours." She looked over her shoulder to my spot on the ground. "I apologize, this will not be pleasant, but I will be there with you every step of the way."

She moved forward and leaned down, her pointer finger extended even when I flinched away, she just swatted my hand and pressed her hands to my forehead and I was sucked into my memories.

My feet pounded hard against the ground and the trees, the sound almost becoming deafening. I wondered why we weren't flying and noticed one of our beautiful wings was folded lightly to our back as it healed from the damage it took while in battle.

"We were fighting wolves sent by the Mistress of the Moon. She sent them in the dead of night to kill me so she could take my place at the Lord's side. I fought them off and was running to tell Sesshomaru of this development." I couldn't feel her feelings but her narrating was good enough that I could piece together parts of the bloody battle. "When I reached the clearing where the moon light would show me to my Lord, I found this."

Her words were sad and her tone sounded as if something horrid was going to be occurring in the field. For once, I wanted that feeling not to be correct.

The trees opened and the grass waved gently in the night breeze and the slight wind carried the breath from my mouth. The man I had know for seconds was tugging his cape off and my eyes followed his progress as he made his way to the slowly undressing Tlazolteotl. Even though this memory was not mine, nor this love that my body must have felt towards him, I could sense the bubbling emotion of anger, hurt and betrayal.

A animalistic cry of pain was prayed from my bloody lips and Sesshomaru's head whipped around and I noticed the stoic set to his jaw that slowly melted when his eyes caught the state of my body. I could see my poor state reflected back in his gaze. My hair was pulled high in a sweeping ponytail with stray hair wafting into my eyes. My spear clanked to the ground and the blood incrusted tip buried itself into the soft grass. The clothing I wore, hung in tatters around my tall frame and I could feel the beast I kept tethered in my mind tear at its cage, tearing at its restraints.

Another cry and he took a step closer. I responded with a scream of pain and sadness that made even Tlazolteotl shiver.

"I trusted you! I believed you!" My voice was rouge and scratched but so much unabashed anger shimmered under the surface. My accusations were horrific and when I spat the last one, his face flinched from the ferocity of it. "I loved you!"

"This is not what you think-"

"What I think! You, man, know nothing of what I think! Do not dare insult me by thinking yourself so superior!" I tore into him, my words crushing his carefully erected barriers. "I knew the first time that you took me that there would be no going back! You are a lying pig Xolotl! You may continue on with your tryst with your lover, and bed her easily knowing my belongings will pack themselves."

"You can't leave without letting me explain-" His voice was hard and the feeling that I had grown so accustomed to, was absent. He seemed pained by the tears that followed their predetermined path down my face and I shoved my dignity into a small pile and unfurled my wings to their full span. I watched Tlazolteotl's eyes widen slightly at their mass before watching Sesshomaru's reaction.

"No explanation will stand in my mind. Your actions will stand as your words, and they are not your strongest weapon. You will not make a fool of Itzpapalotl and I shall not make a bigger fool of myself. I will retire to the OverWorld and I can guarantee you miss me. Everyday you shall look to the heavens and know you can never reach me as you did before. You may have drawn me down once, but I will never again fall for such a trick. And for you," I spun on the of the goddess and noticed she was shaking like a leaf. My anger at her perfect face and petite body rose when she dipped her head in shame and made even an admittance of impropriety look beautiful. "You shall be given the name your actions show. You will be Kikyo. The Controller of Dogs. Your name shall be written in the sky with my very wings, and make your moonlight dim. You will find comfort only in each others arms. Consider it a gift from the Obsidian Butterfly, Warrior of the Stars."

The clearing was quiet and the emotions seemed to laden down the air and made it harder to breath. Sesshomaru reached a hand out to run his fingers through my hair but I jerked back like he had stung me and forced a look of disgust onto my face. His eyes were sad as I swerved around his still body and walked forward and clashed eyes with Kikyo. Her resolve hardened and she spun around and hurled an insult at my back. My anger at her intensified as each character rolled off her tongue.

"If you think your black sky will distract from the beauty that is my throne than you are sorely misguided!" Her remark was proud and I relished nothing more than tearing that pride from her cold heart.

"You may hold the heavens in her hands, but I capture the sky in my wings." I quoted quietly. "You may be lovely on the outside and your moon may catch many eyes and turn many heads, but I shall find the souls taken by your pride and greed and scatter them across the heavens. I shall weave their light into my black sky and they shall outshine your throne." And with those words, I spread my wings and I flew away. The inner self sighed and continued wit her delayed monologue.

"I did it you know. They stories say differently, blame a different god or goddess, but it was I who placed the starts in the sky. I sowed them in with a bamboo needle and told them to light the sky for all to see. And they did." We were still flying over the countless miles of jungle and I could feel the presence of Sesshomaru tingling at the edge of my senses.

"If you hated him so much, why forgive him now? How do I play into all this. Who am I?"

"That is the question we must all ask. You are the goddess Itzpapalotl but are also Kagome. You were born into this world with the ability to become what you were; it all depends on your actions. As for Sesshomaru's forgiveness, he wanted to explain his reasoning behind the incident and my anger got in the way. I would like to know why he betrayed me. Your part in this whole play it that of the lead, if you so chose."

My eyes snapped open and I watched the sun begin to dip below the horizon. I stood proudly and marched from my place slouched against the pillar. I would direct my life.

The preparing workers stopped to watch me pass, my shoulders set back and my ratted black Cueitl dragged on the ground but still the masses stalled in their tasks to observe my passing.

I glanced to the left and noticed a small hut that I recognized as a small bakery that Sesshomaru took me to the night we first met. My eyes trailed over a cart on which we stowed away in order to escape the servants attempting to fit us for new clothing. My footfalls halted at a small hut, the same dwelling that I was first found it. It was the place we spent our first New Moon, the only night when the moon never graced the sky and his was released from guarding Tlazolteotl.

My teeth bit down on my lip to stop it from shaking as I crested the Temple's top steps. A few of the maids were shocked to see me but I could see a smirking Sango from under one particular load of laundry. I raised my fist to knock when her voice stopped me.

"He left." I was about to get frustrated about my poor sense if timing but then she pointed to a small hallway hidden behind to columns. "He meditates in there every day before leaving with Tlazolteotl. That's where you will find him."

My head nodded lightly and padded down the deserted corridor. The plain walls were strange compared to the other brightly painted halls in the Temple and so when I walked into Sesshomaru's sanctuary, a was blown away by the wall carvings.

My face was etched into the stone with his claws, every detail was painted with precision and beauty. He knew I was there, I could tell by the tightening of his neck muscles. I strutted forward and let the goddess half of my mind slip into control. I let my hands clamp down onto his shoulders and grip the straps under the loose clothing and used it as a harness to drag him up and towards our bedroom.

Even in the short walk, the memories flooded my senses. The time we hid behind the columns and kissed till sunset. When I attacked him on the night of a new moon. The night when he kissed each of my scars and told me how strikingly beautiful they were and provided only revealing articles of clothing specifically created to emphasis my marred skin. More and more came to me in a space of only a minute and some were bright and golden others were filled with fights and screams and physical arguments, but with the bad memories came the time after the harsh words when we would just sit together and lick the others wounds.

"Open the door." I commanded the solemn guards and they straitened with fear before racing to pull the massive doors open wide enough for me to easily slip in while tugging in Sesshomaru as well. "Good boys. Don't wait up."

The door closed quietly and I released his collar and spun around. He seemed a bit more shocked than surprised but I think that was mostly because I was fuming.

"So help me, if you don't explain yourself, you'll wish I had never come back." I threatened and felt my nails crack and splinter till they were pointed. I was slightly worried at my lack of fear at my claws. "Well get on with it!"

"I must go soon." He responded and I could feel a growl rising up into my throat. A response rose from his mouth and I looked away to stare at the rumpled bed. My arms crosses and from the corner of my eye I caught him watching me with a tilted head.

"Why bother to return?" I questioned and blew onto my nails before swiping them across my blouse. He seemed shocked at my carelessness about the matter and I could almost detect a hint of resentment for my lack of anger. "She seems like the perfect bitch."

A smirk spread across his features when I let the last comment slip and I internally cursed myself for the mistake. He prowled forward and I held my ground, my newfound wisdom holding me in place.

"You wish to know my reasons for betraying you. Fine, I will explain." He muttered and the tilt of his mouth fell and I was sorry to see the familiar gesture go. "She threatened to kill all who resided at the Temple. I could not beat her creatures in speed and she knew it. Her face when you burst through the undergrowth still makes me smile."

He glanced ruefully at my hands before grabbing one and flipping it up. His gentle claws traced the lines of my palm and moved from the pad of one finger to the next before reaching my thumb and starting all over. While his attention was on my hand, my gaze was pulled to his face.

His eyes were cast downward and his hair draped over to one shoulder. From under the sleeve of his tunic I noticed a slice at the top of his bicep that was most certainly not there before and when I reached out with my spare hand to run my finger over the raised edge, Sesshomaru's hand shot out and wrapped almost painfully around my wrist.

"Ow! You're hurting me!" I hissed and he unclench his fingers. I tore my hand from his grasp and rubbed delicately at the bruising flesh all the while glaring daggers at the man who had gone still by his stop in the center of the room.

"I apologize for my brash behavior." His tone was sharp and when he took a step forward my beast assured me that his intentions were pure. Very slowly, as if not to startle me, he took my wrist and brought it to his mouth. A memory drifted past my eyes and I remembered after a battle the large wound on my shoulder that he had healed.

"Tell me from where you gained this scar. I looks almost as if your arm was severed-" The word caused him to flinch and I, skittish like a wounded animal being cornered, very carefully reached up to run a hand up and down his arm.

"I fought my brother-" I sighed and shifted away from him in annoyance. The two were twin entities yet they bickered like old woman. Sesshomaru was bitter about his inheritance from his father, a sword more powerful that he could comprehend, yet even when I tried to explain its great importance, he would revert to the quality of the blade being determined by the number slain. His sword was for healing, not destruction. "I was caught off guard and he slashed out with fathers fang."

"He used it on you?" I looked appalled and he nodded slightly before bringing his head up and puffing out his chest with pride for the coming nightfall. When I noticed the setting sun I quietly stood and slid the curtains closed before clasping my hands on his shoulders and standing him up.

"You will remain here, will you not?" His constant flow of ease and confidence wavered with the question and I stayed quiet, dusting off his clothing and pushing him to the door. He slammed his arms outward and locked his joints so quickly that I fell against his back. "Answer the question Itzpapalotl!"

"It will depend on how badly I'm hurt in this coming battle." I muttered under my breath and forgot that my companion was part dog. His body spun around in one fluid movement and he was towering over me in a haze of anger.

"Explain your comments meaning." He demanded and I planted my hand on my hips before glaring at him.

"Do you really think Tlazolteotl will let me live. As long as I'm around, she knows that you will forever be chasing me!" I flaunted, running a hand under his chin to the tip of his ear. "She will send and army to the Temple and make it look like one of your numerous enemies did it. She probably thinks you will be so heartbroken that you will run into her waiting arms!"

I flung my chest forward and did jazz hands. He seemed unimpressed with my performance. I laughed and noticed that the sound was hollow and without humor.

"I will protect you."

"I don't need protection, I need a durable army!" I yelled, poking his chest and watching as he stumbled backwards in confusion. "What, did I stutter?"

"Why will you not allow yourself to be cared for?" He asked, moving forward until my back hit the tall bed post. My fingers gripped the wood and my godly confidence wavered and my all to human nature started to take its place.

"You of all people should know I need no help in battle." I defended, my reason brushed aside by his solid logic.

"You are in a human body. You are not as powerful as you boast." He leaned forward as he talked, moving his lips slightly and letting his breath brush over my lips. My cheeks were aflame and my palms were getting sweaty.

"You want to test that theory?" I asked when his mouth was so close to mine that the tips of our lips brushed each others. He tilted his head slightly and pressed forward, flattening me to his chest.

The kiss started out slow but quickly grew in heat and intensity. He trailed kissed down my jaw with sharp precision and left tail tell signs with small nips and bites I knew would be pink in the morning.

He wrapped his hands around the sides of my face and I clutched at his tunic, ripping the fabric away from the skin. I could hear his chuckle and felt it as it make his whole frame vibrate under my fingertips. We moved to the wall and I pressed his body to the stone and running soothing fingers across his smooth jaw. His hands shifted from my face and slid down to my hips, helping to lift my weigh onto his waist so he could carry us to the bed. He licked the dip at the juncture of my neck and shoulder before blowing lightly and sending a wave of shivers up my spine.

"Milord-Oh!" A servant woman was turning scarlet in the walkway as she noticed our tangled limbs. I sighed and related her to the lady at the dorms in charge of sending guys home after eleven thirty.

I unwrapped my legs from his hips and slid to the ground, straitened my skirt and matched forward and out the door and right into the shadow of a pillar so I could slow my pounding heart.

Holy shit, I made-out with a god.

I watched as Sesshomaru walked from the bedroom and into the hallway. He caught my eye and I could sense he was demanding I stay. I gave a slight nod and I was graced with a slight tilt of his lips that showed his pleasure.

My feet followed his group consisting of the woman, Sango's sure to be lover Miroku, and me. He seemed to know I was tailing them but said nothing, choosing rather to slip behind enough that he could reach back and run a hand across my stomach. I let out a laugh and slapped at his rouge fingers.

The mood darkened when he reached the beginnings of the stairs. I stopped far from the lip of the Temples top and looked over the rim for just a second and saw what I dreaded.

Kikyo, Tlazolteotl, was situated at the bace of the stairs, her perfectly folded gown billowing out from behind her, flowing on some invisible breeze. Her perfectly styled hair was tightly pinned up with a few strategically placed curls placed around her face to make her wide eyes seem to pop. The shoes she wore could be seen when she leaned forward to wave at Sesshomaru as he descended and were made completely of stardust and shined like the moon itself.

"It is good to be blessed with your company again tonight Xolotl!" She called, grabbing her skirts delicacy in her hands and prancing forward to met him as he reached the bottom of the staircase. "I feared you were ill or unwell. What held your attention for such time?"

Her words were made to be open as if it was a joke but her tone made them seem hostile and demanding. My brain rebelled, as if it was split in two. One part wanted to stay safely hidden in my hiding spot where I could watch the only man able to make butterflies erupt in my stomach, walk away with a trampy goddess. The other half seemed to want nothing better than to jump from my pillar and declare that he was taken.

I raced forward and, as if history was repeating itself, I grabbed a spear from one guard stationed at the stairwells top and stood tall on the first stoop.

"It was my attentions that kept the Lord intertwined for such a large length of time, I must apologize!" I yelled and will forever treasure the look of pure horror that covered the goddesses face when she glanced to the Temples peak and spotted me. "I do hope you will return soon milord, we have much unfinished business!"

I let out a purr and Kikyo sucked in a breath of outrage so quickly, she squeaked.

My battle armor, while feeling slightly strange on my human body, fit the same and the motion of snapping on my arm pads seemed to reduce the tensions of this oncoming battle seemed bring.

I knew she would retaliate, launch an attack and try to kill me. I was her target, the one thing she just couldn't kill no matter how badly she wished it to be so. Many of the people refused to fight, claiming ailments and children, and the others did not believe I would contain enough strength to take on an army of a goddess. Even I had doubts and I was the one fighting them.

I made my way down to the platform and waited for the enemy. I could hear their approach; it was a stamping on the ground so hard and fast that the many columns lining the entranceway started to shake and quiver.

I took a deep breath and thought back to the large reserves of memories. I could see myself fighting, killing, but it felt foreign, like I was not the woman who was so skilled with any weapon.

Just let me out, My beast chided, I could kill them all in the name of Milord.

I sighed and rolled my shoulders, letting my growing hair shift over my shoulder before relaxing the iron grip I placed over the mental barrier dividing me and beast. A flood of pure hatred for that woman surged forward and I saw red, the rage clouded my vision so when the first shadow creature bounded out of the trees, I was on it within seconds. My bloody display seemed to spark similar feelings in the staff and many took up weapons and joined my plight.

Many more wolves, panthers, and other jungle animals took form out of the shadows untouched by the moon light. I grabbed the sword from my belt and brought it down in a great arch and let out a satisfied howl when the blade connected with the flesh of the beast. A splatter of blood was splayed across my face and the image of a crimson hued Sesshomaru home from battle was ingrained into my eyelids.

"I will fight for you, dammit." The whisper was for my effect more than his and I pushed onward, cutting down the goddesses army as I raced forward towards the trees. The darkness seemed to choke me but I cut past all the smokey tendrils that reached up from the ground and snapped at my ankles.

I raced from the tree line and into the empty meadow. The once vivid though of betrayal at the hands of the one I loved was replaced with a growing need to tear Kikyo's head off and plant it on a pike. I was never a very violent person but in that field where I slain beast and foe, I was not a very kind creature either.

The onslaught of enemies was never ending and it seemed as if for every one I killed six rose up from their ashes. In one hand, I clutched a spear and was spinning it deftly between my fingers as a warning to the creatures thinking they could pounce on me. Their eerie yellow eyes seemed to sputter like glowing coals as I took a few chose steps backwards.

My sword was clutched backwards in my other hand, the butt end was facing forward and the blade was resting lightly against my thigh. The unorthodox position gave me better coverage but was hard to maintain considering the body I was in was weakening much more quickly than an immortal body would have.

A panther crouched and I held up my sword on instinct and caught the beast but the force behind the pounce knocked me to the ground and the air whooshed from my lungs. I could feel my muscles tightening and coiling, trying to hold the creatures massive amount of weight.

A spear whizzed through the air and imbedded itself deep into the animals side. It let out a dying cry before slumping to the side and I pushed its body to the side and wiped the blood from my face and knew I left a crimson mark across my face. Sango heaved a large boomerang and hefted it up before spinning around and letting the weapon tear into the creatures masses.

They scattered and many limped or cried out as they ran, a few falling and dying on the spot. I heaved a bit at the overpowering smell of death that seemed to hang over me and the meadow. I glanced towards Sango.

"How are they?" I asked, my voice almost a whisper but she knew what I asked and to whom I was referring to. "Are they ok?"

"Seven died." Her tone was sad but a happy tilt pulled at her mouth and I motioned for her to continue. "But the creatures were driven back."

"Good." That was the only word that was need to be said between comrades and we both hobbled back to the Temple. I helped Sango up the stairs because of her gash she sustained on the leg but found when I looked over myself, most of the wounds were closing.

The dawn was still an hour away and my body was starting to feel the toll I had put it through. The moon still hung in the sky but I could not spot the place where Kikyo hid Sesshomaru.

"Come home to me soon." My words her cut off with my knees crumbling under me and the yell of servants trying to wake me up. I could feel my body being lifted and placed into the large bed in our bedroom; I could tell because of the way his scent clung to the pillow. My head was pounding and I slipped into a comatose sort of sleep.

I awoke the second I knew he had returned. I could feel the blood rushing through my veins and I stood up quickly and raced from the room and out onto the edge of the stairs.

Sesshomaru stood alone. His face was downcast and I could see his clothing was torn, as if he had ripped it in pain. I sprinted down the steps and could see his shoulders tensing at my approach. When he raised his head I let out a gasp and cringed at the roughness of his voice.

"Stop. I do not wish for you to see me like this." His words were harsh and I didn't listen, rushing forward and sighing at the dark rings surrounding his eyes and his sunken cheeks. My fingers fluttered over his ashen face and the rage of wanting to tear the moon goddesses throat out intensified. "Why can you never listen?"

"Did she do this to you?" I choked out, running hands over his chest to make sure no other parts of him were harmed. My sobs were cut off when my hand ran over his bloody arm. I let out a horrified gasp and noted that I was crying.

"No. Yes. You forget I am also the god of Illness and Deformities. She saw it fitting to give me both." His tone was condescending but I could see the spasm of pain that crossed his face whenever I so much as looked at him. "Do not pity me."

"She cut off your arm where your brother did, didn't she?" My voice had lost its ferocious undertone but was now dangerously calm. I could feel my anger rising and only Sesshomaru's hand placed on my shoulder stopped me from flying into Heaven and killing the woman.

"I will recover within the century. I'm afraid you must wait." He jested, leaning down to kiss the blood from my forehead. I choked on a sob and shook my head and he raised a light eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm human. I won't live that long." I explained, rubbing irritably at the trail of tears trailing down my face. They left small pink dots on the painted stairs.

"You, Kagome of Mexico, Tlazolteotl the Obsidian Butterfly, are many things, but human is not one of them." He said, growing annoyed at my sadness and before I could correct him, he stepped forward and swiped at the cut on my forehead. He placed his hand in mine and I noticed the bright slash of golden blood that decorated the pads of his fingers. Immortal blood. "Though I must admit, the wait will be long."

"No it won't." I laughed lightly and looked up at his shocked face. He almost seemed concerned before he nodded and started up the stairs. About halfway up I offered him my shoulder and he relented, allowing me to carry some of his burden. When we reached the bedroom he laid on the bed and closed his eyes. The blood from his wounds was sinking into the sheets and staining them gold. "I will be back to wake you in many years. You'll just have to wait until then."

"Take this." His words were weak but his grip was surprisingly strong as he slipped the key into my palm. My fingers tightened around the metal and the growing dome of shimmering healing energy pushed me farther and farther from Sesshomaru.

I glanced down at the key and noticed it was the same one I had found earlier when I had first entered the temple. That also answered the question concerning my hyperactive reaction to the crumbling Temple. Even then, my subconscious recognized our home and wept at its loss.

I walked over to the jewelry table and emptied one of the boxes and placed the shining key within before walking to the door and spinning around. I watched his perfect lips pull up at the edges and smile in goodby as I pulled the door closed. When their resonating bang rang out over the Temple, I wanted nothing more then to throw open the doors and try to nurse the man I'd spent a past life with back to health. But I held myself back.

"Thought you would fight more. By the time he awakens, we will all be dead, ashes on the wind, and the temple will be in ruins." Sango yelled, trying to keep up with my long strides across the grounds. I spun a few times before I found a bathing house still under construction.

"I'm not planning on waiting for him. I'm going into the future and bringing him back." I confided while hollowing out a small space for the key in the still wet putty of a wall. I couldn't risk the chance that it wouldn't make it through the well. Besides, I would have found it in the future and placed it in my bag by now.

"Come home safely!" Sango said as we raced towards the well house. When I sprinted in I remembered how confused and disorientated I felt when I first arrived and nodded my distinct change in feelings. "Will this work?"

"I have no idea. Well on the bright side, I don't think the fall will kill me." I joked and got a nasty remark from Sango.

I clapped my hands and dug the balls of my feet into the ground before pushing off and jumping in. The dark bottom raced up to meet me and before I could scream out in bone-crunching pain, the darkness engulfed me and I blinked up at the painted sky. The birds fluttered around and I could hear their songs from my position on the dirty well floor.

"Did it work Sango?" When I got no response, I pumped my fist in the air and scrambled up the pits slippery walls. I threw my body over the ledge and was overjoyed to see the crunched pillars blocking the entrance.

I scrambled under them and let out a joyous cry at the very modern version of the Temple. My feet pounded over the ground as I sprinted back to camp. I absentmindedly wondered how long had I been gone.

I slid to a stop in the makeshift camp and the tour guide let out a shriek at my disheveled appearance. My professor's mouth dropped open at the bloody and torn clothing I wore. I just ignored all the stares and dug around in my bag for the rusty key I tossed into it.

"Kagome...are you ok?" The wife asked, standing up and placing her can of beans on the ground before walking over to me. She approached me like I might startle but I just shouldered her words and continued to tear apart my bag. "Where have you been, you've been missing for two days."

"I was attacked and it is very important that I get this key to that man in the Temple." I told them, leaving out any real sustenance in the story. They all shot glances at each other before the husband stood and tugged his wife back a bit.

"It's more important that you get some medial help!" My professor demanded, rummaging around in his pack for the first aid kit but I found my key first and was out of the make-shift camp faster than a bullet. I could hear their worried calls after me but my mind was only on the task ahead.

The man was unsurprised to see me and just nodded to the faded doors at the far edge of the hallway. I padded forward and slid the key in the lock and gave the key a turn. It clicked and the door slid open as if the hinges had been oiled.

Sesshomaru rested lightly on the multicolored bedspread and I noted his perfectly healed arm and the color that was back in his cheeks. The healing energy was dissipating and when I placed a kiss on his still lips, the thin golden sheen scattered into billions of glowing partials. I brought my gaze back down to the man who was starting to come to.

"You waited." His voice was back to its healthy baritone and I laughed before kissing his mouth and every other available part of his face. His mouth pulled up into a smirk and I just smiled into his neck.

"I'm not patient; you should know this. I just took a short cut and now we need to go home." I could hear the shuffling of the old man behind us and nodded thanks to him before glancing back at Sesshomaru. "How do you feel about wells'?"

~Fin~