Love Conquers All

Summary: She was a fierce protector, friend, sister and companion. She was loved by all she encountered and had many enemies that sought her life. What many did not know, even those close to her that called her friend, was of her dark past. Twisted events that had unfold, created who she was to them now. Memories that have been buried deeply, forced to the surface create a domino effect as one who was thought dead long ago returns with a vengeance. Powers lost in time to myths and legend; reveal themselves to the Ones whom are worthy to hold it. Only love, fierce loyalty and devotion, can save the world from utter destruction. Question is, will She who knows nothing of love conquer her own past in order to save the future?

Rating: MA 18+ Please!

Pairings: Kag/Sess/Kouga

Prologue

The night sky was dark, heavy clouds rolling in; the smell of rain already on the air. Lightning flashed, thunder cracked across the silence that was deafening as winds picked up harshly.

Urgent voices could be heard faintly from a village that was preparing for a bad storm, the villagers rushing to pick up stray items that could easily be weapons in the storm and putting them inside. Small children ran for cover with their parents, knowing what to do in times like this. One small child however stood in the center of the dirt road, holding a worn teddy bear in his arms as his green eyes looked all around for his parents or even his sister. The first drops of rain started to fall as thunder rumbled above them, muffling his cries. Small claws that tipped his small hands dug into the bear as if it was a lifeline, a whimper escaped his throat as his eyes darted around him; the rain coming down stronger.

His brown hakamas darkened as the rain came down in torrents; the cold droplets like a thousand needles on his exposed skin. Suddenly a warm embrace enveloped him from behind, protective arms went around his small form and the small child looked up to see worried but loving violet eyes of his mother. Her long black hair that reached her knees was drenched; as was her white and blue kimono. She was knelt on one knee, pulling the small child into her arms against her chest; trying her best to shield him from the cold downpour.

Another figure shouted from a nearby hut after stepping out from the shelter, raising their arms frantically as another small form that was slightly larger than the boy in the woman's arm came running towards them. The body of a young girl collided with the woman; cries that were barely heard over the roaring thunder escaped her lips as she had feared for her brother's life.

"Mama!" the girl cried, clinging to her robes.

The girl was soaked to the skin, her dark blue hair reaching just barely past her knees; clung to her chubby face that was scrunched up in fear. Her skin was a light tan, just like her mothers and fathers. Pink lips trembled in the cold as her claws pierced through the cloth she clung too. The figure that was yelling before caught up to her finally, a low growl escaping him as he picked up the young girl while the woman picked up the boy.

"Kazue! We need to get inside now! The storm is only getting worse!" the male shouted as he leaned in for her to hear over the winds that were blowing harshly around them.

The female now known as Kazue looked to him, violet eyes flashing with understanding as they connected with his vibrant green ones. However instead of turning to follow him with the children, she pushed the small boy into his arms with his older sister; her jaw was set and her shoulders tense.

She shook her head apologetically, a whimper escaping her throat as she said, "I…I cannot Akio, my mate. Danger approaches and it is my duty to protect our sacred village. You must hide the children. This evil must not find them!"

Her voice wavered as her fear was made known then, an aura of pure darkness brushed against their senses that froze them to the ground. The children whimpered as it pressed against them, smothering; their faces reddening as pain was felt. Their father, Akio, tensed his arms around them; hoping to give them some type of comfort though it was for naught as he too felt the oppressing aura. His claws lengthened dangerously against their paling skin but he fought down his beast that raged within to protect his family.

His voice was robbed from him as he opened his mouth only to snap it shut again as a figure that was cloaked in black walked from the shadows of the forests east of their village. Thinking quickly, Akio used his youkai speed and rushed the children to their home and threw a heavy wool blanket over them both. Looking to the girl, he knelt before her; cupping her wet cheeks in his large clawed hands.

"Kagome…your mother needs me. Protect Souta, I will return to you both. I swear it." he whispered, leaning forward to press a quick kiss against her brow that held their hidden family crest there.

Kagome closed her swirling hazel eyes, trembling as she held her little brother close; afraid to speak. She wanted so badly to tell him to stay, that if he walked out of the hut; it will be to his death.

Souta whimpered against her chest, his body shaking in fear as their father pulled away and stood to his full height. They watched as he walked to another room that was built on to the hut and disappeared within. Seconds passed before he reemerged, tightening the straps to his armor that was across his chest, back, shoulders before moving on to the ones that protected his lower body and thighs. A long sword was sheathed at his left side. Stopping at their small table, he ignored his silently crying children in the corner as he picked up a white string and proceeded to pull his long dark blue hair up into a high ponytail; revealing pointed ears and his angled face more.

No markings could be seen, his face was flawless; devoid even of scars. His body was slim but muscles rippled under taunt skin; his shoulders set as he moved to the doorway before he stopped. He sighed before looking over his shoulders, his bright green eyes connecting with those of his oldest hazel eyes. Kagome's eyes teared up at seeing the love that shone brightly within them for her and her brother and her throat tightened as a sob escaped her. Souta whined in her arms as her hazel orbs closed slowly; silently saying goodbye to their father.

She then hid her face in her brother's neck, holding him tightly as a dark blue barrier flickered into existence around them; protecting them. Satisfied that they would be safe, Akio turned away from them, pushed aside the heavy mat that covered their doorway and walked out into the pouring rain.

Within moments of stepping out of their home, he was drenched to the skin; his restrained hair whipping about him in the harsh blowing winds. The rest of the villagers were within their homes, knowing that their protectors did not want them to interfere.

The rain drowned out most sounds but it did not hide the laughter that was heavy with malice that now seemed to surround him. His left clawed hand gripped the handle of his sword, ready to unsheathe it at a moment notice as his eyes darted to his mate. She still stood where he had left her, though she was not facing him; he could tell she stood strong. Her weapon of choice was a bow with an arrow ready to fire and aimed, held steady in her hands.

The figure that was cloaked in darkness moved towards her, he was within the boundary of the village. An unnatural darkness followed him, darkening everything his aura came into contact with. The ground which he walked upon, died; the green turning brown. Gardens that were connected to homes, withered and died. Screams from within the huts suddenly rang out sharply, drawing Akio's eyes as shock was apparent on his face before fear replaced it. His mate stood strong still, though her shoulders he noticed shook when the screams reached her ears.

'No….' was the only thought to make it through his mind before the screams of his children were heard. Their worst fears were made known then as the hut was ripped from the ground by an unnatural wind, Kagome's barrier flickering around their forms as Souta's screams and cries were heard. The unknown figure moved fluidly over to them, Kazue turning to keep him in her sights and before he could get within reach of the barrier; she let an arrow loose.

The arrow was suddenly engulfed in reiki, the power white and pure; a stark contrast to the darkness that was slowly covering the whole village. It connected with the dark being, causing him to crash several feet away into a large boulder. Smoke rose from where he connected, his form slumped over slightly. The arrow that was fired was embedded in his right shoulder; the power that once surrounded it was no more.

Akio ran to his mate's side, unsheathing his sword with his right hand and held it in both hands tightly; ready and waiting. The figure moved slowly, pulling his legs in to bend at the knees before getting to his feet; his shoulders shaking in his amusement. His black robes were burned from Kazue's pure power, which the male found amusement in as no other had ever been able to land a blow upon him; not even arrows. Turning to look in the direction of the two youkai, his eyes glowed a dark red that bordered on being black they were so dark. Grinning, he revealed sharp teeth; not just fangs.

"Stay away from my children!" Kazue shouted, pulling another arrow from her quiver on her back and readying it quickly.

Her form glowed white, her violet eyes shone brightly with her power. Her fierce love and protective nature coming forward with the children being in danger, shocking her mate into taking a step away from her. Akio knew his mate was a powerful miko-youkai but it was rare when she had to display such power as she was now. But most knew that miko-youkai were protective creatures, only being female and very rare to come across. Their village alone was rare and very hard to find unless told a hidden pathway to get there.

The village itself was made up of humans, youkai and hanyou; discrimination was unheard of here and frowned upon. Any caught expressing such hate were cast out from the village and the hidden pathway changed to prevent them from returning.

This made Akio frown as he wondered how this being was able to find them. Did they miss something and forget to change the pathway after casting out the last villager all those months ago? Clenching his jaw, Akio's fangs dug into his bottom lip; drawing a small bead of blood there. His hands tightened on the hilt of his sword, holding it up as he noticed the male moving toward them instead of the children.

"Who are you!?" Akio yelled out to the male. Laughter full of malice was his only response as the unnamed male continued towards them before he stopped a few feet.

He tilted his head to the side as he grinned evilly, showing off the sharp points of his teeth.

"I'm surprised your mate didn't tell you who I was." he said with a growl, his voice was smooth as he spoke; causing chills to race down their spines.

Kazue lowered her face, her bangs hiding her violet eyes from the questioning green ones of her mate, as she whispered "Elathan…" under her breath but Akio heard her all the same.

His skin visibly paled further if possible, fear clear in his green eyes as his hands tightened around the hilt of his sword. "No….no, it's not possible! He was sealed! I saw it myself!" Akio cried out in disbelief.

Kazue raised her violet eyes to him as she whispered once more, "It is not impossible. The guardians put in place to guard the seals were slain…."

Laughter filled with malice surrounded them, the darkness moving in as if it had a mind of its own. Kazue glanced to her pups huddled under the barrier before looking back to her mate. Thinking quickly, Kazue pulled back on the string of her bow till it was tense before releasing another reiki filled arrow towards the male. Taking her chance, she rushed to Akio's side and took his face in her hands to direct his eyes to her own.

"You must get the pups to the well. We do not have much time, Mate. You need to seal their trues identities and quickly! They will not live if they remain!" Kazue told him, her eyes were dark with her fierce words and before he could even utter a word in response; he was pushed away roughly.

The arrow Kazue shot towards Elathan, was caught between his hands with his aura and he turned the arrow around and redirected the attack towards them instead. Kazue moved away from Akio in time to put up a barrier that was meant to deflect the attack. Once the arrow struck however, it not only took out her barrier but it knocked her off her feet and several yards away she landed in a heap.

Akio wanted to run to his mate's side but was torn between going to her and his pups; who were now whimpering in fear after seeing their mother thrown too far out of their sight to see. Clenching his jaw, he was numb as he made the decision to move towards his children quickly while he could.

His decision came a second too late.

Kagome's barrier flickered as her fear mounted and it all but shattered when her mother was thrown from the force of her own attack. She held on to Souta tightly, unaware of the male that was slinking his way closer to them. Her senses were not strong enough to detect him until he was right on top of them. Once she finally registered that something was wrong and how unnaturally silent Souta was being, she turned around slowly; her claws digging into her palms and into her brother's top in fear as her hazel eyes connected with those of the dark red males'.

Her throat burned with a scream as it closed on her, her skin paled considerably and she was unable to move away from him. Souta was the same way though his body trembled in fear without having to look up at the monster. Finally Kagome snapped out of it enough to growl weakly in warning at him before she was smacked across the face roughly, knocking her off her knees to fall to the ground behind her.

Souta was released after Kagome was smacked in the face, leaving him to hold on to his teddy bear for dear life as he started to cry. Akio's eyes bled red as he witnessed his oldest be backhanded but everything seemed to move in slow motion as he watched Elathan reach down to wrap his long fingers that were tipped with deadly claws around Souta's neck.

Elathan dug his claws into the pup's neck as he picked him up. Souta was barely able to make a sound as the grip on his throat was causing his windpipe to collapse under the pressure. Tears escaped his eyes as the teddy bear in his hands slowly slipped from them, green eyes losing their light quickly the longer he was deprived of air.

Kagome glanced up and whimpered at the sight of her brother's frail body in the monster's grip. Tears escaped her half closed hazel eyes as her right hand reached up as if to make a grab for him but she was suddenly swept up into strong, protective arms as a blinding light connected with the male. Averting her gaze, her small hands found their way to the chest armor her father wore; burying her face as sobs wrecked her small form. She could barely feel as Akio jumped away from Elathan as another arrow hit its mark followed after the first.

Akio jumped back further once more as Kazue released yet another arrow at Elathan, keeping his attention on her. Souta was lifeless in his grip, the teddy bear on the ground forgotten and forlorn looking. Kagome dared a look over her shoulder from her father's embrace and wished she hadn't. A soft cry made its way from her throat as she watched Elathan release his hold on her brother.

His skin was paler then it should have been. There were obvious claw marks on either side of his neck, the punctures deep and bleeding profusely. There was also the scent of acid on the air as well as the taint of the darkness itself. She watched in slow motion as his body fell to the ground in a heap on the floor. It all seemed to happen in slow motion before her, her young mind just couldn't understand why it was happening to her and her family.

What did her family ever do to deserve this?

Why did her brother have to die?

Akio's arms tightened around his distraught daughter as he made a dash for the forest where the well was hidden. The darkness had yet to reach that far surprisingly. The run was silent aside from the sounds of battle behind them as Kazue intercepted Elathan from chasing them, the sound of metal clanging against metal ringing out sharply told Akio that she had her other weapon as well and he was thankful.

He had to complete this task for her, especially if she failed in what she was about to do. Nuzzling into Kagome neck lovingly, he whispered foreign words in a spell under his breath as his eyes closed with the emotional pain he felt. Kagome's body glowed a pale blue of the spell uttered and her youkai traits faded from view and her aura was also changed to that of a human child. Her eyes remained their hazel color but her hair was pure black instead of the hint of blue it had before. Even her skin darkened a few shades so she wasn't as pale.

Akio landed in the clearing the bone eaters well sat just as another explosion went off as the purity and taint collided fiercely. The storm that had been going on was now stronger; the winds harsh as almost knock Akio off balance as he did his best to protect Kagome it. Walking over to the edge of the well, he began speaking the needed words to cast the spell upon it. Blue light swirled at the bottom of the well slowly as it built up to the power of the spell being spoken until it was almost blinding in the storm, like a beacon.

The well pulsed; its power seeking it's soon to be charge. Looking down to his pup in his arms that was now human, leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead where her bangs clung to her skin.

"I'm sorry Kagome…please remember that we will always love you…perhaps we'll see you again someday…" he whispered to her, rubbing her back to lure her to sleep.

Another explosion of power behind him caused him to stiffen in fear as a piercing scream echoed in the sudden silence that followed. 'No….it can't be….'he thought to himself.

Suddenly something inside him snapped and it was then that he knew his mate was gone, as the connection between them was suddenly severed. Not wanting to take chances as he felt his beast slowly stirring ever closer to the surface, he moved quickly and held Kagome over the well and released her. His closed his eyes tightly so he didn't watch as she disappeared into the light below. Or as she disappeared, the blue swirling lights also disappeared; leaving behind no trace of its powerful aura.

Stepping away from the well, Akio sighed as the pain from the severed mating bond filled him once more. Hands clenched to the point of his claws piercing his palms, he turned around to face the way he had come from. What he saw made him fall to his knees in shock. The darkness was no more, the rain was slowing to a light drizzle; the winds not as harsh as before.

Not believing it for a moment, he stumbled to his feet and ran back to the village. Breaking through the trees at the edge of where the village was hidden within, caused him to stop in his tracks as a deep growl filled the clearing.

The village itself had been wiped from existence.

Nothing remained of the huts, not even scorch marks from the battle could be seen. But what could be seen was what was in the center where the village once stood. His mate stood, her form covered in stone from head to toe; her right arm pulled back on the string of her bow with the arrow readied to be fired. Her expression was fierce, angry as she stared down a much larger statue of the male she had been fighting; also frozen in stone.

Something small connected the two statues in the center, where the tip of the arrow connected with that of Elathan's longsword. It was pale and round, its aura radiated power so pure he knew then that his mate had sealed the monster; not killed him like he had hoped. His green eyes had a tint of red to it as he looked around for the missing sword his mate had used that was thrown from her, as it wasn't with her. Looking some few feet away, he spotted the blue tinged blade with a jade green hilt and walked over to it and picked it up gingerly.

Red could be seen dripping from the end of the blade, the metallic stench of the male was strong upon the blade; one he will always remember for the days to come. A deep growl filled his chest and then the clearing.

His beast was now free as power burst forth from his form, his body getting larger and longer. A howl rang out from his throat as he titled his head back the sound was deep; full of grief and pain.

His family was now gone, even if he knew Kagome was somewhere safe. She was out of his reach now until the time came for her to return.

Blue light surrounded her everywhere. Kagome had no idea where she was, only felt the warmth the blue light radiated. Time was endless here. Suddenly she could feel herself drifting downwards and then she was falling.

Hard ground was the first thing she registered and then the pain followed. Realizing she closed her eyes during the fall, Kagome opened her eyes only to close them in pain. A cry escaped her chapped lips, throat clenching as her need for water increased. Her back was sore, most likely bruised like her face was; which was black and blue from the backhand she had received earlier.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she forced them to open again and looked around as best she could. All she could see was the four sides of the well itself and the dirt beneath her body. Looking up as a sudden noise rang out in the silence around her, as fear filled her small form. Suddenly light shone brightly in the dim area and it was being held over the well, blinding Kagome. The being holding the light called out, the voice belonging to that of a young girl.

"Hello? Are you okay? Hold on, help is coming!" the young girl called down to her.

Footsteps could be heard moving towards the well now and a wooden ladder was placed. Another figure revealed themselves as they started down the ladder with ease but moved quickly to reach her side. Stepping down from the ladder, they turned to reveal a human male that was in his early thirties, brown hair and kind blue eyes that looked to Kagome with concern.

"Little one, are you hurt? I am here to get you out of this well." his voice was calm with a fatherly tone to it that soothed Kagome's worry. Kagome stood slowly and made her way to his outstretched arms with caution. Once within his reach, the male sucked in a harsh breath as his blue eyes landed on her battered form; the bruise on her face easily visible in the dim light.

"What happened? This couldn't of been from the fall alone, little one." he spoke softly to as to not scare her more then she already was. He brought her against his chest carefully before picking her up, noticing the wince she made when he touched her back. He frowned, making a note for his wife to check her over before turning to the ladder and began to make his way up slowly.

Kagome stayed silent the entire time, too afraid to speak.

Once he reached the top, he pulled himself and Kagome up and over it with ease. Now on the outside of the well, he stood to his full height with the frightened child in his arms. Looking to the other child in the well house with him, he nodded to the closed doors and watched as she did as he silently asked.

The girl opened the wooden doors quickly, watching as her father carried the unknown girl to their home several feet from where the well house stood. She followed behind him, taking in his black jeans and white shirt and bare feet as he walked. Thoughts of the girl in his arms swirled in her mind as well as questions went unanswered.

They reached the house as her mother suddenly rushed out after seeing them through the kitchen window.

It was then that Kiyomi knew that her life was going to change. Only question now was if it was a good thing or not.

Author's Note:

Hey readers! Decided to start fresh with a new story. Hope you like the new idea. Working on the next chapter as we speak. This will be hopefully a different type of story, it be contain angst as well as adventure and romance. Maybe even a hint of suspense. It will be a Sess/Kag/Kouga fanfic however. How I plan to go about it will all be revealed in time. I will not tolerate flames. If you don't like the idea of this possible story, please move on. Don't like the story, don't read.

Not sure on how often I will update as of yet, depends on how long it takes me to write up chapters; as my family comes first (have two young children to care for). I only write in my free time right now. It took me about two weeks to finish this prologue. So it may take that long to get the next chapter up, depending on how this one is taken.

Please review and let me know what you think!

WolfGirl09