Date posted: Sunday, June 19, 2005
Edited: Yes beta by, Mira "Michikaru" Watanabe
Warnings: Lemon warning! Meaning there will be adult situations up ahead. And language.
Rated: R or M for Mature readers
Feed back: Yes please!
Flames: No thank you.
Story setting: Based on anime version (a mix of the Japanese and English one) and manga series. Plus a mix of the book's/movie's time and this time. (You get it?)
Story Type: Romance and Drama
Declaration: Don't own so don't sue.
Pairings: Sesshoumaru and Kagome
Summery: Kagome is heart broken over Inuyasha's death and mindlessly goes walking west into the forest until she meets Sesshoumaru -- a man who couldn't understand her problems much less no what love means…Can she teach him to love? Can he heal her broken Heart?

Learning to Love: To heal a broken heart
By: Silvery Roses

Prologue

It was a beautiful day in the Feudal Era of Japan, or it was before the sun had fallen with disaster. She should have seen it coming. All the clues where there, but she was the fool who ignored all the foreshadowed warnings. A fool she was, a damned fool.

The forest was alive like never before. The night time youkai were out on the prowl as beings of the day lay at rest for tomorrow morning. In the forest only but one brave human dared to walk at night. She was a young miko woman in her teenage years with a slumped frame, hair as black as a ravens and unseeing eyes. Even though she looked like an innocent and vulnerable morsel to the untrained eye, not one demon dared to attack this human for a strong purification power leaked from her in waves. They knew she was not any normal priestess.

The miko known as Kagome Higurashi to her friends, walked through the gloomy forest with her eyes fixed on the ground. Her brown eyes seemed clouded over with much sorrow and grief. Her face was a sickly pale that showed little emotion like a porcelain mask. Underneath this mask, her mind raced with thoughts about the days events; events that had brought her to the turmoil she was in now. Her mind was a paradox of questions that had no answers; that had no end. But one question stood out from the rest, 'What had I done wrong?"

Flash back: The day Inuyasha goes to hell.
"Kikyo I don't know what spell you put him under but please leave him alone" Kagome said teary eyed.

Inuyasha lets go of Kikyo's hand. "This will only take a minute love," he smiled at her and walked to Kagome. Not bothering to stop, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into a more private spot... He then flung her into the area. Kagome looked so sad as she looked up at him and saw him smile. After getting up from the cold ground, she ran up to Inuyasha and threw her arms around his neck, but he didn't even attempt to return the small show of emotion.

"I love her," he said. She let go of him and slowly stepped back as her eyes searched his for the truth in his words.

"This isn't funny," she whispered.

He locked gaze with her again. "I love Kikyo," he repeated.

She shook her head, "No, no you don't! Don't say that you-I-we...kissed you you you" Kagome was now crying silently. She couldn't believe what he was saying was true. She dropped her head and fell to her knees and whispered, "You said you loved me…" In all of the battles, in all of the fights in all of her life, she never felt so exposed, so defeated, and so uncontrollably helpless.

The silver haired hanyou looked at her, "You were... a fun game… but no more then a mere pass-time. I never... loved you..." He breathed out deeply, "You were nothing more then a mere--" 'No, Inuyasha don't say it!' Kagome's mind screamed while her hands rubbed at her arms. She was shaking her head in denial and wishing it all away like a bad dream. "--Shard detector," he finished. She wiped the tears away as sadness became rage. She stood up with her face still facing the ground, causing her expression to be hidden behind her black bangs.

'That's my girl. Get mad. Get so mad you don't care if I die. My life doesn't matter...' he thought to himself, 'That way you won't miss me, and you won't be sad ...I love you so much Kagome.'

She then looked up at him and into his auburn eyes. Her fists clenched and a lone tear slid down her cheek. It was then that she saw it. As if a portal into his mind was opened, she knew what he was doing. "Kagome I don't lo--" Inuyasha tried to say before Kagome ran up to him so mad she hit his chest repeatedly with her little hands "I don't care! Hate me then, but don't lie to me to protect me! Don't say these things! Don't say it! Don't say you don't love me because I know you. I know your heart. I know you love me because I LOVE YOU! You arrogant, selfish, rude jerk tell me the truth!" Kagome yelled her heart out before she clutched Inuyasha's red hakama and cried into his chest.

He wanted nothing more than to tell her he was lying and wrap his arms around her and beg her for forgiveness, but he knew he couldn't. Tears dropped from his eyes as he turned from her. Not answering her, he went back to Kikyo; hearing her scream, "Inuyasha tell me. Just say -- say you don't love me. Say all that you said was the truth and I'll leave you alone."

Inuyasha stopped and turned to her, "I can't." He knew then that he couldn't go through with it.

Kagome ran up to him with courage and a little bit of hope, "You can't what?"

"I can't say I don't love you because with all my heart I do," two tears ran down his face like twin rivers falling from his eyes as he turned and ran back to Kikyo with his hanyou speed. By the time Kagome got there to tell him not to go, that she loved him too, and that she wasn't mad, he was already gone. Kagome fell to her knees as her world shattered around her into a million pieces like the Shikon no Tama. Silent tears fell from chocolate-brown eyes as the lone miko looked up to the canopy of trees above. 'Kami…why…'

"Mama?" Shippou walked to her with worry in his eyes.

"Sango and Miroku are off getting married... Inuyasha's dead… you're all that I have left Shippou." Kagome was in shock and her voice showed such with it's lack of emotion. Only her tears and the small trimmer of her body gave away the turmoil of emotions within.

Shippou, twelve years old now, ran up to the miko and hugged her, "Oh, mama, I know how much he meant to you." He looked into her eyes with his blue-green ones to show his serenity and found that there was something missing in her eyes. It was like Kagome wasn't there. Instead there was a stranger looking out towards him. There was no warmth, no love, and no Kagome. It hurt him to see a woman as strong as his mama get that torn apart.

Kagome absently patted him on the head, "I'm going to go for a walk. Stay with Sango until I come back for you." He knew there would be no stopping her, so he just let her go...

The young miko walked for what seemed like days and never once stopped to rest. She didn't care though and didn't pay much attention to where she was going or where she was at. She was broken and lost in a pool of sadness...

She never even got to say goodbye... It felt like she had let Inuyasha down somehow. The sun had already set and darkness had pulled its velvety curtain down. There was no moon or stars out. It was a truly gloomy night and all she knew in her empty mind was that she was walking west. Towards what? She didn't know.

She kept walking until she ran into something. Not bothering or caring to see what it was, she turned and tied to keep on walking her mindless path when that "something" grabbed her wrist...

End of Chapter: To Be Continued…
Michi: (-dancing around-) I finished editing Rose's story! Yay! Doesn't it look so much better? Of course I put it in my style of writing and organization… Oh well, it looks cleaner this way and better on the eyes while reading off a computer screen.

So what do you guys think of Rose's story so far? Good, ne? I hope so, I spent a good three hours editing it this chapter. Not so bad, not so bad… Ooooo, I wonder what happens next! Please review to find out.

P L E A S E
R E V I E W!