A/N: First off, I want to thank everyone who put this story on favorites. I am so thrilled that you love the story and I apologize profusely for making you wait so long. I had problems with this chapter. This is the REAL tenth chapter, I deleted the author's note I had up. Once again, I am sorry for the delay and I take full responsibility for it. This chapter was co written by me, Hajilover and Kinkatia. Without them, this chapter would never have gotten off the ground. Now, enough of my useless rambling, onto the story!!!

Saphira: Relative disclaimers apply. We only own Minako, Noriko and Koeske. And a few of the townspeople. The rest are just cardboard dummies.

Chapter 10

That night, Izayoi couldn't sleep. Her stomach was filled with butterflies and she was hungry. To make it worse, her mind was full to bursting and that was never a good combination when one was attempting to sleep. Normally, she would make her way down to the castle dining hall and into the preparation chamber where food was made. She'd then heat herself some milk which would both put something nourishing into her stomach and help her sleep better.

So, bereft of both sleep and milk while at her aunt's, she carefully and quietly got to her feet and shuffled over to the window. She stared out at the starry sky and sighed. She'd meant to go and tell InuTaisho of her impending departure the following morning, but for some strange, unknown reason it had slipped her mind. Now, it was dark out save for the glittering pinpoints in the sky and the half-moon sitting like a silver galleon in a black sea high above. Even at half-size, it was almost bright as day, with the exception of select areas of ground. It was a cloudless night, making it even more beautiful.

Izayoi glanced back at her companions. Minako had fallen asleep later than Noriko, but because the old woman was always bustling around, it was natural for her eccentric old aunt to sleep quicker.

Izayoi frowned and stood up. She had to tell him. Not only that…she had to say goodbye to him.

InuTaisho sat in a tall pine tree, his back to the broad trunk. He stared up at the sky with a sense of wonder and enlightenment. This was a rare time when he let his guard down in a dangerous territory. He stared at the moon, half-full and rising slowly still, as it would continue to do until it set come morning. He was mentally counting the hours, minutes, seconds until morning, when he and Izayoi would be forced to part forever. Fate was less cruel for her, for she was mortal and would die sooner; be able to forget their love with the passing of her life. But he was a whole different matter. As he had told Izayoi so many nights ago, he still had many centuries of life left in him. He would be forced to endure the unendurable pain for the rest of his life. The only compensation was their meeting at the afterlife one day.

But that seemed so far off.

He sighed heavily and raised a hand, staring at it. He flexed his claws in and out. The claws that could be deadly enough to slice open a throat.

The claws that if he left himself unchecked, could kill the person most dear to him completely by accident.

He would not hurt Izayoi.

Izayoi slipped out the door and shut it silently. Then, she turned and started down the path toward the forest, in search of her beloved. This could prove to be the hardest thing she'd ever done; saying goodbye to him.

She felt a tear slowly slide from her eye and slowly down her cheek and she raised her hand to wipe it away.

" Please give me courage." She whispered into the wind.

She knew she was being unfaithful to her promised. But if she didn't love her promised one and yet another instead was it really being unfaithful? Why was falling in love such a sin in the eyes of the gods? She had fallen in love with a powerful demon, and he her. But they were literally of different worlds. She knew it could not be possible for them to be together and yet they had tried so hard to make it so.

She stepped on a twig with a sharp crack and winced, expecting something to dash out of the bushes and rip her apart. Sesshomaru's image flashed into her mind, the cold, steely golden eyes fixed on her, intent on ending her life.

But then she remembered the debt he owed her, and she knew he would not kill her…yet.

She placed a hand on her breast to still her rapidly pulsing heart. Then, with a renewed determination, she continued forward. When she knew for certain she was out of earshot of the cabin, she began to call his name silently.

" InuTaisho! Are you here? Please answer me!" she cried softly. There was no answer. Little did she know that the demon lord perched not fifteen feet above her, eyes flickering red as he struggled. His inner self was ordering him to take her far away from this place, to a place where they could always be together. He'd find some way to make her immortal. He'd do anything.

But he shook his head, fighting to calm himself. He couldn't do that. He just couldn't do that to her. He shut his eyes and took deep, calming breaths.

He opened them again to watch as she bowed her head sadly. The sharp scent of salty tears wafted up toward him and he realized how long he'd made her wait for a reply.

Izayoi choked back a sob. " He's gone." She whispered. " He's left already."

She knelt down, her thumb and forefinger supporting her forehead as she struggled not to cry, but unable to stem the flow of tears leaking from her eyes.

" He never said goodbye." She mumbled.

A soft wind hit her suddenly and she felt herself encircled by a pair of strong arms.

" I never said what?" he whispered quietly. She looked up into his face and drew a breath. " I had thought you left already." She replied. He pulled her closer and whispered into her hair, " I'd never dream of leaving you behind. If I were able, I'd spirit you away to a better life. A better life…with me."

At this, Izayoi began to cry bitterly. " So why don't you?" she asked. He chuckled dryly, the sound of a man on the verge of death and entering acceptance. " Izayoi, what I would give to make that so." He whispered. He tightened his hold around her. " Anything in the world." He said, even more quietly. " But that would be severely wrong. Not to mention selfish. I cannot simply just remove you from your life, Izayoi."

She pulled away slightly to look up at him sadly. " I came here to tell you we leave in the morning. I wanted to make the best of this final meeting."

He smiled and raised a hand to her face, staring into her eyes. She had such insightful eyes. It was almost as though she could see right through him, to all of his thoughts, feelings, past mistakes, and everything else he kept as secret as possible for a demon like him.

" I am glad you came here." He whispered, leaning closer. " Because I probably would have come seeking you out in the long run."

She sighed and closed her eyes. " Then this will be goodbye." She said. She leaned forward suddenly, kissing him gently, as a simple parting gesture. He pulled her into a tight embrace, deepening the kiss, unwilling for her to see the anguish in his eyes. To his surprise, she did not pull back, but instead returned it. He knew this wasn't good. He was losing control and could very easily make a terrible choice. He could feel his possessive demonic blood coursing through his veins, gradually taking over his conscious. The demon in him would refuse to let his beloved go.

And that's what worried him.

But as she didn't back down from him, even when his fangs elongated and pierced her skin, he wasn't sure what to do. A feral growl rumbled up from deep in his throat and he pulled away from her lips, moving instead to her soft neck, grazing his fangs along her skin. He heard her gasp in surprise and then take a shaky breath. She seemed to tilt her head, allowing him more access and this did nothing to calm his feral blood, urging him to do what he knew he shouldn't.

His civil side was losing the battle though, especially when a soft moan escaped her lips, the result driving his demonic nature to the point of insanity. He was sorely tempted to bite down on her throat, claiming her as his; such was the nature of the dog demon clan. But he knew that should the mark be discovered, she could suffer dearly for it.

To thwart the urge, he moved from her throat back to her lips and kissed her with a mounting desire that was becoming harder to control by the second. She seemed to sense this and he could feel the tension in her body. His protective side ordered him to comfort her.

But his possessive side ordered him to take her. He was torn half and half between his two personas. If only there was a way to do both.

In his frustration, he rumbled low in his throat and kissed her ever more fervently, struggling to placate his demon side. But it wasn't working, yet only serving to make him more desperate.

He pulled back and snarled in fury as he temporarily lost control, something that concerned him greatly. In the brief few seconds his true self was exposed, he had forcefully shoved her back against a tree. He quickly took control again and grasped her shoulders, resting his forehead against hers heavily. He took deep, calming breaths, as he opened his eyes to gaze into hers. She was breathless too, partly from fear at his sudden actions.

" Why did you stop?" she whispered quietly. He pulled back slightly, unable to look away from her. " I do not want to hurt you. By allowing my monstrous blood to take over for even a second, I could have hurt you."

" What do you mean?" she asked. His demon side was still fighting him and he flexed his claws angrily, piercing her skin. She drew a quick breath at the sting, but said nothing.

" Izayoi. My love for you is far too great for a goodbye. No matter what I do, I shall never be able to leave you. Even when you are wed to Takemaru, I will still yearn to have you. This is why…."

He trailed off and looked away. Izayoi put her hand on his arm. " What? Please tell me." She said. He just looked at her and mumbled something incoherently.

" Pardon?"

" Do you remember what I told you could be a desperate choice?" he said, in reference to some idea he'd formulated. She nodded yes. He sighed.

" Izayoi, with your permission, I would ask for you to…give yourself to me. But only at your consent."

Izayoi was stunned. " What purpose would that serve?" she asked. His eyes took on a pleading look. " Izayoi, with every passing second I know I am to lose you, I grow more desperate to find some way to allow you to be with me. If you refuse, I will not force you. It is your decision alone."

Izayoi narrowed her eyes and looked in the direction of her aunt's cabin. Then she returned her gaze to him. She smiled warmly. He blinked twice. " Izayoi, I…."

" It was a simple enough question." She said quietly. She leaned into him carefully. He let out a soft moan and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

" You agree to…." He murmured. She nodded twice. " Yes. I love you and I trust you." She replied. She looked up at him, and he was able to see it in her eyes the truth she had said. Her eyes revealed her complete trust in him, one whom she shouldn't be trusting at all.

He leaned down and kissed her gently, growling low as sign of gratitude.

Carefully, he lowered her down to the ground and suspended himself above her, staring down at her cautiously. " Are certain you want to go through with this?" he asked quietly.

" Yes." She said. " I do."

" Are you afraid?"

" Yes. But I have said before, I trust you."

He gave her a small smile as he leaned down to kiss her.

Kinta assisted the servant girls in carrying Koeske to his room and placing him on his pallet, covering him with a thick cover, as he had begun to shiver violently. He complained of being hot and then cold and murmured things so quietly, they believed him to be hallucinating. Kinta turned to the girls, Makoto and her sister Sachiko.

" Girls, our beloved lord is very, very ill." He said gravely. " But I do not know what he has contracted."

" How do we cure him?" Sachiko squealed desperately. He held his hand up to silence her. " I do not know. But Makoto, run to the village and find a healer. Go as fast as your legs can go."

The girls took off down the hallway toward the gates. Kinta turned to Koeske who was lying on his back, panting hard and struggling beneath the cover. He seemed to be in pain.

" No…Izayoi…No!"

He continued to mumble his daughter's name. To Kinta, it seemed as though he was calling for Izayoi. But Izayoi was miles away with her aunt and even if he sent a messenger, it would take two days for the messenger to arrive and another two or three days for Izayoi to even return. By then, only time would tell how her father would be faring. Yet he was nervous of informing Izayoi of her father's plight. She loved her father dearly and cared very much about his health. If she knew that he was gravely ill, she would not take the news well at all.

Kinta moved to Koeske's bedside and knelt down on the floor. Koeske's eyes were wide open, the pupils severely dilated. Koeske moved his head to the side, looking at Kinta. " Please….Izayoi…." he moaned.

" Yes, my lord. Izayoi is on her way. She will see you soon."

Koeske faced the ceiling and clacked his teeth together. Kinta got up and moved toward the window. He could barely see the disappearing forms of the girls as they hurried down the path toward the village.

" Please hurry, girls." He whispered. " Please."

The Western Lord leaned against a tree, the limp form of his beloved resting in his arms, deeply asleep. He had cradled her head on the fur of his cape and she looked so peaceful, so perfect, he couldn't help but smile at her.

He felt her stir quietly, but her eyes did not open. He wanted her to sleep. A part of him felt that he owed her that, after what happened. Even though she had consented, he had still taken her. Despite his promise, he had still caused her pain and it would linger for a long time yet. His greatest fear was that she would be reminded of Shin and his attempt to violate her in the past. But fortunately, his memory didn't return to her.

He was hardly ever doubtful, but now he was. Had this been the right choice? What consequences would there be? Would she hate him suddenly, for taking the only thing that had truly belonged to her? Would this cause their separation to be next to impossible?

A thousand questions ran through his head, none of which could be answered on his own. If anything were to happen as a result of their joining, she would suffer greatly, not only by Takemaru, but by her family. If that would happen, then he'd have no choice but to spirit her away. He was horrified to realize that he actually partly wanted for something like that to happen to her. It would give her an excuse to 'disappear'.

He shook his head and growled angrily at the thought. He refused to be so selfish.

Unfortunately, this simple act awakened Izayoi and she opened her eyes wearily. His eyes darted down toward her and softened when he saw her face.

" I woke you." He whispered. " Forgive me."

" It's all right." She replied, sitting up slowly. She whimpered slightly and abandoned that act for now. He realized she still hurt.

" Please forgive me." He said, feeling his heart ache painfully.

" For what?"

" For causing you pain." He said. She shook her head and took his hand in her own. " It will fade. It is a clean pain."

Her eyes closed a moment and then reopened. A stiff silence fell between them. She glanced at him. Something was wrong.

" Is something the matter?" she asked him.

" Izayoi, do you regret?" he asked silently.

" Never." She replied. She looked away. " Do you?"

" How could I?" he paused. " Izayoi, do you…hate me?"

At this, her eyes went wide and again tried to sit up, gasped and fell back down. But the shock stayed in her dark eyes as she looked up and met his gold ones. " What are you saying?"

He sighed. " Izayoi, I took away your innocence. I may have ruined your life and this thought is eating away at me like a parasite."

This time, Izayoi bit her lip and slowly heaved herself up, wincing as she did so, her right hand bracing against the ground and the other hanging across her lap limply. He could tell it hurt her very much to do this. She ignored the pain as she looked at him, meeting his gaze. " I could never hate you. It matters not what you've done. After all, I consented, did I not? And I am glad that it happened, and with you, the one whom I love most of all."

He looked away, guilt written in his eyes. " You shouldn't love me as much as you say." He mumbled.

" Whatever for?"

" I don't deserve you." He said, looking back at her. " Many, if not all, see me as a demon, a creature of terrifying dimensions and dark to the core. They believe I have no heart and care for nothing, and if I had a heart, that it's black and cold as hell."

He paused and crossed his legs, facing her. " But you, Izayoi. You're different. I could tell, when you first talked to me; saw that I had saved your embroidery that I was different from what you'd obviously heard. You weren't expecting me to be that way. You weren't expecting a friend in a demon."

Izayoi felt herself close to tears from the way he was talking. Now she knew that after what had passed between them, he could no longer keep secrets from her and he was revealing his biggest secret to her now.

" Izayoi, when I left you that first time, I was already making plans to see you again. After a few minutes or so conversing with me, you lost your terror, though I tried to convince you otherwise. You fascinated me, made me want to investigate your behavior and why you were unafraid. I grew quite fond of your spirit and will. Even after I attempted to scare you away from me the second time, I realized that you were so strong. You still wouldn't fear me."

He bowed his head. " I…enjoyed that feeling…knowing someone would actually be pleased to see me for once. I wanted more of it."

He stopped when the sharp scent of salt became tangible and he looked at her. He was surprised to see tears streaming down her face as she listened. Had he offended her in some way?

" Izayoi? Did I insult you?"

She brushed the tears away and looked up at him. " No. But, from what you've just told me. You were so lonely. I just don't understand."

He was quite taken aback by this. Had he really been lonely and seeking companionship as she had been? Was that what had lead him to her in the first place? He hadn't even realized that he might have been lonely until she just said it. He looked away again and sighed heavily. " I cannot tell you to find someone more deserving of you. I wish that I could, but our joining has made that impossible." He said. He was shocked when she touched his hand and he stared at her in surprise.

" I do wish you would have more faith in me." She said, leaning forward, though still in pain. " Even if I had a choice, my choice would be you over all. I could never leave you."

His eyes narrowed and he carefully pulled her against him. " Izayoi. You are very brave."

" I do not hate you for what happened." She replied. " Rather, I love you more."

They stayed like that for some time, knowing that each second could be their last. Izayoi vowed that Takemaru would never know of this. He would never know of her love for InuTaisho, the locket containing their secret, or their joining. She figured that not even Minako would know. It was only safe, yet it would be the first secret she would keep from the old woman.

Finally, InuTaisho sighed deeply and carefully picked her up in his arms.

" I can sense you are weary, so I will escort you to your home. Dawn is approaching within the hour." He said. She did not argue, but with every step he took bringing her closer to her unwanted destiny, she felt her heart break a little more.

When they reached the cabin, he set her down. She was a little wobbly on her feet, but was steady. She looked up at him sadly. He had known it. The sacred act that had occurred between them had made their final parting that much more difficult to bear. They exchanged one final, lingering kiss, neither wanting to leave the other. He knew he could not be with her, and that their love could not be found out. She would marry Takemaru, as though she had planned to all along. She would leave for Setsuna, perhaps bare the children of the man she obviously didn't love, and raise her family, trying not to think of him, but always failing.

They would likely never meet again.

He slowly pulled away from her, desperately trying to learn her scent to memory. To forget her was to die.

" I suppose this is goodbye, then." He whispered. She bit her lip and nodded, struggling to hold back her tears. " Will I ever see you again?" she asked. His heart nearly tore in half at his answer. " No."

It seemed to affect her more. " Promise me one thing." She said. " Just don't ever forget me."

" If I were at hell's base, I would never forget you." He said fiercely. He released her and stepped back, gazing at her for one more moment. Then, in a rush of wind, he was gone. Izayoi stared at where he had stood for a moment longer. Then, she turned and went inside, knowing he wasn't there watching this time.

She crept past Minako and Noriko and laid down on her pallet, refusing to cry, but unable to stop the tears from cascading down her face, remembering his kindness and gentleness toward her.

Gradually, she was able to fall into a fitful, nightmare-filled sleep.

A/N: Now, for those of you who probably expecting a lemon, I got some wise advice from angelmom07, saying that to do that would up the rating and I don't want to go through with an unneeded promotion. She is an expert with this sort of thing and you can find excellent work in her stories, especially Forbidden Love, which I highly recommend to anyone who likes Sess/Kag pairings. As for the lemon, that was the original idea, but instead, we went for a time skip. Now, if you don't like it, you are free to tell me, but no one had better tell me it can't stay in the story. I will not tolerate that kind of review. I would appreciate if people would review, as it lets me know what your preferences are. Suggestions are also welcome just in case. If you tell me what you all like through reviews, I will try to fit that in the story as best I can. Thank you and I will return to my usual updating schedule.