Paths Collide

Morning came swiftly, breaking across the land like curtain being drawn, the light spilling over the horizon in a sweeping wave, covering the land in its warmth, letting it breathe in the breath of new life. But it was not the life of the land that held the focus of the Inu Lord as he lay in the clearing by the well, his peaceful slumber having cleared away to the thoughts of the morning after.

Toga's attention was focused solely on the little miko cradled in his arms, on the tranquil stirring of her breath, the steady beat of her heart. It was her life that he thought of, her future, the future he could play no part in but which he had changed forever. Life. The word had new meaning to him on this day, brought to him a new sense of joy and of wonder, but also feelings of loss and of sorrow.

What would his life be now? How could he simply walk away and leave his young mate to face the trials of her life alone, to endure the hardships that he had forced upon her. No. He stopped himself from such thoughts. He had forced nothing on her. She had known what she was doing. She may not have been completely aware of the reasoning behind the sharing of powers, but she was no child and knew well of the possible consequences of mating.

But this joining had been complete. He had never known a mortal that had the strength to fully embrace the joining, to fully accept the power of a youkai spirit. Mortals were, by their nature, weaker of the flesh and the spirit than youkai. They were never meant to hold such power. But this girl, this Kagome, his little priestess, his mate; she had been able, she had taken to the fires, soothed them with her loving clam, embraced them, nurtured them to grow, given new life to the dance of power.

She was so incredible, and he knew that he would never find another like her. What would it be like? He couldn't help but wonder. What would it be like to wake every morning with her by his side, to hear every day the light chimes of her laughter, to share with her nights of passion and days of adventure and wonder?

The slow smile that pulled on his lips was one formed of dreams and wishful desires, but it was sad and filled with the knowledge that dreams were never meant to live in reality.

"Kagome." He called her name gently, stirring her from the capture of her dreams. For a moment, as she moaned softly in protest, he wondered if her dreams could ever have held a place him. He leaned into her, nuzzling softly against the curve of her neck. "Awaken, Koi. It is time."

"Mmmm." Moaning softly again, she shifted, turning herself towards him. Her eyes slipped open lazily, still cloudy and fogged with sleep. "Morning," she whispered quietly, her lips pulling upwards in a slow smile.

"Good morning, my Lady," he returned before bending closer to brush against her lips with his own. When he pulled back from her, he could not help but to smile at the light blush that was staining her cheeks.

"I'm no Lady, Toga," she confessed.

"Ah, but you are," he corrected her as he stole her lips again in a long, hungry kiss. "You are the Lady of the West," he informed her, his fingers trailing across the silken silver markings adorning the delicate curve of her neck, "For now and for always."

Her eyes widening in shock and awe, the color faded from her cheeks as she was struck with the realization of what such a position would mean for her in the future. "Sesshomaru's not going to like this."

"Sesshomaru?"

Shifting nervously, Kagome lowered her eyes, breaking her gaze from Toga's. "He doesn't think very highly of humans. I suppose he has his reasons. For me though, in particular, he won't be very forgiving to know that I hold any claim over his birthright. I have taken enough from him already."

"You speak of my eldest, of my heir."

Nodding weakly, Kagome began shifting away from Toga. Speaking of his children made her realize exactly what kind of position she was in. Last night, there had been no room for such thoughts; there had been only the passion and the fire, the desire and the will to join together, to create a bond strong enough to take them back home. Last night had been their time together with nothing from the outside world, nothing from the times beyond or from those past. But this morning things were different. This morning, the consequences of their actions had become forefront.

Now she had time and mind to think of how others would react to what she had done. And she knew, deep down, in a place she most desperately tried to keep blocked away, that Sesshomaru would be the least of her problems. She rarely saw him as it was. There really was no threat of him actually coming close enough to her in the near future to be able to detect his father's scent; and even if he did, Inuyasha had always been there to defend against his attacks.

But it was Inuyasha that was the problem. He was always so protective of her, so unwilling to allow her to spend any time in the company of another male. He did it out of concern, but there was more to his actions than that, more than he was willing to say, more than he would ever admit. Kagome could never be sure if he kept such a tight hold on her because of his feelings for her or for his feelings for Kikyo, but either way, he was not going to be happy to learn that she had given herself to another, and his anger would be fueled with the knowledge that she had lain with a youkai. The only saving grace would be that Inuyasha had never known his father, had never been able to imprint his scent to memory so he would not know who exactly it had been that she had joined with.

It was strange though, no matter the reservations she felt about confronting Inuyasha now, she felt no remorse for her actions. For so long she had struggled with her feelings for the hanyou boy, but after so long of knowing that she came second in his heart, after so long of watching as he dropped everything and forgot everyone to go to his dead lover; she had finally come to the point where she was no longer willing to wait for him, no longer willing to allow her heart to pine for something she could never have. She would not leave him, never abandon him or break the promise that she had made to him, but she also knew that there would never be anything between them but friendship, and she was alright with that.

But…that didn't mean he was going to be any more receptive of the news. Cringing slightly, she could already hear the barrage of insults and degradations that would flow out of the hanyou's mouth along with his customary string of crude words and foul curses.

"Kagome." Toga stilled her movements by shifting his body so that he was leaning over her, trapping her smaller frame beneath him. Her breath caught when she felt the brush of his skin against hers, the knowledge of their state of dress, or noticeably lacking state of dress, being brought to her attention for the first time since she had woken. Seeing her modest blush take over her features, Toga couldn't help but smile. "You need not concern yourself with the boy. If anything, if he is to discover your position, his instincts will not allow any harm to come to you."

Filled with disbelief, and her expression conveying it clearly, Kagome didn't need words to say how ridiculous she thought that notion was. Really, Sesshomaru protecting her? Hell was more likely to freeze over first. Instincts or no, the demon Lord despised her, and he had been more than willing in the past to make it perfectly clear just how much that was so.

She couldn't tell Toga that though. Speaking of the future, no matter how little, chanced having it be changed; and she couldn't allow that. Besides, it wasn't like she was really going to go out and try and make something of her position. Shit, as if people didn't think she was strange enough as it was. Just imagine if her picture started showing up in history books as 'The Lady of the West'. How the hell would she talk her way out of that one?

It would be best, she knew, if she kept quiet about her time with Toga. She would tell Sango, certainly, and most likely her mother (because she knew her mother would just know…like some weird motherly ESP or something that made it impossible to keep any secret from her). But as for everyone else, it would be better if they never knew that she had met with, had been intimate with, the Inu Lord of the Western Lands, the Great and Terrible Inu no Taisho.

Sighing quietly in resignation, Kagome turned her gaze away from Toga's again. "I guess it's time then," she whispered quietly.

Feeling a heavy weight settle upon his heart at her words, Toga brought himself closer to his little mate, nuzzling his nose into her neck, breathing in deeply her captivating scent. "Kagome," he breathed out huskily, "Stay. Just a little while longer. Stay with me, my mate, my Kagome."

He felt as much as he heard her shuddering intake of breath in response to his words, and the tiny whimper she released told him that though she wanted to, though she, as he, craved more time, she was hesitant, holding back, fearing what more time would mean, how much more difficult it would be to part after feeling the fires of their passion once more.

But he couldn't stop himself, couldn't deny the irresistible temptation of his lovely little mate. He wanted, needed, just one more time, to feel her tender touch, taste the sweet spices of her skin and her blood, know the pleasure of her powers dancing in harmony with his own, bury himself in the treasure of her heat, to loose himself in her one last time.

"Toga…" Her voice was thick with want as his lips pressed against her heating skin, but straining with her hesitations.

He lifted away from her neck, only to loose himself in the endless blue of her eyes. "I will live an eternity and never forget the taste of you lips, see countless faces but never find one with your beauty, love and be loved but never find a touch with as much passion as yours. Would you deny me this time, my mate? Would you deny me the pleasure of knowing you, of feeling you with me one last time before you leave me forever?" He paused to lean into her, pressing his lips to hers in a soft, passionate kiss. When he pulled back again, he did so slowly, reluctant to leave behind the sweetness of her lips. "Stay?" he asked quietly.

She smiled dreamily, her heart floating to hear such words spoken to her, to feel such warmth and such passion. She lifted her hands to caress the sides of his face, pulling him closer to meet her lips once more.

"Yes," she breathed out when she finally pulled back for air. "I'll stay. One last time. One more memory. I'll stay with you, my mate."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun had risen in the sky, blazing in its fiery glory in the late of the morning and streaming through the trees of the forest to cast away even the deepest of shadows. But in the clearing by the spring, the heavy mists rising up from the heated waters covered the light in a soft blanket of white that wrapped around everything.

Toga walked through the clearing slowly, taking in the scene. The heavy layer of moisture held suspended upon the air had wiped away all scents through the night, but the signs of the battle that had taken place here were still evident. No, he corrected himself. This was no battle. This had been a slaughter. No trace remained neither of the assailant nor of the target of the attack, but given the way the ground had been decimated and the trees surrounding the spring devastated completely, the one that had sent the attack had been a being of incredible power.

Pausing to kneel down and examine more closely the deep scars that had been etched into the earth, Toga stretched his hand out over the torn ground, allowing the remaining currents of energy to play against his senses. When he finally managed to pull out the energy signature, he was shocked to find that it was the whisper of his own powers coming back to him from the earth. His brows furrowing in confusion, he pulled back, bringing himself to his feet once more.

He could not argue what his senses were telling him, no matter how unusual or surreal the situation seemed to be. It had been him that had launched this attack. The target, most likely, being the cat that he had promised would find its death by his hand. The nature of the attack, however, was not one that he could place. The energy released must have been massive to have caused such devastation of the area. Not only that, but it had been concentrated to form a single blast.

Toga knew of only one way that such powers could be released: a weapon had been used. One, he was almost certain, that had been formed of his very spirit.

Still, he knew that he didn't have time to be pondering such matters. He had come to retrieve Kagome's possessions before they would depart from this time. He did, however, make some mental notes of what sort of weapon he believed had caused the destruction, and in the back of his mind, a suspicion began to form as to why he would have crafted it.

Not allowing himself to linger on his thoughts, knowing that time was something he would have plenty of once he returned to his rightful place, Toga collected the items he had come to find and turned away from the springs, headed back to the well and his mate.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"I'll never forget you." It was a promise, but a silent confession, as well. She couldn't forget him. He would always have a place in her heart.

"Nor I you." His words he sealed with a kiss, an unbreakable bond of truth.

"Live well." It was a moment of truth, an admission that he would never live long enough to see her again.

"Be safe." His eyes were filled with regret, with the knowledge that he could not protect her any longer, could never be the one to come to her aid, to sooth away her fears or her pains. Forgive me, they pleaded with her. I'm sorry.

"I will never regret." Don't blame yourself, was left unsaid. There is nothing to forgive.

"It is time." I wish we had more.

"I know." I wish I didn't have to go.

"Kagome…" But what more could be said?

She smiled sadly and took his hand, holding it tightly as though she would never let it go.

He understood the gesture, nodding shortly to her and moving forward to wrap his free arm around her. He held her to him for only a moment, feeling one last time the beat of her heat against his, and then pushed off from the ground and took them both into the awaiting portal.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She had been pulled away from his embrace, fading back into the magic of the well once more. When his feet touched down upon the soft dirt at the base of the well, he knew that he had lost her forever.

"Kagome…" He whispered her name like a prayer, one filled with hope but broken by pain. His head lowered, heavy as he breathed out his pains, and he watched as the tears of blood spilled from his eyes to the soft ground at his feet. Youkai never cried, never knew a pain that that wasn't felt by their blood.

"My Lord!"

Looking up towards the voice of his retainer perched on the lip of the well, the Inu Lord steeled his emotions, locked them behind the impenetrable mask that was required of his position, the one that had cracked and broken simply by being near his mate. His eyes hardened, the piercing gold never allowing another being to see through to his troubled thoughts, and he pushed off the ground, propelling himself out of the depths of the well.

"My Lord! You've returned!"

The happy greeting of his retainer went all but unheeded by the Inu Lord. He began walking, leaving the well behind, never once looking back. He felt the miniscule weight of the little flea settle on his shoulder, and only then did he acknowledge the presence of the other.

"Myoga," he addressed the flea. "Tell me, do you know of any good swordsmiths?"

The little flea's confusion as to the request was evident, but he was not one to question his master, and he answered his Lord's question to the best of his ability. "As a matter of fact, my Lord, I have heard tell of a great youkai swordsmith, one that is told to have created the finest of weapons for the most powerful of youkai. If what I hear is correct, he goes by the name of Totosai."

"Totosai," the Inu mused. "Then we go to find this Totosai, Myoga."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He had faded before her eyes, taken back by the red fires that had brought him to her in the first place. The young miko couldn't remember a time she had felt such a loss, had been filled with such pain but at the same time left so completely empty. Her tears spilled over even before the magic of the well had cleared.

But she would be left with time to mourn her loss. The moment her feet touched down at the base of the well, the young miko knew something had happened in her absence. The ground at her feet had been devastated, torn apart savagely and left as muddied mounds of dirt and rock.

A cold shiver passed down her spine as she took in the sight. Someone had dug into the ground here. Had they been searching for something? Had they found it?

Tentatively, her hand raised to the small bottle held strung around her neck. She lifted it to her eyes, but even before she could see its contents, she knew that she would not find anything. The Shikon shards she had carried with her into the well were no longer in her possession. They must have been left behind, she realized with a soft gasp of horror. Like they had been once before when she had been stranded in her own time, when she herself had dug through the dirt at the base of the well to take hold of them across time.

But where were they now? Who had pulled them from well?

"Inuyasha?" She called his name quietly, her voice wavering slightly in hesitation. Was he nearby? Was he waiting for her to return as he always did? Had he been the one to take the shards? Or had the one that had taken the shards…

"No." She shook her head firmly. She refused to believe anything had happened to her hanyou friend.

With new determination, she took hold of one of the vines trailing down the inner walls of the old well and began pulling herself up. Once on the ground above, Kagome took a moment to look around. The trees on the other side of the clearing, in the direction leading away from the village of Endo, were devastated, torn apart by the passage of something that she could not name.

Unease began to creep into her bones, awash with the cold pulse of fear. Hurriedly, she turned towards the village, seeking out her friends, her family on this side of the well, the warriors that had stood with her all this time. She knew if she could just get to them, that together they could stand against any threat. But she had only reached the line of the trees when her miko senses began picking up on the strong aura of a youkai.

Her breath hitched, straining to draw air into her lungs. This was not good.

Turning slowly to face the treat, Kagome tensed in ready, her hand coming up against the bow strung across her shoulder. But she knew that any action would be futile against him. She waited. She could do nothing else. She would not show fear in the face of this youkai. Not then, not now, not ever.

She watched as he walked out of the trees, his steps steady, purposeful, his stance tall and proud. His eyes never left her form; the eyes of a hunter, never loosing sight of his prey. Still she held her ground; defiant, refusing to back down even as she spoke the name of the assassin, of the Killing Perfection.

"Sesshomaru."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I just have to say, since this is my A/N and I can say whatever I want, that 300 was the best movie EVER!!! I have never seen so many hot, sweaty, muscled, half-naked bodies in one movie in my life! Half the time I was trying to decided which body of sexyness I should be worshiping. Oh, and the story was nice too…

Well, that's all you get out of me today.

Later

Shadow