Naraku was furious. His plans were ruined. How was he to know Sesshoumaru was her true love? How could it have been possible? Her true love shouldn't have been born for another couple hundred years. Unless… Now that he thought about it. It was highly possible. He was a powerful inuyoukai after all. It was possible that he would have lived long enough to meet her in the future. This made Naraku even more furious. If that was the case, all he'd managed to do was push them together faster.

Sesshoumaru had been in the process of telling Kagome everything that'd happened while she was sleeping, when they both felt it, the dropping of a barrier and with that came the scent of Inuyasha's blood, Naraku, and Kikyo. Kagome could feel that something was terribly wrong and she looked up into Sesshoumaru's eyes as he held her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she said in an askance tone. He looked back at her wincing internally. He didn't want her sounding so hesitant around him or using his title, but that was a matter to be dealt with at a later point in time. "Something feels really wrong. We should go investigate. Please?" Her voice was still weak and she still needed his support to stand, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

"Hn," he replied as he picked her up and put her on his back. They rushed to the place where he could smell Inuyasha's blood. The sight that greeted them was not one they ever expected. Inuyasha lay there on the ground gasping for breath in a puddle of his own blood with an arrow through his chest.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed shrilly. The sight before her damn near tore her heart apart. He was like a brother to her and there he lay dying. Sesshoumaru looked at his half-brother. The arrow carried Kikyo's scent and it confirmed what he had begun to think. Inuyasha is not who we originally thought him to be. He walked over and inspected his brothers wound.

"They attempted to get his heart. He is lucky. This is a grave wound and had we gotten here later he'd surely be gone from this world," he spoke to Kagome quietly. He was loathe to help his brother, but he could not stand the broken sobs of his miko.

"They did get his heart," she wailed. "Don't you see."

"What I see is an arrow through the chest where his heart would more than likely have been if he were not of Taishio blood," Sesshoumaru said in a low drawl. He didn't want anyone else to hear him. "Kagome a barrier like the one you'd had up before would be wise now." Too shocked that he'd used her name again, she dazedly did as she was told. When he felt the protection of her barrier, he continued with what he had to say.

She must know if she is to be our mate. Sesshoumaru agreed with his beast. It would show her that he trusted her. "Kagome in the line of Tashio there are many biological adaptations in those that are born of our blood. One of them is that our hearts are in the right chest cavity rather than the left." He checked the wound again he'd seen many arrow wounds and this one didn't look like he'd been shot but more like she had gotten up close and stabbed him like with a dagger. "We can't move him with the arrow in him. We have to take it out and quickly." She nodded. She watched with tears in her eyes as he made quick work of the arrow. As he bent to pick up his brother, he instructed her to climb on his back.

In no time they were back at the hut. Kagome was quick to help Kaede with Inuyasha. Sango was a bit hesitant. She wanted him to suffer for what he'd done but she didn't want him to die. Well, he's unconscious so he isn't suffering now. She sighed as she raced to get some water. When she returned Miroku was checking Inuyasha.

"She cursed him," he announced. Everyone turned sharply and honed their senses on him. "From what I can sense it's a spell that used his feelings for her to make him act as she would have him act whenever she invoked it."

"Like he wouldn't have done that on his own," Sango sneered. Sesshoumaru turned to her.

"He speaks truth," he drawled out then turned to Kagome. "I'd sensed that she cast a spell on the half breed the day you saw them in the forest." He hoped she wouldn't be upset with him for spying on her. Kagome's mind was far from such a thought though. That day, he was trying to tell me. He truly didn't know what was going on. She felt tears well in her eyes. Sesshoumaru scented her tears and thought exactly what she did.

That wench will pay!

Sesshoumaru spent all night awake watching Kagome, who refused to sleep without seeing Inuyasha wake first. Sesshoumaru for the first time in his life felt true jealousy. With Tessiaga he simply liked picking on Inuyasha, but this was different.

Even after all he has done to her.

Yes, she is a very forgiving person but it is one of her charms. Sesshoumaru sighed in his head only the tiniest glimmers of love showing in his eyes. It was nearly dawn when the hanyou finally stirred.

"Ughn," he groaned. Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin at his pained sound. Sesshoumaru let loose a low growl meant to soothe her and started rubbing circles on her back. "Ka-Go-Me," rasped Inuyasha. He would know her presence anywhere even if the rest was a little fuzzy. Slowly his senses came back to him and he recognized Sesshoumaru's presence and it all came crashing down on him. Kagome and Sesshoumaru's curses, Kikyo's betraying him with Naraku, all of it and in that instant he felt his soul shatter. Noticing a change in him Kagome spoke.

"Inuyasha?" Her voice was soft and questioning. She could sense that something was terribly wrong. "Inu…yasha?" She tried again with still no response. She wanted to help him but her mobility was still rather limited. Sensing her distress, Sesshoumaru helped her up. He woke the monk knowing that he'd be the most helpful in the situation.

Miroku helped Inuyasha sit up and gave him a quick check up. "He's fine physically, but I also sense this terribly wrong thing that you speak of Kagome and I am sure Sesshoumaru-sama senses it as well." He looked at the taiyoukai who gave a curt nod.

"Do something," she pleaded. Inuyasha didn't deserve this. No one did. Time after time something bad happened to him and her heart grieved for him. Will he never have a chance to be happy?

Sesshoumaru was as awed by her compassion as his beast was envious. He soothed her as they watched Miroku work. His beast was off in a corner of their mind sulking. Sesshoumaru's more logical half knew that this would not do. Now more than ever they had to be united. For her. Something hit him on the heels of that thought.

We were fated for one another. He could feel the truth of it as it resonated through his entire being; heart, mind, soul, and body. His beast started to calm and was following this train of thought. He remembered Rin's words then. Her true love prince charming… If memory served well (and he Lord Sesshoumaru had excellent memory) in the times he'd heard the story being told he'd noticed that the prince and princess didn't even know each other.

Like Us. Yet the second their lips met they connected. Their souls connected. Sesshoumaru glanced down at the miko in his arms as he felt a feeling of warmth fill him and he they knew. This is love. His old self would have scoffed at such a notion but that youkai was long gone.

Kagome looked at him having felt a major shift in his aura. Their eyes locked and something passed between them. Sesshoumaru could feel the curse entering its last stages even as this warmth spread through him and sighed internally. It's now or never.

"Monk, Kagome and I will be… out," he said as he stood with her in his arms. "I expect a full report when we return." He grabbed her bag and took her to a near by hot springs and sat her down. He started from the beginning even though they'd gotten half through the story earlier. He didn't leave out anything making sure that she had all the information she needed. Once he was done, his heart was racing as he gave her time to process the information.

He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes letting his mask fall so that she could see all of him. The effects brought on by the curse, his fear of rejection, his hope, his love for her, all of it was there in plain sight. "Would you, Kagome Higurashi, become my mate?"

Kagome took a deep breath to steady herself. "You know, when we first met we weren't on very good terms. I mean you tried to kill me for kami's sake." Sesshoumaru felt his heart plummet at those words and the pain doubled. He only had one day left now. "Then the day before this whole mess started Sango and I were in the springs talking and she tried to think of who was the person for me. I rejected every name she called, but it came to your name I just couldn't bring myself to say no. And you wanna know something else?" She didn't even give him the chance to answer. "The whole time I was asleep I was trapped in a nightmare. These shadows kept coming to attack me, but a figure of white light would come to save me and I felt content. Do you know who it was?"

Sesshoumaru was in shock and was afraid to hope. He was speechless and all he could do was look into her eyes seeing the truth of her words. "It was you. I know it was. I trust you, Sesshoumaru, with my life. Yes, I will become your mate." But her words feel on death ears as the curse took its toll.

Sesshoumaru snarled out in pain and tossed her in his pain induced rage. Kagome could look on in horror as the regal lord was reduced to thrashing about in pain. Sesshoumaru heard her words but he was too far gone to give her the reaction he wanted to give. He wanted to tell her to run, afraid that he might harm her in some way while he was in this state, but he couldn't even do that. His beast was rattling in its cage as shadow creatures attacked him as well. They watched on in horror as Kagome moved closer to him trying to find a way to help.

No stay away. They shouted, but it only came out as a guttural snarl. Kagome had tears streaming down her face. She knew that this was the effect of the curse, but for the life of her she was too scared to be able to think straight enough to remember what he'd told the cure was. "Please, don't take him away from me," she sobbed over and over as she racked her brain for the cure.

His arm slashed through the air once she was within touching distance. Pain shot through her as her shredded shirt fell to reveal her body with five lines of blood. Sesshoumaru let out an Earth shattering roar as the pain intensified at the scent of her blood. Kagome looked down at her self and something clicked at the sight of her blood running profusely over her body. She once again approached him, being more cautious this time.

"It's okay Sessho," she whispered. "Everything's gonna be okay." She got close to him and wrapped her arms around him. Even as he continued to thrash about she held on and ended up being thrashed about as well. She started to sing then with the tears running down her face and the bleeding didn't seem to want to stop.

"Not thinkin' bout tomorrow
Couldn't catch it if I tried
World is spinning too fast
So I'll wait 'til it comes to me

I am you
You are me
We are one
Take me in your arms
And flow through me
I'll flow through you." She sang her heart out as he thrashed about. Please, help me help him. I can't lose him.

"Steal my breath away
Cause I'm so moved by you
Deeper than I ever thought
Was possible, was possible, it's everything, oh

Difference between me and you
It's all in where your heart lies
And every day's another chance
So let's get it right" The song was filling his entire being and he knew without a doubt that they could make it through this. Though his spirit knew this his mind and body still only recognized the searing pain.

"I am you
You are me
We are one
Take me in your arms
And flow through me
I'll flow through you" She brought his thrashing head to hers and kissed him. "Trust me Sesshoumaru," she said never losing the melody of the song.

"Did you lose yourself out there
Did you lose faith and give up
Don't turn away and hide yourself

Cause there's a friend to make along the way
We are the heartbeat and our souls speak
And all the beauty I have ever dreamed
Is right here in front of me, oh" She dipped a finger in the rivulets of her blood and brought it to his lips. He latched on to it and sucked like a new born babe. Slowly she brought him to the wounds and praiyed that this would work. As he licked the wounds drinking his fill of her blood the pain lessened until it was almost none existent but he felt exhausted and drained of all energy.

"Is right here in front of me, oh
I am you
And you are me
We are one
Take me in your arms
And flow through me
I'll flow through you," Kagome ended her song and laid his head on her lap. The loss of blood and emotional roller coast made it so that she too was in a weakened state. Just before she slipped into unconsciousness she saw Sango's shocked face as she appeared in the clearing.