Hi everyone! Yay- a new chapter! I'm dedicating this one to two of my biggest supporters: thetwizzler1322, who lit that damn fire under my ass and got me to push this thing out (thank you for that XP), and Purple-Partying-Nina1236, who was sweet enough to take time out of her day to read every chapter! You guys are the best! (And I apologize for all of my pestering- you are angels for putting up with me)

!IMPORTANT! - PLEASE check out my poll! I NEED help! And tell me what you think of my OCs! I want to know how I'm doing with them.

Here we go!

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. The characters and story are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I do own this storyline and any original characters that will appear: Dokubutsu, Kimae, Sei, Uchi, Stardust, Lightning, and more (hint hint)

Chapter 21: Solution

"I can't be your mate!"

"You…you don't want to be my mate?" he choked.

Kagome looked up at him, her cheeks stained from her tears, and shook her head, "That's not it, Kouga. I love you so much. I want to be your mate, I really do. But I just…can't."

Kouga's brows knitted together in confusion, "I don't understand. If you do want to be my mate, then why…?"

Another tear slid down her smooth, porcelain face, "Because you're a demon, Kouga, and I'm only human. It just…it wouldn't work."

"Kagome, I don't care. I love you! I want to spend the rest of my life with you-"

"But that's just it Kouga! I'm only human. Demons can live for what, hundreds, possibly thousands of years? I'll only live for 90 years, one hundred if I'm lucky. When I die, I don't want you to spend your life alone! I can't! I just can't do that to you!"

The wolf prince was speechless. He just held her close as she sobbed into his shoulder, before finally crying herself to sleep.

Kouga lay awake in his bed, his miko cuddled up against his side. Her eyes were still rimmed with red and a bit puffy. One of her arms was wrapped tightly around his bare torso.

'There has to be a way for us to be together. I've worked too hard for this to just give up now!'

By the early morning, Kouga had fallen into a dreamless sleep. He was suddenly jolted awake by a long lost memory.

Perhaps there was a way to save their relationship.

A few hours later, while the sun was still low in the sky, Kouga slowly and quietly slid out of Kagome's embrace to be sure not to wake her. He washed quickly and headed to the mouth of the cave, grabbing his two lieutenants along the way.

"Ginta, Hakkaku. I need you to find the flea demon called Myouga. I need to talk to him soon. You guys have to hurry."

"Alright, Kouga." they replied in unison.

"But, um, Kouga? How are we supposed to find him?" Hakkaku pointed out.

"Check with dog tur- I mean, InuYasha. He should know. Got it?"

"Sure thing!"

"We're on it!"

And they were gone.

"So, what was that all about?" a bell-like voice chimed from behind him.

He turned around to find Kagome standing a few feet away with a small smile on her face.

"Oh, you're awake," He strode forward and clasped his strong hands around her petite, "How are you feeling?" He mentally kicked himself when the smile vanished and was replaced by a grimace.

"Better," she replied, her voice soft and distant, "it still hurts. But I'm glad I told you. It's good to get it off of my chest."

Kouga wrapped his arms around Kagome and pulled her close so that her hands were pressed against his toned chest, "I wish you had told me sooner. You don't know how much it pained me to see you upset like that."

"I'm sorry, Kouga. I just didn't know how to tell you. What are we going to do?"

The wolf demon sighed, but didn't answer. He did have an idea, but he didn't want to get her hopes up.

Around midday, Kouga was back on his cliff, very deep in thought. Kimae had stolen Kagome away hours ago, wanting to get to know the miko better. The wolf prince was determined to find a way to keep Kagome with him and make her happy.

"Kouga!"

His head snapped up and he saw his two lieutenants running up the rocky path towards him.

"You wished to speak with me, your highness?" Myouga's nasally voice asked.

"Yes. I've been told that you are very well informed when it comes to myths and legends. I heard a story when I was younger about a human sorceress who fell in love with a powerful demon…

Shortly after they mated, the woman was attacked. As she was wandering through the woods, gathering herbs for her next potion, she was ambushed by a small group of highwaymen. She was beaten so badly that by the time her husband found her, she was on the brink of death. He raced her back to the hut they shared and set her down gently on a pallet. He then tore the house apart, grabbing bottle after bottle. He searched the entire hut for a potion that would save her.

After practically demolishing the hut, he finally found a small vial filled with a strange blue liquid. The demon had watched his mate work enough times to know that this was the elixir that would save her life.

He quickly measured and poured half of the vial's contents into a small sake bowl. 'Too little of the potion will cause the body to freeze from the inside out. Too much will cause the body to overheat and the person will die from the high fever. Just in the middle is just enough.'

Unbeknownst to him, a shard of broken glass had left a small gash in his palm. A few drops of blood had accidentally been mixed into the potion just as the last of it flowed past her lips.

Her breathing became ragged and uneven. She began flashing around violently as she whimpered in pain. He tried soothing her, but her breathing just became more and more shallow. Her soft whimpers quickly turned into high-pitched shrieks of agony and she was covered in a light sheet of cold sweat. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, only to pull away from her burning skin. He quickly found a cloth and filled a bowl with ice cold water before rushing back to her side. He gently pulled her head into his lap.

She thrashed around relentlessly for a few minutes before growing stiff as a board, her screams never waning. He gently brushed her hair out of her eyes and felt her entire form shaking. Her flesh had practically turned to ice. Laying her back down on the futon, he gathered as many blankets as he could find and wrapped them around her snugly from the chin down. Not once did he leave her alone, even when it got to the point where her shrieks nearly caused her ears to bleed.

After a few hours, she started burning up again. Her screams were replaced with horrid, agonizing moans that tore at her mate's heart. He quickly threw the covers off of her, grabbed a cold, damp cloth, and began dabbing at her forehead and cheeks to cool her down.

This went on for what seemed like an eternity. Periodically, her body temperature would drop or rise dramatically, her screams and moans alternating with it.

After five torturous days and nights, the hut went quiet. Her heart sped up to the point where it sounded like it would explode from her chest before it came to an abrupt halt. The demon grabbed her slightly warm hand and gripped it tightly. He shook his head in disbelief as the hot tears slid down his cheeks. His head dropped as he lifted her limp hand to his lips.

So caught up in his grief, he failed to notice her faint heartbeat getting stronger with each passing second. Her eyes fluttered open and she called his name softly. His eyes snapped to her pale face and she gave him a weak smile. Her grinned in return.

Gently, he pulled her into his lap. His eyes raked over her body and was shocked by her new appearance.

Her eyes were no longer the brilliant blue that he had fallen in love with. They were a bright lavender that he found even more lovely. Her figure was more defined and filled out' Her short, blonde hair had grown past her shoulders and was a sparkling silver.

Her face flushed bright red and looked away as he appraised her new body. Her husband chuckled and took her chin in his hand, forcing her eyes to meet his. He captured her lips in a sweet, passionate kiss.

"And to this day, the sorceress and her demon mate live their lives in isolation, away from the world and all of its evils."

Myouga sighed, "Ah, the myth of Rei-Teki. She'll be pleased to know that her story has traveled this far."

Kouga's eyes widened. "You mean it's true? It isn't just some child's fairytale?"

"Indeed, Mi-lord."

"I need you to tell me where to find her!"

"I don't think that is a wise decision," but with one look at Kouga, he conceded, "Very well. The sorceress, Rei-Teki, resides in a small cottage in the Southern Forest. The clearing is on the border that separates the Eastern Lands from the Southern Lands. But I must warn you, Lord Kouga, be very cautious. Not only is the sorceress a formidable opponent, but she has more power in one potion than Naraku could ever dream of possessing."

With that, the old flea demon bounded off, no doubt trying to flee the scene before Kouga could assign him the job as his guide.

"Hm. Kagome was right."

"About what, Kouga?"

"That guy really is a coward."

"Kouga, do you really have to go?" Kagome asked, giving the wolf prince a pout that he found simply adorable.

"I'm sorry, love, but this is something I need to do. Don't worry, I'll only be gone for a few days, I promise. You won't even know I'm gone."

"I highly doubt that."

"Sweetheart, when you've known Kimae for as long as I have…well, let's just say you won't have time to miss me." he grinned. He was rewarded by one of her genuine, bell-like laughs.

Giving her one last sweet kiss, he set out on a journey that would change his life.

Whether it would be for better or worse, he didn't know.

What did you think? Was that a bad ending? I don't think it was a cliffy, but what do I know? Lol.

Don't forget to check my poll please…you're results will affect the rest of this story.

Later! ;)

*SB*