Just want to apologize for any mistakes I missed. I edited this chapter, but the words are blurring together. My daughter had been sick, so between no sleep and an E.R. visit, I am drained. Still hope you enjoy the new chapter. I also want to take a moment to let you know of a new fanfiction I have started. It is a Miroku and Kagome Pairing. I wanted to challenge myself by writing something I hadn't done before. The title is Starting Over. So, head on over and check it out.

Chapter 26

Four elders sat across from one another at a round table, sipping a glass of tea that their slave priestess had prepared from them. They said nothing at first, letting the ones below them leave the room. What they were going to discuss wouldn't be for sensitive ears.

When they were finally alone, they set their glasses down, and looked around at one another. They were in this meeting for one reason, and one reason alone. Sesshomaru, the lord of the West. They had given him chance after chance to find a suitable mate and produce an heir. He denied them at every turn, claiming there was no need for an heir to be born. The fool was arrogant.

Sesshomaru may have held his position as lord since he was a child, but they all knew he wasn't invincible. They had given Sesshomaru a year to produce the child of the West, and no progress had been made in that regard. At least not what they considered progress.

Wakanda had told them of the curse to some extent. She didn't tell them that he was in such a vulnerable state, but she did mention that he was would return with a mate worthy of the title Lady. They didn't believe it. Sesshomaru would not allow himself to fall under a spell, and even if he did, Sesshomaru did not love.

The battle-hardened demon was not capable of it.

That left the council with a decision to make. Sesshomaru clearly wasn't going to do as he was told, and now it was time to take matters into their own hands. At the end of the year that had been given, they would have a mate picked out for the lord of the West. If Sesshomaru refused the mate they deemed suitable, he would lose his throne. They had their ways of making any demon bow to their will.

Sesshomaru would do what they wanted, or he would pay the price.

They had their own secret army, one that not even the great Sesshomaru could take on. They knew he would be able to defend himself for a while, taking out a good chunk of their forces, but he would tire eventually. Then he would misstep, and the throne would no longer be his.

The council shared a grin, their eyes meeting. If they were being honest, that was what they secretly wanted. They desired to rule over the West, and then eventually the entire lands of Japan. And they would. But first they had to deal with the obstacles in their way. Sesshomaru, Satori, and the other lords that claim part of the land they wanted.

Sesshomaru wasn't the only one they were targeting. Any who stood in their way would fall to their demise or bow to their knees. The choice was theirs to make. Live or die. The way they saw it, it would be an easy choice.

Dark chuckles left their throats as they selected the perfect female for Sesshomaru. The lord would be sure to turn down the woman, and that was precisely what they wanted. She was a kind woman, a weak demon. The moment Sesshomaru met her, he would kill her.

Once that happened, they would be free to move in.

Free to snatch away Sesshomaru's title and take it for their own.

…

Sesshomaru sat on the bed beside the woman that would soon be his mate. He could smell her tears and knew that she had come to a decision. He didn't like seeing her upset, and he found himself mad at his future self. That thought alone was confusing.

It had been a week since the mall trip, and Kagome had done nothing but withdraw into herself. She didn't cry, and barely spoke. Her mother and brother had noticed the change in her and tried to speak to Kagome, but she refused. The moment she did, her eyes would tear up, and she would run away. She didn't want to cry. Not when she hadn't made a choice.

Kagome shouldn't have to pick between her families, but he couldn't help but be glad of her choice. They would spend eternity together. Eternity. He perked up, running his hands through her hair as he realized the obvious. It should have been so clear to him before, but he had somehow missed it. He blamed it on his human brain.

"Kagome, you promised to spend eternity with me." She stiffened under his hand, and he knew she misunderstood what he was trying to say. She was thinking he was trying to persuade her to his side and that wasn't the case at all. "Think about it, Koneko. I will not let time take you from me. Your choice to stay in the past is the best, not just for the sake of Naraku or myself, but for you as well."

"How? I'll never see mom again, or Gi-Chan or Souta. They will all be gone." She sat up, leaning into his shoulder and he snaked an arm around her waist. She didn't know if she could make this decision. She was giving up half of her life. The life she was born into. Was it fate that she spend the rest of her years in the past, or was she making the wrong choice?

"Listen to my words, Kagome. This Sesshomaru will not let time touch you." He paused, letting his words sink in. When she finally looked up at him with wide eyes, he wiped away her tears and gave a small half smile. "You will be my mate. Your life span will match that of mine. It can be a lonely existence, watching those around us die, but we will share it together. When you go through the well, you will say goodbye to your family, but only for five hundred years."

"If you're here in the future, that means I am too." Excitement started to fill her eyes as she hugged him tightly. "I can wait five hundred years to see them again, Sesshomaru. Especially if we defeat Naraku and make the world safe for it to continue on." She paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. "For them it will only be seconds. I don't see my future self, waiting any longer to see them than she has to."

She stood up suddenly, packing her clothing into her giant yellow bag. "Get your things together. My future self has been waiting five hundred years to see our family again. I'm not going to make her…me wait any longer."

Sesshomaru chuckled as he stood, grabbing her hands and stopping her from packing anymore. He kissed her, pressing his lips against hers in a kiss of passion and longing. "This Sesshomaru appreciates your choice, Koneko."

"Of course, I would choose you, Sesshomaru. You're my future remember." She ran her hands down his arms, warming his skin. For a moment she thought of telling him how much she was growing to love him, but then thought differently. Sesshomaru could never love her. He may care for her, but that was as far as it would go. She was human, and if she was being honest with herself, there was so many women out there that was better suited for him.

She was an untrained priestess from a different world. She held no overwhelming beauty, and did not care riches, she had nothing to offer. Sesshomaru had been teaching her how to battle, but she was no where near mastering any skill. If she were to get stuck in a battle alone, she would die. There was no if, ands, or buts about it.

But she also couldn't deny how hard she had fallen for Sesshomaru. They had been stuck in the future for a few weeks now. She had learned that she had to make a decision a week ago. Sesshomaru had been her rock throughout the entire ordeal. She knew he had worried that she would choose the future, but the truth was, she was always going to choose him. She would be miserable without him.

He may not love her, but she knew he would treat her with the kindness, affection and respect that she had been craving. He had been for some time now. She found it funny how when they came to the future, she was unsure of her feelings, and now she knew without a doubt. She loved Sesshomaru, the killing perfection.

For a split second, Sesshomaru felt a surge of power course through his body. His hearing had increased, along with his smell and sight. But as soon as it showed up, it was gone. Looking at Kagome, he knew she was falling in love with him. The cursing was breaking, and his little power surge proved that. He was winning Kagome's heart. That made him feel more powerful than being the lord of Japan would ever make him feel.

He kissed her once more, running his tongue across her lips. She gave into his demand, parting her lips for him, and the moment he deepened the kiss, her bag fell from her hand with a thud. Heading back to the well was forgotten as he slowly backed her up to her bed. He fell on top of her, and kept her mind solely on him for the rest of the night.

…

Naraku sat up in the tree, looking up to the night sky. He had come to seek out Kagome, but from what he could tell she hadn't been here in weeks. He kept himself hidden, slowly waiting on her arrival, but it never seemed to happen.

She was his biggest threat. She was getting stronger; he could see it. Their last battle hadn't ended the best for him, and he wouldn't take any chances of her defeating him and taking his jewel shards. He wouldn't let her win.

His plan was to catch her alone and end her.

He wanted to cause her pain, to draw out her death, but he wanted to survive as well. Her reiki had grown. Someone was teaching her, though he had no idea who. Even his spies could not see anyone training her. Her friends obviously didn't care about her safety because they didn't take the time to teach her the skills of survival, but someone was.

His attack would have to be quick and precise. The kill would need to be instantaneous. If he hesitated for one second, she could turn his attack on him with one of her arrows. He wasn't sure he would survive the next one. So, as much as he hated it, he wouldn't be able to draw out her death like he wanted.

His survival was more important at the moment.

So, he settled down into the tree, waiting for any sign that the miko had returned. The moment she did, her life would be over. Then he would be free to wreck havoc on the lands that he would claim as his own. With Kagome out of the way, he would rule over everything and everyone.