Disclaimer - I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters. But, I can wish, right?



Author's Notes - Here it is, another chapter for all my adoring (and slightly rabid) fans : ) Giving the gang a rest a little bit from the roller coaster ride . . . time to deal with the emotional stuff rather than the physical for a little bit, thus another slightly angsty chapter. Of course, I've chosen a different target for the next two chapters . . . not settling so much on Inu and Kagome, but on the others now. So, enjoy, review, and tell me what you think.

Oh, and for those of you who wondered where I came up with the mating ritual . . . my own little head. I have a slight . . . umm . . . 'infatuation' I guess you could call it - with vampires. The blood, to me, is the ultimate symbol of life . . . and it seemed appropriate that for a race as blood thirsty and vicious as youkai are, a tie that would bond them together would involve an exchange of that vital fluid. *shrug* Just my two scents, but there's how I came up with the mating ritual. As for the words . . . don't know where they came from, they just popped up. Then again, I wrote the wedding vows my husband and I exchanged, so it could have come from there too. At any rate, I'm glad so many of you enjoyed it.

And now, on with the story.





Chapter 15 - The Healing of a Heart



Several days later, Kagome and InuYasha returned through the well from Kagome's time after a visit to her family. InuYasha leapt out of the well, Kagome's pack over his shoulder. Kagome climbed over the edge moments later, and promptly stumbled over something. Glancing down, she gasped in horror.

"InuYasha!" she cried, as she knelt next to the prone figure. InuYasha turned towards her from where he had landed, and his own eyes widened at the sight. Kagome had tripped over the prone form of his half-brother. She currently knelt by his head, brushing the silver hair back to get a look at his face.

"He's unconscious," she told him as he walked up to her. "It looks like he took quite a beating."

"Feh," InuYasha snorted, staring down at the prone form. He could smell a lot of blood . . . which wasn't a good sign. There was another scent there too . . . one mixed in with the blood that he didn't recognize. Sighing, he handed Kagome her pack and picked up the unmoving youkai lord, slinging him carefully over his shoulder. Kagome could only smile gently at his back as she slung her pack over her shoulder and followed him towards the village. It seemed everyone had done a lot of growing up lately.

She could only grin widely at that thought. She and InuYasha had finally cleared everything up between them, Sango and Miroku were finally starting to admit their feelings for each other, Kouga finally understood that Kagome was not going to be his . . . and now InuYasha and his enigmatic half-brother seemed to be getting along a bit better. Amazing how much good a truly horrible group of events could do.



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Sesshoumaru groaned, opening his eyes slowly as the pain in his limbs receded to allow him clear thought. He stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling in confusion . . . where in the seven hells was he? Movement off to his right attracted his attention, and he turned golden eyes to regard the source warily. He was hard pressed not to jump to his feet in shock.

Kagome was slowly moving about the hut, cleaning up medical supplies that lay scattered about the hut. She glanced over at her patient after a moment, and gasped when her blue eyes met with his now open ones.

"Oh . . . you're awake," she murmured. Placing the stuff she held in her hands down carefully, she walked over to him softly to sit near the futon he rested on. "How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?" he asked, ignoring her question. Kagome sighed. He was just like his brother sometimes.

"In the village . . . in our hut, to be exact. We found you by the well almost a full day ago, unconscious." She shifted slightly. "Mind telling me what happened? And where Rin and that toad servant of yours might be?" Sesshoumaru turned his eyes back to the ceiling in silent contemplation. He was slightly confused, a feeling he did not welcome. Why had they brought him here? They couldn't possibly care whether or not he died . . . after all, he was a youkai lord, and had been their enemy up until recently. So, why had they cared for him? An annoyed growl from Kagome had him looking back at her.

"Are you going to answer me, or am I going to have to have InuYasha try to beat it out of you? Fair enough, it wouldn't be much of a fight in your current condition, but I hate being ignored." Sesshoumaru sighed before answering.

"There was a youkai . . . after Rin. I believe it was sent by Naraku. In any case, it is dead now. Rin should still be with Jakken in the cave we've been living in for the last month."

"Oh. Well, mind giving me directions so InuYasha can go retrieve them? You aren't going to be going anywhere anytime soon." Sesshoumaru growled softly and began to attempt to get up, only to find a firm hand placed on his chest . . . a chest that he only now noticed was missing his armor and kimono. The only thing currently adorning his skin was a wide bandage. He was surprised to find that the hand restraining him apparently was working, because he couldn't move. "You really are as stubborn as your brother. I said you're not going anywhere anytime soon, and you're not. Whatever poison was in those wounds will take time, and it's slowed your healing process' to a human rate. You're going to be in bed for a few days yet, so you might as well stop the stubborn all powerful youkai lord act and let us help you."

Sesshoumaru finally lay back, admitting to himself at least that the young miko was right. He did not feel up to anything at this point . . . a feeling he did not appreciate in the slightest. He was the Lord of the Western Lands, for gods sake! Since when was he at the mercy of a human!? Of course, considering who the specific human was currently, he couldn't really say he was surprised. The girl's powers were maturing rapidly . . . she would be a very powerful miko eventually, if she wasn't already. Sighing, he decided that he had best answer her. At least Rin would be safe in the village.

"About a day's travel to the west is where the cave is," he finally replied. "She and Jakken should be there." Kagome nodded and stood, stepping out the door for a moment before returning.

"InuYasha is on his way to get them. Now . . . why, of all places, were you at the well?"

"To be honest, I have no memory of it. I remember the fight, and my wish to return to the cave. After that, everything is a blur." Kagome nodded thoughtfully at his reply.

"Hmm . . . it seems the poison was working fast then. It's a good thing we found you when we did . . . you could be dead by now otherwise." As much as he hated to admit it, the young miko was right. He could feel the weakness in his limbs, and knew instinctively that he had barely been alive when they had found him. He owed them his life . . . it was a rather uncomfortable feeling. Kagome began cleaning again, aware of thoughtful golden eyes following her movement.

Sesshoumaru watched her absently, his mind turning over current events in his head. He'd had very little time to himself for thought lately . . . meaning he still did not understand why he felt prone to suddenly helping this young miko and his annoying half-brother. He was forced to admit, finally, that the girl intrigued him immensely . . . and that his feelings towards his brother were changing as well.

"Girl," he said finally, to attract her attention. In reply, she turned towards him and put her hands on her hips in a decidedly annoyed manner.

"My name is Kagome. Gods, why is it that you males seem to have such difficulty remembering my name? Miroku seems to be the only one who can remember . . . it must be all that youkai blood."

"Kagome then . . . why did you assist me?" Kagome sighed and sat down beside him on the futon, her eyes examining the wall across from her.

"Well . . . we owe you, first of all. For your help against Naraku . . .rescuing me and helping me get InuYasha back from his demon side. That, and your help with the mating ritual. Neither of us knew about it. You've . . . well, maybe you haven't changed, but I'd like to think you have. Maybe it's because I just can't understand your relationship with InuYasha . . . but you seem to be different now. And we're allies now, if not friends. We'll need you by our side when we go to fight Naraku. Besides . . . you were hurt badly. I couldn't just leave you there." Sesshoumaru could only stare at her, struggling within himself. She truly was a beautiful creature, both physically and spiritually . . . InuYasha was lucky to have her. If things could have been different . . .

Kagome nearly jumped in shock when she felt a clawed hand delicately trace down her face before it came to rest on her shoulder. She turned to look at the youkai lord, her blue eyes locking with his own golden ones in confusion.

"Sesshoumaru?" she whispered. He sat up slowly, never removing his hand with it's delicate stripes around his wrists. Giving in to an impulse that he was somehow helpless to shrug off, he brought her closer to him, claiming her lips in a gentle, chaste kiss. It broke just as suddenly as it had started, and he sat, staring at her, as she got herself back under control. She touched her lips absently before raising questioning blue eyes to his own. He couldn't answer the questions that shone there . . . he couldn't even answer his own.

"Thank you . . ." he whispered finally. "For showing me . . . a different way of life." He lay back slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. She smiled gently, an expression that warmed his heart in a way that he had not felt in a long time.

"Don't mention it," she murmured. "After all, you're family to me now. If you truly want to thank me . . . try to repair the relationship you could have with InuYasha. I still don't understand . . . why the two of you hate each other so." He could hear the unasked question in her voice. Sighing, he decided perhaps it was time to tell someone the evil's he had harbored in his mind and heart for so long.

"Our father . . . was a great inu-youkai. He was very powerful . . . a great lord of the Western Lands. My mother . . . was simply one out of hundreds of youkai that sought his attention and power. She left not long after I was born. Youkai females are not terribly faithful, and she was never claimed as mate to our father. She moved on - leaving me behind. It was several years after that when InuYasha's mother caught our father's eye. She was very kind to me . . . she treated me as a son, something I had never experienced. But then, she had InuYasha. Suddenly, her attention, and my father's, was turned towards this new addition in the family. I was jealous . . . and in my rage, I tried to kill the babe." Kagome gasped at this, her blue eyes wide in horror. Sesshoumaru continued softly.

"Our father . . . banished me into the care of the servants after that. The servants could only whisper about the human and the hanyou tainting our bloodline . . . and I came to blame them for my exile. I slowly began to believe the things the servants said. Then, our father died, defending her. My rage and hatred grew . . . I blamed them for his death. I was . . . seventeen at the time. As the new lord, I banished them from the castle, wishing never to see them again. After that, I never thought of them again. It wasn't until many years later that I learned my half-brother was still alive and seeking the Shikon No Tama." He sighed before turning to face her again. "I am sure . . . that InuYasha blames me for his mother's death. And in a way, he is right. Indirectly, by denying her the protection of the castle, I was the cause for it."

Kagome startled him by reaching out to gently trace the stripes on his face with one delicate fingertip. He stared up at her, his eyes wide in surprise as her own flooded with unshed tears.

"So many misunderstandings . . ." she murmured. "I think . . . that the two of you really need to talk. It's the only way . . . that any of this will get cleared up. And it needs to get done . . . before we face Naraku. The two of you will have to trust each other . . . and the rest of us . . . if we're going to have any chance at beating him." Silently, she stood, moving away from the bed quietly. Stepping to the door, she turned to look at him. "Rest now . . . I'll send Inu in when he gets back. Oh . . . and Sesshoumaru? I don't blame you . . . at so young an age it is hard to understand when you suddenly find yourself no longer the sole gem in your parent's eyes. I know . . . I went through something much like it when my brother was born."

Sesshoumaru could only stare after her as she disappeared out the door. She understood how he had felt? That human girl . . . who was so full of life and light, could harbor such darkness? He continued to ponder that thought for many hours afterwards, his golden eyes locked on the ceiling above.



To Be Continued



AN : Ah yes, another angsty, no action, all emotion chapter. Don't worry, there will be more action coming soon . . . there are still quite a few loose ends to tie up before I can say 'finis'. So, plenty more reading to come. Hope you all enjoyed, and please, don't forget to review. I love reading them, and I've actually gotten quite a few ideas from them. Adds more fuel to my writing fire.

Hehe . . . I just had to torture Sess some more . . .*giggles insanely*