Disclaimer: Characters of Inuyasha Belong to the talented Rumiko Takahashi so don't waste your time and money trying to sue me.-;

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I've been putting in a lot of work on Ch.2 and I managed to finish today. I must say I'm rather disappointed in the number of reviewers I've gotten so far T_T I can only make the story better if you guys review and give me your opinions and comments. So if you want the story to run smoothly and the next chapter to be up soon please read and review! Anyway here's Ch.2, enjoy^^

Undead Hearts Cannot Be Broken

By: Ryuu Girl

*~*~*Ch.2 Burning Determination*~*~*

Sesshoumaru was deeply engrossed in his reading until he smelled Jaken approaching his library, no doubt coming to bother him. The disgusting smell of old socks and pond scum made Sesshoumaru want to gag as his servant approached. He growled under his breath in annoyance. The toad would not get the hint that he wanted no interruptions. Jaken knocked once then cautiously stepped inside, trying not to wince at his master's cold stare.

"Mi'lord, Yogarasu is back from his travels with supposed important news about a traveling miko heading this way."

"I, Sesshoumaru, was disturbed over a trivial report of a foolish traveler? I thought I had made it clear I wanted no interruptions today." He said calmly, his words laced with an icy tone.

He stood up and grabbed the foolish toad by his throat, lifting him to where he looked straight into the demon lord's golden eyes. Sesshoumaru felt his blood begin to heat, anticipating the thrill of ending the weaker youkai's life. In his mind he yearned to feel the powerful life giving blood slowly seep away from his victim's throat and stain his razor claws red. He fought the urge to crush the unfortunate youkai's throat and end his annoyance. Alas, loyal servants were hard to come by these days and he did not one the rancid smell of the toad's blood staining the room. He struggled to bring his instincts under control, carefully readjusting the emotionless expression he always wore. Jaken began to turn red as he stuttered out.

"B-But Sesshoumaru-sama, this is no ordinary miko. The crow says the wench has been sucking the souls from everything that crosses her path and smells of death."

Silently Sesshoumaru let this piece of information sink in. The only thing keeping silence at bay was the strangled croaking noises Jaken was emitting as he turned from red to blue. Finally remembering his victim, he carelessly tossed Jaken out the door and said.

"Tell Yogarasu to feed and rest up. When he is done then send him to my study to speak with me. I wish to hear this personally."

Without another word Seshoumaru left the library and walked away.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was the morning after the Inu tachi's snowball fight and already a heated argument had started between the two leaders of the group. Miroku, Sango, and Shippou sat by the campfire silently listening to the angry exchange of words and eating breakfast. By now this was a casual routine and they all learned to stay out of it unless it got ugly.

"Sit!"

"Damnit bitch what was that for!?!"

"Because you need some sense knocked into you! I told you last week I needed to go home for a while. My family is going out of town for two weeks and I need to watch the shrine for them."

"Two weeks! Naraku will be running the feudal ages by the time you return. Besides, you can't just back out of your responsibility whenever you feel like it. This whole thing was started because of your carelessness!"

Kagome jerked back suddenly, the words seemed to lash out and slap her viciously across the face. The truth began to slowly burn its way into her like a slow corrosive acid. A sickening realization dawned on her. It truly was her fault, the enormous amount of peoples being slaughtered, the pain of Sango and Shippou losing their families, the total chaos she released upon the already wild feudal ages.

'Dear kami, I never realized the amount of destruction I alone caused. If the jewel hadn't been shattered everyone wouldn't have to endure so much suffering. It's my fault, all because of me!' Kagome thought as she squeezed her eyes shut in anguish.

She felt a black wave of shame laced with guilt engulf her like a roaring tidal wave and then recede to return to the tossing oceans of her soul. As the feeling ebbed away it felt like it was slowly destroying pieces of kagome's heart in its wake.

'It's true. I am responsible for the collection of the shards. Not Sango, Miroku, Shippou, or even Inuyasha. It's my burden to bear and my battle to win. I can't continue to just stay on the sidelines and be Inuyasha's little shard detector. I need to become strong enough to be able to fight for my friends and myself. I need to rely upon my own powers this time.'

Inuyasha saw her close her eyes in guilt and gave a satisfied smirk.

'So the wench is finally realizing the importance of our mission huh? It's about time that fool put her own petty life aside for the jewel.' He thought smugly, oblivious to the true torment Kagome was going through.

Kagome felt a new feeling of determination rise within her, giving her the burning urge to move on and the strength to open her eyes. She felt an unimaginable power begin to well up inside her. It was strangely intense, yet soothing. She vaguely remembered this power but, why it has decided to reappear now, Kagome did not know. The only time she felt this strength was when she was facing down Naraku with her bow and purifying arrows.

Suddenly she opened her eyes, and glared at the arrogant hanyou. Her blue grey eyes smoldered in renewed fortitude, wiping Inuyasha's smug expression clean. He had expected her to break down into tears and yell 'sit'. Instead, she was staring him down with an expression that could melt the snow around them and singe his snow white hair.

"I'm leaving now. I will return in THREE weeks." She stated firmly. Her tone seemed to dare him to argue.

Without another word Kagome turned away from Inuyasha and trudged through the snow drifts over to the campfire to inform the rest of the group of her decision. Shippou leaped into her arms and hugged her while Sango and Miroku said goodbye. Slowly she detached the small kitsune from her and disappeared into the forest towards the well.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Inuyasha watched her ride her bike towards the well paralyzed with disbelief. He couldn't understand why she was suddenly so angry. He constantly argued with her and it would always end in a 'sit', but aside from that she never got REALLY mad. Suddenly it dawned on him.

'What the hell! Three weeks? That bitch is not getting away that easily.' He thought in a sudden rage.

He raced away from their campsite in pursuit of Kagome, determined to reach her before she disappeared down the well. He leapt through trees and just as he arrived in the well's clearing, he saw Kagome swing her legs over the edge. They locked eyes for a moment before Kagome turned away and calmly said.

"Sit boy."

Then she leaped into the well and was gone.

Inuyasha struggled beneath the magical weight holding him down and the moment it let up, he jumped into the well after her. To his surprise, nothing happened. He stared up at the familiar clear blue sky of the feudal ages. The well had been sealed and he was unable to reach Kagome's time.

"Shit."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome took a deep breath as she broke eye contact between Inuyasha and herself and leaped into the well. She felt the familiar tingle of magic around her as she was carried home. She landed on the dirty bottom of the well and turned towards the ladder to pull herself out.

'There's no turning back now.' She thought with a hint of sadness.

"I won't return till I'm strong enough to finish what I started."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well, there's Chapter 2 people! I must say I'm rather proud of this chapter. I was at a loss until my muse, ¥Belle¥, finally slapped me with an inspiration. Because I'm fickle I decided to mix up the pairings a little since traditional Inu/Kag seem a little too common for this story. I know the story may seem slow right now but I promise it will be speeding up drastically. It will be slightly different from the original summary but, the basic plot of the story will stay for the most part unaltered and I'm making this more of a bittersweet romance*-* I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always r&r!

Next Chapter Ch.3 Deals with the Dead