Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor the manga, nor the anime

Chapter 16: Change of Destiny

"HANDS OFFA HER JACKASS!!!" Inuyasha screamed as he tore at the air with his sword, the Testusaiga.

Sesshomaru deftly evaded his attack and turned towards his brother. His eyes narrowed coldly at his uncouth and extremely rude interruption. Inuyasha's amber eyes glowed with determination. He was about to attack when suddenly, a loud command made Inuyasha fall deeply underground.

"SIT!!!" Kagome yelled as she made her way between the inu-brothers. She was very confused. This situation has gone completely out of hand.

'Way to go, Kagome... Stir the anger of their lifelong hatred for each other...' she scolded herself as her face frowned in sadness.

"Sesshomaru, I need to have a private talk with Inuyasha... Will you please leave us for a minute or two?" she asked quietly.

Sesshomaru really didn't have a choice. Firstly, he was in his demon nature, making himself more vulnerable to the effects of the mating mark, and secondly, the burning pain he fought against was very hard to suppress. With a low, guttural growl, he turned away and went to check on his dragon, Ah-Un, who sat on a corner, somewhat wounded.

Inuyasha was barely off the ground when he heard her command his brother away. He still could not figure out what was making Sesshomaru agree to every bidding.

He needed to know what it was that kept the demon Lord that way, and somehow made Kagome drift away from him and opening her heart to Sesshomaru.

"Why are you here, Inuyasha? Why aren't you with Kikyo?" Kagome asked as she turned towards him, her sapphire eyes burning into his.

"I... thought... you'd still want us to be together..." Inuyasha blurted out.

"I did... for a certain time... but you've already chosen... Kikyo is the one who belongs with you... not I... and ever since we've met you saw only her when you looked at me with love..." Kagome answered.

"Why can't I have all that I want? Why do I have to sacrifice one or the other? You know that you still love me... Tell me that you do not want me!!!!" Inuyasha countered.

"I do love you... as a friend... but now my heart belongs to another," Kagome said as she looked towards the taiyoukai healing the dragon with Tenseiga and smiled softly at him, "I will hunt shards with you and annihilate Naraku-"

A sarcastic laugh startled out of her daze.

"Even after all this time you have rocks in your head...As for Naraku...we'll storm to his castle in a few days time... as for my brother " Inuyasha laughed to himself, "He hates humans... he hates me... so much that he'd kill me... He doesn't love YOU he only wants what his body craves... look at him."

When Kagome didn't look, Inuyasha, gently but sternly, turned her face towards Sesshomaru, who stared back indifferently. Inuyasha pointed a finger at him, which Sesshomaru brushed off with a sadistic scoff. Strangely enough, Sesshomaru managed to control his youkai urges and spoke calmly at his half-brother.

"Dear brother... it is you that is wrong..." Sesshomaru replied, "Kagome, tell me what do you see behind this face? Is that not what you want to prove, brother? If I regard any feelings for the miko?"

Kagome looked into Sesshomaru's golden eyes, which twinkled with want and desire. 'But desire for what? My body or my love?'. She looked down as her thoughts came rushing in her mind.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha noticed something in Sesshomaru. Something was completely different in him. Why did he not notice before? He faced Sesshomaru closely with a glinter in his eyes.

"Tell me, Sesshomaru, why do you smell like her?" Inuyasha asked as he pushed his palms in anger to Sesshomaru's chest, sending the taiyoukai a few steps away, "Why aren't you hitting me right now? What have you done to her?"

"I shall not answer such questions... I thought that even a hannyou like you might've noticed it, only you didn't want to" Sesshomaru replied coldly.

"I bit him... Inuyasha... he belongs to me... At first, I couldn't bear it, because of personal reasons, but now I've become fond of him... I came to know him even more and... " Kagome whispered quietly, "...and I love him."

'What? Do I really love him? But... the words came out so naturally!!! So naturally that I felt like I didn't have any inhibitions at all... then it's true... I really love him... he makes me feel safe, he has protected me and I yearn to protect him as well... and I want to know him... and search his soul and mend his wounds from whatever past he's had... and I love the person he has become over the time... I've fallen in love with him...' she thought in realization.

"Kagome... Do you speak falsely... or are they words of promise?" Sesshomaru asked her. 'Did I hear her correctly? Does she really love me genuinely?' he asked himself while he rejoiced the possibility that she may accept his subsequent proposition freely.

"My feelings for you are genuine... but I only hope if you love me the same way as well... not only to quench your primal need" she said as she looked down sheepishly.

A slender hand rose to her cheek, lifting her beautiful face to the one who has captured her heart.

"It was never my intention to take you forcefully... other than my demon nature taking over me... Before this bite, I was the nonchalant Taiyoukai of the West, the Lord who had it all. But now, after the bite and partaking your company, I am merely Sesshomaru, a mere youkai who desires only one thing, and willing to go through the seven hells to obtain it... and that is you, your heart, body, and soul" he whispered softly to her ear as he held her.

Inuyasha didn't know how to react in that moment. All he saw was red for the moment. His arms shook with anger, sadness, and betrayal.

'HOW DARE HE... FOR STEALING MY WOMAN... HOW DARE SHE... FOR CHOOSING MY BASTARD BROTHER OVER ME...' he thought as tears of rage trickled on his cheeks.

"SESSHOMARU!!!!!!!!!!" Inuyasha yelled at them as the lovers turned towards him.

Kagome trembled in fear as Sesshomaru shoved her behind him as he faced his brother stoically.

"SIT!!!!!!!!!" Kagome yelled at the hannyou.

But something was not quite right. Inuyasha was resisting to the 'sit' command. When Inuyasha eyes met Kagome's, they glowed red with rapture. Crimson marks grew on his cheeks and his fangs and claws elongated in length.

"Heheheh..." the hannyou snickered, "I will make you mine, Kagome!! Even if it is by force."

"I won't let you land a claw on her, half-breed..." Sesshomaru said stoically. He needed to avert the brute's attention to him rather than to the miko.

Inuyasha growled deeply.

"What is wrong? You normally jump at me with your little claws at me... like you did last time when I fought you as a demon" Sesshomaru added.

Inuyasha leapt into the air and flexed his claws in preparation for his attack.

Sesshomaru took Toukijin off its sheath and slashed rays at the hannyou. Incredibly, Inuyasha evaded each one of the rays and pounced on Sesshomaru. Kagome yelled as the brothers continued fighting. She felt so helpless. She didn't want either of them to be hurt.

"Inuyasha... Sesshomaru... please stop!!!" Kagome begged, "Let us kill Naraku... this is no time for petty games."

The two inu-brothers landed on the ground. Inuyasha's eyes returned to normal and dropped his guard.

"This is NOT over, Sesshomaru... You WILL bring her in three days time to Kaede's, she knows the way. After Naraku is dead...we will decide who takes her" Inuyasha said.

Sesshomaru remained quiet as Inuyasha neared Kagome. He was about to push him away when Kagome signaled him to stay where he was. Kagome awaited nervously at the nearing hannyou. 'Something is up...'.

"Kagome, I'm sorry for the way I acted... please hold me one last time... for old time's sake" Inuyasha said quietly as his amber eyes' were welling with tears.

"Do not trust him, Kagome" Sesshomaru warned.

"It's okay, Sesshomaru," Kagome said as she wrapped her arms around him. She looked apologetically at the Taiyoukai who stared in anger with his hands balled at his sides.

"Forgive me, Kagome..." Inuyasha whispered.

Before Kagome could ask the reason why, she felt a searing pain at the side of her neck. She yelled in agony as she pushed Inuyasha away. She instinctively raised her hand to her neck and felt something wet. 'No...'

"I love you, Kagome... and I would go to any lengths to have you..." Inuyasha said when he turned to Sesshomaru, "This should keep you from taking her from me, that is, also, if you care for your own well-being."

Sesshomaru remained still. His stoic mask was giving way to saddened eyes and welled tears of anger, hatred, and suffering.

Inuyasha neared to a traumatized Kagome and traced his hand over her cheek.

"Now Kagome... See if he goes near you at all..." Inuyasha snickered as he leapt into the night, "I'll still wait for you to come back after he dispatches you away".

Kagome stepped away fearing for the worst. 'I can't look at him... He can't be... Why does it have to happen just when I realized that I love him?' she thought when she summoned all of her courage to look upon the taiyoukai.

"Sess...Sesshomaru? I'm sorry... I'M SO SORRY!!!" she whispered.

She was met by silence. She saw Sesshomaru with his head bowed down, covering his face with his silver bangs. He didn't speak, nor reacted.

"Please... say something..." Kagome said

Her sapphire eyes filled with tears. Just at that moment, her heart broke into countless pieces. She didn't think... she didn't breathe... only the echo of his cold demeanor resounded in her mind. She turned away from him and fell to her knees. Her raven hair fell on her face shielding the tears streaming down her face. Only the drops were visible as they fell on the ground. Her shoulders shook from her vain internal struggle to restrain herself from crying.

'It is all over... There is no hope for me...' Kagome thought.

A/N:

Inuyasha: Why do I think that I just acted like a jackass at the end of the chapter?

SunMoon1285: Because you did... (rolls eyes)

Inuyasha: There goes my fan-club... Sayonara loving fans... (Sesshomaru slaps him in the face)

Sesshomaru: Get over it...

SunMoon1285: Don't be silly... I just want to make the story interesting

Sesshomaru: Will you compensate my suffering with a kiss?

SunMoon1285: Sure... um... close your eyes (Sesshomaru closes his eyes and SunMoon1285 grabs her Chihuahua and places her snout on his lips)

Sesshomaru: Oh... your breath stinks but I don't care... (opens eyes and falls back from shock and embarrassment)

SunMoon1285: Sayonara readers!!!