hey everyone i'm finally back again. i know i'm sorry about all of this not updating since october and all but this chapter just didn't want to finish itself on it's own. and then i got obsessed with sess/kag fics and couldn't finish it and then nar/kag fics...dont ask... and then there was finals and family trips and grandma's house and argh... i finally get some school free time and that was how i spent it!!! oh well here it is.

some parts i do like better than others and all over my final climax scene was no where near as good as some other parts but i may revise it and or add a few more chapters. feel free to complain, i might not take it to heart.

Chapter 19

Seconds passed like hours as the cool breeze swept over the group.

Sesshomaru still stood there, almost waiting for a sign from kagome. He knew that she had to be the one to realize the easiest solution, if she didn't then she did not deserve to live through the pain.

The human miko had to learn to use her head even through the most difficult of times, or she didn't merit being singled out as she was. And so he stood there, waiting, waiting and watching as the unseeing girl leaned over her fallen protector.

If she waited much longer the jewel would revive the hanyou and she probably would be dead by then. Already the arrow was moving its way out of the gut where it was stuck.

With a sigh kagome stared at the fiery red eyes that consumed her beloved's face in a mask of hatred and contempt. She slowly grazed her hand over inuyasha's chest and up towards the glowing spot where the jewel rested.

As her palm reached over the jewel it came up through the folds of skin towards her hand and was purified the instant she grabbed it from its bloody nest.

Again she sighed as she turned to put the translucent sphere inside her pocket. When she turned back the eyes had reverted back to their normal golden, though they glowed with life no longer.

The face too had reverted back to a peaceful state.

With tired eyes kagome almost swore that she saw him grin slightly, but when she blinked and started it was not there.

She sat trying to memorize those golden orbs, but it was useless, for she had memorized them long ago.

And as the beginning of the long delayed tears sprang to her eyes, kagome reached up with a shaking hand and closed his striking eyes for the final time. She allowed one tear to fall onto his face. It landed obtrusively on his eye lid and ran down towards his hair before it disappeared.

But that wasn't it because sesshomaru was still standing there quietly in the shadows as if anticipating something. Kagome's eyes narrowed, annoyed. And roughly she reached back into her pocket and grabbing the jewel, thrust it, glowing, at sesshomaru.

"Take it. I care not."

All he did was stand there, not even glancing at the jewel in her hand.

"That is not what I desire, miko."

He said through gritted teeth.

"Then what do you desire, my lord that you have so disgustingly plotted for?"

Her angry eyes ranked inuyasha for any signs of booty. Within seconds she grabbed the tetseiga and replacing the jewel with the sword thrusting that too at sesshomaru.

He half turned away from the immaculate object.

"I cannot wield his sword, thus my taking it is a waste of my time. Think miko."

Angry tears again sprouted at the corner of her eyes.

"Then just tell me what you want so that you will go away."

"I am not without a heart, miko."

His vague response was met with silence and then with kagome's mumbling,

"Yes, and even that is hell frozen over"

sesshomaru's reaction to those words was quick and perilous. Grabbing her small throat he smashed her into a nearby tree.

"I stick to my word, miko, I am not without a heart." He growled at her. She could feel his claws against her skin but they did not penetrate it.

"Then,"

She reached down at sesshomaru's waist and grabbed the closest hilt.

"let me cut it out for you."

Pulling the sword easily from it's sheath she aimed the point at sesshomaru's heart, but then stopped. In her hand was the infamous tenseiga, the life giving sword.

"what do you desire, miko?"

sesshomaru's words echoed in her whirling mind as she gaped at the sword resting easily in her hand.
"I want my inuyasha back."

"Then do it."

He put her down on the ground gently. She had figured it out or half of it at least.

Dazed and slightly confused, kagome stared at the sword.

"my lord, you yet remain the only one who can wield this sword, but by your words I believe that you will do it for me."

"Yes." was his vague answer.

"But also knowing you it will be at a price. Am I right?"

he did not answer but she could visibly see the amusement in his eyes.

"What is your price?"

"what do you think it is?"

"I do not know, you must state your price so I could make a decision weather to take or leave it."

"my question remains unanswered."

Kagome narrowed her eyes and grabbed the jewel out of her pocket holding it out to him. Almost at once the wind picked up and it changed directions. Sesshomaru's eyes widened and started to bleed red.

"put that away, kagome, NOW!" he said almost painfully. Realizing what was happening, kagome threw the jewel back into her pocket and ran towards Sesshomaru. In her fright she had forgotten that inuyasha was dead and that it was sesshomaru in front of her.

She threw her arms around his neck and clung on for dear life just as she would do with inuyasha. He thrashed a bit but finally settled enough to her whispering,

"shhh, calm down inuyasha, please. Please inuyasha be with me..."

surprised at her sudden emotional change sesshomaru awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and let her tears fall onto his shoulder.

After she awoke, she started and shot out of sesshomaru's grasp, quick as lightning.

A shiver flew up her spine forcing the hairs on her shoulders to stand up and prickle. Ignoring it, she took one final glance at inuyasha's fallen figure and walked away back towards the village.

Away from her past and her pain, and that dark looming figure demanding something she could not give back. It was confusing but it was all over floating into the wind.

Even his voice a few seconds later would not stop her.

"where are you going?"

"This is stupid. I'm wasting sleep. I am going home."

"what about my brother?"

sesshomaru questioned anticipating an emotional response. Kagome's step wavered slightly, and a tear cascaded down her cheek. But resolve was steel, and Kagome steadily moved onward, unaware of the demon lord's smile.

"You've paid your price, kagome."

He waited patiently till she turned around to continue.

"You are the guardian of the jewel. The guardians have been wary of you since the beginning, but went through with it anyway. For a long time you have exceeded all of their expectations: courage, honesty, compassion, diligence, etc. But sadly, like kikyou, they had never tested love. They knew that you loved inuyasha and that he loved you back but they thought that your excellence in other areas was so great that you would protect the jewel even against him. But they were wrong.

"Instead, you gave up the jewel for the one you loved so as to retain your life. With that, you betrayed them. Getting the jewel back was simple, but teaching you a lesson was not. You see, as the present guardian, you alone can take care of it to your death when another will take your place. My job was to teach you a lesson or kill you in the process.

"By walking away you showed me that you were now strong enough not just in strength but in heart and mind to continue without him. But they also wish to keep you from becoming a cold hearted person like kikyou, so they sent me to bring him back."

And then after all of kagome's longing's and a swipe of sesshomaru's sword inuyasha awoke again blinking his confusion. Kagome just stood there, brain reeling in information and trying to spit it back out in some logical order. Guardians? Courage? Love? Betrayal?

"kagome?!" inuyasha had gotten up and was walking towards her. Kagome was still too stunned to processes anything around her. Inuyasha, still unaware of her strange silence, grabbed her in a protective hug and said quietly in her ear.

"oh my god's, kagome, I had this nightmare of death, fire, and destruction and you were not there. I kept looking for you but you were not there, never there."

Kagome's eyes crinkled up at the sound of his voice, and tears dropped from the corners.

She could feel his hands strong and sure around her. Snug, almost suffocating, but in a good way, a way that she never wanted to be rid of. She sniffed and leaned in closer to his neck and said quietly, "it wasn't a dream inuyasha, it was real, but it's all in the past now cause we are together and that's all that matters."

halt... car tires hot pavement and horns honk this is NOT the last chapter... i have no idea what i will do with the last chapter but if you have any ideas for any of it, or think that it is fine as it is, or have any problems with the way i finished it(it was totally impromptu) just hit that little review button and give me some feedback. thanks
littlemiko