Chapter 3

Don't own Inuyasha

Kagome sat at the campfire the next morning trying not to show everyone how sore she really felt. It was hard just to walk this morning. When she looked back on the night before she could do nothing but shudder and cry. She had to dismiss herself. NOW! Everyone was going to find out if she stayed there with all of them. She couldn't let them know.

All of them already hated Sessho but if they knew what he had done they would think of him as a monster. She had thought of him the same way when she had woken up. However, after thinking about it for a long time she decided that he was not a monster. It was not his fault. He tried to warn her.

Thinking back on it though she almost wished that he had killed her instead. Things were so hard for her. She was almost never allowed to see her family. She was failing her school because she was here so often. Inuyasha treated her like nothing more than a shard collector. She had fallen in love with someone she didn't even know…and now this…

It was too hard. She thought suddenly. If he couldn't help her by doing it then she would have to take care of it herself. "Um…guys…" Everyone looked up at her. "I'm going to go for a walk and then a bath…" When Sango looked as though she would propose to go with her Kagome finished, "…alone."

At this everyone nodded and resumed talking around the fire. Look at them. They're so oblivious. They just think I'll be back in an hour. Well, they're wrong. I'll never be back. I'll never have to worry about my life anymore. I'll be free! She grabbed her stuff so they wouldn't get suspicious and walked off into the forest around them.

When she reached the hot springs she wondered how she would do it. There were so many ways to end one's life. Which way should she choose? She would drown herself. She decided.

She stripped down to nothing but her under things and then walked slowly into the water. She was shaking so hard she could see ripples move away from her legs when she stopped and just stood there.

Unknown to her someone watched her from the deep shadows. What is my woman planning on doing? He paused. Wait; did I just call her my woman? Yes, yes, I did. That's who she is. She's MY woman!

She was more scared than she thought she would be. She had to do it now before she lost what little courage she still had with her. She grabbed a huge rock and just sat there with it in her hands. This is what she would use to keep her at the bottom. This is what would help the water suck the air from her lungs.

Suddenly she dived into the water. It was now or never and she wanted this more at the moment than anything else. Except to be loved. Gods, she wanted to be loved. She had thought that she was loved until Sessho had proved her wrong. She had thought he loved her.

At that moment, with the rock in her hands, at the bottom of the lake, she started fighting for breath. Breathing in the water she wondered what Sesshomaru was doing at precisely that moment. What he was thinking about right then. Would he even miss her?

Just when she felt as though she would pass out at any second the rock was ripped from her grasp and someone grabbed her around the waist. She felt smooth lips pressed to hers as she felt someone blowing their own breathe into her hopeful lungs.

Just as quickly she was moving toward the surface of the water. She had no energy to kick her legs. She could only hang limp in the arms surrounding her, wishing they would let her go. She had come so close. Why? Why couldn't they just leave me be? No one loves me anyway. No one would miss me?

Coming to the surface Sesshomaru walked to the shore and sat her down in his lap. Tilting her head back he moved the hair out of her eyes. Knowing that somehow he had to get the water out of her lungs he laid he down on the grassy edge he rolled Kagome onto her back and started to push on her back where her lungs were located.

He repeated this until he was fairly certain that all the water was out of her lungs. Taking her precious body back into his arms he held her close to him. For the first time in his life Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, cried. Holding his love close in his arms the immensity of what he had done to her hit him and before he knew what was happening he tightened his hold on her as deep, aching sobs wracked his body.

Realizing who it was Kagome was stunned. "Sessho?" She whispered. "Why did you come after me?" She asked. She was so tired. She couldn't fall asleep yet though. He was going to answer her. Kagome had to hear the answer.

"Because I love you, Kagome." He said between sobs. "You're my woman. I don't want to lose you." He buried his face in her neck. "Dear Gods, I don't want to lose you." He looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm so sorry!"

Kagome smiled with heavy-lidded eyes and stroked his hair in a very loving way. "I love you, too, Sessho. Very much. And I forgive you."

Kagome passed out then but, to Sesshomaru's utter disbelief, she had a small smile on her face. I'm loved! He really loves me! He's really sorry and he loves me! These were the last things to run through Kagome's head before she lost consciousness.