AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm planning on writing a new story soon, and it's called "Must Love Dogs". Unfortunately, I don't even know what the plot is going to be! All I know is the title and that's it's an Inuyasha story. If you could send me some pointers in your reviews that would be lovely, thank you.

Kagome woke in the night with a start. Sweat rolled down her face and her eyes were wild with panic. She attempted to peer through the impenetrable darkness but found that her efforts were futile. There was nothing in the shadows that she did not know about. She placed a hand to her throbbing forehead and sighed. What was wrong with her? She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood on trembling legs. Vaguely she heard the deep chime of the clock downstairs and counted each chime until she reached the chime of twelve. It was twelve in the morning and she was awake with her nightmares feeding on her very thread of sanity. But she kept her chin up. She didn't want to cry anymore and she didn't want to be afraid anymore. They only held her down and kept her away from her true happiness wherever that was. She moved gracefully over the expanse of floor with her hands touching every object so that she had some idea as to where she was going. That thought put her in her place. Where, exactly, was she going? She had nowhere in the room to go for she had made it her own shelter against the harsh reality outside the boundaries. She walked to the window and looked out at the dark sky above with its bright stars twinkling brightly in the air and then there was the moon. Oh, how Kagome loved the moon! She could remember that back when she was a little girl, the moon had been a little thing that her father always joked with her about…

01Flashback01

Little Kagome whimpered as she held her burning knee. She had fallen from a tree and now her brand new dress was ripped and her knee was bleeding. The pinafore she wore over her dress did little to hide the large rip that ran from below her arm to her side. Her mother would not be happy, that much she knew. Suddenly two large, warm arms wrapped around her from behind and she felt herself being hoisted onto her father's shoulders.
"Don't cry Kagome-chan," her father soothed. "I'll give you anything to make you stop crying." Kagome sniffed and wiped away the tears from her porcelain like face.
"W-will you give me the moon Daddy?" Kagome asked innocently as her wide, round eyes stared down at the ground. She heard her father chuckle and she pouted.
"Oh, Kagome-chan I will do my best," her father replied as he carried his precious daughter inside and sat her down on a chair. He cleaned her knee and wrapped a bandage around it placing a gentle kiss on her forehead when he finished. Kagome's mother entered, largely pregnant, and her eyes widened with fright when she saw the blood stain spilling through the white bandage.
"Kagome, what happened," asked her mother as she rushed to her daughter's side. Lady Higurashi loved her daughter dearly seeing as all her children before Kagome had passed away before birth or shortly after. But now she had her six year old daughter and a rapidly growing child in her womb as proof that she could still have a child.
"She fell," stated Lord Higurashi, "and she scraped her knee. She will be fine, Kyoko." Kyoko sighed and nodded as her hand slid protectively onto her daughter's shoulder.

"Yes, I suppose," she replied. "I doubt that a scrape will put her life in harm's way." As Kyoko left Kagome felt a smooth chain slip around her neck. She gasped and looked down to see a brightly sparkling moon pendant around her neck. Her father smiled.
"It was something I picked up at the market today," he explained. "I can't give you the real moon but I can give you something just as nice." Kagome smiled and threw her arms around her father's neck.
"Thank you Daddy! I love you!" For many years after that her father would come home from work and smile at her saying that he hadn't been able to buy the moon for her yet and each time Kagome would just smile.

01End01

Kagome's fingers slid around the smooth half moon pendant as she sighed. 'Oh, Father, you were always too good to me,' she thought sadly. She smiled at the fond memory... Despite the fact that two months later he had been given a son his love for her had not diminished. If anything, his love had increased and in his will he had left her a great amount of money to support her. She turned away from the window and walked back to her bed. She needed to get some rest before her "big day" tomorrow. It was not that she did not like Sesshomaru that drove her to dread the marriage it was the fact that she was forced to marry a man she barely knew and sure as heck didn't understand. In fact, Kagome did not know of anyone who could figure Sesshomaru out. He was stoic most of the time and didn't release much information about himself or anything for that matter. Kagome sighed and rested her head on the pillow. This was all too much! How would she survive being married to that man? Only time would tell, she supposed, but until then she felt she would be driven insane by his lack of speech. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep and for the first time in the longest time she slept peacefully.

0101

When Kagome awoke the next morning she felt strangely refreshed and she felt as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She gave a slight smile and removed herself from the comfort of her bed. She wrapped a black robe over her shoulders and moved to her changing screen where she would change from her night shift into a simple morning gown which was more loose and efficient for early morning gatherings and whatnot. She could easily change into that gown by herself but there was only one problem: she needed to don her corset first and that task was nearly impossible with help let alone by one's self. She glanced at her slim figure and shook her head. Her mother had always said that Kagome had a figure that rivaled that of a woman's figure under the slimming aid of a corset. With that thought in mind she slipped the black gown over her head and slid her arms through the sleeves. Once her gown fit her properly she moved out from behind the dressing screen only to encounter Sesshomaru on the other side. She took a few startled steps back surprised by his appearance in her room.
"Forgive me for intruding," Sesshomaru said, "but I must speak with you promptly. I don't want to force you into this marriage." Her eyes widened and Sesshomaru mentally slapped himself for being so soft. She was the future of his family line! Of course he wanted to force her to marry him. Otherwise she would never do so and the family line would die out without a second thought. Kagome shakily sat down in a chair and looked down at her hands.
"You're not forcing me, Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered softly. "I'm doing this because I want to."

"I see," Sesshomaru answered as he began to walk towards the door. Suddenly he felt Kagome wrap her arms around him from behind. He jumped slightly, startled by her actions.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered once more.
"For what?"
"For giving me a choice about this marriage. That's what made me want to become your wife." Sesshomaru said nothing in reply; he didn't have to. They now had an understanding and that understanding said all the words that they couldn't.

01010101

Later on that evening, in the darkness of the ballroom, a priest stood holding the Holy Bible in his hands. Candles flickered as they were lit around the room giving an eerie glow to the atmosphere. Kagome stood at Sesshomaru's side wearing white for the first time in what seemed forever. The priest began to read a few words from the Good Book and then he glanced up where the golden orbs of Sesshomaru gazed down at him coolly.
"Do you have the rings?" asked the priest. Sesshomaru said nothing but instead turned to Kagome and slipped a gold ring over her ring finger, the finger that was not currently occupied by his brother's ring which Kagome still had not removed. He was not a cruel man; he wouldn't force her to remove the only thing left that Kagome had of Inuyasha. He leaned down slowly and brushed his lips across her own sealing their marriage with a groom's graceful kiss. Kagome's cheeks burned with a blush for not even Inuyasha had kissed her on the lips; he had never touched her in ways that Sesshomaru had.

"The marriage is sealed," announced the priest with a bow. Kagome and Sesshomaru turned to leave when the priest smirked and cleared his throat. Sesshomaru turned slowly just in time to see the priest bringing out a pistol. "The marriage is sealed," he reiterated, "and so is your grave, Lord Sesshomaru!" Kagome's eyes widened and just when the priest's fingers clenched the trigger readying the fateful blast Kagome pushed Sesshomaru aside taking the bullet deep inside her beating chest. Her mouth opened in a silent scream of pain and her eyes, wide with pain, horror, and surprise, turned to the horrified Sesshomaru. His warm arms caught her as she fell but she did not feel the warmth for she was already in the unconscious depths of darkness. Sesshomaru growled deep in his throat as he gently layed Kagome down on the ground. He took a few slow, steady steps towards the priest who held the smoking pistol with a crazed grin on his face.
"You shall pay for your ignorance," Sesshomaru said as he removed a pistol as well from the inside of his coat. The priest backed up not prepared for a duel against such a formidable foe. "I know that you work for Lord Naraku," Sesshomaru continued. "I know that it was Naraku's plan all along to drive my family from existence by killing either Kagome or I. You may have succeeded if it had not been for Kagome's bravery. I shall now avenge her by taking you to Hell." The priest, startled by Sesshomaru's conviction, began to run but Sesshomaru's demonic speed stopped the trembling man in his steps. The priest clasped his hands together and held them in front of his face as he sank to his knees before Sesshomaru.
"Please, do not kill me," pleaded the foolish man. "I only did what I was told to do."
"And that is where you went wrong. I show no mercy for murderers." Sesshomaru easily did away with the priest and turned on his heel towards Kagome who had a large stain on the front of her white bodice which clearly marked the wound. Sesshomaru scooped her up from the floor and raced towards the ballroom doors praying silently that he was not too late and that Kagome would live to see another day. Just as he reached the doors the said objects swung open revealing a worried doctor and a shocked maid, Sango, if Sesshomaru remembered correctly.

"What happened?" barked Miroku as he took Kagome from Sesshomaru.

"The priest was acting on behalf of a well known murderer. It seems that a rival family clan wished to do away with my family and to do this he attempted to kill me, but Kagome took the bullet for me and now she is injured, perhaps dying." Miroku said nothing as he raced down the hall with Kagome's blood staining his fingers. Sango hurried behind the doctor at a brisk pace with worry in her eyes. She prayed to every god and goddess imaginable for Kagome's life to be saved. She could not lose another person she cared for. She glanced at her master and saw that his once emotionless eyes were filled with worry for Kagome's being. 'He truly cares for Lady Kagome,' thought Sango as she bit her lower lip. Miroku ascended the staircase ignoring the gasps and cries of the servants. He kicked Kagome's door open and rested her on the bed. Kagome's blood spilled over the dark sheets and Miroku barked out orders for his medical tools. They were promptly brought to him and he began a dangerous attempt to remove the possibly fatal bullet from Kagome's chest. But Kagome was breathing too heavy for Miroku's liking.
"We're losing her!" Miroku said.
"No, we shall not lose her," said Sesshomaru from within the doorway. He held a sword in his hand which seemed to pulse with its own life.

"Is that what I think it is, Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Miroku. "Is that your father's legendary Tenseiga?" Sesshomaru nodded without a second word and waved it above Kagome's failing body. She coughed and her liquid brown eyes opened to stare up at Sesshomaru with wonder. Miroku took this moment to remove the bullet and quickly sew up the wound. Sesshomaru rested one hand behind Kagome's head and dropped the sword to his side. The maid and the doctor left with secret smiles as Kagome wrapped her arms weakly around Sesshomaru's neck.

"Why did you…save me?" Kagome whispered.
"A life for a life," Sesshomaru replied as he stared deeply into her eyes. Slowly, Kagome leaned up and pressed her lips to Sesshomaru's causing the stoic demon's eyes to widen but he did not hesitate and returned the kiss with fervor. And that, boys and girls, is the story of how a cold demon came to fall in love with the woman that his brother had cherished above all. Sesshomaru loved Kagome.

END OF STORY!

Thank you all for reading this lovely story. I enjoyed writing it and hope that I get some lovely responses. I may write an epilogue some other time, but not right now.