Chapter 23:

Authors Note: Sesshie&Kikyou coming up

Sesshomaru's POV+

I had kissed her that was a terribly reckless thing to do. I'm not even sure WHY I kissed her. Was it possible that I had grown to love this miko? He knew he had grown to love Rin but Kikyou? He didn't think he could ever love someone like that but to hear her say the words that she liked him. It had sent shivers into his spine and the thoughts that had haunted him came to mind again and she began to haunt him over again like some sort of terrible paradise.

By the gods he believed he loved this mortal…this mortal bitch. He groaned inwardly, she'd be coming out of the bath house soon and then what? What would he do then? She was a human and he realized he was just like his father was and Inuyasha as well. They all had fallen for a mortal. Why was it that she intrigued him so?

He began to wonder what intrigued Kikyou to him, it was just her. Everything about her, she was helpful and caring and she stayed with him. Despite his coldness and it all started with a cracked shoulder that was the irony of the situation. She had been dead until he had saved her and the logic in that was beyond comprehendible. It was because he had wanted her to be alive. He had willed it that way.

He wondered what was more ironic about the situation. If it was more ironic that he had fallen for his brothers ex lover, or for the fact that he had fallen for a mortal women just like his father, who he had detested for it.

"Kikyou"

"Hai Sesshomaru-kun"

"Oh my you're using respect, what do you want?" I said smirking a bit.

Kikyou smiled, she had such a sweet smile. I grimaced that was a dumb thing to think, she was like an angel. She knew I knew it so why even bother to think the obvious. The angel had broken free of her chains, and she had flown to him.

I loved her. It was something I had come to accept, I had to for her sake. Chicue may have been proud but he was the farthest thing from my mind right now, it was only her.

"Sesshomaru-kun…what I said earlier, if you'd forget it…it be better. I was being foolish, forgive me" Kikyou said simply.

"Then why are you still speaking as if I'm important to you?"

Kikyou paused turning red. "Your not, you're my friend"

"You don't kiss friends" I watched her turn more scarlet. Red was a good color on her as long as it wasn't blood. He thought mentally, then it was Naraku's color.

"Look I don't know why"

"I love you Kikyou."

"What!" I watched as her eyes widened and I stepped forward seizing her gaping mouth with my own. It was gentle but I felt her lips firmly against my own as I pulled back slowly.

"I'm guessing you love me too but you have yet to say anything" I said blandly wondering if she too could say or would say she loved me. She must have she compared her feelings to the ones that she had felt before, but would she say it? It was something that kept me on the edge of my toes, even though I was confident in what her answer would be.

"I just didn't think you'd love me…Everything's seemed to have happened so fast. And the scary thing is I DO love you Sesshomaru"

"Should I be insulted or grateful?" I said towards her half being serious and half not. It was fun to mess with her like this.

She winced inwardly. "Is my love that repulsive to a demon?" She said quietly and I hadn't known my comment to be cold or confusing but I felt anger pulse through me of her accusation.

"What are you getting at?"

"Nothing"

She left. I stayed and from that point on the only thing on my mind was what in hell just happened?

XOXOX

"Kikyou was a fallen angel but how? You said that they had to die!"

"And they do, there suppose to anyway" Inuyasha said calmly "I didn't know Kikyou then, it was when Kaede was born and Kikyou had just entered being a teenager, she never really said what happened but…she said she was a fallen angel and that she was the only one"

"Then Kikyou was a fallen angel when she died with you as well?"

"No..." Inuyasha said slowly "Kikyou died along side me. If Kikyou had used her ultimate technique something she had performed before and lived, there would be no point for her to even use it. She didn't want to take that chance, Kikyou WANTED to die with me and I just didn't see it"

"So when she came back to life do to Urasue…"

"It's like Kikyou can't die." Inuyasha said smiling as Kagome made the connection.

"The gods have something in store with Kikyou and no matter how many times she's suppose to die, she hasn't yet. Plus with Sesshomaru bringing her back to life…"

"It's showing that they want Kikyou to live…right? I mean Tenseiga can only heal people, recent deaths and since Kikyou's soul is in me and she has…had other's souls, there's no way Tenseiga could have saved her"

"Unless the gods willed it so"

"And they did" Kagome said fully. "Then what…could be my purpose?"

"Well perhaps you were a…" Inuyasha paused as if not wanting to hurt or press her feeling.

"Go on you can tell me"

Inuyasha sighed. "Perhaps you were a last resort."

Kagome paused looking somewhat hurt as Inuyasha looked to the side. "I'm sorry but you said…"

"No…it makes sense actually, I was Kikyou's second chance that's why I was bound to meet you and when they had an opportunity do to my carelessness, they could bring Kikyou back, then the two ideas coincided leaving fate to deal with itself"

"It just makes you wonder why."

"Yes…Do you suppose Midoriko-sama plays apart in this? Was she a fallen angel as well?"

"No…she merely depended on her own power and sucked the demons soul clear from it's body as it did hers, it was once again the gods doing"

"Fate seems so cruel sometimes Inuyasha"

"Terribly"

Miroku groaned from the corner staring towards the two, Shippo looking over to him concerned. "Miroku how are you?"

"Fine…" he said stiffly looking towards Inuyasha and Kagome. "Speaking of angels, I'd like to find Sango, she's missed a lot and I doubt she's been doing nothing this whole time"

Inuyasha nodded slowly, "Yea…"

"We haven't seen Sango-chan since she went after Kohaku…I wonder if she's okay…" Kagome said feeling a bit guilty that she had forgotten her dear friend for a while.

"She's Sango of course she is!" Inuyasha barked confidently. But for some reason the words just didn't seem believable.

XOXOX

"Kohaku-kun?"

"Hai Rin?"

"I just wanted to apologize about earlier"

"What do you mean Rin? Your feelings are your feelings you don't have to apologize for my own."

"No…Kohaku-kun…I lied."

"About what?" Kohaku said blinking a few times staring towards Rin as she turned a light shade of red. He found himself turning red just by looking at her redness and found himself lost in a word of stupidity and embarrassment.

"I like you too Kohaku-kun"

As the words flowed from her mouth and Kohaku went to speak. Kikyou had walked so steadily and abruptly between the two it caused Rin to gasp in surprise. Rin looked towards her in somewhat surprise wondering what possibly could have happened and then how to continue with Kohaku. It was just to much, to much to thing about and to much going on.

"Kohaku-kun please excuse me" Rin said politely trying her best to smile. The little boy looked a bit startled and then smiled a bit red. "Do what you have to Rin"

"Kikyou-sama" Rin said running up to her as Kikyou walked steadily outside. Kikyou's stride was more forceful then it normally was, Rin noticed. Her face seemed tighter then normal to as if she was in some sort of deep thought that Rin's tiny voice could not penetrate. What could possibly have troubled the miko so?

"Kikyou-sama!" Rin tried again her voice louder, Kikyou turning around a bit surprised.

"I'm sorry Rin-chan…I didn't hear you" She said politely.

"Kikyou-sama what has gotten you so with drawn!" Rin exclaimed breathlessly. "I've never seen you so unaware like this!"

Kikyou turned slightly red, "I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said I didn't remember would you?"

"Not really" Rin said smiling innocently trying to surpass the giggle that rose in her throat. "Is it about Sesshomaru-sama?"

Kikyou paled slightly. "I suppose it was. I believe we had a fight but it made no sense what so ever. There was no purpose of the fight!" Kikyou said simply almost impaled by the mere memory of it.

"Then why don't you just make up?"

"But that's it Rin-chan there's absolutely nothing to apologize for"

"Well you and Sesshomaru-sama love each other so you shouldn't just let nothing stop your relationship"

"We…we don't!" Kikyou protested and then sighed "We don't have a relationship, it is nothing"

"I don't really believe that Kikyou-sama your relationship is so complex it only feels as if it's nothing"

"What are you talking about Rin-chan?" Kikyou said almost curiously. "It is nothing there's nothing complex about this at all"

"No…you guys speak without saying anything, it's like your aura's are speaking for themselves. You to are to much of the same to even tell"

"Are you saying I'm like Sesshomaru?"

"Pretty much. The similarities are there you two are just to blind to notice!"

Kikyou sighed. "That doesn't make sense Rin-chan"

"I think you know it does just as much as I do. I'm only a child Kikyou-sama"

"Your much to wise"

Rin blushed.

"So what do you plan to do about the situation Kikyou-sama?"

"I guess just let it go. I don't have time for relationships anyway."

"But you love Sesshomaru don't you?"

"But it's happening so fast"

Rin sighed; there was no point in arguing with a miko. She discovered that recently but only smiling at her new discovery. Rin knew though that somewhere despite all this they would get through it. She always had, she knew that one day Naraku would meet his demise, she knew that one day everything living would die, but she knew most importantly that everything happens for a reason and that was okay.

She liked to dream that her parents and brother were only killed so that she could understand the importance of family. She liked to dream that the wolves had killed her so that Sesshomaru-sama could save her. She liked to dream that Jaken-sama died to show no one can stop time. So that she wouldn't forget. She liked to dream these things, because she knew it was true. These things happened and they all happened with a reason. She was just grateful that even now she could accept these things.

"What do you believe the reason of this fight was Kikyou-sama"

"Hun?"

"Everything happens for a reason doesn't it?"

"Well yes I suppose…"

"Well what's the reason for this fight? A fight that both of you think is has no importance"

Kikyou paused as if thinking, truly thinking for the reason things happened. If everything happened for a reason what was the reason that she met Inuyasha? The reason was love. That was easy. Then what was the reason for the betrayal? That was a part of love, you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned and what better way to be burned then love. Then why did she die? Because she loved him. Then why she was resurrected and reincarnated?

That was a hard one up until there the analyzes had been somewhat easy, but could she truly answer this one? Why was she reincarnated? Because the jewel was bad and its power could not be over done so easily? That was close but it just didn't feel like the answer. To give her a second chance? Another chance to live and succeed and meet Inuyasha again? That seemed to fit and though it didn't make sense, Kikyou continued to analyze the situation. What about being resurrected? Because someone had been given the opportunity to allow her to be reborn? As simple as that answer was it seemed to fit. Satisfied Kikyou continued.

Why had she been wounded? That was easy to revenge was her wound. Why had she met Rin there that day? Someone didn't want her to be lonely. Why did Sesshomaru take her in? Because he felt guilty. Why did he kill her and then save her? Because she wasn't suppose to die that way. Why did she meet him again after separation? Destiny. Why did she end it with Inuyasha? Because she deserved to be free. Why did she fall in love with him, kiss him, and have this dumb fight with him? Because…it was learning. She was learning to be free again, to love again and to have a chance to be the women she thought she couldn't be.

"To learn" Kikyou said finally. "I fought with Sesshomaru to learn."

"What a relationship is all about?"

"I suppose so Rin-chan…I suppose so"

"I guess I should go talk to him then."

"Hai Kikyou-sama!"

"Arigato Rin-chan"

Kikyou walked calmly back towards the castle as a sudden aura struck her cold. Everything seemed to tighten around the castle as the sky blackened and the familiar stench moved through the air experimentally.

"No not…now" Kikyou whispered almost in complete denial. After four years he was going to truly reveal himself and was ready…almost as if he was leading them to himself…something just doesn't feel right about this.

Rin's eyes widened in fear as the sky continued to darken. 'What about Kohaku-kun?' Rin thought nervously, Sesshomaru standing at the front of the door. His golden eyes clashed with hers in urgency and all the memory's flowed through his eyes as he called out to her blindly. "Rin get inside"

For once in her life Rin felt like she was going to never see Sesshomaru-sama again. She had never had such a huge doubt that her lord would never return. The movement seemed terribly slow and terribly painful to stand by his side facing the castle as he faced the deathly sky. The only thing she felt at the moment was the pulsing fear in her veins. And what if Sesshomaru was to die? What would be the reason of that? Rin felt tears burn in her eyes. What could possibly be the reason of something like that?

She ran passed him, Kikyou taking her place as she ran towards Sesshomaru's side. There was a slight pulse as she went to speak. Instantly Kikyou grabbed the shikon shard she placed in her miko's outfit the presence…it was Kagome's shards.

"Sesshomaru…Naraku's doing this on purpose! Inuyasha's bringing Kagome and her shikon shards straight to him."

"It seems as if my half brother is once again oblivious to his plans, putting the women he dares to call his own in such danger."

Sango stood on the other side of Sesshomaru her uniform and Hirakotsu fully repaired and ready to fight. Her brown hair flapped in the sudden breeze and Sesshomaru looked towards her and then towards Kikyou.

"If we don't make it out alive" Sesshomaru said slowly "Vow with me that Naraku won't either"

His words seemed so noble and so deathly cold. It was true though it could easily happen, it was something that they all had to accept and something in Sesshomaru already had. He could hear Rin's silent tears and he promised to himself he do anything he could to see her one last time. Even if he was to die, he'd find one last way to allow her to see him, to tell her that it was going to be okay. Sesshomaru's eyes slowly trailed to the miko at his right side and noticed she had closed her eyes in agreement much of the same as the slayer on his left. He also promised that even if he was to die, he wasn't going to let HER die along side him. No, this miko the gods had plans for his angel. Sesshomaru felt almost a strange sense of comfort as if someone was telling him, Kikyou was NOT going to die. But someone was…he could feel that…death was an option.

Authors Note: How was that for a chapter? Lol. Some fight intakes coming up