It seems like some people are still confused. Kagome's eyes here are blue/sapphire because I've taken it from the manga. And to answer the question of a reviewer, I'm only 14. I started writing stories when I was 12. I only posted as Warm-Ice only earlier this year. Thank you to everyone who gave their praises, I'm very flattered and I appreciate all your support! And to the reviewer who suggested the future Sesshoumaru follow Haruko, I've thought of that too. Unfortunately, I don't think Sesshoumaru would be daring enough to take the risk of changing the past just like what Haruko did/is doing. It'd be most unwise, though I do admit that it does add some more excitement. Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed with such sweet words. They serve as my lullaby.

Chapter 22: I Love You

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes as if waking up from a violent nightmare and found himself somewhere he'd never seen before. It was a strange new world. He was in a white room with young humans littering the room in strange clothes. Strange looking tables and chairs were set in a formal pattern around the floor and there was a platform up front with an older looking human poking at a green board with writings he had never seen before. What was this? Where was he?

There was a loud yet chaste ringing noise out of nowhere and the older human up front bid everyone goodbye and left.

"Hey, Taiyoukai-kun, are you alright? You seem out of it lately." He turned to look at the beautiful female sitting next to him. She had brown hair in a high ponytail and amethyst eyes. A name popped into his mind and he quickly became alert.

"Lady Omoi." Escaped his lips.

Omoi blushed and said, "geez, Taiyoukai-kun, I know we've been dating for a while now but you really shouldn't call me by my first name so soon. People will start making rumors."

His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "What is this trickery?"

Omoi furrowed her eyes at him, "What? What are you talking about? Hey, we're still on for tonight, right?" when he didn't answer, she sighed as if it was typical of him. "The movies? We're supposed to watch a horror film tonight, remember? You said so yourself last night."

He remembered saying something like that. The memories were slowly creeping into his mind. But everything was too vague. It didn't feel right. He looked at Omoi who stood up and hefted her brown leather bag. He knew that apparel. He'd seen that on someone before.

Kagome

"Arg!" his hand quickly flew to his head as the momentary yet sharp pain started to null.

"Taiyoukai-kun? What's wrong?" she asked with worry.

He put up his hand to stop her from coming any closer. "Nothing."

"You know, you've been getting that headache more often nowadays. Maybe I should take you to the clinic?" she asked gently.

Clinic, a medical facility, the thought entered his mind as if it was simply inserted to a computer. How did he know that? "No. I'm…fine." She didn't seem to want to inflict any harm on him. He seemed to be 'dating' her, whatever that may be. So was he courting her? Why was he courting her?

He stood and took his bag, walking to the door where the other students were exiting as well. "Where're you going?" she called.

He stopped. If he was courting her then he must be in love with her. Was he? "Home." He said instinctively.

"Alright, pick me up tonight at seven?"

He hesitated for a moment but then answered, "Alright."

Omoi smiled, watching him leave. She always got what she wanted.

As he walked the school halls, he passed by a door with the label of Men's Room above it. He entered and saw a faucet. He was slowly recognizing everything around him. He turned on the faucet and splashed the cold water on his beautiful face. He sighed. What was happening with him? Why did he feel so anomalous? He wiped his face and saw himself reflected on the large bathroom mirror.

A young teen at the age of nineteen, a neat tie and white polo shirt tucked in a pair of black pants. His hair was platinum blonde, short, and his eyes were an amazing gold. He was top one in the class, having an average of ninety-five. Many women adored him but he had his eyes set on no one else but Omoi, his childhood friend. She was there for him when his mother and father died of a car accident. She was always there for him. But why was it that he couldn't remember what his house looked like?

He touched his cheek. Why'd he feel like something should be there? His hand rose to his forehead. Something was missing.

Haruko

"Arg!" there it was again. That pain! He gently massaged his aching head, doing his best to banish the pain. What was going on?

SESSHOUMARU! WAKE UP!

A male voice yelled in his mind.

Inu-yasha

"ARG!" The pain came once again but sharper this time. It hurt so much that he fell back only to hit his back on the tiled walls of the men's restroom. He slowly slid down to squat, holding his head the whole time. The pain. Why wouldn't it go away?

Sesshoumaru, why won't you open your eyes!

A child's voice yelled.

Shippou

"ARGH! ARG!" stop! Somebody stop the pain!

Sesshoumaru, please…please wake up…

Kagome

"Taiyoukai-sempai, what's wrong?" a boy yelled, coming into Sesshoumaru's view just before everything went dark.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" everyone turned to a tree branch from looking down at the catatonic body of Sesshoumaru. Soon, the darkness of the night was banished by the rising of the golden sun; the sun which only Sesshoumaru's eyes could rival. Yet it seems that today the sun held his rays with pride seeing that there was no one to rival him now. Sesshoumaru would not open his eyes.

And as the darkness of the night vanished, the light revealed the form of a beautiful woman sitting on top of a tree branch and an army of female youkais surrounding them.

"Omoi!" Kagome yelled with gritted teeth. Her hold on Sesshoumaru' body tightened.

"Awww, did I scare you, little human wench? HAHAHAHA! Don't cry, little girl, Sesshoumaru-sama is not dead…yet."

"What did you say!" Shippou yelled violently. How dare she!

"Sesshoumaru's dreaming right now. He's dreaming a wonderful dream, about the future. And no one can wake him up except for the one who gave him that dream in the first place. Yours truly."

Omoi could clearly see the unshed tears in the human woman's eyes. Stupid human. Stupid weak human.

"Unfortunately, that sweet dream of his will turn out to be a…deadly nightmare soon enough. Of course I'm not so evil as to kill such a beautiful creature. So I can stop this dream of his right now…if…you surrender the Shikon no Tama to me." She held out her hand with a devious smirk and a dangerous glint in her eyes. "If not, the dream will kill him and my army will kill you."

"Bitch!" Inu-yasha cursed aloud.

But Omoi ignored him and kept her eyes on Kagome. "What do you say, Kagome?"

Her eyes widened. "How do you—"

"I learned that from his memory. When I kissed the beautiful Lord Sesshoumaru, I searched through his mind. I saw you, I saw him," she nodded to Inu-yasha. "I saw a lot of things. Sesshoumaru-sama has a really good memory, you know?"

"Don't mock him!" Kagome yelled angrily. Tears fell from her eyes at the thought of the exchange. The fate of many lives for the life of Sesshoumaru. Loosing the Shikon no Tama or loosing Sesshoumaru.

"I'm not mocking him." She shrugged. "And last night, I touched you, and saw an amazing other world. I figured, if Sesshoumaru-sama would like to have a dream, it should be of something new to him. Something fitting for a king." She smiled devilishly down at her, "So, what's your answer? Sesshoumaru-sama? Or Shikon no Tama?"

Kouga walked around his lands, in his sleep he had felt a rather loud ringing in his head. Meaning, his lands were under attack. But he couldn't leave so soon. For one thing, he had to struggle out of the tight ropes by himself and another thing was that he had to make sure that Haruko was safe when she wakes up. He went from village to village, checking if everything was alright.

Yes, he stole from his own territory. But it wasn't recognized to be his. When his father died, no one knew he had a son. No one knew there was an heir to the Eastern Lands. When he was old enough, he tried to tell everyone that he was indeed the son of his father. But no one believed him. They beat him and his family until they were forced to leave their own village. The humans dominated. That was when Kouga decided, if they wouldn't recognize him as their lord, they would recognize him as their enemy. From then on, they started to pillage the Eastern Lands.

It was all working out just the way he wanted it to. But then he met Kagome. She showed him that humans weren't as heartless as he thought. From then on, he stopped killing people. But his family had no source of supplies. The worst blow was when Naraku tricked him and killed almost every man in the village. Then he had to hide his clan in the mountains where he could not reach any suppliers. He was forced to steal. But he was so fast that none of the villagers knew it was him. All they knew was that the thief was a youkai. They didn't know it was him.

It was then that his sight turned to the last village and he was surprise to see the houses burned to crisps. He saw an old, long bearded man sitting under the shade of a tree a few feet away from the village and so Kouga went to him.

"Oi, grandpa." The old man turned his white-irises to him and Kouga instantly knew he was talking to a blind man. Well, it was worth a try. "What happened here?"

The old man wet his lips before speaking in a raspy voice. "Earlier this morning, a group of youkais attacked our village, demanding that we surrender every food we had. But then another group, ones with humans and youkais alike rescued us and scared them away. They asked me if I'd seen a certain hanyou but I answered no." the old man gave a crisp laugh, "I haven't seen anything for quite a while now. But I offered for them to stay, as an expression of my gratitude. If they hadn't come and saved me from that youkai, she would have crushed my whole body. Sadly, they declined saying they had to look for their friend."

"I see…" was all Kouga could say. He wondered who that group of individuals was. A group of humans and youkais working together. It seemed strange to think of. It was hard to imagine.

"Those youkais burned down our village. Unfortunately they also killed our village carpenters. So now we don't know how to rebuild our village. An old blind man like me can do nothing but simply sit here."

It was then that Kouga's eyes lit with an idea. "Oi, grandpa. Are you saying you need a carpenter?"

"A capable carpenter, yes."

"And is your food supply still here?"

"Yes, it was a miracle that we managed to keep it hidden from them the whole time."

Kouga grinned widely. "Maybe I can help you, grandpa."

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, finding himself standing in front of a closed door on the porch of a house. Omoi's house, his mind told him. The door opened to reveal Omoi looking beautiful in her black spaghetti strapped blouse with black and white stripes matching her black mini skirt. It showed off her long shapely legs and her very evident cleavage.

She smiled coyly at him, "How do I look?"

He answered with a nod, not knowing what to say. She was beautiful yes, but… it didn't seem to have an effect to him. Then a thought of someone else came into his mind. He thought of her wearing the same dress that Omoi was wearing. She had ebony hair and soft sapphire eyes. Her smile was so beautiful. Her frail body enticed him, her reddening cheeks evocative.

"Let's go?" she said suddenly, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the house. He didn't see the frown marring her beautiful face. Why was he remembering that wench! He shouldn't be remembering her. They arrived at the movie house and got their seat. The movie went on and it was very scary indeed.

But Sesshoumaru was not thinking of the movie. He was puzzling over everything. What was wrong with him? He didn't feel like this was right. Why didn't he know anyone else but Omoi? What was Omoi's last name? Where did he live? Why'd he feel like many things were missing? Incomplete. That was what he felt. He felt incomplete. But wasn't Omoi enough to complete him? He was in love with her, wasn't he? Why else would he be courting her? So what was the problem?

"Ah!" she screamed, as did everyone, as the climax unfolded. She grasped onto his arm out of fright. "Oh, Taiyoukai-kun, maybe we shouldn't have watched a horror film after all. This is too scary for me." She said, hugging his arm. He simply stared down at her, unaffected and uncaring. Why wasn't he caring?

"Hurry up, Kagome! I'm a very impatient woman!" Omoi started yelling. It was almost time for the nightmare stage to begin and soon the nightmare will kill Lord Sesshoumaru. No, she didn't want that. She wanted him all to herself.

"No." she answered, looking down at her king.

"What?"

She looked up at her defiantly. Sesshoumaru wanted her to be strong. She was going to be strong for him no matter what. She would find a way to save him without having to sacrifice the world. She was his light and she wasn't going to give him up so quickly.

"I won't give you the Shikon no Tama." She said sternly.

"Kagome." Inu-yasha said, doubting her decision. Kagome turned to him with a weak smile and said,

"I'll be strong…for Sesshoumaru. I'll find my own way of saving him."

Omoi frowned, "You'll regret scorning me, wench!" she pointed at them and yelled, "Attack!" as soon as she commanded it, the she-youkais attacked.

"Everybody, hold your ground!" Inu-yasha yelled, taking up a defensive stance. He turned to Kagome and said, "Hurry, Kagome." Kagome smiled at him or gratitude and turned back to Sesshoumaru. The fight around them erupted.

What can I do to save you, Sesshoumaru? What can I do?

She put both her hands at both side of his face of perfect serenity. Her eyes watered as she became completely aware of her helpless state. What can she do? She had to save him. But what can she do? She closed her eyes and concentrated her power. Soon a soft pink light emanated from her. Engulfing both her body and his.

They walked out of the movie house with her clinging onto his arm. "That was such a good movie; wouldn't you say Taiyoukai-kun?"

"Hai." Was all he answered. Her frown deepened.

"Taiyouaki-kun, I don't feel like going home just yet. Can I crash in your house for a bit?" he looked at her and considered it before answering,

"Alright." A smirk came upon her lips. Good. When they arrived at Sesshoumaru's house, he flicked on the light switch and everything was illuminated.

I live alone. The thought entered his mind. He lived alone. Meaning there was no one else in the house but him and her. She closed the door and took him by the hand and went up the stairs towards his room. They entered and she closed the door behind her.

He looked around the room. Books everywhere, a neat queen sized bed, curtained windows, an old computer and an organized desk. It fit his personality. But it didn't seem like it was his.

"Sesshoumaru-kun…" he heard Omoi's husky voice from behind him. He turned around and saw her in her bare underwear, looking absolutely delicious in any other man's eyes. But Sesshoumaru was unfazed.

"What do you think you are doing?" he said warily.

She came closer to him, placing her hands on his firm chest. "I—I think I'm ready now." She whispered, staring hungrily at his lips. She tried to kiss him but Sesshoumaru instinctively stepped back. Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion. No one's ever denied her before. "What's wrong, Sesshoumaru-kun?"

Sesshoumaru's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked at her. Any man would kill to be in his place right then and there. But he felt as if he'd rather kill himself.

"I will wait for the moment when you are…ready. Until then, I give you my word that this Sesshoumaru will abstain from any sexual contact with any woman other than yourself."

"Ah!" his head! The pain was back! He clutched his aching head; he could practically feel it cracking.

"I pity you, Sesshoumaru. I pity you for becoming so cynical. Something…Something horrible must have happened to you when you were a child. Someone you depended on…must have betrayed your trust. Someone you thought would always take care of you hurt you the most. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Arg!" he cried out, hitting his desk and pressing his aching head down onto the hard, cool surface. What are these voices in his mind! Who was she!

"But you can't be cynical about everyone, Sesshoumaru! What I told you last night, the things I said—everything was true! I wasn't lying to you when I said I was falling in love with you! So please don't think that I'll leave you or hurt you in the end. Because…because I won't!"

Make it stop! Someone make it stop! The pain was too much to bear!

And now only Kami knows where she is and what's happening to her…While I'm here…falling in love with you…

Kagome

That name.

Kagome

He knew that name.

Kagome

Her face slowly materialized in his mind. Her smile, her eyes, her lips, her taste.

Kagome

His eyes widened and his mouth opened at the realization. The headache vanished as his mind started waking up from its stupor.

Kagome!

"You shouldn't have remembered her Sesshoumaru-sama." He turned sharply to her and found that they were no longer in the room; they were now ensconced by darkness.

"Omoi…" he hissed angrily. "How dare you…" he glared menacingly, about to attack her.

"You could have stayed here with me and we could've been happy together. But no. you had to remember her. You just had to reject me and remember her!" her rage was evident and her magic heightened. It waved around her and was so strong that it started to lift strands of her hair. Waves of power inundated from her being as if water flooding out from a broken dam. "We could have been happy together, Sesshoumaru-sama! But you just had to love that damn wench!"

Soon, she disappeared from his sight, leaving him in darkness. Then his surroundings materialized. It was his mother's room! It was the room she had when he was a child. His eyes widened in horror. No. Not this! Not this!

"Please wake up, Sesshoumaru…" escaped her lips. She pressed her forehead onto his and a tear fell from her eyes. Please, wake up. Sesshoumaru's closed eyes tightened, as the nightmare started to begin. Her closed eyes tightened as well as she tried to enter his mind with all her might.

"You're too late." she saw darkness. Yet she could hear Omoi's saddened voice. She looked around looking for her. But the darkness was too thick. Suddenly vines with thorns started growing from the ground and wrap around her frail form. She looked at them with fright.

"You're too late." Came Omoi's voice again. She appeared in front of her in the clothes she usually wore. Her face was sad, her eyes down cast. She looked up at Kagome with a sadness so rarely seen on her face. "He's going to die now. And even in the end…he still loved you." She shook her head of confusion, "I just can't understand. Not at all."

"No…" Kagome said. "Where is he! Please tell me where he is! Omoi, please let me go! He needs me!"

"You're too late." Was all she answered before leaving her to darkness. She struggled to get free but whenever she was about to be free, the vines tightened and the thorns pierced her flesh.

"It's not too late! It's not too late!" she yelled, telling it to both herself and the vanished Omoi. It wasn't too late! She could still save him! She had to get to him! He needed her!

"SESSHOUMARU!" she broke free of the vines, falling down on the ground with deep cuts all over her body. She quickly got up and ran forward, only Sesshoumaru in her mind. "It's not too late!"

Sesshoumaru fell to his knees, seeing the image of his mother lying on the ground, bleeding to death with tears from her eyes. "Mother…" he reached down towards her but then her lifeless body moved and she grabbed his wrists in a strong grip. She stared up at him with those large, lifeless eyes. She then started to cry blood, and she howled angrily.

"Why did you betray me, Inutaisho! I loved you! How could you! How could you betray me!"

He was a child again, helpless and defenseless. "Mother…" his childish voice cracked as tears threatened to fall. "Mother, I—"

"How could you—" she stopped and fell to the floor, lifeless. She vanished from his sight.

He panicked, trying to grasp his mother's body before it completely vanished but it was fruitless for she was intangible. "Mother! Mother, no! Don't leave me!" then he was left alone again, his mother's blood staining his little hands. Blood. Blood flowed from the ceiling, from the walls, from the floor. Blood! Blood was everywhere! Not again! Not again! He covered his young face with his hands and surrendered. Not again. Not again. Someone save him…please…

"SESSHOUMARU!" he faintly heard the scream or a distant voice.

"SESSHOUMARU!" it was coming closer and closer. Suddenly, there was a line of light streaking down on him. He opened his eyes and saw his knees, the blood creeping up to his waist. It was going to drown him!

"SESSHOUMARU!" a door was slammed open and his eyes turned sharply to the light. A silhouette. A silhouette of an angel stood in front of him. His eyes widened and the child was no longer there. All that was there was the prideful Sesshoumaru, fallen to his knees. His eyes were disbelieving, Kagome.

She panted heavily, looking at him with tears flowing down those beautiful blue eyes.

"Kagome…" escaped his lips.

Without another word she ran to him and held him in her arms. A wide smile upon her face but tears running from her eyes. "Everything's gonna be alright, Sesshoumaru. Everything's alright now."

Their eyes opened and they saw each other. Were they back? Were they awake now?

"Sesshoumaru! You're awake!" Shippou yelled from behind Kagome.

"Shit." Omoi cursed under her breath. She quickly made her escape. Who cared about her troop. They were idiots anyway.

They all stopped at the sight of their master running away. They started growling angrily at the thought of their master abandoning them. They stopped their attack on the group of tired and wounded fighters and followed their master, brainlessly going for revenge. Inu-yasha fell to his knee but was grateful that they left. He had fought the most of them and did his best to protect both himself and Kagome. He turned to Kagome and was relieved that Sesshoumaru's eyes were open.

Sesshoumaru stared up at Kagome, both were panting from their mental trials. "Kagome…" he recognized.

A small smile slowly replaced her from and tears fell from those beautiful orbs. He quickly pulled her down into a kiss, missing her sweet, sweet lips. He wiped her tears away with his thumb as he released her lips from his.

"I was so scared…I thought I lost you…"she whimpered.

He gave her a small smile and caressed her cheek with his fingers. "You are crying like a child again."

She smiled at that and gave a choked laugh. He kissed her forehead and whispered softly, "I love you…"