Disclaimer: Not mine….

Please Rate and Review!

Chapter 6: No Sunshine

As though she were in a weird kind of trance, Kagome kept staring at the spot from which Sesshoumaru had vanished mere seconds ago. Slowly a strong feeling of relief started to flow through her.

Nothing had happened.

The demon lord had neither picked a fight with Inuyasha nor told him about what had occurred between them. He had simply left, although it wasn't normal for him to back down from anything. Most likely, he had wanted to leave before. What could have made him stay anyway?

One part of her was very happy that he was finally gone and never wanted to see him again. Another part felt slightly sorry about the friend she had probably lost. But then again, he had never been her friend, the idea alone was hilarious. People like Sesshoumaru didn't have any friends, especially not friends who were weak, pathetic humans. Then what was he to her? An enemy? An acquaintance? A lover?

"Hey, where did that bastard go?" Inuyasha's yell interrupted her train of thought. The hanyou had released her and was glaring at the spot in which the demon lord had previously been occupying.

"He left." Kagome stated calmly.

Inuyasha turned his still heated gaze back on Kagome.

"Yes, I can see that for myself." he stated gruffly. "Kagome…tell me, what did he do to you?" The hanyou demanded suspiciously, although concern was more than evident in his tone.

Kagome sighed unhappily, not really willing to talk about the subject. She despised lying, especially to Inuyasha, but how could she ever tell him the truth without making him hate her?

"I've already told you, he didn't do anything," she replied quietly. After a short pause and an incredulous snort from Inuyasha she continued. "Where are Sango, Miroku and Shippo? Are they well?"

"Yeah, they're alright. They'll be here soon. They just weren't able to keep up with my pace," he answered distractedly. "What do you mean he didn't do anything? His disgusting scent is all over you! Yuck! Kagome, what the hell happened here?"

Her heart skipped one beat and her breath hitched in her throat. 'Kami, he knows...' Kagome went as pale as a sheet of fine paper. Her mind was reeling. 'Calm down, he can't possibly be able to smell that! I've cleaned myself up thoroughly.' Trying to calm herself and hide her discomfort, she decided to answer him quickly and as truthfully as she dared, already knowing that Inuyasha wouldn't like any part of the truth.

"When I fled from the battlefield, like you told me to, I was followed by one of Naraku's minions. I don't know how, but I managed to dodge it. I sensed some jewel shards and when I followed them, I found this clearing. And…and I ran into Sesshoumaru. He was unconscious and badly injured and he probably would have died, so I helped him and..."

"You did WHAT? You helped HIM?" Inuyasha interrupted her hotly, his amber eyes glaring at her angrily. "What, did it just slip your mind how many times he's tried to kill me and steal the Tessaiga? He's even attempted to murder you whenever you got in his way! What the hell were you thinking?"

It was kind of strange, both brothers had amber coloured eyes, but they couldn't be more different in expression. Inuyasha's eyes were always heated with emotion. Shining with anger, happiness or affection, they were always full of life, while Sesshoumaru's were always as cold as the grave. Just one gaze from him could make her shiver, the chill that lingered in his eyes reaching icy fingers into her very soul. They appeared to be dead, those eyes, their coldness denying the possibility of life itself. But then again…last night, and today, she had seen bits of pent up emotion showing in those eyes. What a strange creature Sesshoumaru was.

Bringing herself back to the conversation, she tried to pacify the upset hanyou. "Calm down, Inuyasha. You know that I can't just let people die when I have a choice in the matter, not even someone like him. By the way, he gave me four Shikon shards in return. Who knows? He might even be grateful enough to stop bothering us all of the time."

"Grateful, my ass! He wouldn't even know the meaning of the word!" Inuyasha declared crossly.

Heaving another sigh Kagome said "Inuyasha, I'm sorry if this upsets you, but I believe that all life is sacred and as long as I am able to, I will offer help to the people who need it. And I don't make any exceptions."

"Feh!" Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and snorted in exasperation.

But after a moment his features began to soften again. He just couldn't be angry at Kagome for long periods of time. For him the young miko was the epitome of all that was good and kind. She was the friendliest and most selfless person he had ever met and although her temper sometimes got the better of her, her moral conduct was that of a true miko. From the moment he had met her, she had always been unconditionally willing to help all kinds of creatures. She really didn't make any distinctions between people and that was what had allowed her to accept even him, a hanyou and the bastard get of a demon lord, willingly and without hesitation.

Shaking his head slightly, he wondered why he was actually surprised that she could even muster some compassion for Sesshoumaru, in spite of him being the jerk he was.

Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise in the trees behind the couple and Kagome and Inuyasha turned around just in time to see Sango, Miroku and Shippo arrive on the fire neko.

"KAGOME!" Shippo squealed and jumped off the big cat faster than anybody had thought him capable of. Practically flying over to the girl, he launched himself into her waiting arms. Kagome hugged him tightly, relieved and happy to see him well.

"Kagome, I'm so glad that you're alright," he murmured with his head buried in her shoulder. Lifting it abruptly he asked "You are alright, aren't you?"

"I'm fine, Shippo. What about you?" The miko replied while she patted the kitsune's head lovingly.

"I'm alright, only Inuyasha and Sango got hurt in the battle," the little fox informed her, cuddling back into her shoulder.

"You were injured?" Kagome asked, turning towards Inuyasha in worry.

Shrugging, the hanyou replied nonchalantly. "Nothing too serious. I've already completely healed."

Satisfied with his answer, Kagome directed her gaze to the girl in front of her, who had just dismounted from the fire cat. "What about you Sango-chan?"

"I'm fine, Kagome-chan. I'm just relieved to find you in good health, as well." Sango said before she walked over to the other girl quickly and gave her a tight hug. As soon as Sango had released her, Miroku embraced her as well.

"Ah, I'm also happy to have you back again, Kagome. We were quite worried for you," he said before his hand travelled south and grabbed her butt tightly.

"Miroku!" Kagome shrieked, one hand itching to smack him.

But Sango sprang to her aid immediately. "Get your hands off of her, you lecher!" She hollered before she smacked him on the head with her gigantic boomerang. Miroku tumbled back with a happy smile on his face, caressing his wounded head.

"No need to be jealous, my dear Sango."

The taijya just snorted coolly and directed her attention back to Kagome. "What happened to you? Have you been here all this time?"

Before Kagome could answer her friend's question Inuyasha remarked scathingly "Yes, she stayed here the entire time and nursed Sesshoumaru back to health, so he can go on harassing us in his pursuit of my property!"

"Sesshoumaru? Is that true, Kagome?" Sango asked incredulously. Even Shippo had lifted his head from her shoulder to give the girl a questioning look.

Glaring daggers at the smug looking hanyou, Kagome tried to explain her actions. "He was badly wounded. I couldn't have just walked away and let him die, could I?

Shrugging, Sango just gave her a pointed look. Killing demons was what she had been trained to do all her life, so she had difficulties in comprehending Kagome's ethical doubts. Kagome wouldn't even have had to actually kill Sesshoumaru and as he was a threat to them it hadn't been a wise decision to keep him alive in Sango's opinion.

But it was far from her to reproach her friend for having a better heart then herself and most of the people she knew. The world and the creatures living in it, men and youkai alike, were bad enough as it was. There was no point in dimming the light that was Kagome's goodness, although sometimes the taijya simply failed to understand the strange girl from the future, dearest friend or not.

"Might I suggest that we return to the village for the night? You must be terribly tired, Kagome." Miroku submitted, interrupting the uneasy silence and changing the topic efficiently. Kagome graced him with a small, grateful smile and he smiled back at her knowingly. At times like these Kagome really wondered why the monk masked his true wise and caring self with the attitude of an easygoing lecher.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOo

Sesshoumaru was sitting in a meadow, a tough breeze tugging at his long hair, while he watched Rin picking the last flowers of autumn. It was still early in the afternoon, but grey clouds hung low in the sky, completely blocking the sunlight. The wind smelled of rain and the approaching winter. It would come early this year.

After he had returned to his home the day before, the little girl had hardly left his side. Obviously she had been quite worried for him and somehow this thought managed to slightly improve his bad mood. He honestly had no idea what it was that the strange human child saw in him, as she showered him with affection and trusted him blindly. The youkai lord was still not sure if she really understood what he was and in what relation they should normally be.

Rin didn't speak much, and neither did he, so he had never found out what was going on in her mind. Not that he had been very curious. In an odd way he had just succumbed to the fact that she shared his life now. Since the moment he had revived her with the Tenseiga and she had decided to follow him, it had just seemed…right.

/ "I couldn't just sit here, knowing that you needed help, and not help you." /

Were all of their kind like that or had he just met the two most peculiar females? Considering the knowledge he had about humans in general, probably the latter was true. All in all humans were weak, pathetic and meaningless creatures, chaotic and unintelligent in their ways of fighting and living.

To his great dismay he found his thoughts returning to the human miko. It felt strange to think about her, the way she smelled pleasantly of sunlight and flowers, the different nuances of her melodic voice. How useless it was to care about such unimportant facts. But somehow she just made him do the oddest things, moving and undoing him in ways undefined. And it confused him to no end.

There was no possible way to rationally explain how he had acted around her. Touching her and being touched by her in return had caused the most alien but not unpleasant sensations. Her scent was most intoxicating, too, but that couldn't be the explanation, could it? He had never reacted to any female like that. Usually he didn't spare them a second glance once his need was satisfied and the mere thought of ever being with a filthy ningen should have made him sick for several days.

What the hell had made him lie with her in the first place? And what had possessed him to touch her again afterwards. Well, it might have been motivated by her heady smell and his only intention at that time had, however paradoxically, been to aid her. But all of that should have never happened at all…

By now he was almost certain that it was part of the spell the wench had placed upon him. His pride bristled with indignation at the thought that most likely he had been tricked by this insolent ningen.

As soon as he had discovered that he had lost the ability to use the parts of his powers which required any kind of magic, he had ransacked his library for any possible explanation. But he hadn't found the slightest hint concerning the cause of his condition. So the only option left was that the priestess had put him under a spell, disabling him to use certain aspects of his powers.

On the other hand it was doubtful that she was powerful and skilled enough to cast such a spell and he would have noticed it, wouldn't he? Sesshoumaru loathed ignorance, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. Except...except he could find someone who had the answers to his questions. In a heartbeat he was on his feet.

"Rin!" He called.

The girl's head emerged from the high grass instantly.

"Hai?"

"Return to the castle, Rin. Now."

Her expression faltered slightly at his request, but she was already smiling again when she picked up her bundle of flowers and ran towards the waiting youkai lord.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, look at all the beautiful flowers Rin has picked," the little girl squealed happily as she presented her work to him.

Without saying anything, he kept looking at her sternly. Rin fidget under his intense stare, suddenly finding her fingers very interesting, which were currently playing with the sash of her kimono. Glancing at him occasionally she began to worry her lower lip with her teeth.

"...I...I have picked," she corrected herself tentatively.

Sesshoumaru gave her a short nod of approval.

"Very well, Rin. You may give them to Akiko when you arrive at the castle. She will take care of them." he said smoothly before he lifted her up and placed her on the two-headed dragon's back.

"Won't you come with us, my lord?" Rin asked, sounding slightly upset with the thought of him leaving her yet again.

"No, I have some business I must tend to. But I shall return shortly." he replied stoically, leaving no room for discussion. Then he turned to face the dragon.

"Ah-Un, you will take her directly to the castle, understand?"

The dragon nodded both of his shaggy heads to confirm his lord's demand. Then he spread his wings and took flight. The taiyoukai watched them rising high into the air, moving quickly in the direction of their home. Turning half around on the dragon's back, Rin waved goodbye to him enthusiastically.

Sesshoumaru cursed mentally as soon as he remembered he wouldn't be able to use his transportation cloud to get to his destination. Doing his nearly invisible version of a shrug, he started to run towards the north with lightning speed.

When he finally reached the place he had sought, he stood still, waiting patiently. In this part, the forest seemed to be darker and much thicker than anywhere else and in some places there was no way of passing through at all. Suddenly he could feel a crackle of energy in the air and a humming sound filled the otherwise silent forest. He watched calmly as a twisted face gradually appeared in the tree trunk directly in front of him. The ancient earth spirit yawned lazily before he opened his eyes, gleaming with age and wisdom, eventually focusing his gaze at Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what a pleasure. I thought another hundred years would pass before I saw you again." Bokusenou said in his low, rumbling voice.

Despising unnecessary speech, the youkai lord decided to ignore the comment.

"Bokusenou, I have questions." Sesshoumaru announced, voice smooth and indifferent.

"Of course. You always have, Western Lord."

Glaring at the tree, he bared his fangs slightly. He didn't like to be mocked in the slightest. Bokusenou knew of course how little meaning the title really held. That he, the great Western Lord's son had been presented with nothing but a pile of broken glass as a heirloom and how many of his father's former influence and property had been lost. He didn't want to be reminded of that fact now.

Tilting his head arrogantly he settled on ignoring the tree's remark again and decided to resolve the more pressing matters.

"I have been put under a spell by a miko and I need to know how to remove it." he stated in his usual detached tone, as if he were talking about some unimportant acquaintance of his.

"Hmm, that is strange, Sesshoumaru-sama. I cannot sense any magic on you."

"That would be the problem. I am unable to use any of my magical powers since I have been hexed."

Sesshoumaru could swear that he saw the earth spirits wooden eyebrows jerk up in surprise and his eyes widen slightly, but then the expression was replaced by a more neutral one. Continuing to stare intensely at the demon in front of him for a while, Bokusenou seemed to ponder about what he had heard previously. Finally he decided to speak.

"What exactly have you done with that miko?"

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow arched almost into his hair from shock and he had to violently stomp down his rising embarrassment before it threatened to heat up his face. 'How could he know about it?' he wondered before he straightened his back into an even more rigid posture and asked coldly:

"What would that have to do with the spell?"

"So you have lain with the miko," the spirit chuckled lowly.

Years of hard training started to pay off now, as not even one muscle in the taiyoukai's face twitched and he was able to maintain his usual, slightly bored expression.

"I did not say that," he replied icily.

"Of course not, but it is true anyway."

Giving the insolent tree one of his most deadly glares, he snorted quietly.

Appearing to be completely unimpressed, Bokusenou continued: "You are not under a spell, Sesshoumaru. If you were, I would feel the magical energy on you that is required to make the spell work. So the loss of your powers must have another cause."

The demon lord's dismay grew with every word. A nagging voice in the back of his mind had told him all along that it had been absolutely ridiculous to assume that this miko, of all people, would have put him under a spell. She wasn't the type to do such a thing. And now that same nagging voice predicted that he definitely wouldn't like the outcome of Bokusenou's little assessment of the situation.

"There was an ancient tale told long, long ago, when only few humans inhabited these beautiful islands. No animosity existed between these humans and the ruling youkai. In fact, one powerful demon fell in love with one of the first women of the miko breed. This young miko was the purest and most beautiful creature that had ever set foot on this earth and was widely known for her kindness and compassion"

Sesshoumaru snorted again, amber eyes narrowing a fraction in displeasure. 'Fell in love? With a ningen, of all creatures? Fine youkai that was.' He thought crossly, but kept his silence.

"Their love was pure and the kami took a liking to this mixed couple, allowing the two to stay together and share their powers. And the youkai's restless soul found a home in the human woman, for what misfortune sowed her simple touch could erase." Bokusenou narrated, pausing slightly for dramatic effect, before continuing:

"But other youkai did not desire for one of their own to mingle their blood with that of the mortal humans. So they formed a devious plot to sow distrust between the lovers. With a treacherous deceit they fooled the demon into believing that his mate would betray his trust and secretly lie with another. Upon hearing and believing their false vows his heart broke and grew cold as ice. Despair and blind rage possessed his soul and when he returned to the miko's village and she ran swiftly to embrace him, he drew his katana and stabbed it through her heart. She died at his feet."

"Of course the humans sought revenge for the loss of their kindest and most beautiful child and from that day on there was hatred and war between youkai and men."

"The kami, on the other hand, were displeased with the youkai for setting up their cunning trap, but also with the demon, who had lost the trust in the one being that truly loved him with ease. It was a dreadful crime to slaughter something as pure as this human miko. Therefore the kami bestowed the power to destroy demons upon the miko. To hunt them down, kill them with their arrows and protect mankind from their wrath. Since then miko and youkai meet only as enemies, destined never to love or touch one another in passion ever again." The tree spirit concluded heavily, the tone of his voice barely giving away his own sadness.

Sesshoumaru had listened silently. His mind was still processing the information he had just received. Why didn't he know this story? There were many tales about the beginning of time and the animosity between the races of youkai and men, but he had never heard of this particular one.

"So you expect me to believe this fairy tale and acknowledge that there is a mystical connection between youkai and miko if they do not meet as enemies?" He demanded sharply, arching one silver eyebrow even as his question mocked the old spirit.

"Hai." Bokusenou stated simply.

The youkai lord suppressed the urge to sigh in exasperation. Instead he decided to probe further.

"There are many tales, not one alike, about the beginning of the enmity between the races of youkai and men. Why, of all these tales, should I believe that this one holds the truth?"

"Because, Sesshoumaru, I know that it is true." the tree replied solemnly. "Look over there, where the coppice is the thickest. There was where the miko's village lay so many ages ago."

Sesshoumaru's head, which had followed Bokusenou's directions, jerked back in surprise. Although he had known that the tree spirit was very old, he hadn't assumed he had been around for such a long time. Before he could have recovered completely from his surprise, he heard Bokusenou ask.

"Who is your miko, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"She is of no importance and none of your concern." he stated quickly.

"I might be old, but I am not stupid, Western Lord. I think there is only one possibility. Which ordinary miko would let you anywhere near her?"

Shrugging almost invisibly, Sesshoumaru ignored him yet again, his mind still occupied with what he had discovered.

"It was the strange girl that travels with your half-brother, the one that seems to have no clear conception of youkai and their relation to men, was it not?"

Glaring daggers at the impertinent tree, the demon pondered whether the spirit's enormous knowledge was more of a blessing or a curse.

"What difference would that make?" he bit out resentfully.

"None, I am just curious." the tree replied nonchalantly. "Listen to me, Sesshoumaru-sama. The effect of your powers mingling with the miko's is singular and it affects her powers as well as yours. As her powers are exclusively magical, only this aspect of your own powers has been affected. There is nothing that can be done about it, but after a certain time period it will eventually wear off. During this time both of you will only be able to access your magical abilities if you are near one another."

Finally Sesshoumaru admitted that his inner voice had been right: He didn't like the outcome of this conversation at all. Giving a curt nod, the demon lord indicated that he had understood. There was obviously nothing he could do about the whole mess, so it would be unreasonable to waste any energy in fighting it.

"How long will it take for this state to wear off?" he demanded.

"To my knowledge there is no fixed timeframe. I believe it depends on the individual abilities of the persons involved."

Nodding again, Sesshoumaru considered his options.

"What will happen if I kill her?"

Bokusenou gapped at the demon in utter shock for a moment, not expecting even Sesshoumaru to suggest such a thing.

"I do not know," he answered truthfully after a short pause, voice a bit uneven. "But I assumed that you had taken a liking to the miko."

"I can assure you that no such thing has happened. She is but another worthless ningen." he drawled with a voice so chilly it could probably make Hell freeze over.

Bokusenou sighed almost inaudibly and closed his eyes for a short moment. The youkai's next question brought him out of his thoughts again:

"Bokusenou, is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, nothing else."

"Then I will take my leave now. You have proven yourself as useful as ever, although your insolence is most annoying at times." Sesshoumaru stated presumptuously.

The tree spirit just chuckled softly in response and watched the demon lord, whom he had known since he had been a little pup, turn and walk away proudly at a measured pace. A sudden thought caused Sesshoumaru to stop dead in his tracks and turn half-way round again.

"Bokusenou, one more question. What happened to the youkai?"

"He was cursed by the kami to live an immortal life as a prisoner, alone with the knowledge of truth and the regret for his hideous deed."

After raising an elegant brow at the tree, the youkai resumed his way back to his home, silently contemplating the cryptic answer he had just received.

ooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

A/N: Again thanks to all of you for supporting me! That's what makes me go on with this story.