A/N: So, uhm, finally I'm back, I guess. And I'm really sorry for the long wait. But the story isn't abandoned and I want to thank all of you who didn't give up on me. Your encouragement really helped a lot.

Special thanks go to Noacat for spontaneously agreeing to beta this chapter and doing a really good job.

Chapter 8: Magic

"I really do not know what is wrong with ye, child," Kaede said in her slightly hoarse voice, while mixing some herbs in a small bowl.

Kagome just shrugged and looked at the old miko miserably. For the past two days Kaede had examined her closely to find the cause of her current condition, but to no avail. There seemed to be no explanation as to why she had lost her powers all of sudden. Not only herself but also her friends were quite upset because of this new development. Without her ability to sense jewel shards, it would be very hard if not downright impossible to find any of them.

Inuyasha had been very secretive during the whole time. His encounter with Kikyo and Kagome's inability to detect Shikon shards had affected him probably more than he was willing to admit.

Kagome hated to fail him. Still, she had done so on more than one occasion recently. She had promised to be always by his side and devote all her power to his fight. But what if she had no powers left? She hadn't ever considered that. Three days ago, she hadn't been able to help him at all. And if it hadn't been for Kikyo saving the day, Inuyasha and her friends might have gotten severely injured or worse.

There was not much left she could actually do for Inuyasha. Perhaps she hadn't even the right to stay with him any longer. What would he do if he found out about her and Sesshoumaru anyway? Probably he wouldn't cast her a second glance, now that she had proven herself to be completely worthless.

No, she told herself, Inuyasha wasn't like that. If nothing else, he still was her friend. A real friend and he wouldn't simply forsake her because she was no longer able to serve a certain purpose. He did see more in her than a shard detector.

By now Kagome was positive that life was unfair. So many bad things shouldn't happen to one person in such a short time, first the whole Sesshoumaru-disaster, and then the sudden loss of her powers. Alright, the first issue was her own fault. But she was still unable to completely understand what had gotten into her to do such a thing, let alone comprehend what had been his motivations to bed a mere human.

The only good thing was that she had finally gotten her period. She had definitely never been so happy to have heavy cramps than yesterday morning when it had started. Shippo and Inuyasha had been more than baffled to see her writhing on her futon in pain with a happy smile on her face. After she had told them that she was simply in a good mood they had given up on her and left her to the "girl's stuff". Without complaining, she had spent half of the day on her futon in a lot of pain, chanting happily "not pregnant, not pregnant" in her mind all the time. Later that day Kaede had come and given her a potion to relive the pain, and almost instantly she had felt better. At least one potential problem had solved itself.

"Is there really nothing we can do about it?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid, no. All ye can do is wait, child. Perhaps it will end as abruptly as it began," Kaede replied, clearly worried because of Kagome's condition.

Sighing heavily, Kagome continued to stare into the empty room. There simply had to be a way to regain her powers. But how? Who was left to ask for advice if Kaede failed to know the answer?

"What is bothering ye, Kagome? Ye have been so distant and preoccupied with your thoughts since you have arrived. Is it the loss of your powers that disturbs ye so much?"

Kagome paled a little as she was brought out of her reverie abruptly. After all the time it was still disturbing how easily Kaede saw through her. Every nuance of her voice, the tiniest tilt of her head; the older miko could read these things like other people read words. Once again she wondered if this was due to Kaede's enormous experience and knowledge or rather due to the fact that she resembled her dead sister so much. Although she had never let Kagome feel it, she simply had to remind Kaede of Kikyo a lot.

But should she tell Kaede her secret? Would the old miko understand? Although there really wasn't much to understand, Kagome admitted silently, this mess just kind of happened.

"No, it's not just that. I've no idea what's wrong with me, but recently I've been doing the oddest things and I'm really afraid of Inuyasha and the others hating me for it," Kagome replied dutifully, having slight difficulties in ordering her confused thoughts.

Slowly, Kaede turned round and gave the flustered girl an understanding look.

"If this is about Lord Sesshoumaru, ye don't have to worry. It was the right thing to do," she said warmly.

"What!" Kagome blurted out before she was able to stop herself. Was Kaede just telling her that it was fine to sleep with the youkai lord? Digging her nails into her flat palm she tried desperately to determine whether she was dreaming or not. But although it felt rather painful she didn't wake up nor did Kaede or any of her surroundings vanish.

"Miroku told me about the whole thing yesterday. I know that Sesshoumaru is evil and that Inuyasha despises him, but still it was right to save his life. Your heart is in the right place, child, probably there is no other person as kind and selfless as you."

Kagome felt like crying. Again. Kaede didn't know what she had really done and was speaking and thinking so highly of her when she really didn't deserve it.

"Here Kagome, these are fresh herbs for Inuyasha's wound. Go and change his bandages, please," Kaede instructed her warmly, sensing that the girl needed some distraction

Kagome nodded, took the basket with herbs and fled the hut quickly, glad to escape the situation. There was no person more horrible than herself and still nobody seemed to notice. Guilt was a terrible feeling on its own, but combined with the fear of being found out was almost impossible to bear. She would be found out sooner or later, of that she was sure. When she had been a small child her mother used to tell her that there was no point in lying as no lie could withstand the truth forever. Believing in her mother's words, Kagome had always been as truthful as possible, but now, how could she tell the truth to anyone?

After some searching, she saw Inuyasha sitting on a rock in the outskirts of the village.

"Inuyasha!" she called while she was approaching him quickly, happy to have found him finally.

The hanyou gazed in her general direction gloomily before he continued staring at a patch of grass in front of him. When Kagome reached him she knelt down next to him to look into his face.

"I've brought fresh herbs to change your bandages," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"I'm not that badly injured. It isn't necessary to change my bandages hourly," he replied grumpily, still not really looking at her.

Sighing softly, she replied, "Inuyasha, you know that it is necessary to change bandages once a day and these herbs will make it heal faster. What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he snapped impatiently.

But Kagome knew him well enough by now to not believe a single word he said when he was in one of those moods. Besides, she was pretty sure what it was that bothered him and no matter how much she hated to approach the subject, it had to be done eventually.

"It is because of me losing my powers, isn't it?" she stated quietly.

Raising his head slowly, he gazed at her confusedly. "Huh?" he said, not really knowing what she was getting at. Then he registered the worry and the tension in her face and his expression softened.

"Oh, that… What did Kaede say anyway? Can she do anything about it?" he asked.

Sighing this time more deeply, the girl replied, "No, unfortunately she has no clue what's wrong with me. She said I simply had to wait and hope that it wore off on its own." Even to her own ears she sounded unhappy and hopeless.

"I see," Inuyasha said, trying to sound neutral as he didn't want to bother her any further. Yes, it was annoying that she couldn't sense the shards anymore, but as her misery was practically oozing off her body, he couldn't bring himself to make her feel worse.

"Look Inuyasha, I'm really sorry about this and I really don't want to disappoint you. I know I'm not much use without my miko abilities and it will be very hard to find any jewel shards without me sensing them. But I'll really try as hard as I can to regain my powers quickly."

Ah, she was so sweet, so pure. Inuyasha doubted there ever was a moment in which she solely thought about herself. But she wouldn't need to worry that much. Although the matter was really, really annoying, they would somehow manage to find a few shards until her powers returned. Obviously she thought that he was mad at her, but why should he be? It wasn't her fault after all. And besides, he could never be really mad at her for anything. She was the one person he really trusted, the one that would never betray him.

But everything was so complicated since Kikyo's return. Although he liked Kagome a lot, how could he ever forget Kikyo? He was bound to her by more than the promise he had made so long ago. Perfect, beautiful, fierce and exciting Kikyo. Once upon a time he had fallen for her so completely. He had never thought it possible to surrender one's heart, body and soul so entirely to another person. So entirely that even after such a long time, after hatred, betrayal and death, he had been unable to regain all of it…

A soft tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts abruptly and he suddenly gazed into Kagome's worried, azure eyes. So much like Kikyo's…

Shaking his head quickly, he smirked at her and said, "Hey, we will manage alright."

He was unable to comfort her as much as she wished he would, she still understood that he was neither mad at her nor did he want to dump her because she was useless.

A beautiful smile spread over the girl's face slowly and Inuyasha could feel the sheer warmth of it seeping through his bones. This was when she was really pretty, with a happy smile plastered on her face. It had taken him an eternity to figure it out, but it was as simple as that, Kagome had the heart and Kikyo, Kikyo had the rest.

He couldn't help giving her an answering smile.

"Are you dressing my injuries now, or have you just come to get on my nerves?" he sapped at her playfully.

"If you hadn't made such a fuss before, I would be done by now. Get undressed already," she replied teasingly, but blushed immediately as she became aware what her words might imply.

Inuyasha stared at her in shock for a moment, before he shook his head and blushed too. He quickly bent down to open the ties of his haori to let her tend to the gash on his back. Moving to sit behind him, Kagome went to her task immediately, still far too embarrassed to say anything else. She un-wrapped the bandages deftly, trying to touch him as little as possible. Although it hurt her, she knew that after all this time he still was not really comfortable with her touching him more than necessary. Light, safe touches were alright, but nothing that was slightly more intimate.

The large gash on his back was already halfway closed. Once again she marvelled at the abilities of youkai healing. Carefully she put the fresh herbs on the wound and bandaged him with new strips of cloth.

"Two more days and you'll be as good as new," she announced and got up.

"That's about time. We really should get going," Inuyasha declared in his usual, gruff tone.

"You're impossible! We all needed a bit of a break," she reprimanded him gently before continuing, "I'll bring those back to Kaede. See you later."

"All right."

Heading back towards the village, Kagome pondered about Inuyasha's strange behaviour. Something was bothering him that much she could tell. But if it wasn't about the loss of her powers, what was it then? He had looked almost miserable when she had first joined him. What else could disturb him so much?

Kikyo.

The name shot over her awareness like one of her arrows, burning everything in its way. Although she knew she had no right to feel this way, she couldn't help the jealousy seeping through her. Slowly, it flowed through her veins, hot and dark, but before she was consumed by the thought, she pushed it away. How could she dare to feel that way? After all that had happened…

Besides, she could never know if Inuyasha had really been thinking about Kikyo. There were so many things he could be worrying about and it was absolutely useless to waste her energy brooding about what Inuyasha was thinking.

But when she reached Kaede's hut her mood was foul. Fortunately, Kaede assigned her some simple chores like chopping herbs and roots for different medicines that didn't need much attention. There was hardly any talk between the two miko and Kagome was once more absorbed in thought. Although her mind was circling around the same topic for hours, she neither managed to find a solution nor did she feel better at all and her daydreaming earned her nothing but two nasty cuts on her index finger.

Suddenly the door was slid open forcefully and Shippo bounced into the room, interrupting her chain of thought efficiently. The little fox was practically glowing with excitement.

"Kagome, can you come play with me? I've just discovered the best place to play hide and seek! Pretty please," he asked sweetly.

Kagome directed a questioning gaze at the older miko. Smiling first at Shippo and than at Kagome, Kaede nodded slowly.

"It's alright, child. Just go with him, there's not much left to do anyway," she said, quickly turning back to the bubbling potion in front of her.

"Yay!" Shippo squealed happily. "Come on, Kagome, hurry up!" Then he had run from the room as swiftly as he had entered. Groaning slightly, Kagome got up and managed to follow him out of the hut shakily.

"Hey you little cheater, wait for me!" She called after the running kitsune, "That's no fair!"

Then she broke into a run, chasing Shippo into the forest.

The little fox had been right. He had discovered a perfect place to play in. It was a large clearing that had plenty of places to hide in. The game went on for about an hour and Kagome enjoyed herself immensely. Probably she really shouldn't enjoy this so much as she was becoming way too old for such childish games. Still she couldn't help but laugh happily along with Shippo as they played on this warm autumn afternoon. Kagome got so absorbed in their game which eventually led to a merciless chase, that she completely forgot about all her troubles.

During all their play her senses had been numb. There was nothing she had sensed at all, no powerful aura, no youki and no shards of the Shikon no Tama. But then, suddenly, when Shippo had just jumped at her in attempt to wrestle her to the ground, she felt it. All her motions froze in mid air and she stiffened. There was no doubt, her whole body was humming and tingling. She could feel his approach like fire in her blood.

Noticing her sudden change, Shippo lay still on top of her and shot her a worried glance.

"What is it Kagome? Do you sense anything?" He whispered quietly.

Sitting up quickly, Kagome pushed the kitsune in her lap and looked at him seriously.

"I want you to go back to the village and wait there for me. Can you do that?" She asked him with a fake smile.

"Why are you not coming with me and shouldn't I get Inuyasha, or something?" He protested in the same quite voice which she had just used to instruct him. Shippo knew this tone very well. Usually it meant either business or trouble, sometimes even both.

"No, I'll be fine. Just go and wait for me. And think up a new game for me while I'm gone," she said, trying to sound cheerful, and pushed him of her lap gently.

Eyeing her suspiciously for a moment Shippo scented the air. But he couldn't sense anything dangerous. Still, there was this nagging little feeling in his stomach that something wasn't quite right.

"Um, are you sure?" He questioned, wanting to know.

"Yes, of course. It won't take me long, promise," she replied with an impatient sigh, scanning the surrounding area out of the corner of her eyes.

Shrugging, Shippo gave her a short wave and hurried off towards the village. Kagome watched him leave and was very relieved. She couldn't live with the thought of bringing him into danger if she could avoid it.

But the feeling of relief vanished quickly when the tingling sensation all over her body started to become more prominent each second. Fear slowly crept up her spine and she shivered involuntarily when she thought about what the reason for his coming might be.

Then she saw him. He was emerging from the tree line carelessly, his silver tresses moving in the gentle breeze. The first thing she noticed about him was, oddly enough, that he wore a different kind of armour. Obviously his former one had gotten too damaged in his last battle to be repaired. The new one was more form fitting and resembled the armours worn by human samurai of that time.

Kagome watched him closely, hypnotised by his appearance and the way he moved. It had only been two weeks since she had last seen him, but it seemed as if she had already forgotten what a striking creature he was. Now that she thought about it, it was probably an odd thing to describe a guy as being beautiful. Good-looking or handsome, yes, but beautiful? Still, in Sesshoumaru's case there was hardly another word to describe him. Beautiful. Perfect.

His unhurried movements were graceful and fluid as he strolled over the meadow with the air of a sated predator after a successful hunt. She stared at him completely transfixed, unable to think about anything but the inhuman way he moved without seemingly any effort at all. When he came closer she could see the muscles of his legs move under the thin silk of his pants.

The thought of flight didn't even cross her mind.

He stopped a few paces away from Kagome, his cold gaze never leaving her face. Like a mouse hypnotised by a snake's unwavering stare, she just stood there, looking back at him, her mind completely blank. Then Sesshoumaru spoke and his smooth, cold voice sent a tremor through her body.

"Miko," he said, pausing slightly before continuing, "I suppose you know why I have sought you out." It sounded more like a statement than a question.

Obviously her ability to think clearly had returned with hearing his voice as a thousand things rushed through Kagome's head at once. The first thing that came to her mind was that he had finally decided to kill her and had come to do just that. But if that was what he wanted he could already have done it. 'Probably he enjoys playing with his prey…' she mused.

"N-no," she stammered, for the lack of anything better to say.

The youkai's eyes narrowed a fraction as he inquired coldly, "So, I gather, you have not noticed that you have lost your holy powers?"

Kagome's heart stopped a beat in shock, while her brain slowly tried to get used to the idea of Sesshoumaru knowing that she was absolutely defenceless and possibly really intended to end her miserable existence for good.

"How can you know that?" She demanded in a rush, unable to keep a slight tremor out of her voice.

If the matter wasn't so serious and annoying, Sesshoumaru would have enjoyed playing with the little priestess immensely. Even if she had made any real effort to hide her fear, he still would have been able to smell it. At least, it was, to some extent, quite satisfying that he hadn't lost his touch after all. But as he wasn't in any mood for games, he decided to get this over with quickly. The sooner he had collected the unnerving human, the sooner he could return to his home and focus his attention on more important matters.

"I know this because we both suffer from the effects of a magical connection that was formed between the two of us during our encounter in the woods." There, he had said it, and it hadn't sounded as ridiculous as he had thought it might.

Kagome gapped at him for a moment. What he had just said didn't make any sense to her. What the hell was he talking about?

"What…How…What connection?" She stammered uncertainly, still trying not to appear as a complete idiot in front of him. 'What are you trying to prove anyway? He probably knows more about you than any other person,' she scolded herself mentally. And it definitely wasn't the first and obviously wouldn't be the last time that she had embarrassed herself in his presence. If he wouldn't kill her now, that was.

Sesshoumaru gave his head a sharp tilt and this was the only visible sign that her questioning him annoyed him. Especially because he himself was still searching for most of the answers. Ignorance was a curse and a weakness.

"A connection that disables you to use your powers except when you are in my presence," he clarified, congratulating himself silently for his phrasing and even speech.

Thinking about this for a moment, Kagome noticed that, indeed, her ability to summon her holy powers had miraculously returned. But her happiness was very short lived, as the whole meaning of his words penetrated her consciousness. 'Only in his presence? Shit, that'll be my ruin!' She thought desperately, hating her messy life even more than a few minutes ago. Probably it was, in fact, true that fate punished you more or less quickly for your wrongdoings.

"F-for how long will this last?" She asked him, sounding just as desperate as she felt.

"There is no fixed timeframe," he repeated Bokusenou's words evenly.

Kagome was horrified and it showed on her face clearly. "You mean it could last for two more days or two more years?" She asked incredulously.

Sesshoumaru nodded gravely. The prospect of being tied to the miko for the next few years was really not too appealing. But despite this he was sure he should be repulsed by her human nature, yet he felt drawn to her more than ever. Blaming it on this cursed magical bond, he tried to redirect his attention to the problems at hand.

Kagome was at a loss. She really had thought her situation couldn't get worse, but obviously she was always wrong about such things. What would happen now? She was dependent on Sesshoumaru…of all people! Without her ability to sense shards…they all were. How could she explain this to her friends? To Inuyasha? The thought alone was enough to make her stomach twist sickly.

Then she was struck by another thought. In a flash of boldness she inquired, "Wait, you've just said that we both suffered from this thing? So, you can't use your powers either, can you?"

Sesshoumaru groaned mentally. He really had hoped to avoid this question completely. But obviously the little human wasn't as dumb as he had thought. Really, after all, he should have foreseen that she would finally come up with this.

"Yes, I can. At least most of them as only the magical component of my abilities are affected," he clarified coolly.

Kagome gazed at his face briefly before lowering her eyes again. A strand of silver hair had fallen into his face and for a moment she had been very tempted to brush it back behind his ear. She had had to avert her eyes to keep herself from doing just that.

"I see. So, what will we do now?" She questioned uncertainly, sounding even to herself very far away. She was still not looking at the demon in front of her.

The youkai lord gazed at her down cast face in bewilderment. What was it that made this human girl so very tempting? If he extended his arm, he could touch her without any real effort, and in this moment the prospect was almost too alluring. Her lightly tanned skin would feel soft under his fingers when he traced her cheek bone down her jaw towards her neck…

Shaking himself mentally, Sesshoumaru finally regained control over his body and mind and was able to refocus his attention towards the conversation at hand. Yes, she had just asked him a question, but what had it been? Although he could easily remember the way her full lips had moved while she had spoken, he couldn't for the world figure out what exactly she had said.

His silence caused her to raise her head and take a quick glance at him. But she was unable to tear her eyes away from his mesmerizing ones, once she had risked a look at them. They stared at each other mutely for a while until Sesshoumaru, accidentally, gave the right answer to the unknown question.

"You will stay with me for as long as it takes for this bond to fade," he stated with finality, as it was really time to end this ridiculous conversation.

Kagome blinked in surprise, but was still unable to look away. She felt more drawn to him than on that one fateful night. Something drew her soul, calling her to him with a pull almost impossible to deny. Why was this happening? Was this another side effect of his so called bond?

"That's impossible," she replied breathlessly, her lips staying slightly parted even when she had ceased to speak.

Sesshoumaru raised an elegant eyebrow, never breaking their stare, "Oh, and why is that?" he demanded, his voice sounding a bit huskier than normal.

"B-because…" she murmured and, without really wanting to, took a tentative step towards him, then another one which left them almost brushing against each other, "because I have obligations."

Gazing at her quizzically, Sesshoumaru waited patiently until her words had penetrated his suddenly foggy brain. Her being so close to him distracted him much more than he could ever have imagined and his normally sharp mind was reduced to a swirling chaotic mass of different thoughts and feelings.

Then, before he had had enough time to come up with a suitable answer, the girl reached out and tucked a stray strand of his hair behind his left ear. Her fingers brushed against the tip of his ear softly and he involuntarily shuddered at the contact as a spark of lightening shot through his body that was as intense as it had been unexpected. He could feel the soft jerk of her fingers, when she obviously experienced the same sensation. Smiling shyly, she let her small hand linger on his cheek in a chaste caress before she pulled it away slowly.

Kagome was beyond reason, beyond thinking. Longing welled up inside her like a tidal wave, swamping all resistance aside. Touch him… And that was what she did. His hair felt as soft as silk and his skin was smooth and heated. Just like she remembered it to be.

There was no reasonable explanation for what his presence alone was doing to her befuddled brain. There was no way of denying it either, she wanted, wanted with all her being, with every fibre of her trembling body. The want she experienced was almost at the point of pain and the thing she wanted so much that it nearly hurt was most likely him. The one she had sworn never to touch again. The insane intensity of it all was simply too much for Kagome and she reeled.

When Sesshoumaru caught her wrist in mind-air and pulled her body flush against his own, it had been another reaction on pure impulse. For a moment he gazed into her sapphire eyes to find the secret source of the odd power she held over his person. But there was nothing except the happy bewilderment that she probably saw in his own eyes too.

"We can't do that," she protested feebly and the rapidly fading, reasonable part of his mind agreed wholeheartedly.

"No, we can not," he echoed solemnly while he wrapped his other arm round her waist and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her heady scent was enticing and his body bent of his own free will so he could lower his head to the crook of her neck to smell it more intensely.

Kagome gasped. When he touched her she felt like nothing he could ever do would drive her away. In this moment he was all she had ever wanted, would ever want. Feeling his warm breath ghost over the tender skin of her neck, she closed her eyes in bliss and contentment. And his touches took her to places she had never been before. It felt like flying, like falling without ever hitting the ground. Wrapping her arms round his neck, she clung to him like somebody drowning clings to a piece of wood in the water. And she was drowning, drowning in a sea of pure sensation.

She moaned quietly when she felt a hot trail of wet warmth over her collarbone, lips nipping softly as they traced a trail over the sweep of her arched neck. Feeling completely boneless, she was pressed tighter against him and felt his blazing heat through his armour and layers of clothes. She melted as she was enfolded by this heat, his very presence overpowering the last of her defences as she was totally lost in him. Absentmindedly, she sensed her last grip on sanity fade as her whole body burned with pure need and sensation.

Time was a jerking, mad whirl of seconds that lasted forever and a blur of minutes that passed without realization. And after such an eternity beyond space and time she felt him reluctantly withdrawing from her. She mewled in protest when he finally had stepped out of their embrace and held her at arms length away from him, his hands lingering on her shoulders. His eyes were dark, clouded with want and need, reflecting her own agonized longing.

"Miko," he murmured quietly, "this is magic…and that is all it is."

Although she heard his silky voice, she barely registered his words, her body still burning and tingling at the places he had touched her.

But then she froze in shock and horror as she heard another, more familiar voice yell angrily, "Take your rotten hands of her, Sesshoumaru, or I'll make you regret it for the rest of your sorry youkai existence!"