The fourth addition to 'The Bound Youkai Series'

Title: Memories Forgotten Reborn

Subtitle: The Miko Kagome

Author: Kiba/KibaSin

Warning: Language/Violence

Summary: Sesshoumaru has become a powerful leader; hateful still that he did not get the two swords' he wanted, which continues to push his memories of before into the darkest depths of his mind. However, when he meets the miko half of Kagome, these memories return to his mind, and something within him seems to warm, his ice beginning to break.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters.

Rating: PG-13/T

Genre: General

A hundred years had passed since the death of the Great Dog General, Touga, once Lord of the Western Lands, King of Dogs, and King of the House of the Moon. A hundred years of blood spilt while the inuyoukai's eldest son, Sesshoumaru, cut down his enemies and those who wanted to take the Western Lands from his hand. However, the once young prince was cold as ice, deadly accurate when he attacked, and never allowed those against him passed the gates to the House of the Moon. He protected what was his by birthright, yet truly he never received what he so desired.

His younger half-brother, Inuyasha, grew distant from others with the death of his mother. An illness had overcome her causing her death to be slow and painful yet—from what she told Inuyasha—, she would have done the same thing if given the choice for she had truly loved her son. However, even she did not expect that when he would finally meet his older half-brother he would be attacked like some wild animal. Though he had made it out alive he grew even further away from the world, until he met a miko inside of a village by the name of Yumi.

Yumi was a kind miko who'd lost her truest love when she bound him away from the world after he betrayed her. She grew older, until one day she was attacked in the hidden shadows of the night. When Inuyasha had found her she'd been dying, and whispered only one name, "Naraku…" before her life slipped away from her and she past into the afterlife in the arms of a hanyou who disappeared quite suddenly the next morning after the village buried their precious miko.

However, these events were nothing compared to the feelings of one certain demoness, locked away by the soul of another miko. It happened seventeen years before the exact amount of a hundred had passed…

oOo

Her heart sped for a moment, her eyes widening as she realized what had just happened. It had taken her three days, but she could finally come to terms with the feeling her instincts had suddenly caused. She didn't think it would happen so soon, but perhaps it was for the best, since only her miko half, as she had now concluded, could set her free. That is, if her miko half, the other half of her soul, ever knew that she was alive. However, her instincts had never been wrong, and she knew for a fact what had happened. Finally, after her long wait the other half of her soul had been conceived. Somewhere, in a ningen form, the other half of her soul was currently growing within a woman's womb.

Maybe, just maybe, she could get out of this hellish place. However, that would only happen if what she saw came true. She knew that though her visions of souls usually came true, fate could easily change if certain events before it did not happen. Fate, after all, had many paths, but it also had many curves and turns one soul could take—many doors a soul could open. Should that soul make a decision clearly different, or unique from what it was originally destined to do then it either came to her, or its fate changed a little. She just hoped that whatever brought those two lustful bodies together came to pass, for she'd know that her other half would not only live as long as the taiyoukai, but she might be free.

The only problem, her vision would not happen for many years. Years that began to pass once she closed her eyes. Years of nothing to do except right another's wrong, and send them back to their body. Nothing, except wait until either the other half of her soul came to see her when it walked away from its path, or until she felt her restrains completely drain away and she flew off into the sky in her true form. Unless, of course, fate decided to reunite them, but she doubted Midoriko would allow her such a happy ending.

After all, to Midoriko, her home was a gift, instead of torment. Something that would help her one-day understand completely why she'd walked away from her duty of protecting the Shikon. She knew what it was already, though. Her own selfish desires caused her to give the Shikon no Tama to Sai, thus thrusting herself into this hellish place that Midoriko kept her imprisoned in. Keeping her there until she could do something so pure and righteous that she was set free.

Then again, Midoriko might never set her free.

oOo

Those years after the demoness Kagome felt her instincts flare with excitement did pass. Not quickly, but not slowly, turning a once young newborn babe into a teenage miko in training, who wanted nothing more then to simply train with her older sister, while also playing old time games with her friends, gossiping, and doing many other things that could be done within a small village. Not everyday was peaceful, but the miko by the name of Kagome would soon learn that it could be much, much worse. If only she knew the truth, for it would save her from the hands of fate, and allow her to merely move on away from what destiny had in store for her.

Fate, destiny, and time were fickle things, however, and did not allow a soul to leave its grasp so easily. So, Kagome continued on with her life until she was a nearly completely trained miko who protected her village beside her elder sister, listening to rumors that flooded the lands, while continuing on with her life. By the age of seventeen, though, everything changed in an instant… the time when fate had decided for her to be near the Western Border, and a youkai suddenly appeared demanding the right to feast upon her pure ningen blood…

…

oOo

The autumn night air changed from cold to warm as the sun began to rise above the eastern horizon. It covered the land with a warm yellow glow, brightening the many shades and hues of the large landscape. The ocean water crashed against the western coast of Nihon as the sun caused the water to glisten and twinkle as if it were an exact copy of the nighttime sky. However, this did not bother any of the creatures rising, stretching, and moving forward with the new day. No, only one creature stood at the top of a cliff looking over the same water which his father had flew across long ago when he saved his younger bastard of a half-brother, Inuyasha. True, it was not the beach where they spoke, but it was the perfect place to trail his father's once traveled path with his eyes.

Those same golden eyes that were hard, calculating, cold, and yet burning hot all at the same time. Their golden depths continued to trail the path his father had taken, his instincts still screaming that he should go out and find his half-breed half-brother once more, but unlike the last time they'd met he would not simply determine if the boy had learned anything after the death of his mother. No, he, Sesshoumaru, would kill him. For now, though, his eyes continued to watch the sky as if doing so would turn back time and place his father beside him, his mother on the other side, both of them praising him for finally transforming while controlling his beast, and not giving into the feeling of becoming nothing but a killing machine. He knew, however, that his wish would not be granted and he would not be given what he desired.

Sesshoumaru knew though that he would not get anything he desired. One of them was the swords' of his deceased father. Sou'unga had been lost, probably thrown back into the depths of Hell where it truly did belong. Tetsusaiga? Even his father's retainer, Myouga the flea, would not tell him. So, Tetsusaiga was gone as well, but he felt that it was still somewhere within the plains of existence, just… where he'd least expect it. He did have a feeling, though, that his bastard of a father had hid it along with his body, since that, too, had not been found –

- The other thing he wanted was not as important to his mind as the first, but every once in a while it plagued him as to why he could not remember most pieces of his younger life. It was as if his younger life had suddenly been erased of certain places, most of them trying to come to mind before they disappeared. What bothered him most was when he could hear the whispering of a woman in his ears, when he knew that there was no woman near him, or even that close. The whispering was of things that he knew he should remember, yet every time he tried it resulted in a headache that throbbed from the inside of his skull. After many years, he was positive that these events he wished to remember, yet his mind did not, were played out before his father's death. Whatever they were, though, they were of importance, and he merely shook the thought away since he knew they would not come to the front of his mind.

Still, it was strange that he could remember touching moments with his mother yet, at times he could not even remember her death. Once in a while he could not see her face when he wished to be comforted. Usually all that came to his mind was her walking away from him and out of his life. Now, though, he knew was not the time to be thinking of this, for it too gave him a migraine far worse than Hell itself. Hell, he'd never been there, but he knew that he had never had a migraine until after he became Lord and began running the entire Western Territories. He was beginning to understand why his father decided to leave the House of the Moon on sudden outings before returning a month or so later before he met that whore Izayoi.

A small unnoticeable sigh fell from his lips before he turned from the ocean, and began walking back toward the place he'd once called home. His mind stayed with the moment for only a few minutes later, before he began thinking about what he should do for the time being. He knew that he would be lord for a very long time, which meant he would need to find a way to relieve himself of his current stress. After all, he'd been running the House of the Moon from the inside, while his father had always sent back word about what they should be doing, while watching over the rest of the land, making sure that those living within the Western Lands followed the laws that he set.

Besides, he'd heard that a band of rouge youkai had been causing chaos along the Western Border. The information had come from a very reliable source from within the Eastern Lands. Of course, this person was always telling him about different things, like a miko who was continuously growing in power even though she was merely seventeen years of age, but he had heard from locals who came to see them that youkai had been attacking the borders. It would not only give him a reason to leave the House of the Moon, but to also clear his head of the many things that plagued it.

Sesshoumaru walked passed the trees that shook with the wind, autumn colored leaves falling around him. He didn't pay much attention to it, just as he didn't pay much attention to the small green imp named Jaken that he'd saved unintentionally a few weeks prior. The smaller youkai came running from behind a group of trees where he'd situated himself in order to allow him his peace, but it really didn't matter to him. Most of the time he merely ignored the youkai, telling himself that Jaken owed him a life dept. True, the youkai would never save his life, but that did not matter to his honor.

Still, he continued toward the House of the Moon, trying to push away the thoughts of burning it down. He would actually find pleasure in bringing it down to dust, but he knew that it was a symbol of his great ancestry and that was the only thing that stopped him from completely torching the House of the Moon. His thoughts were always filled with dark events when it came to his home, especially when he began moving toward the building. He usually saw his form standing in front of it, a torch within one of his hands, while a bottle of sake was held in the other, while the House of the Moon began crumbing to pieces while the many servants living inside were running for their lives.

As he neared the House of the Moon he decided to go along with his thoughts, and merely moved past the stonewalls surrounding it. He knew that the guards placed upon the walkways were watching him, but he paid them little attention as he moved into the forest. They probably saw him fade into the darkness of the inner forest, but he merely continued to move around the trees that blocked his path.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken called. "Lord Sesshoumaru?"

He allowed a, "Hm" to pass his lips, silently telling the small youkai to continue. The imp was probably wondering where they were going. Of course, with his larger intellect he was correct when his new, small retainer suddenly asked the question he was certain would swim off his tongue.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, where are we going?" Jaken asked. "This Jaken understands if you do not wish to tell this lowly youkai retainer."

Never missing a beat, Sesshoumaru replied, "This Sesshoumaru is going to check up on the rest of his lands, Jaken. After all, this Sesshoumaru needs to make sure that rouge youkai are not causing havoc upon the surrounding villages."

"Hai, hai," Jaken cheered, "those blasted youkai will fall beneath your might, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"Silence, Jaken," Sesshoumaru growled. His voice never changed, but it sounded louder then he had actually spoken. Within moments the small imp was mumbling his apologies, before he went silent. It was nice for the moment, and Sesshoumaru continued on his path, knowing that it would not take long before he reached the border of the Western and Eastern Lands. Then he would be able to get rid of the problem his source had told him of, and finally his lands would return to the peace it had before.

oOo

Her fingers grasp hold of the herb she needed in order to help an older woman with an illness back in her village. She was far away from the safety of the barrier she and her sister had placed around their small village located within the Eastern Lands, but that did not bother her. After all, her mere aura should keep away those who wanted to try and rip her to pieces. Then again, she or her sister would blow most of them apart once she came to her side. True, she could protect herself, but her sister was a little overprotective, and was always telling her that she needed her help. Sometimes she thought Kikyo was merely jealous of her growing power.

Autumn leaves fell around her, the reds, browns, yellows, oranges, and many inbetween colors creating a spiral of beauty around her before they landed onto the ground. Still, a smile crossed her lips as she stood only to turn deeper into the forest. The herbs she needed only grew in certain places, and most of them grew closer to the Western Lands. It was really the only reason she'd ever get so close to the 'promise' land, as some called it. They were said to be ruled by a cruel youkai lord with the strength of a hundred ningen men. It was said he was far more beautiful then anyone should ever be, and that should any ningen woman look upon his beauty they would instantly fall in love with him. She did not believe this, since no one could hold so much beauty, especially a youkai male.

She knew she should not think this. She knew that she'd been taught better then that. However, her sister, Kikyo, was completely against the idea of youkai even walking the lands—Kikyo hated youkai with a passion. It was strange that they were born from the same mother, but she knew that she did not hold that same hatred. She'd taken care of many-wounded youkai and only a few had ever tried to attack her afterward. Most held too much honor to even attack an unarmed woman. She would never be able to understand why Kikyo turned her back against youkai and hanyou.

Feeling the cool shadows of the forest surround her, Kagome continued on her path toward the border. She'd heard that some rouge youkai were roaming around the area, but she was also sure that Lady Yui would stop them once she heard word of them. After all, her mother, the head miko, had sent out a messenger to the youkai woman concerning the rouges. Besides, Lady Yui was a gentle youkai who used to visit their village when she was a young girl—she was very kind, and would come once she heard of these youkai destroying her villages. Plus, there was the taiyoukai who ruled the Western Lands. The rouge youkai were destroying villages on his lands as well, so he should come to stop them.

She was in no danger at the moment, anyway, so why should she worry. So, instead of worrying about youkai who roamed through the forest, Kagome continued forward. She'd already sensed her neko friend, a youkai who had befriended her after she'd bandaged her up for the first time. She'd named the neko Suni, because she'd been younger and could not think of a name for her newest friend. Suni was a strange youkai, though. Armor grew right out of her body, the silver metal connected to her skin, while her tori like pattern blended a little into the forest background. The youkai neko was very beautiful, not only because of her pattern and armor, but also because she had the most beautiful emerald eyes, which were surrounded completely by her strange helmet. It was Suni's tail that she loved the most, though, for her armor ran down the upside a little, before it stopped in an arrow design—that wasn't what she loved the most, though, no, it was the end that completely caught her attention. The piece at the end of Suni's tail could split into four sections, becoming a very deadly weapon. Suni was a beautiful being, and she would forever love her. However, it was strange when Suni's aura began to fade deeper into the forest, for the youkai neko usually stayed close to her.

Finding this a little odd, Kagome turned her eyes to the darkness of the forest. Her ningen eyes could only see complete darkness, so she turned to the light opening at the end of her path. It lead to a small clearing where the herb she needed grew on the side, near the edge of the trees. Suni would usually come to meet her there, but it seemed that her friend was currently off on the hunt or something.

Her sandal covered feet touched the Earth lightly, continuing to travel along her path until the seventeen year old miko found herself standing at the edge of the clearing. It was quiet. Very quiet. It wasn't unnatural, but considering the time of day it was a little strange. She couldn't help but smile a little, thinking that Suni was keeping away something dangerous, which had scared away all the normal animals that came there; especially to drink from the small river feed lake in the middle of the clearing.

Moving closer to the border between the Eastern and Western Lands, Kagome allowed her feet to move her around the small lake. Her eyes turned toward the luscious forest before her: the boundary between the two lands. It was strange, since from the border you could clearly see the difference between the two lands. The Eastern Lands terrain was different from the Western Lands, which made it harder for trees and other types of foliage to grew. The Western Lands were full of life, and color. So much different from the home she knew. However, she wouldn't give up her life just yet, no, she was far to attached to it at the moment, and she didn't think anything could ever change her mind.

Leaning down next to the patch of herbs, Kagome allowed her fingers to grasp the stems, easily snapping them from their ends, before placing them into the small basket she carried. She'd almost completely forgotten about it, until she'd moved it up her arm a little, feeling the weight hang off her bent arm. Still, as she continued, she placed each herb she snapped from its stem into her basket. Of course, it was almost completely filled, but she really didn't mind, since she would dry most of the herbs out later, and being over stocked helped when you were suddenly hit with a lot of sick patients with the same illness, or symptoms.

She felt two auras coming toward her, before suddenly a third joined them. Only one she recognized as her sisters. One was coming from the Western Lands; powerful and controlled… the other was right behind her. Before she knew it her instincts had went into action, causing her to drop her basket, her body pushing itself forward as she heard the sound of claws slicing through the air. Her body hit the ground with a thud, before she turned back to the youkai standing behind her.

Its dull, lifeless, black eyes stared at her, its highlighted blue and black hair shot straight up from its head, while its mouth was opened to show off a set of sharp fangs. She couldn't determine what type of youkai it was, but suddenly its eyes began to swirl, and she felt like her very soul was begin sucked from her body as she stared at him. Her breath slowed, her mouth opening to allow her soul to easily flow from her body, when she felt her body grow weak beneath her. She didn't know what was happening, but suddenly the connection was broken, and she heard a vicious growl off to the side.

She hadn't noticed her neko friend until Suni lunched herself at the other youkai once more—the youkai that was suddenly farther away then he had seemed. Her fangs sunk into the youkai's neck, as Kagome watched her metal like claws sink into the youkai's back. However, the other youkai began trashing about, throwing her feline friend away from its body. Kagome, in fear for the neko, watched as Suni flipped in the air, sliding into the ground as she landed on her four paws. Kagome knew that Suni would do anything to protect her, but she felt a bit of regret that she hadn't noticed this strange youkai earlier.

Suni shot forward, her back legs launching her off the ground, her front claws aiming for the youkai's face. The other youkai raised its arm to block the attack, however, and as Suni's claws sank into the appendage the other youkai reached around with its other hand, suddenly grabbing Suni by the throat and quickly flipped her through the air. Within moments Suni was slammed into the ground, her back nearly breaking from the force. She held on, however, her strange tail shooting straight into the youkai's arm, the tip suddenly breaking into four parts, cutting off the youkai's arm completely.

The youkai snarled in pain, squeezing Suni's throat tighter, before something very strange happened. The torn appendage, the arm that had been sliced completely off of the mysterious youkai began growing back. Within moments the blood had stopped flowing and another arm had grown in its place. Kagome gasp, suddenly on her feet, her basket long forgotten as she began running toward her friend. Before she reached them, though, the youkai had stabbed its claws through Suni's armor like skin; they sank into Suni's shoulder, the feline giving off a hiss of pain.

Fear for Suni rushed through her, causing her limps to burn. She felt like she could suddenly transform like a youkai did. Kind of like when she saw Suni become twice her size once. However, even as her legs carried her faster, the distance was to far for her to reach them before Suni was thrown to the side, the neko giving a faint growl, before going unconscious. By then Kagome had slammed herself against the youkai's side, watching as he stumbled a bit, before looking at her, his hand reaching out to grab her by the neck. It didn't take much for the youkai to lift her into the air, her legs kicking around, when she felt the powerful aura fill the area.

The youkai's strange ability swam over her once more. Her soul felt like it was being tugged at, but another half of her held her together. Something deep within her soul seemed to flare, and she felt the youkai tighten its grip on her, its claws suddenly sinking into her side. It was then that she allowed her instincts to take over, since they were usually what saved her in the end. She'd never understood why, but it was always the thing that managed to get her out of a bind—it was as if she was missing a piece of herself, and her body took action when she needed to stay alive.

Her instincts once more took over, and she felt her miko energy fly. Her mind seemed to blank out, her vision suddenly fading, before she was felt her body being dropped to the ground. After that her vision returned to her, and she watched the dust of the youkai lift into the air, her eyes caught sight of a small purple jewel sitting in front of her. Her hand reached out to grab it, its warmth caressing her hand, before it suddenly turned a bright pink underneath her hand. Paying little attention to the boots that had suddenly appeared in her sight, she lifted her hand from the round jewel, watching as it shimmered, the pink coloring changing back into the purple. On impulse she grabbed it, tightening her hand around it when she finally took notice of the powerful aura coming from the youkai in front of her.

Her eyes slowly glanced up, and the mere beauty of the male before her struck her hard—almost like being hit by a wagon. Her breath lodged itself in her throat, as her hearing seemed to stop instantly, erasing all sounds coming from the little youkai that suddenly burst into the clearing. Her eyes continued to gaze up at the silver haired youkai; his high cheekbones that held perfectly formed magenta strips, and his thin golden eyes that seemed to brighten suddenly as if a memory had suddenly come over him. Her attention was brought to the blue crescent moon on his forehead, which was slightly covered by his bangs, along with a bit of his eyes.

Without her knowing it a smile formed on her lips. She felt like she was gazing up at an angel, but there was suddenly an ache on her head, as her neck tilted downward, her hands shooting up to touch the sore spot. She heard the youkai above her growl, the small imp beginning to run around screaming his apologies. She was more concerned about the lump forming on top of her head, before her mind suddenly turned toward the neko lying motionlessly beneath a tree. "Suni," she whispered, climbing to her feet, ignoring the youkai, and rushing to the neko's side. With ease she lifted Suni's head into her lap, happy to find that the neko was still breathing.

"Miko," came a deep voice. She turned her head toward the youkai standing in front of where she'd once sat, as he said, "Tell me your name, miko." His voice demanded she answer, and if she hadn't been raised the way she was she would have felt very, very, very small compared to him. However, she did not, and turned her face to begin petting Suni's fur.

oOo

He was nearing the border between the Western and Eastern Lands when he sensed the presence of the band of rouge youkai. When he arrived, however, Lady Yui was already walking away from the bloodshed, obviously having heard about the rouges and deciding that they needed to be taken care of. True, he relished in the fact that their blood was spilled all over the forest, but he was slightly disappointed that he had not been able to partake in it. That was until he felt the energy of a very strange youkai. It was something he'd never felt before, and turned toward it.

As he walked toward it he noticed that Lady Yui had obviously decided that he could deal with the last of the rouges. However, even as he moved away from the place, he felt that he should have stayed, allowing Lady Yui to go after the last youkai. His instincts had always been right for the last one hundred years, so he was pretty sure that whatever he was walking toward would be either his defeat, or something that would change his life forever. Either way, he was sure that it wouldn't be good for him.

It wasn't long before he heard the sounds of battle, a feline hissing with rage. True, as an inu it was his nature to have a slight hatred toward neko's, but the hidden youkai meaning behind it told him that the neko was protecting someone that had once saved its life. He heard the strange snarl of another youkai, as he neared the playing field. What he saw, though, was a neko being thrown toward the side, a ningen girl slamming into the youkai's side. It was useless since she was so much smaller than the youkai, and he watched as the youkai reached out to grab the ningen by the throat.

What happened next was strange, something in the back of his mind clicking into place. When the youkai lifted the woman, he saw a bright purple glow at her side, before the youkai's attention was drawn to it, its claws sinking into the woman's flesh with little effort. However, the ningen woman, what he'd confirmed as a miko woman, gripped the youkai's thick arm in her small hand. As he walked around the clearing to get a better view, he saw one of the woman's eyes change to a bright pink, while the other turned to a blood red, which seemed to swirl with dark blue.

"…My other half shall forever be ningen… when you meet her, youngling, her name shall be the same as mine. Best you remember that…" His thoughts clung to the memory, the face of a demoness coming forth into his mind. Her smirk, her dark blue eyes that turned a dangerous red when he angered her, the black and silver colored 'X' upon her forehead, while her two cheek markings were different colors as well, one silver, the other black. His mind continued to cling to those four little words, however, "…Best you remember that…"

He hadn't remembered that. He hadn't remembered anything. Gazing at the miko as her power shot out of her body and into the youkai's, however, he felt her name on his lips. It continued to plague his mind over and over again as he saw his mother's bloodied form before his eyes. The name wrapped around his thoughts, and he instantly knew what he was going to ask this miko woman, especially since she'd just blasted, what he'd determined as a void youkai, to dust. The name, however, once more raced through his mind, along with the words of the tori-youkai.

"…This Kagome meant no harm, for she calls all wandering souls that…" Thinking about those words now he knew the woman had mocked him. True, he did talk about himself by saying his own name with a 'this' in front of it once in a while, but that was no reason to mock him. If he ever met that blasted demoness again, he was going to teach her some manners for when it came to future taiyoukai that went to her.

He moved to the woman's side, before stepping up in front of her sight. He knew that she should be able to see him, but it did not bother him since she was currently examining a small jewel, one that he had not noticed before, that had landed on the ground. Even he wondered where it had come from until he saw the purplish color turn to a bright pink when her hand came close to it, only to reside back into the purple color when she moved away. It only brought forth the memory of the jewel hanging from the tori-youkai's neck. The one that hung off her golden chain: the jewel the demoness Kagome had called the Shikon no Tama.

The miko snatched the jewel from the ground, gripping it tightly within her hand, before finally taking notice of him. Of course he did not let this bother him, since he was Sesshoumaru, but he watched as the young woman began looking up at him. It gave him enough free time to scan her red and white miko clothing, her soft looking skin, her round face, which held her large blue eyes, her perfectly shaped nose, a pair of rose colored lips, and her midnight black hair. She looked much like the demoness Kagome, except she did not hold the markings of a youkai, or the scent, or anything that would have told him she was a youkai. No, but she held everything else, right down the breasts he had once admired on the demoness Kagome, proudly thrust forward while she hung naked from her tree. She was the perfect twin to the demoness Kagome, with only a few little things different.

She was watching him with awe, and he was quite dumbstruck with a smile suddenly formed itself on her lips. She, from what he knew and learned, was so different than the demoness he knew, however. She probably would have the same fiery attitude if he cause her temper to boil, but she seemed so much softer, so sweet and innocent. The demoness Kagome had been a corrupted woman who wanted nothing more then to be free of the imprisonment she'd earned herself when she decided to allow a man by the name of Sai make a selfish wish on the Shikon no Tama she once held.

Now it seemed that even the Shikon had been split. He remembered the demoness telling him about how her soul had been split apart: one half living forever bound, while the other lived the life of a miko. He did not remember her telling him that the Shikon no Tama had split as well. Perhaps, though, this Midoriko's soul was so large that she'd split her own in order to occupy the space she'd stole from both halves of Kagome's soul. Perhaps… but then again he remembered thinking a lot about perhaps and maybe when he was younger.

Sesshoumaru growled in anger when he saw Jaken hit the girl over the head with the Staff of Two Heads. He'd given him that weapon, and he was beginning to think that perhaps he should have thought otherwise before he even allowed the small imp to follow him. After all, he'd met the demoness Kagome before he blocked his memories away, when he'd locked away his heart. However, with the mere sight of this woman staring up at him, or when she was, he felt as if something inside his chest had fallen loose, and she'd suddenly crawled inside with her smile.

Quite suddenly the miko's attention turned to the fallen neko behind him, the name, "Suni" falling from her lips. Without much effort the miko had gotten up and moved to where the neko lie. He watched as she lifted the neko's head onto her lap, smiling when she found the feline's heartbeat. This feeling in his chest was strange and unnatural to him, however, and he wanted to know if her name was truly what he thought it was. After all, he'd never seen a miko who used their power, only half of them showing holy energy, while the other half seemed to stay silent.

"Miko," he called. He remembered the tori-youkai's predatory stare when she turned her head toward him. However, he shook it away since her eyes were soft and kind, telling himself that though they might be from the same soul they were not the same. In fact, it seemed that when they were split apart, the miko Midoriko had locked away the dark half, and allowed the light half to have peace like she should have. Once more he opened his mouth, making sure to keep his face neutral as he said, "Tell me your name, miko."

The miko seemed to think about it for a moment, before her head turned away and her hand began petting the neko's fur. She seemed to be thinking on it, but it didn't matter to him. No, it didn't, but he would wait for his answer, since her feline friend was probably more important to her.

"Answer Lord Sesshoumaru, you filthy ningen!" Jaken cried.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the small imp, growling, "Silence." Instantly Jaken shut his mouth, and Sesshoumaru turned back to the miko, knowing somewhere deep inside of him that she was more concerned about the neko at her side. Something within him told him to be patient with the miko, she only wanted to make sure her friend was fine.

Sighing, Kagome glanced up, before saying, "My name is Kagome." After saying it she felt like everything seemed to crowd in around her, but she hugged Suni's head to her torso, noticing that her wound had stopped bleeding, and the feline was beginning to purr deep in her chest. It made her happy, even though she felt like this youkai male was far to important to be speaking with her.

Kagome… Kagome…

Kagome… This… My name is… Kagome…

Name shall be the same as mine… Best you remember that…

Youngling… Young Prince…

Holder of the Shikon no Tama… Lord Sai… Cursed to remain here…

Supreme conquest…

Tell me, Sesshoumaru, have you someone to protect?

Protect…? Protect… protect… The memories of his past continued to roam through his mind suddenly with her words. His eyes glazed over more than they already were as he gazed at her. For some reason he felt that when his past was reborn so was his heart. It warmed for some strange reason with the sight of the ningen woman before him, and he soon found himself helping her lift the neko onto his back. Jaken protested, of course, to helping the miko, but he silenced him with a glare. Something told him that the miko should be apart of his life that he should allow her to be there. Or maybe it was just because she was the other half of the demoness Kagome, he really did not know…

"Kagome!" came from the distance as they began walking into the forest. Kagome had picked up her basket, making sure that most of it was still there. However, when she heard her sister's call, she stiffened a little, knowing that there would be trouble soon. Very soon.