Chapter 16

The daiyoukai of the west was sitting in his study answering scrolls that were starting to pile up when he heard a commotion going on in the courtyard below. Once he finished his thought he stood and went to see what was going on.

When he arrived at the courtyard he could faintly smell Kagome. He ordered everyone out of the way to find a ball of the miko's spiritual energy floating in mid air. The lord held out his hand and the ball came to him immediately to rest in his palm. When it met his skin it burst and he was hit with her fear, worry, and the scent of blood. Sesshomaru formed his ball of light and flew towards the village where he left his intended in a flash.

Fiery red colors painted the afternoon sky along with billows of smoke. It was as if Mother Nature knew of what had happened. When Sesshomaru arrived at the village his nose was met with a wall of blood. The village was in ruins; huts were burned, livestock and humans laid dead everywhere. Sesshomaru did not have to search for long to find Kagome. She sat in the middle of the village cross legged with her head bent down. A large black barrier cracked around her. The wolf leader lay dead at her feet with a large hole in his chest.

Sesshomaru took a few steps towards her when the barrier disappeared in a sudden gust of phantom air. A huge wave of black magic met his senses. Kagome's head snapped up to look at him in an unnatural way, her eyes were completely black. She stood slowly and fluidly, never taking her eyes from his. She stayed there unmoving and just stared. "Miko, what has happened here?" Sesshomaru asked, not expecting an answer but a possible reaction.

Quiet. Deathly quiet. Sesshomaru chose to wait for whatever happened next. While he waited he studied her, checking for injuries. Though she was covered in blood none of it seemed to be hers.

A dark laugh sounded out from the little miko though her lips did not move. No, the sound came from an object at her neck. "Hello Sesshomaru," greeted the unknown. The stoic Lord did not recognize the voice yet it seemed oddly familiar. He did not think it was Naraku. This black magic came from a full demon. "You dare slaughter a village on my lands and curse my intended?" Sesshomaru asked, anger coursing through him. His eyes started to bleed red as his anger grew. The dark voice chuckled, "Come now, it was just a bit of fun." Sesshomaru snarled, which made the voice chuckle again. "My, what a temper. If you wish to have the miko back then come and get her," the voice replied. Kagome moved with great speed when the unknown voice spoke his challenge. She summoned a blade of dark magic and charged at him.

Sesshomaru and Kagome were locked in a battle of speed and agility. The lord did his best to dodge and protect himself but not hurt his love. Cursed Kagome was merciless. She was quick and deadly. Each strike was aimed for his heart. Sesshomaru dodged a particular attack and then whipped around quickly to knock the miko off her feet. She rolled a few times and landed on her side. Sesshomaru stood in defense and contemplated how to break the curse. Just then another laugh echoed around them and Kagome charged again despite looking exhausted. "Kill! Save mate!" His beast howled in demand. The youkai Lord ignored the obvious command and did what he could to not injure his intended.

Attack after attack was thrown at Sesshomaru. When he neared her noticed a pulsating amulet around his intended's neck and a ruby embedded at the base of her throat as it peaked through her kimono. When the voice spoke the aura of the ruby pulsed quickly. Sesshomaru focused his attacks on the necklace. Every time he tried to cut the cursed chain away his claws fazed right through it. Sesshomaru growled in frustration only to elicit another chuckle from the ruby.

Sesshomaru parried another attack that got him close enough to try to grab the necklace. "Ah, Ah Sesshomaru," the voice said, as the necklace turned red and tightened around Kagome's neck. Blood trickled down her throat and she screamed as her skin seared from the red hot chain. Sesshomaru growled and doubled his efforts of trying to remove the cursed item.

It was after Sesshomaru knocked Kagome to the ground again when his Kami gifted sword pulsed at his side. Sesshomaru reached down to grab the hilt when the sword spoke to him. "Allow me to show you," came a mystical voice from the sword. The Lord drew his sword and it pulsed again. This time when it pulsed he saw a dragon like snake creature around his intended's neck. The head of the creature had the ruby in its mouth. "Destroy the creature. Break the curse," instructed his sword.

Sesshomaru charged forward with determination. His sword met Kagome's black one with a sharp clang. He parried quickly and slashed at the small dragon's head. There was a loud crack as the ruby broke down the middle. Kagome screamed and choked. "You are a fool if you think this is a victory," the voice said then faded away while laughing. The chain finally fell to the ground.

Kagome swayed as her eyes drifted shut and she began to fall. Sesshomaru reached out to catch her and pulled her close. He held her tightly for a moment then started to examine her for injuries. She was unharmed aside from her neck and a few scratches on the outside. The inside was another matter. Her blood was laced with dark magic. Sesshomaru tucked her into his right arm and his Moko-moko curled around her to help hold her in place. Sesshomaru then bent down to gather the broken amulet. It still wreaked of black magic and he knew of only one demon who could tell him about this monstrosity. Totosai was not just a master of foraging.

Sesshomaru formed his yoki cloud under his feet and took off into the sky. The clouds were an ominous gray as he ascended between them. It took him only a few minutes to reach the volcano, high on the mountain that was Totosai's home.

Once his feet touched the ground he rushed through the barrier on the demon skulls mouth and barged in. Totosai jumped in his seat in front of the fire at the intrusion. Sesshomaru walked quickly over to the futon near the fire and gently laid down his precious cargo. Totosai noticed the dire situation and rushed to Sesshomaru's side.

"What happened?" Totosai asked, then went to get some warm water from the kettle on the fire and some clothes. "The human village at the foothills was attacked by the leader of the wolf demon tribe along with his wolves. It would seem he brought this along. Though the wretch must have gotten it from somewhere else; he is not smart enough to design such a cursed item," Sesshomaru said, holding out the cursed necklace. "This Sesshomaru found the miko was the sole survivor of the village. She killed the wolf and his pack," he explained, eyeing her hand that smelled strongly of the wolf's blood.

Totosai took the amulet from Sesshomaru and dropped it immediately. "The black magic is strong in this necklace!" the old demon exclaimed as he grabbed the fallen item with a pair of pliers. "Explain." Sesshomaru demanded. He wanted answers. Sesshomaru sat beside Kagome and began cleaning the blood from her while he listened.

"This is an ordinary amulet, or it used to be. Someone powerful has placed a deadly curse on it. It almost threatened my life when I touched it!" The cowardly demon yelled. Sesshomaru growled warningly, he was not in the mood for dramatics. Totosai flinched and continued. "This chain is well made, the metal is one of a kind. I would say it comes from the north. Only the northern dragon clan can meld such fine jewelry and myself of course," Totosai explained while he examined the cursed object. "What of the ruby?" Sesshomaru demanded. "It is large. A ruby this size is rare. It can generally be found in the caves of the north." Answered the old demon.

Sesshomaru growled again. The north. They had been a problem for his father in the past. 'What would they have to gain by attacking this Sesshomaru's intended?' The angry Lord thought. Sesshomaru's beast was thrashing about inside his confines ready to destroy whoever threatened his intended. "This Sesshomaru's sword revealed the curse to this one and how to break it," Sesshomaru said. "Hai, that does not surprise me," Totosai said as he took the broken amulet and dropped it into a nearby vat of lava. "Explain." Sesshomaru demanded.

"Your sword is designed to protect your soul mate. It was still deciding if it wanted to accept the two of you as its charges," Totosai explained while he pressed the screeching necklace further into the lava. "Well you obviously know it chose to help your intended, which means it accepts the two of you." Sesshomaru sat in silence for a moment. He looked at Kagome's sleeping face. 'My soulmate.' He thought. A purple aura surrounded them both then settled around his sword.

"Yep! It accepts you!" Totosai said, then slapped the demon Lord on the back. Sesshomaru growled loudly and the old smith ran to hide behind a table. "Is my intended free from danger?" Sesshomaru asked, while he continued to clean the miko. When he got to her left hand he noticed something inside. The demon Lord pulled her fingers away from her palm to find a tainted piece of the jewel. He took it out of her hand and put it in his sleeve to give to her when she woke. "She will be back to her usual self by morning," Totosai said as he went over to a cupboard near the fire. "Though she will have a long night fighting off the curse in her blood."

"I have your sai finished and ready for you to take," Totosai said as he brought a wooden box over to Sesshomaru. The daiyoukai took the box and opened it. Both sai looked how he wished. Sesshomaru hn'd and stored the box away to give to Kagome at another time. The Lord of the west sat by his intended's side through the entire night and kept a careful eye on her.

*With Kagome*

Kagome's eyes opened slowly. She felt weak and groggy. It took much effort to just open her eyes. She let them drift shut again. A pang in her heart asked for Sesshomaru. A soft whimper left her and she moved her hand in search of her Lord. Warm fingers tangled with hers and she felt something warm caress her cheek. Her eyes felt hot and she couldn't open them again. "Sess," Kagome croaked weakly. Darkness took her over again.

The sun rise brought coppery hues to a kiss of blue, as if water could catch fire. Bird's chirped greetings on a somber morning. Kagome felt warm. Not the kind that was uncomfortable but safe and soothing. It was dark but she realized that was because her eyes were closed. It felt like she was waking up from a deep sleep. She could feel the warmth coming from inside her. It felt like Sesshomaru.

Kagome opened her eyes to find Sesshomaru sitting next to her. "Hi," Kagome said softly. She felt better than she did before but those memories were hazy. "Are you well?" Sesshomaru asked. "I think so, I feel a little weak but ok mostly," Kagome said with a smile. "Hn, I gave you some of my yoki to aid in your healing," the Lord said.

"What happened?" Kagome asked. She was having a hard time remembering anything after the wolves started to attack the village she was helping. "The wolf brought his tribe to attack and slaughter the entire village. He was successful. He then gave you a cursed amulet to put you under his control. He failed and was killed. Another was responsible for your control. I know not who." Sesshomaru said as he looked away from Kagome. She saw something in his eyes that looked like guilt. "It is not your fault, you saved me." She said with a palm to his cheek. Hn was his only reply.

"The village was slaughtered?" Kagome asked sadly a few moments later. "Yes," Sesshomaru confirmed. The miko sat up slowly then got to her feet. Sesshomaru stood with her. "You wish to go to them?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome smiled and nodded. She bid Totosai a goodbye as Sesshomaru scooped her up bridal style and flew out of the cave and down the mountain.

They landed in a scene straight from a horror movie. The village was gone, burnt to the ground. There were bodies everywhere of men, women, and children. Tears filled Kagome's eyes but she did not let them fall. Squaring her shoulders she went to the closest body and got to work. She told Sesshomaru she needed to do this alone so he walked to the edge of the clearing and waited.

For every life taken, she purified their remains into ashes, gathered them in a bowl that she found, and then took them to the outskirts of the village. In a meadow where the children had played, Kagome dug a small hole for each person. She mixed the dirt from each hole with the person's ashes. She then added a seed of a silver birch. Once she buried the mixture, she placed her hand over the pile to help the tree grow as well as give it a long life.

Kagome repeated this process with every person who perished so wrongfully. By the time she was done there were dozens of beautiful trees in the meadows. She made a prayer for each and wished them happiness in their next life.

It was well into the late afternoon when Kagome finished. She was sad she couldn't save them but she hoped they would forgive her. Kagome went to sit under the tree where Sesshomaru waited. "This world does not deserve your kindness," Sesshomaru said. Kagome squeezed his hand with sadness in her eyes and watched the sky slowly darken. He turned her hand over and with his other hand he dropped a piece of the jewel into her palm.

Kagome closed her hand around the shard and purified the taint. She took the half of the jewel she had from around her neck and merged them together. Letting it fall back to its place against her breasts, she sighed. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

There was suddenly no ground beneath her as she was scooped up and put into Sesshomaru's lap. "What ails you my little miko?" Sesshomaru asked. Kagome smiled for a moment but then sighed again and let her head rest on Sesshomaru's shoulder. "Did I kill Koga?" Kagome asked. "Yes," Sesshomaru replied. Kagome sighed again. She was starting to remember bits and pieces. Mostly there was blood, so much blood, and her hand through a chest that resembled Kogas. "I'm supposed to be the light sent from the Kami's to protect people. I've failed so far. I keep needing to be rescued. I can't seem to fight and win without help. I just.." Kagome trailed off. "I just want to make a difference, I want to make everything better," Kagome finished confessing her inner thoughts with a sigh.

"A gem is not polished without rubbing nor a man perfected without trials," Sesshomaru said wisely. Kagome sat in silence and reflected on what advice she'd been given. "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatness," Kagome said, quoting something her grandfather always said when she or Souta felt like giving up. "Hn," Sesshomaru agreed, then wrapped his arms around her.

Kagome sat with Sesshomaru in comfortable silence until Sesshomaru spoke, "Kagome, there is something I wish to give you." The woman turned in his lap to face him and cocked her head slightly and waited. Sesshomaru pulled a wooden box from his pouch and sat it in Kagome's lap.

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru then the box. She undid the leather ties holding the base and lid together and opened it. Inside were two small sword-like weapons. They were gorgeous. One of them was completely black like charcoal with beautiful golden leaves inlayed in the hilt. Kagome lifted it to examine it further and was surprised by its lightness. Sesshomaru demonstrated how perfectly balanced they were on his fingers. The blades were so smooth and the leaves were so intricate it was as if they were real. "They are sai, it is my wish you will not need them. Should you be attacked by something and cannot use your reiki, these will provide adequate protection," Sesshomaru explained as Kagome looked them over. She placed the black weapon down and picked up its brother. This one was completely matte white. On the hilt, and embedded in the center, was a large sapphire carved into the shape of a moon.

Kagome set the box aside and threw her arms around Sesshomaru. She kissed him furiously for a long moment. "Thank you so much Sesshou! I love them!" Kagome said happily.

Sesshomaru pulled his claws through Kagome's silky hair. "Kagome, do you accept this Sesshomaru's courting gift?" Sesshomaru asked seriously. "I do," Kagome said and blushed at the familiar answer. "This Sesshomaru vows to protect you for as long as I live. You will want for nothing and I will give you many pups. I cannot live without you in my life. Will you be this Sesshomaru's mate?" Sesshomaru asked with an almost nervous look in his eyes.

Kagome's eyes filled with tears. She loved this demon; she knew it. She also knew that Sesshomaru loved her even if he didn't say it right now. It didn't matter that they were soul mates, she would love him anyway. She realized he was still waiting for an answer.

Kagome cleared her throat and confessed her love. "When I look into your eyes I can see a reflection of our lives together. When I look into my heart I can see only you. When I look into my future my life is perfect. Spending my life with you will be a dream come true. I love you more than life itself. Of course I'll be your mate," Kagome barely finished before choking on a sob and hugging her daiyoukai.

The couple shared a long intimate kiss before pulling apart and holding one another. They stayed like that for some time. Kagome sighed happily then sobered up. "It would appear that we have collected all the shards. I can feel that there are only two pieces now: mine and Naraku's. It's time to finally rid the world of a pesky spider!"

~End of Chapter 16~

Eeek! I'm a sucker for proposals! Hope you all enjoyed it! 3 Also thank you for your patience with each chapter. I wanna make sure I get them just right for you guys and also life can be crazy!

Daiyoukai-Great youkai

Yoki-Demon energy

Youkai-Demon

Hai-Yes, Term of acknowledgment

Sai-Traditional melee weapon

Ja ne, Peach