AN: I am sorry for the hiatus, my house was destroyed in a flood back in July, had to find a new place to live, get back on my feet and try to remember where I was going with this story. No I have not forgotten about it and No I have not given up on it, encase any of you guys were wondering. Thank you all for your reviews, your input has given me a direction to go that I hope you all will enjoy.

The completing of a bond: Kagome's POV:

The last few days have been loads of fun. Almost every time I went on a walk, I was on guard waiting for the attacks to come. I was never let down. The first to strike was Sango. She thought she would have an edge because she is neither demon or a spiritual being. She was wrong of course. I was able to tell where she was coming from before she made it to me. With her, I had used my power to heighten my senses and detect the direction she was charging at me from. Our battle didn't last long as I have far surpassed her fighting abilities. Next was Miroku who, without the ability to slow me down with his powers, was really no match for me.

Kikyo tried her hand next, I was easily able to dodge her and used the time to train her a little more, preparing her for the war ahead. My next battle was more interesting than the others. It was Inuyasha's turn. While he is reckless and charges half cocked, I had to use more of my actual powers to defend myself, and my skills to get the upper hand. When he would charge at me, I had to trow up a barrier so his wild swings wouldn't hit their marks, while using my own sword to deflect and attack. Our battle lasted an hour when his stamina finally ran out.

My next surprise opponent was InuNo Tiasho. He was harder to detect because he was able to mask a good majority of his aura and powers. He did, momentarily take me off guard, but I quickly recovered and held my own against his. He was similar to Sesshomaru in the fact that his fighting was more like a deadly dance. We parried and dodged, I had to use my powers to defend against his strong aura, once he let it crash down on me. I had to surround myself with my own energy to keep from feeling like I was suffocating in his. He wore me down before he called our spar to an end, stating that I was a formidable opponent and that Naraku didn't stand a chance. Not long after supper to give me a chance to regain my energy, Inuhime came after me in much the same manor as Tiasho did. I was expecting it more as it had happened to me before. I put her into a corner before she had a chance to unleash her powers and bound her with my own. I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Once she declared me the victor of our spar I released her and she respectfully bowed to me as I had truly bested her.

That night, I went to bathe with my mate as per the usual. It was our time together, in which I would wash him from head to toe and he would do the same for me in return. He told me it was a form of bonding and was very important as we were trying to avoid making love due to the fear of me getting pregnant right before the war starts. We washed each other and were laying in bed in our sleeping clothes, his eyes told me he had something he wanted to say and our open bond spoke to me of nervousness and sincerity.

I gazed into those beautiful gold eyes for a little while before I finally spoke. "Koi, Please tell me what weighs on your mind. You can tell me anything."

He looked at me for a while longer before he finally spoke…..

Sesshomaru's POV:

Looking into her beautiful blue eyes I knew, I had to tell her. What had been going through my head needed to be said. She needed to know how I really felt about her. So as I lay there trying to find the words, she opens her mouth and tells me exactly what I was waiting to hear. I gazed at her for a few minutes longer, collecting my thoughts.

"Kagome, Mate, you may not like everything I am about to tell you. I only ask that you wait to respond until I am finished because I feel that I need to say all of it to you." I looked her in the eyes and was in awe as she sent me understanding and reassurance through our bond.

"When I first met you, I was there simply to collect you to keep you out of Naraku's reach. It wasn't until I saw you that I realized you were Midoriko's reincarnation. I was in awe of how much you resembled her. I was blinded by the thought of being with Medoriko once again. At the same time, I was disgusted by you. You were untrained, weak and pathetic. You obeyed Onigumo and would follow any command given to you. While most men find that attractive, I do not. Midoriko was never like that and I do not want a woman to submit or be behind me. My mate had to be able to stand by my side, always. However, As I had you trained and you grew into your powers, I realized, not only are you so much alike Midoriko, you are also vastly different. You care about other creatures that she never would have given a second chance to. Aside from me, she never cared for demons. You have taken one in as your own and cared for it, while others have turned their backs. You are dedicated to getting stronger, proving your worth. She had no one to compete with, aside from my family, therefor felt there was no need to continue training. She had a good heart, but she couldn't tolerate as much of this world as you can. You are sweet, loyal and caring. You have her good qualities and so much more. I have also realized that the stories are true." at that I gave her a moment to let everything I have confessed to her sink in.

She looked at me puzzled and asked, " What stories?"

I took another moment to compose myself. "When a Miko reincarnates, She passes on the powers she had at the time of her passing. This allows the powers to continue to grow with the reincarnation whether she trains or not. In other words, you are far more powerful now than Midoriko ever was. With the training and knowledge you have gained and the control, you are a much more dangerous weapon than she ever was. That is why she came to me and made sure you would be cared for and trained properly, not because she wanted me to move on, but because she wanted you to be fully prepared for what would be expected of you. Her soul used some of the powers bestowed upon you to come to me and to train you so that you would be ready. That is also why she can take over your conscious being when necessary. I will tell you, I love you my mate, you not her. I have been waiting for the right time to tell you all of this. Only because I feel that I also need to thank you. Thank you for helping me forget about her and finally move on. Thank you for opening my heart, once again."

I looked into her eyes as she absorbed all the information I had just given to her. Her eyes stayed locked on mine. Then I was met with a bigger surprise. She literally jumped on me. She kissed me with such passion that it was driving me wild. All I wanted in that moment was to take her. I wanted to show her that I meant everything I said. In this moment, everything we had been trying so hard to fight was about to go out the window. Our instincts were taking over, we needed this to happen, now.

AN: I know I ended at a bad spot, but it has been a long night for me and I wanted to get this up before I went to bed. I will be posting another chapter, hopefully soon and this will be exactly where I pick up. Just a little something to look forward to. *Wink *