Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha or any of the other characters that may be used throughout the duration of the fan-fiction. Be advised this is a world created for the sole purpose of entertainment and would expect you to respect my work of fantasy as you would have me respect yours. This is rated mature for further chapters that may be controversial in subject matter. Please do not report me as you have been warned.

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Your Lady Fractured Moonlight

Summary: Sesshomaru has lived centuries without the one thing he desires the most only to have her return with no memory of him or the life they had known. Can he accept her as he had once or will everything be lost to time once more? Will she love the beast within the man as she once had in a time lost to her? Will they learn to love or will their love vanish as though it had never been? Read and discover the untold story between Sesshomaru and Kagome and you might discover a love that can span the centuries!

-oOo-

Moonlight's Embrace

Chapter 4

Ayumu was already loosing control over his finally tuned temper all over this wretched human wench he was forced to bring with him back to the east alive. There were times he hated to obey his lord's command and this was one such case. The human was less than cooperative as he threw her against the harsh bark of a nearby tree.

"I am only obliged to make sure you arrive at our destination alive, but I made no such agreement that you would arrive unharmed. Is that understood, my lady?" He gave a mock bow as Kagome took in his words against the harsh pain of what she was certain was a broken rib. Her eyes widened as her abductor removed the hood that had so cleverly hidden his face.

He wasn't the greatest looking yokai she had ever seen, no that ranking belonged to Sesshomaru, however he wasn't all that bad looking either. His hair looked raven but held the oddest shade of blue woven throughout, but his eyes. They were enough to cause your blood to still. Eyes of blooded crimson locked with hers as it was enough to cause her vision to fade to white against the yokai that moved towards her. She knew him. That much was certain, but how she knew him was another story entirely.

"Ayumu," she spat with distaste as she remembered all to well the cruelties performed by his hands.

"You flatter me." He smirked.

"How silly of me, I meant to insult you." She would've yelled but the steady build up of pain within her lungs prevented such a reaction. She wondered, her heart aching as it did so, if Sesshomaru would come to save her.

His smirk intensified as he approached the very woman who refused to love him, instead choosing to love the enemy. She wouldn't die here but she wouldn't leave the west unscathed. No he would enjoy this.

"Sesshomaru?" Sakurako tested the air as her brother shook violently before turning his crimson teal eyes her way. She fell backwards.

"I will not loose her to the likes of him." He growled out moving to stand. He could see her protest building within her crystal depths. A protest he wouldn't heed. "Don't you follow me!" his voice laced with an anger that he could no longer control.

Before Sakurako could move he had disappeared into the surrounding woods and her attendants were upon her. She dismissed them with a single wave of her hand as she focused on the last spot she had seen him, her heart following him where he would not permit her too.

He raced without thinking, other than of the woman he loved so severely it was like she haunted him. She had been behind his choice centuries before just as surely as she resided in his actions now. His anger towards the east that belonged to Lord Katsurou consumed him. It didn't matter which one of his subordinates he would come across for he would slay them regardless.

'Kagome,' his heart surged. 'Kagome I'm coming for you, hold your ground and know somewhere inside your heart that I love you.'

His laugh intensified as he stepped towards the very woman who had been the cause of his frustration since her strange re-emergence nearly three years ago. But Sesshomaru hadn't taken such a keen interest in her until recently. His crimson eyes studied her as she bent over coughing up a little blood from his precisely aimed blow to her ribcage.

"Now my dear, we wouldn't want you die before you were to reach your father now would you."

'Father,' the very word caused her mind to cease and her body to react though she knew not why.

"Ah I see your body remembers to fear him. After all your father wanted you, that is until you were born a miko and rendered useless to him." His eyes studied her watching as her own eyes moved to study his. Her shock evident meaning that the witches power still held sway. 'Excellent.' He would enjoy this.

Ayumu had been so caught up in his game he hadn't realised that someone opposed to his lord lay hidden amongst the trees. Her footsteps had remained hidden as she approached her charge from the opposing side, her eyes however couldn't have prepared for the sight they were about to witness, not even after her lady's words.

"My lady," she moved to bow when her lady's next words stopped her.

"That isn't necessary Hana, I serve you not the other way around." She smiled brightly as she directed her to sit. It wasn't hard to see why so many of the eastern ookami had accompanied her here. Her kindness alone was enough reason to follow, let alone her other admirable qualities, so much like her daughter who had vanished centuries before. "I have somewhat of a confession……"

In some distant part of her she had always known that their heir had survived, but it remained distant and for good reason. No one wanted to give Katsurou any more reasons to take either of their lives.

She winced as the sound of her mistress hitting the forest floor became the last straw, her eyes widened as she watched Kagome move away from his next blow coughing up blood as she did so. Hana was having a debate with herself and she was loosing rapidly against following her orders and protecting the very being they had been so lost without. She couldn't watch idly by as Kagome was killed, no it wouldn't do.

Before Ayumu's katana could fall against Kagome injuring her further it was Hana's blade that stopped him. She watched as she pushed him away from her mistress and the flurry of emotions that crashed upon his face.

"Well well," he stated his smirk never fading. "I never thought I would see you again! How's your new lover, I hear you may soon be expecting."

"Shut up Ayumu, you don't know of which you speak." She spat oblivious to the girl beneath her.

"No, I suppose I don't. And you no longer know anything of me, but I promise you this my precious Hana, you shall be mine by the time the moon completes it cycle." He whispered against the wind that blew against her face that infamous black cloud of his slowly consuming him.

"Damn it" she cursed when he was no longer in view. She moved to place her blade back within its sheath, that was slung across her back, as she remained standing in front of the very person she had been sent to protect. A mission she would fail regardless of the threats made to her person.

Kagome for the most part remained mute. It was good to know that Hana was on her side, but more unsettling that Ayumu had gotten away. As Hana turned to face her, her breath caught. Hana was gorgeous. Long white hair swept across her back despite being tied tightly at the nape of her neck. The eyes she cast her way as she knelt to assist her, were strangely amethyst.

"I see Ayumu's unleashed quite the assault on you my lady." Her eyes and voice were kind but as she moved to touch her she watched with a sadness as she shrank away.

"I'm sorry, it just seems there are a lot more people who seem to remember me lately when for the life of me I can't seem to remember them." Mudded brown locked with hers. "I'm sorry if it hurts you."

"Lady Kagome, you will remember all in do time. Now I think it would be best if you were to return to Taisho under Sesshomaru's protection." 'That's right! He tried to protect me before they swarmed us…' Kagome remembered instantly the look that crossed his face when he heard her call out to him. It was more painful than any of the fresh injuries she had acquired from Ayumu.

"Sesshomaru?" she breathed as Hana watched her tears began to brim in her eyes, knowing these weren't physically pain related but they were emotionally related. "He tired to protect me. He placed me firmly against him but they still got to me…he looked like he failed me……DAMN IT…..why can't I remember…….why can't I remember?" she cried uncontrollably, her frustrations at unbearable heights pouring out as she realised just how much she needed to remember. She hated this that her memory resembled something she couldn't identify. She fisted fistfuls of dirt as if this would be enough to force her memory into alignment.

Hana wanted to reassure her mistress that all would be well but before she could she felt the distinct pulse that could belong to nothing short of a yokai. A demonic entity was readily approaching them at speeds that weren't natural, even for beings such as them. Her finger's moved to linger on her swords hilt behind her back. With lightning speeds if need be she would unsheathe her sword and take down her opponent. Only if the need demanded that she do so.

The sound of a twig snapping behind them at the opposite edge of the clearing had her already heightened senses on full alert as she spun on her heals sword instantly drawn and against his neck. A loud 'no' echoed throughout them as golden eyes locked with amethyst and she registered just who it was she had unleashed her blade upon.

He chose to ignore her altogether as he moved to cradle they very woman who had called out for her to stop. Her tears soaking through his haori as he pressed her body against his reassuring himself that she was alright. That Ayumu had not harmed her but that was before he took notice of the cuts that adorned her arms as he heard her strangled scream. Only then did he pull away from her long enough to lock with the very eyes who were steadily gaining with memory.

"I was unable to kill Ayumu, Lord Sesshomaru." Hana's voice softening, sheathing her blade, as she looked upon them her heart nearly stopped. They looked as though no time had passed between them at all. Her mistress cradled against his chest as his emotions were so unguarded, so true that it took her breath away. "Ayumu will either try to kill or abduct her again seeing as how his mission is a failure."

"I won't allow that to happen." He bit out holding her closer still. She smiled sadly realising just how deep the river of his love for her still ran.

"S-sesshomaru?" Kagome whispered. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't…..I didn't-" he cut her off then by pushing her away softly while forcing her took look at him head on.

"It wasn't you!" he almost yelled at her beyond fed up with her solely placing the blame on her shoulders. Imagine him loosing composure like this was something he found himself doing in increasing amounts around her. It was just too easy to let the guards down, that he had so skilfully, crafted in her absence. Her shocked eyes locked onto his. "It wasn't you that attacked Taisho, it wasn't you that attacked me and it wasn't you that stole you from ME!"

A thick blush crept up across her cheeks at his admission. He cared about her, her mind raced. Where the hell had she been for this startling development. She blinked twice thinking it was nothing more than a dream before she closed them harder, a small building of a tightness drawing her attention.

The tightness spread through her limbs steadily numbing her to the pain that soon began its assault. She wanted to move but found herself unable to do so even as Sesshomaru moved her yukata top to survey the injury to her chest. She wanted to throw her arms about her and tell him, point and fact, to look elsewhere pervert but couldn't.

"Kagome?" his mind gasped as he saw dark violet veins stem across her chest. His fright and worry written across his face as Hana locked her eyes with his.

"It's Ayumu's poison." She stated her eyes growing as wide as his.

'Poison' his mind echoed the dreaded word before returning his eyes to her already paling form. 'Why,' he asked the heavens. 'Would he forever be fated to loose her before he had the chance to truly know her?'

"Why?" he cried watching helplessly as the light within her eyes began to fade. "Why?" he cried again watching as he stood to loose the only woman he had ever loved. Forced "Why," he breathed against her forehead. "Why?"

Authours Note: Okay I am aware that Sesshomaru is out of character but think about this for a second okay....he has lived for centuries without Kagome, has watched Inuyasha lay a sort of claim to her, only to have her get injured again and again as he now must face that he can't live without her. Nevermind the fact that Sesshomaru isn't in the habit of letting himself be known to anyone let alone Kagome. I mean if you add all of this together no one can stand that kind of emotional trauma without letting themselves slip up.

As always tell me what you think,

Your Lady Fractured Moonlight