Summary: The hope of someone taking her hand was nothing more than a fleeting dream. Kagome was tired of shouldering burdens that weren't hers, but it's what the world needed from her. Chosen to be much more than she ever wanted, all she could do was face each new battle with a fearless smile. She'd be the sacrifice to spare the others of that fate. That's what heroes did, right?

Pairing: Undecided

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter One

The crushing weight resting on her shoulders was one she'd grown used to. Even so, she still hated it with every fiber of her being. It was a constant reminder, and she hated the way it bore into her skin every waking moment.

Standing across from her, she could feel the weight of his molten stare fixed on her. This… She had to remind herself that it was for the best. Still, that didn't make the bitter pill any less difficult to swallow.

The Shikon no Tama hung innocently around her neck, but it was nothing more than a chain condemning her to a fate undesired. Leashed and trapped, there truly was no escaping it. A burden she never wanted forever tethered to her, she had no choice other than to endure it. Fate was cruel and rarely cared for the feelings of those strapped with such weighted curses. In a way, she was no different.

The silence dragged on, and she hated it. She'd never liked the emptiness of it. It felt too gaping.

"This…" she began, only to let what she was going to say taper off as she reconsidered it all once again. After a moment, she sighed and folded her arms across her chest. Tears burned in her eyes, but she held them back. "I don't have any other options, do I?" she asked.

"With the jewel, things will be drawn to you," Sesshomaru's voice answered her rather quickly. Quicker than she was used to from him. Then again, he seemed to be more talkative after five hundred years. He pushed himself away from the wall, closing the space kept between them until he was directly in front of her. She felt his clawed hand thread through her hair until his fingers reached the string of the jewel. In a gradual descent, they soon landed on the bauble. "Either you stay as you are now and risk harm to all who are around you, or you grow strong enough to adequately protect yourself."

So, really, it was the only option she had. She couldn't bear the thought of leading danger to her family and her friends, so that left her with one choice, but it was far from easy to make.

"I just got back…-" she whispered. "I don't want to leave so suddenly again." Would she even be able to come back?

The despair plagued her scent. Sesshomaru's frown deepened. "You will, however." It wasn't a question, but a fact. Though reluctant, she nodded. She'd already made her mind up, even if her heart wasn't fully on the same page yet. After all… it was for the benefit of everyone else. She could never be so selfish as to impose danger on the ones she loved so dearly.

"I'll go with you."

Sesshomaru nodded. He wasn't surprised by her choice. If anything, he was pleased by how quickly it'd been decided. He pulled his hand away from her, gold eyes lingering on her face. A fleeting thought of what he wanted passed through his mind, but he swiftly ushered it away as he turned away from her.

She was already strong, but he'd teach her how to control that power.

"Kagome! There you are!"

The famliar voice carried across the shrine grounds. Kagome paused what she was doing, turning to glance over her shoulder. A familiar head of green hair was visible over by the stone staircase. Before long, he'd already started heading to where she stood before the Goshinboku tree.

The sight of him made her heart feel heavy. She pulled a faint smile on her face to hide that feeling. It worked on the outside, but it did nothing to soothe the ache on the inside.

"Izuku, what brings you here?" she asked. She would be leaving indefinitely tonight. From across the shrine, she could feel Sesshomaru observing the interaction. She couldn't tell anything by his aura, but she knew he was watching.

Her childhood friend stopped in front of her. The sunlight warmed her skin, but on the inside, she felt a chill sink into her bones. How long had it been since they last stood in front of each other like this? Had he been all right on his own in class with the rest?

The stack of papers held out to her caused her mind to resurface from her thoughts. Her expression softened as she took the offered papers from her friend. She let her fingers linger against his for a moment longer than necessary, and a bitter thought came crashing back down over her shoulders. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest, and she willed away the tears she could feel threatening to brim in her eyes.

"Since you're up moving around, you're going to be coming back to class tomorrow, right?" Midoriya asked. The words only served to leave another gash among the many on her heart already. Her grip on the papers tightened when she felt the warmth of his aura against her senses. "You've missed a lot since you've been out for a month, but you always catch up so quickly."

"..."

Her silence wasn't missed by him, and she felt a bead of concern start to flow through his aura. The feel of it practically burned her. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You haven't said anything…" It wasn't like her to be so silent. For as long as he had known her, she liked to fill any silence with whatever she could. It was a lot like the dark- Kagome didn't like the emptiness that came with both of those things.

She didn't lift her gaze as she shook her head. Before he could ask for clarification on the gesture, she moved to fill in the gaps. "I… I'm…- I'm not going back to class," she murmured softly. For a moment, he wondered if he'd heard her wrong, but when the silence stretched on, he realized the full weight behind those words.

Those words hung heavily in the space between them. He wanted to ask why, but something in her eyes dissuaded him.

She wouldn't tell him even if he did ask. It felt as though the only thing he could do was accept it, even though he didn't want to.

As she stood there, she felt the warmth of the jewel seeping into her skin, and her eyes darkened. This… none of it is fair. Then again, life rarely was fair.

"This might be the last time we see each other," she eventually said. Her voice remained that same soft level, but it did nothing to soothe the blow her words impacted on him. Ideally, it would be the last time. That way no trouble would come to him from her. She lowered the papers to her side as she finally picked her head up, blue eyes meeting his green. There was no warning offered before she abruptly stepped forward. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in an enveloping hug. It was undoubtedly warm. So much so that it brought tears to his eyes. "Thanks for being such a good friend," she murmured softly.

Though slowly, he soon returned the gesture. Normally he'd feel flustered in this sort of situation, but with her, it felt different. It was as if she'd surrounded him with her warmth and compassion. He'd never received a hug that felt like this, but it was so nice. "That's my line, you know," he eventually responded.

She'd always been a kind person. The only one who really believed in him so freely. No matter what, she never stopped encouraging him and supporting him. Everyone loved her, she was like a light that drew all to her, but… This past year it was hard to argue that something was going on with her. One day, she just seemed so different. It wasn't in a bad way, but… it was like he was the only one who noticed it.

He'd never asked about it, and now he wondered if he should have called her out on it when he first noticed it. Now felt too late.

Her grip soon faded, and she stepped back. She met his gaze, a smile he couldn't see through shining brightly on her face. "You know, I've always admired you," she stated. "You never give up, no matter how hard things might seem. That's a really impressive trait," she stated. She tucked her hands back behind her back, glancing down at her feet with a smile still shining on her face. "You've always been impressive like that," she added in a low murmur.

Quirkless or not, she always thought he'd be a commendable hero.

She felt his wide-eyed stare fixated on her. Her smile faded some as she sighed. In a split second, she'd reminded herself as to why she'd made this decision. He was Quirkless, and, no matter how resilient he could be, there was a limit to what he could do. It was better for them both if she forced this wedge here and now.

Life really wasn't fair, was it?

Auroua-chan: Gonna finish this chapter here.

They'll cross paths again soon at U.A. They'll both be different, so one must wonder how that will be handled.

Pairing is undecided right now. Suggestions are welcome! I prefer x-over pairings, but SessKag doesn't seem bad either for this one.

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review, Favorite, and Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~