The Jewel Of My Heart

A/N: Alright, no yelling aloud. I have other plans for IY and so, you will have to wait and see what they are. They will be well worth the wait, I promise. IY will get told off, but not in this chapter. So, bear with me and please read and review. reviews make me happy, happy.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

As he stumbled towards the entrance, Youko's voice hit Kagome's ears, causing him to pause. He could hear Youko's growls and knew that Youko was beyond enraged. A smile crossed his lips as his partner did what he had been planning to do. Damn, now he was going to have to figure something else out to do to the hanyou, but it would not be too hard. Perhaps if he pretended to be Kagome for a few days and put the hanyou in his place, it would be much more amusing than if he just went out ther and confronted the pathetic creature. So, for the moment, the hanyou was Youko's to deal with. And, it was time to get Kagome's body back to bed. He didn't want to waste what precious time he had in control on just standing in the shadows.

As he moved back to the bed chamber, he could hear Youko's angry voice and it was clear to Kuronue that if he didn't watch his step, the hanyou could be seriously injured.

“You used that girl shamelessly, and yet, seem to have little concern as to how much it hurts her. Do you have any idea of how you have harmed her? She doesn't trust anyone, and thinks that all she is good for is collecting your fucking shards? Where is your honor, hanyou?” Youko growled, his claws ready to rip the creature before him apart.

Inu Yasha's ears flattened to his skull. Yes, he was guilty of saying that Kagome was his shard detector. He told others that all she was good for was getting him shards and nothing more. Hell, he has even told Miroku that once Kagome found all of the shards, he would not bother with her any longer, but in truth, all his words were nothing but a heap of bullshit.

He loved Kagome, but Kagome came along when he was still distrustful of others and when she gave to him her devotion and her loyalty, he didn't know how to react, so he reacted cruely. When Kikyo was resurrected, he paid more attention to the dead miko simply because it was she who held his heart, but Kagome held something else. She held his gratitude and his affection. It was because of her that he discovered that he could make friends who would accept him for who he was.

And, the final reason why he continued to use her was so that she would never leave him. He knew that Kikyo would one day leave this world, and he was afraid that when Kagome went back to her time, Kikyo would no longer have a reason to stay in this world and return to hell. Alone. He didn't want to be alone.

Sesshomaru watched as his half-brother was taken down a few notches, and nodded in satisfaction. It was well known that Inu Yasha had chosen a clay reminder of his former love over that of a flesh and blood person, and that did not sit well with him. It was bad enough that his father chose a human for a mate, now, his brother had taken the family even lower and chosen a bone and dirt creature. Clearly, he was the only one who was sane in his family.

Finally, Inu Yasha lifted his head and softly said, “I am not going to stand here and try to make excuses. You're right. I have used her, but not for the reasons you think. Believe it or not, I do love Kagome. I am not in love with her, but I do love her. I don't want her to leave me, and the shards are the only thing keeping her here. If all I wanted her for was to gain shards, I would not give a damn about who she sleeps with or approaches her, but I keep males like Kouga away because I know that they are not good enough. Yes, I am selfish, and I won't apologize for wanting her by my side. I will, however, apologize for how I have gone about it. I never meant for her to hurt.”

Youko's eyes narrowed. Damn it, he could not detect any deception on the hanyou's part, so he must be telling the truth. However, he needed to make one thing clear. “Kagome has been severely hurt by your words, and you will explain your actions to her. But, at this time, she needs sleep and will get it with me. Because I cannot tell if she is possessed by Kuronue, as Sesshomaru believes, or Kuronue's reincarnation, she is mine to protect and mine to touch. Until she is well, she will not be seeing you.” He said as he crossed his arms across his chest, his face a mask of determination.

He was about to disagree, but one look on Youko's face told him that he was already treading on dangerous ground. Nodding, he glanced at his friends and saw them nod, too. When he looked back at Youko, he noticed that the spirit kitsune had turned and had his head cocked, listening for sounds within his den. Since the members of his group were all outside with him and his friends, and pain in the ass brother, he could only guess that Youko was listening for Kagome.

When the male was satisfied that all was well, Youko turned back to Sesshomaru and said, “Thank you for coming, my friend. Your information has been valuable. I forgot to ask, but now that I think of it, why is it that you are allowing a human pup to follow you around?”

Before Sesshomaru could reply, Inu Yasha could not resist and said, “Rin is the only creature besides that ass-kisser Jaken, who can put up with his arrogant ass.”

Sesshomaru sighed and held out his hand, and allowed his whip to form. Within minutes, the loud sounds of yelping was heard, then a lot of laughter.

Youko smirked and turned to motion for his followers to return to the den. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed that Sesshomaru was forming his cloud and preparing to leave, and watched as Inu Yasha's group took off. He then turned to walk into his den. It had been a long night, and he was tired.

He nodded when his followers wished him a good night and he soon found himself in the bedchamber with Kagome. At first, he really tried to think of how he was going to deal with the sleeping arrangements. However, he was not going to sleep on the floor, and he was not going to bunk down with one of his underlings, so Kagome would have to just deal with him lying beside her in the bed.

But, then came yet another problem. He never slept with clothing on. Ever. He hated the feel of clothing when he was trying to get comfortable and go to sleep. Well, hopefully he would wake before Kagome and could dress before she awoke.

Stripping down, he moved to the bed and lifted the covers and was greeted with the sweetest sight known to both man and youkai. Slamming the covers back down, Youko felt perspiration form on his brow and took in a deep breath as he felt his cock spring to life. Suddenly, bunking with one of his underlings seemed a bit more sensible.

Taking another deep breath and keeping his eyes on the ceiling of his chambers, Youko slid into the bed and quickly covered himself and Kagome. He was trying really hard to keep his body from reacting naturally, but was failing miserably.

However, if Youko was uncomfortable, then Kuronue was even more so. He could not help it; he just didn't like his partner being near his chosen female, espcially when neither of them had any clothing on. Kagome was a beautiful woman, and a male with a high sex drive would be hard pressed to pass her by. It took a lot of restraint on his part not to open Kagome's eyes and snap at him to go somewhere else to sleep. After much more thought, he decided that it would be best to keep hidden; at least for now. But, it was so hard, and if Youko so much as touched her, he might not be able to control himself. This was getting bad.

Youko continued to breath in and out. He was concentrating on relaxing his body, and made the mistake of glancing over at Kagome, when he felt her body shift. Big mistake. Suddenly, his cock sprang up so hard that it was actually painful and he was not sure, but he thought that he felt his balls jump as well. Great, this was just the perfect end to a perfectly bad day.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Now they were alone. Now they could talk and they would talk. Stripping himself of his shirt, he sat down in a chair and closed his eyes.

“Alright, now it is time for you to tell me everything, Youko. And, I mean everything.” Shuuichi said, his voice hard. He ws tired of all the secrets and having to find out things at the last minute. Nearly choking the life out of Kuwabara had been the final straw.

“I apologize for attacking Kuwabara, but he had no right to speak about going to see Kagome.” Youko replied, his own tone hard. When the kitsune was serious about something, Shuuichi knew from experience that he could not be pursueded otherwise.

“I am sure that Kuwabara has learned his lesson, but now you must tell me about Kagome. How could you keep the fact that you have a mate, who is a time-traveler, from me? What do you say for yourself?” Shuuichi demanded.

Youko was quiet for several moments, but then sighed. “I really tried, Red. I tried so hard, and I can't explain how it happened, but it did and now that there is the possibility that I can get her back, and I am not even sure if she would want to see me.” He said.

Now he was more confused than ever. “What did you try to do? What the hell happened?” Shuuichi asked, his concern for Youko growing.

“I tried not to love her. I held myself back from falling in love with her and then one night, she just looked at me, with her large eyes and gentle smile, and I fell. Hard. I mated her, and betrayed my best friend and partner.” Youko explained.

“Wait,” Shuuichi said. “You didn't want to fall in love with Kagome, but you did and wound up betraying Kuronue. How could you betray someone who was dead? He'd want you to be happy and fall in love.”

“Not when the woman I fall in love with is the same woman that he fell in love with, as well.” Youko muttered.

Shuuichi needed an aspirin. “So, Kuronue knew Kagome before he died.”

“No, they met after his death.” Youko replied, his tone growing tired. “Listen, Red. I'm tired and am going to sleep. I'll talk to you later.”

“Wait, just let me ask one more thing.” Shuuichi insisted. “How could he have met Kagome when he was already dead?”

For a moment, he feared that Youko would not answer, but was stunned when Youko said, “Red, there are somethings that can happen to a person that is worse than death. Those whom we stole from did exactly that and much worse to Kuronue.”

When Youko said no more, Shuuichi took that to mean that the spirit kitsune was done talking. Standing up, he glanced at his window and loudly asked, “What did he mean by that, Hiei?”

The window slowly opened and the fire youkai stepped inside, his eyes narrowed. “If he is refering to what I think that he is refering to, then it would appear that Kuronue was not killed, but rather cursed.” He said.

Now it made sense. Kuronue had somehow come into contact with Kagome, and fallen in love with her, as did Youko. Kagome was the link between the spirit kitsune and bat youkai. She was the factor that kept their bond alive. And she was also the one that would create conflit between the former partners. It was a sad situation.

It pained him to hear his partner so upset. It was clear that Youko was devoted to his mate, even now. He spoke about her with a quiet reverence and made it quite clear that he would do anything to protect her, even from their teammates.

Hiei was troubled, but did not tell Kurama. He had heard of only one curse that would separate a spirit from a body. It was a curse that had been outlawed for several hundreds of years. However, there was one who could give permission for it to be used. Koenma.

Silently, Hiei turned and left the room, leaving Kurama to his thoughts. He made his way to the spirit world and was quickly ushered into Koenma's office. As usual, the prince of spirit world was in his toddler form and in great spirits.

“I understand that Shuuichi knows this young woman who has been detected as a time traveler. Genkai didn't say how he knew her, but now we have a way to gain her loyalty.” Koenma announced, his tone merry.

Hiei smirked and moved into the office. Ogre was watching him with wary eyes and backed away as the fire youkai got closer to the desk.

“Tell me, Koenma, why is it that Youko seems to think that Kuronue was cursed and not killed?” He asked, his red eyes trained upon the toddler.

For the first time in several years, Koenma was stunned into silence. In fact, he was so shocked that his pacifyer slipped from his mouth and onto the floor, causing Ogre to dive for it and hit his chin on the floor.

Koenma cleared his throat. He transformed into his teenager form and leaned back in his chair. “Why does Youko think that Kuronue was cursed?” He asked, carefully.

“Let's cut the shit and not play games. You and I both know that the curse used for separating one's spirit from their body was outlawed nearly eight centuries ago. The only time it can be used is by special permission, from you.” Hiei snapped, his patience at its end, but then again, he never had any patience to begin with.

Koenma was caught. With a sigh, he slumped in his chair and lifted his hands to his face. “The mirror that they were stealing was very special. It has special abilities that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. The ones guarding it had been given instructions that should anyone attempt to steal it, they were to be punished, severely. The curse was supposed to only last for three hundred years, and then, they would be released and allowed to live out their life, their body held in a secure location and never aging. But, the guards wanted to make an example out of Kuronue and so they made the curse permanent. And, that is not the worst of it.” He said, his voice soft.

“Out with it, you simpering brat.” Hiei growled, ignoring the glare that Koenma sent his way.

Koenma sat up a bit straighter and sighed. Hiei had him cornered and he knew it. He could not lie his way out of it, and this mess had gone on for too long. “The guards burned Kuronue's body. He can never return to his body, even if he was released. He would stay in spirit form and simply move about, never being seen or heard. The guards were very thourough with the curse. I, sadly, did not foresee their eagerness to cast this particular curse.”

“So, somehow, Kuronue has managed to reveal himself to Youko in the past, and both of them managed to fall in love with the same human girl.” Hiei said, more to himself, but noticed that now Koenma's attention was upon him.

“What do you mean that Kuronue and Youko are in love with the same girl?” Koenma demanded. “Which girl are we speaking about?”

“It would seem that this girl, Kagome, has managed to capture both Youko and Kuronue's heart. It would also seem that your guards have very little aptitude for casting curses, because somehow, Kuronue has managed to break it, at least part of it.” Hiei said, a smug smile crossing his lips.

Koenma did not say a word. Instead, he sat back and lowered his head. It was wrong, and he was sorry for giving his permission for the curse to be used. Now, because of him, Kuronue would never be able to touch this girl, Kagome, and would only be allowed to watch her from afar. And, it was all his fault.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Kagome felt as though she were floating. She could hear someone whistling, and eagerly looked around, her eyes straining to see through the darkness. Finally, a form came into her view, and when she held out her hands, she felt a pair of warm, large hands envelope hers.

The whistling had stopped and the hands tightened slightly. “Hello, Kagome.” A male voice said. “I have been waiting for the perfect moment to introduce myself, and now, it is time that we become friends because we are going to be together for a very long time.”

Kagome was surprisingly not afraid. For the first time, she was not scared. “You are the one who keeps talking to me.” She blurted out, her voice full of suprise and wonder.

The male began to chuckle. “Yes, I am the one who has been talking to you, and no, you are not going mad. Think of this as the beginning of a beautiful partnership, because, we are now partners, Kagome.” He explained.

“Partners.” Kagome echoed. Her mind was whirling with so many questions, and he chuckled again. “Yes, partners. And, I will explain everything to you in time. Just promise me two things, Kagome.” He said, his tone now serious.

Kagome hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. “Alright.”

“First, never take the necklace off. It is the only thing that lets me talk to you. Second, do not tell anyone about me. I don't need them to begin asking questions. We are the only ones allowed to ask questions, all right?” He asked, sure that she would agree.

“Yes, but now I have a question.” Kagome said. She took in a deep breath. “Who are you? What am I supposed to call you?”

He squeezed her hands once more, and then softly said, “My name is Kuronue, and it is a great pleasure to finally meet you, Kagome. I do believe that this is the start of a very long and beautiful friendship.”

She could not explain why, but for some reason, she did, too.