Inuyasha 1. It Begins Part 1

_Standing in the fields near a castle, were two figures. One, was a boy that looked like he may be fifteen years old, while the other looked like he may have been in his late twenties. The little boy had long silver hair, pale porcelain skin, two magenta stripes on his cheeks and the back of his wrists. On his forehead was a blue crescent moon that was slightly hidden by his silvery bangs. His hair of course shined like the silvery moonlight, reaching down to his waist. He stared at the older man before him; his golden eyes with slitted pupils were slightly narrowed, revealing the magenta that resided above his eyes._

_His pointed ears poked through his silver hair as the wind shuffled his hair and robes around. He didn't wear anything fancy but a simple white kimono that was decorated with flowers around his chest and a yellow obi. To finish off his outfit was a pair of black ankle high boots._

_"Sesshoumaru…" said the man as he turned his gaze at the full moon._

_Looking up, the preteen looking boy stared at the man that had called to him. Today had been the day that he never wanted to see. His father, the greatest demon to be alive was going to try to make sure that humans could coexist with demons… "Yes Father?" said Sesshoumaru as he blandly stared at his father, even as a little boy, he had manners that were far beyond his years._

_His father was a tall man wore a white kimono and hakama, armored boots, and a long flowing sash, with the latter two suggestive of Chinese influence. He also wore breastplates, with a spiked rim, with the addition of Chinese vambraces and armored gauntlets, as well as layered spiked pauldron on each shoulder. He wears a parted pelt that extends from both shoulders and trails behind him as he walks; representing the two streaks of fur running down the back of his demon form. A form that he's only seen his father in a few times. His white hair is only seen in a very high ponytail. Remaining at his sides was two swords that he knew were called the Tessaiga and Tenseiga are worn at his waist._

_"I want to know something my son… I know that you are young… but do you feel the need, the desire to protect someone…" asked his father_

_Sesshoumaru thought about it for a moment… He may be a teenager, but he was smart for his age and just gave his father the same look that he always did. Even though his father wasn't facing him, he could tell that his father knew the look he was giving him. Turning his gaze at the sky, the little boy inhaled deeply before exhaling. "I do not father. I have no desire to protect anyone… Protection is something that no one needs when they should protect themselves, if not, then it is their own fault and they are dead, and will no longer be a burden." Calmly said the little boy, it was cruel but he had felt like this for a long time, since his father left his mother and started to see that woman. If there was one thing he hated, it was betrayal. That was one thing that he would never forgive… and his father had done just that._

_"I see my son… you have no desire to protect hm? Not even a mate?" asked his father turning his head and stared at his son. His golden eyes so much like his son's. His dark blue stripes seemed to glow with the pale moonlight_

_"My mate will be able to protect herself." He replied to his father's question. Sesshoumaru found it rather odd that his father was asking him such questions when he isn't even old enough to take over the lands in his father's place. Though he felt something was off… like something bad was going to happen though he just wasn't sure what that was… maybe he would never figure out what this feeling was or what was causing it as of yet… someday maybe, just not today._

_A chuckle escaped his father's lips as he turned away from his son and gazed at the moon. Sesshoumaru never understood why his father looked at the moon so much, what was so great about the mood in the first place? It was just something that appeared in the night when the sun would disappear and have its own rest from shining warmth onto the lands for those disgusting humans._

_"Sesshoumaru."_

_"Yes Father?"_

_"I want you to return to the castle, I shall return by the morrow. Though, stay away from Naraku understand?" calmly said his father. Sesshoumaru nodded when his father turned and stared at him. If there was one thing that he always did, it was to stay away from the man that his father dared to call himself 'brother' when they are step brothers. If he remembered correctly, Naraku's mother, and his grandfather married when their mates had passed on and to help them bring peace between their clans. Now though, Naraku tends to get a little carried away with the power he has over the lands._

_"Of course Father." Sesshoumaru calmly said, he just looked up and watched as his father's body started to change. His father's true form was that of a gigantic dog with a single blue jagged-like stripe on each cheek and twin streaks of fur running down his back. No matter how many times he saw this form of his father's, he would always find it to be majestic, and believed that his form would be much more powerful than his father's true form. Something that he believed shall come true before he takes over the lands, something his father shall make him be proud of him._

_As he watched his father run away into the forest, he let out a soft sigh as he started to walk back into the palace. "Me… protecting someone? That would only be a waste of time and energy that could easily be used for other tasks." Declared Sesshoumaru as he made his way into the palace, praying for his father's return. Though, his father never returned… alive that is. No one could believe it, but they had been told that the Great Dog General had been killed by a village across the and through a forest had killed him._

_Sesshoumaru of course, had been upset about the news of his father's death but of course, he never showed it. Instead, he would prove to everyone that he was the better ruler… sadly; it seemed that my father had changed his will… and had left the lands in his step brother's hands. The only thing he left Sesshoumaru was the Tenseiga. A sword that can't even cut, but save lives and slay the dead, as for the Tessaiga, he don't know where it is, it may have gone missing but he never saw it ever again, just like his father._

_He doesn't know what his life was going to be like now that Naraku was in charge… but he had a feeling that he was going to living a special kind of hell…_

_Years later, when Sesshoumaru was the human appearance of nineteen, he had heard that some of the demons that had raided a human village had brought back a monk for some questions. Sesshoumaru found it rather odd that they would bring back a monk though he wasn't going to question it further than he already needs to… Making his way through the dungeons, the young man noticed how everyone had stared at him, as if asking him why he didn't kill Naraku down… well, he knew the reason._

_If he killed Naraku, there would be an unnecessary war, and everyone hadn't been loyal to his father had joined Naraku's cause… whatever it was, he didn't know nor did he care. But it didn't stop him from trying to find a way to kill the bastard…_

_Over the years, Sesshoumaru had changed drastically. Sesshoumaru's armor includes a spiked pauldron that covers his left shoulder attached to the upper section of his cuirass and "lotus petal" faulds. When damaged, armor that automatically regenerates itself by using his demonic energy. Both his armor and his long flowing sash have a decided Chinese influence, as opposed to the customary Japanese armor and obi. His kimono is mostly white with a red and white cherry blossom flower crest at the collar and sleeves, showing that he is of royal birth. He wears sashinuki hakama which are gathered at the ankles, producing a "ballooning" effect. His footwear consists of black ankle-high boots, also reminiscent of Mainland influence, which almost looked like the ones he wore as a teen, only difference of course is the shoe size. On his right shoulder is his mokomoko-sama: the fur and tail of his true form which he retains in his humanoid form… a form that he hasn't used in a while… not since that one attack he had joined in on._

_Taking a deep breath, the young prince wondered through the dungeon, curious as to what kind of monk would have allowed himself to be taken by a horde of demons. It was puzzling, though it had him a bit intrigued; wondering if this human was weak like the rest of his kind… or just foolish._

_"Sesshoumaru." Said an eerie voice, a voice that made him want to growl and rip someone's head off. Though, he demised that feeling and turned to the source of the voice. Inhaling deeply the young man turned his head and stared at a tall man with long brown wavy hair, blood red eyes and sickly pale skin. He wore purple robes, fashioned to that of a royal. Robes that he didn't deserve to wear… "I hope I am not interrupting you Sesshoumaru." Said the man with a sickening smile._

_"No, you are not Naraku. What do I owe the pleasure of you seeking me out?" asked Sesshoumaru, not bothering to bow to him or call him 'Lord' for he still believed that he didn't deserve that title. That the title should have been his by right of birth, and yet it had been taken away because of his father's will._

_"Good, good… I want you to talk to the human. After all, you can be intimidating. If he doesn't talk… I want you to kill him. Though, do not kill him just yet, I'll give him seven days… After that, kill him." After that, Naraku took his leave, leaving Sesshoumaru alone to his thoughts. So, the bastard wanted him to speak to the human that they have captured about something? Hm… it had him curious as to what was going on since he didn't know what it was that Naraku was after though he wouldn't question it for now… though, if there was anything he would keep the information to himself. Whatever it was that he was after, it had to be powerful, for the mad man was more power hungry than himself._

_Shaking his head, the young man walked down the hall and down the stairs right into the dungeon. Looking around, he saw the other people that they have captured over the years. Or, he should say centuries. Though he just smirked at that, humans were always scared of demons because not just because of their power, but because of their life span. Demons, after all were near immortal. It made him feel joy at knowing that he had caused their fear… at least that was some joy he could get while being trapped in here. Naraku was using him for something besides 'fear inducer'…_

_Making his way to the last cell, Sesshoumaru frowned when he saw a man with black hair, tanned skin wearing a light blue kimono. The kimono of a priest rather than monk… Odd, very odd indeed. The monk turned his head, his gaze staring at Sesshoumaru with some strange emotion behind his dark blue eyes. It was rather amazing that this human had such blue eyes; he had always thought that human's had brown or eyes dark enough to be black. Frowning, he asked "why would Naraku kidnap a human such as yourself instead of killing you?"_

_The man stared at Sesshoumaru with a calm gaze, his eyes just staring at him as if staring right into his soul. This unnerved him though he didn't show it, there was no way that he was going to show any kind of weakness to a human such as a monk or any human for that matter. "Let me answer your question with a question of my own." The human began with a soft smile on his face. "Why kill someone, who has information for an item that the one who kidnapped you wants?" Hm… this human was smart… at least smart compared to other humans he's encountered over the years._

_"Interesting human, though will you give me the information that I seek?"_

_"Why do you want that information in the first place? So you can use that against your master? Because you're afraid of his power and position?" said the monk as he smirked at Sesshoumaru and turned his head away, gazing down at something in his hand._

_"This Sesshoumaru fears nothing." Said Sesshoumaru with a glare. This human made Sesshoumaru want to kill him. Though he couldn't do that, he had to keep him alive until he got the information that he seeked, if not he would have to kill him… then again, he'd have to kill him either way no matter the cost. It was a win-win for him either way and for that it made him smile a bit. Turning his gaze on the monk's hand, he asked "what do you gaze at with such sadness?"_

_The monk stared at Sesshoumaru, his gaze going from sad and longing to kind and gentle. It was weird how human emotions would just suddenly change like that though he just figured that it was a human thing. The only thing he despised about them more than their strength was their change of emotions, they sometimes made him dizzy and it annoyed him to no end. "Something that I hold dear to my heart. Perhaps, something you could understand if you took the time to understand humans." Sesshoumaru glared at the human and growled at him before he started to walk away. It didn't seem like he would get any information out of him today._

_Though, it didn't stop him from trying to get any information out of the human, day after day he has gone to that human but no matter what he just couldn't get any kind of information out of him. All he would ever do was speak in riddles and look at the weird object that he had never figure out what it was, though it didn't matter if he knew what it was or not… but damn it, he was curious as to what it could be and it wouldn't leave him alone._

_Inhaling softly, Sesshoumaru made his way to the man's cell once again and just stared at him. The human gave out a soft sigh as he leaned back, his back pressing against the stone wall as he gazed at the mysterious object in his hand, his eyes held longing and sadness… with a hint of loneliness… The amount of emotions that were flowing off of him were coming out in waves, causing Sesshoumaru to shake his head as he tried to get his composure back and get himself to relax. In a way, this human had puzzled him, it had him curious as to why he never showed any fear, a fear that would have made Sesshoumaru enjoy himself but right now it was just confusing._

_"Human… why do you not fear me? Do you not fear for your life?" asked Sesshoumaru, his expression voice of emotion though his eyes held a hint of curiosity._

_"Of course I do, but I would rather have my life taken, than my family's… When you have something you want to protect, you would do everything in your power to keep them safe." Said the man, which only angered Sesshoumaru. This man, he sounded so much like his father that it was sickening. Why? What was with it and 'protecting' that made people do stupid things? In fact, it was that 'protecting' that caused his father's death, and now it would be the cost of this human's life. Pathetic… so very pathetic._

_The human let out a sigh before pushing himself to stand on his feet, his eyes still not showing a hint of fear. Though what did fill the man's eyes was courage, something rare among humans… at least, to what Sesshoumaru has seen out of most humans. "Before you kill me…" so, the human knew that he was going to die today… He's either very, very smart, or someone told him… Either way, he wasn't stupid… not by much anyway. "I want you to do me something… please." He wasn't one to take requests, but he had earned some respect from not showing any fear and he was, going down as a warrior with some honor…_

_"Hn." He said, his eyes showing that he would indeed do what he asked… so long as it was within his power. Though for some reason, he felt like it would be a large request… a very large one indeed. Though it would still be a request that he would do until Naraku found out of course._

_"I… I would like to know the name of the demon that will kill me… and…" He looked down, closing his eyes as if the next words were difficult for him to say, though he knew that he was going to have to say them anyway. "I would like for the demons, to stay away from the village I left my family in… The demons asked for my information, in exchange of my family's lives. But I don't trust that he would keep his word, so… I had them travel to a village that I knew that could protect them, a demon slaying village… Please, do not let that man get my family, they are my treasure."_

_He looked at the object that was in his hand, allowing Sesshoumaru to get a full view of what the man had been holding all this time. It was a locket… that was weird, why would he hold onto a locket all this time? Inhaling softly, Sesshoumaru opened the cell, sensing that the human had given up on life… the human, was honourable, he'll give that much… maybe, this was one human that had the honor of speaking his name. "My name, is Sesshoumaru, what, may I ask is your name human?"_

_The man smiled softly before he closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "My name is Isao…" Isao huh? That meant honor… interesting name for an interesting human. Taking a deep breath, the silver haired demon stared at the human, if there was one other thing he would do for this human, it would be to give him an honourable death. Quick and painless… that would be the least he could do for him… "Do I have your word… that you won't let them hurt my family?" asked Isao, his eyes pleading._

_"You have my word… on my honor as the son of Inu no Taisho." Isao smiled, a real smile… the first real smile that Sesshoumaru had seen for those seven days that the human, that Isao had stayed been held prisoner here… "I'll make it quick and painless for you, for you have shown to have honor among humans." With that… Sesshoumaru made the finishing blow quickly and painless for him, he beheaded him._

_Watching as the human fell over, his body just lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. In his hand, was the locket… Sesshoumaru walked over to the human and knelt down as he carefully lifted the locket by the chain between his claws. Holding it up, he had a better look… It was a simple locket, gold, and shaped like an oval. Though he couldn't tell what was in it, in fact… it was sealed. He didn't know why that was though what he did know was that he would honor the poor man with his last wish… he would do what he could to protect his family…_

Sesshoumaru looked up at the sky, it was a full moon… just like the night his father was killed, and the night he killed that human. Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru reached into his robes and pulled out the locket. He couldn't believe that he was still doing that damn favour for that human but, it was getting to Naraku. The bastard was getting annoyed as to why they couldn't go to that village just because they were 'slayers' and had some monks, priests and of course priestesses. At the time it was a good reason to avoid that place, though Sesshoumaru knew that he couldn't keep up with that request anymore.

Inhaling deeply, he thought _'it was only a matter of time… that this would happen, that Naraku would drag us to the village to… search for whatever it is that he's looking for…'_ Besides, maybe his family had left the village when they thought it was safe for them to leave. Looking over at the palace, Sesshoumaru saw that the demons were gathering themselves, preparing to leave to the village. Well, he may as well join them before he left with them all.

Growing, Sesshoumaru looked at the moon once more, before he started to make his way to the others, transforming into his true form. His true form is that of a giant white dog with markings similar to the ones he has in his human form. His sclera becomes red with blue irises; the demon marks on his body widen and become more apparent the stripes on his cheeks which are usually smooth become jagged and change into a somewhat fiercer color while his fur pelt that went over his shoulder wraps around his body and extends into his tail.

Soon, Sesshoumaru flies up into the sky, making his way with the other demons to the human village. If there was one thing that he knew, it was that there would be bloodshed, and he would finally get a chance to enjoy this, that he would be able to enjoy the battle at long last. It had been so long since he's killed anyone, or anything, that he had wanted to battle for a long, long time.

Looking around, the young demon noticed that it was mostly the beast variety demons that were making their way to the village. _'I guess Naraku is keeping the most loyal to the castle…'_ he thought to himself before looking forward… Soon, his Intelligence had started to dim to that of a wild animal, nothing was going to stop him from enjoying the battle now. Though he also couldn't help but wonder what was to happen once they got to the village. Would there be any deaths? By his hands or by the slayers hands? He couldn't be sure but that was where the thrill would come from.

Giving a dog-like grin, Sesshoumaru let out a loud howl as he prepared himself for the battle and started to fly over the trees, over the lakes and made his way toward the village… Even from such a far distance, he could smell the demons that have been here and died before them. Then, of course there was the sacred energy that he could sense… it was powerful though there was one that was more powerful than the others… it had him curious as to what this power was, and who was creating such power… _'Find… out..'_ he thought before attacking the village.


	2. It Begins Part 2

It was a beautiful day in the demon slaying village. No one ever thought that they would ever need to be protected since the demon slayers, monks, priests and priestesses decided to work together and create such a wonderful village. In fact, it almost seemed like it was nothing more than a dream. Everyone that resided in the village were powerful in their own right, though there was one person who held the most power, but refused to use it to its fullest.

A girl named Kagome.

For as long as she could remember, Kagome had been able to use high amounts of spiritual energy yet she would refuse to use it to kill demons. In fact, she would only try to stun them or scare them off with her sacred abilities yet because of that, many people had refused to teach her how to properly use a boy, or other sacred weapons such as that. Rather, Kagome had to teach herself how to use a bow though was still a bit of a sloppy shot but sometimes, did hit the mark.

She had very few friends, people who wouldn't cast her out just because she was different, because her heart would never want to hurt demons or people unless she deemed the need fit. Though even then, she would never want to kill a demon, not ever. Well, at least as long as she could help it of course.

The only friend's she has in this village are three people. Sango, a demon slayer that she had been friends with since they were little girls. In a way, Sango was like an older sister to Kagome, they would do just about everything together and it made Kagome happy that Sango would also do what she could to protect her from the villager's harsh treatment of her. Though to be honest, she sometimes wished that Sango wouldn't get involved so she wouldn't be cast out as well because of 'the demon lover' so to speak.

Miroku, a monk that would come and go from the village since the demons had started attacking other villages so he would leave with the other monks now and again. Now, a little about Miroku is that as soon as he turned thirteen, he became a bit of a pervert and would grope any pretty girl that he meets or, ask them to bare his child. One time he had asked that of Kagome though Sango beat the life out of him once though even though he is a pervert, Kagome is still friend's with him and sees him as an older brother figure.

Then, there was the mysterious man that moved here a couple years ago. His name is Inuyasha though, not much is known about him. All we know is that he is a traveling swordsman that comes to villages and lives among the villagers from demons until they no longer need him. He's a man that tends to keep to himself and lives far from the other villagers for privacy, though Kagome figures that he's shy and doesn't get along with other people very well. She does what she can to help him out, such as bringing him meals since from what she had seen; he can't cook for himself to save his life. It was a miracle that he had lived as long as he did on his own.

Kagome walks through the village, her long black hair falling down just ending above her waist, her blue eyes sparkling with light and love for those around her even if she wasn't their favourite person. Her fair skin looked like she hadn't seen a zit or even a freckle in her life though it had a slight tan to it from all the time she spends out in the sunlight, though that was as dark as it would ever get. Her clothes were that of a priestess though unlike the other outfits that a priestess should wear, the sleeves were separated from the kimono. Leaving her shoulders bare and the sleeves tightly wrapped around just above her elbows with a red ribbon. The kimono jacket she wore, along with the sleeves were white as freshly fallen snow, with a red cord going through the bottoms of the loose sleeves.

The bottom of her outfit, of course were a bright red that of course were, like her top, held together by a red belt that was tightly around her waist showing how slim her waist was. Next for her outfit, were the usual white socks and of course the rice straw sandals.

Looking around the village, the young woman saw everyone just glaring at her. Their hatred was easy to read even without the proper training, she never understood why but for a long time, she had been able to read people just through the aura that surrounded them, though it was hard to read sometimes as well, at least with some people… _'Just like Inuyasha, he's hard to read as well…'_ thought Kagome with a mental shrug before she kept on walking. It was lunch and as she promised, she was going to bring him something to eat or he would starve…

Looking at the sky, Kagome wondered if the rumours about demons from the west are true… Are demons attacking human villages searching for something? It was rather odd that they have been attacking people for so long when before, they never attacked the human villages. "I wonder…" she whispered softly before letting out a soft sigh and kept on walking. The villagers that would pass her by just muttered something under their breath, that she knew was 'damn demon lover' or something along those lines. Kagome never really understood why that was the case though, since she only cared about demon's lives. She wouldn't just kill them and ask questions later when she would rather ask them the reason for attacking the villages though that were also assuming that the rumour was true of course.

Looking up, Kagome smiled when she saw the small hut that resided just at the edge of the village. It was small, though it was also perfect for one person to live in. It was built by logs of a tree that was said to be strong as any steel, as was the roof. In a way, she thought that it fit the man that lived here, since he was hard headed. Giggling at her own joke, Kagome smiled as she said "Inuyasha, you home? I brought you your lunch."

"Kagome, you don't have to keep coming to my place just to make sure I eat… I can cook for myself…"

"Oh yeah? What about that time you set your meal on fire."

"… Keh…"

Stepping out of the straw door was a tall man, maybe a few inches taller than she was. He had long black hair with two locks hanging over his shoulders. She found it amazing that his hair was longer than hers though she never did comment on it… His violet eyes just stared at her, and of course he had that permanent scowl on his face… around his neck was a beaded necklace with five black beads between every white bead that was shaped like a fang.

Looking at his attire, it almost resembled a priests or priestesses kimono though unlike hers, Inuyasha's sleeves were attached at the bottom, and he wore a white jacket underneath, and his pants wrapped themselves around his ankles causing some kind of "ballooning effect." Then of course it was all held up together by the red belt that also, held onto his sword. Now that she thought about it… Inuyasha's sword was different compared to other weapons that she had seen before. He had claimed that it was a 'sacred' sword, given to him by his father though she wasn't sure if that was the case, she felt like he was hiding something since he rarely spoke of his past. Maybe even why he always walked barefoot, though she doubted it.

Kagome couldn't help but smile at Inuyasha as she held out the wrapped meal for him as she said "it's chicken. Hope you like it Inuyasha." Inuyasha frowned for a moment before sighing softly and sitting down and held out his hand for the meal. This was usual; he would give up the fight on her bringing him meals and just sit down and eat, even though he does enjoy the meals that she brings for him.

"So, you training yet Kagome or does the villagers still refused because of you being a 'demon lover'?" asked Inuyasha as he took a bite of his lunch.

"Inuyasha don't tell me you think I'm a demon lover too!" whined Kagome before sitting down next to black haired man and curled up in a ball, her chin resting on her raised needs as she let out a soft sigh. "They still won't train me. All because I refuse to kill demons. Is that so wrong that… that I don't just take away a life no matter if it's human or demon?" Whispered Kagome, before burring her eyes into her knees and let out a deep shaking breath. This was also how the day normally went, she would spill some of what she felt to Inuyasha, at least when Sango and Miroku weren't around though she kept the gist of it to herself.

Inuyasha let out a soft sigh before leaning back against the wall and took another bite of his meal. "From what I can see Kagome, everyone should learn something from you instead of the other way around. The world needs more people like you." He calmly said before looking up at the sky, though his words had caused Kagome to blink as she stared at him in shock. It was rather weird for him to speak like that when normally he's gruff and never thinks of anyone's feelings though maybe he thinks of her as a friend because she didn't cast him out just because he was a traveling swordsman.

"When did you get so sensitive Inuyasha?"

"Keh! I have my moments Kagome." Calmly said Inuyasha before finishing off the last bite of his meal. Again, it was amazing just how fast he eats; Kagome couldn't help but wonder if he skips a few meals just so he could enjoy her meal or something… Though, it did make her smile a little that he thought that. Inhaling softly, Kagome looked away from him and gazed at the sky, it was a mystery… well; Inuyasha was a mystery… as was the demons attacks.

Looking back at Inuyasha, Kagome tilted her head at him as she asked "do you have any idea why the demons are attacking the villages?" Though as soon as she had asked him that, he had stiffened, his black bangs hung over his eyes, shadowing them from her view. "You should know right? You have traveled far and through other village's right? So there has to be a reason for demons to be attacking right?" Inuyasha turned his head away before he pushed himself up onto his feet, his hands curling into tight fists as if he was trying to keep his temper in check. "Inuyasha?"

"I wouldn't know anything Kagome. That is something that… I don't really know. Don't bring it up again." He growled before walking back into his home before muttering "thanks for lunch." After that, he disappeared into his hut and didn't come out. Okay, that was rather odd even for him… Sighing, the young woman pushed herself up, dusted herself off and started to walk on back to the village. It was rather odd that Inuyasha would refuse to speak of the demons, all he would do is fight along with everyone with that weird sword of his and then he would disappear back into his hut…

What had always confused her though was how he would know they were there when his home was surrounded by trees and covered everything from view.

Shaking her head, Kagome knew that he had his reasons for keeping secrets; though it still had her curious as to what was the reason for them. Maybe he was some kind of criminal that wanted to make up for his crimes by helping those around him? Nah, if that was the case, the priests would have sensed that… There had to be something else though she just couldn't figure out what it could be, for now though she was just going to have to trust him and nothing more.

Frowning in deep thought, the young woman wondered what she could do for today. Sango was training, and Miroku was either flirting with the women again or he had gone off. Either way, she would be by herself for a few hours before her mother would need her home for dinner tonight… normally, she was at Inuyasha's a little longer though he looked upset when she asked him about the demons so, for now she would leave him alone until dinner time.

"Maybe I should practice for a little while…" she said to herself before heading over to the archery training field. That was the best thing that she could to teach herself how to hit her target. Looking around, Kagome had to make sure that no one was looking for her, if there was one thing, it was that she didn't want people to see her, for they would… _'Best not to think about it…'_ thought the young woman as she snuck through the trees, her own personal short cut to the training field.

As she made her way through the trees, Kagome reached into a bush and pulled out a bow and a quiver of arrows and smiled to herself. At least she could do this without anyone bothering her. Giggling to herself, the black haired maiden ran through the trees, knowing that today, she would finally hit the target, or at least hit the center of it.

* * *

Kagome breathed heavily as she leaned against the tree that resided in the training field. It was amazing how long she had kept practicing. Looking up at the sky, she saw that the sky had darkened, and the moon had risen into the sky. Smiling softly, the young woman just stared at the moon; it reminded her of her father. Looking down, she took a shaky breath; it had been a long time since she had seen him… Kagome believed that her father would come back… and they would all be a happy family again.

It was the only hope for them…

Looking back up, Kagome tried to think on her father's words… the last time that she had ever seen him when he had to leave her, and her family. _"Kagome, I have to go, be a good little girl for your mother and a good older sister for your brother… remember though, your heart is your strength, not your sacred powers."_ to be honest, she never really understood how her heart was her strength and figured that maybe she never would.

Shaking her head, the young woman just gazed up at the full moon as it shined down onto her. She remembered that as a child, she and her father would gaze at it and star gaze. The moon was always their light, their protector. That was the one thing that her father had taught her… the moon, would protect them… though, now Kagome knew that it wouldn't be possible, the moon, could not protect her or anyone and she knew that… yet, the memory it brought well, it gave her some closure for her… in a way she guessed.

Rubbing her temples, Kagome pushed herself up onto her feet; it was time to head on home before anyone would go out looking for her. Giving a sad smile, Kagome knew that if Sango and Miroku were here, or even Inuyasha, she wouldn't have to worry about being found out, or in her case her training wouldn't be found out.

Stretching her arms above her head, the young woman started to walk through the forest only to freeze mid step. Looking at the sky, the young woman sensed something. There was a demonic aura in the air and it was… "Heading for the village!" shouted Kagome as she ran through the trees. How was this happening?! The demons never came here and now all of a sudden, they were heading here? No! This village had always been safe because demons feared the village, because they were the only ones that could kill demons…

Running up the hill, Kagome looked around the village and saw that the battle had already started. No, she wouldn't allow this to happen. She had to find some way to scare the demons off though she didn't know if it would be enough, for there was a strong demonic aura among the demons. She just couldn't tell which one it belonged too; in fact, it seemed that all the demonic auras had blended together. Narrowing her eyes, Kagome saw the villagers attacking the demons, some of the demons that were hit with sacred arrows disintegrated into dust, the slayers were ripped to pieces by their weapons… the monks that had remained in the village threw sutras at the demons causing them to scream and burst into flames while the priests would mutter chants under their breaths causing the demons to scream in pain.

Soon, Kagome felt someone standing beside her, looking up the person that stood next to her was none other than Inuyasha. "Inuyasha what…?" She didn't know how he found her, though it was strange how he did always know where she was. It must be some kind of spiritual gift he has…

"I had hoped that this wouldn't happen. I had hoped that they wouldn't attack your village Kagome but it seemed that even this village wouldn't be safe from the demons." Calmly said Inuyasha before he grabbed his sword's hilt and pulled it from its sheath. In a burst of golden light, the simple and dull sword had transformed. The blade growing, becoming sharper and forming into the shape of a blade. The guard had changed from steel, into fur, making it seem like it was some kind of dog's fang with the way it looked. "Stay up here Kagome, I'll have these demons leaving with their tails between their legs." With that, Inuyasha ran down the hill, holding the sword over his shoulder like it was the lightest thing in the world.

Kagome just watched in horror. Demons would scream and it echoed through the village, making her want to cry out in pain and torment though she didn't. She remained strong. Looking at the sky, she saw one other demon heading toward the village.

A giant white dog with markings on its face, a blue crescent moon on its forehead and two joined and jagged, fierce magenta lines on its cheeks… His sclera is red with blue irises; its tail swayed from side to side, as if it was thinking of something. _'that must be the leader…' _thought Kagome before pulling out a bow. If she scared it off, maybe the others would leave as well, that was all she would have to do right?

Notching the bow with her arrow, Kagome watched, the demon dog was flying through the air dodging some of the others attacks. The dog barked, what she assumed to be orders to keep attacking though she couldn't be sure of that for, she didn't speak dog. Closing one eye, Kagome tried to aim the bow, she knew that she would have to be careful; she didn't want to hit him by mistake or put in too much sacred energy in the bow… Inhaling deeply, Kagome turned her gaze from the demon when a burst of golden light appeared, when she looked, she saw Inuyasha fighting some of the lesser demons. The energy from his sword would shoot out in five lines, almost resembling claws…

Just what was that sword in the first place? There was no way that it could be a sacred sword, though she wasn't going to voice that for the time being… she would ask him later, right now she had her own problems to tend to. Turning her gaze to the demon, her blue eyes burning and glowing with her sacred energy. This was going to be the moment of truth; she was going to make sure that she scared off this demon no matter what.

Launching the bow, the demon looked toward it for a moment and moved out of the way. The giant dog growled, its crimson eyes looking around as if trying to find the source, though for some reason, it wouldn't look at her… maybe it couldn't sense her? Maybe… it couldn't see her or there was more to it. She couldn't really be sure though it wasn't enough to get him to run off. She would have to shoot another one.

Breathing deeply, Kagome notched another arrow onto her bow and aimed. Trying to put in all of her focus and strength into this arrow so it wouldn't hit the demon but in fact, get it to run away so it wouldn't come back.

Kagome tightly shut her eyes, praying that this arrow would miss… she had put in a little more spiritual energy than she normally does when it comes to trying to scare off demons. Slowly, she opened her eyes; the light from her arrow was bright, brighter than it normally was though she figured that it would be enough for it to scare the beast off…

When she stared at the demon, Kagome finally noticed something… it was staring at her. As if it knew something about her though didn't dare move from its place high in the sky floating on what she would assume was a cloud of its demonic energy. Closing her eyes, she whispered "I'm sorry… but please move out of the way." With that, she launched the arrow, and watched as it soared through the air. Kagome could only watch as the arrows light glowed brighter and brighter as it went through the air, and Kagome didn't know if the demon was going to dodge out of the way but prayed that it would.

The demon let out a growl as it tried to move out of the way, though it seemed that it was not meant to be, for the arrow hit the beasts skin, or more so, its chest, just past its heart. The demon howled in pain and thrashed about, the arrow mostly just grazed its skin, instead of going right through its flesh though that was enough to get it to run away. Kagome though, felt bad for hitting it… she didn't want to hit the demon, just wanted it to run away… yet that wasn't going to be the case for it…

The demon let out a loud roar, its roar was a mixture of pain, anger, and bloodlust. The beast slashed at anything that came near it, though its moves were slow and sluggish as if the sacred energy was wrapping itself around the demon slowing it down.

Soon, the beast's gaze went to Kagome, and growled before starting to run off deep into the forest. Kagome couldn't believe it… she hit the beast and it still had the energy to run off though… she couldn't help the guilt that wrapped itself around her heart… this wasn't how she wanted the demon to run off, she wanted it to run without getting hurt, maybe stun it a little but… not like this.

Tears started to stream down her face as she watched as the demon's body slowly faded from her line of sight, there had to be something that she could do but for now… there was nothing that she could do until morning… "What have I done…?" whispered Kagome.


	3. The Glades

Sesshoumaru had felt many things in his life. Getting stabbed in the chest, getting slashed at… being poisoned which, of course has no effect on him being a poison type dog demon, and of course he had been struck by every weapon known to man and demon kind. Yet, the worst thing he's ever felt was getting hit by a sacred arrow. The arrow grazed his chest, so it didn't hit any internal organs or anything vital so he wouldn't bleed out though he knew that he would end up having a slow and painful death.

Blinking his tired golden eyes, the young looking man looked up and saw that it was still night time. He hadn't crashed in the forest long ago… so the demons would still be attacking the village. Who would have thought that he would have been taken down so easily.

It was almost sad really, though he knew that this was how it was to be. Shaking his head, the young looking man kept on walking, his left hand placed over the seeping wound over his chest. The blood had of course stained his robes and his palm. Breathing heavily, Sesshoumaru knew that he had to keep going… he had to find a place so he could rest, no matter where it was, but so long as it was away from humans and demons… he wanted to find a quiet place for his end, that was all that he wanted… and that was what he would get.

Though… it was saddening… he wouldn't have gotten his father's palace back. He wouldn't have been able to continue his family's bloodline. Not to mention, he would never find out what had happened to his father's other sword. Such as why it had gone missing in the first place though for now, he wasn't going to allow that to bother him.

All of this was stressing, though for now it would have to do to help keep himself going so he could find that place for him to rest…

_'Father… maybe once I join you in the afterlife, you shall tell me why I wasn't left the throne n your place.'_ thought Sesshoumaru as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. Inhaling softly, he started to move his feet carefully, not wanting to lose his footing but damn it, the sacred arrow really did a number on his senses. He felt so drained… his senses and strength have dulled greatly, not to mention he didn't even have the strength to run. Whoever shot that arrow had a great amount of spiritual energy that… should have killed him on the spot… _'Odd…'_

Placing his right hand on a tree, the young demon took a few deep and shaky breaths, it was a chore just to walk… _'Damn… arrow…'_ he mumbled before shaking his head, silvery wisps of hair flew from the motion before landing behind his back, with only a lock remaining over his shoulder.

Though now that he thought about it… this gave him some time to reflect on some of the things that had happened in his life. Maybe if he could figure out what had happened in his life… he could figure some things that would give him some peace of mind… Maybe including some of the nights that his father would leave for days at a time, and returning with some kind of happy and cheery smile on his face. It was rather odd that he would act that way, though of course Sesshoumaru never questioned his father's actions thinking that it was best that he never did ask him any of the silly questions his younger mind would have had at the time.

_'In fact… father hasn't even been that happy with mother…'_ thought the silvery haired man as he walked. Everything that he walked by seemed blurred to him for some strange reason, he wasn't sure what it was, though maybe it was from the blood that he was losing. His injuries did not want to heal it seems, in fact… he almost felt… _'Human… did the arrow seal my demonic abilities or did it just weaken me for a special amount of time?_ he thought to himself with a bit of a growl.

If there was one thing he hated, it was humans. They were selfish, and only cared about themselves. There was no way that humans would ever change, they all hated his kind and killed first and asked questions later.

_"Before you kill me…"_

Sesshoumaru stopped as he recalled those words from the past… a past that he had almost forgotten from his weak and raged filled mind. Closing his eyes, he had forgotten about the only human that didn't care about himself but for the lives of his family…

_"I want you to do me something… please."_

Of course… at first he had thought that he wanted him to let him go… that he wanted Sesshoumaru to just spare his life and forget about the lives of the innocent that he had tried to keep safe though that had been proven wrong from what the man had wanted… that, of course had surprised the so called 'Ice Prince' though even to this day, Naraku never knew what Sesshoumaru had known. Of course, he would keep it that way for as long as his nearly endless life to keep that way.

_"I… I would like to know the name of the demon that will kill me… and…"_

Even though he refuses to show emotion, his eyes always betrayed him. That was the only thing that could never hide what he truly felt, even though to him, emotions were weakness and would do him no good in his gain for power. Now that he thought about it… that human had a great amount of spiritual energy as well, but he didn't use it… must have been to protect the family that he so wanted to 'protect'…

_"I would like for the demons, to stay away from the village I left my family in… The demons asked for my information, in exchange of my family's lives. But I don't trust that he would keep his word, so… I had them travel to a village that I knew that could protect them, a demon slaying village… Please, do not let that man get my family, they are my treasure."_

Smirking a little, Sesshoumaru had almost forgotten his request, though now it almost seemed pointless. He wouldn't have survived long enough to stop those demons that would want to destroy the village. Now, he couldn't stop them even if he wanted to… it just seemed so pointless now that he thought about it… "I'm sorry Isao, I could not keep the promise that I had made to you. Though, you must have known that I couldn't have kept a promise such as that." Whispered Sesshoumaru, his words already sounding so weak to his ears…

He had to hurry and find a place to take shelter in… he had to get out of the forest and just find a place that he could take his eternal rest in.

His breaths soon become raspy and wheezy; he had trouble trying to keep his eyes open. It just seemed impossible at this point… though he figured that this was how it was meant to be… he would be taken down in battle that was an honourable way to go… Giving a small smile, one that he normally saves for his victims, he thought that it would be best that he just enjoyed the nature that was around him, something that was freed of humans and demons just so he could be in silence with and around himself…

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru had fallen over; he didn't groan or moan in pain… in fact, he barely felt anything… It was like his whole body had gone numb and had gone to sleep, leaving his mind completely aware of what was going on around him. No, he wasn't going to end it here! Never! _'This Sesshoumaru is no quitter…'_ declared Sesshoumaru as he literally started to drag himself, the only part of him that could move were his hands. Even though dirt started to seep itself into his wound, he didn't care, all he cared about was to get to that haven that would keep him safe while he passed on.

Looking around, Sesshoumaru saw rocky cliffs around him; maybe he was near some kind of cliff or something? He didn't know… though if there were cliffs there had to be some kind of cave right? Shaking his head, the young man dragged himself, feeling a little bit of his legs trying to move, to push him to keep going, he was almost there… he knew it.

Blinking slowly, he saw a small path; it looked like it's been used many times before though he couldn't be sure how often that would be in between visits… Then of course, he didn't care at the moment… it led down to the glades that were surrounded by the giant rocky walls that would protect him from the chilled winds as the dawn slowly started arrive… _'This place may be perfect…'_ he thought to himself as he started to drag his worn out body down the small path that almost seemed hidden by some kind of spell… he wasn't sure who could have cast this spell though it didn't hurt him… nor did he care…

Looking up, he saw some of the rocks poking out; they looked strong enough to support his weighted feeling body. Pushing himself up, the young demon breathed deeply as he looked around. He didn't see anyone so that must mean that whoever came here must have left recently so that would be more than enough for him.

Taking shaky steps, Sesshoumaru started to walk forward, using the walls to support his weight… at least he had some strength back, must be the resolve that he had. Looking up, Sesshoumaru thought that this was silly, that he would do all of this just so he could find some place to rest eternally? Yeah, he would… his pride wouldn't allow that. He wouldn't stop himself from getting the rest that he deserved… this was something that he deserved more than anything, besides that he should have gotten the Tessaiga… instead, he got the Tenseiga… just knowing that this sword couldn't kill people had irritated him to no end and he had no use for it…

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru tumbled, tripping over a root from an old tree that had grown itself through the rocks. Sesshoumaru fell and rolled down the path and into the small pond; it had cleaned his wound of course, pure clean water. Sitting up, Sesshoumaru coughed up some of the water that had made its way into his lungs… damn his weakened body… Now he really hated humans that could use sacred powers and he wanted to kill them all. To wipe them all out but sadly, that would also include killing Isao's family, and he had promised not to harm them and to keep them safe… sadly he had failed in his duty.

Sputtering a few more moments, the royal demon blinked sleepily as he tried to keep himself awake. He had to make sure that he didn't sleep in the water that would be a weak way to go. Dragging himself out of the water, Sesshoumaru carefully dragged himself out of the cold water, which of course he found odd that he could feel it since he had been known as 'The Ice Prince' he would have been called 'The Ice Lord' if he had kept his position as Lord but the change in his father's will had prevented that from happening.

Shaking his head, the golden eyes of Sesshoumaru blinked in shock when he saw a cave… it looked deep enough for him to get out of here and for him to rest. That would be enough for him…

Staggering to the cave, Sesshoumaru fell over once again and wheezed. Now that he thought about it… he could still feel his blood seeping through his clothes… Now he knew that he would freeze to death because of his weakened body thanks to that stupid arrow of his. Blinking sleepily, the young man just keep dragging his body on the hard ground, as he looked around he had noticed that there was a small garden to the far left… a few trees here and there. It was rather weird to see something like a garden here though… maybe there was more to this place than he realises though he couldn't be sure of it.

Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru managed to drag himself into the cave and just lied there. Letting out a choked out breath, Sesshoumaru felt like his whole body was being purified once again. Even his demon form couldn't handle the arrow; it was the reason why he had ran off like he did. Closing his eyes, the young demon tried to get himself to relax, wishing for his body to lose itself once again, to lose the feeling that he had and just lose himself in his sleep.

As he slept, Sesshoumaru sighed softly as he allowed himself to just sleep, wanting to forget everything that had happened… slowly, his mind started to fade away as his body started to go into some kind of coma.

_Sesshoumaru blinked as he looked around in the shadows, it was rather weird that he was tilting his head to the side wondering where he could be. Wasn't he just in a cave right now? Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru growled out "This Sesshoumaru isn't losing his mind…" He started to walk around, wondering where he could be… maybe he was on some kind of limbo or something of the sort. Hm… this was indeed interesting._

_Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru looked down at his chest as he saw that his robes weren't stained in blood, nor was there a tear in his robes. Odd, maybe in this state of mind, he didn't show any sign of being injured nor having his clothes torn. Must be some kind of dream, why else would he be like this? Shaking his head, the young man wondered through the grassy fields, like the fields that he would see outside of his palace. It was strange to see this field like this; the grass hasn't looked this healthy since Naraku had taken over…_

_The damn spider demon used his miasma and destroyed most of the plant life that surrounded the palace. Inhaling softly, the silver haired dog demon kept on walking through the field that was stored away in his memory. For now, he may as well enjoy this dream scape of his for now._

_"Sesshoumaru…"_

_Blinking his golden eyes, the young demon turned his gaze and stared at a familiar human. Staring at the human, he growled for a moment as he flexed his claws as if he was preparing himself to attack and kill this human if he dared to attack back. "I do not want to fight you Sesshoumaru. But I do wish to warn you." Said the human, wait… that voice was familiar to him… but there is no way that he could be seeing him, after all… he had killed him years ago._

_"Isao, how are you here? Have you not found peace from the vow that I had made to you all those years ago?" asked Sesshoumaru, keeping his composure for the time being, even though he found this a little unnerving._

_Isao chuckled, his eyes sad for a moment before he turned away, his arms folded behind his back as he took a deep breath. Whatever was going on, he didn't know though the stance that he took was a sign that he had to tell him something important. "Sesshoumaru… I only come to you to give you warning." Calmly said Isao. This confused Sesshoumaru._

_"I for see shadows in your future Sesshoumaru. There is a danger that will try to kill you for your power and something dear to you will be taken from you…"_

_"I have nothing dear to me." Calmly said Sesshoumaru as he turned away from Isao. There was nothing that would be close to him, that's how it's been for all of his hundreds of years of life. Inhaling softly, the young demon growled softly as he tried to get the annoying monk or priest whatever he is. He had a nasty habit of getting himself mixed up and would lose his mannerism because humans would annoy him to no end._

_Isao inhaled deeply, as if he was frustrated at Sesshoumaru for something. Calmly, he said "you may deny it now Sesshoumaru, but you will start to care for something… No matter how hard you will fight it, you will lose it." Sesshoumaru turned to stare at Isao and saw the sad smile that graced his features. Well, that was strange, why would he seem sad? Like he to, would lose something that he cared about? After all, he was nothing more than a ghost that had decided to haunt him._

_Narrowing his eyes, Sesshoumaru said "leave me Isao. This Sesshoumaru does not wish to be bothered by the ghost of a human he had killed."_

_"Why do you speak in the third person Sesshoumaru?" asked Isao with wide blinking eyes. In a way, Isao almost looked like a child right now. It was rather strange that he would look like that though it only lasted for a second before he narrowed his golden eyes at the human that stood before him._

_"This Sesshoumaru does not have to answer himself to you." Growled the young prince before he started to walk away. If he had to stay here, he may as well get away from the annoying human. Though… what Isao said, was it true? Was he really going to lose something or was it all in his head? He didn't know, nor did he care at the moment. Well, may as well just enjoy the view… and enjoy the rest of eternity here._

* * *

Kagome took a deep breath as she woke up that morning. She had woken up early; it had been tough for her to sleep from knowing that she had hurt a demon. Sighing softly, the young woman crawled off of her mat and made her way over the woven basket that held a freshly clean kimono for her. Inhaling softly, the young woman knew that she would have to head over to the glades so she could gather some herbs from her secret garden… the only other place that she could do as she wanted besides the training field that she wouldn't be bothered in.

Sighing softly, the young woman stretched her arms above her head after she stripped herself of her sleeping kimono and slipped on her priestess kimono.

It was quite, so maybe her family were still sleeping… That would give her some time to sneak out of her home without anyone being aware of where she would be going. Smiling to herself, Kagome was thankful that she would be able to sneak out of the house, sometimes she was curious as to if she was a ninja or something in a past life. That would have been interesting if that had been the case though for now she would just have to let that idea slip from her mind and just focus on getting to the glades and gather what she needed to gather and head on home.

Poking her head out in the gathering area, Kagome didn't see anyone, so that was a good sign. Smiling brightly, the young woman left her home and started to make her way toward the lake. She still had a few other things though today. She had to make sure that Inuyasha would have something to eat for lunch and maybe see if Sango would spend some time with her after she went to the glades.

Crossing her arms over her chest, the young priestess was curious about that demon. Was it hurt? Or… was it…

Shaking her head, the black haired woman had to focus on other things right now but darn it she still felt so guilty over hurting that demon. Maybe she really was a demon lover if she felt this guilty over hurting that demon. In a way, it was almost like being an animal lover though only difference was that she would never see a demon as an animal… Demons were smarter than humans, and she knew that though… some weren't even smarter than a flea.

Sighing softly, the young woman stretched her arms above her head as she tried to get the guilt to leave her alone, she didn't want that guilt to consume her anymore but no matter, she knew that it wouldn't leave her alone. "Oh… I forgot something…" She whispered before heading back into her home and quickly snatched her little homemade first aid kit since she did, have a habit of hurting herself going down that path of hers. Even Inuyasha made some smart comments about her tripping over her own feet though she knew that it was because she kept on forgetting about that tree root when she would be in her own little world.

_'Why is it that I can't stop daydreaming about some of the silliest of things?'_ thought Kagome with a sigh before she started to make her way to the river. First things first, she was going to do some fishing for Inuyasha and hand them over to him. Of course, giving him instructions so that way he wouldn't burn the food and possibly burn something down…

In a way, that was kind of funny the last time something like that had happened. Giggling to herself, the young woman stretched her arms over her head, and then slipped her first aid kit into her robes before she walked down the path that would lead her to the river. Rolling up her pant legs, the young woman stepped into the river and hummed a soft tune under her breath as she tied her sleeves back and started to plunge her hands into the cold river and grabbed some fish that would try to swim past her.

Kagome just smiled as she fished, it was rather odd for women to fish though sadly, Inuyasha couldn't really do it since no one would allow him in the river thinking that he would steal all the fish and let them starve. Though Kagome knew better, she took the time to get to know Inuyasha as did Sango and Miroku. They all took the time to get to know him and they see that Inuyasha is a really great guy; why else would he travel village to village? He just wanted to help people and that was all that he wanted to do with his life… though what the reason behind it was, she didn't know but hoped that one day he would trust her, or even Sango or Miroku with that secret of his.

Sighing softly, the young woman did what she could and grabbed as many fish that she could and set them on the grass, though far enough so they wouldn't try to get back in the river. It was the usual thing for her to do, though it also made her wished that her mother had more than one basket so she wouldn't have to sneak out of the house without looking suspicious of her actions.

Frowning a bit, the young woman yawned softly into the back of her hand and just stretched her arms for a moment before she thought that she had caught enough fish and just smiled at the amount of fish that she caught. _'Yup, this should do for both Inuyasha's breakfast and lunch.'_ she thought, knowing that he doesn't eat a lot though it would do at least. Walking out of the river, Kagome reached into her robes and pulled out the string and strung the fish so it would make it easier for her to carry to the swordsmen's home.

Untying her sleeves and pant legs, the young woman started to make her way to the small hut and just smiled as she felt a little better. Doing a good deed made her feel better though… she couldn't help but wonder about that demon again. She had hoped that it was okay… though there was also something else that had confused her.

The more she thought about his sword though, the more she was curious as to where that sword of his comes from. There was no way that it was a sacred sword, it wouldn't have abilities like that and she knew that. It must be one of the many secrets that was Inuyasha that surrounded his life… though maybe someday he would be willing to tell her, though for now, it was best that she just let it go and try to let him tell her or their friends when he was ready to tell her anything.

Inhaling softly, the young woman stretched her arms above her head, mindful of the fish that tried to smack her upside the head. Shaking her head, the young woman looked ahead and saw that Inuyasha's home was just ahead of her, she wasn't far from his home and that made her happy. Though she couldn't help but wonder what he would do today, would he scout the borders of the village in case there were some stray demons around or was it something else. Shaking her head, the young woman knew that she would have to forget about the demon attack but she just couldn't get herself to stop thinking about it and that was what upset her the most.

Looking up at the sky, she saw that it was still pretty early so maybe it was the best that she just left the fish there since Inuyasha was never one for mornings. He slept in all the time, the only time she ever saw him awake was on the moonless nights and she never understood why that was. Shrugging to herself, the young woman made her way to Inuyasha's home and knocked on the wooden door. "Inuyasha? You home?" she called, only to frown when she didn't get an answer.

Breathing deeply, she shook her head and carefully moved the door aside and hung up the fish, wanting to make sure that nothing for to the fish or someone stole it. Sighing softly, the young woman closed the door behind her and started to make her way into the forest. It may as well be something interesting for her to do though for now she would have to do something while she walked to the glades, though she wasn't sure what she could do while she walked. There were so many things on her mind…

Looking after her family, trying to teach herself how to use a bow… ignoring all the villagers from glaring at her and calling her 'Demon Lover'. It really hurt her feelings that people would label her just because of that and it really irritated her to no end. Shaking her head, the young woman ran a hand through her hair as she tried to get herself to calm down, tried to get herself to relax and pretend that nothing was wrong with her. Though sadly, it was still troubling that she had to deal with all of these things but at least the tormenting hadn't gotten too bad for her right now.

Blinking, the young woman smiled when she saw the pathway. It was nice to see the path, it was the only location where she could really be alone and be herself… and let the tears fly when she wanted. Taking a deep breath, the young woman started to make her way down the path, also trying to be careful not to trip over that tree root again. That was the last thing that she wanted… she hated it that she would trip over that stupid root, she wished that she brought an axe or something so she could cut the stupid thing and forget about it.

Shaking her head, the young woman kept making her way down the path, until she stopped dead in her tracks. _'Is that blood?'_ she thought to herself in horror when she saw a small patch of blood on the path. Without thinking, the young woman ran down as fast as she could, making sure that her straw sandals doesn't get caught on anything and makes her fall over. She wasn't sure where that blood came from but from the way it looked to her, it almost seemed like someone had tripped, thus causing just that small patch.

Frowning a bit, she noticed that part of the ground around the pond was soaked… Whatever fell here must have landed in the water… it would explain why the water became so tainted. She would have to purify the water later, though right now the main thing that mattered to her was finding the person that entered her safe haven from this place. Looking around, Kagome tried to find where this person could have been, though that was also assuming that whoever landed here was human. It could have been an animal. Though she knew one thing, it couldn't have been a demon since the barrier that she had placed around this area could never enter this place without being purified.

Shaking her head, she hated the idea of killing demons but she never brought her weapons here and knew that this was how it was supposed to be. Inhaling deeply, the young woman stretched her arms in front of her as she tried to find any indication of where this person could have gotten. Frowning, Kagome looked over and saw something red on the ground…

Rushing toward it, the young woman knelt in front of the small red spot and noticed what it was… "Blood… they were still bleeding…" she whispered softly before following the direction of the blood, for she saw that the blood had created a path, along with a water trail. It was rather strange, whoever this was, or whatever it was, had some strength to have pushed themselves this far and that was after crashing in the water. She didn't know who would have that kind of strength though she wasn't going to complain about it, not at the moment anyway.

Shaking her head, Kagome carefully walked, wanting to make sure that nothing attacked her from her 'quick' movements, so it was best that she would just have to slow down and be cautious. Inhaling softly, and carefully, the young woman made her way to the cave, wanting to make sure that the creature doesn't attack her for no reason… unless it believed that it was in danger but even then, she would make sure that it stayed calm, comfortable and that she would heal it.

Suddenly, Kagome heard a soft moan, almost sounded like a whine. Was it a dog? Shaking her head, the young woman carefully made her way to the cave and squinted her eyes hoping to adjust to the darkness. Though at first, all she could make out was white… and silver. Blinking in shock, she made her way over to this person, and turned him or her over. She made out white robes with red printed flowers on them and some weird kind of armor that went around his chest and over the one shoulder and the yellow belt that went around his waist.

What she noticed though was the blood that stained his robes on his chest. Gasping softly, she gently moved the robes aside from his chest, and stared at it. For a slim man, he sure had a muscular chest and… and torso. Shaking her head, her face turning red from the sight of him. "No, bad Kagome. You're trying to heal him." Whispered Kagome before she reached into her robes and pulled out her first aid kit and looked back to the man but frowned when she saw his face. He had a blue crescent moon on his forehead, two magenta stripes on both of his cheeks and over his eye lids. His skin was pale, almost porcelain… though it seemed like it worked for him.

Blushing softly, the young woman whispered "he's a demon… but how did he…?" She was confused that he had gotten through her barrier though realised that she didn't sense any demonic aura from him. Looking at his chest again, she started to patch him up, though it as hard for her to properly do this since she couldn't get him to sit up since he was unconscious right now though knew that maybe it was for the best that he was asleep, or he would have attacked her.

After pressing the gauze onto his chest, she added some tape-like material and made sure that the gauze would stay in place. After that, she placed his robes back in order before she grabbed the white furry boa and placed it behind his head. It was then that she noticed his pointed ears and frowned a bit. He was a demon… yet he was wounded in the same place- "He's… He's the demon I hit…" she whispered softly and in shock. Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she covered her mouth in horror. He was the demon that she had hit with an arrow and now… he was like this. Shaking her head, Kagome placed a hand on his forehead and whimpered a bit.

He had a terrible fever, and he felt clammy and sweaty. The arrow must have badly affected his immune system giving it the immunity of a human but maybe even less than that. It was heart breaking that this was happening to her. Pushing herself up, Kagome went outside of the cave and went to get some herbs, wanting to make sure that she could brew some herbs into a tea that could help bring down his fever…

There was no way that she was going to let him die, she would make sure that she brought his health back and his demonic aura to return to him before he left this place. Though, it was to make sure that it stayed a secret that she knew that she would have some trouble with. Something as big as this was going to blow up in her face though for the time being, she didn't care. All she cared about was to tend to this demon's health and make sure that he could be saved. She wouldn't let him die, not like this.

Inhaling softly, Kagome looked at the water and frowned a bit. She wouldn't be able to use the water; it was tainted with blood and dirt… Muttering a spell under her breath, the young woman touched the water, and all of the impurities disappeared. Smiling softly, Kagome filled up a bamboo shoot with water and set it on the ground before she reached into her first aid kit and started to pull out her mini grinder and started to grind up the herbs before sliding it into the water.

It would have to do; she didn't have all of her tools with her… so this would be all she could do for him. At least for the time being, shaking her head, the blue eyed woman slowly made her way back to the demon and knelt next to him. Carefully placing her arm behind his shoulders, supporting his head with her shoulder she got his mouth open and started to pour the cold herb water down his throat. "I'm so sorry… I never wanted to hurt you… I only wanted to frighten you off… killing demons is something I never want to do…" She gave a soft smile before letting out a soft sigh and set the bamboo shoot aside and looked at the sky… praying that she would be able to heal him.


	4. Slight Attack

Yawning softly, Kagome rubbed her eyes as she slowly started to open her eyes. Blinking slowly, she looked around her room and saw that the sun was starting to shine on through her window. Laughing softly, she pushed herself off her futon and dragged herself to put on her clean robes. Today, she was going to head back to the glade prepared. She would make sure that she had everything she needed to take care of that demon, though that would be harder than it seemed since he may wake up… _'Oh well, he wakes up, he wakes up… So long as he doesn't stay asleep forever I'll be happy.'_ thought Kagome with a smile.

Looking out the window again, Kagome smiled seeing that it was such a nice day outside. It was nice to see that there weren't a single cloud in the sky that made things easier for her. Giggling softly, she started to rummage through her room picking up things that she would need, knowing her as soon as she had changed she would forget about her tools to help the poor demon.

Grabbing a couple of wash rags, some gauze, some ointment, a blanket, her grinder for herbs… what else did she need? Crossing her arms in deep thought, Kagome tried to go over everything that was on her list of things that she should bring for the demon. There had to be something, anything that would be here that she should bring in case… but what? Oh… Reaching over, she grabbed the bamboo shoot again in case he would need water for his fever. She still couldn't be sure if it had gone down though it didn't hurt to be prepared after all.

Smiling sadly, she tossed everything that she needed onto a cloth before grabbing the corners and tied them up, at least this will make it easier for her to carry though she still wondered… was the demon still sleeping or did he wake up and take off? Oh well, she did still need to gather herbs for the village no matter if they hate her or not.

Positive that she had everything, Kagome made sure that her robes were clean before stripping down and starting to change. Letting out a deep breath, Kagome looked out the window as she thought about the damages that the demons had caused to the village. It would take a while to repair everything that had been destroyed by the demon attacks though she couldn't help but wonder something that seemed off. It looked like they were searching for something though she just couldn't really be sure what it was…

Shaking her head, the young woman grabbed her things and started to make her way out of her room and out of her home seeing that no one else was there. Odd… her mother and brother must have gone out to another village to help with the demon attacks. It would explain why she didn't see them when she got home yesterday. Shrugging, she started to make her way down the path as she hummed a soft tune for herself. She still had to make sure that Inuyasha had something to eat so she would have to make a stop before she went to the glade to tend to the demon even though at the moment, she just wanted to head on down there and make sure that he was okay…

Scratching the back of her head, running her fingers through her tangled locks, Kagome wondered if maybe she should just give Inuyasha his dinner tonight since he has told her that he could last without a few meals. Shaking her head, the young woman chided herself for even thinking that. Inuyasha was a living being; he had a right to eat three meals a day just like everyone else.

"I'm just getting myself confused and irritated…" muttered Kagome before closing her eyes. She was just so conflicted… wanting to help the demon man, and of course wanting to help Inuyasha. Grabbing at her head, the young woman moaned and groaned, just wanting all of this to be simple so she wouldn't have anything to worry about. Stress was not her best friend when it comes to her wanting to help everyone all at once, it was one of her flaws yet one of her strengths and she knew that more than anyone…

Letting out a soft sigh, Kagome looked up at the sky, a few birds flew by… so carefree and able to roam wherever they wanted. It had her wondering… what was it like to be free of duties and pain? Slowly, she cast her gaze toward the ground as she let out a soft yet sad sigh. Life sure was tough, that was for sure though she couldn't help but wonder… would everything be okay? Would life be easier for her down the road or would it always be this difficult for her? She didn't know and felt like she would never know that for sure.

Looking over at the villagers, she saw them just… glaring at her. Their sneers made her blood run cold and her skin go pale. Sometimes, she wondered how much they hated her… sure they never did anything to her but make those hurtful comments about her being a demon lover though that was pretty much it. Mostly because Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha protected her. She was their friend and they kept her safe that had to be the main reason why the villagers never did anything else but use those hurtful words.

Yawning into the back of her hand, she started to make her turn to the forest until a voice had stopped her. "Kagome!" shouted a woman's voice, causing her to turn around and frown a little before she noticed a woman running toward her.

The woman had long brown hair tied loosely with a ribbon. She wore a traditional woman's dark and light pink kimono. Over this she wears a long green skirt. She completes her outfit with traditional woman's arm guards and leg guards, and straw sandals. Getting a closer look, Kagome noticed her brown eyes and the pink eye shadow that brought out her eyes more and their shine.

"Sango!" called Kagome with a bright smile on her face. She had been surprised that she hadn't seen Sango earlier though she figured that the demon slayer had just returned from her scouting the village for stray demons. Kagome could only smile at her friend, it felt like it's been so long since she had seen her friend, the last time she had seen her was the day before the demon attack because of all the training she had been doing lately, though Kagome had a feeling that it was because Miroku had irritated her again before he had left.

Sango smiled when she caught up with Kagome and let out a soft sigh. "It's good to see you Kagome. I'm sorry I've been busy I hope the villagers haven't been mean to you." Said Sango with a tilt of her head. Giggling, Kagome shook her head as she told Sango that everything has been fine, that everything has been running smoothly. "The villagers haven't been tormenting you again have they?" asked Sango before sending her death glares toward the villagers that were still nearby, they saw her glare and took off, fearful for their lives.

Shaking her head, Kagome just smiled as she said "everything's fine Sango. I've kept myself busy so I've been ignoring them." Lied Kagome, it was hard for her to ignore them… especially when she felt like she had holes being burned into her just by their glares… Though she wasn't going to tell Sango that, she was just going to pretend that everything is okay for her and that the villagers haven't really bothered her. "Oh, how's Miroku? Have you seen him at all or he's still gone on his travels with the other monks?" asked Kagome.

The brown haired woman sighed softly before crossing her arms and looked up at the sky. "That monk, he flirted with another woman before he left. I don't know what I see in him." Muttered Sango, she was still mad about that? Miroku was a pervert through and through, and there was nothing that could be done like that, especially since from what she had heard, all the males in his family have always been perverted, it's part of the genetics of their family or something along those lines.

In a way though it was sad, Miroku was a great guy and yet he kept pulling those stupid stunts and had kept flirting with other women when he keeps telling Sango that he's the only woman for him. Shaking her head, Kagome just stared at Sango as she said "Sango, Miroku is a pervert yes, but he does love only you. It's easy to see in his eyes." Kagome just smiled at Sango and patted her shoulder with her free hand before looking over her shoulder. She didn't know what she was to do about Inuyasha and the demon yet… she didn't have time to catch fish or cook anything for Inuyasha knowing that if she did there was a chance that the demon may die if his fever was still there… she knew the dangers of sacred energy on demons and it was risky just to leave him there…

Turning her gaze back to Sango, she just smiled as she finally thought of something. She may have just solved her problem about Inuyasha's meals! Smiling at Sango, she asked "Sango, can you cook Inuyasha's meals for a while? I have to do some work in the glade for a while. I don't know how long it'll take so… I wouldn't have time to make sure that Inuyasha eats and doesn't set his home ablaze so… can you? Please?"

Sango just stared at Kagome for a moment, as if she was trying to understand what the black haired priestess was trying to ask of her. Only to smile happily and nod. Her answer of course was "of course Kagome. If you have to work in your garden then go ahead. I'm sure Inuyasha would understand." Kagome just smiled happily, it was nice to know that she had a friend like Sango. She didn't ask any questions about what she did, even if she didn't really say what it was though it made her smile all the same. Inhaling softly, the young woman felt a little better knowing that Inuyasha would be well taken care of, though she couldn't help but wonder if Inuyasha would even allow that since he did prefer Kagome's meals since she added her own little touch to the food while Sango just cooked it without adding anything to the meal to give it that flavour.

Inhaling softly, Kagome finally got herself to relax before she started to wave to Sango. "I'll see you later Sango, I should get going." She said with a bright smile on her face before she started to make her way toward the path and walked. Maybe today would be an amazing day after all. It would be nice, just being able to enjoy this day no matter what. All she had to do was check on the herbs now and of course make sure that the demon man was okay and change his bandages and clean his wound of course. Though not in that order, that would just be silly that's for sure.

Smiling for the first time all day, Kagome felt like for once, something was finally going her way instead of fates way. It just seemed so right now that she was treating a demon… even if no one really knew the truth of what she was doing in the glade though it was best that she kept that detail to herself for now. There was no way that she could tell everyone the truth; there was no way of knowing what they would do to her or what they would do to him if they could somehow get past the special barrier…

* * *

"Whoa!" cried Kagome as she tripped over the tree root and fell over and rolled down on the path, just stopping by the pond. Groaning, she let out a soft whine before pushing herself up; Kagome dusted herself off and looked at her hands. At least she didn't scrap her palms this time so that made her feel a little better. Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman looked around; everything still looked the same like it did yesterday though looks could be deceiving after all.

Shaking herself a bit, Kagome made her way toward the cave where she had left the demon and hummed a gentle tune to herself. Though it was quite a surprise to see that he was still there. In fact, he didn't even look like he's moved at all since she was here yesterday. Still laying his head on that furry boa of his, his face still calm and relaxed as if he was having nothing but peaceful dreams. _'What do demons dream about…?'_ thought Kagome with a frown before she made her way over to his side and sat down before setting down her things.

Oh well, it didn't matter what demons dreamed of… opening up the cloth bag that she made, she grabbed the gauze before setting it aside and reached over as she started to open up his robes and frowned. His blood had seeped through the bandages… had he still been bleeding all night? Shaking her head, the young woman removed the bandage before looking at his skin. The wound was red at the edges, the wound still fresh though it didn't look like it was bleeding as badly as it did yesterday.

Giving a sad smile, she whispered "I'm so sorry…" She grabbed the cloth only to remember… she didn't bring the bowl. "Aw, I knew I'd forget something." Kagome whined softly, not wanting to wake up the demon before making her way to the pond and dipped the cloth in the cold water and rushed back to his side. She was surprised that he hadn't woken up in the night, maybe he was in worse shape than she thought could have been possible for him. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and started to wipe the wound with the cloth, being mindful not to put too much pressure on him, or to wake him up.

Though, as soon as the cold cloth had made contact with his skin, he shuddered, his closed eyes tightened and he let out a soft groan of pain. It must hurt more than she thought it would though it was amazing that he responded to anything when yesterday, he didn't even make a sound other than his soft breathing. "I'm sorry; please… just go through with this…" She whispered gently, not wanting to cause him any more distress than necessary before she kept wiping the dried blood from his chest, though she couldn't help but stare at his muscular torso and abdomen…

She didn't think it was possible for someone to be this muscular… even her father wasn't this muscular though by now there was a chance that his muscles had disappeared from age. Giving a soft yet sad smile, the young woman set the wet cloth aside before grabbing the dry cloth and started to dry his chest before she would dress the wound. It would be hard though since he was still sleeping so all she could do was place the gauze on his chest and use more of that material to keep the gauze in place. Looking at his face, she saw that he was indeed a beautiful man, blood found its way to her cheeks causing her to blush a soft pink.

_'Why am I blushing? He's just a normal guy… even if he is a demon… he's just a guy…'_ thought Kagome with confusion before shaking her head and turned her gaze onto the wash rag that she had used to wipe his chest. It had blood staining it, this only made her sigh… _'I hope he gets better…' _thought Kagome with a frown before pushing herself up and made her way over to the over to the pond and sighed softly. It was rather weird that she, a priestess or at least someone in a village with priestesses in it, was looking after a demon. In a way, that was ironic…

A person that was supposed to kill demons was instead helping one. It was rather odd of course though it was just the way things were she figured. Sighing softly, the young woman turned her head and gazed at the cave over her shoulder. Just how long was he going to sleep? Do demons have healing trances or something or was he just wanting to sleep his life away? Shaking her head, the young woman dipped the wash cloth in the pond and started to wash the blood off. She would have to purify the water right after; it was always so tiring since she didn't have any form of training though it couldn't be helped sadly.

Looking at the cloth, she smiled softly seeing that the blood had washed off without a problem that made things a little easier for her at least; better than explaining why there was blood on it instead of trying to come up with a lie. Looking around, she found a rock for the cloth to sit on to dry out in the sun. Smiling, Kagome made her way back to the cave and smiled when she saw that the demon was still asleep. It was weird though she couldn't help but notice that he looked just like a normal human if it wasn't for the markings, claws, fangs, silver hair and pointed ears. If it wasn't for all of those, he would look just like a normal human man. Though, there was something about his facial features that made her think that she had seen them before… though she couldn't think of where it could have been.

Reaching out, she placed her palm on his forehead… It was still warm though it didn't seem like he was burning up like yesterday. So maybe just another dose of herbal medicine should do it and he'll be right as rain by tomorrow. Giggling, she got back up on her feet, grabbed her bamboo shoot and ran toward her garden and pulled out the herbs that she needed and rushed to the pond to fill up the shoot. Of course, she purified the water quick before filling up the shoot and rushed back to the cave so she could use her grinder. Humming a soft and gentle tune under her breath, Kagome started to set the herbs on the grinder before trying to grind the herbs into a powder.

Turning her eyes now and again, she made sure that the demon man didn't wake up… wondering if he even noticed if she was even there in the first place. It was rather weird though, was he aware of what was going on around him. Maybe he was just dreaming of his past, his childhood- wait do demons even have childhoods? There was so much that she never knew about them but she wants to know… Maybe when he wakes up she could ask him some questions though she couldn't really be sure of that yet.

Giggling softly to herself, Kagome looked back down at the herbs and just smiled that they had been grounded into powder. Made it easier for him to swallow with the water… Lifting the grinder, Kagome carefully poured the powder into the bamboo shoot making sure that not a single grain of the herbs fell anywhere but in the awaiting water. Her smile was bright, as was her eyes before she reached over and carefully placed her arm behind the man's shoulders much like she did yesterday, supporting his head with her shoulder before placing the shoot by his lips.

"This will make you feel better, I promise…" Kagome whispered before pouring the contents pass his lips and down his throat. The man just laid there, his expression still calm yet peaceful though at least he was drinking the water without any problems.

Kagome smiled gently at the man before carefully laying him back down, his head resting on the boa and she pulled out the blanket and draped it over his body to help keep him warm for the night. It was rather weird that he would seem that calm and peaceful, though it just made him look… Her face exploded in a blush once again before shaking her head. Covering her face with her hands, Kagome tried to get herself to stop thinking those things, there was no way that she should be thinking of those things, like him being a beautifully handsome man- "Oh god I thought it…" Kagome whined softly before letting out a soft sad sigh.

Maybe some water would make her feel better and get her to relax, right now she had to tend to this demon, make sure that nothing happened to him while he rested, though not like it could anyway thanks to her special barrier.

Soon, the soft sounds of groaning and moaning reached her ears, causing her to look over at the man, thinking that he was going to wake up at last. If he did, that would have been fast thanks to his injuries though she wasn't going to complain about that. Grinning from ear to ear, she asked "you waking up?"

Though what happened next all happened in a blur of motion. Kagome found herself pressed against the rocky wall of the cave, the man had opened his eyes and his hand thrust out and wrapped his fingers around her throat. A growl escaped his throat and his eyes were blood red with blue irises. Staring with wide eyes, Kagome tried to break free of his grasp but she couldn't, and then of course she didn't want to hurt him anymore than she already had. Whimpering, Kagome stared at him and blinked in shock.

The man's eyes were dazed… he was still asleep. Something must have happened in his dream that caused him to wake up and attack the first thing that came to mind. "Please stop, you're safe here." Said Kagome, thankful that his grip on her throat wasn't strong enough to block the air flow….

Looking at his hand, she frowned when she noticed magenta stripes on the back of his wrists, two of them just like how there were two on each cheek. Were those the only markings on him or was there more? She didn't know though it was rather odd how she never noticed that before. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his cheek as she gave a soft smile. "It's okay… I won't hurt you… I just want to help you." She said in a soft and gentle tone of voice.

The young woman wasn't sure if her words truly reached him though his grip loosened and he fell over. Kagome, trying to act quickly tried to catch him only to end up falling over herself. "EP!" cried Kagome as she fell over, the man's head was neatly nuzzled into her neck… Just as she was about to push him away and get him to lie back down on his back, his arms slowly moved and wrapped themselves around Kagome's thin body and held her closer and he buried his nose into her neck.

"What… what are you doing?" asked Kagome, not really expecting an answer though she just decided to let him hold her for now… there had to be a reason why he was holding onto her and, burring his nose in her neck though for now… she wasn't going to question it… She'll ask him when he was awake…


	5. Note

Help? I need some help with what should happen in the next chapter, I will have something big happen at the end of the chapter, though I won't say what that is because I do NOT want to spoil anything for anyone, so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know? and I'll try to make it happen at least if I can make it work...


	6. Song of Truth

_Sesshoumaru didn't know how long he had been in this place, though… it would be nice to leave but he didn't know how to. All of this, he knew, was within his mind, was all just the memories of his past. Such as when he last saw his father and Isao, two men, both killed one way or another. One, killed by humans, and the other, killed by a demon, the young demon wondered if this was justice for him attacking the human village…_

_A village he had promised to keep safe for Isao…_

_Inhaling softly, the demon prince kept on wondering around, the scenery changing from time to time to suit his mood. If he was angry, it would rain, if he was happy, or at least felt peaceful, it would be sunny… Though if he lost control it would snow like a blizzard. Looking over, the young demon saw Isao just sitting on a rock by the river, just strumming the strings that almost looked like a shamisen, its long thin neck could be seen poking out over Isao's shoulder, and he could make out the sound of the three strings as he played._

_"Why do you play that Isao?" asked Sesshoumaru, curious as to why a human would play such a thing. Isao turned and stared at Sesshoumaru, his blue eyes wide for a moment as if he hasn't expected to see the once demon prince only to smile a bright smile. This of course, had caused Sesshoumaru to raise an eyebrow at him. "Again, why do you play that?"_

_Isao chuckled softly before turning away, still plucking the strings with a bachi. Now that Sesshoumaru had a closer look, Isao almost seemed sad. Hm… "I play this because it reminds me of the times I spent with my family. I would play songs for them and teach them how to play. It was one of the happier days of my life with them."_

_"Do you mean, before I killed you…?" asked Sesshoumaru before sitting down next to the young monk who still plucked the strings._

_Letting out a soft sad sigh, the monk turned to Sesshoumaru. "Yes, before you killed me." For some reason, the way he said it made Sesshoumaru guilty though he quickly squished that feeling. He should never feel guilty for anything. The man died an honourable death and he made sure that he had a proper burial before keeping his promise. Taking a deep breath, the young man looked up at the sky before his usual smile was removed with a look of pain and remorse. "Sesshoumaru… may I ask you something?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Why did you keep my locket?"_

_Sesshoumaru turned to Isao for a moment. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a small golden locket. He stared at it for a moment before turning to the human who was staring at him with his blue eyes. The young demon turned away, he didn't really know to be honest… that was something that had puzzled him for years, why he would keep a hold of such a silly trinket… "I'm not sure Isao. I do not know why I have kept it all these years." Sesshoumaru answered, pushing himself up onto his feet, tucking the locket in his robes before he started to walk away though he only managed to take a few steps._

_"Is something wrong Sesshoumaru?"_

_"It's that scent again…"_

_Isao blinked his blue eyes in confusion before pushing himself up and walking over to the demon prince and looking up at him with confusion. "What scent are you talking about? I don't smell anything." Asked Isao with confusion written all over his face. He tried to smell for the source of the scent but he had found nothing._

_"That is because unlike you, this Sesshoumaru has a better sense of smell." Coldly said the Ice Prince._

_"That is true… what do you smell?"_

_Sniffing, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes; his tense body almost seemed to relax as he inhaled the wonderful scent as it wafted through his senses. Through his sleeping body and right to his dreaming brain… He wanted to deny this but he couldn't… he loved this scent, it smelt amazing and he wanted to enjoy this scent for as long as possible… "Is this the scent that you've smelt the last couple days?" asked Isao, snapping Sesshoumaru out of his trance and turned his icy glare onto him. "Whoa, calm down Sesshoumaru. What does it smell like anyway?"_

_"Peaches and… apple blossoms with a hint of wild flowers…"_

_"Hm…"_

_"What is it?"_

_"Nothing, just thinking is all Sesshoumaru."_

_Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru looked over again. He never did understand why he has smelt this scent the last couple of days though he didn't mind it. It brought peace to this hell that he called his mind. Not to mention it brought silence from Isao… Shaking his head, the demon prince walked forward, wanting to find the source of this scent… maybe he had smelled this before and it was deep within his mind to the point that he had forgotten about it. He couldn't be sure, though it did not hurt to search…_

_Inhaling deeply, the silver haired demon tried to find the source of the scent though it seemed that he just couldn't find it…_

_Maybe it was coming from the outside instead? No, that couldn't be possible could it? That would have to mean that someone was by his body at this very moment and may try to end him. Growling, he held out his left hand as a long glowing green whip started to form. Swinging his arm in a flawless movement, he sliced a tree in half, only to grunt when the tree reformed itself. Dream trees… ugh._

_"Ya know Sesshoumaru; it could be possible that someone is looking after your body and that the scent is from this person." Isao said, having appeared behind Sesshoumaru. The demon prince turned his golden gaze onto the long dead monk for a moment. As if trying to think on his words. Could it be possible that someone would be looking after him? But why? He wasn't near any demon villages or his home so who would look after him now of all times?_

_"I do not believe so. Who would look after this Sesshoumaru, when he is not near any demons for miles?" calmly said the demon prince as he started to walk back to the river. The sound of the river always soothed his nerves… at least until that scent had returned to him, causing him to turn his head, trying to find the source of the scent, not wanting to believe that such a wonderful scent belonged to anyone._

_"Believe whatever you'd like Sesshoumaru, but just know that there are good people out there. No matter if they are human or demon." Said the monk with a chuckle before he started to walk on ahead of the confused demon prince._

_The Ice Prince gazed at Isao as he started to walk away as if there was nothing wrong. He sure was a strange human, an honourable one, but strange none the less. It confused him as to why Isao was here, when these were merely memories of his past, and yet Isao was acting like he was truly part of this place when Sesshoumaru, had only known him for seven days instead of forever. Maybe his spirit hadn't found peace and decided to haunt him until the end of time. That he couldn't be sure, though it would not bother him. Annoy him of course, but not bother him…_

_Suddenly, Sesshoumaru felt something on his forehead… it was warm, yet at the same time it was cool like a gentle breeze. Closing his eyes for a moment, the young demon tried to think on what it could be… Reaching up, he tried to find what would be touching his forehead, though he found nothing… very odd… he told himself, that there was no way that he could feel something on his forehead and there not being anything there. That didn't make any sense to him and he knew that this was going to drive him insane if this kept up._

_Breathing deeply, the young demon closed his eyes for a brief moment as he tried to collect himself. Was this dream defying all logic that he knew or was it just trying to confuse him? Either way, it was working… he was rather confused as to what was going on around him, though he didn't wish to think of it further than necessary. Sitting down under a tree, the silver haired demon leaned back and just closed his eyes. Wanting to enjoy this for as long as he could… In fact, that scent was the only thing that kept him relaxed while he was here…_

_"Isao… are you sure that this isn't the afterlife?" asked Sesshoumaru, not bothering to open his eyes._

_"I'm sure Sesshoumaru. If this was the afterlife, you would see your father."_

_Opening his eyes, the demon prince looked up and saw Isao was now standing in front of him. His blue eyes twinkled with his smirk. "How would you know of my father?" asked Sesshoumaru._

_"That is simple, when I was a boy I would hear tales of the Great Dog Demon that once ruled over the Western Lands. It was sad that he died trying to bring peace to humans, it really was." Isao said before letting out a soft yet sad sigh. "What I wouldn't give to meet him… in a way, he was my hero. A demon that wanted peace with humans. To prove that humans could live in harmony with each other. He wanted to prove that though it hasn't been meant to be at the time."_

_Isao seemed truly sad that demons and humans hadn't been able to live together. It was odd yes, though Sesshoumaru didn't think it was deemed important to question it further. Closing his eyes, the demon prince thought that maybe the monk would just leave. That way he could enjoy the silence and that wonderful scent alone…_

_Inhaling softly, the young prince wondered when he would wake up… it would be nice if he could at last open his eyes and find himself in the real world instead of this place. It had been peaceful when he first arrived but now, it had gotten boring and dull rather quickly. Everything he would destroy, would only reform itself… to him, this could have been his own personal hell and nothing more than that._

_Shaking his head, his silvery hair falling over his shoulders from the movement, the young demon thought he felt something moving along his forehead and cheeks. That was rather odd, reaching up he tried to get it to stop only to sigh when he found nothing for him to grab a hold of. Slowly he opened his eyes as he tried to think what it could be, what is touching him and why can't he stop it?_

_Letting out a sad sigh, the silvery haired man thought about the last thing his father had said to him… then of course of Isao… It was odd; he had so much time to think causing him to let out a frustrated sigh. His father asked him if he had something to protect, and Isao of course, wanted him to have something to protect. So what did it have to do with him though? Was it some twist of fate or was it just something to annoy the hell out of him? He couldn't really be sure, though what he did know was that he would have to make sure that he went home as soon as he woke up._

_"Why should I protect anything…? Especially something that doesn't mean anything to this Sesshoumaru…" He asked himself, not really expecting an answer though at the moment, he didn't really care. He was just going to relax here and try to find some way to open his eyes and get out of this place._

Yawning, Kagome knew that she had a lot of work to do today. The glade sure did look beautiful in the morning and it looked almost… peaceful. No, it was peaceful. Giving a soft yet gentle smile, she made her way to the cave where her 'guest' was sleeping and saw that he hadn't moved an inch since yesterday. At least, not since she had to shove him off of her when he held onto her like a child and sniffing her.

Her face went red at the memory; it was weird for someone to be held onto like that. Reaching up, she placed her hand on her heated face before shaking her head and made her way to the pond. Wanting to splash cold water on her face, hoping that would cool her down. Though for some reason she highly doubted that would be the case. Running a hand through her ebony bangs, Kagome looked back up at the sky and saw that the sun was hidden behind some clouds, it may be chilly for a little while…

"Oh well…" she said to herself before splashing water on her face, at least that did help her a little to cool down her face. Shaking her head, the young woman pushed herself up onto her feet and made her way back to the cave, hoping that the demon's fever had gone down. She didn't want to see him suffer like that anymore, having such a high fever like that made her heart ache. It was always a terrible thing to see someone go through so much pain…

Staring at his face with soft and gently eyes, Kagome carefully reached out and traced the crescent moon on his forehead. She didn't know why but… the moon on his forehead suited him. It stood out with his skin so pale yet it held a healthy glow to it. Kagome couldn't help but stare at him; it was so amazing that she would see a demon with such beautiful markings…

Looking over at the twin magenta stripes on his cheeks, Kagome moved her index finger from his forehead and gently traced the stripes that adorn his cheeks with fascination. She never knew that demonic markings would look so amazing, so beautiful… It was rather odd that it would look like that on someone who already looked so handsome though maybe the crests just made him look that way she couldn't really be sure though what she did know… was that she wanted to get to know him oddly enough.

"I hope you wake up, I wanna talk to you. To get to know you… I want to know about your life and what wisdom you would share with a lowly human like me." She gave a soft smile before placing her palm on his forehead. It didn't seem like he had a fever… it must have broken in the night though she wouldn't remove the blanket that covered him. It was best that he stayed warm until he opened his eyes.

Inhaling softly, the young woman gave one last smile to the demon that slept on the cold stone ground before she pushed herself to stand up on her feet and made her way to the first aid kit that she made so she could grab some fresh gauze to tend to his wound. It almost seemed odd, it was the same thing the last few days, she would come here early in the morning, tend to his wound, check for fever… it was almost like it was wash, rinse and repeat.

Opening his robe once more, Kagome looked at the gauze that was on his chest, blood still managed to seep through the wound but it wasn't as bad as yesterday. Smiling softly, she removed the gauze from his chest and sighed softly before reaching over for the ointment that she brought with her and started to gently lace the wound with it. It was cold though it would have to do; besides, it wasn't like he would wake up from this.

Breathing deeply, the black haired woman grabbed the clean gauze and placed it over his wound before placing the bandage in place and made sure that it wouldn't fall off. Giving a gentle smile, the young woman sighed softly and closed up his robes before pushing herself back up on her feet… there had to be something else that she could do… hm?

Getting a closer look at his face, Kagome noticed something… he had dirt standing his face… Huh… why hadn't she noticed that before? Shaking her head, the young woman grabbed a wash rag and rushed to the lake before dipping the cloth in the cold water and rushing back to him. Kneeling by his head, the young woman gently dabbed at his face and smiled gently. "Can't have you waking up with a dirty face. You may think I didn't take good care of you." She giggled at her own joke, though to be honest, she didn't really know how he would react if his face was dirty.

Checking him over, Kagome saw his hands and saw that his palms were also covered in dirt… Frowning a bit, she pushed up her sleeves and saw that he had some dried mud on both of his arms. Oh dear… why didn't I notice this sooner?" whispered Kagome before gently wiping his arms and palms of the dirt. It was amazing just how white his skin really was, it was rather odd for his skin to be that white but if he kept his arms covered like this all the time, then it would be impossible for him to tan though, his face was just as white as the rest of him.

Giving a soft smile, the young woman stared at his arms and frowned a bit, she's never noticed before but he had muscular arms… it would go to show that he had to have trained in some way of fighting right? Or he cut wood for others though for some reason, she highly doubted that would be the case with this man.

Laughing softly, she pulled his sleeves back down and tucked his arms back under the blanket as she let out a soft sigh before getting back up and making her way to the herb garden. She had to do something that would help her pass the time though… oh! "Dad's song…" she whispered softly with a soft smile. She still remembered the song that her father taught her, he would always sing it when playing his shamisen…

Inhaling softly, the young woman made her way to her herb garden and started to hum a soft tune before she happily started to sing along to her songs.

_The crimson-stained sunshine seems to touch everything  
I cannot see the future, and the past is so frightening  
I see that the present is just as I imagined  
But is it for me anymore? I just do not think I can go on_

Kagome still remembered this song from when she was a child. It was after her brother had been born, her father sang this when it was raining and of course, she used to sing and dance along with the music. It was one of the happier days… and, of course it was the last thing he ever played for her before he disappeared when he told them to get to the village.

_Please reach deep inside me  
Where my heart is weeping  
I am so numb that I think I am dying  
I need you to taint me—I need to be taught how to feel  
I know you will find me  
When my soul is bleeding  
If my life crumbles I'll have you to guide me  
I know the Song of Truth will be there to remind me I'm real_

Letting out a soft breath, the young woman gave a soft smile; the song was indeed sad which was ironic for it to bring her such happy memories. She had even taught Souta how to sing the song, since he was too young to have remembered their father. Closing her eyes, Kagome felt like her father was with her, always in her heart even if he never returns… his memory would live on with this song as it was a part of him, just as much as Kagome and Souta were…

_All of this dissonance seems so unending  
What is most valuable? What is worth defending?  
I see my rebellion has left me so blinded  
To simple things just like the smiles given by the strangers that I pass_

Grabbing a few herbs, the young woman tossed them in a basket as she let out a soft sigh of content. Growing up, Kagome had seen her father talk to the villagers from where they were born and raised… He was the kind of man that could be friends with anyone, no matter who they were. He just had that weird air about him that just brought people to him; it was rather odd though she would never have changed her father for the world.

_If they really are eternal, and you have found the answers  
To every riddle that's shrouded in darkness  
I know you will taint me, I know I will learn how to feel  
I have always looked behind me, following the shadows  
Of castles that fly to a bright new tomorrow  
With the Song of Truth to guide me, I know that I will one day heal_

Maybe someday, she would find out what had happened to her father… why he never returned for them like he had promised. Closing her eyes for a moment, the young woman just knew… that the pain that her heart had would hear when she found out the truth, that she would find the truth that she and her family deserved to know. That would be the only thing that she would need… that was all she and her family needed to help them move on, was to find the truth… no matter if it was good or bad, Kagome just wanted to know if her father was okay… if he had tried to return to them but couldn't.

_If they really are eternal, and you have found the answers  
To every riddle that's shrouded in darkness  
I know the Song of Truth will be there to remind me I'm real_

Letting out a sad sigh, the young woman stretched her arms above her head, hearing a soft crack in her back. She hated it when she was sitting on her knees and bent over for too long. She always felt so sore and stiff after it. Maybe a nice soak in the springs would make her feel a little better tonight. Looking up at the sky, the young woman knew that it was starting to warm up, that would be nice… a nice warm day was what they needed today.

_I need you to taint me—I need to be taught how to feel  
I'm begging you to taint me just so I can learn how to feel_

Looking back down, Kagome let out a soft sad sigh, part of the lyrics had been something that she never really understood. She never understood the part of 'I need you to taint me' taint with what? The truth? Or something else? She couldn't be sure though… it must be the truth. Why else would her father call the song 'Song of Truth'? Giving a soft smile, the young woman lifted the basket and started to make her way back to the cave hoping to make another ointment for the demon's wounded chest, and maybe something to help him regain his strength for when he woke up or, it would give him the strength he needed _to_ wake up.

_With the Song of Truth to guide me, I know that I will one day heal_

What she hadn't expected to see though, while getting to the cave, the young woman stared in shock to see the man sitting up, staring at her with a pair of the most gorgeous golden eyes she had ever seen. The only thing the young woman could say was "you're awake…"

* * *

**the song that was used was Shinjitsu no Uta, or at least a fandub done by geekyfandubs on youtube, I take no credit for this fandub, if you want to check her out go ahead, hope you liked it.**


	7. My Name Is

It had been two days since Sesshoumaru woke up from his coma. He didn't know why that human girl kept coming back though she had told him that it was a way for her to 'repay' him for hurting him in the first place. Leaning back in the cave, his back pressing against the stone wall, the demon prince looked out at the opening, seeing the glade that he had wondered into, and where the girl had found him. It was rather odd really, that a girl, a human in fact, would want to look after him.

_'Is she not afraid of me?'_ thought Sesshoumaru before shaking his head. Over the course of those two days, she had talked none stop, trying to get him to say something. He refused to speak; there was nothing to talk to her about after all, humans were beneath him. Closing his eyes for a moment, he tried to think on how he could leave this place…

Over his time of rest, Sesshoumaru had noticed that little of his demonic energy had returned, not enough to be sensed but enough for him to be able to stay awake during the day and most of the night though he knew that right now it was almost like he was nothing more than a human… Narrowing his eyes, he growled out "like a human… disgusting…" Shaking his head, he laid his head back and tried to get himself to relax. If he was going to leave this place, he would have to relax and do as the human asks since she can purify him.

Closing his eyes, the demon prince tried to rest a little more before she started to talk his ear off again. Why did she insist on him speaking anyway? It wouldn't do her any good, humans and demons are not meant to be 'friends' or companions of any sort.

It was rather weird when his father wanted to bring peace between demons and humans; he wasn't sure why that was though he had hoped that he would have understood though sadly, his father died that night he left couple hundred years ago. It had him curious as to why he had left that night, and of course how he had died in the first place. _'Maybe father went to see that mystery woman of his before he died…' _thought Sesshoumaru before shaking his head, opening his eyes and looked out the cave as he gazed at the sky. Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru reached up and touched his chest, where the wound was. It had healed little, thanks to the woman's treatments and of course to the little amount of demonic aura that had returned to him, though sadly, it wasn't enough… even with his aura back, he still wouldn't have the strength…

Blinking his tired eyes, Sesshoumaru thought that maybe a rest was in order… Maybe the more rest, the more energy would return to him and the quicker, he could leave this place and that human woman. She irritated him to no end and he wished that she would just leave him alone and act like he had never been here in the first place.

Looking out at the glade one last time, he started to drift off to sleep… dreaming of when he had first awoken and when that girl never… _never_ stopped asking him questions.

_Sesshoumaru had awoken to a weird, but very beautiful song that had reached him even in his sleep. Blinking slowly, he pushed himself to sit up though he kept his discomfort and pain to himself, not wanting to show weakness to anyone, not even to the source of this song that was being sung. Maybe a demon had found him and had been doing everything in their power to try to save him… only a demon woman could sing something this beautifully, not a lowly human._

_Taking a deep breath, he looked over and squinted his eyes a bit, hoping that the fog of sleep would leave his sight soon._

_Tilting his head at the woman, he saw that she was just gathering herbs, a simple task though she looked like she took great care of the garden, like it was her child, or a part of her. Raising an eyebrow at the woman, he wondered why she didn't notice that he had awakened; maybe she was just so caught up on her song that she didn't notice…? He had heard that women do tend to get caught up in things easily, and tend to ignore those around them if they were that distracted._

_Shaking his head, the demon prince looked around and saw the glade and traces of how he ended up here. He saw the path that he had wondered onto, the root that tripped him… the pond that he had fallen into and of course, the cave that he now resided within. 'Odd…' thought Sesshoumaru, he still didn't know how he had made it this far and yet still be alive. With the lack of demonic energy, he would be surprised that a demon would have found him in the first place._

_Turning his gaze back onto the woman, he sniffed the air; at least he had most of his sense of smell back. Though sadly, that was all that he had regained back. Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru allowed the scent of peaches, apple blossoms and wild flowers to wash over him, it brought him a sense of peace… just like it did in his dreams though, there was something else about this woman that he just couldn't figure out at all… in fact there was definitely something that he just couldn't figure out… was she a demon that could hide her demonic scent or…?_

_'My sense of smell must still be a little dull…' he told himself as he opened his eyes and stared at the woman. She had long beautiful black hair. It reminded him of the night sky when the sky has no moon. She had curves that any demon woman would have killed for or would use magic to gain if they had succeeded. Though he couldn't see her face… Gazing at her clothes, Sesshoumaru tilted his head a bit before straightening himself back up as he wondered why she wore the robes of a priestess… maybe some kind of healer? He's seen a healer at his palace that would wear those disgusting human robes._

_Once her song was done, the woman pushed herself up and turned around only to stare at him in shock. He could tell that she hadn't expected him to wake up, that she had thought that he would have slept a little while longer. It was just so easy to see that she was in a state of shock and confusion. "You're awake…" she said, her voice even showing what she felt. It was hard for people to hide their emotions, especially from him._

_"…"_

_He just stared at her; her skin was a bit pale to him, though it still held that healthy glow. Her hair framed her face perfectly, though it was her eyes that had brought shock to his core. Her eyes, were the same shade of blue of Isao's… though, her's was a little lighter than his. Could it be that this girl…? No, that wasn't the case. It couldn't be possible… there was no possible way that this woman was Isao's child._

_The woman dropped everything and rushed over to him, sitting on her knees as she placed her hand on his forehead. What was she doing?_

_"Hm… no fever." She muttered gently, then she grabbed his hand and flipped it over where his palm was facing upward and her index and middle fingers were on his wrist. "Strong steady pulse…" she whispered before setting his arm down gently and just smiled at him. She just seemed so happy to see that he seemed like he was healthy, though Sesshoumaru knew the truth… he couldn't really do anything else because of that stupid sacred arrow that hit him. He was just as vulnerable as this woman… wait…_

_Sniffing, Sesshoumaru knew that he would have a better way to smell her now that she was close to him. Now, was the moment of truth, was she really a human, or a demon pretending to be one to get intel on this place for Naraku? For if she was demon, and then it would wipe any trace thoughts of her being Isao's child. Sniffing at her carefully, Sesshoumaru leaned close to her for a moment as he tried to get a better sense of her scent… only to pull back quickly and growl at her._

_"Oh, you're one of those demons that hate human's aren't you?" said the woman with a small smile on her face. Giggling softly, Sesshoumaru relaxed a little, not sure why but her laugh… it didn't irritate him like other humans were. Strange… very strange indeed. "Don't worry, I won't force you to stay, just stay here until you're well enough to go on home okay? After that, I promise I won't stop you from leaving."_

_He just stared at her, not really thinking that he could really trust her. In fact, he distrusted her more… she was a human, a priestess at that… Narrowing his eyes, he looked ready to strike until she held up her hands, palms facing him in a gesture that he knew were a sign that she did not want to fight or cause any kind of conflict between them… "I do not want to cause you more harm then I already have. I felt bad that I hurt you; I only wanted to scare you away from the village… I really don't believe in killing demons." She said with a soft and gentle smile._

_Hm… she didn't wish to hurt demons? The Ice Prince was having trouble believing this, though… if that was the case, why didn't she purify him as he slept? Hm… she was indeed a strange human. "I'm Kagome Higurashi, what's your name? Will you please tell me your name?" asked Kagome, her smile bright and radiant, too radiant for a human. It made him wonder why she would want to know his name… Very strange indeed… though, he wasn't trustful of her enough to give her his name. She didn't prove herself to be worthy of his name… He still wasn't sure if she was just trying to gain some trust before killing him._

_Turning his head away from her, Sesshoumaru dragged his tired body so he could lean against the wall, still keeping the blanket with him to help keep him warm since, to be honest… he felt chills. Maybe he was still a little ill if she had been checking his forehead for a fever._

_Turning back to Kagome, he saw that she was still smiling at him. It was rather odd that she would just smile at him like that… her blue eyes sparkling. "Are you a powerful demon? Where do you come from? The east? The west? North, south?" She went on and on with her questions. Thinking, hoping, praying, that he would say something to her, though he still didn't wish to speak to her as of yet._

_Rolling his eyes a little, Sesshoumaru looked out at the opening of the cave, wanting to go outside and stretch his stiff body, though he didn't think that would be the case since he would need help to get around… and he hated the thought of this human touching him. It disgusted him, it was worse that she had tended to his wounds- wait… Reaching up, he reached into his robe and felt something on his chest… she had disrobed him? Narrowing his eyes at her, Kagome held up her hands again, as she said "I promise I didn't strip you. I only opened your robe a bit so I could clean, disinfect and heal your wound. Nothing more, I swear."_

_'Stupid human… I'll be over joyed when I've healed and can leave…'_

"Mr. Demon!" shouted Kagome as she ran down the path, causing him to let out a sigh and look up at her. She insisted on calling him something until she could get him to speak or at least, get his name. Looking at her, he saw that she was holding onto a breakable bottle. Hm… what did she have? Tilting his head at her, Sesshoumaru turned away from Kagome and looked at the stone wall that was ahead of him. He would rather stare at it then her…

The demon prince sighed softly as her scent wafted through the glade and into his nostrils. It was annoying that he loved that scent of hers, it was the only thing that he really did enjoy from her though damn it… otherwise she was just so annoying and it irritated him to no end how she was trying to get his name. Yesterday, it was through meat because men seemed to have a thing for meat. Sadly for her, that was human males that liked meat… well, cooked meat. Demons like himself prefer raw meat.

No matter what, he knew that she couldn't have his trust; she was trying to win him over and- wait what was that scent? Closing his eyes, he sniffed the air and smelled something wonderful. Almost as wonderful as the woman's scent. It made him want to drool a little though he wasn't going to… that wouldn't be refined of him to do that. He knew that scent, but it had been so long since he's smelled it, how long had it been since he's smelled something like that? Far, far too long.

"Hi Mr. Demon, are you ready to give me your name now?"

"…"

"I thought so, though I think I may have something that _will_ get you to at least tell me your name or even say anything."

Somehow he highly doubted that. This woman had no idea how a demon really thinks, what they enjoy and so on. There was absolutely no way that she could have figured out anything for him to enjoy enough for him to speak. Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru leaned back just trying to get himself to relax. He had to admit though; the girl wasn't forceful like other humans. Humans would demand what they want the most, this girl though always ask first and make attempts to get him to speak…

Different, for a human…

Her soft giggle escalated through the cave, causing him to open his eyes and look over at her. Kagome set aside the glass bottle and pulled out a simple glass cup that he knew was for sake. What was she planning? Getting him drunk so he would speak? That was low… very, very low.

"I brought some sake; I had heard from my friend that this is a demon's favourite. Something about them not being able to resist it. I'm not really sure about all the words that she had used but I think she said that it would match a demon's preference, and its taste varies from demon to demon. That's why it's so rare to come by…" Kagome said gently, pouring some of the sake in the cup and held it in her hand. So that's her game hm? She was going to bribe him for his name? She must really want to know… "I'll offer a trade okay? I'll trade you a taste of this Ayakashi Spring Sake, for your name. I think that's fair."

_'I do not know if that is a fair trade… but she is right… Ayakashi Spring Sake is a demon's favourite… and I haven't had any for hundreds of years.'_ thought Sesshoumaru before he leaned back in his seat, rubbing his forehead. She just held out the cup, wiggling it a bit before pulling her arm back. Her eyes flashed for a moment, a sudden memory must have sparked in her mind before he saw her slap her forehead._ 'What did she forget?' _thought the demon prince with an eyebrow raised.

"I forgot to check your bandage…"

Of course she did…

Sesshoumaru just watched as the girl pulled out the ointment for his wound before she pushed aside the robes from his chest and started to remove the gauze. "Well, your chest is healing nicely. I think maybe seven days or so and you will be healed. Though, I'm not sure how long until your demonic aura has fully returned to you." So, she had been able to sense that after all… Strange, she doesn't carry a bow with her; wouldn't it be common practice for humans to carry a weapon for them to defend themselves with? If that was the case, why didn't she bring anything with her to protect her?

"Okay Mr. Demon, I just gotta put this fresh gauze on, and then I'll see if you will tell me your name and I'll give you the sake." Kagome said with a giggle before reaching over grabbing the clean gauze and set it down on her lap for a moment before applying the ointment to his chest and just smiled at him with a bright smile on her face. She was always so happy… why?

Sniffing, Sesshoumaru could easily smell the distress from her… though it wasn't at him. No, there was something wrong, and it bothered her a great deal. Turning his head away, Sesshoumaru wouldn't allow himself to know about this human's problems. It wasn't his problem in the first place and it had nothing to do with him… yet, he felt like he should want to know for some strange reason. Shaking his head quickly, he wanted those thoughts to leave his mind; he didn't want to know anything about this woman. Nothing!

"You okay?" asked Kagome, causing the Ice Prince to stare at her, his gold eyes still as emotionless as they've always been. Though, he saw the worry and concern in her blue orbs. It was rather weird that she would stare at him like that… did she really feel worry and concern for him? Why? He may as well answer her question… Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru nodded his head before turning away, not wanting to look at her… not wanting to see those blue eyes of hers.

"You know… I don't know how to properly fight… so if you're worried about me hurting you… you shouldn't. I have no proper training." Kagome said suddenly, causing Sesshoumaru to stare at her, shock in his eyes. She… didn't know how to fight and yet she was able to hit him? The black haired woman just smiled at him with a sad smile. "The villagers refuse to teach me. I practice archery in secret, only my friend's know of it and… now you. The villagers won't allow me to be a priestess because I refuse to kill a demon."

The villagers refuse to teach her… because she won't kill demons? That was odd… a human that doesn't want to kill a demon and humans that refuse to teach her anything to protect herself? Do they not care about her life or are they just angry that she didn't follow their ways? Hm… this was interesting, though it shouldn't bother him that this woman was always defenceless from demon attacks. "I know how to use my abilities a little bit, not to a great extent though…" Kagome whispered with a sad sigh, it was clear that she wanted to learn to use her powers, but it didn't seem like it would be possible because the humans in her village didn't want her to learn… or even learn how to defend herself.

It was indeed sad; a human that couldn't fight back was a dead human. That was something he had learned as a child, just like with demons. Demons had to learn how to fight early on in their life or they would die early. Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru let out a soft sigh as Kagome finished patching him up and closed his robes. "My friend's normally keep me safe, Sango is a demon slayer… though, she only attacks demons that are a threat. If they don't attack then she leaves them alone." That perked Sesshoumaru's interest… a demon slayer that doesn't attack unless provoked? Hm…

"My friend Miroku is a monk, he travels from village to village though he's such a pervert." Kagome said with a soft giggle that was odd. A monk who was a pervert? That was something that Sesshoumaru has never heard of before. Was she only speaking about her friend's because she was nervous or was there something more? Tilting his head, he listened to Kagome speak, speak her mind. "He sometimes travels from village to village with the other monks. So he's normally away a lot from home though when he comes back he always sees Sango. I know they like each other." Kagome laughed happily before giving Sesshoumaru her radiant smile. "Though they don't admit it very well to each other… Sango isn't sure because of Miroku's womanizing ways."

Turning away, Kagome sighed softly as she said "my other friend is an outcast like I am. His name's Inuyasha. He's a traveling swordsmen, he came from another village though the villagers don't trust him." Inuyasha? Odd name… yet for some reason he felt like he's heard that name before in the past but he couldn't remember where it was that he's heard it before.

"He lives just a little at the edge of the village, he doesn't talk about his past though but he only protects the village from demon attacks." Laughing softly, Kagome added "and he can't cook much, so I cook for him. Last time he tried to cook his food went on fire." Sesshoumaru did want to laugh at that but he kept his stoic face in place. He wasn't going to show this woman that her tale about this 'Inuyasha' character made him want to laugh because of how pathetic he is.

"Okay, I think it's time you give me your name for this sake." Calmly said Kagome, damn it, he would rather listen to her none stop chatter then tell her his name. Though he knew that it would have happened sooner or later. Rolling his eyes, Sesshoumaru turned his head only to look back when Kagome's voice was heard. "Don't you roll your eyes at me mister!" shouted Kagome, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her. So, she did have some spunk in her and wasn't a goody-goody… or at least pretending to be one. Sighing softly, Sesshoumaru looked over at the sake and frowned a little. He wanted to leave this woman but damn it, he wanted that sake. Sometimes, he hated being a demon, to humans the sake was disgusting but to demons it's so rich on their tongue…

"Will you tell me your name now?" asked Kagome as she held out the small sake cup to him. Sesshoumaru looked at it for a moment, he was very tempted to have that sake for himself… he wanted it so badly that he reached out for it, only for Kagome to pull it away from his grasp. Damn wench… "Nope, tell me your name first before you get this sake." Said Kagome with a brilliant smile. How was it that she could look at him like that and still be so brave when it comes to stopping a demon from getting what he really wants?

Letting out a soft sigh, Sesshoumaru's gaze fell on Kagome's blue eyes for a brief moment before he finally allowed words to pass by his lips since Kagome's arrived. "My name is Sesshoumaru; I was the prince of the Western Lands…"

After he had said those words, Kagome smiled and gave him the sake cup, and watched as Sesshoumaru drank it in one big gulp. Sesshoumaru sighed in content as he drank his sake… maybe this human wasn't so bad… so long as she brought him the sake…


	8. Offer

Quick note, two things, one, I have an interview so if I get the job I don't know when I'll have time to update so I'm sorry DX second... if anyone sends me a PM message or a comment... PLEASE make it in english? I do not understand any other language other than english, thank you.

* * *

Kagome never knew that _Mr. Demon _would have finally spoken to her yesterday. Though, she had a feeling that he would have just got a taste of that Ayakashi Spring Sake that she got from Sango. Though, she'll admit she had to make up something so Sango wouldn't have become suspicious of anything that she was doing. It was sad yes, but she couldn't let her friend's know the truth. There was no way that they would understand even if they were her friends.

Giggling, Kagome wondered what Sesshoumaru would talk to her about today. Sure he didn't say much yesterday but that was okay. He had his reasons for not telling her everything and she wasn't going to push it.

Looking out the window of her home, Kagome sighed softly as she prepared three lunches. One for herself, one to drop off at Inuyasha's, and of course one for Sesshoumaru. It was going to be difficult for her to leave the village with three lunches so she may have to wrap them up carefully… After all, she could just pretend that the second is also for her, just saying that she would be at the glade for a while longer and may not make it back in time for dinner. Yeah, that was a good lie… even though she hated lying.

"Kagome!" shouted a new voice, causing Kagome to turn around and smile as she saw her little brother running into the house. He had his hair cut short though his bangs were long in the front. It was rather odd of course, though it was amazing that he almost looked like a younger Miroku though her brother's eyes, Souta, were brown like their mothers, while hers were blue like their father's.

"Hey Souta, where's mom?" asked Kagome.

"She went out to help the other priests again. The priests think you're up to something…" said Souta with a sigh. Kagome sighed softly, this happened a lot. Just because she refused to kill demons they always thought that she was up to something… Only this time, she sort of was… she was, after all trying to heal a demon for hurting him. This was only going to get harder for her as time went on since she has been going to the glade a lot lately and staying for hours among hours. Why couldn't this be any easier for her?

"Things can't be easy for me…" whispered Kagome before turning away.

"Oh, Kagome I got some new robes…" said Souta; a smile was easy to hear in his voice.

Turning around, Kagome blinked her blue eyes at her little brother and saw that he was right. Normally, he wore red and white robes because he was still a child, though this time; they were white and a dark blue… "Souta… you aren't a priest. You're still too young for this. You'll get killed out there!" shouted Kagome, staring at her brother with fear in her eyes.

Souta narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I want to do this Kagome. Maybe I will be the one to find dad and prove those jerks that he is still alive!" declared the little boy before he ran out of the hut. Kagome just watched as her brother ran out of their home, how could it be that he wanted to fight demons just so he could find their father? Their father was a very powerful man, he had strong spiritual energy, he could easily take down a demon and yet… he hadn't returned to them.

Letting out a soft sob, Kagome turned around and faced the cooking pot that she was using to make lunch in. It was painful to see her only brother going to fight the demons, and she knew that she couldn't stop him. No matter how much she wanted to, the other priests, monks, and priestesses would stop her before getting close to Souta from stopping what he wanted to do.

Shaking her head, the young woman sighed softly and wiped her eyes, not wanting to think about it but, she couldn't help it. Souta was her little brother, she was his older sister and she was supposed to protect him but couldn't even do that because those jerks wouldn't train her because she had a better heart than they did. Looking out the window that brought in the sunlight, she wondered what her father would do, what would he have done if he was here with them right now, what would he have done to get Souta to stop this until he was a teenager and not a ten year old boy.

Shaking her head, the young woman didn't think that it would have mattered anyway… Souta hasn't listened to her for a while now. He was young yes, and he could easily believe what was around him… this, was something that she had feared since living here in a village that didn't accept the fact that she cared about all living creatures, even demons. Shaking her head once more, Kagome turned around and grabbed some containers for her to use to carry the food around, maybe if she did some gardening today it would get her mind off of everything- wait! She could get Inuyasha to look after Souta for her since she couldn't get close to him!

"That's perfect!" Kagome said with a bright smile on her face. Her blue eyes sparkling in joy at the thought. Sure, they didn't trust Inuyasha either but they trusted her more than her. Plus, Inuyasha was always in the village, Sango and Miroku disappeared to villages now and again. This was perfect, just perfect! Giggling to herself, Kagome said "I should be a teacher or something." Smiled all the more before wrapping the containers in a cloth so she wouldn't burn herself and started to rush out of the hut, well at least she did after putting out the fire and smiled all the more.

Who would have thought that she would have come up with a plan that would solve her problem about her brother? It sure was a surprise that was for sure.

Giggling to herself, Kagome made her way toward Inuyasha's home. Though, she couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't been home the last couple days. It seemed that every time that she would go to his place to drop off some food for the poor guy, he wouldn't be home. The last time she saw him was before the demons had attacked… it seemed so long ago now though, it did have her worried about him. Running a hand through her bangs with her free hand, the young woman stretched her arms above her head as she let out a soft sigh and just followed the dirt path as she tried to think on what she was to do… or even how to ask Inuyasha if he could protect her brother.

"I just hope he'll do it…" Kagome whispered softly before shaking her head letting out a soft sigh. The thought of Souta dying in battle broke her heart; it made her want to fall down on her knees and cry her eyes out. Though, she didn't… he was still alive, and she had to be strong… she had to be strong for her mother. Looking up at the sky, Kagome prayed to the gods that Souta would be safe, that he would remain safe and that the gods would look after him. That was the only thing that she wanted from them, was to keep Souta safe… and to have her father come home…

Breathing deeply, Kagome turned her head, her blue eyes blinking as she looked ahead and frowned a little… She still had a long ways to go until she reached Inuyasha's home, though wondered about that sword of his… maybe he would tell her about it, maybe she could get herself a sword, maybe Sango could teach her how to use a sword instead? That could work, though she wasn't sure if that would be enough…

Looking back on the past, she remembered how her father had this special pendent of his. He told her that within it held his treasure but that wasn't all that it was… She smiled at the thought of it; he had learned how to use a bow, sword, and a staff. It was weird how he had learned how to use all three though the weapon… it would just seem to appear out of nowhere unless you count a flash of pure blue light. "I wish I had that ability… maybe then I could protect people easier…" whispered Kagome before letting out a soft yet sad sigh. That was one of the things that her father was going to teach her, but he never had the chance to, he was captured before that had happened… and she didn't have the talent for it anyway.

_"Never doubt yourself Kagome; you have so much talent that you could easily share it with others. Always believe in yourself my daughter… you can do anything, so long as you believe in yourself and have the will to protect."_

Kagome recalled those words that her father had told her once… She had believed in those words at the time but now? Not so much… what was the point in learning if she had no one to teach her how to fight or to even know how to use her spiritual energy? "I'm just going to end up getting angry about this…" mumbled the black haired woman as she let out a soft yet sad sigh.

Inhaling deeply, the young woman kept on walking on forward. Looking up, she saw a small stream of smoke… Looks like Inuyasha was trying to attempt cooking again. If that was the case, then he really was home. Perfect. Grinning ear to ear, the young woman ran on forward as fast as her legs would carry her. Dear god don't let it be that Inuyasha set his home ablaze somehow… or that he's in trouble. It was bad enough that he couldn't cook without something bad happening to him but he was the strongest warriors that the village had and they couldn't afford to lose him, not with all the demons that were going on.

Panic swelled itself in her heart as she thought that Inuyasha was dead. She didn't want to lose any of her friends, the thought of that happening caused the panic to turn into an ever consuming fear that she never wanted to feel again. Not like this…

_"Daddy please don't go!"_

_"I'm sorry Kagome… but this is to protect you all… I promise that I'll come back to you… somehow…"_

It was just like then… the fear that she felt when her father was taken away… She didn't want to feel that again. It was hard enough that her father never came back but she knew that he would come back to her again… Shaking her head, Kagome ran faster, wanting to hurry up and get to Inuyasha's home. "Inuyasha!" shouted Kagome as she set the food down and ran past the trees that marked the entrance to his home… only to blink in shock. "Inuyasha?

"Son of a bitch!" shouted Inuyasha as he started to slap the fire with his red robe. Amazingly it didn't catch ablaze… that was amazing, how was that possible? Must be the kind of material or something, she couldn't really be sure though at least it didn't seem like Inuyasha was hurt at all. So, she could at least count that as a blessing.

"Inuyasha what happened?" asked Kagome.

"I was just trying to cook some fish I caught but the fire got out of control." Came Inuyasha's crumbled reply. Well, that made sense; it just goes to show that Inuyasha and cooking didn't mix very well at all. Shaking her head, Kagome walked back and grabbed her package and pulled out one of the containers of freshly made food and smiled at Inuyasha. "Hm? What's this?" asked Inuyasha as he stared at Kagome. "More food?"

"Yup."

"Thanks, I thought you were busy since you were late coming so I went to catch my own food today."

Kagome laughed softly as she sat down outside of Inuyasha's home and just looked ahead as she let out a soft sigh. "Nah, I've just had a lot going on so I thought that maybe instead of breakfast today I'd just make you some lunch… Besides, if I remember correctly, you don't eat in the morning."

"Keh."

Shaking her head, the young woman took in a deep breath. She always loved the scent of the afternoon; it was always so peaceful though the air was a little stale from the smoke that was caused by Inuyasha's fire. Though at least it wasn't as bad as what it could have been, so that had to mean something right? Turning her gaze, Kagome saw Inuyasha digging into the food that she had brought, or at least the one container since that was the only thing for him. "So, Kagome… what's on your mind? You seem a little upset."

"What makes you say that?" asked Kagome with a confused from.

Swallowing hard, Inuyasha turned to stare at her as he gave her his answer. "You're eyes are a little red, showing that there were tears there but none of them fell. Or, it could be from stress or lack of sleep. Whatever caused it has your nerves twisting in some way right?" how was it that he could understand people's emotions and feelings yet he didn't know how to cook? He really was a complicated person… "So, what caused it?" asked Inuyasha as he raised an eyebrow at her.

Letting out a soft sigh, Kagome started to explain what had happened before she came to him. That Souta became a priest that he was going to fight demons just so he could get their father back. Even when she had told him that it was too dangerous for him to go out on his own or to even fight demons, he just stated that he was going to be the one to bring their father home and that he really is alive instead of being killed off like the others have told them countless times before in the past.

Inuyasha frowned a little hearing Kagome's explanation. He knew that this was really bothering her, not that he could really blame her for it. Leaning back a bit against the wall, Inuyasha moved his violet gaze up at the sky as he let out a soft sigh. "So, if I'm getting the gist of it, you want me to protect Souta, or at least keep an eye out for him to make sure that he doesn't get in any trouble since I'm around the priests the most and I don't leave the village right?"

"Yes."

"Kagome, what if they get suspicious? Come on, they'll find out that someone was sent out to look after Souta. They won't like that." Inuyasha pointed out.

"Please?" Kagome said, giving Inuyasha the one thing that he could never resist from a girl. The puppy eyes.

"Damn it, that's _not_ fair!" shouted Inuyasha.

"Please look after my brother for me? I can't do it; they don't trust me because I'm kind to demons."

"Keh, fine! But you owe me a big dinner for this." Grumbled Inuyasha as he finished his food and pushed himself up onto his feet. Inuyasha was so easy, he hates hurting kids, women, and he also hates it when a woman uses the puppy eyes on him. She wondered if another woman has used it on him a lot or something, she couldn't really be sure though this made her feel a little better. Inuyasha of course still mumbled about it not being fair that she knew his one and only weakness though to her, all was fair in love and war. Though in her case, her concern for her little brother.

"Oh… Inuyasha, can I ask you something?"

"Does it involve your brother?"

"No… it involves your sword…"

"My sword? What about my sword has you curious?" asked Inuyasha with a frown on his face.

"Well, you claim that it is a sacred sword, but it doesn't seem like a normal sword. Even sacred blades can't transform like yours does." Kagome pointed out.

Inuyasha turned away from Kagome, it seemed like this was another one of Inuyasha's secrets that he wanted to keep to himself. It was always annoying that her friend had so many secrets about himself though he kept to himself and that he seemed so secretive about his past. "Inuyasha… please I want to know more about your past or at least about that sword… It just doesn't seem normal is all."

"I can't tell you that."

"Why?"

"Because… it's just difficult to explain to you Kagome. That's all…" Inuyasha whispered before letting out a soft sigh and pushing himself up onto his feet before turning his gaze onto Kagome and gave her a small frown. "I'll protect Souta, so don't worry anymore Kagome… right now, just worry about yourself and be careful of who you keep close. There is something going on here that we do not understand and I want you to stay away from the villagers… I know they're up to something…" whispered Inuyasha before he started to walk away.

Okay, that was weird… what would the villagers be up to that would involve her? There was no way that there was anything that would involve her, after all… the villagers hated her and wanted nothing to do with her… There was nothing that they could have done to her in the first place… right? After all, they may not like her they would still not attack a defenceless girl right? They had to have some kind of honour right or would that just be wishful thinking? She couldn't really be sure of that. Well… may as well worry about that later and just head over to the glade and give Sesshoumaru his food.

* * *

Sesshoumaru leaned against the cave wall as he wondered what was taking that woman so long. She had told him that she would be here in afternoon, yet she had yet to arrive. Closing his eyes, he wondered if maybe she had decided that she shouldn't trust a demon. If that was the case, maybe she had finally gotten the idea that humans and demons are not meant to be comrades or even close for that matter. It would only destroy the other in the end, and he knew that yet he did not tell her to stay away…

_'Because you know that she wouldn't stay away even if you threatened her…'_ said a voice in his head. A voice that sounded strangely like Isao, why must he haunt him even when he was awake? He wanted to ask the dead monk if this girl, if Kagome, was of his blood or not though… he couldn't think of a way to ask him, and he has yet to see his spirit.

Shaking his head, the demon prince yawned softly, he was a little bored. Ever since he's woken up, he hasn't had all that much to do but listen to that woman's endless chatter and of course, her begging to learn more about him and even learn his name. Looking out of the cave, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder what the woman was up to. There were so many things that came to mind, though he just couldn't really be sure what it was… or at least what could be keeping her from coming here…

_'Just admit it; you're worried about her because she'll bring more of that sake.'_ taunted Isao's voice with a chuckle.

Okay, now he really wished that he could speak to Isao and kill him again… Though, sadly that wasn't going to happen since he was already dead and was nothing more than a figment of his imagination and nothing more.

Rubbing his temple, Sesshoumaru tried to think on something else… anything to get his thoughts off of the black haired priestess… Wait, could she really be called a priestess when she didn't even know how to properly defend herself at all? Shaking his head, he thought that maybe that wasn't what he should call her since after all, she had, herself told him that she didn't know how to fight properly to defend herself because the villagers did not trust her. _'Maybe you could teach her in a way of thanking her for healing you…'_ came Isao's voice once again… Really, did he have nothing to do in the afterlife?

Hm… that was a valid point. He had yet to do anything to thank her for helping him thus far. All he had done for her so far was drink the sake and given her his name in exchange but otherwise, he had done nothing else. Though, how would he thank her for the kindness that she has shown him? Closing his eyes, the young demon tried to think on what he could do to help her, there many things… maybe he could take her to a village that would not treat her so horribly but then… he thought different about it. She would not leave her family and the few friend's that she had made while here…

Maybe he could… no, he couldn't give her anything… he had nothing that would do any good for her… If he gave her anything from the palace, there was a good chance that she would be hunted down for nothing there belonged to him anymore. Thanks to Naraku gaining control over him, his so called 'uncle' had been given everything.

What could he do? What should he do? It wasn't like he could do much for anything right now because he had no idea what the woman would need or want for that matter. Not to mention she was completely defenceless- wait… defenceless… she couldn't fight because she didn't know how to fight back. At least not had the proper training since she did only graze his chest with her arrow… It was enough to injure him yes, possibly kill him due to the sacred properties of the energy that she possessed but otherwise, it wouldn't have killed him… "Hn…" he mumbled to himself, he may have just solved one of the problems that's plagued his mind…

Though sadly, that was only one of his problems solved, he didn't know what to do about the others. Such as trying to figure out if Kagome was really Isao's child, or about the Naraku situation. He still did not understand what his motives were with attacking human villages. The only thing that he could connect was that all of them belonged to priests, monks, or priestesses. Otherwise, he found no other connection…

Not knowing, was something he despised greatly… and it irritated him to no end. Growling softly, the Ice Prince felt his body pulsate with his sleeping demonic energy only to hiss slightly. His demonic energy was still denied to him… Damn sacred arrow…

Looking around, Sesshoumaru reached into his robes and pulled out the locket that belonged to Isao. He knew that this thing was sealed, that it belonged to the monk but he just couldn't figure out why he would hold onto such a thing. It didn't seem like anything special… Hm… now that he thought about it… Isao didn't have any kind of weapon on him… No arrow… no staff or sword for that matter. If he was a monk, why didn't he have anything to defend himself or was he the kind that only relied on sutras or those special rosaries?

"Another mystery…" he whispered to himself, not really expecting anyone to really answer him. It seemed that he had one problem solved, only to be given a new one. Why couldn't these be more simple for him to solve instead of annoy him with more and more questions and mysteries that he thought that he would never figure out? It seemed that was going to be the life that he would forever live with…

"Sesshoumaru!" shouted Kagome, causing the demon to turn his head and shove the locket back in his robes. Making sure that she would never find it. Hm… why did he care if she saw it anyway? If it belonged to Isao, and she was his child then wouldn't she want it? _'She isn't ready to know the truth…'_ whispered Isao's voice. Shaking his head, the demon prince turned his gaze away from Kagome, not bothering to wonder what it was that she carried in that cloth… or what that scent was that covered her. He thought that he smelled it before but he just couldn't put his finger on it…

"Kagome…" He calmly said, not bothering to face her as he spoke her name.

"I hope you're hungry, I brought some food for us to eat!" she said with a cheery smile on her face. Sniffing the air, Sesshoumaru did indeed smell food. Though it had him curious as to why she would bring him food, did she not know that demons do not need to eat? Or, was it to help him regain more strength since his demonic energy was still all but gone from him?

"Demons don't need to eat woman."

"So? You are hurt, you need your strength and you should eat and drink plenty of water. It should be more than enough to help give you some strength so you can get better. Don't you want to go home?" Kagome said, tilting her head to the side. Her long ebony locks falling over her shoulder, creating a curtain of midnight… in a way, Sesshoumaru thought that… she looked… pleasant.

"Indeed, this Sesshoumaru does indeed wish to return home." He answered her.

"Why do you speak in the third person?"

As soon as she had said that, he turned to stare at her… that was what Isao had said to him in his sleep. No, that was just a coincidence nothing more. Anyone would have asked that, and he knew that for sure. After all, many demons have even asked him the same thing though he could not explain it even to himself. To him, it just seemed right to him… it made him feel better possibly to still act of his noble bloodline even if his birthright had been taken from him. "You would simply not understand human."

"Maybe not." Kagome said with a giggle before untying the cloth that hid the containers from seeing eyes and held one out to Sesshoumaru. "Can you feed yourself or do you wish for some help?" asked Kagome, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I can feed myself." Sesshoumaru calmly said before holding out his hand for the container. Kagome just giggled and handed the demon prince his food and started to eat her own. Once he opened the container, Sesshoumaru was surprised by how good it smelled, and of course how good it looked. He was used to royally prepared meals that looked ten times better than this but… this didn't look bad at all. Hm… interesting.

"Are you just going to stare at it or you going to eat?" came Kagome's voice, causing the silver haired prince to turn and stare at her for a moment. He saw that Kagome was curious if he was even going to eat. Nodding his head in reply, Sesshoumaru turned back to the food and grabbed some of the chicken that was there and started to eat. Again, he preferred his meat a little raw but it wasn't bad, in fact he thought it tasted delicious. "How is it?" asked Kagome.

"Acceptable."

"That isn't a way to describe taste…" Kagome said with a frown.

"I beg to differ. It is a way for _me_ to describe taste." Came Sesshoumaru's reply before he went back to eating his meal.

Kagome shook her head and sighed softly before she took another bite of her lunch. Sesshoumaru turned to stare at Kagome from the corner of his eyes. Golden eyes just stared at her, wondering if maybe, he had somehow hurt her feelings. Why did she care if he liked her cooking or not? After all, it was to his tastes, did it not count that he was still eating it in the first place? Taking another bite, Sesshoumaru set down his lunch on his lap as he said "I do enjoy the meal Kagome, if that is what you wish to hear."

The black haired woman turned to Sesshoumaru and smiled brightly. "I'm happy you enjoy it Sesshoumaru." Kagome said with a bright and cheerful tone in her voice. For some reason, her smile made a weird thud appear in his chest… What was that? Was that his heart increasing or was it something else? He didn't really understand nor did he want to. Turning away from her, he went back to eating his lunch, maybe it was best that he just ignored that smile of hers, it was best that he didn't get too attached to her if that was possible for him to even get attached…

"What's it like at your home Sesshoumaru?" asked Kagome.

"It was once a beautiful place."

"Once?"

"My father was the ruler of the lands; while he lived the lands were peaceful, beautiful and filled with life for the demons…" Sesshoumaru began only to close his eyes as he let out a soft sigh. It was tough to say this story though he didn't know why he was even telling her this but maybe it was to help pass up the time. "As his son, I should have taken over the lands but my father's step brother took over…" He added before letting out a frustrated sigh and a little growl. "Ever since Naraku took over the lands, it became nothing but a waste land… there is no life in the lands anymore, most of the wild animals that used to live there had either ran off or died off."

Opening his eyes, Sesshoumaru turned his head when he smelt… salt? When his gaze fell on Kagome, he blinked his golden eyes at her in shock, he saw that Kagome was staring at him with tears pooling in her eyes. The young woman was crying over his tale? Tilting his head, he asked "why do you shed tears for me? You do not need to cry for me…"

"But you had your birthright taken away from you." Said Kagome with a sniffle.

Sesshoumaru let out a deep sigh and an "hn" under his breath before reaching over and carefully wiping her tears away, mindful of his claws. "You should not shed tears for a demon." Kagome blinked at Sesshoumaru in shock that he would reach over and wipe her tears. Sesshoumaru could tell that this motion had surprised her… had no one ever done this for her or do they all hate her so much to just let her cry?

"Sesshoumaru… isn't there anything you can do to get your land back from Naraku?" asked Kagome with a frown and a sniffle, trying to get her emotions under control. She was an interesting human that was for sure. She showed concern and worry for a demon, remorse because he had lost his lands to someone that he wanted to kill more than anything in the world but he dared not because he did not want to cause a war…

"There is not… not unless I can find something in my father's will to prove that the lands should have been mine, so far I have not been able to find any…"

Kagome frowned a little. It would be nice if he could get her to stop crying or at least to get her eyes to stop building tears. If he could then maybe everything would relax and he could stop feeling so… well he didn't know what it was that he was feeling just from watching this black haired woman crying before him. Letting out a soft sigh, Sesshoumaru calmly said "do you wish to learn how to defend yourself?"

Blinking in shock, Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru with wide eyes. All traces of tears seemed to have disappeared… At least that seemed to have worked, that was something that made him feel a little better from when she would shed her tears. "Why do you ask?" asked Kagome, blinking her blue eyes as she gazed upon his golden orbs.

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath as he tried to get himself to relax a little. It was odd that he was even suggesting it to her though anything to get her to think on something else other than his own troubles. Inhaling softly, Sesshoumaru calmly said "it is simple… you do not know how to fight, let alone defend yourself. You could have easily killed me if you were even trying." Kagome was about to protect his words until he held up his hand, silencing her instantly. "But, you did not because your aim was off, and that was why you had hit me." Kagome frowned a little. "Now, if you knew how to fight properly, you may be able to defend yourself and hit your target."

Kagome just stared at him for a moment as she tried to think on how he was going to teach her anything. It just didn't seem possible for her to learn how to fight though… maybe it would be better to at least learn something in secret since none of her friends were allowed to train her since the villagers forbid them from teaching her and she had to train in secret but even then, she was risking her own life and safety from trying to train in secret. Though would training under a demon be any better even if it was in secret? Not to mention, she still wouldn't be able to defend herself for she had no weapon…

"How would you train me if you cannot stand?" asked Kagome with confusion written all over her face.

Sesshoumaru just stared at her… Okay, she did have a point there but he knew that he could at least do that… He had enough strength to stand he know he does. Inhaling deeply, Sesshoumaru placed his hands on the ground and pushed himself up. Kagome let out a soft gasp in shock as she watched the demon prince start to push himself up on his legs. In fact, on closer inspection it didn't even seem that his legs were shaking from lack of use at all. He must have been a lot stronger than she gave him credit for.

Once he was on his feet, the demon prince reached down, placing his hand on the wall of the cave so he could pick up his furry boa before wrapping it around his right shoulder as he turned his gaze onto Kagome. His eyes still calm, he was trying to keep his weakened body from shaking which, he was doing a great job at. Kagome just stared at him, her eyes were still wide as if she was trying to figure out how he was able to pull this off, even he didn't know but it would be enough for him to handle for the time being… He would just have to be careful not to use up too much of his strength.

"I can stand just fine." Sesshoumaru calmly said before taking steps. He moved with such elegance and grace that Kagome couldn't believe it to be true. Though it was also easy to see that he was indeed of royalty. Sesshoumaru didn't think that Kagome would answer him, that she was still in too much shock from him being able to stand up on his own… "Are you going to answer me of my offer? Do you wish to learn to defend yourself or no?" asked the demon prince as he turned to gaze upon Kagome, her blue eyes just staring at him in shock.

"Yes… please teach me…" said Kagome with a bright smile.


	9. Training

Sesshoumaru knew that this was going to be difficult for him. His weakened body still required rest but he had promised that he would teach the girl how to defend herself. She had, of course refused to accept any lessons until he could handle it a little better… So, he did the one thing that he hated to do…

He lied.

Inhaling deeply, Sesshoumaru told her to bring some thick yet long pieces of wood that he could sharpen into wooden swords. At least it wouldn't hurt her and it would still teach her how to use a sword. Though, would it be enough to defend herself from people and demons alike? Shaking his head, the demon prince didn't want to think more about the problem at hand. It wasn't his place anyway, he didn't care if she was hurt or not, he shouldn't have to care about anything but… damn it… _'I do care…'_ thought the silver haired man before shaking his head a little.

_'Of course you care Sesshoumaru, Kagome has a good heart and that is what makes you care about her. You don't see many people like her anymore…'_ said Isao's voice.

Honestly though, was Isao speaking to him from the afterlife or was he just losing his mind? Closing his eyes for a moment, Sesshoumaru looked down at his sword; maybe he should have let the woman use his Tenseiga, not like it could hurt anyone. After all, it was nothing but a sword of healing and reviving the dead. Breathing deeply, the young demon prince walked around the glade, hoping to gather up as much strength as he could. He had been resting long enough, and had to gather up as much strength as he could so he could leave this place and go to his home… and deal with Naraku.

_'I still have to find out his motive with the human villages… What is he after…?'_ thought Sesshoumaru before shaking his head once more. He didn't know what his so called 'uncle' had in store, but he knew that it was something big. Narrowing his golden eyes, Sesshoumaru knew that there was something, but he just wasn't sure what it could be… but he was going to find out no matter what the costs would be. He would gladly pay the price so long as he could find out what his uncle was after.

Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru looked over at the path, expecting to see Kagome though so far, it seemed that she wasn't arriving as of yet. Hm… gave him more time to walk around to work his stiff and weakened muscles out though he just didn't know if he was still fully up to teaching her. "Why do I even bother…? Humans are weak and cannot properly protect themselves." Whispered Sesshoumaru as he walked toward the pond and stared at his reflection. Hm… "This Sesshoumaru is filthy…" he turned his head as he tried to think of a way to wash up but he didn't know what was here… and he refused to wash himself in cold water. Narrowing his eyes, the young man started to walk away from the pond and toward the cave. Maybe a little bit of that food that Kagome gave him would give him a little bit of strength, it was a terrible thing to feel so powerless, is this how humans feel sometimes?

"It is, indeed sad to feel like a human." Whispered Sesshoumaru before he picked up the container that contained some of the leftover food that Kagome had brought him. He didn't eat all of it; his appetite had yet to return to him, in fact, he barely ate anything since he's awoken. In fact, it's almost seemed like none of his strength had wanted to return, like something was blocking most of it from returning to him. Strange… strange that ever since he had been hit by the woman he had come to know as Kagome, that his demonic energy had disappeared to almost non-existent.

Now, he was teaching said woman how to use a sword because the villagers hated her more than anything. Letting out a soft sigh, Sesshoumaru carefully picked up a piece of chicken and shoved it in his mouth as he tried to think on how he was to teach her… Maybe he could teach her like how his father taught him? It was, after all the only style that he knew of… he didn't know any other way of the sword to fight.

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru felt like he was going to fall over… His body felt so tired and he wanted to sleep away the dizziness that threatened to overtake him but he wasn't weak… he was a strong willed demon and he would overcome this problem head on.

Inhaling deeply, Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and turned his head, walking down the path was Kagome carrying a single wooden stick. It was thick, perfect enough for him to carve into a wooden sword but why did she only have the one? Tilting his head to the side, he started to walk over toward Kagome after setting the container down. "Sesshoumaru!"

"Kagome."

"I'm sorry I took so long, I had trouble finding just one stick and I worried you might be getting hungry and well…" She looked down for a moment before pulling out another container. Tilting his head, the young demon wondered what would have her so nervous or worried for her to give him just a meal? "I added some herbs to it… I thought maybe it would help you regain your strength a little more…" Ah, she was worried for his health… Accepting the container, Sesshoumaru walked back to the cave and set it down before turning back to her. Looking at the long stick that was tucked under her arm, the demon prince wondered why she could only find the one… hm… maybe he could use his Tenseiga for a training sword… it would make things easier…

"Hand me the stick Kagome, once I've fashioned it into a sword, we will begin your training…" Sesshoumaru calmly said, may as well just start with the basics. Proper stance and technique. That was the best way to start, like how his father had taught him and the way he would teach her. He just hoped that teaching her, would be enough to repay her for her kindness.

Kagome nodded and gave Sesshoumaru the stick that she had found. Once it was in his hands, the demon prince started to use his claws to smooth out the wood, making sure that it wouldn't give the young woman any splinters since humans were so frail. Unless he used the wooden sword and let the woman use his sword. Then again, it didn't seem like it would do much though then again, she may not be able to handle holding a sword, at least not a real one.

His claws grazed the stick, watching as the wood shavings gently fell onto the ground. He found it odd that Kagome was staring at him, watching him with such awe that it almost made him blush, though he squelched that down. Why did he almost blush anyway?

"So, how is this going to work?" asked Kagome.

"Simple… I am making you a wooden sword. I very well, cannot give you a real one to teach you the basics. But, I will fight you with my sword later."

"Are you crazy!? You'll kill me that way!" shouted Kagome.

Wincing a bit, the young demon prince turned to the black haired woman before saying "this sword cannot kill the living. It can only heal, revive, and slay beings that do not belong to this world." Kagome stared at him in shock for a moment. Her eyes blinking in a way that reminded him of an owl, he didn't know why she was staring at him like that but then again, it wasn't every day humans would hear that they hear about a sword that does not kill, though he knew that it would be a while until she could fully understand the kinds of powers a demons sword can possess.

"A sword that can't cut?" Kagome asked in shock.

"Yes, the sword belonged to my father, as did another sword… though, I have yet to see it." Answered Sesshoumaru.

"What do you mean?"

Sesshoumaru stopped for a moment as he gazed upon her once again. She was indeed curious, though wasn't there some sort of human saying? About 'curiosity killing the cat' so to speak? Stopping his task for a brief moment, the demon prince tried to think of a way to explain his words so that Kagome could easily understand them. "You see, my sword, Tenseiga, has the power to revive a hundred lives in a single swipe of its blade. Its younger brother, the Tessaiga, has the power to kill a hundred demons, in a single swipe of its massive blade."

"Wait… how can a sword have a brother?" asked Kagome with confusion.

"Tessaiga was created by a fragment of Tenseiga, which was created by my father's fang. I never understood why my father would create such a sword, but I figured it was to protect his lands from anyone that would dare threaten it." Sesshoumaru explained, not very sure himself though, if that was the real reason for Tessaiga's creation. Though he never doubted that his father had a reason for it.

Kagome went quite then, it made Sesshoumaru wonder what was going through her mind at the moment. Though, figured it was a human type of behaviour and didn't question it. Rather, he went back to his carving of the wooden stick hoping to make it into the perfect practice sword. He had to make sure that it was the perfect weight for her to start with since from the looks of it, she didn't have that much strength in her arms, even for a human, she was so frail and weak looking… it… it almost made him want… want to… _'To protect her…'_ whispered a voice in his mind, not sure if it belonged to himself, or Isao…

"What does it look like?" came Kagome's sudden question.

"Hn…"

"I asked what does Tessaiga look like…" asked Kagome.

"It looks like a battered sword in its first form, its other form… It had been a long time since I've seen the sword in its true form… but from what I do remember, it was a large sword covered in a golden yellow light."

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes once again, what was with this human and giving him that look? Shaking his head, the demon prince inspected the sword for a moment, trying to decide if the sword was perfect enough… the 'blade' was shaped like the way it should be though the 'hilt' of the sword didn't seem slim enough for her hands. Shaking his head, the silvery haired demon flipped the sword over and started to carve out the hilt of the sword.

Turning his gaze for a moment, Sesshoumaru stared at Kagome before looking away. It was weird for him to keep staring at her… he didn't understand it himself. In fact, it was rather odd that he would find himself looking at her like… she should mean something when he didn't even know much about her, let alone what her true motives were about looking after him.

Yet, no matter what he just couldn't detect any kind of deception from her. It seemed like she really did care about his health and only wanted him to get well.

Looking back at the sword, Sesshoumaru admired his handiwork before turning to Kagome and held out the hilt for her. "Here, we'll get started on your training now." Kagome just stared at him for a brief moment before she carefully grabbed the hilt of the sword and tried holding it in one hand first before holding it with both. The 'sword' shouldn't be that heavy though it seemed that he was right, she hasn't had that much training, it seemed the only strength she could muster, was for a bow and arrow.

"Get into position priestess." Demanded Sesshoumaru, he was going to be strict with her. He wasn't going to go 'soft' or 'easy' on her just because she was human, and a female. He had seen many female warriors in his life, and he wasn't going to go easy on her just because of that. Narrowing his eyes, he watched as Kagome held the sword tightly in her hands, her knuckles turning white from the pressure that she was causing just to make sure that the sword did not fall from her hands.

"Hn…" He walked around Kagome, her feet were too close together, and her weight was shifted too far to the right instead of being in the center… No, this was all wrong, she would end up falling over from a single blow or worse, get herself killed. As if to prove his point, Sesshoumaru's hand shot out and gave Kagome a bit of a harsh shove, causing the woman to fall over with a yelp and land flat on her back.

"Ow, what did you do that for?!" shouted Kagome.

Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru ran a hand through his long silvery white hair before reaching out his hand to help Kagome up onto her feet. She accepted his hand and watched as he pulled her up. "You had your stance all wrong Kagome. I just proved that by shoving you…" Sesshoumaru calmly said before walking around to stand behind Kagome and leaned close to her ear. "Had it been a sword… you wouldn't have just fallen, but you would have been dead in a single blow…"

He saw Kagome shiver slightly, it seemed that his presence had been brought back to the way it had when he lived in his kingdom. He had that air about him, and he knew that, he could cause anyone to fear him just by being near him, even if he doesn't say anything, he could easily strike fear in people's hearts. Whether they be human or demon alike, he would make fear enter their hearts.

Gulping slightly, Kagome spoke up "so, how am I to stand?" He reached around Kagome and placed his hands on her hips and moved them to be center, her weight no longer off balance though she would still easily fall with a hit. Bending down, he grabbed her left leg and pulled it back before planting it on the ground just behind her. "What are you doing?" asked Kagome, her voice a little breathless though he didn't think anything of it. Once he was standing up straight, Sesshoumaru reached around the black haired woman and placed his hands over hers, and gently rubbed the tension out of her fingers. "What…?"

"I moved your leg back, to help give you balance. If you are to be shoved again, you won't fall over… and your weight won't help throw you off now but to help steady you. Now… as for your hands, they're too tight, the sword will not flow swiftly but would be too stiff to move correctly and slow your movements." Sesshoumaru explained into her ear, another shiver coursed through her body. What was with this woman and shivering? Was he that intimidating now or was it that he was so cold that him being so close gave her chills instead?

Feeling Kagome's hands loosening up a little bit, the demon princes hands flowing up her arms as he tried to tell if there was any other tension left in her body… so far, there was a little tension left in her arms, that would also stop her movements a bit, or at least hinder them. Narrowing his eyes slightly, the demon calmly said "you must relax… just think of something that makes you calm, loose… and fluent. After you have relaxed, we shall begin your training at once."

"But… I thought that this was the training…"

"No, this is just to get you prepared… to prevent you from getting hurt." After that, Sesshoumaru moved away from Kagome, walking around her until he stood inches from her and pulled out the Tenseiga and held it with only one hand. He had learned how to wield a blade with one arm, mostly because he had badly wounded his arm once before to the point that he could not use it for a very long time, it had been difficult for him to wield a sword with one arm but it had come in handy for him.

"You sure you should be doing this Sesshoumaru? Aren't you still recovering from my arrow?" asked Kagome with a frown marking her features. He didn't know why, but he didn't like that… Sesshoumaru wanted her to be happy, he didn't like the idea of her being sad. It seemed to cause him some kind of emotional pain and he just didn't understand why that was the case.

Inhaling softly, Sesshoumaru calmly said "this Sesshoumaru is fine; do not worry but worry about yourself priestess." Staring at her eyes, the demon prince saw the worry in her blue orbs, she was still worried about him but he saw that she would still comply. After all, this was her chance to learn some proper defence and she would be able to protect herself at long last. "Kagome… until you can protect yourself… This Sesshoumaru shall protect you from any and all harm." He promised.

Kagome stared at him with wide blue eyes before her features softened. Sesshoumaru felt like his heart was beating wildly in his chest, he had to calm down… There was no way that he could allow emotions to control him, he was calm, collected. Breathing deeply, he said "attack me." Kagome, of course, looked reluctant to attack him and he just gave her a reassuring smile as he said "you won't harm me."

Nodding softly, Kagome swung the wooden sword downward at Sesshoumaru, only for the demon prince to hold up Tenseiga to block the strike. He could feel the force in her strike, it wasn't strong, but he could easily tell that she was holding back a bit… was she afraid of hurting him still or was it because she was worried about breaking his sword? Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru shoved back Kagome's weapon and waited for her next strike. "Try again Kagome. You are holding back still, put in more force… you cannot break this Sesshoumaru's sword."

Frowning a little, Kagome was still a little reluctant to do this but nodded her head. Soon, she swung her sword to Sesshoumaru's left, though he easily blocked that. He could feel that she put in more force to her hit; he felt his sword shaking a little bit though not enough to break or shatter the blade. Which, he didn't suspect that it would have come to that since after all, his sword was made of steel and from his father's fang.

Kagome swung her sword again, this time it almost seemed like she was only hacking away at the one side of his body. What was she trying to gain from this? There had to be a reason why she was just hacking away with her stiff movements. Yet it seemed that he couldn't figure out what was going on here. Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side as he watched, Kagome suddenly shifted her wrists, he could tell that she was going to change her direction of her attack this time… It seemed that she was going to strike from above this time.

Though Kagome managed to strike him from the right, Sesshoumaru winced a little though he placed his emotionless mask back in place before she could notice that she had hurt him. "You did well with that Kagome, but not enough to knock me over." Calmly said Sesshoumaru as he stood up straight, it seemed that she could deceive those who observe their opponents. Though it was rather odd that she knew how to do this when she has never wielded a sword before. "How do you know to trick people with where you are about to hit Kagome?"

"My father… he learned how to use a sword as a child, as well as a staff and a bow. He showed me some of his tricks with his wrists. I guess it's like you get your enemy to think what you want them to think…" Kagome explained with a smile on her face. Hm… so, her father had some form of deception but not the way most humans would… it would to make sure that he could fight and protect those dear to him.

Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru knew that he would have to be a little more careful from now on. He didn't want to get another hit… there was no way of knowing how long he could stay standing before he had to sit down to regain some of the energy that he had lost thus far. Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome swung her sword again, this time it was moving upward in a diagonal swing, acting quickly, he blocked the strike, before it could have hit him in the head.

She was a smart one, that was for sure though maybe, she was thinking of all these plans as she went along? Or these were some skills that her father taught her while she was a child. He didn't know, though he also knew that he had no right to know about anything of her childhood… yet, she found himself wanting to know more and more about her though he just didn't know if he should know… if he even had that right if she knew the truth, that he had killed her father.

"You're movements are quick and powerful, but they could be better Kagome." Calmly said Sesshoumaru as he blocked another strike that would have hit him over his head, had he not blocked it. It was easy to see that her movements were quick now, and fluent… In fact, it almost seemed to move like a river, flowing flawlessly and gracefully. It had almost seemed like she had always wielded a sword before though it still confused him as to how it would seem like this.

"You seem impressed." Said Kagome with a big smile on her face.

"Do not get ahead of yourself. You are still far from mastering the sword Kagome, you will never be able to defeat anyone if you are over confident." Said Sesshoumaru with a calm and cool voice.

Kagome blushed softly at his words and sighed softly. Did she just want him to compliment her or was she just trying to make small talk? Shaking his head, the demon prince felt like his vision was spinning. Had he reached his limit already? Frowning a little, the demon prince rubbed his eyes, hoping that he could control himself, hoping that he could get himself to relax and get Kagome to at least try to get one hit on him before calling it a day. Though he didn't know if he could keep up for much longer…

Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru blocked another strike from the left, only to frown when Kagome suddenly spun around, ducking down and swung the wooden sword at his legs, causing his feet to slip and fall flat on his back… his vision was spinning more, in fact he was dizzier than he's ever felt before in his life… and didn't get back up. "Sesshoumaru?!" shouted Kagome before his vision started to darken. He… felt so sleepy… "I knew you weren't well enough for this! I just knew that you weren't ready to handle all of…" he didn't hear the rest, rather, his whole world started to darken as he started to fall into the world of unconsciousness.

* * *

**there will be a nice little surprise next chapter, what it will be? I won't tell you, I think I'll have you all guess heehee**


	10. Future Story Ideas

Here are future SessKag stories that I do plan to write, though the one I'm working on next is 'The Nightmare Gallery'

She's the Man Theme Story  
Kagome is the kendo star of her school's girl's team. But, the team had been cut and she wanted to prove that girl's are just as good as guys so she planned on doing something, oh so very stupid... Imposing as her twin brother Souta, but what she hadn't expected, was to fall in love with the captain of the team... but could she tell him the truth?

A Doctor and Patient story-The Doctor that Heals the Heart  
Sesshoumaru Tashio, one of the greatest doctors known to man, has been given one of the most difficult patients known in the hospital that has attacked any doctor. Though what he hadn't expected, was to learn the reason why she had attacked the doctors though what he also worries about is trying to keep his secret, along with hers...

Singer Story-The Singer's Love Story  
Sesshoumaru is the famous singer Maru, he tries to live the simple life of a singer, but he also lives the simple life of Sesshoumaru Tashio. He thought that living a double life would be fun and give him everything he's ever wanted. Though, what he hadn't expected was to meet the one girl, the only girl, that hates his singer personality and he, falling for her.

SessKag Ib Crossover-The Nightmare Gallery  
Sesshoumaru goes to the gallery that is dedicated to one of the greatest artists in the world, hoping to bring a little culture to his little brother Inuyasha. What he hadn't expected, was to be thrown into the world of Guertena's works, but what he hadn't expected, was to end up falling in love with another person that was thrown into this world with him.


	11. Comfort

Kagome sighed softly; she had been training with Sesshoumaru for about maybe seven days or so. She couldn't help but wonder what this weird feeling in her heart was… Every time she was near him, it felt like her heart would quicken in her chest, her cheeks would flush and she felt the desire to be near him. It was rather odd for her to have those kinds of feelings, but not to understand them. Sighing softly, the young woman looked out the window and thought that it was time for her to get the chicken and rice ready before giving it to Sesshoumaru since Sango said that Inuyasha had gone yesterday and shouldn't be back until tomorrow.

Whatever the reason was for him leaving, she didn't know and she wasn't going to stop him.

Letting out a soft yawn, the young woman made sure that Sesshoumaru's and her food were prepared nicely, and that they were in thick containers so that way, they would still be nice and warm for when she arrived to see him. It was nice to see that he did enjoy her meals though; she couldn't help but wonder what he was going to teach her today.

So far, it seemed that it's only been how to properly hold a sword, the wrong way to hold it, and of course how much strength she should use in her swings and how to swing it. Though, it was tough when he had her do push ups to help build strength in her arms and of course to run around to help build strength in her legs. He was a tough teacher but at least she was learning something rather than learning nothing like she was in the village.

Frowning a little, the young woman hadn't even noticed but… even though Sesshoumaru doesn't really say all that much, or show any emotions he's treated her better than the villagers. Was that normal for a demon to treat someone better than a human would or is that something else altogether? "Maybe I'm just over thinking this…" muttered Kagome as she let out a soft yet sad sigh.

Shaking her head, the young black haired woman looked out of her home with wide blue eyes as she wondered about the silver haired demon. Her face flushed just thinking about him, trying to think on what he was doing right now… if he was okay. Giving a small smile, she closed her eyes as she thought about all the times he would train her, when he had to hold onto her when she wasn't doing something right… or when she was tense and he had to massage her hands just to get her fingers to relax while holding the hilt of her sword.

Blushing all the more, Kagome shook her head wildly as she tried to get herself to calm down. Why was she thinking like that in the first place? It just didn't make any sense to her on why she would think all of that when Sesshoumaru was a demon, demons couldn't be like that, they even had trouble being friends let alone more than that. It was one of those things that weren't meant to be and she had to learn to accept that but it did get harder and harder for her to accept that for some strange reason.

Sighing softly, the young woman wrapped up the containers in some cloth and started to leave her home and started to make her way down the path. It sure was another nice day out, though she didn't know how long it would last… In fact, she was hoping that it would rain soon, that was the one thing that she enjoyed rather well. Grinning from ear to ear, Kagome's blue eyes seemed to sparkle with her delight; it made her wonder if Sesshoumaru enjoyed the rain.

Inhaling deeply, Kagome's mind started to drift off to Sesshoumaru once again. It was rather weird, his face never showed emotions, that is true but for some reason… she could almost see what he was feeling just by staring at the golden orbs of his, it was like his eyes revealed everything to her without her having to ask anything but yet, there was still some sort of hidden mystery to him that he did not wish to share with her and she could respect that… but it still had her curious as to what he was going to do once he was healed enough to go on home… was there something important that he had to do or would he… would he stay?

Shaking her head, the young woman knew that was asking too much of him. He had his own life, his own home that he had to return to and she shouldn't expect it of him for him to stay here with her just because she may have developed something for him. Covering her eyes for a brief moment, Kagome tried to get her thoughts together, tried to get herself to calm down and relax and clear any emotions that clouded themselves in her heart.

Letting out a soft sigh, Kagome thought that maybe it was best that she didn't get her hopes up; there would be no reason for Sesshoumaru to want to stay anyway right? After all, she had told him that he had a kingdom, even if he wasn't the ruler; it was still his home and- wait… Stopping in her tracks for a moment, she thought of something… if his father left the kingdom to this 'Naraku' fellow took over the lands, he didn't have a right to have the lands since from what she had been told, Naraku was only related through some kind of mating, not through blood so the kingdom should have still gone to Sesshoumaru no matter what… so why the change?

"Oh dear this is just getting so confusing." Said Kagome, not really caring if anyone heard her or not. The only thing that she cared about was to try to solve this mystery… maybe that would cheer Sesshoumaru up for him if she could solve that problem. Why couldn't things be simpler for her to solve instead of being so complicated? It just seemed that no matter what she just couldn't figure out why this 'Naraku' guy would just take over the lands when he isn't of royal blood like Sesshoumaru.

In fact, for some reason she felt like the answer was right in front of her in some way but she just couldn't figure out what it could have been. Digging her fingers of her free hand into her head, the young woman let out a frustrated sigh before letting go and fixing her hair a little bit and started to walk on down the path. Maybe it was best that she forgot about that for now and when Sesshoumaru was healthy enough she would tell him what she had been thinking about.

"Hey look guys, it's the Demon Lover." Said a voice that made Kagome groan and sigh before turning around and saw some of the priests that were her age. They were handsome, of course; in fact one of them, the one in the middle was the headman's son. His short brown hair and matching brown eyes stood out, along with the robes that he wore; in fact they looked just like Souta's robes. The other boys though she didn't really know them, nor did she really care.

"Leave me alone." Kagome said with a glare before turning her head away and tried to walk away… only for her path to be blocked by some of the headman's son's goons to get in her way. Rolling her eyes, the young woman turned around and stared at him as she said "look, I'm in a hurry Roka, now just leave me alone alright?" Roka though, just smirked at her, that had Kagome a little worried but she didn't change her expression from a cold glare. Maybe she did learn something from Sesshoumaru; in a way she figured that this expression resembled his.

Roka laughed, crossing his arms as he stared at Kagome, his eyes held no concern or kindness within their brown depths. She knew that he was going to be a terrible headman when his father stepped down. "You know Kagome, I've seen how you're leaving the village a little more often." Said Roka as he laughed, along with his friends. Narrowing her eyes, she just stood there; trying to find a way to get out of here and hurry up to get to the glade so she could get back to her training and check on Sesshoumaru's wound to make sure that it hasn't reopened or needed cleaning again.

"It's called gardening. Have you ever tried it Roka? Maybe if you do you wouldn't be a jerk to people." Kagome said with her glare hardening into steel. Roka just laughed at her, his laugh was cruel and harsh, it made her wonder if he even had a heart in the first place. If he even had a heart, she figured that it would be black as coal. It made her think that… since after all Roka was devoid of any kindness or compassion for others but himself. He would always be nothing but a cruel heartless man and that was how he would always remain and she knew that.

"That is something a woman like you should do. After all, you can't train to be a true priestess or a slayer since you are a demon lover." Spat Roka as he walked a little closer to Kagome, though not by much. Kagome just stepped back, careful not to get to close to Roka's goons, she didn't want to get close knowing that if she did they would shove her onto the ground. "Are you hiding something Kagome? You normally left the village every few days and now, you've been going every day."

"Yeah, to get away from people like you."

Roka laughed as he smirked at Kagome a little, it was easy to see he wanted to hurt her in some way. There was no way that she was going to allow it, after all she had trained hard with Sesshoumaru and she had gathered enough strength herself though she knew that she was still far from being strong enough to take down anyone. Shaking her head mentally, the young woman narrowed her eyes all the more, hoping that her glare would harden enough to strike fear into Roka's heart.

"Oh look what we have here, she thinks she's tough." Said one of Roka's goons with a laugh. Oh how she wanted to punch him until he fell over and stay down for days and still be in pain when he woke up. Breathing deeply, Kagome looked ready to fight back she would make sure that they didn't lay a hand on her, she wasn't going to allow anything to hurt her, not again anyway!

"The little 'Demon Lover' thinks that she can take us on. What are you going to do Kagome, call for one of your friends to help you or better yet, you gonna summon a demon to come and save you?" said Roka with a laugh. In fact, his goons laughed with him, this only served to irritate Kagome all the more before she set down her containers and threw her fist at Roka. He didn't even know what had happened, all he knew was that he felt pain in his nose and he found himself on the ground. "You bitch!" shouted Roka before he shot up and went to grab Kagome; she stared with fear for the first time, thinking that she had just dug her own grave this time.

Suddenly, someone's hand shot out and grabbed a hold of Roka's fist before he could grab at Kagome. Kagome looked up and was surprised at who she saw. "Miroku!" shouted Kagome in shock.

Standing there was a tall man with long black hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. His dark blue eyes shined with a hint of anger, if there was one thing that Miroku hated it was a man that would raise his hand against a woman. Sure he was perverted but he had honour. Looking over at him a little more, Kagome noticed that he has two earrings on his left ear, and one on the right. Must have added the second one on the left while he was traveling.

His robes looked like any other traveling monk's robes, though his were more refined. The robes were black but he had a purple cloth that wrapped itself around his body and over his left shoulder, while the cloth that would have gone to the right is neatly tucked into the black robes, to hold it all together the purple robe was tied in a knot near his heart.

On his left hand was an arm protector that covers the back of his hand and palm wrapping itself around his middle finger and held on by a ring with some kind of engraving. But around the protector, was a rosary. She never understood why he had that on his left arm but she also never bothered to ask him since it was, after all none of her business to ask him anything. In his covered hand, was a staff.

The staff was topped with a metal finial with two sections, each with three rings, (for a total of six rings), which represent the Six States of Existence—the cycle of samsara, of suffering and reincarnation. She had heard that the same staff becomes a grave post if a monk was to ever die on the way. Thus the top of the staff is designed like a Buddhist grave post. Though she wasn't sure if what she heard was true… maybe she could ask Miroku that. To finish off his outfit, were the straw sandals that he wore.

"Now… if I may ask why are you trying to grab my friend?" asked Miroku with a glare.

Roka narrowed his eyes at the monk before pulled his arm away and looked like he was about to beat up the monk this time. Yet, he didn't throw the first punch. "This bitch deserves a good beating! She punched me first and she's been leaving the village every day and not to mention, she spends all of her time with that weird traveling swordsmen." Growled out Roka, for a second Roka did almost sound like a demon though she said nothing, thinking that if she did then she would be called a demon lover all the more.

"That does not mean you should throw a punch on a woman. Kagome just has a pure heart and cares for others, but has a temper to match." Miroku calmly said with a small chuckle before adding "though as for why she leaves the village every day that is none of our concern, after all Kagome has a right to leave whenever she wants." Grinning, Miroku patted Roka's shoulder as he said "also, Inuyasha isn't weird, he is an amazing swordsmen and he has protected our village without having to be asked."

He did have a point, Inuyasha may be mysterious but at least he didn't have to be asked to protect the village if he didn't have to. Roka rolled his eyes and slammed his elbow into Miroku's stomach, causing him to grunt in pain and fall to his knees, using his staff as a way to support his weight. Kagome was about to go and help Miroku but one of them grabbed her shoulder and threw her away from the monk. "So Miroku, you're going to stand up for this wench?! What happened to your pride as a man and a monk?! She is a demon lover!" shouted Roka.

"Kagome just has that kind of a heart. She doesn't see a reason to kill demons if they do not harm us first. We could learn a lot from her." Gasped out Miroku before pushing himself back up onto his feet and getting his breathing under control. It was going to be difficult for him to collect himself but it seemed that he was able to hide the pain a little bit. Shaking his head, Miroku narrowed his dark blue eyes on Roka as he said "you on the other hand Roka, you have no heart to speak of."

"At least I'm not a pervert."

"I just happen to appreciate beautiful woman, like my lovely Sango."

"How can you love that woman? She is a woman that acts like a warrior! Women shouldn't be warriors but house wives, and those who are priestesses should just purify demons and get on with their lives." Miroku narrowed his eyes at hearing that about Sango. It was at that point, Kagome knew that Roka had just made a big mistake… Yes, Miroku is a pervert, yes, he gropes women's rear ends, and of course he asks them to bare his child but if there was one thing that anyone could see, it was his love for the demon slayer and he respects her desire to be a slayer.

Miroku swung his staff and slammed it into Roka's head, causing the priest to yelp out in pain and start to stagger backward and slam himself into Kagome who had risen to her feet. Kagome yelped and fell into the river with a big splash. Miroku gasped out in shock and rushed to his fallen friend and pulled on her hand. "Kagome please forgive me! I didn't mean to knock him into you!" cried Miroku as he pulled his friend out of the water. Kagome sniffled slightly, looking around she saw all of Roka's goons and of course, Roka himself pointed at her and laughed.

"What a stupid girl, I'm surprised my father even keeps you in the village. Why doesn't he just kill you off and be rid of you?!" shouted Roka before he threw his head back and laughed.

"No kidding, she's not worth anything to anyone." Said one of his goons.

Kagome grabbed her cloth covered containers and ran off as fast as she could. Not caring that she was dripping wet, in fact she didn't care about anything. She just wanted to get away from the village. Maybe she should leave the village and never come back… it was best that she just left and never came back. Though she couldn't do that yet, knowing that if she did, and her father just had happened to return he would worry about her…

_'After my father returns… I'll leave… or… maybe I should just go look for him.'_

* * *

Sesshoumaru pushed himself up onto his feet as he looked up at the sky… Closing his eyes, the demon prince sniffed the air as he wondered if his sense of smell had returned to him. Hm… _'The air smells a bit moist… it'll rain… just can't tell when.'_ thought the silver haired frown with a soft sigh. That was one thing that he hated, his demonic aura had started to return a little more to him over the seven days since he first started to train the priestess… Kagome. Hm… why did it bring him joy to be near her?

"Hn…" he opened his eyes and looked around the glades. Maybe he should put off training today since he didn't know when it would rain, nor did he know if the barrier would keep this place safe from rain. Taking a deep breath, the demon prince walked over to the pond and dipped in the bamboo shoot into the water to refill it. He was thankful to Kagome that she left that here for him, but what he was curious about was how anyone can have such a pure heart to care about him.

Looking up, Sesshoumaru frowned a little, he sensed something wrong, there was some very powerful emotions coming from the village… he couldn't tell who it belonged to, nor did he really care at the moment. Maybe it was all just in his head for the moment.

Shaking his head, the demon prince pushed himself back up onto his feet and drank down the water. It seemed that the water here had its own natural healing abilities, was this why Kagome chose this place as her own personal getaway? Or was there more to this place than meets the eye? He still didn't know everything about this place; though he had a feeling that maybe he could learn something about this place when Kagome arrived.

_'When are you going to tell her about my death…?'_ came Isao's voice.

That has been bothering him for a while now; he couldn't tell her the truth. That he killed her father, that he was the demon that had taken her father from this world and that his spirit seems to find some way to haunt him for some reason. He didn't know what that reason would be yet, but maybe it had to involve what Isao had told him while he was asleep. Hm… "What could have Isao meant by something to be taken away from me that means something?" That had also been bothering him… ever since he had heard that in his dream, he has tried to figure out what the spirit had meant but came up with nothing.

Then of course, there was what he said about something wanting to take his power from him. Whatever that was, he also didn't know since he didn't have anything that could be taken. After all, he had his position as lord taken away from him so there was nothing more he could do. Letting out a deep breath, the young man made his way back to the cave and sat down as he waited for Kagome to arrive. It wasn't that late, so he didn't think too much on what would be taking her though just thought that maybe she was speaking to her friend's.

Once he sat down, the demon prince used his pelt to go around his shoulders, there was no way that he was going to lean on anything without any sort of comfort. It was already uncomfortable to be sitting on the ground of this cave though for now it would have to do until he could leave and go home… "Home…" he whispered softly before closing his eyes. Why did he feel the need to stay here? There was something holding him back but he just didn't know what it was… but it had something to do with Kagome… he just knew it.

Shaking his head a little, the demon prince tried to get that thought out of his head. Why would one human make him want to stay? This was causing him a great amount of confusion and he wanted it to stop. Letting out a deep breath, Sesshoumaru leaned back as he tried to get himself to clear his thoughts and get his heart to stop beating so quickly from the sudden thought of Kagome or, of him wanting to stay just so he could stay with the human priestess. "Why does my heart beat to quickly when I think of Kagome?" asked Sesshoumaru, trying to think on what was wrong with him.

_'Perhaps you have developed some feelings for her…'_ said Isao's voice with a chuckle.

_'This Sesshoumaru has no feelings for her, but to repay a dept.'_ thought Sesshoumaru with a growl emitting from his chest.

Shaking his head, the silver haired demon tried to get those words from his mind. He did not develop any kind of feelings for that human. She meant nothing to him, he didn't care about her nor would he ever care about any human for that matter. She was only trying to heal him, and he was only her teacher so she wouldn't be defenceless anymore. Nothing more, and nothing less. That was how it would always remain… it was just the natural order of things. Humans and demons were not meant to be together, whether it be as lovers or as friends… _'Why did I just think of lovers…?'_ thought Sesshoumaru with confusion.

Rubbing his face, Sesshoumaru tried to get himself to calm down. Just what was with him and all of the weird thoughts that would plague his mind… and why did they always involve Kagome for that matter? It all confused him… not to mention, he felt some sort of heat in his face which puzzled him. Frowning a little, he reached up and carefully touched his face and tilted his head a little. What was wrong with him? Was he ill?

Suddenly, a weird sound reached his ears… along with a weird scent. He smelled sadness, and the sound of someone sniffling… Turning his head, the demon prince stared in shock as he saw Kagome walking down the path wearing soggy robes and shivering. Pushing himself up, the demon prince ran over to the priestess and stood in front of her. "What is wrong?" asked Sesshoumaru, tilting his head to the side, his face an emotionless mask.

Kagome lifted her head, her blue eyes shining with unshed tears. Tears that she didn't want to shed in front of him. "Nothing's wrong Sesshoumaru, I'm perfectly fine." Kagome said, a smile appeared her face but that smile did not reach her eyes. He knew that she was upset, and it had something to do with why she was soaking wet. "I brought you some food, I haven't been able to bring any sake though, I'm sorry…" Sesshoumaru grabbed the young woman's wrist and pulled her toward the cave. She couldn't keep wearing those robes; she will become ill if her immune system was as weak as he has heard.

"Sesshoumaru what are you doing?" asked Kagome with confusion in her voice.

"You are going to get out of those wet robes, or you will become ill. I won't allow it." Growled Sesshoumaru before bringing Kagome to the cave and pushing her inside.

"I can't just strip! I'll be naked and cold!" shouted Kagome.

"Did I say, that I would allow you to be naked in my presents?" said Sesshoumaru before turning to stare at her. He saw her confusion, it was easy to see since he did, after all figured that she would not understand what he had meant fully. Shaking his head, the demon prince turned away from Kagome and removed his white robe jacket from his person and held his arm out for Kagome. "I'm giving you to wear until your robes are dry. It isn't much but it should keep you warm…"

He felt the cloth be pulled away from his hands; the sound of ruffling clothing reached his ears. He tried to think of something, hoping to get his mind off of the changing female behind him, and of course to make sure that no one would be walking in on Kagome as he stood at the mouth of the cave. It was rather strange that he would do something like this for a human, allowing her to wear his robes just so she wouldn't catch a cold and so her own robes would dry… just what was wrong with him? _'Perhaps I have become ill…'_ thought Sesshoumaru as he shook his head, trying to get those thoughts from his mind.

There was no other reason for it, why would he care if she caught a cold? There was nothing that he could have done to prevent it but to let her change out of her wet clothes and nothing else… he didn't even have to let her change her clothes in the first place. He could have just left her to stand around in soaking wet clothes all she wanted and he wouldn't have cared… yet… _he did care damn it,_ but he didn't know why that was.

Had she changed him somehow or was there something more to this than he's realising? Rubbing his forehead, he tried to think on something else… yes, killing something. A battle, anything to get his mind off of the female that resided behind him but… even that didn't seem to work for he would just find himself thinking about her once again damn it.

"Sesshoumaru… I… I'm dressed…" Turning around, Sesshoumaru wondered how the woman would have looked in his robes. It wasn't really much to it though it would be long on her frame; he just knew it though what he saw almost made his heart stop in his chest. Eyes widening, the demon prince saw that the robes almost looked like a simple kimono on her, though without the obi around her waist. The sleeves were well past her fingertips, the hem of the robes went bit past her knees though it gave him view of her slim and smooth legs. She had her arms over her chest, tightly holding the robes closed so she wouldn't be revealing herself in any way…

Frowning a little, Sesshoumaru sighed softly and reached down and removed the yellow sash from his waist and held it out for Kagome. "Here… use this to tie around yourself… it should keep the robe closed." Sesshoumaru whispered before sitting down on the ground… questioning his actions for the priestess. What was wrong with him? Why was his heart beating so quickly? Why did he feel like his face was so hot and flush? Shaking his head, the demon prince rubbed his face, hoping to get it to cool down.

"Thank you…" whispered Kagome, causing Sesshoumaru to turn and stare at her… the robes was large on her small frame, and it didn't show very much but it did show him enough to know that she did have a curvy figure that most demonesses would kill for.

"You're welcome Kagome… now, will you tell me… what has you so upset." Kagome opened her mouth to protest, only for Sesshoumaru to hold up his hand as he said "if you are going to tell this Sesshoumaru, that you are fine, then do not speak, for I have smelled your sadness and saw the tears in your eyes." Lowering his hand, his golden eyes bore into Kagome's blue orbs as he stared at her… he could see that she was still trying to hide her sadness from him, that only angered him. "Kagome… what has happened for me to see you soaking wet… and close to tears?"

Kagome sniffled a bit, it seemed that she could no longer hide her tears for they soon started to spill and roll down her cheeks. He had never seen anyone cry before, and he didn't like it… seeing Kagome upset, it bothered him and he didn't know why that was… All he knew was that he wanted it to stop… Breathing deeply, he reached out and grabbed a hold of Kagome's hand and pulled her toward his body.

Once Kagome had been pulled to his muscular chest, Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her, his arm wrapped around her waist, and his free hand on the back of her head so she could not see the faint tint of red on his cheeks. "Kagome… I do not wish to see you upset…" whispered Sesshoumaru as he lowered his head down to her ear. Kagome sniffled a little before burying her head on his shoulder and cried her heart out.

"I can't take it… I just can't…" sobbed out Kagome.

"You cannot take what?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"The villagers hate me, they never treat me with any respect and… I just want to leave but I can't. My father hasn't come back to us yet and I want to see him before I leave this place." Cried out Kagome, which had Sesshoumaru freeze for a moment. She only stayed to wait for her father, a man that would never return. How could she have waited for so long and never see any results? Of course, the amount of time that she has waited was a long time for humans; to a demon that amount of time meant nothing to him…

Closing his eyes for a moment, Sesshoumaru ran his clawed hand through Kagome's hair as he whispered "why… why do you stay here just to see your father? Wouldn't you want to travel and go to a place that would accept you?"

"I wouldn't be accept anywhere Sesshoumaru… no one would care about a 'Demon Lover' like me…" Kagome whispered as she reached up and started to rub her eyes. He could see the reason for that, but… it shouldn't stop her. There was a place for everyone, and he knew that better than anyone. Yes, his title had been taken from him, but it was still his home, his palace and he would do whatever he could to reclaim it without causing a war… or maybe, he was like her. He couldn't leave, because he was trying to regain what he has lost.

"I know that feeling very well Kagome… my title was taken, and I try to reclaim it so I have not left."

"That's different… it was supposed to be yours, you are of royal blood. Naraku isn't so why would your father leave the kingdom to him?" Sesshoumaru frowned a bit at her words… right's right. Naraku wasn't of royal blood, and only those who were of royalty could claim the throne for themselves. Naraku was only his uncle, because of his grandfather, mating Naraku's mother… Someone must have changed the will, there was no way it would have been otherwise but… who would have done that? "Why do I have to care about demons… if I didn't I wouldn't be tormented like this." Came Kagome's words with a choked up sob.

Blinking he looked down at the whimpering woman and sighed softly. "Kagome…" whispered Sesshoumaru, tightening his hold on the upset woman as he tried to pick his words carefully, not wanting to upset her any more than she already was. It was tough enough for him to control the weird warmth on his face from holding her, and he still did not understand the reason behind that, nor did he think he would ever understand it… but right now… he had to say something to cheer her up… "The reason you care about demons, is that you have a pure heart. This Sesshoumaru wishes… that there were more humans like you."

Feeling Kagome lifting her head from his shoulder, she gazed up at him with wide blue eyes. Her eyes looked a little red and puffy from her tears, though… for some reason, thought _'how can someone who had just cried… look so beautiful?'_ he mentally shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts from his mind. "If there were more people like you… more with a pure and gentle heart, then this world would not be in so much turmoil…"

"You… you really think that?" asked Kagome with shock, confusion, and for some reason, a hint of awe in her words.

"Yes, I do."

Kagome smiled a bit at his words, causing Sesshoumaru to look away, his heart was beating quickly again in his chest. What was with him anyway? Why did he care if she was so upset!? Has she bewitched him in some way or form? It was strange, then again, wasn't he becoming strange for allowing Kagome to care for him?

Sesshoumaru sighed softly as he turned his gaze to the outside of the cave, the moisture that he had smelled earlier was becoming stronger… it seemed that they would have to have their training on hold for today, and wait and see if tomorrow would be better for the two of them to train… there was no way that he was going to risk her getting soaked again… he didn't have anything else dry to change in nor for her to wear until her clothes are dry.

"Sesshoumaru… are you going to go home once you've healed and regained your strength?" asked Kagome suddenly.

"I plan to yes, but I must find how my father's will could have been changed, for no one had access to his will but himself and…"

"And who?" asked Kagome.

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he finally put the final piece together. No, it couldn't have been… there was just no way that it could have been possible for that to have happened but it really did start to make sense. There was only one other person that could have been able to get a hold of his father's will that could have been able to change it without anyone noticing… though he would also have to find some way to prove that this theory was correct, if he just went in and had no proof, then he would bring shame to his family and that was something he did not want… It was already tough enough for him to have lost the throne…

Looking down, Sesshoumaru blinked his golden eyes down at the now sleeping woman… she must have worn herself out from all of the crying she had gone through. It was ashame… he was hoping to learn why she was soaked but it seemed that he would have to ask when she woke up. Looking outside of the cave, Sesshoumaru saw the first few drops that had begun to fall, only for more to fall… It seemed he was right about the rain… though he didn't think it would fall this quickly for it soon, had started to turn into a down pour.

"It is best, she stays before I let her go home…" whispered Sesshoumaru, he felt Kagome start to shiver in his arms causing him to sigh softly. Reaching over, he grabbed a hold of the blanket that Kagome left for him and draped it over her shivering body, and wrapped his arms around her to help build some warmth for her. Humans truly were frail beings… it had him amazed that they had survived as long as they have…

Closing his eyes for a moment, Sesshoumaru breathed deeply as he nuzzled the maiden's hair, breathing in her wonderful scent… the scent of peaches, apple blossoms and wild flowers caused his senses to go wild for a brief moment before he pulled himself back. He couldn't believe that her scent alone was what drew him to her… why though? It was a mystery to him, though it was one that he could easily solve… at least he thinks that he could solve it.

"So, this is what Kagome has been doing." Said a voice, causing Sesshoumaru's eyes to snap open and look over at the mouth of the cave. Standing there, was a tall human man with long black hair, dark violet eyes glaring at him with some kind of hate within their depths. He wore a red kimono and at his waist was a sword, though what he had noticed around his neck looked like some kind of rosary… odd. "I never thought that Kagome would have been taken care of a demon… even though I know her heart is pure enough to try."

Sesshoumaru growled at the human, thinking that he was going to try to take Kagome back to the village. Sniffing the air, Sesshoumaru found something odd about this man, there was something… familiar about him but he just couldn't place his finger on it. "What do you want? I thought only Kagome could enter this place…"

"Then how are you here… Lord Sesshoumaru."

His eyes widened for a moment before narrowing into slits. How did this human know of him in the first place? Kagome couldn't have told anyone of his location and of course, he wasn't a lord, he had lost that title… but how did this man… damn it. "I am no lord human." Growled Sesshoumaru as he turned away, tightening his hold on Kagome. "I lost my demonic aura, I was able to pass, for there was no aura for it to detect." Answered Sesshoumaru, he already hated this man and yet he just couldn't shake the feeling that he's met him before.

There was silence for a moment, Sesshoumaru had thought that this human man would try to take Kagome at that moment after getting his answer… instead; he just stood there, getting himself soaked by the rain that would pelt itself against his body. "I am surprised… that the Ice Prince would care for a human." Turning his golden gaze and stared at the violet eyes of this human, he couldn't believe what he was seeing, there was something off about this man… though he couldn't think of where…

Soon, Sesshoumaru's eyes fell to the sword that was at his waist… was that? No, it couldn't be, that sword had disappeared hundreds of years ago! There was no way that this man could have that sword when he knew for a fact that it had gone missing and- wait… "I remember you… I saw you once before…"

"We have… though, you never did take notice of me like everyone else Sesshoumaru. A bastard like you wouldn't have noticed me anyway… Now answer me this, why is Kagome caring for you and bringing you meals?"

"She feels guilt for harming me, so she wishes to repay me…"

"Bull shit! Even a demon such as yourself would have regained his power by now, or at least enough to leave this place." Shouted Inuyasha, only to receive a glare from the Ice Prince, remembering that Kagome was sleeping and that she didn't know that the intruder was here. Sesshoumaru didn't like this man, there was something about him that irritated him to no end… he just knew that was the case. "Kagome has a big heart; she just has this gift that draws people to her, people who would want to protect her, to keep her safe from anything. It seems that you have been affected Sesshoumaru, why else would you allow her, a human, to curl up against you and wear your robe?"

Sesshoumaru remained silent for a moment. Was that why he stayed? Yes, he did indeed have enough strength to leave this place, even though it was not his full strength… Closing his eyes, he let out a soft sigh before opening his golden eyes once again. "Do not let her get too attached Sesshoumaru, Kagome has a good heart yes, but she is also frail when it comes to losing someone… you must leave before she becomes too attached to you. I won't allow anyone to break her heart."

"If that is the case, then why do you allow the villagers to treat her as they do?"

"I can't do anything about that, neither can her friends. All I can do is protect her from the incoming danger. That is why I left in the first place…"

Raising an eyebrow at the human, he was confused as to what he meant by that. Left from where, and most of all what danger was he speaking about? "Kagome is safe with me… I won't harm her…" Sesshoumaru whispered softly, he didn't know why he even said that… she was a human, humans should mean nothing to him and yet, he did want to keep her safe, away from any and all harm… "I will protect her with my life…" he whispered softly.

"Oh? Have you told her you're deep dark secret Sesshoumaru!? Have you told her about her father?!" shouted the black haired man, only for Sesshoumaru's eyes to widen in shock before staring at the mysterious man that stood in the rain. "That's right; I know… how do you think Kagome will take it if she finds out that her father is never, ever, going to come home… I was glad to have left… as soon as I heard the plans of why Naraku is attacking the villages, I did what I could to keep them safe, and I came to this place… I know what he's after, and I won't let him have it."

With those words, the black haired man turned on his heel and started to walk away… the way he walked, the way he tucked his arms into his sleeves… now he remembered who this man was! "If you want me to tell Kagome of my secret… why is it, that you have yet to tell her of yours Inuyasha?" said Sesshoumaru, finally remembering who this man was… he hadn't seen him in years, a man that took off not just because of Naraku's mystery plan, but the only one to have known, was the very man that stood before him…

Inuyasha stopped walking, his head turned, bangs hiding his eyes from view as he said "because…" his head lifted, revealing a pair of golden eyes as he finished "I'm protecting these people from the man that took away your throne from you…"


	12. Important Note

hey everyone, just a heads up, I got a call that I was hired so I start my new job at Wendy's around the 5th of January, so I don't know when I'll update but I'll try to update what I can now and again so please, do not expect quick updates... anyway, I hope you all enjoyed your christmas.


	13. The Truth

It had been only an hour since Inuyasha had left… Sesshoumaru couldn't believe that someone he knew form the past had resided in this village just to protect it. Though, he didn't know the man's reason behind it, but what he did know was that it involved Kagome somehow, why else would he have come all this way just to find her when no one has ever been here besides himself? Okay, he wasn't really sure if anyone else comes here but so far he hasn't see anyone before… but he also knew, that it involved Naraku somehow…

Closing his eyes, he couldn't believe that he has never thought of it before… Naraku was the only other person that could get a hold of his father's will… but, could it have been done? Had it been possible that Naraku had changed his father's will so that Sesshoumaru couldn't rule the lands? Though if that had been the case, then there was a chance for him to regain his lands after all but he had no proof that Naraku had changed the will in the first place… the only way he could prove it is if there was a witness to the change or his father somehow came back from the dead and told him though sadly, that wasn't going to happen.

Shaking his head, the demon prince tried to think on how Inuyasha had found out about Naraku's plan in the first place… and most of all, why did he disappear in the first place just to protect whatever it was that Naraku was after? Did it have something to do with some kind of object that the villagers protected or was it something else? He couldn't really be sure, though he knew that it had something to do with that village… and Isao… why had Naraku captured Isao? Why did Naraku want Isao to talk about some object? He didn't know, but what Sesshoumaru did know was that it was important and that Naraku would do anything to get his grubby little hands on it no matter the cost.

Breathing deeply, the young prince looked down at Kagome, watching as she cuddled into him for warmth. He couldn't help but stare at her… it felt so… _right_ to have her like this. In his arms, holding her close to his heart but… was it right for him to do this? Was it right, for him to hold her like she meant something to him? Like she meant the world to him when she shouldn't?

Closing his eyes and bowing his head, the silvery haired man didn't think that he had any right to hold her like this. She deserved someone better than him, someone who killed and who… who wasn't human. Biting his lip, Sesshoumaru didn't know why he was so nervous; all he knew was that he had to stop this all together. He had to stop her from coming to see him, from taking care of him… from being near him. If he didn't, he would depend on her far too much, more than he should and it had him… concerned.

Breathing deeply, the young demon knew that he would have to end it here and now. Opening his eyes, the young man looked out the opening of the cave, the rain still falling heavily… it didn't look like it would lighten up any time soon, even when Kagome's robes would dry, she would only be soaked again until she would get home… It would be best, that she never saw him again… and forgot all about him. Humans after all, could never remain friends with a demon, if they did it would only cause them pain and torment no matter who was at fault…

_'Are you sure that you want this Sesshoumaru? Do you not care about the girl?'_ said Isao.

_'I do not care about her… not… I… I don't…'_ faltered Sesshoumaru, it seemed that with her, he could not keep himself composed even in his thoughts. How was it that someone like her, someone could change him in such a short amount of time?

_"Kagome has a big heart; she just has this gift that draws people to her, people who would want to protect her, to keep her safe from anything. It seems that you have been affected Sesshoumaru, why else would you allow her, a human, to curl up against you and wear your robe?"_ echoed Inuyasha's words in his mind. Was that why? Because Kagome's heart was so big, so pure that it drew him in, changed him to want to protect her? To be close to her no matter the cost? Closing his eyes once again, the young man didn't think that it would have been possible, no one could have such a gift… it just wasn't possible… yet... it seemed that perhaps, Inuyasha's words rang true…

Removing one arm from around Kagome's waist, the young prince rubbed his forehead, hoping to help himself to calm down and relax. There had to be something, anything to get himself to calm down… It seemed that his nerves were easily frazzled by Kagome's presents, and that, of course only served to bother him all the more.

"I can't stay with her anymore…" He whispered, though, knowing her as well as he has, Sesshoumaru knew that Kagome wouldn't just leave. There was only one way that she would leave, and he just knew that it would break her heart but… it would be the only solution that would get her to leave him alone and he, to be able to go home without feeling so much guilt… He may not like the idea, but he had no choice if he was going to keep her safe, even if it was from him, it was the only way to be able to keep her safe, protected… after all, there was no way she would have felt anything for him… nothing could last forever after all…

Sesshoumaru didn't know how long he had been in his thoughts for; he hadn't really known how much time had passed for he had started to feel movement on his chest. Blinking, he looked down and saw Kagome's eyes starting to flutter open. He must have been in thought longer than he thought, for her to be waking up so early… or at least, early to him. "Kagome…?"

"Hm…?"

"Have you awakened?"

"Yeah… you're warm Sesshoumaru…" she murmured softly. That, of course had caused the young prince to blush softly, though he felt it seeping away as quickly as it had appeared. Inhaling softly, Kagome pushed herself up from Sesshoumaru and looked out of the cave. It seemed that she didn't want to walk out in the heavy rain but at the same time, she wanted to. Rather odd for her, but he wasn't going to question it… not at the moment anyway.

Watching as the young woman made her way over to her robes; Sesshoumaru couldn't help but watch her retreating form with a sad yet soft sigh. He wanted to remain with her so much longer, but… human lives were short, and they would never be together for as long as he had wanted. There was just no way that it was possible and he knew that. The thought of telling her the truth… it felt like his heart was shattering into pieces over and over again but he knew… that this was the only choice that he had for her… that this, was for her protection.

_'You know Sesshoumaru… you could tell her the full truth…'_ whispered Isao's words.

_'No, I will only tell her… part of the truth… I cannot tell her all of the truth for it would not matter… This is the only way to have her leave me alone, so I may protect her from afar…'_ thought the demon prince as he turned away from Kagome when he noticed that she was getting dressed. He could hear the sound of rustling fabric echoing through the cave and into his sensitive hearing. It was rather amazing that he could hear her though; he knew that it would be difficult for him to tolerate what he knew what was going on behind him.

It was weird, that he tried to picture Kagome's naked form within his mind though, no matter what he just couldn't picture it himself. It seemed that no image in his mind brought her any perfection yet, it didn't stop him from trying…

"Sesshoumaru?" came Kagome's soft voice, causing his ears to perk at the sound. Why did it seem like she sounded so… scared? No, she was uncertain about something though he couldn't figure out what it could have been.

"What is it Kagome?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Why are you growling like that?"

He was growling? Shaking his head, the young man calmly said "this Sesshoumaru was not growling. If he was, it was not directed at you, but perhaps my own thoughts." It was rather odd that he didn't know of himself growling like that… or at all for that matter. It made him wonder what Kagome had been thinking of at the time, but it made him think if maybe she had thought that he was growling at her even though, he was not facing the young woman in the first place.

"Okay Sesshoumaru." She whispered gently before the sound of rustling clothing had returned to his ears. He could faintly hear something hitting the floor, something that a normal human wouldn't be able to hear of course, but for a being such as himself, it was an easy thing to hear. Breathing deeply, the young prince tried to get himself to relax but his muscles… they felt so tense for some reason. That something would cause him to jump though he didn't know if it was at someone, to kill them or something else internally… He couldn't really be sure, and he didn't want to risk it if it was the latter.

Suddenly, he felt something tapping his shoulder, not hard enough to force his attention of course, but… just as a simple gesture for him to turn around if he wants or to just gain his ears rather than his sight. "Yes?" he whispered softly, his words seemed soft going past his lips though he couldn't really help it since he was nervous about all of this… whatever this was.

"Here… I'm dressed now so here is your robe and sash." Kagome said, a hint of a smile could be heard in her words.

Turning his head, his gaze fell on the robe and sash that draped over her arm causing him to nod to her before accepting the clothing back from her hands. Tying the sash around his lean hips the young prince wondered what Kagome would do after he told her the truth of her father… would she run away in tears or would she try to deny everything? Or both? Hm… she was indeed a difficult read sometimes but she was also a frail heart…

Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru slipped on his robes and slipped his arms through the sleeves as he tried to think of a proper way to tell the young woman the truth. Kagome wouldn't listen if she knew it had anything to do with her father's death… that was just how he would see it anyway so… maybe he could turn it into some kind of story and… end it with him… confessing? That was the best course of action so far though… he knew that it may hurt her a lot worse than he wanted it to but sadly, it had to be done. It was, after all… for her safety…

"Kagome… I wish to tell you a story…" Sesshoumaru suddenly said before he finished putting his robe on. His hand had managed to snake its way into his robe quickly though for him to grab a certain object that he had hidden on his person for quite some time, but now… he knew that it was time to give it back.

"Okay, what kind of story?" asked Kagome, her voice laced with confusion yet a hint of curiosity. It was best… he had to keep reminding himself of this, it was best…

"Long ago, two hundred years ago in fact… a young prince was talking to his father. The prince always wondered why his father would leave the castle, but never knew what the reason was. Only that, he wished to bring peace between demons and humans." Began Sesshoumaru before turning his gaze onto the woman, her blue eyes shining with awe. She was already captured by the story, there was no telling how long he could keep her listening to this tale, but it would be worth it… he just had to keep reminding himself of this as well.

Turning away, he continued. "His father had asked him if he had something to protect… it had confused the prince at the time, still does to this day. Though the prince thought that power was the key to everything, and had told his father no. That there was nothing for him to protect but he was young and did not know what it meant to protect anything dear to his heart." Gazing out of the cave, Sesshoumaru wondered if the rain was reflecting his mood at the moment, for it seemed to have been raining even harder than ever before. He knew that if he went out there, he may be blinded from the rain getting in his face, and from the murky scent covering everything. "The boy's father had left, but has never returned. The prince was told that the lord had been killed by humans, for reasons that they have never truly understood to this day but he felt like his father went down a true warrior."

"That's sad…"

"Indeed…"

"Is there more?" asked Kagome.

"Yes, now listen." Answered Sesshoumaru before he let out a deep breath. It was rather odd that he was telling Kagome more of his past than he had wanted but it was best that he was doing this anyway… "The prince's uncle took over the lands for it was in his father's will. For years, the young prince has dealt with the cruelty of his uncle's ruling and has tried many times to try to find a loop hole in his father's will to regain his lost kingdom."

"Was there?"

"No, he has yet to find any loop hole and feared that he never would."

_'Sesshoumaru… you don't have to tell her of my death.'_ said Isao.

_'I'm doing this for her own good…'_

"One day… the prince's uncle had asked him to question a monk about some special item." Whispered Sesshoumaru, it wasn't much of a tale at this point but he never was very good at story telling… "The monk had refused time and again to tell the prince anything about the item, but he had earned the prince's respect and that made the young prince believe that he was an honourable man for he had given up his own freedom, to save his own family…"

Suddenly, Kagome froze… it seemed she may be getting a slight idea of the story… or, of where he was going with this. "The prince had told the human man, that he would give him an honourable death… the man of course feared for his life but, he wanted his family to be safe more than anything." Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru turned to stare at Kagome, his eyes void of any and all emotion. "The human faced the demon prince with no fear that his life was going to end, not when he knew, that it would be done quick and painless. The human, only had two requests."

"Wh-what were they?"

"One was to know the demon's name, while the other was to have the demon's word that he would keep the demons away from the village he had left his family in." Sesshoumaru whispered softly. Letting out a deep breath, he turned away… unable to face Kagome any longer than he wanted. "The demon complied with his wishes… gave him his name, in return for the human giving the demon his own name then he would keep his promise."

"Sesshoumaru…"

"The demon killed the human with decapitation … he watched as the man's eyes faded and his blood stained his clothes and the floor. In the man's hand, was a locket… a locket that the demon had seen him looking at many times in the week he had been held captive there… the demon prince had picked up the locket and held onto it for reasons he did not know… until today." Turning his hardened gaze onto Kagome, he walked over to her, watching as the young woman started to take steps back wanting to get away from him, it seemed she really did get the idea of what he was saying… Holding up his hand, opening his palm and watched as the golden locket fell and was held by the demon prince by the chain between his middle finger and thumb.

"That locket…" whispered Kagome, shock written all over her face. It seemed that she was still in denial of this… She didn't want to accept this truth, well he was going to have to push the thought to her… that this was the truth and that she was just going to have to accept it no matter what she wanted.

"The human's name was Isao… and the demon was myself Kagome. I killed your father… I have known that he was your father as soon as I first laid eyes upon you… You share his spirit, his eyes and his compassion." Sesshoumaru calmly said, yet his eyes remained hard and emotionless… voice of any and all emotion. He could not allow himself to break in front of her, no matter how much this was hurting him, to see tears start to pool in her eyes knowing that it was his fault for this. "I killed him, I may have respected him but it did not change my mind about humans. Humans are greedy creatures that only care about themselves…"

"You're lying!" Kagome shouted. "You couldn't have killed my father!" shouted the young woman, her body trembling as she tried to keep herself from crying.

Narrowing his eyes, Sesshoumaru wrapped his hand around her throat as he let out a soft growl. "This Sesshoumaru is no liar… I can easily kill you as well priestess… now, get out of my sight and I shall leave to my home by tomorrow… after that, you will be nothing more than a small thought in my memory, as I will be in yours." Growled the demon before he released his hold on Kagome, and slipped the locket into her hand.

"But… you… you did as my father wished…"

"Because I have honour unlike other demons. Your father was an honourable man, but that was all… Now… _leave_ and _never_ return until two moons!" shouted the demon lord, his eyes narrowed into slits before he watched as Kagome ran off as fast as she could. It seemed that his words had really cut her, wounds worse than anything that could ever heal. He killed her only hope of seeing her father again… but it was for the best…

_'Then… why does my chest hurt so badly…?'_ thought the young lord as he smelt the tears that had fallen from the priestess before she had left the cage… and with every time he smelled her tears, the pain in his chest grew more and more…


	14. Kidnapped

Kagome curled up on her futon as she allowed her tears to fall. Why did Sesshoumaru's words hurt her so much? Was it because he had confessed to killing her father or was it the way he said how much he despised humans? She couldn't be sure, but all she knew was that she would never see him again and it had caused her great pain… pain in her heart. Wiping her eyes, the young woman knew that she would have to keep moving forward but how would she do that?

It just seemed so pointless to her. What was the point in trying to keep moving forward if the only person that made her so happy… didn't want to see her anymore? It all just seemed so pointless but she still had her mother and brother right? That should mean something… then of course there were her friends, Sango, Miroku… Inuyasha. All of them meant something to her but… why was it that they didn't mean as much to her as Sesshoumaru did? It all just didn't seem to make any kind of sense to her though maybe it would be one of those things that she may never understand.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman looked up from her covers as she tried to think on what she should do for today… maybe… she should get up. After all, Inuyasha still needed to eat and he couldn't be allowed to cook in case he set fire to something again.

Sighing softly, the young woman pushed herself up from her futon, ran her fingers through her messy raven locks before she looked out the window as she let out a soft sigh. Frowning a little, the young woman couldn't help but think about everything that Sesshoumaru has said for her, before his harsh words to her. He didn't care about humans, and yet he trained her how to use a sword… not by much but it was something… he listened to her when she was upset and offered her comfort then… of course, he gave her his robe to wear so her clothes could dry.

So… what had changed in him to say such cruel things to her? She didn't know, but she hoped that it was something that she did to have caused him to act that way toward her.

Breathing deeply, the young woman had hoped that maybe talking to her friend's would cheer her up right now. That was what she really needed, just a nice simple chat with her friends… Maybe that would lessen the pain in her heart. _'Why couldn't things be easier for me?' _thought the raven haired young woman grabbed her clean robes and started to change. There was no point in trying to remain down on something that she couldn't control… no matter how much she wanted to. She had wanted to remain by Sesshoumaru's side, she wanted to stay with him but didn't understand the reason why for it.

Rubbing her eyes, Kagome tried to get the tears to stop. She wanted to stop crying so badly right now, not wanting to worry her friends or family. After all, what could go wrong for today anyway?

Shaking her head, the young woman took a deep breath after discarding her sleeping attire and started to change into her clean priestess robes. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Kagome wondered if something had happened while she was asleep, or… better yet why he hadn't told her the truth at all about her father until yesterday… why hadn't he told her sooner? Had he been afraid to tell her or had he been trying to find the right time to tell her? She didn't know but hoped that maybe… he didn't want to tell her because he wanted to spare her feelings from being hurt.

Sighing softly, Kagome thought that maybe it was best that maybe she did forget about him but knew, deep down that she could never forget about Sesshoumaru. Even though she hasn't known him for very long, he had become a big part of her life and she just couldn't forget about him even if she wanted to… which, of course she didn't want to ever forget him. Kagome knew that even if she was sixty, she would still remember him and her heart would still beat loudly in her chest.

Breathing deeply, Kagome knew what she had to do… she had to see him before he left. There was no way of knowing what the future would hold for her but what she did know was that she had to see him one last time before he was out of her life forever…

Kagome could never forgive herself if she didn't tell him what he meant to her… how much joy he had brought in her life… Sure, she was upset that he had killed her father, devastated really but… he had fulfilled her father's wish no questions asked. That had to say something right?

Giving a sad smile, Kagome looked over at the side of her futon and frowned a little as she stared at the locket that Sesshoumaru slipped into her hand. It was the locket that her father used to have… the one that Sesshoumaru has held onto all this time… Breathing softly, the young woman reached down and held it in her hands as she gave a sad smile. The locket was something else altogether, her father used this pendent as a weapon. If she had remembered correctly, it was imbued with his sacred energy and could transform into any weapon he wanted.

It could become a sword, staff, or a bow. The arrows for the bow would be created with his sacred energy… though sadly, it could only be used by her father. It could never be used by anyone else unless, the pendent had somehow been given her father's permission to be turned over to a new owner. She didn't know if that had happened but so far she hadn't felt anything from the pendent. Maybe it was impossible for her to use the pendent now anyway… Besides, it wasn't like it would have worked anyway. She lacked that power and knew that it would never work for her no matter how hard she wanted it to.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman started to walk out of her home and hoped that maybe Inuyasha would understand why she didn't cook anything for his lunch today. Right now, she just had to hurry and get to Sesshoumaru before he took off. This was her only chance to tell him and she had to take it. There was no way of knowing just when he would leave or better yet if she would ever see him again but she prayed that the gods would be on her side with this. That she would be able to see him off before he left forever.

Suddenly, the young woman felt something grabbing her wrist. Blinking in confusion, the raven haired woman turned her head and saw a familiar face glaring at her. "Roka… what do you want…?" asked Kagome with her blue eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Oh… just thought I'd have some fun with a demon whore." Roka said with a smirk on his face. His words though had confused her, what made him say that? No one knew of Sesshoumaru and not to mention, she's never… she hadn't done anything like that before and it had her confused as to why Roka would assume this. Roka's smirk widened, as if he was holding a deep dark secret, in a sense he did hold a secret, at least, Kagome thinks that he did… "I've been wondering why you've been called a 'Demon Lover' for a while, thinking that maybe it was because you just cared about stupid creatures such as demons."

"Demon's aren't stupid. They're just as intelligent as humans." Kagome said with anger lacing her words. How dare he say that about demons. He knew _nothing_ about demons. Her blue eyes shined with anger and rage, she did not need this right now, she had to hurry up and get to Sesshoumaru before it was too late. "Let me go, I have to see someone."

"Yeah, that demon you've been whoring yourself with." Roka growled out before he threw Kagome into a nearby tree. Yelping out in pain, the young woman looked over at Roka and narrowed her eyes at him as she wondered where he would have gotten that idea from… "Who would have thought you would become lovers with a demon… you've stained the pride of sacred beings!" shouted Roka before he slapped Kagome across the face causing her to cry out in pain and fall over.

"Why do you keep saying that I've become a demon's lover?" asked Kagome, her voice laced with demand. She had to know what made him think that of her, there was no way that she had become a demon's lover. She knew that it was impossible for her and a demon to be together… it just wasn't possible, after all there have never been a being that was part human or demon to have proven that it was possible for a human and a demon to be in love anyway.

Roka narrowed his eyes at Kagome as he said "I followed you after leaving the monk. I saw the demon grab your wrist when I hid behind a tree. At first I thought that he was going to kill you." He smirked a little that only caused the young woman to glare at him. He thought that Sesshoumaru was going to kill her and he wasn't even going to do anything? Okay yes, she knew that the silver haired demon wouldn't have laid a hand to her, or at least he wouldn't have hurt her like that… but to hear it that there were people who hated her enough to not care about her safety? That hurts… "When I saw him removing his robes I knew you were going to sleep with him… so I left and knew that you really were a whore. I will enjoy this…"

Gulping, Kagome pushed herself up onto her feet as fast as she could before this guy did what she thinks he was going to do. Which, of course were of two possibilities. One, he was going to rape her… two; he was going to beat her. Either way, she wasn't going to allow that to happen, not so long as she had any kind of strength or power within her body to still fight back. "I won't let you rape me!" shouted Kagome.

"Oh Kagome… I'll do more than just rape you… I'm going to save your soul. Your soul is tainted by a demon's spell, a possession if you will. Why else would someone have so much compassion for a demon and let them lay with one?"

"I didn't sleep with him! He's my friend!" shouted Kagome before swinging her hand, hoping to slap Roka across the face as hard as she could. Though it seemed that he had foreseen her slap before it would have hit him, for the young man had easily caught her wrist with ease. "Let me go!" cried Kagome as she tried to break free of his grasp. Roka's grip tightened around Kagome's wrist, almost to the breaking point. The blue eyed maiden cried out in pain as she tried to break free, why was this happening to her?! Why couldn't people just believe that she cared about anyone no matter of their blood, no matter if they be human or demon?

"Your friend? That's a laugh Kagome and you know it. Humans and demons can never be friends. Your soul is far too gone, I just wished that my father had the villagers do something about your soul so much sooner but it seemed that it wouldn't have happened... all because your father was a legend and as his daughter you were to never be touched…" Roka said with distain. He hated her so much; Kagome could see the hate burning fire within his eyes. Kagome gulped a little, his way of 'saving her soul' must be to try to purify her soul, or in this case… to kill her and do a chant. She didn't know and it had her scared for her life…

She couldn't die yet… not when she had so much that she had to live for right now. She had to see him one last time… that was the only thing that she wanted right now and there was no way that she was going to let this… this asshole ruin that for her! "You won't be doing anything!" shouted Kagome before kicking him in the nuts. Roka howled in pain and released his hold on Kagome's wrist, falling on his knees as he grasped his crotch hoping that would stop the flow of pain that was coursing through his body.

Kagome took that chance to try to make a break for it, only to yelp when she saw some of Roka's goons blocking her path. No! He had this whole thing planned didn't he? But why didn't he try to stop her yesterday? Or was he just waiting to make sure that none of her friends were around to stop this from happening? "Keep her from escaping… we have to purify her soul once and for all. Then, she may be forgiven by God and we'll also be rid of the Demon Lover once and for all." Said Roka, his voice a bit strained from the kick to the nads.

"Yes sir!" shouted his goons, only to grin as two of Roka's men each grabbed a hold of Kagome's wrists. No, this couldn't be happening! She was going to die! Thrashing around, the blue eyed woman tried to break free, crying and screaming for help, she just wanted this to stop. Wanted someone to come and save her from this nightmare. Yet, no matter how loud or how hard she screamed, nothing happened, the only thing that all of her screaming had cased was for her throat to become hoarse and dry. "Scream all you want, you will never escape, nothing will save you." Said one of the goons causing Kagome to struggle all the more.

"How does it feel Kagome? I'll make you a true woman before you die… May as well make you into a woman, make you feel like a real woman before your soul is sent to the heavens to be purified before reincarnation. This way, you will be forgiven in your next life and have no memory of that demon that has captured your heart." Said Roka, his voice no longer strained as he started to walk forward, his eyes now filled with lust. Staring with wide eyes, Kagome tried all the more to break free… to break free of her confines so she could escape this hell.

Still, no matter how much strength that she could muster into her limbs it wasn't enough to stop these men from loosening their grasp over her wrists. Soon, Kagome started to feel herself lowering onto the ground, this caused her to kick and scream, no matter how much it caused her pain to scream, she didn't care. "Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru save me please!" shouted Kagome.

"Sesshoumaru? Who the hell is Sesshoumaru? Is that the name of the demon you've slept with Kagome?" mocked Roka.

"Sesshoumaru please save me! You promised! You promised to always protect me until I could protect myself! Please Sesshoumaru save me!" cried Kagome, tears starting to stream down her face as she pleaded, begged, and cried. The only thing she wanted besides to see the great silvery haired demon was for him to keep his promise to her, that he would have protected her until she had learned to protect herself from any and all harm… That was what he had promised and… he wouldn't break that promise would he? Just because he told her to never see him again?

Roka laughed before he stared at Kagome through his bangs. It was almost taunting the way he looked at her, like he knew that she couldn't break free, that no one would ever come to her rescue. He must have made sure that Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha all weren't going to come either… she didn't know what was going to happen… no, wait that was a stupid thing to think, she _knew_ what was going to happen… Laughing, Roka leaned forward and looked at Kagome stared with wide blue eyes as she tried to think of anything that would get her out of this situation, though it seemed that no matter what nothing came to her, she was on her own and would just have to pick some kind of plan at the tip of her tongue… This just couldn't get any easier for her could it?

Kagome closed her eyes for a moment; it almost seemed like she had given up… that she had given up any and all chance of escape… perhaps she had. There was no escape from this, even if she were to kick Roka again, she couldn't escape from this fate no matter how hard she wanted to. Sniffling, she cried out "I never… never slept with him… I never did. Demons and humans can't live together like that… they can't love each other like lovers would… I know that…" Why was it that when she said those words… that she was mostly trying to get them to stop, but… to convince herself that it was impossible for a demon and a human to be together?

"That is a lie Kagome, you have slept with him and now… it's time that you took your punishment." Said Roka as he reached up to remove his robes… only for these words to be spoken…

"Demon attack!"

* * *

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath as he got himself to calm down and relax. Why was it that the pain in his chest did not dissipate? In fact, it was worse, so much worse. The pain only grew with each passing moment to the point that he almost found himself on his knees. It was a terrible feeling, like his heart was being crushed. The words that he said to Kagome still haunted him, even when he went to sleep; it still bothered him to this very day. Why though… why did it bother him so much?

Shaking his head, the young demon walked over to the cave after he had managed to clean himself up thanks to the hot springs that resided on the other side of the cave, it was nice to feel clean again… yet, sadly it not make him feel any better… Yes, the dirt and grime was gone from his skin and silvery locks, but… he still felt dirty. Like he had done some kind of wrong doing yet he just couldn't figure out why that was. _'It's because you hurt Kagome…'_ taunted his thoughts. Yes, he did hurt Kagome but it was the only way to make sure that she would stay away from him, so she wouldn't get so attached to him and dependent on him… yet, he felt like he was the one to have become dependent on her… _'Why…?'_

It was odd, now that he thought about it… he hasn't heard Isao's voice since he told Kagome that story… The story of his past, and the death of her father… no, the only voice he would hear, was his own… Had the deceased monk finally moved on and left the demon's mind once and for all or was he too upset to speak to the demon prince?

Letting out a soft sigh, the demon prince picked up his mokomoko-sama, and wrapped it around his right shoulder as he looked out the cave and up at the sky… it was still early in the morning though he knew that he still had plenty of time to leave this place. The only thing he wanted… was to go on home and pray that he… that he… Closing his eyes, the demon prince wondered why he could not continue with his train of thought, why couldn't he finish what he wanted to think? That he wanted to for… forget…

"Why must this be difficult?" whispered the demon prince, it was becoming harder and harder for him. But why? Was it connected to the feeling of pain that he felt in his heart? Hm… he felt guilt, remorse… it was something that he's never felt before now that he thought about it. Did he feel guilt because he told Kagome about his past, all of his past? Remorse because he killed her father? He didn't know, but what he did know was that… it had been wrong for him to have told her the truth that way…

Frowning a little, the young prince thought that maybe the pain only grew because he was still too close to Kagome… He could still sense her aura, he could still smell her wonderful scent but… he just knew that he had to leave her. He had to forget about her though, somehow Sesshoumaru knew that no matter how many hundreds, no thousands of years he could never forget the wonderful, beautiful human woman no matter how hard he tried. Her beautiful blue eyes shined within his mind, no matter how hard he tried it just wouldn't leave him alone…

"What is this Sesshoumaru to do… about the thoughts of the human woman within my mind…?" said Sesshoumaru as he frowned a little. He was surprised that he was having so much doubt, so many second thoughts about this happening… He didn't want to leave Kagome; he didn't want to return home without her in his life. No, he had to do this; the demon prince knew that he had to leave for her sake.

Shaking his head, the young man looked over at the blanket for a moment before he let out a soft sigh. He wished to leave a letter for Kagome, but he didn't have any writing utensils for him to even write a simple letter to her. Looking down at his robes, Sesshoumaru could still smell the woman's scent from when she wore it, it was a beautiful scent and he prayed that the scent would forever remain in the fabric no matter how many years pass him by. Giving a sad yet soft sigh, Sesshoumaru started to walk away from the cave… though he turned to the flowers that he saw at the mouth of the cave…

Maybe this could be his way for a thank you for all of her hard work… Nodding to himself, the young demon prince walked over to the flowers and carefully sliced the stems and made his way over to the blanket, carefully folding the blanket and set the flowers atop of the blanket. Making sure that the flowers wouldn't blow away, Sesshoumaru made his way over to the pond and got himself a quick sip of water hoping that he could have a good drink so he would not dehydrate on his way home.

As he drank the cold refreshing water, the demon prince's mind had drifted back to the thoughts of Kagome's tears when he had last seen her. She looked so heartbroken… He didn't know why seeing her expression was so sad… so frail… it made his heart clench in his chest as he tried to ignore that pain… pain that he had caused her. "Why do I feel so much guilt over making one human woman cry just by telling her the truth?" whispered Sesshoumaru as he let out a whine, a whine that he never knew that he could make. He blinked in shock for a brief moment before shaking his head trying to get himself to stop thinking about it…

"It's because you love her Sesshoumaru." Said a voice, causing the demon prince to look up and standing there, was Inuyasha.

"What do you want…?" growled Sesshoumaru. Why was this man here now? It seemed like he lived to torment Sesshoumaru to no end and with what he said, it only served to piss off the demon prince all the more. "And, this Sesshoumaru loves no human woman." He narrowed his eyes at the man before turning away from the black haired man. Sesshoumaru still didn't know how Inuyasha could get through but perhaps, it had something to do with the lack of aura that he could sense from him.

"Who ever said it was a human woman? I sure didn't." Inuyasha said with a smirk before crossing his arms over his chest and laughed when he saw the silver haired demon's face turn a soft hint of pink. Though as quickly as the blush had appeared, it had disappeared as quickly. It was almost easy to see just how much Sesshoumaru cared about the black haired woman, it made Inuyasha feel sorry for Kagome and Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru… did you really want to let her go? You had a great girl…"

"Why do talk to Sesshoumaru about an emotion that cannot be shared among a human and a demon…?" asked Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha bit his lip, only to start snickering. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the black haired man with confusion for a moment only to growl when Inuyasha burst put in laughter. What was so funny about a human and demon never being able to be together? It just didn't make any kind of sense to him and, of course it made the demon prince want to rip him into pieces. Narrowing his eyes Sesshoumaru pushed himself up onto his feet and started to make his way toward the laughing man to rip him into pieces.

"Sesshoumaru, if only you knew the truth, that humans and demons can be together. Believe me on that, it is possible." Inuyasha said with a snicker before he started to relax. Though, Sesshoumaru still didn't understand what Inuyasha was talking about, there was no way that it was possible for a human and a demon to be together… he just knew that it was impossible, if it was true then why hasn't anything been mentioned about a demon and a human being united? It all seemed that everything wanted to work against him, for there was no information of any union between his kind and Kagome's…

Shaking his head, Sesshoumaru whispered "it is not possible for me to be with Kagome…" Closing his eyes, the silvery haired man tried to ignore the pain that was entering his heart once again… Wait, why was he even saying this?! There was no way that Sesshoumaru could have… fallen in love… No! Growling darkly, he said "this Sesshoumaru has not fallen in love." It just was common sense, humans, and demons, were forbidden from being together or being in love.

Suddenly, he felt something slamming into his temple, causing Sesshoumaru to fall over from the shock only to look up and glare at Inuyasha. The black haired man's hand was clenched in a tight fist and held out, a sure sign that he had, indeed punched the demon prince.

"You dare punch this Sesshoumaru?" growled out Sesshoumaru.

"Oh I dare. Because you're being an idiot Sesshoumaru! You are in love with Kagome, you want to be with her but you refuse to acknowledge your feelings for her just because you hear demons and humans cannot be together because it goes against the gods wishes!" Shouted Inuyasha, looking ready to punch him again. Though, before the black haired man could even throw another punch, there was a scream, causing both men to freeze in shock.

"Sesshoumaru!" shouted a familiar voice, causing both men to turn toward the direction of the village. Had that been… Kagome's voice? "Sesshoumaru! Sesshoumaru save me please!" Inuyasha just stared in shock before he told Sesshoumaru that Kagome is in trouble, though Sesshoumaru just turned away, not wanting to get involved with her anymore… Knowing that if he went to the village… he would be killed by those monks, priests and priestesses since slayers never had a chance in hell to kill him… Not with his superior skills.

"Sesshoumaru are you stupid!? Kagome needs help!" shouted Inuyasha, his body trembling in rage as he tried to convince the stubborn prince to get off his lazy ass and go to save Kagome. Though it seemed that Sesshoumaru was staying in this spot, he wasn't going to leave to save Kagome, rather he would just leave and head on home and never return to this place… to the village and never see Kagome again.

"Sesshoumaru please save me! You promised! You promised to always protect me until I could protect myself! Please Sesshoumaru save me!"

Eyes widening in shock, Sesshoumaru couldn't believe that Kagome had remembered that promise… he… he had forgotten about it. He hadn't wanted to remember knowing that if he had forgotten, it wouldn't have been a bruise to his honour… No, he wasn't going to allow his promise to be tarnished by his desire to leave the woman so he would never have to see her again for her own safety. "Let us go Inuyasha, and save Kagome before it is too late." Sesshoumaru calmly said before he started to run through the glade and up the path. He was going to save her… though, he prayed that he could still leave the village and return to his home…

What confused Sesshoumaru was why he smelled Kagome's fear from this far away… Yes, his sense of smell was superior compared to other demons, but it was still far away compared to his usual range for his sense of smell. No, Kagome would no longer be afraid, he would make sure that she would be safe; her fear would fade and disappear… He wouldn't allow her to be consumed by her fear.

"Demon attack!" shouted a man's voice. That confused Sesshoumaru, he wasn't near the village, and they shouldn't be able to sense his demonic aura yet. Were demons attacking the village again? Oh lord, he hoped that wasn't the case. He hoped that it wasn't too late to save Kagome; she still didn't know how to protect herself from demons. Narrowing his golden eyes, Sesshoumaru vowed that he wasn't going to allow any harm to come to her… his honour wouldn't allow it, and of course, his heart would not allow him.

"Sesshoumaru, you have to be careful! The villagers won't think you're trying to help them!" shouted Inuyasha as he ran behind the running demon prince. Though it seemed that Sesshoumaru didn't hear him… in fact, he didn't hear anything that was around him. All he heard was Kagome's cries of fear and screams of the villagers as they tried to fight back the demons that had once again invaded the village. Though there was something wrong with this… there was something more that was happening… he just didn't know what it was that was happening.

"This scent…" whispered Sesshoumaru only for his eyes to widen in shock. "Naraku… why would he be here?" said the demon prince with confusion written all over his face. It was rather odd that Naraku would have come to the village, or any village for that matter. Whatever it was that he was after; he must have assumed that it was in the village but why? What could have caused his mind to think that it would be here of all places instead of a cave or a sunken ship?

"Oh no, we have to hurry!" shouted Inuyasha as he rushed forward to the village, using a speed that wasn't possible for a human to use. Though, Sesshoumaru didn't know what it was that Inuyasha knew… but perhaps, he really did know what it was that Naraku was after, and where it was.

"Why must we hurry? It is only Naraku…" asked Sesshoumaru, he still would like to know the reason why Inuyasha had stayed in this village to protect it, it was easy to see that humans did not trust him, well, the humans in this village, did not trust him. There must be something that he wasn't aware of… he did not know what it could have been that the evil demon was after though he just knew that it had to be something powerful…

"Naraku is after an object that had disappeared hundreds of years ago. It was said to return one day though no one had been sure where it would appear though, it seemed that Naraku had been able to track it down to Isao… Isao knew the location but he had refused to tell anyone… but he had told you."

"What are you talking about? He did not reveal the location of the item in question, and I do not even know what it is." Sesshoumaru said with a growl before he shook his head. What was Inuyasha even talking about? Isao never told him, or even gave him any kind of clue as to what it was that would have told him anything of the item that Naraku was hunting for… none of this made any sense to the demon prince…

"True, he did not give a huge hint, but he did say something… in fact, he gave you two hints. One, was in his words, the next… was in something that would have narrowed it down to the very thing that would have told you where it was…" Inuyasha calmly said before letting out a soft sigh.

So, Isao had been smart after all, if that was true, and he did give Sesshoumaru a hint as to where this object was… and where it was located then there was a good idea of where it was if he could look inside that locket. Though he had given it to Kagome before he had told her to leave and never return until after the appointed time. Did she even hold onto it because it had been in his possession after all this time or was it somewhere else? Where she would never have to see it ever again?

This was painful for him and he knew that it would be to see Kagome again… he would have to face her and the heartache that he had caused her. "Help me!" shouted Kagome's voice, causing Sesshoumaru to run even faster. A dark and cruel laugh echoed through the trees, causing Sesshoumaru's eyes to bleed red in rage. He knew that laugh all too well, it had been a laugh he's heard for hundreds of years now, a dark and cruel laugh that he knew that he could never forget even in his next life, he could never forget about it…

Skidding to a stop, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha looked up at the sky and saw two people in the air… Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes when he saw Naraku, dressed in a white pelt and holding onto Kagome… His left arm wrapped around her waist, and his right arm wrapped around her chest and gently cupping her cheek in his hand like that of a lover. "Naraku!" shouted Sesshoumaru before he jumped in the air. Getting ready to cut the demon down and get Kagome away from him.

"Sesshoumaru!" shouted Kagome with tears in her eyes.

Sesshoumaru felt his energy flowing through him; he flew through the air hoping that he could grab the raven haired woman that was within his sights. "I'll get you Kagome!" shouted Sesshoumaru as he reached out for the blue eyed maiden, though Naraku had other plans. Smirking, he laughed before he thrust out his hand and sent a blast of purple smog at Sesshoumaru, which, both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru knew was a miasma. Sesshoumaru covered his face as the force of the miasma sent him back into the ground. Sesshoumaru growled as he reached out calling Kagome's name…

"Sorry Sesshoumaru… but this woman is all mine… and the power…" Naraku said with a laugh, Kagome tried to break free of Naraku's grasp, screaming Sesshoumaru's name. In all of her struggling, something small and gold had fallen out of her robes… and had fallen on the ground. Sesshoumaru pushed himself up to his feet and had tried to reach him again before Naraku had disappeared from their sights.

Inuyasha rushed forward and picked up the locket… though it seemed that his touch had caused whatever it was, that had kept the seal in place had been removed… had caused the locket to open. Inuyasha stared in shock for a moment before he tilted his head and breathed deeply before he clenched his free hand with rage… "It's as I feared…" whispered Inuyasha…

"What… are you talking about?" asked Sesshoumaru as he pushed himself up onto his feet and trying to get his vision to stop spinning from the miasma. Instead of an answer, Inuyasha tossed the locket to Sesshoumaru, who just rolled his eyes and looked at the locket… or more so, the picture that resided in the locket… "That… That's…" He couldn't say it… no, he couldn't believe it. He remembered Isao's words… that his family were his treasure…

If what Inuyasha said was true, that Naraku had traced the object in question to Isao… and he knew… and that the true location was within his locket then he just couldn't believe what was in the locket… No he couldn't believe where the object was. Tightly shutting his eyes, clenching his hands Sesshoumaru growled out "why is the portrait in the locket Kagome… answer me that now!"


	15. Another Truth Revealed

Sesshoumaru growled deeply as he glared at the black haired man that stood before him. Inuyasha looked like he was in some kind of pain as his eyes were tightly shut and his hands clenched into tight fists and his teeth grinding. Whatever Inuyasha knew, Sesshoumaru would have those answers no matter what. But he also knew that he had to hurry up and save Kagome. There was no telling what would happen to her if he didn't hurry up and save her.

"There was a legend passed down for hundreds of years. It says that the sacred object would appear somewhere in the bloodline of the great priestess. Naraku thought it was Isao but he was missing one key point." Inuyasha whispered softly, knowing that this was going to be hard for him to accept. Sesshoumaru just glared at the man, his eyes pulsing red and gold in the race of his beating heart. Inuyasha gulped a bit as if he knew that he was about to be killed if he didn't give Sesshoumaru more details. "I don't know much else, only that a pure hearted female has it. That's all I know, I don't know if it was really Kagome or not but Isao knew something that no one else did, I swear." Said Inuyasha, hoping that would be enough for the demon prince.

"Fine…, though we're going to save Kagome before Naraku gets what he wants." Growled Sesshoumaru. He was ready to kill Naraku and take back Kagome. She was his and no one will lay a finger on her. Wait, since when was she his? Shaking his head, the young man knew that he had to hurry up; they would have to leave now if they were to catch up to Kagome and Naraku before anything bad happened to her. The thought of losing her caused his usually cold heart to ache at the thought of it…

"Inuyasha!" shouted a new voice, causing the demon prince to turn around and saw two people running toward them. He narrowed his eyes and looked ready to attack before Inuyasha held out his arm in front of Sesshoumaru, causing him to stare at him in confusion. "Inuyasha what happened?!" shouted the black haired man as he came closer.

"Kagome was kidnapped by a demon by the name of Naraku. He's after something that Kagome holds, and I have to get her back with Sesshoumaru's help here." Said Inuyasha, his voice calm yet it held some kind of power within his words. Like he was some kind of leader, why that was he didn't know, nor did Sesshoumaru really care for that matter.

Taking a closer look, he saw that the black haired man had earrings, and robes that looked far too neat and tidy and, of course far too expensive for a monk to wear and yet he wore them. His eyes were blue, almost like Kagome's, but his were darker unlike hers. His hair was black and pulled back in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck and he could also make out the golden earrings that were pierced through his ears. His left hand was covered… he could smell a curse on this man, and it smelled like Naraku.

Turning his gaze onto the woman, she wore an outfit that consists of a black skin suit with a kanji written on her left shoulder that has a decided mainland flavour and pink armor plates made of, from what he could smell, demon parts. She also has a red sash around her waist for what he assumed to be decoration. She carries a large weapon on her back that resembles some kind of children's toy, and a sword at her waist.

"Why is this demon here Inuyasha? Don't you get it that demons are the ones that took Kagome?!" shouted the woman, her brown eyes glared at the demon before turning her gaze back to her long raven haired friend.

"That is true, but Sesshoumaru tried to save Kagome. That's all he wants, is to save her. She… uh…"

"Your friend, Kagome, means much to This Sesshoumaru, and I have a dept to repay." Calmly said Sesshoumaru, not wanting to say much more before turning around and looking away from the confused and shocked looks that the humans were giving. "In order to save Kagome, you'll need a way of transportation. For, This Sesshoumaru will not slow down for humans. Time is of the essence…" said Sesshoumaru.

"Fine, me, Inuyasha and Miroku will have to find something to travel so we can keep up with you." Said the woman.

"Do not concern yourself with Inuyasha; he is faster than he appears."

"Shut up Sesshoumaru."

"Do you two know each other?" asked the human male.

Everyone was quite then, Sesshoumaru knew that it was not his place to tell them of Inuyasha's secret but he also wanted them to hurry so they could all leave. Time was catching up and Kagome was running out of it the longer it took them to leave the village. Looking around, the demon prince saw the villagers starting to come toward them. Narrowing his eyes at them, he ran up to the man that held Kagome's scent and grabbed a hold of him. "Sesshoumaru!" shouted Inuyasha.

"You… You're the one that caused Kagome's tears. I smell her fear all over you." Growled Sesshoumaru.

"We have to stop him!" shouted the woman.

"Don't go near him Sango! Sesshoumaru is more dangerous right now, he's angry…" said Inuyasha.

"What… do you care demon? She's nothing but your whore." Growled out the human male. Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed crimson for a moment before he started to tighten his hold over the human. This human was pretty much digging his own grave, for if there was one thing that he hated, it was people accusing someone for something they did not do.

"Kagome is no whore. She is a kind hearted human, a human with the purest of hearts that This Sesshoumaru has ever seen, she is a goddess compared to you humans. A goddess that should be protected, and not harmed by her own kind when she has done nothing to deserve it." Sesshoumaru dropped the human then, his eyes glowing red with rage, his inner beast had finally surfaced after being struck down by that arrow. After his demonic aura had been sealed away, he had lost touch with his inner beast, and hadn't noticed it until now… and at that point he realised that his demonic aura had finally, fully, returned to him. "I could easily kill you all… but I won't, for it would make Kagome sad and I would never wish to shed her tears."

"Holy shit, Sesshoumaru didn't kill someone…" whispered Inuyasha in disbelief. It seemed that Inuyasha was finding it hard to believe that Sesshoumaru spared a human, for there hasn't been a time when Sesshoumaru killed a human, but then again, he had been taken care of by a human, so why wouldn't he have developed some kind of compassion for a human?

Turning his gaze onto Inuyasha and the two humans with him, Sesshoumaru calmly said "let us leave to save Kagome." The two humans nodded before Inuyasha held out his arms, he looked serious about something. Or, that he had some kind of idea. Whatever it was, he did not care, so long as it was something useful for the two humans to keep up for he would not, and he repeat, would not slow down for them.

"I have a way for Miroku and Sango to travel with us. Follow me." Inuyasha said before walking toward the forest. Sniffing the air, the demon prince noticed that Inuyasha's and Kagome's scent were strongest there. Why was her scent there… did Inuyasha and Kagome…? No, that couldn't be it… Shaking his head, the silvery haired demon followed the long raven haired man, with the two humans in tow. It seemed that Inuyasha would be of use to him after all, even if he did disappear all those years ago.

Sesshoumaru was curious about the kind of relationship that Kagome had with Inuyasha… was it just as friend's or was it more than that? He couldn't really be sure but his inner beast was angry, and wanted to make sure that Inuyasha knew his place, that Kagome did not belong to the raven haired man. Narrowing his golden eyes at the man in question, Sesshoumaru would just have to ask him questions when they were out of ear range of the humans.

Looking around, the demon prince noticed the small house made of strong wood, amazing that there was a small house built of fine material though; it was still small compared to what he was used to living in. "Stop." Suddenly said Inuyasha, causing everyone to freeze for a moment. Sniffing the air, the demon prince smelled something there… a demon. Growling, the demon prince was about to attack until Inuyasha called out "Kirara, come out they're safe I promise."

A soft mew came from the bushes, causing Miroku and Sango to blink in confusion. Thinking that it was just a normal cat though, from the scent, it wasn't _just_ a cat. Another mew came from the bushes before a soft light blonde furred cat jumped out of the bushes. It had two tails with a stripe spiralling around the tail like a short coil. Black paws with a small black stripe going up her small paws. Black ears, big red eyes with a black slit and a black diamond on her forehead.

Sango stepped forward, taking small steps at a time to make sure that she didn't scare the demon cat to attack them. "It's okay Sango, Kirara won't attack. She's a demon that adores humans, and once belonged to a powerful priestess." Calmly said Inuyasha, causing Sango to freeze for a moment, confused to Inuyasha's words. Inuyasha chuckled a little before adding "I found Kirara before coming to the village, I found her with a dying cat demon that had her in her care. The demon told me of Kirara's story and I promised to look after her and I have been. It was hard to get Kirara in the village without anyone noticing her though."

"How did you sneak a demon in here Inuyasha?!" shouted Miroku.

Smirking, Inuyasha turned to Miroku as he said "well, Kirara here has a special gift. She may be cute and cuddly now but wait until she goes into her other form." Turning to the small cat, Inuyasha nodded his head to Kirara before the small cat burst into flames. Causing Miroku and Sango to yelp in shock and jump a bit in shock. Once the flames had cleared, in the small kittens place was a large cat with two long sharp curved fangs that resembled a saber. Around her tails and feet were what looked like rings of red hot flames.

"How the hell…?" whispered Sango in shock and awe.

"Like I said, Kirara here has a special gift. It's rare for demon cats like her to transform. She's helped me with some rouge demons that would try to attack villages that I have traveled to when I sensed that Naraku would attack next. It was difficult to pin point where he would attack next but worth it in the long run." Inuyasha calmly explained, he turned to the two humans before turning his gaze onto Sesshoumaru. "They can ride Kirara; Kirara is pretty fast and can easily keep up with me no problem, though I suspect that she can keep up with you easy."

Sesshoumaru knew that Inuyasha had been careful with everything that he has said or done to keep up his secret but it seemed that when it comes to dire situations, his mouth did not know when to keep quite. It was that simple to see, though Sesshoumaru knew that maybe it was best that Inuyasha confessed to his friends, after all, he couldn't keep lying to them… it held no true honour for him, or anyone for that matter to keep a secret like this from anyone…

"Inuyasha, how could you have known where this 'Naraku' fellow would strike and what it was he was after?" asked Miroku.

Inuyasha sighed softly; Sesshoumaru turned his gaze to the raven haired man before closing is eyes. "Inuyasha, it may be best if you told them the truth. You are not like them after all." Inuyasha turned to stare at Sesshoumaru, though he had a bit of a nervous expression on his face. It looked like there was more to this secret than what he was leading on. Interesting… "Just tell them that you are like me Inuyasha, a demon."

"That's a lie! Inuyasha is no demon. He is a traveling _human_ swordsmen, he protects humans." Shouted Sango.

"That is a lie human. Inuyasha was once a guard in the palace that once belonged to my father. He was there and a demon that served Naraku until Kagome's father was killed. After that he had disappeared and we all thought that he had died in battle." Sesshoumaru explained.

"You're both wrong…" whispered Inuyasha's voice.

Soon, everyone, Miroku, Sango, and Sesshoumaru turned to stare at Inuyasha, seeing that his head is low, his bangs hiding his eyes from their view. What did he mean by that they are both wrong? He was a demon was he not? Why else would he have been able to be in a demon castle if he was not, a demon? None of this was making any kind of sense to them all and it was really starting to irritate the demon prince to great length.

Sango and Miroku both looked at each other as they tried to figure out what Inuyasha was trying to explain to them. It seemed that he did have a rather large secret. A secret that he had been holding his entire life that no one had ever known before. He looked up as he said "I'm not human…"

"Like I have said." Sesshoumaru said with a smug grin on his face.

"But I'm also not a demon."

"Wait, how can you be neither human, nor demon?" asked Miroku.

Inuyasha sighed softly as he ran a hand through his hair as he begun to tell his story. "Two hundred years ago, my mother, had fallen in love with a powerful man. It was forbidden because they were of two different races."

"Wait, what do you mean two hundred years ago!? How can you be two hundred years old?!" shouted Sango. Man, she was shouting a lot today.

"I'll explain. Anyway, my mother loved my father very much, and both herself and my father thought it would be impossible for them to be together but they didn't care. They both loved each other so much and… well… my mother became pregnant with me." Inuyasha whispered softly, a sad smile gracing his lips. It seemed that he loved his mother very much for him to smile like that… "My father tried to find a place for my mother and I before I was born, he had thought that I would be the only one, and knew that it would be a lonely world for both myself and my mother… until he found a small village hidden by a powerful barrier."

"A village?" whispered Miroku, very curious as to where his friend was going with this story. This did have Sesshoumaru curious as to what was going on. It had him puzzled that as to what was going to happen in this story, but… for some reason he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"A month before I was born, my father traveled with my mother to the village hoping that she could get away from her family because they wanted to kill her, and myself though they weren't the only ones that wanted to kill… Someone was sent to kill my father as well." Inuyasha explained, his gaze sad, so Inuyasha never knew of his father hm…? That is indeed sad but what did any of this have to do with what he was? "Before he died, my father gave my mother some very important requests. One, was to name me Inuyasha if I was a boy… second, was to give me the fire rat robe when I was of age." Inuyasha looked over at the fire rat robe before he sighed softly… "Thirdly, to give me this sword and to keep it with me at all times when I could learn to fight… and finally, to follow his will."

"His will?" Sesshoumaru said with a frown.

"Father knew someone would try to change his will, he knew that he would die that night, and he did it to protect myself and my mother. In his will, were instructions to help his oldest child. To be with my brother and help him in any way I could, to open up his heart to humans or, to tell him that it was okay to love a human if it came to that." Inuyasha explained before reaching into his robes and pulled out a scroll. "My father had written a note to give to my brother…"

"Do you know who your brother is?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"I do. I have for a long time, but I had refused to give him the letter, or father's will because it was not the right time. He had to open his heart and he had… at least now he had…" Inuyasha sighed softly before turning to his friends. "The village I was left at… was a village of humans and demons that learned to live and love each other. They did not care that they were different and…" He gave a soft smile before touching his necklace and that was when his body had started to change.

First, it started with his nails growing, and sharpening into claws. His dark violet eyes lightening until they had turned into a deep amber colour. Sesshoumaru, Sango and Miroku stared at Inuyasha with wide eyes… The two humans, for his appearance changing, Sesshoumaru, because of the scent.

Soon, Inuyasha's long black hair started to lighten, turning grey, only to keep lightening until it turned into a light silver. His human's ears disappearing from the sides of his head, and two fuzzy dog ears appeared at the top of his head. Inuyasha stared at his friends and Sesshoumaru as he said "I'm neither human nor demon, I'm a half-demon… The village I grew up in was a village for half-demons to live in peace and to keep us hidden. When my mother was on her death bed, she gave me these beads to hide half of my scent so I could live with anyone or anywhere. I wanted to follow my father's will and I have… now, I must help my brother to reclaim what was his."

"Who was your father…?" asked Sesshoumaru with a glare. It couldn't be, there was no way that it could be possible for him. It just didn't make sense; there was no way that his father could have fallen in love with a human! It just wasn't possible! It couldn't be possible!

"My father's name was Toga, he was the Inu no Tashio before he died and you, Sesshoumaru are my older brother…"


	16. A Demon Prince's Sadness

Kagome groaned softly as she started to stir from her slumber. She didn't know how long she had been out for, though what she did know… was that she was not in her village. Okay yes, she had wanted to leave the village to get away from everyone that was harsh or rude to her but not like this! Shaking her head, the young woman started to push herself up onto her feet as she tried to think on what was going to happen to her.

Frowning a little, the young woman noticed that she was in some kind of cell. The cell itself was made of stone; the door was steel crisscrossing each other. It made Kagome feel so small for the first time in her life. She felt like she was nothing to anyone if she had been kidnapped so easily. Soon, tears started to pool in her eyes, she curled up in a ball on the ground as she tried to get herself to calm down and relax. The young woman knew that she had to get herself to relax and stop feeling so sorry for herself. Right now, she would have to find some way to get out of here, but even she wasn't strong enough to break these bars… She would need the key to get out of here…

Though the young woman knew that it would be impossible for her to get out of here… There was just no way that demons were stupid enough to leave the key where she could easily grab it. Shaking her head, Kagome tried to think of something, anything to get her mind working, tried to think of any kind of plan though she just didn't think that anything she could do that would have been enough to save her at this point.

Wait… now that she thought about it, why was she here in the first place? It just didn't make any kind of sense… There was no way that they would want anything from her. She didn't really have anything, hell she didn't even have any real training in how to use her powers and not to mention, she could easily kill them since she could focus on some of her sacred powers.

Breathing deeply, Kagome wiped her tears that had fallen from her eyes as she tried to get her mind back into focus. It seemed that no matter what, she just couldn't think on what anyone would want from her. It just didn't seem possible for them to want anything so what could they possibly want from her?

"Maybe it's some kind of ransom?" thought Kagome aloud, thinking that was the only thing that the demons could possibly want but then again, they owned a palace for crying out loud. There was no way that could be it. Oh, maybe it was some kind of sacred object from the shrine that the demons wanted to have so they could destroy it? If that was the case though, then what could it be that they want to destroy anyway? Hm… let alone, what would they even want and why did they think that she could easily give it to them in the first place? It wasn't like she was easily liked in the village anyway. The only people who really cared about her were her family, Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha. No one else really cared about her and she knew that for sure.

Curling up in a ball, the young woman let out a soft sigh as she lied down on the ground, her body curled up in a tighter ball as she thought that maybe she could sleep. That could help her formulate a plan in her mind. After all, sometimes the best thoughts or plans can come to you in your dreams… that used to help her when she was a child, it got her through so many problems when she was growing up and now, she prayed that it would help her through the troubles that she was facing right now.

Sighing softly, Kagome felt her silky black locks falling over her face like a curtain, blocking out the light that came from the torches that lit the halls of the prison. In fact, that was the only light that she had been able to make out. There weren't any windows that showed her to the outside world. It seemed that they wanted to make sure that she or anyone would be driven to insanity so they could give up any kind of information that the demons would have wanted.

The soft sounds of foot falls echoed through the halls, someone was coming closer, and closer. Though where they were going she didn't know, all she knew was that either they were moving to a cell that was before her, or after. She couldn't tell otherwise. Kagome just prayed that it wasn't her that they were going to be seeing. The thought of it, it sent chills down her spine. Gulping a bit, the young woman kept her body curled up, praying that any god would be listening to her, to her prayers and that this person would just skip her or not even come close to her in the least.

Yet, the echoes of foot falls were still getting louder and louder. It seemed that this person was taking his or her time in walking through the hall. It was rather odd that they would be taking their time, though she knew that it would only be a matter of time, that there would be something bad that would happen sooner or later.

Wrapping her arms around her head, the young woman tried to block out the sounds of their feet hitting the stone floors, just wanting to ignore everything that was going on around her and hopefully, get some sleep. She just didn't want to deal with whoever it was that was walking down the halls. Though was it meant to be?

"There you are woman." Said a voice, a voice that she remembered. It was the man that had captured her… Opening her eyes, the young woman looked up and stared at the tall man. His long curly brown hair flowed down his back and over his shoulders. He wore simple purple robes, though she knew that he was only wearing that because he was in his home and didn't expect anything big to happen. Kagome could feel his red eyes staring at her; it made her feel like some kind of meat or prey in his eyes.

"Now, now, don't be like that priestess… You do have something that I want… you may not know it, but you hold great and amazing power. It will give me my greatest wish." Said the man with a chuckle. Why was it that his laugh made her skin crawl? It felt like spiders crawling on her flesh and didn't seem to want to leave her alone.

"What could I possibly have that you would want?" asked Kagome; curious as to what it was that was about her power that could give him his greatest wish. Now that she thought about it, the young woman will admit, she did have a lot of power, sure, but she never used it. As far as she knew, her power couldn't be used for anything other than to kill demons or to help cure the sick. That was it, and she knew that much for a fact, there was no way that it could be used to grant anyone their wishes. That was for genies, not a priestess.

The man just laughed, his voice was sinister, like he had some kind of hidden ploy. Whatever it was, she didn't know and it still scared her half to death just hearing his laugh. This man was indeed a demon, no matter how human he looked; he couldn't hide his demonic aura that was for sure. Moving her arms, Kagome could see the man better, and saw that he was smirking down at her as his red eyes just stared at her.

In fact, he just seemed like he was interested in something. She didn't know what it was that he would want, okay besides that it somehow involved her powers but there seemed to have been more to it than that, she wished that she knew but at the same time, Kagome wished that she didn't know. It all scared her, and she just wanted to go home and be with her family and friend's again. "Just let me go please…" whimpered Kagome, her eyes filling up with tears once again. The man knelt in front of her cell, his eye level with her own… or at least close enough.

"Now why would I let you go, after all the trouble I had to go through just to get you?" He laughed like a mad man; it made Kagome shiver all the more. She just wanted to go on home, the young woman shivered once again before she pushed herself to sit up. She stared at him with wide eyes, why did it sound like he was going to do something that would make her cry all the more? Shaking all the more, the young woman had to listen to what else he had to say. "For as long as I could remember, I have wanted everything… I wanted power, I wanted this palace and couldn't have it so long as my step brother's will told anyone that the lands would go to Sesshoumaru." Wait, what was he saying?! "I had to change the will, while pretending to be my stupid step brother. After all, the palace should have been mine. _Mine I tell you mine!_ But no, he wanted to give it to that spoiled brat Sesshoumaru." This guy was Sesshoumaru's uncle? Er… step uncle? Whatever it was really, either

Looking up at him with wide eyes, Kagome whispered "you changed your step brother's will?" He smirked all the more, his smirk was cruel and dark, it told her more… something so dark and evil that even Sesshoumaru did not know about it. He couldn't have could he?

"I did more than that priestess. I had sent assassins to kill my brother and his stupid pregnant wench. Who would have thought that he would have fallen in love with a human woman." Wait, human woman!? But that couldn't be right… humans and demons couldn't be together, they were just far too different and were not allowed to be together. It was taboo; even she knew that even though… she didn't want to accept her feelings toward a certain silver haired demon prince.

Shaking her head, Kagome tried to put the pieces together. This man, was Naraku, he had not only changed his step brother's will but had also killed his brother, and had tried to kill his brother's lover and child- child!? She was pregnant with a demon's child? Since when was that even possible?! Shaking her head, Kagome tried to deal with the thought of this… if that was even possible, and if Sesshoumaru… loved her… then could they have been together?

Looking down, Kagome whispered "why would you have done that? Why kill your own step brother? Didn't you even care about him at all?" She wanted to know; she had to know at least that, it would or even could bring her some peace of mind. Sure, it wasn't her family but it was Sesshoumaru's family. Wait a minute… why was he even telling her all of this in the first place? It didn't make any sense to her in the least; in fact, it made less sense than why the villagers cold hate for her besides the fact that she was kind to demons. "Why are you telling me all of this anyway?" asked Kagome.

Naraku smirked, how had his face kept smirking so much is a miracle to her and it was even puzzling why his face didn't crack at all in the least. "It wouldn't matter what I confess to you. For you won't be able to speak a word of it to anyone. In fact, you may never speak to anyone after today woman." Kagome's eyes widened in fear, there was no way that he would do what she was thinking. Didn't he need… whatever it was that he needed from her? There was no way that he would kill her right?

The demon lord pulled back his long kimono sleeve and revealed the keys in his hand. Naraku unlocked her cell before making his way toward Kagome and pulled her up onto her feet. "Time is a wasting my dear." Whispered Naraku before he started to drag Kagome off. No, this couldn't be happening, she had to get away but no matter how hard she struggled, Naraku's grasp on her was strong.

"Let me go!" shouted Kagome, her fear, her struggling all the more powerful though it seemed that no matter what she did, nothing would stop it. The only sound that echoed through the halls, were Naraku's cruel laughter.

* * *

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha ran through the forest, with Miroku and Sango right behind them on Kirara. It was nice that they could all keep up, now there was nothing that would cause the demon prince, and the half-demon from stopping to allow the humans to catch up to them. Sesshoumaru though, he could care less if the humans kept up with him or not. The only thing that mattered to him was to get to Kagome and save her before it was too late.

That was the only thing that really mattered to him. Well, that and of course to tell her the truth… that he cared deeply about her, that she meant more to him than anything. That he would do anything to make her happy, even if it was to be away from him, or for the two of them to be together forever. To him, Kagome was a goddess; she was perfect in every way possible. Kagome was everything that he had ever wanted in a woman, kind, caring, gentle, loving… and she had a body that any demoness would kill to have.

Breathing deeply, Sesshoumaru narrowed his golden eyes as he tried to run faster, he felt that there was something wrong… he had to save her… Closing his eyes for a brief moment, the young prince thought about the kind of future that he and Kagome would have. Finding out that he has a half-demon for a half-brother, it made him overjoyed. It proved that demons and humans could love, and could have children. Hell, he didn't even care if they would have human blood running in their veins; the only thing he cared about was that they would be his, and Kagome's children. That would be the only thing that would bring him joy, and now he would be able to enjoy that joy.

Opening his eyes, the young man looked ahead and saw the palace in the distance. They were getting closer and closer, though it would be difficult to get to Kagome thanks to all the demons that were still listening to Naraku and obeyed him like he was their god. That made the demon prince want to laugh…

Naraku, a god? That was funny enough to make him want to burst out laughing though Sesshoumaru wasn't going to show any kind of emotion like that to his brother or the humans. Kagome was the only one that he would ever allow to show his emotions to. She was so much to him, and made him want to smile. Not yet anyway, first things first after all, he had to save her before anything else. "How far are we?" asked Miroku.

"Not very far Miroku. We should be there within an hour or two, though I just hope that we won't be too late to save Kagome." Said Inuyasha, though as soon as he had said that he had regretted it, for Sesshoumaru had turned and glared at the half-demon and growled darkly at his brother. Okay, that wasn't very smart, since demons are very protective over the ones they have chosen. "Uh… we will save her Sesshoumaru. Don't worry, Kagome will be back in your arms and you can tell her just how much you love her and want to kiss her and her to have your half-demon babies."

"Quite half-demon." Growled Sesshoumaru before he backhanded the silver haired half-demon sending Inuyasha into a tree. Of course, he didn't stop in the least, leaving Inuyasha behind. Inuyasha of course screamed and tried to catch up which, of course had taken up some time. It would be a while until the half-demon would catch up. IF there was one thing that he didn't like, it was being looked at like he was just some kind of softy.

Shaking his head, the demon prince looked over his shoulder as he saw the two humans looking away from him. Good, it was good to see that they had some common sense. They weren't going to make any kind of comment, and for that he was thankful for. There was no way that he was going to smack them, Kagome would hurt him with her sacred powers and of course, there was the odd chance that he may end up killing them without really meaning to.

Taking a deep breath, Sesshoumaru started to slow down a bit when he smelled Inuyasha finally, catching up to him. "What the hell Sesshoumaru?!" shouted the half-demon. Sesshoumaru just stared at him for a brief moment before looking away and started to run a little bit faster. The demon prince wanted to get a bit farther away from his brother, okay sure, it was still rather weird to hear that he had a half-brother, that his father had fallen in love with a human woman over two hundred years ago and died protecting her. It was rather weird… rather strange really, but it had given him hope. He could love Kagome and give her everything that he would ever want…

Well, almost everything… he couldn't bring back her father, or erase the thought of him killing her father in the past. That was something that Sesshoumaru knew that he would feel shame for, for the rest of his life. Inhaling deeply, the demon prince knew that he was going to have to deal with that forever. For as long as he lives, the demon prince knew that he could never forgive himself for what he had done in the past.

"Sesshoumaru, what are you going to do about Naraku?" asked Inuyasha.

"I'm going to fucking kill him for taking Kagome. If he touches her, then he'll die a slow and painful death." Growled Sesshoumaru.

"Uh… he had touched her Sesshoumaru remember? He held her while kidnapping her…"

Sesshoumaru gave him a bland stare, the sound of Miroku and Sango slapping their foreheads echoing behind him. Yup, it seemed that Inuyasha didn't get their father's brains… and yet he had been pretty smart with most of what had happened. "That isn't what I meant Inuyasha… I meant of Naraku taking Kagome's innocents." Soon, Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock before he gagged and shook his head.

"Look we're here." Said Miroku, which had caused the two demons to look up in shock. It seemed that they had been distracted with what they were talking about, and of course Sesshoumaru's thoughts. It was good that they had been a little distracted with everything that had happened while on their run. Looking up, Sesshoumaru's eyes widened a bit as he saw Naraku standing on one of the balcony's holding his Kagome close.

"Sesshoumaru!" shouted Kagome.

Naraku smirked down at Sesshoumaru before he laughed. "Hello Sesshoumaru, it's so good to see you joining me… who would have thought that you would have rushed to save this wench." Said Naraku with a laugh. It only pissed him off to see Naraku holding his Kagome like that. Sure, it wasn't that of a lover but it still irritated him to no end. The thought of him holding Kagome made him mad with rage. He had to think of a way to save Kagome, though he had to think this through before anything happened to her, he didn't think that he could do anything, not without risking Kagome's life.

"Sesshoumaru, Naraku sent men to kill your father! He changed the will!" shouted Kagome. That had made both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's eyes widen in shock. Naraku cursed at Kagome before slapping her across the face. The young woman screamed out in pain and that, of course only fuelled Sesshoumaru's rage. Growling darkly, Sesshoumaru never knew that he could feel so much rage before in his entire life. First, Kagome is kidnapped, he finds out that Naraku changed his father's will and had of course killed his father… How that was, he didn't know but he had a feeling that it had something to do with the army that had come to kill his father…

Growling, Sesshoumaru knew that he would have to be fast, after all… if there had been something that Naraku had lacked, it was speed. That was something that Sesshoumaru, himself had excelled at, and that was a proven fact.

Narrowing his eyes, Naraku smirked for a moment as he said "looks like the truth is out. Though, it was nice not having to hide that secret anymore. It wasn't like you could have done anything about it Sesshoumaru." Soon, the brown haired man threw his head back and laughed before leaning his head close to Kagome, her face was pale with fear. It was clear to see that Naraku scared her; whatever it was that had scared her, he would make sure that he took away her fear.

Inhaling softly, Sesshoumaru took a step as he said "let her go. Kagome has nothing to do with this." Naraku smirked; his arm snaked around Kagome's neck before his free arm lifted away from her body. "Just let her go, this is between you and me Naraku." Growled the demon prince. He had to be careful, there was still so much at risk… he had to save her. His eyes flashed red for a moment, his inner beast was angry, and wanted to save his mate, or at least a woman that he would like to have as his mate. Inhaling, Sesshoumaru tried to keep himself calm and relaxed.

Though it seemed that Naraku had other plans in store for Kagome. "Sorry Sesshoumaru, but this woman has something I want and I'll do whatever I can to get it… and the only way, is to do this…" As soon as he had said that, Sesshoumaru felt like his blood went cold. There was a scream, the sound of bones cracking, flesh ripping and a gasping breath. Naraku had rammed his hand through Kagome's back, and right through her heart… and his palm now forced itself out of her chest. In his hand though, was a small glowing orb that he, really, had no idea what it was. "This, Sesshoumaru… is what I have been after, and now, I can have my wish granted! Oh, here's your wench back, though she won't be of much use to you now huh…" He laughed before throwing Kagome's body toward the demon prince.

Acting quickly, Sesshoumaru leapt into the air and grabbed a hold of Kagome's body. Her eyes were filled with tears, she was looking up at him, her once life filled eyes were dull and void of the life and love that once filled their depths. No… no this couldn't be happening… he… he had failed her… Growling, Sesshoumaru let out a loud howl of rage. Naraku was going to fucking die for killing his mate! "Everyone, Naraku has lost his mind! Be careful!" shouted Inuyasha.


End file.
