Disclaimer: I Don't Own Inuyasha, nor Am I making a profit from writing about the series. Also I don't own the Spirited Away soundtrack I've been listening to to write this; That's all on youtube.

Sacred

Chapter 1

Kagome sighed as she dunked her hands under the water to grab another bowl, rinsing it off before placing it in a neat row with the rest of the dishes she had been washing. It felt nice to lose herself in the repetitive movements. Wash, rinse, repeat. It was a daily ritual that, for Kagome, transcended time. Sure, she was washing her bowls and chopsticks in a sink rather than a stream, but the motions were the same.

If she closed her eyes, it was almost like being 15 and on an adventure again. Back then, she had clung to the ritual for normalcy. Now, she instead used the chore to capture a sense of fleeting peace and nostalgia.

Placing the last dish on the counter to dry, she rested her hands on the lip of the sink to stare at the serene view outside her window. This place, with its sprawling rice fields and forested hills, was the closest she could find to her feudal home. Honestly, it wasn't enough. Most days she found herself pacing restlessly; too used to journeying across the countryside to really feel comfortable settling down anywhere. Turning away sharply, she let her gaze fall over her home. It was simple. Traditional. As close as she could come to her life on the other side of the well without giving up her modern conveniences.

She had awoken every morning hoping to smell clean air and hear the voices that haunted her memories, and had to swallow bitter disappointment with her breakfast. She had moved here when she could finally take it no more. Out in the middle of nowhere, she wasn't constantly bombarded with reminders and whispers of feelings too soft to trace. Yet at the same time, it was so strikingly similar to the countryside of the past that she occasionally found herself thinking one of her friends would walk down the road at any moment. After years of being trapped in this world her memories had started to fade; she could no longer clearly hear their voices in her head. In the wake of such mornings, Kagome had taken to writing with almost feverish intent. Every adventure, every moment she could remember, were all jotted down in an effort to keep them alive in her memory. With every line she put to paper, she cemented their places in reality. If she ever forgot, all she would have to do is open her book and see them there, smiling back at her from the pages.

It seemed the world loved her friends as much as she did. Readers from across the globe ate up her words, waiting on the edges of their collective seats for the next book to show up on the shelves. The thought tore at her, because she knew that the next book would be the last and there would be no happy ending to a journey that, although hard and treacherous, had become her everything.

Feeling the mild nuances of a panic attack coming on, Kagome hurried out of the kitchen to the entry. Pulling on her shoes without bothering to untie them, she rushed out the front door. She needed to feel the wind on her face and hear it whistling through the trees. She needed to forget, if only for a moment. She didn't pause to close the door in her haste; breaking into a run the moment her tennis shoes touched down on the dirt road. Her entryway seemed to yawn eerily against the backdrop, a dark, gaping mouth giving chase after her retreating form. As she raced away down the path, she was as much running from it as she was the thoughts that plagued her.

She took off for the trees on the far side of a rice paddy, slowing down once the sound of crunching gravel under her soles and her labored breathing became the only noise audible for miles. Trying to quench her earlier panic, she paused to take in her surroundings, breathing deep the unique flavor of this forest. Trees of Maple and Beach towered above her as far as the eye could see, covered in moss and mushrooms- all of it was green. The ground was littered in fallen leaves and small plants, almost untouched by time, besides the wide path on which she walked. It was beautiful. It was calm. It was still... It made her heart ache in ways that were too painful to think about.

She knew she was somewhere along the main trail to the shrine the local elementary school used for its test of courage. It was a straight shot without any turn offs, so they would send the children off at midnight with offerings to place at the sacred tree. He was a wise old tree, very nearly as old as the Goshinboku. She has sought his welcome first when she moved here and had felt a whisper of recognition from him. Chances were that she met him as a sapling in her journeying though the past. Trees have a long memory.

She had laced her fingers behind her head as she walked, just looking at the scenery and enveloping herself in the familiarity of it all, when she spotted it out of the corner of her eye.

Pausing, she cocked her head to the side, staring. There, deep in the forest and off the beaten path, was a Torii Gate- the unpainted stone almost invisible amidst the dense foliage.

She blinked once, and it was still there, so she looked around to see if maybe someone was playing a trick on her. She had studied maps of this area extensively before choosing to move here and she had walked this path hundreds of times since. That Gate didn't exist.

She glanced down at the foliage at her feet, staring at it and then the gate in succession a few times as she came to her decision. Decision made, she stepped off the path and into the dense undergrowth. As she raised an arm to push aside a branch, she was surprised to discover a pathway before her, overgrown and almost filled in from years of disuse. She knew it was odd, but she couldn't seem to quell the need to get closer. And for once, she didn't want to. Slowly, she traversed the ancient pathway, only turning back to look at the shrine trail once. It was no longer visible through the trees.

As she grew nearer, she could make out more about the Gate. She could see that it had, at one point, been in a clearing. A shrine statue was sitting right in its center. The statue was old and broken, covered in moss and dirt and who knew what else. The gate wasn't in any better shape, with just two simple stone pillars and a Shimenawa that looked as old as the rest of it. A rope, faded and fraying, hung limply from the Hashira as if about to fall at any moment. Mainly found before shrines, Torii where supposed to be gates; entrances from the mundane into the sacred. And in her experience: the beginnings of pathways that traversed worlds. When she placed a palm against one cracked pillar, she could feel the power in it pulsing beneath the surface. The sensation made her shiver and close her eyes; reach out around her to feel the site with her Reiki.

It had been a long time since she had done anything like this. It was like stretching a muscle that had gone unused for too long... and it made her feel more like herself than she had in ages. A whisper, a barely there brush against her probing senses, and her eyes snapped to the pathway winding through the gate. She'd felt it, the lightest taste of Youkai. When she reached out again, it gave her another playful swat. As if the youkai presence was calling her towards it.

Her heart began to pound. She knew the source of the Youkai that clung to the pathway beyond the gate. Though she and this particular youkai were never friends, it was a feeling she didn't ever think she would forget. His power made her senses sharpen and adrenaline course through her veins whenever she felt him coming.

He's always had an air of elegance and barely restrained violence about him. And he couldn't be constrained by any sense of right and wrong she knew of. He just was.

And He was somewhere at the end of that perfectly maintained trail. Unbearably close, yet just beyond a horizon of shining brightness that was somehow impossible to see through.

She hesitated for a moment, bowing slightly to the sacred statue in thanks before taking off at a run down the well warn pathway. She could feel her lungs burning, her legs screaming protest, but she couldn't seem to slow her frantic pace. Just knowing someone from the past was so close drove her onwards as if she were possessed.

Though the path before her appeared to be clear, in a way that can only be achieved by meticulous maintenance, Kagome still found herself stumbling and running into invisible obstacles. She swerved around large stones she wasn't sure were really there and propelled herself off trees that somehow grew too close to the path, unable to turn quickly enough to avoid them in her haste. Her palms were bloody and her shins bruised by the time she broke through the tree line that was such an impossibly long way from the impenetrable brightness she'd seen just behind the gate.

The sensations before her made her breath hitch in the most disconcerting ways. She felt the place before her eyes could see it. Somewhere between here and there, in the space of a second that could have been a mile long, she had passed between worlds again. A sensation she had scarce even dreamed to feel once more enveloped her; the indescribable feeling of being everywhere and nowhere all at once.

When she was finally aware of being able to see again, the sight before her made her fists clench. It was a large compound of variously leveled buildings, the largest being the entrance into what appeared a miniature town. A massive Ryokan towered at four stories over all the other buildings surrounding it. The entire compound was replete with multiple covered pathways and lavish gardens leading into other structures, all surrounded by a colossal seven foot wall. One side of the massive main building snaked its way alongside the cliff that dropped into a small waterfall and its adjoining river. And from somewhere beyond the roof line, wisps of steam rose from hot springs hidden within the depths of its sprawling grounds. It was beautiful and dominated the landscape around it as if it had been there before the mountain ever was.

Drifting softly over the place was a cloud of youkai that was almost more like a mist than the heavy draping of power that normally came with the long-term presence of a powerful Demon. And as the edges of it licked at her, as if trying to pull her in, she couldn't help but liken the experience to that of walking into a man's home and the unique scent of his cologne drifting towards you from the very walls. She stared at it in open mouthed shock for a moment before letting loose a noise that sounded suspiciously akin to a tea kettle. Reaching down she scooped up a rock and threw it rather uselessly at the distant structure.

"Thank you ever so much, you useless man! Now how am I supposed to find you when you live in the apparently modern day castle? You're like a needle in a haystack and I'm going to kill you for this. I swear you must have planned this just so you could drive me crazy."

She very nearly stomped her way down to the front gate, but decided on walking normally when she realized how childish she looked… and how much it hurt when you step that hard on a rock. She felt the impact of the sharp stone throb from the sole of her foot all the way up her already bruised leg.

By the time she was standing in front of the main gate looking up at the long expanse of wood, she was out of breath; having ended up running toward the comforting familiarity of his Youkai before she even realized what she was doing. The anticipation made her almost giddy for what seemed like the first time in forever as she tugged on the large handle. She realized distantly that she was smiling, but pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She would have time to bask in the feel of forgotten euphoria once she actually found the man.

The heavy door didn't budge as she jostled the handle; tugging on it in short, heavy pulls. She shrugged it off and tried pushing, putting all her weight into it with her shoulder.

It remained steadfast.

Her smile starting to fade a bit, she tried pulling again, this time bracing one of her legs against the other door. The wood groaned with the effort, both doors jerking forward almost invisibly, but otherwise remained firmly shut. She was silent for a moment, before screeching and kicking the heavy wood, which caused her to release a string of profanities and jump around holding her abused foot.

"It's locked! Who the hell locks the gate to a Ryokan? Freaking Sesshomaru, apparently! You have to be doing this to piss me off. Well you know what? Fine! I'll play your game! You think your locked door is gonna stop me? Well you've got another thing coming, buddy..."

Breathing heavily, she closed her eyes and reached out with her reiki, trying to find him in the sprawling fortress of the Ryokan. After a moment of searching, she let out a dejected sniffle, wiping her eyes roughly with the backs of her hands. How was she supposed to find him when the entire compound was saturated with his Youkai? Even on her best day she couldn't pinpoint his location that way, not when the whole place felt like he walked the halls every afternoon.

She took a step back to observe the gate. "Come on Kagome," she muttered to herself. "When did you ever let something like not being able to use your powers stop you? You fought demons and defeated Naraku; you can find an overgrown dog in a bath house. When all else fails, use your brain." She jogged back a few steps so she could get a good view of the entire compound. "If I was an obsessive compulsive demon with alpha complex where would I be…."

She scanned the roof line and allowed herself to take in every detail of the labyrinthine pathways that snaked through the complex. If she knew anything about Sesshomaru, he had a superiority complex a mile wide and was immaculate on the verge of being fanatical about it. So where in a luxury resort would he be hiding? She glanced at some of the more secluded buildings, but quickly dismissed them. No, Sesshomaru would be somewhere that reflected his status.

She knew it the moment her eyes rested on it: the top floor of the tallest building, right in the center, but high up enough that he could look down on everyone else. It was absolutely perfect. Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, she placed her hands on her hips, thinking. "So now that I've found you, how do I get to you…" she trailed of, losing herself to contemplation as she looked down at the locked gate. It was a good 3 feet taller than her, and made entirely out of fairly solid wood. She'd have to find another way in. The wall on either side of it was a decent foot shorter, but still too high for her climb over and she'd probably break her neck if she fell.

A little ways down though, there was a scrawny little tree growing close enough to the wall that she might be able to jump the remaining distance.

Grasping on the idea, she hurried over to it and scrambled up the trunk, mindful of her scraped palms. Swinging a leg over to straddle the bowing branch, she held perfectly still, inwardly cringing at the groan of strain the wood gave under her weight. "Don't you dare break on me", she grunted as she slowly scooted closer to the end of the limb she was perched so precariously on. If she stretched, she could brush her fingertips against the smooth wood, but she didn't dare move further; the small tree was already bending dangerously under her weight.

Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Kagome flung herself at the wall, fingers grasping frantically and nails gouging into wood. She almost knocked the breath out of herself when her full weight collided with it and she started to seriously question her own sanity as she pulled herself up to sit on the top of the wall.

Argh! God! He never could just make anything simple, now could he? Nooo, not Mr. High-and-Mighty demon lord; that would be too easy. She grumbled to herself as she hoisted herself over the wall, not allowing herself time to stop and chicken out. She'd come this far; there was no way she was backing out now.

She landed with a bone jarring thud that made her draw a hissing breath through clenched teeth. Leaning against the wall at her back for a moment, she timidly moved first one ankle than the other, gingerly testing her footing before putting more weight on them. When there was no flash of pain she nodded to herself before starting toward the largest building. Pausing a moment to get her bearings, she realized she was in an ornate garden with raised walking platforms made of the finest wood and shingled with what was obviously handmade clay. There were plants she had no name for mixed in with traditional cherry blossom and bamboo, all looping around small pools of water to create a beautiful blending of 'East meets West.'

Kagome considered sticking to the actual garden to make her way over to his building, but after eyeing the pond that snaked out of sight under the closest building with no sign of a way to cross, she decided to climb up onto the walkway and just hope no one came upon her.

She quickly made her way around the back of the building, praying it looped the way she wanted it too, and was met with a sight that made her groan. His building was in front of her, but damn if it wouldn't be hard to get into.

She could hear the rustle of moment from behind rice paper walls and quickly decided on that option as being out; she couldn't risk being caught before she managed to get to him. The urge to lay eyes on him, to feel the rising of his youkai brush against her skin, had almost become a physical need. She didn't think she could handle it, coming so far only to have her prize yanked away right as it was in her grasp.

Quickly, she tried to assess the situation. There was a covered porch wrapping around the Main House further than she could see. It was too tall for her to reach, but perhaps if she stood on the railing of one of the covered paths she could just-maybe- be able to get up onto its roof and climb up. There was a good chance she would fall and kill herself, though. And it's not like she could waltz in the front door and demand to be shown to him. Her decision was made for her by the silhouette of a woman's form, not a foot to her right, reaching for the sliding door.

Not stopping to think, Kagome jumped into movement, leaping up onto the rail and pulling herself onto the roof in a single fluid movement that surprised even her.

But Kagome knew the universal law that if you happened to be graceful for a moment, the next you would either injure yourself, or have something equally bad occur. In Kagome's case, it turned out to be the latter. As she settled her weight against the sloped shingles, stepping onto the slightly higher grouping that belonged to the porch roof of the main building, she heard the beginnings of frantic shouting and the quick shuffling of bodies swathed in heavy fabric.

She pressed her back close to the wall of the second story, praying to whatever Kami was listening that no one would choose that moment to lean out the window. The first voice that reached her ears had her muttering an oath.

"There is human blood on the exterior wall, which means it's on the grounds somewhere. Find it quickly and dispose of it before his lordship catches its stink. You know how he's refused to tolerate humans since the young mistress."

She resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall as the sounds of movement moved further from her window. As soon as she felt it safe, she ducked down on hands and knees to pass under a window sill and up a lower arch that almost connected with the roof of the second story. Oh shit... I was SO not trained for this... I swear... if I fall and break my neck while I'm doing this... I'm going to haunt you forever, Sesshomaru...

She continued on like this for what felt like forever, having to move slowly and carefully so as not too slip off the curved clay tiles and attract any attention to herself. She had to admit that she hardly blended in, with her worn blue-jean shorts, dirty trainers, and old faded grey sweatshirt that loudly proclaimed it to be the property of 'Hakuo Senior High School'.

Finally reaching the top floor balcony, Kagome grabbed the end of the first sliding door she came across and tried to force open the latch. The little iron clasp she could see through the gap in the wood held firm. After trying to rattle it free for a few moments, Kagome gave up and decided brute force was the only way she was going to get inside. Bracing herself, she drew back and slammed a well-placed elbow against the point where the two sliding doors met.

They flew open with a resounding crack that had Kagome tumbling inside from the force of the blow. Landing in a heap on the floor, she moaned softly, rubbing all the places on her body that now ached- which consisted of more places than those that didn't hurt. Groaning softly, Kagome nursed her sore elbow. The sharp, incessant pain of the joint was quickly lessening the feel of her other aches and bruises. Opening her eyes to gaze at the beautiful sitting room she had just landed in, she took in the splendor that was undoubtedly Sesshomaru's home. Not only was the place so saturated in the scent of his Youkai that she just wanted to roll around on his sofa, the only word she could think of to describe it was… opulent.

Apparently, the gardens were not the only places where 'East meets West' was taken to new levels. Hand painted shoji screen doors led into mysterious rooms and partially hid a plush velvet armchair from her view. Various potted plants, from Bonsai trees to Orchids, were displayed proudly next to silly hand drawn pictures and sepia photographs of people she couldn't even pretend to recognize. Luxurious carpets swept over tatami mats and magnificent wall scrolls hung next to kimono stands. What were most striking of all were the large electric lanterns that hung down from the ceiling to illuminate the space.

"I can't believe I made it up here alive."

Her voice echoed strangely in the silence of the room, hanging for a moment before she realized she was laughing. The thought of what she was laughing about made her laugh harder. She had just broken into Sesshoumaru's home. She was so nervous about actually facing him, now that she was here, that she was surprised her knees weren't shaking as she stood up to gaze out the balcony. Taking in the distance from where she stood to the ground, she sobered.

"I am so screwed. What the hell was I thinking?"

Taking a few breaths to calm herself, Kagome turned back to the room.

"Well, might as well finish what I started. It's not like I can turn back now."

Finding peace with her decision, she decided to explore. realization that he might just kill her for invading his home and causing panicked disorder was beginning to seep in. If she turned back now, she might lose her last chance to reclaim a tiny piece of herself, and as she was about to open a sliding door on the far side of the room another burst open from behind her, causing her to jump and squeak in surprise.

Spinning around, she was met with a sight she had least expected, but under the circumstances, probably should have foreseen.

"Jaken!"

Kagome rushed forward to try and embrace the small, ugly creature that had- in reality- never really paid her much attention during their short time together. "You're still alive? I thought you- I mean…", she trailed off at the look of fury on his frog like face.

"Release me this instant you stupid woman!"

He twisted and squirmed in her grasp, brandishing his staff at her once he was finally free. "What do you think you are doing up here? This is the private residence of the great Lord Sesshomaru, not a place for filthy humans such as yourself!"

Kagome blinked bemusedly for a moment. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Of course not you stupid girl. Now get out of here before the master wakes and you get in real trouble. I'm under specific instructions from the Okami to take you back to the human world unharmed."

She suddenly slapped herself on the forehead, muttering under her breath. "Of course you don't remember me. It's been longer for you than it has been for me." Straightening herself up, she spoke again. "It's me, Kagome! You know… the Shikon no Miko? Traveled with Inuyasha? Defeated Naraku?"

He brandished his staff at her again, bulbous eyes wide with anger. "I should kill you for your insolence, wench!"

Hoping to convince him of her identity, she flicked him with a tendril of her Reiki in a short burst of power meant to do no more than startle the little imp. It didn't have the intended affect though. Before Jaken could even process what had just happened, there was a crash from behind the door Kagome had tried to enter. A loud bang and the sounds of rustling fabric and shuffling feet became quickly audible. Kagome turned to the noise at her back with a gulpof anticipation and dread. The door flew open with a rushing of silver hair and pale skin, revealing the reason she had come here in the first place.

The shock of actually seeing him once again short-circuited her brain. Five hundred years had passed and he looked like he had not aged a day in all that time. Framed by the doorway, Sesshomaru was as imposing a sight as she had ever seen. His silver hair swished gently against his back as he took another step into the room and for a fraction of a second, she found herself mesmerized by the way the light played off of it. Then her eyes slid across his face and she came crashing back to reality as he met her gaze with a look that simmered with barely restrained anger.

A knot of dread settled in her stomach. "Um… hey, Sesshomaru…. Uh… I don't suppose you remember me, do you," she asked.

"Who are you and what are you doing in this Sesshomaru's home," he replied in a deadly quiet voice.

Standing up straighter, Kagome attempted, and failed, to not wring her hands together. "Look, I know we weren't the best of friends back in the Sengoku era and I tried to purify you a few times- though, to my credit, you tried to kill me first- and the arm thing was a total accident even though you already grew a new one, so I probably shouldn't have brought it up at all and I mean, you even let me ride on Mokomo-" Her babbling was cut short by words viciously snarled in her direction.

"Silence, you insufferable chit. I have no idea what you are going on about." One clawed hand gripped onto the door frame tightly, razor sharp nails digging into the delicate wood. "Jaken, remove this obviously unbalanced woman from my home."

"Sesshomaru. Please, you have to remember me." She looked up at him desperately. "Five hundred years ago, I traveled with your half-brother Inuyasha through feudal Japan to collect the shards of the Shikon Jewel. I'm the Shikon no Miko. You remember me: I pulled Tessaiga from your father's tomb and you tried to melt me to soothe your wounded pride." Kagome slapped her hands over her mouth as the last words spewed out.

She'd no sooner said the words than Jaken started on another tirade about beheading her for her insolence. He didn't get much further than calling into question her upbringing, age, and intelligence when one magenta striped hand came up in an unspoken command for silence.

"You have piqued my interest, mortal, as I do not recall ever informing anyone of my encounters with the Shikon no Miko. You have, in fact, mentioned quite a few moments from my past. It seems a demonstration is in order, to prove your identity."

"A… Demonstration", she asked warily. "What sort of demonstration?"

He leaned against the door frame, a slight smirk on his face that didn't bode well for her, in her professional opinion. He was the picture of relaxation and it made her uneasy.

"Of your powers, of course. The Shikon no Miko was a holy being of unmatched strength who disappeared with the jewel centuries ago. If you really are the woman you claim to be, then surely a demonstration of power would be nothing."

"So, what? You want me to purify you or something?" Shock was heavily evident in her voice. "I can't do that and you know it! I never had the control to just summon up reiki without having some sort of emotion to fuel it."

He contemplated that for a moment. "Emotions for fuel? That sounds terribly inefficient... effective, however. I do believe fear will suffice in this moment."

"Excuse me? I can't just make myself get scared! It doesn't work like that!"

"Then allow me to assist you."

He was suddenly a blur of movement and the sharp acidic smell she remembered all too well filled the air as he came at her. She barely had her barrier up in time as his claws collided with it. The thick acid dripped from under his nails and gouged deep scratches into her barrier, as if it were wood and not holy energy. She watched, fascinated, as the liquid faded into nothing right before the moment the drops would have landed against the beautifully polished wood.

"You are slow. I need more proof, if I am to accept that you are who you say." He spoke with such complete calm, as if he wasn't trying to kill her, that for a moment it was like she'd been transported back to the battlefields of her past. Her barrier cracked and hissed as it bowed under the force of his attack, forcing her into action.

"Stop!" As punctuation to her exclamation, a short burst of reiki slammed into him and flowed over his person as if it were a soft breeze and not purifying energy. The energy lifted the ends of his hair and swirled around him. His attack ceased immediately and he looked at her curiously.

"Ah, so you do speak truth. It has been a long time, Ms. Higurashi."

Kagome stood there for a moment, unable to form words. "Wait, so after all that…"

"A Taiyoukai never forgets the unique flavor of a reiki user who has attempted harm on their person," he replied with a haughty sniff.

"Flavor….," she asked dumbly.

He sighed, flicking claws through his hair and drawing her eyes lower to follow its movement as it glided over one bare hipbone. "It is a very simple concept…." She stared at him, unhearing of his explanation, blinked, and stared again before her brain caught up to her eyes. They widened almost comically, before she squeezed them shut and slapped a hand over them for good measure.

"You're naked! Why are you naked? Put some clothes on!"

"Really, miko. I do not understand how you managed to survive all these years being as unperceptive as you are." Giving a rather put upon sigh, he strode past her to grab a robe that was haphazardly thrown across a settee.

She peeked through her fingers at the feeling of his silky hair brushing against her bare legs with his passing and caught a scant glimpse of the pale, velvety smooth skin of his butt and well-muscled thighs before he slid his robe in place and turned back toward her.

"Does this appease your delicate sensibilities?"

She moved her hand for a mere moment before nearly squeaking and slapping her hand back to its previous place. He was better… and he was worse. Clad in only a navy silk robe that bared his chest from neck to navel, it prominently displayed the fact he was bare beneath it. She decided on trying to just stare at his nose. It seemed her safest bet, considering. There was nothing really exceptional about his nose and for that, she was incredibly thankful. It looked just like any other; long and thin and just as pale as the rest of him. No sprinkling of freckles, no curves to speak of. Leave it to Sesshomaru to have the most perfect nose in the world. By this time she was sure she could pick him out of a 'nose' line up.

At her obvious discomfort, he graced her with a self-satisfied smirk full of blatant male pride and strode over to his desk to look at the papers placed there, hair falling haphazardly across his hands and pooling onto the desktop.

"Jaken. Have a room prepared for our guest. She will require a bath and see to her hands." With a flick of his hand, they were dismissed.

"Yes, Milord." Having been silent throughout the whole event, Jaken moved to usher her to the door he had entered from, but she resisted.

"Now, wait just a minute! What are you doing here? Or wait, better question: How long have you been here, all of- like- a half mile from my house? And why couldn't I tell until today?" She didn't realize she was angry with him until that moment; shouting her questions at him. The question that was really burning on her lips was, 'if you were so close, why didn't you ever come find me?'

"Quiet, human. Lord Sesshomaru cannot be troubled with such trivial questions!" The little toad imp bopped her lightly on the head with his staff in gentle reprimand.

"Who asked you," she snapped.

Sesshomaru raised his head from studying the documents on his desk to level his firm gaze on her. "I have just woken up, Miko. In a very unpleasant manner, I might add. I will deal with you and your incessant questions later."

She glared at him for a moment, taking him in as he went back to whatever seemingly important thing was written on those damn papers. It was after a moment of staring him down that she noticed something so out of place that it threw her into a fit of giggles she was helpless to control. "It really has been centuries! Your hair! It's tangled!"

He shot her a quizzical look, which just proved to further her laughter. He glanced at Jaken, but the imp was just as bewildered as he. Sighing, he walked back over to her and grabbed her by the arm to stop her from collapsing on his floor. "I am not sure what the state my hair has to do with the passing of time, Miko," he ground out as he half dragged her to the door, throwing it open and thrusting her out into a hallway that lead only to a staircase and into a maid's arms. "But, you will allow this Sesshomaru to prepare for the day in peace." The door then slammed shut in her face. She felt oddly satisfied at the turn of events.

Glossary:

Torii- a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred.

Hashira- The pillars of the tori gate.

Shimenawa- A rope tied from one post to the other to mark the border between the outside and the inside, the sacred and the mundane.

Miko- A Miko is a priestess, or holy being.

Reiki- Reiki is the power that all Miko have, and control. Usually used for purification and rituals. But in the Inuyasha series, could also be harnessed as a weapon.

Youkai- Youkai is a term mostly associated with Japanese folk creatures and ghosts. The term can also apply broadly to anything that is a supernatural being or legend, I use it for the race as a whole and also use the term interchangeably with their power, like Miko are to their Reiki.

Taiyoukai- Would be a very powerful Youkai, in a higher class if you will.

Ryokan- A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese Inn that originated in the Edo Period (1603–1868), when such inns served travelers along Japan's Highways. They typically feature Tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner.

The building Kagome is scaling looks a bit like this: http: / www . designsdelight . com/wp - content/ uploads /2008/ 12/ hemji-castle . jpg (Remove the spaces)

Note: First chapters yo. This will not be updating on a schedule, as it seems I can only write it when sleep deprived.

And thank you, SO MUCH, ookamikagemiko for pointing out that i'd included the wrong end of chapter not on this one. I'm sorry for the confusion. This is the FIRST chapter, not the end of a story.