Ashley

We had arrived at Sesshomaru's castle a week or so after the death of my best friends and Naraku.

Sesshomaru had constantly asked me if I was okay and if there was anything I needed. The answers to both were obvious. But I wound up just telling lies so he wouldn't have to worry about me. In the end it seemed to make him worry more. Rin seemed to be a little worried about me as well. So did Jaken, though not as much.

Why do they worry? I told them I was fine. Maybe they didn't believe me. Could even Rin have seen through my lies and seen that I was in pain? What about Sesshomaru? Could he see the pain and loneliness in my eyes? I thought as I leaned on the patio railing outside my private room. Currently Sesshomaru wasn't even at the castle. He had said that he needed to attend some business he had and that he would be back in a few days. He had also said that he was taking Rin with him for the time being. He didn't say why and I didn't ask. I had just assumed that he knew she loved to travel and he was giving her a break from all this death and sadness.

I sighed and a knock came at my door. I pushed myself off the railing, turned into the room, and went to the door.

"Yes?" I asked, opening the door.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, Lady Ashley," a servant of Sesshomaru's said. I nodded and they dismissed themselves to who knows where. I sighed again as I closed the door and walked back to the patio.

"I wonder what would have happened had I been able to will my body to move. Would things have turned out differently or would I have died alongside them? I wonder what if their afterlife is better than what they experience in the world of the living?" I thought out loud.

"From my experience it isn't," a voice from behind me said. I jumped and turned around. Behind me I saw Jaken looking sadly at me.

"When did you get in here?" I asked.

"I came here just a few seconds ago, my Lady. I did knock but it seems you didn't hear," Jaken answered.

"Oh. Okay. What do you mean by it wasn't better for you?" I asked him, becoming a little less stressed since he didn't seem to hear what I said before my last question.

"In my afterlife I wasn't able to repay what I owe for my Lord. Which is my very life. I was very sad that I was going to live forever in debt to him," Jaken said, walking to my side and jumping up onto the railing.

"Oh. I see. I'm not sure how my afterlife was since it was very brief. All I remember from it was meeting Sesshomaru's father again and my parents. As well as gaining most of my memory back," I said, leaning on the railing once again with my elbows and resting my chin on one of my palms.

"Yes. I remember that day. The day when my Lord first found you again after searching for so long. I have to admit that he got a lot less angry most of the time. But when he was, he was much more brutal," Jaken said. I snickered. "What?" he raised an eyebrow, or at least he would have if he had any.

"Well if you would just keep your mouth shut half the time and think about what you would say before you say it, then you wouldn't have Sesshomaru beating you all the time," I explained.

"What? You assume I intend to insult Lord Sesshomaru intentionally?" Jaken yelled.

"I never said that. You did," I said, smirking. I pushed myself off the railing and walked into my room.

He grred and followed me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To dinner. Where else?" I asked.

"Don't be smart with me!" he yelled. I stopped and I heard him gulp.

"Excuse me?" I merely asked, glancing down at him like Sesshomaru sometimes does when he's pissed at Jaken. Jaken gulped again and backed away slowly.

"Uh. I'm sorry. I forgot that you are now the Queen of this castle as Lord Sesshomaru is the King. I am very sorry!" he said, bowing on his knees. After a moment I began laughing. He looked up questioningly. "What is so funny, my Lady?"

"I was joking. Do you take everything so seriously?" I asked. I walked towards the door and opened it. I looked back to see him with an astonished look on his face and he was still on his knees. "You coming or are you not hungry?" he snapped out of his trance and followed me down to dinner.

After dinner I headed out to the flower garden Sesshomaru had created for Rin for when they were at the castle.

It's so beautiful out here. I can tell why Rin loves these flowers so much. They smell just as sweet as they look. I thought, lifting up a stray flower and sniffing it.

"Um, Lady Ashley?" a servant asked. I looked behind me to see that it was one of the guards Sesshomaru assigned for me whenever I was out of the castle.

"Yes? What is it?" I asked.

"My Lord will be here in a few short hours. As well as Miss Rin," he said. I nodded.

"Thank you for the news. I guess I shall retire to my bedroom now and wait for them to arrive. Please let me know when they do," I said. He nodded and waited for me to leave the garden.

He's back already? I was almost certain that he would have been gone longer. I thought.

"That's right. Go to your room. You'll wish you didn't," my guard said after I was about 15 feet away from him.

"What did you say?" I asked, turning around.

"What? I said nothing, my Lady," he said.

I was almost positive he said something. Strange. I disregarded whatever I thought I heard and headed for my room.

Sesshomaru

"Where are we, my Lord?" Rin asked. She was sitting on Ah-Uh and trying to protect her eyes from the wind.

"We are heading towards the burial grounds of Ashley's friends," Sesshomaru told her. They were currently flying over a previous battlefield that Sesshomaru knew very well. The very battlefield that Ashley regained her demon powers, Naraku died, and Ashley's friends died as well.

"Why are we going there?" she asked. Then her face lite up like she suddenly thought of an idea. "My Lord, are you going to revive her friends and surprise Ashley when we return to the castle?"

"Something like that," he said. She squealed.

"I can't wait to see her face when she sees her dead friends are now alive!" she said.

"Rin. While we are here, I am not going to revive them. I am only going to see if they can be revived. If they can be, then I shall try to show Ashley that she can ask me to revive them using Tensiega. Understand?" he said, glancing at her. She nodded and they continued on in silence.

At least she knew when he was not to be disturbed, unlike a certain toad that Sesshomaru knew. Then it hit him. He had left Ashley at the castle with Jaken.

I shall repay her later. Jaken better not be driving her crazy, or else he will listen to me. Sesshomaru mentally warned Jaken.

They traveled for a few minutes before three mounds of dirt came into sight.

"There it is!" Sesshomaru said. He flew down to the gravesite and Ah-Uh followed.

"I wonder how long these girls have been dead?" Rin asked.

"Only a week or so. I should be able to bring them back to life," Sesshomaru muttered. He drew out Tensiega and looked for the demons to the underworld. After a while he saw them climbing next to the bodies inside the makeshift graves. "I see them. I should easily be able to revive them. Now we only have to wait until Ashley gives me the go ahead." He sheathed his sword and flew up again.

"Now where are we going, my Lord?" Rin asked.

"Back to the castle. You will stay there once Ashley and I leave," Sesshomaru said. He didn't know how Ashley would react to seeing her friends again and he didn't want her holding back. It was better if Rin just stayed back at the castle with Jaken guarding her.

"Okay! I understand!" Rin said. They remained silent the entire trip back.

Ashley

I don't get. Why are they back so soon? They only left yesterday.

These thoughts kept going around in my head as I paced back and forth through my bedroom. Well, mine and Sesshomaru's technically.

It was a beautiful one too. The floor in the bathroom looked like marble yet I knew that even if you scraped a sword against it, it wouldn't chip or anything. The furnishing bathroom was gorgeous. It had a blue bathtub, blue sink, and well, everything was blue in that room. I had a feeling Sesshomaru made it that way on purpose, seeing as he found out my favorite color was blue a year before we mated the first time. The main room was more magenta though. It had silky curtains around all the windows, it had a black carpet which felt really soft against bare feet, some of the windows were painted with pictures of majestic dogs flying in the sky (Sesshomaru's ancestors), and don't even get me started on the bed. It was really fluffy and soft. It made you just want to sink into it and fall asleep forever. And it was especially comfortable when you had someone sleeping next to you that you could cuddle with. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

A knock came at the door, interrupting my pacing. I ran to the door, expecting Sesshomaru. I opened the door to reveal the servant that I had talked to in the garden earlier.

"So? Are Sesshomaru and Rin back?" I asked, eagerness clearly shown on my face.

"You see, something came up and their journey has been delayed," he said, walking past me and into the room.

"Like what? What could possibly delay Sesshomaru?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why don't you come over here? I'll be able to tell you without any listening ears," he said, beckoning me to follow him further into the room.

"Very well," I said after a moment. I closed the door and walked over to him. He sat on the bed and patted the seat next to him. "No thanks. I'd rather stand." He shrugged. "Now, tell me why Sesshomaru has been delayed." I demanded.

"Oh, well,, you see. I lied. To be honest we don't know when he's coming back. And you won't be around to know either," he said, leaning back on his palms and slightly sank into the cushiony bed.

"What do you mean I won't be around? Of coarse I will be!" I said. He shook his head and stood up, our faces a few inches away from each other.

"No you won't, Lady Ashley. Wanna know why?" he leaned in so he could whisper into my ear. "Because you're going to be dead!"

"And just who is going to kill me?" I asked, not moving a muscle.

"Me!" he said, jamming a dagger into my stomach and slicing horizontally. It caused me to lose my balance and fall onto the floor in a bloody mess. I clenched the wound and looked up at the bastard in disgust.

"Any last words?" he asked, licking the dagger that was dripping with my blood.

"How weak do you think I am?" I muttered.

HELLO!

I AM BACK AND SO IS MY STORY!

I'VE HAD THIS IDEA IN MY HEAD FOR A WHILE

AND HAVE BEEN PLAYING WITH IT UNTIL I CAME UP WITH THIS

SO ENJOY! AND SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST CHAPTER TO THE SEQUAL

I NEVER GOT TO SAY THANKS FOR REVIEWING TO THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED.

SO THANKS:

HALEY

RANDOM PERSON 94

ALLIE

THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING

MUCH WILL BE REVIELED SOON

SO STAY WITH ME AS THINGS HEAT UP!

AND AS ALWAYS

PLEASE REVIEW!