Chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha!
Thanks to my beta dark-phoenix-loves-kai! She did an amazing job!
Summary: Finding his father's journals, Sesshoumaru finds out something important that makes him very interested in a certain Miko. During their time together they start to develop feelings for each other. But what will happen when Inuyasha shows up? Will Kagome try to hide her feelings just so she doesn't hurt Inuyasha? Only time will tell.
Death is a word that we know and fear, but what exactly does it mean?
The end of life?
The end of time?
The end of hope?
Some see death as a messenger who is sent by God to take away a person's life. For many people, death is the worst thing of all.
Some people actually want to die or use death as a tool to achieve a certain goal.
Although this might sound odd, there is a solid logic behind it, but I have yet to figure it out which is why I still search for the answer.
While death plays a significant part in some peoples' goals, it's not always the best. Some find this out the hard way.
Sesshoumaru was familiar with death and what it meant but he did not posses a deep understanding. He rubbed his tired, sore eyes with his left hand, his claws softly scraping against the sensitive skin.
All his time was devoted to reading all of his father's journals that he had found in a hiding space in his library.
Closing the journal that was in front of him, he pushed it aside and let out a low growl. This was the seventh journal that he had read through and he still found nothing useful in it just like the previous twelve.
There were still about twenty of them to go through. Maybe even more. He glanced at them with his ember eyes and inwardly sighed. Most of them were just events that happened while his father was ruler. Some were of techniques that his father had learned or inquired about, but had never gotten the chance to practice them.
Of course Sesshoumaru had planned to save those journals and study the techniques that his father had never got to master.
Other journals were mostly focused on different kinds of demons, weapons and artifacts, and uses for magic.
Some had thoughts, questions, and quotes, much like the one the Lord of the West had pushed aside along with so many others he had already read.
Many thoughts were running through Sesshoumaru's head as he read his father's journals.
'Why had father never told me of these journals? Or about the secret passage way throughout the estate?'
Sesshoumaru thought as he grabbed the journal which had a drawn out map in it. Each page had shown a different passage way leading in and out of every room in the castle.
Even the servant's quarters had passage ways.
The grounds of the mansion and the whole Western Lands were revealed to have passage ways also.
As Sesshoumaru flipped through each and every page of the journal, he read all the side notes his father had left.
One the first page written in neat handwriting, it read, "If the castle was to ever be attacked, I shall know of all the ways out, so that my family and I will be safe."
Flipping through a couple more pages, Sesshoumaru read another note.
"If these exits and entrances were ever to fall into the wrong hands, the Land of the West will be no more. I must make sure that no wrong hands are not to stumble upon my maps."
'So father was the one to make the map. How interesting.' Sesshoumaru's ember eyes read the words with a cool stare. Not really caring about the rest of the notes, Sesshoumaru flipped to the last page in the journal.
"Some passageways have a set of traps in them."
"Traps?" Sesshoumaru said aloud while raising a slim silver eyebrow. After analyzing said page, he found that there was nothing else written on it.
Just as Sesshoumaru was about to shut the last book he would read today, he felt something between his long clawed fingers.
"So it would seem as if this was not the last page."
Seeing as it was stuck together for some reason, the demon lord stuck one of his well-maintained nails in between where he felt the paper separate.
As Sesshoumaru carefully separated the pages he was shocked to see a detailed picture of some of the passageways where the traps were hidden.
Running a finger over the detailed drawing which showed the entrance in the master bedroom was behind the bed, the Lord of the West silently mused that he had never noticed it before.
The passage way led to the master bath next door. That entrance was in the hot spring.
"It is not possible for the entrance to be in the spring. I might have to take a look at it." Looking under the picture Sesshoumaru read the inscription.
"If someone should ever come across any passage ways, they would surly die without the knowledge to surpass the many traps I have placed within them, however, if someone should ever surpass my many traps then it will be the end of the Western Lands. I, Inutaisho, am the only one from the land of the West who knows about these. Not even my own mate knows and unless something happens, she never will."
"So not even mother knows? Interesting." Sesshomaru smirked. He obviously had a lot more reading to do.
The sun rose high up in the sky, giving warmth to the villages covered in morning dew and frost. The days were getting colder and the leaves were turning from an emerald green to warm shades of red and gold. They carpeted the forest floor in various shades of color.
As the seasons kept on passing, Inuyahsa and the gang were still not come even close to killing Naraku, or getting the rest of the sacred jewel shards.
As time passed, everyone knew that Naraku was only getting stronger and obtaining more jewel shards.
Kagome looked around at her odd "family". She smiled to herself as she thought of all they had been through in the past three years. Memories flooded her mind, some good some bad. Her smile slowly faded. Naraku had wronged all of them and he needed to be destroyed. Kagome's hand tightened around her bow, her knuckles turning white.
"Kagome," Inuyasha said
Snapping out of her thoughts, Kagome looked at Inuyasha. "Yes, Inuyasha?"
"Do you sense any jewel shards?" Looking over his shoulder at Kagome, he watched as she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
As the months went by, she had began training with Kaede and Sango, working on her fighting skills as well as her miko skills. She was getting alot stronger and her fighting skills were getting better; her miko skills improving greatly.
Kagome was now able to search within a 2 mile radius for a Shikon shard. Her healing ability and barrier ability have also been progressing.
The black haired girl didn't need protection from the other because now she could handle herself.
Searching around her she didn't feel anything.
"No, I don't feel anything." Letting out a sigh that she didn't know she was holding, she looked at Inuyasha.
"Keh, lets keeping walking. I want to destroy Naraku sometime within my life time." Inuyasha said as he began to pick up the pace.
"Inuyasha, maybe we should take a break. We have been walking since early morning. I think we would all be glad to take a break and maybe get a snack from one of the villages we're passing." Miroku said while wiping sweat that began to conjure on his brow as he looked at the dog demon in front of him.
"A snack does sound nice," Sango agreed while looking at Kirara on her shoulder, who nodded her fluffy head in agreement.
"Do you think we can have some of the rice balls you made, Kagome?" Shippo asked looking up at his adopted mother figure.
"Why yes we can, Shippo." Kagome smiled at the small fox.
"Rice balls sounds good!" Miroku exclaimed.
"No, we are not stopping we need to find more jewel shards!"
"Inuyasha it's only a short break. We could all use some rest. I'll make you some ramen if you would like." Kagomes voice was chipper as she saw the small twitch in Inuyashas lips.
"Whatever!" He said as he turned back to the front, allowing a small smile to grace his face.
Smiling to herself she already knew that today was going to be a long and hard day, but she was happy that she got to spend it with her friends.