Hi everyone! I'm so happy with the reviews I've received! It looks like everyone enjoyed the first chapter! Yay!

I think i'm a little late on this installment, but it was finals week so please don't be to angry .

Since last chapter focused on establishing Kagome's and Inuyasha's failing relationship, I wanted to make this one focus on Kagome's and Sesshomaru's developing one. I hope this one is alright and isn't too dry. I initially had a lot more to it, and ended up cutting out two scenes and quite a bit of dialogue between Kagome and Sesshomaru because the chapter was getting too long and it dragged on- i don't want y'all getting bored on me!- Plus, we have an awesome enemy in waiting who hasn't made her debut yet! The horror!

Anyway, enjoy! Reviews and follows are appreciated, and if anyone has any tips or recommendations to better my writing I would love to hear them!

Without further delay, here is chapter 2!


Chapter 2: A Strange Friendship

Sesshomaru arrived at the village before Kagome, and already the villagers were out with pitchforks and other forms of pitiful gardening tools as weapons. They shouted obscenities at him, jabbing their weapons towards his direction. How pathetic they appeared to Lord Sesshomaru, and the beast in him itched to slay them all down with one blow. However, even though he was a demon of great power, he was also a demon of great control. He would not kill them, just as he had promised Rin. Threatening them, on the other hand, suited him just fine.

"Pathetic fools." His voice, laced with malice, hushed the villagers into silence. "Are you so eager to end your lives that you would dare to challenge I, Sesshomaru?"

The villagers remained silent, their offensive motions stilled. Fear manifested beyond their eyes, and their terror gave Sesshomaru brief pleasure. It took a few minutes, but idiocy has a way of returning quickly to its owner. A villager, hidden away behind the crowd, shouted for unity and strength, and the uproar Lord Sesshomaru was greeted with returned with new vigor. It was enough to bring an irritated growl to his lips.

Just then, Kagome walked into the village, and as if on que, the villagers lowered their laughable weapons and walked away.

Like trained sheep. Sesshomaru mused. He shifted his gaze towards the priestess, whose gait was still downhearted and slumped. Her stare was fixed towards the ground, as though she were inspecting it for every spec of dirt it had. Immediately, Lord Sesshomaru was displeased. The priestess's demeanor did not sit well with him, and once more he was compelled to help her; to make her feel better. Again, he brushed off the feeling, labeling it as nothing more than annoyance and irritation at her disrespect and the heightened chances of this visit being bothersome should Rin discover the priestess's downhearted mood. Rin had grown very attached to the priestess after all.

"Mornin' Sesshomaru." Kagome mumbled with little enthusiasm. She continued to look towards the ground, feeling lower than the dirt it was made of. She had spoken out of habit, used to greeting Sesshomaru anytime he came to the village, but her mind was focused on Inuyasha and the heartache she felt. It was with great effort that she held her tears behind her eyes.

"Priestess." Sesshomaru responded dryly, scrutinizing her current state.

It was a small skit the two played out anytime they greeted each other, and it brought a small hint of light into Kagome's dim eyes. She dipped her head up, moving her focus from the ground to Sesshomaru.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Kagome?"

"Maybe when you learn to call me by my title, priestess, I will consider calling you by what you desire." He said smugly.

It was crude, and to most people it would have appeared offensive and rude. To Kagome though, whose intuition told her otherwise, she saw this crude remark as a playful jab. She could not deny that this could simply be wishful thinking, an idea solely from her imagination generated after spending so much time with a great and terrifying demon lord, Sesshomaru, and never being harmed or threatened by him once. In all the time they had spent together, despite knowing fully well that he was a dangerous demon to be around, Kagome had never once felt afraid of him. So maybe she was drawing conclusions about him that weren't real since, after all, there was never any inclination that her assumptions of him were real either. Yet there was her intuition, telling her that his comment was, to an extent, almost playful and that he was in fact teasing her for still not calling him by his Lord title. She was almost certain of it as she looked into his golden amber eyes, the only feature on his impassive face that ever seemed to change, and saw a challenging look, awaiting her response.

Her mood became lighter, and a smirk graced her face. If he was going to tease her, than she would gladly tease him back.

"Oh?" She said coyly. "And what? Pet your enormous ego while i'm at it?"

He didn't miss a beat, and with a slight tilt of his head and an eyebrow raised he responded "Perhaps."

She couldn't stop the growing smile on her face or the laughter that followed after. In truth, she held onto this moment with all her might; it was the first time today that she genuinely smiled and laughed, and her heart was desperate for this relief. Villagers turned to the sound of her merriment, embracing it, for they so scarcely heard it now, and they were surprised to see that it was the intimidating and deadly demon standing beside her that had made her laugh. He stood immobile, like a statue, with his gaze fixed towards the western land. Many of the villagers believed that he was ignoring the priestess. Yet they could not know that the sound of her laughter, which filled his ears, intoxicated Sesshomaru, and he closed his eyes to sink deeper into the sound.

It was a small jest, surely not funny enough to receive the amount of laughter Kagome gave it, but it was enough to make her breathless. Once her spasms of laughter calmed, she collected herself with a deep breath while a beaming smile remained on her face. It was at this moment that she noticed the wide gaping mouth of Jaken facing right at her.

"Y-y-y-you d-d-d-dare to l-l-laugh at m-m-m-mi-lord! How dare you, you impudent-"

"Jaken." His voice sent a chilling shiver up the imps spine.

"Y-y-yes mi-lord?"

"Leave the priestess be, and go find Rin. Take Ah-Un with you. She will be pleased to see him."

"Yes, but-"

"Now, Jaken!"

"Ep! Yes, of course! Right away mi-lord! Come Ah-Un, let's hurry!" Jaken yelled frantically as he hurried to find Rin with Ah-Un, who had Rin's new gift on their side pouch, in tow. He focused on completing the task at hand, but naturally was partially distracted by Lord Sesshomaru's action. He could not understand how his lord would allow that girl to laugh at him! How disrespectful! And then how his lord seemed to stand for her against him, his loyal retainer! Lord Sesshomaru would not show kindness for that wench of a priestess, especially since he was already showing kindness to Rin, and that was enough! It was utterly impossible.

Kagome laughed silently, watching Jaken scurry away like a frightened animal. When he and Ah-Un where no longer in sight, realizing that her and Sesshomaru were on their own, she decided to attempt to dabble at small talk. An effort, she was already aware, that would most likely be in vain.

"So, Sesshomaru, how has your morning been so far?"

Immediately, he looked away from her and did not answer. Any hint of emotions she was glimpsing at in his eyes were gone, and he quickly became impassive.

There he goes again. Shutting me out as always. He does that anytime I ask how he's doing. She should have been used to it by now, and in all honesty, there was no reason for her to feel the small amount of pain that she did feel whenever he acted this way. It wasn't as though Sesshomaru was the kind to engage in small talk, and everyone considered it a miracle that she was able to maintain actual conversations with him on a frequent basis. And though that was true, she could hardly say that they had some form of a friendship. In many ways, Kagome still saw Sesshomaru as a stranger, and was certain that the feeling was mutual. Yet it was because of that fact that Kagome felt so comfortable around Sesshomaru in the first place. She never felt restricted around him as she did with her friends who were always surveying her frailness. It was something that bothered her greatly since she didn't want their happiness to depend on her own. But with Sesshomaru, she felt so free to laugh, or to cry, or to become angry. She could display her emotions to the highest level and the most he ever did was give her a dirty look. It didn't matter to her if he saw her at her best or worse because, again, in many ways she still felt he was a stranger. Yet there was still pain because, stranger or not, she had opened up to him at countless times in countless ways, and he had never opened up to her once. It was a pain she knew instinctively, because she had felt it so often during the Kikyo years; she felt rejected.

It doesn't matter. She thought, chastising herself for feeling rejected because Sesshomaru was acting completely like himself and not responding. It made no sense for her to feel this way.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" A high pitched noise from a joyful child interrupted the short silence. Within seconds of shouting out her presence, Rin latched herself onto Lord Sesshomaru's leg, a large smile beaming from her childish face. Rin, though still a small child, was slightly taller now and had been growing quite a bit ever since she entered into a growth spurt. That was one of the reasons why Sesshomaru now resorted to bringing her new kimonos; she had been growing out of them so quickly. As expected, Jaken and Ah-Un were nowhere in sight,still off looking for Rin when she had found Lord Sesshomaru all on her own. "It is so good to see you again, my lord!"

"Rin. I trust you've been behaving well?"

"Oh yes my lord! Rin has been on her best behavior!"

At this, Lord Sesshomaru paused. It was rather odd to hear Rin speak in such a manner, and he was not oblivious to the priestess' humble giggles.

"You find this amusing, priestess?"

"Only because I know exactly who she learned to speak in third-person from. It's someone who she admires greatly." She giggled some more.

"Are you implying that she learned it from me?"

She smiled a devilish smile, and steadied herself with a small cough, recalling what she had heard him say just before she entered the village. Then, gracefully, she placed a hand upon her chest and met his curious gaze with a teasing glimmer in her own before enacting her best Sesshomaru impression.

"Are you so eager to end your lives that you would dare to challenge I, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru was taken aback, and his eyes slightly widened at the priestess gimmick, while Rin became animated and jumped up and down while clapping her hands.

"Wow Lady Kagome! You're really good at pretending to be Sesshomaru!"

"Why thank you, Rin." Kagome said with a curtsy towards her audience, then continued to laugh with Rin at her impressionism. Both girls laughed merrily, and Sesshomaru placed two fingers onto his forehead. If others thought that he was feeling annoyed, he was fine with that. He just didn't want them to see how much he was struggling to not crack a smile.

In the distance, not too far away and perched on the branch of a tree, another set of amber eyes watched the ebony haired woman he had claimed to love, all the while recalling the love he wished he still had. Kikyo. Her name resonated in Inuyasha's mind like a sweet kiss that left a burning agony in its absence; bittersweet, and too sweet to resist. He had dreamt of her the night before; A sweet dream he should have never dreamed, one filled with a life that would not, and could not exist. No, given the circumstances he found himself in, he should not have wanted it to exist. Yet he yearned for it, in a flagrant and distressing manner, all the more. Would he be willing, if given the choice, to relinquish his current life with Kagome for a life with Kikyo who, in his dream, had been his wife with a pup on the way? His mind ached at the imaginary prospect. The answer was yes; he would, in a heartbeats moment. It had felt so real and so wonderful, and that god awful word, sit, was never heard by his keen ears again! But heavenly dreams only last while the dreamer is asleep, and he had been violently woken up by the repeated "sits" Kagome had called out. The dream was gone now, with only its memory as a memento of its existence, and Inuyasha wanted it back.

He clutched Tessaiga closer to him. That may have been what he wanted, but what he needed was to take a breath and step back. It was just a fabulously divine dream. Nothing about it was part of reality. He was with Kagome now. Though that wasn't saying much nowadays. Even now, when he looked at her, he became bitter. He didn't want her, and there was nothing to change that. He had hoped and believed that he could be happy with her. It was true that he still cared for her, and still, in some ways, loved her, but happiness continued to elude him. And that great amount of love he had for her when they had defeated Naraku was dwindling. It was the feeling of obligation that rendered him incapable of gaining the courage to leave her; she had left her home for him after all. It was also true that he only truly felt compelled to leave her when he thought about Kikyo, something which had been occurring more frequently. He took a breath. No, it was ridiculous to think about leaving Kagome. Still, since the torment inside him would not ebb, he looked towards Kagome, and surrendered to the visions of Kikyo his mind conjured.

Kagome's laughter halted before Rin's had, not because her mirth had ended but because she felt an interrupting gaze upon her. She could not explain how she knew someone was gazing upon her, or how she knew it was Inuyasha; perhaps it was an unexpected product from all of her self imposed priestess training that had barred so little fruit; perhaps it was a woman's intuition. Either way, when she looked towards him, the sunlight hitting his face and white mane making him golden in light flames, she was met with a transparent gaze that appeared to go on endlessly. It was a look she had seen only once before, when she had caught Inuyasha with Kikyo and he had planned to break up with her. She had run off before he could, only to return with the proposition that she would stay at his side, should he want her, regardless of if he would continue to run off with Kikyo.

With such a bitter memory, it made sense that she became paralyzed with fear from that look alone. The vibrations from her rapidly beating heart was felt to the brim of her throat down to the pit of her shaking stomach. Her breath was non existent amongst the lungs that had forgotten their functions. She felt the workings of her mind halt in terror as the cracks on their already fragile relationship became deeper and wider.

"Lady Kagome?" she felt young Rin's hand pulling against her hakama, and Rin's gentle voiced pulled her away from her internal torment.

"Oh." Kagome said, still reeling from her comeback to reality. "Yes Rin?"

" Rin asked if we would be having class today? That way she can show Lord Sesshomaru all that she has learned."

Well we definitely have to work on NOT speaking in third person. But.. Kagome didn't want to admit it, but her back felt ablaze where she knew Inuyasha's gaze was placed. She couldn't teach; not today, not right now. Her turmoil was too much of a distraction.

"I'm sorry Rin. Not today, okay? Maybe some other time."

"Is something wrong, Lady Kagome?"

"Oh… i'm just not feeling well is all."

"Are you sick?"

"No, that's not quite it." Kagome said with a small smile. Gently, she placed a hand on Rin's head before guiding it to her cheek. She was such a sweet girl whose concern was never hidden from her face. "Don't worry about me Rin-" Kagome had started, but was interrupted by Sesshomaru.

"Cowardice does not become you, priestess." Sesshomaru said blatantly.

"Wha- what do you mean? How am i being a coward?" She didn't understand. Where had Sesshomaru come up with the idea that she was acting cowardly?

"You are avoiding your fight with the half-breed, Inuyasha, are you not?"

A gasp of shock escaped Kagome. "H-How did you know that Inuyasha and I are fighting?"

Because of the way you shuddered with fright when you looked towards him. Because you only ever leave the village when you are fighting with him. Because he is the only reason why you ever weep. All these answers ran through Sesshomaru's mind, but he ignored them all, and chose an empty response.

"You are predictable." He said with lackluster.

She pouted, giving Sesshomaru an annoyed look. He only raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "Well, priestess?"

"Well what?"

"Will you not confront the half-breed?"

"Oh." She turned to Inuyasha instinctually, and regretted it immediately. When their eyes met, his own still transparent with thoughts of Kikyo, she recoiled, and turned away. I can't she thought to herself, but then she remembered Sesshomaru's words. Cowardice does not become you, priestess. He was right, she was acting like a coward. When had she become so weak? Out of everything she had ever done, travelling back in time to a land of demons, defeating Naraku, giving up her home… school! She had taken it all on so bravely, with hardly any fear. But now she trembled at just the thought of confronting Inuyasha. "What if i'm afraid?" She said meekly.

"Courage without fear has little standing."

He was right. If there was anytime to be brave it would be now. But she quaked, and again her heart felt tight and her breath was gone. Tears welled in her eyes, pooling over and trickling down her cheeks. In desperation, she whimpered "I can't."

She turned away. Her hair, caught in the wind, swayed back and forth as she walked away from the village; away from Sesshomaru; away from Inuyasha.

He wanted to follow her; to be there and comfort her, though he didn't know how. He wanted to hurt his foolish little half-breed brother for hurting the priestess. He wanted to do something. But he stayed still as he was, and just watched as the priestess walked away, the pang and urgency in him increasing with every step.

Rin tugged at his hakama, and in a pleading voice called out to him.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" He looked down at her, remaining silent. "Won't you go after Lady Kagome? Please?"

Her eyes were wide and deep with sadness, while her lower lip jutted out slightly in a frown. It was a look that could bring down any great demon, and he was powerless to resist. It was as he predicted; the visit had become complicated now that Rin knew the priestess was upset, but now he had an excuse to go and do what he truly wanted.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" An irksome voice called from behind. "I cannot find Rin anywhere! It's as though she vanished- Oh. There you are Rin."

"Master Jaken!" She shouted and squeezed with imp with all her might, causing him to gasp in pain."

"Rin you crazy girl! Not so tight! Release me at once!"

"Jaken."

"Eh- Yes mi-lord?"

"Watch over Rin. I will be back shortly."

"Yes of course mi-lord!" Jaken said with a bow, then quickly jumped in a scurry after Lord Sesshomaru."Wait my lord! Where are you going?! Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru simply ignored him, leaving him with Rin and Ah-Un. Rin watched as he left, joy illuminating her as she understood just where he was going. Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. She thought with a grateful bow towards him, though he did not see her.

"Come master Jaken! Let's go find Shippo and Lady Kaede! Then you can play games with us!"

"I will not play games with you, you silly girl! I am a demon- Ah Rin! Let go of me!"

She skipped away with Jaken's arm in her hand while Ah-Un followed. She was certain now, without a doubt, that Lady Kagome would feel all better, now that Lord Sesshomaru was going to help her.

Her scent was easy to pinpoint; a sweet mixture of cherry blossoms and aromatic waterfalls. He knew her scent well and followed it; when had took upon himself to know her scent to distinctly? The path winded, remaining close to the curves of the forest while never crossing in. When he found her, he commended her for the location she had chosen; it was far enough to have privacy, yet not so far to lose sight of the village. It was a spot he would have chosen if he had taken it upon himself to protect this small, insignificant place. She sat with her back against a rock, holding onto her legs as she cried into her knees. She shook and shivered, and with his keen ears, he could hear her whimpers from the distance he held. It would be rude, he deemed, to interrupt her now; this was time she needed alone. So he waited patiently until her shudders became less violent, and her sounds of crying became hushed and subtle. It was only then that he walked up and made his presence known.

"Priestess."

Startled, Kagome lifted and turned her face to see Sesshomaru. Though she just noticed him, she knew he had seen her crying. Certain of how he would react, she braced herself to see his glare of annoyance, a vision of emotional pain appearing on her features. But instead, she saw his cold eyes become kind, and he walked closer to stand beside her. He was silent as she watched him, studied him, all the while trying to understand what he was doing. Then it dawned on her; he had come for her, to make her feel better. Could it be true? She wondered.

"Sesshomaru?"

He looked towards her and was greeted with a familiar sight; Wide eyes deep with sadness, shimmering with light from tears, and a small frown on her pink lips that shattered hearts. So you are the one who taught Rin such a devastating and powerful look. I am fortunate she is not as proficient at it as your are. I would not be able to stand it otherwise.

His eyes were filled with such kindness. Kagome had never seen such a gentle expression on Sesshomaru's face, and whatever meek barrier she had placed around her heart came tumbling down. Without pause, she told everything to Sesshomaru; everything that had occurred in her dream, what had happened when she had gone to Inuyasha, and even her insecurities. The great demon Lord, surprisingly, listened without interruption or scolding looks. He had no reason to, since he wanted to know all that had been burdening her. When all was said and done with, Kagome had run out of tears to weep and Sesshomaru, after Kagome's beckoning, was sitting beside her.

"You must think i'm a fool." Kagome spoke sadly. Even she had viewed herself as a fool. Yet Sesshomaru did not.

A fool. What an idiotic conclusion she has come to. The little priestess thought herself a fool when it was that notion that was truly foolish. With a bit of irritation growing inside him at the priestess's false insecurities, Sesshomaru decided he would rectify this wrong and tell her what he truly thought of her; he would open up to her. With a straightforward attitude, he spoke.

"Ridiculous. Your assumption of my thoughts and your insecurities are false, priestess."

"What are you saying?"

"I do not find you so petty as to consider you a fool. As for your insecurities, they clearly lack any form of truth. You claim to lack grace, yet you ride a contraption few can balance on. You claim to lack confidence, yet you have stood against me on multiple occasions. You claim to be weak and powerless, yet you are the reason we were capable of defeating Naraku. Your wisdom is greater than any other mortal I have crossed in my existence. And as for your beauty, you rival that of any demoness."

It wasn't flattery. It was fact. These weren't things he was just saying to make her feel better; Sesshomaru never wasted his time on such trivial things. He said these things because he truly believed them, because this was how he truly saw her; he respected her. Kagome understood this, and it made his words that much more impactful. She could not deny that for a moment that lasted longer than it should have, Kagome's heart raced rapidly inside her. Sesshomaru…

Unable to restrain herself, Kagome did the unimaginable. She hugged him, the mighty and deadly demon lord, Sesshomaru. It was all she could think of to display her gratitude. She felt him stiffen, and straightaway knew that he was giving her the greatest look of scowl in all of demon history. It would not surprise her if his eyes were rimmed red with irritation, but at the same time, she did not care. There was no doubt in her that he would not harm her, no matter how angry he became. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from all the tears she had shed, or the lack of sleep from the night before, but suddenly her eyelids became heavy. Within seconds they were drooping until they fully closed and she fell into rest.

Sesshomaru watched the sleeping priestess, who had, in her descent into unconsciousness, resulted to resting on his lap. A growl was trapped behind his barred teeth, and his eyebrow urged a twitch. Audacious priestess! She does not know her place! Yet as she laid there, lightly breathing during her calm rest, Sesshomaru's irritation subsided. When a strand of her hair fell across her face, he would carefully brush it away as to not wake her. He was tempted to brush through her hair, much like his father had done to him when he was but a small child, but he resisted. He would allow this insolence this time. There was not much he could do now anyway, short from waking her.

~ • • ~

A distance away, at a small hut with a beautiful pond near by, Rin, Jaken, Ah-Un, Shippo, and Lady Kaede leisurely spent their time away. Rin played with Ah-Un at the higher ground by the pond, running around them while they attempted to nip at her hair or clothing. Jaken, naturally, slept against a nearby tree. Lady Kaede sat on a rock right beside the hut door and close to the lower end of the pond, plucking off leaves from healing herbs and tossing them into a wicker basket, while Shippo sat right at the rim of the pond, his crayons and papers scattered all around him while he drew colorful pictures.

"I have not seen Lord Sesshomaru nor Kagome for some time now. Rin, are ye certain of what ye speak?"

"Oh, yes!" Rin managed to say through labored breath, exhausted from her constant running. "Lord Sesshomaru went to go make Lady Kagome feel better!"

"Is that right? It is strange to think of those two spending so much time together."

"It's even stranger to think of Lord Sesshomaru trying to make someone feel better!" Shippo said as he kicked his feet back and forth in the pond, meticulously drawing on his sketch pad at the same time. "He's probably just standing there not knowing what to do or what to say."

"Lord Sesshomaru's presence alone is enough to make anyone feel better!"

"For you maybe! But he scares me!" Shippo trembled, and his tail shook rapidly.

"I must agree with Shippo. Lord Sesshomaru is not a demon I would like to spend time with. Which leads me back to my original questions. Where could those two be? Could Kagome be in so much distress that so much time is needed?"

Suddenly, an echo of an argument in the village reached the group. At first, it was difficult to hear exactly what words were being said, or who it was that was fighting. Then a clear distinct shout was heard throughout the span of the village. "You're an idiot Inuyasha! A selfish fool!"

"Hey, did ya'll hear that?"

"Aye Shippo, we heard it."

"Do you think maybe it was Kagome?"

"It certainly does sound like her. Huh? Rin, child, where are you going?"

With determined steps, Rin walked up to Ah-Un and jumped onto their back. She knew that the person they had heard was not Lady Kagome, but Sango. There had already been so much fighting lately that Rin was determined to stop anymore if she possibly could. It was bad enough that Lady Kagome and Inuyasha were always fighting; she didn't want to see anyone else fighting, especially with Inuyasha who had a knack for constantly getting into a loud, overbearing fight. So she rode on the demons back, motioning them towards the sound of the commotion.

"Rin! Wait up! I'll come with you! Come on Kaede!" Shippo called out, gathering all his art supplies as quickly as he could. Kaede, slower to move due to age, motioned him along and slowly gathered her work together before tossing a rock towards Jaken's head, startling him into waking.

~ • • ~

Kagome's eyes fluttered open slowly. She had savored her well needed sleep, and rued her awakening. Unwilling to wake just yet, she snuggled against the fine fabric her head was resting on, barely recognizing that something was wrong; that her 'pillow' was not quite right. Gradually, her memories of what had happened before she had fallen asleep returned, ending with her hugging Sesshomaru, and quickly falling asleep. Her eyes shot open, her memories startling her awake, and then she saw that what she feared was true. She had fallen asleep on Sesshomaru's lap! She looked up to see impatient irritation displayed on his face, his golden eyes lit with rage, and bitter words escaped his lips.

"How long do you plan on sleeping on my person, priestess?"

"Ek!" She shouted, removing herself from him as quickly as she could. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Hn." He stood, and began to walk away.

"Hey! Wait a minute, where are you going?! You're not really that mad that I fell asleep on your lap, are you? I said I was sorry!"

A small smirk, hardly noticeable, appeared on his face with a sigh, and he stopped in his tracks. How many times would this woman make wrong assumptions about his thoughts? He did not mind that she rested on him. In fact, in a completely denied way, he had enjoyed watching her slumber. He placed a clawed hand over his face, banishing out the thoughts he did not want, thoughts that were becoming ridiculously common. It was a fact that bothered him greatly. So he moved on quickly to the real reason he had started to leave.

"The half-breed and the slayer have upset Rin."

"Huh? What have they done?"

"Do you not hear their shouting, priestess?"

Kagome paused, waited silently, and then she heard them almost too loudly. Their fight was echoing across the whole area, and though she couldn't make out any words, she could tell that the fight was escalating to high levels. Her brows furrowed, and she stood with new stubbornness in her demeanor. It was an easy bet to say that they were most likely fighting about her, and more specifically how she was feeling in this screwed up relationship she was in with Inuyasha.

"Alright then! Let's go!" And she began to walk in long, determined strides. Sesshomaru waited for her to catch up, and walked beside her side by side. It made him glad, though he wouldn't show it, that the priestess was back to her plucky self. There was no doubt in him that she was now ready to deal with the half-breed.


Well, she may not have been courageous enough to duke it out with Inuyasha, but it sure takes some unbounded courage to sleep on Lord Sesshomaru's lap! This girl, I swear.

Stay tune for the next chapter when ***SPOILER ALERT*** a certain duo impulsively elope and the Goddess of Demons makes her fiendish debut, with a certain character re-emerging on the scene! Oh the excitement! ***Spoiler alert ended***

I haven't quite figured out what the title for the next chapter will be, so if anyone has ideas let me hear them!

Also, I've decided to create a little gift for my readers! And no, its not an actual put-in-a-box-and-wrap-with-a-bow gift, but i'm sure ya'll will like it anyways :P Want to see it? You'll have to wait until chapter 5 (or possibly 6) since it will take me a little time to create.

That's all for today! Please let me know what you thought! I hope ya'll enjoyed it, and for my fellow travelers in life who also just finished finals, WOOT! SUMMER BREAK! -Unless your like me and have decided to shackle all of your free time and hot summer days on the beach to a life of summer school! Yay masochism!-

8D