AN: Thank you for the reviews bows>. As for the updates, I'll be posting them once a week or once in two weeks, for now at least. And don't worry, Kagome is all right. That injury was necessary for the story. And when she finds out who rescued her... well, you have to see that.

Friendships Last Forever

Chapter 2

First thing Kagome realises is that her stomach hurts, badly. She opens her eyes and sees a face of an older woman in miko outfit. Who is this miko? I don't remember anyone with her face in Kaede's village.

"Poor child, how are you feeling?"

"My stomach hurts. And I feel kinda dizzy. Where's Kaede?"

"You're from Kaede's village, dear?" Kagome nods and the old miko continues. "You must've come a long way, child. That village is far from here."

Far from here! Kagome tries to sit up, but a sharp pain stops her. "Ow! How can that be? I woke up in Kaede's hut, went out for a walk and wake up here." She ignores the pain and sits up anyway.

"I sensed youki before I found you in front of my hut. Are you travelling with a youkai, dear?" Her voice is not judging, merely kind and curious.

Kagome is quiet for a moment before she replies to the other woman. "I travel with a hanyou, nekomata and a kitsune cub. Umm…" She's not exactly sure, how to phrase her question, but it seems that there is no need for it. The old miko nods to show her that she knows what the girl is about to ask.

"No, child. No hanyou, nekomata, or kitsune have been spotted near the village. Now, tell me, do you remember what gave you that wound?"

Kagome lies back down when she tries to remember what happened after she left Kaede's hut. "I sensed youki, and then I was surrounded by many lesser youkai. I remember nothing else."

"Very well, child. After you get better we can think how to get you back to Kaede, and these friends of yours. I have already spoken to the head of the village, and you can stay here as long as you have to."

Kagome just nods and closes her eyes. What happened to those youkai? How did I get in here? Where's Inuyasha? With these thoughts in her mind, she finally falls asleep.

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Sesshoumaru growls as he sits on his branch. As soon as that half breed shows up, he can get back to finding Naraku. Why it seems that the ones, who are the greatest nuisance I have ever met, happen to be worthless half breeds?

Suddenly his train of thought stops as he senses youki nearby. Excellent, it's time to hunt. He was getting bored anyway. He leaps down from his branch as he sees a boar youkai. He snorts. That thing can never offer challenge for someone such as myself, but I'm bored. And a bored taiyoukai is not something most people wishes to stick too close to.

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Inuyasha is kneeling over a pool of dried blood when the others reach him riding on Kirara's back.

"Inuyasha, is Kagome dead?" Shippou is also studying the pool, carefully sniffing it, recognising Kagome's scent immediately.

Hanyou shakes his head. "There isn't enough blood. But what worries me, is that I can sense Sesshoumaru."

"You're saying he did something to Kagome?" Miroku sounds very worried.

Inuyasha growls. "I don't know. I can also smell other youkai." With no more words he takes off to follow Sesshoumaru's scent, knowing very well, that the others will follow him. If Sesshoumaru does anything to Kagome, I will kill him, I swear.

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Within few days Kagome is strong enough to help village's miko with her duties; she fetches herbs, purifies lesser youkai with borrowed bow and arrows, and treats the sick and the wounded, and so on.

The nights she spends in the miko's hut, telling her stories of her adventures she and her friends have had when trying to find the shards of the Shikon no Tama.

She is sure that Inuyasha is looking for her, and that he will come to get her if she waits long enough. What she doesn't know is that Inuyasha has already lost her tracks and is going the wrong way. She is also unaware of youkai who keeps other youkai from the village. Every now and then she senses some youki, but it always vanishes pretty soon.

Then in one day she senses a massive amount of youki, and sees a swarm of lesser youkai flying towards the village.

She and the miko purify as much as they can, but it never seem to be enough. Youkai just keep coming, killing people. When the miko next to her falls into ground and the youkai head towards her, she thinks she's dead.

Kagome closes her eyes firing her last arrow towards the swarm. Some of the youkai gets purified, but not enough, so she says her goodbyes. I'm sorry, mom. Inuyasha, defeat Naraku for me.

Her eyes are still closed as she feels something bumping into her and a hand around her waist. Inuyasha! She is relieved when she realises that she will stay alive.

She feels the air passing by as her rescuer moves through forest. She's about to open her eyes, when she realises something. Wait a minute… This youki, it's not Inuyasha! But still familiar… She tries to remember where she's sensed this youki before. Oh, no. No, no, no… Please, no. She is suddenly afraid to open her eyes.

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Sesshoumaru runs through fields and forests as he heads for his castle. He's not content with the idea of taking her there, but right now he can think of nothing else. He glances at the young woman he just rescued, once more, as she tenses. After short hesitation he stops at a clearing and releases her.

For a little while after feeling the rescuer releasing her, Kagome stands still, before she opens her eyes and sees the very same youkai she was hoping not to see. She stumbles backwards until her back is against a tree.

Sesshoumaru looks at her with his usual expression of boredom on his face. He doesn't allow the girl to see that right now he's actually curious. Why is she not screaming or running already? Is she not afraid of me?

Kagome is afraid at first, but since the taiyoukai hasn't attacked her yet she relaxes a bit. What happened at the village? Why did he save me? She tries to figure out the best way to ask these questions.

They look at each other in silence for minutes, until Kagome speaks. "Umm… Sesshoumaru, thank you."

She sees a quick quirk of a black eyebrow, before it's gone and his normal expression back on his face. "For what?"

"For saving me from those youkai."

He shrugs a little. "Call it what you will."

"Do you know how I ended up in that village?"

He nods. "Someone had to protect you since my worthless half brother was not around to protect what is his."

"Don't talk of Inuyasha like that! I'm sure he was busy elsewhere. And I'm not his!"

"You are his to protect. Thus, you are his."

"Hey! Hold on…" Sudden realization hits her. "You, protecting a human? I thought you despised humans."

"I do. It would dishonourable to leave a woman to die if I could prevent it."

"Err… You did try to kill me once already!"

"It is not dishonourable to kill a woman if she is an enemy."

"What about the forest? You carried me to the village, right?"

"I assure you, I was not thrilled about it."

"You attacked the youkai who attacked me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

"I wish not to lose my honour for a human such as yourself."

"Whatever." She sighs. "If you would show me the way to the nearest village, I'll be on my way." The youkai doesn't move, instead, he just looks at her with amused smirk. Kagome frowns. "What's so funny?"

"You humans seem to have problems with your hearing, or maybe with comprehension. I will protect you until Inuyasha shows up."

Kagome looks at him, stunned. She considers her options and finally sighs. "All right." Then she notices that sun is setting. "Great. Hopefully you don't expect me to travel at night."

"We will depart at dawn."

Kagome nods and yawns. For a while she looks around to find a suitable place to sleep. Soon enough she finds one at the centre, which is far enough from Sesshoumaru. She heads towards a mossy spot while she hears his voice from behind her and she stops.

"Where are you going, human?"

She turns to face him. "There's a softer spot over there. I'm going to sleep there."

"No, you are not. Come here."

"Come? What? No way! How can I sleep with a youkai next to me?"

Suddenly he is right in front of her. "First of all, if I intended to harm you, do you not think that I would have done so already? And I did say that I would not allow you to be harmed until you were at my half brother's care once more. I am not content with the fact to be near to a human, I assure you, but I am bound by my honour to make sure no harm comes to you. Also, if you do not do this voluntarily, I will carry you there and tie you up. The decision is yours."

Kagome starts and stares at him with a frightened look on her face. She thinks about this for a while before she sighs heavily. "Fine." She follows him to a tree near a small rock at the edge of the clearing. Sesshoumaru jumps at the branch over the only root free spot at the base of the tree. Kagome lies down and curls herself in fetal position. She falls asleep almost right away.

From his branch Sesshoumaru observes Kagome as she allows sleep to take her with it. He listens at her heartbeat which slows down, and her deepening breathing. As she falls into deeper sleep, he readies himself for the long night.