Thank you everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story. It means the world to me. I have been meaning for a long time to write a KagxSess fanfic but didn't know really how to go about it. I will try my best to stick with the plot and not get side tracked. Any advice is welcome, however please keep your criticism constructive, as anything else might cause me to drop off of the fanfic earth again :(

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha or the characters portrayed in this fanfiction, however the plot behind it is all mine!

Chapter 2: No where to go

I know its vain, but I think the world is out to get me. I mean, if I logically backtrack to the beginning of this journey, anyone can see luck has never been my strong suit. Then again, I am still alive, so maybe I'm luckier than I thought. Though today, I think I have finally reached the end of the line as I stared into the eyes of the devil, his golden orbs promising a very long painful death, and if he so wished it, a painful afterlife as well.

Sesshomaru was by all means not the kind of demon you wanted to cross paths with, and for some reason, I got that distinct impression that I had indeed found myself on his death list. Though if you think about it, he probably doesn't have a list, because any one who could have been on it is probably already dead. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry and my tongue swollen.

He was what you would call perfection. Silver silky hair that came to his knees blew lightly in the wind, not a single strand out of place. Aristocratic features held narrowed golden eyes that would bring any woman happily to her knees if he did not chop them off first. Magenta stripes lined his perfect cheek bones, and thin lips shaped his obvious displeasure.

He was tall, probably taller than most humanoid demons I had met, and his dark armor seem to assist in making him even more imposing in contrast to his white attire that had blood red designs. One of his sleeves waved ominously, his missing limb seemed to not deter him at all, as if his perfection did not need that extra limb to make him any less deadly. Pointed boots stood proudly on the rock he stood on, every inch of him giving off a warning that no being could ignore.

Rin was laying on her back in the water, her long black tresses ensnared my fingers in their dark embrace, as if keeping me from fleeing the silver haired vision of death. I couldn't breath, but thinking did not seem to be a problem. If thinking and panicking could be counted as the same thing that is.

He just continued to stare at me from his perch on a rather large rock, not saying a word, though I could feel his angry aura fill the entire clearing, sending flocks of birds shrieking as they flew to safety.

'How lucky of them, what I wouldn't give for wings right now,' I thought miserably as I considered my best chances of leaving this situation with my life.

As slowly as I possibly dared, I began untangling Rin's hair from my pruned fingers, thinking that a little distance from what was causing the lords's ire might be my saving grace, and then stepping away from the child, my eyes never leaving his, flinching as they filled with hellfire, assessing every movement I made with the cold calculation he was known for.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" came a happy cry, as the child turned in the water to face him, her eyes filled with starlight and sparkling merriment. His cold eyes never left my blue ones, not even to glance at his now clean ward.

Taking notice to the very tense silence and possibly of how her high-esteemed demon lord was eyeing me, Rin decided to help relax the situation. "My lord, Rin was trying to find food because Rin was hungry but slipped and fell in the mud but Lady Kagame helped Rin and helped wash Rin." She stated with all the exuberance that only a child could have in this kind of situation.

Sesshomaru seemed to give no notice to her words as he continued his stare, as if searching for any deceit in my eyes. Apparently, what he found satisfied him, as he now turned those golden eyes towards Rin, where he took a moment to study her appearance, and the slightest movement of his nose gave indication that he was sniffing to determine if she had been injured.

"Rin, where is Jaken," he asked, his voice smooth and fluid, yet raised the hair on my neck all the same.

Rin had the decency to blush, and began fingering circles in the water, as if to ease her mind as she knew that tone meant trouble.

"Lord Jaken was being stupid Lord Sesshomaru, so Rin went to look for food without him." Yeah, even to me that excuse was lame at best, and I could tell Rin had now become the sacrificial lamb to get me out of my hot seat.

"Hn," was all I heard before he turned his back toward us, and began walking away. I couldn't help the sigh of relief that left my already over-taxed lungs, before greedily soaking in as much oxygen as I could to replenish what I had lost since the moment of his appearance.

I had faced demons that were ten times bigger than Sesshomaru, but that didn't make me believe for one second that he would make them look like child's play, not to mention I had never personally faced any of those demons alone before.

"Sorry Lady Kagome, Rin got you in trouble, are you mad," she mourned as she glanced at me, her pretty brown eyes that just moments ago were filled with childish glee were now shrouded in doubt and concern.

How could I possibly be mad at her. I'm pretty positive even without her help I would have found myself in an equally as terrifying a situation, though I tried to push that thought to the back of my mind.

I gave her a small smile and shook my head, speaking as gently and softly as I could manage, "No Rin, you really saved me back there. Thanks." No sooner than I had said that, Sesshomaru had reappeared with what looked like a clean kimono for Rin. He didn't say anything, just watched silently as Rin made her way over to him. It kind of reminded me of a dog, keeping a careful eye on his unruly pup, a dog with very sharp teeth and the ability to poison you if you piss him off.

I stayed where I was, feeling that distance in this situation might just prolong my life, just in case he changed his mind about letting me live. I observed as Rin first took what looked like a large piece of cloth which she used to dry off. Apparently Lord Sesshomaru kept towels, who knew?

Then a blue kimono was put on with tasteful splashes of white and a yellow obi, the colors giving off the impression of a warm summer sky. For a moment, I wondered if Sesshomaru had picked that out himself or if that was due to Rin's preference. Maybe I shouldn't wonder about these things right now…

Finally dressed, the raven haired girl looked back at me and waved goodbye, before following after Sesshomaru who was already leaving, apparently forgetting about the human who had dared to touch his charge. Rin's dirty kimono was left abandoned, its services no longer needed.

I didn't move for awhile, ignoring how my skirt now clung awkwardly to my legs, or how cold the water was, or that my feet were probably super pruned right now.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," I said encouragingly to myself after a few more moments, finally finding that discarded courage that had done a man over-board when the demon lord first arrived.

I find it pretty hard to believe that this was the guy I gave a lecture to when I had first met him, or that I had in fact tried to shoot him with an arrow a few times. I suppose that is what you call being young and stupid, because just a moment ago, I knew for a fact that my life had been in his claws.

Walking slowly back to dry land, I found myself sitting on the rock that Sesshomaru had vacated, wondering what to do next. Should I go back to Inuyasha. Was he still mad at me. Was I still mad at him?

When it came right down to it, there was no reason for me to stay out here. I had, like an idiot, forgot my backpack at camp, along with my bow and arrows, and I am now cold, wet, have no way to protect myself and hungry.

I could feel my face burn with embarrassment and anger, not really at Inuyasha, but at myself. Why am I always so helpless. I have been traveling to the warring states era for two years now. TWO! So why do I still make mistakes as if I had just got here. Why couldn't I be strong like Sango, or smart on my feet like Miroku?

At times, I feel more helpless than Shippo, I mean honestly, when I'm kidnapped and he's with me, he is usually more helpful getting me out of the situation than I am. Sure he's a demon but dang it he's still a kid. While I, a 17 year old teenager, couldn't seem to find herself out of a paper bag without getting lost or kidnapped or as today proved, in mortal danger.

Didn't I have these oh so great priestess powers that were supposed to be useful in situations like these? Yet I wasn't any closer to controlling them then when I first started. Sure, my archery has gotten better, and usually my powers worked just fine with the arrows, but anything else, like barriers or just blasting a demon to bits with my purity, nothing.

Was something wrong with me? Occasionally we'd run into a village miko whom I'd ask for a quick lesson from, and while I'd understand the concept that they had tried to teach me, actually doing it seemed impossible. It was always the same. Inuyasha would always just say that I didn't need to learn things that I obviously wasn't good at, and to just focus on finding the jewel shards.

All he could tell me was to continue being useless, to being the weakest link, to stay stuck in the hole I was in, and never climb out. I felt self-pity taking over again. Lately it had become the friend I turned to when I was alone. Doubt had seemed to take over my mind and soul, and I began wondering once more why I was here. Why was I brought back to this era only to break the jewel of four souls. Wouldn't it have been better if I had found the jewel in my time? Where there were no demons that would kill even just to see it.

When the jewel was complete, what was I supposed to do with it? Give it to Inuyasha? I mean, lets just face it, we wouldn't have been able to get as far as we had without him. Was he not deserving of it, he had lost the love of his life because of a cruel trick played by Naraku for the jewel, he had fought hell and back just to collect the pieces we did have.

So why did I feel like the idea of giving him the jewel would be a very bad idea. My hand brushed against my bruised cheek, a constant reminder of the violence that Inuyasha had used against me. Could I really keep using the excuse that he didn't know better, that he didn't grow up socialized so of course he didn't know how to treat people.

'He doesn't smack Sango or Miroku around or call them names,' I thought bitterly, my eyes never leaving my reflection. Who was this sad creature I was looking at? It couldn't be the same Kagome that came through the well two years ago. Where did that girl go? The one who was spunky and full of fire and would NEVER let a man treat her the way Inuyasha had. The one who knew who she was and what she stood for.

I thought of how I reacted when he hit me. It had been such a shock that I had just stood there, my face forcefully smacked to the side. Everyone at camp had gasped, Sango instantly coming to my side and standing protectively in front of me, back taunt with anger. Shippo had started screaming at Inuyasha, I could hear him crying and Miroku trying to calm the escalating situation.

I wanted so badly to look at Inuyasha, to see if he regretted his decision. If he'd say he was sorry, that it had been a mistake of blind anger, but all I could see was his ears erect and pin straight, his eyes narrow, and his body vibrating with anger. He had been yelling something but I couldn't hear anything. It felt like every thing had become background noise at that point. I had started running before I even took notice, my feet taking me as far as they could, deep into the forest we had been walking through, the sounds of my scattered thoughts that didn't make any sense filling my mind as blind panic had taken over.

To be honest, even if I wanted to go back, I had no idea where I was, where camp was, or anything in between. "Maybe when Sesshomaru was here I should have asked him for directions." I snorted, my temporary humor helping to light the situation, if only for a second.

"Lady Kagome is still here?" came a voice from behind me, jolting me out of my thoughts. Turning around, I found myself faced with Rin's bright chocolate eyes. "Rin, what are you doing here?!" I asked, my hand finding itself at my heart, the shock of her return stunning me for a moment.

"Rin thought to try and catch fish for dinner, and then Rin saw Lady Kagome hadn't left and came to check on you." she smiled sincerely, a net of two fish in the child's hand as if to help verify her story. A few yards behind her, I could see Lord Sesshomaru standing there, Jaken and Ah-Un now in tow.

"Why is Lady Kagome still here?" her tone was inquisitive, not at all accusing, and I couldn't help but smile at her curiosity.

"I don't know how to get back to camp, I guess I got lost, so I thought it would be better to stay here, then get more lost," I said as blithely as I could, as if the thought of being lost didn't scare me shitless. It actually was a pretty normal occasion for me when you really thought about it.

Rin tilted her head to the side for a moment, obviously unsure how to take my statement, before smiling brightly, her eyes lighting up once more in good cheer, and idea obviously striking the child. "Will Lady Kagome help Rin catch fish than?" She asked, tilting back in forth on the heels of her feet in barely contained glee.

Watching her reminded me of a certain mischievous fox demon, and I couldn't help the slight laugh that came out, my problems forgotten for the time being. After all, who was I to ever deny a child. Reminding myself that Rin wasn't the only one here, I looked up at Sesshomaru, my body flinching at his intense stare. Rin turned her attention to him, asking as politely as she could manage in her excited state, "Lord Sesshomaru, can Lady Kagome catch fish with Rin?"

'Leave it to the kid to handle the adult business, good job Kagome,' I thought as my cheeks reddened slightly at the humiliation of being too scared to ask myself. Sesshomaru gave me a sharp glance, his eyes lighting with a deadly warning as he gave a quick nod to the head, telling me exactly what would happen if I should step a toe out of line around Rin.

For a moment I wondered why I would put myself in this situation. Yet, when it came right down to it, I had nothing better to do, and the idea of being left alone to my own self-pity was suffocating. I was in desperate need of a distraction.

I got up from my rock, and settled for following Rin down the path next to the lake as she looked for her perfect spot to go fishing.

A little ways ahead we came to a spot where the lake turned into a small stream, allowing clear view of its inhabitants. I watched as Rin carefully observed the fish, her eyes following every movement, obviously well practiced in the verse of catching the slippery things.

In one fluid movement she caught her prey, a small grey fish that was slightly bigger than my palm. it was then placed in her little net that homed the rest of her dinner. "Your turn," she said, looking at me expectantly. 'Wow…This is going to be embarrassing' I thought, as I turned to observe the water.

Risking a look at Rin's fearsome protector, I could feel my face burning as he continued watching me. Catching dinner had never really been my strong suit. Usually Inuyasha or Sango would take care of that if we ran out of ramen. Knowing I had an audience to the show I was about to put on made me feel even more embarrassed of my lack of surviving skills.

Taking a deep breath I gently walked into the stream, once again putting my tortured feet back into its cold depths as I stared at the quick moving creatures. Eyeing a slightly bigger fish than the rest, I watched for a moment, then as quickly as I could reached for it. Not surprisingly it got away, swimming lazily to the side, as if laughing at my attempt. Annoyed, I tried again. No dice.

"Lady Kagome…you're not very good at this are you." 'Thanks Rin, I just love when people point out the obvious,' I thought sarcastically as I bit my lip to keep from saying anything stupid.

"Watch where it is going to go, and then reach for it there," Rin said, before once again catching another fish, not reaching for where it was originally, but more towards the right. Catching on, it took me five tries before I finally caught the fish I'd been eyeing.

"I got it!" I cried happily, holding it as best I could. Before I knew what was happening, the slimy wriggling thing had jumped out of my grasp and was once more back in the stream, swimming merrily away from me, never to be seen again. "Never mind," I muttered, blushing as Rin giggled next to me, obviously having a good time at my expense.

'Could this day possibly get any worse?' I inwardly moaned, eyeing the stoic demon to my right, his mocking smirk never leaving his face as he gazed at my "progress." God, I am so ready to crawl under a rock and die of embarrassment.

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