Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha!

Wow. Just... wow.

I get on my email after school, only to discover that this story has been added as favourites/alert SIX times today!

I am so. happy. ;-;

This makes me feel so loved, because I was writing chapters in my notebook during school today instead of doing my work!

I have up to chapter 5 done already, and will keep posting a new chapter ever day for as long as... I have chapters.

Please review!


It's been two weeks since Kagome stomped out of the hut. She really considered going back home -for good. She could go back to school, see her family, hang out with her friends... But after the thought, she always reminded herself that it was her responsibility to gather the rest of the jewel shards. Just because Naraku was dead didn't mean she could stop her duty. And it couldn't be done without her, no matter if Inuyasha wanted to believe differently.

Two weeks of walking and fighting any demon that happened to pass by. Two weeks of a slight awkward silence with all of her friends. Two weeks of doing anything she could to not speak to Inuyasha.

The hanyou had been silent at first, although he always glared over at her, as if everything was her fault. He never had said anything about the smell of Sesshoumaru all over her, although she knew he had been able to tell. After the first couple of days, he would say something to Kagome, only to have her answer with one word, if at all. By now, he had gotten frantic to get her to talk to him. He was doing anything he could. Trying to make her happy, make her mad. Once, he had tried to make her jealous. But she hadn't said anything. If she could keep up with the couple of words, then that's what she did. She was afraid she would blow up whenever he said something to her. It was all she could do to keep from doing so.

Everyone was shocked, although they didn't voice it. Kagome never stayed this mad at Inuyasha for long. She'd get over what was troubling her after a while, and start talking to her best friend, and -obviously- one-sided love, again. They always made up again, it was what they did. It was inevitable. Or so they thought; she still hadn't. Everyone was at a complete loss of what to do.

Everyone had tried talking to her at least once. Miroku was the first: he told her that love was painful, and that these things need mending. You couldn't just leave them be. Sango had told her to stop sulking over him, and to find someone else. Shippou had suggested she go to Kouga: he would happily take her. She felt like she was being passed along, although she knew that wasn't what her friends were saying.

And part of Kagome's 'problem' had nothing to do with Inuyasha at all. Over the past two weeks, she had found that whenever she wasn't doing something important, her thoughts would drift off. This would be just fine if the person they drifted off to was the hanyou, like it usually was. But now, it wasn't. Instead, whenever her mind was blank, and she wasn't thinking of something specific, her thoughts went off to Sesshoumaru. She had no idea why, and no idea how to stop it, and it was bugging her.

Kagome would realize she was thinking about the demon lord once again, and then make herself think of Rin instead -as if she were thinking of Sesshoumaru because of the girl. But it never worked. When her mind was silent again, the silver hair and gold orbs would come into her thoughts once again. She couldn't get away from her mind.

Two weeks. And then, as if he knew she were thinking of him all the time, couldn't get him from her mind, he was right in front of her.

Inuyasha's ears had twitched, and a cruel growl left his throat, about to bark out an order, probably to move back. But it was too late -the next moment, Sesshoumaru was in front of her, the fur boa around his body still floating behind him. He had a slight odd glow around him from when he 'flew'. Kagome yelped from surprise, and stumbled back.

Sesshoumaru's hand shot out, resting on her upper arm. She only would have fell onto her bottom in the dirt, but he had helped her. Kagome's face turned a light pink, and she was about to sputter about a thank you when he spoke. "I need the miko." Okay, so maybe he hadn't helped her.

There was a moment of shocked silence, from everyone excepted the increasingly irritated demon lord. After a moment, Inuyasha was behind Kagome, once hand on her shoulder, the other on Tessaiga. "Excuse me?" he growled out, pulling his blade out a fraction of an inch. Even Kagome wanted to glare at him, and say, 'Not like that, you moron.'

The youkai just narrowed his eyes and pulled -gentle enough to not hurt- on Kagome's arm, pulling her from his half-brother. So now, she had stumbled toward the man. He didn't seem to be enjoying any of it, and glanced down at the girl, only speaking to her. "Rin has been taken."

Kagome felt her heart strings pull, but she kept a calm face. She was feeling awkward between the two brothers, and wanted nothing more to just sink into the ground and off the face of the earth. She could hear Sango, Miroku, and Shippou all behind them a few feet, whispering to each other or muttering to themselves. She suddenly felt as though she were on display. "Can't you track her?"

Sesshoumaru looked away for a moment, as if thinking on whether or not to answer her question. If he answered with no, then he would seem cold-hearted and lazy. If he answered yes, then he would seem weak and incapable. Finally, he answered. "I have tried," he paused, considering his wording carefully. "The demon had one of those Jewel Shards. You can track them." Somehow, he managed to make the obvious question into a statement.

Kagome weighed her options. She couldn't just leave the girl with a demon that might hurt her. Sure, Sesshoumaru was also a demon, but he'd never hurt Rin. Him coming to her for help just proved that, even if the man would never admit it to himself or anyone else. She also had another thought: What would Inuyasha think? She had already left for two days, only to come back with Sesshoumaru's smell all over her. But then it hit her: Why the hell should she even care? After her moment of her own thought, she nodded. "Alright, then."

Sesshoumaru didn't give any indication that he had heard her, although they started to float upward, his hand still on her upper arm. Inuyasha made a choking sound, "W-wait!" He jumped up, trying to grab Kagome to pull her away from his half-brother. The girl looked up at Sesshoumaru, who easily dodged the attempt.

"They can't come?" She kept her voice low, knowing that Sesshoumaru would be able to hear. He was a full demon, after all. She received a small, almost unnoticeable, shake of the head. Kagome wet her lips and looked down at the worried Inuyasha. "I'll be fine."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her. "And how do you know?" He moved his glare to the demon, as if trying to silently remind herself of who she was going with. Of what he had tried to do to her in the past. As if she wasn't already aware of all of this. She wasn't a little girl. No, she was going to save one.

Kagome looked up at her 'captor'. She couldn't bare to keep looking at Inuyasha. His worried demeanor was quickly changing to accusation. She thought that was kind of ironic: he was getting all mad over this, when she had found him and Kikyou in much more compromising acts. "He owes me." Although she wasn't looking at him anymore, she had directed her words at Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru understood, unlike Inuyasha who had started his yelling. The demon lord pulled her to him, putting the arm that was around her arm to her waist so that she wouldn't fall. She tried to keep her blush down, and moved one of her hands to grip a spike coming off of his armour.

They began glowing, and then they were gone. Up in the air, heading off to somewhere. Kagome had no idea where she was being taken, but that didn't scare her as much as her following thought: She didn't care.