A/N:  Most of you have probably guessed the savior by now.  Yes!  It is Naraku!

Readers:  *fall and glare angrily at Dark Star*

Nonono!  Scratch that!  *shuffles papers*  Ahhh, yes!  You will find out in the story!  ^_~

Enjoy!

P.S.  I'm short on inspirations for this one, I think I only have one or two.  =_=;;;

Disclaimer:  Fluffy-chan, sadly, does not belong to anyone *pulls him out of Fluffy fans' grasps* but Ms. Takahashi.  *secretly steals Sess and locks him in the closet*

Sesshoumaru

Chapter Three

As he glided through the crisp morning air, Sesshoumaru scanned the land below him for any trouble.  After all, the only job he had as the Western Lord-to-be was to protect the people of the land.  It was not long until the throne was finally turned over to him.  In fact, it was sometime this month.  Though it was he who would rule the whole of the Western Lands, it was his father's will to give Inuyasha a limited amount of land to deem as his own.  Sesshoumaru was grateful for the ruling position.  Had it been Inuyasha to be Lord, it would have embarrassed him greatly as the older and firstborn son.  In the near-distance, he could see his own home, a section of the castle grounds with its own 'house'.  Though it was only a part of the castle, it was humongous, large enough to accommodate 150 people.  In it, resided about thirty servants, Jaken, Rin, and himself.  He sped up, eager to finally go 'home' and clean himself up; he was a mess.  Landing in the balcony of his room, he pushed open the simple light wooden doors.  His familiar room greeted his sight, relaxing his tense muscles.  A soft breeze whispered through the open doors to the balcony, lifting the soft white silk of the curtains of the windows and bed.  Soft golden rays shone through, casting the room into a cozy warmth.  The dark brown wood of the bed illuminated into a reddish color and back to brown as shadows flicked over them.  Sesshoumaru smiled.  This was the simplicity of his life; day in and day out...before Rin came.  As the gentle wind lifted the curtains of the canopy bed, he saw her curled up form on his bed, sleeping soundly.  Shuffling quietly into the room, he opened the door to the hallway, sliding it silently closed behind him.  He strode quietly through the halls, his feet carrying him of their own accord to the bathroom.

Sniffing the air, he found that Jaken was asleep as well.  A couple servants had just gotten up, sensing his presence and starting to prepare a meal.  He stopped, sliding a wooden door open to reveal a hot spring surrounded by flowerbeds and a few cherry trees.  A magic spell had put the room into an enchantment, making it take up no space at all in the castle, yet in actuality at the same time, be immense and filled with plant life that could not normally live without sunlight.  It was as if time was made separate in this room, flowing of its own will.  He threw his clothes and armor carelessly aside, knowing that one of the servants would eventually come to pick it up, as well as leave another change of clothing.  Quickly, he slipped into the comfortably hot water, almost wanting to purr at the strange sensation it always created.  Sesshoumaru cupped his hands into the water and splashed it on his face, seeming to cleanse him of any worrying thoughts.  Diving under, he swam through the depths of the spring, certain thoughts surfacing as he glided through the tranquil water.  That girl...  His mind recalled the events of the former night, vividly displaying the human girl to him.  Her actions were questionable, as well as her intelligence.  To not know the Prince of the Western Lands was very...strange.  It was as if she had come from another world.  Everyone knew the lord of his or her lands.  In fact, they had to pay tribute to him every month, on the 13th day.  It was the myth that if one did not pay tribute, a terrible fate would befall them on midnight of the 13th.  Foolish humans.

Somehow, it had occurred to him that this girl was, perhaps, very unique.  Not only was the way she dressed very...revealing...but it was a totally different style from even the most modern kimonos that women adorned.  Her hair had not been tied, as it should have been, and her shoes were different.  The blue-gray eyes that had looked at him with sympathy had glinted with courage, like no other woman would have.  Yes, he decided, she must not be of this world.  He surfaced and dived down again, turning his thoughts to another matter.  When should I visit Inuyasha?  Turning over onto his back, he swam backwards through the clear water.  'Three days.'  That settled, he surfaced again, removing himself from the water.  He grabbed a towel conveniently placed at the side of the spring.  Slipping on a robe, also set out for him, he went about drying himself.

~*~*~

It seemed as if a black veil had been thrown over her, blocking her from the rest of the world.  Kagome sat against the wall of her prison, the black void of the Shikon no Tama protecting her from the toils of day.  She could barely feel the spot on her shoulder, which had received the enchanted arrow from the bitch Kikyou.  She growled, kicking at the blank air in front of her.  Who knows when she would be rescued...IF she would be rescued... What kind of male youkai exists that would not want the Shikon?  Silently, with its own walls, Kagome had been educated, told the story of the Jewel of Four Souls.  Of course, what the voice of the jewel told her was nothing compared to its true history.  There were many secrets still yet to be discovered.  Now, the voice spoke to her again, taking a body to accompany it.

"Kagome," the male called, starting to take form in front of her.

His figure was not one that frightened her.  He had come to her many times with the past several hours.  The voice was still light and musical, warm and comforting, yet serious and demanding.  Smooth silky jet-black hair fell loosely down to his waist, seeming to give a light luster.  Emerald green eyes peered warmly at her, seeming to smile brightly even in the drab conditions of the Shikon.  This man had been a constant source of comfort in this lonely void.  She did not yet know his name, but he looked familiar, faintly.  Something sparked vaguely inside of her, and she had taken to calling him Seisho.  Inside her head, she described him as 'beautiful' and not as 'handsome' though he could be easily called either.  He was tall, well built.

"Yes, Seisho?" she answered, looking lazily up at him.

He frowned slightly, sitting down next to her.  "You're growing lazy."

"There isn't anything to do," she said scornfully, kicking again at the floor that wasn't there.

"There is much to do, just not in this timeless void," he said matter-of-factly.

"That's what I meant and you know that," Kagome said, looking over at him.

He was dressed in an emerald green kimono, matching perfectly with his unnatural eyes.  Of course, Kagome's eyes were unnatural as well.  Seisho, as he was called, smiled at the Chosen One, the one to carry the jewel.  "Someone will come for you very soon," he assured, pulling her onto his lap.

Kagome gasped softly before settling down in the silky kimono.  "How do you know?" she asked, staring into the blank space before them.

"I know what I know," he said simply, holding her lightly.

The bitterness shot into her seemed to evaporate in his arms.  His presence was mysterious, surreal.  She silently wished to herself that he would always be there for her.

"You are worried," he stated clearly, resting his chin on her head.

"Yes...in a way," she said, smiling.

"What is there to be worried about?" Seisho asked, nuzzling his face in her soft hair.

"Will I truly be rescued?" she asked uncertainly, twirling a lock of his hair that strayed to her shoulder.

"Do you not trust my word?"

"Yes, of course I do, but..."

"I see...so in a way, you wish not be rescued," he said, a bit puzzled.

Kagome did not answer, instead staring out across the great expanse of the void.  Finally, she sighed, leaning against him.  "Are you real, Seisho?"

The figure smiled gently.  "Do you think I am real?" he asked.

"I don't know," she answered slowly.  "You're here, with me, but you weren't there in reality."

This is dumb.  I haven't even known the guy for a whole day!  Yet, still.  Kagome felt a strong bond to him.  Something about this mysterious person promised protection to her, trust, life, hope.  It seemed, right now, that he was her lifeline.  Or maybe, perhaps, it was only because he was the sole person other than her in this wretched place.

"I am real in this place, in this time.  Yet, I am also real in the outside world, yet as a spirit in the Shikon Jewel," he said softly.

Though she was confused, for now, she was satisfied with his answer.  "I will find you in the real world," she said, feeling herself drift back to sleep.  "I will find you, Seisho."

Seisho held her gently, watching silently as she fell back into the slow rhythms of sleep.  "Find me," he whispered to her sleeping form, inhaling the sweet scent of her body, "Return me to what I once was..."

A/N:  oooooo...cliffhanger...of sorts.  well, hope ya liked it!  Ideas are starting to spark!  ^_^  Suggestions (always) welcome!  I may be making the OC a little obvious, but yeah.  ^.~  I luvya all!  More reviews=faster chapters!!!  ^.^  I'm not gonna post until I reach the 100th review!  (I know, it sounds selfish, but it should give me some time to think.  NO MULTIPLE REVIEW ENTRIES!!!)  Thanks a bunch!

~*~*~Dark Star~*~*~