Chapter Four

Two days after the nightmare, Kagome was happy again, but she couldn't help, but wonder if Sesshomaru actually took her in for his own reasons and not because Rin had begged him to. His mask of indifference was almost always on, except at times when they were alone together at night, and then he would become caring and less stoic.

"Sesshomaru, could we make camp here, it's getting dark and I'm tired out," Kagome said as she tried to keep up with the demon lord's brisk pace. She had almost crashed into him when he stopped suddenly, but stopped herself in time.

"Jaken, set up the fire, we're stopping," Sesshomaru said, walking over to Rin and picking her up from Ah-Un's back. It surprised Kagome how protective and father-like Sesshomaru was towards Rin. He may have not known it, but Rin already portrayed him as her father, it was one of the many secrets Rin had confided in Kagome. Just like Sesshomaru didn't know that Rin thought him as her father, Kagome didn't know that Rin had told Sesshomaru that she wanted Kagome as her mother.

(AN: Ah, the devious mind of a little girl. Ignore me, I'm feeling … melodramatic today)

Kagome got up after she had finished her meal to take a walk. She found a stream and created a protection barrier around herself so she could think without getting worried about random youkai attacking her. Since she had started traveling with Sesshomaru, she had gotten 5 more shards of the jewel. With Sesshomaru and his full-youkai powers, killing the demons were much easier than with Inuyasha. Unfortunately for Kagome, Koga had also encountered their little group twice. Kagome inwardly winced at the memory.

Kagome had been traveling with Sesshomaru for 2 days and were stopping to give Rin a chance to pick some blueberries, when Sesshomaru gripped his sword in a battle stance. Kagome's first thought was, 'WTF', when she sensed two jewel shards rapidly approaching, when she figured it was Koga.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru. It's okay its only Koga," Kagome said lightly resting her hand on Sesshomaru's arm. What he replied made her surprised.

"It's not just that, it's his lust for you, it's dripping off his scent," came the tense reply of the Taiyoukai. Kagome had always known that Koga liked to think her as 'his woman', no matter how many times she told him to go after Ayame, and that she just wasn't interested, but she had never knew it was only for his lust. She inched behind Sesshomaru when Koga appeared in his usual tornado of dust.

Koga had spotted Kagome right away and rushed over to her, but was stopped by Sesshomaru holding out Tensaiga. The two male demons starred at each other with death glares before Koga turned his head away.

"Humph," he said, before running to Kagome again.

"My lovely woman, come, let's get away from this filthy dog, and I'll show you real love," said Koga, barely containing his lust for Kagome. Kagome was seriously freaked out now, and she backed away from Koga who was advancing on her. She 'eeped' and ran to Sesshomaru's side. His fluffy tail automatically wrapped itself around Kagome's waist.

Kagome had been seriously debating against herself whether or not she should use her miko powers to fend off Koga, when Sesshomaru's tail wrapped around her, and she felt a calming sense of security.

Kagome sighed to herself, that annoying voice in her head was coming back now to annoy her.

'Come on say it. You know that you like him'

Who the hell are you and why are you in my head?

Come off of it, I'm YOU!

If you were I, then you would know that I don't like Sesshomaru!

Are you sure?……

Kagome sighed again. That voice! She was going to have to find some way of blocking it out of her head. She stood up and headed back to camp. Rin was still sleeping under the watchful eyes of Ah-Un, and Jaken was snoring away under a pear tree. Kagome looked around, and finally found Sesshomaru keeping watch from the top of the pear tree. She climbed up and sat on the branch next to him.

Sesshomaru was also having a fight with his youkai, when he heard Kagome climb up the tree to sit next to him. He turned to her and sensed that she was nervous about being up this high, so he wrapped his tail around her. Kagome relaxed almost instantly. They sat in silence for a while before Kagome spoke up.

"Sesshomaru?" she inquired softly.

"Hn," was his reply. Kagome took it as a sign to continue.

"Why do you never kill Inuyasha? And don't try to give me that shit about he is a good fighter and he held you off. We both know that you are clearly the stronger one, yet you never actually kill him," Kagome continued, looking at the silent lord.

Sesshomaru thought about his answer for a while. The actual answer he was going to give Kagome was that it was to keep Inuyasha on his toes, but then he thought it was different.

"It's because I want to teach him to fight like a full youkai, so he can take care of himself," Sesshomaru told Kagome. She nodded, accepting his answer for the time being. Then she had another question to ask him.

"Why do you always hide behind that mask of yours?"

Sesshomaru was silent for a long time before he answered.

"To not let others see my weaknesses, so they could use them against me," Sesshomaru finally said. Kagome tilted her head to the side. 'She's cute when she does that,' Sesshomaru found himself thinking, before she asked another question.

"What do you mean by others?"

"My enemies. They would love to find out my weaknesses and use them, or hurt them. This mask of mine is as much for my lands and myself as it is for my 'weaknesses'" Sesshomaru said slowly, thinking over his weaknesses; Rin, was one. She had wormed her way through all his barriers and had captured a place in his heart. Kagome was another. He found himself thinking of her when he should have been thinking of other things. He loved the way she was, how she talked when she was annoyed, the way she yelled at Jaken for calling her a stupid human, hell, even the way she walked. As he jumped off the tree, still holding Kagome and setting her down by her sleeping bag, he was thinking about this feeling he got for the human miko.

CG: It's like, 10 at night, and I'm so tired. (yawn)

Kagome: How are you sleepy at 10? I'm still hyper! (jumps around the stage)

CG: (raises eyebrow)

Sesshomaru: (sigh) Sango slipped sugar into her 9'oclock ice cream.

CG: Oh. Explains a lot, like the footprints I found on my bed, and the ice cream on the couch.

Sango: Where's Shippo?

CG: Oh, he and Miroku went to check out my room.

Miroku and Shippo run in screaming

Miroku: It's so SCARY!

Sesshomaru, CG, Kagome, Sango: Huh?

Shippo: (nods hyperly) Her room! It's, it's , it's too horrible to say!

Inu-cast: (raises eyebrows)

Miroku: It's clean!

CG: Wait a sec, that doesn't sound like my room? Which way did you guys go?

Miroku: We went straight out the large sliding doors and over this spiky wall and through the other sliding doors.

CG: (blink, blink) Oh! Bakas! That's not my room! That's the neighbour's house!

Miroku and Shippo: Oh.

CG: Idiots. Reviews please. I hate flames.