AN: Hey friends! I hope everyone is enjoying this ff so far. I hope that I'm not disappointing anyone! Sesshomaru is not introduced into the story for a few more chapters, so I try to give you some fan-fare in the way of thoughts and dreams. I hope it is enough to hold you over. This ff will likely be pretty lengthy and as much as I am in a hurry for the two to find love in each other, I am going to try to pace it out and keep them in character. Please review and tell me your thoughts. Thanks for reading :)

I disclaim.


Moving Forward

After a 12-hour shift at the hospital, Kagome desperately needed to unwind. She walked toward her destination, duffel bag crossed over her shoulder, in pleasant anticipation, enjoying the warm spring weather. There was a sweet scent to the air this time of year that Kagome always delighted in. The cherry blossoms would come into bloom soon.

She inhaled, her lungs filling with nostalgia. This time of year always reminded Kagome of her time spent in the past with Inuyasha and all of her other friends. It had been ten years since she was last able to travel through the well. She hadn't seen any of them in a decade, but she still thought of them often. You don't share those types of experiences to simply forget them.

The first few years were hard on her. She spent a lot of time in the well house, staring into the well. She didn't try to jump; she knew the well was sealed. She could no longer feel that swell of power reaching up like a thousand gentle fingers coming to carry her away. She could hear the sound of her heart breaking as she stared into the blackness of the well, tears falling, to be lost forever, in the dark abyss below her. That was the moment she forced herself to accept that she could no longer go back. She could only move forward.

It had hurt, but she didn't let those memories hold her back. She worked hard, graduated high school and tried to decide what she wanted to do with her life from there. In the end, it was her memories of the past that led her to pursuing a career in the medical field. Nursing wounds had always sort of fallen to her when her friends were injured during battles. She found she enjoyed helping people heal and was actually quite good at it. So, she went on to be a nurse.

Kagome rounded a corner and started up an incline. The street was narrow and not wide enough for vehicles, but there were plenty of people walking in either direction, even as the sun started its leisurely decline in the western sky.

West...

What happened to Sesshomaru?

The thought arose without conscious effort in Kagome's mind. She ducked her head as she blushed, that morning's dream still fresh in her mind. She'd wondered about him before, of course, but she knew so little of him that she really couldn't fathom one way or another what could have become of him. She liked to believe that he was living comfortably somewhere deep in the forests of Japan, untouched by modern life.

She felt a twinge in the center of her chest and another, lower, and halted that line of thinking, instead setting her sights on the building just ahead of her at the top of the hill. Her destination was an old structure, likely built centuries ago. Simple colors – black and white – built in the traditional style she seemed to prefer. She had been coming to this dojo since she graduated high school. She always felt so restless and needed an outlet. Sota, who was in the Judo club at school, had suggested she do martial arts as well.

At first, she brushed it off, thinking it a useless thing for a girl to learn in this modern era. That very night, a body was found by the river. A girl around her age, with long black hair, still wearing her school uniform. She'd fought, but in the end, it wasn't enough to save her. Kagome was reminded then that there are still dangers in the world, even now. She signed up for classes the next day and had been coming ever since.

It had taken her a while to become accustomed to physical altercations. She almost gave up several times, deciding she'd fare better with a taser or pepper spray instead. Her sensei had other ideas. He saw a passion within her soul that burned quietly and ached to be unleashed. He refused to let her quit, and, though it took some time, Kagome was eventually glad for it.

She had a skip in her step again as she finished the trek up the hill towards the dojo. The warm, spring sun kissed her skin in a delightful way, making the kinds of promises that only the spring sun could make.

Sensei Kenshin was erected on the porch as she approached. Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that he fancied himself a guard tasked to protect something sacred and that he took his job very seriously. Of course, she'd never say that aloud.

"Sensei," she bowed at the waist.

He barely spared her a glance, pivoted on his heel and strode into the dojo as if he owned the place, which, Kagome supposed, he did. She sighed, feeling the glow of the day beginning to bleed out of her soul, trickle down over her feet and melt into the earth beneath her. She trudged up the stairs, across the porch and over the threshold, much less gracefully than her dojo master had.

She took in her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the large room she now occupied. The floor was wooden and impossibly shiny. She always got the impression that she'd slide right across its surface should she step any further in. A visual of Bambi walking clumsily over a frozen river rose, gracelessly, behind her eyes.

Glancing around, she took note of the traditional set-up, right down to the rice paper screen doors she'd just walked through. There were several swords set on one wall. While many of them were wooden practice swords, there were many, still, that were sheathed snugly within their scabbards. These, she knew, were sharp enough to slice through diamond. Maybe. Probably.

On second thought, she wasn't entirely sure. She knew a great deal more about swords than she once had, but she knew nothing of diamonds. Kagome shrugged and took another step into the dojo. Sensei Kenshin was already at what Kagome had previously deemed the 'sword sanctuary', removing two wooden swords.

She caught movement in her peripheral and nearly jumped out of her skin. A hand fluttered over her chest, willing her heart to settle. Leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed over his chest was a man she'd come to know well over the last few years.

Mentally, she kicked her own ass for not sensing his presence. She thought she was more observant than that by now. Dropping her hand to her side, she tried to play it off, hoping he hadn't noticed her lapse.

"Ah!" she bent slightly at the waist, smiled and waved, the picture of girly cuteness, "Ryoma-chan!"

She watched him stiffen at the nickname and had to work to suppress the laugh that pulsated across her diaphragm.

His eyes cut to her. If looks could kill, she'd be ribbons right about now. She'd seen that glare unnerve many people, but it never seemed to have the intended affect on her. She straightened, eyes lowering demurely. She tucked hair behind her ear.

"Ryoma-chan, you're scary," she said, voice pitched low, "you'll never get a girlfriend like that."

He scoffed, eyes widening. She studied him from the corner of her eye. He was tall. Long brown hair, so dark it appeared black, was pulled up high on his head, tied there with a ribbon that nearly blended. He wasn't dressed for training today. A plain black tee-shirt fit over his well-formed muscles, black slacks, black belt, black shoes. All black. It might strike Kagome as depressing if he didn't look so damn good in it.

Hmm. She decided she liked black.

He raised a brow and she realized she was still looking at him. Averting eyes to a safer location, she cleared her throat. Ryoma had always been at the dojo. Even before she began to frequent it. When she first started coming, she often wondered if he lived there, simply because he always was there. Something about him had always struck her as a little odd. He was quiet, distant and would barely speak to her. It took a great deal of time and effort for Kagome to get Ryoma to warm to her, if only slightly.

So, she teased him. She would call him by pet names and he would take offense. She would poke him in the side and he would glare at her. She would taunt him and watch as his jaw ticked and nostrils flared. Eventually, it became a game between the two of them. She would taunt, and he would threaten. She would poke and he would grab two practice swords, tossing one to her; a challenge.

Then, there were times like now, when she teased him and he reverted back to his old, sulky ways. She cocked her head, pursing her lips.

"Someone has a case of the Monday's," she speculated, "Who peed in your cheerios?"

Ryoma pushed off the wall, took a step towards her, a dark look in his eyes. She wondered if someone actually had peed in his cheerios. She blinked at him, brows coming together.

"Hey," concern colored her words, "You okay?"

He looked away, shaking his head, and walked out the door without a word. Confused, she looked at her sensei.

"Am I missing something?" she asked him. He had remained by the swords, observing their interaction.

With a curt nod, he strolled purposefully towards her, swords in hand.

"Ryoma will be fine," he conceded, albeit cryptically, "he is simply having trouble coming to terms with something."

She looked back through the doors he'd just passed through, "Is he coming back?"

Sensei Kenshin shrugged, motioning for her to go change from her scrubs and into her training wear. She hurried to the private room set up with personal cubbies and removed her scrubs, tucking them into her gym bag. She never wore the traditional attire, opting instead for a rash guard and compression pants. She changed quickly and pulled her hair into a high ponytail, securing it with a modern-day elastic. She rejoined the dojo master and he handed her a wooden sword; a challenge of his own.