"Inuyasha you are an idiot," Sango whaled.
"Now Sango you know that Inuyasha must not have known it was Lady Kagome," Miroku reasoned.
"Really," Sango snapped, "so you are telling me that his super senses that we are always hearing about failed. You are saying that our weak human senses did what his couldn't, identify our best friend."
Miroku started to reply, but Inuyasha beat him to it "Whatever, I made a mistake; the point is that we have to go after her."
" You aren't going anywhere near her," Sango yelled "you hit her with your damn wind scar, and in case you didn't notice the last thing that I saw when she looked at you was fear in her eyes."
"Feh, whatever. She is hurt Sango and probably bad, I guess that you think that we should just let some random demon out there finish her off," Inuyasha demanded.
"We will go find her Inuyasha," Miroku said "and when she is stable enough we will bring her home. In the mean time I suggest that you think of a way to make all of this up to her."
Inuyasha hung his head; he knew that they were right. He had hurt the one person who had always accepted him, she came back different and he couldn't even do they same for her. He was ashamed she was his best friend, and more than that she was the woman that he loved. "Just bring her back," he said in a voice almost too low for them to hear.
"We will," Miroku replied as he and Sango mounted her fire cat. It took no time at all for Kilala to catch their friend's scent and with that they were off in hopes of finding Kagome and bringing her back.
After just a few moments of flight Sesshoumaru noticed that the girl's breathing had evened and slowed which indicated that she had fallen asleep. He did not wish to take her into his private domain, but at this point he saw no other option. Glancing down at her he took notice of her markings, which indicated that not only had she became full demon, but quite a powerful one at that. He had questions for her that he intended to get answers to as soon as she was in better health. He did believe her story as to why she had changed, after all Sesshoumaru was a secretively curious by nature and had followed the girl to the well before. No, that was not the part of the story that he had problems with, what he wanted to know was why he could sense the jewel inside of her. He knew that Naraku had possession of most of the bothersome thing, and he also knew that he had not been destroyed, so this was a piece of the puzzle that he wanted answered. He realized that once Naraku caught wind of the fact that there was another jewel that he would be coming after it, and he couldn't help but wonder if the girl having the jewel did anything to prompt the attack from his half brother.
"Hey Miroku, have you noticed that we seem to be heading west," Sango asked?
"Yes, Sango that hasn't escaped my notice," Miroku replied "it makes sense. If Lady Kagome is indeed afraid of Inuyasha then it would be a smart move to seek refuge where he would not dare to go."
"Do you really think that he did not have any idea that it was Kagome," Sango questioned?
"Our friend is not renowned for thinking before he acts, and apparently Kagome has undergone quite a change," Miroku offered "I do not know what has happened to our friend, but I do know that I saw her in there. Her body may be changed, but I have no doubt that under it all she remains the same."
"Well, we will have to wait for our answers. I think that we should stop here for the night. I want to wait until daybreak to start trespassing on Sesshoumaru's lands," Sango said. At her prompting Kilala began her descent so that they could make their camp for the night.
Dusk had arrived by the time that Sesshoumaru touched ground at his palace. The slight jolt of his landing seemed to awaken his passenger. "We have arrived," he stated. Kagome offered no response as Sesshoumaru made his way into his home. When he walked through the door he summoned a maid and ordered her to prepare the rooms next to his for his guest. After what seemed like an hour to Kagome they finally reached what she assumed would be her room. The door to it had delicate cherry blossoms carved into it and was like everything else that she had seen on there way there, beautiful. Sesshoumaru walked straight to the bed and gently laid her down before he finally spoke again. "How is it that you have the complete jewel inside of you," he asked?
"I don't know," was the only reply that she could offer.
With that he turned to leave her. "Wait," she called out after him. "May I ask you a question?"
"You already have," was his dry response. But his slight nod prompted her to continue.
"Why are you helping me, and when I lashed out at you earlier why did you not harm me," she was honestly puzzled?
Sesshoumaru seemed to take a moment to think this over before he answered "You have changed, and therefore your station has changed. Thus you must be treated as your new status demands. Now you must rest I will return to you in the morning." And with that he turned to leave, Kagome left to drift off to sleep surrounded by his scent of night, rain, and something more she couldn't identify. Something that felt strangely to her like safety. She would not however have a peaceful sleep, but instead one plagued by images of a certain half breed and betrayal.
The girl represented a problem. She was even in her human form a magnet for trouble, but he knew that she must be protected. After all she was apparently essential to the survival of his species. Well he had been wishing for a reprieve from the boredom that had overtaken him with Rin's departure. At least he reasoned this ward smelled good, he had always been secretly grateful for Rin's obsession with flowers. They helped to cover the underlying scent of decay that he could smell on all of her kind. Finally he removed his armor and lay in his bed caressed by the fragrance of lotus blossoms after rain, the fragrance of his new ward.