Chapter Seven

A figure stood hovering over Kagome's bed as she lay unconscious for three days. The silent figure continued to stare with a stoic expression at her injury that had been recently redressed. Sunlight brightened the room to indicate the arrival of morn. The bright sunlight shined through the window and hit Kagome's closed eyes. The silent figure noticed the slight scrunch between her brows at the bright light. No one would have noticed the slight movement of the silent figure, but it was this slight movement that caused the figure's body to cover the sun and cast a shadow upon her face. Then golden eyes returned to observing the sleeping miko, just as the silent figure had been doing repeatedly for three days. So deep in thought, the silent figure did not notice the presence of another entering into Kagome's room.

"Sesshomaru?"

Ripping his stare from Kagome, Sesshomaru saw Takashi's sister standing at the door.

"What are you doing here?" she breathed out from shock. Ignoring her question Sesshomaru walked past her and headed towards his study, leaving Kohana frozen at what she witnessed from her cold cousin.

-One Week Later-

"Why won't you let me leave? I've been stuck in this room for days!" Kagome voiced her complaint at the annoying siblings that found her boredom amusing. Kagome had awakened from her injury after the fourth day and had been ordered to stay in her room for a week now.

"Your injury hasn't healed yet, Kagome" Kohana teased, knowing that it would make Kagome more annoyed. During the week, Kagome befriended Kohana, Takashi's sister, who had completely healed from the injury Neikan had inflicted on her. Thankfully Kohana came to visit her every day, but Kagome really wanted to leave the stuffy room.

"Too bad you're not a demon," Kagome heard Takashi bragged, knowing well that he had completely healed all his wounds after a few days. To her relief, Takashi had returned from the south. However, Neikan had planned a trap by using his dead parents to look like they were alive. A devastated Takashi came back covered in deep wounds and only half of his army.

"But!-" Kagome pleaded with a hopeful expression.

"No, buts!" Both Takashi and Kohana exclaimed at the same time.

With a huff, Kagome blew away her bangs in annoyance that the siblings couldn't be persuaded. Glancing towards her room door, she wondered when Sesshomaru would come visit her. She didn't see him for the entire time she was stuck in her room. Unconsciously, Kagome's expression saddened at this.

Kohana, who noticed Kagome's expression, asked "I've been wondering about this for a while, but what is your relationship between Sesshomaru?" She needed answers for Sesshomaru's actions the day she caught him standing in Kagome's room. She was never close with her cousin; heck, no one was ever close to him. But, she saw an emotion appear on his face which completely changed the way she always viewed Sesshomaru.

Both Takashi and Kagome sent Kohana a confused expression from her question.

Seeing as how Kohana looked as if she was waiting for Kagome to respond, Kagome said "He used to be an enemy of a friend of mine, then an acquaintance, then an ally, and hopefully….become a friend?"

Kagome's room filled with the sound of Takashi and Kohana's laughter. Knowing that their amusement was from the impossibility of becoming friends with Sesshomaru, she rolled her eyes.

"Friends? With Sesshomaru?" Kohana said in between her laughter. After a few minutes, Kohana dried her tears from laughing too hard.

"He's never had a friend. I doubt he even knows what it is," Takashi added.

"Are you sure you guys are his cousin?" Kagome bit back with sarcasm.

"Why of course! That's what makes us laugh so hard when we heard you want to be his friend! We've never seen him close with anyone" Takashi answered with a smirk.

"Well, except for Rin" Kohana said with a sweet smile. Kagome remembered that name, she was the young girl that followed Sesshomaru during the years she and her friends were shard hunting.

"Oh yes, Rin! Why haven't I seen her in the Castle?" Kagome asked curiously.

"She's residing in a human village of course," Kohana replied. It had taken five years to gather the shards before the final battle with Naraku. Kagome remembered Rin was about seven when she first met her. Now about thirteen, it made sense that Sesshomaru would send her to live in a human village. A huge grin appeared on Kagome's face at the thought of Rin.

"Ah ha! Rin was close to Sesshomaru, so there's a chance that I can as well!" Kagome stated proudly while lifting her chin upwards.

"Why are you so determined to befriend him?" Kohana voiced seriously. She couldn't understand how her new friend could have the heart to befriend a cold and ruthless demon. She couldn't even stand being in the same room as him.

Observing Kagome's eye glaze as if she was remembering something, Kohana became speechless as she heard Kagome's sincere reply.

"I've known that Sesshomaru was a ruthless demon, but I always hoped that it was a façade that hid something more than coldness," Kagome paused for a while as she remembered the harsh words Sesshomaru said to her and how she was one of the many who misunderstood him as heartless and ruthless. But Kagome regretted it, once she understood Sesshomaru's intentions behind his words and actions.

"Yes, he can be cold at times, but he does have a heart; one that is easily misunderstood and difficult to understand." Kagome continued as her eyes softened at the thought of Sesshomaru.

"I know it's impossible for Sesshomaru to think of me as a friend. But, I want to at the very least be someone that tries to understand him" Kagome concluded with this promise to herself. Kagome was not that naïve to think that Sesshomaru was completely good, for he was still a demon and a Lord. But to her, he was still a demon with a heart.

A silent figure with his aura concealed, stood frozen within Kagome's room hallway. Unknown to Kagome and the siblings, the silent figure had overheard the entire conversation. His stare lingered at the room which belonged to the only miko who would confess to try and befriend a cold demon. The silent figure quickly replaced his shocked expression with a stoic mask. Though the stoic mask revealed nothing, the silent figure felt tons of the emotions course through his body. But sensing the presence of passing maids, the silent figure quietly left with the miko's warm words echoing in his ears.

"You're making me jealous," Kagome heard Takashi voice in a joking manner.

"You really are something, Kagome" Kohana finally managed to breath out. Kohana doubted it was a human thing to be so pure and selfless. She had never seen anyone who had the guts and the pure heart to attempt at getting close with her cousin. Sure Rin was able to do so, but that was because she was too young to understand what Sesshomaru really was.

"I knew that the moment I saw her," Takashi said to his sister that just realized Kagome's pure nature.

"Can I be let out now?" Kagome asked one last time in hopes that they would let her out. Watching as the siblings glanced at each other before chuckling.

"Shall we take a walk outside?" Kohana asked as Kagome became excited at the request.

"Yes!" Kagome said almost jumping out of her bed. Carefully dressing into a simple light pink kimono, Kagome linked arms with Kohana and headed outside.

Kagome basked herself in the sunlight as she strolled side by side with Kohana. After of few minutes of chatting about random topics, Kagome noticed a huge Sakura Tree she had never seen before.

Following Kagome's attention towards the ancient Sakura tree, Kohana informed "The tree has been there ever since I was a kid. Brother and I always played around here."

Kagome was certain this tree stood taller than the Goshinboku tree that was near the well. Thick branches spread widely as it bloomed with light pink Sakuras. As a warm breeze swept past Kagome, she had to pull away her hair to witness a million Sakuras swirl along with the warm breeze.

"It's beautiful," Kagome voiced in awe of the tree's magnificence.

"It smells like your natural scent" Kohana said sweetly to her new friend.

"My natural scent?" Kagome asked with a confused expression.

"Ya, everyone has a natural scent. Usually humans stink of their sweat, but you smell like sakura blossoms!" Kohana's blunt words made Kagome giggle. It was nice to know that her demon friends didn't think she smelled bad.

'I wonder if Sesshomaru thinks so…' a quiet voice entered Kagome's thoughts.

"Kagome!" Takashi's voice rang, bringing her out of her thoughts. Sending him a smile, she tilted her head to the side questioning why he called her.

"A meeting is being held soon since you are feeling much better" Takashi reported while holding out his arm to help support her from the chance of reopening her wound. Slipping away her hold on Kohana, Kagome grasped Takashi's out stretched arm.

"Thank you," she whispered to Takashi as they walked silently towards Sesshomaru's study.

Arriving at the study, Kagome felt tension in the air. Staring in Sesshomaru's direction, Kagome saw that he had not looked in her direction. Diverting her stare downwards, disappointment filled her heart. She had hoped that things would be different between her and Sesshomaru. Shaking her head from feeling of disappointment, she redirected her attention to the others.

"We've chased after Neikan for days, but we lost him at the Southern boarders. He just vanished in thin air" The Western General reported.

"His state?" Sesshomaru inquired his General.

"It was as my Lord suspected. The Miko's purification had done great damage to his body" the General answered.

"He probably went into hiding in order to heal, just like Naraku does" Kagome voiced her thoughts. The moment she spoke, she noticed that Sesshomaru had finally turned to look at her. But, Sesshomaru's stare lingered at her arm linked around Takashi's before looking away.

"We will not be seeing him for a while" Sesshomaru stated as a fact. In a voice dripping with acid, Sesshomaru continued "But he won't be underestimating the Miko the next time round."

Takashi nodded at Sesshomaru's statement and added, "He will most likely have his own army."

"What shall we do?" The Southern General asked the Lords for an instruction.

Sesshomaru said with a stoic voice, "We wait."

Both Generals bowed low before leaving the study. Takashi's arm that was linked around hers tugged to escort her back to her room. Glancing once more in Sesshomaru's direction, she saw that he had his back turned towards her. Though Takashi was leading her out of the study, Kagome felt her heart whispering for her to stay. Near the end of the hallway from Sesshomaru's study, she slipped her arm away from Takashi's grasp.

Sweetly smiling at Takashi's confused expression, she said "I can walk back to my room by myself. I just want to borrow a few books from Sesshomaru." Takashi's face froze at Kagome's words, and quickly plastered a smirk.

"Whatever the Lady commands," Takashi said dramatically while bowing slightly as a jest. Giggling at Takashi's performance, Kagome smiled before turning back towards Sesshomaru's study. Had Kagome glanced back, she would have seen Takashi's smirk falter into a thin line.

Kagome once again returned to the beautiful door to Sesshomaru's study. Hesitating, Kagome bit her lips at the foolishness of her actions to return back here.

'Too late now,' Kagome thought as she rid the feeling of hesitance and knocked at the door.

"Enter," Kagome heard Sesshomaru say after a pause. Trying to push the heavy door open had caused Kagome's wound to sting.

"Urgh," Kagome mumbled as she winced at the growing sting. Suddenly, Kagome felt the heavy doors open wide and stumbled a few steps forward. Catching herself from falling, Kagome looked up to see Sesshomaru's stoic face staring down at her. Observing her hand resting behind her back at the growing sting, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed.

"What do you want," Kagome heard the chill behind his words.

Giving Sesshomaru a sheepish grin, she said "I wanted to borrow a few books." Sesshomaru continued to glare at Kagome before turning around and return to his desk.

'I guess that means yes,' Kagome thought as she entered the study. Kagome walked towards the other end of the study and glanced through several books. Picking out one book that stood out with its unique binding, Kagome opened to read what kind of book it was.

Daichi

First son of Lord Akihiro

Ruler of the Western Lands at age 1,500

Inu no Tashio

First son of Lord Daichi

Ruler of the Western Lands at age 1,670

Sesshomaru

First son of Lord Inu no Tashio

Ruler of the Western Lands at age 630

'A record of the rulers to the Western lands?' Kagome thought to herself at the information. Kagome noted the young age Sesshomaru was appointed as ruler of the Western Lands compared to the previous Lords. Kagome knew that this was because of his father's early death.

'Ruler of the Western Lands at age 630…' Kagome read again. She recalled Inuyasha to be about 500 years old when they first met.

'So young…'

Peaking behind her shoulder, Kagome saw Sesshomaru reading through a scroll.

'To be a Lord at such a young age would cause anyone to become cold' she thought as she continued to sneak glances at Sesshomaru.

After a while, she found two books on battle tactics that may help prepare her for the battle against Neikan. Holding onto the two books, she walked closer towards Sesshomaru's desk. Sesshomaru kept his attention at the scroll in his hands, so Kagome asked cautiously,

"Can I borrow these two books?" Finally looking up from the scroll, Kagome watched as Sesshomaru glimpsed at the two books in her hand.

"Very well," She heard him say with indifference. Kagome revealed a smile of gratitude to Sesshomaru, even though he was not looking at her. About to turn to leave, suddenly Kagome's back wound throbbed with immense pain. Dropping the books onto Sesshomaru's desk at the shocking pain, Kagome grasped her back hoping to ease the pain. Kagome's eyes swelled with tears from the sudden pain. Through blurred eyes, she saw Sesshomaru's golden eyes stare into hers and then towards her hand. Following his gaze, Kagome saw her hands bloodied by her wound that must have reopened.

"So human," Kagome heard Sesshomaru voice in anger. Staring at Sesshomaru, Kagome saw that he was glaring at her bloodied hand as if he was directing his anger at it. Sesshomaru's comment would have hurt any other, yet Kagome heard Sesshomaru's words differently.

"Don't worry, Sesshomaru. I will heal" A warm smile appeared on Kagome's face as she understood Sesshomaru's words as worry and frustration that her injury seemed to take so long to heal. Sesshomaru's eyes widened at Kagome's response, and looked up to capture her warm smile that was directed to him.

"I think I will come back for the books next time," Kagome continued wincing at the returning pain, "Save them for me?" As the pain in her back became unbearable, Kagome felt her legs trembling.

"Leave," Sesshomaru exclaimed returning his face to remain stoic. Kagome's smile widened as she turned around to leave the study.

As soon as Kagome left, Sesshomaru's eyes lingered at the door Kagome left through. In a study with no witnesses, Sesshomaru's stare softened. Silently inhaling, the scent of sakura blossoms mixed with blood filled his senses.

Clench

Sesshomaru tightened his clenched claws to control his anger.

"You will pay, Neikan" A voice filled with menace whispered into the empty study.

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