All right, so sorry it has been forever since I've posted! Almost a half year or so now. In fact, I had to read everything over again to remind myself of what I wrote. And then I read my little author's note at the end of last chapter… *fails* Haha, I guess I was tired or something. And, I decided to try to make my chapters longer. I don't have an excuse for not posting this time, just…life.

And I have decided to keep Sesshy with both of his arms. :D Hooray for 2 arms!


------------------------Sesshomaru---------------------------

He landed softly - but not too softly – on the roof where the miko's group was staying. He wanted to alert them of his presence without making too much of a fuss. He hated fusses. He tried to steer clear of little dramas like that.

He put his shoulders back and stood straight as the wind behind him rippled his mokomoko slightly, the effect like a wind blowing across an open grass field. A small smile devoid of any actual emotion graced his face as he leapt down to touch the dirt ground directly outside the hut's door and took a couple of steps back.

He would wait for them to figure out who their little visitor was and come out themselves. He wouldn't deal with them at all if they didn't have the guts to meet him face-to-face, he decided. If they didn't come out in the next thirty seconds, he would just leave, as quietly as he came.

He had only waited for five when Inuyasha came out, followed by the humans and lastly the kitsune.

"Where is Kagome?" Inuyasha's loud, demanding voice made his ears flatten against his skull. "What have you done with her?"

"Yeah, where's Kagome? She left and didn't come back! And she wouldn't have gone to the well without telling us," the kitsune supplied, eyes wide with worry for the miko.

Miroku and Sango just nodded their agreement.

Sesshomaru calmly said, "The miko has decided to be with this Sesshomaru instead of staying with you. She is tired of your antics and constant danger that you bring."

"She's with you?" Inuyasha's disbelieving voice was once again too loud for Sesshomaru's liking. "She ditched us to be with you?"

"She did it for her own and your sake." Sesshomaru was tired of them for tonight, and turned gracefully to leave.

"Oh, no, you don't! Don't you dare leave. Wind scar!" Sesshomaru easily dodged the attack even though his back was turned, and kept on his way, quickly becoming smaller on the early-morning horizon. The hanyou was way too predictable at times.

Soon, he got bored of walking and decided to speed things up a bit. He flew over to where the miko was staying and ignored Kanna's presence closer to the edge of the forest. The wind caressed his hair and mokomoko.

Oh yeah. Kagura was still around, too. He had almost forgotten about her, his mind preoccupied with the miko and where to take her next. Of course, it had to be fairly far from here, to discourage her little company of strange acquaintances from going to find them. Of course, he was very much adept at hiding both his youki presence and any trails to follow.

He began thinking of what Kanna had said earlier, about Naraku trying to overpower her with spiritual power. He would have to take her somewhere safe, with a onsen around, of course. He knew how much the girl enjoyed onsens and that she would relax more if he provided a comfortable stay.

His heart was becoming soft for the girl. He would have to discourage that – his heart softened for nobody except Rin.

That's right….Rin, Ah-Un, and Jaken…He would take the miko to them, first, and they would travel together. He had a feeling close to adoration for the brave, bright little child.

He paused, just slightly, to catalogue where the trio was. They weren't too far, Sesshomaru having told them to stay in a meadow filled with flowers and trees that were bound to amuse the girl, along with a stream filled with fish they could feed off of while he was gone.

He stiffened as the miko came behind, thoughtlessly hugging him from his back, clasping her hands around his armor and stomach. His instincts screamed at him to fight, but he resisted. He had went out of his way to get the miko, and he wouldn't ruin his chance now.

Kagome apparently sensed his slight tension and stepped away a little, even though she craved the close presence of someone she could trust. But, could she trust him?

Sesshomaru saw doubt creep into her eyes as she kept questioning things, her sleepiness confusing her even more. He decided to give her a break as he moved behind her and swept her up, bridal style, so that she could sleep as they traveled.

He didn't want an ill-tempered, confused, and annoying girl in his presence. He kept thinking of how to ruin the hanyou Naraku's plans as he walked.

-------------------------------Kagome-----------------------------

She was confused. Very, very confused. Why was Sesshomaru showing something akin to kindness toward her? Why had she followed him in the first place? What would happen to Shippou, Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha? Would they follow and get hurt? But then again, if she was away from them, Naraku wouldn't follow them, but he would still target her. And then, Sesshomaru and his group might get hurt.

She hesitantly stepped towards Sesshomaru, his back turned. She stumbled forward before wrapping her arms around his stomach area. She needed the comfort that she had made the right decision. She needed to make sure she wasn't going to be shunned. She needed someone's close presence to ease her doubts.

He felt him stiffen slightly, but he didn't do anything more. She relaxed a little, some of her thoughts eased, but stepped away, still slightly confused, but trying to be considerable and giving him space.

All of a sudden, he was behind her and picked her up. She suppressed her urge to squeal at the sudden movement. Kagome hadn't even seen him move.

And then she began to relax in his strong grip, his mokomoko soft against her cheek. She was so tired, she realized. She had barely gotten three hours of sleep last night. She drifted away into strange dreams as he traveled along in the depths of the mori.

Naraku stood there, pelt blowing around him, the sides snapping back every so often. There was a strange blue-white glow surrounding him, and he appeared to look straight at her before he dissolved into the night, all the while juggling bowling pins.

Buyo stood there with a haughty yet lazy demeanor and walked into the kitchen, the scent of ramen visibly floating out of the doorway. Inuyasha threw open the sliding door, bounded in, and sat like an inu right next to Buyo, begging for the ramen.

Kagome walked into her math class in the middle of a lecture. Everyone turned to stare at her, and her sensei seemed annoyed at the interruption, but didn't stop talking. He nodded toward her desk, silently telling her to quickly take a seat, and the numbers and variables began to fly off of the chalkboard, dancing their way through the aisles and to her desk. Kagome's back was turned, so she didn't notice, but when she sat down, she saw the smiling numbers circling her head and screeched. She hastily got out of her seat and ran full-speed out the door, the numbers still singing a childen's song.

Kagome was at the city library, trying to catch up on her studies of science. It was boring work, and she began to tire. She flipped a page, and the picture on the page peeled away from the book, coming to life. It took a seat next to her as another picture came out of the book, then another, and yet another. Soon, the library was filled with diagrams and random things. They chatted amiably with each other, teaching her what the textbook said, but in a less boring way.

Sesshomaru was a cat, sensually slinking around, his white tail tipped with a blue moon. It flicked back and forth with each step, almost dragging on the ground. His eyes bored into Kagome's hypnotized stare, and he circled around her. With every pass he came closer and closer, and soon his tail was winding its way around her legs. She sat cross-legged when her knees weakened and she continued to drink in the sight, unable to look away. She reached for his form, and he pounced on her chest, driving her back into the soft grass. When she reached to stroke his back, she found it bare, but she kept petting him as if he were still in his previous neko form. His arms wound around her and his silver hair hung in curtains, enveloping her face. He snaked his arm under the hem of her shirt, his cold fingers making her shiver.

With thoughts of her dreams in her head, she tried to focus on the last and first. She didn't want to forget the first one. Did it hold any meaning? After all, she wasn't one to predict things through her dreams.

And the last one….What was that about? The fragment of a dream floated away, but she was left with a feeling of lust and want. She wanted to remember, but became frustrated when she couldn't recall it. Something had happened. Something she wanted to remember. It was going to bug her for days, now that she had forgotten it.

At least she remembered the first one. She would distract herself with trying to decipher a meaning from it, if there was one. Her dreams had always been random, though, her brain collecting thoughts that had passed through her mind that day and put them together in a mush. So maybe, hopefully, it didn't mean anything bad to come in the future.

And then she laughed, remembering how that dream ended, with Naraku acting like a clown.

----------------------------Sesshomaru---------------------------

Sesshomaru flicked his eyes down at her, amused that she was laughing to herself. She was acting a little strange today, what with the lust emanating from her as she clung to his body, and then moods changing rapidly in a time span of a few seconds. Strange miko.

Now, as she giggled, she unconsciously nestled closer to his body. This time he didn't react. He would have to get used to her closeness if they were to be traveling companions.

Then a tendril of Rin's scent passed through the inuyoukai's heightened senses. Soon after came the imp's and Ah-Un's. Rin and the others were downwind, so Ah-Un might have noticed their presence. Maybe they were two or so miles away. After a day of walking, they would reach them before the sun bled red and went down over the horizon.


A/N Yea! Finally, I have finished writing this. I tried to make it longer than before, because it always bothers me when i read a really short chapter. I hope i succeeded all right. ^^;

Agh, please review, to help me with what's going to happen. I have no idea where this story's gonna go.