A/N

Sorry I did not post yesterday. SORRY.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I wish I did, but I don't. I do own a Sesshoumaru plushy though, that sticks to my closet mirror... He's sort of like my dream catcher... :P Or dream causer!

Chapter 8

Kagome gawked at the large mountain ahead of them. It seemed to be about three miles away, with an eerie looking forest in front of it. She swallowed. "S-So why would he take this route?" She asked, walking between Sesshoumaru and Shippo.

She stretched her neck to get out the morning kinks. She had slept in a cozy futon the night before in the luxury filled castle. To hell with dragon youkai, I claim the castle when they're gone, Kagome mused softly in her head. She could see a version of herself jumping with a green and white colored flag in front of the gate, waving it to fend off any competitors.

She remembered the morning fondly. The servants had dressed her in a graceful kimono. A sky blue color with delicate flower pedals in autumn colors seeming to fall to the bottom. Kagome hadn't want to continue wearing it, but Sesshoumaru had all but ordered her too.

A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "There is hardly any life in these forests. They would get by with out being noticed."

Kagome snorted, "Which is exactly what they didn't do." Sesshoumaru didn't respond to her sarcastic remark and she sighed. She pulled out Miroku's map from the front pocket of her bag.

"I don't understand why I had to wear this, it is not realistic," Kagome ranted once more, "there's no way I can fight in this!"

She heard Shippo cough, and looked at him in irritation. Sesshoumaru looked at the priestess. His eyes rolled over the kimono that hid the curves he could, so clearly, see in those rough material leggings she'd worn the day before. Denim, she had called them. However, they didn't want to attract attention.

"It is inappropriate to wear such exposing garments," Sesshoumaru let out. He watched the priestess throw her hands defiantly on her hips. Oh, he had seen that pose this morning when they had first argued over this topic.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she bit out, he could see her struggling with the manners, "I believe that there is nothing appropriate about this journey. If it's attention you are worried about, either way we're getting it. I don't know if anyone's let you in on the secret but, you guys are demon lords."

It had been the main topic of the argument. Her strange clothes would attract too much attention. Kagome wanted to laugh out loud. Something told her that villagers would stare at the quartet regardly of what she was wearing.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ryuichi asked. Kagome could see him taking offense on her remark.

"What I mean is," Kagome took a deep breath to calm down, her voice coming out a bit softer, "it doesn't really matter what I wear, because people will want to stare at you guys anyways. If anyone needs to wear a disguise, it's you."

Shippo laughed under his breath, his rice hat hiding his hair. Obviously, the kitsune had learned this tactic over the past three years. "I think I should go into the village first and ask questions with Kagome," Shippo spoke up, "they might be too scared to speak if they see Lord Sesshoumaru and Lord Ryuichi."

Kagome was proud of her own son for coming up with such a plan. She gave him a grin, nodding her head at him. She looked back to the two lords, who seemed to be thinking. Her feet crunched against something that sounded a lot different than dirt.

She looked down, gasping as she stepped on what looked to be a small animal's corpse. She coughed up what cough have been the breakfast, maybe last night's fish. "Th-That's an animal right?" She asked, staring at the bones that touched her ankle. It looked to be what was left of a rib cage. She could see where skin was still attached.

Ryuichi inspected it, "Looks like a boar."

Kagome gave a swift nod, looking into the woods. She had been so busy arguing with Sesshoumaru, she had not realized they had already crossed the forest line. The trees looked dead beyond healing, and her heart went out to them. She believed that this forest could be beautiful with all the different kids of trees, and luscious grasses.

"What made this forest die?" She asked sadly. She didn't expect Sesshoumaru to be the one that answered.

"This forest belonged to the tree demons," Sesshoumaru watched the priestess look at him in confusion, and shook his head, "the trees are not the demons. It is a simple name."

"Then what happened to them?" She asked, continuing to walk along the dried, dead grass path.

"Trees were their power, it was their reason for existing. The humans swiftly came through an tore them down to build huts, unaware that with each tree, a demon's life purpose was being burned," Sesshoumaru's claws dug into his palms at the issue. He had remembered how his father had handled it.

His father had been a respectful, honorable leader during his childhood. He remembered him calling a treaty between the humans and the forest. They were to only use what was given to them by the tree demons, and not take what was there. The tree demons were extremely lenient when it came to building. They often donated what was left of their older trees that had withered away.

"That's horrible," she whispered, "why didn't someone stop them?" Kagome began to feel angry. This was the reason humans and demons fought so much. They were constantly stepping on each others toes. They needed to reach an agreement before so atrocities had been committed.

"It is up to the Lord of the lands to protect the youkai on it," Sesshoumaru explained. Strangely, he found it odd that he rose to defend himself, "I have had a treaty with them for centuries. The humans can only use what has been given to them."

The priestess gave him a warm smile, and he felt as if he had just accomplished something. He easily shrugged it off. It was just his pride.

The deeper they got into the woods, the quieter it became. Kagome had once heard birds singing. She had even been able to pick up the sound of wind as it claimed its territory in each sweeping gust. However, now it sounded dangerously silent.

The only sound that they made was the sound of their feet crunching through old, dead grass. It had long since fallen on the ground, waiting for someone to break it. The trees seemed so lifeless around the, as if yearning for another chance to breathe.

"Couldn't the tree demons revive this?" Kagome asked after hours of silence. Her heart ached for the death that loomed around them. Although they could not speak for themselves, Kagome found it hard to ignore the pleas for help she saw.

"Why revive them, if they will only die once more?" Sesshoumaru returned. He couldn't argue with the priestess. This forest would have been a shame to his legacy if it had been on his lands. He couldn't understand how a demon lord could allow such things to happen. His eyes wandered to Ryuichi, who had grown fairly quiet.

"Lord Tatsuya has had other matters on his mind," he said to the dragon's defense. Sesshoumaru saw Kagome's hands turn into fists. He suspected she was about to say something, but instead she let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"We should set up camp for the night, there's no way we can get to the other side before morning, and it wouldn't be smart to travel at night," Kagome mentioned. Her eyes went to the sun. She could see it as it slowly fell behind the mountain. The different hues of blue and purple spreading across the sky like a blanket.

She looked up to Sesshoumaru, who seemed to be debating the the suggestion. The arm that had been crossed over his chest, hidden in the sleeve, slowly dropped to his side. "There is a village not far up ahead, you and the kitsune will continue," he informed her. Kagome raised an eyebrow, looking ahead of them.

She squinted her eyes, but still could not see anything. Obviously, he had found the place with his nose. Kagome sighed, nodding to him. She knew better than to argue with him. He was a spoiled lord, and used to getting his way. Shippo nudged her side, grabbing her attention.

"Do you miss the village yet?" Shippo wondered. He felt nervous asking the question. Miroku had told him of his own worries over the priestess. She was keeping herself so busy, trying to keep distracted from what had happened.

"I miss the children," Kagome said carefully, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Her eyes caught Shippo's turquoise ones, "At first, I was broken over Inuyasha, but since the birth of his child, it seems as if it has finally given way. I feel as if I have really moved on, seeing him with his own family."

Shippo's eyes looked to hers, and she was glad she didn't find pity. Pity was one of the reasons she tried not to talk to Miroku, who showed it so very often. Sango often smiled, and treated her like a child, much to her dismay. Kagome had become the lonely child. She'd been demoted from sister to daughter. A wry laugh escaped her throat at the thought.

"I am beginning to smell that house," Shippo muttered a few moments later. His nose twitched at the smell. They were cooking something, and it wasn't pleasant. Shippo would be the first to agree he had been spoiled from Kagome's cooking. He had traveled for most of the last nine months, never once, finding a cook as good as his mother.

"Is it bad?" Kagome asked, looking at the disgust written on Shippo's face.

"They burnt something," he answered, wiping his nose against his sleeve. Unfortunately, that did not get rid of the smell. Kagome giggled. It was times like this that made her happy she didn't have their senses.

"Priestess," Sesshoumaru's voice cut into her thoughts. Kagome looked up to him, eyes narrowed.

"Kagome," she corrected. It did not look like it registered across the demon lord's face.

"Lord Ryuichi and I will stop here," he announced, effectively stopping in his traps. The dragon lord sank to his bottom in the dirt, seemingly going into meditation. Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru worriedly. He found himself captured, "It will be fine."

The reassurance was shocking to Kagome. The small sentence seemed to comfort her, fill her with warmth. She grinned at him, the small expression freezing the lord in his place. "We'll be back," Kagome bowed. Shippo waited for her, before the two of them continued.

The hut was small, made with dead, rotted wood. Kagome found it hard to believe it was healthy to live in such conditions. Quietly, she knocked on the door. She took a step back, waiting for the occupant to answer.

An old women slammed the door open. Kagome fought to keep from showing her sudden fear. The woman's left eye was sewn shut, her upper lip non existent, showing off all but three teeth. "What do you want?" She croaked out, her voice sounding like rocks crashing against a pan.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, but we are traveler's, looking for information," Kagome explained.

The old woman hummed before nodding at them. She stepped to the side, allowing Kagome in. She put her hand up to Shippo. "Stay out, demon," she quipped.

"He's with me!" Kagome argued.

The old woman's eye searched her then. Kagome could feel it penetrating her soul, searching. She let out her holy power, creating her own safety net. This woman was not normal.

"Get in," she growled to the demon. Shippo sauntered in, standing just behind Kagome as they waited for her to motion to them to sit down around the fire pit in the middle of the room.

"Priestess," the old woman let out, "I am Hisako, the seer of this forest. Ask me your questions."

A seer? Kagome wondered in disbelief, staring at the old woman in front of her. She watched as she got back to frying what was left of a squirrel.

"A few months ago, a group of priestesses used this route to transport something of great value," Kagome began, "they were ambushed and the item stolen once they got to the mountain path a few days later. Did anyone come back this way?"

The old woman only hummed as she continued to move the charred pieces of meat around. Kagome's inner woman was irked at the careless movements. This lady had no idea how to cook.

"Yes, I know of the travelers you speak of, and they did use this path, there was blood in the air the same night," she got out in a hushed manner of speaking, "but no one came back this way."

She began to chew the well done meat between her few teeth. Her eye turning back to Kagome and Shippo. "Why do you seek this information, child? You seem to like this trouble business eh?" She questioned. Kagome began to feel uncomfortable but the woman continued, "You are forgotten."

Kagome's breath halted in her lungs. The word forgotten shook her to the core. She hadn't been forgotten, no. They had remembered her, but they didn't forget her.

"You lost out on the thing you wanted most," she continued. Kagome found herself shaking her head.

In a desperate attempt to change the subject, she tried to question the seer once more. "Do you know if the suspects went a different way?" Kagome asked.

The seer waved at her with a hand. "You, priestess, have many great power," she added, "but you have only grasped it in a few short moons. It has yet to reach its peak. You will not get what you desire until you use up every last drop."

Kagome swallowed hard, "You don't know what I desire." The argument was weak, her voice shaking. She could feel the old woman inside her head again, searching, laughing at her.

"Ah, yes, you want a place to call home," the woman returned quickly. "You were not welcomed when you came back," she added.

Shippo jumped up, standing in between the woman and Kagome. "Stop it," he growled out warningly, "Kagome and I only came to ask questions, if you cannot answer them, we will be on our way." The kitsune looked down at the priestess. Her eyes were lost on a plank of wood. She was deep in thought.

"Sit down, demon," Hisako ordered, her eyes never leaving the priestess. "Will you become a wanderer, girl? Now that you have no one to care for you, will you become a devoted priestess?"

Kagome had enough. The moment the notion that no one would care for her came into her mind, her powers unleashed. She wanted this woman out of her head. In one powerful cleansing pulse, she had purified herself. She released a shaky breath.

The old woman leaned back at the showcase of power. The woman had effectively pushed her out, and she was impressed she was able to do so. "I can tell you what will happen to you," she mumbled.

Kagome shook her head, glaring at the older woman. "I don't want to know, I will not be led around by destiny."

Hisako's dry laugh seem to scratch at her insides. "But don't you see my dear!" She exclaimed, her eye penetrating her once more. Although, this time, she wasn't searching, she was only staring, "it already has a grip on you. Your destiny was never yours to begin with. It wasn't four years ago, and it still isn't now."

Kagome's whole body shook. This woman had gotten on her nerves. She stood up, but the seer snatched her wrist. "Sit back down child," she ordered. Kagome's nose twitched at the order. "Sit down, I will give you some information pertaining to the treasure you seek," she added.

Kagome forced herself to take a seat once more. She tugged Shippo down once more, but he was tense with anger. "What do you know?" Kagome asked in annoyance.

The older woman reached to a small wooden box, pulling out a pipe. She lit it over the fire, drawing it between her lips. "There is a small town between the two large mountains to the west up ahead, they will know something," she explained. Her eye went back to Kagome, "In order to be cared for, you must be willing to open your eyes to what you think is impossible."

Kagome found herself sneering at the future advice. Her feelings had already been hurt. She stood up, nodding to Shippo. The old woman didn't stop them this time.

She growled, stomping through the forest. "Destiny this," she whined, "Destiny that." Shippo watched the woman as she rambled to herself. He had grown angry at hearing the woman speak so freely of his mother's life. "It's my life! I want it back!" Kagome shouted into the forest.

"Priestess," Sesshoumaru growled warningly. He had seen them approach, could sense the anger coming off of her in waves. Her powers were no longer controlled and she was flaring her aura like a fire in the dark.

"Kagome!" She shouted to him. Her chest heaved with her anger. "My name is Kagome! I am Kagome! I didn't choose to be a priestess, it was forced on me!" Tears began to well up in her eyes.

He swallowed. Obviously, something had gone wrong. He looked to Shippo, but the kitsune was comforting the priestess. He had one arm around her shoulder. The turquoise eyes met his sun kissed ones, "The woman knows of where we could find information."

"What has happened to the pr- to the woman?" Sesshoumaru asked. The priestess was crying into his shoulder.

It was uncomfortable, seeing her in such a state. He had always held her as a the woman that kept his half-brother's group intact. She was the one that kept them safe, more then they were willing to believe. He wasn't an idiot, obviously, a human like herself, would feel left behind, coming back to discover all of her friends now had families. The man she once loved in the arms of another.

She never deserved the hanyou, Sesshoumaru thought. He shook it away as quick as it came. No, he didn't care who she went with.

He watched with faked laziness as the woman crawled into her sleeping bag and faded into sleep rather quickly. Humans have such low stamina, he thought.

"The woman was a seer," Shippo explained, coming over to sit next to Sesshoumaru. The dog demon felt rather surprised that he would seek such closeness. "She teased Kagome about the past, about what's happened," he paused, "with everyone."

"They have all moved on, humans do not have time to wait," Sesshoumaru returned. Shippo quietly nodded, but the two demons kept their eyes fastened on the girl for the rest of the night.