I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. This is purely a fan made story. Also I would like to add that you read this and like it, please ask your friends to read and review it as well. Thank you! Enjoy!

I awoke to a knock on my bedroom door. Akito growled and puffed up his fur. "Be nice, Akito." I whispered as I climbed out of bed. I glanced in my mirror and primped a little. The knock got louder with a bit of impatience. "I'm coming!" I called as I rushed to the door. I took a few deep breaths and smiled as I opened the door.

"Start getting ready Akina. We'll leave here very soon. It will be a short journey there, but once we enter, it may take a little while to return." Sesshomaru stated firmly. He was already dressed and ready to go. "I'll be ready soon. Is it safe enough to bring Akito?" I asked. I heard Akito meow at me. "Your father?" Sesshomaru asked confused. I forgot that I never introduced them. "Please come inside." I suggested while stepping back. Sesshomaru walked in and looked around with an intrigued expression. "This is Akito." I announced as I lifted Akito off the bed.

Sesshomaru said nothing at first. He gazed at Akito, skeptically. "He can change into a large cat demon." I interjected as Sesshomaru opened his mouth. Lord Sesshomaru strolled closer, and Akito puffed up his chest. "He will be fine. We'll need to be extra cautious with him, though. You don't want a lot of attention where we're going." Sesshomaru sighed. He walked out and left me to get dressed.

Sesshomaru was waiting for Akito and me right outside the main gate. We set off into the forest just as the sun made it over the horizon. The breeze wrapped us in a cool and slightly moist embrace. The birds were chirping briskly and fluttering around the trees. Little rays from the sun began illuminating and waking the sleeping forest. It was like something from the old children stories my mother had told me.

"I will give you a warning. This entrance to the netherworld opens when the sun touches illuminates the symbols on the doorway. Once we enter, we will probably have no choice but to stay for at least a day." Lord Sesshomaru advised. "That doesn't bother me. I have no arrangements scheduled. Once we complete our task, I will probably be wondering the world again." I sighed. "Is that what you did after you fell from the cliff?" Sesshomaru inquired. "Slightly. I had tried to find Inuyasha after the fall. When I did, he was with the priestess already. I spent the rest of my time roaming the world, running from him." I admitted sadly. "You ran from a half-breed? Surely your father and I trained you better than that." Sesshomaru stated smugly. "You did, but neither of you taught me how to be immortal to a broken heart. It made me weak and fragile." I whispered, fighting back a tear. "I do know how it feels. You either give in to the pain, or you overcome it and harden yourself so it doesn't happen anymore." Sesshomaru muttered. For a split second his face had shown a raw emotion. Heartache took over his features; and in a blink of an eye, his features returned to that cold, stony look.

"What are you staring at?" Sesshomaru asked with annoyance. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to stare. I was just surprised that you had fallen in love before. I never knew of you being with a woman." I apologized. "That's because I never claimed her, although I should have." he replied nonchalantly. "I figured you would have been with many women. I was surprised to see that you never had a mate." I smiled. "I was with several females in bed. None of them would have been high-rated enough to become my mate. Sex was their only purpose." he shrugged. "You filthy dog." I scoffed. Sesshomaru simply smirked a devilish grin. I shook my head in disgust.

"Surely you have done the same. You must have used men for pleasure as well, correct?" he questioned. "No, I have not. I slept with one man, and it was because I thought it was love. I never used anyone." I sighed. "My brother is hardly what I would call a man. He is still a child and still acts as such. He would have never been a good suitor or lover." Lord Sesshomaru sneered. "He wasn't that bad in bed!" I replied with a spark of anger. "How would you know? You've only been with a boy. You've never been with a man." Sesshomaru laughed. I felt too annoyed to respond.

I suddenly realized that I was trying to defend Inuyasha. I directed my anger at myself. Why should I have tried to defend him after what he did to me? "You're right, Sesshomaru. He was a boy. That's all he was then, and that's all he'll be in the future." I sighed. Sesshomaru chuckled and looked at me. "Glad to hear you admit that not only to me, but you also admitted that to yourself." Sesshomaru smirked. My heart squeezed lustfully when he gave me that devilish look.

"We're getting close now. I can see the entrance just up ahead." Sesshomaru announced. The forest was very thick with trees now, and the sun couldn't shine through the limbs. It was also very quiet. The birds did not chirp or flutter around the trees here. The only noise was our feet brushing the forest floor and a soft, babbling brook. "How can the sun touch the doorway with the thickness of the forest?" I asked, doubting that the entrance would indeed work. "Look ahead and you will see." Sesshomaru muttered. I peered around Lord Sesshomaru and spotted a stone archway.

The archway looked very old and had vines wrapped around it. The vines had beautiful white and purple flowers growing from it. At the top of the arch, there were strange symbols engraved in the stone. Only one ray of the sun's light peered through a gap in the trees. It was a beautiful sight and looked very ancient. The light moved closer to the top of the arch.

"Hurry, we must get inside as soon as the sun opens the portal." Sesshomaru commanded as he picked up the pace. We rushed forward just as the light began to touch the top of the arch. The symbols starts reacting and began to glow in a blue light. The portal began to form as we reached the archway. I hastily picked up Akito. Lord Sesshomaru grabbed my arm and pulled us through the portal. As soon as we passed, the door leading back to our world closed.