The last chapter may have been a short one, but this one is a fair size, so that counteracts it… ha. Read on, loyal fans, read on.

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, don'townInuyasha, blah, blah, blah…

Surprising Reunion

Growling in irritation as the scent of blood and smoke flooded into the small clearing, he turned to the east, inhaling once more to locate the origin of the atrocious smell that had offended his delicate youkai nose. Pinpointing it to a small community near the border of his lands, he ordered his retainer to remain here with his ward and the large, dragon-steed known as Ah-Un.

Gathering his demonic energy, he manipulated it until a cloud formed beneath his feet, lifting him into the sky and toward his destination.

Looking to the horizon, his superior eyesight easily spotted the faint lines of smoke in the distance. He snorted in disgust as the thick, putrid stench of ningen blood hit him with its full force, making him slightly dizzy, though his features never revealed it.

Traveling quickly, so that he could find and eradicate the threat that now plagued his lands, he was soon hovering above the battlefield, sickened by the sight that met his eyes.

The huts and stables were all obliterated, lying in useless heaps of burning lumber and straw. The mangled bodies of children and young men littered the ground, their gnarled and twisted corpses bathed in blood and the black, sticky substance he recognized as poison.

Sniffing in disgust, another, much more potent smell became apparent, one that made him blanch. The palpable stench of arousal accompanied by semen and sweat drifted across his nostrils. A shrill scream brought his attention to a small gathering of bodies near the center of the decimated village. Several lives, ten approximately, were still clinging to existence. Stretching his vision, he snarled when he realized just what was occurring in the small gathering.

The demon that had attacked the village had seemingly rounded up the women and was currently ravaging them. He noticed the demon grow stiff and then slowly turn to him, an evil glint in its eyes. The fiend removed itself from the bloodied body of one female and lifted her to its mouth, jaws stretching before slamming down on her torso, ripping her successfully in half. A wail of pain left the woman's lips before her head was crushed between the gigantic teeth of the oni.

Sneering in distaste, Sesshomaru began his slow, unhurried walk toward the beast, bored mask remaining in place even as it gnashed it fangs in his direction, hands lifting to reveal long, sharp talons that oozed poison. Just as he made a move to unsheathe his sword, another, alarmingly strong aura slipped into the clearing. Before either he or the oni could turn to see who their new audience was, a beam of purple light pierced the air, the source of which lodged itself deep into the side of the ogre's head.

Wailing in turmoil, the massive demon grasped the shaft of the arrow wedged into its skull, trying fruitlessly to pull it out as the purifying magic slowly slithered through its body, disintegrating it from the inside out. In a mere matter of seconds, all that was left of the beast was a pile of ash surrounding a blackened sliver of Shikon shard.

Eyes swiveling toward the direction of the attack, golden orbs widened only slightly as they took in the sight of the miko who had launched the unexpected assault. She had changed much since their last encounter.

Walking soundlessly into the circle of women, Kagome crouched down to retrieve the pulsing shard, its crimson and purple light dissipating into a light pink glow the second her fingers touched it.

"Miko," his cool baritone hummed across the small distance between them, "what is your business on my lands?"

Snickering slightly, Kagome placed the now pure shard into the vile around her neck, smiling lazily as she crooned, "Still the same condescending, detached, jerk, huh? You haven't changed much."

"Your tongue, I see, is still as uncouth and impertinent as ever," he droned back.

Smiling shifting into a goofy grin, she commented, "Long time no see, Sesshomaru."

"Hn. Your refusal to address me by my proper title is as infuriating as it is refreshing, miko, but you have yet to answer my question." His cold, calculating eyes remained trained on her as she turned to face him fully. Oh yes… her attitude remained the same, but there were many aspects about her that had changed.

He recalled clearly his first visit to her during her stay at the monastery.

It had been near two weeks since their last encounter, but curiosity drove him to her again. He had many things to ask the little wench. He followed her trail easily, surprised that she was so foolish as to travel without masking her scent. A female possessing so much power would be coveted by many, despite the fact that she was ningen. However, he supposed that she had little to no knowledge of how to shield her aura or her smell. Humans… they were so pitiful.

'Like vermin' he mused, 'weak and filthy; their strength resting in their numbers.'

He had come across her in a particularly entertaining situation. Amused amber orbs had watched form afar as the gangly, prepubescent girl wobbled down a mountain path, a bucket of water balanced shakily on her head.

He was surprised that her frail; human neck could even handle the weight of a bucket of water. Ningens were so pathetic, she was no exception.

For several moments she meandered awkwardly down the path, swaying this way and that to try and keep the pail balanced. In only a few short seconds, her clumsy nature kicked in and she tripped gracelessly over a root, falling flat on her face and crying out in desperation as the pail rolled away from her, its contents now spilled across the dirt.

Her pale face was smudged with dirt, making her look all the more like a street urchin. Her miko garbs were tattered and filthy. 'Scum,' he reminded himself, 'that is all she is.'

Sighing as she kicked the discarded bucket and began hopping up and down, a string of profanities spewing from her mouth, Sesshomaru leapt silently from his perch to land before the strange young miko.

As he landed suddenly before her, she let out a piercing wail, to which he had to restrain from cringing. "Silence, wench!" he barked scathingly, "Your irritating tenor is damaging to this Sesshomaru's ears."

Grumbling as she realized who it was, Kagome shot back, "Excuse me? You leap out of no where and then lecture me for screaming! Well maybe next time you should try not to scare the sh-"

"Cursing does not become a miko," he scolded, "though I suppose I can't expect the best of manners from a common trollop like your self."

She glared indignantly at him, and opened her mouth to retort when he lifted a single, clawed hand to silence her. "I have no time for arguments, ningen. I wish to know some things about your time."

Grousing, Kagome warned, "I can't just tell you whatever you want to know. If I do it could alter the future. I'm sure someone of your intellect can understand that."

A single, silver brow disappeared behind a well kept curtain of metallic bangs, pale lips parting as he queried, "What is the worst that could happen?"

Feeling her cheeks heat up, Kagome stammered, "Well… you now… certain things that would have a negative effect… I mean… hey, for all I know, it might upset the fabric of life and I may never be born!"

The second, finely arched brow lifted to join its twin behind a veil of silver, amber eyes flickering as he droned, "Your life may forfeit? Which would mean that the idiotic half-breed would still be pinned to the tree? That I would still possess both arms? That the world would have one less pathetic ningen to sully its beauty? This Sesshomaru fails to see the downfall in such an occurrence."

Lips pulling into an irritated pout, Kagome grumbled, "You might not have a problem with me never being born, but I do!"

"You," Sesshomaru began in a dangerous tone, "are not in control of this situation, and will do as I say, girl. I care not whether this affects your life in the future."

She snarled and turned away, letting him know that she had no intention of telling him anything.

With speed that was too fast for human eyes to follow, the western Lord had the stubborn young priestess pinned to a tree, claws biting at the flesh of her throat as he hummed in a deadpan voice, "If you refuse to comply with my wishes, this Sesshomaru can end your miserable life right now. What will it be, mortal? Will you take your chances with Fate, or die by my hand."

Seeing no other way around the situation, Kagome let out a garbled, "Alright," to which she was promptly dropped on her behind.

Sneering down at her, merciless eyes scorching a trail into her soul, Sesshomaru smirked smugly and cooed, "So glad you see things my way, you little worm."

"I simply came to fulfill my duty."

The lilting tone of said miko's voice broke his silent recollection; blazing honeyed depths landing on her person once more.

"A shard of the Shikon was on your lands, so I came to retrieve it, unless you would have preferred Naraku to get to it first," she quipped, her eyes holding a mischievous light about them. Though she had matured, she was still a smart mouth, and one of her favorite hobbies was to push the dear western Lord's buttons.

Snorting slightly, he clipped, "Indeed not."

Smirk fading from her face, a look of tender regard crossed her features as she turned to the terrified women huddled behind her, approaching them slowly and kneeling down before them. "Are you injured?" she asked with concern as she eyed the blood coating their garbs.

"No," one woman managed to choke out, "most of this blood is not our own. We are fine."

Nodding, Kagome motioned to the path she had come from and instructed, "There is a village just up that road. I will escort you there and see what I can do about getting you a room at the inn."

The youngest of the group leapt forward, launching herself into Kagome's arms as she spluttered, "Thank you, miko-sama, how can we ever repay you?"

Patting her on the back, Kagome assured her, "There is no need for payment. I am a miko, and I'm glad to be of any assistance."

As they rose, crying and shaking, Kagome made to follow them, stopping only when a clawed hand rested upon her shoulder. Tipping her head back, she looked up into the eyes of Sesshomaru, curious to find some strange flicker of emotion welling within his amber depths.

"How is it you can be so humane?" he asked her honestly.

Shrugging, she admitted, "I broke the jewel. It's my fault most of these demons are out and about in the first place, so it is the least I can do."

'So it is her honor that leads her to do these things. That I can understand,' he pondered silently.

"Besides," she went on, "I hate seeing innocents suffer, whether they are ningen, hanyou, or full blooded youkai matters not to me. When I see something wrong being done there is no way I would idly stand by and watch it take place."

He lifted a brow at that, studying her for a moment before asking, "Even if it means risking your own life?"

Her soft eyes hardened, a look of determination and seriousness painting her lovely features as she replied, "Even if it means risking my own life." With that, she slipped his hand from her shoulder and followed after the women.

He looked on appreciatively at the sway of her voluptuous hips, and the scrumptious swell of her impressive backside. Oh… the miko had developed quite well over the past two years, nothing like the tiny slip of a girl he had once known. She had filled out so deliciously, her once loosely fitting fighting garb now stretched taut across her large, perky breasts, narrowing down to her slender waist before expanding to perfectly rounded hips. Her figure was incredible, putting most youkai women to shame. Her legs, long and tight with muscle, had not gone unnoticed by his scrutinizing gaze.

Being the type of man he was, he felt it to be a necessity to study and analyze ones opponents, and study her he had. His keen and appreciative golden orbs had taken in every aspect of the little miko, from the sheen of blue coming from her midnight hair, to the impeccably clean, well formed structure of her nails. He had noted with curiosity that they were sharp, though he simply assumed she had filed them in such a manner, for protection purposes of course.

Her face had changed as well. Whereas before she had been a pale shadow to her reincarnation, she was now very much her own person. Unlike Kikyo, her nose was not long and thin, but small and cute, giving her otherwise sensual character a childish innocence. Her lips were full and plump, the light pink petals looking soft and inviting. Her face had become narrower, no longer harboring the excess baby fat it had once held. It wasn't a sickly skinny, no, but it defined her high cheekbones nicely, and suited the sensual almond shape of her eyes. He noted that, though they had hardened considerably, into that of a warrior, her eyes still held the same flicker of rebellion and fiery spirit they had always carried. The shimmering blue pools of her eyes were far more attractive than that of Kikyo's dull brown ones. That had always been a lovely feature about her, though. So very few women had eyes such as hers; almost none of which were ningen.

Her voice had lost the nasally pitch it had once carried, her tone smoothing out into something much more sultry and seductive. He imagined that, should she ever choose to, her voice would provide an excellent means for turning a man on.

Her scent was the same, pleasant as ever, though it had intensified somewhat. She was still untouched and, due to her age, her body was ripe for the picking, her hormones screaming out for a man to come and claim her, though he doubted she noticed at all.

He felt a certain, now very active, part of his body twitch and looked down. Growling angrily when he found that her womanly attributes had done more than enthralled his interest, he willed his heart back to a normal pace, happy to find that his problem had gone away after some coaxing. 'This wench,' he hissed to himself as he walked in the opposite direction, 'is trouble.'

Okay, there we go. That was the first of a few flashbacks. More will surface in the chapters to come. As to when that might be… I don't know. I work tomorrow at 8am so :P on all of you.

Review or else!!! What's that? 'Or else what?' Or else I won't continue! Bwahahaha… I'll do it! I swear, so help me God.