Meanwhile back in the west, Sesshomaru was moving at a rather slower than usual pace. Rin noticed but didn't dare make any commentary upon the matter. She knew he wasn't as healthy as he proclaimed to be. She almost wished she hadn't suggested going to see the slayer, for the journey itself might be too much for him.

"Rin, what ails you?"

Both Rin and Jaken stopped in their tracks. They looked at each other upon arriving at the same conclusion. His voice had changed a bit. It sounded weaker than before. Rin decided to cast his fears away, so he wouldn't be troubled.

"Oh nothing Sesshomaru-sama, I was just thinking about the slayer is all. I just can't wait to see her. I wonder has she changed at all."

"Humph," he knew it was a lie, but a rather conceivable one, he commended her secretly for her craftiness.

Jaken thought he would say something as well, but not to Sesshomaru.

"Rin, would you stop giving off such an inquisitive aura. Milord doesn't have time to entertain your idealism and whims. So don't be a bother. Besides, I 'm sure that demon slayer is in good health. Her kind always finds a way to survive one despicable way or another."

"Yes master Jaken," she replied somberly as she put her head down.

With that, Jaken mentally gave himself a pat on the back, but suddenly regretted it when Sesshomaru turned around and gave him a deadly glare. Jaken gulped hard and distanced himself from Sesshomaru quite significantly. He didn't want a knot upside his head. His head was just getting over the last one he had for being away so long taking care of his mother in her ailment.

As the journey continued, Sesshomaru and his wards had been walking four days already with their scheduled rests and camping at night of course. He knew with good calculations that if he kept this steady pace, he would get to slayer's undoubtedly abandoned house in another two days. That would be just enough time for him to think of an excuse to suede an upset Rin into trying to forget the slayer. He knew how much the slayer meant to her and now to him as well. He also missed her presences and that delectable scent of hers, but what was done was done. He could not turn back the hands of fate once they've been set in motion.

His heart was heavy with ruefulness, and that was why he was slowly loosing his health. He even tried to make peace with himself by going back to the cave to see if her body was indeed still there like in the dream. Then, perhaps burying the slayer in that village she grew up in if the villagers knew she died and hadn't already done it, but he couldn't. He didn't know if he would be able to see her in such a display. He would only relive that terrible night, as if his dreams weren't doing a fine job at that. Sesshomaru sighed. He stopped letting his wards know it was time for a scheduled stop.

________________________________________________

Sango walked into her hut, and all was as she had left it nearly two weeks ago. She noticed things were a bit dusty. So, she immediately started to clean up. She started to think about how Raymi gave her medicine to take every day for the child growing steadily in her womb, and also told her to lay off demon slaying until after the birth. Sango didn't know if she could do that. Surely she could still be a little active with demon slaying until her second trimester. She then wondered how big she would get.

She knew that her mother didn't get big at all when she was pregnant with Kohaku, but then again, Sango contemplated this child is the child of a taiyoukai. So, she didn't really know what to expect. She'd just hoped that she didn't have any novel difficulties with caring such a child. Just then she felt the countenance in her stomach trying to move upward. She quickly ran passed Kirara and barely made it outside. Kirara watched on in amazement and concern. After Sango was done, she decided that she better go by the stream in the forest to freshen up a bit. So, she beckoned Kirara to come along. After Sango drank hand fills of water, her body started to relax. She started to pat Kirara on the back which was pleasing to the cat. Sango looked around and realized, she and Sesshomaru had their first encounter there after the battle with Naraku.

She remembered how he just starred at her as if wanting to say something, but lacking the capacity to. She marveled at how subtle she was thinking about the man that killed her. Sango then thought back to the night in the cave. Perhaps she did go too far in mentioning Rin, she thought. 'He obviously has reservations about the situation with her. Perhaps he was not willing to admit it to himself just yet, and then there I go throwing it in his face as humor. I suppose if I were in his position perhaps I would have let my anger get the better of me too. Wait a second am I defending that bastard.' A small voice within said 'yes, you must, for he did not mean it.' Sango looked around the forest to make sure there was no one else there other than her and Kirara who could have spoken just then. She was starting to think she was going daft.

"Come on Kirara, we're going back to the hut, I think I'm losing my mind out here." she half joked but looked around one more time to ease her natural questioning manner.

Later that night after Sango had taken the medicine, for she always takes it the night before the start of a new, she laid on her mat contemplating what happened in the forest earlier that day. She knew she distinctly heard another person's voice. 'Could I have just conjured up another person's voice. I've always heard that pregnant women's hormones can be a real pest during this time. Yeah, perhaps that was it, just my hormones acting up. Hopefully, that was the only strange thing that I'll have to deal with, she thought. With that thought lingering in her mind, she soundly drifted off the sleep.

When Sango opened her eyes, she was back at the fortress in what appeared to be an office. She recognized the place right away, but wondered how she got there. She looked around a bit more when her eyes landed on doors that appeared to separate Sesshomaru's office from a garden. She gingerly looked around once more and started to move toward the doors. Besides, a strong aura was beckoning her to go that way. Once in the garden, she had not been walking a minute when she spotted Sesshomaru sitting under a cherry blossom tree. He then said " slayer" and then closed his eyes." This was very confusing to Sango when she found herself looking at her own self approaching Sesshomaru from his right side. Sango thought this looked very familiar, and then it hit her.

This was when she was about to tell him that she was leaving the fortress. But why would she be here she thought. Sango watched on in awe as she watched herself and Sesshomaru share discourse. Sango walked up to Sesshomaru's side and then to her own and noticed that she nor Sesshomaru could see her.

"Sesshomaru nor I can see me standing here," she said aloud as she stopped directly beside Sesshomaru while looking at him talk to herself. But then she noticed how the wind picked up and how Sesshomaru's aura changed. She saw how he started to breath in deeply. Sango even smelled what he smelled. It was her scent. 'Sesshomaru is breathing in my scent. I can see him literally changing before my eyes. This is what happened that day. He was distracted by my scent. That was why he got all eccentric on me.' Then suddenly everything went black and then turned bright again. Sango covered her eyes to block the flash of light.

When the light dissipated, she saw she was still in the garden. This time, she was standing right over a sitting Sesshomaru who was gazing at the sky. She opened her mouth to speak but could not. Then she started to hear his voice. Sango looked down to see if he was talking, but his mouth was not moving. 'What is going on here?' She then started to here Sesshomaru's voice more clearly. So, she just sat next to him and listened. What other choice did she have she thought. She listened as Sesshomaru dwelled on the mistake he had made in killing her, and how if he had to do it all over again he would not have done it.

Sango eyes widened as she continued to listen to his ruefulness, and how he was deeply affected by her. Sango knew what Sesshomaru was saying, but dare she jump to conclusions. If she didn't know better, he was falling in love with her. Even though he had not said it in is thinking, Sango could feel the aura emitting from him while he thought of her. It was the same aura that Inuyasha used to give off when Kagome was around. How could he love me, we don't even really know each other, and yet. If I heard him say it right this instant, I believe I would say it back despite what happened. But how can this be. Only soul mates have such a connection.'

That was it, but before Sango could deduce anymore she saw the bright flashing light again. Sango shot up from her mat. She looked around and saw that she was in her hut still in bed. 'It was a dream. It was all a dream, but it was so real. How could anything that real have been a dream. I went back to something that actually happened, at least the first time anyway,' she thought.

"What is happening to me," she blurted out which made Kirara mew inquisitively. Those dreams… I mean… why dream about him in such a subtle manner now. Could it be because of the pregnancy? What if it is a sign that he is on his way? Then again, he thinks I'm dead no doubt, so he wouldn't." Reaching this conclusion made Sango fill better all the while Kirara looked on wondering what concerned her mistress so much. Kirara had already known that Sango was pregnant, and that she wanted to help her out even more than she already did. She didn't want anything to happen to Sango or Kohaku for just as they needed her, she needed them just as much.

Jaken looked on tiresomely at Sesshomaru's back wondering when the journey would end. Jaken really didn't mind traveling, but he did mind traveling at a leisure rate. He knew that Sesshomaru was failing in health. So, he didn't know why Sesshomaru agreed to go on this inane outing. Jaken thought back to Rin. He knew that Sesshomaru had an unspoken but understood fondness of Rin, and that anything that could be done to please her within reason would be done without hesitation. That is why he blamed Rin for this trip. Nonetheless, he couldn't stay mad at her, for the child gave off a certain air that was one of peace and innocence, and even Jaken admitted inwardly that she was annoying but her company had been essential now. Rin, on the other hand, started to hum silently a song that her mother taught her. She really didn't know the words, but she knew the tune very well. She was careful not to hum too loudly to disturb Sesshomaru, for she knew his ears were very acute in matters such as that. She looked over at Jaken to see him silently muttering something under his breath.

Then she looked up at Sesshomaru who was looking wearisome as the journey continued- not from his failing health but his eyes looked wearisome like he was dreading something. Rin wondered what was really going on with him. Why had he stopped eating, why was he sleeping more and more, and why did he agree to go on this journey when he knew that he was too weak to go. All these questions ran through Rin's mind. She figured if he hadn't went to see her, surely Sesshomaru could have sent a honorable servant to fetch Sango and brought her to the fortress. She wondered why did he not think of this idea instead of concurring to hers. Rin kept humming that way, she knew that Sesshomaru would not sense a change in her demeanor like he's done in the past.

Sesshomaru noticed that his legs were getting heavier. He dreaded going to the slayer's hut. He didn't want to see any tangible belongs of hers. Just thinking about it alone made his heart ache. If only he could have contained himself. If only he would not have been so narrow-minded. He sees now that all the notions about love and companionship he harbored were farces. He didn't know that he would wither away on account of Sango. He didn't know being exposed to this human woman would have such an impact on his demon life- with just having one, one on one experience with her would want him wanting that daily. He didn't know he would crave for her body, her essence, her voice, her touch, and most of all her love that he didn't know he needed until it was too late. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful morning, but Sesshomaru didn't notice for his eyes were lethargic.

He looked up to contemplate on his mother and father. He still pities his mother for her need of companionship for his father, but he now pitied himself as well. 'Mother, I've tried so hard to disconnect myself from those human emotions of companionship and love you so harbored for father, and yet I've failed. Father, I have also overcome leaps and bounds to avoid your mistakes and yet I have failed. This Sesshomaru will not take defeat easily. Even though I seemingly might die from what I've done to that human, and I have sentiments upon the matter, I will not openly confess such dishonorable emotions aloud, for this demon can not live with himself if the notion was ever revealed. Therefore, I shall die with contempt for my sins. I can not be like you once again father. I will succeed in that alone before my demise. You flaunted your love and need for Inuyasha's mother Izayoi; I will not. I would rather become decadent inside and out than to repeat your deeds. That I will take to the grave.