Kagome leaned up to the tree nearest to her, bending over and throwing up, her dripping wet hair held in a ponytail on the back of her hair. Ever since that girl had left them earlier, she couldn't help but feeling sick and worried. How could she not feel worried though? Naraku knew she was pregnant now… and what if he used that against them? Wait, what was she thinking, of course he would use that against them. He would do anything to make them weaker, or to hurt them, just like he always had. And this time, there was much more to be afraid of.

But, as she let the feeling of sickness leave her mind, she stood up straight, wiping her mouth off with her hand. Luckily for her, only Sango had noticed since they had just exited a hot springs, and the demon slayer had left her be. So, dipping her hands back in the water, she was left to her thoughts. Yet, even as they began to walk back to camp, Kagome couldn't help but feel sick again. She couldn't get her mind off of that fear, and somehow, she thought herself weak because of it. This is what Naraku wanted her to do, to fear him and his actions even before they happened. And she was falling right into his mental game. Naraku was a master at psychological pain, and she was just helping him along when she acted like this. But, she couldn't help it. She was soon to be a mother, and her baby was in danger.

And before she knew it, she was sitting beside Rin once again, the little girl snuggling up beside her. Somehow, the presence of Rin comforted her. That little was so oblivious to the world, even though she traveled with Sesshomaru, so much so that she could comfort anyone by just sitting next to them. She was calm and happy all the time, and she always tried to see the brighter side of life, just like Kagome would do at times. But yet, Rin had been through so much. She had died and lost her family, and yet, she could do nothing but smile and laugh.

But, could that last forever?

Kagome tried not to think about it. She didn't want to think about it. All that was ahead of her was sadness, and right now, she couldn't be thinking about that. So she turned her attention to her surroundings, looking around the fireless camp with little interest. There was Sesshomaru to her right, the inu yokai a ways off from where she sat as he closed his eyes. Then there was Sango, leaning up against Koga as she sat on the opposite side of the clearing, his arm draped over her shoulder.

Kagome couldn't help but smile. Sango was falling in love with Koga, and Koga was falling in love with Sango, they just wouldn't admit it to each other. This was what had happened with Miroku and Sango, so it was all too obvious. But, none the less, this was exactly what Sango needed. She needed someone other than Kagome to comfort her, and luckily, Koga was there for her. Kagome wasn't sure how it had happened exactly, but she didn't really care and she wouldn't care as long as her friend was happy.

But still, she never would have imagined Sango and Koga together.

And as the night wore on Kagome found that she couldn't sleep, her mind too preoccupied by other things. She couldn't stop thinking about Naraku for some reason, and it was worrying her. If she kept on thinking like this, she was playing right into his hands. And if she did that, she might as well be dead.

"Do you think that this Sesshomaru would allow you to fall into Naraku's hands, miko?" Sesshomaru said smoothly, not bothering to look at her.

Kagome looked up then, directing her gaze to Sesshomaru.

"Little harm will befall you while you are with this Sesshomaru, miko. Stop worrying and sleep."

The following day was just as dull as the others, except this time, Kagome wasn't as quiet as she usually was. For some reason she found herself a bit more talkative than usual, making Rin quite happy, and she was actually holding a conversation. So there she was, talking to people, truly happy for the first time in weeks. She spoke to Sango and Koga, including Rin in the conversations as much as she could, laughing and smiling. And, in front of the group walked Sesshomaru, whom remained quiet the whole time. Inwardly, he was slightly glad that Kagome was enjoying herself, yet again unsure why he felt this way. But, for his own "safety," he strayed from all thoughts that included her in any way.

Yet, no matter what he did to ignore her, those words his brother had said still haunted him, the memory of the dream pushing through the bars of his well confined thoughts and feelings. And as that memory escaped its chains, so did others.

- # - # - # - # -

The right side of his face still stung as the poison started to run through his veins, though it would effect him none since he had immunity to it, a strange, foreign expression of shock on his face. His mother was staring down, almost eye to eye with him, her gaze cutting through the air like razors, telling him she was in no mood to be trifled with.

"How dare you!" She raged, her hand falling back to her side, "You dare to oppose your father! You are never to follow him without permission—"

"You'd be following him as well, mother. Considering that you knew where he was going." Sesshomaru said calmly, interrupting her.

"I know where he is going, my insolent son. He's running off to that mortal woman, no doubt. He likes to think that it's a secret. Yet, no matter what he likes to think, you are in no position to follow him! I was under the impression that I had taught you your place in this world, Sesshomaru."

"Do you not understand that once the other clan leaders find out about this father is as good as dead?"

"Yes, I know. As does he–"

"This conversation is pointless, mother. I followed him not a week ago, it is in the past now, leave it be." Then Sesshomaru left his mother's castle in the darkness of the night, following after his father and making the decision never to return to the castle where he grew up, ignoring his past.

And he never did find his father. The last time they had spoken, the Lord of the Western Lands had run off to the mortal woman's home, suspecting that she was in childbirth. And after a week, the young taiyokai found Tenseiga pinned to a tree, with a crudely written sign with it. Granted he wasn't very happy, he still took the sword of healing, beginning to search out his hanyo half-brother.

Even though it took him years to find the little one, he eventually did, gazing upon the red clad child for the first time as the hanyo cried.

"Demons don't cry, you know." Sesshomaru had said as he walked into the small clearing, eyeing the tombstone the little one was kneeling next to.

The hanyo then whipped his head around to face Sesshomaru, his eyes red and puffy and cheeks tear streaked.

"Who… who are you?" there was fear in the little one's eyes as he spoke, and Sesshomaru noticed this, noting that he should use this to his advantage.

Then, in a split second, the hanyo was suspended in air, held in a death grip by the neck. He automatically started kicking and struggling, actually managing to bite down on Sesshomaru's hand, refusing to let go. He only managed to get a smirk from his older brother.

"I am someone you should fear, baby brother. Remember me, remember my face. Burn me into your memory and never forget me."

"…b…brother?" InuYasha muttered through his hold on Sesshomaru's hand.

"Yes, little one. Brother. But you should never, for a second, think that I will take care of you. I will kill you one day, baby brother. All I need now is your name."

"Inu… Inu…Yasha…" the little one mumbled, suddenly dropped unceremoniously on the ground, his hold on his brother's now bleeding hand gone.

"InuYasha." Sesshomaru said with an icy edge, staring down at the hanyo, "Burn me into your memory, and never forget me. Fear me, baby brother, for this is the only time that we will meet and you will survive."

- # - # - # - # -

Sesshomaru forced the memory back, trying not to reminisce on anything. Yes, his father had been an idiot. Yes, his mother wasn't exactly the loving type. Yes, he had threatened a child so long ago. So what? Was he suddenly supposed to care? He never had, and he never would. His memories contained the past, not the present. There was no reason to linger over them; much less of a reason to regret that he hadn't cared. Just as he was incapable of loving, he was nearly incapable of caring. Caring wasn't something he did often. It was true that he had, in the past, cared about Rin's safety. But even now, he wasn't sure why he had even cared back then. Yet, now, in the present, there was another possibility. Could you say that he cared about Kagome?

He forced himself to think that he didn't. But, deep down in his ice cold heart, he knew that he did. He didn't know why, but when that woman had attacked her, something in his mind had clicked. He felt something that he couldn't describe, a feeling he had never felt.

Sesshomaru didn't know what it was because he had never experienced fear. True fear.

He had been… "afraid" for Kagome's safety then, fearing that she had met her end, even though it was quite obvious that she hadn't. There was something else that was bothering him as well. There was another feeling that was growing stronger by each passing day as well, but he didn't know what it was either.

"So…" Kagome said, looking over at her friend as she turned her head away from the spaced out wolf yokai, "You've got a crush on Koga, don't you."

Sango made a weird noise and looked over at Kagome, blushing, then quickly turned her head the other way and muttered something along the lines of "are you crazy."

That just made Kagome laugh, "You do, don't you?"

Then Sango looked at her friend once again, this time with a sad look on her face. Kagome automatically knew what was on the demon slayer's mind, and began to try to comfort her.

"You do know that he would want you to be happy, right?"

"I know… it's just… I feel like I'm betraying his memory by liking someone else… and that's the last thing I want to do to him, Kagome."

"And he knows that, Sango. Miroku is a person that, even in death, would wish for other people's happiness, not his own. I can tell you that he wants you to be happy, and that he wants you to move on, just like InuYasha wants me to. I know it's hard to just let go, Sango. But letting go doesn't mean forgetting."

Sango then nodded, understanding her friend's words. She was right. But then again… could she just start all over?

"Sango, everything starts slowly. But to start something, you have to make an effort."

"I know." Sango agreed nodding.

"Which means…" Kagome let a mischievous smirk cross her features.

"Kagome, don't you dare!" Sango whispered harshly as the smile returned to her face.

Koga walked along silently, not five paces behind the two girls, lost in thought. He was glad that Kagome was smiling again, glad that she was returning to her old self, but he wasn't all that excited like he thought he would be. He had thought that once Kagome had healed at least a little, he would continue to pursue her, he would try to help her deal with InuYasha's death... but he didn't want to now.

He wasn't interested in her anymore.

"Koga," Kagome said, turning around, "Stop spacing out and come over here."

And as he turned his head to look at her, he saw Sango punch Kagome lightly in the arm as she blushed lightly; a little surprised that Sango actually could blush. It wasn't something he would think she would do.

What had they been talking about?

The conversation they included him in wasn't really interesting, but he talked with them, taking a blind eye to the way Sango was acting, and just tried to enjoy it. And before he knew it, night had fallen, and they had all stopped talking, falling silent in the darkness. There weren't any demons near them, none that they should be worrying about at least, so he wasn't too worried about being ambushed. And, from what it looked like, neither was Sesshomaru.

Yet still, Koga couldn't help being a little too cautious. That woman who had appeared to them, the one who was a match to Sesshomaru, haunted him. Was Naraku truly gaining that much power? If he really was, how could they defeat him? He knew that only time would tell, but still, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

Naraku stared out the window, the sun's rays warming his skin, lost in thought. He had gained a great deal of information from his newest minion, whom which he was very happy with, a he was trying to figure out how he could use it to his advantage. Well, it wasn't that hard to figure out how, actually. Kagome was pregnant and Sesshomaru was feeling a bit protective of her. It wasn't that hard to figure out what to do, it was how to do it. All he needed was to put her unborn child in danger again, except this time, a danger that Sesshomaru couldn't save it from.

In other words, he needed to kill the baby without killing Kagome.

That was easy enough, but he wasn't about to just go out and find them, threaten Kagome on Sesshomaru's land, and expect to get away unscathed. He had to get them on his land, somewhere where he had the advantage. He had to get them here, where he was sitting. But that wasn't all that easy. Sesshomaru wasn't as hard-headed as InuYasha; he wouldn't just walk into a trap while brandishing a sword wildly. Sesshomaru actually thought things through.

"You wanted me?" spoke a smooth, female voice from the doorway, Naraku having been too lost in thought to notice that his door had been open.

"…Yes. Have you recovered from your battle with Sesshomaru, Mine?" Naraku replied after a short hesitation.

"Does it look like it, all seeing one?" She replied in a cold edged, mocking tone.

That was when he turned his head to look at her, now understanding how stupid of a question he had asked. She no longer stood tall as she usually did, she was bending over, using the door frame for support, while she stood there with only blood stained bandages concealing her chest, her kimono top hanging around her waist as it stayed tucked into her pants.

"Fine then. When you feel that you are… able to fight, go after Sesshomaru—"

"Again?" she interrupted with a sigh.

"Yes, again." Naraku said with a slightly annoyed tone, "Go after him and his little group and find a way to get them here, whether you have to tell them where I am or lure them here with lies."

"Let me understand this clearly, just to make sure your not out of your mind," Naraku glared at her as she spoke, "You want your enemies to come here, while you are nearing your 'problem,' and you plan to fight them?"

"Don't question my methods." He snapped, "Now get out of my sight."

"Fine, master." The girl said, using mocking tones on her last word, then leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

Maybe she's not as rebellious as Kagura, Naraku thought bitterly, but she's still a pain in ass to deal with.

A.N. PLEASE READ! (Sorry for the short chapter as well)

Okay first, just to clear confusion, i did not write "mine," I wrote "Mine." (Me-nay is how you pronounce it) Just like Mine, Ayame's shop employee, in Fruits Basket.

And second... I hate having to ask this from you guys. I kinda need a little help. Every time I write a chapter, I have a strange feeling that I'm writing myself into a corner. That's why this chapter is so short; I felt like I was stuck and couldn't write much more. So, for all those authors out there who read this, what do you do when this happens? I really, really, don't want to have to give up on the story because I feel trapped and unable to go anywhere. So, I'm begging, pleading, for some advice. Dudes and Dudettes, I'm desperate. I've been looking in Harry Potter Books for writing tips! ...kinda sad, is it not?

So, if you have any advice what-so-ever, please write in a review.

And I promise you that the next chapter will be the longest yet... probably.