AN: Okay, first of all, all of the chapters of Unwavering Dream are up on SingleSpark, if you want to read it uninterrupted. For more info on that check my profile.

Next, I can happily say that I had a little free time at work to work on the story. When it came down to it I could either make this chapter longer or work on part of another project. As you will see this chapter isn't longer but not because I was lazy, for once! I actually have four pages from future chapters typed up, I managed to start on the lemon, and I have my second story roughly outlined, for more on that check the profile. I think that deserves a cookie or at least one of Kimster44's hot wings.

Black Smurf- I know! I had to have them make a deal so I could stop writing this Sesshoumaru I was getting tired of typing it over and over to keep him in character. I wonder what happens when he breaks the deal? Hum . . .

Okay, since I can't update my profile, since fanfic is updating, I guess you'll have to 'Please come back in a few hours.'

Last Chapter

"That's not the point! Can you try it at least? I and Kagome? They aren't hard words."

"Okay, Kagome, I will, but what is in it for me?"

I glanced at the recurrent forest, "Anything."

"Anything?"

I nodded. I knew what it implied and was looking forward to it.

Chapter 14

We continued to walk in silence. I mean what can you say after something like that? I couldn't even try to visualize what Sesshoumaru was thinking behind his cool pretense. I wanted to sigh, but I was afraid to break the tension and peace.

Fortunately for me Sesshoumaru broke the silence. "Something is off."

"What do you mean?"

"I am not positive but there is something in front of us."

I stared ahead as far as I could. I didn't see a thing. It just looked like the forest continued on without a sign of breaking. "How can you tell?"

"I am not sure but I have a feeling that we have gone as far as we can."

I sighed. He had completely and utterly lost me. He had a feeling? But he didn't have a single clue about how he could know, what it should or may be, or why it would be there? He also had a feeling about Takara and look how that turned out. "Come on Sesshoumaru. Let's go."

"Why? Do you know where this path leads?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why yes, I do. I've been lost in this forest millions of times." He narrowed his eyes quickly at my sarcasm. "I suppose you think we'll get somewhere by just standing here."

He curtly nodded before grabbing my hand. "Just in case something does, perhaps, occur." My eyes focused on our clasped hands and I blushed. "Ready to die or worse be disappointed"

I looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah. Let's go."

We walked forward slowly. Both of us were cautious and prepared for the unexpected. Just as I put my right foot down my vision spun. We had walked straight forward but it felt like we fell off the end of the earth. I felt my stomach lurch and I had to swallow repeatedly to keep down what I knew was coming up. The next thing I knew we were standing back in front of the woman. I swallowed once again before opening and closing my eyes to clear my vision. We were back where we started. I looked up at Sesshoumaru. He seemed a little unsettled too.

He turned to glare at Takara. "Explain yourself."

"You really didn't think it was that easy did you? I just told you you had to accomplish what you were meant to do before you could leave."

I stared at her sadly, "Why did you make us do that?"

She glared back at Sesshoumaru, "I really have a thing about pretty boys."

"You like them."

"What?! Hell no, they make me feel unpretty."

"So why did you make us walk west then? You just choose a random direction?"

"The last time I checked there was a lake out there. I was hoping you two would be eaten by the monster of the lake."

"Really." Sesshoumaru yanked our connected hands so I was standing slightly behind his shoulder.

"Yeah, things commonly change in the forest. Now I need to map out where the lake went to. Now did you walk directly west or were you more of a northwest?" She looked at our faces before turning to face her hut. She grabbed a stick and started scratching in the dirt. "Never mind. I'll figure it out."

"You have the nerve to admit that you tried to kill this, me, us."

Takara didn't bother to look up from her map. It was actually starting to come together. "Hum? Oh, yeah. You and your human."

"But why?" I pleaded. I didn't want to lose a potential friend and ally, especially if we were stuck here for an indefinable amount of time and she was the only one that could help us.

She looked at me dumbfounded. "Where did you find her? She isn't really that stupid and naïve is she?"

"Sometimes I wonder."

"I am a demon. You don't think that I would become your best friend and help you get out of here just because I wanted that goody goody feeling inside did you?"

I sniffed haughtily, "You were trying to kill us with a monster? I think we could have handled that."

She turned and started to walk away muttering, "Can't get out of a little enchanted forest but she thinks they can handle an enchanted monster. Does this forest attract overconfident imbeciles or is it just a special power I possess?"

Sesshoumaru growled threateningly, "I can hear you."

She smiled and looked at me. Sesshoumaru nodded and I glowered at them. "I heard you too."

Sesshoumaru dropped my hand and both of them turned to me in shock.

"Can you?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded to Sesshoumaru. He looked at me like he was trying to judge the truth of my words. He and Takara shared a look.

"What! What is it?"

"Um, Kagome, let's try something okay? I'm going to walk backwards. Every time you can hear what I'm saying look at me and raise your hand. When you can't hear me tell Sesshoumaru."

I looked at her with uncaring eyes.

"Do it Kagome."

I sighed. "Okay."

Takara smiled gratefully at Sesshoumaru before she started backing up. "There is no way you should have been able to hear me. I was speaking too lowly for human ears to register my words, even at that close of a distance. And Kagome I'm-."

I dropped my arm and looked at Sesshoumaru, "What did she finish saying?"

Sesshoumaru ignored me. He was too busy staring at Takara. I followed his gaze to her. She had stopped talking but her mouth was hanging open.

"What is-." I looked back to where Takara was standing. "But how is this possible?" I wasn't sure whom I was asking.

There had to be something wrong. Takara was whispering and I'm sure she was, but yet, I could still hear her over fifty feet away. I saw her mouth moving again, so I took three steps forward. Suddenly I could hear again, but the volume of her voice kept changing so the only things I caught were, "Oh, Lord it started."

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