Author's Note: So many reviews! Thank you so much, guys. They totally make my day. I am glad that there is so much positive feedback. I will try to keep up with the consistent updates; we've got some big things to look forward to in the near future!

Sesshomaru awoke to find the camp empty of his young hanyou. Rin slept quietly by the fire, and Jaken was leaning up against a tree at the edge of camp. He looked around, sniffing the air, but Minako was nowhere near them. The little imp would face Sesshomaru's wrath for falling asleep while on watch.

He stormed over to the little demon and kicked him, just hard enough to startle him awake. Jaken scrambled to his feet at the sight of his lord, rambling an explanation for his nap.

"Please, m'lord, forgive me! I did not leave the camp unattended; Minako swore to keep watch and I just dozed off before I even knew it!"

"Really? You handed off your duty to the hanyou?" he spoke slowly, motioning to the small campsite. "Tell me, Jaken. How can she keep watching when she is not here!"

Jaken flinched when Sesshomaru shouted his last words.

"Forgive me, m'lord!" he exclaimed, "I have failed you!"

Sesshomaru couldn't understand his own rage. Why did he care if the girl was missing? Another problem he could check off his list. But he couldn't. He didn't want to.

He had to find her.

Sniffing the air, he suddenly realized that the overwhelming scent of Naraku was gone. He could smell it in the distance, and if he focused, there were a few other scents, too. One that seemed to resemble that of his hanyou.

"Watch Rin," Sesshomaru ordered, glaring down at the imp. "And don't slack on your duties this time."

He set off into the woods before Jaken could respond. Naraku had something to do with this, and that only made him angrier. How dare that disgusting half-demon tamper with his property? Perhaps if Sesshomaru had not been so busy trying to keep his distance from Minako, he would have realized that Naraku was planning on using her for something.

His search quickly led him to a run down castle. His anger boiled as he smelled Minako's scent among that of other demons, including his half-breed of a brother. What did Inu Yasha have to do with this? Had Naraku planned to use Mina as a pawn for something as pathetic as fighting this pathetic little group of high and mighty "heroes"?

He passed through the castle, breaking down doors and walls in order to get to Minako quickly. Who knew what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into? Her shouts were loud enough for him to hear before he had even reached her.

"You imbeciles, just give up! You can't fight me; I am too powerful!"

There was a wrongness in her voice, and it made Sessshomaru's chest tighten.

The priestess Kagome tried to reason, "We don't want to fight you, Minako. We just want to help you. That shard in your forehead is hurting you, and we need to take it out."

A shard. Of course, that would explain her sudden power and change in attitude. The stupid girl! He had warned her about the shards. Why would she go after them again? Unless she hadn't, and it was instead given to her by some other means. Naraku.

"No," Minako hissed, "You just want to take my power!"

He heard the human girl scream, and a commotion from her group, including his little half-brother. If Minako harmed the priestess, then Inuyasha was certain to harm Minako right back. Sesshomaru would not allow that. He broke down the last door separating him from his hanyou.

Minako stood on the far end of the room. She carried herself in an odd manner, as if she were more animalistic; black veins stretched across her face, emanating from beneath the cloth wrapped around her forehead. She hissed at the group that stood before her, long claws dripping with blood. It belonged to the priestess.

"Sesshomaru!" Inu-Yasha shouted, holding his bleeding human companion in his arms. "Are you responsible for this?"

He ignored the idiotic comment; as if Sesshomaru had time to waste on those pathetic shards. Minako's eyes widened at the sight of him, and she took a step back. It just took a few long strides and he was standing before her, staring at the little hanyou from behind is mask of calmness. He couldn't let that pathetic group see his weakness.

Sesshomaru grabbed Minako by the collar of her kimono, lifting her up off the ground. She stared up at him with wide red eyes, but didn't fight back or resist. She almost looked afraid, like a small demonic child.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, a low growl escaping his lips.

"I am powerful now," she said, flashing fangs as she spoke. "I am strong like you..."

"You will never be as powerful as me. Now stop this foolishness, you stupid girl. We are leaving this place."

He reached up and ripped the cloth down, revealing the shard embedded in her forehead. It glowed brightly beneath her skin. Minako closed her eyes and winced as he dug it out. The veins almost immediately receded and her eyes returned to their violet color. Her body almost dropped to the ground as she went limp, and he held her in place.

Turning to Inu-Yasha and his group, Sesshomaru held out the shard. "Take this and leave. You have no more business here."

Inu-Yasha looked suspiciously at the two before walking forward and grabbing the shard. He gave them one last look before returning to the group and carrying Kagome out with the others. Sesshomaru was glad to see them leave. He turned back to Minako, allowing his apathetic mask to recede.

"When did this happen?" he demanded.

She shook her head, and he let out a low growl. She whimpered, clinging to him as she whispered, "I was collecting wood..."

Another reason to take his anger out on Jaken. The imp had failed twice. He should have been watching Minako; he knew that Naraku was nearby and yet he continued to lounge about and allowed the girls to wander off alone. What if Naraku had dared to harm Rin, too?

Sesshomaru thought about this as he traveled through the woods and back to the campsite. Mina did not let go of him, nor did she say anything during the trip. That is, until they were only a few minutes away from where Jaken and Rin waited.

He was startled when Mina suddenly began crying, and he looked down at her with surprise.

"What is the meaning of this, girl?"

She threw her arms around Sesshomaru and hugged him tightly, "Please forgive me, my lord! I do not know what I was thinking in running away from you."

"Your thoughts were poisoned by the jewel," he explained. "You were power-thirsty as a result of your insecurities as a hanyou. Do not ever run away again, Minako, lest I give you reason to fear your weakness."

"Yes, my lord," she whispered. She stared up at him, as if expecting something. He watched her, still holding her close. The silence made his head ache, a pounding in his skull as his mind raced. What was she thinking? Why was she staring at him like that? What did that look even mean?

After a moment, she let go of him, letting her hands rest against his chest. He could feel her heart racing, almost hear it. Her presence enveloped his senses and her scent nearly drowned him.

She leaned in closer, tilting her head and he let go, stepping back. She steadied herself, looking up at him with an air of disappointment. The memories of her lips flooded his mind and it took him a moment to find his voice.

"Jaken and Rin await our return," he said, his apathetic mask returning. "Let us not keep them waiting."

She bit her lip and nodded, lowering her head as she followed behind him. Sesshomaru knew what she expected, but did not care to think of it as they left; he didn't need the complications of intimacy with a hanyou.

No matter how his chest ached.