Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters within. This story, and this chapter, are purely a work of fanfiction and I do not make or want any profit off this writing. Everything aside from the plotline belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Goodbye My Hopeless Dream

"Kagome, I need ya!"

Glancing up from the scroll she was reading—one of the few they had that had been brought by Sesshoumaru for Rin to read—Kagome looked outside questioningly. Inuyasha never called for help—he was too proud for that—so what in the world was wrong?

Carefully placing the delicate parchment down, Kagome straightened her clothes and wandered outside. The sight before her eyes just made her giggle from the ridiculous cuteness of it.

Inuyasha was bent in the awkward half-position of trying to stand from kneeling or sitting but was stuck by the bold baby that squealed as he pulled at the hanyou's ears and the two toddler's clinging to his back, giggling as they watched their younger brother torture him. With his arms taken up by Meiko and Miyuki, Inuyasha had no defense against Ichiro who continued to squeal and yank on Inuyasha's incredibly sensitive ears.

Stifling a choking laugh, Kagome put a hand over her mouth and cleared her throat. Inuyasha glared at her from under his thick waterfall of hair. "Well… I never expected I'd catch you in such a… a compromising position Inuyasha. How in the world did you let them get you like this?"

Growling as he tried to contain the wiggling toddlers, Inuyasha snapped, "oh just shut it and come help me will ya? Ichiro is gonna rip my ear off or somethin'."

Kagome giggled as she moved forward and plucked little Ichiro off the ground who tugged just once more and then let go of Inuyasha's ears to look at Kagome with accusing eyes. Kagome looked at him and waggled her fingers in front of his face. "Oh no, don't you look at me like that. This is your fault. You shouldn't have been pulling on his ears in the first place. That's mean, you know that."

Ichiro stared for a little while more until Kagome tapped his nose and got him giggling. Then she looked up at Inuyasha. He'd straightened and was maneuvering Meiko to his front while Miyuki clung to his back like the little monkey she was. But in the process of him coming up to his full height, it had brought Inuyasha closer to Kagome than she'd thought. Her heart thumping from the strange closeness, she took a step back. Inuyasha—being a demon and having super senses—gave her a strange look but otherwise ignored her.

What in the world was thatThe warmth, the closeness, and the addition of children had changed between them what normally would've been just a usual, friendly encounter. But she couldn't shake the uncomfortable awareness that tickled her skin.

Damn it Kagome. Calm down. What the hell is wrong with you? Here she was, flustered and uncomfortable, staring at the man she thought she'd stopping having feelings for just because of a few unfulfilled dreams that decided to make themselves known again.

Was she really that desperate for a family that her body was trying to betray her heart?

"Hey, oi, stop that ya little buggers. I ain't here for ya to torture." Snapping herself out of her turmoil, Kagome quickly moved her eyes away from Inuyasha and down at little Ichiro again. Bright purple eyes stared at her as if he knew just what she was thinking. Wise little baby, he was a lot like his father—but hopefully not that much like him.

Wiggling her fingers again, she smiled at him. "Oh yes, we are going to hope you don't turn out like your daddy huh? Cause the world knows we only need one Miroku a generation."

"Is that because I'm so awe-inspiring that the world can only take one of me? Because I solidly agree." Appearing with a broad smirk beside Kagome's shoulder, he smiled down at Ichiro. "Isn't that right Ichiro? Your father is an amazing human."

Kagome huffed and pulled Ichiro away. "Yeah, I don't think that's why the world only needs one of you Miroku. We can only suffer one of you a generation is why."

Miroku chuckled and wrapped an arm around Kagome's shoulders and squeezed. "Fair enough."

Kagome smiled and tickled Ichiro's stomach before handing the giggling baby off to his father. Then she looked up to catch Inuyasha's golden eyes. Her heart stuttered a little in her chest. The look of almost wistful longing in Inuyasha's eyes was as terrifying to her as the time she'd been stuck inside the Jewel all alone.

"Thank you for watching the twins and Ichiro for me Kagome. Sango and I really appreciate it." Miroku smiled at Kagome as he cradled Ichiro and Kagome pulled herself away from her thoughts and smiled back.

"You're welcome Miroku. Anytime. It's fun getting to spend time with the babies." The monk inclined his head and carried Ichiro off, and with a last glance behind him, Inuyasha followed silently, carrying the waving twins away.

When they were fully out of sight, Kagome turned and ran into the forest, her heart pounding and tears close to her eyes. Damn. She hadn't felt this close to crying since she'd saved Inuyasha from his near-death. And even then, it hadn't been about this. The things she thought she'd left behind.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Calm down Kagome. Dammit. You're over him. You're fine. You do not need a man to be happy. You don't fucking need it." She collapsed against a tree as she said it, her body giving out and her lungs heaving. And as she glared upwards, her eyes betrayed her heart. "Fuck."

With a heaving sob, Kagome let the tears flow in the solitude of the trees embrace.

…

It was seconds, minutes, hours later when a twig snapping caused the subtle barrier she'd placed around herself to flare to life and harden. Rubbing her swollen eyes, Kagome glared into the trees in front of her, refusing to look at the man behind her. "Sesshoumaru-sama, to what do I owe this great honor?"

The sarcasm that oozed from her voice normally would've caused her to cringe from the many layers of insults that she'd just laid upon the powerful demon lord, but she was exhausted and angry, and she didn't have the emotional strength left to be courteous.

"Miko… it is not safe for you to be alone in the trees."

Kagome frowned, still glaring forwards. There had been a slight pause to Sesshoumaru's voice, a lingering question, but Kagome didn't want to talk. And she certainly didn't want to talk about that. Especially to the older brother of the man she was inadvertently crying over. "Well thanks for your concern but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you."

An almost silent sound that Kagome was almost certain was a snort caused her to turn around angrily and drop her barrier, her fury bristling. She stuttered when Sesshoumaru came into full view.

Standing taller than she'd ever thought he was, he was perfectly groomed beyond his normal perfection and clothed in a beautiful kimono of blue and white silk with delicate little flowers of crimson adorning the sleeves and trailing along the bottom seam, turning the bottom of the kimono red. But the most startling thing was that he was not wearing his armor.

Kagome didn't think that she'd ever seen Sesshoumaru so… dressed up; which was a weird description of the demon lord since he always seemed over-dressed, but this was above and beyond his normal dress. This was almost like he was attending a fine, formal event. But he wasn't, he was here stalking for her for whatever his reasons.

"Uhhhh… I like your… kimono. It's really beautiful."

Wow Kagome. Smooth. You absolutely don't sound like an idiot. Not that he probably didn't already think her an idiot.

The edges of Sesshoumaru's lips lifted in an almost smirk and he inclined his head. "Hnn."

As talkative as ever she could see.

Feeling rather self-conscious in the presence of Sesshoumaru's finery, Kagome found herself fidgeting with her clothes as brushing at her hair which had started to fall into her face again. The tight braid she'd coiled it all into must have loosened during her mad-dash through the woods. And her face was still puffy from crying. Great, she probably looked like a monster.

Although, Sesshoumaru's definition of "monster" was probably quite different from her own. A curious thought.

Distracted as she was by her mind and her own forced ignoring of Sesshoumaru, she didn't see Sesshoumaru watch her, assess her, or see the subtle smile that graced his lips. "Why are you out here Miko?"

"Ahhh, well." Kagome tucked more loose hair behind her ear. "I just needed some air. I love Kaede and everyone but the village gets too chaotic sometimes. I just needed some time to breathe."

"Does my brother bother you so much?" Kagome grimaced.

"Well… I love Inuyasha, but he does get a little overbearing sometimes." She shrugged. "Drives me insane when he wants to follow me around all the time. Or refuses to let me leave the village on my own. But he's gotten much better since—" Since she'd healed him. But now it was less like he was worried for her and more like he was… intimidated by her. Like her powers were a scary thing.

Hell. She thought her powers were scary sometimes. She'd been in Inuyasha's mind when she healed him. She'd heard his cry for help. And she'd forced reishi and youki to intermingle in his blood to cause an accelerated healing that, by every possible telling she'd heard, was supposedly impossible.

If that wasn't scary, she didn't know what was.

But that was also something that she didn't want to discuss with Sesshoumaru.

Despite her unwillingness to speak with him, Sesshoumaru seemed to know what she was thinking anyway. "Inuyasha is scared of you. Of what you can do."

Sesshoumaru's tone caused Kagome to bristle up in the defense of her friend. "Inuyasha is not weak. He is intimidated by the unknown, something that scares everyone."

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes caught Kagome and held her captive. "I am not afraid of you."

Those words, which normally would've been an insult, now felt like a caress that sent warm shivers down her back. Kagome shuddered and looked away. "Well you don't know what I can do." I don't even know what I can do.

"I have seen what you can do Miko. You are no mystery to me."

Kagome chuckled and it came out darker than she thought. Just a testament to her mood. "Oh, well thanks. I'm glad someone has me figured out, 'cause I sure haven't."

Kagome's skin prickled as Sesshoumaru stepped forward, but against her better judgment, she stayed put. "I think there is much that you have yet to discover Miko." Sesshoumaru's voice lowered to a purr and her skin buzzed as his clawed fingers brushed the edge of her face. Not used to feeling so intimate with anyone, she flinched. Sesshoumaru's hand instantly dropped and he inclined his head as he stepped back. She felt oddly hollow with his distance.

Before Kagome could even form a thought or an apology, Sesshoumaru was gone in a flutter of wind and youki. Her skin still tingled where he touched her and she reached up to feel her face. Her confusion grew as she pulled out a small white flower from behind her ear.

Delicate and tiny, it was one of the most beautiful flowers she'd ever seen. And it was definitely one that she had never seen in the wilds before. So where in the world did Sesshoumaru get it? And why did he give it to her?

Feeling a little lighter in her chest, Kagome carefully put the flower back into her hair as she sat down and leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes. As her mind drifted, she swore she could still feel the light brush of his fingers along her face.

A/N: Hello Lovelies! I took so long with this chapter too! Ugh, I'm sorry, I don't intend to keep doing this but I do. I'm just a bad updater XD

I'm like the Markiplier of Fanfiction but Mark is much cooler than me (for all you Youtube addicts like me). XD

Anyway, I hope that this chapter is good and you all enjoy it. I am still searching around to find the feel of each chapter and this one took a while. But I'm pretty much in love with it at this point so I hope you all are too.

Now, because this has been bothering me, I'd like to address some complaints that I've gotten about the way Sesshoumaru is to Kagome, so here it goes.

Yes, Sesshoumaru refers to Kagome as "Miko" often instead of Kagome. But despite what some people would say, this is not, nor ever will be, intended as an insult to Kagome. Sesshoumaru is a taiyoukai. He prefers to be called Lord Sesshoumaru or Sesshoumaru-sama. This is a TITLE. Because Sesshoumaru puts a high emphasis on status and power. And his title is a power. He extends this same respect towards Kagome when he calls her Miko. He is acknowledging the fact she is a miko of GREAT power and is thus worthy to be known by her title, instead of just "Kagome", which holds no power to him. So he does not see "Miko" as an insult, nor does Kagome; she is very much used to Sesshoumaru's "coldness".

However, when Sesshoumaru refers to her as the "human priestess", yes, that is him being rude. So you may be mad at him all you want to for that, but do not mistake his emphasis on titles to be an insult. If Sesshoumaru is going to insult a person, they normally deserve it and he would do it in a much more spectacular, cruel way, you can trust that. XD

All right, now that I've got that off my chest, onto the chapter specifics:

~I should first probably address the fact that Kagome dropped a few ~bad~ words this chapter. Yes. She curses. I think everyone curses (even if it's only in our minds). And since she is quite a bit older now (in her early twenties) and has been around Inuyasha so much (who has such a foul mouth), she has picked up a bit more colorful words for her vocabulary. But it comes out in this chapter because she was in such a bad, dark mood that the words just started flying. Sorry if that bothers anyone, I felt it fit.

And no, any younger people reading this, I don't think you should curse. I curse and let me tell you, it is a HARD habit to break. And it's not always a cool thing. There have been some points where I really wish that I had other ways of expressing myself than the words that fly out of my mouth. Cause believe me, they fly. You will reach that point too. And it's a hard slog back up that hill. (Tempest's advice for the day, there ya go).

~Kagome has a bit of a relapse in mood this chapter because she's in one of those female moods that we tend to get in (ladies, you know what I'm talking about), where her body is kinda in hormonal hyperdrive and the sight of being so close to Inuyasha with three young children, making them resemble a family so much, just kinda sent her spiraling back into things that she thought that she had let go. So of course, she's frustrated and depressed because she's thinking that she's A) never going to have a family like she wanted and B) that those lost feelings for Inuyasha really haven't resolved themselves. It's a work in progress (as all of us know. A broken heart isn't an easy heal).

~Also, Sesshoumaru is opening up a bit more this chapter and is beginning to show affection to Kagome (in his own Sesshoumaru-like way). But of course he's still Sesshoumaru and he's never done this so he's a little rusty, so it's also a work in progress. Luckily, Kagome's understandable. Most days.

That's all I can think to write for this chapter. I'm a little ditzy right now from lack of sleep but I hope you guys love it and continue to follow along. The story is starting to move and is picking up so it should get good!

Chapter Song: "Almost Lover"—A Fine Frenzy. Now, the lyrics to this song don't really fit Kagome and Inuyasha (at least in this story) but there was just something to feel of this song while I was writing this chapter that caught my attention. So despite the fact that Kagome and Inuyasha don't entirely fit the song, I felt that it fit the chapter too well to let it go.

I especially feel the chorus:

"Goodbye my almost lover

Goodbye my hopeless dream

I'm trying not to think about you

Can't you just let me be?

So long my luckless romance

My back is turned on you.

Should've known you'd bring me heartache

Almost lovers always do."

Ahhhhh, so beautiful. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I love you all!

~Tempest Moonfayr

P.S. I'd also like to add that DAYM, this is a long chapter. I didn't realize I wrote so much. XD That just makes it better though right? More to devour when it finally comes out. :D

Love you guys!