A/N: Okay, done for the day! I promise I won't spam everyone with any more chapter updates for the day, haha. Enjoy!

Since morning, the feeling that had nagged at him had become almost unbearable. His heart rate had been in overdrive, and for hours now, various situations raced in his mind. Never had he felt so ill to his stomach. After all, such vulnerability had been reserved for humans.

"Holy shit, is the great Sesshoumaru actually nervous?" The words that were spat out in jest had instantly caught his attention.

And apparently, his fathers.

Narrowing his eyes in retaliation, he disregarded his half-brother.

"What is it you're anxious about, Sesshoumaru?" This time, it was his father who spoke in curiosity.

Anxious? What that what he was feeling?

Cursing her, he tried to push away such feelings.

"Perhaps the departure of a particular miko?" He scoffed at such a thought. Of course they were oblivious as to what issue had caused him such trouble.

Today was the day.

The day that she would go and see the priest.

And for the first time in his life, he held apprehension regarding the information he had not given her. Shaking off such thoughts, he reminded himself that such a thing was not possible. Not only would she not ask such a thing, but she also had no reason to address the topic.

With that final judgment, he readied the car for the miko.

Standing there, she prayed to the deities for strength.

Strength to ask the mysteries that plagued her.

Strength, to understand.

Walking up to the man that resembled her far more than she cared to admit, she rewarded him with a bow. As he greeted her in Japanese, she pulled out the small paper that she had stored in her pocket. Now, would be her time to tell him what she needed to say. Looking at the words that she had written, she began to read them off we with a hint of difficulty.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi." She began, trying her best to keep her tears at bay at the realization of what she was going to do. "My mother's name is Minami Higurashi, and yours is Hiro Takanagi, correct?"

His eyes widened in shock, and just like that, her questions were answered. Wiping away the first batch of tears that followed, she gripped to her paper that gave her knowledge of the language she was not proficient in.

"She had told me you died—but you're here."

The man before her seemed to be frozen in shock, attempting to reign in his own emotions to the information she provided.

"We live in California."

Flipping her paper over, she turned to the backside that had the words that she needed to say scribbled on the back.

"I want to know your story."

She knew her words were choppy, and the sentence structure probably all over the place, but she could only hope he understood everything she was trying to convey. Finally turning her gaze up to the man who had the same color eyes, she pleaded silently for her tears to stop flowing.

But they didn't.

Instead, both individuals stood their silently as emotion overwhelmed them.

"Kagome Takanagi—" The priest began in a thick Japanese accent after wiping about his tears. Nodding in understanding, Kagome let out a small laugh at such a statement.

"The name has a ring to it, no?"

Eyes widened, she questioned if she had just hallucinated or misheard. But no, the twinkle in his eyes had told her that he did, in fact, just say such a thing in her native tongue.

"You speak eng—but why?" So many questions surfaced. Why had he not said something sooner? Why had he spoken to her in only Japanese during their first visit?

"I apologize for such deception. I had my skepticisms at first. After all, the company you kept was rather surprising." He had said it while holding a tone of fascination and not one of hostility, but almost immediately, she panicked and raised her guard back up.

"You know Sesshoumaru?" She had tried to ask such a question without showing her unease about such a topic, but it seemed like he had seen her genuine question.

'Are you a threat to him?'

Chuckling, the priest shook his head as if to imply her misunderstanding.

"I meant no disrespect. In fact, if nothing else, I am in awe at the honor that both of you hold."

Honor?

At her bewildered eyes, he chuckled.

"That both of you have honored your obligations of marriage—and have even managed to bond yourself to one another through Reiki and Youki. Such is not an easy feat, and the fact that both of you have accomplished such leaves me with no regrets with accepting the alliance."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at the information before her.

What?

Searching his face for deceit, her heart fell at the meaning of his words.

Sesshoumaru had lied.

Lied about everything.