Hey what's this? An update in only three days? It's been while since I've done that. But hey, the chapter's finished, so I figured I might as well post it. Maybe, if I'm lucky, the updates will speed up after this. Then again, I've also got an original story I really need to finish, so...we'll see. I'm kind of writing this story while I'm in a huge writer's block for that story. I'm within the last few chapters of it, and I've reached an unfortunate lull of time right before the climax that I need to find a way to make interesting. So while I'm struggling to sort that out, I'll continue updating here. So, without further ado, please enjoy chapter eight.

"Heh, look who decided to show up. Unfortunately, you're gonna have to wait, Sesshomaru. I've gotta take care of this lady here first!"

"Oh Master Inuyasha, you can't! Oh please turn back! It would be absolute suicide to face both of them at once!"

Amber eyes gaze unfeelingly over the half demon, sliding to the female spirit as he assesses the situation. It's him! It's truly him! Here, illuminated by the gentle nightlight, with his hair, clothes, and fur rustling in the slight breeze, it's him.

He's real.

He closes his eyes, his eyelids the same shade of darkness as the stripes across his cheeks. Then, without a word, he turns on his heel and starts back the way he came.

"Ah!" Kagome gasps. "Wait!"

The next thing I know, I've slid off Kilala, parasol dropping from my hands as I dash to Sesshomaru. Perhaps hearing my hurried steps, he pauses, shifting back to partially face me. He doesn't move as I slow my approach, eyes simply watching. I simply watch right back, enraptured in his intense gaze, and come to a stop in front of him. Somewhere behind me, I vaguely hear Shippo say something about how what I'm doing is dangerous, but I could hardly care less. In a slow, deliberate movement, I move my hand to cup the side of Sesshomaru's face. Other than a slight narrowing of the eyes, he doesn't move, and I examine every facet of his face. So many times, I've seen him in my head, and so many times I've tried to transfer him to paper, to canvas, so I could see him with my eyes. And now he's here. Not some collaboration of colors on a surface. He's here. In my astonishment and relief, I can't keep the smile off my face.

"Who are you?"

My chest swells with amazement. In all the time I've known him, never once have I heard him speak! His voice...so noble...so gentle on the ears…

"Lord Sesshomaru." My words escape my lips as soft as a sigh. Something warm slips over my cheekbone. "I'm so glad. Thank you, for letting me meet you."

A shrill voice suddenly screeches, "Wha...What am I seeing? Some impudent human dares to touch Lord Sesshomaru? How dare she!"

My gaze settles on my hand, and I quickly retract it to my chest, eyes lowering abashedly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just so happy to see you, and you're just so beautiful in person that I moved without thinking." Realizing I never answered his question, I raise my head and introduce, "My name is Ren. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Strange." At the sound of her hollow voice, I'm reminded with a jolt that the spirit from before is still here. "Ren should be a child. Humans do not age so fast."

The unidentified squealing voice from before wonders, "A child? Could she possibly mean Rin, My Lord?"

"Rin," the spirit muses, her gaze floating between Sesshomaru and me. Despite how she speaks aloud, it almost sounds as if she is speaking solely to herself. "They are different creatures, then. Then why is this one infused with night?"

Unable to comprehend what she means, I yearn to ask, but her burning presence and ethereal inhumanity keep my mouth sealed against any words I might otherwise speak her way.

"Hey Lady! I don't know what you're spoutin', but I don't like your tone! Plus, the place you're standing still reeks of Naraku! So you either tell us everything you know, or I'll chop you to pieces!"

My eyes widen when a near inaudible scoff escapes Sesshomaru. His attention returns to me when I giggle. "He is brash, isn't he?"

I take his silence as an agreement.

Then, his fur twisting as he turns, he beckons, "Come, Jaken."

A little green imp at his feet hastens to follow, exclaiming, "Yes, My Lord! There's no need to involve ourselves in your brother's petty squabble! Ah, but My Lord, shall I punish the wretch that dared to touch your face?"

"Leave her."

The imp's mouth falls open in disbelief before turning an acidic glare on me.

My foot has moved to follow before I can register what I'm doing, only for my legs to freeze when I realize. I...want to follow him. I have to. I belong there, by his side. By every reasonable train of thought, I should head back to my era and return to my home, but after meeting him, that would just be so indisputably wrong. I need to be with him...and yet I can't. I can only travel at night. If my condition weren't so serious, I could bear the redness and itchiness that comes with exposure to the sun, but no matter how hard I try for his sake, the searing pain sunlight inflicts on me would inevitably bind me where I stood. I would slow him, tie him down, and that's if he even agreed to wait for me. I can't follow him. I would only be a burden.

And so he disappears back into the dark forest, leaving me only able to stare after him.

A giant flash of light and wave of heat suddenly thrusts me off my feet, and I barely manage to catch myself from sprawling on the ground with my face in the ashes. Water clouds my vision, but I can still make out the general shapes of Inuyasha with his sword drawn and the spirit before him. My view is then blocked by legs and wood, and I look up to see Sango's back. A pressure at my sleeves draws my attention back down to Shippo, who states, "You're lucky nothing happened! That guy has slaughtered whole armies— H-Hey! Why are you crying? Did he actually hurt you somehow without me seeing?"

As the little fox demon frantically begins to search me for injuries, I jerkily shake my head, trying to staunch the flow of tears. I'm really such an idiot. I'd be fine if I just saw him? Who was I kidding? I've never been able to form proper relationships with people, not with my classmates, not even with my parents! Even if I mean nothing to him, he's someone who means the world to me! Someone I've always had when I had no one else! Of course I'd want to stay with him! And being the freaking vampire that I am, of course I can't!

"You need to leave," Sango orders without turning to face me. "There's no telling what this spirit's capable of, and you have no way of defending yourself. Hop on Kilala, she'll take you to safety."

The demon cat crouches beside me, waiting. Sighing within, I reluctantly wobble to my feet, and Sango sprints forward to help Inuyasha, who's being pushed back by a wall of fire. I silently resign myself to the situation and help Shippo aboard the feline.

"I'll be taking this."

With only those words as warning, I'm yanked back by the collar, falling onto something soft and...ticklish? I barely have time to right myself and catch Shippo's panicked expression before the thing beneath me hoists itself upwards, and suddenly, I'm looking down on the moonlit trees. Then I register the tall shape beside me, and shift my gaze to find a woman kneeling. Her dark hair held in a short high ponytail waves in the wind in tandem with long, pearled earrings dangling from her pointed ears. I sit a bit straighter, immediately recognizing the similarity to Sesshomaru. Her dull rose irises stare beneath us, her painted lips flashing a grimace. I follow her gaze back down to find Kilala, with Shippo as her rider, rushing up to meet us, only for a snap of movement to knock the feline severely off balance, and a second later we've sped out of sight.

The woman beside me, a demon I suppose, huffs, snapping shut a fan and resting it in front of her mouth.

"Um…"

"I see."

I blink. "You...see what?"

Her eyes shift over to examine me, her expression tight, and I suddenly feel the itch to paint that indignant expression. "Who are you, girl? I've never seen you travelling with Inuyasha's group before."

"Um," my gaze flits briefly back to where we lost sight of Kilala and Shippo before I answer, "My name...is Ren. I've only been with them a couple of days. Can I, um, ask you who you are? And why you took...kidnapped me?"

"Hmph. So they haven't told you about me. Surely they've told you about Naraku."

For a moment, I have no response. Then, "Oh, I thought Naraku was a guy."

Her huff, somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, catches me off guard, and she averts her eyes. "I am Kagura of the wind. Naraku is the one who has business with you."

"But how can he have business with me when I've never met him?" Unless...this horrific demon king has had visions of me the same way I've had visions of Sesshomaru? The thought sends jitters through my limbs. I hope that isn't the case.

"Don't know, but I can assure you it probably won't be pleasant."

I nod absently, then draw my knees to my chest. As my attention shifts off of my kidnapper, I finally realize what we're flying on. A feather. No wonder it's so soft. It lacks the warmth of Kilala's fur, though.

"You're a strange one." When I lift my head, the demoness continues, "You're rather calm for someone who was just stolen away by your friends' arch nemesis. Shouldn't you struggle? Or cry? Or beg me to let you go?"

I flinch. "Sorry, I guess I should be."

"I'm a demon, you know?"

"I know," I nod again. "It's just...I guess I don't really care what happens to me. The only thing I really want to do, I can't, and there's nothing I can do to change it, so…I don't really care where I go, I guess." Just so long as I don't return to the place he doesn't exist. "Besides, I'm kind of curious what Naraku could possibly want with me."

"...Don't tell that to Naraku."

"Hm? What?"

"That there's something you want, and can't have. If you do, he'll offer you a way to get it, and I guarantee that his solution will only cause you and Sesshomaru bitterness."

I startle at the mention of him. "How did you—"

A bolt of pain suddenly stabs my lungs and I hack, hands flying up to my throat and mouth. My eyes begin to water as I struggle between trying to breathe and trying minimize the agony that increases with every breath. A rush of heat has sweat beading beneath my clothes, and my skin prickles beneath the droplets the same way it does when exposed to the sun. Through the stinging tears, my vision films over with a dark purple haze.

Kagura clicks her tongue. Then, with a flick of her fan, the pain suddenly stops. I suck in a gulp of non-hurtful air, frame shaking in shock. Every few seconds, Kagura continues to flick her fan. Even so, the fog of purple doesn't lift, lingering about the edges of the feather and creeping back in every time before she moves her fan again. Unfortunately, my lungs don't fully recover, and I find myself wheezing every few breaths as air brushes against my raw airway.

As I massage comforting circles on my chest, a structure begins to fade into view. My eyes widen as the castle grows clearer, our ride drawing us closer. I've seen the country's ancient castles plenty of times in photographs, but due to my allergy, I've never been able to visit one. It's simply...magnificent! Such an elegant, sprawling structure, set ideally across the top of a hill, and built up with stone to support delicate wooden architecture...! The Higurashi Shrine had been lovely, but this is on a whole other level entirely! Oh, what I wouldn't give to have my paints right now! To draw Kagura dressed as nobility in this epic setting...it would be exquisite!

The demoness notices my smile despite my coughing and sighs. "Strange indeed, though I can't imagine you'll be smiling for much longer."

Well hello, Kagura. Where did you come from? Oh, the oh so many questions to be answered. They will come in due time. Ren finally got to meet Sesshomaru, at least, although yikes, he's cold. The King of Ice. But what are your thoughts on their meeting? Thoughts on Ren's abduction? I'm eager to hear all thoughts, hopes, predictions, and so forth. If you've enjoyed the story, feel free to like and favorite, and if you already have, thanks much! I'm glad to entertain! I'll catch you guys again in the next chapter!