Chapter 3

An Accidental Crash and Excuses for the Unworthy

Kagome growled to herself as she walked through the forest, looking at a rock that she was sure she had seen before… at least three times. Hefting the giant yellow bag on her shoulder, she readjusted it and sighed, accepting the fate she found herself in more and more often.

She was lost. So very lost.

She had been wandering around for hours, trying to find some sign of InuYasha and the rest of the group. Her ire with the hanyou was growing by each second, even if some part of her really didn't blame him. She was too forgiving, and this was one of those instances.

The inutachi had been walking along, enjoying the peace of the day, when Miroku had to begin acting up. First, his hand had decided to find a place on Sango's backside, and after he was promptly hit, he had turned to InuYasha and Kagome.

The comments he had made about InuYasha and Kagome had the young girl and hanyou blushing the same shade of red as the fire-rat robe. Sure, everyone knew that Kagome loved InuYasha, just like they knew that InuYasha loved her.

But that didn't mean they needed to say anything.

Things were complicated between the two as it was, little comments weren't going to help. It had taken Sango and Hiraikotsu to get the monk to stop speaking, but by then, the damage had been done. InuYasha had been thoroughly embarrassed, causing him to act out to hide it.

As always, the insults began.

They were as bad as always, and Kagome knew he didn't mean them, but they still hurt. She didn't want the one she loved to call her such things, to compare her to someone who she knew was better. She didn't need to be reminded, especially by him.

While she knew he only acted as he did because he wasn't sure how to handle his emotions, and lashing out was how he dealt with that, it didn't stop the tears from brimming her eyes. She had tried to keep her face down, but the wind was against her and InuYasha had smelled her unshed tears.

He had instantly quieted down and regarded Kagome. She knew he wasn't sure what to do so she had forced herself to suck up her tears and smile. She lost count of how many times she had done that now, giving him a fake smile.

That realization was heartbreaking.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Kagome decided to try a different direction. She wasn't getting anywhere this way so she turned to the left and began stepping through the forest, her heavy footsteps the only sound she heard.

It was eerie and dark in this forest. She knew that it would only get worse as night fell, and she hoped she found her way out by then. She didn't know what she would do if she didn't. She mumbled her curses at InuYasha for picking this forest and pushed forward.

After she had given her fake smile, InuYasha had yanked her to him, shouted at the others to continue on, and jumped away. She hardly had time to react before he was running full speed away. He didn't stop until they were well into the forest.

All he had time to do was set her on the ground, cup her face tenderly, and begin to say something before they were interrupted. Green, glowing shinidamachu suddenly caught both of their attention, and Kagome dropped her shoulders.

Knowing what would happen, she had told him to go to Kikyou. He had given her a look full of remorse, told her to stay, then left. She had listened, fighting the tears the entire time as she sat against the tree, her bag beside her and her knees pulled to her chest.

She wasn't sure how long she had stayed there, but eventually, it became clear that he wasn't coming back anytime soon. So, she had grabbed her bow and arrows, along with her bag, and left. She headed in the direction they came and, soon, she became lost.

She knew she shouldn't be angry at InuYasha. After all, he had made a promise to Kikyou. Sure, he made a promise to Kagome first, but Kikyou was the incarnation, meaning she came first. Always.

Pushing away the feelings of anger and jealousy, Kagome looked to the sky, sighed, and then continued walking. She understood why InuYasha always went to Kikyou, and she didn't blame him. There were times she thought of moving on, finding someone else, but then InuYasha would swoop in and remind her why she loved him in the first place.

There was always that bit of hope that InuYasha would finally choose her, and it just wouldn't die away. She didn't want it to.

Kagome jumped and froze as a loud yelp tore her thoughts away from the male she loved, and she only had time to look up as a blob of white slammed into her, sending her to the ground roughly and twisting her ankle.

A thud landed beside her and, ignoring her pain, she shot up, thinking she was under attack. What she saw surprised her. A large white dog, looking like a fluffy Great Dane, laid panting, the only movement the animal gave.

A quick onceover told Kagome the dog was skinny and weak. Most likely, it had been days since he had eaten, and her heart instantly went out to him. It was then that she looked up and saw just where he came from, and she furrowed her eyes.

"What in the world?" She questioned, wondering how the dog had survived such a fall.

At the sound of her voice, the large dog lifted its head and gold met blue.

Kagome was stunned for a moment, pulled into orbs that looked so familiar, yet different. The dog's eyes strangely looked like InuYasha's, but deeper. What caught her attention more was the mistrust the poor animal carried, and Kagome instantly knew she had to help.

It took all Sesshomaru had not to get up and run away. He knew the miko traveled with his half-brother, at least usually, and he had no desire to run into the fool. However, Sesshomaru never ran from his problems so, instead, he pushed himself to his feet, then stared at the female as if he was above her.

Which he was.

Imagine his surprise when the little woman simply smiled at him. Kind blue eyes sparkled as the miko moved carefully to remove the bow and large gaudy bag from her back. Sesshomaru watched as she began digging into the overstuffed thing, mumbling to herself until she let out a yell of triumph.

She pulled out a bag and ripped into it, forcing the smells of the contents to swirl around them. Instantly, Sesshomaru's mouth began to water, and he was forced to lick his lips to keep from drooling. It smelled wondrous, and his traitorous stomach growled loudly.

"Here you go." Kagome said, placing the food on the ground in front of him. He took notice of how she seemed to keep her distance and he wondered why.

She did not smell of fear.

Taking a hesitant sniff of the strange food, he listened as the miko began to explain what it was. "It's basically like the dried meats from around here, only it has more seasoning to it. Where I'm from, it's called beef jerky."

She reached into the bag and pulled out another bit before sticking it in between her teeth and tearing the dried meat. As Sesshomaru watched, his nose still hovering over the offering she had given him, he noticed something that made him feel something he hadn't felt in quite a while.

Guilt.

His eyes trained on the swelling ankle she now sported, and he knew that her injury was caused because he hadn't been paying attention. The thought that she ignored her own injury to offer him food ran through his mind and, as a way to say thank-you, he quickly grabbed the meat in his teeth and swallowed it.

He saw the smile that formed on her lips, and he cursed the new emotions that flowed through him. Why did he feel happy that she was happy? Pushing all of those thoughts away, he watched as the woman drew out some more meat and placed it in the same spot for him.

He didn't hesitate this time.

"You know, you're welcome to come with me if you want." Kagome said, reaching down to her shoe and beginning to untie it.

She struggled getting the contraption off, and when she finally did, Sesshomaru saw the extent of her injury. She should have taken that shoe off much sooner, but she worried about someone else over herself.

"Foolish woman." Sesshomaru thought, sitting on his haunches and looking away.

"Hey! I just fed you, and you thank me by insulting me!" Kagome shouted, causing Sesshomaru's head to snap towards her. He watched as her shoulders slouched and she mumbled. "Maybe I really am useless. Even a dog thinks I'm stupid."

"You can hear me, yet you only think of the insult." Sesshomaru pointed out, managing to look annoyed, even as an inu.

Kagome perked up at his words and placed a finger to her chin. She looked at Sesshomaru, a thoughtful look on her face, before she smiled largely. "You're right! Why can I hear you?"

"This one is unsure. You are the first." He answered, then regarded the female who quickly accepted the new found discovery with a shrug of her shoulders. "You are calm when most would panic."

Kagome looked at the dog, then back at her swollen ankle. "Well, the way I see it, weirder things have happened." She paused to chuckle, catching the mortal inu off guard. "A lot weirder."

"Hn."

"What is your name?" Kagome asked, reaching into her bag again and pulling out a metal bowl and a crinkling contraption.

Sesshomaru thought about whether or not to answer the female and quickly decided not to. While he didn't think the woman was the kind to run around and scream to others of his predicament, he couldn't take any chances.

He was a lord, and he could no longer protect his lands. If word were to get out of this…well, it was best to keep quiet. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about it for long for it seemed the girl was more understanding than she let on.

"You don't have to tell me. I won't pry into your business. But…could I give you a name? Something that I can call you? Calling you 'dog' just seems so wrong." Kagome whispered, pouring water into the bowl out of the crinkling object in her hand.

She pushed the bowl over to him, and he eyed her suspiciously before watching as she took a sip of the water remaining in the object. With this action, he realized that she was showing him it was safe. It was the same with how she had taken a bite of the meat.

Internally sighing, he hoped he didn't regret his decision. "You may do as you please." Was his reply as he lowered his head and began to drink from the weird bowl.

Kagome placed a hand to her chin, humming as she went deep in thought. She looked Sesshomaru over, taking in his looks and the little bit of personality she could pick up on. Sesshomaru seriously hoped she didn't give him some ridiculous name.

"Oh, I know! You seem to be really prideful, almost if you were a lord or something. So, how about the name 'Titan?' In Greek mythology, that is the name of the elder kami, and it just seems to suit you. It's either that or 'King.'" She exclaimed, looking excited.

Sesshomaru had to admit he didn't mind it. He was also quite surprised she could read him so well. "That is acceptable."

Both occupants looked up as the sound of a frantic hanyou reached their ears. It appeared InuYasha had finally found Kagome. Sesshomaru looked towards Kagome again and noticed the look of sadness on her face. It was quickly pushed away and she smiled towards him again before holding out a hand, palm side up.

"Will you come with me, Titan? I'll feed you and protect you as best as I can." She asked, looking hopeful.

Sesshomaru thought on her offer for a moment, asking the true question. Could he deal with his half-brother? Looking up into the miko's eyes, he had his answer, a surprising one.

"This one does not need protection." He stated, watching as the woman's face fell. "However, I will offer my protection in exchange for the food you carry."

Kagome's eyes brightened and the light from her smile was blinding. Sesshomaru lifted his paw, and placed it in her waiting hand and, just like that, a promise was formed. It was miniscule and could easily be broken.

However, it was a start to so much more.

-sSs-

I know I haven't really mentioned Rin yet, but I will. Also, this story is based in the time before Naraku was killed so he will be the evil they have to battle, but I will say this now: while there will be some action, this story is more romance and magic than anything. I have trouble with keeping the story moving too quickly, and this is my way of fixing that. It will be slow-paced. Kagome doesn't realize that she is speaking to Sesshomaru. In the anime, they never really had any interaction other than a few times. She really wouldn't recognize his voice. Sesshomaru still can't stand humans, and Kagome feels that Sesshomaru hates her…which he kind of does. At this point, he is choosing to tolerate her and the others for a better chance at survival. That's it. Next chapter, we will at least bring in InuYasha, perhaps the others as well.

As far as Kagome's thinking on InuYasha, Even in the anime, she was always making excuses for him, no matter what he did. In this sense, I felt Kagome was weak. Yes, it is strong to be patient and help a person to change, but InuYasha never really wanted to, and he shouldn't need to. After all, InuYasha never even made a choice. Technically, he didn't get a chance to before Kikyou died. With this being said, I will make Kagome come to see her faults with the way she handles InuYasha, but it will be slow. It takes time for these things. I think I have gotten to all points and questions that may come up in this chapter so, I hope you all enjoy.

Shout outs:

Arisu-chanthehappykitty: Thank you for your review, I am glad you love it.

Blind Fool: I am glad that I was able to give you something to read. I hope you will continue to love it.

Slvrphoenx: Sesshomaru finding love is going to be hard in this story. He still very much hates all humans except for Rin. His believes and prejudices will have to be chipped away slowly before he can even begin to feel anything for the miko.

Redrake323: There is a lot planned for this story, so I am sure that you will enjoy it.

S-chan08: I hope you enjoyed the meeting.

Alucardgal: I will continue, don't worry.

I do not own InuYasha.