(Inuyashu and co does not belong to me, I just like to write about them. This is mainly a Sesshoumaru/Kagome fic, C & C welcome. And now for something completely different! Thanks for all the reviews! Actually to be honest I do not know what happens in the story until it's actually written out, so it's just as much fun for me to write it as to read it! Also, the appearances of the others - I don't know if they'll be prominent in other chapters, but I'm using them to further the plot. )


Kanashimi no Hate ni - End To Sorrow - Seven

Realizations

Miroku stretched and yawned as he came to awareness. They were - that is, he, Sango and the kitsune, Shippo, were in Kaede's village, a place they had resided in ever since Kagome went back through the well and Inuyasha -

The monk sat up and shook his head. Even now it was hard to believe what had happened. Even he, as lecherous as he claimed to be, knew love when he saw it, and Kagome had loved Inuyasha - even though he could not fathom why. But to pick Kikyou! A souless doll who had to fetch the souls of others to even exist! The only good thing she had done was to vanquish Naraku but that was nullified by the fact that she had taken Inuyasha to wherever she dwelled now.

He flexed his hand, still marvelling at the fact that it no longer held the air void within it and that he no longer had to fear that one day he too would be sucked into the void. At least now he had a future and friends to go with it.

Sango. Miroku sighed. She was impossible to fathom and yet she would get jealous if she saw him be friendly to another girl. Still, she was something special and the fact that she could kill youkai - well that was a skill that was needed now more than ever.

For with the splitting anew of the Shikon no Tama, the youkai seemed to be everywhere now.

"Kagome?" Shippou mumbled in his sleep.

"Hey, Shippo..wake up." Miroku shook the little kitsume out of his slumber.

"Wha - huh?" Shippo woke up and blinked, half expecting to see Kagome.

"It's morning. You want to eat don't you?" Miroku asked.

Shippo yawned. Everyone knew the little kitsume loved to sleep.

"Yeah, but I'm still sleepy. I miss Kagome.." Shippo frowned.

"We all do." Miroku nodded.

Odd. He felt a breeze in the room and yet when he looked outside, the trees were still.

No.

Miroku froze.

Shippo looked at the striken look on the monk's face as he drew his hand up.

"Miroku what's wrong?" Shippo asked.

Miroku stared at his hand - the hand that had held the Air Void. A tiny fissure showed in his palm and he heard the wind whistle through it. His face suddenly contorted as he came to a horrible conclusion. Naraku was alive!!

"Miroku?" Shippo was frightened. It was then that Sango came into the small hut.

"Sango!" Something wrong with Miroku!" The kitsume pulled at Sango's kimono.

"Miroku, what's - "

"Naraku!" The monk whirled to face Sango and Shippo. "NARAKU!!!" He held out his hand and Sango and Shippo could hear the wind rush through the tiny hole within it.

"Oh - no.." Sango whispered.

******

Kagome awakened and the first sensation she felt was the soft grass underneath her body. Then her ears registered the babble of a rushing stream of some sort. She sat up and grimaced, her body stiff.

"Ugh.." She ran a hand through her matted hair. She hadn't felt like this since she went to one of those end of school parties and -

Sesshoumaru! Kagome looked around in fright, but the demon lord was nowhere to be found. Her right hand felt numb and as she looked down, she saw why - she still held Tetsusaiga in her grip. Slipping it back in the sheath, she got up, grimacing at the dried blood all over her. She looked longingly at the river.

"I need to get clean.." Kagome sighed. The smell of blood and the smell of Shikaru was still on her and for some reason it affected her more. Experimentally, she sniffed the air, and although she could smell some youkai about, they were not close at all.

She sighed. Great, just great. Here she was in the middle of nowhere, possibly a captive of Sesshoumaru, who wanted the Tetsusaiga and her dead. This was not good. There was no Inuyasha to rescue her now.

No. She didn't need him. She proved herself last night. Proved that she could fight a hanyou on her own. Maybe Sesshoumaru would wind up killing her, but she wasn't going down without a fight. She looked longingly at the river and sighed again. What good was cleaning up if she had get into her barely there t-shirt and bloody blue jeans!

"Oiiii!" Kagome suddenly turned a beet red. "I let Sesshoumaru see my breasts! Aeeeeiii!" Kagome put her arms over her chest, completely embarrassed. Thank god, Sesshoumaru hated humans or she would have REALLY been embarrassed.

It was then she saw the kimono neatly folded against the grass near the riverbank. Kagome, curious, went to pick it up. It was, quite ironically, a miko's outfit, only that the pants of the outfit was not the blood red of Kikyou's but a gray-blue color. There were also a pair of traveling shoes and something to tie her hair back with. Who had left this here?

Sesshoumaru? No way! Kagome shook her head. Well she wasn't about to let the opportunity slide. She HAD to get this awful muck off of her - it was driving her nose crazy!

With one last look around, Kagome made sure everything was clear, and modestly stripped off her bloodied clothing. She stepped out to the edge of the bank and suddenly remembered the Tetsusaiga. She had to protect it but it would not be easy to do if she were in the river and it was far away. She placed the Tetsaiga close to the bank and then dove in, grateful for the cool water.

Little did she know that eyes were watching her from a tall tree..