Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! A really smart genius lady in Japan does… L Wahh!!

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you liked my last chapter! I want to add that all the details of Sesshoumaru's castle would not have been possible without the help of totally-wicked, who told me all this stuff! Arigatou, totally-wicked! You're such a great friend! (And she's jealous 'cause I have 55 reviews ^_^) Hey everyone! Go review her story, Camp of the Chaotics, so that she won't be jealous! K? J Thank you, chickittychick, and to answer your plea for fluff, I'm sorry to say that I don't have any fluff in this chapter, but there will be lots in the next chap, maybe… And LilFoxGirl, thanks for reviewing, and yes, this is a Inuyasha/Kagome story! I only got 3 reviews last chapter! I need 5 reviews to continue writing! Enjoy the chapter, and please review!

The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 17

Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku followed his gaze, and they, too, dropped their jaws in shock. There, dangling precariously on a protruding branch of the mulberry bush, was a swaying silver bracelet that had Kagome's name engraved on it.

He knew that piece of jewelry well. Many times had he felt it's cool, smooth chain against his bare skin as Kagome rode on his back with her hands draped lightly around his neck. Often he had seen the bright silver bracelet shine lustrously in the light of a full moon as he kept guard while she slept. In the daylight, the sun would catch on the silver and throw beams of dancing light onto the ground as Kagome walked in front of him.

He stared at it now as it hung on the branch, captivated by the beauty of the jewelry. It had round, blue beads that glimmered like pearls, evenly spaced out around the entire linked chain. There were four small silver shapes dangling from the edges, two on each side, that on close inspection resembled dolphins that were leaping into the air. The clasp was intricately designed, disguised so cleverly that it was hard to tell that it had a clasp to open. And the engraving of Kagome's name, etched into a smooth flat piece of shimmering metal in a curling elegant script that looked like calligraphy.

It had been a present, Kagome had explained, from her mother, for her recent birthday last month. She loved it because of the silver and blue combination, as well as the graceful dolphins that were supposed to represent friendliness and intelligence. The teenage girl would never have parted with it willingly; even Sesshoumaru would have had immense difficulty prying it off of her against her will. So, the only explanation that Inuyasha's flustered mind could come up with was that the youkai-lord had been carrying her in his arms – actually, he only had one arm now – bridal style, and had let Kagome's wrists suspend downward at her side. This way, her hand may have been carelessly scraped against the bushes and caused her bracelet to be pulled off while the miko was still unconscious.

In fact, this was exactly what had happened. Kagome's bracelet had gotten caught on the branch. Of course, the girl herself had no idea that it had occurred. That was why, after while still picking flowers with Rin in the garden, Kagome was appalled to find that her favorite piece of jewelry was missing. She was extremely upset.

"Oh my gosh! Okaa-san's going to kill me! I can't believe I lost that bracelet! It was my favorite one, and it was so pretty, too! This is so not fair! First I'm stuck with traveling with a hanyou with a bad attitude, then I get kidnapped by a full dog-demon lord who's like, Mr. Icicle himself, then, to cap it all off, I lose my own birthday present a month after I got it! Kagome burst out, angry and agitated. Rin nodded sympathetically, but didn't say anything as Kagome continued to rant on and on about how much she had liked that bracelet.

Luckily for the girl from the future, although she didn't know it, that bracelet was not lost to her forever.

Inuyasha had taken care to keep the bracelet in a safe place (inside his haori), because he knew how much its owner had liked it. Now, he and the rest of the group were heading west again, now that they had gotten a lead on where Sesshoumaru had gone. Inuyasha was quite certain that they had returned to his brother's castle, but he was unable to concentrate on anything else for the rest of the journey. The reason for this was that Shippou was very proud of his find and kept crowing over and over to anyone that would listen (mainly Kirara) that he was a very good tracker. Having found the bracelet when everyone else had given up, he felt that he had the right to boast about it as much as he wanted.

For the first half-hour, it was cute, at least to Sango. (Inuyasha and Miroku had practice in ignoring the fox cub when it was necessary.) But after repeating the phrase "I saved Kagome" "I saved Kagome" "I saved Kagome" again and again for over a quarter of an hour, Sango became first annoyed, then mad, then downright crazy.

"Shippou, if you don't shut-up right now and keep your mouth closed for the rest of today, I swear that I will hurt you so bad you won't be able to say a word afterwards except ouch!" Sango screamed. The kitsune looked at her, decided that she was serious, and shut his mouth.

Miroku grinned and began to take advantage of her distraction by inching his hand toward Sango's posterior, but she whirled around and shouted, "Houshi-sama, don't even think of touching me or I'll make sure that you won't be able to help any women bear children for the rest of your life!" o.O

The lecherous priest got scared by the evil, threatening look on the pissed off demon exterminator was giving him, so he backed away from her and hid behind Inuyasha, who snorted.

There were a few minutes of quiet as the four people walked along, each lost in their own thoughts. Unfortunately, Shippou had nothing else on his mind except the fact that he had found Kagome's bracelet, so he formed a new sing-song chant and began, at first quietly, but gradually growing louder, saying, "I'm better than Inuyasha! I'm better than Inuyasha!" This, of course, got on everybody's nerve's, including Inuyasha, but Sango and Miroku decided not to do anything about it.

Inuyasha was trying to keep his attention on the three scents that he was following, but finally, the fox kit's constant rambling voice was too much. He turned around and glared at Shippou as he growled, "Look, brat, you may have found Kagome's bracelet, but you never would have gotten there if it weren't for me, so stop bragging, shut-up, and let me think!" Shippou stuck his small pink tongue out at Inuyasha, but the dog-demon had already turned back around, so he didn't notice.

After an hour more of traveling through dense trees and low-lying plants, the forest suddenly cleared, and the tachi found themselves standing on a wide open, grassy plain, and there, in the distance, was a large grey castle that loomed over the entire area like a huge monster. Shippou cowered in Sango's arms, while Inuyasha rumbled low in his chest. The castle suited Sesshoumaru's personality perfectly. It didn't feel evil, like Naruku's castle did, but it gave people a distinct impression of cold, aloof, chilliness. Not to say that the castle wasn't beautiful. Its old-fashioned towers and turrets looked exactly like it had come out of the medieval ages. A huge garden that was dotted with various different colored flowers stood to one side of the castle. There was also a meadow with millions of flowers and a few ponds on the other side of the castle.

So, this was the great Western Lord's home. Inuyasha looked at it with distaste, as if condemning it just for being the home his hated half-brother. He thought, with a tiny tinge of regret, "I could have been the one living in there…" He stopped himself from continuing his thought, and resolutely shrugged his shoulders, motioning to the rest of his friends to follow him. He strode toward the castle as fast as he could without running. They hurried to catch up with him, just as eager to rescue Kagome as Inuyasha was.

About two hundred feet away from the castle entrance, Miroku, who was following about five feet behind Inuyasha, abruptly stopped as if he had hit something. He walked forward again, only to be deterred by an invisible barrier. Sango, Shippou, and Kirara, seeing what had happened to him, rushed up to the barrier to try pushing against it, but to no avail. They were unable to walk a step further.

"Inuyasha! We can't get through!" Miroku called to the dog-demon desperately, as he tried hitting the air in front of him with his staff, which was like hitting a solid brick wall. The hanyou turned around when he heard his name, and walked back to them, passing through the shield as easily as if it wasn't there.

He furrowed his brow, frowned, then sighed heavily, "I should have know there'd be something like this. My father probably put this shield around his castle, when he was still alive, to stop anyone but his family from coming in. It's a magic charm of some kind, that only let's in people of his blood. Since you guys can't get in, I guess you'll have to wait here."

Sango nodded, and Miroku cautioned, "Be careful, Inuyasha. You shouldn't take this too lightly. A youkai is always strongest within his own territory. Try not to confront Sesshoumaru, but if you do have to fight your brother, it might better if you came outside, so we can help you. Whatever you do, make sure Lady Kagome is safe. Good luck."

Inuyasha only nodded, too tense to think of a reply. This was the first time he set foot in his own home, ever since he was born. Only a few childhood memories remained of his ancestral birthplace, but these came flooding back as he walked toward the castle, looking as alone and misplaced as when he was first kicked out of his home by his half-brother, after his mother's death.

As he neared the wall, he flew up toward the clear glass windows and peered through each one as he went by. At the sixth story, in the eastern wing of the castle, he pressed his nose to the window as he looked into what looked like a bedroom with a single lone figure in it. It was girl with dark black hair, who was sitting dejectedly on the bed, facing the door. He couldn't tell who it was from the back. The person slowly turned around.