I apologize—there's not much in the Sesshoumaru department this chapter, except in Kagome's own angsty mind, but I promise I'll make it up to you next chapter! We get an abundance of Sesshoumaru, if I do say so myself. . . I appreciate all the lovely reviews! You make me happy, and everyone is honest with me. Very valid points, I thank you all. The only problem with doing this story the way I've chosen to do it is that while we all see why Kagome feels the way she ends up feeling, my lead romantic male is unfortunately a bit mysterious right now. Although if you look like that, you can be as mysterious as you want to be in my book . . . but I'll work with him. To tip the scales, I may throw in a chapter from his point of view. Does that sound peachy keens to you guys?? That will be a true test for an author: first-person Sesshoumaru. And I'm SORRY SORRY SORRY! I keep meaning to finish The Air Up There . . . I really do! But I just can't get a grasp of where it's going now. I mean . . . I know where it's going, but I can't write fight stuff. So in between this and school, I will work on The Air Up There, but I can't promise anything soon. *Hides* I really am sorry. I hate when authors do what I'm doing—start a new story when I've abandoned another one. But I'm trying. Really I am! A few thousand more apologies. If you'd like to get in touch with me for whatever reason, my email is psycho_pixie17@hotmail.com and that's the address I'm more likely to receive any questions or comments. Or editor volunteers . . . ;)

*

I stared at the sky for a long time later that night while Inuyasha kept changing positions noisily and Miroku kept using Shippou for a pillow, much to the little guy's annoyance. Miroku had suddenly sensed an ominous black cloud hanging over a perfectly nice place to sleep, and the poor owner was so grateful to us for offering to banish the black cloud that he let us crash for the night.

I stood out on the balcony and watched the fish swim beneath the bridge and in circles around the complex, but I also saw the fishing net that kept them from going with the stream and ending up in the river almost a mile away. Between the fish and the stars, I was successfully occupied for a little while.

I had always felt on some level that I had no choice but to travel with Inuyasha and Miroku and Shippou—like all my options had been closed off when I didn't go home again, and they were it. Nothing against them, of course. It wasn't so much that I was forced to stay with them as it was I was making myself stay with them. I had justified the abuse I endured with Inuyasha by saying that love was unconditional—not that he was actually horrible or anything, but he did wear my patience thin sometimes. It had seemed that while I was in love with him, I could overcome anything that stood in our way, and I was content to travel with them. But then I pushed myself out of it, because when you keep saying "I'm in love" rather than "We're in love," there's something wrong. And then it went from being like a little mish-mosh family to being four people looking for the same thing for their own reasons. Four strangers brought together unwillingly, bound together forever, whether they liked it or not. That's how it felt after a while—not to mention what I went through when I found myself loving Inuyasha less each day. Oh sure, sometimes I would realize I was 'over' it, and then fall right back in love with him the minute he was dashing, courageous, or even cleverly snide. It happened a lot.

But I could still remember how I felt when I leveled my arrow at Sesshoumaru when Inuyasha needed me the most. I felt wild, reckless—angry that he dared to hurt Inuyasha. Sure, I felt all that, but I didn't feel the thump of love in my chest. Not the way I had before (I was a little busy being thumped by fear and stupidity). Although it worked, didn't it? I did some good that night.

"Give me three weeks, and I'll have a damned jewel shard—and if I get it, I'll even let you have it!"

"Don't bother! I'll be kind enough to give you a month—and if you don't find one, I don't want you to talk for SIX DAYS."

"Fine!"

I was still in a fix with that. Where could I get a jewel shard? . . .

Nope. Out of the question. I was not going to sucker him like that just to take his jewel shard. It wasn't worth it.

There were jewel shards just about everywhere. The next time I even thought I sensed one, I would go get it. On my own, by my self, no help, thank you.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. Inuyasha really thought that I was sneaking around with Sesshoumaru, didn't he? If he knew that I had only talked to his brother twice without being seriously injured, he would shit a brick . . . although if it was because that was all that had happened, or I had actually managed it without losing a limb, I couldn't guess. I just knew that he'd flip out.

While I was reveling in memories . . .

Perhaps it would be safer, so long as Naraku lives and hunts your group, for you to—avoid Inuyasha for a short time. For your own safety, you are free to . . . to travel with me until Naraku is defeated. Should you choose to.

He had been stammering. The mighty Lord of the Western Lands had to force a sentence out because he was embarrassed. Well . . . okay, not embarrassed. That was stretching it. Why would asking me something embarrass him?

I put a hand to my cheeks and felt them burning. Okay, if he hadn't been embarrassed, I sure as hell had been. It definitely wasn't every day that you were given a chance to get away from it all and leave one adventure for another, especially not by someone who . . . um . . . who . .

Who looked like that? a snotty little voice in the back of my mind finished. As though I were in an argument with someone real rather than myself, I glanced away and rearranged my arms on the balcony railing uncomfortably. The images flooding my mind were not merciful; I found myself bringing up the memory of him standing over me in the moonlight, his every feature highlighted in the flickering light but his eyes glittering golden. And the memory of him just this evening, battered and torn, with his shirt burned to a crisp and hanging upside-down at his waist limply. Despite the smell of burned flesh, and being beaten bloody, he had stood before me with pride and . . .

Oh, come on, say it.

. . . A set of abs that I had almost blown my lid over. There. I said it.

What else?

Nothing.

Oh, come on, Kagome. You are a heterosexual female; I KNOW you didn't miss all his visual odds and ends. Unless there were too many to count.

Well I didn't notice anything except his abs.

And his chest, which, despite the mark, was chiseled and defined to the point it looked sculpted. Oh yeah, and his arms and shoulders. I had this thing for shoulders, and did he ever have them. And his face . . . so serene and calm, with the unearthly beauty that separated him from the rest of the world, heightened by the crescent moon on his forehead. It wasn't just a mark—it seemed to complete the picture, making him look dignified. Even Inuyasha, who was not unattractive, didn't hold a candle to his brother, who could be beaten to a pulp and yet look beautiful, dangerous, and proud. Not everyone can do that, you know. Yeah, okay, fine. So I noticed he was handsome. Didn't jade my actions, now, did it? Hah.

He had offered me a way out. He'd given me the exit I had begun to feel I needed: the space to get away from the person I'd loved for so long, the adventure that wasn't just looking for Shikkon jewel shards day in and day out. So why had I turned him down? God knew it would be a change, probably for the better.

I'd been well aware of the fact that I was physically attracted to him, though. Er—maybe I wouldn't go so far as to call it attracted, since I'd only decided to dwell on his looks a few times before, but whatever.

I sat down and let my feet dangle over the edge of the balcony, then lay on my back, gazing up at the sky. I'd never been much of a star-gazer before, but suddenly, without the light pollution that reached even the shrine in my own time, the sky looked bigger and deeper and far more beautiful that I'd ever imagined. It made me want to take a class like astronomy when the new school year started—assuming I passed this one, since I was out so much. Oh well. I wouldn't trade all this for the world.

Especially not lately, huh?

I hated it when the voices in my head had a point.

*

I heard indistinct voices before I heard anything else.

" . . . I think she's dead."

"Don't be foolish, it looks like she just fell asleep out here."

"No, I seriously think she's dead."

"Oh, shut up. You're such a dork," came another voice.

I opened my eyes slowly, and the first thing I saw was a pair of fierce golden orbs staring down at me, and I broke into a sheepish smile and began to blush. Um—

Oh, never mind. "Inuyasha?" I asked with disappointment.

"Well don't sound so happy to see me or anything, you may just burst," he scowled. "Are you still mad at me or something?"

I sat up slowly and shook my head. "No, I just thought you were someone else."

"Yeah? Like who?" he challenged suspiciously.

"Like your mom," I replied childishly, rubbing my neck. I'd gotten a crick in it from falling asleep flat on my back on the balcony. Smart move, Kagome.

"Oh get up and shut up. Listen, we're only a few hours from Kaede's village, so we're going to hit the road in a minute," he told me. "So get ready, because I'm not waiting for you."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm always ready."

"Yeah, whatever," he snorted, stalking off to do whatever it was he did when he stalked off. Probably going to sit up a tree or something.

Miroku extended a hand and helped me to my feet. "Sleep well?" he asked.

I rubbed my neck a bit more. "Like a rock. Or maybe on a rock," I added. "My neck is stiff."

"I'm sorry. Would you like a massage?"

I regarded him suspiciously, but he was all innocence. "I'll pass for now, but thanks," I told him kindly.

"You know, unless you tell him straight-up no, he's gonna keep asking ," Shippou told me with a sigh. "And he only wants to give one 'cause he's horny."

"I'm most certainly offended," Miroku said in a wounded voice.

"Yeah? You're caught red-handed, is what you are," was the reply. "Would someone go get Inuyasha out of that stupid tree? He's been up there all morning, except to wake you up."

"I'll get him later," I said dismissively. "Either he'll come down of his own accord, or he'll come down of my accord."

"You really like that necklace of his too much, don't you?" asked Shippou.

I shrugged. "It works when I want it to."

"You mean when he makes you mad," Miroku corrected.

"That too."

"You really banged him up good yesterday when you yelled at him for being a jerk to Sesshoumaru, you know," Shippou commented.

"Well he was rude and ungrateful. It's about time somebody banged him up."

Miroku paused for a moment before speaking. "That disturbed him yesterday. I don't know if you could tell, but the reason he was rude to his brother was because he hadn't been able to see through the trap Naraku set. He'll be moody all day today trying to figure out how Sesshoumaru knew to get to you in time and why he did it."

"Well if we all sat around all day and tried to figure out how and why that guy does things, we'd all be moody. He needs to get over it."

"Was Sesshoumaru really at the camp the other night, or were you just trying to piss Inuyasha off?" asked Shippou curiously. "I've been meaning to ask you."

I shook my head. "No, he was really there, and he was there to kill Inuyasha and steal Tetsusuiga. What's he always trying to do when Inuyasha's involved?"

"So why didn't he?"

"Because I told him that it was cheap to kick 'em when they're down, and that it would be more interesting if he waited until Inuyasha was strong enough to make it worth his time."

"Playing to his ego?" pressed Miroku with interest.

"Playing to that bone that both he and Inuyasha have—you know, the one that makes them go and disembowel some unsuspecting demon or human. Whoever they get to first. All they ever want is a good fight."

"You're lucky to be alive, from what Inuyasha tells me," Miroku warned.

I held up my hands. "He was a perfect gentleman, thank you very much. And I don't care what Inuyasha thinks, he did not proposition me the other day."

"A dignified and mannerly assassin," Miroku said dryly. "Don't we all wish we had one."

I held my tongue on that one.

"I mean it, though—he just finished trying to kill us all, if you'll remember. He had those insects specifically to keep me from using my wind tunnel."

"I know. I don't know what changed his mind between now and then, but he certainly wasn't trying to kill me yesterday," I sighed. "I guess . . . okay, he said the other night that he could kill me and just move on, but he also said he'd spare my life. And when we were by the camp, he said to be careful in the woods at night because he didn't want some random demon to end my life when he had so generously spared it. Or something like that," I added, hoping that I hadn't just been able to remember his exact words. Even I have my limits—it was enough to reconstruct his body and his face in my own mind. "Maybe he just feels . . . I don't know, responsible for me."

"Oh, Inuyasha would love that one," Shippou put in. "Should you tell him yourself, or can I? I get to see his reaction no matter what."

I grinned. "I'll give you that, it would be a sight to see, but I think we should keep that on the down-low for awhile. He already thinks that I'm having sex with his brother—he doesn't need anything else to chew on right now."

"Kagome, you yelled 'The sex was great' into the woods, right when Inuyasha confirmed that that his brother was out there," Miroku told me plainly. "Of course he thinks you're conducting some kind of affair."

"He'd blow his top, wouldn't he?" I asked with amusement. "If I really were having something with him."

"Oh, I dunno," Shippou remarked. "I think he'd take it worse than he would if you were sleeping with Miroku. He may even be okay with that, you know."

I nodded and ignored the unusual insinuation. "Yeah, he'd be pretty pissed," I agreed.

There was a moment of silence, and I could see Shippou giving Miroku an expectant look. The monk glanced at him briefly, then turned away. "Don't look at me like that."

"Cough it up, horndog," Shippou said flatly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You said that 'if I told Kagome, however inadvertently, that having sex with you was—'"

Miroku pulled a box out of his robes and practically threw it at Shippou. "All right, fine, here you go. If you're that pushy, then keep the extras."

"Thanks, man," said Shippou, bouncing off. "Hey Kagome, we already collected your stuff. It's in a pile with everyone else's. Are you about ready to get going?"

I shrugged. "Sure, if Inuyasha feels like getting out of his tree."

We all wandered over to the tree Inuyasha had taken refuge in, and he glanced down at us with a dark look. "What do you want?" he demanded sourly.

"We're all ready to go," I told him. "Do you feel like coming down, or should we go without you?"

"I'll come down when I'm damn good and ready to," he snapped.

"How about when I'm ready?"

"It's not happening."

I cleared my throat. "Sit," I said sweetly.

Crash!

"Dammit, Kagome! I hate it when you do that!"

"Yeah, well, I hate it when you're slow. Let's go already!"

He scowled at me. "Fine; let's go. Might as well get there anyways."

*

I sighed as we walked. It seemed that for whatever reason, Inuyasha was royally mad at me. Personally, I hadn't tried talking to him, as he'd been less than civil earlier, but both Miroku and Shippou had struck out when they tried. Miroku and I spoke in low tones a few yards behind Inuyasha, he urging me to speak up.

"It's probably got something to do with yesterday," he insisted. "And you're the only person who has luck with him anyways."

"Oh, I am not. Whatever his problem is, he'll only get crabby if any of us try to pry," I argued.

"He wants to talk about it," the monk persisted. "I can tell. He'll just be crabbier if he doesn't say anything."

"Well then why don't you talk to him!"

"I tried. It's not me he wants to talk to."

"Oh, right, and he actually wants to talk to me," I scoffed.

"Well it's worth a shot," Shippou tossed back. "He can't get much worse than he is now, and we've been putting up with it for four hours now. Even if he doesn't want you to hassle him about it, the least you can do is try. There's a fifty/fifty chance he'll be easier to deal with."

"And I'm the one who has to go now."

"We've both had our turns."

"Fine. I'll give it a shot—but no guarantees," I warned them, upping my pace to catch up with Inuyasha. "You're certainly not in the best of moods," I commented cheerfully.

He scowled. "Don't talk to me."

"Are you mad at me 'cause I made you fall out of that tree?"

"No."

"Okay . . . are you mad because Miroku's being a little pervert lately?"

"No."

"So did Shippou annoy you or something?"

"No! I don't feel like playing twenty questions, okay?" he snapped.

"All right, fine . . . are you mad at me, for whatever reason?"

"Kagome!" he exploded. "I don't want to talk about it!"

"And I don't want to hear about it, but if you're going to be like this till you get over whatever's bothering you right now, then I feel like I deserve to know if I did anything," I shot back, trying not to sound angry. "Because if I did, then I'm sorry."

"Well you don't seem sorry," he mumbled.

"I would be, if I knew what to be sorry about."

"You know what to be sorry about!"

"I don't!" I protested. "Is it yesterday that you're upset about?"

"I'm not upset!"

"Just tell me!" I insisted.

"I . . ." he bit down fury. "This is the second time I've almost lost someone to Naraku and not even known it! I don't even know what really happened to Kikyo—only he knows that. But I was foolish enough to be drawn away and I should have known it was a trap—it was too easy. Everyone sensed something at the same time. He almost killed you—he would have, if . . ."

"If Sesshoumaru hadn't shown up," I finished bitterly.

"That's right," he snarled with renewed anger, "if my bloodthirsty and murdering half-brother hadn't decided to be noble, for once in his life. You don't understand—I lost everything to Naraku, Kagome. I lost things that I couldn't even dream of having now. And I almost lost someone I care about to him again. That can't happen. It just can't. I won't let it," he added viciously.

"Hey. What matters now is that everyone's okay," I told him. Miroku had been right—he had just wanted to talk about it. That hadn't been hard at all. And I wasn't just satisfied that maybe he'd cheer up—I did still care for Inuyasha, you know. I felt how much pain Naraku was still causing him, and it hurt me too. I sighed. "So long as we all stick together, we'll stay like that," I added, reaching out and taking his hand.

The look he gave me was flatly disdainful and a bit uncomfortable, and his hand was stiff and unyielding in mine for a while, but after a few minutes he gave up and squeezed once. I was possibly the only person since Kikyo—the real Kikyo, not the shells that had tormented him lately—to really care about him. Maybe even love him. But there wasn't the painful twist in my heart anymore when I held his hand that I felt before. I wasn't tormented by the fact that even if we became lovers, we would still have a chasm between us that would destroy the relationship. And I certainly wasn't tormented by the fact that we would only be friends for the rest of my life. Maybe that's how it should have been, too . . . maybe we were just destined to be good friends. Possibly even friends on a level that went deeper than any lover or romantic interest could go, and one that would survive even the most dangerous of quests—which the Shikkon jewel was beginning to make for us.

Yeah. That sounded good to me.

*

Kaede sat patiently and listened to us all recount the tale of what happened in the forest, and listened to me carefully explain exactly what had happened when Sesshoumaru arrived. How many times would I explain that? This was bound to not be the last.

"So it was Sesshoumaru who battled Naraku?" she asked.

I nodded. "If my reflexes had been faster, I would have shot him dead between the eyes. But he caught me off-guard and got the upper hand."

"From the way this sounds, it seems like he'd had the upper hand the entire time," she countered. "It was very lucky for you that Sesshoumaru showed up when he did, otherwise I have no doubts that Naraku would have killed you."

"Oh, well absolutely," I agreed. "He was actually about to—he was ready to about strangle me where I was. He's got very strong magic," I added. "I was already unable to breathe before he laid a hand on me."

Inuyasha 'hmmphed' and turned away, and I held my tongue suddenly, remembering what he'd said to me. I just wished he'd divulged a little more, but I didn't want to cause him more pain than he was already in. And to think, I'd been heartless enough to believe that Naraku was a simple blow to his ego. "Anyways, it doesn't matter," I finished quickly. "Naraku's disappeared for the time being, so all we need to worry about is sleeping and eating for awhile. And finding jewel shards," I added to Inuyasha before he could say anything. He never had any reservations of reminding me exactly why I was there, for better or for worse.

Kaede nodded, as though she understood that I wanted to change the subject, and turned to Inuyasha. "And where, might I ask, were the thee of you while this disaster unfolded?" she demanded.

He balked. "Hey! This wasn't my fault!"

"I wasn't blaming it on you. I was just asking what was so important to drag you all off and leave Kagome in a forest that is unsafe even during the day for a girl like her."

"Excuse me," I cut in, "but 'a girl like me?' Are you implying that someone like me can't make it on her own because I'm—she's young and a girl?"

"I'm not implying that at all," Kaede replied. "I was young and a girl once, hard to believe as that may be. I'm just saying that—" she sighed. "I can say this because you truly resemble my sister. You are a beautiful young lady, Kagome, and you carry the same light inside of you—the same spirit—that Kikyo carried. Evil is drawn to that like a flame, especially in a forest like that. Evil never sleeps there. Were it not Naraku, then it would have been something else."

"Hmmph. Well evil sure as hell sleeps now," Inuyasha said, "given Naraku's handiwork."

Kaede frowned. "This Naraku . . . he worries me. I have suspicions about him, but I can confirm nothing right now."

"What do you mean, you have suspicions?" pressed Inuyasha.

"Any information we can get on Naraku is information in our favor," Miroku agreed.

She shook her head. "If Naraku is who I think he is, I don't know if that makes him less of a threat or more of one. There was a man once . . . my sister cared for him. He was burned terribly, and it was she who healed him. I know naught but his name—Onigumo. But somehow or another, he became Naraku. I believe that, although Kikyo never did. But I can say nothing for certain."

"But this Onigumo—he was a man?" asked Miroku.

She sighed. "He was. Walk with me in the morning, when I am not tired, and I will tell you the sad story of Onigumo. But perhaps, if he is truly Naraku, his story is more sour than sad."

"How can a man become a demon?" Miroku mused aloud.

"Well there's a couple of ways," Inuyasha said, "but I think only he knows for sure."

"Let's just hope, for our sakes, that he keeps his distance till we've got him figured out," I said warily.

"Maybe you can hope for your sake," Inuyasha growled with a blackness in his voice that frightened me, "but for his sake, he had better find me before I find him."