Hi everyone, I'm back for another update. Thanks for all the reviews! The only author note that I really have is that I don't own Inuyasha (*sigh*) so…yeah. Story time! ^_^

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I stormed out of the cell room in frustration. When I finally reached the top, I saw that it was no longer day. Realizing this, I gasped at a sudden thought. "Kaede! I was going to visit her!" Well, it was too late now. Maybe the visit could take place tomorrow. For now, I was going to bed.

I rummaged through my closet and looked at all the different pajamas I could wear. Most of them had frilly lacey things and were made of pure silk. I winced in disgust. Were these what I normally wore to bed? Sighing, I took a green slip (that sadly was the best thing there) and put it on. I began to brush my hair. To my intense surprise, I suddenly heard the door to the bedroom open and shut quietly.

I looked around. It was Sesshoumaru! Of course! I had completely forgotten in this world we were supposed to share a bed.

He was looking at me sort of funnily. Finally he spoke, saying quietly "Humans appear to have more delicate bodies than I originally thought. You are no exception." I blushed at this remark and looked down to see the slip I was wearing. I realized suddenly that all those dumb-looking pajamas I had looked through earlier were more than likely what I was supposed to wear in bed with Sesshoumaru on a normal night. I shuddered.

"I'm sure," he continued, "you're wondering what I'm doing here. Truthfully, everyone will become suspicious otherwise if I don't enter this room. However, do not look so worried—I intend to sleep against the tree connecting the window to the garden outside for the night." He motioned to it. I stared at him. He smirked. "It's probably more comfortable than that bed."

"Er…oh." I smiled a little. I thought he would kick me out for sure! Sesshoumaru had a heart deep inside of him after all. "Um…you don't really have to sleep in a tree…I mean, I'm sure I can make some arrangements to go somewhere else…"

"I'll be fine. You don't need to trouble yourself for me." I blushed a little and watched him leap out the window. In some ways, his personality was not unlike Inuyasha's. A thought occurred to me that the guards might see him and begin to wonder what was going on. I mean, he was in a TREE! Kings don't sleep in trees!

I shrugged and decided it probably wouldn't matter either way. I made a mental note to thank Sesshoumaru later, then turned to my side and, right before going to sleep, remembered thinking, HOPING, if I woke up again this whole thing might be over.

~~~***~~~

I woke up. I was still here.

Sighing, I got out of bed and went to the window. There was Sesshoumaru, still sleeping in that tree. I smiled—he looked so peaceful. The wind blew in his hair slightly and I found myself thinking that he looked kinda cute.

Wait, what!?

I fought this notion away and moved from the window to change into something else. When I finished choosing a dark purple robe, a knock could be heard at the door. I turned around swiftly in surprise and asked, "Who is it?"

"Lady Kagome, is His Highness awake yet? There are some urgent matters which he must attend to."

I panicked. "Um, no, he's still sleeping."

"I see. Well, is my Lady able to wake him up now? I'm sorry to bother you, but it really IS of the utmost urgency."

"Uh…yeah…yeah, I think I could do that…"

"Excellent, I shall be waiting out here to inform Lord Sesshoumaru the details once he is ready."

I sighed for a moment, then swiftly walked back to the window and peered outside. I hadn't observed it earlier, but the tree could possibly be close enough to reach out and touch the trunk from the bedroom window. Sesshoumaru was still there, so I extended my arm forward and leaned ahead. A thought danced in the back of my mind that waking Sesshoumaru in such a manner was probably not the best of ideas—he didn't seem like a morning person at all. Foolishly I brushed this idea away and continued to lean out the window, reaching for him. I touched his hand closest to me and pushed against it gently. He made a movement—but that didn't bother me, because, deep down, I liked how strong it felt. Unfortunately, since I was slightly lost in the thought at this sudden concept, my balance had unexpectedly been taken from me, and I fell from the window. I screamed fearfully and, from looking down, saw just how far up we really were. However, to my great surprise, I felt something grasp my hand.

"…Are humans always this clumsy?" I heard a voice say from above. Sesshoumaru carefully pulled me up to him in the tree.

"Uh…th-thank you." I gasped when the shock wore off. "I thought you were still sleeping…"

"I am always on alert." Without warning, he captured my waist and leapt back into the bedroom. "…And don't mention it." Sesshoumaru said after a moment. I waited for him to say something else, but instead he turned to his closet hastily and pulled out a robe for the day.

I smiled a little. "Um, there's someone outside waiting for you. I think an important matter has come up." I looked at him. "That's why I went to wake you today…"

"I see." He said. Sesshoumaru went to go change for a minute, then walked out the bedroom door calmly. "And try not to get yourself in trouble again. I can't always be bothered to rescue you when you need it, Kagome." He called to me humorously. I stiffened, but he was gone before I could make a reply.

~~~***~~~

After breakfast I told one of the servant to cancel anything I had planned for the day. I was determined to pay a visit to Kaede. They looked at me in slight annoyance that I was paying less and less attention to the land I was supposed to be a leader in. I ignored them and started out to Kaede's.

When I reached what I thought was her house, I knocked on the door. "…Kaede? Are you in here?"

Some shuffling could be heard from within, and then, sure enough, Kaede emerged from the door. She smiled. "I've been expecting yee, Lady Kagome. Please, come in." She motioned me inside, and I followed. "Miroku and Sango stopped by earlier." Kaede continued. "Yee need not explain anything—I have heard the story from them."

I sighed with relief. "You believe me?"

She nodded. "Yee do not sound quite like the Kagome I know." She poured me some tea. "Might yee be expecting that I have the answers to your problem?"

I thought for a moment. "…To be honest, I'm not sure. Miroku and Sango told me you used to be my personal advisor here, and where I come from you would help us regularly, Kaede. I thought, maybe you WOULD know something."

She sighed. "Very well, I may be able to help. First, I will need a description of the events that took place."

I explained to her what had happened right before this world appeared—our search for the Shikon jewel, the fight with Sesshoumaru, and the Wind Scar attack. She gasped. "Yee mean to say that Lord Sesshoumaru and Lady Kagome are enemies in the other world!?"

I looked at her. "Yeah!…But why is that so hard to believe?"

Kaede sat back and closed her eyes. "In this world, the love between the King and Queen is seemingly endless. I will tell the tale another day, maybe. Continue on with the story."

I told her how I woke up after swimming around in an endless black void for a while. To my surprise, Sesshoumaru was next to me. I decided to leave the whole 'we were naked!' part out for now.

After I finished I looked at her expectantly. Would Kaede be able to help? When a minute passed, she asked calmly, "So the Shikon jewel exists in the other world, hm? This is interesting…"

I nodded. "Does it explain anything?"

She thought for a second. "Yee stated that the Wind Scar attack was used?"

"Yes."

"I am familiar with such an attack. Lord Sesshoumaru's brother uses it, correct?"

I gasped. "Yes! Inuyasha! Have you seen him? Do you know where he is?"

She shook her head. "I have never seen him. He must live in the other land, after all."

"The other land? What's that?" I was getting confused.

Kaede poured more tea. "There are two kingdoms on this continent: this one, a land for humans, with Lord Sesshoumaru and yee as the leader. Our borders are protected well, and for the most part everything is peaceful."

"There is also another kingdom as I have mentioned: there resides all demons and the undead. Emperor Naraku watches over it. This land has been our enemy for centuries. Many fear a war will come soon enough. To make matters worse, Naraku owns exactly half of the Shikon jewel. Thankfully, yee own the other half. It is because of the mounting tensions between the lands that Lord Sesshoumaru and yee must often negotiate." Kaede looked at me. "…Or at least, used to."

I nodded. "So that's why Sesshoumaru didn't sense any demons over here. But the question still remains…how did we get here?"

She sipped her tea. "My guess is that the Wind Scar and the Shikon jewel acted as an important factor. The Wind Scar lives up to its name and is just that: a scar in the wind—or rather, a hole. The part of the Shikon jewel that yee had at the time must have protected yee from the attack and instead transported yee inside the hole, taking Lord Sesshoumaru as well."

I thought to myself. Was this even possible? Could it really have happened that way? Every single day almost I traveled between modern and feudal Japan…did that mean the same was possible for an alternate dimension? It was a strange and interesting concept. "If that's true, how do we get home?"

Kaede looked at me. "I'm not sure, though I imagine yee will need the two main ingredients—some of the Shikon jewel and the Wind Scar attack. Only then will yee be able to return." She smiled. "But would yee really want to?"

I nodded vigorously. "Of course!"

She smiled wider and sipped her tea one last time. "There is no enjoyment in being a Queen of a land, married to a handsome King?"

I choked on some of the drink and looked at her sharply. "Kaede!"

The old woman laughed at my reaction. "If yee must say so."

I huffed under my breath. WHY would I leave my REAL world just for that!? It wasn't like I actually KNEW how to be a leader of a kingdom, or wanted to be married to a person that I didn't love. Why did everyone keep saying otherwise? "Well at any rate, I have some of the Shikon jewel back at the castle…that just leaves the Wind Scar."

"That means yee must travel over to the land of the demons. I will not waste time and say to be careful. Naraku's evil arm stretches throughout the land and is a dangerous place indeed—especially Queens from the enemy's kingdom. Yee must bring several warriors skilled enough to ward everyone away from Naraku's hidden traps.

I nodded. "But…what if they refuse to let me go? What if they won't let me leave?"

She sighed. "Then go…unnoticed, Lady Kagome."

"But how!? I can't exactly slip away for too long. I mean, I AM a Queen and all…"

"Go in the night. Take others on the journey that yee can trust. It is essential that yee have help on this. Otherwise…the demons will surely win."

"Yes, I understand."

Kaede rose. "Excellent. Well, the castle is probably waiting for yee, eh Lady Kagome?"

I stood up as well. "Yes, you're right. I should probably be going back right now—they'll be wondering soon if I don't." I smiled. "Thanks Kaede, you've been a big help!"

She nodded. "It has been very pleasant talking to yee indeed, Lady Kagome. Come back any time for more advise."

I thanked her and left.

As I walked down the pathway, I though to myself. Was Naraku the same as the one in the real world? Was he just as evil? The general opinion around here was yes. If so, then I knew most of his tricks and deceptions, right? Like the back of my hand! The puppet of himself that Naraku always used, for example. I would have to be especially careful of that one.

And then there were several more things to worry about. Shippo, for example—I hadn't heard anything about him. Did he live in the demon lands? Was he a NICE demon? And Inuyasha for that matter. In my heart, I knew both of them had the same personality as the world I came from. Everyone else did, after all. Now the only question left was who to bring with me on the trip to the demons lands. Miroku and Sango would agree, right? Yes, they would help…

…Sesshoumaru?

"Nah." I said aloud. "Let him stay here." Let him WORRY where I went! I grinned in an evil way and pictured Sesshoumaru wandering through the castle, asking various guards 'Where is she?' 'Have you seen Kagome today?' 'Did she pass through this hallway?'

I sighed. Of course, Sesshoumaru would never be worried about me. His concerns never involved humans. I stiffened. "Well, it's not like I WANT him to be concerned about me, anyways! Why would I care if he cares!?"

"What are you rambling on about now?"

I turned around to one side of the path and saw Sesshoumaru standing there. Red flew to my face. How long had he been listening!? "I-I wasn't talking about, um…er, anything." I stuttered with little confidence in my voice. "But what are YOU doing here anyways? Aren't you supposed to be at a negotiation meeting…?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "…It ended over an hour ago. You were needed back at the castle as well. Some are searching for you as we speak." He paused. "You should not constantly run off. The humans are running around like imbeciles." Oh great, I thought. This meant for the next few days it'd be even harder to slip away, much less go into the Demon Kingdom. "I thought…I would find you faster than those weak humans. They waste too much time checking everywhere in the land versus following your scent." Sesshoumaru turned away from me and started walking down the path. "…In fact, I am wasting time talking to you. Come."

I rolled my eyes and hurried along the path with Sesshoumaru. I wondered what they needed me for back in the castle. We walked on, and I smiled, thinking how Sesshoumaru might actually care about me deep down inside, though he would never admit it.

Review Responses:

Satu-Chan: Okay, I'm trying to do that now, as you can see…anyways glad you like it!

Rabid-Inu-Girl: A woman of few words! ^___^ Well thanks!

bubbley-girl: *shifts eyes* don't worry, you'll find out where he is later…=D

Moon-n-Universe-Goddess: Aw, thanks! *hugs* ^_^ Well then I'll keep updating!

Megan: Haha, yeah I/K can be pretty redundant after awhile, ne?

bloodbunny: *sad* …You don't hurt bunnies, right? I think they're cute! Errr…heh, thanks. I'll keep writing…

Sesshoumarusqueen: Heh, well it's really neither. They're not dead, but it's not a dream. They are simply in an alternate world.

SakuraPetal13: Well, I hope you like the plot! And glad you think it's great.

Guardiun Angel15: Umm…I don't really recall you…uh, did you review for my other story? *confused*

Robin5791: Oh! I'm happy that it's making sense! Good to hear! *sigh of relief*

And I guess that's all. As I said in my last chapter, Kaede explained a lot of things, hm? Hopefully you all understand all the stuff she explained! PLEASE tell me if you didn't! I tried! Lol. Anyways, R&R! Thanks!!!