Hi everyone, I'm back again for another update……MAN what a weird week it's been with me and FF.net…heh…I have given responses for the reviews I misses in the last chapter, so please read it again if I missed yours…anyways, A/N:

1) Yeah, so, apparently the problem with my reviews is that there was some sort of glitch…damn, I was hoping for some sort of conspiracy, too…lol. Anyways, that was extremely annoying for a few days, and I'm glad it went away.

2) I am extremely disappointed with some of my reviewers out there. Several people yelled at me and asked where the lemon was that I promised them. AS I STATED IN MY AUTHOR NOTES, it was edited out and put in my website since FF.net doesn't allow them. So if you want to see it view my website. I'm not highly suspicious or anything—in fact, one of my other stories was deleted. I hope I made this clear—I don't like repeating myself. Speaking of which…

3) The next chapter after this one has another lemon. I trust you guys NOW know what to do. -_-

I guess that's all. I think I've covered everything. *becomes happy again* ^______^ Alrighty everyone, the character everyone (well…a lot of people anyways) has been asking for makes an appearance! Hehe….enjoy:

~~~***~~~

I awoke slowly, with a gentle breeze rolling over us and the sun gazing back at me. I felt hands around my waist—the grip was protective, but not strong. I smiled and turned around to face him. I rested my head against his neck and closed my eyes. He slept on—I imagined his was very tired.

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes after a few moments. He lifted his hand from my waist to my hair and held me, then pulled me closer. I eased my head on the side of his chest and sighed in content. "I'm glad you're awake."

"…It was your scent that woke me up." Sesshoumaru answered after awhile. "It's…very distinct." He looked at me below.

"Oh." I answered. "Well, perhaps we should get up now…?"

I tried to sit up, but he pulled me back down. "Not yet." He lifted my chin up and brushed his lips against my forehead. "…Very well, now you may leave."

I smiled. "Yes sir!" I slid out of the bed and moved to my closet full of robes. Today was going to be a good day.

~~~***~~~

We walked together through the hallways down to breakfast. Unlike all other times, today we sat by each other at the table, like a husband and wife should. Eventually a sleepy Rin and Jaken followed us and began to eat as well. As a family we talked about many things, for the first time…a real conversation…

When we were finished a man came to me. "Excuse me, my Lady, but there is someone who would like to see you."

I looked at him. "Really? For me? Who is it?"

"It's the head monk of this land, Miroku. Shall I send him in…?"

Miroku? What did he want? I nodded. "Yes, please lead Miroku in here." I turned to Jaken. "Jaken, some business has come up. Please take Rin somewhere else so we can talk privately." The small demon nodded and he left with Rin.

The man left as well and soon after, Miroku entered. There was a grave look on his face. "Thank you for permitting me to speak with you, my Lady." He paused for a few moments, then looked as if he made a small mistake. "Er…and the same thanks for you, Lord Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru grunted a response and looked out the window.

I gave him a puzzled look. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Not too long after the dance party, Sango and I began to do a little investigation. I went into the royal library here in this castle and read several books." He paused. "I was…researching about the peculiar story of yours. How you say the Shikon jewel took you into another dimension?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's right. Go on."

"Well, there was actually a study some time ago for this exact situation. Apparently, it's quite possible for this sort of thing to occur with the Jewel. But there is a slight problem as well."

My heart picked up speed. "Really? What's that…?"

"It seems as though, through experiments, it was found that…well…when a person stays in a world that they do not belong in, their mind begins to…change. First, they start to acquire the thoughts and feelings of the person they become. In your case, Lady Kagome, the real Queen. After that, well…your chances of returning to the real world you live in decrease by the day. Eventually, there will be no chances left, and you will actually become the person permanently. If you don't act quickly…you will never be able to go home."

I studied his face. Miroku definitely wasn't lying about this. I looked at Sesshoumaru. He had a grim look on his face. But why? I thought he wanted to stay here. I turned back to Miroku. "If what you say is true, then we have no time to waste. We must leave at once! Hurry—get Sango and Kirara and meet us by the gate to the demon land, okay?"

"A good idea, my Lady." He bowed. "I will take my leave. Good bye for now."

We stood alone in the room, silent for a few moments. Finally I asked, "What…do you think, Sesshoumaru? About what Miroku said?"

He looked at me. "…I am indifferent about this world or that world—either way I am the strongest demon to ever live. But…" He walked over to me. "I know it would make you happy to return, Kagome, and so, I will not be the barrier for your happiness."

I smiled and took his hand warmly. Suddenly, something occurred to me. "But Sesshoumaru, what about your arm? If we go back you'll lose it!"

He sighed. "I know, and I'm…prepared."

I stared at him in amazement. "You would lose your arm for…my happiness? Oh…Sesshoumaru!" I fell into him. "Sesshoumaru!" I cried again, burying my head into his chest. He looked down at me in surprise, then slowly crept his hands around my waist.

"…Don't worry over my sake, Kagome—your face was not meant to show sadness."

~~~***~~~

"Everyone here? Alright, let's go."

We nodded to each other and crossed the gate quietly. It was close to lunchtime so the guards were off somewhere else for the moment.

"Okay, here's the plan." Sango said after we made it over safely. "First, we look for the one who calls himself Inuyasha." She chuckled. "He's…probably going to be easier to tackle than Naraku, right?" We nodded. "Okay then…where to start…?"

"Don't bother." Sesshoumaru said calmly. "I can smell my brother's scent already. We must hurry." He strode over to me and picked me up and leapt off—sorta how Inuyasha would, carrying me places in the Feudal Era.

"Kirara!" Sango called. Kirara mewed and grew to her full demon form. Miroku and Sango leapt on her and followed us.

I heard them talking from behind. "(Lord Sesshoumaru has a brother…? Why didn't we know about him? Who is this Inuyasha?)"

"(He must've been forgotten when Naraku took over. It's quite possible. His name must've been erased from the history books.)"

"(Interesting. I would what he's like…)"

~~~***~~~

We traveled for about an hour. Sesshoumaru wasn't tired, but Sango could tell Kirara needed a small rest. We sat against a tree and relaxed a little (like it was possible—demon cries could be heard everywhere). Sesshoumaru stood guard while Miroku, Sango, and I talked.

Miroku glanced at my weapon. "My Lady, I had no idea that your archery skills are good enough for battle!"

I nodded. "Well, it wasn't easy to take this bow—I had to sneak into the storage room.

They chuckled. "It's good to be prepared." Sango said. "After all, we can't take any chances. This is a very dangerous place, and so the more people to help in battle, the better…right?"

"We must be on our guard at all times." Miroku remarked. "You and Lord Sesshoumaru are very important people in the human land. Many demons would go out of their way to attack you. It would certainly please Emperor Naraku."

"Do not move." Sesshoumaru said to us suddenly. "We are surrounded. I can smell it." He leapt to me and stood in a protective way. "They mean to kill us." He added, flexing his claws slowly.

Miroku rose. "Stand back, Sango!"

She chuckled. "What, and miss a fight? Never!" She gripped her katana. "I haven't had a real opponent for awhile!"

Before he could reply, a crash came through the trees. "There they are!" We heard a voice cry. "Attack!" They ran towards us at full speed.

"Fox demons." Sesshoumaru observed. "This will take no effort." He leapt towards them.

From this point on it was all chaos. After awhile the number of foxes began to thin, but the battle wasn't over. One of them snuck up behind me and pounced. I screamed loudly.

Sesshoumaru turned around, hearing this. "Kagome!" He sprinted over and gave the fox a quick lesson with his claws. I fell to the ground but he helped me up. "Are you okay?" Sesshoumaru asked me. "That was…close."

"Y-Yes, I'm fine." I smiled after a moment. "Thank you." He nodded and took off back to the fight. 'I'm being useless.' I thought. 'I should be helping too.' I took up my bow and began to shoot arrows at the enemies quickly. A familiar power flowed from me to the arrow and gave them extra strength. With my help we were able to drive them out.

"That was easy…" Miroku observed after the battle. "…Too easy. That must've been a warm-up from something more to come."

Sesshoumaru looked to the left. "We're not finished…there's one more in hiding." He sprinted off into the woods. Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and I looked at each other, then shrugged and followed his path.

~~~***~~~

We came to a giant tree. Sesshoumaru stopped and knelt. "…You can come out now. We won't hurt you if you cooperate with us and answer some questions." We stared at him. Who was he talking to…? There was no answer, so Sesshoumaru growled a said, "This is your last chance, fox. I recommend you take it." We waited for a few moments and finally I saw something crawl out.

"D…Don't hurt me…I told them not to…please…" My eyes widened, and I saw Shippo emerge. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

"Shippo!!" I cried. I knelt down and gave him a hug. "Shippo! Shippo!" I grinned happily and squeezed him. It's you! It's really you! You're here, Shippo! I'm so happy!"

Everyone looked at me with a confused face. "Lady Kagome? Do you know this fox demon?" Sango asked me.

"Yes!" I replied. "I know him from the other world!"

Shippo looked at me with a scared and puzzled look. "Are…are you Lady Kagome? But…I've never seen you before in my life!" He shrunk back a little. "I don't know what you're talking about…" His frightened eyes looked at all of us. "But how did you know my name?"

"-Never mind about that, we don't have time." Miroku said. "Shippo, the point is that she knows you, but don't worry about that." He turned to me. "Kagome, what should we do?" They looked at me.

Oh. "I…I don't know…" I thought to myself. What to do? I wanted to take him with us to talk with him some more, but would it be safe? Probably not. On the other hand… "Shippo knows his way around this land, right? He can help us through here, so maybe we should take him with us."

Miroku looked like he was about to object, but Sesshoumaru cut him off. "-Very well, then it's decided." He turned the other way. "…We must hurry." I nodded and we all stood up, walking outside the forest.

"How can we trust him?" Miroku whispered to me. "This Shippo we're with…what if he works with Naraku? How can we trust him as an ally so suddenly Lady Kagome? The Shippo you know might not be the same as this one!"

I shrugged. "I don't know, Miroku…I remember him from the other world and he's extremely helpful—plus he wouldn't hurt anyone that's not his friend. We can trust Shippo…I'm sure of it. He was probably just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Shippo's going to be rally helpful—you'll see."

He sighed. "I hope you're right."

I smiled. "Don't worry!" I winked and walked over to Shippo. "So, do you know where Inuyasha might be?"

He gave me a puzzled look. "I've never heard of that name before…"

"Oh. Well, that's okay, it doesn't matter. Here…" I picked him up. "Go with Kirara and the others. "I turned to Sesshoumaru. "Are you ready to go, Sesshoumaru?" I handed Shippo to Sango.

"Yes, let's move on." He took me and we leapt off.

~~~***~~~

After a while it began to grow dark outside. Kirara became tired again, and so we decided to look for a resting place. Miroku and Sesshoumaru caught some fish in the nearby river, and we sat down to eat. At first, it was a rather silent meal. But then, Sango asked, "When you finally find Inuyasha…" We stopped chewing and looked at her. "When you find him, what them? What would you say to him? How do we explain?"

I thought about this for a moment. "Well…I guess we'll just have to tell him the truth and hope for the best." I turned to Shippo. "So…you said you don't know who Inuyasha is, right?" He nodded. "But, why would that be? He's Sesshoumaru's brother after all! You guys should know something!"

A lightbulb went about the tiny fox-demon's head. "Oh! You mean to say that the Inuyasha guy is really his brother!?"

I stared at him. "Yes, but why does that come as such a surprise? Surely you can put two and two together! Don't you know anything about this kingdom's past, Shippo…?"

"Hey, I'm just a kid! I haven't lived that long, you know!" But he nodded. "I heard awhile ago that our old Emperor did in fact have two sons. Not much is known about the second one, though. His name was erased from any writings in history. We only do that if the demon in question is a complete disgrace." Shippo frowned. "I heard that he was a half demon! Can you imagine…the Emperor of the demon land had a son who only had half demon blood inside of him!?" He scowled. "It's no wonder that it happened."

I chuckled. "So…that's what happened. When Naraku overthrew the old Emperor Inuyasha had nowhere to turn to and so he went into hiding with his name erased from memory. How tragic."

Miroku nodded. "Yes, it seems as though this Inuyasha was the black sheep of the family."

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "That comes as no surprise to me."

Shippo nodded. "I heard that he had always picked fights with demons here. Not suitable behavior for royal blood at all, I guess." He shrugged. "But maybe his fighting caught up with him, and he's dead."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Impossible—I can smell his scent from here. It's not too far."

"-At any rate," I said, standing up and stretching, "I'm tired. We'll learn more in the morning, right? For now, let's get some rest and save our strength." I took one of the blankets Sango and Miroku brought and laid down. I heard some shuffling after a few minutes and assumed everyone else had followed my lead.

Just as I was about to doze off, I felt a hand grip my shoulder. "I will guard you for the night. Sleep now, Kagome." Sesshoumaru whispered gently. I smiled a felt for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Sesshoumaru brushed his lips against mine very slightly, and I tried to pull closer to him, but again he shook his head and whispered, "Sleep, Kagome. I'll be here." He rose again, and I began to drift off into a peaceful slumber. I had no worries, knowing that he was watching over me carefully.

Review Responses:

Nightfall2525: Awww…kawaii Sess/Kag pups! ^__^ hehehe…

Shadow39: Uh…confusing…er…well thanks for uh whatever you said! ^__^

bloodbunny: ^__^ w00t! Bunny assassins! *pictures them all ninja-style*  pwnage. But as long as they're still cute though.

Red Hat: Lol, I dunno if I can live up to everyone's expectations here, but I'll try!

Ryoko Blue: o_O Disturbing…well, let's just say I like to have everything, but there needs to be more romance than anything else, ne?

Hoshi-chan1: *pat* it's okay, it's okay…who knows? ;) I don't know…that may not be the last time we see him. =D

fluffy sama: Yes there was a lemon, yes yes…yes.

Sake-is-Yummy: Yeah well…some people are just like that I guess. Lol

Kagie: Hey, that's cool…anyways, I dunno why they're not showing up. If you can't see them you could always go visit my website, you know.

zeddy200: *blush* Hell, even I don't know at this point, I guess whatever happens will happen.

Guardiun Angel15: O_o what's FCAT? Uhhh anyways thanks for liking it so much. ^____^

Katana-kun: Yes, there was, there was _.

luvly-goddess12: ^____^ Glad to hear it! Hope you'll keep reading!

Cali1043: O_O Woah………um…okay?

Trihn: A person with few words! Well thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy the rest!

jinxandfrost: Arigato! Good to know, good to know.

PeachesDani: Why thank you! Hehe, yeah I guess it is rather unique isn't it…=D

Kagome-Ann-Saturn: *shrug* Honestly, your guess is as good as mine.

Keiko Yuki: _ GAAH!!! *runs and hides* Again, I don't know! I'm sorry I can't answer those questions, but I haven't planned it out that far! I'm sorry! *hides*

luvly-goddess12 (again): *blush* Hey, I'm just one of the small-fry, there are plenty of writers here much talented than me! Lol

Tsuki Yume: Yeah, I wish it wouldn't though…and they still need to fix the problem with the spacing *sigh*

Rabid-Inu-Girl: Lol, you're welcome! Hope you'll read some more!

colly: *shakes fist* please read my second A/N here.

Miko-Princess: Arigato! ;) Yes I agree, it IS getting rather good, isn't it…you're not alone, though, I want to find out what happens too! ^__^

sakurapetal13: O_o cute fuzzy rocks!? WTF!? Lol, sure…I guess if they have moss growing out of them or something. o_O

lordpink: Bah, he'll be coming around…eventually…lol.

Vegetas4Life: Omg! How horrible! =( *sad* Well um, it's not much, but I hope this chappy and the next will make you happy *pat*

Queen of Inuyasha: Yeah, she still does…but whether she will succeed or not is the question!

Satu-Chan: *sad* There was more stuff besides kissing, lol. And more to come in the next chapter too.

satan-ov-desire: Thanks! ^___^ Glad you like!

tellu444: lol, IMO that was fairly easy to predict ;) Anyways, hope you can read more! ^__^

mandyfanforevr: lol, sorry, 'fraid not.

Chibi Maru: *blush* Well thank you very much! ^___^ Glad you could read it!

Haha, I was actually surprised on the number of people that actually felt sorry for Kouga…maybe I overdid his story a little, ne? Oh well! ^_____^ Anyways, more to come! R&R! Arigato! Ja ne!