A/n: Hey, peeps! Here's today's hint!

It is a direct quote from Sessy-sama himself!

-FROM THE LAST CHAPTER-

"Never!" I roared, springing back to life and tickling them again. Both screeched in fright before doubling over in laughter. I had just about got them crying with laughter when an all too familiar voice said,

"You'd make a wonderful mother."

I whisked around to face the intruder, and, to my misfortune, there stood Sesshoumaru. Rin leapt up as though nothing had happened and latched onto Sesshoumaru's leg.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Laquisha showed us a new game! It is called tag! And then, we attacked her and she tickled us to death!" She exclaimed as if that was the coolest thing in the world, "Laquisha is so nice to Rin! I like her! Can she stay with us?" She then turned to me and asked, "Will you be Rin's mommy? You and Sesshoumaru-sama could get married and give Rin lots of brothers and sisters..."

I made a sound that was somewhere in between a cough and a snort. Marry Sesshoumaru? Of all the things a kid could ask. Although... he would make a suitable mate... WHOA! Where had that thought come from?! Bad Quisha, Bad!

"Um... Rin... I would love to spend more time with you, but the marriage thing..." I chose my words carefully, "Wouldn't work out... you see... Both Sesshoumaru and I are very busy and wouldn't have time for that sort of... thing. So... Shippou will just have to do for now."

"Oh, ok... that's fine. Sesshoumaru's very busy all the time, this I know. Shippou would be great to have for a brother... Hey... where do babies come from anyway?"

If I hadn't been blushing, I sure as hell was now.

"Hey, Rin," I said, quickly trying to get my way out of this, "How about we get together sometime tomorrow and do something and I'll answer your question when you're a bit older? Right now it's time for bed."

"OK!" She squealed, "I will get to bed right now so that tomorrow will come faster!" And with that, she took off to her room.

"Smooth." Sesshoumaru said sarcastically.

"Hey, I didn't hear any help coming from your mouth. She's supposed to be your ward. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get mine to bed. Good night." I replied storming off.

I wasn't really mad at him, but it was the best excuse I could come up with to get away. It was easier to find a door from the outside, but as soon as I entered, I was completely lost.

"Shippou... do you know where we are?" I asked.

"No, we took a different route." He replied.

"Great." I muttered. "I should have just leapt back up into the window."

Shrugging, I decided to explore. My nose would eventually pick up a familiar scent that I could follow. Wandering around wasn't the best of ideas in a castle run by a secretive ice-lord, but there's nothing I wouldn't try at least once. Eventually I came to a pair of large doors that looked much like the ones in the foyer, but there was a picture etched into it instead of designs and the symbols told a different story.

"Hmm, I know I probably shouldn't, but..." I muttered to myself as I push open the doors.

I found myself in a beautifully decorated room. Millions of rows of candles lined the walls, of which had lit as soon as I stepped into the room. A single pillow sat on the floor at the foot of a large painting.

'My God, that must be Sesshoumaru's dad!' I thought to myself as I stared at the painting of the original Lord of the Western Lands. He looked very self-confident standing there in his warrior's pose. He was tall, well built, and very handsome. The same gold eyes and silver hair that the two brothers had in common had been given by this man. Although, his hair was pulled back into a loose half-ponytail. His markings were much like Sesshoumaru's, only a deeper color of purple and much more jagged. But unlike Sesshoumaru, his face was that of emotion, but also, unlike Inuyasha, his emotions were much better hidden. At least the father had found a happy medium.

Tucked into one of his arms' embrace was a beautiful demoness. Instead of golden eyes, her eyes were more of a bronze color that left a lasting impression. The flawless pale skin of Sesshoumaru was put to shame by this woman, and the magenta markings on her face and wrists contrasted brightly. And, though this woman's face held emotion, I could tell that Sesshoumaru's stoic mask of ice had come from her.

"She's beautiful..." I whispered in awe, "And, damn, I can see where the brothers get their good looks..."

"Thank you. That is a great compliment. My father was greatly admired in his time." Came the voice of Sesshoumaru, although, it didn't hold the chilly promise of a painful death that it usually did. His voice actually sounded... dare I say it? ... Soft. I turned to him, grinning sheepishly.

"But the only thing I wish to know now is how you got in here." It was more of a statement than a question. One that said, tell me or die.

"I don't know, I was just wandering around, looking for something familiar, or at least a set of stairs when I found these pair of doors. Curious, I pushed them open to see what was in here and found the painting." I said with a shrug.

"Well, in that case, welcome to my place of meditation. Now, if you keep going down this hallway, you'll find a stairway. You should be able to find your way from there." His eyes held a strange look that I didn't care to decipher. Bowing myself out, I left quickly. Something about him not being his stoic self, creeped me out.

'I wonder if it was something I said...'
I sighed as she left. This woman was becoming more and more complicated as time went on. No one was supposed to be able to get into this room other than me. She hadn't even said any enchantment to get into the room. She simply, walked right in. Maybe she was the one I sought after all...

Distressed, I sat at the foot of my father's painting and sought guidance through meditation. Yes, I would test her for all it was worth. There is only one... one woman that could encompass everything in my father's prophecy.
I made my way to my quarters. I was SO tired! The only thing I wanted to do was sleep...

Slightly dosing off as I walked, I ran right into the wall that was Inuyasha's chest. Literally. Catching me before I fell, he asked,

"Kagome? What were you doing? Sleepwalking?"

"Huh? What? Oh, sorry, Inuyasha... yah, I guess I kinda dosed off..."

"Kind of? You could have hurt yourself..." He said, pulling me up to a standing position... in his arms...

I looked up at him, noticing how close we were.

"Inuyasha?..." I asked, breaking off as his face came closer to mine. He silenced my question effectively by bringing his lips to mine. Instantly, I was lost in a whirlwind of emotions, feelings, and questions. But all thought was swept away when his tongue swept across my lower lip, seeking entrance. I slowly parted my lips until... someone rounded the corner, saying,

"Inuyasha, what are you still doing... here?..." It was Laquisha's voice.

I instantly came to my senses and pushed him away, muttering some excuse about having to be somewhere and quickly made my exit. I was SO embarrassed! Letting him do that without even a fight! I wasn't that kind of girl! And what was worse... Laquisha walked in on our little... display! Oh, I wanted to die of shame! I could never face Laquisha again! Or... him. I just wanted to go away, far away... where I couldn't be found. But I had responsibilities with finding the jewel.

'Oh, Kami... why do you have to be so cruel?...'
Laquisha stared at me with her mouth hanging open.

"Ooo! Dog-boy's got a bit of a problem!!!" She teased, getting a malevolent glint in her eye.

"Quisha..." I warned.

"Poor Kagome has a little puppy-dog after her tail... willing to overpower her..." She went on.

"Now wait a minuet..." I started.

"Aw, poor thing... she absolutely went to jello over you. Though I don't know why..." She teased again.

"Hey!"

"Oh, Inuyasha... those pants are looking a bit tight... maybe you should get a bigger size..." She said with a wicked grin. "Is that a stick in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

"Quisha!" I exclaimed at her audacity.

She just smiled evilly and gave me a wink.

"Baaaaad puppy..." She said as she passed me to get to her room. "Down boy."

She left me in complete stunned silence. She hadn't yelled at me or anything. She had just teased. She hadn't told me off, she had just made fun of my... aroused state. But the thing that confused me the most was my own reaction to Kagome. Sure she looked similar to Kikyo, but I had put Kikyo behind me long ago. And sure, she was Kikyo's reincarnation, but she was no replacement. I wasn't that kind of guy... so what was it? I guess only time would tell...
I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Inuyasha and Kagome, lip locked! I nearly fainted before I got over the initial shock. Then I absolutely HAD to get some teasing in. I may have gone a bit to far with that, but, who cares? I knew there was definitely some chemistry going on between Inuyasha and Kagome, but I had no idea how much! But I had to admit... they did make a really cute couple... in their own way. Though... seeing Inuyasha in... the state she had left him in wasn't really something I wanted to see...

Giving a shudder of disgust, I shut my door behind me. I wondered if Sesshoumaru would absolutely flip if he found out about Inuyasha and Kagome. I didn't want to risk it. Let him find out on his own. With a yawn, I got an extra pillow out of the closet and lay down. Without even really having to put the pillow down, Shippou leapt off my shoulder and was fast asleep. Smiling at the cute little kitsune, I willed myself into sleep.

The next morning, I awoke with the sun. Quietly, I crept out of bed, not to wake Shippou, left a quick note on the outside of my door, and slipped out the balcony doors. Landing gracefully on my feet, I took off towards the dojo to start my usual morning routine.
I headed towards Laquisha's room to get her up and dressed for training, but when I got there, I found a note attached to her door.

--I've gone to the dojo to warm up.

-Laquisha—

She was persistent, I'd give her that, but that did not mean she didn't need training. I arrived at the dojo and my eyes slightly widened at the sight that met me. Laquisha was in the middle of a highly complicated kata, sword in hand, and growing more complicated and swifter with each step she took. Soon she was going so fast that it would have been impossible for a human to have seen her. I was impressed to say the least. Few could have duplicated her grace and speed, but there was a difference between katas in a dojo and the real world. I cleared my throat as she came to a stop. She quickly turned to face me.

"Oh, hello... you obviously got my note." She said, quickly sheathing her sword. I saw a faint blue light quickly disappear as she did so. Now that she had stopped with her kata I could get a better look at her. Her outfit was obviously very foreign. Her top was form fitting and low-cut. The cloth parted at a v all the way down her chest, just stopping at her cleavage. She was sleeveless and didn't leave much to the imagination... not that I needed to imagine what she looked like... I had already seen all.

Her pants were much looser and allowed for much more movement. They were cut at a strait angle and flared out slightly around the bottom. The whole outfit was black and made of an odd material that I'd never seen before.

"Odd choice of battle attire." I commented.

"Nice to see you too... Anyway, this isn't my battle outfit. Do you see any armor? Nah, this is my outfit for training and travel."

I looked over her outfit again. "Unusual", was the only word I could come up with to describe it.

"Let us begin training." Was my only statement before I readied myself.
'Oh, shit.' Was the only thing running through my mind. Sesshoumaru was training me? Why, in God's name, did I have such crappy luck? Absentmindedly, I tightened my sash around my waist. Now I wished I hadn't gotten him mad so often. I just prayed that he wouldn't take it out on me now...

I turned back to him, waiting for instruction, and found him completely shirtless.

'Damn he's got a nice body...' I mentally slapped myself. Sure, I had seen him completely unclothed, but it was a quick glance and he was much farther away. Now I had a nice close-up of his well-defined upper body. But something caught my eye that I hadn't noticed until now... He only had one arm. How had I not noticed that before? I guess that he was powerful enough that missing one arm wouldn't really be a handicap. It made sense...

Coming quickly back to the real world, I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something.

"We will skip hand-to-hand for now and go right to weapons. We don't have time to start with even the basics of martial arts."

I nodded in agreement, still waiting for instruction.

"I suppose your chosen weapon is the sword, correct?"

I bit my tongue to restrain from saying something snide and nodded again. I couldn't afford mouthing off at this time. Weapons were involved...

"We shall start there then." He said, "Draw your sword."

I did as I was told and got into my battle stance. He circled around me once, obviously inspecting my stance. I only followed him with my eyes, keeping him in sight at all times. He made a sweeping kick at one of my ankles, but I quickly moved and instinctively made an upper kick at his face. Catching myself before my foot actually connected, I swept around with my other leg and put my foot down in another battle stance, facing him.

"Surprising reflexes, but you rely too little on your instincts. If you had, your foot would have actually connected... surprisingly enough. Now, don't hold back. I am here to see what you can do and smooth out those rough edges. Let us begin."

There were so many things wrong in that sentence that I could have taken as suggestive, it wasn't even funny. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I faced him as he drew his sword. He told me not to hold back, fine. He'd see what a mistake that was.

We circled each other like wolves... neither willing to make the first move. As we did so, I was quickly learning the way he moved. I was no fool to rush into battle with the tai-youkai. I always got the hang of my opponent's movements and countered them with my own. This is what always won my battles. Unfortunately for me, he seemed to be doing the same thing.

Obviously satisfied with what he had learned, he came at me... I could see the cool arrogance in his eyes.

'Bad move.' I thought as I sidestepped his attack and made an upward sweep toward his neck. Instinctively, I always went for the throat. He moved just in time to miss my attack at his neck, but not fast enough. A nice, clean cut lay on his cheek. Blood trickled slowly downward before he wiped it away, leaving not even a trace of a scar behind.

The look on his face said, "So that's how it's going to be, huh?" and, instantly I was on the defensive. I blocked, sidestepped, ducked and did everything in my skill range to avoid the agitated warlord. He kept throwing corrections as I did so, and I quickly became better at blocking him... but not good enough. He eventually had me backed into a corner.

'Shit!' Was the last thing I remembered thinking before instinct took complete control over my movements. Wolves did not respond well to being backed into a corner... thus, my reaction. I fought to regain my control, not wanting an accident involving the death or loss of limb of the youkai lord. Once in control again, I instantly lost the upper hand and he had me against the wall. However, he had not won. As his sword was at my neck, my own was at his. Neither had won.

I watched a trickle of sweat roll down his forehead and, slowly, my eyes met his. I could read surprise there and... something else. The same look he had given me last night. I still did not want to know what that look was, but it made me uncomfortable as it was. My already heavy breathing became a bit heavier as we held eye contact. I knew it was a challenge... I knew it... but, against my entire nature, I looked away in discomfort. He had won. Even so, there was something about his eyes that... hinted something. What did he see? What was he thinking? Did he know how very close we were? What was I doing?!

I had let him win! I had crumbled under his stare! Me! I had never lost a staring contest in my life! I was usually the intimidating one! How could this... this... DOG do that to me? I wasn't one to just back down to a challenge. How? How did it happen? Could it be that I had found one... stronger than me? No... that would mean way too much. This man had to go; I would not tolerate him any longer. Yes, I would stay with the group and help collect the jewel shards. Then I would be gone so fast he would never know before it was too late.

With a snarl, I pushed him from me and stalked out, sheathing my sword. I was not going to stay, lest I say something that would get me into some real trouble.

'I will not be dominated by that dog.'
A/n: Isn't that just lovely? No... not really, but that's ok. I hope the fic is turning out to your liking... please review!