Naraku, the dark hanyou, the destroyer of hundreds, manipulator, evil incarnate. He had been an extremely tough opponent to beat in the end. Thousands of reincarnations spread among the land by the wind. Not just that, but he had many puppets to delay the battle being brought to him. Some called him cowardly, others called him strategic. Whatever it was that Naraku was labelled, he was a harsh enemy. He was ruthless, and did not suffer from mercy. It was doubtful that he had any emotions besides the ever constant need to be the most powerful, to control all that he wanted. He had determination and enough power to accomplish his task, his only weakness... he underestimated his opponents. He failed to acknowledge the power that each individual possessed. His mistake, and his untimely downfall.

It would be a mistake that would never be repeated, and instead used to learn from. Naraku's downfall was a handy lesson to all sorts of creatures what should and shouldn't be done. Kikoroya knew this, and would hold it to the best of his advantage. He would win where the hanyou had failed, he would retrieve the Shikon No Tama, as he could still it vibe the air with it's power. He would watch his enemgy, etch her person and powers into his mind. She might be a youkai at the present date in time, but she was first and foremost, a miko, one that should never be messed with without preparation.

True, the Shikon No Tama was his target, but it wouldn't hurt him to take Kagome down with it. Afterall, she had been rumored to have grown even more powerful, and how much of an incentive would it be to destroy the woman? He would be the talk of every person, including demons and humans. Her heart or her head would make a nice trophy, so that he could tell all that he was the mightly youkai that had bested the mysterious miko.

The vision of Kagome slowly faded from sight as the rippling water reached it's peak. The demon stood to his full height. At the moment she was near-invinsible. She held her emotions in tight hands, and let none of her leftover weaknesses shine out. But he knew the longer she stayed with Sesshomaru, the more that taiyoukai could wiggle her out of her shell, the more weaknesses would be revealed. Sesshomaru might be able to bring the woman from her souls hiding place, and place her directly into Kikoroya's path.

So maybe he was quite like Naraku in that sense. Maybe he did have a sadistic need to watch the two grow close to each other, only to tear them apart, and watch them suffer once again. It mattered not, he would be the one to succeed in the end.

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She watched Sesshomaru with guarded eyes, placing her smaller hand inside his grasp. For once she just stood there, half risen and still somewhat sitting. She compared his hands to hers, how strong and yet graceful they were. The claws that barely touched the back of her hand, the magenta stripes at his wrist. A hand that could crush her throat within the instant, and yet now it had the ability to softly help her to her feet. Bringing her eyes up to meet his own, she watched as his lips curled slightly at the corner. 'Sesshomaru is smiling?' She wished she could return the sight, but she didn't feel the motivation to do so, instead she just gave a delicate bow of her head before she relinquished his hand back to him.

She had been shocked to say the least that he had asked, no demanded that she stay with him longer. She heard his reasoning behind such a command, and she knew that it could be a legitimate reasoning for the taiyoukai, so why did she feel relieved that she was to stay there? She was not scared of roaming the Feudal Era any longer, she had done so by herself for six years. Neither did she hate the path her life had taken.... it hadn't taken getting used to, but she didn't hate. No matter what she had been turned into, no matter what had happened six years ago, she could never really hate, even now, as a youkai she did not hate anyone.

She followed his graceful form, and took this secret time to herself to truly look him over, and mentally comment if she so felt the need. True, she remembered him being much taller six years ago, much more intimidating, but she had grown in those years. He was still taller than she was, by a large margin, and he was still intimidating when he was in his moods, but she never reacted to it as she had in the past. His moon-white hair still remained the same, maybe it had grown in length, or maybe he had deigned to trim it slightly, Kagome had never been obsessed enough to measure the length. She had always known that it was longer than hers, but now she almost laughed at the idea, that hers was now longer. His physical build, while she could not see it, knew it be toned and firm. There was not an ounce of fat that was not meant to be there, every muscle had grown to the appeasement of Sesshomaru's physical demand. His skin was still creamy and smooth, with no scars whatsoever to mar his beauty, even now his skin was paler than hers, and while she was a youkai, her scars from her human years remained on her body. For that she was grateful, her scars were her own photoalbum of what she had done and acheived over her years. She may not receive new one's, but that fit her just fine. Her thoughts rested on his perfectly sculpted face, the finely chiseled bones of his cheekbones and his jawline. 'I wonder what it would be like to run my ton-' With a hidden blush, Kagome squashed down the voice that had started to accompany her thoughts ever since she became youkai. 'It's only my demon side, it's not what I'm actually wondering about.' She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her hands pulled into the opposing kimono sleeves as she walked.

She tried not to jerk from her thoughts, both joyful and indignate when Sesshomaru turned around to look at her. She could tell from his face that he was confused by her at the moment. Had she let her control slip while she was thinking upon him, and he could sense her mental change from her scent? She shrugged her shoulders, taking the time to pull her hand back and scratch at her neck, a very human reaction that she would never shed. In order to break the silence that was placed upon them, she tried at conversation.

"Where is it that we are going Lord Sesshomaru?"

He did not stop his steps as he answered her question, a fact that had her mentally reeling. 'Since when did that Sesshomaru answer questions, especially so easily?'

"Since you are to be staying here for awhile, you must aquire new rooms. The rooms you have frequented lately are for human servants, which I have no need of. But since you are miko youkai in training, it is by standards that you receive a better room. It will be bigger and have more accomidations. You will be stationed closer to my own... so that I will not have to stalk all over my home just to get to you. Also, you will be meeting the grounds seemstress. Your old clothing was useless to you now, and if you are to be training, you need appropriate clothing."

She felt a swell of anger rise within her breast at the idea of her clothing burned. She had the biggest urge to swipe at Sesshomaru from where she stood, but she also knew it was to no avail. Besides, they were only clothes right? 'Clothes that had adorned your body for six years! Modified, stitched back together, washed multiple times!' She gave an outward growl, though it was not as loud as Sesshomaru's might have been.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I would ask you that you refrain from burning my clothes the next time you find my clothing unrepairable. You could have just simply stated that you wished for me to not wear them in your presence, and I would have graciously bowed down to your command."

She could feel her lips pulled back from her delicate fangs in what could only be considered an angry snarl. She reigned in her anger of course, stuffing it back under her mask with a quickness. Her eyes had starting to outwardly glow a pure white color in her rage, but as quickly as it had been, it disappeared to return her eyes to their two-tone hue. She watched as Sesshomaru had once again turned to meet her gaze. He did not seem insulted that she had grown angry towards him. Nor did she see a death-glare upon his face. Instead he just gave a quick bow of his head.

"I will remember that next time miko."

Then he was pushing open a thick mahogany door with a design engraved in the grains. She did not linger on the design for long before her eyes were opened large at the sight before her. The bedroom itself was larger than her past room, the ceiling was tall and on it was a painting of the sky at night, the moon was the focal point and of course it was in it's crescent phase. The painted scene was so realistic, Kagome had the urge to lay against the floor and watch it like she had in her past. A large set of glass doors lead out to her own balcony, which she would gladly use. Three doors lead from her bedroom into other rooms. The first one that was shown to her was her closet, which she considered larger than her old bedroom. There wasn't any clothing that was placed in there yet, as she had none of her own, but those that Sesshomaru let her borrow. From her closet they walked into what would be her private training area. For meditation, or practice that she did outside of Sesshomaru training her. She knew of course that she would take part of this room, but for now was interested what was behind the third door.

Of course, she was hoping it was her own bathing area, and true to her wishes, that was what she walked in on. By no means was it as large as the public one had been. There was only one bathing area, but it was big enough for her to swim about in if she wished to do so. Two benches lined the wall, and there was a built in shelving area on one of the bathing areas 'steps', where bottles of what she could smell to be shampoo and soap. Some oils remained there, but she didn't pay them as much attention.

"Does it fit your standards miko?"

She turned to where Sesshomaru was standing, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He had been gauging her reactions to the rooms, and apparently he enjoyed what he saw.

"Yes, more so than you know Lord Sesshomaru. Arigato."

Her eyes looked over where she would be sleeping for the next.... however long she was to be here. A final thought flickered across her mind as they exited, and she turned back to see another door much like hers slightly down the corridor. Another room, right beside hers. The detail on the door looked much like a large dog demon, with a crescent moon on his forehead. She already knew the answer to this question, but she wished to hear the taiyoukai in front of her say it.

"Who's room is next to mine?"

She tilted her head down as she let a smirk play across her features as she waited for his answer. Did he really station her so close because he didn't like trekking all over his home to find her, or were their other reasons behind it?

"My room is next to yours. Is that alright with you Kagome?"

He turned to see her smile, which seemed to have an effect on him that Kagome wasn't expecting.

"That is fine."

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Sesshomaru stood against the wall of another room that they had visited. It was no bedroom, but it was the working area of the seemstress. A screen was blocking his view from Kagome and the other youkai that had string and a slice of parchment to record her measurements. In order to get the most precise measurements of Kagome's form, the seemstress, had required her to remove her clothes.

Although he could see the miko's dark head over the screen, his vision path ended at her shoulders. She twisted her head to the side once, and he could see a small tinge of pink across her cheeks. Not only was she uncomfortable being in the nude with a woman she did not know, she was uncomfortable with the fact that the only thing that seperated her body from sight was a screen.

Sesshomaru would have laughed at her modesty, but surprisingly he just took a bow out of her presence, giving her the simple statement to find him when she was done. As soon as the door closed behind him, he almost regretted it, and would have gone back in. This had been the most emotion that he had seen out of her since she had first come to him. Her smile from earlier at the mention of his room so close to hers, and now the blush of modesty.

"There is still hope."

He walked back to his room, digging around in his own closet. He wasn't looking to change just yet, but with a sigh he pulled out black fabric, which he caressed his hands over slightly before exiting. He had seen her anger at having her previous clothes destroyed, but he wondered what she would do when she realized that he hadn't in fact destroyed it. True, he had taken it from her, but he had sewn the ripped shoulder himself. And then he couldn't just bring himself to throw away her garments. Maybe he knew her anger, or maybe he wanted to keep it? He wasn't clearly thinking straight when he had pulled it into his own closet. He didn't know what he had been doing when he had awakened the other night, curled around the fabric like a puppy to it's owner.

"Feh... it just smelled good, that was all."

He pulled a tapestry away from his far wall, the one that connected with Kagome's room, and there was a small door that lead to her room. He had not shown her the secret door, because he didn't want her to know he had that much access to her room at the moment. Stepping through to her room, he looked around, just to make sure she had not yet entered from her session with the youkai, Tenya. Finally he stepped over, and set her outfit on her bed, smoothing out the wrinkles before he retreated back to his own room.

She was starting to grow on him, even in this small time that she was in his presence, he seemed bitter to leave her side for even the smallest amount of time. If she had shown a smile and a blush within the same day, if he devoted himself to making her smile, then how much emotion could he get out of her if he stayed by her side at all times of day? 'Selfish.... Don't move too fast. She needs time..' He could give her time, that was what he could give her. They were both youkai, they had long lives to live.

"Don't get ahead of yourself... it's only...friendship."

The word made his ears twitch lightly. He could imagine the look of shock on his half brothers face at the mention of friendship, could even imagine what the hanyou would say.

His arms would be crossed over his chest, his face contorted into a jealous smirk before he lifted his chin up higher than earlier. 'Sesshomaru knows the meaning of friendship? I thought you were too pure-blooded to have emotions, or ideas of friendship Sesshomaru. What's happened to you, you getting attached? Worthless.'

He leaned his head back, before he heard the sound of anothers heartbeat outside his door. He made a noise to approve that they entered. He was calm and collected as Kagome entered, but his vision suddenly swam from the vision she created. He had a hard time masking his approval of her just that moment.

She stood to her full height, though it was still just as delicate. Apparently Tenya had made an outfit quickly for the miko to wear before the rest of her clothes would be finished. As she walked further into the room, he could see her fluffy tail wave behind her, a special slit in the fabric to allow the appendage to wiggle out of her clothes and wave freely. The kimono was midnight black, and it fit her curves like a second skin, though it allowed her freedom of movement. Her sleeves were short, and showed off the markings on her arms. From the slight shimmer of the fabric in the afternoon light, it had to have been silk, with silver detail around the hems. As she drew closer, he could see the detail as intertwining crescents. Her obi was silver and pure. Her hair had been brushed, and it was left flowing down past her hips.

He pulled himself away from the wall and made his way to stand before Kagome. He couldn't help but stare at the beauty before him. He held out his arm for her to take once again, and he couldn't help but to give an inaudible sigh as he felt her small limb weave ito his own.

"Come, I will show you the rest of the gardens, I'm sure you'll enjoy them on a regular basis during your stay."

She simple gave a nod of her cranium. Her pink lips pulled at the corner. Sesshomaru had been graced with another smile. 'You're beautiful...' At least that is what he wanted to say, but he couldn't. They exited his bedroom arm in arm.

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Authors Note: No lyrics for this chapter. I'm well aware that that many could get rather annoying, so I will take a break from them. Besides, I could find none appropriate for this chapter. Forgive me for not thanking all of my reviewers personally. Just now that I am greatful for your words and encouragement. Enjoy!