An: you guys made it clear you didn't like flashbacks. (okay, okay, maybe I am stretching the truth a *bit*; I DIDN'T like flashbacks. I didn't like Kikyou….) Anyways…this chapter shall be interesting. ^_^; heh heh heh…uh…..oh! By the by…I need to learn how to actually write some…more…mature stuff…so if there is more sexual references in chapters, just pretend that they aren't there! But dun worry, there is nothing (hopefully…^^;;;) that will change this to an R fic.

Question: hey, who here thinks Naraku/Sesshoumaru is a good couple?  Who would be thoroughly disgusted if I even thought of writing it?  Come out of the closet, you yaoi fans! ^_~; or not…whichever you prefer. But no worries, this chapter is STRICTLY Inu/Kag…

Chapter Seven:  A Destination Away From Uncertainty

He had dreamed of her that night. Dreamed of her long lustrous hair, glinting in the silvery light of the full moon. Her eyes had beckoned him to her side, tempting him with hidden depths and mysteries he would never know. The dark, almost midnight blue of their color, entranced him as he traced the silky contours of her bare body with his hands. She had called out to him that evening, called out with a love and a desire that she bore. How willingly he had become one with her; how willingly he sunk into her tender embrace, how willingly he had kissed her lips. The dream had been bliss…

Then, he woke up. Woke up to the cold that surrounded him; the wintry chill still present in the early spring nights. He had awoken to nobody at his side, no body urging him into the world of desires and fantasies. He had awoken alone in a dark room.

It took him hours ,it seemed, to fall into a dreamless sleep, hours in which her body and beckoning eyes called out to him from across the thin rice paper barrier. It had been torture knowing that behind the screen, she lay. Waiting.

By the time Inuyasha groggily pulled himself out of sleep, the dream of Kagome and the love they shared had vanished silently. There was only a vague apprehension that he had not slept well for some reason. The cause behind this did not irk him…for he was used to such light and troubled sleep. It was only rarely that he allowed himself the delicacy of a truly restful night.

Upon waking, it dawned upon him that it was the day of his departure to Edo, and then following that, visiting a few prefectures near Hokkaido. He would be gone for a month, perhaps two. Inuyasha told himself that he was pleased about these turn of events. He told himself that by leaving this castle, he would be closer to his goal of defeating his brother. He told himself these things…despite the pit in his stomach.

It was not as though he wanted to stay. It was just…things were quieter, lazier, more subdue, rather than the pounding of the blood through him in the outside world. Inuyasha enjoyed the time he spent with Miroku, and even on occasion, his wife. Yet, he did not love her. She was attractive, yes. She ignited something in him; yes. Did Kikyou mean nothing, however? Did her death mean that years later he could marry another? Inuyasha did not believe so. Until Sesshoumaru had paid for the anguish and death he had caused, Inuyasha would not allow himself to be tempted by Kagome and her innocent ways. He would not.

After soaking in the tub for an hour, and thoroughly cooking himself, Inuyasha informed the servants to prepare for his departure. Miroku was conspicuously absent, as well as Kagome.  Waiting a few moments, calling for them, and idling inspecting the progress of the servants, he conceded.  Heaving a sigh of anger and irritation, Inuyasha began to inquire of their whereabouts.

The lord had failed to notice the rich quality of the day. The wide brilliantly blue sky, and the wispy clouds that randomly splattered over its canvas. Like that of a spider web, their material was transparent, allowing a hazy sort of glow to settle upon the village.

Earlier in the faint beginnings of morning, the valley had been draped in a layer of low-lying fog. The ground consisted of a swirling steam, hanging so quietly, and so deathlike around each blade of grass, or unopened flower. As the day had progressed, and the gold radiant sun had touched each surface, the fog diminished and fled into the woods, where it would only haunt deep and dark caves.

By midmorning, the day had turned fair, a slight breeze being blown in from the sea, and large luminous clouds from the past storm still skimming overheard. The air was pleasantly warm, and smelled like the blossoms that were slowly beginning to daintily peak curiously around each boulder, or dance in-between the large grass.

Two figures walked down a slopping hill, down into the valley that served as a flood plain, when the river was swollen. Now, only a sea of grass existed, waves breaking against their legs.

The first of the two figures, walking a little farther ahead, was that of a female. In her hand, she held a long and stylish bow. And wound about her breast, a small quiver resided on her back, filled with a number of arrows. The girls' features were a mixture between spring and autumn. The new battling for control of the traditional. Her skin was that of moonlight on a lonely autumn night, yet her eyes shone with all the brilliancy of a spring day. The girl now opened her mouth, and called behind her, "Miroku-san, we do have to hurry. He will get suspicious."

"What are you implying, my dear lady?" Came a rich, if not sarcastic voice of the follower. The man was handsome in his good looks, carrying a worn and dedicated appearance for that of one so young and so well built. He carried in his hand loosely woven sack, in which apples clunked cheerily.

"What time are you expected to leave?" Kagome asked, planting her feet in the earth as though she had taken root.

"Midmorning. About Eleven, I suppose." Miroku chuckled, as he too stopped at the remains of a fence, and gingerly withdrew an apple from the sack.

"Eleven? But its ten forty five right now!" The girl exclaimed, her expression one of shock and amusement mixed into one another.

"Oh, who cares? I don't particularly want to leave. Of all my years in service to Inuyasha, I have never once seen his valley bloom. Its rather sad, really."

Nodding in agreement, "Yes, that is rather sad."

There was a long pause, and a great wind raced merrily across the green sea.

"Well," Kagome chirped, clapping her hands together, "We should hurry up."

"I suppose we should. I would like to see if you archery is as good as you boast." Miroku smirked, as he settled himself in the grass.

"Its not as good as I boast. It's a good as you bet." Kagome grinned smuggling,"I wouldn't have done this, if you hadn't promised me my freedom."

"Yes, and if you are as good as your word, and can split twenty apples in half, then I shall work on my lord night and day, until he finally gives in." Miroku replied, idling picking flowers, and chewing on its petals. 

Kagome gazed quietly at the reclined advisor, her eyes following the flower from the mouth to his ground.  Stepping forward, the long grass rustling slightly, she knelt down by his side, gazing at him intently.  There was something deep and dark in her eyes.  A pleading look, almost. Miroku had stopped chewing, and was gazing rather startled at the girl.  He was so surprised by her almost intimate actions that he could not think of anything terribly perverted to do.  Instead, he gazed at her, his eyes questioning, their deep brown depths filled with anxiety and curiosity.

"Do you promise?"  Kagome whispered, her eyes turning glossy, as though tears would soon spill down her cheeks.

"Yes."  He replied in turn, "I promise."

Gently washing away the tears that formed at her eyes, and then gingerly patting her on the head, he repeated, "I promise you.  You are just like a caged bird." A sad smile came from Kagome, but soon it brightened, and standing up with a newfound strength, she kicked up some grass at Miroku, and exclaimed, "You better, because remember, I am an expert archer."

Nodding, and returning to eating flower petals (he actually had found a marigold) he sighed, and arranged his body comfortably and watched Kagome's performance unfold.  A slim arm reached quickly behind her shoulder, and withdrawing an array, positioned in-between her pointer and middle finger, she slipped it onto the string of the bow.  Slowly she lifted it up, her deep eyes narrowing into slivers.

A wisp of air was sliced.

After that first arrow, a flush came to her cheeks; a healthy look swam into her body.  And as the apple fell sliced down the middle to the earth, an image Miroku had never expected was presented to him: a beautiful lady, crying silently in joy, for reasons he would never know.

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He had not expected them outside beyond the fortress walls.  Scanning the landscape, the sloping hills, the surrounding mountains, the broad plain, the smooth river…he had not expected to see her again.  Like a spirit kissing Miroku's cheek, she had been born for a second time.

Kikyou…

She knelt down by Miroku's side, a smile resting quietly on her lips, a graceful smile he remembered so well.  Although he could not hear her words, her mouth moved with the hypnotic quality he remembered it to.  Her eyes still squinted in the same attractive way; her hair still caught the breeze and danced about her face.  Tears had formed in his eyes, tears that he could not allow himself to blink and wipe away.  For soon, he realized, this image, this yearning, this dream would be gone.  Soon reality would come and hit him with the brute force as it once had.  Soon he would fall from this grace.

And yet he did not.

The dream continued…continued to torture him, continued to unlock doors he wished to remain in peace forever.  In the same perfect refinement, in the identical skill, the equal breathtaking quality of the girl he had loved so many years ago.  One by one by one, she fired her bow, and one by one, the two halves to the whole fell separated in the grass.  He could not look away…he had to feel her; he had to touch her as he had once done a great many years ago.  He wanted to feel himself inside her, feel the love they had shared, he wanted all that was lost to be found.  Stepping hesitantly down the hillside, and then increasing momentum he arrived at this visions side as she lowered her bow, and the twentieth apple fell in the grass.  Miroku perched up, "My Lord…I—" dripping off his lips, his eyes alert and confused.  Yet, Inuyasha over looked his companion, and rushed to her side, his hope creating a delusion. 

"Kikyou…" Inuyasha exclaimed softly, nearing the figure.  The girl did not reply, her eyes large and brave as they once were.  Filled with a sadness and hope he remembered.  Extending his hand, he touched her skin.  It was as though an explosion went off inside his mind, the feeling of his hand against her cool cheek. Senses were aroused; love had blossomed from the winter chill.  Stepping forward, with dismay for all who saw, he wrapped his arms about her slim frame, repeating her name repeatedly.

"Inu…yasha…?"  She questioned curiously, her voice disbelieving.  Indeed, he could not believe her subsistence—yet here she was.  Here he was embracing her…

"I missed you so much…so much…" he managed to gasp terribly, his body trembling in happiness.

"Inuyasha," the voice began, "I am not Kikyou…I am Kagome…" she paused, his defeat resting on her final words, "…your wife."

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Standing in the courtyard and moving nervously from side to side, Kagome watched, as the horses were loaded with foodstuff and supplies for the trip to Edo. It was nearly noon, and the sun had been momentarily cast behind a cloud, although in other area's of the valley it still shone gloriously. Perhaps the gods knew there was something dark and mysterious here as well. A sharp cold wind from the north had sprung down upon their backs, and there was word of a storm approaching.

"Hurry the hell up!" Barked their lord as he appeared on the scene, as though he had just appeared by magic. "We should have left at dawn!"

The servants made no reply, but instead moved faster, their bodies beginning to glisten with sweat.

"Is there something I can do?" Questioned Kagome towards an oncoming Yuki, whose arms were filled with the leather reins.

"No, we are nearly finished. Three day journey to Edo, if that." She confided. Her large dark eyes swiveled to her hanyou lord. "He is watching you."

Kagome tried not to look towards whom the conversation was directed, but instead she sighed, "I know…I think he is embarrassed, or something." Running her long fingers through her hair she admitted, "He mistook me for someone else."

Yuki nodded, and although she wanted to talk longer with her later, this privileged was not allowed. She had to prepare her lord for his journey. And so, bowing quickly, she left Kagome's side and headed in the direction of the large dapple-gray horses.

Considering that she could retire into her chambers for the rest of the day, she decided to stay out and amongst the commotion for as long as possible. Soon her life would revert back to normal, and there would be no archery, there would be no long and rather pointless conversations, there would be no walks to the villages…there would be her, the lady of the land, alone in her gilded cage.

Gazing about the courtyard, distinctly trying not to notice Inuyasha's penetrating glare, she found Miroku idly eating an apple as he watched the servants conclude the journey's needs.

Hurrying to his side, she pressed his arm and gazed up at him in that same way she had done earlier. A serious look of hope and sadness. "Remember your promise."

Miroku gazed down at her, almost tenderly, and he replied, "Of course I will remember. Just don't do anything too rash. Please. Inuyasha likes to think he is in control about everything…"

"Unfortunately," continued Kagome, a grin spreading about her exquisite face, "This is usually not the case."

"Precisely." Agreed Miroku, tossing the core over his shoulder, his other hand looking for a curve in Kagome's body he could possibly squeeze or touch.

"What the hell do you think your doing!?" Kagome sputtered, a flush coming to her cheeks, her arms flailing about her. There was a loud slap, and Miroku gingerly touched his cheek, "…I-itai…"

"Serves you right, you hormone driven boy." Fumed Kagome irritably, even more aware of her husbands glares (now having turned into ones of death).

Leaving Miroku's side, after giving him a hurried goodbye, she left through the side gate and into the vegetable garden (conspicuously away from all public eye). She would have enjoyed standing out amongst the commotion and the action—yet he was there, his presence like a cloud covering the sun on a summer day. He stood there, his golden eyes narrowing with undulating at each motion she took. She could feel that with each breath she inhaled, with each blink of the eye—he inspected her every move. As though she was his.

She was nobody's…at least not at the moment…

Kagome, sitting down on a large rock, rested her head in her hands and pondered the whole situation and relationship of coming to this house earlier in the winter. It was disgusting how comfortable she had become to this pavilion, how thoughts of another world hardly troubled her as they had once had. She was becoming domesticated.

And perhaps, she argued, if she had loved her husband, if they had been close, if there was a mutual respect—than perhaps things would be peaceful. Perhaps she would allow her life to continue is such a way.

Yet she was not even twenty, and already she acted like a thirty-five year old. She disgusted even herself.

Glancing up suddenly at Inuyasha's voice drifting from across the other side of the fence, she dusted off her attire and dutifully (like the good wife, she supposedly was) went to wish him farewell.

A few second's more and they would have been beyond her reach. They would have kicked the horse in their sides and headed off towards the road that beckoned to her flighty spirit as well.

Yet, their eyes met, his feet frozen at the dapple-gray horses side. His frame was motionless, his eyes an amber colored storm of confusion, and anticipation, and emotions that Kagome could not even conjure.

Walking up to the horses' side, she gazed up and said meekly, "Have a good journey." 

I missed you so much…Kikyou…

He said nothing, but instead nodded, and suddenly very interested in the horse, kicked its sides and leapt off.

…if only she had been missed….

Miroku gave Kagome one last wistful and slightly amused glance, before he followed suit behind his master, and made their way to the Edo.

It was not until an hour later that Kagome found herself thinking about how handsome and striking her husband looked, seated upon the horse, the cold north wind blowing his silver strands of hair…but digesting this thought, she realized that this could not be.  She could not be attracted to Inuyasha.  It was impossible.

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AN: heh heh heh. Like this chapter? I found it rather dull myself…yeah…*sighs* but I gotta do what I gotta do.  Next chapter:  Inuyasha travels to Edo, with Kagome resting on his mind.  There, Miroku begins to persuade Inuyasha to let her accompany them on the tour.  Also, Inuyasha and Miroku befriend a young general named Kai, who's master resides in the Yamanashi prefecture…

Kagome on the other hand spends her life at Inuyasha's fortress until a distressing letter calls her away, and right into the hands of the enemy.  New characters introduced. ^_^;; sorry for lack of Sesshoumaru…but you all needed a break anyhow. Heh heh heh heh.

Yeah, so, join ME, cappie, next time for another exciting adventure of love, betrayal, passion, and action innnnnnnnn: SASS!

Btw: sorry for lack of spelling/grammar