Author's Note: Hey again, everyone. This isn't too late, is it? I'll try my best. Mind you, I'm writing this before the chapter, so I have no long how it's going to take. ^_^; Everyone, I just broke 50 reviews. *bursts with pride* You have no idea how good that makes me feel! Thank you everyone, so so much…

~

Sesshoumaru was sitting at his desk, as always, as Kagome rushed back and forth from his large bag to his bureau. Negotiations called for Sesshoumaru to travel with his father to a castle to the east, and he'd be staying for nearly a week to try to work some of the land issues out with the neighboring lord.

"Human, did you remember to pack my pens?"

Kagome sighed heavily, nodding. "Yes, they're all in their cases…" She kneeled down in front of the bag, searching through it cautiously. "Good, I think I've got anything. Is there anything else Sesshoumaru-sama might need?"

The youkai prince stared at her bored before pushing the chair back from the desk. "No. You won't need anything either. You'll be provided with the appropriate clothing."

He leaned his elbow gracefully upon the desktop, placing his chin in it and looking thoughtful. "If not, I suppose you're on your own."

Kagome nodded once more, tightening the string around the hem of the bag. "Well then, I guess Sesshoumaru-sama is all set!"

There was a knock on the door, and Kagome was on her feet in an instant, rushing to it. Sesshoumaru, as always, didn't move a muscle. "Who is it?"

The maid pulled open the door, hiding herself behind it as was polite for the servants. "Lord Sesshoumaru-sama…"

Inwardly, Kagome gagged at the sound of Jaken's voice. Obnoxious little toad… "What is it, Jaken?"

"Please forgive this humble servant for his interruption, Lord Sesshoumaru-sama! But, his Lord Inutaisho would like to see Sesshoumaru-sama right away…"

Sesshoumaru flitted his eyes to his maid for a moment before nodding, moving to his feet and following Jaken out the door. He made it a point to close it behind him, locking the poor girl in. Kagome glared at the doorway from where she stood, huffing. The man still did things to annoy her, even after all this time. She didn't know whether she was looking forward to traveling away from the castle or not, since it was her only home now. In reality, she was scared; she had forgotten a lot about what happens in the world outside her. Would I know how to act…? Unconsciously she gripped for the coins hidden in her collar, praying for luck.

~

"Sesshoumaru, my boy!"

Sesshoumaru, stoic as always, gave his father a slight bow. "Father."

The large, smiling man sat up from his velvet-lined chair, grinning widely. "I suppose you want to know why I've called you here?"

The youkai prince didn't respond.

"Well, first of all, I trust you're ready for our trip today?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Good. I wanted to tell you that you're going to need to pack light. Extremely light." Inutaisho looked down at his large desk, beginning to collect up the letters that he had just been analyzing. "Our hosts contacted us, saying everything would be provided. You can bring a few of your best robes, of course, but…Maids, casual garments, business items, they'll all be unnecessary."

"Maids?"

Inutaisho acknowledged the question with a wave of his hand, beginning to search through his drawers. "Yes, yes. Actually, I was thinking of letting Inuyasha 'borrow' yours until we get back. He's been lonely lately, and I won't be around, so…Ah hah!" He pulled out a piece of paper, placing it on the desktop and sliding it towards his son. "This is a copy of the negotiations that were previously written. I want you to look over them, so when the actual discussions begin you won't be in the dark."

Sesshoumaru stood in silence for a while before moving his eyes down to the document. "As you wish, father." He reached out and grabbed it in one swift movement, turning and waltzing from the room.

~

When Sesshoumaru returned, Kagome was busy pacing the floors. With every passing moment, she was becoming more and more nervous about the trip. She had no idea what would be expected her; especially if Sesshoumaru would be gone most of the day for his meetings. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

He analyzed her for a moment before walking past, over to his desk, placing his hands on the chair but not sitting down. Kagome watched him curiously. "Sesshoumaru-sama…?"

"You won't be going."

She stopped where she stood, confused. "I…won't be going?"

"I won't be needing you for the trip." He nearly hissed this out, turning to glare coldly at the girl. "You'll be staying with…Inuyasha until I return."

What…? Is he being serious?! Something inside Kagome swelled, while another part of her deflated. She had been dreading and anticipating the trip…she wanted to get out more. She wanted to leave the castle and see the scenery and nature again. She wanted to know more about what was going on with the country, with the war, with Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru examined her reaction to what he said, but he couldn't read it. At first she had looked shocked, understandably, and then happy, and then sad. This human dramatizes her expressions far too much. He sighed, raising a hand to his forehead. I won't let this get to me. Even if it IS Inuyasha…I don't care that much about a worthless slave.

~

Kagome watched the carriage carrying Sesshoumaru and his father fade away in the distance, resisting the urge to wave. Today was the start of her second week; her second week without Sesshoumaru.

"Come on, human!" Kagome looked down at Jaken, the mood immediately dropping a few notches. Why didn't Sesshoumaru just take stupid Mr. Toad along with him? "You'll be serving Inuyasha while Lord Sesshoumaru-sama is gone! But don't slack off, Sesshoumaru-sama told me to watch you especially closely this week!"

Kagome raised her eyebrows down at him, surprised. Sesshoumaru is using Jaken as…my babysitter?!

With a few bashes on the back of her head Kagome was once again following Jaken down the halls and up the stairs, her hood strategically pulled over her eyes so that the toad-youkai would be unable to read her expression. Inuyasha…It seemed to be getting better, suddenly. She'd be spending a week with Inuyasha, and just Inuyasha.

"Here we are, human! Remember this location well, because I'm not always going to be around to lead filth like you back and forth!" Jaken smacked the door with his stick energetically, causing Kagome to wince at the slapping noise. If she had had a dagger, she would've stabbed Jaken through his tiny little skull right there and then, and she would've enjoyed it immensely. 

"What do you want?!" A very pissed off sounding Inuyasha opened the door just slightly, giving Jaken the same look Kagome had been tossing at the toad all week.

"A present from your father, hanyou!" Jaken shoved the door open with surprising strength, nearly smacking Inuyasha in the face. "But it's only temporary, so don't get comfy! You don't deserve even this…"

"What the hell are you talking about, toad?" Inuyasha put on a show of being bored, yawning and glancing down at the youkai as if it didn't mean a thing in the world to him.

Jaken obviously didn't show the same humble attitude towards Inuyasha as he did with Sesshoumaru, Kagome noted. He grabbed Kagome's wrist in his clammy little claws and very nearly chucked her into the room, causing her to bump forward into Inuyasha, who looked less than happy about it. "Keep her in line, hanyou." Jaken straightened his wrinkly body out, obviously trying to look respectable. "If she does anything stupid, make sure to tell me." And with that he scuttled out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

There was an awkward silence in the room before Kagome came to terms with her position, seemingly at the same moment as Inuyasha. Simultaneously they blushed, pushing away from each other and taking a step back. Kagome, out of habit, bowed immediately, her hood purposefully dropping forward once more. Wait…She caught herself before mumbling her apologies, glancing back up at the hanyou. What am I doing?

"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha twitched at the sound of his name, taking another uncomfortable step back.

Kagome sighed at his ignorance. "Inuyasha, it's me!" She pulled back her hood, staring up at him expectantly. Inuyasha still looked as stupefied as ever.

"Inuyasha…" She nearly growled his name, in no mood. Is he even trying to be so obnoxious…?!

"Y-you're my new maid?!" Inuyasha pointed at her, a look washing over his face that Kagome prayed to be relief, although it was ultimately unreadable. She nodded, a tad insulted at his lack of welcome.

Unexpectedly he grinned, happiness beginning to show through his surprise. Relieved, Kagome smiled back. This definitely wouldn't be as bad as she had first feared.


~

"Oi, what are you doing?" Inuyasha was standing against the wall, glaring at Kagome. His room wasn't much different from Sesshoumaru's; a massive bed was the centerpiece of the chambers, and to its side there was a large wooden desk, although somewhat smaller than his brother's. The main distinction between the two was that Inuyasha's was trashed, while Sesshoumaru seemed to be the type to keep things as tidy as possible.

"I'm making your bed! It's a total mess!" Kagome was going at her work energetically, having learned some of the tricks and hints to flattening out the huge comforters just right.

"Feh." Inuyasha snorted, plopping himself in a plush chair that was in the corner opposite his desk, another thing that Sesshoumaru didn't have. "My bastard of a brother sure has you trained."

Kagome twitched, whirling to face the hanyou. "Trained?! I'm just doing my job! You could use the help, too!"

Inuyasha straightened out a little, narrowing his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means your room is a mess!" Kagome pointed to the clothes lying on the floor. "Just look at all of this!"

Inuyasha turned his head away snottily, putting his nose into the air. "What I do with my things is my own business, wench!"

"Wench?!" Kagome pulled the pillow from the bed, fuming. "You're IMPOSSIBLE!" She chucked it at him, surprising him with the suddenness and strength behind the blow.

"OW!" The hanyou pulled the pillow from his face, nearly piercing it with his claws with how tightly he was gripping it. "What was that for?!"

"You called me wench!"

"You ARE a wench!"

He was rewarded for that one with another hard smack in the face, but this time with something a little more solid; his shoe that he had lying next to his mattress.

"OW!! You BITCH!" The pissed dog-demon immediately rose to his feet, stomping over to Kagome. "Why the hell did you throw something so hard?!"

"Stop being a baby, I didn't throw it that strongly!" Kagome glared back, just as angry, reaching down for his other shoe. "Let me have another go at it!"

Inuyasha twitched, taking a step back. "What are you thinking, wench?!"

Kagome raised the shoe, grinning as she gripped it in her small hands. "Call me wench one more time, and god help me I'll…"

"Inuyasha---!" A cheery Miroku burst in on the two, opening the door in one swift movement, causing both of the two pissed off individuals to glare at him simultaneously.

"Oh?" Miroku looked surprised. "What's going-…"

Past breaking point, Kagome winded up and chucked the shoe as hard as she could at Miroku's head, easily hitting her target due to their close proximity. Miroku fell back almost comically, his eyes wide and his mouth still open as he hit the ground. Behind him stood Sango, holding a hand to her forehead due to the man's stupidity.

Inuyasha stared a moment before crossing his arms and turning away. "Keh. Better him than me."

Kagome fumed up once again, turning to shout something foul at him before she felt two arms wrapping tightly around her. "Raven-chan! What are you doing here?!"

The mood immediately softened as Kagome noticed Sango, returning the hug happily. "Sango-chan! Sesshoumaru is away, so I guess I'm staying with Inuyasha until he comes back…"

"Really?!" Sango grabbed Kagome's hands, squeezing them tightly. "That's great! We'll get to spend the whole week together!"

"Eh?!" Inuyasha turned swiftly, eyes narrowing. "Who invited you?!"

Miroku, without the others knowing, had somehow made it back to his feet. "Ooooh…It seems Inuyasha would like some 'private' time with our adorable little Raven…"

Inuyasha bared his fangs at the man, immediately tensing. "Wh-what are you thinking you pervert?!"

"Well, I can understand…Let us follow their example and leave to go enjoy ourselves, Sango-chan!" He grasped her wrist, and was rewarded by a slap in the face.

Kagome giggled, watching the two. They're adorable…!

"Ah, I have a wonderful idea!" Miroku clapped his hands together, his face marked red due to Sango's slap. "Let's all go down to the beach for the afternoon!"

Kagome tensed up. "Th-the beach?"

Inuyasha glanced over at his new maid, thoughtful. That's right…She can't stand the ocean. "Come on, Raven-chan! It'll be fun! I'll go down and talk to some of the maids and get some food!"

Kagome hesitated, looking at her friend. She was scared stiff of the water, but…She didn't want to let them done. "A-…all right…"

"Great!" Sango grinned brightly, immediately turning and rushing from the room, dragging Miroku along with her. He just waved blankly, obviously used to being pushed around in such a manner.

Once they had disappeared from view, Inuyasha turned to Kagome, concerned with what this would mean for her. "Are you…"

Kagome just waved her hand at him, laughing hesitantly. "Oh, don't worry! It's just the beach. I'm not THAT scared…"

~

"Oi, wench! Hurry up! I thought you said you weren't scared!"

Kagome was treading through the woody path a decent distance away from her friends, being very cautious. "I'm not scared!" She hissed to him, glancing around. "I'm just not in any mood to rush!"

Sango sighed and slowed down, waiting for her. "I'll walk with you, Ka-…" She stopped, realizing her mistake, and immediately tried to fix it up. "I'll walk with you, Raven."

Inuyasha glanced curiously back at them, as if expecting something. "What'd you say?"

"Ra—ve—n!!" Suddenly, although not completely unexpected, Shippou came bounding out of the trees towards Kagome, jumping up and nuzzling into her arms.

"Shippou-chan!" She smiled brightly. "There you are! I was wondering when you'd come!"

The little fox-demon nodded energetically. "I smelled dog-boy over there and so I knew that either you or Sango and Miroku would be around!"

"Dog boy?!" Inuyasha reached out, snatching Shippou away and glaring down at him. "Where do you get off saying that?!"

"Inuyasha, be nice to Shippou!" Kagome chided the hanyou, pulling Shippou back to her and holding him protectively.

Inuyasha glanced at her, then to Shippou, nearly growling with the close bonds the little thing shared with his new servant. "Feh!"

They continued walking for nearly half an hour, chatting and arguing on, Kagome temporarily forget her fear of the ocean. That is, until she began smelling the familiar salty aroma that had haunted her many times before.

Sango had to keep on nudging her along, gripping on tightly to her arm in both encouragement and support. "C'mon, Raven-chan."

"Speaking of which, Raven, why is it you're so scared of the ocean?"

Kagome was analyzing her surroundings, crushing Shippou to her body while simultaneously clinging onto Sango's arm. "Well…when I was really young…Me and my younger brother were down at the beach, and…it got really stormy…and there was this huge wave!" She spread out her arms to emphasize this, earning herself an eye-roll from Inuyasha. "It hit me, and when I managed to swim back to shore…" She shuddered, closing her eyes. "My body was covered in these little…black worm caterpillar things…They had these tiny little teeth, and I couldn't pull them off, and they were EVERYWHERE…"

Inuyasha paused, turning to look back at Kagome. "Are you telling us that you were attacked by leeches?"

Kagome nodded, and Miroku chuckled low before hiding his amusement with a cough. "Lady Raven…That's impossible. Leeches don't live in the ocean."

Kagome glared at him violently, making him stumble back in surprise. "Whether they live in the ocean or not, that's what was clinging to my body, and don't you dare tell me otherwise."

"Haha…" Miroku looked hesitant, raising his hands. "O-of course…"

Inuyasha looked wryly at the girl, but restrained from saying anything, due to the fire in her eyes. This was an individual you definitely didn't want to push too far, as he had previous found out.

"Uwaaa! Look! I can see it!" There was a break in the dense trees, and Shippou hopped away from Kagome, rushing ahead. "See! See!"

"Eeeeh…" Kagome paled, treading lightly. Just don't go near the water…Just don't go near the water…

"Oh, look how beautiful it is!" Sango took in a deep breath of the sea air, smiling. Miroku walked hastily to the sand, followed by Shippou, Sango, Inuyasha, and finally Kagome. Inuyasha sauntered along, trying to put up an act of being unaffected by it all, but it showed that he enjoyed the scenery more than anyone else. Kagome, on the other hand, was terrified, and always checked the ground where she walked.

"C'mon, Raven-chan!" Shippou hopped up and down on the ground, waving his little arms around. "I'll protect you! Promise!"

Kagome sighed a little. She couldn't deny the poor kid. "I know, Shippou-chan, but…" As she turned her head, something off in the distance caught her eye. She paused, trying to focus her vision. "Hey…what's that?"

Miroku pointed out into the distance at the building Kagome was referring to. "That's the Gospela. It's an old church that Naraku had renovated not too long ago." It didn't look all that large to Kagome, but then again, they were quite a distance away. It was perched on top of a cliff over-looking the ocean, and other than the long and narrow steeple that topped it off it didn't look like anything special.

Still, something about it amazed Kagome. "Hey…Could we maybe go up and see it?"

Miroku raised a hand over his eyes to shield the sun, peering up at it. "Well, let's eat first. After, I wouldn't mind paying it a little visit."

Sango nodded. "It sounds like a plan! But first, I'm famished. Where do you guys want to set up the picnic?"

Inuyasha grinned cockily, giving Kagome a glance. "Why not eat RIGHT next to the water?"

She shot him an icy glare, shuddering at the same time. Sango sighed at the two. "Let's just settle on the beach over there. It's not very close to the water, and I think Raven will be all right."

Reluctantly, Kagome really had no other option but to agree.

~

"So, Inuyasha, why don't YOU take classes?" Kagome jeered at him, nudging into his side with her elbow. He just scoffed.

"I do, wench! Just not during the summer."

Miroku laughed, leaning in closer to Sango. "Ah, winter…I always take the time when there is no Inuyasha for granted…"

The youkai exterminator managed to push Miroku's hand away from her before it could travel too low, smiling good-naturedly. "Somehow I can't even imagine Inuyasha sitting in a classroom being quiet for so long!"

Inuyasha sat up, glaring at the couple. "Why the hell are you deciding to pick on me now?!"

Kagome laughed to herself, taking a bite from the apple Sango had smuggled out of the kitchen for her. Shippou had located himself down at Kagome's side, nibbling on a small piece of turkey. "Isn't it funny how Inuyasha is the son of the most important man in the area, yet we can still out power him so easily?"

"Out power?!" Inuyasha glared at Kagome, leaning towards her. "So it's a fight you want, is it?!"

"Please now, Inuyasha." Miroku grinned mischievously at the pair. "You'll have plenty of time for this when you two get back to the bedroom."

Inuyasha's face blushed violently, and in a second he had leaned back and settled himself down into a pouty, sulky position. "Keep whatever perverted thoughts you have going through your head to yourself, you lecher!"

Sango sighed a little, turning to Kagome. "Well, it's good that Inuyasha finally has someone to set him straight. His room hasn't been clean in ages! He's needed a new maid for a long, long time."

The hanyou gripped the glass of wine so tightly in his hand it nearly cracked. "Now you too?! What is it with you people and insulting my living arrangements?!"

Miroku raised a finger knowingly, closing his eyes. "Well, Inuyasha, it is a well-known fact that you aren't the tidiest person in the ca-…" Before he could even finish his sentence Inuyasha smacked him hard across the head, glaring. "Why you little…!"

Somehow the Gospela had distracted Kagome's thoughts once more. Without even realizing it she found herself constantly turning to stare at it, as if she had missed some important detail about the building. They had been there for nearly an hour now, and she didn't have any plans on dining longer. "Hey…can we go visit the church now?"

Sango shifted from her sitting position, moving to her knees. "It's getting late, so we probably should pack up anyway. Me and Miroku will clean up here, so why don't you, Inuyasha, and Shippou-chan head up?"

Miroku smirked triumphantly. "Ah, I had no idea you were so eager to get me alone, Sango-chan!"

The youkai exterminator just rolled her eyes. "Don't get your hopes up, pervert."

"But Sango-cha—n!"

Inuyasha stood, brushing himself off. "I have no problems with getting away from the whining lecher's voice. I don't know what interests you so much about a stupid old church, though…"

Shippou bounded ahead of them, towards the cliff on which the small building was located. "Well, c'mon then Raven-chan! Inuyasha!"

Kagome nodded and rushed after the fox-demon, hoisting her dress up a little to gain some more speed. Inuyasha just walked silently along after them, indifferent.

"Have you ever been there, Inuyasha?" Miroku and Sango were just leaving view as the threesome made their ascent, Shippou constantly keeping a good few paces ahead.

Inuyasha just shrugged. "Yeah. I come down here a lot, so I've come in once or twice. I'm telling you, it's nothing special though. I don't know why Naraku has such a huge interest in it."

"Raven-chan, hurry up!" Shippou stopped where he was, turning around to face the pair. "It'll be dark soon!"

Inuyasha walked up to the child, picking him up by the back of his neck. "Oh, in such a hurry, are you?"

Shippou's eyes got teary as he began to flail around. "Rave--n!! Ra—ve—n!!"

The servant girl grumbled, raising a hand to her forehead. "Inuyasha, put him down."

"Feh!" Inuyasha tossed Shippou forward a good distance, causing him to roll up into a ball and tumble towards the church. Kagome stared on, horrified. "Inuyasha!"

He looked at her, crossing his arms as he began walking again. "What now?"

"That was horrible of you! He could've gotten hurt!" Kagome ran forward to help the fox-demon to his feet, since he was obviously discombobulated. Inuyasha got an upset look on his face, glaring to the side. "I don't know why you like that stupid little thing so much anyway."

Kagome, however, had been momentarily distracted by something else. "Hey…Is it just me, or does this look a lot smaller from a distance?"

The hanyou looked the Gospela up and down, bored. "Wench, things usually DO look smaller from a distance."

"I know that!" Kagome hissed at him. "But, I mean, in general…Does it look like it suddenly got a lot taller?"

Shippou had made it back to his feet and was now straining his neck to see the whole building, since they were now right in front of him. "Ne…She's right."

"Keh!" Inuyasha, who had still not given it any attention, just waltzed right up to the door. "We can't be dawdling around the entrance all day. If you're going to go in, go in."

Kagome looked at him for a moment before turning her nose up, shoving him to the side. "Fine, I will!" With that she pulled the thick doors open, allowing Shippou to scatter in before them.

"Uwa—!!" He stopped in the middle of the room, with Kagome and Inuyasha following close behind. "Look at it!"

Kagome raised a hand to her mouth, shocked. This can't be true…! It's HUGE! The ceiling stretched out an amazing distance, covered with skillfully painted pictures of angels and legends and warriors, all done in the greatest detail. There were pillars lining the massive hall, and doors scattered along all four walls, each painted with a different beautiful image of some sort of god or goddess. "What is this…?" Inuyasha stood near the door, staring around in amazement. "This…this can't be the same Gospela…"

Shippou bounded over to one of the doors, adorned with the image of a beautiful woman dressed in orange fur and having large, dangling jewelry all over her body.

Inuyasha walked past Kagome, inspecting each different doorway, pausing at one that showed a great warrior standing valiantly with his foot placed on the head of a great oni. "What are behind these?" He pulled it open just slightly, peeking in before entering completely, a look of amazement on his face. Similarly Shippou had entered the room he was examining, leaving Kagome standing alone in the middle of the grand church.

This isn't right…She looked around her, mouth gaping. It was grand, to be sure, but something about the whole place was giving her a bad feeling. This isn't just a trick of light and perspective…It can't just be a mirage, either…She turned to look at the door to her immediate left, surprised to see something that…well, someone who looked similar to her. It was the image of a regal priestess in full-gown, one hand reaching back for an arrow and the other gripping the bow in a ready position, surrounded by swarms of silhouetted youkai. Unconsciously drawn to the scenario Kagome approached, slowly placing her hand on the handle before pushing it open.

What is this place?! Kagome was frozen to the spot, staring at the scenery that surrounded her. Thousands upon thousands of tiny mirrors lined the walls, all leading to the same spot on the back wall. A grand piano framed gold stood a good distance away from Kagome, and it was only then that she noticed the girl sitting on the wooden bench, her back turned to the door. Hesitantly, the raven-haired girl approached, the gentle sound of the piano finally reaching her. Above the grand instrument there was a massive stained glass window, shedding a beautiful pattern of lights and colors on the ground just behind where the girl was seated.

Kagome stopped when she reached the color-stained ground, watching silently as the faceless woman played the piano with the greatest ease and grace. The melody was an amazingly soft and gentle ballad that wasn't much like anything Kagome had ever heard before. "Excuse me…"

The music stopped at Kagome's plea, and the woman turned to face her, her pure-black hair flowing down and around her body. Kagome was stunned at her beauty; dark brown eyes and long, nicely cut hair that she had not bothered to tie back. There was a strange look and characteristic in her actions; not exactly indifferent or cold, but just tired. The woman examined her for a moment, looking a few years older than Kagome herself, before raising her eyes to her younger counterpart's. "What are you doing here?"

Kagome was stunned, raising a hand to her chest. "I'm sorry if…if I interrupted you…"

A look flickered over the woman's face, filled with pity, and she glanced nervously towards the door. "You should leave."

Her voice gave away nothing of how she was feeling, because it never wavered and never rose. No matter what sort of expressions were passing through her eyes, her over-all countenance remained stone.

Kagome stepped forward, farther into the light splayed across the ground due to the stained glass window overhead. "Your playing is very beautiful…what is it?"

There was another pause before the woman's eyes flicked back to the door again, and once more she turned on the bench, going back to playing the gentle ballad, her eyes narrowing coldly.

"Kikyou…" Kagome whirled around at the new voice, surprised. Standing a little ways away from the door was a beautiful man with waving, flowing black hair, and next to him was…Kanna?!

The man looked surprised to see the girl standing in the light, her black dress swaying with her as she turned to him so suddenly. Her back reflected the light hitting it, very nearly making her glow, creating a great contrast between the bright colors behind her and her pure black hair. "And…you are?"

Kagome twitched, clutching her fist around the coins resting in her collar, taking a nervous step back. "I'm sorry to intrude, I was just…"

"No, it's no intrusion." The man smiled, sending chills through Kagome's body. His hair was amazingly long and amazingly beautiful, but something about his face made Kagome want to run away, while freezing her to the spot at the same time. His eyes were narrow, and his robes were made of a black shiny material, only accentuated by his pale-white skin. He was obviously a rich man, with black jewels and pearls around his neck and wrists, and with a large silver cross hanging from his neck.

She flitted her eyes to Kanna, finding it suddenly hard to concentrate with the soothing music playing in the background, contrasting the turmoil she suddenly felt in this man's present. If Kanna is here…That means…Is this Naraku?

"How have you found your way here?" He began approaching Kagome once more, making her stumble back and very nearly bump into the girl at the piano.

"I just came to see what it was…" She slowly moved her eyes to the side, to the mirrors that lined the walls, some reason searching for her reflection. As she searched the mirrors back, it suddenly dawned on her that other than her, there were no reflections. Not the woman playing the piano, not Naraku's, and not Kanna's. Her eyes widened in horror before she swung her head back to look at the man approaching her, her fists clenching in fear.

"Why do you look so scared?" Naraku gave her a bone-chilling smile, stopping and spreading his arms a little. "This is my sanctuary. I own it. I would expect a little more respect."

Kagome hesitated, the look in Naraku's eyes causing her heart to pound unnaturally hard in her chest. "I-I'm sorry…" She bowed deeply, hanging her head and hiding her face. "I don't…mean to be rude."

Naraku suddenly chuckled low in his throat, looking the girl up and down. "Oh, no trouble. You're actually quite charming."

Kagome tensed up, and so did the girl sitting behind her, quite noticeably. A note from the piano was slurred and lost when she heard those words, her hands quite literally beginning to shake as she continued the ballad.

"Oi!" The door behind Naraku swung open, revealing Inuyasha's familiar form. "Hey, you in he-…"

He paused when his eyes settled on Naraku, immediately baring his fangs. "Naraku, what the hell are you doing here?!"

Naraku laughed effeminately, nonchalantly turning to face Inuyasha. "Ah, if it isn't my favorite hanyou!"

"That doesn't answer my question…" Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, readying his claws. "Tell me, what are you doing here?"

Naraku faked a hurt look. "Now, now, Inuyasha. This is MY church. Why wouldn't I be here?"

It seemed that the only one who noticed the music had stopped was Kagome. She turned her head to look at the girl sitting at the bench, surprised to see the woman's shoulders shaking and her fingers pressed violently down against the keys.

"Oi." Kagome turned again, as this was the name Inuyasha normally used when referring to her. "Let's go. I don't want to be in the same building as this sort of crap."

Naraku chuckled again, but otherwise didn't say anything.

Behind her, Kagome could sense the shift of the piano player, who had now presumably turned to stare at the confrontation going on. The maid tilted her head some, just enough to see the woman gracefully step up to her, just into the light splayed down across the church floors. Almost instantly, Kagome could feel the mood in the room change drastically for the worse. Inuyasha's eyes had widened in shock and untraceable pain, his shoulders dropping as he stared at the beautiful piano player.

"Kikyou…"

~

Kagome's eyes moved from the woman, Kikyou, to Inuyasha, back and forth, just waiting for any sort of movement. The hanyou's mouth was just slightly open, his eyes wavering uncertainly as he stared on at Kikyou, whom had yet to show any emotion at all. "Inuyasha." She finally spoke, sounding cold and tired.

"Kikyou…Kikyou, is that really you…?" It was the first time Kagome had ever seen him look so young and sad; he looked like a frightened child.

When he didn't get an answer, he began to approach her, his hands shaking. Naraku just looked on amused, and Kagome backed up a little, almost afraid of being near that strange woman any longer. "Kikyou, I thought…"

Before he could get within even ten feet of her, Kikyou's lips curled into a horrible frown, her eyes narrowing threateningly. "Go to hell, Inuyasha."

The hanyou stopped, eyes going even wider, if that were possible. "Kikyou, what do you…?"

"Go to HELL!" She spat out at him, her hand rising to her chest as if cradling a wound there. "Go to hell, go to hell, GO TO HELL!"

Inuyasha's expression filled with pain, and Kagome retreated even farther, recognizing the sort of agony that was bursting out of Kikyou. Suddenly she saw an image of her mother in her mind, when she was still young and vital. She saw how her face shattered, how she fell to her knees screaming when she heard of her husband's death. It was the same feeling she was now getting from Kikyou, and it very nearly made her eyes fill with tears at the memory.

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Inuyasha was on the verge of crying as well, anger mixing in with the confusing he already felt. "Why are you mad at me?! You're the one who left me! You left me!"

Kikyou faltered a little, taking a step back, as if the words stung her. "Me…? Me?! You…You sold me to…to be…"

"Sold you?!" Inuyasha snarled, literally reaching out towards her. "What are you talking about?! You just left! You JUST LEFT!"

Speechless, Kikyou moved her eyes to Naraku, who was nearly laughing at the situation unfurling in front of him. She watched him expectantly, as if waiting for something. Naraku, however, just remained silent.

"Kikyou, please…You have to believe me! I would never…never have…"

"Shut up!" Kikyou whirled back to him, gripping the cloth of her dress so tightly Kagome was surprised it didn't rip. "I don't care…I don't care what happened!"

Inuyasha, who had been gaining momentum, once again stopped, his confidence crushed. "Kikyou…why…?"

"I have DIED hating you!" She was almost screaming at him, her eyebrows pulled down in anger. "I will always hate you! Until you come to hell with me…I will drag you to hell MYSELF!"

Kagome raised a hand to her mouth, shocked. Is that why she had no reflection? Her eyes darted back to the mirrors, staring at the image of herself and Inuyasha, engaged in an argument with someone who didn't exist. Is she a ghost? Naraku and Kanna…Are they all dead?

When Kagome turned back to the couple, Inuyasha hadn't moved, and Kikyou was glaring at him with more anguish and despise than Kagome had ever seen in her life. For just a fraction of a second, she swore she could see a drop of blood slip out from between Kikyou's clenched fingers. But, in another second, it was gone, leaving Kagome more confused than ever.

"I have grown bored of this." Naraku put on a show of yawning, still slyly smirking at the pain he had just seen displayed before him. "Kikyou."

Very slowly she loosened her grip on her shirt, allowing her arm to drop down to her side. "…Yes."

"Kikyou, please!" Inuyasha made one last attempt for her, extending his hand forward as far it would go.

The anger in the woman's face faded into something more solid, and with that stoic look that reminded Kagome so drastically of Sesshoumaru, Kikyou walked by the stunned Inuyasha over to Naraku's side. Naraku stood where he was for a few moments, looking Kagome over thoroughly before turning away and waltzing out the door, Kanna and Kikyou following close behind. Inuyasha had not even taken the liberty to look back; already too mentally shattered to find the energy to move.

Kagome stared at him sadly as he stood in the light of the stained glass windows, his hand still extended to someone who wasn't there. Again, the image of her mother kneeling heartbroken on the ground entered into her mind. Her mother hadn't cried that day, just as Inuyasha wasn't crying now. Somehow, perhaps because she did not fully understand what was going on, Kagome felt numb to the display that had just unfolded in front of her. For Kikyou and for Inuyasha, she could only feel so bad…Night after night she had cried for her departed father, for herself, but mostly for her mother. Now that she was seeing Inuyasha, frozen from the pain and shock, she was filled with guilt because of her lack of reaction. Have I really become this bitter? She turned her body, staring at her broken up reflection in the hundreds of mirrors that covered the wall. Am I really…that cold?

~

Author's Note: Whee! Wow! Short chapter! And I know, there's no real Sesshoumaru. _ I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just felt like I was going a little too fast, and as we all know, there's more to Inuyasha than just the two characters I'd prefer to focus on. *sigh* Well, Sesshoumaru will be coming back next chapter, don't worry. And the whole Kikyou-Inuyasha thing will be explained, and so will Rin, I think, and it'll be good times for all! I'm really sorry this is so late. This was just extremely difficult for me to write. I'd say I was busy, but that's not really an excuse. I haven't been THAT busy…It's just been difficult for me to think of directions where I could take this. In the end I decided to make it a bit melodramatic, just for the sake of not sounding too obnoxiously happy and ridiculous in this whole stupid fanfic. XD I'm sorry if you don't like it! But, I'll tell you the truth, I wouldn't have worked on it if it weren't for you guys. The people who have reviewed have inspired me enough to get off my lazy arse and get this done as fast as I can. Again, I'd like to say that I DO realize you all want Sesshoumaru-Kagome fluff (or at least most of you), and trust me, that's coming up real soon. First I need to toss some pining in there…y'know…since they're separated and stuff. Whoo! Well, thank you all SO much! Especially lynnie, who actually printed out my story. XD That makes me feel SO GOOD. And osvark, I don't really have any inspiration…the truth is, I'm just winging it as I go along. I'm not a very thorough author, now am I…? X_x I'll try to update soon. I love you ALL!

I just updated this. Oh geez, Fallon, thank you SO much for that mistake. I am such a dork at times I can't believe myself. They weren't supposed to know her name was Kagome, I'm just a dip and I'm empty-headed and I don't know what's going on so I accidentally had Shippou and Sango say her name a few times. I'm so so so so sorry! Fallon, extra-big-thanks for that. I appreciate it SO much! Haha, it's fixed now, so anyone reading this AFTER I fixed it…well…Good! Yes. I hope that clears things up for some people..

Until next time, MATA NE!