(A/N) Well, I promised to update by Tuesday, but quite frankly I haven't had the time I wanted to finish this chappie. I finished it on Wednesday but I didn't want to uplaod without spell checking and proofreading... so here it is...

r/r

Anyway, I've realized that I had not yet talked about Kagome's own time and her family members there, but I will in a future chapter, there IS an explanation, don't worry.


Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Until of course I become a billionaire and buy 'em XD

Death, Emotion, And Everything In Between

Chapter Seven

(Before: I take a deep breath, all my questions arising. The first one being,

"What was that, woman?")

Now:

"Sesshoumaru, don't play stupid. You and I both know what that was. That was a recording from the Files of Time."

"You are mistaken. This Sesshoumaru is not familiar with these 'Files of Time'" I admit, more to myself than her.

"Nothing about the name tells you anything?" she whispers her half grin on her face again. I narrow my eyes. That grin will annoy me to no end. "It is very simple. The Files of Time is a collection of records that show the Universe at any given time and place. They are restricted to Miko access by Kami himself. Think of a library in which there are, instead of books, records of our time and records of other time. You understand?" I nod. "During my 'hibernation', lets call it, I spent large quantities of time reading, or looking, up the world. Not every file, of course, but most of the important ones. However, with my experience with the Files of Time, there seems to be a glitch." She pauses, pain contorting her face as she coughs into her hand. She gasps for breath, the fit taking all of it from her. She reaches for a cup of water my servant had thoughtfully left her on the small table by her bed.

"Gomen" she says between sips. She lays the cup down and turns to face me once more, a reasonable position for the continuation of her explanation. "Sesshoumaru, there is a glitch in the Files of Time and it has to do with your brother. There is only one plausible explanation for all this, but even this one has been said to be impossible." She stares through my eyes. Never has she stared into them, always, it seems to me, she stares through them. "I have reason to believe your brother has been frozen in time." She pauses for a moment to let me absorb this new foolish idea that has crossed her mind.

"Miko, stop playing games. What happened to Inuyasha? Tell me now." This is madness, her toying with this Sesshoumaru? She must have a very determined death wish. "I will have no idiocy in this matter."

"You must listen to me. Your brother's time has frozen. Did you not notice the way he disappeared from the file? From that moment on, your brother ceased to exist. And I have found no explanation other than the one I have already presented to you." Her voice wavers and she brings her hand to her eyes. I can smell the tears falling from the near expressionless face.

"If I do accept this impossibility as conceivable, how did it happen?" I reason with her. "How is it possible to 'freeze' someone in time, as you so cleverly put it?" I try to ask some sense into this wisp of a woman.

"I..I..I don't know." She frantically searches my eyes for the answer.

"Then how is your explanation credible?" I ask, my tone ringing with finality.

"I was trying to figure it all out you know, but a certain sacrificial ceremony interrupted my research and I was forced to leave my work unfinished." She stares daggers at me, each word a penetrating blow. "The only clues I've found were: 'this never happened before', 'Inuyasha no longer exists', and 'Outside help was needed'. My theory is that if we can somehow figure out who stopped Inuyasha's time and reverse the effect, this may bring Inuyasha-"

"Miko. I am to have nothing to do with this." I stare my own daggers back. "Why do you want to reinstate the man who, may I remind you, tried to kill you?"

"It's my duty to him."

"Your only duty is to me." I narrow my already narrowed eyes. "Don't you ever forget that."

"Of course. Sesshoumaru-dono." Her gaze falls. "But, I will not sit by when I can help him. Please Sesshoumaru, help me." The salty substance falls once more. What is it with women, even Mikos. One moment they are as cold and expressionless as a rock but a mere disappointment can turn them into fragile glass. I would have expected more from the Girl with Dead Eyes.

"I will have nothing to do with this." I repeated. "Inuyasha is someone I would rather leave extinct." I said, turning to leave.

"Wait. I said UEITO!" She screams and I find myself unable to move.

"How dare you!" I fight to control my rage. I can smell the fear on her, its scent sickening me. "How dare you use your power over your lord?" I whisper, her dread becoming almost solid. "Release me."

"No." She says.

"You insolent little wench. Release me this instant!" My control is slowly losing and my determination to cut her into many fragments is rapidly winning.

"Not until you agree to help me with my quest." She asks, her own voice ringing finality. I can feel her cross her arms, my position facing the door not allowing me to confirm anything with my eyes. An eternity of moments passed with her hands crossed behind my back, and my rage subsided, replaced by utter annoyance.

"I comply." I mutter, underneath my breath.

"Arigatou" she also mutters and I can feel the Miko's will release me from her command. In a swift moment of my own, I can feel her skin in close proximity with my claws. With my hand around her neck, all she can do is watch with frightened eyes.

"You will never do that again. I will make sure of it." I squeeze her neck harder.

"Sesshoumaru, you…prom..ised" she manages.

"There are no witnesses, who will hold me to it if you die." I can feel my demonic rage affecting my features. "You are despicable."

"You are honorable." She pleads to my depleting sanity.

"And you are not."

"Please Sesshoumaru." She grimaces with pain. I lessen the pressure, my rage reducing once more. To think, The Western Lord riled up by some girl who was human but a year and a half ago. I let go completely. "Why can't you see that this glitch may affect the entire world? The person responsible for this… may choose to wipe another from existence. This is important, and I…I need your help." She says, massaging her neck. She suddenly erupts into another coughing fit, this one a bit shorter than her last and without blood. An improvement on her part, I am sick of its smell.

"I will do as promised, but only if you can find sufficient proof of this matter. I will not be sent on a wild goose chase by a whiff of a Girl without sense." I succeed in reaching the door this time as I turn to leave.

My rage comes back to me for a moment as I shut the door behind me. How could she command her superiors? Surely Kami made a miscalculation in bestowing godly powers in this simpleton. He must have mistaken her for someone else, or perhaps the power in her is only temporary and someone with more sense would take her place. Why does Kami enjoy giving me headaches?


Sesshoumaru Five Hours or so Later

I wait for her in my study. She is not one to be late. After thinking a long time about today's events and the Miko's sudden show of power, I felt a need to consult with the only person I had ever trusted to have a bit of wisdom, my personal healer and, as often as not, my personal advisor, Bouen. The one who can 'see from a distance' a prey or the truth is the person to talk to when ones possessions get out of hand. Just as I predicted, she enters my study not a second late.

"Sesshoumaru-dono, you called?" she says, eyes fixed on a point on the ground.

"Sit" I motion towards the seating pillow across from my own. "I have a matter to discuss with you."

"Has Miko Kagome caused you any sort of trouble?" she says, sitting down.

"Sharp as ever, Bouen. The Miko has recently given me a show of her power."

"And you were the one who received the bad end I'm sure." She says, knowingly. I nod.

"I almost killed her." I admit.

"How very fortunate you didn't, though I'm not sure if you have the power to kill an Immortal. It would have been a bother to return to those horrid ceremonies again. Willing human sacrifices are so hard to come by these days." She smiles.

"Yes, well, on the subject of her power. To what extent may she use it against me?"

"Kagome is technically a beginner Miko. No doubt she herself is not aware of all her abilities or responsibilities. She had but a year and a little more to study what the others had centuries to accomplish. You mustn't be too harsh on her, she is still confused and will need some time to get accustomed to obeying you." Her voice was very formal and I felt a suppressed thought coming from her.

"Enough of the basics, I deserve enough credit to think of all that myself, you realize. I ask not of your knowledge, but of your opinion." I sternly reply.

"She is dying." Bouen said softly. "Something is wrong with her and I simply cannot figure it out. I had told you it had to do with her soul and that is true enough. After I revealed to you her bleeding soul, I turned to my books and there I found many conditions in which a soul may be…" she trailed off. She looked up at me from her previous glance at the floor. "Not in any of the books I have thus accumulated in all these years' mentions a bleeding soul like this one. There were one or two mentions in my entire personal library, one of which was the accepted version of a broken soul. 'When a soul bleeds, the carrier is doomed and will separate from its soul in a matter of days.'" She quotes.

"It has been more than a matter of days and she and her soul are not separate and show no signs of separation." I comment and her nod shows agreement.

"That is indeed true. However, the second mention was one which is a bit closer to our point, but is incredibly vague. 'When you encounter a bleeder, first locate the hole. Once the factor of the hole is replaced, one will have a whole soul.' This, I have deciphered, means that something- a necessary element- is missing from her soul and the only way to heal her is to find that element and complete her soul." She finishes

"But what is it that's missing?" I say impatiently.

"That is the problem with old texts. I have no idea." She searched my face for signs of demon rage. But after my 'slip' with the Miko, I have taken extra care not to show any signs of such demeaning expressions.

"I do." I say some level above a whisper. "Bouen, tell me, are you familiar with the phrase 'Files of Time'?"

"No, but, perchance, are they records of time?"

"Yes, exactly, the Files of Time are records of time and I have personally seen an example today. Inuyasha." At this she widens her eyes.

"Your half blooded brother?"

"Yes. I have seen his last moments in this world. According to the recording, it seems his time was frozen by someone. Could this be the cause?"

"The few lines I could quote were so vague, I do not know. But, personally, I believe this is the best idea we've gotten so far."

"Then it appears I will be forced to make do on a promise I had hoped would not be accounted for." I say solemnly.

"Would it be too forward for me to ask what promise you are talking about?"

"Today, while the Miko was exercising her new found power, she forced me to agree in helping her restore my brother's existence." She raises her eyebrow. "Now, as the Miko will most probably die without his existence being renewed, I suppose it is my duty to assist in any way I deem I can."

"I understand, Sesshoumaru-dono. What is it you wish me to do?"

"Well, first, is there anyway to stop the coughing temporarily?" I inquire.

"I suppose, with a little research and perhaps a bit of magic, I will be able to concoct a few potions that would ease the Miko's suffering." She says, her mind already working out the ingredients.

"And is there anyway you can find information on these files of time?"

"I have not been familiar with the term prior to this day, but I can always look around in my library to see if there was anything I overlooked-"

"Use my library as well. I do not like to be involved in things I do not quite understand."

"Of course is there anything else?" she asks, still thinking of ingredients by the expression on her face.

"It would also help if you can make some more of your wonderful potions for the headache." She raises her eyebrow once again.

"I will send some at once."

"Thank you, Bouen, you are free to leave." I say, waving her in the direction of the door, though I am sure she is aware of it. She bows her head and leaves, as gracefully as ever. It seems to me that I have acquired more problems today than reasonable, and all due to a wisp of a Girl. How annoying.


Vocabulary not much this chappie:

Gomen- Sorry

Ueito- Wait

Arigatou- Thank You

-dono- used for 'lord'


Reviews:

AWWWW There is only one review. T.T you guys disappoint me r/r guys, c'mon, do you know how much time I take to write it for you… :sobs in a corner-; :

THANKS A BUNCH TO SPDSGIRL

You make me feel special because at least I get one review hehe

Spdsgirl- Thanks a lot for reviewing and not casting me into a hopeless fit of doom. I suppose I can thank my timing with the story for the lack of reviews, but, anyway… I'm really glad you liked it, though I don't think I deserve your praise. I'm very critical of my chapters, so don't mind the low self esteem-like response. I'm really glad you liked it though, every time I hear that it makes me want to write another chapter immediately. XD Hope you like this chappie too


Sp: Sorry guys, but I think I'll have to put you on hold.

Sess: Sorry Spoken, you can't do that.

Sp: I have to, there's nothing in your contract that says if I have to drive three hours to the bottom of New Jersey for a super big tournament I have to also write a chapter about you.

Kag: Actually, if you read the first letter of every word in the fine print… it kinda does.

Sp: ..

(A/N) anyway, guys, I have to sell raffle tckts tomorrow, so I'll try to write tomorrow. I still have to go to the mall to buy my friend a b-day present (on Monday I just went to the movies with my friend, not the mall… oh, anybody want to see In Good Company? Don't. Ever.) and on Saturday I have a huge all day tournament and on Friday I have practice and on sun… that prob when I have to go buy that present… SO I'm gonna try to write tomorrow and Friday and Sunday, but I'll prob. Not be done with the next chapter any of those days… y'know… I'll probably be done with a page (I get um… distracted) so… I'll try, but no promises.

REVIEW!

Spoken

Ja Ne