Author's Pre Notes: Sweet! I'm up top eight reviews! YAY! Anyway this should be getting you all to where you want to read . .
Typo WARNING!
Now please look for your name . . .
Asfaloth5- OH Thanks so MUCH!!! And yeah I know grammar isn't really my forte . .takes me so long to just get the time to write it, that I just post it . .sorry if it bugs you. But I'm glad your interested, and thanks so much for getting your friend in on it! Thank you . .and hopefully you're REALLY going to like this chapter if you know what I mean. . .OoooooOOoo . . .
Crystal Lightning- Hmmm . .I think I know you from somewhere . . but thanks for reviewing anyway. I'm glad you read it and seem to like it! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. . . thanks!
evil polish elf- ELFY!!! Well dm!! Glad to hear about the read and research! Thanks so much . .I'm really glad you like it . .hope you like what's to come. Later Elfy thanks again!!
Onto the words . . .
---------They had started early that morning and had traveled a great distance from Kaede's village-------------
"Where will you go lady Shira?" Miroku asked
She looked back wearily, "Away . .just away, " she said replacing her hat on her head.
"I wish you luck on your journey," and with that she walked off down the road.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, "Are we really just going to let her go."
"We don't seem to have any other options right now," Miroku said
Inuyasha turned crossing his arms, "What do we care if she just goes and gets herself killed, we can just retrieve the shard then,"
"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded.
He had said it but he hadn't meant it. There was something about this woman that really made him care. That got into his blood and gave him the need to see to her safety, but what could he do now . . he could hold her against her will and wait for whatever was after her . . .but . .
"INUYASHA!" his friends yelled bringing him from his thoughts just as something swept down out of the sky throwing him to the ground a few feet away.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out again.
Inuyasha pulled himself from the dirt looking up a what had attacked him.
"Sesshoumaru! Are you back a-gain !?!" He growled annoyed jumping to his feet.
"I'll always be here Inuyasha till I've killed you and tetsaiga is mine,"
"You'd think he'd get some new material," Shippou sighed and then ducted behind Kagome as Sesshoumaru growled in his direction.
Inuyasha pulled his sword, "Well let's get this over with, I have things to do today."
Sesshoumaru reached for his weapon when he all of a sudden seemed to loose his focus and sniffed at the wind,' It couldn't be' he thought turning around suddenly ignoring Inuyasha's presence.
There was someone leading a large horse up the road toward the setting sun. The person's woven hat covered its face but he could see the amber hair running down their back just past the back of the knees.
He wanted to call out, he wanted to be sure, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, what would he say?
Shira walked up the road, she could feel eyes burning into her back but she kept walking "already behind you," she whispered her words back to herself.
"What's going on with Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know," Sango answered looking at a very annoyed Inuyasha.
"Hey what's the deal Sesshoumaru!?" Inuyasha yelled but received no reply as Sesshoumaru's full attention remained locked on the person walking away from them, from him, he was so close.
Suddenly a light shot out from under the hat knocking it off a shout escaping from her lips as her eyes suddenly flew to the horizon. She had to go and she had to go now but she couldn't leave them, not without warning them.
So she'd look back ,what was that going to do?
It took all her control to make her body move but she did, instantly making eye contact with Kagome.
"You have to go now! He'll come after you, he'll take your shards!" She shouted swiping her hat from the ground and mounting her horse. It pawed at the ground in response ready to fly.
"What? we're not going anywhere!" Inuyasha annoyed.
Shira saw the confusion in Kagome's eyes and growled at herself as she kicked her horse and it leapt foreword in their direction. She galloped over to them snagging Kagome and swinging her up onto the horse as she circled back momentarily making eye contact with a certain pureblooded dog demon and kicking her horse into a gallop again soaring with god-like faster than Inuyasha's over the hills.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted taking off after them, Sango and Miroku on Kirara following close above him.
"Inuyasha look!" Miroku shouted to him pointing over the horizon.
"There are hundreds of them," Sango cried.
"A whole army after one woman?" Inuyasha growled watching as hundreds of warrior demons and humans poured over the hills on horse back and on foot swiftly coming in their direction.
"There apparently really is more to Lady Shira than what meets the eye," Sango said.
"Yeah and she's got Kagome," Inuyasha said taking off again
"Hold on," Shira yelled to Kagome who nodded squeezing her eyes closed as her arms wrapped around Shira holding to her as tight as she could resisting the urge to cry out in fear as she felt them leap and land several moments later.
-------
It was her, she was in fact alive, but what was going on? What had that light been? But Sesshoumaru didn't ponder these thoughts long, she had looked at him and he was finally going to get what he needed. With that he took off after them appearing to vanish in mid air.
Kagome whimpered as she opened her eyes and saw them leaping over a casum.
"Shira! What's going on? Who are you running from!?!" She shouted over the wind.
But she didn't respond, she pulled back and the reigns and the animal they were ridding skidded to a stop and she leapt off.
"There's no time," She said helping Kagome down from the horse.
"But Shira! I need to know who I'm running from! And what did you mean by kidnapping me like that?!"
Shira's breath was short and her eyes were hard as she looked around and with a smack on her horses rump sent it speeding off at its divine speed. She suddenly whipped around and grabbed Kagome by the shoulders.
"I'm being pursued by a self proclaimed demon prince, he's the one who put the jewel shard on me. He possesses more and has killed many to obtain them. I know you carry the shards for your group, I didn't want you getting hurt," With the most sincere tone Kagome's heard in a while.
"You're being pursued? What did you do?" Kagome asked studying her eyes.
"I refused to marry him,"
"Oh," Kagome said a bit embarrassed
"Don't worry if I saw someone being chased by a horde of warriors I might question their actions too,"
"So that's why you were traveling?"
"Yes,"
"And those were some of the men who had attached you before,"
"Yes," Shira said, Kagome was about to say something else when the jewel on Shira's head began to shine again and then shot to their right a burst of light springing forth from it over the hill.
Shira's eyes grew large and she grabbed Kagome's arm sprinting for the forest.
"We have to go,"
They raced through the dark overgrowth. All Kagome saw was a blur in front of her as she chased after Shira. She was amazed at Shira's agility and stealth as they weaved in between the trees over roots and fallen oaks taking great leaps to make up the space between the forest floors uneven ground.
"Shira what was that light!?!" Kagome shouted as they ran.
"My curse and my blessing, the prince uses the shard on my head to find me but I can sense when he's coming!" she shouted back as she grabbed Kagome's hand and pulled her through a thick formation of foliage.
Shira finally stopped as they exited the thick brush and found themselves at the bottom of a gorge.
Shira sighed, " I think we've lost them. He shouldn't be able to sense me down here. It'll buy us some time."
"Yeah," was all Kagome could say as she panted for breath her hands on her knees supporting herself.
Shira smiled reassuringly. "I'm really sorry-" Shira said turning away.
"It's not your fault Shira anyone would've done the same in your position."
She nodded walking off farther into the narrow gorge when she suddenly screamed sharply stepping back. The scream ended more like a growl her face contorted in a annoyed snarl as Sesshoumaru stepped out of the shadows. She hadn't screamed because she was afraid of the demon or that he had even startled her, she just didn't want him there, especially right now.
Kagome noticed that her hands were shaking and her breath caught in her throat, their eyes were locked in the strangest stare she had ever seen. It was a mix of fear and apprehension, of hate and anger, of sadness . .and. . .what was that there, Kagome was trying to place it when Shira spoke and their eyes were unreadable once more.
"Lord Sesshoumaru," she said with the utmost civility in her voice as she kneeled bowing in front of him her actions so crisp and cold that they utterly confused Kagome knowing nothing but warmth from this woman,' but,' she realized, they had just met.
Kagome noticed, if even for just a second, Sesshoumaru looked uneasy.
"What's going on?" he demanded his voice as strong and emotionless as ever.
Shira smirked slightly raising her head to look at his face, "I don't really see why you'd care to meddle in the affairs of humans, Lord Sesshoumaru," She said respectfully bowing her head again.
He seemed a bit take aback but recovered quickly, "I don't"
Shira frowned.
"You have something I want,"
She stood, "This, take it, I have no need of it," she said pointing at the Shikon Shard.
He frowned but had nothing else to say.
Shira watched his face with a 'well, take it' expression as cold as her original address had been. He looked at the ground and then reached for the shard.
"A- Sesshoumaru," Kagome started to warn, she didn't know what was going on, but hell if she was going to look even semi-responsible for what was going to happen to him when he touched that Shard, she didn't have a death wish.
'Although with my chosen lifestyle you'd never know it,' she thought ironically.
But she didn't need to finish her warning, the shard suddenly began to glow and its light shot out through the forest startling all in its presence. Shira scoffed and with a fleeting look at a confused Sesshoumaru was off again Kagome mercilessly following at her heals as she was dragged along by her arm.
"Damn," Sesshoumaru cursed clenching his fist as he swiftly walked off in the direction the women had gone.
"That's getting really old," Shira growled.
"Yeah," Kagome panted as they entered a clearing.
Kagome shrieked as something leapt from a tree tackling Shira to the ground.
"Inuyasha!!" she screamed seeing Inuyasha crouched over Shira holding tetsaiga under her throat.
"Are you alright Kagome?" he asked not taking his eyes off Shira. As much as he wanted to protect her he knew his 'feelings' could be wrong and Kagome's safely meant more to him than this woman's.
"Master Inuyasha I don't think you should-" Myouga piped up uncharacteristically.
"Y-ES!!! What are you doing!?! Shira just-" Kagome started to explain when Sesshoumaru's green whip came flying out of nowhere throwing Inuyasha off Shira and into a tree across the clearing at Kagome's feet.
Shira sat up startled, Miroku and Sango coming up behind her.
"Are you alright Lady Shira," Miroku said helping her to her feet.
"Sesshoumaru doesn't look too happy," Sango commented at the Demon lords apparent mood.
Shira just stared at him dazed, attempting to compose herself and breath when he broke the eye contact and stalked over to Inuyasha and Kagome.
"Oh Inuyasha if you'd just let me explain, she was saving me not kidnapping me," Kagome cooed as she looked him over for serious injury.
"Fine but what's his excuse," he said rubbing his head as he saw Sesshoumaru approach.
"We're not finished," the Demon Lord growled.
"No kidding I-!" Inuyasha started to yell when Kagome's voice surpassed them quieting everyone.
"That it!! We're all in trouble here now, even you Sesshoumaru because if Shira and us are kidnapped you'll never get what you want either-whatever that is . . . SO I think we all just need to relax and regroup before we all start trying to kill each other again OK!?!"
"You have courage speaking to me that way human," his voice boomed but she didn't falter staring even more intensely at him till he turned away, " But I agree,"
"o-k Inuyasha!?!" she growled turning to him.
" Alright alright fine, but I still hate him,"
"Likewise," Sesshoumaru answered.
Kagome just rolled her eyes and walked over to Miroku, Sango and Shira.
"Do you really think it is wise to take him at his word?" Sango asked
"Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru?" Kagome laughed awkwardly.
"I'm serious Kagome,"
She looked at Shira "Yes, I do."
Shira looked away.'
"I have a camp set up a few miles from here, it'll be dusk soon and he shouldn't be able to sense me then, especially so far away," she said walking over to the edge of the clearing where her horse appeared suddenly.
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