Okay…here we go! I'm so sorry for keeping you guys waiting all this time! There's no excuse good enough so I wont even bother saying it…but please forgive me! Instead, I've made an extra long chapter just to say I'm sorry so please enjoy it!

Disclaimer: This thing can get so tiring to say every time…but seeing as there's a bunch of lawyers congregating outside my house, I'll say it once more! I don't own Inuyasha!

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Phalon22, PrEtTyStUpIdGiRl, TheWildWind, Wolf Jade, Kavfh, Lady-Crimsyn, Sesshoumaru779, SweetKagome89, Videl621, Nymph Demon, Sesshomaru13, JenLen21, and Victoria – Thanks for all of your reviews! I love them dearly! I would give you all cookies if I could, but sadly I cannot so another chapter will have to suffice…

It has been requested multiple times that my chapters be longer. I am willing to work on that for every chapter, not just this one, but my update's will be less often seeing as I've got school to worry about too. But I'll try my hardest to make them longer if everyone can deal with not getting updates every week!

Now on to the story!

Discovering Love

Recap:

Having heard enough, Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome's neck and lifted her off the ground. "I could kill you right now. Do you realize that miko? If you are not so ignorant as to overlook that, maybe you should prevent urging me on to do so sooner than I planned."

Kagome gulped and pried at his hands, struggling to get free. She couldn't breathe! Her chest heaved but nothing came in! Her vision began to go black and then…she was laying on the ground gasping for breath. He had let her go right before she had lost consciousness. Thank the gods!

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Sesshoumaru was, to say the least, amazed by the miko. He had held her existence in his hands and she had not begged or pleaded for her life to be spared. She had only hung there in his hand, scratching at it, but not making a sound. Honor? Can humans truly possess it?

He stared fully at the miko that lay on the ground at his feet, attempting to catch her lost breath. She was no longer a skinny girl as she had been when she had traveled with his bastard brother. She had grown in many places; she was more curvaceous. Surely, his brother would not have passed her up if he knew she would turn out like this.

'My brother was more a fool than I thought,' he considered wonderingly as he looked the miko up and down her body.

Maybe he should keep this girl around for a while.

No, not girl.

Woman.

Chapter 4 – Damn Miko…

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Thoughts whirred through Kagome's head faster than she could keep up with them as she stared at the retreating demon lord. He had spared her life for now at least, and she knew she should be grateful. He could have killed her in an instant but he had held off. Why?

Her thoughts paused their whirring for a minute as he spoke. "Miko, you will accompany me back to my lands. Now get up and get dressed so we can be on our way." It was not a request but a command.

Her anger flared throughout her frail body. The pain in her throat and lungs disappeared as a more primal instinct took over. He was stronger than her, smarter than her, and faster than her but he did not have the right to order her around like some common slave! As the anger surged through her being, she stood up, her vision going black around the edges at the quickness, and glared at the backside of the demon lord.

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Sensing the sudden change in her scent, Sesshoumaru turned around to face the furious miko. He could not understand her anger. Why would she be angry with him? He had just generously spared her life when he could have simply spilled her life's blood. Humans were such strange creatures – but then again, she wasn't exactly human; he could smell the demon blood in her and knew she was a half-breed - exactly like his bastard brother. She was a disgrace to demon-kind and human-kind. She belonged nowhere.

His attention was brought back sharply to the present time and place as Kagome stormed up to stand right in front of him. He was distinctly aware of the heat radiating off her form and the fury demonstrated in her posture. He gazed down at Kagome with a calm, almost bored, look that infuriated her to no end. Could he show no emotion whatsoever?

Her hands clenched at her sides in anger. His entire presence that plainly said 'I am better than you' was almost more than she could stand. But then a memory surfaced and sadness flickered through Kagome's heart as she continued to glare into Sesshoumaru's eyes. Those eyes…they reminded her so much of Inuyasha. They had the same flecks of amber drifting in a sea of molten gold. The resemblance was uncanny, and Kagome could not help looking away.

Sesshoumaru was, by now, completely baffled by this human's strange behaviors and ever-changing scent. He was, to an extent, becoming dizzy as her moods changed – embarrassed, frightened, stubborn, relieved, curious, angry, sad, lonely. Who knew what would come next! He continued to watch Kagome's face, even though she had attempted to hide it from his view. Disgust for her own weakness at breaking down in front of him showed plainly on her face.

Sesshoumaru pushed away the slight twinge he felt at her sadness. Rin must be affecting him more than he thought. He could not be feeling affection for these humans. It was just unacceptable for someone of his high position. Before anything else unexpected could occur, he turned quickly so he could not see her face and the unshed tears in her cerulean blue eyes.

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Kagome lifted her red-rimmed eyes from the ground to the back of the demon lord who was acting so strangely. He was behaving very odd around her – normally he would have killed her on sight knowing she used to travel with Inuyasha, but he hadn't. Could it be that girl that traveled with him? The cold, stoic, and unfeeling Lord Sesshoumaru couldn't possibly have feelings, could he?

"Now that you are finished with your self-pitying," Sesshoumaru snapped out a little more harshly than he had intended it to be, "we can be on our way." Sesshoumaru scolded himself mentally for being so harsh to the emotionally injured miko but then scolded himself for actually caring. He wanted to groan in frustration! Nothing made sense anymore!

'Stupid humans,' he thought bitterly. 'They bring out the worst in everyone!'

Kagome could not help but wince at the sharpness in his voice as he spoke to her, but she thanked the gods his back was turned so he couldn't see her Achilles' heel. She had always prided herself on being a strong-willed person who refused to show actual emotions. After Inuyasha, she had built a wall around her heart and vowed to never let it out again, and now was certainly not a time to quit that promise.

Kagome lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders a bit, as she felt her self-confidence raise a few notches. She would not give in to this arrogant dog demon. Turning around, intent on collecting her things to leave Sesshoumaru behind, she accidentally stumbled as her injured leg gave out.

In the few seconds it took for her to fall, Kagome expected Sesshoumaru to catch her like any normal gentleman would, and was appalled when she came in contact with the hard ground. As she attempted to catch her breath once again, she glared up at the demon lord who simply gazed back at her with one eyebrow raised. Inside he was smiling at her obvious outrage at his behavior. She apparently was used to other behavior from men. She would just have to realize that he was not a man – he was a demon.

However, falling to the ground was Kagome's reality check. There was no way she would be able to defend herself in her present condition. She sighed in defeat and utter frustration. Her only option was to go with Sesshoumaru to his castle. Her optimism instantly began to shine through, trying to brighten her miserably bleak day, with the thought that the young girl was most likely there. Yes, that was a good thought. Maybe, if the girl was being abused by the demons, she could rescue her and help her to escape! If Kagome had been the insidious type she would have rubbed her hands together and laughed evilly at her new plan, but seeing as she was a caring person she just finished packing her things and bravely stood up, balancing herself mainly on her uninjured leg.

Willing herself to keep her balance, she strode forward until she stood at Sesshoumaru's side. Kagome put on a brave front of not being afraid of him and said, "Well, are we going or not?" Inside she wanted nothing more than to go home and just get on with her normal life as she had been doing since Inuyasha, but that was no longer an option for her. She was going to have to accompany Sesshoumaru if she wanted to live.

Sesshoumaru grinned inside at her curious behavior that was almost impressive. "Finally," he said. "The journey to my lands will not take very long and I will provide transportation, but before that can commence we must find Jaken. He should be around here somewhere." He set off towards the northwest, intent on seeking out Jaken.

And with that, a new part of Kagome's life had begun - one that did not involve Shikon Shards and kitsune pups. No lecherous monks or infuriatingly stubborn half dogs on this journey. No demon slayers either. It was strange to be in the company of one who always used to want Inuyasha and their group dead – very strange indeed.

"Miroku come here!" a certain brown-eyed beauty that just happened to be named Sango called to the monk who stood on the other side of the clearing.

Ever since Inuyasha chose Kikyou and Kagome went back to her own time, Miroku, Shippou and herself could do nothing but continue their search for the jewel shards that still remained. Kagome had unintentionally helped them by leaving their part of the Shikon Jewel in the hut the day she left, so they had not had to reach her to retrieve her part. But that did not make their search much easier. They had had numerable short-lived battles with Naraku that had left some of them injured, and many battles with strong demons containing pieces of the jewel. As the number of jewel shards dwindled and the final battle with Naraku drew closer, the demons they were forced to fight became stronger and stronger with every confrontation.

Sango turned her gaze from what lay at her feet to Miroku and Shippou, now no longer a pup, who raced her way. As they approached her, Shippou could not help but make a sound of glee. They had had word of a giant demon abusing this village and a strange miko with a humungous sword defending them. The first thing that had popped into all of their minds had been: Kagome. And here at their feet lay the proof that, indeed, Kagome was back in the feudal era. A scrap of her clothing lay on the ground in a big rut. It had been torn off when Kagome had dove for the Tetsusaiga.

Miroku looked hopefully at Sango, "Do you think it could be her? Do you really think she would have came back?" His hands no longer strayed towards Sango's form, seeing as there was no point in it. As they were forced to become more trusting in each other in Inuyasha and Kagome's absence, they had become closer in many ways. They had begun to court and it had finally resulted in marriage. However, although they had wanted to, they had not adopted Shippou. His claimed mother had been Kagome and he would have no other.

Sango returned his gaze as Shippou squirmed in the background, "I certainly hope so. It really looks like her clothes, but why would she have come back?"

All Miroku could do was shrug towards her for he had no idea either. Turning the conversation towards a different part of what lay before them he said, "What kind of demon do you think was here? It had to be a huge one to cause these kinds of ruts, but it didn't kill her and it's not here dead. I'm so confused." He put his head into his hands in exasperation. Their life had become a constant maze of hide and go seek – and now was no exception. They had found out that Kagome was back, but had no idea where she was!

Shippou cried out and pointed at the ground heading north, causing everyone to turn so fast they almost got whiplash. There along the ground was a set of tracks just Kagome's size. The trio exchanged a joyful look and they all set out, intent on tracking Kagome down and being reunited.

Kagome sighed as she practically climbed up the millionth steep hill they had encountered during their trek to Sesshoumaru's castle. Her arms were beginning to ache as she grabbed onto a tree root and pulled herself upwards. Sesshoumaru had told her he was going to provide transportation but that they had to travel a short way to meet someone first. Kagome wiped off the sweat that was beading up on her forehead.

'A short way… Yeah right! More like a mountain climbing trek…' Kagome knew that they only reason she was still able to continue walking was due to the demon blood flowing through her veins, and privately she thanked it, no matter how much she didn't like it. She hadn't wanted to break down and resort to Sesshoumaru carrying her or something like that… She laughed at herself. 'Like he would! The jerk…'

Wondering how far she had yet to go to get up the hill, she glanced up only to groan and grumble under her breath. She wasn't even halfway up, and already Sesshoumaru was standing at the top impatiently looking down at her. She rolled her eyes as she returned to her task. If he was going to be rude and not help her up then she would take her sweet time getting up there. In fact, she was so caught up in her thoughts of taking her time and grumbling about what a jerk Sesshoumaru was, that she wasn't even paying attention to what she was grabbing for support. A sharp hissing brought her back to reality as she looked at what she had grabbed on to – a snake! With a shreik, she released the snake and stumbled backwards, destroying her sense of balance. In the midst of a fleeting thought of 'Oh great', she fell over backwards and rolled down the small portion of the hill she had succeeded in climbing. She winced as she came to a halt by means of a rather large rock covered with moss and began grumbling again as some of that moss fell onto her head.

"This is just the greatest day of my life…just freaking great… I'm stuck with the most self-centered demon ever imaginable and now I've gone and hurt myself again! Peachy…just peachy…"

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Sesshoumaru watched in something close to amusement as the girl grabbed the snake, screamed, and fell back down the hill. He even managed to smirk as the moss fell on her head, completing the dirt that had accumulated over her body during their journey. His ears perked towards her as he heard her grumbling as she stood up trying her best to remove most of the moss from her hair. He smirked even more as she tried to walk, only to slip in the moss she had previously pulled out of her hair. However, his smirk faded to be replaced with an upraised eyebrow when she stayed down in defeat and rested her head in her hands. What was the girl doing? Surely, after all of her shows of independence and strength she was not giving up…

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Kagome sighed in defeat as she fell again in the moss. Raising her knees up to her chest, she rested her elbows on them and put her head in her hands. Despite her wish to stay strong while with Sesshoumaru and show no weakness, tears began to well up in her eyes at her hopeless situation, but she forcefully pushed them down, desperate to keep them from spilling over. Her first thought at having to go with him seemed okay since she might be able to help that little girl, but now…now all she wanted to do was go home. She was worthless…Inuyasha had told her so numerous times and now here she was proving, yet again, that he was right. She couldn't do anything! She could practically hear his accusing voice…

She stiffened as she heard footsteps coming towards her, and glanced out of the corner of her eye. The tears began to well up again as she saw the object of her distress approaching her. Furious, she swiped her hand across her eyes, smearing the dirt that coated her face, and turned to glare up at him. He had stopped a few feet from her and was now staring back at her impassively. Her eyes searched his entire face, but could not read his expression. It was completely devoid of any emotion…

She lowered her gaze at the familiarity of his eyes and the unwanted emotions it brought. How could she still think of Inuyasha with something less than the deepest loathing? He had always been rude to her, chosen someone else who would never love him over her, and stolen her humanity – made her something no one would ever accept. But at the same time he could be protective, say some nice things to her (even if he was half-conscious and on the verge of dying), and come to visit her in her own time (his own way of showing her he cared). She sighed. 'Why do I still care for him?'

"What are you doing, miko? I thought you were stronger than this."

Her head jerked sharply to the side as she attempted to hide the sadness that had been growing in her eyes. She was livid that he had seen her weakness again…the one thing she had tried so hard to hide…

Putting on a façade of strength, she stood up and turned to face him fully. "I am strong!" she yelled at him for the fourth time that day. "I've been through more in the past year than you have in your whole life! You've probably been pampered and catered to all your life! That's why you're such an insufferable jerk!" All the time she had been yelling she had walked towards him until she was standing right in front of him, yelling at him in the face. He stood there emotionless, at least until she got up the courage to poke him in the chest at the word 'jerk.'

Moving swiftly, Sesshoumaru lashed his hands out, successfully capturing her wrists in his hands, and jerked her towards him. Instinctively, Kagome closed her eyes, waiting to feel the splitting of her flesh due to his sharp claws, but all she heard was his strong, commanding voice. "Do not make assumptions about my past, miko. You have no idea what my life is like."

Kagome's eyes flew open at his words. She had expected him to kill her for her daring gesture or, at the very least, speak to her harshly, so she was surprised when his words were spoken in a calm tone; one an adult would use when talking to a child of things they do not understand. Kagome found herself gazing once again into his golden orbs. She was falling, losing herself in them. Unconsciously, Kagome felt her cheecks begin to redden at their close proximity and the feelings that were rising in the lower portion of her body.

Suddenly she wrenched herself out of his grasp and staggered backwards, breathing heavily. She tore her eyes away from him to stare at the ground in front of her feet, and tried to sort out her feelings. The feelings seemed familiar, but she had only felt them before around Inuyasha. It made no sense that she would be feeling the same kind of feelings about Sesshoumaru (whatever those feelings were)…they were completely different!

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Sesshoumaru calmly stared at the miko as she stumbled backwards and glared at the ground. He had been slightly surprised when she had pulled back seeing how it seemed to contradict the scent she had been giving off. But then again, maybe he had just mistaken it – her scent of arousal…After all, it wasn't as if he was experienced in those sorts of matters. Becoming disgusted with his train of thoughts, Sesshoumaru mentally shook himself and refocused his attention on the miko. She had moved outside the area of moss on the ground, ensuring that she didn't slip and fall again, and was now standing there gripping the Tetsusaiga staring at him.

She spoke calmly and carefully, "If you do not mind, I would like to reach our destination soon." Her gaze shifted to the ground right in front of him. "I would very much like to rest…"

He couldn't very well blame her. It was only been yesterday that they had fought, and that fight had even tired him out, although he would never admit that. However, he could only imagine what it had done to her… But she had put on a brave front, even if she was seriously hurting, earning herself at least a sliver of his respect. But only a sliver; she didn't deserve anything more than that…After all, she was only a half-breed…

He turned his back on her cooly. "Then let us continue. That is, if you can keep up," he taunted, knowing it would anger her. For some reason he like to make her angry. The way her eyes would change from an innocent deep blue to an icy, electric blue intrigued him.

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Kagome did not take his bait. By now, she had figured out his little game and was not going to waste any more of her time and energy arguing with him. He just wasn't worth it. Instead, she sauntered up to stand beside his profile. Refusing to look at him, she calmly stated, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine; the only thing that you need to worry about his your own reputation." She paused as she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw his brow furrow in slight confusion at her words. "I mean, maybe it's just me but I wouldn't really be intimidated by a ruthless demon who let's two human girls accompany him everywhere. That just doesn't seem very threatening to me…" Kagome smirked to herself as she felt his anger raise a few notches at her audicity.

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'Damnit! I knew I shouldn't have let her see Rin…' he thought angrily.

"Come. We are almost there." He strode away quickly, figuring it safer than staying in her presence. He had never met a woman who dared to taunt him so bravely before! It had used all of his will power just to keep from killing her, which he would have done had it been anyone else. Well maybe not Rin…

Rin was beginning to make him weak…

'Damn humans…'

'Damn women…'

'Damn mikos…'

Well there you go, everyone! Much longer than what I usually write, though not as long as what other people write…I have a short attention span! So, this was really good for me.

Once again, sorry for not updating in so long and from now on chapters will be at least this long or longer.

Please Read and Review!

Luckyducky