AN: Hello people! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I want to say thanks to those who reviewed. I appreciate you guys so much, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy my story!

Have Hope

The air was crisp and cool, the sun bright brighter than ever. Its rays shining down upon Sesshomaru's castle, giving it a wondrous glow as if it were Heaven itself. The wind was soft and gentle, just a soft breeze running through every crack. Kaede woke, feeling better than she had earlier that night. The nightmares had stopped, yet the first was more than enough to scare her. She had tried to avoid Fumo, but failed miserably.

He was now in the dining hall with Atio and Maki. Breakfast was just being placed out, and Kaede could hear the cries of her cousins as they raced their mother down the hall.

"Wait up!" Tired Rin cried, waving her arms in the air to catch their attention.

The four little ones didn't stop, but continued to run faster. Kaede grinned as she heard their voices growing louder and louder, until she saw their shadows around the corner. Preparing for tackles, Kaede placed her feet firmly on the wooden floor, opening her arms wide.

The little children turned around the corner, the youngest tripping and falling on the floor. The older ones gasped as they saw Kaede, and ran right into her open arms, tackling her to the ground. Laughter filled her ears, and Kaede had to fight to get them off of her.

"Kaede! Kaede!" They chanted, jumping up and down, lifting their hands in the air. "You're here! You're here!"

She laughed, giving them each a peck on the head to calm them down. "Yes, and it's great to see you all again."

The eldest girl, Yuki, grinned. "Kaede, do you have any gifts for us this time?"

"Yeah, gifts! Gifts!" the eldest boy, Kyo, said, waving his little arms in the air.

The other boy, standing next to his older siblings, began to copy his brother. "Yes! Gift for Keitaro!" He pointed at himself, repeating his name over and over – it was one of the only words he knew.

The youngest, crying over her bruised knee, pushed her way through her older siblings and wrapped her arms around Kaede's leg. "Kaede!" She said, looking up at her with tear filled eyes.

"It's okay, Yumi," Kaede whispered, lifting the youngling up in her arms, cradling her softly. "I'm sorry, guys. I don't have gifts this time."

Their big golden eyes looked up at her sadly, and she bit her lip. "I'm sorry, this was an unexpected visit, and I didn't know I was coming."

Rin popped out from behind the corner, laughing lightly at the sight of her children huddled around Kaede. "Okay kids, give Cousin Kaede some room to breathe!"

They each took two giant steps backwards, but Kaede still held onto little Yumi. "How are you doing, Auntie?" Kaede asked, laughing lightly as her aunt tried to regain her breath.

"Oh, I'm more fit than ever!" Rin said, flexing her biceps a little. "See? I get more muscle everyday! I think it comes from chasing after these little demon children of mine."

Yuki grinned, her small nose sniffing the air. "Daddy's coming!" She shouted, and soon her younger siblings chanted along with her. Kaede laughed, letting Yumi jump from her arms and run to the corner to await her father.

Sesshomaru walked around the corner, scooping his youngest daughter up in his arms. "Good morning," he said as the rest of his rambunctious kids grabbed his legs.

"Hello dear," Rin said, giving her husband a hug through the mess.

"Shall we go eat now?" Kaede asked.

XOXOX

Fumo sat across from his brother, a small bowl of food in front of him. The morning came too soon, and he was afraid he would leave this place of shelter even sooner. It was a wonderful home, and yet he knew he would have to leave its sheltered walls and go in search of his daughter and parents again.

Sakura sounded like a dangerous woman by the way Sesshomaru spoke about her. Yet Fumo couldn't help but wonder if she truly was strong. And, why did she take the children if she only wanted revenge for his parents and Kaede's? There was just something about her that didn't seem to make sense, but he forced himself to throw his thoughts of it away and think of something more important.

Kaede's face floated in his mind, yet he didn't push it away. He heard her screaming last night, and knew instantly that she was having a nightmare. When he went in to talk with her, she hadn't told him what the dream was about. But, what he didn't tell her was that he had a nightmare himself.

XOXOX

"Daddy!" He could hear Nenene's screams as clear as day, and yet he couldn't find her. He was running through a maze, being trapped in its corners and dead ends for what seemed like an eternity. Her screams would grow closer at times, and just when he thought he was at her side, the screams vanished, and were continued in another part of the maze.

Panting, he tried shouting her name. But she didn't hear him. His voice came out as a hoarse whisper. He couldn't give up, he wouldn't give up; he would continue to search for his daughter for the rest of his life if he had to.

"Fumo!" The new voice rang in his ears, and he stopped, surprised to find out who was calling out his name. "Fumo! Where are you?"

He turned around, and slowly walked, his eyes searching around him. He knew who the voice was, and his heart fluttered under his chest. He could feel his legs growing weak with each step he took, knowing he was growing closer to her.

And there she stood. Kaede stood in one of the many dead ends of the maze, her hair flying softly behind her. Her eyes were sparkling like evening stars, and she smiled at him as he stood across from her.

"Kaede?" He asked, too surprised to find her standing there. She was wearing a white silk dress, which captured every curve perfectly. Fighting temptations, he forced himself to stay where he was. He couldn't let himself sink into the pit of lust. Not when his daughter was still lost out there.

"Fumo, what are you looking for?"

"Nenene, she's out there… somewhere."

Kaede began to walk towards him, and he kept his feet planted in the ground. "She can wait for a while."

"What are you talking about? She could be dying!" Fumo yelled at her, shocked to hear such words coming from her lips.

Kaede wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him soft kisses on his chin. "She can wait. I want to have you all to myself for a little while."

Fumo could only stand there in disbelief; unable to comprehend what was taking place. Kaede wasn't like this, she would never say anything like this, and she would never kiss him. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing the man I love," she whispered softly, pushing herself closer against his body.

He felt her body heat like a hot flash in a desert. Lust flew around him, and he fought against it, not allowing himself to give in. "This isn't right," he whispered softly, swallowing.

"Of course it is, you're not kissing me back," she said, nibbling his ear softly.

He shook his head, and finally pushed her back, an action he loved and yet hated to do. The surprised look in her eyes sent a knife through his heart, and he bit his lip. "What's gotten into you, Kaede? Nenene is out there and you don't even care!"

"What's more important to you, Fumo?" She asked harshly, her eyes flaring with fire. "Our love or your daughter?"

"Love? What love?" He snapped, unable to control what he was saying. "We don't have any love in common, Kaede! I'm too old!"

"So? My father was too old for my mother, and look how they ended up."

"We're not them! We're different people, Kaede! We have are so much more different than them!"

"How is that?"

"You don't love me, that's why." The cruel reality of it hit him like a giant blow to the face, and he fell backwards, his back slamming into the wall. His breathing grew more difficult, and he blinked trying to understand what he just said.

"You're right," she said. "I don't."

Hearing her agree felt like he had just died, his body cold and shivering. He didn't want to believe it, yet he knew it was true. She really didn't love him, and there was nothing he could do to change that.

XOXOX

Fumo glanced down at his bowl, the dream felt as though it only happened a second ago, and it still hurt his heart. He refused to believe what she said, and he kept telling himself that it was only a dream, that it wasn't real. Nenene was still alive out there, and Kaede loved him.

"Fumo?"

He glanced up, seeing Kaede taking a seat next to him. "Are you alright?"

He smiled, his thoughts flying away from him. "Yes, I'm fine."

"You haven't touched your food, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm just a little tired, that's all. I couldn't get much sleep," he replied, his eyes drifting back down to his bowl once again.

"Good morning everyone," Rin said, leading her children to take their seats at the table. "How did you all sleep?"

"Very well, thank you," Maki said, smiling as one of the children took her seat right next to her. "Who are these little ones?"

"These are my children," Rin said, a grin on her face. "Yuki, Kyo, Keitaro, and Yumi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Atio grinned.

"Kids, say hi to our guests," Rin said, poking Yuki with her finger.

"Hello everyone," they said in unison.

Fumo grinned, and allowed himself to take a bite of his food once he saw Kaede look in his direction.

"What are your plans for today?" Sesshomaru asked.

"I don't know, we haven't talked about it yet," Kaede said, glancing over at her friends.

"I was thinking of leaving sometime tomorrow," Atio spoke up. "We could use the time to get some rest and some more supplies, if that's alright, of course.'

"Oh, it's perfectly fine," Rin said. "I'll have some servants take care of your supply needs as well as the preparations for your sleeping arrangements. I'm sorry we didn't have the best rooms for you last night, we were under short notice."

"Oh, no, it was perfect," Maki said. "I enjoyed it so much, your home is beautiful."

Rin laughed lightly, "Thank you, but I feel like it is such a mess! I really need to clean it up some more."

Kaede laughed lightly, and Fumo felt his heart melt. Shaking his head to get rid of his lust, he forced himself to think of the food in front of him.

XOXOX

The sun was setting, a soft breeze flew across him and Fumo tried to keep his attention on the matters at hand. Atio decided to leave early in the morning, which meant they would have to pack before bed and get enough sleep to last them all day. At the moment, Fumo wasn't sure he would sleep at all. The nightmare of the previous night was still playing in his head, and he couldn't get it out.

With a sigh, he fell back on the floor, his eyes cast up at the stars. "It was just a dream, it doesn't mean anything. So why am I so focused on it?"

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and went on to think of something else. He could see Nenene again, and her warm smile as he came near her. But it was only a thought; it wasn't real. A lot of things these days weren't real, no matter how much they appeared to be. Life is cruel.

"Okay, I know something's wrong," Kaede's voice broke his thoughts.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "You always do."

She laid down next to him, her head just inches away from his. "So what's on your mind?"

He sighed, allowing himself to look up at the stars again. "A lot of things."

"Good or bad?"

"Both."

She was quiet for a second, thinking of something else to say. "I talked with Sesshomaru some more about Sakura."

"What'd he say?"

"She has a really bad temper, and there's no telling what she could be doing to our families right now if something went wrong to upset her so much."

"That sounds great," he said dryly.

"Yeah, but Uncle says he might know where she's hiding. He told me he has been feeling a strong wind in the far north, and that it might be her."

"So is that our next destination?"

"Atio said it was our best bet; we're leaving at dawn."

Fumo nodded, knowing there was nothing more to say. She didn't say anything either. The stillness was nice, yet scary at the same time. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, and his mind was beginning to wander again.

"I'm scared, Fumo."

He rolled to his side to look at her. "Scared of what?'

"Scared of loosing my parents," she whispered, and he could see the tears far in the corner of her eyes. Yet she didn't allow them to fall, she never did like to cry in front of someone, she always thought of it as a weakness. "Scared of loosing my new sibling, and Nenene. And I'm scared to loose someone else, too."

"Who's that?"

She hesitated, "just… someone very close to me."

He sighed, his hand reaching over to grab hers and he gave it a squeeze. "Don't be scared. I'll be right here with you to help you."

She smiled, turning her head to look at him. "Thanks, I know you will."

He smiled in return, his eyes searching hers. There was fear in her eyes, yet a sense of trust and love. Whoever she was afraid to loose, he could tell she still had hope. Things would work out for her, that much he could tell.

XOXOX

Kaede squeezed his hand back, reassuring him that his comfort was sinking into her. But she couldn't tell him that she was afraid of loosing him, it might mess with her head even more. Not to mention cause a relationship she wasn't sure she wanted. He was so much older than her, and she was only fifteen. How something could work between them, she never could figure it out.

And yet her heart still longed for his love, for his comfort and compassion towards her. There was just something about him that caused her heart to flutter and melt at the same time, and she couldn't turn away no matter how much she wanted to. He squeezed her hand again, holding it tightly in his own. She couldn't help the blush on her cheeks, and she bit back a smile.

"Let's get some sleep," he whispered in her ear. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

She almost wanted to refuse, but reluctantly agreed, nodding her head as she slowly sat up. Ready to stand up, she noticed he was still holding her hand tightly, and she looked down at him. He was still lying on the ground, his eyes trapped in her face. Blushing again, she smiled, trying to act normal. "Are you okay?"

"Wait one more moment," he whispered.

"Why?"

He sat up, his face just inches from hers. His eyes were staring deep into her own, and she blinked, feeling him digging deep in her soul. "I want to catch every curve, and bury it in memory," he said, his eyes dropping slowly to look at her lips.

Kaede's blushing grew, and she stuttered, trying to form words. "B-but why would you do that? I-it's not l-like I-I'm going a-anywhere."

He nodded slowly. "I know that."

"Then w-why?"

"So I can have pleasant dreams tonight."

She gasped lightly, feeling his hand leave hers and slide up her arm to her neck. And the one thing she longed for – yet also dreaded – finally came to reality. He kissed her lips, pulling her closer against his body. Her body felt weak, as though she melted into the perfect curves against his chest. His other arm came from the ground to her back, pushing her against him.

And before she knew what was happening, she was kissing him back, moving her hands through his hair and along his neck. She could feel her body trembling under his arms, and she grew more afraid with each second.

Quickly, Fumo pulled himself away from her. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened."

She blushed, turning her face away from him. "Oh, um, it-it's okay."

Before she could say another word, he stood up and walked away, her heart dropping as she watched him leave. Slowly, she touched her lips, still feeling moisture. Blushing again, she stood and walked towards her room, shaking her head to rid herself of the thoughts plaguing her mind.