Spade

You drained my heart
And made a spade
But there's still traces of me
in your veins
You drained my heart
And made a spade
But there's still traces of me
in your veins
Marilyn Manson

The silence that stretched between them was heavy, thick with unspoken words needing to get out. Kagome walked behind him, her arms wrapped around herself, giving her the much needed embrace that he wouldn't give. He had pushed her off of his body, sending her sprawling to the ground. He got up and said that they needed to continue on. They hadn't spoken since.

Sesshoumaru walked ahead of her, only vaguely aware of the sun beating down on them. He decided that, in the essence of time, they could travel by day, but very carefully, and only in the woods far off of the worn-down path. He felt himself sigh softly. He was lost in his own thoughts. He was unnerved by how easily he had opened up to her, almost annoyed by how much he liked to have her in his arms. The only good thing that had happened so far was that his wound had healed, leaving no scar. He felt his strength returning, happy that he could use his upper body again.

He glanced backwards when he was sure she wasn't looking. Her eyes were focused on the ground and he could smell defeat clinging to her skin. The smell disgusted him. He broke his gazing and looked in front of him. He knew they were getting closer to his palace. 'Damn Naraku. I should have known he would reside so close to me.' he thought icily, images flashing in his mind of what he wanted to do to the demon. But for now, all Sesshoumaru wanted to do was to go back to his home and sharpen his Tenseiga.

It was the next thought that found its way into his mind that made him stop in his tracks. 'Why haven't I thought of it before?' He had the girl, Inuyasha's love, whether he would admit it or not. He wanted the Tetsusaiga, and he knew Inuyasha would trade anything to save her. It seemed perfect. The feeling of loss that had befallen him and caused tension to clench in his shoulders suddenly melted away with his new revelation. His breath caught in surprise when he felt Kagome's hand on his shoulder. He turned slightly to look at her.

"What is it?" she asked. The only reply she got was the turn of his head, as if he was dismissing her, and then he turned and began to walk away. She felt annoyance creep into her, but she let it pass.

Neither of them spoke, but all of the unsaid things hovered around them, waiting to burst out.

XoXoXoX

"Stop it will you!" Inuyasha yelled, shaking his leg. When Sango turned to look at what the source of his plight was, she was amused to see Rin clutching to his leg desperately.

"Inuyasha! Stop it!" she yelled, running over to them. Inuyasha stopped and glared at Sango. She bent over and grabbed onto Rin, trying to pull her from Inuyasha's leg, but the small child held on tight.

"What's wrong, Rin?" Sango asked, still trying to pry her off of Inuyasha, who was becoming very vile about the whole situation.

"I miss Sesshoumaru!" she wailed, her voice rising to the high pitch that only young children can reach. Inuyasha covered his ears and growled. Miroku, along with Shippo on his shoulder, came out of the woods, ending their search for water, and watched the spectacle in faint amusement.

"I know Inuyasha looks like Sesshoumaru a little, but he isn't, so let him go, Rin." she said, trying to soothe the frantic child. The girl finally relented and accepted being scooped up into Sango's arms. Inuyasha grunted and started moving forward again, everyone following him.

Then he caught the faint scent. He stopped, his nose twitching, scenting the air. He didn't hear Miroku walk up next to him.

"What is it?" the monk asked, his body tensing for a battle. Inuyasha shook his head. He didn't really know. It smelled familiar, a scent almost matching his own but tweaked a little. With it there was something else, but so faint that he couldn't place it. Walking forward he finally figured out what it was.

"Sesshoumaru…" he said softly, lost in his own thoughts of how that could be.

"You smell him? That's improbable…he was injured and taken by Naraku." Miroku said. Inuyasha turned to look at him. Then his eyes found the girl. He walked over to Rin, his nose twitching. He sighed. Sesshoumaru's scent was on her as well, but only faintly.

"You're right…I think I just smell her. Let's keep going." he said, ushering the others forth.

No one saw the gleam of the faint red eyes, the owner far enough out of Inuyasha's sense of smell. Kagura smiled, her mind set. She leaped off the branch and went in search of Sesshoumaru.

XoXoXoX

He cursed silently as yet another twig caught him above his eye. He had smelled his brother out on the path, and as a precaution he had dragged Kagome deeper into the woods. Now wasn't the time to spring his trap. A glance backward proved that Kagome was doing no better than he was. Her body was covered with scrapes from the many thorny plants that littered the ground.

"Why are we going this way?" she asked angrily, causing him to stop and turn to her. She froze at the utter emptiness left in his eyes.

"Safety." he said, turning to put his back to her. She expected him to keep moving but he didn't. She asked him what he was up to.

"We can get there soon. Get on my back. It'll be faster." he said. She looked at him inquiringly, unsure of what to do. Letting out a sigh she hoisted herself onto his back, hooking her legs around his middle, grabbing onto his broad shoulders for support. He jumped into the air and began running through the tree branches at a speed that made Kagome's stomach churn. 'Inuyasha's never gone this fast!' she thought, burying her face in Sesshoumaru's hair to keep it from getting snagged by branches. Against her will she couldn't help but notice the curve of his back, the strength in his shoulders. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought, revelling in the air that whipped her hair around. He seemed to have been running for hours before finally he stopped.

The sudden lack of rushing air was what got Kagome to look around. She gasped when she saw the grand palace that lay before her. It was a grand Celtic castle, standing tall and proud, separated into two buildings, both of them. A large central bridge connected the two main buildings. Off to the right she could see an intricate hedge maze, more beautiful than anything she had ever seen.

"It's beautiful." she said softly, more to herself than Sesshoumaru. She slid off of his back, careful not to snag his hair.

"Let's go inside." he said, walking off towards the steps that lead to the main palace doors.

"Wait! What about helping me find Inuyasha?" she yelled, walking over to him. The look in his eyes made her worry. They were dull and completely withdrawn.

"No." he said, continuing to look at her. There was a multitude of emotions running through him. He wanted to help her, felt the need to make sure she got back safe, but at the same time he wanted the Tetsusaiga more than anything. He shied away from the hurt look in her eyes.

"But you told me you would!" she said, anger making her voice soft and hissing. She didn't have time to respond before his fist connected with her face, causing her to crumble to the ground, splotches of colour invading her sight.

"Plans change." he said before blackness took her over.

He picked up her limp form. He could already see the light bruise forming on her face and he resisted the urge to rub her cheek lightly. He shook himself of the urge and walked inside.

He honestly hated himself at that moment.

XoXoXoX

A/N - Wow, I've gotten so many reviews. It's awesome! Yeah, sorry if this chapter sucked, I had a lot more planned but it would have been too much too soon, so just consider this a 'filler' chapter. Review please!