"What?" I asked.

"Did....did you know?" Sango asked, bewildered.

"Hell no!" I said.

"Listen Leigha, you need to think really hard. Did Sesshomaru ever mention anything about the moonstone?" Miroku asked.

I felt their stares burning into me and Miroku kept comming closer and closer , inch by inch, and I freaked out. I shut down. I was shaking, that's the only thing I cuold do was shake. Inuyasha obviulsy noticed because she gripped my hand for support. I suddenly felt calm. Like all my worries were gone. I felt so protected with Inuyasha near.

"I never heard anything, I swear," I resoned.

They all seemed to believe me because they looked away, dissappointed that they weren't any closer to getting the stone.

Miroku sighed heavily and walked out the door. Sango followed with Kirara in her hands. Inuyasha got up and pulled me along with him. I girpped onto his hand as he lead me down the hallway into his room. He brought me to the large balcony over looking a nice pond below. He walked over to the edge and sat down against the railing. I sat down next to him.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Sure," he said.

"Why do you want the moonstone?"

Inuyasha draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

"We want to have power over all the land. West, East, South, North, all of it," he answered.

"World domination," I said looking into his eyes.

"World domination," he repeated, smiling.

We just sat there for a minnute. Not saying anything, just enjoying being near eachother. Suddenly Inuyasha stood up.

"I'll be right back," he said walking back inside.

Shippou heard him close the door and came out looking for me.

I smiled at him as he walked in.

"I've been looking for you," he said, sitting down next to me. I scooped him up into my lap. "Are you okay, Leigha?"

"I'm just stressed is all," I answered sighing.

"Because of the moonstone?" Shippou asked.

"Who told you?" I asked.

"Miroku filled me in when he came looking for you," he replied.

"Well, I'm kinda glad he didn't find me," I mused.

Shippou laughed and Inuyasha came back outside. He carried a large tray which he set down next to me before sitting down himself. He handed me a bowl of ramen and took one himself, then gave Shippou a plate full of riceballs.

"I figured you'd find her sooner or later," he said smiling as he handed the plate to Shippou.

I ate my ramen silently. As did Inuyasha. As did Shippou as he made a mess of his riceballs. Inuyasha left again to clean the dishes and came back in his pajamas. He wore loose fitting black pants and a tight red tanktop. He took my hand and led me back to my room as Shippou followed close behind.Inuyasha escorted Shippou back to his room while I changed. I peeled off my camoflauge tanktop and my loose black jeans. I looked in the dresser to find some pajamas, but they were all so girly. So I decided to put on the least frilly ones. They were all dresses, wich didn't make me happy, but I survived out in an emerald green, above the knee, silk, stringy strap, pajama dress. Shippou came walking in moments later. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me.

"Woah," he started,"You're pretty."

"Thank-you Shippou," I said shyly. No one had ever refered to me as pretty before. I always thought I was ugly, and so had everyone else. I lived most of my life as an outsider. I never fit in. I was never 'pretty'.

"Inuyasha is waiting for you on the balcony," Shippou said.

I picked him up and walked into Inuyasha's room. I walked closer to the balcony door and saw Inuyasha looking out at the stars with his back to me. I opened the door and stepped out as he turned around. His eyes widened in shock. I self-counsciously took a few steps forward.

"I know, I look ridiculous," I said shyly, a small blush spreading over my face.

"No," he said, "You look beautiful."

I smiled as he took my hand and brought me over to the railing.

"It's a nice change from all the black you wear. You should start dressing like a girl," he said as he gazed up at the stars.

I playfully hit him on the shoulder, laughing. He smiled at me and looked back up at the stars. We stood there for a while before my feet got tired. Shippou was already asleep on the ground, so I dropped to the goround and laid on my back to continue my star gazing. Inuyasha joined my on the ground, pulling me closer. I still blushed everytime he did that, I had never been that close to anyone before, let alone a boy.I sighed a closed my eyes before falling asleep.

--------------

The next morning I woke up in my bed.

'Inuyasha must have carried me in,' I half-thought. (It was too early to be fully thinking.)

I rolled over onto my side and felt Shippou stirring next to me. I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him closer. My eyelids slowly sank lower and lower. Lower and lower, lower and then I heard a loud bang outside. I sprang from my bed, scooping Shippou up in the process. Running out the door and into the hall I heard a creepishly familiar voice.

"Give her to me!" the cold voice yelled.

"Sango, get Leigha away from here!" Inuyasha screamed and Sango rushed back into the castle.

I leaned up against the wall, hearing Sango thundering footsteps and frantic screams.

"Leigha! Leigha!" she yelled. "You need to get out of here!"

She turned around the corner, barely in my sight as she fell to the floor in a bloody heap. I screamed and heard Inuyasha yell for me. I was frozen, Sango wouldn't move, and I saw Naraku step over her body. I took a few steps back and fell into a pair of strong arms. I turned around to see a handsome face staring down at me. Then I heard Inuyasha scream for me again and Shippou rushing to my side from his earlier perch on a windowsill.

"Sesshomaru's back for you," Shippou whispered in my ear. I saw Naraku come closer and realized that the person holding me was with them too. I tried to free myself but he wouldn't let me go. I saw Sango slowly get to her feet. She lifted her head and Naraku kicked her back down, that's when I fainted.

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I awoke in a familiar room with Shippou in my arms. I cluthced him closer to me as I slwly stood up. My head was spinning. I couldn't remember anything. I got to my feet, Shippou in one hand, my head in the other. I took a few staggering steps forward before the realization came crashing down on me. I gasped and went runnnig to my door. It was locked. I ran to the balcony only to find that locked too. The only other door was to my closet. There was no way out. I dropped onto my bed, stroking Shippou's soft tail. I heard the door unlatched and I scrambled to the back of my bed, pulling my knees to my chest, sheltering Shippou in my lap. I watched as Seshomaru made his way closer to my bed. I started visably shaking as he inched closer and closer. He held his hand out for me to take it, but I couldn't trust him anymore. I just sat there, shivering. Eventually he got the point and sat down on the bed next to me. I tried to push myself closer against the wall, but I couldn't.

"Leigha," he said, locking in on my eyes, "I don't think you understand."

"Trust me I understand perfectly clear," I responded, tears pooling in my eyes.

"No you don't Leigha," he started.

"I understnad that you almost killed Sango, kidnaped me and Shippou and then locked me in this room. What more is there Sesshomaru?!" I yelled.

"Inuyasha is not what you think he is," he started.

"You aren't what I thught you were," I responded.

"Inuyasha used you!" he yelled.

"You kidnapped me!" I yelled back.

"It was for your own good!" he reponded.

"Like you care about my wellbeing!" I yelled.

"I care about you Leigha! I love you!"he yelled back.

I didn't have a response to that. I just sat there, stunned. Could he really love me? And how did I feel about him? I just sat there, staring at him until he left. Shippou followed close behind him and snuck out the door before him. Sesshomaru turned back around before locking the door.

"I'm locking you in becuase I know what my brother is capable of," he said before closing and loking the door.

I looked out the window and saw Shippou out in the garden looking up at me. He smiled and waved before racing off into the woods. I wasn't sure if he was getting help or abandoning me. Either way it was hopeless, if Inuyasha came to get me Sesshomaru would surely kill him. I didn't know what I was going to do. I curled up on my bed and cried myself to sleep.

-----------

I heard banging comming from a room down the hall. I heard Sesshomaru and Naraku stop outside my door.

"Did she buy it?" Naraku asked.

"Things didn't exactlly go as planned," Sesshomaru said.

"What do you mean?" Naraku asked.

"I told her I loved her," I heard Sesshomaru say.

"You what?! Did you mean it?" Naraku asked.

"Yes," Sesshomaru said.

"Well, is she on our side now?" Naraku asked.

"Im not sure, I made up a story about Inuyasha but Im not sure if she believed me." Sesshomaru answered.

"I never believed you Sesshomaru...." I whispered.

I walked over to the dresser and found some of my old clothse. I put on a black tanktop and some baggy camoflauge capri's with a black zipped down sweatshirt and knee high black and green stripped socks. I grabbed my backpack and sat down on my bed. I rumaged through my bag and pulled out my hairburhs and my shoes. I brushed my hair while I slipped my feet into my Vans©. I crawled on my bed toward the window and stared out into the garden. The rest of my day was spent watching the bird fly by, pacing back and forth in my room, occasional trips to the bathroom and three meals. I layed awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the rain hitting the roof. I heard a knock on the balcony and jumpped out of bed and ran to the balcony. I slid open the curtains and met Inuyasha's rain and tear drenched face.He motioned for me to open the door.

"It's locked," I said. He nodded.

"Stand back," he said and unsheathed a rusty sword that transformed into a massive fang right before my eyes. I took a few steps back and in one sweep for his sword he blasted a huge hole in the wall.

"Hurry!" he yelled reaching his hand out for me to take. I took his hand as he helped me over the broken wall and into the rain. He picked me up and jumped off the blacony. He slowly glided to the ground. I stared into his eyes and he smiled.

"Dressing like a guy again? You looked nice, what happened?" he asked sarcastically.

"Bite me," I laughed.

I heard the front castle door slam open and Inuyasha started running. He ran into a small cave and layed me down. He sat down next to me.

"Thank you," I said.

"Don't mention it," he asid smiling, "I'm just glad to have you back."

He sat up against a wall with his arms and legs crossed. I moved over next to him and layed my head in his lap. He brushed the hair out from my face as I slowly fell asleep. I was safe again.

---------

I woke up back at Inuyasha's castle, in my REAL home. Shippou sat next to me and smothered me with hugs as soon as I awoke.

"I didn't like being away from you," Shippou said as he squeezed himself up against me tighter.

"I was only gone for one night Shippou," I laughed.

"I know, but I missed you!" he said and kissed my cheek.

I smiled as he bounced iff the bed and through the door leading to Inuyasha's room. He came back with Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Kirara right behind him. They all stood around my bed loking down at me.

"What?" I asked after a few very awkward moments of silence.

"Nothing!" they all said in unison. Wich wouldn't be suspicious if we were in a daytime soap opera, but this was real life. Something was up.

"What's up?" I asked suspiciously.

Miroku and Sango looked at eachother, then at Inuyasha, and left the room. Kirara stayed and curled up with Shippou next to me on the bed.

"Inuyasha. What's going on?" I asked.

"How do you feel about my brother?" he asked. That was definatly NOT what I had expected.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"How do you feel about him? Do you like him?" he asked.

"Well, I can't hate him becuase he found me near the well and took me in. But otherwise I don't care for him." I answered.

Inuyasha smiled before kneeling down on the ground next to me.

"How do you feel about me?" Inuyasha asked.

I didn't know how to answer. Another one of those damned if you do damned if you don't kind of situations. I knew I had felings for him, but what if he didn't feel the same way about me. Then I'd never be able to face him again. I looked into his face and saw the longing expression in his eyes. He needed an answer. I just hope I could give him the right one.

"I.............I..............." I didn't know what to say. "I don't know what I feel for you right now."

He dropped his head and stood up.

"I understand," he whispered and walked out the door.

"I shouldn't have done that huh Shippou?" I asked.

"Probabley not," he responded, "But you shouldn't have lied to him either."

"Damned if you do damned if you don't," I said walking over to the dresser. I pulled out a deep red and dark plum colored long sleeved dress with a long train behind it. I decided it was alright so I sliped out of my old clothse and into the dress.

"I should go talk to him now huh?" I asked Shippou. He noded his head. I grabbed a brush and a hair binder and walked toward the bathroom. I brushed my long purple hair and tied it up then brushed my teeth and applied massive ammounts of black makeup before setting out to find Inuyasha. I found him on his balcony looking down at the water pond.I saw the sideveiw of his face, he was crying. He was crying because of me.

I turned to walk away when I heard him speak.

"You'd look so much prettier without all that black crap on your face."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said, walking away with a huge idea.

I sent Shippou out to pick some red berries and some brown herbs and sunflower petals. I sent Miroku out with Inuyasha and kept Sango with me to help. I had Sango pick out a nice, prety dress, and then I had her boil some water and oil. I threw the berries, herbs, and sunflower petals into the boiling water and oil. I had Sango keep stirring while I got out of my clothse and into some old clothse. Once the mixture cooled, Sango helped me finnish everything I needed. When we were finnished Sango let me see a mirror.

"Inuyasha is going to be amazed." Sango said, opening the door, "Go get him."

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