well, chapter two is finally up. It took me awhile to get it up, which meant that I had to make you guys wait. And I'm so very sorry bout that. Onward ho!

My first review! Woo Hoo! Thanx Serenitygirl13 for your lovely review! Arigatou!

And to answer your question-read this chapter. It will explain it.

disclaimer: don't own, so don't sue.

Chapter Two: The Price They Paid

Back at Kagome's camp, once she got back, what she saw was horrible. The entire village-massacred. She ran around frantically searching for her friends Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippo, Inu-Yasha, and Kaede.

She soon found Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kaede disemboweled and slaughtered. But something was missing-Inu-Yasha and Kirara.

She suddenly heard a faint mewling sound and turned to see a blood soaked Kirara. But no sign of Inu-Yasha.

She almost instantly realized where he was and who he was with, and she accepted the fact that Inu-Yasha had chosen the dead over the living. She still loved him-but only as a brother or a friend.

Kagome instantly dropped to her knees and began to cry softly.

Kirara padded up to her and sadly mewled a few times, then finally resting her head on Kagome's knee.

"Oh Kirara! Who would do such a thing like this? What did they ever do to them?" Kagome said through the choking, painful sobs she was producing.

Kirara hopped into Kagome's loving arms and quickly fell into a nightmare-induced sleep.

SesshoMaru watched from the shelter of the forest, directing his attention toward the miko.

He knew who did it. Hell, he was even related to the damn bastard. His own stupid nitwit lame excuse for a half-brother, Inu-Yasha and the dead priestess.

He decided to make himself known. He hopped down from his perch in the trees and landed with such grace it was unreal.

"Kagome…" SesshoMaru said softly, walking slowly up to the shaking form of the young girl.

"Please…" Kagome said facing him. "Don't laugh and say 'I told ya so!', because I already know that. Just please, please don't be such an insensitive jerk. I'm hurt enough as it is." Kagome hoarsely whispered as she choked on a sob.

"This SesshoMaru would never do such a blasphemous thing. It is just simply not written." The youkai lord said walking over, kneeling down, and gathering the young miko into his arms and held her tightly to his chest. "If anything, this SesshoMaru would like to comfort you at this time."

Kagome turned around to stare at him in disbelief.

"Was that the wrong thing to say?"

"No. It's just that you hate humans!" Kagome said.

SesshoMaru growled. He stood up, and pulled Kagome up with him.

He quickly pressed his lips against Kagome's in a lip-searing kiss.

They broke apart panting for air.

"Does that tell you that I hate humans?"

"No." Kagome answered finding the ground ever-so interesting, and holding the slumbering neko tightly to her chest. "Can I…can I ask you something, SesshoMaru-sama?"

SesshoMaru quietly nodded his response.

"Will you stay here, with me, tonight?" Kagome asked softly.

'I don't think I should,' SesshoMaru thought. 'I might do something I'll regret.'

"I don't see why not." SesshoMaru said.

"Thanks, SesshoMaru-sama." Kagome said with a slight smile.

She went up to the demon lord and lightly kissed his sculpted cheek.

She fluidly grabbed her bathing supplies again, along with Kirara, and headed towards the hot spring.

As soon as Kagome had left, SesshoMaru did something he never did-he smiled. He was making his onna happy, and that made him happy.

But his smile quickly faded into a frown as his eyes landed upon the massacred village. He turned from the scene and gracefully jumped onto a nearby tree branch.

Why Inu-Yasha and the dead priestess did it-he didn't know and didn't really care. Before SesshoMaru had barely caught wind of Kagome's heavenly scent, he had had a run-in with the two killers themselves.

FLASHBACK:

SesshoMaru was casually patrolling his vast lands when he caught sight of his idiot half-brother Inu-Yasha and the dead priestess. He sniffed. Inu-Yasha reeked of the dead priestess and vice versa. He cringed. He hated them both. He sniffed again. Plot and deceit were intermingled with Inu-Yasha's horrible stench.

"Inu-Yasha." SesshoMaru said in a deadpanned voice.

"SesshoMaru." Inu-Yasha growled, latching his hand onto his sword.

"I sense plot and deceit mixed with your horrible scent, dear brother."

"Feh."

"You're planning something. I can easily tell, you vile little pup. Admit your rash doings this instant."

"We're gonna destroy the old hag's village." Inu-Yasha simply said walking briskly past his older sibling.

END FLASHBACK:

As Kagome was washing Kirara, an ethereal white light came from the middle of the spring.

As soon as the light left, Kagome felt amazingly different.

She quickly took a look at her reflection in the spring.

She had knee-length aqua blue hair, elven faery ears, light blue eyes, and at most, a few inches taller. She was curvier-that was for sure. Everything was equally proportioned.

The outfit she wore was absolutely stunning. It was off the shoulder top and was pink with a hint of yellow green with matching armbands. She was also wearing a matching skirt that ran along the ground as she walked, and she was barefoot. She also noted that she sported a stylish gold spiral crown band across her forehead and a matching one around her neck. Then, what she found on her back, that began at her shoulder blades, were beautiful faery wings. She looked down at her nails and noticed that they had elongated and became claws. Then she deftly ran her tongue over her teeth and winced, as she tasted the copper in her blood. She had fangs.

Her wings began to slowly flutter and she gasped and let out a small 'eep!'.

She finished washing Kirara, who, surprisingly recognized her, and went back to SesshoMaru.

When she got back, she quietly climbed up into the Goshinboku with a weary eyed Kirara, and rested on a fairly thick branch.

SesshoMaru looked up into the god tree and gazed upon the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in his extended life.

He unknowingly sniffed the air and found that it was Kagome up in the god tree.

'Why is Kagome in this sacred tree, instead of being down here with this SesshoMaru? She was the one who asked me to stay with her.' SesshoMaru silently wondered.

Kagome stared intently down at the demon lord who secretly harbored feelings of intense love and lust for her.

Her back stiffened. 'Screaming about 5 ½ miles away. Sounds like a young girl around the age of 8 or 9….Rin!'

Kagome stood up, her wings began to flap furiously, and she launched herself into the air-and off she went to save SesshoMaru's young ward, Rin.

Ahh…another chapter done. Now I must begin to type the next chapter.

Inu-I hated it.

Kbsc-does it even look like I care?

Kag-nice one, kbsc.

Kbsc-thank you

Sessho-I enjoyed it, quite so.

Kbsc-aw, man now I'm gonna cry cause you guys are being so nice to me! hugs Kagome and SesshoMaru

All-review, or else you will feel the mighty wrath of Kbsc and SesshoMaru!

Ja Ne!