A/N: Wow! I got like, a bunch of reviews! Thanks! (I'll respond to them at the end, because I had a lot to say..)

Disclaimer:No, I don't own Inu Yasha. Nor will I ever. I never said I did, now, did I? Hmm..

Previously:

His voice was cold, but noticeably shaking. It was quite an effort to restrain the feral impulses he felt. "I.. will not see you again until tomorrow evening." Kagome opened her mouth, about to protest. He held her tighter for just an instant before he flew off, leaving no trail behind him for her to follow. She looked up at the stars, and was just about to fly off to follow him, when she realized that she was still confined by the barrier of the castle. Somehow, she had forgotten all about it. With the dissipation of Sesshoumaru's scent, Kagome's mind was finally able to resurface. Falling to the ground, she placed a hand to her lips.

"Sesshoumaru…" she said in awe and disbelief, slumping forward. 'I… I… kissed Sesshoumaru! What … ? What! But.. Inu Yasha…' She replayed several memories in her mind of Inu Yasha kissing Kikyou. Of course, that woman was long gone now.. and just because Inu Yasha did it, that didn't give her the right to kiss someone else, either. Also, Inu Yasha never did tell Kagome of any intentions he had concerning a possible future together for the two of them. 'I'm so confused,' was the only thought that found its way consistently through her mind. Putting her face in her hands, she cried herself to sleep outside, under the stars.

CHAPTER 8: woman to woman

Inu Yasha woke up first, as always. It was light outside, and the rays of sun hit the opaque paper windows of the room. Getting up from his spot on the floor, he exited the room and headed down the hallway toward where Myouga said the library would be. If he was going to find Kagome, he'd have to do it before nightfall- or else he'd have to wait. Again. Turning right into the last room down that hallway, the hanyou found himself in the library.

"First things first," he said, letting out a sigh. He began to go down each row, one by one, searching for the incantation scrolls. As soon as he'd find them, he could start looking for the locator spell. Some scrolls were maps, others novels. There were plenty of documented history scrolls. Music, math... he couldn't believe that there were so many topics to write scrolls about. He was about halfway through the second bookshelf when Miroku and Sango appeared at the entrance to the room.

"What are we looking for, Inu Yasha?" Miroku asked

"Anything that looks like a spell scroll. Is Myouga-jiji with you guys?"

"No.. he must still be sleeping on Kirara," Sango speculated.

"Well, shall we begin looking?" the houshi asked his wife. She nodded, and the two began working on separate areas of the library, searching for the locator scroll which, Myouga had stated, may or may not actually exist in the library.

After several hours of looking, Miroku spoke. "Don't you think it's strange," he observed, "we've been looking all morning, and I don't know about you guys, but I haven't come across a single incantation scroll."

"Ah..." Inu Yasha agreed. "Something is definitely out of place, here.."

"Could it be," Sango offered, "that all the incantation scrolls are located somewhere else?"

"That is definitely a possibility," Miroku said, looking at Inu Yasha. "Let's go find Myouga-sama and ask him where else the scrolls might be kept." That said, the three friends headed back to the room they had slept in last night.

Kagome woke up, same as the two days before, in her bed. She sat up. 'How did I get here?' The only person she could think of who would be able to move her would be Sesshoumaru. Did he come back to her? Slowly, she remembered what had happened the night before. She.. and Sesshoumaru... "Ugghh..." she groaned, and fell back onto her pillow.

"Are you alright?" she heard his voice coming from the seat in the corner, where Sesshoumaru had sat the first morning after her arrival.

"I- I think so," she said, not nearly as annoyed as she was back then, when she noticed he was in her room. She sat up and looked toward the source of the taiyoukai's voice. "I thought you said I wouldn't see you today," she recalled.

"I did say such a thing- but look in the mirror." Kagome slipped out of her bed, and walked to the bathroom to look at her reflection. When she did, she heaved a sigh of relief. Her silver tresses had been replaced with her own black hair color, and her eyes were back to their deep chocolate shade.

"I'm so glad..." she said, putting a hand over her heart. She turned around, and leaned out the doorway into her bedroom to see Sesshoumaru. "This means.. I can see Inu Yasha, right?" He nodded.

"Yes, but not until tonight. My blood, though dormant, still remains in your veins, and will for about one more day, when my scent will completely disappear from yours." Kagome nodded solemnly.

'That's right.. Inu Yasha would go crazy if he smelled Sesshoumaru's mark on me..'

"Then," the lord said, standing up, "It is time for breakfast. Shall I wait for you?" Kagome stared at him. Something had definitely changed about him from the moment he marked her- no, even a little bit before. She remembered him pointing to each of the unknown characters on the incantation scroll, and explaining them to her. She had thought it was her imagination at first, but he really did seem nicer at that moment. And besides, something had to make him want to mark her in the first place- she probably could've taught Rin the spells without having experienced them. No, Sesshoumaru had obliged her, answering her question as to how humans could fly. He...had beenindulging her.

"Mm," she said after a few moments of thought, realizing that he was actually waiting for her reply. She turned back into the bathroom to conceal her blush. "I'll be there in a minute." She heard the door open and close. Quickly, she washed her face and dressed. Kagome gave herself one last look in the mirror, and made her way down to the back porch to have breakfast with Sesshoumaru. And with Rin-- She couldn't forget Rin..

"Have you spoken to Rin about her upcoming changes?" Sesshoumaru asked Kagome, once she had begun to eat her breakfast. He was watching Rin run and dance in the flowers. Kagome stopped shoveling food into her mouth, and stared at Sesshoumaru's profile.

"No, not yet."

"You should do it soon," he told her.

"I will," she said, after she had swallowed. "I'll do it today." Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"That's good." After that, the two sat in silence together for a few more minutes, while Kagome finished her meal.

"Kagome," he told her, once she placed her utensils on the tray, "you've changed a lot." Kagome stared, again, at the youkai. This time, however, she looked straight into his golden eyes.

"So have you," she told him. 'He's changed more than I have..' "By the way, Sesshoumaru.. do you know why I changed back into a full human so quickly?" The taiyoukai blinked.

"My best guess is that my blood was waiting for something. There is no record of temporary markings that do not result in mating," he told her. Truth be told, he had been thinking about it all morning, before he came up with this answer for himself.

"...Until now..." she whispered, mainly to herself- although she knew he would hear her anyway. Had his resolve been any less than what it was, their experience wouldn't have been an exception to the temporary marking and mating rule, either. She had felt -and given in to- the feral impulses herself, with only hanyou blood, while Sesshoumaru was fighting off the desire of full youkai blood. Kagome realized that anyone less than Sesshoumaru probably wouldn't have been able to fend off those desires with mere force of will.

"Rin's change should happen soon- sooner than I had originally expected. After it happens, I will release you to Inu Yasha as promised," he told her, basically ignoring the recent dialogue concerning Kagome's physical change. The miko wondered what success Inu Yasha would have had if he had been in the same situation. Sure, he had a stubborn will, but- he also had issues with self-control when it came to certain things. Heck, the guy couldn't even let Shippou have the extra fish at dinner for once.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru," she said seriously. He looked at her curiously, but said nothing. For some reason, it didn't seem like she was thanking him for taking her back to Inu Yasha. "And, thanks for the food," she added a few moments later, as she excused herself from the table. Kagome began to walk toward Rin, but then realized she forgot something and turned around to face the youkai lord. "Is there an onsen somewhere in the castle that I can go to with Rin-chan today?" she asked. Sesshoumaru blinked in surprise. He had forgotten to tell her about it.

"Jaken will take you, when you're ready."

"Then, we'll go after our review today." The youkai nodded at the young miko, and continued to watch her as she turned around and headed for Rin.

"Myouga-jiji," Inu Yasha called as he walked noisily into the room. "Come out, I need to talk to you," he announced.

"What is it, Inu Yasha-sama?" the flea asked, jumping onto his shoulder.

"Where else would the incantation scrolls be?"

"They're not in the library?" the little youkai asked.

"We wouldn't be asking you if they were, now, would we?" Inu Yasha said, swiping his minion off of his shoulder and pinching him between his fingers.

"Wait, wait, Inu Yasha-sama!" Myouga pleaded. "The only other place I can think of is in your mother's room!" he frantically pushed against Inu Yasha's fingers, trying to free himself. He didn't have to try hard, because the thought of Inu Yasha's mother had a calming effect on the hanyou.

"Where.. is it?" Inu Yasha asked quietly. He wasn't exactly excited to be rummaging through his mother's things, but-- if it would help him find Kagome, he was willing to do what it took. Everyone looked at each other silently.

"Follow me," the flea said, flying out of Inu Yasha's hand. "Gamyon!" he shouted as he bounced down out of the room, and down the hallway.

Izayoi's room was in the other wing, so it took the group a few minutes to arrive there. Finally, Myouga stopped in front of her door. "Here it is," he informed them. They all waited for Inu Yasha to take the first step inside. Hesitant to bring back old memories and show his soft side, Inu Yasha stepped into the room very slowly. Although it had been a little over a hundred years since her death, Inu Yasha could still smell her scent through the dust. In the room was a western-style bed, several cabinets holding clothes, and a small vanity set. Izayoi was never a woman who lived for extravagance, and as a result, her room was relatively plain compared to what might be found in a typical lady's bedroom. Near her vanity was a small chest. Inu Yasha walked straight toward and knelt before it, hoping that it would contain what he was looking for. When he reached for the latch, however, a small (but nonetheless powerful) bolt of blue lightning shot from the lock to his hand.

"A.. barrier?" Inu Yasha asked quietly, looking at his hand, which was slightly charred from the event.

"Why would Inu-Yasha's mother have a barrier on something in her own house?" Shippou asked.

"Whatever it is, it must be something important," Kohaku observed.

"Maybe it's something that only a human can open," Miroku suggested. Inu Yasha looked blankly at the houshi.

"Uh... Mm.." Inu Yasha said, standing up and backing away from the chest. Miroku looked at Sango, who stepped forward to try her luck on the chest. She, as Inu Yasha had, knelt before the chest and reached toward the latch. The barrier accepted her, and she opened the chest. Sure enough, inside the chest were several important items. One was a small portrait of Inu Yasha's father, a box containing a jade necklace- the same one she wore in the portrait they found in the hallway, and several.. well, more than just several scrolls. "Could one of those be it?" Inu Yasha speculated. "Sango, can you open the scrolls?"

"Mm," she replied, and brought all of the scrolls out of the chest, laying them on the floor. She unfurled each of them, searching for any indication that they contained the desired incantation. On the twelfth scroll, they had found what they were looking for.

"Great," Inu Yasha said, reaching for the scroll, "let's do this." However, before his hand came within six inches of the scroll, his hand was again repelled by the same barrier which kept him from opening the chest.

"It seems only a human can use these scrolls, Inu Yasha," Miroku told his friend. "Sango.. can you read the incantation?" She nodded, but then stopped short.

"Wait.. this one.. what is this?"

"That is the character for 'precious.' These are pretty ancient scrolls, so it was most likely before they came up with a standardized character," the houshi told her.

"I see. Okay, here goes," Sang said, and began reciting the words of the spell. "Yuketsu," she finished. The scroll began to glow an iridescent blue.

"ooooh," Shippou remarked, staring at the pretty light. Quickly, the light formed itself into a beam, and reached to penetrate Sango's bosom. However, similar to what happened to Kagome when she attempted the flight spell for the first time, the light merely bounced off of her body, and dissipated into the air.

"W--- what happened?" she asked, looking at everyone in the room.

"It- don't tell me it didn't work," Inu Yasha said, disappointed. His hope had been resting on using that scroll. Sango shook her head, and handed the scroll to Miroku.

"I'm sorry, Inu Yasha. Maybe it just needs spiritual powers," she suggested. Miroku tried his hand at the spell, but only with similar results.

"kuso..." Inu Yasha muttered under his breath. "Myouga-jiji, did you know this was going to happen?"

"I had no idea, Inu Yasha-sama," he replied, nervous that he might get something worse than the general squashing from his young master. "It worked when I saw your mother use it." The poor flea minion cowered in fear. However, Inu Yasha made no move to harm the youkai flea.

"Well," he sighed. "Let's look for some other way to find Sesshoumaru." Discouraged from the recent events, Inu Yasha and the others trudged out of the room. All but Miroku, who stayed behind to replace the scrolls to their original location. He stood up, seeming to be deep in thought, and turned around, exiting the room far behind everyone else.

Kagome had written several sentences on paper, and given them to Rin to read. The 13 year old finished with flying colors. She remembered everything Kagome had taught her.

"You really are good at remembering things," Kagome told her student.

"Sesshoumaru wanted me to learn, so I am doing my best," Rin replied.

"Well, on another note, I could use a bath. Shall we take a break at the onsen?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Rin said. The two girls rose from their seats in the classroom-library, and left the room. Just outside stood Jaken.

"Lord Sesshoumaru has instructed me to take you to the hot spring," he said plainly. Without waiting for a response from the girls, he turned and began to walk. Soon, they reached the small pool of heated water. Jaken left the girls to their business.

"I have been craving a good bath," Kagome told Rin as she began to undress.

"Yeah, there's nothing like it, is there?" Kagome smiled in agreement with Rin. "Ne, Kagome, I've been meaning to ask you... Does Sesshoumaru like you?" she asked innocently. Had she been eating or drinking, Kagome probably would have choked.

"What? Uh, no, I'm sure he doesn't," Kagome reassured the teenager, remembering the fact that Sesshoumaru had been planning to mark Rin for his mate. The girls slid into the warm water. "But on another note, Rin-chan.. I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"Well," Kagome took a breath. 'Never in a million years did I think I'd have to give the period talk!' she exclaimed to herself. "Do you- know what happens when you become a woman?" Rin appeared to be shocked at the question, and then confused.

"eeehhhh...that's..." She looked up at the sky, trying to find the right answer. To be honest, the girl had absolutely no clue what Kagome was talking about.

"Do you want me to tell you?" Rin stopped looking upwards, and nodded her head at Kagome. "Well," Kagome began to tell her the general things all women of child birthing age need to face on a monthly basis, and answering any questions that Rin would interrupt with.

"So, what about babies?" was Rin's final question.

"Um, well, I guess Sesshoumaru will be able to answer that when you're fully ready." Kagome really didn't like giving the 'woman to woman' talk, let alone being asked to give her a 'birds and the bees' chat as well. Rin looked at her mentor-tutor, and smiled.

"Okay, maybe I'll ask him later," she said. Kagome panicked slightly, but at the same moment gave the girl mad props for being willing to talk to a guy- let alone Sesshoumaru- about how babies are made.

"Uh...don't ask him until after I leave, okay?" Rin nodded, happy to indulge her new friend. Kagome looked over her shoulder at the small patch of grass and boulders. She had been discussing 'girl talk' with Sango when she was kidnapped. 'Kidnapped.. that's right.. somehow, I don't feel as bitter as I was before.' Kagome came to the realization that she no longer truly resented Sesshoumaru for kidnapping her. 'Maybe I'll tell Inu Yasha tonight that Sesshoumaru isn't such a bad guy. And.. with his desire to mate Rin-chan, he can't hate humans anymore..' Kagome had already decided that Inu Yasha must never know about what happened between herself and Sesshoumaru. "So, Rin-chan," she asked, curious as to what her response would be, "how do you feel about Sesshoumaru?"

"I love Sesshoumaru-sama," she answered plainly, before ducking under the surface of the water for a second.

"H- How do you love him, Rin-chan?" Kagome asked once Rin resurfaced.

"When I think of Sesshoumaru-sama, I feel warm inside. I want to stay with him forever," she told the priestess in front of her. Kagome thought back to when she was only 15, and began to feel the same way for Inu Yasha.

'Well women of this age do have a tendency to marry young,' she reminded herself, remembering the young 13 year old who loved Miroku and was prepared to marry him. That was a long time ago, back when they were still trying to find many of the shikon shards.

"But, I was thinking at dinner yesterday, that if Kagome likes Sesshoumaru-sama also, I think that she should marry him, and we can be a family,"

'EEeeeehhhhhh?' "Um, Rin-chan.. do you want to marry Sesshoumaru?" she asked, praying that the youkai was nowhere to be found.

"If Sesshoumaru-sama wants to stay with Rin-- er, with me forever," she said, correcting herself, "This Rin would be very happy. I would marry him if it would make Sesshoumaru-sama happy," she said, a slight blush appearing across the bridge of her nose. Kagome smiled.

"I wish you luck, Rin-chan," Kagome told her. "You know, I was trying to convince Sesshoumaru to let me teach you archery," she said, remembering how she hated to feel helpless when she traveled with Inu Yasha. Once she became better at the bow and arrow, Kagome felt much more at ease. Besides, if she wasn't mistaken, she felt a small amount of spiritual power from Rin when they played catch yesterday. She only hoped that Sesshoumaru would change his mind, and let her teach Rin archery.

"I would really like that. Also, Kagome, I was hoping you could teach me how to be more.. ladylike." Kagome looked at Rin, almost in unbelief. Without knowing it, the girl was aiming to achieve all the goals Sesshoumaru had set for her in his own mind. Kagome smiled and nodded.

"I'll do my best," she told her young friend. Kagome dunked her head under the water one last time, and resurfaced a few moments later. "Well, I guess it's about time to get out."

"Mm, let's go," Rin said. The girls got out of the spring, and dressed.

...later...

Walking around on the outside perimeters of the castle, Kagome searched for Sesshoumaru. She really did want to teach Rin how to defend herself using archery-- it was no longer a silly ploy for her to try to break the barrier. Was there really a barrier anymore? She found herself thinking about it less and less, enjoying the comforts of the palace more and more. She was happy that Sesshoumaru and Rin were going to be together as mates, but the thought also saddened her. Why hadn't Inu Yasha said anything to her? It was obvious how they felt towards each other, or so she thought. Kagome replayed in her mind select times of when Inu Yasha rescued her. He even defended her from Kikyou- well, sort of. She especially remembered the time he plunged off the cliff with the Peach-sennin for her sake... while he was in his human form, no less. She would see him tonight in that form, if all went well, and Sesshoumaru followed through with his promise. The lord of the Western lands had never backed down from his word before, and she didn't expect him to now.

"Sesshoumaru!" she called, still not having seen the youkai. A few moments later, she felt the wind at her back, and sensed his youryouku along with it. "Sesshoumaru," she said, turning around. "I.." she began, trying to ignore the effortless beauty with which his hair flowed in the wind. She bowed her head to the taiyoukai- something she had never intended to do. "I.. respectfully ask for you to allow me to teach Rin-chan archery." Once Kagome finished her request, she looked up again at the Sesshoumaru. She expected an immediate denial of her request, which is why she bowed slightly when she spoke. That, and...

...flashback...

"I expected you to act like a lady- or was I mistaken?"

...end flashback...

...though, somehow, she wasn't as angered by this statement as she had been earlier. After all, he was looking for someone to mentor Rin, right? 'Of course he wouldn't want someone to teach her bad manners through example,' Kagome reasoned. She studied Sesshoumaru's face for any possible negative response to her petition. Surprisingly, there was no such thing. Although the youkai lord remembered Kagome's initial request to teach Rin archery as a means of finding a way out of his barrier, Sesshoumaru now seemed to have dismissed any idea of foul play.

"Training Rin in self defense is a good idea."

'Did... did Sesshoumaru just compliment me?'

"I'm sure you've noticed it too," he said mysteriously. Kagome thought he might be referring to Rin's raw spiritual powers, but she wasn't completely sure. She just nodded in reply. "Very well. There will be an archery range where you will be able to practice tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru."

"There will not be a formal dinner tonight. Your clothes are in your room. When you are ready, after sunset, I will take you to Inu Yasha." Kagome nodded slightly. "And do not forget," he continued, "you must return with me before sunrise."

"Hai," she replied simply. 'That's right.. my scent is still altered. If Inu Yasha recovers his sense of smell while I'm around, he might lose it...' "I've decided to begin teaching Rin-chan the scrolls. She is definitely learning very quickly." Sesshoumaru nodded at Kagome in approval. With that, the two adults parted ways. Kagome headed back inside to finish styling her hair, which was still wet from the hot spring. 'I wonder how Inu Yasha is doing...' she thought to herself. The recent events made it seem like forever since she had last seen the hanyou- and even now, she was only going to be able to see him in human form. 'But.. how am I supposed to just leave him, and everyone? I'll have to try to explain everything to them- without hurting Inu Yasha's feelings. What am I supposed to do?' She pondered these things nervously- for tonight, she would meet Inu Yasha.

A/N: Again, thanks for reviewing, you guys! I was so excited... anyway, WhoOOO! The anime expo is just a day away! YAAAYY! (I'm so excited..) Also, like I said, here are those review responses:

Miko-Hime: Yeah, I've been seeing a lot of the "Sesshoumaru, 'father' to Rin" fics.. but, I think that the first time Sesshoumaru actually started caring about things was when he asked Rin what happened to her face... so like, it might sound pedophile-ish, but Rin is Sesshoumaru's first love, I think. At least, she is in the series (to me, anyway). The real Sesshoumaru would die before he saw Rin pair up with Kohaku, I think...

Hermonine & 'none of your business': Thanks for checking in!

kari konoko: thanks for the encouragement!

toxiclollipop: thanks for reading (smile). haha, you're the only one who said anything about kagome trying to be sly... (glad you caught it!). Thanks for the comment about the characters being in-character.. I've been trying my hardest to keep things right... You made my day, giving me so many reviews!

#2582485: Yeah, that's exactly what I was saying... as my fingers were typing it!

whimsy007: whoa, dang... that was like-- a post! Thanks... you gave me my 40th review! Anyway, the funny thing was that I had written this chapter before your review... and actually mentioned the peach-sennin before I read your post--err, review. In the last chapter, though, it didn't seem like Sesshoumaru wasn't trying to take advantage of her in the kissing scene... he was actually trying his best to stay away... Also, if Kagome later decides not to mate with the hanyou (It's not like he asked her to anyway), well-- it really isn't her responsibility (or problem) to find a mate for Inu Yasha, is it? (okay, secretly, I like the Inu Yasha-Kagome pairing, too.. I am just using this fic to play with the characters...)

Although this fic is based on the anime version of Inu Yasha (in which the decision of Inu Yasha between Kikyou and Kagome is kept pretty much in limbo), and not on the manga (where, like you say, his feelings are made clear), i just want to remind you- in case you forgot- that I took care of things with Kikyou in the first chapter of my story...So, in this story, Inu Yasha with Kikyou is not an option. Although, throughout the anime, I must admit, I've come to respect her character much MUCH more than I did in the beginning.

Anyway, though I really like getting reviews, this kind of post would probably get a lot more conversation on the Inu Yasha mailing group... (InuYashanime at yahoogroups dot com)... or you can email me, and we can have a happy discussion! (my email's on my profile, y'all)