This chapter is dedicated to my loyal fan, Sesshomaru's Miko...for being concerned about my health.

When Kagome awoke, she was lying on a pile of soft furs, and felt the presence of a demon nearby. She knew who the demon was, but still had no idea where she was. Sesshomaru didn't own a home did he? And if he did why was he always traveling?

Kagome turned her head away from the furs and asked that very question. "Yo, do you have a home?"

"Excuse me?" He asked, startled that she had awoken without him noticing. He was across the room, sitting at a table with Rin, who was struggling to learn to read.

Kagome turned over and looked at him from where she lay. It had gotten dark outside and they only had firelight to illuminate the room. "A home...do you have one?"

"Of course. My father left me his estate and that included several properties as I am the eldest son."

"Why are you never there? You're always...elsewhere, traveling, picking fights, intimidating people, et cetera, et cetera."

"I have not been there in many years. First, because I was searching for Tetsiega, and then because I had other things I had to deal with, Naraku, Inuyasha, you," Sesshomaru offered a small smile for Rin, who after the long day was barely awake. She was nodding off on his lap and he picked her up to take her to her bed, which was really just Ah-Un curled up in a corner.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"You didn't answer my question, why did you do all these things? You could have done plenty of them from your home, but you didn't."

Sesshomaru brooded for a moment before answering. "Bad memories. There are a lot of bad memories in that place. After father died, I felt no need to return."

"Oh. I can understand that," Kagome gave him a slow smile, and she seemed so...vulnerable to him in that moment that he bent down and gave her a soft kiss. As he leaned back, her grin became a full blown smile.

"What was that for?"

"You make me think. I find most humans to be tedious and un-intelligent. You surprise me."

"So you kiss me?" Kagome asked, highly amused. She turned onto her side and burrowed into the warm covers. They were quite comfortable.

"I feel the urge to kiss you all the time...you draw me."

That caused Kagome to remember something and she sat up reluctantly. "Come here, sit."

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow. "You order me?"

Kagome knew she would get nowhere that way. "No, I ask you."

Sesshomaru acquiesced and sat close to her as she gestured. He was only mildly amused when she began to relieve him of his shirt.

"Anxious to mate already?"

"No, but do you remember during the fight, your possessiveness?" Kagome asked as she began to examine his returned left arm.

"Yes," Sesshomaru replied, remembering how startling it had been. That feeling of possessiveness had been tainted with evil and had spurred him to doing things he'd never had done before, like attack his father. Sesshomaru, though he'd never admit it, had feared his father, this large, unreachable figure of his childhood. In adulthood, seeing the immovable figure stooping to love a human and to play with Inuyasha had caused him great envy, though like I said, never admit it.

"It has something to do with your arm. Naraku did something," Kagome explained as she finally found what she sought. "This will hurt."

"You worry for me?"

"I worry for everyone. I'm only human." Kagome inserted her mental probes into the shoulder joint and found the small charm inside. It was a blood charm, causing the person it was placed upon to react violently to any conflict. Depending on what the reaction was of the other person, the battle could turn to blood or lust. If Sesshomaru had argued with her after replacing his arm, they would have fought, because she would not have backed down. There was the highest chance one of them would have died, which was definitely Naraku's plan. However, he took great risk in using this charm. If Kagome had backed down, showing weakness, then Sesshomaru would have felt the need to assert his power over her by mating. It was luck of the draw that Naraku had known she would never back down to Sesshomaru...she wasn't made like that.

Kagome drew the charm out using her powers and showed the small, pebble like charm to Sesshomaru. "See, a charm."

Sesshomaru grasped her hand and studied it. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, blood charm."

Sesshomaru threw the charm into the fire, but stayed seated near Kagome. When he spoke it was quiet. "I did not meet the terms of our agreement."

"So we will not mate?" Kagome asked, keeping her thoughts on the subject neutral in her voice.

"I now believe it to be a good idea, but..."

"We will set new terms. You and I, I feel are meant to be, in a way. It is obvious the fates are trying to keep us apart."

"So you would defy them?"

"No, I would rebel against everything people or things tell me I should do. No one tells me what I can do. I am my own person, Sesshomaru, realize it. I am not a thing to be ordered and never will be."

"I respect that. That you think for yourself, but as my mate..."

"I will know when and when not to obey, Sesshomaru. After three years of living with demons alone, I know demon code."

Sesshomaru finally looked at Kagome, his eyes seeming to burn with intent. "Good." He kissed her again, not soft but not hard. It was exploring, and as Kagome felt herself respond, he pulled away.

"We leave early, get some rest."

"Why?"

"Tomorrow, I go home."

"Home?"

"It's where my father is heading."

"How do you know?" Kagome asked.

Sesshomaru rubbed his hand against his still bare chest. "I can feel him."

Outside, Suikotsu heard every word. He still could not believe that Bankotsu would allow her to mate someone else, but that was his brother's decision. Suikotsu settled down on the ground, and pulled out the small pill case in his pocket. Inside was the medication the doctors of the future had given him to help with what they called his "split-personality". With these, he was both the doctor and the warrior. He was both good and bad. He was truly human. He would serve Kagome loyally for the rest of his days, based solely on that.

As Suikotsu pulled out a small notebook and a pen, the stars overhead twinkled like they never did when he had been home, in his bed, in the future. He could not stay here. He no longer belonged here. He could never exist in the past again. It didn't fit him any longer. As he tried to explain his feelings in a letter to Kagome, Sesshomaru left the hut and headed straight to him.

"We leave in the morning, early. At dawn."

"You will leave without me," Suikotsu replied as he signed his name to the letter.

"Kagome wishes you to come."

"She'll understand. Give her this for me?"

"You ask me a favor?" Sesshomaru asked, eyeing the paper Suikotsu handed to him with disdain. He did not like this man, with a scent kin to that that coated Kagome.

"No, I ask you to do a favor for her. I am leaving, and this will ease her mind about it."

Sesshomaru took the note and held it stiffly at his side. He nodded at the man and started to leave.

"She will love you." Suikotsu said to his back, causing Sesshomaru to turn in question. "Kagome. She will love you. She will not be able to help it. But like demons, she loves wholly. It will hurt her. You will hurt her."

"I do not seek to harm her."

"But you will. She is fragile, even for a human. She doesn't show it, but its there, underneath the steel. I care for her, and so do others. She's lost a lot of people, her father when she was young, her mother just a few years ago. Here, in this time, you will be all she has. She won't allow herself to be surrounded by humans or others who chance harm. She worries, and she pines. Until this is finished, she will not be near another of our kind willingly. For all my humanity, I am a demon. Look around her...see any human allies? No, and she will not have them. They die easily."

"What has this to do with me?"

"You care for her. You can't help it. But before you mate with her, get to know her. She'll appreciate it. And later, so will you. You will be together for a long time."

"Finished?"

"Yes," Suikotsu smiled.

Sesshomaru turned away and returned to the hut, thinking over everything that Suikotsu had said, for it was all true. And it gave Sesshomaru some things to think about.

Alright, so now for some writer/reviewer love!

Bizzet: Baby! I wasn't being sarcastic, I was being completely serious. I'm happy, you like me. Not many people like my stories. Especially in Harry Potter...picky bastards...

Destinyheart15: Dude, totally long name...they would make a good couple, but that is in the past...I'm planning a little something for Bankotsu...look out...

royal blueKitsune: Geez, Bizzet gets it. It's creepy, Sesshomaru having feelings...NO RESPECT! None. If my pop was attacking my bitch, he's going down. Oh, and dude! You reviewed like ten seconds after I put the new chapter up...that was awesome...like, truly awesome.

kiraracutie4: Hope you like the "intimate" feeling in this chapter.

OKAY! Special thanks to my reviewers Azera-v, hermonine, Darkmoonfang, M1HZxC0NTAG10US (haha, had to copy and paste that), Kogasgirl142, and Sesshomaru's Miko (its okay, totally over the whole ill thing). In the words of Cartman..."I love you guys."