"How hard did you hit him kagome?" Shippo asked staring down at miroku's silent form. He smiled to himself. The perverted monk deserved it for spying on kagome.

Kagome had returened from the hot springs to find an unconsuice sango by the fire and inuyasha no where to be found. ' some birthday'. A picture of sesshomaru flashed in her minds eye and she couldn't help but smile. Then shippo had returned and they had hugged happily. She had missed him very much. His bright smile and bushy tail always made her smile.

"It was an accident shippo. Besides he was spying on me!" Shippo snickered, kagome stuck her tongue out at miroku's body and walked off. She couldn't believe he had been spying on her after last months little episode by the hot springs. Sango had given him a good knock on the head and he had been out for a whole day. But as soon as he woke up he was right back to his old tricks. Kagome sighed,well ok so she could believe it but that wasn't the point.

" wait up kagome!" she turned and smiled at him.

"what is it shippo?"

"Where are you going?"

" I'm just going for a walk in the forest." she shouldered her bow and quiver of arrows." I'll bring these along just incase." she smiled at shippo but he still looked doubtful.

"I'm not so shur about this kagome. Maybe inuyasha should go with you." shippo remebered his little meeting with sesshomaru in the forest. He didn't want kagome to get hurt again even if it was by another family member and not inuyasha. He looked around camp but couldn't see Inuyahsa anywhere." where'd he go anyway?"

" i have no idea he was gone when i got here." Kagome knelt down next to the little kitsun "I'll be fine shippo" she smiled at him and then looked across the camp fire at the sleeping form of sango." and while I'm gone will you look after sango and make sure miroku doesn't get to her. I've already dressed her wounds and given her same pain medication so she should be fine."

Shippo stood taller and nodded all thoughts of sesshomaru out of his mind" I'll keep him away from her. Don't you worry kagome!"

She smiled and stood up." I knew I could count on you." she turned then paused " and if inuyasha comes back tell him not to worry."she turned and walked into the trees.

Shippo stared at her until the trees blocked his veiw. Inuyasha would be furious when he came back and saw that kagome was gone. Shippo sighed and walked across the camp to sit by sango and gaurd her. He eyed miroku nervously wondering if he was really unconuice or just faking it.

Shippo squeaked when he was grabbed from behind. He turned fearfully to stare at his attacker when he saw sango trying to stand up. " Sango you must rest!" he gently tryed to push her back down onto kagome's 'bag of sleeping' but she fought him. she collapsed unto the ground sucking in air.

"I have to warn... someone..." She spoke slowly as though it hurt to speak.

" What is it sango?" shippo became frightened by her manor of speech. Her face was pale and her eyes were dull.

" Hundereds of them... coming..."

"Who's coming?"

"Demons..." Sango sank back and sighed. For a moment shippo thought she had died. Then he heard her heart beating. Shippo slapped his forhead. He should have rembered that kagomes pills made you sleepy. He looked at sango and then slowly realization dawned on his face.

" Demons!but kagome's out there all alone!"

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The wind was soft and warm on her cheeks. She breathed in the smell of cherry blossoms and sighed.'It's was turning out to bea great birthday! sarcasmFirst a fight with inuyasha and then miroku was spying on her! None of them had even said happy birthday!' She shook her head. She wondered if anything would ever change.

An image of sesshomaru appeared in her mind.She bit her lip. What was she doing here looking for him anyway?

She didn't know what had happened at the hot springs. She had felt happy and a strange feeling of comfort when she had been talking with sesshomaru. Her chest squeezed when ever she thought about the small smile she had seen cross his face. However, kagome blushed when she remebered that she had been naked the entire time he had been talking to her.

She heard a rustling sound up ahead and her heart leapt. Maybe it was sesshomaru. She quietly made her way through the trees and came to a small clearing. The moonlight splashed across the scene before her. Inuyasha had kikyou up against a tree and was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. He growled and she moaned. Kagome just stood there, her legs refusing to move. Tears slowly spilled over onto her cheeks. 'How could he? He left sango hurt and the rest of us without even a seconded thought so he could go kiss that... thing.'

She gasped. How could she think such things about the two of them when all along she had been the one that had gotten inbetween their love. She was the one that had interfered not kikyou. The cold hard truth stood there plainly before her. She was the other womennot kikyou.She let out a small sob and then turned and ran.

She ran as far and as fast as her legs would go. She had no idea where she was going or when she would get there. She didn't really care. No one was there to help her. She was all alone. An image of sesshomaru's smiling face flashed across her mind and she sobbed. " sesshomaru... help me." she whispered into the night air.

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She ran until she couldn't anymore. She cmae to a small clearing andcollapsed near the shores of a lake. Shelay there on the ground trying to breath and at the same time erase the image of kikyou and inuyasha from her mind. She sat up slowly and looked at the glassy surface of the lake. The moons reflection made it look like a pool of liquid silver. She sighed and let her head hang.

"why are you crying?" his smooth voice floated across the water. Her heartskippeda beat. She looked up quickly searching for sesshomaru but he wasn't there. She could have sworn she had heard his voice. She almost screamed when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. His breath tickled her ear as he whispered "why are you crying priestess?"

She breathed in a sigh of releif when she realised it was sesshomaru.She paused, she felt safe and warm with his arm around her. She crossed her arms over his and slowly began to cry again.

He held her shivering form as her body was racked with silent tears. She felt so small and so vulnerable in his embrace. He gently pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his other arm around her. A tear slipped down her cheek and onto his arm.

This had to be inuyashas doing. She must have seen him and that old piece of dirt together aka kikyou. He just didn't see why inuyasha would prefer the reek of bones and dirt to the smell of fresh lavender. Sesshomaru inhaled deeply, letting the smell of her invade his mind and relaxe his anger.

He slowly became aware of the fact that she was sleeping soundly against him.' She must be exhausted from that through the forest.' He had seen her running and had followed her. He even remembered her whispered plea for his help. He recalled his sudden surge of emotion when she had called his name.

He looked down at the black haired beauty in his arms. Her hair was lying across his chest and herblue eyes were closed but he could imagine the intelligent piercing gaze. His eyes traveled over her delicate features and finally rested on her lips. They were slightly parted in sleep and he could feel her warm breath on his face.

He leaned down and to his surprise he gently brushed his own lips against hers. She was soft and warm. He had never dreamed of anything like this let alone that he would ever kiss a human girl. He closed his eyes and smiled against her lips. No she wasn't a girl she was a women.

He felt her stir and quickly lifted his head. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him. "You came." she stated it simply but there was such relief in her voice.

"Of course I always keep my word..." he paused" andI didn't have any bushes to beat so of courseI came." she stared at him for a moment and then laughed. so his first joke was a success. She looked down and stared at his and her arms. He gently stared to pull away but she tightened her hold on him and to his surprise she turned pleading eyes up to him.

"Don't go. Not yet." her voice was teary and she had a frown on her small lips. He looked at her tortured eyes and promised himself that he would never be the one to make hercry.So he nodded and pulled her closer to him. He could hear her heart beat and the sound was... beautiful.

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She leaned against his chest and remembered the dream she had had. Sesshomaru had kiss her and she had liked it...a lot...she blushed and tried to tell herself that it had only been a dream but, it had felt so real. Even though she knew that he would never kiss a human girl she couldn't help but savor the memory of the kiss in her dream. She looked up at the stars and gasped. A shooting star crossed the sky in a sparkling streak.

"What is it?" he whispered into her ear. She shivered and tried to ignore the excitement she could feel running through her.

"A shooting star!"

"There are many that fall from the sky you know." he stared down at her and puzzled at her strange words. She never ceased to suprise him.

Kagomesmiled and tried to explain."Where I come fromwhen a star falls you are supposed to make a wish and it will come true." she looked up at him and smiled." so make a wish." he stared at her beaytiful smile and then up at the sky. The stars shimmered and glowed in the night sky and he closed his eyes.

Kagome watched him. his face turned up to the moonlight and his hair gently blowing in the soft wind.She couldn't figure out the fellings rushing through her mind and her heart. Everything was happening all to fast for her to understand it or him. Why did he care so much about her and why now?

"I must leave now." he let her go and stood. He reached a hand down to her and pulled her up to stand in front of him. He looked at her one more time and the turned to leave.

"Wait..."

"Yes priestess?"

"When will I see you again?" she looked a little worried as if she thought he wouldn't come back.

"I will be here tomorrow night kagome." he turned and left her in the clearing by the lake.

She smiled and then paused that was the first time he had ever called her 'kagome'. She smiled to her self. It truly had been and interesting birthday.