Chapter 4

Sesshomaru landed gracefully on the other side of the mountains, and the cloud on which he had been flying vanished immediately. Naraku's aura was apparent before Sesshomaru even knew it was there; the air became dry and stale, and a foul scent leaked out into the night air. Even Kikyo felt it, for she was clinging to Sesshomaru's robes.

"You're… bringing me to him?" Kikyo stammered.

Sesshomaru kept quiet; he did not wish to answer her, afraid of changing his mind and leaving Rin to rot with Naraku….he couldn't do that to her. Not after the warmth that Rin had left in his heart….

"I do not have any wish to see that loathsome half-breed" Kikyo stated bluntly. "Now put me down!"

Sesshomaru ignored her and continued on; he found that being with Kikyo allowed him to pass through the miasma effortlessly. There stood the temple, looming before them, casting a menacing shadow upon them both. The familiar sight silenced Kikyo, and Sesshomaru smirked.

"So you've been here before, have you?" he said quietly. Kikyo did not respond.

Sesshomaru climbed fearlessly up the stone steps and slid open the door. It was dark and quiet inside, without a single hint of life. Where's Naraku? He thought, heading down the corridor to the right. Something caught Sesshomaru's eye, and he turned to see what it was. A human skeleton was dangling from the ceiling, looking old and rotten. Dead bodies continued to pop up as they traveled through a maze of hallways, and still Naraku was nowhere to be found. Sesshomaru was getting more irritated by the minute.

"You must know where he is" Sesshomaru said to Kikyo. But before she could answer, a figure stepped out of the shadows. There stood Kagura, wearing the most malicious expression as she set eyes upon them. Sesshomaru's eyebrows narrowed.

"You're that witch!" Kikyo exclaimed.

Kagura grinned. "Yes I am, as a matter of fact. And what have we here? My my….a priestess and youkai lord!"

"Out of the way Kagura" growled Sesshomaru. "Or I'll sweep the floor with you."

"Temper, temper! I'm just curious as to why Kikyo is not dead? Wasn't it Naraku's order to kill her?"

Sesshomaru stared in surprise. "How did you know?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I work for Naraku. I know everything" Kagura said coldly. Kikyo glared at her furiously.

"Where is he?" Sesshomaru demanded.

"It doesn't matter, since he is currently in no state to see you" said Kagura. "But I have that brat of a child here. The one you wish to save."

Kagura pulled a reluctant Rin out of the darkness and shoved her in front of Sesshomaru. She looked more ragged and tired then ever as she dropped down on her hands and knees to bow. She got up quickly and hid behind Kagura once more. Kikyo had a look of shock; Sesshomaru was staring intently at what he could see of Rin.

"She fears you" Kagura sneered.

Sesshomaru smirked. "Yes, but she is revived."

"She may be in good health, but you haven't kept your side of the bargain" Kagura snapped.

Kikyo saw a faint light glowing from Rin, and she suddenly realized what Naraku had done. "That foul little….he contaminated the poor girl with a Shikon shard!" she gasped.

Sesshomaru's expression turned icy cold. Kagura smiled sheepishly and started backing up.

"I forgot…you can detect the shards too. Well that's that!" Kagura grabbed Rin and made a run for it. They turned the corner and disappeared just as suddenly as they had come.

"You…you were going to sacrifice me to save that child?" Kikyo asked softly. Sesshomaru let her go and she collapsed on the floor.

"There is no point anymore. Rin is already poisoned with a shard, and is in complete control of Naraku. Whether I kill you or not won't make a difference."

Sesshomaru turned on his heel and headed back the way he came, despite the searing pain in his chest. Kikyo scrambled to her feet and blocked his path.

"Are you just going to abandon her?"

"What do you expect me to do?" Sesshomaru shot back. "Naraku has once again tricked me into doing his dirty deeds with no reward. I will see to it that I keep to myself from now on. I'm afraid that Rin was a mistake to bring along."

Kikyo was fuming now. Even though she hated Sesshomaru, she had a soft spot for children and couldn't let this happen. Especially since Naraku was the one pulling the strings behind everything. "You love her" she said.

Sesshomaru's heart skipped a beat and he glared at Kikyo. "I…what?"

"You love her like a little sister, and don't try to deny it!"

"Don't be stupid. She's the reason I'm in this mess. And demons don't 'love'."

"You know, I never thought you'd stoop to Naraku's level. But now you are just like him; unable to admit that part of you loves someone. Onigumo wanted me to be his woman, so he fed his soul to demons in order to gain a body. Instead of a normal body, Naraku was born. He is a stubborn man, and refuses to believe that Onigumo's heart still lives inside of him. Until he becomes a full demon and rids himself of that heart, he cannot hurt me."

Sesshomaru listened to Kikyo's story, knowing yet not wanting it to be true. Me? Love? Is that what I've been feeling for Rin? For Kikyo? Impossible. And though his mind was full of doubts, his heart was living proof that she was right. Sesshomaru wanted to leave his emotions behind at the temple and get on with his life, but his feet were rooted to the spot. There was a chance that Rin could be saved. If Sesshomaru got to her soon enough, before the shard's deadly poisons were able to spread…

"There is but one difference between you and Naraku, Lord Sesshomaru" Kikyo continued, interrupting his thoughts. "You are not a fool. I am only a body made of earth and bones, but Rin is a girl just beginning her life. You chose to hunt me down to save her, and only a noble demon would go through that trouble."

A warm feeling swept over Sesshomaru at these words, but he ignored it. "Save your breath, woman. I don't know what kind of nonsense you're spouting, but it sure isn't worth my time." When all hope disappeared from Kikyo's face, Sesshomaru added hastily, "…time I could be using to find Rin."

He's becoming more and more sympathetic Kikyo thought. Am I melting his heart the way Kagome did for Inuyasha? Has Sesshomaru never fallen in love? If only he knew what it was like…