Wee…. More notes! Aren't you just thrilled?

1: Chapter two. I never thought I'd make it this far! Seriously, though. I thought I would get a hundred bad reviews and would have to delete the story 'cause of crushed self-esteem.

2: I feel like a dunce. I really, really do. I've been informed that I misspelled a word in my rant about blatant spelling mistakes. I've been crowned the biggest moron on the face of the earth. The only excuse I can offer is that I don't have spell check on my profile page, and I was currently suffering from the stomach flue, and therefore my brain temporarily melted and oozed out my ear.

3: Hmm… do I own Inuyasha? Ponders for a moment I guess not… Seriously though, I own a hairbrush, a shiny ear ring, and a broken pencil; nothing even resembling Inuyasha.

4: I love my reviewers. It seemed that I would check how many I had, leave the computer for five minutes, and then I would have another one when I came back. It was amazing. I wish my other story would get reviews like that (Hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, cough, sneeze) ahem…

5: I must explain, before this goes any further, the way I envisioned demon aging. I imagined that they would grow like humans for the first twenty or so years of their lives, and then simply stop aging, or if they did, at a very, very slow pace. Just thought I should explain that…


Take This to Your Grave

CHAPTER TWO

Sesshoumaru often took recluse among the gardens. Being alone among the coy ponds and sakura trees gave him a chance to think alone that he didn't normally get. His mother had taken such a great pride and joy out of these gardens, and just walking in them made him feel as if she was right there, walking beside him. He could feel her touch in every stray pedal; hear her voice in every fresh gust of wind that rustled the trees. But as soon as he allowed himself to feel such things, he snatched them away. Such fantasies were worthless and so utterly human that they disgusted him. His mother was gone, and nothing could ever bring her back.

The mid afternoon sun beat down upon Sesshoumaru's head as he paced the very grounds he had with his father the night before, pondering his new bride. She was beautiful, no doubt; a beautiful flower with a serpent's heart. Yet, her attitude made it so difficult to even attempt to get along with her. If he could barley stand to stay in a room with her for an extended period of time, how would he be able to stand being mated with her? Sharing his bed with the very bane of his existence, having her greet him after he returned from battle? The thought was not a welcome one.

As he rounded a corner, he saw her. Her back was facing him, black hair loose and falling about her shoulders in black waves. She was clad in a soft silk kimono, bale blue in color, a color that brought out the color in her eyes according to her many maids. She was seated on the edge of a coy pond, the tips of her toes dangling in the cold water. She seemed to be completely preoccupied with something in her hands, humming a song softly to herself.

Like the day before, she chose to ignore his until he was almost upon her. "Do you make it a habit to show up unannounced and assume that you are being stealthy, or is this a newly acquired fascination?" He growled and looked down at the top of her head. She held in her hands a small, pink sakura blossom, softly twisting and caressing it as she sang. Her pale face turned to look at him, looking at her.

"Do you make it a habit to be consistently rude to your future mate?"

"When he just happens to be you, then yes." She replied defiantly, rising and throwing the blossom to the brightly colored fish, which proceeded to fight vigorously over whether or not it was edible. She started to walk away when he grabbed her hand, and then pondered what had possessed him to do so. The question was pushed from his mind as he marveled at the diminutive size of her hands. They were small and delicate, everything a princess' hands should be, and had never seen a day of work in their life.

"Walk with me, Higurashi. There are things we must discuss civilly, together." Slowly, she took up his arm and they walked together. This sudden change of attitude towards each other shocked both parties. It was like, half of them were screaming at the other person, and the other half honestly wanted to take a stab at working this out before they were actually wed.

Far above, two sets of eyes watched as the couple walked and talked, Sesshoumaru making odd hand gestures to prove some sort of point, to which Kagome would only giggle. Izayoi looked over at Sayuri, Kagome's mother, and smiled. This day would be a day for miracles.


"I do wish to make this work, Sesshoumaru, I truly do. If not for the sake of our countries than for our parents. I know we've had our differences, but I'm honestly willing to give this a try." Kagome couldn't believe it. An hour together in the gardens, and they had managed to be completely diplomatic and civil towards each other the entire time.

"I will agree to this," Sesshoumaru started, "as long as you agree not to be so insistently annoying all the time." Little, astonished bubble suddenly popped in a rush of shattered hopes and hot air. It wasn't as if she had expected him to last even this long. It was the longest that he had lasted without an insult aimed towards her in at least five years.

"The only reason I am so annoying to you, it that you have an icicle shoved so far up your ass that it impairs you to the point where you can do nothing but be an arrogant ass." She removed her hand from the warmth of his arm and stalked off, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes for the second time in two days. Only this time, she would not let them fall. She could not give Sesshoumaru the satisfaction of letting him know he had made her cry.

He always seemed to spoil everything. It was amazing how someone so much older than her could still manage to lower himself to such childish tactics as making a girl cry. Especially since that girl was to marry him in eight days. Only eight days. It seemed like such a short time to wait before she was married. And then, there would be the bonding ritual, which would take place in Sesshoumaru's private chambers. Would he be so cold and distant towards her then? Once they were married and bound to each other until they died, would he change his demeanor?

The obvious answer was, of course, no. They had known each other for eighteen years, and would for hundreds of years to come. Why should he change now, for her? There was no reason. They would be mated, and that would be it. He would show no compassion, no feeling, not even a fondness for his life mate, nothing but apathy and resentment.

She sighed and kicked a stone with her bare foot, then let out a low hiss of pain. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to be engaged to someone like him. Hell, she wasn't even supposed to be engaged at all. This was the time of her life where she was supposed to be enjoying her freedom, not waiting to be married to a stotic demon lord who's only interests were gaining the south and his whores. She was supposed to find someone she loved, much later, and marry him, and hopefully have children.

That was another thing. She was expected to produce an heir. A male heir. This would mean that she would have to share her bed with him until she did. And if their child wasn't male, then what would he do? Have her executed? Kill the pup? Simply try again? The very thought made her head spin with an abundance of possibilities, each one more terrible than the next.

The whole thing made her head hurt. Kagome didn't like being so serious, frowning and crying all the time did not sit well with her. She liked to smile, to laugh, to be happy in general. But just being near Sesshoumaru seemed to drain every ounce of happiness out of her, leaving only a cold, miserable shell behind. She let out another sigh and thought that she might head back up to the castle. Another hour and they would send a search party out looking for her.


With one mighty sweep of his sword, Sesshoumaru took out another opponent. He had been feeling particularly agitated after his latest spat with Kagome, and decided to take it out in the practice dojo, where many of his father's guards were happy to be used as adversary. The sword he was using was not deadly, of course, and was so dull it would hardly cut butter, but it would do. With a feral growl, Sesshoumaru took down another challenger, cracking him over the head and effectively knocking him unconscious. Without another word, the demon prince threw the worthless sword to the side, his anger contained, and every single one of his father's best soldiers on the floor, out cold.
"… and he's just so difficult to get along with. Just when I feel like I've made some progress with him, he turns all icy on me and blocks me out. He enjoys being difficult and getting under my skin, and I don't think he could go a day without insulting me or my family. I don't think I can take it anymore, Sango, what am I going to do?" Kagome ranted, her face buried in a pillow.

"Weren't you part of said insults just yesterday? Why the change of outlook?"

"Well, I figured that, if we have to be married, then we might as well get along, right? So last night I made a resolution to try and behave civilly while around him, but he makes it so hard. It's like, whenever I'm near him, I get this hot feeling inside me, and all I want to do is yell and kick and scream until he leaves me alone. It's so infuriating. I hate him, but I really don't want to hate him. I don't want to hate anyone, but I can't help it… and now I'm rambling and putting all my silly troubles on you, and I'm sorry, Sango." She looked up at her dark haired friend, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Don't you dare say you're sorry, 'Gome. I'll always be here for you, okay. You don't need to ask or apologize when you need me. Besides, if I weren't here with you I would be in the kitchens, getting felt up by Miroku. I'm glad to say I'd rather be here."

"You wound me deep, dear Sango." Came a smooth voice from the door, and both girls looked up to see a handsome man clad in purple robes leaning against the door frame, clutching his chest and faking a pained expression.

"I'll wound you deep, alright," Sango muttered narrowing her eyes at him, "how long have you been standing there?"

"Oh, long enough," Miroku then proceeded to clasp his hands together, flutter his eyelashes, and mock in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like Kagome's, "I don't want to hate him, but I can't help…" He was cut off by a hand coming down on the top of his head, leaving him seeing stars, and Kagome giggling at the sizable lump that was forming on top of his head. The pained monk rose from the ground with a triumphant grin set firmly in place. "See, I knew I could make you laugh. I live to serve the needs of women. Especially, beautiful women such as yourself…" POW. Miroku was back on the ground, this time totally unconscious. Kagome marveled for a moment, wondering how his lecherous grin could still be in place after he just got whacked over the head twice by the woman he was trying to seduce.


Sesshoumaru entered the dim library, the single candle casting an eerie glow around the room. Scanning he room, he saw what he was looking for, the book Kagome had been reading the day before. It sat, lone and innocent, upon the crimson couch. He picked it up and threw himself unceremoniously upon the cushions, opening the leather bound book to the page that was marked.

Through the forest have I gone.
But Athenian found I none,
On whose eyes I might approve
This flower's force in stirring love.
Night and silence.--Who is here?
Weeds of Athens he doth wear:
This is he, my master said,
Despised the Athenian maid;
And here the maiden, sleeping sound,
On the dank and dirty ground.
Pretty soul! she durst not lie
Near this lack-love, this kill-courtesy.
Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
All the power this charm doth owe.
When thou wakest, let love forbid

It was, as he had said before, total and complete rubbish. And yet, he kept reading, his mind enthralled and intrigued by this writer he had never heard of before, and his book that belonged to his future mate. Turning the page thoughtfully, the demon lord read on.


A/N: I'm really surprised at how many of you like this. I didn't expect to get any reviews. So, I updated soon. What do you think, bad? Good? Hate it? Love it? Review and tell me, unless you hate it, then I don't care. The passage is from a play by William Shakespeare called A Midsummer Night's Dream. I know they didn't have Shakespeare back then, but I had to find an old writer, and were studying him now, so… ya.

KibaSin- Thank you so very much. Yes this is my first Sess/Kag story. I wasn't too sure of how to have the two interact. I know they would be at each other's throats, constantly, but I wasn't too sure how to go about it. I'm glad that you like it, anyway.

Jee- I have a word, too… PENGUIN!

423-93- I hope you're reading it now! Please review again, I'd be very, very happy!