"A Heart's Immaculence"
Disclaimer: I absolutely and in no way own Inuyasha.
Author's Note: Sorry for updating later than I usually do this time. I was busy once again, but it's a good thing I have found the time to write now. My readers, thank you for reading and reviewing as always! Okay, now some of you were rather confused about what happened in the two previous chapters and what that means in relation to Sesshomaru and Kagome. Well, while Sesshomaru was dreaming about his father, Kagome was only staring at him. When she was starting to touch him, he was already awake but he pretended as if he was still asleep. If you read into it carefully, you'll notice I mention darkness a lot and the appearance of images. When it went dark, Sesshomaru was no longer dreaming, but when he saw images he was. Now when I talk about Kagome touching him, if you go back, I said he was in darkness, meaning he had his eyes closed and saw nothing because he was not dreaming anymore. I know, I'm probably confusing you even more. Just know that when Kagome was touching him, it was real, but while she was doing that he went into a dream state again. However, in that dream Kagome is touching him more provocatively (not real) and they were about to kiss (not real again) until Inuyasha interfered. Of course Kagome is not dead because it was all a dream. Another thing to have in mind is that Sesshoamru dreamt Inuyasha killed Kagome while Inuyasha dreamt that Sesshomaru did. Both of them are not necessarily dreaming the same thing, but what is the same is Kagome getting killed. The question is will either dream come true? Will Sesshomaru and Kagome's secret attraction for each other surface out into the open uninterrupted? You'll just have to read on to find out.
Chapter Fifteen
Warmth and attraction.
Yearning and longing.
Desire and passion.
Such are the emotions of one who has been seduced by the heart. As separate feelings, they are unique in themselves and hold a particular beauty all their own. But gather them together, a combination of them creates a concoction more potent than absinthe or laudanum, for if anyone should drink from it, intoxication would instantly consume the body, leaving it limp.
For that succinct moment in his dream, Sesshomaru had fallen under the influence of that potion he had drunk from the vile given to him by Kagome's touch. His mind was in a haze, and an invisible mist shrouded his eyes so that he was unable to see anything outside his conscience. Such were the affects of his emotions, a lethargic journey into that hidden part of himself he had ignored.
However, as calmly and serene as he felt, he did not covet the consequences which threatened to annihilate what his heart had acquired from his experience. Unfortunately, he was not accustomed to so many emotions seeking refuge inside his soul, making him slightly ill and discomforted, forcing his demonic nature to rupture through him to be released to the external elements beyond dream.
Anger.
With his senses and vision returned to their full wakefulness, Sesshomaru stared into Kagome's eyes suspiciously as she looked at him in shock. He was ashamed but mostly enraged for submitting himself to love's temptation and power, yet he knew that his anger did not only originate from this but from another source. The dream he had about Kagome being slain by Inuyasha roused a violent and tempestuous storm that thundered within him ferociously. He did not understand its meaning, but he refused to dwell on it for the time being. His focus was on Kagome and what she had done to him while he was in a state of vulnerability.
In a swift motion, he stood up and stared down at Kagome with half-relieved, half-angered eyes, then narrowing them slowly, casting his body's shadow which loomed over her, appearing as if he was prepared to attack her.
"What have you done to me?" Sesshomaru said in a cold whisper.
"What?" Kagome replied in a whisper as well, placing a hand over her chest as if she could not breathe.
"It was you, was it not? You are responsible for all of it!"
Despite being angry, Sesshomaru raised his arm slowly and gracefully as a swan would do to its wing before ascending the sky. Kagome recognized the motion, and she was in fear he would attack her before she could give him an explanation about her reason for caressing his face. Her body was quivering, not from the cold, but from this sudden turn of events. She should have known better and kept her distance from him, yet her desire to touch him weakened her mental vigor. It was as if she had dared herself to do it, and she was now going to be reprimanded by the demon lord she realized she was falling in love with, for no other power in her life could have compelled her to do something so foolish unless it was birthed from her heart.
"I'm sorry," she said, repressing tears, saddened that her touch was what triggered his anger. "I can explain why I—"
But before she could provide an explanation, Sesshomaru flicked his wrist, stretched his fingers until his claws were fully extended, and swung his arm at Kagome. She let out a scream and dived to the ground, avoiding his attack, grateful that the tree next to her was cut in half rather than her own body.
"What are you doing!" Kagome shouted, picking herself up and facing him again. "I told you I can explain my actions. Please hear me out!"
Sesshomaru was ready to attack for a second time, Kagome turning around and running, her legs rigid at the joints, the cold penetrating into her flesh and paralyzing her bones. She was unable to run far, and Sesshomaru jumped into the air and made a back flip over her moving figure, landing in front of her and blocking her from having any opportunity to escape.
"Why are you now so eager to be away from me?" said Sesshomaru, narrowing his eyes more tightly. "You did not seem anxious to leave before, you being so awfully close to me while I was asleep."
"I-I was…I did n-not…" Kagome said breathlessly, pausing in between her words to catch her breath.
"To think I would allow you to degrade me this way, to be seduced by you, a mere human."
"Huh?"
Kagome was stunned and embarrassed. She did not believe Sesshomaru accused her of seducing him. She had touched him simply because she was curious and not for any other reason. His accusation hurt her feelings, but she was not about to reveal the injury he had inflicted. Rather than permitting her tears to fall, she took shelter by switching on her fiery temper.
"Hold on, you!" said Kagome, placing her hands on her hips. "I did not seduce you! Like I would have the courage to do something like that! What kind of a girl do you think I am, anyway? You must have been dreaming. Strange though. You don't look like the type to have dreams of that kind."
"Was it a dream?" Sesshomaru replied, unconvinced. "I was fully awake when you placed your hands on me, only I kept my eyes closed. However, I did have a dream similar to the reality I was experiencing, but it was one which slightly weakened my mind."
"You pretended you were asleep when I touched you? That's so lame!"
"You desired to trap me. Did you plan to bind me to a tree and put me under a spell as your former self had done with Inuyasha fifty years ago? Luckily I was able to break away from you before placing myself in a shameful situation. Fortunately, I will not fall prey to your feminine trickery as did my brother."
"Former self? It was Kikyo who did that, not me! I did not come to see you so I could put you under a spell! Besides, I don't have that kind of power. I didn't even bring my bow and arrows with me to do such a thing, even if I knew how."
"How foolish of you, venturing inside the forest unarmed."
"And what about you? You're not wearing your swords, remember? Jaken has them, so that makes you the foolish one, leaving your weapons in the care of that idiotic toad. What if he loses them or they're taken away from him?"
"Nonsense! Jaken has been my servant for the longest time. I have always entrusted him to care for matters of great importance to me. He knows the consequences if he fails at his tasks. He rarely commits an error and has never lost anything of mine."
"What about Rin? He has lost her before, and I was a witness to that."
"Rin?" he paused for a moment, thinking heavily and looking away form her, a twitch in his cheek, his anger suddenly subsiding.
"She is not mine," he said softly.
In seeing Sesshomaru's reaction concerning Rin, Kagome was gratified that the softness in him emerged and overpowered his fury towards her, even if it was of the smallest caliber. She saw in him his deep caring for her, yet he rarely showed it to anyone, such as if the situation was drastic enough, he still would not demonstrate it openly.
"Why did you come here?" he said harshly, his eyes returning to their normal polished smoothness, his face ironed back to a velvety sheen.
"Well," Kagome said, sensing the threat of Sesshomaru attacking her diminished.
She moved her arms from her hips and crossed them over her chest, hoping that would help her to keep her balance, feeling as if her heart was about to erupt inside her.
"Umm. I just wanted to see you, talk to you. I was kind of bored over there where I was."
"Is that why you touched me?" said Sesshomaru, probing at her with his gaze. "You wanted to wake me for the sake of conversation?"
"I know it sounds silly, especially for you since you are always quiet and never really talk to anyone."
Kagome hesitated and bit her lower lip, remembering something that had occurred before Sesshomaru had opened his eyes.
"What are you thinking about?" Sesshomaru asked, noticing her deeming expression.
"Before you woke up, I heard you moaning my name."
Looking away from her, Sesshomaru was appalled that he had uttered her name in front of her, realizing he had probably spoken it when he was dreaming, remembering he had said her name after Inuyasha had slashed her with his claws.
"I did nothing of the sort," he replied arrogantly.
Kagome bent her body forward as if she were going to scold a small child.
"Do I look deaf to you? I know what I heard. Not that I care whether or not you say my name, but it's the way you said it that bothers me."
"What do you mean?"
"You said my name in a way that frightened me. Your tone was kind of shaky and it sounded like you were worried."
"I do not desire to hear your lies any further."
"Oh, will you just quit acting so high and mighty! Why can't you admit that you said my name? I told you I don't care. It's like me when I say your name. I say it without any feeling or emotion. I can say it all the time like a broken record. Lord Sesshomaru, Lord Sesshomaru, Lord Sesshomaru, on and on and on and on…."
Kagome's voice was beginning to reach its high-pitched peak, which it usually did when her temper increased, and Sesshomaru had the urge to cover his ears, or better yet to rip the vocal chords from her throat.
"I am growing tired of you," Sesshomaru said impatiently. "You deprived me of sleep, and now you are getting on my nerves. You irritate me with your absurdities."
"You're right!" Kagome replied, rolling here eyes. "I was stupid to think I could have a decent conversation with you. I would have had a better time being with Rin, even if she was asleep."
The mentioning of Rin caught Sesshomaru's attention, and he almost growled under his breath.
"You left her alone!" said Sesshomaru through clenched teeth.
Kagome held her breath, her arms falling lazily beside her. How could she leave Rin alone in the darkness of the forest? What had she done? She blushed, knowing it was because of her own selfish desire to see Sesshomaru.
"Rin," she said fearfully. "Oh, no! I did leave her alone, didn't I? I'm such a bad person!"
Sesshomaru gave Kagome a disapproving look, his anger dominant again, and he dashed into the forest without hesitation.
"Wait for me!" yelled Kagome, and she ran into the darkness, retracing her steps from which she had come, hoping she would be able to find the campsite on her own. Of course Sesshomaru was probably there already, but she had to be careful not to rush herself and risk getting lost.
She did not know exactly how much time it took her to find it, but when she arrived at the campsite, the darkness was lifting and the birds were chirping a morning song. As she expected, Sesshomaru was already there and Rin was fully awake gathering her blanket and picking up around the fire that was now so small it looked like a candle flame. Kagome saw that some of her belongings were still scattered around, so she began to pick them up and place them in her backpack when Rin hugged her.
"Kagome!" she said. "You're back! Where did you go? When I woke up in the middle of the night, I didn't see you anywhere."
Feeling guilty about leaving Rin alone, she hugged her tightly and stoked her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Rin," Kagome apologized. "I wasn't thinking straight. I left without realizing what I had done."
"Why did you leave?"
Kagome did not want to repeat the answer to Rin's question, and she tried to think of something to tell her that would be acceptable.
"Now is not the time to talk, Rin," Sesshomaru said, his reasons for interjecting similar to Kagome's hesitation to give a reply to Rin's inquisitiveness. "It is almost daylight, and we must be on our way."
"Yes, my lord," Rin dutifully.
Kagome helped Rin gather all that was left of theirs, but as she was doing so, she felt she was being stared at, and she saw that it was Sesshomaru who made her feel a little too prickly for her taste. He was leaning himself against a tree, as still and as perfectly sculpted as an Egyptian statue made of the finest and most expensive materials. However, Sesshomaru was lacking slightly in elegance partly because his white boa and two swords were missing from his attire. It was as if a part of his character was missing, and it made him seem less superior than he truly was.
I hate it when he looks at me like that! Kagome thought. Can't he look at something else? He's doing this on purpose, getting back at me for touching him the way I did.
She felt an impulse to stick out her tongue at him, but she knew that doing that would make her seem more uncivilized to him, so she imagined it in her mind instead, making her laugh.
"Amused by something?" Sesshomaru asked
"Yes, you!" Kagome laughed again.
Her behavior is rather unnatural, he thought. Why does she act with such playfulness and mischief? Had she not been born human, she would have certainly been an elf!
After everything was put in its place, the demon lord and the two human girls waited for Jaken to return with Ah-Un and Sesshomaru's boa and swords. He arrived rather quickly, just as the first rays of the morning sun shot their light through the sky in thin, straw-like bands. He was riding on Ah-Un's back, and Sesshomaru's swords were strapped to the saddle, but Jaken was carrying the boa with his two tiny hands. There was a worried look on his face and he was sweating, trying as best he could to prevent the freshly cleaned boa from touching the ground and getting dirty again.
Dismounting form the dragons, Jaken walked over to Sesshomaru, bowed and handed him the boa, which the youkai grabbed almost too eagerly, inspecting it for any discrepancies before fastening it in its proper place over his right shoulder. He went over to Ah-Un and unfastened the Tenseiga and Tokijin, unsheathing each one in turn and inspecting them as well. Satisfied with the result, he then turned to Ah-Un and looked him over thoroughly until he completed his check on him.
"You did well, Jaken," Sesshomaru said, securing his swords tightly on his hip.
Jaken's face glowed and his eyes twinkled, a green and yellow fluorescence surrounding him like a heavenly halo.
"Thank you, my lord," he said, bowing lower. "It is always my pleasure to serve you."
"Now we must leave."
Rin mounted Ah-Un and snuggled her face in their main, for they were clean and had no traces of smell left on them. They all began to walk together, delving farther into the forest. Kagome looked at the dragons and was impressed herself. She saw that Jaken was indeed capable of doing things correctly and without error, but tasks such as what he had done were carried out in pure adoration for his master. When she thought about it, she would not have minded completing a task for Lord Sesshomaru either, for she was beginning to love him enough to do whatever he asked, yet she knew that if he told her to leave, it would be something she probably would not have the courage to do.
As she was thinking, she noticed Jaken was looking at her in a manner that disturbed her. He had an evil gleam in his eye, and she felt the heaviness of it seep into her skin. Kagome did not respond to him immediately with a verbal or physical attack, but she wanted to poke his eyes out. Jaken was also rather quiet and did not speak a word, his face grim and serious. Even Rin herself noticed his change in attitude.
"What's wrong, master Jaken?" Rin said, but as soon as the child had spoken, the little green demon became sad and lowered his head.
"He's sad because he didn't have a chance to dream last night," Kagome said, her discomfort with Jaken disappearing when she thought about him unable to dream about a certain youkai. She then giggled softly.
"You're to blame for my misery!" Jaken blared.
Rin looked at Kagome with her usual, questioning eyes, and Sesshomaru himself was averted from his thoughts. He was thinking about his dream, trying to fathom its meaning, analyzing what had occurred there, wondering if it was a warning to him that Kagome's life was in danger. Instinctively, he felt a need to protect Kagome from his brother, but he was again bemused by his deep feelings.
Kagome pointed a finger at herself and raised her eyebrows.
"Me?" she said. "What did I do to you? I should be the one sulking after what you did to me, making me run after you naked and having to go through the embarrassment of Lord Sesshomaru seeing me like that!"
Sesshomaru closed his eyes, shaking his head weakly, embarrassment surfacing on his face again.
"Sorry," Kagome said to Sesshomaru, seeing the crimson in his cheeks.
He said nothing.
"That's not what I mean!" Jaken continued. " I'm talking about you being with Lord Sesshomaru, you and him together near that tree at night. You were doing horrible things to him!"
"Were you spying on me again!" Kagome was now the one with the evil eyes.
"What did you see, Jaken?" Sesshomaru said.
He was not too pleased with the topic of argument which had arisen between Jaken and Kagome, but he had to settle the matter if it got out of hand for the two.
Jaken did not like the tone in his lord's voice, but he could not keep in his emotions.
"You see, Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken explained dramatically. "After I finished cleaning your swords, I wanted to return them to you so that you had them on hand to defend yourself in case an enemy attacked you. When I searched you out and found you sleeping against the tree, I saw the wench touching you. Both of you were together. You didn't even make an effort to push her away from you, and I even heard you speak her name. I was so stunned by what I saw that I couldn't move."
Kagome and Sesshomaru stared at Jaken as though he had caught them in an act they had never committed.
Touching both his cheeks, Jaken shook his head wildly and began to cry uncontrollably.
"I do not understand, my lord! How could you! How could you allow yourself to be felt and touched by a human woman? She has defiled you, ruined your pure demon beauty. You are forever marred by her, left with a black stain that can never be removed. No, Lord Sesshomaru! I can't stand knowing you and her— that both of you—no! I can't even say it!"
"What exactly are you implying, Jaken!" Sesshomaru snapped.
All Kagome could do was laugh at Jaken's outpour of emotions, yet she sympathized with Sesshomaru since he was obviously more embarrassed and angry than he had been previously. However, she was convinced that what Jaken said was rather true when considering Sesshomaru's attitude towards humans.
Why wouldn't he be angry? Kagome mused. He probably agrees with Jaken, that I stained him with my human touch. I'm so stupid! As if he'd even like a girl like me. It was hard enough making Inuyasha like me, and the task of making Sesshomaru notice me is nearly impossible.
She continued to look at Jaken and he was behaving even more ridiculous, wailing and falling to the ground, pounding his fists on the dirt, kicking his legs up and down.
"I knew it!" Kagome exclaimed, observing Jaken, her guesses at the imp's feelings towards Sesshomaru turning out to be correct. "You've gone head over heels for him, haven't you?"
"What?" Jaken asked, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Ugh! Do not speak to me, filthy human! What you did to Lord Sesshomaru was despicable! I shall never forgive you for it! And what do you mean 'head over heels'?"
Sesshomaru looked at Kagome too with a questioning face, not knowing what she meant either, waiting to hear what she had to say.
Putting her hand over her mouth, she choked down another laugh. "That's for me to know and you to find out."
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken cried, hugging his master's leg.
"Will you stop crying!" Kagome yelled. "You're acting like a spoiled kid who can't have his favorite toy! Not even Rin behaves like you, and she's a child!"
"Let go of me!" Sesshomaru said, waving his leg in the air until Jaken released his grip. The youkai then kicked Jaken to the ground and placed his foot over his body, pressing hard into his stomach. "I know what it is you think you saw. I'm disappointed in you, Jaken. How long have I been your lord and master? You should know me better than that, but by your ridiculous behavior, it is obvious you do not know me as well as I thought."
He pressed his foot harder into him, forcing the air out of Jaken's lungs.
"Your imagination runs away with you!" Sesshomaru continued. "If you ever disrespect me or that mortal girl by mentioning the two of us being together in such an intimate way again, I will denounce you and discharge you forever as my servant."
Her sensitivity and sentimentality overtaking her, Kagome smiled at Sesshomaru's words, and she was appreciative that he had considered her own feelings too in the matter.
So he's a gentleman after all, she thought dreamily.
"Do you understand what I said, Jaken?" Sesshomaru glared.
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." Jaken said. "I will do as you command."
"Silence! I wish for you not to speak to me the entire day."
Sesshomaru was now in a dire and unpleasant mood. The tightness of his face made Kagome and Rin cautious of him. Lifting his foot from Jaken's body, he walked away from him gravely as they all followed him from behind.
"It looks like Lord Sesshomaru is now Lord Grumpy," Kagome whispered to Rin.
"It's Jaken's fault he's in a bad mood," Rin said.
"I better not do anything to make him moodier. Still, it's taking us so long to get from one place to another. Does he always take his time when traveling? He walks rather slow, don't you think? I mean, he could walk a little faster. He moves fast when he's fighting, so I don't see a reason why he can't be the same way when walking."
"Lord Sesshomaru flies sometimes," Rin said. "He sometimes flies on this fluffy cloud or becomes a white-blue ball of light and travels that way."
"You see! Now that's a perfect form of transportation, especially for a girl like me who needs to get where she's going right away. Even Inuyasha is faster at walking that Sesshomaru is!"
"Comparing me to that half-breed again, are you?"
Kagome twisted her head slantingly to look at Sesshomaru who took a single step before stopping, but he did not turn around to look at her.
"I wasn't talking to you," said Kagome, regretting she had whispered anything at all, forgetting Sesshomaru had excellent hearing. "It's impolite to hear other people's conversations."
"You are being rude as well, talking about the manner in which I walk so loutishly."
"Your rudeness towards me began before mine ever did with you."
Kagome was becoming frustrated with such futile arguments between her and Sesshomaru. Their arguing did not accomplish anything, and she was beginning to think they both sounded like an old married couple.
Sesshomaru's thoughts were on an entirely different plane than Kagome's. He discovered he was thinking about her more often, wondering what it was about her which impelled him to have a strong desire to protect her from his dream coming true. He believed it was mainly because of her persistence with him, her waning fear of him, her vivacious spirit, her annoying gestures, her determination. She fascinated him, though it was still difficult for him to admit it. She at least added some excitement to his loneliness, although he never minded being alone, having preferred it to be that way since it was all he had ever known.
Kagome's impatience was mounting, Sesshomaru standing in place without giving her a sudden reply.
"It would be easier and faster for you to get rid of me if we flew to where Inuyasha and my friends were," she said. "I thought you wanted to dispose of me as quickly as possible. The sooner the better right?"
Kagome could not believe she was saying such things. She did not mean what she said, but she felt it was the proper time to bring it out, since Sesshomaru almost always dejected her.
Suddenly before she could react, Sesshomaru spun around and held two fingers up in front of his face, then moving them in a slanting motion as a long, glowing whip flowed out of them. He wrapped the whip around her waist and pulled her towards him until her body was against his. It was strange, but Kagome did not find it at all frightening, being bound by Sesshomaru.
"Do you bother Inuyasha this way?" he asked.
"Uh, sometimes," she said.
"His tolerance of you is remarkable."
"Just like I'm tolerable of you! Now let go of me!"
Sesshomaru removed his whip from Kagome's waist and she fell to the ground, her back side landing on a large rock.
"Ouch!" Kagome moaned, rubbing her bruised toosh. "Why is it that you do so such things? I'm tired of trying to figure you out! You're so mysterious and so secretive! I can't stand that about you."
"I thought it was my desire to kill you that bothered you most."
"You don't know me at all!"
"No, I don't. And why would I want to know you? There is nothing about you that would strike me as interesting."
As if touched by a match, Kagome's entire body was in heat and her mind was aflame with tremendous anger. She screamed the only phrase she knew that had the power to calm her down, yet there was a difference in the name.
"Sesshomaru! Sit boy!"
Raising an eyebrow, Sesshomaru was unamused by Kagome's choice of argumentative retaliation.
"Ohhhhhhhhh!" Kagome yelled, reminding herself that Inuyasha was not present to take the fall. "Just forget it!"
Kagome flicked her hand and swept her arm in front of her, frustrated and tired by her inability to get her "revenge" on Sesshomaru the way she was able to with Inuyasha. However, she thought this too soon. The moment she had made that particular motion with her hand, Sesshomaru was swept off the ground and thrown into the air, his body landing a distance away from her.
"Oh, no!" Kagome said, surprised and shocked at what she had done, staring at her hand in disbelief.
"What happened to Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin said. "Did you do that to him?"
"I don't know. That's impossible. I don't have the power to do that."
Jaken looked at Kagome sharply, but she paid him not mind. She saw Sesshomaru wore the same look of shock, and he stood up uninjured as if nothing had happened, walking towards her slowly and deliberately.
"How did you do that?" he asked her with a hint of interest in his voice.
"I have no idea. I just know I was really angry at you. Maybe my anger had something to do with it."
"Is this a power you have been keeping secret from me?"
"Power? I have never experienced this before. How can I have a power I don't even know about?"
Sesshomaru pulled out his Tokijin and pointed it at her. "Do it again."
"Do what again?" Kagome asked. "If you mean what I just did to you, I don't know if I can do it a second time."
"Do it again, I say!" This time Sesshomaru had the pointy edge of his sword on Kagome's neck.
"Alright!"
Kagome repeated the same motion she had done before which sent Sesshomaru flying, but nothing happened. She moved her arm every which way she knew of, switching her hand to see if it worked instead. Nothing came out of her.
"You see," said Kagome, flipping her hair back from her face. "I don't have any power. It was just a coincidence. I'm through trying to make something happen that isn't there."
Sesshomaru, bothered by her discouragement and lack of confidence, summoned Tokijin's full power, a glowing blue and white light emitting from its blade. Kagome saw the light and knew she was in trouble.
"If you refuse to call forth that power you have within in you," Sesshomaru said defiantly. "Then I will be the one to force you to do so."
Kagome was petrified. What was she to do? Sesshomaru was challenging her to battle him, but she was astounded the he believed she possessed a power she refused to acknowledge. She wondered if it was true, if what she had just done was an exhibition of the strength she lacked when it came to defending herself.
I guess this is the time to find out, Kagome said as she pulled out her bow and arrows, positioning herself to duel with Sesshomaru, something she never thought she would be doing.
"All right, Lord Sesshomaru!" Kagome said determinedly. "Come and get me!"
So how did I do in this chapter? First of all, why do you think Sesshomaru wants to battle Kagome? It is strange how the two of them are getting closer through their arguing. Do you notice that? And you also see how they continue to deny their true feelings and hide it as best they can, their exchange of words not displaying any of that attraction. Please don't kill me for delaying the "romantic" part of this story. I want it to happen at the right place and at the right time. It is tough for me too not being able to enjoy writing that yet. If we can't stand them being apart anymore, imagine how they feel. Geez, they both got a taste of the good romantic stuff that night, and they were just beginning to savor each other's flavor, but then their luscious "meal" was taken away from them unfinished. The next chapter will be exciting for me, because a particular individual is going to pop up and make someone jealous for being flirtatious with a the person he/she loves. Can you guess who it is? Please, you all, don't give up writing your reviews! I am like a vampire who needs the blood of life to survive. Your reviews are my nourishment, and my story cannot survive without them. Don't leave me in the darkness, I beg you! Don't leave me to die! I must live, live, live! (Don't pay attention to that. I'm just being dramatic again. Sounds like a soap opera, right? What can I say? I am a theatrical kind of person.)