"A Heart's Immaculence"

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not my property but that of Rumiko Takahashi.

Author's Note: First of all, I want to thank all my precious readers and reviewers, especially those of you who responded to my messages. You all make me feel like I'm a real writer, and that lifts up my spirits when I'm feeling kind of lonely and sad. I wish I could do more for you, like maybe send you a card or buy you a small gift or some other nice thing like that. However, I would run out of money if I did that, wouldn't I? I'm trying to save money for college, and I have used up some of it to buy season boxes of certain anime and to purchase a few sword collectibles (yes, I own samurai swords, but they're not real and the blades are dull so they can't cut anything). And then I wonder why I don't have enough money, right? I can't help myself. I'm addicted to that stuff, not to mention my love for books. Oh, don't get me started there. I have an extensive collection of books, so many that my room looks like a library. Like I said in my last response to you all, this chapter is about Sesshomaru and Kagome again, so I hope most of you like it okay. I try.

Chapter 22

Night had fallen and the darkness was only half present with the brightness of the full moon and stars, their light spreading a mystical glow across the sky, sprinkling an incandescent mist like dust across the land. For Kagome, the night had arrived much too swiftly, and she deduced the stressful encounter with Naraku and Kagura had quickened time and shortened the day. She was consumed with fatigue and a mental disturbance that she feared would not go away even if she went to sleep with it lingering inside her head.

Why didn't I bring my headache pills? Kagome thought. I always bring them in case Inuyasha makes my brain boil.

Although she was tired of walking, Kagome did not attempt to ride on Ah-Un's back no matter how much her feet pained her, for she felt it was not her right to do so since she was not a part of Lord Sesshomaru's small entourage. Rin and Jaken were sitting on the dragon comfortably, but she was struggling to keep herself from screaming in discomfort. Her hair was filled with so many particles it was difficult to distinguish what was what, whether it was dirt, pieces of leaves, rocks or other earthly material. She looked at her nails and saw the black inside them, yet her entire body was soiled with dirt, and her kimono was so extremely damaged and torn that sections of it were already coming apart, the loose cloth hanging on her like waving flags. The kimono stuck to her skin tightly as if it had been sewn to her flesh, and the sweat on her caused by the warmth of the night made it arduous for her to move.

Sesshomaru did not seem in high spirits either, and his face was much more solemn than she had seen him before during the time she was with him. Kagome wondered if it had been Rin's curiosity and her persistent questioning that altered his demeanor. Perhaps even Naraku was responsible as well, but she could not exactly tell as she stared at him calmly while Ah-Un and its riders stood between them as they walked. She was flattered by his protective gesture earlier in the day, and she continued to contemplate whether or not Sesshomaru had the slightest feeling towards her, and although he did appear to have blushed during Rin's innocent interrogation of him, she could not believe it was because of her that he did so. It may have startled him for the child to ask him personal questions he never believed he would face in his lifetime. But as she stared at him, Kagome felt something in him was blossoming, maybe not the love she sought from him, but perhaps a sense of amicability he was beginning to show her.

"Do you intend to stare at me like that the entire way?" Sesshomaru said, looking forward rather than turning to look at her. "It is a habit you should get rid of."

"I'm sorry," said Kagome, lowering her head and wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Is there something about me you find amusing?"

"Yes. I mean NO!" Kagome slapped her check and shook her head. "No! Nothing at all! I mean you are a powerful demon and everything, and maybe that's why I….I guess….Oh, forget it! Don't listen to a silly human like me! I don't find you the least amusing. "

Kagome became nervous suddenly, grabbing her hair and pulling out whatever was sticking to her, pretending she was paying attention to what she was doing when in reality she was looking at Sesshomaru through the corner of her eye.

"Then I'll expect you not to stare at me again," Sesshomaru said more seriously.

"It's because I make you uncomfortable, isn't it?" Kagome asked timidly.

As she fiddled through her hair clumsily, Kagome waited for Sesshomaru to respond angrily to what she had said, but he did not reply in the manner she was expecting. He slowed himself and looked up at the moon above them, his eyes searching for the consolation in its grandiose beauty and luminosity. Aside from a stern exterior, there was a glossiness over his amber orbs, yet it was not from something congenial that made them appear that way. They held traces of grief intermingled with sadness, but there was also a tinge of anger underneath. She was surprised the anger she spotted inside him was not vented out on her, for he could have snapped at her for every single bothersome thing she did. However, Sesshomaru had perfected his ability to conceal every feeling and emotion which stirred within him, and anyone who came to look upon him would believe him to be unmovable.

"As if you'd ever have the power to do that," Sesshomaru said aloofly after a long pause.

"Exactly," Kagome said more confidently. "So let's forget I was even staring at you, okay?"

Sesshomaru ignored her the entire time they were walking, and she felt like speaking to him and conversing, but she assumed he was not in the mood judging by his deep silence and somber expression.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" asked Rin, breaking the quietude, leaning over on Ah-Un's back and grabbing the reigns as if she was ready to hold on tightly for something that was about to happen. "Are we almost there?"

"Almost what?" Kagome said confusedly. "Where are we going?"

"Get on, Kagome," Rin said, pushing Jaken away from sitting behind her to make room for her female friend. "You're going to have to fly with us."

"Fly?" Kagome said surprisingly. "Are we going somewhere important?"

"That's none of your business," Jaken said. "It is not your place to ask such a question when Lord Sesshomaru is allowing you to remain with us tonight for the second time. He doesn't have to, but he's doing it simply for Rin."

Second time? Kagome thought. I totally forgot! After tomorrow, I won't be able to travel with Sesshomaru anymore. It will be my last day with him.

Kagome climbed on top of Ah-Un and grabbed Rin around her waste and held her close to her. She did so out of impulse, not to keep herself from falling off while in flight but as a way to comfort herself from the reality she was now facing. Had she been at home in the modern era, she would have locked herself in her room and laid out on her bed, hugging her teddy bear and digging her face in her pillow. Rin presently replaced her favorite stuffed animal, and she found that she was more comforted by the child's living essence, her little heart beating inside her, realizing she would rather have her than that other object whose body held nothing but cotton inside.

She managed to shrug off her melancholia by understanding that she did not have the luxury to spend her time dwelling on her thoughts about her final day with Sesshomaru. Time had been stolen from her in enjoying every moment she spent with him because of Kagura and Naraku's intervention. Both of them had trespassed on her sacred and sacrosanct world filled with the wonderful illusions only a young girl in love carried. But they were not entirely to blame, for she had been upset at Sesshomaru and had run off to release some steam, yet she fell into their trap easily and had she not stormed off alone, perhaps the former trouble she endured would not have come to pass. Then she could have savored every moment she had with him without Kagura and Naraku ever having come into the picture. Now she was certain to cherish what time she had left with Sessshomaru.

"I won't be too heavy for Ah-Un, will I?" Kagome asked Rin, adjusting the straps on her yellow backpack and securing it more tightly around her back. "I have a lot of stuff in my bag. If it's too heavy for me, I can't imagine how the extra weight must feel on them."

"Ah-Un's very strong," replied Rin. "They can carry anything."

"Don't you think maybe we should have Jaken ride on Lord Sesshomaru instead," Kagome said playfully. "Then Ah-Un wouldn't have to carry so much. Besides I don't think Jaken would mind. He's very close to his master after all."

Kagome's words made Jaken hop in joy and he went over to Sesshomaru and nuzzled his face in his furry boa. "May I ride with you, my lord? I don't want to be beside that pesky girl. Please, my lord! I promise not to let go of you and fall off like I did last time."

"Not tonight, Jaken," Sesshomaru said hastily.

"You know, Jaken," said Kagome. "Why don't you call me by my name?"

Kagome also remembered Sesshomaru had never spoken her name either.

"Because I don't like your name!" he answered.

"Oh. Well, I don't like you!"

"Same here!" Jaken did not release his hold on Sesshomaru's boa, and he moved its white softness up and down his check as if he was wiping his face with it. "Lord Sesshomaru, I beg you to reconsider."

"I said not tonight, Jaken!" Sesshomaru said impatiently, grabbing the imp by his color and pulling him away from his boa. "Let go of me!"

Jaken was struggling to hold on to his master with the meager strength he had, but his effort was trivial compared to Sesshomaru's force in power. After yanking him free, the force of it making the green imp drop his staff, Sesshomaru held Jaken up in front of him, his tiny feet dangling wildly in the air, looking as if he were running in place.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken begged. "Please! Just this once!"

Sesshomaru stared at Jaken's hands and noticed pieces of fur clinging to his nails. Jaken realized what his master had seen, and giving him a smile, he held his hands behind his back, but he knew better that his lord had seen what he had done. As he shook his hands, tiny pieces of the fur scattered in the air, the warm breeze carrying them upward, looking like snowflakes. Rin waved her arms in the air and tried to catch the hair-like strands of fur as though they were floating bubbles, opening her hand so that they fell on her palm. Some of it entered Kagome's nose and made her sneeze, and she brushed away the fur that had landed on her shoulders.

Staring at Jaken intensely, Sesshomaru was not pleased by his servant's childish behavior. Jaken was also more than aware of what he had done.

"Forgive me, my lord for tearing some fur from your—" Without being allowed to finish, Sesshomaru threw Jaken on Ah-Un's back, picked his staff from the ground and clubbed him once on the head.

Kagome laughed heartily and sneezed again at the same time, pieces of fur still tickling her nose. "If there's one thing about Jaken that I do like," she said to Rin. "it's that he looks so funny whenever he interacts with Lord Sesshomaru. I could watch him for hours."

Rin joined in Kagome's laughter, and they both almost looked identical in the fashion in which they squinted their eyes and opened their mouths.

"Women!" Jaken said dejectedly.

Sesshomaru looked at both Rin and Kagome and kept his eyes on them until they noticed him. The two human girls simultaneously ceased their laughter as quickly as if someone had gagged their mouths with rope.

"It's time we be off," said Sesshomaru, his attention now on Rin.

Rin nodded her head. "I'm ready, my lord!"

"Stay close to me, Rin," Sesshomaru said firmly, looking at her carefully before staring at the sky again.

"Will it take us long to get to wherever we're going?" Kagome asked Rin, excitement in her voice. She was looking forward to flying alongside Sesshomaru, and she was anxiously awaiting the moment they would land in that "secret" place everyone else knew about but her.

"It is far away if we walked to get there," Rin said. "But we always fly every time we go to my favorite place."

"Every time? You mean you've been 'there' more than once?"

"We've been there many times." Rin began counting using her fingers as to the several times Lord Sesshomaru, Jaken and herself had been to that place no one was mentioning aloud. By the time she was through, Rin had used up all her fingers, and she was still counting.

"You don't need to worry, Rin," Kagome said. "I can tell you've been there a lot."

"Come along, Rin," said Sesshomaru as he looked up and began ascending into the sky more smoothly and gracefully than a bird.

"Let's go, Ah-Un," said Rin, gently pulling the reigns.

Kagome held on tightly to Rin while they flew into the atmosphere. Although it was a warm night, the air felt cooler at such a high elevation above the ground, and Kagome closed her eyes in delight as she felt the wind caress her face and move through her hair. Upon opening her eyes, she looked at the sky and was attracted by the scintillating stars, wondering how far she would have to reach to touch them. She also thought about Sesshomaru in that instant, reflecting on herself and on him, deeming how long it would take her to reach out towards him before she had the chance to touch him as well.

"You know, Rin," Kagome said. "I bet if we look at the sky long enough, we can spot a shooting star. Then we can make a wish on it, and it will come true for us."

"What nonsense!" Jaken said bitterly.

"I think we have a non-believer here," said Kagome. "Why so glum about it? Is it because you've made wishes on shooting stars before and they never came true."

"I don't believe in such foolishness!" said Jaken more irratibly.

"I think that's a sign he's lost faith in the magic of it."

"I want to see a shooting star, Kagome!" said Rin.

"And what would you wish for if you did see one?" said Kagome.

"She can't tell you what she'd wish for, you idiot!" Jaken said hyperly. "Her wish won't come true if she does!"

"I thought you didn't believe in it," Kagome said suspiciously.

Jaken was speechless and turned his head away without returning a reply.

"I know what I would wish for," Rin said.

"You better not tell me, Rin," said Kagome. "Jaken's right about that."

"I don't mind. I would rather have my wish happen without the help of a star's magic. Want to know what it is? It's about you!"

Kagome was moved by Rin's good-heartedness.

"Your wish for me would be to find my friends or for them to find me, right?" she asked, positive that is what the child had in her mind.

"No," the little girl said. " It would be for you and…." Rin whispered the wish in her friend's ear. Kagome felt her face become warm despite the cool wind which touched her skin, and her body felt as if it had gone numb.

"Thank you, Rin" said Kagome with a smile, "but since I haven't seen a shooting star yet, I don't think that wish will happen."

"I told you, Kagome. I want the wish to happen without magic."

Kagome sympathized with the child. Rin was cheerful, flamboyant, and good-natured, but her innocence often blinded her mental functioning. She viewed the world with pure eyes, and her optimism was one of her most attractive traits. Rin was certain her wish for Kagome would happen based solely on her faith. However, Kagome's faith did not exist inside her, at least not in the belief that Rin's wish would occur without the help of heaven. It was impossible that Rin's wish for her and Sesshomaru to be together would ever come true, unless of course a shooting star did appear. And if it that star did fall, she would pray vigorously to it in hopes it would listen to her and grant her heart's desire.

"What would you wish for, master Jaken?" Rin suddenly asked.

"Oh, I have a good idea what his wish would be!" Kagome said mischievously.

"What about you, Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin said.

Sesshomaru continued to fly as if he had not heard Rin's question.

"I think I know the answer to that," Kagome said. "His wish is to destroy Naraku."

Again Sesshomaru made no reaction.

"Actually, I think we all wish that," Kagome said, thinking about Inuyasha and her friends.

While she rode on Ah-Un's back, Kagome was reminded of Kilala and how much she missed the feel of her soft fur against her legs. Ah-Un's skin was scaley and rubbery, and she felt like she was sitting on sandpaper. Kilala flew faster than Ah-Un but she did not mind the speed at which they were flying, the thought of the night's passing hour telling her she must relish the time she still had to be with the youkai she now respected. The slower it took them to arrive, the better.

Kagome was enjoying her peaceful ride through the sky, and she saw how beautiful the lands were, for even if there was no color to the natural vignette she beheld, she knew it was a wondrous sight to behold. If the lands were lovely at night, she could only imagine how they appeared in the daylight. An abundance of trees were spread out from east to west, and the fields held patches of open space on one end while on the other were filled with a plethora of wild flowers. The small streams and rivers sparkled like jewels, and she could see her reflection clearly when they passed overhead. The mountains were the most breathtaking, their pointy humps covered in either snow or greenery, depending on how high they were. She had never seen this part of the country before, and she did not believe Inuyasha had ever traveled this far either.

Intoxicated with excitement at having seen something exotic and new, Kagome lifted her hands in the air and waved them wildly. She began to scream and yell as if she were riding a roller coaster, her joy increasing whenever Ah-Un made a dive or sharp turn. Rin was inspired by Kagome's vivaciousness that she too lifted her hands in the air and moved up and down on Ah-Un as if she were riding a pony.

"There's no time for that now, Rin," Sesshomaru said. "We're almost there. Be sure to follow me."

"Yes, I will," Rin said, placing her hands back on Ah-Un's reigns. "Hold on tight, Kagome. We're going to be flying really fast now."

"Alright," said Kagome, grabbing the reigns as well, wondering where it was they would be landing.

Suddenly Sesshomaru transformed into a bright ball of blue and white light, and Kagome was venerated and amazed at what she had just seen. She was in awe of his powers, but she knew it was not his demonic abilities which had attracted her to like him. There was that mystery she yearned to uncover, and she understood that was what persuaded her to love him.

Sesshomaru's blue light form looked like a shooting star, like the ones she had seen countless times under the moonlit sky with Inuyasha. She had not paid much attention to them then, but as she looked at Sesshomaru move about, she was almost convinced he was born from the stars themselves.

Kagome held the reigns more tightly when Ah-Un exhilarated their speed, and she was soon afraid, not being used to riding at such a high rate on a dragon. They had a more bumpy and haphazard way of flying compared to Kilala, the ride on her back less aggressive and more controlled, more smoothed. Rin led Ah-Un to where she wanted them to go with the movement of the reigns, and she did not keep her eyes off of Sesshomaru's light, following his every movement like a hawk preparing to attack its prey. The light moved downward toward an open field, and Kagome knew they were about to land. After moving about recklessly to avoid hitting a few trees, Ah-Un landed a few moments after Sesshomaru had arrived. He was already back in his "human" form, and he looked around the area vigilantly.

"We've arrived, Jaken," Sesshomaru said to the snoring green toad, for he had fallen asleep, his head resting against Kagome's backpack.

Jaken awoke immediately at the sound of his master's voice.

"We're finally here!" he said groggily.

Rin and Kagome slid off Ah-Un's back.

"That was an awesome ride!" Kagome said, stretching her arms and legs."Wow, Rin! You know how to ride Ah-Un well."

Rin smiled at Kagome, for she was proud of herself and was honored that her friend held such high esteem for her. Patting Ah-Un on the back, Rin led the two-headed dragon to a small berry bush for them to eat from. Kagome was soon hungry, and she heard Rin's stomach growl, and it was louder than hers, too loud for a child of her size. She saw the berry bush and ran over to it and began picking some to eat.

"Yummy!" Kagome said ecstatically, looking at the purple berries in starvation. "I bet these berries taste delicious."

"No, Kagome!" Rin said when she saw Kagome holding the berries in her hand.

Sesshomaru was alerted by Rin's frightened voice, and he saw Kagome was about to eat one of the berries she had plucked from the bush.

"Are you hungry enough to die for the taste of that berry?" said Sesshomru calmy, although within him his heart beat rapidly.

"Huh?" Kagome said, looking at the berry in surprise. "Are you saying these berries are poisonous?"

"That's exactly what he means!" Jaken said angrily. "A stupid girl like you can't even tell what's safe to eat and what's deadly."

"Come to think of it," Kagome continued. "I've never seen purple berries before."

"Had you eaten it, your death would have been slow and agonizing," Sesshomaru said, his heart beating in its normal regularity.

"Then why can Ah-Un eat them?"

"Ah-Un eats everything!" Rin said. "They've eaten the berries before and nothing ever happened to them."

"I see," said Kagome, looking at Lord Sesshomaru. "How did you know they were poisonous though?"

"Why would Lord Sesshomaru not know about the different species of plants that thrive in his lands?" Jaken answered. "Other lords probably don't know what their lands hold, but my own master is very knowledgeable and he knows every part of his vast forests and green plains and fields, backwards and forwards, acre by acre, inch by inch…."

Sesshomaru stared at Jaken with an expression that converyed dissatisfaction.

"We're in Lord Sesshomaru's….you mean I'm in the Western Lands?" said Kagome breathlessly.

Kagome felt as if she was in a land made of gold, and she stood still without wanting to breath, afraid that if she touched anything else with her hands she would tarnish it. She was eternally joyful though, for she never thought Sesshomaru would bring her to the place he had inherited from his great father. Not even Inuyasha was familiar with the Western Lands. It was Sesshomaru's own personal property, and she was flattered once more that he had included her in something that was a part of him.

Moved by this, Kagome felt it appropriate to tell him her appreciation.

"Thank you for warning me," she said. "You saved my life."

"Rin was the one who warned you," said Sesshomaru. "All I did was ask you a question."

"Rin and her kindness!" Jaken said. "That child must learn when to speak and when not to. Who would have cared if Kagome had eaten the berries and died? Not I!"

Kagome stood in her spot wide-eyed and gaped at Jaken.

"You said my name!" said Kagome happily.

"I did?" Jaken said. "It must have slipped by me. I said it by mistake."

"He's starting to like you, Kagome," Rin said. "When he first met me, he didn't like me at all and never said my name, but one day he did and I knew I was friend."

"She's no such thing to me!" said Jaken. "And why would I be friends with that woman?"

Kagome was going to show Jaken how annoyed she was with his denial of his acceptance of her as a companion when she accidentally stepped on the berries she had dropped. A putrid smell spread throughout the area, and all four of them covered their noses to avoid inhaling the stench. Even Ah-Un reacted to the power of such toxin, breathing out fire from their mouths and burning the berry bush until it was completely scorched and black.

"We should've known you'd do something like that!" Jaken said, choking a cough.

"How was I supposed to know!" Kagome said, running away from the bush. "You could have warned me that those berries smelled bad!"

"How was I supposed to know you were going to step on them!" said Jaken.

"What are we going to do?" Rin said, pulling Ah-Un away from the burnt bush.

Sesshomaru motioned to Rin for her to ride on Ah-Un and follow him. Kagome and Jaken jumped on the dragon's back as Sesshomaru led them out of the field and out of harm's way. They flew into the air once again but did not travel far before they landed in another field next to the forest. Kagome noticed two dirt paths which ran in opposite directions inside the forest, and she was curious to know where they led to, but she was unable to think about that long when Sesshomaru's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"You become more careless with each day," he said moodily.

"I know," Kagome said. "That's just me."

Why am I agreeing with him? Kagome thought. Why am I not defending myself?

Kagome had become softer towards Sesshomaru since the moment he protected her, and she did not feel up to wasting her energy on arguing over a senseless comment. She did not have the desire to defend herself, and she realized she would rather have him insult her than to not have him speak to her at all.

A distant noise rumbled nearby, and Kagome looked up into the sky and saw rain clouds had developed over them.

As if things couldn't get any worse! thought Kagome.

Another light roar of thunder boomed, and single droplets of rain began to fall, at first very few but then it gradually increased until it came down in sheets. The four of them took shelter under a tree, but upon seeing that the tree's leaves and branches were not thick enough to protect them from the rain, Kagome opened her backpack and searched for her pink umbrella. When she found it, she opened it and gave it to Rin, the child accepting it with great interest.

"Here, Rin," she said, closing her bag quickly before the rain dampened everything that was inside. "You and Lord Sesshomaru will be protected from the rain with that."

Rin twirled it around in her hands, not knowing how to use it.

"Am I supposed to spin it like this?" Rin asked. "Does it create a wind to ward off the rain?"

Kagome smiled, in awe of Rin's imagination.

"You hold the umbrella over yourself, like this," Kagome said, demonstrating how it was used by taking her hand and lifting the umbrella upward, placing it over her small head.

"Oh, I see," she said. "I don't feel the rain anymore! It works!"

Sesshomaru was sitting under the tree, and he was not as wet as Kagome was. She figured he was in a place under the tree that had more leaves and branches to prevent the rain from fully dampening him. Rin was excited that she was no longer getting wet, and she placed the umbrella in top of Sesshomaru's head while she stood as close to him as she could so that she was able to shield her body from the rain as well. Somehow Sesshomaru did not react to Kagome's generous gesture, and he paid no attention to anything but the rain. Ah-Un eventually sat under the same tree, and Jaken had taken shelter underneath the dragon, with him being small enough to rest under them comfortably.

"Are you cold, Kagome?" Rin asked worriedly as she watched the young woman rub her arms and shiver. "You might get sick if you keep getting wet."

"I don't mind the rain, Rin," Kagome said, thinking about both Sesshomaru and the girl. She was content that they were not getting wet, and she wanted to perform a good deed, sacrificing her wellness of her health to make sure the ones she cared about were taken care of.

"I feel like I'm taking a cold shower," said Kagome. "That's one good thing about the rain I like."

"The rain," said Sesshomaru softly, musing in an entranced mode, causing Kagome to almost slip on the mud that had developed under her feet. "How very appropriate!"

Kagome looked at him dismally. Sesshomaru was in a fouler mood, and the rain seemed to worsen his attitude. She saw the rain pour down steadily, and the water that trickled from the leaves above her reminded her of tears. There was a sorrowful feeling in it, and she felt it suited her situation as well as Sesshomaru's, for she knew as she looked at him again, that something was troubling him. She wanted to cry, tomorrow being the last day she would be with able to be by his side, but she also felt like shedding tears for the demon lord who sat there motionless, seeming as if his mind had traveled into some other realm she could not enter. Perhaps the rain came for a reason. The sky was crying for her, and in some ways she knew it was crying for Sesshomaru as well, for even if their hearts desired to weep openly, the tears did not come. Only the sky had the will to share its tears, not just with the two of them, but with the rest of the world.

Here I go again, feeling horrible because I did not write everything I wanted to in this chapter. I know there wasn't much interaction between Sesshomaru and Kagome, and I wanted to include that in this part of the story, but it would have been way too long. And when I mean long, I mean long! I also noticed I lacked some spice in the description, and I don't think my sentences flow very well. I'm guilty this time of not revising it more than once, but I just didn't have time. Don't be disappointed in me, please! I promise that I'll have more dialogue between Sesshomaru and Kagome in the following chapters ahead. Why do you think Sesshomaru is in a bad mood? Any guesses? It's obvious something's disturbing him, and he's not happy. He's not happy at all! You'll find out in the next two chapters, but there's going to be some action going on too. Later on, there's one chapter that's going to be really exciting for me to write because there's going to be that connection happening with Sess and Kag. Something is going to make Sesshomaru finally realize that he has something in common with Kagome, and that is the spark he needs to make his heart get inflamed with the love he has been denying and hiding up to this point. It's such a special moment, and I hope you like what I have in store for you all. Kagome is going to have the power to finally unlock his heart, and after that, after the gaiety of discovering the true meaning of love and passion, things are going to get really serious. It'll be a tense period for me because it's getting close to the time when this story will be finished. I'm enjoying taking this journey with you, where we all are following these beautiful characters, experiencing their feelings and emotions, involving ourselves in the action. Ah, well! All things must come to an end! But not right now! No way! Was this chapter a drag, my readers? I won't mind if you agree with me on this because I am pooped, exhausted, brain dead. I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to update again until probably next Tuesday because I am going out of town this weekend on a school field trip to visit a university. Hmm. But maybe I can write some of my ideas down while riding in the bus. I'm going to have to do that, because believe me, the view that I'm going to see outside the window will be dull. I don't know how many times I've seen the same scenery over and over. Please hold on until next week, guys! I'm counting on you to stay in touch with me. Be patient and I promise to give it my all and write the best I can for the next chapter. Okay, I'll say it this time. Please review if you want to. If you don't that's fine, but I am expecting those loyal reviewers to keep up their loyalty and not procrastinate in writing a review for me. If I can have the energy and dedication to respond to you when you review, then the same should be done for me out of kindness, or more out of sympathy I should say because I'm such a downer on myself. Bye-bye!