"A Heart's Immaculence"

Disclaimer: I do not, in no way and in no manner, own Inuyasha or any of its characters! I didn't write any of the song lyrics that come out here as well.

Author's Note: Dear readers, I am at a loss for words now. I get rather sentimental when I think about how great and amazing you've all been to me. You help make my writing experience enjoyable, and I'm so glad I have the opportunity to do it, but you make it possible for me to continue telling my story. Many of you speculated in your reviews who you think Kagome reminds Mineko of, and there were some of you who guessed the reason for Sesshomaru's bad mood, and I'm very proud to say that you all had great ideas. Your speculations were brilliant! Now the reason Sesshomaru is upset is really simple. It's nothing on a grand scale. Well, to him it is, and to me it is too, but maybe some of you won't think so. It depends on your point of view of course. Some of you might even relate to what he's feeling if you've ever experienced it. I tend to be a writer who likes to explore characters' emotions, and if you notice, I have a lot of that in my story. I believe it's important to get inside the characters' minds and actually have a sense or an understanding of what they're feeling. Sesshomaru happens to be the main character I'm trying to do this with, so please understand if I seem to delve into the descriptions of him too much. In this chapter, Sesshomaru and Kagome interact more since Mineko is not there. What will the scenario be between them this time, do you think? Well, just to give you a small peek at what's going to happen, Kagome tries her best to try and cheer up Sesshomaru. Now you can read and see for yourself.

Chapter 25

"Ah, that felt so good!" Kagome said relaxedly.

Returning from her brief but needed bath in the hot spring nearby, Kagome sat Indian-style on the soft grass next to a small stream. She was drying out her hair with her towel, shaking her head before she patted it using both her hands. Although she had just bathed and had cleaned herself thoroughly, she still felt the humidity of the night on her skin. She dipped her hand inside the stream to measure how cool the water was, and it seemed just as warm, warmer than the hot spring she had come from.

Grabbing her yellow backpack, Kagome took out a tiny sponge, a round, plastic container, a brush and a mirror. She took the sponge and dampened it in the stream, in which afterwards she squeezed it gently and allowed the water to moisten her face, starting from her forehead then moving to her cheeks and chin. Her entire body was beginning to feel prickly, and her skin itched from her legs all the way upward to her neck. She scratched her legs roughly and slapped the side of her neck, removing her hand and noticing a tiny, dark smudge on her palm.

"Ugh!" Kagome said. "I just squashed a mosquito!"

She rubbed her palm on the grass until the splatted insect was no longer there, and she cleaned her hand in the stream.

"I'm clean but it's like I'm still dirty," said Kagome. "I wish I had something else to wear. This kimono is so used up and torn, just like my school uniform is."

Kagome looked around and noticed the silence and voicelessness. She only heard the clicking of crickets and the sound of the stream's current, but nothing clamorous or dissonant was made to disrupt the almost deathly stillness. Sesshomaru was not that far from where she was, for he was sitting against the trunk of a conifer tree only a few feet away. His somber demeanor had not changed, and he seemed less interested in his surroundings. It was strange for him to do so since he was always one to observe nature in all its vernal pulchritude, yet an afflicting enigma had drawn his attention away from it. Even Rin and Jaken were not their usual selves. Rin's flamboyance and chirpy smile was replaced with worry and concern. Jaken's irritating, nosey behavior was quelled as well, and he sat alongside Rin with his head on his shoulder.

It seems like everyone knows what's going on around here except me, Kagome thought.

"Hey, Rin," Kagome said. "Why so sad? Did something happen to you?"

Rin shook her head without saying a word.

"Want to look inside my bag?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Rin sat next to Kagome and opened her backpack, searching through the several items she had inside it. It distracted the child slightly to be doing something else rather than thinking about her master and trying to empathize with him. As Rin was doing that, Kagome decided to attend to her nightly regimen of putting on facial cream before going to bed. She did it more often while she was in the feudal era than at home. The long days she spent outdoors demanded that she take proper care of her skin. Twisting the top off the plastic blue container, Kagome scooped two fingers into the cream and applied it to her face, massaging it all around until it disappeared from the pearl-like surface of her countenance.

"What is that?" Rin asked curiously, finally smiling.

"It's called cream," Kagome said. "It's supposed to make your skin look beautiful, nice and smooth."

"It smells like flowers."

"Smells like rotting flowers if you ask me," said Jaken, scratching his nose.

"Quiet, you!" Kagome said.

Although she knew it was necessary for her to take care of herself, she felt she could have skipped putting on the cream since it was warm outside, and she was already feeling it sticking to her face. She was suddenly bothered by it, and it made her feel as if she had glue on her skin.

However, Kagome was not the only one bothered by the cream. Sesshomaru was in terrible discomfort himself, and the smell of Kagome's cream made it worse, distracting him from his sullen contemplation. As it was, he was experiencing a moodiness he dreaded and the warmth he felt underneath his attire was suffocating him, but it was not the night's heat which had made his skin so flushed.

Looking at her, Sesshomaru observed how Kagome's appearance was slightly altered because her hair was still damp, and it had an ebony glow to it, a polished gleam, and it trailed down her back like black ribbons. Had she been born from the sea, many would have mistaken her for a mermaid who had gone to shore to dry in the night's warm breeze. He watched Kagome as she wiped the cream from her face with her towel and pressed the wet sponge on her silken, ivory skin. She did not notice him looking at her, and as he continued to watch, he traced her slender body with his eyes. He followed the movement of her hands intensely, meticulously. She was the charmer and he was the cobra, his eyes moving to the rhythm of an invisible flute, to Kagome's hands as they slid from her face and down her neck. The crickets and the rushing water of the stream provided the music for the instrument Kagome lacked, but it was but a whisper compared to the drumming of Sesshomaru's heart as it quickened the longer he stared at her. Kagome slid the top part of her kimono to the side and partially revealed her shoulder, a delicate layer of flesh perfectly curved like the slope of a grass-laden hill.

Sesshomaru tore his gaze from her momentarily, but Kagome had not dispelled her charms on him yet. Because he was not focusing on his surroundings, Sesshomaru's demonic senses were compressed together in unison and the enchantment of her femininity held a magnetism too supreme he could not find the energy to forestall it. His acuminate senses were awakened to her entire essence, inviting him to indulge in her mortal purity and innocence. It all seemed too familiar to him, the awakening of his inner covetousness, the desire and passion. He heard that cool, enticing sound escaping from Kagome's body, and its piquancy settled at the base of his tongue despite his lips being closed to protect his throat from the elements of the outside air.

It had entered him again, the intoxication of her scent which had ensnarled him with temptation the first time he experienced its profuseness inside him. Her scent was once again alluring him to a heavenly realm where he had no authority. Kagome's human breathing was more vivid, thrilling, and rapturous than it had been before, and now that she had bathed and the dirt was no longer on her to conceal her scent, it powerfully infiltrated his body, entering his bloodstream as it thrashed against the walls of his heart.

Not now!, Sesshomaru thought as he felt a mild warmth emanate his body. Now is not the time for my senses and all else which is part of my demonic body to undego such physical and emotional fandangles.

The last time he felt Kagome's breath inside him, it had a gentle, calming affect, but now he was troubled by it, and it was tormenting him rather than rendering him a pleasurable sensation.

Kagome was on a separate plane of discomfort as well caused by the menacing buzzing and biting of mosquitoes on her skin. She moved away from the stream, realizing they were attracted to warm water, and she understood that her hair, although close to being dry, needed to be brushed to remove any remaining water that was left in it.

"Doesn't Lord Sesshomaru get hot in his clothes during warm days like these?" Kagome asked Rin who was still looking through her friend's backpack.

Rin shrugged her shoulders again.

Sitting on a large rock and fanning herself with her bare hand, Kagome blew a whistle of air upward from her lips, and it lifted her bangs slightly which had fallen over her forehead. She also grabbed her bottle of water from her bag, and she still was unaware that Sesshomaru was watching her every movement. Like a swam preparing to ascend into the sky, Kagome arched her back which pushed her chest forward, her legs bent and molded to the side of the rock. She tilted her head back sharply, closed her eyes and lifted the bottled water to her thirsting lips, her sleeve folding back, revealing her bare arm. The sight of Kagome's open lips hugged around the bottle's opening, and the waving motion of the water that cascaded inside her throat like a wave, made Sesshomaru shiver lightly. He quickly looked away before his male instincts overpowered him. He bit his tongue in anger, tasting the blood in his mouth, ashamed for having to experience the physical, mental, and emotional unwindings of his heart a second time.

After drinking her water, Kagome fanned herself again and said, "It's so warm tonight! I'd feel more comfortable without having anything on. At least I'd be cool that way."

"Who would like to see you without anything on?" Jaken said.

"Look who's talking," Kagome replied. "You saw me without any clothes the last time I bathed in a hot spring, remember, you peeper? I'm surprised you didn't do it again."

"Once was enough for me," said Jaken mildly. "If anyone else saw you that way, they'd agree that they saw nothing amusing. No one would want to have a second viewing."

"I'm just going to ignore you, Jaken! I don't even feel like hitting you on the head today. It's too warm to do any physical activity that would cause a sweat. I'm sweating already as it is."

Sesshomaru looked up at the sky, pleading silently to the moon for Mineko to return and for Kagome to stop making it difficult for him to endure her presence. He knew she was not doing it purposefully and that she was unaware of what she was doing to him, but he was uncertain whether he could keep his demonic essence intact before it caused internal chaos and forced him do something he would regret.

Kagome soon grabbed her brush and began brushing her hair, pulling at it and tugging gently at the tangles spread throughout her luxurious, raven-colored mane.

"Ouch!" she said, looking at her brush and pulling out a few hairs from the bristles. She threw them into the air, and the breeze carried them along, but a few strands happened to land on Sesshomaru's outstretched leg. He stared at them with interest but more as an attempt to divert himself from looking at her.

Finally brushing out all the tangles in her hair, Kagome took her hand mirror and looked into it to make sure she was neat and presentable, in the facial aspect of herself at least. Out of curiosity, she tilted the mirror to the side to catch a glimpse of Sesshomaru—who was sitting behind her—inside the glass. She stared at his reflection but jumped in her seat when she saw him turn his head sharply and abruptly to look at her. Because her hand trembled with the sudden scare, she almost dropped her mirror on the ground.

Thank goodness my mirror didn't fall, thought Kagome as she held it against her chest. I would have had seven years bad luck if it had broken.

"Let me see!" Rin said cheerfully. "I want to see myself!"

Kagome handed her mirror to Rin and laughed when the child started to make funny faces as she looked at herself in the glass, twisting her face and sticking out her tongue.

"Want to see, master Jaken?" Rin said, holding out the mirror for him.

"No, thank you," he said.

"Are you afraid of what you'll see, Jaken?" Kagome said, gently taking the mirror from Rin's hand. "You know you're ugly, right? That's the reason you don't want to look in my mirror."

"That is not so!"

Jaken went up to Kagome, roughly took the mirror away and looked at himself.

"Ahhhhh!" Jaken yelled, his yellow eyes bulging out of their sockets. He let go of the mirror and ran to hide behind a tree.

"Careful with my mirror!" Kagome shouted, for Jaken had almost dropped it as well. "You see, you're scared of what you saw, scared of your own reflection."

"Am not!" Jaken said, coming out of the tree with his arms crossed.

"What about you?" Kagome asked Sesshomaru. "Do you want to look at your face with my mirror?"

Sesshomaru looked at her briefly and turned his head away.

Kagome shrugged her shoulders and looked into her mirror again.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," she said perkily. "Who's the most beautiful, powerful demon of them all? Why, it's Lord Sesshomaru! Yay! And you know what they say. Mirrors never lie."

Sesshomaru turned his head and glared at her angrily.

"Don't look at me like that!" Kagome said. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood up around here."

She looked at Sesshomaru's overall state and condition, and it was clear to her that he was holding back many emotions which her heart instinctively knew were swirling inside him. Seeing him like that made her pity him.

He reminds me of a puppy dog, Kagome thought, who has not been given any food or water to drink and has been left out in the hot sun for days. He still looks handsome despite the warmth of the night making his hair less fluffy, but the dreary expression he has on his face is so sad to look at!

Feeling small needle-like pricks on her legs, Kagome lifted each of them and wiggled her body to try and remove the mosquitoes that were biting her. Annoyed by the pink marks appearing on her legs made by the blood-sucking insects, Kagome went to her backpack and took out a can of bug repellant. She sprayed some on herself and on Rin, for the little girl was having trouble warding off the insects on her own. Kagome was about to spray Jaken as well, but he believed the repellant would damage his reptilian skin, and he refused.

Sesshomaru was just as bothered by the mosquitoes as everyone else, for he looked at his wounded arm and watched helplessly as the insects penetrated their razor-thin noses into his open flesh. They were attracted and drawn to the dried blood there. Kagome was in awe on how well Sesshomaru kept his dignified and aristocratic composure albeit the sharp nipping he was feeling on his arm. He neither scratched his arm or flinched as the insects fed off him. She imagined how uncomfortable it was for him to have a burnt and cut arm, and guilt loomed over her, knowing she was the sole person who had given him those wounds.

A great feeling of love and compassion consumed Kagome, and she grabbed her first-aid kit, then she kneeled next to Sesshomaru without hesitation.She opened the kit and searched for the medicine she needed to treat Sesshomaru's arm, but she noticed he twitched a little when she moved closer to him.

"Isn't your castle around here somewhere?" Kagome asked. "You do have a castle, don't you? It's your home, isn't it? Why are you outside enduring the night's warmth? Wouldn't it be better for you to have a good night's rest in the comfort of your own bed where it's nice and cool? There are like a million mosquitoes out here. You're a lord! I don't think there's ever been a lord or a royal figure who would stand to go through what you're going through now. You deserve to enjoy the riches and luxuries you have after all you've done the past two days I've been with you."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and bit his tongue harder than the first time he had done so, the flavor of salt tickling his taste buds.

"Are the mosquitoes bothering you?" Kagome continued. " I have some repellant here if you need it. It works very fast, and I promise you won't have mosquitoes biting you anymore. They're attracted to the wound on your arm. It must itch a lot. Please let me put this on you. The little blood-suckers will be gone if I do. You must be itching all over, especially behind the ears. You know, mosquitoes are just like fleas. They like to be in warm places. I can scratch behind your ears if you want."

Scratch him behind the ears?, thought Kagome. I have to remember that Sesshomaru's not Inuyasha.

"You are as pestering as these blood-drinking insects," Sesshomaru said suddenly and irritably.

"I have to pester you," Kagome said. "I don't want your arm to get infected, and if I don't bug you about things, you won't do it yourself. You can be very stubborn. Now let me take care of your wounds."

Kagome was able to touch Sesshomaru's arm before he snatched it away from her, and his skin felt extremely warm to her.

"You will not touch me," he said calmly but churlishly.

"How are your wounds going to heal if you don't attend to them?" Kagome said. "And why is your skin so warm? Do you have a fever?"

"I am not ill," Sesshomaru said, understanding that it was Kagome who was causing his body to create such heat within him, as abominable as it was for him to admit to himself.

"Are you sure? You felt pretty warm to me."

Kagome attempted to feel his forehead but he grabbed her wrist before she could and pushed her hand away. He then closed her first-aid kit shut and flung it over his shoulder.

Anger swelled inside Kagome, and she was slightly hurt. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips tapping her foot on the ground.

"When are you going to let someone help you for once?" Kagome said. "Someone like me for example? And I don't want your answer to be that it's because I'm human. That's getting old, buddy. Why are you so grumpy anyway? I'd really like to know. I'm not moving from here until you tell me."

"Then you will stay like that for an eternity," Sesshomaru said plainly.

"You really are in a bad mood," Kagome sighed. She knew Sesshomaru would not reveal anything to her, as it was not in his nature to do so, and she picked up her first-aid kit without holding a grudge against him for acting so harshly towards her. But as she was thinking to herself, a crazy thought appeared.

Maybe I can cheer up Sesshomaru somehow, Kagome thought. I don't know if it'll work, but it doesn't hurt to try.

Kagome was embarrassed with what she was about to do to try and brighten Sesshomaru's spirits, and she realized she would look like a fool, but she was determined to do what she could. She was very sympathetic and disliked seeing anyone melancholy and down. It was a policy of hers to gather every ounce of her being to liven up the atmosphere in cases where an individual was downcast. But she decided to do the less embarrassing thing first. She put down her first-aid kit and looked inside her backpack for her small photo album. When she found it, she kneeled next to Sesshomaru again and opened her album, flipping through the photos, searching for the ones she wanted to show him.

"Want to see my family?" Kagome said with a large smile.

She held the album in one hand and used the other to turn the pages. Because she was nervous as to how Sesshomaru would react, Kagome held the book too close to his face, making him jerk backward slightly against the tree he was sitting against. Since Kagome had her photo album so near his face, Sesshomru was forced to look at the pictures she was showing him.

"This is my mother, my grandfather and my brother Souta," Kagome said rather quickly, pointing to each of the frozen figures in the photo. "Oh, and this is my cat Buyo. And this is where I live."

Kagome kept turning the pages with each picture she showed Sesshomaru and pointed at everything on them.

"See this?" she said cheerfully but fidgety. "This was me on my first day of school. Over here I was at the beach with my family for summer vacation. Let me see. Okay, and here I was getting ready for my thirteenth birthday party. In this next picture there's my school friends and me having a laugh after playing a prank on my math teacher. Oops! You don't want to see this one. It's a picture I took of Inuyasha while he was in my room, sleeping on my bed."

Sesshomaru turned and looked at Kagome with a raised eyebrow. Kagome blushed and shook her head nervously.

"It was by accident, of course," Kagome said. "He was so tired that day he just plunked down on my bed and fell asleep. I had to take a picture of him though because he looked so cute, calm and peaceful. You never see Inuyasha so quiet like that unless he's sleeping."

Kagome chose one last picture to show him. "How about this picture? What do you think? Wasn't I cute when I was a baby? I bet you were cute when you were this small too."

"Would you like me to shred those miniature paintings of yours?" Sesshomaru said impatiently, although he did find the photos Kagome was showing him interesting.

Removing the photo album from his face, Kagome slammed it shut, stood up and walked away from him.

"Guess that didn't work," Kagome said frustratingly.

"Can I see the paintings of you and your family?" Rin asked Kagome.

"Of course you can," said Kagome, handing over her album to the girl.

Rin's eyes were hungry, and she looked at each picture slowly and carefully. Jaken was curious as well, and he sat next to Rin to look through Kagome's album.

"The paintings look very real," Rin said.

"Well, they're not exactly paintings," Kagome said. "But I guess you can call them that."

"How hideous-looking you were as a child," Jaken said. "Even Rin looks better than you did."

Kagome grabbed a small rock and threw it at Jaken's head.

"You must be blind not to think I was a sweet little cutie as a kid," Kagome said.

As she looked at Jaken, she saw something on him she could use for her next attempt to cheer up Sesshomaru. She grabbed Jaken and removed his small hat from his head and took away his staff of two heads.

"What are you doing?" Jaken asked angrily. "Give them back to me!"

"I need to borrow them for a little bit," Kagome said. "I'll give them to you as soon as I'm finished using them."

"What are you going to do with my hat and my staff?"

"You'll see, but you better not laugh at me or I'll kill you!"

Kagome put on Jaken's hat, though it was a bit tight, and held his staff with both hands. Holding in her breath, Kagome prepared to embarrass herself again, her motivation to cheer up Sesshomaru emanating from the central core of her heart.

"Here goes nothing," Kagome said to herself, then she walked towards Sesshomaru bravely and stopped in front of him.

When Sesshomaru saw Kagome wearing Jaken's hat and holding his staff, a deep wrinkle appeared between his eyes. Kagome swallowed and bowed to him respectfully, then she proceeded to act out a dance number she had learned at school in her drama class. She began to tap dance and struck her feet on the ground, swaying Jaken's staff from side to side in front of her. After a minute of dancing, she began to sing while still moving her body in almost perfect form, kicking her legs up in the air.

With a sincere smile, Kagome sang in her best voice: "Hey, hobo man/ Hey, Dapper Dan/You've both got your style /But Brother/You're never fully dressed/ Without a smile/Your clothes may be Beau Brummelly/They stand out a mile/But Brother/ You're never fully dressed /Without a smile!"

Kagome stopped dancing and singing to catch Sesshomaru's reaction to her little vaudeville show, and it was as she had expected. He was looking at her as if she was demented and had gone mad. However, she did not want to give up just yet. She began to dance again but more slowly, taking the staff and holding it next to her chest, sticking out an arm and spinning around, pretending she had an invisible dancing partner as she imitated the movements of ballroom dancers she had seen on television.

She began to sing excitedly again: "With a smile and a song/Life is just a bright sunny day/Your cares fade away and your heart is young/With a smile and a song/All the world seems to wake in a new rejoycing with you/As the song is sung/There's no use in grumbling when raindrops come tumbling/Remember you're the one/You can feel the world with sunshine."

Once again, Kagome stopped and smiled at Sesshomaru, noticing how his countenance held the same expression but was less severe.

Having one more song to sing, Kagome knelt in front of Sesshomaru and stretched her hands in front of him, then she brought them to her chest and her hands covered her heart. She made a sad, pleading face as she looked into his eyes, singing in the most dramatic, exaggerated voice she could muster:

"Smile, though your heart is aching/ Smile, even though it's breaking/ When there are clouds in the sky/You'll get by..."

Sesshomaru turned his head away from Kagome and was uncomfortable that she was so close to him.

"Stop making a fool of yourself," he said dryly.

"I knew it wouldn't work," Kagome said disappointingly, bowing her head in defeat, wishing her crazy attempts to annihilate Sesshomaru's somber demeanor would evoke a smile from him at best. ""Now I feel depressed."

She heard Jaken's laughter and Rin's clapping in the background.

"I'm glad both of you were entertained," Kagome said. "It always works with everyone else. How stupid of me! Lord Sesshomaru isn't everyone else."

Kagome returned Jaken's hat and staff to him, and she took out her small pink radio, Sesshomaru's cheerlessness having an affect on her as well. She turned it on and played her favorite song, raising the volume so that it was loud enough for her to hear. It was the same song she had played the time she had accidentally tripped and spilled food on Sesshomaru. It was that same hypnotic, instrumental song which possessed a classical rhythm, the notes wavering in the air, suspended there like a hanging, celestial cloud. It was as if cherubic angels had descended from heaven to pluck their harps for her ears to relish in. The violin and piano played together as the main chorus erupted in soft chanting, the sweet, elegant melody echoing through the air. However, it was the single sound of a flute which reigned superior to the other instruments, making the music more harmonious. Kagome smiled as she listened to the song, the memory of that day she had spilt food on Sesshomaru still vivid in her mind. But after a while of listening to the song, Kagome was saddened upon remembering that it was her last day to be with him.

Moreover, Sesshomaru recognized the song as well, recalling the incident in which he first heard it. Had it been any other time, he would have taken pleasure in the soft tune, allowing it to caress his ears with its angelic melody, but because of his current state of mind, the song only heightened his dejection.

"Make it stop playing," Sesshomaru said fiercely to Kagome.

"Is the music bothering you?" Kagome asked. "It didn't bother you before."

"Listen to what I say! I command you to stop it from playing!"

"But why? I need music like this to comfort me. It's my radio, my music, my song! Cover your dog ears if you don't want to hear it."

Losing his patience with her, Sesshomaru stood up and walked towards Kagome, looking like a ruthless warrior heading into a fateful battle. Kagome knew she was in trouble and that, considering the mood he was in, he was liable to break her radio if she did not turn it off. She pressed the "off" button and covered her radio with her body, lest Sesshomaru take it from her to crush it in his hand.

"There!" Kagome said. "I turned it off. Are you happy now?"

Seeming satisfied, Sesshomaru looked at Kagome calmly, and his face had slightly softened, the deep wrinkles on his forehead fading away. He turned around, but something prevented him from walking away from her, a curiosity he had which had originated the first time he heard the song.

"That song," he said softly. "What is its title?"

Kagome smiled at him and said, "It's called A Heart's Immaculence."

After hearing what the name of the song was, Sesshomaru took a few steps but paused when Rin called Kagome's name in alarm.

"Kagome!" Rin said. "Look at your bag!"

A glowing, phosphorescent light suffused from Kagome's backpack, and she had a hunch it was the two sacred jewel shards she had inside which were causing it. She took out the bottle which held the shards, and as she did so, they became more luminous and bright against the night.

As Kagome held the shards in her hand, there was another strange occurrence, for when she was about to remove the bottle's top, Sesshomaru's Tenseiga began to rattle and pulsate. Sesshomaru was as confounded with his sword's sudden behavior as was Kagome with her jewel shards.

"Tenseiga?" he said, looking at his sword move against him as if it had a life of its own.

"What's happening?" Kagome asked. "Why are my shards glowing? And why is Tenseiga shaking like that?"

The roseate light from the shards and the rapid trembling of Tenseiga both acted bizarrely, and this abrupt change in them made Sesshomaru and Kagome question to themselves the purpose of it. They stared at each other quizzically, waiting for either one or the other to render a logical explanation as to the reason for what was happening.

However, another strange thing came into being when Kagome moved closer to Sesshomaru to have a closer look at his Tenseiga. When she got near him, the glowing light from the shards became brighter and more luminous. The glow was so intense it hurt Kagome's eyes to look at them. Tenseiga reacted in a similar manner, its pulsation and rattling more violent.

"Rin," Kagome said. "Take my jewel shards and walk away from Lord Sesshomaru. Walk until I tell you to stop. Do you understand?"

Rin nodded her head and took Kagome's shards and did exactly what she was told. The more she moved away, the more distant Rin was from Lord Sesshomaru, the less the jewel shards glowed. The light became weaker and was not as visible. Kagome looked at Sesshomaru's sword and its shaking was less severe and more quiet, hardly moving at all.

"Stop where you are, Rin," Kagome said. "Okay, no walk back here and stop next to Lord Sesshomaru."

Again the child did as she was told, and just as Kagome predicted, the nearer Rin got to Sesshomaru, the brighter and more illuminate the glow from the shards became, Tenseiga awakening from its slumber and jolting wildly. It was shaking so erratically that Sesshomaru was forced to place his hand on it to restrain its movement.

Kagome took the shards from Rin's hands and struggled to keep her eyes open as their light burned her eyes. But suddenly the shards' glow disappeared and Tenseiga froze and became dormant again.

"What just happened?" Kagome asked. "Why did my jewel shards react that way when they were near Tenseiga? And why did your sword shake like that when my shards were near it? Was it a warning of some kind? Do you think it's Naraku's doing?"

"That is precisely what I wish to know," said Sesshomaru. "You are only a human after all. What does Naraku want from you if you are not so powerful? What can you possibly possess that would interest him?"

Kagome sighed and thought, Even with a distraction like this, Sesshomaru is still moody. What a complex demon he is!

"I was wondering when you'd start speaking to me like that again," said Kagome. "You never change, do you? Aren't you concerned with what just happened? Just because something's bugging you doesn't mean you can make me your scapegoat. I have nothing to do with your problems."

"You suspect I carry a burden? Your mind conjures such absurdities!"

"Fine! You don't have a problem. Fine! I'll forget I said anything, but you don't have to treat me badly just because you're in a bad mood, okay!"

"Your temper is such a nuisance."

"You know, right now you're the nuisance. First of all, you were just staring at me for the longest time without saying anything."

She noticed me staring at her, Sesshomaru thought.

"Then you throw my first-aid kit when all I wanted to do was tend to the burn and cuts on your arm," Kagome continued. "After that, I tried my hardest to try and cheer you up, and now you begin degrading me as if I was a worthless bug. I didn't do anything wrong to deserve all that, mister! But I should know better and try not to stick my nose in your business. I am no one to you, and I guess you think you have the right to treat me however you like, and even more so since I am in your lands. But honestly, I think you're just putting up an act. I think you do care a little bit. You just like to act like you don't to trick me. After all you did let me stay with you for three days and you protected me from Naraku."

"What makes you believe I saved you? I only stood in front of you to face Naraku directly."

"That may be so, who knows, but you did warn me to stay away from him before I knew he was disguised as Inuyasha, remember? What about earlier tonight? You told me about those poison berries?"

"I only asked you a question."

"Uhhh! You really are impossible!"

"As are you."

"Is it me, or are you replying to every remark I make? I've never seen you talk this much. You are mostly silent all the time, and when you do speak, you utter about twenty words at most. Why are you talking more now?"

"I figured if I spoke to you long enough you would realize how angry I truly am."

Kagome was about to respond when a sudden chill swept through, enshrouding everything and everyone in its path with its icy-cold breath. The warmth and humidity of the night vanished immediately and was replaced by a wintery ambience. Feeling the cold penetrate her skin, Kagome's body shivered and she rubbed her arms vigorously, her teeth clattering together.

"Now what's going on?" Kagome said. "Where did this freezing cold come from?

Sesshomaru looked up at the sky and narrowed his vicious-looking eyes.

"And so the sign appears once again", Sesshomaru said. "A sign which shall never be extinguished from that realm of sacredness."

Kagome stared at Sesshomaru in confusion.

What's he talking about?, Kagome thought. He has such secrets, secrets I must know about. But will I ever know? Will I…ever?

I worked extremely hard on this chapter (when do I not?), and I had to cut out a lot of things because it was way too long, but they weren't really important, so don't think I left out something interesting. I'm not feeling very well right now, to be honest. I think I ate too much, and my stomach feels rather bloated now and gaseous. All I can say is I really hope this chapter was satisfactory for you. Inuyasha and the gang will come out again, so don't think I've forgotten about them. Maybe not in the next chapter but in the one after. The one thing I will say is that my version of Kagome really has gutts. I would never have the courage to dance and sing in front of someone like that, especially if it was Sesshomaru. The things love can make someone do, I tell you. And what about Sesshomaru? Do you think he wanted to laugh? Hmm. That's a tough one. Maybe you'll find out later. Maybe...

Reviews are still welcomed! If there's something about my story you don't like, you can tell me about it, but I'd really appreciate it if you would point out specific things which you think need improvement. Please don't say things like " I think it's getting boring." Say something like "It's getting boring because Kagome and Sesshomaru are wasting their time quarreling and don't make the effort to get closer, etc.,etc." I get few reviews that criticize my story, but it does happen occasionally. But to those of you who do like my story and always give me positive reviews, I'd also appreciate it if you too would point out specifically what you liked about the chapter you read. That will help me see what I'm doing right.

Thanks everyone for your time and patience reading my story! Farewell, my dear readers!