A/N

Hello, hello.

Thank you for your reviews! I'm surprised and pleased to know there are still fans of this niche pairing out there. I'm also very happy to hear I'm getting their characters right. I'm putting my all into being as accurate as I can and hopefully doing them justice!

So with all that, I bring you the second chapter, which will contain my take on a similar encounter to the one they have in the first movie, only with sass levels maxed to the absolute limit(considering their characters at this particular point of the story.) I really enjoyed writing this fun exchange and I wish the movie let them quarrel a bit more since they have such conflicting personalities to them.

I also think I have a clearer idea of what I want to do with this story after a lot of brainstorming.

(Updates would probably occur weekly.)

Reviews are always appreciated!

Chapter Two

Somehow managing to reach the valley before the last bit of souls her body had stored escaped her completely, Kikyo's vision suddenly started to blur. Afraid that she might lose control over her horse, she quickly pressed her heels to the animal's sides gently, causing it to come into a graduate stop. The priestess took in a deep breath, then climbed off of it, the lack of strength in her legs had her falling to her knees, sitting on the grassy ground below her and using both of her hands to support her weight as she dug them deep into the moist soil.

Wincing at the situation she was in, she let out a small cry of exhaustion, layers of her purplish-black, long and straight hair falling elegantly over her right shoulder as if shielding her away from a strike.

"I've made it..." she whispered to herself, her mouth forming a thin line as she narrowed her eyes down at the ground below her.

Not saying another word, Kikyo sat there for a few moments in silence. It was incredibly quiet now, only crickets located out of the barrier's range could be heard as the quiet misty wind carried their friendly buzzing to her spot, still somehow in the clutches of the mountain's purifying energy. Her horse was still standing beside her, trained to wait next to a human until either ordered differently or simply chased away.

But Kikyo stayed in her position, sitting on the ground with her legs to one side and her hands etched deep into the soft earth.

'What a pitiful state...' she bitterly realized, a small sigh escaped her lips as she lifted her composed expression upwards, her brown eyes reflecting the cloudy night sky above her. To have this dependency on human souls restricted her so much at times like these; at times when she couldn't afford to have anything restricting her. Truly, what a mess.

'But enough feeling sorry for myself.' She concluded, closing her eyes and using her bow once again to support her weight as she rose to her feet slowly. She had just enough energy left in her to stagger a few meters forward to the spot where the Shinidamachu were waiting for her, where the barrier no longer reached. Kikyo raised her free hand to the horse next to her, stroking its brown fur with long and slow movements, earning it tilting its head in her direction as a response.

"You have saved me tonight, I thank you." She spoke softly, giving it two solid taps on its side with her palm, alerting her trusty companion that it was time for them to separate, making the animal involuntary begin a light dash, alone and free of anymore duties. She watched it until it changed its course and turned left, sprinting back to the village. It was a smart horse and it knew the smell of its home well.

The miko was now left alone, moving slowly forward as she had time to put less energy into her small movements in the direction of her silvery serpent helpers. The wind that occasionally picked up through the grassy field, flowing through her long hair and robes, gave her a false feeling of freshness which she used to push herself mentally and take another step forward, all the way to the end of the barrier's reach. Stepping into their safe territory, the Shinidamachu quickly surrounded Kikyo's body as they flew around her in gentle circles, releasing the souls in their grip, letting them fall, be absorbed and allowing her spiritual powers to slowly return, at last. She lifted one hand up as a single serpent demon fondly swirled around her extended pale arm.

'Let's find a place to rest, for now.' She decided, propping her bow back on her shoulder as she began walking forward into the forest, searching for an elevated cliff for the night, from which she could keep high watch of her surroundings and the mysterious Mt. Hakurei behind her.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama..." Jaken called sheepishly, approaching his master with hesitated steps.

The small creature's voice was left to hover in the air with none to answer it as the daiyoukai ignored him completely.

It was already late and the three of them including A-Un decided to stop for the night and settle down near the closest river, just outside the barrier's territory, to let both the imp demon and Sesshomaru rest and regain their powers. Rin was sitting happily on A-Un's back as she played with a few flowers she had picked on their way down from the mountain earlier, now watching both her master and his vassal standing far ahead, closer to the water current.

"Sesshomaru-sama." Jaken tried once more, his voice supported by a bit more confidence this time, earning him his master's glare down at his direction and causing him to stiffen immediately, "I-I understand you might still be angry about earlier and that you have ordered me not to speak of it again, my lord, but I fear we must acknowledge the miko's presence in this area."

Sesshomaru took a moment to process his servant's words as he turned his golden gaze away to the river stream.

"What is there to be acknowledged exactly, Jaken?" He asked, seemingly unfazed by even the thought.

The imp demon stared up at his master with great worry, confused as to why he's ignoring the fact that this is the miko who was powerful enough to seal his despicable half-youkai brother to a tree for fifty years that they were addressing here. He valued his own life enough to not inquire about what the child had spoken of earlier; regarding the same miko also saving the both of them from an unfortunate situation that somehow got out of the daiyoukai's control. However, if that bit of information was indeed the truth, then the small green creature felt as if his worries were even more justified.

But before he could even voice out his well-edited suggestion, his master cut into his thought process;

"Jaken." Sesshomaru called, the end of his servant's name followed by a sigh marking both annoyance and disappointment altogether, "There is nothing that I, Sesshomaru, should be concerned about regarding that miko." He determined, acting as if he was reading every single notion his vassal had running in his head.

Jaken merely gulped at his master's words, his hands clenching his wooden staff with nervousness.

"Concerned? Heavens no-"

"Silence." Sesshomaru ordered, anger heard clear in his voice, and yet his expression remained eerily serene, "I will not repeat myself again."

The imp demon simply bowed his head at his master repeatedly, profusely apologizing.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin's voice called from behind them, making both the daiyoukai and Jaken turn around in her direction, "Rin is hungry!" The child declared, hopping down from the back of the beast to the ground below her as she made her way towards them both, "Can Rin go and look for food?" she asked.

Her master turned his eyes from the girl to his vassal, "Jaken, accompany her." he instructed calmly.

After all of this recent and uncalled-for pestering, the daiyoukai felt like he could use some time by himself.

"Yay!" Rin called happily, "Jaken-sama, I'll teach you which mushrooms you can eat and which are toxic!" she turned on her heel and began excitedly stepping in the forest's direction.

"I simply cannot wait..." The imp demon let out a long, exhausted sigh as he reluctantly followed in her footsteps.

Sesshomaru was now left alone, savoring the absence of words and the relaxed forest sounds which replaced them instead, circling him from all directions. He watched the steady stream flowing below him as he tried rearranging his thoughts. He could not have admitted to his vassal that the miko had been on his mind since their encounter with her on the mountain. The mere fact that she did, sparked anger and utmost displeasure in his mind – why should he even spare her another moment of thought? He was well-aware of her powers as well as the fact that she was indeed the miko who was able to perform a powerful sealing spell on his cursed brother, but that was all there was to her. She posed no threat to him, and therefore she was irrelevant. There was no need for him to overthink this matter.

He breathed in deep, taking in the earthly scents, the misty air and rich ground, the various creatures lurking in the shadows, be them mere literal insects or low-class demons too afraid to reach any closer to his location. Unfortunately for him, however, his sense of smell was too keen for his own good, and he also picked up her peculiar scent, somewhere, well mixed within the lot, far away and yet still present in the Mt. Hakurei area. She indeed had the scent of soil and bones; her current clay body was but a mere fake of the one she had when she was still alive and human, but her soul that was so strongly embedded in that body, as well as her fierce spiritual energy, granted her a prominent flowery scent, sage plant and different kinds of medical herbs, a delicate reminiscent of her old humanity. A scent that he took notice of, but was attempting to ignore and grant no attention to.

He breathed out, the clouds above him drifting away from the pale moon, allowing light to shine on his surroundings and wind to flow through his bangs and long, silvery hair, the empty sleeve to his left fluttered against him and reminded him of an unpleasant memory, making him slightly frown.

'Inuyasha...' Sesshomaru ran his brother's lousy name in his mind.

What business did his younger brother have with that woman?

He didn't want to ponder such useless themes, but he felt as if answers would help him understand the situation better for a clear assessment. Also, judging from the fact that the miko was still evidently present in the area after successfully taking care of that Shinintachi member was proof that her priorities lied elsewhere.

Perhaps even matched his own.

That however, meant little to him. If she dared getting in his way – he would eliminate her.

"S-Sesshomaru-sama..! Sesshomaru-sama!" His vassal's panicked voice tore him from his thoughts, making him turn around swiftly in the small creature's direction.

Jaken ran all the way up to his master, short of breath, revealing Rin behind him with a similar exhausted look on her face.

"Jaken-sama! Don't!" she pleaded with the same lack of breath, grabbing at the imp demon's dark brown sleeve.

"Silence, child! Sesshomaru-sama must know and there's nothing you can do from keeping me alerting him of this information!" He insisted, glaring at the human girl next to him, making her expression turn worried.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" She turned her attention to her master as well once she realized the imp demon was hellbent on his actions, attempting to desperately negotiate with him instead, "She really is just sleeping! There isn't a reason for us to-"

"Insolent child!" Jaken hissed, jerking from her grip on his sleeve, "Sesshomaru-sama will be the one to decide that, not you!"

The daiyoukai simply stood in his place, quietly watching both of his companions' bicker on whether their mysterious new finding posed a threat to them all or not. He held from speaking for a few more moments, then, closed his eyes and released a small, tired breath.

"Where is the miko?" he cut into their loud squabble, making them both stop and turn to him.

Rin stayed quiet, then averted her gaze with worry.

Jaken, however, straightened up immediately, full of determination.

"Uphill in the direction which we came from, Sesshomaru-sama. The woman had located herself on a cliff just outside of the barrier's reach with a clear watch of Mt. Hakurei." He informed him, his voice filled with intent, "She had erected a strong barrier of her own however, none can pass it."

Sesshomaru simply let out a mocking breath at his vassal's last sentence.

Then, he started stepping forward, in the direction of the rumored location. Her barrier was indeed strong, he noted, as it caused her scent to be hidden quite well from him, eluding him into believing she was far away. However, there was no barrier that could ever repel him, not even hers.

Jaken and Rin quickly followed in his footsteps as they all made their way through the thick forest. There was no path for them to sort out using only the moonlight's glow reflected from the nature around them, the tall, misty grass was thick and stubborn as the three of them approached further and higher. The daiyoukai noticed both of his companions refrained from speaking. He presumed Jaken was too afraid to talk, foolishly believing that the miko held any kind of danger to them, while Rin was simply displeased with the notion of him possibly hurting the woman who saved her. 'We'll see how the circumstances would unfold.' He concluded his plan. He was only going to approach that woman for one reason, and that reason was to shed some light on a few matters which regretfully, occupied his mind. He mostly blamed Jaken for planting these useless notions, but if the opportunity exists, he will seize it and put a rest to them, as well as his vassal's irritating and pointless perturbations.

Reaching a certain clearance in both the wildlife and tall greenery around them, the three of them stopped before a thick row of trees, almost forming a wall going upwards as if they were placed there specifically to keep any other living being out. Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed as he focused them on whatever was far beyond their branches, revealing clear view of Mt. Hakurei in the distance, with a single tree growing on the very edge of the cliff, supporting the miko as she lay her body on its branches right at their conjoined centered base.

"Sesshomaru-sama, the barrier is right up ahead of this point." Jaken whispered.

The daiyoukai's expression remained impassive as he scanned the area before him. He did not need his vassal to even point this useless information out to him. He could see it very well just behind this row of trees. Not a bad barrier at all, he noted to himself.

"Wait here, you two." He ordered them both with a low voice, his attention still focused on his objective far ahead and his expression not revealing any information regarding what he was thinking.

Jaken let out a relieved sigh that his master did not need him to accompany him in this specific encounter, while Rin only nodded. Both of them watched him as he effortlessly walked through the priestess's barrier, the same one which Jaken had accidentally stepped too close to earlier and was painfully repelled away as a result.

"That's Sesshomaru-sama for you..." Jaken continued to whisper as if there was any danger of the miko hearing him and killing him on the spot, "No barrier can repel him...!"

Rin's expression turned slightly annoyed.

"Really, Jaken-sama!" She pouted down at the imp demon, whispering as well, her hands clenched into small fists.

But he only averted his yellow eyes from her in a condescending matter as a response, ignoring her displeasure regarding the entire situation.

Stepping closer to the end of the grassy cliff, Sesshomaru felt his energy being compressed, just as he did when the miko first arrived on that mountain. His youkai aura was constantly battling with her purifying energy, small ripples of it weakening him significantly, only to have his body regain its strength back again and again in a constant never-ending spiral. He noted the experience as very irritating, and yet he strode forward, until he finally reached her, then, stopped in his place.

He was now close enough to the tree the miko had rested herself on, and yet made sure to keep a safe enough distance to study her, his golden orbs scanning her relaxed face, her long eyelashes closed and her expression calm, the wind occasionally picking up through the area flowing through the bangs framing her face and in her long locks of hair which were now free of their binding, covering her robes, eventually falling gracefully well below her body resting on its branches, swaying according to the slow rhythm of the weather. Her left hand was leisurely dropped to her side as the other placed on her stomach, and her legs supported by the branches of the tree. Floating around her sleeping figure were strange, round spiritual energy spheres that cast an eerily pale glow onto the miko's features, making her seem mystical, otherworldly, even.

'How carelessly defenseless.' He thought as he narrowed his eyes at her, but just as he finished that thought, as if reading his mind, she spoke to him;

"What business do you have with me, Inuyasha's older brother?" she asked him with a calm voice, her brown eyes fluttering open as she stayed in her relaxed position, staring coldly right at him with an unreadable expression.

Sesshomaru kept silent as the wind picked up, carrying her unusual scent in his direction. How long has this woman known he had been standing here? And to ask him that with barely even moving from her careless position, how truly impertinent. He lowered his eyes from the miko to stare at the bow and arrow quiver inattentively resting against the trunk, then set them back on her.

"Are you not going to arm yourself?" He inquired, watching her closely.

Kikyo simply blinked at his question, staring at him with indifference for a few moments in silence in which none of them spoke.

"If you wanted to kill me, you would have already tried doing so, Sesshomaru." She replied, addressing him with no honorifics whatsoever, her gaze sharp and never breaking his eye-contact, "I sensed you and your companions' presences since before you've even broken through my barrier."

The daiyoukai said nothing as they both resumed back to silence. Kikyo's barrier repelled and purified any living being that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the area, while also preventing any demon from entering, apart from a youkai of his rank, of course, resulting in only the two of them currently occupying the location and making it impossibly quiet. Mt. Hakurei loomed in the background of their exchange, acting as a constant reminder to the actual reason they are both there.

'Is he not going to answer me on why he is standing before me?' Kikyo wondered, still studying him silently, 'What a peculiar man.'

To have him make all this way to her just to keep silent like this and avoid her questions, what was it that he was after?

There was however one problem, she noted; her powers were still not at their one hundred percent capacity, meaning that if he indeed decided to try and kill her, she might struggle to survive. Kikyo resolved into hiding this fact from him under any circumstances. She could have easily reached for her bow and arrows once she felt him approach her location, however that would have made her seem on edge, and appear weak. Furthermore, considering the fact that his two companions are relatively close to their current whereabouts with one of them being the small human girl she previously saved, she would assume he wasn't there to destroy her quite yet. Unless he truly has no regard for human life, that is.

"Since you're still lurking in this area, I can tell you carry a different objective than simply hunting down those group members." He suddenly stated, the wind flowing through his long silvery hair and in his clothes as if adding weight into the words he let out. His golden eyes locked with her brown ones and a solemn expression crossed his features, one that had no intention of revealing his emotions. His body was stiff and yet his demeanor did not show any signs for fear or confusion, even after he had seen her in this state, with these souls floating all around her.

Kikyo silently raised the hand that was slumped to her side and collected one soul in her palm, absorbing it into herself as she lay her palm of her chest, her eyes not leaving his.

"That is none of your concern." She replied nonchalantly, expressionless.

Sesshomaru's brows formed a slight frown at her audacity.

"I am warning you, miko, Naraku is my prey." he informed her, his voice tinted with both arrogance and irritation, "Tell me what is it that you know about him."

Kikyo narrowed her eyes at his direction.

'His prey? What a joke.' She couldn't help but mentally laugh at the absurdity. 'Is this the reason he had come here? To make sure that I don't interfere with his plan? To order information out of me? What business does this man even have with Naraku in the first place to allow himself to act this arrogantly?'

"Naraku cannot be slain by a mere cut of your sword, Sesshomaru. The only one who can defeat him is me." Her tone was solemn and her eyes cold as she spoke, yet her expression remained calm in his presence.

The daiyoukai glared at her for once again using his name with no sign of respect whatsoever and for ignoring his demand completely.

"What truly impeccable confidence you must have in your own powers." He replied dryly, his sentence filled with sarcasm.

Kikyo slightly raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side, causing dark silky hair to fall down her cheek and shoulder as her brown eyes never left his golden ones.

"You're one to talk." She answered him.

'This man truly is arrogant.' she concluded to herself, ironically remembering the incident back on Mt. Hakurei.

"Surely you don't mistakenly believe your interference earlier grants you of any special rights to criticize me, miko." he countered almost immediately, as if reading her mind.

It was her turn to glare at his unbelievable insolence this time.

"Interference?" She calmly hissed at him, narrowing her cold brown eyes at his direction as she slowly and elegantly lifted herself from the tree branch she was lying against into a sitting position, her straight dark hair falling all around her, framing her face with her expression revealing small traces of anger. But not because of his obvious belittling of her actions and powers, no... his choice of words could only point to one conclusion.

"Had I not 'interfered', as you call it, what would have been the fate of that little girl, I wonder?" She demanded, her sharp gaze locked on him.

Just what are human life to this man? Just what does an innocent, powerless child's existence mean to him? She couldn't believe he was indeed, such a fool.

The wind picked up once again through their location, flowing in their hair and their robes, in the grass and the tree tops, allowing the leaves to rattle and their sound to spread, filling the air as if compensating for both of their lengthily heavy silences.

"Do not push your luck, woman." Was all he could answer, his voice slightly lower than before, "I am under no obligation of explaining my ways to you."

"I don't even need you to explain, one glance at you already tells me everything." She countered almost immediately, lowering her head slightly, "Sesshomaru, you deny assistance and enter your battles without proper aid, resulting in you miscalculating your chances of success, thus recklessly endangering the life of the innocents who have their utmost trust in you."

The daiyoukai's golden eyes slightly widened at her words, his glare still locked on her as he lowered his head as well.

"You seem to know all about recklessly operating by yourself." He determined, his mocking tone once again apparent in his voice, "And yet you dare lecture me about choosing to battle this way?"

Kikyo's lips formed a thin line, yet her expression remained composed at his absurd reply.

"Unlike you, I am not responsible for a life other than my own." She answered, letting out a small sigh at the realization that this conversation was so fruitless, "If I choose to end it by going against Naraku, so be it." With that, she had enough, and the priestess broke his eye-contact, leaned forward to straighten her legs and effortlessly jumped from the tree she was resting on, her long locks of hair falling in delayed motion behind her all the way down to her lower waist. She turned her back to the daiyoukai still standing in his place, lowering herself down to pick up her bow and arrow quiver as she moved her long hair to the left with her free hand to place them on her right shoulder.

"What is your connection with Naraku?" He suddenly inquired, surprising her.

Still facing away with him, Kikyo simply stared at Mt. Hakurei in the distance as the daiyoukai studied her figure in her silence, waiting for her to answer him.

Dawn was already breaking, marking the end of the night and the start of a new day, the bird's chirping could be heard in the distance as the early sun was caught in the misty fog surrounding the mountain, its rays hitting in specific places, creating patches of light that illuminated its massive size from afar.

"Some information is best left in the past." she replied, her voice returned to its calm and composed qualities, not allowing any indication of an actual answer through it.

Sesshomaru's jaw clenched at her vagueness.

This woman was absolutely maddening. He had no intention of even staying there as long as he had already did, but each of her insolent words prompted him to answer her back, to silence her using her own methods. It didn't help that her aura was constantly attacking him relentlessly, flushing him with spiritual energy that only got stronger the angrier she let herself become during their talk. Before he even noticed, he was actually successfully weakened by both her barrier and her aura.

How insulting.

Was he to let her get away with something like this so easily?

"Something that has to do with that fool Inuyasha, I presume." He put the pieces of his theory together, throwing it at her as he waited for her reaction. If his instincts were correct and he was indeed right, this will only grant him more information on Naraku himself, as well as shed some light on this woman's motives. If he was wrong, then she might simply get angry, shout, even try to attack him. Women are fickle creatures, and the miko is a human woman, no less. She did well in hiding her emotions and negating from answering his questions, but this would probably break her façade, show him some of her real colors.

Sesshomaru watched her in silence, his mouth forming a hint of a smirk.

But instead of shouting, getting angry, or attacking him, he heard her let out a small breath, the sun eventually reaching their location illuminated her entire figure with a golden silhouette, her hair flowing according to the wind's wishes and her shoulders relaxed.

Then, she finally turned halfway in his direction, her head held high and her expression unreadable just as before, yet her brown orbs that were now reflecting the soft light all around them shone with the deepest mahogany color he'd ever seen. She said nothing as she fearlessly caught his golden gaze one last time, her eyes filled with a look of sorrow, of sadness and regret, of emotions which he couldn't even understand, combined with disappointment, pity and even envy. And she watched him silently like that, transmitting all of this information to him.

She didn't answer him with words, this time.

She didn't need to.

Sesshomaru stayed in his place as he watched her avert her gaze, stepping forward in his direction, closing her eyes as she passed him completely, eventually leaving him where he stood, in silence.

The sun was now shining all over the valley, the chilly morning wind flowing through his long hair and caressing his face reminding him that it was time to go back, to the spot where he had left both Rin and Jaken.

He turned on his heel and started striding in the way in which he came from, yet he found himself thinking about his exchange with her, his mind stuck in an endless loop, going through his conversation with her over and over again, relentlessly playing scenes for a purpose that he couldn't name, the image of her expression as she turned around etched into his mind as if imprinted there.

That look in her eyes...

Why was he suddenly feeling so... displeased with his own actions?