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-Chapter Thirty-Four-

.:A Hint of Trouble:.

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Clara

"Again."

I could feel the sweat on my forehead as I gripped Shinsei tightly. I quickly took a step back, and another, and another.

"Stop."

I froze as I turned my head towards Sesshoumaru. His arms were crossed as he regarded my stance, eyes glancing down to my feet. Beside him, Jaken had his arms crossed, too. They almost had the same facial expression (this was saying something).

It had been a week now, since he'd started teaching me how to use Shinsei. That had been our routine for the past week: we'd spent the mornings resuming our journey for Inuyasha and the others, and at night, Sesshoumaru had Jaken wake me before dawn to practice.

Lately, he'd taken to helping me improve my footwork ("Your incompetent footwork may as well be the death of you," he had said. I had fallen a fair number of times, at the beginning. Who knew footwork could be so tricky? But, then again, this was Sesshoumaru).

"Again."

I inwardly sighed as I kept my grip firm on Shinsei. I took several steps forward and, at the same time, swung Shinsei down. Another step, another, and another…

"Too slow," Sesshoumaru said, eyes on my feet.

I turned to him. "I am human, you know," I pointed out. His eyes found mine.

"You dare to talk back to Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken snapped.

Sesshoumaru glared at Jaken, who cringed. "Ehe, I'll be quiet, milord," the imp said, giving his master a hasty bow.

Sesshoumaru turned to me. "Your point?" he asked.

I blinked. Okay…

"Fine," I huffed. I positioned myself and repeated my earlier movements, pushing my feet and arms to move faster. Faster, faster, faster…

I mentally sighed.

Another long night.

. . .

"It looks as though you have been through seven hells," Momitsumi remarked when we had finally finished and I returned to camp.

I sighed as I leaned back against Ah-Un. The sun was just rising, but Kohaku and Rin were still asleep. Both Momitsumi and Hitori were already awake, though. Hitori had wandered off to ensnare rabbits for breakfast. Sesshoumaru and Jaken had remained behind, because the former had wanted to practice with his own sword. It seemed rather silly for someone already so masterful to still practice, but I'd long since learned that skills, like a sword, needed to be continuously sharpened so they wouldn't become dull.

Truth be told, I'd wanted to remain and watch Sesshoumaru practice, but Jaken had sneered ("Lord Sesshoumaru's unrivalled skill and mastery will only discourage you!" he had proclaimed, before Sesshoumaru saw fit to silence him with a fist to the head). I sighed as I leaned against Ah-Un, who flicked his tail against my shoulder, as though to give me a friendly pat.

"Or perhaps, you have been through more," Momitsumi continued as she sat down beside me.

I groaned. As usual, I felt tired, achy, and sweaty. "Definitely through more," I muttered as I wrapped my arms around my knees. For a moment, my eyes lingered on Kohaku, at the shard embedded on his back. I would have to purify it soon.

"I take it your night with Lord Sesshoumaru has been rough?" she teased.

I flushed. She loved bringing that up, again, and again. "You know, that's getting old," I pointed out.

"Your face begs to differ," Momitsumi countered, smirking as she gave me a sidelong glance.

I opened my mouth, but closed it. "I just can't win an argument against you, can I?" I said, sighing.

She chuckled quietly. "Speaking of which," she continued. "Hitori found a hot spring a little far off from here. I was thinking of going. Would you like to come?"

I grinned. "Thank goodness for Hitori," I said. "I thought that I would have to bathe at the river we passed by earlier."

Momitsumi grimaced. "It's much, much too cold," she said scornfully.

"Let's wait for Rin, though," I said. "I think she'll want to join us."

"Do you suppose Lord Sesshoumaru would want to join you?" Momitsumi suddenly said. She threw me a teasing grin.

My eyes widened in surprise. Oh, she enjoyed doing this! "Quit it!" I hissed, keeping my voice low. "You know, for a princess, you're such a pervert."

"Oh no," Momitsumi said airily, waving a hand. "I merely enjoy seeing your reactions, Clara. It's much too amusing."

"Amusing?" I said, my eyebrow twitching. I made a mental note to bring her something from the present era, something that would amuse her.

"Good morning, my lady."

Momitsumi and I turned towards the trees, just as Hitori emerged. He had several skinned rabbits dangling from a rope. Momitsumi smiled, stood, and made her way towards him. They talked amiably as Hitori deftly prepared the rabbits for breakfast.

I found myself smiling as I watched them. Momitsumi looked different when she was with Hitori. There was a gentle look in her eyes, and a soft smile on her lips. Hitori, for his part, remained perfunctory, but the warm look in his eyes was unmistakable. He liked her, I had a feeling that he did. Why couldn't they just be together?

Sighing, I leaned back against Ah-Un. Training with Sesshoumaru always left me so tired. Before Rin and Kohaku woke up in the morning, I usually dozed a bit. I did that just now. I closed my eyes, as Ah-Un's tail brushed against my shoulder.

Presently, the smell of roasting rabbit filled the air, and I opened my eyes. Hitori had the rabbits on spits over a fire. Rin and Kohaku were now stirring and, soon enough, woke up.

"Good morning, Lady Momitsumi!" Rin greeted as she sat up and smiled.

Momitsumi returned her greeting with a smile. Kohaku sat up and rubbed his eyes. Remembering Kohaku's shard, I stood and made my way towards him.

"Good morning, Clara!" Rin said cheerfully as she began folding their blankets.

"Good morning," Kohaku mumbled as I knelt in front of him. The thing with Kohaku was, he was most expressive around Rin. I had always felt that he remembered who Sango was, but something was stopping him from admitting it. I didn't know what it was, though.

"Kohaku, I need to purify your shard," I said, giving him a smile.

The boy nodded and turned his back to me. I felt Momitsumi's intrigued eyes on me as I let my hand hover over Kohaku's shard. I concentrated my spiritual energy to my hand and watched as it glowed with a soft, white light.

"The shard keeps the boy alive?" Hitori asked from his place near the fire.

I nodded wordlessly. I could sense Kohaku's discomfort at Hitori's words. Momitsumi must have sensed it, too, because she threw her soldier a look.

"There, all done," I said, withdrawing my hand.

"Thank you," Kohaku said as he began helping Rin with their blankets.

When they had finished roasting, Hitori handed each of us a rabbit. I thanked him and ate. I'd never really eaten rabbit before, but it was pretty good. I was still amazed that Hitori could cook human food. Former slave or not, he was a demon.

Sesshoumaru and Jaken returned just as everyone had finished eating. Now that I thought about it, unlike Momitsumi and Hitori, I'd never really seen Sesshoumaru eating a full meal, not even during the time we spent at his palace. It must be a demon thing, I decided.

I watched as Sesshoumaru settled himself under the shade of a tree, arm set on a bent knee. For someone who'd just been practicing his sword fighting, he didn't look the least bit ruffled—not a hair out of place, not a drop of sweat on his forehead.

He suddenly turned his eyes to mine. Remembering Momitsumi's words earlier, I blushed and quickly looked down at my lap. From the corner of my eye, I saw Momitsumi make her way over to him.

"Good morning, my lord," she greeted. "Before we resume our journey, may Clara and I visit the hot spring nearby? We will be taking little Rin with us as well."

Sesshoumaru nodded curtly. I could still feel his eyes on me.

. . .

"What is this?" Momitsumi asked, tilting a bottle of shampoo. She was rifling through the backpack I had brought along with me, intrigued. Rin had already removed her yukata and was already swimming in the hot spring, a look of pure delight on her face.

"Shampoo. It's something from my country that we use to clean our hair," I explained.

Momitsumi narrowed her eyes at it and flicked the cover open. "This smells wonderful," she said, sniffing daintily at the opening. She turned to me. "You live in a most fascinating country, Clara."

"The next time I go there, I could bring some back for you," I offered.

Momitsumi grinned. "I would like that very much," she said. "I've grown tired of the same Jasmine perfume on my hair. I wish to be rid of it."

I chuckled. Her expression, as she continued to dig through my backpack, was just so refreshing! Almost childlike, even.

Turning my attention away from her, I looked around. The hot spring that Momitsumi had led us to was a good fifteen or so minutes away from the camp. Surrounded by a dense cluster of trees and a tangle of bushes, it seemed secluded enough. I hadn't forgotten Miroku and the hot-spring incident. Not that Sesshoumaru was anything like Miroku, that is. I blushed at the thought.

"Do you regret not inviting Lord Sesshoumaru along?" Momitsumi asked, smirking, as she stood.

"Eh?" I said, surprised. "I was just thinking of something else!"

"Clara, Clara, Clara," Momitsumi said. "Everyone knows the only reason you blush is because of Lord Sesshoumaru."

I flinched. "Everyone?" I said. "It's not just because of him, you know."

"It is, Clara!" Rin piped up.

I turned to her. "You're a little too young for this kind of talk."

She stared at me with wide, innocent eyes. "What kind of talk?"

"Everyone. Except, maybe, Lord Sesshoumaru," Momitsumi muttered. "Anyway, if you wish to sit here and think about Lord Sesshoumaru, do so. I shall be in the hot spring with Rin, and this delightful bottle of…shampoo."

I averted my eyes as Momitsumi disrobed. For an instant, I thought about the modern era. Truth be told, I missed my mother. It had been so long since I'd seen her last. I wondered how she was doing. In fact, I wondered how my grades were holding up. I wasn't a genius, but my grades were good enough. However, seeing as how long it had been since I'd last attended school, I wouldn't be surprised if they just dropped me all together.

Sighing, I pulled out the Sacred Jewel from the sleeve of my haori. Naraku's darkness remained at the center. For an instant, I wondered…Could he see what I was doing? Could he feel the emotions I felt? What was he doing in there?

I closed my fist around the jewel. I had attempted to purify the jewel again but, no matter how much spiritual energy I put into it, nothing happened.

"Clara!" Rin's voice brought me back to the present.

I turned towards them. "Get in!" Rin called out, waving.

I tucked the Sacred Jewel back into my sleeve before removing my haori and hakama. I folded them neatly before I stepped into the water.

"This feels so good!" I said, sighing, as I leaned against a rock. The hot water soothed my aching muscles, and I relaxed. For a moment, I closed my eyes and forgot about Naraku and the Sacred Jewel…

Rin's laughter jarred me awake. She was laughing at the foamy lather on Momitsumi's head. Momitsumi was staring at the lather on her hands, her head tilted curiously. Almost like a puppy seeing something new for the first time. I couldn't help it—I laughed.

"Don't worry, it's supposed to do that," I said, chuckling.

"Can I try?" Rin asked.

I showed Rin how to lather the shampoo before applying it to her hair. "Close your eyes," I warned. "It stings if the lather gets in them."

"It smells good, Clara!" the little girl said, giggling.

"Watch this," I said. I poured a small amount of shampoo on my hand, and blew a bubble.

Rin let out a cry of delight as she reached up and attempted to grab hold of the bubble as it floated above her. Momitsumi looked up at the bubble, a small smile on her face.

"I once recall Hitori doing that," she mused. "He used sap from a tree, though."

"Speaking of Hitori," I said as Rin waded to the other side of the hot spring, still in pursuit of the bubble. "Have you talked to him at all?"

For a moment, she fell silent. Her serious expression made me cringe. She suddenly scoffed. "Clara, let's enjoy this pleasing bottle of shampoo, and this wonderful hot spring, shall we?"

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Sesshoumaru

Inuyasha was most vexing.

It had been a week since we had set out to find him and his companions. I normally did not seek out Inuyasha willingly; his preferred method of greeting—consisting of a shouted insult and a drawn Tessaiga—was most irksome. This turn of events was indeed amusing.

And it was because of that girl.

I gazed at her from over my shoulder. We had resumed walking after Clara, Momitsumi, and Rin had returned, all three of whom looked considerably happier. Clara was talking animatedly to Momitsumi and Rin, who led Ah-Un by the reins. She was sharing her experience regarding a bucketful of worms during her childhood, to which her listeners laughed.

Hn.

I tore my gaze away from her. My decision to seek out Inuyasha had stemmed from my desire to keep her here. Despite saying that she would take the young demon slayer with her, it would not have been long before something accosted them. That was my reasoning. Or so I thought.

I frowned infinitesimally. My obligation to the girl was finished. I could leave her at any time I wished. And yet, I could not. I was not a liar, and I did not wish to start now.

I could not let her go.

Falling in love was an imbecility. Falling in love with a human was an idiocy.

My lord Father had perished protecting a human and that fool, Inuyasha. He had fallen for a mortal, and, thus, fallen into an early grave. I had no delusions about the night Father died. Had he obtained treatment for his injuries, he would have lived. And yet, he had foregone his wellbeing for the sake of a mortal woman and a half-breed son.

How had I, Sesshoumaru, fallen to the same fate?

Even I could not answer that question.

"Is something the matter, my lord?" Jaken suddenly asked.

I looked down at him, walking beside me. I glared.

"Ah! It's…it's none of my business, my lord!" he said hastily. I often found his fear amusing. "Of course, nothing can trouble Lord Sesshoumaru! What was I thinking?"

"Quiet."

"Ye…yes, milord!" he stammered.

For a moment, I felt Clara's eyes on me. A second later, I heard her quicken her pace so she could walk beside me.

"Um, Sesshoumaru?" she said hesitantly.

"Hn?" I did not look at her.

"Well…I was thinking," she began. She sounded reluctant. Was she afraid?

"Out with it."

"Right, about Inuyasha," she said quickly.

I looked sideways at her. Inuyasha, of all things.

"I think he might be somewhere near Kaede's village," she went on. If I recalled correctly, that was the elderly miko, from whom Inuyasha sometimes sought advice.

"Perhaps," I said tersely.

"It is possible," she said. "Kagome may have returned to the Modern Era, after all." She grew quiet, and I sensed an air of sadness in her. Did she miss her own Era?

"You wish to return as well," I observed.

Her eyes widened slightly. She frowned as she retrieved the jewel from within the sleeve of her haori. I gazed at it as it nestled in her palm. In the center, there remained that speck of darkness that was Naraku.

"I…well, yes, I do miss it," she admitted, her eyes fixed on the jewel as we walked. "Sometimes I wonder what's happening back home. How is my mother? How are my grades holding up? I have a feeling that I'm going to be dropped from school completely." She frowned, then turned her eyes to me. "But I have more important things to take care of here."

She suddenly smiled at me. Beside me, I could feel Jaken making a noise of contempt. He murmured something about 'silly human girls', but I paid him no heed. My attention was wholly fixed on the smile this girl wore…I quickly banished the thought.

These emotions were indeed a pestilence.

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Clara

Night had fallen again, and we'd stopped to make camp beside a stream. I was sitting with my back leaning against a rock, my notebook against my propped-up knees. Sesshoumaru had decided to scout the area, and had yet to return. Rin, Kohaku, Momitsumi, Jaken, and Hitori were sitting across the fire, the remnants of dinner in front of them. They were swapping horror stories. Each one of them—except Momitsumi—had an anxious expression on their face as Hitori told them the story of a lonely maid in a temple, who waylaid weary travelers on rainy nights.

I looked up from my notebook. Rin was clutching Kohaku's arm, her expression tense and anxious. Kohaku, for his part, clenched his fists, beads of sweat on his forehead. Jaken's eyes were wider than normal, and he held the Staff of Heads as though his life depended on it. Momitsumi looked enthralled (whether because of the story, or because of Hitori, I couldn't tell).

"And so, the lonely maiden invited the young man into the temple," Hitori was saying. He kept his deep baritone voice low, and his expression menacing. Not only was he a good cook, he was also a good storyteller.

"Don't go!" Rin exclaimed, clutching Kohaku's arm.

"Stupid human, entering the temple," Jaken muttered darkly.

"He entered the temple to find no one there. The maid had vanished," Hitori continued. "There was no one, except the voice of the lonely maid calling him deeper and deeper into the temple. The young man felt his heart race as he followed the voice, the floorboards at his feet creaking.

"He finally came to a chamber from whence he could hear sobbing. He gently slid the door open. In the corner, sat the young maid, her back turned to him. 'What is wrong, young maiden?' the young man asked. The maiden only sobbed louder, and the young man approached.

"He placed a hand on the maid's shoulder. 'Who has harmed you?' he asked. The maiden only sobbed louder. 'I've lost something,' the maid sobbed, keeping her back to him. 'What have you lost, I shall help you find it,' the young naïve man said. The maiden slowly turned to face him, and the young man stumbled back in fear. 'Help me,' the maiden cried. 'Help me find…my FACE!'"

Hitori raised his voice on the last word, startling Rin and Kohaku, both of whom jumped. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin shouted, clinging to Kohaku even tighter.

I didn't realize I'd been gripping my pencil tightly from the anxiety that his story evoked. Boy, Hitori was a man of many talents, indeed.

"Rin."

Sesshoumaru suddenly appeared at the edge of the camp. His golden eyes darted to Rin, checking for any injuries. Finding none, he turned to Momitsumi.

"We were telling tales of horror, my lord," Momitsumi explained, repentant.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin called out as she rushed to her lord's side. She clung to his leg for dear life. We stared at her, amazed. We were even more amazed when Sesshoumaru patted her lightly on the head.

"Nothing more than a tale, Rin," the demon lord said. He looked to Hitori. "Cease your stories."

Hitori bowed. "As you will, my lord," he said perfunctorily.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, please don't let the lonely maiden come near us," Rin pleaded, her eyes wide.

He knelt on one knee so that he was eye-level with her. "Sleep, Rin," he commanded. "The lonely maid cannot slip past me."

Rin beamed at him. "Thank you, my lord!" she said, immediately happy. She turned back to Kohaku and the others to get ready for bed.

I found myself smiling. I'd never seen Sesshoumaru comfort Rin before (apparently, neither did Jaken, because he stared at the demon lord with surprised eyes, until Sesshoumaru threw him a look). To think that he had it in him…

He suddenly looked towards me. I blushed, and quickly lowered my eyes to my notebook, to the piece I had been composing. I was almost finished with it, just a few more notes and I would be done. I flipped a page, and drew a series of musical staffs, placing a C-clef at the beginning of the first. Around me, I could hear everyone getting ready for bed.

"Are you not done studying?" Sesshoumaru was suddenly in front of me.

Startled, I pressed the pencil hard on the page. "Um, no," I said, closing the notebook.

To my surprise, he folded his legs elegantly beneath him as he sat beside me. He must have been bored. He was quiet, his eyes fixed on the fire flickering in front of him. It didn't look as though he would budge from that spot anytime soon.

Sighing, I opened the notebook. Well, he couldn't read musical notation, anyway…

"Humans are ambitious creatures," he suddenly said.

I turned to him, surprised to see his eyes on the notebook. I gulped. Could he read musical notation? Besides, even if he could, there was no way he would know for whom this particular piece was (beside the title, I had written his name in English).

"How so?" I asked. I turned my eyes back to the page, trying very hard to suppress an oncoming blush.

"From monks to noblemen, all of them wish to aggrandize their knowledge to no end," he said quietly, almost disdainfully.

I threw him an annoyed look. "You're implying something," I said sourly. I had a sneaking suspicion that he was making fun of my studying this past week. After all, I'd never really studied while I was in the Feudal Era.

"Undoubtedly so."

"Well, you're right," I said. "Humans are very ambitious. They want a lot of things, things beyond their reach, things that they have no business wanting." Like me…I wanted him, but I knew that that was simply not possible. Ambitious, indeed.

"Human children are even more aspiring, though," I went on.

"Oh?"

Sesshoumaru certainly was being conversational today. Amazing. "Hm…How do I put it?" I went on. "Human children—from my time, anyway—feel like they can be anything they want to be. Ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they'll say things like 'doctor', 'teacher', 'scientist', 'astronaut'…"

I smiled fondly to myself. I'd been like that when I was a child. For one month, I wanted to be a singer (out of the question, I was just too off-key). The next month, I would want to be a doctor (I even learned how to dress wounds then).

"Astronaut," Sesshoumaru said. Since there was no Japanese equivalent for the word yet, he said it slowly; but he said it fluently—no accent, no awkward articulation (in other words, perfect English. How he did that, I will never know. A demon thing?).

I could feel his curiosity, but I knew that he would never ask, so I continued. "It's a person who…" How to put it simply? "A person who visits the heavens."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Not the religious heavens," I clarified. "Just…the stars. In my time, humans have invented a machine that allows them to do just that. They wear a form of armor that protects them from the stars' harmful energy. They also study the stars. I wanted to do that when I was younger, so you were right about humans being ambitious."

"Is that how you came to know of the Dog Star?" he asked apathetically.

I felt my cheeks warming. "Um, yes," I said. I looked up at the skies. Despite being near the fire, I had no trouble seeing the stars. They were more beautiful here than in the present. I scanned the night sky, until I found the brightest star that stood out from the rest—like Lord Sesshoumaru.

"There," I said, pointing at it.

"Sirius, correct?" he asked, his eyes on the starry night sky. I was stunned that he remembered the Greek name, seeing as it had been a week since I'd said it last (and then, only once). But then again, this was Sesshoumaru.

I turned to him. He was staring at me, an almost intent look in his eyes. For a moment, I held his gaze. What was that look? I couldn't tell if it was annoyance, amusement, confusion—it could have been anything. I blushed. A moment later, he narrowed his eyes and stood up.

"Sleep. Jaken will wake you soon," he said, as he swept off.

It was only after he left that I realized how fast my heart was beating. I groaned as I leaned my head against the rock, and closed my eyes. Jaken had once told me to hide my feelings from Sesshoumaru, as he didn't want his lord to be bothered by 'trifling human emotions'. The fact that Sesshoumaru would be bothered because of my feelings, made my cheeks redden with embarrassment.

Sorry, Jaken. I think I was doing a poor job of being discreet.

Closing my notebook, I sighed heavily and slept.

. . .

"You're hopeless," Jaken said.

I looked down at him. Minutes ago, he'd come to wake me to take me to where Sesshoumaru was. He looked up at me, his expression irate, as we walked. The moonlight filtered through the leafy canopy of the trees.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked sourly. I placed a hand on Shinsei's hilt, making sure it was there.

"I mean you're not doing a very good job of keeping your feelings to yourself!" he huffed.

I stopped in my tracks, frozen. I already knew this, but I'd secretly hoped that I wasn't that obvious. Oh, this was so embarrassing.

"Do you…do you think…he…?" I stuttered.

"No, I do not think so," Jaken said, and I let out a sigh of relief. "Not yet, at least. Put more effort into it, girl!"

Sighing, we walked on. Jaken may have been rude and a bit crude, but you could count on him to know when you're doing something that was most likely to trouble Sesshoumaru. Urgh…the fact that he would be troubled if he knew that I had feelings for him…

It made me sick with embarrassment.

I let my thoughts wander as I followed Jaken. Several more minutes passed before he led me through a gap in the trees, and into a clearing. Sesshoumaru was standing in the middle of the clearing, arms folded as he regarded Jaken and me with cold eyes. I was about to smile in greeting, but remembering what Jaken said, kept my head down and my mouth shut.

"Clara," Sesshoumaru said. Even though he kept his voice low, I could hear it as though he were right in front of me. How he pulled that off, I will never know.

I looked up, surprised to find him drawing Tenseiga from its sheath. "I will be your opponent tonight," he said, holding the sword in front of him.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you?!" I stuttered. Remembering what happened the last time I raised a sword against him, I automatically took a step back.

He must have seen the fear in my eyes, because he narrowed his own at me. "Tenseiga will not hurt you," he said calmly.

I eyed it warily. It looked sharp enough. "Tenseiga is a useless blade that cannot cut, you silly girl!" Jaken screeched from the sidelines. "It is a sword of healing, meant to resurrect a hundred dead with one—" And before he could finish his sentence, a stone hurtled towards his head, knocking him to the ground unconscious.

I stared at the sword in Sesshoumaru's hands. "I never knew that about Tenseiga," I admitted. If what Jaken said was true—and I had no doubt that it was—Tenseiga was an amazing sword. The fact that it could heal and resurrect made it a better sword compared to Inuyasha's Tessaiga (in my eyes, at least). Still, it was hard to believe that something as sharp as that blade couldn't cut.

He seemed to sense my unease. Doubtless, he must have remembered what happened at his palace, when he'd asked me to draw my sword on him.

"You are doubtful," he pointed out.

I looked at him. Despite my apprehension, I felt—no, I knew—that I could trust him. I smiled and shook my head. "I'm just thinking how unfair this matchup is," I said, as I drew Shinsei. He was a demon lord after all.

"There are no rules in a battlefield," Sesshoumaru said quietly, the moonlight glinting off Tenseiga. A cold wind swept through the clearing, and I felt myself shiver. "Your opponent may be anyone—demon, human, friend, foe."

"I would never harm my friends," I said, holding his eyes. "Especially not the people I care about the most." Do not blush, Clara.

"And if your friends wished to harm you?"

"They wouldn't be my friends in the first place, would they?" I asked.

"Hn."

Without warning, he rushed towards me. I gasped, automatically raising Shinsei to parry his Tenseiga. The clang of steel on steel echoed throughout the clearing. To my surprise, the force with which he struck Shinsei wasn't what I had been expecting. His movements didn't appear as quick either. Oh—he was going easy on me.

"Pay attention," Sesshoumaru said as he drew back Tenseiga.

I parried again. For a moment, our swords locked, and his cold eyes found mine. He frowned, drew back Tenseiga, and leapt into the air, bringing the blade down on me.

I jumped back, Tenseiga missing me by inches. That was…too…close! My brain was kind enough to remind me that Tenseiga couldn't cut, but still…

This was going to be another long night.

. . .

"You look tired, Clara," Rin observed the next day.

We were on the move again, headed south. Rin and Kohaku were both seated on Ah-Un, who lumbered along beside me. As expected, Sesshoumaru had been merciless last night. I didn't bother keeping count of how many times he'd knocked Shinsei from my hands—I'd only be depressed (what was more depressing was the fact that he was going easy on me last night! Just you wait, Sesshoumaru).

"No, I don't," I lied. I think I've been getting only four hours of sleep since Sesshoumaru started helping me with my sword.

"You can sit on Ah-Un, Lady Clara," Kohaku offered as he hopped off the dragon.

"No, I'm good!" I said hastily, raising my hands in protest. Besides…this was building endurance and stamina, right?

"Do as you're told."

I turned towards the sound of Sesshoumaru's dispassionate voice. He was looking at us from over his shoulder, steely gold eyes fixed on me. I didn't want him to think that I was tired after losing endlessly to him last night, didn't want another reason for him to call me weak.

"I'm alright," I said flatly. It took a lot of effort to quell the oncoming yawn I felt.

"Now." His voice was full of a command that left no room for argument.

"Fine," I said. Ah-Un stopped to let me mount him, then continued following Sesshoumaru and Jaken.

Rin shimmied closer to me and grinned that mischievous smile of hers. I tilted my head at her, and she gestured to Sesshoumaru's back. "What?" I said, puzzled.

Momitsumi, who had been bringing up the rear with Hitori, lengthened her stride so she walked beside us. Like Rin, she was giving me her customary teasing grin. "What?" I said, unnerved. "Will you two stop giving me those looks?"

"It appears she is hopeless, Rin," Momitsumi said, sighing heavily.

Rin nodded in agreement.

"You guys aren't making any sense at all," I said testily.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Kagome

"Touch me one more time, and I swear I'll hack off your hand!" Sango screeched as she rounded on Miroku.

Inuyasha and I stopped as we looked back at the pair following behind us. Sango was glaring at Miroku, who gave her an apologetic look as he raised his hands in defense.

"Sango, you must know that my hand has a mind of its own. It is beyond my control," Miroku protested. "Sometimes, even I do not know what it'll do next."

Sango glared, and, a second later, a loud smack! echoed throughout the forest. "Control that, you pervert!" she snapped as she walked past him.

"Geez, what a hopeless idiot," Inuyasha muttered, as Sango marched past us, her nose in the air.

I sighed. The last time Sango had been upset with Miroku about his wandering hands, she had asked Sesshoumaru to kill him, if it pleased the demon lord (Miroku had told us that, at the time, Sesshoumaru had caught him unintentionally intruding on Clara and Rin at a hot spring. That must have been pretty awkward).

"He'll never get anywhere with Sango if he keeps that up," Shippo commented from his perch on my shoulder.

"You know, Miroku, you really should do something about your hands," I suggested as Miroku walked up to us. I could make out the brilliant red handprint against his cheek.

"Would that I could exorcise the demon that seems to be possessing my hand," Miroku said solemnly, holding his hand up for us to see.

"The only demon you should be exorcising is yourself," Inuyasha scoffed.

"Seriously, Miroku, we keep telling you that you have to respect Sango!" I said as we began walking again. Sango was still walking briskly ahead of us.

"She didn't mind before," Miroku pointed out. "I'm certain she even enjoyed giving—" A second later, a large pebble—courtesy of Sango—flew towards him, bonking him on the forehead…hard. "Ow!"

"You deserved that," I said sourly. "Anyway, it's getting dark. When we make camp tonight, I want you to apologize sincerely, and promise Sango that you'll try to control yourself."

Miroku looked dejected. "How hard it is to be a man," he said, sighing as he scratched his head.

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched. "I thought you took some sort of vow of chastity, or something of the sort."

"He probably crossed his fingers behind his back," I said dryly.

. . .

"If there's one thing I love, it's ninja food!" Inuyasha said as he accepted the bowl of steaming ramen from me. "That, and Kagome."

I blushed as he said it casually, as though it were natural. He didn't even look sheepish as he dug into his ramen. Did he even realize what he just said? Sure, he put me in the same context as the ramen he was eating, but hey? Considering that this was Inuyasha, that was a start.

I smiled as I watched him and Shippo eat, before I picked up my own Styrofoam bowl of ramen. Night had fallen, and we had set up camp. Miroku and Sango were sitting at the edge of our camp, both engaged in silent conversation.

"I bet he's going to grope her," Inuyasha said quietly, eyes fixed on the pair. On my lap, Kirara mewed, almost as if in agreement.

"I bet he won't," I said. I wanted Sango and Miroku to finally get along and become, well, 'official'.

"Suit yourself," Inuyasha said, shrugging.

I was quiet for a moment. "Inuyasha, how do you think Clara is doing? I mean, is she at Mt. Tenku now, do you think?" I asked.

Inuyasha swallowed his ramen. "Kagome, it's been almost a month since we last saw them, I'm sure she's there by now, and training."

"And Sesshoumaru?" I asked. Clara had feelings for Sesshoumaru. I'm sure she hadn't told him…or had she? There were so many things I wanted to know…

Golden eyes narrowed suspiciously at me, as Inuyasha regarded me. "Why are you asking about him?" he asked flatly. Was he…jealous? I laughed inwardly at that.

"Clara likes Sesshoumaru, remember?" I pointed out.

"He sure as hell doesn't seem to like her," Inuyasha said, scoffing. "Sesshoumaru can't stand humans, remember? That and the fact that he's only helping her, to pay off his debt to Kikyou…" His voice trailed off. "I'm sure he dumped her on Mt. Tenku, and didn't look back."

"Well, that was a blunt way to say it," I said.

"This is Sesshoumaru we're talking about," he argued.

I was about to reply, when Sango's shriek of fury echoed throughout the forest. "Don't break your promise so easily!" A loud smack! promptly followed.

"I win," Inuyasha said.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Clara

Momitsumi looked subdued.

We had stopped for the night. Rin and Kohaku were both absorbed in a game which involved staring at Jaken until he screamed at them. Sesshoumaru had—predictably—wandered off to check the area. I was leaning against Ah-Un, my notebook propped against my knees. Hitori was crouching near the river we'd stopped next to, eyes scanning the water intently for our dinner.

Momitsumi was sitting beside me. I had thought she had come to make fun of me again, but, to my surprise, she just sat there, quiet. This was not normal.

"Um…Momitsumi?" I asked hesitantly.

She turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "Are you…" I began. "Well, obviously, you're not alright."

She scoffed. I pointed to Hitori's back, and she nodded dully. She leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I talked to him," she admitted quietly. "I wish I hadn't. Men are stupid creatures."

I snapped my notebook shut. I was almost done with Distant, but it would have to wait. I didn't know what possessed me to stand up and make my way over to Hitori. Feeling Momitsumi's wide eyes on my back, I approached the demon.

"Can I help, Lord Hitori?" I asked as I crouched beside him. The river flowed peacefully in front of us, moonlight sparkling like diamonds on its surface.

He turned to me, a surprised expression on his face. "I am no lord, Priestess," he said quietly, eyes going back to the water. "No, your help is unnecessary. I doubt a human can be quick enough to catch a fish with their bare hands."

I suppressed the urge to retort. "I didn't come here to help you with the fish," I said quietly. Seriously, was I really going to intrude on their private lives? I liked Momitsumi—she was kind, considerate, and funny, even though she was a demoness. Of course, I was going to intrude (besides, she kept intruding on mine every chance she got, anyway).

Hitori paused, eyes still on the water. He sighed. "You are indeed a curious human, Priestess," he said, his voice a whisper. "Why would you want to help a demoness such as Lady Momitsumi? You are a priestess, Midoriko's very reincarnation, and yet you consort with demons."

"Momitsumi is my friend," I said.

"You're an oddball human," he observed.

I blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" I huffed. "Anyway…you must know that Momitsumi…"

"She is my lady," he interjected.

I took a deep breath. "You care for her…and not just because she is 'your lady', your princess. You care for her because she's Momitsumi."

He gave me a thoughtful look. I inwardly flinched. Had I crossed the line? Had I been wrong in assuming that he cared for her? No, he had to—I could feel it.

"In the same way that you care for Lord Sesshoumaru," he suddenly said.

My eyes widened, and I blushed violently. "That's…that's beside the point!"

"Oh, it is very much the point," Hitori said quietly. "Tell me, Priestess, if our positions were reversed…if I had asked you to confess to the great Lord Sesshoumaru…would you do it? Could you walk up to him, and say the words? Words that you have kept to yourself, but wish to share with him nonetheless? Are you worthy enough to say them straight to his face?"

I froze as his words hit me, and they hit me hard. Would I…Could I…tell Sesshoumaru how I felt? Why not?

Because, despite the immortality, I was human. He was a daiyoukai. We were much too different. Despite the fact that he seemed to trust me, I was probably nothing more than another charge that needed his protecting. Would he even look at me the way I wanted him to? Could he?

My silence was Hitori's answer. "I am faced with the same," he went on. "I was nothing more than a pitiful slave-boy, until my lady's father, Lord Hoshimaru, took me under his wing and made me a soldier in his army. I cannot give my princess more than what has already been given to her. I cannot bestow upon her a title, jewels, and silks of the finest quality. I would only bring her shame. I am not worthy of her, in the same manner that you think yourself unworthy of Lord Sesshoumaru."

I felt myself flinch at his words. What was this ache in my chest? I hadn't felt it in a while, and to feel it again was so alien…I clenched my fists as I stood.

I didn't have the guts to tell him that he was wrong.

. . .

After dinner, everyone had settled to sleep. I sighed as I lay on the blanket beside Rin, watching her even breathing; she had been asleep for a long time now. However, despite the exhaustion of the past week, I couldn't sleep. Hitori's words were still too fresh, the pain they inflicted still acute.

Really, who was I kidding myself? He had a point. Sesshoumaru was beyond my reach. How could I even think that maybe…

It had been on an impulse, but, now that I think about it, Distant seemed like a very appropriate title to the piece I was working on. I sighed as I placed a hand on my forehead, my eyes fixed on the stars—on the Dog Star.

Truth be told, I had secretly hoped that, since he'd come to trust me, Sesshoumaru would come to regard me as something more. How stupid I was! Horribly, horribly stupid! He couldn't possibly come to love a human, could he? Especially not Midoriko's reincarnation.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

In that moment, I understood Hitori's reservations perfectly well—why he was always perfunctory with Momitsumi, why he never showed her the warm smile he had when she laughed…

"I'm such an idiot," I said quietly to myself.

"I couldn't agree with you more!"

My eyes snapped open, and I automatically shot up. Jaken was standing beside me, arms folded. Oh, was it time then?

"Hurry up, you slow girl!" Jaken whispered. "Lord Sesshoumaru is waiting!"

I squirmed at the sound of his name, Hitori's words still ringing in my ears. Jaken must have seen something in my expression, because he huffed. "What now?" he said.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "I…I don't think I want to…" I couldn't bear to see Sesshoumaru, not after my conversation with Hitori.

"Don't be silly!" Jaken said. I couldn't help but notice his tone soften. "Now hurry up! Lord Sesshoumaru is waiting for you, and you're making him wait longer!"

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Kagome

Inuyasha's arms tightening around me, was what woke me. Opening my bleary eyes, I glanced up. Inuyasha was awake, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the trees. His ears were twitching, and I could feel a low rumble in his chest—was he growling?

"Inuyasha, is anything wrong?" I asked, now fully awake.

"Get up, you guys!" Inuyasha said as he suddenly stood.

Miroku and Sango automatically stood up, fully alert. I got to my feet and glanced around the trees. The wind swayed eerily in the breeze, moaning as it blew among the leaves. Something didn't feel right.

"We have company," Inuyasha said, as he drew Tessaiga.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Clara

"Distraction will surely be the death of you," Sesshoumaru said imperiously as he knocked Shinsei from my grip. Again.

I didn't even bother to make a comeback to that. He was right—Hitori's words were distracting me, and the fact that Sesshoumaru was standing in front of me didn't help matters at all.

Sighing, I made my way over to the edge of the clearing, where Shinsei had fallen near Jaken's feet. He nudged it, almost gently, towards me. "Thank you," I said as I picked it up.

"Put more effort into it, Clara!" Jaken muttered.

I blinked. I didn't know if he meant my sword fighting, or my ability to dissemble. Maybe both?

Forcing down a sigh, I turned back to Sesshoumaru. He raised his Tenseiga, and then suddenly, he rushed towards me. I parried his sword (he was still going easy on me). Our blades locked, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

"You lack focus," he said quietly.

I knew that already. I frowned as I pulled away. I lunged towards him, only to have him sidestep me. He spun behind me, both graceful and deadly. The next thing I knew, Tenseiga's point was at my back.

"I yield," I said quietly, not even bothering to look back at him. This may have been pathetic, but I didn't feel like sparring with him at the moment.

"Only a fool—"

Before Sesshoumaru could finish his sentence, I felt his clawed hand grip me hard on the shoulder, drawing me back towards him. My eyes widened in surprise as he pushed me behind him. In the blink of an eye, he sheathed Tenseiga, and drew Bakusaiga, eyes narrowing at the ground in front of him.

"Milord!" Jaken squawked, as he rushed towards us.

"Sesshoumaru, what's going on?" I asked, all my worries immediately dispelled.

A vortex of leaves suddenly swirled in front of Sesshoumaru. The wind blew softly against us as the leaves swirled, and then fell gently to the ground to reveal a fiery-haired demoness standing in front of us. A demoness who looked breathless with worry.

"My lord!" she gasped, catching sight of Sesshoumaru.

"Shizune," Sesshoumaru said tersely. "Your business?"

"My lord…your honorable Mother," the demoness called Shinzune said. "The palace has been besieged by the demon samurai clan."

Sesshoumaru suddenly rose from the ground, and his youki rose with him. Wait, he was going on his own? He was going to fight this clan of samurai demons alone? I had no illusions about how strong Sesshoumaru was, but…

I couldn't help but worry.

"Sesshoumaru, wait!" I shouted, taking a step towards him.

He stopped, hovering in midair as he glanced at me from over his shoulder. I could feel Shizune's eyes on me, but I ignored her.

"Please take care," I said. At that moment, I didn't care if I wasn't being discreet—I was going to worry, whether Jaken liked it or not.

"Return to the others," he said tersely. White light suddenly surrounded him and, a second later, he was gone, speeding across the sky.

"You heard milord!" Jaken said, tugging on my sleeve as he dragged me back to the campsite.

I glanced over my shoulder, at Shizune. Her expression was serious. What was happening? Who were these demon samurai? And what of Sesshoumaru's mother? Leaves suddenly swirled around Shizune, and she vanished in a flash of green.

I looked back at the sky, where Sesshoumaru had hovered moments earlier.

"Please be careful," I whispered.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

A1969: End of chapter.

Kagome: another one out? Here, let me give you an Inuyasha plushie.

A1969: but I…I…want a Sesshoumaru plushie!

Inuyasha: yuck.

A1969: hey! Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for reading, reviewing, favorite-ing, and subscribing to this story! By the way, my focus right now is this story, so I can finish it and move on to the others. I really have bitten off more than I could chew, making all those stories at once. Now I'm paying the price. But don't worry, I may be able to update my other stories, along with this. But this will have my utmost priority.

If you're interested to see which stories I'm working on, you guys can check out my profile—I'm posting which stories I'm currently working on updating.

Once again, thanks you guys! : D

Kagome: Inuyasha plushies to those who review! *wink*