A/N: I'm sure this got lost in the course of the story, so this is just to keep you guys back on track. Remember when, at the start of the story, Kagome had terrible eyesight?

And at her video in their Yuinou (chapter 5), Kagome pointed to the wrong gift and apologized, saying she was "Still as blind as a bat?" And remember Sesshomaru's weird habit, (he first did this in chapter 3,) that whenever he and Kagome kissed, he would always let her feel the outline of his face?

Everything pointed to her being blinded in the past, and the previous chapter was how it became so. I didn't just throw that chapter in randomly like a crazy person. :P But Y'all know that she somehow regained her eyesight. The how, though, we'll find out later. Thanks. :)

In Unstable Grounds

"I promise, I'll always be there when you need me. I'll be waiting at the corners until you call, and even if we're far apart, I'll do everything in my strength just to be with you.

My affection will always belong to you, Sesshomaru-sama. No matter what happens."

That was her silly promise when she was ninety, and he was a hundred and eighty. He even fell into a fit of laughter, humored by her overdramatic claim, and she pouted as usual, nervously fiddling the hem of her old, rag-colored yukata.

He had just talked to her about his father's infidelity, and how they found out about his illegitimate half-brother. They had to send Inuyasha to another country to avoid the unforgiving judgment of the community, only to bring him back when the controversy had died down. And she lent her shoulder to him, as she held him in her comforting warmth.

Now, though, was a similar scene before him, except that they were a little bit older, and the roles reversed. "Sesshomaru-sama," she whispered, "will you promise to be there whenever I need you, to hold my hand whenever I need some comfort?"

"I can't promise that, Shrine Girl. We never know what the strings of fate have laid out for us."

He sat quietly beside her, as she buried her face on his kimono and cried. When he found her that day beside the Goshinboku, she did not greet him with her usual warmth. She had been grieving, heartbroken at the news she heard from her mother that morning.

One of her younger friends had passed away from old age.

He did not know how to console someone. So he just sat beside the shrine girl the whole afternoon, as she talked about the little details of her friend's life. Her little quirks, her annoying habits, how her friend met her special someone, about the solemn marriage ceremony held in the shrine-

How her friend had many kids-

And how her kids grew up before her very eyes.

"But you won't outgrow me," she argued.

"How could I outgrow you? I'm a hundred and fifty years older. You're half my age. If anything, There's a high probability that I'm going to die first-" he felt a jab on the side of his ribs. The shrine girl had just poked him hard, and her brows bunched together in anger.

"Stupid Sesshomaru-sama. You're supposed to comfort me, not make me feel worse!" She pulled away and this time, buried her face in her hands. He would have laughed at her silliness, but her shoulders shook, and she was biting her lip.

A torrent of tears was streaking down her cheeks.

"What is it," It took all his willpower to say it as softly as he can. He really was not the one to comfort someone, and he felt awkward. But the shrine girl's tears called out to him, the way her delicate fingers clutched his sleeve tight, he had to say something.

"I wouldn't know…" she started, trying to find the words she wanted to say. "I wouldn't know what to do… if you would die before me."

"It's the course of nature, shrine girl." He said, recycling what his father told a long time ago. "Some people stay, and some leave. Life follows its own course. Like the flow of the water in the river, sometimes it ebbs, sometimes it gushes. But what else can we do? We cannot control the flow.

All we can do is to learn how to swim."

She cried even harder.

He was about to sigh at her frivolous sentimentality when she suddenly wrapped him in a tight embrace. "I'm not going to think of it, not now." She said as if trying to reassure herself, more than letting him know. "You're beside me. That's all that matters… And I won't let every moment with Sesshomaru-sama pass me by as if it were nothing."

This time he chuckled. Such a stubborn little girl.

Her hands gently reached out, and he received it, settling her palms on his cheeks. Ever since she was blinded it had become an annoying habit of hers to feel the outline of his face.

She had learned to read energy signatures, from where she would create an outline of images in her mind, enabling her to recognize things around her. But Sesshomaru's youki was unique, and anyone could easily identify him, even with their eyes closed.

But she would still reach out.

Somehow, she needed to touch him,

to verify that he was physically beside her and feel him.

It probably provided her a sense of comfort, and so he allowed her to do so, even with the angry glare of the Higurashi Patriarch, burning holes on his skin whenever his daughter fondly did so.

Ever since she lost her vision, Kyoshiro-sama's hatred festered such that the high priest would not even speak to him. But Kagome used her charm to convince everyone, even her father, that Sesshomaru's version of the events was unfounded.

She told everyone she had been unconscious the whole time, and she woke up only to find herself without any vision.

And Kagome would tell him she didn't remember anything. She was trying to take the blame off him.

They believed her.

But Sesshomaru already knew the truth.

He fondly planted a soft kiss on his childhood friend's forehead. Kagome ran her fingers gently on the outline of his face, and she leaned her head on his. "Sesshomaru-sama," she whispered, very softly. "I still wouldn't know what to do without you."

Knowing you and your infallible strength,

you'd probably move on.

And all of a sudden, the off-handed thought struck him, shook something deep in his soul.

You would move on, despite the odds,

And continue to share that warmth with everyone else,

create a happy life, even if it is without me.

A distressing, uncomfortable feeling settled in the deepest chambers of his mind, and he tried to shake it away.

He thought, that as the day passed by, the feeling would dissolve into nothing, a petty concern that just passed his consciousness, a fleeting emotion that would drown in the bustle of the miscellaneous worries of the day.

But he sat through the last half of the council's meet. And he waved goodbye at the blue-eyed shrine girl as the sun had set. And he laid his head to rest that night, and he found out he could not sleep.

The thought of her moving on without him had disturbed him to no end, and he breathed an exhausted breath, when the sun rose on his miserable, sleepless self.

He had just realized, and it had thrown his entire world off balance.

I can't let you move on without me…

Your warmth,

Your smile…

I want it all for myself.

Sesshomaru tried to hide his yawn but found he could not help it. His father elbowed him as subtly as he could. He was nodding off to sleep in the middle of the meeting.

"We should start with the extensive cleaning if we want to reach our deadline of early fall." One of the High Priests of the council said as he turned to the rigid-shouldered Kyoshiro.

The Higurashi Patriarch's lips tightened into a stern line. "Why don't we use your shrine for the upcoming Lantern Festival?" Kyoshiro quipped. "We've been using Shibuya as a host for centuries-"

The man just laughed, as he reached over and patted Kyoshiro's back. "Listen, great great grand-uncle. If I weren't related to you, I would say you're hogging the Shikon Shrine all to yourself."

Kyoshiro's eyes narrowed. The smiling man sighed. "Kyoshiro-sama, I understand that you want to protect the architecture. But realize this, our shrine in Shibuya is not even one-fourth the size of this one in Bunkyo, yet the patrons are ten times more than what you have!"

"Mamoru-sama is right." One of the older youkais conceded. "We need to encourage more patrons in your shrine, and the Lantern Festival is the perfect opportunity to lure in guests."

Touga nodded his head. "We can take care of the expenses,"

Mamoru raised his hand. "I can bring in my daughter Kikyo to help with the Shrine Maiden duties. I'm sure you need more than one. Kagome-sama can also use some of my daughter's Miko haori and hakama, my little Kikyo-chan has grown into a fine lady, and is about her size now,"

Two pairs of eyes snapped in attention upon the mention of Kagome.

Her overprotective father Kyoshiro,

And unnoticed by the rest of the council, her childhood friend.

"Kagome will suffice by my side during the event." Kyoshiro dismissed. Sesshomaru stayed quiet, his thoughts restless, unnerved by the fact that he had just agreed to one of Kyoshiro's ideas.

One of the youkais leaned back. "Why? So you can glare swords and daggers at anyone who comes near her?" There was a long pause. "I don't mean to offend you. I know she is your most prized treasure. But Kyoshiro-sama, she is a hundred and forty-seven now. She is your heir. As the bearer of the Shikon blood, someday she will have to manage the shrine on her own. She will have to choose her own lover, birth her own heir, continue the bloodline."

As if on cue the shoji doors slid open, and in walked the shrine girl, as simple as she had always been. Her hair was bound messily in a bun, her rag-colored yukata a size too big for her, and there was a smear of black on her cheek, as she had been to the kitchen and had just tended to the water for their tea. Her unseeing blue eyes were cast down as she made her way into the room.

"Speaking of heirs," One of the Youkais said as he turned to Touga, "Isn't your Sesshomaru at the age to choose his own mate?"

"Yeah," Touga shrugged nonchalantly, "Why?"

Kagome made her way to their side, as she started pouring the contents of the western teapot in their cups. "I have a daughter his age. Perhaps we could introduce them to each other?"

Kagome's grip suddenly faltered. But they did not notice. Even Sesshomaru did not see-

He did not even hear what they were talking about.

His golden eyes were intense on the Shrine Girl, his mind immersed in her blue eyes, at how the steam of the piping hot liquid rose to her face, flushing her cheeks red,

The shrine girl…

Will have to choose her own lover,

"Your son has not chosen yet, has he?" Another youkai affirmed, "I have a daughter only twenty years younger than him. She would be a better match."

Sesshomaru could not tear his eyes off her. The council continued to talk, and every word thrown around him was a mix of nonsense sounds and incomprehensible phonics. He was trapped in an internal world of his own.

She will choose her own lover,

She will have to birth her own heir,

"So it's settled then, Sesshomaru? Tomorrow evening?"

The Inuyoukai was not listening.

Will she favor me?

"Sesshomaru, boy, tomorrow evening," the youkai repeated, but Sesshomaru could not drag his thoughts out of his internal turmoil. Then it suddenly dawned on him.

Does she still even like me?

A terrible, sinking feeling started to settle in his gut. It was as if he had just ingested some kind of poison, and it spread throughout his entire body, burning his veins. The Shrine Girl who was right across the table stopped what she was doing, and tilted her head to him.

The harrowing memory of her as a little girl on the shrine steps, as she confessed to him for the first time, flashed in his mind.

And images of both of them laying in the grass, her ebony hair splayed against his platinum white, as she pointed to the blue sky,

"Sesshomaru!" He felt a slap on his back, and it finally jolted him to his senses. It was his father, who had stood from his seat in concern.

The young daiyoukai tried to save face. "Yes," Sesshomaru said distractedly, "tomorrow evening."

A loud crash was heard, as the ceramic pot that Kagome was holding shattered to pieces on the floor. "Gomen nasai," she muttered as she hurriedly kneeled to pick up the pieces, and she quickly exited the room.

Sesshomaru stood up and walked after her.

He did not notice the knowing eyes of his father had been watching him, ever since the Shrine Girl entered the room. Touga turned to his friend and sighed. "Can we just disregard his answer, and ask him another time? My son seemed to be distracted when he was making the decision."

The youkai nodded. "Then I guess a dinner date with my daughter for tomorrow evening will have to wait."

He found her in the lower part of the thousand steps, trying to sweep away the dead leaves that fell on the stairs. The autumn wind would only bring down another batch, and she would huff in frustration as she would repeat the whole painstaking process.

He chuckled, as he stopped four steps above her. She paused and slowly turned towards him.

"Why did you run away, Shrine Girl? Afraid the bad youkais will eat you?" He teased, and instead of a carefree laugh as he expected, she cast her head down.

"I just had to get away, to remind myself that I have my own life, and you have yours." She answered.

Sesshomaru frowned, as he headed down the stairs towards her, he even walked past her, down four steps more, so he would be at eye level with her small figure.

He hovered his face close to hers, too close that their noses touched. "What are you rambling about? Is this one of your mood swings?" He reached out and slowly dragged his thumb on her soft cheek, wiping the black smear off her face. With the blatant closeness of their bodies, she would have already blushed. He was trying to intimidate her, wanting to dominate her with the heat of his warmth.

He wanted her to tremble as she always did, whenever he touched first.

Before, subtle affections would set her off all flustered. If the back of his hand brushed hers accidentally, or if he nipped at her ear teasingly, she would have exploded as red as a fire tree and be all quiet, clamming up in innocent embarrassment.

But now, the Shrine Girl did not even flinch. She did not blush, she did not hold her breath.

She only looked away.

That terrible, sinking feeling from earlier suddenly churned at his guts.

Kagome…

"Good luck tomorrow evening, Sesshomaru-sama." She whispered.

He pulled away and blinked. "Tomorrow evening? What about tomorrow evening?"

The Shrine Girl shook her head and shut her eyes tight. "Stupid Sesshomaru-sama! You know what I'm talking about, so please don't rub it in my face!" To his confusion, she started to cry again, and he reached out to wipe her tears.

But she pushed his hands away. And she stepped back, out of his reach.

He felt sinking gut twist sharply, and his golden eyes widened as the poison started to seep into his blood, numbing his extremities, a cold tingle wrapping in his spine.

Did what happen to us at the river change your mind?

Did time ebb away what you once held for me?

"I'm sorry… Sesshomaru-sama, I'm so sorry," She strode forward and reached out to run her fingers on his face, and he eagerly complied.

And he felt desperate for her touch.

He felt as if he were a parched plant in the middle of the desert, striving on her drops of affection to control this horrible, insatiable thirst.

"I'm thinking of myself too much, just ignore my selfishness… I'm sure you'll have a good time tomorrow evening. I heard many stories about her beauty,"

"Kagome, what the hell are you talking about?" He searched her unseeing blue eyes that were flowing with tears. He was, in all honesty, utterly confused. She just shook her head and ran her hands over a stray strand of white hair that fell on his face.

"Enough with that. I promised once that I wouldn't let every moment with Sesshomaru-sama pass me by as if it were nothing…" she cupped her hands tenderly on his face, and he leaned on her warmth. "Even if it ends now, at least I have this moment, that is all that matters."

"And why would you do that?" He asked, and she gave a light chuckle, thinking he was not serious. "Why would you want to value our time together?" He prodded, waiting for an answer,

Waiting for three specific words,

Words she had told him, over and over again in the past,

Words that she had never repeated, ever since the incident at the river.

Please tell me once again…

She kissed his forehead fondly, and he closed his eyes.

For the longest time, I thought you would never change,

I grew complacent, I took those words for granted…

How cruel of you,

You always said you would never know what to do without me,

When the truth is, I was the one all along who couldn't do without you…

The image of her on the shrine steps flashed in his mind again, along with all the many other instances she confessed, and his soul craved those three words so badly from her lips that the anticipation manifested in an indescribable pain.

Kagome, let me hear it, one last time… please, just one last time…

The Shrine Girl slowly pulled away, and with a sad smile on her face, she sighed.

"Silly Sesshomaru-sama."

She laughed softly, and she turned towards the grounds.

He watched, as her familiar form scaled the steps. He held his breath when she suddenly paused, but she never looked back. "Isn't it funny how I grew up with you, yet the entire time, I never saw you in a formal kimono?" She chuckled, "I finally will. See you next week in the Lantern Festival, Sesshomaru-sama. "

She finally left the Inu to himself, alone in the quiet of the thousand steps. There was something in the autumn wind that chilled him to the bone. Something about the gloomy, dull sky that nestled that crushing feeling.

This time, she did not say those three words:

"I like you,

Sesshomaru-sama."