NOTE: Inuyasha isn't mine, okay? I'm doing this for Sesshoumaru's sake.

POSSESSION

Soft footsteps patters on cold marble floors, it's pace unhurried…a door opens and for a moment the darkened halls were illuminated by moonlight. The pair of feet continued down the steps of the great castle its bearer crossing the soft dewy grass. The barefooted prowler passed by the gurgling stream filled with blooming fragrant night flowers, it didn't even stop to appreciate their beauty. The cold night wind ruffled the hem of its nightclothes as it traverses the length of the courtyard.

As it reached a distance quite a ways from the main house it was borne away on air. It sped on a destination where the full moon was its only witness and some nocturnal creatures as they feast to sate their hunger. The passing of the airborne intruder disturbed their feeding and they protested at this disturbance. But the ephemeral intruder neither cared nor concerned for their fear for its attention was focused on a destination south of the Western lands. It alighted in the middle of the copse of trees near the bend of the river where the singed circumference of the trees remained unchanged. No new vegetation sprouted since it was immolated by the merging of forces.

The creature landed with the sound of the flapping of wings and as it folded in on itself it vanished as if it was a figment of imagination. The feet with its unshod pale skin contrasted with the dark burned soil. It stood there as if waiting….

The quiet of the night was pierced by keening noise and silver light, the harsh light illuminated the forest briefly and then both sound and light vanished. When silence once more reigned in the forest three pairs of feet shod in dark footwear moved forward to the unmoving pale skinned being. They stopped a couple of feet away from the barefooted individual. One of them took the last few feet and raised a hand to cup a pale skinned cheek framed by silver hair.

"Well done, my dear priestess…"

~O~O~O~

The scream that rent the quiet of the night brought a silver and white figure from its chambers streaking to the source of the pained gasps for breath, it could hear it's heart thudding in terror and the fear of being a prey.

Sesshoumaru slammed open the doors leading to Kagome's darkened room. On the futon the woman was trashing as if being attacked by an invisible assailant. The smell of her fear-laden sweat heavy in the room. Sesshoumaru saw Rin all over again. He quickly gathered the woman in his arms all the time calling her name to snap her out of her nightmare-induced fear. He was alarmed at the erratic beat of her heart. He shook her to wake her up. He called her name louder this time and he was rewarded with a hand clutching the front of his yukata as the woman woke up with a jolt.

"Oh thank Kami it's you!" Tears spilled from blue eyes. "I'm back…I'm back…" The woman was looking around with terror filled eyes as if assuring herself that she is where she is supposed to be.

"Kagome, what did you dream?" He can feel her trembling and all the while her hands were still restlessly clutching his clothes her nails scrapping the skin of his chest.

"They were in my head…in my head…" Her tears became sobs.

"Who are 'they'?" Sesshoumaru turned the woman in his arms to make her focus on him instead of her nightmare.

"I don't know….I don't know…I woke up before …they were horrible…!" Kagome once more buried her head on the taiyoukai's front shirt.

"Tell me." He didn't fail to notice that the palm of her hand went where his heart is as if taking solace on its steady beat. Her palms were very warm on his skin.

"I was…trying to meditate this morning when…when I remembered what Kaede had taught me a long time ago about directing my power to sense Naraku."

"Has it been tried before?"

"I never found out…we were back into following another jewel shard…"

When Kagome remembered the mental purification ritual she got excited and felt it warranted an experiment….

~O~O~O~

She got inside the mirror at last.

Kagome never thought that she could enter this realm once more since her transformation. She badly needed answers. Things have been happening; weird things. Like the time when she almost fought Sesshoumaru in a kind of youkai duel. Good thing he didn't turn her into mincemeat. The surge of emotion of hate, rage and bloodlust isn't like her. Sure, she has a temper but not like she wanted to tear someone up and go on a rampage.

"Kazumi!" She whirled inside the ever-present mist. The sound of her voice echoing in her head. "Talk to me! Help me! Where are you? Kazumi!"

Kagome began to walk but with the white emptiness and never changing surroundings she had no idea if she was making any progress at all. "Kazumi!" She hollered over and over. She resumed her march in the empty space her shoed feet leaving no noise or footprint in its wake. The silence is deafening.

She didn't know how long she walked but her strength never wavered which is fortunate as her quest to find the entity is foremost in her agenda. She will not leave this place until she gets an audience with Kazumi.

She stopped in her tracks. She tilted her head as if hearing something.

For no reason she decided to turn to her relative 'left' drawn by an energy she felt, further on the veil of mist revealed a dark blotch. Kagome's eyes widened and she quickened her step. It was the first sign of any color in this infernal place. She decided that all white could also make you crazy. Her eyes were aching to see color, any color than this pervasive background.

She ran instead to hasten her meeting with the dark silhouette. She was hoping her youkai speed could help but it was useless in this place. After running more than fifteen minutes according to her watch she hadn't made any progress in reaching that shadow. The laws of physics and perception were twisted and fallacious.

'…priestess…"

Kagome's head snapped as she skidded to a halt at the echoing sound.

'…priestess…"

"Y-yes?" She turned left and right hoping to catch which direction the disembodied voice is coming from. "Who are you?"

'…priestess…" The haunting sound prickled her skin.

"Kazumi?" She sensed a presence behind the shadow but the voice doesn't sound like Kazumi at all.

"Where are you? Please, I want to see you."

'…see….priestess…?"

The mist parted and figures emerged. Kagome paled.

~O~O~O~

Sesshoumaru spied the carafe of water on a small table and poured a half-cup of water. He offered the cool water to the miko. "Drink, Kagome." When the miko finished the cup she made a move to stand up.

"Where are you going?" He whispered.

"I..I'd like to wash my face please." Kagome was now very much aware that their faces were so close to each other. She held her breath and her eyes couldn't help but look at his lips.

"Hnn." The youkai lord reluctantly released his hold.

"Uh, thanks." The miko was glad that Sesshoumaru gently pushed her to stand up as she felt that weakness again from being near him.

Sesshoumaru noticed a distinct smell when Kagome moved the covers from her feet. When the miko stood he spied a dark smudge at the hem of her gown and her feet. The same smudge was also on the bedding. The taiyoukai frowned in bewilderment.

"Kagome." He grabbed the woman's wrist.

"Huh? What?" Kagome looked down at a pair of glowing golden eyes.

"Did you go outside?"

"What? Why? What do you mean?" She looked confused as Sesshoumaru picked something on the bedding and sniffed it. "What is it?"

"Dirt."

~}O{~