One week. It had been one week since she had last seen Sesshomaru which meant she had been away from Rin for a little over two weeks. Kimiko couldn't help but feel depressed. She did enjoy being back with her friends but, she missed her daughter terribly. Rin was sure to think she was abandoned. It wouldn't surprise Kimi if the girl hated her, after all, she could not keep the promise she made.

Kimi began to wonder what reason was given to the girl for her absence. The thought made her mind come up with crazy scenarios of what happened after she left.

What if Jaken told her horrible stories about how she never cared for the girl! Rin surely would hate her then! There was also the possibility Jaken would try to get rid of Rin. With her mother no longer there to protect her, it would be so easy to...

The group turned to look behind them after they heard a loud smack. Though they continued to walk, her friends stared at her in confusion as they wondered why she had slapped both her cheeks with her hands. Kimi paid no attention to them and continued to dwell on her thoughts.

She had slapped herself in hopes to calm herself down. It didn't work. Though, it did make her come to her senses. Jaken may not like her nor Rin but, he was not the type to do such things. Even if he tried, Sesshomaru would not allow it to happen. He was someone with great honor. No matter if he liked it or not, he had saved Rin and took her in. She was his to protect.

"Would you stop it already?!"

The broken silence within the group caused her to focus on reality. She blinked as she glanced at an irritated Inuyasha. The group had stopped walking, something she had just now realized. The fact they all stared at her was something she just noticed as well.

"What's wrong? Why did we stop?"

"We stopped because I can't take your scent anymore! Ever since you've been back, you are either upset, depressed, or worried! Hell, sometimes all of 'em!" Inuyasha groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose and tightly shut his eyes. After a deep breath, he returned to his normal stance. "Look, I know you want to get back to that kid. Every day your thoughts focus on her but, we have more important things to deal with. The shard-"

"The shards! The shards! The shards! I know how important it is! You are not the only one who is affected by it," she exclaimed. "Have I've been worrying about Rin? Yes, I have. If it bothers you, then you will have to deal with it. I accepted when she asked for me to be her mother and I was the one to promise her I wouldn't be gone for long. She is my responsibility! If something were to happen to her, it would be my fault. As an alpha, I expected you to be the one to understand that the most!" She sighed, "If you don't want to see your brother. That's fine. But, you refuse to even give me a direction to go on my own. You're my friend and you won't help me." None of you will.

Without another word, Kimiko continued forward. She did not even glance at Inuyasha as she passed him. Before he could say anything, Kagome put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"Inuyasha, when you were young, you lost your mother," she whispered. "Kimi has been through the same thing. She lost her entire family and even her village. Then when she found a new home, it too was taken away. Rin is in that same position. She gained a mother only to lose her not long after. Kimi knows that pain and doesn't want the same for her daughter. That is why she is so stuck on the fact of going back to her."

His eyes were glued to Kimiko's back as she walked ahead. It was true. He knew the pain of losing those you love. Perhaps, if the girl was in some village, he would let her go. However, she was not in a village. No, the small girl was instead with his brother. The same brother who hated him all his life just because he had human blood in his veins. The idea of Kimiko being anywhere near him set off all types of alarms in his head. He knew she would be going to her death if she did. No matter how much she claimed he had changed, it would not make him believe any different.

Yes, it is possible for some to change. He himself was proof of that. But not everyone can and surely not that quick. There was no way Sesshomaru had turned over a new leaf.

==OOO==

As the stars shined in the night sky, the small pack began to get ready to sleep. Yet, there was still tension in the group from the conversation earlier that day. To prevent from continuously arguing with Inuyasha, Kimi resorted to ignoring him entirely. This only helped to anger the hanyo more. However, he did his best to keep his calm. He had thrown a fit once earlier and received a series of sits as a consequence. It was not pleasant.

Still, the miko's words did not fall on deaf ears. Inuyasha had considered throughout the day what she said. Though he did not trust his brother, he was an alpha and needed to take care of his pack. He had failed Kimiko multiple times and refused to do so once more.

Deciding it was now or never, he stood up and began to walk to her. She had made a place to sleep near Sango. As he got closer, lavender eyes glared at him. His instincts told him to challenge her. To make her back down. Instead, he ignored them. He may be stubborn and hard headed but he knew when he needed to make things right.

"Kimiko," he began, "I know you want to go after the kid. Truthfully, I think you're stupid for wanting to go anywhere near that bastard." She opened her mouth to argue but he quickly continued. "However, I understand. You took her in and now want to prevent her from going through the same pain that you went through. Starting tomorrow, as we travel, I will keep an eye out for his scent. Whenever we find him, I will protect you as you try to get the kid."

Inuyasha wasn't sure what would happen after he finished. He expected she would thank him repeatedly, beg for his forgiveness, or even smile at getting her way. He was shocked when she threw her arms around him and cried softly into his shoulder. It wasn't until that moment did he truly understand why she was always so upset. Even though they were not together very long, the small girl meant a lot to her.

When she calmed down, Kimi pulled away and thanked him. As he walked away and sat back down in his spot, Shippo climbed onto his shoulder.

The kit leaned in close as he whispered in the Inu's ear. "You're not going to tell her that Sesshomaru's scent has always been faintly near us?"

A glare made Shippo gulp and run back to Kagome's side. Inuyasha sighed as he looked up at the stars. His thoughts stayed focus on the daiyokai. What Shippo claimed was true. He began to smell his brother's scent about two days after the battle with Naraku's incarnation. At first, he thought it was coming from Kimiko. Though he knew that couldn't be true for all the girls bathed beforehand. No, his brother was near. His scent was faint but, it was constantly with them.

When he first noticed, he tried to move his group far away. The scent only followed, though it never got closer or farther away. It always maintained the same distance. Curious about what would happen, he never spoke a word about it. Inuyasha thought he was coming after Tessaiga at first, however, days had passed and nothing happened. Eventually, he wondered if Sesshomaru was following Kimiko instead. The idea was strange but, not impossible.

The Lord of the West did know about her abilities. It was possible that he was after that. Even though it did not sound right to Inuyasha. Sesshomaru cared about power and would stop at nothing to get it. So why wait? Unless it was for a different reason.

Suddenly, his mind went to of him and Kikyo. In the beginning, he did not trust her. Hell, he didn't trust anyone. Yet, she had managed a way into his heart and even helped him to change.

Can you not consider it a possibility that he has changed?

Many times had he and Kimiko argued about his brother. So often did she say such things, though he always refused to believe it. No, Sesshomaru did not turn over a new leaf. But, maybe he was beginning to.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When I update, I have the 'new' chapter and a few chapters that will be released later on. Well, that might be released. I tend to toss ideas out or think the story isn't going in a good direction and rewrite.

After taking a break from writing for a bit, I came back and thought Chapter 9 made the story rush to fast. So, I rewrote it. Sadly, this made it shorter and made me redo all the other chapters that follow this one. But I figure it's better than what I originally had. Plus, I decided to make it a point to explain how much time has past. I realized it was something I would forget to include. Sorry about that!

Doing this chapter also gave me the idea to make Chapter 10 about Sesshomaru! *gasp*

I am nervous about Chapter 10. At some point I was gonna have to focus on him but, I'm nervous about him not seeming like Sesshomaru.

Though, I tend to worry about every character that way I guess. Even now, I wonder if Inuyasha seems like Inuyasha lol.

Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!

I wanna give a quick shout out to Tylain, AliceTheEvil-GoodBunny, 8shadesofmadness, diaza, and GreyMoonHuntress. Thank you for your reviews and support! I am so glad to know you all enjoy the story!

Also, a thank you to all who followed, favorited, and read the story! :D