Perturbed

Ah-Un snorted, jolting Kagome out of her doze. A moment of panic flooded her when she realized all of her surroundings were clouds and the harsh daylight shone in her eyes. She calmed when she noticed Sesshoumaru flew about 15 feet away to her right. Kagome yawned, and rubbed at her burning (and still sleepy) eyes. She wanted to feel bad for falling asleep, but she was so exhausted. They had been traveling since dawn and now the sun was beginning to drop below the horizon. The warm sun and the cool fall air had easily lulled her sleep. Taking a deep breath, she slowly unclenched her tight fists from the reins to the two headed dragon. Flying this high up was a little nerve wracking. The country side with its red and gold trees flew by underneath them.

She rolled her neck and shoulders, hearing them crack and pop. Oh what I wouldn't give for a massage. Sitting on the back of dragon for hours on end did nothing for sore muscles. As usual, she suspected that Sesshoumaru gave no thought to stopping for a break to eat and stretch. He had such a determined look on his face; she was too reluctant to say anything.

Kagome glanced to her right to find him staring at her curiously. She opened her mouth to speak, and he moved closer to her.

"Are you ill?" He asked. Kagome knew she probably looked it. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her body drooped with exhaustion.

She smiled at his concern. "No. I didn't sleep the night before. I stayed up making the amulet for Katsurou."

"Hm." His eyes roamed over her body, as if he were trying to find an illness to question her about.

"I hate to say anything, but are we going to continue to travel through the night? If that's the plan then I really need to take a break."

"No, we will be stopping for the night in a nearby village." He paused to observe how uncomfortable she looked. "If you need to stop, just say so. I am not accustomed to understanding human needs."

"I'll be alright if the village is not too far."

They fell into silence for a moment.

"Are you not used to taking care of Rin?" She asked before she could stop herself.

Sesshoumaru huffed. "She was a child. Human children are not so different from youkai young. It was not hard to know how to care for her." That, and Rin was rather self-sufficient before he rescued her.

Kagome grinned. "So strange: the big, bad, Sesshoumaru-sama taking care of a human child."

He eyed her with amusement. "Is it really so odd? I have heard about a powerful miko took in an orphaned kitsune as her own."

She laughed throwing her head back. Her dark, wind-swept hair fell around her face, and he couldn't help but admire her beauty.

"I suppose, I didn't realize how much we are alike." Kagome said softly.

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As soon as Ah-Uh landed, Kagome tumbled off the side of the dragon in a hurry.

Sesshoumaru looked bewildered as she fell the ground mumbling, "Sweet, glorious earth!" Humans can be very strange…

He paid her no mind, and began walking in the direction of the village. The miko scrambled off the ground after him. She just didn't want to appear weak or a burden on the trip.

Kagome sighed, falling into step behind the daiyoukai and chuckled when Ah-Un followed her like a shadow. It felt so nice just to walk and stretch out her legs. Zoning out, she focused on the swaying strands of Sesshoumaru's long hair. It moved back and forth with each step that he took, the silver catching the now fading light of the sunset. I never thought I'd find myself following behind Sesshoumaru, mesmerized by his hair. I must really be exhausted…

A tall, slender, inuyoukai with dark hair, and a long fluffy tail approached them; bowing before they even made it to the main building. He wore armor over his clothing, and a grim expression adorned his face.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! It is an honor to have you in our village."

"Nobuko, you are prepared for battle?" Sesshoumaru asked, wasting no time.

The dog nodded his head. "Yes. We got news of a skirmish to the south. I would not be surprised if we had guests tonight."

"Very well. This one requires lodging."

"Of course my lord."

Kagome looked between them, and couldn't help but feel perturbed. It was as if she wasn't there at all. Both youkai walked ahead, while she trailed behind them. The village itself seemed rather small, but a large building loomed in the middle of it. The building seemed to be the focal point, and smaller houses were built around it. Merchant stalls were set up against the main building, creating a circular market place around the village. The sun was starting to set, and vendors taking down their kiosks and packing their good away for the night. It might have all looked rather ordinary, except that the merchants wore sharp weapons their sides. While there was a lot of movement and bustling around, no one spoke. It was unnaturally quiet.

Nobuko lead them up the few stairs to one of many entrances to the looming building. Immediately, another youkai, whom looked like a large, brown shaggy dog, approached them and bowed.

"Good evening my lord and lady. Please allow me to show you to your rooms."

Kagome felt a measure of comfort at finally being acknowledged. The servant led them upstairs and through a common room, before arriving in front of a door and motioning to Kagome.

"My lady, this is your room. Please relax for the time being. I will have refreshments brought to you in a moment."

"Ah, thank you." She said opening the door and dropping her small bag on the floor.

"My lord, your room is this way." The servant said continuing.

Kagome's whole body stiffened at the notion. It must have shown on her face, because Sesshoumaru paused.

"There is no need. This one has matters to attend to right away. Where is Kawabata?"

The servant paused. "He is seeing to the defenses..."

Sesshoumaru pivoted around and quickly disappeared down the hallway. The servant gaped after him.

"My lord!" He called chasing after him, and leaving her alone. For a moment, all she could do is stand stunned at the empty hallway. He had disappeared so quickly, she hardly had time to process that he was gone.

Kagome closed the door. The room was a typical hotel room for this era. The walls were bare, but the floorboards were polished. A folded mattress lay against the wall, with its blankets. A lone window allowed the last bit of the days light through casting an orange glow about the room.

She was too tired to care about much of anything. Tugging at the ties on her right side, she managed to free herself of the chest piece, followed by the arm protection. How she managed to get out of the rest of her clothes was a mystery. She hastily pulled on her sleeping yukata and unfolded the futon, crawling her aching body onto it.

"Yesss." She groaned as her head hit the mattress. Why did she feel like she had been...abandoned? They weren't expected to share a room, because well...they weren't supposed to be anything to each other. This was her decision right? She didn't want to court anyone. Why was it so unsettling to find herself alone? She had been around him constantly for the last several months, and the fact that he just dumped her here, felt so...jarring.

"Don't think about it." She assured herself, closing her eyes and pulling the blankets to her chin. Her breathing slowed as her body stilled, preparing for sleep.

Just a little nap, she thought. Then I'll find why Sesshoumaru ran off so quickly… Sleep took over her then, taking all of her worried thoughts away, if only temporarily.

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Author's note: Woo! I am very happy to be moving this story along. The next chapter should be out in a few days. Thanks again to my wonderful friend and beta reader, Saruwarui. Thank you to everyone for sticking with this story and especially reviewing. I always love to see what you think of each chapter!