Her eyes teared up as she looked at the man - no - half demon in front of her. The way his face was contorted in anger, the red rising to his cheeks and eyes set ablaze with an internal inferno. She knew he would never strike her, but with the way he clenched his fists and squared his shoulders - his posture said a whole other story. What he just said to her simply didn't make sense. And with all of the confusion, her anger spiked in retaliation, ready to face the raging hanyou.

However, the fight left her almost as soon as she stood to her full height. With broken thoughts scattered across her brain in an angry array of colors, she pushed him to the side with the extra strength she could muster from her power and marched right past him. He called after her, yelling profanities in her direction, growing angrier that she had turned her back to him. She walked deep into the forest, well past the Tree of Ages, and didn't stop until her feet felt numb and her hips sore from walking in sandals. Her mind reeled at the facts that stormed across her thoughts, all the while thinking, "Why did he say that?".

When she had finally come to a stop, taking note of her aching muscles finally, she sat herself on a large boulder that was in a clearing of sorts. She masked her scent, which she had learned how to do quite some time ago, and allowed herself to calm down. Her thoughts, however, only seemed to make her angry whenever she went back to thinking of him. She was upset of the things he told her, of the things he accused her of, and of the personal facts brought into the conversation. And once again, she was left to think, "How could he?".

"Miko," she jumped when he startled her. She hadn't realized she had been sitting in place for so long. It was already sundown. Granted, she still had quite a while before it grew dark, but even so, it was dangerous with no weapon on hand. Quickly realizing she was just staring at the demon lord, she stood and brushed herself off, giving him a bow.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome replied in greeting, "what has you in the Forest of Inuyasha this evening?"

He seemed to pause for a moment, as if weighing the situation at hand. His shoulders were squared, though not in anger like his half brother had been earlier. His stature screamed discipline, trained for whatever may come. His armor looked dull compared to his pristine white robes and shining silver-white hair. His eyes seemed a great addition to his beautiful visage, seeming to enhance his features in an ungodly-like way. She wondered if it was simply because of the waning light that made him look so ethereal. The glistening orange shine illuminated him, almost.

"I need your assistance," he said to her. For a moment, she was confused. The Lord of the Western Domain wanted her help, of all people?

"What ever for?" She asked curiously.

The youkai lord gave her a serious look before turning toward the trees, leaving the clearing and masking both his scent and aura from being detected. She, however, didn't follow for not a moment later, Inuyasha came barreling through the trees like a mad man. She looked at him, briefly glancing back at where the youkai lord had disappeared at before huffing at the hanyou. "What do you want, Inuyasha?"

"Feh," he huffed right back at her, crossing his arms, "are you alone?"

"As you can clearly see, I was before you came barging over here," Kagome said, crossing her own arms and giving him the most defiant look she could muster. She was still rather hurt with the way he had treated just a few hours before. "Again, what do you want?"

"Wench, you're alone, by yourself, in this damned forest," he said gruffly, "you shouldn't be out here without a weapon in hand."

She sighed. Perhaps she should just let her anger go. "I'll be back in the village in a second," she replied, waving him off and taking a seat on her boulder again.

"Wench, we're leaving, now," he grabbed her forearm, practically yanking her to her feet again and dragging her through the forest back to the village. She knew she would have a couple of bruises with how hard he was gripping her, but she hardly cared. She couldn't help but stumble after him and ponder about the demon lord that had paid her a visit in the forest. It was so unusual to see him that she just had to see him again, if only to ask what he had needed. She looked back at where she had last seen him, casting an apologetic look in the direction before turning forward again, regaining her composure just enough to yank her arm out of Inuyasha's calloused claws.

She never saw him come back out from the trees to stare back at her as she disappeared, herself, past the tree line.


It was about a week before she had been able to escape Inuyasha's ever-watchful eyes. She had grabbed her bag and stated that she was off to see her family. Though, no one really paid her any heed. After all, it was only a short walk from the village to the desolate well in the forest. Sango, of course, had offered to escort her, but she just shook her head and reassured that she would make it on her own. She also told her to warn Inuyasha that if he came looking for her, she would permanently seal the well. With a bit of a laugh, they said their goodbyes and she was off.

Her trek to the well was a peaceful one. Everything seemed to glisten and glitter in the sun because of the morning dew that morning. Their nights there in Feudal Japan were beginning to grow chilly in the evenings and slightly warm in the afternoons. She supposed that's how close they actually were to winter. Just as she placed her hands on the lip of the well, a flash of white appeared on the other side of the well, and she looked up to spy a rather stoic face with the most intense golden eyes she had ever seen.

She smiled up at him in greeting, straightening herself out quickly, absentmindedly ruffling her skirt to get rid of the imaginary crinkles that weren't there. She clasped her hands around each of the straps on her backpack and waited for him to speak. There had to be a reason why he kept coming around. Throughout the past week, she had felt his presence come and go from the village - almost as if he was calling to her. Almost as if urging her to go to him.

"This Sesshomaru requires your assistance," he said in an almost quiet but stern voice. His voice was lowered, just loud enough for her to hear.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha interrupted the last time," she apologized, "he has a bad habit of being nosy."

"Indeed," he replied with a small nod, accepting her apology.

"What would you require of me, my lord?" She asked, as gently as she could. A blush rose to her cheeks - she had never called him my lord before. It was a new feel on her tongue - she liked it.

He outstretched a hand, his only hand, and beckoned for her to grab it. For a moment, she paused, not entirely sure if she should accept his hand, but decided it was silly to even think about. If he had wanted to kill her, he'd have done it long ago. Without another moment's hesitation, she delicately placed her hand in his and watched as his fingers - seemingly slowly - as they wrapped around her own hand. She brought her gaze up to his face, and for a moment, she had no thoughts. She admired how beautiful he looked in the morning sun, how utterly shining his eyes and hair looked.

Before she realized it, he gently tugged her around the well and a cloud formed beneath their feet. She stumbled a bit, placing her free hand on his chest plate armor, hanging on slightly to keep her balance. She looked around, and realized with awe that they were flying ever so gently across the forest. It had grown late in the day by the time they landed, and they were very much comfortable with the silent companionship they shared.

Idly, she was still wondering what on earth the lord needed her for.


Alright, I know it's been a little while, but I managed to get this chapter up. I've been writing articles and creating ads for businesses on a newspaper that a good family friend of mine is starting up. Pretty excited to see it up and running.

Anyway, this chapter was mostly for the readers to understand where Kagome's relationships with Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stood. I plan for some good things to come soon, but hopefully, this has gotten everyone intrigued! I don't want this story to be rushed, I'm trying to take my time with it, also trying NOT to make it seem forced. I'm probably failing at everything, but I haven't written anything in so long, this was my best shot! XD Lol! Well, hope you had fun reading!