Chapter Three: The Journey Home That Forged A Friendship

Disclaimer: Still not mine, K people?

When Kagome opened her eyes the next morning, only to find a giant white dog curled around her, warming her body, her first reaction was of course to panic. She then rememebered what had happened the night before and smiled at the realization that Sesshomaru had saved her life. The dog's eyes opened and he moved away before reverting to his more human appearance.

"Thank you Sesshomaru..."

"I agreed to protect you in order to pay off my debt, and that is what I am doing." he said flatly.

Kagome sighed and turned her eyes to the mouth of the cave, seeing that the snow had stopped falling, and the sun was high in the sky. She stood and stretched out her sore muscles before turning to Sesshomaru.

"We should get going...the others are probably worried sick about us."

"About you, maybe. I don't think any of your friends trust me."

Kagome chuckled nervously before moving out of the cave, followed by the lord of the western lands. He grunted as the bright sun assaulted his eyes. He then began to walk away, Kagome falling into step beside him. Golden eyes surveyed their surroundings for any landmarks or things he may recognize. He sniffed the air and chaged direction after catching a faint whiff of his brother's tainted scent. Kagome looked over at his left side, and a pang of sadness hit her as her eyes landed on the stump of an arm.

"I'm sorry about your arm..."

"I get along fine without it...though it is a problem sometimes..."

Kagome stopped him with a gentle hand on his left shoulder. Sesshomaru felt holy power surge through his body, and watched in silent awe and amazement as the left arm Inuyasha had taken, grew back, identical to the one he'd lost. He turned confused eyes to Kagome, who only smiled in response. He felt a small tug at the corner of his mouth, and knew he was smiling.

"Uh...your smiling Sesshomaru...are you going to kill something?"

"No. Can't a demon smile around here without being questioned?"

"Not you..."

Sesshomaru blinked a few times before letting out a chuckle. Kagome stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Oh god...you're laughing too...THE WORLD IS OVER!"

The demon lord felt the urge to smile again, and did. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but that night, when Kagome had saved his life, he'd sensed kindness towards him simply radiating from her aura, compassion and kindness towards a cold-hearted demon like himself. Sesshomaru hadn't known anyone could be like that towards him, and to be honest, he liked it, but still refused to admit it. Kagome laughed and smiled as well before tugging on his arm and starting to walk again. Sesshomaru blinked in slight confusion when she didn't release his arm from her grip.

The pair walked until nightfall, and found a small shack when the sun slid below the horizon. Kagome curled up in the blanket from the cave and watched as Sesshomaru secured the door shut by leaning his armor against it. Concern entered his eyes as Kagome shivered again and sneezed.

"Are you ill?"

"No...human's just do that when they get cold."

"I cannot transform in this place..." he said indicating the size of the building.

"It's okay."

Sesshomaru sat his swords against the wall and laid down next to her, his long fluffy tail wrapping itself around her body, pulling her back into his chest. Kagome turned to face him and cuddled into the warmth his body was creating. Sesshomaru felt her nuzzle into his chest and felt a blush rising to his cheeks, of course he quickly beat it back down before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

TWO DAYS LATER

Kagome and Sesshomaru finally reached the group again, and Kagome declared Sesshomaru's debt repayed. The two had become good friends over the time they had been isolated from the rest of the world. Kagome hugged the demon lord, who in turn wrapped an arm around her as well. When they separated, Sesshomaru looked down at her.

"If you ever need anything, my castle doors are always open to you." he said before vanishing into the falling snow.

A.N: Three chapters in one day...that's a rare feat for me...and now, I must rest my cramped hands. I will try to update at least once a week, since school starts again tuesday. does the senior in high school dance Until then. Ja Ne

-SeleneTheDeathDealer