Chapter 6

Seshomaru lounged against a tree while soaking up the day's warmth. His hair gleamed from the glare of the sun's rays that fought each other to get to be the light that touched his delicate locks as the tree branches swayed from the wind. His white kimono flared across the ground around his crossed legs, while his hands were draped over his knees giving the impression that he was able to relax even though he was sitting on the hard ground. His posture might have been unimposing, but his eyes proved him to be deadly.

Walking into camp, Kagome could barely pry her eyes away from one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. Her anger at the thought of him toying with her diminished the closer she came to his presence. Every hateful thought that she had planned to chastise him with became harder to grasp onto with words. His eyes were fixed on her form as well, as she glided in his direction, tracing every curve that her new outfit displayed.

When he had seen her in the clothes he had chosen for her, the day before, he knew that there was no way that he would be able to kill her. All thought of doing so escaped his mind the second her vanilla scent overwhelmed his senses and her angelic body swayed into camp. She was fragile, but the look on her face displayed determination and the bow over her shoulder gave her a deadly edge. Kagome no longer looked like a girl; her priestess attire turned her into a woman.

Sitting down beside Seshomaru, Kagome plucked his hand from his knee and covered it with her own. Trying not to look directly at him for fear that she would lose her courage, she began her questioning.

"Why didn't you tell me that I have friends? I would really like to find them so that I can find out more about myself. One of them is your half-brother right? Is that how we met?"

Before answering, Seshomaru lifted his hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. There was a chance that he would lose her and he didn't want to forget the minor details such as the size of her hands or the softness of her fingers. It was almost as if he had never planned to kill her, but instead soak her into his very being.

"We haven't had much time to discuss them Kagome. You have been injured and ill-tempered. You would not have been the easiest person to see reason."

"You called me by my name! I like it so much better than Miko. But now that I'm feeling better, I would like you to tell me more about them so that I will be able to find them." Turning her face to Seshomaru, Kagome's eyes pleaded with him for information. It was unfair to be left in the dark, especially when there were people who could help her.

"Yes, you have friends. But I don't know if they survived the fight with Naraku. I hate to tell you this, but my half-brother is the one who tried to kill you." Seshomaru hated to twist the truth in a way that could potentially hurt her, but losing her would be far worse.

Catching her breath, Kagome squeezed Seshomaru's hand tighter and starred at the ground. "Are you sure that's what happened? And you saved me? We weren't together before this were we?" Kagome's head began to hurt and a knot formed in her throat making it more difficult to breath without showing weakness.

"I found you injured and dying. I saved you after you helped me find Rin, Kagome." Seshomaru's words were soft to try and disarm a heated discussion about to happen. They really weren't together before this, but Seshomaru wished they had been. But wishing won't make it true or keep Kagome from hurting. She had been through so much, not that she remembered any of it, but that didn't change the fact. Seshomaru had only added on to her world of lies and pain; if only she would let him try and take some of that pain away.

"You didn't answer my last question Seshomaru. Tell me, did you lie about us being together?" Kagome continued to stare at the ground, his face only brought tears to her eyes; which was quite sad considering he was gorgeous.

"It could be seen either way. I thought that you needed something to grasp onto since you lost your memory. There was no way of knowing if your friends were still alive and I didn't want you to know that one of them tried to kill you."

"How could you do that to me? You honestly thought it would be better for me if you lied?!" Kagome unlatched his hand from hers and covered her eyes. If she couldn't see him, then that meant he wasn't there right? Foolish thinking was all that was, but it brought a small piece of comfort.

There was nothing Seshomaru could say that would make her feel any better. His limp hand that was left in her lap worked its way up to her shoulder like it had a mind of its own. It was the only comforting thing that didn't involve lies. His hand was real right? At least it couldn't lie about being there and trying to comfort her.

Wrapping his arms around her shoulder, Seshomaru pulled her closer to him in an embrace. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I really want nothing more than to make you happy. I needed you in the beginning to help me kill Narku, but the more you are with me, the more I want you here just to be with me. I can no longer sense Narku, he is either dead or in hiding; so there is time for you to rehabilitate and time for us to spend together and make new memories. I am a demon lord, who has spent most of his life lonely and bloodthirsty. You and Rin have given me reasons to want companionship. Please stay with me."

In the small time Kagome had been conscious; she had never heard Seshomaru say so much at once. He wasn't what you would call the talkative type. What he said made sense, but it still hurt to be lied to from the only person you had to trust.

Half of Kagome's heart wanted to stay while the other wanted desperately to find the pieces of her missing past. Why had she forgotten everything? Was her past truly that terrible?

"I don't know what to do…." Melting into his embrace, Kagome let the tears run freely down her cheeks. Why did life have to be so hard? First, she loses her memory, then she finds out Seshomaru lied to her and that someone who was supposed to be her friend tried to kill her. It was a bit much to take all at once.

Seshomaru lifted Kagome's chin so that he had a direct view of her face. "Don't cry, it doesn't fit you." Wiping a tear from her cheek, his stomach knotted at the thought of her being so miserable. "Do you not want to stay with me?"

Sniffling, Kagome noticed the sad expression that crossed his face mere seconds before it recovered to his stoic norm. His face might have appeared to be indifferent, but his eyes gave away his true feelings.

Kagome wanted badly to find her past, but she also didn't want to ruin her future by leaving Seshomaru behind. She could have been in love with him in the past right? Maybe all of this happened so that they would have a chance to be together.

"I will stay with you. But on one condition, you have to help me find my friends so I can piece together my past." Leaning her head on his shoulder, she could feel the muscles flex beneath her. Seshomaru delicately hooked her hair behind her ears; it was a small habit that he had picked up in the short time that they had been together. It was definitely an injustice for this woman's face to be hidden behind hair. She was meant to be seen and make her mark, which she had managed to do on a demon lord and his half-brother; this was not a small feat for a frail human girl. But she really wasn't a girl anymore; she had turned into a beautiful woman.

"Done." Seshomaru would do anything to keep her with him for the time being. He knew that when she found her friends she would leave him, but he would try and hold that off for as long as possible. Maybe by the time they did find them, she would already have such a connection to him that she wouldn't leave. That was just wishful thinking though, and that would only lead to heart ache. Seshomaru was in a losing situation, but it would be impossible to drag himself out, he was already in too deep.

Satisfied with his answer, Kagome thought it would be easier to find her friends with Seshomaru's help anyway. Surely he can sense his half-brother, if he was still alive that is.

"Thank you for everything, Seshomaru." Kagome leaned in and gave Seshomaru a kiss on the cheek. Surprised by the softness of her lips, Seshomaru's eyes sparked and he had to concentrate to slow the beating of his heart. It was ridiculous that she had this effect on him.

Noticing the slight jerk after kissing Seshomaru, Kagome backed away far enough to catch the surprised expression on his face. It was good to know that she had power over him, even if it was a small amount.

"Never been kissed on the cheek before?"

"No." A small smirk crept over his features at the thought of what other places he would like her soft lips to caress.

"Why are you smiling?"

"It's just that no other person or demon has ever had the nerve to get this close to my face."

"Well, you didn't seem to mind much. I will not make the mistake again if it bothers you that much." Kagome knew that it didn't bother him; she just wanted to see how far she could push him.

Arising to her challenge, Seshomaru wrapped his fingers in her hair and pulled her face to his. Brushing her lips with his own, he made a point to only tease her. She was toying with him and he wanted her to know that he would fight fire with fire.

The touch of her skin made Seshomaru's whole body feel like it was tingling. This sensation was unknown; it was almost frightening to know that he could have moments of weakness like this. With his acquaintances of the past he would have rough, hard sex that was focused on himself and not the other. They were merely his play things and there to do as he pleased. But with this Miko, he wanted nothing more than to give her pleasure beyond anything she had ever imagined. He wanted to show her how gentle a demon lord could be; delicately caressing her skin with his fingertips, giving her soft kisses from her navel to the nape of her neck, and finally running his fingers through her hair until she fell asleep after she had peaked.

Snapping out of his daydream and realizing what he was thinking, Seshomaru leaned back to create distance between their bodies. Catching his breath, he couldn't believe that he had let his mind get that far away from him.

Kagome was thrown off by his sudden movement and she nearly toppled over. Regaining her balance, she shot him a questioning glare.

"I need to get Rin to get you both something to eat. You will need to restore your strength if we are going to start traveling soon. Let me see your stomach."

How the Hell did he just go from a kiss to 'you need to eat'!! Kagome thought. Pulling her shirt out of her pants, she rolled it up just far enough to see where her injuries were. Glaring in his general direction, she hoped that Seshomaru could sense her frustration at his sudden subject change.

"I need to make an ointment for it, but I haven't run across the herbs I need. I think that it's starting to get infected and the last thing I need right now is to get a fever and get sick."

"Then we will leave today to get the herbs you need after you have eaten." Seshomaru glanced in Rin's direction, where she was climbing a tree. "Rin, will you come down and find you and Kagome something to eat?"

"Of course Seshomaru-sama!" Jumping down from the branch, Rin ran off into the forest. That girl could find food anywhere; she was used to having to fend for herself.

"It wont take her long to find food." Seshomaru was concentrating on not thinking about Kagome, which inevitably lead to thinking about her. It was a ruthless circle that was bound to rip out Seshomaru's heart. It was rare that he was ever even aware that he had a heart; it was a rather cruel thing to have, especially since it only caused pain.


A few weeks had passed and Kagome was healing well. Seshomaru no longer smelled infection from her wounds after she had found the right herbs to make the ointment. They weren't able to travel at a fast rate but they had made progress. The forest turned into country side and country side turned into little towns that dotted the horizon. Kagome asked people in some of the villages about her friends, but no one had any leads. Every time a person would begin to act like they might know one of them, Kagome's hopes would skyrocket only to crash back to the ground when it lead to a dead end.

Kagome grew closer to Seshomaru and Rin the more time they spent together. Seshomaru slowly started to talk in full sentences more often than not, and his expressionless face would occasionally show emotion. It was hard to act indifferent when surrounded by two women who had a mood for every occasion.

Kagome could be hot headed one moment and sad the next. It was hard to guess what she was feeling without directly asking her. She was so determined to find her friends that she would throw herself in the search and completely forget about her own health. Seshomaru had to remind her to eat so that she wouldn't get sick on more than one occasion.

"Seshomaru, I don't want to travel today. I think I would actually like to rest. I'm beginning to think that our search will lead us to nowhere. Have you been able to sense your brother?"

"Half-brother. And no, I haven't." Seshomaru still hated to think of Inuyasha as his full brother. "But if you would like to rest today, that is up to you."

"I figured as much. I just thought we would have found them by now. I think I need to spend some time alone to think; I will search the area for some food and I'll be back before too long."

It was a warm day and it wouldn't be too hard to find some nuts and berries. They had stopped for the day in a forested area, so there was bound to be something. Getting up and throwing her bow and arrows over her shoulder, she trotted off. Her heart was heavy and she needed a little bit of time just to think about what she wanted to do. Surely she would have found her friends by now if they still even existed. What would she say when she did find them anyway? Would she be scared of Seshomaru's half-brother, especially since he tried to kill her? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to find them after all…….

After filling her pockets full of berries, Kagome decided to rest on boulder and take in her surroundings. The oaks looked like they were hundreds of years old, each one had probably seen ages come and go. The branches swayed with the wind and the leaves would float to the ground almost like snow flakes. Squirrels would pop out of hiding places just to run back in them the moment they noticed Kagome watching them. The forest was so alive around her; it was just that she felt so dead. She was just an insignificant blip on the radar.

I wish I wasn't so down. If I could only remember something about myself maybe I would feel less worthless. I'm a burden to Seshomaru and every time I feel like we are getting close, he pushes me away. Maybe it's time for me to stop looking for ghosts and just find something to do with myself. I may not remember my past, but I do remember remedies and things related to being a priestess, I could be a Miko for a village. Seshomaru wont want to stay with me forever anyway.

Hearing a rustling sound through the trees, Kagome became alert and ready in case she had to make a quick get away. Who knows what else could be wondering around in the forest, and it was getting late. Sliding down from her rock, she picked up her bow and notched it with an arrow pointed in the direction of the sound.

"I assure you, an arrow would not take me down. But you are welcome to try." Walking in her direction, Seshomaru came into view.

"Sorry, you scared the shit out of me." Normally Kagome would have had attitude, but the fight in her voice had faded.

"Have you found the food that you require? It is getting close to dark and I just came to see what you were up to."

"So you're saying that you were getting worried? You don't need to, I have just been thinking about stuff." Sighing, Kagome threw her bow back over her shoulders and walked up to Seshomaru. "I'm ready to go back to camp now."

"Have you come to any conclusions during your thinking?"

"Well, I think I'm almost done searching. I will leave you and Rin soon; I'm tired of being a burden. And ill probably just find some village that needs a priestess. The more we look for my friends, the more my heart breaks at not finding them. So might as well stop while I'm ahead." Kagome started to walk in the direction of camp, but Seshomaru didn't move an inch. Grabbing her wrist, Seshomaru twirled her around to face him.

"You are no burden." Pulling her to his chest, he pushed her head against his shoulder. "We can stop searching if that is what you want, but don't leave us."


Inuyasha had lost Kagome's scent for a few days, but the second he caught it again, he headed for her tirelessly. He had left the others behind because they weren't traveling at his pace, and he knew they would eventually catch up with him anyway. When he knew she was close, his heart skipped a beat; he had been following her for weeks. For some reason there was a strong demonic aura that was over whelming Inuyasha's senses the closer he got to Kagome. Abruptly, Inuyasha skidded to a stop right behind his brother.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing!?" All Inuyasha saw was what looked like Kagome wrapped against Seshomaru. He had finally found her and his relief vaporized the second he saw her in that asshole's embrace. What the fuck was going on here? "I will fucking kill you Seshomaru if you don't back away from Kagome! Now!"

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kagome would never fall for that self-righteous asshole. There has to be something wrong here, did she finally decide to leave me? She couldn't….she wouldn't……would she?