Kaede and Sesshomaru walked back outside into the cool night air leaving Kikyo behind to rest.

"Sesshomaru…"

"I already know what you're about to ask and I cannot answer you just yet. I haven't the slightest clue as to why I feel this way about her. She has always appealed to me in a good way because she's strong and can hold her on, but this time it's different. The more time that I spend with her the more I feel sorry for her." Kaede closed her eyes and let out a chuckle.

"I see. So it's pity that you have for my sister. If that's the case demon then I should beg you not to even bother trying to help my sister. She does not wish for you or anyone else to pity her. She will see it as an insult."

"It's not pity that I have for your sister old woman. I…" Sesshomaru looked up at the sky, a shooting star zooming past the area. He finally turned to the old woman and eyed her seriously. "I care…about her well being." He quickly turned away and began fiddling with his sword.

"Ahh, I see," she said softly. "Well then, if that be the case then you have my support my lord."

"Kaede, in order for me to be able to help your sister and destroy Naraku you must promise me something."

"I will do whatever it takes to assure my sister's safety. She did the same for me years ago. It's only fitting that I repay her."

"You cannot tell Inuyasha that your sister is still alive."

"Huh?"

"He has no idea that she is alive. I saved her from Naraku that day on Mt. Hakurei. I never told Inuyasha this because I knew he'd get side tracked trying to watch over her. He already has the burden of looking after Kagome and his friends. Kikyo would only cloud his judgment."

"I can't argue with you there. Whenever my sister's involved, he forgets that his friends need looking after as well. Alright," she said with a sigh. "You have my word. So what else need I help you with?"

"Kikyo must not know that I am planning to kill Naraku for her."

"Are you…serious?" she hissed.

"Yes. Your sister seems to think that her only purpose for living is to destroy Naraku herself. She believes for that very purpose is the reason she was brought back into this world. I am convinced otherwise and I am determined to prove that to her."

"While I am good for keeping my promises, I have to admit that a part of me thought that very same thing about my sister. I too had deduced that her purpose for returning was to kill Naraku. Since Kagome is her reincarnation, I was sure that she and Inuyasha were done."

"Well you're wrong old hag. She was brought back into this world because she had gone before her time. She has a second chance at life…to love again…to be with my brother the way it should have been over 50 years ago."

"But I…maybe I have been reading too much into this…into youSesshomaru but…" Kaede grabbed his arm turning him around, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Do you not love my sister my lord?" she asked him softly, her eyes searching him wondrously.

"Even if I did," he said whispered softly, "you know as well as I know that it can never be. She belongs with my pathetic hanyou brother and I must pay the price for all of my wrongdoings." He snatched his arm away and turned back towards the hut.

"But Sesshomaru…"

"Enough! Do I have your word?"

"Aye," she sighed. "I promise."

"Very well then. She and I will leave at first light. It won't be long before Inuyasha and his friends end up here again. Thank you…old woman."

--------------------------------------

It was the middle of the night when Kikyo awoke with a start. She had a terrible dream about dying on Mt. Hakurei and had begun to sob when she felt arms embrace her from behind.

"It's alright priestess. I am here," he whispered, lowering his head to rest it upon her shoulder.

"Se…Sesshomaru…"

"Shh, it's alright. No harm will come to you as long as I am here. I promise." She fell back into his embrace, resting her head on his chest as his arms encircled her body.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yes priestess?"

"You don't have to watch me all night. You have to rest too you know. I hate being like this…being helpless. I feel so…weak," she choked. She pulled away from him and sat up on the rug, bringing her knees to her chest.

"I do not think you are weak priestess. In fact, I believe you're just the opposite."

"It doesn't matter anymore Sesshomaru. My shoulder…although it seems to be getting better I still continue to have the nightmares about my death. I don't know Sesshomaru but I think they mean something. I think…I am supposed to die after this battle with Naraku. If I die…" she started to cry all over again and Sesshomaru just watched. He had no clue what to do. If he embraced her, she only felt weak but if he stayed away, he himself felt bad.

"Kikyo…I…I don't believe that you are going to die. I believe that your purpose was not only to kill Naraku but to help others…to help me," he added softly. Kikyo stared at him teary-eyed, a curious look forming across her face.

"Help…you? But how? You've never needed any help before. What good can a dead priestess do for you?" she asked.

"More than you know priestess." He moved around and sat down in front of her so that he could look her in the eye. Although she had been crying, it was hard to tear away from those beautiful almond orbs of hers.

"I feel like you've been more help than I have been. I can't think of one thing that I've done to help you my lord." She covered her face with her hands but he gently enclosed her wrists in is hands, tearing her hands away from her face.

"Look at me priestess; you've helped me more than you'll ever know. The more time I spend with you, the more I realize that there really are some things in life worth fighting for."

"But Naraku…"

"You do not have to fight him alone and I wasn't referring to Naraku. We all want him dead but the thing that I was talking about is…you…Kikyo." She wrinkled her brow in confusion as she stared at the demon. Could he really…?

"You do not have to make me feel better by saying such things Sesshomaru. You should know me well enough by now to know that I do not take pity lightly."

"And you should know me well enough to know that I pity no one."

"But…you realize what you just said…"

"I know what I said priestess…and I mean it. After spending so much time with you, I now realize how my brother must have felt that day on the mountain."

"Sesshomaru please…don't say…"

"Kikyo, I understand that this may be awkward for you but now that I've spoken I must tell you the rest. Today we will set out after Naraku-no turning back. If I do not say everything that I wish to say now then there's a good chance I'll never get to say them to you."

"Then the same applies to me as well Sesshomaru. I've been thinking these past few days about how a big help you've been but during our time together, I have grown fond of you." She smiled at him, a small tear trailing a path down her right cheek. Sesshomaru reached over and licked it away, causing Kikyo to gasp.

"Did I scare you priestess? I did not wish to alarm you."

"No…I just…was shocked…" she stammered but he only chuckled softly.

"You seem surprised so I can only assume that you still believe that I have no heart."

"I never said you had no heart."

"Ahh but you've always believed me to be a cold hearted bastard. Am I correct to assume this?"

"No…well…yes," she replied softly, lowering her head. "Is it safe to assume that I have misjudged you?"

"Not until now." He reached over and cupped her chin, raising it ever so slightly so that their eyes now met. "I do not know what awaits us priestess, but in the event that something happens to either one of us, I want you to know that I learned something from you."

"And what's that?" she whispered.

"I learned to care about something other than myself."

"Sesshomaru…"

"I learned to care for another and by caring for you, I have left myself open to years of heartache because you do not belong to me."

"But I…"

"You won't admit it, but you still have feelings for Inuyasha. I understand and I am going to do what I can to make sure you two are reunited. In the meantime, I am going to live the rest of my life in envy of my brother, for he found the greatest gift of life when he found you."

"Sesshomaru…I…I don't…know what to say…"

"Do not worry about it priestess. When we suit up to leave later today, I want you to forget everything I've told you. My purpose for telling you this was not to make you love me, but to let you know that your life is not as meaningless as you think it is. If anything, there are two demons that care about you very much." This time it was Sesshomaru that looked away, staring at the sleeping Kaede across the room. It was then he felt Kikyo's arms embrace him, pulling him into a hug. His arms immediately enclosed her frail body, feeling the warmth of her body next to his. She had no idea what she was doing to him, but she was awakening urges that Sesshomaru wanted desperately to go away. He felt her warm breath on his neck and his senses went wild. His hands started trailing a path down her back until he reached her bottom, cupping it gently. I have to stop myself before…

"Kikyo…" he managed but he soon felt her tiny fingers playing with the strands of his hair, every now and then brushing his back. It felt so good and he found himself lowering his head to brush his lips against her neck. He soon began kissing her neck softly, letting his tongue taste the sweetness of her until he noticed something.

He was about to take a small bite out of her neck when he felt a faint beating on his sensitive demon lips. She has a pulse! That could also mean…His lips found her pulse and suckled gently, drawing out a moan from Kikyo. Does she have a heartbeat? I must know! He held her closer as he lowered her body back onto the rug. He stared deep into her eyes before bringing his lips to hers, kissing her softly. He put the full weight of his body on top of her and smiled inwardly as he felt her tiny arms encircle him. His tongue explored her mouth, loving the feel of her soft lips upon his. As he kissed her, his hands found their way inside her robe, feeling the softness of her breasts. They feel unmistakably warm…He forced himself to ignore the pleasure in his hands as he moved across her breast area and to her chest. His hand lingered there for a moment but there was no heartbeat. How do I bring her back?

"Sesshomaru?" He looked down at the beautiful woman and cursed under his breath. He had done the unthinkable by taking advantage of her. She had let her guard down by opening up to him and he had wronged her by touching her inappropriately, possibly damaging any trust that she'd had in him.

"Kikyo…I'm…forgive me," he murmured, lifting himself off of her but to his surprise she pulled him back down.

"No…Sesshomaru…it's ok," she whispered, running her slender fingers through the taiyoukai's silky hair. "In a weird sort of way I was kind of hoping you'd kiss me. I don't know why but…I feel safer than ever since that day on Mt. Hakurei. You're right. I do love Inuyasha but at the moment I fear that there's a possibility that I may have fallen…" He placed a finger on her lips, silencing her.I don't need her to say it. It's already going to be hard enough giving her back. He smiled down at her causing her to blush once more.

"Then will you let me kiss you just one last time…priestess?"

"Call me Kikyo," she managed before his lips grazed hers again.

"As you wish…Lady Kikyo."

-------------------------------------------

Meanwhile…

Inuyasha stared up at the night sky, Kagome standing at his side. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were seated under a tree not too far from them doing the same.

"Inuyasha, you worry too much," Kagome said softly. "We're going to be alright."

"But I can't help it. I can't bear the thought of losing anyone else that I care about." He squeezed Kagome's hand and she leaned on his arm.

"Inuyasha, you need to get some rest. You're not going to be able to fight if you haven't rested at least a little," Sango scolded.

"Yeah well I can't help but feel like something big's about to happen. I feel like Naraku is about to make his move and the last time I felt like this…" He lowered his head and stared at the ground lost in thought.

---

"Kikyo, are you taking care of yourself?" he asked, running his hands along the side of her face. She let out a small chuckle.

"Of course Inuyasha! You should know this since you're with me all the time now," she grinned. He frowned at her before licking the side of her face playfully.

"I know…I know, but…I can't help but feel like something's…wrong."

"You know, the aura in the air has changed but I am yet to sense anything particularly evil about it."

"I hope you're right because the thought of losing you…"

"You'll never lose me my little Inu. I love you," she whispered flicking his dog ears. He frowned at her briefly before planting a kiss on her lips.

"I love you too Kikyo."

---

"Inuyasha?"

"Huh? Oh…I'm sorry Kagome," he muttered.

"You looked lost for a second there. Is something wrong?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha let out a sigh before making his way back towards the tree. He sat down on the ground and started picking up grass, tossing it to the side.

"The last time I felt this way…was…over 50 years ago," he managed. There was a long pause before Kagome spoke up.

"You have all of us now. We will all look after and protect one another."

"Yeah, she's right Inuyasha. I'll look after Kagome like I know you'll look after Sango." Sango's face turned a deep shade of red before she smiled.

"We'll all do what we can to take down Naraku starting with that evil little brat Hakudoshi," she chimed. "So…since no one's sleepy and it's getting close to dawn, how about we head out now?"

"Great idea!" Shippo added, jumping to his feet.

"Are you…guys sure?" Inuyasha asked.

"Of course! I have this feeling that we need to head out to Mt. Hakurei but before that, I need to ask Kaede something," Miroku added.

"Oh…alright then. Let's hit it," Inuyasha said happily. They all suited up and started making their way towards Kaede's village. Inuyasha silently prayed that everything would be alright. He glanced over at Kagome who was chatting happily with Sango. I can't lose you too. What good am I if I lose both the women I care for?

"Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't worry about Kagome," Miroku said softly.

"I can't help it."

"I know how you must be feeling but if you keep worrying then you won't be able to protect her. Besides, we don't really know what's going to happen within the next few days so I think you can relax just a little."

"But I lost Kikyo the last two times I felt like this. The track record's not looking so good from my point of view."

"Well we're going to have a little chat with Kaede. Maybe she can tell us what's going on." Inuyasha nodded in agreement as they set out into the morning sun.

AN: Okay. I know you are wondering about Kik/Sess and I will tell you that they did not make love nd that they are not a couple. He is giving her back to Inuyasha and she never admitted to loving him. Any other questions I'll be glad to ask. Next update will be...who knows? Ta ta Now review!