Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Props to Rumiko Takahashi for her brilliance.

Chapter 2

Travelling alone with Sesshoumaru was more than Kagome had bargained for. He set the pace and she had to follow. He barely spoke so she was left talking to the wind most of the time. And when the rain started drizzling softly, he started walking even faster. That damned taiyoukai…

"Sesshoumaru, would you slow down a bit? My feeble human legs can't take this pace, especially not with all of this mud!" The miko whined, discontented with the whole ordeal. He didn't pay attention to her words much though, his ears focused on the annoying swish sounds made by her strange raincoat. "Sesshoumaru?!" She stressed his name after a moment, wanting to get through to the passive demon. He still didn't respond.

After another hour or so of trekking and a new uphill course through thick mud and heavy downpour, she gave up. A few feet behind him as he kept walking, she stopped in her tracks and dropped. Her legs were shaking even after her weight was lifted off of them and her breath wasn't coming as easy as it should have. Knowing that she had an extra change of dry clothes in her bag, she ignored the wetness seeping through her pants in favour of stretching her legs out in front of herself. Finally, he stopped and turned his hard glare onto her spent form.

"Miko," He intoned coldly as he stayed rooted to his spot in annoyance. She was supposed to not delay his tracking so he could find his half-brother faster. Yet, now she sat in the mud with a blissful smile on her lips like an idiot… she was a fool.

"No, don't you 'miko' me! We've been walking for the past 4 hours and I'm tired and hungry! My legs are shaking from the strain and my back is getting really stiff! Where is the consideration you showed everyone else this morning? Why should I have to argue with you and fight for your attention to get a break when they were ordered to stay behind? I've been trying to get you to stop for the past hour because trudging in these conditions is really hard for me!" Kagome huffed and crossed her arms, newly winded from her frustrated speech. Could he not show an ounce of compassion for her?!

"I though you wanted to find the half-breed." Sesshoumaru shot back curtly. His hair was sticking to his face from the rain and his boots and the bottom of his hakama were getting all dirty. He wasn't happy with the weather either but he knew they couldn't stop. Did she know nothing of inuyoukai senses?

"I do! He's my best friend and I want him safe but I can't keep going like this!" Tears started welling in her eyes from the exasperation coursing through her slim body. "Why can't you just listen to me for once and let me have a short break?" Her tone was pleading and he was contemplating giving in to her for a second. Then reality set back into his mind and he steeled himself against her pitiful display of emotion.

"You will not rest! To find Inuyasha, we must make as much progress as possible as fast as we can!" He countered angrily, suddenly regretting his decision to let the monk stay behind. Surely Miroku could have talked some sense into her thick skull.

"And why is that?!" She shouted back, anger making her tremble more than she already was. She should have stayed in bed. No, she should have come back yesterday, that way Inuyasha wouldn't have been captured on his way to retrieve her from her time.

"This Sesshoumaru's sense of smell is as sharp as ever but the rain still washes scent trails away! If we stop and give the rain time to serve its purpose, the trail could be washed away completely before we can find the hanyou!" He nearly roared, letting his annoyance get the better of him. The only people who could bring out any of his emotions were the miko and his younger brother. Even Jaken could not make him break face and the toad youkai sure grated his nerves a good amount each day. He enjoyed Kagome's company most of the time but he hated that the cunning young woman could make him loose it with some of her many innocent arguments. If she'd been anything but human, she would have understood and wouldn't have seemed so ignorant or stupid in some cases.

Kagome sniffled and lowered her head, realization dawning on her. Of course, how could she be so naïve? You'd think that after so much time travelling with Inuyasha she'd remember that. It was such simple fact, basic knowledge even. Water washed away evidence.

"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru. I guess I was being selfish. I hadn't thought it all through." The timbre of her voice was subdued and apologetic, making him want to comfort her. It was disgusting, these pack instincts that quite literally made him want to touch people and make them feel better. He constantly had to fight with himself in order to keep his reputation and dignity intact. To show emotion or favouritism was something a good lord and tactician couldn't afford to do, especially not the lord of the west.

Then, from one second to the other, Kagome was scooped up into strong arms and cradled against a hard chest. Kami, he had more muscle than his physical appearance gave him credit for! Momentarily giving in to his instincts because of the guilt and the lack of witnesses, he nuzzled her soaked hair softly before simply proceeding on their journey. Giving her heart a significant amount of time to calm down, Kagome relaxed into his chest, careful of his armour and the spikes that adorned it. If he hadn't gained his right arm back along with his Bakusaiga, she mused, this would have been way less comfortable.

"Rest miko," he ordered, his velvety smooth baritone anything but commanding. "I will carry you until you feel well enough to walk again." He could feel her shaking from her earlier exertion and could help being angry with himself. He'd neglected his pack mate. Though Inuyasha was his brother and pack mate and it was indeed important to find him, he shouldn't have ignored Kagome's need for rest. And at least now he could use his demon speed to make up for the time they'd lost because of the trying terrain and her objection to keep going. He might even reach the end of the seemingly long trail ahead of them before the rain washed all of the traces away. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

It took less time than he thought before Kagome was fast asleep in his arms. It took even less time for him to realize where his brother's reluctant path was leading them. Strangely enough, there was no second smell that accompanied it. He knew for a fact that there was someone else, they just had no scent. Or, more likely, they had the ability to hide it. Before long, he was standing at the gates of his mother's palace. Looking down, he nudged Kagome awake with the tip of his fair nose. She stirred and cracked her eyes open.

"Sesshoumaru?" Her voice was hoarse from sleep and her eyes slightly unfocused. The inuyoukai slowly slid her down onto her feet, steadying her when she failed to steel herself in time. She finally managed to take a firm stance, causing him to take his hand back from her elbow. Stifling a yawn, Kagome looked around, her gaze zeroing in on the parted gates in front of them.

"We've reached our destination, miko." The powerful dog demon at her side stated in clipped tones. She sent him a concerned glance but he dismissed it when a woman appeared before them. A woman that was most certainly not his mother and who positively reeked of Inuyasha's prior struggles.

"That you have, young lord of the west." The woman spoke in a husky tone. Kagome's eyes snapped to the blonde whose hair reached just below her bust in a straight plait. She had a gaze green like sea foam that held a wicked glint and wore the finest robes made of silk. Her painted red lips were stretched into a shifty grin. Kagome stepped closer to Sesshoumaru, her hand clutching to the sleeve of his haori out of its own accord. She was not getting a good feeling out of that one.

"Where is my brother and what have you done to him? Surely a sorceress from the continent has no business with one such as him." The imposing inu had his mask set firmly into place, his blank glare focused on her eyes. The eyes were ultimately the window to the soul.

"Oh but darling," The strange woman began seductively, only to be cut off by the taiyoukai.

"Refrain from addressing this Sesshoumaru with such casualty. Your games do not interest me and only waste my time."

"Sesshoumaru, wait, something's not right." Kagome whispered in panic, a sudden chill charging up her spine. Shuffling even closer to him, searching for the comfort that usually came with his incredible aura, she shuddered. "I don't think Inuyasha is here at all. It's a set up." She finished her observation, her breath hitching. Inuyasha was not in that castle. In fact, he was nowhere near it. With her quickly escalating powers, Kagome had gained the ability to sense him when he was close because of the subjugation beads suffused with her power that resided around his neck. She could not feel them now.

"What a powerful little priestess we have here, huh? Able to tell her former love interest is not here but unable to sense what awaits her in this trap. What a shame." The witch shook her head in mock dejection. Sesshoumaru abruptly tensed, his golden eyes narrowing toward the woman.

"I am Kurami. I was summoned here by lady Kimiko of the west to fulfill a purpose." The witch introduced herself, her chin lifting in pride. Sesshoumaru merely sniffed in disdain, angry for being deceived and irritated at his mother. What could she possibly hope to achieve by summoning an enchantress and using his half-breed brother as bait? His lady mother was known for causing trouble, as proven by the test of strength she administered to him when she sent Rin to the underworld so he could better his Meido. What is she up to now, he wondered.

"There is nothing dark or beautiful about you, Kurami," Sesshoumaru spoke his true thoughts to the wicked woman. "You serve bad purposes yet hold no true appeal. Only one as desperate as my mother would need the assistance of such a lowly ningen witch."

Kurami growled then, all playfulness seeping out of her body and pure anger taking it's place. How dare he? She had trained all her life to be as great as she was and she was not about to let some dog insult her power or expertise in such a degrading way.

"Dreams and realities become unclear," The sorceress started chanting the curse she was summoned to place, not waiting a moment more to deal with her task. If she could destroy anything dear to that mutt, by hell she would. He would regret insulting her excellence. "What is unreal is only as real as it appears. When cared for faces leave your memory, questions rise of their authenticity."

Feeling the pull on his sleeve give out, Sesshoumaru looked to Kagome over his shoulder, only to find her collapsed on her knees. She was holding her head on each side with her hands, shaking it roughly and making her sodden lock of charcoal hair whip against his calf.

"No," The miko whined softly, a whimper escaping her lips. There was a deep burn in her head that pounded in rhythm with her erratic heartbeat. An aching in her chest made her feel like she had been shot with an arrow; the same pain she experienced when Kaguya of the Dreams sent her arrow right back at her using her mirror and it pierced her through her upper back. What was happening to her?

"Paranoia and fear will climb the ladder of your mind, logic and sanity left far behind."The enchantress continued without pause, her impure aura flaring with her chant. Kagome was now frantically pulling at her hair, her scalp feeling as if it was crawling with thousands of fire ants.

"Make it stop. Please, make it stop, now!" She cried pleadingly, begging for any form of reprieve. She'd never felt so attacked before, the torment more than she ever thought she could bear. Sesshoumaru, she called to him in her thoughts, help me, please.

"Cease your incantation at once!" The taiyoukai roared at the disturbing wench, a sneer plastered on his usually blank features. She was hurting his pack mate and she needed to quite while she still could. He was about ready to lop off her head.

"Desire to figure real from fake a main ingredient in newly acquired blood thirst, only the death caused by your hand will ring true to the one who is cursed."

"This Sesshoumaru orders you to halt. I will not hesitate in beheading you if you do not!"

"No, please end the pain. Make it stop." Kagome continued to convulse in her kneeling position, the paint inside of her only escalating with every word that came from Kurami's filthy mouth. At this point, the priestess couldn't even hear what she was saying anymore; much less understand what it all meant for her.

"Mind lost like a wall taken down brick by agonizing brick," At this point, Sesshoumaru had thrown all caution to the wind and was kneeling next to Kagome, holding her shoulders to try and keep her grounded. His aura was gliding over her writhing form, trying to smooth out the wrinkles in her metaphorical sheet. He had to get her to come back to herself instead of letting her resolve deteriorate from the inside out. She was loosing it, not even aware of what went on around her anymore. She wasn't even pleading for help anymore, simply folded into herself with her jaw dropped in silent agony. She was suffering terribly and there wasn't a thing he could do to protect her. Except, maybe…

"Even the most fervent encouragements won't do the trick. Only one may save you yet, or may you forever be nothing more than a killer pet." And with the last word of the curse, Kagome collapsed into unconsciousness, the witch's severed head hitting the ground simultaneously. Green acid dripped to the dirt in testimony to the method of decapitation used and acrid fumes swirled around the duo of still living beings.

Clutched to the inuyoukai's chest, Kagome swam within her blank mind. She was lost to the world for an indefinite time. When she would wake, the curse would be in motion, slowly eating away at her sanity.

Meanwhile, as the vile enchantress' body quickly evaporated from his poison, Sesshoumaru had yet to see his mother make an appearance. Lady Kimiko was probably sitting on her imported cushions calmly, waiting for someone else's sullied hands to complete her will. Only when she knew everything was said and done that she would come out and verify the success. Then and only then would she happily find the beheaded body of the blonde witch melting and her son and his inert pack mate gone. There was no way in hell that he would confront the bitch he called his mother. If he even got a glimpse at her face before he could calm down… I'll kill her. I'll take her life and then there'll be no chance of her telling me how to reverse this curse or why it was even used against Kagome. I'll wait until we're certain of the effects before wringing some answers out of that foolish woman. Cursed wench.

Soaked silver locks blowing in the humid wind following the rain, Sesshoumaru picked Kagome up and turned his back to his mother's home. His fur pelt whipping behind him in a proudly pissed manner, the taiyoukai began the journey back to Edo. He would get revenge for whatever had just taken place but before that, he had to get the miko to safety and find his half-brother. How had a simple human sorceress tricked him with such an untrue trail? Even worse, how had she gotten that scent out of Inuyasha so she could imitate it so precisely?

Author's note:

Hey y'all so this is chapter 2! I'm not completely satified with it but I can't think of anything I can do that would make it better. I hope it isn't too confusing haha! Review if you feel like doing so, even if it's a flame! I actually enjoy any type of criticism because it helps me better myself in ways that silence cannot do. Thanks for giving this story a chance peeps! :) -Nat 3