Arisu paced uneasily in her small hut.

"What to do, what to do…?" She asked herself.

She was second guessing her plans. What if she killed the miko and the icy demon lord hated her forever more? What if she screwed up and the miko was way stronger than she could ever be and the miko killed her in a bloody and gruesome fashion?

She plopped down on her futon, and popped a morsel of dried newt into her mouth, humming to herself. Arisu was crazy. She didn't have a death wish. There was a very real and very serious difference between the two. She tilted her head to the side curiously, an idea hatching in her head.

The woman was entirely too helpful. Kind to a fault. With a bit of theatrics and mayhap a healthy dose of histrionics, she could very easily infiltrate the patchwork group and skillfully garner all the information that she would need to make an accurate deduction of whether or not she would be able to cheat Kagome out of Sesshomaru's heart (or his groin, she wasn't entirely sure of which was more accurate). She knew that he was attached. The steamy affair of the last encounter between the two was enough to attest to that. But if it was only sexual, if it was only in his lust hazed mind that he desired the girl, just the girl's body, not necessarily her mind or her feelings, the she could very easily steal him away.

And while she wasn't one to be particularly hubristic, she felt that at the very least, she and the miko were matched.

Magic and holy energy: Basically the same idea. Only one was applicable to both sides of the fence, where the other, unless supremely powerful, was only effective against those in the darker end of the spectrum. Arisu gathered the necessary ingredients to begin her brew.

"I always screw this one up… Okay, Eye of newt first, then fire salts, then the black nightshade crushed into a fine pulp… What am I forgetting? Ho hum… OH! Oh, I almost forgot the blood root! And the fat of one demon…" She said to herself as she stirred in the ingredients, mindful to keep the brew away from her skin until the very last ingredient was mixed in. The mixture, which began with pure water fresh from the river, had bubbled and turned a light blue, then an ominous black, before settling and turning back to its original color. Should anyone stop her, it would give off the smell and look of a flask of water, nothing more, nothing less.

This particular potion only started working when you said the name backwards of whoever you were trying to fool, and would only remain in effect as long as you were with them. It was the best that she could do at the current moment, for it had been a very long while since she had gone ingredient hunting. So, she stashed away the vial in her satchel, a very expensive item from the west, and she packed within said item a change of clothes, all of her meditation tools, her mortar and pestle, and enough bowls to safely store any item that she may come across. She exited her hut, a small smile on her face, as she took off in the direction that she had last seen Sesshomaru and Kagome heading.

-;-

Kagome and Sesshomaru had gotten lost. Well, perhaps lost was the wrong way to put their situation. Kagome was completely and totally lost, and Sesshomaru was happy to keep her that way. He found himself glad that he was normally a stoic creature, who was even less apt to open his mouth and speak the human language.

When she asked him a question, he was ever so delighted to keep his mouth shut and level her with an almost bored look, which would send her into frenzy and she would rant and rave about how much of a pompous ass he was. He, of course, ignored every word she said and instead focused on confusing the path that they were taking more and of course he just had to bathe in her scent, spicy in her anger. Gods above, how he delighted in her responsiveness.

During one of her spats (which couldn't be counted as their, because it takes two to quarrel and he was as frigid as ever), they came across a young girl, with nothing in her possession except a bag on her hip and the clothes on her back. She whimpered and begged the kindly miko to offer her aid, for she had twisted her ankle a while back and was quite vulnerable.

Sesshomaru was curious about how she had approached. He was, he thought quite hubristically, one of the most powerful beings in the world, at the very least. How dare the little woman barge right up to his mistress and ignore his presence all together. He flared his aura in warning, and yet she remained unaffected. Not even the slightest hint of fear in her scent, which was surprisingly light for a human. However, he noted absently, arousal rolled off of the miko in waves, who had taken to a striking blush. He lost his focus, more worried about how much more he could make her squirm under his heady power.

Arisu smiled sweetly, her inner self doing a victory dance as she pulled off perhaps the smoothest infiltration ever. She was helped over to a large rock, where the miko began work on her foot, and she smiled at the girl, glad to help out a soul in need. She bound her foot, making sure that she did the very best work that she could with her rudimentary tools.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do a better job of your foot, but all of my supplies are in my bag, at Sesshomaru's shiro." Kagome smiled apologetically, rubbing the girl's shoulder.

"Um… Thank you miss, I really appreciate your kindness. I abhor the thought of asking any more of you, milady, but I have nowhere else to go. Mayhap I am able to travel with you? I am utterly lost and my next of kin's locations are lost to me." She whimpered, tears starting in her eyes as she wiped them furiously, seemingly ashamed of her pathetic show.

Sesshomaru drew in a long breath, cursing the gods.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? I don't want this little girl to travel with us! Tell her no, you twit!

It is too late. She asked the miko, and she would be very upset with us if she refused her.

Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! Sesshomaru, are you an inu or a neko? DO something!

It is unfortunately beyond my power. If Kagome says yes, then I am obliged to listen to her.

"Of course you can! It is my duty to help those in need, and I'm sure Sesshomaru wouldn't mind another human in his mists" Kagome smiled sweetly.

And that is how the human miko and the Inu taiyoukai gained another follower, a human witch who was more or less crazy.

Arisu followed along with the two, hanging on the arm of Kagome, who smiled and was more than happy to help her along the road. Sesshomaru couldn't help but be a bit angry at the small slip of human girl, for she had brought all of his planning to a dead halt. Oh, gods above, how he cursed her.

After they had set up camp for the night, Kagome had started her trek to the hot springs, where she could wipe away the grime of the day and bring a new sense of invigoration to her stressed out mind. Sesshomaru had planned to ambush her while she bathed, confident that the girl was still on the ground of the camp, sleeping soundly next to the fire. And yet, when he arrived, seconds from plucking the girl out of the water, that little Pest just happened to arrive, ready and willing to learn all that Kagome had to give her on the technology of her time.

T-that… that… Ugh! What is this! All I frigging wanted was a few moments of peace with my mistress. Her smell… it haunts me… taunts me… and yet I am unable to do anything to appease myself! Damn that girl. Damn it!

Calm yourself. This period of waiting will only make Kagome taste that much sweeter when she is moaning and writhing under us, her face twisted in pleasure. And oh, how sweet it will be when her name falls from our lips. Have patience, and you will thusly be rewarded.

But I don't wanna!

-;-

"Okay girls, things seem to have worked themselves out" Bossy said, a small smile of contentment on her face.

"Quit the lies, Bossy! I'm dying here! Sesshomaru hasn't so much as touched us in two days! Not to mention the fact that this twerp is totally slowing down progress. We could have drug ourselves to his castle and back TWICE by now, and yet here we are, waiting for this brat to drag her slow ass along. DAMNIT!"

Bossy sighed. There was no winning, was there?