A/N – First things first, I want to extend my prayers to those in Japan that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami. And I am simply amazed, that in the first few days of the aftermath, not one robbery or theft was reported. They are truly a very strong and respectable people, and my country should strive to become more like it. I believe that when they recover they will be stronger than before, but until then we can only pray for those they lost.

I'm sorry for being gone so long, my schoolwork got wayyyy out of hand and IB is trying to murder me with a blunt object. And I, Cloud, am finally one year older! But I can't drive. Facepalm. Still. Anyway, I hope you guys really enjoy this chapter; thanks go to Utada Hikaru and Scar, from the Lion King. (THE LONELY ISLAND – THE CREEP) xD. I don't own Inuyasha, so NYA! Here you go! :)

Chapter 11 – The Definition of Awesome.

"We fear the thing we want
the most." -Robert Anthony.

Her breath became fast and nervous as soon as Sesshoumaru left the room. Her eyes were screwed tight as she waited for him to come back and murder her. After all, I did invade his personal space. And the only person that's somewhat allowed to do that is Rin. She stayed that way for a good minute and a half until she realized he wasn't coming back. "I look like a retard." She muttered, opening her eyes; Ayako was staring at her, somewhat confused. Fading afternoon light glowed through a screen in the room, and Shippou snored lightly in his bed. Kagome gently lifted Shippou into her arms and stood, slowly rocking him back and forth. His breathing had returned to normal. All because of Sesshoumaru, the not-so-bad-bad-guy. He'd called her a mother before he'd left, a strange, soft emotion in his eyes. Maybe he was remembering his mother? She didn't know.

Shippou's recovery was putting her on a high. She brushed her fingers over his forehead to move his red hair. Her mind traveled as she rocked him. Her lips twisted into a grimace when she thought of Inuyasha, and his words to her earlier. Idiot should have listened to me. Kikyo, I hope he can't find you. Otherwise... Aw hell, what am I saying. I'm probably going to have to stop him. Her vision came back to her, and the woman who held the blade to Inuyasha's throat. She looked like a priestess, but the aura in the room was vicious, angry, and almost demonic. Which certainly didn't make sense, but what did anymore? Something was up with that woman, and it was all bad. Kagome shook her head. She'd taken one of the most powerful demons, albeit half demon, out of commission, which left Sesshoumaru and maybe some random powerful demons she didn't know about. She snorted. Oh, and me. She grumbled. She couldn't even focus her own powers into her hands. She put Shippou down, waved to Ayako, and left the room. If she was going to try this, it would be best to try away from other demons.

"Okay... Which way are the stables again?" She asked the empty hallways. To the left, and the doors opened to the lightly snow-dusted courtyard of Sesshoumaru's castle. Kagome silently high-fived herself, and walked over to the stables. Purifying energy wouldn't hurt the horses, as long as they weren't demonic. Which she doubted. She opened the simple lock on the doors and then pushed them open, her fingers trembling slightly with her nerves. She shut the door behind her, and went to find the little black foal. He was still asleep, but at least his leg was curled up like the other, close to his body. She smiled gently and sat next to him.

Kagome took a large, deep breath, and closed her eyes as she reached for the well of her power. With each breath she took, her focus increased. The horses snorted and stamped their feet as her skin began to glow slightly. She frowned and turned her hand palm-up, holding it close to her body. The minutes ticked by, and sweat appeared on her brow as she concentrated; but soon her hand glowed visibly brighter than the rest of her, and when she opened her eyes she found a white flame dancing around her fingers. She had stemmed the flow of energy to only her hand. She gasped, and the flames died out.

"Oh, no you don't." She muttered, and she began stemming the energy again, the evidence of her focus in her narrowed eyes and shaking fingers. This time, her hand erupted into white flame, and Kagome hissed when she realized it was stinging her hand, but kept the flame burning. "Finally!" She crowed, almost to herself. The young foal had awoken, and was staring at her hand, transfixed. "Isn't this awesome?" She gushed excitedly. She moved her hand around experimentally in a circle, then a zigzag. She linked her fingers together and winced slightly as the fire stung her other hand.

"Kagome? Are you alright?" A voice asked from outside the door.

"Yeah, I'm awesome!" She practically yelled as she stood up, careful not to touch anything with her hand. Just because it was purifying energy didn't mean it couldn't catch something on fire. "Why?" She opened the door to find Mao. The older woman winced when she saw the flames, and stepped back a few feet, covering her eyes.

"Because your energy is really... strong." Mao said.

"Oh, crap. I'm sorry!" Kagome let the energy go with a wave of her hands, and then shielded her aura even tighter than it'd been before.

Mao relaxed and blinked her eyes a few times. "That was kind of painful, actually." She muttered, and rubbed her eyes.

"Sorry! I thought it'd be safe to do way out here." Kagome said, frowning.

"It's okay, it was just scaring the servants. Pretty badly, actually. Shou made a run for it again." She grinned, her sharp teeth glinting in the dark of twilight.

Kagome snorted. "Serves the ass right. The next time he gets creeper on me, I'm shoving flames up his nose."

Mao laughed. "Come on, you've been out here for a while."

"Really? Didn't feel like it." She shrugged, patted the foal on the head, then followed Mao back into the castle. A flash of white hair caught her attention; Sesshoumaru was walking back into one of the doors. Her heart fluttered as she remembered the feel of "Can we visit Shippou?"

"Of course. I think Ayako would even let you take him to your room tonight if you want." Mao smiled.

Kagome's mood instantly brightened further. "Seriously?" She practically ran the rest of the way to the healer's room and jumped in the door. "So, is Mao lying to me and am I gonna have to jump her, or can I take Shippou with me to my room?"

Ayako simply glanced up and chuckled. Ran giggled. "You can." Mao blinked.

"Awesome. Again. Thank you so much." Kagome smiled brightly at them, and then lifted Shippou from his bed. Satisfied, she then realized the drain that the flames had on her. "Mao, can you help me? I forgot where my room is." Mao snorted, and then began leading the way as Kagome yawned widely. She blinked her eyes before realizing she needed to leave this place soon. The day to visit her time and hopefully Souta was coming fast. She had about a week and half left. The same hope and determination that drove her through the last few days in the future came back to her. Souta had to be alive somewhere. She hoped.

In her room, she curled up on the silk sheets with Shippou. "My little baby." She murmured, a smile on her lips.

"Mama." Shippou's small voice came a few moments later. He buried his nose in her hair.

0-0-0-0-0

Sesshoumaru was disturbed. He had been working at the endless, infuriating stack of paperwork on his desk when a flare of pure energy distracted him. Not only did it fracture his already failing concentration on his work, but it frightened off one of his servants... again. He disliked the servant, and he ran off at the slightest sign of danger, so why keep the disdainful creature? Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he realized that energy came from her. It continued on for a while, cutting off for a moment before sparking back up, higher than it had been before.

What reason would she have for using her abilities in such a way? "Mao." The servant appeared at his door, her head bowed. He nodded in the direction of the stables. A few moments later, his curiosity got the better of him, and he stepped out of his room to see the doors to the stables opening. White flames engulfed her hands. He suspected she was training herself to wield her energy in places other than her bow and dagger. What surprised him was that she had the ability to control the expanse of energy within her to such a degree. He had never encountered a priestess with that sort of power. He turned away and walked back into his chamber, pushing the thoughts from his head. His dreaded paperwork awaited him. He sneered.

0-0-0-0-0

Kagome yawned and stretched in her bed, careful not to bump Shippou while he slept. She changed clothes and made to step outside her door, but something caught her foot, and she fell flat on her face with a very colorful scream. "Agh, damn it." She muttered, and turned around to see what caused her to trip. A strange shaped hole, just outside her door, was the culprit. "Who leaves a hole in the floor? Honestly. Stupid floor."

"I do not believe it was the floor's fault." Kagome jumped, and turned to see Sesshoumaru towering over her, one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other.

She scrambled to her feet. "Was too." She grumbled, a faint blush spreading across her face. Try as he might, Sesshoumaru could not help the slight amusement he found in the situation; he knew the hole in the floor was his doing.

She remembered her actions from the night before, and the blush intensified. She shied away from him in the hallway as they walked. "Rin is already in the dining room." Sesshoumaru planned to stay in the dining room with them this morning. Shou was not to be trusted. He lead the way to the dining room, where Rin was hopping up and down. Jaken looked exhausted already.

The breakfast this morning was brought out to them by a different servant, much to Kagome's delight, but while she and Rin were eating, pain in her lower abdomen seized her. She dropped the strawberry she'd been eating and groaned, dropping her head forward. Sesshoumaru's golden eyes focused on her, confused. Nothing struck her, nothing that he could see, however.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Rin chirped, concern bright in her eyes.

She gripped her stomach. Seriously, this is not cool. Cramps? Ugh. Sesshoumaru is probably going to smell me bleeding for the next couple of days! Gross... Ah, not just Sesshoumaru, everyone! Kagome grimaced; she'd never had cramps that bad before. "I'll be okay, Rin, my stomach just hurts." Suddenly without an appetite, she turned and left the room. Sesshoumaru's heavy gaze followed her, still confused. A peculiar scent crossed his nose. He'd smelled it before.

He stood abruptly, then disappeared with his speed. She was halfway down the hallway, leaned up against the wall with her head in between her knees. "Are you injured?" His voice was quiet, measured. He couldn't quite understand what was wrong with her, and it bothered him. The fact that it bothered him also bothered him. He frowned at his own musings. Kicking Jaken sounded quite satisfactory at the moment.

She turned her bleary eyes to him. "No.. not really." She dropped her head back to her knees limply.

Sesshoumaru was perplexed. "Then what is the problem?"

"Cramps." She ground out with a hiss.

He blinked. She must be speaking of menstrual cramps. That would be the only explanation for the scent of her blood, and the pain in her abdomen. It still bothered him to some degree, especially since her blood was making his claws itch. Maybe the healers would have a solution. He leaned over and scooped her up gently. She squeaked and buried her face in his chest, but made no other complaint. A second later, he was setting her down in the healer's room. Ayako glanced up, a concerned expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Sesshoumaru blinked and simply stared at her for a moment, quite unsure of what to say. "She is having... menstrual cramps." Kagome snorted loudly from her fetal position on the sofa.

Ayako smiled then, and bustled around in the room for a moment, gathering a few leaves before setting them into a pot of water. "I see. She'll be fine here." Sesshoumaru nodded curtly before disappearing. "You must have worried him." Ayako murmured as she lit a flame under the pot.

Kagome winced from another strong cramp. "Why do you say that?"

Ayako stirred the concoction for a moment before answering. "He was concerned enough to deal with you while you are menstruating."

She blinked and then laughed. "I suppose so. Ranks him a little higher in my respect book."

"Drink this. It should help with the cramps." Ayako handed her a teacup filled with hot mint-scented liquid.

"What's in it?" Kagome asked curiously, swirling it around.

"Mint, chamomile, lavender, and something you wouldn't want to know." Ayako said pleasantly.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Okay, here we go." She tilted the cup back and downed its contents. She smacked her lips lightly. "That's actually pretty good."

"A drop of Ah-Un's poison." Ayako said.

"What?" She gaped. "What for?"

"It helps to numb the pain, but don't worry, it won't cause any damage." The woman said, still with the same pleasant air.

Kagome looked at the empty cup, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You know I'm human right?"

"Yes, that's exactly why I only gave you a drop. Besides, there are traces of demonic poison in your system as it is." She said.

A cramp seized her, but it was no where near as strong as it had been. "Like what?"

Ayako tilted her head. "You do not know? It has been in your system for a while now. Maybe two weeks?"

"Must be that stupid wolf." She muttered quietly. "I was bitten by a demon wolf not too long ago, but I thought my body burned it off."

"It was not a demon wolf's poison, that would have been burned off quite quickly, especially with your power. It was much more powerful than that." Ayako fell silent after that, leaving Kagome in confusion.

Kagome shook her head. "Will it have any bad effects on me?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Okay, then I won't worry about it for now." Kagome said, then smiled. "I'm going to get Shippou and bring him here."

0-0-0-0-0

She'd faced his chest in the few moments that he'd held her. Her long black hair had brushed against his legs, and tickled the backs of his hands. Sesshoumaru glared at his paperwork, trying to keep her out of his head. The fact that the scent of her blood was wafting around his castle was extremely detrimental to his focus. But truly, did he mind all that much? Yes. Or so he told himself.

Sesshoumaru spent the rest of the day out wandering his lands, trying to avoid the scent that caused his nerves to behave so strangely. Only, the farther away he got, the more agitated he became. Her eyes flashed through his head, the dreams he'd had of her, the feel of her skin. The trees around him fell and disintegrated with his poison in his frustration. Once she leaves, then everything will return to normal. He thought. She is human. And unbearably so.

Inuyasha's scent, heading out of his territory, caught his attention. She'd said he was following the dead priestess. As long as the half breed stayed out of his territory, there would be no problem. Of course, the occasional brawl to prove his dominance was completely reasonable. The clouds above were darkening; sound around him was somewhat muted, the animals were silent, and snow was starting to fall. By morning there would be a thick layer of it: the heaviness in the air proved it. A snowflake landed on his nose, and he flicked it off with his claw. Snow was rather bothersome.

The castle grounds were still on a high alert status, since the news of his council member's death yesterday. Sesshoumaru had also sent out a few messengers to his other council members to warn them. The deaths were making his demon populace agitated, which was actually quite annoying and time consuming. His temporary leave of the castle every few weeks was normal, he'd never liked dealing with all of the decorum and idiotic politics that others delved themselves into, but nevertheless he'd been taught extremely well. If his political opponents did not cave to him simply out of fear, which was normally the case, he could always turn the situation to his advantage. When he was a child, he'd always been able to get his way. His mother used to spoil him that way, even when he was grown.

His mother... She liked to brush his hair with a silver comb. It soothed him. Every night while he was young, his father and mother would walk him to his room. "Come, Sesshoumaru, it's time for bed. And no buts this time, you got to stay up quite late yesterday." His mother said gently, moving an errant strand of hair away from his face. At the age of seven, Sesshoumaru's hair reached the middle of his back. The scent of lilies and summer grasses surrounded him.

"Okay." he murmured, and yawned. The sky was turning lavender, just like his mother's eyes.

"Inutaisho, are you coming?" She called across the garden. Her face was pale, but her eyes were striking, and the magenta stripes on her cheeks stood out. The dark blue crescent on her forehead was usually hidden by her silver-white hair.

Inutaisho, without his armor, appeared from behind a tree, a smile on his face and his golden eyes sparkling. "Yes dear, just fetching something." He disappeared for a moment, then appeared at his mate's side, a bluebell in his hand. He tucked it into her hair and kissed the top of her head, then began walking with them to Sesshoumaru's room. The castle always seemed brighter when she was around. Flowers decorated vases among the many normally stark hallways; soft lantern-light perpetually glowed in even the darkest corners. She liked it that way.

Inside his childhood room, there was a small bed, just for his use, and a few old toys laying around on the floor. A large crescent was painted on the ceiling. His mother picked them up as she walked by and replaced them to their proper place. Inutaisho lifted Sesshoumaru up and swung him around before jumping onto the bed with him. His mother simply smiled as Sesshoumaru's laughter chimed loudly in the room. When he was young, he laughed. But after his mother left, it seemed she took his laugh right along with her. "Alright, alright." She said, then grabbed the silver comb. Sesshoumaru, being himself, fussed for a moment before sitting still. His mother began combing, and all of his worries, of not being able to become the man his father wanted, of not being able to control his poison whip correctly, of ever growing old, melted away.

He looked to his father, who sat across the bed. "Now, this time, I'm going to tell you a story about an old demon named Jirou. Being the second son in his family, he was expected to be just as great as his older brother, but no matter what he tried, his parents never seemed happy. He tried sword fighting, which his brother excelled in, but he couldn't learn it very well. He tried to use a spear, but that didn't work too well either. He even tried a bow, but even then he couldn't hit the target. The only thing that made him happy was to paint, and he was very good at it. He could paint you, and it would look like a reflection." He paused as Sesshoumaru gaped and rubbed his eyes. "Now mind you, however, that his parents did not want a son that painted. That frustrated him so much, that he actually ran away from home, and went to hide in the woods. His parents were very sad, and very scared. They sent out a huge search party to find him, but Jirou knew how to hide very well. He was scared, too. He was hiding in a bush when he heard his parents talking about him. 'I can't believe he ran away. We shouldn't have been so mean to him about his painting.' His mother said. Jirou's father hugged her. 'It's alright dear, we'll find him. And when we do, he can paint as much as he wants.' His mother started crying, and his older brother and father hugged her. Jirou came out of the bushes, and his family hugged him very very close. He became one of the best painters the world has ever seen, and all he needed was his family. He got old and grumpy, but he always remembered the love of his father, his mother, and his older brother. Sesshoumaru, we want you to know that no matter what you do, that we will always love you." Inutaisho smiled at his son, who was looking very tired.

"Goodnight, Sesshoumaru." His parents said together, before kissing his forehead and tucking him in.

"Goodnight..." He said sleepily. The last thing he saw was the bluebell in his mother's hair.

Sesshoumaru sighed at his childhood memory, then shook it off. Those days were over, and he was Lord of the Western Lands now. It was strange to think that his mother was still alive somewhere, but he did not seek to pursue her. She did not know that her beloved Inutaisho was dead. He did not want to relay the news. Even if he did tell her, she most likely would not return. There was nothing left for her here now. She'd left before Izayoi had gotten pregnant. Sesshoumaru growled loudly.

0-0-0-0-0

The snow was falling heavier and heavier by the second, and Kagome wanted to play in it. The horses were jumping around, kicking up snow at each other and running circles around each other. "Totally not fair. I want to be out there." Since her cramps had gone away, she'd been extremely hyper. Must have been something in the tea. She shrugged.

Mao chuckled at her. "Why don't you ask Rin? I'm sure she'd be willing."

'Will you come? It'll be fun." Kagome asked her brightly

Mao raised her eyebrows. "I don't know, Kagome. Sesshoumaru-"

"Sesshoumaru's not here, I can sense it." She said mischievously. "Where's Rin's room?" Mao sighed, but led Kagome there.

"Rin? Would you want to come outside and play with me?" Kagome asked the little girl.

Rin brightened instantly, and Jaken frowned. "She's not going anywhere with you-" he started to say, but Kagome kicked him out of the way. Rin laughed, delighted.

"So, where are your warm clothes?" Kagome asked.

Minutes later, they were outside in the snow, with Rin bundled up so well that there was no chance of her getting cold. "Okay, have you ever made a snowman?"

"What's a snowman?" She asked. Mao looked just as confused. Kagome laughed, then began to make a ball. She rolled it on the ground until it was half as tall as Rin, and then smoothed it out. "You think you got that?" Rin nodded, and Mao just snickered. She began rolling her own ball of snow with a wicked smile. Kagome snorted and helped Rin with her own. "You make the second one smaller than the first one, and then the one on top is the head." She hefted the big ball of snow on top of the first one, then grabbed a few stones for the face while Rin rolled the last one.

"How's this, Kagome?" Mao called. Kagome glanced over and almost fell. The first ball was almost as tall as she was.

She busted out laughing. "That, my friend, is the definition of awesome." Rin glanced up and laughed with them. "Okay, here, I'll put the head on this one. Now we make face, and there we go!" She clapped her gloved hands together.

Rin cheered. "Can we make these again when Shippou's awake?"

Kagome glanced down at her. "Of course we can." She turned to see Mao putting the head on her snowman. "Woah, check it out Rin!"

Mao pushed several big rocks into the head to make a smiley face. "There!" She jumped down from the head and wiped her hands on her thick kimono. The snowman had to be about twelve feet tall.

"Whenever winter rolls around, make sure I'm here for it." Kagome stated. Rin laughed, and Kagome picked her up. "I told you you'd have fun."

Mao snorted, and they headed in. Kagome's fingers were freezing, even through the thick gloves. Rin went to take a nap, and Mao had to take care of something in the hot springs. So that left Kagome by herself in the castle, just wandering through the extensive halls by herself. At first, it seemed like it was going to be terrible, but after a few moments, she began to enjoy it. Every turn led to a new hallway. Some of the doors were locked, but others led into the various guest bedrooms. One door she opened led into what looked like a library. Scrolls of all colors lined the walls and covered some of the tables. There were scrolls on what looked like everything under the sun, and several that weren't. "Wow." She murmured, but closed the door to the room and decided to come back another time. But now, she had a castle to explore. She passed the hallway that led to Sesshoumaru's room, and kept going.

Something passed by a lamp at the end of the hallway, making the flame shudder. Kagome stopped for a moment to listen and scanned the area. There were a few servants, so she shrugged and kept moving. The same thing happened a moment later, this time down a hallway to her right. She narrowed her eyes, and started focusing her energy. Whatever servant was up here didn't need to behave like that, and was going to get a face full of flames if it didn't stop. "I see you, Kagome." A voice whispered from down the hallway. Kagome recognized Shou's voice, and glared. Her hand was almost about to burst into flame, she could feel the sting from her power building up.

"Dirty coward. Get out here where I can see you." She spat, keeping her hand to the side where he hopefully couldn't see, but once the flames started, there would be no way that he couldn't see it.

Shou only laughed, and a second later he was standing directly behind her, one hand over her mouth and another holding her waist. She stayed still a moment, concentrating extremely hard. Shou's hand slid downward, and before his hand got too close, her hand lit up, and the flames began licking up her arm in her anger. Shou screamed when the flames touched him, and he let go. She turned around, swinging her hand with all her might and slapped him across the face. White flames began to envelop his head and then traveled down his body. He screeched loudly as the flames incinerated him, quicker than any normal fire would have taken. Kagome stared on in a sort of dazed horror at her work, and then satisfaction. "Hm. Serves him right. Don't mess with Kagome." She said, somewhat proud of herself. She just hoped that Sesshoumaru didn't really need Shou. She glanced at the ash on the floor a little guiltily."Sorry, Sesshoumaru." She murmured into the half-light of the hallway.

"For what?" Sesshoumaru's voice echoed.

Kagome spun around, her hand coming to land on her chest. "Holy crap!" Sesshoumaru had been flying back to his castle when he sensed and saw a bright flash of energy out of one of the windows, and decided to see what it was. Of course, she would be the cause of it. A suspicious looking pile of ash lay on the floor near her. She turned her wide brown eyes on him, a rueful twist to her lips. "I kind of destroyed your cook."

Sesshoumaru's eyebrows rose, his eyes aglow. He'd expected that she'd just made a mess somehow. "How?"

"Well, I was wandering through the halls, and then I kept seeing the lamp at the end of the hallway flicker. I figured it was just a servant, so I didn't really mind it. But it happened again, and then Shou said 'I see you, Kagome'. Then he was behind me and he was holding me by the waist and covering my mouth." She grimaced, and Sesshoumaru fought the urge to growl. The demon had the nerve to even try harming something under his... "So I pushed my power into my hand and lit him on fire. And that's the pile of ash." She pointed to it.

Sesshoumaru's eyes bore down on her, heavy molten gold. Kagome's heart fluttered gently. "He did not touch you?" She knew what he meant, and was surprised that he even cared. She shook her head, and Sesshoumaru seemed to exhale slightly. He inspected her for a moment for injury, and decided she was fine, then met her eyes again. She was staring at him strangely; as if she didn't know he would have destroyed Shou if he were still alive. Then she gave him a little smile, walked down the hallway past him for a moment before stopping and turning.

"Can you show me the way to the healers' room?" She asked. He stared at her a moment, his eyes unreadable

Then he nodded, and began walking the opposite direction, a slight smirk on his face. "This way." Kagome smacked her forehead and followed him, embarrassed.

"So... What do you normally do here?" Kagome asked him.

Sesshoumaru blinked. "Paperwork." He lifted his upper lip in disgust.

"Oh." She murmured. "Is that why you're always wandering around?"

Silence enveloped them for a moment. "Mostly." Came his response.

The halls passed them by, and Kagome recognized the door to the library-thing she'd walked into earlier. "I didn't know you had a library."

Sesshoumaru glanced over at her wistful words, and saw a light smile on her face. "Yes. You may visit it if you like." He mentally winced at his offer. He shouldn't be allowing her further than she'd already gone. But here he was, doing exactly that.

"Really? Thank you!" She smiled brightly at him, and the anger he'd felt a moment ago seemed to leave him without any explanation at all.
He hesitated, and then nodded slightly before turning toward the hallway again. "Your kit is recovering?"

Kagome cast a quick glance at him. "Yeah, he should be well enough to travel in about a week, I think. Well, that's when I have to go back to Edo." She said, counting off the days in her head.

The silence that followed seemed actually very loud to Kagome. "Why?" Sesshoumaru honestly didn't know why he asked, and he cursed himself for even allowing his own mouth to speak the word. He briefly closed his eyes, and a vision of her, bleeding out on the snow, came to his mind. His eyes flipped wide open, and he almost hissed.

She paused, a shadow passing over her eyes. "I've already told you that my family died, but not all of them. My little brother, Souta, is still alive somewhere. But I don't know where. Inuyasha tried to track his scent, but he lost it once we got downtown." Grimacing, she continued on. "Well, I left a note to him in my time, telling him that if he were to find me, that he should visit the Shrine at midnight on the ninth of every other month, where I'd be. I can't miss it." She whispered the last part. He could hear the fragile hope in her voice, frail as a newborn child. Then he mentally slammed his head into a wall for realizing that it existed. She gave a shuddering sigh, seeming not only in her voice but in the gentle slope of her shoulders.

0-0-0-0-0

Asleep in her room, Kagome curled a little closer to Shippou as her dreams took on a silver and gold tint. Kagome lay curled on her side among silk sheets. But soon, she realized she was not alone; a warm weight lay across her waist and above her head. The warmth was pressed against her body. She opened her eyes to see skin, smooth and pale, directly in front of her eyes. She leaned back slightly to see who it was. Silver hair slipped off of her shoulders as she moved, feeling cool against her skin. His eyes were closed, and his face was devoid of any emotion except calm. Transfixed, she reached out and brushed her fingers across his cheekbone, and almost yanked her hand away when he turned his nose into her hand and inhaled, a soft smile on his lips. Kagome had never realized how a smile could change a face until Sesshoumaru. It made her want to smile, too.

The warmth that held her waist moved to her back and began stroking her gently. She could feel the tips of his claws against her skin, but his movements never scratched her. "Is something wrong, Kagome?" As always, his voice startled her, all the more this time because he used her name. Her eyes traveled up his toned torso warily. If he was naked, then...She met his eyes, a furious blush on her face. "I know my body is interesting, but you may pay attention to it later, after you answer my question." A smirk lightened his expression. She felt his fingers on her face, quickly moving a black strand of her hair away before trailing down to her chest, where his claws traced designs over one breast. She gasped and stared down at him, no longer in control of her own limbs. His eyes changed quickly from light playfulness to predatory when he heard her gasp and saw her skin respond to his touch.

He leaned over and placed a kiss to her lips, suddenly above her. She couldn't have done anything even if she wanted to, but the thought never occurred to her, lost as she was with his kiss. She responded as his tongue swept across her lips softly. His hands traveled up and down her frame, cupping her bottom and her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples. Kagome gasped into his mouth, and a rumbled growl emitted from his throat; she could feel need and hunger building up within herself, and as Sesshoumaru held her closer to him, she could sense his need as well. Their tongues danced together, and Kagome's breath came with a shudder.

His hand was traveling up between her thighs when the dream suddenly faded in a whirl of silver.

Kagome awoke with sweat on her brow, a heat between her legs, and a sleeping Shippou. She carefully left the bed and slipped out into a mostly dark hallway, only lamps at the intersection of the hallways cast weak light to her position. With Shou gone, the hallways would be safe to wander, or so she hoped. Taking one of the hallways, she grabbed a lamp off of the wall before continuing on. Her feet padded softly on the wood floor as she walked, hoping that she could be somewhat silent to Sesshoumaru's ears. The last thing she needed was to be near him at the moment. She shivered, not only from the cold, but as a method to try and rid herself of the flustered emotions running wild within her chest.

In her wanderings, she met many a dead end, but finally found her target, mostly by chance. The library fanned out in front of her, the shelves full of scrolls that looked as though they hadn't been read in a long time. She sighed, trying to calm herself, then went over to the shelves and plucked a random scroll from a higher shelf. She plopped down into a chair, grateful for the support it offered her weak legs, and began to unroll the scroll. When the page was revealed to her, she found something strange, but only stared at it a moment before placing it on the table. The scroll ended up being an old story, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. Her drowsiness ended up coming back to her, however, and by the end of the scroll, she was so tired she just leaned her head against the table, the story still fresh in her mind.

0-0-0-0-0

The moon was lowering, but Sesshoumaru didn't feel fatigue, just restlessness. She was walking around the castle. It had to be near sunrise, and she was wandering his corridors. He could hear her clearly from his chambers, but the sound of her walking stopped when she reached the library. He didn't think her to be one to read. Wait. He didn't think her anything. Right? Right.

Sesshoumaru frowned when she didn't move after an hour, and decided to move her back to her room. The hallways were dark and empty, sometimes a servant moving quickly with the shadows. He found her leaning against a table, a light snore coming from her lips. Her hair covered a part of her face, but her closed eyelids flickered with whatever dreams she might be experiencing. Next to her head lay something Sesshoumaru thought and hoped he would not have to see for a long time. As he woke her up, he pondered the coincidence of her finding that exact scroll.

On the table lay a dried spray of bluebells and a scroll that read, 'The Tale of Jirou, the Famous Demon Artist."

End of Ch pater 11 – The Definition of Awesome.

A/N - Question. Why is it so easy for me to churn out a thousand words like this, but not for my English paper? OTL. And is it just me who thinks that 'flames' is a really annoying word to type? Sigh. Read, Review, Favorite! :) please and thank you!