Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.

Note: This chapter contains after effects of violent acts. If it is to the degree I need to change the rating Please let me know as I'm a new writer here and I don't know if it's really bad enough to change the rating.

A/N: Hm, I'm not really sure what to say this time, it's nearly 5:30am and I haven't been to bed… and I have work tomorrow and yet here I am, ugh what is wrong with me! *groans* just couldn't sleep so I thought some of my own writing may wear at my brain enough to bring on sleep. As a result I've written nearly half this chapter so if some of it comes out sounding a bit off….you know why. Well enough of this~ on to the story right? Happy reading!

P.S. Please review! *pouts*


Chapter 2: Cold

He could hear her from his study down the hall, he could hear her muffled sobs, every shaky breath she took, the stifled cries of pain. And he didn't understand it; he couldn't understand her reaction. Humans were so degrading, allowing themselves to be so controlled by emotions, emotions that more often than not lead to their death or came at a high price for others. It was simply illogical.

Shouldn't she be mad at him? Hate him for the pain and suffering he had brought down on her? By all rights she should loathe him after the events of that day. But no, the emotions that were clear on her face that day was sorrow, and regret. Her face was a clear image to how she felt inside, but she held no malice for him. Her chalky white skin stark against the blood that smeared across her face, caking in her hair. He could still see the grief and slight hint of hysteria on her face, so clearly in his mind. It had become clear who the blame fell on in her mind. Herself.

Silently rising from his seat he walked out of his study and down the hall, coming to a halt outside of the room that held the girl, why was he here again? As he stared at the sakura blossoms that had been delicately painted onto the rice paper of the shoji door he found himself pondering on his actions. He was just protecting his assets he assured himself after a few moments of consideration.

If she had injured herself again it was better to find out now rather than be informed about it later when the damage had worsened. He sniffed the air and caught the metallic salty scent of blood, so she had reopened her wound, this girl was really starting to test his tolerance. Was he going to have to tie her down to prevent her from jerking her body around and slowing the healing process that was already slow enough?

He could also smell the salt from her tears, and though her body had been cleaned by his servants he could still smell the remnants of old blood and the musky scent of his half breed brother that seemed to linger on her flesh. Perhaps that scent only helped to feed her subconscious mind into conjuring up the nightmares she faced every night, he silently pondered, he didn't know- nor did he care he told himself.

She was here for one reason and only one reason, that was why she was here breathing, staying in his home. The waves of her aura pooled around her and rippled out as she gathered control of herself, her breathes coming out more steady and relaxed until the rhythm was so smooth he knew she was sound asleep. He contemplated going inside the room but argued that he could assess her injuries from here, still he opened the door slightly and his cool gaze landed on her form.

His eyes grazing over her in assessment to her injuries, the wound his Tenseiga couldn't heal was starting to heal, her own body fighting off the undead miko's reiatsu that splintered her flesh and seeped into the wound. He moved closer to her and quietly bent forward, his hand catching the silken sheet and swiftly moved it away. She shivered from the absence, small chills formed on her shoulder and arm but he ignored that and took a closer look at the bandages covering her back.

He sniffed delicately, determining if it was infected or not, finding that her aura was covering the area. Acting as a barrier and bandage of it's own, yes it was healing nicely, but it would heal a great deal faster if she would put some conscious effort into it herself. His sharp amber eyes moved down to her ribcage, finding the blood spotted bandage there. Last night as she was having another one of her night terrors she had caused injury to herself, he pulled the sheet back up to where it had been and stepped away from her.

His servant had informed him that she had come into the room after hearing the girl scream out, fearing she may be in trouble, but when she got into the room it was just the girl. She was screaming out and white light poured from her hands as she gripped at her sides, the light crackled and pierced her flesh like knives as she clutched the skin, the raw energy ripping through the flesh with ease. She had to be restrained and forcefully knocked out again, the servant pleaded with the Taiyoukai to not take her life for going to such measures.

She was spared but the underlining question that began to wrap around his mind was: what was she? He knew by her scent that she was human, albeit very clean and didn't smell like sweat and dirt, but the reiyoku flowing from her form indicated that she did hold power, more than he had noticed before. She really was strange, even by human standards. The way she had been dressed and the defiance he had witnessed from her on more than one occasion.

But that defiance was obviously gone, she showed no signs of resistance when she was conscious, her movements robotic and distant, when food was presented to her she didn't eat with acknowledgement- it was simply her body willing her to do so to nourish itself, he knew this because he had once brought her her meal himself to check in on her recovery; the food being the barely comprehensible excuse. It was obvious to him that fixing her- wait fixing may be too strong a word, getting her into a coherent state of mind, was going to be harder than he thought.

Sesshomaru's cool eyes never left her form under the sheets as he silently walked over to the door and slipped out of the room, sliding the shoji door shut before turning and walking back down the dimly lit hallway. As he walked back towards his study his mind reflected off to that eventful day not but a month and a few days ago. The images still sharp and…cold in his mind. He had been there, the day the undead Miko took Inuyasha to hell with her. He never had any intention of being a part of that event but fate, he inwardly sneered at the word, put him on a different path.

~Memory Flashback~

Sesshomaru stood in the open field surveying his surroundings, the wind flared and blew softly against him. That was when he caught the stench of the undead Miko, he never cared to learn her name, but he knew that stench anywhere, clay and cold unrelenting death. Shortly after he caught her scent a loud scream vibrated through the air, female and by the sound of it she was obviously in a great deal of pain. He had intended to continue unperturbed, on his own path back to his home.

But after scenting the air more closely and finding the half breeds scent, that notion was temporarily neglected, but his scent had changed though undoubtedly his. The air seemed to thicken around the area he knew held their location, the almost tangible weight of it on him held him at a stand still, "Inuyasha!", the female cried out. Was he the cause of her painful cry earlier? Inuyasha was attacking a human? He pondered to himself a moment, no perhaps it was the undead Miko's doing and the scream was for help.

Sehsshomaru wasn't one to just run in on a situation without a second thought though. His ears twitched as another thundering scream of pain came drifting to his ears, on a internal level of some kind, he knew who it was that was crying out. He was being pulled by it, he would never admit to it in a thousand years but that voice so full of pain on more than a physical level was pulling at him. He would lump up his reason for going merely as another chance to encounter Inuyasha for the Tetsusaiga; after all why should he pass up any chance that presented itself to him.

He leapt off the ground without a sound, heading for his new destination with such speed few could ever hope to match, in no time at all he approached the area that they resided in. What he saw was by no means anything he had expected to come across when he reached them. His cold eyes surveyed the scene and didn't know what to make of it, the girl- the one he knew had been screaming in pain was laying face down in the dirt, blood pooling around her body from the deep gashes on her back and legs. Even her arms had long slashes down them and across her risks, bite marks on her shoulder blade and an arrow protruding through her upper chest.

Of all the times he had come across his brother he had never seen this kind of brutality from his actions. Taking his eyes from the carnage before him he looked over at the hanyou in question, the eyes that stared back at him were filled with horror and pain. The look on his face making him seem nearly as broken as the girl, he averted his eyes from Sesshomaru and looked down at his clawed hands still saturated in the dead girls blood.

"Inuyasha", the undead miko called to him, her voice cold and devoid of emotion, "come with me Inuyasha, you have nothing to hold you here now", she promptly stated as she stepped closer to him. Her Shinidamachu began to coil around Inuyasha's arms and waist. Her arms snaked around his neck as she pulled him closer to her and the earth beneath them began to shift and rip apart at the seams. Sesshomaru didn't even have the notion to even move as he watched all this happen.

The hanyou didn't even speak as his lifeless eyes gazed back over to the girl he had grown to care so much for, the one he thought he'd never hurt, to say he was ashamed and in pain was a massive understatement. No he simply loathed himself with every fiber of his being as he realized what he had done, the pain that went through his heart at the sight of her broken body surrounded by her own blood, her blood on his hands was enough to choke the life out of him. He could never forgive himself for what he had done.

He didn't try to get away, he didn't want to live anymore. He didn't Deserve to live any longer, Inuyasha told himself, this is what he deserved- to be damned to hell. And Kikyo was going to be escorting him there personally. "Kagome, I'm so sorry..", Inuyasha choked out before he accepted his rightful punishment. The earth parted and bright lights flashed around him as the earth beneath him began to sink, Kikyo embraced him tighter and he let her drag him to the pits of hell.

To witness his half brother being dragged off to hell was something the Tiayoukai never thought he'd see with his own eyes, he felt an odd sense of justice in the matter though. The fact the hanyou had shown signs of attempting to repent for his actions and wasn't running away was something to commend him on. And so he didn't try to stop him from his self sacrifice. Sesshomaru leaned forward a fraction in a small display of new respect as he watched Inuyasha disappear beneath the earth.

As the earth closed up and the wind began to blow through the trees, Sesshomaru stared at the ground contemplating the whole event that had unfolded in such a short time. Something glared in the sunlight catching his eyes, he scanned the forest floor until they landed on the object, Tetsusaiga laid there in a pool of blood broken in half. Within a blink he was across the small distance and picking it up, the sword unable to reject him in it's broken state. Scanning the area again he found the sheath and after slipping the broken sword back into it's sheath, slid it through his obi securing it to his side.

As he moved to leave his eyes are drawn back to the battered girl and he found himself walking over to her prone body. Silently as he stood over her, golden eyes landing on her pale face, Tenseiga began to pulse at his side. Slim fingers found the hilt of the sword, Sesshomaru unsheathed the sword smoothly and held it over her body. What is it you want?, He mentally questioned the sword in front of him.

The sword seemed as if it were humming, craving for him to use it, he looked from the sword down to the demons of the underworld gathering around the girl to collect her soul. Without hesitation he pulled the arrow from her body swiftly and used his Tenseiga, cuting them down and effectively brought the dead Miko back to life. Though she didn't stir he could hear her breathing, her heart beating steadily under her chest. Slowly her body shifted and showed outward signs of life, her deep blue eyes slowly opened and gazed up at him in a blurry haze.

~End Flashback~

Shaking off the memory Sesshomaru found himself back at his study, yes he couldn't be allowing himself to dwell on past events like this, taking his seat once more he put his focus on the documents in front of him and blocked off any and all thoughts of the miko down the hall that tried to sliver into his mind. She had a roll to play but he'd give her this time to recover, he wasn't completely heartless after all. The last passing thought through his mind that drifted from the work before him was that perhaps Rin was making him soft.


Kagome huddled the sheet tighter against her body unconsciously, as her nightmare returned after temporarily allowing her to fall into oblivion, it was always only temporarily though. Her lips part, "Inuyasha…I love you", she whispered into the night. Outside the wind began to pick up as a spring rain started to pour down from the sky, gently washing the images away for now and soothing her in it's soft lullaby.


A/N: Had to throw in a little Kagome there lol. No I don't hate Inuyasha and no I didn't kill him off to have him suffer, so please do not flame me about how he died or what he did to Kagome.. Rather than writing "Kagome sees Inuyasha kissing Kikyo and runs away" I decided on another means for her to be in pain over his actions, one not so common and predictable. After all how can I bring Sesshomaru into her life with Inuyasha breathing right down her neck and interjecting. What does Sesshomaru want from Kagome? What will Rin think of this? Will Kagome comply with him on his reasons? Haha ok enough of my teasing, anyway I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going with this story yet. I want to be original but in a vast category as this with so many fans and so many stories it's not quite so easy. And then there's Sesshomaru, who isn't exactly the easiest person to portray, I'm hoping he doesn't come off OOC. I've prewritten this chapter and giving the first one time to gather reviews but so far I haven't gotten a single one, not one, so if I do not receive reviews after this chapter is posted I will not be continuing this story. There's really no point if no one is interested, or doesn't care enough to review.

Glossary:

Shinidamachu = Kikyo's soul collectors.

That's it for now, I can't think of anything else that readers may not have known.

Please review if you wish to see more of this story.