Kagome stopped breathing and tried to assess the situation that was getting way out of control, and fast. Craning her neck, she struggled to see Sesshomaru. This is bad. Really bad...

Firstly, Naraku had just captured her. And if that wasn't reason enough to be scared, he had told Sesshomaru about her dirty little secret. And then lastly, she couldn't even see Sesshomaru, let alone his expression, to assess how bad her situation had just soured.

Elbowing Naraku in the gut, Kagome determined that if she must be the maiden in distress, she certainly would put up a fight. This was Naraku. The embodiemnt of evil, of greed, and she knew more about him than anyone else in the world. He'd been Kikyo's burden-and therefore hers too. She'd inherited Kikyo's task to rid the world of him. Though she had barely just learned he'd been reincarnated too, (which if she had listened to Kikyo and properly trained herself instead of eating chips in front of the t.v. all through her young life, she would have been more prepared to meet him...) she still needed to put up some sort of a fight.

As she wriggled in Naraku's grasp, Sesshomaru came into her line of sight and she watched him jump into flight and take her from the evil hanyou. Smooth as ever, he plunged his sword into one of the hanyou's arms and plucked her from the other. They reached the ground and he set her down next to their camp fire. He turned from her, giving Kagome little thought and refocused his attention back on Naraku.

Kagome turned too, and caught her first glimpse of Naraku in her lifetime. He had half the body of a spider-youkai, with eight long spindle-thin legs and an abdomen that bled into a normal human chest. His body was a gross, sickly white color and the spider part of him was covered in tiny, coarse hairs not dissimilar to the ones on an actual spider. His face held a sickening smile, a touch of insanity brushing his eyes and she gasped.

"That's not Naraku," her whisper met unresponsive ears.

Without batting an eyelash, Sesshomaru jumped into the trees and plunged his sword through the enemy. When the blade met his skin, Kagome watched in morbid fascination as no blood left the open wound. For a still moment, no one made a move until the imposter-Naraku smiled and disappeared. As the body vanished, it left a doll staked at the end of Sesshomaru's sword. Without pausing, Sesshomaru detached the wooden figure and leapt down to the ground from his perch in the trees.

Their flight back was a quiet and awkward affair. Sesshomaru remained intensely silent and focused, leaving Kagome little room to do much else besides watch the clouds pass them by. Any and all attempts on conversation were quickly dashed.

"That doll Naraku sent was pretty fast for being just a wooden figure, don't you think?" She leaned so she was in his field of vision, but his eyes refused to meet hers. Rubbing her lips together, she frowned at him.

"How'd you figure out that it wasn't Naraku?" She had tried again minutes later. Her curiosity of the situation was piqued on all levels-she knew what Naraku looked like because she had Kikyo's memories, but to her knowledge, Sesshomaru had never dealt with him.

Sesshomaru, though, was proving to be as sociable as a rock. When she spoke once more he extended his arm and motioned for her to pause, as if he were listening carefully. She shut up instantly, and when he seemed satisfied he resumed their flight.

"What were you listening for?" She inquired, her tone light and soft.

He stopped their flight mid-air once more, and then continued when she'd silenced herself. So it's me... He wants me to be quiet. Her thoughts led her to no comfort.

When they returned to their hotel late in the afternoon of the next day, Kagome felt like she was going crazy. She hadn't spoken to anyone in a day, and she could feel the effects of being so restrained, trying not to bother Sesshomaru and not talking. Their atmosphere had been heavy, to say the least.

And for every growing second that Sesshomaru refused to talk to her, Kagome's guilt grew. It was all her fault. Everything. Kikyo'd been the one to start the fight with Naraku, and it was Kagome's duty now to finish it. She knew that. But instead, she'd been lazing around sending Sesshomaru and practically half the youkai population on a wild goose chase, knowing full well what had happened to the shikon miko. It had been her decision to keep that vital little piece of information, and she deserved every moment she felt bad.

Or at least, she felt like she should feel like that.

Sighing, Kagome collapsed on the bed and snuggled up to one of the pillows. Keeping her eyes slightly open, she watched Sesshomaru take his place in a chair opposite the bed. He had papers in his hands that he was reading, but his frosty demeanor didn't fool Kagome for a second. He was still giving her the cold shoulder.

He wouldn't sleep next to her at night, that was for sure.

Morning arrived at an unbearably slow pace, and before the sun even rose, the Taishos were out of their room and at the head quarters. Sesshomaru had been up all night scheduling meetings and flights, and Kagome had slept little, her unease evident in her expression. She was dreading this final meeting with the youkai of the country, where she would have to admit, in her shame, that she was the shikon miko they had been searching for. To say that she would be embarrassed beyond belief was an understatement.

When they reached the room at the top floor, Kagome began to move towards the door, but Sesshomaru stopped her. He pointed to a smaller, less prominent door to the right of the meeting room.

"Excuse me?" She wasn't sure whether she should be relieved that he would be explaining the situation to the prejudiced youkai or offended that he thought she couldn't hold her own against them.

His gold eyes bore into hers, bearing no resemblance to the warm eyes he'd had but a few days ago. The difference made her heart chill. Exactly how deeply did my deception affect him?

"I don't speak silence," she stated calmly, "could you please rephrase that for me?"

His jaw was tight as her moved and opened the smaller door for her. "You aren't allowed to play with the powerful youkai anymore, wench."

His message was clear enough, and she narrowed her eyes at him while she entered the smaller room. The door was shut firmly behind her.

Her own jaw set firmly, she sat down next to the thin wall separating the two rooms and held her ear to it. Luckily for her, she could make out distinct sounds like a door shutting and a firm growl, so she plugged her other ear and focused.

"There's been a change in plans, gentlemen," she heard Sesshomaru's voice faintly in the room next to hers.

A tap on her shoulder interrupted her hearing for a moment. She brushed the hand next to her shoulder away, thinking little of it. She had to hear what Sesshomaru was saying.

"...So we can't use her that way..." Sesshomaru's voice was quieter and she could make out only a little.

A cleared throat across the room she was in startled Kagome, and she turned her head to finally see who was there.

The room had white washed walls and hard wood flooring, with little furniture. There were several people in the room, Kagome counted five men and one woman. They were all oddly spread out around the room; some sitting in the few chairs, some standing, but everyone was watching Kagome. The woman next to her, who was kneeling down, had been the one to tap on Kagome's shoulder.

"Hi," she held out a clawed hand to Kagome, "My name's Leola. I assume you're Kagome?"

Kagome nodded, suspicion in her eyes. She leaned against the wall once more but only heard a loud, muffled noise. It was obvious the youkai had begun arguing amongst themselves, and she wouldn't find any more information there.

Leola smiled at Kagome when she finally shook her hand. Leola had smooth tan skin, black wavy hair and two ears atop her head marking her status as a lion hanyou. Her smile was winning, though, as it wasn't customary for adult hanyou to be pleasant to be around, due to the era they were raised in.

"I'm going to be your trainer. Once we get back to the city, you and me are going to have four-hour workouts every day until you can fight like a pro." She pulled Kagome up so she was standing and smiled again. "We'll get to know each other really well, so.. what was that phrase again..." she mumbled, and then brightened,
"Please take care of me!"

Leola's accent and features marked her as a foreigner, but her Japanese was as good as fluent. Kagome smiled and tried to remain pleasant. what was this about four hour long workouts?

Seeing her confusion, Leola happily filled her in. "Since we all know you're the shikon miko, we've got to train you properly so you can fight Naraku. This guy over here," she pulled a human from the crowd of youkai, "will be your spiritual director!"

The man smiled softly and shook her hand. His voice was surprisingly deep when he introduced himself. "I'm Hayate Yoshida. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagome Higurashi."

Kagome didn't bother to correct him about her last name. "Are you a monk?"

Hayate laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, no, but I know so much about spiritual powers I might as well be. I'm the best they could find on such short notice."

Leola grinned. "Don't you worry, Mrs. Taisho! We'll have you ready to fight even Lord Sesshomaru himself, by the time we're through with you. You can count on us!"

Kagome tried to smile back, but her thoughts were so heavy she found she couldn't. She really wasn't in the mood to talk. Just as she was about to excuse herself, Leola glanced at her phone and let out a small gasp.

"Oh, woah! I didn't realize it was this late. I've got to go now, or I'll miss my flight. Bye, Kagome-san, I'll see you soon," Leola's goodbye followed by Hayate's departure left Kagome at ease.

Glancing around the room, Kagome was about to sit down next to the wall again when she spotted familiar white hair. She moved a couple steps closer, and she peered upon Inuyasha, sitting alone in a chair by the window.

I owe him an explanation, her stomach twisted again, filling with guilt again. He was the person most affected by her secret. She watched his ears perk up at her soft footsteps, and when his eyes met hers... Her heart constricted. She'd never seen so much despair.

"Oh, Inuyasha..."

He looked away from her and out the window again.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm so sorry... I..." Words would never make up for her deceit.

They were silent for a long time. People filed in and out of the room, but Kagome continued to watch the anguished hanyou by the window. Kikyo's soul was a quiet hum against her won, making Kagome feel all the more sorry. Finally, after what had felt like hours, the room was empty.

"Inuyasha, please let me explain..."

When he turned around again, his eyes were even more weary than before. "Kikyo?"

"No," she shook her head, her eyes full of unshed tears, "I'm not Kikyo's reincarnation."

"But you're the shikon miko." Kagome and Kikyo alike hated how soulless his expression was.

"I'm the new shikon miko, different form Kikyo, but with the same responsibilities."

"I can feel her," his voice was so soft, so fragile. So different from the brash, uncouth but loveable man in Kikyo's memories. "Why'd you marry Sesshomaru? I loved you..."

"I'm not Kikyo, Inuyasha. She loved you-loves you too."

He remained solemn, and Kagome found she could bear the weight of his sadness no longer. With a comforting nudge from Kikyo's soul, Kagome scolded Inuyasha. "So yes, Kikyo loves you. I know that more than anything. But she loved the strong, brave protector she once knew, not the depressed, pathetic hanyou you are now."

His eyes flashed and he growled. "Oh yeah? Well she can kiss my ass 'cause she's dead and had no say on how I live my life." His face broke, and he began to say, "She's dead, and that's why..."

"Inuyasha, listen to me," Kagome rubbed her lips together and frowned, "everyone is going to die at some point. You have to do your job as one of the living and make your life worth something. Get your act together, buddy."

Kagome made a move to leave the room so Inuyasha had time to think about what she said, but decided to place a kiss on his forehead before she exited. Whispering in his ear, she murmured, "But more than anything, Kikyo wants to see you be happy."

She turned on her heel and hoped that Inuyasha could come to terms with everything that had happened in his life. Now, though, it was time for Kagome to fix her own.

Hi, all! Hope you liked that chapter (It took me forever to form it properly... oh the woes of writing :) ~Gracie

All Characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi