Chapter Six

Kagome's eyes were clenched together tightly and her arms were thrown over her head in a fruitless bid to protect herself when a cold baritone voice aggressed her ears.

"Foolish girl!" it snarled furiously.

Kagome pried her eyes open and found herself gazing up at Sesshomaru's back. His arm was bent up by his face with his claws drawn, emitting a luminous emerald hue. In one clean elegant swipe, a fluorescent green whip emerged, lashing out and severing the snake demon neatly down its centre. A howling hiss resonated deafeningly through the open field as copious volumes of crimson blood discharged violently and Sesshomaru scarcely managed to relocate the pair as to avoid the raining fluids.

The two halves of the demon collapsed sideways to the earth with a loud thud causing the ground to tremor. The pink shard fell gracefully to the ground emitting a black light. Kagome quickly darted to collect the shard and upon her touch, it was purified. She had barely tucked the shard away when a striped, clawed hand was clasped like a vice around her upper arm, digits digging like pincers into her flesh causing Kagome to wince.

"Do you not think girl?" he snarled furiously. "A demon who possesses a jewel shard and you simply gallivant toward it with inadequate knowledge in wielding your power. Are you deranged or damaged in your human mind? Or has your time with my brother influenced your stupidity further?"

Kagome hissed, not only at his words but at his claws as they dug slightly deeper.

"I had no choice! Besides, you were just behind me!"

"I am not your protector!" he barked savagely. "It would be prudent for you to remember as such."

Kagome's cobalt orbs widened. Technically there had been no stipulation that he would protect her, but she kind of automatically assumed that he would. She really was alone wasn't she? She lowered her head in defeat and nodded to Sesshomaru, indicating that she understood. He released her arm and began walking away and she followed solemnly, rubbing the small puncture wounds. He didn't turn to look at her when he spoke again.

"Next time I will not intervene."

…

The four companions had ventured back to Edo after establishing Kagome was long gone from the vicinity she had been captured in to discuss their next move. They figured it wouldn't hurt to talk with Kaede to learn if she had discovered any rumours on ominous demonic aura's that could potentially be related to Naraku. Travellers that had ventured through the small village had spoken of something towards the North and so the group, stocking up on supplies, began heading in that direction. They hadn't ventured far when Inuyasha barked excitedly, startling the group.

"I smell her! She was here!"

Before long the group huddled hopefully around the Bone eaters well.

"She's been here recently. The scent is barely a day old." He surmised.

"Perhaps she came here to return to her time to seek medical care?" Sango theorized.

Inuyasha hoped that was the case. It definitely beat the thought that she had been abducted by Naraku. Though he was astonished how she could have managed to make it here by herself, judging by the amount of blood left behind in that field. The discovery brought hope to the hanyou nevertheless.

"You should go to her time Inuyasha and make sure she is ok." Miroku advised.

Inuyasha nodded and without hesitation leaped into the air, his red Haori and silver tresses flicking in the trail behind him as he descended into the depths of the well.

Bare feet landed buoyantly at the bottom of the modern day well that was concealed by wooden walls and a ceiling. Inuyasha took no time at all before he was pushing Kagome's bedroom window open and crouched on the sill, inhaling the scents of the room. She was not presently in the vicinity but he could tell she had not long been gone.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Inuyasha called out as he exited the room into the hallway. There was the sound of padding feet and a young black haired boy, no more than thirteen, peered chocolate globes around a door frame from up the hall. At the sight of Inuyasha, he smiled fondly.

"Inuyasha!"

"Oh hey Sota. Is Kagome around?" Inuyasha asked his companions younger brother.

"Nah, I haven't seen her. Isn't she with you?" he blinked nonplussed.

"If she was with me, I wouldn't be asking you now would I?"

"I thought she went back. She left a note yesterday." Sota explained walking towards the stairs, descending with Inuyasha in tow. They had reached the entry hall and Sota picked up a piece of paper from the entry table that had been weighted down with a small glass bowel full of key chains, and handed it to Inuyasha.

"A note?" She had returned but didn't see her family? What was going on? Was she really thatmad? It didn't make any sense. Inuyasha and Kagome bickered and fought a lot but he couldn't imagine her not seeing her family upon a return. Perhaps she didn't want them to witness her injuries? Then again, she had made it back to the well which could only suggest she wasn't as wounded as the evidence suggested. The situation was becoming more dubious the more Inuyasha uncovered and it left an unsettling sickness in the pit of his stomach.

"Mama found her asleep the night before last but she had to leave for work yesterday and Kagome was gone before any of us got home last night, but she left that." Sota shrugged, now accustomed to the Miko's odd behaviour as a result of her double life and therefore unsuspecting of anything out of the ordinary.

Inuyasha scanned through the contents suspiciously. To him the note resembled a goodbye letter, as if she had been uncertain of her fate and wanted to leave behind some last words for security. This speculation troubled Inuyasha immensely. This proved beyond measure that she had definitely returned but where was she now? Had she returned to the Feudal Era or just gone somewhere else in her own time? Inuyasha was becoming beyond frustrated and desperate for the knowledge of his companions whereabouts and wellbeing. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

"I'm just going to grab some of her things from her room. I'll see ya 'round kid."

Sota, oblivious to any suspicious behaviour, waved his hand with a smile toward Inuyasha's back as the hanyou leaped back up the stairs out of sight. When Inuyasha re-entered Kagome's room and inhaled deeply he was virtually bowled over by the scent of her blood. His mind was so scattered that he had failed to notice it sooner. Tracing the scent over to her bed, Inuyasha reached a clawed hand beneath the mattress and grasped the offending material. When he withdrew it he discovered it was her white blouse that she always wore and the remnants of the cloth caused Inuyasha's heart to skip several beats and his golden orbs to widen drastically. It was soaked in her blood and there was a gaping tattered hole in the centre of the garb.

Inuyasha couldn't think as he collapsed to the soft carpeted floor clenching his fist around the desecrated material. What had happened to her? He felt like his heart was going to shatter and the world was going black, hardly noticing the salty water escaping his eyes. Something wasn't right and Inuyasha was struggling to pinpoint what it was. One thing was certain, if the shirts condition indicated any accuracy to her wounds, it meant that Inuyasha had failed Kagome greatly. She had been severely injured and he hadn't been there to help.

"Kagome…" he whispered through strained breathing. The guilt threatened to consume him but that would not recover Kagome any faster so he rubbed his eyes clean of the dampness and pushed himself up. Still clutching the violated white blouse, Inuyasha leapt towards the well and dropped back through to his own time.

…

Kagome and Sesshomaru walked in complete silence until they had ended up returning back to Rin and Jaken. The sun had been up for a little while now and Rin was playing by a river and Jaken was sitting by A'un with his staff in hand watching her idly. He turned his head to the approaching pair and beamed.

"Milord, you have returned!" he squawked excitedly. Kagome was uncertain if she would ever get used to the way Jaken and Rin responded to Sesshomaru's returns. She hadn't witnessed him treat them in a manner that would earn that level of excitement but maybe it all laid in what he may have done for them in the past. Although, he did seem good to Rin. He never yelled at her, or threatened her. He seemed to genuinely care for the human child. This only served to perplex Kagome even more about the mysterious Inu-daiyokai.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin beamed from the edge of the water. "I've been catching fish. I'm getting really good!" She proudly relayed her accomplishments. Sesshomaru didn't smile at her but he nodded at her in a way that caused her to smile, as if for the both of them. Rin was happy with his response. Perhaps that was how he showed his approval. She had only ever seen him smile in battle when he knew he had an upper hand or was amused at Inuyasha's underhand, and even that was a rarity.

"We will remain here for a short time longer. Rin, Miko, if you are hungry I suggest you eat now." He advised without looking at them whilst he nestled himself at the base of a nearby tree. They were by a small narrow river that ran through the bushland and the surrounding trees were tall and lush.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." Rin assented with a content smile.

Kagome gathered some rocks by the river and arranged them in a circle to create a small fire pit before scouring the surrounds for twigs and small branches. Once she was content with the assembly, she rummaged through her sack to retrieve a box of matches and a small tin of lighter fluid that she had packed to aid with igniting the camp fires more efficiently.

"Ooo." Jaken gawked fascinated at the small tools Kagome used as she lit the bark alight. "What are those?"

"Just matches and flammable liquid to help make things easier." Kagome smiled at the small green demon. Jaken had scampered over to her and snatched them from her, sniffing them critically.

"Is it sorcery?" he asked as he pulled a match from the box and licked it before scowling at the taste. Kagome snatched her possessions back.

"Don't lick it! If you get them wet they won't work!"

Rin had wondered over with three small fish impaled on a stick and held it over the fire ready for crisping.

"Rin, I brought you some gifts if you want to play with them while we wait for the fish to cook?" Kagome told the small girl who beamed brightly. Kagome took the stick from her hands and nestled it securely between three rocks, effectively suspending the fish over the flames.

"A gift? For me?" she delighted. Kagome packed the matches and lighter fluid canister back in her bag and withdrew the colouring book and small cardboard box of crayons and handed them to Rin. Her eyes widened in amazement.

"They are so colourful! What are they Lady Kagome?"

"They're called crayons. They are used for colouring. This is a colouring book. The aim is to keep the colours in between the lines. See, like this," Kagome pointed out the lines of a picture of Belle from Beauty and the Beast where she was dancing elegantly on a ballroom floor.

"Her name is Belle. She is from a story called Beauty and the Beast." Kagome explained.

"What's the story?"

"It's called a fairy tale. It goes like this; Once upon a time…" Kagome began and told Rin the fairy-tale of the beast who fell in love with a girl. The young girl was excited to say the least, listening to the story with great interest and admiration. Rin's brown hues tripled in size and were utterly drawn in. She aw'dand ah'dat the story and beamed so brightly Kagome feared she would be blinded. Unbeknownst to the pair, Sesshomaru had tweaked his ear in their direction and watched from the corner of his eye, slightly intrigued with the story.

When Kagome was finished, the small girl began to colour while the fish cooked. Kagome described the colours of the dress and Belle's hair but told Rin she could colour them however she pleased. Rin concentrated hard when she touched the coloured sticks to the page, her little pink tongue protruding from the corner of her lips as she attempted to keep the colours between the lines.

Sesshomaru would never admit it, but this scene playing out before him gave him somewhat of a warm feeling. Something about the display calmed him. Made him feel…comforted? Over the duration that Rin had been travelling with him, the daiyokai had become quite accustomed to the child's singing and dancing and all around jovial attitude. He found it relaxing when they would break from travelling so Rin could stop and have a play or pick flowers while he sat by watching. He even on occasion would accept the gifts Rin would craft for him out of Mother Nature's surrounds, much to Jaken's discontent. Another curious factor was that the young child seldom trusted other humans and yet she appeared smitten by the older Miko. Sesshomaru deliberated conceivable meanings behind this behaviour and could only conclude there was a very small possibility that he could perhaps instil minute trust in the older human, despite her reckless tendencies and boisterous personality. These were not things he was incapable of altering.

All that aside, the Miko's fairy-tales were ridiculous. A beast falling in love with a lowly human girl after taking possession of her. It was utterly absurd. An unbidden image of his father leapt into the forefront of his thoughts alongside the Miko's earlier queries regarding a demons ability to love.

The demon Lord did not pretend to know anything of love and quite frankly was appalled by the notion. Love was weakness and would only result in an inevitable death just like it did his father. His father who had lost his heart to a mere mortal, shunning his inner beast and duties.

Sesshomaru scowled. "What is this nonsense you speak, Miko?"

Both Kagome and Rin were startled when they heard the daiyokai's voice but Kagome merely offered a warm, and somewhat endearing smile.

"It's just something from my time. It's called a Disney fairy-tale. There are heaps of them and I just thought Rin would enjoy them as much as I did growing up."

"Hn." was all Sesshomaru could think to respond with. It was an abominable story! Yet somehow, he found it strangely captivating. He was about to put an end to the colouring and ridiculous stories immediately when he caught sight of the luminescent expression on Rin's face. Something in him churned and he couldn't bring himself to seize it from her. She had been a consistently cheerful child throughout their journeying but he hadn't quite seen her look like that since she'd started her travelling with him. He mentally sighed and unwillingly let out a short low growl. This did not go unnoticed by Kagome but the Miko said nothing. Dare he admit that Kagome seemed to be good for Rin?

Kagome kept surveilliance on the fish as they cooked whilst she watched the young girl colour with intensity. Her invariant ebony tresses were hanging freely down her front with a small piece gathered into a ponytail that draped down the side. She held the pad in the lap of her crossed legs and Kagome was admittedly surprised at how well she kept between the lines. Unbeknownst to the young priestess, the demon Lord had been formulating an idea and was startled when he abruptly stood and began walking away.

"Are you leaving Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin queried.

"You are to remain here. I will return soon." He vaguely informed them, void of any distinct tone. "Jaken, if anything happens in my absence, it will be on your head."

Jaken gulped. "Yes, Milord."

Kagome just watched bewildered as the Inudaiyokai strode off. "Does he do that often?"

"Sometimes." Rin replied casually, which was all the Miko needed to confirm her suspicion.

The fish were ready so she retrieved them from the fire and set them down for Rin who obediently closed the colouring book and packed away the crayons.

Kagome was captivated by the child's contentment in her situation. She travelled with a dangerous demon Lord and yet did not seem in any danger at all. In fact, she was well looked after and incredibly safe. Kagome knew, deep down, that Sesshomaru cared for this girl and it gave her a warm feeling. She was slowly starting to feel safer in his presence despite his reluctance to protect her.

…

"What do you mean? So she went home? But she isn't there now?" Sango asked completely befuddled by Inuyasha's chaotic explanation.

"Yeah. Her brother told me she had been there but he was under the impression she had returned here. She also left a note that made me uneasy and…this was left behind." He explained slightly more calmly as he held out her bloodied garment.

They were seated around the small pit in the centre of Kaede's hut, however the old woman was not there as she was tending to a child's illness. Inuyasha had come barging in gabbling inaudibly. Once the group had managed to calm him down somewhat, he divulged his findings and now everyone was gasping at the sight of Kagome's blouse.

"If that is anything to go by, she has incurred a severe wound, Inuyasha!" Miroku rasped, panic evident in his tone.

"You don't think I know that?!" Inuyasha snapped.

Shippo stared, his mouth agape and his emerald eyes bulged. He'd barely noticed the silent tears that had escaped and gently slid down his cheeks.

"None of this makes any sense. If she has returned then that would indicate her wounds are not as severe as they appear, but it doesn't explain where she could possibly be." Miroku said as he ran over the facts in his head. It appeared every time they found a clue of some form, the situation just continued to prove further perplexing.

"Could she not have sought a healer in her own time and be with them?" Sango questioned.

"Her family would know." Inuyasha responded with a shake of his head.

"Is it possible she caught up with Kouga and went with him for a while?" Miroku added. Inuyasha's heart sank in one solid drastic movement.

"Why would she do something as stupid as that?" He bit.

"Well…she would be feeling pretty hurt. You did run after Kikyo and not to mention, this time whilst she had been wounded." Miroku offered nodding his head towards Kagome's blouse.

"Keh! Still, she wouldn't…Would she?" if he wasn't worried previously, he sure was now. Surely she wouldn't do that to him. There's just no way! "I'm going to fucking that mangy wolf!"

XX

A/N: So here you have it; chapter 6. I hope you guys like it! I feel so cruel to Inuyasha. Poor guy is going crazy. As usual, I have nearly got the next chapter compeleted. I don't like to post a completed chapter until the next one is organized just in case I need to change something in the previous one.

Again, a HUGE thank you to all the people reviewing. You guys keep me inspired! Thanks so much to ALL who have taken the time to read this story. I really hope you are all enjoying it. xx