Eyes crinkled with intensity, Kagome looked between the map and the random assortment of rocks on the ground. Excitement filled her as she crowed, "This is it! We've found it!"

They'd spent the past two hours scouring the shrine grounds after Kagome's mother had given them a 'treasure map' earlier. The older woman claimed she'd found it amongst some old scrolls she was getting together to take up to the hospital for Kagome's grandfather, who Sesshomaru still had not met. According to Kagome, he'd been in the car with her father during the crash over a year ago, and had only recent woken up from something she called a coma.

She'd then told them that while she was gone they should search for the treasure by following the clues on the map, reassuring them that she'd be home by the time they'd found it. So, with Kagome in the lead, the two of them had scooted beneath the crawl space under the shrine, trekked around the back edge of the play ground and circled the well-house, searching for scuffs and marks to indicate they were on the right track.

Now Sesshomaru peered over his petite friend's shoulder at the treasure map, looking closely at the arrangement of stones drawn around a large 'X' before glancing at the spot in front of them dubiously.

"So, now what do we do?" he asked as Kagome darted off, only to return moments later with a shovel in her hand.

"Now, we dig!" She held out her hand in a tight fist , instructing, "We'll paper, scissor, rock it to see who digs first since we only have one shovel. You hold you hand out like th-"

The tiny miko's mouth fell open in disbelief at Sesshomaru, who had sniffed contemptuously at the shovel in her hand before walking back to the spot with the stones and kicking them out of the way before promptly crouching down to begin digging. Sharp claws dragging through the packed earth easily, dirt began rapidly flying behind him from between his legs.

'He digs just like a dog!' Kagome chortled to herself, giggling out loud at the spectacle her silver-haired friend was presenting. She was about to start cheering him on when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Pardon me, little one, but is this the Higurashi Shrine?"

Kagome looked up at the source of the soft baritone, and couldn't help the gasp that escaped her. A tall man with gentle brown eyes and a mop of mousy hair was smiling down at her from behind black-rimmed glasses. Dressed in a simple business suit, he appeared to be a scholar of some variety and exuded a polite friendliness that should have set her at ease. But there was something that seemed... off about the stranger, and Kagome felt the hair on her arms stand on end.

'His eyes,' she realized, holding the man's gaze unflinchingly. 'They're so... empty.'

Turning in a way that effectively moved her out from beneath his hand, the young girl merely nodded up at the unnerving adult as her voice failed her. The stranger was still staring at her, the friendly smile on his face doing nothing to settle her nerves as he crouched down until his face was even with hers.

"Well, that's good to know. I've heard some interesting stories about this shrine, and thought I'd take a look around." His voice remained pleasant, and she couldn't for the life of her understand why she wanted to back away with every word he spoke. Glancing over her shoulder, she was chagrined to realize that Sesshomaru had yet to notice her visitor.

"And are you a Shrine Maiden, little Kagome?"

Spinning back around at his question, she was startled by how close the man's face was to her own. Eyes wide, her legs locked in place, instincts screaming at her to not retreat from the perceived threat. Tremors ran down the length of her spine as the strange man reached forward, finger gentle ruffling her bangs. Clenching her eyes shut, she had just determined to answer him, or call out for help or something... when she was beat to the chase by the sound of a triumphant cry.

"Kagome! I found it, I found the treasure!" She didn't move, her body rigid as she waited for her friend to notice her predicament. Moments passed, and it was only when Sesshomaru touched her cheek that she dared open her eyes to meet his worried gaze. Looking around frantically, she saw no trace of the man that had been right in her face only a second ago.

"What's wrong?" The young boy sniffed at her still unresponsive form as her eyes darted around them quickly. A scowl formed on his face as he grabbed her shoulders in concern.

"Kagome, why are you scared?" At his question, she felt realization sweep through her about her reactions to the man who'd vanished. She hadn't been scared of the tall, friendly stranger at all...

'I was terrified...' Brow furrowed in confusion, she responded with her own question. "Can't you smell why?"

Topaz eyes blinked at her in disbelief before he scoffed rudely, "This Sesshomaru has many talents, but mind-reading isn't -"

"No!" She interrupted him, lower lip quivering as a coldness swept through her. "There was some strange man here only a second ago! You can't smell him?"

A worried expression crossed his face as he took deep breaths, picking through the scents in the area. After a few moments, he slowly shook his head, "Kagome, I don't smell any other scents than our own."

"But... he was right there!" Sesshomaru couldn't smell any trace of deceit coming from his friend, and a wave of protectiveness swamped him as he wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders. Growling lowly, he felt fury wash through him at the idea of someone being able to conceal their scent from him in order to approach his Kagome.

Inside, Kagome was freaking out. Who had the stranger been, and why couldn't Sesshomaru sense him? After telling him everything that had transpired between herself and the man, Kagome and Sesshomaru decided they'd tell her mom about it when she got home. Holding hands firmly, they abandoned their treasure hunt to go wait for the older woman's return inside, Kagome far too shaken to care about their quest anymore.

For his part, the diminutive inuyoukai was seething inside as he went over the brief encounter she'd recounted for him. Though he'd never admit it, the idea that she could have been taken without him knowing had his heart frozen with fear. As Kagome went to the fridge to grab a couple of drinks, the young inu thought about the part of the man's one-sided conversation that bothered him the most, something he was sure the raven-haired girl had yet to realize.

'How did that bastard know her name?'

...in which someone seems to have a vested interest in our young Kagome.

Let's see how many of you can guess exactly who this character is based one these few descriptors and hints ;)

Just like Tsunayoshi Sawada and Kaname Tousen, this guy is totally "borrowed" from another manga'verse, and is going to be VERY important, although I won't tell you how XD

Are Kagome's instincts right? Perhaps... I will say, this is a very dangerous individual, but there's no telling whether he means either of the children any harm... *insert snarky-evil laughter*

Please leave all damning-accusations of my cruel-teasing-ways in a hatefully worded review! ^_^

On another note, if you haven't voted yet, please follow this link to to help me choose what Sessho-chan should be for Halloween! journal/poll/3228418/

This chapter is NOT beta'd because I'm not going to rush my loverly beta like that, so deal with the errors peeps.

As always, feedback and comments are VERY appreciated XD Even the one's cursing my name... especially those lol XD

ENJOY!

All Characters Except the Brown Haired Mystery Dude Belong to Rumiko Takehashi
Plot Bunnies and Evil Foreshadowing Plot Twists Belong to Me