Kikyo not only sensed Tsumentai's approach, she felt the temperature around her drop and a sudden bout of cold air enveloped her. Her lungs seemed to freeze and her breath came out in gelid blasts. The remaining straggle of hopeful demons prowling around Kikyo dispersed, returning to their onslaught against the western soldiers. Kikyo wondered if they feared being reprimanded by their lord now that he had arrived on the scene, no doubt hell bent on destruction and revenge.

Tsumetai walked towards Kikyo freely with no demonic barrier protecting him, a display of how little he feared her on her own. Kikyo was not surprised by this, it was clear now that demons as strong as Tsumetai would be incredibly difficult for her to bring down, but luckily she was not trying to kill him. Newly plated armour already covered the wounds Kikyo had inflicted on Tsumetai's waist and shoulder merely a few hours ago. She had no clue as to whether his injury was healed or not.

'Tsumetai alone is not as powerful as Sesshomaru, but with this unseen power he is harnessing, it seems my holy arrows are less effective. I would likely have to shoot Sesshomaru over ten times to do any real damage and even then he would probably still survive' Kikyo mused as she waited for Tsumetai to make the first move.

Tsumetai glared at Kikyo openly as she stood up from her kneeling position, hatred showing keenly in his eyes. They stood several yards apart from each other and gazed at each other clearly for the first time. With his cerulean hair and steely eyes, Kikyo could easily see how Tsumetai could be considered attractive to other demons. Though she personally thought Sesshomaru's silver hair and golden eyes were more striking.

'Wait, what am I saying? I must focus on the task at hand!'

"It's you again, Sesshomaru's prying woman. I must admit…you are beautiful up close..for a human...or whatever it is that you are," Tsumetai said smirking as he eyed Kikyo's body, "beautiful, but foolish to venture onto my turf on your own."

Kikyo slid an arrow onto her bow but did not raise her weapon, she focused furiously on her spirit shield. If her mind was broken or her attention shattered, her barrier would disappear. Kikyo looked intently into the northern lord's eyes as the wind ruffled her hair, and her stare seemed to disconcert Tsumetai. He did not yet use his ice covered sword either, it hang limply by his side.

"This is hardly your turf, this land belongs to Sesshomaru. Tell me, how is it that your demonic aura is so strong? It is clear to me that you yourself do not possess such a great power naturally, not enough to rival Sesshomaru. I sense that you are borrowing another power and merging it with your own native abilities?" Kikyo asked in her smooth, elegant voice. Tsumetai looked taken aback at her question, before recovering with a soft smile.

"You are not just a pretty face woman, you have a mind as sharp as your arrows. Unlike Sesshomaru I have tried to advance my power through…alliances. My "ally" remains hidden from my enemies as I leech off of their demonic energy at will. You do not fight one demon when you challenge me, you fight two high ranking demons combined! Together, we are stronger" Tsumetai admitted with a laugh as he finally lifted his frost blighted blade. "Now I will get my revenge for the injury you inflicted upon me woman, and this time Sesshomaru is not here to divide my attention!"

Tsumetai's sword began to form large boulders of ice, each the size of a horse's saddle, and hurl them at Kikyo's spirit barrier. The boulders flung themselves at her shield mercilessly, smashing into icicles as they collided. The blows jarred Kikyo's brain as she felt the full impact against her spiritual armour. Her shield wavered and Kikyo grasped her head as pain stabbed her mind.

'He is trying to break down my barrier by causing me pain! I cannot produce my arrow of sealing and maintain my shield at the same time, not with him attacking my mind like this. I will have to pick my moment and hope that he does not destroy me before I shoot' Kikyo decided with the bitter sweet knowledge that she would most likely perish. Like the old bandit Kansuke, she knew she had overstayed her welcome in the world of the living. The thought did not upset her greatly, instead the idea of leaving this violent plane filled her with waves of relief. She would have helped Inuyasha indirectly…she only wished that she could see him one last time.

Another slab of ice nearly knocked Kikyo unconscious and her vision failed her for a few seconds, the agony of each hit was nearly unbearable. It was as if knives of ice were slowly imbedding themselves into her mind, and her ability to focus felt sore and torn. Kikyo squinted at her barren surroundings, desperately looking for a suitable place to seal Tsumetai. A large rock squatted a dozen yards behind Tsumetai, its surface scuffed and scraped with blade marks. The rock jutted up in a rough triangle shape, the base much larger than the tip that reached for the sky.

Before Tsumetai could strike once again Kikyo dropped her barrier in a fatal move and shot her sealing arrow. The seemingly ordinary arrow slid grimly through the frost demons' neck, gore covering the shaft. He was launched backwards by the force of the arrow and hit the rocks surface with a spine breaking crack, and the ground itself seemed to shake. Tsumetai's eyes widened in surprise as he choked out a gurgled cry as blood began to trickle down his throat and out of his mouth. The arrow nestled in the frost demons neck now glowed with a soft white light as it froze his limbs and made his eyes heavy.

"You…what…what…is…this? I feel so… …I… …you" Tsumetai dragged his icy katana from the ground and launched a final hunk of hail at Kikyo, the size wagon, with his last ounce of strength.

Her powers already stretched to the limit, Kikyo could not summon the physical strength to avoid its path, nor could she draw on her priestess training in order to block the blow with a new barrier. Kikyo's body felt too heavy and every thought seemed to send pain searing through her skull, she had pushed herself over the edge in order to seal Tsumetai.

Kikyo braced herself for the oncoming burst of frozen pain, her doll-like eyes squeezed shut. Her final thought was that she had at least helped Sesshomaru in her short time alive once again, he would surely be grateful of that. A last image of Inuyasha's sweet, boyish face danced in her mind's eye in a tantalising fashion.

'Inuyasha…"

Kikyo heard a ear-splitting shatter in front of her, then felt cool flakes of frozen water sprinkle onto her face. There was no crushing pain or darkness, and she opened her eyes wondering how she had avoided such a catastrophe. Sesshomaru stood in front of her, blocking Tsumetai's attack. His poison whip was still slicing through the air as Kikyo stared with astonished eyes, only to shut them again to avoid being sprayed again with particles of ice.

"S…Sesshomaru?" Kikyo whispered weakly, her knees buckling lightly as she fought the urge to black out, falling into a kneel. Sesshomaru ignored her and stepped towards Tsumetai's now motionless form, his striped hand clasping Bakuseiga suspiciously as he inspected the northern lord. Tsumetai's eyes were closed and his jaw was slack, frost clung to his legs and arms. The demon's sword had frozen in his grip, fusing the sword to his unconscious body.

The priestess and the dog demon watched their enemy for what seemed like an age, but Tsumetai did not stir. The arrow of sealing jutted out of his neck insistently, it's smothering spell complete. Kikyo's legs slipped slightly underneath her and her hands shook from exertion, she leaned her weight on her bow for support.

"Your arrow has rendered him powerless it seems" Sesshomaru stated expressionlessly. Kikyo used her bow to drag herself into a standing position, panting heavily. Her sight continued to fade in and out, like a flickering candle not receiving enough oxygen.

"My arrow ….can only be broken by two people, Kagome and myself. This arrow cannot be removed any other way, no matter what his mysterious ally may try. This means you can rid your lands of Tsumetai's demonic soldiers, for they will surely retreat once they learn their master is incapacitated" Kikyo said sluggishly, her hands trembling as she clutched her bow. Even a simple task like forming words made her wince. She needed her soul collectors to rejuvenate her body, but she could sense no human's souls near the battle field. No doubt the war between demons had caused humans to give this place a relatively wide berth for quite some time. Kikyo did not want to admit it to herself, but she hated the thought of absorbing souls in the presence of the stoic lord that stood before her.

"So, the war is over for now" Sesshomaru said, surprised at what Kikyo had accomplished without aid. He glanced at Kikyo and swiftly spied her worn condition. "We should make our way to the castle, before one of Tsumetai's demons finishes you off" his words implied that he would not stop a demon from attacking her, but the past few moments made her understand that he was lying. He would begrudgingly save her if he had to, but it would be an inconvenience.

Sesshomaru strode over to Kikyo's slumped form and grabbed her slim waist unceremoniously. He cradled her to his chest in an offhand manner, unaware that Kikyo's transformed heart was beating rapidly at the close contact. Kikyo wondered if she would ever get used to such close proximity with someone other than Inuyasha. Once he had his claws around her securely, Sesshomaru launched them into the evening sky, the last amber rays of the sunset hitting their faces with its orange glow.

Kikyo felt an immense comfort as they travelled to the castle, even though she was exhausted. She had been prepared to die back in the dead zone with Tsumetai, but Sesshomaru had saved her life. Did that mean that her life was somehow worth saving to him? Did he view her as more than just an unwanted dead woman? Some hidden part of her surfaced and rejoiced in the fact that she was alive, in that moment she felt extremely grateful. She found herself wanting to connect with Sesshomaru, find a level of familiarity.

"Lord Sesshomaru, thank you for saving me" Kikyo said in a pleasant voice laced with debilitation. Sesshomaru predictably said nothing, his gleaming gold eyes fixed on the castle in the distance. His skin was so warm against her own, she felt like some of the awkwardness between them had been broken. Sesshomaru however, gave her no such indication that he felt the same. He was a silent as the grave.

Kikyo sighed. Perhaps she had expected too much from the dog demon.

Unknown to the distracted pair, the trapping of Tsumetai was witnessed by a demon. An eight legged demon with eight beady eyes.

By the time the pair had flown to Sesshomaru's castle the coral sunset had all but disappeared, giving way to a flawless indigo sky only a few shades darker than Tsumetai's hair. Sesshomaru allowed an extra spurt of speed as they drew nearer to the castle walls, pretending to be preoccupied with their destination.

Kikyo's cold body shook with fatigue and internal injury, her pearly fingernails digging into his arm as she struggled to hold on. She did not need to clutch him so desperately, he had a firm grip around her waist and knees, and held her aloft easily. He could not help but notice how slim her waist was, how her delicate shoulders trembled, how the ivory locks of her flowed behind her. Delicate but fierce, she truly must have been a magnificent paragon of beauty in her human life. To Sesshomaru, Kikyo was an unusual match for his doltish brother.

Kikyo had thanked him graciously for rescuing her from Tsumetai's final blow, she had left an obvious pause in order for him to acknowledge her words. He did not respond to her soft, serious voice and heard the priestess's disappointed sigh. Did she want him to engage her in conversation? Surely she knew that talking was not Sesshomaru's strong point? Sesshomaru did not converse well with anyone, even his own father had difficulty dealing with his son's wall of silence. Only Rin had understood this aspect of his frigid personality and accepted his reticence without question. That was one of the reasons he cared for Rin as much as he did, beyond her sweet and caring nature. She did not pester him or become emotional, she was content with what little closeness he offered. Even now she that she had returned with him to the castle she would likely be playing with Ah-Un, as undemanding as she had always been. Perhaps Kikyo had expected their relationship to develop the more they spent time together, if so she would be sorely mistaken.

As they gently floated to the ground Sesshomaru realised that the half of his body in contact with Kikyo had gone cold, she had leeched the heat from his flesh like a glass pendant that steals the warmth from your chest. Because of this, she felt like more like a normal human when he touched her. Unwilling to view her as more than an unfortunate dead woman, Sesshomaru instinctively dropped her to the ground a little too early. Kikyo stumbled and fell to her knees, holding her hands out in front of her to break her fall. The grass of the castle gardens cushioned her landing, but it hardly mattered in Kikyo's fragile state. Kikyo heaved herself up shakily, brushing off her wine coloured trousers.

"Forgive me priestess" Sesshomaru said quickly, then cursed himself for appearing weak by apologising to her. Kikyo did not answer him, she made her way into the castle and headed for the direction of one of the caste rooms, her soul collectors intercepting and gliding behind her.

His abrupt apology had not fixed Kikyo's disappointment in him it seemed, and they were back to square one. Sesshomaru gazed after her for a moment, watching as her black hair whipped around a corner nimbly. He knew Kikyo was going to absorb the souls in the area, perhaps she wanted to do this alone.

Sesshomaru made his way to the great hall, walking along the wooden boards that fringed the palace's sliding doors. Before he could reach it however, Jaken had sprung in front of him, holding an intricate letter in his hand. The letter was sealed with gold wax and tied with a ribbon of blue silk, Sesshomaru thought the ribbon would look exceptional in Kikyo's dark hair. He realised he had only given Kikyo one priestess garment to wear when he revived her, it must be quite grubby by now.

"Lord Sesshomaru! I've been looking all over the castle for you! Where have you been mi'lord?" Jaken asked reproachfully, the way a wife would scold her husband after spending too long in the local tavern.

Sesshomaru did not answer, he simply looked as his vassal with mild disgust.

"Er…well anyway you've been sent another invitation from your mother mi'lord, she wants you to join her for her banquet this month. She also writes that she has a number of eligible demonesses attending that are more than willing to meet you!" Jaken relayed to Sesshomaru in a gabbled voice, checking the letter to make sure he had got everything right.

"Still encouraging me to mate is she? Send her a letter declining the invitation" Sesshomaru said passively, he was so used to this pushy behaviour from his mother, he could not even summon the energy to be irritated anymore.

"As you wish mi'lord! Oh! And I've just checked on Rin, she's fallen asleep in the garden with Ah-Un" Jaken reported proudly, as if he has accomplished a great task.

"Good, keep a close eye on her Jaken, I will hold you personally responsible if Rin is harmed…" Sesshomaru threatened lightly. He would check on Rin in a few hours himself to ensure she is absolutely safe now that she was living with him would introduce her to Kikyo in the morning, once they had both had enough rest.

In the sky above him, soul collectors ascended and descended, delivering glowing souls into one of the castle bedrooms. Sesshomaru would never admit it to anyone, but he felt that the soul collectors had an eerie grace about them as they floated on the currents of the air. How did Kikyo create these creatures? Was it because she was dead that she could use her spiritual powers so uniquely? Did all dead priestesses have this ability, if there were any save for Kikyo? The woman was a complete mystery to him.

Sesshomaru shook his head free from his captivating thoughts, he was dwelling on the priestess for longer than necessary. She had sealed Tsumetai's power rendering him useless, for that he was grateful to her. Kikyo has displayed skill and expertise when fighting Tsumetai that Sesshomaru was impressed by, it was no easy task to defeat such a powerful demon. She had shown she was an excellent candidate to protect Rin, Sesshomaru could not have hoped for better timing.

But part of him did not want Kikyo to stay, the only woman he had ever given a degree of respect to was the demoness Kagura, Naraku's incarnation. She had died an unjust death and he had known that she was in love with him, even though it sounded ridiculous to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru had defended her honour, he had thought about her curiously on occasion. With Kikyo he did not think about her occasionally, she seemed to devour his every waking thought. If she were to stay and care for Rin, he must try and maintain a respectable distance from her. No apologizing, no thanking one another, just business.