Sesshoumaru felt the miko's weight leaning on him. They had been traveling nonstop for half a day. The sun was already setting, tinting the clouds with orange and pink hues and the wind blew gently, caressing their cheeks was starting to become cooler. He glanced down and noted that she was leaning on his fur pelt, her raven black hair contrasted against his pristine white pelt and kimono. His gaze strayed to her slightly parted lips as it often does lately. Her eyelashes softly brushed against her smooth rosy cheeks. The miko looked so innocent and peaceful in her sleep, as if everything was normal.

It was a wonder why humans still flourished when their lives are so short and they waste half of it sleeping. He looked at the setting sun against the mountains and briefly wondered if he should continue their journey or land somewhere. Kagome stirred lightly, trying to be as comfortable as possible in her semi-sitting position. He sighed and gently descended on a small clearing near a hot spring.

He carefully positioned the sleeping female under a large sakura tree. It was difficult to say the least, with his only arm. It was small wonder that the miko did not wake and instead curled into a ball on the soft grass at the base of the tree. The miko gave a slight shiver from the cold and Sesshoumaru felt something tug at him. He shook his head at himself and removed his pelt. He cautiously draped the fur pelt over the miko's fragile body. He felt warmth that he could not even begin to explain spread over his being when he heard the miko's small sigh of contentment. A small smile graced her lips and she burrowed deeper into his fur pelt.

The demon lord mentally shook his head at himself. Anyone who would see him now would think he was getting soft. He forced his eyes away from the sleeping female and positioned himself under a larger sakura tree. He raised one of his knees and stretched the other forward. He then draped his arm on his raised knee and leaned his back on the sturdy tree. He closed his eyes but his senses were acutely aware of the even breathing of the sleeping miko.

The light pink blossoms of the tree fell gently on the two immobile bodies that lay under the trees. To an observer from afar, it would almost seem like snow was falling. The beauty of the surrounding and the gentle sweet scents calming them both.

-+-+-

Kikyou stopped as she neared the cliff. She could make out the silhouette of an old man sitting on a cow. She continued in her usual sedate movements when she recognized the man waiting for her at her usual place.

She stopped a few feet from him. He slowly turned and she returned his serious gaze. Both of them kept silent. They measured each other until Myouga jumped on Kikyou's shoulder and cleared his throat.

“We understand that you already know of the identity of your twin,” the old flea youkai said, measuring his words carefully.

Kikyou stayed silent, absorbing those words. So, these two were still not aware that Kagome was traveling with Sesshoumaru. And they were still clueless as to who was the one chosen by Fates. She looked up after a short thoughtful pause.

“Are you not aware that she is now traveling with the Taiyoukai of the West?” she asked carefully, purposefully omitting Kagome's name.

“She is with Sesshoumaru?” Totousai asked, his eyes bulging in his surprise.

“Who is she?” Myouga asked.

“Tell me what the prophecy states and I'll tell you her name,” Kikyou said, her face devoid of any emotion.

“We can’t,” Myouga said.

Totousai nodded in agreement. “We do not know,” he admitted. “Only she can tell us the prophecy.”

Kikyou tried to read the two loyal vassals of InuTaisho. It was evident that they were telling the truth. She hesitated before sighing in defeat.

“Kagome,” she said with a sigh. “Kagome is my twin.”

-+-+-

Kagome felt warm. She burrowed deeper into the soft warm material covering her. It distinctly felt like the fur pelt InuTaisho often lends her. She opened her right eye as that thought sunk into her foggy brain. Sure enough, her bleary eyes caught the image of a youkai in white leaning against the large sakura tree.

“Did you come here just to annoy me again with all your cryptic answers?” she mumbled, closing her eyes again before it was able to focus clearly on the demon.

“I believe you mistook me for someone else,” the cold voice drawled.

It was funny how the old youkai sounded exactly like... Kagome's thoughts trailed away as she sat bolt upright at Sesshoumaru's mocking voice. She blinked a few times and sure enough, her eyes focused on the arctic demon instead of InuTaisho.

“Oh,” was all she managed to say when she realized her mistake in her half-awake state. “I thought you were...” she trailed.

“My father,” Sesshoumaru stated flatly.

“Right,” she said, a blush staining her cheeks.

They were silent for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to say to each other until, surprisingly, Sesshoumaru finally broke it.

“We leave in a few minutes,” he said levelly. “You can use the hot springs nearby if you wish to bathe.”

Kagome gingerly got up and walked to where Sesshoumaru sat like a statue. She handed him the fur pelt which she folded neatly.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She was about to go to the direction he had indicated when he spoke.

“Do not take too long,” he said.

She nodded and went to the hot spring, looking forward to a wonderful and relaxing bath.

When Kagome left the clearing, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. The miko and his father seemed to get along well, if the miko could speak to the great InuTaisho that way. But then again, the miko tends to forget her place most of the time. He stood up and went to find something to eat. Surely, Kagome would be hungry. They did not have dinner last night, not that he needed to eat as often as humans do. But still, she might be hungry. Sesshoumaru stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. When did he start to care? He shrugged the thought aside. He did not care for the human. It just would not be convenient for the miko to get sick. With that thought in mind, he went back to hunting, keeping within sensing distance of the miko in case of any danger.

-+-+-

Despite Sesshoumaru's warnings not to take too long, Kagome took her time. The water was just too warm to resist. She put on her extra clothing and jogged back to the clearing. As she neared, she could smell something being cooked. Her stomach reacted at that thought. She was reminded that she had not eaten dinner the previous night.

The sight of Sesshoumaru roasting rabbits greeted her. She smiled to herself. What would demons and humans alike say if they saw the great demon lord of the West cooking for a human? She took a deep breath. She noticed that it wasn't just the rabbit meat that she could smell. There were herbs and spices in them. Sesshoumaru does know how to cook. She grinned but quickly wiped the grin off her face when Sesshoumaru looked in her direction. She stayed rooted to the spot, returning the demon's look.

“Are you not hungry?” Sesshoumaru asked coldly when she didn't move to eat.

Kagome smiled and jogged towards the fire. “You know I am,” she said cheerfully. “In fact, I know you could hear my stomach grumbling.”

Sesshoumaru scoffed and took one of the rabbits. He handed her one and took one for himself.

Kagome watched as Sesshoumaru took a bite. How could he stay graceful while eating? She took a bite and her eyes rounded. The rabbit didn't only smell good, it tasted good, too. “Wow!” she said after taking her second bite. “This is great. I didn't know you could cook.”

“Hn,” was the only reply Sesshoumaru gave.

They ate in silence, Kagome relishing every bite of the delicious roasted rabbit. The herbs and spices he used were somehow familiar to her although she could not place the name. It left a sweet and salty tang that blended well together. She didn't even notice that she ate two whole rabbits.

“I'm so full,” she said happily, patting her stomach for emphasis. She looked at Sesshoumaru and noticed that he was watching her.

Sesshoumaru finished five rabbits. He inclined his head. “We shall proceed,” he said, standing up.

She stood up and followed him. “Could we walk for about a few minutes at least?” she asked. “I'm so full.”

The demon lord nodded and began to walk to the direction of the eastern lands.

“So, are we almost there yet?” Kagome asked as she kept up with Sesshoumaru's long strides.

“Two more days of travel at the most,” Sesshoumaru answered.

Kagome's brows furrowed. “That far?” she asked. “I didn't think it would take that long.”

The demon lord looked at her. “The place we seek is at the eastern most part of the land,” Sesshoumaru said. “It would take longer if we walk.”

“I see,” Kagome said. “Anyway, can you now tell me where we are going? And what exactly I'm supposed to retrieve for you?”

“To the Eastern Lands,” Sesshoumaru answered.

“I already know that,” she answered exasperatedly.

Sesshoumaru quirked his eyebrow haughtily. “Then why do you still ask?” he mocked.

Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation. Sesshoumaru was worse than his father. He always used that mocking tone with her. And she could feel that he knew what she was asking but decided to evade answering her question. Demons!

-+-+-

Sesshoumaru smirked to himself when he saw the miko's eyes roll in exasperation. He had debated whether to answer her questions. It didn't matter if she knew or not but it was fun irritating her. Fun? It had been a long time since he had fun.

“Why won't you tell me?” she asked. “I deserve to know since I'm the one helping you.”

He felt his mouth twitch. He suppressed his smile and gave the miko his characteristic blank look just to annoy her more.

“You will know when we get there,” he said stonily.

The miko stomped her feet in annoyance. “You are so like your father!” she burst out, irritated. “Cryptic, mysterious and annoying! Your whole family seems to be there just to annoy and confuse me,” she said with a huff.

It was really fun annoying the miko. “We need to hurry,” he said instead.

“Oh, fine!” Kagome said, pouting. “We can fly now.”

Without second thought, Sesshoumaru wrapped his arm around Kagome's small waist and formed his youki cloud. He could smell her sweet fresh scent. It made him think of the first blossoming of flowers in spring. The smell was refreshing and sweet, calming him. It was almost making him feel... at home.

Kagome slumped, leaning onto him. Her head bowed down. Then he smelled it, salt. She was crying silently. He could now feel her tears falling on his kimono. Sesshoumaru was confused. A few minutes ago, she was ranting at him and now she was slumped against him, crying silently.

After a few minutes, Sesshoumaru could no longer contain his curiosity. And he was a little concerned, too, he admitted grudgingly to himself. He had never seen the miko in this state before. She was always bubbly.

“What ails you?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she whispered, her voice cracking. Her voice was full of despair.

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed and prepared himself. “Tell me,” he said.

Kagome looked up, her eyes full of despair. “I've never asked for any of this,” she whispered brokenly. “Sometimes I wonder if this is worth everything I've sacrificed. If all this pain I feel is worth anything. All I ever wanted was to live a normal life. Just a normal life,” her voice trailing wistfully as her eyes misted again.

“You have the gift of the Shikon no Tama,” Sesshoumaru couldn't help but point out.

The miko gave a bitter smile. “It is not a gift,” she said. “But a curse. No protector of the Shikon could live normally. The protector is bound to live in misery. Ever since I knew of its existence my world had completely and irrevocably turned upside down. I had to sacrifice my life... and my heart. A girl could just take so much.”

“Is this about Inuyasha?” he asked coldly.

Kagome snorted. “It seems that way, doesn't it?” she asked bitterly. “I wonder that myself. But then again, I've long grown tired of crying for him. No, it's not about Inuyasha. This is all about these duties I have to do. Responsibilities I'm not even prepared to perform.”

Sesshoumaru thought about the miko's words. She must have reached her limit. It had been five years and she had just reached her limit with so much going on in her life. “Things happen for a reason,” he said flatly. “You were given these responsibilities because you have the capability. Do not think that you are not capable.”

She looked up at him. Her tears had dried because of the wind. “You think I can do it?” she asked, her hesitation still evident.

“Believe you can,” he answered, his voice ringing with sincerity. “You are capable.”

The miko sighed and smiled tremulously. “Thank you, Sesshoumaru,” she said sincerely. She looked out to the horizon. “Gomennasai, I know I was rambling. It's just that I am so confused. And I had gone through so much.”

“Hn,” he said noncommittally.

-+-+-

Kagome felt embarrassed at her emotional outburst. And she had to say all that to Sesshoumaru, no less! He must think she's a spineless idiot. But it sure felt good to let everything out. And she knew Sesshoumaru listened to her. He even went so far as to reassure and comfort her. Maybe he wasn't as bad as everybody thought him to be.

“We will go to a cave at the East,” he finally said after the short silence that ensued. “You will retrieve a sphere containing a prophecy that my mother left.”

She was surprised. He had answered her earlier questions. She smiled to herself. Perhaps there was still hope for the demon lord, after all.

-+-+-

“So, it is Kagome,” Totousai mused. Kikyou had left long ago.

Myouga jumped on the cow and sat. “We must get to the cave,” he said. “We know her identity at last. But why did Sesshoumaru take her?”

“Maybe he knows,” Totousai contemplated that possibility.

“No, he could not know,” Myouga said. “No one knows the whole prophecy especially the identity of the female. Many speculated, but no one was sure…until now.”

Totousai nodded. “We must leave at once,” he said seriously. “They are already ahead of us by a day or so. We must not dally any longer.”

Myouga nodded and the two took to the sky.

-+-+-

Inuyasha looked up at the sky. He felt that once Kagome went back, nothing will ever be the same again. His relationship with Kagome was already strained before all this had happened. And he knew it was his entire fault. He had always run off to Kikyou, failing to protect her a couple of times. And he had always compared the two.

He had hurt Kagome so many times and yet she stayed with him. He bowed his head. Sesshoumaru was not that bad. Sure, he was cold and emotionless. But despite the way people view him, he was different inside.

Inuyasha could still remember when he was just a pup. He had always looked up to his older brother. He was graceful, strong and capable. Things were different. He saw how great he was…until things happened. His mother died and he blamed Sesshoumaru for everything. He even went so far as to accuse him of killing his mother.

But now, he knew better. And it was already too late to patch things up with his brother. They hated each other and it will stay that way. Especially now that he took Kagome away.

It had already begun to rain, the tiny droplets hitting the leaves of the trees before falling down to be absorbed by the earth. The first droplets created tiny dark marks on Inuyasha's haori and he thought back to the time when Kagome sat him for making them walk under the rain. Inuyasha looked at his companions. “Let's settle for the night,” he said gruffly.

End chapter