Sesshoumaru brooded. A mere human should not affect him so, after, he was the lord of the Western Lands. But, he reasoned, I have not yet discovered for myself the source of the warmth radiated from that girl's soul. Touching it had brought back feelings I thought were long dead. It had been comforting and I felt joy? Any warm feelings had long since been banished by long years as sole ruler of the Western Lands. In order to rule absolutely required that he instill fear in the hearts' of his enemies. It was weakness to show softness for with his great power came great responsibility. The thought that he was becoming soft troubled him.
Gazing at the stars, their light calmed the troubled youkai, reminding Sesshoumaru of his okaasan. Okaasan had said that if ever he was troubled, look to the stars. There was much he had forgotten in the many years that had passed but some memories of his okaasan stayed with him. She had said that each shining star held a dream. When his okaasan had been near death, she had told Sesshoumaru to watch for her star. When she left this world, she would join the stars above and shine down on him. She would give him hope to achieve his dreams for only she truly understood him.
His dream. Sesshoumaru himself did not know what his dream was. Once he had dreamed to have what his otousan and okaasan had together, that one true soul mate. But apparently, that had not been real, as his otousan had mated with another after the death of Sesshoumaru's birth mother. His okaasan, Sesshoumaru recognized, was different from other female youkai. Often, the female youkai, more often than not, was the more vicious in comparison with the male youkai. Sesshoumaru's okaasan was compassionate and loyal mate to his father. A powerful youkai in her own right, it was from his okaasan that Sesshoumaru inherited his psychic powers. And it was his okaasan that taught his otousan compassion for humans.
Sesshoumaru's thoughts strayed to a certain human at that thought. That Kagome was different from every other human he had ever encountered. From his observations, the wench showed more intelligence than the humans he usually encountered. She had managed to somehow gain Inuyasha's protection and cooperation after all. Although Sesshoumaru did not think much of the hanyou, he knew of Inuyasha's rash and stubborn behavior and the fact that Kagome could control the hanyou was impressive. Also surprising the youkai was the miko's scent. Sesshoumaru delicate sense of smell was often offended by the odors given off by humans but the Kagome was different. Her scent was enticing. Altogether, Kagome was a different type of being than those Sesshoumaru was used to. Where exactly Kagome came from was unknown as he had never been interested enough to find out. The question bothered the youkai now. Sesshoumaru sensed intuitively that the answer would prove quite interesting indeed.
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Kagome tried desperately to calm her harsh breathing. Although she had managed to place a fair distance between Kikyo and herself, Kagome didn't hold any false hope to the dark miko giving up the chase. Remembering the look of hatred in Kikyo's eyes, Kagome shivered. She did not understand why Kikyo hated her and wanted to kill her so much. Was it just for the reason that Kikyo couldn't stand there being two of her or was it because she wished to possess the rest of her soul?
Kagome and the others had been searching for a Shikon shard she had sensed nearby when Naraku's poisonous bees had appeared. As usual when dealing with Naraku, the situation soon became chaotic as many youkai attacked their close-knit group. Kagome had been standing off to a side with Shippo while Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku battled the waves of youkai. Suddenly, her upper armed had burned with pain. Surprised, she had looked up to find Kikyo, eyes glowing with hatred for the injured girl. Shippo, watching the battle intently, had not realized the drama taking place right behind his back.
Seeing Kikyo reach back to notch another arrow, Kagome had panicked. She knew Kiko had no reservations as to whether the kitsune was hurt in the crossfire as she tried to kill Kagome. Deciding quickly, she had turned and ran away from her friends. That hadn't been the brightest idea, she reflected as she listened intently for Kikyo. Now she was too far away for Inuyasha to reach them in time. Kagome had known the dark miko meant to kill her but had not realized how badly Kikyo had wanted her dead. It seemed too much of a coincidence that Kikyo's attempt to take her life happened when Naraku attacked.
Kagome gave a muffled gasp of surprise as a clawed hand suddenly covered her mouth and she was pulled away from the tree she was hiding behind. A split second later, her eyes widened further as an arrow imbedded itself into the tree. Horrified, Kagome realized that the arrow would have pierced her heart if she hadn't been pulled away. Kagome tried to see who held her but stopped her struggles as the hold tightened in warning. The hand over her mouth was removed after a slight pause, as if her captor was gauging if she would scream when released. Next thing she knew, Kagome felt herself being lifted into her savior's arms and flying through the air. Kagome cracked open her tightly closed eyes, catching a glimpse of long white hair flying through the air. Inuyasha? But how'd he get here so quickly Blinking in an attempt to see more clearly with the wind blowing into her eyes Kagome caught a glimpse of white cloth flapping wildly. White clothing?! Kagome's eyes snapped open in shock to find herself faced with Sesshoumaru's profile. Looking down, she found Kikyo watching her with cold eyes.
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