�It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.�
-- Confucius --

Inuyasha yawned loudly, his head tilted towards the clear sky, and his arms high behind his head. Sunny days had always made him a bit lazier than usual, and with the day�s work nearly finished, he was ready to relax.

He didn�t know what the others were doing at the moment, but he didn�t much care to begin with. Kaede was probably doing some sort of housekeeping or healing, Miroku would be off flirting with the women, and Shippou could be playing with the village children. It was just another boring day in Kaede�s village, but it was a good vacation, too.

Although he didn�t like admitting it, he was relieved for a bit of a break. With Naraku gone now, what was the rush to get the jewel shards when they could just be lazing around for a while?

Inuyasha faltered a bit. Well, duh! Some other stupid demon�s probably collecting the shards too! He grumbled to himself, eventually sighing and shrugging it off. The others wanted to take a break, and he had already told Kagome that morning that he wouldn�t give them sass to go shard-hunting today. So I might as well take the day off, right?

Wrong.

The scent of blood drifted to his nose slowly, at first, but the more Inuyasha focused on it, the more he recognized the hot, spicy odor.

�Kagome!�

Inuyasha stiffened immediately, rushing off in a sprint towards the direction her blood was coming from. She was hurt! Why did it take him so long to notice? The stench stung his sensitive nose, heightening his worry and fright that Kagome was in danger. She had lost a lot of blood, he could tell; she didn�t just slice her finger. The scent was different, sharper than that of Kagome�s monthly heat; this blood was that of pain and injury.

I�m coming, Kagome!

His speed increased as he hopped from one tree to another, and he was frustrated when his nose told him that she was farther away than he expected. What was she doing all the way out here?

Despite his demonic speed, he realized that he was a bit too late as he eventually crashed through the leaves and into the clearing. Kagome sat on her knees, her head in her hands as the salty aroma of tears trickled down her cheeks. Her shoulders were shaking, but she made no sound as she silently sobbed. Inuyasha�s keen eyes caught the image of a book from her time period face down beside her, and his brow narrowed at the sight of her bleeding and sliced throat.

�Kagome!� he stiffened, crying her name out softly, though intensely. She looked up at the intruder through teary eyes as he rushed towards her, kneeling in front of her and staring at her with golden eyes.

He saw her falter, choking on her tears as she made eye contact with him, but once she seemed to notice that his eyes were those of worry and concern for her, she calmed down considerably. She looked as though she wanted to lunge into Inuyasha�s arms, but she was hesitant and refused to do so, causing his heart to feel heavy with disappointment.

�Kagome,� he fussed, his voice soft with comfort, but stressed with apprehension, �who did this to you?� She did not answer him, but she didn�t need to. It was only a second before Inuyasha found the answer to his own question, the putrid stench of his elder brother assaulting his nostrils. He began to shake with rage. �That bastard!�

He clenched his fists, not minding his claws, which dug into his flesh and bled before healing immediately with his quick regeneration. That bastard! He had only, this morning, spoke with that fucking Sesshoumaru, warning him to stay away from them, and yet he had torn through the flesh of Kagome�s neck despite it! How dare he!

Sesshoumaru must�ve known how precious Kagome was to Inuyasha. Did he purposely harm her because of it? Was he mocking him that morning when he agreed to stay away from them? Even if he was provoked, he had no right to hurt Kagome and turn her into a sobbing child!

Inuyasha took many deep breaths, trying to control his rage as best as he could. He would get that Sesshoumaru, he vowed! He refused to allow him to get away with hurting her! Yes, Sesshoumaru would be getting a visit soon enough�

�Don�t,� Kagome�s quiet voice calmed him quickly.

�Kagome,� he shook his head, �what are you--�

�Don�t go see him.�

Inuyasha stared at her as she avoided his gaze. Were his emotions and frustrations so obvious to her? He sighed, no longer shaking with bloodlust towards Sesshoumaru, although his hatred for him only grew. He nodded slowly and hesitantly at first, but he soon agreed. It was only fair to Kagome; it was her call. �Alright. Alright, I won�t.�

Kagome smiled through her tears. �Ar�arigatou.�

He frowned. He knew Kagome. He loved her. She was not one to have a broken spirit. What on Earth had Sesshoumaru done to her? �Kagome�� He leaned closer, lifting her face gently by her chin and forcing her to look at him. The caring look in his eyes was not completely uncommon, but it was enough. She let loose a few more tears, her face stoic and still just as beautiful as ever, in his eyes. He brushed his clawed thumbs against her cheeks, wiping her tears away to his best ability. He was never very good with comforting people, but Kagome was an exception by far.

�Kagome, are you alright? What did he do to you? How much does it hurt?� His words were paced, but they did not erase the fussy tone within them. He was fidgety and panicked, unsure what to do to help her. It was she who had the healing abilities, not him.

�I�m fine,� she muttered, shaking her head slowly. �I�m fine.�

�No, you�re not fine!� Inuyasha glared at her, as always, but it was not heated. His eyes were filled with fright and protectiveness, and, at the very least, Kagome seemed to understand.

�I am, Inuyasha.� She smiled falsely, meant to console him, if anything. �I can barely feel a thing.�

Lie. Inuyasha wasn�t as stupid as everyone else thought. He could smell her fear and pain through her blood and tears. His pointed look at her didn�t faze her, though, and he sighed.

�Come on,� he said softly. He didn�t need to get technical right now, not when she was so obviously in both physical and emotional pain. �Show me your neck.� He left no room for protest, tilting her head to the side so he could examine her. �Baka�and you say you can�t feel it!�

The cuts across her throat were both better and worse than he expected. Although the slashes were shallow, they bled freely at the broken skin. The cuts were neat, yet messy, as though Sesshoumaru didn�t care where he wounded her, which Inuyasha wouldn�t put past him. He could have very well damaged a vital point, in his careless strikes, and Inuyasha considered both he and Kagome lucky that he had not injured those points.

The blood from her wounds slid down her neck, some of it staining her uniform collar. Inuyasha wiped some of the blood away with his hand, but with the amount of it coating her skin, and he with no spare cloth, he couldn�t completely clean it.

He winced at her wounds; he could never get used to the vision of her hurt and in pain. �Now,� he muttered as reassuringly as he could, holding back a hiss at the gashes, �that ain�t hardly a mosquito bite.�

Kagome let out a forced, short laugh in spite of herself. �Big mosquito.�

Inuyasha smiled lightly; at least she wasn�t so badly hurt that she couldn�t mess around. As quickly as the smile found its way to his face, it disappeared into a frown. �Hey, we need to get you bandaged up. Do you think you�re okay to heal yourself a bit?�

She shook her head slowly, causing more blood to seep from her marred flesh. �I used up all my ki already. I could try, but I don�t think I have the energy.� Her voice was soft, and Inuyasha could hear her self-pity wallowing in it.

�No,� he rubbed her shoulder gently, �don�t over-work yourself. Just relax, I�ll get you back to Kaede and she�ll fix you up in no time.�

She frowned, her fingers digging into the cloth of the skirt in her lap. �Yeah��

Inuyasha couldn�t bear the sight. She looked broken and depressed, her tear-stained face now dry, but he was certain that she was far from feeling better. Her bangs covered her empty eyes, and her neck was pale from blood loss. Her hair was tangled, and the scent of mixed emotions radiated off of her, mixing with the horrid stench of Sesshoumaru�s anger.

�Kagome.� Inuyasha leapt forward, embracing Kagome tightly to him, not wanting to let her go. She began to sob again, her voice becoming mangled, although she seemed as though she had no more tears left to cry. �I�m sorry, Kagome. I�m sorry I wasn�t here to protect you.�

�No!� Kagome pushed against him, but he wouldn�t budge. �No, don�t apologize! I mean it! Do you hear me?� Inuyasha was shocked at her sudden outburst, but he refused to let her go. �It�s not your job to protect me, you know. You have to protect yourself, and that�s all. I�m the one who needs to protect myself. Me!�

�Kagome--�

�No! Weren�t you listening?�

�Kagome, stop it!� He grasped her tighter, holding her head into his chest as he rubbed her back with his other clawed hand. Her struggles grew weaker until she collapsed into him, her fingers clenching his red haori. �Kagome, why are you being this way? Don�t you remember all we�ve been through?� He frowned into her hair. �It is my job to protect you. You�re the most important person to me, Kagome, and whether you like it or not, I give myself the job of being your protector. If that isn�t enough reason for you, just think about it. You know as well as I do that I could have never used the Tetsusaiga if I didn�t feel the need to protect you.� He hugged her tightly, her shaking shoulders unnerving him, but her grip on him giving him strength to go on. �Let me protect you, Kagome.�

She buried her face in his clothes, still and silent for a short time. �Alright. Alright, I will. But you need to understand something else, Inuyasha.� She pulled away to look up at him, and the hanyou�s heart thudded within his chest at her gaze. �You can�t protect me all the time. As much as I trust you, I can�t rely on only you. I need to rely on myself too.�

She looked down at her lap. �But I�m weak. I�m weak, and I�m not getting any stronger. Kaede�s started to help me train my miko energy, but look at me!� She frowned, beginning to shake again, and Inuyasha stroked her hair to calm her down. �When Sesshoumaru attacked me, I couldn�t do anything about it! He sliced me up and threw me to the ground, and I couldn�t do anything! Even when he spoke to me, I couldn�t even--�

She choked, shoving her face into her hands. Inuyasha watched her, his eyes narrowing at the words against Sesshoumaru. He had attacked her. He had hurt her. What on Earth did he say to Kagome that had made her break down like she had?

�But I can�t just� Everyone knows that going through things like this can hurt, but it�s up to me to do something about it.� Inuyasha stared at her. What was she talking about? �I�m not just going to sit here and let him say those things about me anymore. I refuse to let him be right. I want to be stronger, Inuyasha. I don�t want to be the weak little girl that fell down that well two years ago. I want all this to have made me stronger. I don�t want to be the same, weak schoolgirl.� She sighed loudly, her voice still wavering, but she smiled, and that was enough. �I want to grow. I want to be a better person. But,� she frowned, �I don�t know how to start.�

Inuyasha scoffed down at her, resuming his usual rough and confident speech. �Is that all?� Kagome stiffened and stared up at him, eyes wide. �Well? You want to get stronger, is that it?� He grinned at her from his kneeling position. �Look, if Kaede�s helping you out with this miko stuff of yours, then you�re going to need someone to help you with the big stuff, you know, the hand-to-hand combat. Kaede�s an old hag; she can�t help you with that kind of thing.� He smirked cockily, pointing at himself with his long claw. �Guess I�ll just have to train you myself, right?�

The reaction was exactly the one that Inuyasha was going for: Kagome stared at him for a few more silent seconds, but soon her sad eyes lightened, and a grin spread across her face. She didn�t seem to notice that her neck was still a bloody mess, nor did she seem to remember her destroyed book beside her.

�Inuyasha!� she cried, lunging at him and hugging his neck tightly.

�Oi!� he flung his arms back. �Get off of me! I may be a demon, but I need to breathe too!�

Kagome giggled delightfully, her depression easing away slowly but surely. Inuyasha smiled at her. She was happy again, and that itself made him happy.

You�re one lucky bastard, Sesshoumaru, he thought to himself. But don�t count your luck now. You�re going to pay for hurting Kagome, and that�s a promise!

�Hey, you,� he mockingly complained, �get off! We�ve got to get you back to the village so Kaede can clean you up.�

She just smiled at him softly. �No, don�t tell anyone else about it, okay?� He frowned at her, his eyes asking the question he didn�t have to say out loud. �I don�t want them to worry. I guess I provoked Sesshoumaru into what he did to me. It�s nothing, don�t worry about it. I just need to clean up a bit, but don�t make the others freak out.� She gave him a reassuring smile, placing her hand on his shoulder sweetly. �Tomorrow, my ki should be back in my body, and I�ll have enough energy to heal myself. They�re just scratches, really. I�ll fix it up tomorrow, okay?�

Inuyasha watched her, uncertain. �I don�t know, Kagome. You�re pretty torn up, there. Are you sure you don�t need help or anything?�

�Yeah, I�m positive.�

He sighed, still hesitant. Even though she was feeling better, she was still in pain, he knew. He understood nearly everything about her, being in love with her as much as he was, and he could tell that she simply didn�t want him to worry about her. She was selfless, but he knew that her depression wasn�t over just yet. There was something about the way she fidgeted and flinched that proved that she wasn�t exactly back to normal yet. How could he not worry?

�Well,� he muttered, �at least let me walk you back to the village. You need to change out of that shirt of yours, too. Shippou�s got a weak nose, still, but if you really don�t want to worry him, you should get rid of it.�

�Yeah, I know. Maybe I�ll make another trip home, real quick.�

Inuyasha helped her stand, stabling her when she rocked a bit from dizziness. His fingers tingled at every touch, one hand holding down her waist, and the other, her arm. His heart thumped in his chest at the close proximity; despite all the times they were close together, all the times he gave her a lift on his back, and especially that one time she had kissed him, he had never been able to calm the drumming of his heart. It was true that he felt similar emotions when Kikyou was still among them, but he couldn�t help but notice that his heart thumped faster for Kagome.

�I�m okay now, I think,� she muttered, letting go of Inuyasha�s arms for a mere second before stumbling back into their grasp. �Or not.�

He chuckled, his voice soft again. �Sheesh, Kagome, how clumsy can you get?�

�Excuse me!� she teased, her artificial smile ever so visible to him. �Maybe if you didn�t--�

Her words were cut off as Inuyasha hugged her close so suddenly. A light blush uncharacteristically swept across his nose as he buried it into her smooth but tangled hair. �You damn baka�� he trailed off, holding her close. �You get into more trouble than you�re worth.� He felt her relax and embrace him back, giving him comfort that she was alright. He smirked. He could always trust her to understand exactly what he was trying to say.

He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, her true scent, and not that of her blood or emotions. Apples. She smells like apples.

�Inu no baka!� Kagome�s voice tantalized his dog-like ears. �If you don�t stop, I�m going to bleed all over you!�

�Hey!� he protested, reluctantly letting her go. �Who�re you calling stupid?�

�Inuyasha!� she rolled her eyes vaguely, the tone of her voice begging him to hurry up.

�Alright, already,� he groaned, shifting back into his casual mood, and out of his tender one reserved for Kagome. He made sure she wouldn�t fall over again before he leaned down and picked up her book, handing it to her when she held her palm out in front of her.

�Okay,� Kagome said melodiously, �let�s head back now.�

She began to walk away slowly, gently rubbing her neck to clean some blood away. Inuyasha stared at her back, an affectionate glint in his golden eyes, the exact opposite of the flash in his brother�s matching ones.

�Yeah, let�s go.�

It was just past midnight now, and Kagome was terrified. It was true that she looked like �Kohana� now, but her alternate appearance did not change the fact that she had numerous scabbed slashes across her throat. She looked down into the water and let her fingers graze the blemished flesh, flinching a bit; it still stung, both physically and emotionally. She pushed her hair behind her ears, letting it drape in front of her to cover her chest, and, by doing so, her neck.

She floated behind the boulder protruding from the water, enough so that she was visible to Sesshoumaru, once he arrived, but also enough so he would not see her so clearly. Her back leaned against the rock, facing towards the shore, and the moonlight bathed her with an ethereal glow.

She tilted her head back against the cold stone, making sure that her hair still covered her neckline. Her fingers playing with the bracelet around her wrist, she considered breaking her promise to Sesshoumaru and tearing it off, only to throw it into the sea, but she held back. If she did so, she was afraid to anger him any more than she already had that day.

She narrowed her eyes, closing them tightly. Her hatred for him still ran deep, despite all it took to get Inuyasha off her back, even though she knew he could see right through her. She felt her chest bubbling with loathing at the single thought of Sesshoumaru. How could she have fallen for his ridiculous lies, his fake kindness towards her? He betrayed her, whether he knew it or not, and she hated him for it.

She refused to give in to him, once he arrived. If he believed that he could get away with hurting her and degrading her by showing up in this clearing all over again to pretend as though he had never done it, then he had another thing coming!

Still� Kagome opened her eyes, sighing deeply. It wasn�t as though he knew Kagome and Kohana were one and the same, but then again, it should be no excuse to torture a human girl simply because Kohana wasn�t there to be his conscience.

The gentle sound of rustling leaves drifted into Kagome�s ears, and she was immediately on alert. Sesshoumaru was here, and it was time to lay it on thick.

From the corner of her eye, she watched the wretched youkai approach, instantly spotting her. She seethed at his comfortable expression, his stoic facial beauty, and his playful gaze. What�s he trying to pull? She growled inwardly with frustration, incensed at the completely oblivious terror that was Sesshoumaru.

She turned away from him quickly, hiding behind the rock again, but not before she caught his questioning glance. Her cheeks flushed with anger as she controlled the urge to pound her fists against the water�s surface.

�You are troubled.�

No shit, she thought to herself, her mind vulgar with revulsion. Outwardly, she merely threw another glance at him before turning her head away. He was on her turf now, and she could sense his preposterous confusion and hurt. As if his pain can be compared to mine!

�Leave me alone.� If Sesshoumaru was offended before, he was certainly distressed now. She could practically feel him stiffen at her words, and it only made her even more livid as she witnessed his alarm. �Don�t act so surprised,� she couldn�t help but bite out.

�What is it you expect?� his smooth voice refused to betray any emotions she knew he was feeling. �What is the meaning of this?�

�So many questions�� she murmured loud enough for him to hear. She did not offer an answer.

�Why are you being this way?�

She glared from the corner of her eye, making certain to keep her neck out of his view. �And why are you?�

�Because you are avoiding me. It is unnecessary.�

�And,� Kagome snapped, �so are you.�

Silence thickened the air as the tension built up, the taiyoukai�s pain evident to even Kagome, who was doing her best to calm down so she could set him straight. She took the slightest peek at him, startled at the hurt, ignorant look in his golden eyes.

The same eyes that were blood-red only hours ago.

Kagome turned away. She didn�t want to look at his damn eyes anymore. They were enough to spark the flame of fear within her chest, and she hated feeling weak and defeated. Her words and spite could only do so much to relieve her frightened state; despite his calm self right this moment, she could not forget the rough way he had handled her that day, nor the way he tossed her around like a beanbag that he could shred without feeling any remorse. His deadly claws unnerved her, his looming height intimidated her, and his sharp, dangerous eyes terrified her into anxiety. She was surprised that she hadn�t had a panic attack by now; she was that frightened of him.

�Kohana,� Sesshoumaru�s voice sounded strong, but Kagome could pick up the shakiness of it when she paid close attention to it, �I do not know what it is I have done, but do not�do not be this way.�

Kagome�s hands shook with anger. He didn�t know what he�d done! �How can you say that?� she cried from behind the boulder. �How can you--�

She shut herself up abruptly, and she was not surprised that it had captured Sesshoumaru�s attention. �Explain yourself.� How could he act so casual about it? How dare that bastard remain so collected!

�I saw what you did, Sesshoumaru,� she started vaguely, her voice quiet all over again.

She felt his eyes on her hidden form as he spoke. �Nani?� He still did not understand!

�Today, I saw you!� She faltered a bit, pausing to take a deep breath. She refused to look at him. �You were right here, in this clearing. You�re foolish if you honestly believed that I could not see you, simply because the barrier was invisible.� She told the truth slant, as though it was Kohana who had watched his cruelty, although it was her identity of Kagome that witnessed it first-hand.

Sesshoumaru seemed to understand what she was speaking of now, but he was not fazed. �What of it? The wench was testing my patience. It was only necessary that I punish her for her insolence.�

He had hit a soft spot, but it was too late for him to take it back now. �Damn your pride, youkai!� she cried, not paying attention to the way he stiffened at her insult. �You made me believe that you were not so terrible, that you did have a heart somewhere inside your cruel body, but what I saw today surely cancels my thoughts. I was the fool, believing that you could be worth my empathy!�

She turned to face him, but she immediately regretted her words once she saw his expression. He looked as stoic as ever, but his eyes betrayed him: they showed that he was both livid and struck down with unbearable pain, and she could feel her heart twisting within her. When had she become so cruel? Was she much better than Sesshoumaru, speaking such words to him?

He deserves it, she thought to herself. He betrayed me! Why should I feel sorry for my words when he had done so much more to me?

Her own thoughts betrayed her, and her face softened to his eyes. She knew he was still staring at her, and she forced her apologetic look into her eyes to back up her next statement. �I�m sorry. That came out wrong. That�s not what I mean, and you know it.�

Whether he did know it or not, she could not say. He seemed unable to look away from her, but it was clear to her that he was aggrieved.

�I�m sorry. I didn�t mean it, I really didn�t.�

His only response was a small nod, but his eyes did not change much.

�Listen,� she continued, her voice softer than ever before, but she knew that he picked up on her words, �I saw you hurt that girl. I saw the way you treated her as an inferior, and whether or not rank places you higher than she, you have no right to treat her as badly as you did. I saw you treating her roughly, slicing her up like that.� Her face contorted into a frown and sadness, and she had to look away from him, so she did not see his softening, guilty expression. �I just� I have heard many things of you, many rumors of your cruel nature, and I ignored them all when I started talking to you. But after seeing what I have today�I�ve discovered that they are not rumors.

�I don�t know what kind of satisfaction you get out of hurting others, humans especially, but I think it�s one of the most disgusting things I�ve ever seen.� Her voice became bitter for a split second, but she caught herself before she continued. �You tarnished my positive image of you, Sesshoumaru. I don�t like this side of you. I don�t�I don�t want to see you like that anymore.�

Kagome thought that she had ran out of tears once Inuyasha came along to comfort her, but she was sorely mistaken. First one tear fell, and then it was two, then three, then four. She buried her face into the boulder in front of her, her hair covering her face, still hiding her scarred throat. She did not sob, but her tears did not stop, either. She did not know Sesshoumaru�s reaction to her crying, but she didn�t much care to. She was ashamed, though, for being so weak as to let her emotions take over her once again in front of him. She didn�t want to be the weakling he saw her as.

�Stop,� his voice drifted towards her, the pressure and desperate begging only slightly hidden in his tone. �I--� Kagome�s eyes would have widened if they were open; she was not used to Sesshoumaru stuttering. �I have made mistakes. I have disappointed you.� His voice softened tremendously, and she had to strain her ears to hear him. �I too do not want you to see me like that any longer.�

Her head jerked upwards to stare at him in shock. No, this was not him. He wasn�t being serious. He liked Kohana, and it was only natural that he would be sorry to her. But no, this wasn�t the real Sesshoumaru. If she came to him as Kagome and said the same thing, he would scoff and turn away, at the very minimum. This was not Sesshoumaru.

�Why are you saying this to me?� she muttered to him with a tone of finality. She gave him a single, long look, the tears still pouring, before she realized that she could not be in his presence any longer. She may have spoken to him, telling him what she wanted to say, but it didn�t completely erase any tension, fear, or anger.

Giving him one last look, she pushed against the rock and swam away, thanking Kami-sama that he had never seen the slashes across her neck.

Just moments after she darted off, her brain filled with curses and apologies as she wondered about Sesshoumaru�s reactions, she was stopped in her tracks.

�What did I tell you?� came the familiar voice. �I told you that it wouldn�t work out. He�s a youkai, and he�s not to be trusted.�

Kagome turned away. �Not now, Nayida.�

The redhead watched her closely. �And why not? He hurt you, the bastard, just like I predicted. And, what, it only took two nights?�

�Three,� Kagome corrected subconsciously. Had it really only been three nights that she had spoken to him? Four, if she counted the one night he spied on her without confronting her. Maybe Nayida was right; maybe she gave her trust to him much too easily.

�All the same, Kohana-sama,� the mermaid shook her head, �I think it�s best if you stay away from him for real this time.� She frowned at the tears flowing down her friend�s face. A mermaid�s tears were ones of extreme rarity, the lavender color shining under the blue waters. The oxygen above turned a mermaid�s tears clear, but it was underwater where the true pigments shone. �He�s hurt you, Kohana-sama. I know I haven�t been acting it since yesterday, but I really don�t want you to be hurt. That wretched demon�he doesn�t deserve your company.�

�That�s enough, Nayida.�

The younger girl shook her head in protest. �Iie, Kohana-sama, this needs to be said! That youkai has crossed the line, and you already bothered to give him a chance! Staying away from him would be best. You should have the barrier reject him--�

�I said that�s enough, Nayida.� Kagome wiped her purple tears aside, taking a deep breath. �Besides, you know that I can�t decide who comes in and out of the barrier. It acts on its own.� She sighed. �I know you�re worried about me, Nayida, and arigatou, but I think I can make decisions for my own. I am a princess, after all.�

Nayida�s eyes softened. �That you are, Kohana-sama. Still, I�m worried. I don�t want you to be upset because of the insolence of demons.�

�I know, Nayida-chan. I know. But please��

She trailed off, and the redhead smiled softly. �Hai. Gomen nasai.�

Kagome exhaled through her nose, shaking her head to herself. �If you�ll excuse me, Nayida-chan.�

She nodded in response. �Hai, Kohana-sama.�

Kagome began to swim away once again. She mentally berated herself; why was it that she always had to run away from her problems? Everything was becoming a mess, right before her eyes. What could she control now?

She paused in her tracks, not turning around to face the mermaid that she knew was still floating behind her. �And Nayida-chan? It�s Kagome-sama.�

And with her correction, she disappeared into the inky, cerulean sea.

It was the next morning already, and Sesshoumaru sulked. He didn�t believe that he had had a worse night than the last, and he was mighty ashamed.

Kohana had rejected him. It was true that she apologized after she spoke her biting words, but he had disgusted her nonetheless. It was a bit unnerving, knowing that she accepted his presence, his one arm, and his friendship, but she was sickened by the attitude he was accustomed to, the attitude of a youkai.

He couldn�t help but agree with her, though. He did not regret anything that he had done to that girl, Inuyasha�s wench � or, like she pushed, Kagome � but he did regret making a fool of himself in front of the only being he wished to impress.

Maybe it was because he wanted to repent, or maybe it was because he was ashamed of himself, or maybe it was because of something entirely different, he did not know. All the same, he found himself, that next day, in the same, familiar clearing, right in front of the very girl he had wounded in more ways than one.

She seemed surprised to see him, but then again, he was surprised himself that he had come at all. She had no book today, and he was somewhat relieved. If he wanted to do what he intended to, he would need all temptation of repeating his actions to disappear.

�What�what are you doing here?�

It was like a repeat of yesterday, he noticed. She had asked that very same question before the whole mess started. He caught sight of the bloodstained grass beneath his shoes, and his eyes sought out the gashes across her neck. His pointed ears picked up the fearful tone in her voice, but they did not miss the determination in them either. He was impressed that she had not gone running off to Inuyasha by now. His half-brother�s stench still remained in the clearing, and it was clear to him that he had been there to comfort the girl after he had left.

�Well?� the girl stared up at him, a heated look in her eyes. She was just as stubborn as yesterday, he noticed.

He shut his eyes momentarily, the magenta shade of his eyelids bright and mystical. He took a breath, bracing himself for his words. If it had been any other moment in his life, he would find this degrading, but there was something that itched at him to say it. He could always beat himself for the words later, but for now, he could not stop the words from flowing from his mouth.

�My apologies.�

The girl�s eyes widened, clear shock written all over her face. She sputtered a bit, an action that did not surprise him, but it did not please him, either. She gulped and gaped a few times, trying to find her voice.

�N-no! No, no, don�t--� She stumbled over her words, and it was obvious that his words were the last thing she expected. �That is, erm� I mean, I�m sorry too!�

Sesshoumaru did not fully expect to hear those words, either.

�Well, you see, it�s partly my fault too, you know. I suppose I shouldn�t have provoked you. It takes two, you know�� She lost her voice, unable to find the words, but he too could not seem to find any himself.

�Your neck,� he said vaguely, staring at her wounds. He hadn�t realized, in his state of bloodlust, that he had done that much to her.

The miko shook her head vigorously. �Oh, no, it�s fine!� To prove her point, she lifted one of her hands and urged it to glow pink. It seemed as though she regained her ki over the night. Her hand hovered over her throat for a bit, eventually pulling away. Sesshoumaru was shocked, to say the least, that the cuts were completely healed and gone; all that was there was her milky flesh.

�See? It�s fine! All better!�

He nodded to her once, his surprise refusing to show.

Well, he had finished what he meant to do. It was harder than he expected, lowering himself to a human�s level, but he didn�t regret it. He did not know if it was because of Kohana or for himself, nor did he know if it was for the girl, Kagome, but for some reason, he had mentally accepted his apologetic words. It was strange, but it did not bother him.

He shrugged it off. Perhaps it would do him well not to linger on it.

He blinked slowly, turning around and walking towards the edge of the clearing. The girl said nothing as he reached the forest trees. Before he could step any further, though, she gave her parting words:

�Sesshoumaru� Thank you. Domo arigatou.�

He could hear the true smile in her voice, and he somehow did not mind her informality. He gave no reply, but continued forward.

And as he left, a single smell tantalized his sensitive nose:

She smelt of apples.

--TBC--