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Turning to look over her shoulder, Kagome saw the woman who said that talking to another older woman.

"Yeah, it appears whoever took the priestess is heading South," The older of the two woman said. Shrugging as she picked up the bucket of water in front of her. "And you heard the rumor from that village down the river. Their priestess was killed."

The word "killed" made Kagome's heart start to race. Having to pick up her pace to catch up to the others, she had to tune out the voices around her. What if that feeling I had wasn't just a random thing? I think something's out there.

The next day

Sesshomaru glided over the treeline that was full of green trees transitioning to their fall colors. The wind not bothering him in the slightest, as his focus was on the feeling of Rin to get him back to the group. The thought had him finally landing on the forest floor, still a good distance away from the others. Last night, he had distanced him away from the others in order to spend time roaming in his true demon form. However, it wasn't out of a desire to do so. It was because of what happened last night.

Having spent the late evening observing the usual activities of the others as they were winding down for the day, Sesshomaru had settled far enough away to be able to drown out the constant chatter. It wasn't until long after everyone, even Inuyasha, had fallen asleep that he looked back in the direction of the others. His eyes roaming past the fire to see the dark-haired miko. Per usual, the kitsune and Rin on either side of her.

His focus left the Miko and the children to look back at the fire that was still going strong. The bright orange flames captured him, and he wasn't sure how long he stared. It wasn't until he felt a distressing aura against his own, that he found himself staring back at the miko. With how she was sleeping, he could just barely see her face. Her eyes closed, but her eyebrows furrowed with stress. She was muttering something that even he couldn't hear in her slumber. It was almost similar to the behavior she exhibited while sleeping that week before they had met with her group.

Reaching his aura out slowly, he was taken off guard when his aura met hers and it seemed to calm hers down. Pulling it away after a moment, he stood up and walked to where Jaken and Ah-Un were. "Jaken."

Jaken's eyes opened immediately. "Yes Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Keep an eye on Rin." Was all Sesshomaru said, before he walked away. He heard Jaken say something, but at that time his own eyes were turning red to transform to his true demon form.

Pulling himself away from those thoughts, Sesshomaru continued on to return back to the clearing where the others were. Unlike when he left, everyone was awake and the fire was going strong again.

"Good Morning Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin greeted right away, grinning and waving at him from across the clearing.

At Rin's announcement, the others eyes had gone to him, but moved away shortly after. However, Kagome's focus remained. Leaving Sesshomaru with an unsettling feeling as her eyes met his.

Kagome had smiled when their eyes met. "Rin and I were wondering where you went off to… We're going to start traveling in about half an hour or so."

The miko didn't say anything more, as she had tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her focus back on Rin and the kitsune. Sesshomaru walked away to settle in a spot that gave him distance from the others. Although at the sound of Rin's giggling and the miko's own laughter joining, Sesshomaru's eyes found their way back to them. That only lasted a few seconds before he grew irritated with how it had his interest, and he forced himself to look away and drown out the laughter by focusing on the wind that was picking up.

A half-hour later

Kagome walked slowly through the forest, her aura spread out, and her eyes taking in the area around her. She had begun a game of hide and seek with Shippo and Rin, as it was becoming a good way to see how well Rin could hide her aura. She had already found out where Rin was, but had remained walking around until she found Shippo. If it weren't for the fact that she had easily found Rin's hiding spot without her aura, she would have had trouble finding her. Rin's aura was pulled all the way in.

It took another couple minutes, but Shippo's bushy tail caught Kagome's attention. She couldn't help but smile and laugh, as she captured him. "Got you."

Shippo giggled when Kagome tickled him, and squirmed around a bit. "Dang it!"

"You were hidden really well Shippo." Kagome praised, leaving out how his tail was the obvious reason he was found.

"Have you found Rin yet?" Shippo asked, having been looking over Kagome's shoulder for the young girl.

"Not yet-" Kagome said, breaking off as she got a good idea. Maybe Shippo could find her. Since I already saw her, it might be fun for him to find her. "How about you help me find her?"

"I can't find her…" Shippo trailed off, as he turned looked all around them. "What if she went too far away?"

"Or maybe she's just doing a really good job hiding her aura," Kagome suggested, before setting Shippo down on the ground. "Let's go find her."

It took almost five minutes of looking, before Shippo came to a stop and scowled. "Kagome, I can't find her."

Kagome hummed before pointing to her nose. "How about you try using other ways to look for her?"

Tilting his head to the side, Shippo's nose twitched as he began to try to sniff around. Not even a minute later, he took off in a run and found Rin's hiding spot. A big grin on his face after he cheered. "We got you!"

"Yay!" Rin exclaimed, giggling along with Shippo as she jumped up from her hiding spot.

"I'm proud of both of you. Rin you hid your aura very well, and Shippo you did a great job of finding her." Kagome praised, although found herself distracted at the feeling of Sesshomaru's aura brushing up against hers from a distance.

Sesshomaru had appeared after he had made eye contact with Kagome from a distance. The children seemingly distracted, as he came to a stop in front of her. "It is time to leave."

"I thought so," Kagome said, whistling for the kids attention. "Come on you two! It's time to leave!"

As the kids approached, Shippo was scowling. "Dang it! Already?"

"Can't we play just a little while longer?" Rin asked, her eyes sparkling as she gave Kagome a big smile. "Just a little while longer."

Kagome couldn't help but smile back at Rin, even though she could tell what the little girl was doing. "If we have enough time the next time we stop."

"Okay." Shippo finally agreed for them, although they both held disappointed looks.

"You two hurry along and meet up with the others," Kagome encouraged, shuffling them along and smiling as the two disappeared in the forest to head towards the others. Her eyes landed back on Sesshomaru. "I'm excited to start traveling to get back to Kaede's village. I somehow managed to get some good sleep last night. I think I might have had a nightmare, but I barely remember it. I don't even think I really woke up."

At her mentioning the night before, Sesshomaru was brought back to the moment where his aura meeting hers seemed to be what settled her down. Quickly brushing the thought away, he opted for a change in subject. "You'll be returning to your home then."

Kagome nodded, and smiled at the thought. "Of course, I'll want to spend some time in Kaede's village with you all, but I do miss my family in my own time."

"How long?"

"Uh… I don't know yet. A few days, a week. It just kind of depends," Kagome said, keeping Sesshomaru's eyes for a moment, before she felt like she should look away. "What about you? Do you want to go back to your castle?"

Sesshomaru waited for her eyes to return back to his. "It is a possibility."

"Well, you should if you want to. You could bring Rin too… Of course, I'm not trying to say what you should do. You can do whatever you want to." Kagome said, laughing a little, before she noticed a fallen leaf had entangled itself in Sesshomaru's hair. Without a second thought, she reached over to remove it, her hand brushing his arm lightly.

As if she had burned him, Sesshomaru pulled his arm away immediately. His golden eyes narrowed at hers, before he disappeared in seconds.

Kagome's eyes widened at his sudden action. He just… Disappeared. What just happened?

"Hey Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice hit her ears, and he appeared motioning for her to come over. "Are we ready to go or not?"

Kagome didn't respond at first. Her eyes glued to the treeline where Sesshomaru had gone through and disappeared. She could still feel his aura, but he was a bit farther away.

"Kagome?"

Miroku's voice shook Kagome out of her thoughts, and she went over to Inuyasha. "Yeah, we're ready to go."

They got started traveling. They were quiet for a few minutes, Inuyasha's eyes darted to his side. Looking out into the forest, his eyes narrowed. "Why is Sesshomaru so far away?"

Kagome was quiet at first. Her eyes glancing over in the same direction Inuyasha was looking, before focusing back forward. "I don't know."

"You were just with him right before we left-"

"I said I don't know," Kagome interrupted him quickly, then she sighed. "Why do you care?"

"I don't care," was Inuyasha's immediate reply, as his eyes focused back forward. "I was just saying. Why do you seem like your in a mood?"

Kagome sighed and let her head chin rest on his shoulder. "Sorry, I don't know what's come over me."

"Well, maybe you need to get some sleep. I'll steady out a bit so it won't be as bumpy for you." Inuyasha offered, as he moved to adjust for her.

"Thank you..." Kagome trailed off, her eyes going back to the direction Sesshomaru was in. What just happened with Sesshomaru?

Later that evening

They had stopped to make camp, and they were about to go take a quick bath in the river before the sun went down all the way. Kagome hesitated as they got up to go, and she smiled at Rin and Shippo. "You two go ahead with Sango. I'll catch up in a minute."

"Okay." Both Rin and Shippo chorused as they went along with Sango.

As soon as they were gone, it left just Kagome and Sesshomaru in the clearing, as the others were out to get something for dinner. She turned almost immediately to Sesshomaru, and took a few steps his way. "Sesshomaru-"

Before she could say anything more, the Demon Lord of the West had disappeared immediately.

"Sesshomaru! Wait!" Kagome called, but he was already far away. Sighing heavily, she scratched her head, then turned to go after Sango and the children. I'm so confused. He's ignoring me because of what? Of what happened earlier? I touched his arm. Nothing more.

She had finally met up with the others in time to see Sango's focus on Rin. "Rin, be careful getting into the water here. Some of the rocks are slippery, and it's only shallow on this side of the river."

"I'm being careful." Rin replied back to Sango, after managing to slip a little on one of the rocks.

Once Rin was settled, Sango's eyes met Kagome's. "What took you so long?"

"I wasn't that far behind you." Kagome said, starting to remove her clothes and weapons. She glanced down a bit farther in the stream where she knew Shippo was bathing to get a little privacy from them.

"I guess," Sango said, moving over to the other side of the river as Kagome got in as well. She studied Kagome's expression for a moment, then tilted her head to the side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course I am okay..." Kagome trailed off, an eyebrow raised at Sango's look of concern. "Why do you ask?"

Sango shrugged and looked away from her. "I don't know. You seem off this evening. You were fine this morning."

Kagome shrugged, and tried to rack her brain for an excuse. Coming up with nothing, she sighed. "I really don't know. Maybe it's just this time of year. The weather has been weird. Some days are really cold, and others are pretty moderate almost warm weather… Or maybe I'm just missing home. We haven't been home in a few weeks."

"I can definitely relate to that. I miss Kohaku. It's great that he's been working in the village with Kaede. Ever since we got him from Naraku, I think the regular routine helps, but it is still hard not to see him," Sango said with a sigh. However, she was quick to turn it around with a smile. "We just need to cheer up. We can go back home in a week or two. I can't do anything about the weather, but at least it isn't raining or snowing."

Sango's cheerful attitude finally made Kagome smile. "I guess that's true. Staying positive is all we can do. That or Inuyasha and I will have to separate soon, or I might lose my mind."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Sango agreed with a laugh.

Sango's attention had been grabbed by Rin who was asking about a flower they were passing. With the others distracted, Kagome's eyes glanced up at the sky. I just don't understand Sesshomaru. We were all good for a while. I honestly felt like we were becoming friends, then in a blink of an eye he doesn't want anything to do with me… I just don't get it.

A few hours later

Sesshomaru's eyes returned back to gold from red, as he had transformed back from his true demon form. His heart still racing from the experience. After a few minutes, he was fully calm again, and had started his walk back to the group. Night had fallen a couple of hours ago, and by now the others would have fallen asleep. Which was what he had been waiting for, so he could return back to silence.

It wasn't until he returned back to the clearing that he realized that despite the silence, the unsettling feeling inside of him did not disappear. Remaining at the edge of the clearing, Sesshomaru found his eyes landing on Kagome. The miko was sleeping, per usual, with Rin and Shippo on either side of her. The glowing fire, lighting up the side of her face that he could see. His eyes trailed downward to land on the part of his arm she had touched earlier, and he swore it still felt like it was on fire from the contact. It was the realization that she had felt comfortable enough to do such a thing that was bothersome. I can not fathom what possessed the miko to do that.

A couple of days later

The path ahead of them seemed never-ending, and Kagome's vision blurred the distance out as she found herself lost in thought. Her mind racing around the demon lord that traveled with them. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him and what happened a couple days ago. Ever since then, he hasn't said a word to her, and won't let her say anything to him. He disappears every time she has tried.

A tapping on her arm got Kagome's attention, and she looked down to see Rin walking beside her. She offered the young girl a smile. "What is it Rin?"

"Are you okay?"

Rin's question had taken Kagome slightly off guard, but she was quick to smile and wave it off. "Oh yes, of course I am. I have just been busy thinking."

Curiously, Rin's head titled to the side. "Thinking?"

"Yes," Kagome said, taking a deep breath and looking back to Rin. "I'm taking in the world around me. It makes me feel good."

Rin nodded almost immediately. "Oh, I will do it too then."

Kagome smiled as she watched Rin skip back over to Shippo, and the two went into whispering and giggling with one another. I love how they've become friends. It's going to be difficult once Sesshomaru decides that Rin's had enough training… The thought of Sesshomaru had her eyes sliding over in his direction. He had been distant, but he was at least in sight of them now. I just don't get it where I went wrong. I thought we were becoming friends… Maybe it was something I did. Maybe I was just getting too comfortable. Sesshomaru doesn't really seem like someone who wants friends, and just because I do doesn't mean that I can force friendship with him. I really don't know...

The wind picked up a little, and some strands of her hair started flying. Lifting her chin a little, she was able to take in the relaxing wind. In a blink of the eye, it was like she was hit with a brick wall. A darkening feeling made her stumble a little and gasp.

"Kagome, what is it?" Sango asked, having had to stop to avoid Kagome who had stopped abruptly. A hand resting on her tiny baby bump.

Inuyasha appeared at Kagome's side, as he watched Kagome's expression change to one of uncertainty. He was able to see the look of distress in her eyes. "Kagome?"

"Demons." Kagome mumbled, having been hoping they were going to go away like they had before, but they were coming on strong now.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked, having searched with his eyes and aura. "We're the only ones around here for miles."

Kagome continued to feel the demons auras, almost as if they were calling out to her, and it began to start to click in her mind. "They're doing it on purpose. Reaching out to me alone. With this kind of demon-"

"Kagome," Rin interrupted, her hands on either side of her head, as she moved to the older priestess. "Something doesn't feel good. It won't go away. I don't like it."

"I know Rin. It'll be okay," Kagome said to try to calm the fear Rin was starting to show. "They must have hit my aura first, before hitting Rin's. Mine is farther out."

"How can Rin sense them too?" Shippo asked, a little confused.

"Because they're calling out to us..." Kagome said explained, shuffling Rin and Shippo towards Sango. "Sango-"

"I'll keep them safe." Sango interrupted, giving Kagome a nod, a frown growing on her face. She had come to accept over the passing weeks that she wasn't able to be as involved in the action like she normally would. A sacrifice she was happy to make in order to keep her unborn child safe, but it was still hard seeing her friends go off to fight without her.

"Come on, let's go," Kagome said to the others, going straight to Inuyasha to climb on his back, as she pointed ahead of them. "Go that way."

Miroku jumped on Kilala after giving a nod to Sango. Sesshomaru followed shortly after telling Jaken to stay with Rin and Ah-Un when he complained.

It didn't take long for them to slowly get farther and farther away from one another, as they fought. Kagome had been doing well on her own, but found herself distracted when she caught sight of something coming through the trees. "Fog! There's fog!"

Miroku, who was the closest to her, had apparently noticed it as well. "This will make things more difficult!"

"Don't worry. I got this for us," Inuyasha replied, sending out his windscar. Letting his tessaiga rest lightly on the ground, some of the fog cleared like he thought, but it returned shortly after. "Damn."

Kagome, meanwhile, was not having as much problem with the fog. Unlike the last time she came across a fog demon, she was much quicker in her actions. Taking a couple of demons down with ease made her think back to her training a couple of months ago with Koga. Although, an image of Sesshomaru popped up in her head causing her to falter in her current fight with one of the demons. The demon had managed to get behind her, and she just barely turned when she noticed a poison whip had taken the demon down.

Sesshomaru appearing close enough to see through the fog. His eyes on her, as the poison from his claws stopped dripping.

Scowling at his interference, Kagome walked right past him. "I could have got it!"

The next person Kagome came across was Inuyasha, and he had taken down a demon right next to the one she had taken down. He moved closer to her. "You're doing well Kagome."

Scowling as that reminded of what Sesshomaru just did, Kagome turned so her back was towards him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't mean in it a bad way," Inuyasha said, knowing by her tone that she was annoyed. "I mean, Miroku even had to get up above the fog on Kilala to be able to fight. You're just doing a great job."

"Thanks," Kagome managed to say before they got separated again. Fortunately for her, her strengthened senses finally had her pointed to where the fog was likely coming from. Realizing Inuyasha was near her again, she smiled at the good timing. "Inuyasha! Send your windscar North when I say go okay?!"

"Okay!" Inuyasha shouted back, trusting her choice without hesitation.

Kagome's eyes focused in on the fog to pinpoint the right location, and she was finally able to get an idea. "Okay now!"

Inuyasha windscar started up, and he sent it off. Giving her just enough visibility to shoot an arrow right into the demon that was giving off the fog. The purified arrow took over the demon, and soon enough the fog was lifting.

"Way to go Kagome and Inuyasha!" Miroku called, as he was able to return to the ground.

Kagome didn't have much time to celebrate, as she realized the demons were getting a little too close to the area where Sango, the kids, and Jaken and Ah-Un were. She pulled an arrow and managed to take down one of the demons to give the others enough time to get on Ah-Un to go to a different location.

Sango throwing out her Hiraikotsu to take some of the demons out for them, and giving a nod to Miroku who was on Kilala.

From down on the ground, Kagome could see the others leaving, and she noticed some demons take an interest. However, she was quick to take them down. One with her bow, and the other with her knife. She jogged over to collect it, and turned back in time for Inuyasha coming back to her. "We need to hurry this up. The demons could go after them."

"I don't know," Miroku said, having flown over them before landing with Kilala. "They seem more interested in you actually."

"Let's just finish this!" Kagome called back, trying not to think about that right now.

A half-hour later

Sango could see the worry and fear going across Rin and Shippo's features. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I should be with Sesshomaru. Helping him fight those demons," Jaken said, scowling as he turned back to the others. "Instead I'm here babysitting the annoying children and the whiny wench-"

"You're not helpful!" Sango interrupted, her eyes glaring as she propped a hand on her hip.

Before Jaken could say anything, Sesshomaru broke through the treeline. All her worries gone, Rin jumped off of Ah-Un's saddle, and ran right over to Sesshomaru. "Lord Sesshomaru. You're okay!"

Sesshomaru's eyes fell briefly to see Rin's eyes shining and her big smile. He rested his hand on the top of her head for a moment, before the others came from the forest as well.

"Kagome!" Shippo called, taking off full speed to jump up into her arms.

"I'm fine too guys." Inuyasha said at Shippo's over-dramatics, and as Sango going straight for Miroku. At the lack of the usual response from Kagome at him being dramatic, his eyes landed on her to find a strange look on her face.

Rin had gone right to Kagome from Sesshomaru, and she wrapped her arms around Kagome's legs. "Are you okay?"

Kagome gave a nod, but kept her eyes on the ground. "I'm okay."

After it seemed everyone was all okay, Inuyasha was the first to look back in the direction of where all the demons had been. "Okay, are we going to talk about how weird that was? Only Kagome and Rin could sense those demons. Kagome said it was like they were calling out to her. Why Kagome and not anyone else?"

"Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken stared, having only got to witness some of the fighting. "Those demons are just like the ones we encountered on the day we first met with the priestess towards the first part of Fall."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes darting from Jaken to Sesshomaru, then landing on Kagome. "You've encountered these demons before?"

Kagome was quiet for a moment, before she finally sighed. "They were like the ones that tried to go after Rin on that day I discovered her spiritual energy-"

"You mean the demons that almost killed you?!" Inuyasha interrupted, his eyes narrowed, and at her lack of response he reached over to tap her shoulder. "Kagome?"

"You were right," Rin spoke up before Kagome could say anything, one hand togging Kagome's sleeve, and the other twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Those demons were nearby."

All eyes went to Kagome then, Miroku motioning from Rin to Kagome. "What is she talking about Kagome?"

His question was met with silence, as Kagome's eyes were glossed over. Despite Sango adding an additional question of what was going on, Kagome's silence remained. Unlike the others, Inuyasha's patience started running thin. "Kagome! What in the hell is going on?"

"It's just that, a few days ago I thought I might have possibly sensed them," Kagome explained hurriedly, before waving her hands. "I wasn't sure though, because it just showed up for like a second-"

"You knew about this a few days ago and didn't say anything!" Inuyasha interrupted her, his eyes wide with surprise at first, but filled with anger at Kagome's lack of immediate response.

"Inuyasha, I just happened to have a feeling that I didn't really know for sure meant anything..." Kagome started, but trailed off as she remembered what she overheard in one of the villages they passed through. "Although, I might have overheard some rumors about priestesses being taken away while we were visiting one of the villages-"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed at the same time as Shippo said, "Really?"

"Kagome," Sango started, in a much softer tone than Inuyasha used. Her eyes soft, but her disapproving frown filled her face. "This is kind of serious. You should have said something when you heard that."

"I was going to but I just-"

"Weren't thinking," Inuyasha interrupted, his arms crossed. "How could you not tell us? How could you be so stupid?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed at him calling her stupid. "Inuyasha, it doesn't make a difference now, because they are dead."

"It still matters Kagome! There are obviously more of them out there, and they could come after you-"

"That could happen to any of us at any time," Kagome interrupted him this time, as she scowled. "In case you forgot, you have your fair share of enemies too Inuyasha!"

"That's not the point!" Inuyasha exclaimed, pointing right in Rin's direction. "It's not just you that you put at risk here!"

"I already feel bad enough, but thanks for pointing it out..." Kagome trailed off, her eyes dropping down to the ground, as she got a sickening feeling in her stomach. After a moment, she turned away from the others. "There is a village nearby that you could stay the night at. You can stay there as long as you like, or return back to Kaede's village in the morning. You'd still make it on time like we originally planned."

With that said, Kagome walked off in the opposite direction. Sango knew exactly where this was going. "Kagome! Come back!"

Miroku brought his hand to his face and sighed deeply. "Not again."

"Go with Kagome Kilala," Sango said, setting the two-tailed demon cat down after having given her some attention. Waiting until after she couldn't see Kilala anymore, Sango turned on Inuyasha. "You shouldn't have brought up Rin."

At Sango's disapproving frown, Inuyasha's anger only seem to rise. "Oh, so it's okay that Kagome withheld important information from all of us?"

"Are you actually blind?!" Sango snapped back at him, her eyes glaring. "Did you completely miss the look on her face? She already knows she made a mistake Inuyasha, and you yelling at her didn't help!"

Miroku could see that their fighting was starting to get Rin upset, and he was quick to step between the two. "Enough. This isn't the time or place to be having this conversation. We'll go to the village nearby to stay the night, then we can figure out what we are going to do tomorrow."

"Fine," Inuyasha agreed, slipping his hands into his sleeves to cross his arms. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Not without Kagome!" Shippo exclaimed, his eyes narrowing at Inuyasha.

Annoyed with Shippo's look he was giving him, Inuyasha glared right back at him. "Why don't you just go off on your own, like a moron, and go find her yourself?"

"Inuyasha!" Sango cut in before Shippo and Inuyasha could start squabbling.

"I'm sorry, what are you yelling at me for?! Am I the only one bothered that Kagome just intentionally put herself in danger?!" Inuyasha shouted back at Sango. Spinning on his heel, he stalked off in the direction of the nearby village.

After a moment of awkward silence, Miroku cleared his throat. "We should go."

"Hey," Sango started, getting down to Rin's eye level, as she offered the young girl a smile. "I know a lot of scary stuff just happened, but everything is going to be okay. Kagome will be okay. She's strong. You know that better than anyone, as she's been teaching you. She's just a little upset right now, and we need to give her some time, okay?"

Pulling at the ends of her hair, Rin's eyes remained glued to where Kagome had disappeared to. It took a moment, but her eyes finally fell to the ground. "Is she going to come back?"

"Yes, she will when she is ready," Sango replied, offering a smile when Rin glanced up to her. "Come on. Let's get to the village before sundown."

A half-hour later, out in the forest

Sesshomaru flew past the river, before continuing on over the trees. Almost as soon as he got the opportunity, he had taken off from the others. He had come to abrupt after another few minutes, his eyes going from gold to red, then back to gold again. Increasingly agitated at the lack of finding the miko's aura anywhere. He had followed her scent trail to a point, until it disappeared. He assumed she had taken off on the two-tailed cat at that point. This ultimately led him to rely only on aura, and it was nowhere to be found.

Realizing it was futile to continue on, he turned to go back to the group. After managing to calm the part of him that was ready to transform with his anger, he began to reflect back on everything that happened. One moment in particular while in the midst of fighting. She had given him a glare after he took down a demon that was about to get her, and she snapped at him before storming away. He couldn't understand why he kept thinking about that moment, but it kept on playing over and over.

A few hours later

Hearing the distant howl of wolves, Kagome sighed as she took in the familiar atmosphere of where Koga's den was. She had just finished catching Ayame up on the events of what happened, and re-living it certainly didn't make her feel any better. "It's just all my fault."

"You might be over-reacting here Kagome." Ayame said, having listened patiently through Kagome's telling of what happened, but she thought it didn't sound that bad. If anything, Kagome was putting more pressure on herself.

"I don't think so," Kagome said, taking a shaky breath as she almost felt herself start to cry. But she was able to successfully calm the tears down. "It's my fault. It's not anyone else's."

"Hey, it isn't your fault that those demons attacked." Ayame said, having been able to see that was where Kagome was getting at.

"Why wouldn't it be my fault?" Kagome countered, the events leading up to the attack going around and around in her head. "There were so many moments where I could have prevented this. I had a bad feeling. I should have said something to my friends, and I just… I didn't. Then everything went into chaos. Inuyasha got so mad at me when he found out I knew something but didn't say anything."

Ayame was quiet for a moment, before she shrugged. "I don't know. I think they would have attacked either way. Yeah, I'm sure Inuyasha was angry, but that's not unreasonable. Just say that you're sorry, and will make an effort to tell them if something feels weird in the future."

"I guess… But I just can't get past it. This feeling of guilt is eating at me," Kagome admitted, feeling a little sick to her stomach just talking about it. "Rin felt those demons too. They were calling out for her too. She was in just as much danger as I was, and the attack could have been much worse… I don't think I could live with myself if they got to her."

A commotion started up with some of the other pack members. Only to find out it was due to Koga and some of the other members returning from a hunt. Ayame, meanwhile, was still focused on Kagome. "The important thing is that you recognize what happened. You'll make different decisions next time."

"Yeah I guess." Kagome sighed, looking over her shoulder when she heard the familiar laughter of Koga.

Koga's eyes landed on Kagome and Ayame, and he dropped the hog they had brought back from hunting. "Hey Kagome. What's up?"

Kagome shrugged and frowned at the thought of everything circled around her head again. "I was in the area."

"I thought you'd be back home, or at least still up North." Koga said, stopping by Ayame, with his eyes on Kagome.

"Yeah well, we decided to travel East a bit… How big of a mistake that was..." Kagome trailed off with a long, disappointed sigh.

Koga raised an eyebrow at that, before scratching his head. "What was a mistake?"

"I was actually coming here to talk to you," Kagome explained, then she motioned to Ayame. "However, Ayame has been very helpful, so it's okay. You can go."

"What?" Koga asked, scratching his head again, as Ayame laughed.

Kagome smiled and waved off his question. "It's a long story. One I can fill you in on shortly after I finish talking to Ayame."

Later that night, Sesshomaru's POV

The others had fallen asleep in the building they were sleeping in for the night. Inuyasha being the last of which, as he spent a good bit of time pacing back and forth until the demon slayer told him to get some sleep because he wasn't helping. It had become clear to Sesshomaru that despite Inuyasha's anger towards the miko, he was still concerned for her well-being. Which all of the others in the group seemed to know despite not having voiced it out loud.

His thoughts went away from Inuyasha, as his eyes swept the forest line in the direction Kagome was last seen. When he realized he had been searching for her aura again, he scowled with annoyance. The fact that he had even bothered to look was beneath him. She's skipping her training Rin, and that was what we were here for. Despite him telling himself that, he found his eyes back on the forest. Realizing what was happening started an unsettling feeling inside of him, as the thought of the missing miko seemed to refuse to disappear.

Outside the Wolf Den

Kagome had gone outside for some air after having spent the last few hours distracted by all of Koga's tribe members. She had to put on her extra jacket as it was a bit colder that night than it had been so far that Fall. With Kilala curled up in her lap she felt a little bit more warmth as well. Thinking back to her conversations with Ayame and Koga. They did make her feel a little bit better, but once she was on her own it was different. I can't help but shake this… nauseating feeling of what could have ended up happening. Sure everything ended up fine, but there are so many things that could have gone wrong… I put Rin in danger. Then Inuyasha… She knew that Inuyasha was angry, but what he said to her was a lot. She was an idiot for doing what she did. At least she felt like one. Reaching up to her cheek when she felt a tear escape, she had to take a deep breath to try to control it. What can I do now?

A/N: A lot of drama has happened in this chapter. First a weird moment happens leaving Sesshomaru not speaking to Kagome, then they run into trouble with some of the same demons they fought the day that Kagome ran into Sesshomaru and his group back in the beginning of the story. Now Kagome's gone off, and the group is left in the midst of anger and uncertainty. What do you think will happen? Will Kagome be able to return to her friends and work everything out? What about her situation with Sesshomaru?

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