The sunlight filtered down through the trees, dappling the ground in soft shades of gold and green. A few butterflies flittered lazily around, wandering off into the forest. It was full of evenly spaced oaks and cedars, with the occasional bush or ivy. The breeze swirled peacefully around, alleviating the mild heat. All in all, it was a beautiful spring day.

Kagome had never felt more miserable. She leaned back against the dry wood of the well, her short skirt rukking up around her thighs. Inuyasha was supposed to have met her ages ago, yet here she stood, still in the clearing holding the Bone Eaters well. For kami's sake it was already afternoon! Not that she was very much surprised, however. Things had been stilted between them for a few weeks now. He kept drifting off to see Kikyo, more and more often. Kagome barely felt the pain of that anymore. She wished he wouldn't leave them unprotected, what with Naraku still around. But really, she didn't know why she even had hope for a 'them' anymore.

She scoffed lightly, scrubbing a brown loafer into the dirt. Things between her and the brash hanyou had never been particularly good. It was a wonder she even held out hope for something romantic. She needed to move on and focus on the important things. Just like she'd told herself to do a million times before.

A crunch echoed harshly through the clearing, snapping her out of her dour mood. Her head snapped up, long black locks moving wildly at the sudden motion. She met an amber gaze. For a minute, her heart jumped, until she noticed the impossibly distant look in those golden eyes.

"Oh, hi Sesshomaru-san. Passing through?"

The demon lord looked over at her thoughtfully, his stance regal as always. She wondered how he kept that kimono so spotlessly clean, and the fluffy shawl! It was almost long enough to hit the ground, yet it was always a perfect, snowy white. The red hexagonal design along his collar reminded her of blood, secretly, she thought that was probably why he had chosen it. His angular face was expressionless as always, but there was a peaceful cast to his features. She used to think Inuyasha and Sesshomaru looked so similar, but the differences were easily spotted now. Inuysha's yellow eyes and gray hair paled in comparison to Sesshomaru's golden orbs and silvery locks. Inuyasha was surely not human, but his elder brother seemed positively otherworldly.

"Hn… you seem to be alone," he remarked, arching one slender eyebrow at her. She snorted softly at how he ignored her question. They had teamed up against Naraku more than once these last four years, so she was fairly used to his lofty manner by now.

"Your brother-"

"Half brother," he interjected, ignoring her frown.

". . . Anyways, he was supposed to meet me here this morning but... ," she gestured around at the late afternoon sun. "I would just head to Edo myself, but I really have the most horrible sense of direction." She let out a sheepish grin at that, but it faded as he kept staring at her. She was about to say something else just to fill the silence when he turned slightly.

"Come then, Miko," his deep voice intoned as he started walking off. She looked at him askance a minute before shrugging and following along, slinging her black backpack over one shoulder.

They walked in silence for a few moments through the shady trees.

"It seems… curious that you would continue to stay with one such as him." Her black

head tilted up at him, blue eyes darkening with a shadow of pain. She bit her lip, hands wringing together without her noticing.

"I… am not sure what you mean Sesshomaru-san. Inuysha is my friend and I-I have a responsibility to the jewel." He kept walking serenely forward, his emotions hidden to her behind his perfectly impassive face. Flustered by his lack of response, she blundered on.

"I have been with him so long now, what else could I even do?"

"That is not for this one to answer."

She huffed lightly, cheeks hot with her mild frustration. What was his deal, making her all confused like this? There wasn't any reason she would leave Inuysha! Well, okay, there weren't too many reasons. She couldn't even really leave him because they weren't together in the first place!

She deflated suddenly, her hands unclenching. Maybe Sesshomaru had a point. What was holding her to Inuyasha? She didn't need him to locate the jewel shards. After four years, she'd become decently talented with her bow and picked up a few tips on hand to hand fighting from Sango. Emotionally… well, there wasn't much to say about that. But could she really travel the countryside alone? She looked up at the demon lord, brow furrowed in thought.

"I suppose I'll have to think about why I'm still here with him. Even if it's not perfect, I still don't think I could complete the jewel entirely on my own."

He looked over at her thoughtfully, his eyes sweeping over her form before he continued to look off into the trees. His gaze made a blush sweep over her cheeks again.

"There are many who would accept one such as you in order to vanquish that scum Naraku, Miko, including this Sesshomaru."

Mouth spluttering open, she was halted completely in place for a full ten seconds. Until she realized that he had not stopped walking, which caused her to lurch forward, hurrying to keep up. Kagome glanced up at the taiyoukai, unsure if she had truly heard him correctly.

"Are you saying I could join your pack, Sesshomaru-san?" God, Inuyasha would really kill her for that. He may not seem attached to her, but joining one of the people he hated most? She shuddered lightly just imagining his explosive anger.

"Pack is permanent… and more intimate than what this one suggested." Her eyebrows bunched together as she turned confused sapphire eyes to him.

"Permanent? Then how could I ever leave Inuyasha's pack?"

Her eyes got impossibly wide as the dignified lord next her let out what could only be described as a snort. Soft, but unmistakable. A hint of something entered his golden gaze as he looked down at her.

"Youkai pack marks have their own magic. Once given, they can never be removed. I do not sense any such mark from you."

"Wait- are you saying that Inuyasha doesn't actually have a pack? Because none of us have any marks!" The indignation was clear in her voice. Her eyes grew supicoulsy wet at his words. Did Inuyasha truly care so little for them? She knew pack was very important to youkai, more serious than family. To think that he didn't care for anyone that way… it was like a shard of ice piercing her chest.

"It would appear to be so."

Kagome stumbled on a few steps before she looked around her. The village was spread out before her, dusk beginning to paint the buildings in tones of gold and rosey pink. Her head whipped around to find Sesshomaru still within the cover of the trees. The shadows all but hid him from view, except for those glowing golden eyes. She sniffed, attempting to hide her hurt from him with a bright smile.

"Anyways, that was fast! Thanks for taking me here, you really didn't have to." She looked up at him expectantly, smile fading as the silence wore on. Finally, he turned back to the forest, breaking his intense gaze off. She shivered slightly as he left her with one parting sentence before melting off into the trees.

"Do not forget this one's offer, Miko."

Sesshomaru, hidden within the darkening forest, stared consideringly at Kagome's back. She walked as unhurriedly into Edo always, but there were changes in her. He remembered how indignant and young she had been four years ago. A child. Now, however, her hips swung with a subtle grace, accentuating her curvy figure. Her black hair hung in wavy locks down her back, shining with a blue sheen in the dying sun.

Her face had lost what little baby fat she had left, those blue eyes giving her an exotic flair. She still wore that shaming outfit, but it was obvious how much she had grown. No, child is not the word he would use to describe her now.

He wondered if she had truly grown enough to consider what he could offer her.

XXX Hey everyone! What lies in the shadows was a childhood project that I am revising and reposting! I hope that you enjoy the changes to the original story. Please review! They motivate me so much.