Author's note: Okay, next chapter, guys! Let's see, to tell you the truth I don't personally see Kagome's prologue in this chapter as being all that important to the plot, except well, when she's remembering those things and she's talking about how she feels towards the two brothers. I put in the part with the Little Prince simply because I love the quote. It can apply to a lot of things. Since I originally read it in French and it is originally written in French, I have the French version written down as my quote for this chapter. The English part I translated myself, like everything else, so those of you who have read it in English, that's why it's not the exact wording. Sorry! But I suggest you all read that book, the Little Prince. It's incredible how much wisdom can be stored in a children's book!

Another thing, and this is important, is the timing of the story right now. We're just before Kikyou is 'killed' by Naraku at Mt. Hakudoshi or whatever. I realise my plot doesn't really correspond to the actual plot during this time, but it's my story so deal with it!

Oh, and someone please tell me how you're actually supposed to bloody spell Tessaiga or Tetsusaiga (oh hell, I've no idea)!

I do not currently, formerly, or will ever own Inuyasha! Boo hoo hoo

The Moon's Reflection

Tu n'es encore pour moi qu'un petit garçon tout semblable à cent mille petits garçons. Et je n'ai pas besoin de toi. Et tu n'as pas besoin de moi non plus. Je ne suis pour toi qu'un renard semblable à cent mille renards. Mais, si tu m'apprivoises, nous aurons besoin l'un de l'autre. Tu seras pour moi unique au monde. Je serai pour toi unique au monde…

Le Petit Prince

"You are still to me," she read to Shippo from her book, "a little boy the same amongst a hundred other little boys. And I have no need for you. And you have no need for me either. I am only a fox to you the same amongst a hundred other foxes. But, if you were to tame me, we would have need of one another. You will be unique to me in the world. I will be unique to you in the world…"

She paused to turn the page, allowing her words to linger in the air. She was reading 'The Little Prince' to Shippo. She had always loved it as a child and still loved it to this day. She had brought the book back with her and had been reading it for herself when Shippo had asked her to read it for him as well. Of course, Kagome had been more than happy to do so. And when it turned out that Shippo liked it as much as she did, it had become a nightly ritual for her to read from it before going to bed.

"Kagome?" Shippo said just as Kagome was about to start on the new page. "What does the fox mean when he says 'if you were to tame me'? Why does he want to be tamed?"

Kagome looked away from her book to see Shippo gazing at her curiously from her lap. She hugged him closer to herself. "He wants to have the Little Prince become responsible for him. Then they could be friends and that's what he wants."

Shippo looked at her with a look of utmost attention and seriousness. "Then does that mean that you've tamed me?" he asked with a yawn, drawing closer to Kagome for the warmth that she provided.

She ruffled his hair and laid him down in her sleeping bag. "I've tamed you just as much as you've tamed me. For now, though, it's time for you to go to sleep." She got to her feet.

Shippo pouted but stayed in Kagome's sleeping bag. "How come you're not going to sleep? I want to go to sleep when you do!"

Kagome gave him a stern look, at the same time putting away her book and bringing out her bath stuff. "Shippo," she said reprovingly. "I would have thought you knew better than this. It's really late, and we're getting up early in the morning. You need your rest."

Shippo opened his mouth to protest but Kagome didn't give him the chance. "Look, Shippo, I'm tired and don't want to argue. Plus, I'm going to bed as soon as I take a bath."

Shippo looked as though he wanted to whine some more, but Kagome had already turned her back to him and was making her way into the thick walls of trees.

They had passed a small lake a little more than five minutes before they had stopped to rest. She made her way towards it and quickly changed into her bathing suit.

She couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine as she stepped into the water. The whether had been steadily getting cooler since two days ago, the day after the storm, and the water was like ice against her skin. She drifted in until the water reached her knees, and then dived in. She let out a soundless squeak of bubbles underneath the water.

Her mind was barely on what she was doing as she washed her hair. She sat on the lake floor, her hands scrubbing her scalp, her mind on the words she had just read to Shippo.

'But, if you were to tame me, we will have need of one another.' Her fingers left her scalp to brush lightly over her lips. 'You will be unique to me in the world. I will be unique to you in the world…' She let out a sigh.

Kagome suddenly snapped out of whatever reverie she had been in. She hadn't been aware of what she had been doing and dropped her hand irritably. She had promised herself that she would not think of Sesshoumaru and his kiss. The problem was that this was easier said than done.

Even though it had been couple of days since the night he had rescued her, she had seen neither head nor tail of him (pun intended). She was furious with herself for seeming to care so much. All day she forced herself to concentrate on anything but him, but just as she let down her guard he would be back on her mind. The thing was anyone would find it hard to forget that an exceptionally deadly yet beautiful demon had kissed them. One that had once been your enemy, one who was supposed to hate everything and anything to do with your race.

Kagome dunked back into the water to wash out the soap from her hair. When she resurfaced again, she started washing the rest of her body. She found herself wishing for the pressure of the waterfall at which she had seen Sesshoumaru.

Why did he kiss me? The question ran through her mind before she could quell it. She couldn't figure it out. Sesshoumaru was not known for his willing acceptance of humans. It was, in fact, just the opposite. He had even tried to kill her. But, admittedly, that had been a long time ago and many things had changed since then. For one, there was Rin. He travelled with a human child; that had to be proof enough that he wasn't as cold-hearted as he'd originally seemed. And then, even more evident, was his relationship with her. They'd become, albeit a bit slowly, friends, hadn't they? He'd saved her life. And she had saved his in return. That had to count for something. Was it really that unbelievable that, perhaps, maybe, there was a small chance that there might be something more than just friendship that he intended to have?

Yes.

She let out another sigh and swam back to the shore of the small lake. She dried herself in record time and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweat shirt. She snuggled against the warmth of her clothes which was very comforting after the cold of the water.

It was as she was rapping her towel around her sodden hair that she heard the crack of a twig snapping. She straightened like a bullet, all her senses on the alert within an instant. She could just hear the sound of someone grumbling and making their way towards her. Now more curious rather than wary, Kagome snuck behind a rock to see who it was.

"…she would go all the way here to get soaked," the person was saying, and Kagome realised that it was a woman. "Not to mention she can catch a cold. I swear, she's obsessed!"

Kagome stifled a giggle as she recognized Sango's voice. She stepped out from behind the rock. "Sang—,"

"AHH!" Kagome had to dock fast as a rock came flying through the air right where her head had been a few minutes ago.

"What are you DOING?" she demanded hotly, springing back to her feet and rubbing mud off her pants.

Sango looked horror-struck. "Oh my god, Kagome-chan! I'm so sorry! I didn't realise it was you!"

"Figures!" Kagome said grumpily. "Did you want a bath then?"

Sango shook her head, still looking sorry. "No…I actually came to look for you. Didn't want to stay there with only the guys…"

Kagome could see a blush covering her friend's cheeks and thought she had a pretty good idea why Sango didn't want to stay with only the guys. She smiled at her and said, "Well, I'm finished here. I was just going to come back to the camp. Inuyasha would want us to wake up early tomorrow. You know, with Naraku and all…"

She turned towards the tree line expecting Sango to follow her; only she didn't. Kagome turned back towards her to see what the matter was. Sango was behind her, a look of hesitation on her face.

"Sango, are you alright?" Kagome asked slowly.

Sango began to nod her head only to switch half way through. "Speaking of Naraku…" she began almost shyly.

Kagome turned around fully and looked at her friend, waiting for her to continue. "Go on," she said encouragingly.

Sango looked away from her and instead concentrated on the rock Kagome had been hiding behind. "Well…he…uh…he seems to think that there's a link between you and Sesshoumaru's sword!"

"What, Tokijin?" Kagome asked with surprise.

Again, Sango shook her head. "No, with Tensaiga!"

"Tensaiga?" Kagome asked stupidly. What the hell is this about?

Sango nodded.

"How do you know?"

Finally, Sango looked up. "He asked us about it when he'd kidnapped you. He wanted to know about the relation between you and Tensaiga."

Kagome let out a long whistle, at the same time rubbing the base of her skull.

Sango was still staring at her most avidly, as though she was waiting for something. "Um…Kagome-chan?" she said hesitantly.

Kagome's attention was called back to her and she only then saw the avid look in Sango's eyes. "Hmm?"

"What…what is the link?" she asked.

Kagome frowned. "What? Between me and Tensaiga?"

Sango nodded.

She couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Come on, Sango! Like I'd know! Plus, who's to say there even is a link. You're only proof is Naraku's word."

"You have to admit, though, there does seem to be a link between you and Sesshoumaru's sword." Sango persisted.

Kagome opened her mouth to disagree with this only to have a new notion cross her mind. She'd heard a voice once when they had been in battle with Sesshoumaru. The voice had asked for help for her master. And she had given it. She had given it without hesitation. She'd seen her energy reach the sword that had been pointed towards her, and she had seen, she had helped, save this sword's master. Did that mean that there was a link?

"Kagome-chan?" Sango's hesitant voice broke through her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Absentmindedly, Kagome shook her head. "I've just remembered…back when I first met Sesshoumaru, he threatened to kill me with Tensaiga. Only…only it didn't really work since I recognized the sword for what it was right off the back…"

Sango looked quite surprised at this. "Why didn't you ever tell me that before?"

Kagome looked at her and shrugged. "I don't know. There are so many things that are new to me in this time that you guys take for granted that I just assumed this was another one."

They were both silent for a while, considering the information. Is there something between me and Sesshoumaru's sword? The thought ran across Kagome's mind. It was possible, after all. Had she not been the only person who could pull out Tessaiga? She had a link with it, why not with its twin?

"Kagome-chan?" Sango began again. "What about you and Sesshoumaru himself?"

To her horror, Kagome found herself blushing brilliantly at Sango's words. "What about me and Sesshoumaru?" she asked, trying to sound innocent but failing miserably.

Sango gave her a semi-suspicious look, but seemed to have not noticed her blush in the dark. "I don't mean to sound presumptuous or anything, but he just seems to always be there whenever you're in trouble. Whenever Inuyasha can't get to you in time, he saves you. He's supposed to hate humans, but that's not true in your case. Kagome-chan, he seems to … like you!"

By now, Kagome had stopped her fruitless efforts to push down the blush that had covered her face and neck. "…h-he likes Rin and she's human."

She gave her an almost pitying smile. "Kagome-chan…Rin is a child."

"Well, so what?" Kagome said almost defiantly. "In my time, I'm not an adult either!"

"But you are in our time!"

Kagome flopped down onto the ground in a huff. "What are you getting at?!"

Sango walked up to where she was and sat down next to her. "I've been your friend for a long time, now, Kagome-chan. I have relied on your friendship and strength in many cases and you've come through for me. I can trust you. You can trust me too," she said kindly. "You can tell me what's going on, you know."

Kagome considered her for a while. It can't hurt to tell her… she mused, focusing on her bare toes.

"Kagome-chan…has something happened?" Sango asked in response to her silence.

Kagome began to shake her head half-heartedly but soon stopped. "Well…I'm not…sure…"

She could just imagine Sango raising her eyebrow at her vague answer. Sango remained silent, however, waiting for Kagome to continue.

Looking determinedly away from Sango, Kagome started telling Sango everything. She did not tell her about the occasion she had lent her power to Tensaiga, however. She couldn't find it in herself to tell Sango about what would have been her betrayal at the time. She'd just have to think that out on her own.

Through out her whole monologue she did not once look at Sango, afraid of what she would see. But when she got to the part when Sesshoumaru had kissed her, she could not help a quick side glance. Not surprisingly, Sango seemed to be just as shocked about this as she had been. Her mouth was gaping, and her eyes large with disbelief. Kagome looked away hastily, ruthlessly pushing down another blush attack. It took Sango a good minute before she spoke again.

"…Kagome-chan…," seemed to be the only thing she could say.

Kagome screwed up her face in mock-suffering, gently biting down on the side of her lower lip. "That's not all…," she said in almost a whisper. She felt a strong rush of guilt as she prepared to finally admit to the one thing that she'd been persistently denying for the past two days. She swallowed hard. "I…er…I enjoyed it…"

She heard Sango let out a small gasp beside her, and she buried her face in her hands. She could feel the heat radiating off her face against her palms.

"But…Kagome-chan…what…how…oh dear!" Sango seemed to have been rendered speechless. "He's a demon…a-a demon lord…he hates humans…oh dear! What about Inuyasha?!"

Kagome groaned into her hands and buried her face deeper.

"Kagome-chan, do you still love him?" Sango asked quietly.

All Kagome could do was shrug.

"Do you love Sesshoumaru?" she seemed to ask almost hesitantly.

At this, Kagome lifted her head and finally looked at Sango, one eyebrow raised. "I should think not! Honestly Sango, he's like only kissed me, and that was without my permission. That doesn't mean I love the guy! I just said I liked the kiss!"

Sango gave her an apologising smile. "Sorry, I got carried away." The smile slid off her face and she turned a serious look at Kagome. "But Kagome-chan, will you tell Inuyasha?"

Again, Kagome felt a rush of guilt. Grimacing at the thought, Kagome said, "Well…it's not really any of his business. This is between me and Sesshoumaru." She tried to sound aloof while saying this.

"Kagome-chan, you know that's not true…"

Kagome threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Okay, I give! Maybe it is his business, but I don't want to tell him. Plus, I'm not sure how I feel about him anymore." She had started this and she was prepared to say all that she needed to say. She let out a short laugh, almost rueful. "Sango," she said honestly, "I'm tired of following him around like some starry-eyed teenager! I loved him, he didn't love me back. I'm not gonna wait around anymore till the day he decides to come around. Sometimes, I want him to choose Kikyou, and then I'll be free! No more feeling sad because I'm second. I'm second to no one!" She'd squared her shoulders and was looking unflinchingly into Sango's eyes as she said this. She meant every word of what she said.

Sango remained silent. It was hard to tell what was going through her mind. She was looking at Kagome, but there was neither encouragement nor disapproval in her eyes. "I…didn't know that's how you felt. I guess you've given up on him then," when she said this, her voice held the smallest hint of disappointment. "But Kagome-chan, does this mean you want to…I don't know…to have Sesshoumaru court you?"

Kagome couldn't help the fit of giggles that escaped her. Sesshoumaru? Courting me? She almost laughed out loud at the notion. Sango looked affronted by Kagome's sudden mirth.

"What's so funny?" she asked in a slightly hurt voice.

"I'm sorry," Kagome gasped in midst of her giggles. "But can you imagine the Sesshoumaru chasing around us, trying to 'win my affections'?" This time, she burst out with laughter, no longer able to keep it in.

"Well," Sango said, her lips twitching. "That would be…" What it would be, Kagome never found out, for at that moment, Sango also burst into a fit of giggles, her words lost to her laughter.

They sat there, each leaning on the other for support, and laughing for more than five minutes. Finally, still a bit out of breath, Kagome looked at her watch. "Sango, I think we should be going back to camp. I've been here for almost an hour. I'm sure Inuyasha would be wondering where I am by now. Let's go."

Sango nodded her head and got to her feet. She leaned against the rock while Kagome pulled on her socks and her shoes. "Ready?" she asked once Kagome had gotten to her feet.

Kagome gave her a wide smile and said, "Yeah. To the camp." And she marched back towards where Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo were probably resting, her used clothes in her hand along with her soap and shampoo. "Thanks, Sango."

His face was calm and completely void of emotion. There was no hint about the torrent of anger and the odd sense of discomfort that he was actually feeling. The idea of the two of them laughing at his expense made his blood boil. But he kept quiet and out of sight, despite his need to get out there and put a stop to this mockery.

He waited until they were out of hearing range before he walked out of the tree line to sit at the water's edge beside the huge rock where Kagome and Sango had been sitting only a few minutes past. As if I would ever be found dead trying to win her heart! He thought to himself with a sense of cruel satisfaction. He had found that idea a lot less amusing than the two girls had. He was actually rather offended that the thought would even cross their minds. I have far better things to think about and do!

He had seen her come to the lake, bathe in it, and then change out of that suit that he had seen her wear at the waterfall and into odd clothes that he knew from the future. He could still imagine her, standing by the lake shore with nothing but odd, almost useless, articles of clothing on before she had pulled on the outer layers of her attire. His breathing had become shallow and blood pounded behind his ears. He was so lost in her that he had misplaced his foot and a twig had snapped underneath his feet, alerting her of his presence. It was only luck that the taijia had shown up at the same time.

He'd been watching her from a distance ever since the night of the storm. He had let her go when his half-brother had finally shown up only a few minutes after Kagome's words to him. He'd let her go, but he had not let her out of sight. He followed her from a distance, far enough so that he wouldn't be detected by his half-brother. Inuyasha had questioned her about what had happened and she had told him only what she seemed to think was necessary. The hanyou had been so relieved to see her that he never bothered to find out the other events of the night.

Sesshoumaru had been quite surprised that the girl had not even mentioned his kiss to anyone. He had wondered over and over again why she seemed to be so less affected by it than he had been. But it had been a great comfort to him when she finally confessed it to her friend. And he could not hide the smirk that curled his lips crudely as she admitted to enjoying the kiss. It soothed his ego and pride, although he would never admit to it.

He, himself, was so haunted by the memory of the feel of her lips against his own that he could think of little else. He, a demon lord, was totally enwrapped in something as insignificant as that! He was disgusted, to say the least. Yet, somehow, if he searched deep inside, he knew that he was not disgusted by the kiss at all. In fact, he knew that if he were to have the chance, he would be hard put to try and not steal another kiss from her.

Perhaps that's what she had meant…he thought idly. 'One only sees well with his heart.' Her voice echoed in his mind for the thousandth time. He pushed away both her voice and his own impromptu thought. He did not want to waste more of his time thinking about one silly miko and a few silly words that she had spoken. Instead, he turned his mind to what he had heard the taijia say to Kagome earlier.

So the bastard hanyou thought there was a link between the miko and his sword. He wasn't surprised. In fact, he had suspected as much for a long time now. It was hard not to notice when every time the girl was in trouble the sword went wild. The question was what the link was.

He tried to put together all that he knew about Kagome. He knew that she was from the future and was the reincarnation of the once dead miko, Kikyou. She had pulled out Tessaiga and could feel aura's from both swords. He also knew that she was unusually powerful yet untrained. From what he had seen during his stay at her time, he guessed that her grandfather owned a shrine, which meant that Kagome was to be its maiden when the time came. And then there was the whole business with the Shikon jewel shards. From what he knew, she was the only person to be able to sense their whereabouts. She could also purify them when they were tainted. He racked his brain for anything that he might have forgotten.

He remembered Tensaiga borrowing power to help him escape Tessaiga's attack. He also remembered something else, something that he had not thought much of until now. Had it not had been when Kagome's tune (as the miko called it) was playing out for the first that his arm had been returned to him? Kagome had looked so surprised by its return, that Sesshoumaru was positive that she had not meant to do it on purpose. Did that mean anything?

Mulling over thoughts about Kagome and Tensaiga, Sesshoumaru watched a small fish jump out of the water to catch a fly, and then dive back into the pool of black water. A few frogs perched on water lilies were croaking continuously. Once in a while on of them would throw out its tongue to catch a fly. Despite the many dangers to their lives, the flies seemed persistent upon staying near the surface of the water. Sesshoumaru watched another murky grey fish dive into the air, trails of water glittering in the moonlight.

He was suddenly struck by an odd notion. He turned his head and looked at the moon high in the sky, remembering something else about the girl from the future. Something that had bothered him less than all the other things he'd discovered about her.

The moon shone down onto the dark Earth with pearly white rays radiating from its full spherical form. It was then that he remembered something else, words from deep into his past:

In this faithful hour

All heaven with its power

And the sun with its brightness

And the snow with its whiteness

And the fire with all the strength it hath

And the lightning with its rapid wrath

And the winds with their swiftness along their path

And the sea with its deepness

And the rocks with their steepness

And the Earth with its starkness

…life is a sleep…

All these I place

…in which love is its dream…

By God's almighty help and grace

…and you have truly lived…

Between myself and the power of darkness

…only when you have loved!

It's possible…he thought to himself. I just need to be sure about that night before I make any assumptions.

He turned his head back towards the lake. Something caught his eyes and he moved closer to the lake's edge to see better. There, only a few steps away from the water, was a foot print. He could tell by its shape and size that it belonged to Kagome. Some of the water from the lake had pooled in inside it. A slow breeze rustled the trees nearby and rippled the surface of the water, making the reflection of the moon in the footprint sized pool glimmer before Sesshoumaru's surprised eyes.

It's very simple: one only sees well with his heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes…My secret is a reality. Men, demons too, have forgotten this reality. But you don't have to forget…