A/N: Ha….Ha…..Hi everyone. I know, it's been forever, and I humbly get down on both knees and BEG for your forgiveness. I switched colleges this semester, and the work load was a BIT more then what I thought it would be. So, here is the much awaited chapter, I hope you all enjoy, and HOPEFULLY I'll be able to get another chapter out via winter break. So, think of this as an early Christmas present! Merry Christmas everyone! And a happy new year!

InuTaisho swiftly made his way down the hall, towards the library, where he could clearly smell Kagome. He had spent the night thinking about it, and if he was to keep peace within his castle, then perhaps some ground rules were needed.

He pushed the door open slowly and carefully, before glancing around inside, his gaze finally resting on the priestess inside. She was curled on a pillow, with her nose buried in a scroll.

"Kagome?" he said softly. She looked up quickly and smiled.

"Lord InuTaisho," she returned. She lowered the scroll slightly and stood as he stepped in, shutting the door behind him. "Is…is something wrong?" He shook his head.

"Of course not. I need to speak with you however…" Her eyes widened slightly but she nodded before rolling the scroll up. "Yesterday…you went out near the soldiers when Sesshomaru was training them…" Kagome nodded once.

"Yes. I needed to speak with him…is that a problem?" she asked slowly.

"Actually, it might be. When Sesshomaru is training with them outside…I am going to request that you stay indoors," he said simply. Kagome's eyes widened a bit before narrowing, that spark of familiar anger flaming up.

"Why? I didn't do anything," she defended herself, "And now you're telling me that you're…you're giving me boundaries?" InuTaisho sighed.

"I am sorry." He sighed before turning on his heel and walking from the room.

Kagome looked around her, as though questioning if the lord had actually just been in the room, and had actually told her that she couldn't go somewhere. His rules were for his people…for the soldiers, and the ones he controlled. Kagome frowned as she put down her scroll and made her way from the room. But she would play his game. If she wasn't allowed outside with the training demons, she would simply go to the dojo for her own training.

Sesshomaru gracefully walked down the halls of the castle, slowly making his way outside. He hadn't spoken to his father since the other day…when he had intervened because of the priestess. She was truly a nuisance, and he couldn't grasp the fact that his father was being a fool…again and just when he had gotten another chance at life. For someone to make one mistake was something, but for that same person to make the same mistake a second time…unforgiveable. Sesshomaru paused when he felt a large burst of priestess powers, and then nothing. He frowned…what was the priestess up to now? He quickly made his way outside, and headed towards the dojo. There were many demons leaving the building now, and he could understand why…the priestess's power felt a bit like a shock you got when you pulled robes apart that had been stuck together, or folded for a long time. For himself, a higher-up demon, it was an annoyance, but for his soldiers, some of whom didn't even have half of the powers which he possessed, it was probably extremely painful. There was another swell of the woman's powers, before it died again. He swept into the dojo, past some flinching soldiers, and past some who were brave enough to try and withstand the power, and further into the dojo.

He stopped when he reached the archery field. She was blowing apart his targets. His archery field held about twenty targets, which were meant to withstand anything a demon threw at them. Right now, there were only about a dozen left, and the other eight were smoking and blown apart a bit.

"Priestess," he called. Kagome strung one more arrow, and Sesshomaru watched as her holy powers swelled to the tip of the arrow, before flying away from the bow and into another target. Eleven left. "Priestess!" he called louder. Kagome paused before stringing another arrow.

"I should thank you again Sesshomaru," she said softly. He frowned as she launched another arrow, at a target she had already shot at, before it caught fire and slowly burned to the ground.

"For what?" he finally growled out as she lit another target on fire.

"Your father found me this morning," she started. She fired another arrow and had to hold back a small smile. If Sesshomaru had any less control then what he possessed, she was sure she would see a vein bulging in his forehead, and his eye twitching. "He informed me that I'm not allowed outside while you're training with your soldiers." Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly at this. His father had actually listened to him…and not just listened, but heard him. Kagome shouldered her bow and put her arrow back in with the others. "So thank you Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru frowned a bit as she swept past him and made her way to exit.

"Priestess," he stated calmly. She paused, and turned back slightly. "You do realize he only does this for your safety?" He raised a brow and watched as she ran from the building. Why had he said it? He glanced over at the smoldering targets and frowned. Why had he told her that? To make her feel better? He glared at one of the remaining targets and nodded in satisfaction when it blew up on the spot. Impossible…he felt nothing, least of all worry for any mere human that his father decided he would be infatuated with. He stepped from the field lightly and stopped next to the first soldier he saw on the way out. "The archery targets need to be replaced. See to it that it is done immediately." The soldier bowed low and ran off.

"Yes my lord."

"Did you notice anything monk?" Sango asked as the both of them walked the halls of the large castle. They had without a doubt enjoyed themselves immensely in the dojo the other day. Their guide Kai had showed them around and had even invited them in on some of the sparring.

Miroku bowed his head slightly as two guards walked past them and into some part of the castle, both were some sort of fire demons.

After the two had spent some time sparring, they had both ticked off in their heads what sort of demons the Lord of the West had "collected" and what each had a job for.

"Yes. He seems to have an affinity for fire demons," he whispered back quietly. Sango nodded slightly as she stroked Kirara's ear absently.

"I wonder if it means anything," she mumbled. Miroku frowned.

"Naraku was a half demon at heart…spider…spider's hate fire…why would Naraku have him collect the demons that he truly hates?"

"They're powerful," she pointed out.

"Yes…but so are the insect demons he was so fond of." His staff clicked against the stone floors quietly as they made their way back outside again.

"He has some of those," she added. They glanced up at the demons on the wall, most were merely dog demons, or some sort of canine, but almost all of them had some sort of fire power within them.

"Not enough." They rounded to the back of the castle and paused at the sight before them. Sesshomaru was outside, training with at least three dozen of his men, each battling another. "What I don't understand is, how would Naraku know that Sesshomaru had so many? InuTaisho did not recruit them, his son did." Sango frowned as she nodded. It was true. If Naraku truly was using InuTaisho, and truly was in control of him, or could gain control of him at any point, then how had he known what would be here? InuTaisho had been dead. Sesshomaru had ruled of his own free will, and had recruited those he believed to be best.

"Unless…he knew this day would come and had something to do with the ones Sesshomaru recruited?" she suggested. Miroku looked at the younger demon lord as he stroked the length of his staff.

"It would make sense. Naraku always did like to plan ahead," he mumbled. Sango nodded.

"Someone needs to know."

"InuYasha is not here," he reminded her, "and before he died, I truly believe that he believed his father was back from the grave. Who should we ask? Sesshomaru?" The men in front of them all seemed to stop at once and then disband into smaller groups as Sesshomaru stepped away, further back to watch them. Sango sighed.

"Maybe? Who better to stop him then his own son?" Miroku frowned.

"Perhaps we should speak somewhere else," he muttered. He wasn't entirely sure if Sesshomaru could hear them over the clangs of the swords, but the swivel of his ears suggested that he might.

InuTaisho walked into the room quietly, silently closing the door behind him. This was his favorite room of the castle, and it was also the largest. It could fit him in his true form, along with at least a dozen other dog demons. It was an arboretum. It housed many plants, some rare, some not, and some that could only be grown here, in this specific place. It was always kept extremely warm, and on cold winter nights long past, he changed to that larger form just to curl up on the warm, moist, forest ground. He also loved to come here to think, but right now, he was looking for someone, and by scent, he could tell they were here.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked quietly.

"It's not nice to sneak up on people," Kagome said quietly. She was sitting in front of a young tree whose trunk was a bunch of twisted parts all tangling into one beautiful plant. Its leaves were a brilliant green, and hidden amongst them were silver buds that had yet to bloom. InuTaisho smiled slightly as he sat down next to her. She smelled slightly of salt, and there were still a few tear tracks running down her face.

"You knew I was coming," he said confidently. She smiled sadly.

"I'm not mad at you. Sesshomaru's right, it's for my own protection," she said almost sarcastically. The demon lord paused at that. His son? Sesshomaru had actually said that?

"He…he told you that?" he mumbled more to himself then to the human sitting next to him. She nodded once.

"I told you he has a heart you know," she mumbled. InuTaisho smiled at the recalled memory of the conversation they had had when they had been captives of Naraku.

"The little human child…Rin." Kagome nodded.

"You confuse me Lord InuTaisho I must admit." He raised an eyebrow slightly as he glanced beside him. Her hands were out to either side of her, palm down on the rock she was sitting on, though a finger twitched every now and then.

"I've been told that before," he admitted. She sighed.

"You know I loved your son," she whispered. He frowned slightly but nodded.

"I know. I could tell…I'm sure his death has been hard on you…I am sorry," he said seriously. She nodded as she finally looked up at him, her eyes still glistening from unshed tears.

"What do you want from me? I get the feeling that…people think there's something going on," she said slowly. He smirked slightly as he let his clawed hand rest on top of her own human one.

"People," he murmured, "Sesshomaru? He believes I love you…" Kagome's eyes widened as she looked back at the tree, and then the warm ground beneath it. Her hand curled slightly under his own, but he did not move his, he merely wrapped it around her fingers, stilling their movement. "I have not sorted out these…feelings," he admitted. He looked at her and waited until her eyes met him, "I feel something for you Kagome, I will not lie."

"I've known you for barely a few days," she mumbled, "and InuYasha…"

"I said I don't know my feelings yet Kagome," he whispered, "and as for InuYasha…," he glanced at the tree before them and smiled sadly, "I think he would want you to be happy."

Sesshomaru frowned as he watched his father step into the arboretum. He could smell the human woman in there. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he turned away, intent on finding a spring. He had just finished another training session with his men, and even more things weighed heavily on his mind now. The human monk and slayer had come outside during the session, and he had heard them all too clearly over the clanging of swords, although clearly they had not wanted him to. From what he could gather, they suspected Naraku of something…something that had to do with himself. He frowned. But the half breed was dead this time…surely they couldn't believe he was still alive, especially after his own father had killed the pest.

A/N: So, I hope this was worth a bit of the wait. You got to see a bit more Kagome/InuTaisho cuteness. And some more stuff with Naraku was put out there. ^-^ Sango and Miroku are so suspicious of him, I almost find it funny myself. ^-^ So, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! R&R! ^-^