Aizou

Trap Inuyasha and that stupid baboon in a mirror field. Sesshoumaru couldn't believe his luck when he found these special little prisons. The old demon that sold them to him offered the spells to let people back out, but Sesshoumaru refused. Why would he ever let either of those idiots back out? They wouldn't be able to kill each other either. It was more than death; it was eternal torment.

All in all it was a plan that couldn't fail.

Which means it did, of course.

Inuyasha slashed the trap with the Tetsusaiga, which is why Sesshoumaru was sitting in the trap.

With Her.

Inuyasha's strange little human woman glared back at him arrow drawn. "This is all your fault! If you weren't so hung up on hurting Inuyasha...!"

"Will you be quiet, human?" Sesshoumaru snarled and sat back against the wall of the magical prison with a sigh.

"Here I thought you'd just make me. Inuyasha will kill you if you hurt me."

"I really don't care what you think he'll do. Silence."

Kagome pulled back the arrow, ready to fire. "Don't do that. It'll hurt us both."

She didn't move. Stupid human. What did she think she would accomplish doing that? "This is a mirror prison. Whatever you do to me happens to you and the opposite. Now shut up or I'l tear my own throat out so you'll die."

"Wouldn't you die too?" Kagome lowered her bow.

"It would be almost worth it to get you to be quiet."

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and sat down against the opposite wall of the prison. After several minutes of silence she asked. "How long will be stuck here?"

"Until Jaken gets me out." Sesshoumaru said. "A few days perhaps"

And the silence resumed.

"Well I'll go to sleep then."

Why would I care what she does? Sesshoumaru thought to himself and watched her settle her bag right against the grass and curl up in a position to sleep. It was amazing what she was wearing. She had no shame, and must know that her clothing was inappropriate for a woman. That skirt was so short he could see her strange undergarments. She would actually be pretty if she weren't a weak human.

Sesshoumaru hated weakness. Being human was the ultimate weakness to him. Being human and female was more than he thought any soul could stand. She shifted around in her sleep a lot. Silly pathetic human.

Sesshoumaru looked at the setting sun.

Still sleep was not a bad idea...

---

Kagome glanced over at the sleeping demon on the other side of the small patch of earth which was their prison and frowned. He almost didn't look like he had his personality problems when he was sleeping. He resembled Inuyasha more too. She couldn't really see it before but she could see where they were related now.

They had similar attitudes for one. Sesshoumaru was as stubborn as Inuyasha or worse. They didn't look that much alike. But that was probably because Inuyasha's mother was human, like her.

She sat up and started rummaging through her bag. It had to be time to eat. After all, it wasn't even dark outside anymore.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru cracked one eye open and somehow managed to glare at her with that alone.

"I'm getting food. Are you hungry?"

"I don't need food from humans." Sesshoumaru stated. His stomach protested.

Kagome rolled her eyes, shook her head and tossed him a candy bar. The demon stared at it for a minute.

"You open the wrapper and eat it."

"Wrapper?"

Kagome frowned, they really knew nothing here. "The covering."

Sesshoumaru threw it back to her. "I don't need weird human food."

"Fine. You can starve then!" Kagome said...then began making instant Ramen.

---

Inuyasha moaned and opened his eyes to the not so nice face of Naraku. What the hell had happened? Sesshoumaru had tried to use some sort of magic item, and Inuyasha didn't remember anything after the glowing light and attacking Naraku...who was still watching him, just inches from his face. "Argh! What the fuck are you doing! Get away!"

Naraku laughed as Inuyasha clawed at the air, as he had already sat back. "We're trapped."

Inuyasha tried to jump at Naraku, only to hit an invisible wall when Naraku dodged to the side. "See? I told you."

"So what? I can still kill you!"

"No...you can't. You see when you hit at me it hurt you too." Inuyasha sat in the grass glaring at Naraku. This was going to be a long day.

---

Sesshoumaru tried to smooth out his hair, having already removed the annoying armor because of the warmth of the afternoon sun and the fact that he refused to let this woman think he was on his guard against her. His claws snarled on a tangle in his hair and he pulled at it, feeling the pain in his scalp.

"OUCH!" Kagome rubbed her forehead. "Stop that!"

"Stupid human. I have to get my hair untangled."

"Stop calling me human! I have a name. It's Kagome."

"Why should I care?"

"Because I have a comb for you to use." Kagome said, as she pulled her hairbrush out of her bag and offered it to him.

Sesshoumaru glared at the offending object as if it were something he stepped in, much like he looked at the wo- no Kagome. He took it in his hands and began smoothing out his hair with it. Then got it caught in the knots a few moments later.

"Here. Let me." Kagome knelt down behind him and gently pulled the brush free and started working on a knot.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Well we'll just make each other miserable if we don't work together. I mean, you and Inuyasha had the same father so you can't be that bad."

Sesshoumaru grabbed her wrist tightly. "Do NOT compare me to that halfbreed."

Kagome pulled her wrist away. "I was just saying that your father must have really been special."

"He married a human. He was wrong."

"This human can stop brushing your hair." Sesshoumaru stopped for a moment. It felt nice to have her run the soft strange comb through his hair. And she smelled rather pretty for a human.

"..."

"What was that?"

"Thank you.."

"It's getting later in the day, are you sure you aren't hungry?"

"I never said I wasn't hungry hu-Kagome. I just don't need human food."

"There really aren't any demons when I live, so I don't know what you'd normally eat, but Inuyasha likes instant Ramen."

"In-stant...Ramen." Sesshoumaru frowned.

"They're good. Really. They never made him sick."

"I would rather they did."

"Why do you hate Inuyasha? Is it cause your father liked him more?"

"He had a lapse of sanity and the mutt was the result." Sesshoumaru glared back in her direction. If he insulted her she'd stop. His hair felt so nice this way.

"Uhm...away from the Inuyasha topic. What is this?" Kagome reached for the fur Sesshoumaru normally wore.

"None of your concern!"

"Okay...okay..." Kagome began separating his hair.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome began braiding his hair. "I'm braiding your hair. It's so long, so it will tangle less if I braid it."

Sesshoumaru mumbled but let the woman do what she wanted. It really would tangle less if she braided it.

When she finished she lifted the braid over his shoulder for his approval. The neat work surprised Sesshoumaru. He didn't know humans could actually do anything competently.

"Do you like it?"

"I'd like to be out of here and away from you."

Kagome was still holding the end of the braid. "Here, hold this. I'll get something to tie it with." Kagome pulled some stuff out of her bag, Sesshoumaru didn't really care what, and came back. "Okay now." She tied the braid up and dropped a rosary over his head. "Down!"

Sesshoumaru found his face in the dirt. Kagome's face buried into his back. She shook her head and sat up. "Wow. It worked!"

"What did you do to me human?!"

"I gave you some jewelry to match Inuyasha's. You're not getting us out and leaving Inuyasha to die."

"I-" Sesshoumaru stopped. That was exactly what he had been planning to do. "You'd better take this toy off me after then!"

"Maybe." Kagome smiled and thought about it. "If you had that on you wouldn't be able to hurt Inuyasha ever again."

"I'm not trying to hurt him. I'm trying to kill him. There is a big difference."

"Well I don't want you to kill him obviously. Why ARE you so dead set on killing him anyway? You can't just accept that your father must have loved his mother very dearly? Or is it because she was a human? You know humans have power too! Down!"

Sesshoumaru wiped off his face and smirked at the Kagome-pancake. The little idiot forgot that it did that to her too in here. "Idiot."

Kagome blinked, tears filling her eyes.

"What the-?"

"I try my best...but it's never enough. If it was enough I'd never get into situations like this. My mother is going to be so worried when I don't get home tomorrow. I have a math test tomorrow!" Kagome was so stressed she used the English word for test.

"Test?" Sesshoumaru asked. What was a test?

Kagome ignored him, bursting into tears. "I'll never pass if I miss my math test!"

Sesshoumaru stared at the crying female, her face had a smudge of dirt on it near her mouth, marring the pretty skin. Her wailing was hurting his ears though. He touched her shoulder. "Please stop.."

"Why should I? I'm stuck in here with the one person in this time that hates me more than Kikyo!"

"What is a test?"

"Oh...a test is for my education. In my time you have to be educated. If you don't prove you are then they punish you."

"Women don't need to be educated." Sesshoumaru said, and Kagome frowned.

"Of course they do! Women do all the same jobs as men in my time!"

"How strange. Human women take up the sword?"

"No, of course not. There's not really any fighting back home..." Sesshoumaru listened to her babble about home while looking off in the distance. Where was Jaken? He knew that little toad could get the key faster than this.

Kagome talked of a world he couldn't possible imagine. No demons? No fighting? If she was from the future, and there were no demons there, did that mean he was destined to die before her time?

Sesshoumaru didn't want to die, but what if there really was something out there powerful enough to defeat even him?

Nonsense. The girl was crazy.

---

Rin yawned as she woke up and looked over the bushes at the edge of the forest. "Stay here." Sesshoumaru had said. Rin wasn't about to disobey immediatly. He promised to come get her before nightfall, that she'd be safe. Jaken had ran off for some unknown reason. She had gone to find him. When she saw him sitting with a woman she waited...and waited...fell asleep and here she was. He said she might get hurt if she was here. Only...he was sitting there, just sitting there, next to a woman. This didn't look dangerous, and Rin was hungry. She crawled out of the bushes and ran to him.



Kagome looked up to see a girl running towards them. "Who...?"

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly. She would have to come here. Now the stupid woman would start talking again. He had finally managed to talk her into being quiet.

"Sesshoumaru-sama...you didn't come back like you promised." Rin mumbled and walked right through the walls of the prison and Sesshoumaru and Kagome both had the same thought at the same time, much to Sesshoumaru's embarrassment. They pushed against the invisible walls. When they met with resistance Kagome kicked the wall.

"Rin step back a bit."

Rin took one step back and Sesshoumaru said impatiently "Farther."

Rin stepped back two more times, back through the walls. "Why am I doing this? Is this a new game you learned from this lady?"

Kagome frowned. "How come she can get in and out but we can't?"

"Probably because the prison already has two people."

"Oh. Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru glared at Kagome. "What?"

"Who is she?"

---

Meanwhile...Inuyasha, who was still trying to think up that miracle plan that wouldn't involve getting himself killed, glared at Naraku. Naraku smiled smugly back at him.

---

Sesshoumaru wished he were anywhere else at that moment, but trapped in a prison with a stupid woman. Kagome and Rin were talking to each other, Kagome amusing the girl by telling her all sorts of strange stories, and Rin asking all sorts of equally strange questions.

In short, it was hell.

When they started on a new topic he glared at them both. They ignored him. Rin had been tolerable when she was quiet, even okay alone, but with Kagome...well this was madness.

He looked out in the distance, hoping it would all be over soon.

And it was. After a few more hours of torture, Sesshoumaru saw someone in the distance. Jaken. He started thanking every god he'd heard of and any he hadn't.

---

"Take it off of me now. I'll free the half breed." Sesshoumaru glared at the pretty, half undressed girl that had put this rosary on him in the first place. Who knew she kept the annoying things in her bag?

"No. It'll teach you a lesson."

"I think it's pretty!" Rin had become Kagome's ally in only a few hours. "Kagome should stay with us always and forever."

"No, she shouldn't. She's..." a human wouldn't be a good excuse for Rin. "She's my stupid half brother's woman."

"I am not!" Kagome snapped in her defense.

"She wants to find all the pieces of the pretty bead. We could find them too! It's like hide and seek!"

"No, it's not. It's dangerous and I..." Sesshoumaru didn't want to discuss things like this in front of Kagome, when she would go back to Inuyasha and they would laugh at him. Laugh at him for being so nice to a stupid little human like Rin.

But she had saved him. She wasn't like other humans. Even if she wouldn't understand...

"Rin, I do not feel like protecting you from the trash that comes after Kagome because of a stupid bead that I have no use for anyway."

Rin's face fell. "But I like Kagome."

Kagome patted Rin on the head. "We're not friends, Sesshoumaru and I."

Rin's face brightened with a sudden idea. "Then can we visit?"

"Visit?"

"Kagome!"

Kagome and Sesshoumaru looked at each other. After a moment Kagome said. "I don't see why not...as long as he's not attacking Inuyasha!"

"YAY!"

---

"I can't believe Naraku got away! After all this time, he comes in person and we couldn't even touch him!" Inuyasha leaned against a tree, sitting high up in its branches.

"That's how things happen." Kagome said. She picked up her bag, minus food stuffs and a rosary.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. I have an exam to make up."

Sesshoumaru watched an older Rin weave together necklaces of flowers, her fingers a great deal more nimble than when she was younger.

At fourteen, she was a much calmer girl, and easier to deal with. She had less endless energy.

The woman sitting next to Sesshoumaru in the grass smiled as she followed his gaze. Sesshoumaru looked at her instead. Her black hair shined in the sunlight, this beautiful woman beside him. "It's so beautiful here," she said, "It's nothing like Tokyo."

Sesshoumaru knew all about Tokyo, for she had told him many stories. "How could you live in such a horrid place?" Sesshoumaru asked for what seemed like the hundreth time.

Kagome snuggled into Sessoumaru's shoulder. "I've told you before, it has it's good points. Modern toilets being one of them. You've seen my home before."

Sesshoumaru brought his face inches from hers. "I thought you said here was your home."

Kagome sighed happily. "Wherever you are is home."

Sesshoumaru bolted upright. Another dream. This one was less racier than some of the others, but still just as revolting. Inuyasha's wench was in all of them, but she never really mentioned Inuyasha. In fact, in most of the dreams, she didn't speak much at all. In several of the dreams she was much more intimate in speaking to him than any human had the right to.

He glanced over at the girl who had fallen asleep against him, but sometime throughout the warm night she had moved away to keep cool.

They had slept long enough, dawn was already here. Sesshoumaru called her name, but Rin only stirred and mumbled, she did not wake. Sesshoumaru sighed and picked her up. She was light enough to carry for a short while.

"Come, Jaken. We're leaving." He nudged the servant awake with his foot and started to leave, unable to really believe he agreed to this trip. But Rin could be so adorable, and he would like to know why that witch was sending him dreams.

---

Kagome left her clothes by a tree and stepped into the cool watter. The summertime heat made the water feel pleasant against her sweat-sticky skin. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind. "You take so many baths."

"It's hot today. The water feels nice."

The man behind her nuzzled her neck, his long white hair wrapped around her shoulder.

"I wasn't complaining. You smell good." The man practically purred as one clawed hand slid up her stomach, while the other slid down it, under the water. Sesshoumaru kissed her earlobe and whispered, "You smell very good."

Kagome mumbled her dissapointment as the dream faded into wakefulness. She had been having these, well, nightmares for several weeks now. Inuyasha had been looking at her strangely the entire time as well.

He was looking at her again right now, as a matter of fact. "What is it?" she asked, irritated by the constant staring.

Inuyasha blushed. "Nothing." he said, and looked away.

"Annoying. Staring at people is rude and annoying, Inuyasha."

"So?"

"I give up. I'm going to take a bath before we leave. Don't look." She glanced over at the others, who were in various stages of waking. "You don't look either!" She said to Miroku and Shippo, who exchanged puzzled looks, neither being awake enough to understand what she was talking about.

Kagome grabbed her bag and went off to the water. As she stepped into the water, clothes folded neatly by the riverside, she blushed recalling the night-, no the dream.

That was no nightmare. The Sesshoumaru in the dream hadn't been the self-righteous snob that he had seemed to be since she met him.

Then again, she never expected he would be taking care of a small human girl, but he clearly was. And he clearly cared about her.

The dream Sesshoumaru had been passionate and strong, yet less ready to prove his superiority over humans and hanyou. He had been content to be perfectly close to her.

She scrubbed her back while she wondered why the dream Sesshoumaru was so much more desirable, and why she was not dreaming about Inuyasha. After all, she loved him right?

Maybe. She wasn't so sure. It's impossible to keep loving someone who clearly loves someone else, and sees them in you. She didn't want to be Kikyo for him. She was Kagome. Reincarnation or not, she was still a seperate person.

Did that mean she wanted to be with Sesshoumaru? Hell no! That creature wasn't the thing she was dreaming of. It just looked like him.

It was like this that a now awake Rin found Kagome. "Big sister Kagome!!!" Rin yelled from the water's edge.

Kagome froze, and turned around slowly. If Rin was here...

Sesshoumaru stood a few feet behind Rin, and he watched with his usual icy gaze.

"PERVERT!" Kagome screamed and hid under the water. "down..Down...DOWN!!!" While Sesshoumaru pulled his face out of the grass Kagome ran for her clothes. "Spying on girls is...OOH! DOWN!"

Rin looked puzzled, but leaned over Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru-sama is okay right?"

Kagome straightened her shirt, and glared at the offending white haired youkai.

Sesshoumaru glared back, and Rin clung to the side of his kimono.

"Don't you have any sense of decency?" Kagome asked. "As if a human girl had anything to interest me." Sesshoumaru frowned down at Rin. "We're here. Hang on her."

Rin practically bounced to Kagome. "Sesshoumaru-sama said we could visit!! Can we play a game?"

Kagome smiled. "What game would you like to play?"

Rin touched Kagome's arm. "Can't catch me!" She ran off.

"Rin! Don't go too far!" Sesshoumaru said, then, at Kagome's gaze, held his head a little higher in the air with his mask of indifference completely in place. "You really care about her." Kagome said. "I will not even dignify such silliness with an answer." Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome grabbed her bag and ran after Rin, and stopped for a second to turn back to Sesshoumaru. "Aren't you coming?"

"I suppose." Sesshoumaru looked extremely bored.

When Kagome caught up to Rin. she was talking with Shippo, having completely lost interest in tag. She had found a new friend. Shippo was making illusions excitedly. Bouncing from one form to another. Rin applauded.

Kagome stepped backwards a bit, and was surprised to hit solidness. There wasn't a tree there. She turned around. Sesshoumaru looked at her like she was something he scraped off of his shoe. "I will talk with you now."

"Talk?" Kagome was puzzled. What could he possibly want with her. "Look I'm not getting the Tetsusaiga for you. You can just give that up!" "Why are you sending me dreams?"

Kagome stared. "Sending you ...what? I don't know how to do that...and i'd never want anything to do with you!"

Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm. "You must be lying. You have to be the one doing this, you're the miko witch that supposedly hurt Naraku, dreams would be easy."

Kagome tried to shake off his hand. "I. Said. I. Don't. Know. How! Let me go or I'll say it!"

"I dare you, human."

"Down." She actually did it... Sesshoumaru stood back up. "A mere shove to the ground doesn't harm I, Sesshoumaru. You should know this." "Well I make it a point not to know about you." Kagome said. "You're a heartless cold demon, who's so insecure of himself he has to pick on his little brother! Really, just because your father liked Inuyasha best is no reason to hate him! I hate y-" Kagome stopped talking as the hand collided with her face.

Sesshoumaru didn't hit the girl hard, just enough to get her to stop yelling, yet she stared stunned. She was standing so close to him too, and smelled just like she did in the dreams.

Kagome rubbed the side of her face. Stupid youkai..he didn't have to hit me...

Sesshoumaru examined her face. She wasn't that repulsive, for a human. I wonder... He kissed her, tasting her mouth. She even tasted right.

Kagome pushed him away. "Just who do you think you are?!"

"It was an experiment, nothing more." Sesshoumaru turned away. "Come, Rin, it's time to go. Kagome doesn't want me to fight with the stupid hanyou."

---

Inuyasha watched the girl playing with Shippo from his perch in the tree. She was bright and happy, and Shippo probably needed a playmate, being around adults all the time. When Kagome got to the clearing, he smiled. She probably found the girl by the river and sent her back to them. He got ready to jump down, but Kagome turned around and into the last person Inuyasha expected to see.

You couldn't help but hear their arguement. Kagome had told Inuyasha about the beads on Sesshoumaru, so he wasn't particularly worried he would hurt her. They had no idea what would happen if they killed the caster after all.

He prepared to jump down when Sesshoumaru had slapped her, but just as quickly he kissed her, and Inuyasha froze.

Sesshoumaru...

.....kissing.....

HIS Kagome?!

He jumped down and ran to them, claws ready for his half brother's throat.

Sesshoumaru dodged easily, acting like he knew Inuyasha was there the whole time and he had nothing better to do than ignore him.

Kagome stepped backward, away from the extremely angry Inuyasha and his prey.

"Don't you ever touch her again!" Inuyasha screamed, tried to attack again, and once again... missed.

"Inuyasha! Stop!" Kagome yelled. Rin was staring at Inuyasha in horror, her new playmate forgotten.

Inuyasha turned back to look at Kagome. "What? Crazy woman!" He tried to attack again.

"Sit!"

Kagome stepped over Inuyasha and went to comfort Rin. "It'll be okay. Boys, especially brothers, always fight, you know?" She hugged the girl, who calmed down a little at this, and Sesshoumaru lifted her into his arm and walked away, his back to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha sat up and started tapping Kagome on the head. "What are you doing?"

"Maybe you hit your head?"

Kagome sitted him again. "You're the crazy one Inuyasha, you must have been dreaming if you saw me hit my head."