We live our lives
wandering to the ends of the earth.
Believing (in you?), now I begin my journey with you,
in search of the light.
-Deep Forest by Do As Infinity
Chapter 3: Between Folly and Hope
Kagome idly wondered what Inuyasha would think when he found out that Sesshomaru knew her secret. She probably wouldn't have to wait long to find out, as he'd most likely be furious with her when he did. The shikon miko sighed as she sank a little deeper into her hot bath water when she thought of the screaming match that would ensure.
He would yell and accuse her of wanting to get herself killed and of being stupid and weak and she would argue back using anything she could to throw at him. In one way or another the argument would end with an osuwari and one of them would storm off. She doubted there was any way to keep this from her hanyou friend for long, even if she were to try.
What say did he have in whom she could reveal her secret to anyways? Wasn't it her secret? Wasn't it her life and future that she was risking by giving it away?
Sure, maybe Sesshomaru wasn't the best person to put her faith in, seeing as she hardly knew him and he and Inuyasha were sworn enemies, but still…
She knew that Inuyasha would bring up how often his brother had tried to kill the two of them in the past and how dangerous he was and she didn't really have an argument to negate that. After all, she still remembered her first encounter with the Taiyoukai in the tomb of Inu no Tashio vividly. She remembered the fear she had felt for her friend as the two brothers fought. She remembered the looks she received when she had accidentally pulled the Tessaiga from the stone. And she remembered the way her heart had stuttered when Inuyasha had promised her his protection for the first time.
"Inuyasha!"
A loud clang sounded throughout the cavern they were in, metal against stone. Brown eyes widened slightly as she looked down at the sword she now held in her hand. She looked up at the sound of the growl that echoed around them.
Her brown eyes met his astonished amber before he turned his attention back to the other man in the room. She followed his gaze. Her heart drummed in her ears.
Her brown met the similar gold of the other as it bled red.
Kagome's breath shook when she let loose a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Even now, those eyes frightened her. Even now she could feel the explosion of his youki that followed and it sent shivers down her spine.
Damp, ebony locks fell into her eyes as she removed the towel from her hair, draping it around her shoulders as she did. As she sat down in front of her desk to ready herself for another night of studying she wondered what would possess her to allow such a being to know her secret. Surely, even he would think it foolish.
And then she remembered the calm that came with his presence that night, and the curiosity that briefly flashed through brilliant, golden orbs. She remembered that he had every chance to kill her then and many times before, and yet she was still breathing. Reason told her that she would have been dead by now, had he truly wanted her that way.
And for some inexplicable reason, that thought gave her hope.
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Vocabulary: osuwari – sit, hanyou – half-demon, Taiyoukai – demon lord, Inu no Tashio – AKA Inutashio or Inupapa, youki – demon energy, youkai – demon
A/N: 558 words; The next chapter may be slow in coming. Please tell me what you think? Comments will help me decide which stories to update next/more frequently! Thank you for reading! -halcyondays 
