Authors note: I love that you all seem to like it! I've been pretty sick lately and have been in and out of the hospital so sorry it took so long to finally post this chapter. I appreciate all the reviews, but at the risk of sounding whiny and demanding, if you could please be more elaborate in your reviews! I love that you all love it but I would really like to know what it is you like about it, and even what you don't like about it! I can't grow as a writer if I don't know what I'm lacking! Again thank you all so much and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Chapter 9:

Missing You

Naraku paced the floor in the great hall, waiting for the return of one of his minions. He was growing more and more irritated with every passing minute. Finally, the sound of the huge door opening caught his attention and he immediately straightened up and looked down his nose at the boy coming through the door. He looked as if he had been through hell and back, his body badly damaged from battle, but as their eyes met Naraku was pleased to see his eyes seemed just as blank and impassive as they were when he left. The boy bowed to him and he growled, "Out with it boy I've been waiting long enough!"

The boy slowly closed the distance between them and held out his hand, and Naraku could barely contain the smile that broke across his face as he now held 6 more jewel shards.

"It seems Inuyasha and his friends have stopped looking for jewel shards in hope of finding the girl. She seems to have been missing for some time before she came to be with you."

Naraku nodded, and dismissed the boy with his hand. He would interrogate him further later but for now his mind was spinning. If the girl had already been missing from the filthy mutt then who had she been traveling with. He had smelled dog on her scent when he snatched her, but it was faint and he had assumed it to just be the scent of her normal traveling companions. Finally he called for Kanna and Kagura to join him in his study, and quickly started to determine the best way to get it out of the girl who she had been traveling with before she was attacked. She obviously had been well taken care of, and it had only been a coincidence that Naraku had even been close enough to her to sense her. He usually never got so close to the Lord of the West's home, especially after their last altercation when he had kidnapped his ward.

His eyes growing wide, he turned to see Kagura and Kanna standing just a few paces away from him, and slowly he smiled.

"It seems our little miko has not been traveling with the half demon for some time. Not only that, but it seems she has made the acquaintance of a certain demon lord. Perhaps we should pay him a visit?"

He didn't wait to see the look of surprise on their faces as he turned, trying to formulate a better plan to draw the demon lord out of his fortress.

xXxXx

Inuyasha rubbed his shoulders as he watched Kikyou's soul searchers gathering in a nearby clearing. He knew she was trying to get his attention so they could speak, but he just didn't have it in him. Kagome had been gone for nearly 6 months, and they had no better idea of where she was then the day she had disappeared. They hadn't even found any jewel shards since then, and while Sango and Miroku were content with the simple search for Kagome, they too were getting restless not searching for the shards. Sighing, he finally gave in and slowly he stood and started to walk towards the clearing he knew he would find Kikyou. When he finally broke through the clearing all he could see was her back as she absorbed the last few souls her servants had brought for her. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a tiny pang of guilt as he watched her, knowing that if he hadn't let his selfish desires make it so easy for Naraku to corrupt him they both would have been happy and alive. He was snapped out of his bitter thoughts when he realized he was now staring straight into her dark eyes.

"Inuyasha, you have finally come. I have missed you." He could see she was nervous, and quickly he closed the distance between them and quickly grabbed her to his chest in a tight embrace.

"I missed you too. Where have you been all this time?" He pulled away just enough to look her in the eye. They hadn't seen each other since they had realized Kagome was missing, and he felt guilty that he hadn't even truly realized he missed her till now, staring at her.

"So you still have not found Kagome I see?" Kikyou said quietly, trying to keep her tone even while on the inside she was feeling a little bit jealous.

Inuyasha simply hung his head. He had let Kagome down, and because of that he was now letting Kikyou down. He felt like such a failure and while he had tried to act strong for those around him, he was breaking down slowly with every passing day that went by without Kagome by his side. He felt Kikyou touch his face, and he let himself relish in her touch for a moment, before pulling away and turning away from her.

"Inuyasha, I came to find you because I feel we are all in grave danger. Naraku has made several appearances lately and he's been busy collecting jewel shards."

With that Inuyasha snapped his head to look back at Kikyou. "Not possible! I would have felt him if he returned!"

"It is so Inuyasha, just open your eyes and look around!" Kikyou couldn't help but feel angry. To think that they all had tricked themselves into thinking Naraku was gone for good was laughable, especially since the monk still carried his curse. Inuyasha finally responded quietly, "We haven't heard anything, and we've been so preoccupied with Kagome…"

He suddenly looked so lost Kikyou began to feel her anger dissipating. Wrapping her arms around him she said, "Inuyasha, I know finding Kagome is important to all of you, but maybe we should start searching for the shards once again as well. If Naraku has a chance to complete the jewel we are all done for, please consider it."

"We haven't been able to find any jewel shards since Kagome went missing. We can't find them on our own very well." He looked down at Kikyou, and for a moment he thought he could see Kagome's smile breaking through Kikyou's cold exterior. "Maybe if you come with us we could find them together…"

He let his sentence drift off, and he tried not to make eye contact with her feeling foolish. He knew what the others would say if he decided to bring Kikyou along, but he couldn't help but feel she had a point, and maybe with Kikyou's ability to see the shards they would have a better chance of also tracking down Kagome where ever she was. He slowly let his mind drift over the options, and ways of asking the demon slayer and monk to allow her to come along. He would have to explain a thousand times that he didn't want to replace Kagome, but at this time it was becoming almost painfully obvious that they needed her. If Naraku was back to hunting down jewel shards they needed their own advantage in the game.

"If you are asking me what I think you are Inuyasha, you know how I feel about it. I wouldn't feel right till we found Kagome. They will think you are replacing her." Kikyou suddenly felt extremely torn, joining Inuyasha was something she had always thought about, and when it had come so close to coming true those many months ago and then fallen through, she had lost hope it would ever happen. And now, with her reincarnation missing, she didn't want to turn her friends against them when they would need them the most.

"Kikyou, we can't find the jewel shards without you. You couldn't replace Kagome if you tried, even with all your similarities you are two distinctly different people. Please, we need you." Slowly, Inuyasha let her forehead fall against hers, and looking into her eyes he knew she was fighting quite passionately with herself about the decision to stay or go. "Please…" He whispered again, slowly lowering his head, and pressing his lips gently against hers.

Kikyou sighed softly, and pressed her lips more firmly against his, knowing in her heart she couldn't say no to him. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his neck and she felt one of his hands twist in her hair and suddenly she could feel his tongue on hers. They kissed passionately for a long moment, before Kikyou slowly pulled away, her lips still almost touching Inuyasha's, and she quietly said, "I'll come with you."

With those words she felt his mouth on hers again, and slowly they lost themselves in each other, forgetting for just a few hours the world around them.

xXxXxXx

Sesshoumaru was sitting in the garden, watching Rin pick various flowers and bunch them together and hand them to the servants walking by on their way to their different tasks. They all graciously accepted the gift from the small girl, and it always made her face brighten when she had gifted another person with her precious flowers.

"Lord Sesshoumaru Rin has picked some flowers for you!" She called eagerly from a few feet away, holding up a new bunch of white flowers that looked more like weeds to him. He nodded, acknowledging her and earning him one of her carefree smiles. She hadn't mentioned the priestess all day, and he was glad for the break from her constant badgering about the subject. His scouts had yet to return with any news and he was beginning to finally give up hope the girl would ever be found. Deciding he should get back to the pile of paperwork still awaiting him at his desk Sesshoumaru stood and began walking towards the house. He had barely made it to the front door when he suddenly heard the voice of one of his scouts shouting out to him. Turing slowly he watched as both scouts came running up to him, looking as if they hadn't stopped at all in the 5 days they had been gone.

"Lord Sesshoumaru…Naraku…we found him." One panted as he finally leaned over to rest his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

Nodding, he asked, "Where?"

"Just off the northern border of your lands my lord. They are starting construction on a small fortress there and his scent is everywhere."

Sesshoumaru dismissed them to go get some much needed rest, and turned to look back at the wall behind him. What should he do now? Surely if the girl was still with Naraku he wouldn't move her at least till they had finished building the new fortress and setting up protections. Heading to his study Sesshoumaru started bouncing ideas in his head of how to approach the situation unfolding in front of him. It was Naraku he was dealing with after all, and suddenly Sesshoumaru got the feeling that this must be a trap of some sort. The last time Naraku had tried to set up any source of his power near Sesshoumaru's lands he had been dealt with quickly and rather painful for the hanyou who had been weak from recent battles with his own half-brother. He must be trying to draw him out, Sesshoumaru mused to himself. The question was why, and no matter the different scenarios that ran through his head none made sense to him. If he didn't feel entirely honor bound to at least try to save that woman from the evil hanyou, he wouldn't even be in the situation to begin with, and he would have simply marched up to the new fortress and slaughtered all till finally they retreated. It was the only way to deal with such insolence, especially when it came to the nasty half breed. But the girl had indeed proved her worth and had not only saved Rin's life, but had brought back the arm he was sure he would never regain. He let out an irritated growl deep in his throat, he was growing soft to these human females that was certain, and he didn't like it one bit.

Thoughts of how the west had almost fallen apart when his father had died protecting his human mate suddenly came to mind, and even years later they still made his blood boil. He had never had the chance to grieve over his father's death before he had been thrown to the wolves to fight for the lands that were rightfully his. The battles had ensued nonstop for years before finally the other three clans had decided that Sesshoumaru had finally proved himself an adequate ruler, and with his own self proclamation of hatred for humans he had won himself many followers in the demon community. His standing in court was no longer questioned, and whenever problems occurred in other lands, he was the first one to be asked to join the fight to protect his ally's lands. Yet, in the past few months he had almost entirely shoved his responsibilities aside in order to find a mere human girl, a miko no less. He wondered to himself if he was slowly losing his mind or if the trait that seemed to draw the men of his bloodline to human mates was genetic and was just finally surfacing in himself.

Sighing, he pushed open the door to his study and slowly sat himself down at the desk. He forced himself to read through everything on his desk, signing when necessary, or jotting down notes to send a messenger out the next day denying a claim. Finally the stack disappeared and he turned to look out the window at the dark sky, and realized just how much time had passed since he forced himself to finish his work. He had managed to miss dinner, which made no difference to him, but the disappointed look he could imagine on Rin's face made him feel a little guilty. Facing the window he watched as the moon glowed over the garden below, and for a moment he was certain he could see the woman's figure floating through the garden, but with a quick shake of his head he realized it was not the girl standing in his gardens but someone else entirely. His eyes began to glow red when the form fully appeared before him, and quickly the scent of blood made its way to his nose.

'How could I have been so unobservant?' he chastised himself, tearing himself away from the window and rushing down to the grounds.

As he turned the corner the scent of blood and death was overwhelming. Enraged he ran faster, turning into the garden and coming face to face with the devilish woman standing in his gardens, covered in his men's blood. He grabbed her quickly by the neck and squeezed as he lifted her into the air.

"You will tell this Sesshoumaru what you are doing here now, or I will kill you on the spot."

The woman only responded by laughing, a stifled, choked sound as the hand around her throat squeezed tighter.

"I will tell you what you want to know, the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru," The woman finally croaked, "But you have to release my throat to allow me to breathe first." The woman coughed and then tried to laugh again. He felt his inner beast begging to be let out, to avenge the men he had lost, and to tear this woman apart for whatever role she was playing in now.

Kagura smirked as the demon lord before her finally dropped her unceremoniously to the floor. She could already tell this was going to be interesting.

xXxXxXxX

Authors Note: So I know this is a little shorter than normal, or maybe it just feels shorter? Either way I am starting the next chapter this evening and we will be getting more into the suspense and the mystery of the plot, and hell maybe a little romance in the next few chapters. I don't want to rush anything! Please review and let me know what you think!