“I must depart for some time,” Sesshoumaru said to her, as he knotted the sash at his waist. Kagome rolled to the other side of the futon, away from him. Still she could feel when his eyes settled on her naked back, lingering there. Irritation prickled through her. “So? No one’s harping at you to

“Ah, Kagome-sama,” one of the clerks demurred from her side. “Your apprentice has been indisposed these past few days, as I have so humbly informed you…” Kagome blinked. Rin, indisposed? Mikos didn’t catch colds—not for long, at any rate. But most people wouldn’t know this. Calmly, Kagome nodded and held her silence, delegating as she

Between Kagome’s ears Rin’s words were still ringing—ricocheting like bullets off the inside of her skull. Shaking her head, the miko struck out from the dark little hut, walking so quickly Ikiryou had no choice but to take off at a trot to keep up. In vain she strove to calm herself. She could feel

After Kanako left Kagome lingered on, resting her hip against the rough granite face of the lantern. It was a slim reassurance, seeing to Rin’s needs now. Too little too late, in Kagome’s bleak estimation. Still better than nothing, she reasoned. In vain, her gaze strayed off toward the distant graveyard. She could almost make

Kagome’s palm cracked like lightning across Kohaku’s left cheek. Maybe on some level he felt he deserved that much, but the incensed miko begged to differ. She would have lit up the other side of his face as well—if he hadn’t grabbed her wrist and dug his fingers into the soft underflesh of her forearm.

As if suspended in some horror of slow-motion, Kagome watched the comprehension dawn on Kohaku’s face by degrees. In the subtle shifting and shadowing of his features, the progression of his thoughts displayed, as they passed from the vial of cursed earth to the shock of her advances, to each act of outrage and deceit

For a small blissful eternity they held one another. Kagome steadied herself in the warmth of his embrace, drew comfort from the earthy scents of leather and steel that surrounded her. The relief she felt dizzied her almost as much as the fatigue. Against all odds, she had reached him; she had saved him—had saved

Kohaku glanced back at her, frowning. Returning the gesture, Kagome dragged herself upright and swiped at the blood crusting her face. “Kagome,” he commanded. “Come along.” “No,” the miko said again, just as hard. “I can’t.” Brusquely, the taijiya retraced his steps to her. “What do you mean, you can’t? He’s a human-slaying youkai—he has

Groggily, Kagome came to, the world a dizzying swirl of orange-gold above her. The smoky scent of incense invaded her lungs. As her eyes struggled to focus, she clutched at the softness beneath her and groaned. “…Kagome-sama!” a familiar voice exclaimed. Kagome’s head screamed in protest as she slowly turned it, and Kanako’s pale drawn

“Ren-heichou,” Kagome greeted lowly, as he drew to a stop near the foot of her bed. “You’ve got some nerve shutting me up like this. Ikiryou, too—you’d better bring him here before I get really pissed-off at you.” The samurai captain’s smile didn’t falter for a second. He was looking sharper and more lordly than