And I liked the fact that Sesshoumaru was unwilling to give ANYTHING at this moment in time. How could he with Kagome still tearing through her own memories--which he is reliving along with his own emotionally stunted pain?! The girl pushed WAY too hard, if you ask me. She was making headway and then fell on her face!

LOL, such an impassioned response! I *love* it! :D You've definitely hit on what I was attempting to articulate - that she was trying, pushing her boundaries, but she went overboard before she realized it. (How could she know calling him "darling," which she meant to use as a placating term, would trigger something even worse than what he was already experiencing?)

Even though we know how the story ends, there's still a lot to be told on the way to there. Sesshoumaru's faced with something he can't yet control, and she's prodding against a very sensitive, raw wound; of course he's going to shut down immediately in response. That's how he operates, that's how he's comfortable. But he'll also learn he can't hide from her just because it's painful. They both have some growing (& healing!) to do.

Though I've no idea where the muses will lead me next on the timeline, I'm very much enjoying writing on this series :)