The scent of the green wild grass mixed with the leftover dew of the cool summer night acted as Ari's wake-up call early that morning. She stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes to the blazing sun that hovered above her. Pieces of the suns ray found its way through the cover of numerous trees and shone spotlights onto the ground and speckled across her face. When she was fully awake and stretched her yawn to get her body moving, Ari noticed a certain pale white figure that stood in front of her almost as if the figure was waiting for her. Sesshomaru was never the type of demon to associate himself with humans, he saw them as a waste of space and weak and inferior and yet he travels with one, a young girl named Rin and he cares for her deeply though his expressions never show it. Sesshomaru's expression never changed because his feelings towards just about everything was nothing due to his cold demon nature, but Rin, Ari, and Jaken-his loyal imp servant- could see the good in him no matter how blind it maybe to others.
"Sesshomaru-sama." Ari beamed jumping to her feet.
"Come on," he said coldly "we're leaving."
The young tiger demon quickly ran to his side, eagerly waiting to follow him and all his commands.
"Really, girl, how long does it take to wake up? You made Lord Sesshomaru wait for you. Such insolence!" cried Jaken the imp. He had been with the young demon lord for as long as anyone can remember. He waddled alongside Ari giving her a dirty look that held a secret message stating that he wouldn't let her be alone with Sesshomaru no matter what.
"Don't be rude, Jaken. At least she doesn't snore so loud at night that she can wake the dead." Commented Rin as she came riding in on Ah-Un, the two-headed wingless dragon. In shock and disgust, Jaken choked and scoffed and mumbled inaudible insults to the young girl and while threatening to burn her alive with his staff of two heads. As the two continued to argue and bicker, Sesshomaru and Ari managed to slip away a few feet ahead. It was her dream come true. Out of the entire time she had spent with him, Ari never had the chance to truly be alone with him and by some miracle it had come true it had come true and she wasn't going to let this golden opportunity pass her by.
"I'm glad that we could get away from them. I know how much you hate to hear them fight like that." Her voice was shaking and low so he couldn't hear her and even if he did he wouldn't bother to respond. Sesshomaru was a demon of few words he rarely talked to anyone but he ha d a soft spot, remarkably enough, for his loyal followers.
"You know, my lord, it's very rare that you and I get to spend any time together like this. If you'd let me, I would like to know more about you." She asked shyly.
Sesshomaru said nothing again and continued his scowl as he strutted at a quicker pace. Ari matched up to his speed to try to get a straight answer from him, she wouldn't let him get away that easily.
"Please, my lord, I don't want to know everything just some minor details will be fine. How was your upbringing? Has Jaken always been with you? When did you first adopt Rin? Why do you hardly ever use your Tenseiga? Do you hate it? Why do you hate it? Sesshomaru-"
Her unending questions were cut off abruptly by Sesshomaru's hand grabbing her wrist and forcing her body to fall to the ground. He pinned her hands together above her head with his own and pressed his body against hers and stared down at her with his cold gaze.
"My lord?" she gasped softly.
"My past is none of your concern. Do not think you can treat me so friendly." He said firmly without even the slightest hint of emotion,
Ari was scared, more scared than any other time in her life. She was scared to see this side of her master whom she had loved for the longest time. Never in all the time she had traveled with him, even when he left to go face Naraku, had she ever see him so close to her and so heartless and unemotional. In the midst of their unbearable silence, an unannounced enemy jumped from the trees above and landed in front of the couple. The demon chuckled in its throat and it sounded like wind scraping against a glass window.
"Dog demon, you were foolish enough to walk into my forest without the slightest idea that it would be the last thing you'll ever see! Prepare to die, mutt!" he hollered raising his oversized green hand and stretched out its claw over to Sesshomaru to cut him down. Fortunately, the young lord was much quicker than the amateur and managed to dodge his feeble attack with Ari held in his arms. He carried her away and placed her somewhere safe, Sesshomaru turned toward his opponent, drew his Tokijin, and dashed straight ahead. With one swing of his sword, the demon was cut clean in half and shattered into oblivion. Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and turned towards Ari to help her to her feet so their journey could continue, but the young girl was still terrified. She could still see her masters gaze peering down at her. When he offered his hand to help her she clawed at his hand in defense unknowingly leaving a red, shallow scar on the back of his hand. Now she had done it she knew what her punishment was going to be he would abandon her here as either a beaten bloody mess on the brink of death or he would simply murder her and not even have the decency to bury her corpse. Tears started to overwhelm through her eyes and fall down her cheeks, then, a miracle happened. Sesshomaru, a demon with no sense of emotion and believed to have no heart, gently caressed her face and wiped her tears away. He held onto her gently and stared at her as if she was the only person that existed out of the entire world. Ari tried to avert her gaze, but how could she? Her lord and love was holding her and gazing at her in a way she never knew possible. She reached for Sesshomaru's injured hand and kissed it softly showing she was truly sorry.
"I meant no harm, my lord. I was merely terrified by the… attack," she lied "I feared you were….in trouble." Her voice was trembling. Ari didn't want to admit that the true reason behind her fear was him because she was much too fond of him.
"Are you hurt?" he asked slipping his hand from her face. She picked herself from off the ground and dusted off the dirt on her clothes and mustered up a smile to prove to him that she was perfectly fine and unharmed. Her mask didn't fool him for a second. He rose up as well to face her as he smirked slyly and pushed her up against a nearby tree and kissed her. The kiss made Ari's body explode with unimaginable happiness and excitement. Although his expression and actions towards most were ice cold, his lips were warm and soft and fitted with hers perfectly. What once was a simple kiss manifested into something more passionate. He wrapped his finger around her waist and pulled her into his body so he could feel the warmth she always showed off. Her arms wrapped around his neck and with that deepened the kiss even more than before. Ari never imagined that a tongue could have such an amazing feel to it as it danced around your own leaving the taste of sweet strawberries along with an intense craving longing for more. Sesshomaru's lips traveled from Ari down to her neck and gently began to kiss her neck and the feel of his tongue grazing her bare skin sent her whole body into shock. A slight moan fell from her lips but she managed to keep the remaining of it from escaping to save her even further embarrassment. As she was panting to regain her stolen breath she found her lord staring up at her with a serious yet seductive look that glimmered with the sun. He crept up to her ear and in a hushed low voice he whispered to her "I love you, Ari. Remember it well for I will not repeat myself." He kissed her again except less hot than the first one.
"A-and I love you, my lord, until my last breath." She choked out between her heavy breathing.
"Fix yourself up. Jaken and Rin will be here shortly."
As Ari fixed her crazed hair and wiped around her mouth and adjusted her shirt, a familiar shrill came echoing from the path behind them.
"Lord Sesshomaru, Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken cried racing his way towards his masters' side. Behind him followed Rin and Ah-Un galloping closer. Ari sighed heavily with disappointment because their special moment was ruined far too earlier in the making. Besides, when would she ever get a chance to be alone like that ever again with Sesshomaru, but she couldn't complain too much an incredible miracle happened for her today and that was all she wanted, for now. In a fit of happiness and self confidence, she jumped next to her loving demon and clung to his arm and waited for Jaken to waddle in close enough so he could get a front row seat of her next move.
"Ari, remove yourself from Lord Sesshomaru this instant!" the imp hollered then all was silent among everyone. Jaken stood in shock and his mouth dropped so low to floor that he could pick up dirt. Young Rin covered her face in pure embarrassment but still separated her fingers so she could keep staring at Ari grabbing Sesshomaru by the collar of his kimono and kissing him. The kiss even took the mighty Sesshomaru by surprise and when the kiss ended Ari grinned slyly as she declared loudly "I love you, Sesshomaru-sama! I hope that you don't ever forget that because I'll have to repeat myself again."
THE END