Sorry it took so long for the update. I had so many ideas knocking around in my head it was kind of tough to pin anything down. Thank you for your patience. Please enjoy the latest chapter. Read, review, and just plain have fun.


"Oof!" Rin exclaimed as her body once again collided with the dirt. Mel halted her steps and turned back. The little girl whimpered as she helped her sit up. The older girl rummaged through her bag and pulled out the first aid kit. Continuing the search, she breathed a sigh of relief when her hand enclosed the small metal cylinder. The small flashlight her grandfather had given her. The sun had dipped below the horizon hours ago, yet Sesshomaru had kept pushing them forward. This was the third time the little girl had fallen. Clicking the light on, she was immensely grateful it had not been forgotten. She winched a little as she examined. The skin was torn, a slight trickle of blood flowing down the wound. Holding the flashlight in her mouth, she went to work. After a quick cleaning and bandaging, she helped the little girl stand up.

"I think now would be a good time to set up camp." Mel remarked, tending to the scraps on the little girl's hands. Created when she attempted to break her fall.

"What?" The silk voice resounded beside her, and it took locking up every muscle to keep from jumping. He had been at least twenty feet ahead, had kept walking even as the child cried out. She sometimes forgot how swift and silent he could be. She picked up on the slight hard edge to his voice. Turning to face the demon, she caught the slight narrowing of his eyes. Despite only being around a short time, the perceptive time traveler had come to know habits and twitches of the male. The changes were almost imperceptible, but something was bothering her master. He seemed almost…nervous. The thought was a little distressing. It had seemed like nothing could faze the guy. Sure she had seen him a bit angry, but this was an entirely new emotion. Mel pushed the thought aside. At that moment, her priority was the hurt child.

"We need to rest already. Give Rin's scrapes and bruises time to heal. In case you forgot we humans aren't exactly nocturnal." She quipped sarcastically.

"What we need is to keep moving. You pathetic humans have slowed me down considerably as it is." His voice was calm but the hard glint in his eyes gave away his frustration. It had been well over three weeks since he had received the message, asking to postpone his visit. The delay had jostles his nerves more than he cared to admit, and had caused some rather unfortunate confrontations with his newly acquired servant. She seemed particularly agitated that night, and unfortunately he knew the reason why. The moment word had been sent that they were ready for his stay, the group had been mobilized. Not having expected news so soon, he had stupidly allowed them to wander a bit farther than they should have. Necessitating an almost none stop march just to get there at a suitable time. His eyes narrowed a bit further as she continued her sass.

"Then keep going alone. In case you forgot Ah-Un isn't here to carry us. He is waiting on the other side of the mountain because he would get caught in the trees. If you were so worried about us slowing you down, why didn't you let me and Rin ride with him? Why did you insist we walk with you?" She pressed, placing hands on hips. The attitude was definitely pushing her luck, especially considering his current agitated state. Strong fingers wrapped themselves around her throat, applying a steady increase in pressure. Pain flooded her senses, but Mel stood her ground. Gazing into his eyes defiantly even as the fingers tightened painfully. The stare down lasted maybe half a minute, with the demon lord withdrawing his hand. With lips pressed into a fine line, he turned on his heel. A few steps away he halted.

"You can get a two hour rest." He spoke begrudgingly over his shoulder. "If you are not ready to go at that time, I will leave you." Mel stuck her tongue out at his back. It was completely childish, but she was getting rather tired of always having to be a grownup. Especially when he would act like a selfish brat.

The bedding was laid out, and Mel sung a soft lullaby, gently rocking Rin to sleep. It had been a hard day and the poor thing was exhausted. Two hours would not accommodate a proper rest, but at this point anything would do. When the child finally drifted off, Mel took the chance take care of a few things. She wanted desperately to crawl into the bag and share a nap, but there was too much that needed to be done. She looked through her bag, cataloging all she had with her. Needing to know exactly what was in her inventory. She made a note of what was currently in the first aid kit and carefully resharpened the small knife. With chores done, she walked through the line of trees to the small clearing. Sesshomaru hated to be in the open, so insisted on the campground being in the holds of the forest. Despite the field being better suited. Mel sighed and sat down. Rubbing her slightly bruised neck as she gazed at the stars. Mesmerized by the twinkling lights above her head. There was no time for a proper rest. But the soothing a few minutes of stargazing provided was almost as good.

"Time to go." The smooth voice murmured silkily next to her. A voice that never failed to send shivers down her spine. With a reluctant sigh, she stood up and followed the demon lord back to camp. "Why didn't you sleep?"

"I had too much to do." Mel answered with a shrug. Feeling a little off kilter. Though the question was as cold and calm as all his other words, there was a hint of something hidden in their depths. Concern. She shook her head slightly, tossing the thought from her mind. There was no way the heartless creature beside her could show concern. She scoffed at the very thought, walking over to where Rin lay. Yet just as she was about to wake her, a hand caught her wrist. Without a word, he scooped the sleeping child up and proceeded to carry her. Mel watched in fascination as he cradled the girl so carefully. A blush hit her face as she felt heat pooling in her lower abdomen. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Great, not only did she get turned on by displays of his power, 'fatherly' acts towards Rin seemed to get her hot and bothered as well.

"Are you coming?" Sesshomaru threw a glance over his shoulder.

"Yeah, in a minute." She replied, her blush worsening. She couldn't be sure, but it had sounded like he emphasized the last word of his question. Just the thought that he was playing such innuendo made her so flustered as she rushed to dismantle the camp.


They walked quickly, silence only broken by the occasional snap of a twig or some small forest animal being disturbed out of its slumber. Mel kept her eyes to the forest floor, both to prevent tripping and to avoid looking at the demon. So used to A-Un happily acting as pack mule, she had lost her ability to easily force march with the filled rucksack. Noticing her struggle, he had insisted on carrying it. Claimed it was because she was slowing them down too much, but for some reason Mel knew better. Carrying Rin, taking her pack. Even matching his pace to her much slower one. All had logical explanations behind them. And all were subtle displays of kindness. Almost as if he were apologizing for earlier behavior. Or things that were to come.

"So what are we doing here again Sesshomaru?" Mel asked the question that had been burning her tongue for hours. She hadn't really expected him to answer. Which is why it was such a surprise when the demon lord halted.

"We are to visit an ally of mine. I am collecting on a long overdue favor." He answered before starting to walk. Once again reestablishing a pace.

"Favor?" She questioned, struggling to catch up. Even with such a heavy pack, and having to step lightly enough to avoid disturbing the sleeping child in his arms, he still outpaced her easily. It agitated her more than she cared to admit. So much of her life was spent being the adult, the one with responsibility always on her shoulders. Always having to be the best or else her and those that depended on her would suffer unimaginable wrath. Yet, this demon shows up. Easily bests her strength a dozen times over. Yet didn't use it just to lord over her. He turned her into a slave, but took her into his protection as well. Took responsibility for her care. For the first time that she could remember, someone else was taking care of her. It made her uneasy to depend on someone, especially someone as fickle as the demon lord, but there was something nice about it as well. He may have the destructive power and mood swings of a pregnant elephant, but when it came down to it, he had yet to fail her. When she desperately needed his strength, he would appear out of nowhere and swoop in for the rescue. And that was one of the reasons she seemed to be falling for him. Shaking her head vigorously, she attempted to push all such thoughts away. In the past three weeks he had done nothing but humiliate and harrase her. Especially with his recent habit of watching her bathe. "So you didn't exactly answer my question."

"I am going to call upon my retainers. I have been displaced from my throne long enough. It is high time I reestablish my territory." Jaken's spirits seemed to pick up immensely at the news, his griping completely ceasing and his steps now bubbly as if dancing. The female servant wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. One the one hand, it was not a servant's place to question their lord. On the other hand, there would most likely be numerous confrontations that would place Rin in dangerous situations. After a few moments thought, she settled on fulfilling the original contract. She would care for the child she had bonded with. Keep her safe from enemies and demented allies alike. Maybe even convince Sesshomaru to let Rin go back with her to her own time. The plan cemented in her mind. Just continue to take care of Rin. Whatever higher aspirations the demon lord had was no longer of any concern to her.

Mel felt herself dragging with every step. Even without the weight of the backpack dragging her down, her energy reserves were at an all-time low. They had continued walking for hours. Every so often her stamina would falter, and Sesshomaru would make some disparaging remark about her being a pathetic human, or worse, a pitiful woman. Anger would boil in her blood, forcing her to press on. Ignoring the pain in her sides and the ache in her feet. Knowing full well he was using her pride to get what he wanted, but unable to stop herself. Wanting to press on far beyond her limits of endurance just to spite the smug bastard. That was why when he finally halted, she was drenched in sweat. Gasping for breath with legs so shaky they could barely keep her up.

"Get undressed." He ordered suddenly.

"What!" Her body used what little reserves it had to jump away from the demon. And his ludicrous command. He set the girl gently against a tree, and unceremoniously dropped the pack to the ground beside her. Finally he turned back to the frightened servant. Raising an eyebrow at the panic on her face.

"There is a river fairly close. I want you to wash away your stench, and clean your uniform and Rin's best kosode. In the morning you will help her get cleaned up."

"You mean we are not going to be meeting with them tonight?" Jaken asked, voice filled with disappointment.

"No, they do not expect us until tomorrow evening." Sesshomaru answered.

"Then why the hell did you push us so hard?" Mel hissed with bitter resentment. "I wouldn't have such stench if you would have allowed an easier pace."

"I heard no complaints." He issued the statement rather smugly. Her mouth dropped at the words.

"You…You unbelievably arrogant bastard. You jackass prick. You-" She wanted to call him each and every foul thing her mind could come up with, but a smooth hand slid over her lips. Silencing her rant.

"I wanted to give us ample time to prepare. So that we would make a proper impression." He explained absentmindedly. His tone filled with such boredom. So at odds with his eyes. They narrowed slightly, calculating. With a slight tug, he forced her head to the side, exposing her slender neck. Without a moment's hesitation, he leaned down and burrowed his teeth lightly in her flesh. She yipped as his fangs repeatedly plunged into random spots on her neck and shoulder. But his strong hand held firmly against her lips, silencing her cries. Forcing her head the other way, he left a trail of painful kisses down the other side. Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt his tongue slide randomly over the fresh wounds. Some received considerable attention, others were skipped over entirely. After some time, he released her mouth and stepped away.

"What the hell was that about?" She hissed angrily, only the sight of the still sleeping child keeping her from screaming the words at him. He ignored her, eyes scanning her now heavily bruised neck. As if examining his work. Some looked fairly fresh, others looked old and fading. He nodded approvingly. "Well?" Her anger rising with every passing second he seemed to ignore her.

"You are my toy." She felt her mouth drop at his words, anger invading every cell of her being.

"You son of a bitch. You said you would only do things like that as punishment, and I have done nothing wrong."

"There are any number of acts of insolence I could choose from to justify my actions. This, you stupid girl, is for appearances sake." His eyes narrowed slightly. He did not want to let on the apprehension that was slowly creeping its way into his mind. The humans would be in such danger if he brought them on this errand. But in these lands, leaving them alone would be asking for their desecration and death. It was far safer for them to stay by his side, but only if he could keep up the proper appearances. As much as he hated to explain his reasoning, this seemed rather necessary at the time. "My cohorts are demons. They view humans as nothing more than tools to satisfy needs of hunger, lust, and entertainment. As my adopted daughter, Rin is safely out of their clutches. All that keeps you safe is the understood notion that demons don't share toys. You are my plaything, and as such, it would be odd if you had no marks of affection." She stared in astonishment, not in a million years guessing his actions had been for her benefit. With a bit of a blush, she pulled her top off. Thrusting her chest out, offering her flesh. Her eyes dropped quickly, pretending to be interested the faint shapes on the ground she could make out. Even in the soft moonlight, he could see her blush. Jaken kept his back turned to the scene, knowing his lord would not be particularly happy to have such a moment disturbed.

"Well, if this is about protection." She muttered nervously, biting her lip. "Isn't it strange that the markings only appear on my neck?" He eyed her thoughtfully, impressed by the train of thought. He nipped at the parts of the mounds not covered with her bra. Running a healing tongue over a few of the fresh bruises. He dropped to his knees, and lifted her shorts a bit. Suckling the flesh until a large quarter sized bruise shown neatly on her pale thigh. Satisfied, he stood up and walked to her pack. He opened the bag as he had been shown, and tossed both her uniform and Rin's nicest kosode to her. She shook out of her daze just in time to stop the articles from hitting the dirt. Without a word she went to the pack and grabbed everything she needed to clean all the stains from the clothes. Then practically rushed away. Following the sounds of running water, she stumbled down a rather hilly terrain to the river bank. Picking a good sized flat rock embedded in the riverbed, she went to work. Using somewhat strenuous labor to drive away the electricity in her body. His lips never touched the places most riddled with nerve endings, yet her thighs quivered as a bit of moisture coated her panties. Even now her breath was ragged, having nothing to do the hike and climb down to the water.


Sesshomaru sat against the tree, silently watching her scrub the clothing vigorously. As if attempting to burn up some energy of another nature. So preoccupied, she didn't even realize that soft whimpers and slight moans still fell from her lips. Let alone the slightly glowing amber orbs burning into her back. Watching her work from a distance so close, had she thought to turn around, she would easily spot him. He had fully intended to let her do the laundry in the morning. To use the comfortable darkness to gather some much deserved rest. But then his attempts at creating evidence of a very active sex life took a wildly unexpected turn. As of late, she had shied from the few touches he had given. Early on, she had whimpered lustily at his touch. That reaction seemed to dry up fairly quickly after they argued about tracking a lead for that damned Shikon Jewel. He had bent her over an empty rainwater barrel, threatening to violate her right then if she didn't cease spouting such nonsense. Since then, her body would react to random actions she deemed attractive, but grew cold at an actual touch. Rage and humiliation quickly taking the place of desire. He had fully expected the same reaction, maybe with a bit more acceptance as she understood the necessity. But the way her body lit up at his touch. Quickly building arousal flooded his nostrils. He never expected such a quick and positive response. Or the way his own body would so quickly react. It was quite perturbing how easily the little human could sometimes set him off.