I could smell the demonic aura from the river as we walked. I could see why his mother called it a demonic one, because the smell was so foul. "Jaken, stay here with Rin." Sesshomaru said suddenly without stopping. Jaken did as ordered and I followed him through the trees. This was the first time we had been alone since the day before when he trained me to better use my sword. I had tried since then to not think of him pinning me against the tree. However, since I constantly saw him it was a little harder to forget.

The closer we got to it, the more I felt the aura grow stronger. It was an overpowering smell. I could hear the sound of rushing water before long, and as we stepped through the clearing I looked at the purple liquid flowing through the land. My mouth opened at the sight, I had never seen anything like it before. "What is it?" I asked getting closer to it. Sesshomaru put out his arm, warning me to mind my distance.

"Myasthma..." he looked as far up the river as he could then as far down. "The river is tainted." He said as he started walking down the way the river was running. I looked in the direction as saw a faint glowing light, remembering what the demoness said about the glowing. We followed it down until we came to a smaller lake. It was one of the smallest lakes I had ever seen, so small that I didn't know if it would be defined as a lake.

I saw the glowing in the middle of the lake and tilted my head. How were we supposed to get it? We both stopped at the edge and I saw Sesshomaru's eyes looking over the area. It was clear he was thinking the same thing. Sesshomaru bounded off the shore and I watched in astonishment as he dropped into the liquid right above the shine. I could see the bubbling and hear the sizzle of his burning skin as he entered it. "Sesshomaru!" I yelled worriedly. I knew that he was strong and proud, but even whatever this was had to be too much for him. "Sesshomaru!" I yelled again after a moment. The liquid around where he was started to shake and swirl, making the entire lake churn.

I looked up and raised my head, trying to figure out where he was. My eyes darted back and forth searching for him. "Sesshomaru…" I said as he was clutching the jewel, a barrier surrounding him as he floated up. His armor was burnt, and the edges of his kimono and furs where gone, tattered, and torn. His hands were burnt terribly, and he breathing was very shallow. The barrier was starting to flicker, and it was obvious the jewel was powered by the river's liquid. It took him above the land and then disappeared completely, and for the first time I had ever seen, Sesshomaru didn't land on his feet.

I ran toward him and dropped to my knees. His hands were on the ground, keeping him from falling flat as one knee and one foot was against the ground. He was staring at the stone beneath his face and I put my hands on his on his shoulders. "Are you alright Sesshomaru?" I asked nervously. "Why did you do that?" I asked with a shaky voice from worry. He looked up at me with red eyes and I stepped back shocked.

I took a breath in as his head went back down and his breathing was getting worse and his arms were starting to shake. "Sesshomaru answer me!" I shook him lightly and he looked up and growled at me angrily. I started to panic not knowing what I was going to do if he died. "Here…" I said as I grabbed his arm ready for him to take the demonic aura from me again. He snatched his arm back and I watched as his teeth grew larder. "You need it!" I yelled.

"I will kill you!" he snarled up at me.

"I don't care!" I yelled back and forced his hand through my stomach. I felt as searing pain shot through my nerves and blood spurted out over his arm and on my bare stomach. I watched as the aura from my wound seeped out and absorbed into him, and his face slowly started changing back to normal. I felt as the pain pulsated through me. His hand was thrusted back out of my stomach and he looked at me with gritted teeth and a hung head.

I looked down at the hole in my stomach and held my hand over it. In a second he had picked up the jewel and hand me in his arms. I was starting to feel dizzy as he rushed through the forest. I felt some sort of power rush through me as he ran and felt my blood rush in my heart. My vision started to turn red and I pricked my lips as my teeth sharped. We came to a stop and I looked up at the face of the man I had grown to care so much for. I was grateful to him in so many ways. "You need to kill Yuzuki." He said as he sat me on my feet and held me up with his strong hands. I looked forward as a reptile demon slithered in front of us.

I held one hand over my stomach and the other with twitching with the need to kill. Sesshomaru stepped away as power surged through me. I knew that what was happened to Sesshomaru was happening to me. Yet, somehow I felt different. I flexed my hand as the demon shot forward with a thirst for the smell of blood and I used my claws to slice through its belly as it flew toward me. I heard it fall to the ground behind me as I dropped to my knees, using the last bit of energy I had to kill it. I dropped both my arms and fell forward, but a pair of arms caught me before I did. I buried my face into his soft furs and faded to black.

I didn't know how long it took me to wake up, but when I did, I heard the immense, never ending sound of Jaken rambling about me being almost dead and heard the soft sobs of Rin. I felt as there was movement beneath me and the rumbling of his chest as Sesshomaru spoke. "Stop that, Rin." He said as I heard Jaken cry out in pain. I didn't know why but it sounded like something hit him. I grabbed at the fur and tried my best to push myself even more into the fur. My eyes fluttered open and I looked up at the face staring down at me.

My face suddenly turned red because I was so close to him. I could feel his heart beating in his chest. His mouth opened slightly and his eyes grew wide as he watched my eyes open. I moved around to test my limbs and I felt that half my body was on soft grass and the other half was on Sesshomaru. His clawed hand traveled up my collarbone up to the back of my neck. He looked down at me, and in his eyes I almost saw relief.

"You're alright now." He said down to me, and I couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement. I nodded, though I felt really tired. Rin ran over to us and I tried to lift my head, but went right back down when a splitting head ache cracked through my body.

"Lady Yuzuki! You're awake!" she said. I smiled at her, but Sesshomaru was quick to keep me from getting worse.

"Rin, leave her be for now." He said strictly and she smiled at her.

"Okay!" she said happily and skipped back over to wherever she had been sitting. I looked back over to Sesshomaru and realized he was leaning against the tree and I was in his lap. I unconsciously moved my hand to my bare stomach and felt the horrible scar there. I looked up in time to see him looking at my arm and then look at my stomach sadly. I had realized that the two out of three scars that I had come from him, even though I forced him to do it.

"Why did you do that?" Sesshomaru asked seriously as he looked down at me, his face placid and blank.

"Do what?" my voice cracked as I met his eyes. "Safe your life?" I added and when he didn't speak I continued. "…Because you're worth saving." I swallowed hard and watched his reaction carefully. His eyes went through a series of emotions I couldn't place, though his mouth never changed from the straight line that was always there.

I felt myself grow tired as I turned into his furs again. They were so unimaginably soft and comfortable. I liked that he had one of his knees elevated, though he always did that, it made me feel more comfortable in his lap. I was asleep before I knew it, and when I awoke again I was upset to find that I was on the bedding Rin used. I sat up and looked around, and Rin was the first to greet me. "Lady Yuzuki!" she ran up to me and gave me a tight hug. I had been feeling much better. I hugged her back and grinned at her happily.

"I'm alright Rin." I told her reassuringly.

"M'Lady, I'm so glad you are awake! You are the only one that cares about me!" he cried happily and hugged me as well. I patted him on the back and looked around. I saw Sesshomaru standing by Ah and Un and smiled up at him. "Lord Sesshomaru is very glad that you are awake too! He was afraid of losing you!" Jaken said and I watched as he turned, afraid of the look Sesshomaru might be giving him, but instead of glaring or hitting him like he usually did he only stared at me.

"Thank you…" I looked at him with warming eyes and he nodded the smallest amount. He dug in his clothes and pulled out the stone and held it up, his large sleeves falling down to his elbow which revealed the two long, purple slash marking on his arms. The stone was about the size of Rin's fist and purple in color. He tossed it over to me and I caught it.

"Keep it safe." He said looking at me and then turned and started walking. "We need to get moving." He added and I stood up and gathered up the bedding as Jaken took it and hooked it to Ah-Un before we chased after Sesshomaru. He had told me that we would get the blood next, and it would take a few days to get there from here. I didn't know how much of a delay I had caused, but I knew and felt bad because I had caused it. How come Sesshomaru hadn't been effected like I had? I guessed that it was probably because of my weakened powers which were starting to get really annoying.

We started walking and I watched Sesshomaru look back slightly every so often to look at me. I didn't know if it was just me or if he was checking on me. Before long Rin's stomach started to rumble and the sun had gone down so Sesshomaru decided that we should stop. Rin and Jaken went off to search for food as Ah-Un layed down and I started to get the fire started. Sesshomaru leaned against the tree and watched me carefully. I gathered the wood and put them together just as Jaken came back and lighted it up with his staff.

He dropped off some berries and ran off quickly with his staff and followed the small torch light Rin was carrying. "Sesshomaru?" I asked quietly as I stared at the fire.

"What is it?" his voice followed the wind softly.

"Why…didn't you just let me die?" I asked curiously with a tinge of sadness and fright of what he would say.

I looked over and saw that his eyes had widened a little, but he straightened himself up before answering. "Getting that jewel would have made this an entire waste of time." He said darkly and I nodded. He had a point. He walked over and stood beside me and I turned to look at him. His face moved toward me as he stared into my yellow eyes. I looked up and watched the fire's light dance in his eyes, matching the hue of them.

"Thank you again," I said, not knowing what else to say or what he wanted, "for saving my life."

He watched me, and I thought he was angry because his face turned down into a frown. I turned my body to face him and touched his now full sleeve and carefully pulled my eyes up his body, past his mouth and to his eyes as I looked at him through my eyelashes. His face pulled back slightly as his eyes got bigger. Was I making him uncomfortable? I clutched harder at his sleeve and he looked down at my hand, but didn't ask me to move it. I looked down at held my hand to my heart, thinking about him pinning me to the tree. I felt as his hand wrapped around mine, covering it as it clutched to his sleeve. I looked up and met his soft gaze which was warming more than cold.

"Don't ever…" he started, his voice hard, "worry me like that again." He stared at me, his mouth a thin line. I nodded as he faced me quickly and his fingers wrapped into my downed hair and to the back of my neck. He pulled me up toward his face as his eyes closed and he bent down and pressed his mouth gently against mine. I kissed him back, my hand still clutching to his sleeve. He pulled back and removed his hand, and I let go, my hand shaking from the intimate gesture. Sesshomaru had kissed me…he had really kissed me.

I watched as he turned around and went back to sit down on the ground and lean against the tree I and turned in astonishment as Rin and Jaken walked through the trees with a few pieces of fruit and vegetables. I swallowed and turned to look at Sesshomaru's eyes as they watched the two. I looked toward Rin and Jaken who sat down and tilted my head at Jaken's frightened face. "What…what's the matter m'Lord! What happened? Why are you doing that? Oh no don't kill me!" he whined and I beamed when I turned to Sesshomaru who was turned slightly toward me, a small smile, clear as day, on his face.