DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha.

SIDE NOTES:

"Talking is written like this."

Thoughts, flashbacks, and dreams are written like this.

What is in this chapter: thoughts and flashbacks. Trust me, you won't get them confused.

Last time, on "Blossoms into Love"...

"So, uh, Sesshomaru, where are we...?"

"We are leaving this forest, girl," And his beast disappeared.

Kagome wondered: they had been in the cavern for nearly two days, and Sesshomaru had hardly said a word to her. Rin and Jaken were by their Lord and Shippo had never left her side (he wanted to make sure her wounds would not get an infection or open again; they did not). Sesshomaru, who barely moved in his spot at the entrance of the cavern, made no notion to those inside the cave.

When they first arrived at the cave, they didn't know what to expect, especially from Sesshomaru.

His feet rested upon the ground before the cavern and let Kagome step down from his presence. He turned to the forest to see Ah-Un and the others slowly coming forth. It was not, say, a perfect place that he was used to, but if he had to manage to stay warm for a night or two, he would not mind. That, and they were out of range of Inuyasha's nose, so they could not track her down again.

He looked down at her. What was that fascinating about her? She was a mortal, nothing special. She had priestess powers, yes, but even then, she could not use them to their full potential. She was not beautiful—he had seen the divine and stunning goddesses, and those he had to kill—nor was she pleasant to smell (something about her scent made his nose itch) so her appearance was not pleasing. She was not formal, she wore nothing but those filthy clothes, and now in her new outfit, she still looked like a dirty human.

He would never understand his beast, but something about her made it flare in anger and possession. "We will stay here for the night," he said before entering the cave. Kagome, however, found it unpleasant and disturbing: stag mites rose and fell from every place imaginable; it was wet and moist from the warmth; the cold ground was a surprise, especially when the air was dense and humid; there was no light inside this cave, only darkness roamed about. She stood out in the field.

She did not want to go inside. Shippo, too, found it rather scary and feared for his life. Who knew what could be lurking in the shadows! Sesshomaru turned to them and glared. "Is there a problem, woman?" Kagome frowned.

"First, it's Kagome!" Sesshomaru ignored her plea. She was a human; she would be addressed as such. "Second, that is not where we are staying. The forest was beautiful! This is not the greatest place in the world. Can't we find a shack in a village nearby?" Sesshomaru stared at her and made no move towards her.

"Human villages are filthy and vile; they are not safe, for demons roam the lands here and attack the vulnerable." Kagome sighed: there was no way to reason with him, was there? "You may try to reason with this one, but I suggest you stay inside the cavern before demons scour the area because of your scent." She shook her head. Again, she was refusing orders from Sesshomaru!

He thought about killing her. She had mocked him without realizing the dangers of this, but he kept his ground of stature and stood inside the cave. Kagome turned around; now she had stated he was weak due to her back being shown to Sesshomaru! "Well, Sesshomaru, I find no reason to stay with you anyway. I can thank you for taking me out of the forest, but I can fend for myself, along with Shippo here," his beast could not handle her mockery.

She began to walk away from him and his beast let him decide whether or not to chase after her. He leapt from the entrance of the cave to her, which he wrapped an arm around her waist, and leapt back to the cavern. She had no time to react; it happened so fast that she didn't realize that she was inside the safe haven! Sesshomaru pushed her against the walls of the cold place and growled. Kagome realized what she had done. "Do you mock this one?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "I'm not mocking you!" She yelled in his face. He pushed her more against the walls and let his nails itch against her cold skin. "Why are you so interested in my well-being now, Sesshomaru?" He stopped with his threatening antics. His beast flared and his red eyes flashed before her. "What is it that makes you want to keep me safe?" His mother flashed in his mind and he shook his head.

"Do not question my actions based on your careless deeds, girl," Kagome's heart started to race. Was he going to kill her because she wanted to leave? She pushed his hand away from her shoulder—he growled when she touched his wrist—and stared long into his eyes. She could not find an answer to his actions; they were carefully hidden away.

She noticed him inching towards her, making her back straighten against the wall. What was he doing? "You are lucky to be alive, and yet you feel as though you should be superior to this one. You can lose your life as fast as you were saved," he whispered. Kagome was in shock; since when was his voice this commanding?

She loosened her tension and nudged him away from her. "Sesshomaru, I am greatly in debt for the way you saved my life," she moved towards him. She was almost touching his armor! "but to control every move and every action I make is preposterous!"

"I am merely watching over you so your wounds may heal properly. Humans like yourself are weak and need help. I am granting you that much." Sesshomaru's anger was getting to be too much for his beast.

"I never asked for such a thing!"

"Silence!" Sesshomaru rose his voice so his command would echo in the cavern. It was so powerful, Kagome thought, and didn't know what to say to that. Soon enough, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un arrived and Kagome turned away from Sesshomaru. It was their first confrontation and it certainly wouldn't be their last. Sesshomaru stood there and stared at the wall before slicing one of the stag mites in half.

If only he had the courage to do that to a human that was in his protection. Kagome went further into the cavern and sat down with Shippo while Sesshomaru turned his attention to the land. He would need to relax his beast around her before he would go near her once more.

He had gotten enough food for the week; he kept the fire going for warmth and cooking the meals; he knew where demons were in areas when they were near and could harm those inside. Yet, he made no move to actually socialize with anyone inside. She was forced to lie on the cold ground while he stood at the entrance, only because every time she moved, he would twitch at the noises she made. Besides, she didn't mind looking at the dark cavern away from Sesshomaru. "Kagome?" Shippo jumped above her body and looked her in the face.

Kagome looked up at the little Fox demon and smiled. "Yes, Shippo?" He sat down next to her and she let her hand rub his head. He was so cute that she couldn't help but pet him! He leaned into her warmth—at least, he thought she was warm—and let her pet the inside of his ears. He looked at her once more, this time with a smile on his face.

"Can't we go take a bath?" She shook her head. They tried that once before, and Shippo was almost killed—at least, Kagome thought he was going to kill him.

Kagome knew she still had to bathe. After an hour being inside the cave, she felt her skin being too dirty to even sleep on! She walked over to Sesshomaru. He looked pissed off, almost as if he was going to kill anything that went near their camp. She tugged on his clothing; he did not turn around. She figured he already knew who it was. "What is it that you need?" Shippo stood next to her, pushing her to talk to him.

She wished she didn't have to, especially with the face he had on. She cleared her throat and continued. "U-Uh, I was wondering if I could bring Shippo for a bath! After all, we're pretty dirty, like you said, and…"

"No" was all she heard. He had the deepest voice when he said that, too! She looked down at Shippo and shrugged; it seemed that he was still irritated over the whole argument with her earlier that day.

She continued with her reasoning, however: "And my skin feels awfully dirty, too. In fact, if we do go clean our skin off, then we won't smell as appalling! I could even take Rin along!" His ears perked at her name and he still stood his ground. A simple "no" escaped his lips, and Shippo was frustrated.

"Hey, how come you won't let us go out! We have done what you have asked already, so let us just go and take a bath!" Sesshomaru looked down at him with anger in his eyes, almost ready to kill him on the spot! Sesshomaru was actually contemplating killing the both of them once more, but Rin was nearby, and he would have a difficult time lying to his young ward.

Sesshomaru stared back to the fields. "You have no expertise on the demons out here, nor do you have the experience to kill them." Shippo scoffed and started to talk back. Sesshomaru did not like this.

"Kagome could kill them! She's really good at what she does! Especially when she purifies them! So why are you so against her leaving?" Shippo punched the lower part of Sesshomaru's leg; it did not hurt—he barely felt it, actually—but he refused to be attacked by a weakling like Shippo. "Are you wanting to hurt Kagome like Inuyasha?" Was he comparing him to Inuyasha? It was the final straw: he retaliated.

Sesshomaru quickly grabbed the little demon and held him high in the air by his neck. He was growling—so much for self-control. Kagome panicked and grabbed Sesshomaru's arm. Sesshomaru looked over at her and loudly growled. "I will not be compared to that half-breed, dead or alive." Kagome understood; he had always hated Inuyasha, from the start of Inuyasha's life.

"Yeah, but you don't have to almost kill Shippo for it! It was supposed to make you angered! So release him!" Sesshomaru looked up at the little fox demon and released his grasp.

"Tell your ward to know his place, girl," Kagome nodded and picked Shippo up from the ground—he was crying from the pain. So much for going to bathe, after all that drama, she thought.

"I don't think he'd let us go, even if you didn't upset him the first time. Why, are you in need of a long bath like I am?" He nodded. It would be nice to soak in a long, steamy bath just waiting for the both of them. Kagome stopped petting Shippo and looked at him with a smile on her face. "Maybe we can go."

* * * *

Sesshomaru heard nothing from the other group while he stood by the entrance. He heard the playful tunes Rin mumbled to herself while Jaken's constant bickering towards Rin overpowered the other two. He occasionally looked back to the girl and found her interesting. She was the only one to not address him as "Lord", and she was the only one that seemed to challenge his alpha status on the group.

Perhaps his brother's attitude had rubbed off on her, or maybe that was already programmed in her own personality—all humans have a different outlook on life, and are therefore programmed like this at birth (he thought this, at least). Nonetheless, he almost found it to be annoying and bothering his own sense of life by provoking his beast.

His beast: what a horrible temper it had when she was around. Even the little fox demon tempted it to come alive! Why was it so irritable when she was near or when she spoke to him the wrong way? Was it trying to stand its ground? Or was it being threatened? He shook his head and stared out at the setting sun. Soon, the demons would disappear and he could relax another day.

Maybe not now. He heard a scream come from the back side of the cave. "Sesshomaru!" she screamed. He tensed up while staring at the sun. Was she actually being attacked? He did not sense anything nearby, nor was there anything that could've came into the cave. She continued to scream and he heard footsteps echo against the walls.

He turned around to the darkness with a tint of red and saw her running towards him. He smelt the air, trying to pick up some kind of a scent. Her scent was nearby, almost too close for him to handle. Then, he saw everything: she ran past him with a smile on her face and the little fox demon in her arms.

They had planned this. She wanted to trick him for once, see if she could escape his reach for one day. So she told Shippo: "Let's make it seem like I'm in danger. He's come to my rescue when I was in danger with Inuyasha and Kikyo. What makes this different?" So they did. And he stood there for a moment staring at the darkness—Rin was laughing and Jaken was in shock while looking at his Lord—and he turned to the girl running in the field.

Kagome turned around to Sesshomaru and yelled: "Catch me if you can!" She was teasing him! He watched her get closer and closer to the nearest springs—he could see them from the cavern—and smirked. For once, he was pleased at the action she took; she was being intelligent for tricking his beast.

So he leapt from the entrance of the cave and chased her. He was the cat, she the mouse, and they were running for other reasons.

* * * *

Kagome saw the springs in front of her through a path of trees and looked back towards the cave; he was gone. Oh no, he's chasing me. She leaned against a tree to catch her breath and let Shippo go. "Shippo, you need a bath?" He smiled and ran towards the spring. Soon enough, he was in the water with his clothes sopping wet; it felt wonderful. Shippo could almost feel the warm water sinking under his skin and letting him just relax!

Kagome looked around the forest and found no trace of Sesshomaru in the area. When her breath finally relaxed, she stepped away from the tree and walked towards the spring. Her waist was caught by an arm and she figured it was Sesshomaru: she was right. She turned her head towards the man holding her back. He had no expression of exhaustion, no angry demise lurking in his eyes. He was calm and collected.

He whispered: "Why did you leave the camp?" Kagome smiled and looked back towards the springs.

"Ah, well, Shippo needed a bath! And we all know how you handled this last time." Sesshomaru looked inside the springs to find the little fox demon (now naked from the clothes he threw onto the rocks around) floating above the water, soaking every drop of warm water he could. "And, I figured I could go with him since I need a bath as well. Not to mention, I suppose you wouldn't want to have a bath, would you?" The smile was almost one of malice; yes, she was good at these tricks.

Sesshomaru released his grasp from her. "I will not stoop so low as to bathe with a human in a filthy spring such as this one," Kagome shrugged and turned away from him once more. His beast was not tempered, nor was it wanting more of her. What was going on? Sesshomaru jumped into the trees and sat on one of the higher branches—in order to keep an eye on both parties. "Be quick, girl," and diverted his eyes away from her.

Kagome looked up at him and saw no happy expression cross his face. There were no tired markers that came from protecting everyone; he had to be exhausted with the work over the years with Rin and Jaken, not to mention the addition of her and Shippo. She sighed and let the newest outfit slip off her body; the cold air around made her shiver. Yes, it would be nice to jump into the warm water.

Sesshomaru glanced down at the wounds on her back before she went any further with her outfit. They were a deep red, almost as if they were bleeding again. The cut was visible, as well as other scars from other battles throughout her back. There was one that he noticed that ran almost vertically down her spine, which was the longest of them all. He noticed her itch that scar and almost sadden before letting the rest of her outfit fall to the ground.

He waited to look back at the group once she was fully underwater. The scar was sensitive to hot water, judging by her tensed expression when she came above the water. He was not fixated on her body—there was no beauty to glance over—but rather this one scar that tempted his questioning. He silently fell from the tree and jumped onto one of the higher rocks above the spring. The steam against his face already made his sweat noticeable.

Shippo was the first to realize his presence. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!" Kagome opened her eyes—she was resting her body against the rocks—and covered herself. How rude! "Do you want to join us?" Sesshomaru shook his head and looked at Kagome.

"You have no need to cover yourself; I have no pleasure to look at your body," Kagome's eyes widened and she became frustrated. What—what the hell! "How did you get that scar on your back?" Kagome moved around a bit on the rocks to itch the sensitive skin and sadly smiled.

"That is from Naraku's final battle—you should remember this, Sesshomaru," She looked up at him and met his eyes. He had forgotten the battle as if it had never happened; he only remembered his defeat. He rose from the rock and walked around the spring. Kagome did not move and felt him stop behind her. Soon enough, his nails studied the skin from the scar left behind and she shivered; he was cold!

He tried to remember the battle, but only remember the ending, when she shot the arrow. "Refresh my memory," his nails left her skin and she turned her head. She saw him turn around and face the cave on the hill against a rock. "Kagome," her eyes widened.

What made him say her name?

I actually updated? I tried to make it more ... romantic for Valentine's Day (Yes, because nothing says "I love you" like the wonders of a scar) because I totally planned to update on V-Day, but I couldn't make them romantic. I just couldn't!

Uh, so, who else thinks that this is a weak 10th chapter? XD I told you this would be more of a resting day for everyone!

Do I need to clarify on anything..? Uh, I don't think so. OH! Next two chapters will be about the battle of Naraku. DUN DUN DUNNNNN. I figure someone needs to know about this battle, so.. 15th chapter's near! AND I'M EXCITED! And 10 more for the 20th? SO EXCITED FOR THAT, TOO! I think a lot of you will like the 20th chapter, but we'll see.

Let's reply to some reviews, shall we!?

CHAPTER SEVEN REVIEWS!

darksilvercloud: Haha! She has the worst luck! Hopefully Sesshomaru will keep a leash on her from now on 8)
Jill L: Not a problem! I love replying to my readers 8) (Whenever I get around to it) Oh, and trust me, I was getting tired of Kagome just lying around bleeding to death. That is just not interesting (although, Sesshomaru's side of the story seemed nice to write about for once). Thanks for the review! 8)
Athena Dragonseeker21: I try to update! I really do! D8 Thank you for the love though 8)
Mesuki: Haha! You are too correct! Man, I thought I was being sneaky about that, too! Oh well~ Looks like I'm back to the drawing board to actually try and make something a mystery. Maybe I should work on that for the next chapter. Hmm. Ah, but anyway! You are very welcome for the reply! I love replying to my readers. Makes me feel like I have some kind of a connection with them or something (and don't worry about the multi-reviews! More love for me~). Ah, and thank you for the honor of being one of the top authors on the site! I am not very popular, since I don't write as often as a lot of authors here (gosh, some authors get 200+, 500+ or even 1000+ reviews! That is ridiculous!) or I don't have a specific style that someone likes. As long as I have a close relationship with my readers, that's what matters. I'd rather have that than have 1000 reviews and feel like I'm not talking to my readers. That's cruel! Thank you for the love and thank you for the luck for college! (I'll need it for sure!) 8)
maire 53: I try to update once a week (or once every two weeks, it seems! Haha) so my readers are loved~ 8)
chricy: HAHA! Oh, you don't know how many times I just wanted to kill Kikyo! But, she's important for these next ten chapters coming up, so look out for the wench! D8 And I can't wait how I make them fall in love either! I should probably work on that before I start these next ten chapters, huh? Hm. Anyway! Thank you for the love and support! I appreciate your review! 8)
KatiechanXoxoXSesshoukun: And I will update as soon as I can again! Hooray!

CHAPTER EIGHT REVIEWS!

AlanaBlack92: Trust me, there'll be about 20 more chapters to this story. I'm pretty sure this will be around for a while. Haha. Thank you for the review!
Mesuki: Ah, yes, Kagura! I forgot I mentioned her in the chapter. She'll come about these next 10 chapters, as well as some other characters (one of my FAVORITE characters will make a comeback around the 20th chapter! I'm excited.) coming around. I thought about having her dead with Naraku, but she has too much value. I need her for this story! Thank you for the lovely reviews and love! 8)

CHAPTER NINE REVIEWS!

Hmm. For some reason, no one really reviewed for this chapter. Something was going on with FF anyway, so that might've been it. That's fine though! I got enough love to update 8)

Look out for new characters coming about in the next 10 chapters! This will be exciting! Can you guess what the CLIMATIC (WHAAAA?) moment to this story will be? This'll come about around the 20th chapter or so, but look out for some hints!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the lovely reviews I have gotten from everyone! I would also like to thank those that put me on either their Favorite Authors List (WHAAAAA? THAT'S SO NICE OF YOU!!!) or the Favorite Stories List (I feel like I'm accepting an award, thanking everyone...) because without you, my story wouldn't be so popular! But that's fine! As long as I have some great readers like you guys, I don't need to have over 500 reviews. 100 would be just fine~

Thank you again, and please review if you have anything you would like to say! I'll reply next time in the 13th chapter, so now's the time to do so!

Until next time!

TLS