Author's Note: All right, once again. I'm not so good with the fighting, but I sure am giving it my best shot.
Disclaimer: Do not own Inuyasha or characters of Inuyasha.
Early the next morning, Sango requested that Rin should watch her and Kane practice their katas in preparation as to what Sango would soon begin to teach her.
Rin marveled at the fluid movements of Sango and Kane as they sparred against one another, but not fiercely. Kane wished to see what Sango had learned in her short lifetime to ascertain her skill and then improve upon it.
When Kane attacked, Sango blocked effectively and vice versa. Though it appeared useless to anyone else watching, Sango was acutely aware of the purpose of their sparring. While she continued to match each punch and kick with her own deft defense, Sango was careful not to become too proud of herself.
Sesshoumaru watched from the shadows of the training field. He noticed that Rin watched eagerly with great large eyes and an unexpected sickening took hold of the demon. She used to look at him with those eyes and whether he was willing to admit it or not. He'd realized that her worship of him was something of a great compliment. Far greater than any fear he'd ever instilled in any living creature.
He found himself drawing closer as he watched the slayer carefully execute her defense with an artistic grace rarely seen among demons. He rather expected to see her flail like a barbarian, much like his brother. He blamed Inuyasha's brash and Neanderthal-like behavior largely on his human blood.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried happily upon noticing her lord from the corner of her eye and ran to his side.
Sesshoumaru simply looked down at her and placed a gentle hand upon her head. That was when he heard a loud thud followed by a very unfeminine-like "Ow!"
Sango had been in mid-kick when she heard Rin announce the great demon lord's presence and found her head shot around unexpectedly. That was when Kane caught her foot and expertly tossed her in the air so that she would land hard on her backside.
Sango winced as she stood and unconsciously rubbed her bruised behind under the scrutinous glares of Kane and Sesshoumaru. She looked at Sesshoumaru who stood with his arms crossed and frowned at her.
"What are you looking at?" she snapped out of embarrassment.
Sesshoumaru didn't miss a beat. "A great waste of my guard's time," he shot back coolly.
"Oh really?" she began to advance on him, but a quick hiss from Kane and Sango halted. Sesshoumaru arched an elegant brow at the disciplinary action and hummed his approval.
"Well, at least the lesson is not without merit. You are well aware of your place, woman."
Sango glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "I do so out respect for my teacher. Not for you," she informed heatedly.
"Enough," Kane stated calmly. "Take up your sword," he commanded. "I will assess your fencing skill."
'Damn!' Sango cursed to herself as she noted Sesshoumaru out of the corner of her eye. 'Do I have to do this while he watches my every move?' She could practically feel Sesshoumaru's intense gaze burning into her back and the apprehension it was building within was beginning to make itself known.
'Why do I care what he thinks of my skill?' she thought with a haughty attitude.
No more time for thinking as Kane slashed at her and she blocked effectively. The sound of steel against steel seemed almost like a forgotten song to Sango's ears. Had she truly valued fighting so much?
To her, she supposed that she had. It was like being home again with her brother, her father that Kane reminded her so much of and her kinsmen when they would casually engage in fighting games for small favors.
Holding the hilt in a double-fisted grip, Sango ran at Kane calling out in a battle cry as she struck at him. With his katana in one hand, Kane sidestepped Sango while simultaneously swatting her already bruised behind with the flat of his sword.
Rin giggled at the antic and even Sesshoumaru crinkled his eyes in amusement while shaking his head. She lacked the grace in her sword skill that she seemed to excel in hand-to-hand. Even when she wielded her giant signature weapon, she did so with lithe elegance.
Sango allowed her embarrassment to get the better of her as she came at Kane in anger, her sword still in a tight-fisted grip. She slashed at Kane and he dodged her yet again.
"You swing your sword no better than Inuyasha," came a cool comment from the sidelines. "Attacks such as those are for lesser demons. Do you not even attempt to study your opponent?"
Sango, heaving from exertion, glared at the one who berated her. He was so adept at crawling underneath her skin.
"I don't hear any brilliant suggestions from your end," she countered. "Only insults."
"Very well," he replied in what sounded like a dismissive manner and she turned away from him.
Mentally preparing her next attack, Sango was suddenly taken by surprise when she felt a clawed hand grab her right wrist. She gasped at the sudden contact and turned sharply only to encounter Sesshoumaru's golden gaze.
Using her wrist, Sesshoumaru brought her sword into a fighting stance and motioned for her to use a two handed grip for his obvious lack of his left arm. He pressed his solid form against her back in an attempt better access her movement.
"Now attack," he commanded Kane.
Sango was so unnerved that she allowed her arms to practically go limp.
"Slayer, if you do not even attempt to try, then I will cease this ridiculous lesson," he admonished.
"Forgive me," was all Sango could manage and straightened her arms. What was happening to her?
"Now attack!" he commanded yet again.
Kane came at her and brought his blade in a downward slash. Sango felt the demon lord's muscles moving beneath her through his haori as he assisted her movements to bring her sword into a fluid block and followed with several more blocks as he helped her swing her blade in a series of blocks that bespoke of elegance with effectiveness.
Sesshoumaru wasn't certain what possessed him to incline to assist her instruction for he found the whole situation rather useless. But as he saw it at the moment, everyone insisted on opposing him in regards to the issue. So if Kane insisted then he didn't want his guard's time to be completely wasted on frivolous play.
However, the moment he took hold of her delicate wrist, Sesshoumaru regretted his action. In that instant, a strange surge seemed to emanate from where his palm made contact with the small expanse of skin exposed through the glove of her slayer's suit.
'Strong, yet seemingly delicate,' had been the offending thought that invaded his psyche as he held her wrist.
Sesshoumaru knew that his man could sense his conflict and he did his best to keep a cool head, despite that fact that her curvy backside was intimately pressed up against his armor that shielded a vital part of himself.
He could not help feeling slightly impressed that instead of allowing him to simply move her around like a doll, she moved with him. She bent when he bent, stepped when he stepped, almost as if they were one person. Moving in time with one another like a dance.
"Predict his movements as he attacks," his voice rumbled low into her ear and Sango felt certain that her knees would give out beneath her.
"Attack!" he commanded once more, his eyes telling his man not to be as easy on them as he just had been.
Kane only smirked. His advantage was incredible, he thought. No one would believe that he held the Lord of the West, the great demon lord that had beaten even him often when they sparred, at a strong disadvantage. In fact, there were two very confused and conflicted creatures standing before him. And they were trying to fight?
Kane came at them with a series of quick thrusts and slashes. Sango, feeling a little more confident, blocked each attack, nearly seeing them coming before Kane had executed them. What she hadn't realized was that Sesshoumaru had turned loose of her during the fight, but stood close behind her.
'She learns quickly,' he mused and then quickly reprimanded himself.
"Well done," was all Kane said to Sango as he smirked at Sesshoumaru.
Sango bowed in thanks to Kane's praise and noticed Sesshoumaru walking away from the training field.
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" she called as she approached him with a brisk pace. He turned at the sound of her voice and realized that she had never addressed him without disdain in her voice.
Sesshoumaru studied her closely as she approached.
"Thank you so much for your aid," she gushed, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I sometimes forget that even I still have quite a bit to learn. Forgive my attitude from earlier." Her head hung in apology.
"You did well," was all he said.
"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin cried as she ran after both of them. "That was amazing Lord Sesshoumaru. Will you help to teach me like that?"
Though he didn't smile, he gentled his tone. "Perhaps," he replied and patted her soft hair.
"Come on, Sango, I bet you're hot," Rin announced. "Let's go swimming."
"Yeah, we'll do that," she replied in half-heartedly as she watched Sesshoumaru disappear down the path until he was hidden by the trees.
'What was happening to her?' she thought as she allowed Rin to tug her into a different direction. Without a word, Sango nudged Rin to run ahead of her, so that she could ponder this strange feeling.
Sango could almost still feel Sesshoumaru's strong body pressed against her, his hand on her wrist as he guided her movements, his warm breath in her ear as he coolly instructed her.
It was almost like the first night she'd come there when she'd ran into him. She had felt her pulse quicken at the close proximity of his presence, but it hadn't been out of fear.
'Oh no,' she thought with a mild sense of alarm. "That's impossible," she declared out loud for extra reassurance.
But there was none.
'Could I be attracted to Sesshoumaru?' She thought with wonder. "He is handsome," she declared honestly. That had never been in question. It was almost like it was understood.
The sky is blue.
The grass is green.
Sesshoumaru is handsome.
But something had happened. Yesterday, Sango saw past that ridiculous cold façade that he insisted upon masking himself with when Rin had asked to learn to defend herself. She saw a father that looked as though he was losing his little girl. She had found his reaction quite unexpected and very sweet.
Were she to have guessed his reaction, hurt would've been the last thing she'd have thought of. It was then she saw him in a different light.
The mere idea of the two of them seemed so absurd that she laughed out loud.
She was a demon slayer.
He was a demon.
Millions of people could come up with millions of reasons why it sounded ridiculous.
Her laughing soon turned into giggling as she saw his face appear in her mind's eye and remembered the training field. Not realizing that she was giggling like a silly girl, Sango caught herself with a gasp and clapped her hand over mouth.
"Sango?" Rin caught her attention.
Sango jerked out of her state of mind as she looked down at the little girl's puzzled face and quickly removed her hands from her mouth.
"What's so funny?" Rin asked innocently.
"Nothing," Sango answered in haste. "Not a thing. Come on, we'll go take a dip in the river," she encouraged with a playful scoot.
That was all Rin needed to forget why Sango was laughing to herself while no one else was around.
Meanwhile, Sango was trying to deal with the stark realization that she could be falling for the Lord of the Western Lands.
'No', she thought with a definitive shake of her head. Perhaps the heat had gotten to her. 'Yeah, that was it,' she decided.
'Wasn't it?'