Disclaimer: I don't own IY

JeniNeji Comments:

Ok, from now on, this will be sort of considered a second part of Primero.

Enjoy!

STILL PRIMERO

…o…

Chapter

11

De novo

…o…

"Don't look!"

That's what she had said a few seconds ago after she escaping his embrace and walking out of the hot spring. He didn't know why he allowed himself to be ordered around by her, or maybe he did.

He didn't want to face her, not yet. Not the questions that she was going throw his way. He didn't explain himself, it was a rule.

"I am dressed now."

He was aware, but he didn't voice his thoughts. With a noncommittal "Hn," he walked towards her, and he noticed the blush on her face as she turned around hurriedly.

"I didn't see," she squeaked.

"Hn." He didn't really care. He walked to his clothes and began to dress, as silent as possible. There was no need to make any noise, ever, it annoyed him. Having sensitive senses could be quite a challenge.

"Sesshomaru?"

His eyebrow rose of it's own accord, and he found himself distracted by his little slip in control, but then, remembered that she had called him and decided to grace his new "mate". After all, there was no need to make the relationship insufferable. "Hn." There, he tried, for the sake of their peace.

"You smell like… like… I don't know… it's disturbing… why can't I name it?"

Well, that was unexpected. Maybe it was because she was a miko. Could be, he hadn't associated with one before. "This Sesshomaru wouldn't know," he said evenly, "it would be impossible to pick up other scents if it's own got in the way." Really, it was so unimportant, why was the miko asking such foolish questions?

"Why were we…"

She didn't want to say it. It was so childish. What had he done? Why did he allow this to happen? "This Sesshomaru was testing a theory."

"Theory?"

"You had been unconscious for more than a day," he merely said and walked past her and to the camp. He had taken more time than he intended away from the pack.

"Unconscious?"

He didn't think it deserved an answer, so he kept quiet.

"The mating mark?"

He knew he had not been mistaken. She did have a brain, somewhere. For that, he was thankful.

...o…

Night had fallen a few hours ago, and he hadn't had a moments rest. He needed to calm, and think.

Why did he accept the miko's request?

It was a foolish request, and he was even more unintelligent for accepting it. The great Sesshomaru mated a miko. It was going to be dreadful. The rumors back then were bad enough, the taunts he could hear being whispered almost drove him insane with anger, but now, how could he live them when they rang truth?

He couldn't simply kill his mate, it will hint to madness. Yes, sometimes when a youkai became aged-insane it would murder his relatives, his mate and pups. So, that option was unacceptable. He was Lord Sesshomaru, and he was not insane.

Well then, the miko. His mate… she was a nice specimen of her species, but still, he needed to clarify his relationship with her. Maybe he could…

"Sesshomaru," whispered the miko, but there was desperation there. He could hear the accelerated beats of her heart, as well as her distress.

"Hn."

"What was that noise?"

He narrowed his golden eyes on her disheveled hair. She was sitting next to her sleeping thing, where the children slept. As he had thought, upon their return, the pups had been in a deep sleep, but that was reasonable, it was late. What was not reasonable was the miko's jumpiness. "It was a frog."

"Frogs don't croak like that," said the miko with irritation, "I've heard frogs croak before."

"Do you doubt this Sesshomaru?"

After a moment she sighed, "No," and after a last glance to the place where the frog hid a few meters away, she covered herself with a sheet and tried to sleep again.

…o…

Morning arrived, and the miko was still sleeping. The pups had gathered around him, questioning. But after he stated that the miko was simply sleeping, they turned to each other, planning a surprise for the miko. He had been entertained by their ideas, but he was against most of them. He couldn't simply allow them to wander too far, nor try anything too dangerous.

"Why don't we make her a drawing?" suggested Rin with a huge grin.

The kitsune thought for some seconds, hand under his chin. He had to raise an eyebrow at the critical thinking of the young kit. After 20 seconds, the kit finally turned to Rin, "I don't think that's enough," the red-headed boy said with a serious expression, "she's going to be your new Momma, we need to do something perfect so she will know you are happy about it."

Rin nodded her head vigorously, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. His ward approved of her new mother and as pack, it was vital for her to do so. He was aware of the miko's feeling for his ward, and he doubted the miko would oppose to her new status. On the contrary, she was now officially Rin's mother, and she could now teach her to write and to read, not as a tutor's job but at a mother's duty. Everything was under control.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin interrupted him, and he instantly disliked the feeling he was receiving. He knew she was about to ask for something important, and he could see the first hints of manipulation on his ward, she was learning to be smart, and too fast. "Will you buy a new kimono for Kagome-sama so Rin can give it to her?"

The idea was not distasteful, but he couldn't leave them unprotected. After all, the miko may need some assistance, he wasn't sure if her powers had accepted his youki completely. He was still concerned of unexpected consequences. "Why don't you cook for her?" he offered instead.

A collective gasp escape the pups and they turned to each other with smiles. "Let's go fish Rin!" the kitsune said a little loud and instantly found his mouth covered by Rin's little hands, "Sorry." Rin moved from Shippo and to Sesshomaru and looked at him with big eyes.

"Jaken will accompany you," Sesshomaru stated and a croak escaped the toad demon, but he obeyed none the less. A minute later, the three walked out of the camp and into the nearby river.

The Taiyoukai, once again, turned to the miko. His new challenge, new problem. What to do, what to do.

She had been Inu-Yasha's… nothing, as the hanyou used to say, she used to be his half-brother's Jewel detector.

But he was aware the hanyou had always sustained a small ounce of affection, or lust towards her. So, why did he choose to make with the dead miko instead?

Kikyo will be alive for a month.

It's was the dead one's only chance to mate with Inu-Yasha and indulge on his energy to sustain herself. Had the dead miko manipulated Inu-Yasha? Bewitched him?

"Is that singing?" whispered the miko, once again interrupting him from his line of thought. The soft question was followed by the ruffling of sheets since the pups shared theirs with her upon awakening. "Sesshomaru, were you singing?"

Outrageous! "No," the daiyoukai said hiding his irritation, he didn't sing. He strained his hearing and then subtly and very far away, he could hear Rin's singing. "It's Rin."

"Oh," replied the miko and sat straighter and began to stretch. It caught the attention of the demon Lord reclined against the tree feet away, as his golden eyes caught the sensual way in which her kimono moved to accommodate the new demands of her stretching body. He had to admit he caught a few details that had missed his inspection before. However, when she passed the limit in stretching her small body allowed she fell backwards with a sigh. And that caught Sesshomaru into another internal argument, had it been denigrating or graceful?

xxoOoxx

To be continued…

xxoOoxx

JeniNeji's Note:

Thanks Teana for beta-reading this chapter :)