You Welcome! Haha

Once again I'll answer your questions at the end of this chapter! And this time I guess I'll do a shout out!

Big Thank You to my Reviewers, Favs, Followers!

DeadlyDolly

DeadlyRose1992

TheBlueMonsterCake

Hareehar

KaneeciaAngeliqu

supermeg12

Guests and Anonymous! lol

Message me/ Fav This/Follow and I will shout out to you! Also if you fav or follow me shoot me an email and Ill shout out to you!

Chapter 36: The Healing Process

Simone nearly gaged on her own saliva as she turned around and saw the display before her. Sesshoumaru was undressing right in her presence as if she was nothing but decoration in the room. She looked upon his back side as he removed the last remnants of his articles of clothing. Her cheeks inflamed and she quickly turned around and dunked half of her head in the water at the sight she just seen.

"That insufferable f-" She thought as she looked down and focused on her own skin. "No matter, I'll just act as if he's Dante or Shugurai when they share the bathing room with me." With that thought she hunched her back and sank into the sensational heated waters. After a few moments she closed her eyes enjoying the feel of the hot water on her once cold skin.

Not sparring Simone a glance Sesshoumaru disrobed to get the wet cold sticky clothing from his person. He needed the warming effects of his bath that he planned to take prior to the thought of retrieving the onna. Instead of rinsing like she had done he just got into the warm waters on the opposite side of her with the barrier separating them. He gathered his scented soap and rag to soap it up. After preparing it for use he began to clean his pale flesh. As he did this he looked up to see Simone's head dip back and her eyes closed clearly enjoying the baths temperament.

"I hope this is to your liking." He stated with a small smirk on his lips.

Simone smiled at another priceless attempt of Sesshoumaru to be slick with his words. She opened her eyes and scooted over to the small built in barrier and rested her arms over the top of it pulling herself up to look at him. She looked down to make sure the now soaked towel was securely wrapped around her so she wouldn't reveal any special pair of her anatomy to him. "I've experienced better." She playfully rasped pulling her hair to the side out of her face to look at him.

Not taking the bait, he simply continued to wash his arms making sure the soap covered every surface of his body. Simone wasn't a fool and just watched him this time unashamedly as his muscles underneath his taut skin moved with the twist and turns of his body as he washed. Small soap bubbles slid through the lines and dents on his body down into the onsen and disappeared within its depths. She watched as he lathered it again and began to wash his back.

Deciding to extend an olive branch Simone decided to help him out. She reached over as best she could and tapped him on the shoulder. Stopping his movements he looked at her extended finger as she motioned for him to give her the rag. Confused he obliged and she took her other hand to motion for him to get closer to the barrier. Understanding her intent he decided to just come around the barrier towards her. She sat back down on the little step as he came closer to her form with the soap in hand. Taking the bar of soap she lathered the rag up and proceeded to wash his back. She moved his long silver hair to the side of his shoulder amazed at how heavy it felt now that the water had soaked the ends so. He towered well over her with his tall form and she could see how very well in shape he was. Paying attention to her task she rubbed the cloth in firm but soothing circles on his smooth back making sure to put a little more force around his shoulder blades where stress knots liked to build. Soap slid down his back into the water as she dipped the cloth in the heated waters and bought it up to rinse his back off.

Sesshoumaru relaxed under the onna's actions as he felt her tiny hands move about his back to wash it for him. She seemed to know exactly where to touch as he felt her move about his back in concentrated movements. By youkai standards what they were doing was a very intimate act and he wondered for a minute her purpose for performing such actions. His was even more pleased that her cherry scent had come full force and was no longer being suppressed under the horrible circumstances before. It was soothing to him and his demon with the combination of the steamy bath and her soothing hands on his person. His eyes closed as she hit a tense muscle and began to work through it. Truly having this human as a mate wouldn't be such a bad idea would it? Minutes passed before she rinsed his back of the soap residue and he concluded that if she continued her actions, he would find out.

She looked upon his back as thoughts roamed around in her head about the demon in front of her. She knew very well what she was doing. Grooming was a moment shared by family or mates among the youkai society. It was such a personal selfless act that focused on another more so than one's self. Parties would be open to the flaws and imperfections that the other exposed within a close environment.

She smirked at the memory of the first time she shared her bath with her new clan mates. Laughing she rinsed his back a little bit more as her other hand traced his spine slowly. Sesshoumaru allowed her to do such an act and that alone spoke volumes to her.

"Hm? Sesshoumaru questioned hearing her laughter behind him.

Simone sat the rag aside and grabbed his hair from his shoulder. "When I first came to Master Riku, I was very ignorant of dragon culture and more specifically demon customs." She rasped coughing a little from the irritation of using her enflamed throat. After a moment she grabbed some soap and lathered her hands and began to run it over his hair. "After a hard day I went to bathe and soon as I sat down Riku and Shugurai came over and got in." She laughed and looked up just thinking about the hysteretics of her memory.

Sesshoumaru listened intently, growing a little annoyed at the idea of two males sharing such a moment with the onna. He closed his eyes as he felt her fingers comb through his hair and massage his scalp. Simone had to reach up a little and he helped her by bending down so she could reach. "I was mortified that they would just get in. I shot so much fire out of that place that I almost brought down the bathing room. I got out and walked all the way home in nothing but a towel and soaked hair as everyone looked, pointed, and some guys ogled. I was so embarrassed. It took Master Riku a good ten minutes to calm me down." She coughed again and her hand came up to block her cough as she pulled away from his hair.

Sesshoumaru stepped away and dunked himself under the water to rinse his long silver mane. Simone continued to cough trying to gasp for air. Her throat was so dry again and she really wished the water she was in was drinkable.

Sesshoumaru came up out the water with water dripping from his form like a rainfall as it slid though his long hair and down his figure. He took his hands and wiped the water from his face before he looked at Simone as she tried to stop her coughing fit. At her first words, his mind went to his raging thoughts he had about the onna. More importantly the questions he had before burned in his skull and he looked forward to asking them in the near future when she wasn't vocally challenged. He had so many questions to ask her and he knew he couldn't get them if she was in such a state. But he wasn't a very patient demon. He smirked at his plan to increase the process of her health.

Coming closer to her he towered over her lifting her chin so she would look at him. Still coughing her eyes opened as she looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows in question. In a flash he bent down and captured her lips in his own while she was in mid cough cutting it off. He kissed her fiercely before letting up a little and caressing her lips with his own. Shocked her eyes flew open at his sudden choice of activity with her. She didn't know if she should feel disgusted because she was in the middle of coughing or turned on.

He moved across her lips slowly and he waited patiently for her to respond. To his greater delight she did and returned his kiss as her arms came up to his shoulder gripping him. Her eyes closed as she focused on divulging in the moment that was Sesshoumaru while feeling his arms enclose around her waist and rub soothing circles on her sides. He lifted her slightly her arms could enclose around his neck as his mouth slanted across hers. Using his tongue he gently rubbed across her bottom lip asking for entrance. After a few moments she opened to him and his tongue came out and explored her cavern. His playful tongue came out and danced with her own. After a few moments he pulled back as he looked down at her puffy lips and closed eyes. He smirked at his effect on the fiercely proud woman in his arms. She was never any the wiser of his true intentions as her eyes fluttered open slowly.

Smirking, he walked over to the edge and got out revealing his naked glory to Simone who turned ten shades of red at this. Just as fast, he lifted her out of the water and brought her over to the bench setting her down. Grabbing a towel he wrapped it around his lower anatomy and he gave her his towel and shirt that he left there earlier. Still in a daze she looked up at him as he bent down and kissed her again sensually before pulling back. Her mouth began to gape open like a fish at his sudden change in mood and the complete 180 in his personality. She also noticed that her coughing fit had long ended.

Smirking he stepped away and walked over to the exit to allow her to change. He stopped however to deliver a quick message. "Inu saliva has quick healing properties. We use it on all kinds of wounds. You should heal in the matter of minutes now. Get dressed we have much to discuss you and I."

With that he quickly made his exit leaving a confused Simone trying to catch her breath and get her mind to function properly. Her heart was beating like a machine and threatened to burst from her chest at his sudden display of what she presumed to be affection. However, after a few moments his words that he left her with sank in.

Sesshoumaru had walked out and took the towel around his waist to get some of the excess water out. He was just putting on his pants when he heard music to his sensitive ears.

"You bastard!" Simone screamed already sounding better than she did minutes before.

Smirking he draped the towel around his long silvery hair drying it paying no further attention to her at all.

Review!FAVVVV! Folllow

Q and A Time:

DeadlyDolly: How did you come up with Simone? What were your thought processes when you had began to build her up? What inspired her characteristics?

A: Sorry for the long reply. When I first began to write this my original character was going to be someone that already lived in the past. I wrote 1 chapter...But I hated it and left this story alone for a year. I came back to it and read it and changed my idea. I didn't want to use Kagome, Sango, Rin, etc. They already have their story line and quite frankly I like writing my own characters. It would take a lot crap for these 3 to develop I feel into the character that Simone is naturally. And also i wanted my readers to get attached to my characters because that is what keeps people reading. They take it personally like they really know these people.

I wanted Simone to be a very powerful character/ underdog. But it would be oxymoron if I just threw her in here and didn't provide a back story or growth. So realistically I came up with a concept. Common sense tells me that a person wil develop/adapt to a situation for survival over time. I hate reading stories where they just either make their character develop too fast or not at all. Not to mention they provide typical back story... like she was abused, a run away, broken, no one likes her...anime fan...etc. I didn't want that and wanted my character to be typical middle class working woman who is getting her bearings right in her own world and have it all taken away.

As for growth time is needed and experiences need to be given. So I made sure when I started this story to allow great amounts of time to pass. If you go back in my story I put...2 years later...1 year later...more years later because realistically a person needs to time to change gears. Her characteristics I wanted to be exotic...and based on my experiences in Asia specifically the rural areas. I wanted a strong woman. I just wrote and she developed on her own, I have to say in my writing. I had no plan for her except a story line but as I write, I am sure to be as detailed as possible so the reader can really get into my story. So she developed as I grew at writing this story and to love it. I love it so much that I think it helps my creativity and creates new ideas/scenes to be included.

But keep reading because very soon you will get insight into how she got as strong as she did with Master Riku. -_~