I am so sorry guys! I made an uber mistake and skipped a chapter. So I am reposting the chapters in the right order. It shouldn't change anything. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 53 – Smitten

Sesshomaru had watched the priestess with poorly veiled interested ever since she had hugged him. Not because of the act itself, he figured at some point the priestess would invade his space in such a manner. No, he watched her because he enjoyed her embrace, and he couldn't figure out how this human girl had captured his attention. He'd had dozens of demonesses try to worm their way into his good graces in hopes that he would mate them, and he had found none of them desirable.

And now, a human girl, a priestess at that, had apparently succeeded where the demonesses had failed.

'Why? What about her is so special? She is clumsy, emotional, and human. Why does this Sesshomaru long for her touch, long for her?'

It was when he watched her that evening that he came to terms with just how she'd enraptured him so. It was the way she looked at her kit and his Rin, the unrestrained love in her gaze. The way she cared for her friends, fought for them, and loved them as well. It was her loyalty, her bravery, and her heart.

Her soul shone with such brilliance, it was hard not to be captivated by her. She was an enigma, and yet it felt as if he had known her for a lifetime. And the small moments they had shared felt like an eternity even though some had passed in the mere blink of an eye.

It was abundantly clear to Sesshomaru that he'd followed in the footsteps of his father, though he'd sworn he wouldn't. He'd fallen in love with a human.

'So foolish…' He thought to himself, even as he smiled, watching the priestess sleep across the clearing.