Part 7

The Secret Heart

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Sesshoumaru continued walking at the same casual pace that he had started with, even though he knew he was close enough now that a single burst of speed for a few minutes would cause him to catch the stupid human that had stolen Rin. It just wasn't in his nature to run into a new situation without knowing the facts. He was not like his idiot half-brother.

Sesshoumaru silently and effortlessly moved closer. A few more feet. A bit more and he calmly stopped. He could see, smell and hear every move that either of the children or the woman made. His mouth thinned into a hard line. Disgracefull. That youkai child should at least have the ability to sense my presence. They are making enough noise to wake the dead. He glanced around slowly to insure that they hadn't done just that. Then, Rin's high pitched squeal make him turn his golden eyes back to the camp.

Kagome had grabbed the girl around the waist and had tossed her up and out of the mischievious kitsune's reach. He had one handfull of mud and a clump of the stuff stuck to the back of his own head. "Shippo!" Kagome warned. He looked sheepishly at her and stuck the dirty paw behind his back.

"She started it."

"That's no reason to-" She stopped. Rin's breathless laughter made Kagome reaccess the fairness of her interference. She looked at the laughing girl, then down at the hopeful kit. She winked at Shippo and calmly dropped the girl back to the ground. "Okay." she said and dodged to the left.

Sesshoumaru was frowning.

Everyone else was laughing so hard that they didn't see him when he stepped closer. As suddenly as the mud had begun flying, it stopped. He stepped back into the shadows and waited to see what would come next. He did not understand the fun or point of the game they were playing. His Rin was filthy.

He frowned harder and then caught himself and returned the icy mask of indifference.

"Now that you are both as dirty as you can get, it's bath time!" The woman said cheerily. The little fox shrugged as if to say the mud bath was enough for him. Rin clapped her hands in delight and began dancing around merrily.

Sesshoumaru was used to issuing orders for Rin to bath but he had never recieved such a reaction from the child. He felt a stirring in his gut. He was jealous! He stepped further back into the shadows and fought himself. That human child had made him feel and now, he was not able to keep his long suppressed emotions in check. His jealously grew as he watched the woman shepard the children toward the water on the other side of the clearing. He turned and walked away. He would have to get himself under control before making a move. This feeling just wasn't acceptable. No feeling was. He had learned long ago how to hide his heart in ice and now that ice was thawing.

Besides, there was no reason not to allow the woman to complete the chore of washing up the child before he took her back. It would save him the bother. Sesshoumaru looked back once when he heard the spash of the children in the stream. To his shock, his brother's woman was dressed in an outfit even more indecent then her usual garb. He felt the heat rise to his face and touched his own cheek. He was horrified that he was blushing. That anyone, human or youkia should expose themselves so was an embarasment, he reasoned. It was disgusting, he told himself, and enticing. He growled and kept walking.

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Kagome had striped down into her blue bathingsuit and was prepared to jump into the water with the kids when a tug at her senses made her look up. She felt as if someone was nearby, but she didn't feel any danger. A wild animal? Nothing moved. She shrugged and leapt in to keep the two children from dunking eachother until one of them drowned. Rin may be human, but she gave as good as she got. They are just like brother and sister. They will miss eachother when Rin is gone. I will miss her just as much...

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Sesshoumaru was angry. That he couldn't keep his reactions hidden when those two humans were around was a thing he had to face. His reactions to Rin were not as violent as his responses to the miko. His brother's wench would definitely have to die. And soon. She was wrecking havoc on his senses and she wasn't even trying. That thought made him stop. What damage could she do me if she where attempting to?

He did not like feeling vulnerable and that is what he was. Out of control. Exposed.

Though he did not ever show it, Sesshoumaru was a sensitive being who learned long ago that giving into the feelings of your heart only led to a pain that you could never really heal from. A pain he was not willing to expose himself to. If you care for something, it is taken from you. And it hurt. He vowed not to let others know about the things that he cared for. Not to follow his emotions and become vulnerable. He vowed to keep his heart secret. It would take a power far greater than his own to make him change his mind and break that vow.

He knew of no such power.