Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own any of the Inuyasha characters. Wouldn't it be pretty darn awesome if I did though? Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?? @_@

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~ ~ Chapter 9: Sparks Fly, Emotions Bounce ~ ~

Sesshomaru was awakened from his doze by a soft noise coming from beside him. The miko had turned over onto her right side, and the extra pressure on her broken ribs was causing her to whimper in her sleep. He reached a hand out and gently rolled her over onto her other side, being careful not to poke her with his sharp claws. Even through the fabric of her hakui Sesshomaru could feel the human girl shivering. Her skin is like ice, he thought. He himself wasn't cold, however. The brief physical contact between he and the miko had caused his body to heat up more than he would have liked. What is wrong with me? he raged silently. I'm acting more like a pup in his first heat than a fully-grown taiyoukai.

Coming to a swift and uncharacteristic decision, he gracefully rose to his feet and walked deliberately into the forest. He soon returned with a large armload of wood, and proceeded to swiftly light a fire near the still-sleeping miko. As soon as he had a crackling blaze started he sat back down on the ground. He folded his arms across his chest and settled himself to wait for the girl to awaken.

When she finally began stirring, Yukari's senses were flooded with the delicious sensations of warmth and companionship. She opened her eyes and they rested on Sesshomaru, who was a comforting presence, surprisingly enough. He was seated on the ground next to her, his arms crossed over his chest and his perfect features molded into an icy mask of indifference. All of a sudden his presence sunk in. Wait, what is he doing here? she thought. I thought he left when I went to the village. Confused, she attempted to sit up and ask Sesshomaru what he was doing there. However, at the slightest movement, her ribs began throbbing again and she gasped in shock at the pain that flooded through her body.

Sesshomaru watched the miko stir out of the corner of his eye. He noticed that she was gazing at him in confusion, then he watched as she tried and failed to get up. He heard her harsh intake of breath, and he reached out a hand to help her sit up, astonishing both of them. Her hand lingered in his grasp for a moment, and he marveled at the tiny, delicate bones in her fingers. When she finally released him, Sesshomaru's flesh felt heated, as if the girl had burned him with her touch. "Your body betrays you," the tiny voice in the back of his mind said. Be silent! he told it firmly. It is impossible to betray that which does not exist.

"What are you doing here, Sesshomaru?" Yukari asked. At the sound of her own voice, she cringed. I didn't mean for that to sound so accusing!

Sesshomaru inwardly flinched at the harsh tone of her voice. "Well, did you expect her to welcome your presence?" the little voice asked. "You don't treat her very well you know." Not to mention the fact that I am a demon, and humans hardly ever enjoy the companionship of a demon, he thought to himself a trifle bitterly.

He chose not to answer her question, and instead turned his face away. Yukari glanced at his profile, the perfect features set in a stony expression of impartiality. Set in ice, more like, Yukari thought. Sesshomaru turned back to face her, and for the briefest of moments Yukari thought that she could see a hint of pain; it flickered in his eyes for an instant, then was gone as quickly as it had come. She wilted inside at the thought of having hurt his feelings. Impulsively extending a hand, she gently squeezed his striped wrist in a small gesture of apology. Yukari waited with bated breath for a reaction and shrank away from him, expecting the worst. Surprisingly enough, he did not jerk away or even retaliate violently as she had expected him to. He merely sat very still: an untouchable marble prince, terrible and beautiful.

Sesshomaru had indeed been a little stung by Yukari's harsh words. Masking his feelings, however, was an action he had long ago learned to perfect. Lost deep in thought, the miko's touch on his wrist had stunned him. But no sooner had her delicate fingers squeezed his arm gently than he felt her shrink away from him. "No doubt she is waiting for some retribution from you," the voice in his head told him angrily. Does she really fear me so? he wondered. She hides it well. He laughed silently to himself, then quickly sobered. It's strange, but until now I have relished the fear that everyone, human and youkai alike, has had for me. Now I know only pain to think that this lovely creature feels nothing but fear for me. When the full implication of his thoughts struck him, Sesshomaru sat very still, stunned into motionlessness. I don't want her to fear me? But of course I do. Besides, this Sesshomaru feels no emotions, least of all pain.

Yukari was worried that she might have offended Sesshomaru more by touching him than she had by speaking rudely to him. Maybe it's better if I just keep my mouth shut and my hands to myself, she thought.

Silence reigned in the little clearing. Sesshomaru glanced at Yukari noticing her face suddenly twist into a strange expression. He could smell her begin to sweat though the evening was cool, and his sharp ears picked up a drastic leap in her heart rate. She is in pain again, he realized.

Oh no, Yukari thought. The painkilling herbs in the tea are finally wearing off! I think I have more in my bag, but how in the world am I going to get to them?

She spied her bag laying about ten feet in front of her, and slowly tried to climb to her feet. When she was assaulted by dizziness, however, she thought better of her actions. Instead she got to her hands and knees and tried to crawl across the clearing. Inch by painful inch she crawled until, breathless and drenched in cold sweat, she finally reached her pack. Yukari laid on her back and stretched out on the hard ground. It seemed to throb in rhythm with her aching chest. She glanced at Sesshomaru, who was staring at her as if she had sprouted a third eye. That was the last straw: she didn't like being in pain, she didn't like feeling helpless, and she did not like being stared at!

"What are you staring at?" she demanded irritably. "Couldn't help me, could you? It's not like I'm injured or anything!"

Sesshomaru glared at her but said nothing; he delicately arched one silvery eyebrow, but did not seem overly perturbed by her comments.

She dumped out the contents of her sack: a few packets of dried herbs, a small clay pot, and three rolls of thick linen bandages. Oh no! Yukari thought. How am I supposed to get water for the herbs if I can barely crawl ten feet? She moaned in pain and frustration, dangerously close to bursting into tears. At that moment Sesshomaru gracefully got to his feet and walked away into the forest.

Perfect, Yukari thought to herself. I have effectively chased away my only companion, and now I'm wounded, stuck in the woods with night coming, and all alone. With that thought she burst into tears.

A few moments later Sesshomaru walked silently back into the clearing and set the now-full water pot on the ground next to the fire. The scent of the girl's tears was stronger now, and he walked over to her. Please, gods, let her stop crying! he thought. She raised her tear-streaked face to meet his stare, but neither of them had anything to say. Without warning Sesshomaru scooped the miko into his arms and set her down in a more comfortable spot near the fire. He carried the contents of her pack over to her, and sat down within arm's reach; he still hadn't spoken a single word to her.

"Eep!" Yukari said when she felt Sesshomaru's strong arms encircle her; her eyes widened in shock. He's helping me? Why? she wondered. When he set her down she realized that the water pot next to the fire was full. She was stunned into silence. I thought he was abandoning me, and he was actually going to get me water. That's so sweet, she thought. She stared at Sesshomaru with a new curiosity. Why would he do something like that?

If someone had asked Sesshomaru why he had helped the miko, he wouldn't have been able to answer. It had just seemed like the natural response. He supposed it was the tears that had been his undoing. I can't stand weeping women! He had always been that way. It ran in his family. If you placed a crying female in front of any male member of his family they would immediately start falling all over themselves, doing anything possible to stop the flow of tears. It was a weakness Sesshomaru hadn't been able to rid himself of no matter how hard he tried.

Yukari's aching ribs distracted her from pondering the complexity that was Sesshomaru. She rummaged through the contents of her bag, finally finding the packet containing white willow bark, which was an effective pain reliever. She poured it into the water pot and then placed the pot directly over the coals of the fire, which had begun to die down. Once the water started to boil she took it carefully off the fire and let the herbs steep for a while until the water cooled. She sipped the steaming liquid carefully, watching Sesshomaru out of the corner of her eye as she did so. He had again turned his head so that his profile was facing her, and she could see that he was watching the sun set. He has some sort of fascination with sunsets, Yukari noticed.

Unbeknownst to Yukari, Sesshomaru was also watching her out of the corner of his eye. He watched her drink the contents of the clay pot. What is she drinking? he asked himself, slightly alarmed. He sniffed the air delicately, and recoiled slightly at the pungent odor. Ugh, white willow bark, he realized. "What did you think she was going to do, Sesshomaru-sama? Poison herself?" the little voice in the back of his mind asked. He growled slightly at the harsh tone and the sarcastic suffix that had been added to his name. If I cannot command respect from myself then what kind of demon lord am I? he wondered.

At that moment he picked up a strange scent drifting lazily towards him, blown along by a light east wind. It was an old scent; at least a day had gone by since the creature had passed; but it was a very familiar scent. Hokkaido. His eyes glowed slightly red at the thought of that demon. I have yet to exact my revenge on him! Sesshomaru raged silently.

Yukari shrunk away from the angered demon lord as fast as her aching body would allow. What did I do now? she wondered fearfully. His eyes slowly began to glow as a brilliant scarlet bled into them. His youki crackled palpably in the clearing around them, and she had to fight against her own powers' instincts to rise and purify the threat. She watched him from a safe distance, and was worried when she heard the sound of liquid dripping onto the leaves. Following the sound, her gaze traveled down the length of Sesshomaru's arms and landed on his hands, which were tightly clenched into fists. Blood dripped from wounds where his own claws had pierced the flesh of his palms. Even though he frightened her, Yukari crawled slowly over to the dangerous inuyoukai and, grasping his shoulders, shook him.

"Sesshomaru, please stop!" she cried. The vibrant red slowly drained out of his eyes, but they were focused beyond her and he seemed not to be aware of her presence. She could feel the tension drain out of his body, and he seemed to relax a little.

Sesshomaru heard the miko calling to him from far away. Her voice brought him back from the edge of oblivion, and he could feel his body relax at her touch. It was all instinctual: her presence calmed him, called to his raging blood and soothed it. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was gazing into a pair of chocolate brown ones. (E/N: kiss her, damn you!!) Sesshomaru read sympathy in those eyes, but it was shadowed over with fear. Why is she so close to me if she is frightened of me? he wondered vaguely. (E/N: Hurry and kiss her, you fool!!!)

Feeling detached, Sesshomaru acknowledged the girl sliding her hands down his arm, ending at his tightly-clenched fists. She pried his claws out of his own hands and gasped as blood pooled in his palms and cascaded to the ground. He watched as her fingers, moving gently over his hands, glowed faintly white. The deep wounds in his palms healed almost instantly, and Sesshomaru felt a rush from the surge of power that coursed through his body. His healing complete, the miko opened her eyes. (E/N: Stinky Boy! Should have kissed her…)

It's dark out here, she realized rather vaguely. Glancing at Sesshomaru, she noticed that he was staring off into the distance. Feeling slightly uneasy, she laid down on her left side and pressed a hand against her once-again throbbing ribs. Using more of my power is going to slow the healing process even more, she realized. Yukari sighed gently as an exhausted sleep crept over her.

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, was having an internal struggle trying to regain his composure. I must control my emotions! he raged. Anger is not an excuse for loss of control, and it is unacceptable in a demon lord such as myself. I will not yield to this flood of new emotions, he vowed silently. He was comforted by this vow; it brought him a feeling of order and control in the midst of a chaotic world.

Sesshomaru was jolted out of his inner musings by a slight tug on his right arm. The sleeping girl had unknowingly reached out and captured the sleeve of his haori. She was clutching it tightly in her fist, and as he gently tried to extract himself from her grasp, she stirred and frowned slightly. Reconciled, Sesshomaru sat very still and allowed her to retain her hold on him.

Listening to the comforting rhythm of the miko's breathing brought Sesshomaru to a sudden decision. I will not tell her about smelling Hokkaido nearby, he decided. "Good decision," his mind-voice told him approvingly. "It's better not to worry her. Just let her remain in her peaceful world of sleep for a while longer." Sesshomaru chose not to make a sharp reply to the voice in his head. Although it was definitely trying his patience…

He glanced at the girl; she was curled up on her uninjured left side, her left hand pressed against her ribs in a vain attempt to relieve some of her own pain. She looked young curled up like that, innocent and childlike. Sesshomaru was content to remain beside her, for the time being at least.

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Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I wrote most of it while listening to Rammstein. My roommate is slowly being driven insane by the incessant German headbanger rock…

E/N (this stands for Editor's Note): these would be the times when my roommate/editor is yelling at me… I couldn't resist putting her comments in!!!

Responses: (yay!!!)

Arima1: Hooray, you finally read it! I'm so glad that you liked it!! I love the story you sent me, and I've really enjoyed our conversations. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Kashiaga: hmmmmm that's a good idea. Maybe he will carry her back to the house… who knows? (Wait, I'm the author. Shouldn't I know?! Heh heh) I'm happy that you've liked my story so far. I hope that you like this chapter as well! Thanks for the review!

Serenity971: *blushes* I rock?! Well, thank you!!! I hope I get a lot of reviews too… hehehe I'm glad that you like it so far, and I hope that you like the rest of it as well. Thanks again for the review!!

theMaven: I agree with you! I like slow and gradual relationships better. They seem more believable to me. I just wanted some reader feedback. I just wanted to say thank you for continuing to read my story. I'm so happy that you like it enough to keep reading!!!

ShortPoet: You understand the voices in Sess-chan's head!! I was worried that people were going to think that he was going insane or something. But you understood that the voice is his softer side, and his tough-guy exterior is battling with it. Hooray!!!! *throws confetti in the air and does a happy dance*

LilacRose23: I think you're an awesome author, and I'm overjoyed that you liked my story. I hope that you like this new chapter as well. Thanks for reading!!

See ya next chapter!

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