Disclaimer: ...looks around... Nope. Still don't own Inuyasha.

Chapter 5

The wind whispered silently through the trees as Turo and Nightingale crept to the edge of the meadow. Their footsteps were the only sound they heard. Not even a bird-call echoed through the trees. It was almost eerily silent.

As they reached the edge of the tree-cover, Turo motioned Nightingale back, before easing out into the open himself. He crouched, looking at the trees surrounding the meadow, before scampering across and waving at Nightingale to do the same.

She took even longer, ducking and crawling- although he couldn't blame her. She had been shot and almost killed here. He would do the same in her position.

When she finally joined him on the other side, he took her hand and they melted away into the underbrush.

OOOOO

"Sir." A man wearing earth-colored clothing eased out of the foliage- as good as invisible in the plant covered surroundings.

"Yes?" A man stirred from the branches of a tree. His leafy green clothing keeping him from being spotted by all but those with the sharpest eyes. Or people who knew what they were looking for.

"Sir, we just spotted the girl. The one that got away during the village raid. She was accompanied by a boy- we don't think he's from the same village."

"So?"

"Sir... If we allow her to get away..."

"Yes, yes. Take a group of men and hunt her down. Kill the boy. Bring the girl back alive- if possible. If it's not..." He made a single slashing motion across his throat.

With a malicious grin, the other man slid back into the trees.

The man in the trees leaned back against the trunk, fingering the handle of his sword. Idiots. He wouldn't have had a problem at all if those morons had finished the job right the first time.

It was a simple job, or it should have been. Retrieve the girl that had gotten away. Easy. He sent some men after her expecting the job to get done. It hadn't.

They had come back claiming that they had shot her. That she was dead. They hadn't even bothered to check. Arrogant fools. He had immediately sent them back to get the body, knowing that if anyone came on it, they would be alerted to what was going on.

They had returned without it. Blood was everywhere, they protested. She must have been carried off by a wild animal.

Failures. Incompetent idiots. He didn't tolerate failure in his organization. Failure meant death, for him and the other men. So he had... removed the problem. He grinned, sliding his thumb over the hilt of his sword.

But still another problem remained. It was possible the girl had been carried off by a demon or another animal. Possible, but not likely. So he had searched. Ordered his people to be on guard as they packed up their ill-gotten gains.

He knew that every day he lingered there was a better chance of discovery, or attack. But still he stayed, hoping that the girl had perished, and had not managed to alert the others to their presence.

He frowned. If she was headed for the men, she would meet them soon enough. He needed to stop her before she reached them. He had no desire to fight the brunt of the village fighting force.

Her companion was nothing. Just a casualty. But she posed a threat to their success here. And that he couldn't allow.

OOOOO

"Turo?" Nightingale gasped, pulling herself over yet another tree-stump.

Turo looked back with a slight frown that instantly changed to concern as he caught sight of her haggard face.

He swore mentally. He had pushed too hard. He knew he shouldn't have, but with the threat of the bandits constantly hanging over them, he had moved too quickly- and now she was paying for it.

She noted that he had stopped before she eased to her knees, taking in deep breaths as fast as her lungs would allow.

He instantly walked back and crouched next to her as her breathing slowed, then evened out.

"Are you all right? I'm sorry I pushed, I'm just..."

She silenced him by setting one of her fingers against his lips. "Don't worry. I understand." She removed her finger with a slight blush.

He stood quickly, trying to get her smell out of his senses. She smelled like flowers, even though they had been walking through the woods all morning. The urge to pick her up and kiss her again was nearly overwhelming. With a supreme effort he managed to shove it aside and concentrate on her breathing rather than her lips.

"We'll rest here for the time being."

He paced away a few steps in order to give them both some room.

Nightingale let the ache in her side fade before she forced herself to her feet, ignoring the stabbing pain in the backs of both her legs.

She shifted to remove her pack and gasped involuntarily as pain lanced in between her shoulder blades.

Turo winced. He had managed not to react when she had released tiny mewls of distress when she stood, but this would kill him if he tried to ignore it.

He turned and moved back toward her, helping her ease the pack off her aching shoulders.

He set it down on the ground and urged her back into a sitting position. He placed himself behind her, leaning his back against a tree as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Turo? What are you-?" She broke off with a gasp as he began to massage her shoulders and back.

It felt so good after such a long walk that she couldn't find it in herself to ask him to stop. With no protests heard, he continued to knead away the tension in her muscles with gentle pressure from his hands and thumbs.

She arched slightly into his touch, allowing him to move farther down her back.

As he pressed his hands into her back, he continued a tirade of angry remarks directed mainly at himself. He shouldn't have pushed so hard, she was hurt now and it was his fault.

Every thought slipped from his mind as she started to sigh, each tiny exclamation passing her lips as he kneaded her back.

He took his cues from these breathy whispers and pressed harder at the spots that most needed his attention.

She was so relaxed by the time he finished, that her eyes had drifted shut and her body had sagged against his.

Instead of waking her, he lightly ran his fingers up her arms, tracing her smooth skin to the shoulder blade and back down again.

Finally, he shifted, settling his arms around her more firmly and started to lift himsef off the ground in order to place her in her bed.

"Don't..." Her sleepy demand caught him by surprise and he returned to a sitting position. She snuggled her face deeper into his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

She pressed one of her hands against his shirt front, as if in that tiny motion she could hold him there. "Don't move- okay?"

He relaxed, his hands returning to their previous activity, trailing his fingertips lightly up her arms.

"Mmmm..." Her fingers began to knead in tiny circles. He lightly stroked her bare arms until she feel into a gentle sleep.

Careful not to disturb her, he leaned over and snagged the closest blanket, dragging it around the both of them.

He looked down into her softly sleeping face and gently brushed away a whisp of hair that had escaped her careful braid, letting his fingers linger on her cheek for just a moment.

He shouldn't get involved with her. He knew that. As soon as she met up with her village, she would be gone.

Involved? A rueful smile crept over his features. That was putting it mildly. He had been falling for her from the moment he had met her, alone and hurt in the woods.

And he had just hit rock bottom- hard.

OOOOO

Author's Note: Mmmm... You have to appreciate some good fluff when you read it. This chapter wasn't supposed to be so mushy, but then again, the characters have their on ideas- and who am I to stand in the way?

To my absolutely astounding, amazing, interesting reviewers (!): I love and appreciate you all! Keep the reviews coming!

MysteryMaiden7