Save Me Please.

By raven110

R: Now for the summary

Sesshoumaru has finally realized he has fallen in love. But when Amaya starts to act different, it starts to send off warning signals to sesshoumaru. Suddenly Amaya wishes to leave for a while, to keep a promise she will not explain, and sesshoumaru decides to follow. Only falling into a battle to the death, where only his love for Amaya can save her.

R: happy now chapter 8 should be far more interesting Neh?

Y.R: Raven realizes she probably disappointed her readers with the 5 page chapter 7. Which she HAD been planning to make longer. But this chapter should make up for it

R: I hope

Y.R: oh well if it doesn't. Anyways. Raven does not own Inuyasha.

PS: I think sesshoumaru comes out a bit OOC in this one

PSS: I was Rereading this chapter and I am amazed how many people didn't catch the fact that Amaya had one gold eye and one blue eye in the other chapters but not this one. OO!!! where HAVE you people been LOL JK. This is just an editory update . And by the way. I was not amused to get a review on chapter one with a whole lot of edit requests. If you cannot read the whole story first. Do not give me suggestions. I find it a BIG BIG insult. I am not naming names. But to me. It is rude to get critizism on the first chapter. If you want to give suggestions. Read through the story and then post a review on the LAST chapter. Not the first. Thank you for listening (also you will be pleased to know chapter 9 is in progress )

Sesshoumaru glanced behind him, like he had done many times before, to look at Amaya. The ghostly she demon was walking calmly behind him, her eyes on Rin, who was playing in the long strands of grass. Jakken was leading Ah-un, muttering about stupid human pups with Azize walking beside the beast of burden. This didn't go over well with Amaya, who rin saw as a replacement mother, and she suddenly smacked the toad into a tree, azize started to laugh. Sesshoumaru watched as Amaya took ah-uh's reins and led him herself. He didn't say a thing about her beating up his servant. How could he. He found it harder and harder to speak to her, for fear that he might say something he should not. He didn't want to push her away from him. Over the two months after he had talked to her, she had relaxed even more, and he had come to terms with several things in his life. One, rin was more a daughter to him than just a little human pup following him around, it was Amaya who had pointed that out a couple weeks back. Two, he didn't see the need to put on the mask if indifference he always wore around Amaya. Then three, he admitted he was in love. Sesshoumaru denied it at first, seeing love as a weakness. But over the past to months he found that he could no long deny it. He was in love. He was constantly thinking about her, he wanted nothing more than to see her smile, he would protect her from any harm, he would do anything for her. How he lost control of this emotion was beyond him. He also found that he was scared. Scared that if Amaya found out he adored and loved her so that she would turn away from him, despise him, reject him. He didn't want to force her to be his, he wanted her to be with him by choice. His golden eyes scanned over her frame and he side with in himself. As if hearing the sigh, Amaya looked up at him, her mismatched eyes calm, regarding him curiously. For a moment, sesshoumaru could have swore he saw a flicker of happiness in her eyes, but it was gone in a flash. They never let their emotions show, they had to wear their masks, even in front of each other. Sesshoumaru held Amaya's gaze for a moment, then broke it quickly, turning back around and continuing on.

Amaya watched rin with the amused patients of a mother watching her pup. Rin, she was human but at the same time the daughter of a demon. Two demons actually, rin confided in Amaya once that sesshoumaru was like a daddy to her. It was at the same time that Rin said that Amaya was like her momma. Instead of pushing away the idea and calling it absurd, Amaya had grasped it and let rin call her that. Rin, Amaya had learned, was an orphan and so many times Amaya had seen orphans in her father's slave fields where all young children worked. She had never been allowed near them, but oh how she wanted to go to them, save them, care for them. Now was her chance to make up for all the times she was prevented from doing so. So now Amaya watched rin finding herself forgetting rin was human not demon. suddenly she heard jakken talking about rin under his breath. She had heard the toad several times, and was annoyed with it greatly, but now it just angered her. So she swung a hand and with a loud "SMACK" sent the toad flying. She heard azize fall into helpless gales of laughter, and smirked inwardly. She felt eyes upon her. Why she noticed it now, she didn't know. She flicked her fuzzy white ears and looked into sesshoumaru's golden eyes. For a moment she saw a flash of adoration, that was quickly covered with bland indifference. She felt her heart skip a beat. He was looking at her, and he had been looking at her in adoration. Sesshoumaru, with his handsome yet feminine good looks was hiding something from her. If that look she had seen meant anything. Inside she scolded herself, she couldn't bring un-wanted scorn upon sesshoumaru by falling in love with him. Plus, how could she trust him, he could kill her with ease, if he just tried. Then again, she had been safe here for about six months. Safe, that one word sent something nagging at the back of her mind. She saw sesshoumaru turn away quickly and continue on, but her mind was still on the look he had been giving her and a memory she was trying hard to remember.

It was several days later that sesshoumaru finally decided that something was up. Amaya was acting jittery, almost to nervous to stand. She kept looking northward, then hastily looking away. Azize too seemed to be affected by her mistress's change in behavior. When ever they rested for the night or for lunch, the wolf would stalk along the out skirts of their camp, occasionally growling or whimpering. It was like the wolf was trying to help aid in her mistress's distress. Though her habit change didn't make him stop watching her. Quite the opposite. He watched her more and more. He wouldn't admit to the adoration that he had been feeling, but he would admit to seeing something flash through her own eyes. A thrill of having him watch her, and what might have been a hint of shyness. A shyness towards him. That had never been there before. She had always looked at him with calm respect and a distant companionship. She had only seen a friend, of a sorts, in him. Now, after seeing that flicker of shyness, he could see changes that he had not noticed before. Her ducking her head and shifting uneasily or nervously beside him. Her ears usually flicking back when she was close and a cool blush coming to her face if they so much as brushed sleeves. When he spoke to her he saw her eyes almost come alive, the inner coldness disappearing. It was like she was hanging on his every word. And yet he figured she didn't realize she was acting so. She did things like they were perfectly natural to her. Now though, he noticed she was so caught up with something that she forgot to be nervous around him. Is was just last night that he decided the spot he was sitting in was not to his liking and he moved to sit next to Amaya. It had startled him greatly when she had shifted closer, as if silently asking him to relieve or protect her from something. right now it was night time. Rin was sleeping next to Amaya azize was at her feet, also asleep. Only Amaya was not sleeping. She was looking towards the north. Sesshoumaru kept his golden eyes trained on her. Suddenly he watched her rise and start to move off into the night.

"Where are you going," sesshoumaru said softly. His voice didn't betray his fear, that she was leaving for good. Of course that was absurd, since azize was not with her.

Amaya stopped in her tracks, "there is....................there is something I must attend to."

"Then I will go with you," Sesshoumaru replied, leaping at this rare chance to be with Amaya alone.

"You don't need to..." Amaya said softly. It was a statement, though he could hear a slight trace of hope in her voice. Hope that he would stay?

"I know I don't need to. But I chose to," he rose quietly, glancing at jakken and ah-un making sure they were asleep, and came up behind her. He saw her tense for a moment.

"Sesshoumaru...........please.............just stay here." Amaya pled softly.

Normally sesshoumaru would have been angry, how dare she tell him what to do. Only something in her voice betrayed her. She was hiding something. She started to move off, probably thinking he would not follow, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"You are not going with out me. And I wish to know what is going on. Don't think I have not noticed Amaya. You have changed. You have become jittery and nervous, worrying about something that you dare not share. What is wrong Amaya."

Amaya looked to the ground, "I made a promise." she started to walk away, her wrist slipping out of his grasp. Then suddenly her hand clasped his own and she stopped again, "a promise to my mother.................that I would go and retrieve my baby sister from Kitaro's castle when I finally found a safe haven."

Sesshoumaru didn't know what to make of it really. Her hand was holding tight to his, and it took him a moment to realize something. She wanted him to come along. Some where deep down she had wished he would follow her, that he would insist on coming with.

"And you consider yourself safe?" he asked, not removing his hand from her's. He felt her hand tighten it's hold.

"Aren't I, no one has come for me. No one has tried to attack me since I started following you. I might not be SAFE safe. But I found some place that I can................finally call a home. With out having to run, or to fight. With out having to worry about my father."

Sesshoumaru felt sympathy for her, she had lived her life running, and fighting. Trying to build herself a life that she knew she could never live. She had to place her mask of cold indifference on so that no one could see how much it was taking it's toll on her. Inside that cold exterior was a warmth he never felt before. It was the more sensitive and frail part of her being. The part that told her that one day she would finally be able to just live her life. Then suddenly that warmth was gone, replaced by the cold shell that was Amaya's shield. She was hiding again, keeping that part of her hidden. Not before he had caught something, a hint of fear. Though he probably imagined it.

"I guess you could say you are safe." sesshoumaru agreed.

"Then I must go and keep my promise. I will not soil my name by breaking it."

"And I am coming with you......." he pressed. He heard her chuckle softly.

"I give in...........if you must follow, there is nothing I can say or do to stop you."

He heard genuine gratitude on her voice. Then she looked back at him, and her mismatched eyes regarded him calmly.

"But I warn you, you were probably raised in conditions far better than what you are going to see around kitaro's palace, and I am more than likely going to be attacked, to kill mind, on sight."

"They won't get a chance," sesshoumaru said softly, his golden eyes locked with her oddly mismatched.

Amaya suddenly flushed a soft rosy pink and dropped his hand.

"Well..........uh............we best go now, the sooner we get this over with the better."

She turned quickly and turned into the familiar ball of light, though her's was tinged a soft blue, and he followed suit. Both rising into the sky and disappearing into the night.

It was also in the night time hours, though far later, that Amaya lead him stealthily through skeleton trees. He had been shocked to see the large amount of death and decay in this part of kitaro's territory. Amaya had just wrinkled her nose and said that kitaro's hatred and darkness flows from him in a flood and killed all the growing things surrounding his castle. He could see the large shadow of the wolf demon lord's fortress ahead of them. His attention switched from the scenery to Amaya. She had stopped by a large maple tree and was glancing around her, ears flicking in every possible direction. Then she was off again. Her slender frame weaving through the trees with amazing speed. He caught up to her in seconds, but let her remain one step ahead. She wasn't heading towards the castle, which to sesshoumaru was odd. Surely her sister would be in there. As they passed close by it he heard screams, crying, and the wails of infant pups. He stopped and glanced towards the castle. Remembering that Amaya told him that kitaro had hundreds of children, most of which were inbred.

"He cares not for the well being of others...."

Sesshoumaru nearly jumped out of his skin. Amaya's voice was so soft and so different from her normal voice that he thought her as some one else. He turned to her, she was looking at the castle.

"If he causes a female pain just to insure that his line will go one, so be it, if he has to beat one of his own pups into submission in order to sow fear of him into their minds, it will be done. His ways are twisted and ugly."

She then looked at him, and he realized why Amaya's mother made her promise to retrieve her sister. Her mother did not want her any more of her pups living here. Amaya turned.

"Kikala........is not in the castle.........she would be found in the slate field.............."

"Slate field?"

"A large area made completely of slate, there pups up to the age of 10 are made to do meaningless task. Are beaten when they fail, which is often, and are poorly fed. They sleep in the field, they eat on the field, they even die on that field."

She lead him about five miles from the castle, until they crested a hill. It wasn't really a hill. It was like a huge crater. The sides were made of rocks, and the floor, as Amaya had said, was made of black slate. And a near hundred of demon and hanyou pups. There were some huddled in groups, trying to keep warm. Other's were huddling against the rocks for the same reason. Only a few were staying outside of the sheltering rocks, in the open area of the slate rock. There were also about five sentries around the entire perimeter, armed with vicious looking spiked whips. It was with this whip that one sentry, much to sesshoumaru's horror, lashed at a pup who was crying in their sleep. A blast of wind brought the smell of the pup's blood to sesshoumaru's nose and he turned away. Amaya was hiding in the shadows near him, her eyes scanning the fields. Suddenly her heard her curse.

"Dammit all to fucking hell........she just HAD to be in the center of the field."

Amaya's grumbling, annoyance filled voice sounded so much like when he first met her that he nearly laughed. He turned his gaze to the demon pup that she had her eyes focused on. He could see it was a black haired pup, with a fringed tail laying over her legs. He couldn't see much else, it was to dark down in the bowl of that crater.

"Now what?" he asked calmly.

"....." there was no response from Amaya. He chanced a glance at her and saw her attention was on the other side of the bowl. He looked up, and saw a wolf demon standing there. It was apparently an older male, and he was looking straight at them. He heard Amaya snarl, and could feel the air around her hum softly as she called her demon power to her. Suddenly it hit him who that was. He looked back at the demon, then at Amaya. Amaya was bristling more with each passing second, and yet the new demon did not move. He looked back at the demon, then spoke softly.

"THAT Is kitaro?"

Amaya growled in response, she would not speak his name, but what she said next sent a chill down his spine, "he knew we were coming....."

He looked at her in disbelief, "impossible,"

"Really? He has a small company of warriors stationed on the other side of that bowl."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened and he looked past kitaro, and indeed saw many shadows milling about behind him in the dark.

"How many is a small company if I may ask?"

"50-70 by kitaro standards."

Sesshoumaru closed his golden eyes and shook his head, "there is no way he knew we were coming...."

"Maybe not...."

Sesshoumaru looked at her, she was thinking, "he knew I was coming.......not you........some how he must have found out about the promise I made my mother........he knew that I was safe some where and would sooner or later come for kikala..........he didn't suspect I would bring some one with me."

"He needs 50- 70 warriors just to handle you,"

sesshoumaru saw a hint of a small appear on Amaya's face.

"I'm in top form...............haven't had to fight for my life in a while.............and I'm just itching to stretch my legs a bit."

He knew exactly what she meant. She wanted to shift to her truer form. Amaya used that form a lot more than he did, though she seemed to be just as efficient in her strikes as she was in her more human form. But he was worried. Something in Amaya's look told him that she was up to something. That she was planning something that only one of the might walk away from.

"What are you planning?"

Amaya looked at him, and for once he saw love, then suddenly he saw sorrow.

"Keep her safe......."

"What?!......"

He blinked, but upon his eyes opening Amaya was off, blazing a trail down to the bowl. He stood up straight.

"AMAYA!!"

For once an part of himself came back to him, instead of the worrying secret admirer he had turned into, and he swore she was insane. He watched her white form pelt down the slope, and saw the demons that had been lurking stream from the shadows and run down the opposite slope. It was a trail of speed. Amaya needed to get to the pup, sweep her up, and turn her back on the on-coming danger to pelt back in his direction. Why didn't she tell him what she was up to. He came all the way here to help and now she wasn't letting him. Then his mind registered what he saw a moment before. She had looked at him with love, then with sorrow. As if she had to mask that emotion. Why? Why did she feel like she had to hide it? His gaze went to kitaro, and then he understood. Kitaro, the one who hated Amaya with a passion, would try to use her love against her. He would do anything to bring Amaya tumbling to her knees. Sesshoumaru felt rage start to bubble up. How dare he treat her like that? Before sesshoumaru knew what he was doing, he was off, following Amaya. He watched her take on the charging warriors, coming to a smooth stop beside the pup and scooping her up. He also saw her pause and groaned inwardly. That split second of hesitation gave them an opening. As Amaya turned, her eyes growing wide as she saw him as she tried to flee, arrows started to sail through the air. And she skid to a stop beside him. He too stopped, curious as to why she did. He looked over his shoulder, and saw more warriors ringing that side of the bowl. They had been cornered. They had to dodge, duck and weave to avoid the arrows coming from above. They also had to attack those that were striking from on foot. All the time, kitaro stood watching from the rim of the bowl. Sesshoumaru watched as Amaya, her sister still cradled in one arm, struck with deadly accuracy. More often then not freezing wolves in their tracks. She had taken a couple arrows, and was bleeding. He was having an easier time, using toukijin to slaughter those in his path with cold indifference. He heard the cries of the pups around them waking, and running for safety. he saw Amaya fighting off more demons than she could handle and spun towards her. Pushing her out of the way of their attacks, he felt a sword hit his shoulder, but he payed it no mind as he raised toukijin and brought it down. Killing those before him easily.

Kitaro watched as sesshoumaru slaughtered those that dare get in his way. He even saved Amaya on a couple occasions. The she wolf was to busy fighting for her life, and protecting kikala, to notice she was bleeding heavily. She would be dead by now if it wasn't for that dog demon. He drew his sword and raised it to his shoulder, shifting it so that he could throw it like a javelin. He aimed carefully, going for sesshoumaru's chest. He didn't see Amaya catching his movements and seeing what he was up to. Nor did he see her place her sister down and run towards sesshoumaru. He only saw sesshoumaru as he threw his sword straight at the dog demon lord's chest.

Amaya ran with all her might, seeing sesshoumaru turn and spying the sword coming at him. She plowed into sesshoumaru with force, sending him staggering out of the way. She wouldn't let kitaro kill him, the only one she dared to even think about loving. Her eyes suddenly went wide as the sword plunged into her chest. The pain was like a fire running through her. She knew when she couldn't fight any more. Slowly, she slipped to the ground. She saw sesshoumaru turning to look at her. She saw fear fill his gaze, and was confused. What did he have to fear? He could get away now. She heard kitaro leap from the edge of the bowl and come to land a short distance away, but her mismatched eyes remained on sesshoumaru, who was reaching for toukijin, ready to slice kitaro in half.

"Well well............my pretty little step daughter finds it in her heart to protect some one........and a filthy dog demon at that."

His hateful eyes ran over sesshoumaru, who felt rage boiling a new but he only narrowed his eyes. Filthy!!! he bathed every day he would have kitaro know. Kitaro didn't seem to take notice of sesshoumaru after that. His eyes on Amaya, who's mismatched gaze was now locked on him.

"Step......daughter?" her voice was cracked and rasping, as her lungs fought to take in air.

Sesshoumaru heard kitaro chuckle, "something your mother was so eager to tell me as she died. That her loyal Amaya was never one of my blood, but one of pure white wolf line. Why else would she be the only one of Fetanie's pups to be born white wolf,"

sesshoumaru noted the disgust upon his voice as he said this. He himself was feeling rather merry at this note of information. He would have no second thoughts at killing kitaro no matter how hateful Amaya was of him. Kitaro was looking straight at Amaya, sesshoumaru didn't like that look either. It was an evil, I just won this battle, look.

"It doesn't matter anyways."

With a smooth movement, he leaped forward and yanked the sword from Amaya's chest. Blood spilled everywhere, Amaya felt herself getting dizzy. She saw sesshoumaru clash with kitaro, she watched the two fight for a minuet before the world around her began to spin. soft hands grasped at her kimono, she was little kikala clinging to the fabric, as if holding her in this world. Then kikala too became a blur to Amaya's vision. Kitaro spied Amaya, growing amazingly pale in a few minuets and smirked, blocking sesshoumaru's attack.

"She is dying, Doggy boy, why not go to her.........it's not like you can save her though."

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder and saw Amaya growing deathly pale. Blood was pouring down her chest. NO!, his mind cried, She CAN'T die......she CAN'T. He turned his eyes back to kitaro to find him and those warriors still able to move gone. Forgetting about that he rushed over to Amaya. She was just sitting there, her head bowed, as if looking at the blood. He watched on slim hand come up and touch the blotch of red that was forming, then look at the crimson liquid that coated her palm. His nose caught a full whiff of copper, which was the blood hitting the air, and then something salty. Like salt water. Then her heard her gasp, it was a strangled and pained sound, but it made him realize what was happening. Amaya was crying. Her demon pup sister was already curled against her, whimpering softly to herself, while he saw a shimmering drop fall from the veil of Amaya's hair. He knelled down before her and she tensed. He could not hear any sobs, but he could smell the tears running down her hidden face. He felt his heart clench and he long to pull her close, to just hold her and make her tears stop.

He heard a soft gasp, as if she was having trouble breathing. The pup was crying beside her, curling up in the folds of her sister's kimono. There was so much blood. Her hand was shaking in front of her face. Suddenly her heard her speak softly.

"Sesshoumaru..............."

Her voice was croaked, like she had to little air to speak much. It was also shaky and pained. He stepped closer so that she could whisper, kneeling down before her. Though his usual mask of indifference was in place, he was curious and worried. She spoke softly again.

"I don't want to die............."

Her voice was wavering, she was borderline hysteria.

"I don't want to die, not by his hands.........not now.........not ever........"

She took a deep breath and then started to cough violently. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. she was dear to him, very dear indeed, but if he healed her, it might lead them to a very interesting situation soon. His hand rested on tensaiga. He didn't want to have to come to terms with his emotions, he didn't want to admit it out loud that he was in love with some one. His hand grabbed hold of tensaiga's handle as he watched Amaya start to waver. Only, if he did not save her, he would never get the chance to show her how much she meant to him. With a single smooth movement sesshoumaru rose and sliced down with tensaiga, striking Amaya right down the middle. The she-demon froze for several moments. At first he was afraid he was to late, that her body was battered beyond repair now, then he heard her breathing settle. She was no longer laboring for the life giving breaths she needed. Her heart was no longer pumping a sea of blood out of her body. It didn't seem to matter though, as Amaya passed out in front of him. Blood loss, in his moment of mental thought he had forgotten Amaya was losing a lot of their life giving blood.

With a sigh, sesshoumaru knelt down again, took a quick look around, then picked Amaya up. Cradling her in one arm and on his knee, he then picked up the pup and placed her in Amaya's lap. Then cradling Amaya in his arms he shifted to the ball of white light and headed back home.

this was not supposed to happen. He, sesshoumaru, was not supposed to get nervous over a little thing such as confronting a demoness. Then again, he never thought he would be confronting a demoness intentionally ever. Sesshoumaru had returned to his companions and they all had made direct and fast route to sesshoumaru's castle, which was where he was now. Only he was standing outside one of the rooms, the very room Amaya stayed in. She had awoken about 12 hours after the attack, and was a bit ill, so she had been ordered to stay abed, much to her distaste. She had awoken again after an other half day passed, and this time was able to move about the castle. Only now sesshoumaru found that she was trying to say something, or ask something, everything they crossed paths. She would stop, and stare at him a moment, before shaking her head and moving on. He had wondered what she was trying to say, when she finally asked "why did you save me?" The question left him silent, almost frantic for a get away. His silence seemed to have a bad affect though, because she just turned around and muttered "forget it, I shouldn't even ask." and then left him there. He wasn't supposed to feel the guilt he had either. Now he was stuck, outside Amaya's room, trying to think of some excuse to enter her quarters with out seeming to blatant. After a moment he sighed and slid open the door. Amaya was sitting down, looking out side a window and combing through her hair with a silver brush. She was grumbling to her self softly, but he saw one of her soft ears flick towards him. He cleared his throat, trying hard not to appear nervous (A.N: and we all know that just makes us all appear MORE nervous ), and bowed slightly.

"Amaya................may I have a word."

"This is your castle.........."

Sesshoumaru never thought he would feel so uneasy with that statement, it was after all his castle. It was just something in her voice, a cool disregard that sent a chill down his spine.

"I wished.................to explain."

Amaya did not turn to him, for that he was thankful, he doubted he would have the courage if she did.

"Explain what? Saving me? You do as you wish, it's a well known fact, it was stupid of me to ask you in the first place. After all. What other reason is there."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes again, she was bordering cocky, but her words did ring true. What other reason was there? Easy, he thought, he had not done it just because he felt like it. He had done it because he was in love with her.

"There is...............a reason I saved you......"

Now she did turn towards him, almost quizzically gazing at him. He fought back his nervousness again and took a deep breath. He could give no excuse, she would see right through them.

"It is true.........I wanted to save you.........that it was my choice...........................and though it's hard for me to admit................there was no way I could not have saved you.......and not feel pain and remorse by letting you die."

Amaya watched him curiously, then began to rise, so that she stood facing him. Sesshoumaru kept his gaze on her, waiting of her to speak, if she was going to.

"Why...........why would you feel that way towards a lost she wolf, who brings nothing but destruction in her wake..........."

"You have brought no destruction upon my lands.................only light...............no dark moods befall me when you are present.............how can they..........when I gaze at someone who is a single light in my dark world."

Amaya flicked an ear, his wordings were complicated, but she understood. Before he had stated that he could not have just let her die, because it would have hurt him terribly to see her die. Now he was saying that she brought joy to his life, not like rin does, but in some other way.

"How can I bring light, when all I know is darkness," she looked down at the floor, "I treat you and the others with the cold indifference that is natural to you as well. How can I bring light, when I was never taught how."

sesshoumaru took a step forward, and she did not step back as was normal for her. Instead she actually lifted her head and gazed into his golden eyes with curious twin colored orbs.

"Amaya, listen to me and listen close. How can one not be drawn to one with beauty such as yours............how can one not be drawn to some one with loyalty stronger than the chains of hell............................................................how can some one..............................love you..............if you will not let them................... and yet.........if find that I am.............I am drawn to your beauty...........am I drawn by your loyalty...........................................and I can...........I can love you.................even if you don't let me."

Slowly he reached up and ran a hand through her long hair. He had expected her to recoil, to shout or yell at him for daring such a thing. Instead she stared at him with uncomprehending eyes. She was having trouble taking in what he said. It had taken him so long to say those few words. Amaya blinked and blinked again. He thought she was pretty, and he liked how loyal she was to those dear to her. He loved her. Her eyes fell to the ground again and she flicked her ears back. Instead of the rage she had always thrown in those who professed love to her, she felt fear, shyness and nervousness. Why should he affect her different than the others. Easy, her mind quipped, you love him and you did not love the others.

"I can't................."

Sesshoumaru blinked, that made no sense, can't what?

"Pardon," his hand still running through her hair repeatedly.

"I can't fall in love..............what would happen to the one who loved me.................facing a life bent on hiding from those who hunt me. Being scorned by living with a white wolf, who's race is hated with the wolf demon tribes...................."

Sesshoumaru frowned, "I will hunt down those that hunt you..................I would kill them before they laid a hand on you. I would throw back the scorn, taunting them with their own weakness. Using meaningless words to knock down their opponents..................try Amaya.........try to love..................if you do not know how............let me help you................don't leave me in the dark."

It took sesshoumaru a moment to realize that his voice sounded almost frantic. Moving smoothly from solid confidence and determination to wavering near break down. How could she do this to him so easily? Amaya's twin color gaze drifted up to him and he could see she was warring with in her mind. She didn't want to say no to his love, but she didn't want to say yes. Suddenly, she just started to shake her head, and he thought that was her choice, when she leaned against his chest and tried to settle the unease running through her. It was strange, having a female lean against him, begging for comfort and reassurance. But as he lifted an arm and warped it around Amaya's waist, holding her close, it suddenly felt right. Totally perfect to be persist. He could sense the uneasiness running off her in a wave, and he spoke softly.

"It's okay Amaya................everything will be okay.............it's easy to hide ones emotions for others..................as long as it is not from those we care about most."

Amaya looked up at him, and he saw hope and love. She nodded once then looked at the pattern of his Haori, her ears pricking forward. Yes, they would hide it for as long as they could. They would hide the fact that lord sesshoumaru had finally found his lady of the western lands.

Raven: looking hopeful was that good enough? I did have an interesting review from some one, I forgot who. Saying that I was having rin speak wrong raises brow They most not have seen the Japanese episodes. Because rin does say "Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin is hungry"

Y.Raven: glares angrily yeah. Raven researches this stuff before she puts it into her stories(now you know how I stay in charrie most of the time ), so don't correct her. Unless it is a BIG BIG fault..................

Raven: did sesshy come out OOC at all ponders this

Amaya: I really could not tell you..........

Y.Raven: neither could I.....

Raven: sighs oh well...........guess my reviewers will have to tell me then !!

Amaya picks up rin, who smiles: PLZ READ AND REVIEW