Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait on this chapter! I hate it when I get computer problems especially when I'm supposed to be writing for you guys! But now my computer's fixed and it hopefully won't break anytime soon…hopefully! Well I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!
Disclaimer: This thing gets kind of annoying. I have to do it on every story for every chapter! But oh well, I can't change it. I don't own Inuyasha. Happy now?
Review Replies:
Wolf Jade – Thanks! Well, then again it is Sesshoumaru we're talking about…LoL! Sorry it took so long to update.
JoWashington – Thanks! I'm not really basing this off of any episode in particular. They haven't defeated Naraku yet…you noticed I said yet. It's been roughly six months since Kagome left. Yes, I plan to put Sango and the rest of them into here eventually. Wow, that was a long review! But that's a good thing because I love detailed reviews!
Little Rascal – LoL sorry about that. Sorry that this update wasn't sooner…heh heh.
Lyn – Okey dokey!
Sesshomaru13 – LoL! Yeah. Broken legs suck too; trust me I know. I will! Chill out! LoL!
Shan – Okey dokey!
I-wish-I-was-Kagome – Well it hasn't been ASAP, but I have gotten it updated! Sorry for the wait!
Liliedhe – Okay, well sorry for the mix-up; I hadn't heard of that. And thanks for telling me that because I wouldn't have known otherwise. Like I've told other people – I know I'm not the best writer ever and that was one of the first fighting scenes I've written. I usually don't write many so maybe by the next one I'll be better at it. Thanks for the constructive criticism!
TheWildWind – Okay, thanks for reviewing!
Alexis Barnes – All right!
Blue-Saiyan-Angel – neat name! Yeah, it's kind of funny in parts.
Mysticalflame :D Well I'm sure some good reason will come up…LoL Well that's good that you're not in a bad mood! LoL later!
Don't have an account – Thanks! I usually don't write battle scenes so I enjoy people telling me I did well at them!
Phalon22 – Thanks so much!
PrEtTyStUpIdGiRl – LoL you have to wait to find out!
SweetKagome89 – Yeah, I hate it when I get computer problems. It just puts a kink in all my plans!
Lyn – Me too…
Really Awesome – Yeah, me too! I feel so lost when I can't write…
White Tiger Princess – Thanks!
Sesshomaru13 – Well at least I'm not alone in the world on that perspective…
Now on to the story!
Finally!
Discovering Love
Recap:
Tears welled in Kagome's eyes at the hopeless of the situation, but through all the pain and despair, her pride refused to let her give up. Willing her arms to respond, she slashed the air with the Tetsusaiga hoping to stave off Sesshoumaru. Then the shadow passed from in front of her closed eyes to become bright and the pressure on her leg receded. Kagome peeped open one of her eyes, almost too scared to look, but her eyes shot open when she saw nothing! The great demon dog that had stood in front of her was gone and in its place stood the human-looking Sesshoumaru, she was accustomed to seeing.
'No!' she screamed at herself as blackness began to spread across her vision. She could not pass out! Not now! Not after, she'd come so far in a futile battle with the Demon Lord of the West! Not…now…'
But the pain that was spreading throughout her body and the fatigue was overtaking her senses. She couldn't think about anything but sleep, that's all she wanted to do. The last thing she saw before she passed out was a two-headed dragon being led by a little toad creature.
And there was a little girl.
A human girl.
Why would Sesshoumaru have a human girl?
Chapter 3 – The Morning After
Kagome's eyes fluttered as the darkness of her dreams began to fade, giving way to the light of day. Unfortunately, there was no smell of sweet sakura blossoms; the only smell was the rancid stench of dried blood and sweat as it filled her nose, making her cringe in disgust. Almost automatically, her hand gripped and dug through the dirt trying to find the Tetsusaiga. The desperation she felt almost startling her. Eventually her hand felt the now familiar warmth of Tetsusaiga's hilt and she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Kagome lay there a while more, struggling to recall why she smelt of blood and sweat. And then it hit her with full force. Memories of the battle flashed against her closed eyes like a slideshow; one picture after another. She moved slightly, hoping she wasn't dead, but immediately lay still once more. The pain that had surged through her body at her movements left her gasping in unbearable pain. But knowing who was after the Tetsusaiga and her, she forced herself up, ordering her eyes to open. The sight that greeted her eyes was not what she expected.
She lay near the edge of the clearing, which was devoid of even grass and completely surrounded by tall, sturdy trees and dense shrubs. In the center of the opening was a small, smoldering fire and a pot containing god knows what – it smelled horrible. She was the only one that inhabited the clearing, at least for the time being, and was glad for it. She didn't want that cold prince, Sesshoumaru, seeing her like this.
Kagome's thoughts hit a stand hold as her ears derived a spectacular sound – a magnificent sound! A hot spring! Pushing through the pain that flooded her body, Kagome straightened up with the help of the tree that was closest to her. When she was sure she had her balance, she stepped warily away from the tree in the direction of the hot spring, taking the Tetsusaiga with her. She walked for what seemed like forever, and for all she knew probably was, due to the tiny, unsteady steps she was forced to take to keep her balance and not further injure her still hurt leg. Her new demon blood had luckily healed most of the break throughout the night but it was still not back to perfect condition. During her trek, she kept a vigil ear on the surrounding vegetation for any sign of an approaching demon. Fortunately for her, however, there was no such bad luck for her today.
Kagome breathed happily upon reaching the hot spring. She would soon be rid of the wretched stench that clung to her body like a lover. She looked thoroughly around the area before finally dropping her clothes with a contended sigh into the pre-warm water. Kagome eased down to the ground and sat before sliding into the steaming water.
Oh! It was heaven! She couldn't remember a hot spring ever feeling this good! She felt her muscles relax, the knots pulling out of them, and all her aches disappeared. Stretching out across the surface of the water, she swam the length of the spring, which wasn't very much. Once she reached the other side, she dipped her head back into the water, wetting her hair. Since she had been thrown into the feudal era unexpectedly, she did not have any shampoo or body wash, and was therefore forced to just scrub her body and hair with her hands.
She was so caught up in her relaxation and contentment she did not notice the demon watching from amidst the trees.
The great and mighty Sesshoumaru, demon lord of the western lands, sat perched in a tree, staring out of the foliage to watch the miko bathe like some ordinary human. Yes, he was somewhat ashamed of his actions at the present, but if no one saw him up here spying, no one would ever know. He was all clear!
After the miko had fainted on him in the village, he had carried her to their makeshift campsite – only because of Rin's incessant pleading of course. Once he had comforted and assured Rin that the "pretty lady" would be just fine, he had ordered Rin and Jaken back to the castle, leaving him with the miko. He had not been gone fifteen minutes before he smelled blood on the move – that miko's blood! Eager to find out if she was actually trying to run away at that incredibly slow rate, he followed her from a distance; she was presently too weak to sense him. Upon reaching her destination, the hot springs, the miko had stopped and that's when he had jumped up into the tree so to relax against the trunk and observe her antics.
She had at first rid herself of her clothes, giving anyone who wanted to look at her body the perfect opportunity – but certainly not him; he would never want to look upon her horrid human body! After she had lowered herself into the spring and swam the length of it, Sesshoumaru began to relax against the tree. She was a human, yes, but also a woman, and he knew that women take their sweet time in bathing.
The sun was shining warmly on his face while the wind blew softly, keeping him from getting too hot. Presently he began to feel himself dozing off but jerked awake as he realized it, almost falling out of the tree in the process. Remembering why he was sitting in the tree in the first place, he turned his attention back to the bathing miko. She had been in there unmoving for the past hour – maybe she was dead. One could only hope…
Slowly but surely, the miko began to move, dragging herself from the warmth she had become accustomed to. Now was the time to make him move.
Reluctantly, Kagome began to pull herself from the comforting water. She stepped out and shivered as the cool breeze hit her naked body. Suddenly she heard something. She turned sharply to look behind her on the other shore. No, there was nothing there. She relaxed again and began to turn back around when she saw what she'd heard. There in front of her stood Sesshoumaru, the demon lord and Inuyasha's older half brother.
Acting purely on instinct, Kagome attempted to cover herself as best she could without her clothes. Realizing that Sesshoumaru had not looked away from her as a gentleman would, she screeched, "PERVERT!" and slapped him away with a free hand. Without a doubt, Kagome was shocked at what she'd done on accident. Sesshoumaru was surely going to kill her now! But instead, he just looked at her in annoyance, mumbled some incoherent words, and turned around, giving her privacy. Somewhat grateful, Kagome took advantage of the situation, bending down quickly to retrieve her clothes. She slipped into them in record time right before Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder to check on her progress.
Pulling the shirt over her remaining arm she said, "I'm finished now. You can look," and was enraged at his next comment.
"If I had wanted to look I would have done so. I do not obey your commands. Rather, it should be the other way around, seeing as you are at my mercy. Besides, I would not want to look upon your disgusting human body anyway." He sniffed in disgust and turned his head to the side, refusing to look at her, even though she was fully dressed.
Kagome stood there and felt her blood pressure rise rapidly in her anger. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and her arms were bone straight. How dare he! How dare he say she was ugly! Sure, she knew she wasn't the prettiest girl ever, but she wasn't ugly! She huffed furiously and turned her back to him, crossing her arms. She couldn't even stand to look at him, the jerk!
Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome unexpectedly when she turned around. Did she not know that it is unwise to turn your back on a demon lord that wants you dead? She must be more ignorant than I originally thought…
Surprising even herself, Kagome suddenly turned around again, stuck her finger in Sesshoumaru's face, and began to speak. "You know what you jerk. You think you're all high and mighty because you're a demon lord. But you know what? You only twice beat Inuyasha – a half demon – in a battle! That's pretty pathetic don't you think? You, a full demon, being sent running by a half demon." Too late Kagome realized she had gone too far…
Having heard enough, Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome's neck and lifted her off the ground. "I could kill you right now. Do you realize that miko? If you are not so ignorant as to overlook that, maybe you should prevent urging me on to do so sooner than I planned."
Kagome gulped and pried at his hands, struggling to get free. She couldn't breathe! Her chest heaved but nothing came in! Her vision began to go black and then…she was laying on the ground gasping for breath. He had let her go right before she had lost consciousness. Thank the gods!
Sesshoumaru was, to say the least, amazed by the miko. He had held her existence in his hands and she had not begged or pleaded for her life to be spared. She had only hung there in his hand, scratching at it, but not making a sound. Honor? Can humans truly possess it?
He stared fully at the miko that lay on the ground at his feet, attempting to catch her lost breath. She was no longer a skinny girl as she had been when she had traveled with his bastard brother. She had grown in many places; she was more curvaceous. Surely, his brother would not have passed her up if he knew she would turn out like this.
'My brother was more a fool than I thought,' he considered wonderingly as he looked the miko up and down her body.
Maybe he should keep this girl around for a while.
No, not girl.
Woman.
Sorry guys! I know this chapter was a little shorter than expected but I figured that was a nice way to end it for now.
Please Read and Review!
Luckyducky