Jackie: Still no reviews, maybe I should abandon this project. pout
DISCLAIMER: refer to chapter 1
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Chapter3; A Night of Observation
The group sat around the fire. Miyoiki had returned from her bath. Her black hair fell about her shoulders in wet curls and took on a red cast in the moonlight. The soft shimmer of her raven tresses caught his eyes, and Sesshomaru again appraised her.
Her face was heart shaped, and her features were finer and more delicate than that of most of the humans he had observed. Her eyes swiveled between the fire and Rin. Rin had eaten a full meal and was sleeping peacefully, but still Miyoiki watched over her like a tigress over her cub. Sesshomaru was pleased that she had so quickly taken her responsibility as Rin's protector to heart.
Miyoiki's clothes were still damp from being washed. There was no doubt that she was cold in the night air, but she did not show it. The only clue to the truth of her condition was picked up by Sesshomaru's keen sense of observation. Her right arm was propped on her knee which was pulled into her chest. In this position the slits in her gi revealed her skin, and Sesshomaru's skilled eyes picked out the goose bumps on her forearm.
He noticed also that she had a woman's shape, and lean, curvy features, but beneath it was the ripple of muscle that only came from years of hard training. Her silver-blue eyes seemed to glow like that of an animal when they caught the light. She was impressive, for a human.
He was again affronted by her smell, but before he thought to question her his eyes caught something else. It was hard to see with the white light of the moon and the orange glow of the fire casting conflicting shadows on her face, but her lips were turning blue. Would she die of hypothermia before stating her discomfort? Foolish human.
"Here," He said with a slight hint of irritation, "Take off those wet clothes and get warm. I will not have Rin wake up and find you frozen over her."
Out of protection of his assets rather than concern he stripped off his armor and the top of his gi. He threw the top at her, along with a large pelt from Ah-Un's saddle. He replaced his armor over the second layer of his coat. He was considerably taller than her, and reasoned that he only need give her the one article of clothing to cover her enough for her human senses of modesty. The pelt would keep her warm.
Miyoiki watched in shock as Sesshomaru stood and stripped off his armor with only one arm. As he stripped off one of his tops as well, for the briefest of moments, she glimpsed a hint of the figure he hid beneath his several layers. Not that she was interested. She was merely assessing him as he had been doing to her all night.
His top landed in her cold, numb hands, and she could only stare as he put his armor back on. He turned to her and she just sat there. How had he seen through her? She had spent years mentally conditioning herself to not show discomfort of any kind.
But that wasn't the only thing that left her in a state of shocked paralysis. His face was so feminine, but lacked any hint of warmth or emotion. She was taken aback by the intensity of his stare, and the complete abandonment of feeling in them. He was not normal, even for a demon. Demons had emotions, and expressed them with savage overstatement. He was cold calculation, he was ice made flesh, he was fluid and deadly… He was a killer, an instrument of death. She doubted the loss of one of his arms had proven to be any great hindrance. What was he doing with a human child and what had she gotten herself in to?
"Did you hear me?" Sesshomaru asked, "Or have you already frozen?"
She snapped back to reality and stood quickly, giving him a bow as she stood.
"S-sorry, my lord," She apologized, "I will be back in mere moments."
"See that you are," Sesshomaru said as she disappeared into the forest.
He was only aggravated that she did not follow his order immediately. He hadn't noticed that she was staring at him. Sesshomaru was used to being stared at. Even the members of Inuyasha's little band had gaped at him in turn upon first seeing him face to face. He sat down and listened to the underbrush rustling as she changed clothes. Then he heard her approach and looked up from the fire.
She was hanging her wet clothes over the limbs of trees. As she stood on her tip-toes the muscles of her long slender legs flexed and jumped. His eyes wandered over her again. Yes, she was impressive… For a human.
He looked back at the fire as she finished. Not that he was averting his eyes. He was simply done looking…
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Jackie: Well, I'm going to move on to other projects until I get some reviews. NO use continuing this if no one is reading it.