Chapter 12: Bruises

Kaori regained control, seeing that the angel completed her task. Kaori fell to the floor and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see him die. She didn't want to see his lifeless body fall to the ground. She didn't, but yet she could see the flames behind her eyelids. The light from them reminded her that it had happened. Then suddenly, the light disappeared.

'Must had fallen into the canyon,' Kaori thought as tears fell. She cried and cried, never stopping once to wipe them away. She must had cried herself to sleep because when she opened her eyes again, she was on her furs in her hut with the sun shining through the window. Kaori sat up and rubbed her eyes. They were still wet from crying and she felt like crying some more, but she had a village to run. She was about to remove the fur that covered her, but it felt like silk. She looked down and saw the patterns from Sesshomaru's shirt that he usually wore when he was in the past. Tears escaped her eyes and fell onto the cloth. She buried her face into the silk, trying her best to get as much of his scent from it as possible. How she got it, she didn't know. But she would keep it, no matter what.

"A problem?" A voice said. Kaori's eyes opened wide and looked up to two amber ones.

"Sesshomaru?" Kaori asked. A smirk came across his face.

"Never cry for me," he told her.

"Sesshomaru," Kaori said, more tears streaming down her face. She missed him so much, she was picturing him in the room with her.

"Sleep. You're very tired," Sesshomaru told her.

Kaori sniffed, but didn't say a word. Even if it was an illusion, she still loved to see the two amber orbs comforting her.

Kaori's eyes went wide when she was pulled into an embrace and felt him rub her back. How? How was this happening? He died. He was killed by her fire. He was dead.

Kaori pushed him away, a glare on her face.

"So, you think it's funny, huh? I'm heartbroken and you decide to play this trick? It's not funny," Kaori yelled, crawling as far away as possible.

"Kaori, what are you talking about?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Naraku, just shut up and leave if you want to survive. I'm not in the mood to fight you. But if you continue to stay, I will fight you with no mercy when I kill you," Kaori yelled.

Sesshomaru was more confused than ever. She thought he was Naraku? Sesshomaru shook his head and went to pulled Kaori into an embrace, but she backed away from him.

"How can I prove to you I'm Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru asked.

"You aren't! He's dead!" Kaori yelled.

"I didn't. Your fire never affected me. Remember, at the cave? The fire never injured me," Sesshomaru told her.

Kaori thought about this. If this was Naraku, how the hell would he know about the training? He couldn't and it would be a good explanation to why Sesshomaru was kneeling in front of her now, healthy and alive.

Kaori nearly knocked Sesshomaru back with how forceful the kiss was. Her hands held his hair in a death grip and he allowed it. He held her close and kissed her back with the same amount of passion. They embraced each other and he could tell Kaori was crying again.

"I really thought I lost you," Kaori mumbled into his shirt.

"It takes much more to get rid of me," he told her.

Kaori just cried into his shirt for most of the day until she was nearly out of tears.

He held her as close as possible, rubbing her back to soothe her. He remembered his mother used to do that to him when he was angry or upset at his father and most of the time it would work.

'I really scared her. She truly loves me,' Sesshomaru thought and held Kaori even closer. No matter how bone-crushing the embrace was, Kaori nor Sesshomaru minded. Both just wanted to be together and safe in each others arms, knowing neither were leaving.

Sesshomaru felt the breath on his neck even out and smirked when he realized she had fallen asleep in the middle of the day. He laid her down very carefully and left the room. Rin and Jaken were left at the training grounds without a word where he was going. He decided to go get them and took off to the training grounds.

He returned with Ah-Un, Jaken and Rin just before nightfall. He explained nothing to them when he arrived or during their trip back. Sesshomaru was considered slightly odd by Jaken when he refused to carry Rin there. On long journeys, he often would let her be carried, but he refused instantly, no effect by her sad face, which usually worked. She had to ride on Ah-Un with Jaken, but she didn't mind. Her lord was with her again.

Sesshomaru arrived and for the first time, was greeted by a villager. He seemed very upset and nervous being around Sesshomaru, but the issue was making him even worst.

"Lord Sesshomaru," the villager said and bowed very quickly. "We have a problem. We need you to get to Lady Kaori's hut immediately."

Sesshomaru was gone before the villager even finished his sentence. If it had anything to do with Kaori, he would be there instantly.

He arrived and found Kaori was crying again and mumbling into his shirt he had left behind. He could catch all of it and smirked. She actually thought she was going crazy. He sat down next to her and put some hair behind her shoulder.

"I thought my threat was pretty straight forward. No one was allowed into my hut unless they could revive the dead!" Kaori yelled.

Sesshomaru's smirk remanded while he shook his head. She still thought he was dead. She must have awakened when he went out to get Jaken and Rin and thought he was just an illusion when he was with her.

"Can you revive the dead?" Kaori asked. She still had her head buried into his shirt, not looking up.

"I can," Sesshomaru told her. "Unless this person was poisoned."

"No, he was burnt and fell off a canyon," Kaori told the person. She didn't even recognize his voice. Must have been because her sobs were interfering.

"I don't know if I can do that," Sesshomaru told her. "But I would like to see your face, maiden. My sources tell me you have the most beautiful face he has ever seen."

"Oh, really. Who's your source?" Kaori asked, raising her face and turning to Sesshomaru.

"Me," he told her. She glared at him and buried her face back into his shirt.

"I can't miss him that much. This is the second illusion. I'm going to scream," Kaori mumbled.

"No, that deafens me, remember," Sesshomaru told her.

"Really? How many times then, if you're not an illusion," Kaori said.

"Three times," Sesshomaru stated.

"Yeah, whatever," Kaori said. "The illusion is taking things from my memories."

"Well, something not from your memory is when I had that sip of... pop. It had an extra sweet taste. I later tasted it when I first kissed you," Sesshomaru said. Kaori lifted her head and turned to him, eyes wide.

"What are you saying?" Kaori asked. "You like my taste?"

"Just as I can tell you like mine," Sesshomaru told her.

"Not true," Kaori lied.

"Lie number two," Sesshomaru stated. "How many more?"

"It's not a lie if you say it to the one you love. It's just protecting them," Kaori stated.

"Really? Then what have you been protecting me from the last two times?" Sesshomaru asked.

"First one, from me. Second one, the truth," Kaori said.

"That you really do like my taste?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Take my words as you wish. I know what they mean," Kaori said, lifting her nose in the air.

She felt a claw on her chin and brought her face to his. He shook a clawed finger playfully in front of her face that made her laugh. Kaori hung her head and Sesshomaru brushed some sweaty pieces of hair out of her face.

"Sleep," he told her.

"You won't leave me again, will you?" Kaori asked.

"I promise," he told her. That was a guarantee. He never broke his promises.

Kaori laid next to Sesshomaru, their hair mixed together. Sesshomaru couldn't tell where the silver end and the brown began. Kaori held the remainder shirt on him in a death grip, making sure he did not leave her unless he wanted to go shirtless. Sesshomaru later watched Jaken and Rin join him in the hut. Rin was smiling widely and nearly giggling, but Jaken seemed serene and calm. He had known something was going on between the two adults for some time and was more mature about it. But he did overreacted when Kaori attempted to get closer to Sesshomaru in her sleep.

"Stay away from my lord!" Jaken yelled.

"Quiet, Jaken," Sesshomaru told him in a cold tone.

"But she-" Jaken started.

"I allowed her to. Now be quiet," Sesshomaru ordered. Rin giggled at Jaken and turned to fall asleep again. Jaken slumped at the other side of the room, cursing under his breath. He barely got any attention before Kaori. Now he and Rin barely got any at all.

Morning began and Kaori woke up slowly. She wanted to fall back asleep, so comfortable in Sesshomaru's arms, but heard him clear his throat and Kaori looked up at him. She had put her knee in a very uncomfortable spot. She blushed and moved it away and apologized many times, but he didn't accept any of them. It was a pure accident while she was half-asleep. She still apologized in the middle of the day and Sesshomaru finally had to say that he accepted one before she shut up.

"Do you wish to visit your family while you are in the village?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yeah, sure," Kaori exclaimed.

"It seems I need to finish some business around here, so go alone and I will join you later," he told her, giving her a light peck on the cheek. She returned it and headed to the well. She jumped through and to the other side in a very good mood. But that was about to be ruined.

Kaori walked in and found her parents and uncle in the living room. She smiled nervously and sat next to her parents.

"What's going on?" Kaori asked.

"It seems your father and I need to go around the world for work. Seeing that we can't help if anything should happen, your uncle will be taking care of you," Kaori's mother explained.

"I'll be just fine. I'm an adult now and can take care of myself," Kaori told her.

"I know, but what about food? And money? Rent? Insurance?" Kaori's father asked.

"He's come to help with that and care for you. He'll be living her with you until we return which will be in a couple of months," Kaori's mother told her.

"Dear, we're running late," Kaori's father told his wife. Kaori's mother nodded and kissed her daughter's cheek.

"Be careful with what Sesshomaru does around him," Kaori's mother whispered in Kaori's ear and sped out of the room. As soon as both her uncle and her heard the car leave the driveway, Kaori was pulled by the hair to her uncle's side. She knew better than to cry out, but it was painful.

"Make me coffee the way I like it. You know what will happen if you don't," he told her, releasing her hair.

She nodded and hurried to the kitchen. She made it as carefully as possible as quickly as possible. She took it to her uncle and he took a sip. He threw the cup across the room, shattering it to thousands of pieces.

"I like it with two teaspoons of sugar, not three!" He yelled, slapping Kaori across the face. She cried out and was punished for that. By the time he was finished with Kaori, she was lying against the wall, bleeding and unconscious. He spit at her and walked out of the house, leaving her to lie there alone.

Sesshomaru finished with some demons he had sensed nearby and even washed his hands off, knowing how much Kaori hated blood. He headed towards the well and an odd feeling passed through him. It felt disturbing, but he ignored it.

Jumping through the well, the feeling felt stronger so he didn't waste a moment in the well and hurried to Kaori's house.

"Kaori," Sesshomaru called out. There was no response.

He walked up the stairs and looked in her room. No scent of her.

"Kaori?" He called again. He could smell her in the house, but why was she not responding? He went near the kitchen and a disturbing smell hit him; Kaori's fresh blood. He hurried into the room.

He first found the broken tea cup. Coffee stained the wall. He looked around and finally found her against the wall, still unconscious. She was bleeding from her nose and lip. He hurried next to her and whispered her name, hoping she responded. She didn't.

He carried her to the nearest furniture he could lay her down on. It ended up to be the couch in the living room. He laid her down and went to get the first aid kit and clean up her wounds that he could reach.

While cleaning some blood off of her bottom lip, she stirred and winced. Sesshomaru stopped and watched her open her only operational eye. The other one was swollen shut.

"Sesshomaru?" Kaori asked. He cleaned up any leftover blood and left the towel in the bowl of water.

"Who did this to you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"No one. I, uh, fell down the stairs," Kaori told him, looking away from him.

"You were too far from the stairs to have fallen and this damage wouldn't happen with such a clumsy act," Sesshomaru told her. He would have forced her to look at him but he was worried that he would hurt her if he didn't be careful.

Kaori attempted to sit up, but she was in too much pain and laid back down.

"Can you take me to my bedroom? This couch isn't the most comfortable place to lay," Kaori said to Sesshomaru.

He gave a slight nod and carefully held Kaori in his arms. It seemed some ribs must have bruised and she sighed. She wouldn't be able to train in this much pain.

"Kaori, who did this to you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"No one. I told you I fell down the stairs," Kaori told him.

He shook his head and slowly but carefully laid Kaori on her bed. She forced her bruised body to cover herself up and turn away from Sesshomaru. She hated when people saw her wounded and injured.

He sat in her desk chair. He didn't care about training at the moment. He allowed Kaori to be injured only because he wasn't careful. He could tell she refused to sleep and exhaled loudly.

"May I dress your wounds and help to heal you?" Sesshomaru asked.

"No, I'll heal on my own," Kaori told him, still staring at her wall.

"It will help," he told her.

"I need no help when I heal. I can't die so these injures are nothing," Kaori told him.

"And if a bone is broken, then what?" Sesshomaru asked.

He heard her sigh and finally complied to allow him to help. He finished wiping up and blood and checked to see if there were any serious injuries. There were many bruises forming and she winced a few times when he touched them. He did her face, neck, arms and legs and stopped after that.

"I will allow you to heal normally with the rest," Sesshomaru told her.

"I think I might have some broken ribs. Could you check?" Kaori asked. She saw him freeze and look at her from the corner of his eyes.

'Did I hear her correctly?' Sesshomaru thought. Her expression on her face said he had. He nodded and watched her take her shirt off. His instincts kicked in and he closed his eyes. He heard a chuckle, but refused to open his eyes. He was taught by walking in on women never to look at a woman's body unless she allows you to.

"What is your problem?" Kaori asked impatiently. "Why are your eyes closed?"

Sesshomaru opened his eyes and saw Kaori wearing some odd piece of clothing he had never seen before. It left most of her body bare except her chest. He saw many more bruises on her side and along her mid drift.

"Are you going to check or sit there gawking?" Kaori asked impatiently.

He slowly touched her skin and saw her quiver under his touch. He had never touch a woman's body other than Kaori's hand, lips, chin and cheek. Maybe her back or waist, but with her permission. When they dance, he made sure not to touch her with too much force.

He was slow and delicate and eventually was checking if anything was broken. It seemed some were bruised badly, but none broken. She thanked him and reached for her shirt. She was stopped by Sesshomaru touch on her waist. It travelled to her hips and stopped. She looked back at Sesshomaru and saw him concentrated on her skin. He eyes were looking at her body, not at her face as usual. He travelled slowly up to her face and caught her startled expression.

"You're seriously bruised. You need to heal," he said, releasing his touch on her. His claws lightly travelled over her skin sending shivers down her spine. Her eyes nearly rolled back. It felt really good. She gave him a small grin and got her shirt back on. She sat in his lap very carefully and even got him to hold her.

"How did you know where to find me?" Kaori asked. "I was near the back of the house last time I remembered."

"I didn't. I just searched for you," he told her.

"I see," Kaori said, looking around. Something pink on her desk caught her attention and she picked it up.

Invitation for student Uzuha Kaori.

She flipped it open. Sesshomaru saw it and watched her confused look as she opened it.

I'm pleased to tell you that you have qualified to participate in this year's prom. Your marks check out.

We need to inform you that you must bring a date. This is mandatory along with the must of a dress. Keep in mind that it must be acceptable for the school dress code to that it must be black or red. Your date must wear a tux.

If you wish not to attend, please inform a teacher to cross your name off of the list and if you are bringing someone that is not in the school, please put his name on the list.

We hope to see you there, dressed up for the occasion. It will be happening June 26th in the gym.

Kaori looked behind her at Sesshomaru. It seemed he was trying to understand it. Kaori giggled and Sesshomaru averted his attention to her.

"This prom, what is it?" He asked.

"It's when we celebrate our graduation. We dress up very formally and dance and have a good time with our fellow graduates," Kaori explained.

"I see," he said.

The invitation reminded her about something. She painfully leaped from Sesshomaru's arms and tried to make her way downstairs. She only got to the banister before almost collapsing. Luckily, Sesshomaru was there to catch her.

"What are you going to get?" He asked.

"Get my backpack," she told him. He got it, leaving Kaori holding onto the banister while sitting on the floor. He brought it back up to her and watched her search through it, in obvious pain.

She brought out a very small, folded piece of paper. This was the time to ask him if he knew how to read it. She unfolded it and passed it to Sesshomaru. He looked down at it and looked up at her.

"I don't know what it says," Kaori told him.

"How did you get such a thing like this?" Sesshomaru asked.

"It was in my locket," she told him.

He looked down at it. At first, it looked like gibberish. But when he looked at it with his dog sight, he saw the message. He blinked a few times and looked up at Kaori.

"Do you know what it says?" Kaori asked.

"This is the language my parents used with me when I was younger. How you acquired this, I don't know," he told her, coming closer to her. He wrapped a hand around her waist, careful of her bruises. The other hand held the paper.

"Dear Princess Kaori,

It was destiny for you to meet with Sesshomaru. I knew it the day I met you. It seems both of my sons have destiny of their own. One with a powerful priestess with possession of the Shikon Jewel, the other with the most powerful princess in the world. Both will become fine men and maybe even civil.

Sesshomaru must truly love you to allow you to open this up and even read it to you. I know you might not know this language, but maybe he could teach it to you. I hope your daughter has the same fortune of falling in love with a wonderful man, for I know my eldest son is one. Though I never got to see him in that stage, in love with someone and even want to protect her with his life, I know it must be wonderful. Keep in mind he doesn't want to do as you say, but put him in his place.

From..."

Sesshomaru stopped there.

"Who was it from?" Kaori asked.

He didn't respond. How was it possible? How did he know before Sesshomaru even met her?

"Sesshomaru?" Kaori asked. He never was silent like this.

"Inu no Taisho," he said.

"Your father?" Kaori asked.

He nodded and Kaori rested her head on his shoulder. He knew. It was the reason he gave Sesshomaru the Tenseiga. He knew one day Sesshomaru might have to use it to protect Kaori.

He looked down at Kaori and found she had fallen asleep. He left the paper at the banister and carefully carried her to her bed. He laid her down and followed after her. He covered both of them up and they both fell asleep in Kaori's bed. It was a wonderful night. Well, other than Kaori's body was mostly black and blue.