Chapter 23: Liver Stew
Kaori and Sesshomaru came inside and Sesshomaru laid her down on some furs nearby.
"Where are you going?" Kaori asked.
"I'll return soon," he told her. "My mother will watch over you."
Kaori smiled nervously, but in the darkness, it looked like a regular smiled. He left her and went to catch up on some old friends. Kaori smiled at Sesshomaru's mother, but she didn't return it. She threw some twigs to Kaori's feet and told her to make a fire herself. From the looks she was giving Kaori, it looked like she didn't like Kaori. Kaori made the fire manually, without her powers. Who knew what would happen if they found out that she was the Princess of All?
"So, Sesshomaru is intended to you?" Sesshomaru's mother asked, looking down at Kaori.
"Uh, yeah," Kaori said.
"Did you force it on him?" Sesshomaru's mother asked.
"No," Kaori said.
"I wonder, are you worth my son? My son's power, wealth, or even beauty," Sesshomaru mother said, looking out of the cave.
"What are you implying?" Kaori asked.
"It's obvious you don't have the beauty of my son, or wealth from what you wear, but power. That confuses me. A human with the aroa of a demon," Sesshomaru's mother said. "I wonder, if I was to devour you, would I obtain that power?"
Kaori knew almost exactly what Sesshomaru's mother was saying now. She just brought them there so she could get Kaori's power. Kaori had the urge to scream, but that would do no good, it seemed, from the way the demon was looking at her.
"Uh, where did Sesshomaru go?" Kaori asked, backing away slightly before she felt pain in her ankle. The one-day she can't walk.
"He will return soon enough. But he'll be too late," Sesshomaru's mother said, smiling. "All that will be left is the leftovers of his precious woman."
Kaori put her hands up to protect herself and heard Sesshomaru's mother growl.
"He proposed to you!" She hissed.
Kaori looked at her left hand. The rock shined from the fire.
"Yeah, he did!" Kaori boasted.
"Witch," Sesshomaru's mother growled.
Kaori screamed out as soon as she felt fangs into her arm.
Sesshomaru heard the scream clearly, as if he was right next to her. He was, though, in a completely different cave. He looked in the direction of Kaori's cave.
"A problem, Sesshomaru?" A demon asked whom he was talking to. It seemed Sesshomaru was talking and went silent halfway through his conversation. No one else heard the scream.
"I have to go," Sesshomaru said, sprinting away from them and hurrying to Kaori. One problem stood in his way; two guards that told him he wasn't allowed to leave the cave.
Sesshomaru got seriously angry. His fiance was in trouble and these two idiots were standing in his way. His hair flew up with no air as his eyes went red and his pupils dilated.
"Move," Sesshomaru ordered.
Both demons shuttered, but told him he couldn't leave.
Sesshomaru's eyes went wide as he began to transform. Both demons knew it would be trouble if he did.
"Go right through," one demon told him, moving aside. Sesshomaru smirked and rushed past them, his eyes returning to normal. He found the cave and blood as well. He saw fire coming from inside a cave where the blood was coming from. He saw a figure in the light, but then the fire was put out.
He hurried to the entrance of the cave and found Kaori's arm covered in blood. His mother was hovering over her with her mouth covered in blood.
"You shouldn't be in here," Sesshomaru's mother said, blood flying across the cave. Kaori winced and held her arm. Blood covered her hand almost immediately.
"Kaori!" Sesshomaru said. She was at least still conscious. Her blood and only her blood was everywhere.
"Sesshomaru, leave at once," Sesshomaru's mother told him.
"You only brought me here for Kaori's blood. You were just going to kill her," Sesshomaru growled.
"She's a human. You need a full blood heir. Not a half-breed that would taint your family tree. One in the family is enough," Sesshomaru's mother spat. Blood hit his clothes, but he didn't care.
"Let us go," Sesshomaru told his mother.
"You may leave any time you want. She will stay and help the pack. Her blood is full of power I've never felt. I feel stronger than when I first met your father. She will do well in the pack, but not as your mate," Sesshomaru's mother told him.
Sesshomaru looked at Kaori and saw her lose consciousness. One problem will be solved. She wouldn't have nightmares now if he transformed. His hair flew up as his eyes turned red. A red funnel of air circled him as he started transforming. His paws hit the ground. But as soon as he transformed, he was hit to the ground by another dog demon. His mother.
Her look gave him the chills, but he was going to protect Kaori. He head butt his mother side, making her fall to the ground. Both got up and barked at each other. Kaori's eyes fluttered open and saw his transformation. She couldn't tell who was who. Both looked alike. Both had the crescent moon on their foreheads. Both were huge dogs. Kaori sat up and felt a river of blood run down her arm. She lifted her sleeve up and saw a huge bite mark in her arm. She held the wound and watched the battle play out.
Sesshomaru was thrown to the ground again. The power his mother got from Kaori was more powerful than his alone. He was kicked and head butted more times than he could count. Eventually he couldn't stay in his dog form and laid on the ground in his human form. Sesshomaru's mother converted back to the human form and smiled at him with victory.
"You see, she is powerful. Her powers are immense. If you would accept that, you would have survived. Good bye, son," Sesshomaru's mother said, raising her hand.
"No!" Kaori screamed, standing up and shooting an arrow at Sesshomaru's mother. Sesshomaru's mother avoided the arrow, but went after her instead of finishing Sesshomaru off.
"Kaori, no!" Sesshomaru yelled, sitting up. He watched her eyes go wide as Sesshomaru's mother came closer. "Leave her alone!"
He flew next to his mother and knocked her off of her course to Kaori. She fell to the ground with anger. Sesshomaru stood in front of Kaori, protecting her. Sesshomaru's mother stood with some difficulty.
"Sesshomaru, you're injured!" Kaori said, looking at his back. The shirt was ripped open and his back was scratched up.
"It's nothing," he told her.
Kaori was worried about it, but it was nothing compared to the bite mark she had. Her ankle gave weigh and she fell to the floor. She was in worst condition than him.
'We need to get out of here,' Sesshomaru thought. The only option was to defeat his mother. Though he hated it, he had to.
"Sesshomaru, you're a complete copy of your father," Sesshomaru's mother said. "Protecting to one you truly love. And die doing it!"
Sesshomaru saw his mother coming towards him and he grabbed Kaori and moved out of the way.
"I'm not as weak as he is," Sesshomaru said, jumping out of the way of another attack. He didn't take Kaori with him, but it seemed Kaori wasn't his mother's target now.
The battle continued until morning was beginning. The only ones around now were Sesshomaru's mother, Sesshomaru, and Kaori. The rest had fled to the caves.
Kaori eventually had enough and decided to do a trick she learnt while she was in heat and resting in the cave. She closed her eyes and focused on Sesshomaru. He just landed on the ground for a rest while he was covered in flames. He knew it was instantly a trick of Kaori's, but how she did it was a mystery to him. Sesshomaru's mother was shocked at the new trick her son was doing, giving him the chance to overpower her. Though, he didn't do anything, the fire around him shot towards Sesshomaru's mother, sending her flying towards the trees. A loud thud was heard and Sesshomaru only assumed she hit a tree.
"Let's get out of here while we have the chance," Sesshomaru told Kaori, getting her backpack and her and flew out of there.
Sesshomaru's shirt was covered in blood. Some of his, but mostly Kaori's. Her arm was still bleeding and it was running down his shirt. He knew it would attract demons, but if they got out of the demon world before nightfall, everything would be just fine.
They got out of the demon world near the beginning of nightfall and Sesshomaru rested in the Forest of Illusions. Kaori lost consciousness and was still bleeding, which worried Sesshomaru. He rested near an actual river and cleaned the wound. Kaori didn't stir once. He ripped a part of his shirt off to wrap the wound with and finally she stirred. Her eyes fluttered opened and saw him tying the bandage.
"Are we away?" Kaori asked.
He nodded. He cleaned up the towel he was using to clean the wound and Kaori's eyes went wide. It was usually white and now it was completely red. His shirt was also completely drenched in blood.
"Take your shirt off," Kaori ordered.
"Excuse me?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Take your shirt off. That's an order," she told him. He complied and Kaori gasped. His back was scratched completely.
She took the towel from his hand and put some water on it and started cleaning his back. He stopped her.
"I'm cleaning it," she told him, positioning herself so she could clean it accurately.
"I'm just fine," he told her, taking her hand that held the towel.
"I'm cleaning it. And that's final," she told him with force. She added sincerely, "it's the least I can do."
Sesshomaru released her hand and she started cleaning the wound. When she first touched the scratches, he growled, but she was gentle afterwards and softly cleaned his back off.
"So, I see a forest in this place of illusions. What does it really look like?" Kaori asked, wetting the towel.
"It looks like a desert," he told her.
"But people get lost in deserts as well," she said, dabbing the towel on his back.
"The trick is to continue walking forward. It's easier for demons for there are no paths, though in the forests, there are paths that humans get lost in," he told her.
"I see," she said. She wet a deep cut, making him growl. "Sorry."
She finished with his back and looked at his shirt. The hole in the back was huge.
"You need a tailor," she told him.
"You need a bath," he told her. She laughed and saw him look at the sleeve of her shirt.
"Blood is the hardest thing to wash out," Kaori said, looking at his shirt. The entire front of it was soaked in her blood.
"I do just fine," he told her.
"Without any detergent," Kaori said. "It's shocking. I would love to know your secret."
He took her to the river and kneeled behind her. His hands held her hands and he showed her how he washed the blood out. She scrubbed, but it wasn't hard enough.
"If I go any harder, my hands will get all rough," Kaori told him.
"Blood needs force to wash out," he told her, rubbing her hands harder into the cloth.
She laughed and enjoyed the lesson. In the end, though, both were soaked with water. Kaori splashed water at him and he splashed her back. Kaori laughed as she sat in his lap. Her clothes were soaked, but not yet see-through.
"You need new change of clothes," he told her.
"I have some in my backpack," she told him. He let a slight giggle loose. "That was a giggle!"
"You've made me soft, woman," he told her.
He held her closer and saw the sun disappear completely below the horizon. Trouble stirred in the darkness and knew exactly why they were around. The amount of blood that surround them looked like someone had died. Sesshomaru took Kaori into his arms and her backpack and left. His shirt and the blood-drenched towel was left behind.
He stopped later to rest and found that no demons followed them. Kaori laughed. He was going to be going shirtless for the rest of the night.
"What's so funny?" Sesshomaru asked.
"You're going to be going shirtless the rest of the night," she laughed.
"I don't mind," he told her.
Kaori sighed and relaxed in his arms, later falling asleep. Sesshomaru stayed up the entire night, watching for enemies. None came that night and he continued on at the break of day. Kaori woke up almost immediately after he started moving, but he didn't mind.
They returned to the human world and stopped off at a village. Kaori finished the last of the berries for breakfast that day and was starving now. She had some stew friendly villagers made for her and then they started heading towards the west.
"Why are we going westward again?" Kaori asked.
"I need spices that are found there," he told her, leaping tree to tree. A couple of times he scared her immensely by missing a few branches, but he always found one eventually and continued on his way.
He stopped near a hut that was near a cliff during sunset. He sat Kaori on a boulder and entered alone. Kaori waited nervously for him to return, but it wasn't until long after the sunset when she saw the door open and he walked out. He held a small pouch and tucked in away in her backpack. He picked Kaori up and saw how confused she was.
"The healer dislikes priestesses," he told her.
"Oh," Kaori responded. That made some sort of clarity to her.
The next day, he started out again. It seemed she had been travelling for months. She didn't mind sleeping in his arms, but it was something about sleeping on a bed with sheets covering her that she missed.
He eventually got all the ingredients he needed for the stew and stopped one day around noon. It looked like camp that had been recently used. He placed Kaori down and took all of the ingredients out. He asked her to make a fire and she just pointed, setting a fire instantly. He started cutting the meat into perfect slices with his claws before putting it in a medium pot he obtained in a destroyed village they passed by. He used some of her bottled water in the pot and waited before it started to boil. He didn't wish to have to make trips to the river nearby for water, so he just used hers.
A smell surrounded the camp and Kaori thought she saw part of a red sleeping bag underneath a bush. But she couldn't go check it out. The stew was finished Sesshomaru passed a small bowl to her. He also gave her a spoon and she took some onto it and blew on it to cool it down. Thick steam was coming from the stew, indicating it was steaming hot. Kaori waited until it cooled down slightly before she took a chance and place the spoon in her mouth. Sesshomaru watched, wondering what she was going to do. Was she going to take another spoonful or barf in the nearby bushes?
His answer was a smile and she took another spoonful.
"This isn't too bad," she said. "Just please don't tell me the ingredients yet."
He smirked and got himself a bowl. "I'm glad you like it," he told her. He was shocked she liked it.
She finished her bowl and even asked for another helping. That surprised him the most. He usually only wanted one helping. He put some more in her bowl and watched her eat demon food.
"That smell," a voice said behind some trees. "What is that doing here?"
Sesshomaru stopped looking at Kaori and sniffed once into the air. Inuyasha and his group were nearby.
"It's Kaori and Sesshomaru," Inuyasha whispered.
"What are they doing here? Do you think they're looking for the Sacred Jewel shards as well?" Miroku asked.
Kagome was the first seen. She gasped and then held her nose.
"I found the smell," Kagome said. Her voice came out funny because her nose was plugged.
"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha hissed.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru hissed.
"Is that stink coming from you two?" Miroku asked, holding his nose. Sango was as well.
It was normal for humans for think demon food smelt bad. But Kaori hadn't complained once about it.
"What stink?" Kaori asked. She took another bit of her stew. Her eyes held wonder.
"The stew," he told her.
"It doesn't stink," Kaori said and sniffed. "That much."
"We smelt it at the river," Kagome said. She refused to remove her hand from her nose.
"It's not that strong," Kaori said, finishing off the last part of her stew.
"You must have a cold or something," Kagome said, sitting down next to Kaori. "It stinks immensely."
"I really don't know what's all the fuss," Kaori said.
"You must have some sort of demon blood in you. I do not mind, nor does Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said.
"Speak for yourself," Inuyasha said, sitting down. He looked around. "Is there any left?"
Sesshomaru glared at Inuyasha, but Kaori passed him a bowl of the stew.
"Yeah, there's lots," Kaori said and got another helping. "And I have no demon blood in me."
Kaori and Inuyasha finished their stews, but Kaori was shocking everyone with getting more and more. Sesshomaru eventually told her she finished it off and she seemed upset.
"Why pout? You took the last bit of it," he told her.
"It just tasted so good," Kaori said, placing her bowl with the other dirty ones.
"That is odd. Both Inuyasha and I only took one helping, but you took many more," Sesshomaru told her.
"Maybe it's like with you and ramen," Kaori said, leaning backwards.
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and shook his head. She was in an extremely good mood.
"Well, I wonder why Kagome wouldn't eat it. I mean, she's a priestess as well," Inuyasha said, rubbing Kagome's back while she leaned on his shoulder. She wasn't feeling too good with the smell of the stew.
"Maybe it did have something to do with my blood," Kaori said, looking over at Sesshomaru. He got the message. About her Uzuha Kaori past. Maybe it had something to do with her obsession of the stew.
The sound of a slap was heard and Miroku scratched his head. He had just touched Sango again. Kaori shook her head and looked up at the stars.
"Hey, with the river nearby, we could go bathe," Sango suggested.
"Oh, I really could use a bath," Kaori said, running her hand through her hair.
"If they go bathing, you won't be joining them," Sesshomaru told her.
"I'll do as I wish," Kaori said.
"You will not," he told her with force.
"I want to watch you try to stop me," Kaori said, getting her towel and soap. She also got a new change of clothes when she felt his hand on her wrist.
"You won't," Sesshomaru told her.
"I need to bathe," Kaori said. She saw the way he was looking at her and told the girls to wait a few moments for her. They nodded and sat down, waiting. They saw her disappear into the shadows of the trees.
"I don't trust them," he told her once they were out of hearing range.
"Well, I truly need a bath," she told him. "If you heard me scream, you can come running instantly. Ok?" Kaori asked.
"No," he told her.
"If I'm with them, it gives me more protection. I mean, bathing alone is dangerous, but Kagome and Sango will be there to help if a demon should show up," Kaori said, trying to convince him.
He sighed and looked away. He still didn't seem convinced.
"I'm coming from the first sound of trouble," he told her.
"Ok," Kaori said, smiling and giving him a peck on the cheek.
He crossed his arms and let Kaori gather the rest of her stuff and follow the girls to the river. Sesshomaru sat near the fire, just staring at it. Inuyasha glared at him while Miroku attempted to sneak a peak at the women. Every time he stood, Sesshomaru would ask where he was going. And every time he would sit back down and say he was going no where.
"So, this was where you were going to take her? Just in the west?" Inuyasha asked.
"I had plans," Sesshomaru said, still looking at the fire. Laughter was heard near the river and Sesshomaru looked that way. Kaori seemed like she was having fun.
"You got her to try demon food. Is it going to be in the wedding?" Inuyasha asked.
"What wedding?" Miroku asked.
"No wedding," Sesshomaru said.
"So you've called it off? So me and Kagome and finally get back to searching for jewel shards!" Inuyasha sighed.
Miroku took his chance as the dog demons started arguing and stood quietly. He snuck away and towards the women.
"He's so lecherous," Kagome laughed.
"We always have to watch out for him while we bathe," Sango said.
"So he's a lecherous monk? That's not right," Kaori said.
"That's what I said when I first met him. I actually thought he was a fake, but in battle, his powers are really good," Kagome said.
Sango agreed with that statement and saw something move from the corner of her eye.
"And speak of the devil," Sango said, balling her fists.
"Hello ladies," Miroku said, popping his head up next to Kaori. She screamed out of shock and slapped him harder than Sango usually did.
Sesshomaru heard the scream and headed straight for the women. Inuyasha saw Sesshomaru nearly vanish before his eyes and then knew instantly where Sesshomaru was going.
Sesshomaru skidded to a halt at the edge of the river and looked at the women. Sango's eyes nearly burned with anger at Sesshomaru while Kagome was shrieking. Kaori was taking a few deep breaths before she opened her eyes to see Sesshomaru at the edge of the river.
Inuyasha skidded to a halt behind Sesshomaru and Kagome screamed out "sit" and both brothers fell forward.
Kaori had knocked Miroku out with her slap and the demons were preoccupied with their bodies implanted in the ground. So the women thought it was safe to get out and change. Inuyasha's spell subsided and was flung off by Sesshomaru. They got fighting again, only no swords. It was more insults and fists. Kaori and Kagome sighed as they got their shirts on behind the safety of a boulder while Sango dealt with Miroku. If he wasn't so lecherous, none of this would have happened.
Kagome and Kaori got their skirts on. They were almost identical outfits, but when Kagome's was green, Kaori's was red. They came out and both brothers stopped fighting to look at the girls. Once they passed, they started fighting again. Kagome and Kaori sat around the fire and yawned. It was going to be a long night if Sesshomaru and Inuyasha continued to fight and Miroku and Sango were gone. Kagome and Kaori had some small talk about the wedding. But they weren't too concentrated on it. The brothers didn't take a break once from fighting. It was the loudest thing they heard. Insults were passed back and forth and Kaori eventually got tired.
"Hey, I have another sleeping bag, if you want," Kagome said going to her yellow backpack. Kaori appreciated it and Kagome gave her it. Kaori crawled into it. It was nothing like a bed, but it would have to do.
Kagome laid hers next to Kaori's and they whispered while staying warm in their sleeping bags. It was like a sleepover. Though, Kaori got tired earlier and called quits to the talking and fell asleep. Kagome did the same.
Near midnight, Sesshomaru gave up on Inuyasha. He rolled his eyes and headed back to camp. Miroku and Sango were asleep on Kirara. He found Kaori already fast asleep next to Kagome. He didn't want to wake Kaori up, but he preferred her sleeping in his arms than some compact bed. Another problem he had with it was that he wouldn't be able to join her, unlike her bed. He rested against a tree and Inuyasha leaped to a tree to relax. Sesshomaru looked up to Inuyasha and then to the stars. They shined brightly, but not as brightly as a place he knew. He found it while travelling alone one day. Maybe he would take her there someday.
He sighed and looked at her sleeping. After their wedding, of course. They were barely finished planning and he was taking her places. He wanted to get this wedding done and over with. It most likely would have if Inuyasha and Kagome weren't always around. He didn't want to be around them unless necessary. Well, he'll tell Kaori that once they returned to her time. The wedding would be planned before she knew it. They would work together on this. He wanted to be a part of the planning as well. He could now.
The next day, Inuyasha and his friends woke up early and left. Kaori still slept until past noon. She stirred and woke up slowly. She smiled and stretched, sitting up. She got out of the sleeping bag and yawned. It was the best night sleep she had in a while. She had no constant worry that she would wake up next to demons devouring her. It was a nightmare she had constantly while in the demon world.
"How did you sleep?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Excellent," Kaori yawned.
"I see," Sesshomaru said. "Are you hungry?"
"No, not really. I more want to go home, it that's all right with you," Kaori said.
He nodded and watched her gather her stuff up. She passed him the backpack and walked next to him.
It felt like she hadn't walked for years. She smiled and walked next to him.
"Sesshomaru, will you help with the wedding when we get back?" Kaori asked while they passed the Goshinboku tree.
"If you want me to," he told her.
"I've been asking you to for the last few weeks," Kaori said as she stepped over some roots.
"I will, then. If Inuyasha and Kagome won't join us," he told her.
"Kagome told me they'll be there for the wedding, but they needed to catch up on getting jewel shards and finding Naraku," Kaori told him. "But we don't even have a date."
"Some time soon," he told her, lifting her over some spiky bushes.
"Well, we still need to find out what churches and halls are free for booking before we even think about anything else," Kaori said.
"I see," he said.
"Plus invitations and guests, and the food," Kaori told him.
"I'll be helping, so everything will be covered," he told her. "For now, let's just get to the well."
Kaori smiled as she saw her village ahead.
"We're close," she told him. He looked up and saw her village.
"Let's hurry," he told her. She ran ahead towards the well. Sesshomaru followed after her and they got to the well quicker than they expected. The conversation they had sped up their journey.
Kaori arrived at home and found a note on the table.
Gone out to get your grandparents. Hope to be home soon.
Love, Mom and Dad.
Kaori crumpled the note and threw it in the wastebasket. Perfect shot. She instantly got the books that Kagome had lent her along with the books her own mother had. Kaori placed them on the table and took three specific ones. They each contained some fabrics she couldn't decide on.
"Sesshomaru, are you coming?" Kaori called out.
Sesshomaru showed up and leaned over the couch. She had three books opened on the couch.
"Which one do you prefer out of these?" Kaori asked.
Sesshomaru walked around sat down across from her and touched each. The blue fabric he felt was nice, but he asked what it was for before he told her which one he liked.
"It's for the tablecloth over our table," she told him.
"I thought you wanted to know what churches and halls were free first," Sesshomaru said.
"Well, we need the basics first. Like date and time. That's another problem. I mean there is all this I have to plan," Kaori sighed.
"Calm down. Now first, I like the blue. Second, date and time also depends on when the halls and churches are free. Also, if we want a church or not," Sesshomaru told her.
"Huh?" Kaori asked.
"If Kagome's grandfather coming in to be the priest, he wouldn't have his own church for the occasion, unless there's a church in town that allows other priests to do ceremonies," he told her.
"You think of everything," Kaori said.
"Isn't that why you're marrying me?" Sesshomaru asked. "Other than my looks?"
Kaori laughed and placed a checkmark next to the blue material Sesshomaru chose.
"I wonder, can it be in another colour than blue?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Green, blue, red, or yellow?" Kaori asked. She knew as soon as she asked. "Red."
"How did you know?" Sesshomaru asked.
"It was the colour of the box that held the engagement ring," she said. She wrote "red" next to the checkmark.
"Any other problems you had?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Yes, but you can't know about them," Kaori said, closing the three books and placing them aside.
"What do you mean?" Sesshomaru asked.
"You can't see the wedding dress I'm going to wear. It's a tradition," Kaori said, pulling out a few books and opening them up.
He smirked and for the rest of the day, they made choices on some of the things they needed. They got most of it done that day, but food was a constant problem between them. Kaori didn't know if the stew was going to freak everyone out with the smell. He told her it was the only demon food he was going to allow her to eat. She sighed. It was going to be a long time before they got to an agreement.
During supper (omelettes), Kaori's parents returned with Kaori's grandparents. They congratulated her and Sesshomaru and asked when the date was. Kaori told them it was still being planned. They chatted a little before Kaori told them she ought to get to bed and went upstairs to change. Sesshomaru waited until Kaori reopened her door to go brush her teeth to get changed.
Kaori returned to her room and found Sesshomaru already asleep in her bed. She smiled while putting some dirty clothes from her backpack into the hamper and joined him in her bed. She felt him come closer to her and lay an arm across her waist. It was how he usually slept. It insured him that she would stay with him while he slept. But it wasn't tight enough for she would be able to get out of bed without waking him. She smiled and felt him inhale her scent.
"Beautiful," she heard him mumble.
'He's either dreaming or complimenting me,' Kaori thought. When he didn't say anything else, she knew he must have been dreaming. She closed her eyes and smiled. He was become more human each day. She remembered the day he said demons don't sleep. And then the first time she caught him sleeping. It was the same day he told her demons didn't sleep. She giggled and looked behind her. His eyes were closed and he didn't seemed to be bothered by the small sound. She really needed sleep and attempted to sleep. But more memories flooded her mind.
The day he tackled her to floor while cougars attacked her, the day she almost died of cold, their first kiss. All this ran through her mind and a tear escaped her eyes. She had so many good memories with him.
"Are you all right?" Sesshomaru asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, just fine," she told him, looking behind her at him.
"Then why are you crying?" He asked.
"Memories," she told him.
"Of?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Us," she told him, giving him a brief kiss on the lips. "But I'm tired, so I'm going to go to sleep."
"Ok. Just wondering if you were all right," he said. She turned back around and he heard her fall asleep.
He felt somewhat happy. Memories brought her to tears. She wasn't sobbing, so they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of joy. He inhaled her scent again and closed his eyes. He brought her happiness. And that brought him happiness.