"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked.
"Yes, Sesshomaru. I've been looking for him for a long time," Casa said.
"Yeah, and what does this have to do about me?" Inuyasha asked.
"Well you two are brothers, so I was wondering if you knew where he was located," Casa explained.
"Inuyasha and Sesshomaru aren't very close," Kagome explained. "The only time they interact is during fights between them."
"Well, Kagome, that isn't true," Inuyasha corrected her. "He's only mad at me because of my sword, but recently he's been a nice brother to me," Inuyasha corrected.
"Does anything trigger his arrival or is it random?" Asked Casa.
"Random," said Kagome.
"His arrival is triggered," said Inuyasha.
Kagome glared at Inuyasha as Inuyasha stood and went into the forest. The others followed, wondering about what Inuyasha was about to do. They saw him with his sword out, aiming it at a large tree in front of him. He let out two of his Wind Scars, and a cloud descended to the ground. Inuyasha turned and beamed at his friends, particularly to Kagome.
"See, told you it was triggered," Inuyasha smiled.
"Little brother, you better have a good reason call me here," Sesshomaru said coldly in a threatening tone.
"I do, brother," Inuyasha answered.
Sesshomaru leaned slightly to the left then regained posture. "I see it's not because your wrench is gone," Sesshomaru said coldly.
Inuyasha blushed before pushing Casa towards Sesshomaru, whispering, "her."
Sesshomaru stood tall with his nose in the air. Casa stood tall staring at Sesshomaru. She was the first to speak.
"It's been a long time," Casa said.
"Not long enough. You're not dead," Sesshomaru said coldly.
"Last time we met, I don't remember you being so cold. Actually, you were the complete opposite," Casa said, smirking slightly. Shippo giggled and Sesshomaru sent him a glare that shut him up.
"Casa, can we talk later, in 3, 000 years," Sesshomaru said.
"That wasn't funny," Casa blankly said.
"It wasn't a joke," Sesshomaru stated.
"Well, I'm just here to get the deal finished," Casa said.
"Your parents are dead, the deal is off," Sesshomaru said.
"No, you are misinterpreting their words," Casa said, raising her voice slightly.
"Don't raise your voice to me!" Sesshomaru yelled.
"I'll do whatever I want. You got yourself into this, so don't try and back out of it!" Casa yelled at him.
"Umm, excuse me, but what are you talking about?" Inuyasha asked uneasily.
Both glare at him before Casa regained her posture and smiled sweetly at Inuyasha. "You'll know soon enough," She said.
"No, he won't know soon enough because he won't know at all. I don't want him knowing about this," Sesshomaru said coldly.
"He needs to know. At least some of it. If things don't go according to plan and you back out..." Casa started but he cut her off.
"Me back out? What if you backed out? Then everything is ruined and he would know for no reason!" Sesshomaru yelled.
Casa glared at him darkly that it sent shivers down Sesshomaru's spine. "Never interrupt me again."
He nodded and she continued. "Now, if you back out, he would be next in line. You also have a similar problem back at the palace, don't you?" Casa said, eying him curiously.
Sesshomaru looked to the west before a slight nod was seen. Casa was the only one with a keen enough eye to see it because Inuyasha was still preoccupied.
"So, can someone explain it to me if it concerns me?" Inuyasha asked.
"No, because the problem will be resolved before it comes to you," Sesshomaru said. "Now I need to get off back to Rin and Jaken," Sesshomaru said as a light mist surrounded Sesshomaru's feet. Kagome stopped him.
"Just wait! I want to know everything and it all now or I'll purify everyone's ass," Kagome yelled.
Sesshomaru stopped making his cloud to get Kagome mad. "You are nothing but a girl reincarnated from the priestess. You do not hold the same sacred powers as her, or the heart. Do not use her name in vain," Sesshomaru said harshly.
Kagome's rage built as Inuyasha told her to calm down.
"SIT. Ok, that's it. Every demon here is dead!" Said Kagome as a pink light surrounded her. Sesshomaru felt a light prick on his skin as Kagome's pink light turned to red, then purple, then black. The light faded and Kagome collapsed before she could do any harm. Inuyasha caught her, and laid her down on the grass.
He then asked, "So can you explain now?"
"I will but I don't think Sesshomaru will comply with it," Casa said, seating herself on the grass. She preferred to share sitting down. Sesshomaru growled as he sat down as well.
"It started during one of our parents meetings. We were kids and were told to go play while our parents discussed. Being the two leaders of the Western Lands, they usually had meetings. I had gone to the forest to practise my magic and Sesshomaru found me. I was startled so I sent a stream of light at him blindly. He teased me about my aim and dodged all my attacks. He came around behind me and grabbed the arm I was firing with. He showed me how to aim and how to attack well. After that, every time our parents met, we would play fight, aiming light attacks at each other. He would often win and overpower me.
"One day, our parents ended their meeting short and went to go look for us. His father saw Sesshomaru pinning me down on the grass. I knew his father fairly well and he was soft after mating with the human. He came over and started teasing Sesshomaru on how bad he pinned me down. He started to give him pointers on how to pin a girl down properly." Sesshomaru growled at remembering the memory, but Casa continued.
"Sesshomaru finally pinned me down with some satisfaction from his father. His mother and my parents happened to come in at that time and guess the wrong thing. We sat down and had to discuss some sort of agreement. His father, being soft, asked if he had feelings for me, and he said," Casa said, but stopped short looking over at Sesshomaru. His eyes had a tint of red in them, his fangs extended and he was growling. Casa looked calm and turned to Inuyasha. "I guess he doesn't want me too tell you what he said."
"You think! It is none of his concern! None of this is!" Sesshomaru yelled, his voice course.
"Calm down. I won't tell him," Casa said. Sesshomaru calmed down, turning back to normal.
"He said yes." Casa said quickly and jumped out of the way as Sesshomaru lunged an attack at her. His eyes were red this time and his fangs were longer. When he talked, his voice was still course.
"You bitch! I told you not to tell them!" Sesshomaru yelled, lunging at her again.
"I'm no more a bitch as you are a bastard." Casa teased, sending Sesshomaru into more of a rage. Casa just chuckled and avoided all his attacks. Shippo, Sango, and Miroku were talking about how cute of a couple they were and Inuyasha was watching the battle, seeing if he could gain any new techniques. Casa finally got tired and got hit by one of his attacks. She slammed into a tree and fell to the ground. Sesshomaru looked satisfied, but decided to pin her down as well. Inuyasha then spoke up.
"Is that how dad taught you how to pin a girl down?" Inuyasha asked.
"No, boy. This is how." Sesshomaru said, wrapping his legs around hers, and holding her arms up with one of his. He had to lean down to do this and everyone said "aw."
"Now I know why Casa's parents didn't like the position they found you in. But it looks so cute with you two," Miroku said. Sesshomaru didn't pay attention. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Are you finished?" He whispered.
She flipped him over so that she was on top and then answered breathlessly, "yes, I believe I am now."
Kagome and Sango clapped as Casa got up. She offered a hand to Sesshomaru who ignored it and got up himself. Casa shrugged and sat back down to finish her story. Sesshomaru sat down again, just this time closer to Casa.
"Now, where was I? Oh yeah. So, anyways, Sesshomaru answered his father yes," said Casa, glancing over to Sesshomaru, who just shrugged mumbling something about being young and stupid.
"My parents freaked. There was a boy to the east that was a sorcerer and they wanted me to mate with him. His father started an argument with them saying our family could tie together to make the bond stronger. He also mentioned that an heir from both of us would have been stronger than two sorcerers. He complimented that Sesshomaru was a strong warrior and I was a powerful sorceress. A child from both of us wouldn't just be powerful. He told them that an heir from us would work better then just a child of a family. My family finally agreed and told us that we were to mate when we got older and start up a family. Our first son would be the heir of the Western Lands and would also keep the sorcerer blood running. The parents all agreed and made us agree as well, though we had no idea what they were talking about."
"They pricked our shoulders with a sharp pine needle and had us share bloods. This insured that we would have some sort of tie, even if they died before we mated. When I got 21 in human years, they told me that Inutaisho was dead and his mother was nowhere to be found. I had to go looking for Sesshomaru on my own, with only a childhood description of him. You see, after that day, our parents had us never meet each other again. They were planning on meeting us together in the near future, but the parents left Sesshomaru so we couldn't meet up with him. So, that's the story."
Everyone smiled widely, then turned into a tight circle. They whispered quietly then turned back around smiling the same wide smile. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, overhearing their whispering.
"We think you should go live together and do the mating and get an heir." Inuyasha said.
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, while Casa blushed slightly.
"No. I will not have her travel with me. She'll just get in the way," Sesshomaru said.
"Stay in the palace. She'll be safe their... but you'll have to be there too, most of the time." Kagome said.
"No," Sesshomaru said.
"Why not? I never got to see your palace," Casa said, frowning slightly.
"And what would you do there? There's nothing ever to do there!" Sesshomaru exclaimed.
"That's what you think. Let me have my time," Casa said.
"I have an idea. This could give you both an advantage," Miroku said.
"Spill it monk," Casa yelled.
"Two moon cycles from now, Sesshomaru has to mate you, truly. If he doesn't, he leaves the palace. If Casa leaves the palace out of boredom, and only boredom, Casa leaves the palace forever and the deal is off forever," Miroku said.
"That seems like a fair deal. Is it ok with you?" Casa asked.
Sesshomaru nodded, grabbed Casa's wrist and started to ascend to the sky. He needed to get back to Rin or Jaken would have gone crazy. Sesshomaru loosened his grip once he was in the sky. Casa really didn't like flying for she rarely did. She held onto Sesshomaru's waist until he forced it off during the land. He didn't want Rin to think she had a mother now. He landed and Casa fell down. Picking herself up, and brushing herself off, she looked around. She saw no palace or structure in view. She looked puzzling at Sesshomaru who looked right back at her.
"So, where are we?" Casa asked.
"I need to get Rin and Jaken. Wait here," Sesshomaru said coldly before he walked off. Casa usually listened to orders or requests so she sat under a tree and relaxed.
He returned with a toad demon and a little girl. Casa was so adored by the girl because she was so cute; she stood up and saw the toad frown in disgust. He mumbled a welcome then dragged a two-headed dragon to a tree. He sat underneath the tree and sighed. Meanwhile, the human girl was admiring the woman. Casa laughed at the cute girl as she explained her lord and how powerful he was. Sesshomaru watched as Casa kneeled down to the girl's height and listened to her stories. She talked about denying a wind sorceress's offer once, how many times he hurt Inuyasha and how much Jaken got bossed around. Casa laughed continuously at the girl until Sesshomaru said they needed to move. They needed to set up camp before it got dark. They walked to a secluded area in the forest and Jaken instantly went to go get firewood as soon as Sesshomaru sat down. Casa sat down on the opposite side of Sesshomaru and dozed off to Rin's stories. Rin continuously talked until Sesshomaru informed her that her listener had fallen asleep. Rin later fell asleep afterwards, leaning on Casa's arm. Sesshomaru kept watch the entire night, hearing the murmurs of Rin and Casa as they dreamed.
Early in the morning, just before the sunrise, Casa awoke to weight on her arm. She looked to see Rin's sleeping form on her arm. Moving it so softly, she removed it from the girl's grasp and walked to find a spring. A nice bath could do her good before their journey to the palace. She could hear running water and she followed the sound. She came to a nice river and considered this a good enough place to bathe. She was close to remove her clothes when she saw Sesshomaru at the edge of the river. He looked concentrated on the moving water and didn't realize Casa had arrived. Casa quickly put her clothes into a proper form and went to sit next to Sesshomaru. She looked at the water, thinking that she would never see a moving river after she mated with Sesshomaru, if she did. She was in her thoughts so much, she didn't realize Sesshomaru had come out of his trace and now was staring at Casa. Her hair was reflecting the morning sun that was rising. He saw her black hair move slightly in the breeze and her reflecting in the water quiver slightly.
"Sesshomaru, what interests you so much?" Casa asked, slightly startling the lord. Though, he didn't show it.
"Nothing. If you want to bathe, I shall leave," he answered, standing up.
"It's alright. I don't need a bath. I just like awaking before the sun. I hope that's alright with you, my lord," Casa said, slightly quivering.
"Why do you quiver?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Oh, it's nothing. The morning breeze just goes right through these clothes," Casa answered, slightly blushing.
I shouldn't have told him that, thought Casa.
"When you get to the palace, you may get new clothes that are warmer, if that's alright with you. If you prefer your own robes, I'll understand," Sesshomaru said.
"It's alright," Casa answered.
"I'll leave so you can bathe. Return quickly so we can leave," Sesshomaru said before disappearing in the woods.
Casa removed her clothes and slipped into the river. It was freezing cold, but she accustomed to it shortly later. She used some herbs that were in her robe and washed her hair. After washing her body, then rinsing her hair, she removed herself from the river and the breeze hit her. She shivered, then quickly put her robes on. She wringed her hair out and headed back to the camp. She followed the annoying voice of Jaken back to Sesshomaru.
"Was the bath relaxing?" Sesshomaru asked. He was sitting near a fire that he recently lit. The ashes of the night before were around the fire. Sesshomaru's face was also covering slightly in ashes. He didn't look up at her.
"Yes. The river was slightly cold, but overall, it was relaxing," Casa answered. "Looks like you could use one too."
Sesshomaru smirked slightly, then reverted back to his cold posture. "I'll do it back at the palace. Sit down. Rin hasn't awoken yet," Sesshomaru said, nodding over to the place across from him. She sat she ran her fingers through her hair, removing it from tangles. Sesshomaru glanced up at her with only his eyes, then moved them back to the fire.
"You're cold, aren't you?" Sesshomaru asked.
Casa lift her head up suddenly, questioning him with her expression on her face. She didn't understand if he meant her personality or temperature.
"Umm, yes, I think," Casa asked, unsure.
"You can take this, if you want it," He said, removing his outer shirt and putting it in front of him. Casa nodded and reached for the shirt. His hand touched hers as she got the shirt. She looked up at him to see him looking at her.
"Rin is going to ask you why you'll be wearing this. Tell her the truth, ok?" Sesshomaru stated.
Casa nodded and put the shirt on top of her robe. It was three times bigger than her robe and fit her body like a robe more than a shirt. Tying the tie, she stood up to fix it up to look nice and presentable. Sesshomaru looked up at her as she twirled to see how it looked. Sesshomaru mentally grinned as she twirled, then sat down, slightly dizzy. Rin awoke and greeted everyone. She saw Casa was wearing her lord's shirt and wondered why she was wearing it. Did something happen for Sesshomaru to give it to her? She didn't realize she asked it out loud until Casa answered.
"No, nothing happened. I just got cold and your lord offered me his shirt," Casa answered.
"Awe, he's so nice to you. He never offered me his shirt when I got cold," Rin whined.
"Rin, don't whine. It doesn't suit you," Sesshomaru and Casa said in unison. Casa looked over at Sesshomaru who looked away. Rin sighed like she was in love, then started asking Jaken when they were leaving. Jaken personally didn't know when, so he asked his lord. He got a whack for interrupting his lord's "meditating" then Sesshomaru explained that they were leaving now. He wanted to get there today, and if they started now, they would arrive before nightfall. They started off, and Casa walked next to Sesshomaru, ahead of Jaken, Ah-Un and Rin. She wanted to start a conversation but didn't know which subject.
They walked in silence most of the walk, until they came to the Western Lands border. Sesshomaru explained this to Casa, who just rolled her eyes. Sesshomaru kept silent for the rest of the way, and the only sound was the birds chirping, animals running, and Rin and Jaken arguing about an odd subject; Lord Sesshomaru.
Rin believed Sesshomaru had a feeling for Casa while Jaken disbelieved this accusation. Casa blushed slightly, and when she saw Sesshomaru look over at her, she blushed from a light pink to a dark red. She looked away to hide it and heard Sesshomaru growl. Casa was slightly confused, but kept her face concealed the rest of the way. The palace came to view, and Casa saw a large lake behind it. She smiled, and looked forward the first time since they entered the Western Lands. Servants ran to greet Sesshomaru, bowing low and some kneeled to kiss his feet. Casa saw him roll his eyes, then ordered them to get the master bedroom ready. Casa looked puzzling up at him, but he didn't return a look. He entered and she followed. Three servant greeted him, but looked more formal then the earlier servants she met. She suspected that they were the head servants, and listened in on the conversations they were having with Sesshomaru.
"Sir, it looks like you have a guest. Shall we get a room ready for her?" Asked a woman servant in a dusty, red robe.
"I have a room getting ready for her. That won't be a problem," Sesshomaru replied, not looking at any of the servants.
"Sir, shall we take care of Princess Rin and Jaken?" Asked a male servant that wore a green outfit that had small holes in it.
"Yes, please do, and don't call her a princess. She's a... friend" Sesshomaru answered, once again not looking at any of the servants.
"Is the new guest going to be your mate, sir?" Asked the last servant, male and dressed in a yellow outfit, blood all over it.
Sesshomaru glared at him, replying, "why is it that every time I bring a woman in here, you assume I'm going to mate them?"
"Ohm I just guessed..." The man replied, but was interrupted by Sesshomaru.
"Take care of Rin and Jaken, and leave me and Casa alone the rest of the night," Sesshomaru said, pulling Casa to him, his arm around her waist.
"Will you be joining dinner?" Asked the woman servant.
"No, we won't. Now, leave," Sesshomaru ordered, and they scattered.
Sesshomaru released his grasp on Casa's waist and he walked up the steps. She followed, keeping close to him so she didn't get lost. She accidentally tripped on the rug on the top floor, and Sesshomaru stopped to allow her to pick herself up, brush herself off, and then catch up. He continued down the hall, and took a left. He came to a door at the end of the hall and stopped. Casa was interested in the paintings on the hall walls and bumped into Sesshomaru. She picked herself up again, and saw him turn around and face her.
"This will be your room. This is the only room you will sleep in, unless I tell you other wise. Understand?" Sesshomaru said, leaving before she could answer. She entered and saw it nicely decorated. Paintings of a huge, white dog with a crescent moon on the forehead. She assumed it was Sesshomaru and saw that there were two doors on the left wall. She opened one to see a closet. The second one was a spring full of hot water. She let the aroma fill her as she entered and she removed her clothes before slipping in it. She left the door open to let the steam weaken so she could breathe easier in the spring. She soaked in it, just relaxing in the hot water. She hadn't had a hot bath in a while. She relished the warmth before feeling two firm hands on her shoulders. She gasped, turning to see Sesshomaru behind her. He didn't turn, allowing himself to see her completely naked. She shrieked, grabbing a towel, and jumping out to wrap herself in it. Sesshomaru came over, and put a hand on an edge of the towel.
"You shouldn't be afraid revealing yourself to me, Casa," Sesshomaru stated, slightly tugging at the towel. Casa held a firm grasp on it, not allowing Sesshomaru to see what she had. She didn't want him to have a full view of her body. Well, at least not yet.
"Sesshomaru, please allow me to get dressed before you see me again. I'm not comfortable like this," she said.
Sesshomaru walked out, made some noise in the bedroom before returning with a blue kimono with red flower petal sewn on it. He left, and she dressed quickly. Went she left the spring, she saw that Sesshomaru was on the bed, waiting eagerly. Casa ignored him, and went to the wooden box that had some hair supplies in it. Casa brought out a hairbrush, and a pin with a blue flower on it. She brushed her hair quickly but when she felt Sesshomaru come behind her and start brushing her hair on his own, she left go of the brush. He brushed it slowly, and she could feel slightly aroused that he was being so gentle. He dropped the hairbrush and started running his fingers and claws through her hair. At moments, he massaged her scalp, trying not to hurt her with his claws. She moaned when he moved his hands from her hair to her neck, then her shoulders, From her shoulders, her went down the arms and to the waist. He pulled her closer to him, and she could feel his hard chest on her back. She sighed and turned to face him. When she faced him, he strengthened his hold on her waist so she couldn't run. She looked into his amber eyes as he looked down into her brown eyes.
"You know, supper won't be for a while," Sesshomaru stated, and saw Casa slightly move her head to a small nod.
"So, what do you want to do in the meantime?" Sesshomaru asked. Casa didn't answer. She was too lost in his eyes. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! Where are you, my lord?" Rin voice was heard down the hall. Sesshomaru ferociously pushed Casa away from him, and she landed on the bed. Sesshomaru turned to the doorway, and saw Rin's petite figure show up. Her big smiled was plastered on her face when she saw both Casa and Sesshomaru in the same room.
"Lord Sesshomaru, did I interrupt anything?" Asked Rin.
"No. What did you want to say, Rin?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Jaken says the servants are asking for you. They want to know what you and your guest want for supper," Rin answered.
"Tell Jaken that..." Sesshomaru said, then turned to Casa and asked her a question. "What do you want to eat?"
"Oh, I prefer some chicken... If that's ok," Casa answered.
"That's ok. Rin," Sesshomaru said, turning back to Rin at the doorway, "tell Jaken to make some fruits and vegetables and chicken. Understood?"
She nodded and skipped down the hall to the kitchen. Sesshomaru turned back to Casa who was still in the position she was when he pushed her down. He stepped towards her, and she crawled backwards.
"What's the matter?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I don't think this is a good time to be together. For either of us," Casa said.
"Why? Is there something you know that I don't?" Sesshomaru asked coldly.
"No, my lord. It's just I need to get accustomed to this place before I call it my new home. I barely know where anything is if I need it," Casa explained.
"Fine, I'll show you around," stated Sesshomaru.
Casa stood up and fixed her kimono so no wrinkles were shown. As they walked down the hallway, servants bowed as they passed them. Sesshomaru extended his arm for her to hold and she accepted it. They walked like a couple and unfortunately, Sesshomaru's elders were there to see if the rumours they had heard were true about Sesshomaru's arrival back to his palace. As soon as Sesshomaru saw them at the stairwell, he turned Casa around and told her to return to the bedroom. She claimed she didn't know the way back, but he pushed her back to where they came from, telling her she would find out soon.
Sesshomaru turned and saw his two elders behind him. He offered them to talk down stairs and they took the offer. They were both smiling widely and Sesshomaru sighed as they walked down the stairs. He got them in the living room and they sat at chairs. The woman elder had grey hair pulled into a braid that went down to her waist. She wore a red robe lined with gold lace. The male elder also had grey hair, but it was shorter. He was as tall as Sesshomaru and wore a purple outfit with red designs along the shoulders. They sat down at the table and they instantly asked him about Casa and mating. They usually asked him about mating when they visited and at lord meetings. They both continued to smiled as he explained she was just a friend.
"Well, my lord, you were walking like more then friends," the lady pointed out.
"Yes, I concur," the male stated.
"Well, I was just acting like a good host while she stayed here," Sesshomaru said, sighing slightly. He wanted to get this done and over with to return back to Casa.
"Well, if she isn't more then a friend, have you chosen a mate?" the woman asked.
"No, I haven't," Sesshomaru said.
"Well, next time we meet, please have an intended one. This is getting tiresome," the male stated.
"Excuse, elder, but I'm not ready to mate just yet. No one can be forced into mating. It's just not right," Sesshomaru growled.
"Sesshomaru, it's not good to growl, especially at your elders. Remember, you shouldn't be in this position, after what you did last time we met at that wedding of the Southern Lands," the woman threatened. Sesshomaru sighed, and let his mind wander to Casa as the two elders discussed about how the other lords and leaders were doing and the updates.
Meanwhile, Casa was completely lost. She had taken three wrong turns and had found at three dead ends each time. She found that each had had no doors, so it couldn't be where her room was. She eventually just gave up and started looking in all the doors she passed. She stumbled onto the library, where she got caught up in a book she pulled off one of the shelves. It was one of Sesshomaru's tales of a battle he had with a tiger demon last moon cycle. Casa was so interested in the details that were in the books. She had read through three books of his battles when she realized that she was supposed to be at the bedroom. She also realized she was lost in his big library. She couldn't find the door back to the hall. All she could see were shelves with book on them. She eventually gave up and slumped down to the floor. She was officially had gotten lost, and most likely no one would find her.
Sesshomaru finally gotten the elders out of his palace when he claimed that he needed to go help keep the palace in order and get things ready for his new guest. They left with a simple farewell, and left in the light rain that was falling down now. He went back to his bedroom to find it empty. He sniffed and found no recent scent of Casa. He panicked. The palace was huge and she most likely had gotten lost in it. He cursed himself from ignoring Casa when she told him that she couldn't find the room on her own yet. He walked calmly down the hall, looking left and right, trying to find her. Though he was walking calmly, he was mentally panicking like crazy. He followed her scent that ended at the door to his library. He walked in and her scent hit him strongly. It smelt fresh and he instantly went looking for her. He found two books on the floor near the door, and another later down the shelves. The smell of tears hit his nose, then heard a sniffle. Silence then was heard, even for his ears. He turned the corner of a shelf. There was Casa curled in a ball against a shelf. Her head shot up to Sesshomaru, her eyes puffy and red from crying. She was silent as he approached her and sat down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her and she leaned into his shoulder. He smiled slightly.
"Got lost, huh?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Uh huh," was his only answer.
"Oh. I used to get lost in here when I was a kid. Around the age we met. My dad usually came to find me. My mum would never step foot in here," Sesshomaru shared. Casa looked up at him.
"Why not?" Asked Casa.
"She hated books. Mostly because she couldn't read. I see you can," Sesshomaru said holding up one of the books he found along the way to find Casa. Casa smiled slightly.
"It's nice to see you smile. Do it more often, ok?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Ok," she answered.
He embraced her with his arm some more before asking her, "want to leave now?"
"No, it's ok. I like it here," Casa said.
"Really? So do I. It's nice you like this place, along with my stories," Sesshomaru said.
"Did you write them or someone else?" Asked Casa.
"Me. I did it every time after a huge battle. I like jotting things down," Sesshomaru answered.
"Why are you being so open to me?" Asked Casa.
"Well, truthfully, I don't know. You were my first friend and I know I can trust you. It's just, a feeling," Sesshomaru stated. "Why, you don't like it?"
"No, I prefer it over the cold and secretive Sesshomaru. It's the Sesshomaru I became a friend with," Casa answered.
"Really?" Sesshomaru asked, looking down at her.
"Yep," she answered.
"Glad someone does. My elders prefer me to hide my feelings," Sesshomaru stated.
"Why do you listen to them? You're the leader," Casa questioned.
"Well, they insured that I still have the title after an incident that happened last moon cycle. During a wedding," Sesshomaru answered.
"What happened?" Casa asked.
"I don't exactly want to share," Sesshomaru said coldly.
"You don't need to be cold to me to get your point across. You can share only when you want to. I hope you will do the same for me," Casa said standing up. Sesshomaru looked up at her blankly.
"Let's go to the bedroom. I'm very tired," she said. She waited for Sesshomaru to stand and go the correct way to the door before she started walking. He took her to the hallway and showed her a way to get to the bedroom and remember where it was. He used his claws to make a mark on the wall so she would remember to go left when she saw this mark. Then she would find the door at the end of the hall. They went inside and he locked the door. He finally explained to her that they would be sharing the room. He didn't want her to be alone while in the palace. They decided to get changed then and Casa turned her back to Sesshomaru to allow him some privacy while changing. Casa accidentally turned around to see Sesshomaru getting changed. She trailed down his body to his privates before blushing, gasping, then turning around. She finished with her nightgown and heard him clear his throat. She turned and saw that he was already on the bed looking at her off the bed. She looked puzzling at him.
"We're sharing a bed too," Sesshomaru told her. Her eyes widened extremely at him.
"What? I haven't... done that... before," she stammered.
"Don't worry. I won't touch without your consent. Does that comfort you enough to get into bed?" Asked Sesshomaru.
"Ok, I guess. Just promise, ok?" Casa told him.
"I don't need to promise. Just trust me," he said.
She got in and laid down. The candles were already out while they got changed. Casa couldn't get comfortable while she laid in the bad. Sesshomaru laying next to her was what making her uncomfortable, even though he promised not to touch her. She rolled over in his chest, and snuggled. He smelt so good and his was so warm. She almost fell asleep before Sesshomaru asked her a question.
"Are you awake?" He asked.
"Uh huh. Why?" Casa asked slightly sleepily.
"You know where you are?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Uh huh. In your arms," she said slightly irritated.
"But I thought you didn't want to be touched," Sesshomaru stated.
"Yeah, without my consent. I'm allowing you to touch me. Now let me sleep, please," She begged. He nodded and he heard her breathing even out and her mumbling in her sleep. He couldn't sleep. It wasn't unusual for him. He usually stayed up all night keeping watch when he was in the wild. Anyone could attack, so he had a reason to stay awake. He didn't understand the feeling he had, but he somehow knew he needed to stay awake. Suddenly, Casa started to get restless.
"Sesshomaru," She mumbled. He embraced her with his arm and heard her fall silent. He could hear her breathing even. He felt sleepy, but didn't want to fall asleep. He fell asleep later and had a dreamless sleep.