Disclaimer: All Characters in the show not mine, all not in the show mine
Chapter 2: The Waterfall
Ayuki had spent the entire day training herself. She hadn't had any demons to kill since Sesshoumaru had killed the moth demon a week ago. She was getting very bored and she had taken out a good 10 trees in practicing her telekinesis just today. Completely uprooted them from the ground. She was tired of waiting around. There had been no demon action at all. Not even small demons just passing by. She decided that she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't just sit around waiting for one to come by, but she had no idea which direction to go in. In the end, she just picked one and went. She was quickly rewarded with a rogue hog demon. She lept into the air, sword high above her head and brought it down into it's shoulder. Once it was on it's knees she swung the blade again, removing it's head easily. She had to admit that it felt great. However, the hog demon had cut her arm pretty good. She used her abilities of her mind after making sure no one was looking to heal it.
"I never thought there would come a day that killing would feel good..." She said to herself aloud and walked past the now headless demon. She walked for a good two hours without anymore action. It was at that point that she picked up the presence of a strong mind near by. It had surprised her. It was the same feeling she had gotten when Sesshoumaru had shown up. She went towards the feeling, allowing her mind to reach out for the brain waves. She was getting closer. Suddenly it changed directions. Then again. Then again. She heard the sound of clashing steel and felt other minds that were not giving off as much power. She raced ahead to see what was happening. She stopped at the edge of a clearing to see Sesshoumaru sword fighting with another white haired demon. They looked very similar. The only differences were their clothes and that the second demon had no markings on his skin with puppy ears on his head. She stood and watched what was happening. She was intrigued to find out who this other demon was.
Ayuki looked off to the side to see 3 humans standing watching. A monk, another demon slayer, and a priestess. 'What odd company for a demon to keep...' She thought to herself, returning her eyes to the fight before her.
"Give me tetsusaiga!" Sesshoumaru said, slightly raising his voice.
"Tetsusaiga's barrier rejects you! You can't even pick it up! So why bother trying, Sesshoumaru?" The other demon yelled back.
Ayuki watched with amusement. 'His name is Sesshoumaru?' The two seemed to be brothers and if this was so, then this was more than just sibling rivalry. 'There must be a reason they are fighting...' She searched her mind for any possible reasons.None came Then it hit her. The demon without markings, his mind was not as strong as Sesshoumaru's. It seemed almost...human. 'That must be it! He's a hanyou!' She mentally screamed to herself. She had figured it out. He was a hanyou and it seemed that his brother was ashamed of that fact by the banter that was being passed back and forth during their fight. She heard one of the human girls on the other side calling out to the hanyou.
"Inuyasha! Stop! Please! You'll get yourself killed!" She said, pleaing with him.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the hanyou look back briefly before dodging one of Sesshoumaru's attacks. She heard him growl at Sesshoumaru before attacking again, this time using an attack Ayuki had never seen before. He drew his sword above his heard and yelled "KAZE NO KIZU!" and swung. A yellow light was sent of the sword along the ground, whipping it up before reaching Sesshoumaru. Before Sesshoumaru could dodge he sent another one. Sesshoumaru only had the time to dodge one and took the other straight to the chest.
"Ha! I'm not as stupid as you thought!" The hanyou yelled and the now limp demon laying on the ground. He was about to attack again. Ayuki saw this as her chance to repay Sesshoumaru for his previous actions.
"Stop!" She yelled, running out from her hiding place, startling everyone. She ran between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, putting her hands up to block any attacks he made. "Don't hurt him!"
Inuyasha nearly dropped his sword he was so shocked. 'This girl wants to PROTECT SESSHOUMARU!'
"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru said wincing with pain.
"Returning the favour. Now shut up." She said, turning back to Inuyasha. "Don't hurt him."
"Feh! Who the hell do you think you are! I could destroy you in a second!"
"But I've been watching you. You're a hanyou. You care for your friends back there. You won't hurt me because I'm a human." She said with confidence. Inuyasha was speechless for once in his life.
Sesshoumaru rose to his feet slowly behind her, clutching his shoulder. "I do not need protection woman."
"You would be dead right now if I hadn't stepped in!" She spun around and faced him, hands on her hips. Sesshoumaru took one step forward to protest but a crippling wave of pain shot through his entire body and he fell to his knees. Ayuki didn't know how, but she found herself kneeling next to him, a hand placed gently on his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" She asked softly.
"I do not need help from a human." He said, growling in pain.
"The way I see it, you do." She said. "I'll be right back." She rose to her feet again and walked to Inuyasha who was still standing with his mouth hanging open.
"My name is Ayuki. And you will not kill him now." She said stubbornly.
"Look girl, I'm stronger than you think. You really shouldn't test me." Inuyasha said, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "So am I. If you don't want to find out what I can do, I suggest you leave."
Her look sent chills down his spine. He was never one to test a woman at the best of times. He wasn't about to start with this one. She scared him. He shrugged it off and took his hand off his sword.
"Whatever, You want him, take him. We're leaving." He said, walking away as quickly as he could without looking like he was running. He attempted to drag the others with him but one of the girls squirmed from his grasp and ran up to Ayuki.
"Why do you want to protect him? I mean, I myself don't want to hurt him or anything, I just want to know what makes you want to keep him safe." the girl asked her.
"Well, Um..." She thought about it and realized that she herself wasn't too sure of the answer. "I don't really know. He killed a demon that was attacking me, now I wish to repay the favour. That's all" She said as truthfully as she could. The last part however was not. What she did not tell her was that she was fascinated by him. He seemed to be a unique creature indeed and she desired to learn more about him.
"Ok, well, just so you know, ya know, since I know your name, My name is Kagome..." She said, rubbing a hand on the back of her neck.She wasn't really sure why she was telling her, but she felt she should. Ayuki nodded and looked back at Sesshoumaru who was still on the ground in pain. She looked at him worriedly and Kagome caught it. She smirked to herself and walked away. She didn't want to say anything yet. Later, but not yet.
After seeing that Kagome had left, Ayuki jogged back to Sesshoumaru, kneeling beside him. "Come on, There is a waterfall nearby. It has the power to heal" 'lies...' "I will help you there. It's all I can really do to help." 'More lies..' She wrapped her arm around his waste gently and placed his arm around her shoulder. He growled in protest but didn't have the strength to fight her off. She couldn't believe how heavy he was. Granted the armour didn't exactly make him lighter, but he didn't look heavy. Luckily for her the waterfall wasn't far away. After reaching it, she settled him down next to a tree, leaning him against it.
"Ok, Um.." She said, beginning to blush. "I have to remove your shirts..." She looked at him, waiting for him to agree to it. He merely nodded. "Ok, Hold still. I'll try not to hurt you." She said and she undid his armour and removed his boa to discover that his blood had seeped through into his haori. She gently removed it and found his under shirt completely soaked. She winced and helped him out of the last piece of cloth covering the wound. It was deep and it looked extremely painful. She never had been one to handle to sight of blood well and nearly gagged when she saw it, but kept her reflexes under control. She gently caressed the skin around the outside of the wound, being careful not to hurt him.
"How much does it hurt?" She asked him.
"Enough." He replied.
Ayuki carried a small pouch at her side. In it she had some spare cloth. She pulled it out and ripped it up, wrapping around his wound as he growled in pain.
"Sorry!" She said. She really hoped she didn't hurt him too much. "Are you ok?" He nodded and she continued at a slower pace than before. She glanced up into his face every now and then to make sure he wasn't in too much pain. She was glad to see that he was not. Once she was finished wrapping him up, she reached into the pouch yet again and found some of her herbs that she took whenever her pain was too much to bare. It would dull the pain. She pulled it out.
"Here," She said, putting a little in front of his mouth. "It will take away the pain." He eyed her suspiciously. She sighed. "Just trust me. I just saved your life, I'm not about to ruin it but poisoning you are anything." She said. He stared for a short while longer before opening his mouth just enough for her to put it in.
"See it's not THAT bad!"
"Indeed."
She rolled her eyes.
"Just let me know when it kicks in and I will help you get to the water." She said.
"..."
There was an uncomfortable silence for a short while before Ayuki was startled from her thoughts by Sesshoumaru's deep voice.
"Why are you helping me human?" He asked.
"Because."
"That is not an answer."
sigh"Well, if you MUST know, I find you interesting. Wouldn't wanted to see any amusement go to waste..." She answered, an evil grin growing across her face. Sesshoumaru saw the grin and knew that she was toying with him.
"Do NOT toy with me woman. Answer me. Why do you help me?"
"..." IT was Ayuki's turn to be silent. She wasn't exactly sure how to answer him. She liked him but she wasn't about to tell him that. She had admitted to herself that she thought he was cute. She knew he had to have a soft side to allow the child to travel with him. She just wasn't sure what she would tell him.
"Do not test my patience."
"Oh please! You are in no condition to fight. But if you must know, I rather like you. Don't ask me why. Right now you aren't giving me any reason to, but I do. You would make a good ally." She said, using the term 'Ally' loosely.
"I am ready." He said. She was slightly confused for a second before realizing what he was talking about.
"Oh! Haha, Sorry. Ok, Let's go then." She was blushing from the embarrassement of her confusion but she rose knelt down next to him, putting his arm around her shoulder and her arm around his waist. He groaned as she raised him slowly from the ground. She led him to the waters edge.
"Do you wish for me to remove your pants? NOT LIKE THAT!" She nearly screamed as he eyed her funny. "I just meant so that they don't get wet when I help you sit in the water." He contemplated her idea before slowly agreeing that they should come off.
"I will remove them myself." He said. "Just place me on that rock. I will not ask a human to do such a thing as to undress me fully."
Ayuki nodded and directed their path towards the large boulder he had motioned towards. Once she had him seated she walked slightly away from him, turning her face the other way. She had to resist the urge to hum to distract herself from what was happening behind her. He had used his pants to cover himself up when he called her attention back to him. She was glad. She didn't really want to see him in his full glory. He used one hand to hold the pants in place until they got to the water. He hadn't really thought of how he would get rid of it without her seeing. He could worry about that when he got into the water. For now he was focused on holding it in place while she hand her arms around his waist to guide him.
Ayuki hadn't noticed until she took his shirts off that he was missing one arm. He almost pitied him but she knew that he wouldn't be happy with that. Once she had gotten him to the water, he told her to turn around before he handed her the cloth. As much as he wasn't timid, he did not want to be so un dignified as to expose himself to a human. She turned away and he passed her the pants. She blushed slightly before walking away. He had managed to sit by himself.
"Just let it soak in and wash the blood away and you will be healed." She said, finding a tree to sit next to. She had to be somewhere she could focus on what she was doing. He complied and allowed the water to clean the wound. Ayuki watched as he slowly attempted to usher the water into the wound but he was failing miserably. 'Good thing the water isn't really what will heal him...' She thought to herself. She closed her eyes and focused her mind on the only other mind nearby. She triggered the healing process via brain signals and Sesshoumaru was shocked to see his wound healing. Ayuki continued to concentrate as she healed him. She was startled out of her concentration to hear Sesshoumaru scream out in pain. Her eyes snapped open as she jumped up and her eyes quickly darted to Sesshoumaru. His missing arm had started growing back! Ayuki could tell that it would hurt like hell because of the new bone and tissues being grown. She whispered an apology and closed her eyes to concentrate. She was considering telling him what she was doing. Telling him that is was her way of repaying him. He would know that she did more than just lead him to healing water. She focused hard and she grabbed the nearest tree branch. 'Hold on Sesshoumaru, this is really going to hurt, but you'll be grateful...' She thought before continuing the work.
Sesshoumaru sank into the cool water of the waterfall and began to gently pour water into his wound. As he did this it began to heal. He smirked. 'The girl knows what she is talking about. This water does heal.' He found himself sudddenly writhing in agony. The nub that once was his left arm was burning. He cried out in pain as new bone began to form. He felt it stop momentarily and he heard Ayuki jump to her feet. He found it odd that the moment she stood up the pain stopped. He heard her whisper and apology quietly and the pain began again. The wound in his shoulder was a mere scratch compared to this pain. He grabbed a hold of a boulder near him, sweating profusely. The pain engulfed him and he howled out in pain.
Ayuki was focusing very hard. She felt absolutely horrible for the pain Sesshoumaru was going through and she wanted nothing more than to run to his side and comfort him but she knew that if she stopped now the arm would only be half the way healed so she stood her ground. It took a while, but she was able to heal his wounds. Ayuki was struggling to hold on to consciousness by the end and as soon as the very tip of Sesshoumaru's last finger nail had grown back she dropped to the ground, completely unconscious.
Sesshoumaru felt the pain stop. He was completely covered in sweat. She looked down at his left arm and found it fully regrown. He looked down then at his right shoulder and it too was healed. He was absolutely astonished. He looked back to see it Ayuki had been watching and saw her lying unconscious on the ground. He felt a twinge in his heart and had the desire to see if she was alright. He brushed it off as curiousity and pulled himself out of the water. He nearly faltered, realizing that healing had taken alot out of him. He knew now that this had somehow been her doing and he was determined to find out how she had done it.
Ayuki had slowly regained consciousness but was still too weak to move. She heard Sesshoumaru splashing around in the water as he attempted to get up. She lay still, wondering what he was doing. She heard him walk out of the water and come closer to her. 'Ah, I see now, he's making sure I'm still alive is he?' she thought to herself. This would be interesting. Maybe she would play dead for a while. 'There are more ways to mess with someone's mind than using telepathy...' Her face was still turned from him as she grinned. His footsteps came closer and closer.
"Woman."
"..."
"Answer me woman."
"..."
'Hmm, she still has a heart beat and I can hear her breathing. Why does she not respond?' "Why do you not answer me woman!"
"..."
sigh "Ayuki, wake up."
Ayuki was shocked to hear him use her name so she decided now would be a good time to "wake up". She grumbled and attempted to move but she was still too weak so she spoke instead.
"Sesshoumaru.."
When she grumbled his name she sounded so weak. He moved to her and sat next to her. He had no clue why he was doing this but he just did it anyways.
"What happened?" He said, still icily.
"The water doesn't have the ability to heal." She mumbled. Sesshoumaru did not understand and he told her to make herself clear. "I healed you, not the water. I did it with my mind. Please don't tell anyone I can." She said. She wasn't sure that he would keep it secret. He nodded to her. That was about the best answer she could have hoped for from him. He slowly rolled her onto her back as she had landed on her side. She stared up into his golden eyes and found herself blushing and she could only just raise her hands to block her face, but she didn't want to. She continued to stare into his gaze. Suddenly he shifted and began pulling her from behind.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" She yelled at him. A second later she felt her back being rested against a tree and she knew what he was doing. "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. I just wasn't sure what you were doing with me."
"Indeed." He said. "Rest."
"I can't rest. You'll probably want to be leaving now and I'll be the only one to protect myself. No rest for me." She said, shaking her head. Sesshoumaru sighed.
"Rest. I will not leave until you strong enough to walk on your own. Call it repayment for giving me my arm back." He said, causing a weak smile to spread across Ayuki's face. It had been a long time since she last had a restful sleep. She would be greatly appreciative of this one. She nodded in appreciation. She wasn't tired enough to sleep however, so she rested to regain physical strength. Sesshoumaru started a fire, seeing as it was turning to night and he knew that Ayuki, being a weak human, would get cold. He sat across the fire, leaning across another tree, looking at her.
"Why do you live alone human? There are many villages you could live in. You must have a family somewhere." Sesshoumaru said. Ayuki cringed at the word 'family'. She inhaled deeply and got ready to tell her story.
"I live alone because my family was killed by a large mass of demons. They raided our village. There were many wounded, many killed. Only a few of us survived. I was the only one from my family to make it." as she spoke, the tears began to well up in her eyes, but she forced them back. "They were following a demon named Naraku. I have made it my vow to seek him out and kill him. My family didn't deserve to die, but he most definately does." Her subdued tears turned into anger. "And when I find him, He's going to regret the day he didn't kill me."
Sesshoumaru had never imagined that a human could go through such trials and still be strong. He found himself respecting this human. From the way she acted, you would never know that she had lost every person she ever cared about. She kept a smile on her face. He continued to listen to her story.
"So I have devoted myself to strengthening my abilities so that when the time comes, I can destroy this Naraku." 'Oh crap! I said abilities! No! I hope he didn't notice!' Unfortunately for her, he had been listening intently to every word she said.
"What abilities do you speak of?" He asked.
'Damn! He did!' "Um, lets just say that the mind can be stronger than the body..." 'Yes, that answer should do.'
"You are not answering my question."
"Well, you know about the healing. Anything else I can do is my own business until I wish to reveal it." She answered. She hoped he wouldn't take offense.
"If I am going to consider you an ally against Naraku, it would be wise to know what I am working with." Sesshoumaru spoke.
"You CAN consider me an ally, but if anyone were to know of my abilities, ANYONE, then they would not be to my advantage. You will know what they are when the time comes for me to show you. I will not show you out here, where anyone could walk by and see." She said. "THAT would not be wise."
Sesshoumaru didn't like being kept in the dark, but he understood what he was being told. It would indeed be unwise to use her secret abilities where anyone could see. He contemplated his options and the best one sprung to mind. A grin formed on his face, just a small one, but a grin at that.
"When you are strong enough you shall return to my castle with me."
"YOU HAVE A CASTLE!" She yelled in surprise, nearly deafening him. Suddenly it hit her. Her eyes went wide and her face a palid white. "You are THE Sesshoumaru aren't you! Lord of the western lands!"
"Yes human, now stop yelling."
"Oh, Sorry, I didn't realize I was yelling. Ok, To your castle it is. But for now, just let me rest." She said. The sun had gone completely down. She was tired and slowly closed her eyes to sleep.
"How long does it normally take you to recover human?" He asked her, wanting to catch an answer before she fell asleep.
"Not long," She grumbled, "Should be able to walk in the morning..."
Before anyone was able to say anything else, she was fast asleep. Sesshoumaru sighed to himself. He thought to himself while she rested, trying to figure out just why it was that she was so intriguing to him. He thought about it late into the night, only the owls to keep him company.
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Eri: Chapter 2! Yeay! So far no reviews, but I don't care. It's my story. My character, Can't expect too much.:P Well, if there is ANYONE reading this, please review. thanks a bunch!