A/N: And here is chapter forty^^ Nicely on time again. I won't keep you all too long away from the story, but I wanted to thank everyone again who takes the time to review. I'm always very glad with your motivating words!

Once again, enjoy and leave a review!

InuYasha does not belongs to me but to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter Forty, The Challenger

'When the exact same genes appear in the exact same order, we call it reincarnation.' — Jupiter ascending

The damp forest floor was slowly drenching into her clothes and she felt the material of her hakama turn cold. Chiharu's breath was still laboured from the shock, her eyes still wide. The large form of the yōkai slowly disintegrating, eroding into the ground. She slowly got up to her feet, catching herself on a low-hanging branch of a large oak tree and watched as the tall form of Sesshōmaru slowly turned around.

"I— Sesshōmaru?"

He looked as displeased as she'd ever saw him. She peered up at him with wide eyes and he stalked nearer. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do and suddenly found herself being hoisted up by the front of her clothes. His scent was muskier than she'd remembered and his eyes were brighter than she'd ever seen. He looked angry or upset, she couldn't be sure.

"I wish to see it."

"What?"

"Your homeland…" He told her and she opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out.

Her eyebrows drew together and she wished she could stagger backwards. There was something about his eyes she didn't particularly like. Till now, he never had expressed the wish to see her homeland. She couldn't even remember what she'd told him about it, except that it was far away and that she travelled through a magic well. He seemed to have been stalking her and had already figured out she could travel through the magic that was integrated in every seam of the old well.

"This Sesshōmaru—" he started and she resolutely shook her head.

"You can't!" She told him hastily. "It won't let you through."

His eyes flashed dangerously at being told there was something he could not do. He dragged her with him until they were in the clearing where the well stood. His iron grip on her clothes loosened and she quickly stepped back, her eyes flitting around for a diversion. "Why did that Ranolf fellow attack me? I saw the way he eyed me and I noticed the way he spoke to you about it."

"You're fertile," he told her coldly. She didn't understand.

"So?"

He gave her a tired look. The emotion so obvious she easily picked up on it. "You are bound to me. There are enough foolish Yōkai who would easily force themselves on you, just to challenge me."

"Oh,"

"Oh?"

"I don't understand, I thought this," she pointed her index finger at the mark on her neck, "would warn off any other potential males. Or at least Yōkai males?"

"Hn," he answered, "won't stop them from challenging me."

'Marvellous,'

She carefully rubbed at the already healing gash on her shoulder and peered at the remains of the Yōkai who had quite literally tried to jump her. She had thought he'd just wanted an easy fuck as Inuyasha once had called one of Mirōku's girlfriends and she exhaled slowly. Till now, she never had a period before. If she had been human she would by now have visited a doctor. But she wasn't just human and visiting a medical specialist would not help her. Still, being fertile meant it would come soon, didn't it.

She looked up again. Sesshōmaru was stoically looking at her and she slowly met his gaze again. "Thank you," she whispered.

He had saved her after all.

His eyes narrowed, face unreadable again. The sunlight made his silver eyelashes almost glow. His footballs beating against the forest floor were almost soundless as he approached her. She didn't think he was planning on hurting her, but with him she could never be sure. Two clawed fingers tipped her chin back, eyes flitting over her face, as if to inspect her. His eyelids fluttered when he sniffed her neck — much like Ranolf had done — and she was suddenly aware of a strange tingling in her finger tips.

"What are you—" she started, dully noting that her voice was breathless.

He closed the gap between them, his lips suddenly only inches away from hers. Her breathing turned more laboured. 'You don't have to be in love to desire someone.' The mark on her neck sent a chill down her spine and she leaned into him when his mouth clamped over hers. Fangs scraping over her lower-lip and her eyes fluttered closed while her fingers suddenly curled into the sleeves of his haori.

It had been impossibly different than the last time he'd clamped his mouth over hers. It was different from when Arjun had given her her first real kiss, different from when Inuyasha had pecked her and it was different from when Ikicko had kissed her. When she was eight she'd kissed the neighbour boy as a dare. They had been childishly pressing their faces together, hardly really kissing and counting till ten. After that she remembered scrubbing her mouth with her tooth brush, her mother always insisted her on taking with her to school, to clean herself from the 'boy cooties'. She didn't remember how that kiss had felt, but she was relatively sure, it hadn't felt like this. It was both uncomfortable and pleasant to hear the sound of her own beating heart pounding into her ears.

He broke away from her and trailed barely-there-kisses along her neck. She felt her cheeks warm considerably, but still angled her head so that he had better access. It was a whole lot different from the last time he had felt the need to demonstrate his superiority over her. As clawed fingers trailer over her hipbones she gasped and suddenly he wrenched himself away. She opened her mouth to say something, anything at all, but couldn't find the words to express her confusion. She wanted to kiss him again and her cheeks warmed even more.

Inuyasha had been clear when he explained his brother and his brother's politics to her. He felt disgusted with humans. Many yōkai did and how higher the rank, the more the superiority complex grew. His hold on her tightened for a moment, claws biting in her skin. She supposed if she had been human, she would have winced, but as she was it didn't bother her.

"You should return to the human village."

She really should…

He looked as if he wanted to say something. His pupils were dilated. She was sure that meant he had been enjoying their activities. Her face heated more and she supposed her cheeks had the same flattering colour as the scabbard of her sword. He slowly let go off her and she took in a shuddering breath.

"Miko,"

She nodded dazedly, her face had grown too hot and her breathing was laboured. Massaging the bridge of her nose she slowly turned on her heel and started down the forest path towards Kaede's village without a word. Obviously, he hadn't expected her gratitude. She suspected he didn't need it either, yet she was raised to be polite and as her mother always said, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, so she thanked him. She wondered what 'fertile' smelled like. Obviously, it wasn't entirely a repelling scent either. The thought to ask Inuyasha briefly crossed her mind, but than she realised how extremely awkward that conversation would be and bit her lower-lip.

She was fertile… Did that mean she smelled nice?

Chiharu slowly came to a stop and after a second dared to look over her shoulder but the imposing form of Sesshomaru was no longer visible. Probably fled as soon as he could. The idea made her feel a tiny bit better about the whole ordeal and she quickened her pace. There was a fire burning in Kaede's hut and she heard her friends and her sister converse softly. Thin whips of smoke rose into the air and the huts were knishes clustered in the valley below.

For a moment, she remained rooted to the spot at the edge of the forest. She felt a prickle at the edges of her senses and stared into the forest again. A tendril of your exited outward from the darkness and brushed against her. It didn't feel very unpleasant, yet, it creeped her out all the same. Perhaps he'd been more affected than he'd let on. Chiharu shook her head and started walking again.

Kagome had brought her blue bike and it was leaning against the wall of Kaede's hut. A small flock of chickens glared as she stalked past. She glared back and they clucked in what she could only describe as indignation. As if it was her fault they were there.

Inuyasha was seated on the roof of Kaede's hut, his amber eyes glinting in the light of the moon and she gazed at him with a frown.

"What?" She asked self-consciously and his face wrinkled as if saw something odd.

"You—"

He didn't finish his sentence and suddenly something buzzed around her head: "Chiharu-sama," Myōga the flee-yōkai jumped down and landed on her shoulder. She smiled almost robotically at him and Inuyasha jerked to his feet before dropping down onto the muddy earth next to her.

"Had fun in the woods?" He asked gruffly and she glowered at him.

"Oh, yes I had so much fun. Really, a lot of fun." she snapped back. "Something about smelling good to a creepy yōkai who tried to eat my intestines or thought he could charm his way into my knickers and oh had I mentioned your brother? No, I don't think I did, did I? I ran into your brother as well. It was somewhat of an awkward conversation."

Inuyasha turned slightly red and bristled. He was like a big child and ruffling his feathers was never the best idea. "Why did you not return with Kagome, you Idiot!"

"Because she had promised to bring you your Ramen. More over, I can take care of myself."

"Oh yes, I can tell. Either way, you could have gone with her. It's not my fault you're fucking stupid." He answered gruffly and she felt a muscle in her cheek jerk.

"Why don't you kiss my slippers, Inuyasha?"

"Ah yes, your scent." Myōga said, nodding knowingly from her shoulder effectively cutting off their argument and Chiharu crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh marvellous, so you can tell too?"

"Yes," he muttered, inching back. "You don't have to worry though. To a full-yōkai fertility is merely an inconvenience. Don't get me wrong, Chiharu-sama, you do smell rather good, but no one is going to loose his head about it. Although, it's Master Inuyasha—"

"You better not finish that statement old fart!" Inuyasha threatened.

"You mean he too?" Chiharu asked exasperated, stomping her feet childishly. "Well, you know what, I'm going to bed. I've had enough with men and smelling appealing and—" her breath hitched when Myōga had suddenly jumped on her shoulder and stung her. She slapped him away, her face flushing a dark red. "That's it, I've had it!"

With an angry growl she stomped into Kaede's hut, muttering about stupid marks and scents and males and threw her backpack, coated in mud and soil on the floor. Her friends curiously stared at her face and she huffed.

"Good evening!"

"What happened to you?" Her older sister asked and Sangō sat up with drawn eyebrows, taking in the stains on her hoari and her hakama.

"I don't want to talk about it." She huffed plopping down and hugging the cautiously approaching Shippō to her chest. His nose twitched and she almost screamed in horrified anger when his face turned troubled. His child-like face scrunched up in confusion, but after a moment the expression eased and the little kit snuggled into her before strolling over to his futon and fell asleep in mere seconds. Chiharu watched his serene face for several minutes before shrugging out of her haori. Sitting in only her tank top, she smiled tightly when Kaede pried it out of her fingers.

"The last time you tried to fix it, it looked like a patchwork my late husband would make." She told her seriously and left. Chiharu supposed she should feel somewhat insulted but stomped the feeling down and changed into her long, lime green pyjama shirt.

Inuyasha came into the hut as well and slumped down against the opposite wall, amber eyes fixed on her. She grumbled to herself before unrolling her sleeping bag and curling herself up into it. She could feel the heavy prickle of his stare.

"What happened to her?" Kagome asked.

"She had a run in with my arsehole of a brother." Inuyasha answered curtly and his analysis made Chiharu slightly wince. Ran in was not all that accurate. She had literally kissed him and she had liked it.

Squeezing her eyes shut she replayed tonight's events. She didn't think he'd ever given her such an intimate look before. She shuddered when she kept going over it again and again. But what worried her the most was how she had responded. She shouldn't have felt the slight thrill of excitement when his hand had fisted in her hair or closed her eyes when she'd felt his breath on her lips. She swallowed softly.
Another set of emotions ran through her when the vivid image of Sesshōmaru flashed before her closed eyelids. Being connected with him, she supposed some attraction was to be expected, but would it also mean she should allow him to do whatever he wanted. She wondered if she would have let him push her face first into the dirt and take her right there in the woods, next to the wooden well.

That thought was so incredibly humiliating that she shook her head to herself. She wouldn't have. Kissing, yes, all right, she did and she might do that again, but allowing the arrogant idiot to do whatever he pleased without any consequences. She would not.

He was rather pretty though. Very, very pretty… He possessed an almost female like beauty that could take anyones breath away.

The idea that the Daiyoukai was very, very pretty in a not-so-masculine way, made her lips curl up and she closed her eyes. Perhaps it was wise to not come anywhere near him when she was fertile. Myōga might think that it was merely an inconvenience, she did not really want to test that hypothesis. She certainly thought the heated look he'd given her might have been a byproduct from that inconvenience. She certainly did not want to entertain any thought that it might have been for a different reason. Chiharu exhaled softly.

The last thing she wanted to do was to analyse and revisit that look of his again. Kami only knew what kind of havoc that might wreak on her neatly-ordered worldview.

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

Sesshōmaru watched the Miko go, his irritation with her making his skin crawl. She had never really touched a male before. Not sexually at least. He could tell. Her pulse had fluttered like a moth's wings under the delicate skin of her neck when he'd stepped closer. He could tell the sudden excitement. It had almost been enough to make him want to show the little thing what true excitement felt like. He certainly could imagine her innocent face in wonder as he—

He shook his head.

Her scent had grown far more appealing to him. He hadn't even realised she was fertile until he was moments away of getting himself to more bare skin. She smelled very good when she was fertile. She smelled pure and untouched. He certainly liked that smell. It was an unusual scent for a human female of her age and when he caught it, while patrolling the borders of his lands, it had made him far more willing to seek her out. His anger spiked a bit when he thought about Ranolf. While her body barely reached adulthood and smelled pure like a spring day after a rainy night, the idiot had tried to force himself on her. He'd seen red. She was his and she had just reached the stage where she could carry and give birth to his offspring. How dare that mongrel presume he could take the girl? Did those around him have no respect?

"My Lord?" Jaken's already bulbous eyes widened even more and he gruffly flipped his long hair over his shoulder. The same hair she'd curled her fingers into.

He hadn't really thought about that little side-effect. He certainly hadn't expected to be this drawn to her when she was ready to carry his offspring. It was a good lesson to stay away from her when she smelled that appealing. And if he was at it, forget the way her blood rushed quicker through her body, or the way her lower-lip had tasted when he ran his fangs over them. Jaken turned a shade paler when he peered up at his face and scuttled forward without a word.

Even without that particular scent or the small signs of excitement she'd so readily displayed, she was rather pretty wasn't she. She had quite bright eyes and was rather clever. He was absolutely sure he'd seen her read a book. Books weren't that common in this part of the world, so Sesshōmaru could only assume her and her sister had come from an influential Human family. Than there was the faint red bow of her lips curving in a smile when she was amused. He had noticed how her dark hair was rather alluring when she let it tumble freely down her back and shoulders, a healthy shine to it, in a time of war and death.

Sesshōmaru shook his head when they arrived at his camp. Rin was snuggled closely to Ah-Un. She was continuously asking about the Miko. Even Jaken seemed to have some sort of begrudging sort of respect for her. Sesshōmaru could only assume that it had originated from the Mark, Sesshōmaru himself had given her.

The girl had used extreme caution when she addressed him that evening, but she knew on some unconscious level what he wanted from her that night. And how he'd wanted it.

With a soft sigh, Sesshōmaru stared up at the cold, brittle stars. He had spent many hours studying the Miko, through the simmering haze of their campfires. With each meeting, with each time he watched her, his troubling preoccupation with the young girl had intensified.

He really needed to stay away from her.

He did not want to become his father.

To be continued...

Next update: Upcoming Thursday^^