Chapter 13

A/N : I do not own Inuyasha.

Yuutsuki awoke to a silent whoosh of the door. Even though it was completely dark, she recognized the person entering the place.

"Se.." She coughed, the dryness of her throat did not allow her to speak. A sudden, sharp, rending pain constrained her movement. He passed her a mug with water. The girl emptied it in an instant.

"Thank you." She could not see him, but she was sure he was looking at her. She nervously bit her lower lip, feeling the wound reopening. Fighting with pain, she took several shallow breaths. Yuutsuki heard the rustle of his clothing as he started fire in the hut, illuminating the place.

"I am sorry… I apologize for the whole situation." The girl squeezed her fists. "I thought fighting you will force me to properly use the sword, I never suspected…I am so embarrassed…"

"You could have died." Sesshoumaru sat down close by, not bestowing her a glance.

"I would have died if you did not bring that priestess…" Her voice was breaking and chest hurting from too rapid, deep breaths. "That's why I put myself in your hands. Say a word and I will go back to the future and I will never think about co…ming…b…ack…" The last part was spoken in broken whispers, hands pressing against her face, stifling repetitive sobs.

"I do not wish for you in here indeed." His raw declaration was foreseeable, however it posed as a deserved offence to her anyway. She recomposed herself, stopped crying and despite the pain of moving her arms, she wiped the tears away.

"I understand. I will return home then." Yuutsuki tried to lift herself, but his voice stopped her.

"Foolish. I merely said I do not want you here. I have never told you to go back."

She was puzzled by his ambiguous words.

"Remaining here endangers your life. I assume you want to avoid lethal situations."

Yuutsuki smirked, for she had recalled Sesshoumaru saying something similar in the future. He growled in annoyance.

"What is so entertaining?" She lowered her glance, aware of how inappropriate her sneer had been.

"Heard it before, nothing more. Can you explain why it is dangerous in here?" Sesshoumaru looked at her swollen, still livid eyes and sighted.

"You are hasty, bold and quite often infelicitous in your verdicts, hence you have heard it before. Leaving this place is necessary, unless you urge to endanger everyone around you. Currently your head is being pursued by two bothersome demons and everyone who keeps warm relations with the Rens. They deem you as a fake Ren, a traitor and probably a witch. I do not know the details yet."

"But…" Yuutsuki tried to counter him.

"You will not try to fight them and will not try to straighten the facts. You will not try to prove anything. There is a price for your head, lay low. I have just barely saved your life, do not taunt your fate."

His admonitory glare kept her silent.

"This…" He pointed at her chest "Is a wound born from your own thoughtlessness, do not mark yourself anymore. Inuyasha and the rest manage well without you. Come with me, train properly to finally master the sword. Wagging a useless piece of metal that only hurts you is not a worthy alternative."

The girl kept quiet, for his words were true.

"Decide yourself and inform me in the morning." Sesshoumaru left her alone, but no time to think was needed, she had already made the decision.

\\

"Good morning" Kaede opened the hut's door, letting fresh, chilly, morning air inside. It came as surprise to her that the girl was already awake.

"Couldn't sleep?" The priestess passed her a bowl of warm rice. She curiously looked at the dying fire.

"I had a visitor at night." Yuutsuki smiled and began to eat. "Thank you, Kaede-sama."

"Oh, I see. I heard he leaves today." The girl nodded. "Eat plenty, afterwards I will change your bandages."

As Kaede was preparing herbs and clean clothes, Yuutsuki finished her meal and took off her blouse. Ungluing the bloody cloth was painful as always, however necessary to keep the wound clean. The priestess finished the procedure and stated:

"Tenseiga really exceeds the healing process, I am impressed. A week more and you will be like new. Your clothes are all stained again, let me give you fresh ones. Unfortunately I only have the priestess garments left."

Yuutsuki smiled again and bowed her head politely as she received the clothing.

"Should you need any help, call me. I think you can manage by yourself already. But remember, no rash movements!" Kaede wagged her finger at her and left, dragging her feet on the ground. The girl had troubles keeping her balance due to vertigo, but she managed to put the garments relatively fast. She sighted and wished she could enjoy a hot bath. After attaching her sword to her waist, she grabbed Tenseiga and exited the hut. Already outside she saw no one but Kaede and Kagome chit chatting with other village women.

"Yuutsuki! Do you feel better already? Are you sure you can walk?" Kagome rushed towards her, smiling radiantly.

"Did you come to say bye to Sesshoumaru? He was around somewhere…" She looked around."I don't think we are going to see him soon, he said he is going back north-west today. Why do you have the swords with you? Don't tell me…" Kagome's expression became worried. "You are not in state to travel! And I thought you would stay with us…"

Yuutsuki answered:

"I am going with him and I promise, when I return I will be more helpful." Kaede grabbed her shoulder.

"Don't be silly, in your state you are barely able to stand, you need to recover first."

"Kaede-sama, Kagome, sincerely thank you for your help." Yuutsuki bent her head really low. "Send my thanks and regards to others."

"Are you sure you are doing the right thing? Do you even know where you are going?" Kagome did not give in.

"I will be fine, really. Thank you." Yuutsuki directed her steps towards the exit of the village, sensing Sesshoumaru. She saw him, waiting, inquisitively looking at the priestess outfit.

"Did you abruptly discern a surge of spiritual abilities somewhere deep within?"

The girl chuckled and denied with a hasty hand gesture.

"That would be highly beneficial, but unfortunately, no. Blood stained all of my clothing." She pointed at Tenseiga. "Do you want me to return it to you?" Sesshoumaru took her other sword and put Tenseiga in the same place.

"I will keep this one as for now."

Yuutsuki was glad about it, she could continue on being healed by Tenseiga and travel more comfortably, due to the lack of the big Rens' sword. They moved slowly, Sesshoumaru one step ahead of her. After half of an hour of silence, Yuutsuki asked.

"Where exactly are we headed to?"

"To my mother's lands. We should be there before the nightfall. I cannot teleport within such great distances, so we will as well walk." He stopped and looked back at her. "Do not worry, I am fully aware of your condition." To her surprise, the demon lifted her in the bridal style and headed forward with a dazzling pace, jumping from a tree to a tree. Two hours of constant run made her nauseous and uncomfortable. Sesshoumaru remained quiet and focused on the way ahead. Despite it being bumpy, she fell asleep out of monotony, embraced by the warmth of his body. Yuutsuki woke up on grass, sunrays hitting her eyes. She lifted herself roughly and straightaway regretted it, feeling the stabbing pain of her wound. A small stream caught her attention, she approached it and satisfied her thirst. The girl splashed the icy water on her face and neck, sensing her fever rising.

"Are you hungry?" Sesshoumaru's words sincerely scared her, for she hadn't heard nor felt him drawing near. After several calming down breaths, she mumbled out:

"I don't feel like eating."

"You've become sicker…" He pensively looked up and added: "I decided to count on luck and use up my whole energy on teleporting."

Sesshoumaru grabbed her and used his instant teleportation. The scenery did not change much, the trees around looked the same. Still having her in his arms, the demon set off rapidly and did not stop for around an hour. They teleported again, and when Yuutsuki opened her eyes she saw five sturdy-looking demon soldiers pointing their swords at her and Sesshoumaru. Next second all of them were kneeling, with their heads low.

"I am extremely sorry, Sesshoumaru-dono, we did not expect you. Sensing an approaching teleportation we prepared for the attack."

Sesshoumaru did not release the girl from his grip, just nodded his head and ordered:

"One of you teleport us inside, I have drained my energy as for now. Also, cast her to sleep, she needs rest. "

"Right away." One of the demons step forward and touched Yuutsuki, she immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Waking up was really pleasant, the place was filled with floral scent, warm sunrays entering the room through tall windows of the decorated room. Yuutsuki felt completely rested, although the comfortable bed was rather difficult to abandon.

Finally, the hunger took over and the girl got up, noticed folded clothes on a table. Her previous priestess outfit was nowhere to be found, so she decided to put whatever had been given. It turned out to be a grey kimono, something similar to martial arts training clothing. Her ring remained on her finger, but there were no swords with her. While getting dressed, Yuutsuki noticed that her wound had been treated.

A knock on the door could be heard. The girl finished putting on the outfit and answered:

"Yes?"

A man, male demon came in to the room, his grey, wide eyes curiously looked at her. He had very long, golden, curly hair covering his armoured shoulders. Smiling, he spoke with a smooth voice:

"Did you rest well?"

"Uhm… Yes. Do you know where I can find lord Se…"

"Oh excuse me, I did not present myself. Forgive me." He bowled his head low. "I was merely enchanted with your splendid beauty. My name is Tadao and I am the head General in here. It is nice to meet you, Ren Yuutsuki."

The girl felt skipped, but she as well bowled respectfully.

"Tadao-sama, nice to meet you too. Can you tell me where I can find lord Sesshoumaru then?"

"He is really busy at the moment, I will help you with everything. First let's feed you."

"I will not take a lot of his time…" She insisted, feeling a bit abashed by his intense look.

"Quite a spirit you have, in addition that blush on your cheeks, just as Tarou had said, you are marvellous." Tadao seemed amused. "I am sure that lord Sesshoumaru will come to you when he is free, so forget about him as for now. Aren't you hungry?"

Yuutsuki decided that she would look for Sesshoumaru on her own and as for now take care of her needs.

"Yes, I am."

Tadao laughed. "You are completely not minding my complements, do you feel uncomfortable? I apologize, sometimes I am too straightforward." The girl lifted her chin higher and pugnaciously looked into his eyes.

"Don't worry about it. Shall we go?" The demon nodded.

"Yes. After the food though, there is training. Are you up to it? Is your body fine already?" She flinched as he tilted towards her face, bringing He was tall, as tall as Sesshoumaru, but his whole posture seemed more muscular. Tadao smiled and grabbed her wrist, slightly pulling her to him.

"Follow me."

He brought her to a dining room, where she ate a big meal. Afterwards he trained her for three hours nonstop, teaching her how to handle the Rens' sword more efficiently. Throughout all the time he was tremendously courteous and slightly teasing. Eventually, the girl became found of his sense of humour and was giggling with him every time he threw a remark. As Yuutsuki became too tired to continue training, he stated:

"It is time for the formal introductions, but we do not want you to greet the lady of the house in sweaty clothes, do you?"

Yuutsuki wiped the drops of sweat from her forehead.

"Definitely no."

"My room has access to my private hot springs, you are more than welcome to chop in with me." He blinked his eye, taunting her again.

"Of course I am joking, pretty. There is no need to get tense." Suddenly, his expression changed, making him loose his dazzling smile. At that moment Yuutsuki sensed Sesshoumaru's aura and opposite to Tadao, she smiled, hoping to talk to the demon lord.

Sesshoumaru appeared out of nowhere, wearing a golden-brown kimono, his hair tied. The golden eyes were shining, looking straight at the girl, the tension of the gaze almost unbearable. She bowled her head, greeting him. Tadao bowled as well and spoke:

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I did not expect you here. Is there anything you need?"

"No. I was just passing." Sesshoumaru approached them closer. "Tadao, did you already provide the human with food?" Yuutsuki got annoyed. The human? She had thought that they got a bit closer to each other lately. She frowned in disbelief and fixed the indignant, dark eyes at the dog demon.

"Yes, of course. I was going to introduce her to your mother soon."

"Human? Did you forget I have a name?" Tadao chuckled and Sesshoumaru lifted up his eyebrow as Yuutsuki's husky voice broke out.

"I wonder if you would be glad to be described as the demon." The girl continued, irritated.

"It would be a sign of weakness for lord Sesshoumaru to directly address a human at all. Outside of the castle, nobody cares, but in here it would be greatly criticized. To lord Sesshoumaru or his mother you will speak through me only. You are in a demon castle, consider it an honour and play by the rules set by the owners."

Tadao's words completely shocked her. She grabbed Sesshoumaru's sleeve and asked:

"Unfair, you are never unfair Sesshoumaru...Why would you bring me in here then?"

"Tadao, keep it between us."

"I wouldn't dare to do otherwise." Tadao moved away, but it was no secret he could hear everything.

Sesshoumaru directed his raged eyes at her. At first she got scared and withdrew her hand immediately, but later she understood. He did not like this either. Lowering his posture, he brought his face to her level and with curt words spoke:

"This is the only place to entirely guarantee your safety, we have talked about this previously. I understand your point of view, but understand mine." He spoke through his teeth. Yuutsuki looked away, discouraged by his unusual tone. "Some things must be sacrificed in order to attain others. I apologize for not telling you earlier. Once Oka's issue is solved I will take you back to Inuyasha myself, I promise. Tadao is a great trainer, it won't be long until you learn what you need to know." Tadao's eyes widened, he had never heard his lord promising anything to anyone, especially not to a human.

Sesshoumaru lifted up the girl's chin, forcing her to look at him directly. "Understood?" Yuutsuki unwillingly nodded yes. He patted her head once, turned and walked away.

The girl did not say anything to Tadao, just allowed him to guide her to take a bath. She was given a beautiful red kimono, patterned with faded-yellow leaves, which suited her figure astoundingly well.

She let her freshly washed hair dry in the cold wind of autumn evening, sightseeing the garden around Tadao's hot springs. Yuutsuki was cognizant that the demon had been observing her throughout the whole time and it came as no surprise to her when he approached after a while.

The demon smiled, somewhat lifting up her spirits. She smiled back and bowed.

"Thank you, this kimono is lovely."

"Nothing compared to your beauty. Are you ready to meet the lady of the house?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Might as well."

"Would you like to stroll before that?" Yuutsuki threw him a questioning look.

"I can either teleport us there or we can walk. I leave the decision up to you."

"We are going to walk then."

First minutes they walked in silence, until Yuutsuki asked:

"What kind of demon are you?" Seeming amused, he laughed.

"Let's make it more interesting. Let's make a deal. If you guess I will fulfil one request of yours and if you don't you will fulfil a request of mine."

"What requests would that be?"

"Hmm, I don't know, it can be something funny or mean, what would you like me to do if you guess? Dance? Jump around? Scream something out loud?" Tadao spun around hilariously and out of nothing took out a red rose from behind of his back and put it in Yuutsuki's hair.

"If I win I want you to make it possible for me to talk to Sesshoumaru again." He swayed his head and finally nodded.

"Dangerous, but possible. But if you do not guess you will promise me you will not seek opportunities to talk to him in here."

Yuutsuki looked at his abruptly, he was not teasing, his eyes were stern.

"Fine. But you have to give me three clues."

Tadao smiled widely and closed his eyes in muse.

"I shall give you three clues at once then. In my demon form I have four paws, a tail and fangs."

"Dog demon!" Yuutsuki could not imagine any other species. For the first time she felt his demon aura, as he opened his eyes, which were bloody red now. His power was overwhelming, as if trying to suffocate her with demon energy. In a blink of an eye he approached her and whispered to her ear:

"Wolf. I am a wolf demon from the northern lands. I pledged my loyalty to the western lands, because I disagree with the leader of the north. Will you promise then?"

"Prove it first…" The girl felt really uncomfortable, almost terrified due to her loss. She did not expect to be wrong.

"As I thought, you will not give up without a fight." He casually smiled and suddenly his energy burst, creating a red aura around him and he shape shifted, turning into a gigantic, golden wolf with extended fur. Yuutsuki watched him in agape, unable to say anything. His demon form was magnificent. He returned to his human form and laughed cheerfully.

"So how will it be?"

"I promise then." His smile disappeared as he noticed her saddened eyes hiding under the dark eyelashes.

The rest of the walk passed in silence. When they got to the place, they were informed of Sesshoumaru's mother urgent leave and the fact that her return was expected only in a few days. Tadao brought her back to her room, where a hot supper was waiting for her. Meanwhile eating, he was entertaining her with jokes and telling anecdotes. When he left her alone, she did not change, did not relax. She hid her face in her hands and began to cry. Her heart almost stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning herself, she gave a short cry of shock. The girl saw Sesshoumaru looking at her intensely with concern in his eyes. She quickly wiped her tears and straightened her pose. He pretended he had not seen anything.

"You should knock before coming in." Her voice sounded funny, for her nose was stuck due to crying.

"As a matter of fact I did not come in, I teleported. It would be highly unsuitable for me to visit you in the evening through the main door." He stopped for a second "Show me your wound." Sesshoumaru swiftly pushed the silk material, carefully not to bear too much of skin. He heard Yuutsuki's heart racing and he found himself amused about it. The wound was recovering fast, however a deep scar would remain in here. The ugly lines the priestess had put in her flesh would need to be taken out soon.

"Sesshoumaru…" He took out the flower Tadao had put in her hair, and threw it on the ground, knowing who had given it to her. The demon turned his back at her and took a deep breath.

The girl wanted to stretch out her hand and touch his arm, he seemed so distant, unreachable. Being unable to talk to him in public grieved her, wanting to know the situation a little bit more, she wished for a gesture from his side. The long silver hair, tightly tied up, swayed as he curtly spoke:

"Yes?"

"Did you come here for any particular reason?"

Sesshoumaru lifted his eyebrows, expecting different question.

"You're a guest in here, I am merely checking if there is anything you need."

"Yet you are not supposed to talk to me."

His lips tightened, but she could not see it.

"No one tells me what I am supposed to do. There are many vicious, jealous members of this place that could hurt you for flaunting around me."

Yuutsuki picked up the rose from the floor and placed it on the table. He placed a heavy glare on her.

"Does this rule apply to you only? Won't they be angry at me anyway, since your main general is babysitting a human?" The demon circled her with slow steps, watching her carefully. Yuutsuki felt like she was drowning in his mesmerising look. He finally stopped and answered:

"Tadao is doing it at my behest, they might be angry but would not dare to defy it. You are curious why they would be so angry? For a simple reason, they cannot speak to me either. Only generals can."

"I understand." There was nothing else she could say about this issue. Causing more troubles was something she urged to avoid. "I shall not speak to you in public, I will lay low, as you asked. Thank you for clarifying this to me."

He nodded, clearly satisfied with her promise. "Tomorrow I order someone qualified to come and take out the lines in your wound."

Yuutsuki's humour worsened. It would be extremely painful, the wound would need to be reopened, but the procedure was extremely necessary.

"I will send the best healer we have, who will be punished for every minute of pain you endure."

She wagged her hands in denial, trying to hide her worried expression behind a smile. "I am mentally prepared for it, no need to punish anyone."

"Do you need a maid? To help you get dressed, washed?"

"No…" Yuutsuki laughed genuinely. "Not at all, thank you."

"Fine then. I shall leave now." Sesshoumaru sighted and focused his eyes at her once more and ventured several steps towards the doors. "This kimono favours you."

Encouraged by his compliment, she grabbed his arms, stopping him from teleporting.

"Sesshoumaru?" Yuutsuki did not look at him directly, without letting him go, as if afraid he would disappear she continued, abashed:

"Will you come to talk to me again?" Tension in her voice stopped him from answering immediately. The demon turned and Yuutsuki let go of his sleeve. Seeing the ashamed face made him smirk slightly, however deep inside he got scared. A human had managed to make the great lord Sesshoumaru scared of his feelings. He cared about her, not as a responsibility, but almost like an essential that obligatorily had to be satisfied. Shielding her from discomfort and sorrow, caring about her wellbeing seemed obvious. Without her around, his mind was demanding thinking about the human girl. Almost as if he was obsessed. Yuutsuki was still too ashamed to look at his face, but as well impatient to hear the answer. She realized she had been too reliant on him, making him mend every mistake of hers.

"Do you wish for it?" His quiet words made her heart beat a little bit faster, she nodded vigorously.

Sesshoumaru urged to wrap his arm around her waist and press her fragile self to his chest. Refraining himself, he squeezed his fists, yet again allowing his claws to penetrate through his skin.

"I shall then. I will check on you tomorrow." Pleased, she looked at him just to see that his face wore a grim expression and the golden eyes peeved. Before Yuutsuki managed to open her mouth, he disappeared, teleported himself out of the place, leaving her with widely spreading doubts.

/

"All done. Since you are a human, a scar will form."

"Thank you very much."

The healer left the room and Yuutsuki rolled her eyes. She was over cautious in every move she had done. Sesshoumaru's threat worked well, the procedure had been painless.

The girl refined her clothing and exited the room to greet Tadao, who had been waiting outside the whole time.

"How did it go? Nao is an expert." Tadao's blue kimono with golden sewing contrasted with his blond hair, causing a pleasant visual effect.

"Just as expected of an expert then. Painless." The demon chuckled and called her closer with a gesture.

"Good. Today I will show you a few tricks of spiritual control. Let's take a walk."

Walking shoulder to shoulder through a long corridor, they chitchatted.

"You use spiritual powers?" Yuutsuki was sincerely surprised.

"Well, basically I am quite skilled. Not many could battle me." Amused, he tilted his head to the side, allowing his hair to sway repeatedly. "The one I will mark in the future should feel quite safe and proud."

"The one you will mark?" The girl had no idea what he was talking about.

Tadao wrapped her curl around his finger, playing with it.

"You do not know? When a male demon chooses a female, he marks her. It is a promise of claiming."

"No, I have no idea about it."

The demon brightened, clearly happy to be the one informing her about it.

"So I shall tell you. Demons have really big sense of belonging. We are not like humans, changing mates from feast to feast. For example, once a demon claims his mate, they share life spam. If I were to mark you, and later claim you, you would live as long as me."

"Hm, so I see. What is the difference between marking and claiming?" Yuutsuki asked curiously.

"You want to know, don't you. Marking is actually quite palpable. It is usually a venomous bite that leaves a permanent sign. Claiming…" He laughed. "The couple shares few gulps of each other's blood and poisons. Later they have an intimate night together. When that happens, the female shares the male's life spam and becomes his real mate. Sometimes demons mark females when they are still infants or children, like lord Sesshoumaru did to the deceased Rin."

Yuutsuki stopped, shocked.

"Yes." Tadao nodded understandably. "It came as a jolt to everyone, I don't think that the child understood it herself. On the other hand I think that lord Sesshoumaru wanted to make sure no one would take her away. Once marked, no other demon or human could claim her. His poison would kill the potential mate."

He grabbed her arm and pulled slightly, to continue walking. When they hands met, she did not withdraw hers, allowing him to be held.

"Even though everyone commiserated with lord Sesshoumaru, many of us sighted with relief when she died. A wild, loud girl was of no match to be his mate." Noticing her idleness, he swiftly changed the topic.

"If you want to demand your right as the Ren responsible of taking care of the promise, I will be more than glad to recommend myself." His tone was humorous, however his eyes were serious.

"What do you mean?" Yuutsuki was baffled one more time.

"According to the promise, if you claim your right, your child, presuming it would be a female and preferably half demon, could become lord Sesshoumaru's mate."

"Cease this." Sesshoumaru's voice broke out of nowhere, the grudge in it caused Yuutsuki to shiver. Suddenly he was standing just next to them. Tadao seemed to completely omit his words and continued. Not sure how to face him after what she had heard, Yuutsuki squeezed Tadao's hand stronger, her dark eyes struggled to avoid the demon lord's face.

"What I meant before is that I would be more than glad to become your mate."

"Tadao!" Sesshoumaru growled as the jocund voice kept speaking. "Being visibly fond of your beauty, lord Sesshoumaru would surely love your daughter."

"You went overboard." These raw words caused no effect to Tadao. He was casually holding Yuutsuki's hand, facing the enraged lord.

"I don't think so, lord Sesshoumaru. Why would I not want a girl I liked so much since the first moment I saw her? Be aware, you never know when I persuade her to take my mark. I can be really convincing." He provocatively pointed at their joint hands.

Sesshoumaru growled louder, evidently refraining himself from attacking the wolf demon. Another demon entered the corridor and Tadao skilfully used the opportunity to leave.

"Now if you excuse us, we have training to do." He pulled Yuutsuki's hand to follow him.

"Oh lord Sesshoumaru, I was looking for you. There is an issue…"

"Leave me alone." Through her shoulder she observed the demon lord receding.

Already alone, in the place of yesterday's training Yuutsuki started conversation.

"About what you said…" Her unsure voice caused him to smile, encouraging her to speak.

"If you have any questions, ask, but do not worry, I do not want any answer. It was just a thing for you to keep in mind." He sat down under an apple tree. "I am sorry, but I do not feel like training you right now. Mind keeping me company?" The girl sat down next to him, not sure what to think about what had just happened.

"Won't you have troubles?"

"Many people bring troubles upon themselves telling the truth. Does it mean that we should lie?" He polished an apple and passed it to her.

"I thought he would attack you." Yuutsuki said, looking at the fruit. Tadao swept hair from her cheeks. "Were you worried?" She nodded. "I am not an easy opponent. Not even lord Sesshoumaru could be unharmed after fighting me."

The girl felt guilty, she did not want to be a reason of conflicts.

"Was all you said true?"

He sighted, fixing his eyes at two demons training.

"Yes, each and every word. I do not want to pry, but I want you to know that there are many, many demons in here with their eyes at you and lord Sesshoumaru. Seeing a relationship would greatly upset them, putting his position and your safety on stake." Yuutsuki nervously bit her lip.

"We… I don't have anything even close to relationship with him…"

"I know." He smiled. "That is why he got so disturbed with my words. He realizes it all, the risks, chances… And probably he as well noticed his attraction to you. Every man would be drawn to you, so no wonder he fell for you too. You are just a really appealing woman."

She was completely perplexed. Following his example, she focused at nearby demons' fight. More spectators gathered to watch the duel.

"They are observing each move of yours, trying to judge for themselves if the spreading rumours are true." The demon put his arms up in the air and stretched like a lazy cat. "I shall give them one reason less to believe it." Yuutsuki's face turned to him and he unexpectedly grabbed her chin, sealing her lips with a kiss which she interrupted immediately, pushing him away.

"Tadao!" She noticed several pairs of curious eyes looking.

"I am sorry…" He scratched his head in nonplus. "Forgive me. Like this they suspect you less."

Yuutsuki unwillingly smirked. His strong presence was generating an aura of shelter and balminess. The girl supported her head on his brawny shoulder and pondered about Sesshoumaru.

She had spent the whole day on walking with Tadao, laughing with his jokes and exploring the outskirts of the mansion.

Zealously waiting for Sesshoumaru to bear out his promise and appear in her room again, she kept awake for a really long time. Finally realizing he would not be coming, she threw herself on the bed, trying to calm down her fidgety thoughts. She blew off the candles and closed her eyes, dozing off for a bit. Feeling something off about the atmosphere, she abruptly sat up and looked around. In the darkness she saw a pair of shiny, golden eyes observing her.

"Sesshoumaru, you totally scared me…" The girl whispered, hoping he would get closer. He did not speak nor move though. She lit the candles, which allowed her to see him properly. Yuutsuki covered her mouth in shock as she noticed a big blood stain on his left shoulder.

"What happened?!" She approached him.

"As I promised, I came to check on you. Now I shall go to rest." His voice was weary, dull.

"Tadao…Did you fight him?" Yuutsuki grabbed his collar. She got completely surprised when he bent and touched his forehead with hers, almost completely closing the gap between their lips.

"Sesshoumaru?" The demon's exhaust had frightened her, she placed her hands on his face. The look his eyes were emanating made her forget about everything else. Sesshoumaru grabbed her greedily. The girl thought he would kiss her, and she would undoubtedly allow him, but he merely whispered:

"Next time we will talk more. Goodnight Yuutsuki."

He disappeared, leaving several drops of blood on the floor and a feeling of incompleteness in her heart. The girl got quickly dressed and directed herself to Tadao's room, being worried about his state. Knocking on his partly opened door she got no answer, so she decided to come in anyway, hearing a loud, heavy panting.

"Tadao, are you here?"

"That is not the best time, pretty." He sounded drained. Yuutsuki saw him sitting on the bed, healing his stomach, chest and hands stained with blood. "I am glad that you visited me. Let me focus though, I must heal myself." He spat out a bit of blood.

She put her hands on his wound, trying to replicate what Kagome had thought her.

"You are a real Ren, quite hopeless with spiritual powers." He laughed and just afterwards coughed. Yuutsuki got nauseous with the blood smell.

"You are really silly, fighting him. That wound is dangerous." Her lips were shaking, she panicked for his healing powers were dropping, and he seemed to be losing consciousness.

"Tadao! No, please…Dammit you're useless!" She admonished herself. "Unusable!" Feeling a spike around the ring, she focused more. "Please, work, please…" Suddenly a big source of green, mellow light came out of her hands. She placed them on the wound, staining her hands with his warm blood. After several minutes the bleeding stopped. The girl heard steps and saw the healer, Nao rushing in.

"I felt strong healing powers, oh, let me help you!"

She knelt next to her and unleashed the healing powers.

"What happened?"

Yuutsuki's lips trembled. "I am not sure… Will he be fine?"

Nao looked at her suspiciously. "His life is not in danger. His recovering powers were always poor. I did not know you heal, you lack technique, but the flow is good."

The girl exhaled the air with relief. "It is my first time producing such heals. I though he was mortally wounded…Everything was in blood…"

"Fine…"Nao said surprised. "I can take care of it myself, go back and calm down. Tomorrow he will be fine."

"Thank you, pretty." Tadao spoke with closed eyes. "Sorry to scare you."

Yuutsuki bowed in appreciation and run out from the room, trying to sense Sesshoumaru. Her attempts ended up in vain, she could not feel his presence. Returning to her room, she could not help worrying about Sesshoumaru's state. A crazy idea came to her head. Sesshoumaru had really strong senses, maybe smelling her blood would lure him out. Not thinking twice, she tightly grabbed the Rens' sword with her left hand and pulled it strongly with the right one, creating a deep wound on her palm. Tadao's blood mixed with her own, dripping on the bed. The adrenaline rush nullified the pain, making her feel a stinging only. Few moments passed and no one appeared. Resigned, the girl wrapped a cloth around her hand. Several tears fell down her cheeks as she lied down and closed her eyes in helplessness. She just wanted to know Sesshoumaru was fine.

The door of her room opened and she noticed a bent posture entering the room. Tadao. He was holding his stomach, breathing heavily. The demon dropped next to her, his golden hair mixed with hers.

"Can you tell me why did you fight?" Yuutsuki's words made his eyes glow, he grabbed her injured palm and pressed it against his chest.

"There are some things a woman should not ask." The girl felt his warm breath on her face. "I ended up much worse than him and I remained alive, so do not worry about him anymore."

He pulled her closed and hugged, hiding his face in her hair. Yuutsuki did not move, keeping in mind his wound, too scared to cause him any additional pain.

"Do not hurt yourself further. He will not come." He kissed her cut and left the room without saying anything else.

The girl did not sleep that night.

A/N: This chapter turned out to be long. Next one will be much shorter and you will be able to decide how it finishes. By the way, Thanks for the follows, I am glad someone is still reading it