I was around five minutes away from the well when my eyes spotted white amongst the trees. I suddenly found it awkward, walking toward him, and allowed my eyes to sink to the ground.

"Here I am." I stated, not knowing what else to say.

I guess he could pick up on my awkwardness. He stared at me, as though that would help. I wanted to give him a snarky reply for his staring, but nothing came to mind except for the image of me sitting in his lap. InuYasha's words rang louder in my ears as I slowly turned my shoulder to Sesshomaru. InuYasha wasn't far off in his accusations. How could an on looker possibly know, or care about the story behind the situation. It happened, didn't it? It wasn't exactly forced, sometimes, either. Majority of the times, yes, and sometimes I was in an intoxicated-like state, but it wasn't like I didn't know what he was doing. I've stopped him every time he's tried to advance beyond the more innocent side of it all, so there must have been some sense in it all, and some authority.

I tried to shake the thought off as I walked past him, stating that I could have wasted time in the village instead of in the middle of the forest. Just as I was about to clear past him, he grabbed the shoulder of my yukata, forcing me to stop as he continued to pull at it.

"What happened?" He asked, turning to face my back as his free hand traced the gauze.

My shoulders rose slightly as words refused to come to mind. All I could muster was a weak, "Nothing."

"Nothing would not require treatment." He replied, pressing his chest against my back before attempting to wrap his arms around me.

I pressed forward and pulled my yukata back in place. "I'm fine, so there's nothing to worry about."

He quickly grabbed hold of my waist, and he sure wasn't gentle about it. I curled forward as he pulled me back to him, trying not to pry myself away, but to cushion the pain by slipping my arms between his arm and my waist.

"You barely walk without doubling over." He informed coldly as he tightened his hold, making me yelp.

"I get it, I get it." I replied, reaching out for nothing.

My hand quickly bent in attempt to intercept his hand as he pulled my yukata down to my waist, revealing that my wound had opened and was now sullying the white cloth wrapped from my bust down. All the while, He made his advance away from the trail and into the woods.

"I will not ask again." He told me, staring icily into my eyes.

I froze under those absolute zero eyes, not seeing any way out of this. My gaze was frozen to those eyes, like a tongue foolishly placed on a frozen metal pole. The story flowed from my mouth with all its embarrassing details without pause before finally being interrupted by my desperate gasp for air and giving up on bearing through the pain of his hold. I doubled over as he'd observed earlier, placing my hands on top of his to ease my pain. I became like a snake as I hissed at the pain and attempted to fall to my knees. Sesshomaru held me through the entirety of it all, silently watching me writhe in pain. Once I quieted down, I willed my legs to be strong, and attempted to make space between my wound and him.

"The hanyou is a new type of useless." He stated, staring in the direction

"It wasn't his fault." I defended. "I ran into it if anything."

"You defend him." He observed, tilting my head up to face him again.

"What of it?"

He replied by pressing his lips against mine softly before gazing at me again.

"You are in my pack. Why defend him?"

"Because he did nothing wrong." I replied with rosy cheeks.

He pressed his lips against mine again, more fervently. His grip loosened as I showed no sign of resistance.

"Do not defend him."

"I'll defend who I damn well please." I whispered, before turning away from him.

"Should I take you and teach you obedience?"

"Can we just go?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Remember who you speak to." He replied.

"I know exactly who I am speaking with. I would ask that you do the same."

He didn't need to say anything to show his disdain for my answer. Instead, his fingers pressed into my wound again. I tried to pull away, but he only pressed harder into my side as he pulled me closer to him. I could feel his fingers tearing the weak fibers that had woven together to clot and close the wound. What was once a sore pain became a throbbing, sometimes pointed pain. A moment of weakness flashed; my knees buckled. I leaned on Sesshomaru, shivering, for a second before pulling myself together. For the quickest second, I feared the man would press the wound until his hand went through my side. I dismissed the thought as quickly as it appeared. Seconds after, Sesshomaru's touch vanished completely. I glanced at his hand as I stepped away, noting that they were dotted with my blood.

I kept my distance while we returned to his camp, and chose to not exchange any words.

Rin didn't wait for us to get within ten feet of camp before running out to greet us, bowing to Sesshomaru and giving an excited "Welcome back mi'lord!" She was much less formal with me, settling with me ruffling her hair a bit before helping it fall back into place.

"Did you miss me?" I asked.

"I did!" she exclaimed in all her excitement. "Jaken-san was no fun and yelled at Rin too much."

"Did he? He's just jealous, then." I replied as my gaze stuck on the hidden imp.

"That's just how Jaken-san is, Kazumi-san."

"He's lucky you're so forgiving."

We immediately set off with the dragon sporting me on its saddle. I was surprised to see that we were actually backtracking. I thought I was just imagining things, but when we started through a much too familiar castle town and then past those same gray walls, I knew we had returned to the manor. With a wave of his hand, a train of maids rushed me, tearing me away from the group and around to the bathing house. My yukata was torn off and I was spun out of the gauze. I wasn't left to have my privacy this time. Three of the four maids rolled up their sleeves and pushed me into the sauna like room and started the task of scrubbing me clean, while one focused on my wound, gently scrubbing away scabs and washing them away. I finally got to see the wound, though two days old. Under the left side of my ribcage, next to my love handle, a tanned sun like circle attempted to spread beyond its pointed borders. Through the middle ran a line about three centimeters wide, bleeding again as the caked blood was hydrated and washed off.

Once that was done and I was rinsed off and allowed to soak, but ended up taking no longer than five minutes because the room and water was too hot. A minute longer, and I would have passed out. I left the room, and gulped down the cooler air of the dressing room. I didn't get a second to recover as I was dried and ointment was applied to my wound. These maids came prepared, and ready to get down to business, scaring me in the process. Their efficiency was ferocious as tasks were split, yet executed in such perfect unity that one person seemed to be doing it all.

I was spun into a new gauze with deadly accuracy, having only the area between my rib cage and waist wrapped. My hands magically found their way into clean sleeves as the yukata cloth dressed itself on me and adjusted itself while and obi flew to my waist to match the gauze underneath before tying neatly into a bow. With that, I was bathed and dressed in less than an hour, and ready to go. I was completely dazed through it all, only catching up as I was walked through the larger garden with the women. I could only let out a surprised "wow" in response to their work, receiving soft giggles in reply. When I asked how long it took them to get to such a level, they looked at each other before shrugging off the question, telling me that they never really kept track.

From there, I was lost in the hibiscuses, lavender, magnolias, lilies, and the overall overload of color, smells, and shapes. I thought I would be bored of it all after the first time, but there really isn't anything like a Japanese garden. I would swear that there's nothing greener than the leaves and grass, but how could I say that if I haven't seen every green patch of grass or vegetation there is? Regardless of political correctness, there was definitely something enchanting about the lot beyond the sheer vastness of it. I made an effort to not destroy what I assumed to be the work of the gardener. I don't know how long it took him or her to get the stones into their rosette like pattern and the flowers to offer their petals, but I sure wasn't going to put them through it again.

'Do they just stumble upon these oddly shaped rocks? Or do they have them made or shipped over here?' [Me]

I wouldn't know. [I]

In a field filled with all these colors, you'd think you wouldn't see much green beyond stems and leaves. [Myself]

Have you ever wondered how it would feel if someone you weren't particularly fond of asked to essentially third wheel you for an entire day? [I]

Well, isn't that completely random? [Myself]

'You know I wouldn't have that, and I'd tell them that.' [Me]

Don't flatter yourself. You know they wouldn't dare approach you. [Myself]

'Because they'd know better.'[Me]

Okay how about this, - [I]

'I could go for a pic of Madara right now.'[Me]

Don't let Sesshomaru hear that. [Myself]

'With that head of his, I wouldn't be surprised if he could read minds too.' [Me]

Shut up. You're walking down the street and some guy comes up to you and says he loves you and that he's been watching you from afar. [I]

'I'd be more freaked out than anything, but probably blush my butt off as I walk away.'[Me]

Okay, there's a dog-[I]

'I didn't sign up to take a survey, and I'm definitely not going to get paid for this either.' [Me]

You gotta keep your mind preoccupied while looking around. Just thinking, 'this is pretty!' isn't very productive. [I]

'Neither is asking questions you know the answers to.' [Me]

My mind went quiet after my hushing, and my attention returned to the orange daffodils that sprang forth next to me, reaching out to caress my arm. I obliged the daffodils, gently lifting one of the flower heads and letting orange soak into my gaze until a soft "excuse me" shifted my eyes away from petals and onto the face of the maid that had dressed my wound. I turned away from the flowers to silently show she had my attention.

"What is it that we should address you as?" She asked.

"Kazumi-san is fine." I informed before starting our way out of the garden.

A moment of silence elapsed as the four women stared at each other, questioning my reply. A few minutes later, the maid came up with her next question.

"If we may ask, Kazumi-san, what are you to Lord Sesshomaru?"

I slowed to a stop, knowing that the wrong reply would bring unnecessary attention, or with more people wanting my head on a silver platter.

"An ally is all." I gave.

This reply seemed more cryptic to them than the first.

"Kazumi-san, you are aware that you bear his mark, correct?" Another asked, stepping forward as well.

"I am aware." I stated while starting on our short journey again. "However, I am unaware as to when it happened, and therefore find it to show no romantic connection between the two of us."

"My la-, Kazumi-san, I am not sure if you are aware of the ways of this land, but a marking cannot simply be waved off." The second maid pushed. "You are very lucky to have caught my lord's eye, and to ignore that is to insult him."

I stared at her, unwilling to change my disposition. "I simply prefer to know when I am being courted, regardless of who is doing said action."

What I really wantedto tell her was how pompous and presuming she and her lord was, but I kept my tongue still. I would only come off as arrogant. My reply wasn't anywhere near as condescending as the words that ran through my head, insulting the demon lord and the naive servants as much as I wanted. Comments like that, absolute praise toward having anything Sesshomaru related in your life, feed his ever growing and ever hungry ego. With my silent insulting done, I let out a silent breath and relented.

"You must forgive me. It seems the sun and my wounded state have taken hold of my mind. It is almost sunset, after all." I stated before turning to initiate our trek to the buildings again.

We were but a few feet away from a door when the third, silent, maid spoke.

"What do you see yourself as to him, Kazumi-san?" she asked, slightly bowing her head as I found myself staring at the molten lava that was the sky.

I couldn't help myself from being completely honest. "A tool." I pulled my chin back down and turned to face the woman completely, forgetting that the other three were there. I stared into her light brown eyes before elaborating. "A tool he plans to use to defeat his enemies, and continue his dynasty." It dawned on me that InuYasha had been too kind to call me his pet.

We exchanged gazes for a minute before I turned and left their company. At least that was off my chest. I don't know how it would bode with them, but I would find out soon enough.

I found my way to my room and quickly laid out my futon. I would skip dinner tonight, something the maids were accustomed too. I was exhausted for no particular reason, but I would happily sleep it away. It seemed to me that a bed would not do the job tonight. I laid against the bedding and let my hands run against tatami matting. I had no idea bamboo could be so comforting. I closed my eyes and let out a heavy sigh, losing myself to the slow halt of buzzing and bird songs.

I woke up, feeling myself being lifted off the futon. I was barely awake, but could tell it was Sesshomaru moving me from my spot on the floor.

"What's wrong?" I asked looking to find his face.

It was too dark to make out anything. A shiver ran down my back as I felt him lay me against the bed further in the room. I was eager to wake up when his fingers started to slip my clothes off and his lips smothered me. After getting over the initial shock, I pushed him away.

"You couldn't wait until morning?" I asked, staring into the darkness I presumed his face to be behind.

He said nothing as he ran his fingers against my skin, sliding under my clothes and pulling them down further. My spine felt like needles were pricking into it as my stomach tightened. I suddenly had a feeling that this wasn't his usual attempt. His fingers clenched onto my arms, and his chest rested against mine. His breath tickled my ear while my own stalled.

"A tool, are you?" He asked, kissing my neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked frantically.

"Raise your voice, and you will wake others."

My brows scrunched as I went quiet. I wasn't comfortable, and I don't think any sane person would be in this situation: having a man, who isn't your significant other, romancing you, in your bedroom, in the middle of the night, without your consent. I may have been used to the romancing and the lack of consent, but something in my bones was unsettled. A chill flushed out the warm atmosphere that once enveloped the room, leaving me tense and fretful. My mind blanked as his cool fingers wrapped around my waist and his kiss blistered my chest with hickies. I tried to kick my way out, pushing myself up and out of his hold, only to find that his legs were more than happy to occupy the space between mine. I instantly regretted my decision.

"Is this how you plan to make your point?" I whispered, getting his attention off the pleasures of the body.

"You are my tool, are you not?" He asked, not budging his hands from my skin. "A tool should not speak against being used."

"You're being spiteful. I get it, I won't say something like that again." I announced, hoping to persuade the man off me.

He paused for a minute before moving his hands to smooth against my shoulders and arms. "Why do I allow your words to sway me?" He asked before stealing my lips again. "To attain submission, I must dominate. Should that entail your destruction, so be it."

An unknown frigidity laced his voice, freezing my mind. I didn't know the person before me. This was a stranger. Who was this? My life was in danger. His arms slipped around my back as his lips continued to distract me, filling every inch of my chest with red bumps, and silencing me with a kiss every time I tried to quarrel with him. The touch of his lips were deadly accurate, caressing me in a way that always left me in a perpetual state of shock. I couldn't peel myself away for a significant amount of time until I felt my entire yukata loosen as he rolled my obi off. I took advantage of the space the advance made and stuck my hands onto his chest, hoping to hold him at bay while I ran away. However, I quickly found that my arms were twigs to him as he moved his hands to bend my elbows and allow himself to place his face inches from mine. I couldn't see a thing, but knew I was staring into his eyes, and they were as indifferent as ever. A shaky breath ran through me as I panicked.

I couldn't fight him. There was no way for me to fight him off. My legs attempted to shut together, but I'd already, foolishly, let him sit in between them. I let out a whine as I felt him shift. He said nothing, preferring to move his hand from my elbow to my chin to prevent me from avoiding his smothering. Every inch of my skin shuddered from the thought of it. Was I about to be raped? What was happening? I was lost. I couldn't truly understand what was happening. It was like everything was paused, and that his actions would have no consequence: that regardless of what he did, I would wake up as the same woman I was when I went to sleep. His touch disappeared as my mind started to question if the Sesshomaru before me was just a figure of my imagination. How could I be sure? There was no face, no body, to put the deeds to. No matter where my eyes looked, only darkness met them. This had to just be a nightmare, right? That must be the reason behind my emotionless thoughts. There's no other explanation. This has to be a concoction of my own perverted mind.

I really did try to convince myself that, and I don't know how long the thought would have ran through my head, but the shock of his touch and the sensation of my hairs standing on edge brought me back to reality. He was quiet as I felt his hand reaching to hold me again. This time, I snapped. Instead of spiraling into my self-delusion, my hands flew to clasp over my mouth and stop the shout that rolled through my throat like a wave. My eyes caught up with the situation, finally welling with tears as I looked away. The warm tears in my eyes burned as my heavy breathing escaped through the cracks in between my fingers. I finally let my voice go as my mind caught up as well. It wouldn't matter if others heard me. By dawn, whether they heard or not, I'd be ruined.

"Stop. Please." I cried, choking on my growing fear.

He ignored me.

"Oh God, no." I wailed louder, swallowing my breath harshly. "Just kill me."

He continued, fondling as he pleased before brushing against what he'd been working toward the entire night. Feeling him touch me there made me lock in place as I tore my hands away from my mouth. I was ready to let the shrillest scream I could muster out, but his clawed hand almost shattered my jaw with how forcefully he cupped my mouth shut. A wild growl rumbled into my ears as his other hand dug into my right arm to lay it back. I shook my head violently, begging to be let go. His claws dug into the corners of my mouth, commanding me to be still.

My yukata clung pitifully to my elbows as I slowly lost hope. I resigned myself, praying it would be over soon enough, or that I would black out for the entirety of it. What is a fawn to do when an alligator has it by the neck? I was choking on my silent sobs while trying to phase through the wall behind me. I burned with embarrassment. I was a mess. I closed my eyes, barely able to breathe through my runny nose.

For what felt like an hour, I thought that my wish had been granted, and that I'd blacked out. But realized that Sesshomaru had pulled away from me. Not daring to chance my luck, I rushed to the other side of the bed and covered myself as best as I could. Tears started to form in my eyes again, from relief and distress. There was a faint taste of iron on my tongue. I sat, looking to find where my aggressor was, and praying I hadn't run in the wrong direction. My hairs flared and throat tightened when a hand caressed my arm.

I jumped away. The lump of air in my throat was the only thing that kept me from screaming. "Don't touch me!" I demanded seconds later, louder than a whisper, but nowhere near my regular volume. "Don't ever touch me."

He was silent as I covered my chest again, running my hands across the marks of his lust that riddled the area. I couldn't stop the tears at that point. Abandoning my yukata, my palms rubbed against the bottoms of my eyes to wipe the tears away.

"Why am I so stupid?" I asked myself. "Why the hell did I think I'd be safe with you?!" I cried into my hands, hearing InuYasha's words play over, and over, and over again in my mind.

The air had gone stale as I went quiet and he sat on the side of the bed. Everything was still as my emotions wrapped around my heart, preferring to pierce my own heart instead of making any verbal complaint. My shoulders were hunched forward as I stared at the covers as my hands reached down to grab them. It felt like a decade had passed before Sesshomaru left the awkwardness he'd created for me to deal with on my own. I almost choked on the dense, moist, air. I ran away from the bed, taking the covers with me, and took refuge in a corner of the room. There wouldn't be any surprise attacks from there. I sat. My eyes stared at the door, yet focused on nothing but my incompetence. I was complacent, and complacency gets you nowhere but six feet under or… or gives you the misfortunate joy of being a man's plaything.

I attempted to stay awake, but failed in that as well. I realized this as the naïve chirping of birds woke me from my slumber. My gaze shifted away from my feet and toward the light that seeped through my window and the paper of my sliding door. I moved my covers and allowed for the joints of my knees to propel me upward. I let my numb legs carry me over toward the paper door before reaching out to open the door. My hand twitched before I pulled it away from the wood and running it across my blistered chest. My yukata had fallen again.

I returned to the bed, wandering around it until the brightly colored fabric of my obi came to sight. I took the time to fold the cloth around my waist and pull it tightly. I couldn't even tie it. My hands failed to move, and my mind failed to remember the steps. I knotted it, hoping that I would be the only one able to unknot it. With most of the marks of the night hidden from all eyes, I turned to the door that led into the building. My fingers curled around the edge of the wooden handle, but found that the door was being opened by a different force.