I do not own this most awesomest Anime.
Read and review or I shall unleash my inner demons upon you, mwahahaha.
Sesshomaru nearly sighed as he listened to the noise behind him. Years ago Rin had created a song with the express intent of annoying Jaken, while they had been in the village Rin had taught it to Melissa. She insisted on singing it repeatedly today and Jaken made his displeasure known, loudly. The more he complained, the more she seemed to enjoy it.
"Melissa, that song has grown tiresome." Sesshomaru told her. It had, but mostly he was sick of listening to the two of them. In response she sang something else in her own tongue then laughed like a crazy person.
"What are you laughing at now, silly woman?" Jaken demanded. "What on earth is so funny?"
"Song is."
"And what is so amusing about your song now?"
"You don't want to know." She replied in a sing song tone meant to annoy him. Sesshomaru was quite certain she wanted Jaken to persist so that she could annoy him further. Sometimes the two of them acted like children.
"I didn't ask if I wanted to know, I asked what it was. And just who are you to tell me what I want to know? I demand you tell me what was so funny!" He ranted, much to Melissa's amusement.
She thought about the words for a moment, then grinning she turned and sang "Yankee Doodle go to town, he ride on his mother. Every time he hit bump he had baby brother."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened ever so slightly in shock at the content of the song. Jaken screwed his face up in revulsion. "Melissa that is disgusting! Where in the world did you learn such a song?"
She laughed at Jaken then sped up to walk beside Sesshomaru. She decided to give it a rest because he looked irritated. Jaken didn't take the hint and kept complaining, that is into he was silenced by a well aimed stone. It wasn't just their bickering that was angering him though, something didn't feel quite right to him.
After a while they came out of the trees and a head saw a wide river with a tree laying across.
"Race to tree." Melissa challenged them, sprinting ahead before she finished speaking.
"Merissa, that's cheating!" Jaken complained chasing after her as fast as his stubby little legs would move.
She reached it first and turned to look at Sesshomaru with her hands on her hips, trying to pout. Then she laughed and stuck her tongue out at him and climbed up on the log, walking slowly with her arms held out for balance. Sesshomaru reached it before she was even half way across, rather than slow down to walk behind her he left the ground to glide leisurely alongside her.
"Show off!" She accused, nearly losing her balance as he came up beside her. She flapped her arms absurdly as she tottered on the log. They both looked down. The water was deep and slow and the fall was a couple of yards.
"This Sesshomaru has no need to show off." He replied, gliding in air alongside her as she resumed her slow walk across, tottering and flailing her arms again then continuing. He looked down again, a fall wouldn't hurt her.
Then she squealed as she plummeted into the river below. She didn't fall, she was pushed. He landed on the log where she had just stood and leaned over with his arms crossed to watch her splutter and curse as she surfaced.
"Your balance needs improvement." He stated, looking so serious. He then walked to the other side while she swam.
She laughed while she swam, but not while she climbed the bank. She approached him with a tight lipped smile. She spat a mouth full of water in his face and ran away laughing. He wiped the water from his face then ignoring the fact she was soaked he caught her up in his arms.
"Sesshomaru, put me down!" She giggled kicking her feet.
"No." He whispered, locking his eyes on hers. She froze as she stared up at him. His gaze was intense. He lowered his head, their faces were inches apart. She stopped breathing, was he about to... He smirked at her, then he dropped her back in the river. She laughed as she climbed up the bank.
"Quit wasting time." He told her with a completely straight face. Then his lips twitched up into just the slightest smirk and he turned and walked away.
Unfortunately his jovial mood didn't last. Something was still off. The forest animals had noticed it too, they were all on edge. He just couldn't put his finger on it yet.
"Sesshomaru, something wrong? You seem tense." Melissa asked reaching out to touch his arm.
"It is nothing for you to be concerned about." She was right though. There was a tension in the air. No. There was a tension in the Earth.
"Come." He ordered his pack, changing paths through the woods. He was on edge and the others could tell. He led them quickly and surely. Paying no mind to Jaken's questions but looking back frequently to see that Melissa kept up and didn't wander or dawdle as she was prone to do.
He led them to the middle of a large field with a small lake and turned suddenly. "We will make camp here. Melissa, stay in this field. Do not go near the trees and stay away from the lake. Jaken gather wood but stay near the field."
"But I need to catch dinner. Or find it."
"I will hunt for you tonight. Stay."
"Sesshomaru, you are scaring me." Melissa told him, but he was already flying away to find her supper. What the hell was going on? He wasn't acting like himself. No one was. Every creature in the woods was nervous and jittery. Even Jaken, though he was wound like a banjo string anyway so who could tell.
"Jaken what is wrong?" She asked the kappa when he returned with the wood.
"I'm not sure, there is something wrong with the ground." He answered starting to arrange the wood.
"Something wrong with... with the ground? What?"
"How would I know, fool? I am a water Youkai."
"Oh." She looked down. It looked alright to her. She couldn't see, feel, or hear whatever was riling everyone up.
Jaken was about the start a fire but paused to offer his lord and enthusiastic greeting.
"Sesshomaru. Jaken say something wrong with the ground. What?"
Sesshomaru tossed the dead duck in his hand to Jaken to prepare and turned to her. He opened his mouth to explain what was about to happen, but didn't get the chance. The tension in the Earth snapped and the ground began to shake and shudder.
He grabbed Melissa as she began to fall backward and pulled her to his chest. Then he dropped to his knees with her so they would not topple over. He gripped her tightly with alert senses. With her in his arms she would not fall into a chasm, but if it spewed up molten rock he'd have to move fast to avoid them getting burned to death. Even without a chasm opening fumes could rise from the ground, toxic gasses that could kill her.
The trees creaked and groaned as they began to sway. Cracking and popping as branches broke against each other. The lake began the slosh and churn up over it's banks. Rocks could be heard tumbling down a nearby mountain. But the earth around them remained intact and he could smell no gasses seeping up.
The noise from the forest rose as roots systems began to part from the earth, sending large trees toppling to the ground, breaking branches and trunks of other trees as they went. A whirlpool formed in the lake as it's bed was displaced. The side of one of the mountains came loose completely and roared to the valley below.
It lasted minutes. Then the ground ceased quaking. The trees and the waters of the lake slowed and were still once more. The last large rocks on the mountain tumbled to a stop. The only trembling that shook Sesshomaru now originate from the petrified woman in his arms. He continued to hold her and stroked her hair, allowing her to calm down before he spoke.
"That was an earthquake. Perhaps I should have warned you before I went hunting, I thought we had more time to prepare. The earth will tremble a few more times before the night is out, and perhaps for a couple of weeks." He sank from his knees to his buttocks and pulled her into his lap.
"S-Sesshomaru?"
"The danger may not yet be past. If a chasm opens or gasses begin to seep from the Earth I may have to act immediately. You, being human, are the most vulnerable member of my pack, you are the one who most needs my protection. For tonight you are safest here."
She couldn't speak so she just nodded and then wiggled into a more comfortable position in his lap. He tightened his grip around her and looked over at Jaken who stared slackjawed. "Prepare her meal, Jaken."
He held her the whole night, even as she ate. He only let her up when she needed to use the bushes then wash up in the lake. As he'd told her the ground trembled and shook periodically through the night, waking her a few times.
The moon was bright and full tonight, even once the fire had died down he could see her clearly. She looked peaceful and innocent curled against his chest, though he knew that innocence to be an illusion. He shifted, raising her a little in his arms. She sighed and cuddled more tightly against his mokomoko.
He brushed back a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her face. Her skin was so soft. He continued to gently stroke her cheek, then frowned in confusion at his actions. He looked up at the sky and saw a shooting star then looked back down. He lowered his head and brushed his tongue softly across her cheek.
His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat, he'd just licked her. He had just licked Melissa. She groaned and he realized how tightly he'd just squeezed her, he relaxed his grip and she continued to sleep peacefully in his arms.
If anyone knew... But no one did or ever would know. There was noone around to see. He brushed his tongue against her cheek again. No one would ever know.