I do not own Inuyasha.
Lord Fluffy says you'll read and review if you are wise.
This is a short chapter, sorry. Next one will be longer. For Kojo 'fans', he is coming up in the next chapter, and he will mess up bad, so you have that to look forward to.
Sesshomaru personally went to get Melissa's clothing while she was eating her breakfast the next morning. He was more than ready to leave. His mother was insufferable, Jaken wasn't as obnoxious. He wanted to return to their normal routine.
He wanted to just leave, but Melissa insisted on saying goodbye to Kimiko, it was only polite. It wasn't worth a fight so he agreed. They found her sitting on her throne listening to an advisor with a bored expression. Once the advisor finished he bowed and scurried away, allowing Sesshomaru to step forward.
"You have sought your mother out, my son? To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"We are leaving now." He replied.
"And you are telling you mother this?" She asked, grinning. He looked pointedly at Melissa, it was her idea.
Stepping forward Melissa bent into a low bow. "Thank you for hos... hosp..."
"Hospitality." Sesshomaru told her softly.
She shot him a smile of thanks and lowered her eyes again. "Thank you for hospitality. We go now, goodbye Kimikosama."
" I appreciate your polite behavior, perhaps my son will learn some manners from you. However such formality is not necessary. Please, feel free to call me mother."
"Let's go." Sesshomaru replied turning to walk away while Melissa shook her head and turned red again. She turned and ran to catch up with him however she lost her footing and started to fall down the steps. Luckily Sesshomaru was right in front of her and turned quickly to catch her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him.
"Be careful, Melissa." Sesshomaru whispered in her ear as he held her against him. Then looked over her shoulder and saw his mother had rose to her feet when Melissa started to topple over. He also saw her smirking as she sat back down on her throne.
"Well I suppose you must be going, but I hope you and your lady friend will come to visit me again soon, my son."
They turned and continued down the steps. Sesshomaru held on to Melissa's arm as they descended the steps in case she fell again. Outside the palace gates he picked her up in his arms and flew away to return to Jaken.
The palace had been blown quite a ways, it would take a while to return, but that didn't bother either of them. Melissa was cuddled against him with her head on his mokomoko and he held her tightly in his arms.
Around noon he found the spot where they had left Jaken. He didn't see Jaken at first but he could smell him, he was in the area. He set her down and she stretched but his arm remained around her. He allowed it to slip down from her shoulders to around her waist as she raised her arms above her head and arched back.
"Where Jaken?"
"Welcome back M'Lord!" Jaken screeched popping out of nowhere. Sesshomaru allowed his arm to fall from Melissa's waist before his servant noticed. It was at that moment Melissa realized he had been holding her and looked curiously at him.
"You and Merissa were gone longer than I expected, Milord. Your mother must have had a lesson for you..."
Sesshomaru turned on his heel and Melissa immediately followed without a word. Jaken would eventually figure out they were on the move and catch up.
"...Perhaps it was a task from your father, to increase your power of else to fulfill your destiny..." Jaken at that point was silenced as two rocks sent him tumbling.
Sesshomaru watched the moon try to peek out from the clouds later that night. It was a waning crescent, they would arrive at Inuyasha's village on the moonless night. He was restless. His mother always got under his skin. And he felt a little peckish, he wasn't used to frequent small meals like his mother. He decided he needed to hunt, to feed, to kill something.
He stood and looked at his tiny pack by the light of the glowing embers of the campfire. Jaken was snoring peacefully, a bubble of snot contracting and expanding with each breath. Melissa had just rolled over and was laying splayed out on her back. Her hair was draped across her face, stuck to her drool dampened cheek.
He knelt down and brushed her hair back from her face. He stroked her cheek for a moment then leaned down to kiss her lips. He then gently licked her cheek before standing and walking off in search of a wild boar he could smell in the area.
He returned near dawn and brought Melissa a piece of the kill. He told his pack it was simply to save time. They had wasted to much time with his mother. This way she would not have to take time to hunt or forage for herself. The truth was he wanted to provide for her, but he'd never admit that.
She hugged him in thanks and he once again looked at her so that her kiss landed on his lips. She once again apologized but he only informed her that the meat would not cook itself and sat down against a tree. She nodded and put her meat on a spit over the fire and added more wood.
It was so odd to accidently kiss his mouth so soon. It had only happened once before in all the months they had traveled together, and that was only a few days before. It was so weird that it would happen again so soon.