I gripped the fabric just above my left breast as I plummeted to the ground below.
I'm sorry Sesshoumaru… I thought to myself as tears slid into my hair. I wanted to see you again… To tell you I love you… I hope that you are happy though… I hope you find your mate…
Suddenly I felt warmth spread through my body starting from the mark on my chest. I opened my eyes slowly and suddenly saw just how close I had from to the ground in my free fall. Panic washed through me, as I realized for just a moment how badly I didn't want to die.
Fresh tears slid over my face as I closed my eyes tightly. "Sesshoumaru… I'm sorry…" I murmured as I pulled my legs closer to my chest.
"Sorry for what…?" Someone replied.
Suddenly I wasn't falling anymore as I ripped open my eyes only to see Sesshoumaru's face gazing down at me.
"Uh…" I stuttered as I stared up at him confused. "Am I dead…? And if so why are you here too…?"
Sesshoumaru's lips twitched as he tried not to laugh. "No… you are not dead."
I blinked. "Really…?" That's when I really felt his arms around me, cradling me gently.
He sighed. "Yes really."
Now I was curious so I decided to turn my head, big mistake. "HOLY CRAP!!" I shrieked as I saw the ground way down below us.
"Don't panic…"
"Don't panic? Don't Panic?!" I shrieked as I turned back to face Sesshoumaru. "We're floating in MID AIR!! How can I NOT panic?!"
Sesshoumaru sighed. "Shall I put you down then?"
"Yes!"
So he dropped me and I went freefalling yet again while screaming this time. He caught me by my arm and pulled my back up until he was cradling me again.
"Will you shut up now…?"
"Shut up! SHUT UP?!" I screeched. "You DROPPED me on PURPOUS you jerk!! You're such an asshole!! I hate you!!" By now I had started sobbing, which caught Sesshoumaru by complete surprise.
"I was so afraid I'd never see you again…" I hiccupped as I threw my arms around his neck. "Please don't leave me again…"
I felt Sesshoumaru's arms momentarily hug me to him and then it was gone… He was back to that cold man I knew the day he left me. "Who is that man up on the stairs…?"
"I don't know…" I mumbled.
"You don't know him and he's standing next to your captain of your guards…?"
I shook my head. "I have no idea who he is… I haven't known any of the stupid men that my good for nothing guard has made me meet. I'm either talking to some new guy he's brought in or I'm locked in my room with him at the door." I seethed.
"Locked in your room…?"
"Uh…" I blushed, I hadn't meant to say anything. "I snuck out of the castle once… everyone thought I had been kidnapped or something… so now I can't leave my room unless they let me out…"
Sesshoumaru sighed. "You'll never learn…"
I huffed then. "Well excuse me for not wanting to be cooped up all the time. Unlike you I don't get to go roam around when ever I feel like it."
He smiled then and something inside me lifted making me feel happier then I had in months.
It was then that I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him hard. "Don't leave me again…" I mumbled through tears that had suddenly started to spill from my eyes.
He sighed and gently placed his forehead against mine. Gently he pushed off something and jumped back up to the stairs where literally everyone from the castle was watching us.
I got curious and looked over his shoulder to see Ah-Un floating where Sesshoumaru had caught me.
He landed softly and let my feet touch the stairs first then slowly raised me up until I was standing, very lightly keeping his hand on my back just incase I fell.
Miraculously my michiyuki still covered my shoulders and I wondered briefly how that was possible, then decided I didn't really want to know.
"I think Lady Kaori has had enough excitement for one day…" Seiji stated as he walked over to me. He led me away from the group, into the castle and back into my room, where he promptly shut me in.
"Are you crazy?!" He yelled at me through the door.
I balked at the door but knew he couldn't see my face. "I am not crazy!" I snapped in retort.
"Oh so throwing yourself off the edge of a cliff just to be caught by a man you want to marry but can't isn't crazy?! Well excuse me princess but I call that crazy!"
I pissed then so I ripped open the door and grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt. "Now listen here Seiji…" I hissed getting into his face. "I am not stupid enough to THROW myself off the edge of the cliff! I FELL off due to walking to close to the edge. The STAIR gave way under me you incompetent fool! I fell off the cliff thinking I was falling to my death!"
"She's right…" a man answered at the end of the hall.
I turned my head to see the man that had been on the stairs with me when I fell off. Hurriedly I released Seiji and bowed my head blushing red. "I am truly sorry that you had to witness such an event…"
"Don't be. I am only sorry that my people and I were not able to catch you before you fell over the edge and am quite grateful that the man who caught you was able to do so as quickly as he did."
"I am glad you didn't try too hard to catch me, I was afraid I would take you or one of your people with me when I slipped."
The man laughed. "I would have gladly tempted fate if it meant keeping you alive Lady Kaori… But since that ordeal is over let me introduce myself to you. I am Lord Matsu--"
"Of the Pine Village…" I interrupted, then blushed. "I'm sorry… My father use to speak highly of that village and the Lord that rules there…"
Matsu laughed then. "Yes your father and I were close friends."
"You have traveled far to visit our village…"
"Yes I have, but the chance to marry the daughter of an old friend is worth the travel… Though I have heard you have turned away suitors faster then they can arrive." He laughed again.
I blushed red, keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the ground. "I am sorry to hear that such rumors have traversed so far from my home… but for now I think we should all relax for the rest of the day… everyone had a traumatizing experience on the stairs…" I turned to Seiji. "Seiji-san… Please show our guest where he can stay and then make the people he has traveled with as comfortable as possible. Anyone in my home shall be treated with the utmost respect…"
With that I bowed to Matsu and returned to my room, sliding the door shut behind me.
"You handled that well…" a voice said from the corner of my room.
I jumped. "Sesshoumaru!" I hissed as I held my hand to my heart. "You scared me! How did you get in here?"
Sesshoumaru stood and I nearly swooned at the sight of him, god did I miss him. "I came in the same way I always come in… Through your hidden door…"
He remembered… I felt tears prickle my face as I realized he still remembered how to sneak in my room.
"Kaori…" He whispered.
Suddenly he was in front of me.
I lifted my face to gaze up into his, tears started to spill from my eyes. I searched his face as I stared up into it, wondering if he was still the man I love or if that cold and cynical person was still hiding the part I loved away from me; there was nothing cold about his eyes as he stared down at me.
"Sesshoumaru…" I choked as I stared into his face.
He stripped himself of his breastplate, carefully dropping it onto the floor and pulled me against him, pressing my head to his chest. "Kaori…"
I gripped his shirt in my hands and buried my face into his chest trying hard not to start sobbing. "Oh Sesshoumaru… I've missed you so much… I've been so lost without you… It feels like a part of me has been ripped out when you're not with me…"
He sighed and held onto me as I cried.
When I had finally settled down some he lifted my chin so I looked up at him. "Who was that man that was on the stairs with you when you fell…?"
I blinked, trying to get my brain to register that he was talking to me and was asking me a question. "Um…" I started as my brain finally processed what he was asking me. "I guess he's another suitor that Seiji-san has set up for me…"
"Another suitor…? Who is Seiji…?" Sesshoumaru's eyes tightened around the corners and he started pulling away from me again.
I clung on to him for dear life as fresh tears sprung into my eyes. "You know who Seiji is, he's the captain of the guard…"
"And what about the suitor thing…?"
I knew I was loosing him now and the tears fell down my cheeks like rivers. "Seiji thought it would be in the best interest of the village that I marry and have an heir… So he's been secretly contacting Lords of other villages to try and become my husband… So far none of them have been able to pass any of the tests I've concocted for them…" I shook my head. "I don't want to marry a man I don't know or love…" my voice cracked. "I want to marry you… I want to be with you… but I don't know how much longer I can keep turning these stupid suitors away with my tests… I don't know how much longer until Seiji-san gets Makoto-san to force me to marry…" I bit my lip to cover the sob that escaped my throat; I covered my face with my hands.
"He's been doing this behind your back…?"
I nodded.
He sighed. "What am I going to do with you…"