Chapter 7

Sesshomaru crouched and growled menacingly at whoever had attacked Mio, placing himself directly in front of her. Only when his blood red, blue-pupiled eyes focused on who had attacked did he straighten and stop his transformation.

It was the monk companion of InuYasha. Without his wind tunnel, he was no threat to them. Sesshomaru turned calm and cold again as he spoke to the monk.

"Leave now, monk and I will forgive your attack and spare you your life." Mio looked between the shocked Miroku and the calm Sesshomaru and decided to look at Sesshomaru instead. Her eyes watered as she watched him, calm and composed as if they had never been separated as if he hadn't been wounded. She was a fool for thinking they would never meet again. She should have had more faith in him. She noted Isamu and Jakken move to her side, both looking as glad as she felt at seeing them again.

"Mio-sama, are you injured? Are you well?" Jakken hopped down from Isamu's back and flustered about Mio. Mio let out a shaky laugh and answered.

"No Jakken, I am whole and well. All I am is glad to see you again." Jakken blushed furiously and muttered a response. Mio looked down at the confused Sora and put him down gently.

"Go stand by Isamu and Jakken, they will protect you." Sora still looked confused, but not unsure. There was only trust in his eyes as he nodded and scrambled towards Jakken who was motioning for him.

"This way, boy, come stand next to Isamu here." Sora nodded and clung to Isamu's side, Isamu rubbing his nose in Sora's hair in greeting. As soon as Mio knew Sora was safe, she rushed to Sesshomaru's side practically pouncing on him as she ran up and hugged him. Thankfully Sesshomaru was watching her from the corner of his eyes so he turned in time to catch her before she could hug him from behind.

Sesshomaru was shocked to see tears streaming down her face. Miroku was shocked to see someone so casually hugging Sesshomaru like that AND HE WAS HUGGING HER BACK. Miroku thought only one thing as he saw Sesshomaru's arms wrap around the girls waist.

Is the world coming to an end or am I really seeing this? Sesshomaru's voice sounded breathless with surprise.

"Mio, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" He was sure she said she wasn't, but why else…? Mio shook her head as she buried it in his chest, remembering yet another thing from their travels. After the first few days of traveling with Sesshomaru, he realized that it was uncomfortable being pressed to him on the dragon cloud with his armor on so they traveled to Totosai's volcano residence and Sesshomaru wanted to just leave the armor there, but

Totosai insisted on making him better, more appropriate armor for their predicament all the while making jibes on Sesshomaru's newfound compassion and how it differed from his feelings for Rin. Sesshomaru denied nothing but instead looked impatient and angry and when Totosai went too far, Sesshomaru pulled out his bakusaiga and threatened to kill the old man with it. Sesshomaru's hand on her head brought Mio back to the present and she realized she hadn't really answered. She did so now.

"I just…..I didn't know if I'd see you again. I was taken so far away…..and I didn't recognize anything, couldn't smell you anymore. In my panic, I didn't realize you could have easily followed my scent." Mio blushed at her own incompetence and stupidity and continued in a rush.

"As well you were injured protecting me…I didn't know if you were….well." The morbid thoughts that he was fatally wounded overcame her once more and she shook. Her words had him shaking as well but instead of his body it shook his mentality.

Had she truly been worried about him? It was illogical of her to think that a single injury would give any lasting damage. Just switching between forms had healed his arm wound, but she looked appropriately embarrassed for having thought such nonsense yet she shook at the mere idea of him dying. For some odd reason, knowing she became like this because of him made him…..happy?

This confused him. Why would he be happy about anything that makes her unhappy? Her small hands were balled into shaking fists against his chest and he realized that he was preventing himself from thinking the same way as he chased her scent so desperately. He took her shaking hands in his own steady ones and raised them to his lips, acting purely out of instinct at this point for he had no idea what he was doing, and brushed his lips across the back of her hands.

"I did not rest, since I last saw you, in trying to find you. I continued to run and follow your scent…..hoping that you were not hurt." His brows furrowed slightly in frustration.

"I as will did not know what I would have done if you….if you were injured." Sesshomaru refused to say 'if you were dead.' Mio held her breath as he kissed her hands and now the tears were freely streaming down her face as she was forced to confront yet another fact that she had kept shut tightly in her heart; the knowledge that Sesshomaru loved her as well. She wrapped her arms around his neck and silently wept on his shoulder. Miroku was too shocked to stay quiet, as big-mouthed as he was.

"Wait, is she-? Are you-? What is she to you that you defend her so vehemently?" If it weren't for the fact that she were a demon and so obviously had a connection of some sort with Sesshomaru, he probably would have asked her the same question he asks any beauty he see, deadly wife and three children forgotten in the spur of the moment and habit. However thinking back on if she'd found out had sobered him up enough to ignore the incredible beauty that was this Mio. Sesshomaru glared cold heat at the monk for his impertinent question and answered just as coldly, his arms still around his precious Mio.

"This woman is mine." He said it with force as if to say 'You touch her you're dead' and then turned to Mio with a softened expression and finally spoke his feelings.

"She is, as you think, my love." He raised one of her trembling hands and kissed it again. Mio could only stare at him in wonder. How could he say something like that so easily, especially in front of somebody else? Mio felt the need to declare her feelings as well, temporarily putting aside her embarrassment and shame in order to properly respond.

"I- he too, is my love, my only love." As she said the last, she thought of the few boys that had asked her out in her old life and how she had rejected or ignored their advances. Only Sesshomaru had affected her this way.

Sesshomaru then did something that utterly shocked Miroku and almost made him trip over nothing. He smiled, straight at Mio and it reached his eyes. As he watched for a few more seconds, he realized he was forgotten and chose to remind them, regardless of how tactless it might have been.

"Well, um, thank you for answering an impertinent question, but I was simply wondering the fate of the boy you have with you." Remembering Sora, the happiness of mutual love was temporarily put aside and Sesshomaru watched as worry flitted across her previously happy expression. As if for the first time acknowledging the boy's existence, he turned to where Mio was looking.

"Boy?" Soon his eyes met with a boy that looked around Rin's age, maybe a year or two older that was half hiding behind Isamu to avoid his gaze. Sesshomaru turned back to Mio, who had made no move to be out of his arms and he had made no offer, a question on his face. Mio answered his unasked question, speaking to both him and Miroku.

"I was….searching for Sesshomaru when I happened upon these ruins and he approached me. It seems he has been living alone here since they fought here. I asked if he would like to come with me so I could take him to a safer place….?" Mio looked to Sesshomaru, wondering if he was alright with this. She had thought it would take longer to find each other, though she was glad this was not the case, whatever plans she had made were no longer valid. Sesshomaru smiled slightly and nodded in understanding.

"We can take him to live with the priestess and Rin. He should live a peaceful life there." Sesshomaru turned to Sora, his gentle face reserved only for Mio, his face was serious and cold like always.

"Boy, come here." Sora straightened and lifted his chin at Sesshomaru's naturally proud tone and took graceful steps towards Sesshomaru.