Chapter 8

"My name is Sora." Sesshomaru gave a cold chuckle at the boy's dignity and asked him a question.

"Sora then. How old are you?" Sora answered immediately as if used to answering straightforward questions. Mio simply took it as more proof that he was born from royals.

"Ten years and eleven months." Sesshomaru looked to the brightening sky.

"Almost eleven then. That's fine as well." He turned to the sky and raised his hand as if beckoning to something. Suddenly the two headed dragon, Ah-un, descended from the sky and landed next to Miroku.

"Then we will go to the village. Ride the dragon, monk, and be thankful that I did not leave you to walk." Then he turned to Sora and lifted him onto Isamu who was still transformed into his larger form. Sora gasped and protested immediately.

"W-wait! I'm not ready yet! The koi-" Miroku interrupted as he struggled to mount the large dragon.

"You mean the fish in the pond? The monk of the nearby temple was wondering who was taking care of them after he had buried the dead since he came by regularly anyway to purify the battlefield and make sure that demons would not inhabit it. He thought that they might have been getting a little fat. Were you feeding them as well?" Sora gulped and nodded, then Miroku smiled reassuringly as he finally mounted the beast.

"Then don't worry. Your koi friends will be well taken care of." Sora nodded but still added something.

"But my things….or what's left of them. They're still in the castle, in my pack-" Sesshomaru cut him off as he spoke to Jakken.

"Jakken, stay behind and search for it. I will send Ah-Un for you as soon as we arrive." Jakken bowed quickly and bowed before scuttling off to find it. Sesshomaru turned to Ah-Un.

"Take the monk to Rin." Next he turned to Isamu. "Follow him. He will show you the way." Isamu nodded in response and leapt after Ah-Un, following his cloud trail and leaving behind a flaming one of his own.

As soon as they were out of sight Sesshomaru took Mio back into his arms and embraced her truly, his cheek pressed against her hair. Mio returned the embrace, her arms securely around his neck and burying her face in between his strong shoulder and neck. Mio's thoughts were jumbled in confusion with a tangled mess of emotions. Sesshomaru held her as close to him as he could, his thoughts incoherent as he tried to sort out recent events.

Everything had gone so quickly, they both needed time to process it. Above all they needed to confirm what they had heard from each other, needed to hear it again. Sesshomaru loosened his embrace enough to be able to see her, speak to her.

"What you said earlier. Was it the truth? When we were together before this….you showed no indication of this love." Sesshomaru was unsure of this, insecure. She had not displayed such feelings before, in fact, she was distant, always somewhere he could not reach, no matter how hard he tried. Mio's eyes watered at his insecurity, feeling remorse and guilt for having hidden it for such selfish reasons. All she could do now was convince him of her feelings and that's exactly what she did. She pulled him down at the neck with her arms and arched her neck up, standing on her toes, to kiss him. Sesshomaru froze in shock as their lips met and all too soon, the kiss was over.

"Yes," another kiss, "yes," a third, "yes, I have fallen deeply in love with you. Without you-" she shook her head, changing her sentence midway, "since the first time I saw you, I have felt this way." Her voice shook by the end of her sentence, tears of guilt and regret burning on her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry I hid it from you. I didn't- I couldn't- I hadn't meant to-mmnnh!" Sesshomaru interrupted her apology with a kiss of his own, this one longer and deeper. Mio gave herself into it quickly, her fingers twining in his sleek silver hair as his own hands found themselves tangled in Mio's black, highlighted hair. Only their need for breath separated their hungry lips.

"I as well, have wished to have you here, in my arms, since the first time I had heard your voice. The more we traveled, the deeper I fell until all I could think of, all I could see…was you." Mio's tears flowed again, but Sesshomaru brushed them away with gentle fingers. "Even your crying face is precious." Mio gave a shaky laugh at that. No one looked pretty when they cried. Sesshomaru smiled as well, wiping away the rest of her drying tears.

"Come, let us go make sure your Sora settles in nicely." I nodded in agreement not trusting my voice as he leapt into the air in the direction that Ah-Un and Isamu had gone.

"WHAAAAAAATT?!" Kilala covered her sensitive ears as Miroku quickly retold everything he had seen between Sesshomaru and the Mio girl. The two most shocked were probably InuYasha and Kagome. Kagome put a shaking hand to her mouth as she spoke shaky words.

"S-Sesshomaru…..being lovey-dovey with a girl?" InuYasha got up, outraged and lifted Miroku by the collar of his black and purple robe.

"You perverted bastard! You better not be lying to us!" Miroku gave a worried smile and held up his hands in surrender, hoping InuYasha wouldn't resort to trying to hit him today.

"Maah maah, calm down and see for yourself. They'll be here soon enough, well at least after Isamu and Sora come." Kaede stopped stirring her tea momentarily to ask a question.

"Who are these Isamu and Sora you speak of?" Miroku was about to answer when the familiar sound of a Kilala transformation interrupted him. They all looked to Kilala who was laying contentedly next to Sango and her three children. Before they could ask anything more, Sora stepped in with little Isamu on his dignified head. He sat down next to Miroku as silent as everyone else had become at his entrance, the only sound made when Sora greeted them in a polite voice.

Isamu hopped down from his perch when he spotted Kilala and went over to say hello. Kilala lifted her head and touched her nose to his in greeting but did not get up. Instead Isamu lay next to her, his tail curling over her smaller figure, acting as an adorable blanket and then they just as suddenly both went to sleep. Miroku started getting slightly annoyed at the awkward silence as they all stared at the boy that was obviously some sort of prince.

"Everyone, this is Sora. He's an orphan. Mio decided to claim him as her own and Sesshomaru decided it was best he stay in this village for his safety, like Rin." Everyone was silent as they absorbed this, still not able to fully comprehend how different Sesshomaru was without seeing it for themselves.

They got the chance soon enough when Sesshomaru held open the shoji for Mio and she entered with the same polite greeting as Sora, Sesshomaru said nothing to their intrusion and the others expected him to stand near the door like he usually did, but instead he went to sit next to Mio who had placed herself next to Sora. Unfortunately, the one who happened to be on the other side of Sesshomaru was InuYasha. As someone who knew him better than anyone without wanting to, he realized that this was ENTIRELY OUT OF CHARACTER.

While InuYasha gaped at his brother's odd behavior, the others stared at Mio, wanting to see who had changed the ice-king so much and, of course, she surpassed their expectations, leaving them all gaping at someone. Mio would have laughed at their hilarious expressions if it wasn't so embarrassing. Seeing the cartoon characters she used to watch gaping at her wasn't as funny as it seemed, it was actually quite uncomfortable. Mio shifted in discomfort at the stares and silence. When Sesshomaru noticed her discomfort he spoke in an impatient and cold voice.

"We only came to see if you would shelter Sora. If you will not then we will be on our way." Mio saw that Sesshomaru was about to leave, but she made him stop with a simple touch on his arm. He paused and looked at her.

"It's fine, Sesshomaru. We will not be here much longer either way. Besides, don't you wish for the girl Rin to have a friend her age?" Everyone's jaw dropped when Sesshomaru hmphed a reply and settled again. Mio gave him a small apologetic smile and his face softened in return before she turned to Kaede who was staring at Sesshomaru's softened expression in shock.

"Ano, Kaede-san, would you please take care of him while we're away. I would rather take him with me, but we get into so many dangerous situations. It's no place for a child and I'm worried about him growing up like any other boy his age." Sora stood suddenly and ran into her arms, Mio opening them in time to brace for his tackle.

"I don't care about growing up normally! I just wanna be with you! You said I could go with you! I'll become strong so you won't have to protect me!" Sora bit back tears, trying to be tough. Mio smiled, wanting to cry herself at his desperation. Kaede answered as he struggled to keep his breath even and his eyes dry.

"I will take care of the child, Mio-sama. You need not worry about him." Mio nodded in thanks as Sora protested, clamping his arms around her neck.

"NO! I won't stay! You said I could go with you!" Mio stood, carrying him in her arms.

"Please excuse us for a moment." She stepped out until they came upon a boulder, she sat on it and held him as he cried, looking between Kaede's house and the still bloated moon. When his crying quieted a little, she spoke.

"Sora, look. The moon is almost exactly the same as last night." Sora rubbed his reddened eyes before looking up, but his expression was frustrated. He stared at the moon, thinking, and then he asked something unexpected, at least to Mio.

"Mio-san, could you sing that song again? The moon one you were singing when I first saw you." Mio smiled down at the boy in pleasant surprise. Who knew children could become so attached to you after just a few words.

"Of course." Mio took a deep breath and held her head skyward, her eyes on the moon.

Rising, rising is the moon,
Large & round, large & round, round round one,
Plate-like full moon will rise soon.

Sesshomaru was the first to come out as soon as he heard her voice, staying silent as she continued, letting her finish the song without interruption.

Hiding, hiding is the moon,
Behind the clouds, dark clouds, black black clouds,
Plate-like full moon will hide soon.

The others poured out, practically tripping over each other at the sound of her amazing voice, looking between the soft-expressioned Sesshomaru to Mio who was unaware of her audience.

Appearing, reappearing is the moon,
Large & round, large & round, round round one,
Plate-like full moon will rise soon.