:-:-:-:-:-:CHAPTER ELEVEN:-:-:-:-:

Sesshoumaru made his way down the Entrance Hall steps, passed the miko and Akina still chatting about her clans past, and passed the monk just standing there ogling at Akina with a small drop of spit forming and ready to drop out of his open, sagging mouth.

He smelt easily that Rin was following him, she was currently crouched behind a rosebush, giggling. He smirked, one arm behind his back he bent forward at the waist, pretending to smell the perfectly tended white roses.

Then suddenly he swooped behind the thorny stems and encircled Rin in his arms. Pure peals of laughter sprang from Rin's throat. He pulled her back and held her tightly against his chest; a rare smile graced his features. And not one of those smirk type smiles he used to scare Jaken with. This was a real, happy smile, his needle sharp fangs glinting in the light from the setting sun.

"Oh, look at them! I've never seen him act so…so…normal." Kagome commented as she watched Sesshoumaru embrace Rin from the giant, open door.

"Of course. He loves Rin very much. He'd risk his life for her without a thought." A gentle smile touched the faces of both women as the great and powerful taiyoukai lord of the vast western lands began tickling the small human child.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama! I c-can't breathe!" Rin panted, covering her sides, trying to get him to stop so she could inhale. Sesshoumaru heeded her request and let her breathe. Kagome saw his mouth moving, talking to Rin but she was too far away to hear, Rin nodded. He stood up and circled an arm around her shoulder, then looked over his own, as he gazed from woman to woman. They were both looking at him in the same way: gentle smiles, and a far-off look in their eyes.

'Hmph, what're they looking at?' He thought, Sesshoumaru shrugged and turned around and walked, with Rin, deeper into the immeasurable flower field surrounding the castle.

"Kagome-chan! Come on! We're gonna go to the hot springs!" Rin shrieked innocently to Kagome, whose previously gentle smile immediately slipped off her face to be replaced by a shocked, horror-struck grimace.

But before either of the grown-ups could utter a word Rin had sprinted easily back to Kagome, attached her hand to her own and haul her down the small flight of stairs that led away from the Entrance Hall doors.

Ushered by Rin, both Sesshoumaru and Kagome where dragged in tow of the small child with amazing strength, apparently living with Sesshoumaru can do that to a person.

"Why don't you stop her?! She's YOUR foster daughter!" Kagome hissed urgently to the taiyoukai getting pulled beside her. He shot her a glare for talking to him in such a familiar way. After all, he was still lord here.

"I can't," he said simply. Kagome was thunder struck. Since when did Sesshoumaru admit he couldn't do...well...anything?! "Once she makes up her mind about something," he continued, "no one can stop her." Sesshoumaru finished bluntly.

"But…but…don't you get it? We're going to have to bathe together!" Kagome hissed again, this time with a shudder as she gazed with horror at the taiyoukai. Sesshoumaru sighed. This miko didn't actually believe he, a mighty demon lord, would bathe with a lowly human, did she? Preposterous.

Sesshoumaru suddenly halted, digging his heels into the ground to stop Rin also.

"Rin, why don't we go pick some flowers instead?" he asked emotionlessly. Rin's small face brightened even more and the small girl's clutches lessened around the two adults she loved, and she looked up at both of them with a growing grin on her face.

"Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru! I'd love that!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, Rin regripped Kagome and Sesshoumaru's hands and happily skipped back into the midst of the flower field.

"Hey, I thought you said nothing could stop her!" Kagome whispered to him, though she sighed with relief.

"You can't…but you can distract her." He said with a smirk.

All the while Sesshoumaru tried to hold his breath as much as he could to prevent the scent of that miko getting to him. A few minutes earlier, when Kagome asked in her realization that they would have to have bathed together, even though his mouth disagreed, his instincts were saying 'Yes! Yes! Yes!'

Kagome wondered why Sesshoumaru was staying so far away from her, was he still mad? Wait…she didn't even know what he was mad about!

"Hey, Rin." Kagome called to the child about ten yards from her. "Take a look at this one!" Rin sprinted to the miko and examined the flower Kagome was pointing at.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" Rin cried and instantaneously picked it.

oOo

Once Rin had a bouquet of flowers bigger than her body, she waddled in the direction of the great hall doors with Kagome beside her. Sesshoumaru was trailing a little farther behind, his brow was creased and he was gazing at the sunset.

"Rin, why don't you get those into a vase, honey?" Kagome advised to Rin who was barely visible behind her giant range of blossoms. Kagome gently placed a hand on Rin's shoulder and patiently guided her up the stairs to the great hall doors, for she could hardly see, let alone get up some stairs. Once Rin was safely toddling into the great hall, Kagome left her to Akina and Miroku who where sitting and chatting at a conference table. They both got up and helped the little child in her quest to find a vase.

Kagome looked back, Sesshoumaru was still gazing at the sunset, his calm unemotional face had softened a bit, and his golden eyes glinted in the fading sunlight. She slowly walked up to him and eventually came to a halt beside him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kagome asked in a soft low voice. Her hands clasped behind her back. Sesshoumaru accidentally sighed, taking in a deep breath of Kagome's Jasmine scent laced with her heat scent. His molten gold eyes glazed over.

"Yes." Whispered in his deep voice, his finger twitched, itching to just grab Kagome. If it weren't for his mastered self control that he practiced every day he would have. He started to walk swiftly in the direction of the Entrance Hall. Kagome didn't like this, she was going to find out was wrong right NOW.

Kagome's calm features changed and a determined, resolute glower crossed her face. She stalked forward and grabbed his hand and yanked him around to face her.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked bluntly. Her face set to find out the reason.

He growled, her hand in his was not helping his self control.

"Unhand me, human." He snarled.

"No!" she said firmly, pulling his hand to turn him around to face her fully "Not until you tell me what's wrong with you! Why do you suddenly hate me?" she said, then added, "more than usual?"

He heaved a sigh, her potent scent invaded his nostrils involuntarily again.

"I…"

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A/N: Haha I wonder what Sessh will say…?

Look out for the next chapter!

JA NE