I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

Three more days passed in a similar fashion. Kagome would wake up surrounded by Sesshomaru's warmth and even breathing. Slowly, she'd stretch, each day testing her ribs. They would stay in their clearing and go searching for food for the miko. By the evening of the third day, Sesshomaru finally allowed her to actually walk. It took more effort to convince him than she would have thought.

. . .

"Really, Sesshomaru! I'm fine! I can walk, really. I'm so much better." Of course, during this demonstration of her recovery she made sure to not make any movements that would cause her to wince at the last bit of remaining pain. The demon lord merely raised one of his silver arches and moved so as to scoop her up despite her protest.

"No. Please, if you don't let me walk I'll just turn into a vegetable!"

"I fail to see how my assistance will cause you to undergo a produce transformation."

She couldn't help but giggle at his response. Still mindful of the intensity of her laugh, lest it shake her too much. "I'll make a deal with you. Let me walk and if I start to hurt or get too tired, then you can carry me. How does that sound?"

He replied with what to many others would seem to be a rather noncommittal "Hn," but she knew better. Even during those few days, she'd memorized his sounds and could distinguish between many of his "hn's." He was conceding to her wish, but with the underlying promise that should her aura let out so much as a whisper of pain, she would find himself in his arms again.

"Not that I'd mind being in his arms," she thought. "But, really, I do need to work on moving about. Though, I'm surprised I'm healing so quickly. The way it felt when that Ogre youkai had me against that rock… it felt like at least half my ribs snapped."

Sesshomaru sensed a wave of slight concern and curiosity wash over the Miko.

"Kagome?" His voice brought her back to a breathtaking reality. His deadly claws barely touching her skin as he tilted her head up to look into his eyes — eyes full of questions and concern. "What is troubling you?"

"Oh! Oh it's nothing. I mean, not really. Don't worry." The words managed to run across her tongue without tripping over one another — although, just barely.

"Do not lie to me. I can smell your lie and sense your unease."

His tone was both soft and firm. She probably would have melted under just his gaze, tone, or touch alone. The combination of all three, however, made her jelly in his deliciously gentle yet killer claws.

"I was just wondering about how I'm healing so quickly. I mean, I know that my cuts have healed because you've been so kind to care for them." She flushed thinking about exactly how he had been taking "care" of her wounds. The memory of his tongue lapping against her skin was enough to set her body on fire. She brought herself back to the moment, not wanting to dwell on the warmth of his tongue against her body — at least, not wanting to dwell on it while a demon with such a sensitive nose was so close to her. "But, it's my ribs." She managed to stammer on. "One of the last things I remembered was what felt like half of them breaking, and yet, now I'm able to breathe normally, and they feel like they're only cracked, and barely hurt."

Sesshomaru thought for a moment on her question. He too had been surprised at her rate of healing. No human that he had every encountered before was able to heal as quickly as she was.

"You do not think it is connected to your own healing powers?" The demon lord inquired.

"Well, yes and no."

Sesshomaru raised an elegant eyebrow. "How do you reason that it can be both?"

"I've never been able to use my own healing powers on myself directly. If I'm healing someone else, sometimes a bit of the energy will heal tiny cuts on my hands, but nothing more." Kagome held her hands up in front of her, summoning a bit of her power. "Even if I hold it directly over my wounds, I don't feel a difference." Moving her slightly glowing hands over her ribs, she focused her energy on the area. After a few moments, the power dimmed from her hands and she looked up at Sesshomaru. "See? No difference. Well...I guess you can't really see ribs, but you know what I mean...they don't feel any different."

Sesshomaru merely nodded his head as he gazed at the young woman.

"Maybe it has something to do with you, Sesshomaru!" The young miko's eye lit up at the thought and a small smile tugged at the corner of the daiyoukai's lips.

"Perhaps, Kagome. We will test your theory on the night of the new moon. It is only a few nights away."

"The night of the new moon?" She paused. "But...well I know it makes Inuyasha weaker so how would it help with my healing?"

"The new moon does not make any demon or human weaker or stronger. Rather, it reveals that which is normally hidden. It illuminates what we cannot otherwise see. Sometimes things are the clearest in the dark."

Kagome looked up at the pensive demon lord and smiled. "Well, I guess that means you're stuck with me for a few more days then, huh?"

"Oh, my Kagome, for you will be mine. I plan to be with you for much longer than a few days," he thought as he nodded to his new companion.