A/N: I couldn't resist putting this up early. And it's all thanks to Pumpkinpi and NekomataHanyou. I seriously love you both! When people say that reviews are fuel, they are totally not kidding. Thank you both for staying with this story like you have! I really appreciate it. After all, even though a writer does write simply for the joy of the story, knowing people want to read it makes it all the better. So this chapter is a special early, fluffy treat! Enjoy! Also, if any of you read manga, you should read Hana to Akuma, it's adorable.

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"Ah… Lord Sesshomaru. I trust your room is arranged to your satisfaction?" Ayame asked casually. He released me and edged away, not taking his eyes from the seething youkai at the door. I stood and scurried over to stand partially behind Sesshomaru.

"Hnn. You touched something that didn't belong to you Ayame," Sesshomaru replied smoothly. He cracked his knuckles and raised his hand, lowering his eyes to watch as his claws lengthened and began to glow. "Where would you say you touched her?"

"I was merely-" Ayame began, but Sesshomaru cut him off cleanly.

"Kodi-san, where did the snake touch you?"

"Erm…" I unconsciously touched my hair where Ayame had played with it.

"Your hair? Anywhere else?"

I cleared my throat, "Why, what are you going to do?"

He ignored the question and stalked over to the pale snake.

"Lord Sesshomaru, there is really no need to-" Ayame raised his hands in a placating manner. Sesshomaru whipped his own hands out at once, squeezing the snakes slender wrists in his glowing paws. Ayame hissed in pain as the poison in from Sesshomaru claws began to burn at his skin.

"You touched her with these hands?" Sesshomaru asked quietly. Ayame had become deathly pale and I watched in fascination as his skin turned silvery and his cheekbones became dusted with scales. Ayame jerked as Sesshomaru began to squeeze. I gasped as I heard a muffled crunch.

"Sesshomaru!" the whimper escaped me before I could choke it back, and Sesshomaru looked at me sharply.

"Sesshomaru –sama! If you want to break your mating you must stop! Please!" Ayame had fallen to his knees and his high pitched voice broke as he pleaded. Sesshomaru growled."I think I know how you can break it. I apologize my Lord! I will not touch her again."

Sesshomaru released him with a snarl, flinging him away. Ayame fell back and clutched his hands to his chest. They were barely recognizable, the flesh was melted and the bones were crushed and mangled. I gagged as the smell of burnt flesh wafted over to me. Sesshomaru whirled away from the snake and stalked over to me. He looked down at me with an inscrutable look in his eye. It was silent (save for the rustling and whimpers from Ayame).

"Ayame!" Sesshomaru barked, making me jump. "This Sesshomaru will leave you your life… tonight. You will tell me what you know in the morning as we planned. The girl will stay with me."

He no sooner said it than he whipped his mokomoko off his shoulders and around mine and pulled me out of the room. I allowed myself to be led into Sesshomaru's room. He sat me down on the futon and crouchedin front of me. I flinched when he reached for me. He snarled softly.

"I merely wish to remove the mokomoko."

"Oh, sorry," I replied. I shrugged off the pelt and handed it over. He set it aside and held his hand out to me, palm up. I eyed it uncertainly.

"My claws are only poisonous when I wish them to be. It is the same with my saliva. I healed you before when you were attacked by the rat and when your neck was wounded with a very weak acid. At the moment my claws are relatively safe."

I touched my fingers to the sharp tips of his claws and sighed, "I know, I trust you. That was just… kind of scary."

Sesshomaru blinked at me as the markings on his cheeks darkened, "You… trust me? That is very… unusual. And likely unwise." He leaned in suddenly and sniffed at me. I wrinkled my nose. I had been sniffed quite a lot recently.

"The snake was correct; you do not smell of me. You do, however smell of him just now."

I rolled my eyes at that. "Well, Ayame said I don't smell like you because we haven't… um, you know and I'm not going to do that with you just so that demons can smell it."

"Are you speaking of copulation? Is it so hard to say the words?" Sesshomaru asked curiously. I merely thinned my lips in reply, my blush spoke for itself.

"You are more vulnerable to similar advances from other demons if you do not allow this Sesshomaru to mate with you," he said casually as his claws absently traced over the lines of my throat.

"Um, no thank you. Besides, we're not attracted to each other and that-"

"You do not find me attractive?" Sesshomaru interrupted sharply, clear shock in his voice.

"Not one bit," I replied firmly.

"Hnn," he leaned in very close to, his breath whispering over my cheek. "I think," his nose nuzzled into my hair and his lips tickled my ear, "that you," his tongue traced the shell, "are lying." He bit down on my earlobe and I squeaked.

"Ah, Sesshomaru what are you doing?" I leaned away from him to look into his face. I gulped when I saw his eyes were blood red, the pupils huge.

"I am merely proving you wrong. I can smell your attraction little girl. Do not lie to me again."

I frowned at him, "That is an invasion of privacy. Stop smelling me."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, "In any case, we will not copulate, regardless of your obvious desire for me. Doing so would likely only strengthen our mating bond. Also, you are human. I have no desire to engage in sexual activity with a human."

I gawked, "My obvious desire? You conceited-"

"I believe if I allow you to sleep with me there will be a sufficient amount of my scent on you to fool most demons, as long as they don't look too closely of course."

I scowled. Sesshomaru stood and turned partly away as he began to loosen his armor. I yelped, "What are you doing?!"

He cocked his brow, "I do not plan on sleeping in full armor. You may changed into your sleeping garment as well. The maids set one down by the door when I brought you in here."

"They did?" I walked over to the door and picked up the neatly folded white kimono. "Its kind of thin."

"It is warm here," he replied. I toddled off behind the changing screen and slipped out of my kimono. As I slid the sleeping kimono over my shoulder I held one sleeve up to the dim light and squinted. It really was thin, almost sheer. I tied it closed with a huff and crossed my arms over my chest as I stepped back out, hoping to cover up anything embarrassing. It wasn't that warm after all.

Sesshomaru had removed his armor and was placing it neatly near the bed. He wore his hakama and the thin inner kimono. That would have been perfectly modest, certainly more modest then when the cloth had been wet and clinging to him, except that the belt had been loosened and there was now a deep vee of skin bared. It was even deeper than Ayame's scantily tied kimono had been. I gulped and hastily averted my eyes as he turned toward me. I trudged over to the futon with the reluctance of someone going to their own hanging.

I scooted onto the mattress and curled up on my side, watching as Sessomaru sat down. He faced away from me. His pelt was in his hand and he seemed to be combing his fingers through the fur. After a few minutes of watching I yawned and shifted.

"Sleep, we will be rising early tomorrow. I am not going to sleep just yet. Demons do not need as much rest as humans," his voice was gruff and I startled.

"Ok," I murmured rolling over and facing away from him. I heard a clink as Sesshomaru fiddled with his armor. There was no way I was going to fall asleep. This was much too strange.

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Sesshomaru woke to warmth. He had only laid down last night once the girl's breathing had deepened in sleep. It had not been a comfortable position for him since he wasn't used to sleeping lying down when not in his own home. It was much too vulnerable to sleep lying down and without armor when traveling, and doing so in a demon like Ayame's house went against the fur.

Once he had fninished cleaning his armor he had thrown the mokomoko over himself and the girl and had firmly willed himself to sleep. And now he woke to delicious warmth. The air was close and musky with the smell of sweet morning rain. The humidity merely strengthened the smell of the girl curled up against him.

He slitted his eyes open and looked down at the her draped over his chest. This was not how he had fallen asleep. The girl's head rested on his chest and his arm wrapped around around her shoulders. She had her hand tucked in the vee of his kimono.

Sesshomaru shifted uncomfortably. It wouldn't do to stay like this and have her wake in this position. Sesshomaru felt himself battling the instincts of his demon. This was hardly dignified. A silent growl vibrated through his chest. The girl frowned and shifted, her hair slid over his shoulder, releasing more of her sweet, soap scent. Sesshomaru cut off his growl immediately. The girl sighed and buried her hand farther into his kimono, curling her fingers around his ribs.

Perhaps, this was all right, for now at least. It was still very early in the morning after all. The girl would not wake for hours. He closed his eyes again and pulled her closer. This was acceptable for now. He would rest a little longer, before removing her. Just a few more hours…

This was all in the interest of giving her his scent after all. The faintest smile flirted with his lips as his claws curled around her waist.

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Heavy. Warm, but heavy. A grunt escaped me as I tried to shift under whatever was on top of me. I squinted my eyes open against the bright morning light (how late was it? I would've though Sesshomaru would have prodded me awake at the crack of dawn.) and craned my neck to look. Then I put my head back, closed my eyes and waited. After a few moments to convince myself that yes, I was awake, I looked again.

"Um," I whispered. Sesshomaru was sleeping with me. Not so much with me as on top of me. His head rested on my belly and half of his torso was thrown over my legs. His arm stretched up over my abdomen and curved over my ribs, the claws curled over my heart.

I squirmed. This was really too strange. I managed to shift a few inches before Sesshomaru moved. He threw his leg over mine and pulled my back to where we had started… crap. I really didn't want to wake him up. To be honest, I wasn't that embarrassed, since I knew the mattress was small and only built for one person, but Sesshomaru was likely to mortified. And if I guess right, he'd show it by being cold and stand-offish, and would likely be saying disparaging remarks about human girls for the rest of the day. I sighed and wondered if I could wait it out; pretend to be asleep when he woke up so he could preserve his dignity. His head shifted on my belly.

"Nngh!" I gasped as the weight settled. No! I couldn't wait it out. I had to pee! I shoved at him and Sessho rolled off me with a muffled snarl. I jumped up and buckled slightly on numb legs.

"Sorry! Be right back!" I called as I launched out the door. I ran all the way to the facilities and was hobbling back when the numbness finally started wearing off, with a vengeance. I buckled, collapsing to the ground with a whimper. Both my legs had been numb to the thigh and the needles and buzzing in my legs was horrible. I had no doubt that had someone seen my running earlier they would have thought me amazingly drunk, as I had wobbled like a elephant on stilts. And now I was immobile in the hallway.

"Help?" I called feebly, trying not to shift. Every time I attempted to move, new bursts of pain raced up and down my legs. No sooner had the words left my lips than Sesshomaru was right there.

"Er, somebody else?"

He frowned at me, "What are you doing sitting in the middle of the hall?"

"Um, I wanted to rest on the way back?"

"In the hall. In your sleeping kimono."

"Yeah," I nodded vigorously, "It's a long hike back to the bedroom."

He remained silent for a moment, "Why did you call for help?

"I didn't."

"… Yes you did."

"You must be hearing things."

Sesshomaru's face tightened, "This Sesshomaru will only ask once more. If you do not answer truthfully, I will… not allow you to have any sweets for a week. And we are going back to see Kagome's pack soon."

"Kagome…" I thought of the candy and pastries Kagome always carried around and sighed. "It's nothing important, I didn't expect anyone to actually hear me after all." I frowned at him, "Your hearing is significantly stronger than I thought. I guess it makes sense, you are a dog…"

Sesshomaru stared at me when I finished, "Well?"

"Well, sorry for calling you out here?"

His lips curled in a silent snarl, "Why did you call out?"

"Oh, that. Erm, my legs are numb."

"Your legs…" a light flush spread over his pale cheeks and I choked back a delighted squeal. It wouldn't do to embarrass him further by letting him know he was blushing. He did eye me suspiciously however when I was unable to erase my sudden grin fast enough.

"Stand up."

"I don't want to."

"You must return the blood flow to your legs before the discomfort will go away."

"I know that," I muttered. The "but it hurts!" was remained unsaid. He growled and grabbed my foot. I yelped at the sudden hand shaped wad of needles that I suddenly felt wrapped around the toes. Sesshomaru quickly pushed and bent my leg at the knee, instantly spreading the buzz all the way up to my thigh. I moaned and fell over sideways trying to jerk away from him.

"Let go!" I cried as I pulled myself along the floor trying to escape him. He merely grabbed my other foot and began to rotate it. I squealed and kicked at him, but immediately stopped when the pain intensified.

"Sessho! Stop that!"

"Silence. Hold still!" he barked angrily.

"Um…"

We both froze at the cleared throat. Ayame stood a few yards away, staring at us. I looked back at Sesshomaru who was frozen glaring at the snake, crouching with his hand shoved up my skirt. I moaned and felt myself flush in humiliation.

Ayame wisely averted his eyes, "Er, Sesshomaru-sama, I came to tell you that a late breakfast will be served in the front hall. Um, I'll just leave you to continue… whatever it is that you're doing." I gloomily watched him walk away from my position on my stomach. I noticed his hands were both hidden in the sleeves of his kimono.

"I'm going to blame you for this," I said calmly, once the snake was out of sight.

"What? This Sesshomaru is certain that this is your fault."

I pulled myself shakily to my feet, wincing at the residual pain. It was better now however, apparently the combination of tussling with Sesshomaru and mortification, had increased the blood flow. I began walking back to the room to get dressed. Sesshomaru was already dressed, the jerk. Armor and fur and everything.

"No, I'm sure that somehow, this all you fault."

"Human, do not attempt to foist your weakness on me."

"…I wonder what's for breakfast?"