Chapter 3

Shelter

Kagome's feet were beginning to become sore from the long travels of the day. She didn't think she was out of shape, but the sun was already setting and they had been walking nearly 5 hours. She looked nervously at the daiyoukai in front of her, she knew of his low opinion of humans from the many tales of travelers, and didn't want to make herself seem weak. However, she knew that her body could only handle so much, unlike his. As if to encourage her, her stomach loudly grumbled.

"Um, Lord Sesshomaru... Do you think we could set up camp for the night?" His back remained turned to her, and he kept his pace. She glared at the back of his head, willing her eyes to shoot daggers at him. "I know you are probably fine, but I need to rest and eat." Nothing, not so much as a head turn. This jerk! She stopped in her place, arms crossed. He was sure to stop if she refused to follow him, right? He continued walking further and further away from her. She began to wonder if he would let her die from exhaustion. Her nervousness won over her protest. She ran up to him, and stopped in front of him. He stopped, looking at her with narrowed eyes. She wondered if his face got stuck that way as a child.

"Listen, lord. I would like to help you in this journey, but I will be useless if I am dead. Now, can we please find shelter?" She poked his chest without thinking, which caused his chest to rumble in a deep growl. Crap.

Before she knew what was happening, she was in the air, nearly 5 stories above the ground. This was it. He would kill her for her insubordination. A yelp slipped from her lips and she grabbed onto his shoulders in a desperate attempt to remain in the air. His arm was snaked around her waist, but that could change at any moment.

"Learn your place, Miko." He growled into her ear, before allowing himself to fall to the ground. Her stomach leaped into her throat. She shrieked loudly, and held him tighter. He merely jumped again as he moved towards a small cliff side. As they got closer, she noticed a small, elevated cave, and realized he had already planned for camp. Now she was the jerk. She sighed, and continued to hold on until they reached the lip of the cave. The long strip of fur brushed against her arm, and she was bewildered with how soft it was. She wanted to run her fingers through it, but did not want to risk his wrath so high above the ground. When they finally arrived, he unceremoniously dropped her to her feet. Kagome glared at him, after stumbling a bit. Was this guy raised by dogs? Walking towards the cave, he spoke. "Wait here."

She was about to ask why, but he had already disappeared into the cave. She crossed her arms, rubbing them mindlessly to protect against the increasingly chilly air. The sun was nearly gone in the distance. Despite her discomfort, she could never resist the peace that came along with the rising and setting suns. However, the setting sun always gave way to the creatures of the night, ones that reminded her of her old life. She could hear the stirring creatures below her, and she began wondering where the ice lord had disappeared to.

"Lord Sesshomaru? Are you alright?" She attempted to see into the darkness, her eyes nearly shut from squinting. She thought she saw a figure emerging from the cave, but couldn't tell if her mind was playing tricks on her. "Eh... L-Lord Sesshomaru?" The figure was growing closer, and she could barely see. Her stomach flipped around, and she backed up slightly, causing a few small pebbles to tumble down the steep cliff side.

"Try to refrain from falling to your death, miko." She gave a sigh of relief from the rich baritone that echoed from the caves. She moved closer to the him until he came fully into view. She noticed the blood covering his hands and stopped in her tracks, openly staring at his dripping hands.

"A demon saber cat. The cave is now clear, I will gather wood." She didn't have time to respond before he was gone. She really wished he would stop that. Sighing, she lifted her hand and released some of her energy, a bit more than she wanted, but it was good enough. It illuminated the large cave, and the mangled body of the cat. She noticed a few bites missing and she shivered. At least she had food.

-S-

Sesshomaru effortlessly sliced the large trunk of a tree into several smaller pieces with his poison whip, ignoring the flare of energy behind him. Humans and their weak eyes. He grabbed an armful of wood for the night. Humans and their weak bodies. He had not set up camp in over 500 years. Not since he traveled with Rin, who also had a frail human body. He was not fond of how much he had been thinking of her. She was to be left in the past, but this girl made that difficult.

He would have snapped the neck of anyone who talked to him in the way she had, but for some reason, he had no desire to. The most he could manage was a quick reprimand, until he followed through with her request. Had his age made him soft? No. He still ruled with an iron fist, but she, she had reverted him back to a time where he once cared for a human girl. He never knew how that little girl had managed to gain his trust and protection, but she had. Now, this girl had done the same. Though, he still did not full trust her with the powers she possessed.

Pathetic. He forced these thoughts to the back of his mind, and made his way back to the cave, her sparking energy raising his alert. It burned his sensitive nose, and clashed with his aura. However, despite her strong spiritual energy, it almost seemed comforting. He was the strongest demon in this land, but this girl seemed to be the strongest of any miko he had ever met. Her power made his beast excited. It hadn't been silent since they had begun their journey. Making small huffs and urging him to turn to look at her. He never did.

He would not listen to his base primal urges. He was stronger than that, but it only made his beast louder. It yipped, and whined as the journey went on, causing his nerves to fray. Only when he carried her to the cave did his beast quiet. He was not pleased with this.

He arrived to the cave, dropping the firewood next to her body which leaned against the cavern wall. She looked up at him, and smiled. "Thank you." She whispered softly. He did not acknowledge her smile or gratitude, but still found it strange. Her demeanor was much different than the female demons in the castle, they were arrogant and self serving the same could be said for the mikos. This girl was... different. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "Hn."

He watched her as she begun stacking the firewood, having difficulty with her one free hand. She dropped a log that rolled to his feet. She looked frustrated, moved over to him, grabbing the wood sloppily. He grabbed it from her, avoiding her dangerously lit hand, and stacked the wood himself. Weak humans. Once it was stacked, she placed her hand into the small gap under the stack. The fire burst to life, and she removed her hand, calling off her energy. He released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Thanks again." She rubbed her hands together and was smiling like a dolt at the fire. So satisfied with something so simple. He didn't understand these creatures. He watched as she moved over to the saber carcass. She began to expertly remove the meat from the bones, never once nicking the organs. At least she could feed herself. Something about that statement unnerved him, just like the beast that lay oddly silent for the second time in their journey.

He waited until sleep consumed her, as she lay on the fur of the demon cat she had skinned earlier. It was foolish of her to rely on him to protect her. Just like it had been for Rin to do so. He decided to distract himself with a little hunt while she slept. Unfortunately, his intrusive thoughts would not leave him and his beast growled at him lowly once he had left the cave. It seemed this girl would never allow him peace.