The sunset tinted the sky various shades of orange and red. After having met up with the group again, Sesshomaru led everybody in the opposite direction of the forest.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I'm thirsty..." Nazoki and the lord turned and gazed at the child, finding that her water gourd was empty. They peered at one another before both nodding in unspoken agreement. Soon the group changed direction. Their speed significantly increased, and Nazoki ushered Jaken on A-Un's back behind Rin. Though the toad protested, Nazoki was the only one able to lead the dragon as quickly as the lord was walking.
Not even ten minutes had passed before they found a pure steam for the child to drink from. Sesshomaru and Nazoki both gazed to the right of the group as they caught the familiar scent of humans.
"Kagome, you need to be more careful." A woman's voice could be heard, and a small chuckle answered her.
"Yeah, sorry. I wasn't thinking about that. I just knew somebody had to help him." A girl responded, sounding all too kind.
"Yes, but in being noble, you also must take care. If something were to happen to you, we could never forgive ourselves." The calm voice of a man was followed by a short pause of silence, which was immediately filled with a smacking sound.
"Pervert." Shippo murmured.
The conversation seemed to catch the attention of Rin and Jaken as well. Soon all were looking in the direction of the voices. On the opposite side of the thin stream, a group of five came into view. The two groups stared at one another, and Kagome was the first to speak.
"Rin! Nazoki!" The girl cheerfully waved, and Rin returned her greeting.
"Look Inuyasha, Nazoki's okay!" Kagome grinned turning to the half demon. He crossed his arms as though he didn't care, but his relief was apparent. Soon the group hopped over the stream, and strings of conversation weaved together.
"Sesshomaru! Did you save Nazoki?" Kagome asked, grinning at the man. He stared at her blankly, and Rin answered for him.
"Yes! The lord has let her stay with us!" The child responded in her usual kind, cheerful tone. Sesshomaru glanced down at her, and back at Kagome. Rin always made him sound so nice...
"It's so good to see you are alright. I am relieved that such a beautiful demoness was spared."
An unexpected hand was placed on Nazoki's backside, and she slowly turned to find a nameless monk, rubbing her rear. A deep tint spread across her cheeks and her jaw dropped at the serious expression the man held. He was acting as if nothing was happening! Squealing in surprise, Nazoki smacked the man.
"Pervert." Sango muttered, glaring at Miroku's freshly reddened face. Sesshomaru glared at the pair, yet shifted his gaze to the ever-talkative Kagome.
"So what have you been up to? Find anything interesting lately?"
The lord shook his head at her question and the girl continued.
"Oh, you're a kitsune!" A child exclaimed, and Nazoki glanced down at a young fox by her feet.
"Yes. As are you." The vixen grinned. Introductions were exchanged, and Nazoki picked him up.
"You're cute!" She smirked, and Shippo stared up at her curiously. She asked if he was always around the humans, to which he nodded. Seeing the slight disadvantage, Nazoki decided to teach him a bit.
"How skilled are you?" Her question was met with Shippo showing his foxfire, and his knack for shifting. After observing his abilities, Nazoki chose to explain weaving illusions, and increasing the strength of his flames. Shippo seemed to bask in the knowledge, practicing his foxfire. He managed to form a small cube out of leaf, and Nazoki watched in adoration.
Before she could offer a compliment, Inuyasha was speaking to her.
"Hey, what's that?" A slight hint of annoyance hung in his voice and Nazoki frowned at the half breed.
"What?"
"That." He repeated, pointing to the bite mark on her chest.
"Oh- that... Well, a mosquito- Erm, demon mosquito-"
"Demon mosquito?" Sango and Miroku echoed as they peered at one another, frowning in confusion.
Nodding Nazoki shifted her gaze. Shippo was also curiously watching her.
"Yes... It-"
Before she could complete her lie, Inuyasha was sniffing the mark. The vixen froze in place, staring down at his white hair, wide eyed.
"Sesshomaru! You bastard! What did you do to her?!"
As soon as Inuyasha spoke, all turned to stare at him. Nazoki's jaw dropped, and a mortified expression crossed her.
"N- No- He didn't-" Cutting Nazoki off the half breed continued.
"Did you force her into doing something?! Doing indecent things?!" Inuyasha pulled his Tessaiga out, and Nazoki continued to shake her head. The vixen awkwardly tried to convince him to lower his voice, and that nothing happened.
Sesshomaru glared at his half brother, as he waved his sword around like some form of baseball bat. He ignored the perplexed stares he was receiving from Kagome, and everybody else around him. The only one who did not seem to understand was Rin, to his relief. The lord watched as Nazoki gripped Inuyasha's sleeve. The half-breed snapped something at her, as she dismissively waved her hand at him. She was pulling him away, as if the woman would lead him somewhere else, and Inuyasha was arguing with her. Despite her awkward kind expression, Inuyasha did not listen to her. Slightly angered that they were so close together, Sesshomaru started towards them. For her to be able to touch Inuyasha so freely was unexpected. And irritating. Even when the monk had groped her, she had not combusted. Why did the vixen always burst into flames when Sesshomaru was near her?
Nazoki and Inuyasha stopped, and stared at the lord's icy expression as he came to a halt in front of them. Inuyasha gazed at him with rugged annoyance, and Nazoki simply froze. Without a word, Sesshomaru quickly pushed her away from Inuyasha. In the same motion, a burst of energy shot his half brother backwards.
"M'lord!" Gasping, Nazoki rushed back to his side. Inuyasha was shouting a slew of insults, taking care to add his daily dose of "You bastard"s in. Sesshomaru was still glaring at his half brother, and as he placed his hand to the handle of his sword a pair of arms wrapped around his. Glancing to his right, he found Nazoki staring up at him. Her brows were raised with worry, and he allowed his gaze to linger.
"Not again... Please M'lord, spare him... I have no interest in him, leave him be..." It was unlikely that any but Sesshomaru could hear the vixen, as her voice was barely a whisper. Raising a single brow to the woman, Sesshomaru did not attempt to conceal his irritation.
"You dare interfere with-"
Carelessly cutting him off, Nazoki shook her head.
"Must you attack every male I come in contact with?!" The accusation caused the lord to scowl. Though Inuyasha was already on his feet and ready to attack, Sesshomaru ignored him. He turned towards Nazoki, paying no attention to the fact that all were watching him at the moment.
It seemed as if the more agitated Sesshomaru grew, the warmer the ring on his finger became. He felt it pulsate, as his annoyance sparked.
"I, this Sesshomaru, does no such thing!" The lord growled, and Nazoki stepped back.
"You, are the one who constantly seeks to irritate me!" As the man spoke, his eyes flashed red. Gasps could be heard all around him, yet had no effect on the situation. Immediately fearful, Nazoki stumbled backwards, and tripped over her own feet. The woman landed on the ground, and stared up at the lord; frozen in place.
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
All turned to face Rin as she yelled the man's name. Sesshomaru's eyes reverted, and a slight sense of surprise passed the man. He glanced at all of the confused stares, which were focused on him, not truly understanding why he would grow so agitated himself. When he gazed down at Nazoki, he found her stiff with panic, watching him as well.
Calmly averting his eyes, Sesshomaru internally sighed. It was not his intention, to make her even wearier of him. Without a word, he started away. The lord passed Inuyasha without so much as a glance, and continued into the forest.
Everybody stared after the man, not fully understanding what caused the outburst. A moment passed, and Inuyasha's group circled around Nazoki. The vixen picked herself up, refusing to make a single negative statement towards the lord. Instead, she made an excuse about her getting in the way lately. Rin and Jaken seemed to be increasingly confused, yet also took up for Sesshomaru. Jaken blaming Nazoki, and Rin saying Sesshomaru had been upset lately. As everybody tried to make sense of the odd scenario, multiple trees in the forest crashed to the ground. They looked in the direction Sesshomaru had traveled, only to find more birds fleeing the forest.
In the back of the group, Kagome slipped towards the forest, hoping to remain unnoticed. It wasn't until she found Inuyasha trailing behind her that she turned back.
"And where do you think you're goin'?" The half-breed asked, obviously annoyed. He crossed his arms as he spoke, and leaned towards Kagome.
"I'm just going to talk to him, it's okay!" The miko responded. Inuyasha shook his head, yet Kagome insisted he stay. When he didn't listen, she stubbornly crossed her arms.
"Inuyasha, SIT!"
The moment the words escaped her, Inuyasha face planted into the ground. The group peered at him, and confusion rippled through Nazoki.
"HEY! Damn it, Kagome! I don't trust that bastard! You saw what he did!"
"I'll be fine!" The girl insisted, rushing into the forest.
A/N: Special thanks to Noniebee (4352183) for contributing to this chapter!
You rock :)