When morning arrived, Inuyasha's group remained asleep longer than usual. A sight sigh interrupted Sesshomaru's thoughts, as Nazoki lazily stirred. When the vixen leaned up, she frowned, obviously confused. The lord glanced at her, removing his hand from her hair. Placing her palms on his legs, the vixen pushed herself into a sitting position, and tried to make sense of the situation. Her legs draped over one side of the limb they were resting on, and she peered at the sunrise. The lord seemed oblivious to the fact that she was practically in his lap. Sesshomaru paid her no mind as she stared at him; simply watched the transition of dawn.
Finally speaking, Nazoki lowered her eyes.
"F- Forgive me..."
Peering at the woman, Sesshomaru maintained a neutral expression.
"Foolish... Why are you apologizing?"
Shifting her gaze, Nazoki tried to find a way to articulate her thoughts. It seemed as if she had forced him to allow her to sleep in the spot she was in. The woman could recall bits and pieces of her conversation with Kagome, and Sango. There were also hints of indecency with the lord... But other than that...
"I made you-"
"You could not force me to do a single thing if you tried." Cutting her off, Sesshomaru continued to watch the woman. She nodded slowly, still unsure of how to perceive the situation. Opting to believe that the lord did not mind her presence, Nazoki bit down on her lower lip. After a slight moment of hesitation, the vixen leaned to her right, resting on the lord's shoulder. He glanced at her for a second only to note the lack of fear. A moment passed and she sighed.
"I am relieved you're here... I had the oddest dream..."
Silently shifting his attention to Nazoki, Sesshomaru waited for her to explain; only half interested.
"Of a man dressed as a baboon... How weird..."
Frowning, the lord wondered if his assumption was correct. If it was... What did that mean..? Before the lord could thoroughly contemplate the possibilities, the vixen placed her lips under his jaw. He shifted his gaze, willing himself to maintain focus.
"You smell nice..." She murmured, only furthering his invisible discomfort.
Though it did not show, Sesshomaru enjoyed the contact. Nazoki remained, leaned into him, and he felt her grin against his neck.
"I hope you do not mind... Please, tell me if you do- I wish not to annoy you..."
Remaining silent, the lord sighed as her fangs lightly scraped against his neck.
"Will you humor me? When I left home- I imagined that I would have a mate, and had redeemed my family by now... Honestly, I understand it was foolish, yet my first thought was watching the sunrise with him..."
Without a word, he placed his hand in her lap. Nazoki paused for a moment, before grasping said hand. She murmured a thanks and sank back into his shoulder.
"You know, my mother birthed a half breed as well..."
Donning no hint of emotion, Sesshomaru glanced at her, before returning his eyes to the nearly complete sunrise.
"When my father died- We were ridiculed, and shunned. It only grew worse when my mother mated a human... I left when she tried to arrange a mate for me; Hideki. Upon finding out, I was appalled. His was the family, which killed my father, yet mother expected me to accept him. It was only because my brother- she wanted him to be safe... But..." Sighing, Nazoki looked up at Sesshomaru. He was still focused on the sky, and she lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry... Am I boring you?"
"No." He murmured, earning a smile from the vixen. A moment passed, and she sighed as the leaves around them rustled with a breeze. Quickly grasping her hair, Nazoki prevented the red locks from flying in Sesshomaru's face. He, on the other hand, paid his hair no mind. The white locks tickled Nazoki's arm, and she turned to peer at them. Sesshomaru watched the woman out of the corner of his eye as she gently grasped a bit of his hair. The woman murmured something about his hair being beautiful, and silently started to braid the bit in her hands. Of course, she would always undo it, but it seemed to occupy her.
"Your past."
The smoky tone snapped Nazoki from her thoughts, and she peered up at Sesshomaru, nodding. A single leaf had stopped moving in the sky less than a meter away. It was interesting enough to catch her attention, as, even among youkai, telekinesis is not a common ability. The lord was staring at it, seeming to concentrate. Within seconds, an illusion had been weaved. The leaf shifted into a bow. Surprised, Nazoki watched, as Sesshomaru grew bored with it, he allowed it to fall, and as it did, it was nothing but a leaf again.
"You learn so quickly!" Chuckling the words, Nazoki placed a light kiss on the lord's cheek. He squinted the eye closest to the woman, and peered at her, still seemingly uninterested. Once finished, the vixen snickered at is expression, and continued with her story.
"As long as I had known Hideki, he constantly insulted me. It was not enough that the town ridiculed my every breath, but he had to add to it... My mother and her human spent all of their time with their son, forgetting my very existence... Yet, somehow I managed to fall in love..."
Gazing at her, Sesshomaru waited to hear more. It fascinated him; his family still received an ample amount of respect, despite his father's actions. For Nazoki's to be treated so poorly was an odd concept. He wondered if the entire eastern land was as such.
"I met a man, and we were madly in love with one another... We promised to be mates, and spent every second together... He used to tell me that we would leave the lands, just to escape the people we knew. The whole, run away and start a new, better life concept... But..." Lowering her gaze, Nazoki bit down on her lip. Noticing her obvious grief, Sesshomaru simply remained silent. There was not much to be said about her past, or whatever she was going to tell him.
"One day, he was nowhere to be found... I spent the entire day, wondering if he had avoided me, or if something serious had happened. I searched, and asked around. Nobody would help. The only thing I could hope at the time was that he had not opted to treat me as the rest of the village did; that he had not betrayed my trust... Days passed, and he remained out of sight. Of course, I was worried... Turned out, he had been... Well... His body, had been left in a distant tree, with a sign that read 'Defender of mutts'..."
A slight scowl slipped across the lord's features for a split second, and Nazoki tightened her grip on his hand.
"The corpse obviously smelled of Hideki, as did the surrounding area. I am positive, it was him. As his father murdered mine with under handed tricks, he eliminated my mate before he could become such..." The woman's voice was a mere whisper, and Sesshomaru gazed at the sky. Blue was starting to tint the edges, and he remained silent. Though he portrayed no hint at emotion, Nazoki disregarded the blank expression. She laced her fingers through Sesshomaru's and wrapped his arm around her waist. The vixen expected him to pull back, or protest, yet when he did not, she refrained from commenting. A moment of silence passed, and she closed her eyes.
"Thank you..." A slight smile curled her lips as she murmured the words. "For listening..."
Sesshomaru gazed at the woman on his chest, wondering if he should comment on her story. Instead of using words, he placed a light kiss on her neck. Nazoki chuckled in amusement, resting her free hand on his knee. "M'lord, you are rather skilled with illusions..." She mused, and Sesshomaru returned his attention to the sky.
"If you were any more convincing, I might find myself infatuated..."
The statement caused Sesshomaru to fix his eyes on her. Noticing the odd stare, Nazoki peered up at him, and lowered her gaze. He did not look happy. Or any other form of emotion. Sesshomaru's constant serious air portrayed no hint of anything. Growing embarrassed, Nazoki bit down on her lip.
"Excuse me... I know it means nothing. It was just a weak attempt at a joke, M'lord."
'Nothing?' Sesshomaru echoed in his mind. Shifting his gaze, he tightened his jaw. So she considered it as nothing. Compared to her chosen mate, it was nothing. What could he have possibly done, that made Nazoki consider it something? Sesshomaru was not sure, but for the vixen to call his kiss nothing... Not that he cared. He had better things to do. A powerful spear to find before Naraku was more important than listening to the kitsune's woes. Therefore, it really did not matter, whether it was truly nothing, or something. She had asked him to humor her, and he had done just that. Now he was finished.
"It is time to leave." The lord stated in his usual smoky tone. Nazoki peered at him for a moment before nodding. The vixen did not really move, instead she pressed herself further into Sesshomaru's shoulder. Unsure of how to respond, he coldly gazed down at her.
A/N: Hi all, I hope you have enjoyed the story thus far. Please R&R even if you don't have an account, you can still leave feedback :)
I love to hear your comments, thoughts, and critiquing. Also, you have a chance to control their relationship and the events that happen, as I like to work in what ever the readers want to see. :) It's always more fun with unexpected situations, and suggestions. So- that being said, I will continue o do stuff. Hope you take the time to leave me a review!