Tadaa! *opens curtain* Well, here's your new chapter! But first a HUGE thank you and cookies to my twelve AWESOME and most recent reviewers: RosesMoon, MsWildLuck, Enlightened Tenshi, Gotta Have My Choco, Valerie Michaelis, poisedrose, Blackenflames, E-man-dy-S, DrAmALoVeR98, satuross, ladybookwyrm, and ashthetyto! I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH! *squees as I glomp hug you all* Ahem! *coughs* Also, a big thanks to all the people who have already favorited and/or followed this story. YOU ARE ALL AWESOME! Anyways, hope you all enjoy chapter 8! :D

Terms to know…
Daiyoukai – Great Demon
Youkai – Demon
Hanyou – Half Demon
Miko – Priestess
Inu – Dog
Kitsune – Fox

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha, the Inuyasha plot, NOR the Inuyasha characters. I only own my main OC Autumn/Akiko, any other OCs created along the way, and any part of the plot NOT a part of the Inuyasha anime or manga. This fanfic, however, is MINE and I'd like to keep it that way.

Chapter 8-White Meets Gold

Sesshomaru's P.O.V.
My golden eyes took in the scene before me with keen interest. One would have had to be a blind fool to miss the magnificent full-blooded female Inu standing in the middle of the clearing. She was a beautiful dark gold, while the tip of her tail, ears, and paws were midnight blue; the same as the pair of magenta stripes adorning her cheeks.

Turning my head slightly, I spotted the kitsune kit that was a part of my half-brother's pack. He was currently lying cradled in the miko's arms as she treated a long gash running across his arm. The scent of his blood filled my nostrils. "Hn… So, that is what set the female off." I observed, "The scent of a pup's blood must have set off her maternal instincts."

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha snarled, resting his clawed hand on the hilt of Tetsuaiga, "what the hell are you doing here?!"

Drawing my gaze back to the two in front of me, I sent my younger brother a venomous glare before moving my eyes up to take in the female currently standing behind him. While the hanyou's aura was currently filled with nothing but hostility, she observed me an air of calm curiosity. "She is young." I noted, for I could tell by her scent that she'd just barely left her pup years behind, "Perfect. Being a powerful, young, and inexperienced female, what she needed now was a powerful, older, and more experienced male as a mate."

"Answer me, Sesshomaru!" the hanyou demanded angrily.

My golden eyes snapped back to pin the fool with my glare. I was about to put the wretch in his place but, surprisingly, the female beat me to it.

"IDIOT!" she snarled in Inu, "Don't you DARE chase away the only person who can possibly help me shape-shift back into my normal form!"

I blinked briefly, managing to contain my surprise. Now I understood! So, this was her first time transforming into her true form. It shouldn't be surprising really, seeing as she was so young.

"Akiko, don't be an idiot!" Inuyasha snapped at the female, whose name I quickly noted, "There's no way in hell Sesshomaru's gonna-"

"SILENCE, INUYASHA!" I snarled to the disrespectful hanyou as I approached the duo.

"Say what?!" he hissed as he spun to face me, beginning to draw his demonic blade, "You wanna-"

SPLAT!

I barely managed to stifle a smirk as the Golden Inu promptly stepped on him, successfully silencing his outburst. Seeing that she'd accomplished her mission of silencing the nuisance, her attention turned back to me, "Could you… help me shape-shift back? I mean, you're a full-blooded Inu, so you DO know how, right?"

"Hn." I replied calmly, deciding to ignore the slight feeling of insult and allowing my normally cold aura to turn a bit more inviting, so as to ease some of the female's nervousness. Seeing that I had her full attention, I continued. "Focus your mind on the form you held before." I instructed her, "Imagine yourself turning back into your previous form."

The young Inu nodded, before closing her eyes in concentration. I could feel her Youki pulse with power as she focused on her task at hand. Only moments later, there was a bright flash of light, and she had regained a more-or-less human appearance.

There was only one problem.

Having clearly made a very sudden and probably unplanned transformation, not to mention her obvious lack in controlling her Youki, she did not possess the means to re-assemble her shredded clothing. Meaning she was now sitting on the ground…

Completely naked.

"HOLY SHIT!" the female's sputtering screech upon realizing her state of undress was ear-splitting before she turned her fuming green gaze upon the three males, including myself, who were taking in the sight, "TURN AROUND!"

Quickly, we all did so. The monk and my young half-brother blushing red with embarrassment, while I, on the other hand, found myself feeling rather pleased. For, even though I'd only gotten a brief look at the female, it was plenty long enough for my mind to forever hold the image and come to the solid fact that she was highly attractive. Then again…

I paused.

As for the attractive image, I found that I most certainly wasn't the only one holding it my mind. Using my extra sensitive Youkai senses to pick it up, I could almost hear the lecherous thoughts floating around in the monk's head.

Needless to say my so called 'pleased feeling' was rather short lived.

Autumn/Akiko's P.O.V.
"Oh my gawd, oh my gawd, OH MY GAWD!" Seriously, words couldn't even BEGIN to describe how utterly mortified I was at that moment. I mean, come on! I was NAKED for Kami's sake and EVERY SINGLE male here had seen me as such! "Kagome!" my voice was pleading as I turned to the midnight-haired miko, "Please, PLEASE tell me you have something for me to wear in that over-sized back pack of yours!"

"Oh! Umm… Yeah!" Kagome stuttered in surprise, finally blinking herself out of her temporary shell-shock. Sitting her heavy pack down, half of her body momentarily vanished before she reappeared holding an ordinary powder blue sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans. "Here you go, Akiko." She smiled sympathetically as she handed them to me.

Sighing with relief, I gave the girl a grateful look before slipping into the apparel, positively relishing in the feeling of clothing covering my bare flesh again. Coughing slightly, I forced the blush to recede from my cheeks as I turned to the three men who still had their backs to me, "You can look now."

Inuyasha turned around slowly, a deep blush still painting his cheeks. Miroku, on the other hand, no longer seemed bothered and had a big lecherous grin on his face. And Sesshomaru…

Ever so slowly, the Daiyoukai turned around wearing his usual indifferent expression.

PAUSE…

Okaaay… I take that back.

Almost wearing his usual indifferent expression is more like, for there was a strange emotion simmering in the depth of those molten gold eyes of his.

ANOTHER PAUSE…

And I'll be forever damned but he was looking straight at me! Almost instantly, I found the blush that had just recently receded trying desperately to re-make its stupid presence known on my face. But come on, who could blame me!?

Sesshomaru was freaking gorgeous!

Okay, I know I said before that that wasn't the main reason I liked him in the anime, but I also mentioned that the fact of him being a drop dead beauty hadn't exactly escaped my notice. And if you thought he was hot in the anime, then he was effing smexy in person!

"Oh dear Kami, did I actually just use that stupid ass word?" the urge to face palm was almost over whelming, "Seriously, girl!? Smexy!? Dear Kami, now I know I've lost it…"

"Yes, well, before you go spacing off there," a voice suddenly spoke up in my head, "I'm afraid you currently owe Mr. Smexy over there a thank you for the advice he gave you earlier."

"What the… Who the hell are you!?" I mentally shrieked.

The voice, which sounded suspiciously familiar, let out a sigh, "You hit me with a car, Young One. Does that ring a bell?"

"Say wha-" Oh dear Kami! It was the Golden Inu spirit! But wait, "What are you doing in my head!? I thought you disappeared!"

"Apparently, not quite yet." She chuckled, "For it seems that by transforming into your true form that you've summoned back a sliver of my spirit. So, it seems I'll be accompanying you for a bit. Now, about that thank you?"

"Oh." I muttered back a bit sheepishly, before focusing my attention back on the Western Lord who was still staring at me.

"Make sure to dip your head slightly when you approach him." The spirit ordered me, "It's a sign of respect among our kind."

"Uh… Okay?" I responded a bit unsure. Approaching the Daiyoukai carefully, I dipped my head slightly in respect just as my inner voice told me to do. "Thank you for your help, Lord Sesshomaru." I spoke out calmly, using my ever famous country stubbornness to force down the blush which was positively determined to dust my cheeks, "I really appreciate it."

A fine eyebrow raised itself delicately as he seemed to study my person. For a split second, I could've sworn I saw a tiny smirk flit across his face before a deep, "Hn." rumbled from his throat and he turned around and silently left.

"Well, that was just… weird." I murmured silently in my mind.

My new inner voice held a speculative tone in her voice and I could almost see her narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the Daiyoukai's retreating form, "Maybe… And maybe not."

Whoot! *grins* Well, there's the next chapter for ya! What did you think? Please, please, PLEASE review and tell me! You guys/girls have been doing an AWESOME job so far, so my level of inspiration has been on like cloud nine! Oh, and on a side not, just because Sesshy is already interested in Akiko doesn't mean he's developed actual 'feelings' for her yet. I like to take relationship developments slow, so you don't have to worry about the romance part being rushed. Anyways, please follow and favorite this story if you're enjoying it. See you all in the next chapter!

NEW STORY!
Silver and Gray, Foxes and Jays - Yu Yu Hakusho - Kurama/Yoko X OC

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Kira