A/N: So another chapter in the same day I really do love you guys don't I.

Well this chapter focus' more on the Ari/Sessh relationship development plus some of Sesshoumaru's thoughts on things.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but I can keep dreaming right?

Naraku stared at the Saimyosho departing from the panther demons castle through Kanna's mirror and smirked as the mirror went back to its normal reflective surface when Kanna lowered it.

"It seems we have ourselves a powerful new piece on the board." Naraku remarked.

"She is very powerful." Kanna said monotonously.

"Yes, a very powerful enemy indeed, beauty and power what a deadly combination." Naraku said with a smirk thinking back to Ari's beautiful green eyes.

"Perhaps you should have her fight with us." Kanna remarked.

"Yes I think I will but she won't do so willingly," Naraku mused as he reached into his purple haori and pulled out the part of the Shikon jewel he had and stared at it thoughtfully. "But maybe she can be persuaded."

"Anyway we can talk more about that later," Naraku said dismissively. "Fetch Kagura I have a mission for her."

Naraku watched Kanna leave before turning his attention to the view outside. The moon was high in the sky and there were no stars shining he smiled a slow cruel twist of his features.

"Soon Arianna, soon you will be mine."

OoO

Ari groaned as she came to, she felt like she was on the sea as she moved gently from side to side. "I don't remember being on a boat." She said drowsily and she attempted to roll over only to have the ground come up to greet her instead. "Who put the ground there?"

"Silly Lady Ari, the ground was always there." It was a girl speaking Ari could tell that much through the pounding in her head. Ari rolled onto her back and opened her eyes and immediately regretted it.

"Someone put out the sun." She groaned much to the little girl's amusement.

"And how do you propose we do that little witch." Ari knew that voice she was sure of it but she just couldn't place it.

"Use water, it's a big ball of fire. I don't care." Ari groaned again, her body felt like lead. "Did I fall off my broom again?"

"This Sesshoumaru brought you back here after our fight with the panther demon. It appears that you used too much of your magic and are suffering the consequences, it was foolish of you to slay the panther demon alone, I was more than able to do so."

"Hey Sesshoumaru I knew I recognised your voice," Ari slowly sat up. "Why'd you bring me back with you?"

"You left your flying machine with Rin and I'd rather not entrust the one person who can answer my questions on the magic world to Inuyasha especially when she's half dead."

Ari would have rolled her eyes if she was more aware of her surroundings; she pulled out her trunk and managed to use whatever magic had come back to her to undo the shrinking charm and redo it after she pulled out some potions. The first one she took was a pain relieving potion, the second was a pepper-up potion and the third was to help her magic.

"You have a big bump on your head." Rin said reaching over to touch the back of her head.

"Ouch!" Ari said and Rin giggled slightly. "Wait, I just took a pain relieving potion and I probably have concussion. That is so not a good combination, I'm probably going to be so delirious later."

It was twenty minutes later when the other members of the group found out just how bad a pain relieving potion and a concussion could really be. Ari was sitting on Ah-Un petting the dragon demon absentmindedly.

"Pretty horsey," Ari said wistfully. "Horsey good. Did you know that Horses with horns are called unicorns?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru I think there's something wrong with Lady Ari." Rin, who had been besides Ah-Un, called out to the Daiyoukai.

"I'm fine little talking orange." Ari said petting Rin on the head.

"We will stop for a rest here." Sesshoumaru said eyeing Ari wearily.

"Pssht, guess what?" Ari asked as Rin helped her down from Ah-Un

"What Lady Ari?" Rin asked.

"I'm a leprechaun." She declared laughing. "Top o' the mornin' to ya."

"What's a leprechaun?" Rin asked.

"It's a little guy who looks for gold at the end of the rainbow."Ari giggled.

"Put her in the shade Rin." Jaken said as he watched the older human girl wearily.

"Ooh your green, Slytherin is green." Ari stated as Jaken came into her view. Rin left her sitting by a tree in the shade as she went to play.

"What is Slytherin?" Sesshoumaru asked as he joined her by the tree.

"No go away, my tree, its mine I tell you, all mine." Ari said with wide eyes watching him sit down with wide eyes.

"What is Slytherin?" He repeated slowly.

"It's a house." Ari replied.

"Where is this house?"

"Hogwarts silly."

"What is Hogwarts?"

"It's a secret," Ari declared seriously looking around her. "Okay I'll tell you mister but you can't tell Sesshoumaru okay?"

"I won't." Sesshoumaru replied thoroughly amused by Ari's odd behaviour.

"It's a school and you learn how to use your magic there. Shh!" Ari whispered.

"I see and what is the girl-who-lived?" He asked her.

"Me silly, I'm the girl-who-lived." Ari said yawning

"Why are you the girl-who-lived?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Because I survived the killing curse when I was a baby, I'm the only person to happy ever survived it. It's a curse that makes the receiver of the spell die instantly, their hearts just stops beating." Ari murmured sleepily. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You may." Sesshoumaru replied.

"Why did your eyes go red?" Ari asked quietly.

Sesshoumaru thought about the question before answering. "This Sesshoumaru is a Daiyoukai so unlike normal low level youkai I have this form that you see in front of you but it isn't my true form. My eyes went red because I wasn't expecting to be attacked, so I lost control for a moment and my demonic nature, my beast, tried to take over. I suppose it's like what you have witnessed with Inuyasha except this one doesn't go on a killing rampage and am able to recognise friend from foe because I am a full blooded inuyoukai."

"Oh, so it's like there's you but then there's a more instinctual version of you lurking around inside you but you're both one and the same." Ari surmised missing the look Sesshoumaru gave her she yawned and closed her eyes. "I'm gonna sleep now kay shoumu?"

Sesshoumaru watched her sleeping form for a while thinking over what he had been told wondering who would try and kill a baby not even he would be as sadistic to do that. He had severely underestimated her and had been forced to reassess her after he saw her immense power yesterday and it had only piqued his curiosity more. He wondered how someone so small and frail looking could be so powerful, could survive a curse designed to stop someone dead. He had so many unanswered questions and it seemed for every question that was answered many more would replace it. She had understood what he told her about his beast, she was a puzzle wrapped up in a mystery and he longed to solve her. Perhaps she would answer him when she awoke although he doubted she would still be so talkative, maybe he should get her to take whatever it was she took earlier again.

OoO

It took Ari three weeks to recover enough to go back to her normal routine but even then her magic core hadn't fully recovered and she was still unable to cast powerful spells. She had been more coherent and logical when she had awoke the second time and Sesshoumaru was slightly disappointed that he wasn't able to get anymore information from her; Rin however had been more than happy to have her friend and playmate back. They were currently sitting round a campfire, well Ari and Rin were, Sesshoumaru had chosen to sit leaning against a tree and barely visible in the glow of the campfire.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort..." Ari started in a soft voice, Rin had asked for a story and after contemplating which one to choose she had chosen 'The Hobbit' as she loved Tolkien's stories and new this one was her favourite so she got it out of her trunk and read it to the girl. She watched Rin's enraptured face as she continued on with chapter one. "...Far over the misty mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old, We must away, ere break of day, To find our long-forgotten gold. Bilbo went to sleep with that in his ears, and it gave him very uncomfortable dreams. It was long after the break of day, when he woke up."

Ari stopped talking after ending the chapter noticing Rin's eyes had started to close she closed the book.

"Why'd you stop, Rin was enjoying the story." Rin said slowly yawning.

"I think it's time for a sleepy little girl to go to sleep." Ari said, standing she led Rin to the spare sleeping bag she had given to Rin. Allowing Rin to get in it Lord Fluffy trotted over from the fire and snuggled with Rin under the cover of the sleeping bag. Ari leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Rin's forehead. "Goodnight honey, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Ari." Rin said with a sleepy smile.

Sesshoumaru watched the scene in front of him with an emotion welling up inside of him; he wasn't too familiar with this emotion and was completely unwilling to name it. He watched as Ari moved about the camp quietly preparing herself for bed, there was a slight frown in his expression as he noticed how she interacted with Rin, telling her stories, playing with her, dealing with her curiosity patiently. Sesshoumaru knew Ari was giving Rin something he couldn't give her.

"Goodnight Lord Fluffy Jackass." Ari called out expecting no response from the Daiyoukai.

Sesshoumaru knew Ari was giving Rin a mother.

OoO

They had been travelling a few days and Ari was getting sick of the quite, don't get her wrong it was usually quite travelling with Sesshoumaru but the Daiyoukai had been even more quite than usual and Ari was beginning to get annoyed with it.

"Hey Sesshoumaru, can we stop at a hot spring sometime today?" Ari asked. "I really want to bathe and Rin needs to as well."

"I have never seen a human bathe so much." Jaken stated.

"Well excuse me for liking to be clean, you should try it sometime." Ari replied in annoyance.

"This Sesshoumaru will lead you to a hot spring." The Daiyoukai said, whilst he too had never met a human who wished to bathe so much as Ari he was glad to indulge her wish to be clean. After all he did have a very sensitive nose and found the human villagers' stench to be disgusting but he didn't mind Ari's scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms.

It was evening by the time they stopped near to a hot spring as Ari had asked. After retrieving her bathing stuff she led Rin to the spring promising to shout if there was any trouble. Rin was quick to undress and jump in the pool of water, Ari entered the spring a lot calmer and slower grinning as she splashed Rin. Thus began the mighty battle of water in which would go down in history as the best water fight ever.

Rin happily chattered away and Ari washed her hair with Rin's new favourite strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner. After she had made sure all the conditioner was gone from her she allowed Rin to wash her body and started on her own hair with her cherry blossom shampoo and conditioner.

"Will you sing Rin a song?" Rin asked shyly as she peered at Ari.

"Hmm of course I will, but don't blame me if I sound terrible." Ari said grinning at the child and began to sing a lullaby.

"...and someday you'll know
that nature is so
the same rain that draws you near me
falls on rivers and land
on forests and sand
makes the beautiful world that you'll see
in the morning..."

Rin clapped when Ari finished the song and she gave a bow in response causing Rin to giggle, after Ari had finished washing herself with her vanilla body wash, they went back to playing in the water. A little while later Ari let Rin go back to camp on her own knowing she would be safe and continued to relax in the hot spring. Ari being the wonderfully careful girl that is fell asleep in the hot water.

OoO

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes as Rin returned to camp happily singing the song that he had heard Ari singing to Rin earlier. It was a surprise to him to hear her sing, it was a sweet lullaby and Ari had in his opinion the voice of an angel not that he would ever tell anyone. He had let her stay with them for so long because Rin was so happy around her but he was really fooling himself. He let her stay because he was content; he liked having her around and trying to figure her out. Naturally he kept these annoying feelings emerging to himself and refused to acknowledge half of them preferring to keep himself in denial for as long as possible.

His eyes closed again as he waited for Ari to return so she could continue reading her story, one that he was secretly enjoying. Her book as well was another mystery to add to Ari's ever growing pile of puzzles needing to be solved. The paper was like nothing he had ever seen, not to mention the bindings and ink. Also to his surprise it was in a completely different language, proving that she was educated beyond that necessary for her magic.

A scream tore through the air in the direction of the hot spring and Sesshoumaru was moving before the scream had even ended. He was at the hot spring in seconds and the scene that awaited him had him boiling with anger. Ari was being held against a rock by a snake youkai, which was touching her very naked body, Ari was trying desperately to get away but she wasn't strong enough and Sesshoumaru knew her magic wasn't ready to be used yet. He was quick to deal with the youkai with his poison whip, and he was left staring at Ari's tear filled green eyes. 'It was those eyes' he thought 'those eyes which were a shade of green that couldn't be compared to anything', his moved his gaze from her painfully expressive eyes. Naturally his gaze wondered down, he was a male and there was a naked woman that was only partially covered by the water.

His gaze wondered down to her lips which were partially opened and taking quick shallows breaths, his eyes took in the water clinging to her neck and watched as a bead of water dripped from her cheek down her neck, to her heaving chest. He felt the sudden desire to trail his tongue down the very path the water bead had taken, only instead of stopping there he would take a the pink nipple he could see peaking over the top of the water, into his mouth and suck lightly and nibble gently on the hardened tip. He needed to stop those thoughts right now before he acted on those thoughts.

"Get dressed and come back to camp." He said cursing the fact that his voice had lowered in his arousal and tried desperately to send the thoughts of the witch to the very back of his mind. He turned around and walked back to camp, anger taking place of his arousal. He shouldn't have been aroused at the sight her body, she was human, she was mortal but most all she was not and never would be his.

A/N: Well...what can I say... Sesshoumaru's in denial to his beginnings of a crush on Ari

So what did you think?

Please let me know and review.